What Remains ~ RWBY

Part 2

Ruby's P.O.V.
When you pray for something for so long, listen to people tell you it's hopeless for so long, hold onto something that everyone else had given up on for so long, it's almost impossible to process when it finally comes true. The world around me is a blur of white, the tears already flowing. Three months of coming to this hospital every day while the doctors shook their heads like it was pointless. For a second I'm scared I've forgotten how to move, but I am already running. Dashing past patients and nurses alike, not even bothering to mutter my apologies as I trip and stumble over my own feet. I count the room numbers as I pass them. 72, 89, 94, 95...

96. I stare through the small glass pane on the door and hold my shaking hands to mouth. His eyes flick to mine. He smiles.

Slowly, I turn the door handle and let it creak open.

"Hey," he says quietly.

I stand there trembling, my bottom lip quivering like a child. He sees me crying and his eyebrows crease in worry.

"What's wrong?" he asks.

Of course he'd ask me that. So typical of him to check on everyone else first, even after being in a coma for three months. Without thinking, I walk in and sit on the edge of his bed, fixing my eyes on the crisp white sheets. For a moment, we sit there together in silence.

"I came to visit you everyday you know," I say quietly.

"The doctors told me. Thank you," he replies.

"Did they tell you how long for? Three months Oscar. Three." I shake my head, "God why did you have to be so stupid?"

Oscar reaches out to touch my arm but I pull away, finally looking him in the eye.

"Hey, I'm sorry." He says, "I know what I did was reckless, but I'm okay aren't I?"

"But you couldn't have known that!" I cry. All the pain, all the hopelessness, all the loss of the last three months was coming to the surface. And all I could think about was the moment he left us, left me. "You had no idea whether or not you'd live! But you went through with it anyway."

Oscar sighs, "Ruby there wasn't an option. Salem had to die, and we knew that would mean killing Ozpin in the process."

"We could've found another way," I insist. Every part of me is shaking, and I cant tell whats anger and whats sadness anymore. "One that didn't involve risking your life!" Somewhere, I know that he's right. We were out of time. The opportunity to kill Salem, to end the war we'd been fighting for so many years, was right in front of us. But just as we found it, we discovered that just like all victories, it would come at a cost. Once Salem was dead, Ozma would no longer have a reason to exist.

"I...I thought you were dead." I stutter, breath catching, "Everyone told me you might as well have been. No one thought that you would survive once Ozpin was gone. Not even me."

Oscar grabbed my hand, "Hey, look at me. I'm okay. I promise. Everything's okay."

I nod, wiping away the tears. His hazel eyes are captivating, but I cant help but notice that they've lost their usual vibrancy. It seems none of us were lucky enough to keep hold of the light we started the journey with.

"Anyway," he smiles. The happy, optimistic expression is back. But now I know for sure that he's not the same as he was. His smile's too wide, his eyebrows permanently creased just a little. "Tell me everything. How is everyone? Are they all okay?"

In that moment I realise that I had completely forgotten to call anyone.

"Yeah, the team's all okay. We live together in an apartment not far from here and Qrow has us cleaning up Beacon until we're ready to get back into huntsmen work. They're all going to be over the moon that you've finally woken up."