Chapter Twenty

"So did you really break the guy's foot?" Coco asked Ruby for the third time, still unable to grasp that the timid redhead who clung to Weiss was capable of something so vindictive.

Ruby meekly nodded her head as she stretched her left arm high above her head, carefully mimicking Coco's well-practiced movements. "He wouldn't stop flexing his muscles in front of Weiss so I got a little jealous; it's his own fault!"

The two women were making good progress in RWBY Manor's impressive recreation center. It took them an hour to find the place and another half to explore it thoroughly the first time they came there. The building was split into three sections: the gym, stocked with only the finest fitness equipment available in the world, a 25x30 meter temperature controlled swimming pool and sauna, and a fortified combat practice hall sturdy enough to withstand a rampaging Ursa.

"A little? You dropped a weight on him."

"It was like three pounds!" Ruby shouted defensively. "How was I supposed to know he was going to cry like a baby?"

"Even I'd cry if that happened to me," Coco laughed nervously.

"Then you better not hit on my wife."

"Wouldn't dream of it, Red."

Coco was leading Ruby through some basic stretches, a routine they had been slowly adding to for the past week and a half. Each day proved to be more difficult than the last but the effort was well rewarded. Weiss' incentive for completing a day of rehab was divided into three options: the first was a date, dinner or brunch depending on Weiss' hectic schedule, the second was revealing a letter of the password, and third was a kiss on the lips. While they were all good reasons to push through and break her limit, Ruby found herself doing it because she simply enjoyed Coco's company.

The older brunette proved herself to be a capable fitness trainer with the knowledge to rival a professional's. The huntress somehow made the gruelling workout fun by talking and making use of the recreation centre's facilities in unique and interesting ways. Ruby's favourite activity by far was a game of volleyball mixed with twenty-one questions in the indoor pool. Overall, Coco was strict but understanding; Ruby doubted she'd progress this far if she worked with someone other than her.

"So after you recover, what's your plan?" Coco asked finally letting up so they could take a break. "What does Ruby Rose-Schnee want to do with her life? A second chance like this doesn't come around that often."

Ruby dropped to the floor a sweaty, panting mess. "Maybe try that hunting thing Yang does," she said taking in deep, gratifying breaths. "I'm really not sure to be honest."

"Hm," Coco rubbed her chin in thought. "How are you feeling? Any sharp pains or discomfort?"

"None," Ruby answered. "Maybe it's that aura stuff, but I feel great! Awesome even!"

"Alright, Red." Coco held her hand out for Ruby to take. "Let's move to the practice room. I'll teach you a little close combat. If you can handle it, we'll add it to the routine."

"Really?!"

"Really."

"Hell yeah!" Ruby grinned broadly and gladly accepted Coco's help. "I was born ready!"

"Who knows," the veteran huntress laughed, "maybe muscle memory will take over and you'll kick my ass."

"What?! No way!" Ruby shrieked in absolute denial. The videos Weiss showed her had Coco waltzing through a fight humming a tune as she decimated a pack of Grimm without firing a single bullet. Just thinking about the level of skill it took to accomplish that made Ruby's knees buckle. "My old self maybe, but new Ruby is a definite no!"

"We'll just have to wait and see."

"Don't get your hopes up," Ruby chuckled, "I'm practically a wet noodle."

"I've got your back," Coco said reassuringly with a smile. "We all do."

After they packed up their belongings, making sure to leave nothing behind, they headed to the exit. Coco hadn't mentioned it before to avoid an argument with the people who owned it, but the gym was just a little overkill. Correction, the entire building was a badass monument erected in honour of Weiss' endless wealth. Blake made an off-handed comment about it costing more than a small village's yearly food budget, but now that she had seen it first hand Coco didn't doubt it anymore.

Sighing, Coco looked at her "client" and wondered how the energetic woman was able to handle everything being thrown at her. If it had been her in Ruby's place she would have short-circuited just from the pressure her extended family exuded.

Blake and Yang were humble people so they were easy to get along with, but Ruby was married to Weiss Schnee. The Weiss Schnee. As in Weiss Schnee, the richest woman on Remnant. Her name alone was enough to strike fear in the hearts of tiny business owners worldwide. Of course Coco knew that the big, bad CEO was really just a socially awkward rich girl and not the demon people made her out to be. Weiss was a good woman with good intentions, the sort of person who wouldn't fall to corporate corruption. But all that aside, it still must've been hard getting used to the Schnee lifestyle. Coco sure never got used to it.

"Someone's using the pool," Ruby suddenly said drawing Coco's focus back to their walk. "I wonder who it is?"

"Probably Weiss," Coco guessed. "Yang and Blake aren't water people per say…"

"Is it because Yang sets things on fire and Blake's a cat?"

The older brunette nodded. "Pretty much."

"Let's go say hi!" Ruby suggested eagerly.

"You just want to see Weiss in close to nothing and wet all over you perv."

Ruby spun on her heel to face Coco. She glared at her trainer and with a straight face said, "You're damn right I do!"

Coco couldn't help but laugh at Ruby's straightforwardness. The woman knew how to take a joke and roll with it, something that a lot of people their age had trouble doing. The world needed more Ruby Roses to spread joy and humility, just being around the slightly spastic woman made everything less doom and gloom.

The redhead took the lead, leaving Coco behind without remorse. She didn't have time to wait for Coco and her mellow too-cool-for-you strut to catch up, at least not when there was the possibility of seeing Weiss in a sexy bikini or one piece.

Ruby couldn't believe her luck.

Weiss had just finished her final lap and was pulling herself out with the help of a pool ladder. Wearing nothing more than a simple white bikini that showed off her perfectly toned, glistening body she looked absolutely breathtaking, like a goddess stepping out of her enchanted lake. Weiss wasn't as well-endowed as Yang or Blake, but her slim frame and stunning face more than made up for it.

The sound of her heart beating wildly in her chest drowned out all other noise. It was happening again. Memories or fantasies were filling her head with images of Weiss breathing hard beneath her, her half lidded eyes burning with lust and passion. Ruby saw her left hand rove over Weiss' bare chest, teasing her stiff peaks before moving down the expanse of her flat stomach, stopping short at a nasty looking scar just above her pelvis. It was a sweltering shade of red near the center with a gradient of yellow and purple discolouration surrounding the rest of the scar making it stand out garishly on Weiss' pale, ivory skin. It must have been a fresh wound because Weiss' breath hitched in discomfort when Ruby ghosted her fingers above it.

Snapping herself out of her thoughts, Ruby hurriedly scanned Weiss' body for the offending blemish. To her relief and utter dismay, the scar wasn't a figment of her overactive imagination. But at least it had healed without complication, leaving behind a light pinkish mark similar to the one crossing Weiss' left eye. It actually looked rather stylish on her.

The more she poured over the mark, the more Ruby wanted to know the story behind it; however, her mind was having a rather difficulty time staying focused.

Ruby had never seen Weiss with so little on; she was actually quite surprised to learn that her love interest was so petite. The bulky uniform Weiss always wore broadened her shoulders and added a dangerous flare to her persona—but mostly it just made her taller. Without the heavy dust infused dress outfit, Weiss looked like the delicate princess found in old fairy tales waiting to be rescued.

Ruby gulped, trying her hardest to come up with something to say when she realized just how long she had been staring. "H-Hey, Weiss!" she called out, her voice sounding too forced and foreign to be her own.

"Huh?" Weiss shook the excess water out of her hair and pushed her bangs back to see. "Oh, hello," she said politely, "finished your workout?"

Ruby's jaw practically hit the floor when Weiss stepped out of the pool, water cascading down her body in rivulets that traced the soft contours of her taut muscles. She stood confidently in front of them, wringing her hair, blissfully unware of the hellish torment she was causing Ruby. Coco snickered immaturely at her, whispering nonsense like "Nice lady boner" into her ear when Weiss wasn't looking. Ruby knew she was staring; she didn't need Coco telling her that. And could she really blame her? Weiss looked amazing!

"I see you got your figure back," Coco said to Weiss in a friendly manner before tossing her a clean towel from her duffel bag. "Don't see a single bit of baby fat on ya, good job."

"I was fit to begin with," Weiss skillfully deflected as she wiped off her arms, grateful for the fresh cocoa scented towel. "It's getting my core back to satisfactory condition that's proving difficult."

"Ah, that explains the swimming."

Weiss nodded her head. "It was easy after Blanc, but now I think I'm just getting lazy."

"Eh, I'll still love you even if you're twice the Schnee you are now," Coco teased her, punctuating her joke with a playful wink.

"Oh har-har," Weiss huffed, "you're so funny."

"At least I'm good company."

"Sure, keep telling yourself that."

"I will!"

"Okay."

Ruby bounced her gaze between Weiss and Coco, clueless from start to finish. She was worried her jealousy would flare up again with how overly familiar Coco was acting around Weiss. But after getting to know the brunette and hearing her story, Ruby was grateful Coco was there for her wife and daughter when Ruby herself couldn't.

There was little difference between envy and jealousy, so much so that the two words were often confused for the other and vice versa. But in this instance the boundaries between them were as clear and distinctive as night was to day. There was no anger or hate; Coco hadn't done anything to earn her animosity. Envy was what Ruby felt when she saw the close bond Weiss and Coco shared in person. There was something between them that Ruby could never experience and it pricked at her skin incessantly just thinking about it. The moments that should have been rightfully hers were Coco's and she could never get them back.

The old Ruby was a fool, a fool of magnanimous proportion. Because who in their right mind would allow an attractive stranger with so much to gain close to their wealthy, vulnerable wife and newborn child? It was the perfect recipe for a sordid love affair—not that Weiss was the sort of woman who strayed easily, Ruby didn't doubt Weiss' morals. She'd at least have the decency to divorce Ruby before running off with said attractive stranger.

It sounded terrible no matter how she spun the story in her head, because each reiteration only hammered the truth in deeper: Weiss was better off with Coco. She was there for her and Ruby wasn't, it would have been understandable. But where other women would fall into despair, Weiss accepted her situation and made do with it. She stayed with Ruby, never straying, even though the fool was always out playing the hero for some no-name damsel in distress. Ruby wanted to know what it was about her that made Weiss so irrevocably attached to her. What did the old Ruby have that was better than anything Coco had on the table?

"So where are you keeping the little drool monster?" Coco asked glossing over Weiss' flat reaction to her jabs.

That got certainly got Ruby's attention. 'What?'

"Um…" Weiss brought the towel to her mouth pretending to dab away some lingering moisture. "I haven't been in the right state of mind to properly care for an infant…" she explained reluctantly, "So I left her with my parents."

Coco frowned at Weiss' confession, upset at herself for failing to be a friend when needed. "Are you leaving her there permanently or…?"

"I honestly don't know," Weiss said looking dejected.

"What are you guys talking about?" Ruby finally asked.

"Ruby doesn't know?" Coco gasped when Weiss shook her head. "Why not?"

"Can we not have this discussion, please?" Weiss looked at Ruby, feeling a mishmash of emotions she wasn't prepared to deal with today. "Ruby, I know you are curious but just like you I need time to adjust, too."

Ruby closed her eyes and smiled, silently thanking Weiss for her honesty. When she reopened them she met her wife's gaze head on without hesitation. "I understand."

"Thank you," Weiss smiled, breathing a sigh of relief. "I'll explain in full detail another time. I promise."

"Well that's boring. C'mon let's hit the practice ring already!" Coco growled impatiently. She had been hoping to see Weiss and Ruby connect a little before getting shut out. Coco had promised Ruby she would help her get closer to Weiss, and it worked fantastically for the most part. She just hadn't anticipated Weiss denying her beloved so easily. "The sooner we finish, the sooner I can crack open a nice cold beer and chill on the couch."

"And why exactly are you taking my recently discharged spouse to the practice ring?" Weiss asked in a chilly tone that sent shivers running up Coco's spine.

"Uh… stretching?"

"Coco…"

"Alright! Fine!" Coco surrendered pathetically. "Ruby wants to try a little combat practice. There's no harm in it since we'll be doing it in a controlled environment."

"Ruby, why would you ask for such a thing?" Weiss said, directing her fury towards the stock-still redhead.

"U-Um… I…" Ruby stuttered as she twiddled her thumbs nervously. "Coco asked me what my plan was after I recovered."

"And?"

"I said I wanted to try that hunting thing Yang and everyone else does," Ruby explained feeling slightly more confident in herself. It was the truth; she really did want to try what Yang did.

Weiss rubbed her weary eyes, sighing heavily as if the world was resting on her shoulders. "You do remember that the reason you were even in the hospital without memories was because of a hunt, right?" Ruby nodded. "Can you please explain to me why you would want to go back to that? Are you so desperate to leave me that you'd be willing to go back out there?"

"Weiss, I—"

"Sorry that was immature of me…" The CEO shook her bangs back in place as she threaded a hand through her hair damp hair. Turmoil was evident in her stormy blue eyes as Weiss debated upon her next choice of words. "I'm scared, Ruby… I nearly lost you once and that was enough to break me down. I don't know how I'll handle a second time or… worse." She whispered the final word as if it were a curse.

"Well it's not like she'll be jumping straight into it," Coco explained, trying to alleviate some of Weiss' worries. "And she did only say 'try.' No guarantee she'll stick with it, this is New Ruby after all."

"It'll be okay, Weiss." Ruby approached the blue eyed woman apprehensively, placing one hand on her arm and the other on her cheek.

She hadn't been brave enough to touch Weiss directly since returning to RWBY Manor almost two weeks ago. There was always something stopping her from doing so, like an aura of possession marking Weiss off limits to her. But after hearing Weiss' claim, Ruby realized that her fears were irrational. Weiss belonged to her just as much as she belonged to Weiss. So when her bare hand pressed against Weiss' dewy skin, Ruby felt a surge of warmth blossom in her heart.

Weiss reacted positively to Ruby's touch, sparing the redhead her fury. She pleadingly looked up at the redhead, her brows knitted together, and asked, "Will you at least let me watch?"

"Uh…" Ruby felt her face heat up, "S-Sure! It's not like I'm going to humiliate myself in front of the woman I love and respect above all else or anything like that."

"You are going to get your butt kicked so hard you'll wish you were back at the hospital," Coco cackled ominously, ignoring Weiss' warning glare. "So Weiss, good buddy, old pal, are you going to cheer us on in that sexy two piece or are you going to change?"

"I don't know," Weiss made a show of herself by pressing her body dangerously close to Ruby's, keeping the girl's thin arm between her breasts, "you tell me."

"Please put some clothes on," Coco deadpanned. "Your ridiculously pale skin is blinding in most cases. Adding your MILF status and dynamite bod is enough to make me want to puke."

"Rude," Weiss snapped, offended. But her scowl quickly melted into a lighthearted smile as she laughed alongside Coco. "You two go ahead, I'll catch up. Feel free to start without me."

"Yousoro!" Coco saluted, leaving the two newly acquainted lovers behind.

"Y-Yousoro!" Ruby stuttered in a poor attempt at imitating her new hero's relaxed attitude, but her salute was hindered by the soft, supple torture her right arm was being subjected to. "U-Um, Weiss, yo-you let go now."

Weiss held on tighter in defiance. "Of all the idiotic things you could have done you chose this! Ruby, Coco will destroy you with a smile on her face!"

"What?"

"That idiot doesn't know the meaning of restraint!" Weiss shouted. "You just got out of the hospital! You can't even lift your right arm above your head without tearing up, and don't even try lying about your back pain."

"Urk—you knew about that?"

"You've snuck into my bed every night since you got back," Weiss argued. "I wake up before you and each morning I see your face contorted in pain when you sleep on your side."

"Oh…" Ruby looked down in contemplation but immediately changed her mind when all she saw was her arm wedged between Weiss' modest bust. "D-Do you think you can let go now? I, um…"

Weiss hummed, playing coy. "What if I don't want to?"

"W-Weiss, I…" Ruby gulped, her free hand inching upward.

"I think I've teased you enough," the CEO abruptly let go of Ruby and walked passed her making sure that her silver eyed companion got a good view. When she got to the change room doors, Weiss stopped and looked over her shoulder with a smug grin. "If you can land a hit on Coco I'll think about letting you touch, but if you keep standing there gawking you'll lose your chance."

Ruby ran out of the pool area so fast Weiss could've sworn she used her semblance, which was impossible since Ruby didn't even know she had one.

"Coco!" Ruby screamed at the top of her lungs. "Fight me!"

"What?!" Coco screeched before getting full body tackled by the speeding redhead. "Ruby, what the honest fuck?!"

"Fight me!"

"Yeah, that's the point of a practice match!" Coco admonished her as she struggled to untangle herself from Ruby. "Now get off me, you dweeb!"

"This is a matter of life or death," Ruby stressed frantically.

"It'll be a matter of death or death if you don't get the fuck off!"

Coco flipped Ruby off of her with a single arm, demonstrating the ferocious strength she contained in her lithe, voluptuous body. Ruby was both startled and amazed, first at how soft her landing was and second when she saw Coco in her sparing outfit.

The slender brunette had the body of a healthy runway model with the face and hair to match. She was dressed in a simple black sports bra with a neon yellow crosshair on the left cup, tight black short-shorts, and padded fingerless gloves to complete her simple outfit.

"Wow…" Ruby gawked unable to coherently string together her words.

Coco quirked an eyebrow at her and smirked. "Don't let Weiss catch you staring at my Coco puffs."

"S-Sorry, it's just, wow. You're a lot skinnier than I thought you would be."

"Wow, way to insult a girl, Red." Coco shook her head and pulled her hair back, tying it neatly in place with an elastic.

"You're really pretty," Ruby said after regaining her composure, "but the only one I can think about like that is Weiss."

"You can find people attractive and not cheat on your baby mama," Coco pointed out with a laugh. She sauntered over to a rack lined with wooden practice weapons and grabbed a set of tonfas. She tested their weight and spun them in her hands before giving the set her approval. "Come up here and pick something."

"We're starting with that?" Ruby asked a little scared now. Coco nodded her head. "Alright but we're not really hurting each other right?"

"We'll take a few practice swings and go from there," Coco explained as she walked back to the center of the practice floor. "I want to see what you pick."

Ruby stood in front of the weapons wall and inspected each one. She didn't know what to make it.

'Let's see… stick, stick, short stick, short stick with o sticks at the end, pointy stick, flat stick, stick… stick…' Ruby scratched her head, 'Long stick, stick, stick with string and a ball… what was I looking for? Oh, another stick and a…'

The spectre, the manifestation of her memories, stood beside a long stick with a large curved wooden board for a blade. It pointed to it before vanishing from sight. Ruby looked back at Coco wondering if she had seen her ghost, but the brunette was too focused on her kata to notice.

Ruby turned back to the strange stick and considered getting the same one Coco was using instead so she could teach her instead of using them to beat her face in. Ruby really didn't want to do what the crimson apparition told her to do, but the unique weapon really did stand out.

"Fine, you win! Oversized gardening tool it is!" Ruby grumbled to herself quietly.

When she held the practice weapon in her hands she thought she'd drop it from the excessive weight, but a pair of hands reached around her holding it from a wider stance. Ruby looked back in a frenzy praying to God that it was Coco being nice.

"Place your hands where mine are," her own voice instructed her from behind.

Ruby was about to berate herself but stopped when she realized the spectre's hands seemed normal, see-through but still normal, instead of the gnarled demonic claws she had first seen.

"Do you want to feel what I've felt? Then do as I say and follow me."

"Okay… wait, we're talking about Weiss' boobs right?" she whispered.

"… yes."