A/N: Hello readers! Thank you for continuing to support this little idea of mine. You know, it's still hard to believe all the positive feedback I'm seeing! Anyways, I would like to finish this author's note in an uncharacteristically serious way.

Some of you may know Monty Oum, creator of RWBY, passed away this week due to a freak allergic reaction. As a big fan of his work I want to dedicate this next chapter to the memory of Monty. It's not much, but please rest in peace.

"A girl can be your best friend, worst enemy,

a real sweetheart, or a real bitch.

It all depends on how you treat her."

~ ~0~ ~

The Princess and the Pauper

- Chapter 2: Negative Friend or Positive Enemy -

~0~

As dawn approaches the town of Patch, empty streets bathe in modest rays of morning sunlight. All activity had ceased less than an hour prior, Vytal partygoers returning home and drunkards stumbling aimlessly from their bars, leaving all denizens of the port city sound asleep in their beds. All citizens, that is, except for one.

Brown eyes blink for the hundredth time that night. Closing briefly, though never staying shut long enough to actually fall asleep. But, how could she be expected to rest when a stranger had taken over her bed?

Ruby glances over at her visitor from her spot on the floor, clutching her knees nervously to her chest. It had been a stupid, split second decision on her part. She knew next to nothing about the girl lying across from her, aside from the fact that she had beautiful hair, and yet she took her in and saved her from the guards at the risk of her own life.

What am I thinking! Ugh, I am so stupid! The guards aren't complete morons; eventually they'll initiate a door to door search. When that happens we'll be sitting ducks! But… she looks so scared, so helpless… I couldn't have just sat there and watched. I felt obligated to do something.

~0~

(Earlier that night: In the alley)

Silver eyes flash and in an instant the red cloaked girl disappears, moving far too quickly for the human eye to track. A sharp chop to the back of the runner's neck immobilizes the girl, allowing her to fall freely into the arms of her savior. The sheer dead weight of the unconscious girl was enough to make the blacksmith stagger, forcing her to slow down and adjust to her new burden.

"How can such a dainty looking girl weigh so much? God, what does she eat!?" Ruby grumbles as she bounces from alleyway to alleyway, struggling to keep a secure hold on her parcel and stay out of sight simultaneously. By time the pair arrived at the Xiao Long/Rose residence the blacksmith could barely stand, her body extremely strained from the continual use of her semblance.

While running at full speed, while finally using her power to its full capacity, the hooded girl felt hot electricity running through her veins. It was… intoxicating to say the least. She felt unstoppable, drunk with power, like a being rivaled only by the gods themselves

But, once the high faded and the adrenaline pumped out of her system so did any, and all, of her remaining energy.

Ruby groans, the color of her irises' flashing back and forth like dysfunctional strobe lights, and lifts a hand in an attempt to massage the growing pain in her temples. "Note to self, never use my ability to carry an unconscious, possibly dead, body through town. I wonder if this is what a hangover feels like… Ugh, who cares maybe I'll ask Yang tomorrow."

She readjusts her grip on the package in her arms, limbs shaking as she struggles to hold the other girl steady while she unlocks the shop's door. The trek towards her bedroom was precarious, full of traps surely set up by some evil force in an attempt to trip her up. There was a falling plate, a stray black cat that crossed her path, and of course, Yang.

The blonde lay right where her little sister had left her, passed out on the soot stained forge floor. Her bright blonde mane lay spread out in a circle around her head, giving her the appearance of a rather sleepy lion. Ruby used the blonde locks, which glowed like flames even in the pitch black workshop, as a guide for where to step and not step.

Ruby heaves a heavy sigh as she closes the door to her quarters with a well placed kick, laying the still unconscious girl onto her bed. She takes a seat on the floor across the room from the slumbering runner, content to sit and wait for the other girl to awaken.

I'll sit here all night if I have to…

~0~

(Present time: The next morning)

God, who knew I would actually sit here all night... I know I didn't hit her hard enough to cause permanent damage. But, what if I did? No, my semblance is related to speed not strength. She's been on the run for who knows how many days; I have no idea how long it has been since she had a proper nights sleep. Yeah, that must be it! After all...

Ruby breaks out of her reverie, startled by a sudden movement in her peripheral vision. A pale arm, whiter than her own subtle skin tone, shifts to cover its owner's face and block out the morning sunlight. The girl slowly sits up, rubbing icy blue eyes sleepily as she takes in her surroundings. The cloaked girl moves to lower her hood, drawing the stranger's attention to her presence.

Ruby opens her mouth to speak, to soothe any fears other girl may have, but her "guest" beats her to it.

"Where am I? Who are you? You had better have a feasible explanation for kidnapping me, and holding me against my will. Otherwise, my father will have your head! He has a very particular set of skills!"

The raven-haired teen visibly flinches, astounded at how quickly the quiet, sleepy girl she had watched over for hours (Which is not creepy at all!) turned into such… a deafening character. In all honesty, the girl reminded her of a startled bird, a peacock in particular. She was probably frightened, feeling backed into a corner, and decided that the best course of action would be to squawk and puff up her feathers.

"Well?"

"Uh…" Ruby starts, struggling to form a coherent response under the chill of her guest's icy glare. "Y-you were being chased. That's right! Um, you were being chased by some guards and I just happened to be passing by. So I saved you and brought you back to my shop to hide out."

The girl raises a snow white eyebrow, taking in Ruby's nervous habit of fiddling with the ends of her shaggy bangs while she speaks. "If what you are saying is the truth, though I'm not convinced, then was it the guards who knocked me unconscious? I don't have any memory of them catching up, nor of an intervention by someone like you."

Brown eyes widen at the question, it was a logical one, but not one she had a pre-planned answer for. "Oh, um that was me. I figured carrying you would be the fastest way to escape…"

The white eyebrow, which had stayed raised, gradually rose higher throughout the short explanation until it completely disappeared under the girl's modest bangs. "What were you thinking!? Do you have any idea of the damage you could have caused!? Of how much worse the situation could have been if you had been seen aiding me!?"

"H-huh?"

"What are you, brain dead? At least ask someone if they even want your help before knocking them unconscious and kidnapping them! I would have been fine on my own, but thanks to your little stunt this whole miserable city is in danger!"

"I uh…"

"But, you didn't think, did you? You just wanted to play the hero, to save the pretty damsel in distress. Well you know what? Thank you, thank you for nothing. Because of you this insignificant island town will be…"

A hand shoots out, effectively cutting off the runner's angry rant. Ruby, with her eyes screwed shut, doesn't check to see if the formality is accepted, and instead starts speaking in a rushed manner. "My name is Ruby Rose, caretaker of this modest forge. I am so sorry for causing you any trouble, and will do anything within my power to make it up to you!"

"What?"

The younger girl smiles sheepishly, her first positive facial expression since her guest awoke. "Well, I figured we're partners now, partners in crime. And, as your partner I should know at least one thing about you, your name. Unless you prefer I stick to nicknames. Which do you prefer, Snow Angel or Ice Queen?"

A cold hand hesitantly grasps Ruby's outstretched one, shaking the appendage firmly in an almost businesslike grip. "You really want to start making things up to me? Call me Weiss, Weiss Schnee. Also…" She leans closer to the blacksmith, icy pools glinting dangerously as they stare into skittish almond orbs. "If you ever, and I mean ever, call me Snow Angel again there will be severe consequences. Got it?"

Ruby audibly gulps and nods her head, opening her mouth give Weiss a discernible response.

Thump Thump Thump

Three violent knocks pound Ruby's closed door, the wooden bar keeping the entrance locked straining and shifting beneath the incredible strength behind the blows. "Rubes are you awake yet!? You need to open the shop soon, and the forge is completely dead. I would try to start it, but you know what happens when I'm near fire…"

"Who is that?" Weiss whispers frantically, eyes wide with barely concealed panic.

The blonde resumes her pounding, cheerful tone gradually shifting in timbre as annoyance seeps into her voice. "'C'mon open up, I can hear you moving. I know you want to sleep some more, trust me I do too, but you need to get ready! "

"That's my sister, Yang." Ruby replies in a hushed voice, frantically looking around the scarcely furnished room for a possible hiding place for her unwelcome guest. "You need to get under the bed and hide, like right now. Before she…"

The wooden bar held out for one final blow before splintering cleanly in half, scattering small wooden splinters in the doorways. The blacksmith's door slowly, ominously even, swung open to reveal a pissed off Yang. Her blonde brows were furrowed, canines were bared, and mouth was already open to start chewing her sister out.

"Ruby Rose! I have been banging on your door for…" She trails off, eyes glued to the intruder. Yang blinks, staring at the other girl like she was an extinct animal or perhaps their first dog Eins back from beyond the grave. Her expression changes rapidly, at a pace severe enough to cause emotional whiplash. It started as confusion, then changed to disbelief, and finally adjusts into something akin to acceptance and maybe a bit of pride. The blonde's angry scowl morphs into a grin that could only be described as wolfish, nearly predatory. "Now I understand~ You are a little young for this sort of thing, but I suppose everyone has to discover their tastes sometime. Good job little sis, she's a real beauty!"

The girls turn to face each other, each mirroring the other's confused expression. It was naïve, little Ruby who decoded her sister's words first, face turning a shade darker than her crimson cloak. But, considering the position they were discovered in Ruby almost didn't blame the blonde for jumping to conclusions, almost.

Weiss still sat were she awoke, balanced precariously on the edge of her hostess' bed. But, that would have been socially acceptable; an event easily explained by a simple white lie. Unfortunately for them, that wasn't all. Ruby stood partially over her visitor, palms supporting her weight on the edge of her bedframe and their faces were no more than a few inches apart. The two simply hadn't moved away from each other after Weiss finished her up close and personal threat, not that Yang would believe it even if they told her.

"N-no Yang it's not what you think! I saved her from the guards and then carried her here last night, which wasn't smart, but I couldn't just walk away! We aren't romantically involved at all; in fact, I'm pretty sure this girl despises me. I've done nothing but cause trouble for her and our town. Heck, she doesn't even count as a real friend, more like a negative friend. Or maybe a positive enemy… but that doesn't matter!"

"Are you being sarcastic?" Yang asks, her signature sly smile not once slipping from her face.

"No Yang I'm completely serious! This entire time I've been trying to explain that…" The cloaked girl stops, stunned by a sudden soft pressure on her left shoulder. She catches a flash of white moving out of the corner of her eye, rising slowly from the bed and silently approaching the cheeky blonde.

Weiss curtsies gracefully, the classy gesture severely undermined by her ridiculously oversized ashy cloak. "My name is Weiss Schnee; it is a pleasure to meet you. I assure you that the story your sister just vomited at you, no matter how ludicrous, is entirely factual. I had a hard time accepting it too, but it's the only plausible explanation. She saved me from the guardsmen last evening and then brought me here. And, even though it was against my will, I suppose I am grateful for her assistance. Now if you would excuse me, I will leave you two to discuss your business matters." With a flourish she struts out of the room, giving the sister's some privacy and initiating her own version of a home tour.

The sisters' eyes follow her retreating back, lopsided ponytail swaying with every step. Yang breaks the silence with a low wolf whistle. "Your little girlfriend is a real spitfire, little sis. Good luck handling all that attitude." She lays a supportive, yet goading, hand on the blacksmith's small shoulder. "I'm going to go open up the shop, maybe tend to the front counter while I'm at it. Now, you could stand in here all day, but someone needs to start the forge. We both know I can't do it, and somehow I doubt your "friend" has ever started a fire on her own."

Ruby stands stock still, not even blinking when the blonde exits. She clenches her fists, hushed tone mimicking that of a frustrated child. "She isn't my girlfriend…"

The blacksmith removes her cloak, changing into clothing more suitable for smithing. A long-sleeved linen shirt covered her slim torso, pulling over and reaching the top of her thighs. This, coupled with deerskin breaches and a heavy-weight, leather apron gave the teenage girl a more masculine appearance. It wasn't her preference to appear manly, she couldn't pull of the look like Yang, but blacksmithing had always been a predominantly male profession. Showing femininity could only be interpreted as a sign of weakness, and weakness was intolerable, especially in such a patriarchal society.

Ruby sighs, pulling on a pair of tinted goggles to complete the outfit. She counts herself lucky that as a blacksmith such an article is considered acceptable to wear during work hours. A hood works well to counter any… unusual optical coloring changes, but goggles are absolute. They work not only to protect her semblance enhanced irises from prying eyes, but also from the forge's excruciating fire.

The blacksmith stretches, rotating her shoulder in a pained fashion, exiting the room as she does so. She takes one last look over her shoulder, eyes warily scanning the now empty bedroom. "Could have sworn I… uh, must have been nothing."

But, was it really nothing? Once the raven-haired teen leaves, shutting the wooden door firmly behind her, glowing orbs open, shining from beneath her bed.

A/N: Some of you may have caught this, but if not I'll explain. Ruby's dog, Zwei, has a name that means two in German. So instead of killing off Zwei at the beginning, though I considered it, I named their first dog Eins which means one. Also I'm still searching for a beta reader because I know spelling/grammar mistakes are annoying, but I am only human and can't catch them all.

Finally, remember that Valentine prompt submissions are still being accepted, my inbox is always open. Thanks for reading and see you next week!

~ The Palmtop Tiger