An Anon's Journey: Remnant Act 1

Apocrypha: An Iron-Wrought Promise

It all went so fast... Three months passed in the blink of an eye... so much has happened, yet I wouldn't change a single thing. And all of that was thanks to them. I can't thank them enough, tell them how happy they made me, how much they made me love life again...

How much they made me love them with all my heart.

But... I did give them something. Something that, even if I were gone, would remind them of how much I loved them.

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The dorm hallway was quieter than before, as if Blake's sobs chased away any and all noise. Even after she calmed down and thanked him for his support, she did not want to leave his embrace. Flashes from the semester break clouded her mind with a pink mist, and the memories she had just made with him became rosy, as they did when he held her close during that embarrassing moment in their relationship. There was no other way to say it other than she wanted to go further than they did before. Her heart couldn't stop pumping with the same vigour from then. She had sworn off love when Adam became Sienna's pet monster, and yet she couldn't resist the man who had protected her with his body, who was her greatest friend and ally, her partner-in-crime.

The man she had fallen in love with.

But even she could tell that his damaged body needed respite from her tightening embrace. The feline of RWBY let go, timidly playing with a lock of her hair.

"Sorry, I must be getting too clingy." she self-criticized.

Hope merely shrugged, clearly unbothered by Blake's need for physical affection.

"As I said, I'm happy to be of service." he smiled. "I'll be there as long as you'll need."

Blake paused, a flutter in her heart further tinting her perception. She looked away, her face reddening.

"You..." She hesitated. "Do you... Mean it?"

Hope's smile turned into a cheeky grin as he pulled a ring from his pocket. Blake froze, her eyes glued to the piece of jewelry.

"I-is that what I think that is?" She asked, both flabbergasted and desperate to be right.

Hope thinned his smile and closed his eyes.

"No!" He exclaimed cruelly.

Blake deflated, her head hanging in disappointment.

"No, I understand..." She mumbled depressedly. "I'm not good enough to be anyone's wife, let alone yours."

Hope spluttered.

"Oh, please! Neither am I!" He self-deprecated.

He gave her a shitty grin as he poked her with his elbow, eliciting a pout from his kitty friend.

"Besides, neither of us are financially stable enough to get married. That and my gambling habit would make you tear your hair out."

Blake sighed, a small smile across her mouth.

"You really know how to break a girl's heart, you know? My maidenly dreams, dashed by a brooding bad boy!"

Hope's face scrunched in amused disgust as he let the ring fall into his friend's hand. Blake inspected the ring curiously. It was quite similar to Hope's signets, with the same strong, engraved wrought-iron frame. The main difference was the gem encrusted on the face of the ring, a deep purple amethyst set in the shape of her emblem. Her eyes twinkled at the beauty of Hope's gift.