Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY. If I did, Remnant: The Game would be real.

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

That sound, repetitive yet strangely comforting. At least it signals that there is still life despite the pain. Sun was still alive nonetheless. He remained unmoving as a single hand traced up his cold cheek.

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

Blake couldn't sleep. Tossing and turning, but no sleep. Not as if listening to the constant beeping was helping, but falling asleep was out of the question so she wanted some isolation while she thought. Hence why she had left her dorm to stay with Sun.

Her amber orbs glossed over his bedside table. A small assortment of items lay there including his weapons, medicines and a card from Velvet.

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

Adam and Ylva were working with Torchwick. They were out to get her, but why? Why am I so important?

Maybe the boss can find a use for you. If you're lucky, he might just kill you.

Those were his words. Blake's first thought was that it was because she had ditched Adam and the White Fang months ago. They didn't want to let a traitor walk Remnant freely. It was starting to look like a possibility; she had heard what had happened to Tukson. Blake was willing to bet it was thanks to Torchwick.

"Can't sleep either?"

Blake reluctantly broke from her pondering to at least give her girlfriend a small smile. "Not really. I'm still worried about what he said."

Weiss sat down next to Blake and eyed her. Her features immediately fell. "You're not just worried, Blake. You've been crying."

The Faunus hurriedly wiped her eyes and turned away from Weiss. The last thing she wanted to do was show how this was getting to her, to seem weak. "I'm not weak, Weiss."

Scowling, Weiss turned Blake back around briskly. "Tears aren't a sign of weakness; it's a sign of having a heart. There's nothing wrong with crying." Looking down, she added, "Believe me, I've learnt that much."

"What do you mean?"

Weiss's hands nervously ran through her hair. "Well, my father was never the most accepting. Especially with 'weakness'."

Blake's hands moved forward until they found Weiss's. "What happened?"

"Sometimes, mostly after White Fang crimes, he would take his anger out on me and my sister, Winter."

"I didn't know you had a sister."

Weiss held up a hand to silence Blake before continuing. "He would have us spar for his entertainment, to prove which of us is stronger. I dreaded it every time he announced it. I hated the thought of hurting Winter."

"I can imagine what it must feel like." Blake's hands moved around Weiss's waist.

"You can't." Weiss sighed before leaning in closer. "It's impossible to understand the pain of having to fight your sister, your only friend, for no reason but to prove yourself. Especially when I lose on purpose because I don't want to hurt her."

"Weiss…" Blake tilted the heiress's head towards her but she showed no signs of stopping.

"One time, after I lost, Winter went to give me a cuddle and he pulled her away." Weiss took a deep breath, shaking slightly. "He told me that I was weak and worthless. That I was a stupid mongrel who didn't deserve such pedigree." Weiss shook violently before finishing, "He stopped Winter from seeing me at all, and I was alone again. That's why I cried."

"I'm sorry to hear that." Blake gently cradled Weiss's body in her arms but it was clear that the cracks were showing again, and they were only growing.

"Damn it, you dolt! I'm crying thanks to you," Weiss whispered as she rubbed her eyes furiously.

"As long as you have a beating heart, you'll be fine."

"I'm glad I do. I just wish it wasn't confined in this lonesome shell. Why couldn't I have been born into a normal life where I wasn't pushed to the limit every day?"

"It's just life's way of making you stronger." Blake eyed some of the remaining red marks on her arm before adding, "…Much stronger. None of us ever had normal lives. Ruby lost her mother, Yang had to cater to her and I was a Faunus. It's like we're all one big dysfunctional family."

"My 'family' were the bonds that held me back," Weiss said darkly.

"Weiss, a family is a place in your heart. A place where you'll always be loved. And I do love you."

"I love you too." Weiss sighed and leaned into Blake's embrace which the two shared for at least two minutes. Two quiet minutes which the pair wouldn't have spent any other way.

"We should try and get some sleep," Blake said, pulling Weiss up with her. "We've got a long day tomorrow."

"Alright, and you can stay in my bed if you want," Weiss said, forcing a smile through her remaining tears.

"At least that's some comfort."

The two climbed into Weiss's bunk as soon as they reached the dorm. In each other's arms, they fell asleep immediately. Getting enough sleep would be important from now on. They didn't know how much more peace they had left.

The day at Beacon had been uneventful at best. Only the qualifiers prevented it from being a complete drag. Even then, there was little for Beacon's students to be interested in. Most of the combatants were unknowns from Atlas or Haven. Three matches in and none had raised a cheer.

That was most likely about to change.

She may have been young, but many already admired Ruby's exhilarating fighting style. Her speed and prowess while wielding Crescent Rose could outclass people many years older than her. Thankfully, she was fighting next.

Her opponent was an exchange student from Mistral named Karayan Drago. If his intimidating looks didn't put you off, his frightening weapon would. It was three wrist mounted claws, each attached to a chain so it could double up as triple flail. Ruby had been told this by Pyrrha, who had claimed he was a 'difficult fellow that was in over his head'.

Many wouldn't expect Ruby to be nervous when faced with a task like this, but his tactic of staring intently at Ruby admittedly disturbed her. His face was covered by a black hood and his mouth by a black bandana. The expression on his face was only determinable by his eyes.

"Um, I hope for a good fight!" Ruby called, not wanting to stay in the wrong with this man.

Silence. His only movement was to get into position.

"Don't encourage him, dunce!" Weiss called from the crowd.

"Alright," Ruby muttered as she pulled her folded scythe out. If he had done his homework, he would know that Ruby would rush him. A change of plan was on the cards.

"Begin!"

Goodwitch had barely finished her sentence before Ruby began unloading half a magazine into her opponent. Only his aura was still full. He had blocked them all with a small shield mounted on his other wrist.

Ouch!Ruby hadn't even seen the claws coming until the first one sliced across her cheek. Another spike of pain as the second pricked into her neck.

Alright, screw tactics.Ruby cried out as she extended her scythe and fired herself across the floor at blistering speed. This ended up raising a chorus of gasps from new students. The blade caught his legs as he fell to the floor. Spinning back around, Ruby let off two more shots which only grazed him.

Realising that speed was her greatest ally, she ran and slashed with her scythe. A painful screeching sound echoed throughout the room as it scraped down the shield. Faster. Faster. Faster!Those were Ruby's thoughts as she sliced, diced, spun and twirled her scythe in all perceivable directions. Her attempt at breaking his defence was failing as he parried and blocked them all. Am I forgetting something…? Oh, yeah!

Ruby tried shooting as well as hacking with her scythe, but Karayan was hardly moving except to block her attacks. Nope, that's not it. What's he doing anyway?

This lapse in concentration left an opening which he snatched at. He forced her blade away and clawed at her vigorously. The attack stunned Ruby and he profited from that as he kicked her away.

The audience was becoming nervous for the young girl. Her aura had dipped into the yellow, while Karayan's was still comfortably in green.

"She's not playing this tactically. Why isn't she using what I told her?" Weiss complained.

"It doesn't look like it would matter," Blake said, shaking her head.

"Blake, you do know about the one-hit win tactic, don't you?"

"The what?"

Weiss groaned before pointing to her neck as an example. "If you slice across the neck with a bladed weapon, your aura will automatically deplete itself to prevent fatality. People often base tournament strategies around that." Scoffing, she added, "I think everyone knows that."

"I didn't…"

"Obviously, Yang."

Back on the stage, it was still going downhill for Ruby. Swinging his arm, Karayan's claws launched out and curled around Ruby's midriff, digging into her stomach. Her aura slowly dwindled, but was still safely above red. However, her opponent had a plan as he began lining up his shield with her neck.

"Of course, he knows it," Weiss growled. "Let's see if Ruby figures it out."

Ruby was only focused on struggling against the claws until she looked up. Seeing how carefully he was adjusting his shield got Ruby thinking as she connected the dots. Oh! That's what I was forgetting.The realisation only caused her to stop struggling as she held her scythe backwards, the blade trailing slightly behind her.

"What's she doing?" Blake asked.

"She's being tactical," Weiss replied.

Ruby did indeed have a plan, for a change. It didn't take much to execute it, and her opponent only realised it after it had happened. Karayan quickly retracted his claws but, at the same time, Ruby fired her scythe and used her semblance. Like a rocket, she arrowed across the ground before firing just before she reached him. Launching into the air, the trailing blade slashed him right across the neck.

That was that, Ruby had won.

A large applause broke out. Most were happy to see the younger girl win, except the snobs. Either way, she wasn't used to it. Ruby only got a few seconds to bask in the glory before being crushed in one of her sister's hugs.

"I'm so proud of you! Your first competitive win on your debut!" Yang cried as she mimed wiping tears from her eyes. "My baby sis is growing up so fast."

"Yang," Ruby whined as she began to go slightly red.

"That was a great showing, Ruby," Blake said.

"Yes. Although it wasall thanks to my cunning which pointed out the weakness to her in the first place," Weiss boasted.

Blake gave a small shake of her head. "Let her have this one, princess."

"Shut up." Weiss's following pout lasted only a few seconds before she broke into a smile.

Celebrations were cut short as Goodwitch approached with a sour expression. It was hard to tell if it was bad or not, it was her normal expression. As she stopped, she looked at Ruby with about as much enthusiasm as when they had first met, further arousing the younger girl's suspicions.

Some held their breath as she pulled out her scroll and said, "Ms. Rose, Professor Ozpin gives you his personal regards and congratulations on your victory."

Ruby was in stunned silence. Since when did Ozpin congratulate people, especially her, on victories? Her reaction summed up everyone's in a way. Ozpin was often indifferent to what students got up to in school, so the message came as a surprise.

"How did she get one but not me?" Weiss complained.

"I think he likes you," Yang teased, nudging her sister.

"Ugh, Yang!" Ruby cried as her face became the same colour as her cloak.

"Maybe Ozpin just likes creeping on you, Rubes," Yang continually teased.

"Ozpin would notdo that," Goodwitch growled before inhaling to regain her composure. "I'm sure he's just keeping tabs on his most promising student."

"I've never been called promising before," Ruby whispered, her eyes growing in excitement.

Blake and Yang were in mutual thought, as they didn't understand why this would mean giving her different treatment. They were all training to be huntresses, and Ruby wasn't necessarily the all-round best. In the end, they just accepted it. It was for their team leader, after all.

Relaxation was hard to come by as a Beacon student. Even after classes, whether it was killing Grimm or resolving petty crimes, there was little time for something so simple yet rare: fun. Luckily for team RWBY, they were actually going to get some free time that day.

Unfortunately, it was Yang's turn to decide what was happening.

"We are not watching a horror movie." Weiss was trying to seem poised, but the pale look on her face suggested otherwise. Even the name, Bloodlines, sent an unusual shiver down Weiss's spine.

"Scared, ice queen?" Yang taunted, moving her face closer to Weiss's.

"No! Of course not."

"Then watch it."

Weiss had to give up her resolve. A huntress-in-training should not be conquered by their own fears. Weiss, however, looked downright terrified and Yang still had the disc in her hand. She had always been terrified of blood.

Although it was fun watching the heiress struggle, Yang decided to give her a lifeline. "If you want, you can hide behind Blakey." Besides, if she got a picture of Weiss using Blake as a shield, it would give the blonde blackmail material for life.

Blake, on the other hand, was not bothered by it. Blood was what ran though their veins and kept them alive, no need to be scared of it. Enough of it had been shed before her anyway.

Ruby had been forced by Yang to watch so many horror movies as a child that she developed half an immune system to it. Nevertheless, there was always the odd scene which frightened her.

"Well, let's get this over with," Blake muttered. Honestly, she was disguising a slight sense of contentment. If Weiss acted as scared as she looked just then, then at least the experience would be worthwhile.

The showing of the movie went as expected. In summary, Ruby devoured the snacks, Yang watched eagerly, Weiss moved as close as possible to her girlfriend and Blake was more focused on Weiss than the movie. The piercing cries of horror from the movie were simply bouncing off Blake as she caressed Weiss's soft tresses.

At one point in the movie, the obscenely good-looking female lead had ended up in a house by herself. As she stared at the door, a shadow began moving outside. Was it the killer? A false alarm? Tension was building in the dorm. The four girls eagerly leaned in. The shadow stood at the door's entrance. Then…

CRASH!"Help!"

Ruby and Blake jumped out of their skin, while Weiss screamed right in Blake's ear. Yang was just laughing, much to the confusion of the rest of their team. It was a genuinely scary moment for them.

In fact, it took them a few seconds to realise that Jaune was standing at their now-open door.

The sight of him caused Weiss to flush bright red as she scrambled out of Blake's arms. Luckily, the blonde boy hardly seemed to notice. His eyes were wider than Ruby's at something.

"What's wrong, Jaune?" Ruby asked running over to the hunter. "You locked out again?"

"Were any of you watching the news?" Pyrrha said from just behind her partner.

The collective reply was, of course, "No."

The redhead, sighing in exasperation, switched the channel to the Vale News Network.

Fire. That was the first thing they saw. A large dust shop was burning, as were the neighbouring stores. People were scattering in all directions as several explosions erupted from the shop like fireworks. The thugs around the scene helped make it clear.

The White Fang!

To Blake, this surely meant Adam and Ylva. She would be damned if she let them get away again. Answers were what she would get.

"Alright, me and Ruby will head out with you two," Weiss stated, gathering her rapier.

"We are? Awesome!" Ruby shouted, picking up Crescent Rose.

"I'm coming too." Blake was about to take her weapon until Weiss grabbed her wrist.

"No, Blake. I refuse to risk you. I will not lose you to them."

"Don't put me ahead of yourself! I want answers, you know."

Weiss clutched Blake's cheek and locked her icy eyes with Blake's. "Then I'll get you answers, but I'm not getting you taken away. I'm not going anywhere." Before the Faunus could react, Weiss passionately locked her lips with hers. They broke a few seconds later. Unbeknownst to the pair, Jaune and Pyrrha were watching, mouths open.

"…Alright." Blake stepped away and Yang gave her a small hug.

"I'll look after her," Yang said.

"Thank you." For the first time ever, Weiss and Yang shared a smile. It was for the sake of Blake. However, like all rare events, it ended quickly and Weiss left with Ruby, Pyrrha and Jaune. Yang and Blake were left alone, and the Faunus's worry was already creeping up.

Leading her over to the bed, Yang sat Blake down and used her semblance to warm Blake up.

"Weiss is a strong person. It doesn't matter how hard anyone will try, they're not getting rid of her."

Blake nodded. The words had little effect, but they were all she had. Hoping for the best was all she could do.

"So, Weiss…"

"What?"

"You and Blake are together?"

"Shut it, Jaune."

The smoke could be seen for miles. A huge pillar of it dominated the skyline of downtown Vale. From the centre of it, multicoloured explosions of all sorts of dust were occurring at a rapid rate. If left untreated, the inferno could spread throughout the entire city. But to stop the fire, they had to stop the White Fang.

That ended up proving difficult, as there was no White Fang to stop. The pavements had the occasional splatters of blood or perhaps a Grimm mask here and there. There was no sign of life in sight though.

Weiss's eyes scanned the area, fixing on every creak from the surrounding scenery. The dust explosions had died down, giving little distraction from every small sound which could resemble footsteps. They could have been planning an ambush.

Ruby was sticking close to Weiss, trying to seem as vigilant as her partner. Her anticipation was preventing that. She was tempted to fire at anything that moved. Even the shadow which Weiss was staring at.

Wait… A shadow? Yes, Weiss was sure of it. It was lurking in in a back alley. She didn't get a good enough glimpse to see who it was. The only thing she knew was that it couldn't have been friendly. The movement of the shadow wasn't alarmed, it was stalkingthem.

"Um, guys?" Jaune stuttered, pointing his sword at the shadow.

Pyrrha responded by crouching down and switching Miló to its rifle form. Ruby mimicked the action with Crescent Rose.

"Relax, Jaune. With the four of us staring it down, it's not going to win," Weiss said, arming her rapier.

Suddenly, a gasp. A scream. The sound of flesh being cut. It all ended with Pyrrha collapsing onto the ground, unmoving. It all happened too quickly for the group to comprehend.

"Pyrrha!" Jaune cried, crouching over his fallen partner.

"Jaune!" Ruby cried, appearing in front of him to block an incoming slash. What a slash it was as well. It nearly knocked Crescent Rose right out of her grip. Holding her ground, she took in her colossal assailant. He stood about a head taller than her and wielded a red sword. By far his eeriest feature was his glowing Grimm mask which illuminated the rest of his face like a small flame.

"You dolts! The formation!" Weiss cried as she parried a quick strike from a brand new attacker, Ylva.

The grey haired Faunus slashed again, throwing the unsuspecting heiress off balance. There was intent underlining the strike as it narrowly missed Weiss's neck. Another vicious slash sent Weiss falling as she dived away from the metal.

As she fell, Weiss flicked her rapier and the ground below her flared up, causing Ylva to leap backwards.

"Get Pyrrha out of here!" Ruby shouted to be heard over Jaune's scared words to his injured partner.

It took a second to register in the blonde's mind, as he wanted to avenge Pyrrha. His hands gripped the hilt like he was trying to crush it. However, even the redhead herself would have told Jaune to run. So, choosing the safe option, he made a run for it, cradling Pyrrha in his arms.

The Faunus duo ignored him and focused on the matter at hand. Their prize was right in front of them.

Ylva rushed back to attack Weiss who held her ground. Quick strikes, high and slow, kept the heiress on the defensive. Evading a downward slash, she thrust her rapier at the Faunus's neck, aiming for the early finishing blow.

The screeching of metal confirmed the block. Damn, she's good.Weiss had never had good luck against swift opponents. Already, this sparked nervousness.

She forced her body weight forward, but her opponent refused to budge. Ylva's lips turned up at the edges as she found herself locked in a stalemate. Weiss gritted her teeth as she tried to push on but failed.

"You weren't our target," Ylva said, smirking, "But you'll just have to do. Either way, the boss will be pleased." A push with her swords sent Weiss backwards into Ruby, who had failed to break an enduring Adam's defence.

The criminals eyed their respective prey. They both had one mutual target, and the red-cloaked girl was only a small obstacle.

Stepping closer, they forced Ruby and Weiss to go back-to-back. Weiss slowly crouched down, already forming a plan, unbeknownst to the other two.

Adam and Ylva remained unmoving, as did Ruby.

Perfect.

The glyph which she had quickly formed under her feet catapulted Weiss and her partner into the air. Quickly adjusting, Weiss dived at Ylva, sending the Faunus sliding backwards. Her following attacks weren't precise, which was strange enough. She also wasn't capitalizing on her position, rather she was trying to keep it deadlocked.

Ruby, meanwhile, had went straight for Adam's throat. Firing Crescent Rose as she descended, Adam thought it would be too easy to slash at Ruby and deplete her aura.

Until she arced right over him.

Smirking at her little trick, Ruby pulled her scythe back. It came forward but Adam reacted first and held his sword out, already preparing to counterattack. Only his slash met a cloud of rose petals.

Instinctively, he spun around and lunged. His attack met air, leaving him surprised for a second. That second of delay left an opening, which was exploited by a speeding Ruby.

The metal of her scythe collided with his back, sending him forward. He was heading straight for Weiss but it was simply routine for her as she leaped up and landed on a glyph. Adam, taking Ylva with him, fell to the ground. As soon as they tried to budge, Weiss formed a glyph around them, constricting them and leaving them open for an attack.

Weiss's elation slowly began building. It did seem as if they had won or, at least, were winning. She could return home and see Blake's face again and give her desired answers. People would commend her for heroism after dealing with this dastardly duo. Normality would finally be resumed after they apprehended these two.

"Fire Flower!"

Ruby's shout broke Weiss from her daydream. Leaping down, she formed an orange glyph ahead of Crescent Rose. Ruby took aim, ready to remove whatever fight they had left in them. Ready to return home. She pulled the trigger, one shot.

BANG!

It didn't hit, the embers fluttered around a new figure.

Ruby squinted and Weiss frowned as they saw why it didn't. There was a girl standing before them with an open, yet unscathed, parasol. Raising it up, the girls caught sight of her brown and pink hair and business-like apparel.

"Thanks, Neo," Ylva said, still struggling against Weiss's glyph.

Neo, remaining silent, closed her parasol and brought it down hard, shattering Weiss's glyph. That one move left the heiress shell-shocked enough that she didn't move.

Ruby dashed forward, unhappy that the conflict had been needlessly delayed. One swing of her scythe would deplete Neo's aura and the battle would be even again. Come on!

CRASH!

Glass rained down in front of Ruby, each fragment imprinted with a piece of the scene which she had just smashed. Even though she swore it was the real thing. It wasthe real thing, wasn't it?

Weiss was about to join her when a splitting pain shot through the back of her head. Her vision blurred as stars danced around in front of her eyes. A second blow caused her vision to go black as she immediately lost consciousness.

Ruby turned around just in time to see Adam running with Weiss over his shoulder towards a bullhead. A bullhead!?They were going to escape with Weiss. Not on her watch though.

Ruby fired her scythe backwards and used her semblance in hot pursuit. She would be there in no time. I'm coming W-

She ran right into a wall.

Glancing up, she caught full sight of Neo with her umbrella extended. Just that one tactic had already given Adam and Ylva the chance to escape.

"No." Ruby fell back, defeated. "I don't know what's happening to her now."

Neo, her eyes not leaving Ruby's, reached into her pocket. Normally Ruby loved ice cream, but this one didn't seem so sweet, so she thought. Even though Neo was in a good position, she pulled a note. With a surprisingly gentle smile, she pressed it into Ruby's palm before standing back.

Ruby carefully opened the note and read the calligraphic handwriting. Then she read it again, and again. Each reread further cementing the severity of the predicament.

If you want to see the Ice Queen again, bring the kitten to Vale's docks in exchange.

Love, Neo.

With that, Neo fell apart. Tiny specks of glass clinking off the ground.

Ruby put the note in her pocket. It was going to get very difficult for her as a team leader now. Because either way, she was going to lose a teammate. It all depended who Blake cared about the most.

Was it Weiss, or herself?

A/N: I have finally updated! Sorry for the massive delay. It was mostly due to me trying to work on Warmth of a Summer's Rose (which has had Chapter 4 pushed back to next week, so you got this instead). I am currently on holiday in Lanzarote (woo!) which explains my lack of time to write anything (it also has something to do with more lack of motivation) but I wanted to hurry this out so you guys have something to read. When I get back this Friday, I will most likely start serious work on my other fic. Don't expect this one to update for at least another week or two.

Also, I am going to try and drop the word count per-chapter as they are flirting at around 5,000 words each, with most being filler and it ends up taking a while to write. I will also try to take a little focus off the fight scenes and put it back on the story and drama. I have gotten the basic plot of this fic set out and I plan for it to last about 34 chapters. So, unless you like the fight scenes (if so, let me know), then I'll try to change that part.

Finally, I totally ship Ruby and Neo now for some unknown reason. Strawbery Ice Cream FTW! (I also like the idea of Neo being a silent character... just me?)

Remember to favourite, follow and review if you enjoyed. Thanks for reading!