Here's chapter 22 everyone.


When Weiss and Ruby got to the dorm, the heiress walked to her bed and straightened out the sheets before she would sit. Once she did so, she sat down on her bed. "Alright, Ruby, what is it that you wanted to speak about?"

Ruby went over to Blake's bed, and sat down on it. "How did you and Velvet get to be…how you are?"

Weiss blushed at first. "What do you mean, how we are?"

"You know…How you two became friends, and how you talk to each other a lot. How did that happen?" Ruby asked again.

"Oh…Well we just talked…a lot. I mean, you were there that time in Professor Port's classroom when I wasn't in the greatest of moods." Weiss sighed at the memory, since it was one that she hated, and could look back on. "Velvet…continued reaching out to try and help me, when it was easier to just ignore me like I wasn't there."

Ruby frowned when she heard that. "You thought about that before? The part about people ignoring you, I mean."

Weiss nodded. "It was a sort of…defense mechanism…If that makes sense. I thought about how if people ignored me…they couldn't hurt me…I was wrong in so many ways, Ruby."

"Did…the feeling of being ignored hurt you more?" Ruby asked.

"Yes, so instead of letting people ignore me, I would give them a reason to stay away entirely. Velvet taught me that wasn't a good way to live." Weiss chuckled. "And of course I didn't try to listen at first, but she just kept trying."

Ruby was honestly shocked at how much the heiress changed in recent times. "Wow, Weiss…I don't know what to say."

"Hmm? What do you mean?" Weiss inquired.

Ruby looked down, and felt like she was a failure. "That's what I mean. I don't know what to say to…do what Velvet did. I wanted to make it up to you that day, Weiss…You remember, right? The first day we met. I felt like I really messed up…so I…said something later that day…and I feel awful about it."

"What did you say?" Weiss inquired.

"I…I called you a negative friend…I didn't mean to…I was just thinking about how the day went." Ruby tried explaining.

Weiss sighed. "Ruby…what even is a negative friend?"

Ruby blinked. "Wait…You don't sound mad. Why aren't you mad?"

Weiss raised an eyebrow. "Did you want me to be mad?"

"N-No! That's the opposite of what I want, Weiss. We're partners, and I haven't done much to help you." Ruby frowned.

Weiss sighed, and got up from her bed. She walked to Ruby and flicked her forehead, causing the younger leader to yelp a bit. "You are ridiculous sometimes, Ruby Rose."

Ruby rubbed her forehead. "W-What?"

"You are…how do I say this? Oh…Yes, I believe I said you were childish, dim-witted, and hyperactive…but I've never really seen you like this before. It worries me, Ruby." Weiss said.

"It…worries you?" Ruby felt confused.

"Yes, it worries me. I can't say I understand what's making you seem…not yourself. You said one thing though…Is it about me?" Weiss guessed.

"I…It's about how Velvet was the one to…get you to open up…and I still don't feel like you do that with us." Ruby shook her head. "And…I don't want to force you to be that way with us, but…"

"Ruby…It isn't that simple, but…that doesn't mean you should feel obligated to get someone to do something like that." Weiss said.

"I don't feel obligated…Yang said something to me before we went to initiation…She mentioned how I should try to meet new people, and learn to work with them." Ruby remarked.

"That…sounds like something I should've tried doing myself when I first got here." Weiss frowned.

Ruby noticed her partner was frowning, and felt guilt. "No…I didn't want you to be reminded of that…I'm sorry."

"Stop, Ruby…This really isn't like you." Weiss stated.

Ruby stood up, and walked to the window. "Weiss…if Ozpin let you decide on a new partner…would you pick Velvet if he let you?"

Weiss thought about how she actually thought about that before, but hearing Ruby ask about it made her feel bad. "I…Ruby, you're my partner, so don't try to get rid of me that easily."

Ruby turned to the heiress. "I'm not trying to make you change partners. I just want to know if you would."

"No, Ruby. I wouldn't want to change partners. Now, you are going to sit down, and explain what the big deal is, with Velvet being the one to get me to be less…me." Weiss said, and helped her partner to Blake's bed.

"We don't have to talk about this anymore, Weiss." Ruby said.

Weiss shook her head. "You're not getting out of this that easy, Ruby." She sat on her bed, and looked across the room at her partner. "I'm sitting. You're sitting, so let's talk."

Ruby sighed. "I thought you wanted to get this done as soon as possible, Weiss."

"I did say that, yes, but I'm not blind to what your attitude." Weiss said. "Ruby, this…whatever it is. Are you trying to ask me to speak with you about the things Velvet and I talk about?"

"K-Kind of…I want to get to know all of you guys. It was just, Yang, and dad when I lived in Patch. I did go to signal, but I never really talked to a lot of people there." Ruby looked at her partner, with some hope in her eyes. "I still don't know a lot about Blake either…so…maybe one day we could all talk like how you and Velvet do."

Weiss frowned, since she had to say what she needed to say. "Ruby…I appreciate how much you've done to help, but…I don't know if I'd be willing to speak about all that stuff just yet…It's complicated." Ruby felt that hope she had, fade away, but Weiss spoke up again before Ruby could. "That doesn't mean I won't ever talk to you guys…I just need time to feel more comfortable…I hope you understand, Ruby."

"D-Do you really mean it?" Ruby asked.

"I'll at least promise to try, Ruby. It's not the easiest thing in the world for someone to just, tell others their about their lives." Weiss stated.

"I know, but…we don't have to talk about something too serious if we do talk." Ruby suddenly thought about what Weiss told her the first day they met. She chuckled at the thought. "We can paint our nails, and try on clothes, and talk about cute boys."

Weiss rolled her eyes. "I stand by what I said about you being childish."

"Someone has to be on the team, right." Ruby giggled.

"And there's the dim-wit I met on the first day…So, are you feeling better now?" Weiss inquired.

"Yeah…I still feel like some things could be a bit different…but I won't make you do something you wouldn't want to do." Ruby assured.

"Like I said," Weiss got up. "I'll need time to feel a bit more comfortable, but that doesn't mean I won't ever speak with you about…some things. Now then, we should probably head back. I don't want to make Yang take care of Velvet all day…I still need to be there."

Ruby nodded, and stood up. "Okay, Weiss…and thanks."

Weiss smiled at that, and walked out of the room with her partner.


"Do you think Weiss and Ruby are okay?" Velvet inquired, clearly worried about them.

"They're fine, just as long as Ruby doesn't remind Weiss about the whistle." Yang closed her eyes at the anger Weiss had, the second day Ruby decided to use the whistle.

"It couldn't have been that bad. I mean it sounds like Ruby just wanted to wake her up." Velvet said.

Yang chuckled at the thought. "Yeah, that's not how Weiss saw it…and neither were Blake and I. It was so loud, that I'm surprised Weiss didn't try to kill Ruby on the spot"

Velvet giggled at that. "Hey…Yang, may I ask you something?"

"Go ahead." Yang said.

"Well…I-I was thinking about…No…Never mind. Forger I said anything." Velvet stopped herself, since she was too shy to continue.

Yang shook her head. "You're hesitating. What's up, Velvet? You can tell me, unless you'd feel better about talking to Coco, about whatever it is that's bothering you."

Velvet sighed. "It's not who I would speak to about this, it's if I should speak about this. I made a promise that I wouldn't…"

"A promise, huh? Well what about Weiss? You know with how you've both been, she'd keep whatever it is a secret. Not that I wouldn't, but I know you probably trust her with a lot more stuff then the rest of us." Yang said, causing the rabbit Faunus to blush. "I'm not saying that's a bad thing by the way."

"W-Well…The thing is…Weiss is the one I promised not to tell anyone." Velvet said.

"Oh, well I won't make you tell me, but if it does still bother you later, maybe you can ask Weiss to let me know. I'm sure it isn't something I can't know." Yang remarked.

"It really depends on a few things, Yang…Like how Weiss would be if I said anything…She'd be mad at me." Velvet's ears drooped at the thought.

"Whoa, first off, no way is princess ever going to be mad at you again. Remember how you got her to open up." Yang reminded.

"I know, but I still can't say it." Velvet frowned. "I'm sorry."

"It's all good, Velvet. Like I said, talk to Weiss about letting me know, and if you still don't feel it would be right, then don't worry about it. I've learned about how I can't try and force people to talk…" Yang sighed. "I was the one who messed up when I locked you two in the room."

Velvet remembered that, and shook her head. "That's in the past, Yang. You should stop beating yourself up about it."

"Yeah…Alright, well let's get away from this for a second. How's your leg feeling?" Yang inquired.

"As long as I don't move it too much, it doesn't hurt. I'm glad Weiss put these pillows up for me, or it probably would be hurting a bit more." Velvet smiled.

"Yeah, princess isn't so bad with the, on the fly help. Oh, what about your headache? Is it still bothering you?" Yang asked.

"Every now and then, but I'm okay right now." Velvet assured.

"That's good." Yang said, and walked to the window. "So…Velvet…I want to talk to you about Coco…if that's okay."

"Coco? Oh, well sure. What is it?" Velvet asked.

"Well, you see-." Yang was cut off when she heard a knock on the door. She sighed, and walked over to open it. Once she did, Weiss and Ruby walked in. "Well that was a little faster than I thought it would take." She closed the door. "Are you two alright?"

"It's all taken care of." Ruby looked to Velvet. "I'm sorry about taking your nurse." Ruby giggled.

Velvet blushed, and Weiss groaned. "Ruby…After that talk, I was kind of hoping you wouldn't make a joke like that…but at the same time," Weiss smiled. "I'm glad you're feeling better."

Yang raised an eyebrow. "You were feeling down, Ruby? Why didn't you say anything?"

"It's fine, Yang. That's why I spoke to Weiss about it." Ruby replied.

Yang looked to the heiress. "You managed to get Rubes, to feel less down about something? Now that's different."

Weiss rolled her eyes. "I can be supportive, Xiao Long."

"Whoa, last names. I wasn't expecting that," Yang chuckled. "But seriously, thanks for helping Ruby with whatever it was you talked about."

Weiss nodded, and walked to Velvet. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm doing okay. It's a little hot in here though." Velvet said.

Weiss walked to the window, and opened it. "The fresh air is nice today too, so hopefully that helps. Is there anything else I can do to help, Velvet?"

Ruby and Yang were a little surprised at seeing their white haired teammate acting the way she was. They knew Weiss was going to help Velvet, but to actually see it, was a sight to take in.

Weiss turned to her teammates. "Are you two just going to stand there all day, or are you going to help me around this room? It's a little…unorganized. No offense, Velvet."

Velvet giggled at that. "None taken."

Weiss smiled, and again, said to the two sisters. "Well, get a move on, you two. This place isn't going to clean itself!" She ordered, and they yelped at that, beginning to clean up immediately. Weiss nodded at that, and turned to Velvet. "Is there anything you would like to eat, Velvet?"

"U-Um…No, it's okay. I don't want to trouble you." Velvet said.

Weiss shook her head. "Nonsense, it's no trouble…Yang, stop cleaning and get Velvet some food. I'll take over on cleaning with Ruby." Yang sighed, and walked out of the room. Weiss walked over to help Ruby clean. "Some people would probably assume that since I'm an heiress, I can't clean because I'd have maids. Well they'd be wrong. You have no idea how messy it can get, if I'm not making these dolts clean."

Ruby nodded. "She's right…though we still don't like cleaning all that much."

"Hush, Ruby. It's only right to have a sanitary room to live in." Weiss said as she folded a bed sheet.

Velvet smiled, as she watched the girl she kissed, clean around. She thought about how she almost told Yang, and how she would actually want to talk to Weiss about telling Yang.

I just hope Yang could really keep a secret, if Weiss even lets me tell her.


This was a shorter chapter, since I didn't have a lot of time to work on it. Sorry about that, everyone.

To JJ- Well remember that Cardin, and his team were taken down a peg by Pyrrha. I want to know, what do you think the little helper was? I won't say if you're right or wrong to avoid spoiling for those who may not know, but I'm still curious to see if you'd get it right. There's going to be more on Ruby and Weiss' talk in later chapters for sure.

I hoped you all enjoyed chapter 22. Remember, reviews are welcomed, but not required. See you all in chapter 23.