Chapter 11: Finale – The End of The End

A/N: Today marks the day I complete my first story. Although, it will technically be incomplete until I release the epilogue, broken up into mini-epilogues for each character. All who have reviewed or even just took the time to look at the prologue, Thank you. I want to specially thank Monty Oum (God rest his soul) for such an amazing piece of work, worthy of many more seasons. I'd also like to thank KodaTheBeaver for a good read and his story, Amnesiac for giving me that little spark to start my career in writing my stories. I want to also thank anyone who followed me or my story through this time. It has been a wonderful experience to finally show someone my works, let alone the world. Thank you for your time. Expect another chapter, epilogue, soon.

"Hello?" Said Velvet, running up to the group.

"Velvet? I thought you were done telling your portion of the story. Why are you coming back?" asked Ruby.

"I thought I told you that when I was ready, I'd be here as soon as I could."

"Point taken. Take the stage."

"Roman?" I said to grab his attention, "How long until that supply delivery gets here?"

"Oh. They said they'd be here by today. Tomorrow, at the latest."

"Oh…Okay. What now?"

"What now? I don't know. I'm feeling a bit sleepy actually."

"Okay, grandpa. Just promise me that when you find a white light in your dream, you won't go toward it. I want to be able to find and give out a cure with a partner instead of by myself. Like all famous people say at some point, 'it gets lonely at the top.'"

"I promise."

"Okay."

"…And Velvet?"

"Yes?"

"Does this mean we're on good terms? Like, as in friends?"

"…Sure."

"Thanks."

"You know what, Roman?"

"What do I know?"

"I think you're a good person."

Even though he tried to cover it up with feigning sleep, I knew he was silently weeping. I had been his first and only friend in the end of the end. The final days of the apocalypse.

Hours later, Ruby burst in through the surveillance room door.

"VELVET, TORCHWICK! WE'VE GOT YOUR SUPPLIES!"

"Jesus, Red. You nearly gave an old man a heart attack. What's worse is, I was sleeping."

"Get over it, grandpa. Ruby, thank you. One question. What happened out there? Why the sudden rush of 'I've got to get this to the scientists?'"

"I have three reasons. Reason one: I just wanna go home. Reason two: I had an epiphany and had to do what I had to do with a lot of drama. Reason three is slightly off topic: I REALLY NEED TO USE THE BATHROOM!"

Ruby was miraculously back to her old self. Her funny, carefree, old self.

"Okay Gramps. This is very dangerous, so I need you to help me with this. The centrifuge is balanced properly, we have our supplies, and I've calculated how much needs to be injected into the patient in order for the cure to work. Have all the horse-tail plants been set in the corners of the room?"

"Yes, Ma'am."

"Good. I need you to take this syringe and fill it halfway with the subject's blood. Then, I want you to take this other one and fill it halfway with my blood. Put these on the centrifugal disk and spin them until the blood separates from the plasma. From there, put them into one tube and spin it again until they mix."

"Right."

From there, it was a blur of running around, finding things we needed, a couple screeches from our test subject when they were having their blood taken, and a lot of shouting to one another about what'll happen afterwards. Then, we looked over at the centrifuge, powering down. It was an orange-ish mix, sort of resembling carrot soup. I grabbed the tube and bottled it up. Then, Torchwick took up one of the needles we reused and had the experimental cure injected into the subject. When they first came in contact with it, the subject started to shake uncontrollably, but after a couple seconds, went limp. The formations of mushroom suddenly cracked off of the subject's face, head and other important parts.

"Who – Where am I?" asked a man with black hair, a strange brown streak running through it.

"IT WORKS! Roman! It works! We did it! We've found the cure!" I said, merrily cheering.

"You're right. It does work…Who is he, though?"

"Hello? Hello? You still haven't answered my question. Can any of you two tell me where I am?"

"Oh," I said, "Please forgive my shouting. You're in the first lab in Vacuo to find a cure for the Cordyceps."

Roman asked the man, "What's your name, kid?"

"I…Uh…Ren. Why?"

A knock came from the direction of the door.

"Come in!" I shouted.

Jaune, clearly agitated by my shouting, asked, "I understand you're trying to find a cure and all, but just what the hell d'you think you're-"

He stopped himself before he could finish.

"Ren? I-I-I-I had no idea we were wheeling you in for testing. If I had known, I would have been gentler with that gurney."

"Wheeling me in? Testing? Gurney? What are you all talking about?"

I was growing a bit impatient with Ren, and so I said, "Long story short, you became a mushroom head, so I used your blood and my blood to reverse engineer a cure for your case of shrooms that's been ravaging the world."

"So…That thing that was on that table was…on my face? How could I see?"

"It's complicated. All we needed to know is that it works."

Another knock at the door. I opened the door for them this time.

"Ruby! We did it! Even better, the test subject we had was Ren! Now JNPR's only missing one member."

"And who might that be?" asked Ren.

"Nora…She…You kinda turned…She locked you in your room…Then she kinda…Didn't want to live anymore."

"Oh…"

"It's alright. We've found a cure. Let's all go back and tell Ozpin. Roman. Do you have spare horses? We've only got four."

"I think we have just enough for all of us."

(Switch to Ruby's perspective.)

"…And if what you're saying is true, then Velvet, a member of a reformed branch of the White Fang, and Roman Torchwick, International Criminal, came up with a cure using the theory that faunus are immune to the fungus."

"That's correct."

"Send them in. I need to see proof."

"Of course. Roman! Velvet! Come show Oz your test subject!"

"On it!" they both shouted back in unison.

Ren walked in, marks on his face where the fungus was originally sitting atop his head.

Ozpin began to inspect him, poking an infection inspection machine wherever he could. That is, until Ozpin finally backed away, for once in his life, he looked satisfied. Happy, almost.

"He's clean. I knew I could trust you all. Velvet. Since you've decided to reenter society as a citizen, you may go with Ruby back to the apartment complex and pack your bags. As for you, Mr. Torchwick, where did you gain the knowledge of medicine?"

"Nowhere. Your friend there, Velvet taught me how to do this. I just theorized that faunus were immune and she made it into what it was."

"Well. In that case, could you ask her something when you see her again? I have an offer I'd like to propose. Maybe you could be her assistant."

Then, Ozpin whispers into Roman's ear something inaudible. His eyes widen, and then his face turns to that of understanding.

"Of course. I, for one accept the offer. I'll have to ask her if she's okay with that."

(Back to Velvet)

We were all so excited to return home. Although, we all had a sense of dread as to seeing how badly civilization back home had been damaged.

"How do you think it'll be back home, Ruby?"

"Don't know, don't wanna know. I just wanna get there so I can find out."

"Same here–"

"Amen, sister–"

"mhmm. I hear you. Also, when did you two get here?"

"We're Ruby's teammates, remember?" They all shouted together, perturbed by my lack of remembrance.

The four of us all headed home. Not to the apartments, though. Back home to Vale. With a cure in tow as well.

That was the day the end had met its end.