I've been struggling between progressing the plot and the desire to write slice of life bits which may be apparent in this chapter idk.
Ruby's eyes fluttered open as she slowly sat up on her bed. The sun had barely risen, yet she still started her morning routine, being careful to make as little noise as possible which was hardly a challenge for her. Once dressed, she tucked each of her new teammates as delicately as possible into their beds before leaving their dorm. With the help of her semblance, she patrolled the campus and used her weapon's sniper transformation to surveil the horizon of Beacon's walls.
By the time she was finished, a couple of teachers were walking the halls of the Academy, preparing for their first class. While heading back to her team's room, she came face to face with Glynda Goodwitch.
"Lovely morning, huh?" Started the silver-eyed woman with a smile.
Her colleague narrowed her eyes as she continued walking. "Quite. If you'll excuse me, I have classes to prepare and so do you."
Ruby's expression darkened as she walked away. "Yeah..."
Standing in front of her dorm, she took a deep breath before silently entering. The three young adults were still asleep as she approached Weiss' bed. The ravenette took a quick peek at their schedule then the current time before sitting next to the heiress and gently shaking her shoulder.
"Hey there, little leader. Rise and shine." She whispered into her ear.
A small groan escaped the white-haired girl. "Miss Rose? What time is it?"
Ruby chuckled. "A bit earlier than necessary, but I think you girls should think about settling in. You know? Unpacking, cleaning, maybe a little decoration here and there." She glanced at the Schnee's luggage. "You sure brought a lot of things."
Weiss sat up and yawned. "Right..." her gaze caught her two sleeping teammates. "What about them?"
"Well, I was thinking that our wonderful leader should start her first day into her role by waking up her new friends." Explained the silver-eyed woman as she got up and headed towards her own luggage, which consisted of a simple backpack with clothes and toiletries inside and a guitar case. "Do be careful with Yang. If she's still like she used to be five years ago, she will not be happy with anything too rough."
Remembering the brawler's prowess during the initiation, Weiss decided to start with Blake. "Come to think of it. I never had to wake up someone before... well, gently that is." She approached the hidden faunus with a hesitant expression as her gaze darted between the ashen-haired woman and Ruby, who simply encouraged her with a wave of her hand. "Maybe I should try what miss Rose does." She thought while reaching a hand towards her teammate's shoulder.
As soon as she made contact, amber-eyes snapped open and glared at her as the woman grabbed the heiress' wrist and pulled her forward while aiming to strike her throat. However, before any harm could be dealt to anyone, Ruby had stepped in and grabbed Blake's outstretched hand. "Alright, girls. Deep breaths. We're all friends here."
The commotion had woken up Yang who lazily rubbed her eyes before catching sight of their current predicament. "Did... did I miss something?"
Ruby had managed to separate the monochrome duo before giving them all a comforting smile. "Not at all. It simply looks like our teammates here are not morning people."
Yang nodded and smirked. "That, I can relate to." She stretched before throwing her covers off herself. "I'm taking first dibs on the bathroom."
Leaving her sister to her own business, the ravenette softly petted Weiss' hair. "It's only the first day. Don't let this get to you, okay?"
"Okay..." Nodded the heiress, slightly dejected before leaving to make her bed.
Ruby sat next to Blake who couldn't meet the older woman's gaze. She made sure that Weiss wasn't listening in before whispering to the hidden faunus. "I understand that a lot has happened to you since I left. I can also tell that you left for a reason. I won't force you to tell me anything until you're ready, but you're safe here. I won't let anything happen to any of you."
The bow wearer nodded while hugging her sheet covered knees until she felt soft lips press against her forehead. "I'm not mad, but you'll have to work on that, yes?" The ravenette didn't wait for an answer as she got up to make Yang's bed.
Each member took care of their business as an awkward atmosphere built up between Blake and Weiss. Yang had tried to intervene, but was held back by her sister who shook her head. When Blake had been done using the bathroom, she passed by Weiss who suddenly grabbed her wrist.
They stared at each other as silence settled into the room until the heiress looked to the side. "No hard feelings, right?"
No a sound came out of the ashen-haired woman for a while before a snicker escaped her lips. "Ruby definitely taught you that one."
Yang burst out laughing and the older woman chuckled as Weiss' face reddened. "W-what? Y-you, the nerve..." She then huffed before stomping towards the bathroom.
Now it was Blake's turn once more to grab her wrist. "Thanks, Weiss. You're alright and sorry about... you know?"
The heiress did not bother turning around, but still nodded before being let go. She was still a bit embarrassed when she came out, but the awkward atmosphere had now completely disappeared.
"Alright then, leader~." Asked Ruby in a teasing tone when addressing Weiss by her new title. "What's the next step?"
A faint tint of pink appeared on the white-haired woman's face. "As you've mentioned earlier, miss Rose. We still need to settle into our dorm. Therefore, we will be spending our time before class unpacking our belongings."
Blake nodded and was about to reach for her luggage when a groan from Yang attracted the room's attention. "Man, no offense princess, but how did you manage to make decorating sound so boring?"
Weiss glared at her partner. "It's called being professional. It's an essential skill for any respectable adult. Clearly a stage that you are far from reaching."
They both butted heads before being split apart by Ruby who had a deadpan expression on her face. "That's enough, let's just do what we set ourselves up for and go to class."
It took longer than expected, but in the end, they all managed to unpack what they brought and place them around their dorm. Blake had brought an impressive collectionof book. Yang brought some posters, comics and a game console and Weiss brought various expensive decorative pieces. However, it left them with a new problem.
"It's... uh... kinda..." Tried to formulate Yang.
"It's pretty cramped in here." Completed Blake which earned her a thankful nod from the brawler.
"I... suppose we could go without some of our items." Added Weiss which earned her raised eyebrows from both the bow wearerand the blond.
"And by 'we' you mean you, right?" Flatly questioned Yang.
"You did bring a lot more than us." Followed Blake.
Ruby's eyes widened for a split second as an excited smile appeared on her face. "There's another option we could consider." She said, gaining her teammates' attention before she grabbed Weiss' shoulders and leaned in slightly. "Wasn't there this one tiny little thing you secretly wanted when you were a kid?" Seeing the heiress' confused face, she added. "It involves beds."
The blue-eyed woman's face flushed as she shook the older woman in panic. "Did Winter tell you that?! She said she wouldn't tell anyone!"
"What is it?" Eagerly asked their respective partner, now very interested in what could have made their leader so embarrassed.
Weiss timidly played with her fingers while refusing to meet their gaze. "I... maybe, possibly, wanted to try a bunk bed." She then glared at them, trying to regain what little remain of dignity she had. "But that was years ago, understood?"
"That's it?" They thought before shaking their head.
"It would free up some space." Agreed Blake.
"Sounds good to me." Added Yang heading towards her own bed until Ruby grabbed her by her shoulder.
"While I would love to see what you girls come up with, remember that I'm also a teacher which means that we'll be doing this the correct way." Said the silver-eyed woman. "As the team leader, Weiss will have to complete a form to request the necessary means to build our bunk beds. Meaning that until then, we'll have to tolerate this for a little while."
When all three young adults agreed, she released her grip before clapping her hands with a gentle smile on her face. "Last order of business before we head to class. What kind of sign do you girls want to settle on?"
This confused her teammates who shared a glance at each other before settling back on Ruby. "A sign?" Asked Yang.
The ravenette nodded. "Yeah! I mean, look at you three, you're all cute as a button! We need a sign to tell us not to enter when you'll eventually bring boys over, or girls! I don't mind either."
The three younger woman gained a deep shade of red on their face. "RUBY/MISS ROSE!" They screamed which made her raise her hands in surrender.
"Alright, let's shelve that problem for now. It's time for class!"
The students sat together in teams for the grimm study class taught by a man named Peter Port. He gave a speech about the grimm before droning on about some embellished personal story which most droned out. This was the case of team RWBY who all seemed to be deep in their own thoughts.
"Cute! Cute she said! I'm not going for cute here, sis! If anything, most would say hot or sexy. Not, cute!" Furiously thought Yang as she flipped her pen between her fingers.
"She used to call me cute back then too. Isn't this kinda bad? We're talking about Ruby here, so I doubt that me being a faunus is the problem. Does it mean that she doesn't see me as a grown woman? Is it because she's five years older than me? Age gaps aren't really uncommon in Ninjas of Love, but I don't think books will help me much this time." Thought Blake while she pretended to listen by looking at their text book, not noticing that she placed it upside-down.
"Cute? Winter used to call me that during our childhood. Does this mean that miss Rose only sees me as a younger sister?" Weiss shook her head. "No, no, no. Calm down Weiss, there must be another explanation. Maybe she thinks that because she's older, I wouldn't see her that way. Maybe she's afraid of the power dynamic since she used to be my mentor. My heritage isn't intimidating her, is it? Or..."
Terror filled the three women when the same thought coincidentally passed through their head. "Is Ruby/miss Rose even attracted to women?"
The woman who occupied their thoughts, however, was dealing with a more serious topic. "I already have planned how I would teach each year of students, but is this really the best I could come up with? So much could go wrong, yet Ozpin approved it all. No, focus. You'll have to present your plan to the entire student body this afternoon. I just hope that the girls don't come to hate me for it."
"Miss Rose!" Loudly called out professor Port, snapping her out of her thoughts.
"Y-yes?" She asked, caught off guard.
"I've been calling you for at least a minute. As someone of your reputation, I was expecting you to set an example for the other students." He reprimanded which earned him a couple of glares from the students.
She gave him an apologetic smile and bowed her head slightly. "I'm very sorry. I guess the nervousness of my upcoming class is getting to me."
The professor's stern expression immediately soften as he cleared his throat. "Ah, yes, I understand. Nonetheless,I was planning on asking you if you would be willing to show these fresh faces, how someone with as many years of experience as you handles themselves against a simple grimm." He then gestured to the stack of cages next to him.
Ruby's smile brightened, to the classe's delight, as she stood up and approached the man. "I think it would be just what I need to clear my mind."
He laughed with pride. "Very good! You can retrieve your weapon. We will be waiting."
However, Ruby stopped and faced the cages. "Don't worry about me professor, I'll be just fine without."
"Oh, my! Strong, confident and beautiful! Careful miss Rose, this old man still has a heart!" Quipped Port.
"Back off, creep!" Internally growled the ravenette's teammates which must have been a similar case for their classmates since they glared at the man once more.
Ruby, however, laughed it off. "Oh my, professor, such grand praises wasted on little old me." She then winked at him, causing the man to blush faintly, as she took a graceful stance. "I guess I should repay you by giving the students a show."
Port cleared his throat as he stood besides one of the cages. "R-right, well, let the match... Begin!" He said while cutting down the lock, revealing a Boarbatusk.
"Was breaking the lock really necessary?" Asked Ruby slightly switching her stance. The grimm then charged at her, making the silver-eyed woman raise an eyebrow. "You can do better than that." She said while kicking the creature aside once it came close enough.
Peter awkwardly chuckled, not expecting the celebrity to treat the grimm so nonchalantly.
Once it regained its bearings, the Boarbatusk turned back towards the ravenette before jumping in the air as it started spinning in place like a wheel.
"Now you're getting it." Praised Ruby as the creature rolled in her direction. She then extended her palm and reinforced the aura on her arm before striking the spinning grimm, knocking it back and leaving it stunned. She sighed while approaching the struggling beast. "While I understand that a Boarbatusk is a good challenge for students, it doesn't leave me with many options for a good show now, does it?"
To the shock of the class, she grabbed the grimm by its tusk and flipped it on its back while holding it in place with little to no effort. "Alright class. As you can see, this grimm is surrounded by a tough exoskeleton which is practically impossible to penetrate through normal means. However, their entire underside is left unprotected, making them quite easy to deal with as long as you have the means to flip them over."
Once sure that everyone had properly observed the creature, she ripped off one of its tusk before shoving it into its throat angling her improvised weapon so it would come out of the grimm's eye, the beast barely having the time to squeal in pain. She then used the anchored bone to launch the creature into the air as it evaporated before bowing elegantly to the class.
She gave an embarrassed smile as she scratched her cheek. "Of course, ideally, you would use your weapon to kill it. While it may not be as hard as their armor, their tusks are quite difficult to break off." The entire class had become silent, professor Port included until the bell rang. "Uh, I guess class dismissed? Right, professor?"
The rest of their day had been rather tame compared to the events that transpired during grimm studies. Whenever team RWBY would walk towards their next class, they would receive curious glances along whispers as they passed by other students. The news of Ruby's recent display of strength having been spread quickly. When lunch came about, the celebrity had once again cooked for her teammates which earned them new stares while they ate. Much to the three young adults' admiration, the ravenette had never seemed bothered the entire time.
They were currently sitting in their last class of the afternoon which happened to be the one every student would eagerly wait for: Combat class. Once again, each team had sat down with their teammates while also trying to be closest to Ruby who had been oblivious to those intentions. The celebrity's teammates were once again free to wonder as they waiting for Glynda Goodwitch to start the class.
"Seriously Rubes? You couldn't have even tried to leave any clues? A lingering gaze, maybe some unnecessary touches? Then again, I'm also very glad you didn't." Thought Yang, arms crossed as she drummed her fingers across her skin.
"Who would have thought that someone could be so unreadable yet also the most approachable person you'd ever meet? It's almost enviable, in a way. Though that doesn't help with knowing if Ruby likes women..." Thought Blake while reading one of her novels. Unlike in Port's class earlier this day, she managed to concentrate enough to genuinely read. Although, the recurring thoughts about the ravenette had her read the same sentences quite often.
"Miss Rose never fails to impress. Even when swarmed with questions, stares and even requests sometimes, she managed to not show a single sign of annoyance or irritation. I doubt even Winter could have achieved such a feat." Admired Weiss with a smile on her face until she suddenly blinked in realization. "I completely forgot about trying to find her interest..."
Ruby for her part, was having a pleasant conversation with another student, who struggled to come up with basic sentences. However, the celebrity had remained patient and offered a comforting smile trying to ease her conversation partner.
The bell rang as Glynda started her speech. "I have already introduced myself before but just in case, my name is Glynda Goodwitch and I will be your combat instructor for the next four years. For each of those years, you will be ranked in a leaderboard based on your performance amongst your peers and victories during the practice matches. Do not worry, however, as your placement will not determine your grade. Only your progress will be taken into account." The students broke into hushed conversations before being silenced by a glare from the teacher.
She cleared her throat before glancing at Ruby with a smirk. "Usually, we would start the practice matches against one another so I can see your current prowess in combat. However, today is a special occasion since it is the only day where miss Rose will be participating in this class." Most students turned towards the celebrity who simply waved. "Therefore, I have consulted with the headmaster and-"
Before she could finish her sentence, Ozpin could be seen approaching from the class' entrance as he interrupted her. "We will allow you to test your strength against miss Rose in a one versus one situation. We believe that it could give you great insight on your potential. However, we decided to include an... incentive, so to speak. Any of you who manages to reduce her aura to the halfway point, will instantly graduate from this class." The hushed conversations came back at full force while Ruby looked on with a raised eyebrow. "Now, would any of you like to try?"
A couple of hands were raised, most were hesitant yet some had shown confidence in their decision. Those people were Yang, Pyrrha and Cardin Winchester. Blake had held back since she knew that she couldn't hold a candle against the celebrity. However, she was surprised when Weiss also hadn't. When questioned, the heiress replied: "Believe me, no one here will even come close to achieving the headmaster's challenge."
Indeed she was right, in fact, most of the challengers hadn't been able to hit the ravenette at all. When it came to Cardin's turn, some believe that he may have been up to the task in consideration of his confidence. Unfortunately, he simply ended up like any other students. What had been the most impressive to the onlookers, was that Ruby's weapon had been able to transform into an almost exact replica of each of her adversaries' weapon which she used against them while giving pointers if she could.
Finally, when it came to the last two challengers, Ozpin decided to intervene. "I do not mean to insult your talents, but I believe that the outcome of your matches is quite obvious to us should we let you fight alone." He took a sip from his mug before glancing towards Ruby. "I will change the reward to this: Instead of graduating from this class, you will simply pass this year. However, you will both fight miss Rose simultaneously."
Yang shrugged as she turned towards her new partner. "Sure, I'm down. You?"
Pyrrha nodded. "I would be glad to."
They both took their place on the arena and deployed their weapons. Ruby, however, seemed confused. "Well that leaves me with two choices of weapon now..."
The blond and the redhead lowered their stance and glanced at each other, unsure of what to respond. The brawler then took a step forward. "Don't get me wrong sis, your weird weapon's pretty cool and all, but don't you think you'd be better of with your usual scythe? Crescent Rose used to be your go to after all."
While it went unnoticed by most, both Beacon staffs and Blake had seen Ruby's eyes widen in terror for a split second. "I-I don't know, Yang. This is still just a practice match."
Pyrrha, oblivious, pressed on. "I think it would be great to be able to face you using a scythe once more, miss Rose."
Suddenly, the other students began cheering for the celebrity to use her usual weapon. While she did a great job at suppressing her emotions, panic had started rising inside the ravenette as she glanced at the various cheering figures along the smiling faces of her adversaries.
A hand then suddenly settled on her shoulder "Miss Rose?" Asked the headmaster. "We can call this off, should you desire it."
They stared into each other's eyes for a couple of second before she took a deep breath. "No... I'll do it." Ruby then closed her eyes and pulled out her weapon from behind as it shifted into the famous sniper scythe she was known to wield. However, this one had a new look, it was more refined and deadlier than the known model. The crowd cheered louder as she took a stance.
"Alright you two, but today will be the only time I'll use this against a student." She said before opening her eyes. Instantly, the room's excitement died when they saw the expression on her face. It was focused, cold, dangerous.
Yang took a step back as Pyrrha instinctively raised her shield. "This might have been a mistake." Said the brawler which the spartan nodded to.
Glynda seemed hesitant to start the match when Ozpin motioned her to trust him with a serious expression on his face. With a regretful sigh, she pressed a button on her scrollpad which initiated a countdown.
3...
The students leaned forward, entranced by the situation's suspense. Blake's gaze darted between the professors, the arena and the students as a pit of dread formed inside of her. Weiss, who took notice of this, placed a hand on her teammate's shoulder. "What's wrong?"
2...
The bow wearer stared with worry at the celebrity which the heiress quickly realized. Yang breath shook as she tightened her fists and solidified her stance. "I don't know how, but I fucked up real hard this time." She thought while Pyrrha grip on her spear shifted into a more defensive position.
1...
Ruby bent a knee while her other leg shifted backwards as her grip on her weapon tightened. Blake suddenly stood up and ran down the stairs towards the arena. Unfortunately, she was too late.
Fight!
"Ruby!" Screamed the hidden faunus before being forced to adopt a defensive stance as a strong shockwave pushed against her.
On stage, the moment the countdown had finished, Ruby had suddenly vanished before the whole stage became covered in rose petals before anyone could blink. The entire class held their breath as the petals slowly disappeared, waiting to see what happened. When the fog of roses faded, they were greeted by the sight of Yang, frozen in place as she glanced towards her partner.
Pyrrha had not moved a centimeter from where she used to be. However, both of her arms were now limp at her side while her eyes were shaking in terror as tears formed in their corners. Her head was inclined upwards while her chin rested on the cold, metalic surface of Ruby's weapon, its blade resting against her throat.
Ruby was now standing behind the redhead, both hands still firmly grasping her scythe's pole while one of her fingers laid against the trigger of the integrated sniper. However, what confused most onlookers, Yang included, was that the ravenette's eyes were glowing.
"T-this match is over!" Called out Goodwitch as she reached for her crop.
The celebrity closed her eyes and exhaled as she removed her weapon from Pyrrha's throat before transforming it back into its compact state. She glanced at Pyrrha's aura indicator which was still full before gently laying a hand on her shoulder. The spartan's entire body shook as she fell down to her knees.
Ruby sighed before giving her sister an apologetic smile. "Mind helping her out? I don't think I should be near her for a while." She then walked towards the class's exit. "Besides, I got my own class to prepare."
Glynda was about to point her weapon towards the ravenette when Ozpin held her back. She stared at him in a mix of rage and confusion before he pointed back at the red-draped figure, specifically, the strange trail of red dots that was left behind her. Upon closer inspection of the silver-eyed woman, Goodwitch noticed that streaks of red had been trailing down her cheeks from her eyes.
"I believe this was a lesson for everyone, today." Stated Ozpin as they approached the two remaining students on stage, never noticing the black figure leaving the room after Ruby.
Once outside the Combat class, Ruby had used her semblance to dash towards the amphitheater where her class would be held. Since it was approved at the last moment, she would be using this room to allow her to present her program to the entire student body at once. She could now be seen sitting at a desk that had been preemptively placed for her while she washed the blood off her face. "Why did I do that? They're students. There was no reason for me to lose control like that."
Countless memories of her blood soaked Crescent Rose surrounded by mutilated bodies flashed through her head as she buried her face into her hands. She could hear a voice she wished to forget as her heartbeat hastened.
"...It'll be like nothing ever happened! All of those you killed, that you couldn't save? None will matter anymore! Don't you understand what I'm offering, Ruby?!"
"Ruby?" Said a familiar voice as she felt a hand caress her back.
"Why aren't you in class, Blake?" She asked motionless.
The bow wearer knelt down next her as she gently pulled on her hands, prying them away from her face. She then noticed the blood and took a couple of tissues to wipe it away to the best of her abilities. Tons of questions were running through her mind as she gently scrubbed at the trails that came from her eyes, yet she held back knowing well that some answers can only come when ready.
Once satisfied with her work, she sighed. "I... don't know what happened to you after we went our separate ways. Even if I did, I'm not sure if I would know how to help. But you told me yourself that this place was safe and I believed you." Ruby nodded while staring at the floor. Blake's gaze lingered on her lips until she chastised herself for her action.
She then looked around, making sure that they were alone, before removing her bow and nuzzling her head against the ravenette. "One thing that I understood when we separated is that I really wanted to see you again. When that wish finally came true, I was so afraid of what you'd think of me after everything I've done, but when we met once more, you just looked so happy to see us. I felt so relieved."
The ashen-haired woman pulled away to remake her bow before laying her head down on the ravenette's lap. "What happened back there... it was bad, don't get me wrong. But that just means that you have something to work on now, right?"
They spent a few seconds in silence until Ruby chuckled. "Now look who's using my words against me."
Blake smirked. "Weiss' not the only one allowed to do that, you know?" She then glanced at the wall mounted clock before standing up. "I think we should clean the rest before students start coming here."
The silver-eyed woman stood up in turn as they walked towards the nearest bathroom. "Did you decide to take the class...?" She hesitantly asked.
Amber-eyes darted downwards. "Yeah... I know what it means in the long run, but I also know that I can't run away forever. I'll do what it takes, become the best partner you could ask for. Then you won't have to do everything alone anymore."
The hidden faunus was engulfed in a tight hug which she reciprocated as they stood in silence for a while.
The amphitheater had a lot more students than Ruby had expected as she finished writting a couple of notes down. Most teams of each year had come and amongst them, Ruby saw a rabbit faunus which seemed familiar yet she couldn't quite put her finger on why. However, what surprised her the most was that team JNPR had been here. While she means no offense to the team's leader, he didn't seem like the kind of guy remotely close to ready for this kind of topic. On the other hand, she was also not expecting Pyrrha to be here considering what happened earlier, yet the spartan managed to hesitantly wave at her when their gaze met.
She wasn't very surprised to see her own team amongst the crowd. Blake had already explained herself and the celebrity knew that the others shared similar feelings. It didn't prevent her from feeling a little regretful to see her younger sister in such a place.
One thing that most students shared however, was the uncertainty, fear, and discomfort that could be felt through the air. Some had their emotions on full display while others tried to hide them behind a serious facade, but Ruby could tell. With all these negative emotions floating about, she was glad that Ozpin had the other teachers on high alert around campus in case any grimm managed to be close enough to be attracted.
She took a deep breath before standing up from her chair. "Alright everyone, quiet down please." She circled her desk before sitting on it. "Here's how this is going to work. Unfortunately, since it's a new class with important material, second, third and fourth years are going to have a harder time because they will have two whole years of theoretical content to go through before the end of this year." She was surprised when no one seemed to argue or seem remotely against the idea. Then again, this class dealt with a heavy topic, more so for them. "You might have noticed that I said two years and not four. That's because the third and fourth year are... unconventional. They will not have any study material to go through. Instead, they will use the knowledge acquired in the first two years... and apply them in the field."
Ruby could hear a couple of breath hitch while she gave them time to process. After a while, a student raised their hand. "What... exactly does that entail?"
The ravenette stood up and started pacing around. "Well you see, the first year consists of mainly philosophies around death and, well, killing. The second year will be on various potential situations that could happen out there and how to approach them."
She then turned towards where most of the third years had sat down. "The third year will have each team accompany me on a huntsmen mission with the task to kill or with a high possibility of necessary lethal force. However, the only one who will kill is me." Tension rose as the entire amphitheater mumbled amongst themselves at the revelation. "The rest of the school year will be spent on... therapy. For various reasons, this part will not be handled by me unless specifically asked by you. The other teachers will keep an opened space in their schedule to have private meetings and help you through the experience."
Ignoring the continuous whispers, she turned towards the fourth years. "Would any of you like to guess what's different about your year?"
A student rose a trembling hand. "We... we'll be the ones to do it...?"
Ruby nodded with a sympathetic smile, trying to ease their dread. "Yes, and just like the third year, the rest of the year will be spent on therapy sessions. Fortunately or unfortunately depending on how you see it, this year's circumstances means that you will not be able to go out on the field unless we have covered the essential theoretical material. This means that both third and fourth years will have a separate class where we will go through an abridged version of the class so we can make sure that you'll have plenty of time for the rest."
Once done with her explanation, the whole class had gone quiet. Everyone was just staring at the teacher or between themselves. "If any of you change their mind about this, you are free to leave. The headmaster and I will organize something for those who join next year."
A few teams left the room, yet once more, not as many as the silver-eyed woman would have thought. "Alright, let's begin."
The students left one by one, the discomfort around the topic still fresh on their expression. When team JNPR gathered their things to leave, they were interrupted by their teacher's voice. "Miss Nikos? Could I borrow your time for a minute?"
The spartan's teammates seemed uncomfortable with the idea yet let the matter go quickly when the redhead agreed. The celebrity's teammates shared a worried glance before following the others outside the class. Now alone, Ruby had Pyrrha sit in front of her desk as she sat on her own chair.
"I know that this will probably mean nothing to you, but I want you to know that I'm so sorry for what happened during miss Goodwitch's class. I didn't mean for things to escalate so fast, I just..." Said the new teacher before sighing. "Lost control and it should never have happened."
Pyrrha seemed to process her words before she took a deep breath. "I... want to believe you. Deep down, I think I do. Yet a part of me had hoped that you stayed afterwards. That you had been there then, not now. When you left, it felt as if you didn't care. Yang told me what you asked of her and I appreciate the thought, but it also felt like you tossed me aside and hoped things would fix themselves." She straightened her back and gave the ravenette a small smile. "But the fact that you asked me to stay and talk it out, shows me that you at least recognize that."
They could hear the sound of a cane at the entrance. "Well said miss Nikos. However, the problem remains that miss Rose seriously endangered your life." Said Ozpin as he approached them.
"W-well... I still had my aura." Weakly tried to defend Pyrrha averting her eyes from the headmaster.
He stared into her cup, swirling it around before taking a sip. "Do you believe that you would have been fine should she have pulled on her weapon's trigger?"
The spartan remained silent, her mind replaying the terror she felt when she realized the situation she was in. Ruby had obviously headed straight for her, yet she hadn't seen her move at all. The only proof of her movement was the storm of petals along with the shockwave, yet she could already feel the woman's weapon on her throat while those took place.
Taking her silence as answer, Ozpin turned towards Ruby. "I'm afraid that disciplinary actions are needed in this case."
The ravenette simply nodded. "I would expect no less."
Pyrrha's head snapped towards the two adults. "Hold on! She already explained everything to me and while I do not completely forgive her for it, I don't think she should be punished for something that technically didn't happen!"
They both stared at her for a while before the headmaster hummed in wonder as he took another sip of his drink. "I believe that we can come to a different agreement then." Both women gazed at him, waiting for him to continue. "Miss Rose accepts to be punished while you do not wish for us to do so. Therefore, you will chose what miss Rose's punishment will be."
Silence settled in the amphitheater as they processed the man's word. Ruby then turned towards Pyrrha, waiting for her answer. The redhead was lost in thoughts for a moment until a small smile graced her lips. "Then would you be willing to make me your apprentice now?"
I'm probably going to skip Jaundice since I hate that arc and don't really feel like I could bring that much of a difference considering the fact that Ruby wouldn't be on the field trip. I might just put a time skip at the beginning of the next chapter explaining what happened.
Considering the fact that the first two volumes of RWBY are filled with timeskips, I was thinking of putting slice of life chapters in between. It's still for debate in my head however.