Chapter two: Who's the loneliest of all?
"RAH!"
"Your form's almost perfect. You need to rotate your shoulder slightly." I heard my trainer say. I looked over, nodding towards him as I stepped back, sliding my shoulder into place and, clearly rotating it, before punching the bag again, seeing it slowly swing back, as if insulting how weak I was. I looked over, seeing him slowly nodding. "You seem to be in perfect physical condition. What exactly caused you to come down here? It's not like you to just show up out of nowhere." he asked, raising an eyebrow at me as he walked over, sitting down on a nearby exercise ball. I just shook my head, pulling my hair back behind me before I wiped the sweat from my brow, peeling off the pale bandages from my hands.
"I… needed a distraction. I think." I said, looking down at my hand, stopping myself from peeling the bandages off my left hand, squeezing my fist tighter as I felt that fire in my stomach burning again. I felt a hand on my shoulder as I looked up, seeing the trainer, who was almost a foot taller than me, smile. "Well, if you're going to stay here and punch the crap out of bags all day," he said, gesturing towards the punching bag across from me, "don't take off the bandages, alright? Don't wanna bust a knuckle again." he said, reaching down and lightly patting my hand before he turned away, walking towards the exit as I saw him toss something behind him. I stepped forward and caught them, looking down to find that they were keys. "Lock up when you're done Icy." He said with that familiar smirk of his.
"Don't call me that." I said, glaring towards the man as he held up his hands, shutting the door behind him, leaving me in the empty gym. I turned back towards the punching bag, getting back into a combat stance. I felt the power focused in my hand, hitting it with my left hook once, twice, three times over. I saw the bag flying backwards as I punched again. "Please! No more!" I jumped back, taking a few breaths as I looked down, my hand shaking as I saw blood dripping onto the bandages, my knuckles purple. I looked up, and saw a worn spot in the bag, where I'd punched it so many times. I must've zoned out, since when I looked at my scroll, I found that it had been almost an hour. I leaned back, falling to the ground as I felt my hand start to shake.
"It's okay… you're strong now… they can't hurt you anymore…" I muttered, unable to stop the sudden image of a girl with long, white hair and bright blue eyes. She had a bruise on her left cheek, and a bloody line over her left eye, forcing it shut. She was crying blood and water alike, her hands over her head as she sobbed. "I'm not that girl… not anymore…" I said as I stood, walking towards the entrance to the gym. I didn't bother getting my bag, my other clothes, I'd be fine to just leave them there. My father owned the gym after all, one of the many companies he'd bought. I tried not to think about him as I walked towards the door… but I couldn't help myself when I saw my reflection.
In that reflection I saw the white haired girl, but older now. Her line was no longer bloody, and she had no bruising on her face. Her hands now had bandages, and no longer did she cower. Now she stood strong, ready to fight. Instead of the dress, she wore a black sports bra and a pair of shorts, exposing her long legs and toned abs. I saw, over that girls shoulder, a shadow. It wasn't really there, it couldn't have been, but somehow I saw it. I saw the shadow of the white haired man, the snake that had given her her name. Had given her everything. "No… I'm not like you…" I muttered, pushing past the glass doors before I turned, locking them behind me. I felt the cold chilling my exposed flesh as I set the keys in my pocket, walking down the sidewalk. I didn't know where I was going, I didn't care. I didn't even realize I'd started running until I came upon a stoplight.
When the light turned it felt like I was on autopilot, walking down the sidewalk, ignoring the all too familiar catcalls and whistles of the nearby men, shoving past countless slow people as I felt my feet carry me down the street. I didn't even think about where I was going. I just knew I had to go somewhere. Somewhere his influence couldn't reach me, somewhere I could be… myself. I felt my knuckles burning as I finally conceded to the feeling and looked down, drawn into reality when I saw the droplets of blood hitting against the ground. I looked around, smiling slightly as I saw the familiar sign nearby. That sign being a simple red cross with a heart drawn in the center, strange stitching running along it. Not where I'd wanted to go, but it would do for the moment.
I walked towards the doors beneath the sign, pushing them open as the smell of disinfectant, vomit, and coffee all invaded my nostrils. I couldn't help but smile, it was almost refreshing after the pristine perfection of the gym to smell something so much more… real. I saw a woman sitting on the ground a few feet away, looking up at me with a blank stare. "The white wind is melting~ The white wind is melting~" she said in a singsong voice, swaying her head to some unseen melody. I saw the far-away look in her eyes and the ghost of a smile that danced on her face as it blended with the shadows. "An addict… poor woman…" I muttered, feeling a brief spark of pity for her. I heard what sounded like a crash from the back as I looked over, seeing the door slammed open, two bodies flying out, one pinning the other to the wall.
One of them was a man wearing a loose warm jacket, a plaid scarf, a beanie, and what looked to be random clothes he'd found off the streets. He smelled like stale cigarettes and piss, not hard to figure out he was homeless. The other figure was whose hands he'd pinned to the wall, this one a young woman. She was dressed in a white nurse's uniform, one that stretched down almost to her knees. It seemed to be a size too big for her, if all the extra fabric was anything to go by. Her eyes were big, brown, and terrified of the taller man in front of her, her long brown hair draped over her in a weak attempt to stop him, her long, rabbit ears curled up in terror. "Just let it happen baby~" the man said, slurring his words slightly. He was either high or drunk, neither would end well. The woman just shut her eyes as the man leaned in, his mouth closing in on her neck.
I grabbed the man's wrist, causing him to look over at me, his eyes hazy and unfocused, glossed over with the tint only beer could've made. "Whoa, hey there hot mama~" he said, shifting his focus from the faunus nurse to me, taking her hands off of her as he moved one towards my sports bra, the other held in my grip. I didn't even flinch as I grabbed his other hand, pulling him forward as I swung my head around, knocking into his. "FUCK! AH!" He yelled, gripping his forehead. I wasn't done though, I dashed forwards, slamming my elbow into his stomach before I stepped back, hitting him with an uppercut that sent him sprawling to the floor. He didn't try and get back up. He didn't even move.
"Are you okay?" I asked, looking towards the young woman across from me. She looked over at me, her face tinged red as she nodded, walking towards the man and lightly tapping the side of his head with her foot. "Uggggh…" the man groaned as his head tilted over to the side. She let out a sigh of relief, though whether it was from being thankful she wasn't raped or that the man wasn't now a corpse thanks to me, I couldn't tell. "Thank you! Thank you!" she said, grabbing my hand in both of hers as she smiled at me, leaning down slightly. I could even see tears starting to gather in her eyes. "Velvet! What's going on out- oh, Ms. Schnee…" I heard a loud voice ask, the familiar head of Dr. Oobleck, the doctor (duh) and part owner of the clinic.
He took one look down at the man, then looked at my fists, no doubt noticing my wounded knuckles, wounds that had scabbed over by now. Though, a different one seemed to have split back open. Must've punched the guy a bit too hard. "Let's get those knuckles looked at. Velvet, sweetie, contact the police and have them take this man into custody… I shouldn't have let him in in the first place…" he said, looking down and, though his glasses were opaque, I had a feeling he looked guilty behind them. Velvet just shook her head, walking over and wrapping her arms around the taller man. "It's okay doctor. We have to try and help everyone, right?" she asked, smiling up at him, tilting her head slightly as she shut her eyes. Oobleck only smiled, reaching up and lightly rubbing her right ear before he turned away. "Quite right, regardless, do tell me if you sense something wrong in the future? I wouldn't want to be responsible for you being hurt. Your mother would never forgive me now would she?" he said, smiling slightly.
Velvet let out a little giggle before she nodded, walking away towards another room in the back. Meanwhile, Oobleck turned to me, gesturing behind him towards the operating area… at least, that's what Oobleck called it. Really it was just a room that he'd placed a few chairs, a bed, and his tools in. I walked in and sat down on the chair, no point in lying down for this. "She's new." I said simply, not an opinion or a question, just a fact. I'd been to Oobleck's clinic a hundred times for a hundred different reasons in the past. This was the first time I'd seen the young rabbit faunus. Oobleck sighed, "I'm her godfather. Her mother and I were close friends growing up, and she entrusted me with her daughter's safety should she ever go to that giant hospital in the sky… sadly, she did. Ten years ago in fact. I've been raising her since then but I never felt she should be involved in the clinic due to her faunus nature and my clients… ahem, 'close-mindedness', unfortunately. She insisted though, so of course I let her." he explained.
Oobleck sighed as he looked at my knuckles, "Honestly Ms. Schnee, you must take better care of yourself. Have you been boxing without bandages again?" he asked. I didn't answer, my silence would be enough of an answer for the strange doctor. I knew how Oobleck worked well enough by now, my silence to him was just as good if not better than an answer. I looked down, feeling the cold as Oobleck set an ice pack down on the table next to the chair, just laying my hand over it. Then he grabbed another one, setting it on top of my fingers. He did the same thing with my other hand, standing back and sitting down in front of me. "Is there a chance you'll-" "No." I said, knowing what he was going to ask. Was there a chance I'd give it up for a while? A chance I'd take it easy? He already knew my answer. There wasn't one.
Oobleck sighed, "You're going to Roman, aren't you?" I just nodded, looking over behind the doctor to find his goddaughter standing there, just poking her head in and looking at me. When our eyes met she stepped back, only the tips of her ears showing from behind the doorway, both trembling slightly. "Not very good with people I'm guessing." I said quietly, so that only Oobleck would be able to hear me. This was what I normally did anyway, talked with Oobleck while he basically waited for my hands to freeze, hoping that it would stop me from going out and boxing immediately afterwards… it never really worked. "Velvet's rather shy around humans other than me. I'd blame that more on society today than anything else. Though, yes, she isn't much of a 'people person' as is the expression. Though she's just about the best assistant I've ever had." he said, smiling slightly as I saw Velvet looking towards us, her face burning slightly at Oobleck's compliment.
I stood when I felt the cold from the ice packs reach my elbows, indicating they'd been on for far too long in my opinion. Oobleck knew that, he was getting more and more bold in his attempts to get me to rest. It was a losing fight, he knew he couldn't outlast me in a battle of wills. I had all the time in the world. "Be careful, won't you Weiss?" Oobleck asked, showing me just how serious he was getting about this by using my first name. I just nodded, walking away from him. "Sure." I muttered, soon after I was out of earshot. I saw that the man I'd punched wasn't anywhere to be seen, assumingly taken away by the police. I just walked towards the exit, pushing open the door as I felt the cold wind brushing past.
"Wait!" I heard a voice suddenly say as I was walking down the street. I turned around, seeing Velvet dashing from within the clinic around the door, brushing past someone before she walked over to me, taking a few breaths as she looked around, a dark blush settling over her face. "I wanted to thank you… for saving me! For, for saving me." "You already have." I said, keeping my eyes blank as the girl seemed to fumble for her own words, sputtering for a second as she looked down, gripping at the sides of her head. I couldn't help but smile at her, it was honestly rather entertaining to watch. "I mean… something more, um… meaningful! Yeah, that's it! Umm, would you… would you… like to go… umm… to the, uh, th-the park l-later? M-maybe for-" "Okay." I interrupted her, figuring I had to get going before dark, and I didn't have time for the shy girl to form out a coherent sentence. She straightened up suddenly, her ears going rigid as she just nodded, giving me a small smile before she walked away, dashing back towards her clinic, bumping into a few people. I kept that smile as I turned away, walking towards my original destination.
…
"Here for a fight snow angel?"
I looked over, glaring towards the orange haired showman as he let out a puff of smoke towards me, standing in front of the door we both knew led to his arena. I just nodded, walking past him and pushing open the door. I saw that the arena was being cleaned up, a fair bit of blood covering the floor. I walked towards it, only to stop when I felt something against my foot. I looked down, raising an eyebrow as I bent over, picking up what looked to be a long, red scarf. I held it out, looking all over it but finding no name whatsoever, rather just a strange looking symbol, a rose made out of white thread. "Who lost to Adam?" "Yang's little sister. Girl showed up and got her ass handed to her in less than a minute." Roman said. The way he looked at the scarf in my hands, it was rather clear who it belonged too.
I just walked down, I wasn't here because I wanted to meet someone stupid enough to challenge Adam while wearing a scarf or, really, anything other than a bra and shorts. Adam was notorious for grabbing onto clothing and using them to strangle anyone he got in the ring with. He managed to beat Yang by using her hair against her for crying out loud! Instead, I just walked past the arena, heading towards the familiar doors in the back. "Hey, would you be opposed to handing that scarf off to it's owner? She's in the infirmary." Roman said.
I looked over, clutching the red scarf in my hands before I nodded, turning around and continuing on towards the back. I walked past a few people, mostly cleaning staff but, a few that were actually dressed in fighting clothes. I walked past them all until I reached the door with the red cross haphazardly painted on. I pushed open the door, the scent of disinfectant and blood hitting me head on. Such an odd combination… but for this place, it was oddly soothing. Meant I was getting away from my perfect life and into an actual life.
I walked past a few rows of empty beds before I saw someone walking towards me. The bright red hair with the blonde streak, the hard green eyes, softening slightly when they saw me, and the bandages on her hands gave it away. "Weiss." "Pyrrha." I said, no emotion behind it as I walked towards her, following where her gaze had gone a moment ago. Lying on a bed next to us there was a girl, black hair with bloody tips that stretched down around her chin, bruises covering her body and her face, bandages over her nose, more than likely broken by Adam. She was clad in only her red underwear, likely so that the doctor could treat her more easily. Hard to treat someone when they're fully clothed. I looked down at the scarf, then at the girl. The red in her hair was the exact shade of the scarf.
I reached down, placing my hand on the girl's neck. I felt a pulse, a weak one at that. Adam had taken her to the brink, like everyone else he ever fought. If she was lucky she'd be up and walking… eventually. "Adam's opponent?" "More like his punching bag. Right here," she pointed to the sleeping girl's heavily bandaged nose, "she was hit with Adams knee, multiple times based on the damage. Here," she pointed at the girl's stomach, "Adam must've jabbed her, maybe a few hard punches too based on the intensiveness of the bruising. Here's the worst bit though," she pointed towards the girl's neck, revealing a ring of purple. Before she spoke again Pyrrha reached over, grabbing some kind of cream, my blood boiling when I saw the Schnee Company logo on it, and applying it to the girls bruised areas, heavily on her neck and stomach. "Adam must've choked her out, it's too thin to be with his arm though… wonder what he used?"
"This." I said, holding out the girls scarf. Pyrrha raised an eyebrow, looking between the girl and the scarf as her eyes widened slightly in realization, no doubt coming to the same conclusion I had moments ago. "She's not a fighter." I said, reaching down and pulling up one of her hands. I flipped it over, Pyrrha looking with me as I ran my fingers along her knuckles. Smooth, no bruising or damages whatsoever. As soft as knuckles could be. I flipped her hand over again, running my finger along her palm, only for her hand to move back slightly, the twinge of a smile showing on the girl's face. "Poor thing… going against Adam when she's probably never fought in her life…" Pyrrha said, a look of pity flashing across her face as I dropped the girl's hand, laying it against her thigh. One of the few places that wasn't covered in bruises.
"Stupid thing more like it." "Weiss! How can you be so -so, so heartless!" Pyrrha said, glaring at me in both anger and indignation. I couldn't help but give her a sad smile as I held up my hands, tossing her the scarf. "She chose to fight Adam. If she wanted to be safe she shouldn't have challenged him." I said, brushing past Pyrrha as she grabbed the girl's scarf, taking more of the ointment and applying it to the girl's bruising. She glared back at me, "Next time you get hurt, don't complain if I hurt you a little more to make it better." she said, turning away as her look of anger was replaced once again by a strange, motherly compassion Pyrrha showed with most people… even Adam when she (rarely) treated him.
I just turned away, walking out the nearby door and to the left, seeing the familiar door in front of me. I just smiled, pushing open the metal door with the pale snowflake painted on. "Home sweet home." I muttered sarcastically as I walked past the small bench and the locker where I kept some of my clothes. Instead I walked straight towards the twin bed that I'd bet Roman for. I'd bet I'd win a few matches, and being a gambling man he accepted. Didn't count on me actually winning. That or, maybe he did. Maybe he just wanted to keep this little arrangement between us going as long as he could. Hard to tell with him. I stretched out my back, smiling as I felt the somewhat scratchy blanket beneath me. I shut my eyes leaning my head back against the pillow. If I wanted comfort, I'd have gotten something like mine at home, the Vacuo cotton and imported pillows… but I didn't want that.
Mostly because it's what my father would get.
"Never did understand why you come here." I heard a familiar, somewhat annoying voice say. I opened my eyes, looking around and frowning at the door as I saw Adam standing there, leaning back against the doorframe, arms crossed and his foot against the door in his typical stance. His body shone with sweat, most likely from a recent workout, and he was clad in his normal boxing clothes and mask, along with some bandages on his hands, like mine. "You've got everything a girl could ask for. Money, power, anything you could want. Why come here and lay down in that ratty old mattress when you could be at home? Pampered like a queen?" he asked, and I could tell that behind that mask his eyes showed genuine interest. I looked away from him, towards the gray ceiling as I spoke.
"None of it's mine. This. This is something I can say I earned." I said, and it was true too. I'd fought tooth and nail (literally) to get everything in this room put here, rather than just using my father's money to get it. I won fights, I got things. "Yet you let Roman keep almost 90% of your winnings." "I don't care about money. I've got plenty. If I ask Roman for something, he'll get it for me, because I earned the money he uses to buy it. I ask my father, he'll give it to me." I said as I rolled over, laying my head sideways on the pillow, facing away from Adam as I pulled the blanket over me. I wasn't all that tired, but I figured he'd think I was and he'd leave. I even let out a fake yawn and spoke in a more tired voice, "All I have to do is sit still, look pretty, and do everything I'm told. Only sit up straight, never talk good about the lower class, be 'daddy's little angel'. Home, I have luxury. Here, I have freedom." I said.
I felt a presence above me as I looked up, seeing Adam standing over me. He just smiled, "I'll give you credit Schnee. You've got guts. A bit too much really, you're getting a bit fat." he said, dashing out the room as I sat upright, throwing my pillow at him. Only, by the time the pillow reached him, he'd shut the door behind him, no doubt having run down the hall by now. I sighed as I stood, grabbing my pillow and tossing it back on the bed, stopping as I passed the mirror. I lightly pat my stomach, frowning slightly, "Well… he's not WRONG. I have been eating more than usual lately… haven't been getting out as much as I should be." I thought as I reached down, pressing a bit of my fat up, letting it fall back as I held up my arm. Not a spot of fat on it. "I'll have to work more on my core next week." I thought as I laid back down on the bed, staring up at the ceiling, letting my thoughts carry me away.
…
"Wakey wakey Weiss~"
I swatted away the hand poking my cheek, slowly opening my eyes as I saw the familiar over-makeup coated eye of Roman Torchwick staring down at me. I must've dozed off. "You asked for a fight, so I put you against one of our more seasoned brawlers. I think you can handle him just fine though snowflake~" he said, poking my cheek again. I sat up, glaring towards Roman as he backed away, fully aware of what I could do to him if he kept annoying me. Even the runner of the ring wasn't stupid enough to get on a cage-fighters bad side. "Who?" "Blue-haired guy, real flirty around women. Only one I know who's a bigger ass than Adam." Roman said, chuckling lightly as he turned around, walking out towards the door and shutting it behind him. I stood, brushing my hair back as I looked at the nearby clock. I must've dozed off, I'd been asleep for almost two hours.
I stood, opening the door and walking down the hallway towards the ring as I heard the chatter from outside. Roman had a packed stadium huh? "LLLLLLAADIES AND GENTLEMEN! Please welcome our FIGHTEEEEEEEERS!" Roman yelled, the room suddenly erupting into applause as I walked towards it, stopping right when I saw the other side. I was hidden from view by the shadows, but I could see the people standing and sitting alike, all of them applauding. "IN THE RED CORNER! THE LADY KILLER EXTRAORDINAIRE! THE BLUE HAIRED BRAWLER! NEPTUUUUUUNE THE NIMBLEEEEE!" Roman yelled as a man dashed forwards, jumping into the ring. He stood up, flipping his hair back and winking towards some people in the audience. I instantly saw about five women faint, thinking he was looking at them.
Then he held up his hands, smiling at everyone as Roman spoke again. "AAAAND IN THE BLUE CORNER! THE COLDEST WOMAN IN ALL OF VALE! THE ICY BEAUTY! THE QUEEEEEEN OF MEAN! WEISS THE WICKEEEEEED!" Roman yelled. I took that as my cue, running out and vaulting over the railing, landing crouched on my side. I popped up, holding up my hands before I brushed my hair out of my face. Neptune smirked at me, giving me a look I had no doubt would send plenty of women into a blushing mess. Me though? I was there to fight, not flirt. "Alright sweetheart, what say we head out after this? Help you feel better about losing?" "Not on your life, and I'm not losing." I said, glaring towards him as he stepped back, his expression hardening. He knew the rules of Roman's ring just like I did. Anything went, just no weapons or hitting below the belt. I stood there, him bouncing around as I just watched, waiting for Roman to give his signature call. "LOWER THE CAGE!" he yelled as the familiar cage slowly dropped into place. I still waited, waiting for Roman's tagline.
"LADIEEEEEEES AND GENTLEMEN! LLLLLLLET'S GET READY TO RUMBLLLLLLLLLLLLE!"
At that I dashed forwards, ducking low as I saw Neptune's eyes flash with fear. I pushed his fist up with mine, jabbing him in the stomach. The wind was knocked out of him, but I wasn't done. I sweeped his legs out from under him, causing his back to be pressed flat to the mat. I held tight to his hand as I reared back my leg, forcing his jaw up with my knee as I felt his own grip on my hand loosen. "Get up… you hear me?! Get up! I'm not done with you!" I said, smirking slightly as I felt my blood start pumping. I let go, watching as he crawled along the ground, turning himself around as he looked up at me. I walked over, smashing my foot down on his stomach as he cried out in pain. The crowd was loving it, cheering, even as some of the women were gasping that their precious Neptune was getting pummeled.
I held out my hand, "Shall I show mercy to the coward?!" I asked, smirking towards the crowd as I held Neptune above my head, slightly struggling to keep him up. I heard a chorus of noises sounding around me, until, at last, I heard a chant rising up, first slow, then louder, until it was even louder than the applause and Neptune's pleas. "WE WANT BLOOD! WE WANT BLOOD!" they yelled. I smirked wider as I crouched, tossing Neptune in the air. They wanted blood?
CRACK!
"AHAHAHAHAAAAA!"
I'd give them blood.
Neptune fell, barely moving as I reached down, hoisting him up by his neck as I kneed him in the stomach, feeling warm liquid on my shoulder as I looked down, scowling as I saw his blood staining my bra. I reared back a fist, a punch to the face set his nose bleeding too. "What happened to being nimble huh?" I asked, dropping him as I drove my foot into his stomach, causing him to cough up more blood, leaning on his side. I held out my hands, smirking to the crowd as I danced around him, hearing the cheering was already making me forget what I was so worried about before. "How should I end it?!" I yelled. Again there was random shouting, before a unanimous chanting came up from the crowd, but this time failing to drown out Neptune's wailing (it was considerably louder at this point). "SKULLSPLITTER! SKULLSPLITTER!" they yelled, causing Neptune to look at me in fear. He opened his mouth to say something, but all he got out was a strangled cry as I lifted him up, spinning him around before I slammed his head into the ground in a suplex.
"AND JUST LIKE THAT, NEPTUNE THE NIMBLE IS DOWN FOR THE COUNT! WEISS THE WICKED WINS AGAIN!" I heard Roman yell as the crowd started cheering, the winches in the ceiling slowly lifting the cage as I saw someone on the sidelines, the only person not cheering for me. All I could see of her was a flash of red hair before they walked away. I felt myself drug back down to earth, and I looked down towards Neptune. I only smiled, leaning down and pressing my lips against his cheek. "Wanna go out? Make you feel better about losing?" I said mockingly as he muttered some incoherent words. Maybe I had gone a bit overboard. Still… the crowd seemed to like it. Once the cage was up I jumped out, walking into the back as I saw none other than Pyrrha standing there, glaring towards me. "What?" I asked, shrugging towards her.
SMACK!
I blinked a few times, holding my hand up and tapping on my cheek, making sure I hadn't just imagined that. I flinched back, nope, it stung. "Did you just… slap me? Pyrrha?" I asked, looking over at her. Her hand was outstretched to the left, her eyes burning as she panted, still glaring at me. Then she sighed, dropping her hand before she started walking away, "Why are you mad at me all the time?" I asked, glaring as she suddenly stopped, spinning around. Every time I showed up, all it was was 'why are you so heartless' or 'be more friendly' or even once 'stop hurting people'. We were boxers! That was literally our job description! Pyrrha walked over to me, stopping when she was just a foot away. "You want to know why I'm mad at you so much Weiss? Look at yourself in the mirror, then go look at Adam. Tell me what he has that makes me tolerate him, that you don't." then her eyes softened slightly.
"Look, Weiss… I… I…." "If you hate me, say it." I said coldly, not bothering to give her any emotional response. She flinched back, her eyes widening slightly before she settled back into that glare. "I… I hate you!" "Thanks." I said, brushing past her with a small smile on my face, walking towards my room. She walked past me, stopping in front of me, looking at me with that bewildered expression of hers. "You're… thanking me?" "Yep."
"Why?"
"You've done something for me that no one else has ever done." I said, brushing past her again, stopping at the door to my room. I looked at my hand, smiling as I saw the slightly bloody bandages wrapped around my hands. I undid them, letting them fall to the ground as I reached back, undoing my ponytail and letting my hair fall loosely around me. I looked over my shoulder, giving the old boxer a smile as I opened the door, walking inside. "You told me that you don't like me. That you hate me even." I said, about to shut the door behind me.
"And it's because you know me… and not my name."
