Chapter 6) You Don't Know Me

A/N: And now, back to our irregularly-scheduled chapters. I hope you all like this one, this particular chapter is one of the (admittedly many) reasons I started this fic.

*Content warning for this chapter, as it touches on themes of child abuse and trauma, as well as mental health and dealing with disorders.*

The door to the lecture hall swung open with a loud bang, cutting off Professor Port mid-speech and drawing everyone's attention to the pair of late arrivals who stumbled into the room.

"Miss Xiao Long, Miss Rose. How nice of you to finally join us!" The Professor spoke with the same jovial tone of voice he always did. If he was frustrated with the pair, he did not let it show in his expression.

"Sorry we're late sir, we kinda lost track of time." Yang at least had the decency to look apologetic, rubbing the back of her head awkwardly. Her younger sister simply fidgeted beside her, fiddling with one end of that stupid cloak she seemed to always be wearing 24/7.

"Well, I'll be more than happy to hear all about it after class. Now please take your seats beside the rest of your team."

Nodding their heads, the pair sat beside their respective partners, pulling their books out of their bags. Weiss did her absolute best to remain calm as Ruby sat beside her, choosing to focus all of her attention on Professor Port as he resumed his lecture.

"Now, as I was saying, the Beowolf pack was no match for my sheer tenacity, and I returned to the village with my head held high, celebrated as a hero!"

Within seconds, Weiss had once again tuned out of the old man's grandiose ramblings, her thoughts turning instead to her frustration with… everything.

One week. It had been an entire week now since classes had begun, and the rest of her team continued to treat everything like a joke. At first it had been no big deal, even slightly amusing to watch, but with each passing day amusement turned to annoyance, annoyance turned to frustration, and now frustration was beginning to turn into anger.

Blake was the least problematic of the bunch, but even she seemed disinterested in just about everything that was going on. Weiss rarely saw her taking notes in classes, while outside of classes she seemed to spend more time reading than studying or training with everyone else.

At least she showed up to all of their classes on time. Yang, on the other hand, was late so often that Weiss was beginning to question if the blonde even knew how to tell the time. Already the Professors had seemingly given up on Yang ever arriving to their lessons in a timely manner, as evidenced by Professor Port's blasé reaction to her bumbling in almost fifteen minutes after the bell. The only class she was never late to was sparring class with Professor Goodwitch, presumably because even Yang wasn't stupid enough to earn the ire of the stern schoolmistress.

And then there was Ruby, their supposed team leader, who seemed to be going out of her way to dodge any and all actual responsibility that came with her position. She never contributed in any classes, leaving Weiss or occasionally Blake to fill in and answer any questions posed to the team as a whole. She also regularly showed up late to classes in the mornings, and Weiss knew for a fact it wasn't because she overslept, because Ruby was almost never in the dorm with them when they all woke up. Where she went every morning, Weiss had no clue, but it just served to further hammer the point home that this… child was not in any way capable of leading a team. For goodness sake, the girl could barely string a sentence together most of the time!

A loner, a slacker, and a little kid. This was the team that Weiss found herself a part of, and her patience for all of them was wearing thinner by the day.

Sighing, Weiss focussed her attention back on Professor Port. As much as her teammates aggravated her to no end, she really shouldn't let it get under her skin.

I'm better than that. I'm better than them. If I let them drag me down with them, then what was even the point of leaving home in the first place?

"But of course, heroic deeds and the adulation that comes with them do not make one a great Huntsman. A true Huntsman must be honourable! A true Huntsman must be dependable! A true Huntsman must be strategic, well-educated and wise!"

Weiss smiled a little to herself as she listened to Professor Port. Honourable and dependable? Strategic, well-educated and wise? She was all of that and more. Winter had made sure Weiss was trained to fight honourably and dependably, and Weiss had honed her combat skills to near perfection. She had studied the strategies of all the great leaders, educated herself on the myriad ways she could utilise the tools at her disposal, and had sharpened her mind just as much as she sharpened her blade. Oh, she still had plenty of room to grow, she knew that, but Weiss felt deservedly proud of what she could already do.

Her teammates would never be able to diminish any of that.

"Team RWBY, your team scored a two. I'll need the four of you to stay behind after class."

With that final declaration, Professor Greene began to dismiss the students row by row to lunch, while Weiss sat in her seat fuming with rage.

A two!? I put in all that work, and all I get is a two!?

They had scored the lowest out of everyone on the research assignment, which had been to write a report on the border defence systems used by the four kingdoms. Weiss, taking charge where Ruby would not, had suggested that they research one kingdom each and then put their reports together at the end when Ruby, as the leader, would have to submit them on their behalf. Naturally, Weiss had opted to write about Atlas since she hailed from there, and she had made sure Ruby received her portion of the report in good time before they needed to submit it.

And yet, for all her hard work, she had earned a mere grade of two. Despite her best efforts, Weiss' teammates had indeed succeeded in dragging her down with them.

What if this was just the beginning? Surely there would be more assignments like this in the future, perhaps even ones that went towards her final grade for the year. Would she fail because of that? Would she be kicked out of Beacon because of her team? Wouldn't that be just her luck, to manage to get away from the reputation of her family only to still fail because of the actions of others anyway? Was that fated to be her lot in life? To always pay for the mistakes of other people?

"Ruby, would you mind telling me why, instead of a single, well-structured report, you handed me four separate essays?" Professor Greene asked, levelling the girl in question with an even look.

"W-w-well, y-you s-s-see-"

"I suggested that we each write our own reports on one kingdom each," Weiss cut in. She did not have the patience left to allow Ruby to dig them all deeper with her constant nervous stuttering. It would only make them all look worse. "I wrote the part on Atlas, Ruby wrote-"

"I was not talking to you, Miss Schnee. I was asking for your leader to explain the situation, as is her responsibility." Professor Greene turned back to Ruby, her expression having not changed from the level, inscrutable look she seemed to always wear.

"I-I'm s-s-sorry Prof-f-fessor Greene. I sh-should've m-m-made sure w-we all w-were w-working together."

Weiss fought hard to keep from losing her cool as she listened to Ruby 'talk'.

It truly was embarrassing to witness.

Professor Greene closed her eyes and sighed, shoulders slumping as she mumbled something under her breath that Weiss couldn't quite hear, but she could guess wasn't good.

"The rest of you may leave." Professor Greene gestured for the three of them to depart with a wave of her hand. "I need to have a discussion with your leader in private."

"Actually, I'd rather-" Yang began, before a glare from the Professor silenced her.

"That was not a suggestion Miss Xiao Long. Now leave."

Without another word, the three of them departed. As she turned to leave, Weiss watched out of the corner of her eye as both Ruby and Professor Greene sat opposite each other. The younger girl had not once raised her head to look the Professor in the eye.

Seething silently, Weiss exited the classroom, allowing the door to close behind her as she made her way towards the cafeteria.

"Yang, I'm sure she'll be fine," said Blake as she placed her fork down. "You said yourself that Ruby is tougher than she looks, and I doubt Professor Greene would be too harsh on her."

Yang let out a huff. "It's still not fair. Ruby doesn't deserve all the blame, it was a group project."

Weiss snorted at that. "She is allegedly our leader, so taking a little responsibility should be the bare minimum she should be expected to do."

Seeing Yang's eyes flash red whenever she got mad had alarmed Weiss the first few times it happened, but now, after seeing it happen almost daily, it didn't perturb her very much anymore.

"What is your problem with my sister!? She hasn't done anything to you to deserve the way you treat her!"

"She hasn't done much of anything at all," Weiss replied. "That's the problem."

Yang's eyes narrowed. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Weiss rolled her eyes as she finished the last of her coffee. "Exactly what you think it means. Now if you don't mind, I have more important things to be doing."

Weiss stood and made her way out of the cafeteria, tactfully ignoring whatever loud protestations Yang yelled at her retreating back.

Maybe a nice, stern lecture is just what that girl needs to get her act together and start taking her role seriously.

After exiting the cafeteria at a rather brisk pace to avoid being accosted, Weiss slowed to a more meandering walk as she slowly made her way across campus for her next class, sparring practice with Professor Goodwitch, whom she hoped to perhaps have a talk with before anyone else arrived.

"Ah, Miss Schnee! On your way to class early I see!"

Weiss turned to see Professor Port exiting one of the rooms along the corridor, a stack of papers in hand and the same ever-present jovial expression on his face.

Quickly schooling her own expression into an amicable smile, Weiss nodded at the Professor. "Yes sir, I was hoping to speak with Professor Goodwitch about something."

Professor Port chuckled. "Well, perhaps you could speak with myself as well. If there's any way I can be of assistance to my pupils, I will always make time to do so!"

Weiss pondered his offer for a moment. She supposed she had some time to spare, and Professor Port would very likely also understand where she was coming from.

"Well, I don't think Ruby is the best choice to be the leader of my team."

…

Professor Port said nothing for a moment, and while his smile did not disappear, Weiss noted that it did seem to drop slightly.

…

"That's preposterous, my girl."

Weiss was quite taken aback by the Professor's blunt response. "Excuse me, sir?"

"What you said is preposterous, Miss Schnee. Professors Ozpin and Goodwitch carefully consider everyone they choose to become team leaders, and they would never make a mistake in their decisions."

"How can you be so sure of that?" asked Weiss, feeling her temper beginning to rise despite her best efforts to remain calm. "You've seen what Ruby is like for yourself. Do you honestly think that she is a good leader?"

Professor Port was no longer smiling. "My dear girl, are you insinuating that myself and my colleagues are such a poor judge of character?"

"Then why was she made the leader?" Weiss asked, no longer able to keep her anger entirely out of her voice. She did not yell, but she was certainly no longer speaking calmly. "Out of the four of us, what set her apart?"

"You believe you should have been made the leader instead." It wasn't a question, and Weiss really didn't like the accusatory tone Professor Port spoke with.

"That's not what I said at all."

"Maybe not directly," Professor Port admitted. "But it is clear that that is what you believe. Otherwise, you would not be so focussed on the matter, and you would not presumably be going to see Professor Goodwitch to make your case to her without your team present."

Weiss felt herself bristle at the insinuation, and was no longer able to keep her anger completely in check. "I don't want to be the leader Professor, but if Ruby won't do the job properly, then someone else has to step up. I've already had to step up to cover for her!"

"And that is most admirable of you, Miss Schn-"

"My name is Weiss! Stop calling me Schnee! That's not who I am!"

Weiss felt her nails dig painfully into her palms as she clenched her fists, her whole body shaking.

Am I never going to get out from under his shadow!?

"Miss Sch… Weiss, perhaps we should have a more proper discussion in my office? I can let Professor Goodwitch know that you will-"

Weiss did not wait for Port to finish his statement, storming past him and continuing down the corridor, not caring that she was now heading in the wrong direction from the sparring arena, failing to notice that her entire outburst had been witnessed by someone other than the Professor she had yelled at.

"Remember, keeping close tabs on your Aura levels is of vital importance, regardless of the severity of the situation you find yourself in. So until you are able to feel for yourself how much Aura you have remaining, your Scroll will be your most important tool in combat after your weapon."

Professor Goodwitch clicked the remote in her hand one more time, switching slides from the diagram to a display of multiple empty Aura bars.

"So, with all of that in mind, I want you all to calibrate your Scrolls to your own Aura signatures now."

Weiss pulled her Scroll out and went through the motions of calibrating and casting her display to the main projection like everyone else. In short order, her Aura levels were being projected alongside the rest of the class. Thankfully the display simply showed levels as a percentage rather than a true numerical value, which Weiss was highly grateful for.

"Excellent," said Professor Goodwitch simply. "Now, we have time for one more demonstrative match before we end for the day, so can Miss Rose and Miss Schnee make their way down into the area please?"

Weiss tensed as yet another Professor referred to her by her surname, then sat up straighter when she processed the rest of what Professor Goodwitch had said.

A match with Ruby?

The younger girl was already making her way down into the area, fixing her Scroll to her arm as she did so.

Well, this should be interesting. Perhaps this is my chance to show just how out of her element Ruby is.

Fixing her own Scroll to her arm and checking Myrtenaster was loaded and ready, Weiss stepped into the arena and took position opposite Ruby.

"I will be calling the match when one of your Auras drops below half. Ready your weapons and await my mark." Professor Goodwitch then turned her gaze to the rest of the class. "I want all of you to pay close attention to how each combatant monitors their Aura levels, and be ready to offer your critiques after the match."

Gripping Myrtenaster in her hand, Weiss took her usual stance, one-foot forwards, her off-hand extended parallel to the ground, her head angled so that Ruby was clearly in line with her left eye…

Ruby had her weapon fully unfolded and was holding the blade of her scythe behind her. She was crouched low, her body leaning forwards to place most of her weight on one leg, and her gaze was fully focussed on Weiss.

Such a sloppy stance. She'll trip over herself the minute she tries to advance on me. I'll just hold my position and let her lose balance on her own, then move in.

With another click of a button, hard-light Dust barriers crackled into existence around the arena, separating the pair from the rest of the audience. There was no need to worry about a missed shot hitting anyone by accident.

"Miss Schnee, are you ready?"

Weiss' grip on her weapon tightened further, but she relaxed a moment later. "I am."

"Miss Rose, are you ready?"

"Yes."

No stuttering this time?

Weiss might have contemplated that further, but the sound of Professor Goodwitch clapping her hands together pushed all other stray thoughts from Weiss' mind. She was ready to-

BANG!

In an instant, Ruby was right in front of Weiss, swinging her huge scythe towards Weiss' right side. Her Aura flashed to absorb the impact, but did nothing to prevent her from being launched sideways, just barely managing to remain on her feet by planting Myrtenaster into the ground to remain upright.

What in the world was that!?

Weiss barely had time to think that single thought before Ruby was on her again, scythe once more homing in on her right side. Reacting instinctively, Weiss just barely managed to intercept with the flat of her sword, parrying and twisting around, spinning away from Ruby and rapidly back-peddling away, placing as much distance between them as possible.

The reprieve was short-lived. Ruby did not give Weiss even a moment to collect herself, relentlessly attacking her over and over again, her scythe spinning around in a truly dizzying display. It took all of Weiss' focus to keep from being struck a third time as she frantically dodged and blocked each of Ruby's blows.

Their frantic exchange lasted around half a minute before Weiss was able to spot an opportunity when one of Ruby's swipes went a little wide. The other girl was off balance for a fraction of a second, and Weiss seized the chance while she could, leaping back and conjuring a glyph in front of Ruby. With the added aid of some Dust, a strong gust of wind blew Ruby back, once more creating some distance between the duelling pair.

Ruby slammed the blade of her scythe into the ground, and Weiss realised that she was preparing to open fire. Conjuring a second glyph, a solid one this time, Weiss allowed her makeshift barrier to take the hit while she spun Myrtenaster's barrel to select the Ice Dust canister.

Just as her barrier glyph gave way, Weiss stabbed the blade of her sword into the ground and poured her Aura into it, activating the Dust and sending a wave of ice hurtling towards Ruby.

What happened next happened so quickly, Weiss was barely able to process it. There was a curious sound that she felt was familiar, followed by the much more recognisable sound of a loud gunshot. Weiss had time to turn her head to see Ruby heading straight for her, but with her blade planted in the ground, she had no time to avoid the scythe as it stuck her right side once again.

Weiss was able to keep her grip on Myrtenaster and prevent herself from being knocked across the arena a second time. Acting without thinking, she lashed out with a kick towards Ruby's stomach, drawing on yet more of her Aura in order to give the hit more of an impact.

Weiss' efforts were rewarded with a grunt as she succeeded in winding Ruby, staggering her and stopping her from making a follow-up attack.

Yanking Myrtenaster from the ground and spinning to face her opponent head on, Weiss delivered three rapid thrusts into Ruby's body, knocking the girl back with the third hit.

Dimly, Weiss recalled one of her sister's lessons where she had expressed the importance of not rushing in during a duel, but she very quickly dismissed the stray thought from her mind. She had been on the back foot this entire fight while Ruby ran circles around her, and now here was a golden opportunity to turn the tables against the other girl.

She had grossly underestimated Ruby, she knew that, but that didn't change the fact that she still had two years of experience over the other girl. She was going to win this fight, show Professor Goodwitch, show everyone that Ruby didn't belong here, that she was too young, too childish to be in her position.

Myrtenaster's barrel spun again. Weiss pushed her Aura into her weapon. Fire Dust activated, causing the blade to glow red as Weiss drew back and swung at Ruby, sending an arc of flame careening towards its target…

The familiar sound from before rang in the air once again, and Weiss this time saw what the cause was. One moment Ruby was standing in the path of the oncoming fire, the next she was way off to the side of the arena, a trail of red petals indicating the path she had travelled in a literal instant. Had Weiss not seen it occur, she would have thought Ruby had teleported.

Weiss knew Ruby's Semblance increased her speed, but this was beyond anything she had been expecting.

But that didn't matter. The fact that Ruby had not used her Semblance more in the fight simply proved that she couldn't use it multiple times in a row. She had used up her one trick for the time being, and that meant that Weiss had a perfect opening.

Two glyphs manifested, one beneath Weiss' feet and one behind her. The first glyph assisted her in her jump as she flipped backwards, her feet connecting with the second glyph as it held her in place. Shifting the second glyph from white to black, Weiss used it to launch herself forwards, Myrtenaster held out in front of her as she lunged directly at Ruby, closing the gap between them as she went for the finishing blow.

Ruby dodged to the side, but not fast enough. The tip of Myrtenaster's blade struck her in the shoulder rather than the chest as Weiss had intended, but the hit was still a substantial one, and Weiss could see Ruby's Aura visibly flash as it absorbed the impact.

If Weiss could just land a few more blows, this fight would be over-

Ruby grabbed Myrtenaster's blade with her bare hand and yanked it sideways, much to Weiss' shock. As her weapon was nearly wrenched from her grasp, Weiss found herself dangerously off-balance, almost on the verge of falling over outright.

A swift blow to her stomach drove the wind out of her, and Weiss fell to her knees, gasping for air as she let her sword clatter to the ground beside her.

"Match over!" declared Professor Goodwitch. "The victor is Ruby Rose!"

Applause filled the room as the hard-light barriers deactivated and Professor Goodwitch thanked the pair of them for their demonstration, but Weiss did not acknowledge any of it.

She had lost.

Ruby had beaten her.

She had lost to Ruby Rose.

Professor Goodwitch was explaining something to the other students, but Weiss did not pay any attention. She simply stood up and kept her gaze upon the ground, not wanting to see the looks on anyone's faces.

What did this mean? Ruby was a child, someone who took almost no responsibility for anything, a nervous wreck who stuttered and avoided eye contact and who by all rights should not have been able to win against her. And yet Weiss had lost.

The bell rang, and Professor Goodwitch dismissed everyone. Weiss filed out with the rest, barely aware of what she was doing or where she was going, simply allowing herself to be led along by the others as they departed and began to meander towards the dorms for the afternoon.

What's wrong with me? What did I-

A hand came down on Weiss' shoulder, and she froze on the spot, the familiar touch causing her heart rate to quicken and her skin to feel clammy. Her breath hitched in her throat as she kept her gaze aimed downwards, lest she make what was about to come worse than it otherwise would be.

"Weiss?"

It wasn't his voice that spoke to her.

He wasn't here right now.

The voice that she heard was not disappointed or angry, it was worried.

As the haze of fear began to clear from her mind, Weiss realised what she had just done. She had frozen up right in the middle of the corridor, and as she lifted her gaze, she saw several people staring at her.

"Weiss, you OK?" asked Yang, her hand still on Weiss' shoulder. "Did Ruby hit you a little too hard back there or something?"

Yang's hand squeezed her shoulder in what should have been a comforting gesture. The taller girl had surely meant it as such, Weiss knew that. But to Weiss, the increase of pressure on her shoulder was familiar in a way that was the exact opposite of comforting.

With a startled yelp, Weiss twisted around and slapped Yang's hand away, then she began to run. The calls of her teammate faded away as she sprinted down the corridor, desperate to get away from anyone who might try to ask her why in the world she had just reacted in such a way to a simple touch.

That was something she never wanted to have to explain.

"I'm not mad at you, I want you to know that."

A lie. Of course he was mad. How could he not be after she had screwed up so badly, made such a fool of herself, of the family, of the name she bore.

Oh, how she hated that name.

"I didn't mean to ruin anything, Father." She kept her voice quiet. If she whispered, she could avoid letting her voice crack.

"Of course you didn't. You would never do anything to damage our reputation, would you my girl?"

"No Father, I would never. Our reputation is everything."

She heard him hum in approval as she spoke the line that had been drilled into her mind for as long as she could remember, and she let herself hope that it was enough to placate him.

His hand gripped her shoulder in that familiar way, and she knew that it would never be enough. It never was for him, nothing ever was.

"I will have to punish you, of course. Otherwise, you will never learn from your mistakes."

His grip tightened. It hurt. There would be bruises the next morning.

"You will remain in your room until I feel you have learnt your lesson. Meals will be brought to you, and I will make sure your brother knows not to disturb you while you think about how to do better in the future."

Her eyes began to sting and her vision began to blur, but she could not let herself cry right now. That would only make things worse.

"Do you understand?"

"Yes Father." She prayed he did not notice the hitch in her voice as she suppressed a sob.

"Good girl." His hand left her shoulder, and she listened to his footsteps as he walked towards the door.

"I think three days will be required this time, wouldn't you agree?"

She wanted to scream at him. She wanted to cry and yell and make him understand that this wasn't fair, that she hated being locked away like this. She wanted to see her brother, she wanted to see her sister, she wanted to be anywhere but here.

"Yes Father. It's what I deserve."

…

Weiss sat slumped in a chair in an empty classroom, eyes closed as she massaged her temples and let her exhaustion wash over her. She had long since calmed down from her earlier outburst, and now just felt drained. This entire day had been stressful in one way or another, her old memories were just one more thing on top of the rest.

She was away from all of that now. If all went to plan as she hoped it would, she would never have to go back there again. He couldn't follow her here, he had no power over her here, and she no longer had to worry about those sorts of punishments for her errors.

Unless I fail and get kicked out. Then I'll be right back where I started, with no way to get away anymore.

Weiss let out a long sigh. She knew full well that worrying over this would just make her feel worse, but try as she might she could not get those thoughts out of her head.

And now that she knew just how she measured up against someone she had been looking down on, how she had been completely outclassed by someone so much younger than her…

Weiss heard the door to the classroom open, and she lifted her head and sat up straighter. It wouldn't do to be caught moping by one of the Professors in their classroom at night. She would say she had needed somewhere quiet to study, apologise for not asking permission, then go and find somewhere else to-

"W-W-Weiss?"

Ruby, one of the last people Weiss wanted to see right now, poked her head into the room, hood up as usual.

"Do you ever take that thing off?" Weiss asked, her voice lacking any energy as she spoke.

Ruby lowered her hood, stepping into the classroom and letting the door close behind her. She still refused to look directly at Weiss though, keeping her gaze averted as she stood by the door.

Weiss slumped back into her seat, not even having the energy left to be annoyed at the intrusion.

"Why are you here? Surely you have something better to do."

"W-well, I w-was looking f-f-for you. You n-never came back to th-the dorm."

Weiss let out a short huff, not quite a laugh. "What do you care? What does it matter to you?"

Ruby shuffled her feet where she stood, still not looking directly at Weiss as she spoke. "Because w-w-we're partners. I w-wanted to m-make s-sure you w-were OK. W-we w-w-were all w-worried about y-you w-when you r-ran off."

Weiss turned to face Ruby directly. The girl was stuttering even more than normal, and it was starting to get on her nerves.

But at the same time, it also made her feel a bit guilty.

"Do I scare you, Ruby?"

Ruby seemed taken aback by that. For the first time since she had entered the room, she looked at Weiss properly, although she still did not look her in the eye.

"N-n-no? I m-mean, y-you are a little in… in-timidating s-sometimes, but I w-wouldn't s-say I'm-"

"Then why do you always stutter so much when you talk to me?" Weiss asked, cutting Ruby off. "You never look at me when you talk either, and you're always fidgeting or messing with your cloak. Do I make you uncomfortable?"

Ruby lowered her head. One hand reached for the end of her cloak, only to stop short and clench in a fist instead.

"Everyone m-m-makes m-me feel uncomf-f-fortable," she whispered.

Weiss didn't quite know what to make of that. "Huh?"

Ruby took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Then another. Then another. Her fist unclenched, and she lifted her head to look at Weiss properly. "It's a l-little h-hard to explain…"

Weiss thought about all the things that had frustrated her with regards to Ruby. How she spoke. How she acted. If there was a chance to make sense of all that, she wasn't going to pass it up.

Pulling out a chair beside her, Weiss gestured for Ruby to take a seat. "I don't have anything better to do. So you try and explain it to me, and I'll try to understand."

Ruby looked quite hesitant to accept Weiss' offer. She gnawed her lower lip and resumed shuffling her feet on the spot, seemingly giving the idea some thought.

"Look, I promise not to interrupt you or get judgemental." Weiss tried her best to sound reassuring, but she was certain her words had come out sharper than she had intended.

Nonetheless, Ruby seemed to have made up her mind. She slowly walked over to the desk Weiss was sat at and took the seat offered to her.

"W-well, f-first thing's f-first, m-my s-s-stammer," Ruby began. "F-feeling n-nervous does m-make it w-worse, but it's alw-ways there, and th-there's not m-m-much I can do about it."

All of a sudden, Weiss felt like kicking herself as hard as she could.

A speech impediment. Why did that never occur to me?

Weiss knew full well why it had never occurred to her. It was because she had never even bothered to consider it as a possibility, because she had already decided for herself that Ruby was just a scared little kid.

And yet that little kid had wiped the floor with her in their match earlier.

"As f-for the r-rest, w-w-well…" Ruby trailed off, taking another breath, and Weiss now realised that this was her trying to steady her voice so she could talk.

The guilt Weiss had felt a moment ago was back, and it was growing by the second.

"H-have you heard of s-something called Autism?"

Weiss racked her brain to see if she recalled ever hearing the phrase before, but came up with nothing. "I'm afraid not."

"W-well, that's w-what I h-have. M-my dad could explain it better, but it m-m-means that I s-sort of… don't work properly."

The way Ruby said that made Weiss feel uneasy. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Ruby let out a small chuckle, devoid of any mirth. "Dad and Yang h-hate it w-w-when I s-say it like that too, but it's true. M-my m-mind doesn't w-work the way it sh-should. There's r-r-really no other w-way to explain it."

Weiss swallowed, feeling a lump in her throat as she did so. "In what ways does it… not work, as you put it?"

Ruby took another series of steadying breaths before continuing. "I get s-stressed in c-certain s-situations that n-normal people never w-would, like a crowded sh-shop or on an airsh-ship. S-sometimes it get ov… overwhelmed and I n-n-need to sh-shut it all out, or else I… I s-sort of… Dad calls it a m-meltdown."

Another steadying breath. "Th-there's s-some little things as w-well. C-certain foods I can't eat w-without the f-feel of it m-making me s-sick, c-certain clothes I can't w-wear because the f-fabric f-f-feels like someone is trying to s-smother me. N-normal people don't get ups-s-set over s-silly things like that, but I do."

Weiss listened patiently as Ruby explained all of this to her, but she was struggling to wrap her head around a lot of it.

"I also don't r-r-really… get people v-very w-well."

"That much was obvious," Weiss muttered without thinking, immediately wishing she hadn't the second after she had said it.

Ruby let out another humourless laugh. "Y-yeah. W-whenever I talk to people, it can f-feel like I'm m-messing everything up and m-making everyone else th-think I'm r-really rude. I s-struggle a lot w-with that, and my s-s-stupid s-s-stammer r-r-really doesn't h-help." Ruby's voice gained a noticeably bitter edge to it as she finished talking.

"That all seems… difficult to deal with," Weiss finished lamely. In truth, she had no idea what to say in this situation. How could she? She was struggling to understand any of it.

Ruby took another deep breath. "It f-feels like th-the wh-whole w-world is just… wrong, in every w-way, and you're the only one wh-who r-realises it. But th-then you remember… it's you. Y-you're the one wh-who's wr-wrong, and broken, and n-not r-right."

Weiss tried to imagine what that would feel like, but she just couldn't. It was an impossible idea to comprehend, the notion that the entire world around you could feel alien and wrong, every minute of every day, and there was nothing you or anyone else could do to make things feel right…

"How do you cope with all of that?" Once again, Weiss' brain failed to keep up with her mouth, and she found herself once again wishing she could take back her question.

Rather than getting more upset, Ruby simply shrugged her shoulders. "I h-have a few things th-that h-help. M-my cloak, f-for st-starters." Ruby gestured to the ever-present article of clothing she wore on her person. "Having s-something f-familiar can h-help keep me grounded. M-my headphones also h-help when th-things get too loud."

Ruby then gave a small smile. "And Yang. Sh-she's r-really good at h-helping m-me manage it. M-Mom taught h-her all kinds of th-things."

Ruby's smile fell. "Sh-she s-says I'm getting better, but it r-r-really doesn't f-feel like it a lot of th-the time, and I h-hate being s-such a problem f-for her…"

The guilt that had been building inside Weiss as she listened to Ruby explain all of this to her was making her feel sick, especially as Ruby revealed to her what she felt about her own sister.

That part was a little too close to home for Weiss, who had often worried about the burden she placed on her own siblings whenever they had to comfort her after the latest incident with their parents.

"Ruby… I'm so, so sorry."

Ruby lifted her head, her expression now somewhat puzzled. "F-for what?"

Well Weiss, time to be honest with her. It's the least you owe her after how honest she's been with you.

"I thought you were just some scared little kid when I first met you. I didn't even try to understand you at all, I just wrote you off from minute one. I thought to myself that you didn't deserve to be here, that you would get kicked out soon enough. I… might have actually hoped for it."

Admitting that last part was difficult, but it needed to be said. This all needed to be out in the open.

"M-maybe you're r-right," mumbled Ruby, her expression falling again as she spoke. "I h-haven't exactly been th-the best leader. I don't even kn-know w-why I w-was chosen for that."

That part still didn't add up to Weiss either, especially knowing what she knew now. What in the world had Professor Ozpin been thinking, placing that on Ruby? Surely he, as the Headmaster, knew about Ruby's… Autism, as she had called it.

"Well, I won't lie, I still don't think you should be the leader," said Weiss slowly, carefully weighing her words before speaking this time. "But for what it's worth, all things considered, you've made the best of it where you could."

"And besides," Weiss continued. "If nothing else, you are undeniably an excellent fighter."

Ruby's face flushed as red as her cloak at that, and Weiss could not deny that the sight was more than a little cute. "I-I just got l-lucky is all. Y-you could probably beat me if w-we had a r-rematch."

"Oh trust me, I will beat you when we have our rematch," Weiss replied, smirking as she did so. "I just need to train more to surpass you."

Ruby smiled at that, a genuine smile that reached her eyes. "W-well, y-you're m-more that w-welcome to join me in the m-morning for my r-run."

Weiss blinked. "Is that why you're always out before us in the morning?"

Ruby nodded, her expression turning sheepish again. "Y-yeah, and s-sometimes I lose track of time. S-s-sorry."

Weiss huffed, but it was more playful than outright indignant. "Well then, I suppose I will have to accompany you from now on. As your partner, I really should make sure you don't overexert yourself, and that you remember to get to classes on time."

The smile returned to Ruby's face, and Weiss found herself smiling as well.

"OK then. Just s-so you kn-know, I r-run five m-miles."

Weiss blanched a bit at that. "Did you just say five miles? Every morning?"

Ruby nodded. "M-my f-fighting style r-requires a lot of s-stamina, and I try n-not to rely on m-my S-Semblance too much, so m-my training r-revolves around building my stamina. A lot of endurance tr-training."

"W-well, five miles should be no problem for me. Make sure to wake me up tomorrow so I can join you."

Ruby nodded once more. "W-will do!" She then stood up, before sitting back down rather abruptly, expression serious again.

"I'm s-s-sorry, W-Weiss," she said. "I came to s-s-see if you w-were OK after earlier, and w-we s-spent all that time talking about m-me instead."

Weiss felt her growing good mood begin to sour at being reminded of where this had all started, but she really didn't want to ruin this moment.

Besides, talking about any of that, especially with someone who clearly has a lot of their own problems to deal with, wouldn't be fair to Ruby. Better to just ignore it like she always did.

"Oh, I was just being a sore loser," Weiss replied dismissively. "Sorry again about that, and I suppose I owe your sister an apology as well when I see her."

Ruby seemed satisfied with that, standing back up and making her way towards the door. Weiss followed behind her, switching off the light as they left.

"Uh, did you w-wanna get s-some food?" asked Ruby as they began to walk. "You kinda m-missed dinner."

Weiss was about to reply that she was fine, when her stomach chose that exact moment to let out a loud grumble, presumably triggered by Ruby's mention of food.

"I could use a little something, yes."

The pair thus made their way towards the cafeteria to see what leftovers remained in the snacks bar.

Hello again to my returning readers! And if you found this fic more recently, hello to you as well!

I'm Not Scot.

Wow, this was a big one, the longest chapter yet, just over 7,000 words if you take out the author's notes, and we covered quite a bit. Ruby vs Weiss, a bit more of a dive into Weiss' backstory, and Ruby opening up to her partner and talking about her Autism, ending with the two finally starting to become proper friends. Sorry if some of that got a bit heavy for some people, but I felt like this was the appropriate point in the story to start exploring these ideas.

I based the discussion Ruby and Weiss have about Ruby's Autism on a discussion I myself had with a friend some years ago. Trying to explain what it's like having Autism to someone who doesn't can be quite tricky in my experience, as it is just as difficult to imagine having it as it is to imagine not having it, if not more so. I hope I was able to get across the feel of it in Ruby's explanation and Weiss' musings, but do let me know if you feel there was anything I could have done differently.

(For a little added context, Autism is not so well-recognised in Remnant as it is in our world, hence why Weiss has unfamiliar with the term. I debated coming up with a new term for Autism that the people of Remnant might use instead, but ultimately drew a blank on what to actually use.)

As for Weiss' family situation, that will be explored more in future chapters, but this should start to give you some idea of what her home life was like before she left for Beacon. I really hope I was able to handle this in a respectful manner, so please do tell me if I am doing anything wrong there.

Next chapter will be a Pyrrha chapter, as we move away from Team RWBY for a bit to learn some more about the other half of our cast. Expect that one to come in the next week or so, assuming nothing happens to through off that estimate. For now though, I take my leave.

Until next time,

Not Scot.

P.S: For those who are curious, here is how I imagine the four girls train themselves:

Ruby, as she mentions to Weiss, is focussed on building her stamina. Five-mile runs every morning, supplemented with lengthy exercises where she practices wielding Crescent Rose against imaginary foes (or real ones if she gets the chance).

Weiss is focussed on further strengthening her Aura reserves, since she relies heavily on Dust and her Semblance in combat. Her training involves conjuring and maintaining her glyphs for as long as possible, and practicing her form with Myrtenaster.

Blake is focussed on speed and agility, so she utilises free-running as her go-to training method. Beacon has an extensive obstacle course that helps with that.

Finally, Yang is all about power, so of course she spends her training time weightlifting and shadow boxing.

P.P.S: Weiss lasted one mile out of five, and Yang made fun of her for the rest of the week when she found out.