What Defines Us - Chapter 29 (Patreon)

When someone said they’d ‘be right back,’ did that mean they didn’t expect anyone to follow them?  Because that’s what Ruby said right before racing into the garage...and now Weiss wasn’t sure if she was supposed to follow or not.  Had Ruby intended the phrase for Blake and Yang while expecting Weiss to follow her? Or had she meant it for all of them?

Based solely on indecision, Weiss stayed in the living room and waited for Ruby to return.  Realistically, this might prove to be better than returning to the garage and resuming the line of questioning they were on before Yang called Ruby away.

That had been a straightforward question - a very, very straightforward question.  Ruby wanted to know if Weiss liked anyone...liked anyone.  What reason could Ruby have for asking that question?  Was it sudden, random curiosity? Or was it more than that?

Unfortunately, ‘sudden’ and ‘random’ were two words that described Ruby quite well.  With the way her mind jumped from topic to topic, the question could have easily been a spur of the moment thought with no ulterior motive.  For all Weiss knew, Ruby had caught the tail end of one of Yang’s dramatic television shows, and so the subject of romance had lingered in her mind.

But on the off chance it wasn’t random - could it mean that Ruby had figured out Weiss’ feelings?

If only Weiss had answered more assuredly...but the question caught her so off guard her brain immediately ground to a halt.  By the time it started working again, Ruby was already walking through the garage door with her sister, leaving Weiss to imagine the conversation that could have been.

What would have happened if she’d managed to make her feelings known?  ‘Do you like anyone?’ ‘Yes - you, Ruby. I like you. In the most romantic way possible.’  

But what then?  What would Ruby say or do if she knew how Weiss felt about her?  Would she be overjoyed? Surprised? Confused? Would she turn Weiss down on the spot?  Or would she be open to the idea of...something more than just friends?

The current state of turmoil in Weiss’ mind was a swirling cyclone of regret with a great deal of deja vu mixed in.  It was as if she’d transported herself back to Beacon - where she was completely flummoxed at the idea of liking anyone, let alone her boisterous leader.  Trivial crush? Sure, she’d had plenty of those, but what she felt for Ruby refused to be swept away with time.  Instead, the feelings had only grown stronger until they reached a pinnacle of undeniability - that’s when she began overanalyzing every interaction, every missed opportunity, every fumbled attempt to make Ruby like her too.

Sighing in defeat, Weiss stopped staring at the garage door and turned towards Blake and Yang - who were still sharing a ‘moment.’  After spending so much time, she’d somehow retained her immunity to their nonstop intimacy. It was a skill Weiss had coveted while finishing up their schooling, and it was a necessity to survive living in such close quarters - otherwise, she may well have blown several gaskets.

Maybe resistance was a better word for it, because they still wore on her nerves sometimes.

“What’s up with you two?” she demanded when her impatience caught up to her.

Both girls turned towards her, but they were looking at her strangely - at least, Yang was.  There was this playful little smile on her face that refused to leave. And Blake...Blake was impossible to read, as usual, but she was clearly studying Weiss for some unspoken reason. 

“What’s up with you, Weiss?” Yang asked in reply, her tone not at all combative but rather...teasing.    “You n’ Ruby dating yet?”

“Could you lower your voice,” Weiss hissed while shooting a worried glance towards the garage door, only succeeding in making Yang laugh.

“No need to be coy, Weiss.  I heard what she just asked,” Blake commented, turning Weiss’ cheeks red while Yang’s eyes widened in surprise.

“What did she ask??”

Blake grinned.  “She asked if Weiss liked anyone.”

When Yang turned to stare, mouth open in disbelief, Weiss blushed even harder.  Of course, Blake had overheard the conversation. There probably wasn’t a single space within the walls of this tiny house where Blake couldn’t hear perfectly.

“Who do you like, Weiss?” Yang asked, a teasing grin set in place.  “More like who do you loooovee.” 

When Yang reached out to tickle her, Weiss took a step back and tried to act like she was annoyed.

“Could you please grow up?” she demanded, to no avail.  

“Well come on - what did you say?”

Expectant eyes awaited Weiss’ response and deflated her pretend annoyance into nothing but embarrassment.

“She didn’t believe me when I said her…” she mumbled, looking away when Yang chuckled again.  

Weiss had been honest, but Ruby took it to mean ‘as friends’ instead of something more.  If only there had been more conviction in the words...or more time to formulate a thorough answer...

“This is awesome,” Yang said to no one in particular before bumping Blake’s elbow so they could share a smile.

Of course, Yang found this amusing - she had the first time, too.  Somehow she’d figured out Weiss’ blossoming feelings way before Ruby had, resulting in a few weeks of endless teasing that hadn’t stopped even when Weiss and Ruby became an official couple.  Come to think of it...Yang had been teasing Weiss ever since then, without fail.

“Can we talk about something else?” she asked, racking her brain for a topic that would take the spotlight off of her.  “Like...how is Ruby doing with practices? Have both of you sparred against her yet?” Her attempt to change the subject made Yang laugh again, only this time it came out bordering on a scoff.

“We still have a bit of pride, Weiss.”

“You think she’d beat both of you??” 

“Hell yeah she’d beat us!” Yang answered while Blake nodded.

“I think we could win the first time,” Blake added thoughtfully.  “But she’d win nine out of ten times after that. Unless we somehow cheated in our favor...”

“Are you serious?” Weiss asked, looking between the two girls and waiting for one of them to tell her they were joking.  The news wouldn’t be as surprising if they were having this conversation over a year ago, but with everything that had happened, she expected to have more time before Ruby surpassed them.  

But Yang and Blake both nodded, apparently having already come to terms with this new reality.

“The problem is she’s not just fast anymore.  Now she’s fast and can throw a punch.”  Yang threw a few quick jabs in the air to demonstrate before grinning proudly.  “It’s a deadly combination. She hasn’t quite got the power, but she’s got all my best moves!”

“That’s right.  You did teach her all your best stuff,” Blake commented, smacking Yang lightly across the shoulder before briefly rubbing at her jaw.  “Why did you do that again? The other day she decked me with a right hook.”

“Awww,” Yang cooed, wrapping her arms around a squirming Blake and trying to press kisses to her cheek.  “Did my little sister hit you? Here, I’ll kiss it and make it alllll better.”

Blake used one palm to push Yang’s face away, both girls laughing at their lackluster struggles.

“It was like being stung by a bee instead of being hit with a sledgehammer.  I’d prefer to avoid either.”

“Careful, Blakey - cuz you know I’ll knock you out,” Yang said with a wink.

“Not if I tie you up in knots first,” Blake replied - her voice low while she batted her eyelashes at the same time.

“Well, you know I love when you do that...”  

Rolling her eyes, Weiss shuffled her feet and coughed into one hand to regain their attention before this conversation slid further downhill.  It didn’t bother her that they seemed to forget she was standing there - it was actually comforting, in a way. Instead of standing out as an outsider, she was back to being part of the scenery in the storybook life the two had built for themselves.

Swiveling in Yang’s arms, Blake allowed Yang to continue hugging her from behind while refocusing on Weiss. 

“I haven’t been able to beat her since she finished Thorn,” Blake admitted.  “She keeps getting better with him too. And more unpredictable.”

Before Weiss could reply, Ruby reappeared in the living room and tossed a gauntlet to Yang - who caught the weapon in one hand while refusing to remove the other from around Blake’s waist.  

“Good as new!” Ruby called out.

“Sweet!  Knew you could fix it!” Yang replied with a grin.  When Blake reached for the weapon, Yang willingly gave it up so that her partner could look it over.

“Are you going to listen to me next time?” 

“Of course, sweetheart,” Yang replied facetiously, making Blake shake her head and lean back into Yang’s shoulder with a hint of a smile.  Unconcerned by duo’s continued affection, Ruby turned to Weiss with a big grin. 

“Ready?”

“Absolutely,” Weiss replied with her own smile, but surely hers looked paltry compared to the megawatt beam Ruby was sending back to her.

“Aw man - do we need to take you back to the hospital?”

The sun dialed down a few notches when Ruby turned to Yang in confusion.  “What? Why?”

“To have that hanger removed from your mouth!” Yang teased, pointing to Ruby’s nonstop smile.  “I told you those aren’t toys!”

“Ha ha,” Ruby replied while a soft blush dusted her cheeks.  The smile dimmed only momentarily, but cranked back to full power the instant Ruby refocused on Weiss and gestured towards the backyard.  “Shall we?”

Nodding her acceptance, Weiss followed Ruby to the back of the house - pausing only for Ruby to collect Crescent Rose along the way.

“Have funnnn,” Yang called out after them.

After stepping through the door that Ruby held open for her, it only took two fleeting glances for Weiss to remember the conversation they’d had moments earlier.  Would Ruby bring up the subject again? Would she ask a second time - if only to gain more clarity?

The prospect made Weiss’ skin tingle in anticipation.  Now that she knew it could come up, she could give a more appropriate response, right?  Although, she still wasn’t sure how Ruby felt about her... 

“Are you gonna call in Myrtenaster?” Ruby asked, breaking Weiss out of her thoughts.

“I can.”  Turning to the side as they stepped out onto the porch, the two of them briefly locked eyes - sending Weiss’ chest aflutter with butterflies.  “How about...over here…” she muttered while nodding towards the edge of the yard.

Walking over to a spot that was out of the way, she used her scroll to summon her locker to that location.  Several seconds of silence passed before a whistling caught her attention, followed immediately by a loud thunk as the heavy locker landed in front of her - Myrtenaster waiting inside.

Retrieving her weapon, she spun it in one hand while rejoining Ruby in the center of the yard.

“I should warn you that I’ll be a much more formidable opponent this time,” she teased as they positioned themselves several paces away from each other.  “Don’t expect an easy battle.”

She’d been taking better care of herself - eating more regularly and finding it easier to sleep - however, based on what Blake and Yang had just told her, this fight might be even shorter-lived than the first.  A girl could dream though…

Letting out an adorable giggle, Ruby looked up from the grass and blushed - which only made Weiss blush in return.

“I don’t expect it to be easy!” Ruby quipped while fiddling with Crescent Rose - the weapon as yet unfolded.  

Something was off, but Weiss took a few steps backward and held Myrtenaster out in front of her.

“Are you ready?” 

Weiss was prepared, yet Ruby made no motion to prepare Crescent Rose for battle.  Instead, she glanced at Weiss with that same goofy grin before blushing deeper and looking at the ground.  

“Alright, what’s going on?” Weiss finally asked as she blushed yet again in response to Ruby’s red cheeks.  

The question captured Ruby’s full attention and a healthy dose of clearly-feigned obliviousness.

“What?  Nothing’s going on - I’m just glad you’re here!  And uh...I think you’re awesome,” Ruby replied bashfully, sending Weiss’ cheeks to a deep scarlet in an instant.

There was a flurry of wings in her stomach unlike anything she’d felt in a long time - and, even if she tried, she couldn’t keep a smile from her lips.  Being complimented by Ruby was one of the best feelings in the entire world.

“Well...I think you’re awesome too,” Weiss responded, succeeding in making Ruby light up with joy.

“Yeah?  You know, I kinda thought we could spend more time together!  Training or just...ya know, spending time together.”

When Weiss opened her mouth to reply, Ruby rushed onward.

“I mean, not like you’ve gotta be on our team, officially, but maybe when you’re not busy with work we can hang out?  Or, you know, go out? To dinner again?”

It sounded like Ruby was asking Weiss if they could spend all of their free time together - which would be wonderful.  

But...would Ruby still want Weiss’s company if her true identity was revealed?  Would their current friendship be destroyed by the secret Weiss had kept between them?

“Absolutely,” she replied regardless, flashing a small smile while nerves tripled in her veins.  “If you still want to spend time together after this weekend, of course I’d love to.”

“Why would this weekend change anything?” Ruby asked, tilting her head to one side.

“Because...your partner could be there, right?  I think that you should meet her first, then see how you feel.”

Hearing the words, Ruby’s face fell into a more thoughtful expression while staring down at her gloved hand.

“I guess...but I already know she’s not gonna be as amazing as you!”

A surge of conflicting emotions ran through Weiss when silver eyes reached out to her - drawing her into the apparent truth behind that statement.

But was it true?  Could nothing change Ruby’s opinion of her?  What if she told Ruby that they were one and the same person - that Weiss was Ruby’s partner.  That she was the one who’d been away all this time?

“About that…” Weiss began, licking her suddenly dry lips and struggling to hear over the pounding of her heart in her ears.  Listening carefully, Ruby patiently waiting for whatever would come next.

This would be a good moment to tell Ruby the truth - as good as any.  They could get it out in the open right now, and then Ruby could decide if she wanted Weiss to go to Beacon with the rest of the team.  Ruby could also decide if she wanted Weiss to continue being a part of their lives. 

Weiss could tell Ruby now and get it out of the way.

I’m your partner.

“I...really hope she shows up,” Weiss sputtered, her anxiety collapsing into disappointment.  “If she doesn’t, she doesn’t deserve to be on your team.”

“I hope she comes too!  But if not, no big deal.  I bet she’s got a busy life!  I’m just happy she’s still out there somewhere.”

Through the grin, Weiss could tell that Ruby wasn’t being entirely honest about it not being a big deal.  But they both pretended it was the truth. It was easier that way.

If Ruby’s partner didn’t show up at the Invite, Weiss could spend the days and weeks after solidifying what felt like the beginning of a new relationship.  Short of Ruby miraculously regaining all of the memories that had been lost, this was the best case scenario. 

On the other hand, Weiss could tell Ruby about their past and hope that she would forgive Weiss’ lack of honesty.  Ruby might be upset or even angry that Weiss took advantage of the situation in order to become friends under false pretenses.  Maybe Ruby would even ask Weiss to leave - to leave them all alone, for good this time.

How would Weiss ever tell the truth if a big part of her wanted the past to stay hidden forever?  

Hearing a set of heavy footsteps on the porch, she turned and found Blake and Yang standing here.  Blake played with the ribbon attached to Gambol Shroud while Yang casually spun the shells in Ember Celica, grinning all the while.

“Mind if we join?” Blake asked.

When the pair hopped onto the grass and strolled over, Weiss’ adrenaline began pumping in anticipation of the question she knew Yang would pose next.

“How ‘bout we two v two?”

A few days ago, Weiss would’ve been extremely hesitant to fight against Yang - mostly because she somewhat valued her life now.  But when Yang smiled at her today there was no hidden malice, only excitement and anticipation. 

How long had it been since the four of them sparred together?

“Handicaps?” Weiss asked in acceptance of their proposal.

“Oooooh...Weiss needs some spice in her life!” Yang sang happily.  “How about one?” Turning to Blake for confirmation, Yang received it with a nod and a sly grin.

“I have one too - only Weiss can knock us out.”

“Yesss - I like it!”

Yang and Blake shared a high five while Weiss narrowed her eyes in thought.  

“Handicaps?” Ruby asked.

“We can create one rule they have to follow during the fight,” Weiss explained.  “It helps even things out.”

“But nothing too disabling,” Blake added.  “It should make the battle difficult, but not impossible.”

In Blake and Yang’s case, they’d eliminated their biggest threat by not allowing Ruby to knock them out of the battle.  Even if Ruby landed a great combination, she’d have to find a way to get Weiss in position for the final blow. It was a great strategy - and one that would force Weiss and Ruby to have impeccable timing and teamwork in order to succeed.  Which wouldn’t be as much of an issue if Ruby hadn’t forgotten the years of training they’d gone through...

“Oh!” Ruby gasped.  “How about Yang can only use half of Ember?”

Thinking about the suggestion, Weiss pursed her lips and shook her head.  “We want to affect both of them if we can.”

“Oh, um...oh, I got it!” Ruby exclaimed while turning towards her sister.  “How about...they can’t touch each other.”

Ruby’s suggestion wiped the smile right off of Yang’s face.  Blake managed to maintain an indifferent expression, but her left ear twitched once in surprise.  Both reactions made Weiss grin in satisfaction.

“Brilliant,” she said with a nod, leaning over to nudge Ruby’s shoulder and earning a beaming smile in return.  

“Do my ribbons count?” Blake asked while calmly running one end through her fingers.

“Yup!  And if you break the rule, you have to separate by ten feet before fighting again!” Ruby proclaimed proudly.  

With a disappointed expression, Blake turned and shrugged at Yang. 

“Think you can do it?”

Still dumbfounded by the notion, Yang managed to crank up her confidence in a heartbeat.

“Of course I can do it!”

From the way Blake rolled her eyes, she believed that statement as much as Weiss did.  

Of the four of them, Yang was by far the most tactile.  On top of that, her need for physical affection from Blake bordered on obsessively-compulsive levels.  Weiss couldn’t remember a single instance where Yang hadn’t gratuitously given Blake a high five, a hug, a pat on the back, a kiss on the cheek, a real kiss, or an all-out bear hug tackle into the grass.

It was an excellent suggestion for more reasons than simply making Yang uncomfortable - although that alone would be a good enough for Weiss.  Strategically, Yang wasn’t the most nimble of fighters outside of a certain circumference, but Blake’s ribbons allowed her to turn and pivot on a dime.  Taking away their ability to interact with each other would force Yang to be more one dimensional. And from Blake’s standpoint...well, one of the last things Weiss wanted to see tonight was a hundred pounds of ninja Faunus flying at her like a bullet.  And Yang loved to throw Blake, for whatever reason...

“Ok, but if anyone breaks the fences, they automatically lose,” Yang remarked while she and Blake backed towards the other side of the yard.  “I’m not fixing those again.”

“We need to get Blake first,” Weiss whispered to Ruby, even though she knew Blake could overhear their plan.  “If it gets any darker, she’ll be impossible to see.”

With less light, it would be increasingly challenging to differentiate Blake from her clones, paving the way for some devastating surprise attacks.

Ruby nodded in agreement, her expression thoughtful.

“I can’t earn the kill, but does that mean you can’t use Crescent Rose?”

Weiss narrowed her eyes at the suspicious question.

“What are you thinking?”  

“Just be ready to catch her.”

Internally, Weiss groaned.  If Ruby had regained even 80% of her strength, she could throw a dart - and Crescent Rose was heavy.  They’d tried this before, many times - it was like trying to catch a cannonball with a razor blade attached to one end.  How many times had Weiss nearly been decapitated?

At least these rules were relatively reasonable - they’d gotten a little absurd at Beacon.  Once, they’d fought with the other pair’s weapons and no semblances allowed. Thankfully, Ruby took Ember Celica.  Weiss had been moderately concerned she’d lose both of her hands to the gauntlets - although she hadn’t fared any better with Gambol Shroud.  That weapon had a mind of its own...and it didn’t seem to like that anyone other than Blake was using it. Neither had Blake.

In their few moments of preparation, Weiss scanned the surroundings to formulate a better idea of how the battle might unfold.  The backyard wasn’t very large - a definite advantage for Yang and her close quarters combat. The woods would be a problem if Blake got too close...as would the darkening evening sky.  

To be honest, this scenario played out much more favorably for Blake and Yang than it did for Weiss and Ruby.  However, if what they said about Ruby was right, what the terrain lacked in obvious advantage would be made up for solely by her whirlwind presence.

“Are you ready?” Blake asked, standing with both blades held down at her sides.

“Born ready!” Ruby quipped before turning to Weiss for confirmation.  Holding Myrtenaster out in front of her, she took a slow, even breath and nodded.  No sooner had she done so did Yang shoot forward like there were rockets on her feet.  Ruby immediately moved to engage her sister while Blake flipped over both of them and sprinted to Weiss.

Weiss hadn’t thought of this until right now, but if Ruby wasn’t allowed to earn a kill, Blake and Yang won by default if they knocked Weiss out.  Therefore...both of them would rush Weiss and only needed to hold Ruby at bay in order to win.

This was why they’d stopped letting Blake suggest handicaps...

The first wave of shadow clones forced Weiss to focus solely upon Blake and trust that Ruby would do enough to hold Yang’s attention.  

Creating maximum confusion, Blake summoned a set of clones encircling Weiss before disappearing somewhere above her head.  Knowing better than to remain in place, Weiss picked one of the clones and charged into it - only to stumble back in shock when the ‘clone’ started attacking with a very real blade.

Deflecting the first two attacks, Weiss tried to catch Blake with a glyph, but only managed to catch a clone.  Spinning around on instinct, Weiss raised Myrtenaster and deflected Gambol before parrying away from a second attack which may or may not have been real.

It had been a while since she’d needed to pick out clones under pressure, and she’d lost of bit of the finesse required.  Of course, this weakness had already been identified by Blake - who drew more and more clones in all directions to force Weiss onto the defensive.  The dark figures swirled through the air, each one appearing faster than the last as it suddenly felt like Weiss was fighting against one hundred versions of Blake instead of one.

Until she could determine which ones were nothing more than shadows, she would have to react to each incoming blow.

Or she could freeze them out.

Whipping Myrtenaster through the air, she sent streams of ice shooting in every direction.  The motion caught a round of clones while a blur of black slipped behind her. Repeating the process and clearing another set of clones, she then brought Myrtenaster quickly to her side to deflect an incoming blade with a loud clang.  

As quickly as Blake had appeared, she disappeared - leaving only a copy of herself behind.

Barely catching a whiff of a strong burning smell, a dash of rose petals and strong arms wrapped around Weiss’ waist and abruptly dragged her away from the new set of scorch marks marring the grass where she’d just stood.

“You ok?” Ruby asked breathlessly, not pausing for an answer before sprinting back to their opponents - who’d seamlessly grouped together after Yang’s surprise attack. 

Ruby was moving fast - fast enough to prevent Blake from catapulting over to Weiss while also holding Yang at bay.  

Now Weiss could see what they’d been afraid of - Ruby was a handful for both of them, especially at the speed she was moving.  They were actually losing ground to the red blur - forced to take steps back to defend while Ruby blazed between them, knocking their weapons out of position while consistently preventing Blake from leaping away.

Suddenly, the battle shifted.  

Blake had been looking for a way to circumvent the battle and make it back to Weiss, but seamlessly gave up her quest as both she and Yang tunneled in on Ruby.  The change was so abrupt Ruby might not have noticed it yet, but both girls were now using their strategic attacks to subtly slide apart and double back to surround Ruby on both sides.  

It had been wordlessly decided between the two that, even if it was more difficult, they needed to get rid of Ruby first.  She was too much of a menace for them to take the easy route of double-teaming Weiss for a quick win.

Taking a deep breath, Weiss plunged back into the battle to help her partner.  First - she would aim for Blake.

A sheet of ice cut through the battle and separated Blake from Yang, allowing Weiss to engage the Faunus independently for a split second.  Their weapons clanged together with three quick blows before Blake leapt in the air and propelled the heels of her boots towards Weiss’ chest.  Tumbling to the side to avoid the attack, Weiss watched Blake fluidly flip around to land on her feet while one end of Gambol went whizzing past Weiss’ head.

To Yang.  

As soon as Yang caught the weapon, Blake cursed under her breath and jumped back without pulling Yang to her.  

It was a fortunate turn of events.  If that move had been successful, Weiss would’ve found herself in the middle of a dangerous sandwich that there was no feasible way she could defend against.

Setting a series of glyphs - designed to disrupt Yang’s rhythm as she was forced to dodge around them - Weiss sped forward to engage Blake one-on-one with renewed confidence.  At one point in time, they’d been evenly matched regardless of their diverse skill sets, but Blake had spent the last year training and going on hunts, while Weiss had not. 

But Weiss had Ruby on her side.  And the longer the battle drew out, the more assured she became in Ruby’s abilities.  They could win this. For one, fewer clones were showing up - Blake had either abandoned the idea or was conserving energy.  This meant that Blake was willing to put their swordsmanship to the test, which Weiss was always willing to do.

A swirling set of aerial attacks was easily dodged using a glyph.  And, before Blake’s feet could return to the ground, Weiss removed solid footing with a perfectly-placed glyph.  Blake only momentarily lost her balance, during which time Weiss managed to land a blow to one of Blake’s legs.

While the average person would’ve hit the ground when one of their legs was swept out from underneath them, Blake smoothly corrected her fall into a tumble and used the forward momentum to launch herself into Weiss’ face.  Surprised by the emboldened attack, Weiss sidestepped and felt her balance momentarily slip as Myrtenaster dropped out of position. It was in this moment of weakness that Blake’s blade flashed towards her - ready and willing to take advantage of the mistake. 

A loud crack and ping echoed through the air as a sniper bullet tore between them, caught Gambol, and shoved the blade to the side at the last second.  Ruby’s help created just enough time for Weiss to correct herself and deflect Blake’s seamless follow-up while simultaneously regaining her own balance.

Off to the side, someone yelped in surprise right before a cloud of petals shot towards Blake and a giant scythe appeared out of nowhere.  Unprepared for the sudden onslaught, Blake’s attention shifted for a split second - just enough time for Weiss to attack before the moment passed.  

The break was miniscule - and she could already feel Yang bearing down on them.  As Ruby disappeared to head off her sister, Weiss summoned a complex series of glyphs surrounding Blake - leaping off one at her feet and pinging through the rest 

She was searching for the best one.  The one that was perfectly aimed and timed and - this one.  

Planting her feet squarely on the surface, Weiss launched herself off of the glyph and slammed into Blake with one shoulder - knocking her from her feet.  When the two of them hit the ground, Weiss heard the air leave Blake’s lungs in an audible whoosh.  Breathless or not, Weiss felt Blake preparing to counterattack, but not before Weiss managed to level Myrtenaster to the girl’s neck.

There was a momentary pause as amber eyes glinted up at her - the rest of the battle screeching to a halt as Blake silently surrendered.  Weiss didn’t hold her weapon at Blake’s neck for long - only long enough to establish a victory before withdrawing. Any longer would risk Yang flying into a version of rage no one wanted to see...as there was nothing Yang hated more than someone looking remotely close to injuring Blake, even if it was only for show.

Jumping to her feet, Weiss quickly found Ruby and moved over to her - allowing them to face Yang together.  

As usual, Yang didn’t look at all perturbed by the change in circumstances.

“Can Blake and I touch now?” she asked calmly.

“Uh, sure?”

As soon as Ruby replied, Yang walked over to Blake, lifted her easily off the ground and gave her a long kiss - long enough that Weiss rolled her eyes and shook her head in disbelief.

“Should we wait?” Ruby whispered.  Weiss laughed, but it came out a little more like a wheeze than she would have liked.  The momentary pause was a good opportunity for her to regain her breath, while it looked like Yang was happy to deplete hers.

“We don’t have all night, ya know!” Ruby finally called out to her sister.  Only then did Yang release Blake and turn around.

“Ok Weiss,” Yang said, pounding her fists together with a crunch that made Weiss wince.  “I’m comin’ for you now!”

Sliding in front of Weiss, Ruby raised Crescent Rose.

“You’re gonna have to get through me first!” she proclaimed, the words causing Weiss to beam at Ruby’s back.

How cute.

Grinning, Yang walked coolly over to the edge of the yard where the weapon locker was still sitting.  With one smooth pull, she yanked the heavy object out of the ground and clutched it in her hands.

“Fine by me.”

Ruby and Weiss dove in opposite directions as the metal torpedo flew over them and crashed loudly into the woods.  While Weiss scrambled to regain her feet, a fist slammed into the ground with enough force to send a tremor through her bones, missing her head by only a few inches.  A few inches created by the pull of Crescent Rose at the last second.

Feeling an immediate surge of urgency, Weiss used a series of glyphs to send Yang flying backward - just enough to give them some breathing room.

The distance was only temporary.  Weiss had barely flipped back to her feet by the time Yang came roaring back - deflecting all of Ruby’s lightning-quick attacks.  The loud clang of metal hitting metal echoed through the air as both girls engaged in the deadliest version of hand-to-hand combat, with neither willing to cede an inch of ground unless it was earned with a punishingly-successful blow.

Knowing better than to jump into the fray, Weiss picked out all of Yang’s miniscule weak spots and sent wave after wave of ice in an attempt to slow the girl down.  At the same instant, she created random sequences of glyph traps - trying to funnel Yang into Ruby’s attacks at precisely the right moment. With Ruby dashing back and forth in response to Yang’s constant attacks, Weiss was worried she might accidentally hit her partner, but somehow Ruby moved out of the way just in time.

It was two against one - and left alone at a distance Weiss was able to dictate the direction of the battle - but Yang was building energy too quickly.  Each passing second inched them closer and closer to the end of the fight, where Yang would explode with more force than they might be able to handle. They needed to end the fight quickly.  And to do that they needed to somehow knock Yang off balance - away from her rhythm, she’d be easier to defeat.

Weiss could catch Yang off guard, but she needed Ruby to get out of the way in time.  And she needed to trust that Ruby would understand what to do next.

“Ruby!” Weiss called out before focusing her energy, tossing Myrtenaster into the air beside her, and using a glyph to shoot the weapon straight at the combating huntresses.  Barely glancing over her shoulder, Ruby hopped out of the way of the speeding bullet while Yang ducked under it at the last possible second.

But Ruby had already reappeared on the opposite side of Yang and swung Crescent Rose with all her might - letting go and sending the blade cutting through the air with deadly power.  Yang was forced to hit the ground in order to avoid the weapon - all while Ruby caught Myrtenaster, spun the weapon in her hands, and used up the cartridge of blue Dust sending a block of ice towards Yang’s leg.

As Crescent Rose spun towards her, Weiss quickly summoned her soldier to catch the weapon - but he wasn’t necessary at all.  Crescent Rose jarred to a halt in midair before shooting back towards Ruby - Thorn directing weapon’s course.

Grinning when she realized what Ruby was going to do next, Weiss released Ronnie and summoned a glyph under her feet and another one out of Yang’s view.  

With her concentration fully on Crescent Rose, deflecting the weapon out of the air to protect herself, Yang hadn’t caught sight of the glyph rotating above her right shoulder.

Even after Yang knocked Crescent Rose away, Ruby summoned the weapon again - causing another abrupt course change that refused to be deterred.  Meanwhile, Ruby tossed Myrtenaster in a high arc through the air while Weiss bent her knees and sprang off of the glyph under her feet.

For a brief second, as Myrtenaster seemed to fall in slow motion, Weiss was weaponless.

Weaponless and rocketing towards Yang Xiao Long.

Yang sensed the disturbance but was forced to re-engage Ruby with Crescent Rose now in hand.  Meanwhile, Weiss pivoted, coiled her legs, hit the second glyph and shot towards Yang - catching Myrtenaster out of the air as she did so.

At the last possible second, Yang spun and raised her arms to deflect Weiss at the same instant Ruby flew past - dragging Crescent Rose underneath Yang’s feet.  Somehow, even while falling, Yang managed to grab ahold of Weiss’ arms and lock tight. The two of them hit the ground a split second later, with Yang landing on her back and her arms still rigidly propping Weiss up in the air.

Myrtenaster was a scant few millimeters from Yang’s neck - if Weiss could move, they would win.

But she couldn’t move, and Yang knew it.  

“Told ya I’d get ya,” Yang huffed through deep breaths, grinning before a giant silver sword appeared at her neck - the last of Weiss’ energy being used to bring Ronnie back into the fold.  The barrel of Crescent Rose appeared on the other side of Yang an instant later - three deadly weapons dampening Yang’s grin ever so slightly. 

“Soo...tie?” Yang asked, making Weiss narrow her eyes and open her mouth to argue based on the circumstances.  Before she got out a single word, however, Ruby squealed in delight. 

“We tied??  That’s so awesome!!”

Hearing Ruby’s happiness, Weiss couldn’t find the resolve to dispute the outcome.

“Tie,” she begrudgingly agreed, the word convincing Yang to release her and allow her to regain her feet.  Reaching down, Weiss offered Yang a hand and pulled her off the ground while allowing Ronnie to disappear into the night sky.  

“We tied, Weiss!” Ruby called out.  Sweeping over, she wrapped both arms around Weiss’ waist, lifted her in the air and spun her around in a circle.  “Can you believe it??”

Instantly forgetting her annoyance with the draw, Weiss smiled down at Ruby while the girl held her up in the air - just as jubilant as the times when they’d beaten their teammates fair and square.  Reaching down, Weiss gently brushed her fingers from Ruby’s temple, down her jawline, and curled them lovingly underneath her chin. 

Immediately realizing what she’d just done, Weiss retracted her hand while her face burned in embarrassment.  Thankfully, Ruby set her back on the ground with nothing more than a huge grin - not seeming to have noticed the rather intimate gesture.

“Congratulations, you two,” Blake commented with a slight tilt of her head and an amused smile while walking over to join them.  “That was quite the finish.”

“Yeah, congrats on tying, Weiss,” Yang added with a smirk, knowing full well how much the word would irk her.  “Isn’t it great when a good fight ends in a draw?  I mean, that way no one wins!  There are no winners here tonight.”

Rolling her eyes, Blake gently jabbed an elbow into Yang’s side to halt her teasing.

“I think there’s a weapon locker out in the woods you need to get,” Blake pointed out, nodding towards the ever-darkening patch of trees.

“Yeah, yeah…” Yang grumbled before jogging over to the woods and disappearing into the trees in search of the wayward locker.

“I can’t believe we tied!  That was so much fun! Can we do that again??  Please?”

Blake chuckled at Ruby’s enthusiasm while Yang reappeared from the trees, dragging Weiss’ locker behind her.  Bringing it over to them, Yang slammed it into the ground so it would stand upright before tapping the slightly broken door hinge a couple of times.

“Don’t worry, I know someone who can fix this for you,” Yang commented.  Ruby piped in with “I can fix that right now!” before speeding over to look at the damage.

Weiss sent Yang a glare for her pleased smile.  “You’re lucky your sister is useful.”

“Got it!  See, that was an easy fix!” Ruby called out almost immediately.

“Thank you,” Weiss replied, giving Ruby a warm smile before placing Myrtenaster inside and sending the weapon home.

“Can I just point out that it was Blake who couldn’t keep her hands off of me?” Yang said happily.  “And here you all thought I’d be the one breaking that rule...showed you guys!  I don’t always need to be touching Blake!”

“That’d be much more convincing if you’d let go of Blake’s hand now,” Weiss pointed out, calling Yang’s bluff.  Looking down at their joined hands, Yang shook her head.

“Naw, see I can’t do that!”

“Why not?”

“Because Blake wants me to hold her hand!”

When Ruby and Weiss both shared looks of disbelief, Blake merely smiled and tugged Yang towards the house.

“Let’s get you inside before you say anything else,” Blake joked before her eyes found Weiss.  “Weiss, are you sticking around?”

“Oh...I should probably head home.  I’d love to stay, but...I have a busy day tomorrow.”

This time the words were true, and not just an excuse to leave Ruby’s presence.  Weiss didn’t want to go, but there were several reports she needed to thoroughly examine before presenting them tomorrow.  And then there was that little issue of mentally preparing herself for the Invite...

“Ah...then thank you for the pleasant match.”

“Oh yeah, tons of fun!” Yang chipped in with a grin.  “But next time you aren’t suckering me into that trick!”

Giggling, Ruby watched her housemates head towards the house before turning to Weiss and offering, “I’ll walk you out?”

Nodding, Weiss willingly walked into the house with Ruby - the two of them shoulder-to-shoulder until Weiss was forced to trail Ruby through the narrow hallway.

“That was so awesome how you shot Myrtenaster off a glyph!” Ruby said, glancing over one shoulder with a big grin.  “And then the way you caught Yang by surprise - so awesome…”

From her tone - not at all breathless - Ruby seemed to have fully recovered from the whirlwind of a battle already.  Meanwhile, Weiss could still feel her heart hammering in her chest while her breathing slowly returned to normal. As out of practice as she was, her recovery time must’ve dramatically increased.  Whereas her teammates were probably prepared for another battle right this moment, Weiss would need several more minutes before she’d be fully capable of another fight.

This was where practice and conditioning played a vital role in their lives.  She could easily get her stamina back up with time...and maybe that was an effort worth focusing some of her energy towards.

When Ruby opened the front door and stepped out into the cool nighttime air, Weiss suddenly realized how much she didn’t want to leave.  If she didn’t have familial obligations to fulfill, she’d stay here for as long as she was welcome - enjoying these moments of shared happiness before everything might yet again be thrown into chaos.

“Thank you for coming over!” Ruby chirped, not suffering from growing regret like Weiss currently was.

“No, thank you.  I had a wonderful time.”

“Me too!  Fighting with you is super cool.  Like I loved keeping track of you and Yang and Blake.  It made everything so much more hectic!”

“Hectic is one way of phrasing it…”

“Hectic and amazing!” Ruby continued.  “I’d fight by your side any day!”

In the face of Ruby’s grin, Weiss had no choice but to smile.  

“I’d be happy to have you by my side,” she answered softly, dipping her head to mask her warming cheeks while Ruby briefly glanced away before turning back with shining silver eyes.

“So...if you’re busy tomorrow, I guess I’ll see you next for the Invite?”

“Yes.  Yes, you will,” Weiss answered, unable to match the wide grin Ruby responded with.  

That single word was enough to send Weiss’ pulse skyrocketing.  As was the way Ruby was looking at her right now - like nothing else in the world existed outside of the two of them.  Goosebumps raised on Weiss’ arms when Ruby took a step forward into her personal space, making it their own. 

Lifting one hand, Ruby tucked a strand of hair behind Weiss' ear and smiled - a heart-melting smile that made Weiss temporarily forget everything else.

“Goodnight, Weiss,” Ruby said quietly.  “I can’t wait to see you again!”

Eyes sparkling cheerfully in the budding moonlight, Ruby dropped her hand and took one step away before running inside the house, leaving Weiss frozen to the step.  Her heart pounded like wild now, still imagining that smile...

What just happened?  Whatever it was, it felt...very affectionate.  Not that Weiss was in anyway opposed to the intimacy, but where had it come from?  Did it have anything to do with Ruby’s question from earlier in the night - asking if Weiss was romantically interested in anyone?

The answers to these questions were so important, yet she’d run out of time to find them. 

The Invite was in a matter of days.  Why couldn’t it be next month - or next week even?  Something was stirring between her and Ruby, but without the opportunity to fully deduce what it was... 

She had half a mind to call JNPR and force them back into competing - if only in hopes that Beacon would uninvite her own team.  But, realistically, it was too late for such plans. Ruby would want to go regardless. 

Resigned to this complicated situation with no easy answers, Weiss turned towards the street and sighed into the darkness.

“Weiss.”

She barely prevented herself from crying out in surprise when a figure emerged from the shadows of the house and stepped towards her.  A second later, Blake moved into the moonlight and gave Weiss an apologetic smile.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.  I just wanted to talk to you before you left,” Blake explained, folding her arms across her chest in the cold.  “I was hoping I could make you feel better about the Invite.”

“I already promised Ruby I’d go,” Weiss answered, placing one hand to her heart and feeling it pulse quickly underneath her fingertips as she attempted to calm down from the fright Blake had just given her.

“Good,” Blake said with a nod.  “But beyond just going, you should really consider telling her.”  Reading the instant reaction of uncertainty, Blake continued before Weiss could say anything.  “You aren’t the only one she forgot...”

That comment made Weiss pause before speaking out, her remorse building as she understood what Blake was trying to say.  So much attention was focused on how Ruby’s injuries affected Weiss, and how they affected Yang, that very little recognition was paid to the fact that Blake had been erased from Ruby’s memories, as well.    

“I lost one of my best friends that day,” Blake said quietly, dropping her gaze to the ground.  “Well, two, really. And it changed Yang more than she’ll ever admit.”

When amber eyes glinted back up at Weiss, the emotions were hidden away in a heartbeat.

“For a long time, I was nothing more than Yang’s girlfriend.  It didn’t matter that we used to discuss books and weapons together - whenever Ruby needed someone to talk to, she always turned to Yang.  Just like you, I had to start at the beginning and become her friend again. I had to worry about whether or not she’d like me or even accept me in her life.  And with my past...I had to start over too, Weiss. From the beginning.”

“I’m -”

“Please don’t say you’re sorry,” Blake interrupted, shaking her head and giving Weiss a small smile.  “I don’t want an apology. I want you to know that Ruby’s been down this path before. I became her friend without telling her about the past.  It wasn’t until much later that Yang and I sat down with her and explained who I really was. I was so nervous...but she listened to what we needed to say before asking any questions.  And, at the end of everything, she turned to me with this big smile and said ‘I always knew you were special.’”

Blake smiled fondly at the memory, and Weiss thought she could almost see tears glisten in the girl’s eyes - but as quickly as the emotion had appeared, it was gone.  

“You should tell her the truth...because you aren’t planning on it, are you?”

Frowning, Weiss turned away from Blake’s knowing eyes.  How was it that Blake always seemed to know exactly what Weiss planned to do?  Even when she hadn’t yet made a decision, Blake somehow guessed which direction she was leaning towards.

“Yang expects you to tell her,” Blake added.

“Why would she expect that?”

“Because...Ruby is excited to go back.  She’s excited to meet her partner. If there was ever a time to tell her, it would be now.”

“I don’t think I’m ready...” Weiss admitted.

“How often have we been ready for something?  We’ve always had to jump before we were prepared.  That’s part of life, Weiss.”

Weiss allowed the silence to expand while she thought about Blake’s words.  Sure, they’d often been unprepared for the tasks they were given, but when dealing with a matter as important as this...where Ruby’s emotions and their future relationship with each other was at stake...

“And it’s the right thing to do,” Blake added, immediately making Weiss sigh out loud.  Blake and the ‘right’ thing to do. She could teach a class on doing the right thing.

“When am I even supposed to tell her?  The Invite is practically tomorrow.”

“Tell her at Beacon.  I’m sure you two can slip away for a few minutes.”

“But…”

“What better place than where this all began?”

When Weiss failed to respond, Blake watched her - reading cues she didn’t know she was giving.  Whatever answer Blake found in Weiss’ demeanor made her sigh.

“Please consider it.  Promise me you’ll at least do that?”

“I promise,” Weiss replied easily.  Considering her options would probably be all she did for the next twenty-four hours.  

Going back to Beacon would be a struggle in and of itself.  If it was questionable whether or not she could handle walking through the campus, how could she possibly broach the topic of being partners with Ruby?

Nodding in acceptance of the mediocre promise, Blake’s eyes flitted briefly to the side before returning to Weiss. 

“Weiss, I’ve been meaning to tell you that I’m sorry.”

“What are you sorry for?” 

“After everything that happened,” Blake began, looking uncomfortable with the words.  “We were so concerned about Ruby that we didn’t…”

Sighing, Blake finally looked Weiss squarely in the eyes.

“We should’ve made sure you were handling things well.”

A small scoff slipped out at the unexpected apology while Weiss crossed her arms over her chest against the cold.

“You have nothing to be sorry about.  I was -”

“Fine?” Blake interrupted right when the word was on the tip of Weiss’ tongue, her arched eyebrow saying that she already knew it was a lie.

“Believe me, I know all about being ‘fine,’” Blake said quietly, taking a step back towards the house.  “But now that you’re back, we’re going to make sure you really are ‘fine.’ Don’t think you’ll be able to slip away from us again - we’ll come looking for you next time.  And it won’t be just Yang and me.”

With a knowing smile, Blake opened the door.

“I’ll see you soon,” she said before disappearing inside and softly shutting the door behind her.

Tears immediately sprang into Weiss’ eyes, and she could do nothing to prevent them.  Instead, she rushed away from the house to seek much-needed privacy within the confines of her ride back to her temporary living quarters.  Turning on the engine and leaving the small house behind, she took deep breaths while contending with her thoughts.

Growing up, it was always her against the world - or her and Winter against the world.  When she got to Beacon, everything changed. It wasn’t always her against the world. There were people who cared enough about her that they would look after her.  In return, she would do anything in her power to be there when they needed her. 

She would do anything for her teammates - they were her family.  But telling Ruby the truth...she didn’t know if that was a risk she was willing to take.