I originally began writing this the day before RG Kiss Day back in July (I KNOW IT'S LATE I KNOOOOW), but I had trouble getting the story just right until now! I'm excited to share this one!
There are SOME violence and references to injuries in this one, but I didn't feel like it warranted the "Graphic Depictions of Violence" warning. Just a heads-up, though! I'm usually safe and sound in the "hurt/comfort" category, with slight dabbling in romance, so I hope this hits just right for all of you!

That being said, I dedicate this piece to Chaikachi, who keeps the RoseGarden-lovers well-fed with beautiful art. Like, all the time. Thank you!

The reunion in Vacuo felt short-lived, at best.

Shade, now housing the refugees from Atlas, was under constant threat from Grimm not as much as the beginning of the evacuation, negativity still emanated from the citizens in streams. And, coupled with Salem's forces doubling down, teams RWBY and JNPR (along with the Happy Huntresses, Qrow, and Winter) worked overtime to keep the Grimm at bay in all parts of the kingdom. The battles only grew harder each day. However, with the combined strength of their team, they were a force to be reckoned with.

They split into two groups to join Vacuo's huntsmen at the kingdom's borders. Qrow, Robyn, Jaune, Nora, and Ren left by airship to the southern wall, while Winter, team RWBY, and Oscar stayed near the school, where the majority of the Atlesian refugees had been placed for safety. Overall, the battle was proceeding well; plenty of creatures of Grimm roamed about, but the numbers had been dwindling thanks to the maiden powers. Slightly out of practice with her silver eyes, Ruby had not used them in several days. There had been no need to, really. At least, she had thought so.

The fight had dragged on with seemingly endless enemies, but they were handled until only a few remained. With her team by her side, Ruby felt like they were an impenetrable wall of invincible fighters.

But Ruby was reminded of just how human she was when, for just a moment, she had stopped to assess their situation. It looked to be under control, with everyone engaged in combat with at least one creature.

A cold feeling settled over her; she was being watched, and just as she made to turn around, she heard a shout and suddenly found herself sprawled on the ground. With a twisted feeling in her gut and a horrible sense of déjà vu, she clamored to her feet just in time to see a large Beowolf towering over her mid-swipe, with torn, green fabric dangling from its claws. Just in time to watch Oscar cry out and fall to the ground a short distance from her. An arc of blood followed him down, his aura evidently broken at some point during the battle. A memory of flesh—rent horribly asunder—entered the forefront of her mind. The world was set in slow motion, with only the barest of vital senses making themselves known.

A chill in her bones.

An ache in her teeth.

A pounding in her ears.

A fierce headache.

A blur in her vision.

The world briefly flashed an intense white, and she was greeted with near silence as the pounding in her ears grew louder.

A second.

It had only taken a second for Ruby to catch her breath before watching yet another friend get cut down. From the corner of her eye, Yang appeared next to her and said something she didn't quite hear. Ruby's eyes were trained on the body—

"Ruby! It's okay! Oscar is fine, see?" Yang's voice cut through the fog, and Ruby blinked back to clarity with a gasp. Instantly, it seemed as though Weiss and Blake had teleported to Oscar's side, as they were already helping him sit up. He groaned painfully while they each slung his arms over their shoulders to help him stand up slowly. They walked away, and she realized with a start that the Grimm they had been fighting were all gone, her silver eyes having made quick work of them.

"Fall back!" Winter's voice commanded somewhere behind them as she flew away to assist other huntsmen groups in the area.

"Ruby..?" Yang asked hesitantly. Ruby's eyes finally drifted away from the now bloodied empty spot and up at her sister's worried face. In an instant, she burst into tears. Not trusting herself to speak, she sobbed and let Yang gather her into her arms. Yang squeezed her firmly, only moving to guide them back to the dorms when her crying slowed to a sniffle.

Ruby wondered if she could have possibly dozed off while walking back to the school grounds—her mind a muddled mess of thoughts—as she found herself walking through the front doors very soon after. Instead of going to the dorm rooms or the infirmary, though, Yang led them to a small lobby and sat her down on one of the couches there.

"Don't move. I'll be right back," she said, then turned on her heel and left the room quickly. It didn't matter, as Ruby hardly registered her words. In what felt like a blink of an eye, Yang returned to her side with a glass of ice water in hand. She silently instructed Ruby to drink, then sat next to her on the couch. "Are you alright?" Yang asked, and Ruby drank slowly to buy herself time to think.

Was she alright? She wasn't injured at all in that fight. Of course not. She would've been embarrassed to be caught unawares by Grimm like those.

Except she had been. And Oscar paid the price for her complacency.

But she still had aura left! She would've been fine no matter what!

So why did he—

Why—

"Ruby, please, talk to me," Yang begged, and Ruby again came to. Having been lost in her thoughts, she had been gripping her water cup tightly without a word. And poor Yang, not previously known for her patience, had been there waiting as long as she could. She placed her cup on the table and folded her hands together on her lap.

"I… know I am strong," Ruby started slowly. "I understand—more than ever—of who I am supposed to be, thanks to all of you, and thanks to the Tree…."

"…But?"

"But, standing beside all of you, I feel both strong, and… and not. Because I know how to be strong when everyone is by my side, but I'm scared of losing you, too."

Yang sighed, visibly releasing the tension from her shoulders. "I get it, Ruby. I feel the same for all of you. And I'm sure Oscar does, too."

"But why did he do that? His aura was gone, and I was still fighting! Why did—" she cut herself off suddenly as another terrible thought popped into her mind. "What if he doesn't trust me anymore? What if he thinks I can't handle it? Or maybe he's angry that I COULDN'T handle it! Or—"

"Ruby! Oscar wouldn't think any of those things!" Yang put her hand on Ruby's shoulder—It felt grounding for both of them. Ruby opened her mouth as if to say more, then thought better of it and closed it.

"Sorry," she finally said, lamely. Yang huffed another sigh and pulled her close for a hug. They sat like this for a while, before Blake's voice called out softly from the threshold.

"Stay here, Ruby," Yang ordered, then left to speak with Blake in the hallway. The two spoke in quiet tones, perhaps loud enough that if one were to strain their ears, they could listen. But Ruby's mind was still an unsettled, static-filled mess, and she instead sat and stared blankly at the floor under her boots.

Yang returned abruptly (or abruptly to anyone not paying attention) and shook Ruby's shoulder gently.

"Sorry to wake you—" When had she fallen asleep? "But listen, we're taking turns tending Oscar's wound. Jaune, Nora, and Ren should be back in the morning." It was then that Ruby took a more conscious note of her surroundings. The room had darkened considerably since they returned to the school grounds, several hours having passed in the blink of an eye. Her half-cup of water sat untouched on the table with a ring of moisture outlining the bottom.

"Did you hear what I said?" Yang spoke up again, and Ruby rubbed her eyes, banishing the last of her sleepiness.

"Sorry, what?"

"I said, it's your turn to change his bandages." Yang sported a reluctant expression, as though the task itself was hard to speak of. Ruby managed a small "oh" before she stood robotically. She made her way out of the room before stopping in the hallway.

"End of the hall, second door on your right," her sister supplied when she turned and opened her mouth to ask for directions.

Considering the size of Shade Academy, the infirmary—this one, at least—was not far from the lobby. It was forty or fifty paces away. And it was at exactly ten paces from the lobby that Ruby began to panic.

Oscar had already been awake. This much was certain. In fact, Ruby was sure he had been awake many times since this afternoon. And likely, in those time frames, he had probably also thought about what happened. About how their leader had faltered, and how he was forced to take a blow meant for her. How she had failed yet again, and she wasn't good enough and—

Stop it! Ruby shook her head. Yang is right, Oscar wouldn't think of stuff like that….

…Right?

She knocked on the door.

The doubt still lingered.