En Garde! A RWBY White Rose Fanfiction

Chapter 40: Round One

"Kick ass, Ruby!"

"Yeah. We'll be rooting for you, kiddo!"

"I know you'll do great, honey."

"Thanks, guys," Ruby replied to her emotional family's encouragement. "I'll try my best!" She gave Yang, Qrow and Taiyang each a big hug and ran for the preparation room.

"I'm glad I had such good timing," Tai beamed. "I get to see my little girl's first fencing match."

"Well, it technically isn't her first," Yang reminded him. "It has been a while, though."

"This time will be different," Qrow observed, scanning the crowd. "I see some familiar faces in the audience. Competition's gonna be tough this season."

Yang crossed her arms. "Says the guy whose niece earned Weiss Schnee's respect and title as champion. Just you watch. I've actually seen what Ruby is capable of, and it's gonna blow you away!"

"I'll believe it when I see it," Qrow pouted.

"How old are we? You're still such a kid," Taiyang chuckled. "Lighten up a little. Whether she wins her first match or not, she needs us with her every step of the way."

His older daughter disagreed. "Not really. The only person she needs to see here is Weiss. After all they've been through, it would mean the world to her... Then again, she might faint from excitement or something if she did show up."

Her father and uncle laughed with her.

"For all that energy she has, she sure does invest a lot of it into that girl," Taiyang agreed. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say she has a little flame burning."

"No, you're right," Yang agreed. "Ruby's had a huge crush on her for months, before they even really met. She just won't admit it."

Her father paused. "...Oh, my."

"That explains a hell of a lot," Qrow said casually.

Yang snickered. "Yeah, but don't tell her I told you, or I'll get the beating of a lifetime. Let's go find our seats."

•••

Meanwhile, a nervous little brunette was finishing strapping on her body gear.

"Remember your training," Ruby coached herself. "Stand tall, shoulders back-"

"And keep your eyes forward," came a soft voice from the other side of the room.

The brunette's head immediately whipped towards the door. "Weiss?"

The heiress smirked. "How dare you treat your instructor with such careless disbelief."

"But you said you couldn't come!" Ruby squealed in joy.

They collided towards the center of the walkway, Weiss at a brisk stride and Ruby at full speed. It was only thanks to Weiss' quick thinking that they didn't go tumbling onto the floor. The heiress felt the wind get knocked out of her as she leaned towards a lightly cushioned bench and absorbed the impact, finding Ruby's arms around her neck and their bodies pressed together.

"Sorry," Ruby giggled, pushing herself up.

"I suppose it's my fault for surprising you," the winded heiress huffed. Her eyes met Ruby's in a spark of excitement and happiness.