Jacques Schnee, the CEO of the Schnee Dust Company, was visiting one of his quarries in Vacuo, and he brought his two youngest daughters with him.
They were identical twins. They dressed identical (in white dresses, their hair in side-ponytails), looked identical, and wore identical expressions on their faces as their father and some guards led them down a hallway.
Expressions of obedience and resignation hidden by a clever mask of elegance and grace.
The ten year-olds had practiced those faces well.
The elder twin was Weiss Schnee, and she was to be heiress due to the fact that the eldest Schnee sister, Winter, had denied her stake in the company and joined the military.
The youngest was Hima Schnee, her icy-blue eyes holding something else. Shame, sorrow, neglect...
"We've arrived." The girls' father announced, not looking back at his daughters as two guards readied to open the doors. "Be on your best behavior... I mean it, Hima."
"Yes, Father." The girl's replied in sync, Hima looking down. With that, the guards opened the door.
/\
A blonde boy with a monkey tail slammed his pickaxe into another rock. His body and clothing (jeans, black sneakers, a yellow t-shirt) were covered in dust (the normal kind, not the explosive-force-of-nature kind), but his grey eyes showed strength and determination.
He had to keep this job. With his father (a Huntsman) away on a long-term mission and his mother sick, he was the only one left who could provide for himself and his mother.
Day after day, he came to the quarry to work. It didn't pay much since he was a child and he wasn't treated well, especially due to his Faunus heritage, but it payed enough for his family to get by.
The boy continued pounding away at rock after rock, searching for Dust. The day was hot, the sun high in the sky, but he wouldn't let that deter him.
Sun Wukong was stubborn like that.
At first, he'd stolen to get by. Food, Lien: he took it out of desperation and necessity. But his mother had pleaded with him, so he'd gone out and gotten a job. Sun was only ten, but to SDC, labor was labor.
"Hey, runt!" Someone shouted. Sun looked back, and a hand grabbed him by the collar. It was one of the guards assigned to watch the workers, and this one had a mean streak. "Did you steal food from the faculty-room?!"
"No!" The boy replied, trying to get himself free. The guard glared.
"Liar!" He threw Sun to the ground. "All you animals know how to do is cheat and steal!"
"I didn't steal anything! I haven't moved from here all day!"
"Grr... Time to teach you some respect, animal." The guard raised his weapon, readying to drive the butt on the gun onto the monkey-Faunus' head. Sun's eyes widened.
/\
The Schnees made their way through the quarry, the CEO asking the guards questions while the two girls looked around in shock, dismay, and a little bit of horror as they saw the conditions the workers dealt with. Then...
"I didn't steal anything!" A voice exclaimed. The group turned to see a young Faunus boy cowering as a guard glared at him. "I haven't moved from here all day!" The guard slowly raised his weapon.
"Oh my God..." Weiss stared. "He's going to hit that boy!" The second sister's eyes narrowed dangerously.
"Grr... Time to teach you some respect, animal!" The guard's weapon fell. The boy's eyes widened, and he raised an arm in an attempt to shield himself.
"Not if I can help it." Hima darted forward, faster than most eyes could track as little white glyphs briefly flashed on the ground beneath her feet. Weiss reached out, her eyes wide
"Hima!"
/\
Sun closed his grey eyes and waited for the hit...
It didn't come. There was only a bunch of gasps and murmuring from all around him.
Sun opened his eyes, and they widened as he saw a large white glyph holding the guard's gun at bay.
A tiny figure in white stood between him and the guard, her pale hands held out in front of her and conjuring the shield. Her icy blue eyes were narrowed into a glare, and she let out a small noise of effort, the glyph flickering slightly.
The guard's scowl quickly faded into shock as he immediately put his weapon away and saluted, his hand shaking as he looked down at the child who had stepped into the matter.
"Miss Schnee!" He exclaimed, looking scared. "It's an honor to meet you, ma'am!"
A Schnee?
Sun's eyes grew even wider as his savior turned to him (ignoring the guard, who was pleading for forgiveness), and he raised an eyebrow as the little girl actually held a hand out, her expression falling from anger to concern.
"Are you alright?" The girl asked, her blue eyes wide. She was his age, though very tiny. Sun blinked a few times, still surprised, then he nodded shakily and reached out to accept her hand.
That's when a white-gloved hand wrapped around her wrist and harshly pulled her over, the little girl soon looking up in fear into the enraged eyes of her father. The man glared, his grip on her wrist tightening.
"Hima... Just what do you think you are doing?"
"H-he was going to hit this boy. I couldn't just let him-"
"You are a Schnee, young lady! You do not assist or extend your hand to those who are below you, especially not animals like the Faunus!"
"Why not?!"
The world went silent, holding its breath as the little girl and her father were locked in a silent war-of-wills. Jacques Schnee was livid, and Hima looked scared. She'd yelled at her father?
Then, the CEO of the Schnee Dust Company raised his hand and backhanded his youngest daughter across the face, releasing her wrist to let her fall to the ground.
The girl got on her hands and knees, raising one hand to the side of her face and holding back tears. The ring on her father's finger had left a small scratch that went from her right eyebrow over her right eyelid to the top of her right cheek. It began to bleed, red staining the girl's pale features
Her father glared down at her with disgust and disappointment.
The older twin watched the scene in dismay, but she did nothing to intervene or assist her sibling. Her fists clenched at her sides, the knuckles growing even paler.
Sun stared in horror, unable to believe what he was seeing.
"Get up." Schnee ordered. The little girl, Hima, looked up, her eyes filled with tears. The tears from her right eye mingled with the blood and made the injury seem all the worse. "GET UP!" The girl started to push herself up, but her father grabbed her by her ponytail with one hand and lifted her up. Hima's feet scrambled as they lost contact with the ground, and she reached up desperately to try and release her father's hold on her hair. The man calmly turned to his older daughter, still holding onto the younger's hair. "Let's go, Weiss. I need to speak with your sister in private."
"Yes, Father." Weiss fearfully bowed her head. Hima looked back at Sun as she was carried off, fear in her eyes. Then, she looked down and closed her eyes, almost like she knew what was to happen and was used to it.
Resigned to it.
The doors closed behind the Schnees, and the workers silently returned to their various tasks.
"Poor kid." A bear-Faunus muttered, pushing a cart past. "Old Schnee's gonna give her Hell."
"No." A boar-Faunus disagreed. "He's gonna kill her."
"He wouldn't do that." A snake-Faunus shook his head. "Maybe he'll disown her and throw her out on the street, but kill her?"
"You know his wife died mysteriously." A lion-Faunus scowled. "I wouldn't put it past him."
"But she's his daughter." A fox-Faunus argued. "Maybe he'll just send her to a boarding school."
"Or lock her away for the rest of her life." A deer Faunus looked down. "Whatever he does, he'll get away with it."
Sun took his pickaxe and began pounding rocks. And forming a plan.
/\/\/\/\
The Schnee's beach-house in Vacuo was anything but a relaxing getaway, especially for the youngest Schnee.
A tiny white figure was flung into a dark bedroom, the door slammed shut and locked behind her.
Hima Schnee weakly pushed herself up onto her knees, raising one hand up to rub the other one as she kneeled on the cold floor.
A few drops of water fell to the floor, the child shaking slightly.
Suddenly, there were knocks on the bedroom window, and the girl looked up with wide eyes.
There was a bruise on the right side of her face, the scratch over her left eyelid still bleeding slightly. Bruises covered nearly every inch of the pale skin the white dress didn't cover, and one could only imagine how many it did.
"I-I can't get up... G-go away." The girl whispered, too weak to shout. Not like anyone would come to help her if she could scream, anyway. Weiss was too scared of their father, and Klein and Whitley and Winter were back in Atlas... The knocks came again, and Hima whimpered. "Leave me alone." The knocks persisted. Hima glared, then she slowly pushed herself to her feet and limped over to the window, looking out. Seeing nothing, the girl thought her efforts had been all for naught. But then, something yellow and furry came from the roof over the window and prodded the window twice, making the knocking-sound that Hima had heard before, her eyes widening. "What?!"
The girl opened the window and looked out, a dark shape falling from the rooftop and landing on her windowsill. The girl let out a small, muffled cry of alarm as a hand covered her mouth.
"Don't scream." Sun whispered. "I'm here to help, but if I'm gonna do that, you can't scream. Got it?" Hima's eyes were wide, but she calmed and nodded. Sun removed his hand, and the two remained in silence, analyzing each other for a moment. They looked for signs of deception, signs of a threat. Sun's eyes swept over her injuries and narrowed dangerously. "Your dad did this to you, didn't he?" Hima remained silent. "Why are you so calm?"
"I..." Hima looked up. "This was not my first incident. I have disappointed my father before."
"He's done this to you before?!" Sun asked, enraged and slamming his fist onto the windowsill as he sat there, cross-legged. Hima flinched, recoiling a step into her room. Sun calmed, frowning. "I'm not going to hurt you, and I won't let your father hurt you again. Just like you wouldn't let that psycho in the quarry hurt me. Trust me."
"How can I trust you? I don't even know your name."
"It's Sun, Sun Wukong." Sun gave a small smile. Hima gave him a curious expression, then...
"I'm Hima Schnee."
"Nice to meet'cha."
"Why were you in the quarry?"
"Well... My dad's away on a mission, and my mom's sick. I had to pay for food and stuff somehow."
"Hmm..." Hima frowned, then grew determined. "I've got it. If you help me escape, I will ensure that you no longer have to worry about money. You will never have to work in that quarry, ever again." Sun's eyes widened.
"What?" He asked. Hima limped over to a dresser and opened a large box, turning to Sun and holding out dozens of heavily-laden pieces of jewelry. "Is all of that real?!"
"Yes." Hima grabbed a bag and dumped the jewelry box and what was in her other hand into it, holding the bag out. "Get me out of here, and you get the bag. Do we have a deal?"
"You don't have to-"
"Yes, I do." Hima glared. "Do we have a deal?" Sun gazed at the girl for a moment, then nodded.
"Grab only what you need. We leave in five minutes." He ordered. Hima nodded, taking a second bag and stuffing two more white dresses into it, then adding a blanket, a pillow, and diving under her bed and lifting a floorboard.
Sun entered the room and peeked under the bed, surprised as he watched the young girl pull a plastic bag full of Lien and a blade from the hole.
The blade was long, ornate, and silver, built like a rapier with rotating Dust-cartriges in the hilt.
"One of only two." Hima saw the boy's curiosity. "It's name is Gefroren. My sister and I have been trained in combat. Weiss has the other one."
"Should we get her?"
"No." Hima shook her head. "Weiss is safe from harm. She's going to be the single heiress to the SDC, and she might just change things if she can step out of our father's shadow." Hima stood, Sun following, stuffing the Lien into her bag and placing the blade at her belt. Sun raised an eyebrow.
"Why do you need all of that Lien? And a sword?"
"I've been planning to leave for a while now, and I've been sneaking money from the vaults. I just didn't know when to get away or how." Hima stated. "And since I'm going to be on my own for a while (until I'm old enough to apply for a Hunter Academy), I'll need to provide for and protect myself." Sun's eyes widened.
"You're..? You're going to live on the street?"
"My chances are better out there than here." Hima limped over to a dresser and grabbed a picture frame, stuffing it into the bag. Then, she slung her bag over her shoulder. "I'm ready. Let's go." Sun stood there, staring at her.
"I'm not just letting you live out on the street. You're from Atlas, you're built to live in the cold. You won't survive for long in the desert."
"I'll take my chances."
"No... You helped me in the quarry, even though you knew you'd get hurt, and now you're helping me provide for my family. All you've asked is for me to get you out, but I was planning on doing it with or without reward... You're not going out on the street, Hima. You'll have a home." Sun held out his hand. Hima looked down at it, then at him in shock.
"It's not safe. My father's men will come looking for me-"
"Will they? No offense, but look what he's done to you. He'll probably just cover up your disappearance. Maybe blame the White Fang."
"They'd never-"
"I know... You'll be safe."
"... It's not me I'm worried about."
"Still protecting me, Snow Queen?"
"Oh, shut up!"
"Ooh, Snow Queen's got bite? ... It'll be fine." Sun's hand was still extended. "Trust me." Hima looked down at the hand, hesitating and biting her lower lip as she calculated the risks. Then, she smiled and took his hand.
"Okay."
"Then, come on!" Sun dragged Hima to the window, climbed up onto the windowsill, and leapt up onto the roof.
The little girl got up on the windowsill, then yelped slightly as Sun's tail wrapped around her waist and pulled her up onto the roof.
/\
Sun half-carried Hima to his house, supporting her as she limped. Sun gave a small smile.
"You'll love my mom. She's really nice, and she'll have no problem with you staying with us. And when Dad comes back, he'll train us both for when we go to an Academy."
"You want to become a Huntsman?"
"Of course! Fighting monsters, saving lives: it's the dream!"
"Huh. I just want to do some good in the world. Like one person could make up for what my family's done..."
"You can."
"... Thank you, Sun."
"Any time... We're here!"
The two looked up at a white picket-fence, sunflowers peeking over it. A small yellow and white house sat at the center of a medium-sized yard.
Sun opened the gate and helped Hima through, the two children walking through the yard. They climbed the stairs of the white porch, and Sun knocked. Someone coughing from within the house was heard, then a woman in her early thirties opened the door.
The woman had curly blonde hair and green eyes, and she wore green pajamas under a yellow bathrobe. A yellow monkey-tail peered from under the bathrobe, swishing slightly.
The woman was beautiful, but she had bags under her eyes and she seemed weak.
"Sun?" The woman asked. "Why are you outside? It's..." The woman noticed Hima, and her eyes widened. "Late... Who is this?"
"This is a friend of mine." Sun explained, much to Hima's shock. "We met today at the quarry... I'll explain inside."
/\
Hima's shock only grew as Sun's mother tended to her injuries, Sun telling the whole story.
"My God..." Sun's mother scowled. "I can not believe that someone, even that man, would do such terrible things..." Hima looked down. "Thank you." The white-haired girl looked up to see Sun's mother gazing at her intently. "Thank you, for protecting my son."
"I do not deserve thanks." Hima looked down. "Not with what my family has done, here."
"Your family does not define you." Sun's mother stated. "And every kind action, while not always for one, deserves a small reward."
"Oh!" Hima's blue eyes widened. "That's right!" Hima took the first bag she'd packed and and threw it to Sun. Sun jolted to his feet, smiling.
"Mom, you'll never believe this, but Hima's saved us." Sun opened the bag and held it out. Sun's mother peeked in and looked ready to pass out.
"What..?"
"I hate that kind of stuff, anyway." Hima smiled. Sun's mother immediately crushed the white-haired girl and her son in a hug, partly out of joy and partly to keep them from seeing the tears that raced down her face. Hima's eyes widened, and she tensed up. The Wukongs pulled away, the girl backing up.
"What's wrong?" Sun asked. Hima raised an eyebrow.
"What was that?"
"What? You mean a hug?" Everything was quiet. "How can you not know what a hug is?"
"I don't know." Hima frowned. "Father and the tutors never taught me about it. Should I know what it is?"
"Yeah! Everyone gets hugs!"
"I don't. My sisters surely don't... Well, I think Winter doesn't. I haven't seen her since I was six." Hima looked thoughtful. "I wonder how she's doing..." Meanwhile, the Wukongs stared at her.
"Didn't your mother hug you?" Sun's mother asked. Her son suddenly recalled someone's words...
"You know his wife died mysteriously."
Sun shook out of it. Hima was looking down, eyes wide and fixated on the floor, like she was seeing something no one else could. A few drops of water splashed on yellow carpet.
Sun slowly walked over and pulled the girl into another hug. Hima flinched, like she had been trained to expect pain from another person's contact, then slowly hugged back and buried her face into Sun's chest. She was that tiny.
"It doesn't matter." Sun declared. "From now on, everything will be different. I'm going to teach you how to do all the things normal kids do. How to run, jump, climb, ride a bike, have fun, and everything else your dad never let you do. I will even give you at least one hug a day for the rest of our lives. Promise."
That was the first of many promises that Sun would make to Hima Schnee.
Well... It looks like it's off to a decent start. I'm branching out with my OCs... I only own my OC. Please read, review, check out my other stories, etc. Thanks!