Chapter Four: A Little Reaper's Heart Can Grow! A Growing Girl's Heart is a Powerful Weapon! Ruby-chan! Dash, Dash, Dash into Love!


Ruby felt great when she woke up. No tests for a while, free time in the evening and day after, and her newest set of gravity dust cartridges arrived.

Not to mention all the cool stuff happening in the background: Jaune and Blake dating, Weiss being super nice to her after the two started dating, and Pyrrha was letting her tinker with Miló later in the week!

It was going to be a great day, she could feel it!


Jaune was scowling as he crossed his arms and scrunched his back. Across the cafeteria table, Blake was frowning into a book, her face completely covered. Every minute or so, she peeked over the book top and locked eyes with Jaune. They glared at each other before looking away.

Needless to say, for the rest of Teams RWBY and JNPR, things were awkward. Except for Weiss, who pulled out her scroll and typed away several messages, seemingly oblivious to the atmosphere.

Ruby knew that this needed to be fixed. She couldn't let her best friend and teammate be like this. She elbowed Weiss lightly, then whispered in her ear.

Weiss looked back and her and nodded.


Blake was lying in her bed, scowling at the ceiling. She also murmured insults and curses under her breath. Her teammates walked in front of her.

"Hey Blake?" Ruby asked, "Can we talk?"

"What?" she snarled back.

"Well, you've been really down, so we decided that we're going to make you less sad!" Ruby said, "We've got some free time before the next test, and Weiss already did all our homework for us," she gestured to Weiss.

Weiss gave a thumbs up, "The hardest part was copying your handwriting, but it should pass even the most scrutinizing eyes."

"Sooooo, we're going out to Vale!" Ruby clapped her hands together.

"What."

Yang grabbed a hold of Blake and pulled her in close, "Come on, all three of us, a night on the town. Maybe you'll get to find some lucky guy to take your mind off ol' Vomit Boy."

Blake grumbled before raising an eyebrow, "All three of us?"

Weiss gave a soft smile, "Sorry Blake, I'm going with Jaune."

Blake's eyes narrowed, "Traitor."

"Sorry," Weiss held up a hand, "But Ruby and I thought it through, and we decided a teammate exchange would prevent any bad feelings. I'm going over there, while Pyrrha goes with you guys."

As Weiss said that, the door clicked open and a redhead walked in, "Hello again, are we ready to leave?"

Yang grinned, "I know just the place."

"Whoo let's party!" Ruby cheered, pumping both fists in the air.


Ruby grumbled and crossed her arms, "'No drinking, Rubes, you're underaged.' Stupid Yang, leaving me out while everyone else gets drunk."

Ruby harrumphed as she sat in the corner of the bar. The underage section. She stared at her soda and grumbled at whatever drinking games everyone else was having. Pool? Jenga? She saw a ping pong table darnit!

She twiddled her thumbs, then glanced over the glass barrier. Yang and Blake were hugging and laughing. Pyrrha was… dancing? It kind of looked like it, maybe.

Sadly though, she was stuck there. Couldn't even join the fun as the one sober girl, since the guy at the counter wouldn't even let her in. Killjoy. She kept grumbling to herself, until she felt her scroll buzz.

Ruby fished it out and read the new text message:

Last minute cancellation for one of our openers. Midnight, first round only. You in?

She looked out to see Yang and Blake try their hand at dancing too. She replied: Heck yeah.


Ruby tiptoed her way out of the bar and down the street, looking as casual as possible. Soon, she was at her location: Junior's club: Club Junior. It wasn't a very creative name. When she approached, the bouncer let her in immediately, to the groans of several waiting in line.

Once inside, Ruby took an immediate left and entered an 'Employees Only' door. Even if she technically wasn't one. That was super cool and always made her grin. A staircase down, followed by a few more turns and soon she entering a dark, almost empty locker room.

She spotted Junior talking on a walkie-talkie and waved at him. He finished his conversation and greeted her, "You're early."

Ruby shrugged, "I was already in town. My sis and friends are all drunk right now at Club Reed."

He nodded, "Your sister is the volatile sort. Unlike you, always dependable," he then spoke into his walkie-talkie again before speaking to Ruby, "You're up against a regular. Make it look good."

Ruby saluted and Junior walked out of the room. She then went to her locker and pulled out her equipment. Time to blow off some steam.

After waiting like half an hour. She smacked her lips. She should have finished her soda before leaving the bar.


Ruby walked down the hallway and up onto the stage. The underground room she was in was made completely out of concrete, stage included. Dressed in a helmet that shielded her face but allowed others to see it, she was nevertheless anonymous. Despite the large crowd, no one there knew her. She walked to one corner, passing by the referee/announcer, nodding at him.

"In this corner, we have returning guest, the five-foot-two Red Rocket!"

The crowd cheered and applauded, and Ruby even heard a few whistles.

"And in this corner, we have our regular, six-foot-five Bonny Bash!"

More cheers as a tall, hulking man in blue walked up onto the stage. Ruby raised her gloved hands and smiled. Time for fun.

Then in the corner of her eye, she saw a familiar color. Someone in white was waving at her.

Wait, Weiss!?

"Begin!"

Ruby barely had time to duck as her opponent began jabbing at her. Bonny's fist scraped against her hair as Ruby began striking back.

Unfortunately, Bonny uppercutted at the same time. The resulting gut punch was painful. The man had over a hundred pounds on her, and even with aura, she was not in for an easy time.

She had to ignore Weiss. Ruby staggered back before raising her fists again. A deep breath, and she launched herself forward with the slightest burst of her semblance. Her glove connected with Bonny's jaw, sending ripples across his skin. His aura rushed in to repair the damage, but by then Ruby's other fist collided with his chest.

Ruby pushed him with as much force as she could, using her speed to make up for the giant weight imbalance. It was definitely a spectacle. A tiny girl and a behemoth of a man duking it out, and for the most part, it looked even.

The crowd gasped as Bonny tried to smash his fist into Ruby's back from above, only for her to slide beneath his legs and rush behind him. Ruby spun and slammed her foot into his knee, causing him to stagger.

Bonny, to his credit, was used to this kind of maneuver from his shorter opponents. He swung both fists in a wide circle, aiming to catch Ruby in the jaw or neck.

As the fist came, a betraying thought reached the forefront of her mind: How did Weiss find her?! And Bonny's fist collided with Ruby.

Her semblance activated, taking a load off the powerful strike, but it was enough to send her to the ground.

"One. Two. Three! Bonny Bash is our winner!"

Ruby coughed out her mouthpiece as Bonny lifted Ruby up, "You okay, little lady?"

She nodded, "Yeah."

"You're usually a better dodger."

"Something on my mind."

As the cheers went around for Bonny, and a few glad reassurances for Red, the two of them retired to the locker room as the next fighters came on stage.


Ruby changed her clothes and checked out her body. No visible damage, that was good. As she closed her locker and walked out the room, she saw two very familiar figures waiting for her.

Jaune and Weiss stood there, arms crossed. Jaune had a worried frown, while Weiss just gave her a raised eyebrow.

What should she do? They knew for sure, there was no way weasel out of this. If Yang found out, it was going to be a nightmare…

"It was obvious, by the way," Weiss said first.

"Huh?" Ruby lost her train of thought.

"You were too pathetic a fighter without your weapon in our spars. You had two professional huntsmen teaching you, one of which was melee-oriented, as well as your sister. You should have a basic understanding of hand-to-hand by pure osmosis. Not to mention a quick review of the tapes of your first encounter with Torchwick revealed some discrepancies," Weiss drawled out, "Flipping a mook through a store window is a clear sign of martial arts training."

"Um…"

"Also, if Jaune can beat you in a fistfight, you let him win."

"Hey!" Jaune protested. Weiss raised her eyebrow at him and he relented, "Yeah that makes sense," Jaune looked at Ruby, "But besides that, why are you cagefighting? It looks really dangerous!"

Ruby bristled at that, "Not anymore than hunting. And they have vested interest in keeping me alive," she pouted and crossed her arms.

Weiss blandly looked at her. Then walked up to her and slung an arm over Ruby's shoulder, "Just so you know, I'm fine with it, I just wish my teammates would tell me pertinent information about themselves before I find out myself."

"You're not mad?" Ruby squeaked out.

"Oh I'm livid, but tonight is for Jaune, so I'll yell at you later," Weiss winked. Hard.

Jaune scratched the back of his head, "I did have fun though. It was really cool seeing you go up against that guy without any weapons. Like a different side of you. You were awesome."

Ruby felt a bit of heat rush to her face. She looked to the ground and squirmed, "Thanks," she muttered.

"Come on, the night is still young, and we have a few more matches to watch," Weiss grinned, "If I win all my bets tonight, I'll be in a happy mood and will let you off easy."

Jaune and Weiss grabbed Ruby by one hand each and walked back into the crowd.


Weiss did win all her bets and made tons of Lien. With it she bought a dozen "Red Rocket" t-shirts. The reason they were so expensive was because the illegal underground fight club Ruby was a part of did not sell t-shirts.

Ruby's cheeks were red as Weiss carried the shirts in a nondescript bag, singing a merry song whose lyrics Ruby swore were about her.

As they walked back to the Bullhead port, Jaune walked next to Ruby and quietly asked, "So, what's the story behind… all of that?"

Ruby looked at Jaune and laughed, "Back before Beacon, Yang got into a fight at Junior's club. She destroyed a bunch of property and injured like, a dozen employees. I found out about it, and feeling guilty for what she did, I asked what I could do to pay 'em back."

They entered the port and with a scan of their scrolls, were directed to a Beacon Bullhead, "Junior looked me up and down and asked if I was as explosively strong as her. I said no, but I was training to be a huntress. He made me an offer: fifteen matches in his fight club and that would be enough to pay back what Yang blew up.

"I was scared at first, but it was fun!" Ruby smiled, "I get to practice my hand-to-hand and I make money."

"You feel like an adult, all grown up," Jaune said.

"Yeah! So after a few months, I paid back what Yang owed and I was done. But I told Junior I liked fighting and wanted to keep doing it, even though I attended Beacon. So I do, mostly on off nights when I go to Vale."

Jaune shook his head and smiled, "That's crazy. In a good way I mean. It's like Pyrrha's tournament stuff I guess. Wonder why it's illegal."

Ruby entwined her fingers behind her head, "Official stuff is expensive and there's loads of regulations. Mostly because people are scared of aura users fighting outside of a completely controlled setting. They're not always as strong as hunters, but pretty darn stronger than cops."

"Well, I can't really judge," Jaune shrugged, "I've done my share of illegal and dangerous stuff. Sorry I yelled at you."

"Apology accepted," Ruby said, "Everyone forgets I'm not a little kid. It's fine, I'm used to it. But you owe me like, a hundred baked cookies."

"What if they're not good?"

"I know they'll be, Jaune," Ruby said as they boarded the Bullhead, "If you can cook for Pyrrha and Blake, you can totally bake."

"The way to a woman's heart is through her stomach," Weiss chided as she inspected the stitching of her shirts, "Do you think Pyrrha is a medium or a large?"

Ruby groaned as she pulled her hood over her head.


A veritable mountain of cookies sat before her. Chocolate chip, made with imported chocolate from South Anima. Ruby salivated at it.

"By the way Jaune, that's only forty-five," Weiss said as she typed away on her scroll. Ruby was always bored by whatever was on it, usually a math equation or some weird branching tree diagram.

Although Weiss did have a point. It was a lot of cookies, but definitely not a hundred, "Wait how did you count them without looking?"

"Jaune bakes in sets of twenty-four and dropped three earlier," Weiss said as her scroll made beeping sounds.

"Still owe me Jaune," Ruby grinned, "I expect the rest soon."

"Once I get more chocolate," Jaune bemoaned, "But there's none left in the student lounge."

"Already ordered, tomorrow or the day after," Weiss replied, "Although there is a 3.7% chance the package is lost in transit."

"Weiss, who was the third high chieftain of Elysium?"

"Gobin Derubaf," Weiss replied, "Not to be confused with Gobeen Derubef, sixth vice chieftain and seventh high chieftain," Weiss droned out.

"Weiss, are you a genius or just super boring?" Ruby asked.

Jaune gaped before laughing, "Boring? Weiss?"

"Of course she is!" Ruby threw her hands up, "She spends all her time training, using her scroll, or studying. Case in point, I think she's studying right now on her scroll."

Jaune peeked over Weiss' shoulder and shook his head, "Nope, she's playing a game."

"No way," Ruby said, "It's always graphs and numbers and stuff."

"Yeah, that's how Weiss plays dating sims."

"Pfffft Weiss playing dating sims, that's hilarious," Ruby chuckled.

"I'm being serious, Ruby."

"But she's Weiss. That's like Yang playing chess or Nora playing the violin," Ruby reached for a warm cookie and bit into it. Its gooey chocolate was heavenly.

"Really, just look at her scroll. There's a pretty dude on it right now."

"Nice try Jaune."

"If I wasn't looking directly at her scroll right now, even I'd be doubting myself, but it's right there!" he splayed his hands at her scroll.

Ruby rolled her eyes and looked over at Weiss' scroll, all while her partner was completely engrossed.

On the scroll was… a naked man.

Heat rushed into Ruby's face as she covered her eyes, only for them to betray her and peek through her fingers. Then the heat burned worse and she turned away.

"W-Weiss! What are you doing?!"

"Hmm? Writing a player manual for Rajikaru safu sutazu: Sanburokku bajon nashi," she responded, "A lot of new players have difficulty with the second and third routes, so I'm writing something to help them out."

"No! I mean why are you playing that filth!"

"This was rated 4.5 stars by four different dating sim magazines, twelve critics, including myself, and has been played by over 1 million people. I wouldn't call this filth."

"There was a naked guy on it!"

Weiss shrugged, "The author and artist spent months to create this incredible story of romance and adventure, culminating in the release of their passion on a calm and beautiful beach at sunset. It's not any worse than any of Blake's smut."

"Those are also filth!" Ruby squealed, then turned to Jaune, "You agree with me, right?"

Jaune scratched the back of his head, "To be fair, the entire time we were dating, I never read any of Blake's smut books."

"But you knew about it."

"Yeah. Weiss told me."

"And you didn't think to tell anyone about it?"

"Well no. It's not anyone else's business," Jaune sighed, "It's not illegal, and if you think about it, no one's being hurt. It's just a weird hobby."

Ruby grumbled, "Well I'm banning it. As team leader, no more filth in the dorms."

"Sure," Weiss said, still looking at her scroll, "Give me five minutes to write this part and I'll be done with Rajikaru."

Her partner narrowed her eyes, "No more smut at all after this."

"Sure, if you don't mind me informing Yang of your violent and dangerous hobby."

"You wouldn't."

"I did buy a dozen t-shirts. They'll make great birthday presents," Weiss said, "You do realize that everyone here in Beacon, except maybe Nora, has consumed adult entertainment before?"

Ruby grumbled, "That's 'cause you're all adults who do weird adult things."

"It's actually more of a teen thing," Weiss said.

"Ugh, don't remind me. Signal was the worst," Ruby groaned, "It was always talk about cute boys and pretty girls and who's dating who. At least here everyone's busy enough to actually hunt and stuff."

"Still, Weiss' hobby is odd, but it's actually helped out a couple times," Jaune said as Weiss raised an eyebrow.

Ruby paused mid-bite then looked at Jaune. Then her cheeks turned bright red.

"Not like that! I mean Weiss has helped me date girls! You know how I've been like terrible at talking to girls and now I've dated two whole women?" Jaune jerked a thumb at Weiss, "She's giving me advice."

"So Weiss is helping you pick up chicks."

"Yes."

"Are you trying to pick me up too?"

Jaune was at a loss for words. Weiss glanced up from her scroll and spoke, "Perhaps. Your parameters are quite favorable."

Ruby fled the room, leaving her cookies and two friends alone.


Jaune glared at Weiss and demanded, "What the hell was that about?" he slammed his fists on the dining table.

"All part of the plan," Weiss said. She put down her scroll and looked at Jaune. Her frown wasn't out of anger. Why was she sad?

"You planned this out?" Jaune asked.

"To a degree," Weiss replied, "Honesty is important in a relationship, even a budding one. A foundation of lies will doom you in the end," she crossed her arms and stared at the wall.

"You have experience in this," Jaune said.

"Let's just say the concept of games as wish fulfillment applies to me," Weiss sighed, "Many have wanted to court me solely because of my name and all that comes with it. You are a rare exception."

"That seems like a paradox," Jaune said, "I thought I was a generic video game protagonist."

"We all want to be the exception," Weiss explained, "And we want to relate to the main character of a story. And thus is born the supposedly normal protagonist that is nevertheless special in some way."

"But," Weiss said, "We should get back on topic."

"So you planned the whole conversation we had with Ruby out," Jaune summarized.

"Most of it. I didn't want to take the time explaining my passion to her young, innocent mind."

"And you let me do it?" he shook his head, "Then there was the whole thing with Ruby cage fighting. You knew about that too."

"I did say it was obvious. She is my partner," Weiss said, "Believe me when I say I did this with the best of interests in mind."

"Your interests, no doubt," Jaune sighed.

"You'll understand in time," Weiss sighed, "But because of the way I've handled this, admittedly on an impulse, we may be in trouble."

"What do you mean—"

The door burst open.

"What on Remnant are you two plotting to do to my little sister?" Yang growled as she walked up to them.

"Well?" Yang crossed her arms and glared.

Weiss looked at her teammate and gave a smile, "What do you think he's doing?"

"I'm thinking about how Vomit Boy here has already started making moves on Ruby right after breaking up with Blake," Yang began tapping her fingers on her bicep.

"It was Weiss' idea," Jaune said, "I don't fully know why, but she's adamant on it for some reason."

"So that's it then? You're doing this just 'because'?"

Jaune scratched the back of his head, "I'm also her friend. And right now we're just friends. I promise things won't end up like Blake."

"It could be like Pyrrha, but that's a fifty-fifty chance," Yang said, "You better not break Ruby's heart. Just so you know, I'm keeping my eye on you."

Weiss looked at Yang, "Don't worry, I'm keeping an eye on him."

"Oh I know you are," Yang drawled out, "You've gotten Jaune to establish an interest, list mutual benefits, and spend time with her. What's next, offering my dad a dowry?"

Jaune and Weiss looked at each other in confusion.

"Okay, not that," Weiss said, "I was thinking of something more romantic."

"Just know there'll be hell to pay if you two screw up," Yang warned. She then turned around and stomped out of the room.

When she was out of hearing distance, Weiss spoke, "This complicates things."


Ruby frowned deeply as she stared at the ceiling. She was in her bed and she knew that Weiss would come back eventually. She just wanted time to think.

When she tried talking to Yang, her sister rushed out of the room, no doubt to confront them. She flipped over and groaned into her pillow. She did not want to have a conversation with Weiss.

Her scroll rang. Ruby looked at the new message:

We've got room tonight. 11 PM, open fist, up against a new one. You in?

Ruby began grinning. Yeah, this was something to take her mind off.

She rushed off her bed and to the Bullhead port. It was still a long time before the match, but she'd rather be away from Beacon. She can have her conversation later.


"In this corner, returning guest, at only five-feet-two inches and weighing in at less than a hundred-ten pounds, Reeeed Rooocket!"

Cheers and applause flooded the underground room as Ruby stood on stage. The announcer was the same man as before, although he seems to have gotten a haircut. It looked nice.

"And in this corner, we have a special treat for you tonight! A brand new fighter, never before seen. She's five-foot-three and almost a hundred twenty pounds, so we've got an equal matchup of two little ladies fighting each other with their bare hands!" the announcer roared as the cheers grew wilder, "Mud not included."

"Boo!" the crowd yelled.

"You'll have to pay extra for that, ladies and gentlemen!" the announcer spoke, "Introducing our newest fighter, White Wine!"

The applause was loud, yet tempered for the arrival of a new competitor. Ruby steeled herself. She wasn't wearing gloves tonight, nor a face protector. Bare knuckle brawl, womano y womano.

As the smoke cleared and Ruby raised her fists in anticipation, a woman walked onto the stage.

"Weiss?!"

Gasps across the crowd could be heard. What was Weiss Schnee doing here?

Weiss ignored the murmurs and stepped onto the stage, faced Ruby, and bowed. She then smirked at her, "Let's give them a good show, shall we?"

Ruby growled, "What are you doing here?" she whispered. Her fists were still raised up.

"Multitasking. You want to blow off steam, I want to have a talk. Let's do both," Weiss smiled.

"I'm going to beat you."

"Perhaps. Or I could beat you."

"You're average at hand-to-hand," Ruby said. The two began circling each other, as the announcer readied to start.

"I am. But I was the one in charge of our team's training regimen. I know your weaknesses inside and out. Let's see how well that holds up."

"Begin!"

Ruby rushed forward and began launching a flurry of blows at Weiss. In a split second, Ruby closed the gap between them. And then—

Pain! Pain rocketed through her abdomen, and she fell to the side. Then she saw. Weiss had twirled and kicked Ruby in the gut, hitting between her lowered elbow and her legs.

Ruby coughed out, "How did you?"

"Many White Fang attackers use a variation of street fighting, which is derived from a Menagerian school. Vale's variation is a descendant."

Weiss moved to backhand Ruby, who ducked and tackled her. Weiss kneed Ruby, only to be blocked by an arm. Ruby activated her semblance, and pushed her opponent to the ground.

As Weiss' back slammed into the stage, she wrapped her legs around Ruby's waist. Ruby began throwing hooks into Weiss' sides, dealing blow after blow to her aura.

Then a glyph formed beneath Ruby, launching her backwards onto the floor and allowing Weiss to roll over and get on top of her. Weiss then brought her elbow down and over Ruby's neck.

Ruby flipped to her left, throwing Weiss off of her. Ruby stood up and staggered. As Weiss began to get off the ground, Ruby rushed forward with her semblance and smashed into her. A flurry of strikes from many angles brought Weiss to the ground once more. A swift kick from Weiss sent Ruby away and enough time for the heiress to partially get back up.

Haggard breathing came from Weiss as she knelt on one knee. She could feel her aura healing her wounds, dwindling with each hit. She laughed through the pain in her ribs, "This reminds me of my childhood. Every time the White Fang attacked my home and I was without weapons, I'd have to fight them off myself. My bodyguards were always taken out first."

Weiss wiped her lip of blood. It was just a scratch and the wound had already healed. Yet the taste of iron landed on her taste buds, "What are you fighting for?"

Ruby slowly brought her fists and staggered. She answered, "For myself, nothing more."

"A worthy cause, even if the dolt doesn't realize it," Weiss said, "Necessity and want are two sides of the same coin."

"Blake was right. You are kind of crazy," Ruby blinked in surprise.

"A matter of perspective," Weiss coughed out.

In an instant, Ruby blurred forward, propelled to punch Weiss one final time and knock her out. At the same time, a glyph appeared below the heiress. For Weiss, time was dilated enough for a counterattack. With both of their auras so low, whoever struck next would surely win.

But then… should she?

There were two options available to Weiss:

Counter her attack, and win.

Allow her to strike, and lose.

Which one would allow for the most affection points to build? If Ruby lost, Jaune would be there and they would both bond over their general lack of wins. Jaune after all had won one sparring match this year (and tied a few days before breaking up with Blake, a marked improvement). Ruby on the other hand was mid-rank amongst their classmates, meaning she would likely rise to the near top by graduation.

However that was in the long run, not presently on either mind. Jaune was in a ringside seat, ready to get on stage as soon as the match ended. As Ruby drifted in and out of consciousness, Jaune would be there to nurse her back to health. She would come to realize that it was okay to not grow up so quickly, that sometimes it was alright to be pampered and doted upon.

Yes, that was a solid plan. But there was a wrinkle. Yang would catch wind of Ruby being knocked out. Even if the three of them covered it up well, there were still many unaccountable factors.

If Ruby were to win, Jaune would come up to congratulate Ruby, give her a hug, and the two would bond over their recent successes. Jaune was rapidly improving, and so was Ruby. Weiss would fade into the background, and Ruby would be one step closer to achieving her goal as a fighter, whatever that may be. Beating her partner, who just admitted to taking down White Fang goons as a child, was a milestone.

The win would lead to happy feelings that would bleed over into her budding relationship, allowing for more positive interactions. However, this would mean that Weiss would be knocked out and unable to deal with any deviations created by outside parties like Yang. Could she take the chance?

The mental tallies in her mind moved. The former would lead to a great boost in points, while the latter had a minor boost with gains in all later events. With everything included, both options will lead to a Good End with a very small probability difference. Thus, it would not matter who wins.

Therefore, Weiss should lose. If all else is equal, then she should choose the option with a bonus in happiness to her partner.

Yes, that was the correct choice. Weiss' eyes moved to Ruby's as she prepared to block. Getting knocked out by Ruby's fists could be avoided, but it was going to hurt. But then—

That look in Ruby's eyes. Weiss remembered how devastated Ruby was when she found out Jaune was "playing at dating". If Ruby ever found out Weiss threw the match for Ruby to get her with Jaune, it would…

It would destroy their relationship. Weiss didn't know how long Ruby and Jaune's relationship would last. It could be a week, it could be forever. And for one of the foundations of their relationship to be built upon a lie, well, it would spell doom.

They would fight, and a break up would be highly probable, and it would all be Weiss' fault. Thus, Weiss cannot throw the match. She must counter Ruby's final punch. She must defeat her.

The choice was made.

Weiss would parry Ruby's fist with her hand before striking her chest. The sudden stop would have enough force to break the rest of Ruby's aura. It was going to hurt Weiss' arm like a bitch, but that was the cost of victory.

Ruby rushed forward, her fist out and aimed for Weiss' face. Weiss turned her body and parried with her own arm. With her remaining hand, she pushed out towards Ruby's chest.

And then—

Weiss fell backwards and hit the floor. Pain radiated across her gut as she coughed. She tilted her head up and saw Ruby retract her other hand. Of course. She had enough breathing room to strike twice. Weiss shouldn't have hesitated. If she didn't spend all that time thinking, she could have won the match.

Well, no matter. As Weiss felt her aura bottom out and a shady back alley paramedic haul her off stage, she saw Jaune running up to congratulate Ruby, and! Ruby jumped in joy and hugged him.

Haha. Haha! In losing, Weiss won. Worth it.

And then she blacked out.


Jaune sat on the Bullhead back to Beacon in silence. It was a comfortable silence, one that reminded him a little bit of Blake. He shook his head, slowly dispelling the thought. He glanced at the sleeping Ruby on his shoulder, exhausted from her fight.

He then looked at Weiss, laying on her back with an IV sticking in her wrist. She didn't actually need it, she just demanded one put in her if she lost. She even provided the IV bag and needle. Weiss was out cold, but the shady paramedic assured Ruby and Jaune she was fine, just low on aura.

Weiss' eyes fluttered open as she turned to Jaune, "How's everything going?" she slurred out, but in such a ladylike fashion that Jaune swore she was only slightly tipsy.

"Good. Everything's good. You're going to be fine by the way," Jaune whispered.

Weiss rolled her eyes, then winced, "Ruby packs a mean punch. She's like a tinier Yang," she took a shallow breath, "Have you talked to her?"

"Yeah," he smiled, "We talked. I explained how you're basically a coach for me, and then she started laughing. Then she cried tears of relief. Apparently your insane training regimen for hunting made Ruby realize that you're just making me train in romance intensely."

"Love and war are the two most— ow," Weiss groaned, "Speaking in platitudes is too painful right now."

Jaune chuckled at that. And so did Ruby.

"You're awake?" he asked.

"Yeah, just now," Ruby yawned, "I can't believe the two of you are like best buddies now."

"Weiss is weird and I enable it. This should be your job," Jaune joked.

"Nah," Ruby snuggled against his shoulder, "Too much effort."

"Well I see you two would like some privacy," Weiss struggled to get off the bench she laid on. Then she fell to the floor, "Don't worry, I've got this."

Ruby and Jaune laughed.


Things calmed down afterwards. Jaune and Ruby hung out more often, playing video games, reading comics, and punching each other in the face as practice. Ruby and Weiss had come to terms and were friends again, partners once more.

One thing Ruby found odd at first was Weiss recusing herself whenever Jaune and Ruby were together. She quickly got used to it. Eventually, she started to like it. Then one day, her sister butted in after Weiss had left.

"So, what are you two doing alone?" Yang had walked in on the two of them.

Ruby turned to Yang, "Oh you know, team leader stuff. Professor Goodwitch assigned us some homework, something about tactics and charisma."

"Uh huh. Need any help with that?" Yang crossed her arms and leaned back against the wall.

"No, I think we're good," Jaune said, scratching out a line with his pencil.

The door burst open, "Yang! I need your help!" Nora burst in, waving her arms about.

"What?" Yang asked.

"Pleeeease? I need it! In the student lounge," she was waving her hands back and forth.

Yang rolled her eyes, "Fine."

Nora and Yang quickly walked to the student lounge. When they entered the room, they saw Weiss sitting in a chair, grumbling as her eyes stared up. Yang followed her gaze, to see Myrtenaster and Magnhild stuck to the ceiling.

"How did— How is it— What?" Yang gaped at the sight.

"Myrtenaster is sharp and pointed, causing it to get stuck after piercing the ceiling. Sticky paste stuck Magnhild to Myrtenaster," Weiss sighed.

"And the events leading up to this?"

"I wanted to say thank you to Jauney and Renny for cooking us so much good food, so we tried to cook our own meal and then, um," Nora stopped.

"Let's just say cooking is neither of our forte," Weiss said as she stood up.

"And why do you need me?" Yang raised an eyebrow.

"Isn't it obvious?" Weiss gestured to the ceiling. Then she gestured to herself and Nora.

Yang frowned.

"You're a giant!" Nora exclaimed, "We would have gotten Pyrrha, but she's training Ren right now, and everyone else is either too short or not in the secret!"

Weiss nodded, "So uh, can you reach for it?"

Yang sighed, "Sure, hand me a chair."

When Yang got back to the room, Ruby and Jaune were no longer there. Yang hummed to herself as she realized what had happened. Weiss was craftier than she expected.


Ruby and Jaune stared at each other. It was a game of skill, a game of mind trickery. A high stakes game where the loser does something for the winner.

"Go on Ruby, pick a card," Jaune said smoothly. Damn him. She looked at his hand. There were only two left. One was the joker, the other was the queen of hearts that Ruby needed to win.

The left, or the right?

It was clearly the most important decision between two choices anyone she knew had ever made. On left side was a card. It could be the queen of hearts, but it also could be the joker. It was a coin flip. On the right side was another card. It could also be the right card, but it could also be the wrong card. Jaune was right handed so that means the card on the right was the most recent one. But his right was her left! But didn't he shuffle his two cards when he got them?

She activated her semblance. She needed more time! Never mind that this was a casual game and Jaune had already been waiting for five minutes aaaaaahhhhhh

Ruby picked the one on her left. It was the joker. Jaune picked Ruby's other card. He placed his last two cards down.

"So, I win," Jaune said.

Ruby nodded and gulped. What would Jaune ask Ruby to do? Cluck like a chicken? Tell him an embarrassing secret? Yodel in public?!

"Close your eyes."

Oh no he was going to draw on her face or mess with her stuff or worse: Make her wear a Red Rocket t-shirt!

Ruby a felt warm pressure on her cheek. her eyes opened up and saw Jaune! Kissing! Her! On the cheek!

He pulled back and smiled at her. She blushed redder than her cloak.

Unknown to either of them, Yang watched in the background with a slight frown on her lips.


A day passed, and Ruby was just blushing and staying silent whenever Jaune was nearby. Weiss saw this and questioned Jaune.

"We're in the final stretch," Weiss said as she filed her nails.

"Mmhmm," Jaune said.

"Meanwhile, I've been working out some plans to deal with Yang. It's slow-going, but I don't think you'll die."

"Yes, not dying makes me feel better," Jaune rolled his eyes.

"It was on short notice," Weiss harrumphed.

"Still, I finally understand why you did this, Weiss," Jaune leaned back, a soft smile on his face.

"Oh?" Weiss said, "What was my reasoning for rushing us headlong into Ruby's route without any protection from Yang?"

Jaune chuckled, "You didn't want to see me sad anymore."

"Go on."

"You told me before that Ruby was a quick route for the rebound, and you've said that nothing fixes a broken heart like time and more love."

"I haven't said that."

Jaune scratched his chin, "Okay that might have been a grocer back home, but I think it's still valid. So?"

"You've gotten it in one," Weiss said, "You're becoming proficient at the logic, well done."

"Well, thank you Weiss. And thank you for setting me up with Ruby. Thanks for trying to help me."

Weiss smirked, "Well? Go get the girl, idiot. The dolt's waiting for you."

He chuckled, "Yeah, she is. Gotta go."

Jaune left Weiss alone in the student lounge. Weiss was busy though, for she had to work out how to keep Yang from killing Jaune. She looked through her notes and grinned at the prospect. Perhaps this screw up will lead to some very interesting times ahead.


"Hey Ruby," Jaune said.

Ruby turned to face him, her cheeks still burning.

"Hey," she mumbled out.

Jaune stood a few feet from her, leaving her room to work with, "Sorry about kissing you out of the blue like that. Sorry if it made you uncomfortable."

Ruby shook her head and took Jaune's hand, "Don't say sorry," she whispered, "I liked it."

"You did?" he asked.

She nodded. In a split second, Ruby stood on her tippy toes and moved her lips to his. And in that moment, Ruby won.


Yang looked through her scroll as she petted Blake's hair. Her partner was lying down on her bed, sleeping. She looked peaceful right then, something that Yang appreciated.

It had been rough for Blake since the breakup, and Yang was sure Ruby was dating Jaune now. She didn't want her sister to have the same end. Something had to be done.

Yang thought back to what she had figured out. Weiss was involved in this. She was not only coaching Jaune, but egging him on and on, first with Pyrrha, then Blake, and now Ruby.

But why? Yang scowled quietly. Weiss was playing a dangerous game, and it was now a thousand times more dangerous now that Yang Xiao Long was involved.

ROUTE COMPLETE

Lancaster End Achieved

Continue? [Yes/No]

Are you sure?


A/N:

The concept for making Ruby a cage fighter stems from a scene in the first episode of the show, where Ruby throws one of Torchwick's henchmen out a window. She pulls out Crescent Rose after that. But it's established later on that Ruby sucks at fighting without her weapon, so that scene always felt odd to me.

So I turned it into this whole thing. We do get Ruby and Weiss punching each other, so that's a plus.