Scars
It took everything Weiss had to parry Winter's strike. The momentum generated by her glyphs was incredible, not to mention perfectly channeled into her attack.
"Want to give up?" Winter smirked. She had felt Weiss' rapier nearly give under her latest assault. They never took their sparring lightly. They were keenly aware that their father would be watching, whether he was there or not. The development of his heirs was important to the company, and thus of the utmost importance to him.
"Keep wishing!" Weiss grit her teeth and used her rapidly dwindling energy reserves to summon a blue glyph under Winter's feet. Winter gave a small laugh as she jumped back a fraction of a second before the glyph fully materialized.
"Running out of ideas, are we?" she taunted Weiss, who was doing her best to control her rapid breathing. It would not do to show Winter any signs of weakness to exploit. "I was the one who came up with that when we were kids, what makes you think I'll fall for that now?"
While most people would claim that they could not see the difference, it was obvious to them both that Winter was the more talented sister. Where Weiss worked relentlessly to hone her skills for hours on end, Winter more than met her efforts with natural ability.
But what really hurt was how obvious it seemed to their father, too. Winter always seemed to be on the receiving end of his proud smiles, while Weiss could never seem to do anything right.
She tried to tell herself that he loved them both equally, she just needed to be better. It was getting harder to believe that the older they got, and the barbed comparisons got worse. Their father was not one to raise his voice or his hand. But he always knew just what to say to make Weiss feel like the smallest person in the world. No matter how hard she tried, how much more she pushed herself, she would never be as good as her sister.
"You know, you're looking a bit under the weather sister dear," Winter continued to mock her, putting on an impression of concern. "Why don't I just end this and you can go get some rest?"
Weiss scowled. She would show her. Even if Winter had more talent, she would have to work for her victories.
"Oh yes, you would know a thing or two about running off to 'rest', wouldn't you?"
Winter's eyes narrowed, and she launched into a flurry of strikes that soon had Weiss on her back foot.
"Only because you've always needed the extra time with our tutors, sister mine." Winter snarled with a particularly vicious swing of her rapier that threw Weiss off balance. Weiss stumbled back, and Winter cast her next attack. Spikes of ice erupted from the ground, intended to freeze Weiss where she stood.
Weiss tried to leap back, to give herself some space to prepare a defensive maneuver that might allow her to follow up with a counterattack. Her heart sank as her back hit the wall of the training room. The next ice shard was rapidly forming, jutting out at an angle that would impale her through the chest.
She had been so preoccupied with Winter's attacks, so tired, that she had lost awareness of her environment. Such a rookie mistake.
For a split second, Weiss thought she saw a mix of concern and terror flash across Winter's face. But it was too late for her to fully pull back.
Shit.
Weiss closed her eyes just as Winter made a quick gesture. The ice exploded into pieces, but at the speed it had been forming, the little shards might as well have been shrapnel.
Pain exploded through Weiss' body as her aura was overwhelmed by the sheer number of shards, making hundreds of cuts on her body. The last thing Weiss felt before losing consciousness was a searing pain over her left eye.
Oh great. Add sight to the list of advantages Winter had over her.
XXXXXX
Weiss shot awake at the sensation of gentle fingers brushing the bangs away from her face. Or she would have, had the sedatives not been doing such a good job. As it was, all she could manage was a slight shift of her head and a strangled whimper at the unannounced intrusion into her personal space.
So much pain. She could feel the bandages all over her body, where the shards had cut. Although most of her wounds were minor, there was enough of them along with a few major ones to have her hospitalized and hooked up to all manner of machines. Apparently, her father had been a major contributor to this particular institution.
Her left eye was currently covered by a thick gauze pad. She hadn't been fully conscious since she passed out, but she had awoken earlier to the doctors explaining to an agitated-sounding someone that she would still have her sight. The ice shard that had lacerated her face had miraculously missed her eye, but there would be a scar. She had fallen back to sleep after that.
Weiss hoped that had been a real conversation and not something she had dreamed up in her drugged state. Being half-blind was not going to help her with her father.
"Shhhhh," whispered a female voice, accompanied by the whiff of a familiar smell. Crisp, clean, a hint of pine. Weiss tensed, sending a fresh jolt of pain through her body, accompanied by a surge of agitation. What was Winter doing here? Was she here to gloat? To crow about her superiority? Anyone who mattered already knew. Why did she have to rub it in, even here?
Winter took her hand, surprisingly gentle. She continued to run her fingers through Weiss' hair in what seemed to be a soothing motion. Weiss felt herself relax in spite of her wariness. There was just something in that movement. So reminiscent of their lost mother.
Weiss had no idea how much time had passed like that. As her breathing evened out and she was drifting back to sleep, Winter suddenly spoke.
"I'm sorry."
The words were said so softly that Weiss almost thought that she had imagined them.
"I didn't mean for this to happen."
Now Weiss was really wishing her right eye could defy the sedatives coursing through her system. It sounded like Winter, it smelt like Winter, but this couldn't be the sister she had grown up with. Winter had never apologized, never shown remorse for hurting her before.
"But what were you thinking? I thought by now you would be more aware of your surroundings in a fight. You would have been fine if you'd just let me freeze you in place!" Winter quietly scolded. "You've always been so stubborn…"
"Father's really upset, you know." She continued. "He's over in Vale on business but he keeps calling every other hour. It figures, you've always been his favourite."
Well, now that was news. Had some of the ice hit her head? Random thoughts of bizzaro land floated through her confused mind. Perhaps she was dreaming?
"He never stops talking about you when we're alone. 'Look at how Weiss applies herself! She never gives up! She's always improving!'" Winter said in a low voice. "I can only get his attention when I beat you. Then he gets the tutors to stay longer and help you. He never bothers for me."
Maybe that's because you don't need it, Weiss thought. But she had the vague feeling of a knot in her chest loosening. She hadn't even known it was there.
"I never wanted to hurt you like this. I wish things were different…"
Weiss felt a sudden rush of conflicting emotions. She wasn't sure what to feel. All those years of resentment, of the hurt of rejection when she had refused to show any affection to Weiss. To share anything, even just a room and bunk beds. But Winter had been suffering too. Weiss just hadn't realized it.
She couldn't speak. She wasn't sure she could have even if she had been at full health. So she did the only thing she could. Ignoring the spikes of pain shooting up her arm, she squeezed Winter's hand, putting what strength she could into the gesture. It wasn't much given her current condition, but she hoped her sister would be able to feel what she wanted to convey.
It's alright, I understand. I wish things were different, too.
Winter gasped, the hand holding Weiss' freezing in place. There was a long period of silence in the room and Weiss had the sense Winter was staring at her. What she was looking at or thinking, Weiss had no idea. Her sister's moods were often mercurial.
Weiss suddenly felt a wave of exhaustion pulling her into unconsciousness. The small rush of adrenaline from being woken by unfamiliar contact and Winter's uncharacteristic confession was wearing off.
In that somnolent state, she felt Winter slowly putting her hand down. Then after a few moments, the slightest brush of lips against her forehead. The sleep that followed was one of the most peaceful Weiss had ever known.
XXXXXX
When Weiss woke up, she found herself half hoping to see Winter in the room. She had so much she wanted to say to her.
But the room was empty. And it remained that way for the rest of her hospital stay.
In the ensuing days, as she returned home and back to the status quo, Weiss would find herself wondering if it had been just a dream. Especially when Winter would make cutting comments about the new scar over her left eye during sparring.
Although she would react and retort with insults of her own, Weiss could not find it in herself to be truly angry with Winter anymore.
A part of her just knew otherwise.
A/N: I do not own RWBY or its characters.
First attempt at a fic, hope it was a decent read. Was working on a longer fic when the Winter reveal happened and kind of screwed my plans for its plot. Given the lack of info on Winter so far, this is sort of my way of working out what the dynamics of Weiss' relationship with her sister might be like.
I've always wondered why so many fics dealing with Weiss' family characterize them as completely uncaring and abusive. Their sole purpose in life in those stories seem to be to make Weiss miserable and/or use her for their own gain. I get that the dynamics of an old money family are complicated, but it doesn't mean they all hate their kids.
From the canon so far, I'm guessing Weiss doesn't have an easy relationship with her family, but she's still very proud of them. So I thought to try my hand at a take on the Schnees that would be consistent with the show, but not portray them as complete monsters. They're screwed up and they don't show it in the healthiest of ways, but there's a level of love and concern there, too.
Always looking to improve, so reviews would be appreciated!