19

Chapter 19: Tuesday

"Everyone line up! We have a busy class ahead of ourselves!"

Students scrambled to form a proper line in the center of the Training Hall. Professor Goodwitch stood before them, scrutinizing the mixed class of upper and lower classmen.

Close to the center of the line, Ruby stood with her team. She glanced to her left, briefly making eye contact with Weiss. Even without the Link, both partners could tell that the other was nervous. Ruby reached behind her, rubbing her hand along the edge of the compacted Crescent Rose. Weiss looked down at Myrtenaster, double checking that all its Dust cylinders were filled.

Blake looked at them from the corner of her eye, trying not to frown. Truth be told, she was a little worried as well. This was their first combat practice since being Marked, and much as it pained her to admit it, she had no idea how that would affect them, or herself. She had tried to remember seeing Mated Faunus fight in the White Fang, only to curse herself as she realized how little she'd paid attention to that kind of thing in the past, if she noticed it at all. And as usual, any reading she had done on the subject had been infuriatingly vague, with mentions of how Mates 'compliment' each other in battle, or 'move as one'. That could mean anything!

Something bumped her shoulder. Blake turned her head, meeting with Yang's eyes. The blonde simply smiled, and a feeling of relaxation washed over her.

This was quickly becoming a regular thing with Yang. Most of the previous day, any time Ruby, Blake, or Weiss started to stress, Yang would send a wave of calm out to whoever she felt needed it. When Ruby was struggling during a pop quiz, or when Weiss had panicked over getting a B on her latest history assignment (there had been a tinge of annoyance with that wave of emotion, as Yang had sent it while staring at the D she'd received), even earlier that morning when Blake had had to explain just how little she knew about how combat played into being Mates. Yang was right there, reminding them all to take a breath.

Blake smiled back, some of the tension in her shoulders leaving. She looked back at Weiss and Ruby, seeing Ruby take a deep breath as she stopped fidgeting where she stood. Weiss glanced out of the corner of her eye, the corner of her lips twitching up briefly, before she schooled her expression, facing forward.

Blake and Yang shared their own look, both smiling as Yang rolled her eyes. They, too, focused on Goodwitch as class got underway.

"Okay, students," Goodwitch began as she slowly paced up and down the line. "Today we will be focusing on fighting while outnumbered. While I know most of you have little trouble when fighting Grimm one-on-one, you will not always have that luxury. Beowolves, Creeps, and Ursas are just a few of many types of Grimm that will use their numbers against you. And as much as we stress teamwork and cooperation, there is always the chance that you will be forced into a situation where you will be on your own against numerous Grimm.

"Now, my original plan was to have single students battle against a group of training bots. However, as we have unexpectedly reached a shortage of our usual training bots…" Her eyes narrowed as her gaze lingered on Weiss. The heiress looked down, a red dusting in her cheeks. "...instead, I'm going to experiment a little. Today, all team leaders will be separated from their teams."

There was a brief murmur of surprise from the students, with Ruby glancing nervously towards her girlfriends. Goodwitch continued. "The team leaders will be competing in a one-on-three match against the remaining members of a randomly selected team." More murmurs, a little louder, with a few squeaks of complaint mixed in. Goodwitch pushed on before they could get any steam. "I want to stress that today's goal is not for a victory for the team leaders. Your goal for today is to simply survive. Try to get a handle on fighting outnumbered, and learn from any mistakes you make.

"However, just because I don't expect you to win is not an excuse to not try. For the remaining team members, your goal is to keep consistent teamwork without your team leader to lead you. While a Hunter should always defer to the one delegated to lead them, they must not become dependent on being told what to do. Prove that your teams can function properly when separated from your commander."

Ruby gulped. She had been outnumbered against Grimm before, and she'd always come out on top… well, most of the time. But against other students? She'd either fought them one-on-one or in a group with her team.

She felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned to find Weiss staring at her, her stern expression conflicting with the softness of her eyes.

"You can do this, Ruby," she said confidently.

Behind her, Yang pumped her fist. "Yeah, you got this, Little Sis! Show'em what you're made of!" Blake nodded at her words, cementing her support as well.

Ruby blinked, then smiled widely. Yeah, I can do this!

A little ways down the line, Jaune let out a groan. "I am so dead."

Pyrrha frowned at his words. "Give yourself more credit, Jaune. You're getting a lot better."

Jaune couldn't help the disbelieving laugh that escaped his lips. "Well, yeah, a little on the one-on-one fights. But against a whole team? I'm gonna get creamed."

"Well, of course, you are with that attitude," Nora piped in chipperly.

Ren nodded in agreement. "If you think you'll lose, you've already lost."

Jaune threw up his hands. "Then I'm doubly screwed!"

Ren let out a sigh as his borrowed phrase sailed right over Jaune's head, Nora rolling her eyes even as she smiled. Pyrrha let out a sigh of empathy, trying to remember if she'd restocked their dorm on bandages.

A sharp smacking sound echoed throughout the room as Goodwitch hit her crop into her palm. "Quiet down!" She pulled out her scroll, glancing at it. "First match: Nickolas Howler vs. Team WNDD."

So began a series of the most one-sided fights any of the class had witnessed. Out of the first three matches, only one team leader managed to eliminate another student before being eliminated themselves. No matter how experienced or talented the leader was, once they had blades and bullets coming at them from three different directions from equally skilled opponents, everything went out the window.

Ruby watched from the gallery as her fellow leaders got utterly trounced, her earlier confidence lowering further and further with each defeat. She felt another burst of calm wash over her from Yang, but it didn't help much. As the last team leader limped back to her team, cradling her numbed arm via an electric Dust-charged mace, Goodwitch called out the next fight.

"Ruby Rose vs. Team CRDL."

Ruby groaned. "Aw, man…" she muttered as she made her way down to the hall floor, dreading the fight to come.

Team CRDL was everything Ruby had been afraid of when she first came to Beacon. A group of bullies who picked on anyone they could seemingly just because they could. They were especially mean to Faunus, for reasons Ruby just could not fathom.

"Make it hurt, Rubes!"

Ruby glanced behind her. Yang still had her hands cupped around her mouth, a rather mean smile on her lips as she looked at the three members of Team CRDL moving to the center of the room.

Though they stayed silent, Blake and Weiss shared similar thoughts to their blonde counterpart. Blake narrowed her eyes at said team, while Weiss gave them a troubled look.

"Ms. Xiao-Long... " Goodwitch warned as she looked at Yang.

Yang gave a sheepish chuckle, rubbing the back of her head. "Sorry."

Ruby smiled at them, relaxing a little. I got this, I got this, I got this. She took her place on her side of the hall, standing across from the three bullies. She quickly went through what she knew about them.

Russel Thrush. Wields two daggers and is quick on his feet.

Dove Bronzewing. Shortsword, very strong, but deceptively fast.

Sky Lark. Wields a halberd, but is kinda clumsy.

All three are fast and can pull off acrobatic moves.

Ruby made a mental note to thank Weiss for going over what happened during combat practice. Ruby had mostly just done it so she could learn about the different kinds of weapons other students had, but now she was glad she had an idea of how they fought.

Or, at least, she hoped she did.

Ruby's eyes flicked between each boy as they drew their weapons, each one smirking at her. Even Russel, the smallest one of the three, towered a full foot over her, and Ruby got the feeling that the size difference was going to their heads. Ruby swallowed down her nerves.

Okay, they're underestimating me… maybe I can use that?

She started to reach behind her for her weapon, only to pause. A wave of emotion washed over her again, only this time, she could feel it coming from all three members of her team. Confidence, relaxation, reassurance…

Ruby closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. She let it out slowly. Then she opened her eyes. She smiled.

In a quick motion, she reached behind her. With a click and a wave of her arm, Crescent Rose unfolded, towering over Ruby in all her terrifying beauty. Ruby got into her fighting stance.

Team CRDL did the same, though Ruby noticed the wary look they gave the curved blade of Crescent. Her smile widened.

Professor Goodwitch looked between the two sides. When she had deemed them both ready, she called out "Match set. Begin!"

Team CRDL rushed forward, Russel and Dove breaking off to the sides, while Lark charged straight for Ruby, his halberd held above his head. He brought the ax down, forcing Ruby to block with Crescent's snaith, a dull thud echoing as metal hit metal. Out of the corner of her eyes, Ruby saw Russel and Dove moving to flank her. She shifted her weight slightly, letting Lark push her down slightly, until Crescent's heel was pointed towards Dove.

Ruby hit the trigger, firing off a round that hit Dove in the shoulder. Ruby used the recoil of the shot to slice to the right, forcing Lark to duck and Russel to dive to the side. Russel rolled as he hit the ground, then sprung forward, both daggers aimed at Ruby's chest. Ruby leaped back, hitting Crescent's transformation switch. She aimed at Russel and fired, again causing him to dodge, then shot at Lark, who stumbled out of the way.

Ruby took that as her cue to go on the offensive. With another click, Crescent went back to her scythe form, and Ruby charged at Lark. She swung at him, one, two, three times, each one being blocked by his halberd. She went for a fourth, feeling his guard about to break-

...huh?

A flash of yellow, white, and black. Panic.

Something… behind her?

Duck.

Ruby flinched down, Dove's sword passing right through where her head used to be. With a quick flick of her wrists, Ruby turned Crescent Rose sideways. She pulled the trigger. The bullet slammed harmlessly into the ground, but the recoil sent the bottom of Crescent's snaith right into Dove's jaw. Ruby followed up with a wide slash, catching Dove across the chest as he stumbled back. He grunted in pain as he backed up, but Ruby didn't give him the chance. With the momentum of her swing, Ruby spun all the way around, Crescent Rose transforming as she did. She landed in a kneel, taking aim, and pulled the trigger.

The gunshot echoed throughout the hall as the round hit the stunned Dove dead center in his chest. The force of the shot at such close range lifted him off of his feet, sending him sailing across the hall. He slammed into the wall, sliding down it with a groan.

For a moment, the hall was silent. Everyone stared in shock, either at the downed Dove or at Ruby, who blinked in apparent confusion. She looked at Dove, her eyes trailing to his dropped shortsword.

What… just hap-

A flash of white.

Jump.

Ruby's eyes widened. She instantly leaped out of her kneel, backflipping over Russel as he charged past where she'd been. She landed on her feet just as he started to turn around. She rushed forward, slamming the butt of Crescent's rifle mode into the back of his head. He fell to his knees, and with another spin and transformation, Ruby sliced him across the back, earning a yell of pain and surprise. He crumpled to the ground, dropping his daggers as he tried to reach his injured back.

Ruby looked down at him for a moment, before realizing she still had one opponent left. She turned around quickly, scythe at the ready, only to find Lark staring at her from across the hall, his mouth hanging open as he looked at his downed teammates. When her eyes met his, he flinched in surprise, before scowling, crouching into a battle position, ready for her to charge.

But Ruby had a different idea.

With a flick of her wrist, Crescent Rose shifted back into a sniper rifle. Quick as she could, Ruby swapped out the magazine for a different one hanging from her belt, and took aim.

Lark dove out of the way as the shot whizzed past his head. But just as his foot was about to hit the ground-

KEEEEEEWWwwww…

The ground under him turned to ice.

Lark slipped as his full weight hit the floor. He fell to the ground, and before he could move…

KEEEWWW, KEEEWWW, KEEEWWWwww…

Three rapid-fire shots hit him in the side, ice covering him with each shot, until he was frozen to the ground. Only his head and left arm remained uncovered. Lark grit his teeth, both at the cold and the pain in his side, as he struggled to move. His arm flailed uselessly towards his halberd, which had fallen just out of reach. After a few moments, though, he realized that he wasn't budging, and slumped in his icy prison.

Ruby slowly pulled Crescent Rose away from her eye, mist curling from her frost-covered barrel. Ruby suddenly realized she was breathing hard, and tried to calm down, even as her heart hammered away.

She quickly became aware of the silence. She looked up at the gallery, eyes landing on her team. Blake stared at her in absolute shock, her amber eyes wide. Weiss mirrored her, her mouth slightly open in shock. Actually, everyone was looking at her like that.

Except for Yang. Yang was grinning like a fool, looking at her like she was about to start cheering any second.

Ruby slowly looked around the hall, as if taking it in for the first time. Dove lay against the wall, groaning. Russel was curled up on the ground, desperately grasping at the large gash across his back. Lark was still trapped in ice, starting to shiver from the cold.

It took a moment for the thought to really kick in.

I… won…?

The clicking of high-heels drew her attention from the carnage she'd wrought. She turned to find Professor Goodwitch approaching her, a thoughtful look on her face.

"Well, this is a surprise," the teacher said once she reached Ruby. She looked down at her scroll, replaying the battle. "Impressive speed and agility. Seamless skill switching between weapon modes. Quick, if unconventional means of attack. You left yourself open to attack twice, but compensated with your reflexes." She looked up, giving Ruby a rare small smile. "Congratulations, Miss Rose. You've impressed me."

Ruby blushed under the unexpected praise. "Um… thank you, ma'am," she said with a nod.

Goodwitch nodded back, before motioning for Ruby to return to the gallery. Putting Crescent Rose into her compact mode, Ruby made her way up in a daze, being startled out of it when two strong hands clapped onto her shoulders.

Yang was positively beaming. "Rubes, that was amazing! I thought they had you for a second there, but you slipped out from under them like it was nothing!"

Ruby blinked at her. She felt her cheeks redden as she rubbed the back of her head, a bashful smile on her lips. "Thanks, Yang, but… I don't think it was all me."

Yang tilted her head in confusion, pulling away from Ruby. "What do ya mean, Sis? You were running solo out there."

Weiss and Blake had come up next to them interested and confused by Ruby's words. They barely heard Goodwitch call out the next match.

"Jaune Arc vs. Team CFVY."

"Oh, come on!"

As Jaune dejectedly made his way to the hall floor, Ruby tried to explain. "It's just… did you guys notice anything strange when I was fighting?"

The three thought for a moment, Yang scratching her head in thought, while Blake simply hummed. Weiss crossed her arms, cupping her chin with one hand. "Actually…" She started, drawing the others' attention. Weiss looked into Ruby's eyes. "When you were focusing on Lark, Dove was in your blind spot. I was sure he was going to hit you."

Blake nodded in agreement. "I thought the same thing."

Yang chuckled. "Yeah, close call on that one, Ruby. Scared me for a second."

Ruby looked between them, her eyes meeting each of theirs, then looked down in thought. "So… all three of you saw him coming at me… and were worried?" She frowned as she mulled the info over.

Blake's eyes narrowed a little, her head tilting slightly. "What is it, Ruby?"

Ruby looked up, looking at her team. She glanced around, making sure that no one was listening. All eyes were instead turned towards the fight down below. ("Aww, will you stop with the kicking?!")

Ruby lowered her voice as she spoke. "Something happened when I was fighting, when Dove tried to hit me."

"What?" Yang asked, frowning. "Seemed pretty clear to me. He tried to hit you, you ducked."

Ruby shook her head. "That's the thing, Yang. I didn't know Dove was there until after I ducked."

Each of them blinked. "What do you mean, Ruby?" Weiss asked. "How is that even possible?"

Blake inhaled sharply, drawing their attention. She looked at Ruby, wide-eyed. "Did… did you feel something Ruby?" she asked hesitantly. Yang and Weiss stiffened, understanding her unspoken question. Did the Mark do something?

Ruby nodded. "When I was attacking Lark, there was this… flash." She struggled to put her thoughts into words. "Not… like I saw a flash, but like it had just happened… like a memory, only it happened at the same time I remembered it."

"That… makes no sense," Yang pointed out, quite unhelpfully.

Ruby slumped where she stood. "Yeah, I know, but that's the only way I can explain it! Like.. an instant memory, or something."

"What was it?" Blake asked, a bit more forcefully than she'd intended. She collected herself, then asked more calmly. "Did you see something in this flash?"

"Well-" Ruby was cut off when a loud clang echoed throughout the hall, followed by a yelp and a thud.

The four looked over to see Jaune sprawled on the ground, holding his nose. His shield lay right in front of him, while the members of Team CFVY looked at him in equal parts amusement (Fox and Yatsuhashi) and sympathy (Velvet).

Goodwitch raised an eyebrow, more bemused than scolding. "Your speed and endurance are improving, Mr. Arc. However, you are still lacking in terms of your reflexes and your agility. I will grant you credit in attempting to add more offensive moves to your repertoire, however," She leveled a hard stare at him. "I would suggest you find ways of doing so other than throwing your means of defense?"

Jaune sighed as he picked up his shield and pushed himself to his feet. "Yes, ma'am." He walked off grumbling. "Man, I thought I had it that time!"

Ruby watched him walk back to his spot as Professor Goodwitch called out the next fight ("Coco Adel vs. Team JNPR."), before turning back to the conversation at hand, her team doing so as well. "I saw… colors. Yellow, white, and black, all at the same time. And then I just… felt this urge to duck."

Weiss' brow scrunched in thought. "Yellow, white…" Her eyes widened in realization. "Those are the colors of our auras."

Yang's face went slack in shock. "Wait, so… Ruby read our minds? Is that even possible?"

Blake struggled for an answer, but Ruby spoke first. "I don't think it was your thoughts… there were no words or anything. I just… when that flash happened, I just knew I had to duck." She shrugged her shoulders helplessly, unable to be any clearer.

Blake thought for a moment, ignoring the whirling of a gatling gun and Nora's high-pitched laughter. She gave Ruby a long look. "Was that the only time you had this flash, Ruby?"

Ruby shook her head, much to the other's surprise. "I felt it again, after I knocked out Dove. Except, that time, the flash was just white."

Weiss stiffened. "When Russel tried to stab you in the back."

Blake looked at her. "I didn't see that. I was looking at Dove, and didn't see Ruby jump. She was mid-flip when I looked back at her."

Yang raised her hand up a little in agreement. "Same."

Weiss' calculating gaze trailed over them, before turning back to the leader. "Ruby," she asked slowly, "you could have dodged to the side, or ducked again. Why did you do a backflip?"

Ruby blinked at her, then looked down in thought. "I… don't really know. I just felt like I needed to. Why do you ask?"

Weiss' lips tightened. "Because when I realized you needed to dodge, I thought of you doing a backflip."

They all fell silent as they let Weiss' words sink in. From the hall floor, Goodwich called the match in JNPR's favor, getting a cheer from Nora.

"Okay…" Yang said quietly. "So we know Ruby needs to duck, and she ducks. Weiss knows she needs to jump, so she jumps."

Blake nodded. "We need to figure this out. My reading said that Mates 'compliment' each other in battle. Maybe that means that we can send each other ideas, or… instincts, maybe?"

Weiss shook her head in disbelief. "Just when I thought things were making sense."

A sudden giggle sounded, drawing the older girls' attention. They looked down at Ruby, who was biting her lip, fighting a smile.

"What's so funny, Sis?"

Ruby blushed a little. "Nothing, just… even though I was fighting by myself, you three still managed to watch out for me. Doesn't that kinda go against the point of Ms. Goodwitch's lesson?"

The three blinked. Then Yang let out a snort. "Yeah, it kinda does. Whoops!"

Blake fought a smile as Weiss rolled her eyes. Then the heiress huffed. "Speaking of which, we should really be paying attention."

Blake nodded. "You're right. We can work out what happened later. We still have a match to fight."

Yang groaned. "Great. This is going to bug me, though. I hope it's a quick fight."

"Cardin Winchester vs. Team RWBY."

The four girls' heads snapped up at Goodwitch's voice. They all turned their heads towards said bully. As if feeling their gazes, Cardin turned to face them, a smug sneer already in place...

Only to lose it immediately when he caught sight of the excited grin on Yang's lips, and the glare he was receiving from Blake.

"On the other hand…"

Betaed by Covert Weapon

Old A/n: Keep in mind, this is Team RWBY at the start of Volume 2, before they could all wipe out dozens of Grimm with just a few swings of a blade.

Also, in doing research for this chapter, I found out that the different parts of a scythe have really weird names. Kinda cool, though.

Does anyone else automatically think of Crescent Rose with female pronouns, or is that just me. No? It's just me? Alright then.

I was going to write out an actual Cardin vs WBY fight, but… there's only so many ways to write: "Cardin gets the ever-loving s*** kicked out of him." Don't worry. Said event will happen in a future chapter. Oh, the plans I have…

See ya next time!