8

Ruby stared at the ceiling trying to think of where she should begin her tour. Today would be a busy day for her since she had been given the task of showing Winter around Beacon. 'It's been almost two weeks since Winter joined Beacon. I wonder why she did. From what I got last night, she's already more skilled than most of the students here.' A knock on the door broke her from her reverie. She jumped down from her bed and landed with a loud thud. She froze up and looked over to Weiss, then her other teammates, hoping she didn't wake them up. She quietly made her way towards the door, and opened it to be greeted by Winter.

"Good morning, Ruby. How are you doing?" Winter said, her tone well-mannered.

"Uh, I'm doing good, thanks for asking."

"I believe it would be best if we were quiet. I wouldn't want to wake Weiss, she gets awfully cranky if she's woken up early." As soon as the words left Winter's mouth, they heard the rustling of bed sheets. Ruby turned around towards Weiss' bunk while Winter peered over her head. It was obvious that Weiss was very reluctant to leave the warmth of her bed from the piqued look on her face, but she did so anyway.

Winter offered a small smile as an apology. "Apologies if I woke you, Weiss. I trust you slept well?"

"Winter... what business do you have here, so early in the morning?" Weiss' voice clearly displayed her annoyance.

"I'm here for Ruby." Winter answered.

"What for?" Weiss was still a little sleepy, but was slowly waking up.

"Ruby has been given the task of touring me around Beacon."

"Right, just gimmie a few seconds to clean up." Ruby dashed over into the bathroom, reappearing shortly after with stray flecks of water on her face. "Well, are you ready, Winter?"

"Yes, I am. We should go now if we hope to tour most of the school." Winter grasped onto Ruby's arm, trapping it between her ample bosom. Winter shot Weiss a mischievous smile while Ruby was clearly in a different world. Weiss started to silently fume at the smug glint in Winter's eyes, she knew exactly what her sister was trying to do, and she did not like it at all.

In Ruby's little world, Winter and Weiss may be have been siblings, but if there was one thing that was separated the two, it was bust size. Weiss had to be a B-cup, which suited her petite figure, and in Ruby's opinion, they were still quite nice. Winter, on the other hand, had to be a D-cup, which more than suited her mature physique. Ruby's arm was in heaven as it was squashed between those soft marshmallows. Oh, how she wished it were her face. 'Bad Ruby! Now's not the time to be thinking of your partner's sister, even if her breasts are amaz-Damn it!'

"R-Right," Ruby said once she snapped out of her fantasy. She allowed Winter to ease her out of the room, her mind still hazy from her daydream. Staring at Ruby's retreating figure, Weiss didn't like the show that Winter had just given her. She had finally accepted these feelings for her partner, and out of nowhere, her sister came waltzing in, trying to steal Ruby from her. Oh no, she wasn't having that, not at all. Especially not from her sister.

Winter released Ruby's arm from her grip once the tour began. Ruby glanced at Winter, noticing a long gray case on her back before she returned her gaze forward. "Where will we be going first?"

"Well, since you already know where the dorms are, I guess the cafeteria would be a good place to start." Ruby lead the way as Winter took in every detail of the school. She had to confess, the masonry was exceptional. "Here we are, Beacon Academy Cafeteria."

"Hm, I'm impressed. It's almost as big as our dining hall back home." Winter said, crossing her arms.

"I suppose it is pretty big. There's also a kitchen area, if you want cook for yourself, provided you get the ingredients yourself. C'mon, next is the combat arena." Again, Winter grabbed hold of Ruby's arm as she lead them to their next stop.

Combat Arena

Once Ruby got Winter to let go of her trapped appendage, she began explaining what would happen during class; from the professor talking about his golden days to sometimes a student being picked to fight Grimm. "That's all you need to know really, anything else you're curious about?"

"Yes, actually." Winter walked over to the middle of the arena before she faced Ruby. "I'd like to have a duel against you, determine how adept you are in combat. Is that alright?"

"Are you sure? Won't Weiss get angry or something if you get hurt?" Ruby wasn't too keen about fighting her partner's sister. What if she got hurt? If Weiss found out she hurt her sister in anyway, she was definitely dead, even if their relationship wasn't that good.

"Oh please, Weiss worries too much and you know this." Winter scoffed. "Besides, I highly doubt you'll hurt me too much." She sent a smoldering gaze at Ruby, forcing the girl to avert her eyes elsewhere.

"Well, if you're sure about it."

Winter let out a pleased chuckle, removing her weapon from its sheath. She pulled out a simple estoc. No Dust revolving mechanisms like Weiss' rapier, or any trigger pieces like almost every student at Beacon possessed. Ruby furrowed her brow, there was nothing special about this weapon; just a simple blade with a simple handgrip. That, was odd for a Schnee in Ruby's honest opinion.

'Ah, whatever. Jaune made it into Beacon and all he has is a sword and shield.' Ruby thought to herself.

"Ready?" Winter asked.

"Yeah, let's go." Ruby said as she nodded her head.

"You're not going to use your weapon?" Winter queried, confusion abundantly clear on her face.

"Maybe. Depends on how good you are." Ruby answered, somewhat smug.

"Hmph," Winter poised her weapon, vigilant as she circled her opponent; Ruby doing the same. Like a cobra Winter pounced, thrusting her sword repeatedly at Ruby; her strikes missing each time as Ruby skillfully dodged. Going on the offensive this time, Ruby directed a strong punch to her gut, forcing Winter to stumble backwards. Regaining her footing, she peered at Ruby.

"Tch..." Winter grunted, rather miffed at being hit so early into the duel. She quickly thought of a new strategy as she watched Ruby. 'She's definitely more skilled than anyone I've fought before. I'll need to play it smart if I'm to beat her.' Winter took on a defensive stance as she carefully watched her opponent.

'Hardened eyes, reserved posture, neutral face, she's gonna get serious. I just know it.' Ruby slowly reached for Crescent Rose, clenching and flexing her hand just incase Winter made any sharp movements.

Ruby broke the standstill as she dove forward when she saw an opening, grabbing Winter's hand and twisting it to make Winter drop her blade. Winter sucked her teeth at the quick disarming she received. She kicked her weapon up and grabbed it with her free hand before driving its handle into Ruby's stomach. The moment Ruby released her, she turned on her and swung her estoc at her.

"Whoa!" Ruby dropped to the ground, narrowly dodging the swipe. She rolled away when Winter continued her assault, not giving her an inch to recover.

'Damn! I was right, she did get serious.' Ruby comically dodged the attacks coming her way, even going as far as falling to her back to evade a wide slash. 'Now!' Given a short reprieve from the onslaught, Ruby pushed off the ground, pulled out Crescent Rose and blocked Winter's second barrage of attacks.

'Damn it!' Winter was growing annoyed now. This was the longest any of her opponents had last against her. And the longest anyone had countered against each of her attacks. She had to concede that it was both vexing and impressive. 'Time to end this.' Noting that Ruby had left her back foot wide open for injury, Winter slouched slightly and knocked Ruby's foot from beneath her. Ruby let out a startled 'eep' as she fell to the ground again. She felt a boot press down on her chest, forcing her back down as she tried to get up. She froze when she saw the tip of Winter's blade inches away from her throat.

"Looks like I win." Winter panted, a light sheen of sweat on her brow. Even when she was tired, Winter looked elegant, Ruby noted. Good genes must run in the family.

"Looks like it." Ruby squeaked, wary of the sharp blade at her throat. "Would you mind pointing that away from me now?" Winter removed her foot from Ruby's torso and helped her up.

"You're good, like real good. Looks like I shouldn't have held back after all!" Ruby laughed. With her attention elsewhere, she missed the disbelieving look on Winter's face.

"What do you mean you held back?" Winter demanded. Now that she thought back on the duel, Ruby only blocked and evaded most of her attacks, hitting her only once or twice. What would've been the end result if Ruby hadn't held back?

"Well, if I had used my weapon, the fight probably would've been longer. That reminds me, I never did introduce you." Ruby reached behind her back and unholstered her weapon before she transformed the inactive weapon into its scythe mode. "Say 'hello' to Crescent Rose, Winter."

Winter's visible eye widened ever so slightly at the complex beast of a weapon. "This is your weapon?" She eyed the scythe warily, her face stoic as she kept her emotions of slight alarm hidden. In truth, she found Crescent Rose to be rather intimidating.

"Yup! Isn't she a beauty?" Ruby chirped as she lavished her beloved with exaggerated affection.

"But for a weapon of that size, isn't it heavy?" Winter asked once she got over her initial shock.

"No, not really. She may look heavy, but she's surprisingly light. Cost me a fortune to get all the materials necessary for the dust infused lightweight augmentation." Ruby put away her HCSS before looking back to Winter. "Come on, let's end of the tour by checking out the showers. We probably need one anyway cause of the sweat we worked up."

"Hm, I suppose you're right. To the showers then." Winter holstered her weapon before she followed after Ruby.

Once their miniature expedition was over, they stood outside Team RWBY's dorm. Ruby feeling refreshed from the warm shower she had after her match with Winter. The heat had done wonders for her sore muscles and she was sure Winter felt the same way. Ruby was about to enter the dorm when she remembered a question she had been meaning to ask the older Schnee.

"I almost forgot to ask, but when do you join Beacon?"

"I officially join tomorrow." Winter said.

"Have you met your teammates yet?"

"Not as yet." Winter uttered through a dignified yawn. Dust, she even made a gesture like yawning look refined.

"Okay, then. I hope you enjoyed the tour today, I know I did." Ruby let out a yawn. "Well, I'm beat. Guess I'll head to bed, you should do the same." Winter hummed in agreement and turned to leave, but was stopped by Ruby speaking again. "Oh, and welcome to Beacon, Winter." She muttered a soft 'thanks' before strolling down the corridor.

Ruby laid back on her bed in the room alone with Blake who was, as usual, reading a book. Her eyes may have been directed at the book, but her mind was completely elsewhere. Blake glanced at Ruby before turning her attention back to the book. She glanced at Ruby for what seemed to be the umpteenth before she finally gained the courage to speak up.

"Ruby, may I ask you something?"

Ruby opened an eye and looked at Blake. "Sure, what is it?"

"I was wondering if you wanted to do something with me this weekend."

"Sure! Sounds like fun."

Streets of Vale

Ruby and Blake roamed Vale, casually talking with each other about books and other things. They had been exploring the streets from since morning, flittering from store to store. Since Ruby had been given a break from Winter, Blake decided to take the opportunity to ask Ruby if she wanted to go out with her and do something; albeit slightly fearful. She was pleased when Ruby agreed to go with her.

"What would you like to do now, Ruby?" Blake asked. The raven haired girl was not known for showing emotion most of the time, but she was certain if she did, she'd be dancing in the streets and skipping down the sidewalks.

"How about we go to the park? We can wrap up the day there." She really did have a nice day out with Blake and hoped she could do it again sometime with her amber eyed teammate.

"Sure." Blake said, a soft smile on her face.

Vale Recreational Park

Ruby sat down on a bench, Blake following suit. They sat together in companionable silence, watching a few teenagers playing with a frisbee. Ruby giggled when the tallest among the group held it above his head from the others as they tried to climb his body, but failing miserably.

"You know, you remind me of someone I once knew." Ruby said, breaking the silence.

"Oh, how's that?" Blake droned.

"It's just, you remind of this cat faunus I met when I was younger. She had the most beautiful amber eyes I'd ever seen, and her hair was as black as the night, so breathtaking." Blake started at the description Ruby gave. The details sounding all too familiar. Well, they should have since they were all features she possessed.

'Don't tell me. Is Ruby...' She hugged herself, her bangs covering her eyes so that there was a shadow covering her face. She felt her mouth go dry, her throat constricting. She always got like this when she felt anxiety taking over her body.

"Do... Do you mind telling me the person's name?" Blake whispered.

"Hm, let me think… I thin-" Ruby stopped speaking when she saw the older girl curled up into herself. She instantly knew something was wrong; she had never seen Blake look so... vulnerable.

"What's wrong, Blake?" Ruby asked, her silver eyes filled with worry. She made to touch the girl, but withdrew her hand when she flinched slightly.

"Can I tell you secret?"

"Of course, you can." Ruby said, soothingly.

"Remember when you asked me about my childhood?" Blake could feel her heartbeat speed up as she continued talking.

"Yeah, I do. Is there something about it you wanna tell me?"

"There is, but promise me this, Ruby. Promise me that you won't hate me or judge me for what I'm about to tell you."

"Blake, I could never hate you. Now, please, tell me what you have to say."

Blake took a deep breath, steeling her nerves for the look of disgust and betrayal that came with the revelation of her past. "I didn't have a sunshine and rainbows childhood like most kids. Mine was one of with rainy skies and grey clouds; an endless storm of discrimination and hate-crimes because of my heritage." Blake mentally cringed as she remembered those hateful slurs that were aimed at her and her companions.

"One day, I was out playing with my friends until we were cornered in an alley by a group of men. The look in their eyes was just pure unbridled hatred. They had knives in their hands, ready to do away with us. I thought I was going to die, right there and then. But, suddenly, out nowhere, another group of people appeared and knocked out the men. From that day forward, they took us in and protected us; treated us like one of their own and in a way, we were since we all had the same birthright."

"That was awfully nice of them, but I don't see what the problem is, Blake." Ruby asked, quite puzzled. What was so bad about people helping those in trouble?

"Ruby, the group that took me in, the group that raised me." Blake grit her teeth. "that group was the White Fang! I was a member of the White Fang! The same White Fang that's known for its terrorist attacks on Weiss' father's company." Blake closed her eyes and sobbed, waiting for Ruby to yell at her and tell her to leave, that she wanted nothing more to do with her; but those words never came. She opened her eyes when she felt herself being tugged forward, an arm wrapped her around her shoulder as her head rested on Ruby's own shoulder.

"So?" Of all the words she had expected to hear, 'so' was definitely not one of them. Did Ruby just brush off what she just told her?

"W-What?" It was the only sensible phrase Blake could offer up as a response.

"So what if you were a member of the White Fang, that shouldn't change anything, should it?" Ruby further explained.

"B-But I just told you that I was a member of an organization which is now branded as terrorists! How can you simply wave it off like it's nothing?!" Blake exclaimed, incredulously.

"You said 'was', correct?" Silver eyes shimmered playfully as they stared into amber orbs beneath them.

"Well yes, but-"

"But nothing." Ruby interrupted, tugging Blake closer. "You're no longer apart of them, so you don't need to worry about me hating you or the others for that matter."

Blake stared up at Ruby in awe; her eyes red from crying. Never had someone been so compassionate and understanding towards her. She buried her face into the Ruby's chest, tightly fisting the fabric of her corset. She softly inhaled that sweet scent of cookies and roses; a scent that was unique to Ruby alone. Blake purred in content when she felt Ruby gently rubbing her back; the simple action soothing her frayed nerves.

They sat like for what seemed to be an eternity before Ruby broke the silence.

"I'm guessing that means you're a faunus." Ruby stated, calmly. Her answer was a nod from the quiet girl.

"I'm also guessing you're a cat faunus. You're purring gave you away, if you're wondering how I knew." Another timid nod.

"The name of the girl I helped back then was 'Blake'. That was you, wasn't it?"

"Yes," was the meek reply. Blake lifted her head from Ruby's torso, her eyes pleading. "But please, don't tell anyone. I want to tell them myself."

"Don't worry, your secret's safe with me." Ruby gently smiled at the older girl and Blake couldn't help but smile back. 'So, Ruby's the girl that saved my life back then.' Blake chuckled at the fond memories of the both of them when they were kids. She gazed at the smaller girl, affection abundant in her eyes. 'That means I fell for the same girl again.' She smiled at the realization. 'That doesn't bother me at all, though, I'm glad I did.'

"Ready to go?" Ruby asked, bringing Blake back to the present.

"Yes." They got up from the bench, ready to leave. Ruby stretched, her bones popping and cracking as she did. She turned to see Blake looking down.

"Something wrong, Blake?"

"C-Could I hold your h-hand?" Blake asked, her face flush from both nervousness and embarrassment. 'You'd think reading all those books would help.'

"Is that it? Sure!" Ruby lightly grabbed Blake's hand as they both left the park.

"I almost forgot." Blake reached inside her pocket and pulled out a small red box. She slowly handed the box to Ruby.

"What's this?" Ruby took the small box and looked at it before gently shaking it.

"Open it and see."

Ruby opened the box, her eyes widening in glee when she saw four cookies inside.

"These look great!"

"I made them for you."

"Wow, Blake, I didn't know you could bake!" Ruby bit one of the cookies. "These are amazing!"

"I'm glad you like them." Blake watched as the young girl happily munched on the treats. Today may have started off horrible, but it ended perfectly in Blake's opinion.