Come a Long Way
"It's on the move again! We have to stop it!"
"What do we do?"
Everyone's eyes are on Ruby.
But Ruby's eyes are only on Weiss.
This is Ruby's trial by fire. Her silver gaze has been reforged in the infernos of one crisis after another and now her gunmetal eyes are solid as steel in resolve. There is no talking her out of this, Weiss realizes as her own blue eyes soften in that same fire and worry melts through.
Despite the risks, she knows better than to stop her partner.
"What's the plan?" She asks knowing that Ruby already has one. She hasn't even heard of it yet but she knows that she'll back her up no matter what anyways.
It will be reckless and at this rate, even life threatening. Which is all the more reason why she has to see to it that it works out.
"Weiss, can you summon a Lancer to take me to the Leviathan?"
Ruby almost pleads. Almost. She's trying hard to play off strong in front of them but Weiss can see through it. She can see behind steely silver, the fear mixed with the resolve and the fire.
It just shows how much of a last ditch effort this plan is. If this plan doesn't take flight then... well it's a good thing that Weiss doesn't disappoint.
"I don't have much aura left but I think I can manage." She also doesn't want to ruin the relief that just washed through their leader but she's not the type to withhold information. Especially the crucial kind. "There is one complication though."
She doesn't miss the way Ruby's shoulders suddenly stiffen as if bracing for an attack—
Or the fall.
Despite this, Ruby soldiers on and asks, "What is it?"
"I'll have to be pouring my full concentration on it otherwise it might dissolve midair," Weiss explains, making sure that her partner hears and understands every word of it. "If we want the best shot at this then I'll have to stay here on the plane."
Here without you.
"I can't come with you."
You're going to be separated and alone—
And I don't want that.
This whole time she hasn't taken off her worried eyes from her leader and partner.
She watches as Ruby's eyes shine with surprise, and watches as the shine dulls into sadness, and watches the dullness sharpen into determination, and watches on until the sharpness is tempered finally with understanding.
She watches Ruby come to terms with it faster than Weiss does. And it's only been a moment. Just one moment and so much has already passed between them.
And after this they'll be passing each other.
"That's okay. I'll be fine! You don't have to come with me, Weiss," She reassures her in that confidence that conveniently only rises when in the most dire of situations.
It's textbook Ruby and Weiss has studied it more than enough times that she has it memorized by heart.
"Besides, I don't really need someone with me out there." She looks away, it ironically only brings more attention to her unique eyes. "I'm the only one who can laser beam monsters with my eyeballs so it makes sense that I have to do this alone."
It was meant to sound lighthearted but Weiss could practically hear Ruby's heart heavy with responsibility.
Her partner is about to get out there and risk her life on her own again. It's too much of an obligation for just one person to shoulder. That's what she's here for. To lend her another shoulder to lean on when it gets too much, too heavy.
If Ruby is dead set on doing this then Weiss will do everything in her power to keep her alive.
"Think you can do it?" Weiss asks her, hoping to inspire that reckless confidence that her partner is known to answer with whenever challenged by her.
But rather than answer, Ruby finds herself questioning too.
"Can I?" She asks as if it's supposed to sound sarcastic but it falls flat with hesitance.
That's not enough.
"Can you?" Weiss insists in that tone that she uses whenever lecturing Ruby. She practically implores her to answer differently.
This time she better answer right.
"I… I can… I can try." Ruby's smile comes off as a grimace at best.
That's not what she wanted to hear.
"Wrong answer."
"W-What?"
"Quiet!" Weiss doesn't have time for a full blown lecture so she cuts to the important bullet points. "You listen to me, Ruby Rose. I'm only going to say this once so you better get it through your thick skull, okay? Okay."
She places a hand on her partner's shoulder, reminiscent of the strength and hope that Ruby had inspired in her when their roles were reversed.
"You can do this."
She had told her this before on that day that defined all their days after. She'd say it as many times until her partner needs to hear it.
Weiss will always be worried for Ruby. That's just what she signed up for when they became partners. But doubt is not part of the package. There is no room for doubt not when there's no one else more trustworthy than her.
She can trust Ruby with her life, and more. She can trust her to do this too.
"You can do this and we're here to support you."
Weiss wants Ruby to believe in her partner who believes in her.
And when she sees her partner's eyes shine with unshed tears of understanding, she thinks that Ruby is actually starting to believe herself too.
"I can't come with you but know that you're not going at this alone."
Not alone. Not again.
This situation feels all too familiar, like something similar has already happened before. It reminds her of that day that Beacon fell. Weiss had sent Ruby up on that tower to face the Grimm alone.
She doesn't want another repeat of that.
This feels almost like a repeat but it's not. Not quite. She's not sending Ruby to face another huge Grimm all on her own. This time she's not really alone.
Not when Weiss' summon, a literal projection of her will, is going with Ruby every step of the way.
"You're right. How could I forget?" Ruby smacks her head for forgetting something so important. They both pretend to not see her discreetly wipe away at her eyes. "I have you, the bestest partner, to back me up!"
Her confidence returns and so does her smile.
"I'll thank you later."
"You better thank me later."
For now, Weiss only hopes that Ruby makes it in time.
"I just... I just needed a little more time."
Time. Even after everything she's been through, even when she's stronger than before, it's not enough.
She could use her semblance to pick up the pace but she can never be quick enough to make it in time.
If only she had more time then she could have gotten sooner and prevented Yang from losing her arm, instead of Ruby being not enough and too late and Yang cut and broken.
If only she had more time then she could have made it on top of the tower and blocked the arrow that shot through Pyrrha, instead of Ruby being not enough and too late and Pyrrha fallen away.
If only she had more time then she could have stopped the enemies from executing their plan and saved Penny, instead of Ruby being not enough and too late and Penny in pieces.
If only time was on her side.
"I know. And while you don't seek knowledge, just this once, I shall give it freely." Jinn's judgmental gaze doesn't relent even as she leans forward with crossed arms. This is non-negotiable. "I will not allow you to use me without a question again."
With that slap on the wrist done with, the pat on the back follows soon after.
Jinn's smile is full of mirth. "Even if this was clever."
Time has never been on Ruby's side but she's lucky that this magical being was on her side even if only just this once.
It's just her now—
Except not really.
Ruby may be the only moving person in this pocket of time but even on her own like this, other people can still move her in ways that matter most.
She closes her eyes. She hears only her own heartbeat at first, still frantically beating in her ears. She takes a deep breath. The fear slowly ebbs away until her panic is but an echo, washed away by the treasured memories that surface.
She remembers so many people. She remembers the people she loves and who love her in return. She remembers being happy and that most happy memories are those shared with others.
White is warm like coffee with cream and five sugars.
Ruby's legs buckle faster than the summon dissolves into white.
She didn't realize how weakened she was until she didn't have to be strong anymore.
She feels Yang already by her side, catching her and slowly lets her knees fold into a comfortable enough position on the floor. She doesn't think she'll be standing for a while and if her sister wasn't holding her, she thinks she might have preferred just laying altogether.
Across her Weiss is not looking any better. It's not like her to break proper form and the only exceptions are when she's truly too exhausted to do otherwise. She looks as though ready to collapse if it wasn't for Blake holding her together.
That's why she was so surprised when it was Weiss who started hoisting her up.
She didn't realize it at first. Ruby had her eyes closed in equal parts relief and exhaustion. Then she feels the touch. It's a different kind of touch yet familiar all the same. Upholding. And with just that single touch, the weight of what she had done was finally sinking in.
She did it. She actually did it.
She did it just like her partner told her she could do it.
The comforting touch spreads into a hand on her shoulder, an arm wrapped around her back and shoulders, another hand on her other shoulder.
It doesn't just give her comfort, but also strength—
The strength to carry on.
Her own hand moves on reflex. She reaches for her partner's shoulder, her own arm wraps around their back and shoulders.
They both rise, lifting each other up.
"I told you so. You did it."
Weiss feels the weight of her partner, heavy and yet it feels like the most comforting weight in the world. She doesn't think she'll ever tire of lifting her not when some of that strength comes from her partner in the first place.
"I didn't do it alone. We did it."
Ruby lets herself lean on her partner. She wants to remember this moment. She wants to treasure this memory where love had succeeded and life was protected. Because for the times that she wasn't strong enough on her own, her partner would be there to carry her on.
Though the body's weak and breakable, their spirit is indomitable.
And they'll catch that dream together someday soon.
They're rising like the moon.
A/N: SINCE CRWBY FORGOT TO ADD THAT SCENE IN THE OPENING TO THE FINALE, I HAD TO DO IT MYSELF :) YOU'RE WELCOME :))
Can you count how many callbacks I snuck in here? :)))
Wowsers. Where do I even begin with this finale? We got all those flashbacks and Ruby cheated with Jinn and we even got Summer! Then that moment with Qrow? Priceless. I love Ruby so much and I'm so proud of our scythe-toting daughter!
Weiss is definitely the MVP (Most Valuable Partner) this volume (and ever)! She's been powerlifting Ruby throughout the fight, fighting alongside her, catching her, supporting her through it all. Ruby's been pushing herself to the limit for the sake of everyone but Weiss? She's worried for Ruby and yet rather than stop her, she supports her with all her strength and then some more. Weiss pushes her exhausted self to the next level again and again just for Ruby and I think that's amazing.
I debated on whether or not include Ruby's scene with the silver eyes and the flashbacks (since I already did something similar back in Chapter 6) but I think that was already powerful enough as it is. But pardon me for indulging that one memory though *coughcough*
CAN WE TALK ABOUT THE FACT THAT WHEN RUBY WAS MESSED UP, ONE OF THE FIRST THOUGHTS THAT BROUGHT HER BACK TO LOVING LIFE WAS WEISS' MOMENT WITH HER BACK IN V1 BECAUSE I'M CRYING. WEISS WAS LITERALLY LIFTING UP RUBY THROUGH HER SUMMON! AND SHE DIDN'T KNOW IT BUT SHE WAS ALSO LIFTING HER SPIRITS UP THROUGH THEIR MEMORY TOGETHER! WHITE ROSE BLOSSOMS!
What's this?! It's the last episode of the volume but... there's still one more chapter? It's more likely than you think! I thought it would be nice to have something to cap off this crazy volume. So look forward to the bonus chapter next week!