Chapter 16
Day 4: Late Afternoon
Tundra
"Ok…" Weiss whispered, her voice cracking with emotion, "I'll do it." She couldn't bring herself to meet Ruby's gaze, looking instead at the snow that she knelt in. Ruby looked so weak and frail bundled up on the makeshift sled.
A feeling of relief washed over Ruby. She hadn't been sure whether Weiss would be able to go through with it, but the determined look in her partner's eyes told her all she needed to know, even despite all the pain that hid behind them. She knew that under the brave front Weiss was breaking apart. She held out her hand for the kneeling girl to take and laced their fingers together when she acquiesced. "Thank you." She said softly, giving Weiss a sad smile.
Weiss nodded, putting on a brave face, trying to mask her feelings. She had made Ruby a promise, and she was nothing if not true to her word. The world she had envisioned without Ruby in it was going to come to pass after all. All the effort of the last few days hadn't made a difference; they had ended up at the same place anyway. Whether it was by her hand like Ruby wanted or if she succumbed to the poison in the next day or so, Ruby was going to die. Weiss fidgeted for a moment, she supposed there was only one thing to ask now.
"When?"
Ruby looked around for a moment, thinking. Her gaze ran from the mountains on the horizon, back down to her partner kneeling beside the sled. It couldn't be now, there was still so much she had to say to Weiss. "Sunset." she finally said, "I'd like to go at sunset." She was in a lot of pain, but she wanted to watch one last sunset with the person she loved; and, honestly, it seemed rather fitting considering their first kiss, and essentially their whole relationship, had started at sunrise back in Haven all those months ago.
Weiss frowned, looking out at the horizon, "That's a few hours from now…Aren't you in a ton of pain?"
"A little," Ruby replied, shrugging, "But it's manageable. Besides, my head feels clear, and that's the important part." She looked sad for a moment then suddenly brightened up, "Besides! It'll give us a few hours to talk." she gave a mischievous grin, "And you can finally tell me about that extravagant date you had planed where you were going to confess your looooovveeee…"
Despite the somber mood, she felt a small smile tug at the corners of her mouth and blushed bright red from Ruby's teasing. She looked down, avoiding Ruby's gaze while she collected herself. She saw Ruby's hands clasped in her lap, and immediately noticed them shaking, a small tremor that Ruby was trying to hide from her. She sighed, she knew Ruby was just attempting to soothe her worries and fears, and probably trying to save the rest of the painkillers for Weiss, just in case. "Ok, deal." she replied, "But stop lying to me about how much pain you're in," she said seriously, eliciting a sheepish look from her partner, "I'll give you the rest of the painkillers and get us to a better spot to watch the sunset."
She pulled out the injector and dispensed the remainder of the painkillers into Ruby's arm; there were only a few doses remaining anyway and she wanted Ruby to be as comfortable as possible. She began to pull the sled to a location less scattered with boulders and drifts so they could see the sunset, making sure she kept Ruby facing away from Atlas, away from the battle that Salem was waging against the city. If she had anything to say about it Ruby would never know that Salem had arrived; she seemed so content now and Wiess refused to let her spend the last few hours of her life worrying about whether Yang, Blake, and the rest of their friends were ok.
Luckily she didn't have to go far, finding the perfect clearing in just ten minutes of walking. She quickly got to work setting up a basic camp. After building a fire, she made a large pile of carefully packed down snow, fashioning it into almost a couch. She draped the thermal lining from Ruby's cloak onto the seat so they wouldn't get too cold or wet from the snow underneath.
She pulled the sled slightly closer and, with a little effort, lifted Ruby out of the sleeping bag and laid her up against the snow pile. The sickly girl settled in; she leaned her head back and sighed contentedly, the cold snow on her neck soothing her skin, still warm from fever. After moving the sled out of their line of sight, Weiss returned and sat herself down on Ruby's left side.
Ruby gave her a warm smile which Weiss tried to return, but could sense that the attempt wasn't the least bit convincing. She knew Ruby was just trying to make her feel better, but her task weighed too heavily on her mind to muster up a convincing smile. Ruby seemed to understand, she slipped her hand into Weiss' and laced their fingers together.
They sat in silence for a few minutes, enjoying the quiet beauty of the tundra, watching the sunlight glint off of the ice and snow. Weiss sighed slightly, "I suppose we get the morbid stuff out of the way…" she said quietly, "How would you like me to…" she bit her lip and trailed off, still unwilling to finish the thought out loud.
"Um…" Ruby said, "I think one…" she pushed her arm forward in a thrusting motion, "right through the heart would probably be best." she said seriously, "Quick. Relatively painless." she finished with a decisive nod. She paused for a moment, looking like she wanted to say something but was too embarrassed. Weiss gave her hand an encouraging squeeze. Ruby looked at her, a noticeable flush in her cheeks. "W-will you hold me as I…as I go?"
"Of course, Ruby." She said softly, a little insulted that Ruby thought she even had to ask, "I'll be with you the whole time." Though she was mildly exasperated, she couldn't help but think it was adorable that even at this point in their relationship Ruby still blushed when asking to be held. Her jaw worked, and she shook her head, trying to banish the thoughts and images of Ruby's death that flashed through her mind. She couldn't dwell on them. She needed to be here in the moment. She had to be here for Ruby.
Ruby's face was grateful, but quickly became more somber. She looked down into her lap. "I'm really sorry about putting this on you Wiess. This can't be easy for you…"
"It isn't." Weiss replied. She choked for a moment, tears beginning to gather in the corners of her eyes. "I'm going to miss you so much Ruby.", she said quietly, "I don't know what I'm going to do without you…" Tears began to drip off her chin and into her lap.
"I'm going to miss you too Weiss." Ruby said, gently caressing Weiss' hand with her thumb.
"How?" Weiss asked, frowning, "You're going to be…" she swallowed hard, "...gone. I don't think you'll be missing much of anything."
"I don't believe that." Ruby replied simply, "Jinn already showed us that there's an afterlife." she looked at Weiss warmly, "I'll miss you every second that you're not there with me." Her smile grew a little sadder, and she looked out over the tundra. "I'm going to miss everyone." she said quietly." She looked back at Weiss, her face suddenly serious. "When you get back, you have to tell Yang and Blake that I'm sorry I couldn't make it back to them. Penny too." she sat silent for a few moments, "Tell them I love them." she said sadly, deeply regretting she couldn't tell them herself. "Oh, and Qrow and my dad if you can contact him, and Zwei and-"
Weiss cut her off with a gesture, "I'll tell everyone Ruby, you don't have to worry."
Ruby nodded appreciatively, then looked thoughtful, "My body…" she said quietly, "I'd really appreciate it if you could scatter some of my ashes at my Mom's grave…and maybe some at Beacon." She looked up at Weiss, "but that's only if you can get my body back. If you have to leave it behind for you to survive, I won't be mad." She knew Weiss would never leave her behind willingly, not even her body. She wanted to give her an out. "I'll let you guys decide what to do with the rest of them…"
"Of course." Weiss replied, "I can do it when I go to Patch to t-tell your Dad." She gave a slight, humorless laugh, "Of course all of that hinges on IF I make it back." Ruby tilted her head, confused. "I could d-die out here too…" Weiss said, "Blizzard. Grimm. Whatever else is lurking out here. What if I don't make it?"
Ruby looked at her sadly, "Then I'll see you sooner than I thought." she looked into her lap, a small smile playing across her lips, "Then I could introduce you to my mom…" After a moment she looked back up at Weiss, "Eventually they'll come looking and find our…our bodies. Yang and Blake will know we tried our best to get home."
Her face suddenly became stern, "But you have to try." she said seriously, her silver eyes boring into Weiss', "I don't want to see you show up in the afterlife after you threw yourself to the Grimm. There are still people that care about and love you." her face softened, "Promise me you'll try to live, Weiss."
Weiss could tell that Ruby wasn't just referring to surviving the tundra, she could almost see Ruby imagining her future. She nodded, giving Ruby a determined look, "I'll try. I promise." She thought back on everything they'd been through. All of the betrayals and just how many people they'd trusted had already hidden the truth and used them. "What if Jinn lied?" Weiss asked, unable to stop the flood of doubt from entering her thoughts, "What if there's nothing. What if-"
Ruby cut her off, slashing her hand through the air, "No what-ifs." She said firmly. She winced slightly as she turned her torso towards Weiss, staring her right in the eyes. "I know our 'Are you with me?' thing kind of turned into a call and response for us…but when I tell you 'Always'...I mean it." She squeezed the older girl's hand, "No matter what happens, I'll find my way back to you in some form or fashion. This won't be the last time we see each other. I promise." she finished, her silver eyes boring into Weiss', making sure she knew that she meant it. She shrugged and gestured at Weiss' sword, "Maybe you can do that thing you do with the Grimm and-"
"I don't think that's how my semblance works, Ruby." Weiss said, shaking her head.
"Whatever!" Ruby replied, "What I'm saying is that I'll be there for you, whether you can see me or not." She grinned at Weiss and saw the older girl respond with a small smile, some of the tension and worry leaving her face. Ruby suddenly tilted her head, a thought occurring to her; a small bark of laughter escaped her throat, despite her attempt to suppress it.
"What?" Weiss asked, not finding anything particularly funny about their situation. Ruby took a look at her face and instantly burst into giggles; Weiss felt the corners of her mouth turn up a little bit, she couldn't help it, Ruby's laughter was contagious. "What's so funny?"
Ruby looked at Weiss with a big grin, "I'm gonna haunt the SHIT out of you!" she collapsed into a full on laughing fit.
Weiss stared at her partner with a stunned expression on her face, but soon she felt the beginnings of laughter in her throat as she considered the ramifications of Ruby's words. Her own peals of laughter soon rang across the tundra with Ruby's, both of them imagining the shenanigans that Ghost-Ruby could get up to.
"You would definitely be a poltergeist." Weiss said, gently jabbing Ruby with her elbow.
"OH, abso-lutely." Ruby agreed with a grin, "I'm gonna trash your room every single day!"
Weiss cocked an eyebrow, "How is that any different from now?" She deadpanned, "Have you SEEN our room?"
Both girls collapsed into another laughing fit, holding on to each other for support.
"You're-you're going to be taking a shower," Ruby managed to gasp out wiping a tear from her eye, "And you'll look over and see my face pressed against the glass door going-" she waggled her tongue around and made her eyes spin.
And just when Weiss thought she had her giggles under control, she collapsed back onto the snow pile laughing uncontrollably.
Eventually their laughter died down, both of them wiping tears from their eyes. Weiss knew she would always remember that moment. The moment where all their worries were gone for a time, replaced by joy and laughter. She made sure to cement every detail into her memory.
A gust of cold wind blew through their camp making both of them shiver. Weiss got up and retrieved the sleeping bag from the sled, unzipped it, covering them both with it like a blanket. They cuddled as close together as they could get for warmth. Weiss wrapped her arm around Ruby's shoulders and pulled her close. Ruby leaned her head onto Weiss' shoulder, humming contentedly.
"Oh!" Ruby exclaimed suddenly, sitting up; "How could I forget! You promised to tell me about that date where you were going to drop the L-bomb on me!" She batted her eyelashes, looking at Weiss expectantly.
"Oh." Weiss murmured, "That." she smiled softly, the entire plan playing itself out in her mind. "Well, I felt bad that I didn't respond in kind when you said 'I love you' to me on the train, so I had to-"
"You know that you didn't have to do anything, right Weiss?" Ruby said, "I knew how you felt, even if you didn't feel comfortable enough to say it."
"I know," Weiss replied, "But I wanted to do something special for you. Because you deserve it." Ruby smiled and squeezed her hand. "Anyway," Weiss continued, "I set up this whole string of events with my old Butler."
"Klein?" Ruby asked, "The one who was more of a dad than Jacques?" She spat the name with a brief scowl on her face.
"Yes." Weiss said, nodding. She sighed, "I wish you could have met him, he said you sounded delightful from what I told him about you. All I'd have to do is text him the phrase-" she blushed a little and looked away, " 'Operation Date-night is go.' "
Ruby's face lit up with glee. "Oh my gods, you're such a dork!"
"Oh, shut up!" Weiss playfully snapped, "That is entirely your fault. We've spent so much time together, all those action movies you make me watch and your general doltiness have rubbed off on me!" she paused and looked confused, "See what I mean? What the hell kind of word is 'Doltiness'?"
Ruby laughed, she loved it when Weiss got flustered, it was just too cute.
"ANYWAY…" Weiss continued with a huff, "I'd text him and he would have sent a courier to our location with these gorgeous dresses I picked out." She pulled out her scroll and showed Ruby a picture of them she'd saved, the younger girl gasping at how pretty the dresses both looked. "I actually called in a favor and had the SDC buy an entire restaurant 'courtesy' of my fater, and in my name of course, as a metaphorical middle finger to the miserable old man."
"Ooh I like this plan already, I hate that guy." Ruby said with a grin, "What would we do at your new restaurant?"
"Dinner and dancing of course." Weiss replied with a soft smile.
"Dancing in public?" Ruby asked, "Weren't we supposed to be keeping our relationship secret?"
Weiss smiled wide, staring into Ruby's silver eyes, "It was time for us to stop hiding." She said, "I don't care what my family and their friends think anymore. I love you, Ruby Rose, and I don't care who knows anymore."
"Awww, Weiss…" Ruby said, tearing up, "I love you too." she kissed her softly on the cheek, "Then what would we have done?"
"Then we'd go to the very top of the SDC skyscraper using the access pass that Blake helped me steal…"
"Blake? She knew about this plan?"
"Parts of it." Weiss replied, "She was more than willing to help, she still has a giant grudge against my father's company. Not that I blame her. Anyway, I've been working on a couple of spectacular light shows using these top secret drones the company has been working on." she pulled up the app she'd been designing them on and showed Ruby her progress on the two animations she'd been working on. One showed representations of their weapons crossing; the other showed their emblems coming together and merging into an amalgamation of a rose and a snowflake. Weiss thought they were rather basic, but she was no programming expert, and they got the point across which was what really mattered.
"How long have you been planning this?" Ruby asked, her eyes wide as she admired the animation
"A long time." Weiss replied with a smirk. "I'm Weiss Schnee, if I'm going to confess my love to someone, it's going to be a big production." She swiped on her scroll pulling up a third show, "So big that I actually made a third show. This is where the drones scatter into the sky above the building, kind of simulating stars." She looked away from Ruby, blushing, becoming a little nervous just thinking about the next part, "and then I'd have 'dropped the L-bomb' as you put it. And there'd have been cookies and maybe some hot cocoa for us to enjoy as we cuddled under some blankets…"
"She heard a loud sniff from next to her and quickly turned to see Ruby staring at her, tears streaming down her face. "Ruby, are you ok?" she asked worriedly.
Ruby nodded, wiping tears from her eyes, "That's the most romantic thing anyone's ever not-done for me." she said with a slight laugh, more happy tears welling up. She gazed into Weiss' icy-blue eyes , "I love you so, so much…" She leaned in and kissed Weiss softly on the lips. After they separated, Ruby sighed contentedly, "You make me so happy."
Weiss' expression fell slightly, "You make me happier than you can ever know Ruby. And that's why…" she choked on her words for a moment, "That's why this is so hard. My childhood was…not a happy one, as I'm sure I've mentioned many times. Which is why coming to Beacon was such a huge change for me…Once we got to know each other, the three of you became more of a family than my real one ever was." She tilted her head a moment, "Well, except maybe for Winter…" she trailed off a moment before refocusing on Ruby. "And you…" she said softly, gently running her hand through Ruby's hair, "You became so much more than family to me…" tears began flowing down her cheeks as despair gripped her heart, "And now I'm going to be alone again…" a sob escaped her throat.
"Alone?" Ruby asked, her brows knitting together her fingers worming into Weiss' hand, uncurling the fist that she didn't even realize that she was making, "You won't be alone. You'll have the rest of our team!"
Weiss shook her head, "When Yang finds out what I've done…she's going to hate me. And Blake…I don't think she's ever quite forgotten that I'm a Schnee. She knows I've changed, that I'm different, but I once both of them find out…" she trailed off, choking on another sob.
"You underestimate Blake," Ruby said softly, "I might not be as close to her as you or Yang, but…she's told me things that…" Ruby trailed off for a moment, "All I can say is that she'll understand more than you think she will." She squeezed Weiss' hand, "As for Yang, deep down she'll understand why you did it." She sighed slightly, "It'll take her some time before she'll be able to say it out loud, but she'll never abandon you. She loves you like a sister."
Weiss shook her head, "How can you know that?" She asked, her voice heavy with melancholy.
"Because I know my sister. She loves you Weiss. But it'll take her some time to push past me being gone." She smiled slightly, "She'll be there for you when you need her."
Weiss closed her eyes, trying to hold back tears. "I genuinely wish I could believe that..." she said softly. As she envisioned her life after getting back to Atlas, all she could see was crushing loneliness. Being shunned by her chosen family and her friends. Ironwood would tell her that she was too emotionally compromised to be a huntress and take away her license with Winter reluctantly agreeing. She saw herself sobbing on her bed in her cold, too-clean room at Schnee manor, having begged her father to take her back in as she had nowhere else to go. The sheets on her bed damp from crying, now truly the loneliest of all.
Rage began to boil inside her, pulling her out of her thoughts. "This is all HIS fault." She hissed through clenched teeth, envisioning the cackling maniac that had poisoned Ruby, "He took you from me." She snapped her head towards Ruby, "I'm going to make sure they pay, Ruby, all of them. Tyrian. Watts. Whoever gave Ironwood the bad intel that landed us in this wasteland. Even if I have to kill Salem all by myself, I swear I'll make them all pay. That's a promise."
Ruby's face fell, "I wish you wouldn't make that promise," she said sadly, "I don't like seeing you this angry." she looked intensely into Weiss' eyes, "The only promise that I want you to make is that you'll try to be happy."
Weiss wasn't sure whether she could keep that promise. She was about to say so when she saw an intense look of sadness pass over Ruby's face. "Are you ok?" Weiss asked, her brows knitting together.
"I just…talking about promises made me realize that I'm going to break some of the ones that I made to you…" she said sadly, moving slightly away from Weiss.
Weiss tilted her head in confusion, "Which promises?"
"Just before we got on the Argus Limited, I swore that we'd never leave your side; and when we crashed a few days ago I promised that we'd get through this together…and I-" she started crying, tears of guilt beginning to flow down her cheeks, "I can't keep them…you're going to be alone until someone rescues you or you get back…" she angrily clenched her fists, she couldn't stand the thought of Weiss being miserable and alone. She almost wanted to tell Weiss to forget about the whole thing and let the poison run its course so she could be there for her longer; but even now she could feel the pain beginning to come through the comfortable numbness of the painkillers and knew that it would only get worse. She figured she only had twelve hours left, maybe a day before the poison took her life, leaving her in agonizing torment for hours before the end.
Before she could contemplate further, Weiss scooted over, pressing her side against Ruby's and wrapping her arm around Ruby's shoulders, pulling her close to her surprisingly warm body. Ruby looked up at Weiss and saw a sad smile on her face. "Ruby, I'm pretty sure you get a pass for breaking promises if you d-die." Weiss said, a small hint of amusement in her voice. "It's not your fault."
'It's mine.' Weiss thought, already knowing what Ruby would say if she dared to speak it aloud, 'I should have taken his stinger. I should be the one laying here dying, not you. If I'd just been faster, fought better. If I'd-" Weiss saw Ruby frown, as if she could read her thoughts.
"I know what you're thinking." Ruby said sternly, "What happened isn't your fault. I jumped in there to save you because I love you. I'd do it all over again if given another chance and there's nothing you could say to convince me otherwise." She finished decisively, she laced their fingers together again. "And besides," Ruby continued, "even if our roles were reversed and you were lying here dying, I don't think it would be any better."
"Ruby, if one of us had to survive to fight Salem, I'd want it to be you. You're-"
"No." Ruby said, cutting her off, "I meant what I said back at the hospital in Haven." she looked into her lap, the painful memories of sitting beside a comatose Weiss invading her mind, "If you died, it would utterly destroy me." She swallowed heavily, "I know we didn't talk about it much afterwards, but I thought very seriously about following you to the next world if you had died." she wiped a tear away, "I'd just found you again after months and months, and I realized that I never wanted to leave your side ever again. I couldn't stand that thought of continuing to fight without you there with me…even then." She looked deep into Weiss' eyes, "And now…now that we're in a relationship…If you died and I survived…I'd probably just collapse…shut down…just lay here by your side until the cold or Grimm took me."
"And how do you know I won't do the same, Ruby?" Weiss asked, "You know how much you mean to me. How do you know my psyche won't just shatter into a million pieces?"
"Because you're stronger than me…" Ruby said, smiling at her softly, "You've always been stronger than me…Every Huntsman has it to an extent, but you…you have this fire inside you that burns hotter than almost anyone else's when it needs to. Me, it took Jaune to drag me from my house to go to Haven; and when you were in a coma I was completely useless." her smile grew brighter, "But you…When your dad kept you here, you didn't stay; you said 'Screw This.' and broke out all on your own, fighting your way across an entire continent to get to us. And don't even get me started on how you fought off Tyrian and Watts on your own when I was unconscious."
"Ruby I-"
Ruby gently shushed her, looking over at Weiss with adoring eyes, "Weiss, you're going to get back. You guys are going to defeat Watts, Tyrian and even Salem. And whatever it is you decide to do after the war is over, I know you're going to be amazing at it. You know why?"
Weiss shook her head.
"'Cuz you're Weiss Fucking Schnee, thats why." Ruby finished with a mischievous grin.
Weiss' eyebrows shot up, shocked at Ruby's unexpected swearing, "I appreciate the confidence…" she said with a chuckle. She genuinely hoped that Ruby was right, that she'd have the strength to go on and make things right. Ruby squeezed her hand and they lapsed into a comfortable silence, both lost in their own thoughts.
After a few minutes Ruby spoke up. "Um, can you bring me Crescent Rose?" Weiss looked at her quizzically, "It's silly," Ruby replied a little sheepishly, "but I just wanna see her one last time."
"Of course." Weiss replied with a soft smile. It made sense, after all it was the weapon she had spent years of her life constructing and wielding. Pain shot through her bad knee as she leveraged herself out of the sleeping bag, causing Weiss to wince; favoring it slightly, she walked over and retrieved Ruby's beloved scythe from the sled. As she did, she looked up at Atlas, now seeing that the massive whale had seemingly beached itself on the outskirts of the city. She desperately hoped that her friends and family would be alright. She couldn't handle any more loss today. She headed back to the snow pile and handed the weapon to Ruby and climbed back under their makeshift blanket.
Ruby carefully unfolded the scythe into its full length, laying it across both of their laps. Weiss watched as Ruby looked over the weapon. She caressed the handle with a tenderness that Weiss had only seen when they were cuddling somewhere away from others.
"She was my first love, before you came along…" Ruby said softly, as if reading Weiss's mind, "Before I met you, I spent a lot of my free time tinkering and adjusting her. She's my most precious possession." she smiled fondly, "Even before we were together-together, you somehow wiggled your way in and replaced her in my heart. Instead of looking forward to fine-tuning the collapse mechanism at the end of the day, I looked forward to spending time with you, even if we were just studying." She turned to Weiss with a big grin, "I love you more than I love Crescent Rose."
Weiss legitimately began to tear up, she knew how much the sniper-scythe meant to Ruby. "I-I I'm flattered…" she blushed bright red, and looked out over the tundra so Ruby couldn't see her embarrassment. She saw a stumbling, dark shape moving towards them, still more than a half mile away. "We've got company." She said. Her chest tightened, if it was the Hound coming back to finish them off, they were screwed.
With a grunt of effort Ruby embedded the blade in the ground in front of her and sighted down the scope. "Beowolf." she said.
Weiss exhaled, relaxing a bit; a lone Beowolf she could easily handle.
Ruby adjusted the sights on her scope, "It's making a beeline right towards us. I think it's injured. front legs aren't moving quite right."
Ruby paused for a moment and Weiss could almost see the gears turning in her head. Weiss smiled to herself, she knew what Ruby was thinking, "Go ahead, I can handle it if any more come."
Ruby grinned at her and turned back to the rifle, gingerly extricating herself from under the bag. She gritted her teeth through the pain as she rearranged herself to fire the weapon. She collapsed the spike at the end of the handle into the stock leaving the blade embedded in the ground. She put the stock firmly into her shoulder and leaned back against the snow pile for support. Weiss shifted next to her and Ruby felt the familiar, comforting coldness of Weiss' semblance at her back; a black glyph pressing against her shoulders and spine, ready to absorb the recoil of her weapon. "Cover your ears." She said, giving Weiss an appreciative smile. She sighted down the scope, took a deep breath and slowly let it out.
The rifle barked three times in rapid succession, each CRACK loud in Weiss' ears despite the fingers she had shoved in them. Ruby's aim was true; the first two rounds hit the Grimm in its front legs, the third punching straight through its bony faceplate before it even had time to fall. As the grimm began to evaporate into ash, Ruby slowly pulled the bolt back, ejecting the last spent cartridge into the snow. She looked at the scythe fondly; she patted the weapon as if telling it that it had done a good job, then collapsed it back into its compact form before rejoining Weiss under the sleeping bag. Ruby's breathing was a little labored, the effort of firing her rifle had really taken it out of her.
Weiss scanned the area but the only Grimm she saw were the ones miles distant hovering around Atlas. She grunted as an unexpected weight was put into her lap. She looked down and saw Crescent Rose, Ruby's hand still lingering on it. Weiss looked at Ruby, a confused expression on her face.
"She's yours now." Ruby said with a smile, "I know you'll take good care of her."
Weiss was flabbergasted, "Ruby I couldn't possibly-I don't even know how to use-"
Ruby held up her hand, cutting Weiss off, "I thought about this for a long time, and honestly you're the only person I trust to put her to good use…If you want to learn how to use her, I'm sure Qrow would be willing to teach you the basics." She looked at the weapon again, "But she's got a personality of her own. In a way, she'll teach YOU how to use her." She turned back to Weiss and saw tears streaming down the other girl's face, "Weiss, are you ok?"
Weiss nodded, "I'm fine, I just didn't expect…it's an honor…" She tenderly picked up the weapon; it felt heavier than it had a few minutes ago, a new emotional weight having been added to it. She set it down next to her in the snow. She heard a ding from her Scroll and saw that Ruby had transferred her a few files.
"Schematics and changes I've made over the years. Plus a basic maintenance guide I wrote myself." She shrugged, "Might come in handy if you want to make your own modifications!" Ruby looked down at Myrtenaster, "You don't have to use it as your new weapon or anything…just take her out for a spin every once in a while…I don't think she'd enjoy just being mounted on the wall."
Weiss nodded, wiping tears out of her eyes, "Of course. I'll take good care of her." She chuckled a little, "I'll even make sure to scratch behind the ears every once in a while too."
Ruby giggled, coughing a little from the effort. She leaned her head on Weiss' shoulder and they stared out at the tundra as the sun inched closer to the mountain on the horizon.
After a few minutes, Weiss glanced over and noticed Ruby staring up at her. "What?" she asked, tilting her head slightly.
"It's just a little weird. I'm dying, but all I can think about is how much I want to kiss you." Ruby said, a slight blush creeping into her cheeks.
Weiss gave her a sly smile, "Well, that's something I'll be more than happy to indulge you in…"
"Wait!" Ruby exclaimed, as Weiss began to lean in. She took a swig from her canteen and swished the water around her mouth and spat, "Don't want to taste like blood…" she said sheepishly.
The sadness that gripped Weiss' heart at Ruby's words quickly dissipated as Ruby gently pulled her down and their lips met, their arms wrapping around each other in a tender embrace.
Ruby savored every moment. Weiss' lips were soft and warm, but she could feel them trembling on occasion. She pulled the older girl even closer, trying to soothe her, trying to make her forget if just for a few minutes.
They kissed for a few minutes, only stopping a couple times when Ruby had to cough. They both tried to pack years worth of love and affection into the kisses, trying to make up for a lifetime of love with what little time they had left together.
Eventually they reluctantly broke apart and looked deep into each other's eyes, their breathing slightly labored from their efforts. They rested their foreheads together, each just wanting to be close to the other.
"I love you Ruby." Weiss whispered softly.
"I know." Ruby whispered back, "I love you too." She pulled back a little, placing a kiss on the tip of Weiss' nose. She moved over to her partner, taking a seat between Weiss' legs and leaning back against her chest. "I've known for a while now actually."
"Really?" Weiss asked, wrapping her arms around Ruby's chest and feeling her hum contentedly, "Was I that obvious?"
"Only to me." Ruby replied, smiling. Ruby snuggled further into Weiss' chest; she always felt so safe in her partner's embrace and today was no exception. "There were little signs," she said fondly, "Your kisses felt just a little…extra. I could swear that my morning coffee was just a liiiitle sweeter than usual. And don't think that I don't notice you staring at me and smiling when you thought I wasn't looking."
Weiss blushed bright crimson as Ruby looked up at her smugly. "And here I thought I was being subtle…" she said.
"I don't think anyone one but me noticed." Ruby replied.
"Well why didn't you say anything then?" Weiss asked
Ruby shrugged, "I knew you'd tell me when you were good and ready. I didn't want to rush you."
Weiss smiled and kissed the top of Ruby's head. "I appreciate it." she sighed a little sadly, "It's just a shame that it ended up happening out here...not exactly the most romantic spot."
"Honestly," Ruby said tilting her head back and looking up at Weiss, "I'm just glad I got to hear it. You could have told me anywhere honestly."
Weiss leaned down and kissed her lips. Ruby sighed contentedly and snuggled into her chest.
They sat quietly for a few minutes As the sun began to dip lower, now hanging just above the mountains in the distance, thoughts of her task came uninvited to Weiss' mind. She was going to kill her best friend; in a short time, Ruby would be no more and she would have that blood on her hands. The word 'Murderer' played over and over in her mind. A desperate panic began to set in and her hands, still wrapped around Ruby's middle, began to tremble and her breath came in short gasps.
Ruby moved off of her and resumed her original place at Weiss' side. Ruby gently picked up her hand and laced their fingers together, caressing Weiss' hand with her thumb and humming a soothing tune. Gradually, the trembling lessened and her breathing returned to a normal rhythm.
"I want this, Weiss. Don't forget that." Ruby said gently, "I practically begged you... I know what you're thinking and I can tell you that it's not murder." She smiled softly, "It's mercy."
A loud sob escaped Weiss' mouth. Ruby pulled Weiss' head down to rest on her shoulder as tears began to drip down the older girl's face. "I can't really understand what you're going through," Ruby said, "but if I have to die, I'm glad that it's going to be you and not Tyrian." Weiss began to cry harder; using some of what little strength she had left, Ruby pulled Weiss into her lap, clasping the white-haired girl to her chest. "It's an act of love Weiss." she whispered into her ear as she cried into her shoulder, "You gave me a choice on how I wanted to leave this world. I'll never forget that."
Ruby just held her for a few minutes until she cried herself out. Weiss eventually pulled away from her shoulder, sniffling. "Are you going to be ok?" Ruby asked sadly, "I should have thought about how much this would affect you. Seeing you like this…I never liked seeing you cry, especially if it was my fault…"
Weiss wiped her eyes and took a deep breath, "I'm not going to be ok. Not for a long time." She said honestly, "But I won't cry anymore." She said, nodding decisively. She climbed off of Ruby's lap, sitting back down on the thermal lining right at Ruby's side where she belonged. She felt Ruby's hand slip into hers and she looked over at her partner.
"You're the love of my life, you know that?" Ruby said.
The wave of emotion that flooded through Weiss was almost too much, she almost burst out crying right there but managed to keep it under control. She gave Ruby a mock glare, "You're trying to get me to cry now, aren't you?"
Ruby held two fingers a short distance apart, "Maybe a little…" she said with a mischievous grin, "but I also mean it." Her smile warmed, "I love you more than I thought I could love anything."
Weiss smiled at her warmly, "I feel the same way…" she said.
The sun finally dipped behind the mountains, and the clouds above the snow capped peaks were painted with brilliant red and orange hues, shafts of sunlight shooting into the air from gaps in the clouds. Ruby sighed happily, this was perfect, despite the pain she was in. If she had to die, this was what she wanted. Being held by the person she loved while watching an amazing sunset; all in all, it wasn't a bad way to go.
She spotted a deep red cloud, somewhat shaped like a leaf, it took her back to fall days in Patch. Back to her home where this all started so long ago. She'd come so far since then…since her Mom died…
"You know…" she said quietly, "Even if it was short, I had a really good life."
"Oh?" Weiss replied.
"Yeah!" Ruby exclaimed, "I actually managed to accomplish all the things I set out to do!" she began counting on her fingers. "I graduated Signal…well sorta…I got admitted to Beacon, and two years early! Literally unheard of! And now…" she pulled her scroll out of her pocket and pulled up her license, looking at it proudly. "I'm a huntress just like my Dad…" she swallowed, and Weiss saw a few tears begin to roll down her cheeks, "and my Mom…"
Weiss squeezed Ruby's hand, causing the younger girl to look at her, an appreciative smile on her face.
"I even got to do some things I never thought I would!" Ruby continued.
"Like what?" Weiss asked.
"Well I made WAY more friends than I ever thought I would." Ruby said, a bittersweet smile on her face, "I was a bit of a loner at Signal, I had a few friends there but I haven't talked to them in years at this point…I've seen Gods, Devils and powers beyond my wildest imagination…" she stared Weiss right in the eyes with a loving smile, "I even got to kiss the prettiest girl in all of Remnant!"
Weiss blushed bright crimson, "Who is she?" she asked, a fake scowl on her face, "I'll challenge her to a duel."
"It's you, dumb-dumb." Ruby replied, rolling her eyes goodnaturedly. She placed a kiss on Weiss' lips, "I, Ruby Rose, got to kiss the prettiest girl in all of Remnant, my partner, Weiss Schnee." She said dramatically, leaving no room for misinterpretation. Ruby gave a lopsided smile, "The Ruby that started at Beacon wouldn't have expected that."
"Wouldn't have expected what?" Weiss asked.
"Kissing you." Ruby answered, "She never would have seen it coming."
"Why?" Weiss asked, arching an eyebrow, "Did she think I was too good? Out of her league?" They'd had this discussion many times, with Weiss insisting that she was not 'out of Ruby's league'.
"Nah." Ruby replied simply, "Didn't know she liked girls. Till she met you." Ruby smiled, looking into Weiss' eyes, "You were the only person amazing enough to pull me away from Crescent Rose and get me to really notice them." She smirked a little, "and you're TOTALLY out of my league but-"
"Ruby Rose-"
"-We'll just have to agree to disagree." Ruby finished. "I guess my point is that I've done more with seventeen short years than many people get to do in a lifetime." She gave a small laugh, "You know, if I got a do-over, I don't think I'd do anything significantly different…"
"Really?" Weiss asked, "You don't have any regrets?"
Ruby shrugged, "A few." she tilted her head, "I do wish that I could stay to finish the fight, but…" she smiled a little sadly, "I know that I'm leaving it in capable hands." she thought for another moment, "I guess I regret that I didn't tell you how I felt back at Beacon, maybe we could have had more time together…" She sighed, "Weiss, did you ever think about our future? Like, when the war was over?"
"Y-Yes." Weiss replied, a slight blush creeping into her cheeks, "I-I often thought about us living together…maybe in a nice penthouse apartment in Atlas, as far away from my parents as we could get."
Ruby smiled, "And how do we afford this nice penthouse apartment? Can't afford something like that on Huntress' earnings."
Weiss smirked, "Well I think the first female CEO of the SDC, who's fighting to reform the company and right wrongs could use a deadly, scythe-wielding bodyguard. And of course we'd go on Grimm hunting excursions every once in a while to relieve stress."
Ruby's smile grew, "Oooh I like the sound of that."
"What about you?" Weiss asked, "Where did you see us after the war?"
Ruby's grin lessened, now slightly sad. She leaned into Weiss a little, resting her head on her shoulder, "I don't know what we'd be doing for money but I have this image in my head…" she smiled wistfully, "I see this cabin in the woods of Patch…it only has a few rooms, but it's more than enough space for us…" She slipped her hand into Weiss' ,"It's a beautiful fall day and the two of us are cuddled under a tree as the leaves fall around us." she sighed happily, "That's what I wanted for us." she looked up at Weiss, "Yours is nice too! We could do mine for a few days a year…a little retreat just for us…"
Weiss smiled back, "I'd have liked that a lot." she said softly.
Ruby stared out at the distant mountains. The sunset was just so beautiful. Everything felt right. A profound sense of peace washed over her. She took a deep breath, she had said all she needed to say, she had made sure Weiss knew exactly how she felt about her.
"Ok Weiss," she said, squeezing her hand, "It's time."
The vice that was already clamping around Weiss' heart tightened even further, crushing the air from her lungs. She looked around, hoping for any excuse to postpone the inevitable. Eventually her gaze landed back on Ruby. Her partner looked back at her with a calm expression, a slight smile on her face; Weiss knew she couldn't say no. This was what Ruby wanted, and who was she to deny a dying girl her last wish, even if it would destroy her to grant it.
She choked back her tears and nodded. Ruby moved off of her and sat herself up a little straighter against the pile of snow, tossing the sleeping bag aside as she did so. Weiss knelt in front of her and slowly drew Myrtenaster from her belt, laying the blade across her knees, her hands shaking the whole while. She glanced at Atlas, hoping beyond hope that there was a Manta headed towards them. There was no Manta but something was deeply wrong.
Atlas wasn't where it was supposed to be.
It was rising higher into the sky, already another thousand feet higher than where it normally floated, the supply tubes having disconnected from the bottom and fallen into Mantle some minutes ago. As she watched, the massive whale, seemingly unable to keep itself aloft in the higher altitudes, slid off of the farmland and began to plummet towards Mantle below. The gravity crystals embedded in its flesh began to glow; its fall slowed considerably before stopping a few hundred feet above the besieged city. Freed from its burden, Weiss watched as Atlas began to drift across the sky, seeming to make a beeline for the sunset in the distance. Her face dropped as the reality of the situation finally sunk in.
Atlas was leaving. Abandoning Mantle. Abandoning them. She'd be hopelessly and utterly alone now. Anguish gripped her completely and she was certain that it showed on her face, plain for Ruby to see.
Ruby did see it, the pain and sorrow etched into her partner's face. Ruby knew her well enough to know that she was hiding even more under the surface. But even so, Ruby thought she was stunningly beautiful. Ruby didn't think Weiss had ever been as beautiful as right now. Behind her was the most spectacular sunset that she'd ever seen. Rays of sunlight seemed to frame her head. The white canvas of her hair painted in brilliant hues of red and orange. It almost looked like she was on fire, like some kind of avenging angel. She had to touch her, she had to offer some comfort while she still could. She reached up, "Hey…"
Ruby's soft voice cut through the turmoil in Weiss' mind, she pulled her gaze away from the drifting city, desperately hoping that Ruby hadn't noticed. As she looked down, she realized that she needn't have worried, Ruby only had eyes for her. Ruby's hand gently cupped her cheek, and her silver-eyed gaze melted Weiss' heart, it made her feel like the only girl in the whole world. She leaned into Ruby's hand, covering it with her own and squeezed gently; she smiled slightly, some of the tension easing from her body, Ruby's warm, comforting mood seeming to seep into her.
"Hey, how 'bout one more for the road?" Ruby asked, pursing her lips slightly and flashing Weiss a sly grin.
"Of course." Weiss said with a smile and leaned down. Their lips met for one last time, both of them trying to tell the other just how they felt through the gentle, tender kisses.
After a time, they parted and Ruby smiled up at her, her eyes full of fondness and love, "Weiss," Ruby said softly, "I just wanted you to know that you kept your promise. You were the best teammate ever. And an even better partner."
Emotions flooded Weiss and she felt tears welling up, but quickly choked them back. 'Don't cry, don't cry, don't cry, don't cry, don't cry, don't cry, don't cry-' played over and over in Weiss' head.
Ruby gave her a nod, and Weiss knew it was time. She raised her rapier and Ruby helped her position the blade between her ribs, right in front of her heart.
Weiss' hands began to shake uncontrollably on the hilt, too jittery to get the job done. "I-I-I can't…" she choked out, her breath coming in short, panicky gasps
"You can." Ruby said softly, "We'll do it together." Ruby reached out, grasping Myrtenaster's blade; not hard enough to break skin, but enough to have a firm grip.
Weiss looked at her in confusion, before gasping softly as a warm, calming feeling washed over her. She couldn't figure out what was happening until she looked at Myrtenaster; she could see a red glow radiating up the blade from her partner's hand. Ruby was sending what little was left of her aura up Myrtenaster and into Weiss, meeting and mixing with Weiss' own aura. The feeling was so intimate, like when Ruby pulled her into her semblance, only more so since they don't have any combat to distract them. There was only the two of them entwined with each other, both of them sharing the pure essences of their beings. Weiss felt Ruby's soul. Her warmth and kindness. Her Love. She felt her Ruby.
Astonishingly, her hands stopped trembling and her breathing became even again; she closed her eyes for a moment, basking in the feeling of Ruby's soul. She could feel Ruby smiling up at her without even saving to open her eyes. She felt peace and contentment radiating off her, an acceptance of what was to come.
"It's ok..." Ruby said softly, the warmth of her aura surrounding Weiss, "I'm ready."
After a moment Weiss opened her eyes, gazing into her partner's beautiful silver ones. "I love you." she said, her jaw trembling slightly, "So much."
Ruby smiled at her warmly, and Weiss felt a warm rush of love pulse from Ruby's soul, and she responded in kind with her own.
Weiss took a deep breath, her hands tightening on Myrtenaster's hilt. Ruby's aura seemed to coil itself around her hands, adding her strength to Weiss' own. Her muscles tensed.
With an anguished cry of effort, she pushed the sword into Ruby's chest until the blade stopped. With another cry, partially choked by a sob, she pulled the sword out, tossing the blade aside, splattering the snow with Ruby's blood.
Ruby's eyes went wide, her breath coming in gasps as she tried to pull air into her lungs. Weiss pulled Ruby to her chest and held her tight, just like she wanted; still willing herself not to cry, to be strong for Ruby. In what must have been a monumental effort, she felt Ruby wrap an arm around her and pull herself up so her mouth was right next to Weiss' ear. She heard Ruby pull in a shaky breath. Her voice was barely a whisper.
"I love you Weiss Schnee…Now and always."
Weiss' resolve broke. Unable to keep her promise, a single sob shook her chest and tears began to pour down her cheeks. She clutched Ruby even tighter.
Weiss wasn't sure how long she stayed like that. She kept holding her partner, long after Ruby's grip had relaxed, long after she knew she was gone. Eventually, she pulled away, laying Ruby back down on the pile of snow. She looked at her partner's body; a large blotch of blood now staining her gray shirt. She folded Ruby's hands over her chest, some part of her trying to hide what she'd done, but unable to ignore the blood she saw on her own hands as she did so. She slowly looked up at Ruby's face. Her eyes were closed, her expression peaceful, a small smile frozen on her lips.
Reality finally settled in.
Undeniable, unignorable.
Ruby was dead.
And she was utterly, completely alone.
What little was left of Weiss' composure disintegrated as her world shattered around her. She hunched over, bloody hands clutching her stomach, as small sobs began to shake her frame.
And as the last of the sunset's red hues disappeared from the night sky, Weiss Schnee's wails of anguish joined the howling wind, echoing across the barren tundra.
I've had the base idea for this story bouncing around my head since 2017: I wanted to write a story where Weiss has to deal with Ruby's death, but I didn't want it to be sudden and brutal; I wanted it to be sad, but also sentimental and bittersweet. The actual story only solidified when I watched volume 8 in early 2021. A little over a year ago I started writing this story in a notebook, leading up to that base idea: this chapter. I've had a rough draft of this chapter handwritten since July 2021, and even now, months later, this is still one of the most emotionally taxing chapters I've typed up, to the point that I was shaking a little as I typed the last few paragraphs. A lot of that is because I see a lot of myself in Ruby and there's a lot of my fiancé in Weiss; even a few of their mannerisms are taken straight from my own relationship. As silly as this sounds, killing Ruby felt like killing a small part of myself.
I won't lie to you, every time one of you readers left a comment urging me not to kill Ruby, I legitimately considered it for a few moments before remembering that the story kind of hinges on it. And for those of you that did comment that: I hope you'll keep reading because we're nowhere close to the end, there's a lot more of Weiss' story to tell; and while she might be gone, Ruby will always be an integral part of Weiss' character arc.
As for the chapter itself, it kinda got away from me, this is almost 3 times my usual chapter length. I figured I'd let Ruby say "Fuck" before the end, and what better way to use it than to tell the person that she loves that she's awesome. The date night that Weiss describes is actually an abbreviated version of a fic that I'll be writing in the future called "Now and Always" and it's sort of an alternate, happier take on this story where Ironwood never sends them off on that mission. Just pure fluffy goodness.
I actually commissioned two pieces of art for this chapter from Tired_of_Retail on twitter, I don't have a way to link it on this website, but If you search up this story on AO3, the images are at the end. The artist should also have the images up on their twitter sometime in the next few days. I'll also likely have them on my Twitter, I'm strudol
Leave a comment telling me what you thought! As always: Thanks to V (my wonderful fiancé and inspiration for some of Weiss' characterization) for being my editor and sounding board, and thanks to all of YOU for reading and coming on this journey with me so far! Hope to see you all next chapter!