Author's Note: So, here it is! I kept my promise, and the update is today! Last night, I sat down to write as I am, for some reason, the most productive at night, and I wrote like, 700 words. Not enough for publishing today, that's for sure. But I also had to go to sleep early last night because I have a new job now, and they scheduled a night owl (me) for morning shifts, and it's been a tough adjustment. BUT I was able to write the last like, 1100 or so words today after work. Thank you to everyone that reads my works, and I'm sorry that I didn't update this one last week. But look on the bright side! It's one less week that you have to wait for the next one! And I'm gonna do my best to be a lot more on top of writing for this story going forward. Also! Review the heck out of both this and my other story, Crimson Snow, which also just updated at about the same time this one did! I'd really appreciate it! Thanks and enjoy!
The door opens and Ruby quickly steps into the room. Blake, having changed into her sleeping attire, was waiting for her in the middle of the room, bow once again affixed to her ears.
"Weiss! I have some big news!" Ruby comes further into the room, but before she could do anything else, Blake stands up and moves up to her.
"Ruby, I have something to tell you."
"Oh...okay?"
Blake hesitates for a few seconds before she slowly and wordlessly removes the bow from her ears. As the ribbon falls to the ground, Ruby's expression quickly widens into one of shock.
"Wha-... You… Are… Wh-what? What?" Ruby stutters before walking directly up to Blake. "You're a faunus?"
"I… I am a faunus, yes." Blake nods.
Ruby looks over to me quickly. "Did you know about this?" Before I can answer, she then looks at Yang. "What about you? Did you know?"
Yang and I exchange glances. She nods to me. I sigh and look back to Ruby, preparing myself for this lie. "I had a hunch about it, but I didn't know anything for sure. We both found out today. Yang found out before I did."
"I see… So, Blake. Why didn't you tell us earlier that you…" Ruby trails off and gets much closer to Blake. "That you have such cute kitty ears?!" Yang
"Wh-what?" Blake is obviously taken aback. I'm not sure exactly what she was expecting Ruby to say or how she was expecting her to react, but this was clearly not it.
"Oh, I'm sorry. That was weird of me to say. Ummmm, well, uh…" Ruby trails off.
"No, it's okay. I just… you three reacted a lot differently than I thought you would." Blake turns back to look at me. "Especially you, Weiss. With everything that your family does for the Faunus, I was sure that you would have a different reaction than you did."
I laugh slightly to myself, thinking of how I once reacted to Blake being a member of the White Fang. "Well, I used to be like that for a long time. Then I had a friend that really helped me see what was wrong with that. They helped me see that it didn't matter if they were a faunus or a human or even a member of the White Fang, now or in the past. All that matters is that they're there for everyone when it's needed." I realize that I was rambling and stop talking quickly.
"Wow. Well, your friend sounds like they were a good influence on you." Blake says. She moves over to her bed and sits down.
"Yeah, she was."
"What happened between you two?"
"Oh, well, I had to leave, and there's not any way for us to contact each other anymore." I explain.
"Oh, well I'm sorry about that. I'm hopeful that you'll get to see her again soon."
"I'm certain that in time, we'll get to that point again."
"We?"
Oh no, I let something slip.
"Uhh, I mean her and I. That kind of we."
"Aha, I see. Well, that sounds like it'll be good for you." Blake says before the room falls into a comfortable silence.
I walk over to my desk and start going through some of my paper assignments for classes. As the silence persists for a minute or two, I lose my focus on everything else that happened and begin to focus on what assignments need to be completed in the upcoming week. Just because I've already taken these courses in the past, that doesn't mean that I can afford to be lazy with it.
As I look through my assignments, I feel a tap on my shoulder. I turn around to see who tapped me to see Ruby standing behind me.
"Oh, Ruby! Hi! Sorry, I spaced out. Do you need anything?"
"It's okay, Weiss. There's actually something that I wanted to talk to you about."
"What is it, Ruby?"
"I'd actually prefer if we talked alone. That would be a lot better for me."
"Alright, well, whatever would be better for you."
"Thank you, Weiss." Ruby leaves the room, and I follow her closely. She leads me through the hallways and into a secluded area of the dorm building. Ruby turns around and smiles at me after she stops walking.
"Alright, Ruby, what did you need to talk ab- mmph!" I get cut off by Ruby's lips pushing onto mine. I feel myself melt into the kiss way too quickly. My mind starts to cloud. But then as quickly as the lips came, they leave.
Ruby takes a deep breath as she looks at me with a goofy smile and crimson tinted cheeks. "Sorry, Weiss. I couldn't help myself."
I take a deep breath myself and do my best to clear my mind of the haze that a single kiss inflicted upon it. "S-so you… You wanted to talk about something?"
"Oh! Right!" Ruby palms her forehead, seemingly to remind herself. "Well, my dad called me today and told me that he wanted to give me some lien. I don't know what the reason is, but I wanted to tell you that with this money, I wanted to take you out on a date! But you can't pay for anything. I'm going to pay for it all!"
"Oh, Ruby. You don't have to. Money isn't an issue for me right now."
"Exactly! That's what makes me want to pay for this one. I wanna take you out, and I wanna pay for it. Have you ever been taken out? Like, on an actual date?"
"I have, but only by suitors that my father had set up for me."
"Oh, well, now you're gonna be taken out by me!"
Seeing Ruby's smile, I smile back. There would be no arguing with her about this. In the years that I had known Ruby, back in my own time, I learned something very important about her: once she had made her kind up about something, it was hard to convince her otherwise.
I guess it would do me well to start doing that now rather than later.
"Alright, Ruby. We can go on a date and you can pay for it. For whatever reason you would want to."
"What do you mean 'for whatever reason'?" Ruby asks, complete with the air quotes. "It's because I want to do something nice for you!"
"Well, I'm looking forward to it." I say with a chuckle.
"Me too!" Ruby leans forward and gives me a small peck on the cheek. My cheeks heat up almost immediately as she does so. "Oh! You know what else I'm excited about?"
"What is it?"
"I'm excited about the Vytal Festival! It's still a while out, but it's still something that I think we would do well in."
Memories start flooding into my mind about the Vytal Festival and the fall of Beacon that came with it. Something needed to be done about that. Coming back for Ruby was her primary goal, yes, but if she could fix the problems that happened with Salem and her workers, that would definitely help with keeping everyone, including Ruby, safe. There was only one thing that she could do about it now.
"Y-yeah. I think so too. I just remembered something important, Ruby. As much as I'd love to stay here and… talk… with you, there's something really important that I have to do."
"Oh, okay. Well, if it's important. I'll see you back in the room?" Ruby says, her tone somewhat downtrodden, which pains me slightly to hear, but the reason behind it was too worth it. I smile at her to try and alleviate some of the negativity that she's feeling.
"Yeah, Ruby. I'll see you then." I lean forward, hesitate slightly, and then give Ruby a quick peck on the cheek before walking off towards the tower at the center of Beacon's campus.
The doors to a large office open in front of me. The single large room with floating clock gears and the single aged man seated at the desk are visions of my own past in another time.
"So, Miss Schnee, you wished to speak with me?" Professor Ozpin's voice, one I hadn't heard in many years, greets me.
"Hello, Professor. I… I wanted to talk to you about something. It's important."
"Well then, by all means, do sit down. We'll have ourselves a little chat." Ozpin gestures to a chair on the other side of his desk.
I nod and pull the chair out to take a seat.
"Now, what is it that you wish to discuss?" Ozpin says, his face as calm as ever.
I take a deep breath. Is this really something I should be telling him? Yang did tell me not to tell anyone… but this is too important to not.
"Is something the matter, Miss Schnee?"
"Oh, I'm sorry, Professor. Nothing is wrong. I'm just… trying to think of where to start." This entire situation is delicate. I by no means know how much I should tell him.
As if he could understand what I am feeling, he speaks again. "I think that if I were to tell someone something important, I'd start with the main point. Maybe you could start with that. Don't worry about all of the details just yet."
"Alright, well… I know that the Vytal Festival this year is going to be attacked." I say, testing the waters.
"Really? That certainly is important. And a good start. Now, do you know the means by which it will be attacked?" Ozpin leans forward in his chair, fingers crossed and brow furrowed.
"Yes. A group of individuals will infiltrate the festival as students from another school and sabotage the tournament from the inside."
"Well, this is terrible to hear of. Who are these individuals? Do they work for anyone, or are they operating on their own? And where are you getting this information from?"
It's this point in which I need to decide whether or not I tell him everything. Is it worth breaking one of the rules that Yang told me not to break? Memories of the fall of Beacon wash through my head once again. What am I thinking? Of course it is! So many people died. I need to tell him.
"I'm getting it from myself. I know because I've lived it. I… I'm not from this time, I guess you could say. I came from the future."
Ozpin looks up at me and stands. "That would be interesting if it were true, but as it stands, I have no way to believe you. I have no knowledge of any semblance that could allow that, and even if I did, I know that it's not yours. Well, if you won't tell me the truth, then I suppose this meeting is over."
No no no! It can't end like this. He needs to listen to me! Then an idea hits me. Something that will make him listen.
"Wait! I didn't answer your other question!"
"I'm not even sure I believe you about the entire situation, let alone my question of who is going to masterminding this event that you are speaking of. Now, I would like you to l-"
"It's Salem, Professor. Salem is behind everything." As soon as I say her name, Ozpin's eyes widen.
"How do you know about her? Who told you? That's supposed to be a well kept secret. Nobody is supposed to know!" Ozpin becomes noticeably less calm. His volume rises and his hand gestures become somewhat erratic.
"Well then now I guess you'll believe that I'm not from this time?" I stand tall as I say that, a small smile of satisfaction on my face as I know that this is
Ozpin calms down quickly as I say my last statement and sits in quiet thought for a few moments before looking back to me once again. "I do. Now, is there anything else that I should know about this future?"