This was everything she had ever wanted.
The chaos, the mindless brutally of how humans tended to trample over one another to get themselves to safety first.
How they were broken down to reveal their true selfish nature.
The power to invoke these feelings in them, to destroy everything they held dear…
And yet…it felt almost hollow.
The icy wind blew sharply in her face, carrying with it a distinct smell of fresh snow and ashes.
Forcefully moving one foot in front of the other, Cinder stumbled through the burning ruins, ignoring the screaming citizens around her.
At long last Atlas had fallen, crashed, like the egocentric monopoly of power that it regarded itself to be.
Driven into Mantle, leaving only a pile of ruins and blood in its wake.
This was her victory…her ticket to be welcomed back home with open arms, so why…
'Why do I feel like this?'
Cinder wanted, no, needed to get back to Salem and yet her feet carried her away from the Beringel searching for her.
What was wrong with her?
It was her only option.
Her master was the only one who hadn't betrayed her. To the contrary, she had given the dark haired girl so much and promised even more.
This was the only mother figure she had ever had…
The cold air stung in her eye, causing it to tear up once more, the salty fluid burning down her skin, joining the dried streak on her cheek.
Pressing her right hand even harder against her stomach, she tried to even her breathing.
Her being wounded added to the stupidity of not returning to Salem immediately.
She didn't have a death wish!
She wanted to live!
Cinder was endangering herself and for what?
I know I messed up, but you have to know-
What had Emerald wanted to tell her?
Not that it mattered anymore.
Her subordinates had betrayed her.
Neo had betrayed her.
She had been so stupid to actually let her guard down around her, to trust that they actually had an…understanding.
Two mismatched, sorrowful eyes flashed through her mind, the horrible pain erupting from her back to her stomach. The easiness by which she had been chased off.
Of course Neo had never abandoned her quest on killing her.
It had been ludicrous to think after Atlas it could go back to how things were in Haven and Beacon.
Cinder had known the smaller girl was different from Emerald and Mercury.
There was no blind reverence.
Neo had been…her equal in a sense.
Not beating around the bush when she didn't agree with her decisions.
And if she was honest to herself, it had been quite refreshing.
Why had it all gone so wrong?
I didn't kill your boss, girl.
She hadn't and yet…she had felt remorse.
For Roman.
For Neo.
For not having been able to look for her after the Fall of Beacon.
But it didn't matter anymore.
Nothing did.
A loud screech startled Cinder, as she whirled around as good as she could, staring right into the terrifying eyes of a huge winged Beringel.
Instinctively she wanted to back away, but she appeared to be frozen in place.
'Everything is fine.
It's not going to attack me.'
The grimm cocked its head at her, reaching for her frame with its giant paw.
The burning intensity of its inhuman, crimson, hollow eyes made her hair stand on end.
This was nothing like the grimm she had encountered before. Even the Wyvern had felt different…more approachable.
Forming bonds with them had never been too difficult, but this one was nothing more than an empty husk.
Roughly, she was grabbed by the Beringel, a short, painful gasp escaping Cinder's lips as it pressed almost harshly against her wound.
'This is fine!
It's just bringing me home…to Salem.'
Of course.
She had been foolish to go against Salem's will.
Remember Firefly, your desires can only be found through me.
Despite knowing that Cinder had still tried to outsmart her, only to be reminded that there was no bending the rules with Salem.
She had played a game she could have never won.
Squeezing her eye shut, she tried to surrender to her fate, only to rip it open once she heard a horrifying shriek, followed by a deep growl.
Something had cut clean through the Beringel's wrist, its paw loosing the iron grip it had on Cinder, making it possible for her to slip through its fingers.
Landing unceremoniously on her butt, a slight moan managed to tear itself from her throat, as the impact rocked through her body, unsettling her wound even further.
Her head began to spin and she had to squint hard as to not black out from the burning pain erupting in her back, as it spread through her whole torso.
Everything happened so fast.
The dark haired girl wasn't even able to catch her breath, when she was abruptly dragged to her feet and pulled into niche.
Her eye had trouble to focus on its new surroundings.
A loud roar pierced her ears and her left arm twitched violently.
It was as if something tried to force itself inside her head.
[Stop defying me!]
Cinder's breath hitched, her hands pressing against her ears in desperation, her left one digging painfully in her scalp to make the voice stop.
Someone shook her wildly, but she couldn't respond or react in any kind.
Out of desperation she felt her aura flaring up, trying to shove whatever pulled at her, only to hear a sudden shattering noise, as if something had just broken a window, splintering it to million pieces.
Then…everything went quiet.
Cinder's pain ebbed away slightly, helping her to finally spot the person responsible for her rescue.
Her eye widening in disbelief.
"Neo?"
And just like that her remaining power was spent, even as she fought violently to keep her eye open.
Dropping to her knees, Cinder fell forward, her senses dwindling, only dimly realizing that someone stopped her fall…before everything went dark.
xxxxxxxxxx
Cinder didn't know how long she had been out.
When she came to she seemed to be underground, only the dim flames of the candles spend some warmth and light.
There was a strange pounding in her head, but at the very least her back and stomach felt slightly more agreeable.
Shifting on her apparently self made mattress, she realized that there was a bandage around her midsection and right shoulder. Granted, it was stitched together out of different clothing items. But it had put enough pressure on the wound to stop the bleeding completely.
Letting her eye wander over the sparse room, she could spot her top lying neatly folded atop a broken table.
Slowly she rose on unsteady feet and wobbled more than she walked to her belongings, cautiously putting the rest of her clothes back on.
Her cloak was missing oddly enough, but Cinder had other things to worry about.
She probably lost it when the Beringel caught her earlier…depending on when earlier was.
But first things first.
She had to disappear before-
Just in that moment the door behind her creaked open, revealing the short frame of her savior, causing Cinder to stumble backwards involuntary.
So it hadn't been a dream.
It really had been Neo who saved her.
The only question was…
"Why?"
'Why am I not dead yet?'
Not that Cinder wanted to die…but it just didn't make any sense for the short girl to not finish her off when she had the chance.
Neo stared at her seemingly at a loss herself, a troubled look crossing her features.
She made some sort of silly motion with her hands, before rolling her eyes, searching for her scroll.
Come to think of it, Neo had used that from time to time to talk to certain people on their way to Atlas, hadn't she?
What was it called again?
…sign language?
Either way, it wasn't one the dark haired girl understood.
Having found her scroll Neo began to type out her answer, presenting it to Cinder.
/I don't know./
'Seriously?!'
Sighing loudly, she rubbed her temples to alleviate the building pressure there.
Annoyance bubbled in the pit of her stomach, as she did her best to appear as imposing as she could, stemming her right hand into her hip.
Her glare following the shorter girl, who hopped on the broken table, making herself comfortable.
"First you stab me and then you just, what?
Changed your mind?"
She couldn't help but let a very dry, sarcastic edge slip into her tone.
If Cinder wanted anything right now it was answers.
Neo shrugged, letting her feet dangle over the edge of the table, trying to be as nonchalant as possible, to bridge over the time it took her to reply.
/You didn't kill Roman./
The text on the screen stared at the dark haired girl almost tauntingly, adding to the layer of anger building up inside her.
"I didn-
That's what I've been telling you the whole time!
It was little Re-"
As soon as Cinder had started talking Neo vigorously typed as well, holding her scroll under the taller girl's nose to interrupt her, while not moving one inch from her position.
A perfect illusion.
As much as the taller girl hated to admit it, that semblance was definitely one of the more impressive one's out there.
/Ruby didn't kill him either.
It was my fault. I just…didn't want to see it./
'…huh?'
"What are you talking about, you-"
/If I had been there, he wouldn't have died!/
That's what this was about?
Taking Roman's fate on herself now?
Ridiculous!
Rolling her eye she took a step closer to the smaller girl, who still sat on the broken table, her face falling more and more.
Was she expecting Cinder to just forget how she almost killed her?
From behind her back no less?
"So why blame me then?", she asked pleasantly, her voice evening to a softer tone,
"Payback for hiring your boss?"
She had seen Salem use these tactics before and as far as Cinder knew they always worked…even on her.
Her master was truly the epitome of power.
Oh how foolish she had been indeed.
This time Neo took even more time to reply, visibly struggling to find the right words.
/…no…I just don't want to be alone again…/
Your punishment is to toil in your isolation, Cinder.
Only completely alone can you truly grow.
No!
This was not the same.
She had overcome this weakness of hers.
She didn't need anyone!
'Then why was I being punished with it again?'
Cinder felt a sense of helplessness wash over her.
Oh how she hated this dreaded feeling.
Catching Neo's concerned and oh so expecting look, the dark haired girl smirked.
"So you saved me for yourself?", she asked with a mix of faux surprise and false gentleness,
Isn't that just touching?"
Tightening the grip around her scroll, Neo jumped from the table, her parasol running along the stony floor, tossing the electric device at the taller girl.
Reflexively, Cinder caught it, narrowing her eye to read what the now angry girl had written her this time.
/Stop trying to make me sound like I'm in the wrong here.
I'm not one of your cronies!/
'True…you're not one of them…'
But this was exactly why it hurt so much.
Why she tried to cause Neo as much pain as she could.
…because they had been equal.
They had…
'A relationship?'
…something!
Still, it was so easy to fall back on her anger.
So familiar.
"You STABBED me!
Excuse me that I don't particularly care whether you like my tone or not."
Cinder's headache increased.
She just wanted to be done with this.
She needed to get back to Salem, before her victory became hollow in regards to her lapse of judgment.
The smaller girl had backed away slightly at her outburst, anger giving way to sorrow, as she began to let her hands run through different motions.
Feeling her rage dwindling, Cinder rolled her eye once more, her tone losing the vicious edge it had held before.
"I can't understand this signing language you love to do.
Either spit it out or get out of my way!"
Staring at the dark haired girl in disbelief, she lowered her eyes at the scroll still in Cinder's hand and back again in the hopes of getting it back.
She didn't know why she caved and dropped the communication device in Neo's outstretched hand, but something compelled Cinder to do it.
Maybe it was the same feeling that wouldn't let her return home.
This horrible sense of foreboding…or these strange powers she couldn't control.
Either way she wanted to hear what Neo had to say…as strange as that sounded.
The smaller girl offered her a weak smile, before writing just two short words on her scroll.
/I'm sorry./
"You're…sorry…"
'…why?'
Wasn't Cinder supposed to apologize?
Was that not what Neo was after?
An apology?
Apologies have no worth if you don't mean them.
Do you really regret what you did, girl?
'I don't!'
She didn't regret Beacon, she didn't regret anything…but Neo's sorrowful eyes made her wish so badly things had gone differently.
Was that…how it felt like?
To regret?
How could Neo apologize when she didn't?
Sinking down on the table Neo had sit before her, she tried desperately to sort through her emotions.
"I destroyed it…I destroyed Atlas.
I don't know how, but I did…"
'I hated every second of it!'
"I don't want to go back home!"
'I don't want to drown again!'
She didn't know whether she said any of it out loud, until she felt a soft tab on her shoulder.
Neo gave her a hesitant smile, handing Cinder her cape back.
So it hadn't been lost after all.
Taking it with a quick nod, she unfolded it, her brow rising when she spotted a crumbled…card?
Glancing at Neo out of the corner of her eye she caught the expectant look on her face, appearing almost…nervous?
Cinder turned the card in her hand and froze.
It was one of Roman's business cards. And right under the giant logo was something written, in this so awfully scratched mess that Torchwick had called his handwriting. Something that had taken the dark haired girl so much time to decipher back then.
/Wanna run away together?/
Run…
Away…
'Together?'
Raising her head in shock, Cinder looked utterly dumbfounded.
This was a horrible idea.
Neo had already betrayed her once, she could never be too sure if she wouldn't do it again.
There was her quest for power.
…there was Salem…
Nothing good would come of this, so why…
Why did it make her so…happy?
It had been the same when the short girl had given her the apology.
It felt good…but also twisted something inside her stomach.
"I…
'I'm sorry I left you all alone.'
But she couldn't get the words out.
…not yet.
The realization hit her like a brick.
'I don't want to be alone as well!'
She erupted in laughter.
Cinder couldn't remember the last time she had laughed so freely.
If both of them didn't want to be alone in this world, why not stick together?
Salem wouldn't be pleased, she would get into so much trouble…and she couldn't care less.
Fastening her cloak around her neck she stood up, offering Neo a grateful smile, who returned it just as eagerly, lending Cinder her shoulder to help her walk outside.
Whatever conflicting feelings she had regarding the other girl, she would sort this out on her own terms.
This was what she wanted.
"You know, Neo, I am glad you came back for me."
'Thank you for rescuing me!'
AN: Hello again ^^
Kinda felt inspired today, so I took one of my other oneshots, Fractures, as a basis
and wrote a spin off scenario for Spicecreamweek.
I hope it qualifies for an entry, never did this before ^^'