Hi everyone! I'm sorry this fanfiction took so long to write, but I took time to review my old fanfictions, read many other like Forlorn (which I recommend by the way), improve my English and also… find a new scenario.

So… This fanfiction happen in a Remnant where the Faunus have lost the war, and are treated as slaves. But since that wasn't enough fun, I decided to reverse some of the parts… Just for you to know, Blake is human and Yang is a Faunus. For the remaining changes, you'll have to discover it with time!

Hope you'll enjoy!

Blake's suitcase made no sound while landing on the thick snow near her black boots. Despite her white coat and pretty warm clothes, she was shaking in the strong blizzard that was raging in Mistral. She breathed deeply, exhaling a long trail of vapor that was quickly dispersed by the wind, and then made a step forward to knock on the Shnee's family manor door, trying to control her fear. She didn't know why she had accepted. Well, in fact she knew it was for Weiss. She felt compassion for the poor heiress, living almost alone in a house that big must be depressing! But still, Blake wondered who will open the door. Weiss? Her brother? A butler? Or…

She saw the last possibility in front of her as the giant white door was cracking open and a tall and strong women shape appeared to her. The woman in front of her was designed to fight, and as she wore an overflowing blond made, Blake was sure that she wasn't part of the Shnee family, but the next thing she noticed was the waving lion tail and the collar around her neck. Not a pretty, elegant and precious collar, a dog collar that marked her as a slave to the powerful family that lived here.

"So… you're going to come in, or to stay here in the snow as an ice sculpture?"

Blake shook her head, ripped off her inner thoughts by the calm and jaded voice that suddenly shattered the silence, and decided that even if she was expected, she should announce herself.

"Hi, I'm Blake Belladonna. Weiss is waiting for me"

"Of course miss Belladonna, we've been warned of you arrival. Please follow me, I will bring you to miss Shnee," the Faunus said mechanically.

Something was off about her, and maybe that's why Blake asked for her name. She seemed so… disillusioned but revengeful at the same time!

"My name has no importance, but if you really want to know it is Yang."

Once again, it wasn't her that was speaking. It felt like she was containing herself to speak with so much precautions. None of them spoke more as they were wandering around the halls, heading to the right part of the mansion as it seemed, and when they arrived to an ice-blue door similar to every other one in this disproportionate castle, the lion Faunus – Yang? – opened the door and called out for Weiss. The lonely heiress soon appeared behind the said door and welcomed Blake without a single look to the slave that was visibly waiting for new instruction or at least a permission to leave. Finally, after making sure Blake was alright, Weiss glanced at the blond girl without the slight compassion or consideration, and almost yelled at her.

"What are you waiting for? Go help your kind to clean the snow in the alleys!"

The lion bowed, her tail still waving behind her, and after a quick check, Blake quickly came to a conclusion: if she went in the snow in the butler's outfit she was wearing, she would at least get a cold, at worst die from the sickness.

"You have a coat at least?" she said without a second thought

And suddenly she was the center of a bewildered and shocked attention, wanting to disappear and slap herself at the same time. She wasn't used to the global racism toward the Faunus, as she wasn't that rich and most of all, as she wasn't used to Faunus inequality. That's what you get when you live in a lost village.

"Of course not! Why would it have a coat? It's an animal! It's lucky we give it something to wear!"

That of course, went from Weiss. No, from a shocked and disgusted Weiss. Immediately, Blake knew she had to justify herself if she didn't want to sleep with the Grimms tonight.

"I mean, you'll get a cold and die! Weiss, think logically, they're not objects!"

"No, they're animals!"

"That's the point," Blake argued, already knowing she had won. "They're animals, and animals can die! Now you, if you don't have a coat just take mine"

Second round of unbelieving looks, and Blake wondered if she had made a mistake. Probably. She sighed deeply, and before she could justify herself once again – or most likely, make more mistakes – the most directly concerned apologized.

"Please miss Belladonna, don't worry about me, I will be fine…"

"Just take it, I have plenty and you'll just give it back to me once washed. Stop questioning, take it as an order."

That was a lie, but no one needed to know, right? She checked quickly at Weiss, who just seemed bothered by her sudden interest to a dumb Faunus, but no that much worried about the rest, so she gave her coat to the lion Faunus, noticing by the way that the lion tail wasn't waving anymore, almost pressed against the strong slave's legs. She quickly gave back her attention to Weiss, not wanting her decision to be misunderstood, but the heiress wasn't even thinking of it anymore.

"I'm so glad you came! I was scared I had to spend my whole summer alone here… I'm so happy I met you!"

And with that, Blake knew why she was friendly with Weiss. Of course she was an heiress, pretentious and racist, but she was kind and innocent too. These simple sentences brought her back many years sooner, when her family rescued a little girl that was lost in the forest… And that girl of course was Weiss.

The little, white-haired girl is walking toward her, crying and sobbing almost quietly, as she was desperate. She calls out for her parents help, and run toward the lost kid, not really knowing what to she could do, searching desperately a way to comfort the skinny girl. Hopefully her mother arrived quickly and took the situation in charge, reassuring Blake that was panicked and taking care of the second girl that had passed out. A week or two passed, they learnt Weiss name and she learnt to have faith in them, and even if Blake's family could handle another member, they started seeking for her family. Kali, Blake's mother, had charged her daughter to learn anything she could from the white-haired stranger, and she did so by playing with her every now and then, treating her like her own sister. And one afternoon, the truth was revealed.

"I'm sorry Blake… I lied to you and your parents…"

"Don't worry about anything, I'm not angry! You can tell me whatever you want!" Blake said, knowing she was about to find out why this little girl arrived in a village so far from any other civilization

"I wasn't lost the day you found me… I ran away from my father. He wanted me to choose a husband so I could be the heiress, and I didn't want to so I ran…"

"Heiress?" Blake couldn't help but asked

"Oh no I've said too much! Plus I've bad-mouthed my father! He's going to kill me!"

The panic was raising in her voice, and Blake's first though was to hold and comfort her, the second one being verbal reassuring.

"Don't worry Weiss! You're safe here, your father isn't around and I won't tell anyone. But I'm sure he is worried sick about you… Don't you want him to know you're safe, at least?"

After a nod, Blake took Weiss' hand and dragged her in front of her parents, asking her temporary sister to say her family name so they could warn her father, and after less than an hour, a full convoy with bodyguards aroused to pick up the Shnee Dust Company's most precious heiress. Since then, they stayed friends.

"Blake? Are you even listening?"

It wasn't the little kid she had saved who was talking now, it was a young but decided and strong woman, and her voice dragged Blake back to present times.

"I was saying that a Faunus will show you your room, since it's late. Feel free to stay as long as you want!" the heiress said in a smile

The formulation was cold and haughty, but she saw the friendship beneath it, and she smiled back while thanking her friend. Weiss shook a tiny bell, and almost immediately another butler appeared at the door that Yang leaved a long time ago. It was a young woman, seemingly older than her and the heiress but still young, wearing an ice-blue maid uniform. Her eyes were hidden behind her white and black fringe, and Blake was quick to notice the three slots on each side of her neck and the dark dog collar slightly above. Another Faunus chained.

"Hi miss Belladonna, I'm Zaïa. Please follow me, I'll show you your quarters"

She turned without waiting, and Blake followed after a quick and polite goodnight toward Weiss. She didn't want to get lost in such a labyrinth! Ahead of her the young slave was walking calmly, counting every now and then for no apparent reason. Then she suddenly turned to the right, hitting violently the wall that was standing there, and landing on the ground, visibly disoriented, her hair in a total mess, allowing Blake to see her white eyes, blinded forever. Zaïa quickly stood up, brushing imaginary dust off her sleeves, and raised a terrified look – if that's accurate – to a still shocked Blake.

"Oh my… I'm so sorry miss, it happens all the time, I hope I didn't bother you!"

"No don't worry but… Are you okay? You hit the wall pretty hard!" Blake said flabbergasted by the Faunus' lack of self-concern

"Oh, no it's okay! I mean, I'm okay, that happen often so my head is pretty hard now. Would it be inappropriate to ask you to keep quiet about this, please?"

"I won't say anything, but you can just tell me the next turn so this won't happen again you know?"

"Oh… Um… I don't know, I'm supposed to know my way in here, I just keep losing count of my steps…"

"No worry, it's fine if you just say me where to turn next. Now, give me your hand so I can help you"

And for the first time since she arrived, Blake saw a smile above the collar. A huge smile with sharp-jagged, disproportionate teeth. No wonder what her Faunus heritage was now, even if Blake was unsure about the type of Faunus she was. She took the hand Zaïa was offering her, trying to hide the sudden discomfort she was feeling, and they made their way to a guest room she was assigned to. They both sat on the ice-blue blanket, and Blake realized it wasn't only the color that was cold. She took a deep breath and turned to face the woman at her right, even if it didn't make a difference for her, Blake wanted to make sure she wouldn't treat her differently. Their hand were separated since they sat, and she finally managed to suppress the uncomfortable feeling she got with her smile, so there was nothing disturbing her.

"Sorry for prying, but what kind of Faunus are you?" Blake asked without a second thought, the question roaming in her head since she saw the teeth.

"Oh I understand, that's not obvious… I'm a shark Faunus, miss. I've got the teeth, but also the gills. That's useful sometimes."

"I see," Blake replied, decided to know more about each person living in this house, "and what's your full name?"

"Zaïa Waddi River miss. It means light, blind and well… river." The slave was still on her guard, visibly not used to be that much of an interest. "If I may ask so… Why are you so interested in my person?"

"I want to know as much as I can on every person in this house"

"I'm not a person miss. I'm a Faunus, a slave. You shouldn't care about me."

"Listen Zaïa, I'm from a tiny village where Faunus and humans are the same, and even if I can't do anything for you right now, I intend to treat you as an equal as long as I stay here. And that start by asking you to stop calling me miss."

"I don't know if you should…"

"I do whatever I want, I'm not forced to be there. And I don't want to be racist and indifferent like any other person in here."

"Thanks mi… Thanks."

"My pleasure. Now, could you tell me more about the lion Faunus? Yang?"

She didn't know she had asked that. Why she had so much interest in this Faunus. Maybe because she always seemed to be at the edge of the rules in the house? Or maybe because something in her eyes felt different. Still, she was wondering about her. A tiny bell rang, and Blake knew she wouldn't have answers anymore.

"I'm sorry, I must go." Zaïa said, standing up quickly and going to the door. Just before exiting, she said "And for the last question I'm afraid you'll have to ask Yang in person"

The door closed, Blake laid down on the bed, and sighed. After a long flight, a brutal snowstorm and a cold arrival, she was dealing with frustration. She managed to stand up once more and to take a shower before returning to bed and finally, finally sleep.