Disclaimer: RWBY belongs to Monty Oum and Rooster Teeth. I own nothing of it and am only playing in this wonderful world Monty gave to us.
Monty, you were taken from us too soon. You were an inspiration to many and had a work ethic to be proud of. Rest easy. We will keep moving forward.
After ten months it's about time I got something out.
This is my first foray into writing RWBY and thus my first time writing these characters. In my usual way I have tried to look inside the characters a little bit. Hopefully it turned out okay. This story takes place immediately after the end of the last episode of Season 2.
Remember, I am Canadian so I write using the spellings of Canadian English. Therefore don't send me reviews and messages about my spelling. It is indeed correct.
So, here is my latest. I hope you enjoy it and send review to let me know what you think.
Bonds
Every department at Beacon Academy was outfitted with the latest and most up to date materials to aid in the training of its students. Given the importance of what Huntsmen and Huntresses did and the lofty place they held in society, no less could be expected in order to help them be successful and able to meet the rigorous demands of their chosen profession.
The library was enormous and packed with seemingly endless volumes pertaining to the subjects taught at the Academy, and was supplemented by many individual computer terminals offering access to a world of online resources. There were also plenty of books for other subjects not taught at the academy, as well as just for recreation.
There were rooms for both live and simulation training. All were equipped with recording equipment so students could download their bouts directly to their scrolls and review what they had done right and what they had done wrong in an effort to further hone their skills and perfect their craft outside the parameters of the classroom. Self improvement of one's skills was just as important as any that could be taught by the staff. It was also a measure of one's commitment to their craft.
The gymnasium was large and equipped with everything a person could want. Exercise machines of various types and purposes, free weights, a large open mat area for practising gymnastic and agility movements, even a boxing ring and a large variety of fight training equipment. It wasn't unusual to find members of the student body utilizing all of these amenities at any time of the day or night. Though it was a little unusual to find someone in the gym this late and working as intensely as Yang Xiao Long was.
Dressed in a pair of black shorts, a yellow sports halter top, and with her hands and feet taped up in yellow bindings, she was pounding relentlessly at a small forest of rebounding speed bags, dodging and weaving as they shot back at her on their tethers.
She had already warmed up on the various stationary punching and kicking targets and the individual speed bags. Normally she would have started off slowly, doing some cardio and work on her core before moving on to some arm and leg work. But her mind had been too filled with other distractions tonight, things that bothered her and made her angry, thus she went straight to punching and kicking things to relieve some of that built up stress.
Breathing heavily and thoroughly soaked in sweat, she left the tight grouping of bags after her tenth pass through them and went to work in earnest on a single heavy bag, punching and kicking it with various combinations like she was in a life and death battle to defeat it. She hadn't been this angry earlier, she supposed she had been too busy and too high on adrenaline to even think about it much. It had been an eventful day to say the least and she should have been in her bed, snoring away and dead to the world like her fellow team members were, all exhausted by the fighting and the adrenaline crash afterwards.
The trip to Mountain Glen. The fights on the train and the crash through the cavern barrier and into Vale. The fight against the Grimm that followed them out of the tunnels. It had been a hell of a time and it had served to bring some cold, hard facts to light in the blonde brawler's mind.
She'd been fine, content to get cleaned up and flop into bed for as long as sleep would take her. But when she and Ruby had headed to the showers and she once again saw the bruises that had slowly formed on her little sister's face, it was like a switch had tripped inside of her somewhere. She made Ruby tell her everything that happened between the time she spotted the White Fang soldiers on the street to her team coming to find her in the caverns.
Her stomach had twisted into knots when she saw Crescent Rose lying unattended next to the gaping hole in the street. Immediately the worst possible thoughts had begun to fly through her head and it had taken all of her resolve to not just blindly throw herself down that hole to go find her. One of her greatest fears, going all the way back to the events of the story she had told Blake before the dance, was that she would lose her much adored little sister. She had nearly gotten herself and Ruby killed that day in her foolish quest to find something, anything about her mother, and for sure they would have died then if it wasn't for their Uncle Qrow.
For her age, Ruby was exceptionally skilled with her weapon, but she had literally fallen into the hands of the enemy without it. It was as much her source of confidence as it was her weapon and without it she had little chance of being able to effectively fight back. She just wasn't big enough or strong enough yet. To find out that two grown men had punched her in the face and head stomped her to knock her out made her furious and she had been ready to drag Ruby off to the infirmary right then to make sure she was alright, despite the fact that she had been perfectly fine ever since the battle ended. Just tired and sore like the rest of them were.
But then to know that she had been at the mercy of Torchwick...his shout of "somebody kill her!" kept rolling through her head and it was a good thing he was locked up or else she would have gone looking for him and burned him to ash. After she had pounded him into an unrecognizable, bloody lump. Ruby meant everything to her. Seeing her hurt tore at her heart and the mere thought of her dying was enough to shake her soul to its very foundations and threaten her sanity. With the loss of Summer Rose and the state it left their father in, it had fallen to her to be there for Ruby, to be the mother figure she needed.
She had needed the same thing herself, but there had been no one to give it to her. So she had thrown herself into the role to be mother, big sister, and best friend all rolled into one. It kept her occupied and took her mind off of what she herself needed but couldn't have. She was alright with that, she really was. She didn't regret a moment of it and she would always be there for Ruby when she needed her. The only regret she had was that her protective nature may have contributed to Ruby's difficulties in being more social and making friends on her own.
At least she had made some friends though since coming to Beacon. Weiss, Blake, Jaune, Pyrrha, Ren and Nora, those friendships had their beginning in the forge of life and death combat. Friendships of that nature wouldn't break easily and she knew they would all look out for her sister too. But what had happened to Ruby earlier in the day wasn't the sole fuel for her anger right now, it had merely been the catalyst to ignite it to a fully roaring flame.
The rather one sided fight on the train. It had been a long time since she had been outclassed like that by anyone in a fight and it was a feeling that she didn't like one bit. Boxing, kickboxing, down and dirty street fighting, she was an expert...world class in all three. It came naturally to her and she trained long and hard to get better all the time.
Yet against Neo she hadn't been able to land a single blow. Every punch or kick she threw was easily dodged or deflected effortlessly by that damn parasol. Same with every shot from Ember Celica. She couldn't touch her no matter what she tried. Yet Neo had been able to strike her at will any time she chose to, moving with such ease and fluid grace that under other circumstances she might have been in awe of the display. She may as well have been fighting underwater considering how slow she made her look.
Even worse was the silence. Her adversary never once said a word or uttered even a grunt of effort. She just smiled that serene smile as if she were merely indulging the ineffectual flailing of some petulant child rather than avoiding or blocking blows meant to cause serious harm to her. She was completely and totally unconcerned. Even the final move that defeated her was so effortless, she hadn't expected it. Her head still didn't feel just right after being smashed into both the ceiling and the floor of the train car. Or from getting knocked out when the train crashed. Quite frankly, her frenzied workout wasn't doing much for it either.
She took great pride in her abilities. She could and had taken on multiple opponents. Men, women, monsters...she always won. She had even seen her skills grow and get better in just one semester here at Beacon. With her semblance she could even take a massive beating and still fight back stronger than before, their fight against Torchwick and his Paladin mech proved that. But losing so easily, being so badly outclassed, knocked unconscious and maybe even about to die if it wasn't for that mystery woman showing up...it was humiliating and it stung that pride.
And that was another issue. Who was that woman? She had no way of knowing what had happened while she was out. All she did know when she woke up was that the woman was leaving through some strange portal, Neo was gone, and she was still alive even if it did feel like Nora was repeatedly pounding the inside of her skull with Magnhild.
Had that woman stopped Neo from finishing her off, and if she had, why? Wasn't she wearing a mask like all of the other White Fang on the train? Wasn't she one of them? It was all so frustrating and she couldn't stand it. All together at once it was just too much for her to take in and deal with.
With a growl she threw a high sweeping kick at the bag with her right foot. It never connected. A fierce pain shot up her left calf, making her leg give out. She missed the bag entirely and spun herself into a rather graceless, tumbled heap on the mat, landing with a resounding thud.
"Owie," she croaked pitifully, one hand reaching for her cramped up calf, the other for her head which had thumped the mat.
"I think you're done," a familiar voice said as something soft and fuzzy landed on her head.
She rolled onto her back and removed the towel from her face, looking up to see her partner, dressed in her school uniform and smirking at her, sitting atop the turnbuckles on the nearest corner of the boxing ring.
"Blake...what are you doing here?" she asked. "I thought you'd be asleep."
"You were upset and Ruby was worried about you so I volunteered to make sure you stayed out of trouble," she explained. "She wouldn't go to bed otherwise despite how tired she was. I left Weiss to deal with it."
Yang put the towel back over her face and let her arms flop to her sides. "I bet that's going well."
Blake jumped from the turnbuckles and landed lightly next to her partner. "I think she likes Ruby more than she lets on, she just has a hard time showing that side of herself."
"I suppose, she has loosened up a little since...eeyyaahh!"
Without warning, something hard, wet, and very cold had just made contact in the vicinity of her belly button, causing her to yell and jerk upright at the sensation. Blake couldn't contain her laughter as she offered her the offending item, a large bottle of water dripping with condensation.
"So mean," Yang whined with a fake pout as she accepted the bottle. She could appreciate the humour. She likely would have done the same thing. "Attacking your already wounded partner."
Blake just rolled her eyes. "That wound is self inflicted. It's hot in here, you've been at it non stop for over an hour, and you didn't bring any water with you. I'm surprised you didn't cramp up sooner."
Yang's eyes widened as she looked up at the cat Faunus. "You've been here the whole time?"
"Mostly," Blake answered, crossing her arms over her chest. "And I was sitting up there for the last twenty minutes." She motioned to the boxing ring with a nod of her head.
When she had told Ruby that she'd go look for her sister, she had been reasonably sure that she'd find her in the gym. She pretty much knew what had Yang upset, they had all traded quick accounts of their battles on the way back to Beacon and she had witnessed her near meltdown over Ruby getting rough handled by the White Fang and Torchwick. She had shuddered to imagine what would have happened if more than a couple of bruises had been involved. She was pretty sure that if anything ever happened to Ruby her partner would cease to be the cheerful, bad pun tossing girl she knew. Considering her anger and the short fuse to it, she shuddered to think what she could become if that were ever to happen.
Yang and Ruby were more than just sisters, they were best friends, and Yang had taken it upon herself to even fill in as best she could as a motherly figure to Ruby. It had been a lot of responsibility for one so young even as she also mourned the loss of the woman she had always thought was her mother, as well as learning the truth about her own mother leaving her shortly after she was born.
From what she had heard and seen herself, it was clear that Ruby had soaked up every bit of that love and attention from her big sister. And as much as she might protest or fuss, she rather enjoyed those hugs, even the worried ones. She had seen the look of absolute relief and the need for a little comfort that crossed her face when she leaped into Yang's waiting arms in the caverns under Mountain Glen after she escaped from Torchwick. She could attest herself to the value of a Yang hug. Prior to the dance when she had been running herself ragged, Yang's surprise hug and some softly spoken words had been the final push to put a little sense back in her head. And it had felt pretty damn good too.
For over an hour she had watched her partner relentlessly punish herself. She had little doubt that that was what it boiled down to. She never once stopped or took a break even as her body became completely soaked in sweat and her breathing began to labour. Mercifully a leg cramp put a stop to things before she collapsed from exhaustion or hurt herself.
"Guess I was a little distracted," Yang quipped as she took a long drink of water.
"About Ruby?" She knew it was more than that, but it was a good place to start. Getting her to talk about it was better than her pounding her frustrations out on a punching bag until she collapsed.
Yang groaned and sighed as she momentarily buried her face in the towel before beginning to wipe the sweat from her face and arms. "That's part of it." She took a moment to collect her thoughts. "I just wonder if it wouldn't have been better if Professor Ozpin hadn't offered Ruby a place here two years early and made her go back to Signal."
"Now or two years from now, she would still face the same dangers," Blake reminded her.
"...I know," Yang acknowledged quietly. "But maybe in those two years she would get bigger and be stronger, more able to fight without Crescent Rose when she has to. Be more sure of herself."
"And even if she was, the same thing still could have happened," Blake countered, playing devil's advocate. "I know you worry about her and want her to be safe, but being a Huntress isn't exactly a safe profession. And she wasn't even being reckless, she was coming to tell us what she found when the street collapsed under her. The same thing could have happened to any of us."
Yang seem to deflate even further. "Yeah...you're right." She grimaced as she straightened out her leg and grasped her foot, pulling back on it in an effort to stretch out the cramped calf muscle. "Weapons, tactics, fighting the Grimm, she's really good at it. She works really hard and she gets better everyday and I'm so proud of her that I could burst. But when I saw Crescent Rose laying next to that hole in the street and there was no sign of her...it scared me and I felt so helpless. I felt the same way on initiation day when she got pinned down by that Nevermore." She gave up on the stretching and began trying to massage the cramp out. "Am I being too overprotective?" she asked quietly.
"Maybe," Blake smirked. "But you wouldn't be you if you weren't. You're her big sister, her best friend, and you've been a mothering figure to her. I think you're entitled, but she does need her own room to grow into herself. And you can always help her get better at fighting unarmed."
"I might need help there myself," Yang muttered bitterly.
And there was the other problem Blake knew was on her partner's mind, her fight on the train. They were all proud of their abilities, maybe overly proud at times in the way only the young and inexperienced could be, feeling like they were unbeatable and invulnerable. Proof otherwise was a hard thing to take.
She knelt down in front of the blonde, pushed her hands aside, and began kneading her calf. "Let me do that, you can't reach it properly to do any good. Just sit and drink your water."
Her ministrations soon prompted several pained grunts and hisses out of her patient. She rolled her eyes. "Oh please, you can get punched through concrete highway supports by a Paladin and shrug it off, but you whine over a leg cramp?"
"But it huuuurrrttts!" she whined in exaggeration, followed by a big cheeky grin.
"You're impossible," Blake huffed affably. She couldn't help it. Yang's upbeat, fun loving, warm nature had a way of cutting through her usual cold cynicism. She had found herself genuinely smiling more over the last semester than she had in years. The blonde's infectious nature was one of the few things that could make her feel at ease.
They lapsed into silence. She continued to work on Yang's leg, while Yang drank her water and continued to towel off. It was easy to see that her mind had wandered elsewhere though as she seemed to be just staring off into space with no particular focus on anything. Several minutes later she finally spoke again.
"I couldn't touch her Blake."
The Faunus looked up at her partner and her cat ears sagged under her bow at the look on her face. The cheerful twinkle in her eyes was gone and the usual mischievous smirk had been replaced by a troubled look.
The blonde brawler continued. "Every punch, every kick, every shot, she either bobbed and weaved away from or deflected them. My first series of punches...she just backed away, bobbing side to side to avoid them with the stupid umbrella over her shoulder, one hand on her hip, and that amused freaking smile on her face. At one point she even back flipped away from me and landed sitting on a crate, legs crossed and open umbrella over her shoulder, like some noble lady sitting down for afternoon tea!"
Blake winced. She'd be pretty pissed off too if her opponent did that. Torchwick's taunting was bad enough. "Apparently Torchwick's little helper isn't lacking for confidence," she snarked. "Or arrogance."
"She didn't see me as a threat and apparently I wasn't," Yang spat bitterly. "She could knock me on my ass at will and she did. There was no effort in it, even when she flipped me up into the ceiling and knocked me out, and the whole damn time she was totally silent." She raised her hands and clenched her fists, the wrappings creaking and popping under the strain. "It's not enough," she said, an undertone of desperation tinting her voice.
Blake looked into her eyes, saw the frustration there. "What isn't?" she asked.
"What I can do now," she answered. "It's not enough to beat someone like her. She was faster and so light on her feet." She sighed in resignation. "And I was fighting angry and because of it I wasn't focused. I was swinging too hard and probably telegraphing my strikes."
Blake knew that was a problem her partner had. She was an emotional person and things like anger came easily and would disrupt the flow of her movements and mess with her ability to focus on the opponent's moves. At least she recognized this and her frustration hadn't led to a sense of despair at being defeated. If it had she might not be able to recognize the flaws.
"The important thing is that you're still here," Blake reminded her. "And you're in the perfect place to improve your skills and learn new ones. We've only just gotten started here, we have a long way to go yet."
Yang began undoing the wraps on her hands. "I just wish I knew who I had to thank for my still being here and why they stepped in. If they were with the White Fang I can't see why they would have helped me."
"That is odd," Blake agreed. "And from my time with them I don't remember anyone that matches the description you gave us."
"We'll probably meet again," Yang said. "I think we've only just seen the beginning of things today. This isn't over by a long shot."
"Now you're sounding like me," Blake smirked. "Just don't go getting obsessed about it and trying to take everything on yourself. I hear that it's not good for you."
The silence lasted all of two seconds before they both started laughing. What neither one would vocalize however, was the almost assured fact that it wasn't going to get any easier. They had already been through enough for one day.
"Okay, give that a try," Blake said, giving her partner's well massaged calf a light slap for emphasis. She stood and held her hand out, which Yang grasped, and she helped to pull the other girl to her feet. Yang nearly fell into her and she grabbed her shoulders to keep her upright. Their eyes met briefly as they were very nearly nose to nose. Both quickly averted their gaze and moved further apart.
"It's a little stiff but feels a lot better," Yang said, testing her leg a bit. A genuine smile returned to her face. "Thanks Blake."
"Sure," she returned.
"I mean it," Yang added. "And not just for that, but for listening. For coming after me to put Ruby at ease after I stormed off."
Blake smiled, and may have even blushed a little. "You helped me out when I didn't even realize I needed it, so the least I could do was return the favour. We are partners after all." She could see the slight sag in the other girl's smile. "And friends," she added softly.
Before coming to Beacon, she had nearly forgotten what it was like, what it meant to have friends. Ever since she had left the White Fang, since she had left her mentor and partner on that train, she had spent most of her time looking over her shoulder and keeping herself distant from others.
Ah, who was she kidding, it had started before that. She hated the violent agenda that had overtaken the organization and she hated the callous disregard those around her, and Adam in particular, had towards the humans. Her reluctance to inflict unnecessary damage and suffering upon innocent people was not exactly a secret, but it wasn't wise for her to be too vocal about it. The raid on the train and her partner's complete disregard for the crew had been the last straw for her.
For a time, her books had been her only friends and she did her best to keep a low profile. While she knew she wouldn't be able to stay entirely shut off at Beacon and would end up with another partner whether she wanted one or not, she thought she might still be able to remain at arms length. But there were two factors she hadn't accounted for. One being Ruby Rose, and the other being Yang Xiao Long. She actually envied the closeness the two sisters shared and despite her best efforts not to, she found their antics to be rather amusing most of the time.
In Ruby she saw an innocence that she had long since lost. She had thought that the girl's fairy tail romanticism about Huntsmen and Huntresses would see her be sorely disappointed when reality set in. But she had been wrong. She had seen her skill and resolve first hand and she was actually proving to be a decent leader and would only get better. Yang was akin to a force of nature, be it in combat or in trying to brighten the spirits of her team mates and friends. She was capable of great and quickly generated anger and fury, but she was also very kind and looked out for those close to her as if they were the most important thing in the world to her.
After meeting up and becoming partners in the Emerald Forest she wasn't sure what to think. She certainly could have done far worse, but their respective demeanour's seemed to be opposite of one another and she was unsure if they would be able to get along and work together. Yang hadn't seemed bothered at all, but she wasn't sure. Maybe it was fortunate that the encounters with the Nevermore and the Death Stalker had come upon them so quickly and didn't give her much time to think about it. They were immediately thrown into battle and there was nothing else to think about but survival.
Her fears had been for nothing and Yang was not only a good partner, she had indeed become a good friend. She was the bright sun pushing away the shadows that had been clinging to her for too long, leaving her feeling cold and alone. She felt warm in Yang's presence, felt like she had found a place she belonged beside her and with the rest of Team RWBY. The two sisters had accepted that she was a Faunus without a second thought, worried only for her well being when she ran from them in fear. Even Weiss had come around. They had said a lot of things as they argued and they had both been right in what they said, and oh so wrong for not being able to see each other's point of view at the time.
It seemed like all she had done was make her friends worry about her, more so all the time, and she was ashamed of how she had acted that day before the dance. The last thing she expected after her stubborn pigheadedness had angered the blonde enough to make her eyes go red, was to find herself in the other girl's comforting embrace and with words of kind worry being spoken softly in her ear. Yang, the team as a whole, was changing her. She was beginning to feel like she had a place to belong, that she had people she could trust watching her back, and that she had true friends that honestly cared about her and that she could care about in return.
"That makes me so happy to hear you say that Blake," Yang's enthusiastic voice broke into her reverie.
She barely avoided the hug that was launched at her, which was no mean feat. Of course it was a little easier considering Yang's still gimpy leg.
"Huh?" the blonde queried. "Why'd you dodge?" She seemed almost hurt that she avoided her hug.
"Yang, you're all sweaty."
A big Cheshire grin appeared on Yang's face.
"Yang Xiao Long, don't you dare," the Faunus warned.
"Just a little hug? I towelled off, see?" She raised her arms and a twisted side to side.
"Your clothes are still soaked though...and you stink too."
"...You fiend! And you say you're my friend?"
She rolled her eyes and nearly broke out laughing at the ridiculous look of fake horror on Yang's face. "I am your friend," she deadpanned. "And as your friend I have to be honest. You're sweaty and you stink."
"So cruel!" she wailed mockingly before the grin returned. "I'll just have to hug it out of you."
With that, the chase was on, though it wasn't much of a chase with Yang limping. Blake led the chase towards the locker room, her laughter finally escaping along the way as she let her partner narrowly miss her on each lunging attempt to catch her like some shambling monster from the movies...complete with sound effects.
As she sat and waited near her own locker while Yang showered, she didn't even try to stifle the case of giggles that had caught her. She hadn't laughed like she did today since the food fight against Team JNPR. Oh god that had been so funny and so absurdly ridiculous...and it had been a long time before that since she had felt like she did both then and now.
Between her team and Team JNPR she had friends, real and true friends that she fought beside and had fun with, and a partner who was more than willing to help her get her head back on straight when she let things get to her. She couldn't forget her past and the darkness it had brought to her life, but she didn't feel like it was right behind her, snapping at her heels and threatening to devour her anymore either. There was light keeping the shadows at bay, a warm and welcoming light that she wanted to stay close to.
The sound of cheerful humming marked the return of her freshly scrubbed partner, dressed in about half of her school uniform. She had been in a rush when she left the dorm room and had only grabbed what she could put on quickly. Namely her blouse, skirt and shoes, her usual black stockings and uniform jacket were left behind.
"I'm baaa-ack," Yang sing-songed as she bounced to a halt next to her partner. "Guaranteed dry and stink free."
Blake didn't even try to stop the giggle that left her lips, which seemed to make Yang smile that much more. Which she continued to do as she plucked the cat Faunus off the bench and twirled her around once in an all encompassing hug.
"Didn't think I'd forget did you!"
"Never," she drawled mirthfully. She then did something Yang didn't expect. She wrapped her arms around her and returned the hug. "Thank you Yang," she said softly.
"What for?"
"For just being you."
Nothing more really needed to be said by either of them.
Meanwhile, at the Dorm Room:
Weiss wasn't exactly sure what she should be feeling right now. Annoyance at her partner's anxious pacing and fidgeting, or pity at how obviously distressed the younger girl was. Admittedly, annoyance seemed to be the default emotion for her, but that annoyed haughtiness was so ingrained into her personality that it was hard not to act or feel that way. That wasn't to say that it didn't bother her when she did, but unfortunately it took time for reason and guilt to manifest and triumph over her attitude. Even then she rarely ever let anyone see the truth of what she was feeling in that aftermath.
A prime example being that it had taken at least twelve hours, and probably more, for her to come down off her high horse over Blake's previous affiliation with the White Fang, and even then what passed as forgiveness and acceptance by her still came off sounding snotty and arrogant. She actually had been worried about the girl but was unable to let it show.
Over the course of the first semester though, she had begun to see and feel a change in herself. It wasn't something she thought others would generally notice on the outside, she was far too good at keeping up the appearance she wanted everyone else to see. It was second nature to her. The changes were on the inside and while her tongue may still be sharp and her attitude prickly, there was a clear difference in the intent.
Case in point was the pyjama clad girl pacing a hole in the carpet before her. Tripping over her luggage the first day here really had been an accident but she had dropped her personality full force on the bewildered girl, and needlessly let her have it again the next time she saw her. She had looked upon her with disdain, wondering who in their right mind let this bumbling child into Beacon. To make matters worse she ended up paired with said child and had to suffer the indignity of being made subordinate to her on the team. And how had she handled it? By acting like a child herself, a spoiled and petulant child throwing a tantrum and who was promptly put in her place for it.
After the admonishment she suffered at the hands of Professor Port, she had spent her time wandering the grounds deep in thought over the situation. Her intent was to become an elite Huntress, to return honour to the family name her father was tarnishing by how he handled the family business. But how could she hope to accomplish that if she acted in a way that undermined her team leader and showed nothing but contempt for her? If the Headmaster of the academy saw something in Ruby Rose that prompted him to admit her to Beacon two years early and make her the team leader, then just exactly what qualified her to question his choice?
Her strict, proper, and isolated upbringing in a rich and powerful family had left her unable to connect with others, to talk to them and treat them like normal, everyday people, because she had been raised to be anything but a normal, everyday person. She hadn't even tried to give Ruby a chance. Hadn't even taken into consideration that she was two years younger and not as mature as most of the other students and that it would take time for her to grow into the role. It wasn't Ruby's fault that she didn't know what it took or what it meant to be a leader yet.
She also hadn't considered that the girl had difficulties around other people that weren't her sister, that she otherwise felt rather isolated and alone. Feelings that she herself knew all too well. Ruby was already a bundle of nerves, trying to fit in at a place even she wasn't sure she belonged in. Getting in two years early was quite a feat and she was so afraid of how others would see her because of it. As if she wasn't already insecure enough, then her own partner tells her that she doesn't think that she's worthy to be the leader and that it was a mistake for her to even be at Beacon in the first place. By the time she was making her way back to the dorm she realized just how shabbily she had treated Ruby. Weiss Schnee wasn't without a conscience. It just took time for it to kick in. The devastated and crushed look on Ruby's face and the unshed tears behind those silver eyes was something she came to deeply regret causing.
After that and as the semester went on she was surprised how easily she came to actually like Ruby and the rest of her team. There hadn't been a declaration of friendship, but Ruby was becoming the closest thing to a friend that she had ever really had. She was actually growing quite fond of the girl and had found that it was really pretty hard to dislike her, which made her feel even worse for her earlier behaviour. They had even gotten to a point where Ruby could mock her intelligence and her wealth and she could call Ruby a dunce and a pest but there was no heat behind it from either of them. Ruby could be immature and annoying, but she also studied hard and trained even harder and was turning into a good leader. She was gaining her respect.
She envied Ruby and Yang. Her relationship with her own sister, with any member of her family really, was nothing at all like theirs. What she would have given over the years to have a close relationship like that with her family, to even have friends, real friends that she could count on and not just mere acquaintances of convenience and circumstance. Maybe then she wouldn't have felt so lonely growing up. Wouldn't still feel so lonely.
Well, to be fair, being partnered with Ruby and with her team in general had helped to ease that loneliness to a degree. For the sake of her own safety and that of the family she had been conditioned to never trust others easily, to hold everyone at arms length. It was hard to have friends, even when someone with genuine intentions did come along, when you couldn't allow anyone to get close enough to be one. Even worse when your frozen heart was screaming and begging for you to let them in and feel their warmth.
But she was indeed changing, even if slowly. Living and working with Ruby, Yang, and Blake was probably one of the best things to have happened to her. She was becoming more human around them, a little less stiff and prim, she was finding her own way of being rather than remaining what she had been moulded to be and was slowly, ever so slowly, allowing her heart to thaw. Even if it was just on the inside where only she noticed.
She straightened the hem of her night gown as she sat on her bed and took a deep, sighing breath. "Ruby, if you don't stop pacing I'm going to tie you to a chair. You're driving me insane."
Said girl startled like she had forgotten Weiss was even in the room. "S-sorry...I-I just..."
Weiss held up a hand to stop her and gestured to the bed beside her with the other. "Sit down, take a deep breath, and calm down." Head down, Ruby shuffled over and sat, hands fiddling nervously in her lap. "Now, what's got you so upset? This can't be the first time that Yang has gotten mad about something and went to blow off some steam."
"It's not," Ruby answered dejectedly. "But it's not usually me that she's mad at."
Weiss looked at her like she'd grown a second head. "And just where did you get the idea that it's you she's mad at?" Was it even possible for Yang to get mad at Ruby? That would be like a sign of the apocalypse.
Ruby's eyes were firmly fixed on the floor. "It's because I went off alone and got caught and you guys had to come and find me."
Incredulous, Weiss rapped her knuckles against her partner's head. "Is this thing empty?"
"Ow...Weiss, what...?" Ruby began.
"You dolt," the heiress admonished with a sigh. "Yang isn't mad at you, she's mad at the ones who hit you and shot at you."
"Are you sure?"
She had never had Yang really be angry with her for anything and the thought that she might be now made her feel sick to her stomach. Yang had practically raised her and did so much for her and was always there as a constant source of support. She loved and admired her big sister so much and she never wanted to anger or disappoint her.
"Ruby, you didn't do anything wrong," Weiss assured her. "You did exactly what you should have. You followed them, found out where they went and tried to call us. When you couldn't get through you were on your way back to get us. It's not your fault the street caved in under your feet."
"I...guess you're right," Ruby said. She still didn't seem entirely convinced.
"Of course I'm right," Weiss agreed readily. "Besides, she's your sister, you know her better than any one else. How did you think she was going to react when she saw this?" She gestured to the bruises on her partners face.
To be truthful, it bothered her to see the bruises on her partner's face too. While she knew full well that a Huntsman's or Huntress's job involved more than just fighting Grimm, it seemed much worse, more sinister somehow to know that the bruises were caused by either a human or a Faunus rather than one of those soulless monsters.
"Heh, good point," Ruby agreed rather sheepishly. "And I think she's also really mad about how her fight on the train went."
"When was the last time Yang lost a fight anyway?" Weiss asked, genuinely curious. From what she had seen Yang was an extremely good fighter and she had heard about her beat down of a nightclub full of goons.
"Not since she was learning how to fight," Ruby answered, no small amount of pride in her voice. "Outside of training she has never lost." Her mood dipped again though. "I'm just glad that mystery woman chased Neo off. I could have lost her." There was not a more terrifying thought to Ruby than the idea of her big sister dying. She knew that there was no way she would ever be able to handle that.
Weiss surprised both Ruby and herself when she softly laid her hand on the girl's shoulder. "But you didn't lose her Ruby," she said gently. "So don't waste time worrying about what could have happened."
"You're right again," Ruby said, perking back up a bit. "Do you ever get tired of that?"
Weiss smiled. "Never."
Ruby chuckled before turning a bit sombre again. "I'm really glad you're okay too Weiss. I have a hard time meeting people and making friends, but losing a friend would be even worse."
That would be almost as horrifying to her as losing Yang. As difficult as it was for her to meet and befriend other people, she had to admit that she had indeed made some awesome friends with really cool weapons and abilities. While Yang was and always would be the centre of her universe, she couldn't imagine not having any of these new friends in her life now either, and that did indeed include her partner. Things hadn't started off well between them, it had been pretty miserable actually, and there were still times when she wasn't sure how to take some of the things Weiss said to her. But after living and working together for a semester any animosity between them had long passed and they got along pretty well now.
Still, she didn't know a lot about her. She didn't open up very much about herself and you had to watch for the occasions when that cold outer shell would slip just a little bit to see what was behind it before it quickly closed up again. But, that was who she was and she accepted her that way. She was curious as to why Weiss kept herself as closed off as she did, but she wouldn't pry. She hoped that one day Weiss could see her as a friend she could confide in and count on beyond their partnership.
For her part a strange nervous, yet warm tingling went through Weiss. 'Friend?' After the way she treated Ruby when they first met, with the way she ran her down over being team leader, and with all of the snide things she had said, Ruby considered her to be a friend. The cynical heiress in her wanted to find dishonesty in her words, some sign that she had said it with an ulterior motive at work. But the lonely girl in her heard the heartfelt honesty and innocence in Ruby's words and wanted desperately to believe it.
Friend. Not partner or team mate, but friend.
"It would take more than what that guy threw at me to take me out," she boasted. Which was a bald faced lie, but she didn't need to make Ruby all depressed again with the details. If anything, she had come as close as Yang had to ending up dead. She was nearly unconscious at the time but had managed to get both Myrtenaster and a glyph between herself and the White Fang Lieutenant's chainsaw, otherwise she would have been cut in half. And if it weren't for Blake, he would have gotten a second chance to finish the job.
"I may have lost but I'm still here."
"But...aren't you angry about that too, like Yang?" Ruby asked tentatively.
"Of course I am," she answered. "But I'd rather spend that anger and energy on training harder to get better so that it doesn't happen again."
"I'll train harder too," Ruby vowed. "If I'm going to be any kind of a leader, I have to make sure I don't get caught like that again."
Weiss blanched. Ruby already trained harder than just about anyone she could think of, how was she going to train harder without becoming an exhausted wreck?
Her partner followed up her declaration with a rather cute yawn. It really ought to be a crime to be that adorable.
"Why don't you go to bed Ruby?" she suggested. "Blake will keep an eye on your sister and if there had been any trouble she would have called us by now."
"I'm okay," Ruby protested. "And I really want to be awake when she comes back."
She sighed. "Fine. I suppose I can stay up with you. Wouldn't want your imagination to run off with you again and have you thinking the worst."
Ruby grinned sheepishly, scratching the back of her head. "Sorry about that."
"It's fine," she said, waving off her concern. "You two are close, it's only natural that you'd worry about her."
"Thank you Weiss."
She turned to see a genuine and bright smile directed at her. She could swear she felt her cheeks getting warm. "For what?"
"For staying up with me. For staying here and talking to me. For putting up with my fears and making me see reason," she started to get that nervous look again. "I know that things between us didn't start off too well and I know that I annoy you and bug you a lot but I always hoped we could be friends even if we weren't partners. But we are partners and...and...I'm starting to babble and sound like Nora."
Weiss stifled a laugh. "No, you're fine. You haven't started talking in circles yet and you haven't tried to imitate a sloth...don't by the way."
They both chuckled about that before lapsing into a calm silence. That warm feeling had returned when Ruby spoke again of them being friends and so had the guilt that accompanied it. She didn't often apologize even when she knew she should and she seldom opened herself up to anyone, but it kept nagging at her that she should say something. She hadn't even acknowledged Ruby's remarks about them being friends.
Her life had become so different here, far different than the life she was used to. It was actually quite liberating to be away from the stress and rigidity of home and to not be drowning in both the flood of expectations and the isolation and acrimony she was used to living in. Despite the rough start she liked her team and her partner, but it was so hard for her to openly acknowledge such things, even if just to herself. She was expected to act and conduct herself in a certain way, a way dictated by her family and her name that had little to do with considering others.
But what if that wasn't the real Weiss Schnee? What if the real her was or wanted to be something and someone different? Maybe here away from the oppressive atmosphere of home and among these new friends, she could find who her real self was.
As she turned to speak to Ruby, she felt the girl slump against her, head on her shoulder and sound asleep. "You little red dork," she mockingly sighed through a lopsided smile. "What am I going to do with you?"
She just watched her for a couple of minutes, gathering her thoughts and her resolve. "You know, I had something I wanted to say to you, but if you miss it because you're asleep it's your own fault."
She closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. "I wanted to apologize to you for how I treated you when we first met. No matter how important I thought I was there was no need for that. Nor was there a need for how I acted regarding you being named leader of the team. I threw a tantrum like a spoiled child and I know the things that I said hurt you. I can only hope that you can forgive me for that."
She knew that at some point she would need to apologize to her other team mates as well, especially Blake. She had let her hatred and that of her family towards the White Fang spread to the Faunus as a whole and that was not right. She had always known that she supposed, but it wasn't until she came to Beacon and was away from the influences of her family that she finally began to let her own thoughts take root and come forward.
She glanced at her partner, who if anything looked even more innocent in her sleep. "And I want to thank you for seeing me as a friend despite all of that and in spite of my attitude. I have never had any real friends before. Any so called friends I've ever had were people who hung around because of what my name could do for them or their families, they weren't truly interested in me."
"But you didn't know who I was and you didn't care. You saw me as just another person and not a name and although I had been mean to you, you were still ready to be my partner. Even after I tried to reject you. Partners or not, you just wanted to get along and be friends."
She smiled lightly. "You can be annoying and immature, but I see you as a friend too Ruby. And you were right in the forest that day, you are kind of cool. Just don't expect me to ever repeat that."
Later...
The door opened slowly and quietly, silently admitting the two wayward members of Team RWBY. Both came to a sudden stop at the sight that greeted them. Weiss was sitting near the end of her bed by the corner post, while Ruby was sitting to her left, head on the white haired girl's shoulder and sound asleep. At some point Weiss had nodded off as well and her head was inclined towards Ruby.
Yang and Blake just stared for a moment before they both had to stifle a chuckle. They both also had the same idea as they reached for their scrolls and snapped multiple pictures of the sleeping partners. It was just too cute a scene to pass up.
"You realize of course that this will not go unpunished," the Schnee heiress vowed quietly.
"GAH!" the two startled, nearly dropping their scrolls.
"Shhh," Weiss hissed. "Don't wake her up you numbskulls."
"Heh...sorry," Yang whispered, rubbing the back of her head.
"We didn't think you were awake," Blake said softly.
"Obviously," Weiss said, rolling her eyes. "So do you think you can put her to bed without waking her up?"
Yang smirked. "No problem. Done it plenty of times before. Can you pull the sheets back for me?"
With a touch borne of long experience, Yang carefully cradled her little sister in her arms while Weiss rose stiffly to her feet and threw back the covers on Ruby's bed. Yang hoisted her to the top bunk and gently set her down before pulling the covers up over her and tucking her in.
Weiss turned and made her way to the bathroom, stopping as she reached the door. "You need to talk to her in the morning. She got all upset because she thought you were mad at her. I think I talked her out of that idea but she should hear it from you." Without waiting for a response she entered and shut the door.
Several minutes later, after washing her hands and splashing some cool water on her face and drying off, she found herself studying her reflection in the mirror. The face looking back at her wasn't quite the same lonely girl she was used to seeing there and she was glad for it. Glad enough to let a small but genuine smile grace her lips. Even though Ruby hadn't actually heard the things she had said, and she wasn't entirely sure she could have said them if she had actually been awake to hear it, she was happy that she had said it nonetheless. She felt lighter somehow, like at least a small bit of the burden she always carried around had lessened.
Returning to the room, she was surprised to see Yang still up. Blake had gone to bed and was already asleep, but Yang was sitting by the window, looking out at the stars.
"She really thought I was mad at her huh?" Yang asked. Her tone was quiet, but it was easy to detect the self recrimination in it.
"For going after them and getting caught," Weiss answered as she too looked up at the stars. "I think I got through to her that that wasn't the case but I don't think she'll truly believe it until she hears it from you."
When nothing more was said, Weiss went to her bed. With the relationship Yang and Ruby had it was no great surprise that Yang was beating herself up over it. Still, that saddened look just didn't fit the blonde's face.
"Weiss?" Yang called just as she was turning down the sheets. She turned towards the brawler. "Thanks. For staying here with Ruby. It means a lot to me and I'll make it up to you."
"Friendship is a bond that doesn't require paybacks," Weiss countered, surprising even herself. She wasn't sure how Yang would respond to that. She seemed to catch the girl flatfooted, but a moment later she smiled gratefully.
"I guess you're right."
"Of course I am," she returned, the mirth evident in her voice. "Good night Yang."
"Good night Weiss."
After a few more minutes of stargazing Yang hopped up into her own bed, taking one last look at her fellow team members before settling in. Not only had the team bonded well in the field under the stress of combat, but it seemed they were strengthening their bonds away from it as well.
And this was only the beginning.
AN: At some point I'd like to try a Bleach/RWBY crossover...it's virtually a natural fit. Unfortunately I'm not quite lined up for that yet. There's a handful of good ones, but I wish there were more.
Thank's for reading this story and please leave a review on your way out. And feel free to visit my other stories. You know how to find them.