The Winter Challenge - The Chapter That Wasn't (Patreon)
Content
Before we move on, I forgot something pretty important! The Winter Challenge went through some extensive edits before becoming the version you read. One of those edits resulted in an entire chapter going poof. But I saved it, and that's what I have here for you to read!
A disclaimer - this chapter was never 100% finished, so you'll find a few obvious gaps that I hadn't yet filled in. (I think you'll find the end of the battle particularly amusing.)
This was originally Chapter 2, taking place on Friday night before the weekly challenges began. You'll see that some of the themes were moved to other parts of the story, but the fighting aspect was completely removed.
**
If anyone told Weiss before move-in day that her favorite times at Beacon would be outside the hours of organized instruction, she would’ve called that person crazy. The sole reason she enrolled at Beacon was for the esteemed academics - what possible use would she have for free time besides getting ahead on studying?
How things had changed in such a short period of time...
When they were free from classes, they were free to decide what they wanted to pursue. Most days, there were projects or homework assignments to be worked on, which were done in the confines of their room or at the library together. While Weiss had never been keen about helping others with their work, she embraced that role on her team. She still gave them a hard time for needing her help, of course, but that was only to prevent them from growing lazy.
But ‘lazy’ wasn’t a word that applied to any of them - thankfully. While a few students at Beacon could easily be labeled ‘slackers,’ that wasn’t the case with her team. Each of them possessed the drive and determination to become the best huntsmen possible. Even though some of them took coursework less seriously than others, they made up for it by taking training and workouts extra seriously.
So even though it was winter break, and even though their weekends were typically reserved for catching up on schoolwork and resting their tired muscles (the result of grueling, physically-demanding classes), Team RWBY was ready for action.
And tonight, Blake and Yang would experience their first team practice with Puppetmaster Weiss at the helm. The opportunities to ‘help’ the pair along seemed endless, especially with their combined fighting styles. Some days, it felt like Yang didn’t miss a single opportunity to hug, clutch, or touch Blake in any way - all in the name of combat strategy.
Of course, Weiss would never sacrifice a legitimate learning experience in the name of romance, but if the opportunity presented itself...she would take it.
When a cold gust of wind whipped across the open space they were hurrying across, Weiss involuntarily shivered and pulled her jacket closer. The winter air was crisp and cool, validating her decision to throw a jacket over her combat outfit. That did little for her legs, of course. If there was one drawback to combat skirts, it was that they offered little in the way of protection from the elements.
Not that she needed much warmth in the midst of battle, but walking across school grounds was a separate thing entirely.
“So excited!”
From the skip in Ruby’s step, adding an extra practice to their schedule didn’t bother her in the slightest. In fact, she was probably thrilled at the opportunity to fit in more team combat work.
It took only a couple of weeks for Weiss to learn that Ruby was a never-ending stream of energy when it came to fine-tuning battle strategies. If she had it her way, they’d practice every single day for hours on end. Of course, not all of them bounced back as fast as she did - she was basically a rubber band while the rest of them were normal beings with normal muscles that needed rest.
When their team was first formed, Weiss tried to keep the same practice and workout schedule as Ruby - following her partner to the gym or combat rooms at every chance she had. That was a mistake she’d never make again - not after spending a full week nursing some of the sorest muscles she’d ever had in her life. There was one point when she actually considered asking Yang to carry her to and from class so that she wouldn’t have to walk on her own.
Fortunately, she recovered just enough to retain her dignity, and learned a valuable lesson in the process - Ruby held herself back for the sake of her team. It was that knowledge that cemented Ruby as a leader in Weiss’ mind, knowing that the girl possessed an energy that she could never duplicate.
These days, Weiss didn’t try to duplicate anything Ruby did. Instead, she tried to be the best complement she could be - providing support in any way possible.
“Looks pretty empty tonight,” Blake commented as they reached the combat building and headed inside.
As usual, her observation was spot on. The building usually crawled with students rushing to and fro for team practices, one-on-ones, grading exams, or a variety of other reasons. Tonight, however, the lobby lacked a distinct quality of bustle.
“Maybe the computer will give us a good room then,” Yang said, walking up to the tablet in the middle of the room and tapping the screen. After she entered their details - who was practicing, for what purpose, and for how long - the computer matched them with a room for the evening.
Unfortunately for them, the computer usually loved to assign them the most broken or malfunctioning rooms available. Yang attributed the phenomena to some greater conspiracy against their team, but the real reason was probably more along the lines of all the lower level rooms having quirks that hadn’t been fixed. With how hard some of the teams used the rooms, it was likely Beacon fixed some issues only for others to break - and their team just had bad luck.
“Number seventeen,” Yang read aloud when the number showed up on the screen. “Great - that’s the one with the broken floor panel, right?”
“That’s sixteen,” Blake replied while they headed down the left hallway to find their room for the evening. “Seventeen is fine, but it glitches with King Taijitus sometimes.”
“Oh. Good.” Leaning over, Yang nudged Blake’s shoulder. “See, you’re basically my memory now.”
When Blake averted her gaze at the comment - likely with a soft blush growing on her cheeks - Weiss smiled. From several conversations they’d had together, Weiss knew how important it was for Blake to feel included. After spending so much of her life on the fringes of society looking in, she wanted to belong to something that she could be proud of. And who better to make someone feel included than Yang, who often went out of her way to ensure the quietest voices were heard?
“You’re such great partners,” Weiss commented, drawing identical looks of surprise from the two girls. Blake hid the emotion almost immediately, of course. Yang, however, looked at a complete loss for how to respond.
“Uh…thanks?” she said, shooting several sideways glances at Blake to judge her response. When it became clear that Blake wasn’t going to respond anytime soon, Yang nudged her shoulder and smiled. “I think we are too.”
That got a reaction, and it appeared in the form of a light blush on Blake’s cheeks. Surely feeling the rising heat, she ducked her head and hurried into Room 17 with a barely audible, “I think so too.”
Weiss grinned at the response, which was perfectly in line with what she’d learned to expect from Blake. At least, it was what she’d learned to expect from Blake when Yang was involved. If anyone else said that line, they’d probably be met with one of those blank stares Blake had somehow turned into an art form. With Yang, however, she was shy.
“Uh, Weiss?”
Feeling a soft tug on her sleeve, Weiss turned around and found Ruby shuffling her feet - looking far more bashful than usual.
“Yes?”
“What about us?”
When Ruby gestured between them, Weiss smiled and gently looped her arm through Ruby’s.
“We’re the best partners, of course,” she replied while leading Ruby into the room to start their practice.
Her response was true for more reasons than one. Out of all the partner pairs at Beacon, Weiss had yet to find one that had more built-in synergies than her and Ruby. Their differing skillsets meshed together in a way that gave an enormous boost to their fighting potential. And, maybe most importantly, they got along really well - once Weiss learned that she didn’t need to be the best at everything.
“‘K, what do you wanna do first?” Yang asked, punching her student ID number into the screen attached to the wall by the door. “We thinking Beowolves or something better? I mean, bigger?”
“We all know you want Ursa,” Blake teased, playfully pushing Yang away from the screen. “But if we’re trying Ruby’s idea, we should probably go with a small group of Beowolves.”
“Or a Death Stalker!” Ruby added, punching one hand in the air in excitement.
For a second, the three of them stared at Ruby in surprise - each of them probably struggling to figure out how serious she was about the suggestion. Typically, Beowolves served as practice for new moves before working up to the bigger Grimm. Of course, Ruby was anything but conventional...
“Gotta do what our leader says,” Yang joked while Blake somewhat unwillingly queued up their next foe.
“No terrain?” she asked as a Death Stalker appeared in the center of the room.
“Naw, let’s practice with grass first!”
Nodding at the instruction, Blake pressed a few more keys on the screen before a nice, soft grass sprang up around them. Suddenly, the combat room - which was normally just a large square covered in white panels - was a green meadow with a stationary, fearsome Grimm standing in the middle.
They stood within stinger’s reach of the Death Stalker, knowing that it wouldn’t move until someone said the starting signal - ‘It’s RWBY time.’ Until then, they were free to plan and strategize as they saw fit. Or, on some days, analyze the creatures while pinpointing microscopic weak points that were impossible to find in the midst of battle.
“Alright shortstack,” Yang said, spinning the shells in Ember Celica before smacking her fists together with a painful crunch. “Let’s hear this new move of yours again.”
Clapping her hands (just a little excited to be trying something new), Ruby motioned them to circle around her while she explained with wide hand gestures.
“Ok, so the idea is that we use Weiss’ glyphs to circle the Death Stalker without touching the ground.”
Mention of her glyphs caught Weiss’ full attention, as she hadn’t realized she would be such an integral part of their newest maneuver.
“You can do that, right Weiss?” Ruby asked, turning her big, silver eyes towards Weiss - who was never one to back down from a challenge. Not that she could say ‘no’ to the expression aimed her way. Not when Ruby’s eyes shone with pure belief in her capabilities.
She didn’t understand how a look convinced her to try things she’d never tried before, but it worked every single time.
“I can try.”
**
As it turned out, The Flying Wingman was a marvelous move - for someone with an immediate death wish. It was one of those planned moves that sounded good and looked good on paper, but was a disaster in execution.
The first time they tried it, Ruby nearly knocked Weiss out with the blunt side of Crescent Rose. The next time, Weiss almost impaled Ruby with Myrtenaster.
Not ones to be left out of the fun, Blake and Yang also gave it a go. Yang very narrowly avoided leveling Blake with an elbow, and Blake sent Yang flying into the wall with so much force the team practicing next door came to check on them.
For once, they came to unanimous agreement that The Flying Wingman was going back to the drawing board. Weiss argued that it should be wiped from their collective consciousness, but Ruby vetoed that with another Mom-ism - ‘there’s an idea in every idea.’
Sometimes, Weiss wondered if Ruby actually remembered her mom saying these things, because the quotes sounded an awful lot like they came from an inspirational book. But...Weiss wasn’t going to be the person who questioned Ruby’s memory of her mom.
“Ok, I think that’s enough for now,” Yang said through heavy breaths, reaching out to give Blake a high five. “Can we do some pairs stuff next?”
“That’s a great idea,” Weiss said, nodding and turning to Ruby with a smile. “What do you think about mixing up the pairs today? You and Yang, me and Blake.”
“That sounds fun! Sister power!” Ruby exclaimed, hopping over to her sister’s side and looking up at Yang with adoring eyes. Yang missed the expression because she was too busy staring at Weiss with jaw hanging slightly open before finally turning to see what Blake would say. As usual, Blake was far harder to read.
She just shrugged one shoulder and said, “I guess we could try…” in that unenthusiastic way she had.
Thrilled with the idea, Ruby grinned at Weiss before heading towards the opposite side of the room with Yang. They only took a step away before Ruby started talking a million miles a minute about the ‘cool,’ ‘awesome,’ and ‘crazy’ things they could do.
Meanwhile, Blake walked over to Weiss and gave her a nod of acknowledgment.
“We haven’t done this in a while,” Blake commented, nodding towards the other side of the room where Yang and Ruby were talking up a storm. Watching Yang pound her fists together in enthusiasm at whatever Ruby was saying, Weiss suddenly realized that there was a very good reason Blake and her hadn’t fought on the same team in such a long time.
In her attempt to split up Yang and Blake, she’d unwittingly pitted the two most powerful fighters on their team against them. She should have paired herself with Yang, and Blake with Ruby - that would have been much more even. Unfortunately, Weiss’ instinctive response in most cases was not putting herself and Yang on the same team.
“So...do you have any ideas how we could beat them?” she asked, drawing a shocked look from Blake.
“You put Ruby and Yang together and didn’t have a plan?”
“I just thought it would be nice to mix things up for a change!”
Blake stared at Weiss in disbelief before shaking her head.
“This isn’t going to be good.”
Even if the response might be true, Weiss huffed in annoyance and turned towards their opponents.
“Do you want to focus Yang or Ruby?”
Rolling her eyes, Blake pulled Gambol Shroud from its sheath. “I’ll take Yang. Best we can hope for is that our partners grant us mercy.”
Of course Blake chose Yang, a satisfied voice said in Weiss’ head. Unfortunately, that voice disappeared the instant she heard the unmistakable sound of Crescent Rose slicing through the air. Looking towards the noise, she found Ruby swinging her weapon for a few trial runs - each action growing faster and faster while maintaining constant fluidity.
Should Weiss really be so pleased with Blake’s decision? Ruby was a handful. A very fast, very deadly handful.
But if Weiss was clever enough, she could distract Ruby enough that she would make a mistake. Because, for as skillful as Ruby already was, she was still learning how to focus to the best of her ability. That was her only weakness - at least, that was the only weakness Weiss had found through their times practicing together.
So she would look for a distraction, which...would be a great way for Blake to win her match-up too.
“I have an idea,” Weiss whispered. “Maybe you can distract Yang somehow.”
“And how would you recommend I do that?”
Weiss felt a smirk appear, which made Ruby tilt her head quizzically from across the room.
“I don’t know…” Weiss began, trying to sound like this was a random, spur of the moment thought. “Why don’t you...why don’t you kiss her or something?”
“What?? I’m not - I’m not going to do that!”
Hearing such a stark denial, Weiss snuck a glance towards Blake and found a clearly embarrassed Faunus with rosy cheeks. Shrugging her shoulders, Weiss pretended to be annoyed by her teammate’s refusal.
“Well whatever - it would work.”
“Yo!” Yang yelled out to them. “You two ready?”
“Let’s just get this over with,” Blake grumbled, holding up one hand with a thumbs up to signal they were ready. As soon as Blake did so, Yang and Ruby raced towards them - unsurprisingly, the pair of high-powered destruction dealers decided to go with an all-out rush. Lovely.
Hardly raising Myrtenaster in time, Weiss steeled her arms and felt a shockwave of force surge through them when Ruby made her first attack. There was no time to even consider the power behind the blow - or how Ruby might’ve gotten stronger since the last time they’d sparred - before the follow-up attack was whizzing her way.
Using a glyph, Weiss flitted to safety while simultaneously trying to figure out where the heck Blake was. The two of them needed to use each other to create confusion, but it was a little difficult to do so when Blake herself was hard to pin to any one spot.
Using a set of shotgun blasts to estimate Blake’s position, Weiss flew through a series of glyphs in that direction with a cloud of petals on her heels. A black shadow broke up her glyphs, startling Ruby just enough that Weiss was about to pivot on her next glyph and rocket back towards her partner with Myrtenaster at the ready.
But Ruby spun out of the way and Weiss very suddenly found herself face-to-face with Yang.
How they pulled that move off so seamlessly...she would never know.
Ducking a fist that would’ve ended her night, Weiss skated away from Yang while Blake dropped down on her partner from above. The surprise attack might’ve worked if a red blur hadn’t met Blake halfway - knocking her off course and sending her tumbling to the floor.
Sensing a moment of weakness, Weiss flew to Blake’s side and tried to catch Ruby during a transition - only to find that Ruby was already gone and Yang was rushing them once more.
They needed to create a new word for how awful this was going.
In Weiss and Blake’s defense, Yang and Ruby had the benefit of familiarity - very intimate familiarity that came from growing up fighting together. The two hardly needed to communicate with each other and easily fell back upon whatever moves and methods they’d coordinated when younger. In comparison, Weiss and Blake had practically just met. They were still learning how to operate on a team together, let alone paired up without their regular partners.
In a team battle, Weiss and Blake cooperated by reacting to their own partners. This meant that Ruby and Yang were at the core of everything they did. They relied upon the sisters sharing that otherworldly bond and working as a seamless pair. But this also meant that Weiss and Blake hadn’t yet learned how to react to one another without the sisterly link between them.
At least they were learning a valuable lesson right now…
When Blake moved to head off her partner - clashing with Yang in a flurry of clones and fire - Weiss tried to pinpoint Ruby. Easier said than done, especially when Ruby’s semblance was going full force.
**
They get destroyed.
**
“Yeah, let’s never do that again,” Blake said dryly. Weiss rolled her eyes.
“We would’ve had a better shot if you did what I suggested.” She fought against a grin when Blake’s mouth dropped open and her cheeks lit up again.
“What’d Weiss suggest?” Ruby asked, her curiosity deepening Blake’s blush.
“Nothing,” she grumbled, putting Gambol Shroud on her back and stalking towards the door. “We should probably head home now.”
Staring after a very sulky Blake, Weiss shook her head in amusement. If Blake got so embarrassed just by the thought of it…how was she ever going to do it for real?
“Man, can’t wait ‘til we can leave this dingy room behind!” Yang said when they’re on their way out. As soon as they stepped outside and were greeted by a blast of winter air, Yang jogged forward to catch up with her partner - and then wrapped one arm around Blake’s shoulders to pull her close.
It was pretty convenient, wasn’t it, that Blake loved being warm and Yang happened to run as hot as a heater? Mighty convenient…
“You did so great, Weiss!” Ruby said, swinging her arms happily while they walked behind the two girls who were apparently in a hurry to get back.
“Thanks, Ruby…”
“I mean it! I got really confused when you swept back to Blake so fast. Like, I wasn’t expecting that at all.”
Unwillingly, Weiss smiled and turned to look at Ruby.
“I’m glad you thought so,” she said, happy that Ruby was so pleased with their most recent team practice even though it was one of the more humbling experiences Weiss had ever been a part of.
“I think we can make a few adjustments to the Flying Wingman to make it better! Like, maybe -”
It was remarkable how she’d learned to tune out the sound of Ruby’s voice, but still appear like she was paying attention. Ruby was going over strategies again. One thing that always impressed Weiss was her partner’s ability to remember even the most minute details of the fight that had just occurred. And not just for herself, either. Ruby remembered things that each of them did. Weiss had often wondered if maybe Ruby had some sort of rare photographic memory that only applied to battles. It certainly didn’t help her with schoolwork, that was for sure.
She’s listening closely to the conversation happening behind her.
“I didn’t hurt you, did I?” Yang was asking in a concerned voice.
“No, I landed on my ankle wrong after a jump,” Blake replied.
Weiss took the opportunity to turn around and stopped when she noticed the slight limp in Blake’s gait.
“You probably shouldn’t walk on it,” she mused before turning to Yang. “Yang, maybe you should carry Blake back to the room.”
Yang’s eyes lit up at the idea while Blake stopped walking.
“I can totally carry you back to the room!”
“No, really Yang, I’m -” Blake’s words were cut off when Yang quickly scooped the girl up in both arms - swift but remarkably gently.
Blake wouldn’t look at Yang while her cheeks glowed red. Yang looked more pleased than Weiss had seen her since [blank]. When Weiss turned back around, she grinned to herself in pleased amusement.
Grimm, these two were just too easy to mess with.
“Um...you’re not hurt, are you Weiss?”
“What? No, Ruby, I’m fine.”
“Ok...but I could carry you too!”
She huffed. “I don’t think so.”
“What? I totally could!”
“Prove it.”
As soon as the words left her lips, Ruby lit up in excitement. To be fair, Weiss used that phrase fairly often and hadn’t completely thought it through.
“I can totally prove it!”
“I was joking -”
It was too late. Ruby knelt on the floor and gestured for Weiss to get on her back for a piggyback ride.
“I don’t know who you have me confused with,” Weiss said, giving Ruby a look of dismay. “But I do not take piggyback rides.”
Not getting up, Ruby turned towards Weiss while still kneeling on the ground. And that, combined with her pleading silver eyes, made it look like she was literally begging Weiss to say yes.
“But Weiss…” were the only words Ruby got out before Weiss sighed and motioned for Ruby to turn around.
“I can’t believe the things you make me do sometimes…” Weiss muttered while clasping her arms around Ruby’s neck. When Ruby stood up, she took a slightly wobbly step to one side before gaining her balance. Holding onto Weiss’ legs, Ruby tried to turn around and look at her - only to nearly fall on her face in the process.
“Focus on where you’re walking!” Weiss demanded.
**
She allows Ruby to give her a piggyback ride and Ruby and Yang race back to the room. Yang wins easily because Blake probably feels not a bit heavier than a feather in her arms. Weiss feels her own cheeks warm when people spot them running, but she’s having fun regardless.
By the time Ruby and Weiss get back to the room, Yang is lounging on Blake’s bed and Blake is nowhere to be seen.
“Hey slowpokes!” Yang greeted them with a grin. “Blake called first shower.”
Ruby gently let Weiss hop down and then walked over and collapsed face down onto Weiss’ bed. Weiss opened her mouth to complain, but caught herself at the last second and shook her head. She walked over and sat down and nudged Ruby out of the way so she could remove her shoes.
“Ughhh...I feel like I get hit by a bus…” Ruby whined.
“I hope you’re not insinuating that I’m too heavy for you to carry,” Weiss snipped back at her.
“Of course not! I’m just way too weak!”
Weiss shook her head at the comment, which was incorrect at its core. Ruby had been anything but weak to begin with, and now...it felt like Ruby was growing stronger by the day.
When they heard the water turn off, Ruby walked over to Weiss and leaned down. “Do you want to go next?”
“Thanks, Ruby, but you go ahead.”
“You sure?”
Weiss nodded and gestured towards her notebook. “I’m fine waiting.”
Not that it was much of a wait. With her short hair and penchant for speed, Ruby’s showers took a total of five minutes in and out of the bathroom. They’d timed her.
Yang walks back in and Ruby rushes into the bathroom. Yang’s still pulling her shirt over her head.
“Whatcha doin’, Weiss?” she asked as she did so, oblivious to the extra set of eyes watching her from the other side of the room.
“Double checking my answers for the assignment due tomorrow,” she replied, placing the tip of her pencil on the page to mark her spot. Yang’s brow creased before her eyes widened.
“Ooh...crap. I didn’t finish that.”
“Better start working then,” Weiss said while turning back to her own work. She felt Yang walk over.
“Could you maybe help me with it?” she asked. “I didn’t quite get the later questions.”
Weiss knew that she was recognized as the smartest on her team, but it really wasn’t by much. They had another team member who was also exceptionally bright…
“You know, I’m actually not that comfortable with the topic - Blake, I think you’ve got it down though, right?”
“Oh, well I think...”
“You could help Yang finish it up then?”
“Would you? I’d owe you one.”
They go off to the library together, and Weiss smiles after them before returning her attention to her notebook. Several minutes later, the bathroom door opened and Ruby buzzed into the room.
“Where’d they go?” she asked while shaking her head and spraying water droplets everywhere.
“To the library. They’re working on that assignment.”
“Oh crap! I didn’t finish that either!”
When Ruby raced to her bag to retrieve a notebook, Weiss watched in surprise.
“But I thought you finished it yesterday -”
“I drew a diagram of Crescent Rose instead,” Ruby admitted. Flipping open the notebook, she showed Weiss the intricate drawing of Crescent Rose before closing the cover and grabbing a pair of boots. “Don’t worry though! I’ll go work with them -”
“Wait!”
Before Ruby disappeared in a cloud of petals, Weiss grabbed her by the sleeve to hold her in place. If Ruby went to the library, she would interrupt Yang and Blake’s study date.
“I’ll help you,” Weiss offered, feeling a smile appear when Ruby looked relieved and excited.
“You will?”
“Of course, Ruby.” Using a glyph, Weiss pushed another chair over to share the deskspace with her. “Now come on,” she added, gesturing for Ruby to take a seat so they could get to work.
“How far did you get?” Weiss asked while Ruby settled in beside her. When Ruby freely offered her notebook, Weiss took it and glanced through the first few problems.