Al~righty! Love is Soundless is back and revamped! For any new readers, or anyone else who may have missed the author's note last time, LiS has now been completely revised! That being said, I recommend going back to the beginning and at least skimming through to familiarize yourself with the changes before reading this chapter. That being said, I know I can't make you, as I'm sure you all are anxious for this next chapter (at least I hope you are!). Would it help if I mention there's a new White Rose scene that wasn't there before? I'm not telling you which chapter though! ;)

Anyway, enjoy!

Chapter VI

Weiss wasn't having the best week. On Monday, she had received a test back in one her classes, her eyebrows furrowing in frustration upon seeing the A- mark. She was certain she had at least made an A. Perhaps she could find a bit of whiteout at home and remove the little minus before her father could see her results.

On Tuesday she had been surprised with a mandatory meeting of her fencing team, of which she had to attend, as she was captain. By the time the meeting adjourned, she was exhausted, and it was late enough to where she simply drove home, meaning she had skipped seeing Ruby. That thought plagued her the rest of the week with guilt, doing little to lighten her mood.

Wednesday wasn't so bad, although Weiss had called Glynda during her lunch break to ask if she could come see Ruby today since she had missed their standard Tuesday, but had learned that Wednesday afternoon's were Ruby's scheduled times with Dr Ozpin at the Home.

Thursday night after school, of which were the nights where Blake usually came over and the two had a small study session to prep for finals, she received a call from her parents informing her they were prolonging their trip and wouldn't be home for another month.

"But… W-Why?" Weiss had asked, trying and failing to hide the crack in her voice. "You both have already been gone that long!"

"This proposal is taking longer than anticipated," her father's cut and dry voice had responded back. "The client keeps asking for a ridiculously large amount of money, and won't back down on the price. The ignorant fool…"

"Plus, there's still so much of Europe we haven't seen!" her mother's flighty voice had cut in. "Oh, Weiss, you should see the things we've seen! The Colosseum in Rome was simply breathtaking, and the waterways in Venice? Astounding! The Eifel Tower was a bit of a letdown, honestly, but then again, so was all of that dreadful city…"

Weiss had to literally bite her tongue to keep herself from snapping that she wasn't there with them because her parents had never asked if she had wanted to come.

Not to mention she couldn't have just missed the last two months of her senior year.

"But you'll… You'll make it home in time for my graduation, won't you?" she had asked, yet feared she already knew the answer.

"If we come to a settlement before then."

"If we've been every place in Europe worth seeing."

That had done little to raise Weiss's spirits.

"And… What about the Home?" she had asked next. "The work keeps piling up and-!"

"Weiss, honestly, the workload you have now is nothing compared to what it will be like once the business is in your name," her father had replied. "Besides, this will help you build character; god only knows how much you need it…"

Needless to say, by the time Weiss had returned to her bedroom and Blake, she was fighting back tears. The night had morphed from a study session to a comfort session.

Now it was Friday, and Weiss was out in her car in the Home's parking lot. After this week from hell, the last thing she wanted to do was work.

She was also terrified of running into Ruby.

I mean, I wasn't there Tuesday, Weiss was internally panicking. I didn't even let her know I couldn't stop by or anything! What is she going to think? That I abandoned her? …No, Weiss, that's stupid, she probably understands you have your own life you can possibly get caught up in. …But still! Do I just act like normal if I see her? Should I have brought something to apologize with? Why do I even care so much?!

A honk came from the BMW, signaling Weiss had just banged her head on the wheel in exasperation. Rubbing her forehead with a grimace, she exited her car and strutted into the Home, hoping against all hope she looked stoic as always, and that there wasn't a giant red mark on her forehead.

Of course, Glynda was behind the front desk as always, and snagged Weiss as she tried to stealthily breeze by.

"Good afternoon, Weiss," she greeted as per routine. "Busy week?"

"How upset was she?" Weiss blurted before she could even put another coherent sentence together.

Glynda's warm smile faltered only momentarily, clearly understanding how bad Weiss felt already.

"She seemed to understand," the woman told her honestly. "I'll admit, she was disappointed when you didn't show up an hour after you had the past few weeks, and she even knocked on the door to your father's office, but Pyrrha explained you most likely just got caught up with something and couldn't make it. When she was led back to her room, she seemed to be in better spirits."

"Should I have gotten her something to apologize?" was Weiss's next question.

Glynda actually chuckled at that. "Weiss, I think seeing you is the only 'present' she'll need to forgive you."

A small smile flickered across the heiress's face at that, the more rational side siding with Glynda and recognizing that was the most probable outcome.

"Would you like for me to send her down?"

"No!" Weiss cried so fast it startled both her and Glynda. Clearing her throat, she added more calmly, "I mean, I need to do some work first and…think of what I want to say to her in apology. I'll probably finish what I need to do in an hour and a half, if you want to send her down then. I would…very much like to see her today to make up for Tuesday."

The smile returned to Glynda's face as she nodded. "Of course."

Nerves calmed momentarily somewhat, Weiss retreated to her father's office. Deciding she didn't want Ruby popping in unexpectedly today, she shut the door, locking it for safe measure.

Luckily, no hesitant knocks permeated the silence as Weiss worked, the heiress thankful Glynda had yet to alert Ruby to her presence, as well as the girl's dwindled curiosity as to Weiss's return. Weiss worked diligently, hoping to finish her work quickly enough to put something together for Ruby before having Glynda call her down.

Still, Weiss was stumped on what she could do from within the four walls of her father's office.

Sighing as she logged out of the company's email and accounting program, her eyes trailed over the printer sitting against a far wall of the room. Her gaze then fixed on the stack of blank papers fed into the machine.

And suddenly she recalled a paper rose that still resided within her backpack, and how that craft had delighted Ruby so. Weiss knew she could never recreate something of that caliber, but it did serve to ignite an idea in her mind. Grinning, Weiss dashed over to the printer, retrieved several pieces of paper—knowing she was sure to not get this right the first time around—and sat back down at the computer to pull up a webpage.

Then she got to work.

Half an hour later, Weiss was fidgeting anxiously as she waited for Pyrrha to bring Ruby down. She still hadn't come up with any formal apology, but she tried to recall Glynda's words that Ruby didn't need anything rich and profound.

Weiss was enough.

Still, Weiss fretted over how happy Ruby would be to see her. Would all be forgotten as soon as she locked gazes with silver pools? Or would Weiss have to win the girl back? Somewhere deep inside her, a part of scoffed at the ridiculous mere notion of the latter.

The door to the stairwell opened, and Weiss's heart leapt to her throat as she fixed her gaze on Pyrrha coming through. She had her usual caring smile, giving Weiss a quick wink before looking behind her.

"Come on, Ruby, cheer up," the nurse requested kindly. "I promise you'll like this surprise."

Weiss was sure everyone within the walls of the Home could hear her heart hammering now as she caught her first glimpse of red. Ruby's arms were wrapped tightly around her body, head bowed the lowest Weiss had ever seen as the girl slowly shuffled into the hall. When Ruby came to a halt mere feet out of the stairwell and made no move to look around, Pyrrha looked up to Weiss.

Say something, she mouthed.

Positive Ruby wouldn't even be able to hear her over the sound of her thudding heart, Weiss only managed to croak a single word.

"R-Ruby?"

Weiss watched the next few seconds as if she were watching a movie in slow motion. Ruby had stiffened at the call of her name, but Weiss could see wide downturned eyes blinking rapidly as she tried to register the familiar voice. Weiss made sure she was smiling when she saw Ruby gradually look up from the floor.

Their eyes locked, tears began to leak from gray dams, and the largest grin Weiss had ever seen split Ruby's face.

Then the girl was running, and time sped back up to its normal rate.

All eyes in the common room turned to them as Weiss opened her arms, bracing herself as Ruby all but collided into her, by some miracle able to keep both of them upright. Then Ruby was clinging to every part of Weiss she could grab, silent sobs wracking her form as her body shook violently. A few tears leaked from Weiss's eyes as well as she clutched the girl to her, never having been able to predict such a heartwarming reaction.

"You d-dolt," Weiss whispered. "Did you really think I wasn't coming back?"

She tried to pull Ruby away only enough to see the girl's face, but Ruby held strong, not letting her be removed from Weiss in the slightest. Instead, a frantic nod was the heiress's answer. She let out a small chuckle.

"Did you forget that I work here?"

She felt the heat from Ruby's cheeks against her neck and rolled her eyes, giving the girl another affectionate squeeze.

"You dolt," she repeated in a murmur.

As Ruby continued to cling to her, Weiss looked up to observe their surroundings. Several residents were still watching their reunion with bemused, but sympathetic smiles, yet most had returned to their own tasks. Pyrrha gave Weiss a thumb's up before retreating back into the stairwell, then Weiss saw Glynda and Ozpin standing just off to the side, and she wondered how long they had been there. Glynda had the largest smile Weiss had ever seen on the woman to date, and Ozpin just looked as coy as he always did, hiding his smile behind a mug of coffee and looking like this was all according to some plan of his.

Weiss chose to not to focus on that for the time being, choosing instead to turn her attention back to the adorable girl still in her arms.

The girl still clinging to her and who had yet to move her face from Weiss's collar.

"Ruby? Do you…maybe want to let go now?"

What happened next made Weiss freeze in place, seeing Glynda and Ozpin do the same from her peripherals.

"Nnhh!"

It wasn't a word, more like a soft whine in defiance, yet Weiss knew it was the equivalent to finding the cure for cancer. Ozpin's look of wonder, and Glynda's fighting back of tears only confirmed it.

"R-Ruby?" Weiss stuttered, trying her best to get a glimpse of the girl's face. "Wh-What did you just say?"

Finally, Ruby lifted her head from Weiss's shoulder just enough so silver met baby blue once more. Lower lip jutting out in a pout, and dried tear tracks marring her face, Weiss seriously had trouble containing the squeal that wanted to escape her in that moment.

Her fan-girling had to wait, however.

"Nnhh…" Ruby mumbled.

"N-No?" Weiss tried to clarify. "Is that what you're trying to say?"

Ruby just attached herself back to Weiss in response, another quiet "nnhh!" accompanying the action.

Weiss wasn't sure how to proceed from here, but what she did know was that her legs were beginning to ache.

"Okay, you don't have to let go," she said, "but can we at least go sit on the couch? I have something to show you."

A nod—more like a nuzzle, with Ruby's head tucked back under Weiss's chin—and they awkwardly made their way over the couch. Weiss noted how white Ruby's knuckles were as they clung to her school uniform's vest. She was not letting Weiss go any time soon.

Another pang of guilt shot through Weiss at the thought that Ruby had missed her this much; missed her enough that their reunion was enough to coax out what was most likely the first sound Ruby had emitted in ten years.

Once they were seated, Ruby finally slackened her grip on Weiss's clothes, her hands falling limply to the older girl's lap as she let her body lean heavily against her. Weiss returned the action without hesitancy, resting her head atop Ruby's own. She heard the girl sigh happily in response.

"I'm sorry my absence had you so upset," Weiss started, feeling obligated to give the girl some kind of apology, no matter how on the spot it sounded. "I was just so busy this past week that this was the first time I could get away."

Weiss smiled as she watched Ruby interlock their hands and give a gentle squeeze, feeling it was the girl's unique way of forgiveness. Still, Weiss pressed on.

"Did you know I fence?" she asked next. Not waiting for an answer, she continued. "That's why I couldn't come Tuesday. Coach called a spur of the moment meeting that day, and I had to attend as the team's captain. I couldn't just not show up; it was my responsibility to the team. And then Wednesday I tried to come see you, but you were with Ozpin all afternoon, and then on Thursday my parents called a-and…"

Weiss didn't care how frantic she sounded, she just had to make sure Ruby understood she hadn't forgotten about her.

She couldn't forget about her.

A gentle pressure to her face had Weiss opening her eyes to find Ruby wiping away a lone tear. Cheeks flaring at the touch, Ruby giggled noiselessly.

"I'm sorry…" she finished lamely.

Ruby just shook her head, her smile remaining strong.

"Do you forgive me?"

A quick nod and another hug, and Weiss felt all her fears and guilt vanish instantaneously.

Squeezing this precious girl back against her, she whispered, "Thank you, Ruby."

When they pulled back, Weiss reached into the pocket of her vest. "Still," she said, "I…made you something in apology. It's not nearly as good as your rose, but…maybe it'll make you feel like I'm around when I'm not?"

Knowing she had Ruby's full attention then, Weiss pulled out a bit of folded white paper, handing it wordlessly to Ruby. The girl looked to her questioningly before opening it up. Weiss beamed as she watched silver eyes spark, another wide smile spreading across the girl's face.

Before Ruby was a paper snowflake—more specifically, Weiss's family crest. It had taken her several tries to cut out the right shapes to get the outline right once unfolded, but she had to admit she was pretty proud of the final result.

Especially because of the smile it elicited from Ruby.

Before Ruby could thank her proper, Weiss spoke again, letting her heart and gut take over, but feeling sure her offer wouldn't be denied.

"Ruby? Would you…want to come home with me for the weekend?" she asked. Ruby just stared at her with wide eyes, as if she couldn't believe what Weiss was saying. Blushing, Weiss looked down and mumbled, "I'm sure I could pull a few strings."

Silence crowded the air around them, and Weiss began to sweat at Ruby's lack of response. Glancing up tentatively, she found the girl seemed to be frozen, her eyes glazed over and looking at nothing, Weiss's paper snowflake held lifelessly in her grasp.

"R-Ruby?" Weiss hesitated to touch the girl in any way, not wanting to startle her. "I'm sorry if that came on too strong; I just thought-."

Before she knew it, she was on her back on the couch, Ruby's weight on top of her as the heiress was smothered in another gigantic hug. The shock having left both of their systems, Weiss giggled.

"I'll take that as a yes?"

When Ruby nodded into her neck in response, Weiss's entire body warmed.

This was going to be a great weekend.