Mantle
9:14 AM
3 Years To The Fall
Y/n pov
I jolted awake from my troubled sleep. Visions of everything playing on repeat time and time again. All I could see was death as I closed my eyes. It was made ten times worse seeing Roys final moments again. Nausea hit me like a freight train. I jumped from the bed and rushed to the bathroom. The bile choked me as it all came up. It only just hitting me what exactly happened the night prior.
Once the heaving stopped, I fell back against the shower door. Tears falling down my face. Now that it was quiet, I had time to process what happened. Roy WAS dead. The assassination of the Schnee family thwarted, not that they were truly trying. If they were, things would have been a lot harder. Black Mask and his thugs were dead and dying. Weiss was safe...
Then there's me...
What do I do now? Is it even worth it. My eyes find my equipment, specifically my pistols. What if I just.... ended it? All I seem capable of is bringing death. It would be better if I just ceased to be. I stood up and made my way to them. The cool steel of the slide sending a shiver down my spine as I run my fingers over White. I was just about to give in and go through with it when I thought of Weiss.
'Why would she care anymore? You've killed in front of her. You've shown her that you are a monster. Anything that could be or could have been is gone now. That died with Roy. All that remains is that unresolved pain and anger.'
I shook my head and took my hand away from White. Pain and anger... That was very apt description of what I felt. Something that I started to feed on... The anger I felt toward Huntsmen, the anger I felt toward people who prey on others who cant defend themselves, the anger of what I was forced to become.... I let out a heavy sigh and got dressed. My gear hidden in a duffle bag that I had "Obtained" from the clothing store.
As I finished getting dressed, I glanced in the mirror. On my face just below my left eye was a deep scar. I remembered that Weiss had said that I had one when she dreamed of me. Yet another strange thing to come from all of this....
Not long after I left out on the motorcycle. It belonged to one of the gangsters I killed the other night. Sat there bragging about it in that lot to a few of his friends. Slacking on the job kills apparently.... I rode through the streets of Mantle. For the most part, the situation was under control. Not so much on the other side of the city.
I wanted to go and make sure that there wasn't a single one of those bastards still breathing, but this might be my only chance to escape without issue. I was done in Atlas. The League would be a issue later down the line. For now though, much like them, I needed to bide my time and study them. They were working for "Mistress", whoever the fuck that was. Didn't matter, she'd go down just like the rest of them.
As I rode, I passed by a familiar shop... I was screaming at myself internally to just keep going. That there was nothing there. Then I caught sight of a pair of women in white. I stopped the bike and got off. I knew this was a bad idea, but I was going to do it anyway.
I walked into the shop slowly and ordered my cake. The same I've gotten every other time I had been here. I then took a glance behind me. Weiss hadn't noticed me, but Winter had. We made eye contact for a moment before I looked down and sighed. I got my plate and hesitantly walked over to the booth.
Y/n: ...Room for one more?
Weiss snapped her head to me and before I could even react, she stood upright and hugged me tight. The gesture shocked me. I placed the plate in my hand down and hugged her back. This feeling was right. I wanted nothing more than to stay like this... But things couldn't be this way. I was too far gone.
I broke the hug and looked at Weiss. Her eyes widened as her gaze fell on the scar on my face. I had figured that She would remember that, It was her dream after all. She brought her hand to my face and traced the scar with her fingers. The feeling was comforting but I couldn't let it go on.
I moved back away from her. She stared at me as I lowered my head. I had to be in control here. I held my emotions in. Winter had already caught on to what was happening.
Winter: So that's it then? After all of this, your walking away, aren't you?
Weiss: What?! Y/n...
Y/n: I cant... I can't be what you want me to be... I'm broken...
Weiss: No your not! You are one of the strongest people I've ever met. How can you think that?!
I looked back up at her and Winter. Weiss was crying and Winter looked desperate to find a way to convince me to stay. I wondered why people care so much for me when all I brought was pain and death. I looked Winter in the eyes, trying to get her to understand my position. Weiss would never understand why I'm leaving like this. I had to keep them away. If anything happened to them too.... There would be nothing left.
Y/n: I'm a monster.
Winter: No your not! You've done bad things, yes. But you did it to try and protect people, to protect Weiss!
Y/n: AND LOOK WHERE THAT GOT ME!
Winter and Weiss looked back at me shocked.
Y/n: EVERYTHING I TOUCH CRUMBLES TO DUST! EVERYONE I GET CLOSE TO DIES! EVERYTHING I DO LEADS TO FAILURE! HOW LONG UNTIL IT'S ONE OF YOU!?
I looked down, the tears finally falling.
Y/n: ...I've got nothing left.
Weiss: You have us. I-I-
Y/n: Don't.
Weiss froze up from my tone. I knew what she was about to say. I couldn't let her say it. Winter looked on trying to come up with something to convince me. Between Weiss and I, and Winter and Roy, we had all grown close. I knew the feelings that Weiss held for me. I knew how Winter looked at me, hoping that things would work out with Weiss and I. If Weiss said those words, I would stay and they would meet the same end as everyone else around me.
Weiss: Y-Y/n...
Y/n: ...It cant happen... It wont happen...
Weiss went wide eyed, tears streaming down her face even more. I realized that she was wearing the dress from my dreams. That realization made this hurt so much worse. I needed to leave.... I needed to leave now. I turned around and started walking away.
Winter: Y/n, wait!
Winter grabbed me by my arm, holding me in place. I didn't dare turn around. I couldn't show them that this was hurting me. I needed them to give up. I pleaded with them in my mind to give up.
Winter: After everything that's happened.... After Roy.... Your just going to leave us like this?! I know that you blame yourself for what happened but it wasn't your fault! You did everything you could have done! ....Your not the only one who lost him...
Winters voice cracked at the end. It felt like I was talking to Yang again. How she wasn't backing down. The comparison made it hurt even worse. I wanted to stay. Oum, I wanted to stay.... I pulled my arm from her grip and took another step. Not looking back, I reaffirmed my decision. I couldn't stay. It was better for them this way...
Red Hood: Everyone who has died last night has to be avenged. If Huntsmen won't do it, I will. This is who I am.... Who I've always been.... Goodbye, Schnee...
Winter stood stunned at my tone while Weiss pleaded for me to come back. I shut myself off. This had to happen. They were safer this way. The League, this "Mistress", Callows... Cinder... They had to be taken out. Then and only then would Weiss and her family be safe. While the League probably wont act for quite a while, the others I weren't sure about. They needed to be dealt with before anyone else got killed.
I reached my bike and took one last look at the bakery. I could see Weiss crying inconsolably while Winter tried to comfort her sister, the tears in her eyes betraying her stonefaced look. I knew that Weiss would be safe so long as she had Winter. I mounted the bike and revved it up, taking off before I could change my mind...
Weiss Pov
It felt like my heart had been ripped out. I looked up and saw him leaving. It only shattered my heart even more. Winter was trying to calm me down, but nothing she could do would help me. The boy from my dreams was gone. I had thoroughly failed to help him. He was the other him from the dream. The boy I had wanted to meet so badly for years, and the boy I wanted to stay with was no more. Now he was someone else entirely.
The pain I felt was worse than anything I could ever have physically felt. Winter was trying to hold in her own tears but was failing. She tried so hard to save him from himself only to lose in the end too. Who knows what would become of him now.
In a moments realization, I remembered that he had told me he was born in Vale. He had also said that he traveled all over, but I was willing to bet that he would find his way back to Vale one way or the other. In a instant, I had found hope that I could still reach him. I broke away from Winter and spoke the words that would spark something bigger than I could ever have imagined...
"Train me to become a Huntress like you."
Red Hood Pov
It didn't take long to reach the gates of Mantle leading to the tundra. There were ships that ferried passengers between Mistral and Vale all along the coast. I knew I needed to make a house call. If I knew Raven, she would still be hanging around the coast near Vale, provided that they weren't attacked by Huntsmen. She might have the information that I was after. I just needed to get there. I rolled up to the gate and got my ID ready with my anxiety rising.
Gate Officer: Identification card, please.
I presented my fake ID. I had never tested it in all the time that I've had it, so this was a hell of a first. The officer scrutinized the ID and scanned it. I silently prayed that they would take it. I didn't want the whole of Atlas crashing down on top of me at the moment. After a few minutes of sitting quietly and waiting for my verdict, the officer handed me back my ID.
Gate Officer: Have a pleasant journey, sir.
I took my card and nodded before driving away. I let out a breath that I didn't even realize that I was holding. I got far enough from Mantle and gunned the engine. I wanted to make it to the coast before sundown. Atlas was only the beginning. I was only going to stop when I was dead. I may be a monster, but I knew how to target it.
Y/n Rose was dead, he died seven years ago protecting the people who mattered. I am all that remains of him.
I AM THE RED HOOD
Vol.0-End
(A/n: And that it. That's Vol. 0. Thank you everyone who has read up to this point. I slowed down quiet a bit since I started but between work and wanting to make sure that the story was perfect, I'm glad I did slow it down. It gave me a chance to really think of a direction to take the story. To everyone who has been a reader since the beginning, truly thank you. I know that this isn't the best Red Hood story on Wattapad, much less the best story all together. But having those handful of reads that come in minutes after posting honestly made this worth it. I cant wait to get to Vol. 1! See you guys there!