En Garde! A RWBY White Rose Fanfiction

Epilogue: En Garde!

Weiss knocked on the locker room door and called, "It's me."

"Come in!" echoed a voice from inside.

The heiress turned the knob and let herself in.

The locker room appeared as she remembered it: grey, cold, and empty--except for a single character.

Ruby removed her mask and set it inside an open locker. "You sure got here fast."

Weiss found her locker, and with the click of a key, her gear was readily accessible. "You know me—I'm always early," she responded, pulling out her mask and resting it on the bench. "How did you feel?" she asked.

The excited Ruby replied, "It went great! But I feel a little bad for my opponent. It wasn't a very fair fight."

"You don't have to try that hard to impress me," the ivory-haired heiress teased, pulling on her vest. "I know you're more than capable."

"What? I—" Ruby scoffed. "I was so not trying to impress you. What gave you that idea?"

Weiss looked over at her. When their eyes met, Ruby's cheeks turned pink, and she looked away. "To be honest, it was a shot in the dark, but now I know it's true. It's written all over your face that you still get nervous when I'm watching."

Ruby harrumphed. "This isn't exactly my first match ever, Weiss. Don't forget that you're the one who hasn't been out there for a year!" The look of defeat on Weiss' face made her instantly regret saying that. "I mean, I'd be sweating bullets if I was in that situation. You seem to be handling it pretty well."

Weiss let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. "I suppose so, but it doesn't seem that I've lost any of my skill. If anything, I improved. We began training not long after I resigned, after all."

To Ruby's dismay, she could tell Weiss was more nervous than she let on.  It was a skill she'd picked up on quickly after they started dating, much to the heiress' chagrin. "You know I'll be here to cheer you on the whole way, whether you suck or not!" Ruby exclaimed, trying to cheer her up.

That's the problem, Weiss wanted to say, but she pushed those words back and smirked instead. "Of course. I couldn't get rid of you even if I wanted to."

Ruby threw back her head and guffawed. "You never could! It's a talent."

Weiss huffed in response.

"Look," the brunette said in a more serious tone. "You said it yourself. You've been training hard! It'll be hard to top you, especially now that you know how I performed." Ruby put the rest of her gear away and glanced sideways at her girlfriend, which was the straw that broke the camel's back.

Butterflies erupted in Weiss' system. The majority of their training sessions hadn't exactly been... productive.

The brunette sighed. "It doesn't matter to me whether you win or lose. I'm just glad you're finally on the team with me, Weiss."

Weiss pulled away from her locker, outfitted in everything but her mask. "This isn't about you, to begin with, Ruby."

Ruby crossed her arms. "It's gotten so much easier to tell when you're lying."

"For the last time, I'm not—" Before Weiss could react, Ruby got in front of her and trapped her against the lockers.

"You're perfect as you are. Got it?"

The younger girl's silver eyes seemed to bore into Weiss' soul and drain the self-control out of it. Being able to stare at Ruby like this without feeling the need to hide it felt good—especially up close.

Before she knew what she was doing, Ruby leaned forward and softly touched her mouth to Weiss'. A spark of excitement jolted up her spine and added to the euphoria she got merely by being around her girlfriend.

She slid her arms down Weiss' sides and came to rest at her hips. With Ruby pulling her along, their lips staying connected, they sat next to each other on the bench.

Ruby reached for Weiss' neck and whined in disappointment when she found it covered in rough cloth.

The heiress giggled and disconnected from the kiss. "They're probably waiting for me out there," she reminded Ruby, grabbing her mask and rapier from behind her.

"But you asked for it," the bold brunette insisted. She tried to lean in again, but Weiss kept her back with a finger on her nose.

"Not so fast. Rewards don't come until after the match."

"I..." Like a broken spell, Ruby felt her desire fade and replace itself with embarrassment. She stood up. "F-fine. But finish quick."

"You can't rush me," Weiss teased. She got up and cupped her chicken-wire-trap under her arm. "By the way, I like your new strawberry-scented deodorant." She laughed airily and left the room, knowing the girl behind her had gone red in the face.

Today's match would be especially exciting; all of their friends from school had come to watch in commemoration of Weiss' first time back on the competitive roster in over a year. Mr. Schnee agreed to loosen up so long as she willfully remained as heiress to the company, and of course, she complied.

Weiss looked up to see their friends lined up in the middle row. Jaune and Pyrrha sat beside each other holding hands, Nora was trying to climb Ren like a jungle gym and screaming "Go, Weiss!" at the top of her lungs. The "Coffee Squad" (as Ruby had dubbed them) were casually chilling out, as they did. Fox and Coco were placing cash on the empty seat between them, likely betting on who would win the match.

Weiss picked out Taiyang's voice among the crowd. "There she is. You got this, Weiss!" She scanned the bleachers and found him a couple rows beneath her friends. With him were the usual: Qrow, Yang, Blake, and a new addition, Penny. Her strict father finally let her come to a match, so long as Ruby's guardians supervised her. Weiss could relate.

Roughly several chairs away from them came the icy gaze of Jacques Schnee, who had come to see his daughter's match. Judging by his expression, he was dubious of her skills, but he didn't account for the fact that Ruby would be watching, as well. Failure was not an option.

"At least I'm not worried about whether I'll win," Weiss assured herself. She stepped onto the mat with purpose and came face-to-face with her new opponent.

The referee signaled both girls to salute, and so they faced each other. Weiss stood upright, raising her sword just below her face, feeling the excitement of a fresh bout building up within her.

After saluting the referee, both girls took their stances. Weiss loosened up and re-positioned her grip on her rapier.

"En garde."

About five feet away, her opponent stood rigid, almost like a statue. A little nudge to her feet would have her legs giving out beneath her.

"Prêt."

Weiss smiled, remembering her first day of training with Ruby. She couldn't blame her opponent for being nervous, yet she deserved no mercy. One can only grow by accepting defeat and seeking improvement. Weiss learned that the hard way, but she was glad it worked out that way. She wouldn't have become closer to Ruby otherwise.

"Allez!"