Hi guys, and welcome to another new story! I'm hoping it goes over well since I'm gonna be hitting on some tougher things, some crazier things, and just kinda having fun with it as the story progresses. I promised a story unlike any before it, and that's exactly what I'm gonna deliver. If you're coming here as a fan of my other stories, I think you'll enjoy what I've got in store for you. If you've never read anything by me before, then strap in and let's get going!
WARNING: This story contains very dark elements/themes including, but not limited to: murder, self harm, suicide, and sexual assault. If you're uncomfortable with any of these elements, this story many not be for you.
(Also, per usual, I'm writing this under the assumption that the reader has watched the show. If you haven't, you'll probably be a little lost at times.)
Chapter 1: At First Sight
"Alright, alright, that's enough," Ruby finally interjected, stepping between Yang and Weiss and holding her arms out to keep them apart. "Let's not use all our energy fighting. After all, we have initiation in the morning."
Weiss huffed and crossed her arms, "Maybe if she hadn't-"
"Nope! We're done here. No more arguing. It's time to chat and be friendly like normal girls."
Yang and Weiss exchanged a glance, and neither one of them seemed to believe that this was the end of their bickering. They resolved to nod and walk away from each other, with Ruby laying back down on her sleeping bag and letting out a long, drawn-out sigh. Meanwhile, Yang watched Weiss return to where she'd set up her own things before going over to join her sister.
Yang smiled, "So whatdya think of Beacon so far, sis?"
"Can I go back to Signal?" the younger girl asked, not joking as much as she wished she were. "How did I already manage to make someone hate me? Am I really that big a mess?"
"C'mon, don't be so overdramatic. Mark my words, you and her will be best friends by this time next week!"
"I doubt that," Blake commented from where she was sitting, earning an annoyed glare from Yang. "If it's any consolation, Ruby, you made a good first impression on me. I'd love to hang out sometime if I don't see you for any classes."
Yang gave her sister a pat on the back, "See? That's two friends and one enemy now! That's a net win for you!"
"Thanks," Ruby said with a hint of a smile, along with a tiny laugh. "So what'd you do with your friends all day, sis?"
"Not much, just walked around campus and talked and stuff. Met some people, made some friends, the usual. Oh, and I've already found her."
Ruby gave her a weird look, "Found her? Who were you looking for?"
"I wasn't looking for anyone, silly," Yang giggled. "I found the girl that I'll be going after this semester."
"Really? On day one?" her sister asked. She wasn't exactly one to talk, but she liked to keep her crushes to herself until she had decided on whether or not to act on them yet.
"Mhm! I knew it from the moment I saw her. Now I'm determined to make it happen."
Ruby smirked, rolling her eyes, "Good luck with that, sis. I expect an invitation to the wedding. You fell in love in one day, so the ceremony will be on Friday, right?"
Yang stuck out her tongue, and the two laughed as they settled in for the night. It had been an interesting first day for both of them, and Yang was especially lost in thought as she felt herself drifting off to sleep. She hadn't been lying about falling for this girl the instant she saw her, and the image of her face was there in the back of her mind. There was just one small problem she'd have to figure out how to deal with first.
'Sooo... How hard could it be, right?' the brawler wondered. 'All I've gotta do is find her tomorrow in the forest, and then I'll have four years to win her over! Simple! There's the teeny tiny problem that she hates me and Ruby already, but I'm sure I can charm her over. I like a good challenge. Besides, it's not fun if there isn't a chase.'
"So I have to ask," Weiss began, looking at Ruby while they waited for teams to be announced. "Did you have a backup plan to kill that Nevermore if the first one failed?"
Ruby gave an innocent smile, "Nope! I was pretty much relying on that. But, it worked, didn't it?"
The heiress smiled back and shook her head, "Unbelievable... Getting used to your... um... 'unique' style is going to take some getting used to."
"Think four years will be enough?" Yang grinned, getting an unamused glare in response.
'This is so perfect!' the brawler happily thought to herself. 'With Weiss as Ruby's partner, I'll have an easy excuse to see her! She looks like she's warming up to Ruby, too, so maybe there's a better chance than I thought of getting her to like me enough to go on a date.'
She wouldn't need that excuse after all, and was even more elated when she saw that the two of them were on the same team. Of course, she was just as happy that it meant being on a team with her sister as well. The girls made their way to their assigned dorm room once the ceremony had finished, and tossed their suitcases along the wall for the time being. They'd have plenty of time to get organised in the morning, but for now, they just wanted to relax.
"Ya know what I could use right now?" Yang asked, not directing it at anyone in particular. "Some chips. Anyone wanna come on a snack run?"
Weiss perked up, "I will. Stocking up the room sounds like a great idea, plus, I forgot to pack any instant coffee for the morning."
'Well, if you insist,' Yang thought, giggling to herself. The two girls left the room, and while Yang was happy to get some one-on-one time with Weiss, she wasn't the only one with a first day crush.
'Okay, so what if she's cute?' the leader scolded herself. 'You've known her for a day, just relax. Sure, she's really cool and smells nice, but you don't know anything else about her. She could hate cookies for all you know! Just play it cool and get to know her for now.'
She looked over at Blake, trying and failing to be nonchalant about it. The girl was sitting up against the wall reading her book, and Ruby couldn't stop herself from staring. It was rare that she developed strong feelings for someone so quickly, but Blake was exceptionally beautiful. She was terrified to start a conversation, but something caught her eye after a moment that made it much easier.
"Is that a new book?" Ruby asked, grabbing her teammate's attention. "Didn't you just start that other one about the guy with two souls?"
Blake chuckled, "I'm a fast reader. Do you read much?"
"Not, not really," Ruby shrugged, not happy that she didn't share what seemed to be Blake's favourite hobby.
"It's never too late to start. Here, come sit with me. We can read it together if you want."
Ruby nodded excitedly and jumped at the chance to cuddle up in bed with Blake. Blake moved over to let Ruby have enough room to sit next to her, and Ruby tried her best not to act too energetic as she sat down. She sat a little closer than she meant to, but Blake either didn't seem to mind, or just didn't notice.
"So what's this book about? What's happened so far?" Ruby asked.
"Well, a lot of things," Blake explained, flipped back a few pages so she knew what to catch Ruby up on. "It's about a boy who runs away from an abusive family and has to find his way in the world. While he's looking for what he wants to do with his life, he meets a girl who was cursed to turn into a Beowolf by the full moon. An old, angry wizard cast a spell on her in a fit of anger at someone else."
"So he turned her into some kind of werewolf for stress release?" Ruby asked, looking somewhat uneasy. "That's horrible... What does she do?"
Blake smiled, "Well, with the help of the boy and the cat, she learns to live with it. She may be a monster, but she doesn't have to act like one. Anyway, they stick together, next they meet a stray cat that turns out to be a girl. She likes the way that cats are treated more than how people are, so she just lives as a cat."
Ruby made a face, "She can turn into a cat? That's weird."
"That's the part that gets you? I tell you the first girl was turned into a werewolf by a wizard, but a cat shapeshifter throws up a red flag? And hey, some Huntsmen and Huntresses have been known to have that ability. It's pretty rare, though."
"Really? I've never heard of that before. That's actually really cool. Is that where you left off, then?"
"Just about," Blake replied. "The three of them just ran into a girl hiding from the police. She's wanted for-"
The sound of a picture interrupted the conversation as they snapped their heads to see who it was. Yang stood in the doorway with her scroll in hand, grinning from ear to ear. "Oh, don't mind me. You two lovebirds go back to reading."
Ruby's face turned bright red with embarrassment, "DELETE THAT! WE WERE JUST TALKING!"
"Suuuure you were, sis," Yang snickered, furiously tapping on her screen. "Ignore me, I'm definitely not posting this everywhere."
"YANG!" Ruby exclaimed, leaping from Blake's bed and tackling her sister. They wrestled on the ground for a few seconds until Ruby managed to snatch the scroll from Yang's hand.
"Give that back!" Yang shouted, reaching over and around her sister, but not quick enough to steal it back. "Fine, I'll delete it!"
Ruby put on a smug, triumphant grin as she handed the device back, and watched while the picture was deleted. She nodded, "Thank you."
"Yeah, yeah. I don't see why you're so upset, though. It was just messing around, nothing that I haven't done before."
"Well... yeah..." Ruby muttered, not ready with a comeback. She wasn't going to admit the way she felt in front of Blake.
"Anyway," Blake interjected from her bed. "Ruby, care to come back over? We can start reading if you still want to."
The leader smiled, "Of course. Yang, think you can behave yourself this time?"
"Hey, don't look at me," the blonde smirked. "I'm not the one snuggled up in bed with someone. Anyway, I was just coming back to get my purse. Kinda helps to have that when you're going out to buy stuff, huh? Oh, Rubes, Adam's taking me and the rest of the gang out for ice cream once I get back. Wanna come with?"
"Adam?" Blake suddenly asked, a hint of fear in her voice.
"Yeah, he's one of our buddies from back at Signal. Why?"
Blake shied back a bit, "N-Nothing. I knew a guy named Adam, once. The name always puts me on edge..."
"Do you wanna talk about it?" Ruby asked as she got back on the bed. "And I'll pass, Yang. Tell everyone I say hi, though."
"No, that's alright. It's not something I really like to talk about. Here, let's just start reading. Have a nice night, Yang."
"Believe me, I will," Yang smiled before grabbing her purse and disappearing back through the door.
"Ughhh," Ruby groaned, taking her seat again beside Blake. "Sorry about her. She can be a bit much at times."
Blake nodded in agreement, "Little bit, but I have a feeling we'll get along. Now, where were we?"
They spent the rest of the right reading together, at least until Weiss got back and forced them to stop so she could go to sleep. Ruby got ready for bed and waited for Yang to get back before turning out the lights, and as she settled into the sheets, she felt a welcomed calmness for the first time since she'd arrived.
'Okay, you've survived day two, and you've even made a close friend in Blake. Maybe we can hang out together after class. It's still so early, and I don't wanna rush anything, so I'll just wait and see where this goes. Then there's Weiss... She's... I guess she's warming up to me a bit. She was kinda nice after the whole Nevermore thing. Maybe we can end up being friends after all.'
The next morning didn't exactly help Ruby's case with her new partner. After Weiss storming out of Port's class as a result of their fight, Ruby was left in a sad mood for the rest of her afternoon classes. Her talk with Ozpin helped a little, and gave her a few ideas on what to do next, but that didn't change that Weiss once again hated her. Luckily, she didn't have any other classes that today. She sighed as she took her seat in her last class, which unfortunately started at six o'clock.
"Hey," Blake smiled as she sat down beside her leader, startling her. "How're you doing?"
Ruby shook her head, "Not good... I think I'll be fine, though. Professor Ozpin and I talked a bit, and I think I've got an idea of what to do now."
"If you're sure. I'm always here to talk if you need me. So what made you want to take this class? I thought you said you didn't read much."
"And I'd like to start," Ruby happily replied. "Besides, this is a class on fairytales. How bad could it be?"
Blake raised her eyebrows, "It's the historical analysis of fairytales. It won't be an easy A."
'True, but oh well,' Ruby thought as the professor called attention to the front of the room. 'I'm mostly here for one story in particular, but the syllabus says we won't get to it until the end of the semester. On the bright side, this is still a class that I can hang with Blake for.'
She very quickly picked up on how boring the class would be, but nonetheless, she did her best to pay attention. She was determined to make a better student and leader out of herself after this morning, although this lecture was going to test her patience. She took notes for the first half of class, which ended up turning to doodles. She was still listening, and not completely goofing off, but sitting still and paying perfect attention wasn't going to happen.
Blake glanced over at Ruby's notes after a while and had to stifle a laugh. "What are you drawing?" she whispered, even though she could see the drawing perfectly.
"N-Nothing," Ruby blushed, trying to cover the pictures with her hands.
"Yeah, right. Was that you making out with a vampire version of Gavin from the Achieve Men?"
"Shut up," Ruby hissed, beyond embarrassed. "And it's Michael..."
Blake grinned, "Hey, I'm not gonna kink-shame. You do you." She started to looked at some of the other drawings scattered around the margins of her leader's notebook, and started to notice a trend. "You really have a thing for vampires, don't you?"
Ruby gave a shy smile, "I think they're cool. I've always had a thing for monsters and mythical creatures, which is another reason I took this class. There's just something about vampires that... enthralls me."
"Bad pun; three out of ten," Blake chuckled. "I think we're covering some vampire tales at the end of the semester. Maybe we'll learn a way to actually turn you into one."
Ruby stuck out her tongue, "Oh shush. I'd never want that. Needing to drink blood, avoiding lots of sun, bleh! Talk about a pain in the a-"
"Ahem," the professor interrupted from the chalkboard. She was a short, older woman, with a look about her that said she took teaching very seriously. "Is there something you'd like to share, Miss Rose?"
Ruby shrunk back into her seat, "No, ma'am." The woman nodded and went back to lecturing, and Ruby let out a sigh of relief. "Anyway, what was I saying? Oh, yeah. In my most humble of opinions, being a vampire isn't as cool as it sounds."
"If you say so," Blake smirked. "Werewolves are cooler anyway."
Blake's comment sparked a very heated, but still somewhat friendly, debate between the two girls that raged on until it was time to go to sleep, and was declared a draw. Ruby waited until Blake and Yang went to sleep, then pulled out all of her books to study. All she wanted was to make Weiss think better of her, to prove that she deserved to be here. But, after such a long first day of classes, she didn't make it very far before she passed out on top of her notes. Her night was made when Weiss woke her to make up for earlier, and as the heiress left the room, she finally felt at home here.
Weiss closed the door behind her and started down the hall with the intention of going to the library. There were a few books she wanted to check out before tomorrow, and now seemed like as good a time as any. She rounded the corner into the stairwell and didn't notice the person standing there at first, but she certainly did once they spoke up.
"Hey, got a minute?" Yang asked, making her teammate jump. "Oops, sorry! Wasn't trying to scare you."
The heiress shot her a glare, "Yeah, well, try harder next time. Wait, you were in your bed, sound asleep, just a second ago! I saw you laying there! How did you possibly beat me here?"
"I have my ways. Listen, I just wanted to say thanks for making up to Ruby. I'm sure it means the world to her right now. She was in tears all afternoon from your fight. I know that she can be a lot to handle sometimes, and more than a little immature, but you'll never find someone as dedicated to being a Huntress as she is. She's probably still on a high from being here in the first place."
"Could be, and no problem," Weiss sighed. "It's my fault for snapping. I've been having a bit of a rough time lately, and I shouldn't have lashed out at her. I can tell how much she wants to be here. She'll make a great team leader."
"Do you wanna talk about anything?" Yang asked, sounding concerned. Her big sister instincts always kicked in whenever someone didn't seem okay.
"No, but thank you. It's something I have to work out on my own. I'm sure you don't believe that, but just take my word for now. If I need anything, I'll come to you first."
Yang nodded and offered Weiss a hug, and was surprised when the heiress accepted. She held her close, feeling Weiss squeeze back just as hard, and felt a wave of relief sweeping over her for a number of reasons. Whatever was wrong with her, Weiss seemed to find some comfort in knowing that Yang was there for her.
'Well, she doesn't seem to hate me anymore,' Yang thought. 'I wonder what's on her mind that she wouldn't wanna talk about. I mean, I guess she's only known me for a few days, so I shouldn't be expecting her to open up to me. Besides, it's not like I'd jump to tell her about what I've been hiding. Maybe one day if it hasn't caught up to me by then...'
Yang squeezed a little tighter as the thoughts and images came back to her. She wanted to forget, but she knew she never would. For now, though, she savoured this moment with her crush since she didn't know when she'd have this opportunity again.
"Thanks, Yang," Weiss smiled as they came apart. "You seem really nice. I'm sorry that we got off on the wrong foot."
"No worries, it's all water under the bridge now. Would you maybe wanna hang out after class this week? Chat and be friends and stuff?"
Weiss laughed and rolled her eyes, "Sure, that sounds wonderful. I'm finished tomorrow at three." She walked off, and Yang blushed while she turned and started back to their dorm.
'YES YES YES YES YES!' she excitedly screamed in her head, having to actively stop herself from yelling it out loud. 'That's a first date in the making! Wow, I'm actually shaking. I don't think I've ever fallen for someone this hard before. Alright, so let's see... Yang Schnee, or Weiss Xiao Long?"
Yang's line is actually what my girlfriend told her friends back home when we met on the first day of college. XD "I've found the girl that I'll be going after." It's been a year and a half since we started dating, so I guess you could say that love at first sight works out sometimes. (; Okay, enough about my personal life. Be sure to follow and leave a review if you liked the chapter! See ya next time! I hope! (:
If you'd like to help support me, there are links on my profile for my Pátreon page, and a donation link if you're feeling generous. It's never required, but it's greatly appreciated. (:
