There's a place where our shields will lay shattered,
And the fear's all that's left in our hearts.
Our strength and our courage have run out:
We fall apart.

"Yang!"

"Ruby!"

Two shouts echoed out, impossibly loud but barely heard at all over the roar of the battle. The screeching of claws against metal, cries from humans and Grimm alike. Blood stained the snow, glowing red under the harsh, silvery light cast by a shattered moon.

"Yang, help!"

Yang searched for her sister, looked through the tangled mess of falling corpses and fighting Grimm. They weren't ready for this. Why were they here? Why had Yang let them do this? Why….Ruby, why?

"Sis! Where are you?" Yang called, firing off a shot from Ember Celica into a Beowolf charging straight at her.

Ruby appeared, just for a moment, before another Beowolf brought her crashing down into the snow. Yang screamed, a long, hellish sound that tore itself from her throat as she blasted her way through the horde of Grimm. The world shrunk down to just everything that stood between her and Ruby.

"Yang, leave her!"

Weiss' voice failed to break through the haze of anger and fear clouding Yang's mind. They'd already lost Blake, Yang wouldn't let Ruby go the same way. Where was she? Hadn't Ruby been here just a moment ago? Yang couldn't get the image of her sister, her cloak bloodied-whose blood?-and her beloved scythe snapped in two. Yang couldn't control herself, her breathing fast and sharp and pulse pounding fast, too fast, in her ears. Yang wouldn't stop. She couldn't stop. Ruby was still out here, still fighting. Where the hell was she?!

"Yang!"

Ruby's voice, small and broken and barely rising above the battle. Yang finally found her, lying broken and curled up on the snow, panting and clutching at her arm-no, where her arm should have been. Claws had torn her arm off halfway to the shoulder, letting a torrent of crimson into the perfect white snow.

They should never have been out here in the first place. Weiss had objected. Blake hadn't wanted to come. Why had Yang let Ruby talk them into this? Why hadn't she stopped them?

Yang collapsed in the snow beside her sister, clutching her small body in strong arms and rocking her gently. It only made Ruby whimper more, but Yang couldn't stop. If she stopped, it would be as though she was accepting what was happening.

"We have to go, NOW!"

Weiss yelled again, but Yang ignored her. Tears streamed down the brawler's face as she watched Ruby's life fading away right before her eyes.

"C'mon Ruby, don't go like this," Yang begged, lifting an arm to take out three Beowolves before they had a chance to reach them.

"S-sorry, Yang," Ruby stammered. She was interrupted by a spluttering cough, blood trailing down her chin. "I didn't mean for this to happen."

"It wasn't you fault, Ruby!" Yang said, even though she knew the truth. "Damn it, don't go!"

"The snow's red," Ruby said quietly, looking at the ground beneath her. "Red like roses."

"Ruby!" Yang said, begging for a miracle, for hope, for something.

"I love you, sis," Ruby said, laughing gently. "I'm so sorry."

"Don't you dare die on me, Ruby!" Yang said, practically yelling. It was too late.

With a small, final grin, Ruby's head lolled back, eyes rolling up into her skull. Yang screamed again, muffling the sound against the her sister's bloodstained chest.

"Yang."

Weiss' voice was gentler this time, accompanied by a hand on the blonde's shoulder.

"I can't leave her!"

"We need to leave."

Yang would have replied. She would have come up with some remark about not leaving her sister, not like this, but there was no chance. Weiss shrieked, hand jerking away from Yang's shoulder. Yang turned back, gagging at the sight that met her eyes. Weiss was hanging in the air, body limp and impaled on a Beowolf's claws. They protruded from her stomach, red mixing white pure white on her dress.

"Weiss?" Yang said, almost hoping to hear her snarky voice, just once more.

There was no reply. The Beowolves surrounded Yang, a large circle closing in on her. Yang could have fought. She probably could have run and made it out, now that there was no one else for her to worry about. But that was the exact reason she didn't.

Yang stood, dropping her sister's body to the snow.

"Come on then," she said, deadly quiet, deadly serious. "Come and get me!" she raised her voice to yell the last words.

The last thing she saw was the white of the snow, before a flash of red and her entire world faded to black. There was something cold against her side, something wet on her chest and stomach, and then nothing. Just darkness, and emptiness.

Yang couldn't open her eyes, or move. The sounds of the battle in the snow faded, warped and distorted before disappearing to nothing, to silence. She was dead, and alone.

"Yang?"

Ruby? Yang opened her eyes, greeted by the sight of three hands outstretched to help her. Yang smiled, the edges of a red cloak floating into her vision.

"I couldn't leave you."