“I cant leave her,” Ruby interrupted, pulling away from Jaune. 

“Cinder’s gone-” 

“I can still save her!” 

“You dont have time!” 

“But I have to try!” Ruby watched as Cinder recoiled in pain, the grimm ichor slowly eating away at the last bits of her humanity. “She… she doesnt deserve this.” 

Jaune sighed. “What if there’s nothing left to save?” 

“I wont know until I try.” 

“Alright, just… make sure to return.” 

Ruby nodded and flashed Jaune a smile before handing off Crescent Rose to him. “I’ll be back for her, but keep her safe for me until then.”

“I will.” 

Ruby brought her focus back to Cinder, watching her movements. She picked up a piece of rock and threw it as hard as she could manage at Cinder, her voice nearly shaking as she struggled to keep herself standing. “O-over here!” 

Cinder’s head snapped towards Ruby’s voice almost inhumanly, her neck twisting like the imp grimm that rode the nuckelavee grimm. A scream that sounded like the apathy escaped her lips as she rushed towards the huntress. 

Ruby turned to run towards the entrance of the castle, using her semblance to try to avoid some of the debris that fell around her. As she reformed from getting around some rubble, she felt Cinder slam into her, knocking her off balance and across the stone floor. A scream of pain escaped her lips as Cinder’s claws sank into her shoulders, the sound of bone crunching echoing in her ears. Her vision blurred as tears started to fill her eyes, Cinder’s features starting to fade from her view. 

A bright, silver light left her eyes as she focused on Cinder, her vision fading for a brief moment once the light finally stopped. She blinked as she waited for her sight to come back, her body refusing to move as she strained to pick herself up. Her vision finally came back, eyes catching Cinder’s form curled up next to her. 

“I’m… sorry…” 

The words left Ruby’s lips as she finally lost consciousness, her eyes closing as the last of the castle collapsed. 

—-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ruby stared at the tombstone with her name on it, brushing her fingers along her name etched into the stone. She had watched her own funeral, watched her friends cry over her loss… and yet, all she could do was hide in the shadows and visit her own grave when she was sure she was alone. Or at least sure her friends werent around. 

“You should tell them you’re alive.” 

“I… I cant,” Ruby answered, turning around to face Cinder. “Not yet.” 

“Why not?” Cinder asked, adjusting her cloak to hide her mechanical arm. “Seems easy enough to me.” 

“Because I’m still not sure how I survived myself. And… if I tell them now, it’ll just be… awkward.” 

“So your solution to the awkwardness is to not tell them?” 

“Yes… no… I mean… I dont…” Ruby let out a sigh and sat down on her tombstone, looking up at the sky. “I know I need to tell them, but I’m not ready for the questions they’ll have. Besides, now that everyone thinks you and I are both dead, we can work on your rehabilitation.” 

Cinder rolled her eyes and started to walk off. “You know the longer you wait, the angrier they’ll get when they find out you could’ve told them by now.” 

Ruby got up and started to follow Cinder. “You havent told Mercury or Emerald yet that you’re still alive.” 

“That’s… different.” 

“How?” 

“They’re… better off without me.” 

“Only until you show them you’ve changed.” 

Cinder frowned. “I’m only doing this to prove that you’re wrong.” 

Ruby smiled and used her semblance to rush in front of Cinder. “Whether you see it or not, I’ve noticed you’ve changed. And they’ll see it too when you’re ready to show them.” 

Cinder pushed past Ruby and continued walking. “Why do you have to be this annoying about seeing the good in others?”