Author's Note
Hey, Cryssalia here! I managed to push a story out and I'm sorry to those that expecting a new chapter for Monster Inside Me. I'll try to push out a chapter for the story but right now, I have a one shot for a new series; Legends and Folklores. This is more to character introduction, how they met and interact so the details about other things are vague. I'll release the complete story of the story once I get the characters introduced.
Character designs will be on my P-A-T-R-E-O-N Cryssalia and later on my Tumblr name Cryssalia as well.
Credit to Mr. Stark357 for editing this story. Enjoy, mes ami!
Here's a good question; how long can I last in the outside world? My answer is; as long as I want to.
Despite the luxury my father had provided me when I was a child, my life in the outside world turns out to be better than expected. Of course, that was when people recognize me as Weiss Schnee; heiress of the Schnee Dust Company.
Not Weiss Schnee; a ruthless bounty hunter. Plus, with a mask and a tattered cloak. Nobody would know who I truly am.
The job as a bounty hunter wasn't simple. Clients often demand too much, cancelled on me in the last second and asked me to steal stupid stuff like food. But then again, what matters is the lien. I was really hoping for a rather challenging job and well, for an easy money as well.
Who would've thought lady luck is finally on my side?
So there was this guy, he was real sketchy and we met in a bar near the edge of Vale, where the borders are located. He wore a coat with a fedora and I barely could see his face. With my mask on and my hood pulled over my head, we talked. Guess what?
He will pay me to kill someone for thousands of liens. What did I say about easy money? So I accepted it without hesitation.
"You will find your target in the Emerald Forest. A clean kill means double the reward."
'What a simple task,' I thought. The canopies of the forest helped me to conceal myself so whoever is my target would have a hard time spotting me. But I need to watch my steps; sticks, roots and creeks almost everywhere. Not to mention some of the terrain wasn't as smooth as I thought. I mumbled, complaining to myself about the annoyance I had with the forest.
Until I found a small path with a trail of rose petals.
I followed the trail, leading me to more rose petals and I quietly took out my gun as I reached a clearing. Sunlight shined brightly onto the bed of roses below and on the roses, there was someone laying there. I moved towards them, gradually pointing my gun at them and got a closer look. The hood of their red cloak was over their head.
And they turned, making me back away quickly.
"W-who's there?" It was a girl. "Yang, is that you?" she asked. I stayed silent and she did the same for a moment. "Oh… you're not Yang," she said. I tilted my head.
"Who's Yang?" She looked back at me and I can see a faint smile on her face.
"She's my sister. I'm sorry for mistaking you for her," She answered and got up. She steadied herself and pulled back her hood. My eyes widened and I gasped softly.
Roses… covering her eyes and around her head. Some of the petals fell on the ground but she smiles like it was nothing. "My name's Ruby Rose. Nice to meet you…" she said softly. I didn't respond. I was too mesmerized by the roses on her eyes. So I waved my hand in front of her face to make sure.
She giggled and I quickly pulled away. "S-sorry, I didn't mean to-…"
"It's okay. It must've surprised you, right?" I looked down, flustered by my actions. She sighed softly, "You didn't tell me your name, stranger," she continued.
"I… my name…" Who am I to lie? She would know eventually. "Weiss… Weiss Schnee…" I said.
She didn't say anything about it. She stayed silent, facing me as if she's staring at me. I looked at her back, confused by her action. Usually people would ask why am I doing this, why wouldn't I stay home with so much luxury.
But there was nothing. There was silence and only silence.
"I see…" she answered. No one ever gave me that kind of answer before.
"You… you're not going to ask me why am I here? Since I'm a Schnee and all that…" She smiled and for some reason, it made me flushed.
"You didn't ask me about the roses, so we're even."
That girl… is the weirdest person I ever met.
She always faced me as if she could see me, she wasn't fazed by my status or cared whether I'm a threat or not. She would sit on the roses and talk to me, telling me all kinds of stories; fairytales or legends. The things that I don't really pay much attention to.
But for some reason, I kept coming back to listen to all her stories. I don't know whether I'm the weird one or Ruby is.
Whenever we have nothing to say to each other, we sat in silence. I watched Ruby plucking and playing with the roses near her feet. I looked at the roses that grew on her head which ended up growing on her eyes and caused her to lose her sight. I kept asking myself why would that happen, maybe I should've asked back then.
"Weiss?" she called softly which took me by surprise.
"Y-yes, Ruby?" I looked at her and she giggled, returning to play with the roses. I sighed softly, she probably asked me to make sure I'm still here. "It's the third time you called me," I said.
"Sorry…" she looked down and it made me feel guilty. Maybe I was harsh with my words.
"It must be hard for you… to not be able to see," I said. She looked back up and turned to me, smiling. I can't tell whether it was a sad smile or just a smile.
"At first… but when I was like, ten maybe, my mother taught me how to find someone by Aura. So… technically I can see you…"
I looked at her in disbelief. So all this time she could see me? And here I am feeling guilty about it for a while but now I'm annoyed. "Then why do you keep asking me? Why do you bother making sure I'm still here if you can see?"
She noticed the change of tone in my voice. She kept smiling and I gave her a confused look. Why the hell would she still smile?
"I just want to hear your voice, Weiss…" she said softly. I stayed still and silent. I stared at her, trying to make sense of her words.
She definitely managed to make me blush.
No doubt that the roses on her face disturbed me for a while, so in the end I asked her about it. At first, she seemed to hesitated. She stayed silent for a while and I immediately apologized, considering she never asked me why I prefer to be alone and stayed home with my father.
"It's okay… I was thinking on telling you about it anyway," she said. I looked at her, waiting for her to tell me. She sighed softly and played with the rose in her hand. "Weiss, have you ever heard about the Silver Eyed Warrior?"
"The protectors from the legends? What about them?"
She smiled. "Well, my mother was one of them," she said. I stared to the ground, pondering with her words for a moment. Then, my eyes widened.
"So you're… Summer Rose's daughter? THEE Summer Rose?" She nodded slowly. I looked at her in awe and disbelief, "But wasn't she-…"
"She had me… before she died," she sighed softly. "She was one of the greatest warriors in Remnant. She protected everyone from Grimm and fought bad guys. I always admire her when I heard stories of her adventures."
The corners of her mouth drooped, telling me that the next bit is rather depressing.
"One day, mom had to fight this… some sort of witch from what dad told me." She shook her head dejectedly, "She was too strong. Mom didn't have the chance to fight her. And that time… she was pregnant with me."
I was about to reply when she continued, "When the witch found out, she suddenly spared her. Mom was surprised by that, but before she left… the witch cursed her. It wasn't immediate… but one day she found out roses sprouted from her head. She pulled them off once but it made her bleed terribly. Day by day, more roses grew and within a month, the roses covered her eyes. Dad was devastated, so he brought mom away from society and lived in hiding." She looked down, clearly she was disappointed by the outcome.
"The saddest part is… everyone started to think of her being useless because she can't see anymore. She can see people by their Aura but what about Grimm? They don't have Aura, so how can mom see them and fight them? It… it didn't get to mom at first but dad knew it hurt her so much…" She sighed and started to pluck the roses in her hand. "Few months later, I was born; normal, flawless, at least to all of them. I… can only remember their warmth and voices. Because three days later, roses started to grow on me too…"
I tried to choke out an answer when she fell silent but there was nothing I could say. I tapped her shoulder, telling her to continue, "I remembered mom panicked when she found out. She begged dad to do something but… what can he do? So… like it or not, mom raised me as best as she could. Unfortunately, the roses… they grew within a week. It was the fastest growth anyone ever seen. My whole life is filled with darkness and the echoes of everyone's voice. Mom kept blaming herself ever since… I mean, she'd never thought the curse would have passed onto me. That's why the witch cursed her; so I could suffer along with my mom."
She fell silent and stayed that way. I frowned and gulped, "And… what happened next?" I asked. She didn't answer. She plucked the rose petals till nothing remains on the bud. She dropped the stem and looked away.
"Like every Silver Eyed Warriors in the history; she died. But by suicide…"
My eyes widened in disbelief, "But she was-…"
"She knew that there's no way she could see a Grimm. So she took the chance to kill herself, but did the last good thing before she died… She knew there's no way anyone would suspect she tried to kill herself. To her… it's still a noble way to die…"
I noticed liquid trickled down her cheeks, where her eyes were supposed to be. Her body was shaking and she bit her lips. I slightly panicked. Never in my life have I had to deal a crying girl but instinctively, I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her close. I heard her gasped softly and I caressed her hair. She cringed, surprised by my action and to be honest I was surprised myself. But I kept going. The last thing I want is for her to shed tears.
Which reminds me… that this is what my mother used to do to me before she left.
I began to hum the soft tunes mother used to sang. I felt her body relaxing and she rested her head on my chest, making me flushed. I felt her moving and I loosened up, looking down to her and greeted by her smile. "You're a kind person, Weiss…" she said softly and leaned up to peck my cheek.
Hues of red appeared on my cheeks and I looked away, faking my cough but that made her worried. "A-are you okay?" she asked.
"I-I'm fine! I just have something in my throat!" I quickly waved my hand which reminded me that she couldn't see. She giggled and that made me blush in embarrassment. She probably knew what I'm trying to do.
"You're funny. A-and I mean in a good way of course," she smiled and hues of red appeared on her cheeks too, almost as red as the roses on her head. I sighed softly and rested my head on hers, burying into her soft red streaked black hair. The scent of roses engulfed me and I swear I could drown myself in her scent every day.
It was all sunshine and rainbows before a call reminded me I had a job to be done. All those times I spent with Ruby really distracted me from doing my task. But…
"Why did you ask me to go to the forest? Who is my target actually?"
The man chuckled and it sounded sinister. I gulped as I started to suspect something, "You met her. Did you have a good time with her?" he said.
I swear I would've dropped my scroll in shock if I hadn't gripped tightly onto it till I could crush it into pieces. He continued, "Well, what're you waiting for? I'll be waiting, Miss Schnee." The call ended and my arm dropped to my side with my scroll slid off my grip. I bit my lips till I could taste blood from it.
For once, I regretted ever choosing this life.
On that morning, a while after I received the call, I went to the forest. As always, Ruby was there waiting for me but she hasn't turned. So I called, "Ruby." She finally turned and smiled, "I brought you some cookies, like I promised."
Her smiled brightened and I went to sat next to her. I placed a small red pouch filled with cookies in between us. "Thanks, Weiss. It's very sweet of you," she said. I only responded with a smile, even though she couldn't see it.
She told me that she can only see the physical of a person, like their body but in sort of spirit form. She can tell their movements but she can't see the details such as facial expression. Just like how I can't see her eyes.
I cringed when I felt her fingers brushed against the back of my hand and looked; she was trying to reach in to get a cookie but she kept missing. I didn't say anything for a while, which was kind of selfish of me but… I can't help but enjoy her touch. It was gentle and innocent. I can even felt a faint sense of warmth from the tip of the fingers.
But it was interrupted when she started to whine. I sighed softly and smiled, taking a cookie from the pouch and made sure she touched it. She smiled when she got it and nibbled on it happily like a puppy getting a treat.
She started munching on it and often I had to wipe off the crumbs from her cheeks and she kept apologizing for it. I watched her eat for a while, but then I recall what the man told me.
"I'll be waiting, Miss Schnee."
I clenched my hands tightly. Why would someone want to kill her? What did she do wrong?
"Weiss?" she called and placed her hand on mine which startled me. I almost yanked my hand away if it wasn't for her warmth. For the first time in my life, I felt calm and in bliss. But I definitely need to answer her.
"Y-yeah?"
"You were tense just now. Is something bothering you?"
I was scared I would have blurted out what's in my mind but answered, "It's nothing, Ruby…"
To be honest, I just wanted to feel her touch, to feel her warmth against my cold skin. I wanted her to keep holding me.
I want to hold her forever.
But am I worthy enough for her?
I looked at her, she tilted her head when I did. She must've expected more answer or just confused. I frowned, "Ruby, if… if someday that curse of yours… is removed, what was the first thing you'd like to see?" I asked.
She was silent and she pulled her hand away. I whimpered quietly, beginning to long for her warmth. But I decided to wait for her answer. She looked down, playing with the rose petals beneath her for a moment.
Then she looked up with a bright smile on her face, "I want to see you."
Now it's my turn to be silent for at least a few seconds before I chuckled, "You must be joking."
She shook her head and still smiled. I looked at her in disbelief. She wasn't joking.
The man's voice kept playing in my head and it overwhelmed me to kill this girl before me. I looked down, unable to look at her, "Why me? Why not other people? Or something else?"
"Like what?"
"I don't know. Usually people would like to see the stars, moon or sunset and sunrise all that. And… don't you want to see how your family looks like?"
She looked down and I felt a depressive vibe coming from her. Guilt overwhelmed me this time. "I want to see them too…" she murmured.
"R-Ruby, I-…"
"But can't I see my friend?"
"A… f-friend?" She looked back up at me and smiled.
"I can imagine how the stars and moon look like. I can imagine how the sun rises and sets. My family… I don't have to imagine because I already have them. But there's no way I can imagine my friend…"
I stared at her, so caught up to her words that I have nothing to say in return. "Of all these years, you're the first friend I ever had. You could've left back then and never return on the first day we met. But here you are, sitting next to me, listening to me and bringing me cookies," she said and smiled. "As much as I could imagine, there's no way I could imagine your beauty Weiss…"
I'm not the type to be shedding tears especially to a stranger.
Ruby was too kind. She was too kind for me.
I don't deserve her.
She deserves someone else better than me.
I don't want to be the one to ruin her life.
Ruby once asked me how was the world beyond the forest looked like. So I explained to her as best as I could since comparing to the forest, the world outside is the worst.
Although I couldn't see it, I knew her eyes were beaming with excitement when I told her my story. So I ended up role playing as some of the people I know for the sake of humor and it was really worth it to embarrass myself so I could see Ruby laugh.
Until then, she never asked about my life and it was unfair of me to keep it.
But then again, there's no way I could tell her that I was supposed to kill her the first day we met.
I didn't realize it was almost a month since I met her. I really wished I could bring her out of this forest and show her the world outside of the forest. But there's no way that could happen. She's blind and I don't think people would kindly accept her if they see her.
So I decided to lead her through the forest instead. During our journey, I realized how ignorant I was with the things around me. For the first time, I admired the beauty of nature; the sounds of birds chirping, the calm water of the stream. I never noticed all of them before, maybe that's why Ruby stayed here.
We made a few stops so I could tell Ruby what I saw properly. She kept nodding and smiling. I only hoped it was a happy smile as I kept telling her. We took a couple of minutes' rest before moving on, taking in the fresh air of the day and admired the beauty as much as we could.
"I wish I could see them…" she murmured but I could hear her clearly. I frowned.
"Ruby-…"
"When I have my sight back, I want to see all the things you see… and see you."
I chuckled, "That's a pretty big dream."
She smiled and giggled, "My mom always said; you have to have big dreams to achieve it."
I sighed softly and looked down, smiling sadly, "Yeah, I guess you're right…"
Ruby suddenly stopped on her tracks and held my hand tightly. I stopped and looked at her, "Is something wrong?" She didn't respond and I turned to where she's looking, only to meet a muzzle of a gun pointed near my face. I backed away towards Ruby and held her close to me. The man wearing a bandana kept pointing his gun to me and gestured to the bushes. More of his people came out of hiding with weapons in their hands. I could feel Ruby's concern on the situation.
"Who the hell are you?" I said and gritted my teeth while my hand trying to reach my weapon. He huffed and cocked his gun.
"Boss asked us to kill the girl instead since you wouldn't do it yourself," he answered. My eyes widened and gulped. Ruby looked up at me.
"Weiss-…" I cut her off.
"I-it's nothing, Ruby. Don't listen to what he says."
He chuckled and started to move closer. I drew out my gun and pointed at him. He grinned, "Oh, Miss Schnee. Why do you bother hiding it from her? Would you like me to do it then?" He placed his finger on the trigger, "Because I would gladly do so."
I trembled and clenched my hands tightly. Ruby stayed silent and still. Cold sweat began to run down my face. My hand trembled, almost dropping the gun in my hand. I glanced at Ruby and frowned. I could feel my tears welled up in my eyes, "R-Ruby…" I choked. "I-I'm…"
But she smiled. I looked at her in shock. I thought I was imagining things but she smiled. It was a sympathetic smile.
"I understand, Weiss. After all," she looked down. "I'm a useless blind girl." She turned to face me and looked up at me. She still smiled and I felt like the smile was for me.
I lifted my gun to aim at her head, cocking it and placed my finger on the trigger. Suddenly, she giggled, and I noticed tears running down her cheeks. "It was fun knowing you… I enjoyed our time together, Weiss…"
My hand trembled and took a deep breath. I've killed people before, so this should be easy… right?
"I want to see you."
"There's no way I could imagine your beauty, Weiss…"
"When I have my sight back, I want to see all the things you see… and see you."
"You're a kind person, Weiss…"
That sympathetic smile wasn't for me.
It's for her…
A loud bang echoed throughout the forest. Ruby heard gurgling behind her but she stood still and looked at me. She realized I shot someone else instead which was the man behind her in the throat. I shot him again in the head, killing him. The others watched in shock.
I glared at them, "Why don't I kill all of you instead?" I growled.
They came charging at us and I drew out my rapier. I pulled Ruby close to me and shot their legs, slowing them down and quickly decapitated them. The man in the bandana drew out his axe and swung at me. I used my Glyph and forced him down to the ground. I grabbed his axe which he dropped near my feet and slowly went to him. He grunted and looked at me. He gasped when he noticed my glare and sinister smile. He trembled when I raised the axe, "This is my message to your boss…" I said and with all the force I have, landed the axe on his head. I yanked it off and repeated the process till I was heavily covered in blood and his head almost split.
I stuck the axe onto the ground and breathed heavily. Then, I remembered Ruby who's been watching the whole thing. I glanced back at her and there she was, looking at me. Some of the petals from the roses on her head fell. I panicked and hesitantly turned to her. She must be disappointed in me.
"I… I'll stop bothering you… I won't come here again," I said. She didn't respond.
'This is it, I'll just have to walk away and never look back,' I told myself that. I was fixing on turning away when I felt a pair of warm hands holding mine. I looked back to see Ruby's hands holding my blood soaked hand. I wanted to pull away. I don't want to taint her innocent warm hands.
"Ruby-…"
"Don't go…" she murmured. I looked away and frowned deeply.
"Why? I'm… I'm not like what you think. I'm not as kind as you thought I am to be."
She looked up at me and smiled, "I still think you are…" she said.
I bit my lip, somewhat offended by her smile, "How can you still smile?! I almost killed you! I put your life in danger! And yet you still can smile after all that?!" I yelled.
But she still smiled. I clenched my hands and reached for one of the roses on her eyes, ready to yank it off but I froze. Her hand held mine against her cheek. I trembled and felt myself in the brink of tears.
"If I don't smile, then who's going to make you smile?"
I wished she would just stop. I wished she realized that I don't deserve her kindness. I don't deserve her. Once again since the time she told me I'm the first one she wanted to see, I let my tears fell from my eyes.
Ruby is the weirdest girl I ever met in my whole life.
I don't know if it was her condition that made me come back for her… or the fact that she was the first one that ever managed to break me out of my shell. But with her, I won't be hiding things from her anymore.
"Ruby?" I called.
"Yeah?" she looked at me.
"I promise… I'll remove that curse. Then, we can travel and let you see what everyone see in your life."
She giggled and smiled. "But I still want to see you first…" she said.
Somehow... this girl made me fall in love with her.