The cold seeped into her bones before she was even aware of it. The darkness was not a void, but a smothering weight, a thick blanket that smelled of antiseptic and old blood. Ruby's body, so used to the warmth of her bed, was suddenly cold, strapped down to a metal table. She couldn't move. She couldn't scream. She was alone.
A voice, dry and reedy, echoed from the shadows. It was Dr. Merlot's. "Good, the sedative is wearing off," he said, his words a chilling monotone. "Just enough to ensure her mind is awake to record the data. The subject must be aware of its own progression, after all."
A searing pain, a white-hot agony, shot through her. It wasn't the kind of pain she was used to from sparring or training; it was a pain that came from within, as if her very essence was being torn apart. She looked down and saw a needle, long and thin, plunged into her arm. But it wasn't a normal needle. A black, viscous liquid, a substance she recognized from the Grimm she fought, was being slowly pumped into her veins. It felt like fire. It felt like poison.
"This is the symbiotic phase," Merlot's voice explained, his shadow looming over her. "The Grimm essence will bond with the host's Aura. Most test subjects die at this point, but you... you're special. You have a unique Aura, so malleable. We'll find out why shortly."
The pain intensified. It wasn't just physical now; it was an onslaught of pure, animalistic rage and fury. She felt the Grimm's hunger, its mindless desire to destroy, to consume. It was a terrifying, suffocating feeling, and it was a part of her. A part of her she couldn't escape.
She saw herself, a small, terrified child, strapped down to the same table. She saw Merlot, his smile a cruel and triumphant thing. "Let it out, subject," he urged, his voice filled with a sickening excitement. "Give in to the demon. It's the only way to survive. The only way to live."
The scene shifted. She was in a small, cramped cage, her body covered in countless stitches. The pain was dull now, but the emotional wound was fresh. She saw other children, their eyes empty, their bodies used and discarded. They were puppets, just as Ozpin had said. And she was one of them. She was a product of his experiments, a vessel for a power she had no right to have. She wasn't human. She wasn't normal. She was a weapon. And she was a monster.
The final memory was the most painful. She saw her mother's face, her beautiful, kind face, clouded with fear and revulsion. "What... what have you become?" her mother whispered, her voice filled with disgust. And then, her mother was gone.
Ruby's terrified gasp sliced through the pre-dawn quiet of the dorm room. Her eyes snapped open, wide and wild, staring into the oppressive darkness as if the shadows themselves held the monsters from her dream. Her heart was a frantic, hammering drum against her ribs, and her body was drenched in a cold sweat. For a moment, she was back on the metal table, the sterile air of the lab suffocating her, the cold touch of the needle a phantom ache in her veins.
A voice cut through her panic. "Ruby?"
Yang was awake. She was sitting up in her bed, her hair a golden halo in the dim light filtering through the window. Seeing Ruby's state, she was on her feet in an instant, crossing the short distance between their beds. She knelt down beside her, her voice low and laced with concern.
"Hey, hey, it's okay. It was just a nightmare," Yang whispered, her hand hovering over Ruby's shoulder. "What's wrong?"
Ruby just shook her head, unable to speak. The fear had her in a chokehold. The thought of speaking the words, of giving voice to the things they did to her, made her stomach clench.
"Ruby," Yang insisted, her voice firm but gentle. "Talk to me. What did you see?"
The dam finally broke. A shuddering sob escaped Ruby's lips, and she turned to look at Yang, her eyes pleading. "The lab," she choked out, her voice barely a whisper. "He... he was putting it in me. The black stuff... the Grimm essence. He said I was an experiment. A... a puppet." The words were painful to speak, a physical truth she had tried to bury for so long.
Yang's hand finally came to rest on Ruby's shoulder, its weight grounding. Her expression was no longer just concerned; it was filled with a devastating mix of sorrow and righteous anger. She knew Ruby's past had been bad, but she hadn't known it was this bad.
Across the room, the rustle of sheets and the quiet creak of a bed frame indicated that the other two girls were awake as well. Blake sat up, her eyes wide as she listened in. Weiss was now sitting upright, a rare look of shock on her face as she processed the horrific words being spoken. The quiet tension in the room had shifted, no longer about the fear of a monster, but about the horror of a victim.
"That's not who you are," Yang said, her voice filled with a powerful conviction. "You hear me, Ruby? You're not an experiment. You are not a puppet. He may have put that stuff in you, but it's your strength, your spirit, and your soul that are fighting it. You're not a monster. He is."
Ruby didn't say anything, but she leaned into Yang's touch, finally letting herself be comforted. For the first time since the forest, she wasn't just alone with her fear. She had someone to share the burden with, and in the dark of the dorm room, as the rest of her team listened on, a new, stronger foundation was being built.
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The next morning dawned with a quiet stillness that felt entirely new. A pale, golden light filtered in through the dorm room window, casting a soft glow over the four beds. On hers, Weiss lay still, finally finding a deep and restful sleep after the emotional turmoil of the night before. The peace was broken by the quiet, persistent chime of her alarm. With a groan, she reached a weary hand out from under the covers and fumbled for the device, shutting it off with a final, satisfying click.
Yawning, she slowly pushed herself into a sitting position, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. As her vision cleared, she looked across the room and saw a sight that was, just yesterday, unimaginable. Yang and Blake were already up, fully dressed, and talking in low, friendly whispers. They weren't whispering in tense secrecy, but in easy, natural conversation, a quiet harmony that felt like a profound change.
"Morning," Weiss said, her voice still thick with sleep. She watched them, a flicker of genuine curiosity in her eyes.
Yang turned, her face lighting up with a warm, genuine smile. "Morning, Weiss! How was your sleep?"
Weiss shrugged, a small, weary gesture. "It was... good," she admitted, surprised by the honesty of her own words. "What are you guys talking about over there?"
"Well," Yang said, her eyes glinting with a new kind of purpose. "Blake and I were just deciding that we need to do something fun for Ruby. So, our first order of business will be to decorate our room. Make it more... us. Then we can head over to classes once we're done."
Weiss's gaze unconsciously went to the side of her torso, where her wound was now fully stitched and no longer a source of pain or fear. She nodded slightly, a quiet acknowledgment of the plan's underlying significance. Getting off her bed, she asked, "Is she still asleep?"
Yang's smile softened, a hint of concern returning to her eyes. "She is," she confirmed, a quiet reverence in her voice. "She was up all night having those nightmares. We just... let her sleep."
Blake nodded in agreement. "That's why we didn't wake her up yet."
"Okay," Weiss hummed, the word sounding more gentle than she intended. She walked toward the front of Ruby's bed, a silent decision made. Just as she arrived, Yang and Blake quietly headed out the door, already planning on their shared trip to get decorating supplies.
Alone in the room, Weiss leaned against the foot of Ruby's bed, her hand tentatively reaching out to touch the girl's shoulder. She gave her a light, gentle shake. "Ruby... hey Ruby... wake up," she whispered, her voice a stark contrast to her usual sharp tone.
Ruby stirred, a soft hum escaping her lips as she burrowed deeper into the blankets, but she didn't fully wake up yet.
A low, exasperated sigh escaped Weiss's lips. She watched Ruby stir beneath her blankets, but with no intention of actually waking up, and a small puff of air escaped from the heiress's nose. "Wake up, you dolt," she said, her voice a sharp whisper as she gave Ruby's shoulder a more forceful shake.
Ruby stirred once more, the mumbled sounds of her slumber giving way to a soft groan. Her eyelids fluttered open, blinking slowly against the soft light of the morning. For a moment, she seemed to be drifting in a peaceful daze, before her gaze finally landed on the figure hovering over her.
"Mmm... Weiss?" Ruby whispered, her voice groggy and thick with a yawn.
"Yes, it's me," Weiss said in her usual, cold tone, "Now get up. It's already morning."
"Oh... I see," Ruby murmured, still not quite fully with it. She offered a small, sleepy smile. "Thanks." As she slowly began to sit up, her movements were clumsy, her sleepy state causing her to lean forward with an absent-minded grace. She didn't notice how close she was getting.
The heiress didn't move fast enough. Her eyes, which had been fixed on Ruby's face, widened just a fraction as the younger girl's movements brought their faces inches apart. The moment stretched on, frozen in the stillness of the quiet dorm room. Neither of them pulled away, their eyes locked in a silent, surprised stare.
Just then, the door clicked open with a soft sound that was deafening in the silence. Yang and Blake entered, their arms filled with an array of colorful ribbons, rolls of fabric, and a variety of cheerful-looking posters. Their conversation died abruptly, their heads snapping up as they took in the intimate scene before them.
Weiss quickly pulled away as if she had been burned. A sudden, deep blush flared across her cheeks, and she didn't dare look at Ruby again after that. She stood up quickly, her back ramrod straight as she avoided all eye contact.
"Hey! You're up!" Yang said, her voice bursting with a cheerful, oblivious excitement that completely glossed over the awkward moment.
Yang, her face beaming with an infectious energy, quickly set the armload of decorating supplies down and walked over to Ruby's bed. The silent, somber girl from yesterday was gone, replaced by a sense of hope that made her want to celebrate.
"Slept well?" Yang asked, her voice light and full of genuine warmth.
Ruby blinked slowly, her mind still shaking off the last remnants of sleep. She nodded, a small, genuine smile gracing her lips. "Yeah. I did, actually."
"Good!" Yang exclaimed, her voice bubbling with excitement. "Now get dressed! We're going to have some fun!"
Ruby's head tilted slightly, a look of genuine confusion on her face. "Fun?" she whispered, the word foreign on her tongue.
Yang just grinned and went back to grab a poster, holding it out for Ruby to see. "Yes, fun! Our first order of business as a real team is to decorate our room the way we want it to be."
Ruby looked from the poster, to Weiss who was already meticulously arranging her art supplies, to Blake who was quietly stacking books on her shelf, and finally to Yang, whose eyes held a desperate plea for her to just try. A part of her wanted to say no, to retreat into her comfortable solitude, but the other part-the part that had felt Yang's arms around her last night-just couldn't. With a sigh, she got off the bed. "No thanks," she mumbled, her initial defiance still holding.
Yang immediately reached out and gently took her arm, her gaze sincere. "Oh, come on! Just give it a try!"
Ruby looked at her for a moment longer before relenting. She went to her desk, grabbed her school uniform, and then, after putting it on, she took her worn red cloak and held it. She looked back at her team. Yang's eyes were filled with such pleading sincerity that Ruby finally gave in. "Fine," she said, the word a small, begrudging surrender.
Yang's face lit up, and she high-fived Blake with a resounding slap. "Yes! Okay, let's do this!"
After Weiss was dressed in her uniform as well, the four of them went to work. The dorm room was soon filled with a new kind of energy-a shared, joyful chaos. Blake, ever the bookworm, meticulously stacked and arranged her novels on a new shelf, creating a cozy reading nook in her corner of the room. Yang, meanwhile, was in her element, cheerfully hanging up posters of her favorite bands and, much to Weiss's silent displeasure, several posters of girls in bikinis on her side of the room. Weiss worked with a fastidious grace, hanging up framed art pieces that added an elegant touch to her space.
Ruby went for the easy stuff, content to hang up the curtains on the windows. As she finished, she stood back, admiring her work, but something about the plain, unadorned curtains bothered her. An idea formed in her mind, a quiet, simple solution. She raised her palm, her sharp nails lightly piercing her skin. A small bead of blood flowed from her hand, and she carefully shaped the liquid into a razor-sharp, scarlet blade. With a quick, practiced motion, she lifted the blade and slashed down, cutting the curtains diagonally in half, a clean, bold cut.
"Better," she said simply, a look of profound satisfaction on her face as she let the blood return to her body.
The four girls stepped back and surveyed their handiwork. The room was no longer sterile and impersonal; it was a home. "Not bad," Yang said with a proud smile.
Ruby hummed, her eyes scanning the room, as she realized something was missing. "The beds," she said suddenly.
The other girls looked at each other and then at the massive pile of mattresses and frames stacked awkwardly in the center of the room.
"This isn't going to work with our beds stuck in a pile in the middle of the room," Weiss said, her arms crossed in exasperation.
"It is a bit cramped," Blake added, her gaze falling to the limited floor space.
"Maybe we should ditch some stuff," Yang joined in, though she clearly had no intention of parting with her posters.
Ruby thought for a moment before speaking. "...Or maybe we could just ditch the beds?" she said, an idea forming in her mind. "And replace them with bunk beds?"
"What a terrible idea!" Weiss suddenly scoffed.
"You mean super awesome!" Yang declared with a grin, nudging Weiss sharply in the ribs with her elbow. "Nice idea, Ruby!"
Weiss let out a small, winded "Oof!" but quickly recovered, straightening up with an exasperated scoff. She crossed her arms tightly, refusing to dignify the idea with another word, but the slight upturn of her lips betrayed a grudging acceptance.
"Then let's do it," Ruby said, a triumphant look on her face as she gestured to the pile of dismantled beds.
The four of them immediately set to work. The dorm room was soon filled with the screech of metal and the rhythmic clang of frames being reassembled. Yang handled the heavy lifting, her Aura flaring with strength as she effortlessly hoisted the bed frames into place. Weiss, meanwhile, was the self-appointed architect, meticulously checking every screw and bolt to ensure the bunk beds were sturdy. Blake worked with a quiet, efficient grace, passing tools and holding pieces steady. And Ruby, despite her clumsy nature, found her own rhythm, using her creativity to solve the smaller problems and lending a hand wherever she could.
It was a chaotic, frustrating, and surprisingly fun process. There were moments of exasperation, like when Yang accidentally dropped a metal frame on Blake's foot, or when Weiss snapped at Ruby for putting a bolt in the wrong hole. But there was also a genuine, easy camaraderie as they worked, a shared purpose that had been missing from their dorm life.
Finally, they were done. The two new bunk beds stood tall and sturdy against the dorm room walls. With a shared, exhausted sigh of relief, they all stepped back and stood right by their front door, admiring their work.
"There. That looks better," Ruby said, her voice filled with a quiet satisfaction as she looked at her new home. The two-story beds were a testament to their teamwork, a new beginning built from the pieces of their old, solitary lives. The room, with its personalized decorations, its scattered tools, and now its perfectly positioned bunk beds, finally looked like a home.
"Alright, our second order of business is..." Ruby started, her voice full of newfound leadership, as she pulled her Scroll from her pocket. She glanced at the screen, her eyes widening in a sudden panic. "...classes! Now, we have a few classes together today, at nine a.m. we've gotta be-"
"Nine a.m.?!" Weiss shrieked, her voice high and shrill with immediate, horrified indignation. "It's 8:55 a.m., you dunce! "
The newfound team unity shattered in an instant. Yang and Blake were already at the door, gathering their backpacks in a single, fluid motion. "Let's go, let's go, let's go!" Yang yelled, her earlier calm replaced by a frantic energy. They tore out of the room, leaving a whirlwind of chaos and a suddenly quiet Ruby in their wake.
Ruby was about to follow, a small, exasperated smile on her face, when she stumbled on the corner of an errant rug. She went to catch herself and, in the process, her elbow knocked into a picture frame on Yang's desk. It clattered to the floor, the sound of shattered glass echoing in the now-silent room.
With a gasp, she knelt down. A pang of guilt shot through her as she saw the ruined frame. She reached for the photo, intending to put it back and explain the accident later, but her hand stopped midway.
Her eyes scanned the photo, and a cold shock of recognition sparked in her gut, freezing her in place.
It was a faded photo of four figures. One handsome, smiling man, with blonde hair, A ravened haired woman with a Katana sword was slightly smiling, her eyes were red same as the man next to her. They looked more like siblings.
Ruby's vision then tunneled on the final woman. She knew her. She knew that smile, that look of terrifying kindness. She knew it from her nightmares. She was the one who was always just out of reach, the one who walked away and left her abandoned. She was the ghost who haunted her dreams.
Silence was the only thing filling the room, a heavy, suffocating blanket that muted the frantic heartbeat in her ears. The photo trembled in her hand, her mind a chaotic whirlwind of memories, nightmares, and a horrifying realization.
The woman who stood beside the blonde man, It was the same face, the same smile. She was the same person from her nightmares, the one who had left her alone.
The silence was deafening, broken only by her own ragged breath, until Ruby whispered a single word. Her voice cracked, small and shaky, filled with an impossible question.
"...Mom?"