So this was a random bunny idea I wrote down while watching Volume 7 but never actually posted. Now I can! Basically it's Salem experimented with Ruby and the Grimm pools and then I wrote this.
Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY or its characters.
Enjoy!
Reaper remembered so much, yet so little from before the pool.
She remembered how she felt towards things, could picture everything in perfect clarity. (Something she couldn't do before the pool). She just couldn't remember names.
Sometimes, when her entire being was hurting she thought about her warmest memory and everything seemed to hurt less. Mistress said everything hurt because the light inside her was still there, that it was slowly burning away the Grimm part.
Reaper remembered her past feelings towards Mistress. She also has new, more darker feelings towards Mistress.
Hatred.
Pure hatred.
Mistress tries to control her, manipulate her. Says Mistress saved her.
But Reaper remembers.
Reaper remembers the smell of cookies, coffee (one cream, two sugars), and tea. Booming laughter, soft laughs, softer chuckles. Three sets of arms wrapped around her, but she's never felt so free, so loved. White, Black, and Yellow.
Mercury, Emerald, and Hazel showed her colors. Told her the names of things. They seem sad.
Reaper remembers three people that always brought warm feelings. White, Black, and Yellow. She remembers everything about them. Everything, except their names.
She tries. And tries. And tries. But she can't remember their names.
Her eyes were foggy for a second, then something small and warm slid down her cheek. Bringing up a pale hand, she wiped it away then brought her hand up to inspect.
A small drop of clear water.
"Aww, is the dying rose crying?"
Reaper glared up at Tyrian, who merely smirked and laughed.
Crying...so that's what it was.
Mistress deemed her ready to go out on missions.
Finally. Acting like a loyal dog finally paid off and she can escape this hellhole.
Mistress was sending her to get rid of some Hunters that have been causing her trouble recently. Reaper figured that it would be a challenging fight before she takes her freedom.
Deciding to lure them out, she had Watts make a false job listing that would only accept their Scrolls. Making the job simple, clear out a Grimm infested area, yet tantalizing, some rare Grimm were spotted in the area. This gave Reaper a chance to observe how they fight and make a plan to take them out.
Taking a small army of various Grimm, she left.
It will take awhile for her prey to walk into the trap, so Reaper took the time to scout out the area. Taking note of the areas that could be a help to her.
Finish the mission, get a good fight out of it, and run where Salem can never reach her.
Fighting woke Reaper up from her dozing. She quickly leapt to her feet and used her semblance to hide in the leaves of the trees.
She watched as three figures flew into the clearing, followed closely by a pack of Ursa.
White. Black. Yellow.
Reaper blinked as the warm feeling filled her chest, but seeing them in person made the warm feeling...fuller.
More filling. The voice of White whispered in her mind.
Silver eyes, the only part that wasn't corrupted she once overheard Salem telling Watts, narrowed. Reaper crouched on the branch holding her weight, one hand on the wood to keep balance as she watched.
She compared the Huntresses in front of her to the ones in her memories. Their outfits were different, they had put more red into their clothes. Perhaps to honor a fallen friend? For some reason, the question made her sad.
There was sorrow in their eyes, but also determination. A drive in the way they fight.
An intense mix of emotions took away the warm feeling. This made her angry, only adding to the emotions. Reaper grounded her teeth with a growl and disappeared in a woosh of black petals.
The cat ears on top of Black's head twitched, she turned her eyes up to the trees. A questioning frown on her face.
Reaper slashed through the Grimm with her scythe, working through her emotions with fighting.
She slashed the last Beowolf in half. The sound of bushes moving made her spin around, slam the blade of her scythe into the ground, and glare at the area. The whole action taking but a few seconds.
The glare morphed into her usual blank slate as the three Huntresses stared back at her.
Their faces were such a mix of emotions. Horrified, sadness, guilt, anger. It made Reaper tilt her head.
"Ruby?" Yellow spoke first, her voice a horrified whisper.
Ruby. Reaper leaned back, her hands still on her scythe. Was that her name before the pool?
"What did they do to you?" White asked, a hand over her mouth and blue eyes wide.
Reaper had often wondered what she {Ruby, her mind whispered. Your name is Ruby} herself was like before the pool. She had the memories, of course. But what was she to these people? Words she did not remember.
"Ruby," Black took a step forward.
At the movement she reacted. She transformed into black rose petals and zipped away.
"Ruby, wait!"
They gave chase. White came close a few times, aided by her semblance {Glyphs, the voice in her mind whispered again}. But Reaper {Ruby} was too fast, disappearing deeper into the forest.
She needed to think.
Tress, Reaper decided, was the best place to spy.
She watched the small camp the Huntresses [There was another word she wanted-needed-loved calling them, but she can't remember.] Black kept watch as the others slept.
Reaper was resting her back against the trunk of the tree, one of her legs hanging from the branch she was on. There was a slight swing with the appendage.
She decided to abandon the mission of killing these Huntresses. If she killed them the warm feeling she had every time she saw them would leave. She wasn't risking the loss of the feeling.
There was a creak as Reaper shifted on the branch, this caused Black {Blake} to snap her head towards her.
Amber met silver. Neither moved as they held eye contact.
Hesitance flickered in Black's {Blake's} eyes before she slowly moved her hand. When Reaper tensed she stopped completely. Another beat of unmoving eye contact. When Reaper didn't run, Black continued.
Blake grabbed a rock from the ground and quickly threw it at Yellow, hissing something under her breath.
Yellow jerked up, arms up and weapons activated. Blake spoke in a harsh whisper, eyes flicking between Reaper and Yellow in panic.
Yellow's eyes found Reaper and widened. She quickly deactivated her weapons and held her hands up in the 'I mean no harm' way.
Reaper eyed them for a few moments, slowly lowering herself back onto the branch from her ready to run position. Leaning back against the truck, crossing her arms.
The two Huntresses let out sighs of relief. Blake kept the staring contest with Reaper while Yellow {Yang, the voice spoke again. Your sister} woke up White.
There, in the dark, the four just watched each other. Every-once-in-a-while the three will whisper to each other.
A hoot of an owl made Reaper blink, She looked up at the sky, noting where the moon was. She eyes the three, weighing the options.
She felt safe with them in her memories, and they have yet to attack her…
Reaper gave them a warning look, earning surprised looks from the three. She shifted so her cloak wrapped around herself and rested her head against the tree, closing her eyes.
Eventually, she fell into an uneasy sleep.
Yellow {Yang} was her partner in the staring contest. Blake was making food over the fire. White {Weiss, the voice spoke up. Your partner. Your best friend} was doing maintenance on her weapon.
Reaper's belly grumbled, but she ignored it. Blake's cat ears twitched and she glanced up into the tree. She whispered something to the others and they all looked at her.
She itched at the eyes on her and the ache of hunger. Deciding to get rid of both problems, Reaper stood up and prepared to use her semblance to get down and hunt the forest for food.
The moment she stood to full height unimaginable pain coursed through her body and fogged her senses.
Reaper gripped her chest with a hand and swayed on the branch. A whine escaped her throat. She leaned over a bit too far and fell off her perch.
Her Aura protected her body from damage, but the branches she hit along the way to the ground only added to the pain she was feeling. She eventually hit soft grass and hard ground.
Reaper curled up on her side with another long whine as she breathed in and out.
Gentle hands guided her to lay flat on her back. Voices spoke above her.
"Is she hurt?"
"What's happening?"
"Should we do something?"
Reaper opened her eyes, silver light flooding out of them. She arched her back with a scream as the light made the pain intensify.
As quickly as it started, it stopped and cold numbness soothed her aching body.
Everything was silent except for Reaper's labored breathing.
She rolled over and pushed herself into a sitting position, making sure to get a look at her hands.
They were less bone white and had a slight rosey-ting to it. Everytime she had an episode where her eyes reacted she became less Grimm, more as she was before.
Reaper turned her head and stared at the three huntresses {Her team}, and tried to read their expressions.
They were exchanging looks that spoke volumes, Reaper glanced away to give a little privacy.
Footsteps made her snap her eyes back. Weiss was walking towards her, slow and careful steps as to not startle her. The huntress kneeled down in front of the corrupted.
They stared into each other's eyes, seemingly to their very souls.
"Do...you know who I am?" Weiss asked, words full of deep meaning.
Reaper glanced down at Weiss' hand, she slowly reached for it. Rapidly looking between the woman's expression and her hand, searching for anything that indicated she should stop.
She grabbed Weiss' hand and pulled off the glove. Adjusting the hand so the palm was facing up, Reaper used her pointer finger to spell out words.
W-E-I-S-S
She glanced up shyly at Weiss, hoping she understood. The corrupted blinked at the watery smile the woman in white now had.
Boldened by the reaction and her heartbeat speeding up in excitement. Reaper started spelling out more words.
P-A-R-T-N-E-R
B-E-S-T
F-R-I-E-N-D
Reaper looked up with a smile that soon turned into a confused frown when she saw the tears, but she was also...smiling?
"You remember," Weiss used her gloved hand to point to Yang. "Who's she?"
Y-A-N-G
S-I-S-T-E-R
"How about her?" She pointed to Blake.
B-L-A-K-E
F-R-I-E-N-D
"Yeah, that's Blake," Weiss smiled, tears silently slid down her cheek.
"Do you remember your name?" Yang asked.
Reaper furrowed her eyebrows in thought.
R
R-E-A-P
She shook her head, frowning. Trying to think harder.
The answer was there, just out of her mental reach.
R
{Ruby, The voice boomed. You're Ruby Rose}
R-U-B-Y
Ruby liked this game, it was easy and it made everyone smile.
She was bouncing on her knees, excitement making her itchy and hyper.
Arms wrapped around her and Ruby paused, looking at the white hair that was now brushing her cheek.
{Hug}
The warm feeling returned and Ruby slowly returned the hug. Two more sets of arms wrapped around them and she was squished into the middle of the hug.
For the first time since the pool, she felt safe.
She felt loved.
She felt...whole.