Colorful Spirits (ch4)

This chapter will focus on more in-class things as well as the bonds and relationships between everyone! Hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.

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					   Chapter 4. The Strength Of Autumn

The first day back at classes after the tournament felt strange, and yet almost as though the entire experience had never even happened for Ruby.

Everyone had rested up after the long, hectic day, and now had gotten back into the swing of things as per the usual schedule.

Ozpin had announced that in the middle of the week, they would cancel one of the classes. Instead, he invited every student to come to the dojang with their medals, and to talk about their experiences at the tournament.

Ruby and Yang eagerly gathered their awards and packed them into their bags along with their uniforms, and their parents then took them to the school. As the two sisters rushed back to the changing rooms to put on their uniforms, they came to a halt just after knocking on and opening the door.

Blake was inside the changing room, already in her uniform with her belt tied around her waist. And beside her was Weiss, her head hanging low and her posture slumped as the Faunus girl murmured soft words to her.

As soon as she saw the sisters enter, Blake perked up.

"Hi, Ruby. Hi Yang."

"Heya, Blake!" Yang grinned. "And Weiss, I'm glad you could make it!"

"Hi, you guys!" Ruby beamed. It was the first time she'd seen Weiss since after the tournament three days ago. Her friend hadn't come to any of her own classes or to any of Ruby's to watch her like she'd said she would.

But Ruby understood how difficult it must have been for Weiss to be able to convince her father to drive her to a class she wasn't even going to be taking.

At the sounds of the other two girls' voices, Weiss lifted her head a little wearily.

"Hello," she mumbled, quickly looking away. Her left arm was still in its cast, uselessly slung across her chest.

Yang's gaze flashed to Blake's curiously, and the Faunus girl explained in quiet words.

"She... doesn't think she deserves to be in the group photos."

"What?!" Ruby cried. "Of course you do, Weiss! Don't be silly! You won two gold medals for Master Ozpin and our school! You're a part of our team! The picture wouldn't be complete without you! You've gotta be in it, Weiss!"

"Plus," Yang added. "If you're here in the first place, that means your dad agrees with that and drove you all the way here so you could be in the picture, right?"

Weiss glanced to each of them in turn before heaving a sigh.

"I guess..."

Ruby sat down on her other side and hugged her gently, and Yang reached out to ruffle Weiss' hair.

"Come on," Blake encouraged her. "I'll help you put on your uniform."

Ruby and Yang got themselves dressed as Blake helped Weiss. She removed the sling around Weiss' arm for a moment, leaving it only in its cast. She helped the girl remove the shirt she was currently wearing and slipped her uniform over her head and shoulders, its looseness an advantage in this kind of situation. With great care, Blake pulled the sleeve down over Weiss' broken arm, being sure not to move it any more than necessary.

But just as she was finishing up, she felt Weiss flinch.

"Sorry! Are you okay?"

"I'm fine..." Weiss said. "I can... manage my pants by myself."

With that declaration, she stood and grabbed her white pants before slipping into the bathroom and closing the door behind her.

The others finished tying their belts and getting changed during the meantime, and a few minutes later, Weiss reappeared. Her clothes were a little lopsided, but she was dressed, at the very least.

Blake helped tie her hair up into a ponytail for her, using a large white scrunchy to keep it secure. At the same time, Yang tied her belt for her, and Ruby was left to watch. She caught Weiss' gaze – her eyes were downcast and her lips never smiled. She was clearly embarrassed that she had to be babied like this and taken care of by others because of her arm.

When Blake and Yang had finished, they grabbed their medals from their bags and headed out the door to the dojang.

"Be there in a sec!" Ruby called after them. Yang met her eyes and nodded, knowing Ruby wanted to be alone with Weiss for a moment.

The door closed behind the blonde, leaving the two of them alone together. Ruby sat down on the bench again and ushered Weiss to do the same.

"Weiss..." she began. "I know this must be really hard for you... But you're hurt, so you've got to let other people help you. If you don't... you might make it worse..."

"I feel like an invalid," Weiss muttered bitterly. "And it's my own fault this even happened in the first place. It was because I wasn't paying attention, so she-"

"No!" Ruby cut her off abruptly. It surprised the girl, but she wasn't about to let Weiss start blaming herself for her own injury. "No, Weiss it's not your fault..."

"What do you mean? Of course it was. Incompetence..."

Ruby bit her lip, chewing it for a moment. She checked the door to make sure no one else was coming in before she decided to spill the beans.

"Weiss, listen to me..." she said, lowering her voice. "I saw your match. I was watching really closely, and that other master – Cinder – she... she signaled for that Emerald girl to kick you. It was deliberate like the judges said it was.

"She did a head-shot on purpose and then followed up with a second illegal kick, but her master told her to! You would've beaten her fair and square, but she couldn't stand the thought of losing, and that Cinder lady didn't want one of her students to lose to one of Ozpin's. So that girl kicked you like that..."

Ruby cut off suddenly, her throat feeling tight. She swallowed, but there was a lump, and she let out a small sob. "It was... really scary to watch you get hit like that, Weiss. You crashed into the table and you couldn't breathe and you were in a lot of pain a-and there was blood..."

Weiss grew silent as she listened to Ruby this way, solemn and on the verge of tears as she recounted the awful memories. The concern and fear in her voice were more than convincing enough to let Weiss know every word out of the girl's mouth was nothing but the truth. Whatever Weiss had been about to say, she stopped herself and listened to Ruby.

"It was..." Ruby sniffled. "It was really scary to see you get hurt like that. And the medics had to come in and take you away on a stretcher. Our whole school was a wreck for an hour. The grandmasters called Master Ozpin up to get his trophy since all of us got at least one gold medal, but... none of us could even be excited about that. We were all just so worried for you, Weiss. So that's why..."

She was already crying by now, lifting her face up to bore waveringly into Weiss'.

"So that's wh-why... you gotta let us help you, Weiss. We don't want you to hurt anymore. S-So we're gonna help you get changed if you need it, or help you eat your food o-or type a message on your phone or tie up your hair or-"

"Okay," Weiss said, cutting her off gently. She couldn't bear to listen to Ruby go on like that anymore in such a distraught voice. "Okay, Ruby. I understand now. I'm sorry for making you feel so worried." She wrapped her good arm around the girl's shoulders, pulling her in close. She felt fingers slip around her waist and back and cling to her stomach.

"Don't cry, you dunce," Weiss sighed softly. "We're going to be taking pictures soon. Do you want to be all red-faced in them?"

Ruby shook her head and sniffed again.

"N-No..."

"Then stop crying. I understand how it must've felt for you now, Ruby. Thank you for telling me all of this."

She held Ruby for a moment longer, until the girl had stopped crying. Weiss chuckled and brushed her cheek against Ruby's hair. "Come on, now. Go wash your face in the sink and get your medals. Let's get out there."

Ruby nodded, pulling away and wiping her eyes. Weiss waited for her as she went into the bathroom to wash and dry off her face.

When she emerged, Ruby was back to her chipper, fourteen-year-old self again. She helped slip the sling back over Weiss' head and put her cast securely into place across her chest for her. She then grabbed her medals from her bag and Weiss did the same before the two of them opened the door and stepped out.

This was the first time since the tournament when all of the school's students had been gathered together, and now that Weiss had come out with Ruby at her side, her waiting friends seemed to relax a bit more.

Pyrrha jumped up and rushed over to her.

"Weiss! I'm so glad you'll be in our pictures as well! It wouldn't be the same without you! I'm glad your injuries weren't too serious."

The others came up to offer her similar words, proving Ruby's earlier point that Weiss really was a well-loved member of their school – their family.

The higher belts came up to her as well.

"I'm sorry you got hurt," Velvet said. "It'll hinder your classes for a while, but you've still got the lot of us to help you out! We can have private lessons for you before and after classes!" she offered with a smile.

"Right," Coco agreed. "Don't let them jerks from Master Cinder's school get to you. It won't do anyone any good. Those bastards always pull sneaky shit, but this year they went too damn far. I'll be sure to give 'em a piece of my mind next time we see 'em. Nobody hurts my underclassmen."

She cracked her knuckles and tossed her hair out of her face with a huff, and for a moment she was very intimidating. But then she grinned again and pat a hand to Weiss' back.

"But I'll save the revenge talk for later. Right now, we've got a celebration to throw!"

"Indeed we do."

All of the gathered students looked up at the sound of Ozpin's familiar voice. They all stood at attention and bowed to him in greeting.

The instructors entered the dojang and greeted their students as well before Ozpin had everyone sit in a large circle on the mats.

Ruby kept close to Weiss' uninjured side so she could lean on her a little bit. Yang was on her sister's other side and Blake was beside her, while Pyrrha flanked Weiss.

All of the students of the school were present now, all wearing their medals around their necks. Ozpin sat with his legs crossed in between Glynda and Peter, his golden trophy set in front of him.

Glynda then invited each student to stand up and say a few words about the tournament and their experiences in it.

The higher belts began first to get things going, standing one by one as they spoke individually. The red belts had received all golds and silvers, as had the purple belt boys.

Yang and Blake both spoke of their accomplishments as well as what they'd like to improve on for next year. Ruby spoke quickly and hyperactively when she was called upon.

"Th-This tournament was super fun! It was so cool to be able to see the other schools and their techniques and stuff! I really enjoyed it!" she piped, sitting down quickly as she finished.

When it was Weiss' turn, all expressions grew a bit more taut in remembrance of what had transpired. But she kept her chin high as she spoke.

"Although some misfortunes befell me at my first tournament, it truly was an exceptional experience, and I'm rather proud to have been able to participate and compete. I'm very grateful for this opportunity and intend to compete again next year."

The others all clapped as she finished speaking.

They continued around the circle, listening to Pyrrha's poised speech, Jaune's fumbling one, Nora's loud one, Ren's soft-spoken on, Sun's intense one, Neptune's charismatic one, and then the stocky, drawling speeches of Cardin and his four friends.

Once everyone was finished, Ozpin stood with his trophy in-hand and addressed all of them.

"This is the second year you've all won me this award," he said. "And the first year when I can walk away with something to show for it. I'm so proud of each and every one of you. You've all trained hard for years and deserve every medal you've earned for yourselves this past Saturday. Congratulations to all of you."

With the speeches finished, Glynda had everyone stand and arranged them into lines for a group photo. Their parents stood from their seats in the carpeted area of the school to take pictures and congratulate them all.

After that, Ozpin took the liberty upon himself to order pizza for all of the students and their parents as well.

For another hour or so, they all sat and chatted casually.

Weiss made sure the rest of them covered their laps in napkins as not to stain their uniforms. Ruby helped her friend fold her pizza slice in half so she could hold it with just one hand to eat.

They all talked and enjoyed themselves at their leisure until they'd all finished and went back to change one by one.

Once the four girls had dressed into their casual clothes once more, Ruby was sure to hug Weiss one more time before they went home for the day.

"If you can, you should come by to watch the classes," she said.

"Yeah, please!" Yang begged "I still need help with the mental knowledge stuff and you're my savior, Weiss!"

"Yeah, she's hopeless," Blake agreed with a smirk.

Weiss looked to each of them and finally smiled.

"Well, if you all insist. I'll be sure to come as often as I can."

And she did.

She convinced her father that it would be worth his time to drive her to the school, because she'd be helping her fellow students study their mental knowledge. In addition to helping others, she'd also observe the classes and pay attention to her own curriculum by observing what Pyrrha, Sun, and Neptune were taught.

In this way, Weiss was taken to the school twice a week on her regular class days in order to help the others as well as take notes for herself, despite the wobbly handwriting of her right hand.

She practiced by herself as best she could without having to move her left arm, simply so she could get used to the motions and stances.

However, in the end, Weiss' arm wasn't fully healed in time for the next belt test. Ozpin informed her that she'd be skipping a test, and although upset, Weiss simply accepted the news with a nod.

The others had heard the news too, and after the class when they walked away with their testing papers and Weiss was empty-handed, they looked guiltily at her. Yang was the first who attempted to speak about it.

"Weiss," she said. "I'm sorry-"

"Ah-puh-puh-puh-puh!" Weiss cut her off instantly. "I don't need your pity, thank you very much! Rather than pity, I need to help you study! There hasn't been a belt test yet where anyone but myself has answered all of the mental education questions correctly. I've got to save your behind first, Yang. I'll make you a study guide and give it to you next class."

The fact that Weiss still managed to remember all of her own mental education as well as all of the ones from her previous belts was impressive enough. But the fact that she already knew the mental knowledge of the higher ranks as well as was incredible. She knew every answer for every question and reciting piece up to blue belt, and Yang was lucky to have her.

With water lavender eyes, she threw her arms gently around Weiss' shoulders.

"You're my savior, Weiss!" she cried.

"Yes, yes, I know."

. . .

In the following classes that led up to the next belt test, Weiss did as she'd promised and made a study guide for Yang, as she was the one who suffered most in the mental education portion of the tests.

Blake tended to make the most mistakes in kicking, and Yang was always certain to help her out in class, giving her tips about how to turn her hips or shoulders, and when it was best not to turn at all.

Blake's nervousness about being judged by Cardin or anyone else had long-since vanished by now; she had found a new confidence in herself through her friends. Her kicks were improving bit by bit, thanks to her companion's help and the instructions of her teachers.

It was strange how sometimes in order to perfect a kick to the best of her abilities, all she needed to do was get a new perspective on it. Blake could clearly see it when other people had faults in their kicks, but when she herself was performing them, she couldn't exactly catch a glimpse of her own motions in the mirrors.

Therefore, one day at class, Yang had gone up to Weiss where she was sitting at the counter at the side of the dojang and handed the girl her phone. She requested that Weiss record Blake's kicking practice for her.

With her good hand, Weiss complied, trying to keep the phone's camera steady to the best of her abilities. Once class had ended that day, Blake watched the video and saw for herself what her mistakes for particular kicks looked like.

"See here," Yang said as she watched the video over Blake's shoulder. "When you do your tornado kick, you kinda pause a bit riiiight before you do the actual kick. That slows you down and you lose power. You've gotta try not to pause like that, y'know what I mean?"

Blake observed herself with perked ears, noticing what Yang meant.

"Yeah..." she mumbled. "I think I get it now. Next time I'll try to do that."

Yang's idea to have Weiss record Blake ended up helping the Faunus girl a lot in the final week before she was to test. She almost perfected her tornado kick, and though it could still do with a bit of improvement, all of the major flaws had been dusted out.

The improvements showed when Blake's kick made louder sounds when connecting with the kicking targets, demonstrating her enhanced power brought upon by her newfound technique.

While Yang studied hard for her mental knowledge with Weiss' help, and Blake improved herself in her kicking with Yang's help, Ruby needed a bit of assistance as well.

She was still struggling with her form, which was form three, at her present level. So she went to Blake asking for help before and after classes, since the Faunus girl was one of their school's best when it came to forms. Blake helped Ruby with her balance and stance, directing her to slow down where she tended to rush through the motions.

"Forms aren't always about speed," she informed the brunette calmly. "Forms are more about power and strength. You don't just learn the motions because they look cool together. You've got to understand your form."

Ruby had only tilted her head in confusion at that, but Blake elaborated.

One day after classes had finished, she stayed behind on the dojang with Ruby to show her a method that would help her better comprehend her form. Blake asked for Yang, Pyrrha, and Jaune's assistance and ushered them forward.

"Alright," she said to Ruby. "You're on form three now, so show me the first movements."

Ruby nodded and began her form, which started with a side-block and a punch to the left, followed by the same motions mirrored to the right side. Blake positioned herself and Yang on one side of the girl and Pyrrha and Jaune on the other.

"Okay, see..." she was saying. "When you do your side-block, you're blocking an imaginary opponent." Blake threw a punch at Ruby, but her side-block motion fended the Faunus girl off.

"See?" she said. "And then you follow up with a punch, either to the same person or to a brand new opponent." As Ruby stepped up for her punch, she aimed for Yang's stomach and pretended to strike her; Yang exaggeratedly stumbled backward and collapsed onto her back on the floor like a vanquished foe.

Blake rolled her eyes before continuing for Ruby. "And then you repeat the same motions on the other side, so imagine you're facing two brand new opponents."

As Ruby turned around, her mirrored side-block parried Pyrrha's punch this time, and her punch pretended to hit Jaune in the gut in the same manner she'd hit Yang.

"Good," Blake nodded. "And a side-block won't only block a punch, but what else?"

"Mm..." Ruby hummed in thought for a moment. "Oh! A roundhouse kick!"

"Exactly." Blake threw a light kick at her just to demonstrate, and Ruby blocked it easily. "Each block isn't just limited to protecting you from one specific thing. They all have multiple uses. In a form, rather than how to perform these motions, you've got to understand why you're using them. Why this specific motion and not something else? That's what you need to understand about a form. Did you notice that you never end a combination with a kick? Why do you think that is?"

"Um..." Ruby put a hand to her chin in thought. "Because you might be off-balance?"

"Well, that's part of it, yes," Blake nodded. "But mostly because kicks tend to be attacks. You never end a motion with just a kick because you've got to follow up with a follow-up motion, too. After you do a kick, there's always a punch or a block right afterward in your form. Show me the next part."

Ruby nodded and stepped toward the front of the room rather than the side this time. The first motion was a low-block, which Blake showed her fended off a low roundhouse kick. Following that was a front-snap kick, then two punches.

"This part," Blake explained. "You're kicking someone upside the chin, and then the punches are the follow-up attacks, punching them in the chest to knock them down for the count. Do you see what I mean?"

Ruby nodded slowly, her eyes starting to clear up with comprehension.

"Yeah... I think so!" she said. "So from now on when I do my form, I should imagine people coming at me and fighting me. That way, I can remember which combination to do and why I have to do that combination, right? I have to do a side-block and a punch to defend and counterattack, and I have to do a kick and two punches to attack and follow-up."

"Exactly!" Blake's voice rose a little bit in her excitement as Ruby seemed to understand her lessons. She was so enthralled that her teaching had born fruit that she actually pulled Ruby into a hug. "That's it, Ruby. You'll do much better in your forms from now on if you understand why you're doing them. It's all self-defense."

Ruby grinned and hugged Blake's back in return.

"I think I get it now! Thank you, Blake!"

Blake thanked Jaune and Pyrrha for their help and then helped Yang up off the floor. Then all of them went back to their respective changing rooms.

Weiss had observed everything that week – how she herself had helped Yang in the blonde's weakest spots, how Yang had helped Blake, and how Blake had helped Ruby. And Weiss was certain there was something Ruby would be able to help her with once she returned to her classes.

The next belt test was held several days later.

It was the first time since joining taekwondo that Weiss was sitting on the sidelines beside her father and sister rather than testing for herself. But she wasn't ashamed of herself for receiving her injury, nor was she afraid of her father anymore.

It had been over a year since she had started the martial art now, and Weiss had made her father understand her passion for it through her own demonstrations and with the help of her friends and teachers.

She didn't see her missed testing as a setback; she viewed it merely as a break for herself, so she may perfect her techniques even more when she went back to classes; she'd make her following test even better than the present one would have been.

Presently, she sat beside Winter, who had also seemed to have taken more of an interest in watching the sport now rather than choose to ignore it.

The school had gotten a few new no-belts in the past few months, and they were now testing for the first time to achieve their white belts.

Weiss herself could still remember her first belt test – they all could still remember. Nothing compared to that nervousness of performing in front of the entire martial arts community – friends, family, teachers.

And absolutely nothing compared to that feeling of getting your very first belt tied around your waist.

Each new belt after the first was another conquered level in this journey to go as far as they could possibly go.

Weiss may have needed to postpone her test today, but she'd be sure to blow everyone away when her time finally came. But for now, she simply watched the others.

Ruby, together with Nora, Ren, and Jaune, performed all of their orange belt curriculum together, from the hand techniques to the kicking combinations, to the form, the mental knowledge, and finally the breaking.

Weiss could see how much they had all improved since starting – even Jaune had made his wobbling punches a bit firmer.

And when she did her form, Ruby clearly had made leaps and bounds in improvements thanks to Blake's teachings. She was very smooth with the transition of her motions, as well as her stances.

And while Ren's balance, poise, and grace still made him the clear champion when it came to forms, Ruby had definitely moved up to second place in their group.

As for the mental knowledge portion, none of them had gotten to the point where they could each answer every question Ozpin asked, but they could each take a few of them, and with their combined teamwork managed to provide the correct answers for everything.

Nora's breaking was still the most impressive – and the loudest – her voice ringing out in an enthusiastic yell as she jumped up and broke her board, sending pieces flying as high as the ceiling.

Once the breaking was over and the students were permitted to give their boards to their parents, Ruby rushed to where her father and mother were sitting at the side of the dojang and hugged them. She left one piece of her broken board with them before rushing over to the counter where Weiss was seated. Ruby skidded to a halt in front of her friend, who looked up at her with surprised blue eyes.

"Ruby? What are you doing?"

"For you!" Ruby said, giving Weiss the other half of her board. "Cause you've been helping me out since day one, and you can't have your own board to take home with you today, so I figured... you can have half of mine!" she beamed.

Still shocked, Weiss reached out her right hand and accepted the board before putting it in her lap.

"You dunce," she muttered. "You didn't have to do this. These boards are supposed to be for your family."

"But you are my family, Weiss!" she declared. "Or, at least it feels that way! You're my best friend, so I want you to have it!"

As soon as Weiss had accepted her board, Ruby leaned forward across the counter and hugged her softly. "Thanks for everything, Weiss!"

Weiss was too touched at the moment to form a verbal reply, but she responded by squeezing her good arm a little tighter around Ruby's shoulders before letting her go.

Once their test had concluded, the present green belts were called up next. Weiss sat back, slightly dejected that she'd be watching her classmates move up without her, but she did her best to cheer them on.

Pyrrha was still clearly the best when it came to the hand techniques and form, though Neptune matched her with the kicking combinations. Sun was the one with the most impressive breaking, however.

This time, it was a flying side-kick – a run across the room followed by a jump and a side-kick done mid-air. Sun's aim was a bit off, but his power and speed were more than enough to break the board into three pieces.

The others broke as well, both succeeding on their first tries, though without as much flare as the Faunus boy. After the mental knowledge portion of the test had concluded, they were directed to sit down beside the other students who had completed their tests.

Yang, Blake, Cardin and the other boys were up next. Weiss was most interested about watching Blake's kicking, and she noticed the Faunus girl had really improved even since the previous week. She was kicking higher and with more power, but most importantly of all, her technique was almost as good as Yang's.

Not quite, but leagues better than any of the boys'.

The moment of truth, however, was when they all knelt down for the mental knowledge portion of the test. Ozpin sat at his table and asked them to recite their belt meaning.

Yang's voice rang out loud and clearly, and she didn't stumble on any of the words like the boys did. When it came time for them to answer the specific questions pertaining to their belt level as well as reciting small creeds, Yang was able to answer everything flawlessly.

For the first time since she'd started, she got a perfect score on her mental knowledge portion, and it was all the blonde could do to restrain herself from shouting out in excitement.

They moved onto their breaking, which was a tornado kick to the board, and Blake broke hers on the first try. As the crowds cheered, she mumbled her thanks to Yang.

"It's because you helped me out so much."

"Nah~" The blonde waved her hand dismissively. "It's 'cause you trained so hard, Blake!"

The blue belts handed their boards to their parents and sat down.

The purple and red belts completed their tests, showing off higher level forms and kicks like spinning-hook kicks and jumping back-kicks respectively before the test concluded.

Glynda called up all of the students who had tested and lined them up by rank to receive their new belts. Ozpin and the instructors went around untying old belts and tying on new ones, awarding medals and trophies to all of them.

When they'd finished, Blake and Yang adorned purple belts, and Ruby was at green. Pyrrha, Sun, and Neptune would be the only blue belts now, as Weiss would be re-joining as a green belt in a few weeks.

It was strange to think how she'd have to be moved down a rank, or rather simply be unable to advance with the people who had been her classmates for an entire year.

Now, Weiss would be... in the same class as Ruby.

It was a little upsetting to think that she'd missed a test, and yet she didn't regret it all that much.

This way, she could be right beside Ruby in every lesson from now on, keeping an eye on her and training together with her even closer than she had been before.

And Pyrrha and the boys were only one rank ahead of her now; Weiss would still be in the same classes as them, if not the same specific group. Weiss could live with that.

Presently, Glynda had all of the students who had tested turn around to show off their new belts and trophies, and all of their parents and family members stood in preparation to take pictures.

But when Pyrrha turned around, there was no one to pull to her side. Sun and Neptune shared dejected looks with her and the three sighed collectively.

Their sadness didn't go unnoticed by the others, and even the new brown belts seemed a bit bummed out. Before the cameras started clicking, Coco spoke up loudly.

"Hold on just a second," she sighed. "Something's not right here."

The nods all around her were unanimous. Ruby felt a pat on her back and turned to find Yang and Blake smiling down at her.

"Go get her," the blonde grinned. "Only you can do it, Ruby!"

The new green belt girl flashed quick glances around at her friends, and they were all nodding in agreement.

Keeping hold of the medal around her neck, Ruby dashed off to the edge of the dojang, bowed, and rushed onto the carpeted area behind the counter, weaving through the crowds until-

"Weiss!"

At the sound of her name, the white-haired girl looked up in shock.

"Ruby? What are you doing? They're about to take the group pictures!"

"I know, I know!" she said breathlessly. "But it's not the same without you, Weiss! You've gotta be in the pictures too! You've gotta be with us or else we can't smile!"

Weiss' heart clenched a bit, and her vision went blurry all of a sudden, but she fought back the tears.

"I can't," she mumbled. "I didn't even test-"

"That doesn't matter!" Ruby grasped her friend's right hand and slipped an arm around her shoulders, guiding Weiss to her feet. "Weiss, you're a part of our family! You can't be here sitting and watching; you gotta be up there with us!"

Ruby tugged her forward, and Weiss stepped out of her shoes and left them behind as she was taken toward the dojang. The parents moved aside to let them through, and Ruby was mindful not to jostle Weiss or let her broken arm get touched.

The others all cheered when they saw the pair emerge together, and Ruby led Weiss over to them.

She wasn't dressed in her uniform like the rest of them were, nor had she received her new belt today, but Weiss found she didn't care.

Ruby's words and the others' smiles were more than enough proof that she was more than welcomed here.

Ruby slipped into place beside Weiss, and Pyrrha pulled her friend in to her side.

"It didn't feel right without you here!" she beamed.

Weiss cracked a smile and fit herself into place between the two girls.

With everyone in place, the parents began to take pictures and congratulate their children before the group dispersed. Ruby asked her parents to take pictures of just Weiss and herself, and then with Blake and Yang, too.

The other students all gathered around Weiss to sign her cast and draw little pictures on it. Ruby scribbled her name, a heart, and a rose while Yang attempted to draw a dragon around her signature.

Once they'd all finished, Ruby, Blake, and Yang headed back into the changing rooms.

Weiss exited the dojang and put her shoes back on, going to her father's side when Ozpin suddenly called her name. He walked up to them from the opposite side of the counter and addressed both Weiss and her father.

"Now Weiss, I know you're a very bright student," he began. "If I'm not mistaken, you should be able to have your cast off in three weeks, is that correct?" he asked, looking to her father.

He nodded.

Ozpin went on. "If that's the case, then I don't see why you can't attend a make-up testing once you come back to classes. You can still test for your blue belt and re-join your original group, if you'd like. I know you'll be able to catch up and learn all of the new curriculum quickly."

Surprised at the offer, Weiss looked up at her father. He met her gaze and spoke sternly.

"It's your decision."

Weiss looked down for a moment and thought, weighing her options and considering outcomes for both. After a minute, she looked up with determined eyes at her master.

"Thank you, Master Ozpin," she said. "I'd like to take you up on that offer... but I won't. I'll kindly refuse. I didn't go through as much training as the other blue belts have, and it wouldn't be fair of me to be bumped up to their level without similar training. I want to earn my belt, even if it means redoing the rank before it."

Ozpin smiled a bit, intrigued.

"Are you certain?" he asked. "You injury wasn't your fault, you do realize. You're not being held back by any surmountable choice of your own."

"I know," she said respectfully. "But this is my decision. I'll continue to train as a green belt and test fairly when the time comes."

Ozpin nodded.

"Very well. I'm hoping for your swift recovery so I may see you back in class before long."

Weiss dipped her head.

"Thank you, sir."

She met her father's gaze, and he didn't oppose her choice, so Weiss knew he must have accepted it.

Once Ruby and the others had emerged from the changing rooms, dressed once more in their casual clothes, they all spoke of the usual plans to head back to Ruby and Yang's house to celebrate. Blake's parents were more than used to driving her there for the little after-party, and by now even Weiss' father didn't resent to drive his daughter there.

Just as they always did, the four girls enjoyed themselves for the afternoon, eating Summer's homemade cookies, playing with Zwei, and watching movies.

They all sat on the couch, Ruby on Weiss' right side so she could cuddle into her. Blake was on her other side, leaning into Yang.

Every time, the celebration felt new, and yet somehow so familiar.

But unmistakably, every time they all felt accomplished, accepted, and undeniably happy.

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

Three weeks later, Weiss got her cast removed, though she kept it solely to savor the messages her friends had written on it for her.

The first day she returned to the taekwondo school without it on, Ruby jumped up from where she'd been stretching and rushed over to her friend.

"Weiss! You're all better!" she cried, throwing her arms around her. Weiss had been about to return the contact when the younger girl suddenly gasped and pulled away. "Ohmygosh I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to be so rough! Are you okay?" she asked anxiously, rubbing Weiss' shoulder gently.

The white-haired girl nodded with a smile.

"I'm fine, Ruby," she reassured her. "The pain's long gone. But I wasn't finished with my hug yet."

She pulled Ruby in tighter, relishing the feeling of being able to hold her with both arms once again.

Pyrrha, Blake, and Yang rushed over as well for hugs, while the boys mentioned how glad they were to have Weiss back.

Ruby led her friend back to the changing rooms, but Weiss didn't need any help putting on her uniform anymore. She was still a bit stiff with tying her belt, though, so Ruby did that for her. When the brunette finally straightened up again, she and Weiss adorned the same colored belts.

It was certainly odd, to say the least. For an entire year, Ruby had been the rank beneath Weiss, but now they were on equal levels.

It was even stranger for Weiss – she was in an entirely different group of students now, no longer directly with Pyrrha and the boys, but now she was with Jaune, Ren, and Nora instead.

They'd all shared many classes together in the past; it was just the knowledge that they were now on her level that was a bit off-putting for Weiss.

Even so, she didn't regret the time she had lost. Her taking a break had been a sort of training on its own, as it challenged her to keep up with her curriculum without actually performing it herself.

During that time, she'd assisted her friends and helped them learn more than she had taught herself. It had helped her grow in more ways than she would have if she'd kept taking the classes.

Once Ruby was finished with Weiss' belt, she couldn't stop herself from hugging the girl once more. "I'm so glad you're back! I've missed you!"

Weiss rolled her eyes, but there was no one else here to see, so she patted Ruby's head lightly.

"You dunce. I've been here every day you have."

"Well yeah, but I mean taking class with me! It was lonely... But now we're actually classmates cause we're on the same level!" She pulled away, and suddenly her smile switched for a frown. "Is this... really okay with you, Weiss? I mean, don't you think you could do a make-up test and move up to blue belt anyway? You'd be able to catch up, no problem."

Weiss sighed, reaching out to lightly flick the girl's forehead.

"Of course I'd be able to catch up," she huffed. "Skipping up to my proper level would be a cinch for me," she said proudly.

Weiss watched as Ruby's shoulders began to slump, her silver eyes slowly directing themselves at the ground. But Weiss poked a finger under Ruby's chin and had her look up again.

"But there's no way I would do that. It would be like cheating. I'll earn my blue belt after I've officially completed my training as a green belt. And as things turn out, it just so happens that that'll now be at the same time as you."

As she spoke, the sparkle gradually returned to Ruby's eyes, and her lips started to curl up again. "Now then," Weiss continued. "I've watched enough of the lessons, but watching and doing are two entirely different things. I'll need you to refresh me on our form."

"Right!"

Ruby gabbed away as they walked out into the dojang, joining the others.

Jaune had been sitting on the floor and peacefully stretching alone when Nora rushed over to throw her weight onto his back to "help", and Ren stretched quietly off to one side. Weiss gazed around at her new classmates.

"This will be... interesting..."

"Yup!" Ruby agreed. "But it'll also be even more fun with you here now!"

At the time when Weiss had been forced to stop classes, she had already learned all of her green belt form, and presently, Ruby had only been taught the first half.

Before class began, Ruby did her best to go over the motions in order to help refresh Weiss' memory. She showed her their hand techniques and kicking combination as well.

By that time, Glynda and Port entered the dojang and began class.

Ruby kept a close eye on Weiss as they jogged and did their warm-ups, making sure she was always Weiss' partner whenever they needed to be in pairs to stretch or for an exercise. She felt she knew Weiss better than anyone else here, and Ruby was always careful to avoid her left arm in any way possible.

Weiss noticed as much, and during one of their punching exercises, she leaned forward breathlessly to her younger partner.

"You do realize... that the reason the cast is gone now... is because my arm's healed, don't you?"

"I know..." Ruby mumbled. "I just wanna be sure!"

Had it been almost anyone else, Weiss might've been irked by the excessive concern – insulted, as though they were babying her. But when it was Ruby, Weiss knew the concern was nothing but genuine and endearing.

It always made Weiss smile a bit.

When the curriculum portion of the class began, Weiss quickly got back into the motions of her hand techniques, and though she hadn't kicked in about a month, the steps and turns of the kicking combination came naturally back to her.

The self-defense techniques were something she hadn't been taught yet, however, so in doing them now, she was extra attentive.

The second Glynda had instructed them to get into pairs, Ruby had rushed to Weiss' side faster than ever before. The older girl wasn't surprised, because from what she'd seen, their self-defense involved a lot of shoulder-grabbing and takedowns.

The green belts' self-defense was a grab to the shoulder from behind, and since both Ruby and Weiss were left-handed, they needed to be grabbed on their left shoulders.

Ruby was excessively careful about attacking Weiss, and did her best only to grab the girl's uniform and not make contact with her actual shoulder.

And when Weiss was the attacker and Ruby needed to take her down to the floor, she was very mindful to go slowly and to cushion her fall as best as possible.

The whole ordeal was more stressful for Ruby than it was for Weiss, and by the end of it all, the brunette was mumbling frets.

"Is your arm okay, Weiss? I didn't hurt you, did I?"

"Of course not," she said. "As I've told you time and again, I'm completely fine now. Don't worry so much."

She felt the familiarity of all this, how hers and Ruby's roles had been reversed since the time when they'd first met.

By the time class was over, Weiss was pleasantly sore and a bit breathless – she'd forgotten what it felt like to have just finished a good workout. She longed to get her body back into shape before another week was up.

Ruby offered her a bottle of cool water, as Weiss had forgotten to bring her own, so she accepted Ruby's gratefully.

Once she'd finished drinking, Ruby took a sip right away. Weiss blushed instantly and turned around to quickly start changing.

Once they'd both finished changing and gone out to meet their parents, it was time to part ways. Ruby pulled Weiss into one more hug.

"I'll see you next time in class!"

This time, Weiss didn't care if there were other people around to see as she returned the embrace warmly.

"Yes. Thank you, Ruby," she murmured into the girl's hair. "For... everything. For always believing in me when I couldn't do it for myself. For taking such good care of me. And for being my friend through it all."

It wasn't detectable by any other pair of potentially-straying eyes, but Weiss pressed a light kiss to Ruby's temple. The younger girl felt it and froze for a split second before her embrace on Weiss tightened even more out of sheer joy.

When they parted, their eyes met, and there were questions and statements that didn't have the time to be spoken right now, so they came to the silent agreement to save them for another time.

They had many more times to come, after all.

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

It was two weeks later when Weiss showed up for sparring class, for the first time in almost two months now.

The higher belts, including the brown belts, Yang and Blake were also choosing to spar that day, and Ruby was as well. But the second she saw that Weiss had shown up with her bag full of gear, she sprinted over to her friend.

"Weiss! You're gonna spar today? Are you sure? I mean are you-"

"First of all," Weiss said, poking her forehead. "I've told you at least a million times already that I'm fine now. And secondly, if I don't get back into the routine of sparring now, I'll never get back in. It's a requirement for future belts, so it's best not to get lazy and fall behind."

With that, she brushed past the girl, though Ruby was quick to follow her into the back to help her change and put on her gear. Blake and Yang were in the changing room, just finishing up tying one another's chest pieces when the younger pair walked in.

"Heya!" Yang grinned. "You gonna start sparrin' again today, Weiss?"

"What does it look like?" Weiss said dryly, dropping her sparring bag onto the floor. Yang chuckled at the biting sarcasm that had become so familiar to her in recent months.

"Even if she doesn't spar a match," Blake said. "It's better to at least get back into the routine of the bounces and steps."

"Thank goodness one of you understands," Weiss mumbled.

Weiss and Ruby went to their respective bags and began slipping on their arm and leg gear. Ruby was sure to tie Weiss' chest-piece for her to make sure it wasn't too tight, and Blake tied Ruby's for her in the meantime.

Yang and Blake finished by tying their hair into the usual ponytails, and then the four of them were off for class.

If Ruby got help from Blake with forms, and Blake got help from Yang with kicking, and Yang got help from Weiss with mental knowledge, then Ruby found the person she worked best with was Weiss in regards to sparring.

It had never been her strongest point, even before the incident, but after her match with Emerald, Weiss had been a lot more hesitant about getting back into sparring.

So on her first class back, Ruby was certain – as always – to be her partner, and during the training drills would do her best to instruct Weiss on certain things.

"Make sure to keep bouncing on your feet as much as possible," she said. "If you're constantly moving, then you're three times quicker than you would be if you were just standing still like a sitting duck."

She demonstrated for herself just how swiftly she could move before going on. "I know sparring's a bit tough for you, and I think I know why. Because it doesn't require too much thinking. You're super good at mental knowledge because you have to think about and understand the answers and live by them every single day.

"But for sparring, it's more, um... in-the-moment! Sometimes, you don't have the time to think – you just gotta act! So I think what's best for you is looking at sparring kinda like a chess game! You need strategy, just minus the hours and hours of boring thinking time."

The analogy might not have been the best, but it'd been the only one that had come to Ruby's mind at the time.

And Weiss more or less had gotten the gist of her explanation anyway.

In a mock sparring match against Ruby, Weiss found she was like Sun – she didn't go easy on Weiss. And Weiss appreciated that more than anything.

Sparring was Ruby's best field, and though she controlled the amount of force behind every kick, she didn't let up on her incredible speed.

Within just a one-minute round, she had scored about ten points on Weiss, leaving the white-haired girl with only two or three. But still, it was more than she'd expected to score against the best non-black-belt sparrer in the school.

Ruby's little tips to her here and there had certainly helped out, that was for sure.

At the end of the tiring class, they all helped one another out of their gear, shedding the excess layers and remembering how it felt to breathe freely again.

The girls lined up in the bathroom to get a turn at the sink to wash their faces of grime and sweat, just to hold them over long enough to make it home and shower.

But even when Weiss felt so sticky and slimy like that, it never deterred Ruby from hugging her.

Weiss hadn't realized a specific time or date, but somewhere along the lines, she'd grown accustomed to Ruby's frequent hugs. And perhaps, she'd even come to enjoy them.

And just maybe she'd come to long for them as well.

Yang and Blake noticed the budding affections between the two girls as well. They themselves had already been stealing kisses in the changing room for several months now, and were even bold enough to do so in Yang's own home whenever they had a room to themselves.

At this rate, it would only be a matter of time.

Patience was something the martial art emphasized in every belt's mental knowledge.

And it was guaranteed to a virtue.

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

A/N: Yes, yes, though the main focus of this fic is not romance, there is some throw in there :3

The title "The Strength Of Autumn" is part of my school's brown belt meaning. Autumn is the last season in the belt ranks, since they go from Spring-Summer-Autumn. Winter isn't included, but it's implied to be the "black belt" season, the "end" season since it's at the end of the year. But Winter is also the season at the beginning of the new year, which shoes black belt isn't the end of the art at all. Far from it.

See you next week for the final chapter!