Hey guys! I just want to say thanks to everyone who has followed the story so far. This story at this point in time is at 104 followers. Like, what?! Super exciting for me, and I can't believe this is doing so well. This means a lot to me, and you guys are the best. I think I am becoming more comfortable in my writing, so things might seem more relaxed as time goes by.
I also wanted to comment on a few reviews I got over the past week. Metalcorpse -awesome name by the way- said they found it strange that some random 15 year old can run like an Olympian. I wanted to keep aspects of their semblances in the show alive in this story. So Ruby is able to keep up her speed for longer periods of time, whereas a real person needs to pace themselves and slows down over time. Yang is going to have incredible pain tolerance, as well as stamina and endurance. This will be tough to do with all the characters, but I am going to do my best.
KibaPT commented that Ruby's hair isn't brown, but black and red. I know. Ruby is actually dyeing her hair brown right now, and we will find out later why. Don't worry, pretty soon she will have her natural, red-tipped black hair back.
Weiss lay on her bed in the quiet house and stared at the ceiling. She thought about what had happened this morning with Ruby, and about the conversation she had with Coco and Velvet after she had stormed away from the younger girl. She had been angry and upset with Ruby, but also herself. She shouldn't have let Ruby get under her skin so fast, really they didn't even know each other. She had always believed that if people wanted to be around her, fine, and if they wanted to leave, let them. No hard feelings; Weiss didn't like people anyway.
So she had been angry with Ruby for brushing her off, and angry at herself for caring. Then while she was still upset and confused by her own feelings she had that talk with Coco about what Velvet had overheard during Ruby's phone call. Now she didn't know what to feel.
She had huffed back into the café to rejoin her friend, but instead of being at the table Coco was standing by the do to the employee's only break room. Coco had looked concerned, and after waving Weiss inside the room she closed the door so it was just them and Velvet. Velvet looked upset and her rabbit ears were both drooped down as she looked up at them.
"What's going on Coco?" Weiss had asked. She was not used to seeing Coco so pensive, and she was concerned that she had been brought into the employees' only room. Seeing Velvet so down was also concerning.
"Velvet here happened to overhear part of Ruby's conversation on the phone. I think you need to hear what she heard."
Coco just sat down and looked to Velvet, who lowered her eyes to the table they were sitting at. Weiss almost told her she didn't want to hear it, but despite still being so upset at Ruby she was still curious about her. Having Coco looking so upset also made her want to know even more. Weiss sat down and waited for Velvet to speak.
"W-well, I didn't mean to listen in, I just couldn't help but overhear as he was yelling at her a bit, and with my ears I tend to pick up things I shouldn't sometimes." Velvet explained nervously. Neither Weiss nor Coco said anything and waited for Velvet to continue.
"She had just complained about not knowing about a delivery, and I-I heard him tell her that she would do whatever he wanted, and that he was the only reason her and her sister were no longer digging in dumpsters to live. Then he told her that she could find herself on the streets again in flash." Velvet took a deep breath after speaking. She didn't know Ruby, but she couldn't help but feel sorry for her if what the man on the phone said was true. If what she could assume based on the conversation was true she wasn't really sure what any of them could do.
"Thank you Velvet, you can go back out there if you want." Coco had told the faunus after a few moments. Velvet thanked her and left the two girls alone.
Weiss had just stared at the table for a while, unsure of how to process the new information. How was she supposed to react to this? Should she be feeling anything at all? After the upset with Ruby just a few minutes prior Weiss just didn't know how to react.
Coco watched Weiss as she processed the information. To most people it would have appeared as if Weiss did not react at all, but Coco had known her a long time and could see the emotions behind the icy mask she wore. Coco hadn't been sure she should tell Weiss about what Velvet had heard, but honesty and information were always the best ways to get through any situation.
Weiss only looked up from her musings when she heard a small metal clatter on the table and saw that Coco had taken her sunglasses off and laid them down. Weiss' eyes widened at the sight. Oh no, the glasses are off. It's real talk time.
Coco only took the sunglasses off when she slept, or when she was about to deliver some advice that she wanted the other person to take seriously. Her dark brown eyes had an intensity that could captivate just about anyone.
"How did things go with Ruby when you followed her?"
Weiss had not expected that question and stammered a bit when she answered. "S-she s-sort of blew me off. Basically told me that she didn't want to see me again." Weiss' shoulders slumped as she remembered.
"I think that's for the best." Coco's voice was firm.
"W-what?"
"I think it is best if you don't actively seek out Ruby. From what I have been able to gather in the last hour or so it's that Ruby has secrets. I don't know if those secrets can get you hurt, and I do not want to find out." Brown eyes stared into crystal blue.
"As far as I am concerned you should have no reason to want to see Ruby again. She helped you, and you repaid her with breakfast. Leave it at that. It sounds like Ruby could possibly have had a pretty tough life, but we don't know her. I don't mean to sound insensitive, but I don't care about her. If her life has been hard I feel sorry for her, but I care more about you."
"I don't understand why you think simply knowing Ruby would be somehow bad for me." Weiss said. "What does her having had a rough life have to do with being friends with her?"
Coco sighed. Sometimes Weiss was too kind for her own good. Once you got past the frosty exterior and worked your way through all the attitude Weiss was really one of the nicest people you could meet. She had a little trouble expressing herself, but under it all Weiss was a very caring person.
"I don't think her life was hard, I think it still is hard. Her boss said that if she didn't do what he wanted then he could throw her out on the streets again. Weiss, I think I know why she didn't want to answer any of my questions before. She still is a street kid, and it sounds like she is working for someone who has no problem taking advantage of someone's circumstances to get what he wants. We don't know what she has had to do to in her life, but I think it is very possible that nothing was legal."
Coco could see Weiss thinking about what she said, about what befriending someone like Ruby would mean.
"I just don't want to see you get mixed up in anything that could get you hurt. Walking around with some street kid with a questionable past, and a suspicious job does not seem like sound logic." Coco took a deep breath. She had had a few minutes before Weiss got back to think over the new information about Ruby. Putting everything together with her own impression of Ruby, and how Weiss seemed to open up to her incredibly fast, Coco only had one last thing to say.
"All that being said, Weiss, if you do decide to seek out Ruby again I won't try and stop you. Despite the concerning nature of that phone call, I didn't feel that Ruby was a bad person, maybe just stuck in bad circumstances. I just want you to be cautious about this, and I don't want to see you get used either. Neither one of us can say that we never had someone try to use us for their own purposes. You just seemed to open up to her so fast, and I want to make sure you don't end up attached to someone who only wants to use you."
Weiss had left a few minutes after that and headed home where she was currently staring at the ceiling going over the whole conversation for the hundredth time. I don't know what to do. Really, Ruby shouldn't concern me so much.
To start with even if she wanted to see her again it wasn't likely to happen. With no way to contact her, and with no idea where she actually lived the odds of seeing each other again were almost zero. So if she did want to see her again, how would she even find Ruby?
Weiss was also still upset at Ruby for leaving the way she did, but with a bit more knowledge into her circumstance Weiss guessed she could understand why Ruby did what she did. If what her and Coco assumed was correct, Ruby was probably involved in some sort of illegal activity. This assumption also led to a very important question to Weiss. What could she have possibly delivered to my Father?
Weiss had no doubt that her Father was not afraid to deal in, shall we say, shady business. Jacques Schnee did whatever he felt was necessary for business, and he always aimed to get away with as much as he could. As a result the Schnee name was hated by Faunus, and feared by other businesses.
Weiss sighed and looked at the clock. 1:28 a.m flashed at her and she groaned as she realized she had been laying there for hours getting nowhere with her thoughts. Realizing how exhausted she was she got ready for bed. As her head hit the pillow she decided that she would go think more about this in the morning.
After Ruby had broken Posy's wrist Cinder took Ruby back into her office and told her she had the job. Ruby asked if she could work under a nickname so that word didn't get around that she was fighting in Ember. Cinder had already thought of that and told her that they would pick a name before her first night shift when there would be more people present.
For now she was just introduced as Rose to the rest of the staff present. Cinder used this as her first day at work and Ruby had fought three more times before she left Ember at 8 o'clock that night. Ruby was grateful that she had the next day off to recover from those fights. Her last opponent liked to use a chain during her fights and at one point had wrapped her fist in the heavy chain and given Ruby a punch her intestines weren't soon to forget. Is this what Yang feels every night?
Ruby had won all three fights, but it had been a close call a few times. As good as Ruby was she was not a seasoned fighter, and some of the hits she had taken had nearly taken her down. She credited living with Yang all these years for her success tonight. One did not grow up with Yang without learning how to take a hit.
Fighters were payed based on performance, and amount of bets they were able to pull in. Ruby had earned almost two hundred lien today, and she smiled as she thought about her first successful day as a fighter. Now I just have to find a way to explain my split lip, black eye and the bruising almost everywhere else to Yang.
Putting on her hoody she began to jog towards Warehouse. Muscles stiff at first with pain she soon loosened up as her body fell into the familiar rhythm of running. She decided to take the long way around to avoid running into anyone she knew so close to Ember. Keeping this a secret was going to be the toughest part about being a fighter.
Reaching the back door of Warehouse a quarter to 9 she ran into Oakmont immediately inside and groaned internally at having to deal with him so early in the night.
Oakmont was a tall man at almost seven and a half feet tall. He towered over everyone and had a deep, gravelly voice and light brown hair with a shock of dark green running through the front. He saw Ruby and immediately slapped his big hand against her back with a big laugh as he noticed her ever darkening black eye.
"Someone finally try and knock some sense to ya, eh Rosy?" He guffawed at her grimace at the nickname. She hated it when he called her Rosy, which is probably why he called her that so often she admitted to herself.
"I know I said it earlier, but good job with Schnee this morning. He even gave you a tip, which you can collect at the end of the night." He smirked and leaned down close to her face. "Now what did you do to earn such a big tip, hmm?"
She shoved his face away and stomped over to the counter to return her backpack. She hated it when Oak got smarmy, it really was the worst part about him.
"I told him that to make up for the incompetence of my boss for not notifying me of his delivery sooner that next time he is in town I will offer him my services, within the limits of services offered by the Warehouse."
Oak's smirk turned into a scowl as he realized she had called him incompetent, but he didn't feel like getting too worked up about it tonight. He had found a new fighter and he knew that putting her up against Yang would be the perfect way to break her in.
"Whatever, Rose. You're in section seven tonight, so grab your box and head over there. I expect a lot of cash to come in tonight, and I want everything set up so we can get it." With that Oakmont walked down the steps just behind the counter and headed to his office.
Ruby grabbed her box and her bet book, and headed down the stairs as well. Taking a second flight of steps down she walked into the fighters lounge and found Yang punching away at a punching bag hanging from the ceiling. She watched Yang for a few moments, noticing that she seemed to be favoring her left side a bit with her jabs.
"You should wrap your ribs if they are bothering you this much." She said grinning as Yang visibly startled and turned around.
"Ruby!" Yang cried and rushed over and wrapped her in a bone crushing hug. Wincing more than usual at the squeeze to her ribs she patted Yang's arm in hello.
"Yang…please…air," she gasped out. She breathed in relief as her sister released her and stepped back.
"I haven't seen you all day and now you want to deny your dear, poor older sister from the only thing that brings her joy. How can you be so-what happened to your face?!"
Ruby winced as the question cut off her sisters dramatic monologue. Yang reached out and grabbed her head turning it side to side to look at the darkening bruise around Ruby's right eye, and the small cut on her lower lip.
Ruby winced at her sister's handling. She has worse bedside manners than a chimpanzee.
She shook free of Yang and held her sister at arms-length. "Yang, I'm fine. I just had a small accident while I was out today." Ruby could tell that Yang wasn't buying it, but she didn't have anything else to tell her. She quickly tried to change the subject.
"More importantly you were favoring your left side just now, so we should wrap your ribs before you go out there tonight." She sighed in relief as her sister grabbed onto the new topic.
"And what? Announce to everyone that I'm in pain and my ribs are easy targets? No thanks, lil' sis. I'll stay as I am." Yang sat down on a bench in a huff. She could handle a little pain, and she was not going to walk out there looking weak and covered in bandages.
Ruby just shook her head. "Fine, but I got us the day off tomorrow, and you are going to take it easy. You have to rest sometimes Yang."
Yang grinned at her, truly happy about the prospect of taking it easy. "You're the best little sister ever!" she cried. "How did you manage to score a day off from our oak tree of a boss?"
Ruby giggled at the old joke of calling Oakmont an oak tree. "Oh a high end client called and told him what a good job I did, and old Oaky got a little sappy." She grinned when Yang snorted a laugh at the terrible pun.
They went back and forth a few times trying to outdo the other with awful jokes, and by the end they were giggling uncontrollably. They heard a bell ring out in the arena, signaling that the fight would start in a few minutes. Ruby rushed over and gave Yang a hug.
"Make it seem like your right arm is the weak one and your left is the stronger. Then you can surprise whoever it is when you deliver a strong hit. Once they're off balance just keep pushing them."
"You're devious, lil' sis." Yang said as Ruby snatched up her box and headed for the door.
"Yeah, well I kind of have to be the brains since you're the muscle." Ruby smirked as she left, ignoring Yang's shouted "Hey!" behind her.
Ruby arrived at her section just as Yang stepped out into the arena. She was followed by a girl with long black hair and amber eyes. Ruby noticed the black bow on top of her head. Hmmmmm.
Ruby couldn't fully study the new girl before customers began shouting their bets at her. Each customer was given a number as they arrived that they were required to wear if they wanted to redeem any winnings on any bets placed. Ruby took stock of everyone in her section, about thirty people or so, and began to write down their numbers in her book. From there she went around and collected the money in her box after writing down the amount next to their number.
"All bets are made in cash, and no we do not accept checks," she had to tell one guy in a dark grey suit as he tried to slip in a check. Grudgingly he pulled a few bills out of his pocket and dropped it into the box. "Three hundred on the black haired girl." She dutifully wrote down his bet next to his number and walked away with a sigh. Some people.
Oakmont walked out into the Arena and motioned for everyone to quiet down.
"Good evening everyone! This is a very special fight I have prepared for you tonight. Long- time favorite Yang Xiao Long, and our newest addition Blake Belladonna will be our first match tonight. Let's see how Blake does in her initiation match!" With that Oakmont went to the edge of the arena and Yang and Blake both moved to opposite sides of the cage. Once they were in position and nodded that they were ready Oakmont left the cage.
"BEGIN!"
Ruby watched from the stands as they fought. She smiled when she noticed that Yang let her right arm droop a bit making it appear to be a weak spot in her defense and attack. The new girl seemed to pick up on this right away and rushed in to Yang's right side with a powerful kick. Rather than block and give away that her right side was perfectly fine, Yang swept down low under the kick and knocked the other girl off her feet.
Blake however twisted during the fall and caught herself on her hands and was instantly able to right herself back onto her feet. Yang backed up before the other girl could take another swing. That's some crazy agility she has there.
Blake rushed in again and threw a hard punch aimed at Yang's face. That punch turned out to be only a cover as Yang moved to defend her face and Blake instantly moved into a kick that hit Yang in her already bruised ribs. Not expecting the blow Yang took the full brunt of the kick and staggered to the side.
Ruby watched as Yang took the hit, wincing as she imagined the pain her sister must have felt. Ruby was trying her best to analyze Blake's fighting style, but it seemed to be blend of multiple fighting forms. She seems to favor kicks, but that punch had perfect form behind it. She is constantly aiming at Yang's weak points, and purposefully going for hits that will cause the most pain even if her opponent has good defense. She's ruthless.
Suddenly Ruby figured out what her fighting style was and she felt worried for Yang in this fight. Blake was a Krav Maga user. It was a martial art that incorporated several different fighting styles, and was known for its ruthlessness. It was geared towards instant incapacitation and giving no mercy to an opponent.
Blake moved in to deliver another kick to Yang's side, but Yang reached out her right arm and caught her foot against her side. Blake's eyes widened as she realized that Yang had been feigning weakness in her right side the whole time. Yang struck Blake in the face with a lightning fast left jab. With Yang still holding onto her foot Blake fell to the floor.
The crowd was cheering loudly as they were expecting to see Yang deliver some more hits to the downed girl, but they were all surprised when Yang suddenly jerked away from Blake and moved a safe distance away.
Ruby caught on quickly as she noticed Blake's face. Yang's punch should have broken the other girl's nose at the very least, but there was no blood to be found anywhere. That could only mean that somehow Blake had moved so that her cheek took the brunt of the hit, and had only feigned falling down to distract Yang. Luckily Yang had noticed instantly and had moved out of range of whatever attack the black haired girl had planned.
Ruby was pulled away from watching the fight as more people came up to place their bets or add to existing ones. Ruby was busy explaining that no, you could not switch who you had bet on before and could only add to your existing bet when she heard the crowd give a cheer.
Both girls were now on the ground, panting heavily as they watched each other. Blake had one eye that was rapidly trying to swell shut, and she spit out a mouthful of blood onto the floor. Yang was pressing her arm up against her ribs as pain was radiating throughout her body. She also felt blood drip down her chin from a split in her lip.
Blake stared as the blonde made it to her feet after a few moments. How is she able to move? Nothing I do seems to hurt her. What does it take to get her down?!
Yang watched as Blake also climbed back to her feet. I don't know how she does it, but she is somehow dodging everything I throw at her so that it lands somewhere else. I can't seem to make a solid hit!
The two battered girls slowly circled each other, both more cautious about what the other would do. Ruby watched as Yang slowly lowered her hands to her sides and simply walked around the arena, never taking her eyes off Blake. Ruby smiled as she figured out that Yang was using her own fighting style to throw Blake off. Making it appear that you were completely defenseless when in fact you were more dangerous the more relaxed you looked. Yang hasn't done this in a long time. She is completely serious about this fight, and I feel sorry for Blake for what she is about go through.
Blake was very suspicious about the tall blondes change in demeanor. Not only was she leaving herself wide open, but her face had gone completely blank. That blank expression was somehow more intimidating than any glare Blake had ever received. Those lilac colored eyes stared at her unblinking, and Blake forced herself to not let a shiver go up her spine.
Yang suddenly stopped moving and just stood standing in the middle of the arena, still staring straight at Blake. Blake stopped as well, feeling trapped in that gaze. Blake tried to think of what to do. She doesn't use kicks as much as she does punches, so her legs are probably the most defenseless part of her body. If I can just get her into a knee bar, this fight is over.
Blake moved in and threw a punch straight to Yang's solar plexus, hoping to know the bigger girl of balance and leave her open to the joint lock. Yang grabbed her fist and pulled, keeping Blake's momentum going forward. Blake caught on to what she was doing and jumped. She had hoped to use the jump to get behind the blonde while also using the same method of knocking her off balance with her own momentum, but Yang jumped with her, keeping them even.
Ruby saw the moment Blake made her mistake. She tried to twist around during the jump to break Yang's hold, but Yang pushed the girl into her spin causing Blake to over rotate. Off balance and now wide open Blake was lifted into air. Expecting a throw, Blake latched onto Yang's left arm to pull her with her, but Yang simply dropped her. As Blake was not expecting to be let go she had no time to react as Yang threw a massive punch up into Blake's falling body.
Blake's body seemed to bounce in mid- air at the force of the punch, then she fell to the ground in a heap at Yang's feet. Blake curled in on herself in agony as she tried to get some air back into her lungs, while also trying not to vomit all over the floor. The crowd erupted into cheers as Yang was announced the winner. Blake was still struggling to draw in breath when she felt two strong arms scoop her off the floor. Her eyes widened when she saw that it was Yang who was carrying her out of the cage and back into the fighters lounge. She wanted to push away, but she was struggling to breathe and couldn't muster the energy to do so.
Yang placed her flat on her back on a bench and went to grab two water bottles in a mini fridge against the wall. She came and placed a cold bottle against Blake's neck.
"Leave it there for a minute and just breathe. You'll feel better in a minute." With that Yang walked into an adjoining bathroom and shut the door.
Blake didn't understand what Yang was doing. She had lost. Why was her opponent showing her kindness? All her life she had learned that those who lost were not to be coddled; it only kept them weak because they never learned to be strong. Then again, it was running away from that kind of thinking that led her to where she was now.
Blake laid there with the cold water bottle against her neck, and she admitted that she did feel better. Hearing the bathroom door open she sat up and looked at the tall blonde walking toward her. She must have washed up while she was in there because now her face was blood free and she held a wet rag against her mouth to catch the blood still seeping from her split lip. Yang tossed a wet rag at Blake.
"I know you're not really bleeding, but I know I always feel better after a fight if I wipe down my face with some cold water." Yang sat down a few feet away with a loud groan.
Blake looked at the wet rag in her hands for a moment before laying it out across her face. The cold rag did feel really good against her hot skin. "Thanks," she said quietly, her voice muffled under the rag. She heard a small 'mmm' from Yang as acknowledgement. After a few minutes of silence they heard the sound of feet running down the stairs, and a small girl in a red hoodie burst through the door.
"Great job Yang!" she cried as she glomped onto Yang.
"Ruby, my dearest sister, did you doubt that I would win?" Yang said, obvious teasing in her voice.
Blake saw mischief flash in the smaller girls eyes. "Well when you started to fight like me I got real worried cuz' you stand there like a brick wall rather than flow with the movements."
Yang gasped in affront. "Brick wall?! My form was perfect, you must need glasses to have missed it." Yang pulled Ruby down onto the bench and began to rub her knuckles across the top of her head. Ruby squawked in protest, and the two began to play fight while bickering at each other.
Blake just watched them in bemusement. Ruby had Yang in a head lock when she noticed Blake looking at them.
"Hi!" she said brightly. Releasing Yang she stuck out her hand toward Blake. "That was a great fight! It's not every day you meet someone who knows Krav Maga. I'm Yang's sister, Ruby Rose."
Blake had taken Ruby's hand, but froze when the small girl mentioned her fighting style. Not many people even knew what it was, and it seemed that Ruby had identified it from watching just one fight. Just who are these girls?
Before Blake could comment the door burst open again and Oakmont came striding into the room.
"That was fantastic! I can tell you are gonna be a big hit around here, kid!" Oakmont was smiling ear to ear while clapping Blake on the back.
Blake didn't appreciate the contact and she was about to shift away when Ruby suddenly grabbed Oakmont's arm.
"Geez, Oak. She just got done with fight; she doesn't need your big ham hands dislocating her shoulder now."
Blake raised an eyebrow at the intervention, as well as Ruby's shift in attitude. Blake had the feeling that these two sisters were very strange indeed.
Oakmont just grinned down at Ruby. "Don't forget that you're in section five for the next fight." Oakmont left leaving the three of them alone once again.
"Awww I hate section five! It has the worst view." Ruby sat down on the bench in a huff and crossed her arms. Yang slung an arm around Ruby's shoulders and pulled her in close.
"You're supposed to be working, not watching the fights anyway, sis. Plus, Oakmont only gives you that section when you give him attitude, so it's your own fault."
Ruby just groaned and leaned into Yang's shoulder. Blake didn't know what to make of the two girls in front of her. Yang had won their fight, and then she took care of her. Ruby watched Blake lose and still told her it was a great fight.
Ruby noticed Blake looking at them and immediately moved forward.
"Oh! I forgot I wanted to ask you something. Why do you wear the bow? No one here cares if you're a faunus."
Blake's eyes widened in alarm. How did she know?!
"I wondered that too," Yang said as she looked over at Blake. "We have plenty of other faunus working here."
Blake couldn't believe it. How did they both see right through her?
"Is it so obvious?" she asked.
The two sisters glanced at each other and shrugged.
"Maybe not to most people, but Rubes and I are pretty observant. I figured it out while we were fighting because of your agility. Put that with the bow along with this feeling I just had about you, and I guess I just knew."
"I knew right away," piped in Ruby. "I saw the bow and for some reason I just thought faunus."
Blake shook her head. They just knew? These two girls just got stranger and stranger.
"I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell anyone. I would just prefer if people didn't know for a little while." She watched their faces closely.
"Not a problem."
"Your secret is safe with me."
Blake only saw sincerity in their eyes. After that the sisters completely dropped the subject of her being a faunus, and she was surprised that they had not even asked what kind of faunus she was. It seemed that they were completely fine with her wanting to keep it a secret, and were willing to respect her privacy.
Blake watched the sisters bicker at each other, completely fascinated by their relationship. It was nothing but constant teasing and squabbling, but Blake could hear the love underneath every word. Before Ruby had to get back to work she gave Blake some tips on how to improve her stance so she was harder to take off her feet. Yang also chimed in with a few examples from their fight. Blake didn't know how reliable advice from the younger girl was, but it was nice that she was even trying to help her fighting style.
As Ruby left and Yang began to prepare for her next fight, completely ignoring Ruby's last order to wrap her ribs in some bandages, Blake felt a small smile stretch her mouth for the first time in a while. They sure are strange, but I don't think it's necessarily a bad thing.
