Across The Field And Back (ch6)

EARLY RELEASE FOR ALL MY PATRONS!

Day 6: Children

Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.

--------------

														Chapter 6.

"Daddy, I can't wait to play soccer!"

An exuberant 7-year-old Ruby was bouncing up and down in her room as her older sister helped adjust the new red jersey Ruby had just wrestled her way into. Their father smiled and ruffled his youngest's hair.

"You'll have to wait at least another day," he said. "The first practice isn't until tomorrow."

"Do you think I'll be good at it?" she wondered.

"Good at it?" Yang cut in. "Ruby, you'll be a pro! I can already see you zipping around the field, you little spitfire."

"Really?"

"For sure! But don't forget to stop every now and again and make some friends along the way."

At that, Ruby mumbled under her breath. She never had been the most sociable girl.

"I just wanna play..."

"But you can't play soccer by yourself," her sister reminded her. "You're gonna have a team. You need to work together with them. Or at least try your best to."

"Okay, okay. Can we go to the field now?"

Her father was taking them to the field a day early to let Ruby break in her new jersey and cleats. He nodded and waved them downstairs. Ruby scampered after her sister.

She wasn't sure about how to make friends. She just wanted to play the game.

---------

"Papa, I don't want to play soccer!"

An indignant 8-year-old Weiss protested as her older sister tried to dress her in her new blue jersey. Weiss had only put it on begrudgingly and because Winter had asked so politely of her, but now Weiss wanted it off. Their father sighed and rubbed his temple.

"Weiss, dear, you need to do some sports," he said. "With all of your indoor lessons you're going to need physical exercise as well."

"I won't be any good at it!"

"Not with that attitude," Winter chided. "If you go into it with that mindset from the start, you'll never give yourself a chance to improve."

"What if I don't want to improve?"

"Now that's not the little sister I know," Winter said. "The Weiss I know will try her best at everything, even if she doesn't think she'll like it. Who knows. Maybe you will."

"I doubt it."

"If you don't," her father said. "You can quit. That's fair, right?"

Weiss groaned a loud sigh.

"Fine."

"Good. Now let's head to the field so you can start practicing some of your skills."

He and Winter headed down the stairs, but Weiss followed much more slowly.

She didn't want to play this game. Not if she was just going to be alone in this activity, too.

----------

Both families made it to the field nearly at the same time.

But of course Ruby was the first one out of the car and dashing off to the supply shed to find a ball, with Yang hot on her heels.

Weiss jolted in surprise when she tried to open her car door and saw two other girls scrambling their way out of their own car.

The smallest girl was wearing a red soccer jersey. Weiss' hope of making friends before the first game tomorrow was dashed, because there were no kids here wearing blue jerseys. And she wasn't about to make friends with the enemy.

She hopped down onto the pavement and followed her own sister and father much more slowly onto the field. Weiss immediately headed for the shed to get a ball for herself, but Winter stopped her with a tap on her shoulder.

"Weiss, why don't you go play with that girl instead of practicing by yourself?"

Weiss followed her sister's gaze to the center of the field where the girl in red was already kicking the soft soccer ball willy-nilly, with barely any shred of self-control. Weiss wrinkled her nose.

"No thank you."

"Weiss." Winter turned her little sister around and looked her in the eyes. "You don't want to join another activity you're only going to quit in the end, right? You only keep quitting because you won't make friends."


"Because I can't make friends!"

"There's that attitude again," Winter chided. "It's not that you can't. You just won't. If you don't try, then of course you'll never succeed."

"But that girl's on another team!"

"Isn't there a saying you should keep your enemies close?"

That finally seemed to quiet Weiss up. Winter had to use tactics that would appeal to her cynical little sister, but it seemed to have an affect.

Weiss turned back to the field and stalked off toward the girl in red. Winter smiled and went over to speak to the blonde who was clearly the other girl's sister. Their fathers were conversing by now as well.

That left only the youngest ones.

Weiss strutted over to the girl in red – or at least tried to. Every time she got within a foot or so of the girl, she'd take her little ball and zoom off to the other side of the field with it.

"Hey!" Weiss groaned and turned around to follow her, but the girl kept dashing off with the ball as soon as Weiss got close, not seeming to notice at all that Weiss was trying to join in with her. The girl kept kicking the ball into this goal or that one and then racing off with it again.

Weiss tried to follow and intercept her at first, but she was no match for that speed.

Eventually she developed a different tactic. The next time the girl turned around and ran back down the field, Weiss put herself between the girl and the goal, so when she kicked the ball, it ended up at Weiss' cleats. She stomped on it, halting the hyperactive girl in her tracks.

"Finally!" Weiss huffed. "I've been trying to talk to you, you know!"

"Wow!" the girl piped, clearly not listening. "You'd make a really good defense!"

"Excuse me?"

"Defense! You're wearing a jersey. Are you gonna play soccer?"

"That's doubtful."

"Aw, that's too bad. I think you'd be really good at it."

"...You do?"

"Yeah! Here, let's play together a bit. I'll dribble it up to the goal and try to score, and you try to kick it away and stop me from getting a goal."

"H-Hold on just a-"

"Got it!" The girl stole the ball from under Weiss' shoe and tore off with it. It took Weiss a second to realize she wanted her to run across the field and defend the other goal now.

"H-Hey! Hold on a second you... you dolt!"

Weiss took off after her, not yet knowing her name. The girl's laughter bubbled up across the field, loud enough for Weiss to hear.

They went back and forth across the fields. Sometimes Weiss would block the ball and sometimes the girl would get past her and score.

She didn't know when, but somewhere along the lines a smile came onto her lips.

And it didn't leave until her father called her over and told her it was time to go. Weiss frowned, realizing for the first time since the smile had come that it was gone now. The other girl was breathless but still just as exuberant. Her father was calling her too.

"Coming, Dad!"

But before she could scamper off, Weiss stopped her.

"Wait!"

The girl turned back wearing a huge grin.

"Oh, right! Thanks for playing with me today!" she said. "My name's Ruby! What's yours?"

"Weiss..."

"Thanks for playing with me, Weiss! Maybe one day we can be on the same team together, or at least go to the same school!"

And with a wave Ruby took off toward her family.

Weiss watched her go, then slowly walked back to her own sister and father.

"Well?" Winter prompted.

The smile had come back to Weiss' face. She looked up to her sister, then her father.

"Papa? I think I'd like to give soccer a try."

----------

A/N: I loved just doing a quick little flashback like this~ I feel it's all we need and nothing we don't~