The Coldest Spring

Chapter 1: Forward and Back

Weiss sat cross legged in the middle of the stark white room, her concentration forward, her eyebrows knitting together ever so slightly in consternation. In front of her hovered a small tube of water, circling about and twisting like it was alive.

Weiss exhaled, her breathe the only sound present in the room. 'I have to do this.' She thought to herself. Why couldn't she do this? She was Weiss Schnee, heir to the Schnee empire. This should've been easy. Her ire was beginning to ire, and as it did, her objective fell further and further away.

"Damnit!" She shouted, and as she did so, the water turned into a burst of flames, the heat briefly whipping at her skin before fading away.

"Woah, Weiss! Are you okay?" came a voice from behind her, heavy boots crossing the room quickly. Weiss glanced over her shoulder, seeing Yang as the person who had called out. Though Weiss had recognized her voice. She knew that voice anywhere.

"I'm fine." Weiss said, just a bit too quickly, crossing her arms. Yang came up to her side, laying a hand on her shoulder and beginning a quick inspection.

"Weiss..." Yang recognized that tone. That was the old Weiss. The Weiss who wouldn't let anyone in. Not even Yang.

Weiss exhaled, trying to calm down. She reached up and laid a hand over Yang's. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have snapped." It was important that apologize. She turned at the waist and looked up at her teammate. "Really." She said, hoping she could communicate her earnestness with her face.

Yang echoed Weiss, finally letting out the breath she didn't know she'd been holding in. "Okay, good. What happened?" Yang asked, sitting down next to her teammate. It seemed like Weiss needed someone to talk to. Weiss had been there a lot for her. It was important she returned the favor.

"Its nothing." Weiss said, the phrase coming to her lips almost immediately. Some behaviors were too well trained to disappear like that. They became almost like a muscle reflex. Schnees did not talk about their problems. There were no problems with the Schnees.

"Weiss." Yang said, this time her tone a little more forceful. She regretted it the moment she said it. What her teammate didn't need was someone being mad at her. When Weiss had recently told her about growing up, Yang got the impression that being a bit more firm would just backfire. "Please. I just want to help, if I can." Yang added, her tone softening, clearing her throat slightly. She knew her teammate was under a lot of pressure.

"I messed up." Weiss said, her tone bitter. She needed to be better than this. She had to be. The entire world was counting on her. She knew Ozpin, or was it Oscar, whoever he was, would likely be waiting outside the room the second she emerged from it. Qrow wouldn't be far behind. All eyes were on her now. To fail at such a simple task was infuriating. Thats not what needed to happen.

"Weiss, its okay to mess up. You don't have to be perfect." Yang said, trying to reassure Weiss. She knew the heiress struggled with self-esteem issues, never feeling like she was good enough or that she could measure up. Of course she was probably the best on of them all.

"That's just it! I have to be! Everyone is counting on me!" Weiss said, her voice raising. This was so stupid. Yang didn't get it. None of them got. Well, maybe Ruby did, but she ran away from it all. Weiss couldn't talk to her partner about it. There was too much of a barrier there.

"You've been a Maiden for what... two weeks? Give yourself time Weiss. It'll come." Yang said, trying to reassure her teammate in any way that she could. She wanted to reach out and put a hand on Weiss, but decided that in the heat of the moment, the touch would likely stress out Weiss, rather than reassure her. So she kept her hands folded in her lap.

"I can't get a handle of this magic. Its not going to come!" Weiss retorted angrily, her temper still raised. She couldn't help herself. She was so frustrated and mad. She just couldn't believe this.

"You'll get this. With your semblance, with the glyphs and the summoning, you're better equipped than any of us for this. You're being too hard on yourself." Yang tried to reassure the white haired woman sitting next to her. If Weiss could just see herself as everyone else saw her, then maybe she'd stop beating herself up so much. If she could see herself how Yang saw her...

"You don't get it Yang." Weiss said, her voice lower now, the tone more bitter. Yang didn't have to do magic. She didn't have to know how it worked, or what it took out of a person. Why Weiss couldn't seem to let herself do it, or not as much as she needed to. It wasn't easy, especially for her.

Yang sighed and then stood up. For a moment, Weiss thought she was leaving. She wasn't sure whether she was happy or sad about that. Instead, Yang took a few steps and then folded down to sit crossed legged directly across from her, flashing a comforting smile. "Then help me get it." Yang said, trying to get the other young woman to open up. She'd always been so guarded or so quickly shut down by others. If Yang could just get it through to her that it was okay to air her grievances, maybe they could get somewhere.

Weiss sighed for what seemed the millionth time that day. "Do you know how magic is manifested?" she asked.

"No. How is magic manifested?" Yang repeated, almost taking on a schoolish tone.

"Its through our Auras. Just like our Semblances. Semblances and magic... they're really similar. At least thats how its been explained to me. Every living creature has a soul, and it infinitely makes Aura. Its like a spring, welling up from the ground. And our Aura is the water thats flowing down the stream." Weiss said, hoping she could relay it to the blonde well enough to make her understand her frustration. Yang merely nodded, letting the Heiress continue. "Some of it just spills out. Thats the Aura we usually think of. It is the Aura that protects us from attacks. Some people have a lot, some people have a little." Weiss said with a small nod before continuing. "Then theres semblances. As the water flows down the stream, it encounters rocks, eddies, diversions, and convergences of the stream. These are built into us. They are who we are, and they are unique. Usually. As the Aura encounters these barriers, it is shaped by them. The end result is your Semblance, the entirely unique manifestation of your Aura." Weiss said, trying to explain the basic mechanics. It wasn't actually very useful to know these things, and it was a clunky metaphor anyways.

"Okay. I think I get it so far. So how does magic work?" Yang asked, trying to make sure she followed Weiss's every word.

"Magic... its like being able to control where the rocks are in the stream. Its like holding rocks, or little wooden barriers in your hand, and placing them down whenever and wherever you want. By doing that, you can shape your own Aura and what the end result is." Weiss said. They were getting closer to the crux of the problem. "How you do that is... its emotions." Weiss winced, knowing it sounded really stupid. She couldn't believe it when she'd first heard it herself.

"Okay. So emotions control magic. How does that like... from point A to point C, whats point B?" Yang asked, taking this completely serious. There might have been a time to make a pun about it, but this wasn't that time.

"Each part of magic needs a different set of emotions. Each emotion has its own... shape. The shape then effects the stream of Aura. Let me show you." Weiss said, closing her eyes and folding her hands. She exhaled and centered herself, trying to remain calm and focused. She could feel a tension near her forehead, but when she opened her eyes, a stream of water was flowing in front of her.

"Oh my god Weiss that was amazing! You closed your eyes and then... I don't know how to explain. This water just showed up!" Yang said, her eyes wide. She couldn't quite believe what she was seeing. There was no Dust involved. The water wasn't there, and then it was there.

"Yeah. Thats the easy part. Water is straight-forward. Its calm. By being calm, I can steady my Aura and focus it into a manifestation of water. I can't make much of it, but that will happen with time." Weiss said with a small nod.

"So earlier... when you got mad... it made a lot of fire?" Yang asked carefully, eyes still transfixed on the water. She couldn't believe her teammate had done something like this.

"Yes." Weiss answered.

"So... why were you mad?" Yang asked carefully, her voice soft and trying to be compassionate.

"I couldn't make ice."

It took a tremendous power of will for Yang not to laugh. The Ice Queen couldn't make ice? Seriously? That seemed incredibly oxymoronic, and so many puns came to mind. But none of them were appropriate. Clearly her friend was hurting and frustrated, and she tried to be level-headed about it. "So why couldn't you make ice?" Yang asked, trying to get at the root cause.

"Ice is both calmness, and... detachment. Coldness. Its basically apathy. At least thats what Ozpin said." Weiss said, her eyebrows furrowing as her mind trailed off. She couldn't do it. Why couldn't she do it? It should've been so easy. But really, she knew her hangup wasn't because it was hard.

"You'll get it in time, Weiss. Why do you think you're having a hard time? Maybe I can help!" Yang said with a smile, trying to add some cheer to the atmosphere to lighten the mood.

"Because its too easy, damnit Yang! I work with Ozpin all the time and I still can't do this! Its basic! But I can't do it, Yang. I can't do it. I won't! I'm not cut out to be a maiden! Why couldn't it have been someone else?" Weiss asked.

"Does everyone know the plan?" Qrow said seriously as the airship bobbed slightly in the air, its engines providing a steady hum to the background. His expression was deadly serious, and so was Ozpin's next to him. It was amazing to think that the slight, freckled boy could look so much like the wizened and eccentric headmaster of the school they'd all been attending not that long ago.

"We'll handle Emerald and Mercury." Jaune said with a firm nod. JNPR was one short. They knew that in a lot of ways, this fight was over their heads. But they were determined to help however they could. If that meant handling two of Cinder's lackies, then so be it. Ren's eyes were closed and pensive as he considered the battle, whereas Nora was practically bouncing out of her boots.

"You three?" Ozpin said, his gaze turning pointedly to RWY. They, just like JNPR, were one short.

"We're to help any bandits or civilians escape if at all possible." Ruby said.

"And..?" Ozpin asked, the question demanding an answer.

"We're not to go after Cinder. Or try to find Yang's mom. Or go after Mercury and Emerald." Ruby added. There were a lot of stakes in this mission. She wanted to fight Cinder. She'd... killed Pyrrha. Yang had argued that she should be the one to fight Mercury. Or at least find her mother. Qrow had intervened, saying they were too invested to fight Mercury and Emerald, and not skilled enough to fight Cinder. Only Weiss was the impartial one of the group. Weiss could feel Qrow's gaze boring into her, his small frown all she needed to see to know that she would be expected to keep her teammates in line.

"We're here sir!" came the voice of a pilot from the cockpit as the ship gave a lurch down. Apparently the pilot was trying to avoid fire, though Weiss couldn't see any outside the viewports. She glanced over, and noticed that Yang's hand was shaking. She reached out and took it, trying to steady it in her own. "We've got this." She said quietly, trying to reassure the blonde without anyone else noticing. Weiss wasn't sure Yang would appreciate having her troubles aired out. Yang didn't respond, her eyes locked forward.

The airship touched down with a loud shudder and bang. As the door opened, Qrow's sword was in his hand, already unfolding into his scythe. Faster than the hunters in training could see, he was gone. They knew the heavy lifting was going to fall on Qrow. And his sister - Yang's mom... If she was still alive. "Alright lets go!" Jaune shouted, jumping out of the ship, his shield raised.

RWY and JNR ran from the airship, Ozpin staying behind, his cane supporting his new and young body. Weiss, for a brief moment, reflected on the fact that he was sending children off to war again. She supposed it couldn't be helped.

The bandit camp lay just ahead. She'd only been here a few weeks ago. It felt like much longer. Large pillared logs formed the perimter. Inside, Weiss knew there were a series of tents up a central 'avenue', eventually leading to Raven's tent. However, much of that was now gone. Many of the pillars had been blasted apart, scorched from some attack that had already passed, still smoldering. Many of the tents were in flames. The sounds of gunfire, clanging blades, and screaming filled the air. There were other sounds that none of them would ever be able to place.

"Good luck!" Jaune nodded to RWY as he and JNR split off from them, continuing forward towards the sound of battle.

"Be safe!" Ruby called after them, worried that they might be caught in the crossfire. Ruby wondered if they were frightened. Hopefully they could save more people. "Come on guys. Lets find some people!" Ruby shouted to her sister and partner, speeding up as she began to search.

Yang, Weiss, and Ruby all searched, even as the battle raged around them. Mostly they found dead bodies, their stomachs and hearts tightening at each failed find. However, they began to find the injured. Yang would pull them out of the rubble. Weiss would cast a glyph to speed up Ruby more than she could already go, and Ruby would carry them as back to the airship where Ozpin, the pilot, and a medic were waiting.

It was hard to tell how much time had passed when Weiss gestured to her two teammates. "I'm going to check that tent over there!" She shouted over the din, clutching Myrtenmaster in her hands. She ran across the rubble, coughing occasionally in the smoke. She was certain she looked like a mess. As she pushed aside the flap of the tent, her heart stopped, and she dropped Myrtenmaster.

Cinder stood with her hand outstretched, her back to Weiss. A symbol glowed on her hand as she muttered something, a fiery glow coming from her eyes. Just in front of her, that short haired woman was on her knees, bloodied, burned, and broken. Weiss instinctively knew that the woman was going to die. Weiss went to raise Myrtenmaster, only to realize it wasn't in her hand. No. No no no.

Cinder turned, her eyes widening. The glow on the back of her palm faded as fire gathered at her fingertips. Behind her, Weiss saw a flash of metal and then an arc of crimson. "What?!" Cinder screamed. The edges of Weiss's vision went dark.

"How did you get to her?" a muffled voice.

"I used my Semblance."

"How?"

"This wasn't the plan."

"What was the plan?"

"I was suppose to get the powers."

"When will she wake up?"

"I don't know Yang."

"Why don't you know?!"

"I thought you were fighting her."

"I thought I was too."

"It must've been that girl."

"What do we do now?"

"She'll have to be trained."

"Will she be able to handle it?"

"Is she okay?"

"She'll be fine, Yang."

"Are you sure?"

Weiss's eyes blinked open slowly. Everything felt so heavy. Everything was very, very quiet. It felt like she'd been tossing and turning for hours, not able to really wake up. Now that she had, she just wanted to go back to sleep. "Weiss!" Yang's exhuberant voice sounded far away as the blonde came into view. Everything was still a bit fuzzy. She ached all over.

"Are you okay? Here let me get you some water!" Yang said, her face filled with worry as she regarded her teammate and friend. She looked pale. Even by her standards. Her hair was disheveled, grime clinging her despite the best attempts of everyone to clean her off while respecting her privacy. She was wrapped in layers of blankets to keep her warm. She'd slept for days. Myrtenmaster leaned against the wall a few feet away. Yang had brought it in, knowing Weiss would worry about it when she woke up. It was her most prized possession.

Everything had gone to hell back in the camp. Weiss had just run off to check a tent, Yang keeping a casual eye out. Not seconds later, there'd been a loud bang, and some sort of energy wave had exploded from the tent. Yang had nearly lost it. She'd thought Weiss had died. Then Raven and Cinder had suddenly flown out of the tent locked in battle, moving so fast. Yang had felt reassured for a brief second, and waited for Weiss to come out. She hadn't. Yang had found her laying unconscious in the tent, looking untouched, the body of a that short-haired bandit woman a few feet away, drenched in blood. It had been horrible. Now Qrow and Ozpin were saying... they were saying that Weiss was a Maiden. Yang still wasn't quite sure what had happened.

Yang offered the cup to Weiss. It was actually just little ice chips. It made it harder for people to drink too much all at once. Yang had learned all about that sort of thing in her own recovery, and following her surgeries. Weiss looked at her with unsure eyes, her lips moving but not speaking.

Yang's heart gave a pang of apprehension, realizing Weiss must've been very weak. "Here, let me help." Yang sat on the edge of the bed, grabbing a small spoon. She took some ice chips and offered them to Weiss, who ate them cautiously, holding them in her mouth and letting the ice melt.

"Thanks... quiet..." Weiss rasped out, her throat dry despite the melted ice.

"Yeah, that happens. Your hearing is the last thing to come back. But it'll be back, promise. I think they might've given you some kind of sedative at some point." It had probably been to help Weiss's body heal, though Yang wasn't sure what kind of wound she even had. She looked okay, from the outside.

"Everyone... okay..?" Weiss struggled out, nodding her chin slightly to indicate she wanted more ice cubes. Yang obliged.

"Everyone is fine. Whats more important... are you okay? Are you hurting anywhere? We were all really worried." Yang said, trying to keep her voice from shaking. Instead her hand did it for her. She switched the hand that was holding the cup and spoon, hiding her shaking hand behind her back. She didn't want to worry Weiss. She'd just been so afraid that she had been hurt... or worse. The thought gripped her. But she needed to focus on her teammate.

"Headache. Chest." Weiss responded, her voice slowly inching to being stronger again. The first symptom merely made Yang nod. A headache wasn't too bad, and was to be expected. But when Weiss complained about her chest, Yang instantly got very worried. That could be her heart or something. That wasn't good. She didn't want to panic in front of Weiss though. That would only make things worse.

"Thats okay. I think everyone feels like that a bit. I should stop hogging you. The others will want to know you're awake. I'll be right back. Promise." Yang flashed her a smile before setting down the cup and swiftling departing from the room. Once she was out of earshot, she hurried her pace. "Uncle Qrow. Raven. She's awake. She says her chest hurts." Yang said, spotting her uncle and mother sitting in a side room along with Ozpin and that medic. They all exchanged a glance and all four adults stood up and brushed past Yang in a hurry.

Yang's instinct was to run after them, but she knew she'd only get in the way. She gripped the doorframe, her knuckles turning white as her hand shook. "Please be okay Weiss..."

A/N: Thank you for reading. For those of you who saw this in its earliest published revision, forgive the formatting. It should be much more organized going forward. This started at as either a drabble or a chapter, I wasn't sure. For now, it appears that it will be a chapter. I haven't written a fanfic in many, many years - so my apologies for roughness in the story-telling. As I get into the flow and hang of things, I do believe it will improve. Most of all, thank you for taking the time to read, like, follow, or review. ~ SinginInTheReign / Eve