From the Beginning

“You’re going to what?” Ruby’s eyes widened almost inhumanly.

“I’m gonna take bumblb back into the city and meet up with some of my old palls.”

“No! No! Yang! No! It’s! It’s the first week still! You! You can’t just leave me here! I!”

“Aww, come on Kiddo. You’ll be fine.” Yang playfully tapped Ruby’s shoulder with her fist.

“But! But! It’s still the first week; just the first weekend! And! And we! I!”

“Rube.” Yang sighed, putting her jacket down and moving a little closer to her sister. “What is it, what’s wrong?”

“I- just… it’s still so new here. And- and that Weiss girl! She hates me! She just hates me! And Blake couldn’t care enough to lift her head out of her book!” Ruby’s arms wrapped around her waist and her tail tightened around herself under her clothing. “They already hate me, and… I just… you’re the only one here who really knows me; who knows… I’m just- without you, I’d be all alone here.”

Yang’s cheerful expression sunk. “Kiddo… I- you’re not alone. You seemed to be getting along with that blonde kid? What was his name?”

“Vomit boy!” Ruby half screamed.

“Ok, maybe not vomit boy. But… look, you would have still come if I hadn’t been coming this year, right?”

Ruby’s expression turned truly terrified. “I- I- I don’t know…” She answered with an overwhelming sense of shame.

“Ruby…”

“Well! I! You heard dad! We knew everyone back home, they all knew mom! So it was ok if my tail slipped out or if my hood fell a little too low and my ears poked out of my hair.”

“Ruby, no…”

“You heard him! He never gets serious like that! He’s dad! He… I know he said it was up to me, but… if things were that bad for mom, then… and that was without the Schnee heiress as her teammate!”

“Ruby, I know you and Weiss aren’t really getting along right now, but-”

“And it’s not even like he was exaggerating! You saw what Cardin did to Velvet! Poor Velvet…” Ruby whimpered, beaten, and broken by her own fears.

“There’s still Blake.”

“Really? Ms. if a scowl could kill?”

“Ok, fine, but… Rube, you are the leader; we are team RWBY. Not Yang by… er whatever. Ozpin chose you kiddo. He chose you, and that means you’re strong.” Yang forced a smile and reached out to ruffle Ruby’s hair and ears. “Even if they find out, even if they are all like the worst assholes dad warned you about… You are strong, you can and will make it through. Plus, just cause I’m away for a night doesn’t mean you’re alone.” Yang pulled Ruby into a tight hug. “I’ll be back in the morning, and anyone who hurts my baby sister is gonna be dead meat.”

Ruby clung back to her sister in the hug.

“Just remember, it will be ok. You go, grab some food at the mess hall and play some games in the common room or something. I’ll be back tomorrow and we can make a whole sisters weekend of it if you want?”

“Promise?” Ruby looked up hopeful and scared.

“I promise kiddo.”

“Ok, love you.”

“Love you too Rube!”

Ruby did just as her older sister said. The mess hall was conveniently open in some capacity twenty-four-seven at Beacon. No, there were no piping hot meals as usual, but they had enough to make a grilled cheese and there may or may not have been an unguarded case of cookies. No one could tell because any such cases had since been raided and emptied completely.

Sweet tooth sated and carrying a tall glass of warm milk- every cookie needed to be washed down appropriately- Ruby trudged back towards the common room. Maybe things at Beacon weren’t that bad after all. The food was… indulgent, but delightful.

Humming to herself, but careful not to purr, Ruby found one of the room’s fluffy beanbags and nearly cannonballed right into it. “Oouch! Oouch! No! Nope! No!” She yelped, rolling over and letting her tail loose. “Ooh! Ooh! Sorry! Ah, sorry!” She apologized to and soothed her tail. “Sorry, you’ve been cooped up way too much. It’s not fair to you.” She held her tail gently and looked around. “Well… maybe you deserve a chance to be out; not cooped up in my skirt.” She flicked her tail back and forth like it was nodding in agreement. “Yay!” Ruby cheered and snaked a pilfered cookie from a hidden pocket in her dress. “Ahh, that’s better, much better.” She cooed happily and snuggled into the bean bag before flicking on the television to watch one of her favorite cartoons.

In no time at all, Ruby began to grow comfortable again, she even let her hood fall and her ears perk out from her hair. That was her mistake. As she grew comfortable, Ruby grew careless. She completely missed as Weiss’s heels clacked closer and closer. Still too caught up in relaxing and consuming another cookie, Ruby’s tail fluttered around happily.

“You!” Weiss’s voice raised with something between anger and disgust. “You little! You’re a! A! Of course! Ozpin mussen't just be satisfied by putting a child in charge, but it had to be a fucking faunus too! What’s next? A secret White Fang member?! Brothers! I cannot believe this!” She ranted angrily.

“I! Weiss! I!” Ruby lept up from her seat and whipped over to the heiress with a flurry of rose petals. “I- I’m-” She had not the slightest clue how to explain or how to defend herself. There wasn’t anything wrong with being a faunus. She didn’t know much about being what she was, but even without Summer to teach her faunus things, she knew that much. Ruby knew that there shouldn’t be a need to apologize for being what she was. In desperation, she reached out, touched Weiss’s shoulder with only the tips of her fingers, that was when Weiss truly snapped.

“Keep your hands off of me you do- you dirty faunus!” Weiss’s cheeks burned with shame. She knew she was already going down the wrong road, that what she was about to say was wrong and should never leave her mouth. Weiss was fully aware that it was her father’s teachings being spouted from her mouth rather than her own words. She knew all that and yet she failed to stop herself. “No wonder you’re such an imbecilic dolt. You’re not even human, you’re an animal; just a- a beast! A faunus!” Immediately Weiss knew she’d gone miles too far. For months and maybe even years she would feel horrible guilt for the fact that the heinous hateful words could ever have slipped from her lips. In time, she would also do her best to fix it, but for the night she would not get a chance.

“I- I-” Ruby’s eyes swelled with tears and her innocent face scrunched up in pain.

“Shit, no, Ruby, I-” Weiss rushed to retract her horrible words but it was too late. Ruby was already gone, only the remnants of roses in her place.

The young faunus’s whole body burned as her petals collided with the dorm room’s door. Her semblance had never been pushed too far, forced to carry her so far or so fast. She only made one or two stops on her rush away from Weiss. Her every molecule felt the strain, but all she cared about was running, getting away. If only she could get back to the room then she’d be safe to pack and run. It would be hard without Yang and Bumblb to take her, but she’d find something, anything.

“Dad was right. I should have never come! Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!” Ruby ranted, bursting through the door to her room and to her bed. She ripped her suitcase out from the closet and threw it down. Sobbing and losing her breath, Ruby tore her clothing from her closet and tossed it to her suitcase, barely caring if anything was to get lost. She just needed to be gone! She needed to be back home; her real home! Home where she didn’t have to hide herself.

“R- Ruby?” The familiar voice questioned soft and concerned.

The poor cheetah faunus’s tail went ridged. No! Not another! Please no! She couldn’t handle another, not now! “What!” Ruby spun around and shrieked.

“Hey, it’s a-”

“I know! I know! I’m a faunus! So what! I! Are you going to yell and scream at me too?” Ruby sniffled and wiped her face with her sleeve.

“No, I’m not- who screamed at you Ruby?” Blake’s expression slipped angry but still chiefly concerned. “What happened Ruby?” She asked again, lowering her book and sitting up.

“I- nothing… it’s nothing. It doesn’t matter. I- I’m just leaving. So, you won’t have to worry, Weiss won’t have to worry. Even Yang won’t have to worry.”

“Ruby.” Blake demanded just soft enough that her teammate still ignored her.

“I- I’ll go back home and you three won’t have to worry about-”

“Ruby stop!” Blake ordered firmer and to her surprise, Ruby listened.

“What Blake?” Ruby sniffled and failed to avoid breaking out into sobs again.

“It’s ok. It’s ok.” Blake repeated herself with hands up and open as she slipped down from her bed. She approached calm and slow, fearful of scaring Ruby off. “You are a faunus, and that is ok. But if someone yelled at your or hurt you for it, that is not ok.”

“I-” Ruby sniffled. “It’s not ok. But- but I’m not- I cant… I’m not like Velvet. I can’t handle being treated like that, I won’t-”

“Hey, Yang and I won’t let you get hurt. I don’t care who it is. You have a team and we care about you n’-”

“Team!? Team!? It was Weiss! She- she found out and… I- my dad was right! I shouldn’t have come so early! They ask people be seventeen before applying for a reason and-”

“Then Yang will set her straight.” Blake offered.

“It- It doesn't matter anymore. I’m just going to go-”

“No!” Blake rose her voice to get Ruby’s attention. “Don’t just run like that. You’ll regret it; regret running instead of standing up for yourself.”

“It’s not like I have anything here! At least back home I have my dad and uncle and…” Ruby sighed. “Yang is already tired of me. Weiss hated me before all this, and This is the first time you’ve looked up from your book longer than thirty seconds; even you hate me!” Ruby whimpered. “And now you know I’m a faunus, so, there’s just one more reason to…”

“Just because I don’t look up from my book doesn’t mean I hate you. It just means I like my book. Plus… I thought you knew.” Blake reached her hand up and pulled her bow loose to reveal her ears. “I figured you could smell it too; feline, right? Judging by your pattern… cheetah?”

“You’re- you knew? And you’re a…”

“Guess I’m a little more basic, just a black cat.” Blake shrugged.

“Wait! Smell!? Smell what?”

“That I’m a faunus. That’s how I knew you were one too.”

“What?! You already knew?”

“Yeah, did no one ever teach you to scent fellow faunuses before? I wanted to just stay undercover so I never reached out to anyone, but Velvet was quick to find me and figure out some support; safety.” Blake grinned darkly. “Lets just say, Cardin got a nice visit the other day and he won’t be picking on her any more, not if he wants to keep his family’s jewels.”

“Who would bring jewels with them to school?”

“I- it’s not…” Blake sighed. “Just know that you’re safe. Velvet and I will be there for you, and surely so will Yang. She doesn't really have family jewels, but…”

“Why not? She’s rich! If anyone would-”

“It doesn't matter Ruby. Just… don’t run off. Not like that, not cause of some asshole; some Schnee.”

“I-” Ruby hesitated.

“Please, at least give it the night? It’s raining anyways. You don’t wanna storm off in…” Thunder cracked hard and loud, startling them both. “A storm…” She sighed.

Ruby shook, her hands unsteady in the wake of Weiss and the thunder. “I… I’ll.”

“Please, I hate storms.” Blake pouted and played up her distaste only slightly. “Please stay; keep me company? In exchange, I’ll read my book to you?” Blake offered, lifting her blankets to be hidden under.

“You’re sure?”

“If you will hold off on your plans to leave.” Blake nodded.

Thunder struck once more, and Ruby was in Blake’s bed before she could even realize anything happened. “Ok!” Ruby squeaked.

Blake giggled and picked her book back up before slipping in next to Ruby. “Alright, where to start?” Blake cracked her book open and thumbed through it, unsure if Ruby would want to continue from where she left off.

“From the beginning. I always love beginnings.”

“Hmm, me too.”

The End