Chapter Eight: Time Flows Like a River
Petals in the Ash
Allison Illuminated
Chapter Publish Date: 7/16/20
She piled the pyre as high as she could reach, brittle old logs and hacked off limbs of the towering oaks around Beacon. The cliff rose one hundred feet into the air – the Emerald Forest unfurled below. Her movements were mechanical, executed with a ritual precision, a dullness, that grew with each piece of kindling set to the bonfire. Her gaze was cold and lifeless in the dark.
Cinder flicked the switch on her lighter and set the pyre ablaze.
The fire dust engulfed. Crackling wood roared. The blaze lit up the night and obscured the dark, towering into the starry sky, so high she feared Beacon might see, sending a blistering heat across her unblemished face, a bruling wash that came in waved, melting her down. She reached out and let her hand burn until her fingers were bright red and her skin began to bubble, then pulled back and activated her aura, watching the injury slowly melt away.
From her pocket, she drew the photo of Summer Rose. She reread the inscription – "I miss you, Mom. Love~ Ruby." Summer smiled at Cinder from beneath her snowy white cloak, so different from Ruby's red cloak, frozen in time. Squeezing her eyes shut, Cinder reached the portrait out toward the flames, then hesitated.
Please.
She wanted to let go.
Please don't. Please, Cinder.
She couldn't keep holding on to a fantasy. She couldn't.
No. We can't. She's all we have left.
Oh, Gods…
Choking out a sob, Cinder sunk to her knees by the inferno, the fire reflecting hellish licks of flame over Summer's face. She hugged the framed photo to her chest, rocking back and forth, trying not to break more than she already had. Stomach clenching, she ran a thumb along the edge of the portrait. "I'm sorry," she breathed through her tears. "I'm so sorry, Mom."
She glanced at Summer again. Summer was unchanged, but seemed to offer her some silent reassurance. Cinder tucked the picture of her mother back into her pocket, facing her leg, so she wouldn't have to see the fire.
Rising to her feet, her tears drying in the brutally hot air, Cinder walked back to Beacon to finish what she'd started.
The problem with time travel was that events were not half as fixed as they seemed to be when you only lived them once. Cinder felt lucky that she had the structure of Beacon at all – otherwise, she would have been in the dark, trying to grapple with a butterfly effect spiraling out of control and a set of false expectations from her first life. She had changed things. Teams, for one. It was undeniable that these children in combat school had a real, ground-shaking role to play in the endless conflict between Salem and Ozpin.
Differences had begun to mount. There were different stories on the news, beyond just the mysterious murder of a respected citizen of Vale. Blake and Yang were dating. Cinder hardly saw heads nor tails of Jaune. She hadn't had a hand in any of this, but she knew that aside from her presence, the world was otherwise identical. Everything she did mattered.
For the first time since her return to the past, Cinder began to feel like she was powerful again.
This posed a problem.
Cinder had promised Other Cinder that Penny would be at the docks on Saturday. So would Blake, Yang, Weiss, the monkey, and, well, herself. However – I really should have thought this out more – Cinder didn't have the foggiest idea how they had all gotten there. And if the timeline kept diverging at its current rate, Cinder ran the massive risk that the attack on Roman's dust convoy simply wouldn't happen. If the attack never happened, Other Cinder would lose any semblance of trust toward Cinder. If Cinder lost Other Cinder…
No. Cinder couldn't risk losing Other Cinder. She didn't know what she would have left.
I've dug my own fucking grave, haven't I?
She did what she did best – plotting. Cinder sat in history with her eyes glazed over, absently letting Yang play with her hair and Weiss hiss at her, and tried to piece together the puzzle in her head.
Penny was a top secret Atlesian military asset who had clear instructions to stay under the radar, most likely only present in Vale at this point for reconnaissance before Ironwood's grand show at the Vytal Festival. Cinder hadn't know of her until after the Black Queen virus, but the robot had been present at this raid? Why? The only other piece of information Cinder had on the robot was that Ruby had been friends with it. Which meant she had to be friends with it. And then convince the bot to violate its orders to take down a dust smuggling operation.
What the fuck, Ruby. How.
Cinder closed her eyes and cursed herself, no, Ruby, out for being such a force of nature.
That was half of the mystery. The other half was the monkey – one Sun Wukong, Vacuan faunus. As far as Cinder had been aware, he was not supposed to be in Vale until next semester – yet, somehow, he'd been on the docks. How had he gotten roped into their little operation? He'd stuck like a burr to Blake ever since. Before, Cinder had assumed Blake and Sun had been romantically involved, but now that she knew Blake was a lesbian, that was out of the question. Was it their shared faunus heritage? But what did that have to do with Roman's operation? Roman had been using the White Fang. Blake had been a Fang member. That was a good enough motive for Belladonna, and she could have easily dragged the rest of her team and Sun into the ensuing mess.
Fine. Not flawless, but fine. Belladonna started the altercation, and Ruby's involvement had drawn Penny. Two problems: somehow, Cinder had to get Blake, who was terrified of her, down to the docks, along with at least herself and Weiss, and second, she had to make friends with Penny, whom she'd never met as Ruby, in between now and then. Sun was irrelevant.
All this would have been easy with Blake on her team, but she wasn't. Blake was on Team JNBR, and Cinder was stuck on Team PWYR. Worse, Cinder strongly suspected that it hadn't been a coincidence that led Team RWBY to the docks that day. They had no reason to be in that part of Vale. It was also impossible that they had been aware of Roman's operations, since they hadn't started really interfering until after the dock incident. Something else had happen, and Cinder didn't know what.
Replicating the original circumstances was probably impossible. Time to improvise. She needed Blake because Blake was the only one who had a real motive to investigate the docks. The only leverage she had over Blake was Yang, which meant that she was faced with the impossible task of maneuvering Yang into taking a date with Blake that led Blake to bring Yang to the docks. After that, Ruby and Weiss both had to be there, somehow, to attack Roman's convoy. Then (Cinder had to take a deep breath to steady herself) Penny had to show up, and Cinder had to figure out how to separate Weiss from Blake and Yang so Other Cinder could do the deed.
It sounded batshit crazy. Cinder had faced worse odds.
Setting Yang and Blake up on a date on the day Cinder wanted was easy enough. The hard part was somehow convincing Weiss to come along with her, stalk Blake and Yang, cause enough chaos to prod them in the right direction, and then die. And Penny.
Never promise the impossible.
It didn't matter. Cinder had learned the essential truth about time – there was no fate. Anything could and would happen at the slightest change, and she would make fate her bitch if that's what it took for Weiss to die. If she had to bend the future to her will with a power neither Salem nor Ozpin had ever known, then by the Gods Cinder Fall would.
Cinder did have leverage over Weiss, after all.
It was a dark day when a double date with her nemesis was the best plan she could concoct.
"Yang!"
Time to execute her less-than-masterful plan. Throwing all of her energy into her best Ruby impression, Cinder flung herself across the room at her sister, clinging to Yang's arm and giving her puppy-dog eyes. Yang laughed, tumbling back onto her bed with Cinder, and threw an arm round Cinder's shoulders. "Hey there, sis," Yang said. "You're in a good mood today!"
I've done one murder and I'm plotting another. "I'm always in a good mood," Cinder lied, cuddling her arm. She was a damn good actress – Cinder Fall didn't cuddle. Even if it felt nice. And Yang was warm and gave her good hugs.
"Liar." Yang poked her, earning a protest from Cinder. "I'm glad you're feeling better, Ruby. Really. I don't know what made you so miserable at Forever Fall but I'm really happy you worked through it. If you ever want to talk about it-"
"Don't," Cinder snapped.
"Right, right, I'm not gonna push it. Don't wanna ruin your good mood. It's just my sisterly duties, you know?" Yang rubbed Cinder's back, which was nice enough that Cinder could let it go, for a moment, and gave her a warm look. Yang was such a sunny person. The only time Cinder had ever really seen her down was when Raven was mentioned. "What's up?"
"Remember that favor you promised me?"
"Yeah."
"I want to cash in."
"Sure. What do you need?"
Cinder took a deep breath. "I need you to go on a date with Blake this Saturday."
It took a second for that to sink in. When it did, Yang laughed. "Really?" she asked. "I was sure you were gonna hold that over my head for, like, an endless supply of cookies or some obscure weapons part that's way too expensive. I thought you wanted the favor because you didn't want to be my wingman?"
I didn't. Cinder blushed, blushed harder for blushing, and looked down. "It's not for you guys," she said. She wanted to retch; it took all her self control to keep a straight face, not vomit at the thought of kissing Weiss (her flushed face, the adorable way she stared at her, stunned), and make it sound not only like she wanted this, which she didn't, but that she needed her dear sister's help to romance her teammate.
"Oh? What are you plotting now?" Yang asked.
"Um…" I can do this. It must have looked like embarrassment, because Yang's eyes softened, but it was really barely contained disgust. "I was thinking maybe we could go on a double date," Cinder mumbled, ashamed of herself.
Yang squealed. "Oh my god! Really? You and who?"
Cinder wanted to cry. "...Weiss."
"Yes! I knew it, I knew it, I knew it! You and Weiss are finally getting together and we can all stop dealing with your awkward sexual tension-!"
"YANG!" Cinder shot across the room, where Yang had sprung to her feet, dancing in celebration, and clamped a hand over Yang's mouth. "I haven't asked her yet," she hissed. "Keep your voice down."
"Oh, my baby sister's finally growing up," Yang gushed through Cinder's palm, hugging Cinder tight. "I'm so happy for you. And our team will finally be functional and Blake and I can show you the ropes, if you know what I mean."
Yang waggled her eyebrows, and Cinder shuddered. She had most certainly had more lesbian sex that Yang, and she really, really didn't need her sister to show her the ropes. "Spare me," she griped, a traitorous smile crossing her face. Why were Yang's emotions so infectious?
"This is great!" Yang exclaimed. "Come on, we can ask Blake now!"
Cinder let Yang tug her along down the hallway, her blush stubbornly refusing to go away, and wondered why she'd ever thought a seduction ploy was a good idea in the first place. She didn't like Weiss. She hated the heiress' guts. So if her fifteen-year-old body could've stopped listening to its hormones and start listening to her, Cinder might've been able to hide the way she hid her face and cringed when Yang squeaked as they passed a confused Weiss in the hallway – Weiss, with her prissy walk and her graceful- arrogant affect and the most adorable annoying look of confusion on her face. It was a great relief when they went into Team JNBR's dorm and shut the door behind them.
Blake, as usual, was lounging on her bed reading. When Yang entered, she perked up, smiling at Yang, her ears standing up straighter beneath her bow. Cinder found it truly incomprehensible how such a simple disguise could fool anyone as to her heritage. Blake still flinched at the sight of Cinder, but she also managed a warmish smile for her that infuriated Cinder. She thinks I'm adorable, does she? It wasn't like Cinder was clinging to Yang because she was insecure, no; Cinder clung to Yang because without support she might pass out from the horror of having to pretend to be attracted to Weiss Schnee.
"Hey, Yang. Hey, Ruby." Blake looked back to Yang. "What's up? Were you looking for me?"
Yang smirked and abandoned Ruby for Blake, plopping down right next to her girlfriend on the bed and winking at Cinder. Cinder gaped at Yang. She abandoned me!
"Ruby has a proposition~" Yang sang, nudging Blake's side.
"Oh, great," Blake deadpanned. "What are you plotting about now? Should I be worried?"
"Worried? For Ruby?" Yang said.
Blake snorted. "Please, your sister's a menace. She's an arch villain in training, just you see."
Cinder bristled, both because Blake was hitting a little too close to home and because of the way both older- no, younger- girls were looking at her like she was a puppy who'd performed a cute new trick. "I'm right here," she said, flaring her aura to force their attention back on her.
"Sure, sure." Yang winked at Cinder. "Tell her, sis."
And the blush was back. If Cinder wasn't ready to kill Weiss, she might have taken Yang out instead. Whoever was at fault for her predicament must have been laughing on their cold heavenly throne, right about now. "I was hoping we could go on a double date," she told Blake, trying to preserve the shreds of her dignity she had left. "You and Yang, and me and… Uh…"
"Weiss?" Blake asked.
Cinder choked.
"Told you," Yang said smugly, and Blake sighed, curling one of Yang's blonde locks around her finger.
"You were right."
"I- You- How- But-"
"It's okay, Rubes," Yang soothed as Cinder stood rigid and tried not to have an aneurysm. "You were much more subtle about this one than when you liked that girl at Signal. I'm sure that Weiss thinks that fighting is a perfectly fine way to flirt, and I'm sure she knows you like her-"
"I do not like Weiss!" Cinder cried before she could stop herself, then froze. "I mean- It's not- I just wanted to- It's not like that! She's so…"
Yang cooed, and Blake smiled. "Cute?" she offered.
How did I get here? Cinder hid her face in her hands, trying not to think about the blood she'd washed off into the ocean.
"Relax, Ruby. We'll go on the double date with you and Weiss; we're not trying to embarrass you. You two would make a good couple." Blake gave Ruby a diplomatic smile. "When did you want to do it?"
Thank god, an out. Straightening up, Cinder shoved aside the awful flustered mess of feelings her horrendous plan had inspired at put on her business face. "Saturday."
If Blake and Yang were surprised by her sudden change in demeanor, neither of them commented on it. "I can't do Saturday," Yang said. "I've got a study session planned already, plus I need to do maintenance on Ember Celica and that's really the only chance I've got."
"Yeah, me neither," Blake agreed. "Sorry, Ruby. Is there another time?"
Cinder panicked a little. "No, it has to be Saturday."
"Why?" Yang asked. "Were you planning something?"
Think fast, think fast. Cinder had lived in Vale for years – there had to be some conceivable event worth her time. "Uh, yes. The, um, arboretum! Has a student special on Saturdays. I wanted to…" Cinder cleared her throat and braced herself to say something disgustingly sappy. "I wanted to take Weiss to see the rose garden," she said, forcing it to sound like an admonition. Something in her chest vibrated, and Cinder shivered, getting the sense she'd just said something with hidden meaning.
Yang stared at Ruby, her mouth open for a few moments. "I had no idea," Yang murmured. "You really want to take her to the rose garden? Normally you only ever want to go there with me and Dad."
she'd gone every year, every summer, to see the canopy of white blooms. ever since Mom had died. it was her ritual. Yang would hold her hand and Dad would watch silently as she sank to the ground by the queen blossom, cradling the white flower in her hands. so beautiful. oh so beautiful.
The emotion swept over Cinder. She did want to bring Weiss to the arboretum, she wanted to walk through the white roses with her, Weiss belonged at her side-
Staggering, Cinder almost lost her balance at the onslaught of foreign emotion.
What was that? Where did that come from? Cinder's head was full of new information, things she didn't, couldn't, know, memories of walking with a younger Yang and Dad- Taiyang- fuck- She shrank back, trying to assimilate it and stop her head from spinning. Yang was a cute kid. I love the arboretum. When I go to the cafeteria I always get the tuna sandwich with a fruit cup and a chocolate chip cookie. I hate the no-weapons policy so I sneak in a knife. I-
Stop it!
Cinder tried to formulate an answer for Yang. "She's my partner," she said, not really registering her words. "She's saved my life. I…"
I'm going to kill her.
"Aw," Blake said. "Guess that explains why you two are always arguing. My friend Ilia used to get crushes like that all the time."
"Maybe we can all go next Saturday?" Yang offered.
Shaking her head, a headache blossoming, Cinder shook her head. She suddenly was so tired she had trouble thinking. "No. It has to be this week. Is there any way-"
"No." Blake shook her head. "Yang's thing sounded like it could be moved, but mine can't." Is she talking about the raid? Does she already know about it? "Tell you what. I can do Thursday. Would that be alright?"
Better than nothing. Maybe if I can get them to the docks they'll figure something out.
"Yeah," Cinder agreed weakly, sitting down hard on the edge of Jaune's bed and clutching her head. "That works."
"Are you alright?" Yang asked.
"Headache," she grunted. "I'm fine. It'll pass."
What wouldn't pass was Cinder's rapidly deteriorating mental state. But she didn't say that to Yang. It wasn't even her own greatest concern, which was a tie between her failing last ditch attempt to reclaim her past and the fact that it had been so, so easy to convince her sister she wanted to date Weiss.
"How are you going to ask Weiss out?" Yang asked, crossing her arms. "You know she gets hot and cold, and you two aren't on the best terms. I don't want you to get your heart broken because Weiss thinks you're tricking her, or something."
Cinder's head hurt so badly she forget to smirk at that, even internally. I am tricking her, she thought, somewhat despairingly. "I'll just ask her," she said. "She'll say yes. Nobody turns me down."
Yang snorted. "Asking out one person doesn't mean nobody will ever turn you down."
Cinder glared daggers at Yang. "Are you on my side or not?"
"All I'm saying is that you and Weiss aren't on the best terms, Rubes," Yang said. She hopped off Blake's bed and came to Cinder's side, giving her a side hug as Cinder massaged her temples. "I don't want to sugarcoat it for you, you know; you can be pretty mean to her sometimes, and I think she can have a hard time seeing past that. But you shouldn't do that in a relationship, right? Cause you're being vulnerable for each other. I love you, Ruby, but Weiss is my teammate too, and I don't want her to get hurt either – I think that you guys need to work through your stuff, and… if you want to do it romantically that's fine, I guess, but maybe take it slow, okay?"
Take it slow. Ha! Weiss would be in her pocket by the end of the day and dead by the weekend. Cinder fashioned herself a black widow, irresistible (maybe not in Ruby's body) and deadly. Weiss knew precisely how cruel and malicious Cinder could be, yet Cinder had not a doubt that Weiss would agree to go out with her, one way or another. The Schnee was hers to use and dispose.
What came out of her mouth, of course, was a blurted "I already kissed her."
Yang blinked. Blake said, "Huh," examining Ruby in a new light.
"Only once," Cinder hastily qualified, then wanted to hit herself. Only once? Only once?! That's my response?! Forget Weiss – Cinder wanted to murder herself!
For an agonizing second, the all-too-real possibility of killing Other Cinder crossed her mind.
It made her feel sick.
If she was considering murdering herself, did that mean she was suicidal?
This whole situation is fucked up, isn't it? Cinder realized, exhaling painfully. Even Salem wouldn't be able to come up with a mental torture this complex and insidious. It's real; I know it's real; these are my choices. I chose to kill that woman. I chose to order the hit on Weiss. If I can maybe give Weiss one good date – for Ruby, for how she cared about Weiss – then at least I won't be doing completely wrong by her.
Her misery must have shown on her face, because Blake was at her side now too, reaching out to touch her shoulder. Both older girls were smiling at her, near-matching soft looks on their faces. "It's okay, Ruby," Blake said, meeting her eyes. They held a kindness they hadn't before, where there had once been fear. "I know that you and Weiss have been contentious. But how you act toward each other, that's up to you, right? If you can change another person, you can do it for the better or the worse. And don't we all deserve love?"
Blake had drawn the wrong conclusions, but Cinder was still strangely comforted anyways. For a cat, she decided, maybe she's not all bad. Maybe Yang has better taste in women than I thought.
"Thanks, Blake," Cinder said quietly. "Thanks, Yang."
She was acting. But then again, maybe she wasn't. Being two people tended to cause dilemmas like that.
Weiss sat at one of the secluded study tables in the library, turning the pages of an enormous tome on Mistrali law. Her hair was back in a bun; she tapped a silver stylus against the page, an ornately forged instrument with a sharp tip and a woven vine handle. She was intent on her study, every so often licking her lips, her posture perfectly straight.
Standing in the shadows of a bookcase, her hands pressed to the old volumes, Cinder stared at Weiss and tried not to let her hatred cloud her nerve. This is why I kissed her in the first place, she forced herself to remember. You have to get close to them to ruin them. I need her to keep the timeline on track.
That's illogical. Killing Weiss will do way more to derail the timeline than anything else.
Cinder really hated her brain sometimes.
It didn't help that in the dusty library light, streaming in from an upper window, casting a pool of gold around Weiss, put Weiss in her most flattering light. It illuminated her pale skin and traced the movements of her hand in arcs of dust motes, casting flickering dapples over her book. Cinder caught her breath when Weiss reached up to brush her fingers along the side of her neck, absently smoothing down an unruly strand of hair.
It was a ploy. Why didn't it feel like a ploy? Why did her plots feel like flailing stabs in the dark? When had her iron resolve turned sentimental? Why was she feeling these alien things she had never felt before?
Empathy, her mind whispered. You're becoming human.
Cinder was already human. She was human in the only way she understood how to be – a humanity where everyone was out for themselves and the strongest fish ruled the sea, the humanity she had mastered, that cruel and ruthless impulse that was kneeling in the dungeons of the Grimmlands and crying alone in the orphanage and starving on the street corner while passive onlookers walked past. Humanity was small. Always shrinking. The Grimm were an endless tide, ever shrinking the walls of the kingdoms. Humanity was a flame ready to go out, a spirit which had given Cinder nothing yet she could not escape, one she would watch go out with a satisfaction deep and profound. It was fragile, like ice, sitting so vulnerable in the library, intent on her studies, never sensing the creeping danger behind her, the enemy cloaked in romance.
These feelings weren't human. They were weak.
That's flimsy. You know that's flimsy. That's not a contrast; humanity and weakness aren't opposites, and if they were, doesn't that mean to be human is to be strong?
That's the point. Were you listening to anything I said?
So the Grimm want to date Weiss?
No, you idiot, we do.
So we do want to date Weiss.
Augh! No! We are going to kiss- FUCK- kill Weiss!
We want to fuck Weiss?
Cinder strongly considered taking her knife and sinking it into her thigh, if only so the pain would shut her internal monologue up.
"Were you planning on staring at me forever, or do you want to come over and talk?"
Jumping in shock, Cinder stared at Weiss, who leaned against the bookshelf in front of her, watching her with pursed lips, her arms crossed under her chest. They locked eyes; Cinder's mouth was dry. "Oh, Weiss!" she exclaimed, but it sounded fake even to her own ears.
Weiss snorted. "Drop it, Ruby. What do you want? Or are you planning on using me for eye candy all day – because I'm trying to study, and it's quite distracting."
Almost relieved that Weiss wasn't letting her spoonfeed her bullshit like Blake and Yang, Cinder let her enthusiasm drop. How did she want to play this? Weiss saw her, not Ruby. It wouldn't be enough to give her puppy-dog eyes and hope for the best – if anything, that would drive the Ice Queen away. "I was looking for you," Cinder said, meeting her eyes squarely.
Weiss huffed, unimpressed. "I figured."
"You're not doing anything on Thursday because you're coming with me and Yang and Blake," Cinder told her, taking an aggressive step forward. "We have reservations for four at a decent restaurant, and I have two tickets to the arboretum. You're coming."
"O-Okay. Sure?" Weiss frowned. "What about Pyrrha? I know Yang and Blake are dating now but that doesn't mean we can substitute Blake in for Pyrrha when we do things as a team-"
Cinder flicked Weiss in the forehead, and she jumped back.
"Ow! Ruby!"
"You didn't listen to me," Cinder snapped. "Yang and Blake are going to the dinner, and we're also going to the dinner. Then the two of us are going to the arboretum so they can go off and do whatever it is they do."
Choking out a laugh, Weiss gave Ruby an incredulous look. "Ruby Rose, are you threatening me into going out on a date with you?"
Cinder glared at Weiss. I cannot believe I'm doing this. "It's not a threat," she said petulantly. "I'm informing you. You're going."
"That's not how that works," Weiss spluttered.
Before Weiss could react, Cinder had her pinned to the bookcase, letting the fury in her eyes tell exactly how much tolerance she had for Weiss not cooperating. Deliberately, she let her eyes trail down to Weiss' chest, pressed against her own. Weiss was taller than her, but Cinder had presence; she was close enough that she could have kissed Weiss, close enough that she knew Weiss wouldn't be able to refuse her. "Yes it is," Cinder growled – although, in Ruby's voice, it sounded less intimidating and more juvenile.
Weiss blushed deeply; haughtily, she turned her head away, glaring at some far-off wall. "Fine," she said.
Cinder blinked, caught off guard. That was it? That was all the fight she was getting out of Weiss? "Really?"
"I thought you were telling me," Weiss sneered.
"I am," Cinder shot back. "I'm just surprised you're not throwing more of a fit. You're not going to call me a child this time? No diatribe about how you'd never date me?"
Weiss shot her a look that said 'you're an idiot.' "Do you want me to?" she asked. "Because, believe me, I am perfectly capable of listing off all of the reasons why you are a complete and utter dunce, and that question is on the top of that list. I have a million reasons not to date you, but I said yes. Are you completely oblivious to how this works? Have you even done this before? Because generally the way you ask someone out is by being nice to them and showing them you like the-"
Cinder, who was tired of hearing Weiss prattle, grabbed her and pulled her into a rough kiss. Weiss squeaked, then relaxed into the kiss, not kissing back but letting Cinder manhandle her lips. Her skin was so soft; her hair smelled like her lilac shampoo.
Pulling back, Cinder glared at Weiss. "You are the most insufferable person I know," Cinder snapped. "I hate you."
Weiss sniffed. "Likewise."
"Good." Dropping Weiss roughly back against the bookcase, Cinder turned on her heels and stalked away. "I'll pick you up at five!" she yelled over her shoulder.
"You better not wear your combat uniform!" Weiss shouted back.
"Fine!"
Cinder had a date.
It wasn't on the right day, but she would have all the people she needed where she needed them. If she could find Penny. And get everyone to the docks. Weiss would be dead, then, or else she would be dead. Cinder valued her life over Weiss'. Weiss had danced like a puppet to her tune – Cinder would string her along right to Other Cinder and watch with glee as her alter ego turned Weiss to crème brûlée. Her revenge on Weiss for making her human would right everything wrong with Cinder's new life; she could watch the world burn without the pervasive conscience she seemed to have inherited from Ruby.
Once she knew she was out of Weiss' earshot, Cinder let her manic laughter unfurl from her throat like a desperate battle cry, sending the people around her scuttling away. She laughed and laughed and laughed, but her fingers, those traitorous hands that weren't hers, couldn't stop touching her lips, where Weiss' lips had been
that night, as she failed to fall asleep, submersed in all that was Ruby Rose, Cinder held back tears and wondered whether she would have the nerve to watch Weiss die.
[A/N] Yeah this was initially supposed to be the last chapter of Volume One, but this ended up being a perfectly convenient stopping point so I decided to split it up. It's good for my sanity and your updates not to expect 14k chapters.
Cinder's trying so hard to get Weiss killed that she accidentally started dating her. Poor Cinder. Forget Enemies to Friends to Lovers – let's have some fun with some straight-up Enemies to Lovers, shall we? I love this trope, it's hilarious.
Also, Cinder's plan is so absurdly incomplete that it's hard to call it a 'plan.' Guess she should have thought it through before she talked to Other Cinder. Can Cinderuby befriend Penny again? Can Cinder and Weiss go on a date without stabbing each other? All this and more in theVolume One finale coming soon.
Thank you to TheBoxGhost117, merendinoemiliano, For Spite, AngelofSol, imsabbel, Aerhyce, TheHolyBlade, Izunama, LOL, Oll, Mr.G0D, Tako King, Gamer, Dot, Popei, 128, U, Kyve, DLFangrill, and SilverFinn plus one guest for reviewing! 100 REVIEWS ON SEVEN CHAPTERS! CRAZY!
I promise you nothing short of absolute chaos, my friends. See you next time.
Cheers, Allie