Weiss never really thought that red was a color that suited her. Mostly, her wardrobe and accessories were all either white or gray, even black sometimes when she was feeling more daring, but red was almost always out of the question. It was just too brash and her father always told her that it stood out too much in the crowd. And as the heiress of the Schnee Dust Company, her face already did the job of attracting attention to herself wherever she went, so why make it worse by wearing such a flashy color?

And now, looking down at the knife in her ribs and the blood soaking through the fabric of her dress, Weiss decided that red definitely didn't suit her at all. It was honestly the first and only thing she was able to think before losing consciousness and collapsing on the floor in the middle of the street.

Weiss woke up slowly with the sound of muffled voices in the background screaming and arguing, apparently completely ignoring the fact that she was in the room next door. She tried to open her eyes but the clarity of the place made it a difficult task. After a few minutes trying to adjust her senses, Weiss finally got the strength to look around for a bit and realized she was on her own room back at the mansion. A machine beside her beeped every couple of seconds and she noticed a tube was attached to a vein in her arm, a bag with transparent liquid hanging above her head.

She tried to sit up but a sharp pain made its way to her torso and she nearly collapsed again. That's when she remembered what'd happened.

Oh, that's right. Someone was smart enough to stab me in the middle of a crowded street at lunchtime.

Sighing softly because of the pain, Weiss closed her eyes again, waiting for someone to barge into her room and go check up on her. It didn't take long.

"Miss Schnee?" A soft voice made its way to the room as the door opened. The family's doctor got in, smiling as he realized she was awake. "Oh, you woke up! I am glad."

"Yes, I suppose I have." Her voice was raspy and she had to force it out. "Thank you for taking care of me as usual, Doctor Row."

"Always a pleasure, my dear. Your father is worried sick about you, I should probably tell him you regained consciousness."

"I'm sure he is." Weiss had to hold back from rolling her eyes. She knew the person who was yelling a few moments ago was her father, and his next target would be her once he got into the room. "Before you talk to him, however, could you tell me my condition? I take it I was stabbed by something sharp."

The old man took a handkerchief from his pocket and swept his forehead. "Yes, yes, what a terrible incident it was. Right in the middle of the day, too! The police are investigating this case as we speak. Your father made clear that this murderer must be imprisoned immediately."

"Well he is hardly a murderer, seeing as I am still alive." Why she was defending the person who definitely tried to kill her, Weiss didn't know. She guessed it was because her father's words were always so exaggerated that it made her angry – always assuming people were a certain thing with no knowledge of their background whatsoever.

"…I suppose that's true, yes. Anyway, you will definitely be all right. Luckily he didn't hit any vital organs! Your blood loss and shock were what probably made you faint, but nothing you should worry about."

Weiss looked down where the knife had pierced, a gauze now covering the skin. "I'm happy to hear that."

The doctor nodded. "I should go and talk to Mr. Schnee now. You need your rest and plenty of water. I will ask one of the maids to bring you something to eat as well. Have a good night, Miss Schnee."

"Thank you, Doctor. Goodnight."

The doors closed again and she was alone. Weiss knew she wasn't going to get any sleep, though; her father was absolutely coming to talk to her as soon as he knew she was awake.

Three minutes later, he opened the door, basically slamming it on the wall. "We are going to talk, young lady."

"Absolutely not!"

"I am not giving you a choice, I am informing you of my decision, and that is final."

"But father—"

"Do not contradict me!" His voice was loud and aggressive, making Weiss flinch. All her childhood she'd heard that tone and as much as she tried to stay still when it happened, her reflexes always told her to cower away from it. It'd been a week since the stabbing and she was already able to walk around the house – slowly, but it was better than being in a wheelchair. Weiss recomposed herself and tried again.

"It's not my wish to contradict you, father, but I do not think I need a bodyguard! I am perfectly capable of protecting myself, I've had fencing and martial arts lessons ever since I was a child, you cannot—"

"Do not tell me what I can or cannot do." He stepped forward, a menacing aura radiating from his body. "You got injured on the street because you were alone. If there'd been a competent observer accompanying you at the time, this entire incident would have been prevented and these parasites wouldn't be all over me!"

He threw a journal on the glass table, which slid towards Weiss. The headline read "SCHNEE STABBING: WEISS SCHNEE, HEIRESS OF THE SCHNEE DUST COMPANY, TARGETED AGAIN." She knew her father blamed her for causing such a scene. The company had a name to uphold and the eyes of the world were always turned on her family, waiting for something embarrassing to happen so they could get a headline. And since her father was always extremely cautious, everyone expected the youngest daughter to mess something up – the rebel, radical teenager who actually got out of the house like a normal person, how dare she.

With a defeated sigh, Weiss got up. "Very well. If you believe it's the best decision, I will accept a bodyguard."

"Oh, but you won't get only one bodyguard." Her father got up as well, towering over her. "To make sure you don't screw up again, I hired three."

Weiss felt her wound throb.

Already on the next day, Mr. Schnee left a note on the kitchen, notifying Weiss of a visit from a man named Ozpin, who was responsible for the hiring of the new bodyguards. She sighed, still abhorring the idea of having not only one, but three people following her around wherever she went from that day on. Honestly, she had no idea how her routine would change; would the bodyguards have to sleep on her room as well? Supposedly they would live in the mansion in one of the guest rooms, but knowing her father, Weiss was sure he'd make some ridiculous excuse to have them watch her even on her sleep. The thought made her shiver.

After a healthy breakfast to keep her recovery at bay, Weiss went to the living room, putting on her best fake smile.

Always smile whenever we get visitors. Their personality doesn't matter in the slightest, but the money they are willing to spend on a nice host does.

Weiss could hear her father's words echoing on her mind and she shook her head to keep them away. One day she would escape that hell called "being a Schnee locked up on her own household", like her sister did. Winter was the lucky one.

Mere five minutes passed before the doorbell rang. Two of the maids opened the mansion's marble doors and a gray-haired man with a cane thanked them before making his way in. Weiss got up from the couch and walked to his direction.

"Mr. Ozpin! It is a pleasure to meet you." Weiss stretched a hand and the man shook it, returning a gentle smile.

"The pleasure is all mine, Miss Schnee. I must say, I've visited the homes of many famous and important people on this side of the country, but being able to lend my services to your family is truly an honor."

Weiss analyzed Ozpin's way of speaking and behavior, like she normally did with most of her father's acquaintances. It was just something her sister had told her to do as often as possible; father's friends were mostly terrible people, and she had to be able to tell apart the liars and corrupts from actual decent human beings.

Ozpin intrigued her, though. Something about him was odd, but not exactly threatening to her instincts. It was like he emitted a neutral aura.

"I should be the one thanking you for your services." She decided to carefully trust him for now. It wasn't like she had a choice anyway.

"I understand that it's been quite dangerous to go out unaccompanied lately. I am sincerely sorry for the incident." Ozpin bowed his head slightly, like it was his fault she'd been stabbed.

"Oh, please don't worry about it!" Weiss laughed weakly. "It was unfortunate, but I suppose I needed to be more careful while walking alone."

There was a sour taste on her mouth as she said these words – her father had blamed her for being stabbed, and Weiss knew that arguing against this ridiculous logic was useless. So if she needed to make a good impression for this Ozpin person, then she would pretend to agree with the fact that she was indeed at fault for being a victim.

"Miss Schnee, if I may be so bold," Ozpin rested both hands on his cane. "The only person at fault here is the stabber. No amount of carefulness would prevent his deranged mind from committing such an act. So please, do not blame yourself for it."

For a moment Weiss was speechless. She was expecting a simple laugh and an agreement, not actual words of comfort from someone her father hired.

"O-of course." She blinked and quickly snapped out of it. "I mean, you are completely right, Mr. Ozpin. Thank you so much for your kind words. Oh, but where are my manners, let's have a seat!"

"That won't be necessary, Miss Schnee, I will shortly be on my way. I am only here to introduce you to my Huntresses." His soft and friendly expression changed; he almost seemed like a proud father now – an expression Weiss only knew from movies and series.

"Huntresses?"

"Your so called bodyguards. My company calls them Hunters and Huntresses for marketing purposes." Ozpin chuckled slightly. Weiss nodded, but something hadn't clicked on her mind yet.

Then she noticed.

"Wait, huntresses…? Then…"

He turned his attention back to the mansion's doors, which were still opened and made a sign with his hand as if urging someone to enter. Weiss tore off from her composed self to try to peek behind him, and then she saw them.

Three young women wearing suits walked in, their loafers clicking on the marble floor. They stopped next to Ozpin with both hands behind their backs and an expression that was unreadable. Weiss was pretty sure they were all around her age, and her mind danced; she had no idea what to make of that.

"Girls, please introduce yourselves to your new mistress."

The first one, a tall blonde girl stepped forward. "Hi! My name is Yang Xiao Long. I am the team's leader, since I've been working on this job for longer, and so far I've served and protected seven clients in my career. None of them ever got hurt on my watch, and I'll make sure my services to you won't be any different, Miss Schnee. My specialty is close combat, with a focus on boxing and kickboxing. I also know first-aid and will do occasional massages. I look forward to working with you." She bowed slightly, smiled, and went back to her post. Weiss's heart skipped a beat.

The second one, a black-haired and serious girl took her turn. "I am Blake Belladonna, Yang's partner. We've worked and trained together for four years, and our synchrony is impeccable. My specialty is analyzing environments and planning events perfectly, according to your desires. I've also trained to handle any kind of weapon to ensure the client's safety, working discreetly to avoid unnecessary attention. I will be glad to protect you as long as necessary, Miss Schnee." And with another bow, she got back in line. Weiss felt her cheeks redden and mentally cursed herself.

Then there was the last one. She was small and looked younger than the other two girls, with a short brown hair with a few red streaks on it. "It's nice to meet you, Miss Schnee! I'm Ruby Rose, Yang's sister. I am new at this job, and only worked with Blake and Yang for a few months, but I am completely confident in my skills! I specialize in martial arts as well, and my greatest feature is my speed and agility. Don't worry, I'd gladly put my life on the line for you, ma'm." With a sheepish smile, Ruby got back in like, apparently improvising this speech.

Weiss's head was spinning. This was way out of her league.

"These three young women graduated as the top of the class in the Beacon Bodyguard Academy, all with perfect scores. They are my elite Huntresses, and there is no one else I'd recommend more to ensue the safety of someone from the Schnee family." Ozpin presented with a hint of pride in his voice.

Weiss could only stand there, with her eyes glued to the three girls in front of her.

"Well, it is my policy to ask you if you are happy with the Huntresses picked out for you. If there are any problems, we'd be happy to appoint new ones." He said that as if he already knew what her answer would be.

She honestly wanted to say that yes, there was a problem, and the problem was the fact that these girls seemed extremely inexperienced and unable to protect a baby sloth. But somehow, deep down, Weiss knew that they were… well…

Perfect.

"…There is no problem at all." The words got stuck on her throat, and she had to open her mouth twice to get them out. Ozpin smiled, and approached the heiress.

"Miss Schnee," His tone changed to a comforting one. "I want you to know that you do not need to treat these girls as solely professionals that work for you. I believe that soon enough your relationship with them will become familiar. Think of them not as bodyguards, but as…" Ozpin looked up, trying to find a word.

"Friends?" Weiss spilled it; the word felt weird on her tongue.

"Exactly." He smiled, staring into her eyes. It was probably the first time in a long while that Weiss felt like someone was actually being nice to her without expecting anything else in return. Her chest felt warm and she stared back at the three girls. They seemed more relaxed after hearing the words from Ozpin, and Ruby even waved at her when she realized Weiss was staring.

"Thank you, Mr. Ozpin. Truly." The words were sincere, just like her smile.

"You are very welcome." Patting her in the shoulder, Ozpin turned around. "Well, that's my cue. Your father already signed the contract, so from now on, Ruby, Blake and Yang will be in your care."

"You mean she will be in ours." Yang joked and Blake poked her arm with an elbow. Ruby tried to hold back a laugh, but failed.

"That too." Ozpin made his way to the doors. "Farewell, Miss Schnee. If these three give you trouble, feel free to call me."

Weiss looked at the bodyguards who seemed to be lost in their own world for a moment, and smiled again. "You know what, I think they will give me trouble," Then she stared back at Ozpin. "But I don't think I'll be calling."

And here I am writing another multi-chapter RWBY fic when I didn't even finish my other one OH WELL. I just needed to do this, this AU is something I crave.

And yes, I do ship Weiss with everyone and yes, all the girls will probably get to kiss our favorite snow angel at some point, goodbye.

-niigoki