Third person
"We have a problem." A doctor with curly brown hair announced.
"What is it?" Ozpin leaned forward and laced his fingers together.
"She's… she's cured."
"I… don't see how that's a problem?"
"We didn't do anything. Whatever was ailing her is just… gone. And from my experience, those don't just vanish."
"What should we do then?"
The doctor sighed, "I don't know. We can't cure something that's not there. Let's have her family come get her, keep a close eye on her."
Ozpin nodded, "Alright, let's do it. We'll have them watch over her."
Repeated beeping sang from the doctor's lab pocket. She pulled out the pager. "She's awake."
Ruby's PoV
Tubes, wires, circular pads, clips, and all manner of medical instruments stuck in and around me. I didn't ask for this, quite the opposite, actually. I begged them to kill me. They don't know what they've done. I don't know what I've done! All I remember-
"Ruby? Ruby!" Yang leapt across the room. Her arms wrapped so tightly around me. There's no injury or illness about me now, but if this bone-crushing hug holds, there will be. I can feel my shoulder growing damp and the uneven shudderings that rocked her body. "You're ok." It was to reassure herself.
I wanted to tell her I wasn't. Tell her that there's something seriously, sinisterly wrong with me. Tell her that she should put me down now, while she can. But nothing came out. I… I couldn't do something like that to my sobbing, relieved sister. I knew that it'd be better. That hurting her deep now, would save her insurmountable suffering later. Yet, my mouth wouldn't open. My tongue wouldn't shape. My vocal chords wouldn't vibrate.
Sniffing away the tears, Yang leaned away. "I thought you were dead. Thought you weren't going to make it… I should've known better." She smiled, tears still glittering on her cheeks. "You're my sister and my leader after all."
No! No, no, no! Stop! You need to get away! You need to kill me! I'm not… I'm not me anymore. Nothing. Not even tears. Useless.
"She's awake?" Blake skid into the room. She never was one to express her emotions, but I guess even she can't be stone-faced when finding out her leader and close friend is alive and awake. Pity.
Yang shifted over, Blake hugged me. Which was surprising. I can't think of a time she ever hugged anybody… I can't think of anything! My memory was cloudy, like looking through a steamed window or morning in a village on a lake. There were just vague recollections. The big stuff. The general. Faces, names, and bits of personality.
"I'm… so glad, so relieved you're awake… I missed you." She pulled away, her amber eyes glittering. Her voice dropped to a whisper, "Please don't leave me again." I don't think I was supposed to hear that.
"Ruby Rose!' The gang's all here. Weiss stomped into the room. Yang and Blake quickly making room for the stampeding Ice Queen. "Do you have any idea how worried I was about you!" Her hug was almost as tight as Yang's. "All the stress and remorse I felt when you went M.I.A!" It tightened, she was desperately clinging to me. As if she didn't want to ever let me go. "You dolt. I thought I lost you - partner, friend, leader…" Her voice was no more than a breath, "Love." At least, that's what I thought it sounded like.
Almost reluctantly, Weiss let go. "Ruby? What's wrong? You've been silent this whole time." That's when it all spilled out.
Third person
"You… want to be euthanized?" Yang's words were slow, the rate spoke louder than any other sound she could have mustered.
"It would save everyone a great deal of pain. Trust me. The hurt now, from losing me, you'll get over it, you will, but if you don't the sorrow, overwhelming and suffocating, will ultimately lead to widespread fear." Ruby never broke eye contact. Her resolution stood firm. Her voluminous fire behind her silver eyes betrayed the frail, damaged frame it occupied.
"What do you mean?" Blake's voice was steady, but her clenched jaw and antsy hands betrayed her calm outlook.
"I don't know how to explai-"
"Then there's nothing to be worried about, so just stop this nonsense, focus on getting better, and… and come home." Weiss. Weiss had resolve like a rock, but even rocks have cracks. Her fiery denomination faded into a pleading, sorrowful interruption."
"I'll be endangering you all."
"We can handle it." Older sisters are often capable of protecting their loved, younger ones.
"I'll never be the same."
"People change, but they are always who they once were deep down." An ex-White Fang member knew all about change.
"You will constantly be questioning in whether you made the right choice. I'll need constant support and watch. In the end, I will exhaust you and leave you feeling betrayed. I'm a bomb set for an unknown amount of time, but the explosion will pack a punch so great, it will leave a permanent crater inside your hearts. At times, I'll try to hang myself with shoelaces or overdose on aspirin. I'll have moments of clarity, but also moments of great darkness and confusion. I won't be able to decipher dream from reality at times. There is nothing beneficial to having me stay, I can't do anything. I'll be nothing but a burden greater than anything else."
"We are your team. Your friends. Your family. Whatever it is, We'll be there for you. With you. You will never be a burden because we… we. Love. You. And always will" Her reply was instant and without any hesitation. Backed up by her boisterous blonde teammate and austere faunus teammate.
"I'm sorry." Ruby closed her eyes l for a long while. "I won't blame you if you give up on me. Nobody will."
Third Person PoV
It wasn't so bad. It was just a tad bit abnormal. That is, watching Ruby. Rather strange, it was. Eating, occasionally she would get a pained and angry expression; she would clench down until she drew blood from her lip, and nearly left imprints in the cedar chairs. Lounging, fear and anxiety would suddenly grip the wounded leader. Ruby would cower into the deeper crevices of the couch, or huddle in the corner, rocking herself gently. There were so many more trials she went through every moment, awake or asleep. Her sleepless nights were concluded by the dark bags under her eyes and her ruffled hair. Yang had to be in the bathroom with her when she showered because during one of her episodes, Ruby would try to drown herself with the raining water.
As the days wore on, the depression got worse. I'm sorry it's difficult to eat. I'm sorry you have to comfort me all the time. I'm sorry you have to be there when I shower. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. . . Despite the reassurance that she wasn't a burden, Ruby could see the toll she was taking on her team. It killed her more than herself. She was the cause of all their trouble. Maybe… it would be better if she weren't…
"Ruby, are you going to eat?" it was Blake, her amber eyes filled with a concern masking a calculating gaze.
"I'm sor-"
"No, no sorries… Ruby, we love you. That's why we were do adamant in our decision. You don't have to apologize for anything. There is nothing that you could do, that would make us regret our decision, ok? Now, are you going to eat or do I have to feed you?" Her smile and comforting tone gradually became more teasing and lighthearted. It was an uncommon occurrence in the faunus, who was usually quiet and toned down.
"I'm… I'll eat. Thank you, Blake." She shimmied her fork in between the hills of the waffle. Cutting out a satisfactory wedge, she greedily sponged up the syrup around her plate. A bit of her old self showing through. These… these are the moments that Blake enjoyed most. The ones that made her labors bear fruit. And what a wonderful fruit it was.
"Shhh-shhh-shh. It's ok. I'm here. I'm here." It wasn't Yang, nor Blake that had been assigned to… "deal" with these types of episodes. It was her, the ice-cold heiress with a frozen heart and biting tongue… well, that's who she used to be. Not long after they had become partners, Ruby had quickly warmed the other's heart and taken the sting from her words. While she'll probably never admit it, Weiss loved Ruby. To her, Ruby truly was… is a hero. In every sense of the word. Anyone would gladly do anything for their savior, and she was no exception.
Ruby clung tightly to Weiss's shoulder, her head buried in the heiress's neck. Tears ran from her eyes down the other's neck. Her shudders were mostly absorbed by the comforting Ice Queen, whose hands gingerly stroked her leader's back. Taking a gulp of air, Ruby took this short liberty between her gross sobbing to say, "Weiss, I'm-"
"Up-up-up, I'm not having it. No sorries." Weiss held the girl at arms length. "I love you and will take care of you till the end of time and more. We're partners. No doubt, if our roles were switched, you'd do the same. And more! I just wish… I could do this better…"
Ruby sniffed and wiped away her tears with her palm covered by a white hood two-sizes too big. "I love you too, Weiss… thank you." She pulled her partner back into a tight embrace. White and red elegantly meshed together. Weiss in a red hoody, Ruby in a white. Their roles were reversed, but it's an opportunity to pay back the infinite debt she owed to her leader.
"Yang… sorry for-"
"Nope!"
"Yang, please I-"
"Nope!"
"Yang-"
"Ruby, you're my sister. I would take you no matter the cost. I'd lay down my life for you. I love you, Rubes. Nothing you do is going to bother me, make me hate you, anything. Ok? So don't worry about it and just finish your shower. And don't take all the hot water!"
"You're your own heater! Why do you care for hot water!" Ruby giggled from behind the curtain.
"Ruby, I'm serious! Don't make me come in there! I will wash you like I used to just to make you finish faster!"
"Noooo!" their laughs filled the bathroom. It's times like these that made life worth living.
Third Person
"How's she doing?"
"Her… episodes remain consistent in terms of severity and length. They still happen sporadically, though. There doesn't seem to be a trigger or anything of the sorts. It just… occurs. I wish I could say she's improving, but… she's not. She's not degrading either! But… I just wish there's more we can do for her."
The other end was silent for a moment, taking in all the old intel. It's been 44 days since Ruby's been home, and she's made no progress in "recovery." While bits of her old self peek through the ominous cloud of despair and gloom, she remains mostly detached. "I see… thank you, Weiss. I'll let both the medical and psyche staff know."
"Thank you."
Weiss couldn't help but sigh. Ruby was staring blankly at her hands. "I killed them."
Ruby looked up at her partner with solemn eyes. A lump took form in the heiress's throat. "What?"
"All those White Fang members. It wasn't the Grimm that got them. It was me." Tears began welling up in her eyes.
Weiss's own widened. She pulled her partner into a tight embrace. She didn't have the words to say, so she said nothing. As if the silence in her voice could accurately convey the feelings in her heart. All she could do was hold her leader close and hope that her arms being around the red girl and the light caresses of her hands could show how she felt.
This was different from one of her usual moments… this one had a reason they could see. The others, Ruby was left to be tormented by her own inner demons while those on the outside could only help on the surface.
Given the current circumstances, it was any logical individual's reasonable opinion that Ruby had PTSD. At least, that's what Weiss concluded in her undoctorated mind.
That's not important. No, right now, in this intimate moment of weakness and comfort, the only thing that mattered to the heiress was lovingly caring for her best friend, partner, and leader.
Weiss's PoV
Sometimes I wonder if Yang and Blake are playing match-maker. "Sorry Weiss, I won't be able to deal with Ruby's night terrors." She said. "Me neither" Her partner said. Of course, the blonde barbarian had a poorly concealed smirk. I sigh as I make my way down the hall towards her room. I can't help but feel a bit nervous. I can feel the glistening of my palms and the heat in my cheeks as I gently knock on her door.
I let go of the breath I hadn't realized I was holding as I saw a timid silver eye peek at me. "Ruby," I curse myself. My voice was small, nearly swallowed up in the darkness. "May I… may I be of assistance this night? I know… I know it's usually Yang, but she… stepped out."
Part of me hoped she would reject the offer. The better part desperately hoped she wouldn't.
The door opened. Her arms wrapped tightly around me. Instinctively, I mirrored the action. We stood in the doorway, in the abyss of night, together. Despite the depressing atmosphere, I feel… I feel like she lightened up in my arms.
She took my hand and led me to her bed. This is… I hope my hand wasn't too sweaty… she drew back the covers and shimmied to one side. I crawled in next to her. I felt the bed shift and her body press up against mine. My breath got caught in my throat. This… I… this is going to be a long night.
Her back was to me. She guided one of my arms around her waist and held it there. Her thumb gently drew shapeless figures across my knuckles. It grew slower. And slower. And she's asleep. In the still air, I smiled to the stars. Thanks Yang…
Third person PoV
She was hugging her legs tightly against herself. Her jaw was clenched so tight it hurt. She was shut up so securely because if she wasn't, she wouldn't be able to stop. Stop the tears from streaming down her face. Stop. Stop the whimpers from escaping her lips. Stop the sobs from racking her body. She wouldn't be able to stop! So she held it all in. She wish she couldn't feel anything. She'd rather feeling nothing than feel this pain. Though some say they'd rather feel pain than nothing at all, they're fools! They don't know this agony! She killed them! She's a monster! She is a waste! Refuse! It should have been her that feel that day! It should have been her that died! Why… why couldn't it have been her… Why must she live with this darkness in her heart? The world… she could only see the world through a black window, no light. All the images that filtered through showed her what a failure she is. Because she's so selfish. Because she's so weak! All she can see is the negativity about herself in everything around her! She only sees the bad and it comes across as worse! She's left to interpret the abysmal information presented to her and all she can come up with is… she is the worst. And it would be better if she had just fallen… it's not too late. It's not too late to right the wrong that is her life. It's not too late! It's not too late to take her life! It's not too late! She can still be a hero! She can still be a hero! She just… has to fall. On. This. Knife.
"Ruby no!"
The world fell black. Please. Don't let her see the light again. Just let her sleep.