7

Headphones on, tune blaring, Ruby bobbed her head to the beat as she skipped down the corridor. With her team's missions completed, and her homework finished—courtesy of Weiss' hounding—she had the day off.

Her personal jam session halted when a familiar head of red swished to and fro as the owner walked ahead of her.

"Pyrrha!" Ruby rested her headphones around her neck, jogging up to the tall redhead.

At the loud cry, Pyrrha turned around, smiling when she saw a small figure running towards her. "Hello, Ruby. Is there something I could help you with?"

"Actually, I have nothing to do right now. Do you think we could hang out together?" She had always wanted spend a day with the champion, hoping she would get to know her better, or at least understand her. Maybe even learn a thing, or two about fighting.

"I would be delighted, Ruby." Pyrrha said, giggling at the little crimsonette's squeal of joy.

Ruby kept stride with Pyrrha's steps as they walked through the corridors. "What would you like to do?" Pyrrha said, still walking.

"Hm, how about a match? I've always wonder how I'd fair against you."

"That sounds reasonable enough." Not wasting any time, Ruby grabbed Pyrrha's hand, ready to drag her away when she met resistance. Looking back, she fixed Pyrrha with questioning eyes. "Let's change first. We shouldn't get our uniforms dirty."

"Oh... right." Ruby guided Pyrrha to their dorms, a little less hyper after the realization.

Gym

Now, donning their gym clothes of sports bras and tights, the two girls warmed up before they began their match. Ruby did some lunges while Pyrrha did a few squats.

"Any rules?" Ruby asked as she finished her warm up, pumped and eager to get the ball rolling.

"It'll be a hand-to-hand combat match. You can use your semblance if you wish to do so." Pyrrha said, anticipation clear in her eyes.

"Feet count as hand-to-hand, right?"

"Yes."

"Okay, ready." Pyrrha assumed her standard battle stance, observing Ruby carefully as she assumed her own stance. One leg hoisted, and bent at the knee while the other remained, unwavering on the ground; her face guarded behind raised arms.

Pyrrha rushed at Ruby, and threw the first punch. However, she only hit air as her target twirled under her fist. 'Her speed is a bit troublesome.'

Seeing the older girl's pause, Ruby planted a hand on the ground, and extended her leg, aiming a kick at Pyrrha's abdomen, failing as she easily blocked with her knee.

Pyrrha used the built up energy in her bent leg as spring board, backflipping and creating some distance between them while Ruby spun back onto her feet. 'Ruby lacks when it comes to direct combat, relying on her speed the most to confuse her opponents. She's the complete opposite to her sister who relies on her brute strength.'

Pushing off her back leg, Ruby charged at her adversary, using the same back leg to flip into an aerial kick. 'Fast!' Pyrrha parried with a cross block, stalling Ruby in mid-air. Countering, Pyrrha broke the block, and grabbed Ruby's ankle. Twisting it a way that wouldn't cause any damage, Pyrrha forced Ruby into a full body air rotation, followed up by a spin-hook kick which hit the airborne girl in the soft spot of her stomach on the fifth rotation. The amount of force accompanying the kick sent Ruby a fair distance away from Pyrrha.

She crashed with a loud 'bump' on the wooden floor. "Urr..."

Pyrrha returned to a lax position, breathing out. She was a humble body, never one to gloat when she achieve a victory. There always remained the possibility of someone more skilful than her stepping up, and snatching away that 'Champion of Mistral' title, so she vowed to never put herself above anyone else, to never act arrogant or superior.

She walked over to the downed girl, congratulatory smile in place. "Good match, Ruby."

Ruby let out a pained groan in response.

"Let me help you."

"Damn, that hurt like hell." Ruby winced as Pyrrha firmly grasped her shoulder, and propped her up to sit against the wall.

"Are you hurt badly?" Pyrrha asked, worried as Ruby clutched her stomach.

"Don't worry, I'll be fine. I think I need some rest, though, and ice." Using Pyrrha as leverage to stand, Ruby crumpled to her knees on the first step, hand still in Pyrrha's. "On second thought, please help me."

"Of course." Pyrrha moved her body in front of Ruby's, adjusting herself in a way that she could help Ruby onto her back. "I didn't think you were so susceptible to force attacks."

"I'm not a tank like Yang. I can't take an attack like that head on, and get back into the fight right away. It's take some time for me to recover, usually a few minutes." A twitch of pain. "My body's built more for speed and agility."

"You're weak when it comes to hand-to-hand combat, specifically your fists." It wasn't meant to be a mean comment, just one of observation. "That aerial kick before, it almost surprised me with how quickly you executed it. Are you more proficient in kicks?"

"Yeah, I am. My dad realized that I wasn't as good as Yang when it came to using fisticuffs, so he asked one of his colleagues who owns a martial arts dojo to train me in utilizing kicks. And, since I focus on my speed the most, it made it easier to execute the kicks. Yang's similar to me, actually." Ruby informed as they left the gym.

"How so?"

"She doesn't fair too well against people who specialize in kicks, gets all confused by the motions. She won't admit it, though." Ruby chuckled, thinking back to how Yang violently denied lessons from her teacher when he offered her.

"These are the only bad boys I need!" Ruby remembered her saying, referring to her fists.

Pyrrha laughed a little. Yang did love to use her hands in a good ol' fashioned brawl. "I can imagine." She bent the corner, now at an intersection. "Would you like me to take you the infirmary, or your dorm?"

"Let's go to my dorm, some ice should help." The injured leader said, letting her head fall on Pyrrha's shoulder blade.

"Alright." Pyrrha secured her arms her hold under her passenger's legs before continuing.

Beacon Gardens

It had only taken a few days for Ruby to be her usual energetic and bouncy self again since the sparring incident with Pyrrha.

Snow had begun to fall over Vale, a sign that the holidays were fast approaching. Ozpin had been lenient enough to give all the teams the day off, allowing the students to go enjoy themselves. Be it holiday shopping, or staying in their dorms. Her other teammates had gone out to do their own shopping in which Ruby had vehemently denied their offer when they invited her. She already had plans to spend the day with Pyrrha, and, she despised shopping.

The two had decided to go on a stroll in the gardens, the peace and serenity enough to make up for their hectic week. Beacon garden's during the winter was a beautiful sight. Flowers covered in a top blanket of snow, and the usually monotonous grey pathway hidden by a downy coat of snow that sunk with a satisfying crunch when walked upon.

Ruby stooped down, and plucked a flower from its bed, bringing it to her nose and inhaling its sweet fragrance. Behind her, Pyrrha shivered, rubbing her arms fervently as she did her best to keep her body warm. Even though she wore her coat, she could still feel the cold sting of Winter's wind.

"Ruby," Pyrrha said.

"Hm?"

"Is there any specific reason you chose to be a huntress?"

Ruby cast her gaze upwards to the sky, fresh snow dotting her face. "When I was younger, Yang would read books to me. Books about heroes and how they protected the innocent from monsters that wanted to hurt them." She chuckled. "I was so taken in by them, that one day I said to myself, 'When I get older, I'll be hero just like the ones in the books'. I admit it, it may have been childish, but as I grew older and saw the world for what it really was, I made it my life's goal to protect those who couldn't protect themselves."

She looked back to the flower between her fingers. A slight chuckle escaped her as she glanced at the blossom.

A rose.

A rose as red as her namesake was in her possession.

She turned to Pyrrha, who had sat on a nearby bench before she continued. "But, I suppose the one thing that solidified my dream of being a huntress was my mother. My dad told me she was one of the greatest huntresses to have ever been. Both in skill and compassion." She ended off by placing the rose in Pyrrha's hair and sitting next to her.

"You said 'was'," Pyrrha finally said. "Is she no longer a huntress?"

"I'd prefer not to talk about it." Ruby said, not in the mood to reminisce anymore. "What about you and Jaune? What's the deal with you two?"

"Well, I'm trying to-" Pyrrha sneezed, reminding her that she was still out in the cold. Ruby stared at the girl before she took a closer step to her. Pyrrha quirked a brow as Ruby removed her signature hood.

"Here, this'll help you warm up." Ruby unclasped her cloak, tiptoeing to fasten it around the taller girl's shoulders.

"T-Thank you, but won't you be cold?" Pyrrha stammered.

"Your welcome, and nah, I'll be fine. Heat insulated clothing." Ruby chirped. "You didn't answer my question, by the way."

"I want to help Jaune, I really do. I can sense a hidden potential in him, potential that could make him become something great. Why do you ask?"

"No reason, really. I was just curious about your relationship since you two are almost always together. Partners factor aside." Pyrrha stared at the younger teen, who kept her gaze trained on the sky. Her cheeks pinked as she tugged the hood, her source of warmth, closer.

"Are you doing anything for the dance?" Ruby asked.

"Hm, I'm not too sure." Pyrrha was about to ask why, when a noisy beeping interrupted them. Realizing the noise was coming from her, Ruby pulled out her scroll, flinching slightly as her partner's crossed face showed on the scroll.

"Ruby, where are you." Weiss demanded, not asked.

"I'm in the gardens with Pyrrha." Ruby tilted her scroll, bringing the redhead beside her in sight.

"Hello." She greeted.

"Stop wasting time and get back to the dorm, you dunce. You have to get ready for the dance tonight." Ruby furrowed her brow at Weiss' tone. It was just as biting as the wind. What'd she do this time?

Ruby put away her scroll and stood up from the bench, helping Pyrrha up as well. "I have to go, don't wanna make Weiss any angrier."

"I understand." Pyrrha said, removing the red hood and handing it back to Ruby. "Thank you, again."

"No problem, I'll see you later." With a wave goodbye, Ruby vanished in gust of rose petals, leaving Pyrrha to stand there by herself.

Pyrrha's gaze lingered on the spot where Ruby had been seconds ago before she looked up to sky, cold fluff falling on her face. Touching the rose in her hair, she smiled. 'Time for me to go as well.'

"What... I rush here to find no one? Just great." Ruby groused when she noted she was the only person in the room, pouty lips parting as a yawn escaped. "Might as well get some rest until the others get here then." She slid into her snowy partner's bunk, falling asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.

Not too long after Ruby fell asleep, Weiss walked into the room, all spruced up and ready for the dance. Fiddling with her hair clip, her eyes caught a blob of black and red in the background. That blob turned out to be Ruby, sleeping in her bunk. One scarred eye twitch. The things she had to deal with when it came to Ruby. Stomping over to the dozing girl, she lifted her hand and flicked Ruby on her forehead, hard. Ruby snorted, jolting up at the unexpected thump.

"What was that for, Weiss?!" This was becoming quite the norm between the duo. Weiss would hit the girl whenever she did something intolerable, and Ruby would give an indignant squawk of 'what was that for.'

"Wake up, dunce! We only have half an hour before the dance, and you're not even dressed yet!" Weiss barked.

She was given no time to catch herself as Weiss yanked her from the bed, and dragged her into the bathroom. She shoved the dress into Ruby's hands before she promptly left. Slowly blinking the sleep out of her eyes, Ruby studied the dress in her hands.

What was this for again?

"Something about dance, Weiss said..." Ruby mumbled, almost tumbling forward as she fought sleep. Dance... dance... oh, crap! The dance!

Ruby snapped awake, carefully placing her dress on the wall hook, she stripped and threw her dirty clothes into the hamper. Ruby slipped into the shower, slipped back out, and dried her skin. She removed her dress from it's bag, and quickly put it on. Doing a once over, Ruby left the bathroom, and made a mad dash for the dance.

"Hey, you guys!" Ruby bounded over to the girls once she entered the ballroom, pausing as she took in their appearances. "Wow, you three look beautiful!" Her voice, sincere and genuine that Yang smiled at her words. Blake and Weiss donning their own smiles.

The four talked among themselves before they dispersed, and went their separate ways. Ruby shifted to the punch bowl, snorting lightly when she saw Blake and Yang on the dance floor, swaying easily with one another to the up beat tempo. In the corner of her eye, she saw a dejected looking Jaune sitting in a chair.

"So," Ruby sipped her drink, "what're doing?"

"Nothing." Jaune murmured.

"No date?" As if she didn't know the answer.

"Yeah, I tried asking Weiss, but she said no." Ruby almost felt sorry for the boy. Almost. It was common knowledge among everyone at Beacon that Weiss was very cold person. Asking her out would—more or less—always end in rejection. Jaune needed to realize that, hopefully soon.

"Well, I'm gonna go sit down somewhere, these lady stilts are killing my feet." Jaune gave Ruby a weak wave bye, resigning to just mope on his own.

Ruby sat in a corner by the stage, her attention focused on the dance floor. Blake and Yang were still dancing with each other; their faces flushed as they laughed with one another. Her eyes scanned the room, giving cursory glances to people who interested her little. Silver eyes halted when they landed on Pyrrha, sitting alone, her face morosed. Hopping up from her seat, Ruby bobbed and weaved through the crowd like a snake, quietly sneaking behind Pyrrha, and covering her eyes with her hands.

"Guess who." Ruby breathed.

Pyrrha smiled at the voice, knowing full well who it belonged to. "Hello, Ruby."

"Hey," she removed her hands from the girl's eyes, "why are you all alone? No date?"

"No, I'm afraid not." Pyrrha sighed, casting her gaze downwards.

"Really? I'm surprised." Ruby couldn't fathom the thought of someone not wanting to go out with the tall redhead. "Does that mean you're here by yourself?"

"Yes, why do you ask?" As smooth as a criminal, Ruby stuck her hand out, inviting Pyrrha.

"Then, may I have this dance?" Shock was as clear as day on Pyrrha face. First, at being asked to dance. Second, the person who asked to dance had been Ruby. Snapping out of her state of bafflement, Pyrrha graciously accepted the proffered hand. They both walked off to the dance floor, easily falling into step with the tempo of the music.

"Thank you, Ruby, you're the first person who's ever asked me to do something like this."

"You're welcome."

Yang and Blake were no longer dancing, they'd migrated over to the punch bowl where they spoke with each other. Two blurs of red flashed behind Blake, capturing Yang's eyes. Breaking eye contact with her partner, she looked over her shoulder, and saw a sight that made her heart clench. Ruby and Pyrrha, dancing and smiling with each other.

"Looks like Ruby's having fun." Yang spoke under her breath, voice weak and soft. So, hushed that it was almost missed. Fortunately for Blake, her faunus heritage allowed her to hear the soft statement. She turned around to see what Yang was talking about, instant bubbling in her chest when she saw Ruby, laughing her head off, while she danced together with Pyrrha.

"Yeah, she looks like she's having... fun." Blake murmured, her ears flattening beneath her bow.

"Yeah..." Yang and Blake watched on painfully as Ruby and Pyrrha laughed the night away.

Dorms: Team RWBY

"That was the best night ever. Don't you agree?" Ruby skipped through the hallways, head giddy as she remembered her dance with Pyrrha.

"I do, it was a very splendid night. All the hard work was worth it." Weiss agreed as she unlocked the door, almost being knocked over when Ruby rushed past her. She sent a glare at her which received an apologetic look in return.

"I say we enjoy the rest week. We only have 'til next week before school starts back." Yang piped up, leaning against the wall.

"What should we do until then?" Blake asked.

"Hm... I don't know." A loud knock interrupted their brainstorming.

Ruby was the one to open the door, heart chilling when she saw the newcomer.

"Ah, Ru-" Ruby slammed the door in the person's face before they say anything else, throwing her whole body across the door, using herself as a makeshift blockade.

"Ruby, who's at the door?" Blake asked.

"No one! No one at all!" Blake jumped back slightly, Ruby's wild cry startling her more than it should have.

"I beg to differ." The voice from beyond the door chimed.

"Wait, that voice." Weiss strode over to the door, which Ruby was currently obstructing. "Out of the way, Ruby."

"A-Are you sure you wanna open the door? I mean, you should go change first, you don't wanna dirty your dress, do you?" Ruby shifted her body to the side each time Weiss made a move, irritating the girl immensely. Weiss lurched to left, and so did Ruby. "Come on, W-Weiss. Think about this." Sweat dripped down the sides of Ruby's ghostly pale face, a nervous smile twitching on her lips.

"I. Said. Move!" With herculean strength, Weiss smacked her palm on the side of Ruby's face, and shoved her away, sending her flying into the wall where she crashed with a stinging 'splat'.

Ruby stuck to the wall like a crushed fly for a few seconds before she slid down and fell to the floor. "Oof!"

"Holy shit, Weiss." Yang gaped, too stunned at the display of strength to direct any signs of anger. Blake silently wondered as well.

Weiss huffed, adjusted her tiara that gone crooked from tossing Ruby, and slicked back some stray strands of hair in her face. Presentable, Weiss opened the door, sour expression morphing to taut cheeks and a glowing smile. "Winter!"

Winter dipped her head while Weiss curtsied, perfect, as always. "Greetings to you, sister."

"S-Sister?!" Yang and Blake sputtered simultaneously.

"Uggh..."

Weiss paid her comrades no attention as she straightened, directing her full attention on her older sister. "How have you been, sister?"

"I've been busy as usual." Winter exhaled. "I do wish I could take some time off to spend a day or two by myself, but as you are well aware, duty constantly calls."

"I understand." Weiss truly did. As a high ranking officer of the Atlesian Military, Winter was always busy, taking care of important matters that required her keen eye.

"And, what of you, have you been doing well?"

"I have, thank you for asking. Might I ask why you're here?" Weiss asked.

"Classified." Winter said, voice stern as she peered over her sister's head. 'Bunkbeds...'

"Oh, I see. Forgive me." Weiss moved to the side. "Would you like to come in?"

"Thank you." Winter confidently strode into the dorm, greeting Blake and Yang with a simple head bow, which they returned with their own form of greeting. Her stare lingered on the raven haired teen for a bit before turning back to Weiss.

"I hope you have an enjoyable stay here." Yang, for the first time in her stay at Beacon, had nothing to say regarding the Ice Queen's behaviour, only able to stare as Weiss gushed like a little girl on Christmas receiving the present she always wished for.

"I came here for business, dear sister, not to dawdle," Winter's gaze drifted to the bruised body on the floor, "but, I'm sure I can make time for some, as they say, 'me' time." She smirked, lip movement nearly invisible. "Hello, again, Ruby."

"Ooow..." Ruby groaned both in pain, and at the stress she would be experiencing as long as Winter stayed at Beacon.