War for Ruby

Chapter 9: A Witch And Her Student

Team RWBY was sitting in class, listening to Professor Goodwitch's lecture about the proper use of Aura. Ruby was seated between Weiss and Yang, with the heiress to her right and the blonde to her left. Blake was sitting next to Weiss and was sulking, since she didn't get to sit next to her beloved team leader. Since the three older girls of team RWBY couldn't all sit next to Ruby, they decided who got the seats by a game of rock-paper-scissors. The winner got to decide which seat next to their team leader she would get, while the second place took the seat that was left and the loser had to make due with sitting next to one of her rivals.

Ruby was currently trying her best to concentrate on the lecture, but it was difficult because of one of her teammates. The three older girls of the team were competing for Ruby's affections even during classes, each with their own methods. While Weiss tried to win her team leader's love by helping her take notes, Yang had a more ''direct'' approach. The blonde would let her hands ''accidentally'' wander over to Ruby, either laying on her thighs or going over her shoulders. Yang would also whisper suggestive things to the younger girl and lean on her. All of this not only caused Ruby to blush a lot, but it also made it almost impossible for her to focus on classes. The redhead swore that if it wasn't for Weiss or Blake helping with her studies, she would fail her classes.

Weiss didn't like Yang's flirting at all. Not only because the heiress thought that Ruby belonged to her and her only, but also because she was someone that appreciated academic work a lot. Seeing her beloved Ruby, who was at the top of their classes, having difficulties with her studies due to the blonde's inappropriate behavior was something that angered Weiss to no end. She had tried to stop Yang's advances by swatting at her hands or by simply telling her to stop, but it only served to inspire the blonde to try harder in her attempt at wooing Ruby. The heiress had tried to get Blake to help her, but the cat faunus was a sore loser and ignored Weiss' pleas. The white-haired girl would have gotten their teacher to help, if it wasn't for the fact that they had agreed not to involve the teachers in their fight for Ruby's love.

After what felt like an eternity to Weiss, the class ended. The heiress put her stuff away as quickly as she could so that she would get her chance to ask Ruby to hang out with her in private. However, before she had the chance to ask anything from Ruby, Yang had already pulled the younger girl against herself in an one-armed hug.

''Hey, Rubes, wanna go back to the dorm and play some games?'' Yang asked the younger girl she was hugging. ''We could go a couple of rounds in Tekken or raid dungeons in Diablo.''

''Actually, Yang, I think Ruby would prefer to go over our notes for the day with me,'' Weiss said as she pulled Ruby out of Yang's grasp and against herself. ''As a student that actually studies, I'm certain that she would like to use her time efficiently, unlike you.''

''I think you both have bothered Ruby enough already,'' Blake said and took the beloved team leader from the heiress. ''She is already exhausted because of you two. What she needs now is a good relaxing moment of reading books in the library. With me, of course.''

Ruby was once again caught in the middle of an argument between her teammates, as she was getting tugged between the three older girls. The young team leader was honestly confused by her teammates' actions, as she was unaware of their reasons for fighting. All she knew was that lately her teammates had started fighting between each other a lot and for some reason she was at the center of it often. The redhead had tried to figure out why this kept happening, but was unable to find any answers.

The argument between the three older girls of RWBY was stopped by someone clearing their throat. The four girls looked up to see Professor Glynda Goodwitch standing there and looking at them.

''I would like to have a word with Ms. Rose,'' the blonde woman said.

''I-Is something wrong, Professor?'' Ruby asked in a fearful tone. ''Have I done something?''

''Oh, nothing like that! There's no need to worry!'' Glynda replied. ''I just have something important that I need to discuss with you, that's all.''

''Can we stay?'' Weiss asked. ''Ruby is our team leader, after all.''

''Actually, I want to discuss this in private. So if you wouldn't mind, I'd like that the three of you left,'' the professor said while looking at the older girls of the team.

''Hang on a second! We can't just-'' Yang began, but was cut off by Glynda's words and glare.

''Now,'' the blonde woman said in a tone that left no room for arguing. The three girls still seemed uneasy with leaving their beloved team leader behind, but said girl decided to step in and convince her teammates to obey their teacher's orders.

''Guys, I'll be fine. You go ahead and wait in the dorm, I'll catch up soon, okay?'' Ruby said to her teammates, who nodded and did as they were told. They calmly and silently left the room, leaving their leader alone with their teacher. Once the WBY was outside the classroom, their calm and silent appearance was broken and they began to question Glynda's behavior.

''What the hell was that!?'' Yang yelled at her teammates. The blonde had never really liked Glynda, but this was something she had not expected the teacher to do. ''Why does Goodwitch need to talk to Ruby all alone!?''

''Yang, calm down,'' Weiss said, but hints of doubt and concern could be heard in her voice. ''We are simply overreacting to this. Professor Goodwitch is a teacher, after all, and wouldn't do anything inappropriate to Ruby. She probably just needs her for something again.''

''How the hell can you say that!?'' Yang ranted. ''Don't you remember how we didn't expect Winter to be a threat to us!? Besides, isn't it strange that she has been asking Ruby's help a lot lately!? She even often has Ruby help her in her office with just the two of them! How do we know that she's not putting the moves on my Ruby!?''

''Because she is a teacher, Yang! If she were to ''put the moves'' on her, it would endanger her job! Also, do you need to remind me of Winter!? Just the thought of her is enough to make me angry! And Ruby is mine!'' Weiss answered angrily, before looking down in thought. ''But you do raise some good points...''

Blake had remained silent the entire time, but decided to finally speak up, ''I'll stay back and try to listen to their conversation. You two go ahead to the dorm and wait there, while I'll deal with this.''

Both Yang and Weiss looked at their faunus teammate in surprise. ''Blake, are you sure? Shouldn't we all stay behind, since we're dealing with a teacher?'' Weiss asked in a concerned tone. Blake might be her rival in love, but she was still a teammate and a friend.

''Yeah, if Glynda turns out to be trouble, shouldn't we combine our strengths to take her on?'' Yang asked equally concerned for her partner.

''It's because we are dealing with a teacher that I think I should go on my own. My faunus senses will prove useful when I'm listening on their conversation. Also, my skills in stealth will be better suited for dealing with Goodwitch, if she is actually a threat. Since she is a teacher, we could get into a lot of trouble, if we were to attack her directly. This requires secrecy and discretion,'' Blake explained, before turning around and walking back to the classroom. The faunus also added one thing in a voice that sent chills down her teammates' spines, ''No need to worry. If that teacher dares to get too close to Ruby, I'll show her just how dangerous a former White Fang member can really be.''


Back in the classroom, Ruby was standing before Glynda, waiting for the blonde teacher to start speaking. The redhead was nervous. Even though Goodwitch had told her that she wasn't in any trouble, it was still making her uncomfortable to stand in silence in front of the teacher all alone. Ruby considered Glynda to be a very intimidating person and could only hope that the thing she wanted to discuss with her wasn't anything bad.

''U-Um... Professor G-Goodwitch? What did you need to talk about with me?'' Ruby asked nervously.

''Please sit down, Ruby,'' Glynda said. After her student had sat down, she sat down next to her and looked at her straight in the eyes. ''First of all, I would like you to call me Glynda, when we are alone.''

''Alright, Professor Good- I mean, Glynda,'' Ruby slipped up, which caused said woman to giggle a bit. This in turn caused Ruby to relax a little. ''What did you need to talk about with me?''

Glynda took a deep breath, before speaking, ''I need you to do something first. I want you to not think of me as your teacher, as we have this conversation. I want you to think of me as practically any other person and tell me exactly what you think. I don't want my position to weigh on your answers.''

''I'll try.''

''Good,'' the blonde woman said and took another deep breath. ''What kind of a person do you think I am?''

''E-Excuse me?'' Ruby asked. She was utterly confused by her teacher's sudden question.

''What type of a person do you think I am? Am I kind, mean, good, evil or what?''

The young team leader looked down in thought. ''Well, I can't help but think that you're kind of an intimidating and scary person,'' Ruby replied, which caused the blonde woman to wince. ''But sometimes I feel that it's not all there is to you. Like it's some kind of an act that you're putting up and that you're very different actually. If that's true, I kind of want to see this other side of you.''

Glynda nodded as a small smile came to her face. ''Yes, that is very true. Since I am a teacher at Beacon, I have to put up an act in front of everybody, so that my teachings are taken seriously. You are a very observant person, Ruby.''

Ruby smiled and blushed a little at her teacher's compliment. She was also more relaxed now, since she knew that Glynda wasn't simply strict business only.

''The second thing that I want to know is that do you believe those rumors about me and Ozpin? The ones about me and him being a couple?'' Goodwitch asked.

The redhead held her chin in thought and shook her head a bit. ''No. I don't see anything like that between the two of you. Sure, I might be young, but you two just don't seem like you're that close to each other. You're close in a friendly way, not in a romantic way.''

Glynda nodded and her smile widened. ''Good there is still one thing I need to know,'' she said, before looking down at her lap and blushing a bit from embarrassment. ''H-How old do you think I am?''

Ruby thought about this question a bit. ''Honestly, you don't seem all that old. While I have heard that a lot of students think you're really old, I personally don't think so. I think you're in your early 20's at best.''

This answer caused Goodwitch to smile as widely as possible and to pull her student into a tight hug and place her on her lap. The young girl let out a yelp of surprise from the sudden show of affection.

''Yes. Yes! YES! That is exactly true! You have no idea how much your answers mean to me! I have all these damn rumors circling around me just because of my position! I have to act all strict because of my job, but that's not all that there is to me! I work close to Ozpin, but we're really just colleagues and friends, not a couple! And the thing I hate the most is that people think I'm old enough to be a grandmother! I'm actually very young and nowhere near the age people think I am!'' Glynda said happily and stood up with Ruby still in her arms. The teacher spun around a bit in happiness, making the young girl giggle. She then sat down with her arms still around her student and held her on her lap. She stared Ruby right into her eyes. ''Oh, Ruby. You are not only my best student, but my favorite student, as well.''

''R-Really? Thank you,'' the young team leader said in a shy voice. ''But why did you need me to answer all these questions?''

''Because, Ruby, I needed to know these things about you,'' Glynda answered. ''I am happy to see that you are exactly what I thought you were and I want to get to know more about you. How about we go to the city tomorrow, just the two of us? I know this nice restaurant where we can talk more in private.''

Ruby was surprised by Goodwitch's proposition, but nodded enthusiastically. ''Sure! Where do we meet, before leaving?''

''How about we leave right after my class? It's the last lesson tomorrow. You don't need to bring anything but yourself,'' Glynda suggested to which her student agreed. The two of them then started to slowly make their way to their rooms.

Unknown to the two of them, their conversation had been listened to by a certain cat faunus, who didn't like what she just heard. It seemed that she needed to pay her teacher a little visit.


Later that night, Glynda was standing in front of a full-body mirror in her room. She was contemplating on how to look for her little trip to Vale with Ruby tomorrow. Or as she liked to call it her ''date''.

''Wonder if I should put on contact lenses? Or maybe I should keep the glasses, as they make me look more dignified and intelligent? Also, should I wear my hair in a bun or let it flow freely?'' the blonde woman mumbled to herself as she kept checking herself out from the mirror.

Glynda was so focused on her own image in the mirror that she didn't notice someone sneaking into her room through the window. The intruder sneaked behind the teacher without making a sound. She then clamped her hand tightly over Goodwitch's mouth and placed a knife at the woman's throat. While the blonde woman might have been a very strong Huntress, almost every warrior would be at their enemy's mercy when caught off-guard.

''Don't make any sounds or movements without my permission. Understood?'' the intruder whispered and Glynda recognized the voice as Blake Belladonna's. The teacher could only slightly nod her head to let the cat faunus know that she was obeying her commands. ''You will cancel your little date with Ruby tomorrow. And if you ever even dare to try and get close to her again, I will make sure that you will beg for mercy. Is that clear?''

As soon as the blonde woman nodded, Blake let her go. She fell on her hands and knees and turned around to see her attacker. However, the only thing she saw was her open window, which the cat faunus had used to escape. Glynda fell asleep crying that night, due to the fact that her dream of a date with Ruby had just been destroyed.


The next day, Ruby was practically bouncing in her seat during Goodwitch's class. She was very excited about going to Vale with the teacher, as she was very interested to see the new side of the woman she had seen yesterday and wanted to find more about her. The redhead's teammates were stoic and silent through the whole lesson, only staring at their teacher coldly and emotionlessly. Glynda herself felt her heart ache, as she knew what she needed to do. She wanted to go against Blake's threat and take Ruby out on a date, but the stares she was receiving from the three older girls of team RWBY reminded her of last night's ''visit''.

The class finally ended and Ruby almost ran to her teacher. ''Professor Goodwitch, are we good to go on our little trip to Vale?'' she asked excitedly.

Glynda winced at the girl's happy tone. She hated having to disappoint her student. ''Actually, Ruby, I don't think that we're going to Vale today.''

Ruby's face fell a bit. ''Oh, I see. Well, how about another day? Maybe during the weekend?''

It took all of the blonde woman's willpower not to break down and start crying. ''I'm sorry, but I don't think that we'll be going on any trip to Vale. It's unfortunately never going to happen.''

''W-What do you mean?'' the young team leader asked while tearing up a bit.

''I mean that I've decided not to get any closer with you. We shall remain as only teacher and student, like we have until now,'' Glynda replied without looking at Ruby. She knew that if she saw the redhead's face, her resolve would break immediately.

''I... I understand,'' Ruby said while trying her best to hold back her tears. ''I'm sorry to have bothered you.''

Before the teacher could correct her student on her last words, the redhead had already disappeared, leaving behind only a couple of rose petals. Glynda watched the petals fall to the floor with tears in her eyes, as Ruby's teammates were leaving the room with smirks on their faces. As soon as the last of her students had left, Glynda Goodwitch broke down and cried.


The three older girls of team RWBY were happily skipping towards their dorm. They knew that Ruby was most likely bummed out with what happened, but the trio of girls was sure that they could cheer up their beloved team leader. They eventually arrived at their dorm and were not surprised to see Ruby curled up on her bed.

''Hey, Rubes, you alright?'' Yang asked gently.

''We saw that something happened between you and Professor Goodwitch. Is everything okay?'' Blake asked while feigning ignorance.

''Why don't we all go out to Vale to watch a movie or something? Let's just have fun as a team!'' Weiss suggested to her partner cheerfully.

''I'm sorry, guys, but I'm not in the mood,'' Ruby answered in a quiet and sad tone, without looking at her teammates.

The three older girls looked at each other in shock. They knew that Ruby would be sad, but not this sad!

''Come on, Ruby! It'll be fun!'' Yang said.

''No.''

''Ruby, please! You can't let this keep you down!'' Blake said.

''No!''

''All expenses are on me, Ruby! You have to come!'' Weiss said.

The young team leader finally had enough. She turned to glare at her teammates with eyes full of anger and sadness, along with tears flowing down from them, and yelled, ''NO MEANS NO! WHAT IS SO DAMN HARD TO UNDERSTAND ABOUT THAT WORD!? ARE YOU REALLY THAT STUPID OR JUST GODDAMN HARDHEADED!?''

Ruby's teammates stared at the younger girl in absolute shock. Never before had any of them seen the redhead like this. Not only was she angry and full of rage, but also sad and broken.

''R-Ruby... We-'' Blake began, but was quickly cut off by her team leader.

''Get out,'' Ruby said in a cold tone while pointing at the door. Her teammates were shocked again. They couldn't believe that the younger girl really meant what she said. ''GET OUT!''

Using her semblance, Ruby managed to throw the three older girls out of their dorm and slam the door behind them. As the three girls were slowly and shakily getting up, they could hear their beloved team leader break down and cry her heart out. The sound of Ruby's sadness broke the trio's hearts.

''I-I made her sad... I made her cry,'' Blake silently said to herself. ''Oh God, what have I done?''

Weiss put her hand on the faunus' shoulder. ''It's alright, Blake. You did what you had to do. Remember why we are doing things like this. Yang and I would have done the same,'' the heiress said while trying to hold her own tears.

Yang got up and turned to address her two teammates. ''Guys, I don't know what you are going to do, but I'm going to Junior's club and getting drunk. You're free to join me, if you want to,'' the blonde said as tears fell down her face.

Weiss and Blake nodded and left with Yang to drink their sorrows away. That night all the members of team RWBY cried themselves to sleep. Ruby because of having her heart broken, and the other three girls because they were the ones who essentially broke the younger girl's heart. Although they would have done the same thing no matter what, the WBY learned something very valuable from this experience.

Their actions didn't only hurt their enemies, but Ruby, as well.


Author's notes: Ummm... This went to places I didn't fully expect... I kind of let my instincts take over as I wrote this. At least in the ending. Glynda will be back, though. Just like Winter.

...Hope you still liked it?

The next chapter will be funnier! I swear!

Until next time.

RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth.