I do not own the RWBY or Fate universes. Here is the next chapter.
Chapter 13: A Mother's Lost Love
I seriously want to curse at Klein for abandoning me to this fate. That is so not cool, man.
But I understand him. Weiss's mother is currently terrifying to face right now, and I imagine that it wasn't common reaction from her to begin with. If anyone else was in his shoes, they would probably have done the same thing and run away for their lives.
On the other hand, he did abandon me alone with her…
Traitor…
So I will have some serious words with him about the true meaning of loyalty in the face of danger. That being said…
"I'm afraid that I do not understand your question, Madam Schnee," I said calmly, even as my twitching ahoge betrayed my uneasiness inside. "I do sense some concern in your question, but I do not know what I have done so far to justify that."
I scowled inwardly as my eyes glanced up at my waving ahoge. It may look cute, but I knew that ahoges are generally for anime characters that are stupid in some way. I don't think Saber was ever dim-witted, and I am certainly the same as her. I absolutely refuse to think otherwise!
Weiss's mother gives me a slightly quizzical look with her ice blue eyes, but otherwise held her expression neutral. Then she sighs heavily, releasing some of the pressure that I felt from her presence.
"Then let me elaborate my question for you. What are you to my daughter? Despite of the fact that you may be her personal bodyguard, it does not warrant the fact that you two seem much closer than what is required professionally. My daughter obviously trusts you, but I have a feeling that her trust in you is more than just based on your devoted servitude."
Interesting. Weiss's mother was quite perceptive, not unlike her daughter in many ways. It makes me wonder how she would have turned out if she didn't lose herself in her alcoholism and depression. Maybe the woman in front of me now was just a shadow of the person that she once was.
But speaking of her question, what am I exactly to Weiss? It was certainly not the first time I bounced this certain question in my mind and probably wouldn't be the last. I am certainly not normal acquaintance to her, but I do not think I am as close to her yet as her teammates. I certainly help her a lot in terms of training, yet there are still secrets between us. I am a Servant to her who will support her wishes, but I do have my own opinions and will disagree at times. But I certainly care for her not just as my Master, and Weiss probably feels the same way about me as a Servant… So if I were to describe our current relationship with each other, it would be…
"I… believe I am someone who looks out for her because she needs it. Not just as a protector or a guardian because I cannot look after her forever. I am more like her partner to make sure that she doesn't regret the path that she chose for herself," I answered slowly.
"A partner?" Willow repeated the words in confusion.
"Well, our relationship is probably more complex than that," I scratched my cheek with my finger. "But I can tell you that your daughter is carrying much responsibility on her shoulders in her chosen path and she will need all the help that she can get. And I am willing to fight against the world for her if it means that I can let her smile to the very end."
When I chose to become a Servant, I… knew that I was trading my own freedom for power. Servants may be one of the most powerful beings, but in the end, they are always bound to someone or something for such power. I believe that no sane person in my world would choose to become a Servant unless they did not wish to live as a human being anymore. And I already knew that I would become something that was no longer human, but an existence that was even above magic itself. I also knew that I could not stay in the world forever for Weiss as much as I liked to. Nor can I pretend to be free-willed as I never was anyways.
But it means that I could make things better for her once I leave this world…then I think I will have no regrets about my decision. I already knew what I was getting into and I intend to make the best of things as I can now. That is what I truly wish to believe in. I believe Saber would have done the same thing in my place.
Weiss's mother drummed her fingers in thought after hearing my response. Then she spoke out afterwards.
"So you are not after my daughter for her status or beauty?"
I blinked in confusion at her question. What does Weiss's prestige or looks have to do with this conversation? I honestly didn't care about it, but I should answer her appropriately as she seemed to be waiting for a genuine answer.
So I answered carefully. "It does not matter to me if Weiss has status or not. She is still the same person regardless of her standing. And while she is objectively a very attractive woman in my eyes, it is not the reason why I befriended her in the first place. I admired her because she had something that I wish to have myself."
"And what would that be?" Weiss's mother asked sharply. But I didn't falter under her pressure.
"She has her own will. While I am quite stubborn myself, she possesses character that wants to become a better person and she does not let obstacles take her down easily. And I can see that she has done that many times. In a way, I feel as though I am learning more from just seeing her," I said solemnly as I held her gaze firmly.
"But if there was one thing I liked about her, it will be the fact that she is indeed a good person inside despite of her flaws. But even with her flaws, I wouldn't mind helping her out without a second thought. Perhaps there are other people who may be better than her out there, but I don't get to choose who or when I meet those people. But I do get to choose who I get to hold onto, and I chose Weiss when I met her. And I do not and will not regret it."
Weiss's mother had stayed silent throughout my answer, though she seemed to be in great thought. I may be wrong about this, but her eyes seem to express relief… and intrigue?
Weiss's mother eventually broke the silence. "…I see. I can see why my daughter holds you to such high esteem. And why Klein is willing to trust such a stranger near her. But to think that you would not see her in that way…"
I raised my brow in befuddlement. See Weiss in what way? Did I say something different than what she was expecting? Did I misunderstand her question here?
Weiss's mother closed her eyes for a moment. "Nevertheless, I would like to apologize for my initial rudeness there,"
"No, no! It is really no trouble at all! Really, I find myself at ease at the fact that you care so much about your daughter," I said hastily.
Why do I feel so uncomfortable about this? Was it because I am more used to being at the apologizing side?
Weiss's mother laughed hollowly at my reaction. "Hahaha…But I am terrible mother nonetheless."
I frowned at her sudden depressive state. "But Weiss does truly care about you."
Weiss's mother cast her gaze depressingly on the ground. "It does not matter. It is not like I have much love to give back anymore nowadays. I even made her angry at me during our conversation together and I don't even know why…"
Oh. So that is why she seems interested, and at the same time irritated about me. She must saw our relationship was closer than what she expected, and wants to know why Weiss was like this. Was this envy and longing of a mother who lost her love?
"If I may, Madam Schnee, but I must admit that I have heard part of your conversation. And from what I have just heard before, I can explain to you why she got angry," I said carefully.
It was subtle, but Weiss's mother perked up attentively. "…Why?"
Seeing that I got her full, undivided attention, I then proceeded into my explanation. "She may be hiding it, but she was a lonely person for most of her life, not to mention heavy burdens she carries alone. Talking badly about her is one thing. Yet talking badly about her friends at Beacon is another. It was her friends that ultimately freed her from her loneliness and made her better person in the end. I daresay that she would defend her friends to the end; even at the expense of herself."
"…I thought she would just like Winter, whose own teammates went their own ways. That is why I thought it wouldn't matter to her if she had a different team as long as she became a huntress she dreamed of… Oh Weiss, what have I done… " Came a small murky whisper after a while.
"It is alright. Weiss cannot hate you forever," I said comfortingly. Honestly, Weiss's mother is truly pitiful as she doesn't know how to interact with her children anymore at this point.
But that is why I am here. To make things better.
"But I am her mother. How can I be their mother if I don't understand or care for my children anymore?" Weiss's mother said with a tinge of sadness and regret in her voice.
"Perhaps. But lamenting in your regrets is not going to fix things either," I stated things firmly to her.
"Then what should I do?! What can I do?! I have nothing…I have nothing at all…" Weiss's mother suddenly shouted at me with a burst of sheer emotion. Then she laid back in exhaustion, her shoulders slumped. She then glanced at her glass of wine on the table stand and started to reach for it.
But her outstretched fingers froze in place when I finally spoke out. "Honestly, there are plenty things you could do. But I could tell you the first step."
Weiss's mother whirled her head to me, with an almost-pleading expression. "What…? What can I do to make things better now?"
I quietly sighed inward before taking up my signature lecture pose. "First, you should start forgiving yourself. Don't hate yourself."
"Why? I am obviously not making my children's lives any better."
"But hating yourself isn't going to fix things either. And you must learn to love yourself," I pointed out calmly. "You can't learn to love others around you if you don't learn to love yourself first."
"Love…what a lovely yet cruel word," Weiss's mother whispered softly.
"Love may be cruel to some, yet it is necessary for all. This world can have all of the powers, technology and weapons to defend against the forces of darkness…" I held my right hand out to her with the palm facing up. Then I clenched it into a tight fist. "…Yet it cannot truly live on without love."
"You do have some eloquence in your words. Are you sure that you are not a scholar or something similar?" Weiss's mother rubbed her eyes as she snorted at my words.
"Nope. I just like quoting a few wise words here and there." I grinned for a moment before my face turned serious.
"…I know that your marriage hasn't been…ideal, in better words. And it was not your fault. But I would say you are not alone if you open up a little to other people you can trust around you. And you will eventually learn how to love the ones you care about again."
"…would it really work?"
"I don't know the answer to that question. No one does except you. But I know that your daughter Weiss has made great friends at Beacon because she opened up a bit. She was initially cold and well…, bratty girl back then. But soon, she became a more open-minded and friendlier person towards others because she realized that she wanted to be better than she was then. Don't get me wrong, she is still prideful and a perfectionist to the core, but she is certainly happier surrounded by friends than she was alone. Who knows? It may work for you as it did for your daughter. It would be difficult. It would be unfamiliar. But I promise it would be different than before," I declared to her solemnly.
"Weiss does love you. I don't know any child who doesn't call their mother 'mom' without any sort of affection between them. And you should understand that it hurts her if you are suffering as well. And your excessive alcohol consumption certainly isn't helping things out."
"I-I know…it is just that my daughter has grown up while I wasn't looking at her for years. And I just feel so powerless about it…"
"Yes, that is certainly true. But she is still your daughter no matter how old she gets… Er… please don't tell Weiss that I said that about her…" I scratched my head nervously.
"Haha… but no promises though," Weiss's mother lightly snorted at my expression.
"Alright, I guess that is best I can get from you now," I sighed.
A moment of comfortable silence now occupied the garden. I idly noticed that the sun has broken through the dreary clouds for a moment then. It was warm and bright.
"You know…, I never recall a time that I opened up to a stranger so easily before," Weiss' mother then mused. "But here I am, talking to you as though you were someone that I have known for years…"
"Maybe I am just a person who you could easily talk with in the first place," I said with some uncertainty in my voice. I do wonder if my Charisma Skill had anything to do with this…or was it that she felt just as lonely as Weiss as that she needed someone to talk to in the first place?
"Perhaps, would you be interesting in re-connecting with your daughter a bit more? And see the world as she sees it?" I then asked cautiously. I didn't want to rush into this, but there was an opportunity here.
"…You think she would accept that?" she asked hesitantly in return. Good. At least, she doesn't seem too apprehensive to the idea.
"I honestly do not know. But it doesn't mean it is impossible in the first place. And in my personal opinion, she probably will if you are truly honest about it," I then took a sideways glance at her glass and various bottles of alcohol. "And that means abstaining from alcohol consumption when you two are conversing."
Weiss's mother thought deeply for a moment and then nodded. "…Alright, I will see to that."
I smiled. "That is all I needed to hear."
It seems that our conversation was about to end here, but I was genuinely relieved to see the end. Don't get me wrong, but I never have talked to another person more than I felt was necessary before coming to this world. I am still not quite used to it yet. I was about to take my leave then, but another question had lingered within my mind before all of this. I bit my lip in brief hesitation before finally deciding to ask her about it.
"May I ask you a question freely?"
Weiss' mother waved her hand at me, as if giving me permission to speak. "You may."
"Why did you take the initiative to speak with your daughter today? Is there something special going on?" I asked. "Forgive me; I had the initial impression that you wouldn't be the person to take initiative to talk to one of your family members."
Weiss's mother gazed outwardly as if her mind was elsewhere. "Well, you would be right in most cases, as I am not… quite in the right state of mind. But since Weiss's birthday is coming up in a few days and I felt I should at least see her once when I was feeling a little better today. Otherwise, I probably wouldn't be…well enough to speak with her by that day."
Wait. Weiss's birthday? Weiss had her birthday coming up soon?! And she never told me about it?! Why?
"But then wouldn't there be any planned celebration by then? Surely, one's birthday is an important occasion to celebrate," I said with a confused expression.
Weiss's mother smiled sadly at my statement. "You would be right…except there is no friends and family to celebrate. Our family as you know isn't quite… the ideal family. Her father would probably dismiss such a celebration as frivolous and unnecessary at her current age…if he didn't forget it again. And Weiss is particularly not eager for birthday parties due to…certain matters in the past."
"I see…" I slightly frowned in thought. Although I too haven't celebrated my birthdays that much in my later years with all the usual flair, I still considered it as a special occasion. I found it a bit sad that Weiss didn't see birthday parties as something happy for her. But that brings me an idea…
"Could I ask you one last question?"
…
…
…
After hearing her answer to my question, I then rose from my chair and slightly bowed to her. "I will take my leave, then. It has been a pleasure speaking with you, Madam Schnee."
"Willow."
I raised my brow at her. "Pardon me?"
"My name is Willow Schnee. I grant you permission to speak with me by my first name. Madam Schnee makes me sound so old… Since I have a feeling we will be interacting more often in the future, I would like us to address each other by a first-name basis," Then she looked intently into my eyes. "And I won't take a no for an answer."
I blinked at her. I could somewhat see where Weiss got her rebellious streak from. And I could tell you that it was certainly not from her father.
"Alright, if that is what you wish. Then I will take my leave then, Willow," I smirked at her.
"Then I will see you soon, Saber," Willow gave me a soft smile in return. I nodded to her once more in acknowledgement before strolling away from her. I idly noted that the garden somehow didn't feel as depressing as before.
I soon found myself at the exit and found Klein waiting there.
As I passed by him to leave the garden, I glared at him intensely. Klein only whistled bashfully as he tried to ignore my smoldering look. I eventually settled with a heavy huff as I had more important things to think about now…
According to my otherworld knowledge, I knew that while the Schnee family obviously had problems dating back to the marriage itself, the cracks only became apparently visible during Weiss's tenth birthday. I knew that Jacques Schnee didn't sow up for her birthday party because he had some company meeting. And Willow wasn't obviously happy about that. It was during that argument that Jacques told Willow that he only married her for the company and not for love or family. While the show didn't give a lot of detail of what exactly happened that day, I had a feeling that it was an incident that one would rather forget, but couldn't.
Perhaps that is why Weiss wasn't eager for her birthday parties because of this event. Maybe she blamed herself for breaking up the family in the first place. Or that she associated her birthday as something bad to forget. Or it may be both. Whatever the reason was, it was definitely complicated than what it seemed.
I groaned in frustration. I could think about this later. Now I should go see Weiss.
But a tingling feeling itched in my back of mind as though I had forgot something very important…what was it? That tingling feeling only got stronger as I neared towards Weiss's bedroom.
When I knocked on the door, she opened it and I saw that Weiss was looking at me with a smile on her face. But somehow her sweet smile didn't quite look at all that friendly, in fact it strongly reminded me of a certain person…
"Hello, Gray. It seems that I have a few urgent things to speak with you. Would you mind coming inside?" Weiss said sweetly as if I had no choice in the matter…
…
…
…
Oh shoot… I forget that there was another Schnee I had to deal with now...
I inwardly sighed to myself. Well, it is better to get things over with sooner than later. I had brought this onto myself. I then eventually followed her inside with some resignation on my face.
I just hope I don't get a throbbing headache from this…
Long story short, I was scolded by Weiss for literally hours for how reckless, arrogant, thoughtless, and who knows what else that I was for my previous actions. The only consolation I got out of this was the fact that a seiza position was apparently a thing in Remnant. Who knew?
"Gray, what were you thinking? I thought I specifically told you to stay behind!" Weiss hissed at me for nth time as she paced around me furiously.
I then dared to look up at her. "Yes, you did. But I didn't affirm to that command. You didn't let me reply to your request as if I wanted to agree or not." Sadly, I really misjudged the women of the Schnee family.
"Gray…Are you trying to act smart around me? Perhaps I should use a command seal to make you obey every single one of my orders then…" Weiss smiled dangerously as she held up her left hand, which was giving off a whitish-blue light. I instantly sweat dropped at the intense dark aura surrounding her. Why does this situation seem so familiar?
"Now, now. A command seal should not be used in a silly case like this! And besides, I did this, so I could help you out," I protested while trying desperately to appease to her rational side. I seriously didn't want to be caught in the same situation as Archer was when Rin impulsively wasted her first command seal on such a broad order. Though I wonder between Rin and Weiss, who is actually more level-headed of the two…?
"Help me out?" Weiss's eye twitched at my statement.
I hurriedly then rephrased my answer. "Well, I thought that I could help you out in your relationship with your mother."
A pause. "And why do you care…?"
"I do care because I believe you deserve better. And I don't wish to see you sad," I said seriously.
Weiss was caught off guard from my answer, if her slightly widened eyes were an indication. I continue to speak out unhindered.
"I know how it feels to be alone. And I definitely know how it feels when family members are estranged with each other. No family can live like this. And while I cannot ignore the fact that damage has been done, I genuinely hope you could somehow reconnect with your mother to start. And I am not ignorant of the fact that you still do love your mother in these dire circumstances."
"And your mother truly expresses her wishes to talk with you. Not to lecture or tell you what she expects from you. But simply talk to you. You can decide on the topic of conversation. It doesn't have to be serious or anything of the sorts. If you want to talk about your school life, you can. If you want to talk about your friends, you can. If you even want to talk about your interests in boys, you can. You just have to talk to her. If you want privacy, I won't interfere anymore. If you want some reassurance, I will be there. Just know that I want to help you out, not just as a Servant, but someone who cares for you."
"…I see," Weiss tapped her finger on her crossed arms, but her frown has slightly lessened. "Don't get me wrong, I am still quite mad at you for not respecting my wishes, but I could see that you were trying to help me out."
I sighed as I had dodged the bullet there. "Then will you be willing to meet her up again? I was being serious about that part."
She studies me for moment before turning around. "…Fine. I suppose if my mom has no objections to this, then I will give her a chance at least." Then she turns her head towards me. "Putting that aside, how come you didn't tell me about your age? And how did you get around without being noticed like this?"
"Hmm? Oh, that? I didn't really think about it as anything serious. Age is not really a major thing to Heroic Spirits as they are summoned based on their peak in life. Time is a bit strange factor in our sense as we can be summoned from the different time periods and such," I explained. "And besides, I am not much older than you anyways. So you could still treat me as a fellow peer."
"I know, it just surprised me that you are actually older than me, and still look so young…" Weiss said with some annoyance.
I smirked. Avalon is definitely a cheat item in that regard. "Well, that is more of a special case for me as I am quite the unusual Servant. And as for the other question, what do you mean? I was wearing something similar to what the servants would wear in your mansion, right?"
Weiss pinched the bridge of her nose in exasperation. "Yes, but didn't you noticed that you were attracting a bit too much attention? I cannot seriously believe that no one gawked at you for your appearance. Why didn't you travel in spirit form instead?"
I opened my mouth, and then closed it with a thoughtful expression. "Huh, if you put it that way, I guess I could see your point there. I guess I am more used to getting around in physical form than being a ghost."
Weiss shot me a deadpan look. "Next time, please tell me of your plans before you actually execute them. I have the strangest feeling that you may overlook a few small details here and there."
I nodded. "Alright, but no promises there. There can be unexpected situations where I must response accordingly."
Weiss then sighed heavily at my response. "I guess that is the best that I can get out of you."
I hesitated for a bit before speaking out my own question to Weiss. "Speaking of one's age, why didn't you tell me that your birthday was coming up in a few days?"
Her expression darkened. "…Where did you hear that from?"
"Your mother told me about it," I answered promptly. Inwardly, I wondered if that was the wrong answer to tell her.
"Mom? Gray, I don't know what she exactly told you, but my birthday is nothing special here. Nor is something special that I wish to celebrate about. I think I am old enough to not have birthday parties anymore," Weiss said indifferently as she walked towards her window. I wasn't lying, I was quite surprised by the sheer apathy in her tone.
"But…"
"Please drop the subject, Gray. I am just…a bit tired today," Weiss requested as she made clear that she had no further interest in the topic.
I reluctantly held my words as Weiss gazed outside as snow began to fall heavily from the sky. But as I looked at her from behind, what I saw was a young, yet lonely woman. I was suddenly reminded of the show RWBY and finally understood of why she was feeling like this.
It feels wrong to have Team RWBY being separated like this. None of them probably knew how the others were doing or whether they were doing the right thing alone. And most of all, they probably missed each other a lot. And Weiss probably had it the hardest on their separation in my opinion. She has still not forgotten about her friends and I could see that the separation has taken a heavy toll on her emotional state.
So what can I do to cheer her up in the meanwhile?
Then a simple solution came up in my mind. Celebrate her birthday.
I doubt anyone would really hate having their birthday celebrated. I believe celebrating one's birthday is celebrating how someone special came into this world and living their lives. Although it wouldn't take care of the root of the problem, I was hoping it would help at least lift her spirits up, even a little bit. And even though Weiss seem indifferent to her birthday, I hardly believe that she actually feels that way deep inside. I know her too well by now.
Planning for a birthday party wasn't something easy. It would have to be a surprise birthday party, for one. I would have to ask Klein for some help here. I am sure he will be more than happy to contribute to my plans. In the rare case he doesn't cooperate… I was still having the itch to stab a certain traitor with my sword… And I had confirmed the most important date from her mother.
Weiss's birthday was on February 12th. And I wish to make her smile that day.
So…I don't think any of you readers were expecting this, right? I honestly didn't think much about it till the last chapter when I wondered how Weiss felt about her birthday. In my opinion, it would be impossible for her not to have any ill-feelings about it, since her tenth birthday was the day that her illusion of her family cracked apart. Jacques Schnee's overbearing influence probably didn't help things, either. And while I am not sure that Weiss had her birthday during her time at Beacon, I'm just assuming that she didn't celebrate a single birthday there. Now I feel kinda bad for Weiss about this aspect of her life. So I look forward into writing the next chapter with a little twist…hehe.
As for the previous comments about tracing, I do acknowledge the fact that mundane objects do seem to last indefinitely without degradation after rechecking my facts. But Shirou is a bit of anomaly in this aspect and I imagine it would difficult to be at the same level as him due to his special circumstances. And there are different circumstances between Shirou's and Gray's situations. As for noble phantasms, it is a tricky subject to work with, but you can assume that Gray won't be tracing any noble phantasms in this story. I have no set plans for anything like that and honestly, it is not the main focus of Gray's true powers.
A side note: If you were celebrating a certain RWBY character's birthday, who will that be and what present/gift would you give them? (Ex: If I was celebrating Blake's birthday, I will probably give her a copy of Fifty Shades of Gray. I am sure she would appreciate it.)
So thank you and please favorite and follow this story.
