Chapter 21

Just a day after leaving the hospital, Ruby had Pyrrha take her to Patch. Ruby wanted to visit her parents' grave, something she had not done in far too long. She was still not in great health, still weak and confined to a wheelchair. The feeling in her right leg had begun to return, along with some motor control, but it remained mostly inoperable. The doctors said it might get better, but cautioned her not to expect any serious improvement. Ruby was just happy that her art was not impacted. She could still paint, and if she could paint, she could tattoo.

Pyrrha wheeled Ruby up to the grave, then walked back to wait at the car so Ruby would have some privacy. When visiting the place she would have a one-sided conversation with her mother and sometimes even her father, telling them about how her life was going. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she opened her eyes Ruby gasped. Summer now sat atop the gravestone and shadow figures wandered around behind her. The sky had turned a threatening red.

"Hello Ruby." Summer said.

"M-mommy!" Ruby gasped. "But...I thought I was better."

"You are better, Ruby." Summer said. "Just not cured."

"But I thought this would stop." Ruby groaned.

"Nothing's perfect, but things are better." Summer encouraged. "You're not panicking, you know I'm not real, and you know it'll go away."

"I suppose you're right." Ruby sighed. "Or I'm right...or my brain's right...God this is weird."

"Life is weird sweetie." Summer laughed. "Sometimes you just have to roll with it."

"I could do without the shadow figures and red sky." Ruby complained.

"So change it." Summer suggested. "It's your brain."

Ruby closed her eyes and thought hard about how she wanted the scene to be different. When she opened them the sky had returned to a beautiful blue, the shadows were gone and Summer still sat there smiling. "Hey, it worked." Ruby said. "But, you're still here." She shrugged. "I came to talk to you anyway, I guess I'll have someone who talks back for once."

"See?" Summer asked. "Silver linings. So, what's on your mind. Besides me of course."

The pair laughed together for a moment, then Ruby turned serious. "When you were dying, you wrote letters, to me, Yang, dad, everyone you cared about." Ruby started. "You never wanted to say goodbye, you never wanted to give up hope, you never wanted us to be sad. For years I wondered if you did the right thing, if I would have felt better being able to say goodbye, but when standing in your place, I couldn't bear to crush everyone's hopes like that. I didn't want to say goodbye or admit that I might not come back." Ruby paused to compose herself, wiping the tears from her eyes.

"But you had to be prepared." Summer said.

"Just in case, and I'm glad, so glad you did it for us." Ruby continued. "Writing those letters tore me apart, because it was more than just goodbye, it was the end of hope."

"What did you say in the letters?" Summer asked.

"Nora...Nora I asked to keep smiling." Ruby replied. "She's so bright and cheerful. I always loved seeing her at the gym, hanging off Ren, flirting with Yang...Yang would need her smile more than anyone. Ren I asked to pray for everyone's happiness. I don't know if there is a God, but if there is, I wanted my dying wish to Him to be for everyone's happiness."

"You're too selfless for your own good." Summer laughed.

"Penny I thanked, for everything she did for me." Ruby said. "For taking care of me, being my friend, saving me when I was at my lowest. I told her she was as much a part of my family as Pyrrha or Yang."

"She's so nice and cute." Summer observed. "Like a neurotic angel."

"Coco I apologized to." Ruby said. "I couldn't be the little sister she deserved, and my passing would hurt Yang more than anything in the world, and she would be the one left to pick up the pieces. She would have done it. She would have swallowed her tears and never given up on Yang. She truly loves her, and I'm glad to call her my sister."

"I'm glad Yang found someone who could keep up with her." Summer said.

"I told Qrow I was glad he found someone who would put up with him, and thanked him for everything he did for me and Yang after you died." Ruby said. "And I said I hoped for a lot of cousins for Yang to torment. I threw in a bit for Winter too, thanking her for tolerating Qrow, welcoming her to the family, and apologizing for not being there to get to know her better."

"Poor Winter." Summer shook her head. "She has no idea what she's getting into."

"Weiss and Blake...I feel strongly for them, and they do for Pyrrha and I." Ruby explained. "So I asked them to take care of Pyrrha, whatever it takes. To help her recover, to help her get back on her feet...maybe more. There's no one I would trust with Pyrrha more than them, but I'm really glad I don't have to."

"By all means have your fun, but don't risk your relationship by complicating it." Summer warned. "I know a thing or two about that."

"Yang...I told her I loved her." Ruby said. "I told her I was sorry I didn't make it, sorry I was causing her so much pain. I asked her not to blame herself, not to let this ruin her life, but to keep my memory alive by staying strong, fighting, never giving up. That I could never have asked for a better sister, or a better mother after you were gone."

"Tell Yang she's more than kept her promise to me." Summer said. "I guess that just leaves Pyrrha."

"Yep...Pyrrha." Ruby sighed. "That was the hardest one to write. I must have started a dozen times. In the end it was short, shorter than she deserves, but I said what I needed to. I told her I would always love her, as she always loved me. That she should find happiness and love with another someday, someone who can love her as much as I do. I just wanted her to be happy, not let my loss destroy her life. Nothing would have hurt me more."

"When I knew my time was coming, I was scared." Summer admitted. "But not of dying. I was afraid of what it would do to all of you. My fears came true with Tai, but I'm glad you and Yang have found happiness."

"Yeah…and I'm glad you're glad." Ruby said.

"Of course you are." Summer laughed. "I'm just a figment of your imagination anyway." Ruby joined the chuckling. "It's time to get back to real life now. You don't want to keep Pyrrha waiting for too long."

"I didn't want to say it…" Ruby started.

"You obviously did if I said it." Summer smirked.

"This is getting really weird." Ruby said. "But I think I can deal with this."

"Goodbye Ruby." Summer said. "I love you, always."

"I love you too." Ruby said. She closed her eyes and leaned forward as Summer leaned forward to kiss her on the forehead. When she opened her eyes Summer was gone. Ruby turned her wheelchair around. She was still fairly weak and the relatively soft ground fought against her. Pyrrha saw her struggle and approached, wheeling her back towards the car. After helping Ruby in, folding the wheelchair and placing it in the back, Pyrrha took her place behind the wheel and started driving away.

"Feel better?" Pyrrha asked.

"Yeah, that felt good." Ruby replied. "I should warn you though, I had another hallucination. I saw Summer and some shadow figures, and the sky turned red."

"Oh no." Pyrrha groaned. "It was all for nothing."

"No, no, it wasn't!" Ruby quickly cut in. "I knew I was hallucinating. I wasn't scared. When I tried I was even able to change it to make it better. I got to talk to my mom with her talking back for once!"

"But the surgery…" Pyrrha started.

"I know." Ruby cut her off. "It was supposed to stop the hallucinations. But it doesn't matter. I can be happy like this! I'm not afraid anymore. So my brain's a little wonky. I've never been what you'd call normal."

"I guess you're right." Pyrrha said with a sigh of relief. "If you'll be happy...well...that's what's really important."

Pyrrha and Ruby sat at the table, eating lunch. It had been almost a month since Ruby had left the hospital. "Oh, the house plant's talking again." Ruby sighed. "Shut up Gerald!"

"What's he saying?" Pyrrha asked.

"He says your butt looks like a big fluffy marshmallow." Ruby replied.

"Someone's not getting watered today." Pyrrha said with a huff. Just then her phone rang. After a quick glance she swiped across the screen and held it to her ear. "Hey Yang, what's up?" Pyrrha nodded. "That's great! I'll tell Ruby. Keep kicking ass!"

"What did Yang have to say?" Ruby asked, her eyes still locked on the house plant.

"Yang's next fight was just announced." Pyrrha explained. "She's getting a rematch for the title. Apparently her surge at the end really impressed the people in charge."

"Awesome!" Ruby cheered. She looked back to the plant and started laughing hysterically.

"What did Gerald say now?" Pyrrha sighed.

"I know Gerald, I love her marshmallow butt too!" Ruby giggled.

"That's it!" Pyrrha shouted. "I'm going on a diet!"

"No!" Ruby groaned. "I love you just the way you are."

Ruby sat in the front row. It was a valuable seat, the best view for Pyrrha's latest title defense. It was a bit wasted on Ruby, who was far more interested in Pyrrha than the fighting itself, but she was grateful to be able to attend an event in person. It had been too long and she had only been able to this time because it was being held in Vale. Ruby watched as Pyrrha's leg snapped around, her shin slamming into the side of her opponent's head. The challenger stiffened up and fell flat on her back, unconscious. The referee stepped between the combatants and waved to signal the end of the fight.

Ruby, Coco, Nora, Yang and the rest of the gym team lined up at the cage door, waiting for the opportunity to enter. Once the medics were in, attending to the loser, it was their turn and they piled into the ring to celebrate with Pyrrha. Ruby, by now walking with a cane - a fancy wooden one carved with roses that had been a gift from Weiss - stepped off to the side and waited as the official decision was announced. Another win for Pyrrha. She looked as unstoppable as ever with another first round knockout. After Pyrrha was given her belt she did a quick interview, then the team and Ruby were called over for pictures.

Pyrrha stood in the center, championship belt around her waist, the others arrayed on either side. Ruby looked at the camera and smiled, but as it clicked she felt the person beside her move. Then she heard gasps. When Ruby turned to look Pyrrha was down on one knee, a small box with a diamond ring in her hand held out towards Ruby. Ruby gasped, dropped her cane and covered her mouth with her hands.

"Ruby Rose, will you marry me?" Pyrrha asked. She looked more nervous than she had been before the fight, more nervous that Ruby had ever seen her.

"Of course!" Ruby exclaimed. Pyrrha slipped the ring on her finger, and they embraced and kissed.

"This is so beautiful." Weiss said.

"And cliche." Coco groaned.

"My little sister's getting married!" Yang cheered with tears in her eyes.

"Hey Yang, I don't have a ring on me or anything, but how about we get married too?" Coco suggested.

Yang spun around. "You're serious?" She asked. Coco nodded. "I thought you'd never ask!" She leapt into Coco's arms.

"So Weiss…" Blake started.

"Blake Belladonna, don't you even think of proposing to me in such an improvised manner!" Weiss cut her off. Blake sighed with dejection. "But yes in advance."

"Wow, this got way more romantic than I expected." Pyrrha laughed.

"I love you." Ruby said. "And I love everyone here!"

"And we love you." Pyrrha said. "Always."

THE END

But not really. I'm already working on some prequels/sequels to this story that will be posted...eventually. I'll probably throw a hype chapter in here when the time comes. Until then, I hope you enjoyed the ride.

Author's Note: No chapter of anything this Friday. Taking a much-needed day off.