En Garde! A RWBY White Rose Fanfiction

Chapter 21: A Request

"Yang! Yaaaaang!"

There was a thump, followed by a crash and frantic footsteps. "What, what? Where's the fire?!" Yang's messy blond head poked into Ruby's room.

"Look at this!" Ruby pulled a crumbled paper out of her backpack. "I know you're working hard to feed us and all, but..."

Yang stepped into the room and snatched the paper from her sister's pale little hands. "Beacon Fencing Team? Ruby, this is great, but the entrance fee will..."

She looked down at Ruby. "Oh no, not the face," she groaned. The little brunette was gazing up at her with wide eyes and an innocent expression. "Rubyyy..."

"C'mon Yang! I'll win the tournament! You know I will!" Ruby pleaded.

Yang hummed and scratched her chin. "Well... I guess-"

"THANKYOUILOVEYOUSOMUCH!" Ruby squealed and jumped up to give her sister a bear hug.

"Man, you been workin' out?" Yang wheezed. "Your grip is getting stronger."

The brunette pulled back and smirked. "Maybe a little."

•••

Not long after winter break ended, Ruby found herself wandering along the concrete path looping around Beacon with Weiss by her side.

"So, Ruby, are you planning on trying out for a sports team this spring?"

Ruby stopped in her tracks. Weiss turned around. "I assume you're thinking?"

The brunette suddenly wore an expression of extreme concentration. "Well, I thought that maybe..."

Weiss once again assumed that Ruby was having trouble deciding, so she began making suggestions. "There's always basketball, which you're good at, there's soccer, which you're also good at, track and field which I doubt you couldn't do, volleyball, softball, and..."

The white-haired girl stopped counting on her fingers and looked up at her friend. Ruby's complexion had turned from one of deep thought into one of humility. "What-"

"I was thinking of joining the fencing team," Ruby confessed.

"Oh..."

Both of them stood in silence for what seemed like forever, similar thoughts remaining unspoken in their minds.

Weiss and I have never talked about fencing. She still has no idea that I'm her biggest fan! Probably. Am I really about to ask her to train me?

Ruby still doesn't know about what happened this summer, or if she does, she hasn't mentioned it. Why did she have to pick fencing, out of the innumerable sports teams on campus! What is she thinking...?

Weiss was cut off from her thoughts by Ruby's voice. "Weiss, I-"

Before she could continue, Weiss raised a hand. "You kept it from me until now for a reason," she concluded. "Spit it out."

"Wellisuckatfencingeventhoughivedoneitbeforebutmyunclewasactuallyareallygoodfencerbuthesbusywithworkandicantaskhimtomentormecuzthatsjustrudeandireadfencersweeklyandimyourbiggestfanandiwaswonderingifyoudtrainmeinstead?"

"...What? Slow down," Weiss chuckled. She knew all too well of Ruby's tendency to ramble, but that wall of speech hit her like a brick.

Ruby thought of the best way to sum it up. "I know you're good. Help me?"

That's it? Weiss let out a sigh of relief, receiving a puzzled look from her friend. She pretended it didn't happen. "Looks like someone did her homework. Well..." Her cold, blue eyes began to stare off into space. Ruby waited patiently for her reply.