Hi, I'm Angry_Face, and I would like to take a few moments before you dive into the chapter to talk about DID.
Disassociative Identity Disorder (DID or Split Personality) is a mental disorder where the mind fractures to protect itself. That means the other personalities, (Alters) are their own people and need to be respected as such. Now, I'm no expert by any means, but I do enjoy researching things I need from time to time. This has been definitely one of the deepest dives I've done for this story and I really hope you are enjoying it.
DID has been given a bad reputation thanks to media using it as a plot for a lot of shitty horror movies in the past, and while I have taken a few artistic liberties, my goal has always been and always will be to not spread any misinformation about anything, much less this disorder.
A while ago, someone contacted me over Discord and informed me that they have DID. While my research had gotten me far, their insight and personal experience had helped me reached a level of understanding that others could only dream of. They have helped me shift my story into a more realistic depiction of DID and how it affects people. As such there will be a few small tweaks and retcons that will be happening going forward, but not to worry! the story and plot will remain the same! just a few things to make the character more grounded.
Again, I'm not an expert on, well, anything in this story, but I just hope this serves as an example of what a little bit of research and actually getting into contact with people can help stop harmful rhetoric about disorders.
Thank you for taking the time to read this and please, enjoy the chapter!
A Once Simple Soul
Pt. II
When Ruby opened her eyes, she saw another unfamiliar ceiling. A single light fixture in the middle of the room with the walls a standard white, a single window filling the room with sunlight as she heard the murmurs and quiet conversations of people just outside. The next thing she noticed was that her whole body hurt. It hurt to breathe, her face throbbed, and her foot felt like it was on fire.
Focusing on just trying to breathe without pain, she noticed a nurse next to her bed. Ruby stared at the woman, unsure of what to do next. She heard her mummer under her breath as she began to reach for a radio attached to her belt. Pushing past the pain, Ruby tried to sit up, only for the woman to gently push her back down. "No no no, lay down. You just got out of a coma; I'll get the doctor,"
A coma? That did not make any sense; why was she in a coma?
The twinkling of the sun reflecting off a rifle scope, the pain of a bullet skimming her skull. The shouting of people all around her. Her bloody angel standing guard. Her friends, her enemies.
Their betrayal.
Ruby could hear what the woman was saying, but the bed-ridden woman saw the identification card hanging off the woman's shirt. Her face and name with the symbol of Atlas embossed onto it.
Ruby was in Atlas.
Something outside her room made the nurse move away from the bed, and the Red Death made her move. Quickly coming to Ruby's side, she pulled her out of bed as soon as she could before taking the neck brace and bandages off her face. Ruby winced as her skin was pulled harshly from her actions. "We've been captured by the enemy. We need to escape."
Summer came to Ruby's side to help her stand as the Red Death continued to disconnect Ruby from the machines next to her bed. When she was finally free, the Red Death grabbed the stand that held a bag of clear liquid and began to move. "Are you alright?" Summer asked, but before Ruby could answer, a heavy thud echoed in the room, and Ruby saw the woman collapse to the floor.
The Red Death was ready with a finishing blow when Ruby rushed over and pulled it from her hands. "She's a medic!" Ruby hissed as she threw the pole to the ground and checked the woman. She was bleeding from her head, but she was breathing.
"She's the enemy!" The Red Death hissed back. "We're in enemy territory, unarmed, and who knows what they pumped you full of while you were out." Ruby just shoved the Red Death away from her and tried to think of a plan.
"We need to get out; we need to find Crescent Rose and figure out where exactly we are," Summer said as she approached the two of them.
"What about the others?" Ruby asked. "Yang is somewhere here; she must be,"
The Red Death looked over at Summer, who began to chew on her thumbnail. "She betrayed you, Ruby; they all did," The Red Death said. "Got you to into position where a sniper tried to take you out, but I didn't let them,"
Ruby did not want to believe that, but the facts were lining up. Summer looked between the two of them and shook her head. "We need to leave; it isn't safe here," Was all she said. Ruby nodded and made her way to the doorway, and peered out of it. Only to see soldiers standing on either side of her door. Both noticed her and the nurse on the floor inside the room.
Before they could act, Ruby sprinted past them, slipping out of their grip and began to run as fast as she could down the tight halls of wherever she was. She could hear yelling behind her, telling her to stop, but the Red Death reminded her that they were all Atlesian soldiers; they were the enemy. In front of her, two more soldiers came around the corner and managed to capture her. Rough hands gripped her arms, and everyone began to scream, including the Red Death and Summer.
Ruby watched as the Red Death kicked one of the soldier's legs and buckled their knee, allowing her to grab the sidearm on his hip and aim the weapon. A shot ran out, and the other one holding Ruby dropped to the floor, blood staining his white armour. The two soldiers chasing them finally caught up and tackled Ruby to the ground, but not before another shot rang out when everyone struggled for the gun.
More soldiers showed up with all the commotion, and their strength combined, they managed to capture Ruby, the Red Death and Summer. Everyone was screaming as they tried to stop them from strapping Ruby to a bed and began to wheel it through the halls. The Red Death screaming at all of them as Ruby was dragged into a room with the other two shoved in after her. The Red Death slammed her fists against the heavy door while Summer tried to undo the straps that held her down.
Ruby struggled against her bonds, even as the Red Death shoved Summer out of the way and began to try herself. The Red Death's screaming filled the room as she fought, and Summer could only stand next to Ruby, gently running her fingers through her hair and whispering her apologies.
When Yang entered the room suddenly, the Red Death was quick to stand between her and Ruby, doing everything she could to stop Yang from approaching. Through the torrent of abuse coming from the Red Death's mouth, Yang cried out to Ruby, but Ruby could not answer. The Red Death was correct; it was her own sister that tried to set up the attack. Eventually, Blake came in to drag Yang away; she too got an earful of the Red Death's screaming.
Time continued, Ruby felt lost in the room. The Red Death tried desperately to undo the bed straps while Summer just sat in a corner, occasionally coming close to comfort Ruby, while the Red Death tried to smash the reinforced window with her bare fists. Ruby could see her enemies observe her from time to time, only for the Red Death to double her efforts to attack them. Yang tried entering again and was run off by the Red Death's constant verbal lashing.
"I love you," Was Yang's last words to her before she turned to leave. Summer suddenly stood from her spot, tears running from her eyes as she stomped over to Yang.
"If you truly loved her, why didn't you do anything sooner?" Summer growled at Yang. The sudden anger from Summer was enough to make even the Red Death stop her near-constant yelling. Of course, Yang had no answer and left in silence, just like how everyone else does.
"You can't trust them, not anyone," The Red Death said as she tried to loosen the straps again. Ruby saw the bags under her black eyes. How long have they been locked up here? She could feel the sweat making her clothing cling to her cold skin. The muscles in her arms were spasming, and no matter how tired she felt, she could not close her eyes for more than a few seconds. Her whole body felt drained and sore. She needed a shot of Aura Stimulant.
Time stretched on, Ruby lost all sense of the spinning world around her; all she heard was the ramblings of the Red Death at her side, her struggle with the straps as she, too, became tired from her efforts. A chill worked its way through Ruby's body; if she had anything in her stomach, she would have thrown up a long time ago. The very idea of food made her stomach twist and turn. Blake had tried to come in with a plate, but the Red Death was quick to remind her of the broken promises that piled at the Faunus' feet.
Every time someone entered the room, the Red Death would shout at them, and they would leave just as quickly as they entered. Sometimes doctors would come in with medical equipment, but the Red Death blocked them from getting closer than the doorway with her shouting. The braver ones had to be pushed away, stopping them from injecting Ruby with anything. Eventually, the Red Death just sat down next to Ruby's bed, with her back against the frame. Silence fell on them; everyone was just too tired to continue on. Ruby's mouth was dry, it hurt to breathe, and a single cough would tear at the muscles in her throat.
Weiss entered her room, and the Red Death was slow to get to her feet. Struggling to just stand as she stared down the woman in the Atlesian battle plate. She called out to Ruby, but she did not want anything to do with the woman, despite her heart soaring at the sight of her.
"Why you?"
"What?" Weiss asked as she got closer.
"Why you," The Red Death asked again. "She was fine; I was protecting her until you showed up; as soon as you showed up in the desert, she began to fight back against my guidance, remembering the painful past and wanting to return to it. All because of you!"
Ruby remembered that day; so much had happened since then. That fateful day in the desert, her first day in Vacuo and she met Weiss, of all people, on the battlefield. Back when things seemed so simple. Fight, kill, protect. Then Weiss appeared in front of her and popped that bubble. Memories she thought she had forgotten surfaced, and she could have sworn she could remember the music of Weiss's laughter.
"YOU ARE THE ENEMY! THE WORLD IS MY ENEMY!" The Red Death shouted at Weiss as the Specialist made her retreat from the room. The door slid closed, and they were left alone again. The Red Death huffed as she looked back at Ruby and tried again to free her. "You can't trust any of them. They're the enemy. Every single one of them," The Red Death growled as she stopped working and just leaned against Ruby's bed.
"I'm sorry, Ruby," The words surprised Ruby because they came from the Red Death, not from Summer. Ruby looked over at her and saw tears carving paths down the blood that stuck to her face. "I was supposed to protect you, and I couldn't…."
"It's okay," Ruby whispered as she stared up at the ceiling. "You were right; everyone is the enemy…" Ruby could feel her eyes water, tears falling across her face as Summer walked up and gripped Ruby's hand. "Maybe it's better this way, to die here than in the middle of the battlefield,"
"Don't-" The Red Death gripped Ruby's shoulder and held her tightly. "I can get you out; I can save you! I need to save you!"
"I'm so tired, and I know you are too, you had to fight for so long… Both of you,"
"We can get you out," Summer said as she began to pull at the straps. "We can get you to safety; there are still people to save,"
Ruby just shook her head, "I think this is how we save more people…."
"You can't die! I'm not letting you die!" The Red Death's hands, rough and raw from her constant battle with the bed, tried again. "I will burn everything to save you! Let me save you!" Ruby just let them continue to struggle against the bonds. Ruby just hoped it would not be much longer before her body gave out.
The door opened again, and Ruby saw Yang walk into the room, followed by Blake and Weiss. The Red Death was about to say something when a new sensation filled the room, a smell that Ruby thought she had forgotten. In Weiss's hands was a plate of cookies. There was silence from everyone as Blake approached the bed carefully. The Red Death stared her down as Blake began to work at the lock and loosen the straps.
As soon as they were loose enough, The Red Death pulled Ruby from the bed and pressed her against the wall, blocking Ruby from the enemy. Yang nodded to Weiss, who approached the bed and set the plate on top of it. Ruby could do nothing but stare at the food in front of her as Weiss walked back to Yang and Blake at the other end of the room. Part of her wanted to throw the plate across the room; the other half craved the sustenance.
Placing her hand on the Red Death's arm, she gently pushed her out of the way as Ruby made small steps towards the bed, her weak body using the last of its energy to just place one foot in front of the other as her head struggled to know up from down. Slowly, she made it to the bed and began to reach out for one of the cookies. Ruby could feel the warmth of the oven coming from the freshly baked goods. It sagged under its own weight as she lifted it up towards her mouth.
"I could be poisoned," The Red Death urged her as she stared at Ruby. A part of her hoped it was.
"They're just cookies, Rubes," Yang said to her. "Just like mom used to make, remember?" Her voice wobbled as Blake kept her in place with a hand on her shoulder. Ruby looked over at Summer, who just stared down at the plate in front of them.
"They look good," was all Summer could say.
Slowly, Ruby brought the cookie to her mouth, bit off a small part, and let it sit in her mouth.
Weiss could hardly breathe. In front of her was Ruby, struggling to stand, taking a single bite of the cookie they made for her. She was glad that most of the people on the ship had gotten off when they finally reached Atlas; that meant they had full access to the kitchen.
Sure, it was odd for three Specialists to enter a grocery store and began to buy baking ingredients, considering that many items were about to have shortages with all the refugees housed in the kingdom. Stranger still was those three Specialists returning to the dreadnought with all those ingredients and took over the area.
Just as Yang had said, there were multiple attempts at making these cookies. Hours of mixing the different ratios and tasting them to make sure they were right. The biggest problem was that only Yang knew what they were supposed to taste like. More than once, the woman would take a bite and almost immediately know it was wrong before crossing that combination of ingredients off the list. According to Yang, of the dozen batches they made, this was the closest to their mother's cookies.
Weiss watched as Ruby took that first small bite and held her breath. This was the longest the woman had been silent for. Not yelling about enemies or death. Her friend moved that one bite around her mouth, dissecting its taste and texture. Weiss just hoped it would be enough to snap her out of whatever had gotten a hold of her.
After the seconds stretched on, Weiss watched Ruby finally swallow her first bite, only to take another, a bigger bite of the treat. She watched as Ruby quickly chewed through the second bite and went for a third, finishing half the cookie, only for her to shove the rest into her mouth before swallowing what was in her mouth already. Ruby's hand darted out and grabbed another cookie, only for the whole thing to disappear into her mouth, then another, and another. She had a cookie in each of her hands and a mouth full before she stopped suddenly.
It was like a switch was flicked in her mind. Slowly, Ruby looked up at them with tears in her eyes and dropped the cookies in her hands.
"I'm sorry…."
That was all it took for the three of them to rush to her. Yang all but threw the bed out of their way as they all gripped onto Ruby. Yang wrapped Ruby in her arms and held her close as Blake and Weiss found spots around their leader. They all cried as they each tried to apologize for everything they had done, even as they all fell to the floor.
The war was over, and Ruby was with them finally.
Weiss all but pried the younger woman from Yang so she could cradle Ruby a little bit more. They all pressed in close, their foreheads all touching Ruby's, letting her know they were there. "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" Ruby kept crying out, chewed cookies splattering against their clothes and falling to the floor. It was not a pretty sight, to say the least. Tears and drool poured off of Ruby's face, mixed with whatever was left in her mouth, but for Weiss, she would let that dolt soil every article of clothing she owned if it meant getting her back.
Ruby's crying stopped as her body went rigid. Weiss got a faceful of Ruby's hand as she shoved her way out from the pile and only managed to crawl for a second before throwing up everything she had just eaten. Weiss had barely enough time to move out of the way as Ruby's body shook as she coughed and gagged, the puddle of half-eaten cookie and bile growing as Yang pulled her hair back and rubbed her back. "Hey, it's okay. I've got you; let it all out, it's okay." Yang whispered to her as Blake quickly gave them space.
Weiss could not imagine how intense the smell was for her.
"Hey hey, no no no," Yang quietly said to Ruby. Weiss saw Ruby was trying to collect what she just released, but Yang stopped her before she could shovel any more than she already had into the pile.
"But the cookies, you made them for me, and I ruined them…." Ruby's voice was haggard and slurred.
"It's okay, it's fine. We can make you some more, let go, let go, there we go," Yang wiped Ruby's hands clean with her own as she began to try and help Ruby to her feet. "Come on, let's get you some water; you need some water," Weiss could only imagine this was what it was like when Ruby was younger and sick as only children could get. Yang being the mother figure in her life, taking care of a sick child only two years her junior.
"Kay…" Weiss quickly came to Yang's aid as the two of them began to lift Ruby to her feet, only for her to double over again. Apparently, there was still more in her stomach. Weiss had to look away, her own stomach starting to rebel against her.
Days without food, water or sleep had turned Ruby delirious, no doubt. Those sickly sweet cookies did not help that either. Eventually, Yang and Weiss managed to get Ruby into the hall, where Weiss saw the AceOps standing to intercept, weapons at the ready with the doctors behind them. Weiss had read their files, each of them having a long list of accomplishments in the army. Weiss stared down their Captain: Specialist Ebi before they moved Ruby into the isolation room across the hall and sat her down on the bed.
Weiss and Yang helped Ruby sit up while Blake hurried in with a bottle of water. Slowly, Weiss helped Ruby take only a few sips at a time to not make her vomit that up too. Only trusting Ruby with a few sips, she pulled the bottle away and helped Ruby lay down finally. Her body shook, and she could feel the layer of sweat that came off her cold and clammy skin.
Ruby's hand quickly latched onto Weiss's shirt and pulled her in close. The anger was back in her eyes as she growled weakly. "My… Enemy…" Her grip loosened, and the hate in her eyes faded away, "no enemy… no more war…" Her voice was tired and weak as her eyes struggled to stay open.
"It's okay, Ruby, I'm right here…" Yang gently eased Ruby's hand to release Weiss' shirt and held onto it. "Get some sleep, I'm not going anywhere,"
"No one is," Weiss chimed in as Blake came to the other side of the bed and gently brushed some hair out of Ruby's face. Ruby's eyes scanned the room in a haze as she finally lost the last bit of strength and fell asleep. There was a collective sigh of relief as the three of them all looked at each other. With a wave to the doctors at the door, they slowly approached and began to treat Ruby, while Yang started to clean her face with a cloth.
Weiss felt like they had all just dodged a collective bullet. Extracting herself from Ruby, Weiss made her way to the door where Clover Ebi was standing with his arms crossed over his chest. He was staring at the scene in the room before looking over at Weiss. "I told you, we had it handled,"
"Well, orders are orders," The man said with a smile. He nodded to the rest of his team, who all began to walk away from the room. Weiss caught the eyes of every single one of them as they passed. Harriet Bree glared at her as her exo-arms retracted to her back. Vine Zeki simply gave her a nod as he passed. Elm Ederme fixed her with a glare as she maneuvered her large frame and more oversized hammer through the halls of the ship. Marrow Amin at least looked somewhat relieved at the outcome, his weapon holstered on his back.
"I already told you, Specialist, your team won't be needed. I have already arranged the help Ruby will need to recover,"
Specialist Ebi took one last glance into the room and shrugged at her words. "I know you got promoted, Schnee, but our orders came from the General himself, so no matter what you say, I can't disobey him," He looked down the hall and leaned in a little closer, his voice a little bit softer. "Listen, I truly hope she gets better, but you know what has to be done when it needs to be done, right?"
Weiss just glared at him and clenched her teeth. "That won't be needed, Ebi," The man gave her a smile as he began to walk down the hallway with a simple wave of his hand.
"I really hope so, Schnee! Good luck!" With that, the last of the AceOps were gone, but she knew they would be back; she just needed to keep everyone in check. Looking back at Ruby, she just hoped things went just as smooth as today went.
A/N: Shameless plug! I do have another series that I started a while ago called "The RWBY crackhouse" where I take prompts of rare pairs and the like. So if anyone has any ideas, feel free to leave them there!
Beta read by StreetAngelJ
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And as always, thank you for taking time out of your busy days to read my slice of madness!