Hello and welcome back to the second chapter of "From Nerds to Nightwalkers"! Thank you for your patience and I just wanna say thank you to all who gave this story a chance. I'm happy to see a lot of people even read the first chapter, favorite and follow this story, and for all the feedback I've been receiving.
So enjoy this next chapter cause it will never be this long again, (98 pages)
If anyone has any comments they wish to make or constructive criticism they want to offer then please do not hesitate! I read all of your reviews and I would love to see what you all think!
So again, thank you and if you like this story please be sure to REVIEW, FAVORITE, AND FOLLOW! That's all I have to say for now! So, sit back, relax, and grab your favorite drink because it's time to continue the story!
Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY; all rights go to the Legendary Monty Oum and Rooster Teeth. I do not own any of the Music, Anime or Manga that will be referenced in this story as well, all rights go to their respected creators and studios.
Beta Reader: KittyKat-Belle
Opening Theme: We're Not Alone by Coldrain
CHAPTER 2: A Typical School Day (Part 2)
The drive to Beacon Academy was short, quite literally, as Jaune stared out the window. Unlike Signal Academy, the school was only a two-minute drive away from his house as Saphron had long since pulled into the school's Drop-off and Pick-up Lane.
"Alright team we're here!" Saphron cheered and turned around. All eyes glanced up, giving her their undivided attention. "I'll be back later to pick you guys up! That includes you Ruby, so make sure to link up with them after you get out, okay?"
"Got it!" She saluted with a grin.
Saphron smiled then turned to Ren. "Lie, I know I won't see you until the end of the week, so promise me you won't get any more stupid ideas in that brain of yours. Okay?"
Ren bowed his head as he averted eye contact. "I understand."
"Good boy!" Her smile then turned into a devious smirk, "Also, be sure to vid-call Terra and I sometime soon ok? We'll be sure to wear something juicy~ for ya!"
Ren's eyes widened as his cheeks flushed with a tinge of pink.
"Saph!" Jaune, Orchid, Solana and Luna simultaneously cried out. Their oldest sister merely laughed and waved them off as she unlocked the car doors.
"Alright kids, get out there, do your best and have a wonderful day!"
The blush on Ren's cheeks grew larger as he dipped his face into his scarf and opened the door. One by one, the group of teens - minus Orchid - piled out with the twins being the last to exit.
"Later kiddos! Oh and girls," Saphron turned to the twins, "Mind yourselves around Lie ok?! Otherwise, I may get angry again!" Her happy smile only seemed to heighten the threat behind her meaning.
The twins nodded vigorously as they shut the door and ran behind the boys.
"Good! See you later!" Saphron waved and without warning, the van accelerated off with a velocity beyond the school's speed limit as they heard Orchid screaming for dear life.
"I feel bad for anyone on the freeway with her." Jaune muttered as everyone nodded in agreement.
Luna suddenly grabbed Ren by the arm as a smirk crawled up her lips.
"Yes Luna?" Ren asked, trying to pull away.
"Well~ I was thinking, how about we ditch first period and go- OW!"
"Nope. Not on my watch!" Solana yelled as she pulled her twin's ear. "I promised mom that you will be attending all your classes today and I am seeing it through! Now let's go!"
As she started walking, the grip Solana held was enough to pry Luna off of Ren as she painfully followed along like a dog on a leash.
"Ow, hey! Would you -ow - let go?! I can - ow - walk by myself!"
"And trust you to wander away from class?" Solana asked, "Yeah, not gonna happen! Now come along!" She turned to the group. "Bye guys, we'll see you later!"
"Save me~!" Was the last thing Luna whined before she and her sister disappeared through the main entrance?
Jaune facepalmed himself as he muttered something about sisters and insanity. Ruby couldn't help but chuckle as she silently agreed. She turned and patted Ren on the shoulder as he sighed and shook his head.
"As much as she is a friend, I have to admit I am glad for some peace and-"
"REN~!"
The new voice sent a chill down Ren's spine as Jaune, and Ruby instinctively backed away from him. Ren sighed.
'This is going to hurt.'
"Good morning Nora, how are- OOF!"
The tackle had been swift, crushing - yet squishy - as he felt the strong arms of his childhood friend, Nora Valkyrie, grab and lift him up into a crushing embrace.
Though considered to be one of the shortest girls in school, Nora was also one of the strongest, potentially on par with the blonde herself, Yang Xiao Long.
"OH~ REN! I MISSED YOU SO MUCH! DID YOU MISS ME?! DID YOU?! DID YOU?!"
"... yes…" He winced as the embrace tightened.
Nora squealed loudly as she spun. "OH~ OF COURSE YOU DID SILLY! YOU LOVE IT WHEN WE'RE TOGETHER! B-BUT NOT LIKE TOGETHER-TOGETHER! YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN RIGHT?! RIGHT?!"
"Yes… Nora." Ren grunted as he started to feel dizzy.
"GOOD! I HAVE SO MUCH TO CATCH YOU UP ON! YOU WOULD NOT BELIEVE HOW BORING SATURDAY DETENTION WAS THIS TIME! I WAS STUCK IN THE LIBRARY ALL DAY!"
"Oh goodness…" Ren muttered as he started to feel nauseous.
"I KNOW RIGHT?! MY BRAIN WAS SCRAMBLED AFTER ALL THAT HOMEWORK! UGH! I SWEAR MANDATORY SATURDAY DETENTIONS ARE THE-"
"Nora!"
The orange haired girl abruptly stopped and looked up.
"Yes Renny? Ooh~ you don't look so good!"
"Indeed." Ren muttered. "I don't feel so..." his voice trailed off as his body slumped into hers.
Nora's cheeks reddened as her eyes widened. His head had dropped forward into the crook of her neck. She felt his lips brush against her skin as he groaned, creating a warm sensation throughout her body.
"R-R-Ren- I-I uh, y-y-you uh...
She began to babble and stutter incoherently as her chest tightened and her heart raced.
"Nora…" He groaned, his voice was low, and sounded husky to her as her entire face grew red.
"I…" he continued; his eyes slightly opened to look into hers. "Please…"
It was too much. Nora yelped as she dropped Ren onto the ground. "I'm sorry Ren but I can't! I-It's not because you aren't handsome! You are! It's just I'm not ready for public stuff yet! Even though I have always- AH NO! It's not like I want you to pin me down and- AH! What are you making me say, Ren?! Stop it!"
Ren didn't even hear he groaned upon hitting the sidewalk.
"Nora!" Jaune cried, snapping Nora back to reality. The blonde bent forward and helped the oriental boy up.
"Huh? Wha? Oh gods! I'm sorry Ren!" Nora cried as she glanced over to her childhood friend.
Ren slowly dusted himself off as he inspected his glasses for any damage. "It's fine Nora but what were you saying earlier on-"
"NOTHING!" Nora cried and stabbed a finger in Ren's face. "Nothing at all! And you will forget what was never said because you never heard it! Got it!"
Ren blinked and glanced at Jaune who merely shrugged back. "Alright…"
"Good!" Nora smiled and flicked the top of Ren's nose. "Boop."
"Miss Valkyrie!"
Everyone stiffened as they slowly turned and saw Professor Goodwitch approaching them.
'Oh no.' They all mentally cried.
A woman in her mid-thirties, Professor Goodwitch's beauty knew no bounds to every student and many adults in Vale City. With an hourglass body that put models to shame, breathtaking features that turned many heads, and luscious silk hair that made women jealous, it was no wonder she was compared to something of a goddess. However, though beautiful, her bright green eyes were always narrowed, and scowl always took form on her lips.
Nora paled, and in a panic, she uncaringly grabbed Jaune and positioned him in front of her like a shield as he struggled to free himself. He stuttered and shook as Goodwitch's eyes fell onto him.
However, her focus drifted from him and walked around the boy. She stopped just to the side of his body and crossed her arms, watching with little amusement as Nora buried her face inside of Jaune's backpack.
"Miss Valkyrie," Goodwitch sighed, "Please refrain yourself from Mr. Arc's book bag. Now."
Though she did not yell or threaten, her voice beckoned the request with such authority it sounded more like an order; almost like a handler reeling in their dog through command alone. And much like one Nora whined as she did so.
"Good. Now then, would you care to explain why you are out here instead of heading to your homeroom class, Miss Valkyrie?"
Nora flinched, "Uh.. I.. uh.."
Goodwitch sighed. "No answer? Well that's quite alright. Fear not for I am not upset at you, Miss. Valkyrie."
Nora blinked. "You're not?"
The professor smiled and gently placed a hand on the girl's shoulder, "Of course not. Due to the liberties of your current situation and previous records of your behavior, I had a feeling this was going to happen which is why I took the liberty of seeking you out to escort you there myself."
The gentle touch on her suddenly turned into a vice-like grip making Nora flinch. The older woman's lip tightened; her nostril flared as her jaw tensed the more she smiled.
"However, as the deputy headmistress of this Academy, I take my student's academic careers very seriously. Should anyone disrupt the order of things in my school, I would have no choice but to enforce the wrath of a thousand hells upon them and we wouldn't want that! Would we Miss Valkyrie?" Her face leaned closer to the young girl's face. Her eyes seemed to glow as she stared into Nora's teal ones. "Would we?!"
"..."
"Good! Now then, to ensure the balance of things I expect you in my office this coming lunch hour! You shall eat with me, and I shall remind you of the importance of following your code!"
"Aw man~!" Nora's shoulders slumped as her head dropped.
"Come along now Miss Valkyrie, let us get you to the homeroom." Goodwitch then turned to the trio and adjusted her glasses. "Be sure you all arrive on time, children, otherwise you may have lunch with me as well. Good day."
Without another word, Professor Goodwitch and a tearful Nora entered the school with the former still holding the latter's shoulder.
"Man… that woman is… intense." Ruby muttered.
"Yeah, poor Nora." Jaune sighed as he shook his head, "I'd hate to be alone in a room with Professor Goodwitch.
"I-I'll say." Said a quiet, new voice.
The trio turned to see it came from their friend and fellow classmate. The Faunus girl approached the group, keeping her large rabbit ears half bent as usual.
"H-hey guys…" she waved.
Like Ren, the brown-haired girl wore large glasses - though hers were brown and oval shaped, his were black and rectangular - which perfectly matched the color of her eyes and ears.
"Velvet!" Ruby cheered and immediately ran up to hug her. Ren and Jaune both smiled and politely waved back just as Ruby pounced on her.
Velvet blushed as she stuttered a weak protest that went ignored as Ruby nuzzled her cheek to the soft, round face of her friend. Reluctantly, though not repulsed, Velvet smiled and padded Ruby on the back. "I-It's good to see you too, Ruby."
The short girl pulled back with a pout as she glowered up at the Faunus. "How come you didn't text us all weekend?! We thought you were dead or kidnapped!"
"For the record, it was only Ruby making up those wild assumptions in the group chat." Jaune clarified.
Velvet backed away, a little bashfully, as Ruby kept pouting. "I-I could have sworn I told you I was going camping with my mom to the Emerald Forest. Y-you know I'd never ignore you guys! H-Honest!"
Ruby blinked, then blinked again, and after a third blink her eyes widened as she turned away sheepishly. "Oh… you did mention that" She laughed awkwardly. "Sorry~."
"I-It's fine." Velvet smiled, "Y-You wanna see the pictures I took?"
"Yes!" Ruby cried; her hands flew to the air.
"Me too!" Jaune added and walked over next to Ruby.
Velvet nodded and reached into her specialized bag. After minor digging and careful handling, she pulled out her beloved camera and handed it over to Ruby. "I-I hope you like it. I-It might be m-my best set yet!"
Ruby and Jaune scooted closer together with the camera still in Ruby's hands as the two skimmed through the pictures between them. Ren smiled and walked up to Velvet.
"Y-You don't wanna take a look too, Ren?" The Faunus pouted, "I-I worked so hard on them, and I got stuck in a bush for a really good shot!"
The raven-haired boy laughed. "I believe you. You always go above and beyond, whether it's for the best scoop or the best picture. I admire that about you."
Velvet smiled as her cheeks pinkened a little. "Y-You still aren't looking!"
Ren smiled, "You already know I will. I prefer taking my time in appreciating every photo instead of dealing with… that." He pointed to Jaune and Ruby.
"Ruby! I was still looking at that!"
"We stayed on it long enough! I wanna see more!"
"I wasn't done though and you're hogging the camera too low! I can barely see the full screen!"
"Well excuse me~! Some of us can't be tall like you!"
"Just let me hold it then!"
"No way! She gave it to me!"
"It'll make it easier for both of us!"
"But I wanna hold it!"
"Come on Ruby! You're acting like a kid!"
"So are you!"
"Am not!"
"Are too!"
Velvet covered her mouth and giggled as she turned back to Ren. "I-I see what you mean. B-But it's never a dull moment with our wonderful f-friends, right?"
Ren nodded and looked directly into her eyes. "Indeed. I wouldn't trade moments like these for the world."
Velvet's heart skipped a beat, and then...
*VROOOM*
"Ah!" Velvet yelped and jumped into Ren's embrace as her eyes snapped shut. Ruby and Jaune both yelped in surprise, nearly causing Ruby to drop Velvet's camera. Realizing what she did, Velvet's face reddened as she took a step back, a little bewildered. She stared up at the boy seeing the startled look on his face too as he scanned the area with narrowed eyes.
"Wha-"
*VROOOOOM*
Velvet jumped again, as did Ren. Many other startled students were already looking around for the source of the sound.
"Check it out! Down the lane!" Someone yelled. Many of the students stopped and turned where the voice directed, including the foursome.
Fast approaching their location, almost racing at full throttle, and ignoring all other cars, was a black motorcycle nearing the drop off center with no cease in velocity.
Jaune glanced side to side a little nervously, "Uh guys, s-should we-"
His question was left unfinished as the motorcycle roared again. The driver suddenly swerved their bike into a hard 360-degree angle as their passenger held onto their waist. The tires skidded and screeched as it quickly drifted ever so closer to the group.
The driver held the momentum with amazing control as the bike began to slow in a smooth transition before coming to a complete stop at the curb next to the teens.
"Whoa…" Ruby muttered as the others nodded in agreement - Jaune's eyes never left the motorcycle.
A loose crowd had begun to form with many pairs of curious eyes falling upon the newcomers. There were some excited whispers and faint comments that earned them some curious looks from Ruby.
When she turned back to the newcomers, she could tell the driver was a guy and the passenger behind him was a girl, even more so once they both removed their helmets.
And when they did, many of the girls - and some boys - were giggling, squealing, and blushing. Some of the guys were licking their lips, smirking, and grinning while others were angry, jealous, or protective of their partner which was understandable now that Ruby had a clear look on their faces.
To say these two were attractive would be an understatement, their appearance would put many famous models and celebrities to shame. The boy, or man in this case, looked older than the girl. Though she couldn't exactly tell, Ruby assumed by a few years. The first thing she noted were the black horns protruding from the top of his forehead. They blended in well into his crimson hair. His skin was free of any blemish or markings except for the narrow, thin scar carved horizontally over his nose. And even then, it only seemed to heighten his looks. His eyes were what Ruby noted the most. They were dark red irises - sharp and narrowed that almost hypnotized her the longer she stared before she shook her head.
Ruby then turned to the girl behind him. She definitely looked closer to her age, or more so her friend's age. Her olive skin looked so natural and free of any imperfection; most girls could only dream of achieving this level. Every curl and wave of her long, black hair looked thick, healthy, and soft as it flowed freely down her back while wrapped neatly from the top of her head by a large black bow. Like the guy, her amber eyes drew Ruby in. They were bright and clear yet calm and distant as she glanced around her surroundings.
"I-It's Blake Belladonna." Velvet muttered as the girl hopped off the bike.
"That girl?" Ruby asked. "Is she a student here?" The Faunus girl nodded as Ruby then glanced at the Faunus boy. "And who's he?" She asked as she handed Velvet back her camera.
The guy turned the engine off as this Blake Belladonna girl turned around to face him. She said something too soft to be heard and the guy nodded and replied something back.
Velvet shrugged. "N-No one knows, Blake isn't a girl who mingles with anyone so there isn't any info on him. T-There's barely any info on her."
Blake nodded this time and whispered something back to the guy, which made the Faunus narrow his eyes and whispered something else.
"W-What do you know?" Jaune asked, his cheeks slightly tinged with pink. His eyes glued on Blake. "O-Out of curiosity I mean!"
Velvet reached into her pocket and pulled out a small notebook as she flipped through the pages, "W-Well, she transferred in this year, has no club affiliation, is always alone with a book, and is very quiet, and distant… And I heard she's a straight A student."
Ren quirked an eyebrow. "Wow, she's really smart! ...Wait ...That's it?"
Blake rolled her eyes and nodded again as she turned and silently walked away. The crimson haired Faunus watched her go and it looked like he sighed a little as soon as she entered the school. He glanced around at the crowd either watching Blake leave or giggling and waving at him. He rolled his eyes and started his bike back up again.
Velvet closed the book and rubbed the back of her head. "W-Well… she is also ranked third on Sun Wukong's uh… Babe list…" she sighed and awkwardly looked away.
As the crimson haired guy was about to put his helmet back on, he stopped and turned directly towards the group, specifically at Velvet with a raised eyebrow. The brown-haired girl "Eep!" and hid behind Ren as the boy pulled her more behind her as he made eye contact with the guy.
Jaune's eyes widened as he actually took a step back and slowly pushed Ruby forward. She scowled at him but as she turned back towards the stranger her eyes instantly locked with his. Once again she felt hypnotized as his eyes narrowed a little more as Ruby felt her legs go a little weak.
However, his eyes rolled away as he quickly put on his helmet and turned the ignition on. He shook his head at them as he ramped up a mighty roar from his bike's engine. He turned away and took off down the road.
"Holy… my heart was racing." Ruby muttered as she felt her strength returning.
"Y-Yeah mine too." Jaune agreed and wiped sweat from his brow.
Ruby's cheeks puffed out as she turned to the blonde and immediately began to pummel him. "You jerk! What's the big idea trying to sacrifice me like that!"
"Ow, I'm sorry- ow - it was for the - ow - greater good - OW!" Jaune's reply earned him harder punches.
Once Ruby delivered a final blow with a triumphant cry as she wiped her hands clean and turned to Velvet. "Oh yeah, Vel!" the Faunus girl glanced at her, "You said there was a babe list? Right?!"
Velvet fidgeted for a moment but nodded as she averted eye contact.
"Cool! I wonder what my rank is?" Ruby pondered, then gripped her friend on the shoulders, "Where can I find the list? How do they rank you? Is it monthly? Ooo, or is it- mphff!"
"Putting that aside." Ren interjected, as he reached out and covered Ruby's mouth "Classes will begin soon, and I believe we should go."
Ruby smirked when he flinched and pulled his hand away as soon as she started licking it. He carefully wiped it on his pant leg as he shot a disapproving glare at the young girl.
Ruby ignored it. "He's right, we don't wanna suffer Goodwitch's wrath. So let's move out gang!"
With no interjections, the group moved together as one, steadily passing and avoided their fellow classmen. But as they made their way up the stairs, Ruby's hand nearly grabbed the door, when there was a sudden eruption of cheers that roared from behind.
"What the?" Ruby muttered and turned around, prompting the others to do the same.
The crowd from before seemed to grow twice as large as they waited on the edge of the sidewalk as a large white hummer limousine pulled into the lane.
At that moment, the teens knew who was approaching and they all frowned.
"I-It's them." Jaune muttered and looked away to hide the woe in his eyes.
The crowd cheered again.
Ren noted this and frowned as he placed a hand on his friend's shoulder. Velvet's ears drooped a little when sighting the vehicle as a combination from the loudness as well as the melancholy she felt when it parked.
Just then the door popped open, and out emerged several girls.
The first to emerge was none other than Weiss Schnee, Heiress to "Schnee Enterprises'' the current largest Tech Company in the world, and beloved "Snow Angel" of Beacon. She stood proudly with a blissful smile as she walked out to the adoration of cheering fans.
Next came Pyrrha Nikos, the gorgeous "Invincible Girl" who was currently undefeated in any major sport. Already, she broke several athletic records across Mistral in her eighth-grade year alone, making her the most sought-after student from all top universities. As she walked out, she waved a little with a polite smile to anyone calling her name.
After her, Coco Adel walked out in stride as she flipped her hair and confidently smirked at the crowd. Being the only child of the world-renowned fashionista, "Mocha Adel" - founder and CEO of the popular clothing brand "Adel Maniere" - made Coco a rising star across the fashion world as her designs grew in popularity. She raised a handout and basked in the praise as she walked and caressed several faces. "Who missed momma?!" Cheers responded.
And finally, the last to exit the vehicle, were two more rising stars, Melanie, and Militia Malachite, also known as the ever growing "Malachite Twins". Their fame knew no bounds across social media as they were considered child prodigies in the cosmetology world. Their ambition knew no limits as they even delved into modeling once becoming the exclusive models for Coco and her designs. They didn't say a word nor wave at anyone as they rolled their eyes with bored expressions as they briefly spared glances at the crowd.
Ruby inhaled deeply through her nose. These were what many considered to be "Beacon's Elite", iconic figures of their school that will lead successful lives after graduation. Ruby frowned, and her sister was among them.
She immediately grabbed onto Jaune and Ren's arms. "Come on guys… let's go inside." She insisted and, without waiting for a reply, dragged them away through the door with Velvet following closely behind just as the cheers and applause continued roaring from behind.
/-/
After bidding farewell to Velvet, who quickly scurried off to her own class, the trio had made it to their homeroom with minutes to spare. Like every other lecture hall in Beacon, the room was large but bland with empty gray walls and large stainless windows.
Ruby and her friends took their seats in the top left-hand corner of the classroom in the back - far enough away from the other students. There were already so many inside as Ruby checked the time, only two minutes to eight.
That was good, after that whole conundrum outside just a few minutes prior, the mood of her friends had already sunk low. So lessons would be a good distraction for once.
Just then, the door behind the teacher's stage flew open.
"Good morning students!" exclaimed their professor as he rapidly moved to center stage, setting his laptop down, and taking a large gulp of his ginormous mug.
"Good morning Professor Oobleck." muttered the class.
"DOCTOR!" He replied with a finger pointed outward to no one in particular. He recoiled it and cleared his throat. "Now then, I would like to officially welcome you all back for another exciting week of education and learning! Are you all as excited as I am?"
The class groaned.
"Stupendous!" He turned to the clock, "Now then, in precisely 30 seconds I will begin taking attendance! Then we will begin today's lesson with chapter-"
*BANG*
The door to the classroom entrance flew open as Yang Xiao Long, literally, slid inside.
"SAFE!" She cheered, throwing her hands up and began dancing, "YES! I MADE IT! HAHA! NOT LATE~! NOT LATE~! NOT-"
"Miss Xiao Long!"
Yang froze her pelvic thrusting as Oobleck appeared right in front of her. The wild grin she had immediately faltered as she noticed the stares and laughter of her class and immediately blushed. "Uh… sup teach!"
"Good Morning! While I am truly pleased to see your dedication for attending class, I'd rather you not perform such illicit, provocative motions during school hours! Unless, of course, you wish to replace a tardy slip with a detention slip instead?"
Yang's eyes widened as she shook her head vigorously.
Oobleck smirked as he turned and walked back down to his stage. "Very well! Then would you kindly take your seat so that I begin today's attendance! Do not worry, I am already quite aware that you are here!"
A majority of the class laughed.
Yang nodded sheepishly as she headed towards her seat down next to Weiss and Pyrrha. Several cheers and whoops made Yang wink and wave as she sat down with a big smile on her face once more.
Ruby sighed as she looked out the window just as the bell rang, 'This is gonna be a long day.'
/-/
She was right, as the long hours pressed on, and so too did the classes. It was almost torture as Ruby constantly looked at the clock waiting for the noon bell to finally ring. But as it did, she felt instant relief when it indicated their lunch recess.
Already hundreds of students gathered inside the large four-story dining hall of the Beacon's culinary building. Currently on the third floor, next to the railing overlooking the wide-open base level below, Ruby sat with Ren at a small, rectangular table near one of the staircases behind Ruby.
As Ren sat down he received a message on his scroll and checked it out. He hummed to himself and nodded before putting the scroll away and unwrapping his bento.
"Lien for thought, Ren?" Ruby asked with a smile. She quickly unwrapped her food and, without waiting for a reply, took a huge bite into her dripping burger.
Ren's nose scrunched up as he watched his young friend, with minor disgust, munching happily as she savored the flavor. "Gods… I feel unhealthy just watching you eat that."
Ruby gave him a silly smile as her cheeks puffed out, still full of food. "Hey, don't knock it till you try it!" She shrugged, though Ren could barely understand her with the contents in her mouth. When she gulped, she let out a satisfied sigh and raised her burger up to him. "Want some?"
He recoiled back, making Ruby laugh as he stared down the quarter pound of fat and grease coated in ketchup like it was poison.
"I'm alright. Thank you though." He muttered, trying to control his gag reflex.
"Suit yourself." Ruby recoiled the burger back and took another bite. "But to answer your previous question, Velvet just texted me that the newspaper club was summoned. Apparently, the president called them in for some special meeting that they can't miss."
"Well that sucks!" Ruby frowned. First Nora couldn't be with them and now Velvet. Today was not shaping up to be a good day.
Behind them, Jaune stepped through the door and approached the duo with a smile as he carried his plastic lunch bag from the handle.
"Hey guys, sorry I'm late!" he said, walking up and setting his bag down. "Why the long face Ruby?" He asked as he sat next to Ren.
"Velvet can't eat with us today!" Ruby whined, "She has some kind of stupid meeting with her club."
"Ah." Jaune nodded, "Yeah, the newspaper club does take its job seriously. Not surprising though since Velvet is the same. But hey, at least we're here right?"
Ruby nodded but continued pouting until Jaune playfully ruffled her hair causing her to laugh and push him away.
"So what did you guys pack for lunch?" Ruby asked, looking down at their unopened lunch.
Ren smiled and opened the wooden top, revealing six triangular rice balls wrapped in seaweed on top of steamed vegetables. "Onigiri, half of them is garlic chicken and the other half is salted salmon."
Ruby stared down at the food with wide eyes. Jaune gleamed as well.
"That looks so good!" She cried. Jaune nodded in agreement. Ren chuckled and thanked them both.
"What about you, Jaune?" He asked as he possessively held his bento away from the grabby hands of Ruby.
The blond boy shrugged as he unzipped his bag and pulled out a plastic container with two steamed chicken sandwiches, mixed vegetables, and a fruit cup.
"Wow!" Ruby gleamed as she finished the last bite of her meal. "Your mom even cut the crusts off! Lucky guy!"
Jaune smiled a little embarrassed. "Y-Yeah, she's the best!"
"I bet! A mom's cooking is always the best." Ruby smiled softly as she glanced down at her empty tray with a silent sigh.
Ren immediately cleared his throat. "By the way Ruby, I forgot to mention, I have something for you."
Her eyes lit up. "You do?!"
"Yes." He replied, digging through his bag. "I know how much of a fan you are with these, so I remembered to pick some up earlier this week." In his hand he offered a small pink box with the contents reading, 'Pocky: Strawberry Cream Covered Biscuit Sticks'.
Ruby squealed upon sight of it and instantly snatched it from his hands, "Gimme, gimme, gimme!"
Ren smiled as she already held it tightly. He smiled, watching her practically tear the top open with a big smile on her face.
"Thanks Ren!" She cheered and happily chewed two of the sticks. "You're the best!"
"Anytime Ruby." 'Always.' He mentally added.
Jaune smiled and gave Ren a tiny nudge as he mouthed "Good job" before reaching into his bag.
"Hey Ruby, I got you something too. Here you go!" Jaune reached over and placed a carton of strawberry milk on her tray. "Managed to snag one downstairs, so I thought who better enjoy this than the girl who 'drinks milk'."
Ruby's face brightened all over again as she picked up the carton with a squeal. "Thanks, Jaune! You're the best too."
"Don't mention it." He laughed. Now it was Ren's turn to nudge him and nod with a smile.
As lunch went on, the trio had nearly finished all their food in a matter of minutes. With two rice balls remaining in his bento, Ren had offered one to each of his friends as Ruby, in turn, offered a pocky stick to each of her male friends as well.
The three were enjoying their time, talking, and laughing at whatever came to mind. While Ruby was recovering from a stupid joke told by Jaune, all three jumped by the sudden bursting of the door behind them.
*WHAM*
"Ha-ha! Dude, you're gonna break that door one day! I swear!"
"So what?! What do I care about a fucking door?!"
"Too right bro! It's just a door! Beacon can afford a new one can't they?!"
"Settle down there boys! Can't you see your disrupting our fellow classmen."
The trio's eyes widened. Those voices. Ren stiffened as his eyes then narrowed to the table, refusing to look up. Ruby closed her own eyes and frowned, fighting so hard to control the anger she withheld. Jaune had already begun trembling which made it harder for Ruby.
Jaune's hands began to tremble as he cupped them together so tightly they turned red. He lowered his head as low as humanly possible. A feeble attempt to make his otherwise tall figure smaller.
'Please ignore us, please ignore us, please ignore us.' Jaune mentally pleaded.
"Well, well! If it isn't Jauney-boy!"
'Damn it...'
Ruby glanced up and exhaled a sharp, heavy breath through her nose. Ren's eyes flashed up for a second as the small sliver of a frown crept onto his lips. Jaune couldn't even bring himself to look up.
"Hey Jauney… don't you know it's not polite to ignore someone who's talking to you."
Ruby balled her hands into fists as she glared up to the tall, hulking mass of grief that was her sister's boyfriend, Cardin Winchester. His smirk proudly showed across his face all the while his goonish friends stood behind him like some glorified posse with their own satisfied looks.
"What do you want Cardin?" She asked with a growl.
The boy didn't even bother glancing her way as he raised one of his large hands and patted her head nonchalantly. It was rough, uncontrolled, and it angered Ruby so much, so she quickly pushed his hand off and glared harder.
"Wasn't addressing you squirt now pipe down, kay? The big boys are talking; isn't that right Jauney-boy?" Jaune winced and didn't say anything. Cardin frowned and took a step closer. "Unless of course, you don't feel like chatting with your ol' buddy Cardin now? If that's the case then say the word and ask me to leave. Go ahead, I won't be offended. We can just… meet up later if you want."
Jaune's legs began to shake. With a quick and shaky breath, Jaune slowly turned his head up towards Cardin. The look of satisfaction on the boy's face as he, quite literally, looked down at him made his blood freeze.
"H-H-Hey… C-C-C-Cardin… h-h-how a-a-are y-y-y-you..."
The Winchester boy lowered himself closer to the blond. He cupped an ear with one of his hands and pushed it right up to Jaune's face. "What's that Jauney? I'm sorry I couldn't quite understand you! You should speak up more!"
Jaune recoiled back, just a little as he averted his gaze. All the while he can hear the low chuckling and whispers of Dove, Sky and Russel behind their leader.
"S-S-S-Sorry… I-I-I s-s-s-said-"
"T-T-T-Today junior!" Cardin laughed as he pulled back. In one swift motion he patted Jaune on the back with such force the blond grunted and began coughing a little as he choked on his own saliva.
Cardin looked visibly pleased with himself as Ren quickly offered Jaune some water while keeping his stoic face from looking up at the Winchester. Ruby's fists shook underneath the table as she watched Jaune with worried eyes.
"Whoa~ whoa~ Jauney-boy! Don't tell me you couldn't handle a simple pat on the back if you're coughing up a storm like that?! Kinda reminds me of our friend Little Lie over here!" He pointed towards Ren who visibly froze. Ruby could see his eyes harden for just a second before returning to the emotionless look he had prior.
"Hey Lie?" Cardin now turned his sights to the oriental boy. "Don't tell me Jauney here developed asthma too?"
Ren exhaled slowly through his nose as he glanced up to him. "No… he did not."
"Oh good!" Cardin placed a hand over his heart. "I would have been worried sick if my good friend here turned out as bad as you." He playfully covered his hand with his mouth. "No offense there buddy!" He grinned, "That was a slip of the tongue."
"It's… fine." Muttered Ren as he turned away gripping his inhaler. Ruby grimaced and had enough.
"Cardin just go away!" Ruby shouted standing up. "Can't you see we want to be alone!"
"Whoa~ hey now!" The larger boy held up his hands defensively as he smirked. "No need for that kind of tone, squirt. I'm just here paying a visit to my good friends." He walked around and placed a hand on both Ren and Jaune's shoulders. Both of them stiffened as his grip tightened in between their neck and shoulder. They briefly shared a pained look to one another before looking down at the table.
Ruby growled as her teeth clenched. "You're hurting them." she sneered.
Cardin rolled his eyes. "I don't think I am. But let's ask them." He lowered himself in between them and glanced from side to side. "Is it true boys? Am I hurting you? Cause if so, just say the word and I'll leave, no problem!"
He gave them a genuine smile, one so believable even an actor couldn't tell he was acting.
"N-N-No… h-h-he's not." Jaune whispered, the light draining from his eyes as he looked down. Cardin's grip tightened.
"Agreed." Ren muttered as he winced and averted his gaze from Ruby. "He's not doing anything… to us."
"There you have it!" Cardin cried, slapping both boy's backs as he stood back up. "See squirt? We're all friends here!"
Ruby inhaled heavily. "We. Are. Not. Friends." She hissed.
Cardin frowned. "Wow kid, you're really hurting my feelings there." He then smirked. "Don't be like that, we're practically family after all!"
"NO WE'RE FUCKING NOT!" She screamed, slamming her fist to the table earning several looks from other tables.
Cardin queried an eyebrow and grinned. "Oh, come on~ I've been dating Yang for nearly three years now. I love her very much and she makes me very~ happy." The way he said it caused Sky, Dove, and Russel to giggle and elbow one another. Ruby wants to jump across the table and strangle him.
Cardin laughed and walked around the table, right up to the girl. He stopped just a few inches away, forcing her to tilt her head up. Ruby stood with no ounce of fear, only rage, as she glared back up at him.
He, like his goons, were looking down at her with the wickedest grin he reserved for those he knew he could beat. A perfect representation of who he truly was behind the nice guy act he so happily portrayed to the masses; a manipulative, condescending, egotistical bully.
"So, what's it gonna be squirt?" He leaned into her ear and whispered, "Don't you want your sister to be happy, Ruby~?"
'You bastard...'
Ruby was never one for violence against people. However, in that moment, before her wasn't a human, but a monster; a demon who portrayed himself as an angel. She was so tempted, and would have likely as well, had she not glanced behind him towards Jaune and Ren. Both watching with a look of concern, worry, and fear.
Ruby was no fool, as much as she hated to admit, she knew what would happen if she so much as touched Cardin. While he may not lay a finger on his girlfriend's sister, her friends were not immune to his methods, and they didn't always need to be violent in order to prove his power. Even if she were to stay by their side, she wouldn't be able to forever and he knew it.
Cardin was a patient man and, sooner or later, he will eventually catch you.
Her nails dug into her palms.
With a heavy, defeated, sigh Ruby couldn't even look at the brute anymore as her head fell. Cardin smiled triumphantly as he roughly patted her head.
"I knew you'd see things my way squirt!"
"Ruby?... Babe?!"
All eyes turned to see Yang walking through the door with a tray of food in hand. The moment she sighted Ruby, she stopped and winced as the memories of what happened back at their house came flooding back to her. "H-Hey Ruby what's…" She stopped and her expression soured when she noticed Jaune and Ren from the corner of her eye. "What's… going on?" She asked with caution.
Ruby internally sighed with frustration as Cardin turned away from her.
"Well, hey there babe!" Cardin beamed. His tone and body language did a complete 180 as he walked over and smiled as he wrapped an arm around Yang's waist. "I remember you telling me how worried you were about your sister earlier, so I just happened to see her and decided to check up on her!"
"You… did that for me?" Yang murmured with a tiny smile.
"Of course babe!" Cardin smiled back "You know you're my priority! Plus I had to make sure these boys here were not causing your sis any trouble." He turned to Jaune and Ren, "No offense boys, it's just that… well, you don't really have the best reputation here and~ I have to make sure my girl's sister is safe. Nothing against you, you understand right?"
"Y-Yes…" Ren muttered. Jaune's lips trembled so much so he could only nod.
Ruby's hands balled into fists as Yang stared at her friends with wary eyes. She wanted so desperately to scream how she should be wary of the boy currently caressing her waist.
"That's really thoughtful babe." Yang said softly, looking back at him. "The fact that you care so much about Ruby makes me happy!" Yang reached up and kissed his cheek. "Thank you!"
Ruby felt herself die a little when seeing her sister's lips touch the cheek of that monster. Her anger burned as she glared at Cardin smiling.
Cardin gave her a side hug and stared into Ruby's eyes "Anything for you babe. I always wanna make you happy."
'You fucking bastard!' Ruby fumed, mentally.
"Weiss just let it go!"
Ruby, Jaune and Ren noted the sudden new voice and the name they spoke. Their eyes widened. 'Oh no…'
"I will not! I mean really, how can they just run out of strawberry milk?!" Weiss fumed as she stepped through the door. "My father does not donate so much to this academy just so that-" She stopped when she noted everyone in front of her, or more specifically, Jaune. "Oh great, and now that dunce is here! Great, just great!"
As Weiss gritted her teeth, Pyrrha, Coco, and the Malachite twins entered the dining hall. Each carried a tray of lunch as they walked in and set their sights on Ruby, Jaune, and Ren.
"Well, this is quite the gathering." Coco queried as she glanced around.
"Hmph, I'm going on ahead." Weiss growled and stomped off. She suddenly stopped and turned back "Coming Pyrrha?"
"Huh?" Pyrrha asked a bit absentmindedly, her eyes glued towards the trio, or more so a certain blond boy. "Oh! I… y-yes… yes, I'm coming." Her eyes darted back and forth from Weiss to the teens sitting down. "L-Let's go."
Though it went unnoticed, Jaune winced when Pyrrha avoided eye contact. He looked away with sorrow as he lowered his head.
"Good!" Weiss smiled then leered at Jaune, "I'll be sure to find us a table far enough away from any… unpleasantries."
With that Weiss walked off with Pyrrha awkwardly following behind. She spared one final look at the three and frowned when she saw Jaune with his head down.
Melanie chuckled as she walked over and gently caressed Jaune's cheek, forcing him to look up at him. "That means you Vomit Boy." She laughed and backed away with a look of satisfaction as soon as she saw Jaune wince.
Militia snorted as she covered her grinning lips, "You're so mean sis!"
"Chill with that Mel!" Coco warned the older twin.
Melanie rolled her eyes. "Oh come on, tell me I'm wrong then?" She paused, waiting for Coco's reply, and then smirked when the fashionista wordlessly turned her head. "Thought so. Besides, you know Ice Queen has a good reason for wanting some distance." She looked back at Jaune, "After all, you never know when the next eruption will come!"
Militia snickered. "She's got a point Coco, don't wanna get caught in the - heh heh - splash zone."
The twins relished in their laughter as Jaune slumped lower in his chair. Pretty soon Cardin, Yang, Russel, Sky, and Dove also joined in the laughter as Coco frowned at them all.
She then turned to Jaune and noted he looked about ready to cry which didn't sit right with her; nor Ruby, from the looks at it, as she glared daggers at all of them.
'This is gonna go south real fast if I don't cut this out.' "Alright, cut it out!" Coco ordered, "Just leave the kid alone, will ya Mel?"
The fits of laughter quickly died down as Melanie scoffed and crossed her arms. "Geez Coco, don't tell me you're actually going soft for him." She then leaned in closer and grinned, "Or could it be you have a thing for tall, blond and scraggly looking dudes?"
"Mel…" Coco warned.
Melanie laughed and raised a hand up in defense. "Fine, fine whatever. Learn to take a joke girl." She turned to her sister, "Come on sis, let's go eat."
With a shrug, Militia followed alongside her sister, rolling her eyes.
Coco watched them leave and sighed as she rubbed her forehead. She then glanced at Jaune and frowned. He still had his head low and his eyes glued to the table.
She shook her head and started walking away but stopped when she neared Yang, "I'll save you a seat, but we're gonna have a talk later blondie."
Yang raised an eyebrow and was about to reply but the auburn-haired girl was already walking off.
"Let's get going too babe." Cardin wrapped an arm around Yang's shoulder. "Can't let that food of yours go to waste."
"Yeah, later… Ruby" Yang muttered as she glanced away. As they walked off Cardin made sure to glance back and grin at them as he made a daring move and gently caressed Yang's ass which she playfully shoved away.
That was it. Despite the silence Ruby kept, and the fury that threatened to come out, she couldn't control herself anymore. She jumped up and, without a moment's hesitation, raised her middle finger up towards him, mouthing the words "Fuck you!".
Cardin's grin turned into a scowl as a vein now appeared on his head. He gritted his teeth and turned back around as he held Yang a little tighter than before.
"Let's get out of here…" Ruby muttered.
Jaune and Ren glanced at one another and nodded as the trio began cleaning up their table before wordlessly exiting the dining hall, unaware of the bright, amber eyes watching them the entire time.
/-/
Hours passed since lunch had ended and Ruby still couldn't forget what transpired there. It wasn't the sort of thing she could just drop like Ren and Jaune insisted. How could she? After everything Cardin said and did, how could she just drop it?
Every time she replayed it in her mind, her anger grew. Not only was she blissfully naive on what was happening for years, but now that she was fully aware, it made her blood boil.
She sighed as she exited the locker room. With gym as the last class for the day, Ruby felt a little better for two reasons. One, because it meant she would be free to return home soon and two...
"Hey Ruby! Over here!"
Ruby turned and followed the voice. There she saw Nora, standing on the other side of the gym, waving her arms around like a mad woman, while Jaune, Ren, and Velvet sat below her on the bleachers.
'I get to be with them.' She smiled and jogged up to them, "Hey guys!"
"Hey yourself!" Jaune smiled back, "About time you got here!"
"Oh come on, give me a break!" Ruby pouted as she skipped up the stairs and sat next to Ren. "You know my class is on the other side of the campus! I literally had to sprint just to make it on time!"
"Well, I find that quite impressive." Ren praised, "You run a great distance every day just to get here on time and you have yet to arrive late. Your stamina is incredible."
"Yeah girl!" Nora gushed as she planted herself on Ren's shoulders, shoving him forward as he groaned. "That means you've got legs for days!" She eyed the young girl up and down and wiggled her eyebrows. "Oh yeah, I can see you developing nicely one day!"
Ruby bashfully jumped to her feet as she waved her hands in front of her. "N-No I won't Nora!" She cried, then slowly glanced down at her legs, unsure. "Will I?"
Nora hopped off the long-haired boy and slapped Ruby's back, knocking the wind out of her. "Mhm! Face it Rubes, you totally will! But don't get too full of yourself there missy!" She raised a finger up towards her. "You may get legs, but when it comes to thighs, ain't no one beating momma!"
To emphasize her meaning, Nora turned to her side and bent one of her hips outwards, literally shoving her 'assets' in Jaune's face.
The boy sat motionless as he stared dumbfounded as she began to shake her hips. Nora noticed this and felt mischievous as she then started adding body rolls like those dancers in a sexy music video. That was enough to redden Ren's cheeks as he quickly looked anywhere that wasn't Nora while Jaune looked as if he physically couldn't look away. She laughed and when she saw Velvet cover her eyes, she got an idea.
"Come on Vel, join in girl! I know you know how to shake it!"
The Faunus "Eep" and shook her head furiously when Nora grabbed her by the arms and pulled her up.
"N-No! That's indecent!" she squeaked.
Nora pouted, "Come on! Faunus girls get down! Plus you're part rabbit which means you get doubled down!"
"N-No!" Velvet blushed. "I-I'm not that kind of bunny girl!"
"Come on~, help momma seduce the boys!"
"N-Nora please!"
Despite how she felt before, Ruby couldn't help but laugh wholeheartedly. Watching Jaune and Ren trying to keep their composure in front of a provocative dance from Nora and a forced blushing Velvet made her smile more than she had all day.
'If only things could be like this forever.' She thought as she felt her eyes moistened. She quickly wiped them and turned away. 'It would have been nice… no drama, no ridicule… no Cardin.' She frowned and spotted the bully on the other side of the bleachers with his friends. Yang wasn't with him yet and the thought of her sister made her feel worse.. 'How can you be so blind Yang… why can't you believe me… we're sisters and he's tearing us apart…'
"Ruby? Are you alright?" Ren asked as he glanced at her.
'No... I'm not.' Ruby nodded and smiled at him, "Yeah! Sorry I was just feeling a little drained, you know?"
Ren frowned. "I understand, still in case you aren't feeling well, maybe you should go to the nurse's office? I'm sure the professor would allow-"
"Geez Ren, it's not that serious!" Ruby laughed and patted his shoulder. "I'm just a little tired, that's all."
The long-haired boy remained silent for a moment as he eyed her carefully. "If you're sure."
"Of course I am!" Ruby smiled. 'Liar.' The word made her wince as she forced the guilt deeper into the pit of her stomach.
"Ha Ho! Hello, their children!" a voice suddenly boomed from the teacher's office. He looked like a jolly Santa Claus with a thick, gray dandy mustache instead of a beard, at least to Ruby. The fact that he wore a dashing maroon blazer, matching slacks, and black shoes only encouraged the similarity.
"Hello Professor Port." The class replied back in perfect monotone just as the large man took his place before them.
"Yes, welcome back! Are you lot ready for another week of stamina testing, physical inducing, and sweat breaking activities?!"
"Yeah!" Nora cheered, jumping to her feet with a fist in the air. She was the only one to do so causing several other students, including some of Cardin's group, to laugh at her as Jaune, and Velvet awkwardly pulled their friend back down.
"Ah Miss Valkyrie," The professor smiled, "you are truly a testament to enthusiasm and energy!"
Nora, unfazed by the laughter, grinned and flexed her arms, "You know it teach!"
"Quite so! Now then," he raised his clipboard, "Today we will be-"
*BAM*
"I'm just saying the options there, ya know?! I know you keep to yourself a lot - and that's cool and all - but~ don't you get tired of sitting alone?"
From behind the professor, everyone turned to see Yang emerge from the girls locker room wearing a yellow tank top and black shorts that tightened around her thighs. While this choice of attire earned her some lustful gazes from her classmates, today that attention was also focused behind her at the newcomer she was speaking to.
"...No…"
Ruby quirked an eyebrow. It was that Blake Belladonna girl from this morning. To say she was confused would be an understatement as she never had a class with her before. But seeing her now - changed in a black tank top and track pants - surprised her. It was also a little strange how she still kept the bow on her head.
Already Ruby could hear the excited whispers and confused murmurs around her as the two approached. Blake's demeanor appeared stoic despite Yang's clear invasion of personal space.
"Well...can't you at least think about it?!" The blonde asked, stepping a little closer again.
"...No." Black replied, taking a step away from the blonde girl.
"But why not?!"
"Because no."
Yang groaned and threw her head back. "Look, all I'm saying is at least give it a chance! It won't kill you to try and besides, my friends are cool!"
"...That has nothing to do with me."
"That's not true!" Yang grinned and jumped in front of Blake, "For you see~ once you get to know my awesome friends; they could be your awesome friends too if you call now at- wait come back! You didn't even let me-"
"Miss Xiao Long!"
Yang flinched and raised her hands up defensively. "I didn't do it!" She blurted, causing the class to laugh as Port approached the two girls.
"Whilst it pleases me to see the youths of our fine establishment socialize, I am less pleased, by the fact, that you have arrived late to my class."
"Huh?!" Yang's eyes widened, "Wait, that's not- I'm not- that's not fair!" She babbled and pointed towards Blake, "She's late too, why aren't you scolding her?!"
Blake gave her a dry look, "Really?"
"Hey, if I'm going down for this you have to take some of the blame too! That's fair!" Yang stuck her tongue out.
Blake rolled her eyes.
"Don't act like I'm not right!"
"Actually, you are not this time." The Professor interjected, "You see, I expected Miss Belladonna's late arrival because she just transferred into this class." On que, Blake pulled a yellow slip from her pocket and handed it over to the professor before walking away. "You, however, do not have one of these." He quirked an eyebrow and leaned in, "Do you?"
"I, uh..." Yang whined, "Prof you gotta believe me, I did come on time!"
"It's true!" Cardin suddenly called out, "She came in with me." He lied as his friends all nodded and voiced their affirmation. Weiss groaned as she slapped her forehead while Pyrrha giggled and glanced away.
"Yeah, see!" Yang smiled towards her boyfriend and friends. "I was just in the locker room a little longer trying to get to know Blake, ya know?"
Port eyed the blonde carefully as she shifted in place and looked away. After a few seconds, the large man sighed and smiled. "It is truly wonderful to see the buds of loyalty blossom into a beautiful rose of friendship. Very well Miss Xiao Long, if you wish to avoid such a mistake again in the future, do be sure to socialize within the gymnasium next - oof!"
"Thanks prof!" Yang squeezed the portly man into a constricting bear hug. "You are literally the best! Thank you, thank you!"
"Y-Yes, quite so!" Port grunted as he attempted to pry the blonde girl off. "N-Now please unhand me and join the others!"
"You got it professor!" Yang released her grip and practically shimmied towards the bleachers. She relished in the cheering and laughter of her classmates as she sat next to Cardin and kissed his cheek.
"Ah Port, you ol dog," the professor said to himself, "Once again your benevolence has won the heart of yet another young damsel." He stood a bit straighter, "To be cursed with such dashing good looks and a caring personality; oh~ what a dilemma Lady Fate has bestowed upon me!"
The class collectively groaned as Yang tried not to gag into Cardin's shoulders.
"Alrighty then! I believe we've wasted enough time!" Port cleared his throat and signaled for the students to quiet down. "Today, class, we will be playing a new sport of my own choosing! It is one you may have heard of that is so tough - so manly - that tested the times of countless generations! Where it has created, and destroyed, friendships alike time after time! This is a sport that dictates fight or flight as only the strong survive while the weak falter to their knees and-"
"Professor, we only have 47 minutes!" someone cried.
Port flinched and coughed into his fist. "Right… my apologies." He muttered and composed himself, "Today, we will be playing dodgeball!" He cried as cheers erupted for the class by many, including Cardin's goonish friends, Yang and Nora while the brute himself merely turned to Jaune and smiled at him.
The blond boy looked as if all of life just drained from his eyes as Ren sighed.
"This isn't gonna end well." He muttered as Velvet nodded and patted Jaune on the back to keep him from throwing up.
/-/
After taking a hefty attendance of the 60+ class, the Professor had done quick work in breaking down the rather large class into three separate games overseen by himself and two other assistant teachers. As the other two groups already began their games the third was already well underway.
With the teams set up, they've been given a couple minutes to stretch and prepare before the match, Weiss wasted no time doing so. She had been scowling the entire time during the selection process of the two teams. And as she released her arm and focused on the other, she glanced over at her newly formed team.
There was Yang next to her, followed by Coco, the twins, Cardin and his three friends, Russel, Sky, and Dove and finally, that attractive looking blue-haired fellow who was picked last overall.
She sighed with frustration. "I can't believe you were chosen as team captain over me!" She fumed as her icy blue eyes glared at Yang. "I would have made a much better choice."
The blonde rolled her own lilac eyes as she sat down and stretched out her legs. "It's just the luck of the draw Weiss Cream." She jeered. "You snooze, you lose!"
The whited haired girl scoffed, "Well because you've already failed in your position as captain, we just might." She calmly stated.
"What?!" Yang rose up, genuinely offended. "How?! We didn't even start yet!"
Weiss crossed her arms, "You failed in securing the best possible roster for our team's victory!" she hissed.
Yang's mouth dropped. "What?!"
"You heard me!" Weiss replied harshly, "You allowed your dunce of a sister over there to steal Pyrrha from us! How can you possibly mess that up?!"
Yang's face was a mixture of emotions as she switched between bewilderment, disbelief, offense, and finally annoyance. "Well excuse~ me for making you my first choice little Miss Heiress!" Her voice dripped with sarcasm.
"You're forgiven for that." Weiss waved a hand dismissively, "It's only natural that I would be chosen first since you couldn't succeed without my intellect." Yang resisted the urge to wrap her hands around her friend's little pale neck. "However, as remarkable as I am, even I would have gladly allowed Pyrrha to be chosen before me!"
Yang gritted her teeth. "Ok one, get over yourself; and two, what's the big deal? So, we didn't get Pyrrha, big whoop! It's not the end of the world. Plus, that other guy doesn't look too shabby." She glanced towards the blue haired boy a few feet away. "He may not be packing a lot of muscle there but he's eye candy! So at least he's a good fit in that area right?!" She joked.
Weiss stared at Yang's grinning face with disbelief as she suddenly grabbed her friend by the bands of her tank top and shook it violently. "As if attraction matters at a time like this! Need I remind you that Pyrrha's a professional athlete?! She's also extremely competitive in anything she does; even in something as barbaric and trivial as this! She will not hold back and that should hold enough reason for me to be vexed in this situation!"
"G-Get off!" Yang managed to pry the shorter girl's hands off and smirked. "So, in other words, you're just terrified of getting hit by P-Money? Is that it?!"
From the face Weiss was making, she hit the nail on the coffin and laughed, hard. Even more so when Weiss immediately recoiled and blushed, making her look nearly tomato faced.
"I-I am simply acknowledging the fact that victory will not be guaranteed now because of your poor handling of the situation. That is all." She explained. "While our team is indeed solid in many factors, the fact that the other team possesses Pyrrha dramatically increases their chances while simultaneously decreasing ours. And, as much as I hate to admit it, that Valkyrie girl is also a force to be reckoned with."
Yang smirked and slapped her friend on the back. "Oh please, so they got some muscle, over there, so what? They have a bunch, Ice Queen. That weirdo has nothing on me, and I can give P-Money a run for her Lien, so it'll be fine!"
Weiss sighed and slapped her forehead. "That's not the point you-"
"Excuse me, ladies."
Both girls turned to see the blue-haired boy, Yang mentioned earlier, walk up to them. He stood before them with a graceful posture: relaxed shoulders, hands on his hips and a toothy white smirk as his aqua blue eyes squinted slightly.
Weiss had to admit, seeing him up close, his styled blue hair really contrasted well with his slightly tan skin. She almost couldn't look away upon seeing him.
"Couldn't help but overhear you girls talking, so I decided to come up and make nice!" His voice was soft, friendly, and smooth; something Weiss found herself appreciating. "I'm Neptune Vasilias, nice to meet you."
"S'up, I'm Yang, and right back at ya Casanova! Put it there!" Yang offered a handout and grabbed the boy's. His eyes widened for a split second as he looked ready to scream had he not bit his lip shut at the last second. "Looks like we have ourselves a gentleman here Weissy?"
"Huh?" Weiss shook her head, "Oh, yes I... suppose." She cleared her throat and offered her hand. "I am Weiss Schnee, student council president and captain of the fencing team, perhaps you've heard of me?"
Yang wanted to slap her forehead.
Neptune merely smiled and gently shook her hand with a small squeeze. "Trust me, I know who you are. Your reputation is huge throughout the school, and you could say I'm sort of a huge fan of your talents." Weiss stood a little taller at that comment as Neptune glanced down at their hands." You have a really strong grip, yet your hand is so soft. There's no calluses at all despite fencing competitively. That's amazing."
Weiss felt her face grow slightly warm. "Y-Yes well… despite how physically demanding my craft is, I do take the necessary extra steps to ensure my body does not subject to any unwanted consequences."
The blue haired boy nodded. "I can see that. You've really worked hard to look just like a snow angel."
"S-Snow angel?" Weiss repeated, thankful her hair was covering her reddening neck.
"Yeah." Neptune laughed and rubbed the back of his head. "Sorry it's just... your hair reminds me of how beautiful snow is and as for the angel well… I mean just look at you."
Weiss darted her eyes away from the boy and shut them tightly. She knew her cheeks were visibly pink as she desperately tried to compose herself. She brought a fist to her lips and coughed loudly before turning back to him. "W-Well I... can't say I don't appreciate such a compliment from someone as… charming… as you. So, thank you very much for your kind words."
Neptune breathed a sigh of relief and chuckled, "I'm glad you liked it. I mean really you-"
'Oh, this is too good.' Yang grinned as she watched the two talk. Every compliment made Weiss' eye gleam more and more. If she were a dog Faunus her tail would be wagging hard right now.
They looked like they were in their own little world as Yang stood on the sidelines forgotten. She didn't mind that, not when she got a front row seat of this entertainment. It wasn't every day the Ice Queen would actually talk to a random boy and this Neptune guy was trying so hard Yang would have felt bad intervening.
She actually found it hilarious. Despite his looks, this Neptune guy was like a nervous little puppy. While that was kind of a letdown and turn off for her, it seems Weiss didn't notice - or care - as she nodded along to what he was saying.
'Who knew Weissy-poo here could actually play the field!' Yang turned away from the two wearing the biggest grin, 'I gotta tell Coco! She'll-'
Yang's grin faltered as she pursed her lips when she spotted something from the corner of her eye. On the other side of the gym, she spotted Ruby, laughing. That in itself was great. Her little sister hadn't been acting right all day and she was happy to see her smiling like she used to.
But it also hurt her greatly. On one hand, she was glad to see her sister laughing as if nothing had happened; but on the other hand, it wasn't because of her, but them. She thought darkly.
After that argument in their house, Ruby practically ran to Jaune, Ren, and Nora for comfort while completely avoiding her. It wasn't like that before. Just last year, whenever her little sister had a terrible day or cried, it was always Yang who she went to first.
'Not anymore…' she thought as the realization weighed heavily on her heart.
It was their fault for everything that happened. For an argument that should have never existed if they had just left her sister alone like she told them too so many years ago after leaving their group! Now here they were, with an ever-growing rift between the sisters both physically and metaphorically. And it was all because of those bastards.
Her fists clenched tightly.
She was Yang Xiao Long, the funniest, wildest, and coolest chick in all of Beacon, hell maybe all of Vale according to all her followers. She was a top tier beauty, an all-round badass, a pun master and the girl everyone wanted to be around.
'Except my own sister.' She thought glumly.
She was aware how ironic it was. To be the center of it all with adoring fans and popularity both in school and on social media, yet the one person she wished to share and bask in the greatness with didn't want anything to do with her.
'You used to always look up to me Ruby… now you don't even look at me.' She thought somberly. 'I used to always make you smile and laugh... now I'm just a fucking bad guy to you.'
Her eyes hardened. Coco may have pitied those bastards, and even felt sorry for them, but she didn't know them like Yang did. She grew up with those losers, she knew how they were and seeing how hostile Ruby became because of them only proved her point that they were becoming a bad influence on her sister. And as her blood and the only mother figure Ruby had left, she would do something about it.
'I tolerated you guys for too long. I backed off for Ruby, but you changed my sister. So now… I'm gonna make sure you back off once and for all…'
"Yang, focus you dunce!" Weiss demanded as she and Neptune - along with everyone else - took on a starter position. "The match is about to start!"
"Don't worry about me Weiss" Yang muttered as her eyes narrowed. She spoke with such an unusually serious tone that the heiress raised an eyebrow, "I'm fired up and ready."
"I-I see. Well then… ensure you don't hold back."
"I won't." Yang scoffed as she cracked her knuckles and smirked, eyeing her opponents carefully. 'You bastards took my sister, so now... I'm gonna pay you back!'
/-/
The atmosphere was tense as Ruby glanced around her friends. Arm in arm, Jaune, Ren, and Nora, all huddled together in a circle around their leader as she looked at them with such seriousness it made Jaune gulp.
"My beloved outsiders… no, my fellow otaku... we continuously face defeat in a world where society rejects us under a tyranny of hierarchy! Thus, I ask you: Why is this? Is it because the headmaster doesn't care? Is it because we are considered the lowest rank on the social ladder? Is it because we lack ambition? Is it because we are powerless to avert our fate?"
She took in a breath and glanced around. No one responded.
"No!" She suddenly cried, "For years we have stood against the tests of time and end even though the odds were stacked against us, we survived! So ask yourselves, why is it that the adult world is ruled by nerds? Is it because we've got a penchant for studying?! We lack the muscle and physical brawn of the jocks?! Did our proficiency in intelligence and introversion allow us to bring the workforce under our banner despite lacking the stamina?! Most assuredly not!"
"Nani?!" Nora gasped.
Ruby smirked, "We fought and prevailed… because we are weak!" Shock and gasps ranged across the faces of her fellow nerds. "In every age, and every world, the strong sharpen their fangs, while the weak polish their wits! But what has driven us into a corner now? It's the social hierarchy of high school taking tooth and claw from the strong! Forcing them to rely on their wits as we always have! It is because the ingenuity and strategies - the power we alone used to survive - were bestowed upon the strong!"
Ruby lowered her head, "That was our undoing…" She whispered. All around pained expressions fell upon her friends. Ren closed his eyes; Nora gritted her teeth as Jaune stared at the ground. Ruby sighed and raised her head up. "My people, answer me this: Why do you hang your heads?" Eyes widened around her. "I repeat: Why do you hang your heads?" She asked louder. "We are the weak! Now and hereafter, as we have always been! Indeed, nothing has changed for us!"
Ren smirked; Nora grinned as her eyes narrowed while Jaune seemed to stand a little taller. "The strong may wield facsimiles of our weapons, but those pale to the originals! That is because our weapons draw power from cowardice born of pathetic weakness! It is because of our cowardice that we don't foolishly rely on brawn! It is because of our cowardice that we possess the wisdom and experience to predict even the future!"
Ruby 's eyes narrowed, "I repeat once more: We are weak! We are the proud weaklings who once tore out the throats of the strong as their overwhelming might drew them into complacency!"
Ruby raised a hand up, "I, Ruby Rose, proclaim as captain of this team that I will live as the weak, fight as the weak, and defeat the strong as only the weak can! The way our future generations of nerds, outcasts, and fellow otaku once did and will continue to do!" She grinned, "Accept it! Accept that, because we were born with nothing, we can become anything!"
"Yeah!" Nora yelled as the merry band of nerds broke free of their little huddle. Ruby and Jaune fell into fits of laughter as Ren smiled and shook his head.
"That was awesome Ruby!" Jaune praised.
"Truly." Ren added as he bowed before her with a folded arm over his chest. "I will gladly follow you into battle."
"Yeah! We're gonna crush them all!" Nora cried, mimicking a deep, masculine voice as she slammed a fist into her palm.
"T-That was amazing!" Velvet gushed as she approached the group. She wasn't alone, however, as behind her followed her two friends, Yatsuhashi and Fox - whom the group had briefly interacted with before - and the random boy that Ruby picked last for their team.
"I'll say! Dude, that was one hell of a motivator!" The newcomer said with a grin.
He was a lightly tanned boy with short blond hair spiked up with more gel than Ruby thought necessary. He was clearly a Faunus when she noticed the yellow tail swaying back and forth behind him, and as much as Ruby wished she didn't stare; he was certainly developed with more muscle than either of her two male friends. It only made her blush more when the boy didn't bother wearing a proper shirt thus allowing all to see his abs.
"Thanks, uh…" She internally cringed as she tried to shake the image out of her mind Even though she had picked him for the team, Ruby felt incredibly guilty for not knowing his name. She only picked at random between him or the blue haired boy.
"I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say you don't know my name, do ya?" He chuckled. When Ruby remained silent, the boy laughed even harder as he lazily waved a hand.
"Ah don't worry about it!" He extended a fist out towards her and smiled. "Sun Wukong's the name! Investigation and reporting is my game!"
"I'm Ruby Rose. It's nice to meet you too!" Ruby smiled and returned the brofist. "Heh, sorry about that!"
"Like I said, it's no biggie! Can't expect you to know everyone's businesses right? Besides that's my job!" He joked.
Ruby laughed again. He was alright in her books. However, she could have sworn she heard his name before. She was certain she did as it niggled in the back of her mind.
As she pondered, Sun already moved along to introduce himself to the others with his knuckles out and ready. Jaune's attempt was clumsy and actually missed the first time. Instead of a knuckle touch, Ren offered a polite handshake, whereas Nora saw it as a challenge and actually punched Sun's fist so hard it made him yelp.
"Damn girl! And I thought I had muscle; you're definitely packing!" He laughed as he shook his hand. "You weren't kidding Vel! She's strong!"
"That's monkey boy!" Nora giggled as she flexed her arm.
"How do you two know each other anyways?" Jaune asked, glancing between the two.
"W-We're in the same newspaper club together." Velvet confirmed "He mostly writes articles and makes lists while I focus on photojournalism."
"I remember now!" Ruby suddenly shouted. She pointed a finger towards Sun as his hands instinctively went up. "You're the guy who wrote that list?!"
"Uhh… most likely?!" Sun's eyes darted left and right, "You're gonna have to be more specific though since I make lists all the time."
"The babe list!" Ruby clarified. "I checked it out today! You actually ranked every girl in the school! How did you do it?! There's hundreds of us and you even write small excerpts for each one! Do you go by looks alone? Do you do this all by yourself? Or do you - mphff"
"R-Ruby, why are you so curious about this!" Velvet squealed and covered the girl's mouth.
"Oh that!" Sun exclaimed, ignoring the dry look of Velvet. "Aw shucks, I never thought I'd get a girl who's curious about the process!" He rubbed the back of his head. "Usually, it's just a bunch of them trying to castrate me for dropping their ranks!" He laughed, "Man, when times like those happen well... I'll say these abs ain't just for show!"
"Yeah, yeah, castration's cool and all but what's my rank!" Nora barked as she jabbed a finger on the boy's chest.
"Nora!" Ren sighed as he slapped his face.
"What? I gotta know where I stand Renny!" The orange-haired girl whined, "I have to be near the top right! Thunder thighs remember! You can't deny these monkey boy!"
Sun glanced away as Nora once again tried to show off what she proudly possessed. "Hate to break it to ya but it's not really up to me per say. I use bots that create polls on my Discord. After it's posted, anyone can vote on who they like once to keep it fair." He turned to Ruby, "And to answer your other question, no it's not just me! I have some friends who mod the Discord and help me record the ranks into an order generator called "ADD IT UP". After that, boom, it creates a list for us!"
"Whoa, you really take this stuff seriously." Ruby admitted.
"Yeah, a bit." Sun chuckled as he nodded. "But as a reporter it's my job to give the people what they want! And that's the juicy gossip of the school!"
"He would fit well with TMZ." muttered Yatsuhashi, causing Fox to smirk and agree.
Jaune chuckled slightly. "Well, at least there's nothing like that for us guys, right?"
Sun awkwardly looked away. "Well…"
"No way…" Jaune muttered as his head dropped. "Great… and I already know where I'll be on that list."
Sun smiled sincerely as he placed a hand on his fellow blond's shoulder. "Hey, if it makes you feel any better I don't manage that list. One of my mods does and he's… well… let's just say very qualified for the job. And trust me, he takes his judgement very seriously."
The girls giggled as some of the boys shifted uncomfortably.
"But hey, you know if I'm honest, I'm pretty bummed with how the number one spot turned out." Sun frowned as he crossed his arms. "Don't get me wrong, Pyrrha's definitely a babe, it's just… well, personal preference." He grinned. "If it were all up to me that girl would be number one, hands down."
He pointed far to the right where they all turned and saw Blake leaning against the wall with her eyes closed and her arms crossed.
"Blake Belladonna!" He whistled, "Now that's a babe! No offense to any of you ladies here, but man! I mean just look at her! She has that whole dark and mysterious thing going for her, that tough gothic look that's sexy as hell, and you can't deny she's thicc! She's also one of the smartest girls in our class and the entire school! As a man of culture, I approve!"
Velvet slapped her forehead as Yatsuhashi and Fox both patted her shoulders sympathetically.
"Momma can't blame you there, Sunny boy!" Nora giggled, "That girl's definitely packing some cake!" She admitted as the two nodded and rested a hand underneath their chins as they 'admired' the silent girl on the wall.
Ren sighed as he walked around and blocked their view. "I think we should leave her be and prepare for the match."
"Ren's right!" Ruby nodded as she began doing her stretches, "We gotta do our training arc if we wanna defeat our eternal rival!"
"Ooh, Ooh! Like Vegeta and Goku!" Nora cried.
"No way!" Jaune whined, "More like Sasuke and Naruto!"
"I believe Kenshin, and Saito would make a better comparison." Ren added.
"You know… I had my doubts but… they're not as bad as everyone says" Sun smiled, turning towards Velvet.
The Bunny Faunus giggled and nodded as she watched her friends bicker. "They're really unique and the more you get to know them, the more you'll find them interesting." She turned back to him. "You'll see."
'Interesting huh?'
As her friends continued their quarrel, Ruby's gaze went to Blake. Much like Sun, she too had been another unexpected choice for the team as Ruby "technically" never really chose her for the team. She simply walked onto their side without a word and stood there.
'I guess Yang really left a bad impression…'
A loud whistle erupted from the side as Port approached the center floor with a large sack of dodgeballs. "Ha, Ho! The time for mercy has passed!" he cheered, "Would both teams please take your positions!"
/-/
The air was tense.
No one spoke a word as Professor Port slowly walked to the side lines with a look so serious it would have been considered uncharacteristic of him.
He turned to his left and gazed towards Yang. She gave a confident nod; her team was ready. He then turned to Ruby; she hesitated for a second but nodded with determination; her team was also ready.
Port nodded and slowly brought his whistle up to his lips.
Ruby inhaled slowly. She was as physically prepared as she could have been for this. It was her first-time playing dodgeball and she'd be lying if she didn't feel a little nervous. Though at least she wasn't sweating profusely like Jaune was next to her.
The match hadn't even started yet, and the poor guy already looked terrified. She could see Cardin smirking as his friends all laughed and imitated a knife slashing their throats. She didn't know what would happen to him but prayed he would do well, or at least get taken out gently.
Everyone else had mixed emotions, except for Blake who stood motionless with her arms crossed.
Velvet looked a little nervous but stood determined, Yatsuhashi and Fox didn't look worried in the slightest; there was even a faint smirk on the dark-skinned boy's lips as he waited for the whistle.
Nora was bouncing back and forth on her toes, anxious to get moving while Sun stood with a wide grin on his face. He even taunted the blue haired boy on the opposite team standing next to Weiss, claiming he was going to destroy him which made the other boy jump slightly before scoffing at his threat as the pale girl looked at him.
But out of anyone on their team, Pyrrha looked the most revved up. She was silent, focused, even during her warmups. She practically stretched every part of her body as if she were going to partake in a triathlon instead of a basic high school dodgeball game. Ruby supposed it was unsurprising given how much her sister hiked on the girl's competitiveness.
'I'm glad I picked her.'
Finally, Ruby turned to Ren and frowned. He looked as calm and collected as he's always been. However, his eyes were sharp and focused, and there was even a small grimace to his lips as he inhaled deep breaths.
"Now I want a nice, clean game!" Professor Port commanded, his voice echoing like thunder. "I will be standing vigilant throughout the entire match! If you are hit then you are out of the game! No exceptions, no complaints! Am I understood?!"
Everyone nodded.
"Then without further ado,"
Ruby gulped. 'Here we go…'
"BEGIN!"
/-/
A few minutes in and the game was well in its full swing. The Professor smiled as he witnessed both teams working together, fighting side by side in a desperate hour of camaraderie. It warmed his heart to see the students watching each other's backs as they strived tooth and nail towards one goal.
'This is why I became a professor.' Port sniffed, 'Truly wonderful.'
"OH GODS HELP ME!"
"AFTER HIM BOYS!"
"STAND STILL YOU LITTLE RUNT!"
"GET HIM! GET THAT SCRAGGLY DUNCE!"
"COME TO MOMMA!"
"I'M GONNA CRUSH YOU ALL?!"
"THROW IT PUSSY! YOU WON'T!"
"CLENCH YOUR TEETH NEP!"
"NOT THE FACE SUN- AHH, I SAID NOT THE FACE!"
Port happily sighed, 'Truly wonderful indeed.'
Ferocity and aggression raged on as the match went on. Minutes felt like an eternity as both sides gave it their all.
It was no surprise to Pyrrha that she was being heavily targeted. She huffed as she dodged back-to-back strikes before finally being able to throw her own back. She had been forced to play defensively since the beginning, courtesy of her friends. But even through the combined efforts of Cardin, Coco, and the twins, she was still able to strike back and keep them on edge.
Yang was leading a rampage as she ordered Russel, Sky, and Dove to relentlessly attack Jaune which they eagerly accepted. Hell even Weiss was tossing her own dodgeballs at him. Ruby bit her lip as she watched Pyrrha take on almost half the team on her own and her panicked friend running for dear life.
They had already eliminated Fox and Yatsuhashi with their aggression and if they lost Jaune and Pyrrha they'd be almost half gone. She had to act.
"Velvet," Ruby yelled, "Go help Pyrrha! Nora, help Jaune! We can't lose any more people!"
"Oh yeah come to momma!" Nora cheered and charged in.
"Got it!" replied the bunny girl and dashed off as Ruby went to help their blond friend.
Ruby quickly scooped up her own ball and quickly rushed towards her sister, "Yang!" she called, earning the blonde's attention as her eyes widened just as Ruby threw her ball.
Yang narrowed her eyes and smirked as she stood her ground and caught the ball with both hands.
"Ruby Rose, out!"
"Sorry Ruby, better luck next time!
Ruby's eyes widened as she grunted up at the ceiling, "Damn it!"
/-/
Neptune was conflicted. On one hand he wanted to keep standing in front of Weiss to show how valiant he was defending her. But on the other hand, he really wanted to hide behind her.
He felt bad that those guys were attacking that blond guy. He resonated with how scared he was but what could he do? He was technically an enemy, and he couldn't really worry about him thanks to freaking Sun.
Then there was that Nora girl who just charged right at them and literally chased those guys away. Now here he was, facing off against freaking Sun while Yang went off to fight against some short haired girl with red highlights.
He was so close to scoring he could practically taste it. Every time he deflected a ball from Weiss, the girl would blush a little and thank him with a smile. He could have reeled her in with the Casanova Smile' if Sun would just stop cockblocking!
'Dude, seriously! I help you with your fucking list and your trying to hit me in front of a cute girl?! I know we swore on the bro code and all but come on! Cute girl dude!'
'I see what you're trying dude and I'm not letting it happen!' Sun grunted as he threw another ball towards his friend. That one nearly hit Neptune causing him to yelp with a high-pitched voice.
Weiss glanced at him causing Neptune to stammer for a second before playing it off and throwing his ball back at Sun. The Monkey Faunus moved and tilted his head as it whooshed past with incredible speed. Neptune was pissed.
'Sorry buddy I love you like a brother and all but that's exactly why I refuse to let you score before me!'
As the two glared at one another Neptune noticed from the corner of his eye an incoming ball, but it wasn't coming towards him. It was heading for- his eyes widened as he immediately ran back.
"Weiss look out!"
The white-haired girl was on her knees snatching up two dodgeballs when she turned towards him. Her eyes widened when she saw the incoming strike towards her face.
Neptune's world slowed in motion as he screamed 'NO' in his head. His ball wouldn't reach in time to deflect that, but he knew something else that could. He jumped and nosedived into the air with his arms spread out. He knew it was gonna hurt but he accepted that, in fact he saw this as a blessing in disguise.
The cool, brave, stud taking a hit for the defenseless, helpless cute girl. He'd fall and ask if she was ok like a badass leaving her so impressed that she couldn't help but fall for him. It looked so perfect in his head that a hit to the stomach would be totally worth it.
That was until he kept diving and the ball had yet to make an impact. His boy was now in front of it as it neared his stomach. Neptune smiled like a mad man. 'This is it!'
However...
To his horror, his body kept moving, and instead of his stomach blocking the ball, the trajectory of the large sphere now aimed towards his…
'OH NO!'
His eyes bulged and it was too late.
*SMACK*
"YEEEEEEEEEEOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!"
The squeal was so powerful it sounded almost inhuman as it echoed throughout the entire school.
Port's eyes widened as his body flinched - instantly moving his hands down to cover his most prized possession. 'That… oh my… may the gods have mercy on his lineage for that one...'
For a brief moment, despite the differences, despite the rivalry, everyone stopped and turned to the fallen hero as his body lay groaning and twitching. Weiss was already at his side and held his hand as she watched him with bewildered eyes.
Every man within that room felt that pain close to their hearts as they silently paid their respects.
"Damn, poor bastard." Muttered Coco as she took off her beret in respect.
"Yeah…" Yang nodded, then snorted and turned to her friend. "I guess you could say… he dropped the-"
Instantly, two hands slapped over her mouth as Melanie and Militia glared at the blonde. "Do. Not. Finish. That." The twins hissed.
"God damn it, Yang." Coco sighed as she put her beret back on.
"Heh… sorry."
"Dude…" Sun winced, "This is why you don't simp…"
"Hehehe… my bad…" Nora coughed as she looked away. Even though she felt a little guilty it wasn't like she was aiming for the boy. It was kind of his fault for doing that anyway, so not her fault.
"C-Can someone please take Mr. Vasilias to the bleachers!" Port cleared his throat.
"I will do it." Yatsuhashi accepted.
"Thank you my boy." The Professor nodded, "Could you also go into my office and grab an ice pack in my freezer that should… aid the poor lad."
Yatsuhashi nodded and set off with Neptune groaning the whole time.
"Ok, let the battle resume!" Port commanded and blew his whistle.
/-/
As the chaos continued with newfound vigor, Weiss was as red as a tomato as her heart raced. 'By the gods… he took that hit for me! I… I must thank him someday! It is the respectable thing to do!'
As she dodged another blow, she spotted a cackling Nora preparing to throw another ball towards her. Her eyes narrowed as she gripped her own ball as well. "Have at thee barbarian! I am not afraid! I shall avenge Neptune's honor and bring you-"
*WHAM*
"Weiss Schnee, out!"
"...ugh… ow..."
/-/
Things were not looking good for Velvet as Jaune watched her dodge strike after strike from Melanie and Militia. The twins were getting more aggressive for whatever reason now as they refused to let up against his friend.
He examined the court: Cardin, Sky, and Dove were fighting against Pyrrha and Nora, while Russel and Yang were both focused on Ren. Coco and Sun looked like they were engaging each other, but Blake hadn't even moved from her spot.
Jaune frowned at that. Ever since the game started, she just hung in the back with her arms crossed. Every ball sent her way she just avoided and never threw back.
He wanted to say something, anything to get her to help but then he noticed Cardin grinning maliciously as he ran towards Velvet. The Faunus girl was too busy focusing on the twins she wouldn't see his attack coming.
Jaune didn't even think as he rushed towards his friend. "Velvet, watch out!" he screamed just as Cardin threw the ball. Without hesitance, he pushed her out the way just as three dodgeballs simultaneously struck his head. His body fell and skid slid across the floor near the wall.
"Jaune Arc, out!"
"Jaune!" Velvet cried and rushed over to him.
Ruby stood up in a panic and called his name. She watched with worried eyes and was about to rush over until someone else beat her to it.
"Jaune?! Jaune?!" Velvet called again, gently slapped his cheek as he groaned. "Oh thank the gods…"
Her ears perked by the sudden footsteps behind her. She turned and was surprised to see Pyrrha Nikos kneeling beside her and staring down at the boy with worried eyes.
"Is he alright?!" she asked.
"I-I uh…" She shook her head, "yeah..."
Pyrrha looked relieved and smiled, "Thank goodness..." She whispered.
"Ugh mom… I don't wanna go to school..." he groaned as his cheek puffed out. Both girls giggled as they turned to one another.
That was until they were each struck by a dodgeball. Velvet fell over on her side as Pyrrha rubbed her shoulder and swore under her breath as she stood up and frowned.
"Velvet Scarlatina, Pyrrha Nikos, out!"
"Sorry P-Money!" Militia called out as she high fived her sister. "But you should have kept your eye on the ball!"
"Instead of worrying about Vomit Boy over there!" Melanie finished.
Pyrrha's eyes narrowed for a second before she sighed and turned back to check on Velvet and Jaune.
"That was dirty sis!" Militia laughed, "You know she's gonna hold a grudge against that right?"
Melanie scoffed and waved a hand dismissively, "Oh please, it's her own fault for getting distracted."
Militia nodded and smirked, "It's like mom always said."
"Mhm," Melanie nodded, "Eyes on the-"
*SMACK* *SMACK*
"Melanie Malachite, Militia Malachite, out!"
Nora smirked as she leered at the twins groaning on the floor. "Don't mess with my friends."
/-/
The only words that came to mind when witnessing Sun and Coco, would have to be passive aggressive flirting.
"Whoa, you almost got me there babe! Guess I just can't keep the ladies off of me!" Sun teased as he threw a dodgeball.
Coco dodged and threw her own back. "Please! Don't get too ahead of yourself there, good looking!"
"Hey, at least you acknowledge my sexiness!" Sun chuckled and threw another ball.
The auburn-haired girl grunted and threw another one back. "I can't deny a beef cake when I see one love! But you're definitely not the best fish on the market!"
"Oh? And you are?!" Sun counted.
Coco rolled her eyes and smirked, "Believe it love! Momma doesn't skip leg day!" To emphasize her statement, she turned and did a little shake which jiggled certain parts of her lower body.
It hypnotized Sun to a degree before snapping out as she quickly turned and threw another dodgeball at his head.
Sum dodged and laughed, "Ok nice try there! But don't go hating on me just yet sweetheart! You have no idea how hard it was to get these abs!"
Coco stopped and lowered her sunglasses as she leaned forward to get a better look. Sun grinned as he popped his shirt a little more open to give her a better view. She smirked and leaned back up.
"Alright monkey man, I like what I see~." She licked her lips. "I wouldn't mind licking up those cheese graders." Her voice lowered into a sultry tone that made Sun's eyes widened.
"Wait what?"
"Oh yeah~ momma likes it indeed."
Coco lowered her ball and sashayed closer to the line separating the teams. She beckoned him over with her index finger and Sun was hesitant for a moment but when she licked her lips he practically sprinted over with a blush forming on his lips.
"I gotta admit that confidence is really~ doing something for me." She ran a finger down his chest as Sun's tail stiffened at attention from behind. "Nothing turns me on more than confidence~."
Sun grunted as she ran a nail down his abs. She smirked and sent him a wink as she lowered her sunglasses. "And if I'm honest, my weakness is a hot Faunus."
"R-Really?!" He grinned cheekily and mentally threw a fist in the air. 'Suck it Nep!'
"Oh yeah~," She breathed and slowly lowered Sun's head to hers, "When it comes to you Faunus boys I have a saying: I want a man on the street but a beast in the bed."
Sweat pooled down Sun's forehead as he felt his legs start to wobble and shake.
Coco caressed a hand on his cheek as her lips were mere centimeters away from his. "You ready, lover boy?"
Sun nodded vehemently and immediately all he could see was red as a dodgeball slammed into his face, sliding him all the way across the floor. 'So… worth…. It…'
"Sun Wukong, out!"
"That's for dropping my rank down to fourth asshole!" She swept her hair and walked away. "Boys… so stupidly easy to control yet so delicious to look at. Hmm… maybe I could be an actress if I- Kya!"
She squealed when a sudden force thrusted her body forwards onto the floor. Her sunglasses and beret fell off as she felt the sheer soreness coming from her ass.
"Coco Adel, out!"
Coco slowly turned and glared at who hit her ass. Blake and Nora were both standing before her with the former looking emotionless and the latter grinning wickedly.
"There's only room for one cake in this place and that's me!" Nora cheered and pointed at herself.
Blake raised an eyebrow as Nora grinned back at her.
"Hey, don't be jealous! You got a lot down there too girl!" She wiggled her eyebrows.
Blake rolled her eyes as she dodged an incoming strike from Dove. The ball missed her completely and ended up bumping against Nora's shoe.
The orange haired girl glanced down, "Huh?"
"Nora Valkyrie, out!"
"What!? ... Awww!"
/-/
The match was drawing to an end. That much was clear to everyone on the bleachers as they all had their eyes glued to the court. Ruby would have loved to say she did her best as a leader, but even she knew she was a terrible choice as one.
While Yang led her team with fury and power, Ruby led her through hesitance and negligence. The moment she finally decided she literally got herself eliminated right after. Now the stakes were high against Ruby's team with only Ren and Blake left to face off against Yang, Cardin, Russel, Sky, and Dove. Ruby bit her lips as her eyes were glued to her friend.
'Ren…'
The raven-haired boy narrowed his eyes at his opponents. They stood before him in a line, laughing and smirking. Their shoulders were relaxed as they held their dodgeballs at the waist side. They were confident, and for good reason. He knew he wouldn't be able to fend them off for long. Not without going on the offensive himself or...
His eyes turned to her. She stood some distance away, her arms crossed and with a bored expression. "Blake!" Ren called, "I understand we do not know each other. But we need to work together if we want to win this."
He frowned when Blake's only response was to roll her eyes. Yang snickered a little bit as Cardin and his friends howled with laughter.
"Oh man, this is too rich! Even she knows how pathetic you are!" Dove wheezed as he slumped on Sky's shoulder.
Russel shook his head. "Dude, I pity you. Don't you get it, you're out of your league?! You got no chance against us! Even if she tried to help you, what is she gonna do?!" Russel stepped forward and pointed over to Blake, "No offense to the babe there but come on, face facts kid!" He smirked and pointed to his team. "All five of us are stronger than you will ever be and that's not even because of your asthma, but because you're weak! So if you think hot buns there can even help you even the score, then you have got to be retar-"
Ren's eyes widened as Russel's body hit the ground and slid all the way back towards the wall, the boy groaning as he finally stopped.
"Russel Thrush, out!"
The entire gym fell silent, except for Nora who was laughing with glee. Everyone else bore wide eyes and shocked expressions across the bleachers. Even more so on Yang's team except for Cardin, who glared menacingly over towards Ren's side, though not at him.
Ren slowly turned to see Blake retracting her arm with narrowed eyes.
"Lie Ren, right?" She quietly asked.
"Y-Yes." He nodded as she locked eyes with him.
"I changed my mind. Back me up." Without waiting for a reply she grabbed another ball and lunged towards Yang's team.
"Scatter!" Yang ordered and jumped away.
Cardin barely dodged the strike as it flew past - mere inches from his head. He stumbled to the side as if the wind pushed him before he gained his footing. 'The fuck?!' He thought and gritted his teeth. "Take her down!" He roared and threw his ball.
"Pathetic." Blake muttered under her breath as she prepared to deflect it. However, it was Ren who jumped in front of her and, with all his might, punched the ball right back towards Cardin.
"The fuck?!" He repeated, this time out loud as he ducked down as the ball flew over his head.
"That was… unexpected." Blake admitted as she jumped back, evading a strike from Yang.
"You told me to back you up!" Ren informed as he blocked a ball from Dove. "So I did."
Blake quirked an eyebrow as if she was almost impressed. "Alright," she smirked as she grabbed a ball, "Carry on then."
This was unlike anything Ruby had seen before. Her eyes sparked as she watched Blake jump into the air and twirl around two dodgeballs before throwing hers back and hitting Sky in the back as he tried to run.
"Sky Lark, out!"
Ruby was practically jumping in her seat as she watched the events unfold. Even Ren, her longtime friend, had unleashed the dragon as he ran forward and somersaulted over a ball and threw his own right after landing.
"Go Ren! Go Blake!" Ruby suddenly cheered and jumped to her feet.
"Take them down, Renny!" Nora chimed.
"Take them to the hoop!" Jaune whooped.
Velvet was the only one frowning with worried eyes as she watched Ren panting as he moved. He gritted his teeth as he performed a round off into a back flip as Cardin threw two balls in his direction.
Sun grinned as he had his scroll out recording the whole thing as Neptune began writing down notes furiously. "Dude, did you get that!"
"I did! Write that down, write that down!"
Those on the opposing team also voiced their surprise as Melanie and Militia silently watched with slack jaws as Ren backflipped from an incoming strike.
"I thought you said he was disabled?" Militia turned to her sister.
"I… he has asthma! This doesn't make any sense."
"Kinda hot if you ask me." Coco admitted as she grinned and lowered her glasses, "Aside from his looks, ninja boy got some moves. Momma approves."
"Hardly." Weiss scoffed, "Acrobatics are good and all in gymnastics but completely ridiculous here! It's only a matter of time before those two tire themselves out and finally face defeat."
"I'm not so sure about that Weiss." Pyrrha admitted. "Ren does seem to be sweating profusely, but that Blake Belladonna girl isn't even breaking a sweat and she's moving more than him. Her training must have been rigorous if her stamina is this good."
"All the more reason to recruit her into our group! With her looks and current popularity status, she will most certainly increase our credibility in the school even further once she joins our little niche group!"
Pyrrha sighed and chose to ignore that little statement as she turned back to the match.
/-/
This fight was more intense now than the before if that was even possible. Blake had not relented in her attacks while Ren started to slow down. That worried Ruby. She knew how stubborn her friend could be if he pushed himself and she can already hear him sucking in great breaths of air. Ruby knew he had his inhaler in his pocket, but it didn't ease her mind.
It was even more troubling to see the anger on both Cardin and Yang's faces as they pressed their attack. The fact that her sister was glaring daggers at Ren was unsettling. She knew whenever Yang grew frustrated, her temper would make her act more aggressively and sporadically.
She prayed he would be alright.
"Cardin man!" Dove cried, "I'm getting tired!"
"Keep going!" He growled and threw two more dodgeballs.
"None of this is working man! They're acting like they're freaking spider-man or something!"
"I SAID KEEP GOING!" A Cardin roared as he charged Blake again.
The other boy flinched and reluctantly nodded as he followed behind. As Cardin threw his ball Blake twirled on one leg around it and used the momentum to throw hers at them. Cardin jumped out of the way but Dove, unfortunately, was low on stamina and couldn't get out of the way as it struck his stomach and knocked the wind out of him.
"Dove Bronzewing, out!"
"Damn it!" Cardin hissed. 'Useless!' He mentally screamed as he dodged another attack from Ren.
He didn't think things would go like this. He had expected them all to surround the little cripple boy then tell the Belladonna girl to give up. She wasn't even helping them before and would have likely done it had Russel not opened his stupid trap of a mouth. 'I'm going to make him regret ever putting us in this position!'
He threw another ball and moved closer to Yang as she growled and threw two of her own towards Ren. 'How is that fucker still moving?! His fucking asthma should have kicked in! So why-' his eyes widened when he finally noticed. Though it was quick, Ren had pulled his inhaler out of his pocket and took a quick puff before thrusting it back inside as he kept moving. 'That little bastard… alright you wanna play that game, I'll play!'
Yang screamed as she flung her ball. "STAY STILL DAMN IT!" she yelled as Ren barrel rolled away. "ARGH!" Her blood was boiling as all her attacks kept missing. This was getting annoying and old really fast as she gritted her teeth and charged in again. Blake was focused on Cardin more than her and if she wanted to win she needed to get rid of the weakling so she can focus on Blake. She refused to be outdone, especially by one of her former friends. She scooped up a new ball as she had Ren in her sight. "DROP DEAD NERD!"
"REN YOUR INHALER FELL OUT!"
'Inhaler?' Yang wondered as the ball flew from her hand. She saw the boy look genuinely afraid for the first time as he patted his pants down vigorously with panic in his eyes. He was completely ignoring the incoming attack all together and it was then Yang remembered of his condition.
'Oh shit!' Her eyes widened, "R-REN WATCH OUT!" she screamed.
But it was already too late. The ball reached his chest in seconds and the impact was loud as he screamed in pain. Ren never screamed, and to hear it made Yang's body tremble as she instinctively cupped her mouth with one hand. She watched with horror as his body fell but then jumped when a new ball flew past her.
/-/
"REN YOUR INHALER FELL OUT!"
Ren instantly panicked when hearing that as his hands quickly reached down into his pockets to find it. His panic worsened when he thought he didn't feel it for a moment and began frantically looking around the ground. If he lost his inhaler, he would be without any sort or relief against the raging asthma attack on its way. The fear of losing it alone was already quickening his breath and his exhaustion was not helping from pushing himself too hard.
Suddenly he felt it and felt momentary confusion as to why someone-
Realization struck him as his eyes widened and heard the whistling of the ball. He quickly looked up and tried to pull his hands up in a last attempt to block the strike, but he could already see that it was mere inches from his chest.
'Oh no…'
*WHAM*
Yang's strike was a direct hit. He cried out in pain as the impact echoed across the walls. Ren's body hit the floor hard as he slid all the way to the wall.
"Lie Ren, out!"
Everyone watched in stunned silence. The expressions of horror, surprise, guilt, and shock ranged across the class; all except for one who looked on with satisfaction as his plan worked like a charm with careful timing and watching.
Now he could just relish in the glory of payback feeling the sweet dopamine enter his mind when he saw the tearing face of Ruby. 'You brought this on yourself bitch… no one flips off Cardin Winchest-' His thoughts were interrupted as pain seared through his body as he flew towards the back wall.
"Cardin Winchester, out!"
He coughed as air returned to his lungs and groaned. He instinctively gripped his shoulder as the pain worsened. He felt so angry as he slowly glanced up to see a smirking Blake. In that moment, all thoughts of satisfaction changed into vengefulness as he gritted his teeth.
'Y-You'll regret that bitch! No one fucks with Cardin Winchester!'
/-/
When Ren hit the back wall, Ruby, Jaune, Velvet, and several others raced down the bleachers to check on his still body.
Yang's tremble grew worse as she started to hyperventilate and fell to her knees. 'Oh shit oh shit oh shit!'
"Renny! Please wake up!" Tears streamed down Nora's panicked face as she shook him. He did. His eyes sprang open as he gripped his chest and began coughing and wheezing as he tossed and turned.
"He needs his inhaler!" Velvet shouted.
"P-POCKET! I-It's in his pocket!" Jaune shrieked and began digging through his friend's pants.
"Step aside! Step aside, I say!" Port demanded as he rushed over.
"Whoa! Ok, people back up, give the guy some air!" Sun shouted as he and Neptune formed a makeshift human shield and gently pushed the crowd of people away from Ren.
"Alright Lie now, breathe in slowly," Port directed as he pressed the inhaler to the boy's mouth. "Good, hold it for a few seconds then release."
Ren did so and exhaled slowly.
"Good, now another, breathe in and hold." Port stood with a look of seriousness as he handed the inhaler to Velvet. "He's stable but he needs an examination. Mr. Arc, Miss. Scarlatina, please escort Mr. Ren to the infirmary, now."
The two nodded and quickly picked up their friend as they slowly dragged him away through the double door of the gym's exit.
Ruby watched him leave with tears in her eyes as she slowly backed away from the crowd. She turned and saw Yang kneeling as she hugged herself. She approached her slowly as the tears dripped onto the floor. Yang slowly looked up with horror to see her sister standing before her. Her downtrodden face looked as if all signs of life were just gone, except her eyes. There was a burning fire in her irises as she glared down at her older sister.
"Why?…" Ruby muttered.
Yang's lips trembled as she looked away.
"Why. Yang." She repeated, her voice shaking as she gritted her teeth."
"I-I..." Yang started but she couldn't utter another word. This infuriated Ruby as she suddenly grabbed her sister by the tank top and pulled her in close to look at her.
"WHY YANG!" Silence filled the room as all eyes turned to the sisters, "ANSWER ME!"
"R-Ruby…" Yang stuttered as her eyes widened, "I-I didn't-"
"LIAR!" The young girl roared. "FOR ONCE JUST TELL ME THE TRUTH! WHY?! WHY DO YOU DO THIS TO ME! WHY DO YOU HURT MY FRIENDS! W-WHY DO YOU HATE THEM?! W-W-WHY CAN'T YOU J-J-JUST LEAVE US ALONE!" Her hands trembled as she fell to her knees in front of Yang.
"I DIDN'T MEAN TO!" Yang screamed and gripped Ruby's shoulders.
"LIAR!" Ruby screamed as she choked and sobbed. "YOU'RE A LIAR!"
"I'M TELLING YOU THE TRUTH!" Yang pleaded; her grip tightened. "I REALLY DIDN'T MEAN-"
"LET ME AT HER! LET ME AT THAT BLONDE BITCH ONCE! I'LL KILL HER! I'LL FUCKING KILL HER!"
Everyone jumped at the rage of Nora as she viciously tried to break free of Yatsuhashi, Fox, and Sun's grasp as she charged her way towards Yang. The blonde girl felt all the color drain from her face as she witnessed the fury in Nora's eyes. She could have sworn she literally saw red in her eyes as she scratched, clawed, and screamed to get to her.
"THAT'S ENOUGH!" Port commanded with a booming voice as he bear-hugged the flailing Nora. No one had ever heard the jolly old man scream before and that was terrifying to see true anger in his eyes. "I AM PUTTING AN END TO THIS NONSENSE ONCE AND FOR ALL NOW CEASE MISS VALKYRIE! THIS IS NOT THE WAY!"
After a couple of seconds, Nora did relent after realizing she wasn't able to break free of his hold. However, her eyes never stopped glaring.
"Now I am going to take Miss Valkyrie to the Headmaster. The rest of you," He turned to the class, "Get changed and sit on the bleachers silently until the bell dismisses you! Now go!"
Everyone obeyed as they scattered like ants towards the locker rooms. Port took one last look at Yang and Ruby, both now releasing each other as the younger girl got up and walked away, leaving a teary-eyed Yang on her knees as she silently slammed her fist on the floor.
"Miss Xiao Long, I require you to come along as well for questioning. I shall… give you a moment to compose yourself." He walked off and sighed as he waited by the door. "What a cruel Mistress Fate is sometimes… how did it turn out like this?"
'Because fate doesn't care who we are.' Blake mentally said, watching Yang silently cry in the middle of the gym as her friends approached and gathered around her. 'In the end, we're all just her playthings.'
And thus, the second chapter comes to an end! What did you guys think? Please be sure to share your thoughts and constructive criticisms in the reviews - whether good or bad it's all welcomed! And please be sure to share, favorite and follow!
Well, that's all I have to say! Please stay tuned and until then I will see you later!
