Post by angelofmusic1992 on Nov 9, 2017 0:48:25 GMT
She was warm. That was the first thing Weiss registered. She was warm, and something soft was covering her. Then, she heard a sound that beeped in time with her heartbeat. It took a moment for her brain to register that it was a heart monitor. At that point, she realized something else: she was alone inside her head. There were no voices whispering inside her head, no dark clouds that were sucking away any humanity she had left. Her eyes snapped open and she shot up in the bed she was lying in, looking around wildly.
“Oh my God, Weiss, you’re awake!”
“Take it easy, Weiss. You’re okay. You’re safe.”
Weiss’s head turned, registering the two voices that spoke to her. The first belonged to her Aunt Sarah, who’d been estranged from the family for a while. She and some other relatives hadn’t sold their souls to the rich lifestyle, and so Ciri and Jacques tended to reject them. But, she’d helped Riku after he’d first left home. Weiss hadn’t seen her in a while. She looked older, but her brown hair still didn’t have any gray in it.
The second voice belonged to Riku. He looked the same as ever, if a bit more worried. And right now, his anxious eyes were focused on Weiss’s as he put a hand over hers, reassuring her that she was safe.
“Where...where are the shadow spirits?” she asked, looking around the hospital room. “I can’t hear them anymore. We’ve been mentally linked for weeks...”
“They’re gone, Weiss,” Riku said gently. “I got rid of them. They’re not going to hurt you anymore.”
Weiss’s eyes widened. “You...you made them go away? How?”
“I have experience with that sort of thing,” Riku replied simply, if a bit vaguely.
Weiss blinked as she struggled to recall the past 24 hours. She remembered exploding at her parents’ party. Her shadow spirits had taken over, and she’d been so angry. After that, things were harder to remember. It was like she hadn’t been in control of herself anymore. She was there, but not there. But she remembered Riku being surrounded by light, and wearing her down until the shadow spirits and the darkness they’d infected her with disappeared. Everything Weiss had been through hit her like a train, and tears filled her eyes.
“I’m sorry,” she said, her voice strangled by the lump in her throat. “I’m so sorry. I caused so much trouble. I fell for every trick they pulled. I was such a bitch. I...I...” She buried her face in her hands, her tears crowding out her voice. She’d failed, in every way possible. She’d made so many wrong decisions and had pushed so many people away. She’d acted like a complete jerk, and it was all her fault. Riku, however, felt differently.
“Weiss, no, you can’t blame yourself,” he said as he put a hand on her shoulder. “Those shadow spirits could see you were vulnerable, and they took full advantage of it.”
“What...what do you mean?” Weiss asked in a shaky voice as she looked up.
“Those shadow spirits basically wanted to make you into their puppet,” Sarah said. “That was why they latched onto you after you first summoned them. Your fear and anger did create a darkness in you, but it also created weakness. The shadow spirits knew they could manipulate you and turn you away from everyone you knew so you’d agree to merge with them.”
“All the damage Mom and Dad inflicted on you made you susceptible to whatever tricks they pulled,” Riku continued. “And everything Thrax did probably made things worse. The only reason they wanted to protect you was because they wanted you for themselves.”
Weiss took a moment to process all this. So that was what the shadow spirits had wanted all along. They’d manipulated her at every turn, to create a vessel out of her. And she’d fallen for it every step of the way.
“Did I...” She swallowed, afraid for a moment to ask what was on her mind. “Did I...hurt anyone badly?” She could vaguely recall Yang, and how she’d nearly drowned her. Was she okay?
“No, everyone’s fine,” Riku replied. “Yang’s okay. She doesn’t blame you for what happened.”
Weiss let out a sigh of relief. That was good to know. Riku glanced at Sarah. She gave him an encouraging nod, and he spoke again.
“Weiss, I know this may be hard for you...but I need to hear how this all started,” he said. “All this shadow spirits business. Knowing the full story will help us figure out how much damage they did, and how we can best help you.”
Weiss didn’t answer for a moment. She wasn’t even sure if she could. Could she really tell Riku everything? She’d kept these secrets bottled up inside for so long. She didn’t know if she could just let them all out like that.
Suddenly, the door to her hospital room opened. All three heads looked up, to see Ciri and Jacques standing there. Weiss’s eyes instantly widened and her hands clenched. Riku’s eyes narrowed in anger. Sarah, however, seemed absolutely infuriated.
“What the hell are you two doing here?” she demanded, her voice low and cold.
Ciri glared at her. “How dare you speak to us like that?” she snapped. “We are here to visit our daughter.”
“Oh, so now you suddenly care about her?” Sarah asked sarcastically. “You sure do have a lot nerve, showing up all concerned. You didn’t seem so concerned about her when you covered up her shadow spirit problem.”
“We acted in the best interests of our family and you know it!” Jacques yelled, his temper instantly flaring.
“Best interests?” Sarah yelled back. “Is that what you’re calling it, you greedy, selfish, inconsiderate-”
“Sarah, if you don’t mind, could you take this outside?”
Sarah turned around. Riku was giving her a pointed look, and Weiss looked terrified. Sarah glanced back at Jacques and Ciri, suddenly understanding what their presence was doing to their daughter. She gave a sigh.
“Alright. Weiss, you tell him everything he needs to know, okay? After that, you don’t have to say anymore on the matter. If anyone else has questions, they can talk to Riku. You understand?”
Weiss nodded. That was perfectly fine with her. Sarah’s looked at her kindly, but by the time they focused again on Jacques and Ciri, they were once again filled with fury.
“You two. Outside. Now.”
Jacques and Ciri were so taken aback that they had no choice but to do as Sarah said. The woman followed after them as they left, shutting the door closed behind her with an ominous boom. For a moment, there was nothing but heavy silence, and Weiss had no idea what to say.
“Um...”
She and Riku suddenly looked up again as they heard Sarah’s angry voice from outside the door.
“-how you can even call her your daughter at this point. You’ve done nothing but harm her in every way possible-”
Riku chuckled. “Good old Aunt Sarah,” he said. “Now you know why she was never mentioned by Mom and Dad.”
Weiss gave a little laugh in return. She couldn’t deny that it felt good to have Sarah on her side. Any thought of talking to her parents right now made her terribly frightened, and she felt better knowing that Sarah would protect her any way she could, especially if that meant yelling at her parents for her. She’d given her the space she needed to tell Riku everything that had happened. And she needed to take advantage of it.
“Mardi Gras.”
“Huh?” Riku looked up.
“It was Mardi Gras, when I first summoned the shadow spirits,” Weiss said. She hesitated for a moment, but when Riku gave her a nod, she kept going.
“I’d heard where Thrax was, during the jail break. And I thought I could take him on, get him back for what happened during Mom and Dad’s party...”
Though she was scared at first, the words came out more easily the more Weiss talked. She was soon giving out every detail she could, trying to help Riku understand why she acted the way she had. She wasn’t sure if they were good reasons or not, but she just wanted him to understand everything she’d been going through. She talked about meeting Eve and how she’d helped her bond more closely with them, how Jacques and Ciri had tried to cover it up, how everything the shadow spirits had been telling her had nearly made her kill Thrax in cold blood. When she finished, Riku didn’t say anything for a moment. Weiss could tell he was thinking, she just didn’t know what exactly he was thinking about.
Then, he said in a quiet voice. “I’m sorry.”
“Huh?” Weiss hadn’t been expecting that reaction. “Why are you apologizing? I’m the one who-”
“I should have known something was wrong,” Riku replied. “You kept saying that you weren’t a good person, and you were sobbing so hard when Yang and I found you with Thrax. I should have known you weren’t alright.”
“You couldn’t have known. Nobody did,” Weiss said, hating that her brother was angry at herself. “I’ve always been good at pretending things were okay. You have too. We’ve been doing it for years.”
Riku gave a heavy sigh. “Yeah. I guess we have.”
The two were quiet for a moment. Both felt guilty, even though the shadow spirits were the real cause of all the trouble. They’d have to come to terms with that.
“So...what happens now?” Weiss asked. “Once I’m out of the hospital...will I have to...”
Riku shook his head. “No way. You’re not going back to live with Mom and Dad. Them covering up your shadow spirit problem had landed them in super hot water, and it’s finally enough to present a case against them. Everyone agrees they’re not fit to take care of you, so once you’re better, you can come stay with me. You don’t have to, but I’ll make sure to take care of you and make sure you recover from this. Aunt Sarah’s probably going to help too. She’s well-versed in light voodoo magic and all its healing properties.”
Weiss actually smiled at hearing that news. Months ago, she’d refused the idea of living with Riku, but things were different now. Staying with her parents would only hurt her. Even becoming the voodoo queen wasn’t enough to try and make her stay with them. Trying to pursue more power and control, she was tired of it all. And if she was with Riku, she wouldn’t need to worry about it. “Of course I want to,” she said.
Riku smiled back. He seemed relieved that Weiss had agreed to the idea. “We’ll probably get started on getting all your stuff soon, however much of it you want to keep. And you don’t have to worry about dealing with Mom and Dad. I’ll take care of it. Aunt Sarah and some of our other nice relatives will want to get in on it too. We’ve got quite a few family members who’ll be happy that Mom and Dad’s bullshit is finally being exposed.”
Weiss gave a little laugh. “I think I’d like that,” she said. She hadn’t really spent a lot of time with those relatives, mainly because Jacques and Ciri didn’t get along with them. Maybe getting to know them would help make her feel better. However, she did have one last question.
“Riku...when Mom and Dad caught me with the shadow spirits, they said they’d had to deal with a dark voodoo incident before. What were they talking about?”
That question made Riku quiet once again, although Weiss had no idea why. He looked her in the eyes for a long moment before replying.
“That’s a long story, Weiss. And now’s not the time to tell it. But I promise, I’ll explain everything about it once you’re a bit better. Okay?”
Weiss nodded. “Okay.” She gave another smile. Riku smiled back once again, and while they could still hear the occasional creative insult that Sarah hurled at Jacques and Ciri, they still felt happy that their relationship was on the mend.
For the first couple of days, only family was allowed to visit Weiss, except her parents. She spent a lot of time with Riku and Sarah, discussing her plans on moving out and anything they could get started on taking out of the mansion and into Riku’s apartment. Weiss knew she couldn’t keep everything, but she didn’t mind. Most of her belongings were just material things anyway, stuff she’d bought just because she had all the money in the world. Riku also caught her up with what was going on in his life, including his engagement to Sunshine. Weiss had met her once before, although she hadn’t mentioned she was a cop at the time. She hadn’t known Riku was so serious about her, but she was happy about it nevertheless. It wasn’t until after that that the hospital staff agreed that her friends could see her as well. And the first non-family members to visit her were unexpected.
Weiss was keeping herself entertained with a mindless sitcom on T.V. when the door to the hospital room opened. She half-expected it to be Riku or Sarah, or even Elsa or Adrien. Instead, it was Yang Xiao Long, who had a small bouquet of blue morning glory’s. Weiss blinked in surprise, not expecting this, and Yang seemed equally as awkward.
“Uh, Riku said they were your favorite,” she said. “It seemed weird not...showing up with something.”
“Oh, um, thanks,” Weiss replied, wondering what this was all about. “You can have a seat, if you want.”
Yang nodded and pulled up a chair while placing the flowers on the desk near Weiss’s bed. “So, you’re probably wondering why I decided to visit,” she said, cutting right to the point.
“That has crossed my mind,” Weiss replied wryly, giving a little smile.
Yang chuckled lightly in return. “Yeah. I guess I just...I felt like maybe I should have introduced myself to you sooner, after you saved me from Thrax. Thanks for that, by the way. But...I was going through some personal junk, and I never got the chance. And I once I felt better, it seemed too late. But...I decided that that was bullshit, so...here I am.”
Weiss thought about that for a moment. Yang did have a point, in a way. Thrax connected them both, having hurt the two of them deeply. Yet they’d never found each other to try and heal together.
“I was dealing with some personal junk too,” she said. “It’s not your fault.”
Yang gave a nod. They could spend all day blaming themselves for this, but Thrax and the shadow spirits were the real culprits. And, of course, Weiss’s parents. Yang wanted to knock their teeth out. Just hearing about what they’d been doing from Riku made her angry. The press was having a field day with it, new stories coming in all the time about another horrible thing they’d uncovered about Ciri and Jacques. How could people like that even become parents?
The moment of silence was interrupted when the door opened for a second time. Yang and Weiss turned their heads, and gave very surprised looks.
“Adeline Nevermore?” Though Yang had never met the kid in person, she’d seen her picture before when Thrax’s origins were brought up. She had never seen her in the flesh before. Adeline seemed surprised as well, not expecting Weiss to have company. She had a get-well-card in her hands, and a slightly frightened look in her eyes. She seemed a little pale, and that she might bold out of the room at any second.
“There’s another chair over here, if you want to sit,” Weiss offered. She’d seen the scared look in Adeline’s eyes as well, and didn’t want her to run off.
“Oh, um, thanks.” The words came out rushed and awkward as Adeline walked over and sat down. “Uh, this is is for you.” She handed Weiss the card.
“Thanks.” Weiss placed it next to the flowers. “I honestly didn’t expect to get so many gifts while I was here.” She didn’t really expect too many people to care that much. But Riku and Sarah had been by her side constantly, and they’d passed along that Elsa and Adrien would visit her as soon as they could. It was touching.
Adeline didn’t say anything for a moment. She was looking at her feet, hands balled into fists, obviously turning something over in her mind. Finally, she let out a breath and looked up.
“I’m sorry.”
Yang and Weiss shared a glance. They hadn’t expected that. “For what?” Weiss asked.
“For...this. For all of this,” Adeline replied. “I know I couldn’t control everything Thrax did, but I still brought him here. And...he’s hurt both of you, a lot. I’ve wanted to apologize for so long, but...I was too cowardly to do it. After what happened at Mardi Gras, I thought...I thought you guys would hate me.”
“Adeline, relax,” Weiss said, giving a comforting smile. “We don’t hate you.”
“But...Thrax hurt you so much...”
“Thrax has hurt a lot of people,” Yang said. “And I don’t think any of them hate you for it. Did Pitch hate you when Thrax attacked him at Raoul Park?”
That seemed to hit the nail on the head for Adeline. Weiss dimly remembered reading about that incident in the newspaper. Apparently, Thrax had gone nuts and started attacking Adeline before Pitch stepped in. Thrax had nearly killed him with some emerald dust, but he’d been driven away before he could do more harm.
“No, he didn’t,” Adeline replied, her voice quiet.
“If there’s one thing I’ve learned from all this, it’s that we can’t start thinking about the could have’s and the what if’s,” Yang said. “It won’t change anything and it’ll just make you feel bad. The future is something we can change though, and that’s worth putting our energy into.” She looked at Weiss and Adeline for a moment before continuing. “We were all going through some rough shit after Mardi Gras. We couldn’t come together then. But I think we can now. Sort of a like a threesome.”
“I think a sisterhood would be a better label than threesome,” Weiss cut in.
“Point taken,” Yang said, with a nod of her head and a smile. “Thrax hurt all of us. We know what it’s like. And we can help each other deal with that.” She held out her right hand, palm facing towards the ground. “Does that sound good?”
“I like the sound of that,” Weiss said, placing her hand on top of Yang’s.
Adeline nodded as she placed her hand on top of Weiss’s. “Me too.”
The three girls shared a smile. Even if they hadn’t come together back then, they were here now. And they could help each other face whatever demons they had, figuratively and literally.
“So, if we’re a sisterhood now, does that mean we have a secret handshake or secret base or something?” Weiss asked.
That made Adeline and Yang laugh, and Weiss laughed as well. She felt like this was a good idea. Thrax may have caused each of them so much pain, but in a way, he’d brought the three of them together. He’d probably hate that fact, and it made Weiss smile.
The rest of the week flew by quickly for Weiss. Now that her friends could visit as well, things were looking up. And by the time a week had passed, the doctors felt that she had recovered enough to go to Riku’s place. Sure, she’d still need to visit a doctor often, and Riku and Sarah would have to get started on some voodoo magic to heal the damage that the shadow spirits had done. This was the beginning, not the end. But for once in her life, Weiss didn’t feel too afraid. She knew that this time around, she wouldn’t be alone.
Riku came to pick her up in the morning, when the sun was out and the sky was bright. Thanks to the staff actually keeping their mouths shut, Weiss’s release from the hospital was kept secret, and she was glad to see there were no swarms of reporters or journalists waiting outside the doors.
“Some of your stuff is already at my place,” Riku said as he and his sister walked through the lobby. “Sarah and I just put it where we thought it would fit, but if you want to reorganize it, that’s fine. I know you have a system when it comes to your books and clothes and stuff.”
“Thanks again, for getting all that,” Weiss said. “Have Mom and Dad been...difficult?”
“As difficult as they usually are,” Riku replied. “But having some back-up helps. A frosty glare from Elsa or some shouting from Aunt Sarah usually puts them in their place.”
Weiss gave a little laugh. That was amusing to think about. Maybe someday, she’d able to tell her parents herself what she was feeling, and how they’d hurt her. But right now, she needed some time away from them. She needed to surround herself with people who actually cared about her, and be in a place where she didn’t feel so much pressure or loneliness. Luckily, moving in with Riku would be a good step in that direcrtion.
“You okay?” Riku asked, noticing that she was lost in thought.
“Yeah,” Weiss replied, giving a smile. “Let’s go home.”
Riku smiled back, obviously pleased that Weiss referred to his apartment as home. And Weiss felt some pleasure in being able to say it. She walked through the hospital’s front doors, her heart feeling lighter than it had in a long time.
“Oh my God, Weiss, you’re awake!”
“Take it easy, Weiss. You’re okay. You’re safe.”
Weiss’s head turned, registering the two voices that spoke to her. The first belonged to her Aunt Sarah, who’d been estranged from the family for a while. She and some other relatives hadn’t sold their souls to the rich lifestyle, and so Ciri and Jacques tended to reject them. But, she’d helped Riku after he’d first left home. Weiss hadn’t seen her in a while. She looked older, but her brown hair still didn’t have any gray in it.
The second voice belonged to Riku. He looked the same as ever, if a bit more worried. And right now, his anxious eyes were focused on Weiss’s as he put a hand over hers, reassuring her that she was safe.
“Where...where are the shadow spirits?” she asked, looking around the hospital room. “I can’t hear them anymore. We’ve been mentally linked for weeks...”
“They’re gone, Weiss,” Riku said gently. “I got rid of them. They’re not going to hurt you anymore.”
Weiss’s eyes widened. “You...you made them go away? How?”
“I have experience with that sort of thing,” Riku replied simply, if a bit vaguely.
Weiss blinked as she struggled to recall the past 24 hours. She remembered exploding at her parents’ party. Her shadow spirits had taken over, and she’d been so angry. After that, things were harder to remember. It was like she hadn’t been in control of herself anymore. She was there, but not there. But she remembered Riku being surrounded by light, and wearing her down until the shadow spirits and the darkness they’d infected her with disappeared. Everything Weiss had been through hit her like a train, and tears filled her eyes.
“I’m sorry,” she said, her voice strangled by the lump in her throat. “I’m so sorry. I caused so much trouble. I fell for every trick they pulled. I was such a bitch. I...I...” She buried her face in her hands, her tears crowding out her voice. She’d failed, in every way possible. She’d made so many wrong decisions and had pushed so many people away. She’d acted like a complete jerk, and it was all her fault. Riku, however, felt differently.
“Weiss, no, you can’t blame yourself,” he said as he put a hand on her shoulder. “Those shadow spirits could see you were vulnerable, and they took full advantage of it.”
“What...what do you mean?” Weiss asked in a shaky voice as she looked up.
“Those shadow spirits basically wanted to make you into their puppet,” Sarah said. “That was why they latched onto you after you first summoned them. Your fear and anger did create a darkness in you, but it also created weakness. The shadow spirits knew they could manipulate you and turn you away from everyone you knew so you’d agree to merge with them.”
“All the damage Mom and Dad inflicted on you made you susceptible to whatever tricks they pulled,” Riku continued. “And everything Thrax did probably made things worse. The only reason they wanted to protect you was because they wanted you for themselves.”
Weiss took a moment to process all this. So that was what the shadow spirits had wanted all along. They’d manipulated her at every turn, to create a vessel out of her. And she’d fallen for it every step of the way.
“Did I...” She swallowed, afraid for a moment to ask what was on her mind. “Did I...hurt anyone badly?” She could vaguely recall Yang, and how she’d nearly drowned her. Was she okay?
“No, everyone’s fine,” Riku replied. “Yang’s okay. She doesn’t blame you for what happened.”
Weiss let out a sigh of relief. That was good to know. Riku glanced at Sarah. She gave him an encouraging nod, and he spoke again.
“Weiss, I know this may be hard for you...but I need to hear how this all started,” he said. “All this shadow spirits business. Knowing the full story will help us figure out how much damage they did, and how we can best help you.”
Weiss didn’t answer for a moment. She wasn’t even sure if she could. Could she really tell Riku everything? She’d kept these secrets bottled up inside for so long. She didn’t know if she could just let them all out like that.
Suddenly, the door to her hospital room opened. All three heads looked up, to see Ciri and Jacques standing there. Weiss’s eyes instantly widened and her hands clenched. Riku’s eyes narrowed in anger. Sarah, however, seemed absolutely infuriated.
“What the hell are you two doing here?” she demanded, her voice low and cold.
Ciri glared at her. “How dare you speak to us like that?” she snapped. “We are here to visit our daughter.”
“Oh, so now you suddenly care about her?” Sarah asked sarcastically. “You sure do have a lot nerve, showing up all concerned. You didn’t seem so concerned about her when you covered up her shadow spirit problem.”
“We acted in the best interests of our family and you know it!” Jacques yelled, his temper instantly flaring.
“Best interests?” Sarah yelled back. “Is that what you’re calling it, you greedy, selfish, inconsiderate-”
“Sarah, if you don’t mind, could you take this outside?”
Sarah turned around. Riku was giving her a pointed look, and Weiss looked terrified. Sarah glanced back at Jacques and Ciri, suddenly understanding what their presence was doing to their daughter. She gave a sigh.
“Alright. Weiss, you tell him everything he needs to know, okay? After that, you don’t have to say anymore on the matter. If anyone else has questions, they can talk to Riku. You understand?”
Weiss nodded. That was perfectly fine with her. Sarah’s looked at her kindly, but by the time they focused again on Jacques and Ciri, they were once again filled with fury.
“You two. Outside. Now.”
Jacques and Ciri were so taken aback that they had no choice but to do as Sarah said. The woman followed after them as they left, shutting the door closed behind her with an ominous boom. For a moment, there was nothing but heavy silence, and Weiss had no idea what to say.
“Um...”
She and Riku suddenly looked up again as they heard Sarah’s angry voice from outside the door.
“-how you can even call her your daughter at this point. You’ve done nothing but harm her in every way possible-”
Riku chuckled. “Good old Aunt Sarah,” he said. “Now you know why she was never mentioned by Mom and Dad.”
Weiss gave a little laugh in return. She couldn’t deny that it felt good to have Sarah on her side. Any thought of talking to her parents right now made her terribly frightened, and she felt better knowing that Sarah would protect her any way she could, especially if that meant yelling at her parents for her. She’d given her the space she needed to tell Riku everything that had happened. And she needed to take advantage of it.
“Mardi Gras.”
“Huh?” Riku looked up.
“It was Mardi Gras, when I first summoned the shadow spirits,” Weiss said. She hesitated for a moment, but when Riku gave her a nod, she kept going.
“I’d heard where Thrax was, during the jail break. And I thought I could take him on, get him back for what happened during Mom and Dad’s party...”
Though she was scared at first, the words came out more easily the more Weiss talked. She was soon giving out every detail she could, trying to help Riku understand why she acted the way she had. She wasn’t sure if they were good reasons or not, but she just wanted him to understand everything she’d been going through. She talked about meeting Eve and how she’d helped her bond more closely with them, how Jacques and Ciri had tried to cover it up, how everything the shadow spirits had been telling her had nearly made her kill Thrax in cold blood. When she finished, Riku didn’t say anything for a moment. Weiss could tell he was thinking, she just didn’t know what exactly he was thinking about.
Then, he said in a quiet voice. “I’m sorry.”
“Huh?” Weiss hadn’t been expecting that reaction. “Why are you apologizing? I’m the one who-”
“I should have known something was wrong,” Riku replied. “You kept saying that you weren’t a good person, and you were sobbing so hard when Yang and I found you with Thrax. I should have known you weren’t alright.”
“You couldn’t have known. Nobody did,” Weiss said, hating that her brother was angry at herself. “I’ve always been good at pretending things were okay. You have too. We’ve been doing it for years.”
Riku gave a heavy sigh. “Yeah. I guess we have.”
The two were quiet for a moment. Both felt guilty, even though the shadow spirits were the real cause of all the trouble. They’d have to come to terms with that.
“So...what happens now?” Weiss asked. “Once I’m out of the hospital...will I have to...”
Riku shook his head. “No way. You’re not going back to live with Mom and Dad. Them covering up your shadow spirit problem had landed them in super hot water, and it’s finally enough to present a case against them. Everyone agrees they’re not fit to take care of you, so once you’re better, you can come stay with me. You don’t have to, but I’ll make sure to take care of you and make sure you recover from this. Aunt Sarah’s probably going to help too. She’s well-versed in light voodoo magic and all its healing properties.”
Weiss actually smiled at hearing that news. Months ago, she’d refused the idea of living with Riku, but things were different now. Staying with her parents would only hurt her. Even becoming the voodoo queen wasn’t enough to try and make her stay with them. Trying to pursue more power and control, she was tired of it all. And if she was with Riku, she wouldn’t need to worry about it. “Of course I want to,” she said.
Riku smiled back. He seemed relieved that Weiss had agreed to the idea. “We’ll probably get started on getting all your stuff soon, however much of it you want to keep. And you don’t have to worry about dealing with Mom and Dad. I’ll take care of it. Aunt Sarah and some of our other nice relatives will want to get in on it too. We’ve got quite a few family members who’ll be happy that Mom and Dad’s bullshit is finally being exposed.”
Weiss gave a little laugh. “I think I’d like that,” she said. She hadn’t really spent a lot of time with those relatives, mainly because Jacques and Ciri didn’t get along with them. Maybe getting to know them would help make her feel better. However, she did have one last question.
“Riku...when Mom and Dad caught me with the shadow spirits, they said they’d had to deal with a dark voodoo incident before. What were they talking about?”
That question made Riku quiet once again, although Weiss had no idea why. He looked her in the eyes for a long moment before replying.
“That’s a long story, Weiss. And now’s not the time to tell it. But I promise, I’ll explain everything about it once you’re a bit better. Okay?”
Weiss nodded. “Okay.” She gave another smile. Riku smiled back once again, and while they could still hear the occasional creative insult that Sarah hurled at Jacques and Ciri, they still felt happy that their relationship was on the mend.
For the first couple of days, only family was allowed to visit Weiss, except her parents. She spent a lot of time with Riku and Sarah, discussing her plans on moving out and anything they could get started on taking out of the mansion and into Riku’s apartment. Weiss knew she couldn’t keep everything, but she didn’t mind. Most of her belongings were just material things anyway, stuff she’d bought just because she had all the money in the world. Riku also caught her up with what was going on in his life, including his engagement to Sunshine. Weiss had met her once before, although she hadn’t mentioned she was a cop at the time. She hadn’t known Riku was so serious about her, but she was happy about it nevertheless. It wasn’t until after that that the hospital staff agreed that her friends could see her as well. And the first non-family members to visit her were unexpected.
Weiss was keeping herself entertained with a mindless sitcom on T.V. when the door to the hospital room opened. She half-expected it to be Riku or Sarah, or even Elsa or Adrien. Instead, it was Yang Xiao Long, who had a small bouquet of blue morning glory’s. Weiss blinked in surprise, not expecting this, and Yang seemed equally as awkward.
“Uh, Riku said they were your favorite,” she said. “It seemed weird not...showing up with something.”
“Oh, um, thanks,” Weiss replied, wondering what this was all about. “You can have a seat, if you want.”
Yang nodded and pulled up a chair while placing the flowers on the desk near Weiss’s bed. “So, you’re probably wondering why I decided to visit,” she said, cutting right to the point.
“That has crossed my mind,” Weiss replied wryly, giving a little smile.
Yang chuckled lightly in return. “Yeah. I guess I just...I felt like maybe I should have introduced myself to you sooner, after you saved me from Thrax. Thanks for that, by the way. But...I was going through some personal junk, and I never got the chance. And I once I felt better, it seemed too late. But...I decided that that was bullshit, so...here I am.”
Weiss thought about that for a moment. Yang did have a point, in a way. Thrax connected them both, having hurt the two of them deeply. Yet they’d never found each other to try and heal together.
“I was dealing with some personal junk too,” she said. “It’s not your fault.”
Yang gave a nod. They could spend all day blaming themselves for this, but Thrax and the shadow spirits were the real culprits. And, of course, Weiss’s parents. Yang wanted to knock their teeth out. Just hearing about what they’d been doing from Riku made her angry. The press was having a field day with it, new stories coming in all the time about another horrible thing they’d uncovered about Ciri and Jacques. How could people like that even become parents?
The moment of silence was interrupted when the door opened for a second time. Yang and Weiss turned their heads, and gave very surprised looks.
“Adeline Nevermore?” Though Yang had never met the kid in person, she’d seen her picture before when Thrax’s origins were brought up. She had never seen her in the flesh before. Adeline seemed surprised as well, not expecting Weiss to have company. She had a get-well-card in her hands, and a slightly frightened look in her eyes. She seemed a little pale, and that she might bold out of the room at any second.
“There’s another chair over here, if you want to sit,” Weiss offered. She’d seen the scared look in Adeline’s eyes as well, and didn’t want her to run off.
“Oh, um, thanks.” The words came out rushed and awkward as Adeline walked over and sat down. “Uh, this is is for you.” She handed Weiss the card.
“Thanks.” Weiss placed it next to the flowers. “I honestly didn’t expect to get so many gifts while I was here.” She didn’t really expect too many people to care that much. But Riku and Sarah had been by her side constantly, and they’d passed along that Elsa and Adrien would visit her as soon as they could. It was touching.
Adeline didn’t say anything for a moment. She was looking at her feet, hands balled into fists, obviously turning something over in her mind. Finally, she let out a breath and looked up.
“I’m sorry.”
Yang and Weiss shared a glance. They hadn’t expected that. “For what?” Weiss asked.
“For...this. For all of this,” Adeline replied. “I know I couldn’t control everything Thrax did, but I still brought him here. And...he’s hurt both of you, a lot. I’ve wanted to apologize for so long, but...I was too cowardly to do it. After what happened at Mardi Gras, I thought...I thought you guys would hate me.”
“Adeline, relax,” Weiss said, giving a comforting smile. “We don’t hate you.”
“But...Thrax hurt you so much...”
“Thrax has hurt a lot of people,” Yang said. “And I don’t think any of them hate you for it. Did Pitch hate you when Thrax attacked him at Raoul Park?”
That seemed to hit the nail on the head for Adeline. Weiss dimly remembered reading about that incident in the newspaper. Apparently, Thrax had gone nuts and started attacking Adeline before Pitch stepped in. Thrax had nearly killed him with some emerald dust, but he’d been driven away before he could do more harm.
“No, he didn’t,” Adeline replied, her voice quiet.
“If there’s one thing I’ve learned from all this, it’s that we can’t start thinking about the could have’s and the what if’s,” Yang said. “It won’t change anything and it’ll just make you feel bad. The future is something we can change though, and that’s worth putting our energy into.” She looked at Weiss and Adeline for a moment before continuing. “We were all going through some rough shit after Mardi Gras. We couldn’t come together then. But I think we can now. Sort of a like a threesome.”
“I think a sisterhood would be a better label than threesome,” Weiss cut in.
“Point taken,” Yang said, with a nod of her head and a smile. “Thrax hurt all of us. We know what it’s like. And we can help each other deal with that.” She held out her right hand, palm facing towards the ground. “Does that sound good?”
“I like the sound of that,” Weiss said, placing her hand on top of Yang’s.
Adeline nodded as she placed her hand on top of Weiss’s. “Me too.”
The three girls shared a smile. Even if they hadn’t come together back then, they were here now. And they could help each other face whatever demons they had, figuratively and literally.
“So, if we’re a sisterhood now, does that mean we have a secret handshake or secret base or something?” Weiss asked.
That made Adeline and Yang laugh, and Weiss laughed as well. She felt like this was a good idea. Thrax may have caused each of them so much pain, but in a way, he’d brought the three of them together. He’d probably hate that fact, and it made Weiss smile.
The rest of the week flew by quickly for Weiss. Now that her friends could visit as well, things were looking up. And by the time a week had passed, the doctors felt that she had recovered enough to go to Riku’s place. Sure, she’d still need to visit a doctor often, and Riku and Sarah would have to get started on some voodoo magic to heal the damage that the shadow spirits had done. This was the beginning, not the end. But for once in her life, Weiss didn’t feel too afraid. She knew that this time around, she wouldn’t be alone.
Riku came to pick her up in the morning, when the sun was out and the sky was bright. Thanks to the staff actually keeping their mouths shut, Weiss’s release from the hospital was kept secret, and she was glad to see there were no swarms of reporters or journalists waiting outside the doors.
“Some of your stuff is already at my place,” Riku said as he and his sister walked through the lobby. “Sarah and I just put it where we thought it would fit, but if you want to reorganize it, that’s fine. I know you have a system when it comes to your books and clothes and stuff.”
“Thanks again, for getting all that,” Weiss said. “Have Mom and Dad been...difficult?”
“As difficult as they usually are,” Riku replied. “But having some back-up helps. A frosty glare from Elsa or some shouting from Aunt Sarah usually puts them in their place.”
Weiss gave a little laugh. That was amusing to think about. Maybe someday, she’d able to tell her parents herself what she was feeling, and how they’d hurt her. But right now, she needed some time away from them. She needed to surround herself with people who actually cared about her, and be in a place where she didn’t feel so much pressure or loneliness. Luckily, moving in with Riku would be a good step in that direcrtion.
“You okay?” Riku asked, noticing that she was lost in thought.
“Yeah,” Weiss replied, giving a smile. “Let’s go home.”
Riku smiled back, obviously pleased that Weiss referred to his apartment as home. And Weiss felt some pleasure in being able to say it. She walked through the hospital’s front doors, her heart feeling lighter than it had in a long time.