"Alright team!" Ruby called. "It's time to kick it into high gear!" Weiss turned over in her bed and covered her head with her pillow. "We're burning daylight, ladies! We don't have all day!"

Weiss pulled herself up and rubbed her eyes. It was bright outside. Obnoxiously bright. Just how early was it?

"Ruby… what is the meaning of this?" She asked. Yang and Blake seemed just as tired and upset at Ruby for waking them up.

"Well…" Ruby gestured around the room. The walls were stark and bare. "This place is super boring! We can spice it up a bit! We should spice it up a bit!"

"I suppose… our room could use a little color," Blake said. She got up and stretched. "Sure, I'll join in."

"May as well. I wouldn't be able to go back to sleep anyway," Yang added.

Weiss checked her Scroll. It was barely seven in the morning. Why did Ruby wake her up so early in the morning for this? Yang was right, though. There was no way that she'd be able to go back to sleep now. Especially if the others were going to be making a ton of noise. She dragged herself out of bed and yawned.

The four girls spent a lot of time organizing and personalizing their room so it wouldn't just be boring and plain. Yang covered her little corner of the room with posters, while Weiss used classical paintings to make it feel more like home. Blake filled an entire book case with things that she had brought with her. When Ruby saw her holding something titled Ninjas Of Love, Blake's eyes went wide with panic. Ruby winked and held a finger up to her lips. Blake smiled at her and tucked the book in the corner of her bookshelf. Weiss largely kept to herself, avoiding too much interaction with the others, if she could help it. Her sentences were often straight and to the point. Especially with Blake, Ruby noticed. The entire time they were decorating, if they spoke, Weiss only ever said a word or two at a time.

"Hold it, hold it!" Weiss was holding her Scroll and the others were still trying to decorate. "Class is starting soon. We only have a half hour."

"Oh, that's fine!" Ruby said. "It isn't going to take thirty minutes to get to class! We have a bit of time! Besides…" Ruby gestured to the giant cluster of beds in the center of their room. Their redecoration required them to move their beds, and now they were piled in the center of the room. "We need to do something about this."

"I don't know if we have enough room for beds, at this point," Yang said. "Bunk beds, maybe?"

"Bunk, beds?" Weiss asked. "Like… stacked on top of each other? That sounds dangerous and irresponsible."

"Oh, I think it'll be fun!" Ruby clasped her hands behind her head. "Though… if Weiss is that worried about being late and doesn't want the bunks, we can just deal with this later. Let's get going, girls."


Beacon was surprisingly a lot like a regular old school. Ruby had expected something a bit different to what she got. Uniforms, lectures, homework; they were the same sort of things she had dealt with during her first year at Signal. A school with as much prestige as Beacon should've been more exciting, Ruby thought. Students had lockers like any old school. Most students left their weapons in these lockers, along with their books, but Ruby carried Crescent Rose with her. Having it on her put her at ease a bit. The most exciting part of the day was a sparring class taught by Glynda, but that was basically just a regular gym class with a fresh coat of paint. Ruby found most everything painfully dull. She just couldn't concentrate. Sitting still and paying attention to such dry, advanced material was tantamount to torture for her.

There was one class that Ruby actually found interesting during the first half of the day. Professor Ozpin had mentioned civics to Glynda the night they first met, and that was the class she actually found herself liking. Glynda was teaching it, which made it oddly appropriate.

"Now, I'm aware that you're all here to become Huntsmen," Glynda said partway through the class, "but I wouldn't be surprised if a number of you didn't really understand much about them. You know them to be heroes, but don't know how these heroes work. Do any of you know what body governs the huntsmen of Remnant?"

Ruby certainly didn't. She looked around the class, and there were a few hands up. She recognized Pyrrha's a few seats away. She was the one Glynda called on.

"The Remnant Huntsmen Association. It's sort of like an international alliance, if I'm not mistaken."

"Very good, Miss Nikos!" Glynda snapped her riding crop against a map of the world. "Vale, Mistral, Atlas, and Vacuo. Each of our world's nations houses a huntsmen academy. Their headmasters are all very influential people. They run their schools, sometimes they share the role of Minister of Education, and they also help to run the RHA. Rounding out this council is the monarch of Vale, the descendant of the man who founded the schools in the first place." Glynda started pacing back and forth, looking over her students. Her eyes fell on Ruby for a second, and the girl shrunk in her seat. "You may hunt Grimm, but you're more than just hired swords. You're the guardians of Remnant. Your mandate is to protect and serve the people in all ways. Breaking up an argument between neighbors. Helping to rescue people from burning buildings. Even something as simple as helping guide traffic on a busy day. Yes, Mister Arc?"

"Um… Professor Goodwitch-"

"No need for the 'Professor'. I don't have a PhD. Please, just call me 'Glynda'."

"Oh, um… Glynda… how do we make money? I'm pretty sure Huntsmen get paid for the Grimm they kill on missions, but what about the other things you mentioned?"

"A fantastic question! Missions are a Huntsman's primary source of income, but the RHA provides all licensed Huntsmen with a monthly stipend. It allows each individual to have more freedom in what they do, based on their own interests and passions. You are all fighters, but you are free to become a more traditional public servant if you so choose."

It wasn't quite clear to Ruby at first why they needed a civics class, if they were just going to kill monsters. With everything that she learned, it was clear that she didn't really know that much about what it meant to be a Huntress. She found it all fascinating. If only all of her classes could be like this.

Ruby would have wanted to enjoy her first lunch period to eat and bond with her teammates, but she rushed through her food to attend to some business. She still wasn't quite used to Beacon campus. She couldn't afford to get lost. At least not for too long. She found an administrative building, which was definitely a step in the right direction. She stumbled around for a while, but she eventually found an office for decoration requests. Some things were dangerous, but Beacon didn't want to outright ban them, so students apparently went there to get it done safely by people specifically trained to do these things. If Weiss was worried about bunk beds being dangerous and foolish, Ruby could at least try to get them installed in a way she could approve of. She put in the request, but there was no guarantee that it would be granted. She'd just have to see what happened in the coming days.

Towards the end of the day, Team RWBY was in a class taught by a portly old professor. His name was Professor Peter Port, which Ruby found funny. All of her classes that day were mind numbing, but Professor Port seemed more interested in telling stories than actually teaching. Ruby had a bit of an easier time paying attention then. The stories he told were at least somewhat interesting. She found herself doodling, dozing off, doing small tricks and challenges, anything to keep her mind busy until the bell rang and she could finally be free.

"The moral of the story?" The Professor had just finished another one of his tangents. "A true huntsman must be honorable. A true huntsman must be dependable. A true huntsman must be strategic, well educated, and wise. Who here thinks they are the embodiment of all of those traits and would like to put on a little demonstration for the class?"

"I do, sir!" Weiss shot her hand up.

Watching Ruby goof off the entire class, the entire day, was grating. She had been applying herself this entire time, but Ruby apparently thought the hallowed halls of a school like Beacon were so drab that her behavior was perfectly acceptable. To think that someone like her thought herself huntress material was insulting.

All students were expected to carry combat ready clothes in addition to their uniforms, both for their sparring class and in case of emergency. Weiss had changed, retrieved Myrtenaster, and stood on the floor of the lecture hall.

"Go, Weiss!" Yang pumped a fist into the air.

"You've got this Weiss!" Blake added.

"Team RWBY represent!" Ruby was clearly the most enthusiastic of the three of them.

Her shrill voice only irritated Weiss.

"Alright, Weiss Schnee," Professor Port was standing by a black crate. It was violently shaking and snarling."Your trial begins now!" He broke the lock, and a boar Grimm charged out onto the floor.

The Grimm was fast, but Weiss was faster. She parried its first charge with ease.

"You've got this Weiss!"

There was no way she'd be able to take this thing head on. If it got too close, she risked having a hole torn right through her. Weiss summoned her Gylphs to try and freeze the Grimm to the classroom floor, but it was too fast. It was just a little ice. It would melt; the water could be cleaned up. Weiss had no reason to hold back.

"Show it who's boss, Weiss!"

She froze the ground right in front of the Grimm, and it charged right through it. She had fired a moment too soon, and now the Grimm was too close. Weiss thrust forward, and it caught her rapier in its tusks. It wrenched it from her hands, sending it flying across the room. Now that Weiss was disarmed, it bore down on her. She rolled out of the way and sprinted across the room to pick up Myrtenaster again.

"Weiss! Get it on its back! It won't be able to move and there's no armor on its belly!"

Weiss hated this. Ruby just couldn't keep her mouth shut. She just had to comment on the fight instead of sitting back and watching. Now she had to try and steal Weiss's glory by telling her what to do? No, she'd find her own way to bring this thing down. Weiss spun Myrtenaster's cylinder until fire dust was loaded. She cocked the hammer and pulled the trigger as it charged her again. She deflected its attack, leaving a burn mark on one of its tusks. It seemed to shy away from the heat radiating off of her sword.

"The underbelly, Weiss! It'll just wear you down if you don't!"

"Will you just shu-"

Weiss took her eyes off of the Grimm for just a moment, and it used that as an opportunity to strike. It knocked her clean on her back, knocking Myrtenaster out of her hand. When Weiss sat up, the Grimm was running towards her, exhaling steam.

Before it could reach Weiss, there was a bang, and the Grimm exploded into smoke. Ruby was standing up in her seat, holding Crescent Rose, its muzzle smoking. Then the bell rang.

"Well, it looks like we are just about done for the day. Everyone, I hope you all learned something from this display."

Weiss picked Myrtenaster off the ground. She grabbed her things and then stomped out of the room, shoving past anyone in her way. Ruby picked up her things and hurried after her.

"Wait, Ruby!" Yang called.

"It might be best to leave her," Blake said. "It's… probably for the best. Whatever comes next."

"Weiss! What's up with you?" Ruby turned a corner to run into an indignant Weiss, trembling in anger.

"What's wrong with me?! What's wrong with you?!" She demanded. "This isn't some playground! This is serious! You wasted time with childish nonsense like forcing us all to decorate as some trite 'team building' exercise or something! You lost track of time and almost made us late for our very first day! I'm the only reason we made it on time! You goof off in class, you're a distraction and a nuisance to us all, you don't know how to just mind your own business, and you tried to make my fight about you because you just couldn't shut up!"

"Wha.. what?" Ruby just looked at her for a bit. "You… you're upset about those things? I wanted us to have fun and spend time together this morning. We're a team now, of course I want us to bond, even if it is something as simple as just adding some color to our room! And your fight! I-I was trying to be encouraging, and supportive! I tried to help you! I… I saved you!"

"Well, I didn't ask to be saved. And I definitely didn't ask for your help. I don't see how Ozpin thought you were leader material." She turned and started to walk away. "Clearly he made a mistake."

Ruby started crying in the middle of the hallway. She had done a good job since she first got to Beacon, keeping herself together. She had enough doubts about her worthiness of leading her team. Weiss's words just made it worse. If she thought she didn't deserve the position, who's to save Blake didn't think the same? Yang, even?

"Well this seems rather awkward. Crying in the middle of the hallway, Miss Rose?"

Ruby wiped her tears away and tried to compose herself. "H-hello, Professor Ozpin…"

"Public spats can be quite taxing. Especially for people as young as yourselves. Your dirty laundry, out in the open for everyone to see. Let me guess, Miss Rose. You think I've made a mistake, just as Miss Schnee said?"


Weiss walked out onto a balcony on campus. She just wanted to be alone, but she saw Professor Port staring out over the campus. She perked up when she saw him.

"Professor Port!"

"Ah, Miss Schnee! What brings you here? Well, that's a bit of an odd question, isn't it? The view here is simply divine!"

"Professor Port… what did you think about my fight?"

"Your fight? Ah, yes, you did quite nicely, I think. You worked very well under pressure."

"Do you think I would have made a better leader for Team RWBY?"

"Well…" Professor Port began stroking his beard, and Weiss waited for his answer with bated breath. "It's too early in the school year to make the most accurate judgements, I think. Based on what I saw during my class, however? You appear to be a very driven, studious young woman. A keen fighter, talented, and versatile."

"So you do think I'd be a good leader!"

"Now I never said that."

"But you said-"

"That you're smart and good in a fight. Those alone don't make a leader. You have the skills. The personality, not so much."

"How dare you!"

"See? If you're taking that tone with one of your own teachers, who knows what you'd say to one of your peers?" He put a hand on her shoulder. "Listen well, Weiss. No one man or woman can helm an entire ship. There is no 'i' in 'team'. You are simply one part of a greater whole. You would make a terrible leader, but you have the potential to make a fantastic teammate. And the best teams need both great leaders, and great teammates to support them. Do you understand me?"


"You see, Miss Rose, you sort of have the right idea." Professor Ozpin and Ruby were walking the halls of Beacon Academy together. "It's very important that you're supportive of your teammates. A team whose leader doesn't lift them up and cheer them on is doomed to fall apart for lack of morale. A leader who simply stands by and ignores their teammates in times of crisis will soon find themselves without a team to neglect."

"So what did I do wrong?" Ruby asked.

"You went too far. You failed to notice that Miss Schnee took issue with your behavior until she exploded at you. You didn't allow Miss Schnee to face a challenge by herself and learn from that experience. You deprived her of a chance to reflect and grow by being too supportive. You can be content as a leader simply standing back and silently supporting your teammates from the sidelines." The two came across Glynda, and Ozpin nodded at Ruby. "Now, Miss Rose, if you excuse me, I have a meeting to attend to."

Ruby continued walking on her own. She had gone too far? How was she supposed to know that? How was she supposed to know how much would be too little? Professor Ozpin had mentioned neglect. She wanted to avoid that very thing. By trying not to not pay enough attention to people, she had paid too much attention to them?

Was her mom like this, at the beginning? Did she drive the others away by going too far too soon? Did she not go far enough because she was afraid of screwing up? Just how long did it take for her to learn how much just was right? The woman Ruby remembered was strong and confident, but patient and loving. She knew how to push people to push past their limits, but she knew when to simply sit back and watch as those who relied on her acted on their own whims, only helping when absolutely necessary.

Then again… the woman that Ruby remembered had years to practice and learn how to lead. The experience she had was the culmination of years of victories, failures, and lessons learned. She had to start somewhere. She was an amazing woman, but she was still human. She couldn't have been so amazing to have known how to do everything perfectly from the outset, right?

Professor Port had left Weiss on the balcony with her thoughts. She lacked the personality to be a leader? Her? Though, maybe he had a point. A leader who doesn't communicate, and simply bottles things up until they explode… a leader who berates their teammates and tells them right to their face that their positions were a mistake. A leader like that sounded like one she'd either hate or only follow out of some sort of obligation. A leader… not unlike her father.

The idea of being compared to him disgusted her. She had been so obsessed with leadership and prestige that she hadn't thought about the fact that her at the helm of a team would be like what he'd done to the SDC, but on a much smaller scale.

Professor Port had said she had the makings of a great teammate. Her older sister, it could be said, was a teammate. She was no high commander in the Atlesian military, but the prince she called general trusted her greatly all the same. Her older sister Winter was a renowned member of the military for her loyalty and effectiveness. She was no famous leader, but she was an ally people knew they could trust their lives to. Weiss respected that about her.

She couldn't tolerate the idea of becoming her father, and she revered her sister. One was an effective but ruthless leader, and the other a popular, respected, and trusted junior officer. If she had to choose which one of the two to emulate, which role to assume, the answer was clear.


Ruby was walking through the courtyard on her way back to her room. She saw Weiss walking along ahead of her. Ruby stopped for a moment. They were heading to the same place anyway, and they were alone here. It wasn't like she'd need to talk to Weiss right in front of Blake and Yang. Or even worse, awkwardly kick them out into the hall.

"Weiss!"

"Ruby!" The two ran over to each other. Once they were face to face, they just stood, looking past each other at the ground. "So… about earlier…"

"I'm sorry!"

"What?"

"I'm sorry, Weiss!" Ruby repeated. "I didn't mean to be so annoying earlier! I thought I was being a good teammate, trying to be supportive, and positive, and I didn't notice how much it bothered you."

"I should be the one apologizing, Ruby. I was just so jealous - well, I still sort of am, actually - that you were the leader of our team. I felt like I- I just deserved to be the leader. There may be glory in leadership, but a poor leader brings their team no glory. I'm going to do what I can to be a good teammate." Weiss held out a hand. "It might take a bit of time for me to get used to it, but you're my leader! So it's my job to help you be the best leader you can be."

"Yeah! Yeah, you're right!" Ruby took Weiss's hands in both of hers and started shaking it wildly. "I'm going to do the same! I want to help you all out, I really do, but I'm not going to go too far! If there's something you feel like you have to do on your own, just tell me! Oh, and… mind doing me a little favor?"

"I guess it depends on what it is," Weiss said.

"Yeah, I'm not too good at school. I could probably use some help. You see, I did a lot of training to make up for the whole 'skipped two years thing', but I didn't do a lot of studying."

"Why, of course!" Weiss smirked. "You couldn't ask for a better tutor! You're in good hands, trust me."

"Let's get back to the room! I have something to show you!" Ruby, still holding Weiss's hand, started leading her back to their quarters.

"What was the point of yanking me around like that?" Weiss rolled her shoulder. "I was coming here anyway."

"Ta-da!" Ruby pushed the door open and the two walked in. Yang looked down from the top of a bunk bed towards the right side of the room, waving down at the two. A matching bunch bed was on the left side of the room. "What do you think?"

"What is this?"

"We wanted bunks and you said they were dangerous, so I asked Beacon to do it all safe-like! Do you like it?"

Weiss walked over to her bed, running a hand along the frame and the ladder that led to the upper bunk. It all looked structurally sound.

"Wait… is this why you left lunch early?" Ruby just grinned at her. "It'll do nicely, I think. Although…" She glanced up.

"I call top bunk!" Ruby practically ran up the ladder and looked down at Weiss from above.

Weiss sat on her bed. It was almost like Ruby had read her mind. The idea of falling terrified her, even if it wouldn't be that bad of a fall. It felt nice, knowing that Ruby would go out of her way like that, and all for Weiss. She had wanted to have bunk beds like this with Winter when they were younger, but their father scoffed at the idea. Now she finally got to make that dream a reality. Weiss's eyes met Blake's on the other side of the room, poking out from above a book. Weiss turned towards the ground, her good mood dampened a bit. Even then, the evening was shaping up to make up for the rest of the day being less than ideal.


This is extremely minor, but since I actually didn't have enough characters to put the full title, I'll just mention it here. The full title of this chapter is Summer and Winter; North and South.