A bitter silence filled the room where Taiyang's eldest daughter was resting. Yang looked out the window as she sat in her bed with a crestfallen expression. Her weapons lay on the nightstand next to her. Weapons she no longer had the ability or even will to try wielding again.
As Ruby opened the door, she quietly called for her sister. "Yang?" From the corner of her eyes, Yang looked to the direction she heard her younger sibling but never moved her head or responded. At first Ruby thought she wasn't in the mood to speak and decided to turn and leave. The moment she was at the doorway though, Yang acknowledged her.
"Ruby?"
Her crestfallen voice made Ruby drew tear's to Ruby's face. Despite how her sister clearly wasn't in any state to do much of anything, all that mattered to Ruby was that she was alive. She rushed to Yang's side, embracing her without hesitation as she said, "I'm so glad you're okay!"
Yang cried back and responded with the same crestfallen voice, "But I'm not." Ruby was surprised and let go of Yang as she continued speaking. "It's all gone. First there was Penny. Then our whole world. Now Pyrrha and..."
Yang didn't have the power to finish that statement as she looked toward the bandages tied to what remained of her right arm. Not that anyone could blame her. Yang had been in her share of fights, both won and lost. But this? This was no mere loss. She had no idea how to deal with something like this, and at this point...she was convinced there WAS no way.
Ruby, remembering the other reason she came to check in on her sister, realized that a certain faunus team member of theirs wasn't in the room. Something which added even more worry to her wearied heart. "Where is Blake?"
Yang's brow contorted with a pained expression at the mere mention of the feline faunus...her partner... "Blake ran!" Ruby flinched backwards at Yang's sudden, sorrowful shouting. "After we arrived in Traverse Town, she just ran! Sun said she took off around the edge of the walls of the first district, past the diner area near the item shop! He tried following her but nobody's seen or heard from EITHER of them since. For all I know, they got lost in those other districts of the town...for whatever that matters now..."
Ruby's head was hurting between her uncle's earlier revelations, her worries for her friends and family, the loss of Pyrrha, all of this was just...getting to be too much. And now Blake was missing too? By her own choice no less? "But... why?"
Her little sister's question only caused Yang to clench her remaining fist and shake her head. "I don't know!...And I don't care." Yang answered mournfully. What reason did she have to care about anything at this point?
Ruby couldn't believe what she was hearing. Yang Xiao Long...her sister...the strongest person she knew apart from their mom and dad...This was what she was reduced to because of Blake's old lover, Adam. It hurt too much to hear her beloved sibling speak like this. "There has to be a reason she-"
"No, there DOESN'T! Sometimes bad things just HAPPEN Ruby!" Yang interrupted sharply, shifting her gaze back toward the starlit sky of Traverse Town. "Who's to say they won't keep happening after Sora restores the worlds?...What's the point having it all come back if THIS is what we have to live for? Why should we even bother getting everything back, if we'll just lose more and more?!...But I guess I don't have any right to judge Sora, right? He's just doing his duty as the Keyblade Master, right? Fight the Heartless, save the world, be a hero, right!?...At least he won't have to suffer what we have to when he goes home...Blake is gone...It's just a matter of time till Weiss is too."
Ruby couldn't bear to hear Yang speak like this. Her big sister...the rock she always leaned on when growing up...the one who always took care of her...the one who encouraged her more than even their uncle Qrow to follow her dream and become a huntress...she was a shell of the bright, cheerful, often unbearably punny sister she loved. "So what do we do now?" Ruby asked.
Yang however made it crystal clear that she was done caring about anything or anyone at this point. "...You can do whatever you want. I'm just gonna lie here."
Even now, Ruby couldn't believe what she was hearing. Her heart was breaking with every word Yang said to her as she struggled to come to grips with the fact that her beloved sister was truly giving up on everything and everyone. "Yang..."
At this point, Yang was done talking. There was nothing more to say. So without even looking at her sister, Yang went silent after one final demand for her Ruby to... "Just leave me alone..."
Ruby knew then and there that there was nothing she could do to change Yang's mind...To change her shattered heart. She had completely given up. So...she walked back to the door to her room. But before she left her sister to her solitude, she told her one final thing. One thing she hoped Yang would always remember, no matter what happened.
"I love you..."
However much that meant to her now...only time would tell.
As Ruby walked back into the room she was resting in, she was surprised to see that Sora, Donald, and Goofy...were gone. The only one in the room now was Kairi. Kairi turned to Ruby when she heard the door open. From her downcast expression, she could guess how Ruby's talk with Yang went. Instead of mincing words, Kairi stood up and wrapped her arms around Ruby in a gentle hug. One which Ruby immediately leaned into and returned. Neither of them said anything, for their gestures spoke everything that needed to be said.
That is until they pulled away and Ruby looked around the Keyblade Master-less room. "Kairi...Where's Sora?" she asked softly, clearly still trying to fight back the last of the tears that had threatened to pour forth from her eyes.
Kairi look toward the door to the hallway and answer, "Sora, Donald, and Goofy left to prepare to go after Ansem." Hearing that, Ruby felt a little downcast. She was worried, of course, having seen what Ansem was capable of when he possessed Riku. With his real self, she felt far more concerned for Sora's safety. But mostly...she was sad that this might be the last time she ever sees Sora. Though perhaps there was nothing she could do about it. It was Sora's duty as the Keyblade Master after all.
Though Kairi surprised her as a moment later, she gave a smile gesturing to the door, saying, "Come on, Ruby. What're you waiting for? Go after him."
The huntress's head snapped up with surprised confusion. Was Kairi really telling her to catch up with Sora? "B-But Kairi, I-"
Kairi held her hand up, silencing the surprised huntress. "You stood by those three longer than anyone, Ruby. You stood by Sora even when Donald and Goofy felt they needed to leave him behind for their mission. If anyone should see this through to the end with them, it's you," Kairi said firmly, though her smile faded to a more envious expression as she remembered her discussion with Sora before he left for Hollow Bastion. "Sora wants me to stay behind, and I'm respecting his wish. But...we promised we'd see each other again. And I do believe in Sora, more than anything...But he deserves to have all the people he can get who care about him standing beside him for what awaits him. Especially someone he trusts and cares about as much as you...So please. Go after Sora, Ruby. Not just for yourself, or me, but for him."
Ruby was silent with surprise. Despite her heart being confined to Sora's for so long, she really did catch up on a lot of important details...or maybe that was just part of who Kairi was. Noticing little things that Sora and Riku missed. She could see more and more reasons why Sora cared about her so much. Thinking back to everything they had been through up to that point, it reminded her of why she wanted to be a huntress in the first place. To make a cold, cruel world better. And so, with a resolute nod, Ruby grabbed ahold of Crescent Rose and holstered it as she turned toward the door.
But before she left, she turned to look at Sora's dearest friend with a grateful smile. "Kairi? Thank you." A smile that the red haired islander returned before Ruby zipped away, leaving a trail of rose petals in her wake. Even if this WAS the last time Ruby saw any of her otherworldly friends, she would be happy simply having known them before finally going home.
And Kairi smiled as she looked on where Ruby last was then walked off, silently wishing them all the best of luck. Though also musing with a shake of her head, "Oh, Ruby. You and Sora really are two of a kind." And in her eyes, that wasn't a bad thing in the slightest...for the most part, anyway.
Sora, Donald and Goofy all came out of the item shop in the first district as they looked over everything they purchased. Potions, ethers, elixers of all levels, they were stocked and as ready as they were ever going to be. Now all they had to do was steel their nerves for what awaited them on the horizon.
giving a nod as they walked toward the gates to the Gummi Ship. They were about as prepared as they were going to be to pursue Ansem. He paused before reaching for the doors, looking back at the place that was the closest thing to a second home since this all began. "This'll probably be the last time we see this place...won't it?" His voice was filled with sad nostalgia as he thought back on the memories he made here. It was here that he met Ruby, Donald, and Goofy. His first true friends outside of his world. The people who helped him carry on when things seemed hopeless. Ruby especially. "I just hope Ruby and her friends will be alright." Donald said, feeling the same as Sora. "Ya think maybe we shoulda said goodbye one more time to em before leaving?" Goofy asked. Normally, Sora would have agreed, but given what was at stake... "We don't have a lot of time left. We have to stop Ansem before it's too late." Despite how certain he tried to sound, Sora did wish he had said goodbye to Ruby at least.
"Don't forget what Leon said, Sora." Jiminy's voice rang out as the cricket chronicler hopped out of Sora's hood. "We may never meet again, but we'll never forget each other. I know that things may seem bad for Ruby and her friends with everything that's happened, but I'm sure they'll find away to pull through in the end."
As much as Sora wanted to believe that, the doubt was still clear to see on his face. How could it not be after what led up to all of this? "But we couldn't stop Cinder. And...Pyrrha...and Yang...This isn't the way they should be going home...They should be all together...happy..."
Donald and Goofy looked at each other, realizing just how deeply those incidents affected Sora. They had been too, of course, but Sora...He was the youngest out of all of their friends. Younger than even Ruby. Jiminy reached his right hand up, gently touching Sora's cheek in a comforting manner. "Sora...I know you're sad. We all are. Sometimes, when fighting for what's right, we lose people that are important to us. That doesn't always make it right, but never forget. Pyrrha gave everything so that we COULD set things right. And even though Yang has lost her spirit, I'm sure that she'll find a way to bounce back and keep fighting for the ones she loves. We owe it to those we've lost to keep going, and finish what we started."
Sora paused at Jiminy's words. As much as he wished that things didn't turn out the way they did, he couldn't deny the truth of Jiminy's words. They were still here because of sacrifices that not only they made, but that their friends made so that they could get to this point. They couldn't just give up now. Not when so many people, so many worlds, were counting on them. Especially their friends. So with a nod of silent resolution, Sora put his sorrow aside and proudly said, "Alright. Let's go." Donald and Goofy smiled and nodded with equally firm agreement as they walked to the giant doors leading to the gummi ship docking bay. It was finally time to-
"Guys! Wait for me!"
The trio skidded to a halt, nearly tumbling to the ground at the sudden, familiar voice. The instant they turned around, they were met with a big, familiar red blur dashing in front of them, leaving an equally familiar trail of rose petals before it manifested in the equally familiar form of...
"Ruby?!" Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Jiminy all exclaimed with equal surprise.
"I'm coming with you." Ruby said firmly, after taking a moment to catch her breath. Despite the speedy benefits of her semblance, it didn't stop her from getting winded if done for longer than a short burst. But such details weren't important here.
"You...you are?!" Sora asked, exchanging a look of ever present surprise with Donald and Goofy before looking back at her. "But Ruby, I...You and your friends have been through so much already. You don't need to risk yourselves any more than you have already."
Ruby could see that Sora's heart was in the right place, and was happy to know he cared about her and her friends so much...but sitting around while the ones she cared about kept fighting just wasn't her way. "Sora...I can't just sit here and do nothing while the rest of you are risking yourselves against whatever Ansem is going to throw at you. Or all the worlds if the worst should happen." Not wanting to focus on the negative possibilities, Ruby smiled and focused on one of the more positive recent memories of theirs. "Besides, we're team SRDG! The four of us have been through too much together for me NOT to help you guys out. Remember what we said when we all met when we started this adventure together?"
The reminder of that moment, the moment that changed their lives forever, immediately flashed in their minds. The moment they became, not simply a team, but friends. Donald and Goofy were the first to smile, remembering fondly what they said that day. The two reached their hands inward, mimicking the gestures they performed on that momentous day. "All for one..."
When the smile reached Sora's lips, he reaching his hand in to join them, followed lastly by Ruby. "And one for all!" the two youths cheered as the gesture that sealed their friendship returned once more. In that moment, they felt that no matter what happened, they'd be able to take on everything that Ansem threw at them. Despite everything that happened, despite the pain they endured, and the losses they suffered, one thing would never change. They were a team.
And Jiminy, the ever faithful chronicler of this adventure, made sure to make special note of this momentous moment. How even with the cloud of despair hanging over everything and everyone, they found the courage to keep moving forward.
As the four friends finally pushed through the doors to the Gummi ship, they wasted no time lifting off to find and stop Ansem once and for all.
Weiss, morose and uncertain of what to do after all that had happened looked up at the sight of the gummi ship departing. She knew somewhere in her heart that Ruby had followed Sora, Donald, and Goofy. It was just like her and Sora to be so insufferably stubborn. It was times like this that reminded her why she came to value Ruby as a leader, and Sora as a friend. They may have been dolts...but their hearts were in the right place. If anyone could set things right, they could. A hope that she shared with Neptune who looked at her as he leaned against the wall of the cafe door with a solemn nod. And Winter who lay upon her sister's shoulder, their gazes fixed upon the starlit sky with hope. The fate of the worlds rested in the hands of those four brave friends.
Yang, however...was not nearly as optimistic or hopeful. As she watched the gummi ship take off, she simply looked back at the stump of what was once her right arm, not caring about whether they did succeed or not. She couldn't stand with Ruby or anyone anymore. All she could do when they got home was find some way to deal with this...new life of hers. Yet all the same...deep down, she hoped that they would survive what they were up against out there.
Within the further reaches of the town, unexplored by Sora, Ruby, and their friends, Blake sat by herself upon the rooftops with a somber, regretful visage. The guilt she felt over what happened to Yang was not a weight she would be able to shake easily, no matter what happened. She couldn't bear to face any of her Yang, Ruby, Sora, Sun, or any of her friends after what happened. But her thoughts were soon drawn from that as she looked up to see the Gummi Ship taking off. She knew that Sora, Donald, and Goofy must have left. And if her gut feeling was correct, Ruby was there too. No doubt Sun had seen it too, given how she knew he was trying to catch up with her. The innocence that Ruby and Sora both shared...it was something that she envied. Something she wished she could give back to them both...but all they could do now was wait and face whatever would happen when they returned home. When that time came...Blake knew that there were things she needed to speak to her mother and father about if she was going to fix what the White Fang, what Adam, broke.
Qrow was, unsurprisingly, chugging a drink after dropping the revelation of Ruby's silver eyes upon her. He wasn't sure if it was a weight she was ready to bear yet, especially given what he had a feeling about what she was going to face along with Sora once they reached Ansem. But she needed to know. For the moment thy returned home, their enemies would waste little time striking at them when they returned, and Ruby would need to learn how to use them sooner or later. It was a burden he wished he didn't have to leave her with, or any of these children for that matter. But it was one they would have to bear, and one that he would need to help them bear however he could. Of course...he certainly wished a certain someone else was around to help him with that. A sentiment he had strongly as he glared out of the corner of his eye at...a large, black feathered bird who had been peering through the door of Yang's room, before looking back down at him. Family...Why did some members of it have to make things so complicated?
As for what was left of Team JNPR...Jaune, Nora, and Ren took their moments to mourn for the loss of their beloved teammate. The last memento of Pyrrha they had was the tiara that Sora brought with him. The team...no, all of Remnant just wouldn't be the same without her. And yet...as they looked up to see the gummi ship flying off amongst the stars, they knew that soon Remnant would return. And they couldn't let the restoration of the home they trained and gave everything to protect be for nothing. Nor could they let the loss of Pyrrha be for nothing. So come what may...they would use the chance Sora, Ruby, Donald, and Goofy gave them to make sure that their world would be a better place. A place worthy of the legacy of bravery and selflessness of Pyrrha Nikos.
All of their hopes went with the four, brave friends who sailed off amongst the stars, to stop the man who would consume everything and everyone they cared for in darkness.