*Foreword*
Hey. I know it's rather soon after my last post, but somehow I could not sleep and so I decided to put out another chapter. The last one was basically Ruby learning about things at the age of fifteen that most people learn about by the time they're ten. Now, Ruby's basically recovered and back in class. But will Goodwitch give her a break? Pfft, yeah right. Well, without much else to say here's chapter 24.
There are several things Ruby wanted to do at this moment. Sleep. Draw. Repair her precious monster of a weapon. But no, she was in class. Having to deal with more of Goodwitch and her duels. It was so boring only watching the fights, but Goodwitch would no doubt hold Ruby back from the fighting due to her being unarmed and having recently been injured. So while that weird vegetable head from CRDL fought Nora, Ruby simply lost herself in yet another weapons magazine. This month's issue was about how to give your bullets some more 'oomph' using regular black-powder dust and tree sap. Ruby thought it was boring, especially considering that nobody could match her rounds with sap or whatever (at least, according to her that is.)
Lost in her magazine, Ruby did not notice Nora's poor foe get sent flying over her head with a nicely placed smash and blast from Magnhilde. Ruby had always liked Magnhilde. It was so similar to Crescent Rose, and had such a lovely design. She once spent an hour geeking over it with Nora, who likewise loved Crescent Rose. Back to the present, she should have been paying attention. Especially because of the next words Goodwitch uttered.
"Mister Winchester and Miss Rose, in the ring."
Not responding immediately, Ruby had only snapped away from her magazine when her older sister began to argue loudly. Hearing her name a few times, Ruby wondered what Yang was so angry about. Paying attention to her sister, Ruby caught the conversation in the middle.
"-re doing to my little sister?! Ruby was just discharged from the hospital and doesn't even have her weapon! You can't honestly expect her to be able to properly fight, can you?!"
"Miss Xiao Long, I understand your concern for your sister, but you had better realize that this is still a class, you are still a student, I am still a teacher, and you listen to what I say. Now, Miss Rose, step into the ring please."
"Wait, you're going to make me fight?"
"Yes," said Goodwitch, as she heaved a sigh of fatigue. Seriously, these sisters posed more problems for Goodwitch than she cared to deal with.
"Fine. Let's go!"
At this proclamation, all heads in the room turned to Ruby, and all eyes were on her. Nobody had expected her to be so willing to fight, especially at such a major disadvantage. As it were, Ruby's leg still wasn't 100%. This meant that her insane speed, a trait from her semblance that allowed her to move faster than even a faunus' eyes could follow, was dropped to more manageable levels. And her weapon which made every student in Beacon fear for their safety simply from its sinister appearance, was out of commission. To the entire freshmen class, and even some of the upper class students, this was a great opportunity for either revenge, or a chance to earn some fame. Despite technically having forfeited the fight with Pyrrha, Ruby has no actual loses. Defeating her would boost one's rank immensely.
Which was the exact thought of one Cardin Winchester. After having been saved, by Jaune Arc of all people, and subsequently getting owned by Jaune, Cardin had been becoming more and more frustrated, and his position was falling quickly. He figured he could knock two birds down with one stone. Beat down Jaune's girlfriend to cause his anguish, and raise his ranking up several notches in the process. It was a win-win for him.
Readying himself in the ring, he awaited his weakened prey. Cardin's only thoughts were on beating Ruby and getting the fame he (falsely) believes he deserves.
Outside of the ring, Ruby was slowly working her way to where her opponent currently was preparing himself. Though everyone thought her slow movement was due to her injury allowing her down, this could be no further from the truth. Ruby's thoughts were not on the foe before her, nor of her own disadvantages. No. Her only thoughts were on fighting. Ruby loved to fight, she craved a good fight. Nobody ever wanted to fight her, and hunting Grim was generally not allowed. She rarely had a good chance to fight. And now, she actually had someone wanting to take her on. Even without Crescent Rose and with her right leg still being a little off, Ruby was looking forward to her fight.
Meanwhile, in the crowd surrounding the ring, Ruby's friends, teammates, sister, and boyfriend were all fidgeting around, becoming more and more anxious as she made her way to the ring. Out of concern for his girlfriend, Jaune pilled Ruby aside for a second.
"Ruby, are you insane? You are in no condition to fight!"
"What did you say?" Ruby's voice was almost dripping with venom. Turning to face her boyfriend, Ruby was showing a look similar to Yang's when she scared away any of Ruby's potential suitors. And it terrified Jaune. He had never seen Ruby look so downright murderous. Without even thinking, Jaune did the one thing he could do at this time. He simply leaned in and planted his lips on hers. The taste of chocolate and strawberries on her lips was positively intoxicating. But Jaune focused more on his now surprised girlfriend. Pulling away from her, all Ruby could do was stare at him.
"Ruby, please don't show me that face again. Ever. It was utterly terrifying. And I'm sorry if what I said offended you. I'm just concerned for you. But if you think you can do it, you can do it. Now, go out there and win. I believe in you."
After the little romantic scene, and a few "Awww"s and "Dawww"s and "Get a room!" (to which a very snarky Jaune responded "Already have one fellas."), Ruby had gotten up to the stage and stood before her opponent. Facing him confidently, with her mind as calm as ever, Ruby got into her battle stance. Meanwhile, opposite her, Cardin was doing the same. Hefting his mace upon his shoulder, he glared down on the younger, smaller girl with a look of arrogance. Confident of his victory.
"So Rose, ready?"
Without even a word, Ruby simply stared at Cardin. Observing. Calculating. Planning every move in advance. Her every fiber was focused on taking Winchester down. Every possible move planned, every possible variable accounted for. Her limited options due to lessened speed and no weapon did not even phase her.
And then Goodwitch called for the match to begin. Not missing a beat, Cardin charged forward, swinging his mace in a large arc over his head and down onto Ruby. Before the weapon had hit her, Ruby brought her left hand and pushed the weapon harmlessly aside, causing it to become embedded in the floor. With her next strike, she disarmed the large freshmen and knocked him a good distance from his weapon.
"So Winchester, ready?" Having disarmed him, Ruby had essentially removed one of Cardin's advantages; being armed. Without his weapon, Cardin would have to face Ruby in hand to hand combat. Thinking nothing of it, Cardin believed his large size would grant him the advantage.
Crouching into a wrestler's stance, Cardin readied himself for what Ruby assumed was another charge. Anticipating Cardin acting like a Boarbatusk, Ruby shifted her weight and switched her left hand to the front. A second later, Cardin proved Ruby's assumption correct. Pushing off, Cardin attempted to grab Ruby and put her into a grapple, believing his size and strength would allow him to subdue her before she could fight back. Having seen this coming, Ruby used her uninjured leg, and forced all of her strength and aura into one quick burst. A second later, Cardin came up empty handed, sans a few rose petals on his face. Standing straight up, he looked around for his small target, only to find her missing.
"What's wrong Rose, too scared to fight me head on?"
"Nope." The answer, in one of the sweetest sounding tones ever, came from… directly above. Looking up, Cardin saw Ruby, with the grace of a ballerina, and framed by the spotlight. Beginning to fall, Ruby used her arms and legs to spin herself. Using gravity and her own momentum, Ruby came down hard on Cardin, smashing into him with her left heel. The arm Cardin had used to defend, now had a noticeable dent in the armor covering it. Recoiling back from the surprise attack, Cardin began to favor his right arm. Without giving him much time to recover, Ruby sped in for the kill. Bringing her left knee into Cardin's face, her speed and the force of her knee had sent Cardin flying out of the ring and into the crowd.
At the results of the match, nobody could believe what they had just seen. Well, maybe Goodwitch could, as she had (somewhat) seen Ruby's skill in unarmed combat before. As it were, nobody could believe that someone who had sustained injuries the way Ruby had and who was unarmed was able to systematically take down a larger and armed opponent like Winchester. But among the stunned students was one who, although still surprised, was looking at Ruby with more warmth than awe.
"Good job Ruby. Think you can teach me some of that kung-fu later?"
"Jaune Arc, are you simply looking for an excuse to get me alone?"
"He he he, maybe," replied Jaune with a nervous chuckle and a sheepish grin. Taking her hand, Jaune helped Ruby down from the ring, inciting several overly exaggerated gagging gestures from the other students.
"Miss Goodwitch, may I be excused from class now? The fight just now agitated my leg a little bit, and I need to go and rest it."
"Very well Miss Rose."
"Oh, Miss Goodwitch, Miss Goodwitch. I'm worried for my leader's safety, seeing as how her leg isn't properly healed yet, so may I escort her back?" This coming from none other than Jaune himself, a guy who just a few weeks prior was as spineless as a jellyfish.
"Alright Mister Arc," said Goodwitch as she heaved her dozenth sigh of the day. She figured trying to say "No" would not turn out that well anyhow, so she might as well allow it. Taking Ruby's hand, Jaune led her from the classroom and took her back to the dorm, with their classmates, teammates, friends, and one incredibly annoyed older sister.
"That little twerp! Since when did he get game?" Yang seemed to ask the rest of the gang.
*Afterword*
So, I injured Cardin (again; I may be somewhat sadistic in this regard); made Ruby seem more like a badass (come on, that was to be expected when the story is written by a guy who is a devoted fanboy of hers); gave Jaune something he lacks in the show, which is game; and started to mellow Yang out in regards to her little sister's relationship. So yeah, hooyah for progress.
Anyway, kicking Cardin's 2-pack aside, I find myself wanting to add some new couples to the story, just for the lulz. Some (if not most) of you most likely have a guess as to one or two I'll be throwing in there. Well, you all likely know one of them, and the more genre savvy among you may be able to guess another. That one relies heavily on Chekhov's Gun. And any of you who manage to guess that one, my hats off to you.
And lastly, the next chapter will have Ruby fully recovered, but still weaponless. I'm not sure how I'll roll with this, but I think it will be fun. Or maybe just a chapter about her repairing Crescent Rose, and contemplating adding a dozen extra features. Oh boy, I've got to go look up more guns and explosives and stuff. I'm gonna let her get creative with this. Anyhow, ranting done. See you later.