En Garde! A RWBY White Rose Fanfiction

Chapter 33: Six Months

"Aha!" Blake dove underneath the shelf, causing Ruby to squeak in surprise. "You aren't getting away that easily!"

"Let go of me, you heartless mongrel!" cried a familiar voice from the other side of the shelf.

"I've got her legs!" Blake exclaimed. "But you have to help me, quick!"

Ruby jumped up and zipped around the shelf to find a very distraught-looking Weiss, trying as hard as she could to free her ankles from her cousin's tight grasp.

She ceased struggling when Ruby closed in and put her hands on her shoulders. "Weiss, calm down. It's alright. You don't have to run."

Gazing into those powerful, silver eyes, the cornered heiress knew there was no use. Ruby would find her, no matter where she ran, and no matter where she hid.

"Fine. Just get out of here, Blake," Weiss snapped. The raven-haired girl let go of her ankles and did as she was told.

"See you later, Ruby," Blake called before shutting the door.

The moment they were alone, Weiss dropped to the ground, her hands over her face. Ruby knelt in sync with her, never losing her hold on her friend's quivering shoulders.

"You don't have to hold anything back," Ruby soothed. "Remember? I've already seen you like this."

She saw a small smile form underneath the heiress' hands. "Looks like you win again."

They embraced as if by instinct, Weiss crying into Ruby's shoulder. "Yeah, definitely getting that feeling of déjà vu," the brunette joked.

"Sh-shut up, you idiot," Weiss giggled in between sobs.

"Sorry, can't make that happen." Ruby hugged her a little tighter and instinctively started playing with her ponytail.

"Stop that!" Weiss pulled back and playfully swatted Ruby's hand away. Ruby would have been embarrassed at her lack of self-control, but she immediately lost herself in Weiss' soft, dazzling blue eyes.

They both stared at each other for a few seconds, Ruby with a dreamy gaze and Weiss with a awkward smile. When the younger girl didn't say anything, Weiss felt the need to speak up. "...Um, Ruby? I think we need to talk."

"Mmhmm," a very distracted Ruby mumbled.

Weiss glanced at the ground nervously, breaking the spell she had unknowingly placed on her best friend.

"I-I, ah, I need to know what's going on," the brunette stuttered, returning to focus. "I can't help you if you run away again."

"I really didn't want to fess up, but it seems I no longer have a choice," the heiress sighed, refusing to look up. "It's about what happened earlier."

"Look," Ruby cut in, "if this is about the cut, I was serious when I said that I'm alright. It's been healing for a few days now, and the doctor said it would be fine so long as I didn't over-exert myself in physical activity. Fencing isn't exactly over-exerting."

"That's not it," Weiss chuckled. "Although, you did surprise me. I don't do well around... flesh wounds."

"Whenever we compete against each other," she continued, "I feel... unlike myself. You're so gifted at everything you do, and it's so... frustrating. It took me years of training to fence the way I do, and you've bested me with only a few months of instruction..."