Weiss paced the room nervously, speaking three words over and over again.

"I'm not ready, I'm not ready."

"Snowflake, please, calm down. You're not helping yourself by being so nervous."

The aristocrat ignored the girl that was sitting on her bed, watching her pace around the room with worried eyes. She continued to repeat the three word mantra as if her life depended on it.

Ruby sighed and looked at her wristwatch. Shit. The opening is in an hour, she has to get there soon. I have to calm her down.

The girl clad in red rose from her bed and went towards the girl that was apparently out of her mind. Ruby tried to grab one of her arms, but Weiss flailed and managed to take it out of the dark-haired girl's grasp. Ruby was more decisive the second time, jumping straight in front of Weiss and grabbing her shoulders.

"No, Ruby, let me go!"

"Weiss! Will you calm down and at least listen to me?"

"I can't… I'm not… It's bad…"

Weiss started muttering words that Ruby didn't find any sense in, so she decided to intervene in a different way. She pressed her lips to Weiss's and the receiver of the kiss let out a long breath through her nose. Thank heavens, at least she's not hyperventilating anymore.

Ruby pulled away and Weiss instinctively leaned in to reinitiate the kiss and made Ruby chuckle at the action. She's the cutest thing I've ever seen.

"Now, did you calm down at least a little?"

Weiss swallowed and exhaled. "Y-Yes. I'm fine."

"Now listen to me. The opening ceremony is in an hour. Drink something and we'll go down so you can get ready for your performance. And then you're going to go in backstage, not freak out, come on stage when your time comes, then dance your sexy little ass off and make this little girl right here," she gestured to herself with a thumb, "super proud to be your girlfriend. Do you hear me?"

Weiss nodded.

"No, no, no. This won't do. I asked 'Do you hear me?'"

"Yes," Weiss said in a low voice.

"I can't hear you."

"Yes." This time, the word was spoken a bit louder.

"Say it like you believe it!"

"Yes!"

"Good! Now tell me! What will you do?"

"I'll go out there and dance my sexy little ass off and make you proud to be my girlfriend!"

"You're god damn right, that's exactly what you'll do! Now have a drink of water and get ready to go down there!", Ruby exclaimed, gently smacking Weiss's super sexy petite ballet ass, as she dubbed it herself. The aristocrat jumped a little at the contact but said nothing as she went to prepare herself for the departure.

Ruby was watching her go about her business, thinking about the past few months since she first got to this college. I thought I will hardly find anyone to talk to. And look at me now, a taekwondo instructor with the cutest and prettiest girlfriend probably ever. Things changed a lot in just a few months. Nothing changed more than Weiss, though. She was a wreck back then. I'm glad I was around her. She's still not completely sure of herself, but she's getting there. She's been doing her assignments meticulously, as is expected from someone of her upbringing, but what changed the most is her character. She's pushing herself more and more towards the absolute maximum she can achieve and manages to tumble out of everything unfazed. She is getting into the character expected from an aristocrat. This dance, however…

Ruby believed it was simply because it was her first official performance as a student and already in front of a couple thousand people that will be watching the ceremony. It would not be easy for her, but Ruby believed in her new girlfriend and she tried her best to calm her down and relieve the pressure she was feeling, seemingly to no avail.

Weiss was almost ready now and she made Ruby know that, not that it wasn't obvious from her being dressed in her ballet suit with her super long white hair tied into a semi-bun style, her waist-length hair way too long for a traditional bun. The remainder of the free falling hair was then taken by Ruby who dutifully braided it in a long braid that went halfway down the back. The dress was a simple white tight-fit onesie with a super frilly short skirt. Ruby couldn't hold back and took another playful smack at the ballet dancer's ass. Weiss looked at her with loving eyes, biting her own lip and gave Ruby a short kiss. I'll be taking you out of this dress tonight, snowflake, and you'll enjoy it immensely.

The pair walked out of the room side by side, though not holding hands as Weiss still wasn't too keen on showcasing her relationship, and Ruby understood. That doesn't mean I like it, though. Ruby was the kind of girl that wanted to showcase her love at every step, showering Weiss with kisses and compliments until the girl was completely red from blushing. Weiss… She was more complicated, coming from a family that didn't approve of her orientation, that despised her love for girls. Ruby couldn't understand how Weiss could still harbour loving feelings for a family like that. Alas, Weiss made it clear that she still loved her family, simply for the fact that they were family.

Originally, Weiss told Ruby that they were going to perform in the school theatre. But the plans changed overnight when the influx of the students from three other colleges was so huge that most of the hotel rooms in the city were booked. The plan changed to an open air ceremony where three to four thousand people could easily watch it. Of course, the only place in the Fairbanks-Smith College that was large enough for a ceremony of that size was the lawn in front of it. Thank god it is sunny and not too cold, even though it is December already, Ruby thought to herself.

The stage itself was not too big and people in the back row would barely see anything, so there were two giant screens where the projection of the stage would be shown. The audience zone consisted of all the chairs the college had and it still wasn't enough seats for everyone.

On the way down to the stage, Ruby saw Cardin not too far from them. He still had black marks around his nose and was looking at the two of them with anger in his eyes. Ruby shot him a murderous glare and his anger turned into fear as he almost ran away in the other direction, which made Ruby chuckle. Not so tough now that your ass got handed to you by two girls separately, are you?

When the pair got to the backstage entrance, Ruby got behind Weiss and put her hands on her shoulders, kneading gently to relieve another small amount of pressure off her. Ruby felt Weiss melt at the touch. Weiss loved Ruby's touch so bad they wouldn't even sleep in separate beds since a few days ago when they got together. Ruby suddenly remembered that moment. I was never so hot and bothered before. I have to get back at her for that one day.

Ruby released the grip and Weiss turned around to face her. Or at least, tried to face her as she was a few inches shorter than usual, Ruby wearing a simple red cocktail dress with black frills that really pronounced her bosom and on her feet she wore a four inch dress shoes that matched her hair and dress perfectly. Weiss stood up on her fingers, barely reaching Ruby's mouth with her own and they shared a quick peck before Ruby held her in a hug.

"Remember, snowflake, go out there and make me proud."

"I will, rosebud. I will."

They parted and Ruby watched her disappear into the backstage and instead of going for a seat, she quickly jumped into town to take care of some stuff she believed had to be done.

Weiss took a deep breath and stepped in the ballet class changing room. Miss Garland was already there, dressed and with makeup done. She looks extremely well for a woman in her fifties, Weiss noticed. When she saw her teaching, she always looked different. Still very prim and proper, but not nearly as joyous or with that much makeup. Weiss was sure that the teacher's happiness will help her get through the performance easier. She also noticed a few other students from her ballet class there, already fixing their makeup.

"Miss Schnee, you're here at last! Come, come, you must show me the routine again so I can make sure it's as perfect as it's supposed to be. Not that you ever try to show anything less than perfection, of course."

It was days like these that made Weiss extremely happy to work with this woman. It even brought a smile on her face as she nodded. "Yes, Miss Garland, let's do this."

The teacher motioned for Weiss to follow and she obliged. Miss Garland led them to a room that was about the size of the stage. The two of them got in and shut the door behind them, the teacher quickly moving towards the radio in the corner of the room.

"Position yourself, Miss Schnee, we have no time to lose!"

Weiss hurried at her spot and readied herself for the start of her routine. Okay, like you practiced. One, two, three.

The music, Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto in B flat minor, started gently playing and Weiss started moving in rhythm. She closed her eyes and just let herself go with the flow of the gentle music. The two minutes the routine lasted for passed by so quickly that Weiss was almost sad when the music stopped.

"That was marvellous, dear," Miss Garland spoke up with her slightly touched voice, a voice that Weiss hadn't heard before. She was always this extremely serious lady that never showed her emotions, yet somehow now she was using a voice that meant nothing but admiration. Weiss felt like she just grew two inches. I can't fail now. I won't fail now.

"Now go and get your makeup done," the teacher said, back to her usual tone. Weiss nodded and took a quick step towards the changing room and in front of her mirror. She started applying the foundation when one of the girls started talking.

"Miss Garland is something else today, isn't she?"

The girl had mid-back-length black hair tied in a bun and deep brown eyes. Her facial features were unmistakably from Far East. Weiss wasn't really sure of the difference, but this girl seemed of Japanese heritage to her. She was born in Britain, though, so she didn't have even a slight accent. She was wearing the same outfit as Weiss. Her usual bow on the top of the head was removed for the performance, but Weiss knew it somehow represented her. She was usually very quiet so it was kind of weird for Weiss to hear her speak first. But the girl seemed clearly bent on talking with her that day.

"I have never seen her as jovial as she is today," Weiss answered.

"Exactly. And did you see her makeup? She's like a queen, the only thing she's missing is a crown."

Weiss chuckled. "I guess. Will she be performing too?"

"Probably. It seems like a waste to dress up like that just to watch the ceremony, don't you think?"

"Well, some people have weird hobbies."

"They do. At least weird hobbies are better than mindless hate, though."

Weiss felt confused. "What are you talking about?"

"Just how even in the twenty-first century some people are still discriminated upon simply because they're different."

Shit. Does she know I'm homosexual?

"Is someone discriminating against you?", Weiss asked, trying to mask her fear.

"Why do you assume I was talking about myself?"

Damn it, how do I pull myself out of this? "Well… You are from another country and I thought…"

"I'm not saying you're wrong. I'm being discriminated against, but it's not really that much of a deal to me anymore. I was talking more about you, Weiss."

"Whatever do you mean?"

"I saw you with the girl in a red dress before you got in. You seemed to enjoy her company a lot, but at the same time, there was fear in your eyes. The same fear I see now."

Weiss noticed she was shaking now. "I… It…"

"You made the farewell kiss so extremely short and I saw it pained you, that you wanted to give her a more proper goodbye. It's hard, isn't it? Hiding a part of what you are?"

Weiss was conflicted. On one hand, she was afraid of what the girl would say to her, but on the other, she seemed nice enough so far and didn't seem to mind her orientation.

"Yes," she finally uttered. "It is."

"Then why hide it?"

I can't tell you that. "I… That'll be enough."

She looked away, but could feel the girl's gaze on her face. Suddenly, the girl went behind Weiss and gently put a hand over her shoulder. Weiss was startled for a moment but then felt no hostility at the touch.

"I just wanted to say that I realize how you feel. And that I don't judge you. I wanted you to know that I know, but don't mind. That I accept you, and will comfort you if need be. Even if you have that girl, know that even if you didn't, you wouldn't be alone in this like I was before coming to terms with it. Even if your secret can be somehow hidden and mine can't be at all."

Weiss felt all warm inside. There's someone else that accepts me even when knowing what I am. Her confidence jumped through the roof at that point.

"Thank you, Blake," she said with a gentle squeeze of the hand at her shoulder. The raven-haired girl smiled.

"Miss Schnee, get ready, you're next. Miss Belladonna, you're immediately after her, so get ready as well," Miss Garland's gentle voice reminded the girls and they stood up to walk on stage.

Ruby was sitting in the front row, like she promised Weiss she would, with a single white rose in her hand, waiting for her love to come on stage. Which would be fine and dandy if the ceremony didn't keep going and going and going… Ruby was bored out of her mind and started drifting to sleep.

The people who spoke were talking about this and that, but Ruby paid no heed to them. Every now and then, the announcer would say that a dance or music number is about to come on, and Ruby perked up every time she heard those words. But Weiss was never one of the names that were mentioned and Ruby would sigh in sadness with every passing number. When she got there, it was still day, and it was night time already but there was still no mention of Weiss.

Finally, she heard the name she wanted to hear for so long.

"Thank you, headmaster Fairbanks, for that enlightening speech. And now it's time to let ourselves enjoy some nice, gentle ballet. There will be two solo acts now, first one being Weiss Schnee dancing to Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto in B flat minor, followed by Blake Belladonna dancing to Brahms' Hungarian Dance no. 6! Sit back and let yourselves drown in beautiful music and the emotional dancing of the two fine young ladies of Fairbanks-Smith College!"

Ruby started clapping furiously. Finally.

The announcer left the stage and the lights grew dim. A familiar figure to Ruby positioned herself in the middle of the stage and her heart started beating faster at the mere sight of Weiss's figure. Somehow, this fragile but still very firm aristocrat made Ruby feel even more alive than she already felt before meeting her.

The music started playing and the lights went to Weiss. Ruby noticed her immaculate makeup and that she seemed not even a bit nervous. Then she started moving to the music and Ruby's mouth was agape before she could process what was happening. The movement was so alluring that it made the girl watching almost forget breathing. Then she jumped in the air with grace befitting a gazelle more than a human and started rotating on the spot as soon as she landed and the crowd started clapping, so Ruby joined in, clapping fervently while never taking her gaze off the perfect girl that was dancing like her life depended on it.

Then the music faded out and Weiss did a curtsy. Ruby blushed at the childlike nature of the curtsy, stood up and threw the white rose on stage. It landed not two feet from Weiss, who looked at the flower and then at the audience, immediately spotting the person responsible for it. Ruby knew Weiss blushed in that moment, but her foundation covered the blush perfectly. It's almost like she knew I was going to do something like that.

Weiss then took the flower in her hands and smelled it. A wide smile was pasted on her face as she curtsied again and skittered off stage to give room to the girl that was mentioned before, but Ruby really paid no heed to her, sitting back in her chair as comfortable as possible and closed her eyes, trying to replay her girlfriend's dance in her mind, but she found it harder than she thought. She'll repeat that for me. Maybe not tonight, but one day soon and that time I'll make sure to record it.

The ceremony went on for another hour and Ruby could barely sit still when the announcer finally said it was over. She stood up in an instant and bolted for the backstage entrance, waiting for Weiss to come out. It seemed like an eternity to Ruby, but finally she saw the familiar white hair and pale face, fit for a princess. She was laughing and talking with someone when she saw Ruby.

"Ruby!", she exclaimed and ran towards her. Ruby grinned as she saw the white rose in her hands just before she threw them around the taller girl and Ruby enthusiastically returned the embrace.

"You did like I told you. You danced your sexy little ass off and made me proud, snowflake."

"Thank you for the rose."

"You like it?"

"It's beautiful. Now let go of me so that they won't get suspicious."

Ruby did as she was told with great sadness in her eyes. Suddenly the girl that Weiss was talking with when she came out spoke up, her hand on Weiss's shoulder.

"Weiss, no. Stop caring about what people think of you. They sure as hell won't."

Ruby spoke to the girl. "I don't believe we met. I'm Ruby."

"I'm Blake."

Ruby looked at the newcomer. Nice dark hair, her face looks Japanese, she's taller than both of us and nicely built, though no contest for my snowflake. And is that… It is! She has a fricking bow on her head! Oh damn, the bow makes her look somehow like she has kitten ears! Ruby nearly squealed, but managed to hold it in, partially.

"Nice bow! Do you wear it often?"

"Always, except on stage and while I'm sleeping."

"You're really pulling it off, you know! Not many girls can wear those and not look like some anime character."

Blake smiled. "I've never seen someone pull off red like you do, Ruby."

"Oh, stop it. There's no way nobody can pull it off like me."

Weiss interfered. "Well, Ruby, Blake here is a friend that I didn't know I had until earlier."

Ruby looked at Blake with suspicion. The black-haired girl seemed to notice that. "What? If you're worried, I'm straight. Even if I wasn't, I wouldn't dream of breaking you two apart."

Weiss blushed slightly at the words and Ruby stood there for a second, dumbfounded. "What? I wasn't thinking of that! No, no, no, I was thinking more along the lines of 'How come Weiss didn't know you were a friend until earlier?'"

"Oh," Blake said. "Well, to be honest, she should tell you, not me."

"Let's just say Blake's a very accepting type of person," Weiss said to Ruby, "and that she's seen us before I got in."

"Oh. Well, a friend of Weiss is a friend of mine, Blake!"

Ruby extended her hand and Blake happily shook it.

"Do you have any plans for tonight?", Weiss asked Blake.

"Actually I do. A very good friend of mine was watching me tonight and I agreed to go on a dinner with him after, if you get what I mean. So I have to go look for him. Be good to each other," Blake said with a wink that made Weiss blush.

"Good luck and see you around!"

"Same to you two!"

The red and white couple found themselves alone as Blake disappeared into the night.

"Come on, snowflake," Ruby said with a mischievous grin, "let me take you out of this super tight dress. It must be killing you."

Weiss chuckled. "And I bet my 'super sexy petite ballet ass' has nothing to do with your intentions, right, rosebud?"

"Oh, snowflake," Ruby replied, looking Weiss in the eye lovingly, "you don't know half of it. Then again, I am hungry too. How 'bout I buy my girlfriend a dinner first?"

Weiss looked at Ruby who was holding out her arm.

"I'd love to have a dinner with you," she said, sliding her own arm just above Ruby's elbow. "Though I have to change into something warmer."

Ruby nodded and led the two of them towards the dorm. Once there, Weiss noticed Ruby was looking at her with puppy eyes.

"What is it, rosebud?"

"Oh, nothing," the other girl retorted, not breaking the puppy eye contact. "I was just hoping I could take you out of this super tight dress of yours."

Weiss laughed. "Not passing any chance to feel me up, do you? Come on, then. But make it quick."

"Yay!" Ruby jumped with a smile and Weiss shook her head. As grown up as she usually is, she's sometimes still such a child.

"You're such a dolt sometimes, rosebud."

Ruby didn't answer, she just got closer and started tugging at the frilly skirt, which slid off effortlessly. She then started planting small kisses all over Weiss's belly before turning her around, pulling at the zipper on the back of the onesie that revealed the immaculate back, as white as ivory.

"You weren't wearing a bra underneath this?"

Weiss blushed. "I never do. It looks ugly and it hurts a little. And since I have small breasts, a sports bra is more trouble than it's worth."

"So I take it you aren't wearing panties either?"

"No, I wear those. They're just very thin so it actually feels like wearing nothing at all."

Ruby took off the top part of the dress, but not before thoroughly feeling Weiss's small but wonderfully firm breasts. Her nipples turned hard at the touch and Weiss was making short breaths already.

"Ruby, I… Don't think I'll be… Able to take… Much more of this… We might have to… Skip the dinner… If you don't stop."

Ruby silently obliged and helped Weiss's upper body get free from the dress. She then knelt, planting a gentle kiss on the small of the ballet dancer's back before pulling the onesie down to reveal the thin panties that Weiss talked about before.

Standing up again, Ruby turned Weiss around to face her and entwined their lips in a fervent kiss, her hands gently kneading the smaller girl's ass, to which she got a response in the form of muffled moans. Then they parted.

"Ruby, you dolt… At least buy me a dinner like you promised before you use me like this."

"Sorry. I got carried away a little. But you're just so beautiful, I can't really help it."

"It's okay," Weiss said while caressing Ruby's cheek. "Just let me put something on and then we can go."

Ruby nodded and sat down on her bed while Weiss went to take out a dress of her own. She chose a light blue chiffon evening gown, with a ballerina length skirt and a corset-like midriff. When she put it on, she heard Ruby gasp.

"My word, snowflake, you look like a princess in this dress!"

"Well, I kind of am," Weiss winked at her girlfriend and took a white bolero out of her closet and put it on. She then tried to search for a jacket to go with the dress, but surprisingly couldn't find one, so she just took a simple white faux-leather jacket. She looked at Ruby then, who had put on a black flannel jacket to go with her red cocktail dress she wore for the duration of the ceremony. Unlike Weiss's, Ruby's skirt was tea length. Looking at her girlfriend's legs, Weiss realized she still needed to put on some shoes. She quickly scanned the closet to find a pair of light blue court shoes with a four inch heel.

With that, Weiss was finally ready. Ruby was already next to her and they kissed before Weiss took Ruby's arm again and they started walking.

"Snowflake," Ruby said when they left the college property, "you'll never forget this dinner, I swear."

Weiss smiled and looked Ruby lovingly in the eye. "I'm sure I won't. Did you have any plans?"

"As a matter of fact, I did. Assuming you're talking about what I'm going to do to you when we return," Ruby said in a mischievous fashion.

"Not that, you dolt! I meant for the dinner," Weiss snapped back, but there was no bile in her voice. She even chuckled a bit.

"You're no fun," Ruby said and stuck out a tongue for a moment, to which Weiss let out a feigned gasp of outrage. "But yes, snowflake, I had some plans," she then added with a grin before kissing Weiss's forehead. "Just enjoy the surprise."

I don't really like surprises. But then again, how bad can it be? She knows my comfort zone, I hope. And it's just a dinner, for crying out loud! It's not like she's planning an adventure park date or something.

Date. Oh my god, it's a date. Our first real date.

Suddenly, Weiss shuddered in fear.

"Weiss, is something wrong?"

"Huh? N-No, nothing's wrong."

"I'm not really buying it. You're not a very good liar, you know?"

"Well, I… I'm not lying this time, it really is nothing!"

Ruby sighed. "I'm kind of nervous for this date as well, you know."

She reads me like an open book and I love her for it.

Chapter 5! Blake's introduction! Yes, I made her Japanese. I mean, she's a catgirl, for crying out loud!

On Wednesday, dinner! Some more familiar faces! Probably not without trouble, though, considering it's Ruby we're talking about here.

Thanks for reviews, follows and favourites!

Also, get well soon, Monty! This story would never see the light of day without your ideas!