Chapter 5: Reassurance
Ten years had passed by since Jaune's death. It was hard losing him, but Weiss, Blake, and Oscar all found comfort believing that the leader was happy again with his team by his side. Oscar had a peaceful life before he disappeared six months after Jaune died. The monochrome pair from Team RWBY tried to find him, but they never found even a single trace.
"Do you think he's…?" Blake didn't have the strength to finish her question, but Weiss understood and answered her.
"I don't see how Oscar could have died. He was freed from Ozpin's curse of reincarnation, and Salem is gone. Whatever happened to him, I have the hope that he's alright, that he's maybe left Anima for a new life somewhere else."
"Do you really think so? I'm fearful after outliving the others. After outliving her…" Weiss didn't need to ask who Blake was referring to. She could tell from the Faunus' cat ears flopping down, and the guilt in her eyes. She held her friend's hand.
"It's hard, but Yang would want you to carry on. I don't blame you if you're struggling to live."
"I know…"
Try as they might to find him, they had to accept in the end that Oscar was out of their reach, and continued to move forward.
That was until Blake's illness…
She had come down with tickitis. It is a terminal virus to Faunus that very rarely comes from ticks, leaving hives across their body that resemble ticks full of the blood they sucked off an organism, hence the name. The hives disrupt blood flow and can cause nasty infections if ruptured. There was no known cure, as research had been lost when Atlas fell.
Needless to say, Weiss felt absolutely distressed. Her remaining teammate was dying and she was going to be the last one of Team RWBY again.
"I'm going to be alone for the rest of my life…" Weiss said to Blake on her final day. By then, the cat Faunus had her legs amputated because the hives stopped the blood flow to them and made walking unbearable. She shook her head in response to Weiss' despondent sentence.
"Weiss, even if you are the last of Team RWBY alive, you are not alone. I know Ruby and Yang have stayed by our sides long after their deaths." Blake, as a cat Faunus, can sense the presence of supernatural phenomena around her. This myth with pet cats was rare to occur with Faunus that have feline traits. Blake had experienced feeling like her late friends were there before.
"Yes, but how can I carry on if I can't turn to see your face or theirs?" Weiss asked with moderate desperation. "You know how much you've all meant to me…"
"Trust me, Weiss… I'll always be there for you, long after my final breath…" Blake's energy was fading, eyes closing, speech slowing and she only had the strength to smile at her friend, and the red and yellow outlines of familiar silhouettes that were next to her. "We'll meet again someday… Team RWBY… can finally be… reunited… again…"
Weiss held her hand and rested her forehead on Blake's like Yang always did. She returned the smile despite her tear-stained face. "I believe you, Blake… Thank you…"
With that, Blake closed her eyes and relaxed in the embrace of oblivion. Her hand went limp in Weiss' grasp, and she took comfort knowing that at least Blake left on peaceful terms, holding back the floodwaters of more tears.
Blake was resting in place after dying. She had many regrets, especially regarding Adam, but she was satisfied with her life afterward in the end. She soon felt something against her cat ear.
The ear twitched as someone was gently rubbing it before petting her head. Blake purred as she smiled, opening her eyes to shed she was resting on Yang's lap. Her blonde partner was just as radiant, if not, more than she remembered her.
"I see that it's feline good?" Yang quipped, and Blake laughed with all the fondness she had for her. Yang joined in and her voice was music to her ears. When they stopped, Blake couldn't help herself and kissed Yang, who adjusted their positions to hold her in her loving embrace.
"I missed this…" Blake murmured. "I'm so happy to finally see your face again."
"I love you too." Yang kissed her again, and they rested their heads on each other, Blake taking her hand to caress her face and nuzzling it. They broke away because Ruby was there too, patiently waiting for her hug.
"I missed you too, Ruby," Blake said as she held her. Ruby brought her thumb up to wipe the tears that Blake wasn't even aware she was shedding. She soon realized she was crying, and Yang joined Ruby in her embrace with Blake.
"It's okay Blake," Ruby said. "You're with us now, and we're still here for you. We will also be here for Weiss, too."
"She misses you, Ruby. She hasn't been as happy as when you were around."
"That's why I've been staying here after reliving childhood. Yang and I want to stay together with you and Weiss."
"Thank you. Both of you. I was blessed to have you in my life, and now beyond it."
The cliff had Ruby, Blake, and Yang's gravestones arranged to have Weiss' be put between Ruby and Blake's. Weiss felt newfound hope that they can all be happy again when her time comes. A time that would be when she would be ready. Until then, she would live life on her own terms.
Author's note: Yeah this might just be the dumbest viral infection in fiction ever. I made tickitis thinking about this one tick my dog recently had, which fell out somewhere, and thought about possible diseases or viruses more harmful to the Faunus than to humans. Oscar disappeared because I didn't really know what to do with him after killing off Jaune.
