REAPER IN RED

Chapter 59

"Cinder!" I shouted, marching into the office right next to Professor Oobleck's without warning.

Cinder was sitting at her desk, going over tests with a red pen and her forehead in her palm. With barely a glance up at me, we motioned for me to take a seat before going back to scribbling. I would hate to be a teacher. Too much busy work. And there wasn't even the joy of learning new things! Why would I want to repeat stuff I already know to humans less than a quarter my age?

"Please bring Miss Belladonna in as well. She looks a little frightened, standing by the door like that."

I turned and beckoned Blake forward. What had gotten into her? She looked so nervous, with her hands fiddling with each other and her cat ears hanging down. It was like someone had stolen her favourite cookie or something.

"Good afternoon, Miss Fall," she managed to get out, even though her voice was somewhere between a mumble and a screech.

Finally, Cinder put down her pen and turned to face the two of us fully. "Please, it's Cinder when it's just the three of us. There is no need for such formalities. You know mine and the little one's nature."

I nodded quickly in support. See? Nothing to fear. Cinder was the best.

"I-I understand, Miss Fall. Ma'am." Blake said after a stuttering breath, eyes wide and feline ears perks up. "You're a Grim Reaper. Just like Ruby."

The smile Cinder gave Blake was somewhere between affectionate, motherly, and sinister. It was a great smile.

"You are mostly correct, Mis Belladonna. But as I mentioned previously, you may refer to me as Cinder when we leave the presence of students."

"And Cinder isn't really like me. Just so much older." I said, waving my arms and stretching them out as if to show her age with my short, little arms.

Blake gave me a strange look. "I don't think that you should be commenting on your teacher's age."

That brought out a soft giggle from Cinder, which she hid behind a hand, the other still twirling her pen. Her attention was finally fully on us. Or more specifically, Blake. "I believe what Miss Rose means is that I am greatly more powerful. All manner of Reapers become stronger as they age, until they reach about two thirds of their life expectancy, before diminishing in strength entirely."

I nodded in support, even as Blake looked paler.

"Ruby is just over one hundred years-"

"Hundred fifteen," I helpfully added, shrinking back at Cinder's stern glare.

"-making her no more than a child. Her physical age puts her in a mentality similar to that of a human fifteen year old. It will still be a couple centuries before she reaches full maturity and the height of her power." Finally, she fully turned to look at me. "And I may have misjudged you on your potential strength, when we first had met."

I preened.

"It is far less than I believed."

My mouth fell open. What? She thought I was weak? Sure, I was no match for her or mom, but I had my own strength, right? Maybe she just didn't remember being my age. Ya, that made the most sense. I crossed my arms and huffed.

"I'm strong."

"If you were strong, then you wouldn't have nearly destroyed Miss Xiao Long's mind." Her glare was enough to silence a witch.

"Yang's mind is broken?" Blake whimpered, as completely lost in this conversation as I was.

"No. I managed to fix her before the Confusion set in," Cinder said slowly, her attention returning to the test papers in front of her. "Ruby here attempted to insert herself into Miss Xiao Long's memories. It is a common tool used by Reapers to quickly gain the trust of the dying, so that they can Reap their souls without fear or risk to themselves or the Reaped. They are meant to be short term solutions. It does not matter that the dying will think of Reapers as kin, not when their souls are about to leave this plane and move to whatever comes next. I trust that Miss Rose informed you on what our beliefs are concerning the dead, and what a Reaper's role in this cycle are?"

Blake shook her hand, "not in so many words, but she did her best. Something about not knowing what happens after death and that you all help to ease our passing?"

"Essentially. There is more regarding the why's and how's, but moving on. Ruby has used this power to insert herself as Xiao Long's kin, without Yang dying. As such, you are now seeing the long term effects. Normally, it would be up to the mother to tell their daughter that the only long lasting method of integration is a full body replacement. Or, the changing of all thoughts, feelings, and memories of one person in the subject's mind, to ourselves. If the subject has all their memories believing you to be their kin, then there is nowhere that they can find holes in the integration. Ruby instead tried to insert herself into memories. Of course, as a young Reaper with little knowledge of the human world, there are things that can be missed. Illnesses, broken bones, major or minor sibling fights and rivalries. The Talk."

"What talk?"

"Life outside of their personal relationship and those that matter to Ruby. Such as how she did on tests and cheered or cried about them alongside her sister. Bad hair days. Dating history or conversations regarding dating history. Bad dreams. Stomach aches. Pranks. Need I go on?"

I winced at each point on Cinder's list. Did I really forget to do so much?

Did I really not think about any of those things before I decided to join the Xiao Long family?

Was I that naïve?

"Once her mind finally began noticing the holes in their shared history, it was like an avalanche that was tearing its way through her conscious. It's generally called the Confusion, but it encompasses the eventual complete deterioration of the human mind. They can't handle our magics effecting heir memories for so long. I managed to fix it. It was not a perfect fix by any means, but it should hold long enough that if she realizes Ruby's true nature, it won't tear her mind and give her time to allow herself to process things slowly."

Blake breathed a sigh of relief. I did too glad that my sister was safe enough.

"Ruby," Cinder admonished. I wilted down again. "I believed you to be smart enough to know how to not destroy a subject's mind. Nor would I believe you would want to. I would have thought your mother had taught you better than that. It must have been in one of her storybook lessons. She was Summer Rose after all."

"Well she didn't," I spat, not realizing the anger in my voice until I already spoke. "She's dead. Mom died, leaving me alone to figure things out for myself. I didn't know how to create a territory. I barely knew how to put myself into people's memories. Salem, I hadn't even Reaped on my own without her watching over me. I did that right before being chased out of Atlas."

I wiped away the wetness from my cheeks. When had I started crying?

"I'm a hundred and fifteen years old, Cinder. I shouldn't be on my own. But I am, and I've been trying my hardest. I learned so much coming here and I only did because some Human found me half dying and was too scared to finish the job. So, I'm sorry I'm not living up to your expectations. Mom was an amazing Reaper and the best mom ever, but she died, and I know I can never live up to her name."

I was fully crying at this point. I didn't like it. I was batting away my tears as quickly as they were falling, and yet they still kept reappearing. I wanted to change into my Reaper form to stop these stupid Human emotions.

I felt Blake's arms wrap around me and my face fell onto her shoulder, tears soaked into her shirt. "I just want my mom back," I mumbled into it.

I thought I got over this already. Mom died. I cried about it for ages already. I told myself to be strong. So why was I still so sad? Why couldn't I just be brave and strong like her?

"I apologize, Ruby," Cinder said softly. It was almost a whisper, but I heard it. "I too know what it's like to lose someone you cherish so deeply. It…"

"It's a hole that never refills, but it does get better. In time," Blake finished when Cinder ran out of words. "I lost friends. White Fang. My parents are still alive, but I haven't seen them in some time."

"I would advise you reconnect. If they were not good people for you, I'd understand. But if you fear reconnection due to your past, and they are as good people as I have heard, then they will wish you well."

"They are." I noticed Blake turn away to wipe at her eyes. Her ears drooped down adorably.

"Who did you lose?" Blake asked, to move the conversation along and away from herself.

Cinder rubbed her arms for a moment, her green eyes growing distant. "My little Ember. She… it was at the Plains of Araguba."

I gasped. "Humans?"

"Cinder Fall…" Blake thought aloud. "It wasn't an artifact from your ancestor, was it. You were telling us about your own experience during the battle."

Cinder looked ashen and spoke with a cracked voice I have never heard before. "Indeed. I buried her there. When Reapers die, we don't… die. Unlike humans, we are not from the earth and thus do not return to it after death. Her nascent magics is what calls generations of Reaper Hunters to Araguba and those caves even to this day."

There was a beat of silence before Cinder's gaze returned to mine own. "The rest is a story for another day, when I am more prepared to impart it. In any case, I apologize for my comment regarding your strength and intelligence, Ruby. Summer would have told you all she could about your magics, were she able. There are few whom I would consider friend, and she had well earned the title.

"I will… endeavour to remember your lack of knowledge, as well as your young age."

"Does that mean I can have my territory back?" I said, eyes wide in as much a puppy-dog face as I possibly could.

She chuckled, palming my hair. "Once you can look me in the eye and take it back yourself with your full strength, will I relinquish control. Rest and recover. Taking a territory is a difficult and dangerous process even for a full grown Reaper."

Blake looked between the two of us. "I didn't think Reapers would be so human. I always thought Ruby was just, you know, Ruby."

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?"

"We may not be human, but we are as close to human in thought, word, and deed as a Salemite can be. What would be the point of looking as we do now, if we could not engage with your species when needed?"

"Catching us off guard, getting close enough to kill us, an uncanny valley effect to seem even scarier, the list does go on," Blake said, listing off the points on her fingers.

Cinder stared at her.

I stared at her.

Blake shrugged. "I didn't expect to meet any Reapers in my life, let alone the two of you. Ruby is not someone I would have ever expected to be more than she is. And not that I know you at all, Miss Cinder, but you don't seem like the vicious, murderous monster than humans and faunus are led to believe about Reapers."

Cinder's lip turned up at the corners, "you would think that, wouldn't you."

"Can you teach me?"

"What?"

"Can you teach me. The truth about Grim Reapers. Reapers? I want to know everything. For instance, if what Ruby and you say is true, that Reapers aren't evil, why are they so feared?"

Blake looked so earnest. So ready to right the wrong. I loved it. I didn't expect to love it. Actually, no. I never expected something like this to happen at all. Blake is awesome.

My hand shot up. "I wanna learn too! Cinder, you can teach me all the magic I need to know. Everything that mom never had a chance to teach me. Like how to take my territory back from a thieving, no good, meanie who stole it from me-"

"Ruby, you will have your territory returned to you when you are strong enough to take it. As I have said," Cinder chided.

I don't get it.

Cinder looked between the two of us. "It has been some time since I taught a human about our culture. And a very very long time since I did the same for a Grim Reaper."

Her eyes darted between mine and Blake's seemingly taking us both in. As her gaze fixed on my own, she settled on something. A slow breath, and her eyes clouded with unshed tears. "I will teach you."

We said our goodbyes not long after.

"You go on ahead Ruby, I just wanted to ask Cinder, erm-Miss Fall about something class related."

"Good luck! I'm going to go see Yang."

As I was walking away, I hummed to myself.

"Miss Fall, what really are you-"

The door closed behind me and I went on my merry way.