A/N: I was very happy to see how many people were interested in my story. The amount of follows I have received within the first day excited me to continue with my idea. Though I would have continued the story regardless. Thank you for the support.

Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY or its characters.


Chapter 2: Tryouts

The new morning sun was just peeking over the horizon and the air was cold and bitter. Weiss held herself, rubbing her hands up and down her arms. This being the one day she forgot to bring a jacket. She moved her way across the courtyard at a brisk pace. Other students were scattered about the area, either digging through their lockers or just getting to school, fresh off the buses. Signs were hung about addressing that all first-year students head to the auditorium. It was the first day of the new school year.

Weiss shivered and reached out for the door. She opened it and was pelted with the heated air of the cafeteria. She quickly stepped inside and the door closed behind her. She took in a deep breath and shivered off the last of her chills as the heat warmed her up.

"Weiss," a voice called out, "over here!"

She looked up to see her friend, Yang Xiao Long, waving her arm frantically. Beside her was Weiss' closest friend, Blake Belladonna, who smiled at Weiss.

Weiss smiled in return and stepped forward before a smooth voice stopped her.

"Nice goggles, Schnee."

At a table closest to the door, and Weiss was queen bee Cinder Fall, who smiled somewhat warmly at Weiss.

"Huh? What do you mean?"

The Senior eyes burned brightly as she pointed to her own. The two others at the table chuckled as Weiss realized she was still wearing her swimming goggles. Weiss quickly removed them and shoved them into her backpack, looking back to the table.

The two joining Cinder were Emerald Sustrai, Junior, and Mercury Black, also a Junior, and though Cinder sounded genuine, their chuckles were not.

It didn't bother Weiss though.

It wasn't the first time she wore swim gear to class. In fact, she once arrived at her history class still in her swimming suit. She toughed it out, refusing to change. Weiss wouldn't let something like that bother her.

"Well," Weiss began, acknowledging the group, "thank you for letting me know."

"Of course." Cinder leaned over the table, lacing her fingers together under her chin. "What else are friends for?"

Weiss' eyes darted from Cinder's enunciated chest to her eyes. "I wouldn't exactly call us 'friends.'"

"Oh?" Cinder tilted her head, her bangs shifting over her eye. "Well, that's a shame. I would consider us friends."

"You should be grateful," Emerald growled lowly, her fist clenching on the tabletop.

"Emerald, hush."

Emeralds head lowered, shamefully. It was obvious that she cared for Cinder, but most people knew that Cinder either didn't notice or, simply, didn't care. Most figured it was the latter, and so did Weiss.

Cinder's eyes moved back to Weiss, slowly scanning up her body. This caused Weiss to feel a little uncomfortable, unconsciously stepping back, her arms folding across her chest.

"Are you trying out for the Swim team this year?"

"Of course I am." Weiss looked back at her friends, both eying Cinder's group. She turned back to the three. "I have a state record to uphold."

"And I'm sure you will maintain it." Cinder continued to smile at her, but Weiss' eyes were drawn away from her and her obvious cleavage to Mercury. Leg crossed over the other, with a smirk on his face, Mercury stared at Weiss. Not anywhere in particular, just at her.

Weiss adjusted herself, turning her hips towards him, lowering her arms to her side.

"Well, new students are starting today," Cinder continued, drawing Weiss' attention back to her, "are you worried?"

"Worried? I don't think some kid is going to take my record from me."

"I'm sorry," Mercury interrupted, "didn't you set your record as a Freshman?"

"Yes, but I worked my whole life for that." Weiss was feeling a bit cocky. "I don't think an under-trained first year will be able to upstage me."

"Well, let's hope you're right." Cinder stood up, Mercury and Emerald quickly did the same, heading towards the cafeteria doors. "It would be a shame if someone did."

A shiver ran up Weiss' spine as cold air blew in from the outside, Cinder and her followers walked out into the courtyard. The sun, now higher in the sky, set the courtyard ablaze in a warm glow.

"That sounded like a threat." Yang stood behind Weiss, hand on her hip.

"I know, can you believe that?" Weiss turned on her heels and headed towards the kitchen.

"Actually, yeah," Yang responded, nodding and looking at Blake, who shook her head and turned back to the table.

In the kitchen, Weiss looked over the food, deciding on wheat toast, egg whites, and milk. She nodded and thanked the cafeteria worker and headed back to her friends. Setting her tray down, Weiss took off her backpack and hung it on the back of the chair before sitting.

Blake and Yang were having an avid discussion about something. Weiss wasn't listening. Her focus was on the food and Cinder's words. Weiss spread butter over the toast and took a bite, looking between her friends at the wall in the distance.

What on earth did Cinder mean?

Yang said something that caused Blake to laugh.

Does she know something I don't?

"Weiss, are you okay?"

Weiss snapped back to reality. Mouth full of toast, she nodded, "Uph courfse."

"Weiss, don't talk with your mouth full," Blake said, giggling softly. She closed the book she had in front of her, having not turned a single page since Weiss' arrival.

Weiss swallowed her mouthful and sipped some milk. "Sorry. I'm distracted right now."

"Is it about what Cinder said?" Yang gently combed her hair with her fingers.

"A bit, yeah." Weiss nodded slightly.

"Don't let it bother you." Blake placed her hand on Weiss' arm. "She's obviously trying to psych you out."

"Yeah, and besides, you're going to have an awesome team this year." Yang pumped her arm. "My sister is trying out too!"

"Oh yeah, she's starting this year, isn't she?"

"That's right!" Yang gave Blake an enthusiastic thumbs up.

Weiss has been friends with Yang for a couple years but she never met her sister, Ruby. Yang talked about her a lot. Weiss knows that the two sisters share a dad, but separate moms, and that Ruby is just as hyperactive and enthusiastic as Yang, but maybe a bit more clueless. She was a kid, after all.

"Well, I look forward to seeing her perform," Weiss said supportively, "the Freshman team could use a good swimmer."

"Nah, she's going Varsity. I guarantee it."

"Where is she anyway?" Blake asked, glancing at the clock. She put her book back into her bag. It was almost time for class.

"At that Freshman orientation thing." Yang put on her backpack in response to Blake packing up her stuff. "She wanted to meet you, Weiss, but Dad didn't want her to be late."

"I look forward to meeting her as well." Weiss smiled, finishing up her food. She stood up, taking her tray to the trash can and dumping in what remained of her breakfast, placing the tray on top with the others. Weiss quickly headed back to the table and grabbed her bag before joining her friends at the door.

The three talked a bit more until the bell rang, saying their goodbyes before heading to their respective classes.

"Say hi to Flynt and Sun for me!" Yang called out to Blake. Blake waved as she headed back towards the Auditorium side of the courtyard, the band room was just on the other side. "And I'll see you in Math."

Yang winked at Weiss before they bumped knuckles and split across the courtyard into two separate buildings. Weiss hurriedly walked to her classroom, she didn't want to risk being late on her first day. She opened the door to the building and quickly jumped aside as a student on roller blades came speeding out of the hallway.

"Coming through!" The student yelled before being stopped by Coach Ironwood.

"Ms. Katt, you are not supposed to be riding those things inside. Someone could get hurt."

Weiss shook her head and moved inside the building, pushing her way through the hurried crowd of teenagers to get to her first class of the day.

The classes seemed to move by in a blur. Mostly introductions from the teachers and their students. Each teacher passing out an unnecessary amount of pointless paperwork for parents to sign, mostly about the curriculum and what to expect of your children. No teacher began teaching anything that day, none except Dr. Oobleck, who immediately delved into his history teachings before students could even pull out their notebooks.

"Each day is an opportunity to learn," he would spout each time a student complained.

Just as quickly as it began, the day was over. Students poured out of the buildings and to the buses, or their cars. Weiss, on the other hand, moved quickly to the locker room. Her mood gradually changed throughout the day. First from being mildly interested in being there to overly excited.

Today was the day. It was time for her to once again show off her skills.

Weiss opened her locker and grabbed her swimsuit.

"Well, look who's back for another year." A cheerful voice said behind Weiss.

Weiss turned around to see Velvet Scarlatina, happily smiling at her. Velvet was a senior student and was one of last years team captains. She was already changed into her one-piece swimsuit, the same as Weiss' suit. They were the previous year's uniforms, all black with the school's logo on the upper left chest, and again on the back.

"Velvet! It's great to see you again," Weiss said, pulling her into a hug.

Velvet hugged her back, gently. "Oh, it's good to see you too." She stepped back from the hug. "Have you been practicing during the break?"

"Of course," Weiss nodded, standing up straight, "I have a title to defend."

Velvet giggled warmly, "Of course. Just don't take Captain away from me, this year."

"I would never," Weiss said, playfully offended, "I couldn't replace my favorite Captain."

"Do you mind telling Ren that?" The girls giggled. Ren, a junior boy, was the other team captain from the year prior. "Well, shower up and I'll see you out there."

Velvet waved and headed out of the locker room. Weiss waved in return and looked down at her uniform. She felt warm inside. She was a welcomed part of the team. She didn't feel like anyone judged her because of her family when she was with the team. She, honestly, felt more at home in the pool.

Weiss showered up and changed into her swimsuit. She walked out of the locker room into the gymnasium. Groups of students were scattered about around the pool. Some talking while others stretched. In the stands were some parents and other students there to support those trying out for the team.

At the base of one of the stands, Weiss spotted her friends. Blake and Yang had both shown up to show their support. They were talking to another student. She was shorter than both of them and she was wearing a red one-piece suit. Her hair was black with red accents, she was giggling and laughing with the two.

That must be Yang's sister.

Weiss started walking over to the group. Blake looked over and waved, this caught Yang's attention. Spotting Weiss, Yang threw her hands into the air and waved them frantically.

"Weiss! Weiss!" Her voice echoing off of the gymnasium walls.

The girl, Weiss suspected to be Yang's sister, began to turn around before someone stepped in front of Weiss, blocking her vision of her friends. It was Coach Goodwitch.

"Alright, students," she said, loud enough for all to hear, "please, gather around."

Weiss no longer cared at this point to meet Ruby. She had to focus. This was her time.

Each student in a swimsuit gathered, in a semi-circle, around Goodwitch. Two students stood next to her. Velvet and the other team captain, Ren.

Coach Goodwitch, looked about the crowd of students. "Alright, this is a very good turn out. It brings me great joy to see how many of you are eager to be apart of our team."

Weiss glanced at the crowd, mostly filled with smiles she could assume was eagerness.

"As many of you may know, Remnant High School is very well known for our extracurricular programs. From our sports teams to the arts, our students, from many different backgrounds, have proved that Remnant is top tier when it comes to talent.

Look around you." Goodwitch gestured to the banners hanging around the gymnasium. "As you can see, our swim team has been exceptional. From winning state competitions to even having swim record holders, we have been very successful but unfortunately, have not qualified for nationals. But, I feel this year could be different."

Weiss wiggled a bit. She was excited. While she was able to perform with the team twice before at the state competitions, she never thought of the opportunity of swimming at the National Swim Competition. Thinking about the opportunity made Weiss both ecstatic and anxious.

Goodwitch continued, "I will now turn you over to our Team Captains, Velvet Scarlatina and Lie Ren."

Goodwitch took a step back as the crowd softly clapped for them.

Velvet giggled softly, "Thank you so much for those words of encouragement, Ms. Goodwitch, and to all of you," Velvet gestured to the crowd before her. "Ren and I are very excited to work with all of you."

"But, before we commence with the tryouts, we will be running you all through some drills." Ren continued. "Let us begin."

After the drills were completed, the large number of students were split up into groups. The groups were randomly assigned as to give no advantage to any student. Each group would then race, and be timed, using any preferred style of swimming of their choosing. After each group had gone, the groups were then rearranged randomly once again and would race one final time. Weiss was in the very last group.

Breathe In. Breathe out.

The students stepped up onto the blocks. Weiss phased everything out of her mind. Her only focus was the pool. Everything else was irrelevant. Even the supported cheers of her friends would only distract her.

Focus.

"Take your mark."

Each student got into position.

"Ready."

Let's show them what you can do.

At the blow of the whistle, Weiss was the first off the block, diving into the water. Her training and quick reaction time giving her an early advantage over the other students. She swam quickly and gracefully through the water to the end of the pool, diving under and flipping around, kicking off the water and making her way to the other side. She watched as the other students were just making it to the end as she made her way back. She had this.. or did she?

Just before the end, her focus broke as a red blur moved past her from the next lane, touching the finish first.

Weiss nearly froze, only remembering to touch the finish before the next student could. Her eyes were wide, her heart beating out of her chest, her breathing irregular.

What just happened?