Thanks for the support, guys!
Chapter 2: Just A Normal Friend
"The best way to hide is to show how normal you are. You'll only receive a glance before you're forgotten."
Jaune Arc
Ruby made a friend! Well, a potential friend.
Not someone who only wanted her as a means of meeting Yang, but someone who wanted to be her friend! Why couldn't making friends be this easy when she was in Signal? It took Ruby weeks after her first day at school to make one friend. And the only reason for that was because they were both weapon lovers!
She didn't have that crutch with Jaune, and yet they were still becoming friends.
It's only been a couple of minutes since he was kind enough not to leave her on the ground in defeat. They had spent their short time walking and talking. And even when her social ineptitude caught back up with her, Jaune didn't seem to mind at all and kept talking to her with a constant smile. Even now, when she was talking about her beloved Crescent Rose, he looked to listen to her intently.
This was so awesome!
She was about to ask about her new friend's weapon, keen on comparing their creations. She knew that in the end, no matter how incredible Jaune's weapon may be, it still wouldn't be able to compare to her Crescent Rose.
But there wasn't any sort of blade sheathed on the belt of his blue jeans, nor was there a rifle or spear strapped around his black and orange jacket that had a cute rabbit. She stared at the bunny a bit longer debating whether she should comment, but ultimately decided that judging her first friend's jacket might upset him. Her gaze went toward his wrists next. It would have been interesting to see Jaune have weapons similar to Yang.
She only saw bare hands that had those callouses she would never forget.
"Something on your mind, Ruby?"
She looked up to meet curious blue eyes. His upbeat attitude looked to have waned, but he still managed a smile. He must have felt uncomfortable from her staring. If there were a wall nearby, she would bash her head against it.
"Sorry, Jaune," she said. "I was just trying to find your weapon."
"Oh, it's at home."
Ah, home. That made sense.
"Wait! How could you just leave your weapon at home!?" a shrug from the weaponless man was her only response.
Okay, calm down Ruby! Maybe his weapon was so important to him, that he decided to have someone he trusted to bring it tomorrow before initiation. That made reasonable sense. Would she ever do that? Nope! But she didn't have to agree with her friend to understand his reasoning.
"I just forgot it." Oh, the humanity! "It's probably in my closet somewhere, gathering dust." Her heart can't take this anymore!
"Stop, stop, stop!" She dashed in front of him, rose petals scattering behind her in a violent maelstrom. Most people would have stared with their eyes bulging out from how fast she went, or try to swipe the petals away as if they were pesky flies. The only reaction she got from Jaune was a blink.
"Stop!"
"Blinking?"
"What?! No!"
"Breathing?"
"Keep breathing!" she shrieked, arms flailing as her face was getting hotter. Yang would have remarked how childish she looked, but this was too important to dwell on that! "How could you forget your baby?"
"But I'm still a virgin."
"Not what I meant!" she yelled again, feeling the heat in her cheeks become more like a fever. Ruby thought that only family could make her so flustered. Dad would smother her with affection in front of all her friends at Signal. Yang had a stupid insistence on talking about any boys Ruby might have liked (she didn't like any in that way!). Then Uncle Qrow who would always teach her class with a hangover.
With a hangover and still drinking.
"Jaune, how on Remnant could you forget something so important like your weapon?" Barring the few exceptions like Dad, and Yang, a Huntsman, was almost useless without one. If she were ever to forget her baby — which she would never — running away would be the only good thing she could do. Running toward danger to help people was what she wanted to do, not the opposite.
Like Summer, she was going to be an incredible Huntress and help people. But to do that, she needed Crescent Rose.
"How are you ever going to save someone without a weapon?"
"Here's a better question." Jaune immediately responded, eyes darting around to find something.
"What could be more important than forgetting your weapon?" she narrowed her eyes, not buying whatever his excuse was going to be. Ruby Rose is many things, but easily distracted is not one of them! When she wants to, she can be laser-focused!
"We're supposed to go to the auditorium, right?"
She rolled her eyes. "Well yeah, duh. But back to my question." See? Laser-focused!
"So where are we going?" he said, voice taking on a higher pitch.
Please be joking.
As he looks around the campus, his face falls to his palms crushing her hopes to powder. "I was following you."
"Me!" she shrieked. "I was following you!"
"It's fine," he said, with sudden new vigor in his voice. "We'll split up. I'll keep going in the same direction, while you run over there." He pointed in the opposite direction, where a cluster of buildings was standing. At least one of them had to be the auditorium. "If you find other students, call my scroll, and I'll book it to you." He took a few steps away from her, passing a large tree.
Even though the plan was bizarre, she nodded. It made more sense for both of them to go toward the campus. Jaune probably wouldn't find the auditorium, but she supposed strangers things have happened. After all, she never expected to sneeze on dust and explode. So she made a one-eighty turn, ready to sprint as fast as possible.
"Oh shoot, almost forgot! I need your num-"
He was gone, not even a small dot of him in sight.
"-ber." He's fast. Faster than... Could he be faster than her? Silver eyes widened at the possibility. "No way."
He can see the conflict in Ruby's bright eyes. Should she follow after her new friend despite not having a clue where he went? Or, did she forget about him and run the other direction, and hope to find other students? The latter was the better choice if she wanted to make it for the Headmaster's speech. But what may be a simple decision too many, others find the same problem perplexing.
Jaune may not seem like it, but he was reasonably adept at reading people. Then again, Ruby didn't seem that difficult to understand. She was nervous, but not about initiation. With how confident she sounded about her 'awesome' scythe and the speed she showed him, it was evident that the girl was capable in a fight.
No, this girl was nervous to meet new people. Not uncommon he supposed, but most Hunters in training have more confidence in themselves. His younger sister, Jade used to be shy like Ruby, but she eventually found her courage. It was about the same time she enrolled at his prep school. The same time his grades started to decline.
Jaune could only sigh. At the memory of his adorable little sister attending that awful school, and the fact that Ruby sped off.
In the same direction, she thought he went.
Before she could see him through her peripheral vision, he moves around the oak bark, thanking his luck for this convenient tree, and that Ruby didn't seem to entertain the thought that he would hide from her. He presses his back against the trunk. Ruby shouts his name, but her voice deafens in mere moments. The girl was fast, far faster than him.
Rose petals pass him, their only guidance the wind. Watching them dance through the air was a beautiful sight. He couldn't stop his lips from curving upward as the warm fragrance caressed him. So a trail of rose petals was the quirk of Ruby's semblance. Despite semblances being different from person to person, there are those with similar powers. What makes a semblance distinct from one another, is their identity of sorts. No offense to Ruby, but her enhanced speed isn't new. There are many with a semblance that increases their speed, whether it is the primary ability or just one of many skills. An advanced application of aura can vastly enhance a person's speed too, but that depends on the user's skill.
The identity of Ruby's semblance was a trail of petals, and from an aesthetic point of view, it was certainly beautiful. In certain situations, Ruby could use it to her advantage by hiding her small body among a red storm of petals.
The first petal of Ruby's semblance falls on the grass, dissipating upon contact. The other petals meet the same fate, one after the other. Despite how gentle the landing is, none are spared. Even the aroma he enjoyed disappears without a trace.
I'm sure Ruby will forgive me.
It did not sit right with him to just let her run off, but he was unsure if he wanted to go through more of her questions. Ruby is a sweet girl, but she was barking up the wrong tree. She obviously loves weapons, and firmly believes that any owner should treat their armament with respect. The idea of arguing with her felt worse than what he was doing now.
He did not lie when he told Ruby where he kept his weapon. Crocea Mors, his family's prized heirloom rested somewhere in his closet. For all he knows, his mom might have found it buried in a pile of clothes. It was amusing to think of the famous sword used by his great great grandfather as just another forgotten accessory lost in the closet of a teenager.
Despite the disrespect, he showed the sword; it is the Arc tradition for the sword to be given to the firstborn son. Even though four of his sisters would have much more use out of the well-known blade, his old man still gave it to him. The sword deserves someone who would use it to its full potential, but his father failed to understand.
Lucifer Arc, a wonderful man to many. He always doted on his children, giving them anything they want if it was within reason. His mother and sisters loved Lucifer to death. To Jaune, he was the man who signed him and all his sisters away as glorified mercenaries for the kingdoms. He acted the caring father, but what kind of parent takes away their child's freedom?
Jaune shook his head. There wasn't any point on dwelling the decisions of his father. Besides, it's the law to sign your child's future away if they show even the bare minimum of potential, so it's not like Lucifer ever had a choice.
It still didn't change how angry he was.
Something tickling his nose made him forget any anger he just had. His eyes look down at his nose, to see a rose petal. It did not fade away, but who knows how long its life will last?
How long will Ruby keep looking for him?
I just had to think about her again, didn't I?
"I can't believe we missed the headmaster's speech." Ruby spoke softly, her small frame becoming even smaller as she was about to fall on her knees again.
Everyone exiting the auditorium starts whispering to themselves as they watch Ruby's moment of despair. Which also means that all eyes are on him. Great, it's only the first day, and already the spotlight is too close to him.
"Ruby, I think we can both agree that whatever the headmaster said was probably boring. Also, people are staring."
She sighs but gets up without any argument. "Why do you have to be so bad with directions?"
"Sorry," he said. Jaune did his best to comfort the girl, but his options on the how were limited. If this were Jade, he would have patted her head. That always seemed to cheer his little sister up.
"It's fine," she sighs. Her silver eyes look up to him, a smile gracing her features. "At least I wasn't completely alone. I made a new friend, so that's cool. Who needs some dumb speech when I got to be with a friend."
Jaune had to agree with her. It was much nicer to walk around with Ruby than listening to that nuisance of a man prattle on about the importance of being the defenders of peace. He was going to voice his agreement with Ruby, and even suggest they find her sister together.
"Well aren't you two just adorable." Well, until a girl Jaune assumed to be Ruby's sister, brought the young girl in a smothering hug. While they look nothing alike, the reaction on Ruby's face was enough evidence for him to piece together their relationship.
That look of despair on Ruby's face was the same as Jaune's when his sisters used to bury him with love. It was both a pleasant and painful memory. Dreams of getting a girlfriend dashed because of the constant displays of affection from his siblings.
"Yaaang!" With more strength than what was expected of someone like Ruby, she somehow escaped her sister's hold. Though, that was probably thanks to the older sister loosening her grip to allow it. Around her, seemingly delicate wrists were yellow bracelets. Like him, there weren't any noticeable weapons on her person.
Which made those bracelets of hers stand out even more.
This woman was a martial artist. The black gloves she wore to protect her knuckles was proof enough, but her rather revealing outfit was also a significant outlier. Her clothes offered complete freedom of movement that a martial artist needed but also didn't have the skirt that many Huntresses seem to be adopting these days.
The lack of a skirt was important in this deduction because while Yang seemed like the type to flaunt her beauty, he was certain that an accidental glance at her underwear during a kick was off limits.
"Like what ya see?" speaking of flaunting one's beauty.
Ruby was a pretty girl, that cannot be denied. However, her sister was a different kind of beauty. She had the figure of a woman on the verge of full maturity. Like many huntresses, Yang was gorgeous— all toned muscle that complimented her vanilla skin. Her face lacked any imperfections, and the confidence in her lilac eyes showed that she knew this.
Unlike the younger sibling, Yang seemed confident in her beauty and personality.
"A twenty out of ten, for sure," Jaune said. "A perfect match for yours truly." With a smile that he practiced with his big sister Autumn, he winked at his fellow blonde.
A snort of laughter from both sisters made the long hours he spent practicing with Autumn seem worthless. Remnant truly was a cruel place.
"Was it the smile, or the wink?" He needed to get his technique down if he was ever going to get a girlfriend, and the young woman in front of him seemed to be the best person to ask.
Yang wiped away a tear, as her laughter died. "You rock them both lady killer! But maybe you're better off ditching the hoodie."
He looked down, looking at the mentioned article of clothing.
"My mom told me that girls love Pumpkin Pete."
Ruby giggled. "Don't listen to Yang. I think the hoodie is cute!"
At least Ruby gets it.
"That is so adorable!" Yang caught the smaller girl in a hug again, while having the widest smile he has ever seen. "My little sister is flirting with someone!"
"Yang! Get off me!"
Once again, all eyes were on them. As lovely as it was to be with Ruby, she, unfortunately, brought too much attention. Yang would probably be friends with everyone in Beacon with the bright personality she has. He wanted to be another faceless person. A shadow in the background while all the colorful and talented individuals have the spotlight.
Jaune supposed it wasn't a big deal. He wasn't going to spend much time with them anyway. These girls were pleasant company to keep for the day. So for now, he'll stand close to the spotlight.
It wouldn't matter tomorrow, because he won't be here any longer.
Writing this was a pain. Not that I didn't enjoy the process, but there was more I wanted to add! However, I think it would be best for the first few chapters to have a shorter word count. Don't fret, though. Each chapter will grow in length as the story goes on. Right now I am trying to get back in the groove of writing, and I am unsure about the word count goal I want for each chapter.
I am thinking a good 5000-7000 word count would be ideal, with some chapters getting particular attention with a higher word count. I'm still thinking it over.
As for the expected arrival of the next chapter, I promise that it will be released.
Eventually.
I am not going to promise a set time or date because I do not trust myself to keep that promise.
So you'll have to wait, I'm afraid.
Well, now that we've had that lovely conversation I'm going to boot up my ps4 pro and play some games.