Chapter 5
The rest of that day's sparring session is… strained, to say the least. Everyone's unnerved, and it shows. What happened to Weiss is a harsh slap in the face, a brutal reminder of our own mortality. Watching the remaining bouts gives me a far greater appreciation for Weiss's skill, however. Some of the other trainees fight with a similar kind of ranged, control oriented, dust heavy style, but in comparison they're slow and imprecise, and they just don't have the same kind of power. Part of it is the quality of the dust, but combat dust requires aura to activate, and an individual skilled in manipulating their aura could get a lot more mileage even out of poor quality dust.
Nobody I saw came remotely close to instantly summoning such an awe inspiring wall of ice. I have little doubt that with a little more time, Weiss can match some of the full fledged Hunters. If she hadn't underestimated Ruby so badly, she probably would have taken the younger girl apart.
But she did, so now she's lying crippled in the infirmary and Ruby's left with the guilt.
Dense as I may be, even I can tell that the accident is eating at my partner. After all, Ruby wears her heart on her sleeve. She's every bit as vibrant and intense in grief as she is in joy. A dozen times, I open my mouth and reach out to comfort her, only to draw back in silence. What do I even say? Honestly, I'll probably make it worse. It's better to be silent and thought a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt, right? I can just imagine it now: "gee, that was rough, but don't worry, it happens to the best of us. At least you didn't kill her!"
Right. That'll go great.
My turn comes up. I get completely demolished by a girl I recognize but don't know. Once I'm on the floor, I realize just how fast everyone is. When I was just watching in the stands, the bouts seemed almost comically slow, like everyone was fighting in sand. There's still a little bit of that; sometimes my opponent just… moves wrong, I guess, and I know where she's going to strike.
Getting my body to react properly is an entirely different matter. Those moments are few and far between, anyways.
After the match, I drag myself back to my seat, battered but not disappointed. I managed to land a very respectable three hits, which is three times my original goal. Woo! What's not to like? Perhaps more importantly, I kept my form and remembered Glynda's lessons. She'll appreciate that. Probably.
And man, I felt so strong, so fast, so light. If it hadn't been the thing that landed me in this mess, aura would be one serious drug.
When the session is over and we stream out with a fresh collection of bruises and injuries, Ruby's slumped form catches my eye in the sea of people. It'd be impossible to miss her; she's a lonely red speck in the crowd, embraced by several feet of nothingness as people shy away from her. The only time someone penetrates the berth is when a hulking brute of a boy slams into her, sending her sprawling to the raucous laughter of his buddies.
"Hey!" I scream at them, but they ignore me, still cackling in they infuriating way that only idiotic teenage boys can manage. I rush to help Ruby up. She takes my offered hand, but keeps her face firmly averted from mine.
"Thanks," she murmurs. I barely make it out over the rumble of stomping feet and tired chatter.
"Assholes," I growl. "Are you ok?"
"Fine." Her breath hitches. "I deserve it anyways."
"No you don't," I snap before I can stop myself. Ugh. Come on Jaune, she's scared enough already. See? Making it worse. This is why the only girlfriend you've ever had is literally forced by law to be with you.
Now that I think about it, that's… actually really depressing.
"Sorry, sorry," I rush to clarify. "It's just… uh, don't feel bad? I mean, it was an accident. And it was kind of her fault too, cuz she didn't take you seriously. So, you know. Yeah."
"I almost killed her, Jaune."
"No! Well, yes, maybe. But you didn't. And that's the important thing." I can't believe it. I'm actually saying exactly what I didn't want to. Congrats, Jaune. You are officially a legend. "Look, all I'm trying to say is it was your first match and accidents happen. Why do you think Beacon has such great medical facilities?"
"Really?" The desperate hope in her eyes strikes me to the core. It's just so, so sad. She doesn't belong here. I mean, I don't belong here either. But then where do we belong?
"Really. If you want to, you can try to make it up to her!" Ignoring the fact that all of Ruby's attempts so far have been, uh, a bit unsuccessful, to say the least. "Like, bring her chocolates or something. I don't know. What do girls do to make up?"
She chuckles. It's a very pathetic chuckle, but it's something, and a fiery burst of pride courses through me. I did something! Woo! Score one for Jaune.
"I don't know either," she says. "But I don't think chocolates would cover almost cutting someone in half."
"Ah. Yes. Probably not."
We stumble our way back to our rooms. A nice long day of class, two training sessions, conditioning, and sparring. I'm exhausted, but there's always more work to do. Maybe if I study with Ruby she can help keep me awake.
She follows me into my room. Takes a deep breath. And blurts the question that's been on the forefront of her mind this whole time. "Aren't… aren't you scared of me?"
I pull her into a tight hug. She squeaks in surprise, but doesn't struggle. "No. Not at all."
"But you should–"
"Nope."
"I mean, everyone else is–"
"Nope."
She giggles helplessly. "You know, it's kinda rude of you to keep interrupting me."
I can't keep myself from grinning into the top of her head.
"Nope."
::-::-::
The next day, during Oobleck's class, we study the Full Moon Massacre. As you might expect from the name, it was a massive fight between multiple gangs during a full moon. Most of the gangs were racially split, but the massacre wasn't as clear cut as Faunus against human. Both races killed both races. The Hunter Corp had to pull overtime trying to both restore order as well as halt the Grimm waves that were attracted to all the bloodshed.
In short, it was an absolute mess. And the sad thing? Nobody even knows how it started. In all likelihood, it was just a dumb kid shooting off an insult at another dumb kid, and the whole thing exploded like a fire dust keg in summer.
Ruby darts up to me as soon as class is dismissed, clutching a pristine notebook in one hand. My eyes narrow in suspicion immediately. I've seen Ruby's notes, if you can even call them that. You would find more order in the aftermath of a hurricane. Nothing that neat can actually be hers.
"Jaune!" She holds the notebook out towards me. "I took notes on this class. Could you… could you give them to Weiss? I'm sure she's, you know, kind of mad because she missed class, cuz you know how serious she is about class and all and–"
"Wait wait wait," I interrupt. "You took notes? You? Are you sure you didn't steal them from somebody else?"
She elbows me. Hard. "Meanie. Of course they're mine."
I rub the new sore spot on my ribs gingerly. Even my gentle probing draws a pained wince. "Ow. Ok, sorry. But shouldn't you give them to her yourself?"
Her face falls, and she shifts nervously from foot to foot. "I can't."
"Why not?"
"I just can't." She sticks her tongue at me. Little brat. "So be a good fiancée and do it for me!"
Fiancée? Wait, is that what we are? I guess the label doesn't matter. I don't think I could define our… relationship, anyways. We're a bit unprecedented.
I flip through the notes. Page after page of near script and pristine diagrams meet my eyes. It's Ruby's handwriting, no doubt about it, but it has none of her character. "Wow, these are nice. Are you sure you don't want to give them to her yourself?"
"Yes. Now hurry up! You only have a few minutes."
Wait, she wants me to go now? Training with Glynda is soon, and she'll flay me alive if I'm late. Nuh uh. No way– puppy eyes? Really? No. Not even fair. Don't you dare give me that Ruby, that's seriously cheating–
And now my feet are marching down the corridor. When did that happen? I don't care what she says, there's no way Ruby's semblance is speed.
It's obviously mind control.
::-::-::
After being ruthlessly dominated by some hitherto unknown manifestation of a twisted, ancient power, I find myself in the bright white gleam of Beacon's infirmary. There's something about this place that puts me on edge. Maybe it's the choking stench of disinfectant masked by the fresh sting of an artificial pine scent. Death hidden by life.
There's only one occupied bed, but the curtains are drawn shut around it. Is Weiss sleeping? Maybe I should just leave the notes for her to find later. She's insufferable enough already; I really don't want to find out what she's like if you wake her up.
I barely take a step into the room when a booming male voice spits unadulterated fury from inside the bed. There's no way anybody else could fit inside, assuming Weiss is there… maybe a scroll? But the voice is incredibly clear. I guess that's the SDC for you.
The indiscernible roar formulates itself into recognizable words. I wish it didn't.
"–you are an absolute disgrace! You call yourself a Schnee? Defeated in one strike by an untrained child?" The voice drops to a cold whisper, but it pierces the air with razor clarity. "I am beyond disappointed. Your sister never would have lost."
"I… I'm so sorry. I can offer no excuse." Is that Weiss? It sounds like her voice, but that can't be right. Weiss Schnee is proud, arrogant, condescending. She believes herself the best and does not hesitate to let other people know it. This girl sounds like a broken shell, shaking and choked with barely suppressed tears. "It will not happen again."
"If it does," the unseen voice roars once more, "you shall be no daughter of mine. I was a fool to send you to Beacon. Do not make me a bigger one."
"Yes fa– sir. I will make you proud."
The voice snorts. "Unlikely." And then there is silence, and I know the call has ended because Weiss – if that's actually her, I'm not convinced, but who else could it be – breaks into wild, unconstrained sobbing. It's so alien and so deeply personal that the sound roots my feet to the ground.
I shouldn't be here. I'm intruding. This is wrong. I'll just, I don't know, give her the notes some other time. The words echo inside my head like a mantra, but even so it takes me several minutes to work up the will.
I twist around to leave, but disturbed and paralyzed as I am my feet are clumsy as lead blocks. I stumble right into a tray of beakers and bottles. They hit the ground with a cascading crash. Luckily, nothing breaks or spills, but unfortunately… well, to say Weiss now knows I'm here would be a minor understatement.
"Who's there?!" The curtains fly open with a violent snap. It's impressive how quickly Weiss mastered herself. Her face is red and tear–stained, but her eyes are fiery and sharp, and only a slight hiccup betrays her voice.
I raise my hands in surrender, heart pounding. Oh boy. This isn't going to be fun. "It's just me! Jaune Arc. I, uh, wanted to see how you were doing. Oh, and give you a gift from Ruby." Two truths and a lie.
Her eyes narrow in distrust. "A gift?"
"Yeah. You know. A present? Things you give to people when–"
"I know what a gift is!" she snaps. Two delicate hands rise to knead concentric circles in her temples. "Fine. Just… leave it on the table. What is it, anyways?"
"Notes for the class you missed," I explain hastily. Late, late, gonna be late, Glynda's gonna kill me. Oh, unless Weiss does first for discovering her deepest and darkest secrets or something like that. Either way, I need to be very much not here. "Good? Great. Sorry, gotta run. Training and all, so I hope you feel better and–"
"Thank you." Her words give me pause. I think this is the first time I've heard her express genuine gratitude. "Come back later. Please. There are some things we need to discuss."
Like the manner of my death? "Please make it painless."
She glares at me. "How rude. I'm not that bad."
Actually, yes, you kind of are. After what I just witnessed, though… I can't bring myself to blame her.
::-::-::
I barely manage to make it to training on time. Glynda is not impressed, but at least she's not mad, so I get beaten up about as much as normal.
When we take our first break, however, I can tell something is different. She regards me with… I'm not really sure what. Respect? But that's impossible. Why would the legendary Glynda Goodwitch respect a no good, talentless hack like me?
"You work hard, Mister Arc."
"You don't give me much of a choice," I gasp. I was kind of hoping that as I got used to the training, I wouldn't constantly feel like my lungs are exploding, but she just amped up the difficulty as my conditioning improved.
"You could always quit," Glynda counters. "But you don't. Nobody would blame you for leaving. Why do you stay?"
Why… why do I stay? I never took the time to think about it.
"Ruby wants to be here, I guess."
"But that doesn't mean you have to work hard. We'll hardly kick her out if you do poorly, although there might have to be some readjustments to comply with the law."
"Really? Then I guess I'll slack off," almost escapes my mouth, but the words are false. Ruby is only a little bit of my motivation. The rest? I'm not sure. It's not like I have a long history of achievement, where I just have to do my best or I can't live with myself. Quite the opposite, actually. So what is it?
"I'm not sure," I finally say.
At the very least, she doesn't look mad. "An honest enough answer. I suggest you put some thought into it. It will only get harder, and you won't make it if you're just mindlessly drifting."
Harder? Seriously? "Do you guys have no limit to how hard this gets? I'm already dying."
Her lips quirk into a thin smile. "Better to bleed in training than bleed on the battlefield."
"And even better not to bleed at all," I grumble.
"Then you came to the wrong place, Mister Arc." She cracks her whip against the ground. "On your feet. Break time's over."
::-::-::
Once classes are over for the day, I drag myself back to the infirmary. To be honest, I would pretty much rather be anywhere but here, but I also feel like I owe Weiss for invading such a private moment.
She's sitting upright in her bed, poring over Ruby's notes. That's a good sign, I guess. She's gotten past the "lying still because crippled" stage.
She trains her gaze on me once I'm beside the bed. A shiver runs up my spine. Oum, but her eyes are intense.
"Thank you for returning," she says matter of factly. "I'm sure you're busy, so I'll make this quick."
"Um. Sure. No problem." Now could you please stop… uh, looking at me? You're kind of scary. Not that I would ever say that to your face – which is very attractive, by the way – but, uh, yeah. Please.
"Allow me to get to the point. I would appreciate your… discretion, about what you heard earlier."
And saw.
"Don't worry. I don't blab people's personal secrets. Usually, anyways." I give her an exaggerated, creepy grin. "Although a little something might, you know, add a bit stronger of a guarantee."
She sighs in disgust, hands coming up to rub her temples again. "I should have figured. Name your price."
"What – no! It was a joke!" Right. Forgot who she is. People probably try to blackmail her all the time. "Sorry, it was kind of thoughtless, but I really didn't mean anything by it."
"Really?" She peruses me with a suspicious glare. "How odd."
"Really! Does everybody who talks to you have an agenda? Do they always want something from you?"
"Yes," Weiss states bluntly.
That's… actually really sad.
"Well then count me as the first one who doesn't." Now that I'm actually talking to her, she doesn't even feel like the same person. She's not just "The Ice Queen That Hates Ruby" anymore. She's – well, pretty complicated. "Look, I know we didn't get off to the best start, but if you ever want a friend, someone to eat or chat with or something… You can always join me and Ruby. She already likes you, anyways. Probably would be thrilled."
Weiss's eyes widen. "She does?"
"Yeah." Who knows why.
"I – I see. I'll keep that in mind." The formal, stiff air she's maintained softens into something almost vulnerable. "Thank you, Jaune."
I shrug. "Thank Ruby. She really wants to make amends. I think she feels terrible for everything that's happened."
"I thought she hated me all this time," Weiss muses.
I stare at her blankly. "What?"
"I know I can be… difficult to get along with. I thought she was mocking me."
And the two of you never thought to just talk it out?
"I don't think she would even know how," I grumble.
"I appear to have misjudged her." Weiss takes a deep, halting breath. "I should rest more, if I want to get back to classes tomorrow. Thank you for dropping by. Even if it was Ruby's idea."
I think my heart skips a beat. This is way too surreal. I think we're about to befriend Weiss Schnee. Truly, miracles will never cease. "Uh, yeah, sure. No problem. Rest well."
As I leave, the only thought that reverberates through my mind is well Ruby's going to be very happy.
::-::-::
I barely manage to take two steps out into the hall before a red–black mind dominating lifeform assaults me.
"Howdiditgohowdiditgopleasetellmeitwentwell–"
"Ruby?!" I squawk, trying to disengage from her relentless ambush. "Were you here the whole time?"
She has the good graces to look embarrassed, at least. "Maaaaybe."
"Then why didn't you go in and talk to her yourself?" I exclaim in exasperation.
"I was scared, ok?!" she pouts. "Besides, you did great. I woulda just screwed it up."
"I can't be your slave forever," I chastise.
She shoots me a waaaay too innocent smile. "But that's your job." The smile falls off her face, replaced with deadly seriousness. "Jaune… I'm never, ever going to fight another human or faunus again."
"You're going to have to," I point out. "For sparring."
"That's different. When I sparred with Weiss… I tried really hard to win. I wanted to impress her." She shakes her head violently, sending dark hair flying every which way. "Never again."
"We're just here to fulfill our obligations, anyways. We're not going to actually fight." And a good thing, too, or I would be out of here in a heartbeat. Fighting's not for me, thanks. Beacon's done a great job of showing me that.
She turns away, face suddenly an icy mask. "You don't know that."
That's… what? That's not an answer. "Ruby…" I growl. "Is there something you're not telling me?"
"I'm serious, Jaune," she continues as if I hadn't spoken at all. "I'm never, ever going to really fight another living being again."
I'm tense with suspicion, for the first time regarding the girl in front of me with distrust. Ruby can't lie. Not well, anyways, and right now she's setting off every social alarm I have. Maybe she's not straight up lying… but she's hiding something.
And for some reason, that really, really bothers me.
A/N:
People sure seem to cry a lot in this story, huh? Oh well. I must have something for crying and hugs. How curious.
A little bit of a shorter chapter this time. Sorry about that. I've been trying to hit about 4K words per chapter, but this one worked out too nicely, so I cut it a little short. On the bright side, that means it comes out faster, right?
Thanks for all the responses. Hope you guys enjoyed this one too.
