Tearaway

She'd seen him fight against Pyrrha before and against his very own partner, Emerald Sustrai. Neither of those exhibitions did him justice. Now that she was standing opposite the arena from him, over a month removed from the breach, a spot in the finally beckoning Vytal Festival hanging in the balance, he was somehow faster, stronger and far more erratic.

Weiss ducked desperately as the grey-haired boy's boot sailed by overhead. The heavy boot might as well have been a feather dropping to the ground for all the noise and contact it made before Mercury propelled himself up into the air and attempted another roundhouse that Weiss stepped backwards to avoid. The assault didn't end there however as Mercury spun through the failed attempt and struck at Weiss with the back of his left heel.

Not having it, Weiss brought up Myrtenaster to block, a white glyph defending her from the blow. In an attempt to seize advantage, Weiss conjured a second glyph beneath her opponent and Mercury's eyes widened. As the glyph blackened, Mercury dropped to his hands, pushed himself up and kicked out both legs, the whirlwind of strikes initially causing Weiss to flinch before one boot caught her wrist and the other caught Myrtenaster. A final kick sent Myrtenaster flying, the rapier clattering across the arena floor.

Fear struck Weiss at that point as Mercury spun through his whirlwind once again and, reacting both quickly and in a panic, Weiss leapt backwards, thankfully bringing her out of the man's reach. He came up to a stable base and Weiss shook the cobwebs from her mind.

Focus Weiss. Don't crack under the pressure. He has his weaknesses, you know he does. You've just gotta strike them. You've gotta get Myr-

Weiss put her thoughts on hold as she jumped away from a high kick before rolling beneath another kick targeting her head. Quick as ever, Mercury threw out a mule kick that Weiss had to absorb with a guarding forearm. The force of the unfortunate blow transferred to momentum that helped Weiss complete another roll, placing distance back between them.

Don't think about the consequences of losing. Just win. Just get Myrtenaster. Just win!

Mercury stormed forwards again and Weiss channelled her Aura, her entire being glowing white as her finger tips touched the floor. One glyph appeared on the ground and she leapt into the air. Another glyph, firmly out of Mercury's reach, formed beneath her heels and she landed safely on the platform.

Though he couldn't kick, Mercury loosed a round from his right boot. Weiss avoided it by returning to her airborne state, flipping backwards, bracing herself against one last glyph and pushing herself off right as Mercury's next round blasted through it.

Landing with a roll, Weiss' hand reached out to grip Myrtenaster. The chamber had spun and landed on light blue by the time she was back in a crouch. Turning to face Mercury she launched a blade of ice his way which the boy masterfully flipped over. Undeterred Weiss sent three balls of ice, each one met with a bullet that destroyed them before they could reach their target.

Seeker projectiles dealt with, Mercury continued his dash forward, closing the gap between himself and Weiss. Seeing this, Weiss pirouetted and stabbed the ground, a sheet of ice quickly spreading across the concrete separating herself and her enemy in one last attempt at slowing him down and stopping his offense.

With an almost mocking laugh, Mercury's right boot thudded into the concrete just before the ice sheet. Pushing off of his left foot, Mercury fired the gun elements of his weapons and leapt into the air, clearing the ice with ease.

Weiss managed to pull her blade out of the ground just in time to raise Myrtenaster defensively, a light blue force field forming from the tip as Mercury jumped forwards and delivered a series of kicks to the shield before dropping to the floor. Nimble as ever, Mercury only remained on two feet for an eye blink before delivering a spin kick to the glyph, Weiss letting out a hiss as she felt herself sliding backwards under the force of the blow.

Seeing the glyph flicker, Mercury smiled before jumping forwards once more, drawing his knee up to his chest and throwing out a chamber kick. His boot crashed into, and through, the shield and Weiss stumbled. The never static Mercury didn't stop there however, lowering his right boot back down to the ground before bringing his left up.

Weiss didn't have the chance to so much as brace herself before the full force of Mercury's roundhouse kick shook her body, agony lancing through her head as she limply spun to the ground.

The several seconds it took for Weiss to recover proved too long. While shaking her head to clear it and regain her bearings, she saw a flash of black as Mercury punted away Myrtenaster. She then felt a heavy weight on the back of her head signalling that Mercury had the match won.

And just like that, Weiss was eliminated from the Vytal Festival… during the qualifiers.

After her loss, Weiss retreated into her own personal ice shell and it showed both in her classes, which she was missing more often than attending, and in her straining relationship with her team.

She was avoiding Ruby entirely, knowing all too well that she'd be the most vocal of her team; worrying, clinging, smothering. She was cold shouldering Blake, knowing that, while she trusted the Faunus enough to give her the space she needed, to tell Blake why her fate was sealed would fill the Faunus with guilt. And she was lying to Yang for that would be all she would be doing anyways if Team RWBY knew of her immediate future.

She felt guilty for it all but she could not bring herself to look her teammates in the eyes and admit the truth. She could not bring herself to face their pity and empty reassurances. She doubted she would even be able to bring herself to say goodbye…

So she was sheltering herself, hiding from reactions she was too cowardly, too prideful, to face. She kept everything simple and easy. She kept everything as painless as possible.

And yet every night…

Fuck…

Memories of Mercury slipped through the cracks in Weiss' defences, leaking into her mind; a highlight reel of every screw up she made, every hit he landed and every opening she failed to strike at.

Fuck!

She was meant to be perfect. She was meant to be perfect, and yet she lost.

FUCK!

Shame set in, racking her body. She had failed.

FUCK! FUCK! FUCK!

Her eyelids lowered as tears began to fall.

FUCK!

She had lost more than just a match. If had been just a match, Weiss wouldn't have cared. She'd lost before and shrugged it off. But it wasn't just a match she had lost.

Why?

She had also lost her dream…

…Why?

Rolling over in an attempt to find comfort, her gaze fell upon Blake, sleeping blissfully on the bed opposite. She glanced up at the mess of yellow hair dangling from the bed above Blake's own. Finally she turned back over to stare at the mattress her team leader was sleeping on.

I'm gonna miss you girls…

That was every night, an unbreakable routine, for as short a time as her withdrawal had lasted. Things eventually escalated as the day of her father's arrival edged closer. She started yelling at Blake to push her away, acting out against Yang, leaving any room Ruby entered. And the worst part? She didn't actually know why. The pity was now there. The empty reassurances were now there. Her friends were there. They knew something was up. So why was she still pushing them away?

That question didn't stop her from excusing herself from the table at lunch when Ruby arrived. She retreated to the dorm, sitting herself down upon the work desk that lay between the make-shift bunk beds. Here she'd be alone. Ruby, Blake and Yang were having dinner and afterwards would need to attend Aura 1010. And two more classes would immediately follow Aura. Altogether she had scraped together at least four hours of free time.

…Or so she thought.

Unbeknownst to Weiss, Ruby had followed her back to the dorm room. It didn't stay that way for long however. A thud snapped Weiss out of her reverie, alerting her to the presence of the girl who had just swung the door open. Another thud echoed through the room when Ruby shut the door and a click resounded out as it locked, trapping them together.

"Okay Weiss, something's up. And don't tell me it isn't because it is. It has been for the last week or so. And-And…" Ruby trailed off for a little while, her voice, now stuttering in places, growing lower and quieter. "I'm scared Weiss," she finally admitted. "You're acting like Blake did and I'm worried and you won't let me help and I just want to help and… and…"

Hearing Ruby, Weiss turned her gaze toward the cloudy sky outside of her dorm room.

Silver lining? At least I learned that some people do actually care about me… she mused before responding to Ruby, her voice infused with regret and guilt. "I guess that makes me a hypocrite as well as a failure…"

Ruby's head snapped up, eyes wide as Weiss spoke her first genuine words in weeks. "Failure? Weiss you're-"

"No Ruby," Weiss cut off sadly. "…I failed. No matter how good you think I am, the fact of the matter remains that my father knows I failed."

Weiss' eyelids fell over her usually piercing eyes and she let her head bow shamefully, turning slightly away from Ruby. The confused redhead could only look on with eyebrows knit in confusion and nothing more than a desire to help nurse her friend's clearly wounded soul. "Weiss… where is this coming from?" she asked softly. "When have you failed?" That second question clicked something into place and her facial features reflected that. Her tone lowered an octave as she anxiously asked her next question. "…Is this about the tournament?"

Silence descended for a short but tense few seconds before Weiss gave a slow nod and turned back to face her partner, revealing eyes wet with unshed tears. "I lost Ruby. I proved I wasn't perfect and shamed my family. And now… now my father is coming to take me away. I'm sorry Ruby. I'm so, so, sorry. I'm…" Weiss sniffed twice as tears fell, the steady trickle staining her face as her breath caught and everything slowly evolved into a pathetic whimper.

Ruby looked on, absolutely stunned at the scene before her. Weiss Schnee was weeping. There was a twinge of guilt when Ruby realised that she really didn't know what to say. She wasn't Yang. She wasn't even Blake. She had feigned ignorance to her teammates' troubles back at Mountain Glenn, pretended she believed that Blake was fine when she was falling apart and let Blake be the one to hold Yang at night and chase away the blonde's dreams of Neo. She couldn't do this. She had never been able to find the words to say to piece people back together.

Steeling herself, Ruby stepped forward and cautiously reached out for the poor girl, her hand trembling slightly. Weiss flinched away as expected, but then, to Ruby's surprise, seemed to almost lean into her embrace. She slipped one arm around Weiss' shoulder and her hip knocked against Weiss' own.

In response Weiss did two things. First she shifted over so she was practically sitting on the window sill, allowing Ruby to find room enough to sit beside her on the work desk. And second, she buried her face in Ruby's shoulder and stopped trying to suppress her hurt. Weeps turned into sobs as she bawled her eyes out, nuzzling Ruby's shoulder as she accepted the younger girl's embrace.

Minutes passed by like this, Ruby just holding Weiss as she shed tear after tear, the redhead kicking herself internally over and over and over again with each passing minute until she remembered the root of all of this. The one person Weiss had never really mentioned before: Her father, Lutolf Schnee.

"You never talk about him," she finally begun once she heard Weiss' breathing somewhat stabilise and her bawling recede back to weeping. "Your father I mean." Ruby paused for a moment as Weiss strained to meet her gaze, tears still dripping down her cheeks which were now crimson matching her red nose and bloodshot eyes. "What's he like?"

The words on Weiss' tongue when she parted her lips were harsh, cruel, crushing. They were also thankfully bit back before Weiss could finally destroy the bridge connecting herself and her entirely sufferable friend.

Why am I pushing them away? She asked herself again before swallowing a lump in her throat and shifting a little to get comfier. It took a few more minutes for Weiss to trust herself to talk.

"He… always wanted me to succeed him, to take the position he'd leave open when he passed away," she explained, her voice hoarse and her throat sore. "It wasn't a demand. He only ever asked me. And I wanted to do it, if only so I could change everything to how it should be. And I…" Weiss swallowed another lump and fought back more tears. Ruby listened intently, eyebrows knit in concern. "I only ever asked him to let me be a huntress, at least until circumstance placed me at the pinnacle of the SDC. He didn't like the idea, at least not until he realised that I'd be a walking bragging right. And so he let me. Told me to make a name for myself and re-iterated his only demand: Be perfect."

Weiss was caught off-guard by Ruby hugging her tighter against her equally small frame. She took solace in Ruby's thumb as it began drawing circles into her shoulder. "Months have passed by since then and I haven't been Ruby. I've been second to Pyrrha in combat, and second to Ren in academics. In fact I'm behind a lot of people in combat and I'd be third to Blake academically if it wasn't for her… episode…"

"Your father's really expecting you to be top of the class in everything?" Ruby asked and Weiss nodded.

"A Schnee needs to excel at everything they pursue," she recited weakly. "If you aren't the best in your craft then there's no point in crafting."

Realisation struck as Ruby heard those words and she gulped. "N-No. That can't be right. That-That's stupid!"

"That's a fact of my life whether I want it to be or not…" Ruby didn't defend her opinion. Her own voice was shaking now and all she could do as a result was allow Weiss to continue. "I came here with an entirely professional outlook Ruby. I'd get paired with the strongest girl, surround myself with the best. I'd make myself perfect. But somewhere along the way you, Blake and Yang made me feel alive, made me truly enjoy something other than singing and fighting."

Weiss broke off there, falling to silence for several seconds as she seemed to weigh her next words. She had rarely spoken of her sister to Ruby and Blake. Yang knew bits and pieces about her, more than what Weiss was about to tell Ruby. It just seemed easier to confide in the blonde; Yang was everything Weiss wished Winter would be.

"My sister, Winter, and I… never got along. Like I said, my father was a perfectionist. We were always against each other, and it wasn't the friendliest of sibling rivalries, so you girls were the first and best friends I ever had. You'd annoy me, distract me; Yang would drag me to clubs, Blake would ask for my help with Dust, you'd… be you. And I loved it!" Weiss' voice gained a certain spark to it there and Ruby could tell that Weiss had perked up a bit, the joy of reminiscence leaking into her tone. She could definitely till hear the sniffles as well however. "I wouldn't trade all those distractions and mistakes in for perfect grades even if I could."

Weiss stopped and Ruby bit her lip. Whilst she noticed and was grateful for the change in tone, she also noticed something else: Weiss was speaking in past tense. She almost didn't want to ask why. But she knew she had to...

"…Weiss?" An acknowledging hum was all she received and she swallowed again. Her voice cracked slightly but she willed herself on. "I-Is… Is this goodbye?"

Weiss cringed, her eyes screwing shut, another tear being shed. "No. Not yet."

Ruby's lip began to quiver and her breathing hitched. "But it's coming?" she asked, her voice straining as much as Weiss' now.

Sniffles, hitches in breath, more tears, Weiss was about to break down again and, as she nodded her head, she did exactly that. Turning, she buried her face back into the cloth of Ruby's uniform and started crying once more. Feeling Weiss clutch desperately at her blazer, Ruby reached with her left hand and threaded it into ivory locks, holding Weiss' head against her shoulders. "Why?" she asked as she buried her own face in Weiss' own shoulder, struggling to keep back tears of her own.

"I don't know." It was the sad truth. "But that's the ultimatum father gave me when he learned of Beacon's present standings: Win the Vytal Festival or come home. Not only did I lose the Vytal Festival, Ruby, I didn't even qualify. And that match with Mercury wasn't even close…"

Hearing those words, hearing that resignation, Ruby finally lost her battle. She broke down, tears spilling out uncontrollably, soaking Weiss just as much as Weiss had soaked her. Weiss trembled as her hand rose to meet Ruby's wet face, catching a falling tear with her thumb before her fingers followed suit of Ruby's and threaded into her partner's hair, holding her close.

"It's not all bad," she began reassuring, switching roles with her leader. "I do want to inherit the company. That's why I agreed to go back to Atlas. I could stay, sever ties, and have my name scratched from my father's will. But I can't do that. I have to inherit the Schnee Dust Company because I'm only one who will right all of my father's wrongs. Changing the SDC, helping the Faunus… That's more important to me than my dreams."

She was glad those words rang back to her with an element of truth though she refused to ponder as to the why it did lest it only bring her further pain. "So this is it Ruby. This time next week I'll be back in Atlas."

And I'll probably never see you, Blake, Yang, Juniper, Sun or Neptune again…

"And there's nothing I can do about it…"

No more words were exchanged by the duo. Weiss had nothing left to say and Ruby didn't know what to say. Instead they sat there, taking comforting in each other's arms, letting silence reign and their thoughts consume them.

Weiss was being taken away.

RWBY would crumble.

Would Ruby, Blake and Yang be forced to drop out as well?

Would they simply replace Weiss?

Would Weiss ever see them again?

Where from here?

They didn't find answers. Time simply ticked by until class pulled Ruby from Weiss side and the heiress grabbed a shower before falling into bed and finding sleep.

That was Tuesday. Wednesday she missed every class. Thursday she missed every class. Friday… Friday RWBY missed every class. Weiss pulled Blake and Yang to one side and came clean. Blake fell apart and Yang got angry. Tears were shed, voices were raised and, by the end of it, Yang let Weiss leave to break the news to Juniper, Neptune and Sun.

While she was away, Ruby watched on as her sister switched gears. Gone were the red eyes, tension and anger, now replaced with stubbornness and resolution. She and Blake spent the next few hours brainstorming ideas, rejecting bold plan after bold plan until stubbornness turned to desperation and resolution faded to resignation. Nothing would work. Short of breaking the law they had no way of stopping Lutolf from withdrawing Weiss from the academy.

Seeing this, seeing her sister give up, seeing Blake give up, Ruby fled.

Weiss returned before Ruby did, Yang apologised and the trio of seventeen year olds spent their last few hours together.

Neither Blake nor Yang told her everything would be alright and Weiss realised exactly why she was pushing them away. It wasn't that she couldn't face their pity, naïve optimism and outright lies… it was that she never wanted to see all of those disappear. There was no pity. There was no false hope. There was no naïveté. There was simply despair.

After the school day ended, Weiss and Blake were all cried out, Yang had shed a few tears on her own and Ruby had still not yet returned. The time came for Weiss to shower and Blake and Yang packed her things for her, making sure to add in their own special touches; a few gifts to remember everyone by.

Weiss left the shower dressed in her usual combat skirt and she received compliments from Blake and Yang, each one encouraging a smile to grace Weiss' features. The smile didn't actually come however. Instead, a part of Weiss died at noticing Ruby's sustained absence. And then her scroll went off, confirmation that her father had just arrived. She let out a deep breath before half-smiling at her two friends.

"You should've saved your energy because you're gonna need to force that smile again outside."

Weiss failed to suppress a laugh at Yang's words. "Something tells me faking a smile will be second nature before too long Yang," she joked back, a bitter aftertaste of truth in the words. "I really am gonna miss all of you. Even Jaune…"

Blake stepped forward, her ears twitching in amusement at the joke. Her hands were locked together, lazily draping against her stomach. "Trust me: I'm not letting this be the last you see of me." I can't let you forget that good Faunus exist. I can't allow that position to change you, jaundice you. I won't let Lutolf compromise you. We worked too hard to open each other's eyes to let distance force them to close.

Azure eyes widened as Weiss' heart warmed. "Y-You mean that?" she asked in slight disbelief.

"Of course, Weissy!" Yang exclaimed and Weiss couldn't discern if it was excitement or determination in Yang's tone. Knowing Yang it was likely both. "They can stop you coming to us but they can't stop us coming to you!"

During this, Blake had untied the ribbon that hid her ears. One more step forward and she was looping the ribbon around Weiss' wrist, tying it with a beautifully done knot. "We'd miss you too much. We all would. …Even Pyrrha."

Another genuine laugh was ripped from Weiss and she gave an equally real smile. "Pyrrha doesn't dislike me," she stated before her brow furrowed and the smile disappeared. "Wait, does she?"

"Nah," Yang immediately affirmed. "I spoke to her once about it. She said she thinks she's a more useless heterosexual than Jaune for falling in love with him."

She chuckled again. The smile returned. "Then everything worked out in the end, right?" The smiled disappeared again. A sorrowful gaze turned towards the door. "Well… almost everything." All three were waiting for the same thing: Ruby's return. Even Yang was losing hope. "Guess goodbye was too hard for her after all…"

Blake's fingers unlocked and she reached forward, placing a comforting hand on Weiss' left shoulder. "Maybe…" Catching Weiss off-guard, Blake closed the rest of the small distance between them and wrapped her arms around the heiress. It was the first hug Blake had voluntarily given anyone not named Yang and she melted into the sisterly embrace.

When Blake pulled away, she was immediately replaced by Yang. Whereas Blake's hugs were tight but gentle, Yang's hugs shamed Ursi the world over. She actually felt her back crack as she was crushed by the busty brawler. "Don't you worry about us, okay?"

"You can't stop me." Weiss joked before she and Yang broke their embrace. With little else left to say or do, all three girls exhaled and Weiss turned to face the door, Blake flanking her left and Yang flanking her right. Opening it, Weiss stepped outside, holding it open for Blake and Yang before letting it fall shut. Turning around, the last piece fell into place. Waiting for her with a shamefully bowed head was her partner. Ruby Rose.

"I-"

Weiss didn't let Ruby continued as she hugged her, giving a punishing squeeze for good measure, not that Ruby felt it after living with Yang for fifteen years. "I don't care. What matters is that you're here."

Ruby flashed an unsure grin but Weiss only pulled her by the wrist signalling for her to follow. She fell into place beside her partner, Blake and Yang but a few paces behind and all four headed out into the courtyard.

Seeing Lutolf Schnee, a tall, well-built, white suited, salt and pepper haired, blue-eyed man with a scar of his own marring the flesh of his neck, running from behind his ear lobe and disappearing beneath the collar of his shirt brought forth a host of differing emotions.

Ruby was confused, unable to fathom how any father could tear away his daughter's dream like this.

Blake was on-edge and more than a little hateful. Not only was she baring her ears for the first time, she was doing it before perhaps the worst man she knew.

Yang was furious, her teeth gritted and her hands balled into fists.

And Weiss seemed like a different person than she had been back in the dormitory hallways. Gone was the slouch, the easy smile, the uneven gait and loosely hanging arms. Now everything was the polar opposite. Her back was straight, her lips pressed into a line, her gait completely balanced, her arms held behind her back. It was night and day, casual transitioned seamlessly into professional.

"Father," she greeted as the quartet came to a stop before the powerful aristocrat. He eyed up her three teammates, gaze lingering on Blake far longer than the others, before he spoke.

"I trust everything is in order and waiting to be picked up by the servants?" he asked to which Weiss replied with an entirely professional tone.

"No. Everything is in order, but I will be collecting them from my room myself."

And so she did exactly. It took three trips and an awkward stretch in silence between Ruby, Blake, Yang and Lutolf, but Weiss soon had the car loaded with her belongings. When she was finished, she sidled up next to her father and looked to Ruby, Blake and Yang with a look of loss and longing.

"So this is it…"

"Yep, this is it…"

"Hurry it up Weiss…"

Ruby scowled at Lutolf, so too did Yang. Blake was a touch more reserved than usual, biting back her ire. One by one Weiss said a final goodbye. First came Yang, whom didn't bear hug her this time around. Ruby could already see Lutolf tapping his foot impatiently. Then came Blake whom pulled her in for a second hug when the first ended. Ruby heard an intruding cough from Lutolf and saw his eyes narrowing. Finally, Weiss turned to Ruby and, after briefly meeting Lutolf's gaze, Ruby stepped forwards.

"I'm so sorry Weiss. I don't know why, I just…"

Weiss silenced her by pulling her into what she believed would be their final embrace. "Shhh. Remember what I said? What matters is that you did say goodbye, not how long that goodbye lasted… You were a good teammate and an even better friend. I owe what I had to you, so thank you Ruby."

"I-"

Another cough, slightly irritated this time around, and Ruby had to disguise a grimace. "Weiss we need to leave." It was her father, evidently looking to get back into Atlas, and back to his business, as soon as possible.

"Just one minute, please fa-"

"I gave you over half a year and a second chance to lower yourselves to these ruffians' levels. Now hurry it up. I have important business to attend to…"

Weiss flinched before releasing Ruby whom could sense the resignation. She could also sense the aura of superiority Lutolf possessed and her face twitched, anger bubbling within her. Weiss wasn't even being allowed to finish her goodbyes, and why? Lutolf didn't even look like he particularly cared. He just wanted to get this inconvenience over and done with.

"Goodbye Ruby."

Weiss' words didn't register as the unfamiliar rage festered within Ruby. Sure Lutolf didn't seem all that demanding or truly cruel to Weiss beyond one select, unfathomable wrongdoing. But it was clear that Lutolf's concerns lay in business and that he didn't particularly care about Weiss as a daughter. Sure she was a human in his eyes, and his initial reservations with Weiss attending Beacon could have been rooted in not wanting to see the girl in danger, but it seemed pride and success came before everything else in his eyes.

…So why take her away?

She hadn't registered Weiss' moving away from her either. Realisation only dawned in when Lutolf, the focus of her ire, turned away and strode calmly over to the way too expensive car.

Weiss was walking away. Weiss was walking away and she wasn't coming back.

Lutolf was taking her away. Lutolf was taking her away and he wasn't letting her come back.

…And he had no right to…

The anger boiled over.

"YOU CAN'T DO THIS!" she suddenly shouted at the top of her lungs, seeing Weiss flinch uncontrollably. Lutolf spun on his heel, eyes narrowed as Blake's and Yang's jaws hit the floor.

"What did you say to me?" he asked, his guard genuinely broken, shock in his tone and Weiss shrunk into herself. Ruby stood firm however, thanks in part to Lutolf's stunned disbelief robbing him of his usual aura.

"Weiss Schnee is absolutely incredible. She's kind and gentle and funny and smart and tactical and strong and wise and brave and you have no reason, no right, to tear Weiss away from her dream just because she lost one match!" Lutolf's eyes widened and Ruby continued.

"You are meant to be her father, that means Weiss and Winter are meant to be the two most important people in your life and you should be doing everything it takes to make them happy. And they should be doing everything they can to make you proud and full of joy. And Weiss is doing exactly that."

Lutolf's features told the story, a genuinely surprised and deliberating expression etched on flesh and bone. "She's your daughter. She has dreams, friends, potential you won't ever let her reach. She's happy here. And she wants to be your heiress. She wants to be your daughter Lutolf… So let her be exactly that. Let her be who she wants to be. You have no right to force her into being just your heir just to protect your-your-your foolish pride!"

Lutolf opened his mouth to respond but found himself lost for words.

"Weiss is my best friend. She helps me study, is teaching me how to manipulate Dust, fights by my side no matter the odds. She makes the impossible possible and without her I don't know how we'd have succeeded. And it's not just that. She makes me laugh and smile, she has a beautiful singing voice, knows her music, reads me to sleep, refuses to let us slip too far from our studies and yet can still loosen up and have fun. I don't know if we'll still be able to function as a group if you take her away from us."

Blake and Yang looked on, mouths still agape. They too were lost for words.

"Weiss has excelled at everything she has undertaken. Sure she's not the best, but neither is my sister and neither am I. And our dad doesn't care. My dad isn't ashamed, isn't being shamed. Weiss is exactly who she wants and needs to be. Please please don't change that…"

Weiss was also lost for words. Though while Lutolf was considering his and Blake and Yang were busy finding theirs, Weiss internalised everything. She felt… warm, happy, fuzzy, excited, proud, touched, brave. She felt… loved.

Here this girl was, the first and only person she'd seen actually stand up to and yell at her father. And she was defending her, complimenting her, caring for her. Shame it would all be for nothing. Her father was stubborn. She'd never seen his mind cha-

"I…"

Then again, she'd never seen him pause for thought like this either. Maybe…

"Weiss…" he called out. Both pairs of azure eyes locked. "…In light of this girl's effusion, I… am willing to allow you another chance." Shock overtook Weiss' features; eyebrows rising, jaw dropping, eyes widening. "Ms. Rose's words… ring with an element of truth. Do keep in mind however that I am still monitoring your progress and I do expect nothing short of excellent."

Tears glistened in Weiss' eyes and her lip quivered, joy creeping in and washing away the hopelessness and despair. "I-I…" Swallowing hard, Weiss found her voice. "I won't disappoint you again father."

Lutolf responded by taking a step forwards and offering his hand which Weiss took in a firm handshake. "Good." And with that Lutolf walked to the driver's window of his vehicle, gave his orders and entered. Servants quickly went to work unloading the trunk and after they were done they entered the same car Lutolf sat in and it took off, leaving Beacon with the same amount of passengers as it had arrived with.

It took several more seconds for the shock of what had just happened to wear off, Yang was the first to recover whom immediately fist pumped despite the tension. "Whoop! That was awesome sis. I'm so proud of you!" Within seconds Yang had slammed into Ruby and was squeezing her tightly.

Blake was the next to recover, leaving Ruby to be victimised by her sister and instead opting to walk over to the still partially shell-shocked Weiss. "So you're staying?" she asked almost hopefully and unbelievingly, seemingly desperate for confirmation that reality hadn't just deceived her.

"I… guess so." Weiss replied. Those words finally made Weiss realise that this wasn't a dream. Ruby, Blake and Yang truly had come to see her off and say goodbye. Blake truly had promised to make sure that Weiss saw her sisters-in-arms again. Ruby truly had just stood up to her father and won. Ruby truly had said all of those wonderful things about her. And she was truly going to be sleeping beneath Ruby's death trap of a bed tonight. What started as a little ember quickly evolved into an inferno and Weiss erupted uncharacteristically, springing forwards and hugging Blake. "I GUESS SO!"

Blake could only grin and return Weiss hug as she felt the sheer joy and excitement radiate from the smaller girl. "I can't tell you how happy I am." Blake murmured as she felt Weiss practically nuzzle her cheek. That small amount of affection washed away Blake's prior concerns though they were irrelevant now that Weiss was staying at Beacon.

"I can't believe it. I can't believe Ruby. I just… I can't believe…" Weiss babbled as she pulled away and a low, hearty chuckle filled the air.

"If you can't believe it… ask Ruby herself. It's all real; every last bit of it."

Hearing Blake say Ruby's name caused Weiss to turn around and search for the girl. She wiped away tears of joy as she found her and the final hug of the hour was had. "Thank you so much you lovable little dolt!" she practically squealed and Ruby's was left blushing and laughing nervously as the two girls parted.

"Really Weiss, it was nothing."

"That was not nothing. I didn't even dare believe that kind of thing could happen and yet you just went and did it. You just… how?"

Ruby shrugged. "I guess I just couldn't stand there and not say anything, y'know? All of this was just wrong and I couldn't live with myself if I didn't at least try to make it right."

Weiss shook her head and gave a single laugh. "Well thanks again. That was incredible. I never had anyone stand up for me like that before."

Ruby's response was an almost dismissive "any time" and it made Weiss' next question sound even more sheepish than even Weiss had expected it to.

"…Did you mean it?"

Ruby didn't even need to think before she responded. "Every last word of it," she assured her friend. "Probably why it came so easily…"

The confirmation stunned Weiss once more. Ruby had meant every last word of it. Ruby had meant every last word! "Yeah… probably," she just barely managed to choke out.

Glancing to her left, Ruby spotted Blake and Yang chatting away, allowing herself and Weiss some privacy. She then looked towards the suitcase lay on the concrete. "Come on, let's get you moved back in!" she commanded before kissing Weiss on the cheek, stunning her once again.

Weiss knew the kiss was innocent. She had seen the difference between how Yang kissed her on the cheek, against her wishes, and how Yang kissed Blake since they got together. Yang's lips would linger on Blake's skin for a few seconds longer than they would against Ruby's or her own. And Ruby's kiss was even shorter than that. Ruby had pecked her on the cheek even more innocently than Yang had done in the past.

…So why was she blushing?

Why could she still feel Ruby's lips upon her skin even after they had left?

Why was she wondering about whether or not Ruby found her beautiful on top of all those other qualities she had claimed Weiss possessed?

She shook her head, reprimanding herself.

Ruby is fifteen and clearly not even thinking about that kind of stuff!

Another thought crawled in to combat the previous.

But she will be eventually…

And a silent vow was made.

And I'll wait however long Ruby needs me to…

"Hey Weiss, you gonna give us a hand or a pay check? 'Cuz it's either that or you take these up yourself."

It was Yang's voice, pulling her away from it all; that cheery jesting drawing her back into the real world. Shaking her head of her thoughts, Weiss turned to her three friends, a bright smile on her face. All three were smiling back, joy overwhelming them as the breeze swept away the despair. She had never felt happier, never felt stronger, and never felt more loved. She had a family now, one that would always be there, in failure, in success, in love and in loss.

"Hey Princess, you gonna snap out of it?" Blake asked and Weiss returned once more to the situation at hand.

"Yeah, hurry up. We gotta tell everyone and celebrate!" Ruby cheered. "Ooh, ooh, cookies and pancakes! No. Cookies IN pancakes!"

"Coming!" Weiss called out before finally moving to join them.

No one mentioned the absolute impossibility of Ruby's second idea. They all silently agreed the first sounded like a great one however. And each added their own little special touch to the evening.

But maybe we should get in some drinks as well…

A romantic comedy…

Pizza…

Weiss just knew that tonight was going to be fun. They'd celebrate, and she'd love it. They would make sure of it.

…And the next few weeks were going to be hell. In hindsight Weiss decided that truancy may not have been the brightest idea she had ever had.

Author's Note: So this oneshot, and the related White Rose stories that will follow this oneshot are gifts from myself to a good friend of mine, Zanmatsuken. The original plan was about 1100 words in length. This oneshot, that came in at 6707 words is only 205 words worth of that outline. On top of the unexplored 900 words, I have a number of ideas for related Bumblebee and White Rose oneshots and multishots and I'm musing over an eventual full story.

This was meant to be a quick oneshot for a stressed friend who won't get to embrace his OTP in our new roleplay, but as I told him, plans change. And in this case the plan changed massively. So you can expect a number of oneshots, multishots and full stories in what may evolve into a White Rose and Bumblebee series. As a bit of a tease, here are the titles of stories I have in mind: Terror, Confessions, Tearaway, Roman, Solstice, Partnership, Anniversary, Public, Mother and Inevitable.

So yeah, good news for those of you who enjoyed this. I encourage and appreciate any and all feedback, so please do let me know if you did or where I could improve in the future.