Through the slits of a snowy-white Grimm-mask, Adam Taurus frowned down at the injured girl in his arms as he carried her through the tunnels. After he had knocked her out, he made sure to grab the violin-case she had reached for instead of her weapon, and it rested on her battered torso. He had left the rapier behind. The almost-sixteen year-old boy was surrounded by some of the White Fang's stealthiest members, who had been sent by High Leader Ghira Belladonna to help him rescue Hima Schnee.

"... She's so hurt." A cat-Faunus, Silvia Grey, finally whispered as she looked down at the girl. "What monster does this to his child?"

"Jacques Schnee." A chameleon-Faunus, Vincent Pascal, replied cooly. "As if there weren't enough reasons to hate the guy's guts... Feisty kid, eh?" The man looked at Adam, smirking. "She got you good."

"Ha-ha." Adam deadpanned, a bruise already starting to form on his chin. "... I'll remember to keep my aura raised, when she wakes up. She wasn't kidding, about being willing to go down swinging."

"Hm." Silvia gave a light grin. "She really does have a fight in her. All of those injuries, and she still got the drop on High-Leader Ghira Belladonna's own bodyguard." Adam rolled his eyes.

"Stop."

"The Schnee family, it's grown too strong!" Vincent feigned a gasp, raising a hand to his heart. "Even a ten year-old is a danger to our cause! Oh no, Adam! They've taken you..!"

"Shut up!"


The rescue-party escaped the mansion and snuck away from the grounds, getting into a white van and arriving at the rendezvous-point for their airship. They left the van and slipped inside, the ship took off, and Adam handed the girl over to the medics who had been sent along.

"Oh, dear." Silvia's sister, Emily Grey, mourned softly as she began examine the girl. "Cracked ribs, fractured bones, all of this bruising - she might even have a concussion."

"But you can help her?" A voice asked, and everyone looked back. Ghira Belladonna himself had come along, though he had stayed in the airship. Emily blinked, then she smiled and nodded.

"Yes, sir - physically-speaking, she'll be right as rain in a few days."

"Good." Ghira nodded, smiling. Once again, he failed to notice how his second-in-command, Sienna Khan, was glaring at him when he was not looking. "This poor girl has certainly been through much... Has a call gone out from Schnee Manor, yet?"

"No, sir." Vincent replied, holding his scroll up. "Silence. They didn't notice a thing."

"Figures." Adam scoffed, crossing his arms and leaning against a wall. "Old Schnee cares more about his money and reputation than he does his kids. I'm betting the heaviest security is on his personal vaults, not his family."

"You very well may be right, Adam." Ghira sighed, shaking his head. "Jacques Schnee was never interested in family. Everyone on Remnant knows that he only married Willow for the company. Unfortunately, there is no real surprise in this tragedy." He looked down at Hima, frowning. "Only in the future... What are we to do with you, little one?"


/\/\/\/\


Weiss Schnee kneeled on the floor of an empty bedroom, her eyes wide and unblinking. Behind her, her older sister Winter screamed at their parents while her younger brother Whitley wailed and her butler Klein tried to keep the peace. Slowly, Weiss reached out and gripped the hilt of a silvery blade, her eyes wide.

Myternaster had belonged to her grandmother, who had passed it onto her younger twin when she had passed away of old age. Now, Weiss stared at the blade that had been brought out from under the bed, and she could imagine her brave sister seeing an attacker and fighting back. Hima, who was beaten and bruised, saw someone bigger and stronger than she was and tried to retaliate and protect herself because no one had ever protected her.

Weiss gripped the hilt of the blade tighter before picking it up, gazing down at it in silence. Winter had begun to sob and Klein was trying to comfort her, and Weiss vaguely heard tiny footsteps behind her...

"... Where is Hima?" Whitley asked quietly, sitting down and looking at Weiss expectantly. "She told me she'd teach me how to make paper snowflakes when she came back from the mines, but she never did." Weiss remained silent. "Why is Winter crying?"

"... Hima's gone." Weiss spoke quietly, looking up. There was a message written on the wall in crimson spray-paint: ONE DOWN, FIVE TO GO. Weiss understood its meaning. "And she's not coming back."

"But..." Whitley stared at Weiss. "Why? Where did she go?" Weiss' eyes teared up, and she hung her head, gritting her teeth.

"She's gone because we weren't strong enough, none of us were." The girl replied coldly. "They took her away because we couldn't fight, because no one stood by her... But it's not going to happen again." Weiss stood, holding Myternaster and gazing down at it in resignation. "I'm going to be strong... I'm going to be perfect, for her."


/\


Adam sat on a cot in a tent in the White Fang camp, frowning down at a pale little figure occupying the only other cot. This was his personal tent, and he had been asked to watch over the girl until she woke up since he was probably (and ironically) the least-likely to scare her.

He still didn't know why he had done what he had done, the previous day. He had been sent into that mine to gather intelligence on the current conditions and how laborers were treated, and it was his job to spy on the Schnee family during their visit. He loathed and despised that family, but something changed when he saw Jacques Schnee mercilessly beating his own child. All of the sudden, she wasn't a Schnee - just another victim that deserved to be saved.

But now that she was here and safe, did Adam still believe that? He was Adam Taurus, one of the most-ruthless combatants in White Fang history. It was his job to defend High Leader Ghira Belladonna and his second-in-command Sienna Khan in all that they did, and he was known for injuring many people as he did that. He had never killed, but if there was somebody he would kill if given the chance, it was Jacques Schnee. And he, Adam Taurus, had just been a leader in the rescue of Jacques Schnee's youngest daughter...

"... Y-you're that boy from the quarry." A voice spoke quietly. Adam blinked, surprised, then he shook out of his thoughts and looked up. The little girl was awake now, and she was forcing herself to sit up despite her injuries. She winced, gritting her teeth, then she looked up and over at him with those pale blue eyes.

"... You remember me?" Adam asked, raising an eyebrow. The Schnee was silent for a moment, then she nodded.

"Yes. Your eyes were hidden, but I could tell you were looking at me, and I-..." Hima grew timid as she gazed up at him. "What's going on?" Her eyes locked onto his mask. "... Where am I?" Adam stood up from his cot and walked over to her cot, crossing his arms.

In a normal situation, he would have been delighted to stand over a terrified Schnee, holding all the power and probably a blade or gun. He would have been delighted to enact vengeance for Jacques Schnee's treatment of the Faunus, and while Ghira would have disapproved, Sienna would have praised him and urged him on... But this wasn't a normal situation, and this definitely wasn't a normal Schnee. There was no enjoyment here, only pity.

"After my shift ended, I reported what happened to the leaders, here." Adam told her honestly. "All you said, what your father did... So, last night, the White Fang tested your resolve - we wanted to see how much of what you said was the truth -, and then we staged a rescue." Adam sat down on the cot with the girl. "You're safe, now." Hima's pale blue eyes lit up.

"Your voice... You're Adam." She realized, and the boy slowly nodded. "... You're certainly taller than I expected." Adam gave a small snort that could have been laughter, and she appeared to take it as such as she managed a light grin. Then, her eyes widened. "Oh gods, I punched you."

"Eh." Adam shrugged, suddenly remembering the large bruise on his jaw. "I've had worse." Hima smiled, then her expression fell and became serious.

"So... I'm nowhere near my father?"

"Yep."

"And... This isn't a hostage situation? You won't make me go back, ever?"

"Nope." Adam studied her expression and body language. At first, there was the obvious relief - but then, there was fear. Her hands wrung a few times before freezing as her eyes widened, then she looked down forlornly. Then, her eyes slowly narrowed and she gave a nod before a small smile formed on her lips and her eyes teared up.

"... Thank you." Hima looked up at Adam, positively beaming. "Thank you!" The little Schnee suddenly hugged Adam, and his whole body went tense as his eyes widened behind his mask. Then, slowly, Adam awkwardly wrapped his arms around the ten year-old and hugged back, sighing as he closed his eyes.

"It's alright." He assured her, frowning. It felt odd, comforting a Schnee, but not wrong. She was just a kid... "He'll never hurt you, again. We'll never, ever make you go back... I promise."


Adam carried Hima to the meeting tent. His arm was looped under her knees, his other hand on her back, and he silently walked from his tent to the larger one at the center of the camp as she held on tight, her arms around his neck and her blue eyes wide as she looked over his shoulder and around the camp.

Everyone was watching her and Adam curiously, and she slowly smiled with some timidity and removed one arm from Adam's neck so that she could wave. A few children waved back, and Adam gave a small grin as he heard the little Schnee giggle. She really was different...

Adam stepped into the tent, and he came face to face with the council. Ghira Belladonna and Sienna Khan stood, and the others quickly followed as Adam carried Hima towards then before getting down on one knee and looking at the girl.

"Can you stand?" He asked, and she looked up at him with a frown. "Try, okay? I'll be right here, if you need me." Hima slowly nodded, and Adam set her down so that she was standing. Her little legs wobbled, but Hima took a deep breath and forced herself to turn and face the council. Adam stayed next to her and on one knee, ready to catch her if she fell.

"... Miss Hima Schnee." Ghira spoke, walking around the table to face the girl. He examined her for a moment, then he gave a small smile. "It pleases me to see how quickly you've begun to recover. We believed that you would not regain consciousness for at least a few days." Hima blinked, then she gave a small smile as she folded her hands and bowed her head.

"It is all thanks to the White Fang." She said, looking up at him again. "I've never been treated after one of Father's bad nights, before... Thank you, sir." Ghira blinked, then his expression became forlorn.

"Does your father have a lot of bad nights?"

"Uh-huh." Hima replied, nodding. "Mother gets the worst of it, and Winter used to have it pretty bad - but I always protected Weiss and Whitley. My grandmother said I was strong, so I used my strength to help them."

"How so?"

"Well, uh... Once, Whitley swapped all of the sugar with salt - and Father accidentally put some in his coffee." Hima explained, and Ghira raised an eyebrow. "Father got really, really mad and Whitley got really, really scared - so, I did what any big sister should do and I looked out for him. I told Father that I did it, and Whitley was okay!" Hima beamed, closing her eyes. "I was so happy, even when Father got mad at me. In the morning, Whitley and I made paper-airplanes with Grandmother - and it was hard with only one arm, but I was okay because my brother was okay. That's all that matters..." Hima's smile fell, and her eyes opened and widened. "I... I have to go back."

"What?" Ghira asked, shaking out of his wide-eyed shock. "Miss Schnee, you can't." Hima shook her head, her eyes wide.

"W-Weiss and Whitley, they'll get in trouble! I-I won't be there to take the blame, and Father will get mad at them! I've gotta go back!" Hima turned around, only for a pair of arms to wrap around her. Her eyes widened, then closed as she started struggling. "N-no, no! Don't hurt me! Please, don't hurt me!"

"Hey, hey - I'm not gonna hurt you." Adam tried, but the girl still fought. "Hima!" She looked up at him, her eyes flashing with fright, and Adam blinked. "... Don't you know that someone touching you doesn't have to hurt?" Silence fell as the little human kept weakly struggling, and Adam took a deep breath.

"... Mr. Taurus, if the situation becomes too much for you, you can step outside." Ghira told him, his expression forlorn. "She's obviously traumatized. There's only been one man in her life, and-" Ghira blinked as Adam pulled the little girl into a hug, closing his eyes. "Mr. Taurus-" Ghira blinked, surprised, as Hima slowly began to calm down and relaxed in Adam's hold, still whimpering quietly but no longer in great distress. "My word..."

"... It'll be okay." Adam spoke quietly, and Hima looked up at him again. "Your siblings are strong too, right?"

"R-right..."

"And they've got your sister, Winter. Don't you think that, once Winter gets old enough, she'll help them get out of there?"

"Father will be a-angry..."

"Your father is nothing." Adam pulled away, looking down at her - obviously with a light glare, through his mask. "You can't let him or your fear of him control you, or he wins and everything you went for will have happened for no godsdamn reason. Your siblings will never learn how to be strong on their own if you go back and take the hit for them forever. This way, you make it so they can stop cowering and protect themselves for once - it's what they deserve, since they didn't have your back."

"Adam." Ghira tried, then he noticed Hima's expression. She was gazing up at the bull-Faunus with wide eyes, and her fists slowly clenched as she nodded.

"You're right... They never stood up for me." She said quietly. "They never agreed with me in an argument, never tried to tell Father the truth when I was taking the blame... But that doesn't mean that I don't believe in what I did." Adam blinked, surprised. "I did what I did because they're family, and because it was the right thing to do. I didn't expect or want a reward, them being safe was all the reward I needed..." Her eyes teared up. "Do you really think they'll be okay?"

"... If they're anything like you, I know they will be." Adam gave a small smile. "It's their turn, Hima. You've done plenty. You get to be the safe one, now." Hima just gazed at Adam silently. "You are getting your reward, whether you like it or not - because it isn't about want, it's about deserve. We just have to clear a few things up... Why did you defend the Faunus, at the mine?"

"... Why not?" Hima asked quietly, wringing her hands. "They're people, and they were hurt and no one was helping them. No one was defending them, so someone had to."

"Why did it have to be you?"

"If I didn't stand up, who's to say that someone else would have? Everyone there was probably thinking 'something has to be done', but they weren't doing anything." Hima explained, and the council listened intently. "My grandmother always told stories about how my grandfather and the Faunus worked together, how they wanted to make the world a better place and bring people together. My father isn't like that, and with my grandmother and grandfather gone and Mother drinking and Winter leaving for the military, no one in the family was left to tell him he was wrong... I had to." She gave a small shrug. "It was the right thing to do, right? I want to do the right thing, like my grandparents used to - I want to finish what they started."

"You were close to your grandmother?" Adam went on, and Hima nodded. "And what they started... Peace and bringing people together? Make this planet a better place?" Hima nodded again. "Any other reason why you want to do that, aside from 'it's what they wanted'?"

"Adam." Ghira scolded again. Hima blinked, then she looked away.

"If the world was a better place, men like my father wouldn't exist." She replied, looking up at the bull-Faunus. "People wouldn't be getting hurt and sick in Schnee mines, Mother wouldn't drink, Winter wouldn't be running away, and Weiss and Whitley wouldn't cry... I want this world to be better because my father is a bad man, and no one should have to have to deal with people like him like I did." She looked down, frowning. "He's not the only person like that. I'm not special, I don't deserve any reward. Innocent people are hurt every day, and until they are taken care of... I should go back." Hima crossed her arms. "It's the right thing to do, I know it. When he finds out that I'm gone, he'll be so angry and my siblings will just-..."

"You're not going back." Adam told her, and she looked up at him forlornly. "You're right. People like your father shouldn't exist, but they do - and we of all know that." Hima blinked, then she looked away. "So... Do you honestly think that we would throw a little girl back into Hell? You're right, innocent people are hurt every day - and you were one of them, so we helped you just like we would help anyone else who had been in your situation. Sending you back would be wrong - it'd make us monsters, the monsters your father probably told you we were."

"... I'm the daughter of a monster." Hima spoke quietly. "Aren't you afraid that there's monster in me, too? I thought that's why everyone hates my entire family and not just my father, because there's something my father's not telling us and there's something actually wrong with us because of him." Adam blinked, then his expression saddened. "Why else would everyone hate my entire family? Wouldn't they have to know we're like him, even if we don't know it?"

"... People can be stupid, sometimes." Adam tried to explain. "They act even if they don't have all of the facts. Sometimes, it's because they're scared and people do dumb things when they're scared. Sometimes, they're sad or angry and they have to find someone to blame... Even if it's just a few kids."

"I..." Hima's tears fell. "I'm supposed to protect my siblings from my father and from the world. I promised to make sure everyone hated me more than them so they'd be okay, even if they did become monsters... They're family, and I just left them."

"No." Ghira walked over, getting down on one knee in front of the girl. "You were rewarded for your kindness, which is something no monster has ever possessed. Therefore, you must be a perfectly innocent young girl." Hima looked up at him, tears still falling. "You were very brave, Hima. And now, for your own good, it's time for your siblings to be brave... I know this will be hard for you. I can already tell that you're someone who cares little for their own good above others', but you won't be able to help anyone if you let your father break your spirit. Here, you can do good and set an example for the entire world."

"Here?" Hima asked, confused. Ghira gave a small smile.

"We've been discussing matters. To send you away is to doom you to fall back into your father's hands. You would be safest here, hiding in plain sight, and we've come to an agreement on that... Everyone in this camp will be sworn to secrecy about your rescue and they will receive a small lie, we will say that you were handed off to a human family that agreed to care for you. In reality, you will be disguised as a new recruit and you will stay with us."

"You need me disguised?" Hima asked quietly, then she nodded. "Very well." Before anyone could stop her, Hima grabbed a pair of scissors from a desk and looked up at the council. "White hair is a trait that the Schnee family is known for. I would prefer not to dye my hair, but I can at least make it less-noticeable." Hima reached up and removed her hair-tie, letting her white hair fall down to her waist, then she grabbed it all up into her fist and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath, before reaching back with the scissors.

Snip! Snip! Snip! Snip!

Hima lowered her hands, and her wavy white hair fell to only to shoulder-length. Hima looked down at the long tresses still balled in her fist as the council and even Adam stared at her in shock, then she shrugged and tossed them into a trash-can.

"I always disliked long hair, but Father said that short hair was unladylike." She announced simply, setting the scissors down. "But you're right... He can't control me anymore."

"... We will need to come up with an excuse for her lack of a Faunus trait." Sienna Khan spoke curtly. Hima blinked, then she looked away sheepishly.

"I, uh - I think I may be able to help with that, too." She said, looking back at the council. "Whenever Father's bad nights were really bad, I would end up with scars. One time, I got two really bad scars and I cried for a whole day. Grandmother made me show her, and she yelled at my father for hours before she came and got me and had me stay with her for a week. To make me feel better, she called the scars 'the place where unseen wings rest'."

"... I saw those scars." One council-member, Emily Grey, stated as she looked around the room. "Anatomically, that's correct - they're in the right place to suggest that a pair of wings were ripped from her body, and they're certainly the right size." Ghira's eyes widened at that, and he looked over at Hima. She was looking down, seeming embarrassed, and Ghira gently reached out and made her look up at him.

"You are too young." Was all he said before he stood up and nodded. "Very well, Miss Elurra. Emily will help you with a change of clothes, and then Adam will give you a tour of the camp... This is your home, now - and you no longer have to be afraid."


Around a half-hour later, Adam and Hima were walking around the camp.

Hima's shortened hair had been pulled into a low ponytail, and she wore a pair of blue jeans, black and white sneakers, a green t-shirt, and a pale blue hoodie. Her blue eyes were concealed by a pair of pale-green contact-lenses.

The young girl walked unsteadily, so she clung onto one of Adam's hands with both of her own to keep herself upright, her eyes wide and uncertain as she looked around the camp. She really was a petite thing, as the top of her head only went a bit above Adam's hips in terms of height, and it was strange to see a White Fang legend escorting a child and pointing from tent to tent in order give her a general idea of the camp's layout.

Adam felt strange about the whole situation. Much to Sienna Khan's disapproval, Adam's responsibilities had been extended to watching over and guarding Hima as well as Sienna, Ghira, and Ghira's family. He was to look after the girl, especially when they passed through populated areas, and ensure that she was always safe from harm. Now, here he was with the small child gripping his hand and wrist as they explored, and he couldn't help but be perplexed. It was now his job to watch over the daughter of one of Faunus-kind's greatest enemies, and he didn't really know how to feel.

'She's just a kid.' He told himself. 'All kids are the same, in the end. And you were like her, once - more than you would ever admit.' He suddenly felt the hold on his arm drop and he looked down, surprised, to see Hima taking a few steps away and looking at something with wide eyes.

"They're hurting her." She said worriedly, and Adam's eyes followed her gaze from behin his mask. A group of boys were harassing a young girl who appeared to be around Hima's age, a taller girl in purple who had black hair, amber eyes, and a pair of cat-ears that folded in her fright. They were standing on the training-field, and as the boys shoved the girl to the ground, Hima's eyes fell on the weapons' rack. "We have to do something."

"Hima, let me-" Adam reached out as Hima limped over, then he sighed and followed. "Oh, this'll go great. It's not like that's Ghira's daughter or anything..."

"Hey!" Hima shouted, and the boy's looked at the girl as she grabbed a wooden sword from the weapons' rack and walked up to them with some shakinessin her legs, glaring as she stepped between the girl on the ground and her attackers. "Leave her alone!" The black-haired girl looked up at Hima with wide eyes.

"Oh, look - new meat." One of the boys smirked, hefting a club. "And this one's got a fight in her." Hima gave a small smirk.

"Oh, don't underestimate me... It's a war." She announced, and Adam paused at the weapons' rack, surprised. The girl did have a way with words... The boy with the club swung his weapon, but Hima ducked and rolled to the side before lashing out with the wooden blade and unleashing a rapid string of attacks that left the boy battered and bruised. He quickly turned and ran off, leaving only two boys to stare at Hima as she raised her wooden blade. "Well?!"

"You're serious?" One of the boy's asked, stunned. "You're crazy, kid!" Hima smirked deviously, raising an eyebrow as she got into a stronger stance.

"Perhaps." She agreed, then she shrugged. "But are you really going to be intimidated by a little girl who is smaller than the girl you were beating up?" The boys exchanged glances, then they looked at Hima with a glare. "There you go."

"... Get her!" One of the boys lunged and tried to tackle Hima, but she sidestepped the attack and whacked the boy in the back with her wooden blade as he passed before spinning around and smacking him in the face with the flat of the blade, making him fall backwards so that he wouldn't land on the black-haired girl.

"Get her? Really?" Hima asked, snickering. "No offense, but that was not a great plan." The other boy yelled and swung a practice-axe at Hima, but she leapt up and landed on the blade, crouching as it swung and grinning as the boy realized that she had perched herself upon his weapon.

"Wow." Adam watched the scene, stunned. She was so small, but that apparently had its advantages...

"What is going on, here?!" A voice asked, and Adam looked back as Ghira and Sienna approached the scene. Ghira looked frustrated as he addressed Adam again. "That child is injured! She shouldn't be training!" Adam just looked up at him.

"She's not training, sir... She's fighting." He reported, and he looked back at the scene. "She's protecting a Faunus..." Ghira blinked, then he seemed to notice the girl on the ground. His eyes widened, then he looked back at Hima.

"Blake... We should-"

"Wait." Sienna raised a hand. "Let's see what she can do." Hima yelled as she lashed out and struck the boy in the chest with her wooden blade before she darted behind him and jabbed him in the small of his back, causing the boy to yelp and fall to his knees.

The other boy stood and raised his wooden shield, running at Hima with it, and she leapt up and planted both feet on it before pushing off and landing several feet away. She crouched, glaring, then she lunged and rammed the flat of her blade into the boy's knees, causing him to fall over. As Hima stood up, the boy with the axe stood and swung his axe at her, and as Hima looked back at him, the axe hit her face... And bounced off as white light flickered around her body.

"Aura?" The boy asked, his eyes widening. Hima frowned at the boy, her eyes narrowed as her dark bruises began to fade and turn brown, and she reached up and grabbed the handle of the axe.

"Looks like the effects of the aura-dampeners have worn off." She stated to no one in particular, then she shoved the ax and sent the boy stumbling back. He fell on his rear next to his recovering friend, and Hima sighed, shaking her head before looking at the boys in disappointment. "Done?"

"D-done." One boy replied shakily, the other boy nodding. Aura was quite the intimidator...

"... If I ever catch you hurting anyone ever again, you will regret it." Hima announced, and the boys just stared at her. "Do we have an understanding of each other?" The boys nodded shakily. "Good... Now, LEAVE!" The boys scrambled to their feet and ran off, and Hima watched them go. The girl on the ground stared after them as well, her eyes wide, then she looked up as Hima turned to her.

"I..."

"... Are you alright?" Hima asked, holding her free hand out. The other girl blinked, then she slowly reached out and took Hima's hand, and the smaller girl pulled her to her feet. Ghira and Sienna slowly seemed to calm down, and Ghira gave a small smile while Sienna seemed to smirk. "I'm Hima."

"... Blake." The taller girl announced quietly as Adam walked over. "You... Didn't have to do that."

"Wasn't it the right thing to do?" Hima asked, raising an eyebrow. Blake blinked, then she gave a small smile.

"Hima." Adam got down on one knee next to the girl, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Who taught you how to do that?" Hima blinked, then she smiled sheepishly.

"My grandmother and my older sister showed me a few moves, a-and I've read a lot of books on various combat-styles..." She looked at Adam. "My room was kinda big and had furniture, and people in my family spent a lot of time alone. I had time to practice."

"Huh." Adam gave a small grin, then he frowned. "I couldn't help but overhear-"

"Aura-dampeners?" Hima asked, looking down at her hands. "Um... That's a story for another time." She looked up at him, putting up a grin. "Adam, have you met Blake?"

"We've met." Adam smiled, looking over at the girl. "She's one of my students, and High Leader Belladonna's daughter." Hima's jaw dropped, and Adam snickered. "Oh, yeah - whatever you're thinking, you're absolutely right."

"Um..." Blake looked at Adam nervously. "I'm sorry. I was training like you told me to, but they just showed up-"

"Hey." Adam raised a hand, shaking his head. "You just started training, Blake. I would never expect you to take on three larger opponents at once and win." Blake frowned as she pointed to Hima.

"She-"

"Surprised them." Hima cut in, smiling awkwardly. Adam looked at her, knowing that she probably wouldn't be able to see the appreciation in his eyes, but the ex-heiress seemed to sense it as her smile relaxed. "I probably wouldn't stand a chance if I tried to do it, again."

"Oh..." Blake slowly smiled again. "Do you think you could show me some of those moves you read about? Even if it was just because you surprised them, you were really good." Hima nodded, beaming.

"Of course."


/\


How it happened, Adam didn't know - but he spent the rest of the day escorting Blake Belladonna and Hima Elurra around the camp. He was supposed to be a watchful, badass guardian of the cause and he could practically see that reputation falling away to be replaced by babysitter... And he did not really mind.

Hima and Blake got along surprisingly well, making the atmosphere peaceful. Blake loved books, and she was practically giddy when she learned that Hima liked them as well. Adam ate dinner with the two girls, and while Hima seemed surprised at first at how people still talked during meals, she quickly picked up on things and she was constantly smiling. She was happy, there amongst the Faunus, and growing comfortable - and that was honestly awing.

"And my brother and I just spun around on the chandelier while our sisters screamed at us and Uncle Klein kept trying to bribe us with food, and it was the best fun we ever had." Hima finished a story, and Blake and Adam laughed. She had altered her stories slightly to ease any suspicion as Blake hadn't been told about the rescue, so instead of speaking like she had possessed great wealth, it was all Uncle Klein's wealth and her happiest times were when she visited him and her grandmother. She didn't mention her mother or father. "Oh, I swear - if looks could kill, my older sisters would have put the two of us six feet under."

"Hm." Blake beamed at the shorter girl. "You're as good at telling your own stories as you are at remembering others."

"And you sound just as reckless as I hear you were this afternoon." Blake's mother and one of the White Fang's medics, Kali, teased softly. She knew who Hima really was, but she did not seem to care. Hima smiled sheepishly, shrugging.

"I-I guess that I am a little reckless, at times."

"Oh, yeah." Adam rolled his eyes, smirking. He had been playing along with some of Hima's stories to help make them more-believable for Blake, mostly because he liked how Hima would improvise to fit him in. She was quick, and it impressed and amused him. "First time I saw you, you were shouting at the guy running the Dust mine we were working in."

"Hey, you were about to pass out, pushing that huge cart all by yourself." Huma shot back, adapting as quickly as ever. "Someone had to do something before you fell over like a tree, you giant." Blake snorted with laughter as Adam nudged Hima playfully.


Sienna and Ghira watched Adam, Blake, Hima, and Kali, conversing quietly.

"He's acting strangely." Sienna noted, her eyes narrowed. "I haven't seen him like this before. Something is happening, Ghira - and I don't trust it."

"Sienna, please." Ghira smiled lightly. "I think that this is good, for him. While he is young, Adam is our strongest bodyguard - and his reputation as a hostile entity has been leaking into the media. If this girl is altering his attitude, it could actually prove to be beneficial for the White Fang as a whole. We need a guardian for peaceful protests, not an avenger for violent rallies."

"Ghira-"

"Sienna." Ghira looked at her sharply. "... When we found Adam, he was like her - battered and bruised with a fear of touch, believing that he would be killed at any moment, wounded beyond comprehension in body and soul." Sienna said nothing. "He was like that for over a year, and no one knew how to help him... Being a slave and a prisoner changed that young man, and not in a good way. Something inside of him is dark and broken." Ghira looked back at Hima and Adam. "Meeting someone of similar experience - even a human, even a Schnee - seems to have awoken something dormant inside of him, Sienna. When she panicked earlier, he knew exactly what to do - and now, they are practically attached... If we allow them to stay that way, perhaps Miss Elurra can heal Adam as he heals her. There are some things that will never mend, but if they can get to the point where they will be able to walk away from this struggle and live happy, healthy lives..."

"... He should train the girl." Sienna decided, and Ghira blinked. "She shows skill, and she's obviously interested in combat. If she is going to be staying with us, we should put her to work and have her contributing to the cause."

"She is still recovering, Sienna."

"Her aura will heal her quickly."

"That's not what I meant." Ghira chided, shaking his head. "Were you not listening to a thing I said? You saw her today, Sienna - how she reacted to being touched, how quickly she made the changes we asked of her. She needs time to adjust to this new way of life before we can ask her to fight for it."

"Combat will allow her to channel negative emotion into something productive. It could be good for her, and for the boy."

"... Very well, but only when she believes she is ready." Ghira decided, and Sienna grinned. "We shouldn't rush her, or we could cause permanent damage to an already weakened mind."


/\


Eventually, the night got late and sleeping arrangements were made. Blake went to stay with her parents, and Hima - who was so tired that she no longer had the strength to fight her injuries - hummed quietly as Adam carried her back to his tent. He figured that there was a cot for her already, and he didn't see any necessity in throwing her in with strangers on her first night. They would find a more-permanent place for her in the morning, he was sure of it.

"Well, here we are." Adam set Hima down on her cot, and she looked up at him as he stood up straight. "Try and get some shut-eye. Sienna Khan told me that, if you're up for it, she wants me to begin your basic combat-training tomorrow." Hima's eyes widened at that. "See, she thinks you could make for a good bodyguard, like me. What do you think?"

"You're gonna let me train, a-and it won't be a secret or anything?" Hima asked, then she beamed. "I'll do it!" Adam blinked, then he gave a small grin.

"At'a girl." He said, then he blinked. "Oh, I guess you won't want to sleep in jeans."

"Huh?" Hima blinked, then she looked down at her clothes. "Oh, um... Probably not..." Adam was already over at his backpack, looking through his things. He found a spare red shirt and a pair of black shorts with drawstrings to adjust the waist, and he threw them over his shoulder so that Hima could catch them before crossing his arms and facing away. "I-I'm gonna look away too, so you can get changed."

"Alright, kid - just hurry." Adam said, and he quickly changed into a pair of black sweatpants and a white t-shirt. He took his mask off and stowed it in his bag, then he quickly tied a red ribbon around his eyes and he kept looking away. "... You done?"

"Yes." Hima replied, and he looked back. The shirt was huge on her, he couldn't even see the shorts, and Hima snickered at his expression as she sat on her cot. "I told you, you're tall!"

"Or you're short." Adam countered, sitting down. Hima noticed long, jagged scars on his arms, but she remained silent as she looked up at his face. "Seriously, you're ten - why are you as short as a six year-old." Hima gave a small shrug, smiling.

"It runs in my mother's side of the family. Whitley's probably the only one of us who stands a chance at being tall." She said, then she looked down with a frown. "... I think I'm gonna miss him the most, out of my siblings."

"Not your twin?" That surprised Adam. He had always heard that twins thought of themselves as two halves to a whole.

"No." Hima shook her head. "You saw, at the mines - she never stood up for me. I was always closer to Whitley than I was to Weiss, Winter, or even my mother - he was the person on this world I was closest to, after our grandmother died. Our butler, Klein, was a close second - he was more like a parent to me than anyone ever was."

"... So." Adam looked at Hima carefully. "Aura-dampeners." Hima cringed, immediately turning her back to him.

"I..."

"I can't help you if you don't tell me what's wrong." Adam told her, and she blinked. "And you do want help, right?" Hima sighed quietly, nodding. "So..?"

"... My father was livid when my grandmother unlocked my aura, so he had aura-dampeners installed in my room." Hima explained quietly, looking up at the ceiling. "They're the devices they use in prisons to make Hunters more manageable... I couldn't activate my aura or semblance, couldn't protect myself. My soul had been unlocked, and he was still finding ways to restrict it."

"Isn't your sister training to be a Huntress? Why would he be mad if your aura was unlocked?"

"Because it's me." Hima sighed, shaking her head. "I'm the disappointment. I'm the infant who wouldn't stop crying until a Faunus nurse held her because my mother was drunk when I was born and I already hated the smell, I'm the toddler who wouldn't stop running down the hallways and making noise in my parents' serene mansion, I'm the sister who always took the blame... Giving me powers was a mistake, my father said. He told me I could never go out in public unsupervised, or I would bring shame to the Schnee name." Hima shifted, and the oversized shirt she was wearing dipped down in the back to reveal the red scars on her pale skin. "I was a freak, to him." Adam's eyes widened, and Hima quickly hid her scars again. "... With that mentality, he didn't mind if I got marked up. It's not like I would ever be seen."

"... It won't happen again." Adam told her softly. "The White Fang has been my family for years, and we look after our own. You're safe, here - there will be no beatings, no aura-dampeners, no locked doors. You shout, and people will come running... But you won't need them, because it's my job to look after you - I have never failed the White Fang, and I don't intend to."

"Hm." Hima gave a small smile, looking back at him. "So, that's what loyalty is." Adam blinked, surprised, and she grinned. "I always hoped that I would see an example outside of a book... Thank you, Adam."


It was later that night when Adam sensed movement even in his sleep, and he opened his eyes at sat up. Hima was sitting up on her cot, running a hand over the case for her violin. Emily had given it back to her when she'd gotten her new clothes, and she'd thanked Adam for bringing it...

"Hima, go back to sleep." Adam muttered before yawning. "It's late..."

"... Adam." Hima looked over at him. It was dark in the tent, but he - as a Faunus - could still see. In contrast, Hima probably couldn't see him too well. "You're my friend, right?" Adam blinked, then he raised an eyebrow behind his ribbon.

"Um... I guess." He replied, even though he honestly didn't know. She was different, but she was still human and she was still a Schnee.

"Can I trust you?"

"... Yeah." Adam swung his legs over the side of his cot and looked at her carefully. "Why?"

"I'm scared."

"Of what?"

"... Ten days ago, my grandmother died." Hima looked down. "And when that happened, she left me something - a responsibility that I don't know how to handle. She didn't tell anyone besides me, a-and I haven't told anyone else. But I think that you should know, since you're supposed to look after me."

"What is it?"

"Well... Have you ever heard the Tale of the Seasons?"

"The Four Maidens?" Adam asked, confused. "Yeah, who hasn't heard that story? It's been around for centuries, and it's kinda crazy."

"... Even the craziest stories come from somewhere." Hima looked over at Adam, and she slowly held her hand out. A soft, pale-blue fire formed in the air above her palm. It wasn't maintained or fueled, it just hovered there and illuminated Hima's solemn gaze and Adam's expression of disbelief. "Adam... I'm the Winter Maiden."

"That's... That's impossible." Adam shook his head. "It's just a story, and you're just a kid."

"When a Maiden dies, the young woman who is in her final thoughts is the first candidate for receiving her power." Hima explained, and Adam just stared at her. "For centuries, this power has been passed on as Maidens have died or been killed. My grandmother told me of it, and I didn't believe her... Then, she died - and it was suddenly me." Hima looked down, her expression forlorn. "She told me it was my duty to watch over those who were weaker than me and do everything in my power to protect the world, but she also said that the power had to be kept a secret or people would come after me."

"... That's why you stood up to your father when he hurt others, but didn't fight back when he hurt you." Adam noted and she looked up at him. "... I'll keep your secret, and I'll keep you safe. I promise."

"Still friends?" Hima whispered, her eyes wide and shining in the light of the blue flame. Adam gave a small smile.

"Still friends."

"... Then, I want to make you a promise." Hima decided, and Adam blinked. "Adam Taurus... I will be a loyal friend, I will help you fight my father and other humans who mistreat the Faunus and spread injustice, and if you ask anything of me - even if you ask me to use my powers - I will not hesitate because I will always trust you to make the right choice." Hima beamed as she closed her fist, snuffing the blue flame and resting her fist over her heart. "I promise."

"Hima-"

"Hey." Hima looked up at him. "I promise... You saved my life, Adam, and you're going to let me help you save others. We're gonna stop my father, end this madness, and change the world." The pale girl sighed, closing her eyes and seeming content. "I never have to cry again. No matter what happens... It's all going to be okay."


*rereads those last words, then looks at "RWBY"-canon*

Well, about that...

*Volume 3 Flashback*

AH!

... Ahem.

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