Okay, final Chapter, be sure to review. And if you want the prompt I would be glad to give it to anyone. Onto the chapter!
Chapter 13:
"NO DAD! I'M NOT GIVING THIS UP!" Neo yelled hanging up the phone as she violently threw her phone into her small locker and slammed the door closed. As the rest gathered round. It had been a spectacle that they were getting ready to bet on who she had been talking to.
"Penny for your thoughts Ice Cream." The green haired woman asked as Neo glared. Emerald began to back away not wanting to see if the thinly veiled threat hidden in her eyes wasn't just her being mad. She had never seen Neo with that rage burn in her eyes before and she was positive she did not want to tempt fate about it.
As Emerald took a few steps back Ruby laughed at the fear in Emerald's eyes. "Maybe she is mad at the use of the name she hates, or the fact Neo seems to have some daddy anger issues. So instead of pestering her, you should go do your job." Ruby spoke for Neo who was starting to calm down at the presences of the brunette.
"Come on, it is only the floor for a few hours." Ruby continued as Emerald developed a glare directed at her. "Yeah but there is a man that reeks of booze. More than usual… and he is a little handsy. The only reason Jaune won't send him packing is because the guy is also a freaking vet. So he is getting a pass… so I'm a little pissed."
Ruby rolled her eyes as Emerald crossed her arms. "Freaking nut up. Woopty do, you know I hate it when people get like that. If he has a weapon, then you can bitch. Or if he is stalking you with a length of rope and a bottle of chloroform" Ruby spoke as Emerald rolled her eyes and walked out.
Ruby walked up to Neo and hugged her. Unsure of how she was meant to express her concern for Neo's reaction to a conversation she had with her father over the phone. Her relationship with her father was rocky at best.
Shocked Neo was unsure. She may have been in multiple fights with her father before, and in front of people but no one hugged her before because of one. She just had to know why. "Why are you hugging me? Not that I dislike it… but this is strange."
"Sorry, it is just… my dad was an alcoholic… so I don't know how to deal with these things… Yang was the one that raised me and we never fought… sorry." Ruby spoke as she let go, and let out a frown as they separated from the hug.
A loud throat clear signalled them to turn around. Ruby frowned as she saw Junior standing there. "Junior, you may own the place but I feel HR would be pissed to see you in the women's changing room." Ruby joked as Junior rolled his eyes.
"Well if you want to report me, my offices are open anytime. And you need to go on stage early. It seems everyone but one person wants you out there." He spoke quickly walking out as Ruby rolled her eyes letting out a simple 'sprick'
Ruby shrugged her shoulders as she walked up to the stage, just a curtain blocking her from the people. "Hey Neo, can we talk later tonight? I just have something I need to talk about and feel like you'll be able to help." Ruby asked as Neo just smiled, "Sure, I should go out and help Em. I'm not meant to go onto the stage till the final song anyways." Neo answered as she quickly hopped up the stairs and hugged Ruby.
'It just feels like I may not get to hug her again… weird.' Was Neo's thought as she began to walk down and out from behind the curtain. She smiled as saw Yang gesturing her over. As she stepped closer she could hear Neptune announcing Ruby.
"Neo get Ruby and run. As far as you two can. Don't ask why just go." Yang hissed quietly, Neo was shocked somewhat. "I can't Yang. Ruby just walked up onto the stage." Neo yelled just over as the music was turned up.
"SHIT!"
Ruby walked through the curtain once she heard her stage name being called. Unlike normal she had the oddest sense of deva ja vu. And she just couldn't place why. It was going to make her rather anger if she couldn't place her finger on it.
It wasn't that she knew the song. Neptune liked to change them out every weekend, so this was her first time hearing the song while working. She couldn't place why she was having the sense of deva ja vu.
As she walked out she subtly signalled for Neptune to turn the music up wanting to see if she just recognised the song from listening to it on the radio or something. As she looked down to see some of the men and women who are what she would consider regulars.
The music was so loud it forced Ruby into an almost tunnel vision like state. She began to strut her way over to the pole furthest down the pseudo catwalk as she spun around she could see Yang looking slightly panicked.
Ruby quickly swung her legs up high above her head, clasping them around the pole to control her movement she finally recognised why this felt so familiar.
The music was so loud that Ruby didn't hear the gun being cocked. But she recognized the face and the smell. How could she forget that permanent cologne of alcohol, ash and sweat.
She wouldn't even have realised she had been shot if she hadn't seen her own blood splatter onto her face immediately followed by her falling onto the stage. She hit the cold hard floor head first, as she looked on she could see her assailant getting subdued by Yatsu and Sage. Junior delivered a punch to the would be killer's face.
No, it wasn't her would be killer. It was her father. The man who she doubted would ever stoop this low and kill her. His matted, greasy blonde hair would be burned into her mind for the rest of her life no matter how short it was going to be.
She looked over and could see Yang and Neo running over as Pyrrha hopped over the counter. She see Neo trying to direct her attention to her, Neo was cupping her face as tears began to stream down her face. She could feel someone trying to apply pressure futily.
She could feel blood dripping from her back and possibly some from the back of her head, she couldn't tell too well. She could see Neo trying to tell her something. Ruby just reached up with a shaking hand and placed her hand over Neo's mouth. Before Ruby could speak what was on her mind she began to cough out large amounts of blood.
"Neo… Just shut up for once… I need to say this now…" Ruby spoke as she began to cough again, accidently hitting Neo in the face with a small bit of her own blood. Neo ignored the blood waiting for the brunette to continue.
"Just kiss me you beautiful woman…" Ruby let out a cough as she finished it. She couldn't keep her eyes open much longer. But she wanted her last sight to be Neo's beautiful face. Not her sister's panicking face.
Neo was unsure of how to react so she leaned down and planted a kiss onto her lips, as Ruby let her eyes closed for what may be the last time.
Neo looked down to see Yang trying really hard to stop the bleeding, panic sitting into her eyes. She could see Pyrrha jumping up onto the stage with Emerald. Both holding towels. Neo had no idea what they were trying to do. She just wished it wasn't going to be the last time she could kiss Ruby like that.
"God damn it! Rubbles don't die!" Yang yelled as Pyrrha handed her a towel as Emerald moved Neo out of the way to see what she feared. Ruby's head beginning to bleed. She pressed a towel as Blake came running up. "The cops and an ambulance are on their way. And who ever that prick is is knocked the fuck out." Blake commented as she began to feel helpless. She had no idea what to do, but clearly the rest there did.
"That prick is the one I told you guys about. He is the prick that stabbed me, beat both me and Rubbles, and who me and Rubbles has the displeasure of calling 'dad'." Yang yelled as she began to lightly slap Ruby hoping to wake the dying girl.
The others were shocked. How could they respond. They had no idea why a father would resort to shooting his own daughter, and doubted even less that Yang would know.
"Come on, Ruby. you can't die! Stay awake!"
That was what Ruby heard. That was what pierced the veil of darkness. Was Neo's pleading. She couldn't feel anything. She had no idea how she was able to even hold on. Neo's voice was just laced with something she hadn't heard before. Concern. It was so foreign.
But just as Neo's voice pierced the veil of darkness, it faded again, and darkness seeped into its domain inside the periphery of her vision. She couldn't hold out. She wanted to just let her life fade. The cruelty of her early life, the same life she had tried to put behind her, but finally caught up.
The last thought she had was simply 'So this is how it ends? This is so unfair.'
"Neo… Yang… you both need some rest. She has been in a coma for five weeks." Pyrrha spoke softly as to not startle them too much. Everyone had been worried about Ruby's condition to the point that Junior hadn't even opened the club up since the police came.
"I can't leave Rubbles… She is literally the only family I have left in my eyes. My uncle sold us out to the prick that put Ruby in here… and she might not even wake up again… so the least I can do is to stay here so if she passes on I can be with her." Yang spoke softly grabbing hold of Ruby's hand and squeezed it tightly.
Neo just remained silent as she brushed Ruby's hair out of her eyes. She hadn't said a single word the entire time. She just knew if she was to talk she would cry. She had already cried every night. She hoped Yang just never heard. She had no idea how she would be able to hold it together so well as it was.
But she could… somehow.
"Neo… you should go… I feel like this may be her last day… by all rights the fourth time she flat lined should have been it." Yang spoke as Neo violently shook her head.
She knew Yang was right. The fourth time Ruby flat lined and was dead for nearly five minutes. But Neo also knew Ruby was fighting the cold embrace of death. Three more times after that Ruby had flat lined. But each time it was shorter and shorter. To the point the last time was only for a second. Neo just knew it was only a matter of days before Ruby would wake up. She could just feel it deep in her bones.
"Yang, if you aren't leaving then I'm not." Pyrrha stated getting herself comfortable again next to Yang. "You both should get some rest though." Pyrrha demanded as Yang turned to Pyrrha.
"I can't do that!" Yang almost yelled as Neo began to croak the first words in over a month. It was in a raspy voice from not using her voice for so long. "Oh my god… her eyes are open."
Neo quickly hit the button on the side of Ruby's bed to get a nurse into the room as Yang swung her head over to see her sister's silver orbs staring back at her. The look of panic in her eyes. Her eyes were filled with nothing but questions but the nurse and white haired doctor came walking in smiling.
"Ah, Miss Rose. Nice to see you are awake. I'm sure you have hundreds of questions. But we should remove the various tubes once I run a few tests."The white haired doctor the trio had come to know as Doctor Weiss Schnee spoke as she shined a bright light into Ruby's eyes. "Now, Miss Rose, can you do me a favour and follow the light." She spoke rather slow just in case Ruby had sustained brain damage.
She could tell from the cat scans she had after the various surgeries there seemed to be no permanent brain damage but there had been a few lengthy flat lines since then. Ruby rolled her eyes the best she could but followed the light.
"Okay, blink the number of times to how many fingers I'm holding up." She spoke as Ruby again rolled her eyes and blinked three times. "Okay, three final questions, they are yes or no questions. Blink your right eye only if the answer is yes, left eye for no. Do you understand?" She asked as Ruby blinked her right eye.
"Are you in the hospital?" Ruby closed her right eye, "Are you the ruler of the world?"Ruby's left eye closed rather fast. "Do you have any memories of how you got here?"
Ruby had no idea how she got here. The last thing she could remember was the loud music, and Neo kissing her. But had no idea. So she answered truthfully. She closed her left eye. The doctor let out an acknowledged grunt. "Well, memory loss is to be expected. From what I could get of the report. That is for the best." She spoke moving away from Ruby and walked to the foot of the bed.
"We will remove those tubes in a few minutes. I need to be sure she hasn't suffered any permanent head trauma. As it stands, the damage to the disc between the L4 and L5 she may have difficulty walking if she can ever walk again. So let's try and minimise any and all damage." She spoke as the panic truly began to set in the silver eyes.
But she figured if her father couldn't touch her, Neo or Yang. She would be fine.
Author's Note:
Okay fast edit, and good news and greater news… depends who you ask. I left the ending this way, so if anyone wants to write a sequels simply message me asking, if I don't hear any interest in a month's time, so June 24th I'll start to plan one. So…. maybe good… maybe bad. But review let me know what you guys think of this story.