Chapter Eight
Making Amends
[Ruby]
Date: Tuesday, September 20th
One Kiss - Sofia Carson
Keep it cool, keep it calm
Think she's loved me all along
But maybe I got it wrong
So I don't know
She's so good, got my back
But maybe I'm just too bad
Could we be a perfect match?
Now, I don't know. . .
It's been an entire twenty-four hours since the assault at the banquet, four people had been killed and seven were injured. The police arrived on the scene rather quickly and managed to capture three of the people responsible for the shooting, they'd also discovered small bombs hidden all across the room and shut off the house to scan for any more hidden throughout the building.
One of the people they'd captured was impersonating a servant and a latent bomb was smuggled inside the man's jeans pocket, the manor was deemed unsafe until further notice. The attack was everywhere throughout the news, and the individuals responsible had just been put in jail.
Thankfully, her sister escaped safely. She'd used Ruby and Weiss' injuries as an excuse and accompanied them to the emergency clinic. Ruby had taken the bullet, yet fortunately it'd only penetrated her shoulder and would leave minor damages, nothing she couldn't handle.
But now. . .
She couldn't go back, she was positive that the word of her betrayal had already reached their boss. Now, she would be targeted, they would be coming at her left and right. Blake and Yang had been understanding and were willing to help her hide so that she could continue a normal life, but she knew they would still need her help every now and then, which could cause a few problems.
"Why did you toss everything away for this girl?" A tap on her bandaged shoulder caught Ruby's attention and she turned her head to look at her sister, wearing her red wig as Irides.
Yang removed her contacts and lilac eyes stared back at Ruby full of concern. "You coulda been killed, you're lucky I disarmed him before he could do any more damage."
Ruby smiled and turned back to the woman across from her, a sly little smirk coming to her lips when she noticed Weiss' breathing pattern had changed. "There's a reason I asked you to trust me about her, Yang." Ruby whispered quietly, her voice laced with affection and happiness, she glanced over to Weiss again, "I felt the spark. . ."
Yang's eyes widened.
"I was in the Mall with Penny, she pointed Weiss out and I looked at her, she looked at me. We both felt that spark, Yang. That's why I couldn't let anything happen to her." She turned her eyes away. "I'm sorry I didn't tell y'all."
"The spark," Yang started carefully, sitting down beside her, "as in the Soulmate spark. The one I told you about when you were younger and the one Blake and I felt?"
"That's the one." Ruby grinned, her silver eyes sparkling. She got up from her bed and made her way over to Weiss', Yang coming to her side and placing a hand on her back to steady her. When she arrived in the hospital, she'd learned that next to a bullet to the shoulder, she had sprained her left ankle tackling Weiss out of the way. As a result, Weiss had received a minor concussion and Ruby took full blame.
She should've been quicker. . .
"How did my little sister wind up with a Schnee as her Soulmate?" Yang sighed.
Ruby giggled and shook her head, "Ironic ain't it?" Yang hummed and Ruby sighed, "Y'know, when I tried to get her to safety, she yelled at me, she turned against me. . ." Her eyes went downcast. "I wanted her to be smiling at me again. . . I wanted her to know that I'd keep her safe." Ruby hesitated, "I didn't know what it was to want something so badly, I didn't know what it felt like to have your soul ripping your insides apart until she looked at me the way she did."
Yang leaned against the wall beside her, knowing Ruby had more to say. "So. . .? What'll you do when she wakes up? What if she still hates you?"
"I don't think she hated me Yang," Ruby shrugged, "I think she was just hurt. . ."
Yang chuckled lightly, tossing her head back and resting it against the wall. "You already sound like you're in love with'er."
Ruby straightened her posture the best she could, using the bed railing to hold herself upright and place most of her balance on her right side. "Well, I wanna fall in love with her. . . If she doesn't want that, I'll leave."
Yang sighed, shaking her head in disapproval. "This is why I asked you not to get too close to her, Ruby. What if she rejects you? I don't want ya gettin' hurt."
The brunette turned her attention away from Weiss, looking her sister dead in the eyes."Yang, knowing she's alive and happy would be more than enough for me if she rejects me."
"Be careful. I don't want anything happening to you because of her." Yang muttered hesitantly, "A lotta' bad people hide behind those pretty faces."
Ruby rolled her eyes, ignoring the irritation bubbling up inside of her when she heard the sound of her sister's sneering tone. "I'll be fine, Yang."
"Ruby, don't you remember what Blake said. . .?"
'I remember asking you two just fucking trust me, but nooo, Big Sister always has to be right.'
Ruby's grip tightened on the bed frame, "She's a Schnee and I can't tell if I can trust 'er or not." She repeated, her voice dripping with annoyance, "I also remember you saying we can't trust Blake because she used to work with-"
Yang cut her off, jumping to her girlfriend's defense."That's different, Ruby! She didn't wanna be there! She escaped and came to us, she didn't ask to be there-"
"Exactly!" Ruby snapped back, lowering her voice and trying to keep the raging anger inside of her contained. "Weiss didn't ask to be born a Schnee, just like Blake didn't ask to go through the shit that she did. You're judging my Weiss before you-"
"Your Weiss?!"
"She's my Soulmate, Yang! I didn't meddle with y'all's, so you can stay your overprotective ass out of mine!"
Yang didn't respond, but her eyes told Ruby everything she needed to know. Even after this, the blonde still wouldn't trust the other woman, but the remorse said that she wished that she could. 'Why can't you?'
Calming herself, Yang started for the door, "I'm going home." She informed her quietly, leaving the room and closing the door.
Ruby sighed and turned back to the bed, taking a seat in the chair next to her and propping herself up on the bed. She remained silent, watching the heiress for a long minute as she calmed down. Her heart was racing a mile a minute, stinging with betrayal and hurt from her sister's lack of trust. Noticing Weiss' breathing had changed again, she chuckled weakly. "I know you're awake," she said playfully, "your breathing patterns changed before Yang came in. I'm sorry you had to hear all of that. . ."
She hadn't wanted to say anything, wanting to let the woman rest for as long as possible. After all, she looked peaceful and content. Ruby hadn't really wanted to risk seeing hatred in her eyes again if she'd woken her up. . . But, it was now or never.
"Weiss~" Blue eyes blinked open and Ruby smiled when Weiss looked at her, "Good morning, gorgeous."
Relief washed through her when she saw affection and admiration in Weiss' icy orbs, "Ruby." Weiss greeted softly, lifting a hand to search for Ruby's. The brunette gently grasped her hand and interlocked their fingers, electricity coursed through Ruby and she released a sigh of content.
Weiss didn't hate her.
If Weiss wanted her to leave, she would, forget the graze wound in her shoulder, she'd walk right out of the hospital if she had to. But Weiss would still be in the hospital because Ruby had gotten her injured. . .
She'd almost died. . .
"You're okay," Ruby whispered thankfully, gently pressing her forehead to Weiss' hand and drawing in a choked breath, "I'm sorry, I shoulda stopped your fall somehow, but I wasn't quick enough, and now you're hurt and-"
"It's not your fault," Weiss cut her off and gave her hand a reassuring squeeze, "you were trying to protect me, you didn't think about that. It's okay," she smiled, "besides, it was just a minor headache, nothing serious. You, however. . ." Blue eyes trailed to Ruby's bandaged shoulder, "I seem to recall something about a twisted ankle and a shoulder injury."
Ruby blinked in surprise, "Um, yeah, but I'm fine, really. The bullet just grazed my shoulder, and my ankle is nothing serious." She was used to minor injuries from training, this was nothing. Ruby raised a brow as Weiss pushed herself up with one hand, delicately shifting to the edge of the bed and beckoning for Ruby to join her. "Wha-?"
"Get up here, you dolt!" Weiss said in slight aggravation, sighing and laying back against the bed, her eyes still fixed on Ruby. "You need to get the weight off of your ankle and rest."
"I have my own bed for that." Ruby responded in confusion, hesitantly climbing up to lay beside Weiss. Her heart skipped a beat when Weiss smiled at her and silently draped an arm across Ruby's body. "Weiss?" The younger woman asked, "What're you doing?"
Weiss was silent for a long moment, she lifted her head to meet Ruby's gaze. "I'm taking care of my Soulmate. Is that really so wrong?"
Weiss called her 'Soulmate'. . . She accepted her.
Affection rolled through Ruby like waves along the shore, soothing and welcome,and she tenderly pressed her forehead to Weiss', the memories of their argument came flashing back.
"I could've lost you." Ruby said weakly, tears stinging at the corners of her eyes, "You would've died and it'd have been all my fault because I didn't protect you-"
"No, Ruby, it would've been my fault because I didn't listen to you." Weiss cut her off and placed a finger to her lips, "Now. . . We can talk about this when we're both healthy and out of the hospital." Ruby nodded silently and Weiss smiled, "Tell me more about this 'Soulmate' thing."
"What do you mean?"
"Like, what it means for example."
Ruby sat up, making herself comfortable by leaning against the pillow behind her. Subconsciously, she began to run her hand gently up and down Weiss' arm around her waist. "Yang told me when we were little that a Soulmate is someone you're bound to by heart and soul, you don't choose 'em, you've just always been connected in some way or another." She paused. "For example, Yang's girlfriend has always had an inexplicable admiration for fire and dragons, and my sister always associates herself with those things. Like when we were kids, she was never the princess, always the dragon! Or if it, a fire wizard."
Ruby giggled, "She can create fire from just a paper clip and a nail! She also had a weird fascination with black cats and old books, which basically describes her girlfriend if you ask me."
Weiss watched her as she spoke, waiting for her to finish before furrowing her brows. "What about you, then?" Ruby was taken aback by the sudden question, but she was more focused on the genuine curiosity in Weiss' voice. She actually wanted to learn more about her. . .
"I suppose I could tell you," Ruby began softly, smiling when Weiss shifted so that she could focus her attention on Ruby, "when I was little, I had a strange attraction towards snow and ice. It was just so mesmerizing. . . I remember telling Yang that I felt like it was calling me somehow. . . I also remember explaining to my Uncle that I kept having dreams of a beautiful girl in white. . . He thought I was talking about my mother."
"What did this girl look like?" Weiss asked again.
"Hmm. . . She had long, snowy white hair, and I could never get'a good look of her face, but she had this angelic, musical voice. That's really all I remember."
"Really?" The woman smiled knowingly. "I used to have very vague dreams of a girl running around wearing a red cape."
Ruby laughed, "Hey, I had a red cape when I was little!"
Weiss smirked in response, but continued. "I never did see her face. She was always happy, and somehow, seeing her happy made me happy." Weiss gave Ruby a gentle squeeze and joy lit up in her eyes, "And seeing you smile just brightens my day."
Ruby smiled, affection and thankfulness brewing in her chest. "Looks like we are connected. . . Kinda creepy, but you're gorgeous so I don't care."
"Of course my soulmate would be a flirt." Weiss whispered as she pushed herself up, hovering over Ruby for a second before gently laying down on top of her, resting her head in the crook of Ruby's neck. Ruby momentarily stiffened as Weiss relaxed against her, her arms twitched with the urge to push her off and leave the room, but she drew in a soft breath and reminded herself that it was Weiss.
Weiss was the one wanting her touch, Weiss cared about her. This was alright. . . It was perfect.
"Weiss?" Ruby's heart was soaring above the heavens, heat rising to her face as she relished in the closeness. Weiss actually cared about her. Right? "What's this for?" She probably shouldn't be questioning, but she really couldn't help it. Only a few hours ago, Weiss was lecturing her and turned her back towards her. She'd even considered reporting her to the authorities. . . Now? She was sweet, affectionate, and more flirtatious than usual.
"Do I need a reason?" Weiss whispered into the silence of their hospital room.
"After what happened," Ruby trailed off, her eyes moving downcast. "Yeah, kinda . . I mean, I have nothin' against this. I love it, I do, but I don't want you to force yourself. . ."
Weiss didn't move, instead releasing a heavy sigh and responding with a quiet, monotone voice as though she were repressing her emotions. "I yelled at you, I threatened to send you to jail, I turned against you. . . I wouldn't listen to a word you had to say and left because I didn't want to be wrong." Her voice cracked upon the last one and she felt the older woman tense up.
Weiss let out a choked breath that almost sounded like a sob. "Y-you had every right to hate me, but instead you saved me and took the hit for yourself. . . Why?" Her voice was full of disbelief now, "Why would you do that? You had a chance t-to leave when they offered to transfer you to another hospital! But you chose to stay to look after me. Your sister even tried to get you to leave, but you insisted on staying! I don't understand. . ."
Ruby chuckled in amusement. "Everybody is going to fight, Weiss. We're no exception, it was just a disagreement." Ruby reached up and began threading her fingers through Weiss' long white hair, cooing to her softly when the woman released a nearly inaudible whimper. "Weiss. Just because we fought. doesn't mean I want you to die. . ." She wouldn't be able to live with herself if that had happened. "Besides, if I listened to people, I would have never met you. We can't have that, now can we?"
The sound of a door opening went unnoticed by the pair.
Weiss rolled her eyes, releasing a soft breath and relaxing herself against the brunette. "Sure we can. I would have never ended up in the hospital."
"That's right, you would've died." Ruby corrected her, reaching up with her spare hand to tap her nose.
Weiss rolled her eyes, "Psch, couldn't even let me have that, could you?" Ruby just giggled.
"Excuse me." A cold, almost malicious voice caught their attention and Weiss' body stiffened, she jerked upright and was on her feet in a matter of seconds, the warm space beside Ruby was quickly growing cold. Ruby's silver eyes moved between Weiss and a tall older woman with white hair pulled back into a bun, she could definitely see the striking family resemblance, but she looked too young to be Weiss' mother.
"Winter!" Weiss exclaimed in surprise once she'd regained her footing, "I-I can explain!"
'Winter? As in Winter Schnee?' Ruby's eyes widened in horror. 'The military specialist?'
Winter simply raised a brow and glared over in Ruby's direction, sending a cold shudder down Ruby's spine. "Mind introducing me to your girlfriend, Weiss?"
The younger woman panicked again, "Wha- no! We're not dating!" Weiss cast Ruby a puzzled look and heat rushed to her face, "I mean, we're not dating yet! It's not official! I mean, we've kissed and we-" She trailed off, noticing the murderous glare on Winter's face. "Ahem. . . She's, um, how do I put this. . .?"
The room seemed to become colder when Winter looked at her again, rage in her eyes as she approached, "So she's forcing you?" Ruby felt like she was about to be ripped apart limb from limb by the tall, menacing woman standing above her. It took everything inside of her not to shrink away under her stare. "Well then, the Atlas prison has room for one more."
"No!" Ruby leaned back as Weiss put herself between them, "She's not forcing me!"
Winter frowned, wearing a now unreadable expression on her face. "Weiss," she started carefully and sternly, momentarily glaring back at Ruby, "are you sleeping-"
"Not that either!" Weiss cut her off, but before she could explain, Winter gently nudged her aside and roughly grabbed Ruby's wrist. "H-hey!"
Ruby was quickly pulled to her feet and fear shot through her like lightning. Oh she was so dead. . . "I'll draw my own conclusions," Winter said plainly, dragging Ruby to the bathroom and opening the door with her spare hand.
"Winter!" Weiss cried out again, reaching to grab Ruby again before Winter pushed her into the bathroom. "Don't hurt her!" The heiress yelled as Winter shut the bathroom door. "Winter!"
The brunette met Weiss' eyes before the door shut and she quietly turned to Winter, who locked the door and glared down at her. "What is your name, and don't even think about giving me a fake name because I will hunt you down and find your true identity."
She was dead serious. This was the same woman who had followed Zero's trail while Ruby was training, the same woman responsible for nearly having the organization and everybody involved shut down. Only the Gods knew how the Boss had managed to escape her watch. . .
Ruby cleared her throat, straightening her posture to look Winter in the eyes. She couldn't act scared. "My name is Ruby Rose." She stated confidently.
Winter glowered at her, "Alright, Ruby. How old are you?"
"Twenty years old, I will be twenty-one in October."
"What were you doing with my sister? What are your intentions with her?"
"I'm here with Weiss because she was attacked at the Schnee Manor, I saved her and stayed until she woke up to make sure she was alright. I have no ill intentions towards her, I only want to keep her happy."
"How long have you known her? Where did you meet her?
"I've known her for about a week, and I met her at the Mall when I was shopping with my friend."
"Why are you in Atlas? Don't even think about giving me the 'I was born here' shit because I can look at you and tell you are from Vale."
Ruby frowned, briefly surprised by the woman's vulgar response. "I moved to Mantle with my sister and uncle when I was young, we've been here ever since, my friend invited me to the party in Atlas so I accompanied her."
Well, it wasn't technically a lie. She did move here with her uncle and Yang.
"If you are not a girlfriend or a hookup, who are you?"
There was no easy way to put this, and Winter would not believe her anyway. "I'm her soulmate."
A scowl formed on the woman's face, but Ruby stood stiff and firm. "That is a serious claim, Rose."
"She's right," Weiss' voice came from the other side of the door and Winter unlocked it, pushing it open to see Weiss propped up against the wall, she looked at them, clearly having been listening to the interrogation. "When we met, we felt the spark that you always said was just a fairytale for little kids."
"That so?" Winter asked cautiously.
Weiss glanced at Ruby briefly, "Y-yeah. . . During the attack, she did save me, and when she did, I hit my head." Weiss' eyes met Winter's. "I saw red rose petals swirling around me, and I felt like, somehow, my soul intertwined. . . I-It's hard to describe, but it's like my own soul was pulling me to her."
'Aura.'
"Aura." Ruby corrected quietly, "It's called aura. . ." The sisters turned their attention to her as Ruby stepped out of the bathroom. "My sister told me that when you meet your soulmate, the spark you both feel connects you, it unlocks your aura and they intertwine. . . That's what they mean by 'bound by heart and soul', because your aura is the manifestation of your soul."
Weiss smiled, "Yeah. Seelenverwandte," Ruby silently reached to take Weiss' hand, "do I have your approval. . .?"
"I see. . ." Winter scrutinized, examining Ruby thoroughly before moving away from the duo. "Even if I did give her my blessing to date you, Weiss, how would you hide this from Jacques?"
The younger woman looked to Ruby, her smile turning into a grin. "Well, Winter. . ." Weiss turned back to her sister, Ruby's heart skipped a beat when she noticed Weiss' blue eyes glimmering with happiness. "I have an idea."
". . . Let's hear it."
"And you want me to do. . . What exactly?" Neptune asked, leaning forward with a puzzled look on his face, "I don't understand how I can be of any assistance. . ."
They'd waited until Ruby was discharged from the hospital to put the plan into motion, which meant getting Neptune on board with the idea. Weiss trusted him, she knew that the man would help her - or at least she hoped he'd be willing to help. "I need you to pretend to be my boyfriend," Weiss explained carefully, "if my father finds out that I'm," she cast a shy glance to Ruby, who was preoccupied with a video game, "dating a girl who knows what he'll do. . ."
Neptune blinked at her slowly, comprehending her request; "You want me. To pretend to be your boyfriend. So you can date this girl." He said slowly as if he was in disbelief. Weiss fidgeted uncomfortably, never breaking eye contact with her friend. "You want me to fake being your boyfriend to trick Jacques so you can date your supposed 'soulmate'." Neptune repeated.
"Yes." Weiss said, "Would you do that for me, please?" She asked pleadingly, "I don't know who else to ask."
The man squinted at her and Weiss wrung her hands nervously, fearing her friend's response. He could get up and leave, report her decision to her father and ruin her life, or he could play along. . . Neptune made a noise of thought. A small smirk crossed the blue-haired man's face and he clapped his hand on his knee, sitting up and wearing a proud grin. "Done! What's your girl's name?"
Weiss' eyes widened, surprised by his reaction. "I-I, um, you- what?"
"Ruby." Weiss tilted her head back to see Ruby propped up against the back of her chair, most of her weight leaning forward. "My name's Ruby Rose."
Neptune smiled flirtatiously, "A beautiful name for a cute woman," Ruby narrowed her eyes at him, placing a possessive hand on Weiss' shoulder, who reached up to take her hand.
"He flirts with everybody," Weiss whispered reassuringly, "just don't listen to him." Ruby visibly relaxed and leaned down, resting her chin on Weiss' head. The older woman just huffed in slight amusement and annoyance before turning back to Neptune, "Thank you for your support." The heiress whispered, tightening her hand around Ruby's.
Neptune stood up, shrugging his shoulders with an unreadable smirk on his face, "But hey, if she treats you wrong, I'm always available~"
"Verzieh dich!" Weiss snapped loudly, Neptune just laughed at her and the heiress released a protective growl. "My girlfriend! Back up!" Behind her, Ruby stood with a very bewildered look on her face.
"What?"
Keep the names "Ace" and "Zero" in mind, they'll be showing up again soon.
Also, Yang does have a reason for distrusting Weiss, but that still has yet to be revealed. But her distrust does lead to problems between her and Ruby.
Say bye to Neptune and Penny for a little bit! We're delving into the plot now, they will be mentioned often, but it will be a while until we see them again.
Verzieh Dich - "Get Lost"
Seelenverwandte - Soul Mates
(I have a German friend who translates these for me.)
