Chapter 6. Voice in my head
Well, another week of my internship under my belt and payday was this past Thursday, so I guess the only thing I can do at the moment is continue this fanfiction. I'm sorry if my pacing seems slow, but I don't work with any set schedule, especially because I'm trying to start up 2 of my own series simultaneously (trying to take advantage of my summer vacation). Well, anyway, back to Ruby's arc.
As for the character of Junior, imagine him being played by Patrick Seitz. Melanie can stay the same as in the show and trailer, but Miltiades would be voiced by Cassandra Lee Moris (voice of Taiga from "Toradora").
A small flock of seagulls soared over an empty shore, an orchestra of calming waves washing up and falling back in an endless loop. Behind the shore was a cliff, thousands of feet above water level, with a guard rail running between it and a street which led into the mountains of Atlas. Racing up the road was a long stretch limousine, its rider in the back checking his teeth for pieces of salad from his dinner at the expensive restaurant. Weeks after his daughter locking him and General Ironwood in his closet, followed by numerous complaints from his employees about working conditions, especially the faunas, Jacque Schnee finally got a break. Tonight, it was just him, his firstborn daughter, Winter, and his son, Whitley, discussing the future of the Schnee Dust company. Like his siblings, Whitley's hair was white and his attire was mostly blue, save for his black tie and white shirt. Through his father pulling certain strings, Whitley was nearly guaranteed a spot at one of Atlas's top universities. From there he would go on to double-major in entrepreneurship and finance and eventually fill his father's shoes as the company's CEO. As the car sped home, and Jacque had passed out from just three glasses of wine, Whitley sat by the window, peering out at the broken moon and his family immediately came to mind. With Winter in the military and Weiss on the loose, it was only common sensical that Whitley would
"Weiss…" He thought. "This is your fault: father's never been angrier at any point in his life. One glass of wine after another, and any time he opened his mouth it was just about you and Winter. Hell, Winter had to calm him down twice after he heard you being mentioned." He noticed the flock of seagulls fly within the moon, their arrow formation near perfect. He then recalled dinner, how his father referred to him, the only time he did, as "my last reliable source."
"…even though you've basically given me the seat to his throne…why can't I stop thinking about you?" His eyelids drooped down to a squint. "Hell, Winter won't even stop mentioning you…when's the last time she talked about me that much?"
He took one last look at the moon, enjoying its brilliant glow, until a ship flew overhead breaking through the moonlight for a few seconds. This would've annoyed Jacque, Whitley especially before Weiss left, but the young boy had no reaction to it. He had his father's seat, something Winter and Weiss were the first in line for.
The boy heard his father mumble in his sleep, something about "Not now Whitley." Just wanting to go home, Whitley knocked on the window to the driver's seat. The driver opened the window, revealing the blue-faded hair under his hat.
"Yes, sir Whitley?" The chauffeur asked.
"How long before we reach the manor?" Whitley asked.
"We're almost at the intersection before the front gates, sir Whitley. My guess is…five minutes."
To Whitley, it was five minutes too long. "Alright, thank you, Henry."
Once he said, "You're welcome, sir Whitley." Henry closed the window and continued home. The chauffeur looked at the intoxicated man in backseat and recalled his last words before passing out, once again drunk rambling about how, "If she were here, I'd be giving her the beating of a lifetime."
Henry heard rumors of Weiss Schnee, her personality…supposedly…being no different than any of the other rich snobs in Atlas. It was, however, a shock to him to hear Weiss tell him, "Get out" at the post-concert party once he started hitting on her. In a way, it was relieving to hear she wasn't like all of them, though that didn't make him less miserable. All that kissing up to Jacque to let him into the concert and party, and it amounted to nothing.
The young man looked at the moon as he drove forward, noticing the ship whose silhouette broke the flow of light.
Almost everyone was aboard the ship. Blake's parents and Ilia were on their way to Vale to help in rebuilding the academy and city. Shortly after Beacon's fall, to which the White Fang were a big contributor of said incident, more humans around those parts developed a prejudice against faunas. All the more reason to build up a better reputation and earn back respect. Some groups of young "revolutionaries" went as far as using spray paint to mark territory between humans and faunas.
"This'll be the day we've waited for! This'll be the day we open up the doors…" The singer blared out of the earbuds shared between the two girls.
"I love this song so much. Just wish the band's newer stuff was just as good." Yang said.
"Well, it's always important to have a good first impression." Blake countered. "Just because they're not doing well now doesn't mean they can't improve. They've got a new album coming out in October, so let's just keep faith."
Qrow, Sun, Nora, Ren, and Jaune sat behind all of them in their own respective seats. Within the ship were twelve seats overall; three rows of four seats with an aisle splitting them vertically in half. A seat for Oscar was right next to Qrow, empty of its owner. Beside Blake and Yang, in another row of seats, was Ruby and Weiss. Weiss stared out the window, her right hand against the window sill and left hand shaking in her lap.
"You nervous?" Ruby asked her friend.
"Yeah. Let's just say I didn't leave my father on the best of notes…not to mention I'm not all that keen on seeing my siblings again either." Weiss answered.
"Well, Professor Ozpin did say he'd handle anything your dad threw at us. He does know Ironwood after all."
"Yeah, but still…I think if anything, I'd rather talk to my brother first."
Ruby felt confused, having only seeing Weiss's relationship with her sister and most of it feeling more like a relationship between a drill sergeant and grunts. "What's…your relationship with your brother like?"
The albino sighed. "…Whitley's…he thinks he needs to be more like my dad: just always in control."
Ruby sighed as well. As she was about to say she felt sorry for her friend, Wiess interrupted.
"With Winter and I as his older sisters, he never had anyone to look down at. I always thought he felt left out for some reason, and now that Winter's in the military and I basically burned the bridge to getting my dad's seat on the exec board, I'm pretty sure that seat is all he wants now. I'm just concerned what he'll do next time I see him."
Weiss looked over at Ruby, annoyed by the sight of Ruby on her scroll.
"Have you been listening at all?!" Weiss exclaimed at her attention deficit friend.
"Oh, yeah. Your grandpa found…something in a tent with Ironwood. Look, just listen to this song; it'll relax you." Ruby told her, handing her the left earbud.
While Qrow was drinking from his flask again, Oscar was in the lavatory towards the back, his hands tightly gripping the edge of the sink.
"Oscar, what's troubling you?" Ozpin asked.
"It…It's you…I'm sorry…" Oscar replied, his hands shaking and a single bead of sweat slipping into his eyebrow.
"What do you mean?" Ozpin asked, trying to sound concerned.
"I mean you…are you always seeing what I'm seeing? Can I even take a shower or go to the bathroom without worrying about you…seeing stuff? I don't wanna be alone, but…can I ever go on a date or get married without you…always being there?" It was then that Oscar recalled the few times that Ozpin took over his body without even a warning.
"Oscar, please calm down. Once I find a solution, you'll have your old life back. At the moment, however, please remain calm. I only took you over because the situation demanded it. I have no interest in living your life for you. Also, don't worry about 'seeing' stuff; I can turn off my vision at will." Ozpin's reassuring voice at least made a dent in Oscar's anxiety. The boy opened the door to the lavatory, went back to his seat, and fell asleep next to Qrow. The huntsman's drinking time had to be interrupted, however, when his scroll rang and the caller ID was titled "Ironwood".
"What's up, magnet head?" The drunk asked.
"You're drunk again, aren't you?" The larger man asked, not even remotely surprised by Qrow's incompetency.
"I'm just making up for lost time…uh 'kay?"
The general let out a long sigh of depression. "Look, you should be touching down any minute at the landing pad and Jacque's on his way to his manor right now. Unless you want his daughter grounded for life, I suggest you act quickly before he gets word that she's here."
"Not a problem, Ironman." He said, finishing the last of his whiskey.
"Also, just so I'm clear, Ozpin is with you, right? That kid you put on the phone has Ozpin's soul, right?"
"For the thousandth time, Yes! You don't believe me, you can ask him yourself once we touch down."
Before anyone realized, it was already 1:55 AM. Junior and the girls were cleaning up the bar and Lucy's band was cleaning up the stage. Some extra staff were cleaning up the tables and booths, most of whom looked to be in the age range of sixteen to twenty-four. Cinder just sat idly by on a couch at the entrance, just wanting to escape the restaurant's upbeat atmosphere. She could hear Junior joking with the twins and Lucy's brothers, the albino herself was setting her bass guitar in its case.
"Yeah, and…get this…he was so drunk, that when I asked how he was, he asked me for my ID." Junior joked, Mitliades giggling and Melanie and Michael rolling their eyes. Gabriel simply smiled while Cinder frowned, the simple camaraderie irritating her.
It was then that Cinder continued to notice the town's atmosphere. Fegefeuer was meant to be crime ridden, but hearing Junior, a former crime boss, joke around with everyone only confused her more. She looked out the window and noticed the few skyscrapers, probably no more than twenty-five stories, lit up along the edges and top corners in green lights.
"You knew here?" A voice asked her, revealed to be Gabriel.
Cinder felt annoyed by the large man's concern. "What's it to you?" She scowled.
"I'll take that as a 'yes'. Nothing really, just want you to feel at home."
Those words rang in her head. "At home." She pushed past him, putting enough force on him to go two steps back, and walked up to Lucy. He didn't fell anger, however, but instead immediately let it go.
"Hey, can we go now?" She asked her, fiercely.
"Yeah, sure. Bathroom's that way." Lucy joked, straightening up her sunglasses.
"Can we go back to your place?!" Cinder scowled.
Everyone looked at her in surprise. Melanie looked irritated by Cinder's lack of happiness while Miltiades looked sorry as if she were the one at fault. Junior hardly recognized Cinder, her new appearance coupled with the fact they never knew each other directly, though he didn't feel distraught by her.
"Here, Lucy, I'll take care of everything. You and your friend can go home." Junior told them, Cinder cringing at the term "friend."
Lucy looked at Cinder with a smirk, aware of her cringing, and grabbed her guitar case and placed it in a closet behind the bar. With that done, she walked towards the door and motioned for Cinder to follow suit.
As they were leaving, everyone, save Michael and Melanie, said goodbye. Lucy waved back while Cinder kept her line of sight towards the door. When they were walking past Gabriel, he was about to motion a goodbye wave before Cinder gave him a death glare, to which he ceased in his motion. Lucy saw the whole thing and just laughed it off.
Without another word, the two girls got back to Lucy's apartment, Cinder still disgusted by its usual odor. Lucy got a blanket from her room and allowed Cinder to sleep there.
"So…how long am I allowed to be here?" Cinder asked.
Lucy paused. "Hm. Didn't really think of that."
"What?! You let me into your home without even thinking about any repercussions?" Cinder asked, to which Lucy just shrugged. "What if I was a serial killer and tried to kill you in your sleep?"
Lucy giggled at that. "You're certainly welcome to try. Remember: throat for slow death, carotid artery for quick one."
Lucy looked as if she were joking throughout that entire sentence, to which Cinder looked incredibly dumbfounded. How could anyone be so nonchalant about letting a complete stranger, let alone a dangerous one, into their home without thinking it over? Not interested in excavating the labyrinth that was Lucy's thought process, Cinder accepted the blanket placed it on the couch.
"I got a spare toothbrush too. If you want, you can shower too, but it's only a stall." Lucy explained.
Ten minutes passed and Cinder was now undressing in the bathroom. It had to be the biggest pigsty in the entire apartment, with Lucy's underwear and bras hanging on the rack, the wooden floor looking warped, walls looking stained, and sink and toilet looking incredibly disgusting. It's like Lucy had never heard of cleansers. The only upside was that the water was clear and not any other color. Nonetheless, Cinder left most of her clothes on the couch while she wore only her underwear, bra, and pantyhose in the bathroom. As she discarded those as well, she looked herself in the mirror, more specifically her grimm arm and scar on her face. How long could she keep all of this a secret?
She just noticed the lack of pain in her right ankle. Her aura must've healed up her sprain by now. Looks like tonight was going to be a bit more bearable.
Cinder clicked off the lights in the living room and laid down on the bed, trying to drift off into a deep slumber.
In a large plain of darkness, a little girl with raven-black hair and wearing a white dress ran for her life, panting and tears falling from her eyes. What was she running from? Even she didn't know, just that whatever was behind her would hurt her immensely if she were caught.
"Cinder!" A man's voice shouted at her, the direction unclear.
The girl stopped and looked behind her, then to her right, then her left, until she heard him again. "Cinder! Ru-" The voice was interrupted by the sound of flesh being impaled, blood spilling in drops. The terrifying sound froze her in place, her hands shaking uncontrollably and her heart beating out of her chest. With one turn of her head, the child saw her father on his knees with a woman, donning a red battle suit that matched her eyes and black hair, holding the grip of a red sword piercing through the man's chest.
Cinder was shocked, unable to move, watching the closest person to her heart dying a slow death at the hands of a demon. As the sword disappeared from his body, the woman's body suddenly caught fire and exploded. Cinder screamed as she put her arms up to protect herself, but once the flames cleared, Cinder examined herself only to find the woman gone, the man still facedown on the colorless ground in a pool of his own blood, but she was now the adult she'd grown into. She even wore the same off-the-shoulders dress, anklet, and glass high heels as before as well.
Hoping for at least a hair of chance she could save him, Cinder ran to the man's body. Disregarding the stains on her dress his blood was giving her, Cinder wrapped the man in her arms; her left arm around his shoulders and right hand holding his left hand. He was barely alive, blood coming out of his mouth and trying to move his left arm. He managed to put a hand on her face as if examining a shiny diamond.
"Dad…" Cinder said, looking into the man's gaze as he slowly drifted off. "No. Dad, please stay with me. Please. Please…"
It was no use. The more she begged, the further he drifted off, his eyes growing cold and all the light disappearing. His hand fell from her face into the small puddle of blood that surrounded them. He breathed his last breath to which Cinder panted uncontrollably.
Just then, she felt a hand placed on her cheek, and all that negativity immediately slipped away. She even placed her left hand over the right hand that held her face.
"Oh, Dad. Thank goodness. I thought you wer-" Cinder stopped the moment she felt her heart sink.
Cinder wore a shocked face as she looked into the eyes of, not her father, but a young girl with long red hair and beautiful green eyes who had replaced him altogether. Blood flooded her mouth until it poured out and leaked down her neck into her cleavage where another hole, which also oozed blood, had been. Her eyes looked immensely terrified, tears overflowing in the ducts as they stared directly into Cinder's amber eyes, an equal amount of terror within them as well.
Cinder just remained frozen, holding this young and beautiful girl in her arms until she made one last cough of blood. Her head rolled to the side and all her strength to hold up her hand diminished. Cinder finished processing all that just happened and laid the corpse down, her hands shaking like they had hypothermia.
Just then, Cinder heard a gasp behind her. Turning her attention to it, her eyes opened at the sight of a saddened girl with short black hair and wearing a red and black outfit.
"Ruby…" Cinder thought.
The quiet moment was immediately interrupted when Ruby swung her arms and head back and a blinding light appeared from her eyes. Cinder was overwhelmed with fear as the light brightened to the point of blindness.
Gasping for air that couldn't come fast enough, Cinder woke up in a cold sweat, the blanket wet as a result. She sat up and found both of her hands shaking, finally realizing everything was just a nightmare when she noticed her grimm arm. Once her breathing slowed, she felt the need to go into the bathroom and take another shower, and so she did.
After twenty minutes of sitting on the stall floor, Lucy started knocking on the door.
"Hey, this isn't the gym. Save me some hot water." Lucy exclaimed from outside.
Cinder took one last inhale before turning off the water, her human arm still shaking.
Once Cinder got to her clothes again without Lucy seeing her arm, the young woman got dressed and headed outside for a walk. Alone time was always the best thing for her and felt like a perfect way to begin the morning.
Viewers: What happened to the story?! This channel's dead.
Me: No, guys, I've just been procrastinating and working at my internship…mostly the latter. This was going to be titled something else, since I originally planned for it to be longer, but I figured adding more stuff to this chapter would've disrupted my pacing. I'm writing this on Microsoft word and each chapter is around 6 or 7 pages, and this would've been like 9 or 10 if I were to continue. Hopefully the next chapter won't be so short, though I do intend to include more fights in the oncoming chapters, so look forward to that.
Anyway, thanks for sticking around and reading this, guys. Please remember to like, favorite, follow, review, and have a beautiful day.