So! This is the third post of the week, regarding this fanfic anyway. I hope you like it!

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Chapter 4: A Devious Plan Set for a Devious Man

Beacon Academy: Weiss Schnee

'Who was that girl? Is she related to me? Why was she saying all of those lies?' I hold my head and my hands as sit on my bed. 'But, they weren't lies, were they? Winter even agreed with her.' I shake my head.

"Oh god. Winter!" I shoot up off the bed and start to pace the floor in confusion. "What did she mean when she said he threw her out because of love?" I sit back down and hold my head in my hands again. "Would he do that to me?" I lift my head to look out the window. "Of course, he would. He's a heartless bastard."

"Who's heartless?"

I startle at the intruder. I turn around to see Blake standing in the doorway.

"No one, Blake. Just… no one."

She looks at me with disbelief. "No one, my ass. Tell me. It might help to get it off your chest, Weiss." She sits down on her bed and motions me to sit beside her.

I sit down beside her and again put my head in my hands, hiding the tears gathering in my eyes. "My father. My father is a fucking manipulative, lying bastard. My sister contacted me early this morning asking me about mines in Mistral. As far as I knew, there were no mines in Mistral, well, no documented mines, anyway." I lift my head to look at her. "There are mines, though. I checked into it. Supplies for enough workers, slave collars, and equipment for three mines were all documented to be transported to Mistral. My father has been keeping dark secrets from me."

"Of course, he is, Weiss. How else would he have kept you in line for the entirety of your life? Did you expect him to give away his malevolent trade secrets to an impressionable, and possibly rogue, girl that would be leaving his little bubble of control for four years? I sure didn't." Her eyes have narrowed, looking at me like I'm an idiot for not figuring this out earlier.

I stand up in indignation. "Of course not! I'm not an idiot! I knew perfectly well that he'd never divulge all of his secrets before I became his successor. I just didn't think that he'd be capable of this much…" I throw my hands into the air. "Greed!"

She scoffs at my outburst. "The man who has amassed the most dust, fortune, and political influence not greedy? Right." She stretches out the word right. Her face suddenly turns serious. "Weiss, who gave you that scar?"

I look at her wide-eyed. "A giant armor."

She pinches the bridge of her nose. "And who sent you to take down the giant armor, damnit?"

"My father." I whisper it, ashamed.

She grips my shoulders and shakes me. "Exactly! That's only one of the horrid things he has put you through, for fucks sake! I can't believe that he's brainwashed you so thoroughly." She lets go of me and makes a slight growling sound in the back of her throat.

"Brainwashed?" I sink to my knees and wrap my arms around myself. "I… Maybe?"

I look up to see her staring at me with sympathy in her eyes. "Yes, Weiss. Clearly, he's conditioned you since birth, otherwise you wouldn't take his word at face value. He's sheltered you from the world. He's kept you from making friends, kept you from people who could possibly influence you or make you doubt him. That is brainwashing, and it is highly unethical and terrible for anybody to go through. You have to break from him. You have to move on, challenge him, be who you were meant to be!" Blake's eyes burned with a fire that I've only seen when she talks about changing the White Fang.

The slight creaking of the door draws my attention. My eyes are drawn to the bright colors sticking out from the little crack. "Ruby, Yang. I know you're there." I stand and wipe the tears from my eyes and straighten my skirt.

They walk in nonchalantly, trying to pass off their eavesdropping as nothing. I tap my foot impatiently. Ruby wrings her hands ever so gently while staring at the floor. Yang just shuffles her feet, toeing the ground while whistling softly. "I'm sorry, Weissy. I didn't mean to hear everything, but there was yelling, and… and…" She stops fiddling with her hands and looks at me pleadingly. "I was concerned. I didn't know what was going on, and I wanted to know you were okay."

My eyes soften at her concern and the loving tone in her voice. I turn to Yang, anger slowly taking over my acceptance. "What about you?!" I point my finger at her accusingly.

She shrugs. "I just wanted to know what you were talkin' about."

I shake my head at her boldness. "You had no right to intrude on such a private conversation, neither of you did. But, I understand your need to act upon an impulse and concern. I forgive you, however reluctant I am." I cross my arms over my chest, looking each of them in the eye.

Ruby starts to reach out toward me but stops herself just shy of my arm. "I'm sorry. How can I make it up to you?"

I walk up to her slowly and put my arms around her. I hear to sharp intakes of breath before Yang says, "You owe me thirty Lien, Blake. Pay up." I step back to face Yang in curiousity. "And what exactly, did you place bets on, if I may ask?" I cross my arms.

Yang threw her arm around a reluctant Blake. "Well, me and Blakey here had a bet going as to whether or not you guys would wind up together. I bet you would, and she bet that you'd never cross in your father, which to me, meant she didn't think you would." She points her free thumb at her chest. "I won!" SHe beams proudly.

"Is that so? Did you have any time restrictions on this wager of yours?"

Yang scratches her head, thinking. "I bet it would take at least a couple of months for Ruby to break through your shell." She places her pointer finger to her chin. "How long DID it take?"

I intwine my finger with Ruby's. "Hmmm, that's really hard to say." I turn to Ruby. "When would you say that we actually became closer?"

"Uh… Um, maybe two weeks after we met?" She shrugs nonchalantly. "I just, I don't know really. Our first kiss, though, was less than a week after that." She smiles at me with a dreamy look in her eyes, and I know she's remembering the day we officially started dating, the day of our first kiss.

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Flashback: Ruby

I'm walking down the hall, looking curiously around the corridor. Then, I hear something. It sounds a little like crying, coming from the bathroom on my left. I look around, seeing that no one else is around. I shrug and enter the restroom. The room looks empty, but that sound still echoes off the walls. I check each stall, making my way down the line. The very last stall turns out to be where the sound is eliciting from. I knock softly and the crying dials down to a slight whimpering.

"Are you okay in there?"

A sniffle was my short answer. "Come on, what's wrong?"

"Nothing, you dunce."

My eyes widen. "Weiss?!"

A slight pause, then. "No."

"Weiss, what's wrong?"

"I said nothing, Ruby. Leave me alone."

"No, I want to help. Please let me, Weiss." I plead with her, knocking on the stall door again.

"I don't think you can, Ruby." Her voice seems so small, it breaks my heart. I care for her so deeply that I hate to see her so distraught.

"But I can try." I answer just as softly.

I hear the stall door unlock. "Okay." The door swings open to reveal a red nosed Weiss. 'She looks so darn cute! Oh gods!'

I wrap my hand around her wrist and pull her gently towards the sinks. I grab a couple of paper towels, wet them, and begin to slowly wipe the tears that had tracked down her face. "Can you tell me what brought this on?" I mumble it softly, trying not to spook her.

She sniffle a little. "It's just me. I don't know." She turns away from me.

I gently take her chin between my thumb and forefinger. "You do know. Tell me, Weiss."

I stare into her eyes, getting lost in those gorgeous, glacial pools that seem to suck me into her soul. My heart starts to beat faster and faster. I pull away after a few seconds, letting her chin go. She looks at me curiously. "I just started feeling… inadequate, like I have nothing to offer the team. I thought that I'd be the leader, but then you were. Then I promised to be the best teammate and partner, but… I don't think I can. I don't think I'm good enough to be in Beacon." She turns away from me, ashamed.

"Weiss, no. You are good enough to be here. You are the best teammate and partner I've ever had. You have everything to offer to the team. I mean, just look at me! I wouldn't be anywhere near as good a leader as I have been if is wasn't for you. Heck, I'd be failing, to tell the truth." I rub the back of my head in embarrassment.

Weiss looks at me, searching my face, looking for any lie. Finally, her head falls and a blush begins to cover her face, travelling up to her ears. 'Oh my god, she's so adorable!' "Thank you, Ruby. That means a lot to me, especially coming from you."

I beam at her. "No problem, Weiss. I was just telling the truth!"

She looks down again, blushing even redder than before. I cup her cheek and bring her face up. Ours eyes lock. "Ruby?" A slightly confused look crosses her face. 'She's so beautiful.' I bring my face closer and closer to hers, going slowly so that she has plenty of time to reject me. When she didn't turn away, I take this as a good sign and touch my lips to hers. It's a tentative pressure that I take away just as soon as our lips meet. I pull away and search her eyes. I was about to speak when her lips slam into mine passionately. This is the exact moment I realize that I've fallen in love with the most beautiful girl in the world.

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Present: Weiss

"Well, there you have it. We started officially dating at about three weeks into our friendship."

Yang takes her arm from around Blake and snaps her fingers. "Damn! You work fast, Rubes."

Ruby blushes a deep scarlet. "It wasn't like that!"

Yang waggles her eyebrows. "Sure it wasn't."

I put my hand up to silence them. "I don't care, and, frankly, I never will. We're together. I love her. End of story." I glance at Ruby. "Are you ready to go public?"

Her eyes light up in astonishment. "Really? We can?"

I regard her reaction with love and sincerity. "Yes, we can." I give her a devious smile. "I'm ready for my father to find out."

She basically glomps me from the side. "Thank you, thank you, thank you."

"There's nothing to thank me for. It would have happened sooner or later. Now, though, we control how it gets out." I hug her back, barely holding in a maniacal laugh. 'Well, father, aren't you in for a surprise.'

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A/N: Ah, the fluff and feels. You gotta admit that I'm getting in the swing of it, huh. Still, I'd love to hear some follow-up! Favorite, follow, review! You know what to do.