Disclaimer: RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth.
Author's Notes: Sorry this one took so long. I wasn't feeling it and then got completely sidetracked with another project. And the stupid fucking bike broke, but I fixed it again! This chapter only has half of what I'd planned, but in typical 'me' fashion, I wrote more than expected so I'm saving the rest for next chapter. I hope you enjoy!
And yes, dear Guest, Blake has pants.
The rain, which had been falling nonstop for the last two days, wicked down from the needles of the pine tree that she was taking shelter in, falling with little 'plops' onto the soft bed of browning needles she'd used as a bed the night before. Thunder rumbled quietly in the distance, and wind whispered through the forest, scattering raindrops in a multitude of directions, but her eyes and ears were locked to the flat black strip of tar and asphalt that planed through the woods. Water gushed along it's surface, tiny splashes bouncing upwards as the sky poured itself out onto the earth.
She'd been awoken by a calamitous amount of noise as a huge truck had barreled along the road, great waves of water being sprayed by its tires and further drenching the surrounding trees. She huddled deeper into the damp sweatshirt, which, after an entire day spent guarding her from the weather, was beginning to lose its warmth. But now she valued the ability to hide underneath its hood more than the extra layer between her and the wet. The highway scared her.
She had only been here once before, many years ago when she was much smaller. He had brought her here. "This is the highway." he had said, gesturing with his hand to the seemingly unending length of road. "This is the edge of the woods. On the other side begins the humans' territory." He had knelt beside her, gripping her tightly and looking directly into her eyes. His expression had made her nervous; he'd never been that intense before. "Never, ever, go beyond the highway. It is very dangerous. The humans don't like us, they don't understand us and that makes us scary to them."
"What... what if I go over there by accident?" she had asked, his tone scaring her. He had turned and pointed to a small object lying in the middle of the road. She had squinted, then gasped when she realized it was a squirrel, crushed and ripped to pieces. Dead. "Humans do that to us?"
"If they catch you, they WILL hurt you." The highway was a horror, a boundary created and patrolled by the humans to keep her out. Beyond this dark, flat barrier lay a utopia of clothes, books, and food, but the humans horded it to themselves.
She licked her lips, imagining the vast amounts of things that existed in the humans' territory. All she had to do to obtain her own piece of paradise was to cross this road. And not get caught. She'd planned it all out as she'd walked here yesterday. She was a good thief, quiet and stealthy, not counting the Strawberry Girl, and could hide her treasures under her sweatshirt. The hood would hide her ears; she wouldn't speak so they couldn't see her fangs; she'd keep her hands in the pockets so they couldn't see her nails. She just had to cross the highway.
Breathing deep and clenching her jaw, she pushed her way through the low branches of her temporary shelter and back into the rain, stomping toward the terrifying, enormous slab of tar. She wouldn't let it stop her! It was just a road, what was it going to do? Sting her? She stopped, her toes inches from the edge of the highway. She hadn't thought of that. Maybe the highway could kill on contact, and if she touched it she'd drop dead. She took a step back. No, she was being silly. She shook her head, stepping forward, but then pausing again. "Better poke it with a stick, to be safe..." she reasoned with herself, crouching down and picking up a slippery fallen twig. She crept toward the road, the stick held out cautiously.
She pushed her anti-stinging twig against the asphalt, holding it there for several seconds to be sure. Nothing happened. She stood, tossing the stick away and laughing at herself. "Of course. It's just a road. It won't hurt me." She extended her foot over the pavement, closing her eyes and bracing herself as she gingerly lowered her toe to the ground. It was hard, and wet, but otherwise just a road. She sighed in relief, bringing her other foot onto the road. This was it. She was on the highway. The highway that he had told her never to cross and to avoid. She was in human territory.
Two bright lights appeared over the crest of a hill, speeding towards her through the rain. She turned and stared, frozen in fear, her ears flattening against her head.
A car! A human was coming! They'd see her on the highway; they'd know that she was trespassing into their domain!
THEY'D KILL HER!
Her heart raced as she swiveled her head in search of a solution. She should cross, and hide in the trees on the other side of the highway. She sprinted over, her long nails making scraping noises against the pavement as she ran. Only a few steps away from the potential safety of the treeline, she slid to a halt. What if they caught her on this side? The punishment would be far worse! She turned around, charging back across the street and hoping she still had time before the humans spotted her.
She could hear the noise of the engine and the clatter of the rain against the car's hood as she leaped off the highway and into the prickly 'comfort' of the pine tree she had slept under. She scrambled up the tree, her breath coming in quick gasps and her heartbeat pounding in her ears. Pressing herself tightly against the trunk, the sappy bark poking against her knees and fingers, she watched with wide eyes as the car slowly came to a stop where she had attempted to cross.
The car was white and black, with a bar of lights on top and the word 'POLICE' printed on the side. The driver-side door opened, and a tall man with black hair stepped out, pulling a hat over his head to protect himself from the rain. Her eyes were drawn to his belt, where his hands rested on the grip of a pistol and the handle of a thick metal flashlight.
He pulled the flashlight out of his belt, flicking it on and shining it around the edge of the forest. "Hello?" he called, speaking loudly over the rain. "Anyone there?" She squeezed harder into the trunk, holding her breath and silently praying for him to leave. After what felt like an eternity, the man grunted and returned to his car, driving off after a short moment.
She exhaled in a long sigh of relief, letting the tension and suspense leave her body with her breath. Carefully lowering herself out of the tree, she crept back to the edge of the highway, scanning both directions for any cars before stepping once again onto the pavement. Her feet splashed in the thin layer of water that coated the street as she crossed, kicking fat droplets onto her legs. Steeling her nerves, she placed her foot delicately on the muddy earth on the opposite side of the road, digging her toes into the soil "There." she said, bringing her other foot to join the first. She was now firmly on the humans' side of the world.
Would he be proud, or disappointed? She shook her head. It didn't matter; she was here now, and the library was close. She'd come this far, it would be a waste to turn back now.
With a 'Hmph!' of determination, she pressed further into the humans' world as the rain pattered against the leaves above.
The cafeteria was filled with the endless babble of her fellow students, discussing any inane and meaningless drivel that crossed through their frivolous, hormone-driven brains. Based on the few fragments she couldn't help but overhear from the table behind hers, the topic of the day was the absolutely unbelievable party at Cassandra's house that got rained out. Meanwhile, Weiss stared in detached confusion at the greasy mess of 'food' that graced the styrofoam tray she'd picked up from the kitchen.
Her mother had woken up with a paralyzingly painful headache, unable to make her daughter's lunch, and the live-in chef had taken the week off for a vacation to Mistral with his family, forcing Weiss to buy her lunch from the school. She had encountered this... disaster of ingredients before; just last week Yang had been munching on something similar while blackmailing her into the camping trip. It was a... 'Sloppy Joe,' if her memory served. Poking it with a fork, she recoiled in disgust as bubbly, brownish grease pooled onto the tray, accompanied by the stench of overcooked, defrosted beef. "This is repulsive..." she mumbled quietly. However, it was what was being served for lunch, so she had the choice to eat it or go hungry for the rest of the day.
Hesitantly reaching down to grab her 'lunch,' loathe to actually touch the putrid mass of leaking meat, she was distracted by the 'clomp' and a subsequent 'thump' of two people sitting across from her. "Good afternoon, Weiss!" Pyrrha's charming greeting drew her eyes upward.
"Howdy, princess!" Nora exclaimed, smiling her trademark too-large-to-be-humanly-possible grin. "Ooh!" she said, leaning over and staring intensely at Weiss' burger. "That looks good! I should've gotten that!"
"Pyrrha." Weiss nodded to the redhead. "Nora..." she growled, lowering her voice and frowning at the bouncing orange-haired girl. Turning back to the former, she asked, "Where's the blonde?"
A clacking noise as another chair was placed at the table signaled the arrival of a fourth member; Weiss rolled her eyes and turned her head, a discouraging snarl already half-formed on her lips. She was pleasantly surprised to see Ruby scooting her chair closer, the girl's silver eyes gazing hungrily at the ample helping of hamburger on Weiss' tray. "Wow, Weiss! What did you have to do to get a burger that big?" she asked, grinning at the white-haired older student.
Weiss opened her mouth to answer, but was interrupted by Nora's booming voice. "She probably slept with a teacher! Ha ha ha!" The cafeteria grew a little quieter, and several faces glanced at their table, eyebrows raised.
Weiss' eyes flew open and her jaw dropped as her face turned bright red. "Wha- I- You-!"
"That's not funny." came a meek, quiet voice from Weiss' right. "I don't think that's funny, Nora." Ruby said, her head tilted down and her arms wrapped around her stomach. "That's not funny at all..."
Nora's grin disappeared, and she sank into her seat. "Oh. Okay. Sorry, Ruby." she said before picking at her mashed potatoes in slow, dejected jabs.
Flicking her eyes between the two, Weiss raised an eyebrow. She'd have to ask Ruby how she gets Nora to shut up like that; it would no doubt be useful in the future. "To answer your question, Ruby, I didn't do anything special... I just pointed and said 'This please.'" She brushed her hair over her shoulder and leaned in once again to pick up her burger.
"Careful when you're eating that..." Pyrrha warned as Weiss raised her meal in front of her face. "They tend to burst when you bite in." She mimed biting, putting her hands by her mouth.
"Ah, I see. Thanks, Pyrrha." She held the burger in one hand, leaning forward to grab a preparatory napkin out of the container in the center of the table.
"Oh, and Yang's here."
"Wha-?"
"Hey there, Ice Queen!" Yang's jubilant call sounded from right above her. The tall blonde slammed her hand on Weiss' back with a loud 'slap', drawing her fingers across the girl's shoulders as she pulled up a chair to the left. "How's everybody doin' today?" she asked brightly, laying her tray on the tabletop and leaning back in her chair so the two front legs lifted off the ground. "So, Ice Queen, I've got a question for ya'. Something I've been wonderin-"
"Yang..." Pyrrha tapped her on the shoulder.
"Not now, Pyrrha. Something I've been wondering since the first day I met yo-"
"Yang..." Nora pointed at Weiss.
"Nora, I'm talking here. Since the first day I met you I've been wondering-"
"Uh, Yang?" Ruby said, flicking her eyes between the blonde and Weiss.
Yang sighed, rolling her eyes and dragging a hand across her mouth, giving her sister an unamused look. "Okay, fine. What is it yo-"
"YANG. XIAO. LONG." Weiss' voice grated through the air, seeming to suck away all the heat and happiness. "YOU. MONUMENTAL. FUCKING. BITCH!"
Even as her instincts screamed at her to run and hide, Yang slowly turned in her seat, her mouth clamping shut and her eyes widening in fear as her gaze was locked with terrified fascination to Weiss Schnee. The white-haired girl was slowly rising from her chair, her features twisted into an open-mouthed grimace of shock and fury. Steaming brown chunks of slimy hamburger meat oozed and slid down the front of Weiss shirt, the burger she had been holding slipping from her hand and splattering across her chest when Yang had slapped her on the back. Veins bulged in her neck and by her temples; her face glowing red with rage as she rotated glacially about her hips, her hands like angry claws held out in front of her and dripping with juice. "Uh... I... I-I'm..."
"You BITCH!" Weiss screamed, her entire body shaking with the force of her wrath. The words echoed around the now-silent cafeteria, every face staring with surprised curiosity at the pair of women. "What is your problem?" she bellowed, throwing her arms downward and spraying the floor with grease. "What is your fucking, god damn problem with me?!" She towered over Yang, the edges of her mouth twitching upward in an animalistic snarl. "You wanted to ask me something, didn't you?! It's about my scar, isn't it?!" she shouted, pointing at the thin red line that crossed her left eye. "Because fucking everyone wants to know about my fucking scar! Aaaauu-eurgh!" Her shaking hands clenched into fists, and she stormed away from the table, heading toward the cafeteria's exit. "Fuck you, Xiao Long!"
Frozen for a moment, Yang shook herself free and reached out after the fuming girl. "Weiss, wait! I-I... I wasn't going to... Where are you going?"
Twisting on her heel with a shrill 'squeak', Weiss glared at the blonde. "I have to go change now, thanks to you! Ugh!" She spun around and continued her frenzied march toward the door.
"But-!"
"Fuck off Xiao Long! Leave me alone!" Weiss shrieked over her shoulder just before shoving the doors open with her elbow and disappearing down the hallway.
Yang was silent and still, her hand outstretched and her mouth hanging open as the rest of the cafeteria turned away and the room filled with whispered gossip. Dropping her arms to her sides, she hung her head and trudged back to the table, falling heavily into her chair with a loud, breathy groan. "Guys... I think I fucked up." she said, covering her face with both hands.
"Holy shit... you think?" Pyrrha gasped, giving the blonde an incredulous look. "What the hell were you going to ask her? And why did you slap her on the back?"
Saddened purple eyes peeked out from underneath an elbow. "I was going to take your advice..." Yang sighed, putting her hands in her lap and rubbing her thumbs together. "I was going to ask her out. Oh fuck..." She leaned forward and held her head in her hands, shaking her head back and forth. "I totally fucked it up. I totally fucked it up. Now she's super pissed at me."
Ruby grunted a single chuckle, rolling her eyes. "Yeah, you did. But I have good news for yo-"
"Shut up, Ruby! I don't want to hear it right now..."
"I just want to tell you tha-"
"I said shut up!"
"But-"
"RUBY! Shut the fuck up! I don't want to hear it!" Yang leaned back again, releasing a long sigh. "God damn... What do I do now?"
…
The faces of the few students that walked along the halls turned at the sharp taps of her heels and her angry mutterings as she tore through the school toward the gym. The heads would turn, the eyes would dip inquisitively to the brown mess on her shirt, then flick up and widen before turning away. Weiss Schnee on a good day was not someone to approach, but really the worst that she'd do was give you a fierce, penetrating glare. Not many had yet to see Weiss Schnee on a bad day, but the scant amount of students who witnessed her furious stomp to the gym would be unable to erase the scarring memory for the rest of their high school careers.
A chill wash of air seemed to follow her down the hallway, at odds with the glowing red mask of incandescent rage that rested over her features. Her nostrils flared with every breath, her fists shaking by her sides as she briskly walked to the locker room, throwing the door open so hard it smashed against the wall with a resounding 'bang!' that echoed into the gym. The two girls that were changing in the same row as her locker scattered as they saw her bobbing ponytail approaching, too afraid to even peek around the corner to spy on what had so upset the white-haired girl. She moved in calm, slow motions, delicately twisting in the combination to her lock, then ripping it open and slamming it so hard the metal dented.
Dragging out her gym clothes and throwing them onto the bench behind her, she started to undress, unzipping her light-blue jacket and stuffing it into the locker. "Fucking fuck fuck!" she spat into the shocked-silent air. "That fucking stupid fuck!" How foolish of her to believe that she could wear her favorite white shirt to school, knowing that Yang Xiao Long would bother her at lunch. How naive of her to think for a moment that Yang liked her. Ha! That brutish bitch had had her heart set on teasing Weiss since the first day they met. Her mother had been right; Yang was bullying her, and that made her the same type of sick, fetid scum that had been preying on her sister yesterday. Harassing her in classes, tormenting her at lunch, blackmailing her into a camping trip just so she could bully her some more! And now she had embarrassed her in front of the entire cafeteria!
A growl slipped involuntarily from her mouth as she finished unbuttoning her ruined shirt and slipped it off her arms. And now Yang was going to ask her about her scar, the bright red mark that had been so 'popular' at her old school; the broken line of skin that had been so beloved by the bullies and the first thing everyone noticed about her. Every god damn conversation with someone always seemed to turn to the blemish that crossed her eye, and Yang was no different. She was just like them; she was just a bully. She'd just had the patience to wait until Weiss had been about to let her in, let her be trustworthy, before pulling out her trump card.
Brushing her hands along her shirt to straighten out the wrinkles, she harrumphed and slammed the locker closed just as the bell blared from the speakers overhead. "God damn it!" she groaned, punching the locker door and denting it further. The stupid blonde bitch was going to make her late, too. She pushed her way through the locker room door, striding angrily through the tide of students swarming back toward the lockers to change. They'd glance at her face then take two steps backwards, hoping to avoid the wrath of the Ice Queen. Emerging from the crowd, she ignored the whispers and spreading gossip as those who had seen her outburst in the cafeteria disseminated the scandalous event to their peers.
As she was about to turn back onto the main hallway, she heard her name muttered by a nasally, annoying voice and froze in place. "...id you see Weiss Schnee fuh-reak the fuck out at lunch? Ohmygod, it was like the end of the world for her!"
"Ohmygosh, I knoooow!" a second, equally obnoxious and very similar voice replied. "Like, calm your tiny tits, bitch, it was just hamburger juice!"
"Ohmygod, I knoooow! And, honestly, it did her outfit a favor. That bitch doesn't know how to co-or-di-nate at aaaall!"
"Ohmygosh, yeah? You'd think with all that money she's so proud of, she could afford something half decent. And, ohmygosh, who does she think she is, with that ri-diculous ponytail?"
"Ohmygod, it's hideous! Bitch would probably look better bald!"
"Ohmygosh, yeah, probably! Maybe then that scar she's so ashamed of wouldn't be the first thing people notice!"
Bubbling rage erupted through Weiss' veins, clouding her vision red. She doubted she'd ever been this mad before. Just as she was about to round the corner and put the two worthless, pimply toads that had just insulted her into an early, but very much deserved, grave, an upset, guttural voice cut her off. "Oi! Cunts!" the voice, a girl's, barked. "You better shut the fuck up about Weiss Schnee before I come over there and punch that massive amount of makeup off your faces!
"Ohmygosh, what's it to you, Xiao Long? She's not your friend." Yang?
"Ohmygod yeah, no way, not after what you did. So why do you even care?"
"Because she is my friend, you cracked-out whore! So you better stop insulting her!"
"Ohmygosh, do you, like, like her or something? Everyone thinks she's nasty."
"Everyone's fucking wrong. Weiss Schnee is the prettiest, smartest, and god damn cutest girl at this stupid school!"
"Ohmygod! You do-"
"So piss off you ugly, flabby cunts! Miltia, aren't you due for your weekly checkup at the STD clinic? And Melanie, don't you have an appointment at the abortion center or something?" Weiss heard two offended scoffs, and watched as two girls walked past her with their noses pointed to the ceiling. She knew of the Malachite twins, the two biggest rumor-spreading girls in the entire school. "And her ponytail is fucking gorgeous!" Yang shouted after them, turning the corner and stopping suddenly when she saw Weiss standing there. She looked like a deer in headlights, her eyes wide open and her eyebrows rising almost to her hairline. "Oh... umm... uh... hey Ice-... hey Weiss." she said, her mouth opening and closing several times as she struggled for words. "You... uh... you forgot your bag, and your umbrella..." Her arms jerked upward, holding Weiss' backpack and the wrapped-closed umbrella. Weiss silently took them out of her hands, slipping the bag over her shoulder and putting the umbrella's loop around her wrist. "I just thought that... uh... because you left... that uh... you'd need them..." Yang stammered, rubbing the back of her head and flashing a small, nervous grin. The second set of bells rang throughout the halls; Weiss and Yang were now late for class. "I guess I'll... I gotta go, heh." The grin grew more nervous as Yang started to back away, but Weiss was still staring at her, her mouth pinched tight. "Seeyoutomorrow!" Yang said in a rush, turning to leave but a hand grabbed her elbow, and she glanced back to see Weiss glaring at her. "Uh..?"
"We will talk about this after school." Weiss' face brooked no argument. "Meet me by the front doors." Then she twisted on her heel and started walking away, leaving Yang open-mouthed and surprised to still be alive.
Author's Notes: All credit for any improvement you noticed goes to my brand new editor, MapleLeafLink! Any deterioration of quality is also his fault, totally not mine.
I wasn't sure about how the Blake section felt, which is why it's so short, so any comment you have about that would be appreciated. At least there wasn't any strange White Rose seepage in this chapter.
Sorry about all the swearing this chapter; it borders on gratuitous, but felt accurate.
Thank you so much for reading!
Please remember to review/favorite/follow the story!
Keep moving forward.