For anyone reading, welcome! Thank you for reading. And thanks for the memories. Now, on with the finale!

"For some, only something or someone worth dying for makes life worth living." -Everlasting Promises by Starblade176 (AN: I'm ending the story with the best quote from the story that got me into writing.)

Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY in any way. If I did… (*starts to daydream for an entire day before actually dreams for the rest of the night*).

Disclaimer 2: Guys… we hit 40k. Not only that, we got 41k. T-t-thank you. Just… thank you for your support. And if you made it this far… I think you all deserve a happy ending for your stories. This one though, the title's all you need to know.

Chapter 27: Haunted

"Oh god, Ruby!" Daniel's scream pierced the night sky as he stared at the girl in his arms in horror.

Cinder, off to the side, crawled on her hands and knees. Her breaths came out in ragged gasps as she wearily lifted her head, gazing at Daniel holding a mangled Ruby. A victorious laugh escaped Cinder's throat, at first no more than a stutter to her breathing but eventually built up until it was a manic giggle. She was forcefully silenced, though, when Yang appeared by her side with her knee snapping Cinder's neck to the side. Cinder tumbled to the ground, her jaw unquestionably shattered while a few of her teeth were knocked out.

Daniel missed all of this as he brushed off a bit of ash away from Ruby's face with his boil-riddled hand, his mouth a permanent 'O' as his stomach knotted itself while he continued to stare at his girlfriend. "If I had just been a bit quicker," Daniel cursed himself, "If I was just a bit stronger."

These thoughts ran through Daniel's head as he tried to ignore what he'd done to Ruby because of his weakness. Ruby coughed out a bit of blood as she stared at her stump of a right arm, completely gone all the way up to her bicep. The skin was still bubbling slightly from Cinder's fires, and the flesh around it was charred to either an unhealthy red or even black. A portion of her face was now scarred for life as well as her clothes which were smoking whenever Daniel tried to cradle her closer to his chest.

Daniel rocked back and forth with Ruby's head clutched against his chest, tears streaming down his face as the floodgates to his eyes released. "Why?" Daniel sobbed as he buried his head into Ruby's smoldering shoulder, "Why did you do it?"

Ruby was numbly aware of Daniel's words, smiling as she tried to reach up and stroke Daniel's hair back. A pang of horror jolted her as she couldn't feel Daniel's ash-ridden hair, or even her hand, for that matter. Ruby sighed as she answered, "You would've done the same."

"But you-," Daniel cried, "You were going to get better. Everyone wanted you to live- they could barely care about me."

Ruby grimaced before she interrupted herself with a cough, spraying a red fluid all over Daniel's shoulder. "No, I wasn't," Ruby whispered, shame starting to seep into her words.

Daniel pulled back ever so slightly, staring at the girl in his arms in horror. "W-what?" Daniel stuttered, "But you said-."

"I know," Ruby cooed as her breathing eased to a slow rise and fall of her chest, "The doctors, though, gave me two days."

"Two days?" Daniel exclaimed, tears trickling down his cheeks, "Why didn't you tell me?"

"If I did tell you," Ruby asked, another cough forcing its way through with another spray of blood, "would you have come here?"

"Yes," Daniel insisted, wiping away his endless tears, "I would've done it for you."

"But you wouldn't," Ruby disagreed while her voice was barely above a whisper, "I know you wouldn't. You only fight for what you cared about, so you would've stopped."

Daniel choked back another tearful sob as he clenched his fists, determination starting back up. "I could've healed you," Daniel began, "I can heal you now."

"No," Ruby denied, tears prickling against her eyes as well, "You're not doing that again. I finally got to be the hero. You're not taking that away from me." A sob escaped her as Ruby added, "Please." Daniel's response was that his sobs intensified, his hands shaking as he tried to hold his girl steady. "You'd kill yourself, anyway," Ruby added, "And I also took way too many pills to even get here. It would've killed me before the cancer."

As quickly as it started up, Daniel's sobs suddenly stopped. Taking a few, shuddering, deep breaths, Daniel gently laid Ruby back down onto the ground, stroking her cheek almost longingly. "Sorry, Ruby," he whispered, "I want to play the hero as well."

"Daniel, don't you dare," Ruby warned. She could only watch helplessly as Daniel stumbled to his feet, giving Ruby a small salute and a half-hearted smile before padding away. Ruby tracked Daniel as he made his way to the edges of the clearing, picking up his sword with a muffled scream, and she watched as he fumbled for a few switches on the side of his sheath.

Ruby's line of sight was broken by a worn leather boot as Yang finally was able to step up to the sight of her sister. A sob rang above Ruby as her sister bent down, curling her arms around Ruby as Yang sobbed into her stomach. Two other cries somewhere behind her made Ruby dimly aware of Weiss's and Blake's presences, but she was still staring at Daniel who pulled out a small crystal from his weapon. Her blank eyes followed him as he walked back to the group with his head hung.

"Daniel," Ruby whispered despite knowing Daniel wouldn't be able to hear her voice lost in the wind, "Please, don't."

An eternity later, Daniel was again kneeling by Ruby's side, in his hands a spotted white crystal. "Move," he commanded the others in a monotone voice, "I'm healing Ruby."

Yang pulled herself away from her sister's side, staring at Daniel in question. "Just trust me," Daniel begged as he held up the crystal for her to see. Yang took another glance at her sister as her heart was constricted yet again. With a bit of reluctance, Yang slowly stood on her feet as she backed away.

"Anything for Ruby."

During all this, Ruby's eyes began to close. They started to weigh too much to keep open, even when she tried with all her might. "Don't, Daniel," Ruby pleaded again.

Daniel shook his head as he stared at the Dust in his hands, watching a sort of wispy figure dance inside of the crystal. "I guess this is why I stored this much Aura," he mused as Daniel crushed the Dust in his hand, releasing the Aura trapped within. Daniel let out a small wail of agony as Aura raced through him, threatening to spill out as he tried to contain the unruly energy. His hands started vibrating with energy while Daniel himself seemed to hum with Aura as a slight blue glue enveloped him.

Daniel looked down at the girl at his feet, the girl who was fighting for every breath. "You couldn't help but save me," he muttered to Ruby, "and I can't help but save you. Let's hope this is the last time." And with a final breath, Daniel choked out, "I love you," before pressing his palms against Ruby's chest and head, a blue light shining out from his Semblance before it quickly enveloped the entire clearing around them.

-xXxX-Line Break-XxXx-

Pain.

That's the first thing Ruby felt when she regained conscious. Ruby let out a moan as she tried to move something, anything, and found she barely had the strength to move her mouth to let out another groan.

Then, her eyes blinked open.

The world seemed to swim for Ruby as she stared up at a bleary ceiling, looking more like an abstract painting than real life. Ruby dimly noticed the white tiles and the fluorescent lights overhead before she realized where she was.

A hospital.

Ruby couldn't help but breathe out a sigh of relief. A smile stretched her mouth as she started to laugh, her breaths staggering as she tried. It was quickly halted by the pain that had to come back around again, pounding Ruby's head with another mental hammer. Ruby had already exhausted herself, though, as she slipped back unconscious, but not before she heard someone yell, "She's awake!" from somewhere at her feet.

-xXxX-Line Break-XxXx-

The next time Ruby awoke, she felt a bit more refreshed. No longer did a painful headache linger in her brain with the waiting mental gong; it now felt more like her head was just inflated to a size too large with the uncomfortable throbbing. And now, she was finally able to move around. But, Ruby soon found out the hard way how stiff her muscles were as she hissed when she tried to push herself up to a sitting position. For the first time in… she didn't know how long she was out, Ruby was finally able to look around the room.

Ruby was in the same hospital room she'd come to know painfully well- the room may as well have had her name printed on the door outside, just from how much time she had to spend in there from her multiple chemos. But, there was a new addition to the room. In the back corner was a new curtain drawn up, cutting off the corner from the rest of the room.

"You're awake," A voice sounded to Ruby's right. Ruby's attention was jerked away from the curtains as she- ignoring the dozens of muscles that tried to lock up her neck- turned her head towards the sound's origin. There, sitting on a plastic seat near the door, was a white-haired man, inspecting her with red eyes. "How are you awake?" the man wondered aloud, putting his hand to his chin.

"Hello?" Ruby greeted with an unsure tone. Her voice sounded like more like a frog's croak than her regular one. "Who are you?"

The man snapped his fingers. "Sorry, I should've introduced myself. Douglas Griswald- one of Ozpin's friends and Semblance expert."

"I remember you," Ruby announced, "You're the one that trained my sis."

"That's right," Griswald agreed, "And you should probably get some rest."

"But I feel-," Ruby started to protest before interrupting herself with a yawn, "I guess I need it. But why'd you ask that?"

"Hmm?" Griswald replied with a sort of stunned look.

"Why'd you ask how I was awake?" Ruby asked again, her head thumping against the pillow as she already started to drift.

Griswald clicked his tongue, looking crossed with himself. "Nevermind," he waved off, "I'll tell you when you can stay awake long enough to hear about it." Ruby would've protested if she was still awake, leaving Griswald with a silence. "You should be dead, though," he muttered under his breath.

-xXxX-Line Break-XxXx-

The next time Ruby awoke, the sun was halfway on its trip to the top of the sky. With an almighty yawn, Ruby stretched her arms high above her, smacking her lips a few times as she felt at complete bliss.

It always had to be interrupted, though, this time by a flash of blonde hair. "Ruby," a voice cried out as Ruby was tackled by someone, shoving her down to the bed with a hug.

Ruby let out a croak, intended to be a heartful laugh, as she patted her sister on the back. "Hey, Yang," Ruby greeted in a whisper.

"What are we- less than your sister?"

Ruby peered around Yang's golden mane at the other two tearful girls standing at the edge of her bed. "Hey Weiss, Blake," Ruby added, "How long was I out?"

Yang pulled away as the other two girls constricted her with their own hugs. Only then did realize the tear stains Yang had left on Ruby's robes when Yang wiped away the remainders on her eyes. "Three weeks," Yang sniffled, "You were asleep for three weeks."

At her sister's words, Ruby froze up. "That long?" Ruby questioned, "W-what happened when I was out?"

"Well," Blake started as she and Weiss peeled themselves away from Ruby, "Vale's in repair right now. Everyone that attacked it is now-."

"So, we won?" Ruby interrupted, eyes full of hope and pride, "No one got hurt?" The exchanged glances between her friends let doubt bubble and simmer in Ruby's chest. "Guys?" she drawled. Then, she noticed the elephant in the room- rather, the one not currently in there. "Where's Daniel?" Ruby asked, turning her head this way and that like she would see him behind one of her teammates. "What happened?" Ruby asked again, the heart rate machine next to her starting to beep up a storm, "What happened to Daniel?"

"That, I'm afraid," a new voice answered, "is a harder question to answer than you might think." From all the hugging earlier, the four girls never realized someone had joined them as they all turned towards him. "Hello, girls," Griswald greeted with bags under his eyes, "Sorry for interrupting a tearful reunion."

"Professor-," Ruby started.

"Just Griswald, my dear," Griswald interjected with a wave of his hand.

"Okay, Griswald," Ruby corrected herself, "Where's Daniel?"

"That," Griswald started with a finger raised, "is an easier question. Why he's in this room right now."

Ruby's eyes strayed to the small, cut-off section hidden by the blue curtains. "Then-," she breathed.

"You shouldn't see him," Griswald quickly interrupted, putting himself between the curtains and a cross Ruby, "First, I wanted to ask you a couple of questions because they link to Daniel's condition."

"What condition?" Ruby questioned, "Why are-?"

"Later," Griswald sneaked back into Ruby's question, "Now, what do you remember? From the night of the second Grimm attack? What was the last thing you recall?"

Ruby winced as she tried to recall the memories. "The fire," she answered in a whisper, "I remember Daniel trying to save me from the fire."

Griswald nodded before asking away, "Do you know how you survived?"

Ruby shook her head, frustrated. "I just remember the blue light; that's it."

Griswald cursed as his assumptions proved true. "Very important question," he finally asked, "Do you know how bad your situation was?"

From the reactions Yang and her teammates gave her, Ruby knew it had to be pretty bad. "I know cancer," Ruby said in a low voice, "And the bottle of pills I took weren't good."

"That's just the tip of the iceberg," Griswald explained, his mouth barely visible as it made a grim line. He listed off Ruby's injuries, "Stage 3 stomach cancer, about 5 doses above what you should've taken in painkillers, third-degree burns on your front, extreme blood loss, and your left arm completely burned off."

Ruby shrunk back further and further into the head of her bed. "That bad?" she squeaked.

"But, the amazing thing is your condition right now."

What about it?" Ruby squeaked.

"I just mentioned your arm was lost, right? Well…" Griswald nodded in Ruby's direction, eyes imploring.

Confused, Ruby scratched the back of her head… with her left arm. Realization dawned on her as she shakingly lowered her arm, staring at it like it was some sort of mystical creature. "But…" Ruby stammered, "But-."

"Then there's your Aura levels. Normally, reserves don't change unless a person specifically trains to enhance them. But for your case, the readings show you going all the way up to 112 percent Aura levels two days after the invasion."

"Wait," Ruby tried to break into Griswald's rant, "What did you-?"

"And your cancer. The doctors gave you a few days to live if I remembered your report correctly. And yet, not one doctor has found any trace of it in your body. How?" Griswald asked with a tilt of his head. Not unkindly, just extremely curious with a bit of confusion.

"I-," Ruby stammered out, "I don't know."

"And neither do I," Griswald exasperated, dragging one of his hands through the tangled mess that was his hair, "There are maybe twelve ways you could've died that night, three of which would've killed you in two hours. My problem is, how are you still alive?"

And with that information overload, Ruby did what any regular person would've done- she passed out. Cold. "Why did you do that?" Yang snapped at her mentor, fussing over Ruby, "She didn't need to know that."

"She has a right, you know," Griswald explained, "It's her body, and she should be told the whole story."

"Yeah," Yang agreed as her tone softened, "But not now. Not with Daniel-."

"We still have no idea what will happen to him," Griswald grunted, glancing at the curtains, "Frankly, I'm honestly afraid of what he's going to be like."

-xXxX-Line Break-XxXx-

It was the fourth time Ruby was awake for the past month, and her physical state still looked fine. In fact, the doctors explained to her, "You seem to be in the same state you were before you were diagnosed with cancer." Well, except for the fact that she could barely lift a glass of water just for a drink. But other than that, completely healthy.

But of course, Ruby couldn't care less about her physical health at the moment as her eyes bore into the curtains in the corner of the room, cutting it off from the rest of the world. Her heart would not stop pounding as she started making every horrible assumption of what was behind them. Was it Daniel? Was it someone else? If it was Daniel, why was he hidden from her?

Even with her worries, Ruby wasn't able to focus on them because of the plethora of visitors that flooded her throughout the day. First came Yang and her team who suffocated her in a group hug. Then, an hour later came Jaune, Ren, and Nora while Jaune wheeled in a saddening sight. "Oh, Pyrrha," Ruby gasped, "What happened?"

Pyrrha brushed a small strand of her behind her ear, ducking her head down to avoid meeting Ruby's eyes. She was in a gown similar to Ruby's as Jaune pushed her wheelchair up to Ruby's side. "Cardin happened," Jaune growled, answering for Pyrrha, "A mace to the back fractured some of her hip and spine."

"Oh," Ruby cried out, leaning over and consuming Pyrrha in a much-needed hug that she tearfully reciprocated. "You'll get better though, right?" Ruby asked as she pulled away.

"I…" Pyrrha stammered, "I'm not sure."

"Of course you will," Jaune exclaimed, "You still haven't lost the feeling in your legs, so it's going to be fine."

"But," Pyrrha began again, her head bowed, "I'll just be a hindrance to you three now. I won't be able to be the Invincible Girl that you know."

"Then don't," Nora piped up, her eyes sad but her smile cheerful, "Be Pyrrha Nikos: Girl-That-Finally-Got-Jaune."

"Nora," Pyrrha exclaimed as she buried her face in her hands. But, her cheeks nonetheless heated up to match colors with her hair. "You weren't supposed to say anything!"

"Oops," Nora squeaked, "Sorry, I'm just so excited you're finally together-together!"

"Wait," Ruby interjected, "Backup. You what?"

Jaune set his jaw, but a smile still dawned on his smug-filled face. "Pyrrha here," Jaune started, resting his chin on Pyrrha's bowed head, "has officially taken my offer for a date."

Ruby squealed in delight as she tackled the couple in a hug, almost falling out of bed for her troubles. "Congratulations, you two!" she exclaimed, "And finally!"

"Finally?" Jaune asked with a perplexed look, "What do you mean by that?"

Ruby froze up before jumping back onto her bed, a blush starting to form on her cheeks. "Hehe," Ruby awkwardly giggled, "Nothing…"

"And now I know it's not 'nothing'," Jaune shot back as he raised an eyebrow, "Now spill."

For a few moments, Ruby remained silent. Then, she burst out, "You're just so clueless. Pyrrha was waiting for a date from you, but you just never noticed!"

"That's not true," Jaune protested, "Right guys?" He turned to the other two people in the room for support, only to find there was none there. "Guys?" he asked again while his voice kept rising octaves.

"Sorry, Jaune."

"You're clueless."

Jaune threw his hands into the air out of frustration before burying his head in the back of Pyrrha's neck. Meanwhile, everyone else laughed at his expense, including Pyrrha who tilted her head and gave Jaune a quick peck on the cheek, drawing a soft "Aww" from the two other girls. "I'm such a dunce," Jaune pestered himself.

In comfort, Pyrrha reached back and wrapped her arms around Jaune's neck. "At least you finally asked," she reassured, "Better late than never."

Finally, Jaune's ego was lifted a little higher as he pulled himself away from the back of Pyrrha's head to give her a proper kiss. "Life's short, anyway," he agreed.

Ruby stared at the scene in adoration before longing gripped her heart. Her smile flipped into a frown as she stared at her covers, tears threatening to flood her eyes. While Nora continued to tease the newest couple on the block, Ren spotted Ruby's solemn expression from the corner of his eye. "Ruby," he called out. The recovering girl took a bit too long for Ren's liking to look up, her eyes distant. "What's on your mind?"

Ruby pulled out the pillow from behind her and buried her face in it. "Ruby," Ren called again, this time with an even softer tone, "What's wrong?"

It took a couple of seconds before Ruby responded, "Daniel." When she peeked an eye above her pillow, she caught Ren staring back at her imploringly. "I don't know what's happened to him," Ruby explained in a heartbroken tone, "I think he's right behind that curtain, but no one will tell me."

Ren glanced over his shoulder at the blue curtains that cut off a good section of the room. "Those curtains?" he clarified, turning back around to see Ruby nod. "You're probably going to ask me to go check, aren't you?" Ren sighed as Ruby nodded yet again. "And no is not an answer?" A third nod made Ren sigh one last time before getting up. He strode over to the curtain, peeking through it to look at the occupant before scrambling back, flinching like he'd just been punched.

"Was it Daniel?" Ruby asked, sitting up rigidly.

Ren paused for a moment before responding, "It was…"

"Can I see him, then?" Ruby asked, desperation filling her voice. Ren shook his head as he sat back down, the others now listening in on their conversation. "Why not?" Ruby questioned, "I want to see him."

"No," Ren denied forcefully, "I will not let you."

"Why?" Ruby asked again.

"Because it's probably in your best interest not to."

That sent Ruby over the line. "Get out," she told them in a whisper. When they only looked confused, Ruby tried to shove Ren off her bed with frail arms. "Get out," she demanded, louder, "You guys aren't any help!"

Team JNPR jumped back, stunned at her ferocity. "Ruby, calm down," Jaune tried to placate.

"Stop telling me to calm down," Ruby shouted at them, trying to push away Nora this time, "I just wanted to see, Daniel, but you won't let me. I just want to know what happened to him!"

Jaune's gaze drifted towards the curtains near the back. "You mean-," he began.

"No," Ren commanded, "Do not let Ruby see what's behind them, under any circumstances."

"Please," Ruby begged Jaune with watery eyes. When even the blonde shook his head, she started shoving them away again. "Then get out! You guys can't help me! Out!"

The machines next to her were flaring up as Ruby's heart started beating faster and faster, but they still weren't able to drown out the roar in her ears as she shoved away her friends towards the exit. Meanwhile, a couple of doctors rushed in the room, two of them heading straight for Ruby as they wrestled her back down onto the bed. Ruby thrashed in their grasp, but she was already weak from staying up for so long without rest, eventually being brought down. As soon as their hands let go of her, though, Ruby tried to rise again before a voice from the door rang out, "You wanted to know about Daniel?"

Ruby turned her head towards the voice so quickly there was almost an audible crack from the whiplash she received. There, in the doorway, was a surprise (although she should've expected it, given the subject). Griswald strolled in as Dr. Treuse protested that he should stay outside. "It's alright," he assured, "I'm here on Ozpin's word."

"That makes everything better," Dr. Treuse sassed as she rolled her eyes. But still, she turned back to the machines near Ruby to tinker with a few of their controls.

"I'm also an expert in Aura and Semblances," Griswald yelled at the green-haired doctor, annoyed. "People these days," he grumbled before turning to Ruby. "So you wanted to know about Daniel?"

"You don't say," Ruby sassed, sitting back up with her back pressed up against the back of the bed.

"Ahem," Dr. Treuse interrupted with a clear of her throat, "You can't just go around giving away information about our patients."

"Ah, but this is a special case," Griswald clipped with a smug grin, "I believe Miss Rose would like to know about her savior's and teammate's condition, no?" All he got in return was a few choice words mumbled under Dr. Treuse's breath as she turned back to check on Ruby's vitals. "Anyway," Griswald brushed aside, "where was I?"

"Telling me about Daniel's condition?" Ruby asked hopefully.

"I wish I could," Griswald claimed. He held up a finger when Ruby was opening her mouth to explode again. "Let me finish. I wish I could tell you what exactly happened to him; the truth is, I don't know. No one does. I've been studying what Daniel's Semblance does for the past months, and I still don't have a good grasp of what he did!"

"Wait," Ruby interrupted with a sudden revelation, "He used his Semblance on me?"

"Where do you think you got your extra twelve percent of Aura?" Griswald answered, "Somehow, he put a part of his into you to keep you alive."

"That idiot," Ruby exclaimed, though tears threatened to spill out despite her angry demeanor.

"You have no idea," Griswald agreed, moving towards the curtains.

Dr. Treuse turned around just in time to see Griswald grab ahold of the fabric. "Don't," she shouted with panicked eyes.

Too late. Griswald threw open the divider to show a sight that choked up Ruby, her tears finally coming out. Behind it was Daniel, laying in a regular hospital bed as dozens of drips and needles lined his arms. The skin on the left side of his face, as low as his eye, was burned and boiled, like if it had rotten for a week but kept its original skin tone. A tube went into his nostrils to help him breathe while another one went under the blanket and into his side, doing something Ruby could only dimly imagine. "Oh god," Ruby choked out, finally letting her tears flow out as she sobbed into her covers.

"Depleted Aura," Griswald started to list, "multiple scrapes and scratches, one bullet or arrow wound that went through his side, third-degree burns on his hands and second-degree ones on his back and face, a lost kidney, a lost left leg, and a third of his kidney gone." Ruby's sobs intensified. "And yet," Griswald went on, "he's still somehow alive."

"Still?" Ruby cried, "There's more?"

"Daniel used his Semblance to perform most of this. He gave you everything so you could survive. But he used his own body to provide the materials. He rewrote a portion of his DNA code and rewrote a bit of yours to cure you." Ruby's sobs intensified. "And he used his Semblance to do all this. The feat in itself… it's remarkable!"

"How is it remarkable?" Ruby cried out.

"Think of how precise it must be!" Griswald exclaimed, "Splicing something that small and precise- I wouldn't have been surprised if he passed on as soon as it happened!"

Ruby choked back a sniffle as she brushed tears away from her eyes. "So what you're saying-?" she started.

"He's living a miracle," Griswald agreed, "Just this is a miracle for him." This brought, even more, tears to Ruby's eyes- just the thought of this… state as a miracle was just more than she could bear. "This big of a gift for you, Ruby, should've cost his own life. But his vital signs are all normal. How?" Griswald put a hand to his chin, stroking the small stubs of hair in thought. "How indeed…"

-xXxX-Line Break-XxXx-

The miracle didn't stop there, as Daniel's eyes finally fluttered open. When his mind returned to the real world, however, Daniel wished he could've gone back unconscious because of the pain he had to wake up to. His face felt like someone had taken a hot iron and pressed it against him. Added to the fact that his muscles felt like they'd been ground and an elephant was seemingly crushing his chest, there was only one word Daniel could say in that moment. "Ow," Daniel groaned. He would've tried to rub the tiredness off his face, but he could barely move his arms before another invisible needle stabbed his nerves.

"You're awake!" a voice yelped from Daniel's side. Turning his head to the side and ignoring about a dozen screaming muscles, Daniel found himself staring at a fairly young nurse, startled from his awakening. "You- you're awake!"

Daniel smiled at the young blonde before croaking out, "Water?" Snapping out of her mindset, the nurse rushed to the nearby sink with a glass in hand. When she was coming back, Daniel somehow managed to prop himself up against the back of the bed, wincing every time he turned the wrong way. Before he knew it, the brim of a glass was being pressed against his lips. Mumbling out a "thanks", Daniel took a much-needed sip of water while the nurse checked the monitors alongside his bed again with a befuddled expression.

The nurse took away the glass from Daniel, placing it on a small nightstand near his bed alongside a vase full of various flowers. "A few of your friends got those for you," the nurse blurted out, noticing Daniel staring at the bundle of flowers, "Especially this one girl with silver eyes. She wanted me to give you a peach once. Don't know if it was a joke or not."

Daniel tried to chuckle, but it ended up coming out more as a raspy breath. "Tell them thanks," he replied.

"You can tell them yourself if you want to," the nurse offered, "I could always send them up."

"I'd like that," Daniel agreed. When all the nurse did was nod as she continued to tap a few things on her tablet Scroll, Daniel added, "Could you bring them now, please?"

For a moment, the girl stared blankly at Daniel before realization dawned on her face. "Oh, sorry," she apologized with a small rosy tint to her cheeks, "I'll get them." As those words came out of her mouth, the nurse was already pushing her way past the hanging curtains back to… the rest of the hospital, Daniel assumed.

For a few silent minutes, Daniel laid in his bed, blissfully resting his eyes as his brain finally caught up with the situation. "They're going to kill me," Daniel chuckled, thinking about his teammates. He could just imagine Weiss berating him about his stupidity as Yang would lightly punch him because of his stunt. And most of that was going to come true. A few moments later, Daniel heard the sound of three pairs of feet clomping against the floor, almost shaking him out of his bed. "Here we go," he muttered before the curtains were thrown open.

Three sets of voices screamed out "Daniel," right before their bodies slammed into him. Dark spots danced around Daniel's vision while he fought for air while it was being squeezed out of him by a ferocious group hug. His breathing finally eased when the three girls finally let go of Daniel long enough to get a few words in. "Hey, guys," he croaked out, "Nice to know you care enough to almost crush my lungs again."

"You idiot," Weiss exploded, "Do you have any idea how worried we were? You're a complete buffoon for even trying that… that… stunt that almost killed you. You ignored the fact that it could've almost killed you, and your own advice to try and preform a stunt that shouldn't have worked. What were you thinking?!"

Daniel just chuckled at Weiss's reaction. "Finally got that off your chest?" he asked.

With that, Weiss tackled his side with another hug. "Yes," she admitted in a meek voice, drawing a laugh from everyone present.

Next, he turned to Yang. "No punch?" he inquired, "I'm surprised."

"I'd rather not knock you out just yet," Yang jested, but a sort of gloomy undertone still lined her voice. "I mean, this is your first time waking up, Daniel."

"Who's Daniel?" Daniel asked, confusion dawning his face, "I'm Farayan Shen."

Yang glared at him before finally slugging his arm. "You deserve it now," she claimed with a dark look.

Daniel shut his eyes as he winced, his arm stinging from where Yang hit him. "Yeah, sorry," he apologized, "Horrible joke at a horrible time."

"Damn right," Yang agreed before sitting down at the foot of his bed, the tense energy leaving her from when she waited for an entire month for Daniel. "Glad that you're back," Yang said with a smile, "Ruby's also going to be happy you're finally awake."

Distracted, Daniel gently tried to nudge Weiss off his side before turning back to Yang. "What?" he asked.

"Ruby," Yang repeated, "The doctors are doing some tests to her when they told us about you waking up, so she should be showing up soon."

Before Daniel could ask any more questions, the curtains opened yet again, the metal rings grinding against the track as it was flung aside by a silver-eyed girl. "Where is he?" she demanded.

Weiss finally peeled herself away from Daniel's side, allowing Daniel to lock eyes with the girl. "Daniel," she breathed, tears brimming in her eyes while the other three girls watched with almost wistful expressions, "You're awake."

"Hey," Daniel greeted back, smiling politely. A few seconds went by, neither of them saying a word before Daniel turned back to Yang. "So who's your friend?" he inquired.

The girls' hearts stopped for just a few moments before Yang turned to glare at Daniel. "The joke's still not funny," she chided.

Daniel's brows furrowed. "What are you talking about?" he asked, "It's not a joke." Yang's glare morphed into a look of horror once she realized his confusion wasn't a fake. "Seriously, do I know her from somewhere?"

The girl Daniel was staring at choked back a sob as her hands covered her mouth, tears brimming while she took a step away from Daniel's bed. "Daniel," Blake started softly, "do you really forget about Ruby?"

"So that's her name," Daniel thought out loud, turning back to the silver eyes. "Ruby," he corrected himself. He tried another polite smile, trying not to wince as his head started to throb. "Nice to meet you."

"You don't," Ruby choked out before a sniffle racked her body, "You don't remember me?"

Daniel sucked air through his teeth, trying his best to remember. "Sorry," he apologized, "Ruby, right?"

"Daniel please-," Ruby begged, dashing over to grab his arm to shake some sense into him.

That's when it happened. When Ruby touched him, Daniel jolted back like he had stuck a finger in an electrical socket, screaming as he kicked and shoved and scrambled onto the other side of the bed, getting as far away from Ruby as possible. Images flashed past him- all of them unrecognizably familiar. Some of them were events he thought were dreams, while others simply lacked a detail- a face that shouldn't be misplaced, an effect without a cause. "What did you do to me?" Daniel exclaimed, huffing as he looked wearily at a distraught Ruby. The machines next to him were going off, drowning out Daniel's deep breaths with alarms as it tried to measure his ever-growing heartrate. "What did you do?" Daniel shouted again.

Ruby's chest was heaving with effort as she tried not to cry out. She lost the battle, though, as she ran out the door, her cries ringing over the machines going off. She shouldered and pushed her way through the couple of doctors that were rushing around in the halls, drawing out a few choice words from the ones she ran into. Daniel stared at the doorway, concern replacing the revulsion on his face. "What just happened?" Daniel asked his friends.

"Daniel," Weiss gaped, "You really don't know Ruby?"

"No," Daniel exclaimed, starting to get frustrated from the constant questioning, "I thought it was clear- I don't know her!"

"But you have to," Yang pled. Daniel turned his head, peering at her. "She was the one that saved you! You gave your leg for her, for Pete's sake!"

"I gave my what?" Daniel interrupted, astonished. He tried to kick off the covers, only for him to discover he only had half of what he should've been able to kick with. "What the?" he exclaimed, eyes popping out of his head, "When did I…?"

"Please," Yang begged while she grabbed Daniel by the shoulders, "You have to remember Ruby. You have to."

"But I don't," Daniel growled in frustration, "You think I'd remember someone I'd give up a leg for, but I don't."

"Yang," Weiss started, her voice merely a whisper, "Remember what Griswald said? How it was impossible for Daniel to save her without a cost?" Blake and Yang stared at her, realization dawning on their faces. "I think," Weiss gulped, "this is the trade off."

"What trade off?" Daniel asked, his gaze flickering between the three girls, "What are you talking about?"

"Do we tell him?" Blake asked.

"Tell me what?"

"I- yes!" Yang exclaimed, "Why shouldn't we?"

"Shouldn't you what?"

"But are we sure we should overwhelm him?" Weiss asked, "It could make it worse…"

"Can someone tell me," Daniel exploded, "what is going on?!"

The three girls exchanged a look before sighing. "Ruby," Yang started hesitantly, "she's my sister. You took over her spot when she got cancer-."

"She had cancer?" Daniel interrupted. Noticing Yang's glare, he cowered back a little. "Sorry. Go on."

Yang's wistful expression reappeared as she went on, "You and Ruby were… inseparable. She was basically the light of the group, and the five of us would do everything together." She stared into Daniel's eyes intensely, "Did you really forget everything about her? Her birthday, you two saving each other, her showing you the cherry tree-?"

"She was the one that knew about the cherry tree?" Daniel interrupted.

"Yes, it was her favorite spot!" Yang buried her face in her hands. "Oh, you actually forgot her."

Daniel stared at Yang with an open mouth. "Was she… really that important?" he asked.

"Yes," the three girls shouted.

Daniel sank back into the covers. "You'd think I'd remember someone that important," he mumbled to himself, closing his eyes.

-xXxX-Line Break-XxXx-

Eventually, after some intense questioning by not only the doctors but also by Ozpin and Griswald, Daniel was finally able to leave the hospital a week later. As Daniel was pushed out the doors in his wheelchair, he squinted against the sky-high sun at noon. "Welcome back to the world," Coco announced with a smile, pushing Daniel down a small ramp, "You'll notice the crater Velvet made in the ground."

"It was an accident," Velvet whined, stepping around a decimated flowerbed, "I got jumpy when we were supposed to defend the hospital."

"And what did you do?" Coco inquired with a smirk.

"I shot a leaf," Velvet mumbled under her breath.

Daniel laughed as Coco's case was settled. "Well, at least you guys are here, right? I mean, what were the odds your entire team is still here?"

"Actually, sorta high," Velvet answered. Noticing Daniel's confused expression, she went on, "The attack wasn't as bad as it looks. Most of the big businesses were destroyed and some of the warehouses, but a lot of stuff is still intact."

"Really?" Daniel wondered, looking at the dozens of buildings in sight. Velvet was right- most of the damaged buildings were either shops and that sort. The houses in on the other side of the block looked barely scathed besides a few blackened tiles here and there from stray bullets or an occasional collapsed wall from a Nevermore landing on it.

"They talked to a bunch of the White Fang," Coco explained, "Looks like they wanted to take down all the businesses and replace them once they were done with the attack. But they still needed a place to live, so houses were left alone."

"That's…" Daniel started, trying to put his thoughts into words, "weird."

"That's an understatement," Coco huffed. Before she could go on, Coco caught sight of a certain girl walking away from the hospital. "Hey, Little Red," she called out, waving at the girl.

The girl in question turned around and flashed Coco a quick smile along with a quick wave. Then, she and Daniel had to lock eyes. It was the same girl again- Ruby, if Daniel remembered correctly. This time, she had a sort of tomboyish haircut that was barely long enough to cover her ears. When Ruby's gaze landed on Daniel, though, her hand was slowly lowered as her smile transformed into a trembling frown. Without a word, she dashed down the street, not even taking a glance back at them.

Frowning, Coco lowered her hand as she continued to push Daniel back to the airships. "What's wrong with Ruby?" she wondered aloud.

"Probably me," Daniel answered, "According to everyone, I should know her."

This stopped the two girls in their tracks. "Repeat that again?" Coco asked, peering over her sunglasses with a questioning gaze.

"I can't remember her," Daniel admitted, "I mean, I know she's Yang's sister because Yang told me, but-."

"Hold on," Velvet interrupted, "You mean you don't remember anything at all." She fumbled around in her pockets before taking out a photo. "Not even this?" Velvet asked, handing Daniel the photo.

Still confused, Daniel took the picture and studied it. It was with him and Ruby, sitting at one of the tables in Annabeth's Diner. In it, Ruby's hair was definitely longer, draping over her eyes slightly, while Daniel still had to scrunch up his wings to be able to fit into the small booth. What was a bit weirder was the amount of red on both of their faces, the kind Ruby was trying to hide behind a red hood. "You still kept that?" Coco asked her partner, her mouth quirking into a lop-sided smirk as she peered over Daniel's shoulder.

"Never got a chance to give it to you guys," Velvet answered, "But you really don't remember this?"

"Nope," Daniel denied with a sigh, handing it back to a disappointed Velvet, "Seriously, how important was she to me?"

"The picture was when you asked her to be your girlfriend!" Coco exclaimed, "How important do you think that makes her to you?"

"No," Velvet corrected, "That was later. On her birthday."

Coco tilted her head up in thought, trying to think back to the events. "Oh yeah," she remembered, "The photo was when Yang and the others were stalking Ruby and Daniel."

"I have no idea what you are talking about," Daniel exclaimed, shouting in his cupped hands, "You're saying she's my girlfriend?"

"Yep," Coco assured, "Come on, you and she did everything together!"

"That explains the massive memory gap," Daniel conceded, "It's like the five months of my life are gone or have giant holes in them."

"See?" Coco exclaimed triumphantly, "Inseparable."

Off to the side, Velvet stared intently at Daniel, watching as he struggled to remember even the most basic details about Ruby. "You're going to have to talk to her," she announced.

From Velvet's voice, Daniel jerked his head towards the faunus. "What?" he started, "How am I going to talk to her? When I tried the first time, she sprinted off crying."

"Poor girl," Velvet mumbled under her breath, "She's probably heartbroken, loving you while you can't even tell me her birthday." In a louder voice, she spoke to Daniel, "That's going to be a problem. Where would we even start?"

"How'd you lose your memories, Daniel?" Coco asked, "Was it getting knocked unconscious or…?"

With the question hanging in the air, Daniel tried to think back to the invasion. "I remember fighting at Beacon," Daniel recalled, "And the fire. Other than that, I can't remember." Coco and Velvet were almost ready to lose hope before Daniel straightened in his seat. "Yang could probably tell us," he exclaimed, "I was fighting with my team."

"There's a start," Velvet agreed.

"Just a question," Daniel interrupted, "Why is everyone so intent on getting Ruby and I back together?"

Abruptly, Coco and Velvet stopped. The two girls exchanged a glance behind Daniel's back before Velvet answered, "If we didn't, it would be a waste of a pair of perfect soulmates." They didn't say another word until they got to the airfields, leaving Daniel wondering how much he forgot.

-xXxX-Line Break-XxXx-

About an hour later, Daniel found himself being wheeled up to his team's room, shooting Coco a small look. "Are we really-?" he started to ask.

"You want to remember or not?" Coco interrupted. That shut Daniel up rather quickly. Before he could realize they were in front of RWBY's dorm, Coco was already leaning over Daniel to knock on the door. A haggard Yang answered the door, a few bags under her eyes as if she'd stayed up all night. "Hey, Yang," Coco greeted, "Daniel here would like to remember what happened to him. Okay? Bye."

Daniel whipped his head around, watching a retreating Coco and Velvet wave at him at the stairs. "Really?" he shouted down the hallway. Then, he turned back to Yang who was growing more and more annoyed. Daniel chuckled despite himself, "Hey, Yang. Can I ask you a few questions?"

"About?" Yang inquired.

Daniel clicked his tongue, twiddling his thumbs as he tried to phrase his next words. "What happened to me?" he finally asked, "I mean, what happened during the invasion?"

In an instant, Yang's eyes hollowed just a bit as she seemingly grew ten years older, her shoulders slackening from an invisible weight. "You really want to know?" she asked.

"Would everyone stop beating around the bush and tell me," Daniel exploded as he gripped the arms of his wheelchair. His knuckles turned white with effort while his teeth set with frustration.

Yang flinched back like she'd been hit, making Daniel immediately try and back off his statement. Before he could get the words in, though, Yang started, "You'd better come in then." The door opened completely as Yang turned around and walked further into the room. "I have something to show you."

Still not entirely certain what he was getting himself into, Daniel pushed himself forward into the room. Inside, the room was mainly well kept- the beds made (except Yang's), desks put up nicely, and everything was in decent shape. Probably because of Weiss, but there was still one bed that looked like it hadn't been cleaned for months. The covers were overturned, the pillows ruffled, and a few books littered the sides of the mattress. "That one's Ruby's," Yang called out when she spotted where Daniel was looking, "Needless to say, she's pretty upset."

Daniel wrenched his gaze away from the bed. "Where are the others?" he asked as he realized the room was empty besides Yang and himself.

"Out," Yang answered as she dug through one of the bookcases, "Weiss and Blake are trying to help with rebuilding."

"And what are you doing?"

"I'm Ruby's sister," Yang replied, pulling out a small binder from the shelves, "I've gotta take care of her, don't I?"

At that name, Daniel went back to contemplating as Yang sat on the bed closest to him. "Were we…," Daniel started, "Was she my girlfriend?"

"Yep," Yang answered, allowing a sad smile to grace her lips, "You two were so easy to tease. Well, Ruby was. You eventually got used to it."

Daniel smiled emptily as Yang flipped through a couple of pages. "How'd we meet?" he asked.

"Weren't you here for how you lost your memories?" Yang questioned while she handed Daniel the binder. When all she received was a questioning look from Daniel, Yang motioned toward the scrapbook. "Flip through that. You'll understand why we all say you and Ruby were inseparable."

As Daniel stared at the dozens of pictures, each one interesting and confusing him even more than the last, Yang tried her best to recall what happened. "How much of that night do you remember?" she first asked.

"Last thing I remember was Cinder and a wave of fire."

"Right," Yang began with a sigh, "The Queen, or Cinder, got you to your knees before she tried to kill you." The next part, she couldn't go on without a small hiccup as tears pricked her eyes. "Ruby saved you. She tried to shield you from the fire but got shot from the person I was helping Blake fight. Ruby lost her arm, and she should've lost her life."

"Wait, her arm?" Daniel interrupted with confusion clearly written on his face, "But I when I saw her-."

"She did," Yang went on, her throat closing up from anguish, "We won in the end, but Ruby was-." Again, a sob wracked her body before she could go on, "She was about to die. She finally got to be the hero and wanted to die that way, protecting you and saving Vale. But you didn't let her. You did something with a weird Dust crystal before using your Semblance to heal her."

"Which crystal was it?" Daniel inquired, "Can you describe it?"

"How would I know?" Yang cried out, almost in hysterics. Daniel quickly wheeled himself forward, pulling Yang into a comforting hug. "It was spotted. That's all I remember."

Yang could feel Daniel stiffen against her. "Wait, spotted?" Daniel repeated, "Was it a yellowish sort of color with black spots?"

"Yeah," Yang sniffled. She pulled away slightly to look at Daniel, her brows furrowed. "Why?"

Instead of an answer, Daniel groaned as he released his hold on Yang. He held his head in his hands and mumbled, "I did it, didn't I?"

Confused, Yang pulled away and sat back on the bed. "What?" she asked.

"Something I promised would've been the last resort," Daniel answered.

Right as Yang was going to fire off another question, the door opened again as a girl walked in. "Sorry I took so long," she called out, "The shower's all yours… Yang…"

Daniel turned his chair around, his heart pounding faster and faster. There, behind him, was Ruby with a towel covering her head. She was in a black tank-top with white, rose-printed sweatpants. The two of them stared at each other, unmoving, for an eternity. "Wha-," Ruby stuttered, "What's he doing here? Yang?"

At her name, Yang stood up and quickly made her way for the door. "Thanks for the heads-up," Yang told her sister, giving her a quick pat on the shoulder. She made her way past Ruby and to the door, peeking around it as she closed it behind her. "I'll just let you two stay here."

"Yang," Ruby called, her voice growing an octave. It was a bit too late, though, as Yang had already closed the door. "Yang?" Ruby repeated, her breathing becoming a bit panicked. When it was clear Yang wouldn't be coming around for a while, Ruby turned around and faced her dream-turned-nightmare. "Hey, Daniel," she greeted softly.

"Hey, Ruby," Daniel replied with a forced smile. It was a while before either of them spoke again. "So," Daniel started, "We were… together?"

"Yeah," Ruby answered in a soft voice. "Well, together-together," she rambled, "Not just like friends. But if you want to now, it would be-."

"Ruby," Daniel interjected, reaching out for her hand. As their finger touched, however, Daniel jerked back as another painful image flashed before him. He bit his lip to muffle a scream and covered his head with his hands, rocking back and forth in his seat.

"Daniel," Ruby exclaimed, rushing over to pull him into a quick embrace. As her arms wrapped around him, Daniel let out a scream and jerked away, falling out of his chair with his head still clutched between his arms. Ruby had to fight her want to try and comfort Daniel as he started mumbling under his breath, too low for her to hear properly.

Eventually, Daniel let go of his head, his chest rising and falling with effort. "I thought that would've been a one-time thing," he panted, "Sorry, Ruby." When he saw Ruby's bottom lip tremble, Daniel tried to comfort her. "Hey, I'm fine. Let's just… start over, right?"

This had the entirely opposite effect. Ruby started to tear up before it turned into a hard sob, dropping to her knees next to Daniel. "I don't want to start over, though," she cried, "I don't want to have to keep you away from me. I don't want to hurt you."

"Ruby," Daniel breathed, reaching out to try and grab Ruby's shoulder before he thought better of it. Noticing his hesitation, Ruby's cries intensified as she blindly stumbled to her feet, fumbling for the door handle. "Ruby, wait!" Daniel shouted after her. Too late, as the door was flung open with Ruby running out. As the door started to close, though, a hand pushed it back open. Yang walked back into her dorm, a sober look on her face. With a sigh, Daniel pounded a fist against the ground half-heartedly. "There goes that…" he drawled.

Yang nodded and crouched down, helping Daniel back into his wheelchair. "I thought it would've gone better," she conceded.

"I don't understand," Daniel exclaimed, "What did I do wrong? I just wanted to try and-."

A sigh from Yang interrupted Daniel's explanation. "Ruby wasn't never that type of girl to just move on. She really likes her memories, especially ones about her friends." Another sigh came out of Yang as she leaned against the leg of her bed. "Also, I don't think Ruby likes the fact that she can't hug you anymore."

Daniel now looked confused. "What? Why would that-?"

"Girlfriend-boyfriend, remember?" Yang reminded, "Like I said: inseparable." Daniel said nothing in turn and instead pulled out his Scroll. "What are you doing?" Yang asked.

Without looking up, Daniel answered, "Getting my memories back."

-xXxX-Line Break-XxXx-

Three days.

It was three days later that Daniel still found no progress on what he did to Ruby. Rather, what he did to himself. "I used the Aura crystal," Daniel mumbled to himself as he tapped away at his Scroll, "I used my Semblance, and then nothing. What the hell happened to me?"

Currently, Daniel was sitting in his room, leaning over his desk with a waste basket full of discarded notes next to him. Scrolling through a few files (AN: How did I manage to find a pun here), he eventually came across a small folder tucked away in the corner of his screen. Inside was an another one, titled: "Last case scenario". Daniel let out a tired huff as he clicked on it, desperate for answers. Inside was a file- a video, to be exact. And in that was Daniel's answers. As he watched, realization dawned on his face as the dots finally connected, realization turning into hope and horror at the same time. "Where's Ruby?" he asked himself, turning his wheelchair and pushing himself out the door.


Down two floors, Daniel was wheeling his way towards Ruby's room when she just closed the door behind her. "Ruby," he called out, picking up his pace. The girl in question looked up, startled, before noticing who called her name. Wordlessly, she turned around and tried to bolt for the stairs. "Ruby, wait," Daniel yelled. When she didn't stop, he yelled again, "Rubes, wait!"

At that name, Ruby stopped and turned around, letting Daniel wheel up toward her. "Where'd you get that nickname?" she asked.

Daniel was huffing by that point; pushing a wheelchair wasn't exactly easier than running after someone. "From myself," he answered, staring into her eyes with his own bloodshot and dried ones like he'd been staring at a screen for the past three days. Which he had.

Ruby shook her head as she turned away from him. "I don't believe it," she denied, moving for the exit again. Before she could, though, Daniel grabbed onto her wrist and pulled her back. "What are you-?" she started, but Daniel's lips capturing hers put a stop on whatever she was trying to say. It was for an instant because as quickly as it happened, Daniel jolted back like he'd been electrocuted, holding his head as painful memories swarmed his brain. "Did you just-?" Ruby managed out, "Did you just… kiss me?"

"Yep," Daniel managed out, his teeth still gritted from the pain.

"But…" Ruby went on, "Why?"

Despite the pain, Daniel tried on a smile which came out more as a grimace. "Seems like something you would remember, right?" he joked. Noting Ruby's unchanged expression, Daniel sighed. "I needed your attention."

"For?"

"I think I know what I did."

Ruby finally calmed down enough to listen to what Daniel was saying. He dug out his Scroll from his pocket and handed to Ruby. "I started making video logs and stuff about my Semblance," Daniel explained.

"I know," Ruby interrupted, "You told me about them."

Daniel's smile strained as he tried to share the memory but couldn't. "Anyway," he continued, "I came across one of them that explains everything." He nodded at the item in Ruby's hands. Confused, but hopeful, Ruby clicked on the video onscreen and watched.


On the screen, Daniel was backing away to sit back at his desk. "Hopefully it's on," the virtual Daniel spoke to himself, "There's the red light, and that means we're good." He clapped his hands together, a grim expression starting to form on his face. "Welcome to Semblance Log Number 120. If you're someone besides my friends and me, stop watching. If you are," Daniel chuckled to himself, "Well, it means I've either screwed up or- no, scratch that. It means I've definitely screwed up.

"Okay, so Griswald has been trying to help me with my Semblance." Daniel laughed, "Well, as much as he can. Don't get me wrong; he's a great help but-." The Daniel on screen sighed as he rubbed his face, "Nevermind. Anyway, he's been trying to understand the limits of my Semblance while I'm trying to figure out how much I can actually do with it. So we're doing two things at once: he's testing power, I'm testing versatility. And I realized," he grabbed a small wooden block, no bigger than an apple, "I can animate stuff."

Daniel activated his Semblance, from the blue light that filled the screen. When it died down, the block of wood now had a finger-like plank of wood growing out of it, going up and down, tapping the desk rhythmically. "Granted," he continued, out of breath, "It takes a lot out of me, but I can still animate stuff."

He stared at the almost worthless yet impressive device next to him. "But," Daniel noted, "It's not as good as I really hope." As the words came out of his mouth, the finger tapping stopped as it shrunk back into the block of wood. "Like that," Daniel agreed, "If I don't pour a lot of effort into it, I'll get nothing out of it.

"That's where this log comes in. If, say, I pour half my Aura into something, theoretically, I could put half of me inside something else. Half of a soul is nothing to go off, but if I put it in someone else that already has a soul…" Daniel let that thought hang in the air, "And that's why this is my last-case scenario. If I do this, I'd probably die since I can't have half a soul. But, I could possibly save someone else who needs it." He looked directly at the camera, eyes intense. "Or someone I love."

Daniel slumped back in his chair, trying to prep himself for what he had to say next. "If Team RWBY, JNPR, CFVY, or Ozpin finds this, it's already happened. I couldn't find a way to reverse this, and frankly, I don't want to try it. But if I've saved someone, I can consider this a success."

He looked at the screen again. "And if I saved someone, I'm pretty sure who that person is: Ruby. Ruby, if you're watching this, I'm sorry. You were the best thing that did happen and could happen to me. You have a bigger impact on life than I do; more people adore you, everyone loves you, and you've got a family to look forward to. Me? I have you, our team, and about five other people that care about me. So, I did the math, and it looks like you're more important than I ever was." Daniel tried a smile. "Live for me, will 'ya?"


By the end of the log, Ruby was in tears again, bawling her eyes out as she blindly handed back the Scroll to Daniel. "Sorry," he apologized, taking the Scroll from her, "I thought you wanted to hear him- me- speak. Sorry if I upset you."

Ruby wiped away her tears with another sniffle. "It's fine," she mumbled, "You weren't the one that upset me." As Daniel opened his mouth, she added quietly, "Well, not 'current you'."

Daniel remained silent as Ruby tried to compose herself before dropping his next statement. "I think I can fix this," he claimed, his voice hesitant.

Ruby jerked her head up, shock written on her face. "But," she stuttered, "I-I thought you said-."

"Forget what past me said," Daniel shouted as his knuckles turned white against the arms of his chair. Ruby jumped back a foot while Daniel sighed, letting his shoulders relax. "Sorry," Daniel apologized yet again, "I just… I know what to do now."

"What are you talking about?" Ruby asked, "What are you going to do?"

"Do you know any expert on Aura?" Daniel asked as he turned himself around. "I need a second opinion. And some help."

"Daniel Collin Gotzon," Ruby shouted, "Tell me what you're doing!"

Daniel halted before turning his chair around slowly. "How do you know my middle name?" he asked, "Did I tell you it?"

"Nope," Ruby denied, finally a smile on her face because of Daniel's help, "You'll never know how."

Amused, Daniel rolled his eyes while he explained, "I, Past Me, said that I put some Aura into something to make it come to life. Well, what if it was the opposite? What if someone that lived because of me put my Aura back into me?"

"Like what you did in reverse," Ruby breathed, catching on, "That's what you're doing?"

"Yeah," Daniel agreed, "So, do you know anyone that knows how to do that?" Daniel continued to look at Ruby who was staring at her shoes, scuffing her heel against the floor. "Ruby?" Daniel asked, concerned.

She didn't speak for another few moments. "Why are you doing this?" she asked in a whisper.

"Hmm?" Daniel hummed questioningly.

"Why are you so… committed," Ruby drawled, "Why do you want to try and get your memories back? Aren't you fine," Ruby choked back a sniffle, "without me?"

With a heavy sigh, Daniel rubbed a hand on his face. When he took it away, the lines on his face made him grow five years older. "I really hate this," he admitted, "I hate the fact I can hurt someone just by existing. And it's even worse; apparently, that person I'm hurting used to be my girlfriend."

"Daniel-," Ruby tried to calm.

"As well as I can't even remember what we did, but the old Daniel seemed happy as long as you're around." Daniel's rant ended with a solemn expression as he buried his face in his hands. "I feel empty," he conceded, "Literally like my soul's been cut into two. And I want to get it back."

Ruby balled her fists as her stare turned into a glare at Daniel. Without warning, she gripped the back of his wheelchair and spun him around as he yelped in surprise. "We're seeing Ren," she claimed.

"What?" Daniel exclaimed.

"Do you want your memories back or not?" Ruby snapped as she continued to push.

Surprisingly, Daniel just laughed which added to Ruby's confusion. "I can start to see why I dated you," he mused, finally making Ruby laugh again.

-xXxX-Line Break-XxXx-

As that occurred outside, Jaune was finally helping Pyrrha out of her own wheelchair and onto her bed. "There you go," Jaune said a bit strained as he set Pyrrha down. Pyrrha laid there in her nightgown, miserable. "You want anything?" Jaune asked.

She didn't say anything while she continued to stare at the ceiling fan. "Pyrrha?" Jaune repeated, starting to worry.

Finally, she spoke. "It's hopeless," she exasperated.

"Don't say that," Jaune comforted, taking a seat next to Pyrrha. He laid a hand on her shoulder in comfort. "You'll get better. I promise."

"Better than what?" Pyrrha exclaimed, "I won't be able to do what I was able to do before. It will be difficult to do even the most basic things for the next… however long it takes, and I…" She took an angry breath, "I hate being weak." Pyrrha thumped her head against her pillow forcefully. "I never thought I'd miss being called the Invincible Girl," she wondered aloud.

Jaune brushed a hair behind her ear as he closed his eyes, sighing. "You'll get better," Jaune said, his tone making Pyrrha lose a bit of her doubt. Softer, he continued, "So what if you're not the Invincible Girl anymore. So what if it's going to take some time to get better. Don't you remember what happened to me? You helped me get better." He laughed at his own expense, "And believe me, I know how difficult that was from first-hand experience."

Pyrrha cracked a smile before it faded just as quickly. "I just don't want to be a burden," she admitted.

Now, Jaune gave her a genuine laugh. "I'm pretty sure you're not a bigger burden than me," Jaune disagreed, "Remember: you had to teach me how to fight." Then, with a cocky smirk Cardin would've been proud of, he jested "But, I probably can still beat you even once you've recovered."

"Excuse me?" Pyrrha asked, scandalized.

"I mean," Jaune chuckled with a shrug, "if you're that unsure of yourself…" This earned Jaune a rough punch to the arm, courtesy of Pyrrha Nikos. "Ow," Jaune yelped as he rubbed the sore spot, "See? Even now you'd probably kick my butt."

"I'll always kick your butt," Pyrrha laughed. The two sat there in silence for a little while. "Jaune," Pyrrha called out, a bit coy. When the blonde looked back at her, a rosy tint appeared on her cheeks. "Thanks," Pyrrha managed out.

Jaune shot back a smile as he planted a kiss on his partner's forehead. "Girlfriend," he had to remind himself, a bit too smug for him. "That's what friends are for, right?" Jaune replied. After a minute, Jaune slowly got to his feet with a small grunt. "Well," he started, "I guess I should go help Ren and Nora out now. Probably should… I don't know… see if they need any help on the reconstruction, right?" He tacked on a nervous laugh as he made his way towards the door.

But, on his second step, Pyrrha called out, "Jaune?" The blonde turned around, a questioning look on in his eyes. Pyrrha blushed as she asked, "Could you… stay with me?"

"Sure," Jaune replied nonchalantly, walking back over to Pyrrha's bed. "Just tell me if you need anything," he chirped while he sat on the edge of her mattress. A very shy but pointed look made Jaune stare at his girlfriend, eyebrows furrowed. Way too long, he finally got it. "Oh," Jaune breathed as his eyebrows shot into his hairline.

Pyrrha nodded with a small, uncharacteristic giggle as Jaune slid over, hesitantly wrapping an arm around Pyrrha's waist. Both of them were blushing like mad, but nonetheless, Pyrrha nuzzled into Jaune's neck, turning his light blush into a complete red-faced makeover. But, a higher power apparently wanted to make their luck even worse when a knocking came at the door, startling the couple. "Of all the times," Jaune cursed once he got over the shock. He, now disgruntled, marched over towards the door and threw it open, intending to glare at the interrupters. Instead, he found himself gaping at their visitors. "Daniel," he exclaimed, "Ruby. What are you guys doing here?" With a second thought, he had to ask, "Are you two-?"

"Not yet," Daniel interrupted with a slightly disappointed undertone, "Is Ren here? I have a few questions about Aura."

At that word, Pyrrha pushed herself up into a sitting position as she tried to peer over Jaune's shoulder. "I might be of some assistance,"

To make things easier, Jaune stepped aside as Ruby pushed Daniel into their room. "You know how Aura works?" Daniel asked.

"I know the basics."

"Help me, then," Daniel pled, "Tell me how to share Aura with someone."

Pyrrha tilted her head in wonder, looking up at a silent Ruby. "He wants his memories back," Ruby explained quietly.

Nodding in understanding, Pyrrha turned back to Daniel and started to explain. "I'm not exactly following 'sharing Aura', but I do know how to lend it. It's the same principle of unlocking a person's Aura."

Jaune blinked off to the side, interested. "How so, Pyrrha?" he asked.

"Think of Aura as pools of energy for a moment. Someone with untapped Aura has their pool inactivated. To release it, you must first give it life by putting something into it- in this case, someone else's activated Aura."

Daniel nodded in understanding. "So how do you do it?" he asked.

With a quick breath, Pyrrha replied, "You have to place a hand on the person's cheek, giving the Aura a direct link to-."

"Daniel, I can't do that," Ruby interrupted with wide eyes, "Every time that happens-."

"It'll work out in the end," Daniel claimed firmly, not giving Ruby any room for argument. "Pyrrha, what's the rest?"

Jolted back by Daniel's aggressiveness, Pyrrha went on, "W-Well," she stuttered, "after the Aura has a direct link, the person with the Aura has to imagine forcing their own soul through the link into the other person's inactive one. And then recite the lines-."

"Daniel, please," Ruby exclaimed, "I can't make you feel the pain again."

"And I don't want to see you cry again," Daniel countered, "Not unless it's out of happiness."

"But it's insane," Ruby shouted, ignoring Jaune's and Pyrrha's looks of astonishment, "I won't do it!" Tears welled her eyes while Daniel tried to hold back his own.

"Ruby," Daniel breathed, "I want to remember what I forgot. If it hurts, fine. It's better than feeling this empty all the time." Not taking his gaze away from his lap, Daniel called out, "Pyrrha." The redhead jolted again as she was knocked out of her trance. "Give Ruby the lines to recite."

Pyrrha was almost afraid of giving them now, but Jaune placed a hand on hers, giving her a look of grim confirmation. With a heavy sigh, Pyrrha recited, "For it is in passing that we achieve immortality. Through this, we become a paragon of virtue and glory to rise above all. Infinite in distance and unbound by death, I release your soul, and by my shoulder protect thee."

Daniel nodded, then turned to Ruby who was almost in tears. "Ruby, please," he begged.

"No," Ruby forced out, backing away from him, "No, I can't."

Daniel sighed as he let his head slump forward, almost as if he was defeated. But, he pled once more, "Ruby, I couldn't care less if it hurt me. It's the end result. It's the 'happy-ever-after' ending in the fairy tale. I saved you so you could live during the invasion, and by the sound of my recordings, it seems like you saved me." He looked up at Ruby with a mournful gaze, "Save me again, then."

Ruby took a couple of shuddery breaths as she tried not to cry. After another one, she nodded. "Jaune," Ruby asked the now attentive blonde, "Whatever I try, don't let me let go of Daniel."

"Sorry, what?" Jaune exclaimed, his voice an octave higher than his usual.

"Don't let me let go of Daniel," Ruby repeated, staring at her trembling hands. She tore her gaze off them and at Daniel. "You sure?" she asked again.

Daniel tensed up, preparing himself for a torturous relief. "Do it," he commanded.

With another shuddery breath, Ruby placed a hand on Daniel's cheek before they both attempted to flinch away. Ruby was stopped by Jaune while Daniel muffled down a scream with his sleeve. She closed her eyes as she rushed out, concentrating with all her might, "For it is in passing that we achieve immortality." Daniel slammed his eyes shut while a red glow formed over the pair, barely noticeable. "Through this, we become a paragon of virtue and glory to rise above all." The sleeve he was biting down on wasn't enough as he bit on his tongue as well. "Infinite in distance and unbound by death," Daniel dully felt a metallic taste in his mouth as his teeth clamped down too hard on his tongue, "I release your soul, and by my shoulder protect thee."

As the last lines were uttered, Daniel finally screamed an ear-splitting scream as he tore himself away from Ruby's hands. The wheelchair couldn't keep up, being flung away while Daniel hit the ground with a thud, writhing in pain from an invisible source. "Daniel," Ruby screamed, dropping to her knees and laying a hand on Daniel's shoulder. A few seconds of spiritual torture went by when Daniel stopped abruptly, still as a statue. Worried, Ruby placed a hand against Daniel's chest before she really began to panic. "He's not breathing," she gasped along with Pyrrha.

Jaune tried to push Ruby away, going to place his hands on Daniel's chest to pump in some air. Before that happened, though, Daniel let out a ragged gasp, and then another, and another, until finally, after an eternity of horror, his breathing evened out. Fearing the worst, Jaune put a hand against Daniel's neck before sighing. "He's breathing again," he diffused. As the girls sighed in relief, Jaune opened one of his eyelids, trying to get the eye to respond. "He's out cold, though," Jaune told the two, "We should probably get him to a nurse or something."

Ruby shook her head in defeat. "All of them are out helping Vale out," she sighed, "And besides, we can't carry him all the way over there." Ruby looked up, allowing tears to flow for the second time today. "I just want Daniel back," she cried as Pyrrha pulled her in, awkwardly patting her on the back for comfort.

-xXxX-Line Break-XxXx-

Ruby finally got one of her wishes. An hour later, when Daniel finally awoke. When he tried to take a deep breath, he unwillingly took a coughing fit instead as a movement to his right popped in his vision. "Daniel?" a girl's voice called out.

When brain cleared up a bit, Daniel realized he'd been moved to a bed, laying on the covers while a rustling alerted him to two more people in the room. "Hey, Pyrrha. Jaune," Daniel greeted the two people at the foot of his bed.

"Daniel?" the same voice called out, making Daniel gaze to his side.

Slowly, joy began to welt up inside of Daniel. "Hey, Rubes," he breathed. Ruby managed not to sob in relief just yet as Daniel reached over and fiddled with a small thing on her neck. "You're still wearing that thing I gave you for your birthday," he mused.

It was too much for the poor girl. "Daniel," Ruby squealed, throwing her arms around Daniel's neck. The guy laughed as he wrapped his own around Ruby's waist, pulling into what considered to be a tight hug for his state. "You're back," Ruby cried out. Daniel was also crying, this time, finally, after a long fight against everything- cancer, himself, Cinder, and whatever life could throw at him-, they finally got their happy ending.

AN: It's 3:00 AM where I am. And I'm finally done. Hey guys Fireflame here. For chapter 27. The last one. The final one.

12 months. 27 chapters. Plus a Winter Special. 41k views. 92 reviews. 105 favorites. 148 follows. 3 communities this is in. Over 200k words and 1153 KB of space on my computer and I have no idea now many pages it is exactly, but I can safely assume it's over 350 pages long. And I'm done. It's finally a close. Fin. Exit stage right. That's all, folks.

Wow, I can't believe this is actually happening, though. A year ago, I thought this was going to be the hardest and most strenuous thing I'd ever done with maybe 20 people reading it every chapter post. The last chapter, you guys managed to put 715 views in less than 24 hours. So thank you.

Thank you, everyone, who's been a part of this. YARN, for helping me beta a couple of chapters. the 105 and 148 that favorited this while I wanted to lose hope in it. And everyone that reviewed this. DePlexx, TGDB, the Guests, Cindermane, Apolios, Alternet RedSkys, Velocity The Wolf, Boyy2k, G3r1k, Dan Song, Jake Hallows, Drake187: you guys were the most vocal, so thank you, my Deltas (give credit to Apolios who coined that term for you guys). And TypicalHarshReview for being my first review as well!

And the ones from the last chapter:

DePlexx: Pyrrha's here, and she's finally gotten Arkos to set sail. There you go, my friend. Enjoy.

TGDB: I'm just going to try and ignore that one review from Chapter 19 and… yeah. But thank you. Also, I know I'm supposed to be connected to my characters. It's boring when it feels like an essay instead of a story.

PS: Ruby Ex Machina is ALWAYS predictable. Clichés are predictable, and I can't avoid all of them. Even if I wanted to.

Man, this chapter… I told my friends who looked over the last chapter that I'd spaced this out horribly, and I did. I still had 7 scenes to go… about a week ago. So this was about a scene a day. Around 11k words in total, so do the math. It's a lot a day for the endurance test.

This chapter, though… I'm extremely happy about it, but I'm not proud of it. I had so much I had to cut from it because it either didn't fit or I couldn't because of time restraints for myself, even though summer did start. (To be fair, the last 3 weeks were pretty hectic with finals week and preparation week). I was going to put in Penny, and Torchwick was supposed to be in a chapter or two, especially the last one, but I just couldn't find a good place for them. Sigh…

Well, I guess I could always revise this… Anyway, rambling done. Fireflame's signing off for the last time, and with a bang, too! Not really, but I'm still gonna be writing! Just… maybe not full-fledged chapters for Wilting Rose, but Farayan Shen's gotta have some love (I didn't just make that dumb, stupid joke for no reason). Coming in 2017, "Lusus Naturae". That'll happen.

Signing out, Flames of Fire.

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You know what? No. I'm not done with this story. I'm adding more. I honestly don't care. This is the ending- this chapter is the true ending. But I have so much more I want to add. I was bummed that I didn't get to do the other ending, so I'll do that too. I'll put on a few extra scenes after this one, though, just because I can extend this ending to a much better potential. Screw it, I'll also add in a few rough drafts I had for other scenes. THIS IS NOT THE END. NOT FOR ME, IT ISN'T. RUBIEL MUST BE COMPLETE. THE FLUFF HAS TO BE BETTER. I'm not going too far, though. No marriage, no kids, nothing like that. I might go to the end of the school year for Beacon, but that's about as far as I'll go. Anyways, love you all!

"Outside is so overrated." -Ernest Cline, Ready Player One.