You Are My Sunshine

A commission for dasaethelwulf! They wanted some Yang sadness, and I'd actually had this story idea for a long time now. Their request was what inspired me to finally get it out there! The title alone should imply enough.

Of course, it conveniently happened to be right after episode 11 of volume 3 that I got this commission, so I tried to make this fit into the series as well (in the alternate ending). The first chapter begins in a Normal Life AU.

This will work like The Story Of Zwei. You can either choose to read just this part and get the bad ending, or continue on to the next chapter for the good ending. It's up to you.

WARNING for traffic accidents.

Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.

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													You Are My Sunshine

															. . .

The humble little town of Vale had been around for nearly a century now.

It had seen many things, good and bad, exciting and mundane, joyful and sorrowful.

The stories of its people were engraved into the very foundation of the buildings that composed the town, they were painted in the asphalt, and dispersed into the air.

Every day, the people lived their own stories, while breathing in the remnants of others.

Vale had borne witness to many, many stories.

But perhaps none so beautifully tragic as this one.

. . .

. .

.



Ruby was a cheerful, bubbly girl with an easily excitable personality.

Whenever she was around, it was nearly impossible for those around her not to feel energized or eager to throw themselves headfirst at whatever obstacles may have arisen in an effort to thwart their path.

Some people said she had the heart and spirit of a young, innocent child, playfully kept inside the body of a twenty-two year old college student. She loved life in every form, in every sense of the word.

Ever since her mother had died when Ruby had still been very young, she'd learned to treasure everyone around her with a fierce and genuine passion.

She was a very bright girl whenever she was motivated enough to express her intelligence and stay focused, hence her ability to skip a few grades.

Several years ago, during her junior year of high school, she had fallen in love with and confessed her feelings to a long-time friend of hers.

Weiss had always been helping her, since day one.

Sometimes, she could be a bit curt or boastful, and because her family was the richest in town, people tended to either avoid her altogether out of spite, or worse, pretend to be her friend for the benefits of her last name.

Weiss had grown up around both kinds of people.

She'd learned to ignore the former kind and simply let them do as they pleased.

But the latter kind had wounded her heart many times over at a young age, so much so that she'd closed herself off over time. Her sharp tongue and so-called "bitchy" personality were the best defenses she had left to keep the parasites away from her fragile heart.

And yet, it hadn't taken her much effort to figure out that Ruby Rose was never being anything but entirely genuine with her.

Even as young teenagers, Weiss had been able to judge her character, enough to recognize Ruby's heartfelt friendship with her, something Weiss had thought didn't truly exist in this world anymore. She'd decided to trust Ruby with her heart, and eight years later, Weiss had never once regretted that decision.

She and Ruby were still happily together, even despite the distance of their respective colleges.

They were always together during their free time and days home. But days when they were able to be completely alone were somewhat uncommon.

Ruby's elder sister Yang hardly ever let the brunette out of her sight if she could help it.

Because of Ruby's skipping of grades, they'd been in the same levels of school together for most of their lives.

Yang was always looking after her little sister, having taken upon a sort of motherly role for herself after they'd lost Summer. She cared for Ruby when their busy father couldn't, cooking meals, driving her to the park or the movies or the mall, bringing comfort on stormy nights.

Yang was always there, so much so that Weiss tended to make bitter comments about her helicopter-like hovering over her sister's shoulder.

But although Weiss was often miffed that she could hardly even manage to kiss her girlfriend without being observed, Ruby never seemed to mind.

She loved her sister with an unmatched ferocity. It was a different kind of love than the kind she had for Weiss, or for her father or her other friends or Zwei.

Yang was her one and only sister in this life, and nothing would ever be able to change that.

No matter how much time passed them by, no matter how many seasons changed, no matter how far apart they might someday move from one another, Yang would always be her big sister.

They treasured one another, and made it clear to the rest of the community. No one could catch Yang alone somewhere and start up a conversation without her eventually leading it into something like "That reminds me of something Ruby did the other day..."

Her affectionate, near-obsession with Ruby almost made her girlfriend Blake feel as though Ruby were her own sister. Blake knew more about Ruby than she knew about her own girlfriend, she felt.

But that wasn't a bad thing – not at all.

The four of them had attended high school together, and had gotten very close over the years. Blake and Yang had begun dating before Ruby and Weiss had, and while Yang tended to be the caretaker of the entire group, she also managed to make plenty of time to be alone with her girlfriend.

The times they went on dates together were some of the only times Ruby and Weiss could do the same.

Weiss had even come to Blake a few times begging her to keep Yang busy on certain afternoons so that she herself may have Ruby alone for a while.

And every now and again there were squabbles between them, typically over petty things. But all in all, they were like family.

But of course, even some family members kept secrets from others.

--------------

It was while she was in her sophomore year of college when Ruby found out Yang's secret.

Yang had approached her one day, looking bashful and a little nervous, mumbling she had something to tell her.

They'd been sisters for all their lives, so Ruby hadn't even known it was possible for there to have been any secrets kept between them.

But as soon as Yang had revealed hers, Ruby understood.

"Really?" she gaped.

They were presently standing alone together just outside the family home. Ruby's eyes went round and wide as Yang confessed her secret.

With a nervous sigh, Yang ran a hand through her hair, grimacing.

"Yeah. It's true. But you can't tell anyone, Ruby. I mean it."

"Not even Dad?"

"Especially not Dad."

"But-But Yang-"

"He'll find out soon enough. Everyone will. But I'd wanted to tell you first. Y'know, cause you're my lil' sis. This'll be a super special secret we can keep between us for now, okay?"

Ruby's stomach was flipping with butterflies. Yang had just revealed something huge and very personal to her. Ruby had never been responsible for something as major as this before in all her life.

She nodded and traced a cross shape over her chest with her index finger, keeping her voice low.

"But... when do you think you're gonna tell everyone else?"

Yang chewed on her lip for a moment.

"I'm not sure yet. I've still gotta think about when would... be the right time for people to know. It could be a while yet. But at least now you know about it, so if I ever feel I'm gettin' overwhelmed with all this secrecy stuff, I'll come to you, 'kay?"

"Yeah! Of course! I'll help however I can, Yang."

The blonde grinned and reached out to ruffle her hair.

"Thanks, Ruby. I mean it."

From there, they headed to Yang's car so she may drive them to pick up their girlfriends for a double-date.

It was nearing the end of the college spring semester right about now. Ruby and Yang had attended the local college, and had already finished their finals. Blake had one last exam coming up the following week, whereas Weiss' more intense school a few towns away was hitting her with four more.

So they'd decided to go out together today for a group date to take their minds off school for a while.

They picked up Blake first, who sat shotgun with Yang, leaving Ruby to move to the backseat where she'd stay with Weiss.

When they arrived at the Schnee mansion, Ruby scurried up to the front door to knock for her. Weiss appeared a moment later with a textbook under her arm, and Ruby instantly whined and pleaded for her not to bring it along. After another short squabble, Ruby won, replacing the textbook with her hands as she happily led Weiss to the car.

During their temporary absence, Yang and Blake had leaned over to kiss for a moment, so Ruby took the liberty to peck Weiss' lips as well.

At last, the car took off towards the mall for a day of shopping movies, and food.

All the while, Ruby couldn't keep the nagging remembrance of Yang's secret out of her mind. It was tacked to the back, but always something her thoughts wandered to if she got distracted enough.

For the first hour or so of the date, she was almost in a daze of sorts.

The couples split up for a bit for some alone time, to walk around the mall, leaving her alone with Weiss. While her girlfriend's mind was occupied by thoughts of her upcoming exams, Ruby found herself spacing out in her own way.

Part of her wanted to confide in Weiss about this, but she'd promised Yang to hold her tongue.

A few times as they were walking, she got so distracted, she nearly walked into a wall or other people. After the third time, Weiss had to tug her hand and pull Ruby aside.

"All right, what's going on?" she demanded. "I know you're a dunce, Ruby, but this is getting a little excessive. Are you sick?"

Weiss' intense concern quickly pulled Ruby out of her revere.

"N-No, no, of course not! Nothing like that!"

Weiss' shoulders relaxed a little, but she was still seeking answers.

"Then what? Did something happen?"

"Well, uhh..." Ruby had made a vow never to lie to Weiss about anything, so she was struggling with the truth now. "Well, something didn't... not happen..."

Weiss narrowed her eyes.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"I can't tell you!" Ruby piped. "It's a secret, okay? I'm sorry, Weiss."

"A secret?" Weiss' grip on her hand loosened a little in relief. "That's all? Then that's fine, Ruby. Why didn't you just tell me as much? I was worried."

"Sorry. It's just been on my mind all day now. But I'm sorry! It's our date night! I wanna focus on you!"

"Don't force yourself."

"But I wannaaaaa!" Ruby threw her arms around Weiss and pulled her close, kissing her multiple times all over her collar and the sides of her neck, working her way to her cheeks and eventually her lips.

Weiss had to admit she didn't mind the attention.

Ruby stayed on her lips for a long moment, kissing hard by means of apology for being so distracted this evening. When she pulled away, she pushed Yang's secret to the back of her mind for real.

"Lemme make it up to you, Weiss! Let's catch a movie! Remember the theater here has those couch chair thingies so we can sit together and cuddle~?"

Weiss blushed faintly.

"How could I forget?"

So they headed off together to catch the most conveniently-timed film.

As fate would have it, Yang and Blake had decided to do something similar, though it wasn't for the same movie as Ruby and Weiss decided to see. But just like them, the two older girls had no real intentions of getting immersed in the movie.

Yang had an arm slung around Blake's back, rubbing her shoulders softly. Blake leaned against her, wrapping her arms around Yang's stomach and cuddling close. Yang kissed the top of her head, thankful for the more modern design of the theater seats that were without the arms of individual chairs to keep them apart.

Blake took full advantage too, tracing her fingers in idle circles over Yang's shirt, the other playing with her hair. Her objective here was mainly to nap and keep close, and perhaps keep an eye on the movie every now and again.

Yang, too, wanted her main focus to be on her girlfriend.

But she couldn't help thinking about her secret.

She wanted to tell Blake more than anyone, but it would have to wait until the right time.

Whenever she thought about it, her heart began to pound a little more quickly, and her fingers subconsciously started curling and uncurling over Blake's shirt.

The dark-haired girl took note of these things at present and slowly lifted her head, voice kept to a low whisper.

"Yang? Are you okay?"

The blonde swiftly composed herself with a nod.

"Yeah. Just thinkin' about how much I love you~" she cooed, kissing Blake's forehead.

Blake smiled.

"You're too much."

"But not more than you can handle, right?"

"I've handled you for ten years, Yang. Don't underestimate me."

"Good to know~"

They went back to their previous positions, Yang's nervousness now dashed by Blake's caring words and gorgeous eyes.

She'd find out soon enough.

--------------

The final exam week passed them by at long last.

Ruby was up every night with Weiss wishing her good luck and texting her every morning up until the last available second.

Yang ended up driving Blake to campus for her last exam, then took her out to lunch when she was finished.

Before long, graduation was upon them.

Yang, Blake, and Weiss were all going to be graduating this season, while Ruby had just one semester left to complete.

The ceremony was a touching and tearful one.

Ruby watched from the crowds as her sister, girlfriend, and best friend were all called up to receive their diplomas.

They all went out to each that evening, then went back to Yang and Blake's brand new apartment for the night. They'd been saving up for it for a while now, and only recently had they finally gotten it.

Ruby knew she'd miss her sister, but Yang and Blake decided to stay at their family homes for a little longer, only using the apartment on special occasions for now.

And then their newest summer was upon them.

They took on new jobs, Weiss doing work for her father's company, Blake taking on a position at a local school's library, and Yang finding work at a nearby restaurant. Ruby took odd jobs and whatever else she could find, vowing that one day she and Weiss would get an apartment of their own.

For the time being, Ruby and Yang were still living in their father's house together with Zwei. And every day before the sisters would set out for their respective places of work, Ruby would be sure to ask her one question.

"Are you gonna tell the secret today?"

And Yang's response was always the same.

"Not yet."

So they continued about their new lives, calling their girlfriends every chance they got, and often going out for dinner in the evenings. On weekends, the four of them would typically meet up together and have some fun.

As the summer days became hotter, they even decided to all take a few days off from work for a joint vacation down to the shore in upcoming weeks.

So they kept working, kept earning their paychecks, and kept planning and saving up.

It was nice to have something like that to look forward to.

They wanted to savor it as much as possible.

--------------

Before they knew it, the designated date was only a week away, and every day, they were all becoming more and more excited.

Presently, it was a weekend morning when Ruby and Yang were leaving their father's house as per usual, intent to pick up Weiss and Blake for a date. They'd go out for lunch, then spend the night together at the apartment watching movies, playing games, and just overall de-stressing from the work week.

As Ruby followed her sister to the car, she asked the usual question.

"Sooo, is today the day you'll tell the secret?"

She waited for the same old answer.

But to her astonishment, Yang flashed her gaze to the ground and shrugged.

"Not today. But... I was thinking, probably next week. Sometime when we're down the shore..."

Ruby felt her heart leap into her throat, a swell of poignant emotion rising up in her chest.

"Oh..." Tears jumped to her eyes as she hurried forward and threw her arms around her sister. "Really? Y-Yang, are you sure?"

Her sister hugged her back, glad to have someone to hold right now, as she was feeling a little shaky.

"Yeah. I'm sure, Ruby."

Ruby sobbed again and burrowed herself into her sister's collar. Yang shed a few silent tears as well, holding her sister close.

After a moment, they both pulled away, reaching out to wipe one another's tears. Ruby squeezed her once more, mumbling a few words to her. Yang kissed her forehead.

"All righty then," the blonde spoke up, clearing her throat. "Don't wanna keep our girls waiting now, do we? Let's go get 'em."

Ruby followed her sister to the car, a bright yellow Porche, and took her temporary seat shotgun as per usual.

Yang drove them to Blake's part of the neighborhood, letting the car roll down those familiar streets they'd been traveling nearly every day for over a decade.

Soon, Yang wouldn't have to drive down this way as often anymore.

Soon, she'd be living across town, alone together with Blake.

Soon, she'd be able to wake up to her every morning, and fall asleep to her every night.

Just thinking about it even now was making her so excited and jittery. It wouldn't be long now...

They soon pulled up in front of Blake's family home. She was already standing outside waiting for them, dressed in her usual darker, cooler colors.

As soon as Yang had parked the car, she hopped out and opened her arms wide to take her girlfriend into them, kissing her repeatedly. Blake chuckled and kissed back whenever she could to greet her.

Ruby took the time to switch to her seat in the back now, silently begging the two of them to hurry up so they could go pick up Weiss and so Ruby could kiss her, too.

But Blake and Yang were taking a bit longer than usual today with their kisses, long enough so that Ruby had to shout out a little "A-hem!" from the car.

Blake pulled away sheepishly.

"Sorry. Let's not keep Ruby waiting. Or Weiss, for that matter."

Yang licked her lips and sighed.

"Yeah, guess you're right. After all, tonight I can have you all to myself again~"

She took Blake's hand and strolled with her across the lawn, having to let go a moment later to get in the car. Blake now sat in Ruby's previous spot and twisted around a bit to smile a greeting.

"Hi, Ruby."

"Hiya, Blake!" Ruby leaned forward and hugged her friend around the seat as best she could. Blake picked up one of her hands and kissed the back sweetly.

Yang started the car, backed them out of the driveway, and then started off.

Weiss lived a little further away, and they'd need to cross a highway intersection to get to her. So for now, Yang turned up the radio a little bit and rolled down her window to enjoy the breeze.

Ruby wiggled in her seat, excited that soon Weiss would be with her.

"Soooo~" she hummed, leaning back. "Where were we gonna go for lunch?"

"Oh, right," Blake said. "Did we really officially decide yet?"

"Mmm nope." Yang flicked her wrist through her hair to put it back over her shoulder. "But I was thinkin' maybe we could try that new place in the mall. It looks a little fancy, so I'm sure something there will suite Weiss' palate."

"Hmm yeah," Ruby agreed. "You're probably right!"

"We can hope so," Blake chortled.

Ruby pulled out her cell phone to send Weiss a text, letting her know they would be there soon to pick her up.

They made small talk, as per usual, Yang and Ruby singing along to the songs they knew while Blake enjoyed herself just by listening. They followed the roads they always took, rolling to a stop at the bottom of a hill when they hit a red light.

Ruby looked down at her phone as she got a "See you soon!" message back from Weiss.

Blake had reached over to tuck a few strands of Yang's loose blonde hair away from her face.

Just like always.

Just as usual.

The light turned green.

Yang put her foot on the gas slowly, already indulging in whatever the next conversation was.

But something caught her eye.

The pick-up truck was speeding directly at them, clearly without any intentions of stopping. It was all she could do in that split second to react.

She suddenly twisted the wheel with a sharp jerk, spinning the car so that Ruby's and Blake's side faced away from the oncoming truck.

There was a second of panic, terror, realization-

And then-

A devastating impact shook the car, denting the driver's side, shattering glass, toppling them.

They never even got a chance to scream.

The car flipped over once, twice, then three times, each time sending more and more shards of glass raining down on them. Their heads were thrown back, smashing against the backs of the seats as the jarring collision ended as abruptly as it had begun.

Ruby opened her eyes to find them streaming with tears.

She was upside-down, still held into the now-broken back seat by her seatbelt. There was a horrible ache throughout her body, and she didn't even want to look down at herself. She could already see blood...

Loud, blaring sounds were already assaulting her ears. There were other cars screeching to a stop outside, horns blaring, people shouting and screaming, doors slamming.

Gasping, sobbing, she tried to remember how to move her arms. Her fingers brushed over the seatbelt's button and pressed in to release it.

She dropped down, yelping in pain as she landed on what was the hood of the car, where glass was strewn about. Her eyes went up front, her voice choking out a terrified cry.

"Yang?! Blake?!"

A violent cough came from up ahead of her, and Blake's rasping voice soon followed it.

"Ruby! R-Ruby- ack-!" She hacked another cough, struggling to discern her position. "A-Are you okay?"

Ruby dragged herself over to Blake's seat, her stomach heaving as she threw herself over one side, clambering in an effort to help Blake free herself from the tangle of her seatbelt.

Blake yelped in pain when Ruby touched her, causing her to recoil. There was blood on her shoulder and a shard of glass embedded deeply inside. Ruby was shaking so badly she couldn't even do much of anything.

Blake reached out and clung to her as she undid her seatbelt herself, then grabbed for Ruby as tightly as she could.

"B-Blake! Blake-" Ruby sobbed into her friend's good shoulder, coughing over a pain in her chest. "Wh-What hh-ugh! Wh-What happened...?"

"We... we got hit..." she wheezed. "Oh, god, Ruby..." Blake drew her closer, relieved that at least they both seemed to be all right, as far as they could tell.

It was then Blake addressed the final issue.

"What... what about Yang...?"

Ruby stiffened and gasped. She hadn't seen her sister yet.

The seats had been dislodged slightly, and now the driver's side seat was twisted to face the door where they'd been smashed into. Yang was pinned somewhere between.

"I-I don't-" Ruby gasped, peering over her shoulder to try and find any sign of her sister. "Blake, I-I don't know-"

Grunting with effort, Blake forced her legs free from where they'd been stuck previously, trying to keep her good arm around Ruby.

Their gazes were both fixated on Yang's seat now.

They couldn't see much other than a few strands of golden hair.

Ruby tried to crawl over alongside Blake, but her head hurt so much-

"Y-Yang...?" She managed to grab the back of the driver's side seat. "Yan...g...?"

By now, there were sounds of other people outside the car. They were shouting, asking if people were all right, trying to pry the doors open to help get them out. Police sirens were wailing, making for a discombobulating combination of noise.

Ruby fell sideways onto Blake, who held her as close as she could.

"Easy, Ruby..." she panted. "I'll get her."

Behind them, their door was already being forced open as people reached in. Blake turned around, wincing as she pushed Ruby towards the outstretched hands first.

But she needed to see. She needed to know.

She turned back to where Yang was, and with hands covered in her own blood, pulled the seat away.

There was... so much blood.

Blake choked, feeling her stomach gnarl so tightly she nearly threw up.

It was horrific.

Gruesome.

The love of her life...

Yang...

Had she not swerved the car at the last second like she had, it would have Ruby and Blake herself who would've suffered that fate.

Blake tried to crawl forward, wanting just to hold her one last time, just to touch her...

Tears weighted with grief and pain splashed onto the seat, mixing with Yang's blood.

"Yang...?" She touched her cheek.

But Yang never stirred.

Blake choked on her tears, vaguely aware of Ruby's desperate voice shouting behind her.

"Blake-?! L-Lemme go! B-Blake, what ab-about Yang? Lemme see her-"

"No!"

It was Blake who roared the answer, her voice breaking under the pressure of the crushing anguish. She looked back to the hole that had been cut in the car behind her, to where the anxious faces of police officers were looking back, calling for her to move close so they could bring her out.

But Blake only met Ruby's distraught eyes.

She was being held by two police officers, who were gently trying to restrain her.

Ruby saw the look in Blake's eyes then.

She knew.

Blake had managed to drag herself towards the opening in the car, allowing rescuers to help lift her out now.

"Please..." she whispered to them. "Don't... don't let her see..."

"No..." Ruby refused to believe what those words meant. "No, n-no!" She struggled viciously against the officers, trying to fight her way back to the car. "No-! NOOO! YANG!"

But she couldn't make it.

Ruby fell to her knees on the asphalt, screaming out so loudly she lost her breath.

By then, the ambulance had arrived.

The entire town was soon filled with a girl's harrowing screams, louder than any siren.

It let everyone know exactly what had happened here.

Ruby's heartbreaking wails were the last things Blake heard before she felt the world slipping from her grasp.

Her last thought was of Yang's bloodied cheek at the end of her fingertips.

And then nothing.

. . .

. .

.

Ruby didn't know how much time had passed before she woke up again.

She didn't remember much. Just the concussive, explosive collision, the excruciating pain throughout her body, helping Blake, seeing just a few strands of Yang's golden hair...

And then she remembered being pulled away, and screaming so hard she threw up, until she passed out.

The thoughts played back in her mind light nightmares.

She hoped she'd wake and find herself back in her room, or in the apartment with the others sleeping peacefully around her.

But when she could finally lift her eyelids again, there was only white.

She knew immediately this wasn't her room, or her sister's apartment.

She knew this was a hospital.

Which only meant it had been all too real.

But she didn't have the chance to start trying to speak or ask questions just yet.

Because Weiss was there.

Weiss was right there beside her.

The second she saw Ruby's eyes flutter open, Weiss sobbed out her name, slipped off the chair she'd been occupying, and dropped to her knees on the floor.

Ruby realized Weiss' hands were clasped around one of hers. Judging by how warm her own hand was, Ruby could discern Weiss must've been holding it for many, many hours.

Weiss buried her face in the mattress beside Ruby's hip, weeping so fervently it pained Ruby less to move her aching body and more to watch her girlfriend like this. Weiss just kept sobbing her name, her breath catching every time and sticking thickly in her throat.

Ruby tried to remember how to move her fingers. She was relieved she could, curling them gently around Weiss', attempting to offer any shred of comfort for her, no matter how miniscule.

It was barely anything, but Weiss felt it.

She lifted her face, meeting Ruby's eyes.

They'd been dull up until now, until she'd realized Weiss was with her. That realization gave a bit of life back to them. Just a bit.

Weiss could barely breathe, let alone speak or move. But she reached her arm out towards Ruby, hiccuping so harshly it made her arm jolt.

Ruby could feel her girlfriend's nails brushing lightly against her cheek, quivering. Then, soft fingers and a warm palm covered that side of her face.

Ruby sobbed and leaned into her touch.

Every inhale was weak, every exhale shallow. Such was true for the both of them.

Weiss could barely manage to keep repeating her name, and many times, she had to cut off midway in order to force another sob out of her throat.

Ruby whimpered brokenly, wishing she could tell Weiss to rest, wishing she could comfort her.

But when she remembered the look in Blake's eyes, how she'd refused to let Ruby see Yang for herself...

She already knew there would be little comfort to gain from this.

After a long, long time, Ruby managed to find her voice. She reached out to touch Weiss' hair, unable to keep herself from shaking.

"W-Weiss..."

Hearing Ruby speak her name had her breaking down all over again.

Because Weiss knew she'd almost lost her.

Weiss knew she was the most fortunate person in the world. Because despite all of this, she would still get to hear Ruby say her name.

And Weiss herself could still call out for the person she loved, and be sure she would hear her.

It wasn't fair.

It wasn't fair to Blake...

Weiss tried to move herself closer, somehow managing to sit herself on the edge of the bed now. She bent forward and gently, gently, laid her arm across Ruby's stomach, and her forehead against her shoulder.

"Ruby... Ruby..." She couldn't stop saying her name, as though doing so might make her vanish. "Ruby... Ru... by..." Her sobbing started anew as she tried to explain all she could. "I-I'd just gotten... your text. Y-You said you'd... be there soon... and then you... you never came..."

Her words brought more painful tears to Ruby's eyes. They rose up and then fell back horizontally down the sides of her face, seeping back into her hair and onto the pillow.

"Wei-ss..." She kept her hand on Weiss' cheek and tried to bring her closer. "I w-was... so sacred. So, so scared..."

Weiss could only nod softly against her and cry harder.

Ruby knew Weiss had experienced a different kind of terror, a different kind of pain. To have her friends never arrive as promised, only to find out they'd been in a devastating accident...

To rush to the hospital only to see them as they were, broken and bloodied...

Ruby could tell Weiss must have passed out or been ill upon arriving here. Her skin was so pale and sickly, and her eyes were red enough to indicate she'd been crying nonstop for hours upon hours.

Ruby just wanted to hold her...

She tried lifting her arms up, but a dull, throbbing pain stopped her.

Weiss noticed what she'd been trying to do and carefully shifted herself closer, making it easier for Ruby. Weiss caressed her cheeks and hair lovingly, dripping infinitely more tears down onto her girlfriend's face as she did so.

Ruby finally managed to hug her, shaky and loose as it was, but it was so much more than Weiss ever thought she might get.

Had things turned out differently - had Yang not swerved the car at the last second as the witnesses had explained she had - Weiss knew she wouldn't be feeling Ruby's hands right now, or be listening to her voice.

She cried there for a long time, her louder sobs an unusual contrast to Ruby's softer ones. Ruby found it odd, too.

Usually, she would be the one crying her lungs out as Weiss was now, and her girlfriend would be silently more composed.

But Ruby knew what this probably meant.

Weiss was only crying so hard right now because she knew what Ruby didn't.

Her heart was burdened by the truth.

Ruby didn't know yet, what had become of Blake and Yang.

And she wanted to ask.

She wanted to know.

She needed to.

But...

But she just wanted to have Weiss a little longer.

After all, Ruby had very nearly lost her, too.

Weiss stayed beside her, holding her, stroking fingers through her hair, kissing her gently. Ruby lapsed in and out of consciousness, but Weiss never left her side.

It felt like hours must have passed before the door to the room opened. Four people entered.

One was a nurse, who quickly hurried to the bedside to check the monitors and IV drip.

The next person who entered was Winter, who went to Weiss instantly. She embraced her and carefully helped her away from Ruby, but not without a small smile of relief to the patient.

"Just for a moment," she promised the girls. "Weiss, you need to drink some water."

Weiss nodded, clinging to her sister as she was slowly guided out of the room.

The other two people were people Ruby had always known.

Her Uncle Qrow and her father entered, TaiYang holding Zwei in his arms.

Ruby cried out for them. She could see the relief in their eyes, the tiny smiles that tried to twitch their way onto their lips.

But she noticed they never fully smiled, and the pain never fully left their eyes.

Now, her mind strayed back to Yang.

She tried to ask them, but before she could manage, her world went black once more.

. . .

. .

.

After an entire day in the hospital, Ruby still had no solid answers.

She never heard anyone else tell her.

And yet... she knew.

In her heart, she knew.

And it was her fault.

If she'd just let Yang and Blake kiss a little longer back at the house, maybe they would've missed that red light, avoided the truck altogether...

Weiss had stayed by her side as often as possible. Winter had even let her stay the night.

Weiss had curled up on the floor beside Ruby's bed and slept through the long night, deeply asleep from the sheer exhaustion, holding Ruby's hand all the while.

Ruby slept off and on, but when she closed her eyes, she could only think of the accident and of Yang.

When she did wake, Ruby trained her gaze on Weiss, huddled on the floor with a thin sheet draped over her shoulders. The tear trails clung to her cheeks as deeply as her scar now, and every few minutes, a shudder would run through her.

Weiss cried a lot in her sleep.

Ruby would watch her, then fall asleep, then wake again feeling as though no time at all had passed.

But as it always did, morning eventually came.

Some nurses came in to escort Weiss out and get her some food. They helped Ruby to the restroom, then back to bed to attempt breakfast herself.

She didn't want to eat. But her appetite was there, and she ate as much as she could manage.

Yang would've wanted her to.

A while later, Weiss returned to her in a fresh set of clothes.

Not long afterward, Ruby's uncle Qrow came by as well. He'd brought her a few of the things she'd asked for from home, along with a fresh bouquet of flowers. He placed those in a vase on the beside table, then put the items she'd asked for there as well.

One was a picture of the four of them – herself, Weiss, Blake, and Yang – smiling and laughing together. Ruby's heart twisted at the sight of it.

Her uncle ruffled her hair, mumbled to her to stay strong and get better, then kissed her forehead and took his leave. He said there were... arrangements he had to help her father with.

And he never said what they were, but Ruby knew.

Once they were alone again, Weiss sat on the bed beside her, pulling Ruby into her arms, letting her rest her head on her shoulder. Ruby cried some more, clinging to Weiss, closing her eyes.

Sometimes, she'd imagine it was Yang holding her.

Weiss rubbed her back for her in slow, soothing ministrations, kissing her hair and temples, catching her tears.

They didn't say much. Not about what had happened, anyway. They both knew all too well what had happened.

So they spoke only of the things they couldn't say enough.

"I love you... I love you..."

Every time Weiss said it to her, Ruby cried harder.

Every time Ruby said it to her, Weiss kissed her.

They'd lost so much.

They could've lost even more if not for Yang...

Ruby owed her sister her life, and Weiss owed Yang her heart.

So Ruby vowed she would keep living. For her.

And Weiss vowed she would keep loving Yang's little sister with every fiber of her soul.

Another hour passed them by.

For every word of apology, grief, or sorrow, one more phrase of tender words was spoken between them.

For every painful tear shed, one more warm kisses was exchanged.

There was heartbreak.

There was incomparable sadness.

But no matter how bad those became, they always made sure to end with a display of their love, their care for one another.

In case Ruby fell asleep, in case Weiss needed to leave the room, they always made sure to end with kisses and words of love.

Because they wanted those to be the last things they remembered, until they were reunited once again.

Throughout the day, the nurses came in to check on Ruby, and Winter kept calling to check on Weiss. She, too, asked Weiss to give words of compassion to Ruby on her behalf.

Weiss did everything she could for Ruby, from adjusting her pillows, to singing songs of comfort, to letting her cry into her chest.

At one point, Ruby asked Weiss to sit beside her on the bed so she may hug her. Ruby then rested her head against Weiss' collar, and listened for a long while to her heartbeat.

"Just to be sure," she whispered.

Almost everything seemed to break Weiss' heart a little bit more.

And yet, somehow, Ruby's will to keep going despite it all gave her strength.

After a while, a small knock on the door sounded, and the smaller voice of a nurse spoke out.

"Miss Rose-Xiao Long? There's someone here to see you."

Ruby winced at the sound of her last name, as it reminded her too much of her sister. She lifted her head from where Weiss had been cradling it, sniffling as her girlfriend kissed her cheek once more.

"Please..." Ruby croaked. "Send them in."

The door opened slowly.

First, the nurse was revealed to them, one of her arms temporarily out of view behind the door. She murmured a few words of encouragement to her guest, then slowly guided them in.

Weiss whimpered her name softly, yet more tears rising up behind her eyes at the sight of her.

Ruby lifted both hands to cover her mouth, another sob trapped behind them.

Blake couldn't walk on her own. In addition to the crutches, she needed the support of her nurse in order to hobble into the room.

Ruby could only recall the last time she'd seen Blake, with her clothes torn and matted with her own blood, her shoulder gushing red from where a piece of glass had been lodged.

Her appearance now was much kinder, despite her obvious limp. She adorned the same hospital robes as Ruby did, her long, dark hair flowing all down her back, now smooth and soft. Ruby could see bandages peeking out at her collar, likely to cover up her shoulder wound.

Up until now, her eyes had been flicking around a little as her lips attempted to muster up a smile.

But the second she met Ruby's eyes, her expression contorted into one of utmost grief.

By the time she'd reached the bed with her nurse's help, she was already crying again.

Weiss prepared a chair for her and helped her sit close by. The nurse dipped her head, then requested that Blake notify her when she intended to leave, and exited the room.

Ruby was still in disbelief. She hadn't seen Blake in days, not since the accident...

She almost couldn't believe she was seeing her now.

"Blake... oh, Blake..."

With her arms shuddering, she lifted them up as an invitation, her eyes pleading.

Blake was having trouble swallowing, her cheeks already wet with tears as she tried to lean forward. Weiss stayed close beside her and helped her move, until she could collapse softly into Ruby's arms.

"Ruby... I'm so... so sorry..."

Her apology was the first Ruby had heard since waking up.

Everyone else had seemed rightfully hesitant about telling her anything about her sister.

But Blake's words told her all she needed to know.

They cried together for a while, until the bed sheets were damp and seeping into their clothes. Weiss had moved herself so that she may keep an arm around each of them, doing her best to offer comfort despite the incapacitating heartache.

Time passed by, but they didn't take note of it.

They only recognized their bodies' needs to keep on crying, until there were no tears left to shed.

By then, Blake had rested her head miserably on Ruby's shoulder, still shaking. Ruby squeezed her gently and leaned into Weiss for warmth. Eventually, she managed to speak.

"Blake... please tell me..." She felt her friend jolt slightly in her arms and continued gently. "I-I'm so sorry. I know it... it must hurt so much to remember... I'm s-sorry to make you remember. But I... I just need to know-" Biting her lip, she tried to keep the next sob down.

Weiss kissed her temple for her, then did the same for Blake.

"Take your time," she murmured.

It was a few minutes before Blake could muster the courage to speak, but she kept her head bowed against Ruby's shoulder, unable to look her in the eye.

"They... put me in the same room as her..." she rasped. "I heard everything they were saying. How she'd swerved the car at the last second so that... so that she would take the worst blow. So that we might be safe..."

She needed to stop for a moment, high-pitched hiccups shooting through her chest. Ruby buried her face in Blake's hair, feeling as Weiss pulled them both closer to herself.

Blake didn't want to let the sobs take control of her to the point where she couldn't finish, so she pressed onward.

"I wasn't conscious the entire time. I had to... go through surgery to get the glass removed. But I... I could hear what they were saying about her. They tried three different surgeries, because she was st-still alive... She was still alive for nearly five hours after the crash, but... but they lost her on the table..."

There was an awful ache in her chest as she felt Ruby start to cry again. Blake stammered on.

"Sh-She... never regained consciousness. S-So she never felt any pain, but... but she never got to say goodbye..."

She couldn't go on.

Weiss cradled them both, her voice an almost inaudible wisp of breath.

"None of us did..."

The three of them wept together, thinking of the last things Yang had ever said to them, thinking of the last time she'd ever hugged them, thinking of the last time they'd ever heard her laugh or seen her smile.

Had they known what was going to happen, they would have cherished their last moments together so much more dearly.

They'd never even gotten that last chance to say goodbye, or to tell her they loved her.

And they never would – not in a way that would ensure she'd hear them and understand.

For now, that was all they could do.

Pray to her, wherever she was.

Tell her of their profuse love and affection for her.

Apologize for not telling her enough times while they still could've.

Wishing they could kiss her, hold her, just one last time...

The forlorn thoughts reminded Ruby of one more thing she needed to do.

She had to do it.

Keeping one arm around Blake's shivering back, she reached out with the other to the bedside table. There, her eyes passed over the flowers her family had brought in for her, then the photograph of herself, Weiss, Blake, and Yang together - smiling, carefree, trapped in a moment in which the events of recent days could never hope to occur to them.

And then she rested her eyes on the tiny box she'd asked her uncle to bring from home, from Yang's room.

With delicate fingers, she picked it up and brought it before her.

"Blake..."

Her tone had changed, so much so that Blake knew immediately that the nature of her next words would be much more delicate than anything spoken previously.

Slowly, with a weariness that spoke for her traumatic experiences, she lifted her head, finding familiar silver looking back. A pang went through her chest – she could see the resemblance to Yang in Ruby's eyes.

Sniffling, she did her best to straighten up a bit with Weiss' help.

Only when Ruby lifted her hands did Blake's gaze become drawn to what lie within them.

Her heart felt like it was breaking all over again.

"Oh... Oh my god..."

She couldn't breathe.

Everything hurt too much.

With careful fingers, Ruby opened the tiny box, revealing a shimmering ring.

"Blake... Yang, she... she's been talking about this for months. It's been... it was our secret. She was going to... to give this to you next week..." Her tears overflowed at the thought. Yang had been so close to revealing it...

"But even if... even i-if it's a l-little early now... I know she'd still want you to have it..."

She reached for Blake's quivering hands and gently placed the tiny box into her palm, curling her fingers over Blake's.

Her sister's intended fiancee-to-be dropped her face into her hands and wept.

"Yang... Yang... I love you so much..."

Her voice tapered off into a flurry of hiccups and sobs, which were soon joined by Ruby's and Weiss' sobs.

That was when it all became so permanent.

All the things they'd ever wanted to do, all the things they'd planned and dreamed of...

None of that would ever happen now, not in the ways they'd always wanted them to.

Without Yang, none of them could feel complete.

The prospect of having to go on without her was unfathomable to them.

They couldn't even comprehend how the sun was still shining, how time was still moving forward, how they were still existing here and now-

-without her.

Perhaps time could heal, or at the very least make things feel better.

But this devastating loss and the pain that came with it would never truly go away.

The three of them wept together there on the hospital bed, clinging to each other in the fullest display of their mourning, their tears a dirge for a precious person who had left them behind, too soon.

The only comfort in all of this, aside from having one another, was that they knew that one day they would have Yang back again.

It would take some time, but they'd see her again.

They didn't know where she was, but she was somewhere, waiting.

And they'd see her there.

In time.

As their symphony of sorrow and words of love were sung, the room was gradually brightened by a parting of the grey clouds outside.

Vivacious, golden light washed over them, wrapping them in warm rays nothing short of an embrace.

And in that moment, they knew.

She was still here.

. . .

									You are my sunshine, my only sunshine.

									You make me happy when skies are grey.

									You'll never know dear, how much I love you.

									Please don't take my sunshine away.

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A/N: If you'd like to read on to the Good Ending, you'll see how it connects to the canon. Either way, thanks for reading!