So, I will start with saying that I never really planned to write this. The 'first' chapter was supposed to be the only one, but in between the amazing feedback I received, encouragement from my wonderful beta readers and myself not being able to quite get the story out of my head, this is the result. So a thank you to everyone who favourited, followed or even reviewed the first part, and an even bigger thank you to Shaded122 and TigerCritic again, as without them I would never have been able to finish this. Now, on to the Epilogue.

More than a week had passed since Ruby Rose had fallen in combat, and crimson themed huntress now found herself looking down not only at her mother's grave, but also her own.

Here lies Ruby Rose, huntress, sister, hero & friend.
She fought for those who could not themselves and left this world too soon.
Thus kindly she scatters to join her mother's side.

Still, Ruby did not regret the decision she had made as she had gone into her last fight, as she knew that if she hadn't a lot more people would have died. She didn't quite remember actually dying, only fighting wave after wave of grimm, and how as her aura finally ran out, she was overwhelmed. Everything went black after that and the next thing she remembered is 'waking up' at a very familiar cliffside.

She had known immediately where she was as this place, while holding her greatest sorrow, also held some of her fondest memories. She didn't require the smell of the sea, the idyllic view, or even a look at the now pair of grave markers, she could simply recognise the place from just how much it meant to her. From all the visits to talk to her mother about what had happened in her life and sometimes bringing along her father, her uncle Qrow, her sister Yang or even the one time Weiss.

'Weiss…' The name still made it sting in her chest, Ruby knowing that the way she finally shared her feelings with her partner was in no way fair to the woman she loved. The scythe wielder however just knew she could not have gone through with her last mission, thinking that Weiss would never have known just how important she was to her. She truly hoped that she would perhaps forgive her one day, and that just maybe her cloak would keep her warm and safe, now that she would never get the chance again herself.

While most people would have perhaps lost track of their surroundings, dealing with thoughts like this, Ruby Rose was not a huntress for nothing. She quickly noticed the sound coming from the forest of someone approaching, the rustle of the undergrowth giving them away, but oddly enough also what sounded like heels. Ruby quickly headed for cover by nearby tree, a decisions perhaps silly considering her situation, but she had over the years learned to trust her instincts, and being silly really didn't bother her either.

She looked towards the treeline, a sense of trepidation for some reason sneaking upon her and as the tree line was broken, she knew why. While at first this person might have been mistaken for Ruby herself, her signature cloak hanging on the person's shoulders, the hair would quickly prove otherwise. Weiss Schnee, the one person Ruby would have wished she had one more chance to talk to, was taking somewhat slow but steady steps towards the cliffside and her, and her mother's, grave markers. The red cloak though, was not the only different thing about her partner, as her usual white theme was replaced with a no less beautiful and well crafted black set. Finally, there was the expression on the white haired woman's face, which would usually exude confidence, instead was replaced with a much more solemn expression

She noticed how Weiss' steps started to become shorter as she got nearer to her goal, Weiss seemingly stopping a several steps away from the markers. She could see how her partner's chest expanded with a heavy breath, her fists clenching, before finally she breathed out, opened her hands and took the last few steps towards the place Ruby herself had woken up.

Ruby slowly, and without a sound, crept closer to where Weiss was. Not because she feared Weiss would see her, but because she feared what she would see herself. What kind of pain she may have brought to the person who she only ever wanted to see smile. She kept moving closer, but froze in place as the white haired woman's voice rang out.

"Hello Ruby.." Ruby tensed up "hello Miss Rose" and relaxed again. Her crush's.. no, her love's voice was just as beautiful as she remembered it, though it held a hint sadness.

"I want to start with offering my condolences to you Miss Rose, or Summer as I knew the dolt would have insisted on me calling you, were she still here" Ruby smiled softly at that, she had missed her nickname from Weiss.

"I wish I could have been there to help her, to protect her, but due to the stupidity of us both, I didn't even know just how much of a risk she was taking. I promise you if I had known, I would have been there to fight with her, even it had been the end of me too" Weiss' voice rang out clear and strong, showing she truly meant her words, but Ruby couldn't help but notice how it broke by the end of the sentence.

"But, Miss R- Summer, if it's okay, I'm going to have a word with your daughter." Ruby saw how her partner turned slightly to face her grave marker instead, but also how Weiss' normally proud posture seemed to falter just slightly.

"Hi Ruby.." Weiss voice was quieter, "This is not how I ever hoped or imagined our next meeting would be." Ruby could only agree, "I always hoped, even after missing you at your graduation, or even Blake & Yang's wedding, that life would bring us back together someday. I imagined that perhaps one day you would show up at my office, dragging me along for a hunt, or perhaps just for cookies, or that maybe one of the times when I went to visit Blake & Yang, you'd be there too."

"It wasn't until the day I learned what had happened to you.. the day I got your letter.. that I gave up hope for that to happen" Weiss' words made Ruby's chest ache. Part of her always longed for the same to happen, but yet she had made sure that it never did.

"Speaking of the letter, do you know just how much I wanted to be angry at you? Not only did you keep this much from me, your partner, but when you finally decide to share it with me, it's through a letter!"

"You, Ruby Rose, were the one who insisted there should never be secrets on our team.. secrets between partners.. That as a team we should be able to trust each other. You were the only one I ever truly felt I could share everything with. How I got my scar or even the things I went through growing up… You could have told me anything, Ruby." Weiss took a heavy breath.

"Despite that, what is worse though, what hurt even more, is that it was not even minutes after learning these things, I learn that you died. How can you tell me things like this and then just go and die?!" Weiss voice was rapidly getting louder, and Ruby could see how tears were starting to pool in the azure blue eyes, a situation reflected in Ruby too.

"I didn't want to believe it at first, you dying, the letter, anything really. I thought.. hoped.. that it was a nightmare, and I would awaken to find myself in bed, the day not even having begun. As it became painfully obvious that it was not the case however, I refused to believe you had died." Weiss stopped for a second to dry the tears that were now running down her cheeks.

"You were a prodigy, Ruby, the very best of us. The silver eyed huntress who took down Salem. How could a grimm, or anything else for that matter, have killed you? I adamantly refused to accept it, hiring any hunter or huntress I could to try and track you down. I even missed your funeral, as I felt like if I went, it would mean accepting what had happened" The normally proud woman sniffled, and Ruby had never wished harder that she was able to hug and comfort Weiss.

"I am really sorry for not being there for that, Ruby, at your funeral" Weiss added so quietly that Ruby almost didn't hear.

"It was not until after a visit from your uncle, I finally learned and accepted exactly what had happened." Weiss took another heavy breath. "He took me to see that place.. the place where you died"

The normally stoic woman went quiet after that and Ruby could soon see tears now running freely down her face. She wanted so badly to reach out to her, but she knew she couldn't. Instead a few minutes went by in silence as her partner composed herself. Oddly enough though, as Weiss began to talk again, she had a small smile on her lips.

"I got to meet the people of the town, the people you saved. They told me about just how dire the situation had been and how you had refused to give up. How even through insurmountable odds, you managed to keep the town safe. The mayor told me how they had told you to simply escape with the people that would be able to make it, but how you had said you wouldn't leave a single person behind" Weiss shook her head softly.

"I remember thinking just how that was so like you. Refusing to ever leave a single person behind if you could prevent it." Weiss closed her eyes. "With having learned that, I couldn't be angry at you anymore, but I also couldn't keep denying that you were truly gone. It would be denying the sacrifice you made for all the people who are still alive because of you." Weiss' smile grew wider.

"You are a hero, Ruby, yet again. True, you might not have saved as many people this time as you did when we defeated Salem, but the people of this town won't ever forget you." and neither will I Weiss added wordlessly, though Ruby couldn't hear.

"Before Qrow and I left, we made sure not only that the town's defences were repaired, but also further that they had the resources to be upgraded. Finally as a request from the mayor, there will also be raised a memorial in the town, dedicated not only to you, but to all hunters and huntress' who pay the ultimate sacrifice in protecting those who can't protect themself." Ruby smiled at that, knowing that it must have been Weiss who made certain it was for everyone, just as she herself would have wanted.

"A last thing that remains with me from this visit however is as Qrow and I made to leave, I was approached by this little faunus girl Jade. She wanted to know if it was true that I knew you and if I were a huntress as well. I told her that you used to be my partner, and asked her why she wanted to know. Her response however is what I will remember for years to come.

She told me how she wanted to be a huntress, just like the pretty lady that had saved them, but also that she knew that there was no way for her to ever afford to attend a academy. She hoped that as I was a huntress and that since we help people, maybe I could help her train to become one too." Ruby smiled at the mental picture of Weiss training the little faunus girl.

"Jade will be starting at signal in two years, on a full scholarship from the Rose Foundation, a project I hope you will approve of. The Rose foundation, named so in honor of not only you but your mother as well, will be a scholarship foundation dedicated to helping any aspiring hunter or huntress out there, who because of economical means normally wouldn't be able to attend the academies. It's primarily funded by the SDC, but Goodwitch, Qrow and several of the other headmasters have all already pledged their support for it as well." This time it was Ruby's turn to dry her eyes, as tears rolled down her cheeks. She fully supported Weiss' idea, and was honoured to have it named after her.

Weiss remained quiet for a little, almost as if she was giving Ruby some time to compose herself, even if it maybe just was for herself to do the same, before continuing.

"Still, Ruby Rose, while I can understand and accept your reason for staying to fight, even if I wish more than anything you were standing here next to me rather than who knows where, I struggle much more with how I should deal with what you wrote." Ruby's anxiousness built, expecting that she somehow got to be here as a spirit, just to have Weiss reject her.

"What upsets me more than anything in the letter.." here it comes Ruby thought "is how you kept all this to yourself for so long." huh? Ruby swore she could feel her heart beating faster.
"Not only did you keep these feelings secret from me for so long, but furthermore I can tell just how much it hurt you to do, Ruby. No matter what my answer would have been, we could have worked through it together, you wouldn't have had to hurt so much and we could have had so much more time together."

"You say that you didn't want to stop me from doing what good I could do for the world, but with that decision you took away the best thing I had in my life. After everything we went through together, I really thought you knew you how important you were to me." Weiss emotions were again starting to show in her voice, and Ruby could feel her throat closing up

"You were to one who came to get me after the fall, the one who got me to open up, the one who always believed in me even when I didn't and the one who comforted me when Winter died. I went to the SDC because you inspired me to want to do better, but I didn't want to do it without you, I very much doubted that I even could." Tears had returned to Weiss eyes.

"When I went to the graduation, you were the one person I wanted to see, I wanted your advice on what to do, but you weren't there. I accepted that you went off on a mission, but it still hurt I never got to congratulate you on making your dream come true. Be that as it may, when it started hurting even more was when at the wedding, you weren't there either. I had wanted to see you so badly at that point. To tell you what I had been doing, and to hear how you, my best friend, my partner, were doing. When you again didn't show, I truly wondered if I had done something wrong, even if both Blake & Yang swore that it wasn't the case." Ruby could no longer look at Weiss,choosing instead to look at the ground, the pain evident in both her love's voice and face causing Ruby to feel ashamed.

"I considered so many times tracking you down and forcing you to tell me why you were avoiding me, but still hoped that I perhaps was wrong, and that you truly were just busy, and if not, that you yourself would tell me one day. Instead I settled for keeping an eye on what you were doing. When you completed a mission, I heard of it, when you appeared in the media, it was the same, and I was just happy to hear that you were okay." Ruby could tell Weiss' voice was slowly turning more solemn.

"I thought if anything I still had plenty of time... how wrong I was though. I think that is part of the reason I refused to accept the truth, even if it were staring me straight in the face, because I didn't want to be wrong. I still wanted to have the chance to reunite with you. I wanted to see that smile that could make even the most cold hearted person smile along with you, smell the scent of roses that always followed you around, or simply just to hear you making stupid jokes to try and make me smile. I wanted to hear you laugh, to see you stuff your face with cookies, but most of all I just wanted to hold and be held by you." Weiss was smiling again, though with the saddest smile Ruby ever remembered seeing on the beautiful face of the woman who meant so much to her.

"Having your cloak with with me now, while it was at first a grim reminder of exactly what had happened to you, I have come to appreciate it. It still has your scent on it, and while I doubt I will ever wear it as well as you did, I can see why you adored it." Weiss pulled the cloak tight.

"I promise you, Ruby, that I will take good care of it, and that I will keep it close until the day I see you again." The thought of that warmed Ruby's heart, and she knew she had made the right decision when she sent it.

"Still, if I am going to have something this important of yours with me until that point, I want you to have something as well." Weiss pulled aside Ruby's cloak, revealing her rapier. "You told me once that that weapons are like an extension of ourselves, so I could think of nothing better I could possibly give you in return. So just as I feel as a part of you is now with me as I wear your cloak, I will leave part of myself with you." Ruby swallowed down the sob she could feel making its way up her throat.

She watched as Weiss used the dust of her rapier to first cast a spell Ruby had never seen before, before driving the tip of Myrtenaster into the ground next to her grave marker, something akin to crimson glass, or perhaps rather ice, appearing around it to hold it in place. It was hauntingly beautiful to look at, and Ruby knew Weiss must have put her everything into making this for her.

"The ice around the tip will never melt, and using a new dust, it will also work as a grimm repellent. While the grimm might have stolen both you and Summer from us all way too soon, they won't get to disturb either of you again. You can finally rest, Ruby." Ruby could see Weiss was doing her best to keep a strong facade as she stood there, but soon the tears broke through again.

"I.. I just wish that I could have been there to help you during the fight. That maybe I could have made a difference and you would still be here." Weiss taking a break as more sobbing broke though. "But, Ruby, Summer, I need to go for now. I promise I will be back to see you both again very very soon. Please take very good care of your daughter for me Miss Rose, and again I am really sorry for failing to protect her"

Weiss took a another short step forward and Ruby couldn't help but to move closer as she saw Weiss bend her knees and getting close to the ground, before putting a hand two fingers on her lips, and placing them down on partner's name.

"Goodbye, Ruby, I love you."

Ruby couldn't stop the words that flowed from her heart and a whisper escaped her lips.

"I love you too, Weiss."

"...Ruby?!"

So another 'cliffhanger' so to speak. Again, I'm not really sorry for doing this, but I will also add that I'm done with this story (for now). What this ending means, I'll leave up to your imagination to decide. Thank you again for reading, and please feel free to leave a review.