A Spellbound Gem (a RWBY fanfiction)

Chapter 8: Well That Was... Shocking

Ruby stood in a mixture of fear and excitement, her eyes trained on the professor setting up and electrical coil to throw lightning at him.

"R-Ruby..."

Her gaze turned towards Weiss, the girl seemingly frozen as she watched Port struggle to catch the heavy bolts of electricity flowing towards him.

"I... I think I need to go to the nurse." She said, her eyes clearing up and turning back to her partner. "I have a headache that's really messing with me right now. You should find someone else to practice with."

"What are you talking about? I thought you wanted to prove how much better you were than everyone else?" The short haired girl laughed.

Weiss' eyes narrowed in distain for a moment as she spoke. "I have never once said that..."

"You just heavily implied it." Ruby smirked, moving super close to her partner. "If you want, I'll hold back more so I don't blow you up or anything this time."

"I don't need you to hold back! I can take anything you throw at me!!"

The girl in red smiled, opening her mouth to speak before Port's booming voice caught them both off guard.

"I'd say that sounds like another volunteer from my favorite pair of students, if I've ever heard one!!" He cheered. "Come here and show the class, would you? I'd love for them to see what it looked like to do this correctly."

Weiss glared viciously towards Ruby as they both made their way down to the primary dueling zone. "I hate you." She whispered once they were out of range of the rest of the group.

"I love you." Ruby chuckled back nervously as they set themselves into positions, each silently agreeing that the girl with red hair would summon the lightning.

As sparks began to form on the tip of her wand, small bolts jumping into the air, the lights in the room flickered and flashed for just a moment before Ruby realized and the lightning died down a bit.

She pointed her wand forwards, the electrical bolt blasting forwards right at her partner. Weiss raised her wand in defense, the current going directly into it and seemingly catching.

"I-I've got it..." The girl in white whispered to herself, barely holding up against the electricity. "I've got it. This is~"

Without warning, the lightning sparked throughout the wooden wand, splintering before it shattered in an explosion of light and static, throwing Weiss back and shocking anyone too close to her.

"WEISS!!"

Ruby ran across the room, moving onto the ground so quickly that she slid over to her partner.

"Weiss!" She snapped again, taking the girl into her arms and feeling light shocks over her body. "Are you alright? Please, please be alright..."

Her voice came out weak, her lips instantly dried out and her muscles strained. "R-Ruby..?"

"Yeah, it's me, I'm right here..." The girl in red assured, squeezing her close.

Port finally made his way over, watching Weiss carefully with apprehension in his gaze. "Thank goodness the uniforms are enchanted against elements..." He muttered halfheartedly. "If not, she'd probably look like an overcooked turkey."

Ruby looked up at him in teary eyed confusion. "En-enchanted..?"

"Well of course! Do you think I would throw lightning at my students if I thought it could actually kill them!?" Port howled in laughter. "The only thing that wasn't taken into account was exploding wands, it seems."

"M-my wand..." Weiss moaned. "It blew up..?"

"Haha, it seems so." The professor chuckled. "But seriously, someone should get her to the nurses office."

---

As her eyes began to peel open, the blinding light of the sterile room making every moment difficult, she hear a light argument just outside of her sight.

Nothing clear could be made out, but it sounded as if Ruby was talking to someone else. A panicked tone, worries of burns and scarring, some overly dramatic tones.

Ruby was most definitely one of the people arguing out there. Only she could overreact over everything. But what was she overreacting over right now..?

Weiss looked over herself, bandages over her hands and binding up to her shoulders. "That's... Bad." She decided simply, noting that her voice was weak.

"Did that happen because of the lightning..?" She wondered aloud. "But I was ready... I caught it..."

"Weiss?"

Ruby quickly made her way to the girl's side, sitting next to her and looking over her with droplets forming in her eyes.

"I... I'm..." Ruby seemed to struggle with the words, her eyes locked over her roommates bandages. "I'm so sorry!"

She fell into Weiss' lap, a crying mess of apologies and pleading.

"I'm so sorry, Weiss!" She sobbed. "I was so scared that you wouldn't wake up and I'd never get to say sorry... I was scared I'd lose you..."

"Don't be so dramatic." The nurse commented as she walked in. "You're friend is fine, as I already told you. It's just some light nerve damage and a few burns, nothing I can't fix."

"Nerve damage?" Weiss inquired, feeling as if that was kind of an important detail.

The woman narrowed her eyes in a glare. "Yeah? So what, you're better now." She snapped. "Give it at most a day."

The nurse rolled her eyes and left the pair to be dramatic students like she always did with the idiots of this school.

"Now you understand why I've been so worried..." Ruby whispered. "I've been stuck with her for the past hour..."

Weiss choked on a light laugh as it came out, her hand reaching forward to take Ruby's. "I think I'm alright, don't worry."

She smiled over at the gentle girl in red, letting one thought escape her as she focused on the girl. She completely let it go that she was holding hands with an immensely powerful mage.