Chapter 10—So Never Feel Alone
'Yeah, I do miss you Ruby. A lot, actually.'
This was just insane. Totally and completely beyond expected, but absolutely true. Ruby had proof. It was there, a message plain as day. She could read it the moment her mind became convinced that the message was just delusional wish fulfillment.
It had taken less than a week before loneliness had broken Ruby down and forced her to message Weiss. Soon enough, the two girls were messaging each other every day, in between her crush's really tight schedule, of course. Ruby always thought seeing family was about vacation, but apparently the Schnees felt it was time to study economics and engineering. Either way, sleepiness one night had given Ruby the Idiot courage to ask her princess if she missed her partner at Beacon. Ruby had never expected an answer, just more of Weiss' brand of sarcasm. Instead, Weiss gave her unprecedented sweetness.
"Ruby, I know it means a lot to you, but it's not as though this is the first time she's said that. Didn't she tell you she'd miss you before she left?" Blake called from her bunk, probably still reading, but Ruby didn't care. This may have not been the first time, but it was the first time with no sarcasm, and Weiss also said it was a lot, which was new. Well, Ruby supposed it wasn't all that unique, but it felt just wonderful. Having a crush on someone was new, but the first thing she became aware of with this fresh feeling was exactly how intense everything truly was. It was like all her emotions weren't changed, just magnified ten times over. So Blake could laugh all she wanted, Ruby would keep to her cloth fort, clutching her Weiss substitute and smiling over simple messages.
The pillow was starting to smell more like the crimson huntress than Weiss as of late, but the rest of team RWBY would be back that night, so it was best to be a smiling idiot now and enjoy the moment. Soon enough Weiss would return, and the redhead's plans would all begin to be set in motion. That thought filled Ruby with a sense of dread; Blake had offered to explain the situation to Yang, which was nice. She had even helped Ruby plan everything, but it would be up to Ruby to deal with what needed to be done. There was no stopping it. What had her mother always told her? Keep moving forward and you're never really lost.
"Hey Ruby, didn't Weiss say something about testing you when she got back? Have you been studying for that at all?" A new sense of horror filled her, one more powerful than a sky full of nevermores could hope to muster. Beacon had hard tests, but always fair. Weiss gave brutal, unforgiving ones. As the panic began to set in, Ruby tossed herself out of bed, falling directly to the floor with a thud so powerful it tore even Blake away from her books and tea.
"Ruby, are you okay?" Blake muttered, her voice filled with a mix of confusion, concern, and laughter. Ruby, unaware of it, stood back up straight as a board, eyes clouded by fear of the ice queen's wrath. Twisting her head back and forth, the crimson girl scanned for the exit as if unaware of the layout of her own dorm room.
"I need to get to the library now!" Ruby shouted as she bolted in a leap for the door, her legs failing her for once as she tripped onto it.
"Ruby, stop!" Blake called out, halting the panicked scythe-wielder, hands still fussing with the door handle. "You're in pajamas." Worse than that, she was in two-day-old pajama pants. It was as if she had declared to the world that Ruby Rose was giving up on everything. Still not a moment to lose, lest Weiss hate her forever.
"Shower, then study!" Ruby shouted, making her dash to the dorm room shower, tossing her clothes to the floor as she went by in a flurry of motion. It wasn't as though she had much to hide from Blake anyways.
The shower was rather cramped, as was the entire bathroom. Beacon dorms were nice, but not exactly spacious. Regardless of the lack of wiggle room the warm water always ran, and the feeling of it spreading over Ruby was just phenomenal. Soon enough she was calm again. Body massaged by hot water, the young girl closed her eyes. The heated atmosphere brought memories of Weiss to her. As the shower got hotter, memories turned to daydreams. Quickly, daydreaming turned to imagining her and Ruby, them together. Warm, moist air filling her lungs, her mind made together mean together in the shower. That thought brought with it a very strange sensation that ran up and down the crimson girl.
Ruby quickly turned the faucet to cold.
"Your ride awaits you, my lady," Sir Zawisza motioned, the knight dressed in a fine suit for the trip. Weiss, however, was less ready. She had packed little and needed to take home just as much, but the most important tool to her schooling was missing. Her prized blade Myrtenaster was taken from her room while she had spent her night studying. So much for father's oath to respect her room and privacy.
"Where is Myrtenaster?" Weiss asked, anger plastered all over her face. Chances were, if someone had managed to sneak in while she was working it had to have been him. Zawisza shrugged, usual handsome smile trying to charm his way out of it. He knew where it was, of course, but until father gave the word he was just a lovable idiot.
"Right here, my dear." It was her mother at the door, Weiss' beloved Myrtenaster in her arms. Taking it in her hand, the masterful sword felt a tad lighter at the hilt, useful for quickening her strikes, but concerning. What had father done? Quizzically, the heiress stared at her mother who simply clapped her hands and smiled. From the look of it she wanted to say something.
"Mother, why do you have Myrtenaster?" Weiss asked, the question admittedly loaded.
"I didn't take it, your father did. He wanted to sleep, asked that I deliver it to you and wish you well for him." Great, first father took her prized blade, then he lacked the humanity to see his daughter off himself. Preferring to sleep? She would have preferred to sleep over morning etiquette practice, or middle of the night combat drills. Oh well, not that Weiss wanted to see him, the entire trip had been marred by his constant one sided arguments. Freedom was at hand.
"Better he not come to see me off anyways." With her father asleep, she was finally free to speak with impunity. More importantly, she could shift her ponytail to the side. It may have seemed insignificant, but it was the true separation between father's doll and the huntress, Weiss Schnee. She grasped her sword, the only baggage she needed, and walked her way down to the main hall, both mother and knight in tow.
"You know, your father spent all night working on that, said it should be much lighter now. He had the hilt reconstructed, I believe." Her sword was fine as it was. Perhaps it was just bitterness at her father, but being treated as if she were ungrateful by her mother made Weiss want to go home now, not just soon. Home. Funny how quickly her definition had shifted.
"Give father my regards." Weiss took a quick breath at the castle door, the cold air cooling her head. "Goodbye, mother. You should come to Vale and visit sometime," she added, trying to smooth over some of her temporary resentment. Her mother didn't deserve that.
"Of course, we will all come." Mother reached over and gave Weiss a rare hug, uncustomary for their prim and proper family. Body tensed up, but the silver huntress returned the hug as best she could, even as her arms remained stiff and awkward around her tiny mother.
"My lady, we must be going, we don't want to get to Beacon at midnight," Sir Zawisza urged, clearly giving Weiss an out from this uncomfortable embrace. The knight was gifted on sensing these kinds of things. At least he was useful in that respect.
Goodbyes were finally made and soon enough they were on the family airship, the snowflake standard of the Schnee dynasty plastered on its metal hull. The ride would be long and Zawisza would likely be picking at her for information on father's behalf, but a lengthy trip with a mostly silent crew wasn't so horrible. Gave her time to think, with plenty to think about. Weiss had to prepare for new classes, and it wouldn't be too long before another field mission. There was also Ruby.
Ruby had sent her quite a few embarrassing questions over her trip, although the daily messages did provide a balm for the otherwise unpleasant stay. Problem was that Weiss answered them honestly. It was so much easier to just say what she really felt when she never had to look Ruby in the eye afterwards. Thank the gods she had resisted some of her original drafts.
"My lady, you seem distressed. I'm sure we will be back at Beacon in no time. Did you enjoy your time at home?" Yes, Weiss did enjoy her time at home, too bad she was stuck at Castle White for two weeks.
"I am fine, sir, and yes I did," she lied.
"Good, your father watches you proudly from afar, so never feel alone." Weiss knew Sir Zawisza well enough to see his warning in disguise, despite the older man's cheery disposition.
"I will do my best."
The initial drive to study emptied out of Ruby a lot earlier than she had anticipated. Two hours in the motivation was replaced by sleepy indifference. Indifference replaced by actual sleep a few hours later. Head resting on an old history book at some library desk, it was so peaceful. Somewhere between the lands of dreams and drooling slumber a soft hand found its way to her cloaked shoulder, shaking Ruby ever so slightly. The crimson girl let out a few groans, but refused to wake. It was dream time, no one interrupts dream time.
"Ruby, wake up." It was Weiss' voice.
What's Weiss doing in dream time? Ruby thought, somewhere between the conscious world and her dream. She only shows up after I kill the beowolf king. Oh gods, no! The young girl's back snapped straight, coughing from the sudden excitement, eyes wide, searching everywhere for the threat looming, and there it was. Weiss was standing above her, head shaking and eyes more focused on her nails than Ruby. A sign of disapproval on Weiss' part.
"Weiss? When did you get back?" Ruby had planned to have cleaned the entire dorm, make it spotless instead of the mess Ruby and Blake had left it. Alright, more like the mess the team leader had left it. Why had Weiss come home early? Actually, what time was it?
"I've been back for over an hour, mostly looking for you. It's midnight. It seems you've been to pretending to study here for a while." Oh no, she was really, really mad. Ruby sunk into her chair, letting out a small nervous squeak. That apparently was enough to break Weiss' temper. She sighed and put her hands on her hips. Her blue ice eyes looked over Ruby's assorted texts, a small smile pulling on her lips.
"Don't worry, Ruby, I won't kill you. My test might, but you have some time yet. In the meantime, go ahead and get it over with," Weiss sighed, motioning Ruby with open arms. Her face was a little flushed and turned away from her partner, clearly a little embarrassed.
"What?" Ruby said with a brow lifted in confusion.
"Aren't you going to hug me hello or something?" Weiss' voice was so quiet Ruby started laughing. Idiot could have just asked. No way she would pass up the opportunity. The crimson huntress tackled the older girl, setting her a little off balance, but Ruby held her steady. As always, Weiss was stiff in the embrace, but Ruby nuzzled up anyways. Soon enough the princess' icy muscles loosened up and she hugged back like a normal person.
"It's great to see you, Weiss. I missed you so much," Ruby whispered lightly into Weiss' neck, causing the older girl to shudder just a little. She felt so warm and soft, suddenly the desire to go back to sleep hit Ruby hard. Just like this would have been perfect, but a soft hand separated them.
"I forgot how clingy you get. You need to get to bed." Weiss' face was flushed, but that only made her cuter. Ruby would have felt self-conscious, but the heiress' concern for her was too sweet and she was far too tired to feel terribly about much of anything. Rubbing her sleepy eyes, Ruby gave her partner a smile, feeling surprisingly calm with her crush.
"Alright, Weiss," she said, voice soft and sleepy, but bravely taking the opportunity to play up her exhaustion, grasping Weiss' hand in hers, "Lead the way."
Weiss dragged Ruby across the school, the girl always tugging away at her hand and trying to go the long way. What children would do to get out of going to bed. By the time they arrived at the RWBY dorm Yang had jumped to tackle them both, the massive brute that she was.
"Sis! Where were you?" Weiss cringed, watching poor Ruby get crushed in a vice that was the blonde's hug. Yang, on the other hand, seemed perfectly content to asphyxiate her sister.
"Yang, you're going to kill her," Weiss suggested, crossing her arms in mild protest.
"Ruby loves my hugs, don't you Ruby?"
"Yang, I'm dying," Ruby let out with what little air was left inside the husk of a broken huntress.
"Fine, teach me to show you sisterly love," Yang said sarcastically, tossing her golden locks. Weiss could hear Blake inside groaning quietly. Someone clearly was missing the silence of vacation.
"Come on, Ruby, it's time for bed," the silver fencer cajoled, pushing Ruby back inside. The dorm was a mess again, no surprise. Sure, Blake was clean, but understandably the faunus wouldn't do a damn thing to manage their glorious leader's mess. Weiss would fix it in the morning, but for now she just wanted to sleep. Her long, painful trip was finally over.
"Hey Weiss, you haven't forgotten about Saturday, right?" Ruby asked, hand reaching up to her bunk, the entire construction something Weiss was never fully comfortable with.
"Of course not, it's my week to plan it, right?" The heiress helped her partner into the cloth fortress above. Sometimes Ruby really did seem like a little kid.
"Well, sort of. I picked something out, but it's stuff you'd like." Yeah, a real child.
"Ruby," Weiss responded in protest.
"Please?" Ruby always had these perfect puppy dog eyes. Something that just made her submit every time.
"Fine, but no more operas. You're not skilled enough to be discerning the good from the bad. Now go to bed!" Weiss answered, shaking her head in frustration. No use arguing with a tired Ruby. Better off not even trying. At least she was happy, the younger girl's silver eyes looking down at her with a warm, sweet gaze. Such pretty silver eyes.
"You're the best, Weiss." A pretty smile to boot.
"Go to bed, Ruby, we have class tomorrow," Weiss shouted, sliding into her own bed. Finally able to relax at home, or as relaxed as a woman could get under a bed suspended by an odd number of ropes. This was a better place, Beacon, with the rest of Team RWBY, even if they were a bunch of loud idiots from time to time. Maybe this was what having a bunch of sisters was like. Though, perhaps sisterly love wasn't exactly appropriate for how she felt towards them all. Everything was as it should be, but something was still missing...
"Hey, by the way girls, where's my pillow?"
***Hey gents and ladies! I finished my research paper early so I decided to work on this before I get swamped again. A lot of you guys mentioned the "I like you, Blake" line from the last chapter and I felt like telling you lot where that came from. I was originally writing the vanilla version where she just straight up has the talk with Blake but I accidently put down I like you Blake instead of Weiss. It took all of my sanity not to cut off the chapter there and release it as is just to see the shock on everyone's face XD but seeing as it would have been cheap and made no sense I just thought I would toss it. Problem was I loved it so much that I fused them both together. XD
Other news I warn you guys and gals next week is going to be a busy week for me, final one before fall semester ends. I'm going to try and hammer out one release next week, but I can't promise I'll be able to, just know the story isn't getting cut off if I don't post again for a week. Thank you all for your support and remember reviews help so much even if it's just a few words to boost my motivation or want to give a more concrete opinion. Everything helps. Also if you notice any mistakes that just jump out at you give me a PM so I can edit it. Thanks so much all of you and see you next week!
OH P.S. If you haven't read Kuribayashi's The White Rose of Vermilion, it's an insanely good RWBY A.U. and that's coming from someone who is skittish about A.U.'s in general. Check out it out if you're looking for something a bit more dark and serious or just something of really high quality.