It was seven in the morning when Ruby started running. She didn't tell her teammates anything, didn't eat breakfast, or even thought about what she was going to do. All she could feel like doing was running right through the open gates of Beacon to somewhere else. Where it could be, she didn't know. She just needed to run.
Ruby looked ahead of her at all times, her mind trying to make sense of what she was doing. It drew a blank. Maybe if she had her headphones, she'd think about some stuff but she wasn't sure it would help her. Would anything do that, like food or just talking it out with someone? Why didn't she do any of that beforehand? She was starting to think why she didn't but she was too afraid of stopping to turn back.
She ran past the statue of heroic huntsmen standing tall above the cave of Grimm below them. From the beginning, she knew what she wanted to do even if it was sudden and a little surprising that she made it here in the first place. She knew the risks, knew how dangerous it could get, yet she was happy to be here. So why run?
Surrounded by the rings of colonnades her thoughts became focused on the past. Her life wasn't as normal as it could be at all. She came from a family of huntsmen, and felt honored by their work. She didn't think she could ever compare herself to the best or even her own mom and dad, or even her uncle. Did it matter? She thought she knew, but she wasn't too sure.
Then she thought of her teammates. She didn't think of herself to be a leader, surely that stunned her on the spot. She thought her sister could take that role, heck maybe even her own partner for that matter since she looked like she was born for it. The headmaster must've seen something in her that she didn't, her hidden potential or something else? Sometimes the thought of why came back to her even after all this time. Funny how that works.
Her partner wasn't who she thought she'd be with, she thought of her as selfish, bossy, and just a straight up bully like in the stories she used to read. To think that she actually had a soft side and resented most of that image she had in the beginning. It was still hard to call her a best friend, but she wasn't as cold as she seemed.
There was her other friend, a former terrorist who wished for atonement. She kept to herself before, but she didn't hide much secrets for long even if it hurt. She felt bad for her, maybe she could've done something to help her out more. Isn't that what a leader was supposed to do? In the end though, she came to them and supported them however she could. She couldn't wipe away her history of problems but she learned to move on and be a better version of who she was.
Then there was her older sister. She always thought of her as wise, cool and a little bit cocky at times. It came at a price she never saw coming at a day when her world almost shattered. Even then she didn't stop. She learned from what happened and came back strong. Despite how horrifying it was to be there, she didn't back down and sucked it all in. She was blessed to have a sister like her.
The sunlight shone on the academy while Ruby still ran forward. She didn't stop even when she thought about her friends. Her first friend here was ill-equipped for his grand plan, yet he made his move and fought well despite his lack of expertise. He was now a leader with his own team of amazing friends. Those same friends were her own friends too. She even made friends with a more experienced team, even ones outside of the academy.
They went through hell and back, fought hard and didn't back away even when they should've. Even when they were dealing with forces beyond their control. They still fought hard and got back up when the world didn't want them to. She thought they'd lose all they had, yet here they were still in the school for a new generation of heroes. At least for what might be one of the last few times she could be here.
She didn't slow down when running on the black concrete floor even when she passed the main avenue. From day one, she had no idea of what to expect or how hard things were gonna be. She should feel proud about everything and yet she didn't know why she ran. She didn't know when to stop or how far she was even going. It was only until she reached the smooth helipad that she stopped and nearly fell on her face.
She breathed softly though she felt exhausted. Her eyes were on her feet as she leaned forward. She thought she was okay, but she wasn't sure now. Her mind kept looking back to the times before, everything she expected and didn't. Her eyes saw and her brain registered so much that she couldn't tell if it felt right to think of it like a simple memory. Things have changed so much that she wasn't sure if she was the same young girl who just wanted to be normal. A normal girl with normal knees…what a thought that was.
She remained there for so long that the sun ascended a bit higher than before. It took a while for her to even think about moving and she thought she'd stay here a little longer just to figure out what to do next.
"Ruby?"
A voice startled her. She leapt back from three faces who stood behind with concern. "Ah…oh. Oh it's just you guys."
Weiss was the first to speak, a sigh escaping her mouth before she asked, "What are you doing?"
"I was just…taking a nice jog. It's a nice day for it, right?"
"It's about today, isn't it?"
Ruby didn't say it, but a slow nod confirmed what Weiss expected.
"I get it. I just don't see why you just decided to run off like this."
"Well it's not really something you can just say is…easy to deal with." Ruby tapped her index fingers together, her eyes looked back to her boots when talking. "I've never really had time to think about it even after all the things we've been through."
Blake spoke next, "Are you worried about what happens after?" She was quite perceptive, she knew that all too well.
"Y-Yeah. Look, I know I'm supposed to be preparing you guys for a lot of stuff as a leader. But I'm not exactly sure how I can just like get you all pumped up about-"
"Graduating?" Yang guessed. She crossed her arms as she scanned her sister, noting that she was tired and the rumbling stomach that became vocal certainly made her correct. "I wouldn't say we need to be pumped about it."
"What do you mean? It's like a big day for us all!"
"Sure, but still. I'm not sure how we're ready for it. I mean four years of taking down Grimm and keeping people safe? That's challenging but we can still handle it. Graduating as official huntresses?"
Blake smiled a bit, "That's way too hard."
"And you know when they say it's too hard, it's very serious." Yang walked to her sister and rested her yellow prosthetic hand on her shoulder. "Don't tell me you've had your mind stuck on that all week."
"How could I not?" Ruby moved her hand over her's. "I just didn't think we'd get this far. I mean you three are really awesome at stuff, and I'm just like…me. Like someone who's way over her head!"
"Yeah, but you've partnered up with someone who thought differently about people before coming here." Weiss said. "Even if I am still surprised you managed to make me smile."
Blake asked, "And you thought you'd last four years here without smiling?"
"I didn't mean it like that."
"Yeah..true. You're a wonderful BFF, Weiss." Ruby smiled a little.
"I'll allow that…for today only. Anything else is fine besides that." Weiss pointed at her as if she were planning to smite her, though the smile ruined any chance of that meaning anything serious.
"You wanted to help me, even after all I said." Blake said to her leader. "I hid who I was, but I shouldn't let that part of me define my future." She pointed to her cat ears flopping atop of her short hair. "Not when I got someone like you I can look up to."
Ruby blushed a bit, her small smile not going unnoticed. "That's a little too much."
"Plus, you've filled the role of a leader better than I ever could." Yang wrapped her arm around her sister, cuddling her hair with her free hand. "You make me so jealous, you know that!"
"C-Cut it out, I didn't think it was easy to do any of it!"
"Well be happy with it." Weiss said, "Besides, if Yang were in charge then we'd fall apart before the first week."
"Oh how harsh of you to say that, Ice queen!" Yang had her hand to her chest and fell to her knees as if struck severely. She spoke dramatically, "Your words are nothing but heartbreaking!"
"Oh hush Yang, you know I'm right."
Ruby chuckled, "Yeah, she's right."
"Oh you're taking her side! You traitor!" Yang wrapped her arms around her young sister like a set of vines and tried lifting her off her feet. She still had her strength after all these years and wasn't afraid of showing it even as Ruby laughed and squirmed. Blake shook her head but still smiled. She didn't hesitate when she hugged Ruby after she was back on the ground.
"Are we doing a group hug right now?" Ruby asked, "I feel like I'm not ready for this!"
"Consider it training for when we do it later today, okay?" Blake suggested. "And Weiss, you better help out here and join in."
"Hmph, me joining you in a group hug." Weiss huffed, "That's what you call a fantasy." She stared at the three teammates for a good moment, but just as quickly she zipped over to them and had her arms around them. "And I like that fantasy."
"Oh course you do!" Ruby smirked, that earned her a small glare from her but it melted away to reveal one of pride. Team RWBY stood there like statues, their arms tight around each other while the sun continued to rise and turn the sky from light orange to faint traces of blue. It'd take time before the morning would fully sink in to the other students far away from them, but that didn't matter for a while.
"Now…can we go back inside, I'm really regretting not having any breakfast."
Weiss let go first. "That's the best idea you've had all morning, Ruby."
"I can think of another if you want."
"One at a time."
Yang let go just Blake did. "Alright, I'll race you to the dining room! C'mon!" She started running off back towards the academy without even waiting for the others.
"And there she goes." Weiss shook her head and brushed her short hair. "She's gonna take all the good stuff before we get a chance."
"Unless Nora does it first." Blake already knew the pancake supply would be at risk even at this hour. "I'll go make sure that doesn't happen. Don't stay out here too long." She sprinted after her partner.
Weiss watched them for a short while before she turned to her friend. "I take it you're still worried?"
Ruby nodded, "Maybe not so much, but it's still there."
"Good. Because so am I. So are we in fact. But it's gonna be okay. If surviving four years in this school with you means we did something good for Remnant, then it's four years I'll never forget."
Ruby blushed again. "Thanks. I'm glad we're friends. I'm glad to have been friends with all of you."
"And I'm glad too. Now do me a favor and come eat with us. Graduating with an empty stomach is never a good idea, not even for the leader of Team RWBY." Weiss backed up before turning around and running right after the others. Even in her questionable heels, she was gonna make it easily.
"Yeah. Guess not." Ruby looked at the academy before her. It remained as glorious as it did from her first day. She couldn't believe she was here with excitement, and now she stood with a smile and four years of experience shown on her face. She didn't expect herself to be here at all, but even still…what a wonderful time she had.
She took a deep breath, smiled, and started running.