With a barely-conscious Ruby cradled in her arms, Weiss made her way towards Beacon Academy's infirmary. With the school on lockdown, the campus was deserted except for General Ironwood's personal security detachment, now pulling double duty to sweep the campus for Ruby's attacker.

It was some distance from the central gothic castle that was Beacon Academy and the outlying buildings like the armory. Weiss's arms grew tired. Ruby wasn't that heavy, but still…

Damn it, Yang was right. I DO need to spend more time in the gym...

Ruby suddenly jolted conscious, and cried out in pain. The adrenaline of combat had finally worn off. An alarm on her scroll started wailing…

Weiss paused to check it. The list of injuries it read out was almost impressive. Multiple fractures. Internal bleeding. A collapsed lung. Her heart was a-fib and her blood pressure dangerously high.. Aura's shielding kept her from being skewered or roasted by whatever had attacked her, but it didn't do a thing to cancel out the kinetic force of the assault.

Normally Aura would be able to heal wounds nearly as they happened, and with a shudder Weiss realized Ruby must have been nearly dead when she called for help.

"Ruby, you dunce! How were you even standing back there?" Weiss muttered to herself.

Ruby's Aura was keeping her alive - barely- but Weiss knew she wouldn't make it to the infirmary this way. Even as she checked the scroll, the numbers ticked away...9% and dropping. She had a minute or two left before he healing factor stopped entirely.

Weiss had heard of Aura transfers before, from her classmate Pyrrha Nikos. Apparently a small transfer could be used to "unlock" a person's aura, allowing them to manipulate it like a Huntress for defence and healing.

And as a Schnee she was aware of some truly horrifying experiments with full-aura transfers on captive Faunus during the Great War. Though as far as she knew they were failures.

Winter would kill me if she knew I was even THINKING about this…

But in her heart the Schnee heiress knew there was but one way to keep Ruby alive until her Aura recovered naturally.

I could use a glyph, probably, to channel my Aura...but I don't know anything like that. Really, of all the times I focused on developing my combat skills, why'd I never thing of support glyphs? Well I guess I'll just focus my aura on her heart. It's worth a try!

Placing her hand on Ruby's chest, Weiss focused her aura, mentally picturing "protecting" Ruby just as she did on herself in combat.

For a second, Weiss watched in amazement as a warm glow from her fingertips began to flow. But just as Ruby's aura started to climb, Weiss stopped the transfer.

It return for raising Ruby's aura 1%, Weiss's aura had fallen by 20%. To continue would be suicide.

Weiss realized what that golden glow was-wasted aura, dispersing as visible light. Ruby's body was resisting the invasion of Weiss's lifeforce.

Wait! Nikos, she used an invocation! But I still need a more efficient transfer method.

A thought of classic fairytales-of the sleeping princess awakened by…

Gah! I can't do THAT! I mean I wouldn't mind, but just as a concerned friend! WAIT, am I seriously considering kissing Ruby?

A clinically cold beep.

Aura Depleted

Fine! I'll do it! But it's NOT because I like her like that...Oh who am I kidding?

Recalling the words Pyrrha had taught her, Weiss began.

"For it is in passing that we achieve immortality. Through this, we become a paragon of virtue and glory to rise above all. Infinite in distance and unbound by death, I release my soul, and by my shoulder, protect thee!"

With cheeks of scarlet red, Weiss leaned down and kissed the girl she cradled in her arms. Embracing the silver-eyed girl, even as her aura drained lower. Holding the kiss until Ruby's aura was in the green again.

She was still unconscious-but her vitals were stable.

Or at least that's what Weiss thought. The silver-eyed girl, with a devious smile allowed her "prince" to keep her dignity a little while longer despite such a shameless act of gallantry.

My hero...

As Weiss crossed the central courtyard, past the statues at the entrance to Beacon's reception hall, a silver light enveloped everything in sight. She leaped backwards as a massive geometric glyph enveloped the courtyard. Setting Ruby aside, she drew her Myrtenaster and chamber golden dust.

"No! It's back!" Ruby screamed, suddenly very much awake and reaching for a scythe that wasn't there. The last time she'd seen this, that THING had appeared!

From within the glyph, a single scream belowed. "Miiiiyuuukiiiiii!"

"Ruby! Stay behind me!"

From a pillar of light, a young man in a white and blue uniform stepped forward, seemingly from thin air. In his hand, a large silver pistol. And in his narrowed eyes there was nothing but killing intent.

Raising it towards Weiss, he walked menacingly forward, gun raised. In a heavily accented but flawless tongue the young man spoke, "What have you done with my sister?!"

Thanks for reading! I've been busy with school, so this took a backburner.

For anyone wondering why Tatsuya can speak English, I was thinking back to the anime when he mentions reading new European research on magic. I think it's fair to assume he and Miyuki know a European language for studying magic.