Hoka no Namae Ni Yoru Rōzu

他の名前によるローズ

Ruby had always been fairly confident and sure of herself in most of her endeavors. She had a few bumps in the road, to be sure. Taking the mantle of team RWBY's leader was by far the largest hump in that road she traveled, but she felt that she had risen to meet the challenge as best she could. Now she faced a dilemma. Her own personal demons, as it were.

Several weeks ago, Blake had run away when she was revealed to be a faunus. Ruby, Weiss, and Yang searched diligently to bring her back home to tell her that they didn't care that she was a faunus. They loved Blake for who she was, and she needed to know that her ears didn't make her any less of a person in their eyes. Sure, Weiss had the most trouble out of this at first, but even the heiress was able to overcome her prejudice over faunus for the sake of Blake.

The next time something this important comes up, Weiss had told the black haired faunus. Come to your team mates. She said those words with so much care in her voice that Ruby almost envied Blake. That was the level of care she so longed for should she ever expose her most personal of secrets. That was what she truly desired, yet she felt it wouldn't be possible. Not yet.

No one knew. None of her friends of Signal knew, her sister and her father never knew, and her friends here at Beacon most certainly did not know. Many thought that Ruby was as easy to read as large print book, but even she was able to keep secrets. She felt she had no choice but to bottle this secret up ever since she understood what it meant. The implications were jaw dropping, and the repercussions were far too risky for her to even imagine revealing said secret. Until recently. Everyone accepted Blake for who she was. This gave Ruby something to think about. Maybe, just maybe, she should tell her friends and family this secret. Or maybe she shouldn't. She couldn't decide.

Every dormitory building had a lounge on the first floor. In it resided a large television, several couches, some vending machines, a card table, and a pool table. Ruby found herself wrapped in her own cloak sitting on one of these couches, staring out of the window lost in thought. Night had fallen, and the only sight she could see through it was the light of the lamps all over campus. The idea of revealing her secret had been floating around her head for days, and tonight was no different. Should I? she asked herself repeatedly.

She was so lost in her own mind that she didn't hear someone approach her from behind. "Ruby? What are you doing down here?" Startled, she almost fell off of the couch. Turning her head slightly as she steadied herself, she saw Jaune standing over her, wearing a pair of pajama pants and a black tank top, the word apology plastered on his face seemingly. "Sorry, didn't mean to scare you."

"T-that's fine. I wasn't paying attention, is all. What's up?"

"I just came to grab a can of soda from the vending machine before bed. I know it's not healthy, but I was thirsty and I just had to do the Dew, y'know?" To emphasize this, he held up a green can of soda.

Ruby nodded before looking him over from head to toe. "What are you wearing?"

Jaune smiled. "You like it? Pyrrha bought the clothes for me. She said that I should try some normal sleep attire for a change. You know, I'm really digging it."

Giggling, Ruby smiled. "I didn't know I had bought tickets."

"Tickets?" Jaune asked. "What?"

She pointed at his surprisingly muscular arms. "To the gun show."

Jaune rolled his eyes with a smile. "That was a bad joke."

"You should hear some of Yang's puns."

Jaune giggled. "I have." He gestured towards Ruby. "You never answered my question. What are you doing down here. You're usually with your team having a blast right now."

Ruby's smile vanished as she gazed into Jaune's eyes for a moment before they returned to the window. "I've just had something on my mind lately that I'm unsure about."

"Uh oh," Jaune whispered gently. Sitting down next to his friend, he put a hand on her shoulder. "Want to talk about it?"

"That's what I'm thinking about. I don't know if I should talk about it." Turning to face Jaune, she saw the genuine concern he held for her in his eyes. He was a true friend. "You know about Blake, right?"

"About her being a Faunus? Of course. Though, I'm under the impression only RWBY and JNPR know, right?"

"Yeah. We're respecting her wishes to keep it quiet. All the same, she's still completely accepted by both of our teams. Their opinion of her hasn't changed in the slightest."

Jaune raised an eyebrow in confusion. "And thats...bad?"

"What? No! No, that's a good thing, for sure. But, it got me thinking about myself a little bit." She breathed deeply before asking her question. "I have a secret, Jaune. It's a secret about myself that I've kept quiet for a long time, and I never planned to tell anyone. I want to, but I just can't. But seeing Blake being accepted for who she is got me thinking that maybe now is the right time to reveal it."

He nodded. "But you're afraid that no one will accept it, right?"

Ruby nodded.

"Want my opinion?" She nodded again. "You don't have to tell me. You don't have to tell anyone if you don't want to. But we're your friends, and we're your comrades as well. If you can trust us to keep you alive in a battle, the you might be able to trust us with this secret of yours. We all care about you, Ruby. Don't let something like this get in the way of your relationships. Eventually, you will probably have to let it out. Why not get a head start?"

Ruby stared at Jaune with wonder in here eyes. She gave him a quick hug as she stood up. "Thank you, Jaune." She started to walk to the stairwell. "Remind me to tell you my secret sometime, okay?"

"You know you don't have to," he said.

She nodded. "But if my team accepts it, then I'll have the courage to tell everyone." Especially if my partner approves, she thought. Racing up the stairs as fast as she could, she made it to the door. Her heart was pounding. She wasn't sure if it was her nerves, the running she'd just done, or both. Either way, she was scared. She'd never felt so scared in her life, but she now felt that this had to be done.

Entering the room, she found her three team mates attending to various personal tasks. Yang was brushing her hair, Blake was reading a book, and Weiss was polishing her nails. "Welcome back," Yang said cheerfully. Turning to face her younger sister, she froze. "You okay, sis?" she asked, having noticed the worry that was evident on Ruby's face.

"I'm fine," she lied. "Or, at least I hope I am. Or will be." She shook her head. "Could the three of you please be seated. I...I have an announcement to make and I'd prefer if you were seated together for this. You know, make it easier to look at all of you at once. Right? Right." Damn my nerves¸ she thought.

Weiss and Yang shrugged, and the two opted to join Blake on her bed. "What's this about?" Yang asked.

"Something change in our class schedule?" Weiss inquired.

"No, nothing like that. This is...um...personal." Yang raised an eyebrow. Taking a deep breath, Ruby set her gaze to Blake. "Blake, you know we all care for you. We found out that you're a faunus when you wanted to hide it, but we don't care about that. Your ears don't make you any less of a person to us. You know that, right?"

Blake nodded. "Yeah, and I really appreciate it, but we've already made up on that, haven't we?"

"We have," Ruby said. "I just wanted to make sure that you all understand that I hope you will look at me the same as you always have. Like Blake's ears, our traits don't dictate who were are as people. "

"Ruby," Yang started. "What's this about?"

Ruby saw her sister's love and concern in her eyes. "Girls, I want you to know that I really, really don't want to say this, but I have a secret. A secret that I've closely guarded ever since I understood what it meant. No one, not even you, Yang, has ever known this about me." Taking another deep breath, she clenched her fist. It's now or never! "I'm...I'm gay," she finally said at long last.

Shock. That was the best way to describe the looks on the other girls' faces. "Ruby," Yang started.

"I know it's not normal, and that its frowned upon and most of the time it's even hated by others, but this is something I've kept secret for a very long time. I don't really know when I first realized it, but once I knew it was true, I knew that I couldn't tell anyone. Even now, I don't know if telling you three was a good idea, but I...I hope that this doesn't change your view of me."

Yang stood up and embraced her sister. "Oh, Ruby. You know you didn't have to tell us this if you didn't want to, right?"

"I...I know. But I felt that if I was ever going to tell you, it had to be now."

Hugging even tighter, Yang smiled as she held her sister in her loving embrace. Pulling away, she showed her beautiful smile to Ruby. "That was very brave of you, Ruby. You're still my little sister. I don't care if you're a lesbian or not, I'll love you just the same."

Blake smiled and nodded. "It's really no different from my situation, Ruby. If I were to shun you for your lifestyle, it'd be no different than if someone were shunning me for being a faunus. I can't, and I won't, judge you for this."

Ruby turned to Weiss; the real tough nut of the team. Ruby was afraid of what her partner would say or think the most. "Weiss?" she asked her partner. "What do you think."

Weiss sat silently in thought for a moment. "What do I think?" she asked. "I think it's strange," she finally said. After a moment, she smiled. "Strange though it may be, you are still you. I was foolish enough once to believe my father's bigoted views on faunus. I'll not make the same mistake towards you, Ruby."

The brunette felt true joy as she heard those words. Her friends were okay with her homosexuality. Maybe it wasn't all that bad after all. Maybe she could finally express herself to the fullest. Maybe she could finally tell Weiss the truth; tell her partner exactly how she felt. "I...Since you all accept that part about me, I have one more confession to make."

Weiss groaned. "That better not have been a joke to test us, Ruby!"

"No! No, I'm really gay. Like, super gay. The final form of gay, okay?" Taking one final deep breath, she stared directly into Weiss's eyes. "Weiss, this is actually about you. You see..."

"Ruby," Yang said with a soft, cautionary tone. "I know where this going. You don't need to do this to yourself."

"I need to do this, Yang," Ruby replied, turning to her sister.

"I don't want your heart to break," the elder sister said sadly.

"I'd rather know that I tried to do this and failed than to never have tried at all." Returning her gaze to Weiss. "Weiss, you're the best partner anyone could ask for. Sure, you're a bit cranky, but you mean well. You're gentle when needed, and tough when you need to be harder. And, you're beautiful. The most beautiful girl I've ever seen."

Weiss gasped. "Oh. Oh, Ruby, no," she whispered, realizing as well where this was going.

"I...I love you, Weiss. I think I did from the start, when you and I first met. As frustrating as that was for both of us, I hadn't interacted with anyone like that before. Something about it was so likable. I know you probably don't feel the same way." Clenching her fists, she prepared for what was soon to follow. "There. I came out and I confessed my feelings all at the same time."

She gazed into Weiss's eyes, waiting for a response. Weiss was terrified. "Oh, Ruby," she said sadly. "I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry. You're a wonderful friend." She laughed a short chuckle. "Admittedly, you're my first real friend. And I'm flattered that you have such affection for me. But, I'm afraid I don't feel the same way. It's not that I won't, of course, but rather that I can't feel that way. I'm...I'm not like you." Weiss fought back tears, knowing that she'd just torn down her leader's world; she'd just broken her best friend's heart.

Ruby had no such luck with her own tears. They began to stream down her face as the inevitable rejection washed over her. "S-so that's it, then," she said. "It's all out on the table. I-I think I m-might be able to..." Before she could finish her statement, she burst into tears, letting loose all of the sadness.

Yang approached and embraced her sister. "Shh," she said soothingly, attempting calm her sister. "It's alright, Ruby. It's going to be fine." The sisters spun around so that Ruby was looking away from Weiss, and Yang met the heiress's gaze. Weiss was afraid that Yang might hold her in contempt, but she saw in the blonde's eyes a tender love for her sister, and something else. Forgiveness. Yang didn't hold it against Weiss.

This made the heiress breathe a sigh of relief. She never wanted to break Ruby's heart, and she never wanted Yang as an enemy. That being said, she couldn't stand to see Ruby crying so much. Someone who was usually so happy an upbeat should never cry. Weiss gestured to the door and indicated that she going out for a bit. Yang nodded in understanding.

Quietly, she left the room. In the hall she ran into Jaune. "Is everything okay? I heard crying," he said.

Weiss nodded subtly. "We're fine," she said. "I've...I've hurt Ruby in a way I never wanted to, though." Hugging herself, she shook her head. "We'll be fine. Thanks for the concern, Jaune." Caught off guard by Weiss's demeanor, he just nodded before returning to his room as the heiress made her way down the hall to the stairwell. She finally found herself in the lounge area where she sat down on the couch, hugging her knees while she stared out of the window into the dark night. She lost track of time for a while as she sat there, silently in thought.

At some point, she even zoned out to the point where she didn't hear anything around her in the room. She felt a cold touch on her left arm, causing her to look. "Hey, princess," Yang greeted, holding a can of iced coffee in offering to Weiss. "Thought you could use some caffeine. I know you're an addict and all."

Weiss smiled. "Thanks," she said as she accepted the can.

Yang plopped onto the couch next to her and open c can of her own. "I know it's not exactly a cup of the fresh coffee grounds you're used to, but we commoners have some pretty good stuff for this cheap price."

"I may be aristocracy, Yang, but I'm not that far gone. I've been living with you commoners for this long, haven't I? If anything, I rather enjoy how simplistic a lot of these products are." Sipping from her can delicately, Weiss's gaze returned to the window. "How is she?"

"She fell asleep just a few minutes ago. She was still crying when I hoisted her up to bed, but she should be fine now," Yang answered. "She's such a brave girl, coming out like she did. I'm proud of her."

"So, you really didn't know did you?"

"What? Me? No. I had no idea. Usually there are signs, but she's apparently gone the extra mile to keep it secret. No one but us knows from the look of it."

"I see," Weiss whispered. "Yang, I'm sorry. I didn't want to do that to her. To see her cry is the most heart wrenching thing I've ever had to witness, and it hurts even more to know that I'm at fault. I hope you don't despise me for it."

"I was actually gonna say that I'm proud of you as well." Yang sipped at her coffee for a moment. "You actually handled that very well. I was worried at first, but you did the best you could given the situation."

Weiss nodded. "I feel bad for her. She loves someone who can never love her back in the same way. I wish that I could, but I can't. I can only be her friend."

Yang smiled. "You do love her, though. Just not in the way she wishes you did. You care for my sister as a friend. Your best friend, in fact. Blake feels the same way. And I'm her sister. I'm kind of required to love her; not that I would ever complain. She's just a ball of love that everyone else gets to love in their own way." Another sip from her coffee. "And I do understand what she feels. I'm kind of on the bisexual side of things, myself."

"R-really?" Weiss said, shocked. "I had no idea."

"Well, I prefer men primarily, but every now and again there comes along a girl who strikes my fancy." Yang patted Weiss's head teasingly. "Don't worry, princess, you're not my type."

"Oh, so who would be your type?" Weiss asked, trying to tease back.

"Hmm," Yang went into thought for a moment. "Blake's hot, I suppose. Then there's Pyrrha. She's the only other friend I know that has a rack that can compete with my own."

"Okay, this is getting weird," Weiss said with a blush. "Does...does Blake know?"

"Hm? Oh, no. I would never dream of telling her. Unlike Ruby's fascination with you, my attraction towards Blake is purely physical. I love her as a close friend; I just also happen to fantasize about her body. No romantic desires what so ever."

Weiss scoffed. "Of course, out of all of my friends, you had to be the dirty old man of the group."

"But seriously," Yang chimed, drawing the heiress back to her full attention. "Do me a favor. Don't act any differently around Ruby."

"What do you mean?"

"As you may have realized, Ruby's relationships require physical contact. She has to touch her friends; to feel that they're there. Hand on the shoulder, leaning back to back, hugs, etc...they're all a protective social defense mechanism to remind herself that she's not alone. So now we know she's gay, and that she has feelings for you, and that will feel awkward for a while, but if you start to distance yourself from her it'll only hurt her even more."

Weiss nodded. "You're right. I don't want to do that."

"She may, in fact, try to do it to herself for your sake. Don't let her. Make sure she knows that while you may not love her the way she wants, you do still love her as a friend." Standing up, Yang held out her hand for Weiss. "Ready to head up?"

Accepting Yang's hand as she stood, the pair returned to the dorm room to prepare for bed. As Weiss lay down and turn her lamp out, she could hear Ruby still sniffling in her sleep.

Ruby seldom slept in. That tear fest she had last night was the most she'd cried in a long, long time, so it's no surprise that she fell straight into a deep sleep when she went to bed. Upon waking up in the morning, she found that she was alone. Confused, she climbed down and looked around. Sitting on her writing desk was a piece of stationary paper that hadn't been there before. In beautiful caligraphy writing, it said:

Good morning, Ruby. We're waiting for you in team JNPR's room.

-Team RWBY

"Huh," she said. "What's this about?" Without bothering to change out of her pajama's, she slowly opened her dorm door and crossed the hall. She knocked gently, and upon hearing someone say "It's open" she entered.

"GOOD MORNING RUBY!" everyone inside cheered excitedly as she entered, feeling completely stunned. Everyone was standing around a small folding table, and on the table was a cake that said Good Work Ruby on it.

"W-what the hell is going on?" she asked.

"Well," Jaune said, smiling the whole while. "We heard about what happened last night, so we decided to throw you a little party to show you our support."

"What?"

"I know it was kind of rude," Yang said. "But we felt that JNPR needed to know as well. And guess what? They don't care about your sexuality either!"

"That's right," Pyrrha said as she gave Ruby a gentle hug. "You're still Ruby. Who you decide to love is your own business."

Blake cleared her throat. "But we do appreciate you letting us into your life. Telling us about your sexuality was a big risk on your part, I know, but now you'll never have to be afraid of what we think."

Nora cheered excitedly. "Enough with the sappy friend speeches! She's here now, so let's eat some cake!"

Weiss stepped forward and also gave Ruby a hug. "Uh, Weiss? Are you hugging me?"

"That's what friends are for, you dolt. Don't ever forget that." Pulling away, Weiss flashed a beautiful smile that melted Ruby's soul. "I hope you like the cake. It was my idea."

Yang cut into the cake and gave Ruby the first slice. Dumbfounded, Ruby stared in wonder at the cake before she laughed. "I love it!" she declared as she took a bite out of the seven layer rainbow cake.

誰が愛のために移動することは千マイル長くないものよりを見つけることができます。 [Who travels for love finds a thousand miles not longer than one.]

AUTHOR'S NOTE

I hate my life at times. I had been up waiting for my sister to come home from work. She gets home, and we watch a movie until 3AM when we decide to go to sleep. I come to my room, lay down, and immediately get back up to write as much of this as I physically could. My favorite ideas ALWAYS keep me from sleeping. I wrote like 2500 words before I went to sleep at 4AM. Now it's done and I feel sleepy as hell.

I don't really know why I wanted to write this. The idea hit me and I thought it was really sweet. It's not all that strange either. I'm heterosexual, but the sheer number of shipfics I've got in my favorites and in my own cache of stories shows my opinion on homosexuality. To summarize it, I can quote Pyrrha: Who you decide to love is your own business. Love is love, as I see it, so I never really questioned homosexuality. Which is odd, because I am actually religious, and I live in a region of the united states where homosexuality is very much frowned upon. Then again, my own hobbies are frowned upon where I'm from, so I guess there's a little bit I can relate to: just not much.

Please leave a review to let me know what you think. :D

Bonus: I kinda want to write more of this storyline, but I don't know if I will. If I do, I have a name motif planned (as I do with most of my stories. I do love my name motifs for my chapters.) Can you guess what this motif might be? I really like it! :D

UPDATE:May 7, 2015: I am continuing this story, and will end it with a little proverb. I don't know if you've figured it out yet, but I'm naming each chapter "A Rose By Any Other Name", but it will be in a different language. Ergo, each chapter is the same name, but in a different language it is spoken and said differently, making it the same name. It's basically my way of saying, "Just because something looks different doesn't mean its not sweet or endearing." The full phrase is "A rose by any other name would smell just as sweet." I don't know if that's the intended meaning, but that's the meaning I take away from it. I feel like I'm cheating by explaining this since I tend to leave my subtle wordplay up to interpretation, as I never have a clear message for the reader. In fact, my stories will take on different meanings as time progresses. The Longest Night had a different meaning for me when Monty died. That's a different matter. This time around, I do have a clear message.

I think what I'm trying to explain with this story is thus; we're all human. We're all different. We're all roses who go by different names. And as such, we're all of different ethnicity, gender, ideology, opinion, religion, sexuality, culture, and language. My view of the world is not the same as yours. But we can share it together...but enough about that for now.

Jusqu'à la prochaine fois, mes amis. [Until next time, my friends.]