Edelweiss

White.

To Weiss Schnee, the world is white. As a blank paper. As a raging blizzard. As the vast landscape in the great salt lake of Salar De Uyuni. Or rather, as the summit of Himalaya. No matter how simple, no matter how far, or no matter what; white is the point.

White is the dried flower contained securely inside a picture frame. Held by her as if it's her lifeline. But it's not. It's a rare edelweiss. A gift. From her lifeline. A genuine gift. A shame she almost rejected it with a fuming face and boiling anger, when she first saw it.

It shouldn't be here. That dolt should be, instead. Until now, Weiss still wants to give her an earful for picking up such a fair flower that's rare and protected by the law. Dolt. Thought it's a good idea to give a present like this for her birthday. Dolt, indeed.

But that's one of many reasons why Weiss loves her.

Aqua blue eyes softened. A weary sigh. Followed by a light tap. The metal frame stood back proudly at its former place. A shine of light passed. Silver. Staring at her guiltily. Her eyes. They widened in surprise.

Thump. The soft mattress embraced her fragile form. Eyes closed tight. But they could still see the ceiling.

Red.

To Weiss Schnee, there was once a red on the white. Which white, though; paper, blizzard, or what? No, every white. In her life. Not red as blood; many people initially thought so. But no. It was red like roses. Blooming and comforting.

Smile. She did. Remembering her. That dolt.

Red was the color of Ruby Rose. Her signature color. The color of her hair tips. The color of her thin yet mesmerizing lips. The color of her cheeks during cold days. The color of her favorite clothing. Red. Not red as blood. Red like roses.

It was also the theme color of the headline news that broadcasted the tragedy. The tragedy. She couldn't find any other word but that. A tragedy that took her from Weiss. Her. Lifeline.

One thing for sure; it's not the color of her memorial monument.

White.

Weiss had once knelt downcast in front of white. A white wall. Silent. Alone. She heard the water noise. Not the rain that was hammering down on her head without mercy. The warm rivulets. The ones those ran down her cheeks. Screaming. So loud.

Screaming. Of sorrow and pain. Screaming. In disbelief. Screaming. Denials.

There was a fresh golden yellow inscription on the wall. Fresh just like her wound. But she wasn't bleeding. She'd see red if she was. Instead, she saw the names. Hers was in there. Not Weiss Schnee. Ruby Rose. Thousand times already. She still couldn't change it.

No matter how much she wished otherwise.

Red.

The ceiling is red. She blinked. Was it? Was love red? Was Ruby's coat red? Head shaking. Futile. They're still here. The images. Haunting. Not letting her go. Eyes snapped shut. Frustrated. Nothing. Dark. Black. Void. Nothing. Suddenly, red.

The mattress catapulted her. She sat. Gasping for breath. Eyes wide. Red. Terror. They're still here. Tormenting her mind. Roses. Not the comforting ones. The ones who begged for her help. And then vanished with daunting accusations.

Many times she begged for forgiveness. Even though, it wasn't her fault. Or was it? Wasn't it her who supported that dolt to pursue her dream, to break through her limit? She could've said no. If only. Maybe...

But silver said no. Persistent. Just like usual. Begging for her permission. She couldn't say no. Not at that look. Not in a hundred years. Or centuries.

Looking back, she wished she could.

White.

Lies.

She used to cover her worries with white lies to herself. That everything will be fine. Nothing bad would happen. Anything to keep that smile on her face when she sent her lifeline off to another journey. The last journey.

A journey that ended up separating them for an eternity. It hurts. So much. Aqua sniveled. Tears fell. Like waterfall. Like Niagara. There's no end.

But so is their love, even though Ruby Rose is gone. It will last an eternity, for her. For Weiss. Just like the flower. Edelweiss. The eternity love.

Weiss Schnee saw that smile. Of approval. Silver. In her mind.

I know when I'm with you, I'm at home...

...when I'm not, I'll make a home for you in my heart.

~-x-~

A/N: A different writing style from my usual cuz I love trying something new. ^-^

This is another random thought that came to my mind during one of my brainstorming session-cuz I was desperate to write a story featuring the very popular ship. Okay, that snippet is unnecessary to include, but true nonetheless.

I felt lost every time I tried to set my focus on White Rose or Bumblebee, not because I couldn't, but because I was scared; is my idea original or has someone else took it? Depressing as heck, you know. ._.

Now, about the flower itself. Edelweiss is German, as many of you guessed already. It's made up of 'Edel', meaning noble, and Weiss, meaning white.

Contrary to this story, edelweiss is not an endangered species of sunflower. Scarce, but can be found easily at the height of 1.800 - 3000 meters altitude. However, there's an unspoken rule of take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but footprints. It's what I put into Weiss's logic of getting angry at her.

In some other countries, giving edelweiss to someone you loved means a promise of dedication. Which I just found out now. It's quite romantic, imagining Ruby saying that to Weiss. Well... at least, what's what I thought.

That's all I got. Consider this as another sheet of paper to the tall stack of White Rose archive. Hope you enjoy everything-the angst, especially.

Extra credit to my mom, who was once a mountain climber. I got this idea from one of her old pics. Thanks, mom. 3

~ Karvost (Kronosmond)