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Ruby gasped as she woke, a hungry, greedy inhale as she filled up her lungs with air before exhaling and inhaling again rapidly, hyperventilating until her heart rate fell. Drowning was always the worst way to go, in her opinion. Calming herself, she looked at the time on her scroll, 5:01 AM… As Always, Ruby sighed and laid back down with a huff. “Stupid plan anyways… grrr.”
“Ghhhuuuuh Ruuuby, goo back to sleeeeeep.” Ruby sighed as she heard Blake tell her to go back to bed. Ruby had long since gotten used to that. If she made any noise before 7AM, it would wake Blake. She was a light sleeper after her time in the white fang… which Ruby wasn’t supposed to know about…
Sighing once again, Ruby activated her semblance and began her daily routine… well, her only routine. She split into thousands of rose petals and drifted away, reforming into one mass in the forge, where she once again made the same upgrades as always.
Next she headed down the hall to the door, and walked out onto the campus of Beacon academy.
Her feet took her on auto pilot, and her hands worked just the same, writing out a note and folding it into a neat origami rose.
Eventually she found herself at the elevator, using the master code to go right to the headmaster’s office. It was there she left her note-rose on Ozpin’s desk, before retreating back to the elevator and leaving beacon entirely. As she boarded the airship to leave, she once again checked the time, 5:44AM…
“Hm, a bit behind today…”
Soon Ruby found herself in the industrial district, knocking on the doors of a club, and being let in by confused goons. Ruby slipped past them and yelled into the empty club, “Hei Xiong! Get your behind out here this instant!”
Which of course put the goons on edge, she didn’t pay them any mind though, soon Junior walked out from the VIP suite and glanced at her, “You sure you’re in the right place little missy? Cause I don’t remember giving a brat like you permission to call me that.”
Ruby sighed, “Oh cut the shit Junior, let’s just get to business, I need you to contact Roman Torchwick and tell him that he has twelve hours to ditch that bitch Cinder or I’ll kill him. Here’s 1000 Lien for your trouble, don’t spend it all in one place.”
With that, Ruby disappeared, using her semblance to leave at incredible speeds. Leaving behind a very confused Junior.
Ruby mentally checked off a box on her list, and got to the next task, checking the time to make sure she was on schedule. Surely this time will work. It has to.
A smaller gasp this time. And a shivering cold. Ruby sighed. Incineration, not fun.
A frown appeared on her face, morphing into anger, she punched upwards, going through her sheet and the drywall ceiling, waking up the other three girls with her scream of anguish.
“FUUUCK… every FUCKING time…”
Yang rushed to her side, having never heard her curse before (as far as she knew), “RUBY, what’s wrong!”
“That’s it… I’ve… I’ve tried everything, Yang. I’ve tried so hard… but I CAN’T!” Ruby punched the ceiling again, tears flowing freely from her eyes. “Every time I try, something else happens, the day ends the same, over and over and over…”
Yang stared wide eyed at her sister, unsure of what to do, “Uh, you alright rubes? You’re not making any sense…”
Ruby sighed and laughed lightly, a wet and throaty chuckle, “Heh, you always were the only person who ever believed me… nobody else did, not even Weiss or Blake…”
Yang frowned, “Believed you?”
Ruby smiled sadly, “I’m cursed Yang, cursed to live this god-fucking forsaken day over and over and over. I’ve seen every possibility, even this conversation, so many times , I can’t figure it out, I’ve tried ignoring it, I’ve tried telling everybody, I’ve tried one woman armying, I CAN’T… I’m not… I’m not enough.”
Yang’s eyes were wide with disbelief, but Ruby mouthed along to her words, slowly making her realize the truth, “R-Ruby this is… crazy, wait, are you… sandstorm! Lollypop! Jiggerydoodah! Hemapropels! Bumbellatron! HOW?”
“I just told you Yang.”
Yang believed her.
...
Nobody else did.
She spent that day in an asylum.
She woke up peacefully that next day. 5 AM, as always. Today, she decided, would be a break day.
Ruby spent the day lazing about, ignoring everyone else, and relaxing. It was good, refreshing.
She woke up again all the same, 5 AM, same day.
Maybe this is just her life now, she wondered. Maybe this is all there is. Just… April 2nd, forever.
Time passed,
And passed
And passed.
April 2nd.
Ruby woke calmly, getting out of bed and grabbing a coffee, waiting for Weiss, Blake, and Yang to get up. When they did, she calmly explained her situation to them, and then told them to have a nice day, not waiting for their disbelieving words, she left with her semblance, going faster than any of them had ever seen.
They chased her of course, to all the places she could have gone, but they never found her anywhere she would normally be. Eventually, though, after a full day of searching, Yang had an idea.
They found her there, calmly meditating.
“This is the first time you’ve found me here you know, most of the time you never find me, it’s relaxing, this place, a good place to clear my mind, let go of my burdens.”
The three looked on, confused, concerned, worried.
Ruby cracked an eye, “You don’t have to be worried guys, I’ve long since stopped worrying over it.”
Weiss asked, “Ruby… how long?”
Ruby smiled softly, “I’ve lost count.”
Blake spoke next, “Years?”
Ruby chuckled, “Years? No, no, not years, not decades, not centuries. Millennia, what feels like Eons. ”
“I’ve done everything I can think of today, so… I decided, lets not think anymore. I told you all my story, and came here.” Ruby pulled out her scroll, “Would you look at the time, Eleven fifty eight. Hm, do you want to find out if this was the answer?”
Time passed.
11:59
11:59:30
11:59:45
11:59:59