The Slowest School Day
When Ruby was accepted into Beacon, her head was instantly filled with wonderful scenarios that revolved around her single-handedly slaying hordes of Grimm. She saw herself becoming an unstoppable force that would make the world a better place. No one would ever have to be afraid of the world again. Humanity would finally be able to prosper thanks to the diligent Huntsmen and Huntresses, and she was going to be one of them! The day before boarding the airship with Yang to go to Beacon had been filled with fantasies. In none of those fantasies did Ruby see herself being bored.
Ruby looked over the top of her dog-eared copy of "Weapon" magazine. As expected, the dorm room was still empty. Weiss and Blake were still in their history class and Yang was at one of her sparring sessions. All of Team JNPR was also in their respective classes. That left the leader of Team RWBY without a team to lead and without a friend to talk to. It didn't help that she had already completed all of her upcoming assignments. She groaned and threw the magazine on the floor. She had read it too many times and was close to being able to recite whole articles from memory.
With a sigh, Ruby hopped to the floor, which caused her bed to swing back and forth with a loud creak. She ignored the sound just like how she ignored Weiss' concerns about their sleeping arrangements. Despite what the heiress might say, a hanging bed was the best and only way to sleep. Besides, Ruby had made sure that the structure was secure, all swinging aside. Weiss would just need to learn how to chill.
The thought gave Ruby pause. When she had realized the pun, she hit her forehead with her hand and thought, Dang it, Yang. To save herself from going on a pun-spree, a terrible fate that often claimed her older sister, Ruby turned to Blake's bookshelf. Surely there was an interesting book to be found in the reserved girl's collection.
Ruby looked over the bland assortment of worn, cracked spines and was unable to figure out what any of the titles were. She put a hand on her chin and leaned closer. The dust jackets had been removed and the binding offered no hints about the story inside of each book. Her curiosity growing, Ruby picked a random book off of the shelf and opened it.
The pages were slightly yellowed and some of the ink had faded, but the work was still legible. The words were written in a neat, swooping hand, unlike many of the books that Ruby had seen before. It wasn't something that was often presented in the books Ruby was used to, but then again, maybe Blake just read different stories.
"Dear diary," Ruby read aloud, "today was great. Today I got to eat lunch next to Yang and I even got to see her smile. It made me feel so warm insi—this is Blake's diary!" Ruby almost threw the book across the room. Instead, she put it back on the shelf and took a deep breath. Her face was on fire and her heart wanted to be free of her chest. Dozens of questions piled into her head.
Not wanting to concentrate on any of those questions, Ruby immediately grabbed another book off the shelf. She felt safe knowing that it was the only book with a dust jacket. Although she didn't read the title, she took the time to notice that there was, at least, a title. With hope, it would not give any more startling insights of the terrifying undercurrents of Team RWBY; although Ruby wouldn't hate her sister or teammate if they lived that sort of lifestyle. Ruby shook her head. The action only served to knock one of the many questions out. "Does this mean that Blake actually wasn't clumsy that one day?" Ruby asked the empty room.
Afraid of the possibilities, Ruby opened the book and started reading. She wanted to take a long shower and scrub away all of the terrible thoughts. Instead, she forced herself to focus on the text in front of her and stood stock-still in front of the bookshelf.
"The year was 1543 and the war had raged for two years already," Ruby began, almost yelling the words. "The land had remained free of blood. This was a secret war, one that was not fought with armies, but in the shadows. Each night as the moon excused the sun from the sky, ninjas from the nations of Almar and Xachtl would cross the borders and carry out their grim tasks. However, on one star-filled night, two ninjas, one of Almar and one of Xachtl, crossed paths."
"'Ah, so it seems we meet again, you temptress,' said the ninja from Almar."
"'And hello to you too. Have you already forgotten about the times we spent under this very moon? Or how about the time my nails raked across your back and you howled my name?' The Xachtl ninja shook her hips seductively."
Ruby could feel her blush reaching her ears. The book was shaking in front of her eyes and her voice had become noticeably ragged. She paused in her reading and felt like she had to let some steam out from under her collar. Yet the heat was not unwelcomed, and the book was making her forget all about Blake's diary. It made all of her thoughts feel fuzzy. Ruby licked her lips and let her eyes brush over the next line. She opened her mouth and the words were surging out of her throat like a company of bloodthirsty cavalry when the door opened. Alarmed, Ruby turned to see who was there, just when the words spilled forth:
"'I wish to taste your naked flesh.'"
Weiss stood in the doorway. The white-haired girl held two cups of coffee, both of which she silently placed on the dresser next to the door. Ruby swore she could hear the words echo in the suddenly dense air. Weiss' face was an impassive mask. There was no way she had not heard what Ruby said. The heiress was most likely trying to figure out how angry she should be.
Ruby gritted her teeth and tried to force a smile. "Uh," she choked out, "how was class?"
Weiss' icy blue eyes remained on Ruby's silver ones as the heiress slowly backed out of the room.
Fright settled in when Ruby heard the doorknob click back into place. Ruby threw the traitorous book back onto the shelf and chased after her teammate. She was already shouting apologies before she got out of the room.
Blake heard Ruby before she saw her. The team leader ran by, most likely trying to catch up to the storming heiress. Blake brushed a rose petal off of her shoulder and thought about giving chase, if only to see how everything turned out. Then she looked at the open door to Team RWBY's dorm and felt all of the stress of a long day of classes on her shoulders. Let Ruby and Weiss work out their own problems, Blake decided. Now was the time to relax. She walked into the dorm, closed the door, and flopped onto her bed. She unbuttoned her shirt and reached for her diary, masterfully hidden on a shelf among similar looking books.
Blake cracked open the diary with one hand and reached for a pen with the other. She rolled onto her stomach and propped the diary against her pillow. Properly armed, she set to work, feet waving idly in the air.
"Dear diary, today has been unremarkable so far. History was boring and I have to write another essay. Isn't that great? I had almost forgotten how exhilarating homework can be." Blake looked over what she had written and smiled. "Speaking of exhilarating, let me tell you about Yang."