A/N: I know I said I was on hiatus, but the latest episode of RWBY, man. It made the ending I had planned for my Diablo cross look like Barney by comparison. Poor Jaune, at least he doesn't have it as bad as Shinji. It depressed/inspired me to crawl out of bed and write this. (Fuck California gas stations)

Ruby watched as Salem, the first, and now last Grimm, faded away, ending their threat forever. Now, perhaps, the kingdoms could rebuild. Now, Huntsman and Huntresses would no longer be needed, the stories forever relegated to history and myth. Never again would tearful parents receive word that their child had been sent on a mission, never to return. Or parent, Ruby thought as she dropped Crescent Rose. She tried to stand, but her legs weren't responding. Her hands fumbled to retrieve her scroll, and she began recording. "Dad, Yang..."

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Earlier

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Cinder sent wave after wave of flame towards the young man. His hair had been completely burned away, and his skin was cracked and charred. The only things recognizable were his eyes, which seemed to burn with rage and hatred. Desperately, she backed away from the boy (demon) that approached her one blackened hand clutching a sword, the other burned away. She felt a cold, yet searing pain in her abdomen. Looking down, she saw a sword sticking from her. She gasped as she felt it suddenly ripped upward. Her power poured out of her, the fire engulfing almost all of her senses. Before the world went dark, the thing leaned close, and whispered, "Burn with me."

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As the light faded from Cinder's eyes, Jaune fell to the ground. Despite his burns, all he could feel was cold spreading through his ruined body. Out of the corner of his eye, he thought he saw something, a flash of red. "P... Pyrr..." he croaked out. He could almost feel the gentle touch of a finger on his lips, silencing him. As death took him, he could have sworn he heard someone call his name.

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Even Earlier

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Nora cradled Ren in her arms. They had tracked Mercury to the ruins of Haven Academy, and had fought him in a dilapidated classroom. Ren had told Ruby and Jaune to find Cinder, before charging. In the end, a lucky stab from Stormflower had pierced the ammunition reserves in Mercury's leg, detonating the shells. Mercury had ceased to exist below the waist, and Ren was thrown across the room. Nora had rushed to his side and gasped when she saw his ruined left side, shredded by buckshot. In some distant corner of her mind, she recognized the howls of an approaching pack of Grimm, but her attention was focused on her dying friend. "Ren, stay with me, please! We'll get out of this, right? Then, all the pancakes are on me. Ren? Ren?"

Ren laughed, a chuckle that quickly turned into a bloody cough. "That will be the day."

"Ren! Please don't go! Don't leave me alone! I... I... L... Lo..." Her words turned into choking sobs at the end.

"I know, Nora," he said, his one remaining green eye meeting her gaze. "I know." With those words, his head fell back resting on her lap. For what seemed like an eternity she hugged his body, sobbing uncontrollably. She only looked up when the first Grimm burst into the room, a towering Ursa Major, followed by what seemed an endless horde. Gently placing his body on the ground with a kiss on the forehead, she hefted Magnhild. She looked at the leader of the Grimm, and prepared to attack, tears staining her cheeks. "Boop."

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Atlas, present

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Blake stood facing Adam, his blade at Weiss's neck. "Please, you don't need to do this! It's me you want!"

He snarled, his face twisted in rage, "Oh but I do, dear. She's a Schnee! Her entire life, she has profited from the enslavement of my people. Your people! Besides, I promise that I will get to you soon enough." Blake snapped a shot off at him, but he twisted, making the bullet hit Weiss instead. "Oh my, you always seem to hurt those you claim to care about. Isn't that right, darling," he said as he threw the gasping and twitching girl to the ground. "First me, then Yang, and now you seem to have killed Snow White over there. How tragic." He straightened his mask. "You know, I bet Yang will be devastated when she hears about losing anoth-" His words cut off as he looked down in surprise at the thin blade that had erupted from his chest.

"You shot me," Weiss stated coolly as Adam slumped to the floor.

"I'm sorry."

"Make it up to me by getting me to a doctor."

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One week later

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Yang was pacing, her remaining hand idly rubbing the stump that used to be her right arm. He should be back by now. Unless-no, calm down. Any minute now, he'll be walking through the door with Ruby tagging along. She may be a little worse for wear, but it's not like she's- nope, not even gonna think about it.

"Kid, if you keep that up, you'll wear a hole in the carpet," her uncle said, trying to lighten the mood. She nearly snapped at him, but stopped when she saw his face. He was just as worried about her sister as she was. The duo shot up as they heard a car outside. They ran out the door, but pulled up short when Taiyang emerged, a vacant look on his face. "Taiyang, what's wrong?" He didn't respond. Instead, he brushed past Qrow and walked to one of the rear doors.

"Dad? You're freaking me out here. Where's Ruby?" Yang asked with a tremor in her voice. His only response was to open the door and gently pick up a small, broken figure wrapped in a red cloak. "No..."

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Later

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The funeral was an understated affair. The Atlesian council had wanted to bury her in a massive mausoleum accompanied by a 21-gun salute from the remnants of their fleet. Weiss had even pushed for a statue. In the end, however, it was decided that Ruby would be buried next to her mother's empty grave on that small cliff. Yang couldn't bring herself to listen to the eulogy, her mind mulling over her sister's final words. That's right, sis, you became a hero, saved the world. Just like you always wanted. She glanced around to see her expression mirrored on the faces of everyone else. All the survivors of Beacon were there. Sun stood to one side, looking uncomfortable in his thee-piece suit. Weiss and Blake sat on each side of her. Weiss was wearing black, for once, the dress almost covering up the bandages on her shoulder. To the casual observer, Blake would appear as stoic as ever. Yang, however, could see the tears in her best friend's eyes. Even Cardin was there, in a wheelchair with a blanket covering where his legs used to be.

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The coffin had been lowered down, and each mourner had dropped a single rose into the pit. When it came to Blake's turn, almost as an afterthought, she reached up and removed her bow before dropping it on top of the bed of roses. "I'm done hiding," she whispered.

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Later? Earlier?

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Yang was ecstatic. Her baby sister had not only been accepted to Beacon, she had even been assigned the leader of team RWBY! Speaking of Rubes, is that sobbing I hear? She crept to her sister's bunk, careful not to wake up the other occupants of the dorm. As she approached, she had her suspicions confirmed. Ruby was curled up almost into a ball, sobs shaking her tiny form. "Yang, I'm sorry. Please forgive me. Please. Please!" Quickly, Yang sat on the bed and pulled her sister into a comforting hug.

"Shhh. It's OK. It's just a bad dream."

In a miserable tone that nearly broke Yang's heart, Ruby murmured, "Yeah, just a dream."

P/S: As M. Night. Shaymalan would say, what a twist! The first to guess what happened gets an e-cookie!