Author's Note: In this chapter, Ringo doesn't involve himself as much in the Jaunedice episode and with Jaune himself. He will have a major role in Forever Fall. There's some action here, but it's kind of short. I originally had another battle with Ringo and Weiss, but I scrapped it. I felt like I had to improve how I type battles before I move onto bigger duels. I built up his relationship with Ruby and Weiss in this chapter. Next chapter, I plan to have it all original before the Forever Fall episode and focus on the others like Yang and Blake.
I don't really understand the class schedule in RWBY. In The Badge and the Burden, they were in Professor Port's class in the morning. When they left and Weiss went to the balcony, it looked like sunset. There doesn't seem to be any kind of time skip between her yelling at Ruby after class and her talk with Port. Are they in the same class all day or something? I'd appreciate if someone explained it to me.
darkstel: I don't really understand your review, sorry if that came off as rude. I don't have plans of changing up the OC anytime soon but thanks for saying everything is promising though.
Guest (Razmire): He has seen a psychiatrist, which is mentioned in this chapter. His friends have been helping him, mainly Team CFVY, but since it's his semblance, it can't really go away. And I think you'll be glad at who his opponent is.
Disclaimer: I don't RWBY. That's pretty much it…
Three weeks have passed. Beacon Academy life has been relatively peaceful for Team RRWBY since Ringo and Weiss made up. The two could be seen together for the majority of those three weeks. Whether it was studying together or just walking across the courtyard, they were spending more time together as partners and as friends.
Team RRWY had Combat Training class together. Blake was in another class. Combat Training class was run by Glynda Goodwitch and it was being held at the Amphitheater.
What surprised Ringo was that he hadn't had a single duel yet. Yang, Weiss, and Ruby have had at least two matches, each winning their own respective battles. It was almost as if Glynda was withholding him from participating at all.
If Ringo had to be honest, he was quite bored of watching Jaune get his ass handled by Cardin. This was what was happening right now as a matter of fact.
Jaune was leaning against his weapon, looking exhausted. Cardin was standing confidently with his mace resting on his shoulder.
"How much longer, Pyrrha?" Ringo asked. He considered Pyrrha and Jaune as his friends. He was already friends with Jaune beginning back to the first day. Weiss was the one who introduced him to Pyrrha. They bonded over their battle strategies and their winning streaks. Ringo told her how he went undefeated for a whole semester while Pyrrha shared her experiences winning the Mistral Region Tournaments four times in a row.
Ringo had tried getting along with Lie Ren, but Nora was always there to pull Ren away.
Pyrrha had her scroll in her hands. She handed him her scroll to show him Jaune's aura level. It was halfway depleted. Ruby was sitting next to Ringo, so she took a peek at what he was doing.
"What are you doing?"
Ringo gave Pyrrha back her scroll. "Just wondering when this match will be over. You can check teammates aura on your scroll by going on the team tab."
Ruby followed his instructions. She touched the team tab and saw Ringo, Yang, Weiss, Blake, and her own aura meters on it. Ruby's face scrunched up cutely seeing that Ringo's aura was depleted halfway too. Her eyes lingered on his form, trying to spot any injuries on the older teen.
"What's up?" Ruby pointed at her screen, specifically at Ringo's aura. He smiled warmly and ruffled her hair a bit. "Don't worry about that now, little red. I'll tell you eventually."
Ruby was disappointed that he wasn't going to tell her now. As team leader, it was her job to know everyone's strengths and weaknesses. If she had to guess, Weiss probably knew him better than her! She didn't even know what his semblance was!
"Cardin! That's enough!" Professor Goodwitch's voice brought their attention back to the battle. Cardin was standing triumphant over Jaune, as expected. "Students, as you can see, Mr. Arc's aura has now dropped into the red. In a tournament-styled duel, this would indicate that Jaune is no longer fit for battle, and that the official may call the match."
'Disappointed, but not surprised.' Ringo thought solemnly.
"Mr. Arc, it's been weeks now. Please try to refer to your scroll during combat. Gauging your aura will help you decide when it's appropriate to attack, or when it is better to move to a more... defensive strategy. We wouldn't want you to be gobbled up by a Beowolf, now, would we?"
Cardin snickered, "Speak for yourself." Cardin's teammates roared loudly at his victory.
Ringo coughed. He kept on doing so, growing louder and louder. Weiss elbowed his stomach, wanting him to stop. Ringo was coughing madly now, garnering everyone's attention.
"Is there something you need, Mr. Yin?" Goodwitch spoke, irritated by his coughing.
Ringo magically stopped hacking. "I noticed how everyone has had a duel except me. Since Cardin's aura hasn't been damaged at all." Jaune's cheeks reddened out of embarrassment. "I say it's about time I get to fight."
"Ringo. What are you doing?" Ruby whispered hushly beside his ear. Ringo ignored her and had a stare off with Cardin Winchester.
Cardin merely laughed. "You? The guy who failed? Oh, this is gonna be easy!"
"Does that mean you accept?" Cardin nodded, still grinning arrogantly. The two looked at Professor Goodwitch, waiting for her to give them the go.
"Go ahead. Mr. Yin, there's a reason why I held you off from duels. Don't make me regret this," Goodwitch warned him.
Ringo waved her off. "You can't do that forever. What kind of professor will keep their student from learning?" His response annoyed Glynda more.
Ringo walked up the small set of stairs. He passed Jaune on the way and gave him a sympathetic gaze. Jaune smiled weakly.
Ringo and Cardin stood a good distance from each other. The older teen pulled out Vinny from its holster while Cardin swung his mace around a couple of times. Ringo remained in his school uniform. Weiss ordered him some new clothes but they wouldn't arrive until another week.
"You're going to regret challenging me, failure," Cardin taunted. His teammates laughed, believing that Ringo was weak. What made them laugh boisterously was the hologram up above. It had a picture of the two, along with their aura. Ringo's was halfway full.
"He isn't even hundred percent! Cardin's got this!" Russel of Team CRDL, pointed out mischievously.
"Why's he fighting him then? Let him rest!" Yang scoffed. The last thing she wanted was for Ringo to get hurt.
"He must have a plan. Otherwise, what was the point of challenging Cardin?" Pyrrha reasoned. Chatter filled the amphitheater. No one had a clue as to why Ringo was fighting. No one except Weiss.
She had a nonchalant expression on her face. "Don't worry. He's got this." A bully like Cardin wasn't any much for an experienced duelist like Ringo.
"How? Oh! This might be Team RRWBY's first loss!" Ruby cried out. Weiss kept a straight face, concentrated more on the duel than Ruby's worries.
"You may begin… now!" Professor Goodwitch began the battle.
Cardin wasted no time. He charged directly at Ringo with his mace high up in the air. He smirked. One clean hit was all it will take to finish off Ringo and remain a dominant force.
"It's you who is going to regret this." Ringo raised his left hand up to his chest. Sparks of electricity circulated his left hand. A field of electricity was placed in front of Ringo, covering all of the stage floor, except from behind him. Weiss noticed this and made a mental note of it for future references.
Cardin froze mid-swing. His senses were instantly on high alert. Ringo pushed his left hand forward, firing the burst of Shock Therapy precisely at Cardin's cranium.
"Aghhh!" Cardin dropped his mace and clutched his head in pain.
"What in the…" Pyrrha watched the display with wide eyes. She, along with everyone else, expected Cardin to be electrocuted. That didn't happen. He screamed for no apparent reason.
Jaune stood by Pyrrha. He caught his breath and watched on with her.
"Haha!" Ringo slapped his cheek and shook his head rapidly. "That's better." He went into Punishment Mode. Ringo grabbed his staff with both hands and went for Cardin.
Cardin shook it off and kneed Ringo's stomach just in time. Ringo was sent back, and quickly recovered.
"Hey! Catch!" Ringo tossed Vinny at Cardin. The blonde caught the weapon, perplexed as to why Ringo gave him the advantage.
Ringo went back to Treatment Mode. He approached Cardin, the static field in front of him beneath the two. Cardin tossed Vinny out of the stage and retrieved his mace.
"Bad move! Now you're weapon less!" Cardin stayed back, strategizing his next move.
'Shit. I thought Vinny still had some electricity in it. Now I have to use my semblance.' Ringo cursed himself for making such a silly mistake. His eyes wandered over to Weiss. She nodded, seemingly understanding what he was telling her to do without any words.
Cardin ran left and right, attempting to confuse his opponent and strike when the opportunity was right. Unfortunately for him, he had no way of escaping the static field under him.
'This electricity isn't doing jack shit! He's even weaker than I thought!' Cardin momentarily forgot about him screaming randomly. Victory was all he was thinking about.
"Winchester~" Ringo cooed, his other personality beginning to come out. "I want to play~" He shot another bundle of Shock Therapy at Cardin, increasing his Madness.
Ruby recognized this side of Ringo and hid behind Yang. Weiss continued studying Ringo's style intently.
"Stop laughing dammit!" Cardin roared, swinging his mace horizontally. He hit Ringo's side cleanly. Ringo flew across the stage, his aura dampening significantly. It was straying from red.
Ringo did a kip up. He swiftly rolled to the side, dodging another swing from Cardin. Ringo followed this up with another shot of Shock Therapy to Cardin's head.
"Aghhh!" Cardin screamed. He kept his weapon on one hand and put grasped his head with the other. Ringo captivated on this by tackling Cardin to the ground.
Ringo pinned Cardin on the ground and had both hands around his neck. Cardin struggled to breath as Ringo choked him. The deranged look in his eyes freaked him out.
Cardin mustered up the strength to shoved him off. He crawled away from Ringo and gasped for air.
Ruby looked up to see Cardin's aura still at green. Whatever Ringo was doing wasn't enough to put down the bully.
"Y-you freak!" Cardin gripped his mace even tighter. His eyes were as wide as saucers. Fear was present on his face. "I'll end you!" Cardin slammed his mace where Ringo was. To everyone else, he hit nothing but the air.
"Cardin! He's right there!"
"You're hitting nothing!"
"Get your head in the game!"
Cardin's teammates tried to snap Cardin out of it but to no avail. Cardin kept swinging at nothing. Sweat dripped down his forehead. His horror struck face added to that.
"H-how am I missing!? You're right there!" Cardin's panicky voice rang around the amphitheater. "Stop! Stop! Stoooop!" Cardin's legs buckled. He dropped his weapon and pulled on the strands of his hair.
"You're no fun." Ringo, rather, 'The Doctor' was upset at how fast Cardin was able to lose his mind. He wasn't even at tier three of Madness yet! Not that he would get him there anyway. The sane part of him was against putting anyone that wasn't a Grimm under tier three.
Ringo hopped dopn the stage and collected his weapon, entering in Punishment Mode. He jumped up the stage and whacked Vinny against Cardin's back. Cardin's aura went down to half after that one hit, shocking everyone.
"Nighty night~" Ringo propped the end of his staff onto Cardin's back. Volts of electricity seared inside of Cardin's body, electrocuting his muscles.
Cardin sputtered out random nonsense. His body twitched madly. His aura meter went down to red, electing Goodwitch to stop the fight.
"Leave him be! The duel is over!" Professor Goodwitch barked. However, Ringo didn't get the message. He pounced onto Cardin, but was stopped by one of Weiss' glyphs.
"Stop it, doctor!" Weiss eyed him sternly. "Three. Two. One…" Ringo collapsed, as Weiss expected.
"Woah! Are you a magician!?" Ruby's eyes had stars in them. She was very impressed at her teammate.
"No. I just know when the idiot's body has enough," Weiss responded calmly. She left them while she went to go fetch Ringo.
"That's another win for Team RRWBY!" Yang grinned victoriously. She and Ruby high fived each other.
'And another loss for Team JNPR…' Jaune thought sadly. Ren, Nora, and Pyrrha were racking up a nice set of wins. Jaune himself hasn't won a single duel. Though, it did cheer him up a little from seeing Cardin lose and look like he was about to crap his pants. Jaune's saddened expression caused Pyrrha to frown.
Meanwhile, Weiss was escorting Ringo down the stairs. He was leaning against her. His mind was affected by the after effects of his semblance. He didn't even know who was helping him.
"Ugh… who are you? Are you that Weiss Schnee? God… she's so hot~" He slurred, chuckling pervertedly.
Weiss blushed up a storm. She pinched Ringo's cheek, causing him to yelp. "Idiot…" She said under her breath, her blush continuing to radiate brightly.
Weiss made it back to the others. She pushed Ringo towards Ruby. "You take care of him now."
"Huh? Me?" Ruby was overwhelmed with confusion.
"Team leader takes care of everyone," Weiss replied distantly.
Ruby shrugged, not thinking too much on the matter. She led Ringo down on the bench.
"Is that Ruby Rose? Ugh, she's so cute I could gobble her up!" Ringo brushed up against Ruby's burning cheeks.
Weiss felt a pang of jealousy strike her. Oddly enough, it bothered her that Ringo said that to Ruby. She sat down next to Ringo and grabbed his arm, pulling him next to her and not to Ruby.
Ruby was about to speak until Professor Goodwitch called out to them.
"Remember, everyone, the Vytal Festival is only a few months away!" Hearing that got everyone excited. Yang did a couple of air punches. Weiss' free hand was shaking and her grip on Ringo's arm tightened. Ruby's whole body shook. She squealed softly. Pyrrha stared at the three oddly, not sharing their level of enthusiasm.
"It won't be long before students from the other kingdoms start arriving in Vale, so keep practicing! Those who choose to compete in the combat tournament will be representing all of Vale!"
"Team RRWBY is so going to win!" Ruby whispered to Yang. "If Ringo uses that electricity thing nonstop, we're sure to win!"
Weiss narrowed her eyes. "He can't. Don't you see what's happening to him after he uses it?" She gestured over to Ringo's woozy state.
"Well excuse me princess, how was I supposed to know that?" Ruby fired back with a bit of hostility.
"Actually get to know him then. Spend time with him. Asking for cookies and piggyback rides isn't what a leader should be doing." The bell rang, indicating that class was over. Weiss quietly left with Ringo in tow.
Yang placed a hand on Ruby's shoulder. "Don't sweat it Ruby. Weiss is just being-"
"Right. As usual," Ruby sighed. "I should be spending more time with Ringo than asking him for favors. As team leader, it's my job to know what my teammates do. I owe to Ringo. He's the first friend I made here after all…"
Yang squished her hands against her cheeks. "Awww! That's so cute~" Ruby threw a right hook at Yang jaw. The two sisters got into a bear knuckle brawl.
Pyrrha shook her head. She frowned, watching Jaune leave with his head down I'm shame.
Lunch rolled around. Team RRWBY and JNPR were sitting with each other. Nora and Ren were telling some sort of story, but Ringo didn't pay them to mind. His head felt like it was going to explode. Luckily, he had Weiss to assist him after his battle against Cardin.
Weiss was secretly holding his left hand. Ringo told her that close contact helped ease his nerves. There was something else that did that too, but she still wanted to help. There wasn't another reason why she was holding his hand.
"Hehe… look at him go." Ringo smiled weakly. Silver Jr. was in a plastic pink hamster ball and rolled across the table. He wasn't even aware of what Weiss was doing.
Silver Jr. rolled across several plates of food, angering the students. That didn't last forever though, they couldn't really get mad at a hamster without looking weird.
The hamster crashed into Yang's plate on purpose and then went back around to attack the food again. He did the same to Ruby and Blake.
"That stupid little rodent!" Yang seethed in anger. Ruby and Blake were also annoyed but didn't voice it.
Pyrrha gazed at her leader while Yang went to go catch Silver Jr. "Jaune, are you okay?"
"Huh?" Jaune snapped out of his thoughts. "Oh yeah! Why?"
"It's just that you seem a little… not okay," Ruby said worriedly. By now, everyone was staring at Jaune, save for Yang. She continued trying to catch up to Silver Jr.
"Guys, I'm fine. Seriously! Look!" Jaune grinned, giving them a thumbs up. This stopped when he took a look at where Team CRDL was. Cardin recovered from his duel. He and his team were messing with a faunas with rabbit ears.
Ringo scowled, "Poor Velvet. She doesn't deserve that." He wanted to interfere, but Coco's words were holding him back from doing so.
"Isn't she that the girl you mentioned that's in Team CFVY?" Weiss questioned.
"Yeah." Ringo had an idea. "Hey Weiss, gimme your knife." Weiss complied, despite her confusion. Ringo let go of Weiss' hand and squirted some ketchup on the sharp edge of the knife.
"Hehehe~" Ringo's creepy laugh caught Cardin's attention. "Hahaha! Cardin, my precious~" He dragged his tongue across the knife, getting ketchup on his lips. "The Doctor wants to play some more~"
"Stay away from me!" Cardin hustled on out of the dining hall. His teammates followed in suit. Ringo wiped the ketchup from his mouth and winked at Velvet.
Velvet mouthed a 'thank you' and waved shyly at Ringo. A faint blush traced her cheeks.
"What was that all about?" Ren asked what was on his mind.
"You want to find out!?" Ringo snapped, hints of his deranged side coming out.
Weiss pinched the lobe of his ear. "Pipe down, doctor. Don't go acting like you're in a barn."
"You're no fun!"
"Acting like a lunatic shouldn't count as fun!"
"What part of that doesn't sound like fun?"
"All of it!"
Ren blinked. "I was just asking..."
"You know what? I'll just scare people right now!" Ringo got up from his seat and stormed off. Silver Jr. hurriedly followed him out, successfully outrunning Yang.
"Oh no you're not!" Weiss chased after him.
Pyrrha scratched her head. "Aren't you all going to stop them?" She inquired to the remaining members of Team RRWBY.
Yang shook her head. "Nah. This usually happens. They get into an argument, then kiss and make up."
Jaune's eyes widened. "K-kiss?"
"Oh yeah. On the lips! They even make tongue contact. They don't stop. We're trying to sleep while they make out furiously!" Yang said with an evil grin.
Just about everyone's faces were red. The thought of the heiress and the held back student kissing made them feel uncomfortable.
"Yang! Cut it out! That's not true." Ruby paused, reflecting back to previous nights. "...is it?"
Yang grin grew wider. "Is that jealousy I detect in your voice?" Ruby's faced shined brighter. "Aww! It is!" She grabbed Ruby's hoodie and forced it down her face. Yang made a break for it, Ruby not too far behind.
Team JNPR stared at Blake. She was calmly reading her book, not bothered by any of the outbursts.
"Are you the only normal one on the team?" Jaune asked.
Blake had a small smile form on her face. "Oh, I'm far from normal." With her book close to her face, Blake stood up and left the dining hall.
"Tell me, how did you two manage to be friends with them?" Ren directed his question to Jaune and Pyrrha.
"Ruby and Ringo were the first two people I met. I still got Snow Angel under my radar, hehe!" Jaune responded, patting his chest proudly.
"Not to be rude Jaune, but she and Ringo might have a thing going on." Pyrrha didn't feel bad the slightest when Jaune's smile faltered. Maybe then, he'd start paying attention to girls right beside him.
"Huh? But Ringo has a girlfriend! I don't believe you!" Jaune was in denial. His precious Snow Angel couldn't have been taken right under his nose!
"And have you seen her at all?" Pyrrha deadpanned. "They're close. Weiss knew about Ringo's abilities, something that even Ruby doesn't know about. Plus, they were just holding hands. Didn't you catch that?"
"No." Jaune felt left out when Ren and Nora nodded along to what she said. "I didn't see them holding hands. Jaune Arc still has a chance to claim his Snow Angel!"
"Jaune…" Pyrrha pinched the bridge of her nose, fighting the urge to smack the boy. "Don't think you're out of the clear yet. Cardin's been picking on you since the first week of school!"
'This again.' Jaune closed his eyes, formulating a plan to get his teammates off his back.
"Who? Cardin Winchester? Nah. He just likes to mess around. You know, practical jokes!" He played dumb, hoping that it would trick them.
"He's a bully." Pyrrha stated.
"Oh please! Name one time he's 'bullied' me!" Jaune sweatdropped as they all gave him an all knowing look.
"Jaune, you know if you ever need help, you can ask," Pyrrha pressed on, wanting to get him to confess.
"Ooh!" Nora bounced up from her seat. Her grin matched that of Ringo's. "We'll break his legs!"
"Guys, really, it's fine! Besides, it's not like he's only a jerk to me. He's a jerk to everyone, like Ringo!"
"Ringo's more than capable of defending himself. For someone that got held back, it's mind boggling as to why the staff did so." Pyrrha couldn't get why the eighteen year old was still a first year.
"Ringo can scare Cardin! Cardin is getting what he deserves…" Jaune stopped mid-sentence.
'Wait… Ringo can scare Cardin! Maybe if I can get him to… no! If I do, I have to tell him my secret. Man, just when I thought I had the perfect plan!' Jaune groaned internally.
"Ringo can't be there forever. Like I said, if you need any help, just ask," Pyrrha repeated.
Jaune didn't say anything. He grabbed his tray and walked away.
Pyrrha, Nora, and Ren exchanged worried looks as they watched their leader leave.
A day had passed. Ringo waved goodbye to Ruby and Yang and headed for Professor Oobleck's class. They had just finished class. He heard from Weiss that she and Blake had History with Pyrrha, Jaune, Cardin, and Velvet.
'I wish I was in that class. Then, I could talk to Velvet without Coco knowing.' Ringo still didn't know how to make it up to the leader of CFVY. Normally, he would've been panicking over it. But, he had someone else to keep him busy.
That person was Weiss Schnee. He didn't expect himself to get along with the heiress so well. Ringo didn't admit it, but he was growing more attached to Weiss as time went by.
He neared Professor Oobleck. There, he saw Ren, Nora, and Pyrrha outside of his classroom.
"Hey, Nora, Pyrrha, Ren," Ringo greeted them politely.
"Ringo? What are you doing here?" Pyrrha inquired.
"Professor Oobleck caught me sleeping in class. He wanted me to come when classes were over. Lucky for me, Weiss doesn't know about this."
Ringo didn't want to tell Weiss that he continued to have sleepless nights. His mentality was what kept him up all night. He faked his light snoring. It worked like a charm. No one had to know, at least not yet.
"Will you do me a favor?" Ringo nodded. "Tell me exactly what's happening in there."
"Yeah, yeah." Ringo brushed past Pyrrha and went in. Professor Oobleck was getting ready to chew out Jaune and Cardin until he noticed Ringo walking in.
"Ringo! You can take a seat right here beside Cardin." Professor Oobleck pointed his finger to the spot next to Cardin.
Cardin's body stiffened. He didn't dare to even glance at Ringo as he sat beside him.
"Sup." Was all that Ringo said. Jaune snickered at Cardin's behavior.
"You three have been struggling in my class since day one! Now, I don't know if it's a lack of interest, or just your stubborn nature, but whatever it is…" Professor Oobleck sipped his coffee some more, enjoying the rush that it gave him. "It stops now! You've worked hard to gain entrance to this school, and we only accept the best of the best, so I expect you to act like it. History is important, gentlemen! If you can't learn from it... you're destined to repeat it. Pages fifty nine to ninety one! I want an essay on my desk by next class! Now! Run along."
"Ugh! Really?" Ringo slid down across the seat. The last thing he wanted was an essay. He only came because he thought the professor would just give them a slap on the wrist. An essay felt more like a bag of bricks.
"Make that page fifty nine to hundred and six for you, Mr. Yin."
"Uggghh!" Ringo groaned louder.
"Make it page hundred and seventeen for you!" Ringo flipped off the professor. "Okay, page hundred." He lowered the pages for no reason at all. Ringo didn't question it. He raced out of the classroom before Oobleck could change his mind.
Along the way, he accidentally pushed Jaune. Cardin saw the whole thing and laughed at Jaune's face. Ringo would've apologized if it wasn't for the important meeting that Ruby declared out of nowhere. If he didn't show up in time, she said something bad will happen when he slept in class.
Ringo was outside at night. It made him feel more self aware of his surroundings. His mind went into a frenzy whenever he heard any noise that he knew he didn't make. It only motivated him to run even faster.
He barged through the dormitory building's doors and bolted inside Team RRWBY's dorm. Yang, Ruby, Blake, and Weiss were seated in a circle, all in their nightwear.
"...this better not be an org-"
"Shut up!" Yang hissed, looking out for Ruby. She didn't want her little sister to be knowing about that kind of stuff.
"Ringo! We're going to do some team bonding exercises tonight!" Ruby said innocently. In her hands was a board game with a commanding Grimm creature on the cover. It was labeled: Grimm Overload.
"Never heard of it. Honesty, I'd rather play Remnant: The Game, in the library." Ringo absentmindedly sat at the table near his bed. On the table was a standard table lamp and Silver Junior's cage. The hamster was sleeping with his nightcap.
"It's a board game where the main goal is to survive the whole map without getting killed. It's played in duos. I thought maybe we could partner up." Ruby smiled meekly.
Yang wrapped an arm around Blake. "Yeah! Blake and I will face you two!" She put out her fist, which Blake reluctantly fist bumped it.
Weiss realized what this meant. "What about me!?"
Ruby dumped her whistle beside Weiss. "You can be referee and watch us have fun!" She answered rather bluntly.
Weiss' eyes turned into dots, not believing what she was hearing. "Absolutely not! I thought this was a 'team' bonding exercise. You're excluding me out!"
"Girls, um…" Ringo tried to get their attention, but failed miserably.
"Alright, you can play with us but you have to go solo!"
"No! I'll work with Ringo. You can be the lone one out!"
"Why do you get to partner up with Ringo?"
"Because he's my partner. Yang and Blake are teaming up. It's only fair," Weiss countered. She was acting quite defensive over wanting to be partners with Ringo.
"Girls." Ringo finally grabbed their attention. "Sorry, but I can't play tonight. Professor Oobleck assigned me fifty pages of reading and an essay. I got to get this done." His eyes softened when Ruby deflated, disappointed.
Weiss got suspicious. "And why did he assign you all of this? You haven't been sleeping in class, have you?"
"Whaaaat? No way!"
"Yang?" Since Yang had the same class as him, she turned to the blonde.
Yang smirked. She grabbed her scroll and showed them what was on it. It was a picture of Ruby sleeping on Ringo's shoulder. Some drool was lingering around her mouth. Ringo was asleep too.
Ringo threw his arms up. "Really, Ruby? You got us both busted!"
"I-I'm sorry!" Ruby hid her face behind the board game. She didn't even realize that it was Ringo that she was sleeping on the whole time. She was a bit angry at Yang for taking those pictures. Who knows what else she has on that scroll.
"Doctor… you haven't been sleeping, have you?" Weiss accused him hotly.
"I-I tried! It just hasn't been working! Honest!" Ringo admitted truthfully.
"Unless you don't want an earful, you can either join us or I can force you to sleep so you can stay up during classes."
Ringo wasn't too sure what she meant by forcing him to sleep. He didn't want to find out, so he gave in and joined the rest of his team.
"Fine. Only for one game. I really have to finish my homework. Wouldn't you agree, Weiss?" Ringo sat down next to Ruby, surprising her and the heiress.
"What are you-"
"I'm going to be Ruby's partner. We're already partners every day as it is. Ooh, you know what we should have? A team name!" He completely ignored Weiss and focused on Ruby.
"Totally! What about… The Most Electrifying Rose in Beacon History!"
"Bit of a mouthful, isn't it?" Ringo said. "Besides, you ripped that name off. I got one, say hello to Rose Doctor!"
"Doctor?" Ruby queried curiously. Weiss had used the name several times when referring to Ringo. She was sure that Ringo wasn't a real doctor, making the title useless.
"We're Team Bumblebee!" Yang announced.
"Where did you get Bumblebee from?" It was Ringo's turn to ask a question.
"I dunno. It's what everyone's calling us." Everyone left it at that, too immersed in the game to really take Yang's words in.
"Weiss can be Team Weiss." Ruby quickly decided, despite her cries of protest. She scooted closer to Ringo with a pair of dice in her hands. They finished setting up the board and were ready to play. Ruby had a flower piece. Ringo got the stethoscope piece. Yang had the boot piece while Blake grabbed cat piece. Finally, Weiss had the standard hat piece.
"You and your partner find yourselves lost in the forest full of Grimm! Escape without you and your partner getting killed. Right! I'll go first!" Ruby blew on her dice and toss it down. She got a ten.
"So I move with you?" Ruby nodded. Her and Ringo's pieces moved ten spaces up. They landed on a green space. "Take one card from Chance pile." Ringo picked up a card. "You encounter a Boarbatusk. Roll a seven or better to determine your fate." He rolled the dice, getting a whopping two. "How did I get two ones on the first turn!? Now we're down a heart!" There were five hearts for each team in total.
"Haha! Dorks!" Yang rolled her dice next, getting an eight. "Eat that!" Her and Blake moved up eight spaces, landing on a space with a treasure chest. Ringo read the card for that space.
"You find a treasure chest that contains buckets of gold and jewels."
"Sweet!" Yang and Blake shared a high-five.
"But." Hearing that ended their short lived celebration. "Only one of you can have it."
Yang and Blake stared at each other for what seemed like minutes. They were thinking of ways to get the treasure for themselves.
"Well obviously, I'm getting the treasure," Yang asserted.
Blake's eyes shifted into cat-like slits. "What do you mean?"
"I rolled the nine, so I should get it," Yang reasoned. It wasn't long until the two got into a huge argument on who got the treasure.
"Times up!" Ringo declared, putting an end to the arguing. "Says here if the partners can't decide within two minutes, they fight in game and both lose a heart! Whoever among the other teams gets the highest roll can keep the chest!" He revealed.
Yang's eyes turned red. "You didn't tell us this until now!?"
"You called us dorks," He defended himself, internally smirking. Ruby and Weiss took turns with the dice. Ruby got a seven, while Weiss got a four. "Alright! We got treasure! You can keep it Ruby. I'm a nice huntsman."
Ruby took the mini treasure chest to their side. "Why, thank you! You're such a nice partner! Glad we don't argue."
Yang was fuming. Blake barely maintained her composure. Ruby and Ringi hugged, celebrating their success. They waited for Weiss to roll next.
"Twelve! I got a twelve!" Weiss boasted, suddenly gaining interest of the game. She moved her piece and landed on a space with an image of a random Grimm on it.
"Uh oh." Ringo lifted the card from the top of the stack and read it. "You encounter Manticore! Roll an eleven or better to decide your fate."
Weiss gulped. She dumped the dice onto the floor, unfortunately getting a nine.
"The Manticore gobbles you up. You escape, but lose four hearts! Oh man!" Ringo and Ruby grinned. They were at a huge advantage.
Weiss huffed, doing her best to ignore the fun that Ringo and Ruby were having. It was like that for the majority of the game. Blake and Yang continued arguing. Weiss just barely avoided death. Team Rose Doctor were happily destroying the competition.
The turning point of the game came when Team Rose Doctor landed on a space with a question mark. Ringo picked up the card and instantly smiled warmly.
"Aww. This is a cute card. Hey, Ruby." Ringo showed her the card, bringing a blush to her face. "Wanna get married?"
"Married!?" Yang swiped the card from Ringo to confirm it. "My little sister is growing up so fast!" She fainted dramatically.
Blake read the card over. "How does one get married if they're trying to escape a deadly forest?"
"It's a game, don't question it." Ringo retrieved the card. "If you don't it says that it'll be 'awkward' for us and that we'll go our separate ways. If we do, it strengthens our bond and we gain an extra life."
Ruby's blush deepened. She could feel all eyes on her, awaiting her answer. She looked at the card, and then at Ringo.
'It's just a game. It doesn't count. It wouldn't mean much if I did. It'll be for our benefit in the game. We can't bond if our characters seperate…' Ruby made up her mind. She nodded shyly, accepting his hand in proposal.
"Woohoo! Look at these newlyweds!" Yang exclaimed, wiping a fake tear from her eye.
"Congratulations." Blake threw a single rose at them.
Weiss didn't say anything. If anything, her body language told how she felt about it. Her fists were clenched tightly, nails almost piercing her delicate skin.
'It's just game… why am I getting mad?'
"Team Rose Doctor is going to win this for sure!" Ringo clasped his hand over Ruby's, signaling their status as an in-game couple.
The game ended after ten minutes. Ruby and Ringo won easily. Weiss died, not that she cared anyway. The whole game had already been ruined for her. Yang and Blake also died after falling into quicksand after not coming to a decision on whether they should take the risky or safe path.
"We won!" Ringo and Ruby cheered. Yang and Blake clapped for their victory. Weiss kept to herself, her mind filled with emotions.
"That was fun. Now I have to get back to work." Ringo stood up, but couldn't because Ruby was still holding his hand.
"I-I'll join you. I got to finish up some stuff too." The adorable blush on her face was still intact.
Ringo let go of her hand and playfully tussled her hair. "Let's get to it then, little red." Ruby followed him and took a seat next to the older teen.
Yang watched this unfold. A genuine smile made its way to her lips. "Aww~ Ruby has her first crush~" She whispered quietly so Ruby wouldn't overreact again.
"How can you be so sure?" Blake asked as she went for her book.
"Call it a sisterly instinct. Ruby only did this to find out more about Ringo. She got something more in return for the better." Yang's smiled stretched seeing Ruby move her chair closer to Ringo so he could help her out.
"And if he breaks her heart."
"I break him." Yang responded calmly, something which made Blake uncomfortable.
Later that night, Ringo finally finished his essay. Everyone had gone to sleep. He placed Ruby on his bed an hour ago after she fell asleep on the table. He would've put her in her own bed but he feared for her safety. Those hazardous bunk beds weren't suitable for anyone.
"Let's try this again," Ringo sighed. He dug through one of the drawers and pulled out a small container. It was some sort of sleeping pill that he got from a psychiatrist. He had tried countless others but it failed to do him any good. Ringo didn't believe this one would work either. There was no harm in trying though.
Ringo swallowed the pill and laid down on his bed. Luckily, Ruby was curled up on the edge, giving him room to lay down. He wasn't typically embarrassed when it came to sleeping next to others. He had done it with Coco plenty of times. He only minded when he had no clue as to who it was, as shown with Weiss at the beginning of the year.
Ringo dug under one of his pillows and found the picture of him and his team. He truly cherished his moments as part of Team SLVR.
At the beginning of life, he was nothing more than a boy just trying to survive in Vacuo on his own. He saved up until he was able to afford a trip to Vale. He heard good things about the kingdom. How it was a good place to hear out people's needs, in Ringo's case, he yearned for protection.
Professor Ozpin had found him one day running away from a group of bad people. He observed him using his semblance in action. To this day, Ringo still couldn't understand what Ozpin saw in him. After he recovered from the after effects of his semblance, Professor Ozpin offered him a spot in Beacon. Ringo quickly accepted, knowing that it was a protected area. Or so he thought, until the death of Vinny.
Thinking about how his team died caused a few tears to slip from his eyes. He saw everything. How Silver and Leia got slaughtered. The professor leading them on the mission had been killed too. Not a lot of people knew that tidbit. The staff assured everyone that the professor was taking a long break, keeping their death a secret.
He never witnessed how Vinny died. Ringo was only there to find his corpse when he came into their dorm. He stayed in Team CFVY's dorm for about two months before he eventually stepped foot in his own dorm again.
The funny thing was that Ringo knew who did it. They were the people chasing him, from Vacuo to Vale. He had no idea how they found him, but he swore vengeance on the one responsible for the whole thing.
He had to live up and avenge his team. Be was once known as the strongest fighter in his year, maybe even beyond that. Now people only remembered him as the sole survivor of Team SLVR.
"N-no… Yang, don't go there." Ruby whimpered in her sleep. She was tossing and turning. The pained expression on her face concerned Ringo.
'She's having a nightmare. That's something I'm not unfamiliar with.' Ringo returned the photo frame back under his pillow. He pulled Ruby's small body towards him and gently embraced her. Coco had done this with him a lot. Ringo believed it would work the same with Ruby.
Ringo was only in his pants. He hoped that no one would wake up to see this and possibly accuse of him of something weird.
Ruby's face snuggled up against his chest. Her arms unconsciously hugged his body. This made Ringo's heart warm and he embraced her tighter. His hand went behind her back. He gently patted his hand in circles on Ruby's back, easing the crimson haired girl's nightmare.
"Ringo…" Ruby slipped out his name. She began to tenderly pressed her soft lips on his chest. Her tongue occasionally licked his chest and she let out a few quiet moans. It was gross, yet cute.
Ringo's face heated up. He had an idea of what exactly she was doing. She eventually stopped and was content in using him as her personal pillow. It made him wonder if should pursue a relationship with anyone on the team. He loved Coco, but he felt like she deserved someone else. Of course, he wouldn't do anything too personal until he talked to Coco on where their relationship stood.
As of now, he didn't hold any deep feelings for his teammates. He cared for them greatly, though being in love with them would be a bit of a stretch. He pushed those thoughts away. For now, he was going to be a caretaker. He was going to watch over his teammates. Since they killed his former team, it would be a matter of time before they find out about Team RRWBY and put a stop to it.
He'd be damned if he let those bastards take them away too.
The following day was quite eventful to say the least. It was an improvement, Ringo actually slept. The downside was that it was only for two hours. But he still slept!
No one had caught him and Ruby due to him being awake for most of the night. The atmosphere between him and Ruby got awkward, in Ruby's case mostly. Whenever he even spared a glance to her, she would look away.
Classes were almost over. Team RRWBY all had Botany class together with Professor Peach. There were rumors circulating that Professor Peach didn't even exist and that no one knew how she looked like. Those were obviously false since Ringo was staring at her right now. Plus, he was in her class last year.
Weiss was sitting close next to him. It did make him feel a bit uncomfortable whenever she did this. She was acting very clingy today. She was never like this before.
'Maybe it's because we're partners or something? I dunno.' Ringo squirmed further in his seat when Weiss laced her hands around his left arm.
"What are you doing?" He asked in a hushed tone.
"What? Would you rather have Ruby do this?" Weiss answered angrily.
"Ruby?" Ringo was genuinely puzzled. "What's up with you today, Weiss?"
"Nothing." Ruby looked over at their direction to see what the fuss was about. Weiss saw this and grasped his arm even tighter. Ruby frowned, though averted her eyes back to the professor.
"Hmph." Weiss smirked, glad to have her plan work. Ringo sat there, unable to do anything. If he did, others would look their way and rumors would spread. It would completely tarnish his relationship with Coco and possibly Team CFVY.
Ringo heard something about a field trip from Professor Peach. He was distracted from Weiss to hear it fully. The bell rang, meaning classes were over.
Weiss let go of his arm. Ringo quickly bolted away from her. He met up with the rest of the team.
"Heya Ring boy! You up for some pool? We're just about to head there ourselves." Yang gestured towards herself, Blake, and Ruby.
"Sure!" Ringo felt someone pinch his ear.
"Absolutely not! We're going to study, remember?" Weiss reminded him sternly.
"But can't we have some fun? We can study later," Ringo pleaded.
"No. We're going to study!" Weiss once again grabbed his arm. Ringo finally had enough and pushed her away from him.
"Look Weiss, I don't know what your deal is today but you have to stop. We can't hang out forever. I want to hang out with my other friends too." Ringo patted Ruby on the head. "Come on, girls. Let's go play some pool. Maybe we can bet money on it."
"No."
"Yes!" Blake and Yang said at the same time. The four left the classroom together. Ruby walked closer to Ringo, the two sharing a bright smile.
Weiss was left there alone, a mixture of emotions flooding her. She felt angry, betrayed, lonely. The most confusing one of them all… jealousy.
'I-I'm not jealous of Ruby. That's the most stupidest thing I've ever heard! Ringo can hang out with whoever he pleases! Even if it is Ruby…' Weiss thought back to last night. She was awake the entire time. She heard Ruby and Ringo kissing! There was no denying that they were a couple after that stupid game.
'Wait. What am I saying!? Why should I care if they're dating? I-I don't like that moron! He's just my partner, nothing more, nothing less.' Weiss fought back her emotions, but her jealousy kept coming back and back again.
"I need to get my mind off this!" Weiss made a beeline to the library.
Weiss finished her daily studying hours ago. It was late at night now. Weiss was having a strange dream. Her dream was clouded by one person.
'Ringo…' Weiss shifted in her bed. She hugged her pillow rather intimately. 'I don't care what dad says, I want to be with y-'
Weiss let out a sharp gasp. She sat up, eyes wide open. Her heart was beating faster than it ever had. Her cheeks were flushed red. She remembered her dream very clearly. It was almost like it was real.
'Oh no…' Weiss placed her hands over her chest, feeling her heart pump wildly. 'I-I do like-'
"Psst. Weiss, are you okay?" Ringo murmured quietly. He heard her gasp and grew worried for his partner.
'That idiot is still awake!' Instead of being mad, Weiss had a plan to confirm her growing feelings.
She got up from her bed and made her way over to Ringo.
"I-I had a nightmare. Do you mind if I stay with you for a while?" Weiss swallowed the large lump in her throat. She hoped that her plan would work.
"A nightmare, huh? I'm no stranger to those." Ringo thought back to when Coco would be there for him whenever he had a nightmare. It'd be right if he did the same. "Just for a while, right?"
"Yes."
"Fine. Just try to not make any noise." Ringo moved to the far edge of the bed so Weiss could squeeze in. The two laid there, neither attempting to fall asleep.
"What was your nightmare about?" Ringo said, breaking the silence. "It's okay if you don't want to talk about it."
"It's about my dad. It wasn't really a nightmare. It's just a bad memory," She replied, half truthfully.
"Daddy issues? I guess that makes sense. You are the heiress of a big company after all." He paused. "Is it really that bad? You know, how your father treats you."
Weiss nodded. "I never made a lot of friends. The ones I do make either die by those bloodthirsty people of the White Fang or move away."
"Ugh, don't get me started on the White Fang." Ringo spoke with venom in his voice. Weiss was quite surprised to hear that he hated the White Fang too. Usually, people assume her to be a racist. It was nice to know that she had a close friend on her side. Or even a friend at all to be exact.
"What did they do to you?"
"Erm… let's just say that I don't agree with their methods nowadays." Ringo left it at that. Another period of silence bestowed upon them.
It was Weiss' turn to break it. "Are you and Ruby dating?"
Ringo almost did a spit take, but held it in last second. "W-what? Where'd you get that from?"
"I heard you two kissing last night," Weiss responded, a hint of bitterness in her voice.
Ringo was glad that it was too dark for her to see his red face. "Well… that was just her kissing my chest. I let her sleep on my bed because the bunk beds are way too dangerous. W-we aren't dating. Nothing of a sort.
Weiss let out a breath of relief that she didn't even know she was holding. Her mind eased into a blissful peace. She trusted Ringo's word.
Ringo blinked. "Wait a minute. Is that why you were acting weird all day? Because you thought Ruby and I were a couple?"
"Um…" Weiss came up with an excuse. "O-of course not. I don't care who you go out with. It's just… it's just that I was scared."
"Scared?"
Weiss turned her head so that she could meet his eye. "We've been hanging out together since initiation. I don't think I've ever spent this much time with someone that wasn't part of my family. I enjoyed being in your company, even if we do argue sometimes. I thought if you and Ruby were together, then you'd leave me in the dust. That I'd be alone again…"
She spoke from the heart. Even if it wasn't the full truth, it didn't mean that she didn't feel this way. With Ringo giving all of his attention to Ruby, then she was forced to go back to being alone.
Ringo burst out laughing quietly. It offended Weiss greatly. She poured her feelings to Ringo and he was laughing right in front of her face!
"Weiss, really? That was only for one night. I think you're just overreacting."
"H-how dare you!" Weiss flipped around so that her back was facing him.
"I can have other friends, you know. That doesn't mean I'd abandon you. At this point, we've spent way too much time together for me to even consider that. We're partners. We'll be with each other for four years. You can have other friends too." Ringo thought it was silly of Weiss to think that he was abandoning her just because of him partnering up with Ruby instead of her. It was only for one game.
He could understand where she was coming from based on what she was telling him. He figured that finally having a close friend turned her into an overprotective person. It was fine. In fact, Ringo was touched that she cared about him that much.
"I don't want other friends. You're the only one I need," Weiss mumbled softly.
"I can't be there forever, Snow Angel. I promise I won't ever abandon you. At least try and make friends with Ruby, Yang, and Blake. Will you promise me that?"
"Sure," Weiss replied, not putting much thought into it.
"Sweet. Now try and get some sleep." Ringo had his bottle of pills in his hands. He took one out and swallowed it. "Please work…"
Luck was on Ringo's side tonight. He was out of it a minute later, sleeping contentedly.
"Psst. Ringo." Weiss checked to make sure if he was awake. "Thank you." She was happy to have a friend like Ringo. He was there to soothe her worries. He would never turn his back on her. Ironically enough, he did have his back turned on her as he was sleeping. She planned on fixing that.
Weiss pulled him back so that his body was facing her, which was surprisingly easy. Just like during the first night of Beacon, Weiss rubbed her cheek against his clothed chest. For some reason, he hadn't taken off his uniform.
She placed her ear on his chest, hearing a faint heartbeat. Weiss also heard the sound of static, confirming Ringo's words that his heart was filled with electricity too.
'I-I think I really do like…' Weiss stopped herself. It didn't matter whether what kind of feelings she held for Ringo.
She was satisfied enough with having a friend.
Second Author's Note: Like I said before, next chapter won't be Forever Fall, it'll be a chapter to further build his friendship between the team. Specifically Yang and Blake because they haven't interacted much with Ringo. Not really much else left to say other than, stay tuned.