Here we are, the end of the journey.
15. Real
Ruby quietly approached the two graves, placing the yellow lilies down in front of the very first one. The tombstone was an irregular rock they had managed to roll into place, with no engravings on it. They had wished to mark it with the name of the deceased, so it could withstand the passage of time, but neither Ruby or Yang could write, thus memory was all they had left of her. And Ruby was determined never to forget.
"Hey, Blake."
The dead offered no greeting in return, as would be expected, but that was not the reason the archer had paused. She swallowed her guilt and pain, and resumed.
"Things have been going well back home. We're all still healing, but it's slowly getting better."
The wind blew softly on her face, the only sound heard besides her voice. It was cold, bringing with it the end of fall, but they were well stocked and prepared for the coming season. It would probably be their best winter in a long time. The food would keep them warm when walls and blankets couldn't, and the lower temperature helped keep the reserves unspoiled for longer. If they had any luck, there would be days dry enough for foraging and gathering wood, maybe even hunt. They had been toughened by their experiences of late, and, above all, they had each other. They would be fine.
"Yang was offered her position back in the army, apparently the General heard of all those mages we rescued. She's not going to take it, though. Once was enough."
A soldier had come to their home a week past, bearing a royal decree signed by King Ozpin himself, warranting the full pardon of the sisters' crimes, even though they had already been acquitted in trial. It was, more than anything, a formality, as well as a show of gratitude. And in Yang's eloquent words, "that garbage will be great to start a fire when the snows fall."
"We've all had enough excitement for one lifetime."
She sat down next to the burial site.
"She's becoming a woodcutter, you know? I think it suits her, plenty of trees she can take out her frustrations on." She giggled softly, but then her face became dark. "She still blames herself. For leaving, for... not being there for you. I can tell she's hurting underneath the surface even if she pretends like everything's fine. I guess she is trying to be strong for me, still acting like an older sister even after everything that happened."
*Do YOU still blame yourself?* She could almost hear the dirt asking.
"I miss you. I miss the way you made Yang smile, the house felt more alive with you there. Also your kitty ears were so cute and fluffy." This time she didn't laugh. "I know it's not my fault, you wouldn't want me to feel that way. No, you were always the strongest of us, because you had been out there and seen how cruel the world could be."
Her words began to choke, but she kept going. Just a little further.
"I want to be brave like you were. And that means accepting the mistakes I made just like you did yours."
She touched the tombstone gently, and tears began rolling down her cheeks.
"I know you lost your family a while back, but to me you'll always be family."
She got up, and wiped her face on her sleeve.
"Thank you, Blake. I promise to come back soon."
She dusted off her clothes, and looked at the other grave. It had a similar stone marking its place, and a solitary white rose lain on top of it.
"Why did you insist on burying her? Weiss tried to kill us on more than one occasion." Yang spoke quietly, not wanting to disturb either the dead or the living.
Ruby glanced at the white-haired woman kneeling in front of her sister's grave.
"We don't bury the dead for their sake. We do it for ours, so that we can have closure, and keep moving forward."
"Dammit Ruby, you're gonna make me cry!" She was enveloped in a bone-crushing hug by her older sibling. "When did you get so grown up?"
Ruby wondered that herself as well.
She stared at the final resting place of Weiss Schnee.
The woman who had enslaved Penny
The woman who had attempted to kill her and her friends.
The woman who had threatened to destroy everything she knew and cared for.
The girl who's death had allowed their victory over Cinder.
Weiss had been hurting and in pain, and the huntress had failed to save her. Ruby learned the hard way that not everyone could be saved, and only those who wished to be helped could be helped. The ivory witch was beyond salvation, the darkness of isolation had tainted her heart too deeply.
She did not shed tears for the lonely sorceress, but she nodded solemnly at her burial place, as a sign of respect. Respect for a person so dedicated to power she would rather die than live in chains.
She turned around, and took off. It had been a long walk there, but she still had more ground to cover if she wanted to be home before nightfall.
The hooded archer opened the door to the house, letting the setting sun peer through the opening. She noted the absence of her sister, probably still returning home herself, or maybe out already for another one of swindles. The brawler might have gotten an honest job, but that didn't keep her from the occasional mischief, and now that her hands had healed from the awful burns inflicted on them, she was yearning to put them to use.
Walking across the kitchen, the huntress grabbed a loaf of bread and filled a jar with water they had stored in a large bucket - large containers required less frequent trips to the town well. There was no game to be prepared that day, because Ruby had taken the day off from hunting, yet that austere food would suffice for what she had in mind.
She quietly crossed the hallway, and made her way to her room, but wooden floors are treacherous bastards, and the creaking sound under her feet gave her presence away.
"You know, when this happened last time and our roles were reversed, I sat by your bedside waiting for you to wake up." Penny smiled, lying down on the bed underneath the blanket. "You are a terrible girlfriend."
Ruby froze, nearly dropping the jar on the floor. It only took her a second to recover, but the damage had been done and no amount of trying to act natural was going to erase it, or the intense blush on her cheeks for that matter.
She placed down the food and drink where the bed-ridden girl could reach them, ensuring nothing could happen to them, and looked the redhead in the eyes with a scorning, albeit fake, expression.
"I am never letting you near my sister again; her corny jokes must be rubbing off on you."
Penny giggled, and poured a cup of water for herself. "It's not my fault you weren't here to keep me company, and neither is it Yang's."
"You should be out of that bed in just a couple of days; Winter said the rigidness should pass soon." She pinched the ginger's arm, and giggled at the adorable yelping sound she made.
"I hope. It's not exactly exciting in here."
"Are you saying you don't enjoy my company?"
Penny opened and closed her mouth, failing to form a coherent sentence. The huntress nearly fell down laughing. Revenge was delicious.
"Hey that's not fair; my brain is still made of stone!"
"You know, you can't use that excuse anymore." She picked up the girl's hand, and squeezed it with hers, feeling the warm skin, alive and pulsing. "You're all human like me now."
"Do you think this time it will be for good?"
"It'd better. And if it isn't, we know where Winter lives."
A silence fell between them, as they reveled in having each other's company after so long, at last free from magic and diseases. Ruby had never guessed the ginger girl would bring so much adventure into her life, but right now, she was ready to lay down the quiver and rest. It had been a long and treacherous journey, but they were together, and they were home.
"Hey, Ruby?" Just like that, the moment ended.
"Yeah?"
"Thanks. For... not giving up on me."
"Of course, I mean, I was the one who got you in that mess..."
Penny's green eyes went from solemn to amused in a matter of seconds.
"Are you going to start doing that brooding hero thing where they think they're to blame for everything?"
"I'm not a hero, but you... I was the one who got you in this mess, and..." The archer stammered, not expecting to be caught red-handed like that.
The bed-ridden girl squeezed her fingers harder, although not enough to hurt. "You didn't get me into anything. I was the one who asked to become human without understanding the consequences."
"But, I..." Once again, she was interrupted before she could finish the sentence.
"We made the mess together, okay? And now we're out of it together."
She nodded as Penny cupped her cheek with one hand, looking deeply into her silver eyes. "And you are a hero. My hero."
"BAHAAAHAAHAHAHA!" Ruby jumped up from the bed, startled by the thundering sound coming from the entrance to her room, and saw Yang by the door. She had a hand lain against the wall to steady herself, and the other holding her side from laughing. "That was the cheesiest thing I have ever heard!"
"Yang, I didn't know you were home!" She tried her best to sound natural, but she could feel her cheeks burning up already.
"I just got here, and man, am I glad I did." The blonde wiped the tears off her eyes, attempting to regain composure, but another chuckle escaped her lips, and it would not be the last one.
"How are your hands doing?"
Yang lifted both her fists up, but did not remove the leather gloves covering them. She evidently still hadn't come to terms with how they looked after the incident. "Still got both of them, so I can't complain. Anyway, I see you girls are in the middle of something, so I'm going to head out. There's cold beer and loose pockets waiting for me at the tavern."
Ruby watched the blonde wave and walk away, she traded a glance with Penny, both of them wordless after being caught off-guard storm that was Yang Xiao Long.
"Oh, and..." The older sibling appeared again, peeking her head through the door opening. "...don't forget what I taught you, Penny."
This time she actually left, as evidenced by the sound of the front door closing a few seconds later. The huntress shook her head, embarrassed by the brawler's very existence, and turned around, facing the bed.
"Hey, what did she..."
Her words died out when she turned, seeing the ginger's face so close to hers, just a mere inches away. A pair of lips crashed into hers, completing the surprise. Ruby nearly lost balance, holding on to the bed frame for dear life.
Penny backed out, doubt in her eyes from not feeling any reciprocation from her partner. She opened her mouth, but was cut short.
"Is this what Yang taught you? Please tell me it wasn't a practical lesson." The ginger blinked in disbelief, and shook her head. "Oh good."
The huntress grabbed her face with both hands, her cheeks flushed and bright red, and a wide smile on her mouth.
"Because I want you all to myself."
The silver-eyed youngster was the one to initiate the kiss this time. The other girl's lips felt soft against hers, sweet, warm, human. There was no rigid or cold stone, no lifeless disease spreading.
She was real.
The End
It's finally done. Feels good, man.
I wasn't sure about the tone I wanted for this very last one, but screw it. After so much angst and darkness, they deserve their cheesy happy ending.
This fic went through some shit, not gonna lie, and it suffered because of it. After months of writing non-stop, every single day, I burned out and my excitement about RWBY withered away. By the time Volume 4 was about to hit, when my enthusiasm came back, it had been too long since I had written, and I no longer felt immersed in this story. I had a plan laid out, but the spark was gone. Chapter 14 was hell to write, I don't think I ever struggled so much with a piece.
I actually left a couple of hints to a team JNPR spin-off, quite some chapters back, but after this mess I'm not sure I want to start another one.
I want to thank, again, everyone who read this through to the end. I'm truly sorry about the hiatus, and all the complications along the way. Seeing your reviews, reading your reactions to the story, you can't imagine how happy it makes me. I would've given up if it weren't for all you guys. I want to thank in particular Shippo and Foxy, for your consistent input and love. Like seriously, you're the best.
I'M FREE. TIME TO CELEBRATE. SODNAM OUT.