RWBY belongs to Mony Oum and RT. CinderRuby AU belongs to funblade on Tumblr.
Enjoy!
Weiss left the dorm of Team RWBY after a small but heated fight between her and Yang that Cinder was not Ruby. Weiss knew that Ruby was still in her, just hidden from plain sight. With Myrtenaster at her side just in case something would happen, she sets off to the other side of campus, where students can get a dorm they can share with a roommate from their team.
Among them was Cinder.
Weiss had questions. So many questions that needed to be answered. There was no innocence, no trademark puppy-eye look, no bubbly, hyper-active behavior that irritated Weiss so much, and especially no love for sweets whenever Cinder was in the cafeteria.
She even catches Cinder stealing glances from her, and Cinder would turn away with disgust on her face. But Weiss could clearly see there was some pain in her eyes.
Weiss had wondered. What had caused her to change so drastically?
She arrived in front of Cinder's dorm. There was an unsettling silence in the building, even so on the weekends. In her dorm building there was always some kind of noise, whether it was Ruby, Nora from JNPR's dorm, or the other teams.
Weiss leisurely rapped the door. She took deep breaths, calming herself and gathering the confidence to finally talk face-to-face with Cinder.
The door slowly opened from the other side. The room was pitch black save for the amber eye that peeked through the gap in the doorway.
The eye narrowed its sight on Weiss.
"What do you want?"
Weiss winced as if she was physically struck by those words. A shiver went down her back and up again. Her breath was lightly shaky. The aura around her was different, dangerous, intimidating. The reasoning side of her says to fuck it and run. But her curiosity got the better of her, as it did when she left the team dorm.
"Do you have a moment to talk," Weiss asked softly.
Cinder groaned. Nevertheless, she fully opened the door, giving way for the heiress to enter in the dark room. As soon Weiss stepped in, the door closed shut, trapping her in darkness. Her heart was beginning to drum erratically.
At last, the lights shone from above, much to the dismay of Cinder. She returned to her desk, facing forward to Weiss, arms and legs crossed as if she had miniscule amounts of patience left.
"You want to talk, so talk," Cinder said, her words piercing Weiss with lethal venom.
"You said you're Ruby, right?"
Cinder winced.
"Do you have a point with that question?"
Weiss could clearly feel Cinder was quickly getting irritated, even from the most simplest question.
"It's just that... You don't act like our Ruby. She's—"
"What an astute observation." Cinder interrupted. "People change. Deal with it."
Weiss stepped forward. "But not as dark as you."
Cinder glared. Her skin began to glow red but her self-control held her anger in place.
"Losing loved ones is hard to forget. Losing all the people you care about, it can change person no matter how hard trying to stay as the person they once were."
Weiss tilted her head a bit in slight confusion.
"You mean... Does that happen to us?"
"Us?"
"You know what I mean: our team, our friends. Did Ruby—our Ruby—lose all the people she cares about?"
Cinder was silent for a moment until a tiny sadistic smirk crept up her face, uttering a simple word that is so cryptic as ever: "Spoilers."
That sent shivers down Weiss' back yet again.
"Ruby—"
Cinder immediately stood from her chair, her skin glowing red again, ready to burst into flames. "DON'T. CALL. ME. THAT. EVER."
It did not phase Weiss. Instead, she took on the initiative herself.
"Why shouldn't I?! Cinder is still Ruby; Ruby will always stay as Ruby. Even as the little dunce she is, she always finds a way to be happy even at the darkest of times!"
"Well, that's because she's dead inside," Cinder exclaimed. Her anger took the better of her, setting the closed curtains aflame.
Cinder panted. Her arms laid above her heaving chest. Red glows on her skin died down as she calmed herself.
Weiss was stunned, frozen in place like a statue rooted in the earth.
"Ruby's dead inside," Cinder said softly. "She died long ago. Her childish, idealistic demeanor costed everything she had. Everyone. Even love." Her voice lowered at the last part, quiet enough that Weiss couldn't catch it fully. She plumped down back to her chair, arms still crossed but huddling herself in comfort.
"Even the little shit got herself kidnapped. She should've stayed at Signal for the last two years. Such a nuisance."
Weiss finally moved.
"Don't talk to yourself like that." Weiss had to admit, it was odd hearing Cinder bash her younger self.
She carefully stepped towards Cinder. Her fingers touched the softness of the skin, but felt her hand smacked away without a moment's notice.
"Do not. Touch me, Weiss. Do so again, and I will end you," Cinder said lowly with intimidation in her voice.
Weiss didn't believe her. Her frightening appearance softened, evident by a single tear starting to fall out of her eye. Weiss crouched in front of the woman, looking up at her curtained eyes.
"You're hurt Ruby. I can help."
"No. You can't. No one can."
"Yes I can," Weiss said sympathetically. "Remember that one night when you stayed up doing homework, trying to be the best leader, trying to impress me? Do you?"
Cinder slowly opened her eyes. Against her own conscience, she nodded.
"Weiss... You said..."
Weiss smiled, taking the opportunity to finish what she started. "I said I would become the best teammate that you would ever have." She stood, her hand crept up to Cinder's face, wiping away the tear that dared escape from her eye.
Weiss felt a shove on her chest, her body falling onto the carpet below with a loud thud. She winced at the pain on her back, then felt something heavy above her. She looked up to see Cinder, angry as she can be.
"What did I say about touching me?"
Her skin glowed again, this time flames emanating from her body. Weiss can feel the excruciating heat, her body immediately sweating in efforts to cool down.
"Ruby, stop!"
"I AM NOT RUBY!"
Cinder lifted her hand and formed a fireball above Weiss' face. Luckily, one of Weiss' hands was not pinned down. Moving below Cinder's stomach, she casted a glyph with a flick of a finger, sending her attacker flying sideways crashing to the windows.
Weiss stood with Myrtenaster at the ready, her back against the entrance of the room. Her hand was shaking, rattling the rapier like a baby toy. Her free hand found the doorknob and tried to turn it but it was locked. She tried to turn the deadbolt but it was stuck in place. Her fears greatly heightened to a new level. There was no way out now.
Cinder got back on her feet, seemingly unhurt from being hurled by Weiss' semblance. She looked at Weiss, a merciless smile on her face, hands forming balls of fire ready to set anything aflame.
"Now I can say I was provoked..."
Cinder slowly approached Weiss, sending fireballs at the walls and the ground in front of Weiss' feet.
"Don't worry, I'm just having a little fun," Cinder said lowly, laughing sadistically.
Weiss closed her eyes each time she casted. Her body froze, unable to move at all. This was unlike Ruby. Ruby is not like this at all.
Weiss was unable to hold her tears back any longer. "Ruby stop... Please..." Her voice was broken, filled with desperation and sadness.
Cinder growled.
"Ruby is not here. Just me. How many times do I have to say it, you idiot, just to get it through that thick stubborn head of yours?"
Weiss looked at Cinder straight in the eyes.
"Until she comes back..."
"SHE IS NOT COMING BACK!"
Cinder held her hand aimed at Weiss. Weiss flinched and closed her eyes for what is to come. But it never came. Weiss looked up in wonder of her fate.
Cinder lowered her hand, unable to send a fireball, out of fear of loss once more. She lifted her arm once again but, like before, it fell to her side again.
Her body staggered back. Tears came out like waterfalls, hiccups in her voice. Strength in her legs gave away, falling down on her knees, and covered her head with her arms on the floor.
"GET OUT! GET OF ME...!"
Cinder screamed, sobbing in pain.
"Get out Weiss, now. Please... Get out."
'Wait, that voice,' Weiss thought.
"Ruby? Is that—"
"Now Weiss! Please!"
Weiss sheathed Myrtenaster and unlocked the door. Out in the hallway, she paused in her tracks, abandoning all reasoning to stay in front of Cinder's room. She sat in front of the door, her head against the wooden barrier to hear if Cinder was still there.
Through the wooden door, Weiss could hear Cinder say, "I'm sorry Weiss. I'm sorry couldn't save you..."
Her eyes widened.
"Red... Like Roses... Red... Like Roses..."
Weiss huddled herself against the door, still hearing Cinder chanting to herself. Deciding that she had enough of hearing Cinder in pain, she stood and opened the door.
Cinder looked up at the intrusion, her eyes red and wet.
"I told you to leave."
Weiss put down her rapier against the wall beside her and carefully approached Cinder.
"I will not hear you nor see you be in pain anymore, Ruby. Whether you like it or not, I will stay and help you."
Weiss knelt down in front of Cinder, unmoved by the cold stare she was receiving.
"Now the real Ruby would hug me, as much as I hate it. But since Ruby is not in you—" Weiss pointed her finger at Cinder's forehead "—I guess I'll have to give one of those hugs. But only this once, you hear me?"
Cinder was silent.
"You're so fucking stubborn."
Weiss smiled.
"That comes with me being your best teammate... and your friend."
Weiss moved closer to Cinder, wrapping her arms around her neck. Cinder tried to push her away, to be free from the closeness between them. But her resistance failed, finally submitting herself under Weiss' touch.
"I almost forgot how terrible you are at hugs," Cinder teased.
"Shut up," Weiss shot back.
Weiss finally heard a laugh, a true laughter from Cinder, and feeling the hug being returned from her. Of course, it comes with her being crushed like Ruby always does when she hugs Weiss.
"Weiss, did Ruby confess yet?"
Weiss rose a brow.
"Uh... No?"
Cinder looked confused and realized her mistake.
"Oh... Must be too early then."
Weiss lightly hit Cinder at the shoulder. "Thanks for the spoilers, you dunce."
"At least you would have a chance to know how she feels."
Weiss nodded and said, "Thanks."
Cinder snuggled on Weiss chest, pulling herself closer to person she once loved.
"You too Weiss. Thank you."