Weiss

The air was rife with howls and battle cries as we pushed forward. Ruby, Yang, Blake and I were melding into the mass of people that was charging down the corridor. A group of Ursa was at the opposite end and was charging towards us. We met in the middle with a clash of weapons; bullet to tooth and blade to claw.

Ozpin had sent us out with one goal in mind: Break through the line. We needed a way out, we needed a way to get to the chapel and stop whatever it was Myrka was planning. The remaining able-bodied teachers and older students were pressing towards the main doors, while we were fighting our way towards the side entrance.

"It's best to split our forces," Ozpin had said. "That way we split up their defence as well. The closer one team gets to the door, the more they'll try to stop it, and the easier it will be for the other team. So aim for speed. The faster you gain ground, the easier it'll be for us, and then as we progress it'll become easier for you." So we charged. With no room or time for elaborate battle plans and clever tactics, we faced them head on. It had served us well, up til now.

Myrtenaster sliced into the hide of an Ursa that reared up in front of me. Spinning around in a flourish, I stabbed into the ground at the feet of another Ursa as I detonated the Freeze Dust I had loaded. The Ursa, which had been about to stamp down on Ruby, became a bear-shaped block of solid ice. Ruby called out her thanks as she swung Crescent Rose at the pillar of ice, shattering it across the middle and halving the Ursa within.

I stepped back from the front as Pyrrha lunged in front of me. She raised Akoúo to meet another monster's blow, her shield sending the blow wide. The redirected force of the Ursa's own blow sent it stumbling, and Pyrrha didn't hesitate to lunge forward with Miló's javelin form, piercing the Ursa's hide.

Nora let out a giggle of joy as she vaulted over Pyrrha and sent Magnhild thundering into the injured Ursa's face. She dropped to one knee as she landed, still giggling with delight. Ren appeared, from seemingly out of nowhere, and, using Nora's shoulder as a step, sent himself soaring upwards. He flipped upside down and let loose as storm of bullets from StormFlower. While it didn't take any of the front Ursa out, it distracted them. They reared up, covering their heads with their front paws. This let Ruby, Yang, Blake and I dash forward to lay waste to their unprotected bodies.

The monsters fell like pins, one after the other. Between the four of us, we managed to clear the next two rows of enemies, getting us a few feet closer to our way out. Pyrrha and Jaune stepped in front of us, and raised their shields as we stepped back. Rather than waiting just behind the front lines, we dropped to the back to recover. When we reached the back of the ranks of students, we all slumped to the ground, exhausted.

"How much longer can we keep this up?" Blake asked. Her hair was drenched with sweat, and strands of it were sticking to her face. She looked unnervingly dishevelled, especially compared to her normal, groomed appearance.

"Well there are a lot of us," I replied. "So we can keep going for a while. The real question is whether or not we'll make it out in time like this. We need something to help us break their line."

"Weiss is right." Ruby said. She was lying on her back, staring at the ceiling. "Charging in worked well enough to get us this far, but we need another way to get past them, and quickly."

"Does anyone have any ideas?" Yang asked.

We all turned silent as we thought. Ruby wriggled herself around so that she was resting her head on Yang's thigh, and closed her eyes. I couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy.

"We just need a way to weaken their line, right?" Blake asked.

"Yes," I replied. "If we weaken the line enough, we should be able to break through them."

"Then what if we led some of them away?" Blake suggested. "If a couple of people could make it over the top of them, and get behind them, then they could attack from behind and lead some away once they get their attention."

"That could work…" I mumbled as I scratched my chin in thought. "What about you, Blake, and Ren? You're both pretty light and agile." It seemed like the best course of action but, to my surprise, Yang stepped in.

"No," she said, with an air of finality. "I'm going with her."

"I really think that Ren would be better suited to—"

"I don't care who's suited to what. I'm going with Blake." The seriousness, the fire, in Yang's eyes was frightening. She was determined to go.

"Yang, you should really—" I began to try once more to convince her, but she cut me off again.

"Blake is not leaving my side." Yang said. "Not for anything." I gave Yang a concerned look and turned towards Blake. Blake looked sympathetic, but just as determined.

"It's okay, Weiss." She said gently. "Yang can come. We can watch each other's backs better than Ren and I could anyway. It'll be fine." I looked at her silently for a little while longer before nodding.

"Okay, if you two are sure." I said. They both nodded. "Well, we should probably rest up for a little while longer. You need to be at your best if you're going to do this."

We stayed sitting down at the back of the pack and planned out the rest of our strategy. Blake and Yang would lead as many Ursa away as they could, and Ruby and I would lead the students out to somewhere where we could regroup. We picked a large hall near the exit we were aiming for as our rendezvous point. Ruby and I would need to make the most of the weakened enemy line to make as much ground as we could as fast as possible if we were going to get there in time. The hall was a little out of our way, but as long as we made it their fast enough, we'd be fine.

"Well we should get going," Ruby said as she got to her feet. "We need this done yesterday." We nodded as we hauled ourselves up after her. "We don't have time to tell everyone the details of the plan," she continued. "Just let people know to charge when we give the order."

We pushed our way back to the front line, and by the time we got there, everyone was ready for our last ditch attempt to break the enemy lines. Team JNPR was fighting again when we reached the front, with help from two teams of second years. I pulled Pyrrha away from the battle when she stepped back into line and told her about the details of the plan. She nodded that she understood and rushed off to inform the rest of her team while we got ready.

Yang and Blake were standing a few metres from the fighting, reloading their weapons.

"Are you sure you guys are ready to do this?" Ruby was asking as I reached them. Yang gave Ruby a sidelong look and a confident grin.

"Relax, little sister," Yang patted Ruby on the head as her smile turned from cocky to reassuring. "You do your job, we'll do ours." Ruby nuzzled Yang's hand and smiled back.

"Okay," she said. "We'll see you two in a little while." Yang shot her another grin as she turned back to Blake.

I turned around as I heard someone call my name and saw Pyrrha and Jaune running towards us.

"What's going on?" I asked them. "Did something happen?"

"No, no," Pyrrha reassured me. "We had an idea. Hey, Yang, Blake!" Yang and Blake turned towards Pyrrha, both wearing questioning looks. "Do you two need a lift?" she asked with a smile, holding up Akoúo. Yang broke into a grin as she realised what Pyrrha was suggesting.

"Hell yes! I didn't get to have any fun climbing the wall this morning." She said excitedly. I shook my head at the confused look Pyrrha shot me.

"We can fill you in later." I said. Pyrrha nodded and walked over to join Yang and Blake, with Jaune in tow.

Ruby came over and stood next me. I could see that, for all Yang's reassurances, she was still worried. But I'd have been surprised if she hadn't been. I knew that Yang and Blake were among the best fighters here, but even I was concerned for them. Anything could happen—anything could go wrong—once the battle started. The first thing I learnt when I started training to be a Huntress was that battle plans only lasted until the first shot was fired.

But I couldn't say any of that to Ruby. I was her partner, it was my job to reassure her and keep her safe. So instead I smiled and rested a hand on her shoulder. Without looking up at me, Ruby stepped closer, tucking herself in under my arm until it was draped over her shoulders. I could've pulled back, but instead I squeezed her reassuringly, and she rested her head on my shoulder. Despite watching my teammates getting ready to throw themselves into life-threatening danger, I felt my heart rate beginning to rise. I looked down at Ruby, adorable, vulnerable, and using me as her rock. My heart swelled with joy as I realised that she'd come straight to me. She was scared for her sister, the pillar of her life, and she'd come straight to me for reassurance.

My heart was racing and I was beginning to feel somewhat light-headed when Yang and Blake came over, saying they were ready. I jerked my arm away from Ruby, but I knew that Yang had already seen. She shot me a knowing look as she stopped in front of us, raising an eyebrow at me. I made a point of looking at Blake, and returning the nod she gave me.

"So you guys are all ready to go?" Ruby asked.

"Yeah, we're all set." Yang replied. I turned back towards them, only to see that Yang was still staring at me. I felt my cheeks flush with warmth. It was only then that Yang looked away, an amused smile spreading across her face.

We made our way to the front. A pair of teams held the monsters away from us as Pyrrha and Jaune took up ready positions with their shields. Yang and Blake, standing about fifteen feet away, gave each other a high five and sprinted towards us. They leapt at the same time, and were launched into the air by Pyrrha and Jaune. Pyrrha launched Yang, and she was sent sailing straight over the heads of the enemy. She fired Ember Celica into the mass of Grimm as she flew, injuring one of them and sending herself flying further.

But Blake had been launched by Jaune and, true to form, he messed it up. Blake was sent into the air at least, but she flew wayward, off to the side. Ruby let out a gasp of horror as she saw Blake rocketing towards the hard, stone wall. But Blake agilely twisted in mid-air and landed on the wall, running. Without breaking stride or slowing down, she ran along the wall of the corridor until she reached the far side of the enemy's forces and leapt off. She cleared the breadth of the corridor and, after flipping through the air, landed halfway down the opposite wall. From there she jumped again, this time landing next to Yang.

Blake and Yang turned to face the monsters, and began firing into their exposed backs. The entire back line of the Ursa had fallen before they turned to counter attack. An Ursa broke ranks and charged towards them, enraged. Blake flipped back, out of harm's way and brought Gambol Shroud up in its pistol form. But Yang side-stepped the oncoming attacker and smashed her fist into its jaw. The Ursa fell in a heap on the ground, not even a whimper of pain escaping before it was unconscious.

Yang and Blake both turned and fled as more of the Ursa began charging. And as they ran, even more of the monsters gave chase. Half of the mass of Grimm in front of us had given chase by the time Yang and Blake rounded the corner and disappeared from view. We held our line until the moment we'd been waiting for. As soon as the Ursa in the front line glanced over their shoulders to see where their brethren were going, Ruby gave the order.

"CHAAAARGE!"

And charge we did. Like a tidal wave of Dust and steel, we fell upon the Grimm with a chorus of roars, a battle cry terrifying enough to make even a Deathstalker turn tail and run. But these Ursa didn't even have time to react before we struck. They broke within seconds. We obliterated their front ranks and smashed through the middle of them. The students on either side of our wedge slashed at monsters that they passed but the rest of us just sought to push even harder. Within sixty seconds of implementing the plan that Blake had concocted, we broke through their ranks entirely and had a clear run to the end of the corridor and, hopefully, to the exit.

We kept the momentum from our charge and ran down the hall. When we reached the end of it we turned the opposite way to Yang and Blake and ran towards our rendezvous point. We came across a few small groups of Grimm on our way, mostly Beowolves, which we dispatched in short order. We were fortunate in that we didn't come across any groups the size of the pack of Ursa that had blocked our way.

But I could hear them behind us, roars of anger that kept following us wherever we went. Then word was passed from the back of the group that the pack chasing us was getting bigger, that we needed to hurry up and get out of the school before they caught up. But we couldn't leave before we joined up with Yang and Blake. Despite the fearful protests of the students, I was about to give the order to head to our rendezvous point anyway, until Ruby stepped in.

"We'll split up." She declared. I gaped at her in shock. Splitting up? Inside a school infested with Grimm? What was she thinking? We needed safety in numbers. "There's an almost straight run from here to the exit." Ruby continued. "It will probably only take you a minute or two to get out if you keep going down this hall, you all know the way. Weiss and I will go to find Yang and Blake, then we'll meet you all outside."

"What about the Grimm?" Pyrrha asked.

"They'll follow you." I said as I realised what Ruby was planning. "They'll go after the bigger group, and the one heading towards the exit. We can still get out if we go past the hall, but it's not as fast. If they want to keep us in here, they'll go after you." Ruby nodded at me, a pleased look on her face.

"We'll go with you too." Jaune piped up. Pyrrha shot a surprised look at him, but quickly nodded agreement. Ren nodded his own agreement as Nora squealed with excitement. Ruby looked at them for a few seconds, her face a mask of surprise, before smiling and nodding her thanks. The other students were looking at the six of us like we'd all just escaped from the asylum, until I whipped them into line.

"Alright, stop gawking!" I shouted. "You know what you have to do. Lead the enemy away and hold position outside until we can get out with Blake and Yang. Move it people!" The students hurried off in a rush, and we made our way down the side-corridor towards the hall where we'd meet Yang and Blake. I could hear the Grimm incredibly close behind us. I even caught a glimpse of black fur coming around the corner as we passed out of sight.

We ran down the corridor, trying to ignore the sounds of the monsters behind us, and hoping that they weren't following us. We made it to the hall in a minute or two and, thankfully, there weren't any monsters near the door.

"Ruby!" I called her name as I snatched her collar, bringing her to a sudden stop. "We're here. You'll end up outside if you keep running that way." Ruby blushed slightly and hurried over to the door. She and Jaune grabbed the handle of each door and heaved them open, almost tumbling into the hall. I shook my head ruefully as I followed them inside. She really was always the same, no matter the situation.

But when I looked into room, I froze. Yang and Blake weren't here, but the monsters were. A pack of Ursa and Beowolves, about the size of the pack that had blocked our escape before, was standing in the middle of the room. And they were turning to face us, one by one. Growls reverberated through the room as they focussed on us. Ever so slowly, we drew our weapons. We didn't have a choice. This was where we'd promised to meet Yang and Blake, and I knew Ruby would never leave them behind.

Just as we were about to attack, the doors at the far end of the hall burst open, and Yang and Blake dashed in. Ruby let out a cry of joy at seeing them unharmed, one that turned to alarm as the monsters leapt to attack the pair of them as well. She swung Crescent Rose in a vicious arc and sliced a Beowolf in half, then stepped forward, cutting into the oncoming Grimm.

"Yang!" She cried. "Get over here, now!" My heart tore in two at the sound of her voice. She sounded so panicked, so desperate. I wanted nothing more than to throw my arms around her, but instead I buried Myrtenaster's blade in the chest of an attacking Ursa. The Ursa bellowed, and nearly hitting me with its final blow, but Nora came out of nowhere, swinging Magnhild, and clubbed the Ursa in the side of the head. The Ursa went limp instantly and slid off my blade, just in time for me to fire a blast of Burn Dust into the face of an attacking Beowolf.

"Get out of here, Ruby!" I heard Yang scream back. Her voice was just as desperate. "Just get out, we'll meet you outside!"

"No!" Ruby shrieked as she decapitated an Ursa Major that strayed too close to her blade. "I'm not going to leave you!"

"We'll be fine, I promise! Just go!"

"No!"

"Weiss!" Yang shouted my name. I looked up in shock, and met her gaze. Her eyes were pleading. "Weiss, get her out of here! Please!" I looked at Ruby, who looked just as desperate as Yang did. I looked back at Yang and nodded. Whatever it takes to protect Ruby. We'd promised to take care of her together.

I sheathed Myrtenaster and hooked an arm around Ruby's middle.

"No!" Ruby shrieked, her voice breaking. "Weiss, let me go! Yang! Yaaaaaang!" Ruby beat at my shoulders and the back of my head as I forced her out of the room. Team JNPR kept the Grimm off the two of us as we retreated. I could still hear Nora's maniacal giggling over Ruby's cries. I forced back my tears as I carried Ruby out. Hearing her scream like that was worse than heart breaking, it tore my heart to shreds.

But, after what seemed an eternity, I got Ruby back into the corridor outside the hall. I glanced back inside as we left, and saw Yang and Blake disappearing back through the door on the far side. I knew that Ruby saw them too because as soon as they passed out of sight, she went limp. I put her back on the ground, and she stared at me blankly. I cupped her cheeks with my hands, whispering her name, but all she did was stare as tears rolled down her cheeks.

"We need to get moving!" Pyrrha called as her and Nora tried to close the door to the hall. The Grimm inside were pushing against it, trying to force it back open. I looked back at Ruby, who was still blank, and made a decision. Whether she hated me after this or not, I didn't care, as long as she was alive. And to keep her alive, we needed to move. I needed her to snap out of this. So I hit her. I slapped her across the face, hard, with an open hand. Her head rocked to the side from the force of the blow. And when she straightened, she sent a vicious punch rocketing into my cheek.

I looked at Ruby, shocked, as I pressed a hand to the spot where she'd hit me. She glared back, tears still running down her face. I felt tears welling up in my own eyes as I saw the look in her eyes. She hated me. I'd said that I didn't care, as long as she was alive. But I realised that it was all bravado. The look on her face shattered my heart and ground the shards to dust. And seeing the red print of my hand appearing on her cheek only made it worse. My knees trembled, and I felt like I was going to throw up. Don't hate me, Ruby, please, I pleaded silently. I didn't have the strength to get the words out. Don't do this to me. All of my indecision about my feelings for her was swept away, all of my insecurities wiped clean. I love you Ruby, please don't leave me. Of course I realised my love for her right as it was too late. I reached out a hand towards her, wanting desperately to apologise. Surely she'd understand I was trying to protect her. Yang had told me to get her out. Yang wanted to protect her, I wanted to protect her. She couldn't hate me for that. But Ruby did the one thing she could have done to make my heart break complete, taking the dust that was the remains of my heart and grinding it into nothing. She turned away.

"Let's go." She said, without a hint of emotion in her voice.

"Ruby…" Somehow, I found the strength to whisper her name. Clearly she heard me because she flinched, and froze. In a flurry of crimson, she spun back to face me. Before I could blink, her face was an inch from mine, her furious, scathing eyes, filling my vision. Then, an instant later, her eyes softened, and she stepped back. Her shoulders were quivering as she struggled to hold back more tears.

"Let's go." She repeated. Then she took off at a run, down the corridor towards the exit.

I glanced back at Team JNPR, who were now all holding the door shut against the vicious attack from the Grimm on the other side. I took a deep breath and summoned my strength. This was not the time to wallow in self-pity. There was a job to be done. You are Weiss Schnee, and you have a job to do.

"Come on, you four. We need to get outside." They held the door shut for a second longer, then, just after another thundering attack, they dashed away. The five of us sprinted after Ruby, who had already reached the corner that turned towards the exit. I picked up my pace as she vanished from sight. Regardless of my feelings, regardless of my pain, I needed to protect her. Even if she hated me, I still loved her. A world without Ruby was no world at all. So I ran, chasing her down, ready to protect her, no matter the cost.

Ruby was waiting at the door when we reached it, holding Crescent Rose in two hands. Once we'd regrouped, she led the way outside and into the daylight. A voice in the back of my head cheered that we'd accomplished the mission Ozpin had assigned to us, but I had other things to worry about now.

The first thing we saw when we came out was our companions, those who had left for the exit while we'd gone to find Yang and Blake. They were in the middle of a vicious battle with an immense pack of Grimm. The rest of the Ursa pack was there, along with Beowolves, Boarbatusks and even a Deathstalker. My breath caught as I saw what we were facing, and even I felt an urge to run. But Ruby threw herself into the fray without a second thought, so I had to follow suit.

We attacked the enemy's flank, but with only six of us, we didn't even make a dent in their line.

Within seconds, we had to fall back. There were just so many of them, we couldn't do a thing. I met Ruby's gaze as the monsters started to surround us. This is it, there's no way out for us now. I smiled at her. That was all I could so. When things were as bad as this, the only thing I could do for her was smile. So I filled my smile with memories of all the times we spent together, all of the fun we had, and all my love for her. I saw Ruby grin back, and my heart began to mend itself, before I realised she was looking over my head.

I heard the sound of shattering glass and spun around, just in time to see Yang and Blake soaring through the air above our heads. They'd leapt from a second floor window and were sailing straight towards the middle of the enormous pack of Grimm. I almost began to cry out in terror, but then I noticed the enormous grin plastered across Yang's face.

I watched as Yang landed in the middle of the monsters, feet away from the Deathstalker. She sent an earth-shattering punch into the ground, literally earth-shattering. A crater opened up under her fist and the ground heaved underneath us. The monsters around her went soaring away in all directions, and the ones further out were blown off their feet. Even the Deathstalker was flipped over onto its back, with its feet scrabbling comically in the air. I struggled to keep my footing on the suddenly unstable ground and only relaxed when the ground stopped bucking.

"Let's go people!" Yang shouted as she got to her feet. "Ozpin's team is at the main gate, and we need to regroup! Move!" Taking charge in an instant, Yang led the way down the path, away from the dazed pack of monsters. I met Ruby's gaze once more and gave her a relieved smile. For an instant, I saw her begin to smile back, before she pushed the smile away. So she was still mad. Maybe she didn't hate me, she had started to smile. At the least she was mad, very mad. But she was safe, so I smiled as we followed Yang across the school grounds, towards Professor Ozpin and on our way to put a stop to Myrka's plans.