Ruby rolled over, coughing up a small red splotch onto the snow beside her. Everything hurt, and if her prior experience was anything to go off of, something inside her was broken very badly. Her aura wouldn't be able to save her this time.

Looking up, she saw white against white, and barely made out Weiss, similarly laid out on the ground as flakes fell down from the sky. She crawled towards her partner, knowing they needed to get to somewhere with doctors soon, or they'd both end up as part of the scenery. But when her hand grasped Weiss' shoulder, she knew neither of them would be able to save the other this time.

She tried to gasp out the name of the girl she had come to love, but only let out a soft rasp. But her girlfriend heard her, and turned her head. Her eyes opened, the blue of the sky against the white of the snow: the very same shade as her irises and hair. Weiss reached back and took Ruby's hand.

"It looks like this is our last adventure, eh Dolt?" She mumbled, her vision obviously drifting in and out of focus on Ruby.

Shaking her head as much as she could, Ruby swallowed and tried to speak.

"No. I'll- I'll come find you... In our next lives...and all the ones after that."

Weiss smiled and gently ran her thumb across Ruby's cheek.

"I'd like that. I'll be sure to wait for you. Then… maybe we can finally have a quiet life together. Like we always talked about?"

Ruby could only nod this time, feeling their mingling blood draining out too quickly to keep herself conscious for long. As she lay down against the very soft chest of her love, she felt her own heart match pace with the one she heard below her ear. Then both paces slowed. Just before they stopped, Ruby placed a kiss over Weiss', silently promising her again.

Then, everything was gone.

The light was blinding, everything was loud, and all Ruby could do was flail and scream, trying to break free from the hands that held her. They were very large hands, she thought, and some part of her knew something was wrong. Her arms weren't long enough, and her body was too rounded. Her muscle was gone, and her thoughts were muddled.

Everything was emotional, need-based, and what little she could comprehend was pushed to the back of her mind. Time didn't seem to have any meaning, and for a very long while, all Ruby could do was wait and let herself react. She knew her name, and little else.

At some point, she began to think clearly again, and it came at a very dark time. Everything was dark, and there were wooden bars around her. Something soft was around her and below her, but Ruby didn't care yet. All that mattered now was that she could finally think. Had it been days, weeks, or merely hours since she had seen Weiss? Was she in some kind of hospital?

Attempting to sit up, Ruby found she couldn't move too much. Her body seemed to be very sluggish and weak, and for some reason she was very tired and hungry. She tried to call for a nurse, but instead only a small cry came out. She moved to touch her throat, and felt how very pudgy it had become. Moving to rub the sleep from her eyes, Ruby realized why she wasn't able to move. Her body was suddenly identical to that of a small child, more accurately: a baby.

Little else could frighten the once twenty-year old woman, but the knowledge that she'd died, and now was stuck in a new life was enough to break her. She cried openly, her instincts to cry for help overriding her better judgement, and simply mourned the loss of her Weiss, and her life. Yang, Blake, Penny, Jaune, Pyrrha, Nora, Ren, Tai, Zwei, and Qrow were gone, and she'd never see them again. Most of all, she'd lost her chance to be with the person who made her happiest in that life.

Ruby would have cried all night, but she cut herself off when she saw the smiling woman in the doorway. The black-red hair, silver eyes, and white nightshirt were the same face and color scheme as she'd remembered her mother having. The smile turned sad when she noticed Ruby had stopped crying vocally, and instead was staring at the older woman with wonder and fresh tears.

Summer Rose began to speak in a strange language, walking over and taking Ruby into her arms, rocking gently. Ruby pressed close to her mother, not daring to believe it until Summer's words changed.

"I'll bet you just got settled enough to remember. Oh Ruby, I've waited so long to see you again."

Ruby simply continued to weep, holding her mother close as she spoke.

"I know what it's like, being born all over again. It only happens when you aren't finished living, and you need to start over. Tai didn't remember, and neither did anyone else we knew back on Remnant, so far as I can tell. But I left you and Yang behind… I'm sorry Ruby. That's why I'm here now, so I can be here for you this time."

Summer pulled Ruby around and smiled with tears from her own silver eyes.

"Since you showed up first, and not Yang, I'm guessing your love got cut short? Don't worry, I'll help you find them again, when you're old enough."

Ruby sighed in relief, knowing she was safe. Closing her eyes, she simply waited for sleep to take her, knowing one day she could find Weiss again. Find everyone…

Lifetime 1:

Learning the language of this new world was hard, but Ruby made sure to give it her whole effort. She couldn't be a huntress here, with no such thing as Aura or Grimm, but that meant she could focus her whole attention on finding Weiss again. She'd promised.

But even with her ultimate goal, Ruby wasn't going to forget to live. When they adopted Yang (this time Ruby's junior by four years), Ruby decided to pay her back as the new best older sister ever. Even when Yang learned to talk, and it was clear she didn't remember anything from before, Ruby made sure to love her in every way she knew how.

When a certain book-ish noirette moved into the neighborhood, Ruby was always careful to cover for her sister's running off. When Yang was having trouble understanding something in school, and broke down over not being as smart as Blake, Ruby was there to help her. When it came time for Yang to ask her big sister for help on what she was feeling when Blake smiled at her, Ruby told her the secret that helped Yang understand that she was simply feeling her heart remembering what her mind couldn't.

But her own luck in love wasn't so great. Ruby reached college before she saw the white hair of a Schnee, and then it was only that of Winter, her tutor. Still, it was a step forward that she'd gratefully taken.

On their fifth study session, Ruby was ready to see if she'd met another rememberer. Looking up from her math, she said just one word in the old language she'd retained from Remnant.

"Winter?"

The other girl gasped and looked up in surprise.

"You-"

Ruby nodded.

Winter's expression became one of relief, but then fell into absolute sorrow.

"Oh Ruby… I'm so sorry."

Her heart plummeted, knowing why Winter was sorry.

"She- she doesn't-"

Winter shook her head.

"And… she's not quite the same. She's… she had an accident when she was little, and…"

Winter swallowed and shook her head, tearing up.

"She's stuck in a wheelchair, and since her depression set in... I've been trying to find you for years, hoping you'd fall in love again and take care of her like you used to. But if she doesn't remember you…"

Ruby wasn't listening anymore. For Weiss to not remember, for her to consider her life finished after she died on Remnant, it made Ruby's head spin with the possibilities. Was it because she hadn't really loved Ruby?

Winter seemed to be some kind of mind-reader, as usual, and placed her hand on Ruby's shoulder.

"I'll tell you what I do know. When we were back on Remnant, Weiss loved you dearly. She wouldn't shut up about you, and I don't think it was a facade. I know my sister's faking, even if she's older than me this time."

"I know, it's weird, right?" Ruby said, trying to get her composure back. "But if she did, then why…?"

Winter shrugged.

"I don't know. If I had to guess, I'd say it's because Weiss felt she was complete just to be with you, and she didn't need anything more."

Ruby mulled that information over, and nodded. That seemed like the sort of logical acceptance Weiss used to have.

"Can you take me to her?"

And so, Ruby met Weiss again. She learned to make machines that could improve the paralized girl's life, and tried not to cry each time she saw no hint of the love she'd once seen within the crystal blue eyes.

It took three more years before Weiss even believed Ruby was sincere enough to accept her offer of a date. There'd been a second, and then a third. Ruby had managed to sneak in a goodnight kiss on the fourth. But then, everything went wrong. Weiss started to pull away, and one day she simply asked Ruby to stop coming to see her. The Schnee family didn't allow her near their fragile daughter, and Ruby simply had to wait.

Then the news came: Weiss had stopped taking her medication, and now she was beyond Ruby's reach forever. Summer, Winter, and Ruby hadn't come out from the small room they'd shared at the Schnee mansion for several days, crying and letting Ruby scream.

She'd finished her goal, and made it back to Weiss. Kissed her that final time, told her she loved her before she'd slept. When Ruby disappeared, they knew exactly why she was gone, and that she wasn't coming home.

Lifetime 2:

Weiss shot up from her bed, gasping for air. She'd had the nightmare again, her wheelchair plummeting through the air, caught between the last seconds she'd had in her last life, able to remember everything for the final heartbeat she'd owned. She hadn't apologized to Ruby, or explained that she was scared of falling in love. Now, she was the one who had to start over, with two short lifetimes crammed into her head, and a Ruby who didn't remember anything, wandering out there… somewhere.

She waited. She searched. She tried everything she could, but the small arrow on her hand never moved. She'd been granted a gift this time, a tool to find Ruby. This world had tattoos that would point to someone's soulmate, and Weiss was waiting for hers to bring her home.

The years passed, as the ink faded. Weiss lived, and wondered. Then, time seemed to lose all meaning. When the arrow finally spun in circles and directed her to the silver-eyed girl sitting across from her, Weiss cried. Ruby's arrow spun to point at her as well, and the girl laughed, amused by something.

"I guess it makes sense, two people who don't have much longer being told they're soulmates."

Weiss nodded, gently adjusting her glasses on her nose. Ruby was with a group of cancer children visiting the library, and she'd wanted to check out the romance section. Of course, that meant being sent to see old Miss Schnee, the seventy-three year old librarian, who spent her days reading stories about lost love.

"I don't suspect we'll get much time together. Perhaps that's for the best. You deserve someone young, anyways."

Ruby laughed and scooted over to sit by Weiss.

"Maybe, but I've only got a few more weeks anyways, so what's the point?"

Weiss smiled and offered her book.

"Then I suppose I can share this secret with you."

"What secret's that?"

"I've been waiting for you, Ruby. I met you two lifetimes ago, and now I've finally found you again. I just needed to tell you… I'm sorry."

"Sorry for what?"

"I didn't have the courage to fall in love with you last time. Will you promise me that you'll remember for our next lifetimes? I feel like we should try getting this right at least once."

Ruby smiled.

"Sure. See you on the other side, partner."

Weiss smiled, happy she'd finally got to see her Ruby again, if only once.

Ruby never came back, but Weiss knew not to worry. She'd see her soon enough.

Lifetime 3:

The bench was very cold, and that was all she knew. Ruby was freezing, and she couldn't see what was killing her. Her eyes hadn't worked this time, and instead she'd been cursed with three short lives and a promise that couldn't be kept. But then something a little warmer met her cheek.

"Giving up so easily?"

Ruby felt her hand taken in a familiar grip, and someone sat down beside her.

"W-Weiss?"

"Would anyone else kiss a complete stranger like you?"

Ruby felt her eyes grow wet, and she pulled the form of Weiss into a hug.

"Why did I have to mess this up? I was born blind, and then I cut my entire life short trying to look for you."

"Well, that doesn't matter now. I found you, and we're going home. I've got a warm bath, and a cozy bed waiting for us."

"I hope this isn't our last run. I don't want our last lifetime together to be started in our thirties without even getting to see you."

"Either way, I'm not wasting this lifetime like the last ones. You?"

Ruby's arms pulled Weiss close as they walked down wherever they were.

"No, I'm going to spend every second I can with you."

"Good, because I've been waiting way too long to have a family with you, sight or no sight."

"Alright Weiss... "

Turning her face to where Weiss' voice came from, she smiled sadly.

"I love you."

"Say that with a real smile, and I'll believe you."

Then the familiar lips pressed to her own once again.

Lifetime 4:

Ruby fell over, unable to keep her balance as she hit the suitcases that had suddenly appeared behind her. A small "oof!" escaped her as she hid the hard stone.

"What are you doing?!" Came a prissy voice from above her.

"Oh, sor-" Ruby's voice stopped as she caught sight of the girl above her. "-ry…"

Weiss looked at her intently, her eyes shifting from anger to confusion.

"Have we met before?" The pair asked simultaneously, their gazes moving from the others' face to their eyes.

Silver eyes met blue, and everything came rushing back.

"You're supposed to sneeze…"

"You're supposed to be angry."

"I'd rather ask why we're back on Remnant."

"I don't care. You're here, I'm here, and everything's how it used to be. You're not old or depressed, I'm not blind or full of cancer, and we finally get to be together from day one."

Weiss offered her hand.

"Well then, I'm Weiss Schnee. Nice to meet you, Love of my Lives."

"Nice to meet you too, Soulmate. I'm Ruby Rose."

As the pair headed for the auditorium, Weiss grinned at her girlfriend.

"You think we should explain anything to them, or just get married again?"

"Let's stick to pretending to be new friends for now. I'd hate to lose you to something stupid again, like Yang."

"Agreed."

"I wonder why we got another time? I seem to remember being very happy."

"Because I promised to find you every time."