Ruby dusted off her suit one last time. Apparently, she owned the suit now, Weiss's card payed it off completely. Ruby wanted to make sure it looked the best. Never mind she was already standing up on the alter, next to Yang, waiting for Weiss. She almost looked more nervous that the groomette, making Yang giggle.

So far, the wedding seemed surprisingly tailored to Yang's taste as well as Weiss's. Ruby figured that even though the CEO took over the planning, she still wanted it to be both of theirs. Rather than a ballroom or a pavilion, the ceremony took place in a large, open park. The weather thankfully held as one of the warmest days on Atlas record. Even dinner was supposed to be tailored to both girls, the dishes being a choice between Yang's favorite steak and Weiss's favorite sushi.

Finally, the bride started walking down the aisle. Yang's breath caught in her mouth appropriately. Weiss's dress was all white, elegant lacing detailing the bottom foot. A yellow sash complemented the dress, and the blonde understood her own outfit a little more, a black suit with a white tie. Yang stared at Weiss while the officiant spoke his piece. When it came time for Yang to say her vows, Ruby had to remind her she was at a wedding.

"You may now kiss the bride." The officiant finally stated. Yang tipped Weiss over and planted a not-so-conservative kiss on her lips to the cheering crowd.

The entire affair was a grand old time. The only real issue was only shared between two people. Blake was one of Weiss's bridesmaids, and caught eyes with Ruby once. Exactly once. After that, the two avoided each other's gaze like the plague. Unfortunately, this meant the redhead never saw that there wasn't anger in Blake's eyes… only continued sadness. Sun didn't miss it, though. He never did.


The reception was, as promised, held at the same time as the Reunion would have been held. A lot of the guests treated the event as a juxtaposition of both.

"So, where's the honeymoon going to be?" Coco asked, tactless as ever.

"That's a secret." Yang answered.

"Hey, didn't Yang propose?" Coco asked Weiss. "Did you really have to hijack everything?"

"Not like that." Weiss answered. "We're a high-profile couple. The Schnees have always been watched closely."

"Says Mrs. Weiss Xaio Long." Yang smiled huge.

"Oh, the tabloids are going to have a field day with me taking your name and not the other way around." Weiss remembered. "Not to mention father."

"Another reason it's a secret." Yang pointed out. "We don't need paparazzi or unwanted in-laws interrupting what should be our time alone."

"That makes sense. Need any house sitters for the Manor?" Coco asked.

"Nice try," Was Weiss's only reply.

As the night went on and things calmed down, Ruby was seriously debating finally telling Yang. Maybe I can get her alone. 'hey Yang, can I talk to you?' 'Sure.' 'Alone?' 'uhh… sure. What's up?' 'I need to tell you about something… something that happened back at Beacon.' Then I show her my locket and go from there.

As Ruby was internally predicting, Yang had her own scenario she was worried about. She and Weiss approached Ruby slowly. Yang tapped Ruby's shoulder.

The redhead was too caught up in her own head to notice their approach, and jumped. "AAHHH!" Ruby shouted. "Oh my god… Hey Yang."

"Hey Rubes… I wanted to talk to you about something." The sister began.

"Oh?" Ruby was surprised. What could this be? "What's up?"

"Weiss and I… wanted to give you this." Yang held out a key with a ribbon tied around it.

Ruby eyed the item suspiciously. "What is that?"

"It's a key, to the guesthouse. So you can be close on your off time." Weiss explained. Yang smiled hopefully.

But Ruby knew she couldn't take it. Even if she told Yang today, she still had a life in Mistral. "I'm sorry Yang. I can't accept."

"Ruby…" Yang pleaded. "I just worry about you… you're always gone. I almost never see you."

"And I'm sorry, but I can't do this." Ruby answered.

"Why not?" Yang asked, her tone getting harsher. Weiss didn't like where this was going. "Ruby, I get you're all 'solo hunter' but we're family!"

"What did you think would happen!?" Ruby shouted. Once again, Yang was pressuring her to return before she was truly ready, which never made her ready faster. Add Yang's own frustration, and the ingredients were set to boil over. "Since I was little, I knew what I wanted to be! We all knew this would be how I lived one day! Job to job, hunting, protecting people!"

"And what's so bad with settling down!?" Yang shouted right back. "I know you like your work, but you're doing so much! And I hardly ever see you!"

"We talk all the time!" Ruby countered. "You know I'm safe!"

"That's different!" Yang shouted. "I only see you once a year, if I'm lucky! Once a year is not enough! We're your family! This is exactly how Summer acted before she died, except she had a family to support! Do you want to end like that!?"

That struck a chord with Ruby. Not just because of her connection to Summer, but because this was an exact fear she had. Yang bluntly pointing this out wouldn't have the effect the blonde intended. "Using my own mother against me…" Ruby felt her mouth form words almost beyond her control, her anger rising. "That's a low blow, Yang…" Ruby wrenched the front door open and vanished, leaving a few petals behind to fall to the ground.

"Fuck!" Yang shouted, realizing her mistake. She whipped out her scroll and dialed Ruby's number. It rang three times before cutting out. All she got after that was a 'busy' tone.

The mood of the day was effectively ruined. No one knew what led Ruby to reacting the way she did… that secret would stay secret now. Yang had to storm off elsewhere to calm down, and wasn't seen for the rest of the night. Weiss continued to entertain the guests, but it was clear after that display that no one knew how they could possibly raise the mood. They slowly filed out after that, and Weiss made her way to her new wife. She found Yang with her head in her hands. After her anger passed, all the blonde had left was tears.

"Sshhh…" Weiss gently patted Yang's back, trying to calm the girl down.

"I fucked up, didn't I…?" Yang sobbed. "God, I should have let you give it to her… You wouldn't have exploded…"

"It'll be okay, Yang." Weiss promised.

"How can you promise that?" The blonde asked.

"Because you are too stubborn to let it go." Weiss told her. "Maybe she won't call you anytime soon. But you'll look for her. And you'll find her. Even if it takes the rest of your life. You won't let yourself die before you see your sister again."

"Hehe… sniff." Yang managed a small smile. "You're right… You're always right…"

"Not always…" Weiss recalled coming up with the guesthouse idea in the first place. "Maybe It's selfish to ask, but maybe we can still have a nice honeymoon? Then when we return, you'll be refreshed, and ready to start searching."

"I think I'll trust your judgment this time." Yang joked. She recalled her own shortcoming in convincing Weiss to let her give Ruby the key. The more tactful CEO was originally going to present it, and convince her to use it. "Alright, Weiss. I'll try to give you the best honeymoon. Then, I look for Ruby."


Blake and Sun were among the first to leave the disastrous reception. Blake's mind was in turmoil. She spent the entire night trying to think of a way she could approach Ruby. But before she came close to figuring it out, the sister's shouting match put one hell of a period on that sentence. Now she was trying to figure out what could possibly make Ruby react like that. Her mind stayed on her old girlfriend… something Sun never failed to notice.

They returned to the home they shared and tried to have a normal evening. Eventually, Blake did notice something eating at Sun, and spoke up, nudging his shoulder. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"It's… nothing, Blake. Promise." He tried to smile.

Blake frowned, seeing right through him. "You know I don't like that. That's the same look you give me when you decide to go off on a hunt alone and don't tell me until the night you leave."

Sun thought for a long moment about his response. "Blake, do you like me at all?"

The cat faunus reeled. "Of course I do. We've been dating for two years."

Sun looked her in the eye, gauging the truth. "Even so… am I who you want to be with?"

"Would I be with you otherwise?" Blake answered.

"Blake, I want the truth." Sun accused. "I knew in the beginning I'd have to compete with Ruby. But after this long, it's a little silly to still be fighting over a memory for your attention."

"Excuse me?" Blake narrowed her eyes.

"Don't give me that." Sun told her, getting angry himself. "Even after everything… I see the way you still look at her whenever she does happen to be around. No more lies, Blake. No more hiding. Please, I need the truth."

Blake cast her eyes to the ground. "About?"

"You know what." Sun told her. "Do you still love Ruby more than you love me?"

Blake turned away. "Say I do… what could I do about it?"

"I don't want to be your consolation prize." Sun turned her back around. "Look me in the eye and tell me… If Ruby walked through that door right now, and asked for you back, you would jump on it in an instant… wouldn't you?"

Blake looked to the door, and for a moment, played that fantasy in her head. And it was a fantasy. A perfect one. The cat faunus gave no vocal answer, but she didn't need to.

Sun took a few steps toward the hallway. "I have a contract in a few days. I'll be going out-of-kingdom. I think… I'll be taking my things with me."

This was Blake's last chance to prove him wrong. To make him stay. But the only honest thing she could do was nod. Sun retreated into the shadows of the house, and Blake whispered into the dark house, "I'm sorry…"

When she woke up on the couch the next morning, the house was half-empty. But there might as well been only air for as much as Blake cared. She didn't want to be here, in the house she shared with Sun, a second longer after all that had happened. She knew now how fucked she was. She could never get over Ruby… that girl was her perfect other, and Blake couldn't hate her if she tried.

Blake wrote the landlords a note, allowing them to sell her belongings to pay off any outstanding fees. Then she locked the door with the key inside. She wasn't coming back here. She didn't know what her end goal was, but she knew where she was starting. The mystery needed an answer. Maybe she couldn't get Ruby's ultimate secret from the girl herself, but there was one other person who would know. Blake steeled her resolve and headed to the airport. One ticket to Vale. One cab ride to the maximum-security prison.

The faunus was acting on instinct. She didn't quite realize what she was getting into until she was sitting on one side of a pane of bulletproof glass. The guards escorted the prisoner into the room on the other side, leaving his cuffs on. "You look different without the mask." Blake told him.

Adam Taurus found the visage of his companion. "After three years, I finally get a visitor…" the bull-man sounded different, too. A tone in his voice Blake hadn't heard in a long time.

"I've been told you seem to be changing." Blake said. "Not sure I trust it. But maybe I can give you a chance."

Adam looked hopeful. He couldn't believe it… his oldest friend was giving him a chance? "Of course, Blake… anything…"

"Tell me everything you did to Ruby Rose." Blake told him.

"What… did she tell you…?" Adam asked, looking for a place to start.

"Enough. The torture, the pain… it was straight up abuse. But there's something else… something she came close to telling me once. Something only you would know."

"I see…" Gears worked in the bull man's mind. "Okay… here's the truth…"


Back at the day of the reception

Ruby exited her semblance close to Atlas's airfield. Her scroll started going off, and she checked it quickly. "Why can't you leave me alone!" She shouted, throwing the scroll against a wall. Yang's contact name shattered into a dozen pieces, and Ruby left them where they lay. She stormed up to the counter.

"Hello, and welcome to-"

Ruby cut off the receptionist by slamming Lien cards on the counter. "Just get me to Mistral, quickly." The receptionist nodded uneasily and booked Ruby on the soonest flight.

Her bad mood didn't sustain itself forever. Ruby felt full regret by the time she was in the air. But by the time I land, it will be too late to head to the Huntsmen HQ in Mistral. I'll just have to get a new scroll tomorrow. Hopefully my old number doesn't get issued before then…

She walked up the steps to her home, head full of doubts. She shook them away. She didn't need to bring that stuff home. No, Phoenix didn't need to see the broken huntress Ruby Rose. He needed to see his Indestructible Momma.

"Momma!" Was indeed the first word Ruby heard when she opened the door. Her child ran full force at her, and she ducked down to catch him and pick him up. Looking at Phoenix, a genuine smile stretched her lips.

"Yes, Phoenix! Momma's home!" Ruby told him.

"And Momma looks tired." Flora pointed out.

"Maybe a little…" Ruby admitted. "But never too tired for my little man!"

"Momma! Look what I do!" He pointed at the fridge, where a very bad hand drawing representing Ruby with her scythe sat.

"Very good, Phoenix!" Ruby smiled.

"My Momma best hun-hun… hun-tear-rest!" Phoenix proclaimed proudly.

"I think he wants to hear stories of Momma's adventures." Ash came out of the back. "We looked up a bunch of stuff, trying to teach him what you do."

"Why it's important you leave all the time." Flora admitted.

Right… he's never been happy when I walk out that door…

"Don't worry, Momma! I safe! I happy you out there! I cheer you! Woo!" Phoenix shouted.

Ruby smiled. "And that's why I do it… to keep you safe." Ruby tousled his hair.

Phoenix smiled wide, and Ash piped up once more, "Told ya, little man."

"Well, we must be going." Flora told Ash. "We'll see you tomorrow, Ruby?"

"Yeah, sure." Ruby nodded. She turned to Phoenix. "So, you wanna hear my stories?"

Ruby didn't know when the stories stopped. All she knew was she was telling them one minute, and waking up on the couch with a still sleeping Phoenix in her arms the next.

Ruby spent the day catching up with Flora and Ash, and forgot to get a new scroll. Tomorrow, then. She told herself.

When she finally got around to getting a new scroll, the teller had to inform her that her old number was already given away. "A destroyed scroll reads as 'deactivated'. After 24 hours, the number is available for issue. Sorry, you're too late."

So Yang won't be able to call me… I'll just have to recall her number… what was it? 335… no… 355? Just then Phoenix started crying, and Ruby had to abandon her pursuit to attend to him. Tomorrow, she told herself again.

And again. And again. Always Tommorow. And always, something else would come up. Or she would forget. Then she had to hunt, and didn't even think about it for two weeks. Forgetfulness turned into complacency, and Ruby was just too involved in her new life taking care of Phoenix.

For Yang, she tried Ruby's scroll when the honeymoon was over. When she got some stranger, she knew Ruby must have broken her scroll and lost her number. The she sat there, hoping Ruby would call her. Tomorrow.

Days turned into weeks. Weeks would turn into months. As the months grew longer, Yang decided to stop waiting. She needed to find Ruby. No matter what it takes. Day by day. Always, tomorrow…

Yang knew someday the tomorrows would end. Days into weeks, weeks into months… Yang kept searching.

And so, after seven years without contact, Yang would finally find a tangible lead on catching up with Ruby.