EYE FOR AN EYE
-Sinner-
…
Ruby vomited blood for the next three days after the fight.
Everyone was worried, at least those who used to visit her lately, but, for her part, she didn't give it much importance.
It was a punishment after all, and she accepted it.
She was slowly paying, right?
But, after the fight with Yang, a few things changed, and not just the position of her ribs.
Her head no longer craved redemption like before, pain, or as Weiss called it, 'her mission of self-destruction'. Yes, she deserved good things too, and with that, the time she needed to think about the future, to think about freedom, about her new revenge, to find a way to get closer to the truth, closer to that hellish woman.
She used all her energy in doing that.
On tasting the ecstasy of destroying her next victim.
Thinking about her new target, was what kept her alive.
She wouldn't feel pain until she fulfilled her destiny, until she destroys the true villain.
Yes, her redemption would come after that.
She hadn't changed, she hadn't gone back to who she was, that was impossible, but she did feel like before Cinder, or at least a little bit.
Ready to kill and ready to die for that goal.
So, as long as she didn't have Salem within her grasp, she was going to continue living normally, or so she had proposed to herself, because if she continued like a few days ago, dead inside, there would be no way she could achieve her goals, no one would accompany her either, no one would give her the push of determination she needed to win the big final battle.
Yes, her attitude improved, or at least she returned to being who she was, to be the Ruby who seemed normal, who seemed to be the same as always, faking, but broken, thirsty for revenge, and not the accumulation of self-loathing that she was on that stretcher.
No more.
Of course, there she was throwing up, again today, her body broken inside, but not her mind, not yet.
Jaune was there, using his semblance to help her, to reactivate her Aura, to amplify it, but not much was happening inside her.
She felt it, her Aura, insignificant, a slight tickling in her body, but it seemed that it wasn't there, at least not visibly. She noticed the worried faces of her friends there, who talked to her about what was happening outside the hospital, outside those walls, telling her about their missions, just to keep her distracted, and she had to admit that she wasn't listening as much as she wanted to.
The slightest information would be useful for her goals, however, every time Jaune brought his hands closer to her body, she felt her scar burn, her cross.
Too much light.
Too much goodness for her rooting soul.
Perhaps his friend's Aura was too pure for her body, his soul so full of kindness and brightness, and hers so fucking rotten.
And It felt weird to feel the burning in that occasion, instead of her own corrupted and twisted thoughts doing that job.
Yes, he was a hero, and now she could understand why everything was on fire.
She couldn't bear the purity in her sinful body.
She grabbed Jaune's wrists, pulling him away, roughly.
And that make her remember that day in Haven, his hands in Weiss's bleeding body, and she was the one to take them off her, because no one was allowed to touch Weiss, to hold her, to save her.
The light must have make Weiss burn too.
Just the rotten was supposed to touch the rotten.
The room fell silent, all of them noticing her gesture, her intentions to stop the man who was so hysterically trying to help her. She was obviously going to cause a bad reaction from the others, but what would she tell them?
Hey, my scar burns every time you do that, it burns me inside like holy water before sin, your light is too much for my corrupted self to handle.
No, she couldn't tell them the truth.
She tried to give Jaune a smile, at least that way the tension would be less, and probably failed.
"Thank you, Jaune, I feel better already."
She noticed how the blue eyes widened in surprise, and probably no one in the room could see the blonde's expression, which was a relief. He nodded, perhaps understanding her, or so she hoped. But he was now more experienced with his semblance, and he could tell just how messed up was the Aura inside her. He knew that her body was dead, and he also knew that not feeling pain when having a body like this was something strange, something unheard of.
But, he must have also realized that his aura wasn't reacting as it should, so giving up was the best choice, or his own Aura will end up breaking, and that was another sin she will have to pay for.
At least the bleeding stopped, that was good, she supposed.
In any case, everything would heal eventually, except her scar, her mark, her cross, her punishment, nothing would prevail in her body like the sin she committed.
…
Within a week or so, the situation improved, somewhat.
Some officers from Atlas came to pay her a visit, to talk to her doctor.
Ruby had forgotten that she owed them a visit, that she was still the one who had killed Cinder Fall, and freed Atlas from another enemy.
Yes, it was her, no one else.
The so-called hero.
What a great name for a sinful person, her scar burns with the mention of it.
While they told her about the damage the woman had caused to the world, and how they had solved some of the problems they had due to the constant threat, her mind wandered, remembering that day.
Again.
The satisfaction.
Telling Cinder, during the whole fight they had, hand to hand, their weapons clashing, that it was time for her to end it, to take what was hers, felt exhilarating. Of course, she didn't hesitate to tell Cinder the power that having silver eyes meant, to tell her that Salem was afraid of her for having those eyes, and that, if she had them, if she managed to take them off her own face, she would be even more powerful.
Salem finally will be able to respect her.
Obviously, Cinder fell for that.
How not to do so?
Cinder's empty socket ached for something to hold.
And what's best than the silver eyes?
It was clear that Cinder was going to leave her alive, that she was going to remove her eye, but keeping her breathing, so that she would feel the same pain that she felt when she took part of her body from her that day in Beacon.
Ruby felt pain, of course, feeling the claws going through her Aura, her skin, her flesh, feeling how they were buried inside her eyelid, quickly but carefully, careful not to hurt that precious organ. She saw herself bleeding, more from the wounds than from the absence of her eye, she felt it there, missing, and the sharp pain she felt was overwhelming. Her flesh wanted to hold on her silver eye, but there was nothing inside her socket.
Absolutely nothing.
Empty.
Leaving just itch, so fucking itchy.
But not Cinder's.
Her burned flesh immediately accepted the silver eye, the woman's Aura healing the area, clinging to the nerves, making it part of her body. It took a while, but then everything was connected, as if it had always been there.
That's when the light did the magic.
The natural power of the silver eyes.
She loved to remember Cinder's panicked look, how the silver eye looked nowhere, as it began to bleed, unable to contain such an amount of darkness from the vessel it was in. The woman's screams gave her chills, but they were undoubtedly the best chills she had ever felt in her whole life.
Pure bliss.
She tried to remain serious, so that no one in that place would realize that she let her steal it on purpose, her intention to see Cinder take her eye and die slowly, but she didn't contain her laughter, she didn't contain her ecstasy.
It felt so fucking good.
It was exactly what she wanted to see.
It was exactly what she wanted to hear.
And she couldn't contain her joy.
She had won.
She found herself letting out a laugh before the memories, thanks to the chills running in her veins, the blissful chills, and she forgot she was there, in her hospital room, with the officers still present.
They remained silent, looking at her, even her doctor, also there, silent.
They had given her an eye so that she could continue being a hero, it was a gift, according to them, because they were proud to have her alive and for that reason they had given her the highest technology in Atlas.
But she was no longer a hero.
She was a sinner.
Nothing more, nothing else.
That also amused her.
They had wasted their great technology on a woman who had lost her sanity, who had become contaminated, whose body was dying in more ways than one.
They had made a serious mistake.
The worst mistake.
They gave strength to a villain.
Now she was going to use that eye to fulfill her selfish goals, and she was going to destroy everything in her path, including those who so kindly gave her a second chance, forgiving her sins.
That eye was well-timed to defeat her targets.
Her punishment would be a blessing.
Her laughter stopped when the door resonated, someone knocking on it.
She looked towards the door, but she could see out of the corner of her eye how the officers were looking at her, stunned, without having any idea of what had just happened, of what was so funny that they had said to make her laugh like that. The doctor opened the door, snapping out of his trance, and who was on the other side of the door was no other than her partner, Weiss. She looked steady in her position, back straight, regal, but she noted the confusion on her face as she saw the officers in the room.
Ruby felt an unexpected wave of embarrassment, knowing that Weiss might have heard her laugh from the other side of the door.
Might?
No, she indeed heard her.
But it didn't matter.
Weiss understood her.
They were sinners, both of them.
The officers didn't take long to end their conversation and withdrew, hastily, like they were running away from her, taking advantage of the distraction.
Poor people, they still didn't understand what was happening, but what would they know, they were trained soldiers who only did unimportant duties, not like her, who had seen horrible things since she was a child, who saw the world burn when she reached her teen years, and now in her adulthood it was her own self who was burning, whose body seized in sin before her own vulgar thoughts.
They would never understand.
The doctor also withdrew, now with nothing to do there, other than tell the officers about her state of health, she hadn't even heard it though, but she did know that her internal organs were fine, just like the ribs her sister broke. She was healing quickly for someone who supposedly had no Aura active, but it still existed inside, protecting her from evil, from pain.
The devil wearing a little girl skin.
She was the wolf in sheep's clothing.
Speaking of sheep, Yang hadn't come back, nor did she expected her to return. Her sister felt the guilt inside and was probably trying to digest what had happened. On the one hand, Ruby hoped that she would return for revenge, to give her punishment, to make her burn in her fire, but she didn't believe that her sister was capable of doing that.
Yang still couldn't pursue her deepest desires, she wasn't like her after all.
They were different.
Yang's blood was dyed in cowardice, not like her own, the blood of someone who ran into danger, who risked everything to achieve her goals, no matter the risk, the loved ones who were left behind.
She was superior, she was her mother's daughter after all.
Weiss looked confused as she sat down in the chair next to her stretcher, pale blue eyes drifting to the door. She had yet to explain it to her, but she hadn't paid too much attention to the officers to find out exactly what was the reason for their appearance, and she regretted being a bad partner and not having the necessary information.
She had to learn to maintain her role despite her instability.
However, she still need to say something, anything.
"Thank you for interrupting, I didn't know what to do to get them to leave."
Weiss looked at her, and noticed some surprise on her pale face, but she quickly smiled at her, that smile that seemed to light up everything around her. Yes, Weiss had suffered a lot, but now, with her father out of reach, she seemed to smile a lot more.
Ruby liked to see Weiss like this, peaceful, free.
Showing the most beautiful smile she had ever seen in her whole life.
She herself felt like that, liberated, that's how it was when she got rid of Cinder, and she hoped that those feelings in her stomach, that anger, that uncertainty that she felt because of Salem, would disappear when she finally killed her, when she finally takes revenge, making Salem pay for her sins.
Yes, she was going to make her pay, once and for all.
"What did they come for?"
Weiss asked, but she could only shrug.
"I didn't pay attention."
Weiss frowned in response, and felt the warm hand on her face, holding her chin, moving her face to both sides, as if she was checking her up. It looked like Weiss was going to scold her for not paying attention, but she knew she wasn't getting enough sleep, so it was to be expected that she couldn't focus too much, well, that's what she said, but usually more than just tiredness, it was her own head drifting off the topic under discussion. She would hear a word, and her mind would wander, usually with a repulsive ending, but that was the way she was now, repulsive.
"Do you need to keep wearing bandages?"
Oh.
Right.
No, she didn't need them anymore.
Her wound wasn't healed yet, well, no, it was healed, she saw it last time. Her soggy flesh was no longer exposed, clinging to the bandages, it was healed now, but, even so, she still felt it burn, she still felt it like the day she got it. She still felt the air scorching her skin, burning, even though there was only a mark, dry.
Just a scar, no more a wound.
But she still didn't feel ready to bring her into view.
To keep her sins for everyone to see.
Also, she still didn't feel ready to wear that eye on her face, that copy, humanity's punishment.
She didn't understand it, because it was her cross, it was her mark, her punishment, and she knew she had to carry that weight in her shoulders, but she didn't want to. Was it the selfishness that forced her to avoid such a situation?
She didn't know.
She felt lost.
So lost.
Weiss stared at her, waiting, but reading her mind, always reading it, understanding it without the need for further words. Weiss moved after a few minutes in silence, looking for something behind her, in her back pocket. When she brought her hands forward, in her hands she held a small package.
Ruby stared at it, not understanding.
"When you're ready to get out of here, to face the world, to find your new path, I want you to open this. I made it for you."
She raised an eyebrow, being aware that her expression wouldn't be noticeable with half her face covered in bandages. She took the package, and she found herself intending to break the wrapping, to see inside, her impulsivity being uncontrollable in certain situations, and perhaps Weiss managed to read her intentions, placing her hands on her own, stopping her.
Steady hands, so soft and warm.
"No cheating. I want you to be sure about everything before you open it."
She looked at Weiss, and nodded.
It felt unfair, but she understood.
And didn't want Weiss to be angry at her for acting like that.
Perhaps she wasn't ready in that second to open it, to see the content, and it should be like that if Weiss said so, she wasn't ready yet to confront the world with her punishment at plain sight, with her sins at the open.
She was still unsure about it, and Weiss knew it, Weiss always knew it, so she was going to wait.
She wanted to be ready, to feel ready to start a new path, to follow a new plan, and she knew Weiss would be there when the time came.
She felt Weiss fingers pressing against her own, and it was only then that she noticed the woman's thoughtful face.
When the pale blue eyes looked at her, there was a certain resolution on her face, and she absolutely loved to see Weiss like that, determination rising.
"The officers should have told you about Neopolitan, Atlas just brought her to the city to put her under better protection, since she tried to escape from the place where she was before, in Vacuo."
Neopolitan?
Right, Neopolitan was there too, that day. They had a fight before she could get to Cinder, and her teammates take her place so she could go to get her sweet revenge. She was surprised to see so much anger in the small woman, when their eyes collided, as she threw herself at her with a raging fury, with a thirst for revenge that reminded her of her own reaction when she saw Cinder.
Right.
I get it now.
They were similar.
She jumped in her bed, the gears in her head spinning.
Neopolitan knew Cinder, knew Salem, they had crucial moments working for the same side, she must know something that could help her, something that could give her the clues she needed, and not only that, those eyes, that desire to kill, the sin, it was just like her own, with the same intensity.
Both wanted to kill, both wanted to destroy, mutilate.
Yes, perfect, it was perfect, so perfect.
If she could get Neopolitan on her side, they were going to destroy everything.
It was the sin she needed, the destruction she needed, that she couldn't get from her own sister. Yes, that was the determination, that was what she needed to embark on a path of corruption.
She would be closer to Salem, and closer to redemption.
She looked at Weiss, she was clearly surprised with her attitude, her sudden change.
"Do you think I could pay her a visit?"
Weiss blinked, confused, but she watched her, for several seconds, and she believed that she read her mind again, and she adored that, she didn't have to speak, she didn't have to shape her repulsive thoughts, because Weiss could read them directly from her head.
No one would find out about their sinful goals if their lips remained sealed.
It was a secret, a code between them, just them.
"I don't think they would allow something like that, but I can find a way to achieve it."
The smile the woman gave her comforted her mind, her thoughts.
She wasn't alone, she could achieve her objectives, step by step, and for that, she needed more followers, more allies, people with whom she could trust her back, and her revenge. People who weren't afraid of getting their hands dirty, of being stained with blood, of poisoning their souls, of doing the exactly opposite they were supposed to do.
That would be perfect.
She would have more sin on her side, more sinners, and she would succeed.
Her free pass to hell.
To her sweet revenge.
So fucking close.