A commission for overseerorm! They asked for a multi-chapter fic of things to happen taking place alongside/after my fic Wings Of White, so please read that first to understand everything! All three chapters of this fic will revolve around the characters he specifically asked to see together (Winter/Yang, Weiss/Blake, Ruby/Neo).

Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.


Road To Recovery

Chapter 1. Sisters

Everything was a mess.

In her line of work, Winter had seen many awful scenes before – refugee villages scorched to the ground, entire cities quarantined in epidemic, violent riots in otherwise melancholy cities...

But of all the terrible things she had seen, what had transpired here at Beacon was probably one of – if not the – worst things she had ever witnessed.

She'd seen mass destruction, but never this much.

She'd seen dire injuries, but never this many.

She'd seen the kingdoms on the brink of war, but never this close.

There had been times when communication had been spotty, and even lost for up to several hours at a time.

But never before in all her years had she seen the CCT actually out of commission. It meant devastation for all of Remnant. Even the kingdoms that hadn't been directly affected by the physical violence were now easily prone and vulnerable to miscommunications, if any at all.

She'd never sensed so much tension on the air before, never felt such dread the second she stepped out of her ship onto solid ground. This was without a doubt the most catastrophic scene she had borne witness to in all her life thus far.

Beacon's once-tranquil campus was now littered with injured, sobbing students. Children no older than her sister...

Just the thought of Weiss in all of this made her lose face for a split second. Winter had no idea where she was.

She could have been anywhere.

There was no way to know for sure. With the CCT now down, all hope of reaching Weiss – or anyone else, for that matter – by scroll was hopeless.

But Winter thought she might've had an idea of where to find her sister.

Just minutes before Winter's airship had come into view of Beacon, she and her entire crew had been alerted in their intended direction by a sudden white light.

She'd never seen anything like it before.

It had been almost like an electrical surge, which was the only feasible, logical explanation she could come up with for such an intense brightness. Had it been a summoning, she would have been able to recognize it and safely assume it was her sister.

But what she'd seen had sent a chill up her spine.

Her. Winter Schnee.

As a high-ranking militant officer under General Ironwood, she did not tremble easily.

But even now, a good half an hour after she'd first seen that unnatural light, she couldn't stop thinking about what it could have stemmed from.

But whatever it had been, she had an instinctual feeling that Weiss had somehow been involved.

The Grimm had all fled or frozen at the sight of it, battering Winter's airship for a long while, making what should have been a ten-minute journey take three times as long as her unit fought the beasts off in midair.

Then they'd finally landed, and the first order of business had been to attend to the injured people they'd found there.

It was all Winter could do to suppress the urge to hurry off in search of Weiss on her own.

She couldn't. She needed to remain here, oversee the rescue efforts, and evacuate the students.

Something told her that Weiss hadn't been on board any of the previous evacuation ships.

Though Winter dug her teeth into her lip at the thought of that being the case, she couldn't deny it was the most likely scenario.

She knew her sister, and thanks to Winter's brief visit earlier, she knew Weiss' partner and team leader as well. Weiss had written home and told Winter all about her entire team, and none of them sounded like the types of people who would flee in the face of danger - not if there were still people to help.

So Winter knew Weiss wasn't on board any of the rescue ships set for a secure location back in Atlas.

No. Weiss was still here amidst the chaos somewhere. She could sense it.

And she wanted to go and search for her, more than anything.

It had been nearly an hour now since she'd first seen that strange light, and every second that passed her by made her all the more anxious. She knew Weiss had been involved. She just didn't know how or why.

For now, Winter needed to do her best to keep her worries about Weiss to the back of her mind.

Her sister was perfectly capable of handling herself. She had to be.

She has to be all right...

Winter had no choice but to focus on the tasks at hand, giving stern orders to her underlings, arranging for backup medical to be called in.

Without the use of their scrolls for communication, she needed to send people on foot as envoys. She also sent a few to search for the General so he may potentially transfer orders to her.

There was so much work to be done. She didn't have the luxury to worry about her sister.

She tried to keep her mind off of Weiss.

But her heart never left her for a second.


It was many more hours until things had been cleared up in her area.

They'd spent a lot of time assessing the safety of many of the building structures, killing off the few straggling Grimm, and fetching supplies and rations to those in need.

Winter herself had only managed to eat a small meal before she'd received word from General Ironwood that she'd been dismissed from her duties for an hour or so. He'd made his way to her by now and told her face to face.

"You've done your job here, Schnee. Go now, and do what you have to."

And with eyes barely keeping back the sheer relief she experienced at hearing his words, she saluted him, bowed, and took her leave.

She followed her instincts. She knew Weiss was still near Beacon – many of the students who'd stayed to fight still were.

The infirmary building was now secure and swarming with people. Many were patients, bleeding and being treated by the influx of medical personnel who had been notified.

Winter glanced over every pained expression, but none of their faces were familiar to her.

She made her way into the building, setting a brisk pace as she went down the hallways, peering into every room in search of a familiar patient.

Not this one... Not here either...

With each room she passed without sighting Weiss, her concern only grew heavier.

It was after several long minutes of pacing those halls when a wide-eyed nurse hurried up to her.

"Miss Schnee! Oh, your sister is here!"

Winter stiffened and relaxed at the same time if that was possible, casting a firm gaze onto the young woman.

"Which room is she in? What's her condition?"

The nurse seemed to clam up for a moment, then spoke a little more timidly.

"She's just down that hall, third door on the left," she said, nodding behind Winter. "She's in the ICU, being treated for severe injuries."

Winter didn't stick around to hear any more than that. Her clothes fluttered behind her as she whipped around and hurried for the indicated door.

It was all she could do to remind herself to knock.

There was a second of pause, but no one resisted her advance.

She pushed through, not knowing what to expect.

It certainly wasn't this.

The bed in her immediate sight was occupied by a familiar young girl with brown hair, resting. Winter instantly recognized her as Weiss' partner.

And beside that bed was another guest, seated in a chair.

Winter narrowed her weary eyes at him.

Qrow lifted his head as he looked her over, an unreadable expression on his face. He shrugged, keeping his voice low.

"Figured you'd show up soon."

She wasn't all that surprised to see him, either.

Even so, Winter said nothing to him as she crossed the room, passing by the foot of his niece's bed. She seemed to be doing well, which was somewhat reassuring.

Winter could assume that if Weiss had been involved with that white light, then this girl would've been, too. So if Ruby was fine...

She paused at the curtain drawn over to conceal the next bed. Her hand reached up, grasping the sheet tightly before she could allow her fingers to quiver. She swallowed and exhaled steadily, then pulled the material back.

Almost as soon as she saw Weiss, Winter closed her eyes.

It was awful, seeing her like that.

Bandages everywhere, machines and wires, bags dripping fluids. One of her legs was elevated and wrapped in a cast from the ankle down, and there was an oxygen mask pressed over her lips, coaxing her chest to rise.

She looked so small, so pale, so fragile...

Winter had always feared for her, even though she'd never truly said it. She couldn't help it.

And now, to see her like this – nearly comatose, barely breathing...

She went to her side and knelt, taking Weiss' limp hand in her own.

She didn't care if Qrow was watching. She didn't care if all of Remnant was watching. She didn't care...

Winter lifted her sister's hand to her lips and kissed her there. She traced her fingers over Weiss', curling them softly.

After a moment, she laid her sister's hand back down at her side and stood. She kept her eyes trained on Weiss, though she couldn't bear to look at her face.

When she spoke, her voice was void of any emotion.

"If... when she wakes up... send for me."

She heard Qrow scoff behind her and shift in his chair.

"What? Suddenly you think I'm gonna take orders from y-"

"Qrow!"

It was a roar this time, sharp and furious. Her hands clenched into fists at her side as she forced herself to keep from whipping around and lunging at him.

But her implications were clear.

This wasn't about them and whatever petty differences they might've had.

This wasn't about their dislike of the other's profession.

This was about his youngest niece, and her younger sister.

This was about two young girls.

Qrow understood as much. Sighing again, he leaned back in his chair.

"You're an idiot. Always have been, always will be, you know that?"

Winter stayed put, still not having heard the answer she'd wanted. Qrow continued.

"When she wakes up, I'll send for you."

With that, Winter turned around to face him, and pulled the curtain back into place behind her, concealing Weiss once more. Her heels clicked slowly as she rounded Ruby's bed, then paused as she came to a stop a few feet away from him.

She met his gaze, hers as hard and unwavering as ever. Her eyes closed slowly with a blink, and her chin dipped slightly along with it.

It was the closest thing to a 'thank you' he'd ever get.

With that, Winter headed for the door, and slipped outside. The hallway was vacant now, and surprisingly quiet.

Winter took a moment to lean her back against the wall, bringing a hand up to cover her eyes. She could only see images of Weiss in her mind, trapped in a deep sleep...

Winter still didn't even know exactly what had happened to her sister or her sister's partner, but there would be plenty of time to demand answers later.

For now, she still had a bit of time before she'd need to get back to her unit.

She wasn't quite certain what she would do, so she merely began to walk once more.

For once, she put her trust in Qrow for something. Even if it turned out she was in the middle of something work-related when she heard news of Weiss' waking, Winter would do everything within her power to get to her.

She kept her hands folded properly behind her back as she walked, though her shoulders were slightly slouched, so slightly no one else would have noticed for certain. Her eyes were trained directly ahead, to the end of the hallway lined with doors.

It was by no conscious will of her own that she turned her head a few times to peer at the rooms she was passing. Every bed was filled with students, some moaning, some shifting, some still.

She saw Weiss in all of them.

When Winter reached the last room in that hallway, she found the door to be open. Naturally, her eyes were drawn to the patients.

The bed on the far side of the room was occupied by a girl with long, messy black hair. She was asleep, and seemed to be suffering from a wound similar to Weiss'.

Beside the closest bed, a man with blonde hair sat, asleep in his chair, exhausted.

Winter was somewhat surprised to realize the second of the patients was looking back at her.

Her eyes met with two weary pools of lavender, which only seemed to spark to life upon seeing her. The girl had long blonde hair and was sitting up, leaning back against her pillows, looking melancholy.

Winter paused in the doorway, lingering as she held her gaze.

This girl...

She was the one who had caused the first international uproar during the tournament, supposedly attacking an innocent boy.

Weiss had called Winter that night, frantically trying to explain the situation and defend her own teammate. Winter had never been too certain of what she believed, but she could still remember the desperate earnestness of her sister's voice.

She briefly recalled what the screens had shown, that her name was Yang Xiao Long.

The blonde girl held Winter's gaze with shock in her own, then timidly looked away. She said nothing, and Winter knew it would have been perfectly acceptable for her to simply continue on down the hallway.

But something made her stay.

Still standing in the doorway, Winter kept her eyes on the blonde girl, whom she now noticed only had one arm.

"Pardon me," she said, dipping her chin. "But you are Weiss' teammate, correct?"

Yang looked up at her again, but it wasn't long before her gaze dropped.

"Yeah... But it's okay. You can just refer to me the same way everyone else does. A brute. A traitor. A crazy person. It doesn't matter."

Winter noticed the girl's eyes went to the girl lying not far away from her, who was presumably her partner. Still, Winter stayed.

"May I?"

Yang only shrugged.

"Suit yourself."

Winter stepped inside, doing her best to keep quiet as to not wake the man or the other girl. She paused a comfortable distance away from Yang's bed.

The blonde girl didn't look directly at her, as her eyes were still on her unconscious partner.

"It's my fault..." she mumbled. "I couldn't protect her. I couldn't protect anyone..."

Winter turned sympathetic eyes to her. She understood the mentality all too well. After a devastating event such as the one that had transpired at Beacon, it was all too easy for people to place the blame on themselves. She felt she'd been doing the same thing with Weiss.

"It won't do you any good, you know."

She didn't elaborate, but it seemed the blonde girl knew what she'd meant.

"I don't deserve any good."

Winter blinked, her expression unreadable.

"Do you think your partner would like to hear you say such a thing?"

That elicited a more emotional reaction. Yang bit her lip and shook her head, keeping it bowed.

"It doesn't matter. She can't hear me anyway..."

"But she will soon enough," Winter reasoned. "And if you're saying things like this now, what makes you think you won't still be saying them in a few hours when she wakes? Do you think your partner won't feel just as guilty about your injuries?"

Her gaze traveled down to Yang's arm, and the girl noticed exactly where she was looking. Winter continued.

"Guilt is the easiest thing to feel after something like this happens. It's easiest to place the blame on ourselves, so we don't burden those we love.

"But we can't allow blame to be the only thing we put on our own hearts. Let your friends put a little love there, as well. A little acceptance. Forgiveness. And you give them the same. Because even if you try to convince yourself they'd blame you, you know in your heart it isn't true."

By the time she'd finished, she realized the girl before her was crying softly. Tears dripped down into the blankets on her lap. Winter took a step back towards the door.

"I apologize. I'll be taking my leave then."

"No... wait..." Yang wiped her arm over her eyes and swallowed thickly, then lifted her tearstained face again. "You don't have to leave. I mean, unless you have someplace to go...?"

Winter said nothing. Yang nodded and continued.

"Sorry for crying. But at the same time, thanks for saying all that stuff... It hit home. Hard. But I needed to hear it. So thank you."

Winter was amazed by this girl's courage. She dipped her head and even offered a smile.

Yang ended up doing the same, despite the way her lower lip still trembled a little.

"So... you're Weiss' sister, right? Ruby told me about you a little bit. Said she saw you fight our uncle, and that you were really good at it, too. Doesn't surprise me. I've seen Weiss fight, and she's amazing, so I can only imagine what her older sister's like."

Winter felt her jaw tighten irritably at the mention of Qrow, but it wasn't for ill-intent - just a bit of mild annoyance.

"You flatter me," she said. "I may have years of experience my sister lacks, but even so, I wouldn't doubt for a second that she could defeat me in a fight. Her skills are exceptional."

Yang actually chuckled a little bit at that.

"Yeah, I feel the same way about my little sister. She's Weiss' partner, Ruby. We're half-sisters," she explained. "Before our dad fell asleep over there, he said he'd gone to see her. She's with Weiss, isn't she? I haven't been allowed to leave my room or go see them yet. How... how are they doing? My dad said it wasn't too bad, but... I just can't help but worry, y'know?"

Winter held her wavering gaze with a steadier one, but one no less distraught.

"I understand. Our sisters are remarkable, but sometimes they're reckless girls, wouldn't you agree?"

Yang was crying a little again, but she offered a tiny laugh and nodded.

"Yeah... gotta love 'em."

"Indeed. Now, I myself am not entirely certain of what happened. I've yet to be officially informed. But I can assure you our sisters will be just fine."

She didn't need to give any detail greater than that. Telling this injured girl of Ruby's unnaturally-deep slumber and Weiss' serious injuries would surely only cause her malignant distress.

Winter was certain her words were the truth, that both of their younger sisters would soon be awake and on the road to recovery.

But for now, she thought it best not to reveal unnecessary information, for both Yang's sake and her own.

Her words seemed to reassure the girl, who relaxed a bit against her pillows.

"That's good. Thank god..."

Winter nodded.

"They'll be back on their feet in no time at all, I'm sure. And the same goes for your partner." She nodded to the dark-haired girl still asleep nearby.

Yang sighed heavily.

"Yeah. I hope so..." Her left hand rested in her lap, while the stump at her right elbow hung uselessly above.

Winter couldn't ever hope to understand what that felt like. She herself had never been so permanently injured before in all her years of military training.

This girl must have felt so hopeless, like a burden, and that would only reflect poorly upon her teammates and companions.

Winter did all she could think to do and made an offer.

"You know... General Ironwood has a line of proficient, state-of-the-art prosthetics in production. I've seen them myself. Even as prototypes, they're highly effective and functional. I've only ever heard high praise in reference to them."

By now, Yang had met her eyes again, and the girl was beginning to comprehend what she was saying. Winter kept herself professional, but lowered her voice empathetically.

"Now, I'm not sure if it would be your desire. I know you'd like time to consider what it is you want. But should you feel you'd like to try out one of Atlas' prosthetics, just know you have my official offer and I can ensure you it will be done. You need only to say the word."

Yang was quiet for a long moment.

Winter understood this was a lot to take in for a freshman girl at Beacon who'd had so much happen to her over the course of only the past three days. She'd been ridiculed on national television for her singles' match, she'd lost most of her school and her right arm, and now all of her friends and her sister were injured.

Even so, Winter wanted to help support Weiss' teammates as much as she could, in any way possible.

Yang seemed to be considering the offer seriously for a few minutes, her fingers clenching and unclenching over the sheets.

Winter was aware that this was a major decision, and she didn't want to pressure her about it. She was about to say as much when the blonde girl looked up to her, wearing a thin smile.

"Thanks for the offer. I really mean it. I'll keep it in mind... but I'm not sure if I'm ready to decide right away."

Winter dipped her head.

"I understand. There's no rush. But if you decide you want to contact me, you'll know how to do it."

Yang nodded in return.

"Yeah. And thanks for... offering me a helping hand."

The amused smirk on her lips told Winter it was meant to be a joke. Therefore, she wasn't all that ashamed to laugh at it. But it was so unexpected, and so pleasant, she had to bring a hand to her mouth to cover it.

She couldn't recall if she'd ever looked so unbecoming in all her life.

The fact that Yang had made her chuckle seemed to lift the girl's spirits a little higher, so Winter didn't really mind.

Once she'd regained her composure, she cleared her throat, changing back to her more stoic persona, though she could no longer conceal the amusement in her eyes.

"Now then, I'd best be on my way. Please give my best wishes to your partner when she wakes. And please take some for yourself as well."

Yang sighed, but the smile remained.

"Yeah. Winter, right? Thank you. And thanks for the offer, too. I'll let you know sometime."

Winter dipped her head one last time. She took a step back towards the door, just as the sounds of footsteps reached her.

Both she and Yang looked up to see the newcomer. Yang was clearly more enthused.

"Uncle Qrow!"

"Heya, kid. Just thought I'd pop in. Your old man's still asleep?" He glanced at Winter with mild interest. "And you're here, too. Guess that's lucky. I came to tell ya they're awake."

"What?" Yang gasped. "You mean Ruby? And Weiss, too?"

"Easy, kid. You're not going anywhere just yet. I'm sure your sister'll be coming to see you soon, so just wait for her."

As Qrow went to her bedside and tapped Taiyang to rouse him, Winter slowly slipped away to the door. But she made sure to catch Qrow's eye and nod her thanks, to which he simply shrugged.

Winter's gaze met Yang's one last time, and the blonde girl called out softly to her.

"Thank you."

Again, Winter smiled.

Then, she turned and headed quickly for Weiss' room, back the way she'd come.

She'd tell Ruby about her older sister, to put her mind at ease, and Winter would be pacified to know Weiss was all right.

They were all sisters, and sisters looked out for one another.


A/N: Ahhh, I really would've liked a canon moment of Yang and Winter meeting up and cooing over their baby sisters together~ Sorry I couldn't really do that in this fic though, since this chapter has a much more serious tone.

And I feel Yang might've made that corny little pun to show she was beginning to cope with what has happened to her. Also, I want to hear Winter laugh.

Chapter 2 will deal more with RWB_

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