Oscar couldn't think. His mind was ablur with too many thoughts and feelings. Everything was spinning.
"Ruby?" he called her name. "Ruby stop messing around this isn't funny."
He could just barely hear the others shuffling around behind him. He didn't know if they were saying anything or just quietly taking everything in.
"Ruby, please, just open your eyes. If you can hear me, that's all I ask. Please… open your eyes…." he begged. She didn't budge. "Ruby! Ruby please! Anything! Just anything!"
A flood of nurses descended upon the room. He felt hands trying to pry him away, but he resisted. He pushed them away and clung to her side. That's all he could do. He just had to stay by her side. She'd wake up soon and laugh that it's all one big joke. He'd scold her and they'd laugh about it. Because this wasn't real. They were in on the joke. He just had to be there.
"Oscar!" a sharp voice cut through his panic. He stiffly turned to see what was happening. Yang stood there. The tears that dripped down her chin pulled him back to the harsh reality. "Stop… please…? She's… gone…."
Her voice wasn't harsh. It didn't scold him. It didn't demand. It was soft and pleading. Oscar shakily let go of the bed. The nurses swooped in and pushed Ruby away. They covered her face with the blanket, and she was gone from the room.
Oscar didn't know what happened next. He remembered seeing everybody crying. Ren and Nora had even left to compose themselves. Then he was in a waiting room. He wasn't quite sure where he was. People were talking. People were moving.
There was nothing.
"Oscar? Are you okay?" Warm hands held his own. He wasn't quite sure who it was. He blinked a few times until it finally registered that it was Weiss. She was crouched in front of him, her face filled with worry and tears.
"I…. I don't know." He wondered if he had actually responded.
"Alright. We're going to the cafeteria to get something to eat. Can you join us?" she asked.
Oscar didn't say anything, but Weiss helped him up anyways. She practically dragged him like a doll, but he let her. Yang and Jaune came at some point to help her, but he wasn't sure when. Everything was moving around him. They placed food in front of him, but he just stared at it.
The noise of the cafeteria boomed in his ears. They caused his head to spin even more. His friends barely said anything. If they did, all he could hear was the thundering noise. Finally Oscar had had enough. He slammed his fist on the table and stood up. The action did nothing for the noise, but turned that tables' attention towards him.
"I'm going for a walk," he announced.
"Okay," Blake replied. "But let one of us go with you. It's not good to be alone."
"I just…. I just need some fresh air. I'll be fine," he left without letting anyone follow. He just wandered through the hospital for a bit before finding his way outside.
He ran. He just ran in a direction. No place in particular. Just as long as there was ground there. A river blocked his path before he knew it. He looked around and realized that he was probably lost. But nobody was around.
He bent low to the river and screamed. His throat yelled at him to stop, which he just added onto his own agony. When he opened his eyes, he saw his reflection in the water. It made him sick. In a fit of rage he punched at the water to get rid of the disgusting image.
Then Oscar curled up. He let the sobs overcome him. His scroll started ringing. He took it out of his pocket to look at it. He didn't even see who the caller was. He just hung up. That was a mistake.
The picture on his screen was him and Ruby. A picture Ruby had insisted on taking on their first date. A picture that she stole his scroll to make it his wallpaper. A picture he didn't want to change. A picture that made his head spin again.
Without a second thought, he threw it in the river. The plop of the scroll made him realize what a terrible idea that was.
"No… No!" He leapt in.
The river was shallow as Oscar waded through it. It only went up to his waste, but his entire body quickly became soaked. He dug hopelessly at the water, hoping to find the scroll. All he found was more water and rocks. He tried searching a littler further down the river, in hopes that it got caught on a rock somewhere along the way. Finally, he gave up and trudged slowly back to the river bank.
He shivered and curled up on his side. Oscar didn't want to feel anymore. But he felt drained. He let the darkness of sleep wash over him.
"Oscar!" a loud voice woke him up. Oscar's limbs complained as he sat up to look around. He wasn't by that riverbank anymore. A meadow spread out in front of him.
"Oscar," the voice called him again.
This time it was behind him. Oscar had to twist his torso to get a good look at what was calling him. He found himself staring at two pairs of feet, one donned in dress shoes and black pants and the other a glowing yellow. His eyes widened and he scrambled to stand up and face the two in front of him.
"You're…. but how?! Why?!" He tried for words but came up empty. "Ozpin….?"
The familiar headmaster smiled at Oscar. He then looked up at the second, taller figure.
"And how are you here?" Oscar asked the other. "I… I haven't gathered all the relics."
"Well," the Light God spoke, "let us consider this an exception."
"Why? Why now? Of all times you could have come back!" Oscar snapped. "Do you realize everything we've been through?! All the people I've hurt! All those lives we ruined?! I never asked for any of this! I- I-"
"Miss Rose's journey is not over yet," Ozpin announced. The rage immediately left Oscar's body.
"She's… She's not gone?"
"I can revive her as I did to you all those years ago. I will allow her to reincarnate, just as you can. From now on, you can have a companion during your journey."
"I- I don't know what to say!"
Oscar felt tears of joy slipping from his eyes. He looked between Ozpin and the Light God. Neither seemed to be lying. He grinned and opened his mouth to agree.
But he stopped. He recognized this field now. Behind them stood the statue of the first reincarnation, the white-haired man.
"Oscar?" Ozpin looked at him in concern. Oscar shook his head.
"Thank you, but no." The two looked taken aback by his decision.
"Why do you deny this opportunity?" the Light God asked.
"Because this is what caused this huge mess in the first place! Salem wanted Ozma back so badly that she challenged the Gods. She… She never stopped to consider what Ozma would have wanted. I don't want to do that to Ruby."
"I'm sure she would understand your decision to revive her," Ozpin answered.
"Then you don't remember Ruby the way I do," Oscar laughed. "I can already hear her getting mad at me for it. She'd say 'My life was over! Now I have to live another one?! And I can't even keep my dear Crescent Rose!'"
"Well… you're not wrong," Ozpin chuckled.
"I love Ruby, and I would do anything to bring her back, but I know that she would tell me to keep moving forward. Even if it hurt."
"Is that your final answer?" the Light God asked.
"Yes. It is."
"A very wise decision. I see that you have grown much in your journey," he nodded approvingly. "I leave Remnant in your care and shall take my leave."
"Wait."
The Light God paused. He looked quizzically at Oscar.
"This… This isn't real, is it?"
The Light God disappeared into golden leaves that floated away in the wind. Ozpin smiled and sat down on the base of the statue, patting the spot next to him. Oscar sat down beside him, but it felt a little weird.
Ozpin didn't say anything for a while. He just stared out into the meadow. Oscar was used to seeing Ozpin from memories and sometimes in reflections, but he never got to stand next to him like a regular person.
"How did you know?" Ozpin finally asked.
"Whenever I was distressed, I always turned to Ruby. But she's gone now. Then the two I wanted to see the most suddenly appear to fix things. Isn't that a little too convenient?"
"I guess it is," Ozpin chuckled.
Oscar lifted his head to look out at the meadow. It was peaceful. The sun set before them as a quiet breeze swept through their hair. The grass whispered a lullaby that calmed him. He wondered if Ruby would have liked this place.
Without another word, he slipped off his shoes and socks. He walked out into the meadow and closed his eyes. He held his hand out for an imaginary figure. A rose scent embraced him, and a soft hand held his. He looked back at Ozpin, only to find the former headmaster missing from the statue. A soft glow was all that remained.
Oscar turned back to see Ruby's face as clear as day. She smiled at him with such warmth. The sun set behind him and her eyes reflected the moonlight.
"May I have this dance?" He asked. She smiled at him and nodded.
He held her in his arms and began swaying to the orchestra of the wind. Crickets sang them a soothing song that neither could understand. He spun her away from him but held her hand. The movement caused hundreds of fireflies to be free from their confines in the grass.
Ruby giggled at the little light they gave off. She spun back into his embrace. They twirled and spun together. Oscar laughed as she tried dipping him. She leaned in and kissed him. They broke into laughs as she did. She brought Oscar up and leaned her forehead against his.
They stayed like that for a few moments. He held tightly onto her hands, wishing to never let go.
"I'm sorry, Ruby." Oscar finally pulled away. "I… I couldn't save you. I-"
Ruby put a finger over his lips to cut him off. Her fingers moved from his lips to the evening air and lifted towards the sky. A firefly landed in her hand, flickering in her palm. It walked around her fingers for a little bit before flying off. She watched it go.
"Oscar," her soft voice sent shivers down his spine. "I didn't get to say my vows before,
"I wish we could have actually gotten married today. I… I wish we could bake cookies together and laugh over movies. I wish we could dance in the grass barefoot one last time. Oscar, I love you. You've always been there for me, treating me with a smile and a laugh. You take everything I do in strides, even ridiculous requests like today. I don't have much time left, but I know that I want to spend it with you."
She finished with a smile. She wiped away the tears that flowed from his eyes.
"Thank you…. For everything…" Morning sunlight began illuminating the grass. Its golden rays illuminated her smile. Oscar noticed that she was beginning to look more transparent.
"Ruby…. Not yet! Please don't leave me yet!" He cried. "I… I don't know what to do without you!"
"It's ok, Oscar… You know what to do. You always do." She leaned against his forehead once more. "After all, you're the reason we can see each other again!"
As the sunlight grew, Ruby became fainter. Oscar grasped at whatever he could. He held her cheeks, her hair, anything that would fit in his hands. Ruby only smiled. She wiped the tears from his eyes and kissed his cheek.
"Goodbye Oscar."
Her form burst into rose petals. They drifted in the wind, flying towards the rising sun. Oscar grabbed one. He stared at it in his palm before closing his fingers around it. Oscar held it close to his heart. He closed his eyes.
"Goodbye, Milady."
When he opened his eyes, he was back at the riverbank. The moon had risen above him, its silver rays reflecting off the river water. Oscar stood up. He opened his fist, surprised to find a single rose petal. A small gust of wind blew, and it flew from his hand. The petal drifted into the night, disappearing into the darkness.
~End~