It was day five.
Still trapped in the grimm infested forest, I was looking for food. Fruits, herbs, roaming animals, hell I'll even eat any dead carcasses. What I needed was food. I haven't eaten for two days and I was getting tired. Tired of walking. Tired of starving. Tired of hiding. Tired of keeping an open in my sleep.
Tired of everything.
I wasn't sure how far off I was from town or if I went to the correct direction. It seemed like the forest went on forever like a never ending journey. But I didn't have it entirely bad. No, I made a fire and molded the scraps into a small scalpel. It wasn't the worst weapon I used, but it was definitely better than going into the forest bare.
I knew my small scalpel couldn't pierce any grimm armor, but I knew I can at least take down one beowolf. I tested it myself, and it was no doubt suicidal. It took me forever just to kill that one meagerly lone grimm. It wasn't the best battle results I had earned, but it did prove that I was still a fighter. I ended up with scratches from that fight, but it wasn't dire. A few scrapes colored my skin, but it was nothing major that needed attentive medical care. I was lucky that my aura healed most of it, giving me a chance to live another day.
But I wondered.
Will I even make it alive the next day?
Short beeping.
That was what I heard first. It was constant, annoying, and high pitched. Then there were soft murmurs. They were unrecognizable, frequent, and unclear. Next was the odd smell. The scent didn't seem familiar as it was slightly metallic with a hint of medicinal aroma. Lastly was the blinding lights that shined through my shut eyelids. They were bright and annoying, but also reassured me that I survived. Awoken from my unconsciousness, I brought an arm to my eyes and groaned really loudly. There were sharp pains scattered all over my body and I felt a bit nauseated. A commotion of shuffling and small gasps swamped the atmosphere about how 'she was awake' and 'to notify them'.
"Miss Rose."
I removed my forearm from my eyes and slowly opened it. Flashing white lights gleamed down upon me, making difficult to distinguish the white blur that stood next to me. I rubbed my eyes, ignoring the pain flaring in my body, and tried to regain back my sight.
"Where am I?" I croaked. My lips and throat were dehydrated from who knows how long I was out for. Small screeching noises slightly resonated in my ears as my eardrum experienced a bit of trauma from the loud exposure. A woman wearing a white coat stood poise next to me. By the way the stethoscope dangled over her neck, she appeared to be some kind of doctor.
"You're in the infirmary," she answered. "You should count yourself lucky that we found you and your partner down the ravine."
Silver eyes wandered around once they recovered from its hazy status. A bunch of empty electric bed lied neatly in the room with dark purple curtains separately dividing each bed. The woman was right, I was in an infirmary. I inhaled a deep breath and mustered up the courage to look down at my own body. My corset was partly singed as black burn marks smudged my attire. I rested my head back onto my pillow and let out a loud relief. Convincing Ironwood to find me fire proof garbs was the best decision in my life. My eyes traveled down my arms and noticed the slight blemishes on my hands with minor blisters forming. I suppose I should count myself lucky that my aura was nearly full and protected me from scorching my hands off.
"Miss Rose, I would like to inform you that your teammate is here to see you," the doctor informed.
Teammate?
"Oh, thank you Dr. Um..."
"Retter." She walked off to open the door, allowing the visitor in.
"Ruby!" Yang ran from the door entrance and embraced me with her strong arms.
"Yaang," I coughed. "It hurts... A lot."
"Miss Xiao-Long."
"Sorry doc." My sister rubbed her head with a weak smile.
"Please try not to overwhelm my patient more than necessary. I will inform headmaster Ozpin about your awakening, Miss Rose."
I nodded to the doctor and turned my attention to Yang. She sat next to me on a chair that she just pulled up and examined my injured body with her lilac eyes.
"I thought I almost lost you again," she whispered softly. She tenderly brushed her hand against my arm and I winced from the pains. "I didn't know what you were thinking, jumping down the cliff." To be exact, I wasn't really thinking. I just did what my body told me to do. If my body said jump off the cliff, then I would probably jump off the cliff.
"I'm sorry Yang."
Weiss was right in away. I was single minded as I was too concentrated on completing the work myself. It had been too long since I relied on other people. I could've depended on Yang and Blake for a better solution. Then maybe I wouldn't have to be sitting on this hospital bed.
"It's alright. I'm glad to have you back sis." My sister patted the top of my head and lightly touched my hair.
Hair?
I was surprised that I even had hair considering the explosion I made. I figured it would singe off every piece of it.
"Um Yang, I have a serious question."
"Shoot."
"How does my hair and face look?" I hadn't look at the mirror yet. I thought my face and hair would be the first to reap the consequences. Though in the final moment, I did raised my arm to protect as much as I could.
"Graceful as ever." A cold, sarcastic voice entered the infirmary room.
"Hi Weiss!" I chirped, staring at the white figure with a Faunus hot on her heels. "Hi Blake! Jeez, I must be special since I'm getting so many visitors today."
"Hey Ruby," Blake greeted. "How are you feeling."
"Graceful as ever," I copied. Yang snickered next to me, but Weiss wasn't liking my lighthearted mocks. "I'm feeling okay. Some pains, but nothing I can't handle. But seriously, do I still look the same?"
"Yep! Same old little puppy face," Yang ruffled my hair. A breath of relief escaped from my mouth. I really dodged a bullet there.
"Ah!" I uttered out, recalling something. "I'm sorry Weiss. I'm sorry that we failed our initiation." I looked at Weiss but she returned a confused expression instead.
"What are you talking about? We passed." Her folded arms relaxed to the side of her hips.
"Huh?"
"She's right, Miss Rose. You passed the initiation," Ozpin interrupted. He slowly walked into the room with his cane acting as his support. "You and your partner have retrieved the relic."
"Wait, how did we get out in the first place?" My eyebrows creased in bewilderment. There was no way Weiss could carry me and Crescent Rose to the top of the cliffs with her dainty noodle arms.
"We heard an explosion and we immediately informed the headmaster," Blake explained. "Then he ordered a rescue airship to be sent down into the ravine."
"Huh, what do you know." I paused and looked at Weiss. "I guess me being a walking disaster turned out to be good." I grinned at her, but she avoided my eyes as she turned to face the other way with a disbelieving huff.
"Blake Belladona, Yang Xiao-Long, Ruby Rose, and Weiss Schnee. The four of you have secured the white knight pieces from the temple. From today and forever, you will work together as Team RWBY led by Ruby Rose," the headmaster declared.
"Huh?"
"WHAT!" Weiss shouted aghastly. I guess Weiss really didn't want me to be team leader. She was gritting her teeth, flaring her nostrils, and clenching her hands. Saying that she was furious would be an understatement.
"Oh um, thanks?" I wasn't really surprised that Ozpin dubbed me leader. Even if he didn't know, I was probably the best candidate considering I have many decades of experience.
"I'm so proud of you Rubes!" Yang pulled me closer into a hug, suffocating me with her 'gifts.'
"Ahem," the doctor cleared her throat. She caught Yang red handed in the act of almost murdering her patient. "What did I say earlier Miss Xiao-Long." Yang promptly pulled away with her hands and raised in air as if a burglar pointed a gun at her. She nervously smiled back and mouthed a 'help me' at me.
I smiled and simply rolled my eyes back at her. "Hey Dr. Retter, when can I leave the infirmary?" I tried changing the topic to save Yang's ass.
"Tomorrow. For now, I will prescribe you ointment for your burns. Make sure not to overexert yourself." She answered as she searched through her medicine cabinet, rummaging for my said medicine. Yang mouthed a 'thank you' back at me and I nodded.
"Then I will be taking my leave," Ozpin spoke up. "Good day to you Team RWBY. Class will begin tomorrow morning." The headmaster waved his cane in the air, bidding a short farewell as he walked out of the infirmary.
"Here you go Miss Rose." The doctor handed me the tube of ointment. "Apply it few hours and with your aura, you should be healed soon. But I am afraid there will be scars. Now if you excuse me, I have other matters to attend to. And please do not destroy my office while I am away." The doctor left, closing the door behind her.
Weiss pinched her the bridge of her nose, trying to swallow the announcement Ozpin recently told us. On the other hand, Blake smiled down at me, happily accepting that Ozpin appointed me the leader. I bet she was delighted to have a faunus lead rather than Weiss, considering her animosity towards the Schnee family.
A sudden spasm of coughs departed from my mouth, surprising the girls. "Do you think one of you can get me water?" I croaked. My throat was parched when I woke up, and talking only made it worse. Without a word, Yang got up from her seat as she took her sisterly responsibility quite seriously. She delivered a cup of refreshing water as I drank it to quench my thirst.
"Thanks Yang."
"Well, this is nice and all... But I want to read my books," Blake said in her monotone voice. "I'll see you tomorrow Ruby." She waved her hand as she exited out the infirmary. Yang's eyes glistened wickedly as a devious plan hatched in her head.
"I'm going to join Blake. I'll see you tomorrow sis!" Yang waved her hands in the air and winked.
Oh I am so going to kill her.
She left me alone with the heiress knowing full well of my one sided crush. There were four possibilities that will happen with Weiss and I in a room alone. One, she will murder me and Yang will never ever find my dead body. Two, a highly unlikely peaceful conversation. Three, we bicker. Four, a really hot and steamy but unlikely make out session.
I glanced at Weiss and she had a face that I knew full well of.
"Okay Weiss, lay it out on me."
Now it was her turn to explode. It wasn't the physical fiery combustion that I was well accustomed to. It was a mouth full of hot air, rants, and complaints.
"How can an animal like you be our leader?! The team should have been led by me, not some degenerate," she seethed. "I've trained and studied. And quite frankly, I deserve better. To put it up-front, Ozpin made a mistake. He shouldn't have let you lead the team."
Ouch. Faunus insults right off the bat. She really wasn't holding back.
I hummed to her derogatory speech. The best option wasn't to blow up and fight back with fire. It would probably be counterproductive if I stood on her level. "Then what do you think are traits that defines a leader?" I questioned her calmly.
"A leader should act mature, not like a child like you. They should be diligent along with exceptional skill on the battlefield. They should be practical and logical," the heiress went off.
"Is that it?"
"A gist of it." She briefly smiled for a second, proud of her explanation.
"Wow Weiss. I'm quite disappointed in you," I said sharply. Her lips dropped down, returning to her serious, hard expression. "Those are very simple minded descriptions of what a leader should be." Weiss fumed over my commentary. She probably believed I had no idea what I was talking about seeing that I was only a leader for less than an hour. From her description, it sounded like she was judging me based from our initiation. In my opinion, I didn't think it went that bad. It was just her poor attitude that hindered the positives.
"And how would you define a leader?" she flicked her eyes down at me with a hand on her hip, leaning on one leg.
"A leader doesn't necessary need to be exceptionally gifted in a battlefield, it's just a bonus."
"Well, that's-"
"Ah-bah-bah-bah," I interrupted as I held a finger up. "I'm not done yet. They need to constantly shoulder their teammate's burdens along with theirs. Not only that, but they also must selflessly put their teammates first before their own, and that includes their life. It's true that they should be practical and logical, but they also need to be quick minded. It's not their life on the line that they have to worry about, it's their team. A leader must must be confident and have a strong mind because they are the foundation of the team. If the leader falls, then the team will also falter."
Weiss's mouth slightly gaped open from long winded explanation. She seemed dumbfounded that I had a better understanding than she did. In that moment, the heiress grudgingly bit her lips as she seemed to be grounded deep into her thoughts. Her frustration dissipated and turned into something else.
"So if that's what you believe a leader should be, then I don't think Ozpin made a mistake." I continued, giving her a weak smile. "I think he just saved a girl from shouldering all the burdens and responsibilities that she couldn't handle." Being a leader wasn't all fun and games. It wasn't a title to sprinkle onto one's name either. It was a tattoo that you take to your burial place as a constant reminder.
"Is that why I Ozpin didn't choose me?" she asked hurtfully. "Because I was too weak to be a leader? That I can't handle responsibilities? That I can't handle burdens?" Weiss situated herself onto the chair where Yang previously sat. I stared acutely at her downcast blue eyes. There was something more to the heiress that no one knew except for me. Her eyes told a short, bitter soliloquy that she locked away behind her strong facade. It told me her uncertainty while her voice articulated how fragile she was.
"You are far from weak," I grasped her hand and my face softened. "You slaughter grimms for a living, you rode a nevermore, and you even risked your own safety to save me. Weiss Schnee, you are far from being weak. But even the strong have a weakness. That's why Ozpin assigned us in teams, so our teammates can fill in that hole. I'm sure you can handle some responsibility and some burdens, but perhaps Ozpin thinks you're more fit in something that none of us can do."
"Sounds like I'm a failure to me," her melodic voice sounded disbelieving. Then I laughed, and she looked at me with a scowl. "Are you laughing because I'll never reach perfection?"
"Sorry Weiss," I apologized as I released my hand from hers. "If you're searching for perfection, then you should count yourself lucky that you're not the leader. Being a team leader carries more haunting failures than noble deeds."
"And what makes you say that?"
"Because one overlooked judgment can cost someone's life," I said in melancholy. "If someone close to you died because of your silly mistake, how much guilt can you bear without it eating you alive?"
Her mouth opened to say something, but she immediately closed it. Her icy blue eyes averted away from mine as she tried to crop up an answer. But it never came to her. She sat there silently, once again, lost in her train of thought. I tilted my head to look in her eyes, and I saw hesitation.
"I think you should be happy that you can't answer that question," I smiled comfortingly. Her cerulean eyes flicked up and met mine as her face looked at me incredulously.
"Why is that?" she asked earnestly.
"It means you didn't make that mistake, and I hope you'll never be the one to experience it." The heiress twiddled her thumbs on her lap, letting my comment sink into her head. The hesitation from her eyes disappeared as it changed into something different.
"Sounds like you're speaking as if you lived through it," she muttered. Her perception was spot on. I probably made more mistakes than Ozpin had ever in his life. If I was placed on a perfection spectrum, I would be on the opposite side of it. Sure, I had power and fame. But what good is that if I made a careless error. What good is that if I had to witness people die because of my faults.
There are many things you don't know about me Weiss.
"I just have a lot of things going up here," I replied as I gently knocked on my head.
"I-I guess I was wrong about you," she mumbled under her breath.
"Huh?"
"N-Nothing!" She stammered. Her cheeks were slightly tinted pink, but I continued to look at her cluelessly.
"I know I probably won't reach your expectation of the most perfect leader, but I hope you have a little faith in me."
"I suppose you can make a fine leader Ruby," she sighed admittingly.
"Thanks Weiss," I smiled appreciatively.
"Just so you're aware, I'll be the best teammate you'll ever have," she brilliantly smiled. Rapid thumps beat my chest and my mouth was left dry. My silver orbs were enthralled to the way her lips perked. It was my first time seeing Weiss genuinely smile, and it was so fucking captivating. I had to fight the impulse from capturing her beautiful lips at that very moment.
"Are you okay?" She asked worriedly. Her heartwarming smile completely shattered as it was replaced with a frown.
"Y-Yeah! Just speechless that's all," I attempted to laugh. I stealthily pinched myself to stop myself from looking like a love-struck puppy. My eyes turned away, searching for anything other than her lips. When I looked around the infirmary, I noticed something was missing. "Where's Crescent Rose?"
"Your disastrous sword?"
"GAH!" I shrieked. Weiss flinched to my sudden outcry. It had escaped my mind that Weiss already saw its self destructive power. "Can you not tell anyone about that?" I pleaded with my ears unconsciously flattening on my head.
"Why?" She skeptically asked.
"Let's put it this way. If I knew that Jaune's partner- Um what's her name?"
"Pyrrha," Weiss rolled her eyes as me. "How have you not heard or know about Pyrrha?"
"Well, I didn't know you were a Schnee. But anyways..." I trailed, bringing us back to topic. "If I knew Pyrrha's semblance but she didn't know mine, who do you think would have an advantage?"
"I'm sure Pyrrha will still wipe the floor with you even if she didn't know about your semblance."
"Weiss, humor me."
She sighed as a response. "Obviously you, but I don't get where you're going with this."
"The less people that know, the better. I'll have an advantage," I answered simply. Using dust at close combat was extremely risky. I generally use small amounts of dust so the repercussion wouldn't be as severe. But if Yang were to see me swinging an exploding sword around, I was definitely sure that she would force me to dismantle it and modify it to be less... Harmful and more childproof.
"If it makes you feel any better, Professor Goodwitch personally came down to rescue us and she retrieved your oh so secretive weapon. It's in your locker as we speak."
"Ah that's a relief," I exhaled. Glynda already saw my weapon's capabilities during our criminal chase. I wasn't exactly worried with her knowing about it again.
"Our teammates are bound to figure out that you're swinging a catastrophic sword around," Weiss stated as a matter of fact.
"It's not a sword. It's blade," I corrected her. "Yang doesn't even know how much excessive cursing I do anyways. So right now, you pretty much know a little bit more than she does."
Weiss's eyes widen and her lips curled into a smirk. "So your sister isn't aware that you swear like a trooper? Sounds like blackmail material."
"Nice try, but like you said, they are bound to know sooner or later." I smiled, unfazed by her attempts. She clicked her tongue in disappointment. Never in my life would I think that the beautiful white haired heiress would be such a cunning person to even try to blackmail her own partner.
"I think we had enough conversing for today." Weiss gracefully rose from her seat. "The leader can't be dawdle in the infirmary forever." She walked out from the room and closed the door behind her. I leaned back into the bed and happily sighed.
The friendship between Weiss and I was blossoming quite beautifully.