Author's Note: Don't think to hard into what happens, the closer you look the more you'll miss and then you won't see what happened, happens or will happen. Just let this young woman tell you her story 'cause I figure she's got a lot to tell! I apologize for the ever so slight effervescent feeling of harem you may get throughout the story. It's just the way I'm working on telling the story through Weiss. Final note, I think. This story will contain the following and more though not necessarily all in this chapter: self harm, underage drinking (they're only seventeen and drinking age where I come from is 19), girls kissing, Weiss in a suit, girls doing more than kissing, mood swings, more girls kissing, fluff, lemons and things I haven't even thought of yet.
Oh and if you need me to add a disclaimer expressing my lack of ownership of RWBY I figure you're a silly person just joking with me. Oh you... Look at that, you made me blush! You flirt.
~ Chapter One: Blushing Missed by Blue-Moon Eyes ~
A wince. A wince is all it takes to stain another crimson trail into side of her thigh. A single droplet joins the others in a terrible race to the floor below. Each one of the three bloody lines is a future scar-in-waiting. A reminder of her weakness, like those which came before. It's all my fault. It takes a moment to choke back a sob and in an effort to keep it in she raps her head back against the cold tiles of the changing room. She wished the tears were for the pain but the sensation of it left her long ago.
The clouds part outside sending a blue-white cascade into the sterile room. Moonlight was nearly reflecting off of every inch of Weiss' naked body as she locks steely blue eyes with her own reflection. With another heavy sigh she pushes off of the wall to approach the pale girl in the mirror. Sleeplessness shows in her eyes, another night she can't even cry herself to sleep. It's all my fault... Again. She sets Myrtenaster on the counter near her clothing being careful to not get any of her life's essence on the silky fabric. With a thin sheet of paper towel she cleans the thickening blood from the blade of her rapier before turning her attention to the shower stall she had been standing in.
It didn't take long to get the shower to an acceptable temperature for her purposes. It was ice cold and made every inch of her milky skin run taught, goosebumps forming in waves down her body from the nape of her neck to her lithe fingertips all the way to her toes. Her mind raced across every moment from the battle she and the rest of her team had faced in the early-afternoon heat. Every parry. Each strike. Every infuriating misstep. The thought brings a renewed freshness to the stinging in her thigh. A tear lost in the water rolling over her head catches her off guard. She shakes her head to rid herself of thoughts of weakness. She is an heiress to the great name of Schnee! Great things are expected of a Schnee. Great things are expected of her.
"Even a runaway princess." She muses quietly to herself before shutting off the flow of frigid water. Opening the curtain she steps out and walks across the room to the only remaining moonbeam. As she lets the water drip from her body she strains to look up into the bright light in the sky. Grabbing her towel from beside her sleeping clothes she dries her still tight skin, careful not to open the cuts on her leg. Within a few moments she's bandaged the wounds and dressed herself. A measure of dampness still clings to her long white hair, sticking it to her skin through the pale blue fabric of her sleeping gown. A short walk into the locker room and her companion is locked away to await another battle with her own personal demons.
As she slowly makes her way through the darkened corridors of the school she holds in such regard Weiss finds herself wondering if she can avoid seeing her teammate in the dreams which are sure to come. What words could this princess, wearing her broken crown, ever use to tell her teammate how she really feels? Weiss furiously shakes the thoughts from her mind as she gently wraps her fingers around the handle barring her entry to her room. RWBY's room.
It takes a sharp breath in to give herself the courage to step into the warm room. Weiss wonders to herself silently why it's so hard to breathe in their room. The sharp breath in slowly rolls out of her body, her own way of trying to calm her raging heart and supress the shiver running through her bones while she closes the door as quietly as she can manage. A barely audible click lets her know she's successfully skirted detection again. She turns to face her team... No, her friends. A tear wells up in her eye at the thought of these girls truly being her friends. She stands in the centre of the room, sweeping her eyes right to look at the two sleeping forms. A flailing halo of blond curls drape carelessly over the edge of the bed. Yang's sleeping sideways across the top bunk of the bed she shares with the gothic faunus girl. Two thoughts race through Weiss' mind regarding Blake. The first, innocent yet accusatory, begging the girl to explain why she would feel the need to hide herself from trusted teammates. The second, darkly, reminding Weiss of her own sins especially her cruel words. A line burns across her thigh, a older mark etched to remind her to think before acting. It was one of the deeper reminders she'd etched into her own flesh over the years.
How she had wished since uttering those words in anger she could take them back. "You never deserved it..." She was careful to keep her voice low, knowing she could never keep the words completely inside.
Finally she brings her body to square off to her own sleeping arrangement: nested under the leader of their team. In the bunk she'd always wanted but never was allowed to have. She had asked once only to find how menacing a simple 'no' could be. It felt almost as a threat then and still does all these years later. It was when she finished crying under the moon late in the night she closed the door on the child inside her heart and steeled her resolve to become stronger. Her request had changed from a childish thing to a more mature request. Cut her business training in half and allow her to being martial arts training, a reasonable thing seeing as a young heiress must be able to defend herself. The world is a dark place but bodyguards and her father's will wouldn't protect her forever.
Surprisingly enough her father agreed without hesitation. He suggested firearms, so as to allow his gentile daughter to keep her distance from would be attackers. But she had her mind set on a Multi Action Dust Rapier. She'd seen its design schematics in one of her father's business reports.
Rustling from the top bunk forced her harshly from her reverie. She sighed; an action becoming an all to familiar habit. Weiss spent a long moment staring into the bundle of blankets the curious Ruby Rose had wrapped herself in. Such a peculiar young woman. Somehow Ruby was simultaneously a hyperactive child and a collected, mature leader.
Leader.
The word spoken inside her mind burned a hole in Weiss' ear. The same place her father's words had burned when she'd told him of her team's arrangement. But as she did on the day she left for Beacon, Weiss took careful measures to push thoughts of her father from her mind. The very act of her coming to this place was an act of terrible defiance in the face of her family's name. Her father's name. A fact he was explicit in expressing to his daughter when he found the opportunity during their first contact after her arrival.
Another series of tears began to spill over the edges of her eyes. It takes more effort than she cares to acknowledge to keep the sobs choked back. She couldn't stand to have the girls see her like this. Taking this as her cue to stop staring at Ruby's sleeping form, rolled in the pile of blankets, Weiss slips under her own blankets. She lets a few weak gasps out into the heavy pillow to muffle the sound. Anything to insulate her from their judgment.
It wasn't long before Weiss was able to calm her breathing and begin fighting her way into a restless sleep. She was thankful the morning was one she could sleep in. These festival days meant time away from classes and long weekends. So after a combat test under the watchful eye of Professor Goodwitch, where the girls of team RWBY were pushed to take on a particularly fearsome Ursa in the forest, Weiss was happy to take a few days and hopefully relax. Weiss grumbled as sleep began to overtake her. She didn't want to fall into dreams with this day still on her mind.
It's why then, when an unknown warmth spread over her, she awoke with a start. How long had she been asleep? What time was it? When exactly had she gotten to bed...?
She rolled over to find it was Ruby's warm hand on her shoulder. A honest look of concern peppered the younger girl's normally happy face. "Blake and Yang are gone to breakfast already, but I didn't want to leave without telling..." The petite girl obviously hesitated, thoughts caught between her mind and mouth causing her words to drift off. Ruby could see the distraction in Weiss' eyes.
"What is it, Ruby?" Weiss had to focus to keep her voice level. She was afraid of what her friend was thinking and where those thoughts might lead. There was a little aggression in her tone she hadn't intended but couldn't hold back. As she waited for a response she found herself musing how easy it had become for her to use her friend's names. Ruby. Yang. Blake. My friends...Her mind was filled with the other women. Bright blond curls on a battlefield, a ribbon connecting the faunus to her prey.
Weiss let out an unexpected sigh just as Ruby was trying to answer causing the younger girl to cover her mouth to hide the blush filling her cheeks. The colour flooding pale cheeks was lost on Weiss. She just kept her sleep-filled blue on Ruby's silver eyes.
"You were crying... Again. L-last night." The teen was showing remarkable depth as worry cracked her voice. Weiss was caught off guard by it more than the words Ruby had used. "I couldn't leave with the others without making sure you would be alright, first." Ruby's trademark grin cracked the serious look as she leaned her head to the side just enough to be noticed.
Weiss was preparing a response about how she was just having a bad dream when Ruby placed her warm hand back on Weiss' shoulder, the heat was enough to radiate through the thin fabric. "You don't have to hold it all in, you can talk to me... Us!" She gestured to the empty beds behind her. One unmade and the other presented with an almost military precision. "We're here for you, Weiss! You can..."
The younger girl was cut off as Weiss buried her face in the collar of the crimson cloak. "You dolt." The words were spoken into the thick material but the message was there. "I just feel like I'm running to keep up with all of you, but as soon as I catch up you all start running even faster! It gets a little overwhelming sometimes." It was only half of the truth. The other half was pulled into the gravity of her feelings. Spilling her fears with the tears wouldn't be enough to dislodge the truth of how she felt. "I feel like I'm being left behind." And I'm not sure who to follow... She made very sure to keep the rest of the words inside quiet. How could she justify baring her soul and telling the others the reason for her choice?
Ruby was still reeling from the slender fingers gripping her cloak tightly. The closeness of the pale ice princess. The scent of her hair just under Ruby's nose. She wasn't even sure she really understood what Weiss was saying. Not for lack of hearing the words but because her mind was spinning at the situation. Is she really saying all this to me? Ruby was afraid she would start seeing stars, but she shook them from her mind. She needed to be strong for her friend. She put her hands on the backs of Weiss', still gripping tightly enough to bring even more white to the surface of the heiress' pale skin. They were cold in her own warm hands.
"Maybe knowing how you fit in is as easy as getting to know us a little better? Talk to us. Train with us. Spend a little time with each of us. Maybe then you'll see how your skills fit in with ours." Ruby did everything she could to not make it sound like an excuse to spend more time alone with her distant teammate. "Yang might complain a lot, but I know she likes you. Give her a chance to show it! And you and Blake just started to patch things up, so wouldn't now be a good time to try and really work on it!?" Ruby's penchant for sounding passionately chipper was showing through. She'd put a hand on Weiss' cheek to keep the broken princess' eyes on hers as she bounced in agreement with her own ideas. "And then there's us..." She stopped all movement when she cut herself off. Her eyes got wide when she started to think of ways to end the sentence without sounding like a girl with a crush.
Weiss shook her head knowingly from side to side, with a weak smile gracing her lips. "We really don't talk enough, do we, partner?" The words for the response were carefully weighed and placed into the context of what she was trying to explain well before she'd given the words form. But it worked, Ruby's silver eyes lit up and the peppy girl bounced before slipping from the bed and up to her own bunk in a blink. Then almost as quickly she was back down and on Weiss' bed.
"The fair is in town this weekend! It's why Ozpin gave us the long weekend! We should go! Candy, time to talk and things to do if it gets awkward!" She nodded enthusiastically with every word. She flinched a little as she said 'awkward', but recovered quickly into her classic toothy grin. Her cropped hair bobbed in her face as she moved. "Then tomorrow maybe, maybe y-you can spend some time with Yang or Blake. Or both! It's the start of a four day weekend! Make the most of it!" The hyperactive girl was starting to outrun her mouth so to keep her on track Weiss raised a hand to stop Ruby.
"We need to call a Team RWBY meeting." Weiss' thoughts were sharply serious. She thought back to the beginning of the conversation, she had to peel the sleep from the first few words Ruby had said to her to make sense of what was happening around her. "You said the other girls were going to breakfast?" Ruby nodded enthusiastically in response. "Then give me a few minutes to get dressed and then we need to meet up with them. We all need to talk." By now the tears had faded and her normal calm demeanor had returned. She could control these thoughts and with the control over her mind the fear faded.
Weiss' resolve was starting to form in her heart. She was forming a plan in the back of her mind as she idly got up to start preparing for the conversation to come. She was looking forward to it but the fact it was coming unnerved her. There were unknowns and variables to consider, but for now she was in charge again. Having Ruby on her side was also pushing her ahead. She can be so intoxicating. The thought brought a light flush to the heiress' cheeks as she finished pulling together the pant suit. A change of attire was in order for this auspicious occasion. Plus if she and Ruby decided to take on any activities later Weiss knew she would appreciate the extra modesty provided by the white fitted slacks. Additionally the jacket might come in handy when the sun starts to set at the end of the day.
Femininity intact with a crisp blouse to pull the outfit together all of it with her perched on her normal shoes. No sense in changing what works! She mused to herself as she stepped out of the room with her snow-white hair draped over her shoulder she took to putting it up in it's regular ponytail as she stood beside Ruby and motioned with her head to move towards the hall where they would meet the other members of Team RWBY for what would be a very interesting experiment.
In her haste and lost in thought the heiress never noticed Ruby's eyes locked to her every inch. Ruby had never really seen Weiss with her hair down and it was something she was making a mental note to keep watch for more often. The way the outfit allowed the younger girl to examine the intricacies of the Weiss' shape was a definite advantage as well. All of this combined with thoughts of earlier to bring a renewed heat into the pit of Ruby's stomach. It was a feeling she prayed wouldn't show on her face, it was hard enough not to seem like a silly little schoolgirl with a crush.
Thoughts raced through Ruby's mind as the two walked in complete silence towards the grand hall where undoubtedly countless people would be gathered making plans with their cohorts for the weekend's activities. A sentiment Weiss planned to mirror, though she was sure her plans would be different from most. Different and so much more interesting! She could feel her confidence rising the more thought she put into her actions for the following days. In battle she may be outrun by the skill or strength her teammates showed, but she had a feeling she was at a definite advantage when it came to going one on one with the other women. The confidence was making her a little cocky as she came to the oversized set of double doors and she pushed both open, standing in the middle in such a way as to almost say aloud, 'Look out, team RWBY, here I come.'
More than a few sets of eyes turned her way and it only served to bolster her resolve. Something about being the one in charge of the moment was giving her the strength to push all her fears away. Somewhere in her mind she could feel them, still there and clawing at the box she'd locked them in, but for now she was free of the grasp that had held her so tight only hours before. Less than twenty-four hours before she was consumed by it. Her every thought was of her inability to help.
Locking eyes with Yang from across the long room made Weiss smile, the blond was running her hands through her hair when she began waving wildly to get the attention of the pair at the door. Blake turned in her seat, trying to decipher what or who yang was waving at. When the faunus' amber eyes met ice blue, both girls smiled to the other. Weiss was glad she was going to take this chance to try and make it up to Blake for what she'd done. As uneasy as she was with Blake's past she wanted to make an effort to judge the other woman on her actions and not the people she used to associate with. Blake had been a part of the White Fang when the group had been political but left when they radicalized, so it's not like she was the one carrying out the attacks.
Once the two waiting girls noticed the change of Weiss' attire their actions quickly changed. Blake's smile faded to a look of careful inspection as if a series of questions was each fighting for its place on her tongue. Yang on the other hand let her face crease into a grin. Instead of questioning the change in outfit the brawler seemed content to give it a silent approval. Meanwhile, Ruby was a few paces behind the heiress, eyes still firmly locked on her partner's body. Why am I staring so hard... Ruby did her best to keep the pout inside her mind but in doing so she only forced a flush into her own cheeks. Thoughts raced through her mind as she found herself trying to understand the tightness in her stomach. She surmised it had nothing to do with the outfit, in any case, as she knew she could see less of Weiss than she would if the other girl were wearing her combat skirt. This is to say nothing of how much she had seen of Weiss in her sleepwear.
Weiss turned around, a coy smile twisting her pale lips, she was still enjoying the idea of taking time to spend with each of her team mates individually. "Going to take a seat, Ruby? Or are you just going to stand there?" She sat as she spoke, hardly taking her eyes off the younger girl.
Ruby hesitated only a moment before rushing to sit beside her partner. "S-sorry." She rubbed at the back of her hair in an effort to not look as embarrassed as she was sure she looked. The blush only served to make her look more nervous in the circumstances.
Weiss rolled her eyes at Ruby's actions, now used to the fits of absent-mindedness and hastily attempted recoveries. She was a sweet girl who moved a little faster than she thought about what she was doing. It would make Ruby seem as if she only thought about herself, but after taking the time to observe her partner, Weiss had noticed Ruby really did want to help others but had a terrible way of going about it.
Once the hyperactive girl was seated Weiss turned herself towards the table again by propping her elbows near the edge and her chin in her hand. She had to weigh her next words carefully. While she sat silently for a few moments each of the women sitting with her had a different idea of what was about to happen. Weiss' normal cold attitude was covered up with the out-of-character confidence. Yang stifled a giggle at the heiress' expense. Yang was watching the thoughts move around Weiss' mind in the furrows of her brow.
"I have come to a conclusion, team." Weiss was afraid of being too formal with the proposition she was about to air. She decided to try to lighten the mood, "So, ladies... And Yang..." Ruby nearly laughed the milk Yang had waiting for her through her nose. She covered her mouth to stifle the last of the giggle. The subject of the joke remained oddly stoic only reacting with a raised eyebrow and a smirk. Challenge accepted, princess.
She smiled at her own joke before shaking her head side to side and continuing. "We find ourselves at the beginning of a well deserved long weekend. Even more fortunate is the complete lack of exams in the coming week." Each of Weiss' teammates nodded in enthusiastic response to her point. "I however would like to propose an activity for the coming days."
She paused to think on her next words. She didn't want to come off as strange or have her motives discovered. "I've realized I don't know each of you well enough. I feel like I'm being left behind in so many ways." Weiss took a steadying breath to keep the feelings from the previous night out of the conversation. "For the next few days I would like to spend a day with each of you. Even you!" She reached to the seat beside her and grabbed Ruby playfully by the ear. The younger girl was caught off guard by the action, letting out a yip and flinching away from the touch.
"Playing the field a little strong, princess?" Yang put both of her hands on the back of her head and let out a quick chuckle. The motion only proved to put her ample bosom on display. Between the quip and the overt sexuality of her teammate Weiss found herself blushing lightly.
"To stoop to your crude sentiment, yes. I am." The straight-faced response stunned the blond a moment before Weiss continued. "I've questioned why it is I can't seem to keep up with each of you. I don't know you very well is the most likely answer. I've been cold towards you so much through this semester and it isn't helping us work as a team. In fact I've been downright hostile in some cases." She sheepishly tried to smile apologetically towards Blake. The faunus looked concerned, but nodded almost imperceptibly in response.
"It was something I regret and I feel as though a little reparation is in order. For each of you... But I feel like just throwing my family's money at this would only compound the problem by making me seem like I don't actually want to work on this. In an effort to complete this task I want to spend a day alone with each of you... But not on my terms." She hesitated to continue.
"You want to observe us in our natural environment in an effort to get to know us better?" Blake finally offered a thought on the matter. Weiss' heart skipped a beat to know she was making headway with her plan. The surety she had on the way into the meal hall had been practically eroded the longer she tried to explain while making up no ground.
"Exactly." Weiss sighed, a little louder than she had intended, and continued before she became transfixed on the action. "Thank you, Blake. I want to get to know you." Weiss swept her hands in front of her body indicating each of the three girls sitting at the table lest her meaning be misinterpreted as only wanting to get to know the dark haired ninja.
"One question." Yang spoke up from the other side of the table with her hand on her chin.
Weiss didn't offer her a chance to ask the intended question. "I'm on your time for this, like I said 'not on my terms', so if you want to sleep in, do it. I'm asking this in an effort to bond with everyone. I vowed to be the best team member and I meant it." The brawler grinned and nodded, happy her beauty sleep wouldn't interrupted.
Weiss swept her gaze across each of the women at the table. "So, ladies, any complaints?"
~ Close Chapter One ~
Closing Note: So there we have it! Questions, comments, complaints? Bring it, you know how to reach me! Each of the next chapters is a planned "date" between Weiss and one of the other members of RWBY. But know this, the start of Chapter 2 also starts the fluff and girls kissing part I warned you all about. No promises on a time line but it shouldn't take me too long as I enjoy writing in case you didn't notice.