A/N: Hey everyone, today is my birthday so as a gift from me to all of you here is the final chapter of Black Rose Admirer. A very special thanks to all of you for reading my story. I didn't think it would gain as much of a following as it did. So I hope you enjoy this final chapter. It's under my usual minimum word limit but being the last chapter I find it acceptable.
Looking Foward
Ruby's head felt groggy as her senses began to return to her. She could feel that she was on a bed covered in warm sheets. Ruby tried to move a little but winced as she felt a little pain coming from her legs. The young girl tried to open her eyes but she closed them instantly as the blinding light overwhelmed her. Ruby opened her eyes again but slowly this time. The silver eyed girl's vision was foggy but she could make out somethings. She must have been in the infirmary based on the some of the monitors and the iv going into her hand. Ruby could make out some people sitting in the room around her. Two of them had a mess of blonde hair, one was covered in white and the other had black hair. They were sleeping but her stirring must have drawn some attention.
"Ruby!" Yang cried getting up from where she sat. By now Ruby's vision had cleared up enough to see the look of joy on her sister's face. "You're awake!"
The younger sister found herself in the tight embrace of the blonde causing her more pain than usual. She let out a groan that made Yang back away quickly with a look of concern in her eyes.
"I'm sorry, Ruby." Her sister said. "I got carried away and forgot that you're still recovering."
"I'm alright." Ruby's voice came out hoarse as if she hadn't been talking for a while. By now the others where waking up and gathered around her.
"Hey sweetie." Her father said while placing his hand lightly on her shoulder. "How are you feeling?"
"Sore." The young girl struggled to get out. She took a moment to look around the room and saw balloons, flowers and get well cards laying on a nearby table. "How long have I've been out?"
"You've been unconscious for a few days." Yang informed her. "Your aura protected you from most of it but the blast still did a number on you. Your legs took some shrapnel so that's why you are hurting so much."
"A few days?" Ruby thought aloud wondering just how strong the bomb was. That's she remembered what the bomb was attached to. "What happened to Kaito?"
The moment of silence and the looks they gave each other was all she need for an answer. The young girl couldn't help but feel a bit of sadness. She had tried to save him. She had reach out to him to pull Kaito to pull him up from the cliff but for some reason he chose to take his own life and tried to take her with him.
"Hey," she felt her father's hand on her shoulder; she must have drifted off because everyone was looking at her with concerned eyes, "can we get you anything."
"Water." Ruby said through her sore throat after thinking for a moment.
"I'll get some for you." Weiss volunteered herself before leaving.
"I'll go get the doctor, he'll want to check-up on you." Blake said leaving the small family to themselves.
Ruby tried to sit up as she waited for her friends return but struggled to do as the young girl's body protested against any movement. Her father and sister were quick to help her by propping some pillows behind her. As she sat there her mind began to go over everything that had happened. All of Kato's actions continued to baffle Ruby. His behavior had grown more erratic as time went on and in the end he took his own life and tried to take her with him. She just couldn't understand why.
"Hey." Yang said in concern; her hand rested on the younger girl's shoulder. "You've got that look in your eyes."
"What look?" Ruby asked confused.
"The one you get when you are doing some deep thinking." Tai stated.
"I was just-" She started to say but began to stumble over her words. "I don't- I just don't understand why he did it. What made him go so far that he was willing to set off a bomb?"
"He was insane." Her sister said, a small amount of venom in her voice. "There was no rational thought going through his mind."
"There has to be some kind of reason." Ruby pointed out.
"An insane man doesn't need a reason, Ruby." Yang adamantly pointed out.
The younger sister was about to continue her argument but was interrupted by a sigh from their father. He sat down and rubbed his temples as his face held an expression of deep thinking.
"Dad?" The younger girl called out to him.
"Ozpin explained the situation to me." Her father stated. "He told me what he had told you two and your teammates. This man had lost so much in his life and couldn't make any lasting connections that he grew desperate for companionship."
"Even so he was still insane." Yang continued to argue.
"Loss can change people, Yang." He stated firmly. "We should know."
The room went silent as the unspoken memories returned. Ruby could vaguely remember them but still had some grasp on them. The silence was broken when their friends returned. Weiss with a pitcher of water and a glass, and Blake with a doctor accompanying her.
After she finally quenched her thirst and soothed her soar throat the doctor began to look her over after shooing everyone but her father out of the room. He asked her some basic questions of how she was feeling and what her pain was on a scale of one to ten. After looking at her injuries he concluded that she would be well enough to leave before the reward ceremony but wouldn't be able to stand for it.
"Reward ceremony?" Ruby asked the others once the doctor had left.
"Yeah that bomb was a lot stronger than we originally thought." Weiss stated.
"We saved a lot of people's lives." Blake added.
"But I wasn't part of that?" The young leader stated after thinking it over. "I was off fighting Kaito."
"Ozpin said that we had worked together as a team and will be rewarded as a team." Yang said.
"But-" Ruby tried to continue her argument before she was interrupted.
"Ruby, stop being so humble and just except the reward." Weiss stated with a bit of irritation in her voice.
"Yeah, sis." Yang added in with a little smirk on her face. "I'm going to be pushing you on to the stage one way or another."
"Oh, alright then." The young girl said quietly.
"You're not actually pouting over this are you?" Weiss asked sounding mystified.
"No." Ruby quickly defended.
"Certainly sounds like you were pouting to me." Yang stated her smirk still present.
"I am not!" The young girl yelled.
"I have to concur with you guys, definitely pouting." Blake added in.
"Guys!" Ruby cried as her face began to turn red. The room was filled with laughter after that. Even her father chuckled.
"You four make a good team." He said gaining their attention. "You keep gaining a reputation before you even graduate and people will be lining up to hire you for missions when you do. All of you will make fine huntresses someday."
Ruby could help but smile and feel her sprit lifted by her father's words. And from the looks on the other faces' he had the same effect on them. It felt like the future was going to be bright for them.
A/N: I hope you have enjoyed the story. Thank you to everyone for reading, favorite, following and reviewing my story. You've all been great. Take care.