As she heard where Ruby had said they were at, Weiss felt a storm of emotions pop into her head. She didn't know how Ruby would take being home, but something told her that Ruby's mind was going through all kinds of hell at that moment. Weiss could see the turmoil in Ruby's eyes, the tension that stiffened Ruby to the point where Weiss was worried that her love was nothing more than a conflicted statue stuck in a place that only brought more pain with each passing second.
Weiss wasn't the only one who noticed the way Ruby looked, everyone that was traveling with them knew how bad things seemed for Ruby. What was worse, Yang appeared to be going through similar distress, though clearly not to the level that Ruby was experiencing. Yang was breathing heavily, her body shaking at the sight of her old home. While Yang was working to get a grip on her emotions and her thoughts, Ruby was struggling to think straight, the sight of her old home jarring loose memories that she tried to bury for years.
In a split decision moment, Weiss took a step forward and wrapped her arms around Ruby, holding the distressed woman from behind in a desperate attempt to help comfort her. Weiss' actions went noticed as Ruby jumped when the arms wrapped around her. Ruby let her head drop and tears start to roll down her eyes as she found that the emotional storm residing in her was too strong for her to overcome alone.
Seeing her sister like that sent a pang of hurt through Yang's heart. She had spent to much time away from her sister, all the times that Ruby needed a sister that wasn't around. Yang knew she needed to be there for her sister, now more than ever. It was with a heavy heart that she chose to finally speak up and address the rest of her companions who were just standing there, watching the two sisters go through the mental and emotional anguish that coming to their burned out home brought on them.
"You guys search the house for anything that might be what we're looking for," Yang muttered, her voice full of sorrow. "Just please give us a few moments alone, ok?"
As she looked at each one, waiting for questions about how they were feeling, or if there was anything that the two of them could do to help, it came as a shock to Yang when she got nods and understanding looks instead of confused questions. Yang was ready to burst into tears over the compassion and understanding that her companions, her friends, had shown when they simply did as she had asked without question, knowing fully well just how much the sisters needed a moment together.
The only one's who didn't go off right away, were Blake and Weiss. Weiss still had her arms wrapped around Ruby, though the red haired girl was now turned so that she could cry into Weiss' shoulder. Blake stood next to Yang, ready to give the blonde any support she needed at the moment. As thoughtful as Yang knew Blake was being, it wasn't necessary, Yang knew exactly what she needed to do, and in doing so, she would help feel better herself.
"Blake, can you give us some privacy as well?" Yang asked softly.
Knowing that Yang was dealing with her own problems, Blake wasn't so sure about leaving her be, not without some form of reassurance. "You going to be ok?"
"Yeah," Yang replied. "I just need to do something that I wish I could've done for so long now."
Without being told what it was that Yang was referring to, Blake knew instantly what it was that Yang meant. She looked over at Ruby and Weiss, seeing the pained look in Ruby's eyes, knowing that Yang wanted to be there for her sister when she needed it.
"I'll let you know if we find anything, ok?" Blake said before leaning in to kiss Yang on the cheek.
The gesture caused Yang to smile and give Blake a quick hug before the black haired girl took off to join the rest of their friends in the search. Yang then turned towards Ruby and Weiss, and walked up to them, wrapping her arms around the two of them as she reached them. Weiss looked over at Yang, seeing that she wanted nothing more than to simply hug her little sister who was crying, and so Weiss loosened her own grip so that Yang could have Ruby all to herself for a few brief moments.
Watching Ruby transfer from Weiss to Yang had reminded Weiss that she wasn't the only one who Ruby had in her life. What would normally have caused her to become disheartened, instead filled her with joy, knowing that the girl was loved and cared for by many. Weiss felt that she was intruding on the moment between the two sisters, and decided that it would be best for her if she searched with everyone else.
With the two sisters alone in the small living room of their old home, they mourned the loss that they went through, but this time it was together, instead of on their own. Time may have kept them apart from each other for a long time, but it has a way of making things right as well. Despite not being able to share a moment with each other in a long time, Yang and Ruby were able to have this moment together, where they could continue on with where they left off as a family.
"I'm so sorry, Ruby," Yang said.
Ruby looked up, her eyes red with tears, to see her sister's eyes crying as much as her own were. "I'm sorry that I wasn't there for you when you needed me the most. I'm sorry that I wasn't able to find you again until recently. I'm sorry that you had to go through all of this by yourself."
Before Yang could go any further, Ruby had pulled her sister into an even tighter hug, silently signalling that everything was alright. "Yang, I don't want you to blame yourself for not being able to help, and I forgive you for everything you feel sorry for. Just promise me that we'll stick together through all of this."
"I promise," Yang whimpered.
With the two sisters reconnecting, promising each other that they would never part, they believed that the world would be forever whole again. They believed that all of the troubles that were going on would pass and that their lives would return to normal, free of all that plagued their world in darkness.
But even they had to return to the task at hand, and their moment together couldn't last forever.
Blake approached the two of them, cautiously and hoping that she didn't disturb their moment. She had news to tell them about, and it needed to be said, but even she realized that some things could wait for a minute or two.
"We might have found something," She said once the two of them had noticed that she was standing there. Leading the pair, who had let their embrace come to an end, she brought them to a room near the back of the house. When they arrived in the room, Yang noticed that everyone was standing around one particular spot.
The spot happened to be a hole in the ground that had obviously been there for a long time, covered up by a secret trap door in the floor. What had confused Yang and Ruby was the fact that Jaune was partially in the hole, his arms hanging onto the edge of the hole.
"I'm glad that we found this and all, but don't you think it would be a great idea if we, oh I don't know, helped get me out of here? I can't hold on like this forever you know," Jaune said from his awkward positioning in the hole.
Sun and Ren had already reached out to grab Jaune's arms and the two of them pulled him out of the hole. "Yeesh, I was really Yangin' in there for a moment or two, huh," Jaune said once he stood up, though even he realized that his attempt at brightening the mood would probably explode in his face.
Though it didn't rid the room of the awkward tension that hung in the air, it got a much needed chuckle out of Yang. "Is that really how I sound when I say things like that?" She asked, getting some hesitant nods from all of her friends. "Ah well, I try. And Jaune, thanks, for doing what you could to brighten things up."
"We're friends after all, so why wouldn't I?" Jaune replied.
"So, are we going down to see what this is or not?" Yang asked.
"Actually," Ren spoke up. "We all decided that it isn't our place to go down there with you and Ruby. This is your home, so we feel that, out of respect for what you guys have gone through, only the two of you have the right to go down there. We'll stay up here and make sure that nothing disturbs you while you're down there."
Yang felt her heart fluster at the kindness of Ren, and when she saw everyone else and the compassionate looks they gave her and Ruby, she knew that these people were the best friends she could ever ask for. "Thank you guys, so much," She finally said after suppressing a few more tears that tried to reach the surface. Ruby started to make her way towards the entrance to the hole, Yang's hand firmly in hers. Once she reached it, Ruby took a look at Yang and gave her a smile, before jumping down into the hole.
It wasn't deep, Ruby was still able to see her friends expressions clearly from where she was, and she could grasp their hands if they needed to help her out of the hole. What she saw when she was in there was surprising to her though, all kinds of tech, memorabilia and gadgets that clearly showed just what her mother did for a living. Ruby approached a terminal as Yang dropped down into the hole behind her. Flipping a switch, she noticed that the room still had some power, and the room lit up, removing all traces of darkness that dwelled in the room.
Yang walked up to Ruby and grasped her hand once more. On the terminal in front of them, they saw that there was only one object of importance that was there. Activating it, the sisters watched as a video popped up on the screen in front of them, the image of their mother coming up clear as day. Ruby and Yang didn't know what to think, but in their immediate shock, they didn't notice that the video had already started.
"My name, is Summer Rose, Huntress of Remnant, leaving a message behind for those who find this place. I was tasked with searching for a way to defeat the Black dragon, and I wanted to leave behind one last message, to those who matter the most. This is to be my final video, the last time that anyone will ever see me."
Ruby wasn't sure if she was going to cry or not, but when she felt Yang hold her tightly, she pushed her feelings down and continued on.
"I've compiled all of my research and information that I have gathered on the Black Dragon, and left it in a chest on the other side of the room. Everything that is in there will help those who come after me to defeat that monster. My only hope is that everything that I have gathered will be enough. Once more, I believe that I may have found the way to defeat the dragon. In the chest with the information is a special arrow made of the strongest steel, and coated in only the purest of White Dust there is. That may be the only key we have left to stop the dragon, before all of Remnant burns.
Before I go, I have a few things I wish to say to those that I loved and cherished. To Lord Ozpin, I wish to thank you, one last time, for giving my life purpose and for guiding me when times were at their worst. Taiyang, I do not know if you will make it through and see this, but if you should, then I wanted to tell you that I love you, now and forever. Yang, my beautiful daughter, you have always been the sunshine in my life, and I know that wherever you go, I'm proud of you for doing what you want to do with your life.
And last, but not least, to my darling Ruby, my little rosebud, I love you, you and your sister both. Do not forget that there are always good people in this world, and though we won't see each other again, just remember that I'm always watching over you, and I'll always be proud of you. Goodbye."
As quickly as the video started, it then ended with the screen turning black and returning to what it was before the video began. Ruby was in tears, and Yang was as well, both of them knowing that what they saw, was the last time they would ever see their mother again. Acting on impulse, Ruby pulled out her scroll and connected it to the terminal, transferring the video from the console into a private file on her scroll.
Ruby then turned and ran towards the chest that her mother had mentioned, finding the information that they sought out, but also the arrow that was needed to kill the dragon. But what Ruby found in there beside all that, had left her on the verge of a complete breakdown.
Beside the information, and the arrow, sat a brown teddy bear, covered in a small layer of dust, but otherwise relatively undamaged. Ruby reached in and pulled out the bear, remembering instantly when she got it. Her mother had given it to her as a gift after along journey that took her away from home. Ruby wouldn't let go of it for weeks aside from when she showered or ate. Ruby pulled the teddy bear close to her, holding it tightly against her chest as her sobs grew louder.
Yang knelt down beside her sister and held Ruby as tightly as she could, reassuring the girl that her sister was still there with her. "I miss her so much, Yang," Ruby said between sobs.
"I know, Ruby," Yang muttered, barely keeping herself together. "I am as well."
The two knelt like that for a long time, neither of them feeling the energy to move. But after some time had passed, Ruby placed the teddy bear into her bag, and then grabbed the arrow, attaching it to the side of her bag as well. The information that their mother had accumulated was passed up to Jaune and the others. With everything they needed taken care of, Yang returned to the entrance and waited for Ruby to rejoin them.
Ruby however, walked over to the console one last time, rubbing her hands along the interface and staring at it, wondering just what her mother did while she was down here. Oh how Ruby wished that she could stay down in that hole, spending the rest of her life around everything that reminded her of the mother she lost, but even Ruby knew that she had to press on, lest her mother's death be in vain.
"Reaching towards the switch that would shut down the console, Ruby knew that she needed to let go. "Goodbye, Mom," Ruby said as she flipped the switch and shut down the power in her mother's work room, one last time.
AN: *Checks time gap in between last chapter and this one* Ok, so I don't really know how I managed to make nearly 6 months go by without an update for this. I guess all I can say is sorry for making all of you guys wait for this. I hope that this update makes up for not updating this in so long.
That being said, hopefully this update was feelsy enough for you guys, because with this arc of the trilogy wrapping up soon, it's going to be tense for the rest of the ride.
I guess the reason this took so long to update was because I completely changed what happened in this chapter and the chapters that end this arc. I originally had one idea, but then I decided that it wasn't that good, and I had to go back and figure out what needed to be fixed with it so that I gave you the most tense ending yet. What I have planned for the ending though, I don't think anyone is going to see it coming.
Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed seeing this story updated, and I do plan on finishing this out, hopefully (though I don't make any promises on this part) within the next week or two. Thanks for reading!