Yang sat by Ruby's bed, watching the unconscious girl in fear. Next to that bed was the one containing barely awake Weiss, who was also looking at her partner's bed incredulously. Blake stood a little farther away, leaning on the wall, knowing she couldn't do anything about Ruby. She was deep in thought. She just couldn't understand why Ruby lost consciousness. She knew for a fact that Weiss had less aura remaining, yet the heiress seemed to be less exhausted. She was super tired, yes. But for some reason it only took her half a day to regenerate while Ruby was out for the whole day and still sleeping. Looking at Ruby's aura levels was actually worrying.

From time to time, Ruby would seem like she was stirring, but it was apparently only an involuntary tic. Every time it happened, the three girls perked up a bit, especially Weiss, who felt a little guilty for Ruby's situation. Yet all Ruby did was move an arm or turned her head from one side to the other.

Yang was worried out of her mind at her sister's condition. She was also angry at herself because she couldn't help, something she swore to Ruby when they were still kids.

Then something different happened. Ruby let out a noise, barely audible, but loud enough. It was visible that she was struggling to open her eyes. Yang grabbed her hand, not even noticing that Weiss did the same to Ruby's other hand. Finally, team RWBY leader's eyes fluttered open.

Weiss found Ruby's aimless looking around very cute and she tried to stifle a blush, but probably failed at it.

"Weiss? Why are you blushing?" It was Yang.

"What? I… I don't…"

"Weiss! Yang! Heeey!", Ruby cheered as if nothing happened to her, still oblivious to her surroundings. She tried to jump up and pull the two girls next to her bed into an embrace. Something must have felt wrong, though, as she didn't make the whole action and lay down on her bed, cringing slightly.

"Sis? What's wrong?"

"Oh, nothing. I'm just a bit dizzy."

"It's okay. You're awake, that's what's important."

"Wait, why wouldn't I be awake?" Ruby looked at Yang with confused eyes. Weiss started explaining.

"Ruby, you remember how we had a spar yesterday?" After Ruby nodded, the story continued. "Well, we gave it our all. In the end, I could barely breathe, that's how exhausted I was. But you simply fell to the ground, unconscious. After seeing that, I fell down too. Then I woke up in here, next to you."

Ruby looked scared now. "Am I okay?"

"Well, your aura levels are still relatively low," Weiss said. "You might want to work on aura replenishment after you're released, or else you won't be able to place well in the Vytal Festival tournament."

Blake watched the commotion from her position by the wall. I can't help much here. Except maybe… She stealthily left the room, leaving the trio to their own devices.

She went to the lobby, where she knew Mrs Schnee and Winter were. If nothing else, they'd probably want to see Weiss, though Blake didn't have the slightest doubt that at least Winter would be more interested in the news that Ruby has finally woken up.

She found the duo in the hospital cafeteria, sipping tea like the proper aristocrats. Mrs Schnee noticed her first.

"Miss Belladonna, good to see you. Would you join us for tea?"

Blake went to the table and sat down. "Thank you very much, Mrs Schnee, but I came here to tell you that both girls are awake now." Blake didn't miss Winter's subtle perking up the moment she heard that.

"So Ruby's okay?", Winter said with a voice too innocent for her, considering her demeanour towards everyone up to that point. Blake actually tilted her head to the side at the voice. Winter must have noticed that. "I just… I'm not used to people losing consciousness, okay?"

Sure you aren't, Blake mused. "Yes, Ruby will be fine. All she has to do now is regain her aura and she'll be in top notch form again." Winter had a smile on her face. Blake waited for a moment as she wanted to see how far Winter would go with her worry for Ruby. She saw her fidgeting as if she wanted to ask something, but wasn't quite sure of it.

"Dear, are you okay?", Mrs Schnee asked, noticing Winter's fidgeting.

"Umm… Yes, Mother. I'm fine. I… I was just wondering…"

"Yes?"

Winter looked Blake straight into the eye and Blake saw the yearning in those icy blue orbs. "C-Could we visit R- I mean, them?"

Blake smiled slightly. "Of course you can. That was why I got here in the first place. To tell you you can visit if you want." Winter's face brightened up. Blake stood up. "So, ladies, I'll be going back up now. If you feel like coming, you're free to do so." One should never forget respect when talking to these people. She then curtsied and started walking away.

"Wait, Miss… Can I just call you Blake?"

Blake turned around, Watching Winter with an amused smile on her face. She has apparently come to her senses with her feelings. Good that she isn't trying to hide it too much. "Of course you can call me Blake."

"So, Blake… Can I go with you?" What a hopeful look. Almost as if I was some kind of her saviour or whatever. When she isn't icy, she is actually a very beautiful girl.

"Come on, then." Winter quickly said farewell to Mrs Schnee and then the two girls started walking. Blake watched Winter from the side the whole way up, sizing her up and reading her gestures and posture. The posture was back to her sassy roots, but her face said so many conflicting things. Blake decided not to pry. It was not a smart idea to pry at Weiss and they were friends. Or at least, Blake hoped so. Anyway, it would be even worse if she tried to do something like that to a sassy younger sister of said friend.

Blake opened the door to Weiss' and Ruby's room and held them open for Winter, who hurried in. Weiss noticed her first.

"Hey, Winter." Winter just nodded and looked at Ruby's bed. When she looked at aura metre, everyone could see that she held her breath for a moment.

"So… Ruby," she started with a friendly voice. "How are you?" There was a hint of concern present there, too, everyone heard it. Unsurprisingly, everyone but Blake reacted as expected.

"Umm… I'm fine, I guess." It seemed to Blake that Ruby got a bit happier just seeing Winter. That brought a smirk on her face.

Winter realized that she might be showing a little too much affection to someone she barely knew, so she shook her head slightly. "So, when are the two of you being released?"

"I'll probably be out by evening," Weiss said. "As for Ruby, she might need another day, just to allow for her aura to fully replenish." Winter did flash a smile for a second, hoping for it to be invisible. Then maybe I can visit her tomorrow and she'll be alone. Yes, I'm alright with that.

"Great news! Glad you're not seriously hurt!"

Weiss eyed her sister, as if looking for signs of ulterior motives, but couldn't find any. Why is she acting so weird, then? She decided to let it slide. It can't mean anything. Maybe she finally realized she's only a human.

The next day Ruby was alone in her hospital room, waiting for her aura to fill up so she could finally be released. She hated nothing more than being useless and unable to do anything but wait. A hyperactive person like her had to keep herself busy with something, and lying in bed wasn't what she would call being busy. The day before, after her visitors left, at least she still had Weiss to talk to, if only for a while. Weiss was released in the evening, just like she thought she'd be, which left Ruby helplessly alone again, after they had shared their goodbyes.

There was a knock on her door that woke her up from her misery. "Come in," she said loudly enough for the person outside to hear, but not loud enough to yell. The door opened and in walked the twin ponytailed, white haired beauty that called herself Winter. Ruby's mouth widened into a smile without her urging to do so. Winter offered her a smile of her own.

"Hello," Ruby greeted the newcomer, cheerfully as always, and just a bit nervously.

"Hi. I thought you might feel lonely here without your teammates, so I thought that maybe I can keep you company."

Ruby's throat dried. "W-Well, I'm glad anyone has t-thought of that. Umm, come c-closer?"

Winter got closer and pulled a chair next to Ruby's bed. "How's your aura?"

"Umm… I guess it's doing fine. It's just not at full yet. Should be by evening, though."

"So, you won't have any lasting consequences or anything?" It was clear that Winter didn't have that much knowledge on topics such as this one - Ruby was fairly sure she didn't attend a combat school. That's a real shame. She'd probably make a good huntress. And a good looking one at that.

"I shouldn't. Aura doesn't work that way. I mean, yes, once it's depleted our bodies start to take the punishment, but otherwise it doesn't do anything like that."

Winter was visibly relieved at those words. A long, content sigh left her mouth. "Good to hear." Her voice was almost soft. "It would be a shame if you'd get too hurt. You want to participate in the tournament, don't you?", Winter quickly added the last sentence, just to erase any kind of hints at something else.

"Winning the tournament is my dream. Well, one of them. But I do think that this… Setback… Didn't help my chances." There was a faint presence of bitterness in Ruby's voice.

"I'm sure you'll do just fine. Even if you don't win, you still have chances in the future, don't you?"

Ruby sighed. "I do. I have three more chances. But still, you know? It feels wrong that I exhausted myself this much in a simple sparring. How will I fare in the tournament or real fights if a simple spar can take so much out of me?"

"If that was a simple spar, Ruby," Winter spoke with a proud voice, "I feel bad for both your opponents, and Weiss'. You two nearly wrecked the park!"

Ruby looked at Winter incredulously. "We did?"

"You don't remember?"

"I lost consciousness, Win… Wait, can I call you Winter?" The younger Schnee daughter nodded. "Thank you. So, I lost consciousness, Winter, so I didn't have much of a chance to see the alleged devastation. And I don't usually look at the damage I cause while fighting. It's not very good for keeping your head in the game."

Winter nodded. "I guess you're right. Well, it was nice talking to you, Ruby. But now I have to go."

"Don't worry, I'm glad you came here in the first place. I'd think Weiss would come see if I was okay, what with her being my partner and all."

"Maybe she just knows you're gonna be fine," Winter offered. "Maybe you can communicate differently because you're partners. Don't you develop some kind of a special bond with your partner?"

"Well, maybe she knows I'll be fine. But I'm still bored here alone, you know? Anyway, don't worry about me. If you have to go, do it. No hard feelings."

"Yes, Ruby. I have to go. Hope you get out of here before the day is done."

"Thanks, Winter."

"Goodbye." With that, Winter turned around and went to the door, when she remembered something.

She turned back around. "Ruby, can I ask you something?"

Ruby looked at her, slightly befuddled and a little scared of the question. "Uhh, sure."

Winter then returned to Ruby's bed and knelt so she was looking at Ruby face to face. She then spoke, silently. "Ruby, would you mind if we… Meet again sometime?"

"You mean, like, alone?" Ruby was slightly scared. She wanted for this to be true, but on the other hand she was slightly afraid it was a ruse to expose her. She wasn't sure to whom exactly, but she was scared of it nonetheless.

"Yeah, like alone. Maybe go for a drink or something."

"Like a date?" Ruby, for Dust's sake! Stop walking on the knife's edge!

Winter stared at Ruby for a moment, slightly perplexed. "Yes," she finally breathed out. "Like a date. If you want, of course."

Ruby could barely believe her ears. This beauty is actually asking me out? "S-Sure," she managed to say. Then she saw Winter's happy smile and for a moment it felt like there were only the two of them in the world.

"I'll give you a call, then. See you around. Oh, and don't tell Weiss, please. Not yet." With that, Winter left the room and Ruby was alone again. Alone and bored, but at least now she was bored with a smile on her face.

Two hours later, Ruby was released from the hospital.

Weiss, Yang and Blake were on their beds, reading or otherwise killing time. Yang was throwing a ball at the ceiling, Blake was busy reading one of her books and Weiss was just lying there, hands behind her head, staring at the rope-supported bed above her, hoping that her leader would come soon.

I honestly don't know how I feel about Ruby - it's like, I just can't put it into words. She isn't just a leader, she's a good friend, a really good friend… somebody who cares…

A small knock came from the door. With a groan, Yang got up and headed to the door. "I swear to god, if it's Jaune again asking if Ruby is alright, I'll knock him to the floor. He's asked about seven times in the last ten minu-"

Before the blonde could even finish her sentence, not looking at the door she just opened, she was tackled full-force by a blur of red rose-petals from through the door. With an 'oof', the two girls fell to the floor, and the red blur was identified as Ruby.

"Yaaaaang!"

"Ruby!"

Blake swore she heard Nora yell "Nora!" from somewhere inside team JNPR's dorm.

"OhmygodYangi'venevermissedyousomuchIwassobooooored!"

"Woah, woah, woah. Take it easy there, one step at a time."

The redhead sat on the floor in front of Yang as she proceeded to explain herself.

"Well, uh, for starters, they released me," Ruby said, gesturing to her own body as if it was obvious, "and oh my gosh I have never been so bored in my whole life. Ever. There was literally nobody to talk to."

"Huh. Welp, it's a good thing you're back in action then!" said Yang, who then knelt over Ruby predatorily. "And there's a little something that I've been wanting to do for a while…" Yang was now licking her lips. Ruby was sweating buckets. Blake was suddenly far more interested. "...You know what I mean, don't you?"

The small girl in red nodded.

"You have five seconds to run."

She sprinted out of the dorm.

"FOUR!" Yang shouted through the corridor, before closing the door and heading back inside. Blake was the first one to pipe up after raising an eyebrow.

"Uh, Yang, care to explain what that was?"

"Well dear Blakey. Since we've gotten to Beacon, I've neglected Ruby her regular tickle-fights. She always loses, and that's why she's terrified of me. I'm not actually going to chase her, perhaps the run will do her some good." Yang smirked and flopped back into bed before resuming whatever she was doing on her scroll before.

Blake looked at her incredulously. "Seriously? Fresh out of hospital, and you made her sprint what could easily be all the way across the campus because of a tickle fight that won't happen?"

"Yes it will. Watch me. I'll ambush her at some point soon, and it'll be the battle of her life. Or, it probably would be. Not after Ruby and Weiss' spar the other day. Hey, Ice Queen, you feeling alright? Now that I think about it, you kind of got ignored."

Weiss perked up a little bit. "Hm, what? What were we saying?"

Ten lien says she was thinking about Ruby.

"About you," Yang said, "We were all worried about Ruby even though you were the one who took the most damage. How ya feelin', Weiss?"

"I'd feel even better than I do right not if you all stopped calling me Ice Queen."

"You enjoy it, you just don't say so."

"Don't make me come over there."

Just as Yang was about to respond with some - in her mind, at least - witty comeback, someone was at the door again. It was a louder knock than Ruby's, and chances were that the redhead was still somewhere across the other side of the school. "Blake," she said, "Be a darling and get the door for me, please?"

"Excuse me?"

"What?"

"Darling?" Blake was now slipping into her glare.

The muffled voice on the other side of the door could suddenly be heard, and both heads turned towards it. "Yang? You in there, darling?"

Blake doubled over in laughter, as Yang's expression fell. It looked like she had lost all the will to live. "Was that Taiyang?"

Kicking open the door after moping towards it, Yang slammed the side of her fist into her father's neck, grabbing his collar, and pushed him outside before closing the door again.

"Dad," she began, "for the love of Oum NEVER call me 'darling' in front of Blake again, please? I have a dignity to uphold here.

"Oh, I forgot my girl is all grown up now. Sorry, darling, I won't do that anymore," Taiyang said with a wicked grin.

"Dad, just… Okay?"

Taiyang then did something Yang didn't expect him to do. His expression fell for a moment and then he spread his arms to embrace Yang. Yang's eyes widened when her body pressed against her father's.

"I'm sorry, Yang. I just… I forgot how dangerous a life of a hunter is. When Ruby lost consciousness, I was so scared."

Yang was speechless at this outpour of emotion. She struggled to even say a single word. "Dad… I…"

"Just promise me, Yang." Taiyang let her go and looked straight in her eye. "Promise me you two will keep an eye on each other. I can't lose you like I lost your mothers. Please."

Now it was Yang who initiated the embrace. "Dad, I swear nothing bad will happen to us. I will watch over her like I did up to now. I promise. Besides - if anything bad had actually happened to Ruby, I woulda kicked Weiss' ass."

Taiyang smiled. "There's the Yang I know and love. Anyway, I saw Ruby sprinting across the school not long ago, and she looked terrified. She didn't even see me - I came to you to see if anything was wrong."

"Haha… Eh… Err…"

"Yang?"

"Well. You see, uh, I might have gotten a bit excited when she finally got back…"

"... And?"

"... I may or may not have challenged her to a tickle-fight."

Taiyang was frozen for a moment, processing the information. In that time, Yang's brain had rifled through all the possible outcomes, but definitely fearing the "Dad is pissed" outcome the most. Taiyang was a scary man when angry, very scary. His booming voice would shake the ground, his face would be fear-induction reincarnated as a facial expression, and the way he would stomp and slam doors was down-right terrifying.

Fortunately, this wasn't the case, as his face very quickly lightened up, before turning into a massive grin, and then a snort. Then he was doubled over. He was laughing. Yang didn't even know what to do at this point.

"Dad? Why are you…" She was watching in disbelief.

"Oh, it's nothing," Taiyang managed to say through tears. Then he stood up. "I just forgot how bad Ruby was at tickle fights you two had. That explains her fear. Yang Xiao Long, you're evil, but you're exactly what Ruby needs. Now I know she's in competent hands. Thank you, Yang."

Yang had a nervous smile on her face. "Uh… You're welcome?" Taiyang then mussed her hair, knowing full well Yang would kill anyone who dared something like that. Anyone except Taiyang and Ruby, of course.

Ruby returned to her dorm room about an hour later with a triumphant grin on her face. She opened team RWBY door and stepped in with her head held high. "You thought you can find me, Yang Xiao Long, but I managed to hide from your grasp well enough…" She stopped talking when she saw that there was only one person in the room and that was Weiss. "Um… Where are Yang and Blake, Weiss?"

Weiss huffed slightly. "Not even a 'hello' and she expects me to talk."

"Sorry, Weiss! I didn't mean to…" Ruby stopped. "How are you, Weiss? I missed my partner!" She then went towards Weiss with arms spread in a tentative embrace. She inched ever closer and closer and put on her puppy eyes.

"Ruby, you dolt! Stop with that cute, adorable face!" But Ruby didn't stop. She got closer and closer and Weiss finally gave in. "Oh, okay! Just lose that look. I missed you too." She pressed into Ruby's embrace a little more than usual to inhale her rosy scent.

"So, where are the other two?"

"Oh, they went looking for you."

"So Yang lied to me? She didn't actually…"

"Yes. She told us she just wanted to have some fun."

"Well then, I have to tell them I'm here."

"Wait a minute, Ruby. They can wait a little. I need to talk to you." Weiss' voice was slightly shaking.

Ruby eyed her partner curiously. "Weiss, it wasn't your fault I dropped."

"Eh, it's not that. I mean, I could say sorry for that, but just in case you forgot, I dropped too."

"What is it then?"

Weiss was nervous. Way too nervous. She couldn't help herself, though. She wanted to make her feelings clear, but at the same time didn't want to sound too weak. But how do I tell her the change I went through in our relationship, and how will she react? Will she return the feelings? Will she cast me away? Anything but that, please. She took another deep breath before sitting down on her bed.

"Ruby, I… Realized something these last few weeks. We started off pretty rough, and I'm sure you won't forget that. But you kept wanting to bring me in. Thank you for that."

Ruby had a smile on her face. "Weiss. It was my duty as a leader. And I also wanted to make a friend."

"Yes. I know. But still, I was the stuck up Ice Queen. I guess that nickname does describe me. But, I have to admit, Ruby, you melted my heart. You are a seriously incredible person. I wish I had seen that sooner."

Ruby sat down next to Weiss and put a hand on Weiss' shoulder. "Weiss, I'm flattered."

Weiss had trouble breathing normally at this point. Come on, don't be a pansy, Weiss. Just ask already. "Ruby, I… Um… Would you…" Get yourself together, Weiss! You're a Schnee! Another deep breath. This is it. "Would you go on a date with me, Ruby?"

Ruby's eyes widened in surprise at the question. I can't believe it. Both of them? But… How? I can't say no, but if I say yes, it's… This is way too difficult. Whatever I say won't be right. Ruby was conflicted as never before at that point. There was no dilemma in her mind. The answer was yes, but she was afraid anyway. How would she keep it a secret from Winter? More importantly, how will she keep her relationship with Winter a secret from Weiss?

As Ruby was thinking over this, all Weiss saw was a perplexed and surprised Ruby. Oh, Dust, no! "Ruby… I'm sorry… Forget about it…" Weiss was ready to start crying.

"I accept, Weiss."

"You what?"

Ruby took Weiss' hand in hers and looked Weiss in the eye. "I accept your offer." Ruby smiled, but her mind was a mess. By Oum, what did I get myself into?

"Oh, and please, don't tell Winter. Yet." Oh, Dust.

The plot thickens! Anyway, thank you for reading up to this point. As always, a shoutout to my partner in writing, JackThePegasus!

Reviews are welcome and I'll see you all next time.