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Chapter 5: V1C5: To Those Who Lead

Weiss Schnee was a person who was full of flaws. Despite her insistence to the contrary, she was acutely aware of the fact that she was little but flaws. Even with that being said, she had a few good points, even if they weren't really good enough, and she knew full well what she was and wasn't capable of. That fact alone put her more than a little at odds with her new partner, Ruby Rose. While they had gotten along fairly well the other day, the younger girl was brash, overly excitable, uncontrolled, unrefined, uncouth, and more than a little childish. She was the embodiment of every trait that Weiss had all but beaten out of her at an early age and it was infuriating.

It started off slowly, the resentment that was burning away at her heart. It had been just an ember, the tiniest of sparks, when Professor Ozpin had made Ruby the leader of the team over her and each action Ruby took that rubbed up against her nerves made is slowly grow. First, it had been the next morning with that obnoxious whistle and insisting on bunk beds. While the idea was a practical one and Weiss had always wanted bunk beds as a child, that didn't change the fact that such an idea was childish and didn't stop her from practically feeling her father's disappointed gaze on her back. To make matters worse, Ruby's complete lack of ability to schedule things meant that they had been a few minutes late to their very first class, a fact that made her cheeks burn with shame even as Professor Port reassured them that tardiness would be acceptable this one time. A failure of Ruby's fault and yet another failure on hers.

Then came the class itself. Professor Port, in between his admittedly inane ramblings, went over the basics of an ideal Hunter and Weiss felt her frustration grow as she failed to identify any of those traits in her "leader" who had taken to doodling in her notebook at some point. When the time came for a demonstration, Weiss immediately volunteered, fully intending to prove herself against whatever Professor Port challenged her with.

Much to her chagrin, the Boarbatusk Professor Port had somehow captured proved to be more of a challenge than Weiss expected. As if things couldn't get any worse, Ruby even had the gall to cheer her on and offer advice. While the advice was accurate, the assistance was infuriating and just further raised Weiss' ire even as she remained silent.

As the students filed out after class, Ruby, who had noticed her partner's declining mood, hurried along to catch up to her.

"Hey, Weiss!" she called out.

"What?" Weiss said tersely as she spared her "leader" no more than a glance.

"Are you okay?" Ruby asked after she caught up. "You seem to be really angry for some reason."

Weiss had to grind her teeth to keep from lashing out even as she adopted the stoic mask that was practically her family's symbol. "I'm fine."

Ruby didn't buy it. "Are you sure? If something's wrong, you should talk about it. Maybe I can even help! If not, I'm sure Blake or Yang can."

Weiss quickened her pace a little as she struggled to keep her anger in check while keeping track of where she was going. "I said I'm fine. I don't need help from anyone, you least of all."

A hurt expression flashed across Ruby's face as her steps faltered. She quickly recomposed herself and caught back up to her partner. "What do mean by that? Why don't you want my help?"

"Ruby," Weiss abruptly stopped and spun on her heels to face the younger girl, inhaling sharply through her nose as she once again reigned in her temper, "I'm. Fine. I don't need anyone's help. There are just some problems I need to get sorted out and quickly. Now, we need to hurry before we're late for another class."

Ruby frowned at the back of her partner as she practically stomped away. She seemed to just be making the other girl angrier with every word and she couldn't even begin to figure out why. They had been such good friends in the forest yesterday so what had changed? It just didn't make sense at all.

The rest of the day didn't improve Weiss' mood. Throughout all of the lectures, Ruby kept on doodling away in that notebook of hers, only occasionally paying proper attention, and she seemed to be more intent on making merry during the couple of practical exercises rather than taking them seriously.

During lunch, her eating behavior proved to be just as ill-mannered as Weiss imagined and her diet was simply childish. Lunch wasn't all bad, though. Team JNPR seemed to be making a fuss about something Shirou had made called a tamale. He let everyone try one and Weiss had to admit that the taste was divine for such a simple food. He and Pyrrha were also impeccably well mannered which gave her a mild sense of comfort and made her wish that they were her teammates instead. Yang was just as bad as her sister while Blake was acceptable. Jaune wasn't as bad as the sisters but wasn't that great, either, while Ren was nearly as good as Shirou and Pyrrha. Nora, Weiss just completely refused to even look directly at.

After their last class for the day, Weiss was at her wit's end. Ruby's antics had only increased in number after lunch and she even had the gall to try and drag her into some of them. In fact, it seemed as if the younger girl had been actively flaunting her poor behavior and it was everything Weiss could do to not lash out at her in the middle of class. While Ruby making a spectacle out of herself reflected poorly on Weiss due to being both a teammate and her partner, the last thing she would do was make an even bigger one. If she managed to maintain her perfect behavior then, when the hammer inevitably fell, she could probably minimize the damage to herself.

Ruby, however, seemed intent to make that not possible. As they were leaving their last class, the younger girl pulled her aside.

"Weiss, I really think you should tell me what's wrong," Ruby said without preamble.

"I. Already. Told. You. I'm. Fine," Weiss' clenched fists were shaking, the skin around her knuckles even paler than she normally was, from the effort it took to keep her voice level.

"No, you're not. You've been in a bad mood ever since this morning and it's just been getting worse. So, come on, tell me what's wrong and let me help you. I'm your partner, right? That's what I'm here for."

Weiss couldn't take it. This incessant prodding was the final straw. "What's wrong with me‽ What's wrong with me‽ You're what's wrong with me! You're supposed to be a leader and all you've been is a nuisance!"

Ruby's eyes widened as she was practically rocked back on her heels, taken aback by her partner's sudden vehemence. "What did I do?" she asked, her voice largely confused but with a hint of rising anger.

"What haven't you done‽ You showed some promise in the forest but, ever since then, you've been nothing but lackadaisical and childish!"

"Weiss, where is this coming from? What happened to all that talk about 'making me shape up'? I thought you were fine with being on a team with me."

"On a team with you, not on a team led by you! I've studied and trained and sweat and bled my whole life to become a Huntress, to become a proper leader, only for this to happen‽ I'm not only not made the leader, the one who is is someone who can barely even eat properly! Quite frankly, I deserve better." Weiss turned sharply on her heels and started to march away. Ruby, utterly shellshocked, started to reach out to her retreating form, to try and somehow fix this, when the following words pierced her heart like an arrow:

"Professor Ozpin made a mistake."

Ruby Rose was confused. No, far more than that, she felt like she was lost in a daze. It just didn't make sense. Nothing made sense. She and Weiss had gotten along so well yesterday and made such an amazing team. Weiss had rushed to her aid when she tried to fight the Death Stalker alone. She had gone along with her plan to take down the Nevermore without complaint. Sure, she was a little harsh sometimes but she was well-intentioned and Ruby had to admit that she was a little careless sometimes so it's not like Weiss' complaints back then had been without merit. This, however, this just didn't make any sense no matter how much she thought about it. It was such a complete reversal of how she acted prior that, even after Weiss had been gone for a couple of minutes, Ruby hadn't moved an inch. She was just thankful that she had the forethought to pull Weiss aside to a relatively private area so no one had seen the heiress blow up on her.

"Hmm… Now that didn't seem to go very well." No one, that was, except for Professor Ozpin who was now standing behind her. Ruby nearly jumped out of her skin as she whirled around before placing a hand over her heart and trying to steady her breathing. Ozpin, for his part, simply smiled and took a sip of his cocoa as he adjusted his grip on his cane.

"I-is she right?" Ruby asked, nearly on the verge of tears. "Did you make a mistake?"

Ozpin chuckled slightly, "That remains to be seen."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that it's only been one day. Ruby… I've made more mistakes than any man, woman, and child on this planet but, at this moment, I don't consider your appointment to leader to be one of them." Ozpin leaned forward so he could peer intently and inquisitively at Ruby over his wire-framed glasses. "Do you?"

Ruby looked doubtful as she answered, "I-I don't know. I mean, I was really surprised when you made the announcement. I've never led anyone before and I honestly don't think I have what it takes to be one."

"And yet you're still trying your best, aren't you?"

"Of course I am! I know I'm making a lot of mistakes and that the others would probably be better but I'm the one you made leader so I don't really have a choice. The others are now depending on me to lead them but all I've done today is mess things up. I made us late for our first class and all of my attempts to cheer Weiss up just lead to- to- to- to that!"

"What you've said is exactly why I chose you to be the leader, Ruby. You can see the flaws in yourself, the strength in others, and strive to make everyone as happy as can be. The fact that your failure to do that is eating you this much speaks volumes to me and no doubt to every other teacher here, if they knew. To those who lead, the wellbeing of their team comes first and foremost. A good leader realizes that they're nothing without the support of their team and works hard to live up to their efforts.

"You may have made mistakes today and will undoubtedly make more mistakes in the future but you must understand that you're only fifteen and, as you said, have never led anyone before outside of battle. If you managed to perform your duties flawlessly without any prior experience, it would be a miracle. However, the mark of a true leader is not in their ability to avoid making mistakes but in their ability to overcome the mistakes they've made. Anyone intelligent or wise enough can avoid mistakes, and those things will come to you in time, but it takes a truly strong character to admit to and overcome mistakes once they've been made.

"You've been burdened with a daunting responsibility, Ruby. You can't allow yourself to not be performing at your best, not even for a moment, for your team will look to you for strength. You must serve as a shining beacon for them even while they push you forward from behind. The pressure will be incredible. However, I fully believe that, if you keep going as you are and give yourself a little more credit, you'll be a magnificent leader." Ozpin turned away and gave one last bit of advice before walking away, "I advise you to take some time and think about how you will uphold your responsibility."

Ruby's head swam as she leaned back against the wall for support. Professor Ozpin's words were ringing in her ears long after he left and it took everything she had to sort through and examine them all. It would take a while for her mind to settle and longer still for her to fully absorb the meaning of what she had been told but the fire of determination that had flared to life in her made her steps unwavering.

She needed to find Weiss and make things right no matter what.

OoOoOoO

Weiss wandered aimlessly through the halls of Beacon's main building, her mind racing with clouded thoughts. While somewhat satisfying, going off on Ruby like that had been a breach of proper decorum. She should have aired her grievances in a calm manner in a more isolated setting. There was no point in worrying too much about it, though. She couldn't go back and undo her mistakes so all she could do now is live with them and hope that no one, or at least not too many people, had witnessed her.

Her lapse of self-control aside, Weiss also felt a little bad about how she had worded the whole thing. Everything she had said was the absolute truth and she would never want to change the meaning but the delivery could have been handled much better. Ruby was, after all, two years her younger and thus, as her elder, it was her responsibility to set a proper example for her. That had absolutely not been a good example of how a proper lady and Huntress should act.

So lost in thought was Weiss that she almost didn't notice Shirou before it was too late. In her wanderings, she had made her way to one of Beacon's balconies and Shirou was leaned against the railing and staring out into the sunset, his expression unreadable.

"Hey, Weiss," Shirou said as he spared the heiress a glance.

"Hello, Shirou," Weiss replied before deciding to join him. "What are you doing here?"

"I decided to take a little walk to clear my head before taking care of my homework. The sunset caught my attention so I decided to enjoy it. You?"

"I'm… much the same. A good constitutional to get the blood flowing is excellent to help improve focus."

"Right." Whether Shirou had bought the lie or not, Weiss couldn't tell. They stayed in a semi-comfortable silence for a while, watching the sun slowly sink over the horizon, before Weiss decided to speak up again.

"I have to say that you got really lucky. Not being on a team or having a partner must be nice."

"In some ways," Shirou allowed, "but I wouldn't say I'm lucky. If anything, it's just the opposite. Officially speaking, I'm in this on my own. Without anyone to rely on, I have to handle everything by myself. My success or failure is entirely dependent upon myself."

"You say that like it's a bad thing."

"That's because it is."

"Wouldn't being on your own be preferable to being teamed up with someone beneath you?"

"I wouldn't say so. It could be under certain circumstances but not most of them. Besides, out of all of our classmates I've interacted with, I wouldn't say anyone here is so mismatched that it's worth considering."

"You're saying that there's no issue with the team assignments?"

"I don't think there is. Based on my limited observations, Teams RWBY and JNPR are basically perfectly balanced. It's almost enough to make one believe in destiny."

"Perfectly balanced? You can't seriously believe that. You mean to tell me that R— That Jaune and Pyrrha are perfectly balanced?"

If Shirou noticed Weiss' near slip, he didn't show it. "Yeah. Sure, if you look at their combat abilities, Jaune can't even begin to compare to Pyrrha. He can't really measure up to her in most ways, really. However, there's a lot more to teams than that. Even if one member of a team is better than the other in every measurable way, that weaker member could still be invaluable."

"I don't see how that can be true but, even if it is, Jaune could easily get Pyrrha killed one day." Weiss regretted the words the instant they left her mouth but there was no point in trying to take them back.

Shirou winced. "Yeah, that could definitely happen," he said, his gaze no longer at the sunset but at something far away, "but Pyrrha isn't infallible. She's not perfect. If he works hard enough, he can catch up to her. Of course, he doesn't even have to do that much to mitigate that risk. Judging by the story of how they defeated that Death Stalker, Jaune has already proven his worth."

"Maybe but he has no business leading her or the others. He's clearly the worst among them. Well, I suppose he's a better leader than Nora would be."

"I'll agree with you on that last part but not the others. Jaune has a charisma that the others sorely lack and he shows signs of possessing a strong tactical mind."

Weiss scoffed, "Next you'll tell me that you think Ruby was the perfect choice as the leader of my team."

Shirou looked at Weiss out of the corner of his eye, "That's because she is."

Weiss glared at Shirou, her voice suddenly icy, "What?"

"She really is. Sure, she's young and has a lot to learn— don't we all— but she has the same traits as Jaune but in spades and has a lot more going for her."

"You're crazy. I simply can't believe you. You're saying that Ruby is a better leader than I would be?"

"Yes, and the fact that you asked is exactly the reason why."

"What?" Weiss should have been angry at that remark but she was more confused than anything else.

"This is all just my opinion but a good leader is capable of working with whatever they're given. They can adapt to situations as quickly as they come. Someone who's a good leader also makes for a good subordinate since they don't question what's been given to them or complain about it, they just consider what they can do with it and keep looking forward. You're not looking forward, Weiss."

"I am too looking forward! I'm concerned that my team won't be their best with her as the leader!"

"Are you really?"

"I— O-of course I am!"

Shirou hummed. "Well, if that's what you're worried about then what are you complaining for? You're not the leader and that's that. It can't be changed baring circumstances no one wants. If you think Ruby isn't capable of filling that role then help her until she is. To those who lead, having a partner who you can fully rely on, who will help cover your weaknesses and push you to become stronger, is the most important thing. She can learn a lot from you and you from her."

"I can learn a lot from Ruby?" Weiss' voice had lost most of its earlier vehemence and the question was spoken in subdued contemplation; more to herself than to Shirou.

"Sure you can. You can learn a lot from everyone. Everyone can learn a lot from everyone. Everyone is different from everyone else and from those differences we can learn many things. That's what makes people special; what gives us our souls."

Weiss hummed and was silent for a long moment as both of them continued to watch the sun slowly sink behind the horizon. "I suppose," Weiss said at length.

"Well, I better get going. I need to finish my homework quickly so I can get dinner started." Weiss simply hummed as Shirou walked off, lost in thought once more.

A part of Weiss wanted to deny Shirou's words; to shore up on her defenses and simply say that he knew not what was he was talking about. However, for the most part, she couldn't deny the truth in much of what he said. Even before this, she would have said that a good leader must be able to work with whatever they're given and always be looking forward. She agreed that Ruby had a strong tactical mind and high charisma (the entire ordeal with the Nevermore and the ease Weiss had in talking with her proved that). She agreed that a good leader would also make for a good subordinate or partner. Similarly, she agreed with the implication that she wasn't being a very good partner right now. Yet another among her laundry list of failures.

Not only that, Weiss could tell that Shirou's words came not from mere thinking and supposition but from observation and first-hand experience. It was evident in the assuredness of which he spoke and the way he had been able to counter everything with ease. Even his insistence that Jaune could catch up with Pyrrha sounded like it came more from experience with chasing an unreachable ideal than from simple optimism. Even if Weiss hadn't already, on some level, agreed with basically everything he said, she suspected that his conviction might have been able to make her rethink her position.

Shaking her head, Weiss gave one last look at the setting sun before turning around. There was something she now needed to do that was paramount.

She needed to find Ruby and make things right no matter what.

OoOoOoO

Ruby sat down on the edge of the courtyard fountain, staring up at the night sky with a deep sigh. She'd been looking all over for Weiss for the past hour-and-a-half and hadn't been able to find her. Yang and Blake hadn't seen her since their last class early that day and Shirou had commented that he talked to her on one of the balconies but the other girl had been long gone by the time she got there.

It was only fair, she supposed. Ruby's mistakes had caused Weiss to become angry with her and now she didn't want to talk to or even see her. It made sense and she really couldn't blame her. She really hadn't been doing a good job as a leader, after all, and Weiss truly did deserve better. More than that, she was the one who deserved to be the leader. Ruby had no doubt that the heiress would be far better than she could ever even hope to be. Someone who was full of mistakes and flaws like she was could never hope to measure up to someone who walked through life with such grace and ease that she made everything appear nearly effortless. Even if Ozpin said that it hadn't been a mistake to make her the leader, there was still no denying that Weiss would have been the better choice.

As Ruby stared up at the endless blanket of stars above, she completely missed the sound of footsteps approaching her. "There you are, Ruby," a female voice said.

With a start, Ruby whirled around to see the very girl she had been searching for standing not five feet from her. "Oh, W-Weiss! You're here! Great! See, I was kinda looking for you and—" Ruby immediately fell silent when Weiss raised a hand.

"Before you say anything, there are some things I need to say first." Weiss took a deep breath to steady her nerves and swallow her pride before continuing on, "I— I'm sorry for how I acted earlier. For how I acted all day. It was… childish… of me to attack you like that because I didn't get my way. So I'm sorry."

"You don't have to apologize, Weiss," Ruby said softly in wonderment. "You were right. I really haven't been taking this as seriously as I should have been and I've just been making mistakes all day. You really would be a much better leader than me, Weiss, but I can't change our roles. But I will do everything I can to live up to your standards, Weiss. Yours and Blake's and Yang's, too. I know I'm not a good leader but I promise I'll do my best to become one."

Weiss simply stared wide-eyed at Ruby for a long while, utterly astonished by what she had just heard. By any rational observation, it was clearly Weiss who was in the wrong and yet here Ruby was, apologizing for her perceived errors and promising to do better in the future. The… simplicity and earnestness of it were enough to stun Weiss speechless.

Weiss certainly wasn't good enough to be Ruby's partner.

"No, I was wrong," Weiss said once she managed to get her tongue working again. "You've handled this far better than I have. My grievances with you are… petty. Said not out of legitimate concern for the welfare of our team but because I detested the fact that what I thought was rightfully mine had been taken. I really wouldn't have been a better leader, Ruby. We still would have been late to our first class and nothing else would have changed."

"What are these… grievances you have with me? Even if they're petty, I still want to know." Ruby chose not to comment on anything else, feeling that it would be best to simply agree to disagree. "You said something about how I eat before?"

"Oh, that's nothing," Weiss tried to wave her off. "It's just that I find your diet and eating habits to be… wanting. As for the others, well, honestly, there's only just one and I guess it really isn't petty. You really should pay attention in class more."

Ruby looked confused, "But I am paying attention in class."

Weiss gave Ruby an incredulous look, "Then why is it that I always saw you doodling whenever I glanced over at you?"

Ruby stared in confusion for a few moments more before a look of understanding washed over her face. "Oh!" she said as she pulled her notebook out from her satchel. "Here, see for yourself." Ruby flipped open to a random page and showed it to Weiss.

It was hard to make out in the low lighting but Weiss could see a number of surprisingly good sketches and, tucked away in the inside margins were— "Recall words?"

Ruby nodded, "Yup! You see, when I was a kid, I had a lot of trouble in school. I could never really pay attention for too long and would keep zoning out and missing half the class. A few years ago, I learned about a few things and decided to combine them. So I doodle during lectures if I feel my attention drifting and use the lecture as background noise. Every now and then, I'll write down a word or phrase that I can read later to help me remember the important stuff. Once I started doing that, I had no problem."

"I see," Weiss said as she stared at the pages in amazement. "Then this is another fault on my end. I should have asked you about it instead of assuming the worst."

"Oh, no, it's okay, really," Ruby said as Weiss returned the notebook. "If you don't know about it, it does look really bad and it's not like you could see the words from where you sit."

Weiss gently shook her head but let it slide. She had no idea why Ruby felt the need to take the blame for Weiss' mistakes but that was something she would have to live with and something she would have to try and correct one way or another. They might be partners but there was simply no sense in Weiss' countless flaws bringing Ruby down any more than they already would.

"It's getting late," Weiss observed, "and I bet neither of us has eaten since lunch or started our homework. Come on. Let's see if we can find something to eat and work on it together."

"Yeah, I'd really like that," Ruby said with a smile.

When they went to scavenge the kitchen on their floor, they were surprised to find a large bento filled with more than enough food for two in the refrigerator. On the box was a label that read:

For Ruby Rose and Weiss Schnee

— Emiya Shirou

A/N: As always, thank you all very for your reviews! Your feedback gives me life! The continued support this story gets never ceases to astound me!

Not much to say about this one other than the fact that I had a lot of fun with it and I think it's probably one of the best chapters of Volume 1. One of my goals setting out with this story was to expand on the somewhat flat characters of RWBY and especially Ruby herself. For someone who's supposedly our protagonist, who's the very first person we ever saw from this show, who this entire show is named after, Ruby is honestly kinda dull and doesn't do too much. Hopefully, with this chapter, I've injected a bit more personality into her. I also hope everyone enjoys what I'm doing with her and looks forward to seeing me explore and expand her character in the future.

I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Please leave a comment telling me what you liked or didn't about it. Your thoughts and opinions are very important to me. Until the next chapter!