AN: Merry Christmas, and have a happy nondescript holiday to you all! I'm sorry about this being the only chapter this month, but finals and life have taken more of a toll. (aka. I actually got sorta lazy and found myself playing too much Final Fantasy.)
Anyway, have a great rest of the year, and enjoy reading!
Disclaimer: You know what, don't let me own RWBY or Rooster Teeth. Even with their long expositions and drawn-out explanations and fairy tale themes, it's still better than the where mine is going to go.
Chapter 11: Forget Me
Ruby hated it.
The instant she was forced into the hospital, nurses and doctors kept coming and going, determining what was wrong with her health from the past week or so. So far, they'd found three half-mended ribs, malnutrition, sleep deprivation, and still, she remained in the hospital after all those were treated.
All while she wondered the same questions that plagued her mind. Where was Farayan now? What was going to happen to him? Could he be saved from the Grimm inside him?
Worse, the nurses didn't ridicule Ruby for her questions, nor did they spite Farayan for being the supposed terrorist like he was portrayed. No, they did something much worse.
They pitied Ruby.
All those condescending stares, all the moments they listened to Ruby ask desperately about Farayan's state and her fixation on the boy. It would've been so much better if they'd shown any anger towards the boy, that way Ruby could have the satisfaction of being in the right. But no, they sent their sympathies to Ruby and her supposed delusions, like she was a traumatized teen with a hyperactive imagination.
Ruby hated all of them, but not as much as the man sitting in front of her.
The Psychologist.
He seemed so helpful at first, listening attentively as Ruby laid on her bed, trying her hardest to ignore him. And when he asked for who Farayan was, Ruby gave her heart out. She explained how they met in the first place, how considerate was to keep her safe. Ruby talked about the lengths he went to make sure she was alright, painting stories of Farayan facing down their first Grimm encounter without having any idea what he was doing and their time in Topaz Town. She teared up at the revelations that Farayan was never really there and cried when recounting his own kidnapping.
It felt so nice to let go of her emotions, just sitting in a seat while rambling away, the psychologist calmly listening while nodding every so often before jotting down a few notes. After every session, he'd smile at Ruby, give her a quick clap on the shoulder, and said, "You're an incredible woman, Miss Rose. Don't let this incident muddle your future."
After a dozen or so of these sessions lasting hours at a time, Ruby was done with her entire story and most of her venting, being cooped up in a stifling hospital room forever. The next session, though, was a slap in the face. The psychologist came with a few pages of Ruby's diagnosis and handed them to her, sprawled with a mess of complicated-looking words and sophisticated language- Ruby didn't understand a fourth of what any of it meant.
As she skimmed over the words with glazed eyes, the man tried to explain his notes, "Well, nothing is out of the ordinary for your situation. A slight stutter and shyness when we first met, social after a few days, with maybe a certain reluctance of trusting. Not unusual after a case of Stockholm Syndrome."
Ruby snapped out of her drowsy trance and stared at the adult. "What did you say?" she questioned.
"Stockholm Syndrome," he repeated, "It's found in patients that suffer-."
"I know what it is," Ruby snapped, sitting up rigid with a hint of steel in her stare. "I've read enough stories to know what that means." Neither spoke for a few moments. "Is that all you think this is?" Ruby whispered.
The psychologist actually looked startled by Ruby's sudden change in mood. "Well, naturally that's the most reasonable and common diagnosis of your perceived symptoms, and-."
"I'm not in love with Farayan!" Ruby shouted, "He just saved my life because he's human and because he actually cares!"
The psychologist tiled his head, a questioning look studying Ruby. "But I thought you said that Farayan was a Grimm," he inquired.
"He was- is," Ruby huffed, "And he didn't kidnap me, just protected me!"
Sometimes, a professional opinion helps things immensely, giving a trusted source a chance to voice their thoughts. But now, Ruby would rather hear anyone's voice but the one sitting in front of her. "Justification of actions," the psychologist listed, "attachment to the captor, hints of delusions-."
"I'm not delusional!" Ruby yelled.
The psychologist, however, didn't relent that easily. "Farayan is apparently both human and a Grimm, experimentations by executives in Atlas's government, robots that attack- it does seem a bit fantastical, does it not?"
"Because they actually happened," Ruby exclaimed, "What don't you understand?"
"Miss Rose, from an outside perspective, this is the best diagnosis I can give you. All symptoms line up, and I can't exactly say I agree that these androids or Grimm-Human hybrids exist, can I?"
A few moments of silence passed as Ruby curled her knees back into her chest, then Ruby murmured something too low for the man to hear. "What was that?"
"Get out," Ruby repeated, this time louder but still muffled by her position.
Of course, the psychologist frowned at that, looking quite indignant at the blatant malice being directed toward him. Still, he tried on a small smile for Ruby. "Well, this is my office," he pointed out.
That was enough of an invitation for Ruby. She swung her legs over the edge of her seat, standing and making her way over to the door. "Don't plan on me coming back," Ruby sighed.
"Now, Ruby."
"I thought I could trust you," Ruby interrupted, silencing the man, "Not to keep secrets, or to do anything. I just wanted you to listen and understand."
By now, the psychologist was getting irritated. "But I was listening for the past few weeks."
A chuckle escaped Ruby, lacking the humor or sincerity a chuckle should have. "Your diagnosis really shows that," she sneered, "Stockholm Syndrome- nicely analyzed." And with that, Ruby threw the door open, letting it click shut behind her as the nurse standing outside the room berate her. She barely heard a word of the nurse's seemingly endless rant as she was ushered back into the office multiple times, and eventually, the nurse sighed as Ruby was led back to her bed, sitting on the bed in the same balled-up position that she'd been used to for a long time.
-xXxX-Line Break-XxXx-
Days passed and Ruby was still stuck in her mood, with that empty feeling sitting in the back of her heart as she went through routine after routine with a forced smile. Then, the doctors decided another visit wouldn't hurt, this time with more promise than the psychologist could've ever provided.
Ruby was still sitting on her bed, idly twiddling her thumbs on the Scroll the doctors gave her to use as she searched for any news on Farayan. And without any indication it was going to happen, the door slammed open as a yellow blur stood for just an instant before enveloping Ruby in her arms. She only just let out a squeak of surprise when another two girls entered. "Yang?" Ruby asked, pulling out her trapped arms to give her sister a hug.
The blonde just nodded as she tightened her hold on Ruby as Blake and Weiss filed in on either side of the bed. "You're back," Yang murmured into her sister's hospital gown.
Ruby basked in the comfort, sinking her head into her sister's mane of a hair. Then, after the moment was gone, she sighed with a heavy heart at what she left. "But I didn't bring back Farayan," she replied. At her words, Yang stiffened under Ruby's arms, making the girl pull back. "What?" she asked.
Instead of a response, Yang just shot Ruby a small and forced grin. "Nothin', Rubes," she reassured, "Just happy your back."
"What happened to Farayan?" Ruby demanded.
Now, the fire started to reignite in the fiery blonde's eyes. "He took you away," Yang explained.
Ruby slumped back in her bed with a prolonged groan, closing her eyes and biting back a snarky response. "I already told the psychologist," she groaned, "He didn't kidnap me, he was caring for me."
"Even after your visit to Topaz Town?"
Ruby opened one eye and spotted Yang's huff as she crossed her arms under her chest. "He called me while you were there, did you know that?" Yang asked.
Ruby hesitated before she drawled, "Ozpin mentioned it when they took us in."
"Not any time before that?" Yang questioned.
The girl in question ducked her head, not meeting Yang's eyes for a while. "No," she managed out, "But he wanted to leave me behind in the town…"
"Then why did you stay with him? You could've told someone-."
"And what, let Farayan get captured? We had a plan to go to Patch-."
"You were going to Patch?"
"I was going to leave when we got there so I could see him in the summers and breaks!"
"But why did you join him?" Yang asked, "Why didn't you tell him where Patch was and come back?"
"I was scared for him, okay?" Ruby exclaimed, making the three girls jolt and step back, "What if something happened to him, or he got caught, or if he hurt someone else-?"
"But if you thought he would hurt someone," Weiss inquired, "Why did you go with him?"
"Because he never hurt me!" Ruby was almost shouting at this point, the same fire building inside her as it had been in Yang, "He never hurt anyone while I was around, and even with Penny he stopped-."
"Hold on," Weiss interrupted, "Penny? What Penny?"
"A girl that attacked us," Ruby explained without a second thought, "The point is what if Farayan would hurt someone when I wasn't around? I couldn't just abandon him like that!"
"And what about us?" Yang yelled back. Ruby froze in mid-shout and turned to her sister, flinching back when she saw the tears start to build. "Why did you leave for us?"
"I…" Ruby stammered, "I couldn't just leave Farayan…"
"So you decided to leave us instead?" Yang demanded.
"No, that's not it," Ruby rambled, eyes as wide as saucers, "I just wanted to save Farayan."
"The one that-."
"Yang," Blake exclaimed, pushing Yang back and glaring at the blonde, "This isn't what we planned to do." There was a glaring match between the two for a bit, then Yang turned to her horrified sister, mouth agape with a distant look in her eyes from Yang's words. And the anger just died, replacing it with guilt and emptiness.
Sighing, Yang went back to hugging Ruby, but it wasn't reciprocated as Ruby stared at her sister, hurt. Blake threw back her head and blew out a puff of frustrated air. This was absolutely not how anything was supposed to go.
-xXxX-Line Break-XxXx-
Her time with the rest of RWBY was… tenser than she wanted it to be. It was fun, absolutely, but the argument between Yang and Ruby didn't exactly relieve any tension. And to make matters worse, Blake and Weiss were best described as "barely tolerable." The animosity between them didn't go further than snide remarks, but from what Yang experienced, that was for Ruby's sake.
With Ruby out with Farayan and Yang hung up on her sister's "kidnapping", there was no moderator between the two polar opposites. A time when they didn't argue was sparser than when they were. Or at least, when they weren't glaring daggers at each other. Sometimes it was blatantly ignoring the other, like what happened periodically with Ruby, but with no one else besides JNPR tampering them down, the tension anywhere near the two girls thickened even if they weren't talking.
It was peaceful when they left. Not good or bad, just peaceful, getting back into the boring routine the doctors followed. Ruby had only just recovered from her last visit when the next one tried to destabilize her. Because life just didn't want to make it easy for her, it seemed. Ruby was expecting one of the routine check-ups when the door opened. She wasn't expecting a redhead in green overalls, hair coming down in curls, with one green eye distinctly darker than the emerald green. "You!" Ruby exclaimed, shooting up with a scowl.
Penny jumped back, surprised by the normally upbeat girl's deviation. "Hello, Ruby," she greeted meekly.
Another man stepped into the room, but Ruby's eyes were still fixated on the anxious girl. "What is she doing here?" she demanded.
"She," the man spoke before Penny could, clapping a hand down onto her shoulder, "Is here on my account." He smiled at Ruby who continued to glare at the android. "Nice to meet you, Miss Rose."
Finally, her gaze turned to the prime and prim gentleman, complete with his white suit and barely graying hair. "And who are you?" Ruby asked.
"General Ironwood," he introduced himself. Upon his title, Ruby huffed with a distasteful look. "I will assure you," Ironwood went on, noticing her expression, "I had nothing to do with Project Lusus Naturae besides shedding a bit of light for Ozpin and myself."
Ruby's previous scowl toned down until it was only annoyance, her glare returning every time her eyes strayed back to Penny. "And why'd you bring her back?" she asked, "You know what happened last time."
Penny flinched again as she responded with a quick, "This was the General's idea."
"What she means," Ironwood gave the girl a pointed look, "She is one of the only ones that truly know what you have experienced. So, I thought that this would be a nice way of… closure, if you would."
Ruby nodded, seeing the reason in his words, yet she also saw exactly how it could work out in the entirely opposite way. "What do you mean by closure?" Ruby asked.
Penny didn't answer her question- well, not with an answer. "What was Farayan like?"
Ruby's expression brightened at that as she launched them into her tale, giving Penny a look of sympathy when they reached her moments, skimming over those details as quickly as she could. But everything else was in excruciatingly fine detail. Not that Ironwood or Penny minded- quite the opposite. They were happy that the animated girl seemed to be back to her old, happy self and her bubbly attitude.
-xXxX-Line Break-XxXx-
Penny's visit left Ruby in high spirits for the rest of the day, and her day got even better when the doctors cleared Ruby to leave in three days or less. The smile permeated her lips at the prospect of returning something to normal, even if her heart was still heavy from all the reminiscing she had to do before Ironwood and Penny left.
And before she went to sleep, she got another surprise. This time, she heard the person before he even appeared. A collection of "Sir, you can't go in there," and, "Please leave this wing" rang out from the hallway, out of sight as Ruby sat up, interested at the commotion going on, hidden away from her for the moment. But along with the noises was a distinct patter of feet, along with a metallic clatter, like something was methodically tapped against the ground. She got her answer a few short moments later when the black cane appeared, followed closely by the man in his regular black and green suit, serious and steady eyes staring behind a pair of small spectacles.
"It's alright," Ozpin assured the half-dozen nurses and doctors behind him, "I believe Ruby would like to hear what I have to say."
"Headmaster," one nurse tried, "I have to request for you to please leave this wing for our patients' privacy. Not even a person of your stat-."
"Can he stay?" Ruby piped up, "I want to know what he says." She turned to Ozpin with eager eyes, "Is it on Farayan? Where is he? How's he doing?"
Ozpin gave the group behind him a pointed look. "I believe she's requested my audience, however."
One nurse frowned. "I highly doubt that conversing with her about this… 'Farayan' person would be detrimental to her growth."
A quick wave of his hand and Ozpin was refocused back on Ruby. "I'm sure it has the potential, but it will do her good for her in the long run. As long as the truth isn't held from her."
For a few seconds, the doctors and nurses conversed before eventually relenting after a plethora of strict orders and restrictions, along with more than enough reminders to what would happen if anything was violated. And they were gone, closing the door behind them and leaving Ozpin alone with an overeager Ruby. "So," Ruby implored, "What is it?"
Ozpin paced over, his posture straightened and firm as he pulled up a chair. He sat down, cane planted in front of him with his hands resting on the head while he stared at Ruby behind his crossed thumbs. "Farayan went back to the lab."
Already, Ruby's heart plummeted a bit before lifting back up. "And? Did they cure him? Is he back to normal?"
More questions would've come out like a flood, but Ozpin lifted a brief finger before sighing. "No, they didn't find a way to cure him." Ruby's spirit dropped. "War'Din-."
"His name's Farayan," Ruby corrected without hesitation.
"Yes," Ozpin sighed, "Farayan. He seems to be… deteriorating. Not physically, but mentally. Hasn't said a word since he arrived at the compound. Brain activity seems to suggest that either hyperactivity while the Grimm inside him plans to escape-."
"They wouldn't make the same mistake twice," Ruby put in.
Ozpin nodded, allowing a smile at her inquisitive nature. "That's putting it mildly. But the other scenario isn't as helpful as the former." Ruby's blood froze. What was worse than an actual hopeless cause of Farayan staying indefinitely in the facility. "Their second theory- that Dr. Treuse offered- is a battle of their minds, each one fighting for dominance."
Ruby's breath hitched as she tried on a hopeful look. "So Farayan's still in there?"
"Positively." Now, to Ruby's dread, Ozpin's face drooped with a dark expression. "But there are only a few outcomes that would seem likely. The most unlikely of which include Farayan regaining control of a body. Second best-case scenario- the Grimm and Farayan both tire each other out and end in a certain… limbo, as Treuse called it."
"And worst-case?" Ruby inquired with tears brimming.
Ozpin hesitated. "The War'Din retakes control of its body and decides Farayan is no longer necessary for its survival."
It seemed too soon that Ruby was curled up into the same ball all over again, stemming back the flow of tears with her knees. "And Farayan would die," Ruby sniffled.
"From their perspective, the scientists give another day for any response before they determine Farayan as a lost cause. 'Better to save end an experiment before it gets out of hand', is what they'd say."
-xXxX-Line Break-XxXx-
Three days had gone by, and Ozpin hadn't shown up again. Ruby was sitting on her bed- her actual one. In her own dorm, surrounded by vaguely familiar posters and bookshelves, and not white walls and disinfectant spray. Ozpin promised Ruby for any positive update on Farayan's health in the upcoming days.
And about two days ago, Ruby began crying.
Which was worse- the utter silence and isolation, or the knowledge that Farayan was gone? It didn't matter to Ruby; both were happening at the same time. Every night she found herself with bloodshot eyes and wet cheeks, brushing them away before Yang could wake up as well. Only a few times did anyone spot the signs, but it was brushed off. People walked up to her with sympathetic looks and condolences, thinking her tears were from PTSD or Stockholm Syndrome or whatever diagnosis the doctors cocked up. JNPR showed it the least, giving Ruby genuine smiles and taking her in to play a video game or two with Jaune and Nora or a brief chat with the other, less open members.
Surprising to Ruby, though, was the one who showed her the most comfort. It wasn't Yang because of her dislike of Farayan, "manipulating" her sister. Nor was it her teachers or Weiss and their indifference yet subtle comfort. It was Blake. Looking back, it wasn't that difficult to see. Two girls with friends isolated by society, misunderstood because of their circumstances, and trying desperately to show common knowledge of their situation- Blake's race and Ruby's "diagnosis"- was wrong in all the wrong ways. When Ruby came back for the first time, Blake took Ruby under an arm, just sitting on her bed as Yang doted about her and Weiss hung back a few paces with a soft expression.
And the third night was when the dreams started happening.
Ruby woke up to a pressure poking at her shoulder. She rolled away, squinting her eyes while she pulled her blanket closer to her body. "Go away," she mumbled.
"Can't do that," a blood-chillingly familiar voice rang beside her ear.
The next instant, Ruby was sitting up and was about to squeal at the top of her lungs, fully awake, but a finger pressing against her mouth stopped her. "Can't wake the others," Farayan grinned, "Or else they'll put me away as well."
Ruby's mouth flapped open and close, trying to find the words. In the end, she flung her arms around the boy, smiling as she felt Farayan hug her in return. "How are you here?" she whispered.
"That's not important." Gently, she was pushed back until Ruby could catch Farayan's eyes. And yet again, her blood froze. It was her Farayan, absolutely, but the dullness in his eyes. It was the exact same shade back at their stay in Topaz.
The very same shade when Farayan tried to leave.
"We-," Ruby stammered, "We could tell Ozpin. He could give you something, or at least he'd let you-."
"Ruby," Farayan interrupted with a smile, "I have a message."
Ruby shifter herself into a more comfortable position. "I'm listening."
The smile never left Farayan's face, but neither did the blank eyes. "You have to actually follow it," he teased while adding, "Not like what you did with your music choice. Still have to improve on that."
Ruby stifled a giggle before replying, "Fine. What is it?"
"Forget me."
For a moment, Ruby forgot how to move, her smile still present and her heart-stopping its fidgety bouncing. "What?" she managed to choke out.
"Move on," Farayan ushered, "Live your life here. Stop thinking about me. I'll even make it easier for you: by getting you angry."
"How?" Ruby choked on her tears.
Farayan ruffled her hair, using his other hand to give Ruby a salute. "By not giving you a chance to say goodbye."
And as Ruby processed his words, she felt a slight breeze, instinctively shivering in the brisk autumn air. The next thing she knew, Farayan was gone, and the windows were open. "Farayan, wait," Ruby cried, leaping off the bed and hanging out the window with both hands holding the frame. No sign of him, just the empty night and bright city giving her a horrifyingly uninterrupted view. No winged creature gliding away, no person standing and giving her a smile to know everything was okay. Just the blissfully, sad emptiness. "Farayan," she yelled again.
"Ruby!" Arms wrapped around her waist and stomach as she was dragged back in, kicking and screaming at her teammates to let her go. The three girls had woken up to see a tear-stricken Ruby, yelling "Farayan" at the top of her lungs while barely still in the room, tipping over at an unnatural angle. "She actually tried it," Weiss gasped, holding Ruby's arm as she thrashed in her teammates' grasps.
"Farayan was there," Ruby sobbed, "He was there!"
Trashes turned into weak jerks as Ruby kept crying away, turning to her friends as she cried into someone's shoulder. Goodwitch came around in her nightgown, glowering as she was interrupted by a bunch of dorms complaining about someone screaming. But when she flicked on the lights, she couldn't exactly bring herself to scream at Ruby and the girls trying to comfort her broken figure.
"Forget me."
Absolutely not.
AN: Dang it, Farayan, you had one job! Anyway, hey guys. Fireflame again. Well, Ruby's emotionally crippled. It's sadly satisfying to do this. J.K. Rowling apparently cried when writing the death of one of her characters, but I just don't feel it. Don't know if that's a good thing or bad thing, considering what I just did with Farayan, but oh well.
Anyways, onto reviews!
ThatGreenDooredBookshop: Yes, about all of that... No, it's not a possession of the soul. It's basically stealing whatever attributes of whatever War'Din needs, and it decided Farayan was in the best interest to take. Farayan is in it, yep. Think of it as Dr. Jekkle, Mr. Hyde. But with the Joker as one of the personalities. Or is that actually one of the personalities, I haven't read the book.
AHBookworm7: Should I could it as actually dead or just "KIA"? And I believe you've got an idea for a cover, but if you don't, 2 more chapters wouldn't hurt.
Jalen890: That's my purpose. To show something new!
Lucifer Daemon: You'll probably have to wait... a bit less than forever most likely.
And that's it! Hope you enjoyed, because I will try and see you guys at New Years.
Signing out, Flames of Fire.
