"Do you think whatever threw him followed-"
RROOAR
"I'll take that as a yes."
Just then a Deathstalker burst through the trees. The Grimm was on the tail of a rather tall and sturdy looking redhead, who was soon tossed like a ragdoll at Ruby and Blake's feet.
"Great! The gang's all here!" Yang snarked, "Now we can die together!"
Vomit Boy, who was currently hanging upside down, and the redhead found each other's eyes.
"Pyrrha!"
"Jaune!"
"NORA!"
ROAARR!
Ruby knelt down and helped 'Pyrrha' to her feet. "You go get a relic, I'll help your partner down! Weiss, can you hold it still?"
"Got it." Weiss nodded, and launched herself at the Deathstalker. It's stinger was soon encased in ice.
The petals from Ruby's semblance gathered around her feet, and she ran toward the tree Vomit Boy, 'Jaune' apparently, was stuck in at speed. Once she was at the base, she launched up into the treetop next to the boy. She looked back over the others on the ground, squaring up against the giant Grimm scorpion. We might be able to beat it if we have to… A screech from above them made Ruby look up. A nearby Nevermore had apparently become attracted to the sudden feelings of panic, confusion, and anger. "That complicates things…"
"What do we do?" Jaune asked.
"We can run!" Weiss spoke up. "Our mission is for the relics, not to fight these things!"
Ruby grabbed Jaune and pulled him down before jumping down the tree. She dropped the boy off with his partner and ran up to Weiss. "How is your ice holding?"
"It won't keep for long, we need to move!" Weiss replied quickly.
The ice started cracking already, the Deathstalker straining against the ice. The group didn't need much convincing. They all started running toward the other temple, the tower that stretched up from a seemingly endless gorge. They figured the tower could help them reach the top of the cliff behind it. The shadow of the nevermore passed over them when they were halfway there. "That thing is huge!?" Jaune freaked.
Ruby peeked behind them and saw the Deathstalker break its trap. "We may have to fight…"
Pyrrha noticed this too, and halted short to take pot shots and the scorpion. Nora followed suit, and Jaune and Ren stayed behind with their respective partners. As a consequence of watching this stuff behind her, Ruby ran slower and fell slightly behind the others. When the nevermore headbutted the bridge between to the tower, Ruby was the only one still on it.
"RUBY!" Yang and Weiss cried simultaneously. Blake, however, remained calm and watched carefully. Ruby tapped into her semblance to correct herself in midair, the petals that remained gathered around her legs. She landed on some falling debris, and immediately shot upward on an intercept path with the nevermore. It opened its beak to catch the girl, and Ruby drew her sword and swung up, forcing the bird's jaw closed.
Ruby rose a few more feet before falling onto the Nevermore's back, stabbing her sword into the Grimm to stay in place. Petals formed at her feet once again as she pulled back on the handle of the sword, guiding the Nevermore to fly straight up and aim it's back at the tower. On the tower itself, Blake knew what to do. She drew her sword and threw the sickle form into a nearby pillar, grabbing the ribbon and swinging around a second pillar. She pulled the cord taut and waited. Ruby smiled and launched off the nevermore, aimed right at the ribbon. Petals trailed behind her and disappeared as she slowed down, but she was still moving fast enough to cause serious damage to herself if she missed. As Ruby flew over the ribbon she grabbed it. Blake held tight as Ruby swung a circle around the fabric and let go, the trick slowing the redhead to a far more manageable speed to safely land.
Weiss was amazed at the display. Not only did the redhead calmly handle the situation, she worked with the cat faunus so naturally and with zero oral communication. They must know each other, and trust each other completely… They were on the same page before they even knew they were on the same page. The Nevermore calling back their attention brought Weiss out of her thoughts.
Ruby watched it turn to start another pass. Blake glanced at the other group, who had just nailed the Deathstalker's stinger into its own head. The cat faunus turned back to her girlfriend, noting the determination behind silver eyes. "What are you thinking?"
"Springboard." Ruby told her, unclipping her sheath. "But we need to get it closer."
"I think Yang might be able to help with that." Blake nodded.
"Fine." Was all Ruby could spare toward the thought of her sister. The redhead approached Weiss to continue her plan. "That bird's skin is tough. How much control do you have over your glyphs?"
"What do you need?" The heiress answered with a smirk.
Jaune stood back up as the Deathstalker dissolved and watched the girls on the tower put their plan into action. Yang started from on top of a pillar, firing long-range rounds at the Nevermore. She went so far and to jump onto the bird and fire round straight down its throat before practically throwing it into the side of the cliff. Blake and Ruby knew they needed to move before the bird could take flight once more. Blake was already at the edge of the tower in front of the Nevermore, and knelt down for the 'spingboard'.
Ruby brought the pommel of her sword to the mouth of her sheath. The matching devices on the ends of both parts of Ruby's weapon unfolded and linked together, making one large crescent-shaped piece. Weiss saw this and realized that she had seen Ruby's sword and her quiver of arrows, but never gave much thought to her seemingly missing bow. Such a design as her weapon had would eliminate the need to trade out her weapons, cutting time off the transition from close combat to ranged.
Ruby ran up behind Blake as the nevermore began to flap its wings. The redhead planted a foot on Blake's back, petals forming around the both of them. Blake jumped up, and used one of her shadow clones to jump higher and boost Ruby's overall height. The combination of both girls' semblances gave Ruby and insane jump boost, almost literally flying into the air to meet the Nevermore that was also trying to gain height.
Ruby held her weapon in her right hand at the top of the sheath, the handle and blade pointed upward above it. She pulled two arrows out of her quiver, one Burn and one Gravity. She set the arrows between two pegs pointing out from the side of the bow-connect and pulled, feeling the resistance grow as she drew the bow. Ruby stared down the arrow shafts and saw the Nevermore's head come level with her shot. A black glyph appeared before her at the last possible moment, and Ruby let the arrows fly through them.
Weiss's gravity Glyph gave the arrows added speed, which helped them pierce the Grimm's tough hide. The gravity dust in the arrow gave the burn dust in the other arrow extra oomph. The resulting explosion shredded the Nevermore's head to nothing in an instant, and sent Ruby flying backward and down towards the tower. The redhead curled up loosely and landed bridal-style in Blake's waiting arms. The Nevermore's body fell slowly down the chasm as it dissolved.
"My hero." Ruby smirked at her girlfriend.
Blake smiled back. "And just like that, you completely forget you just took down a giant Nevermore."
"We did. All… four of us." Ruby nodded as Blake set her down. "And really, he was no big deal."
"Jaune Arc, Nora Valkyrie, Pyrrha Nikos, and Lie Ren." Ozpin called the four to stage at the induction ceremony later that day. The to-be Beacon students took the stage confidently. Well, except for Jaune, really. Ruby still couldn't figure him out. It was almost like he didn't belong on the same level as the rest of the first years…
"The four of you retrieved the white rook pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as Team JNPR. Led by, Jaune Arc."
"Huh?" Jaune looked seriously confused. "Led by?"
"Congratulations, young man." Ozpin nodded.
Ruby considered this move while she watched the new 'Team JNPR' celebrate. Something about Jaune was off, but if the headmaster, the famous Ozpin himself, thought Jaune could be leader, what else was there to say?
"Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna, and Yang Xiao Long." Ozpin called the girls to stage. Ruby pushed down her negative feelings about taking the stage with Yang. If they really were to be on the same team, she knew she would have to learn to deal with it.
"The four of you retrieved the white knight pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as Team RWBY."
Ruby allowed herself one last deep sigh of frustration at this final confirmation. She was on a team with Yang. Chances were, she would have to talk to her at some point. Ozpin looked back and forth between the two ends of the line, Ruby and Yang. His curious eyes lingered a little too long for the younger's tastes.
"Led by, Ruby Rose."
Silver eyes shot open. "Led… by…?" her little squeak of question was almost more pitiful than Jaune's. She was team leader? The fifeteen year old with a heart condition? If her goal in life was to rub it in her family's face, this would have been the perfect opportunity. As it stood, all Ruby felt was fear that she would fall short. Did she really deserve the prestigious title?
"Congratulations, boss." Blake teased, nudging Ruby as the students began to file out to their dorms. "How do you feel?"
"Like I have a lot to prove." Ruby answered. "But that's nothing new. Just… team leader… wow… I don't know if I can do that."
"You're a natural, Ruby." Blake reassured. "You have a confidence that inspires people to follow you. Just don't overthink it, and you'll do fine. Amazing, even."
Ruby nodded. "Well, in that case…" The redhead smirked, "as leader, my first order is for you to kiss me."
"They do say power corrupts." Blake rolled her eyes with a smile. The girls shared a chaste kiss. As they pulled out of it, Ruby spotted Weiss across the hall, trying not to stare at the young now-leader. "Shall we find our dorm?"
"I'll be along." Ruby told Blake. "I think I might have to 'leader' right now, actually."
Blake looked back at Weiss, then back to Ruby and nodded. The faunus left the auditorium and the redhead made her way to the heiress. Once there, Ruby tried her best to sound reassuring. "Your great plan included being leader, didn't it?"
Weiss sighed. "Yes, it did. My family expects me to be at my best. My father will never let me forget the fact I missed out on team leader."
"Take it from someone who knows," Ruby smirked, "our families aren't always what we need."
Weiss nodded, leaning against the wall. Ruby leaned up next to her. "So I'm leader. How are you holding up about that?"
"Honestly… after my behavior in the forest today, I'm hardly surprised I didn't make the cut." Weiss answered, lightly touching her bruise. "And seeing you in action against the Nevermore… You're a clear pick, Ruby. It might take me a while to get over my stupid personal emotions, but logically, I really should have seen it coming."
"I'm afraid I'll fall short. It feels like too much at once." Ruby admitted.
"If you ever need help," Weiss offered, "well… I promise to be the very best team mate I can be."
"Right..." Ruby nodded. Weiss noticed a sense of unease despite the redhead's following, "Thank you."
"So… About your family?" Weiss risked.
Ruby inhaled sharply and sighed. "Yeah?"
"Blake told me Yang is your sister." Weiss confessed. "How are you holding up about that?"
"I was hoping to get by with a little interaction as possible." Ruby shrugged. "But being leader kinda blew that out of the water."
"Well, I can confidently say that as a Schnee, I am okay with a faunus on my team. It was nice talking to Blake before the ceremony… I learned a lot. It sounds like there will be enough tension in the team anyways." Weiss informed her leader.
Ruby nodded again. "That's good."
Weiss nodded in return, bringing her hand back up to her stinging bruise. "No amount of makeup will cover this up."
"Well, get used to that." Ruby pointed out. "It's a rough life, and you signed up for it. Let's find our dorm, okay?"
"It's pretty late already." Weiss pointed out once all four girls were back in the dorm.
"It's only eight-thirty." Yang pointed out. "Night's still early."
"According to our schedule," Ruby opened the provided class schedule book left for them in the dorm, "Our first class is at 9 in the morning. If we want a few hours to wake up, shower, and take care of whatever else," Ruby shut the book loudly and looked up to Yang on her bunk, "we need to sleep soon."
"And you take forever in the shower to begin with." Blake pointed out. She spotted Weiss's curious look. "Leather doesn't breathe."
"I actually was going to shower tonight, for that reason." Ruby told her girlfriend.
"You got pajamas today?" Blake asked. "When?"
"Actually…" Ruby seemed to grow embarrassed. "I was going to take your offer on your spare yukata. We need to make the best of our time, and if that means I shower at night and dress… lightly to bed, then…"
"Let me get it out for you." Blake nodded, smiling through her own blushing.
Ruby waited patiently for the sleepwear, and caught Yang staring at her. "What?"
"Nothing, it's just…" Yang rubbed the back of her head. "You talked to me directly… even looked at me while you did it…"
"Don't get the wrong idea, Xiao Long," Yang winced at Ruby's casual use of her last name rather than her first, "we're on the same team, hell I'm even the leader of that team. We need to learn how to talk to each other… whether we want to or not."
Yang nodded sadly, accepting that truth. "Yes, ma'am…"
"Here it is!" Blake smiled and handed Ruby a bright red, floor length sleeping robe.
Ruby stared at it. "You never actually told me whether it was as short as yours or not last night…"
"I didn't?" Blake seemed to have genuinely missed it. "I'm sorry."
"And it's red… Blake, you… didn't get it for me… did you?" Ruby asked. "When would you even have the time… or the money…"
"I… may have thought of you when I saw it in a store on my way back from my entrance exam." Blake shrugged. "I only didn't press you last night because I know you don't like to feel vulnerable in a crowd."
Ruby looked over the sleeping garment once more. It was simple, a flat red with black trim. She turned it to see a small rose motif on the back right shoulder. "Thank you, Blake…"
"Of course. Are we sharing tonight?" Blake gestured to her bed.
"Of course." Ruby smiled and nodded. "I'm hitting the shower now." Ruby entered the connected bathroom, excited to sleep in an actual bed at actual Beacon with her actual girlfriend. As she prepped for her shower, however, her thoughts turned to her reaction to Yang earlier.
Ruby wasn't really the kind of person to use last names the way she used Yang's, even if she was in charge of an individual. She felt it lacked a respect inherent to everyone. But she couldn't bring herself to be so cordial to her estranged sister. Speaking to her personally would fly in the face of feelings that had been festering for five whole years. And Ruby wasn't sure just how much of those feelings she could overcome for the sake of her team.
