Back again. No real AN this time, since this is more like chapter 3 part 2 than chapter 4, but it's all the same.

The only thing I want ask is that if any of you have the time, review or PM me on my writing style. Tell me if the flow is awkward, let me know it I'm too heavy handed with dialogue or if my dialogue seems too much like pointless small talk. Any problems you have, please let me know so I can improve and make this fic even better.

Arc Album - Eidola To Speak, to Listen (Rock/Metal)

Song –The Abstract Of A Planet in Resolve (Rock/Metal)

Disclaimer (as always) – RWBY belongs to RoosterTeeth please support the official release!

Chapter 4 – Weak, Humble, Human

"In closing, Grimm species naturally vary in intelligence, but even the most common Grimm, if old enough outclass even some of the more naturally powerful species. Any questions before I dismiss you?" Ruby asked the class. All eyes were open, even Yang's. And a good number of them were writing in their notebooks. Ruby thought that was a good sign.

"Professor Rose, could you stay as our Grimm Studies Professor forever?" Nora asked, oddly calm compared to her usual behavior.

"Hey now, don't tell Professor Port that, you'll hurt his feelings. Besides, he's been teaching for far longer than I have. Heck, I'm still just a rookie at this. I know Port's methods are a little strange, but it's proven to work. He taught me when I was here, and some of his lessons saved my life. So please, don't ask questions like that. As much as I've enjoyed teaching you all today, my time here will eventually come to an end. My place is out there in the field, that's where, I'm convinced I can do the most good." She gave a genuine smile to the class. "And I look forward to possibly working with each and every one of you once you graduate."

The classroom was quiet as they listened to Ruby's words. They each understood that her strength was likely a major boon on the operational side of things. Keeping someone as strong as Ruby Rose as an educator would, frankly, be a waste of resources. Each student only found themselves more motivated to listen to the young huntress, if her time here would be limited, then every one of them decided that they wouldn't squander a single moment of it.

Ruby smiled at how understanding these students were, she had a good class. She was lucky to get to experience this and could definitely see herself retiring to come teach at Beacon in the future, but that was a long way off, hopefully. As she sat on her desk facing her student's she addressed her class once again.

"Alright, if that's everything, you're dismissed." She looked at Blake who seemed eager to leave. "Blake, could you stay after for a minute, there's something I want to discuss with you." She smiled, trying to convey that it wouldn't be a bad conversation.

"Uhh, Professor Rose, I really don't think I should be late to my next class, Professor Goodwitch can be a bit strict." Blake replied, barely meeting her teacher's eyes.

"Nonsense, I'll give her a call myself." Ruby had a triumphant smirk, quickly cutting off the younger girls' escape.

Dejectedly, Blake realized she would have to metaphorically bite the bullet on this one. "Yes ma'am." She answered, clear hesitance in her tone.

"Great! See you all tomorrow! If you have any questions about the lesson, I'll be staying in team SBL's dorm room. I expect you all to review what we went over today for tomorrow." She relayed to the class as they all filtered out of the room. Soon it was just Blake and herself remaining.

Ruby chose to remain silent, her eyes fixed to ravenette before her. The girl had been dodging her as much as possible in Ruby's short time at Beacon so far. It was rare for Blake to speak much to her at all. Ruby knew that her interactions with Weiss were more frequent and friendly than what she had with Blake. Hell, she'd even talked more with the members of team JNPR than she had with Blake, and she'd only seen them twice. Staying in the same dorm room with the Faunus, Ruby preferred to have a much friendlier relationship with the girl.

"Professor, why am I here exactly?" Blake asked, clearly nervous.

"When class is over, just call me Ruby, like in the dorm room. Why do you think we're here Blake?" Her voice was gentle, trying to show the girl that she wasn't in trouble, and that the famed reaper wasn't even remotely upset with her.

"I really have no idea. If I did something that bothered you, I apologize." Blake tried her best to play coy.

"No, Blake, you didn't do anything that bothers me, but if you're going to pretend to be oblivious, I'll tell you straight out. Number one, you haven't talked to me hardly at all. If I'm around, you detach yourself from the conversation or just leave all together. I understand you're not the most talkative person by nature, but you actively avoid talking when I'm around. It's not that I'm mad at you for it, but you're my little sister's partner, I'd like to know you a bit better, and I can't do that if you're always dodging me. Second, and don't even try to deny it, but what's going on with this little 'crush' thing you have going on?"

Blake's tongue caught in her throat at the confirmation she had been caught. It wasn't like she wanted to avoid the woman; it was just that she didn't want to say something stupid to make the legendary huntress think less of her. It was important that she had a good relationship with her partner's older sister, she agreed wholeheartedly to that point. But she was afraid that in her infatuation with the older woman, she would drive a wedge between them. Blake knew it was just some dumb celebrity crush, but she had never experienced anything like this before. She was a girl who loved books and fought for a cause she believed in with all her might. That was all she had focused on for as long as she could remember, but this kind of infatuation was so far out of her wheelhouse that she had no idea what to do about it.

But was that necessarily a bad thing? The vibrancy that this new feeling filled her life with was awe inspiring. This feeling in the pit of her chest making her heart thrum with every beat was equal parts terrifying and euphoric. The world before her was always a colorless scape of grays and monotone, boring, desolate, and scary, but every time she met eyes with the powerful woman before her the world would flash with color unlike anything she had ever experienced. It felt like finally getting a breath of fresh air after being submerged in an ice bath. The myriad of feelings she was experiencing were overwriting the gray-scale mosaic she called her life with a vibrant and all-encompassing red that left her speechless and weak. Those feelings were terrifying and alien, but exciting and new at the same time. This was just a simple celebrity crush, right? The brightness that was always lacking in the world around her was ever present, no one had ever challenged Blake's entire reality with their presence alone. What was it about this woman that made her feel this way? Did she want this feeling to go away? Would she run from it like everything else in her life?

"I don't know what this is." Blake finally spoke. "I just know that when I look at you, I can't think. Every single one of my mannerism's changes on a dime, and it feels impossible to just be myself. I don't want to make things awkward, so I just stay quiet or run away like always. Whatever this is, I've never experienced it before, and for some reason, distance is more comfortable than looking like an idiot in front of you. I'm sorry if it's weird, but I do want to get to know you. Both for my own sake and for Yang's, and I don't want to mess that up."

Ruby was blown away at that reasoning. This was starting to sound less like a celebrity crush, and more like the budding of something genuine. Ruby didn't know how she felt about that prospect. Blake was the same age as her younger sister, and her partner. Either way, these few awkward interactions needed to stop. Regardless of romantic possibility, the way forward was the same; start to get to know one another and worry about what comes after, later. Ruby would later look back on this moment and realize she felt a touch of excitement at seeing where Blake's feelings would take her.

"You don't have to apologize for anything Blake. I'm unexperienced when it comes to that kind of stuff too, I've only dated two people in my entire life, but I know that you can't force it. I don't know how I feel about you Blake, I hardly know you at all, and frankly the age difference is more of a deterrent if I'm being honest. Plus, I'm your teacher and all that. I won't tell you it's wrong to have those kinds of feelings, but if you try to push them away or force them to bloom, you'll end up running around in circles and making yourself miserable. Just be yourself, and if you're a little awkward sometimes, then that's just a part of yourself that you didn't know about. I'm twenty-five and still discovering new things about myself, so don't let that scare you. Find some excitement in meeting and interacting with people that show you all the parts about you that you didn't know about. Learn to find joy in the little things like that. Sometimes you'll stumble, sometimes you'll succeed, but don't be afraid to walk the roads life sets out for you. And in the times you do stumble, even if it's because of me, come talk to me. Helping wherever I can is a big part of the reason I became a huntress, and even if I wasn't, that's what friends do." Ruby explained with a genuine smile.

For Blake, it happened again. That flash of a world in color pulsed, emanating from the woman in front of her. Her smile, the way it reached her eyes making them glow with an otherworldly silver, seemed to cut through all the darkness and doubt Blake had in her heart. Like a challenge being issued from the gods. Would she walk this road of discovery to find the vibrant world she had only caught glimpses of, or would she run away entirely, comfortable with her current scenery? Something about an ethereal sterling silver made her, for the first time in her life, excited about taking a challenge head on.

"I might cause you a lot of trouble." Blake admitted.

"Then you'll have to be there to help me deal with it." Ruby countered immediately.

"Yang is going to make fun of me a lot."

"You let me worry about her. It's always been my job to keep her in line."

"This could completely blow up in our faces."

"That just that makes it more exciting."

"Even if you hate me in the end? There's a lot you don't know about me."

"I'm confident I couldn't hate you." Ruby said with a smirk.

"How can you be sure?" Blake asked, hesitance seeping into her tone again.

"Well, you might hate me too. There's a lot you don't know about me either."

"No way, you're Ruby Rose."

"And you're Blake Belladonna. So, what do you say? Friends?" Ruby asked, reaching out.

Blake looked out the outstretched hand. The smallest sliver of doubt came to the forefront of her mind before she squashed it down, reaching out to grab the offered hand.

"Friends."

"Nice to meet you Blake, I'm Ruby Rose."

"Seriously? We're gonna do this?"

"Hey, you gotta start somewhere, right?"

"I think I'll pass on this particular trope."

"Aww c'mon, you think I won't give you detention too?"

Blake turned to leave the room, she knew the conversation was over and she could have a fresh start with the famed Crimson Reaper. "I'd like to see you try." She never looked back as she walked out the door heading to her next class.

"Cheeky brat." Ruby said with no real bite, hands on her hips, as she watched the girl, no, young woman leave.

The day was only half over at this point, so team SBL and JNPR found themselves in the school's lunchroom to regain the calories they lost during combat practice.

"Weiss, help me out here. I'm so sore…" Yang said with a groan.

"What do you want me to do? It's not like I have painkillers on me."

"I don't know, make some ice for me?"

"My semblance is not your personal ice dispenser!"

"Never mind, I think your personality is icy enough." Said Yang, a shiver running up her spine.

"Hey!" Weiss chided but went ignored.

"Geez Pyr, you hit like a truck. I'm gonna be aching all week from this one." Yang jabbed, addressing the Mistralian across the table.

"Sorry. You performed very well today though, if it makes you feel any better." Pyrrha relented to the brawler.

"… A little. Someone feed me please, I can't move my arms." Yang sighed.

Nora gestured to the food in her hand before tossing it across the table. Yang seemed to easily catch it in her mouth. It would've been impressive if it was anyone else.

"Hey Blake." Yang choked out between bites. "What happened with you and Rubes after Grimm Studies anyway?"

"Nothing, we just talked, and came to an agreement." She said, never taking her eyes off the book in front of her.
Yang caught another piece of food with her mouth, this time a little larger. Nora was giggling, clearly amused by the game they were playing. "You expect me to believe that? You've been weird ever since she got here and all those little comments, you think I didn't catch those?"

"I know you heard them; you always call me out when they slip out."

"I do find it odd that she would single you out on the first day of class though. What exactly did you come to an agreement on?" Weiss urged the resident Faunus.

Putting her book down Blake sighed, realizing she wouldn't escape her team's curiosity. "It was about those comments, and some other stuff. Ruby heard a few of them and wanted to try to get to the bottom of it and make me less anxious around her."

"So, you and sis good now, no more dodging her?" The blonde brawler turned to her teammate, not the slightest bit of amusement in her tone. Yang didn't get serious often, but when it concerned the people she cared about, all bets were off.

"I'm surprised you noticed too, but yeah, we're good."

"Good." She laughed, noticing something coming across the table out of the corner of her eye. Yang turned to catch the incoming food, only to have it smack against her lips hard, and thump against the table. "An apple? What makes you think I can eat the whole thing in one bite?!" She turned to Nora, leveling an accusatory glare.

Nora's only response was to point at Jaune, who was clearly worried Yang would believe Nora. He raised his hands and shook his head, trying to immediately shut down the accusation. The fiery blonde's response was to pick up the nearest piece of food, which happened to be the offending apple, and chuck it with all her strength back at them. Her aim was a little off due to the stiffness in her arms, and Jaune ended up feeling the impact.

"What exactly was going on with you two anyway? I've never heard you stutter in the entire time I've known you, and you always seem to stutter around Professor Rose." Weiss inquired to her black-haired teammate.

"Nothing, I swear! Just, nervous around someone that prominent."

"Look I won't push you on it now, but tell me the truth at some point please?"

"Sure, Weiss, it's just a little personal."

A shout of "I got it" rang through the cafeteria, before a flying pie impacted square on the heiress's face. Once again, everyone looked to Nora, who this time raised an accusatory finger at Ren, who had his face buried in his hands. The following moments were a cacophony, the exact reasoning for the start of the event would be lost and forgotten by all present. One moment it was a normal lunch period, but with the yell of "Food Fight!" from someone who would not be identified, the room descended into madness.

Ruby mulled over the day on her way to lunch, though she focused on the high point of her day, that being her conversation with Blake. The recollection brought a genuine smile to her face. All in all, her first day as an educator was a resounding success. As she neared the dining area, she heard screams for help and noticed many students quickly rushing away from the facility as fast as they could. Curiosity got the better of her as she rushed to the scene as quickly as she could, and in her case, was at her destination nearly instantly.

What greeted her on arrival were upturned tables, and various bits of food scattered around the room. Bits and pieces littered the walls and windows, and in the center of it all, a stare down between teams SBL and JNPR with Nora standing on a tower of tables chanting "I'm queen of the castle!" again and again.

Yang rolled forward, plunging her hands into two turkeys, conveniently on the ground, affixing them to her arms like two impromptu boxing gloves, swinging at the incoming bombardment of what looked to be watermelons. She expertly obliterated each one that posed a threat before launching the turkeys off her arms, quickly taking Jaune out of the fight.

In the heat of battle, both Blake and Pyrrha armed themselves with long baguettes and started to rush towards each other. Though, not if Ruby had anything to say about it. She quickly found a small enough weapon to not seriously injure the students; a couple bananas scattered at the front of the door. She wielded one in each hand and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Just as Blake and Pyrrha were about to clash both doughy weapons together they stopped short of their intended target. Before they knew it, blocking both strikes and standing between them was Ruby Rose.

"Now, I know you wouldn't be fighting against each other with me here, would you? If you want to take me on, you'll have to come at me together." All fighting stopped and every eye was focused entirely on the new threat, the legendary Huntress herself.

Blake and Pyrrha quickly put distance between themselves and Ruby, hoping the reaper wouldn't follow. They landed beside each other, never taking their eyes off their foe. Luckily, she stayed in place staring at her opposition menacingly. Hesitantly, the duo took a step forward.

"Oh? You're approaching me? Instead of running away you're coming right to me?" Ruby questioned mockingly.

Blake understood the reference but wouldn't allow the reaper to have her fun. "You did say you wanted us to get closer."

"SHE WHAT?!" Yang screeched.

Ignoring her little sister, Ruby leveled her stare at Blake, who clearly ignored her perfect reference and replied, "You just can't let me have my fun can you?"

"Something tells me this next part is going to be more fun for you than me."

"That's fair." Ruby admitted with a dangerous smirk on her lips.

The black and red duo rushed the reaper, bread at the ready, as watermelons and soda cans soared over their heads. Their teams were trying to create an opening and they would use it. The two crossed paths in their approach, attempting to pincer the more experienced woman.

Ruby braced for contact, as the two were on opposite sides of her. "Good plan." she said, before disappearing in a burst of rose petals. Faster than the eye could follow she was behind Blake and whispered into her ear flirtatiously "But, not good enough." Blake felt goosebumps on her skin, then the world shifted before her. Without ever realizing what had happened she was across the room on the ground, completely exhausted.

"Now, one down." She brandished her bananas at her students. "Five to go."

Newfound dread settled on all those present as they all came to the same conclusion.

"She's a demon."

Pyrrha had never backed down from a fight in her life, she would not start now. Now, one on one with the demon, she lunged her bread forward trying to get a quick strike on the red woman's shoulder, only for her to slightly shift her body and rock to the side, flawlessly evading the strike with little movement. The Mistralian attempted a follow up slash aimed for Ruby's head. A turkey, clearly launched by Yang, was dead on target for her legs, forcing Ruby to either take the blow, or gain distance.

She would not give an inch to these students. The timing of the strike was perfectly in sync with the incoming poultry, so Ruby leaned backwards and kicked her feet off the ground. Spinning, she maintained her horizontal position threading the needle between the two attacks and landing in a crouch facing Pyrrha's exposed midsection. "Two down." Was the last thing Pyrrha heard before a banana thrust forward, impacting her torso and darkness greeted her.
"Who's next?"

Yang charged forward intent on taking down her older sibling. Halfway into her charge, before she could react a hand gripped her face.

"I can be a little rougher with you." Ruby warned, before she slammed the brawler's face into the ground cratering the cement floor.

"Three down."

"Can we surrender?" Weiss asked, meeting her idol's gaze.

"Sure, but where's the fun in that?"

The three combatants remaining were seriously considering the offer. Their three best close quarters fighters had been decimated in a matter of seconds. They all figured they would meet a similar fate if they decided to press the challenge. Luckily, the gods seemed to take pity on them in that moment and spare their lives, or at least their dignity.

"Ms. Rose!"

Ruby chucked the bananas in her hand to the side using her semblance, recognizing the voice instantly.

"Aunty Glynda! It's so good to see you! Sorry I didn't stop by sooner." There was an odd shake in her voice, and if one looked closely, sweat could be seen accumulating rapidly on her face.

"What in the world do you think you're doing?!" Glynda snapped, each footstep clicking against the floor, adding to the intimidation.

"Uhh, giving these students one of the most important lessons a Huntress can learn?"

"Please, enlighten me on what that lesson could possibly be."

"You should run away sometimes…?" Every word was spoken slowly, as if asking a question.

Glynda didn't bother with a response. Instead, she looked to her students.

"Children, please don't play with your food." She reprimanded with a grumble, clearly annoyed by their actions. "And you" her gaze pierced Ruby. "Headmaster's office, now."

Ruby sighed inaudibly, "… Yes ma'am."

Told you guys I would post again soon, like I said, I'm really trying to keep my word this time. I've wanted to commit to this for a while, but work circumstances wouldn't allow it. Have some faith in me this time. I won't promise weekly updates, but you don't have to worry about months between them anymore. Like always, thanks for reading, and leave a review if you feel like it! See you again in the next chapter!

-StasisRage

Yay, Two for the price of one! Or something like that. Both this and the previous chapter may be shorter than each of the first two, but there's hardly a wait between them. Plus combined they're longer than either of the two before them, so still sounds like a win to me. Hooray for Ruby and Blake actually fucking talking to each other too! It's about time they had some meaningful words between them. Hey Rage, when can I have chapter 5 to look through? I wanna see what happens next!

-Nordik