Colorful Spirits (ch5)

Here is the final chapter! This will explore all the girls' advances in taekwondo and in their relationships as well. You'll also see a bit of black belt things as inspired by my own school.

Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.

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						Chapter 5. A New Journey

The wait hadn't actually been as long as they'd expected it to be.

It was only three months later when the next belt test came around.

Blake and Yang had been growing closer and closer with increased frequency since the first kiss, and now it was getting difficult to keep the relationship hidden. But they did their best for Weiss' and Ruby's sake, as not to pressure them into discovering their own feelings or to make them uncomfortable.

However, their parents had suspected a romance between the two oldest girls for some time now, and none were shocked about it.

What was a bit shocking, on the other hand, was the end of the next belt testing.

Once all of the students had finished their curriculum performances and all of them had been lined up and awarded their new belts, Ruby had been unable to contain her excitement.

Achieving her new belt directly alongside Weiss after three months of training together every other day? After all the secret hugs and hidden kisses they'd come to start sharing, Ruby had squealed aloud and thrown her arms around Weiss to blatantly kiss her in front of the entire taekwondo school and the audience.

Before that, there had been kisses on cheeks and temples and the backs of hands, but never on the lips.

It was certainly an unforgettable first kiss, especially considering it was caught on camera by Ruby's mother. Their first kiss was immortalized by that photo and the memory of everyone who had attended the testing that day.

But despite the fact that Ruby had caught her entirely off-guard with it all, and despite the fact that Weiss had been so flustered she'd almost fainted, she had somehow managed to kiss the girl back for a brief second before scrambling away from her.

It had been an added bout of excitement tacked onto the end of the test, and congratulatory shouts had gone up from their fellow classmates.

Weiss' initial scare about her father's reaction was all for naught as well, considering he'd actually smiled at the display.

Theirs hadn't been the first relationship to blossom at Ozpin's school, and it wasn't about to be the last.

Romantic relationships had formed between Coco and Velvet even before Yang and Blake had secretly started 'dating'. But after Ruby and Weiss were official, the blonde girl and the Faunus finally revealed their affections as well.

It would be a while yet before Jane and Pyrrha got moving along, although Ren and Nora seemed quite comfortable where they were with one another, as did Sun and Neptune.

At that point, it had been almost or over two years since they had all begun their lessons at Ozpin's school, and they had all grown quite a bit along the way.

Week after week, they continued training, working hard in the fields they suffered most, and helping others who struggled where they themselves excelled.

Their second tournament passed them by.

Weiss didn't luck out in her sparring enough to be able to get the same opponent as last time, but Yang did.

After a full year of vigorously working to improve her kicks and enhance her sparring skills, she bested Neo in the end with the difference of a single point.

Ruby worked her way up to a silver in form and maintained her gold in breaking.

Now that she was of-rank to spar, she was one of the smallest contestants in the tournament for her age group, but she won every single round. Ruby was undefeated and received a gold medal without argument.

Weiss improved to receive all golds, other than a sliver in sparring, and Blake maintained her spot as the best female competitor her age in forms, though she too improved her breaking to a silver.

For the third year in a row and for the second without having it stolen by Cinder, Ozpin's students won him a trophy.

Birthdays passed, belt testings passed, tournaments passed, graduations passed.

But even after the girls moved onto new public schools, they made sure to stay close to their beloved taekwondo school so they may continue their lessons together.

Blake, Yang, and Weiss got their licenses, and soon they were able to drive themselves as well as Ruby taekwondo.

They visited one another whenever they pleased, went on double-dates on the weekends, had sleepovers whenever their families allowed it. The four of them grew closer by the day, and they weren't afraid to show it, not even in front of their parents.

Weiss' father had become good friends with Blake's mother and father as well as Summer and TaiYang, and though Winter wasn't always present, whenever she was, she got along well with the other girls.

The four of them became even more inseparable than they had been previously. Their newfound romances had only served to strengthen their bonds.

When they had free time, they would go to the movies or to dinner together, go for walks, or practice their martial arts.

Soon, the seasons started repeating themselves as years went by...

. . .

. .

. . .

It was when Ruby was seventeen when she witnessed her first ever black belt test.

Scarlet and Sage ended up testing beside Coco, Velvet, Fox, and Yatsuhashi, and all of the other students of the school were encouraged to come and obverse their test, so they may know what to be expecting.

Some students – like Cardin and his friends – had moved on from taekwondo, having quit for one reason or another, and new students had started classes and begun their journey.

When the higher belts were preparing for their black belt test, their underclassmen were sure to pay attention and take mental notes so they would be prepared when the time came for their own test.

That was the recent goal on all of their minds, after all – achieving their black belts.

Only a small percentage of martial artists earned their black belts, and even fewer continued on after that.

But Ruby didn't want to stop, not even after she'd gotten her black belt. She wanted to keep going for as long as possible, for as many years as she could. She wanted to keep growing and expanding her knowledge and skills as a martial artist together with her girlfriend, her sister, and her friends.

They were all there for the first black belt test, just to observe and support their upperclassmen.

The test at Ozpin's school was nothing to be taken lightly. It was a hardcore test that included all of the traditional aspects.

It started with a ten-day fast, where candidates could eat nothing but vegetables and selected fruits, and drink nothing but water.

During those same ten days, candidates had to carry around a raw egg with them wherever they went – if Ozpin checked the egg the day of the test to find it had been damaged in any way, that person wouldn't be permitted to test.

There was also the essay-writing portion of having to answer ten questions and fill at least half a page with each response.

If all of these things were passed, then the test could begin with the candidates running one-hundred nonstop laps around the dojang.

Ruby and the others learned the expected routine by watching the others' black belt testing.

After the running, there was a sparring portion of the test, where every single candidate had to spar every other one for a full one-minute round.

And then came the curriculum.

Under Ozpin's instructions, all candidates then had to go through all of the hand techniques, kicking combinations, forms, self-defense techniques, and recite the mental knowledge for all thirteen of the preceding belts.

All it all, it was roughly a four to five hour test, with a traditional flower ceremony in the beginning, a tea ceremony at the end, followed by the candidates giving small speeches about their experiences.

And at last, they were permitted to go home and break their fast.

Ruby and the others had watched in awe as Coco and her friends had completed each and every part of the test on the designated day. Watching Ozpin and Glynda tie the official black belts onto their waists – the black belts that had their individual names embroidered into them – was incredible enough.

There wouldn't be another black belt test for another half a year, but Ruby was determined to be a candidate in it when the time did come.

From then on, the six black belts started taking a brand new class Ozpin had put on the schedule, as they were no longer in the color belt stages like the others were.

Ruby was a junior black belt at the time with Weiss, and Yang and Blake were green-stripes.

Sun and Neptune would have been yellow-stripes along with Pyrrha, but the boys had taken a break from taekwondo somewhere along the lines, and when they had rejoined had been a bit behind. At present they were brown belts, a rank beneath Ruby, and they would have to wait at least another year before they were able to test for black belt.

But it was only several months later when Glynda called out her name along with all of her other classmates to inform them they would be testing for their black belts at the end of this year.

They were ecstatic to say the very least.

Black belt was one of the highest achievements in any martial art; only a small percentage of people who started would ever make it that far. Ruby had first started classes at the age of thirteen, but since then had grown and trained alongside her friends and sister for almost five more years. She was eighteen now, Weiss nineteen and Blake and Yang at twenty.

And they were all about to go through one of the biggest challenges of their entire lives.

At the end of the class when Ruby received her testing paper, she bowed deeply and humbly to Glynda as she accepted it-

-and then immediately jumped on her girlfriend the second she turned around.

"Weiss!" she cried. "I did it! I'm gonna get my black belt!"

"Not so fast," Weiss chided her, patting her back firmly. By now she'd grown more than used to Ruby's enthusiastic and sudden hugs. "You've only just gotten your testing packet. There's a lot more to prepare for with this test than there was for the others."

"I know, I know, but still!" Ruby nuzzled into her neck. "Just the fact that I even made it this far is so incredible! And you're here with me! And so are Blake and Yang and Pyrrha and Jaune and Ren and Nora! We're all gonna be in the same group testing together! After five years, we're finally..." She trailed off with a dreamy sigh.

Weiss understood her excitement, and perhaps even shared it, although refused to show it in such a way. Instead, she merely looked around to the eyes of her fellow candidates, all of their gazes proud and eager to begin this next stage.

As the class dispersed and broke up into excited conversations, Yang and Blake sauntered over to where Ruby was still clinging to Weiss like a koala.

"All I know," Yang said. "Is that Blake's gonna look badass in black."

"Maybe," the Faunus girl mused. "But imagine Weiss. The black uniform and belt will look really neat on her, I think."

"Aw, c'mon," Yang whined. "I'm tryin' to compliment how pretty you'll look and you're complimenting someone else."

"If that's your idea of romantic, then I'll have to ask you to try harder," Blake chuckled.

By that point, Ruby had released Weiss and turned back to them excitedly.

"We're all gonna look awesome!" she declared. "We're gonna get those cool black uniforms like Velvet has and we're gonna join the black belt class together with them! It's gonna be so much fun!"

"Hold on there, lil' sis," Yang stopped her. "I hope you haven't forgotten about the actual test itself. That might not be so fun."

Ruby's shoulders immediately slumped.

"Oh... right. The fast..."

All three of them nodded.

"That's right," Weiss said. "No cookies or sweets for ten whole-"

"Okay, okay!" Ruby whined. "You don't have to remind me! I don't wanna think about it yet! We've still got two months before we have to start that."

"Right," Weiss concurred. "And in the meantime, I suggest you all get started on answering your essay questions." She flipped a few pages of her testing packet and pointed out the list of questions all candidates needed to respond to. "Best to get all of these out of the way first so we can focus on the fast and egg carrying later."

"Aw, c'mon, Weiss~" Yang laughed. "We've still got two whole months before we have to test. That's plenty of time! Just do one question a week and we'll be fine."

Blake and Weiss shared an incredulously hopeless look and then both sighed.

"You deal with her," Weiss instructed the Faunus girl. "I'll take care of mine."

"Right."

As it would turn out, Weiss ended up bragging that she'd finished typing full-page responses to each of the ten essay questions by the end of that week.

"WHAT?!" Ruby blurted. "Weiss, you've betrayed me! I thought we'd work on them together!"

"You were too slow, so I had to leave you behind," Weiss shrugged. "But I suppose I can still help you from my position."

They gathered together at Ruby and Yang's house for a sleepover weekend, where the main focus would be to work on answering their essay questions. Summer was sure to bake them cookies, as it would be one of the last times they'd be able to taste them before they started their fast.

Blake brought her laptop up into the sisters' room as Ruby and Yang sat on their respective bunks with their own computers, struggling over the first few questions as Weiss coached them from the floor.

Blake had already finished writing two of her essays, and so she sat quietly off to one corner of the room and worked on the third. Of course, that wasn't to say she didn't find enjoyment in watching the other three.

"Waaah!" Ruby was wailing. "I don't get this question! 'What is your responsibility to Master Ozpin's school after you have achieved your black belt?' I don't know! To, um... keep coming to classes?"

"That is part of it," Weiss agreed. "But there's more to it than that, Ruby. Think."

"Uuuu..."

Surprisingly enough, it was Yang who came up with a response.

"Well, even after we earn our black belts, we're still Ozpin's students no matter where we go or what we do. If we decide to quit taekwondo afterward-" She ignored an appalled gasp from Ruby and continued. "Then we've still got to live by the things martial arts have taught us. Even if we quit after getting black belt, we'll still be black belts. Just because we stop practicing – if we ever do – doesn't mean we can just forget about these past six years of learning."

Weiss nodded approvingly all the while as she spoke.

"That's very good, Yang. I see your college classes have helped you out a bit to expand your thinking skills."

"Yup!" she grinned. "Had a whole course on that kinda thing and got a B-!"

"Impressive..." Weiss rolled her eyes. "Now get to typing before you forget everything."

"Aye!"

Both sisters started typing away, each one putting their answers into their own words and adding a few other little tidbits to it. In the meantime, Weiss went to sit beside Blake.

"How are you fairing? I don't suppose you need any help, but I figured I might as well ask anyway."

"I'm fine, thanks," she smiled. "I guess I really shouldn't be surprised that you finished all of your essays within the first week. But I still am kind of shocked."

"The mental knowledge is what I'm best at," Weiss reminded her. "If I don't at least excel and stand out with this, then there will be nothing left for me."

"Well, these are only the essays," Blake reminded her. "We've still got to study all of the color belt meanings and the answers to their questions."

"I've already done that," Weiss stated. "But I wouldn't at all be opposed to helping the rest of you."

By the time Ruby's parents called them down for supper, Blake had finished five of her short essays and Yang had finished four.

Ruby had explained to Weiss that she'd only started her fourth one, but when she came back to it tomorrow, she'd be able to remember what she'd been thinking and finish it quickly. That was what convinced Weiss to allow Ruby to finish up for the day.

After supper, they all changed into their sleepwear, and Weiss made sure they all re-saved their essays before closing their laptops.

Ruby offered her hand to Weiss and helped her climb up into the top bunk with her as Blake slipped into the bottom bed with Yang.

The blonde turned off the bedside lamp and shrouded the room in darkness before pulling her girlfriend close. She could already hear the Faunus girl's purr rumbling softly in her chest, and when Yang brought her close, she could feel the vibrations for herself. She kept her voice low as she spoke.

"I can't believe it..." she sighed. "It's been almost six years since we first started. Where did the time go? Ruby's gonna be going to college soon..."

"I know," Blake murmured. "But she'll still be living at home like you are, so don't worry. I'm just amazed to see all the people we've trained with come this far with us. Although some - who shall remain nameless - ended up quitting."

"Ugh, I'm so glad we don't have to test with those jerks." Remembering the harassment they'd once tormented Blake with, Yang's hands presently went to her girlfriend's ears to rub them gently. The purr grew instantaneously louder.

"Just a few more months..." she breathed, curling into Yang's shoulder. "It's going to be a lot of fun."

"Yeah," Yang agreed. "Yeah, it sure is!"

Silence and gentle breathing from above them told them the other pair had already fallen asleep, and so Blake and Yang settled down and quickly followed.

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As the weeks passed by, the eight candidates were required to take an extra class per week in order to go over all of their testing requirements as many times as possible.

They were also required to take three of the four sparring classes per month.

It was clear that Ruby was still the undisputed champion sparrer of the entire school, and the rest of her friends chuckled nervously at the thought of having to spar her on their testing day.

But Weiss still remembered all the advice her girlfriend had given her over the years, and the white-haired girl always strived to follow said advice every time she put on her gear.

Ruby helped the others as well, always offering tips like "Try dodging to the side instead of backward" or "get in closer so they can't kick you" or "try faking and then using combinations!"

It was a bit more difficult for the rest of them, but they did their best to enhance their skills under her command.

In the usual classes, Blake would give advice to the other students about how to perfect their forms to the best of their abilities. For their upcoming test, they would need to perform all ten color belt forms consecutively under Glynda's orders.

"It'll be a lot of nonstop motions," Blake warned them all. "So the most important thing to remember is to breathe. Don't rush through them, either. You'll tire yourselves out even faster, and you'll already be tired from the other parts of the test.

"It looks better if we all stay together; if we don't, Instructor Glynda will have us start over again, and that's more energy wasted. So let's get into the habit of moving together at the same pace."

Since Ren was the person with the most controlled motions and graceful stances, she requested he demonstrate one of the forms for them. He didn't blur motions together, but gave them each a clear-cut ending before continuing on to the next one.

Blake helped the others match his pace and stay together whenever they practiced in preparation for the upcoming test.

Yang was more or less in charge of the kicking combinations, giving tips for all of them to remember which combo went with which belt.

"If we screw up the order, it's gonna look bad," she warned. "So make sure you know which one is for each belt."

Pyrrha tended to help out with the self-defense techniques, assisting her friends with deep stretches and muscle training in order to help them aim their counterattacks more precisely and make their motions more impressive.

Nora was the one who was most enthusiastic about their breaking techniques for the black belt test.

"We can choose our own!" she reminded them. "So make sure it's something cool but it's also something you're good at so you can break all the boards on the first time and not mess up!"

They all worked together to decide on what would be their best individual board breakings. Most chose different combinations of higher-level kicks like flying side-kick, spinning hook-kick, or 360-degree back-kicks.

Nora and Yang were determined to do power breaks, which involved three or four boards and breaking them all with a single hit. Ruby was more focused on spinning or jumping kicks, while Blake and Weiss were focusing on the grace of their executions.

And every day just before their classes ended, Weiss would get everyone's attention and give them small mental knowledge tests. She'd have them all kneel down in a line and choose a random color belt meaning to recite, and whomever didn't know it she would order to do push-ups until they could recite the entire thing.

Weiss had the authority to give punishments for this – bestowed upon her by Glynda herself – and so everyone took this portion of their training a bit more seriously than the others.

Weiss was in charge of making sure all eight of them could recite every belt meaning in order and without tripping up. She also asked the questions associated with each individual belt and made sure they could all recite each and every answer perfectly while staying together as well.

For many of them, the mental knowledge was the most difficult part, but after a month of enforced training with Weiss, they were all improving quite a bit.

During the final three weeks before their black belt test, all eight of the candidates were sure to focus on the upcoming test in every way possible.

Weiss checked to ensure they were all getting finished with their essays and would have all ten of them finished on time for their testing date.

Before they knew it, it was their last day before the fast would begin.

Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Yang didn't have their taekwondo classes that day, so they once more stayed at the Rose-Xiao Long residence and had a small party to prepare. They went out to a double dinner date at a restaurant and ate their favorite dishes, savoring the flavors as best they could so it may hold them over for the fasting.

When they returned, Summer made her final batch of cookies for them to enjoy.

"Ish gonna be tuff!" Ruby mumbled in between her sixth and seventh cookie. "But I'm gonna do it!"

Eleven days before their black belt test, the eight candidates each brought Ozpin a single raw egg. Their task was to carry it with them everywhere they'd be going for the next ten days – school, work, home, the shower, out for a walk, or anywhere else they might go.

Glynda explained all of this to them.

"The egg tradition is a task of responsibility," she declared. "If you neglect to bring it anywhere with you and you are caught without it, you will not be permitted to test in ten days' time. Master Ozpin is signing your eggs to ensure you can't switch them for new ones.

"You may place your eggs in a cushioned container with bubble wrap to secure it, but you may not open this container until the day of your test. If it is opened that day and we discover damage to your egg, you alone will not be permitted to proceed with the test."

There were a few audible gulps all around, but for the most part, the students were all determined not to let any harm come to their eggs.

After Ozpin had signed them all, they wrapped them up securely before sealing them away in containers and taking them home.

The following day began their fast at noon, and Yang was the witness to confirm that Ruby had been stuffing one final cookie into her mouth at 11:59AM.

Instead of cereal or a sandwich as a snack before taekwondo, Ruby and Yang ate bananas and pears now.

"Y'know," Ruby said. "This isn't so bad! It'll be easy!"

She'd said as much to Blake and Weiss that evening during classes as well.

"I had a pear for a snack and I'm probably gonna have another one and a banana for dinner! This'll be a piece of cake! ...Well, not really. Can't have cake, haha."

The other three shared amused glances with one another, sharing silent thoughts of what was to come.

Surely enough, only one day later, Ruby was dragging her feet as she entered the dojang to take class. Weiss had to bite back a chuckle as she watched her girlfriend limping dramatically.

"So what did you eat today, Ruby?" she wondered. "When you texted me this morning, I think you'd said you'd had an apple and an orange? What was for lunch?"

"Grapes..." she groaned. "Just grapes. I don't know if I'll survive this class, Weiss. I might die."

"It's only the second day of the fast, Ruby. Don't die so early. At least wait another three days," she teased.

Ruby whined and slumped against her.

As a lover of salads and vegetables, Weiss was getting along just fine with her fasting, and although Blake was beginning to miss tuna and Yang was missing meats, they were both getting by fairly well.

What held them over best of all was the thought of finishing their test and being able to break it in the end. But that was still a long way off.

For now, they took their class and reviewed everything they could within the forty-five minutes.

It was Weiss who remembered to take her egg along with her out of the dojang to the changing rooms, and the others quickly followed her lead; had they forgotten to bring their eggs out of the room with them, they would have been penalized by Ozpin directly.

The respective pairs shared kisses before parting ways; Yang drove Ruby back home and Weiss went with Blake to be dropped off.

Throughout the evening they texted one another. Weiss recived the messages like 'I'm so hungry, I want cookies so baaad' while Blake was getting the ones like 'Seeing Ruby so exasperated like this is taking my mind off of my own hunger!'

Somehow, they managed to make it through the first five days, and the final half were winding down toward their black belt test.

Each day brought them closer and closer to their test, and seeing their classmates in taekwondo showed just how anxious all of them were.

But they had perfected their techniques as best they could. Now, when they did their forms, they all took their time and stayed together, moving like one person rather than eight. As per Blake's instructions, they focused on breathing and grace.

Despite how physically weakened they all were by their fasting, Yang had ensured no one had forgotten their kicking combinations, and Pyrrha kept on top of their self-defense.

Weiss was mildly impressed that they all had managed to finish their essays and even knew the mental knowledge well enough to not be punished with push-ups.

Another day passed, and then another.

Jaune had almost dropped his egg once, but only by Pyrrha's warning and his own dumb luck had he managed to catch it. Nora had tied a pink bow around her egg's container and decided she'd name it "Yoko".

"After I break this fast," she'd declared. "I'm gonna eat him!"

Ren had been the one to calmly explain to her how bad of an idea that would be.

Yang had almost forgotten to bring her egg with her once before she'd left the house, and Ruby had quite literally dragged her back inside to grab it, wailing: "If Weiss finds out you forgot it, she'll punish you even worse than Head Instructor Glynda herself!"

The candidates grew hungrier and more anxious by the hour, but perhaps just a bit more mindful of everything.

On Thursday night – two days before their test – they were more excited than anything else. Thursday night was their final class before the test, as they were taking Friday off to prepare themselves.

At the end of the evening, Ozpin wished them all the best of luck.

"I'll see you all here on Saturday, bright and early."

"Yes, sir!" they all shouted.

The following day, Ruby, Yang, and their girlfriends decided to go on another double date to take their minds off of the stress and hunger. The sisters woke groggily and ate a measly breakfast of fruits and more fruits, and all the while Ruby moaned.

"After this fast, I'm never gonna eat another fruit ever again."

"Don't let Weiss hear you say that," Yang chuckled.

They got dressed, grabbed their eggs, and headed outside.

It was a sunny, cool day, and they enjoyed the fresh air a bit as Yang ushered Ruby to the car.

They picked Blake up first, and seeing one another dressed in the more comfortable, casual clothing rather than the loose, baggy uniforms made them realize the effects this fast was having on all of them.

Ruby got out of the car to move to the back seat, so Blake could sit next to Yang. The Faunus girl greeted the brunette with a smile.

"How are you guys holding up on our last day before the test?" she wondered.

"Hungryyyy..." Ruby whined.

"You don't have to tell me," the Faunus chuckled.

With her egg's container in her handbag, she sat down in the passenger's seat beside Yang and they took of toward Weiss' house.

The white-haired girl was standing outside the front door, adorning a light blue dress. Yang honked the horn and Ruby eagerly got out in order to hold Weiss' door open for her.

"Mornin'!" Ruby beamed, instantly perky again at the sight of her girlfriend. "Got your egg?"

"What kind of a question is that?" Weiss snapped. "Of course I do!"

"Just checking~"

Ruby knew Weiss was being a bit more short-tempered than usual, but it was easily blamed on the hunger and anxiety about tomorrow.

Ruby moved to the middle seat in the back of the car so she may be directly beside Weiss. Looking over her girlfriend's features, Ruby could tell now that Weiss had lost a bit of weight, perhaps more than the rest of them had. Her cheekbones had sunk in a bit, and despite the makeup, there were detectable dark circles under her eyes. Ozpin had said that was proof a person was fasting properly and not cheating.

Weiss' pale skin showed the circles off more easily, but Ruby had never cheated in her fast. She knew that if she did – even if no one else knew about it – she'd never live it down, and would never forgive herself. She probably would have lived with the guilt for months before realizing she hadn't earned her black belt and would surrender it to Ozpin.

Presently, she shuddered at the thought. A few days of self-control without cookies was very simple as opposed to the stress and guilt that would come of breaking her fast.

Still, she was glad tomorrow was the last day.

"Just one more day..." she sighed, leaning into Weiss' side. Her girlfriend's shoulder felt bonier than usual, and Ruby wrapped her in a gentle hug.

"Yeah..." Yang sighed. " Just one more day and this'll all be over. After the test is over, our parents are gonna drive us out to a buffet! But that's tomorrow if we all pass. For today, we gotta enjoy ourselves!"

She stretched her right arm out and draped it around Blake's shoulders for a second until all three of them demanded she use both hands to drive.

Yang took them to a local theater, as they'd decided that a movie would help distract them from their hunger and the accumulating stress about tomorrow.

Weiss checked to ensure they all had their eggs in their purses and handbags before she allowed them to exit the car.

Hand-in-hand, the two couples walked up the stairs and into the theater. They purchased their tickets, and while the scent of buttery popcorn was extremely tantalizing, they had no choice but to ignore it.

Weiss bought them all bottles of water instead. It was Blake who spotted the little ice machine on the food counter.

"Let's get some," she said. "At least it'll give us something to chew on, and we won't be breaking our fast."

Yang grabbed some plastic cups and one by one, they all filled them with ice. Ruby seemed content to have something she could munch on during the film, while Weiss was content simply to let each cube melt in her mouth.

They sat in the row behind Blake and Yang; past experience has demonstrated how sitting in front of Yang during a movie proved to be a bad idea. The only way to avoid mood-shattering mumbles and comments from the blonde was to sit three or more rows ahead of her, far off to one side of her, or behind her.

They took their respective seats and popped an occasional ice cube into their mouths to satisfy the urge to eat something. Ruby was simply enthralled to have Weiss to herself for a few hours, and she slipped her arm around her girlfriend's shoulders and leaned into her again.

Only because the lights were off and no one they knew was watching did Weiss lean back toward her with a sigh.

It was only an hour into the movie when Blake and Yang started stealing kisses, and Ruby couldn't help herself either. Weiss' lips were chillier than usual, and she attested it to the ice cubes they'd both been eating. It was unusual, but still enjoyable nonetheless.

Paying attention to the movie's plot became second priority for a while as they shared kisses and leaned cheeks on shoulders.

By the end of the film, Blake turned back to inform them that Yang had fallen asleep on her. The Faunus girl shrugged and gently patted the blonde awake. Weiss scoffed about how "Had it been any of the rest of us falling asleep, Yang would've dropped ice cubes down our shirts..."

When they exited the theater, it was afternoon time, and the girls went for a short walk around town. But they retreated back to the car before long, not wanting to exhaust themselves too much on their final day before the test.

As Yang drove them back to her house, she yawned a promise to them all: "We'll have a better double-date on Sunday when we can all eat again."

The sisters invited Blake and Weiss to stay the night so they may all prepare for tomorrow and get to their test on time to begin it, and it was an easy offer to accept.

Lying in bed alone at night after the hour appropriate for texting only served to make them all more nervous about their upcoming test, so having others with them tonight would undoubtedly quell some of those anxieties.

At her offer, dinner was prepared by Weiss, and she ordered the others to wait in the living room and watch TV. She ended up presenting them all with large glasses of blended fruit smoothies.

"It's all fruit and ice," she informed them. "So nothing against our fast. It's easy to swallow and quite filling. This is how I've been surviving these past nine days."

As the others took their first sips, they started to react immediately.

"Wow!" Blake's ears perked tall. "This is really good. That's a clever idea, Weiss."

"Not bad at all!" Yang agreed.

"It's kinda sugary!" Ruby smiled. "Like from the fruit sugar. It's yummy!"

"I'm glad."

What Weiss hand't told them in front of Ruby was that she'd also added in a few vegetables, the taste of which was overpowered by the taste of bananas and apples.

They relaxed for the rest of the evening before deciding to head to bed early, lest their nerves get to them. They all took turns taking their eggs and a change of clothes into the bathroom to get dressed in their sleepwear. Yang was the last to do so.

Ruby and Weiss had just been crawling up into the top bunk bed and Blake had been settling into the bottom one when they all heard a shriek. Instantly, Blake rushed to the bathroom and pushed in the door.

"Yang? What's wrong?"

She found the blonde in a panic, cradling her egg's container.

"Shit...!" she hissed. "Was putting my pajamas on and I accidentally hit it and it fell! What if I broke it?" she fretted.

Blake was more relieved to discover Yang hadn't hurt herself somehow, but this was still a matter not to be taken lightly. Blake knelt down beside her and slipped an arm around Yang, peering over her shoulder to look at her egg. It was hard to see past the bubble wrap, and they weren't allowed to open the container until the test tomorrow, but from what Blake could discern, there was no liquid leaking out.

"It's fine," she reassured. "A little fall like that wouldn't have cracked it."

"But what if it did?" Yang mumbled. "The night before the damn test and I break it-"

"Yang, clam down." Blake's ears went flat; she knew her girlfriend was only overreacting this way due to the piled-up hunger, stress, and fatigue. Yang couldn't do anything but try to convince herself she'd failed.

"I can't believe I-"

"Yang, listen to me." Blake forced the blonde to look up at her, holding the sides of her face firmly. "You're fine. Don't worry, okay?"

Yang tried her best to believe Blake's words. In the end, she simply hung her head and nodded.

Blake helped her up, and Yang cradled her egg to her chest as they limped back into the bedroom. Ruby and Weiss guessed what had happened and were quiet until Blake flashed them a smile. They understood that everything was fine.

"Still," Weiss murmured. "It's a shame this had to happen tonight of all nights..."

Yang put her egg beside the others on a small table in the room before Blake coaxed her into bed and turned off the light. Ruby and Weiss called goodnights to them, but only Blake replied before turning her full attention back to Yang.

"Hey," she whispered. "Like I said, you're fine, Yang. You're going to worry yourself sick the night before the test."

"But what if-"

Blake was having no more of this. She cut Yang off with a sweet, gentle kiss, hoping it would be enough to convince Yang she had nothing to worry about.

Yang seemed dazed for a moment, but her hands gradually found their way around Blake's back and squeezed her tightly.

Blake released a small purr, pressing close to Yang to let her feel it for a few minutes. Then, she tucked Yang's head beneath her chin, distracting her girlfriend from the worrying thoughts and urging her to relax.

Yang was too exhausted to do otherwise, so she succumbed to sleep to the sound of Blake's purr. Blake kissed her hair before relaxing and leaning toward sleep as well.

Above them, Ruby and Weiss stayed awake for a while longer. Weiss was lying on her back, Ruby's head rested over her left shoulder with an arm draped across her stomach. Weiss hadn't even attempted to close her eyes yet, and Ruby wasn't trying either.

For a while, it was just soft breathing before Weiss murmured to her.

"Tomorrow's the day... After six years. I can't believe it..." she sighed. "Six years since I met you. Who'd have thought we'd end up here?"

The memories of her very first meeting with Ruby the day of her own white belt test came flooding back to Weiss. She couldn't keep the fond smile off of her face as she relived the moments they'd shared together over the years.

As Weiss reminisced, Ruby closed her eyes and was able to detect the faint thump of her heartbeat. She listened for a while, committing Weiss' pulse to memory a hundred times over before she spoke up.

"Are you nervous...?"

Weiss sighed a little.

"Of course I am. Who wouldn't be?"

Ruby nuzzled closer.

"Well, I feel if there was anyone who wouldn't be nervous, it'd be you."

"Please," Weiss scoffed. "I'm a wreck."

"Me too." Ruby yawned and curled closer, sharing her warmth with Weiss. The white-haired girl closed her eyes at long last.

"We'll be fine," she promised. "All of us. Tomorrow will be amazing."

Ruby fell asleep with those words in her ears.

She'd wake the next morning to anticipate they would come true.

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

Ruby was the first to wake and the others followed shortly afterward.

They grabbed their eggs and got changed, brushed their teeth and swallowed down some more of Weiss' fruit smoothies.

Ruby's parents drove the four of them to the dojang, and Weiss checked and re-checked that they all had their eggs with them.

When they arrived, the four girls rushed into the school to find only Ozpin, Glynda and the other instructors were present. They anxiously bowed and greeted them as they pulled off their socks and shoes and stepped onto the dojang.

The usual table had been set up in front for Ozpin to sit at during a belt test, but this time there was a decorative backdrop spread behind it as well. The images were of cranes and tall grasses, a tranquil scene meant to ease the candidates' minds today.

They scurried into the changing rooms to put on their uniforms, and were joined by Pyrrha and Nora only a few minutes later. Pyrrha insisted to initiate one final "good luck group hug" and pulled them all in.

"We'll do grandly today!" she declared.

"Yeah!" Nora agreed. "Then we can all eat our eggs afterward!"

Pyrrha promised to keep an eye on her to ensure she wouldn't do that.

Blake could tell Yang was still nervous about her egg, and she kissed her to calm her down. Weiss took the opportunity to peck Ruby's cheek as well.

"Best of luck," she murmured. Ruby hugged her tightly for a moment before pulling away.

"Let's do this!" she declared.

They exited the changing room, egg containers in-hand.

Nora, Pyrrha and the boys were already in the dojang, stretching out. Ruby and the others put their eggs on the counter beside theirs and joined them.

Blake's parents arrived shortly afterward, followed by Weiss' father and her sister.

Only then did things really begin to settle in.

This was the day they'd been training for for the past six years.

Glynda's call for attention had all eight candidates standing instantly. They retrieved their eggs and filed into a line, each person going up to Ozpin where he sat at the table.

He opened each container to inspect the eggs, ensuring they weren't damaged. Ren was the first to go, and Ozpin cleared him, followed by Nora and then Pyrrha. Jaune nearly dropped his egg while handing it to the master, but just barely managed to save it. Ozpin cleared him as well.

Ruby was next, and Ozpin smiled as he gave her the okay to proceed with the test.

Weiss naturally was cleared as well.

Blake was next, and she was commended by Ozpin for her care of the egg.

Finally, Yang bowed and presented him with her container. She was fretting so badly she was already convinced she'd failed.

But Ozpin smiled and held up her undamaged egg for her to see.

"Good job, Miss Long."

With that, Glynda announced that all eight candidates had passed the first portion of the test. Their families and friends cheered for them as Glynda organized them for the next part.

"Next, you will begin your testing warm-up. One-hundred laps around the room."

They all knew this was coming. Ozpin himself had told them this was part of the test, and they had practiced with up to 50 laps a day in their usual classes just to prepare.

But now it was the full hundred laps, and this was actually part of the mental portion of the test rather than the physical.

After ten days of fasting, all of them were clearly tired and hungry, but Ozpin wanted to see which of them gave up and stopped running, which of them didn't believe they could do it.

He gave the order, and they started to run.

Nora was at the head of the group, and every time she passed the head table, she shouted out the number of their lap. The others repeated after her as loudly as their voices could manage.

The other black belts joined in to run with them, occasionally offering words of encouragement or holding out their hands for high-fives as the runners passed. It was exciting for Velvet and her friends as well; after today, they'd have new classmates in the black belt classes.

Ruby feared the running would be difficult, but surprisingly enough, she found that she didn't start to wear down until they were already halfway finished. She just kept telling herself 'just one more lap, just one more lap...' She refused to give up and break out of line to start walking – all of them did.

Whenever Ruby stumbled or became too breathless, Yang was right behind her to pat her back and give her a push. Blake and Weiss tried to keep their mouths closed to refrain from panting for as long as possible, but by the time they'd reached the seventies it was impossible.

It took them almost twenty minutes of paced running to reach lap ninety, and by that point it was clear just how close they were to being finished with portion of the test.

Coco and the other black belts ran alongside them. "Run the final five!" she hollered. "Sprint 'em as fast as you can!"

They did their best, running at top speed to finish up the final stretch of the running. The second Ruby shouted the "one hundred!" after Nora's voice, she all but limped to a stop.

The eight of them slowed down to walk themselves off the runner's high, and all the while the audience was clapping for them. Glynda permitted them to get drinks of water and insisted it wasn't necessary to take their eggs with them.

They limped and stumbled back into the changing rooms for a one-minute water break. Ruby was shaking so badly she couldn't open her bottle, so Weiss did it for her. In between labored gasps, the white-haired girl managed to speak.

"We did it..." she huffed. "I'd say... that was probably... the hardest part."

"Don't forget..." Blake grunted. "Sparring's next."

Ruby straightened up a bit at that.

They all sat on the bench or on the floor for a moment. Pyrrha and Yang went into the bathroom to run paper towels under cold water and distributed them to the other girls who gratefully accepted. Weiss ensured no one drank too much, lest they give themselves cramps.

Before they needed to head back out, the girls met in more hugs.

Pyrrha and Nora's hug was a bit more enthusiastic, as it was the embrace of good friends.

Blake and Yang's was a bit more tender, as the Faunus girl purred against her girlfriend's chest. "We've all made it through the first two parts," she reminded her. "Just three more to go."

"Right..." Yang sighed. "Sparring, curriculum, and breaking. We got this... Totally."

As soon as Weiss was finished with her drink, Ruby squeezed her into a hug as well. She could feel Weiss' heart still thundering even rougher than her own was, and Ruby rested her chin on the girl's shoulder.

"Gosh, your heart's pounding..." she mumbled. "All that running wore me out, too."

"Let's hope not," Weiss mumbled. "Your favorite part's up next."

They shared a small kiss, both to motivate and congratulate each other for making it this far.

Then, they all started putting on their sparring gear.

The sparring matches were each one minute long, and each candidate had to spar all of the others. Essentially, they were all looking at seven consecutive matches.

That was almost triple the usual amount of a tournament.

When they were all ready and in their gear, Glynda called them back out to pair them up.

Ruby was facing Yang first, and they both thought it was appropriate. Being two of the school's top sparrers, they could each go all-out on one another when they still had the most energy.

Ruby didn't hold back - not on her sister, not on her friends, and certainly not on her girlfriend. Weiss would've smacked her if Ruby had gone lightly on her.

By their fifth matches, everyone was draining quickly, and the final two were just to prove they could keep on their feet if they believed that they could.

After fifteen minutes, Ozpin determined the sparring portion over. The candidates went back to the changing rooms to shed their gear and drink once more.

"Getting there..." Blake panted. "The worst is over. From here on out... it's just the curriculum."

Yang grinned.

"Peace of ca-"

"No!"

The unanimous groan came from all of the other girls present.

The blonde chuckled sheepishly, and Weiss flicked water into her face.

They threw off their gear and shoved it back into their bags. Already, an hour and a half had passed since they'd begun their test.

Now it was time to prove how hard they'd practiced together as a team.

The hand techniques took another ten minutes, and kicking combinations took twenty. It had been a lot easier to stay together during classes, but after fasting for ten days, running a hundred laps, and sparring for nearly half an hour, it was a challenge to keep themselves organized.

Weiss had to mutter little hisses to whomever was out of line or moving too quickly or slowly, lest Glynda have them all start over for being sloppy.

By some miracle, it never got that bad; the others made sure to shape up, because if Glynda disapproved of their performance, it was on Weiss' shoulders. And Weiss wouldn't be happy about anything short of their best possible execution of techniques at this point.

But it seemed they'd all get to keep their heads as they finished up the final kicking combinations. They were given another moment to rest and stretch out before diving into the forms.

Doing all ten in a row was no easy feat, especially after everything else they'd done within the past two hours. Blake just uttered a quick reminder to them all before they began.

"Take your time and breathe."

They began the forms, reminding themselves to follow her advice and control their breath. Every stance was clear and every motion was as powerful as they could muster. Their collective motions and maintained pacing made up for the little mistakes here and there, and gave them an overall impressive appearance.

By the time they finished the tenth form, everyone was breathless, but it only went to show how hard they'd all worked.

Self-defense techniques were immediately afterward, and they all got into pairs by gender and height, putting the boys together and the girls with their respective partners.

There was a total of ten belts' worth of self-defense techniques, most of which had 2 parts each, and both sides needed to attack and defend.

That portion alone took them into their third hour.

They were permitted a brief period of rest and meditation before they began their breaking. Each candidate was required to perform three consecutive higher-level breaks.

Popular choices had any combination of power breaks, running or jumping kicks, hook kicks or tornado kicks. Each person chose their technique based on their own personal strengths.

Weiss and Pyrrha focused on precision, Nora and Yang on power, Ren and Blake on grace, while Ruby and Jaune fell somewhere in between. They all walked away with sore hands and feet, but presented their broken boards to their proud families.

When they were called back to the dojang, Glynda had them all line up and kneel down to being the mental knowledge – the final part of their test.

Ozpin had them all recite every belt meaning from no-belt to black belt candidate. The eight of them spoke slowly and clearly, staying together and speaking loudly.

Once they'd finished those, Ozpin began asking them questions individually. It had been a lot for all of them to study, as they'd all needed to know every answer to every question in case Ozpin called on them for that one.

Weiss ended up reciting the longest paragraphs word for word, as she was most confident in doing so. However, she was pleasantly surprised to see Yang put herself on the spot and gave it her best shot, as well. She missed a few words and stammered a bit here and there, but overall, everyone was very impressed, Ozpin included.

After Weiss' rigorous training to have them all study everything until they knew it by heart, all eight of them passed the mental knowledge portion of the test.

And then Ozpin stood from his table.

The lights were dimmed as Port and Oobleck brought out eight bags from the staff's office, and presented each candidate with one of them.

Inside were brand new black uniforms that only black belts received.

"Congratulations," Ozpin addressed them. "All of you have passed today's test. Now if you'd please go change into your new uniforms so we may wrap things up."

It was all they could do not to run back into the changing rooms at top speed. Even Weiss had a bounce in her step as she followed the others, and Blake was the one pulling Yang along behind her.

Until now, all they had worn were white uniforms, but they discovered black was so much more appealing.

Yang fixed her ponytail as she watched the others observing their reflections in the mirror.

"Hot damn, Blake! You're so handsome!"

"I knew you'd look awesome in black!" Ruby agreed.

"I still think Weiss looks best," the Faunus girl said.

With her ivory-white hair, Weiss looked alluringly slim and beautiful in the black, despite the looseness of the uniform without a belt around her waist.

"It's going to take some getting used to," she commented, looking Ruby over.

"I think we all look swell!" Nora put in. "I'll bet Ren looks awesome!"

"I do have to wonder about Jaune, though..." Pyrrha mused.

When they'd all finished, the girls took a collective breath. Pyrrha and Nora hugged once more, Blake taking the chance to kiss Yang full on the lips. Ruby pulled Weiss in to her and rested their foreheads together.

"We did it..." she murmured. "We made it. All of us. Together."

Weiss merely nodded and kissed her softly.

"We've earned this."

They came together in a familiar embrace and held it for a moment. When they parted, the others were waiting for them.

"Let's go," Ruby said.

They met up with the boys outside, all dressed in black and without belts, and the eight of them re-entered the dojang. Calming music was playing on the stereo, the lights slightly dimmed as Glynda instructed them to sit in a line facing the head table.

They performed a standing bow, and then a kneeling bow, one only used in rare circumstances such as these. It showed the utmost respect to Ozpin as their master, and he returned the bow unto them.

He then beckoned them forward in pairs, handing them each a cup of cool cinnamon tea. They were required by tradition to drink it all as the first sign of breaking their fast.

Ruby did her best not to gulp it all down, the cool sweetness tickling her throat pleasantly as she knelt beside Weiss. Once they finished and put their cups down, they bowed to Ozpin once more before going back into line.

Finally, he asked them all to stand.

Glynda handed him the brand new black belts in turn, embroidered in gold with each student's name.

Weiss was the first person he called forward. As he tied the belt around her waist, he spoke proudly to her.

"Miss Schnee. I commend your perseverance over these past six years. From day one, you have excelled in the mental aspects of this martial art, and that is the most important thing."

Weiss blinked back tears of sheer emotion and bowed to him.

"Thank you, sir."

She stepped back into line, and Ozpin called Yang forward next.

"Miss Rose-Long. Your kicking is some of the best I've ever seen in all my years. Your willpower is second to none, and your vigor is incomparable."

Yang bowed as well as he finished tying her belt.

"Thank you, sir."

Blake was next.

"Miss Belladonna. Your grace and balance are only two of your most valuable aspects. Your kind heart will take you very far in life."

Blake dipped her head and bit her lip to stop it from trembling.

"Thank you, sir."

Then, he called Ruby. She was shaking and already crying as he tied her belt around her waist.

"Miss Ruby Rose-Long. Your positivity is something very rare to find these days. Your boundless energy and excitement are a pleasure to have in anyone's presence."

Ruby put her hands to her face and sobbed.

"Th-Thank you, sir!"

She stepped back into line in between Weiss and Yang, tucking into her sister's side to cry softly. Weiss patted her back, wiping her own eyes and chuckling softly. Blake wrapped an arm around the white-haired girl's side, and they all let a few tears slip as Ozpin called up the other four testing students to congratulate them.

After that, there was a full moment of applause as Ozpin had his newest black belts turn around to face the audience.

"It is my pleasure," he said. "To welcome these fine new black belts into my school. They have acted with honor, respect, and the utmost discipline to get to where they are today, and it has been my pleasure to watch them grow and hone their skills over the years. I look forward to seeing you all in class."

The eight of them turned back to him and bowed simultaneously.

"Yes, sir!"

After that, their upperclassmen joined them for group hugs and pictures and congratulatory words and little speeches.

They went to their parents next.

Ruby and Yang threw themselves into their mother and father's arms respectively, while Blake's parents hugged their only daughter together. Weiss' father had long since opened up to her, and welcomed her into his arms, and Winter patted her head.

Then, the four girls came back together in a massive group hug. Yang ended up lifting the three of them up off the floor despite Weiss' protests.

The blonde ended up stumbling, and they all went down in a pile of limbs and ponytails. Weiss tried to wrestle herself away, but Ruby hugged her and kissed her hard enough to make her willingly relent. Blake kissed her girlfriend as well, ears flicking happily.

Finally, they all pushed themselves up, helping the others to their feet.

"Come on!" Ruby exclaimed. "We gotta go eat!"

"Oh god, that's right!" Yang gasped. "We're free to eat! Let's go get changed!"

"Hopefully Nora hasn't eaten our eggs!" Blake laughed.

Together, they hurried back to the changing rooms, slipping off their black belts and uniforms and folding them with care.

They changed back into their casual clothes, stomachs growling and smiles bright and eager. They grabbed their bags and hurried out together, bowing once more to their instructors and wishing goodbyes to their friends.

Their parents chatted a bit as the four girls sat down and put on their socks and shoes, then finished drinking their bottles of water.

When she saw that no one was watching, Ruby leaned in and stole another kiss from Weiss. Yang followed her little sister's lead and pulled Blake into her lap, kissing her tenderly.

When they parted, Blake was the first one to speak.

"I can't believe we really made it this far."

"Really?" Weiss quirked an eyebrow. "I never doubted it for a second."

"Six years, huh?" Yang smiled. "I wonder how many more we'll be here for."

"Probably forever!" Ruby decided, her silver eyes meeting all of their gazes. "I mean, this is only the beginning, after all. Everything up until black belt is only just the basics of taekwondo! There's still so much more to learn!"

Weiss, Blake, and Yang all nodded in agreement.

"You're absolutely right."

"This is just the beginning."

"I can't wait to see what's next!"

They joined together in one more group hug, warm and soft, hearts beating excitedly as one.

They were all comfortable in knowing this was something they held dear to them. It was something they were passionate about, and they would do anything to keep it in their lives.

On and off the mats, they would always be Ozpin's students, and would live by his ways to better themselves and others in every way possible.

They had learned so much from one another, and had grown in teaching and helping others.

They had found a passion of the sport, the confidence of showmanship, the acceptance of companionship, and the tenderness of love.

And this was only the beginning.

When they broke apart, there were a few more kisses shared between them before their parents beckoned them over.

Ruby jumped up, and the others followed after her.

They smiled, laughed and followed after her, her joyful words ringing out:

"Let's go eat!"

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

A/N: It was difficult to squish all the elements of a black belt test (at least my school's style) into this final chapter here, but I did my best! Taekwondo really is an amazing sport~

Thank you for reading! Next week begins a new AU and fic!