Chapter Twenty: Natural

Ruby's thoughts were wandering.

It was a phenomenon that tended to happen a lot during her morning classes, where the battle was to stay awake as Professor Port droned on. Invariably, her thoughts drifted back to the feeling.

At first, Ruby had thought that if she'd ignored it, the feeling would eventually just go away. Sure, it had come so suddenly, but it had only happened twice. Still, it'd started to manifest itself in other, subtler ways.

Little things had started to emerge after the sparring match. Gawking at Pyrrha every so often. Blushing at the little compliments Pyrrha gave her. Or even just feeling good, unusually good, around her best friend.

Ruby was confused at first, though as the weeks started to drag on, she had an inkling. It was one that she was starting to dread if it was what she thought it could be. A small part of Ruby's mind was starting to question if these little things had always been there and she was only just starting to notice them.

Yet, her guess made sense; the warmth, the fact that she felt herself drawn towards Pyrrha in a very literal sense whenever she was in the room… these led to an simple conclusion. Ruby didn't like it at all.

I don't have a crush on Pyrrha. There was no way it was possible.

It wasn't some kneejerk reaction, either. It wasn't like Ruby didn't know what attraction was like, I'm a smart cookie after all!

Ruby had gone through those painfully dull weeks back in Signal when the teachers would talk about the birds and the bees and the new stuff she'd feel as a teenager. That warmth, the sensation of feeling tight, what it was like to have a crush on someone… how'd they'd feel like the happiest person in the world and that they might even have sex…

Except as the years went on, Ruby never felt that way. At first Ruby had been worried when those sensations never came to her, but it never really caused her a great deal of stress. In fact, a long time ago, she'd made peace with the fact that it might just not be her thing. That was something Ruby was comfortable with. It was a concept that was never challenged throughout her two years at Signal or even her first year at Beacon.

Which was why it wasn't possible that she could have a crush on Pyrrha. Ruby just simply did not feel attraction like that, from her experience.

That didn't change the fact that Ruby was feeling something, that spending time with Pyrrha made her heart beat faster and her cheeks blush or even just be far more giggly than normal. The signs couldn't have been more textbook. The dots were connecting, and Ruby was wishing they weren't.

I could always test it? The thought lazily fluttered into her head. A small smile stretched across Ruby's face as she did a lazy sketch of Weiss on a unicycle before stealthily tossing it to the adjacent table.

Nearly a minute passed before Pyrrha noticed the wadded-up piece of paper and opened it. Immediately, she stifled a laugh before turning towards Ruby and giving a quick wave and a smile.

Ruby felt heat start to rise in her cheeks as emerald eyes briefly locked onto her own, tinging them with a faint red blush as Ruby could not for the life of her keep a straight face. She suddenly became very interested in her notes and averted her gaze.

Oh no, I do have a crush on her.

At the very least, that meant Ruby had been right about what the feelings meant. On the other hand, that made her even more confused than before.

It also meant that the comfortableness she had with her sexuality had been thoroughly shattered. I didn't think I liked anyone like that! The signs had never popped up as she grew up; in fact, it just seemed natural that they wouldn't ever come up.

Except now they had. So what does that make me? Does that mean I have to deal with… with this stuff now? Ruby groaned out loud, earning a small glance from her partner and a nudge to pay attention to the lecture. That wasn't going to happen anytime soon, sorry Weiss.

Actually, does this really change anything? Just because she felt good around Pyrrha didn't mean Ruby had to exactly act on her crush., In fact, there was nothing compelling her to even want to act on it besides herself. The possibility that nothing was truly different brought a small smile to Ruby's lips. Maybe this isn't so bad…? I just don't have to act on it, and it'll be fine!

I just need to pretend I don't have a crush on Pyrrha every time we hang out, and not act weird at all. Yup, totally can do that! Ruby's small smile drooped down into a frown.

…this is going to ruin our friendship, isn't it?

That possibility was beyond terrifying for Ruby. She didn't want the fun times they shared to be over in an instant all because of her stupid crush.

Who would step into Pyrrha's place then? Weiss? The only reason that Weiss was required to talk to Ruby was because they were partners. Something like friendship did come from that, but definitely not at first. Even then, they were partners first and friends second.

What about Jaune? Jaune had been in the same situation as Ruby had been when they first met: confused and friendless. They may both have had a lot of shared interests, such as video games or anime, but that wasn't enough. For one, Jaune for the life of him could not keep up with her weapons talk. Ruby felt bad for feeling this way - he still doesn't know the difference between a full tang and no tang weapon! - but she couldn't deny that having conversations with Jaune about her true passion was difficult at best. Besides, nowadays he was all caught up with the girl he was texting during class.

No, Pyrrha was irreplaceable. Ruby found in her someone who she could truly act like a complete dork around; Pyrrha might not be as well-versed as Ruby was, but she could talk shop about the latest weapon modifications and was always willing to try new hobbies, like gaming or origami. Unlike with Weiss, where circumstance forced them to be together, Ruby and Pyrrha both wanted to spend time with one another. They helped each other out when they were at their low points, like the fiasco involving Jaune or when Ruby felt like an utter failure after the Breach.

Perhaps that was why Ruby had felt she could call Pyrrha her best friend. Perhaps that was one of the reasons why she'd gotten a crush on her. Ruby had found a level of acceptance in someone that she'd never even imagined before.

And that was going to disappear into the wind because of a dumb crush?

No. That's not going to happen. Ruby's bout of hopelessness was replaced by determination. I'm not going to let my friendship fall apart because of me! There has to be something I can do!

I should probably talk to someone about this.

That was becoming abundantly clear as Ruby chewed it over. The real question was: who to talk to?

The go-to person would be Pyrrha normally, except given what the issue was about, that was probably not for the best. That would naturally leave her teammates.

For some reason, Ruby just couldn't quite imagine that Weiss would have very good advice or be all that able to relate it. Blake was all those problems plus the fact that Ruby wasn't the closest with their sole faunus teammate. That just left Yang. While Ruby did feel like she could talk to her sister about her crush, it still felt like Yang wouldn't be able to relate to it fully - she'd never had a crush on her best friend.

Who else could I go to then? I can't talk to Pyrrha or any of my teammates. I guess I could talk to Yang… A name bubbled to the surface of her thoughts. That's perfect!

Ruby did know someone who could relate to having a crush on a best friend. How did she not think of her sooner?

The dorm room door swung open moments after a knock.

"Oh! Hiya Ruby! You just missed Pyrrha, she just left to go help our fearless leader train!" A bubbly, orange-haired teen scratched her head. "I think they'll be back in an hour?"

"O-oh, well actually, I was hoping to talk to you."

Nora tilted her head in a curious manner. "Me?" Her confusion melted into a big smile before pulling Ruby into the room. "Well, come right on in!"

Despite all the time that Ruby spent with Pyrrha, she'd spent very little of it in the JNPR dorm. Unlike team RWBY's dorm, they'd arranged the beds with two on one side of the room, backed against a corner and the other two on the opposite side. The other half of the room had desks lining the wall.

Nora plopped down on a bed – presumably her own – before patting down a spot on the closest bed. "What didya want to talk about?"

Ruby awkwardly walked over and slowly sat down under Nora's inquisitive gaze. "Um." Ruby felt the distinct urge to pull her hood over her head, but she resisted. I just need to say it out loud and then it'll be out there. Yeah, that's all! However, that was easier said than done. Instead, Ruby opted for a different approach. "What's it like to feel in love with someone?"

Nora's mouth gaped for a handful of seconds before adopting a faint smile, a sad light entering her eyes. "It's amazing. Like it's the same but still brand new!" Nora jumped up from her seat. "I can't help my heart from racing, my mind goes fast and my knees start shaking!" Ruby found herself nodding along as Nora continued. "It's like my stomach does flips, and my brain does flo-!"

Barely perceivable sadness that tinged Nora's voices left as she looked down at Ruby, now with a very different expression. One that made Ruby realize how much she'd been blushing from Nora's description. "Wait, are you…?" Blue eyes widened in surprise. "Who do you have a crush on? Is it Weiss?!" When Ruby failed to react, Nora suggested another name. "Pyrrha?!"

Ruby felt her cheeks reddened from heat as she finally pulled the hood over her head. Darn it, she's already onto me. This wasn't how I thought it'd go! "…maybe?"

When Ruby finally lifted up the hood enough to see out of it, she was startled by Nora's face being more than a little close to her own, a huge smile stretched across it. "Did you want advice on asking her out?"

The thought hadn't even entered Ruby's mind as she slowly shook her head, which seemed to drain the excitement in Nora's eyes. "I'm not going to ask her out."

The smile turned upside down into a frown. "Aww, why not?"

"I-I-I don't want to ruin what we have…"

"Oh." Nora deflated as she backed away, as Ruby finally pull off her hood. What was surprising to Ruby, was the fact that Nora had let it go so easily.

"We're best friends and I've never had one before, and it's so great being with her, b-but now I'll act weird around her... I'd be happy just staying the way it is now." Ruby helplessly looked at Nora. "How do you do it?"

Even if Ruby had missed Pyrrha having a crush on Jaune, there was no way she'd missed Nora's crush on Ren. That was obvious, even to Ruby. Yet Nora's brow furrowed like she had no clue what Ruby was talking about. "How do I do what?"

"H-how do you and Ren stay friends even though you have a crush on him?" The words came unbidden out of Ruby's mouth before she clamped her hands over her lips instinctively. I didn't mean to say that out loud!

"Oooh, that?" Understanding dawned on Nora. "That's easy, just act like you always do!"

"Buh-wha?" Nora had said it so simply that Ruby could not believe she heard it right.

"Yup!" Curious eyes stared back at Ruby. "Why would you act any differently? It's how you feel, after all."

"Won't Pyrrha realize something is wrong when I start acting all, um, funny?" That made sense; Pyrrha was a perceptive person, and if Ruby started to avoid her or act giggly or whatever someone did when they had a crush, she would notice.

Nora shook her head. "Nope! You'll just be acting yourself - how's that funny?"

"B-but won't I be weird because I like her? Like, if she bumps into me or hugs me and I start feeling, um, nice, won't she be weirded out?" Ruby found the blush hadn't left her as she swore her cheeks were redder than her cloak.

"It'd be odder if you tried to act like you didn't have a crush." Nora's smile faded. "When I tried to do that, it just made Ren worry that something was wrong. So I stopped because it made him worry!"

Clearly Ruby didn't look convinced as Nora continued. "That's what I thought at first; if I let myself act like I was in love it was going to drive Ren away from me… but when I did, it felt all unnatural and Ren kinda thought I was avoiding him." The ginger had a large frown and looked like she was about to cry from reliving the memory, before flashing Ruby – perhaps a little forced – a grin. "That's why I just act like how I am!"

That makes sense. Ruby knew that if Pyrrha started to act differently, she would probably worry too. "But that doesn't change the fact that I have a crush on her…"

"That's not such a bad thing, is it?"

"Of course it's bad!" How could it be anything but bad? "Even if I don't try and hide it, it doesn't change the fact that I feel different." Nora raised an eyebrow, prompting Ruby to go on. "I didn't think that I was into this sort of thing. Like-liking other people…"

Nora nodded sagely before sitting down on the bed next to Ruby. "Is Pyrrha your first crush?" Nora asked after a few seconds pause.

"It's not that." Ruby half-heartedly waved off the question. "More, like, I've never really felt… attracted to someone before. It's weird." The younger girl gave a soft sigh before slumping against Nora. "It really is freaking me out, y'know?"

An arm reached around Ruby as Nora pulled the fretting teen into a half hug, her mouth compressing into a thin line. "You're really worried it's going to ruin your guys' friendship, aren't you?"

Ruby gave a quick nod. "Y-yeah. Pyrrha's the closest friend I've ever had, er, ever. She's my best friend. I don't want that to change. I don't wanna lose what I have."

"You won't lose her." Nora's voice had become hard – not necessarily harsh, but firm. It had a quality to it that Ruby had never heard from her before. "I haven't lost Ren, and I've had a crush on him for years. Heck, he even knows that I have a crush on him now and he's still my best friend!"

The hug ended as Ruby zipped up and off the bed in surprise. "Wait he does?!" Ruby was shocked - then how come they aren't actually together-together?

"Yup!" Nora gave a nod. "I actually sorta-kinda-confessed!" A faint blush turned into a more pronounced shade of red as Nora gave a huge sigh of relief. "Hehe, you're the first I've told that to…"

Ruby could only blink as she stared dumbstruck at Nora. "B-but I thought you never told Re- are you actually together-together?"

"Nope!" This time Nora shook her head. "It was actually sort of a relief when I did get it off my chest." Nora snorted in a rather un-Nora way. "It had been terrifying when I realized I had a crush on him. I thought it'd drive him away and make him abandon me."

One corner of her lips quirked upwards. "I guess I was being silly thinking that I was going to drive him away, so after while I thought, 'What if Ren feels this way about me?' So I asked." Nora's head hung low as she went on. "We talked for a long time about it too, but…" Nora started to idly fidget with her gloves.

"Ren is all I got. We don't even have a place to go back to." Nora gave a harsh laugh. "We've always been orphans, but at least we have each other. Sure, we have Jaune and Pyrrha now, but I've known Ren forever… he's been my partner before we ever had initiation. My best friend. I notice when he's worried or sick, just like how he notices whenever I'm acting different. We didn't want that to change for anything…" Nora trailed off. It wasn't until a concerned Ruby laid a comforting hand on her shoulder that she looked up with a start.

"That's why we aren't together-together, probably will never be too." The smile that graced Nora's lips was far sadder than it ever should be. "If he ever asked me, I'd probably say 'yes' in a heartbeat, but until then we're best friends." The smile lost some of its sadness. "I think talking about it made our friendship stronger, though. After a while, the feelings started to feel less, um, intense? Like, they're still there, but it's a lot easier now!"

Nora's smile seemed more genuinely happy as she bounced off the bed and onto her feet, doing a small turnaround before turning back towards Ruby. "You are going to be fine! Just be yourself - that's how it always worked for me, anyway! I've had a crush on my best friend for years, and we're still friends."

Just be yourself. Ruby mulled over what Nora had said. I just need to act like myself and everything will be fine? I mean, that does sound easy. More than just easy, it sounded almost too easy. Skepticism aside, the simplicity of the solution was the reason of why it worked. That wasn't the only thought that Ruby was processing, however.

The terror that Nora mentioned resonated with Ruby. Abandonment. In a span of months, a very casual friendship had turned into something that had become so integral to Ruby's life that the thought of not being friends with Pyrrha was an idea that the young girl could not entertain. Which was why Ruby was going to make it work.

If Nora could keep her friendship with Ren, why can't I do the same with Pyrrha? The more and more that Ruby thought about it, the less panicked she felt. I just need to act natural, I can do that! While the thought helped, there was still some lingering, nagging little doubt in her head. True, Nora would never lead Ruby astray, but it was possible that their situations were too different for the advice to be completely applicable. Pyrrha could always notice something is up…

A new thought bubbled up; what if we talked it out? From what Nora had said, it had made her situation a lot better. The only difference was, well, I've only been friends with Pyrrha for a few months, while Nora and Ren have known each other for years! Their friendship is probably a lot stronger than ours… Talking it out with Pyrrha could have the opposite effect, and could destroy their friendship instead of strengthening it.

On one hand, it could destroy their friendship, while on the other, admitting she had a crush on Pyrrha to the redhead herself could also possibly strengthen it. Still, she felt better by leaps and bounds now.

"Thanks Nora." Ruby pulled the teen into a hug, one that Nora returned with a strength that reminded her of Yang.

"Anytime Ruby!"

Editor/BETA: ASouthernRussian

AU: I am going to keep this brief.

In essence what happened was that both me and my editor/BETA did not do an adequate job with this chapter and essentially treated Ruby like a child. That was wrong on many levels and I am sorry about that more then you could believe.

So here we go, a significantly better version of chapter 20! Chapter 21 will be out tomorrow!

I've included the previous version of the chapter under this for reference for those who really liked it.

Omake – Guest author: Super Saiyan Cyndaquil:

Why her?

Had Velvet done something in a previous life to deserve this kind of strange and unusual punishment?

That punishment being having to sit awkwardly at the table of a local diner, while facing down Jaune's eldest (and arguably most terrifying) sister. It might not have been so bad if the older woman would say something; instead of just giving her that pointed stare, lips tucked in a thin line and arms crossed.

"So… Velvet was it?" On second thought, Velvet prefered it when she wasn't talking. That dry tone filled with barely restrained anger was enough to make the rabbit faunus want to run back to Beacon and hide behind Yatsuhashi.

Why was it taking Jaune so long to get here? How did she even let him talk her into going ahead of him in the first place? There was something very wrong with this picture. He should definitely be here with her right now! That way he could be the one to talk to her. Speaking of which, she should probably say something right about now.

"Y-yes! My name is Velvet!" Way to be articulate. Wonderful work. Jaune's eldest sister looked equally unimpressed as she cocked a purple eyebrow. It felt like her orange eyes were burning a hole right into Velvets soul, leaving her completely exposed before this woman. "And you- you're Violet, correct?"

"That I am." Finally, the Arc woman took her gaze off Velvet, turning her nose down to a cup of black coffee. She lifted the small white container, pushing back her purple ponytail as she sipped lightly at the dark liquid. "Jaune tells me you're studying to become a Huntress." Violet started after setting the cup down. Was small talk a good sign or a bad one? Velvet was really hoping for good.

"He and I met at Beacon." Either way, she nodded along quickly. "I understand you are a Huntress too."

Violet snorted. "I used to be a Huntress. First and only one since our great grandfather. Although that will change pretty soon if Jaune manages not to get killed before graduation."

Velvet tilted a head curiously. She didn't really understand; Violet looked able-bodied and she couldn't have been any older than twenty-five. "Why… did you quit?"

"Because it was filling Jaune's head with silly ideas." Violet leaned an elbow on the table, resting her chin in the open palm of her hand. "I became a Huntress to protect my family from the Grimm. Not to convince my younger brother to go out and get killed by them."

"Jaune is stronger than that!" Velvet blurted without even having a chance to think about what she was going to say.

"Jaune had to fake his transcripts just to get accepted. Do you know that?" Velvet's ears deflated and she gave a small nod. Violet didn't sound particularly angry when she said that, but rather tired. She then gave a long sigh. "Our parents don't even know. They just thought somehow it was that easy to get accepted. Of course, they expected him to drop out after the first couple weeks too. I'm the only one who discovered the truth and that's only because it was my transcripts he stole and edited."

There was a tidbit Velvet didn't know before. She had always wondered how Jaune had managed to get his hands on something convincing enough to trick his way in. She supposed it just went to show: The best lies contain a hint of truth to them. It was because of that lie Jaune once told, however, that she ever got to meet him. "Jaune… has made many mistakes."

"That's an understatement." Violet scoffed, but Velvet wasn't done just yet.

"He's also done a lot of good. I- I don't think Jaune would have ever needed to steal your transcripts if someone from his family had just believed in him to begin with."

"That's a nice sentimentality. It takes more than just good feelings to survive out in the real world, however."

"I don't think that's true." Velvet breathed in deep, hiking up her shoulders and turning to look the eldest Arc sister right in the eyes. "Jaune is only alive now because his friends, his teammates, and his partner believe in him. If they didn't, then they wouldn't rally behind him. I believe in Jaune too… and I love him. So if he ever needs my help, I will never hesitate to give it. Just like I know he'll do for me."

"..." Violet didn't say anything right away, instead staring at her intently with the same unwavering gaze as before. Velvet again felt like her whole character was being tested by that gaze, but this time she did not give an inch, determined to show how much she meant what she just said.

Finally, Violet broke eye-contact first, once again to take a sip from her coffee. "Not bad; could be better, but certainly not the worst." She gave an almost accepting nod and placed the cup back down. "My little brother really knows how to pick 'em. Which is more than can be said for some of our other sisters."

Wait a second… was that actually a test just now? "W-what would have happened if you didn't like my answer?" The grin Violet gave after Velvet asked that question would give her nightmares for weeks. As would the answer.

"The same thing that happened to all the other girls who thought they were good enough for my little brother."

ORIGINAL CHAPTER TWENTY

Chapter Twenty: Confusion

Ruby was starting to have second thoughts as she waited nervously for Jaune to show up.

Maybe if I just ignore the feeling, it'll just go away… then I won't have to talk to anyone about it! As lovely as the idea was, it had become increasingly clear that wasn't going to happen, as that feeling kept popping up.

It'd been a few days since the unarmed sparring; Ruby and Pyrrha had thrown themselves headlong into the semester's first gauntlet of tests. But once the tests had ended and Ruby's mind had no longer been occupied by the countless laws Vacuo had about wasting water, there was no more ignoring that persistent sensation.

Ruby opted to finally talk to someone about it. Naturally her first choice would have been Pyrrha… though considering how the funny feeling only seemed to get worse around her best friend, Ruby decided that perhaps this was not the best idea. Maybe she should find someone else who was easy to talk to and was understanding… someone like Jaune.

It was for this reason that Ruby was sitting in a secluded study room in the library, which she had checked out in order to have some private time with Jaune. The clumsy blonde was running late as usual, which gave Ruby plenty of time for second thoughts.

What if I'm just imagining this feeling? There could be nothing wrong with me, except for just being a weirdo… why is it happening only around Pyrrha, anyway? It's not like anything has really changed - we're still good friends! How come I'm not feeling stuff like that when Weiss changes or something? Or Bla-

"Hey, sorry I'm late!" Jaune's entrance pulled Ruby's attention away from staring a hole into the study table and to the new arrival. "Velvet wanted to talk to me for a moment. Yeah."

Ruby couldn't repress a snicker; Jaune and Velvet had been acting really lovey-dovey ever since the semester break had ended – the time when Velvet made Jaune lunch and arranged the contents of his meal in the shape of his family emblem came to mind. "Hey Jaune."

The chair made a muffled sound as Jaune dragged it across the carpeted floor so he could sit down, his school bag dropping down with a soft plop next to him. "So, what did you want to talk about?"

"…uh." Ruby's silver eyes widened as she realized that she had no idea how to vocalize what she had been feeling. "I've been feeling… weird."

"Weird." Jaune echoed back, as if the statement made so much sense that no further elaboration was needed. However, Ruby could see in Jaune's concentrated gaze and pursed lips that this was not enough information. "Weird, like, you finally ate too many cookies and your stomach is angry kind of weird?"

"You can never eat too many cookies!" Ruby pouted for a moment before she settled into a frown. "More like, I feel really kinda warm? Not because it's springtime or anything, because it's, like, warm inside me?"

"Warm inside but not outside…" Jaune rubbed his chin for a few seconds. "Maybe you are sick? You could have a fever. You could see a doctor if you are feelin-"

"I'm not sick." The redhead shook her head quickly. "If I was sick, then it wouldn't keep going away and coming back, right?"

The blonde's brow furrowed. "Huh, uh, well, where does it feel like it's coming from?"

The moment that Ruby's hand started to gesture below her belly button, Jaune looked away – his eyes darting nervously around the room, landing anywhere but the vague direction that Ruby was in. "Right, okay, this is not something I can help you with. Sorry, Ruby."

Ruby watched with alarming concern as Jaune grabbed his bag and started to back out of his seat. "Wait, Jaune, do you know something about this? Why are you leaving?"

"I have seven sisters, Ruby." Jaune gave a tired, weary sigh, only briefly slowing down toward the door. "I've had this conversation one too many times before." The blonde snapped his fingers. "Hold on, I bet Pyrrha could explain it! You should go ask her about it – not me!"

"See, that's the thing…" Ruby had to resist the urge to pull her hood over her head as she mumbled, "Whenever I'm around her now, that's when I feel like that."

Jaune's slow advance to the door finally halted as his breath sucked in. "Oh. Well, crap."

"Yup."

"…" Jaune wordlessly sat back in his chair. "Well, this is going to be awkward."

"So, uh, what exactly am I feeling?" Ruby asked as she watched Jaune pinch the bridge of his nose. "Am I actually sick with some sort of girly disease?"

"No, what you-" A loud ring tone stopped Jaune mid-sentence, and he started fumbling around his bag for the source of the noise. "Hold on, Velvet is calling me."

Suddenly, the look of someone resigned to their fate was wiped off his face as he stared at the scroll. "Actually…"

Blue eyes turned towards silver. "Velvet would probably be able to do this better."

Ruby's confusion only grew as she found herself in team CFVY's dorm room, alone with Velvet.

Of all the people that Ruby knew, she had not expected for Jaune to suggest his girlfriend. Certainly, Ruby had nothing against Velvet, but…

It's not that I don't like her - in fact Velvet had nothing but helpful to Ruby the handful of times they talked, always eager to help a underclassmen - but I kinda don't know her. Plus, the whole reason she was there still felt weird, and it wasn't going to get any easier with a near stranger. A heavy silence dominated the room.

"So, um, Jaune said you needed to talk with someone about… feeling out of sorts?" Velvet finally asked after a few moments of fidgeting with her fingers.

"Yeah." Ruby gave an uncertain nod. "He said you could help explain it better than he could, or, uh, something?"

"O-oh. I see." Ruby felt Velvet's gaze tentatively focus on her. "He said the same thing to me too."

"…oh." So Velvet is in the same boat as me at least. That's good? I guess? "S-should I start?"

"If you feel comfortable." Bunny ears swayed as the brown haired girl nodded encouragingly with a warm voice.

"I, um, well, I've been feeling sorta, kinda weird?" The shorter girl embarrassingly admitted. "Like really weird."

Velvet giggled lightly. "So I've heard. Do you think you are ill?"

Ruby shook her head. "Nope. If I was, then that feeling wouldn't keep coming back and going away at random, right?"

Velvet's mouth compressed into a worried frown. "Anything else you can tell me about it…?"

"Yeah." Ruby gestured towards the area, below her waist. "I feel around here."

Similar to Jaune, this got a rather immediate reaction out of Velvet, whose mouth drooped slightly and eyes widened in surprise. "Oh." Brown eyes blinked as surprise. "W-was this when Jaune told you to talk to me?"

"Yeah." Ruby slowly nodded, as she anxiously glanced back at the faunus. "D-do I need to see a doctor or something? Is something really wrong with me?" Velvet shook her head. "Okay, then what?"

There was a pause. "I think Jaune mentioned before that you got into Beacon two years early?" Velvet finally inquired after a handful of seconds.

"Uh-huh, but what's that got to do with how I'm feeling?" Ruby's curiously stared at Velvet.

"Um. Well." Velvet's ears drooped slightly as she gave a sigh. "This is going to be awkward. Did… did anyone ever have the talk with you? Like your parents or an older sibling?" Velvet's face lit up in recognition. "Such as Yang?"

Ruby wracked her brains. The talk? Her dad had given her a speech when they found out she was going to be living in the dorms about 'always use protection'. And that if any boys ended up on either her or Yang's team to 'make sure they know their dad is a hunter'. To be honest, most of it had gone straight over Ruby's head at the time. However, he never mentioned anything about an uneasy warmth where her legs met. "I… don't… think so? I mean, Dad did mention something about using protection, but I don't think that's what you mean."

"It's... related." Velvet gave a slow nod. "I-I don't know when they do this in this kingdom, but in Vacuo, it's around..." The brown-haired girl tapped her chin for a few seconds. "When you are twelve years old, they have a week or two where they go over some… different topics and divide classes by girls and boys." Her pale face started to redden. "Do you remember that?"

"Sort of?" The younger teen could vaguely recall that for a few weeks one year, normal classes had been interrupted to talk about some gro-

"What?!" Ruby's voice came out as a screech, causing to Velvet to jump a full two feet out of her chair and landing rather gracelessly on the floor. "Y-y-you mean the… t-t-that's…?" The redhead could vaguely recall one of the teachers mentioning that a sensation similar to warmth. Ruby's face flushed red with embarrassment as she pulled the hood over her head.

This is what they meant?! Ruby had only paid a little attention at the time, as she was more interested in doodling weapons on notebook paper then the class (in her defense, it had been really boring). The warm feeling, the sensation of feeling tight down there... it was all starting to come back to Ruby now as she remembered the week and a half seminar. It's what someone felt when they wanted to have sex. Wait, does that mean I want to have sex?! I don't want to have sex! Sex means babies!

Fearful thoughts coursed through Ruby's mind. If I have babies, then I won't be able to graduate and I'll have to drop out and I'll never become a huntress! I'll have to leave my team and then they'll go on without me, and who'd I even have sex wit-

"Ruby, are you alright?" Velvet had already clambered to her feet and was loaming over Ruby's quivering form. "I promise you, that it's natural."

That provided little comfort to Ruby, whose mind was running in circles and eyes were darting towards Velvet before shaking her head. "N-n-no, i-i-it's not okay!" Her voice cracking, a far higher pitch than it normally was. "D-d-doesn't that mean I want to have kids?" The last word came out as a barely audible whisper.

"No-no-no!" Velvet's usually quiet voice was louder than Ruby had ever heard it as the teen bent down to eye level. "That's not quite it. What you are probably feeling is, well, it's arousal. Have you ever, um, that's to say… it's basically what happens if you find someone to be rather attractive."

That didn't seem anywhere near as bad to Ruby as the insane anxiety-driven thoughts she had been experiencing moments ago. "You just feel like that when you find someone attractive?" she parroted back.

"That's correct." Velvet gave a small nod accompanied by her frown melting away into a small smile. "When you find someone that you want spend time with or is particularly, uh, inciting," that last word was far quieter than the rest, "that is when you tend to feel that way."

"Oh." Ruby blinked as she processed the information. It finally clicked, her silver eyes lighting up in understanding. "Ohhhhh. That. That's it?" Ruby's mind went back to the conversation she had with Pyrrha about her persons-of-interest at Signal - I guess I really didn't have feelings for any of them then. "So this is what it feels like?"

Velvet's ears flopped as she gave another nod. "See? It's nothing to be scared about. It's natural, and everyone feels like that at some point." She rested a reassuring hand on Ruby's shoulder.

"Does that mean you feel that way about Jaune?"

The faunus' face turned as red as Ruby's cloak in less than a second. "…yes."

"Th-that's not so bad then?" Ruby's thoughts were finally starting to settle as she stared up at the upperclassman. "I-is that it?"

Velvet let out a long sigh of relief, her smile deepening. "I think so. Unless you happen to have any other questions…?"

Any other questions? A memory bubbled to the surface from that week. "Didn't you say that you usually start getting feelings like, uh, that," Ruby felt heat rise to her cheeks, "when you are, like, thirteen?"

"Not always." Velvet gave a small shrug. "It varies for everyone. Maybe you just didn't find anyone attractive before you started to feel it?" As Ruby processed her words, Velvet continued. "Do you remember the first time you felt like that?"

The younger teen nodded. "Yup, it was a month ago! I had screwed up my feet a little bit, and Pyrrha was carrying me to… to…" Silver eyes widened in horror as it dawned on Ruby.

Velvet, however, was the one to vocalize it after Ruby failed to. "It's Pyrrha?"

"That can't be it." Ruby found herself already answering without hesitation. "Pyrrha's my best friend. That's it! I'm not attracted to her at all, a-and I shouldn't be!"

"O-oh." Velvet was slightly taken aback by the outburst. "Are you sure, Ruby?" The concern was thick in her voice as she carefully studied Ruby. "When else have you felt, um, aroused?"

"Well…" The underclassman pondered for a little while as Velvet pulled her chair closer to the bed that Ruby was sitting on. "There was the time during the semester break. Then there was when we were studying for the test last weekend… and when Pyrrha and I were sparring…"

Velvet nodded encouragingly to go on, but Ruby shrugged; those were all the times she could think of off the top of her head. "This might not be my place to say anything, but it sounds to me like all of instances you gave have Pyrrha in them."

"Maybe it's that's not it! What if I'm really sick and I should see a doctor?" The redhead's voice was speeding up at a frantic pace. "M-maybe that's just it! I totally a-"

"When Pyrrha is close, does it feel like you are on fire?"Velvet's calm voice stopped Ruby in mid-ramble. "Not like an actual fire, but just a warmth that slowly diffuses throughout your body? Or your heart beating fast enough it feels like it's going to burst out of your chest?"

Ruby unconsciously nodded as brown eyes stared steadily at her silver ones. "I… guess so? Like, whenever Pyrrha is around, I just feel a lot, I dunno, happier?"

The corner of Velvet's mouth stretched into a large smile. "I think you have a crush on Pyrrha, then."

"But how do you know that?"

"Because that's what it was like for me with Jaune." The Faunus simply stated. "He made me feel happy when he was around, made me feel warm." Velvet's face started to flush red again.

Ruby's mouth, meanwhile, turned into a worried frown. "But then if it's like that, how come I only started to feel like this for Pyrrha now? We've known each other since initiation - heck, why haven't I felt like this before with other people?" She stared inquisitively at Velvet. "That's what's normal, right?"

"Sometimes." Velvet nodded before continuing. "But not always. It varies for everyone. You could just not have found anyone attractive beforehand, or you could just be a bit of a late bloomer."

Ruby's face scrunched up in concentration as she tried to think back to what she'd been told in school. "But, how come I don't find anyone else, um, arousing?" Ruby felt heat rising to her cheeks, tinging them red.

"I… I actually might have an idea on that; have you ever been as close to someone as you are with Pyrrha?"

"Yup! Yang and my dad, and I guess my teammates?" The questioning look that Velvet was giving her gave Ruby the feeling that she meant something entirely different by 'close' friend. "Um, I guess just Blake and Weiss?"

"Would you say you are better friends with Pyrrha than with either of them?" Ruby shook her head. "You might just not have been close enough to anyone before."

"Huh?"

"It varies for everyone," Velvet calmly continued. "You might not have felt attraction for someone until you got a strong enough emotional bond to them."

You don't feel attraction unless you have a strong emotional bond? The words ran like a loop in Ruby's head as they slowly settled in.

Throughout the years, Ruby had never had that many friends. Sure, there always was Yang, but she was Ruby's big sister first and friend second. While at Signal Academy, Ruby had made a few friends. At the end of the day, however, there was never one person which Ruby could point to and call a best friend. A few close friends, but that was it.

Then, when Ruby got accepted into Beacon Academy two years early, her previous friendships were strained as she left for a new school. She had made new friends there, like Weiss, Blake and Jaune and, to a lesser extent, Jaune's team, team JNPR.

Ruby could say, without a doubt in her mind, that she was close friends with Weiss, Blake and team JNPR, but it wasn't until the dynamic changed – Jaune and Velvet started to date – that she had someone who was closer to her then any previous friend.

Sure, it had started out small with Ruby trying to cheer Pyrrha up, but over the course of a semester, they'd grown close. Close enough that Ruby could officially say she had a best friend for the first time.

Pyrrha Nikos was the person that Ruby had bonded with more than anyone, outside of her own family.

"I guess that makes sense." A small smile lit up Ruby's face as the mystery was solved… only for it to be wiped off in a second when she finally processed everything that had been said.

"I-I-I have a crush on P-Pyrrha."

"Is that a bad thing?" Ruby could hear the concerned, muffled voice through her hood that she had reflexively pulled over. "Everyone gets crushes."

"It'll make things weird between us!" Ruby woefully shook her head. "I'll be acting all weird and crushy and then Pyrrha might get weirded out and not want to hang out anymore, and then we won't be friends, and she'll be alone and sad again!"

"I don't think Pyrrha would do something like that, Ruby. I may not be very good friends with her, but she is Jaune's partner. He thinks the world of her, and from what he's told me, I can tell you for a fact that she isn't that kind of person." A small smile crossed Velvet's face. "If anything, she'd be more concerned about you."

Ruby could agree on that, but the anxiety had settled into a low level of panic. "O-okay, so what do I do? Do I just ignore it and it eventually goes away? Is there a way to make it so I don't have a crush on Pyrrha…?"

Velvet gained an amused, almost skeptical look. "It's not that bad to have a crush on someone is it? Isn't it good to feel that kind of warmth when you are around them? To feel happy?"

"Yeah, but I'll be acting really all funny." The younger teen protested. "And Pyrrha will wonder what's wrong and then I'll have to tell her…"

"Then why don't you just tell her?"

Silver eyes widened in horror. "I-I-I can't do that!"

Velvet met Ruby's gaze unflinchingly. "Why not?" It seemed absurd to Ruby that Velvet was even asking that question.

"What if Pyrrha doesn't like girls? What if she thinks I'm some kind of freak?!" Ruby's voice had gone up an octave. "Pyrrha likes boys, not girls!" Even in Ruby's increasingly frantic state, she knew to keep herself from blurting out how exactly she knew that tidbit of information.

"On the other hand, what if Pyrrha felt the same way about you? What if she wanted to be more than friends as well?" Truthfully, the thought hadn't entered Ruby's mind, as she felt her cheeks tinge with red from rising heat as she stared down at her lap.

Pyrrha might have a crush on me? The thought was absurd; Pyrrha Nikos having any sort of feelings for normal knees Ruby? Yet Ruby couldn't deny the fact Pyrrha might made her far happier than she'd felt in a long time.

However, there was always the other possibility, that Pyrrha didn't have the same feelings that Ruby was discovering she had for her. If that was the case, and Ruby confessed…

"But if she doesn't, then I might lose my best friend."

That possibility was beyond terrifying for Ruby. She didn't want the fun times they shared to be over in an instant all because of her stupid crush.

Who would step into Pyrrha's place then? Weiss? The only reason that Weiss was required to talk to Ruby was because they were partners. Something like friendship did come from that,, but definitely not at first and even then, they were partners first and friends second.

What about Jaune? Jaune had been in the same situation as Ruby had been when they first met: confused and friendless. They may both have had a lot of shared interests, such as video games or anime, but that wasn't enough. For one, Jaune for the life of him could not keep up with her weapons talk. Ruby felt bad for feeling this way, but he still doesn't know the difference between a full tang and no tang weapon… it made conversations about the redhead's true passion difficult. Besides, nowadays he was all caught up with the girl sitting before her and less and less time to hang out with her.

Yet in Pyrrha, Ruby found someone who she could truly act like a complete dork around; she might not be as well-versed as the Ruby was, but she could talk shop about the latest weapon modifications and was always willing to try new hobbies, like gaming or origami. Unlike Weiss, where circumstance forced them to be together, Ruby and Pyrrha's friendship was more of an equal dynamic. They helped each other out when they were at their low points, like the fiasco involving Jaune or when Ruby felt like an utter failure after Breach.

Perhaps that was why Ruby had felt it was right to call Pyrrha her best friend. Perhaps that was one of the reasons why she'd gotten a crush on her. Ruby had found a level of acceptance in someone that she'd never even imagined before.

So the thought of losing all of that in an instant made Ruby curl up on the bed, her knees pressed against the bottom of her chin, arms wrapped around them and barely holding back breaking into tears.

"I-I-I don't have that many friends. I've never had a best friend before." Ruby's gaze rose back up to look at the looming faunus, the world taking on a glassy quality. "I… I can't, I don't wanna…" The struggle to keep back the tears was being lost as they trickled down her cheeks.

Hesitant arms wrapped around her as the looming shadow closed the distance. Tears turned into soft sobs in the faunus' arms. As minutes passed the sobs finally ebbed away into the odd sniffle. "You don't have to tell Pyrrha, if you don't want to."

Ruby gave a small nod before Velvet continued. "If you ever need someone to confide in, I'll be around." Ruby finally felt calm enough to speak.

"Promise you won't tell Jaune?" Ruby's voice felt small even to herself.

"I promise."

Editor/BETA: ASouthernRussian

AU: Hey look, characters have feelings for each other, and we know where I get the name for the story now!

Okay so I don't have too much to say this time. First is what the hell am I doing with Ruby, you might be asking yourself… well, you are probably asking me, let's be real here.

Ruby is demi-sexual.

Originally I was going to be more overt about it, but basically this comes from a conversation with NarfoOnTheNet many many months ago, probably in July or June of 2015.

What is Demi-sexual?

That is when someone doesn't feel sexual attraction towards someone unless they have a strong emotional connection or bond with someone. Think of it as in-between asexual and sexual.

If I got that wrong and offended anyone, I am deeply, deeply sorry.

With that out of the way, *author drops to their knees* FORGIVE ME FOR I HAVENT RESPONDED TO REVIEWS! D: I was crushed between work, writing Regrets (14,000 word one shot that everyone should check out!) and trying to get this done in the four week schedule I normally do!

FORGIVE MEEEEEEEEE D:

Oh, a special thanks to SylverLining for consultation on certain bits too! :D

I think that's it? Relatively short chapter and author's note this time around, only one omake too, by Super Saiyan Cyndaquil! Someone asked for more Arc family and bunbun and that's what you get! I'll try and have chapter twenty one release on May 6th!

Thank you for reading everyone, I hope you all have a great day! :D

P.S. Chibi RWBY mini-series is going to be a thing! Here's hoping for some Chibi Pyrrha!