What Defines Us - Chapter 34 (Patreon)

“That was SO AWESOME!” Yang exclaimed, pounding her fists together to emphasize that point.  “Blake, I had no idea you could do that with your clones.  That was sexy as hell! And Ruby, you cut that thing in half!”

“What about you??” Ruby replied, feeling just as amped as her sister was.  “You exploded like fifty Beowolves!” 

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Blake and Weiss share a look.  Probably because they weren’t nearly as excited as Ruby and Yang were, but there was a good reason to be excited!  They did it! They finished The Beacon Invite! Not only had they finished it, but they finished all five rounds with a few seconds to spare!

“Congratulations, you guys!”

Turning towards the unknown voice, Ruby found another team walking towards the platform underneath the arena.  

“That was awesome!” a girl with vibrant green hair exclaimed, rushing forward to give Ruby a double high five.  “I’m gonna watch that last round in slow motion. On repeat. For the next year. Totally cool.”

“Thank you!” Ruby replied as the girl jumped onto the platform with the rest of her team.  “And good luck!” she called out as the platform began to rise and cheers grew louder.

People kept giving her high fives - it was really cool! She didn’t know who they were, but they were happy for her.  She was happy for her!  Because they’d finished! They’d made it all the way through the gauntlet, and Ruby hadn’t made a fool of herself!

It was probably that last part that made her most happy.  There were sooooo many chances to make herself look like a total noob out there, but she managed to avoid them all.  Somehow. Miraculously. Maybe she was better at this huntress stuff than she thought.

When the platform made a loud clanking noise as it locked into place above their heads, Ruby smiled.

“They seemed really nice too!”  

When Ruby searched for acceptance of that statement, her eyes immediately found Weiss.  After giving Ruby a small smile, Weiss quickly looked down at the concrete floor and fiddled with the handle of Myrtenaster.

But shouldn’t Weiss be super happy right now?  Sure, there was that whole partner reveal and all the confusion that came with it, but it wasn’t that big a deal, right?  Not bigger than finishing The Beacon Invite!

Ha.  Ruby sucked at lying, even to herself.  The Invite was huge, but the partner thing was like next-level huge.  Like extra-planetary huge.  And the way Weiss avoided eye contact only made it clearer that they still needed to talk - big time.

“Come on, let’s get outta here so we can watch!” Yang said then, throwing an arm around Ruby’s shoulders and leading them down a set of hallways before a tall staircase appeared.  As they started walking up to the main stands, she tugged Ruby close and whispered, “How’re you doing? You ok?”

“Eh…”

It was hard for Ruby to say how she was doing right now.  On the one hand, they’d just made it through all five rounds of The Beacon Invite!  That was worthy of at least ten cakes for celebration. 

On the other hand, Weiss was her partner!  Like, who saw that coming?  Besides Yang? And Blake?  And probably all of the other huntsmen here?

Holy Grimm was Ruby an idiot.

“Hold on.”  Pulling Ruby to the side of the staircase, Yang waved for Blake and Weiss to go on without them.  “We’ll catch up - find some good seats!”

Nodding, Blake continued without hesitation, but Weiss’ gaze lingered much longer before she reluctantly turned and followed Blake up the stairs.  As soon as they were out of earshot – or Weiss’ ears at least - Yang turned to Ruby with a more serious expression.

“Ok, spill.”

“What the heck!” Ruby immediately exclaimed, throwing both hands in the air.  “How did - what? Like, why didn’t - no one even -! Just...grrr.”

Nodding at the rush of words, Yang smiled.

“Yes, yes.  All great questions,” she teased.  “But tell me how you really feel.”

Pausing, Ruby tried to grasp onto something that felt like actual words or reason.  How did she feel? She felt a whole bunch of things! Like surprise. There was a whole bunch of surprise.  Shock. Astonishment. All those other words that were just fancier ways to say surprised. Uh, yeah. Surprised.

Also confused.  What was she supposed to do with this new information?  What did it mean?  She understood what it meant, but what did it mean for them?  For everyone?

When her mind did nothing but race from one question to the next, Ruby gave up and shook her head.

“I don’t even know right now,” she admitted.  “There’s like, so much going on up here.”

When she tapped the side of her head, Yang grinned.  

“It’s about time that brain of yours started working!  I’ll tell ya - I was getting a little worried.”

Ruby smiled at the joke and gently shoved Yang’s shoulder.

“Hey, at least mine actually started, unlike someone’s!” she teased back, succeeding in making her sister laugh before she heard a loud cheer come from above them.  Looking up the stairs, she bit her lip and shook her head. “Let’s just watch the tournament first? Hopefully things stop moving so fast by the end.”

“Ok boss!  But…how do you feel about sitting with Weiss?  Want me to ask her to sit with someone else?”

“No!” Ruby cried out, surprising both Yang and herself with the strong response.  “I mean, of course not. I want to sit with her.”

Grinning, Yang wrapped her arm around Ruby’s shoulders once more and turned her back up the stairs.

“Well, that’s a good start.”  

Sighing at the abrupt change in her life, Ruby leaned into Yang as they walked upstairs.  Maybe she was confused and surprised right now, but seeing less of Weiss wouldn’t make that go away any faster.  If anything, that would make things go slower! 

At least, that’s what she told herself as she and Yang got to the top of the staircase and searched for Blake and Weiss in the crowd.  

“There they are!” Ruby immediately pointed out.  Somehow, her eyes snapped right to Weiss amongst all the people.  Maybe it was Weiss’ white hair. Or maybe it was some weird karmic tracking device.  Or maybe it was the way she stood out - her poise, her beauty…

Or maybe it was because Blake and Weiss were sitting in the small section of the stands reserved for participants. Yeah, it was probably that. Although a karmic tracking device would be pretty cool!

After walking down a few steps, Yang and Ruby found the right row and moved across, but not without the two teams from earlier noticing them and turning around.  In near unison, the huntsmen stood up and reached out to give Ruby high fives or pat her on the back while she made her way to Blake and Weiss.

“Hey, congrats!”

“That was awesome!”

Every bit of congratulations filled her with jittery energy as she said ‘thank you, thank you, thank you!’ in return.

These were huntsmen.  Real huntsmen!  And they were impressed by her!

Making it across the row, Ruby found two empty seats between Blake and Weiss - clearly where she and Yang were supposed to sit.  The one next to Blake might as well have a note on it that said ‘fight me’ - because that’s what Ruby would have to do if she tried to take Yang’s seat.  Not that she minded! Sitting next to Weiss was her preferred place to be, after all.

Dropping into the seat, Ruby found it difficult to pay attention to the fight currently happening because she was far more interested in how straight Weiss was sitting.  It looked like her spine had been replaced by metal rods or something!  And even though Ruby was openly staring, Weiss’ eyes never left the arena floor.  She had to feel Ruby staring, right?

“Um...hey,” Ruby finally said, trying to capture Weiss’ attention.  When light blue eyes turned her way, she felt those familiar winged insects fluttering around her rib cage.

“Hey,” Weiss offered in return, but then…Ruby didn’t know what to say next.  After staring at each other for a few more seconds, they both turned towards the arena.

Just in time to see the team waving their goodbyes. What horrible timing.

Tapping her fingers on her thigh, Ruby tried to think of something - anything - to say.  This usually wasn’t a problem.  Normally, she opened her mouth and words spilled out on their own, but today even that wasn’t working.  

It was really loud in the stadium, but Weiss was quiet - and it was that silence that made Ruby want to hop up and down or do anything to make Weiss talk again.  Blake and Yang were whispering amongst themselves about something, but Weiss was silent.  

Thankfully, the next team appeared to save Ruby from the uncomfortable silence that seemed to stretch on to infinity.  Along with the team came the Beowolves and, from this angle, it was easier to see how many spawned in the first round.  Hint - it was a lot.

“Holy cow!” Ruby said without thinking.  “Is that how many we had?”

Searching her memory of the first round, she remembered a substantial amount of Beowolves, but she’d been a little preoccupied with the whole ‘Weiss is your partner’ situation to take stock of the full amount.

“You bet!” Yang answered, her eyes glued to the fight at hand.

“It’s the same for every team,” Blake elaborated from Yang’s other side.

“That’s a lot!”

Sneaking a glance to her right, Ruby found that Weiss was still solely focused on the Beowolves and hadn’t acknowledged the comment.  

“How many do you think that is?” Ruby pressed, turning towards Weiss and waiting for an answer.  But instead of receiving a response, she watched Weiss curl her hands in the layers of her combat skirt.  

The reaction wasn’t at all what Ruby expected...and that made her worry.

“Weiss, are you ok?”

The question slipped out before Ruby really thought about it - and Weiss immediately stood up.

“Yes, I’m...fine.  I’ll get us some food.”

“Oh, uh, want me to come with you?” Ruby offered, getting to her feet.  When their eyes briefly met - again sending butterflies everywhere - she blushed and averted her gaze.  

“That’s alright,” Weiss replied.  “You should watch.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, please stay and enjoy the fight.”

This time, Ruby managed to look at Weiss long enough to catch a small smile before Weiss picked her way through the stands towards the exit.  Watching until she disappeared, Ruby couldn’t help but feel guilty that she wasn’t helping. Normally she would’ve insisted, but it kind of seemed like Weiss would have insisted even harder that Ruby stay.

“Ruby, Ruby!  Get ready. Watch this.”  Yang bumped Ruby’s hip to bring her attention back to the arena. 

Sinking into her seat, Ruby found that one of the contestants was glowing an unnatural blue color that grew brighter by the second.  It was so bright, it was almost hard to look at. 

Suddenly, cracks of static rang out while bolts of electricity shot across the arena floor, pulsing and vibrating intensely for several seconds before disappearing.  

Along with the Grimm.

The crowd cheered while Ruby stared at what she’d just seen.

“That.  Was. Awesome!!” she exclaimed, jumping to her feet and clapping with the crowd.

“I dunno about awesome, but definitely electric,” Yang quipped with a grin that only widened when Blake groaned.  “Come on, Blake! If someone’s never seen that before, it can be quite shocking.”  

Rolling her eyes, Blake reached over and used one hand to cover Yang’s mouth.

“They’re running out of time though,” she commented, nodding to the clock before wrinkling her nose and wiping her palm on Yang’s thigh.

Blake was right though - time expired shortly after, and the team headed off the arena floor to applause that Ruby wholeheartedly contributed to.  

What she was witnessing was incredible.  Huntsmen were so cool! Each and every one of them was so talented.  Like, the small ones were fast and the big ones were powerful, but sometimes the big ones were fast and the small ones were powerful!  Plus, they had crazy weapons and semblances that were totally unique.

After a brief delay - during which several white tiles were replaced in the arena floor - the next team began round one, and a tiny huntress immediately barreled through Beowolves like she was at least ten times her size.  Literally, she knocked them into the air like bowling pins! 

This was what Ruby was talking about - a tiny huntress knocking Beowolves around like bowling pins.  How was not that awesome?

It wasn’t until round three that Ruby glanced at the empty seat beside her and then looked around.  It was taking Weiss an awfully long time... 

Catching Ruby’s gaze behind Yang’s back, Blake said, “The lines are usually long” - somehow reading Ruby’s concern without her saying anything. 

“Oh, yeah.  That makes sense.”  

Accepting the answer, Ruby turned back to the arena, but a part of her still searched for a dash of white in the crowds.  Even though things were super awkward, she was a little worried about how quiet Weiss had been before she left. She wouldn’t go home or something without saying goodbye, right?  Because Ruby still wanted to talk! And hopefully they could talk soon. There’d probably be more awkward silence first, but after that!

The instant she caught a glimpse of white out of the corner of her eye, Ruby forgot the tournament and popped out of her seat to rush over to Weiss - nearly tripping in the process - but making it to the stairs just in time to help her carry back a huge stack of food.  Huge as in ginormous!  Hot dogs, corn dogs, nachos, french fries - the works!

“Jeez, Weiss!  Get enough food?” Yang teased.

“You joke now, but this will be gone in a few minutes,” Weiss replied while offering the entire selection for Blake to choose what she wanted.  After reaching across to grab a hot dog and tray of nachos, Yang caught Ruby’s eye and grinned.

“That’s the truth.  I’m starving!”

Once Yang and Blake had their food and turned back to the battles at hand, Ruby followed Weiss to their original seats and sat down.  Reaching towards the tray for a corn dog, she accidentally brushed Weiss’ hand and jerked away as if it had stung her.

“Sorry!” she apologized before flushing when she remembered that they’d held hands just this morning.

But this was so awkward!  It was like she’d just discovered that she and Weiss were related!

...only not that bad.  That’d be soooo much worse.  Ruby would much rather Weiss be her long-lost partner than her long-lost sister.  Because if they were related, that’d mean...ha, yup, no more thinking about that.

The awkwardness though!  Good ol’ non-related awkwardness.

Carefully picking up a corn dog, Weiss offered it to Ruby in a way that they wouldn’t unwittingly touch again.

“If you want anything else, you’ll let me know?” Weiss asked, thankfully moving past the accidental-hand-brushing incident.

“Yeah!  Thank you so much!”

Weiss only partially turned to smile before watching the fighting, and Ruby did the same - except while scarfing down a corn dog and then grabbing some of Yang’s nachos.  

Teams came and went.  Some did awesome; others were less fortunate.  Whoever was in charge of spinning the arena was really good at picking a time when teams least expected it - catching several huntsmen off guard and flinging them into the stands.  Thankfully, they couldn’t actually fly into the stands because there was an invisible wall to prevent that from happening. Ruby learned that when some poor huntsman crashed into it at an alarmingly fast speed.

One of the teams made it to round five with only a second left...which they used to set off what looked like fireworks.  Fireworks.  Yang made a ton of comments about the different huntsmen - their likes, their dislikes, how to get them to start a fight - all the essentials.  Blake added great commentary about battle strategies when Yang wasn’t making jokes. Ruby ooh’d and aah’d and enjoyed the spectacle while only slightly drooling at the close-ups of the weapons on the big screen.

But Weiss hardly said a word...and her eyes were trained straightforward nearly the entire time.

It was like a giant Ursa was sitting on the bleachers between them, and Weiss didn’t want to look at it.  Ruby could understand why...a giant Ursa sitting here would be pretty dang scary - she wouldn’t want to look at it either.  Would it growl? Would it drool? Did Ursas drool? Probably when they smelled the corn dogs she and Yang had demolished. Those were good.

Whatever sat in between them, Weiss didn’t want to look at it - not even when Ruby glanced over, repeatedly. All she saw was Weiss’ knee lightly bouncing up and down while her hands were perfectly curled in her lap.

They got to see a couple teams of three compete too.  The crowd cheered extra hard for those teams - like they were trying to be the extra teammate with their voices.  It was fun! The whole event was really fun. Even not knowing what to say to Weiss, Ruby was having a great time.

“Ok guys, CFVY is next.”  

Yang’s announcement immediately perked Ruby’s interest.  This was the team that won last year, so they had to be awesome.

And they were.  The first round hardly started before it ended in a blur.  They were fast!  The tall girl Ruby met earlier, Coco, leveled an entire half of the arena with a minigun while her teammates destroyed everything else.  Next, the two with giant swords destroyed most of the Ursa using this crazy swing and lunge strategy. The four of them together befuddled the King T’s into nonexistence.  Then Coco went full beast mode on the Death Stalkers. That gun never ran out of bullets!

The end result?  They had a lot more than ten seconds left for the last round.  Which was great! It meant that the giant monster machine would actually get to shoot at something!  

And boy did it ever.  As soon as the round started, rockets poured out, drawing a line of explosions on the floor while the turrets followed the paths of two huntsmen.  Ruby watched in amazement as the team split up in what looked like effortless coordination. It was smart too - they surrounded the machine on four sides so that the bullets and rockets were as spaced out as possible.  

When Coco drew the machine’s full attention, the boy with the giant sword rushed forward and hit it from behind - plunging the weapon into the thick plating before it swung and knocked him a good fifty feet backwards.

While the towering mech tracked the boy, the girl with the camera - Velvet - rushed straight into a barrage of rockets.  But she was quick. As each missile hit the ground, she hopped to the side and found safety before continuing. When she was close enough, she sprang forward - and Ruby’s jaw dropped open when she pulled Crescent Rose out of thin air and slammed it into metal armor.  

The machine tried to knock Velvet off, but she’d already catapulted away and rolled under one of its giant legs.  Disoriented, it fired a slew of rockets in all directions, but they fell harmlessly to the ground.

Velvet already had another weapon in her hands, which she thrust into an ankle joint before avoiding another attack.  A javelin was thrown into the chest plating, then duel katanas sliced through exposed wiring - next came a staff, daggers, crossbow.  Every time she used a weapon, a new one appeared in her hands. 

Glancing at the time, Ruby saw that it was quickly running out.  They needed to take it down soon.

When another round of missiles fired helplessly into the air, the other three team members shot forward at once - all four powerful huntsmen rushing it.  The turrets let out a few seconds of high-pitched whirring before the noise suddenly stopped, and the giant contraption broke into pieces, crumbling to the ground as a chime rang out. 

“Damn,” Yang exhaled, leaning back and clapping while the rest of the crowd roared with applause.  “Gotta hand it to ‘em. They’re good.”

Looking at the clock, Ruby saw that Team CFVY had finished a total of six seconds earlier than they had.  That was the least of her surprise though, as she used one hand to feel that Crescent Rose was still attached to her.

“Uh...what?” she asked no one in particular.  “How did - but…”

“Velvet has some tricks,” Weiss commented, finally looking at Ruby and smiling.  

It was like the sun had just come out - even though it was already night time.  

“That’s so cool!” Ruby replied, excitement overcoming her like light blue orbs of happiness.  

“Looks like this wasn’t our year…” Blake muttered, reaching over to hold Yang’s hand.

“That’s ok though,” Ruby said with a big grin.  “We’ll be even better next year!”

CFVY was fast because they were coordinated, like a really fancy color scheme.  Each member knew their role, while Ruby and her teammates had made due mostly as individuals.  But if they had some team practices and went on more hunts together, they should be able to do the same thing.  It would take practice, but they could totally do it.

Because this was her team.  And Weiss was her partner.

That was gonna take a whole lot of getting used to.

When the last team of the day competed, Ruby settled back in to watch.  Or at least, she watched until a small disturbance caught her attention.  Turning around, she felt her eyes widen while when she saw Team CFVY walk down the steps of the arena before heading across the row of seats in front of her.

“Good job, you guys!” she called out, adding to the slew of congratulations they were already receiving.  But at Ruby’s words, Coco tilted her head down and smiled overtop her sunglasses.

“The compliments belong to you today,” Coco said, reaching out to shake Ruby’s hand before heading to a set of seats further down the row.

Just a little starstruck, Ruby watched Coco walk away before Velvet reached over and tapped the top of Crescent Rose.

“Thanks for letting me borrow her,” she said, giving Ruby a smile and nod before following Coco away.  The last two members of the team stopped in front of Ruby and shook her hand before moving on - the gestures making her feel incredibly...special.  

When Ruby looked to her left, Blake and Yang both smiled at her - with Yang flashing a quick thumbs up.  Turning to the other side, Ruby felt even happier when Weiss smiled. 

And, for a brief moment, it looked like Weiss might reach out to pat Ruby’s leg in congratulations.  Instead, she dropped her hand back into her lap and clasped both of her hands together. 

Disappointed by the reaction, Ruby was about to say something when a chime rang out.  Looking away, she found the last team regrouping at the center of the arena, waving all the while.

“And that’s a wrap!” the girl announcer said over the loudspeakers.  “Let’s hear it again for our winners - Team CFVY!”

Loud cheers swept across the crowd, congratulating the victors as they stood and waved.

“Also congratulate our runners-up - the returning Team RWBY.”

When the cheers renewed, Ruby quickly hopped to her feet with the rest of her teammates.  If any of them were disappointed in second place, she couldn’t tell. And she certainly wasn’t disappointed.  Second place was awesome! Go Team Ruby! Er, RWBY!

“Last, but not least, let’s hear it for all our huntsmen!”

It didn’t seem possible, but the cheers grew even louder - one last thunderous round of applause, the loudest Ruby had heard all day.  At the same moment, fireworks shot into the sky above the stadium - real ones this time - the combined effect giving her goosebumps.

While the fireworks crackled and boomed above their heads and the crowds stomped their feet, with clapping and whistling in between, Yang reached over and pulled Ruby into a sideways hug.

“They’re cheering for you, Ruby,” Yang whispered in Ruby’s ear before kissing the top of her head.  “And everything you’ve done for them.”

Wrapping both arms around her sister’s waist, Ruby smiled at the appreciation all huntsmen were receiving for the risks they took for strangers they might never meet outside of this moment.  The gratitude was heartfelt. And...it made her proud to be a huntress, even if she was only a fledgling one right now.

After the cheers died down, The Beacon Invite officially ended and everyone made their way towards the exits.  Progress was slow, and by the time they were walking towards the airships - trudging along with the crowd - Ruby’s feet were dragging.  

Last night, she’d been so excited and nervous that she couldn’t fall asleep.  Then she woke up too early. Then she spent all that energy fighting the fake Grimm.  And there was that whole Weiss thing.

Basically, Ruby was exhausted.  But from the way everyone’s feet scuffed along the ground, they were tired too.  

Meanwhile, Weiss hadn’t said anything in a long time now.  Ruby wanted to say something, but she couldn’t figure out what to say to break this awkwardness? ‘Howdy, partner?’ 

This was almost as confusing as that time she woke up without years of memories…

Reaching the stairs to the airship landing, Ruby groaned while dragging herself up them.  There were so many steps...and everyone was walking really slow - like zombies.  For a split second, she considered asking Yang to carry her, but...she didn’t want to look like a wuss in front of all these people.

Fortunately, the stairs eventually fell behind, and Ruby recognized the man and woman from earlier in the day standing off to one side - where most of the crowd would pass them by.  Professor Ozpin and Professor Goodwitch, Yang had said. The two of them were politely sending everyone off to the airships like this was some grand party they’d just hosted.  A party Ruby would gladly attend any day!

“Miss Rose,” Ozpin greeted her with a smile and tilt of his head when she drew close with him.  “I hope we’ll be seeing your name claiming all of the hunts once again.”

“Oh, I dunno about that,” she replied respectfully.  “Just happy to be healthy right now.”

Nodding once, he smiled at Yang and Blake before his eyes landed on Weiss.  “And Miss Schnee,” he continued. “It was lovely seeing you again.” 

Dipping her head, Weiss gave him a tiny curtsy before he turned his attention to another group of huntsmen trailing behind them.  When she finally looked up, she caught Ruby staring - but as soon as their eyes met, Ruby turned away with warm cheeks. 

Weiss was her partner.

Most of the past year had been solely focused on training, but whenever Ruby paused and took a few seconds to think about what her partner might be like, she’d assumed capable, but aloof.  Kind of like Blake only more aloof and less attached to Yang’s side.

She’d never imagined someone like Weiss.  Weiss was amazing! Smart, kind, a great fighter, extra beautiful…

Then...why had Weiss been in Atlas?  They got along so well! And she seemed to like Ruby, so...so what happened?  

Did it matter?  They were together now.

Not together together, but - like...well...

Internally groaning, Ruby resisted the urge to put her head in her hands as the excitement of The Invite faded away.  Her brain wanted to explode right about now. Questions, questions, so many nonstop questions...

Trudging onto the airship that would take them home, she collapsed in the row behind Yang and Blake.  Weiss sat next to her, of course.

Of course.  Right?  Of course Weiss sat next to Ruby - they were partners.

Ok, if Ruby couldn’t handle this, Yang wouldn’t tell her anything else about her past ever.  She’d been all ‘I can handle it’ and ‘It’s no big deal,’ so she needed to work through this!  Whatever this weirdness was that had suddenly sprouted between them, she would figure it out and make it go away.

When Yang had delivered the news that their teammate hadn’t been able to make it, Ruby was initially disappointed, but that feeling quickly disappeared.  What did she have to be disappointed about? That her partner - whom she’d never met - hadn’t showed up? Someone else had shown up - Weiss.  Weiss was there like she’d promised she would be, helping keep Ruby’s nerves at a moderate level on what had otherwise been a kind of stressful day.  

But they were one and the same person!

Sighing, Ruby leaned against the wall of the ship and looked out the window.  There was too much buzzing through her head right now, and the lack of conversation only made it worse.  She needed a distraction or something to take her mind off of it.

At least she got to sit by the window again!  Watching the world fly by was something she’d never get tired of.  Everything was so itty bitty and small from up here. Now that it was nighttime, there were a bunch of little yellow orbs marking the evidence of humanity.  Everything else was darkness and wilderness.

In addition to staring out the window, Ruby snuck glances at Weiss every chance she had.  Still nothing happening there...except Weiss tapping her fingers rapidly on her leg. Oh well…

Back outside the window, the moon hung in front of them - unmoving no matter how fast the ship flew.  When Ruby focused on one special piece, a feeling of content and happiness flowed through her. 

The moon was shining brightly tonight. Extra bright.  Almost as if...

“She’d be proud of you.”

The unexpected comment made Ruby look at Weiss in surprise.  Smiling softly, Weiss nodded towards the window. Following Weiss’ gaze, Ruby stared at the moon while the clouds flew by below.  The picture was so beautiful...it did feel like her mom was saying congratulations, in her own way. 

“I hope so…” Ruby whispered before leaning against the glass.

She hoped she’d made her mom proud today.  That’s all she’d ever wanted to do - give her mom reasons to be proud of her.  Same with Yang. And Blake. And all of the people who’d helped her get back to this moment.  Weiss too. Weiss had helped so much in the short time she’d been around. The last thing Ruby wanted to do was let any of them down.  

“Ruby.”

Blake’s whisper drew Ruby’s eyes from the window to find Blake looking over the back of the seats.  She motioned for Ruby and Weiss to look over the chair, which they did - only to find Yang passed out next to Blake.  Like, the type of passed out where they could probably get away with anything right now.

“Do you have a marker?” Ruby immediately whispered, making Blake smile and shake her head ‘no.’  “Weiss?” Ruby whispered while turning to her right. “Marker?”

After thinking about the request for a few seconds, Weiss rummaged around in her bag before pulling out a blue pen and holding it up in the air.

“You didn’t get it from me,” Weiss said as Ruby gleefully took it and slipped into the aisle.

She’d already removed the cap and thought of the perfect thing to write (‘Ruby’s the best’) when the ship suddenly docked with a soft jolt that startled Yang awake and made her nearly jump out of her seat in surprise.  When Blake laughed and Ruby quickly hid the pen by her side, Yang gave them a sheepish grin.

“Guess I was tired,” she mumbled before a big yawn slipped out.  “Come on, let’s get home. You heading home, Weiss?”

Before Weiss replied, she looked at Ruby as if searching for permission.

“Come over for a cup of tea, at least,” Blake suggested before either of them had a chance to speak.  “Just for a few minutes.” 

Again, Weiss looked at Ruby first and, when Ruby nodded, finally did the same.

“That sounds nice,” Weiss answered with a strained smile.

Relieved that Weiss wasn’t running off to who-knows-where so soon, Ruby gladly followed her sister and Blake off of the ship.  The airship station wasn’t far from home, and it was only a short, quiet car ride until they were there. As soon as they stepped through the front door, Yang walked over and flopped onto the sofa while Blake went to boil water for tea.  After leaning Crescent Rose against the wall, Ruby knelt down and unlaced her boots.

Removing her boots was second nature by now, but today she stared at them intently, watching the laces unfold in her hands before loosening the lower ties enough that she could easily pull them off.  Setting them in the closet, she closed the door and sank into one of the chairs at the kitchen table while a sigh of content slipped out. Her feet were pretty happy to be free from her boots after a long day!

A few minutes later, Blake set a mug of hot chocolate in front of Ruby before making cups of tea for herself and Weiss.  Wrapping her hands around the warm cup, Ruby leaned forward and took a big whiff of the chocolatey aroma.

Ahhhh hot chocolate...the perfect end to any day - even one as crazy as this.  

Everyone else seemed to feel the same way Ruby did.  Yang was conked out on the couch. The slight droop in Blake’s ordinarily upright ears broadcast her own exhaustion.  And Weiss stared down at her cup, swirling it mindlessly while her eyes glazed over.

“What a day,” Blake finally summarized with a sigh.

“Yeah…” Ruby replied.  Weiss said nothing, but nodded.

“I hope you had fun?” Blake directed to Ruby.  

As soon as Blake asked the question, Ruby felt Weiss’ eyes on her...waiting for the answer.

“I did!” she replied honestly.  “It was crazy, but fun. Crazy fun, I guess! But also great because…I just love spending time with all of you!”

She added that last part because it was the truth.  No matter what they were to each other, or what secret identities they had, she loved being around Yang and Blake and Weiss.

Fortunately, the answer seemed to provide Weiss with a little relief - enough that she managed to take a small sip of her tea before more silence fell over the room.  

After spending the day surrounded by crowds, the quiet in the house was deafening.  Ruby wanted to turn on music or TV or anything to remove the silence - instead, she drained her cup of hot chocolate before letting out another sigh.  Standing to take her cup to the sink, she gestured for Blake’s mug too and left both in the sink to wash later.

Blake, meanwhile, went to the sofa and woke Yang with a gentle shake of one shoulder.  It was highly recommended that no one else ever try to wake Yang up that way - unless they wanted to startle her and receive a fist to the face - but Blake didn’t need to worry about that.

“Yang,” she whispered, loud enough that Ruby and Weiss could hear.  “Let’s go to bed.”

Mumbling something unintelligible, Yang allowed Blake to reach both arms underneath her and pull her to her feet.  Once standing on her own, Yang yawned and looked around the room. When her eyes found Weiss, who was standing uncomfortably in the kitchen, Yang walked over and pulled her into a hug.

For a second, Weiss looked utterly caught off guard by the impromptu hug and stood with her arms at her sides - until she finally hugged back.  The two of them shared that moment for a long time while Yang whispered something - Ruby could see her sister’s lips moving, but couldn’t make out the words.  Weiss nodded several times before Yang finally let go - smiling before heading towards the hall. Passing by Ruby, Yang squeezed her shoulder and planted a loud kiss on the top of her head.

“Goodnight kiddo.  Good job today.”

“Thank you,” Ruby replied with a quick grin, her eyes drawn back to Weiss as Yang disappeared down the hall with Blake.  Weiss watched their teammates walk away before hesitantly turning to Ruby and then immediately looking away.

“I guess I should get going…” 

“Wait!”

Midway through turning towards the front door, Weiss froze at the sound of Ruby’s voice.  Ruby hadn’t thought of anything to say after ‘wait,’ but she’d panicked when she thought Weiss might leave.  Weiss couldn’t leave yet - there was still so much they needed to talk about!

“Could we maybe...talk?” Ruby finally asked.  It was a great question because, based on this afternoon, maybe they weren’t capable of talking anymore.  But Weiss nodded and mustered a smile that was half powered, at best.

“Sure.”  

With that answer, the two of them stood awkwardly by the kitchen table until Ruby motioned for Weiss to follow her to her room.  It’d be easier to have a conversation in there instead of out in the open. Just a little conversation with Weiss.

Her teammate.  Her partner.

Making it into her room, Ruby quietly shut the door while Weiss stood in front of the bed looking stiff and uncomfortable.  Undeterred by the continued awkwardness, Ruby sat on the edge of her bed and gestured Weiss towards the empty desk chair. 

If Ruby had learned anything in her life so far, it was that the cure for awkwardness was talking.  Which meant they had a whole lot of talking to do.

“Uh...so...hi.”

Yup - cue the awkward conversation.  Good start, Ruby.

“Hi,” Weiss replied softly, not seeming at all bothered by Ruby’s less-than-stellar conversation starter.  

Fidgeting on the bed, Ruby opened and closed her mouth while trying to figure out what to say next.  Where was the best place to start? What should they talk about first?

“So...we’re partners, huh?”

That was as good a place as any.  

“Yes.  We...were.”

Ruby’s brow creased at the response.  

“You mean we are?”

“That’s up to you.”

Picking at the hem of her skirt, Weiss avoided eye contact - as if she was afraid of what Ruby’s response might be.

That was so silly though!  Rewind to this morning, and Weiss was one of Ruby’s favorite people in the world.  She’d invited Weiss to join their team because she wanted Weiss to be her partner.  And why had she wanted Weiss to be her partner?  Because Weiss was incredible, and Ruby loved every moment they spent together.

Nothing had changed!  Except the revelation that Weiss had known Ruby all along.  And they’d already been partners. But throw that out and tell Ruby from this morning that Weiss would be her partner - she’d be ecstatic.

She should be ecstatic.  Weiss was her partner!  Her wish had been granted!  Sure, there was that whole memory thing, but that’d be fixed in time.  Oh, and there was the fact that Ruby had been acting like they’d just met when Weiss had already known her for years.  That was a little embarrassing.

But they were partners!  Instead of getting a stranger to learn about, Ruby got Weiss - who she already knew a lot about and already knew she liked.  Wasn’t this really the best case scenario?

“You know, this is actually great!” Ruby remarked with a big grin, drawing Weiss’ confused gaze.

“It…is?”

“Yeah!  I mean, you see, there was this other girl who I kinda wanted to be partners with...” Ruby explained, trying to sound nonchalant.  “But she might be too busy with work. If you’re free for...general partner things...then that’s great!  I’d love to have an awesome partner like you.” 

Had she been expecting this?  No. But she hadn’t expected to wake up without years of her life either.  Sometimes life threw a mean curveball - she’d learned to deal with it. Even if her mind was still kind of a mess, she was going to move forward with how she’d felt this morning about the person sitting in front of her.  And she had to believe that everything would be just fine in the end. It might take time, like all that training she’d done, but anything was possible with some effort and a positive attitude!

That line of thought seemed to be lost on Weiss though, who stared at Ruby in shock.

“You’re not mad at me?”

“For what?”

“Ruby, I’ve seen you almost every day for the past few weeks.  Shouldn’t you be upset that I never told you?” 

“Uh...I don’t think so.  Why?”

Weiss seemed upset by the fact that Ruby wasn’t upset - which didn’t make much sense.  Why would she be mad? It felt good to finallyyyy acknowledge what had happened!  Hello, Mr. Ursa. We see you. We acknowledge you. Now go home!

“Because I befriended you under false pretenses!”

“Uh, maybe.  But so did Blake,” Ruby pointed out before shrugging.  “It’s no big deal. It’s not like you pretended to be a different person - you just didn’t mention the past.  And, to be fair, I never asked.”

“Yes, but -”

Before Weiss could go into more ‘but’s, Ruby reached out and grabbed her hands - which got her full attention in a hurry.

“I still think you’re the greatest!” Ruby said honestly, shaking Weiss’ hands in hopes that would get her to stop questioning everything.

Instead, tears immediately welled in her eyes.

“Why are you so nice to me?” she whispered while her tears grew.  The sight pulled painfully at Ruby’s heart, and she squeezed Weiss’ hands more firmly.

“Why wouldn’t I be?” Ruby asked, leaning forward so they were closer together.  “You’re a great person! And I lo...like you a lot.” 

A moment of confusion bubbled over, but Ruby managed to pull it off.  

That word came out of nowhere!

“But…”

“Nope!”  Ruby shook her head to stop the protests.  “I don’t want to hear another ‘but.’ ‘But’ nothing.  I know why you couldn’t just walk up and tell me the truth.  I mean, I don’t wanna brag, but I’m kind of a pro at this whole amnesia thing by now.  Just don’t ask me for tips - because I can’t remember them.”

Even though Weiss’ eyes still shimmered with tears, she cracked a smile at Ruby’s joke.  The sight was like a great big ball of relief rolling happily down the street - no gutters to be found.

“Can I give you a hug now?” Ruby asked when it looked like the tears had passed for now.  Receiving a nod in response, she leaned forward and pulled Weiss into a nice, tight hug. 

The moment they touched, Ruby felt any unease or uncertainty slip away.

Weiss hugged the same. It was warm and comfortable in this weirdly-familiar way.  Maybe they’d given each other lots of hugs when they’d been partners. Maybe that’s why Ruby had felt so close to Weiss so quickly.

The thought made Ruby wish for her memories back more than ever before.  Because Weiss was in there - trapped somewhere. If only Ruby could remember…

Breaking away from the hug, Ruby could tell that Weiss felt better now too.  It must’ve been so nerve-wracking to worry that Ruby might be mad...or that she might be so mad that their friendship would be ruined.  But that would never happen, and hopefully Weiss saw that now - that was the power of a really great hug.

And, thankfully, some of the awkwardness seemed to have disappeared.  

See? Talking through the awkward made everything better. And, now that they’d passed that patch, Ruby thought of another question she’d had for quite some time. It was another topic she wondered about but never pressed to know…until now.

“You were there, weren’t you?” she asked, knowing the answer the instant Weiss looked away.

“Yes.”

Yang had told Ruby a little bit about what happened, but only the briefest of outlines - the forest, Death Stalkers, major ouchies.  As enlightening as that information was, now that she was healthy, she wondered exactly what brought her to this point.

“Will you tell me?”

The question instantly brought Weiss’ gaze back to her.  

“Please?” she added before Weiss could say ‘no.’

Ruby had many gaps in her memory, and she’d accepted that they’d never be entirely filled.  But she’d just partially filled in the space labeled ‘partner,’ so maybe she could add a little more information to her memory bank.

“I can handle it,” she tacked on as additional assurance.  “I trust you.”

For several moments, Weiss looked unsure - then she took a deep, shaky breath and nodded once.

“Alright...but please tell me if I should stop.”

When Ruby nodded, Weiss took another deep breath before speaking.

“We were called to clear out a hive,” she began slowly, her eyes searching out Ruby’s.  “Do you know what those are?”

“A huge ball of Death Stalkers.  Really dangerous.”

“Exactly,” Weiss replied with a nod.  Sighing again at the memory, she pinched the bridge of her nose and closed her eyes.  

“This one was close to the wall - too close to be left alone.  Our objective was to sneak up and collapse the cave before mopping up the rest.  But the intel we had was missing a critical piece of information.”

Weiss’ brow furrowed before she continued.

“The hive was hidden in a cave, the cave was hidden in a mountain, and the mountain was sitting on top of an underground system of caverns that ran for miles in either direction.  Detonating the charges caused a fissure in the ground - it all broke apart. That normally wouldn’t be much of a problem, but...but we were standing on top of another hive. Sneaking up on the one we knew about, we stumbled into one we didn’t know was there.”

While Weiss spoke, Ruby tried to imagine the memory playing out in the forest.  A mountain, caves, Death Stalkers...

“We were trapped between them; the ground was falling away, it was chaos.  We called for backup, but we were on our own until JNPR could get there. We separated - formed a defensive square, but there was too much noise.  We were bringing the entire forest towards the city. You made the call, and it was the right one - we drew the Grimm deeper into the forest.”

Briefly pausing, Weiss’ lip quivered before she continued.

“The mountain range hemmed us in, and we were running away from help.  I don’t even know how far we made it before we ran into a wall of Ursa. Then the Beowolves…we had to stand and fight. And we held them until the Death Stalkers started climbing the face of the mountain.  Suddenly...suddenly, you yelled for me to watch out. When I turned, you sliced through a stinger right before it reached me.  B-but the side of the mountain was falling apart. Boulders were crashing down and the other Death Stalkers...they never should’ve been able to catch you, but they flailed so wildly…”

Sensing how much of a struggle this was for Weiss to get through, Ruby reached out for her hands again.  Thankfully, Weiss accepted Ruby’s attempt at support - squeezing her hands tightly before continuing.

“It’s my fault,” Weiss whispered, letting her gaze fall to the floor.  “I wasn’t paying enough attention. Somehow...somehow, one got behind me.  I didn’t see it until it was too late, but you were already there.”

When a teardrop splashed onto the back of Ruby’s hand, she realized that Weiss had started crying.  

Ruby had never felt true heartbreak before, but seeing Weiss cry...that must be pretty close.

“You always looked out for me…” Weiss said, more agony slipping into her tone.  “And I c-couldn’t do the same for you. I should’ve been faster reacting to the first ones - the ones on my left.  I should’ve b-been better…I’m s-so sorry that you got hurt...”

If the story left Ruby in shock, it left Weiss in pain - and a lot of it.  It was in her posture, her clenched hands, her tears. It rolled off of her in waves while tears rolled down her cheeks.

And Ruby suddenly understood that the memories that plagued Weiss…the reasons behind her tentativeness and concealed sadness were linked to this moment.

Compassion swelled in Ruby’s chest as she leaned closer and used one hand to gently wipe a tear from Weiss’ cheek.

“Weiss…” she said quietly, wiping another tear away while waiting for crystal blue eyes to meet hers.

Weiss’ injuries were worse than Ruby’s because they were invisible and longer lasting.  What physical therapy could be done to heal a broken conscience? What pill could be prescribed to remove the effects of guilt? 

“It’s not your fault,” Ruby concluded. 

“How can you say that?”

“Because!” she exclaimed, lowering her voice when the unexpected volume made Weiss jolt in surprise.  “Because it’s dangerous out there. We know the risks, and we accept them just by walking into the forest. We accept that our teammates have our backs, but we’ll have theirs too.  If I had the choice between losing my memories again or keeping you safe…” 

As her words trailed off, Ruby realized that there was no question which of those options she’d choose.  She’d never considered herself to be particularly brave, but the idea of Weiss being in harm’s way...

“Well, I hope you’ll come see me in the hospital the second time around,” she finished with a chuckle.

“I won’t leave you again,” Weiss murmured towards her lap before looking up with still-glistening eyes.  “I promise.”

The promise filled Ruby with a pleasant warmth, and she knew that it was the truth – that Weiss would be there from here on out. That realization, when combined with the way Weiss was looking at her right now, caused an unfamiliar yet strong tug inside Ruby’s chest.

She should kiss Weiss.

Suddenly remembering that she’d kind of already done that earlier today, her cheeks heated up and she turned away. Weiss was her teammate and she’d...well…she’d taken a page out of Yang’s book, so to speak.

Yang.

“Then Yang was mad at you because…” Ruby’s voice trailed off while her mind pieced together the puzzle.  “Oh.”

That explained a lot.  She knew how hyper-protective Yang could be.  One time, a bully had picked on Ruby at school.  He didn’t pick on anyone else ever again.

“Because I left you,” Weiss said anyway.  “And I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. It’s the biggest mistake I’ve ever made, and I regret it every day.”

Nodding numbly, Ruby waited for that new bit of knowledge to sink in.  Here she’d thought Weiss had done something to offend Yang personally, but turns out...

“And I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner -” Weiss added.

“It’s ok; I get it.  Head injuries and all...” Ruby replied while gesturing to the scar hidden underneath her hair.

If there was one thing she understood really well, it was why they’d protected her from her past for so long.  She’d been injured, vulnerable, and unstable. For a while Blake made her uneasy - she could only imagine Weiss would’ve made her feel the same way.

“But you had a right to know.  I wanted to tell you, but…” Weiss paused, looking downcast.  “I was worried you’d hate me.”

“Well that I certainly won’t do!  You came back, didn’t you?”

“It took me a year.”

“You came back right when I needed you,” Ruby said.  “To be my...friend.”

‘Friend’ was a bit of a confusing term at the moment, but things didn’t have to change between them because of the past, right?  She didn’t even remember the past! She didn’t remember Beacon. She didn’t remember being a huntress.  She didn’t remember Weiss -

A sharp pain shot through Ruby’s heart when that thought crossed her mind.  It was easy to think of everything from her perspective, but what about from Weiss’ point of view?  Weiss was forgotten by her partner. Erased as if she’d never existed. That must’ve been so horrible go through.

Even though the past was out of Ruby’s control, guilt began to build in her chest.  The idea of causing Weiss pain in any way didn’t exactly feel great.  But she could always make it better, right?

“Ok, how about a happy subject?” she asked, feeling that that was as much sad information as she needed for now.  Scooting back on her bed and laying down, she patted the covers so that Weiss would join her. “How about...tell me how we met!”

The suggestion made Weiss laugh as she wiped away her tears and laid down facing Ruby.

“Oh grimm...that is so not a happy story, but if you want to know...you knocked over my suitcases on move-in day.  I called you an imbecile. I thought you were immature and an idiot. Blake actually defended you - the two of you didn’t know each other at the time, but she stood up for you.”

For a few seconds, Ruby stared at Weiss in surprise.  She’d kind of expected a more touching story than that...

“Ok...then how about...how did we become partners?”

Again, Weiss laughed and shook her head - the laughter helping her eyes regain some of their sparkle.  

“We stumbled into each other in the forest.  I refused to be your partner and walked away.  Then my second option was...worse...so I came back and dragged you off.”

“Uh...we were actually friends at some point, right?” Ruby joked, succeeding in making Weiss lightly laugh.

“Of course we were.  More than friends, we were…” Pausing, Weiss gave Ruby a small smile.  “Best friends.”

The answer made Ruby grin like a fool.  Rolling onto her back, she put her hands behind her head and looked at the ceiling.  

It was strange to be told these things about her past, but some of what she’d just learned made her pretty dang happy.  She didn’t feel much connection to the stories, yet she believed everything Weiss said - and would be ecstatic to consider them a part of her past.

“So we were best friends?” she asked again, because she liked how it sounded.

“Yes, we were.”

Again, Ruby smiled.

“I’ve never had a best friend,” she admitted.  “Unless you count Yang. Which I don’t, cuz she’s my sister.”

“I’d never had one either,” Weiss replied softly.

Thinking about the term, Ruby stared at the ceiling and grasped the ring around her neck.  

Best friends. Did that mean they knew each other better than anyone else? Did they go everywhere together? Hang out all the time?  That last part sounded like how they were now!

Wait a second.

With the ring sitting halfway down her finger, Ruby suddenly paused and looked at it. She’d always assumed that it was from her partner because of how important it felt, but Weiss was her partner.  Did that mean...it from Weiss?

Laying extra still so as not to attract attention or give away her sudden realization, Ruby’s mind raced wildly.  But holy Grimm!  What did the ring mean then?  What was it for? Was it like the ring she’d made for Weiss?  But that was different. Ruby hid some of her feelings for Weiss in that ring.

...but what if this was the same?  What if Weiss’ feelings were in this ring?  

Then what did ‘eternity’ mean? Well, obviously Ruby knew what the word meant. It meant forever, but in this context…did it mean they’d be together forever?

Together together?

A pretty important question suddenly popped into Ruby’s head, but she didn’t know if she dared to ask it.  She needed to know though, because it felt like there was something more there.  Only after opening and closing her mouth several times did she somehow gather the courage to speak.

“Were we, uh...just best friends?”

It hadn’t been her intention to ask so quietly, but the words came as nothing more than a whisper.  When she didn’t receive a response right away, she waited – holding her breath in the process. Eventually, she ran out of both air and patience and glanced over…only to find that Weiss had fallen asleep.

Smiling to herself, Ruby rolled onto her side so they were facing each other.  Maybe it was creepy to watch someone sleep, but no one would know unless they caught her.  Plus, Weiss was just so beautiful...Ruby never had the opportunity to stare without being rude, but wow, Weiss was pretty.  Perfect skin, cute little nose and curled eyelashes. 

And when Weiss was sleeping, she looked so...free.  It was a night-and-day transformation. The awake version of Weiss could be almost unapproachable, but when she was asleep, she looked…peaceful.  

That’s what it was.  For someone who carried a great deal of weight on her shoulders, Weiss finally looked peaceful.  

Trying to be as stealthy as possible, Ruby wriggled a little closer.

It must’ve been so hard to keep that knowledge inside for so long - to start from scratch and work her way back into Ruby’s life when they’d once been so close.  Ruby couldn’t even imagine how hard that had been. If Weiss forgot her tomorrow, she’d have a hard time not shouting it from the rooftops and making a spectacular fool of herself trying to get Weiss to remember.

Hesitantly, Ruby reached out and took one of Weiss’ hands in her own.  Weiss didn’t wake up but shifted in her sleep, her mouth parting while a soft sigh of relief passed her gorgeous lips.  

It was such a simple action, but to Ruby, it felt like...like she’d just moved a mountain with her bare hands.

All this time, she’d poured her heart and soul into becoming a huntress.  Today had been a big success but lying here...watching Weiss sleep so serenely...filled Ruby with a level of satisfaction she hadn’t known existed.  

Without a doubt, Ruby would give up all of her training if that helped Weiss sleep soundly every night.  She’d give up being a huntress if that took away Weiss’ worry and guilt. She’d give up everything she’d ever worked for...for Weiss.

Ruby had spent her entire life chasing one goal...and then it changed without her even realizing it.

“Goodnight, Weiss,” she whispered before leaning forward and barely brushing a kiss to Weiss’ forehead, feeling her cheeks warm when she moved away but enjoying the sensation all the same.  “I’m so glad you’re my partner...”