And here is Weiss' last original chapter for V4. I wanted to do something experimental for Weiss' segment at the end.
Willow stepped out of the car. The Dust Temple caught the spring sun's lights, glowing bright white. She looked back as she heard the other car door open. Weiss smiled at her reassuringly.
"Are you sure you want to be here?" Willow asked. Weiss nodded. Willow exhaled, looking back at the temple. She opened and closed her hand several times, her stomach uneasy. Her eyes widened as she felt someone grasp her hand, squeezing gently. She looked down; Weiss was holding her hand. Weiss smiled at her.
"You're not alone anymore." Weiss said. Willow smiled, and turned to the temple. She held Weiss' hand as she walked through the gate, down the bridge, and stopped at the door. She took her shoes off, Weiss letting go of her hand to do the same. She hesitated, looking at the door.
OPEN AA MEETING
Willow took a deep breath, held it for a moment, and exhaled. She glanced at Weiss, who smiled at her, and turned back to the door. She set her hand on it, and pushed it open.
The temple interior was a rainbow of colors and light, crystals dangling from the walls and ceiling. Willow squinted, her eyes adjusting to the brightness. She bit her lip as her vision cleared; a group of people were sitting in a circle, a table with coffee off to the side. The group smiled at her.
Willow approached the group, her stomach in knots as she took the open seat. She saw Weiss stand near the table, leaning against the wall. Willow played with her hands, her mouth dry as she felt the others looking at her, hearing their voices as they resumed their conversations. She glanced at her watch, it was almost time for the meeting to start.
"It's about that time. Let's begin." The conversation's ceased, Willow looked up, an elderly woman sat across from her, a warm smile on her face. "Let's start with a moment of silence." Willow looked at the others as they bowed their heads before doing the same. The silence went on, longer than Willow thought it would have. "Let us recite prayer."
Willow kept her mouth closed, the Dust prayer a hazy memory.
"To the excellent Dust, sangha, and teachings, I go for refuge until death, by my merit of charity and rest, may I join you again." The group said. Willow lifted her head, glancing at the others, watching what they did. One sat down, and Willow did the same. She crossed her legs, resting her hands in her lap as the others took their seats. The Elderly Woman looked at her.
"Is this anyone's first time here?" Willow saw the group shaking their heads. She hesitated before raising her hand. The Elderly Woman smiled. She nodded at the group, and Willow shrunk into her seat as they got to their feet. Reassurance was in their eyes, smiles on their faces as they all embraced her. Willow blinked, unsure of what to say. The group broke the hug after a moment, going back to their chairs. The Elderly Woman nodded at her.
"Would you like to start first?" she asked. Willow played with her hands, her fingers interlocking. She kept her gaze on the floor, and nodded. She took a breath.
"Hello. My name is Willow, and…" she took another breath. "I'm a recovering alcoholic."
"Hi, Willow." The group said.
"Do you want to talk a little? About your experiences?" Willow looked over at Weiss. Weiss nodded. Willow looked back at the group, sighing.
"I've had a drinking problem for over thirty years. It lead to me neglecting my family and unable to raise my children." She looked up at the group, at the sympathetic and understanding eyes. "I have been clean for almost two months. I decided to give it up after…" she looked back at Weiss, her eyes lingering on her stomach. She turned back to the group. "After I nearly lost someone I cherish."
Some in the group clapped, the ones next to her grabbing her shoulder and squeezing reassuringly, others giving her words of encouragement. Their voices just bled over each other as Willow looked over at her daughter. She felt lighter somehow. Weiss smiled, her eyes damp. Willow smiled back at her before looking back at the group as the next member spoke.
A bead of sweat trickled down her neck. Weiss grit her teeth, her muscles screaming as the green glyph flickered in front of her.
"You can do it Weiss!" Willow shouted. Weiss kept her eyes on the glyph, refusing to break her concentration. "Think back on all those you love, all those that you wish you could have helped when they were in pain! Think of them, and watch as you heal their wounds!"
Weiss let out a cry, falling to her knees as the glyph shattered. Her dress clung to her, her body sticky and slick with sweat. She looked over at her mother.
Willow was smiling, sipping from a juice pouch.
"You did great, Weiss. I can't even remember how long it took me to even be able to summon it for a few seconds." Weiss wiped at her brow, her sleeve damp. Willow lowered the pouch, looking away. "You know so many glyphs… and I didn't help with any of them."
Weiss looked at the spot the glyph had shattered; the grass and the flowers seemed healthier. She looked back at her mother, smiling at her.
"But you're helping me with this one." Willow looked at her, a faint smile appearing when she caught her eye. Willow grabbed a towel resting from a tree branch, bringing it over to her. Weiss took it, rubbing it against her face; the fabric so soft, the faint scent of lilac.
"Have you made any progress on your song? The concert is coming up soon." Weiss kept her face hidden in the towel. She shook her head; she had a general idea of what she wanted, but the lyrics wouldn't come to her. She felt a hand gently grasp her shoulder. "Well whatever you come up with, I'm sure I'll love it." Weiss smiled into the towel.
"Thanks, mom." She said. She moved the towel, wiping the sweat off her hands and legs. She looked back at her mother, smiling warmly. "I think I'm done for the day. Same time tomorrow?"
Willow seemed disappointed, but nodded. Weiss tucked the towel under her arm as she left, her heart dropping as she passed the windows around the garden, at Mirror smirking at her.
Willow opened the door, her body feeling sluggish. Her garden chair was the most comfortable place in the house, the best place to relax. A tray of food sat next to her chair. She narrowed her eyes; a bottle of Mistralian Red sat next to the food, a glass already poured.
She closed the door, glancing around the room. It was empty. She went to her chair, playing with her hands as she looked at the glass, at the red heaven. She sat down, licking her lips, her throat parched. The juice was good, so sweet, but it did little to quench her thirst.
She shook her head, slapping her hands to her cheeks.
Got to get clean. Got to stop.
She grabbed a sausage off the plate, biting into it, grease running down her chin as she chewed.
Just one sip. One sip is enough.
She swallowed, her eyes going to the red. She looked behind her. No one there. She looked out the window. Weiss had gone back inside. None of the maids were tending to the flowers. She looked back at the red, her throat itchy, so dry.
She set the sausage on the plate. She reached for the glass, hesitating, peering into the crimson depths. She closed her eyes, brining the glass to her lips. Her eyes shot open.
Bitter. So bitter.
She gagged, the glass falling from her hand and shattering against the floor.
Disgustingly bitter.
She fell from her chair, landing on her knees, a hand covering her mouth as she tried to hold the bile in. She felt the vomit leaking through her fingers, and retched onto the floor, her eyes watering. She shuddered, looking up at the bottle. She staggered to her feet, nausea hitting her as she grabbed the bottle and went to the door. She leaned against the doorway, upending the bottle, watching in disgust as the wine drained out.
The razor shook in her hand, her breathing unsteady, her sleeve rolled up. The scars on her arms stared up at her, the veins beneath pulsing.
"Come on Weiss, you know you want to do it." Mirror's voice was sing song like. "Just set it against your wrist." Weiss swallowed, her hand trembling, closing her eyes. "We've done it a thousand times before, we need to keep doing this. It helps deal with the pain." The razor met her skin, blood trickling as she pressed down. She moved it to the side, gasping in pain, her eyes snapping open.
"It hurts," she whimpered.
"No shit. But isn't that pain better than the other?"
Weiss raised the razor, watching the blood run down her arm. She swallowed, nausea washing over her as she watched the blood. Her blood. Weiss looked back at her dresser, at her mirror. She got to her feet, clutching the razor, walking around her bed.
"Mirror, tell me something." Mirror shifted, crossing her arms. "Who's the loneliest of all?"
"Why you of course." Mirror snickered, smirking at Weiss.
Blake kissing her
Ruby studying with her
Yang embracing her
Her mother coaching her
Weiss stepped toward her reflection. Mirror's mocking smile faltered.
"Can a heart be turned to stone?"
"Of course it can. Just look at you; you're nothing but a delusional freak; your heart and soul are nothing but ice. You're empty and hollow."
The disbelief on Velvet's face when she saved her
Flynt's smirk when he complimented her
Violet's grateful smile when she gave her her autograph
Weiss stepped towards her dresser, the razor a weight in her hand.
The pain of the blade
The scars on her body
Her blood as it flowed
"Why wouldn't you let me hide from me?" Mirror narrowed her eyes at her.
"Why wouldn't I, Weiss? I'm you." Weiss snorted, smirking at Mirror. Mirror backed away, her icy eyes filling with hate.
"Mirror, what's this thing I see? Who is staring back at me? A stranger to my heart has filled my mind." Mirror's lip twitched, curling over her teeth as she snarled.
"Do you really think that you would be here without me? Who do you think got you through all of your pain growing up? Who helped you deal with all of your suffering? Who was there for you when no one else was? Hm?!" Mirror demanded.
Klein's nurturing smile
Winter's proud eyes
Weiss gripped the razor. Mirror's eyes darted to her hand, fear mingling with the hate.
"Mirror, help me." She lifted the razor into the air, pulling her arm back. "Who am I?!" Weiss shouted.
"You're nobody!" Mirror screamed.
Weiss hurled the razor. Shards of glass flew into the air, Mirror's screams of pain making Weiss smile. Cracks spiderwebbed through the mirror, chips falling off. Mirror was clutching her eye, blood running down her face. She gnashed her teeth, seething.
"You bitch! You think you can do this to me?!" Mirror let go of her eye, grabbing the edges of the mirror, pressing up against the glass. "You're nothing without me you edgy little cunt!" The blood began to slow, a scar forming over Mirror's left eye. "You think you can get rid of me?! I'm a part of you! I'm inside your mind!"
Weiss' smile fell, calmly watching Mirror as she struggled against the glass.
"You're right. I can't get rid of you." Mirror paused, her chest heaving, glaring at Weiss. "But that doesn't mean that I need to listen to you anymore."
Mirror reeled back, hurling a fist at the glass, screaming. Weiss closed her eyes, and took a deep breath.
Mirror was gone when she opened her eyes. Weiss sighed, relieved. She perked up as she heard her door close. She saw a shadow move beneath the doorframe. Her eyes widened, dread shooting through her. She went to the door, ripping it open, stepping into the hallway.
Whitley was down the hallway, his back to her.
"Whitley!" He stopped, looking over his shoulder.
"Yes, dear sister?" Weiss hesitated, her eyes darting to her door.
"Did you need something? Why did you open my door?" she asked. Whitley shrugged, and looked ahead.
"I wanted to see if you were up for another game. You didn't seem to be in the mood." He started to walk away. "I'm looking forward to your concert Weiss. I'm curious as to what kind of song you've come up with."
Weiss stood in the hallway, narrowing her eyes as her brother left.
And that's it. We're back to the canon story after this chapter.