—🌹 Whispering to the Lifeless 🌹—
“Heya, Weiss, been a while, huh?”
…
“Or, well, not really physically, anyways, it’s been since we’ve…”
“We’ve talked.”
…
“Sorry about that.”
“Just… couldn’t really find the strength or words for it, it’d be like I’m admitting that…”
…
“Hehe, guess I still can’t, huh? Well, it’s some progress, at least, I remember when I’d just lie down here for… a lot of hours with you, well, before Blake and Yang would drag me back to civilization, found out that I could survive a week without food or water, who knew, huh? That the, “crazed Sugar Fiend, Ruby Rose,” could last so long without it. Didn’t even mess me up all that bad.”
“Speaking of Yang and Blake, they’ve been doing great! They’ve been all over Remnant, Blake’s been acting as a Faunus rights and Menagerian diplomat, while Yang’s always right by her side, either helping with post-Salem relief efforts or just there supporting her girlfriend, I’m not even sure how she does it but Yang, somehow, always finds a way to be with Blake, they’re as inseparable as can be…”
“But don’t get me wrong, they always make sure to check up on me, in fact, they just called me this morning, wanted me to tell you that they said, “Hi,” so…”
“”Hi!” from Yang and Blake.”
…
“Of course, I’ve been… doing pretty well, taking small to medium hunting jobs here and there around Patch, haven’t really been making my way around Remnant, to be honest, just doesn’t really feel right to be so far away from you. And also, to avoid using my Eyes, I’ve been keeping that promise ever since… I don’t still don’t really know why but it was your last… well, moving on.”
“I’ve been keeping our weapons in shape, although yours doesn’t really rust or wear down, I mean, I don’t really use it in the first place but it’s kinda weird, dust, dirt, grime, etc. nothing seems to be able to, literally, get on it. I’ve asked a bunch of Beacon professors, local blacksmiths, even your own family but none of them know what’s going on with Myrtenaster. It’s almost like it’s suspended in time, the only kinda odd thing I found was a tiny bit of leftover lightning dust in the chamber that was about to be used.”
…
“Your family’s been doing great, as well, they’ve been leading the Mantle and Atlas revival project. Your mom’s been leading the SDC with Winter and Whitley just under her, they’ve both been named as successors, actually, although Whitley's been talking about he might give his share up to me or Winter, pursue something in the cyber field.”
…
“They said that after they’ve rebuilt Atlas, they wanna carry you home, let you rest where you were born, it’s completely understandable, well, don’t tell anybody but… I don’t really want them to, it’s completely selfish but I just… if they did that, had a huge, grand ceremony in Atlas, it’d pretty much be them acknowledging that you’re… I’m just not ready for that, not… not yet.”
“Sorry.”
…
“Your family offered me the Schnee name, I told them about the ring that you had on you. Go by, "Ruby Rose-Schnee,” or, “Ruby Schnee-Rose,” both are kind of mouthfuls, no offense, now that I think about it, it’s kinda the same with, “Weiss Schnee-Rose,” or, “Weiss Rose-Schnee,” again, no offense, and I don’t really know whose last name would go first. But I said, “no,” it was really kind of them but it just wouldn’t really feel right, I mean, I never even actually said, “Yes” or “I do,” n-not that I wouldn’t have, that day, I definitely would’ve but you’re not…”
You’re not here to hear it.
“This ring that you gave me, nice, simple, made of silver… oh! That’s why it’s- hehe, sorry, guess I was a little slow on that, hehe. I always keep it on me… even if I don’t wear it. Funny thing about it, it feels like it gives off a little heartbeat, like, literal pulses, sometimes, it even glows a little, like my Eyes. It… it makes me feel like…
Hnngk
That you’re still here.”
“The truth is, Weiss, I- I’m not okay, I don’t wanna move on, if I move on, that means that you’re gone, I can’t, I just can’t, Weiss, everytime someone asks me if I’m “okay,” I tell them that I’m fine, in that moment, I think I’m fine, so I tell them that I’m fine but I don’t think I’m fine, Weiss, I just don’t feel anything when I tell them that, it’s like big hole of emptiness whenever I tell them that, that’s not supposed to be normal, right? like, I cried and felt sad whenever I thought of my mom but I just haven’t been feeling anything at all, nothing, I cried for you that night, then more and more and more after that but then, then, I just… I just can’t feel anything, Weiss, food doesn’t taste sweet, sour, spicy, salty, it barely tastes like anything, it’s just fuzz on my tongue, a-and Grimm hunting jobs? the truth is that ever since that night, there have barely been any sightings on Patch since that night, I just don’t get it, how does that even happen?! your… your sacrifice couldn’t have just wiped out all Grimm on Patch, that’s my job, that’s what my Eyes do, not you, and why did you even stop me from using them that night?! Why were you so desperate to stop me from using them?! They don’t hurt me, there’s no penalty, there’s no anything, m-maybe a little tired but that’s it, Weiss, so why?!
Why
Why
Why?!
You could’ve lived, Weiss, I… Weiss…
Why did you do what you did?
Why’d you have to go?
Weiss, there’s just… there’s nothing without you. There’s no Present, there’s no Future, there’s no World without you, Weiss, my World ended with you and I’m just stuck in a nightmare that I don’t want to wake up from.”
—
Once again, she lay there, fetally embracing Myrtenaster and the Ring beneath the snowfall of Patch, only bare, heavy, tear-soaked breaths escaped from her.
The nightmare held her in its grasps, she barely functioned. She felt:
Less than human.
Less than living.
Equal to Grimm.
Unfeeling, pleasures were devoid of joy, far too tired to summon the intensity for fury or frustration, moments of reprieve only obtained through reliving the past, to reach for nostalgia, yet reminded that they happened. Not will happen.
Not are happening,
Happened, those moments had already passed, nothing would bring them back.
That was the wakeable nightmare, to know that the answer was to let go while being unwilling.
Once again, she closed her eyes, to hope that when she opened, she’d see her again.
Yet, everytime she opened them, she was only met with the surrounding black forest and snow.
They were familiar but not the familiar that she was looking for.
Perhaps… perhaps it would be better to not open them at all, to be met with disappointment.
No.
Not yet.
Not what she’d want, a silent promise made between the both of them to not give up…
But it was getting harder and harder to keep up that promise.
…
She felt a light spark and dash of cold touch her nose.
She opened her eyes.
Oh.
Just a snowflake on her nose… but not her Snowflake.
Again.
Once again, she closed her eyes, this time,for longer.
She felt the pulse of the Ring in her dominant hand, it was warm, it was light, the gentlest embrace, yet enough to know that it was clearly there.
A reminder of Her, from Her.
Ticks of tocks sounded from a clock, like they were mocking, taunting, teasing her that the past was the past, that moment had long passed, she wouldn’t and couldn’t return back to that moment.
The sounds started slow, temper, perhaps it was taking mercy on her, seen enough, heard enough, had enough fun.
The ticks and tocks chocked to a stop.
…
A clock with tocks of ticks started to rock, the interval between mocks were slow, at first, then gradually, ever so gradually, they began to fasten, faster, faster, even faster until…
She opened her eyes.
Blinding White.
Shining White.
Just White.
No more darkening sky, no more black trees, no more forest. Just a void, but instead of over encompassing black darkness, it was white, whiter than the most pristine bouquet of white roses, whiter than a newborn snowflake. Myrtenaster was gone but at least, she still had the ring on her.
And she felt the indescribable force of 1000 one thousands pushing and pulling her back to… somewhere. Yet, she felt no reason to resist it. It felt familiar, perhaps a bit more dangerous, perhaps a bit more cold. But the sense of familiarity that she felt was something that she didn’t want to resist, it was an attraction, like a Flower to a Butterfly, despite the fact that the two roles were normally switched.
…
She really had gone insane, hadn’t she?
It felt better than reality, at least.
Once again, she closed her eyes, and delved further into this dream.
— The Day She Would’ve Said, “Yes” —
It was just a routine check up. A survey of Patch, a late night visit to Mom with a real and proper introduction of her girlfriend, just her and Weiss (The lovey dovey Bees were off on their own little adventure in Menagerie).
That was all it was supposed to be.
The floating shatters of the lunar planet were getting bright, moon-dressing the remnants of the month’s grounded snowfall as they were walking back.
Growing howls started to creep from every direction, but those should’ve been easy enough to handle.
But it wasn’t.
At first, it was just small fry, the typical Beowolves that liked to spawn within these snowfields. Ths felt almost nostalgic to her, harkening back to when she regularly fought them in this very same field before attending Beacon.
But they just kept multiplying.
For every one that they cut down,
punctured,
stabbed,
shot,
decapitated,
quashed,
stomped,
flamed,
shocked,
iced
eviscerated,
Two more would appear in its place, the pools that summoned them weren’t found in sight at all.
Then, Alphas came, fiercer, bigger, stronger than they’d ever seen before, and for every two that they felled, another four would appear. Comms wouldn’t work, they were far from civilization, just the two of them, here in this formerly empty snowfield.
But they still had a trump card, her Eyes, it didn’t take her nearly as much effort to use them as they previously did, Maria gave her the directions, mentored on how to use them, set her the right path, Weiss was her guiding light for when she couldn’t follow, she truly helped her unlock their full potential.
But before she could prepare-
“Ruby, whatever you do, don’t use them, under any circumstances, at all!” Her very same guiding light was stopping her from using them.
“W-what? Why shouldn-”
“Just trust me, pleas-”
She was cut off by a stab.
Weiss was cut off by her own attacks to talk.
Oh well. She’d ask afterwards.
…
It didn’t seem like there was going to be an afterwards.
More. More. More.
Endless onslaught, Endless spawn.
400, five thousand, 60,000, seven hundred thousand more.
Did they really defeat that many or had she lost count? It didn’t matter.
She looked towards her other half, one thing that she noted, whenever she could get glances of her, at least, was how she was fighting.
Rough, ragged, yet… rehearsed?
Weiss’s stabs weren’t the straightest yet they accomplished the job. She seemed constantly tired, yet not a sweat seemed to drip from her. But the way she moved seemed as if she could see the future, not even in the huntress’s instinct or Maria’s Preflexes sort of way, no,
It was like she knew what was coming next.
…
Weiss was breathing hard, they needed to retreat, they needed to ru-
“It… it won’t work,” but they hadn’t tried it, yet, how could she kn-
“It just won’t, Ruby, I…” Weiss’s closed eyes seemed to indicate long thought, even if only a second had passed.
“I’m sorry.” Wha-
crescendo. Crescendo. CRESCENDO.
Swarms upon swarms of Weiss’s own summons appeared:
Beowolf, Death Stalker, King Taijitu, Lancer, Wyvern, Leviathan, Monstra, Hound, more. More. More.
It rivaled Salem’s army, perhaps, even surpassed it.
Fire hath rained upon them, Ice blazed against them, rapturous Wind drowned and swallowed them.
And Weiss-
Weiss was beautiful, dancing across the field battle at velocities even faster than she, herself, could manage, white Glyphs shining bright enough to be seen through the white snow.
If even a single Grimm approached her, Weiss or her summons were already there to protect her.
The long-past-fractured kiss of the Moon was blacked out by the sheer amount of Grimm crumblings that floated in the air.
…
Weiss did it, she- she did it!
Not a Grimm in sight, not here, there, anywhere!
She ran towards her Love-
“...Are they gone…? All of them…?”
“Yes, Weiss! You did it-”
Weiss fell to the ground, she was by her girlfriend’s side the moment before she fell.
Weiss was bleeding. Badly. Not from external cuts or anything the like. No, her nose was streaming torrents of blood, floods of drippings leaked from the corner of her mouth. And her eyes…
Her eyes-
She was crying sanguine tears! But-
Those tears didn’t seem sad, they were… happy, joyful, elation incarnate.
She went to cover the bleeding but Weiss stopped her, “N-no… don’t… i-instead promise me something.”
“W-what…?”
“Never… use your Eyes…” She could only vaguely nod, she was barely even registering Weiss’s signing of her death certificate.
“Good…” H-how could she be so calm?! She reached into her pocket, and pulled out…
A ring, one crafted from what seemed to be the finest silver metal, etched with markings of snowflakes and rose, initials of ‘WR’ deeply engraved into it.
“I’ll… show you h-how it’s actually done… Ruby Rose, will you marry me…?”
“W-Weiss, I…” But before she could even process what was going on-
A kiss…
She barely even registered it, she should’ve savoured it, relished in the moment. She thinks it felt cold, she thinks that it should’ve felt warm, just like all of their other kisses. But she wasted the moment, she wasn’t getting that moment back.
Weiss was gone. No heartbeat, no more blood flowed out from her, just lifeless.
Weiss was gone.
She crimpled to the lifeless corpse, hoping, checking, double checking, quintuple checking, centuple checked her pulse, any breaths, any life.
Nothing.
She receded, wallowed, cried. Hours upon hours of tears, screams of agony echoed towards nothing from night til the next night onwards.
Perhaps, her tears would create a fairy tale ending, and revive her. No such thing.
No such miracle… No such thing…
— Such a thing But at a Price —
It was a miracle or, perhaps, a dream? It didn’t matter.
She was back, back to the beginning , the beginning beginning before she lost it al-
A Grimm interrupted her train of thought.
She quickly disposed of it.
Right.
There were Grimm afoot, many, in fact. She knew that. She experienced that.
There was only one solution, and nothing could stop her, not even Weiss.
She long forgot the last time that she did this but she never forgot the feeling. How could she? It was the solution that she already had, yet was prevented from doing so. Well, no more.
She gathered from within, she no longer needed to recall Maria’s words on how to use them. She knew.
Memories of old. Memories of before. Memories that would be. Memories that should be. Memories of Her.
Their first day. Their first laugh together. Their first hug.
Their feelings of longing upon separation.
Their reunion.
Their tears for each other.
Their journey together.
Their confession. Their first date. Their second date. Their tenth date. Their plans for more dates.
More… She needed more…
Her thoughts went towards her memories of sorrow. The memories of days gone by of wallowing, of tears, of days without Her.
She turned it into Willpower and Determination, to know that if she used her Eyes, she’d never relive those days. Ever again.
Once more, once again, over and over again and again, she relived those memories to ensure a brighter Future with Her. She clutched the ring in her hand…
The world flashed before her.
…
Her vision returned.
Not a Grimm in sight, not here, there, anywhere. She started a pace towards Weiss.
Ah.
That fatigue was starting to hit her but Weiss caught her, always there for her. A gentle smile awaited her when their eyes met.
“That might’ve been the brightest one that I’ve seen yet, how are you feeling?”
She started to call her name, “…Wei-” A cough. Again. “We-” More coughs, dryer than the last. She tried again.
But more coughs awaited her.
Maybe a deep breath would soothe them.
Inhale…
Exha-
Ex-
She couldn’t breathe out, she pushed her lungs out.
exhale
Her throat was feeling phenomenally dry, “Weiss…” But the stare she got back was one of growing concern…
Huh? Why would she be concern-
“R-Ruby, what’s happening to you…?” She pointed towards her right hand.
It was stone. She couldn’t open it, she couldn’t even feel it. And it was spreading fast.
O-oh.
That’s… that’s what she meant…
…
There was one last thing that she needed to say before her life as stone.
She opened her left hand, and showed the ring. She pushed out those words, “Yes, I do, Weiss…” She did! She did it…
She wouldn’t have a Future with Weiss. No, that wasn’t quite right. These next few seconds would be her Future with Weiss but… but that was fine.
Weiss was okay, she was safe, she was breathing, she was… alive.
She convinced herself that Weiss would be able to move on without her, that was the lie that she told herself…
—❄ elbmurC ❄—
Ruby Rose was a dolt. The doltiest dolt that could ever dolt. A dolt so dolty that she had never heard nor seen a more doltishly doltier dolt in her entire life. She’d put every past, present and future dolt that had and would ever exist shame.
You were supposed to ask the other person if they wanted to marry you, then wait for the response: “Yes, I do,” not the other way around! And not even goodbye kiss!
…
But she couldn’t say that to her. Not to a lifeless statue.
Oh, she checked, she double checked, quintuple checked, centuple checked and once more for good measure. A pulse, a breath, a sign of life, a sign of…
Anything.
But there wasn’t. There just wasn’t. It made no sense, Ruby never had any serious repercussions from using her Eyes before but now… It was the worst one of all. She ended up just like the Grimm. And the Grimm that used to surround them? Gone, as if they had never been there in the first place.
She clutched that ring in her hands, she swore that she could feel a soft tempo beat from it.
Tears escaped from her, she made no resistance. Long since had she thought that tears were for the weak. No, tears had their use. They provided release, a physical manifestation that was her moment of reprieve.
Perhaps the tears that dropped against the dry stone would rehydrate it- revive her.
…
Unfortunate.
Maybe she could try again. Maybe, Ruby could feel her tears from beneath that stone, pop out of the stone, just fine, as always. Maybe, it was just like that time in the Ever After.
…
Unfortunate.
Maybe Ruby could hear her shouts, her screams, her cries.
And so, she cried out, cried out more and more and more until her voice could no longer give, then, she gave out more.
Perhaps, she would hear it this time.
Perhaps, she would hear it this time.
Perhaps, she would hear it this time.
…
The statue was starting to shake and rumble.
She- she did it! Ruby was about to reveal herself under the stone, it would fall to ground, and her Rose would unveil herself!
Cracks were starting to form on the statue, more, more, more.
And her arm fell off. Crumble-
What?!
N-no. NO. NO. NO.
This wasn’t supposed to happen, there was supposed to be one under all of that stone!
She had to do something, she had to slow this down, she needed more time!
She-
She grabbed Myrtenaster, checked the chamber-Lightning dust.
Desperation breeds new ideas, untested, un-experimented ideas that could catastrophically make things worse, she’d never tried this before but just because she’d never tried didn’t mean that it wouldn’t work. And besides,
What did she have to lose- herself? There was no Future without Ruby Rose.
She concentrated, poured her Soul into it, if she failed, Ruby was gone.
The temporal Glyph engulfed them, shining brighter and brighter, brighter than the now-sunkissed snow.
Ticks of tocks sounded from the clock, the hands that normally moved forward started to stutter. At first, the hour hand, then came the minute, the second.
The ticks and tocks chocked to a stop.
She-she’d done it! Complete temporal stasis the clock-
-with tocks of ticks started to rock, the hands on her Glyph started reverse, slow at first, then faster, then faster more, even faster until-
Blinding White.
Shining White.
Just White.
Where-
Where was she? A-and where was Ruby?!
She searched…
But there was only a white void, even whiter than the previously used Glyph, she had only had the ring to remind her of Ruby.
And that force- That indescribable force of 10,000 one hundreds pushing and pulling her back. She attempted to resist it, no matter how familiar wherever she was being sent felt. But it was only an attempt, not an accomplishment, try as she might, she had no landmark-if she was even on land-to even know if she was even resisting in the right direction. And the allure… It was like she was a Butterfly to a Flower.
It appeared that she’d have to find out where she’d end up before she could escape back to where she was.
She kept her eyes wide open to face whatever awaited her.
— First time at a Second Chance —
She was back, somehow, it seemed to be that Glyph, she didn’t know how, she didn’t know that it was possible but she was back. Back to the beginning of the battle. Back to when Ruby was alive.
She knew what she needed to do.
They stood back to back of each other, “Ruby! Whatever you do, don’t use your Eyes!”
“What? Why shouldn’t I?”
“Because you’ll turn to-”
She was cut off by a stab.
“...stone, R-Ruby…?” She turned back to see a red cape billowing in the wind…
And a head of black hair hanging slump.
A lifeless body completely punctured through by the most titanic Alpha Beowolf that she’d ever seen in her life. It bore all of the same markings and features of a normal Alpha but its sheer size…
Did-did it break through Ruby’s Aura in one blow?! How even- And Ruby wasn’t fast enough to dodge it?!
Just as quickly as she’d gotten her back, she’d lost her just as quickly.
The Alpha stood there, voraciously admiring its victory, completely ignoring her. She… She needed to escape, use that Glyph again, have a first time at a third chance. If she was dead, both of them would be dead. She’d get revenge on it. No. Matter. What.
…
She concentrated, poured her Soul into it, if she failed, Ruby was gone.
…tocks of ticks started to rock…
— The Infinite Apoptosis of Ruby Rose —
They’d defeated the Alpha, without Ruby’s eyes…
It took longer than it should’ve, she made sure to give it a thorough cremation, unworthy of any ceremony, she could finally tell Rub-
Two more popped up in its place, along with even more normal Beowolves.
No matter. They’d fight through them, they’d fight all of them.
…
Just how many were there?!
…
Again,
…
This time around, they’d had their complete and utter attention on Ruby, no matter what she did, they ignored her,only focusing her Rose, like vile rats to a nest of valuable treasure.
…
Once more.
…
Turbulent Wind dust to send them crashing into each other.
As if through undivine intervention, any Grimm that was sent flying just happened to land right next to Ruby.
Head and body completely separated, the base completely stagnant, the head caught up in the dust-created tornadoes.
…
A wall of Fire dust to deter any from approaching them.
She thought older Grimm were supposed to have better senses of self preservation. Instead, They ran straight through, completely on fire, right towards Ruby.
The smell of burnt roses made her sick to the stomach.
…
Ice dust to completely freeze them in their places.
No such luck, for every one that they froze, another just appeared, running straight through the previously frozen blocks of Grimm, right towards Ruby.
It didn’t get easier to watch this sight.
…
Her Summons fared well for a time, she even managed to bring forth some of the gargantuan Alphas.
Yet, just as easily as Ruby, they were quickly dispersed.
A mockery is what they made of her corpse.
…
She desperately tried to get their comms to work.
But they were alone, in this forsaken place, abandoned by all, watched by none other than the embodiment of hatred and contempt.
None watched as her Rose’s petals were torn limb from limb.
…
This time, they tried running away.
Through the thick and expansive black forest, they saw light. Hope.
But Hope kept being snatched away from them.
Endless nightmare, endless haunt, endless loop, they got one centimetre closer with each attempt. But every attempt made it feel as if the forest grew one centimetre deeper.
She knew the definition of insanity, and yet, she still pressed forward.
…
Running away didn’t work. It was foolish to ever think that it would. This very world was against them. One inconveniently placed tree root too many told her that.
It seemed that they would have to face these Monsters head on.
…
Live again.
Die again.
Once again.
…
Had Fate ordained Ruby Rose to die? Was she preprogrammed to die? Was it Salem’s post-mortem revenge? Had the God of Darkness suddenly decided to come back to take revenge against them for slaughtering so many of His “precious” creations? Had the God of Light decided to come back to remove His own remnants of magic leftover in the Silver Eyed Warriors for the sake of balance? Were they just unlucky?
But surely, after a series of unlucky circumstances, a singular piece of good luck would meet them.
Fate was against them.
More attempts. She just needed more attempts.
…
Had it been days? Years? Millenia since she started these loops?
Or had her perception of time been that warped?
Perhaps, she was just going insane.
— The Swan Song of Weiss Schnee —
Tired. Far, far too tired. Not physically, just… just everything else.
This would be the last one. Perhaps, there’d be an afterlife for the both of them. Maybe, they’d be sent to the Ever After, reborn anew but still together. It mattered to her a lot if she could continue to be alongside her Beloved beyond this life and forever after. Past death do they not part. However, there'd be no way to know until this was all over. It truly frustrated her to not be able to know the answer.
She found herself at the beginning, she knew that it would be her end. But… just one last time, she would fight this one til the end.
…
“Ruby, whatever you do, don’t use them, under any circumstances, at all!” She suspected that she’d said this, at least, four thousand four hundred forty four times.
“W-what? Why shouldn-” Many times, Ruby asked her why she shouldn’t use her Eyes. Of course, why wouldn’t she? To suddenly have your other half tell you not to use your literal god-given gift that could easily solve the predicament that you were both in would’ve also stumped her. On some loops, Ruby would look like she was about to ask her why but suddenly keep it to herself. Sometimes, it would be because of Grimm, other times, she suspected that Ruby could see the desperation in her eyes.
“Just trust me, pleas-” Every time she tried to tell Ruby about the drawbacks of her Eyes, she’d be stopped, whether it’d be because of a Grimm killing her Rose off before she hear the word or she’d be cut off by a stray attacking her, just like this very moment. There were even a couple of times that she tried to tell Ruby about her journey through time, the same as above transpired.
…
Now, the physical exhaustion was starting to set in. This had been the longest that Ruby had survived, after all. And they were approaching new things that she hadn’t seen before.
It looked like Ruby was the one to suggest that they run this time, “It… it won’t work,” it never did, she didn’t have an explanation for it, either, “It just won’t, Ruby, I…”
She closed her eyes, this might’ve been the first time that she did in centuries. The upper limit of her exhaustion was coming up, was she truly ready for this final song and dance? To finally finish this unquantifiably long nightmare? Sign their death certificates, and see what lies beyond?
Yes. This shall be her grandest performance to end off this long night.
“I’m sorry.” Truly and earnestly, she was.
crescendo. Crescendo. CRESCENDO.
She brought forth her symphony of summons from everywhere across Remnant under the Sun and broken Moon. Everything from the moment that they met until now. They were the culmination of everything that she’d been through-that they'd been through. From their very first Nevermore to their very last Hound. She was proud to even say that it far and away surpassed whatever Salem could ever dream to conjure up.
Her Heart hammered.
Pianissimo. Piano. Forte. Fortissimo. Fortississimo.
Fire, Ice and Wind erupted with a wand of her rapier, scurrying about the battlefield, catching the infernal things within her grasp. Fireworks had no quarter when compared to what she was casting
Her Lungs screeched.
She would no longer be needing to conserve the lightning dust for any potential time travel. Now, she was free to use it for its original purpose. Her dance, the greatest show that she’d ever done before. Basic fundamentals formed the backbone and support of her most advanced techniques. Her most magnificent flight.
Her Aura cracked.
A most beautiful display of Grimm dust that caked the midnight sky, her prowess being the only light within.
Ah. Perhaps, there never was a light to begin with, perhaps, she had to make their own.
…
Not one in sight. Not a single one. Not here, nor there, nor anywhere. Was it a dream? She had to make sure, “...Are they gone…? All of them…?”
“Yes, Weiss! You did it-” She collapsed, a chill usurping even the coldest days of Atlas overtook her. Luckily, her girlfriend caught her.
Ah. It truly was her last performance, it looked like it was all catching up to her… But she was happy. At last, she’d done it. Ruby was safe.
“N-no… don’t… i-instead promise me something.” Maybe… maybe Fate wasn’t meant to be conquered but, perchance, was it circumvented? In exchange for her life, Ruby could live hers? Was that what Fate wanted? A life but not a specific one? If so, it seemed that this life wasn’t hers to live but… that was fine, she’d give her life to Ruby
“W-what…?”
“Never… use your Eyes…” She had to make sure that Ruby would never use them, ever again. It didn’t seem like she had enough time to explain but she knew that Ruby would keep well on that promise, even if she never explained herself.
A nod, “Good…” Now then, to correct her mistake. She summoned a few faint specks of her strength to bring out that ring.
“I’ll… show you h-how it’s actually done… Ruby Rose, will you marry me…?”
“W-Weiss, I…” She summoned the last remnants of her strength to kiss her Beloved… It was warm. Very warm. At last, a moment of reprieve after the long nightmare.
But the cold reclaimed her.
Ah, it didn’t seem like she was going to hear the answer, but… no matter, she knew that Ruby would say, “Yes,” and that was enough. That was a good enough lie to tell herself.
— Serpents Eventually Choke —
Blinding White.
Shining White.
Just White.
The two were pulled and pushed back to a familiar time and place. Both just barely missing each other. Both sacrificed themselves for the other. How long had this serpent eaten its own tail? Neither knew, neither was even aware that there was a snake. But every loop was still different. Not on that patch of snow on the land of Patch. No, it was that path. That path that led them back there. All roads on that path led to the same destination. But some roads were closer than others. Each consecutive loop had the other traverse on paths closer and closer to each other until…
— 🌹❄ Reunion/noitailicnoceR ❄🌹 —
White
Ruby couldn’t believe it but she did. She saw a speck of White despite the white void, and it felt familiar, she knew this better than whatever that familiar sense. She forced herself towards it, Petal Bursting her way towards Her.
Red
Weiss could see it: a faint speckle of Red amongst this empty void. So long had she been in this loop that she saw nothing but white. But there it was, Red, and she knew this Red. She resisted against this force harder than she’d done before, even more than her first meeting with it. She made her way towards Her.
White met Red.
Ruby met Weiss.
“Ruby/Weiss!” They two embraced each other within this empty path. Through joyfully tear soaked words, the two of them repeated each other's names to reassure that neither was hallucinating. They continued this for time unknown until they held each other silently.
Weiss finally broke the silence, “Ruby, h-how are you here?” How could she here, as far as Weiss knew, Fate ordained Ruby to eternal death, and she was fighting against that very thing. So then, how was she here?
“I… I don’t know, Weiss, I was just lying in that snowfield when I suddenly found myself here.”
“Snowfield? What were you doing there? Wait- What about the Grimm?! That place is supposed to be teeming with hordes upon hordes of them. Don’t tell me…You used your Eyes, didn’t you? Please, please tell me that you didn’t use them!” She clutched Ruby by arms, both to make sure that she wouldn’t drift away and to check for any stone.
“N-no, I… I haven’t used my Eyes since… since you… ”
“I…? I what? What do you mean?”
“W-well… you… you had this big finale, dust, explosions, summons, you did it… you beat all the Grimm but…” The words could barely escape, she didn’t want to say them, admit them, maybe this was still all a part of the nightmare, if she said this, would this manifestation of Weiss disappear from her view? Would she wake back up on that snowfield that she cursed yet cherished so dearly…?
She grasped those warm hands even tighter… were they actually warm?
…
Yes. They were actually warm, planting her cheeks against them proved it to be so. This was probably reality, “... you died… from exhaustion, blood came out from everywhere but… the Grimm disappeared, Patch remained Grimmless since that day.” The words were out and Weiss hadn’t disappeared, this really was reality.
The answer immediately came to Weiss, “Then, I’ve found my solution, the answer to this nightmare, this ‘force’ that’s pushing the both of us leads to that very night just when the Grimm started to gather… even if it will cost me my life, I’ll do it… you matter more to me than my own, after all.” It always did.
“What?! No- Weiss please- I… I’m nothing without you,” more tears began to string from her face, this time of frustration and panic, “A-and what’s even stopping me from using my Eyes? Every other time I used them, I only felt a little tired after using them, that’s it, so why?! D-do I turn to stone, or something?”
“... Yes, you turned to stone minutes after unleashing your Eyes on the entire snowfield… and then you started to fall apart.” She motioned towards Myrtenaster, “My attempt at using a reversal of my Time Dilation Glyph to prevent you from, literally, falling apart led to me traversing through… whatever this place is,” Stone? Stone?! What kind of ironic drawback was that?!
“This never happened before-”
“Well, it happened this time, and speaking of, how did you even end up here?”
“Uh, um… honestly, I don’t even know, one moment I was… uh… lying with Myrtenaster and your ring, the next, I was here.” She really didn’t want to tell Weiss about the state that she was in after her passing.
“... Lying with Myrtenaster?” She knew that Ruby still carried a quirky obsession with weapons but to cling onto Myrtenaster after her passing seemed… unhealthy, ”... Just what happened to you after my death? And by ring…” She pulled out the ring, it seemed to be pulsing brightly, “do you mean this one?”
“W-wait, Weiss, how do you have one, too? They didn’t find anything else on you after you died.” She pulled out that ring, as well, the two rings were now beating in sync with each other.
“Hmm… Could it be…?” She pondered in silence for a moment, “Could these rings…?” This was a great leap in logic but it felt like the only answer that she could come up with that didn’t involve anything with the Ever After, “Ruby, what was the state of Myrtenaster?”
“It was weird, Weiss, it was like Myrtenaster was frozen in time, it never got dirty or rusted but the only noticeable thing was some leftover lightning dust in the chamber.”
“Then, perhaps… perhaps due to me consistently using Myrtenaster as a conduit for my reversed Time Dilation Glyph, it absorbed the remnants of said Glyph, leading to the predicament that you currently find yourself in. And these rings… These rings are actually the same one, just at different points in time. You retrieved your ring from my corpse, travelled back in time, at which point, I received the very same ring after you turned to stone. It seems… it seems that we’ve been trapped in some unending loop. I die, which causes you to time travel, and die, which causes me to time travel.” Honestly, it all sounded insane, how long had they been trapped in this infinitely recursive loop?
“Then… then, how do we get out of this loop, Weiss? How long have we been repeating this cycle?”
“I don’t know, Ruby… I just don’t know. I’ve been trying to find a way to fight against Fate. It would appear that Fate has ordained you die unless I took your place. Previously, I’ve been repeating the same several hours for… Well, I doubt even the Brothers would know, perhaps Jinn but it’d be a long story.”
“Weiss… you should’ve just let me die… continue on with your life-”
“Oh, don’t you start talking, Ruby Rose, you know full well how much I love you, I could never even think of living a life without you.”
“...Really…?”
“Of course, you d-… My Rose” Ruby’s face reddening brighter than bright.
“Then… what do we do…?” It was back to that question, that was all she could really ask or say.
“Once again, I… I don’t know, maybe you could talk more about what happened after my death? Perhaps, that could jog up some ideas?” It was a long shot, and to be honest, she was both prolonging this conversation and somewhat curious what happened after her death, especially with how Ruby was doing.
Uh, oh. This was the one thing that she didn’t want to talk about with Weiss.
Well… She’ll just do it one step at a time. Anything to delay talking about herself.
…
She ran out of things to talk about that weren’t about herself.
…
She was hoping that through the silence that she’d created, Weiss wouldn’t have noticed that she never brought herself up.
“...And yourself? What about you, Ruby, what did you do after my death?” It was worth a shot…
She’d have to tell the truth, she didn’t want to lie to Weiss, and neither did she want to, “Umm… well, I… I never really left Patch after that night, I… haven’t done anything, the days kind of just passed by, the world was probably moving while I froze in place. Most… most days I’d visit that snowfield where you died and… lie there, close my eyes, relive my memories with you… One time, I’d lied for a week, Yang and Blake had to practically drag me back to civilization and get me some food, which barely even tastes like anything… They check on me often but… I’ve been lying to them about being fine…”
It was kind of relieving to spill her heart to Weiss, even if some water works were starting to spill, “The truth is… life stopped having meaning after that night, I… I can’t live in a world without you, Weiss, I just can’t, no matter how much I tried, it just didn’t work… I’m sorr-”
An embrace, kind and gentle as always, it felt extra warm this time, actually, “You… you complete and utter dolt! Take better care of yourself! There are other people beyond me that care about you!”
“W-well, don’t sacrifice yourself in some grand finale next time! At least, I had the excuse of not knowing what would happen if I used my Eyes! I love you more than you could ever know,” She was pouting at this point but she didn’t really care, wrapped in a hug with her Beloved, there was nothing else that she cared about in this world.
“...Then, let’s agree to never sacrifice ourselves for the other, promise to live together, die together and continue to love each other beyond.” Another stream started to flow from Weiss but she didn’t care.
“Promise… seal it with a kiss?”
“Of course.” A long one followed, the two felt every sensation, every smirch, every bit of warmth, everything…
…
The light from rings were starting to get really bright, it interrupted and broke their kiss, “Geez, these things are getting bright, they sorta remind me of my Eyes-Wait a minute-Weiss! This is gonna sound crazy but… but I think these rings are our way out of this loop!” She was almost jittering with excitement, “I think these rings are the key to escaping this loop. The light from these rings is just like my Eyes, what if… what if they absorbed some of my power throughout all of these loops?”
“That’s… that doesn’t sound all that insane, considering what happened with Myrtenaster, perhaps, these objects were able to absorb bits of our souls throughout the long journeys that we both went through… but how do we activate them?”
Ah. “Uh… well, I don’t think I’ve figured that out, yet.” Oops.
“Hmm… Let me… let me try something…” She pulled Ruby into another kiss, the rings starting growing brighter, however, not as bright as if Ruby used her own, “I see… it would appear that these rings operate on the same mechanics as your Eyes, although, seemingly requiring even more, um… ‘passion’ than your Eyes, and from the both us, rather than just yourself”
“But we both already love each other as much as we can and you’ve never tried to use my power before, will we be able to do it when we get back to that moment?” Not that she doubted their love for each other but they only had one shot and it took her a year to properly get her Eyes to work on command.
“...I have an idea.”
— The Day She Said, “Yes” —
They were back to that night-they had held each other’s hands while traveling through that time travel ‘tunnel,’ just to make sure that they’d both end up in the same place… and to just to be able to feel the other’s touch.
The same remnants of the moon floated above them, the same snow, the cold air, the same howls.
They were approaching…
“So, um, Weiss, what plan did you have in mind? You kind of just gave me a, “You’ll see,” answer when I asked, then you took the rings, and then we ended up back here, not that I don’t trust you, or anything, it’s just that-” And more were fast approaching, she turned around and could already see those huge Alphas closing the distance, “-they’re running here pretty fast.”
She turned back to see…
Weiss kneeling on the ground with one leg, “Ruby Rose, since the moment I met you, I’ve had little thoughts other than you on my mind, you’re the light of my life, I can neither dare nor am I able to think of a Future without you by my side. You are someone that I want by my side for the rest of my life and beyond after that…” She pulled one of the silver rings, “Ruby Rose, will you marry me?”
Elation reincarnate filled her, “Yes! Yes! Of course, I… I’d love to spend the rest of my life and beyond with you. And I love you, Weiss Schnee.” The ring slipped onto her finger, Weiss slipped on the other, and she got up.
They kissed. And oh, was it a kiss.
Gentler than any other that the two had had before, yet it was more sensitive than either of two had ever experienced before. They cherished it but they knew that this one wasn’t their last-it was the first of many. Despite that, they kissed as if it was their last. They cherished every bit, every feeling, every millisecond, their love for each other grew more and more. The cool of the air could only dream to pierce the little World that they had found themselves in. Just they, themselves and them within their own little world. Ruby had Weiss and Weiss had Ruby, nothing could separate them, not even Fate itself. It could try, it could even attempt but it would never do.
…
When they, at last, released themselves from each other, they found the snowfield empty. Not a Grimm in sight, not here, there, anywhere.
“Weiss, it worked! We did it- Weiss…?”
Weiss was silent, her face starting to turn up several shades of her own name. W-was she getting a fever?! Was she suffering from the side effects of using her Eyes?! Was she-
“Ruby, I want another kiss.”
“Of course, Weiss, of course…”
— It's Like a Movie, but There's Not a Sad Ending —
The hall was decorated and adorned with all sorts of ornaments that featured flower and snowflake decorations. A serene white aisle centred down the middle.
The hall was filled with their friends and family, Team OR_J, _F_Y, SSSN+N, Pietro Polendina, Taiyang Xiao Long, their professor at Beacon, Qrow and Raven Branwen, Willow and Whitley Schnee, Kali and Ghira Belladonna, Illia, everyone important to them was there. Blake, Nora, Coco and Velvet were the bridesmaids.
It was a day of celebration, a reward and a day of love for the two that overcame Fate, itself.
“Y’know, if I went back in time, and told my younger self that my niece would be shagging a Schnee, I’dve shot him on the spot for saying something so unbelievable and unrealistic, heck, my younger self would’ve believed me if I said that she’d defeat Salem but not the former.” Was one quote that a certain aging Crow had said before swiftly having a sword pointed at his neck… another one of their battles had ensued after that, they were lucky that Glynda had arrived at the venue a day in advance.
…as well as the entire Beacon faculty to even separate the two. As it turned out, Remnant hath no fury like a Maiden scorned and that not even sobriety could silence a Crow’s tongue.
…
The ceremony was starting.
The Rose and Snowflake walked down the aisle together, both adorned in gleaming white dresses that reached down to the floor, dazzled with accents of red and white flowers and jewels. They each held bouquets of white rose and each one was accompanied by their respective sisters as their maid of honours,
They saw Maria Calavera at the end of the aisle. As it turned out, through circumstances and means that she explained as, “One the many tales that life took me through,” Maria happened to have all of the qualifications and certifications to act as a marriage officiant.
They finished their walk, and handed their bouquets off to their sisters.
“I would say that I’m surprised that I’m making use of this officiant certificate, again, but I’d have six lien if I counted the amount of times, including this one, for the amount of times that I used it, so, I’m not so surprised anymore.”
“We are joined here today to celebrate the union of two very fortunate ladies.”
“I’ve had the pleasure of personally training and watching these two grow from wet behind the ear huntresses into two of Remnant’s greatest Huntresses and Heroes, I’d shed a tear if my eyes still could.”
“Though Fate constantly challenged these two, tested them and tried to break them, neither ever succumbed, neither ever faltered, these two have triumphed over that which even the greatest in history could only imagine of conquering.”
“With all of that said, I’m going to ask some questions, one last test, if you will, just from an old lady to see if the both of you are truly committed.”
They nodded.
“Do you both choose each other to be partners for life, through only death shall you part?”
“We don’t”
“Oh?”
“We’ll be with each other past death, and into the next life”
“Well, I’ll say that I’ve never heard that one before but great answer, nonetheless”
“Do you both choose to support each other, through thick and thin, though the world and passage of time may challenge you at any moment’s notice?”
“We do.”
“Do you both love and trust each other at this very moment, the next moment and whatever may lie beyond now and until then??
“We do.”
“And now, these two are going to share some vows that they personally wrote for each other.”
“Weiss Schnee, from the moment that I met you and still to this very moment, I have thought of you as the most beautiful person that I have ever met. Your will has been tested over and over, and no matter what has crossed your path, you have always triumphed over it. Ever since I met you, for every time that I’ve felt down or almost lost myself, you’ve always been there for me as my guiding light. For that, I want to thank you and say, “I love you.””
“Ruby Rose, from the moment that I met you, I knew that you were someone one-of-a-kind, and though I found that out in more ways than one, I could and will not say that I have ever shared a moment with you in which I have not regretted it. You are the bravest, most kindhearted person that I have ever met, for every time that I've faltered, you’ve always been there to lift me back up. There is no Future without you, and though I have never tried to imagine a Future without you, I know that I would never be able to. I want you to know that I love you.”
“I would now like the present the rings”
These were the very same rings that had saved them and allowed them to conquer Fate, and though they never knew what brought them into existence and though standard practice called for a different set of rings to seal their wedding, neither could think of a better symbolic or material piece for each other.
“These rings are a symbol of eternal commitment. They shall intertwine and seal you two together as one from now and for the rest of forevermore.”
“By the power vested in me, and by the strength of the love that you two share, I now pronounce you Wife and Wife.
“Ruby Rose-Schnee and Weiss Schnee-Rose, you may kiss each other!”
And so, they did, oh did they so. A kiss seen by all, heard by many, cherished by them. There was nothing that could separate the two, whether it be Man, King, God, or other extraneous forces. The two see beyond the end with each other, hand in hand, side by side, time ever after immemorial.
This story has a happy ending but it is not their last, it is not even their second or one thousandth last, so long as these two had each other, their tales would never end. It can’t, it’s impossible. Not even Fate could ordain so.