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English
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Published:
2022-11-04
Updated:
2022-11-24
Words:
480
Chapters:
2/?
Comments:
8
Kudos:
39
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the moon is dead but she still pulls on me

Summary:

After the death of her girlfriend, Ruby Rose seeks the hand of karma.

(Post-Volume 3 AU/retelling, in which Ruby takes off the kids gloves.)

Chapter 1

Notes:

Hello and welcome to the AU I've had since I was at least 16. So about four years ago now. A lot of RWBY lore since then has come out to contradict what I wrote, so please know that most of this was written before that stuff and none of it is necessarily canon to this specific work. Or not canon, for that case. I'm kind of picking and choosing what I like and what I don't, to be honest, and I haven't actually seen all of RWBY because I stopped being super into it ages ago. But, I really like this AU, and I was looking back on all I wrote and thought it would be a shame to scrap it all.

Hence, I'm going back and editing what I have. This isn't necessarily in order either, since I will probably finish editing some things sooner than others. So, you know, keep that in mind.

I also wrote most of this when I was again, 16, and though I am editing it please also keep that in mind if I miss anything funky. With that, please enjoy!

Chapter Text

Emerald is crying. It’s an odd thing, really—on her knees, it reminds her of another time. The girl who caused Penny’s death; who caused Pyrrha's pain, looks at her with watering gems, the same color as Ruby’s namesake. Red, dyed with blood, salt dripping down as if bitter could wash away metallic. As if it could absolve her of the color, dripping from her hands.

Crescent Rose is aimed straight at her heart.

“Please don’t,” she cries, pleading, “Please, I don’t want to die.”

Silver pools turn to shattered half moons, as Ruby’s lids lower. They’re as cold as the metal in her hands.

“No one does.” She murmured, “No one ever does.”

She thinks of Penny. Thinks of Pyrrha.

Thinks of the hundreds of others that have lost their lives because of this.

“Please,” Emerald whispers it, “Is this really who you are? Would you really just kill me, when I- I used to be a friend?”

Her eyes close, at that. Wishes she could say no.

“Do you believe in destiny?” she asks, instead, somewhere between regretful and detached, mournful and dispassionate.

Emerald looks confused. (Emerald looks scared.)

“I-I don’t know,” She stammers, “No?”

“...Me neither.” Ruby admits, with a strange sort of smile, eyebrows drawn, silver drowning.

It pulls Emerald in, a siren call.

Ruby pulls the trigger.

Chapter 2

Chapter Text

Cinder is scared of Ruby.

She tries to hide it, but she can't even speak. She is blinded in one eye; she shivers when she sees her. There is anger, too, of course. Rage at her helplessness. But underneath it, she is scared.

She has reason to be.

"Why did you do it?" Ruby feels compelled to ask, "I don't understand. How can you hurt people like that?"

"Like what you did to Emerald," Cinder snarls, a croak in the air. Ruby's face cooled.

"She had it coming."

"Her only sin is that she loved too much," Cinder contradicts. It cracks in the air, as she struggles to speak it. "It was me who took advantage of that. It was so damn easy. "

"You're despicable." 

"For taking advantage of someone you killed ?" Cinder counters, "Hypocrite, much?"

"I don't know what I expected from you," Ruby says, "You're just as heartless as the Grimm."

Cinder laughs. If only she was. It would be so much easier.

She never wanted to be powerless again—but this girl makes her so, and she hates that more than anything. She has never wanted to destroy someone more; make her cry, beg for mercy, see those goddamn silver eyes shatter. But perhaps, in a way, she already broke her. She can take pride in that, at least.

“Are you going to kill me?” She asks, a laugh wry on her lips.

“I’m going to try,” Ruby answers.

The truth is, they are both already creatures of despair.

“And you will fail,” Cinder lies.