Here we are at Chapter 8 and the final chapter for this short story. This was just a little something for fun. Time to see where Weiss and Ruby will go now that the Nightmare is no more. I do not own RWBY. They belong to roosterteeth. Here's chapter 8. Enjoy.
Chapter 8: Whiterose in Bloom
A few days passed since the Nightmare incident with Ruby and Weiss. After the incident, the bond between the members of Team RWBY had grown stronger than before. Including between Weiss and Blake. With the situation having calmed down, Weiss and Blake were able to have a nice talk about recent revelations.
"But, why couldn't you just talk to me about all of this?" Weiss asks.
"Because I believed you wouldn't have given me a chance. You made it clear how you felt about the White Fang and the Faunus. To find out that I was a Faunus, and a former member of the White Fang. You would've most likely rejected me. Do you have any idea how much that hurts? To be rejected by your friends?" Blake retorts.
"Well, do you have any idea how upset that made me to know that you had so little faith in your teammate?" Weiss takes a breath to calm herself down. "I know that I can be... difficult sometimes. But, my life has hardly been easy. I told you about my childhood, or lack there of," Weiss reminds her.
"Okay, I think we can all agree that this whole thing could've gone better. Weiss, can you say that not you, but your father's company is completely blameless in all of this?" Ruby joins in.
"You are... not mistaken. It's the way my father has been running my family's company, turning it into what it is now, that I chose to become a huntress. I want to restore my family's honor, but I also want to correct the mistakes of my father. He was not the start of my family name, and I refuse to let him be the end of it," Weiss says.
Ruby turns to Blake, "And Blake, when the White Fang changed and became what it is now, do you agree that what they've been doing now is right?"
Blake looks down sadly, "No, I don't agree with it. I wanted equality. I wanted peace. But, the White Fang now doesn't want that. They want something far worse. That's why I left. I didn't want to use my skills to aid in their violence. I wanted to be better,"
"Then that's what we'll do," Ruby takes both of their hands and they all join together, Yang included. "We'll all be better than we were before. We'll talk to each other and learn to understand one another. That's what Team RWBY is all about!" Ruby cheers.
"Yeah, that's the spirit, Ruby!" Yang joins in while Weiss and Blake simply smile.
Leave it to their leader to find a way to fix the situation and make them all come together. Weiss raises the hand that Ruby held a moment ago, remembering everything that happened to her while in Ruby's dream. She wants to have a moment alone with Ruby to talk. But that will have to wait just a little while longer.
…
"You and your team have been through a harrowing experience, wouldn't you say, Miss Schnee?" Ozpin asks.
He had called each member of Team RWBY to speak with him one-on-one. He had already spoken with Blake and Yang, and now he's speaking with Weiss.
"Yes, it has. I knew I would be training hard and fighting against grimm, but I never expected to be fighting grimm like this, or to be fighting inside a teammate's dream to save them," Weiss replies.
"But, do you feel you've come out stronger now, Weiss?" Ozpin asks.
Weiss lowers her eyes, "Before, I thought you had made a mistake with making Ruby team leader. I had studied and trained, but the truth is I was just full of myself. My grandfather brought honor to our family, and my father destroyed it. I hate my father, and yet... I acted just like him. Looking down on everyone else. Thinking that I expected to be respected because of my family name. Looking back on it now, I feel disgusted with myself. I took pride in my family name, and I still do, but... I became my worst enemy. All because of my pride. I was so focused on myself that I forgot what's the most important thing about being a huntress, and more. But... Ruby showed me the error of my ways. I'm sure I'll still nag her at times, that I might be hard to approach, but... I now see why you chose her. And I'm glad to say that you did not make a mistake," she looks up with a smile.
Ozpin returns the smile, "Struggling through adversity can help one learn many things. About the world and those around them. And about themselves as well. This is a school where people come to learn and to grow, and you have grown much in this short time, Weiss. And I'm sure you'll continue to grow with your team as you continue your training here at Beacon,"
Weiss nods, "Yes. I can't imagine it any other way without Blake and Yang. And Ruby most of all, of course,"
After Weiss leaves, Ruby is the last one to come up.
"First, let me say again that I'm glad you're okay, Ruby. It would've been a tragedy if you had fallen to the Nightmare," Ozpin says.
Ruby rubs her thumbs together, "Yeah, sorry about that, again,"
"There is nothing to be sorry about. If anything, I believe this trial has made you much stronger now. Wouldn't you agree?" Ozpin asks.
Ruby smiles, "Yeah. I realize now that being a huntress is more than just fighting grimm. It's about learning to trust others. To understand them and fight alongside them. If it weren't for my team, I wouldn't be here right now. I went into Weiss' dream alone, and while I got the job done, it wasn't easy what came after. I learned I need to talk to my friends about my problems, not bottle them up inside,"
"Yes. Humanity can only defeat the forces of darkness by working together. That's why the schools have teams. We can accomplish only so much by ourselves. Do you also believe you and your teammates have come to a greater understanding with each other now?" Ozpin asks.
Ruby nods, "Yes, very much so. I'm happy to be a part of Team RWBY. To be with Yang, Blake... and Weiss," her voice gets softer at her partner's name.
"Good. I have high hopes for you and your team, Ruby. I know you will all do great things," Ozpin says.
...
On a day off from school, Weiss decided to take Ruby out to Vale for a little bit of relaxation. She had asked Yang and Blake to leave them be for a while and go doing something between themselves. While Yang was a bit confused, Blake seemed to understand and pulled the blonde away with her. Weiss ends up taking Ruby to a local café for some breakfast, her treat. Ruby happily takes her up on it as she pours some butter over a stack of pancakes. Weiss has some coffee with toast and that's about it.
"You seem to be much better, Ruby," Weiss notes, watching Ruby enjoy her food.
"Yeah, we all got closer as a team and finally managed to clean the air between you and Blake. I was really worried about you guys. Things have been really crazy the past few days but I'm glad it's all been taken care off," Ruby says before taking a few bites of her pancakes. "I'm sorry about avoiding you and Blake and Yang after I went into your dream. I guess I was being stupid, huh,"
Weiss' smile drops from that, "No, Ruby. I'm sorry. This whole experience between you and me has helped me realize that I was wrong about you for a lot of things. And it helped me realize a number of things about myself too. You are not to blame for anything. I came to Beacon with these stupid expectations and plans in my head. I never understood that things would be very different in Vale than Atlas. I was so sure of myself, and yet I was the one that got possessed by a Nightmare,"
"I mean, you weren't... that bad," Ruby says.
"I was awful, just admit it," Weiss gives her a flat stare.
Ruby giggles, "Okay, you were occasionally awful. But, I was possessed too, Weiss,"
Weiss shakes her head, "That was only because of me. If it wasn't for me, that never would've happened to you. Ruby, in your dream, I saw a lot of things and recent events have made me see things differently now. About me, and about you,"
"Huh? What do you mean?" Ruby cocks her head.
"Let's finish our food first, then there's somewhere I want to go with you. We'll continue this conversation there," Weiss says.
Though still confused, Ruby goes along with it. They finish their meals and Weiss leads Ruby all the way to the town square. A few people are walking about, minding their own business, but it's not crowded. The two girls take a seat on a bench overlooking a statue.
"So, about what we talked about before?" Ruby asks.
Weiss sighs, "Ruby, I apologized before for a number of things, but there's still one more thing I haven't apologized for,"
"Weiss, I already forgave you for everything. There's no need for that," Ruby says.
"No, I need you to know. You deserve the truth. The truth is... I read your diary," Weiss says.
"Huh?" Ruby mutters, but as the realization of Weiss' words sinks in, her face takes a deep red.
Weiss read her diary, which means she read exactly what Ruby wrote in it.
"I-I didn't read all of it, but I did read the most recent entries. It was a gross intrusion of your privacy, but I couldn't resist temptation. So, I read it, and I saw what you wrote about me," Weiss' confession does little to slow Ruby's fast-beating heart. "When I read about your... your feelings for me, I was honestly flattered. Throughout my whole life, people were only interested in me for the perks of my last name. They wanted my money, my family company, or just my skirt. It made me want to throw up. I never thought anyone would see past all of that. And yet, you did. Seeing those words, seeing your dream, it made me question why. After every cruel thing I did and said to you... Why?" she finally looks at Ruby.
For a long while, Ruby didn't say anything. The silence made Weiss shake with fear that she might have taken things too far and Ruby would be forever angry with her now.
"Well, I didn't really understand it at first. I mean... you were really mean to me. Everything I did seemed to upset you, even if I wasn't trying to. You made it really hard, but... I also saw how strong-willed you were. You knew exactly what you wanted and were determined to get it, no matter what. I admit I was childish at times. I'm still learning what it means to be a leader. But, then you said you would support me and I thought 'maybe there's a chance to smooth things over and move forward with her' after all. When I wrote that I thought you were beautiful when I first saw you, it was the truth. I thought it couldn't be possible for someone to be this pretty. You were cold, but then you decided to accept me as team leader. I came to like it whenever I saw you smile. And then you were possessed by a Nightmare. I felt like it was my fault. I was team leader, and yet I never noticed that something was wrong. It was my fault that you almost..." Ruby can't bring herself to finish the sentence.
It hurts Weiss inside to see Ruby blame herself for something that was beyond her control.
"No, Ruby, that wasn't your fault. I came to Beacon with a load of expectations. I came to Vale, but I still acted like I was in Atlas. I was in my own stubborn head. I hadn't yet realized that I needed to stop falling back on my family name because at the end of the day... it doesn't matter. I was only thinking about myself. About restoring my family's honor. But you... you want to help everyone. Protect everyone. That's what being a huntress is all about. I lost sight of that. Because of my convoluted way of looking at the world, I was possessed by a Nightmare. Because I still have so much to learn. But you showed me the correct path. And you made me realize one more important thing too," Weiss says.
"What's that?" Ruby asks.
Weiss surprises Ruby by kneeling before her, taking hold of her hand, "Before, I saw you as a child. As a dunce. As someone unworthy of being on my team, at Beacon, or being a huntress. But now, I see that I was wrong. You are kind, brave, you do what you believe is right. Even if they hurt you, you still try to help others. You think of others before you think of yourself. That's not anything like me. Even in a family of five, I was always alone. I had to lock my true feelings away in a cage to protect myself. But, if I keep doing that, then I will never reach my true potential. I will become a burden. I WAS a burden, not you, Ruby. I was afraid of opening my cage, but you gave me the courage to do so. I want to... I want to see the world through your eyes, by your side,"
"Weiss..." Ruby mutters in awe as a fresh blush forms on her cheeks.
"These past few days have made me understand my true feelings. Feelings that I was afraid to let out until now. I realize that I am unworthy of being by your side. I have committed great sins against you, and it will take a lifetime to atone for them. But, if you're willing... will you let me stay by your side? I want to be with you, and if I can be a tad selfish... I want you to be mine and I, yours. So, will you be my girlfriend?" Weiss asks.
Ruby gasps at such a request. After what happened to her in Weiss' dream, Ruby never dreamed that such a moment as this would come. She thought there was no chance of them making up, let alone evolving into something more. The feelings of joy and relief are so intense within her that Ruby starts crying.
Weiss quickly gets worried, "Ruby, did I say something-,"
"Weiss!" Ruby practically tackles her to the ground, wrapping her arms around her neck. "Yes! Yes! A thousand times, yes!"
Weiss can hardly believe her ears, but she chooses to do so and returns the embrace with tears in her own eyes. She never thought that Ruby would say those words to her. After everything that happened between them, she expected Ruby either to give her a negative response, or to at least go back to being friends and nothing more. That Ruby would want them to become something more and would want Weiss by her side through everything in their lives... Weiss can't help but feel eternally blessed. The two sit up and wipe their tears away.
"Weiss, I never thought; I never dreamed you would say those words to me!" Ruby smiles the biggest smile she can.
"And I never thought you'd accept me, but I am so impossibly grateful you did," Weiss intertwines her fingers with Ruby's. "From now on, I will support you in everything. As your partner, your teammate and your... your girlfriend. Where you go, I go. Where you fight, I fight. Should a time ever come that you leave this world, I, too, will follow you into the afterlife. But, I pray that day won't come anytime soon. And I promise I will never harm you in any way again," Weiss vows.
Ruby's cheeks match the color of her cloak, but her smile returns the color to Weiss' cheeks. They inch closer until their lips meet, gifting the other all the affection and love they can muster. Weiss never imagined that her first kiss would be with another girl, but with Ruby, it feels perfect. After what felt like an eternity, the pair separate. Weiss felt like Ruby's eyes were shining right now, but that could just be the sunlight. Her eyes truly are beautiful.
"So, that was... I don't have the words for it," Ruby giggles.
"Same here. But, I enjoyed it nonetheless," Weiss stands up and offers a hand to Ruby. "Let's go back to Beacon,"
Ruby accepts the hand the pair walk back to their school, fingers intertwined.
…
Later that evening, the members of Team RWBY are back in their dorm room, each of them doing their own thing. Yang was playing a game on her scroll, Blake was reading a book, Weiss was writing a letter to her sister, Winter, and Ruby was writing a new entry in her diary.
"Dear Diary, I feel so amazing right now. Well, first I feel bad because I got possessed by a Nightmare. But, at least my team rescued me and we're all back together again! I've really learned a lot from this whole experience and I think I can be an amazing leader now. But, more importantly, Weiss and I are together now! Like 'together-together'! I never thought a day like this would happen. I'd say if this was a dream, then I'd never want to wake up, but I almost died in one, so yeah, no dream please. But, I'm really happy. And I can't wait to go on dates and kiss more and snuggle under the covers and share cookies together. Aw, this will be so much fun. I really, really like Weiss, and I'm happy she feels the same. I just know that things are going to get even better from here on. I know my time here at Beacon will be amazing. Because I'll be spending it with Yang, with Blake, and with Weiss most of all," Ruby writes.
Soon enough, the girls head to sleep. They've certainly earned it.
…
It's morning at Beacon and Team RWBY are getting ready for their next round of classes.
"Alright guys, it's time for class!" Ruby cheers.
"Easy there, little sister, we're going," Yang chuckles.
"Come on. Let's go," Blake leads the way as she and Yang exit their dorm room first.
Ruby is about to leave next when Weiss reaches out, grabs her hand and pulls her in for a kiss. Ruby melts into Weiss' embrace as the two hold each other, lost in their own little world.
A moment later, they separate, "Just a little something for luck today," Weiss smirks.
Ruby blushes, "Um... maybe I need a little more luck?" she gives her a pleading stare.
Weiss giggles, "Alright, maybe a little more. Just for you," she leans in to give Ruby another kiss.
"Ruby! Weiss! Hurry up!" they hear Yang from out in the hall.
The two girls laugh, "Guess we'd better get going. Don't want to be late to class," Ruby says.
"Indeed. There will be more time for that after classes, and studying of course," Weiss says.
They leave the room, hand in hand, moving forward to the next chapter of their lives. A chapter they shall face together.
The End
And that's the chapter and the story. A nice little something that I wanted to do for some fun. I hope you guys enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Out of all the pairings in RWBY, Whiterose is my favorite. I don't expect it to become canon in the series, but I certainly hope it does since we got Bumblebee to become canon. Weiss x Ruby forever, baby! Anyway, Team RWBY is back together after defeating the Nightmare, and Weiss and Ruby confess their feelings for one another and are now a couple. A happy ending for all. Until then, please Read and Review.
