yes I'm aware that this is an overused trope but I don't care. Set after the end of V8. Enjoy!
The fall from the bridge feels endless.
Perhaps Ruby shouldn't be surprised by that. It's not like any of them could know what to expect, falling from a magical bridge that had only been created maybe an hour ago. But still, it feels like she's been falling for hours.
And maybe she has.
A stray thought occurs to her, and she wonders if Penny had felt the same way when she'd fallen from Amity Tower—a long fall in total darkness, with no idea if or when her fall will stop, only memories and disjointed thoughts in her head to keep her company. She wishes that she'd gotten to talk to Penny more about what happened to her while they'd been separated.
She wonders if she'll ever be able to talk to Penny again. Or Weiss. Or Qrow. Or her dad.
The idea of never seeing her beloved friends or her family again makes her want to cry, but she can't quite seem to find the energy. Maybe she should be afraid, falling into the dark unknown with no idea of what happens next, but Ruby can't quite muster the energy to do that either.
It's not like anyone can here her scream down here.
Or maybe she is screaming, and she can't hear it over the sound of the air rushing past her as she continues to fall.
Either way, it's easier to just not try to think about it too much. She can't change whatever awaits her now. Much more pleasant to just soak in the happy memories that feel like they happened a lifetime ago.
Receiving her huntress license.
Finding Penny alive in Atlas after thinking she was dead for so long.
Reuniting with Yang and Weiss, and then later Blake, in Haven, after their separation.
Celebrating with her teammates after winning the first round of the tournament.
The class post-finals celebrations.
Study sessions with Weiss.
Trading books back and forth with Blake.
Bonding with team RWBY.
Finding out that she'd been accepted into Beacon.
Learning to spar with her father and Yang.
Her mother reading to her, singing to her before bed, teaching her how to count and to tie her shoes . . .
It'd be nice to go back to those days. To feel happy and carefree again. To not have the weight of Remnant resting on her shoulders. To have everyone she loves alive and safe and happy again. She'd never take any of it for granted ever again.
If only . . .
Somehow, she doesn't notice when she finally stops falling. There's no abrupt jolt or pain from finally hitting the bottom. Just a gradual realization that she's no longer tumbling through the empty air, and instead she's—lying on something soft?
Ruby's eyes fly open, and she immediately has to squint at the soft light flooding into the room. It's not very bright, but after falling through the dark for so long, it's way too harsh. She blinks rapidly until the spots have all cleared—but even once her eyes are able to focus, she still can't quite believe what they're telling her.
The light is coming from the window on the far wall of a small, cozy bedroom—a very familiar small, cozy bedroom. Ruby jolts upright in shock, taking in the details of the room she's in. The blanket covering her slips down her chest to pool at her waist, revealing a black pajama set that she hasn't worn in years. Yep, everything looks exactly the way she remembers it.
Somehow, inexplicably, Ruby is back in her bedroom in their house in Patch. Even though she's spent countless hours in this room since she was little, it almost feels like it belongs to someone else. Another Ruby from another lifetime ago. And yet she's back here again, somehow.
How? Is this some sort of strange dream? Why would she end up here, of all places?
Before she can even start trying to answer all of the questions racing through her mind, there's the sound of footsteps in the hallway and a soft knock on her door. "Ruby?' her dad calls gently as he steps into the room. "Are you awake? It's time to rise and shine. I know you said you still needed to pack a few things before we leave for Beacon, so I thought I'd wake you up a little earlier." When he doesn't get a response from his youngest daughter, he frowns. "Ruby? Is everything alright?"
Ruby is frozen in place, staring at her father, too overwhelmed by emotions to think or react. "Dad?" she finally manages to whisper. "Is that really you?"
"Of course," he responds lightly, still concerned but sounding a bit relieved. "The only and only."
"Dad," Ruby murmurs again, swallowing around the sudden lump in her throat. "I missed you." Then, without another thought, without allowing herself to question if this is real or why or how she's here, she launches herself off the bed and almost tackles him with a fierce hug, before bursting into tears.
Tai is at a loss for what could have his usually cheerful younger daughter so upset, but he does his best to comfort her anyway. "It's alright, Ruby. Whatever happened, it's over now. You're safe."
Despite her reputation as a heavy sleeper, Yang has always had a sixth sense for when something is up with her baby sister, and it doesn't take long before she, too, is pushing open the door to her sister's room—before stopping and staring in shock at the scene inside.
"Dad? Ruby?" she asks uncertainly, concerned at finding her father attempting to comfort her sobbing sister. "What's going on?"
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