A/N: I'm going to start to format these authors notes a bit better. Anything you need to read in regards to this story will be posted up at the top. Anything that is posted in the authors notes at the bottom is optional. I'll try this out and see how it ends up.
Team RWBY's dorm,
Weiss
Insecurity was a feeling that had long occupied her being. Ever since the constant attacks on her fathers company, never again had she slept a carefree night away, the constant threat of death looming in every shadow, around every corner. Before her fathers company came under constant attack, her life was different. She brought her hand up to her face, her middle and index finger tracing the scar whose memory still played vividly in her mind. Her thoughts were quickly interrupted by the innocent and joyful voice of Ruby, who seemed rather unphased by the chain of events that she had just taken part in.
"Hey Weiss, are you feeling alright? I mean, I know that you can take care of yourself, but are you feeling alright?" She questioned cautiously, ensuring that her happy persona still shone through, but caution lay sprinkled in her question, afraid that she'd set Weiss off again.
"Yeah, I am Ruby. I don't always need your help. I appreciate that you are looking out for me, but as you told your sister, I don't need you looking over my shoulder every moment that I draw breath." She retaliated, her cold shell, while damaged, still held a dominant part of her personality hostage, the real Weiss forced to remain hidden.
"Yeah, but Yang would have killed you today. Are you really sure that you're fine. I'm your team captain, and hopefully your friend. I really don't want anything to be wrong with you. I want to make sure that you're ok." She whispered innocently, her intentions pure. While most people had a way of manipulating people with carefully placed words and lies, Ruby was not one. Her soul was clean and innocent, free of the dangers and cruelty the real world held.
"I'm fine Ruby. I've been fine, I am fine, and I'm going to be fine. You just worry about yourself, and I'll worry about myself. That's how it is, and that's how it should be." She replied sternly, forcing herself to remain the ice queen that she had been made out to be. That's who she was, and despite hating it, she had to keep it.
"Why do you keep pushing me away Weiss? I just want to be your friend. Why do you have to keep being so rude when all I want to do is help you?" She demanded, her innocent tone picking up integrity. Despite being kind and innocent, she was still the sister of Yang, and she could get answers when they were needed.
"You want to know why I keep pushing you away Ruby? It's because I don't need you. I appreciate the thought that you're putting in to it, but I really just don't need your help. I'm strong enough to defend myself." Weiss insisted, before whispering to herself. "It's how I've survived these last few years."
While Ruby didn't take kindly to the words, she understood what Weiss was getting to. She was a strong woman who was more than capable of defending herself. And despite being her team leader, there were times that she just needed to trust her teammates. That time was not always, but it was now.
"I know Weiss. But sometimes you just need a friend to talk to. Someone who you can trust." Ruby reasoned, trying to get Weiss to confess that she did indeed have to talk to her. "And Yang isn't here. It would just be me and you, right?"
"Ruby, I've already said this a dozen times, I'm fine. I don't need your help. Shouldn't you be getting ready for the tests in an hour instead of worrying about me?" Suggested Weiss, clearly wanting to leave the topic behind.
Why do I keep pushing her away? Why do I keep declining her help when we both know I need it? Why do I need to keep being so cold towards her? Why can't I just learn to trust her?
"Yeah, I guess." Replied Ruby, defeat weighing down her normally energetic voice. "I don't want to weigh you down when we get out there and get you a B or something."
"Good. You're learning more everyday."
One hour later,
Outside the emerald forest
The second year students lined up, all waiting on their pedestals for the test to begin. Ahead of them stood Ozpin, his figure unwavering. Everyone checked over their weapons again and again, ensuring that nothing would go wrong. Finally, after what felt like forever, Ozpin spoke.
"Welcome back, second year students, to where your journey at beacon first began. For those of you who are wondering as to why you are redoing your initiation, the answer is simple. You are not. And let me explain why. Last year, you passed this test mostly alone, as a testament to why you were at this school. This year, we must ensure that you and your partner can cooperate well enough to complete this test together. The test this year is as follows. You and your partner will be launched together, with the sole complication that you will be tied together at the ankles. Once you land, you are free to remove these chains, but not before then. Once you have landed, you are to grab a large bucket of water from the center of the forest and return it here. That is all you must do to pass. Do any of you have any questions or concerns?" After moments of silence, he continued. "We wish the best of luck to you all, and as always, you are being timed. The test begins once everyone has been connected to their partners."
Several teachers walked around, connecting the duos together at the ankles. Weiss released a grunt to signify her anger, but didn't speak a word. She looked over to she the smiling face of her partner, optimistic as always, her smile increasing Weiss's hopes that they'd land alive.
"Are you ready Weiss? I'll try to follow your lead and try not to mess you up." Assured Ruby, her self confidence having clearly not recovered. Stinging pains shot in Weiss's chest, knowing that she was the reason why Ruby was so afraid. Her leader merely bowed over and obeyed every word that Weiss said without so much as a second guess. Her body yearned for her to tell the girl that she should lead, but all she could manage was a nod.
"You launch in ten seconds. Once again, good luck, and I hope to see you all back here by sunset." Ozpin said as he walked away, leaving the students to themselves. They all prepared their stances, the platforms beginning the angling that would shoot them off into the forest, leaving them to fend for themselves.
Weiss continued the mental countdown in her head. Five, four, three. She shot a look over to her partner, whose face now bore a look of determination, her body tensed and ready. Two, one, launch.
The platform launched them into the air and away from the cliff, propelling them off into the emerald forest. Wind threw their hair and clothing around, the distance between themselves and the ground shrinking with every second they flew, the canopies becoming more and more distinguishable. Weiss threw a glyph at their feet, bouncing them up and slowing their downwards momentum. The link between them tugged as they tried to separate from each other naturally, but to no avail. The chain held strong, refusing to snap no matter how hard they pulled. Ruby quickly drew crescent rose, preparing for the decent into the canopy. As soon as they neared, Weiss threw out another glyph, rapidly slowing down their speed. This gave Ruby the time she needed to connect her blade to a tree, pulling them in and allowing them to descend the rest of the way down in safety. As soon as they hit the ground, Weiss began to fiddle around with the chain, quickly removing it and granting them their freedom back.
"That could've gone worse huh Weiss?" Ruby chimed as she withdrew crescent rose to its smaller, portable version. "We could've hit a tree, we could've hit the ground, we could have…"
"I get it Ruby, we could have died. Now let's just keep on going and try to find these buckets of water that Ozpin was talking about earlier. I don't want to be in here anymore than you do, and I just want to get back to the school and be safe in my room."
"I really don't mind it out here actually. It gives us some time to talk."
"I don't want to talk Ruby. I want to concentrate and try to find my way home as soon as possible." Weiss retorted, shutting down Ruby's attempts at conversing.
"Please Weiss? We haven't had a friendly conversation since last summer. Can't we just try and get along?" She pleaded, trying to convince her partner to open up.
"No. We cannot. Let's just try and find these pails and get heading back. Us talking isn't going to help us accomplish that any faster. Now do you have any idea which way these pails are located at?" Weiss asked, having no idea whatsoever where they were supposed me be going.
"Well, Ozpin did say at the middle of the forest. So I'd say looking over there would probably be a good start." She suggested as she extended her arm towards the middle of the forest, trying not to smile at the embarrassment that her partner was experiencing.
An hour later,
Middle of the forest
The center of the forest was far more noticeable than they had anticipated. It was a large clearing, perhaps three hundred feet in diameter, with a large stone table placed directly in the middle. On it sat a dozen buckets, some clearly missed from their place. Around the table, freshly spilt blood was burying itself into the dirt, tattered fabric laying haphazardly around.
"It seems like some of our friends didn't really bear that well against the Grimm huh?" The thought crawled through ruby's mind as she envisioned what happened. Students overwhelmed by Grimm, limbs scattered as they tried to fight them off. Her body shuttered as she tried to push away the thoughts. Her partner, upon seeing her partner's grief tried her hardest to provide whatever comfort she could.
"Don't think of that Ruby. Let's just get ourselves a pail and get out before the Grimm even knows we're here." Proposed Weiss, the thought of their fellow student's demises grazing their way through her thoughts. She refused to show any signs of fear, her inner heiress refusing to do so.
"But what if they find us when we're bringing up the water? What are we supposed to do if one of us is carrying it? If we spill the water, we fail."
"Then you just put the water down you dunce. And once we're done, you just pick the water back up. It's not that hard to understand. Now hurry up, we've got a long ways to walk back." Asserted Weiss, the confined anger in her voice threatening to seep through.
Ruby picked up one of the buckets of water and begun to carry it back the way they came. Weiss led the way, muscles tensing at every movement the forest made, unsure of what secrets it held. The petite girl behind her carried the water silently, a trait very uncharacteristic for her. Hints of fear laced her mind, unsure of the nature of her partner's silence. Was she still afraid of her? Would they have a repeat of earlier today? She wanted to ask her partner if she was alright, if something was up. But her inner heiress and situation they were in forced her silence.
"Hey Weiss, this water is getting heavy. I'm not sure I can carry it all the way up the cliff. Can we take a fast rest?" Her breathing rapid and inconsistent, and with good reason. It had been at least an hour since they begun their trek, and they hadn't even stopped to let the girl take a breath. It was surprising that she could still stand under her own power.
"Of course, but try not to take too long" Weiss acknowledged, her eyes rising to the sky. The beautiful blue fading away as darkness consumed it. "We don't have a lot of sunshine left, and once it gets dark, we won't be going anywhere."
Ruby quickly collapsed to the ground, ensuring that the water didn't splash out of the nearly full bucket. Her lungs strained to meet their owners desperate need of energy. They were resting in a relatively open field, other than several collapsed trees and boulders with the occasional brush. Weiss whistled, pointing up the cliff.
"Once we get up there Ruby, we're safe. It's not much longer. Do you think that you can keep going?" Weiss asked, concerned for her partners well being. She had only been walking for the last hour, and she was feeling the strain of the forest. Her partner had been carrying a pail of water, with enough concentration to prevent it from spilling,
"I didn't know that you could care Weiss. Maybe it's you who's acting up today." She struggling out, her breathing still heavy. "But if it'll make you happy, I'm more than ready to get going." She proclaimed, a wide smiling appearing on her face.
"You're a dunce, but you're a tough dunce. Now let's get going before the rest of this light is gone." She proposed. "Are you sure that you can do it? You've been carrying that around for quite a while."
"I'm sure Weiss. You can trust me." She assured as she gave her trademark smirk.
"Alright, let's get going. I really don't want to sleep in the woods tonight. Especially THESE woods." She emphasized.
A quick noise from behind them took their attention, the field being occupied by yet another being. The Ursa looked at them through its Grimm mask, releasing a forest shaking roar. Myrtenastar was whipped from its sheath, its blade pointed at the now approaching Grimm.
"Um Weiss, are you sure that you can take it down by yourself?" Ruby asked with concern, unsure if her partner could take down the Ursa by herself.
"Jaune did it by himself. If he can do it, I'm certain that I can as well. Now just keep going, I'll catch up with you in a second." She said with a wave of her hand, signifying further for her partner to continue moving.
She placed her right foot in front of her left, straightening her shoulders. myrtenastar was held firmly in one hand, her other out to her side for balance. She held her ground against the charging Ursa, waiting for her time to strike. Its constant pace made it simple to predict. Her muscles tensed, her breath quickened.
"You can do this Weiss. You can beat a singular Ursa. Jaune did it, you can do it to." She told herself, prepping herself as much as she could.
The Ursa reached striking distance of Weiss, raising its right arm. Weiss took the opportunity to leap above it, her agility far outmatching her clumsy, brute opponent. myrtenastar quickly found its way into the Ursa's back, only stopping once the hilt hit its skin. The Ursa whipped its free hand back at the heiress, forcing her to withdraw her weapon and leap backwards. The Ursa turned around to face her, rage swirling in its eyes. It charged again, this time not raising an arm to attack. Weiss prepared for the charge, her right leg tensing. At the last possible second she rolled to the left, her foot scratching against its rough fur as she regained her stance. She charged back in, the blade going right into the Ursa's side, causing the brute to lose composure. With one more withdrawal and thrust, the monster collapsed to the ground, one last roar signifying its passing.
"That'll show them what happens when you pit brute force against training and complexity." She boasted to herself as myrtenastar made its way back into its sheath, its job accomplished for now. "It's just weird that there was only one. Ursa always seem to travel in…" She realized as she turned around, three more of the large creatures filling her view. "Packs" she whimpered weakly, turning to run. myrtenastar was immediately taken back from its sheath. Her legs tensed to run, but it proved no use. A brute force smashed into her right side, launched her over twenty feet, her body coming to a sliding stop seconds after. She raised her had to her ribs and felt nothing out of the ordinary. Her aura had absorbed the blow, but faltered after doing so. Their auras could absorb a beating and a half, but a pure, unfiltered hit from an Ursa wasn't something that it shrugged off lightly. She lifted Myrtenastar, forcing a glyph to appear between her and her attackers. The glyph, large and white as snow, halted the beast's charges, but could only slow them down. They sat between her and the cliff, between her and Ruby.
"Ruby!" Weiss screamed in terror, her composure weakening. There was only so much that her training could force her to do. Remain calm in the face of sheer terror was not one. Her body shook, unsure of what to do. The Ursa managed to make their way around the Glyph quickly, resuming their charges. She lifted myrtenastar weakly, her normally steady grip faltering, shaking in the face of her oppressors.
Their simultaneous charges were suddenly cut short as the middle one collapsed to the ground, sliding to a stop mere feet ahead. The other two turned around, trying to find the location of the shooter. A crack was heard in the distance, and a second later, all that was left of the one of the left's head was a pillar of roses. A streak of read flew from the beginning of the cliff, streaming past the remaining Ursa, leaving both pieces that remained of it against the ground. Ruby came to a sliding stop, crescent rose now bearing yet another shade of red.
"Are you alright Weiss? I heard you screaming and then I came back and then you were freaking out and then there were Ursa's and then…" She sputtered, her mind processing her thoughts faster than her mouth could get them out. "I thought that you said that you had it handled!" She announced, retracting crescent rose into its more compact state and placing it back against her hip.
"I'm sorry for scaring you Ruby. They just came out from nowhere and I was… I was too confident." She explained, her composure returning. She pulled out her scroll, and checked the level of her aura. The bar flashed with red, only inches from empty. Upon noticing this, Ruby freaked out.
"Are you sure you're alright Weiss? Your scroll says your aura is almost empty. Did you break anything, do you hurt anywhere?" She stammered, concerned over the situation of her partner.
"No Ruby, I can take care of…" She froze. Her encounter with the Ursa's proved that she wasn't able to take care of herself. If Ruby hadn't of returned, she'd be dead. There was no question. She thought too highly of herself, and she almost died for it. She ran up to Ruby and wrapped her arms around the girl's ribs, pulling her closer and placing her head on the girls shoulder. "If you tell anyone that I did this, I will hurt you." She threatened, her voice cracking.
Ruby returned the hug, happy to know that Weiss was alright. She didn't say anything, afraid that if she did, that might ruin the moment that they were having. She placed her right hand on the back of Weiss's head, gently stroking her hair. After a few minutes, Weiss let go began her trek towards the top of the cliff.
"Now don't you go thinking that doesn't make you a dunce anymore. But just know that I'm thankful for you coming back and saving me. I owe you one. But don't you go telling anyone else that either. Now let's get back to Beacon. I'm sleeping in my own bed tonight."
Ruby smiled as the heiress walked away. No wall was unbreakable, nothing impossible.
Weiss's legs carried her away from the petite figure that stood behind her. And no matter how hard that she tried to push them away, thoughts of her leader kept returning to her mind, thoughts of friendship, thoughts of… She pushed those thoughts away.
They reached the top of the hill well after the sun had set, the trek up the cliff threatening death if they so much as slipped up. Once they reached the top, they met the familiar face of Ozpin who happily sat next to a dust lantern, a small notepad and scroll in his hands.
"Welcome back girls. I take it by the fact that you are currently panting like we had sent you up a mountain, that the journey was not easy." He joked, looking at the two exhausted girls in front of him. The trek took its toll on everyone, even showing signs of strain on Pyrrha.
"Excuse me for my interruption, but you did send us up a mountain." Weiss coughed as she pointed behind her towards the cliff they had just climbed before collapsing her knees into the ground.
"No, that comes next week." Ozpin announced with a smirk after seeing the girls reactions. "Anyways, onto the task at hand, what of the pail that we sent you to retrieve?"
The thought never crossed Weiss's mind. She didn't have the strength to carry it back, and she hadn't noticed Ruby carrying it either. Defeat flared inside her mind as she looked back, expecting the fail.
"I'm so sorry professor Ozpin. I was carrying it, and then there was Ursa and then there was Weiss and then they…" She explained quickly before being abruptly interrupted by Ozpin.
"That's good. You two pass the challenge. If you'd like to head back to your dorms to rest, you deserve it. You still must attend classes tomorrow of course, but for this assignment, you two pass with flying colours. Congratulations." He addressed as he wrote down on his notepad and scroll. "If you'd like to stay and talk for a minute Mrs. Schnee, I'd be glad to have your company.
Ruby slumped back towards the dorms, her eyes drooping as she thought of the warmth of her bed.
"Good night professor Ozpin. Good night Weiss." She shot behind her droopily, continuing the slump towards her dorm. Once she was out of earshot, Ozpin spoke.
"You may be wondering why exactly you passed, am I correct Mrs. Schnee?" He spoke confidently, continuing after he received a nod from Weiss. "The point of this challenge was not to see if you were still battle ready. It was to see how much you trusted your partner, and how much they trusted you back. You were certain that you could handle the Ursa by yourself, but failed to acknowledge the simple facts that were taught to you. You knew that Ursa travelled in small packs, but your pride got in your way."
"No it didn't! I just wanted to get back home as fast as I could, and if she came and helped me, that would only slow us down." She defended, her voice weak and exhausted from the trek.
"Then why not send Mrs. Rose to handle it. She is far faster than you due to her semblance; she could have done it and caught up to you before your tenth pace hit the dirt. But instead, you denied her help and denied her strength and did it on your own. You are a strong and wise student. But you cannot see what lies beneath the surface. This is a lesson that you will learn harshly soon enough. But as of right now, I suggest you go to sleep. You deserve it. Good night Mrs. Schnee." He dismissed, Weiss returning to her feet.
"You're not leaving yet. You wouldn't just stay here and wait for no reason at all. You're a busy man. Who's still down there?" She asked, sure that he was waiting for someone.
"That is of my concern. Good night Mrs. Schnee" he dismissed again, looking back towards the cliff. Weiss began the journey back to her dorm, her legs filled with pain and her mind with questions.
A/N: Alright. Now for the things that aren't necessary to the story, but just my thoughts. First off, these last two chapters have both been over four thousand words each. (The last one was actually exactly 4000, believe it or not) and I don't even know where the time went when I was done. I'm really hoping that you guys are enjoying the story. This stories follows are going up through the roof. It's already beaten my other story that's been up for three months now. Wow. Maybe this will hit 100 eventually. That's my goal. Might change eventually. Also, thank you for the reviews that have been coming in. I read them within ten minutes after they're posted. You guys are awesome.
In other news, I'd like to give you a little bit of information about me. Or rather, the way I write. I like to use word play to hide things out of the way that some of you might notice. I do this A LOT in my writing. Little hints or tidbits of information that might get you thinking about what they mean. There's one in what Ozpin says, one in what Weiss says to Ruby in the field, one in what Ruby says to Weiss in the field, and a few more. I love doing this. See if you can catch them.
Anyways, thank you for reading, and keep the feedback and follows coming. Really keeps me wanting to write. If it wasn't for you guys following, reviewing and favoriting, this chapter wouldn't been up tonight. So I guess this chapter is for you guys.
Also, got new cover art, which is completely amazing. The picture is so good. If you want to go check out some of his other work, you can check him out at einlee on deviantart. That's enough of a rant for tonight, and thanks you.