Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY. RWBY belongs to RoosterTeeth and Monty Oum.

Chapter 1: Masquerade

"See you soon!" Those were the words that Weiss Schnee had been dreading. Ruby and Yang were leaving Beacon for Winter break and Weiss would be alone, again. Well, alone except for Blake.

Blake Belladonna. Weiss didn't know how one name could spark so many conflicted emotions from her. She always unnerved Weiss, with her catlike, amber eyes and her calm persona. After the secret she'd revealed, Weiss couldn't look at her the same. She was a Faunus, Weiss just couldn't trust them.

"Don't miss us too much!" Weiss's mind was brought back to reality. Yang was the one who had spoken out and now had her partner, Blake, wrapped in a tight hug. Weiss narrowed her eyes at Blake's bow. It concealed so much, using so little.

"I'll miss you, Weiss," Ruby said, interrupting Weiss's thoughts.

Weiss pushed her worry away and smiled. "I'll miss you too, Ruby." It wasn't long before she found herself in a soft embrace as Ruby wrapped her arms around her. Weiss was too preoccupied to deny her. She didn't know how she could survive two whole weeks with Blake considering the tension between them.

Before Weiss knew it, Ruby had pulled away and she and Yang were leaving. Two weeks, Weiss thought as she watched them, longing to join them. She couldn't return home for personal reasons. She could only guess what Blake's were.

A snowflake fluttered gently onto Weiss's head. A wicked wind whipped her ponytail around her neck. She began to shiver in the cold breeze, causing her to wrap her arms tightly around herself. She was regretting being outside at 5am while wearing her combat skirt.

"Come on, let's go inside." Weiss felt a soft grip on her shoulder. She spun round to find Blake's eyes locked with hers. Azure met amber and Weiss felt unable to turn away.

Weiss gently brushed Blake's hand away. "I guess." She turned on her heel and walked off without saying another word. It was bizarre really, Weiss was usually so confident in herself. Not even she knew how Blake could shatter that confidence. Whether it was the fact that she was a Faunus or because she was a former criminal at the White Fang, Weiss just couldn't be her usual self near Blake.

She shook her head, her white hair swaying in the breeze. She continued walking briskly towards the entrance. She knew the polite thing to do would be to walk with Blake, but she had already subconsciously dismissed that idea.

She glanced over her shoulder at Blake. She was walking, dejected, several feet behind her. It made Weiss's heart drop. She still genuinely felt sorry for Blake despite what else she felt for her. So, mustering all the composure she could, she waited for Blake to catch up.

"Don't be upset," she muttered, not knowing what else to say.

Blake allowed a small smile. "Of course."

Weiss couldn't tell if the smile was genuine or not.

The rest of the walk was in complete silence. Their rhythmic footsteps echoed through the empty Beacon halls. It had been a while since it was so painfully quiet. Unfortunately, the silence just added to the discomfort Weiss was feeling.

She liked Blake as a teammate. She was adept in combat and could probably match Weiss in numerous aspects. It was Blake as a person which made Weiss uneasy. She was a former criminal. She had been part of a cult which hated the Schnee family and had helped made her childhood more difficult than it already was.

Something had sparked between them when they had first met, when Blake had spoken so spitefully about her father's company. Weiss had the responsibility of carrying on a legacy. She was the heiress to the Schnee Dust Company, so he had spent half of her life feeling like a princess.

However, she had spent the other half feeling ashamed.

That was exactly why she had left so quickly that day, she knew of her own family's flaws…

"I'm going to get a shower," Blake said. Weiss hadn't even noticed they were right outside their dorm.

Weiss nodded as Blake entered the bathroom, clutching her towel. Weiss sat on her bed and sighed heavily. Like she had feared, she was alone. It was a feeling she had been used to when she was a child. She never went out and made friends. All of her days were filled with relentless training and tests. She had little to no help either. Back then it was just her, her brain and her rapier, Myrtenaster.

Weiss looked around until something caught her eye. She noticed a small, open book on Blake's bed. She was about to dismiss it as another novel that Blake had brought but noticed something peculiar about the general look of the book – it was written in Blake's handwriting.

Weiss shot a nervous glance at the bathroom door. Upon hearing the running of water, she grabbed the book and scanned the creased pages. It immediately became apparent to her that she was clutching Blake's diary. She knew that the ladylike thing to do would be to leave it alone. But she couldn't prevent herself reading it. Maybe this would hold answers that Weiss needed.

Dear Diary,

Today has been a nightmare from start to finish.

Firstly, I was chosen for another raid. Each one I'm chosen for brings me down even more and it happens often too. I am considered one of the White Fang's best. I was sent with Ylva Grey, a wolf Faunus with a bad attitude. We practically can't stand each other. She loves to detail my every flaw, from my antisocial behaviour to how I'm not aggressive enough. It takes everything I have not to break when I'm with her.

The raid was on a large house on the outskirts of Vale. The head of the house owned a branch of stores but had refused to co-operate with us. Our leaders thought that it was the only way to pay him back.

Ylva commanded me to wait outside (to which I gladly accepted) before tossing red Dust crystals at the house. I wanted to speak out; I knew what was coming next. I was powerless to prevent it though-

"Weiss?"

Weiss yelped and instinctively dropped the book. Flustered, she picked it back up and closed it just as Blake entered. She had changed back into her nightwear and was using her towel to dry off her hair and those ears that made Weiss so uncomfortable.

Upon seeing the black book in Weiss's grasp, Blake shot a sharp glare at her teammate. Although it wasn't apparent to Weiss, a rosy blush was spreading across the ebony-haired girl's face.

"Don't touch what's not yours, Weiss," she growled before walking over to Weiss and snatching the book.

"Well maybe if you hadn't left it lying around, I wouldn't have stumbled across it," she said, summoning her usual Schnee-brand confidence. "Besides, it's not like I read it anyway." She bit her lip. It wasn't often that she lied, but it was better than facing Blake's wrath for looking at her diary.

Blake turned her stare away from Weiss and sighed. "You're right. I'm sorry."

Weiss could have laughed out loud right there. She had just invaded Blake's privacy and yet it was the Faunus who was apologising. Blake gave her a small smile and Weiss begrudgingly returned it as she proceeded to lie down on her bed.

An uncomfortable quietness settled across their room. It was just like Weiss was used to, only now she had someone to share the silence with. Luckily for Blake, quiet seemed to be preferred as she pulled a novel from her shelf and began reading. All that could be heard was the turning of pages and the heiress's loud breathing.

It wasn't long before Weiss cracked. She knew that the Faunus could go hours without speaking while she was engrossed in a book. The tension was becoming too much for Weiss and she knew she needed to escape.

She stood up and cleared her throat to grab Blake's attention. "I'm going to the dining hall," she announced, looking down at her teammate.

Blake, rather than answer, gave a small nod of acknowledgment. Weiss hated this, due to her being used to people who were eager to talk to her because of whom she was. Part of her thought that Blake done it on purpose for that exact reason.

Weiss gave a small "hmph," before stepping out into the corridor. As expected, there was no one present. She began to walk slowly towards the dining hall, savouring the alone time she was getting. She didn't like it, but it was easily better than the awkwardness she felt around Blake. Some people would say that company of any sort should be preferred, Weiss begged to differ.

In fact, she would much rather be with Ruby. Granted, she was a complete dolt, but in a loveable way. There was something about her that could just make Weiss smile, no matter how infuriating she was.

Hell, she'd rather be with the blonde brute. Yang Xiao Long was insufferable most times and downright bone-idle other times. She and Weiss never saw eye to eye, their disputes often led to arguments with Ruby acting as the peacemaker. Every so often the arguments would become slightly physical and, more often than not, it would end with Weiss getting slugged in the shoulder… hard. It also didn't help that Yang had one of the hardest punches in the school.

Weiss grimaced at the thought of their last conflict. Yang had almost dislocated her shoulder, and Weiss wasn't entirely sure why. She could only vaguely remember something about Yang's hair during training.

When she reached the hall, she stopped and glanced around. There was a scarcity of students for once, only a few unrecognisable faces were present. That is, until Weiss caught sight of a hint of vibrant red.

Salvation at last! Weiss slowly began to walk forward until she was at the source of the colour. "Hello, Pyrrha," she said. "How are you?"

The redhead spun around, and gave a pleasant smile. "Good morning Weiss. I'm good, and yourself?"

"It could be worse," Weiss admitted. She was glad though, it was nice to be speaking to someone intelligent.

Pyrrha gave her a look of concern. "Is something wrong?"

"It's just…" Weiss took a deep breath before muttering, "It's Blake."

Pyrrha's eyes widened. "Is she in trouble? Does she need help?"

"No, Pyrrha." Weiss couldn't help but smile. Pyrrha was definitely passionate about the safety of others. "She just worries me."

The redhead gave a sigh of relief before looking at Weiss quizzically. "How does she worry you? Blake's nearly harmless."

"That's the thing: nearly. I'm just uncomfortable because of that." She chose her words carefully; she didn't want to expose Blake's secret.

Pyrrha gave a nod of understanding before leaning closer to Weiss. "Then talk to her about it. It will repair what's broken between you two, trust me."

Pyrrha studied Weiss's unsure expression before adding, "I'll keep an eye on her wherever I can."

"Thank you, Pyrrha."

"It's my pleasure to help a friend." She gave Weiss a reassuring pat on the shoulder before walking towards the exit.

Weiss sighed and grabbed an apple. She was often expected to look perfect so she hardly ate sometimes. When she did it was often in small quantities. Consequently, she wasn't strong or well-built by any means. That was probably why she never won any arguments with Yang.

After eating it, she trudged back to her dorm, the burden of early morning weighing on her. She let out a huge yawn as she reached her dorm. Damn it, why did they leave so early?

Upon entering, she noticed that Blake's eyes were closed and her book was rising and falling with her chest. Not taking much notice, she untied her hair and allowed it to fall in a snowy cascade down her back. She kicked off her boots and stripped off her jacket before climbing into bed. The cold air still caused her to shiver. It was times like this when she wished she had someone to share warmth with.

But she knew that she was the loneliest of all.

Blake glanced over at Weiss, who looked so content in her slumber. But she knew that looks were deceiving, she knew of the conflicted emotions that the heiress was feeling. She wished she could help but Weiss wouldn't let her. She had good reason not to. Blake was too enigmatic, and that did nothing for their already failing friendship.

Blake knew of things that connected them before Beacon though. She could tell Weiss, but she knew it was better to keep quiet.

The bad things far outweighed the good.

She slowly walked over to Weiss's bed. Even in her sleep, Weiss still had her arms wrapped around herself. It nearly warmed Blake's heart, seeing the callous heiress in this state.

"Goodnight, princess," she whispered as she brushed some stray hairs from Weiss's face. Blake knew that clarity would come to her someday.

But today was not that day.

A/N: First chapter is done, hope you enjoyed. It may have started off slow but things are definitely heating up in the next chapter. Chapter 2 should be expected in about three days due to tests in school. Constructive criticism is always appreciated.