Notice Me, Ruby!

Chapter 22: Reflecting

It had been two days since Ruby had returned from her assignment with team LION and the redheaded girl had not been attending classes. This wasn't because she was skipping or anything like that, but because the teachers had actually decided to give her time to recover from the injuries and fatigue she had suffered. For most of that time, Ruby had been staying in her team's dorm resting, only going out to visit the library a couple of times.

The scythe-wielder had also been keeping up with her studies, not wanting to get left behind by the other students. The only things she wasn't allowed to do were physical activities, as those could lead to further damage to her body.

During this time, the WBY had awkwardly tried to rekindle their relationship to the younger girl, but had not really made much progress. Things were still awkward between the three older girls and their team leader. This was especially bad with Yang, who just couldn't seem to be able to speak up when faced with Ruby.

There was also another thing that had been bothering the blonde girl, the situation with team LION. She understood that Ruby held the older team in high regard, but Yang just couldn't bring herself to like them. This was because she felt like they were a threat that was trying to take away Ruby from her. This was obviously a rather stupid fear, but the brawler couldn't help.

However, it was clear that Ruby and team LION were good friends with each other, so there was no helping it. If Yang wanted to get anywhere with bettering her relationship with the young scythe-wielder, she would have to get along with the third-year team.

With her mind made up, the blonde girl made her way to where the third-year students were located, hoping to find out where team LION could be found.

Meanwhile in Beacon's gym, the members of team LION were in the middle of physical exercises. Since the third-years hadn't overburdened their bodies the way Ruby had, they could take part in training and other such things.

Right now, the four students were in the middle of their workout session, where they were all pushing their bodies further than normal. The addition of Ruby in their team and the way she had pushed herself beyond her own body's limits had motivated all of team LION to push themselves in their exercises. Not only had they been inspired by the younger girl's dedication to her own training, but they also hoped to get themselves strong enough that she wouldn't have to push herself over like that again.

Even the meek and shy Nilo was doing his best. The boy had been born with a small and weak body, so he never really took part in physical exercises like this, choosing to rely on his Semblance, weaponry and intelligence instead. However, now even he was doing bench presses, even if he didn't have any actual weights added to the pole.

The shy boy had Oliver and Isabella watching over him in case something happened. The dark-skinned girl was cheering on her young teammate, while the tall boy was watching with an amused look on his face.

"You can do it, Nilo!" Isabella said cheerfully, as the young boy pushed the pole up with shaky arms. "That was your eighth one already! Only a bit more and you'll reach ten!"

"I must say that I'm quite surprised by this sudden development of yours, Nilo. Normally you would only be doing much lighter exercises, yet here you are bodybuilding," Oliver said while casually lifting a weight with one hand and holding a book in the other. Unlike his younger teammate, his weight had been maxed out with the weights on the pole, yet he was lifting it easily. "Mind if I ask what brought the sudden change?"

"I-It was b-because of R-Ruby," Nilo answered in a shaky voice with a completely red face drenched in sweat. "T-The way she pushes herself is i-inspiring in my e-eyes. I-I want to at least do t-this much in order to be a p-proper teammate for her. N-Not to mention, I-I never want to have someone g-go through anything l-like what she w-went through on our last m-mission."

While the three members of LION were having their moment between each other, their team leader watched them with a small smile on her face. Elaine couldn't help but be happy over her team getting the opportunity to work with Ruby. Not only had she proven to be a great friend and teammate, but the redhead had also had a surprisingly positive on her whole team as a whole. The members of team LION had been close before, but it seemed like ever since they met Ruby, they had grown even closer. Not only that, but all of them were now more motivated than ever in their work to become Huntsmen and Huntresses.

To make it simple, Elaine considered that her team had been blessed through Ruby.

The best part of the whole thing for the third-year team leader was something that none of her teammates knew yet. It was that there was a good chance that Ruby would be joining their team permanently. Elaine hadn't told her teammates about this yet because she wanted to make absolutely sure that it would happen, before telling them. She still couldn't help but grin widely when thinking about this, though.

The redheaded third-year was broken out of her pleasant thoughts by the sound of someone entering the gym. Out of reflex, she turned to look who it was and immediately frowned. It was one of Ruby's teammates, Yang Xiao Long.

When it came to the younger redhead's current teammates, the one she hated the most had to be the blonde girl. While she disliked all three of them, Yang was one that she considered to be the most despicable. This was due to the brawler having known Ruby her whole life, which was something Elaine wished she could have experienced herself. The fact that Yang had known such a wonderful person for so long and still had treated her so badly really made the third-year's blood boil. Only through unimaginable willpower was she able to hold herself back from jumping at the blonde girl and beating her senseless.

Before Elaine could wonder what Yang was doing there, the brawler seemed to notice her and started to walk towards her. The redheaded team leader tensed up, wondering just what the first-year was trying to do.

"Hi, I kind of wanted to talk with you. Is that okay?" Yang asked to which the older girl nodded. "I wanted to talk to you about Ruby."

"What about her?" Elaine asked and narrowed her eyes.

"First, I would like to thank you and your team for keeping her safe during your assignment," the blonde girl started. "I heard that you kept her safe and even saved her life. For that I can't thank you enough."

"You're welcome, but there's no need for thanks," the redhead replied. "Not only should it be natural for comrades and friends to help each other out, she saved our lives and has been a great help altogether. I honestly don't know if we'll ever be able to repay her."

"That's good to hear. However, I would also like to apologize for something," Yang continued, earning herself a raised eyebrow from the third-year girl. "You see, when we heard that Ruby had been injured in your assignment, Weiss, Blake and I kind of put the blame on your team. Ruby quickly reprimanded us for that, but I still feel that it was necessary to apologize in person."

"Again, there's no need for that. Me and my team have gone through quite a bit already, so being badmouthed by some first-years isn't such a big deal," Elaine said. "But your sincerity and apology are still appreciated. Was there anything else you needed to talk about with me?"

"Actually, there is. It's pretty much the main reason I came to talk with you," the brawler answered. "I kind of need your help with Ruby."

"…What?"

"Look, it's obvious that things have not been good between Rubes and I. The same goes for Weiss and Blake as well. But you and your team have gotten really close to her somehow. Whenever I see you guys with Ruby, it reminds me of how things used to be in our team and I… I really miss that. That's why I came here to ask for your help. Maybe you could give me an idea on how to get this whole mess fixed? We could even make some sort of a plan that would include both of our teams even."

Yang waited a moment is silence for Elaine's answer, but didn't get anything other than the older girl staring at her with wide eyes. This went on for a few seconds, before the third-year spoke up.

"If you're trying to piss me off, you're doing a real good job," Elaine with an angry look on her face.

"W-What?" Yang asked, completely confused by the older girl's response.

"Do you have ANY idea just how angry you've made me!?" the third-year raged as she stood up. Her voice had caught the attention of everyone else in the gym, causing them to look at her and the brawler. "The fact that you're trying to get ME to fix your own goddamn mess is bad enough, but the fact that you and your other two idiot teammates can't seem to realize just how freaking blessed you truly are has to be the worst!"

"Woah woah! What are you talking about!?" Yang asked in a slight panic, having not expected such an extreme reaction. "What do you mean by blessed!?"

"You still don't realize it? Even now after all you've been through!?" Elaine asked in return with her anger slowly rising. "Have you ever wondered why is it that Ruby is avoiding you all!? Why she's trying her best to keep her distance!? Of course you haven't, since in your mind, you haven't done anything wrong! Isn't that right!?"

"Hang on, do you know why Ruby has been avoiding us!? Please tell me!" the blonde girl practically begged, wanting to know what was going on with the scythe-wielder. "I have been trying to figure out what's wrong, but I haven't been able to figure it out all! If you know something, you have to tell me! Please!"

"First, I don't have to tell you anything. Besides, I promised Ruby not to talk about this and that means a lot to me. I am not someone that would break a promise that was made with a friend," the third-year team leader replied, turning her back on the first-year student. "Even if I hadn't made such a promise, I still wouldn't tell you or your other two teammates. When you become a team, you're not just a group of people working on the same job, you're supposed to become a family. If any of you were that close to Ruby, you would know what's wrong."

"But we are a family!" Yang tried to argue desperately. "We have opened up to each other about ourselves in things that we don't just tell everybody! Even with that we have no idea what is wrong with Ruby!"

"Why do you assume that something is wrong with Ruby? Have you ever even considered that YOU are the one with the problem?" Elaine asked while giving the brawler the most hateful look she could. "This, Yang Xiao Long, is EXACTLY the reason I absolutely despise you."

"…What?"

"You heard me. I find you to be a horrible person," the redhead answered. "For some reason, you think that the Ruby is the one with the problem, never even slightly considering the possibility that the problem could actually be with you. And you want to know what the worst part is? This shouldn't be the case with you at all. You've known Ruby all of her life, so you should be able to figure this out by yourself, yet you have to ask for help from people that haven't even known Ruby for a whole year! To make this even worse somehow, I'm actually jealous of you, Weiss and Blake! You were all blessed with an incredible person as your team leader, but you don't seem to know just how good you truly have it!"

Elaine's rant had left Yang completely speechless. A lot of it did make sense. While the blonde girl knew that she had made quite a few mistakes in her attempt at getting close to Ruby again, she had never considered that she herself had caused there to be distance between herself and the young scythe-wielder in the first place. Yang also couldn't help but agree with the third-year's other points, like the fact that they were lucky to have Ruby as their teammate and that she herself should be able to figure out what was wrong, considering how long she had known Ruby.

"So… what you're saying is that I'm on my own then?" the brawler asked.

"If I simply fixed your mess without you having to do anything, it would be meaningless," Elaine answered. "Besides, if you truly care about Ruby, you would be doing everything you can to get close to her once again."

"…Okay. Thanks," Yang said in a low tone before leaving the gym.

The redhead had been a bit surprised by the younger girl thanking her. She had honestly expected Yang to get angry at her and possibly even try to attack her. In all honesty, Elaine had even hoped for that. After she had found out just how badly Ruby had been treated by her teammates, the third-year student had wanted to unleash her fury on the sniper's teammates. Unfortunately, since Ruby herself had told her not to do that, Elaine had been unable to do so. Having Yang attack her would have given her the perfect excuse to finally get revenge.

Taking a deep breath, the third-year team leader did her best to calm herself. Staying upset wasn't going to help anyone. Besides, she needed to focus on the positives. Oobleck had pretty much guaranteed her that Ruby would soon be able to join one of the third-year teams, which would most likely be her team LION. That was something to be happy about.

"Ellie, what did blondie want with you?" Isabella asked. She and the other members of LION had decided to go and see what had happened between their leader and Yang. "She didn't come here to pick a fight with us, did she?"

"No, she didn't, but she did manage to anger me quite a bit," Elaine answered.

"Glad to hear that's all it was. We were ready to throw down with her, even if she is just a single first-year," the dark-skinned girl said. "Even Nilo was pumped up and ready to go."

"Really now?" the redhead asked with a raised eyebrow and a small smirk. "Knowing what he did to that Grimm we faced in our assignment, I'm not really surprised."

"Joking aside, what was her business with you?" Oliver asked. "I doubt she came over here just to say hello."

Elaine was about to answer, but then she thought about something. A smile made its way to her face, as she decided what to tell her teammates first.

"Guys, there's something you need to know. It's about the meeting I had with Oobleck soon after we returned from our assignment."

Meanwhile, Yang was heading towards her team's dorm while in deep thought. She was thinking about all the things Elaine had just told her and trying to come up with what to do regarding Ruby. As much as she hated to admit it, the third-year student had been correct when she said that the brawler had automatically assumed that the problem had something to do with Ruby. She had completely excluded herself, Weiss and Blake from the whole thing. It was entirely possible that one of them, or even all three of them, had been the cause of Ruby distancing herself from them.

The problem was trying to figure out what it was.

By the time Yang had made her way back to her team's dorm, she still hadn't been able to come up with an answer to her problem. The blonde girl could only let out a sad sigh, as she opened the door and entered the dorm.

Once inside, Yang immediately saw Ruby laying down on her bed, studying. This was pretty much a common sight that the brawler, along with their other teammates, had gotten used to. They couldn't even remember a time when they had seen the young redhead doing anything other than either studying or training. She might have been forced to stop training her body due to her injuries, but she was still determined to continue her studies, even if she was supposed to be resting.

Ruby was so concentrated on her studies that she hadn't even noticed Yang enter. The blonde girl couldn't help but wonder if the scythe-wielder had even taken a break from her studies to eat, as all she seemed to be doing these days was work.

However, this gave Yang an idea.

'I can tell just by looking that Rubes is very tired. She must have been pushing herself way past her limits in her studies,' the brawler thought to herself. 'Let's see if I can do something to help her relax a bit.'

Yang walked up to the younger girl and gently tapped her on her shoulder. Ruby immediately turned her attention to the older.

"Oh, hi, Yang. I didn't notice you coming in," the redhead greeted. "Did you need something?"

"No, but I think you might need something," Yang replied. "Rubes, I can tell that you're tired. I can even see bags under your eyes. I think you've worked enough and need to take a moment to rest a bit."

"I'm fine, Yang. I don't need to rest right now," Ruby said. "Besides, I have to keep working or else I'll get left behind by everybody else. Thanks to not being able to go to classes, I haven't been able to-"

The scythe-wielder was cut off by the blonde girl suddenly climbing up to her bed. Ruby looked at Yang, who was grinning.

"Come on, Rubes, you must have been at this for hours already!" the brawler said. "How about this? I'll try to help you relax, but if it doesn't work, you get to return back to your studies. Deal?"

Ruby was about to protest, but thought about it. If she simply denied Yang's request, she was certain that she would only end up getting asked again and again until she gave in. On the other hand, if she goes along with this, she might get rid of the blonde girl in one go.

"Fine, I'll accept your deal," Ruby said with a sigh. "But if this doesn't work, I want to be left alone, okay?"

"Deal!" Yang said cheerfully with a big grin on her face. "You're not going to regret this, Rubes!"

"We'll see about that…" the redhead mumbled and rolled her eyes. "What are you even going to do to help me relax?"

"I'm going to give you one of a kind massage, the Xiao Long Special!" the brawler proclaimed happily. "Now, remove your shirt, lay down on your stomach with your arms at your sides and let me work my magic on you!"

Ruby did as she was told and was soon on her bed with her back completely bare for the older girl. Wasting no time, Yang went to work and began to give her massage to the younger girl.

As much as Ruby would have hated to admit it, the blonde girl's technique was really working. She hadn't been aware of just how tense she had truly been and the hands working her back made her feel really good. A pleased moan even escaped Ruby's lips over how good she was feeling.

'Man, she really needed this! Just by touching her like this I can tell how much work she has been putting in. Does this girl ever rest?' Yang thought to herself as she continued the massage. She soon noticed that Ruby had actually fallen asleep during the whole session. 'She's out like a light. I'm not too surprised, though. With the way she looked, I'm surprised this didn't happen sooner.'

With Ruby asleep, the blonde girl continued giving her the massage. As she did so, she began to notice other things about the redhead. Mainly the results her training were showing on her body.

'Wow, Rubes has really been working out, hasn't she?' Yang thought as she admired the sleeping girl's muscles. 'Even though they're not as big and developed as mine, I'm sure that she is soon going to be rivaling me with the way she's going.'

The muscles weren't the only thing that the brawler took notice of. There were also quite a few bruises and scars covering Ruby's body. While some had come from missions the redhead had taken part in, there were also ones that came from her working. Ruby's hands also had all sorts of small scars and other blemishes, most likely resulting from her working on her weapon for long periods of time.

'To think that this used to be the little girl that would cling to me with tears in her eyes… Honestly, when did you change so much, Ruby?' Yang wondered. Her hands had now stopped giving the massage and were now moving around the younger girl's body, gently feeling the muscles, scars and bruises underneath them. 'This isn't the body of a little girl that's happily munching cookies while reading fairy tales. This is the body of an experienced Huntress, one who has seen much action and faced many foes. Is this really the Ruby I know?'

The brawler decided to take a closer look at Ruby's sleeping face. She gently brushed away the stray hairs that were in the way and looked at her. Despite all the changes she had gone through, the young team leader still had an innocent look on her face while sleeping.

'Guess some things either don't change or take a lot longer to do so. She still looks like the sweet little girl that I know, when she is like this,' Yang thought while observing Ruby's face. 'Just why have you changed so much so suddenly? What are you trying to achieve and why? And when you do achieve it, will you still have a need for me?'

Suddenly, the blonde girl began to lean closer towards the sleeping girl's face. She did this slowly and carefully in order to not wake up the younger girl. Yang got close enough to feel Ruby's calm breath on her skin, their lips mere inches away from each other.

Realizing just how close she had gotten, the brawler quickly pulled back and fell off the bed. The noise and sudden movement woke up Ruby, who sat up on her bed while rubbing her eyes.

"Yang? What happened?" the scythe-wielder asked in a sleepy tone. "Why did you suddenly fall off?"

"Uhhh… Sorry, Ruby, but I have to go!" Yang quickly said before running to the door. "See you later!"

Before Ruby could ask anything, the blonde girl had slammed the door behind her. The redhead was left to stare at the door with a confused look on her face.

"…What was THAT about?"

Meanwhile, Yang was leaning on the wall just outside her team's dorm. Her face was completely red as she thought about what had just happened.

'WHAT DID I JUST DO!?' the brawler screamed inside her head in embarrassment.

Author's notes: I'm back to this story again, people! Sorry for making you all wait for so long. I wanted to get Dead by Roselight finished, so that I could better focus on other stuff, like this story. With it finished, I can focus on this story a lot more.

Sorry for the wait and thank you all for your patience.

I'll try to get the next chapter done as soon as possible. It might take some time, since I've got a lot of other stuff I need to work on as well, but I'll do my best. It is thanks to your support that I want to keep working on this story and to bring it to an end.

Until next time.

RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth.