Weiss whispered incoherent words in between quiet cries, her back pressed up against the white, alabaster wall. Sitting on the cold floor, she couldn't bring herself to stand. Her legs were useless, too weak and frail at the moment to support the emotional weight bearing down on her shoulders.
She had been crying in this position for so long now she didn't even remember why. At this point it was just something to do. Through the tears she could see the red cloak draped across her lap, and she remembered.
Alone in her prison of a home, this was the only warmth she had. It had been five months, now. By now the owner if this sacred fabric had completely forgotten who Weiss was. Hell, Weiss couldn't even remember the owner. Not fully.
Her smile was faded, the color of her eyes a mystery now, and her crimson hair the only clear thing that Weiss still remembered about her. Her name was a constant reminder of what Weiss had once had, so she had chosen to forget it. And so she had.
Still, she pulled the cloak up to her chin and cried louder, her tears of pure misery falling like raindrops and staining the red cloak a darker crimson. Her hands held fistfuls of the fabric tightly between their fingers, as if this was the only thing keeping Weiss from floating away into oblivion, a dark and suffocating reality that held no light.
Cries wretched her shoulders as she called out in agony, wishing dearly for the memories to flee her mind. She didn't want this. She slumped lower and lower, sinking into a lying position on the floor, her hands pressed to her broken heart.
Through the tears she noticed a familiar mark on the pale blue ceiling above her. A snowflake with twelve outstretching limbs graced the entirety of it, the Schnee logo. A memory returned to her, the lyrics of a song she despised yet loved at the same time.
"Mirror," she began, swallowing as she tried to suppress cries, "tell me something, tell me who's the loneliest," she paused, taking a deep breath, "loneliest of all." She finished, remembering the last time she'd sung that song.
It was before Beacon, before she'd gone to become a huntress. Before Ruby.
Ruby.
Her heart broken anew and the cry that forced it's way out of her mouth was filled with even more agony than any sound she'd ever made in her entire life. She rolled over onto her side and curled into a ball, her eyes squeezed shut. She didn't know how long she sat like that, unable to think of anything else but that name.
Eventually it passed, and she lay exhausted, emotionally drained. Shakily, she sat up, the occasional gasp escaping her trembling lips. The room around her was dark, no light anywhere to vanquish the darkness that symbolized her own self. Still, she could see well enough to make everything out.
The dresser mirror at the end of her room, the queen sized bed pressed against the wall next to her white door, the fireplace that hadn't been lit for months indented into the far end of her room, opposite of the bed and the countless shelves that held her monumental collection of stuffed animals, porcelain dolls and other various childhood things.
Even in such a room furnished to be cozy and warm, she felt colder than death itself. She stood up on legs ready to fail her at any moment, making her way to the dresser mirror and dumping herself upon the padded chair in front of it, taking the cloak with her. With the crimson draped around her shoulders, her white hair falling all over it, Weiss felt like it belonged with her.
Especially now.
Her eyes stared back into her from the reflective glass as she reached for the sharpened nail filer she kept in the draw. It felt alien and sinful in her hands. She was betraying everything and everyone who loved her, who cared for her.
Admittedly, that was probably only Ruby, but that only made everything worse. "She doesn't even remember who I am." She told herself, bringing the sharp edge to her wrist. It was cold, and her hand trembled. She didn't take her gaze off of her mirror image, determined to look herself in the eye as she did this act of complete betrayal.
"Weiss?"
She didn't have to turn to see who it was. In the mirror, she could see the image of her former angel in the corner of her eye, the crimson hair that had once been Weiss' favourite sight hanging loosely around the angel's shoulders.
"Go away, Ruby… Stop watching me do this." She whispered quietly, recognizing the routine. Everytime she did this, Ruby was here to try and stop her. At first, she'd listened, thinking that maybe Ruby would return to her someday, come to rescue her from the cold confinements her father had forced on her that miserable day she'd been ordered to leave Beacon forever, indirectly causing her to leave Ruby, too.
It hadn't taken her long to dismiss such hope.
Finally she looked down at her scarred underarm, ignoring the dismayed gaze of her phantom companion. "I never meant to end up like this…" She admitted to herself, pressing the edge into her soft, pale skin. She hissed as it bit into her wrist, and yet she continued to add pressure until she deemed it painful enough, then slowly slid it across, finishing the self inflicted wound. As soon as the metal departed from the gash, the blood started to flow heavily, gushing out in thick streams and sliding down her arm, only to pool briefly in the crease created where her elbow joint was before circling around it to begin dripping silently at first onto the red cloak.
"It wasn't my fault, though." She continued, repeating the process further down her arm. It hurt, but the pain in her heart was worse. Physical pain was, as she had come to know after the last little while, easier to bear. She continued this down her arm until six fresh, painful gashes blemished her once beautiful skin.
She didn't stop here, though.
Her heart raced as she turned to her other arm, switching her weapon in between hands. It was a little slippery in her other hand, which was slick with blood, but she was able to reciprocate identical cuts in this arm, too. She set the nail filer on the dresser and leaned back in her chair, allowing her arms to hang limply by her sides as her lifeblood dripped noisily onto the stone floor.
She could still see Ruby in the mirror, her silver eyes filled with horror and agony. The brunette reached out to her, but as always was never able to get to her. Weiss closed her eyes and reopened them, the shade of Ruby Rose now gone.
She knew that her self infliction wouldn't kill her; she had enough pride to refrain from going that far. She wished she didn't have this pride.
Weiss fell asleep in the chair, her breathing shallow and quiet.
Despite knowing that she was going to be fine, knowing that she had been careful, her lifeblood still continued to flow quickly, pooling on the white stone and staining it red.
It was long into the night that Weiss continued to bleed, long after she'd died from blood loss.
If Weiss had had another moment to live, she would have gotten to see Ruby once more, draping the cloak around Weiss' shoulders. Alas, Ruby, having died far before Weiss had for different reasons yet no less horrifying, would never look into those beloved eyes that had once held undeniable love for her.
And so the eternal ghost stood next to Weiss until morning came, where Weiss was discovered by one of her servants. The scene had been the cliche horrified scream and then screaming of Weiss' name, calling for help, and eventually others showing up to share the servant's horror.
Ruby watched with sad eyes, wishing that Weiss had never thrown her life away like this. She pulled the hood up over her face and set out to search Remnant for her princess. Surely Weiss' ghost had to be out there for her, waiting faithfully for Ruby.
Ruby wandered for eternity. She searched until mankind fell prey to the relentless hordes of Grimm, until the Grimm was wiped out by the eventual return of man, only to have the process repeated.
She had been over Remnant a hundred times, and yet she still kept searching.
Surely, Weiss had to be out there.
Surely.
I admittedly have some serious issues, because I keep killing characters. Horribly. I mean, come on. LOOK AT THIS. WHAT IS EVEN WRONG WITH ME. DFJKLJKDSRHDJKDRTHDRTY.
Anyyyyhow, leave a review and a favourite, it's extremely appreciated. This is also my ninth RWBY story; I promise to make the tenth one slightly less... This.
-Aegis