The morning was dark and eerie. Clumps of gray clouds loomed and created a light drizzle. The sun was struggling to rise and break through the murky atmosphere.

Inside the cabin, Weiss watched out the window. Tiny rivulets of the rain raced down the glass. She'd woken up a few minutes ago and grew bored. She threw off the cozy blankets and planted her feet on the floor. Experimentally, she put some pressure on her injured ankle and fought the urge to wince.

The storm has finally let up, Weiss thought to herself. I have to get to Winter. Every second away from her is another second she's in danger.

With that thought in mind, Weiss stood and mentally prepared herself for the long day ahead. And for the blonde's inevitable bout of questions. After she put up her hair in a ponytail, she hobbled out of the homey room and into the common area, intending to make her way to the front door.

She tried to be quiet, or she'd wake the dozing blonde. Yang had spent the night on the couch, seeing as she claimed that the bed was for Weiss, but she had an inkling that the blonde just wanted to be near the door in case she tried to sneak out.

Yang wasn't wrong.

The blonde's snores practically rocked the cabin, so Weiss assumed she was a deep sleeper. However, when she stepped on a squeaky floorboard, that was enough for Yang to jolt awake.

"H-huh what the- Weiss!"

The call of her name sounded excited and alarmed. In fact, Yang looked thrilled to see her so early in the morning.

"Yang," Weiss greeted as she used the wall for support. "Pardon me, I was just leaving."

Perturbed, Yang glanced out the window. It was still sprinkling, but that wouldn't be counted as a storm. The girls had a deal. That Weiss could leave as soon as the storm stopped. However, Yang couldn't rid the uncomfortable gut feeling in her stomach. Letting her go now was a bad idea. Something bad was bound to happen.

Unnerved, Yang hopped off the couch and joined her guest's side. "Are you sure? You don't look well enough to me," she said, referring to the fact that Weiss was using the wall for support. "Do you want another round of bandages? The gash didn't magically disappear overnight."

"I'm okay, Yang," Weiss said firmly as she opened the door and walked outside, making her way to the shed. "Really. Thank you for all you've done."

Clearly, there was no changing her stubborn mind. That didn't stop Yang from trying to make her rethink her options.

"Can you at least tell me what you plan to do? Who Winter is?"

From the mention of her name, a spark ignited in Weiss' blue eyes. Yang noticed this and instantly became even more intrigued.

"Winter is all I have left," Weiss answered a bit quietly. "Every day I spend here is a day she spends suffering."

That last comment caught Yang off guard. Like a puppy, she tilted her head in curiosity. "What makes you say that?"

Not wanting to let Yang get caught up in her situation, Weiss ignored the question and pressed on. The tiny droplets landed on the forms as they headed inside the shed. Sure enough, her well-behaved horse had been waiting for his owner. Storm let out a giddy neigh from seeing his master. In determination, Weiss grabbed the reins and pat Storm once on the snout.

"Winter's my sister, Yang," Weiss revealed. "You have a sister, correct?"

A nod.

"Then you'd know more than anyone that you're willing to do anything for her," Weiss said solemnly like she was speaking from the heart. "Even if it means taking risks."

While Weiss adjusted the saddle, Yang processed her words.

"What's with this talk about taking risks?" Yang asked with suspicion. "What're you gonna do?"

"I don't want you to get involved."

Yang quirked a blonde eyebrow. "It's a little too late for that."

"Trust me, it's not."

That only served to make Yang more interested. If Weiss wasn't willing to give her an explanation, Yang wasn't going to press. At least not too much. Unintentionally, Yang frowned from the whole situation. She didn't like this. She didn't like this one bit.

Judging by her horse's size, Weiss couldn't hop on his back. She looked up at Storm with her own frown. She couldn't make it on top of him with a bum ankle. Yang probably wouldn't be too enthused to help her leave, either.

"Storm," Weiss addressed, which caused the horse to perk up. "Down."

On command, the white steed plopped on the ground like a trained dog. Briefly, Yang was impressed. The horse was sassy and well-trained? Now that Yang thought about it, Storm and Weiss seemed pretty close. His beady gray eyes gazed at her like she was his entire world.

Now that Storm was on the ground, he was the perfect height for his owner. Expertly, she hopped on the saddle. When Weiss was secure, she gave him a double click noise. That compelled him to stand tall.

Yang stared up at Weiss, who looked determined. Blue eyes were dead-set on the wide-open doors.

"Is there nothing I can do to change your mind?" Yang asked, almost in a plea.

"No," it broke Weiss' heart to say that. Especially seeing Yang like that. "I'm sorry."

The shed doors were wide open, waiting for someone to pass through. Confidently, Weiss pounded her feet on her horse's sides. This signaled for her steed to dart forward.

Oddly, Storm remained in place.

"Storm," Weiss stated in a tense voice. "Move forward. This is no time to dilly dally."

In response, Storm stomped his front hoof on the ground. A resounding thud rang out. This caused Yang to smirk. Perhaps the animal refused to budge because he cared too deeply about his owner and refused to assist in a possible suicide mission.

"Looks like Storm is more stubborn than you," Yang crossed her arms, unable to wipe the smirk from her face.

Weiss paid her no mind and gently rubbed the short white fur on his broad neck. "Come on, bud. You saw what happened. Winter's waiting for us."

A loud snort. Storm looked over and stared at his owner with persistence.

"This is ridiculous! You have to go!"

All Yang could do was watch the girl, who was emitting sheer frustration by this point. Silently, the blonde cheered Storm on and felt a little sorry for him. Disobeying a master's orders was never easy, but Yang could tell it was for a good cause. Too bad Weiss was blind to that.

Repeatedly, Weiss whipped the reins and thudded her feet on his sides. Anything to make him sprint out of that shed and to Winter. No matter what she did, Storm stayed in place and even shook his head.

"Storm, come on. Please?"

That was a different tone. Now she sounded desperate.

Frustrated tears dribbled down Weiss' cheeks. Yang was left to stare up at the girl in utter shock. Obviously, whatever she had to do meant a lot to her.

Weiss leaned over his neck and held onto the horse tightly. Like if she let go, the world would shatter.

"Weiss," Yang called soothingly. "I think Storm is right. You can't-"

"No!" Weiss yelped. "The bandits! They got Winter and if I don't do anything to help her s-she'll…"

When Storm felt her fingers tremble, he plopped on the ground with finality. Thankfully he did because that allowed Yang to give the frantic girl a gentle hug.

"Hey," Yang murmured sweetly in her ear. "We'll figure something out, okay?"

Currently, Weiss was too distraught to return the embrace. She ended up nodding quietly into Yang's shoulder.

"We'll get her back," Yang reassured confidently. "I promise. And I never break my promises."

For some reason, Weiss believed those words. She'd only known Yang for a day, and yet, she trusted her wholeheartedly. Only one thing was keeping Weiss grounded, and that was Yang. To latch on, Weiss gripped her with all her might while trying not to let the tears fall.

Yang didn't let go. Not until Weiss stopped trembling in her arms. It took a few minutes for her to gain her bearings. Yang found herself not wanting to separate, but they had to eventually. Reluctantly, Yang pulled away. Their faces were mere inches apart, and Weiss' eyes were a little red from crying.

Slowly, Yang helped her get off the loyal horse. When Weiss was standing next to the blonde, she felt much better.

"What's this about bandits?" Yang asked, trying to put the pieces together. "Are they the ones who hurt you?"

Weiss sent her a nod. "They raided my town. Winter- she told me to run. She jumped off Storm and fended off as many as she could, but with so many people against her, she was captured. The only reason I escaped was because of Storm. He refused to turn around…"

Yang timidly smiled in understanding as she pat the horse. "Smart boy. Your sister sounds like a badass."

"She's very brave," Weiss agreed as she wiped her face of the tears. "Now you know why I have to go back. She's in danger."

"Let's think of a plan first," Yang advised calmly. "Hate to break it to ya, but you can't do this alone."

From the sounds of it, there were lots of bandits.

"It's dangerous-"

"I want to help you, Weiss," Yang declared.

Hearing that caused Weiss' heart to flutter, and she was left to wonder why.

"Besides," Yang continued with a smirk. "It's been way too long since I've kicked some butt."

If Yang insisted on helping Weiss, she wasn't going to deny her. Although she did feel a lot of responsibility for her safety.

"Are you sure?" Weiss asked, giving her one more chance to back out.

Yang sent her the widest grin she'd ever seen.

"Oh yeah. I'm sure."

"Why're we doing this?"

The two girls were engaged in a standoff as a breeze grazed their cheeks. Clouds covered the sky and the rain was replaced by a few claps of thunder and lightning strikes. Not so far away, Storm was grazing on the prairie.

Weiss had her beloved rapier poised while Yang held up her fists like a boxer. On her hands were golden brass knuckles as she bounced back and forth.

"Show me what ya got," Yang said teasingly.

Luckily, the gash was over Weiss' right shoulder. Since she was a lefty, this didn't pose much of a problem. However, she had to find a way around her bum ankle.

Quickly, Yang rushed her and threw a few punches. She was sure to take it slow since she was well-aware that the girl was injured. For now, all she wanted to do was test her reflexes. To see what her partner's potential was.

Somehow, Weiss managed to parry or dodge every single jab. Her reflexes were sharp. Perhaps sharper than Yang's own. She even managed to almost stab the blonde, until she stopped mid-lunge and pulled back.

"Woah," Yang said in surprise. "You're sneaky."

"Hm," Weiss hummed. "There's no need to go easy on me, Yang."

"Alright then."

With permission, Yang upped the ante. The last thing she wanted was to injure Weiss even more in her state, but she insisted. Plus, if they were going to rescue Winter from the group of bandits, they had to know each other's strengths and weaknesses. What their limits were.

From the grunts of effort, Storm became more interested in what was going on. His white ears flicked every time his master grunted. The only reason he didn't intervene was because Yang had done nothing but help his owner.

And they were smiling.

Reluctantly, Storm just watched from a comfortable distance.

More power was pushed into Yang's punches. Weiss managed to dodge the flaming fists, but stumbled back several times with a grimace.

Over time, Yang noticed that her lunges were becoming slow and that her opponent was going out of her way to keep her shoulder stationary. Knowing Weiss, she was probably in pain, but wouldn't admit it.

Suddenly, Weiss rested her rapier by her side. In response, Yang lowered her fists.

"You're not so bad," Weiss observed.

"Why, thank you," Yang said jokingly. "How about we get you some herbs?"

"That would be very nice," Weiss admitted as she rubbed her shoulder.

Sparring wasn't the best idea, but it was necessary.

"Here," Yang said and slipped to her side.

Together, the girls headed to the cabin. Weiss' ankle throbbed in protest, and her injured shoulder sent pangs through her body along the way. Sparring hindered her more than she cared to admit.

Gradually, they hobbled over to the couch.

While Weiss sat down, Yang went to fetch the bandages.

Since her blue t-shirt was loose, Weiss simply tugged on the sleeve and it fell down to display the wound. Cautiously, Weiss began to unwrap the bandages. The gashes were scabbing over and there was no sign of wet blood even after sparring. That was a good sign.

As Yang walked back over to her, she gasped from the sight.

"It looks better!"

Weiss sent her a smile. "Thanks to you."

Her smile caused Yang's heart to skip a few beats.

"Y-yeah no problem," the blonde offered her own grin.

Yang knelt to get at eye level with her discolored ankle. Tentatively, Yang lifted her discolored foot.

"It still looks pretty purple," the blonde observed with a somber expression. "Sparring didn't help."

"I'll manage."

"You're gonna have to."

With that, Yang wrapped her ankle tightly. When that was done, she looked up at Weiss with determination. With no doubt in those lilac pools.

"Don't worry. We'll get Winter."

"Yes, we will."

Alrriiiiiight character development!

Stay dandy,

~Toto