The front door burst open. Pictures of white-clad and red-caped woman rattled on the walls. They smiled. They hugged. They stared back at her, as the only things still in focus. Happy memories were not entirely welcome.
She could feel a long lost breeze ready for her, waiting for her to walk in. Ready to surround her, to pounce with its familiar hint of strawberry. Strawberry and freedom, away from her father, away from all the bad in the world.
But the liquor lingered on her breath, and she could feel the air cringe at her. But whether out of concern or disdain, Weiss could no longer tell.
Her mind and soul ached, though not as one. But she had one thing left to do before the night took her away. So she slammed the door closed, making the frames shake again. They mocked her, they comforted her, as she slogged through the corridors of her past memories.
Two women at the beach. Two girls fighting for their lives. Two children looking out for a world they pledged to believe in.
All for what?
She considered, for a moment, leaving the refrigerator door closed. She wondered if she could handle what she brought upon herself.
The breeze returned before she even realized it. It was cold this time. She wondered if she would turn her back on it, to keep away from the gnawing air.
She looked down, instead, to see a red velvet cake, adorned with a dazzling frosted white rose, next to another bottle of strawberry vodka. She wondered if she should have spent so much effort on it knowing what happened today.
The wind froze, condensing around her, trying to answer her question. Two frigid arms wrapped around her, trapping Weiss, forcing her to make a decision. Weiss stared at the ground, at an all too familiar snowflake.
Every fiber of her being wanted to lash out, to scream at Ruby for making her do this. But her soul longed for something else, things this heartless copy could not give.
Weiss near broke open the bottle, trying to smother away the want with the burning sweet liquor. Thrashing out of the apparition's hold, she took out the cake. It looked less and less appetizing by the second.
Maybe, just maybe, she could relive something else instead. Something happier. Something long gone.
With the mirror image of her lover leaning on her shoulder, it took all of her will to sit and cut the dessert with any semblance of her usual precision. With every cut, she resisted the urge to lose herself in either the comfort or the anger.
Her hand shook as she raised the fork up to the glimmering reminder of what she had lost.
"How's your birthday cake, Ruby?"
"It's great Weiss! But, you know, it's better now that you're here."
"I nearly didn't make it this time, but... I'm really glad I did."
"It- it means a lot to me. Because now I can hug youuu!"
"Ruby Rose! Let go of me this instant!"
"Oh nooo, with my arms around you I can't eat cake now! Feed me please, Weiss?"
"I- fine. If I must. But you better release me once you finish."
"But Weiiiiss, I never wanna let you go!"
I suppose she never did.
But this- this ghost she was feeding, this lost dream… was it worth it?
Every lifeless bite, every soulless morsel, each time, it grew stronger. And she got weaker, more dependent. On what? Unmoving lips? Pupilless eyes? A pale imitation of something she would never get back?
The frost came back, staining her cheeks with her eyeshadow. But her anger flared up to meet it.
I don't want this anymore.
Taking a deep breath, she tore free of a loveless grasp, staring back at an emotionless husk. The false image sat there, mocking her loss, mocking her Ruby. She let out a pained cry, a hopeless want for her lost whisper on the wind. And when nothing heard her call, she fell.
Weiss hit the ground, collapsing together with her last hopes and dreams. But when that godawful clone dared to touch her, tears made way for a snarl, a bubbling hatred that had been rising all this time.
She lashed out at the fake, whirling around and slamming it down to where she just was. Her arms shook as she held two shoulders pressed to the ground- brief memories of tender lovemaking, of gentle kisses and empty promises hit her and she hesitated, staring down at a body she once desired.
The cold sunk into her fingertips. The idea of doing anything with this statue lacking a beating heart snapped her into a thumping rage.
"You cursed me with this!"
She pounded, making sure her knuckles had their way. Every nook and cranny of the body she knew so well… she made sure to leave nothing untouched. She didn't really care if she left a mark or two on it, because it would always be hers, for better or for worse. So she didn't hold back. Taking a moment to steady herself, she let herself have one last thrust before the beginning of the end.
Taking hold of both sides, she tightened her grip, smiling as she saw the face below her break into a wordless scream. Weiss continued her assault, aiming to bring it over the edge, to finish it once and for all. She could feel the body below her trembling, ready to burst, and with one final spasm, the two went limp, both lost to the world they were once in.
The 'being' below her, without the faith and energy to keep it in this world, shattered. Coming down with every shuddering breath, Weiss picked herself up. The horror was gone. Now she had only herself.
That wasn't true, was it? She still had that bottle of strawberry vodka, it would help her unsee all she had done today. But as she picked it up to take a drink, the strawberry dream engulfed her once more…
And all she could do was drown herself away from it.