A Ruby Summer

"Hey Mom..." The words, liquid. The meaning, heartfelt. The reason, none. However, I did have a purpose for my visit. I do so once in a while, to keep my mother company. At least that's what I told myself to keep me coming back. It made me feel as if Summer had never left me, Yang, Dad. I stood in front of the marker that was placed on a particular cliff side. This was where we made ourselves believe she was, and always will be. I looked down on the stone without a single tear in my eyes. It shouldn't make me sad talking to someone who was in mind perfectly alive and able to hear me, right? I treated Mom no different. It was mid-fall, and my rose petals mixed with the colorful leaves of the nearby trees. It was a beautiful spot that I often came to visit.

"Sorry I haven't been by in a while. Things have been pretty, well, things have been pretty busy lately...Oh! Dad's here too. He's, you know...Dad." It made me warm to know that my words had meaning, as if speaking to someone close. Someone that hasn't exactly...been around recently.

"He's still teaching at Signal, but he told me he's gonna be going out on missions soon. I think he misses adventuring with you...I miss you too." I was slightly reluctant to add the last part, feeling what I was envisioning slip away from me. But there I was, a young girl on a cliff talking to her dead mother. I wanted to let at least one tear free, but I couldn't force it even if I wanted to. I had to be a strong Huntress-in-training. I wanted more than anything to be just like her-Summer.

"It's funny. The more I think about you being away like this, the more I wish I could see you in person next to me. To compare how much I've grown up lately! It's, uh, it's a lot actually. I think I might be taller and more mature than Yang soon." I was beginning to feel myself stray from the context. It was okay, the more Summer knew about me, the more satisfied I would be about this trip.

"Haven't gotten kicked outta Beacon yet, so that's cool...I think being on a Team with Yang helps. I keep her in line," I thought about adding that bit to make Mom, wherever she was, laugh a little. To know that the situation in front of both of us was a happy occasion, not a tragic moment, "...that was a joke." I looked down, silently giggling to myself and giving my vision of Mom just a slight smile. As if everything was okay.

"She's actually a really great fighter! You can tell she's learned a lot from Dad. Well so are Weiss and Blake...Oh, uh, they're my teammates. Together, we form Team RWBY! And yes, before you ask, that does cause a lot of confusion." My mind was perfectly calm. This minute, this particular moment in time, I was happily content with letting whatever I could think of come out of my mouth.

"Weiss is, well, not the greatest people-person. She has a hard time making friends. She may not seem like it, but I think she's into me. I'm alright with that...Yang always says I need to find someone to settle down with. And Blake is even more antisocial. She likes books, which I guess is why we get along so well," I leaned in a little closer and spoke in a hushed voice, "She's also a cat Faunus with really cute kitty ears."

I returned to my normal posture, fixing my gaze on the square stone set in the grass. The small blades danced in the wind, which drew my attention to my red cape fluttering gently behind me. The last gift Mom ever got me. She wanted me to be just like her I suppose.

"Anyways, uh, I made a bunch of new friends. And I met some, uh, let's just say 'odd' teachers. Oh! We also stopped some bad guys too. I guess it's like they say...like mother like daughter." The last words bit my tongue on the way out, metaphorically of course. It hurt to put us in the same phrase the way I did. Most likely stemming from her not physically being in life anymore. But I simply recalled a moment in time where I put a white blanket on my back as a young child. I swung a stick in the air, pretending to be her, fighting the endless swarms of massive Grimm. Her voice met my ears in a sweet tone of voice, "Like mother, like daughter..." and I felt myself biting my own lip, thinking of other memories I had where it was only Yang and Dad. I was much too young to remember Mom leaving.

"I still wonder why Ozpin let me into the school early," I had to change to subject quickly, "Uh, well, I guess he'll tell me one day. You know how he is. It's funny, the more I get to know him, the more he starts sounding like Uncle Qrow." I was jolted from my vision of Summer to the sound of Zwei's bark. I knew exactly what that meant.

"Oh, looks like Dad's back. I gotta go! He's dropping me off at Beacon for the tournament match before he goes on his next mission. Wish me luck!" I was completely filled with excitement and joy at new thoughts of my future. I only imagined Summer watching my every move during the tournament, keeping me in check. I put my hood back on after my given speech and turned my back to the grave with acute reluctance. I only ran a few steps before a final thought made its way into my mind. I turned my head to see not only a stone, but a figure clad in a beautiful white cloak standing there. I smiled to see my mother once again.

"It was good to talk..."