We Were Close Chapter 3: Old Friends, a rwby fanfic

Author's Note: Alright, so here's a little fleshing-out for those of you interested in Mina and her history with Blake. Please, enjoy, and let me know what you think.

Ruby frown as she scribbled down a summary of the properties of various types of Dust forth the third time. She had not done well on their last exam in Dust Studies, and Weiss took exception to that.

"I will not stand for a lack of competence in my Team Leader!" Weiss had proclaimed upon seeing the dismal forty-two Ruby had received, "I shudder to think what Father…" Weiss's rant had dropped off at that point, and her voice mellowed, "We'll be going over this later."

On reflection, it had been a weird incident; not the yelling-, no, that was what she'd been expecting when she'd first clapped eyes on the grade herself. I when Weiss had mellowed out that she threw Ruby for a loop. Not that it mattered; as it was, Weiss was forcing her to write the lines of notes over and over and over again; apparently repetition was good way to commit things to memory.

Dust is a volatile energy propellant which must be handled with care…

It was around the time that Ruby's mind started wandering and she began writing on auto-pilot that the doorknob began to turn, thus providing the distractible team leader a concrete topic on which to waste her attention.

Is it Yang? No… She and Blake have a class right now… Maybe Jaune… OOH! Maybe it's Nora! She'd be more fun than this…

Out of the corner of her eye, Ruby saw her partner tense up a bit, but she quickly relaxed, "Hello Mina,"

Was she really that surprised that someone came in? Well… then again… we've only known her a couple days, so I guess she just isn't used to Mina yet, Ruby shrugged to herself, She is kind of… different… I mean, not Penny different, but… different…

"Ah, Miss Schnee… and…" Mina's oddly colored eyes narrowed as her face took on a searching look, "Miss Rose?"

"Yep, that's me," Ruby perked up in response, cocking her head, "You can just call me Ruby though… I mean… You're older than me… so…"

Mina shrugged, "Old habits, I suppose,"

"Do you…" Weiss seemed unusually hesitant, "Do you not have class?"

Mina smiled, though her lips did not part, "Not at present; I've just come from the library. I was hoping to procure a more… accommodating edition of the texts for our classes,"

"What do you mean, accommodating?" Ruby asked, "What's wrong with your books?"

"Nothing, Miss Rose," Mina shook her head, waving an open hand in front of her face as she pulled out a chair and taking a se at the table with them, "The issue here is with these eyes of mine,"

"You're blind?" Ruby asked, aghast; it made her win over Cardin all the more awesome somehow.

"As a bat, you might say,"

"I thought that might be the case," Weiss nodded, speaking again in that weird, mellow tone that Ruby found unnerving, if only because it just wasn't Weiss, "It does explain why you never quite look at people,"

Mina nodded, inexplicably donning an understanding smile as her head turned more or less in Weiss's direction, "We all have our crosses to bear, Miss Schnee; what matters is how we carry them,"

Weiss nodded silently.

What is up with her? Ruby wondered momentarily, before her renewed fascination with Mina's condition, "But why would you want to be a Huntress then? Or… how do you do it… I guess…"

"I have very good ears," Mina winked sightlessly as she gestured to the bat ears near the back of her head, "All I need do is listen carefully,"

"Whoa,"

"That said," Mina continued, "the fact remains that, for the next few days, I am without textbooks; would you mind too terribly if I were to join your study session?"

Weiss stared into her textbook, then shook her head, putting on a smile, "Of course,"

This is weird, Ruby thought to herself nearly an hour later, Mina knows all the right questions to ask...

Normally, Ruby would just sit there and pretend to listen while Weiss lectured- sometimes out of the book, and sometimes about Ruby's 'irresponsible' approach to leadership-, and not really paying attention in either case. It wasn't that Ruby didn't want to do well at Beacon or anything; there was nothing she wanted more than to become a huntress after all, but studying was just soooooo booooring!

And besides, she rationalized, Isn't being a huntress supposed to be about hunting monsters? Magic rocks are neat and all, but that's not what I came here for…

Now though, with Mina there to actually care about the material and ask useful questions, Ruby found herself riveted as Weiss explained the passages and their new teammate listened attentively, posing questions ad asking Weiss to re-read complicated passages from time to time. At some point in the last half hour Ruby found that she was actually learning; it was a bizarre and frightening realization.

Eventually though, Weiss finished the chapter and closed the book, "I think that's enough for today," she said, "but if you fail the next quiz, Ruby, so help me, I have you transcribe the entire chapter next time!"

"But the chapters are like… fifty pages…" Ruby whined.

Mina chuckled, "You two are adorable,"

The partners went beet-red.

"E-excuse me?" Weiss asked, a hesitant tone creeping into her voice.

"You've got a chemistry," Mina clarified, "pretend not to like each other all you like, but I imagine that you're both better off having one another to lean on,"

Weiss looked like she wanted to object at first, butt to Ruby's surprise, she gave a little nod instead, "I guess I can't let myself get caught up in my own baggage if I have to look after you, can I, you dunce?"

Ruby smiled worriedly, remembering the talk that they'd had after the practice match with Team JNPR, "Yeah… I'd probably be a mess too…"

I can handle a fight, but this studying? Uuugh! I wouldn't do it at all if she didn't make me! She sighed, And then I'd probably fail out of Beacon…

"I'm glad you're here for me," Ruby agreed, She's actually admitting that she doesn't hate me! I mean… we made some progress a while ago, but she's actually saying it-, sure, she's being kinda backhanded about it, but still!

"Now all you need do is take your relationship to the next level with a kiss," Mina smirked.

Wait, WHAT?

"Excuse me?" Weiss demanded, a horrified look on her face, "I think perhaps you've been reading Blake's smutty romance-,"

Mina waved her hand in front of her sightless eyes again, grin broadening.

"Ugh! How lewd can a person be?"

"Yeah Mina!" Ruby objected as well, "That's so not funny!"

"I kid, of course," Mina assured, if only after she got a grip on her laughter at the expense of her study partners, "No need to get upset,"

"Here I thought that you were being deep-, and it was a punch line?"

"What's a little fond ribbing between friends?"

Mina's response seemed to give Weiss pause too, "Friends huh? I-," a little smile replaced her angry expression, "I guess we are…"

There's that look again…

"At any rate," Weiss stood now, as she had been about to before Mina's little joke, albeit in a much better mood, "I think perhaps we've all earned a snack; I'll take you both to this nice café in town for a crepe-,"

Mina shook her head apologetically, "I appreciate the offer, but coffee and sweets don't agree with me; don't let that stop you though,"

Ruby's jaw hit the floor, "Even cookies? How do you live without cookies?"

Weiss rolled her eyes, but Mina just gave a smile, only just broad enough to expose her fangs, "I am actually partial to the blood of younger women and high-born virgins,"

Red and white alike blanched in dumbstruck horror.

"Speaking of, Miss Rose, if I'm not mistaken, you are only fifteen…" Ruby paled as Mina let the implication hang there meaningfully, "and you, Miss Schnee…"

"Uh-, I-," Weiss reddened again.

Mina broke out into cackling laughter again, "That's just precious! This could only be better if I could see the-," she actually snorted in her laughter, "If I could just see the looks on your faces!"

"R-Ruby!" Weiss stammered, "Come! We're leaving!"

"Mhmm," Ruby nodded meekly as Weiss dragged her bodily from her seat and out of the dorm, still spooked as Mina's laughter resumed in gales.

As a flustered Weiss stormed out of the dorm, dragging a pale Ruby behind her, Blake stood back and let them go. Fascinating as it would be to know what had set Weiss off this time, and why, for that matter, why she was literally hauling Ruby in tow, this was an opportunity that she couldn't let slip past her. Yang had gone to the gym right after class had ended ten minutes ago, so Blake now had an opportunity to confront Mina privately; there was no guarantee about when she'd next have this chance. Taking a deep breath, Blake entered Team RWBY's dorm once Weiss and Ruby turned the corner down the hall, never having so much as acknowledged her presence.

"Mina,"

The little red book snapped shut in Mina's hand, "Ah… My dear Blake,"

"What are you doing with Weiss's diary?"

"So that's what this is?" Mina asked innocently, "I had assumed that it was hers; the material feels expensive," Mina's thoughtful look cracked into a grin, "Though I never did learn to read,"

"Don't dodge the question," Blake said firmly, "Put that down and step away from Weiss's desk,"

Carfax obeyed, setting the book down and stepping back to lean up against the wall next to Weiss and Ruby's bunk-bed, "You've made some nice friends here, my dear Blake; Miss Schnee in particular… Such a lovely voice… At any rate, now that it is just the two of us, I am certain you have questions for me; perhaps I have some answers for you-, for old time's sake, of course,"

Blake's eyes narrowed, What's her angle? "What are you doing here?"

"You'll have to be a touch more specific, my dear Blake,"

"Why did you come to Beacon?" Blake demanded, having no patience for Mina's games.

"Why, I'm studying to be a huntress, of course,"

"Don't lie to me!" Blake exclaimed in hushed tones so as not to be heard outside and closed the space between them, and lowered her voice to a threatening whisper, "Like Hell!"

Mina chuckled, "Fine, my dear Blake, you've got me; I'm here to see you,"

Blake remained silent.

"Adam was very disappointed when you abandoned us after the train job," Mina rewarded Blake's patience with further explanation, and a sorrowful look, "and I personally was hurt to hear it,"

"I'm not going back to the White Fang, Mina, I left for a-,"

Mina took hold of Blake by the chin and pulled her, wide eyed, into a sudden passionate kiss. Though long absent, it was not an alien sensation that flushed through Blake as Mina's fingers reached up and ran through her hair and began stroking ears hidden under her bow. Blake almost lost herself in those pale, empty eyes as Mina's hand released her chin and moved to the small of her back. It was only when she felt the familiar pricking sensation on her lower lip that she jerked away, hand snapping up to cover her bleeding lip, but Mina spoke fist, a self-satisfied grin on her face.

"I can't tell you how much I've missed you, my dear Blake,"

"I-, I'm not your blood-pack Mina!"

Mina looked genuinely hurt, "You haven't missed me? I 've missed you so… I thought we had something…"

"I left for a reason, Mina," Blake repeated, resolve somewhat shaken, "I won't be a part of the violence anymore,"

"You always were an idealist," Mina muttered with a disappointed sigh, "Fine; you want to know why I've come? The sad fact, my dear Blake, is that you know too much. You might've been allowed to do as you liked had you simply behaved yourself," Mina's voice took on a pleading quality, much to Blake's surprise, "but you had to get in the way…"

"What do you-?"

"Torchwick's heist on the wharf, Blake!" Mina drew herself away from the wall, "Because you decided make an obstruction of yourself, Adam can't trust you to keep quiet and stay out of the way, and so here I am,"

"He sent you to kill me?"

"He sent me to deal with you," Mina corrected, "I was hoping that I could… persuade you, without resorting to any regrettably unpleasantness,"

"I'll go to Ospin-,"

"Don't bother," Mina rolled her eyes, "I am quite certain that he knows about me, and you for that matter; I'll wager that he sees my presence as some sort of test,"

That's definitely something he'd do, Blake thought, "And what if I refuse?"

"Then you pass Ozpin's test, I suppose," Mina shrugged, "and unpleasantness may ensue,"