Chapter 13

A Class Act

(A/N: This chapter was very nearly cut from the original outline, but because I enjoyed writing it so much I thought you may enjoy as well. Just please keep in mind that it's much more of a comedic chapter than perhaps you're used to from me. Also, don't forget to check out Chapter 2 of "Remnants of Salvation" which I just updated. We get to meet Sarah's sister for the first time, and they have a relationship very reminiscent of our favorite crazy sisters. I hope you enjoy. God bless)

The first tedious day back to school was coming to an end, and anxious students sat at their desks looking slightly uncomfortable to be back in their uniforms again, but at the same time relieved to be in a familiar setting. Since the breaching of the City of Vale, every man, woman, and child had been on high alert, but especially those training to be future huntsmen who were looking for any excuse to shoot, stab, or smash something.

For the time being, teachers were turning a blind eye to the students carrying their weapons to class, so long as they were less conspicuous than say a sniper-scythe or grenade-hammer. The teachers being former or part-time huntsmen themselves weren't any better of course, as Professor Port had spent the entire day carrying his blunder-ax over his shoulder while recounting tales of valor and the countless times he had ridden shirtless into battle to save thankful young maidens. He even asked students to take a whiff of his a special, and potent, 'Grimm repellent', which when questioned about he merely stated that hyenas were fascinating creatures and offered to share his supply with the class. They had wisely declined.

Unlike his colleague and rather unlike himself, Professor Oobleck had not been in a talkative mood this day. All class period he had sat at his large, disorderly desk buried underneath a pile of folders that he graded in a frenzy, only occasionally pausing to take a sip from his thermos which had apparently been repaired. The man had been skinny as a rail before the mission to the lost city, but since returning he had lost considerable weight and was even more disheveled looking than normal. Rumor was he had been found half-dead after the battle due courageously engaging an Alpha Deathstalker by himself, which was later finished off by the Atlesian military with the assistance of a group of freshmen.

The old by definition huntsman seemed to carry all his years of service with him this day, which was sobering to all his students. He had completely retired from active duty at the end of his first tour, and now his only field work came from field trips or supervising an occasional freshman mission. After retiring he had earned two doctorates and was only a recent addition to Beacon's staff, but despite being a young man by the rest of the world's standards, he was an grizzled veteran in the eyes of the students, and it was days like today where his relatively brief time with the huntsmen seemingly caught up with him. And he self-admittedly was one of the luckiest to have walked away with their life.

Whenever his movements would begin to slow he'd take a quick sip from his thermos, causing his blue eyes to light up momentarily, or sometimes flicker with a hint of yellow or perhaps gold. The contents of his beverages were as suspect as ever among the students who debated endlessly what could be mixed with his drinks, but the only person privy to that information was too busy sharing a seat with Nora, coloring together and far too distracted to notice anything happening around her.

Sitting beside the bubbly pair, Weiss was diligently filing her nails still disgusted with their state even after several weeks since breaking them. The road to recovery was long and painful, and while she now only had a faint bruise from where the King Taijitu's fang had sunken deep into her flesh and broken her left arm, the heiress wasn't sure if she'd ever get over the trauma of having imperfect cuticles.

To her right, Blake turned the page of her novel ignoring the battles happening in the front of the room and off to the side. Not even Yang's snoring, which seemed to start in her toes and only grow stronger from there, could bother her after all these months together, and if she ever got too loud the faunus would nudge her causing the roar to die down at least momentarily.

Drool had puddled by her chin as she lay unconscious, hiding beneath her blonde mane and occasionally moaning softly in her sleep. Weiss had originally be assigned to sit beside her as possibly some kind of cruel joke by the professor, but because that hadn't ended well and under NO circumstances were the sisters allowed to sit beside each other ever again, Blake had been chosen as the sacrificial buffer between her partner and teammates, and all hell breaking loose.

She wasn't sure who'd try to kill who first, only that someday she'd have the left side of her body frozen in a block of ice and the other burnt to a crisp like one of her partner's dinners. After she was shot by friendly fire courtesy of her leader of course, who she'd steal occasional glances at to make sure she was doing alright.

The caped-girl had woken this morning in high spirits unlike her teammates, but it had been on their way to their third class together that Cardin accidentally stepped on her right foot in the hallway. If an over two hundred pound boy had stepped on her foot, Blake was certain she would've screamed, and she was positive Ruby would've as well if it hadn't been caught on the back of her throat. It was a wonder her foot or at least a toe hadn't been broken being as petite as she was, but Blake suspected that had more to do with her padded boots and socks and having her feet tightly wrapped in bandages.

Cardin had been carrying a grudge against the girl since the very first day of combat training when she trounced him in under a minute, but Blake believed stepping on her foot may have been an honest to God accident as no one was stupid enough to harm little Ruby Rose when her big sis was nearby, who proceeded to accidentally punch him in the face. Weiss and Blake had then carried their leader to their next class when she refused to go to the infirmary to have her foot x-rayed. Instead, with a sniffle and biting of her quivering lip, she loosened her boot to relieve the pressure presumably due to swelling. The only help she would allow were her partner's ice glyphs to numb at least some of the discomfort, something she would only do if she were in severe pain, and an occasional hand getting up or a shoulder to lean on while walking.

With her baby sister in good hands, Yang had moved through the gathered crowd and gone down to the locker room to wash up, and also to retrieve her black fingerless combat gloves. Blake knew it had been her own blood she'd washed off, and that she was wearing the gloves because she had busted her knuckles and didn't want anyone else to notice. Normally Cardin would've been knocked out and his face unrecognizable, but sitting across the room he was merely sporting a swollen lip and bruised cheek due to the much smaller girl barely breaking through his aura shield. And he must've either thought it'd been a warning punch or realized he'd been in the wrong as he had muttered an apology to the caped-girl before walking away.

Blake suspected that was partially why her partner was so exhausted, having used a substantial amount of her power just to get payback for her precious sister and remind everyone not to lay a finger on her. Especially right now...

Her baby sister's injuries were improving, albeit slowly, but her bruised black feet with burns and reminders of having been shredded by glass were still gruesome, and made her friends nauseous whenever they forced her to unveil them for inspection. It was a wonder she could even walk.

"Nora, do you ever think the moon looks like a giant cookie?"

"Every night," she answered breathlessly, sounding as though the younger girl might've been reading her mind. "Which colors look tastiest to you?"

"Do you even need to ask?"

Weiss momentarily paused in her filing. "Ruby, if you're considering what I know you are, I will personally burn every single one of your coloring books and snap each of your crayons in half."

The pair looked at the Ice Queen in horror before quietly going back to coloring, giving each other sneaky glances having already made their dinner plans.

Yang let out another moan, then mumbled something about a yin of Yangs before turning her head over.

Forgetting about her book, Blake briefly daydreamed about what having non-dysfunctional teammates would be like, something that was as intriguing as it was dreadful to think about. Wondering if the grass was simply greener on the other side, she turned her attention to Jaune and Pyrrha sitting in the seats directly in front. They were quietly going over their training regimen for the week which the faunus couldn't help from overhearing. She honestly didn't mean to eavesdrop, but she would've been lying if she hadn't learned something from the four time Mistral regional champion since becoming friends. Blake had never received what Weiss liked to call proper training with Gambol Shroud, and whether Pyrrha knew it or not she was a fountain of knowledge. While Ruby naturally gravitated toward her Variant Ballistic Chain Scythe's limitless versatility, and Weiss improving her technique and swordsmanship with her katana, Pyrrha Nikos had inadvertently taught the faunus something just as if not more important. How to combat someone who had earned the title of 'The Invincible Girl'.

They had sparred together at least half a dozen times in Professor Goodwitch's class, but to this date the only two to land even grazing blows were the sisters. Pyrrha wasn't as technical with a blade as Weiss, or as strategic as Ruby, and wasn't quite as powerful as Yang. But unlike them, Pyrrha had no foreseeable flaws to exploit and was just as deadly guarding behind her shield as she was with her multipurpose sword, spear, and rifle. Blake had learned how to overwhelm an opponent thanks to her leader, how to be a defensive wall with Weiss' proper training, and how to incorporate aura thanks to her partner's counter-striker mentality. She had adopted all their fighting styles into her own making herself something of a jack of all trades, an essential for a support fighter. But Pyrrha could do it all and more effortlessly, and now 'The Invincible Girl' was tutoring her partner first hand who was physically stronger and whose aura levels were nearing the top ten of the class. Jaune was getting stronger with each passing week, and as he'd proven during the breach, he was also learning how to be an effective leader directly from a prodigious young girl whose spontaneous battle strategies were second to none. And then there was still their teammates to consider as well...

Swallowing, Blake turned and her eyes nearly passed over Ren, who despite looking as though he hadn't slept in weeks was staring intently at the madman grading papers, patiently waiting for him to finish.

She almost felt ashamed for ignoring the only other classmate she considered to be as normal as herself, especially because of how often the same was done to her. She had found a kindred spirit in the Mistralian early in the first semester as they were both of few words and always carried a book to read, and preferred the attention being passed their unruly and boisterous partners. And his was the leading suspect for the cause of his exhaustion, which only fueled Yang's imagination of what their sister team could be doing so late even on school nights. Blake personally tried not to dwell on such things, or so she said.

Looking past the heiress, Blake spied Ruby and the girl who had tried smuggling a grenade launcher into class sharing a seat together and giggling. Despite them both being deceptively muscular and Nora a little stocky, they were small enough for the cushioned chair to comfortably sit them both while they colored at the same frantic pace as Oobleck graded the field reports.

'They're almost normal compared to us,' she laughed to herself, half wishing she was as petite and less lanky.

It was often believed that people with their auras unlocked were naturally more quirky due to wearing their souls on their sleeves. It meant every emotion was stronger and 'being yourself with the volume turned up' as her partner sagely put it. But for huntsmen in-training, it meant sharing those emotions as well as the most intimate parts of yourself with those closest to you, and glancing at her teammates, Blake knew she could never trade even their most irksome quirks for an ounce of sanity.

"F-I-N-I-S-H-E-D!" Ruby and Nora cried, with Oobleck slamming the last folder down and joining them.

Okay, perhaps an ounce or two wouldn't hurt...

Everyone in the room jumped out of their seats and several weapons were drawn as if the classroom had been suddenly invaded by hoards of Grimm, but calmly everyone sat back down and concealed their weapons once more.

Just as Blake tucked Gambol Shroud back into her hidden thigh holster and smoothed out her skirt, and Weiss placed her dust crystals back into her purse, Yang raised her head and wiped the drool off her chin.

"What'd I miss?" she yawned, having a serious case of pillow head which was the mane's basic function in class.

The monochrome pair glanced at one another sharing the same thought with the only other member of the team they considered somewhat sensible.

'They're all insane!' They turned to Ren who hadn't even flinched at the outburst. 'And maybe him most of all...'

"Okay, class!" Oobleck said quickly, taking another sip. "I have finished grading your first official huntsman field reports, and I must say that I am most pleased."

Nervous students wiped their brows while others gave each other high fives, or in Ruby and Nora's case, spin their seat around with their hands in the air as though they were on a theme park ride.

"With most of you..." The professor adjusted his spectacles and subtly turned his attention to the blond boy sitting directly in front of Blake, who she could hear whimpering.

Starting with the bottom row, Oobleck began passing back folders while making comments to each of the students, and since team RWBY sat in the last row they had to watch as the pile dwindled down.

"Well done, the both of you," the professor said to Pyrrha and Ren to absolutely no one's surprise.

Stepping to the side he glanced down at the blond knight.

*gulp*

"Mr. Arc, I'm afraid you'll be needing to rewrite yours. I expect much more from team leaders, and I'll remind you that this will go down as your first official huntsman report."

Jaune groaned as he saw his grade. "But you made me rewrite the last paper five times."

"And it would've been six but I was feeling generous and took pity on you."

The boy laid his head on the table causing many in the class to laugh at his embarrassment while his partner to rubbed his back and assured him it'd be alright. This made most of the condescending laughter die down as not only could she make them each regret they were ever born the next time Professor Goodwitch needed sparring partners, but having a girlfriend as beautiful and comforting as her made the guys envious rather than amused. Especially considering the partners shared both a bedroom and locker room together, and the knowing grin she was sharing with the class only served to fuel their imagination.

"Miss Valkyrie!" Oobleck shouted.

"Yes, sir!" She saluted, the chair finally coming to a halt.

Everyone cringed as he adjusted his glasses again and frowned.

"THIS IS ABSOLUTELY EXTRAORDINARY!"

From the corner of her eye, Blake caught Jaune slamming his head against the desk but her attention was quickly brought back to the professor flipping through the girl's report, where at the bottom of the page an extremely detailed and animated Ursa was crushed by a familiar looking hammer before sprouting wings and being ridden into the sky.

As Ruby and Nora did another victory spin, Oobleck stepped to the side in front of Blake and handed over a black folder

"Well done, miss Belladonna. However..." He leaned forward and lowered his voice. "I expect you to be a little more truthful in your next report. The only eyes who'll be reading this are already privy to your situation, as well as your previous employment."

She glanced at the grade then back at the professor wearing a mask of indifference. Content and not promising anything as he turned his attention to her partner.

Oobleck shook his head which caused the blonde to lean forward earnestly. Passing over a yellow folder, she opened it and was instantly deflated.

"I wasn't going to give you the satisfaction, miss Xiao Long." He pointed at the '70' written in red ink, as well as a scribbled out number and a '+1 for effort and mildly humorous puns'.

Yang's eye twitched and she turned to her partner with a broken look that matched her broken spirit.

"I was so close..." she murmured, her lip quivering. "So close..."

"I know, Yang." Blake laid the girl's head on her shoulder and ran a hand through her hair. "You worked hard, probably harder than all of us put together, and you'll get it next time."

Again, some of the students laughed but were quickly hushed. The memory of Cardin's accident was still fresh in their minds, and half the class would've killed to be the blonde's roommate and bunk buddy. Something that Yang savored throwing in the guys' faces whenever ever made the mistake of being rude to her best friend, which greatly irritated Blake but ESPECIALLY when she taunted/teased them with what her partner had seen or what they'd done together that none of them ever would get the chance to. Nothing quite made the faunus' face turn scarlet like Yang saying, 'Yeah well, I get to look at myself naked in the mirror, and she's seen me naked so who are the real winners here?'.

With the professor sliding to her left, Weiss smiled without worry, and without an ounce of emotion Oobleck handed over a white folder with perfect handwriting inside.

"Excuse me?" Her eyes narrowed at the almost perfect grade, which like Yang was only one point shy from her goal.

Weiss' dark thoughts disappeared however as the professor hurried to his desk and back, and what sounded like a bomb going off thundered beside her.

"RUBY!" she screamed, her hand back in her purse.

A large, white binder was laid on the table with loose papers coming out of the sides due to there not being enough room in her several hundred page novel. On the front cover, 'Best Field Report Ever!' was written in red crayon, but what caused the vain in the side of the heiress' head to bulge and nearly finally pop was what she saw on the inside.

"You used MY binder to get a perfect grade!?"

The caped-girl glanced at her partner then at the binder, then at Nora who immediately wrapped her arms around her in an Ursa sized hug full of joy.

"Excellent work, miss Rose," he congratulated before addressing the rest of his students. "Class should end in twenty-two seconds so before-" The bell sounded leaving the startled professor standing with his mouth open in shock, just like most of the class. It seemed for the very first time he was running behind schedule.

Ruby began to stand but sat back down almost instantly. Nora quickly began gathering the girl's things as well as her own before gently helping her to her feet and leading her back to the dorm, both giggling as they went.

"Remember class," Oobleck shouted. "Your amended field reports must be turned in directly to the Professor Ozpin himself by the end of the week. As Beacon's headmaster he is Vale's grand huntsman marshal, and given the circumstances of many of your first missions, I believe he is very eager to read about your heroic adventures."

He took another sip from his thermos and rushed out of the classroom. With everyone else filing out behind, a still stupefied Weiss' slumped against a bony shoulder.

"Come on," Blake said, playing with her partner's hair and now her's. "Let's get the two of you back home..."

(A/N: Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed. This was more of a comedic chapter, but it was one I enjoyed writing and one I wanted to share with you for quite some time now. Ruby and Nora's friendship has always been something I've enjoyed writing, and I've actually given some thought to writing a story about just the two of them. I also liked seeing the characters in the classroom as that's something we probably won't ever be getting again in the show and I haven't been able to fit into my narrative much. Yang's idea of a perfect grade made me laugh, and it might come into play again sometime in the future. And her 'sticking up' for Blake (and perhaps her friends) by saying "Oh yeah, well she's seen me naked!" seems like something she'd do, and she's not exactly wrong. I also like the idea of Ruby getting a higher grade than even Weiss, and we'll discover why that is next chapter.

I know I said I was going to be focusing more on "Remnants of Salvation", but I honestly sat down and very nearly edited the entire chapter in a single night. Chapters will still be infrequent I'm afraid, but perhaps focusing on another story won't make too much of a difference considering it means my "writing muse" will want to be fed more. And I believe (hope) it should be awhile before chapters are double digits in words again.

As always, thank you everyone for supporting myself, this story, and my other writing ventures. Thank you for all of the follows, favorites, positive reviews, PMs, shout outs, and humble readers. All credit goes to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who has blessed me with this story as well as all of you. God bless)