As the opening ceremony began, the last of the remaining students made their way to the main hall. From the seniors to the freshmen, Ruby felt intimidation creeping up her back and latching onto her shoulders. Even if Yang was with her, it still wouldn't stop the butterflies roaming around in her stomach.

It was pretty clear to Yang that Ruby was anxious. Patting her sister's shoulder, she smiled and leaned closer to her ear. "What do you say after this we go on a bike ride, eh? Curfew isn't until 9 tonight, so we can hang out and explore Vale. You brought your helmet, right?"

Ruby nodded. She loved going out on her motorbike with Yang, especially with the brisk fall winds blowing about. Although she has her semblance of speed, her outbursts do a number on her, eating away at her energy. So instead of running all over town, she resorts to motorbikes as her transport. Taught by her sister, she tends to be a little reckless on the roads, almost getting fined for speeding a few times.

Aside from training and believing lies, motorbiking really seems to relieve Ruby of the stress and pain caused by her burden. She sees it as one of the few ways she can actually have fun.

"Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen, I'd like to welcome you all to Beacon Academy. My name is Professor Ozpin, headmaster of this academy. I'd like to congratulate you all on making it this far on your journeys to becoming dependable hunters and huntresses. To begin the opening ceremony, there are a few announcements I'd like to address. First off—"

After having her attention span run out, Ruby stopped paying attention and looked to her sister for some release of her boredom. Yang had caught a glimpse of something, and Ruby wanted to figure out what it was.

"Psst!" Ruby whispered, trying to get the blonde's attention. "Yang, what are you staring at?"

Yang didn't respond, keeping her attention fixated on whatever it was she was staring at. Ruby tried to match her gaze, following the direction Yang's eyes were look in. What was she looking at?

Ruby found the source of Yang's attention. A girl dressed in primarily black with a black bow on top of her head. It wasn't a matter of what Yang was staring at, but who. At this point, Ruby would never be able to gain Yang's attention, so she resorted to observing her fellow freshmen. These people would eventually know Ruby, and essentially working with her in the future in the line of duty. It'd be impossible to avoid meeting at least someone that wasn't her sister before the end of the next four years. She couldn't go against her father's words though. Disobedience was not taken lightly in her family, especially when it came down to that very rule.

But she wouldn't be able to help it. She can't help it. Under her shy persona is an eager girl who longs for relationships with friends and possibly a romantic partner like the hunters and huntresses in the stories she'd read. But the question is…

Where would she start?

Social skills were never her forte, considering the fact that she's never had an actual friend. But that wouldn't stop her from trying.

"—and with that, that concludes the opening ceremony. I hope you all are prepared for tomorrow, as it is the most important part upon attending this academy. Thank you all for attending and welcome to Beacon."

Ruby elbowed Yang in the stomach, causing the blonde to snap out of her trance.

"Ow, why the heck 'dya do that?"

"Did you hear anything Ozpin said about tomorrow?"

"Nope."

With a facepalm, not only was she disappointed in herself for not paying attention, but also her oaf of an older sister who can't pay attention to anything other than that girl with the bow.

"We're screwed."

—

The loud engines of two motorbikes echoed throughout the city of Vale. Ruby was surprised with how big the city was, tall buildings and apartment complexes towering over the streets. The city had a certain charm, one that definitely was different compared to Patch. She liked Vale. She felt free, free to do what she desired.

The breeze felt good blowing through her hair. Even though she had a helmet—which Yang always nagged at her to use—she didn't always wear it. Although there were no restrictions on helmets, it was definitely advised. But why wear a helmet on a nice evening like this? It was the perfect temperature, and it's not likely that a day like this would come up again.

They came to a stop when the light above turned red.

"So Yang, do you know what's going on tomorrow? Ozpin said he hoped we were all prepared because something important was gonna happen?"

Yang caressed her chin to recall what Ozpin had told her when she registered. "Oh yeah, he said that tomorrow is the day they put us into our teams and decide our partners. Dad already asked Ozpin to put us together for your sake, but Ozpin said he won't put me as your partner. So we both get different partners. But that's fine, it'll be great. Do you have any preferred people you want on our team?"

"At the moment, no. I don't know anyone here except for you."

"What about Sassy? You seem to look at her a lot."

Ruby didn't deny that, but she didn't like the fact that Yang had been watching her. "Maybe. But you don't like her, do you?"

"Who said I didn't like her? She just seems like a lot to handle, but who knows? All I know is that I want that chick in the bow to be my teammate."

"So you've taken a liking to her now? But what about that girl at Signal?"

Yang shook her head. "Nah, she seemed a little too clingy. Also, I think this stoplight is broken. We've been on standby for a little while now."

"Yeah, do you want to just turn right? We can get some coffee and stuff somewhere."

"Sure, sounds good Rubes," Yang said, revving her motorbike along with Ruby.

They proceeded and turned right, continuing to the nearest coffee shop. Parking their bikes by the sidewalk, the sisters made their way to the building nearby. Upon entering, they were immediately hit with the smell of fresh coffee and pastries. Ruby noticed that in the corner of the cafe was the girl in the bow, sitting by the fireplace with her coffee and a book. She elbowed Yang's arm gently to get her attention.

"What is it Rubes?"

"Look who it is," Ruby pointed out the girl in the corner. "You should go talk to her. I'll get the coffee. I know what you'd want anyway."

This brought a smile to Yang's face. Gratitude filled her as she made her way to her potential partner. Even if she didn't know this girl, she felt as if they were soulmates. That they were bound to each other by fate. Ruby didn't believe in such things as fate or soulmates, but Yang definitely did. And even though Yang had had crushes on other girls before when she was younger, she couldn't find the right one.

At last, she had thought that maybe this was the person at the end of her red thread. Ruby usually found it a little irritating whenever Yang would talk about fate and such, but she still supported her and her choices. She was her sister after all. And in this case, she had to be her sister's wing-woman.

Yang walked up to the girl with her usual smile, sitting in a chair right across from her. The girl looked up from her book momentarily, anticipating a conversation to start.

"I've seen you before. You go to Beacon, right?"

The girl nodded.

"I do too. I'm Yang Xiao Long," Yang stuck out her hand for the girl to shake.

The bowed girl closed her book and set it down, shaking Yang's hand. "I'm Blake Belladonna."

"Blake Belladonna? That's a really pretty name. Are you a freshman too?"

Blake nodded again, not really knowing what more to say.

As Yang continued to strike a conversation with her, Ruby made her way to their table with her beverages in hand. She handed a caramel frappe to her sister while sipping on her own.

"Thanks Rubes. This is Blake; she goes to Beacon like us," Yang said, taking the drink into her hand. "Blake, this is my sister Ruby."

Blake seemed a little too shy to shake with Ruby, and Ruby didn't know what a handshake was. She's never met anyone else, what was she supposed to do?

Regardless, Ruby decided to leave the two alone. She knew Yang would want to get to know her supposed soulmate, and she never enjoyed being a third wheel.

"Hey Yang, I'm gonna go train in the Emerald Forest."

"Alright, be safe and drive safely." Yang waved her off as she left the table.

Ruby left the shop with a hefty sigh. Should she have gone against the only thing she knew? What would've happened if she had done anything but sit there awkwardly? It doesn't matter now, she can't fix the past.

Revving her motorbike, she drove back to the campus and prepared to face more Grimm head on. Crescent Rose was primed and set, her combat uniform tidy and neat. Summoning her large weapon, she rushed straight into the forest, disappearing into the sea of green and Grimm.

—

It had been at least a good hour or two that Ruby had spent fighting off Grimm. She had taken down at least a dozen Ursa, a pack of Beowolves, and a few Nevermores. It was starting to get dark, but she couldn't figure out which way she came from. She had been wandering for the last 30 or so minutes just trying to find a path to lead her back. Of course she hasn't found any.

Continuing through the the trees, she heard fighting nearby. A sword was clashing against a few beasts. Some yelling and the sound of summoning? What could be going on?

Ruby took pursuit in these noises, hoping that someone could help her get back to Beacon. She caught a quick glimpse of the fighter, and that's when she realized—

It was the angry white chicken.

She stood from behind a tree, not wanting to interfere with her fighting session. Not yet at least.

"A Schnee…is never supposed…to be weak! A Schnee is never supposed…to be at fault!"

Frustration filled the atmosphere as the girl in white angrily beheaded a couple of Beowolves.

"How is this, Father?! Am I strong enough now?! Will Weiss Schnee ever be strong enough for you?!"

Just as a Beowolf was sneaking behind her, Ruby rushed to save her, slicing the creature down the middle. Rose petals floated about as she folded her scythe back into compact mode.

The girl in white stowed her weapon away and crossed her arms. "What are you doing?! I could've handled myself!"

"If you didn't see that Beowolf, obviously you couldn't!" Ruby retorted.

"Anyway, what are you doing here? Isn't it a little too dangerous for children to be here alone?"

Ruby looked away, staring at the ground in slight embarrassment. "Well…I'm not alone now, am I?"

"Ugh, never mind. Why did you find me?"

"I got lost trying to get back, and then I heard you fighting, so I followed the noises until I found you."

The girl in white looked at her surroundings and suddenly her demeanor changed. She hadn't realized beforehand, but now she knew. She was lost as well.

"Alright, look. Curfew will be coming soon, so we'll need to stick together to get out of here. We'll be working together in the future I assume, so…I'm Weiss. Weiss Schnee." She held out her hand, and as much as she didn't want to, she felt obligated to do so.

"I—I'm not supposed to meet anyone…I—"

"As much as you and I don't want to do this, we have no choice in the matter"—a Nevermore suddenly screeches loudly above them—"so you light as well stick with me for now. Now tell me your name and let's get this over with."

"I-I'm Ruby Rose." She hesitated before shaking Weiss' hand.

As soon as their hands made contact, Ruby felt something form inside her. A silver string that only she could see was now tugging at her, the other end connected to Weiss. It was different compared to her family. She had silver strings tied to them, but she never felt any tugging like she does with Weiss.

A small smile formed on her lips when she figured it out.

Her first bond.

Yes, Ruby uses a motorcycle. You'll all see why in the future.

Until next chapter!

-Scarlet