Cinder Falls... For Ruby Rose (ch15)

EARLY RELEASE FOR MY HIGH-PLEDGING PATRONS! THANK YOU!

Continuing right from the previous chapter! (And since I was a little late with this one, it's an extra 1000 words longer!)

Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.

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												Chapter 15. Battle For Dominance

Cinder really wasn't sure what she should be expecting out of this beach day. She'd had little to no interest in such things in the past, not because she didn't enjoy spending time with just her teammates, but mainly because she didn't care for the outdoors in the heat.

But she found herself forgetting all about that discomfort when Ruby was with her, holding her hand as they waded through the shallows.

Yang, Mercury, Emerald and Neo were now in the water tossing an inflatable beach ball back and forth and occasionally splashing and shouting. Weiss and Blake were curled up together back on shore beneath the umbrella, watching with amusement in their eyes.

Luckily for Cinder, Ruby seemed to be able to tell that she didn't care for the more rambunctious game their teammates were playing, but she didn't want to hold Ruby back by sitting in the sand either. So Ruby took things a bit more slowly and adjusted to what she felt Cinder might be comfortable with.

"Here! Look at this!" She kept a firm grip on Cinder's hand and guided her knee-deep into the water. Cinder simply nodded and followed suit. The waves were lapping softly here, and when Ruby coaxed her to look down, Cinder could see what she was indicating.

Beneath the shallow water, dozens of colorful shells were tumbling about around their toes. Some had little crabs inside that were burrowing into the sand. Some were as big as her hand, and others as tiny as her pinkie nail. They were all different colors with swirls and patters and stripes, being brought up to shore and then pulled back out to sea.

Ruby kept ahold of Cinder, but she bent down and scooped up a handful of shells with her free hand.

"Aren't they cool? Here, here, gimme your hand. Oh wait..." Realizing she already had it, Ruby turned Cinder's hand palm-upward and carefully deposited the shells into her care.

Cinder was quiet as her eyes passed over the shells, admiring their silent beauty. She was about to say something when one of the shells started to move and she froze.

"Oh!" Ruby piped. "Whoopsie! Looks like we got a crabby! Hold on I'll get him!" Ruby carefully plucked the shells in Cinder's hand apart until she could pick up the little hermit crab. "Got'cha! Sorry little buddy, I'll put you back now!" She crouched down and released him onto the shoreline, then stood back up next to Cinder. "Sorry about that! You looked really surprised, heheh."

Cinder felt her face become warmer than the sun should've made it and she quickly turned away. Ruby chuckled.

"Aww, sorry! I'm so lucky! I know you don't ever let anyone else see you being so cute, Cinder!"

Cinder found it embarrassing that she hadn't even managed to get out a single word thus far, but now she was far too bashful to attempt speech. Ruby chuckled again.

"Okay, how about we try something else? Hold onto those and follow me!"

Ruby marched out of the water and back onto the sand, then plopped herself down without a care. Cinder flinched at the image of wet sand on bare skin and stayed standing as she followed. She watched Ruby gather a pile of sand and start to shape it.

"We're gonna make a sand castle! Or I can make it and you can help me decorate! How's that sound?"

At last Cinder managed to fish her voice out from the confines of her chest.

"Very well."

She offered the shells in her hand to Ruby who eagerly pawed through them and selected the ones she wanted to use for the castle. When she'd finished with the first batch Cinder went back into the water to hunt for more and then brought them back for her to repeat the process.

After ten minutes or so Ruby had built a sizable castle and decorated it with all different-colored shells and sea glass. She stood up triumphantly and presented the final product to her girlfriend.

"Ta-daaaa! We can name it fort Cinder-Ruby!"

Cinder subtly draped an arm around the smaller girl's shoulders and rested her head against Ruby's.

"I approve."

"Yay!"

Ruby savored their proximity for a moment, nestling her face into Cinder's shoulder. Cinder let out a small sigh of contentment and closed her eyes for a brief moment, enjoying the sun on her back and the warmth at her side-

"Head's up!"

Yang's warning cry came just as the huge wet beach ball slammed into their backs. Cinder felt the spine-tingling sensation of water and sand spraying across her entire body as the impact unbalanced her. Her foot caught in the sand and she fell to her knees, cruelly torn from Ruby's grasp. The brunette was shrieking and sputtering as she reeled around to kick the ball back into the water.

"Yang, what the heck!"

"Sorry~!"

Ruby stuck out her tongue before whipping around. "Cinder! Are you okay?" She crouched down next to her and put a hand on her back. Cinder coughed once to dislodge the sand from her lips, but the rest of her body wasn't so lucky.

"Fine," she muttered. She easily could've stood, but she stayed there for a moment despite her hatred of the sand simply to lean back into Ruby's supportive touch. The flustered brunette got to dusting her off as best she could.

"Sorry about Yang, she's a big idiot. Here, lemme clean out your hair."

Ruby started running her hands through coal-colored locks, her fingers brushing Cinder's back and shoulders. Cinder was frozen in place once again despite the heat. Perhaps she'd forgive the embarrassment in exchange for this.

Ruby brushed her off as well as she could before taking Cinder's hands and helping her to her feet again.

"Come on. Let's go in the water real quick to wash off the rest."

So they waded back into the waves and washed themselves free of sand. Cinder was trying not to put her head under if she could help it, so she only cupped water in her hands and washed her face that way.

Ruby then led her back toward their towels where Weiss and Blake were still enjoying themselves together. Ruby waved in greeting.

"Hey guys! How's it going?"

"Calm," Blake replied. "Peaceful, with your sister all the way out there."

"I'll say," Weiss agreed. "Would you two like some water? Just because you're swimming in it doesn't mean you don't still need it in your system."

"Yes please! Thanks, Weiss!"

Weiss went through her bag and pulled out a bottle of water.

"Oh. It seems there's only one left."

"That's okay!" Ruby declared. "We can share!" She took the bottle from Weiss and turned away to uncap it. After taking a few big gulps she offered it to Cinder. "Here! Weiss is right. It's easy to get dehydrated when you're at the beach."

Cinder dipped her head in a nod and bent down a little to place a small, appreciative kiss on Ruby's temple.

"Thank you." She took a few sips before she noticed Ruby was staring. "Is something the matter?"

"Nope! I was just thinking how I've never seen you drink from a water bottle before! You're definitely more of a glass person."

It was such a peculiar comment that it made Cinder chuckle out loud.

Blake's ears flicked at the sound and Weiss wasn't sure how to react. They'd never heard it before. But just then they noticed Yang and the others heading back toward them.

"Oh?" Weiss said. "Are we finished already?"

"No way!" Ruby smirked. "That's Yang's 'I have a challenge for you guys' smirk!"

"Lovely," Blake sighed, closing her book.

While Mercury Emerald and Neo all went to retrieve their own drinks, Yang stood with her hands on her hips.

"All right," she declared. "Time for you guys to get out of the shade and have some fun!"

"This is fun for us, Yang," Weiss grumbled.

"Come on! We're at the beach! We gotta all play some beach games together, right?"

"Fine. But no volleyball. My arms are sore just thinking about it."

"Yeesh, all right fine. Then how about..." Her eyes sparked with an idea. "Chicken fights."

"I beg your pardon?"

"You heard me!" Yang called out. "Everyone grab your partner and meet me in the water!" She took Neo by the hand and ran back to the ocean with her as the others watched.

"Chicken fight...?" Weiss repeated. "What in the world is that?"

"I wish I knew," Blake mumbled.

"Whaaat?!" Ruby cried. "You guys don't know what a chicken fight is?!"

Cinder shook her head as well. Mercury cut in.

"Well it's no surprise the boss doesn't know. I doubt she'd ever do something so 'unbecoming,'" he joked. "I'm not even sure I'll be able to if I gotta carry Em."

"The hell's that mean?" she snapped. "I could carry you no problem, though I'd really rather die a slow and painful death than have your legs anywhere near my face."

As they continued to bicker, Weiss Blake and Cinder turned back to Ruby for clarification. Ruby cleared her throat.

"Okay, so chicken fighting is when you get into pairs and one person carries the other on their shoulders. And then we grapple in the water and try to knock each other down! Last pair standing are the winners!"

Weiss wrinkled her nose instantly.

"That's... barbaric."

"Aw, come on, Weiss! We need you guys so we can have even teams! Pleeeease?"

Weiss rolled her eyes and turned to Blake.

"I suppose one round couldn't hurt then."

"All right. If you're sure."

The two of them stood and stretched themselves out before making their way toward the water with Emerald and Mercury.

That left Cinder and Ruby, the former of which was still trying to comprehend this. Ruby turned back to her with a hopeful smile.

"So... do you wanna give it a try? I shouldn't be too heavy! At least I hope so..."

As it clicked in Cinder's mind that she'd have to carry Ruby on her shoulders, she almost forgot how to speak again.

"Yes... Let's join them. As you said, we require even teams."

"Really? Yaaaay!"

Ruby took both of Cinder's hands and pulled her to the water. Yang already had Neo seated comfortably on her shoulders, Emerald was grabbing Mercury's hair to make him stay still as she got into position, while Weiss was easing herself onto Blake much more gently.

"I'll do my best not to get your ears wet," she promised.

Blake purred in response.

"Thanks."

After observing all the others, Cinder slowly knelt down and motioned for Ruby to get into place. Ruby excitedly put her hands on her shoulders, but paused.

"A-Are you sure?"

"Quite."

"O-Okay. J-Just lemme know if I'm too heavy or something."

Cinder was still as she felt Ruby's weight settle on the tops of her shoulders, her fingers clinging gently to her head and hair, but not enough to tug. Cinder gathered herself and wrapped her arms around Ruby's thighs before standing very carefully.

With all of the pairs in position they waded into deeper water, until the ones carrying were about waist-deep. Yang got to explaining the rules.

"All right, it's pretty simple. Only the top people can grapple with their hands. No kicking allowed. If either or both members of a pair fall, they're out. Any questions?"

Everyone who was able to shook their heads.

"All right. Then let the games begin!"

With that, Cinder did her best to wade through the water toward Mercury who was coming right for them. It was difficult to move, but she felt the exact moment when Ruby and Emerald locked hands above her.

"Come on, Little Red," Emerald smirked. "Just because you're on the Chief's side doesn't mean we won't go all-out!"

"I'm not holding back!" Ruby surged forward and Cinder hastily stayed in position beneath her. Mercury sneered back at her.

"I'm not gonna forfeit, Boss. Even if you make me sleep on the roof, I'm gonna beat you!"

Cinder growled back.

"I'll do much worse than that."

"You won't scare me, Boss."

"We'll see about that."

Nearby, Weiss was struggling with Neo as Blake and Yang taunted one another back and forth.

But no one went down just yet, and all the teams split at the same time and simultaneously switched targets. Yang rushed over and Neo grabbed Emerald as hard as she could, almost throwing her off on impact.

"Hey, pipsqueak, what the hell!" As Emerald started fighting back, Blake and Weiss faced Cinder and Ruby. Clearly Blake and Cinder weren't too keen on the idea of fighting each other, but their respective girlfriends had always been friendly competitive partners.

"Come at me, Weiss!"

"With pleasure!"

It was all Cinder and Blake could do to keep their feisty partners from falling. It was definitely a struggle to stay standing as well with the waves rocking from below and their girlfriends wobbling above.

Cinder didn't dare to turn her head in case she unbalanced Ruby in some way, but she heard Emerald shriek and Yang cry out in triumph, followed by a loud splash.

"Damn it, Merc!"

"The hell you yellin' at me for? You're the one who fell."

"Two down!" Yang declared. "Whoever wins between you guys gets to verse us!"

"That'll be me!" Ruby proclaimed.

"What makes you so sure?" Weiss quipped.

"Because incoming!"

Ruby gave a brief warning before letting go of Weiss' hands and clinging onto Cinder's shoulders instead. A wave was right on top of them, and Weiss didn't have the time to grab onto Blake. It didn't go over their heads, but it rushed Blake from the side and made her stumble, and Weiss slipped off with a yelp. Ruby uncurled herself to see her plan had worked.

"Yeah! We did it, Cinder! Now for Yang!"

As Blake helped Weiss up out of the water, the four disqualified members watch the four remaining ones. Yang smirked.

"Not bad, sis. But let's see if you can take on my girl!"

Neo waved innocently and flipped her hair.

"We got this!" Ruby shouted.

Cinder slowly advanced until she was just a foot away from Yang. This was the first time she'd been so close to her girlfriend's big sister, and it was somewhat intimidating. But she stood her ground with equal fire in her eyes. Yang gave her a nod.

"All right, let's do this!"

On her command, Ruby and Neo locked hands and started pushing at each other. Cinder stood fast despite the water and the shift in weight, but it was clear that Yang was much steadier in her stance. Ruby and Neo seemed equally matched.

It's when the warning cries came from their friends that Cinder noticed another wave coming toward them. She was already soaked from the last one so she didn't care about getting drenched again, but from what she could tell it was going to hit Ruby right in the head.

Cinder quickly let go of her girlfriend with one hand and threw her arm out, creating a swell of heat from her palm thanks to her semblance. The wave split in two with a burst of water, but the undertow was her undoing.

There was a "Gahk!" from Ruby as they both went down with a splash, though even when they were under for a second Cinder made sure to keep her arm around Ruby. They stood up a few seconds later, dripping and defeated.

Neo had curled up and clung onto Yang and stayed on her shoulders for the victory.

"Yeah!" Yang cheered. "Nice going, babe!" She reached up and picked Neo up with ease, then seated her on her shoulder like a bird since the water was as high as Neo was tall. Ruby shook herself off like a dog.

"Good game! Second place is still great!" She looked up to Cinder and grimaced. "Ahh, sorry you got all wet..."

"It is fine. I should apologize for losing us the game."

"No way! You saved me from that big ol' wave! Thanks, Cinder!" Ruby threw her arms around her girlfriend and gave a little jump to loop her arms around her shoulders and pull her down for a kiss. "C'mon let's go back and dry off!"

She took Cinder's hand and began leading her back to shore. Cinder ran her free hand back through her waterlogged bangs and wrung out her hair a bit before using her semblance for another flare of heat to dry herself off almost instantly.

There was a tap on her shoulder then, and she turned back to see Yang, still holding Neo on her shoulder.

"Hey. Thanks for lookin' out for her."

Cinder wasn't sure what to say in return, so she simply nodded.

When they finally got onto the sand Yang let Neo down with a kiss, and together the eight of them returned to their towels.

From there it was a matter of deciding they should had back, packing their things, and proceeding off the beach. Despite Mercury's and Emerald's mumbles and grumbles, everyone was in high spirits, happily tired, holding hands with significant others. Cinder also took hold of Ruby's hand and walked with her. Ruby smiled up at her.

"So, did you have fun today?"

"Yes. Very much."

"Yaaay! Oh, here! A souvenir!" Ruby offered out her free hand and deposited a small pink shell into Cinder's palm.

Cinder bent down to kiss her head.

"Thank you."

As they walked, she kept the shell in one hand, and Ruby's hand in the other.

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A/N: I think this one's title can kind of explain itself, right? Especially with Yang VS Cinder haha

Next chapter will be another timeskip and another visit with a different theme in mind!