A/N: Well folks, this is it. The final part of Snake. I'm glad to have finally finished a fanfic, but at the same time a part of me is sad that this awesome trip you guys have brought me on is over. The time I dedicated to this effort has all truly been worth it, and it's thanks to you guys and the support of my bro YARN :D
Snake
Epilogue
The weather was fittingly dark and cloudy, with it threatening to start pouring at any second.
Cardin stayed hidden behind some trees. He had managed to sneak out of the infirmary so that he could be here. People had been coming, saying what they wanted to at the marble stone if anything at all, and then leaving. Right about now though, it seemed that everyone that was coming had shown up, and now the only traffic at the cemetery's gate was people leaving.
While he waited for everyone to leave, Cardin came across a familiar face, one of which had rabbit ears at the top of it. Velvet had come like everyone else to see the grave of the notorious New Moon. Now that she had, she was taking her leave. When she was a few works away from the wrought iron fence, Cardin stepped in front on her.
Velvet was understandably a bit nervous in his presence, considering how much her ears hurt after their last exchange. She did her best to hide it though, "What are you doing here?" She asked.
"Never mind why I'm here," Cardin said, trying not to sound mean, "I saw you were leaving, and just wanted to talk."
"Talk then", Velvet said crossing her arms as she put on a tough look.
"I just wanted to apologize for bullying you…" Cardin said, looking ashamed, "and I wanted to ask you if you'd be my friend…" He held out his hand. "I don't blame you if you don't accept either." He said looking down at the ground.
He was a bit surprised when he was given a handshake.
"Thanks, for apologizing, and for wanting to be my friend." Velvet said, smiling a little. Cardin looked to the side, blushing.
"It was no problem", he mumbled.
"I'll see you around", Velvet said, waving goodbye.
"Yeah, see you", Cardin said waving back as Velvet left.
Unknown to anyone, seemingly standing on thin air, was Jaune. He was no longer in his armor or casual clothing, but instead a single piece white robe. He looked as people went through the line they had formed, taking their turns to visit his grave. After an hour, the only ones that remained were his friends, and professor Ozpin.
"They all must hate me…" Jaune said grimly as he looked at Ren walk towards the stone.
"I want to hate you..." Ren said.
"That's the way it should be, you hating me…" Jaune said, before Ren continued.
"But true to form you continue to make me respect you. To hold something that dark back for that many years..." Ren sighed. "Maybe we can meet again in another life, where you and I can truly be friends. Goodbye, Shang-jiang." Ren said, before bowing out of respect, and stepping to the side to let Nora speak.
"We're a team of two now..." Nora whimpered, "I wish you had stayed only as you were Jauney," Nora sniffled, "But then…" Nora paused, not wanting to relive the hell they had just been through, "I am going to miss you and Pyrrha...Bye", she said before walking over to Ren, who put his arm around her in an attempt to help calm her down, as she began to cry a little.
"I wish it wasn't like this..." Blake mused, "I knew the white fang had been... Violent, for lack of better terms, but even so doing that to a child..." Blake lost herself in thought for a second, "and to think I was once part of them…" She thought. "I am so so sorry, I..." She paused, not knowing what else to say. "Goodbye." She said walking away.
"You were always the goofball, vomit boy. But then this happened." Yang looked down at the words engraved in stone. "I want to say you were the most loyal person I ever met. And i realize that though you tried your best to stay strong, you couldn't keep going. You didn't kill Pyrrha." Yang clenched her hand into a fist, "I want you to suffer, to see you burn in hell, you took away so much...But I can't. You tried your best...and sometimes it just isn't enough." Yang sighed, letting her hand fall loose at her side.
"You are a horrible monster! An entity that deserves Hell and more! You denied a young man his chance at a normal life!" Weiss said with a hardened look in her eyes. "He was better than you. A loyal friend, who would have dove into the depths of Hell for us. You have my eternal hate New Moon, you alone." Weiss said, before her gaze softened, "I'm sorry Jaune…That all of this happened to you…" She looked at his name on the grave, "Jaune Arc, you were one of my few true friends…I wish this goodbye wasn't permanent", Weiss admitted.
"You were my first friend in Beacon you know." Ruby murmured, "I was so happy to meet you. I know that you probably never wanted this...but it happened, so I'll say one thing. I am going to miss you, because you weren't the New Moon. You were my friend."
Once they had all finished speaking, they all left together, the only person Jaune seen who was still around was Ozpin.
"I shouldn't have let you escape. Perhaps Miss Nikos would have lived. I should have done better. But I have made many mistakes... More than any man, woman, or child. And it cost me not one but two students who were worth more than one serial killer. Goodbye, Mr. Arc. I hope you will come back one day, as a better person, unburdened by a darkness and as pure as light coming from the sun." With that the headmaster of Beacon gripped his cane tightly and walked away. Before he passed through the gate, he stopped and stood looked out it. "After you pay your respects, return to the infirmary immediately." He said before walking away. Cardin emerged from the trees not long after.
"It wouldn't hurt." Cardin said feeling a pain in his chest. "Probably wasn't smart of me to leave a week early after getting stabbed in the chest." He took his time and walked over to the grave, keeping his sight on it. Standing a foot away, Cardin put his left arm behind his back, and crossed his right arm across his chest diagonally in a salute. "I may never touch even the shadow of a person like you Arc, someone who was loyal enough to his friends that he'd die for them by his own hand, but…" Cardin paused. "I will try my best to walk the right path, the path you took Arc." He turned, stopping for a second as he let his arms fall to his side, "If you can hear me by some miracle, then I want you to know that you are the bravest person I have met. Rest in peace my fallen comrade." Cardin smiled slightly as he walked away, "You deserve it."
Jaune watched as Cardin walked away. He didn't expect him to be alive, much less to show up to his grave and say what he did.
"You're wrong Cardin." Jaune said, before he felt a hand on his shoulder.
"No, he isn't Jaune." A familiar huntress' voice greeted him.
"Pyrrha?" Jaune questioned as he turned around. He was speechless. Pyrrha looked like an angel. She wore the same robe as Jaune, her hair was let out and shimmered like fine silk in the sunlight, and she had a glow around her almost like an outline of light.
"Come on Jaune, come with me." She said holding out her hand to him. Jaune looked down.
"Pyrrha, I don't deserve to-" Jaune said before being interrupted.
"Jaune, our own little happy ending is so close. Please, come with me." She said smiling. Jaune smiled back. He gently took hold of her and, and slowly rubbed his thumb along the back of her hand. Pyrrha slowly started to walk forward, leading Jaune. As they walked, they became more transparent with every step.
"I don't deserve happiness…I don't deserve a happy ending…and I don't deserve Pyrrha…but…" Jaune thought. "Thank you…for letting me be happy…for letting me have a happy ending…and…" Jaune was so happy, he felt like crying. He could swear he heard a cello in the background, its notes that both separated and merged together in long and short tones mimicking his emotions in a way no instrument had ever managed to while he was alive, almost as if it was his heart itself, and every sound pulled on it in a way he never knew was possible, like it was the strings of the instrument itself. He looked deep into Pyrrha shinning green eyes, a single tear escaping him. "Thank you, more than anything, for letting me be with Pyrrha…" He thought as they walked toward the now blue and cloudless sky, the cello in the background growing quieter until he and Pyrrha were almost gone from sight. Its final long note slowly became silence as the two lovers completely disappeared from sight.
[In a Different Cemetery]
A small grave sat beneath an oak tree, light shining through the branches, hitting the stone and the earth in front of it. Lying curled up in one of the beams of light, its eyes closed, was a snake. It immediately shot its head up slightly; the eyes that were closed moments ago now wide awake, as a bird chirped. The snake twisted, looking left and right to scan the surroundings for predators.
The snake didn't even make a noise as it was snatched up in the talons of a bird. In the spot the snake has rested, the bird left a small treasure in its place, a white feather.
The wind caught up, and shifted enough to let the light spill through, and illuminate the whole grave. The name, "Jack Tige D'haricot", shone on it. Underneath that, sat the simple words, "Rest in Peace".
Rest in peace indeed, those souls we call friends, family, and loved ones. May you all fly with the angels of God in eternal happiness, living your own happy ending with The Lord.
A/N: Tige D'haricot is French for beanstalk, and Shang-jiang is a tradition rank in chinese military which is the equivilant of general or admiral.
Well, I hope you guys really enjoyed this, and that it made up for the last couple chapters :) As always, please let me know what you guys thought in the reviews below.
Oh, and I'm wondering if I should give people the option to download the whole fanfic as a PDF somewhere. The fanfic is about 35 pages, so it'd have a little bit of size to it, enough for it to be worth downloading, in my opinion at least. If you think I should do this, let me know as well in your review if you leave one.
Until the next chapter of my other RWBY fanfic Mistakes, I'll see you awesome guys and gals latter. *salutes*
