READ THE NOTE AT THE END

Seriously. There's some important info you need to know regarding the upload time of the next chapter.

A flash of lightning lit up his face with a blinding white light. Burnt onto the right side of Adam's face, possibly blinding his right eye, was the SDC logo.

She felt bile rising up from the sight of the ugly mark. She thought the mark on Violet's body was bad enough, but this? This made her want to crawl out of her skin and disassociate from her family name.

"Adam…" She whispered.

He ignored her, using his sword to help himself back up to his feet and glared at Sienna with the most fearsome expression.

"Don't pretend to be surprised, girl." Sienna casually twirled her weapon in circles. "He's always been your private property, hasn't he?"

A roar of thunder made the ground beneath them tremble.

"What did you just say?" Weiss said through gritted teeth.

"Don't pretend, Schnee We're nothing but collectables and tools to you people." Sienna sneered. "He was your toy the day you met him. Don't try to deny the truth, Princess. This was all to keep him as your loyal little doll."

Anger, as she'd never felt before, overtook all her senses like an uncontrolled wildfire. It was all beginning to click into place, his untamed anger towards her, the violence; the complete change in character.

Sienna was the one to help fuel the flames of hatred for years. A flame that her father-–her family had started years ago.

"You don't know anything about us!" Weiss seethed.

"There's no need to lie anymore, girl. I can see you're trying really hard to protect your belongings." Sienna scowled.

How many times had she told him that exact same thing? How long did it take for her to rewrite history?

Weiss was sick of speculating—sick of seeing Sienna.

Weiss summoned the biggest glyph she could manage and called upon her strongest summon. She'd never been completely successful with this particular summon in combat, but in her rage, she didn't care. She was going to do everything in her power to get this woman away from them.

She felt her Knight respond to her fury before she even saw it rise up from the glyph. She'd never experienced that sort of power from her summons before, it almost scared her of what she was about to call into the world.

With a flash of white light, a knight clad in medieval armour stood in front of them, its sword drawn and ready to fight.

Sienna, to her credit, didn't back down despite the towering Knight glaring down at her.

"Get her out of my sight." Weiss ordered.

Her summon charged at an alarming speed, yet Sienna was able to avoid the swing of his blade and take blow after blow with grace. With her opponent distracted with her summon, Weiss quickly switched to the last of her Red Dust and encased her blade in flames.

She ran forward the best she could in her heavy clothes. Right when her Knight knocked the chain blade uselessly to the side, she struck. Weiss swung her sword diagonally across the woman's body with all the strength she could muster.

Sienna's scream and her Aura cracking was music to the raging blaze that was her anger.

The bloody wound would blister, Weiss was sure of that, but it was nothing compared to the rift she managed to create between her and Adam—to the senseless murder of her innocent relatives. Sienna glared at Weiss with the most murderous expression she'd ever seen. Weiss held her head up high and met the woman's gaze.

"Leave." Weiss spoke in a deceptively calm voice.

Sienna growled at her and lunged for her discarded chained weapon. Weiss' summon stood protectively in front of her once her enemy was armed again.

"You're lucky your little doll weakened me, Schnee. I would've destroyed you if I was in full form." Weiss didn't doubt Sienna's warning.

"Don't call him that!" Weiss switched back to her Light Blue Dust. She internally cursed when she noticed how little of it was left. "And I'd go back and check on those grunts of yours."

Her comment struck a visible nerve with Sienna.

"What did you do, Schnee?" She growled dangerously.

"Why don't you go and see for yourself?"

Weiss kept her expression as neutral as possible as Sienna searched her for any signs of deception. Finally, after what felt like forever, she bought her bluff.

"You'll regret this, Schnee." Sienna winced as she slowly backed away. "I'll do everything and anything to make you pay for what you did to my dear child—to my people!"

She turned to Adam and sneered. "Remember this, my child, you're nothing but property to this woman. Remember this the next time you defend your dear master, Adam."

"I said LEAVE!" Weiss screamed.

When Sienna was finally out of sight, whatever fight and courage she managed to muster up all came crashing down. She became distinctly aware of how heavy her clothes were weighing down her body and the utter exhaustion from the fight.

She quietly thanked her summon and let it go. Leaving only her and Adam in the terrible rain. She wasn't sure how to approach him, though he was only a few steps away, she felt farther from him than ever before.

"Adam—"

"Don't." He grunted in pain, nearly falling over when he backed away from her. She wanted to hurry over to his side and help him stay steady, but the hateful glare he shot her kept her frozen in place.

"Adam, we need to talk." She couldn't stop herself from staring at the horrible scar.

Did it still hurt? When did he get marked? Could he still see out of his injured eye?

"There's nothing left to say." He turned the scarred half of his face away from her.

"There's plenty to say." She disagreed. "What she said isn't true."

"Just drop it!"

"Someone left a permanent lesson on your face! I can't just ignore this!"

It was wrong of her to willingly ignore everything. The amount of baggage between them was too mountainous to turn a blind eye.

"Why? Because it'll sully your company name?!"

"You and I know that's not true!"

"You don't know what I believe!" He angrily ran a hand through his hair. "This was a mistake. I should've killed you when I had the chance! Now you're—" he plunged his fist into the nearest tree.

"I think we're long past that point." She reminded him coolly. "We need to talk about this, it was stupid to try and ignore our past!"

"There's nothing to say! You don't deserve to know a fucking thing!"

"My family did this to you! They hurt my friend! I can't pretend this never happened!" She took a careful step towards him.

"Get away from me!" He stumbled away from her. It tore her heart up to see him react to her like that.

She had to wonder if this was how he reacted to the one who hurt him.

"I-I'm sorry I wasn't there for you when you needed me the most."

"Listen, Schnee, I don't know what you think has been happening between us, but it's just been a respectful truce at most. There's nothing between us! There never has been!"

Every word was a dagger in her back, but she refused to take it to heart. Those words had to have been programmed into him by people like Sierra—planted by her own family.

"Adam, please." She took another step forward. This time he pointed his blade at her.

"I said get away from me!" His sword and hair gave in a dangerous glow.

Every instinct was screaming at her to run, but she held her ground. He didn't attack her once since they began travelling together, he taught her how to survive in the wilderness, and he protected her from both the Grimm and White Fang. The sweet, kind boy she once knew so well was still there—she was sure of it. She had nothing to fear.

"I don't know what you've been told by her, but I promise what we shared back then was real. I had no intentions of this happening to you, a-and I never thought of you as my property. You were just my friend—" when she took another step towards him he snapped.

It happened so quickly she had barely enough time to comprehend what he did. She just remembered seeing him swing his sword and feeling his crimson attack rush right past her like a burst of wind. Had she just been a step closer to the left, he would've easily sliced her arm cleanly off.

She was completely frozen in place, heart pounding so loudly in her ears it drowned out the rain and thunder.

Adam looked equally as shocked as her. He quickly sheathed his sword and retreated into the tree lines. She didn't stop him from running.

Hey, Ruby, it's Weiss. I got a new scroll after my old one broke. Are you still heading to Haven Academy?

She shakily sent her text message to Ruby. It was nightfall and the rain was still coming down hard outside, making the tiny cave she secluded herself in even colder. Weiss couldn't remember how long she'd walked until she found shelter, she'd nearly missed the tiny cave amidst the darkening night sky.

It was impossible to build a fire with the forest completely soaked, and she didn't have any more Dust to ignite a small flame to keep warm. So she opted to change out of her soaking tunic and into her casual robe. Even with dry clothes on her back, it did little to ward off the icy chill of the rain and night.

She jumped when her scroll lit up with a new call. Weiss made sure she dried the tears from her face before answering.

"Ruby?" She spoke as cheerfully as she could.

"Hey." Ruby's voice was heavy. It was a stark contrast to the determination she heard when Ruby told her about her plans to travel.

"What happened?" Weiss asked immediately.

She heard Ruby sniffle on the other side. "I messed up really badly, Weiss."

"Hey, I'm sure whatever happened you'll get through it."

"No, you don't understand!" She cried. "I got uncle Qrow hurt. I-I don't know if he's going to make it."

Ruby told her about her harrowing fight with a madman named Tyrian. She detailed how her stubbornness to join the fight led to her uncle taking a fatal hit for her.

Weiss knew from the endless stories Ruby told her the day Qrow visited that the man was like a second father figure to her. If something were to happen to him, Ruby would be destroyed. As if her sister losing an entire arm wasn't traumatic enough.

"Hey, I'm sure he doesn't blame you," Weiss assured her once she'd been caught up with the story. "You said he's in surgery, right? If he was able to survive days without proper medical care I'm sure he'll be fine now. Your uncle is a strong man."

"B-but what if he doesn't make it? W-what will I do?"

'What if he doesn't come back?' An intrusive thought whispered into her ear.

Weiss was at a complete loss for words. She knew whatever pleasantries she said would prove meaningless to Ruby at this point. Words would never change the past. At the end of the day, her uncle's life was still on the line.

At the end of the day, Adam was branded on his face because of her family.

"I don't know." She ended up telling her honestly. "Just…don't be too hard on yourself. Whatever happens, I know Qrow wouldn't want you to beat yourself up. You wouldn't want to worry him, right?"

"Y-yeah. I guess." Ruby murmured. "What about you? Why do you sound so…echoey?"

Weiss wanted to tell her she was doing fine, that she was having a smooth journey to Mistral City where they would be reunited soon. But she couldn't force herself to lie when all she wanted to do was cry the night away.

"Hey, you can tell me anything." Ruby consoled her. "I mean, you already heard me cry. It's only fair."

Weiss laughed a little. "You're going through a lot already, Ruby. You don't need my problems weighing you down."

"You're one of my closest friends, Weiss. Don't trick yourself into thinking I'm going to be annoyed by your troubles." Weiss did begin to cry at that. If Ruby heard her quiet sobs, she didn't comment on it. "Maybe I can't do anything to fix what's wrong, but I can at least listen to you."

"It's a long story."

"I have time."

Weiss finally relented and told her the complicated story of her and Adam. She purposefully left out his name and any other physical descriptions that could make Ruby identify him, but she told her everything that transpired between them. From their secret meetings in that lonely mine to their most recent fallout.

The rain only seemed to grow worse by the time she was finished recounting her story. Ruby didn't say a word throughout the tale. Weiss wondered if she'd hung up on her at some point.

"Wow, you've had it rough lately." Ruby finally replied.

"Biggest understatement of the century." She agreed.

"So…where's your friend now?"

"I don't know." She sneezed. "I-I don't think he's coming back this time, Ruby."

"Don't say that."

"You weren't there. He was really angry." Weiss still couldn't shake the hate that was in his eye just before he nearly cut her in half.

"Okay, fine, but from my perspective, he doesn't sound angry at you. You said this was the first time you've ever seen his scar right?"

"Yeah."

"Well…maybe he's just scared or embarrassed. If I had a scar like that, I'd be upset if you saw it too—n-no offence!"

"I don't know anymore, Ruby." She rested her head against her knees.

She was so tired. The fights, the hatred between Faunus and humans; the crimes buried by her own family. She wanted to close her eyes and never wake up again.

"Oh! T-the doctors are coming out. I-I need to go."

"Thanks for listening, Ruby." Weiss said softly "Remember not to blame yourself, alright? No matter what happens Qrow loves you."

"T-thanks." Ruby paused for a second. "I know you're in a tough position with your friend, but I think he'll come around eventually. He sounds like he cares about you."

It was an empty consolation, but she appreciated it nonetheless.

"Thanks."

"And to answer your question, we've just arrived in Mistral City. We'll wait for you to arrive before leaving again."

After ending the call she opted to try and sleep off the rest of the miserable day.

Maybe tomorrow will be better.

She felt like the embodiment of death when she woke up the next morning. Her throat was dry like sandpaper and her body was shivering from chills despite feeling uncomfortably warm at the same time.

Sunlight was washing the damp forest with all its brilliance, accompanied by early songbirds. Normally she loved this time of day, but right now she wanted to roll into a hole and die.

"Adam?" Her voice came out raspy.

She desperately searched the cave for him, but all she could see were shadows.

'He's not coming back.'

She blinked the burning out of her eyes and attempted to help herself sit up, she regretted it instantly as the world violently tilted sideways. Weiss groaned and curled back on the ground.

'I'll just rest for an extra hour.' She thought. 'I'll feel better after some more sleep.'

She closed her eyes and desperately hoped to sleep off the rest of her cold.

—

She found herself back in Violet's village, watching the children run wildly up and down the streets without a care in the world. Though the kids all had a smile on their faces, Weiss couldn't help but be drawn to the ugly SDC scar plastered on their faces.

Some had the mark on their foreheads, others had it on one cheek, and some had it right over their mouths.

"They sure are happy," Violet said calmly beside her. "I'm glad we've created a better world for them to grow up in."

Weiss felt sick to her stomach. If this was a better world then she wanted nothing to do with it.

"This isn't right." She breathed weakly. Children shouldn't be marked as property—no one should be marked as property.

"What are you talking about?" Violet tilted her head curiously at her. "Can't you see how happy he is?"

"Who?"

Violet smiled and pointed to the group of children.

"Look at how he smiles!"

Weiss followed her finger and found herself staring at a young, red-haired boy playing with a younger version of herself. Though the right side of his face was marked, neither he nor her younger self seemed to notice or care.

"Adam!" She exclaimed.

Both the small children looked up at her in surprise. Her younger self whispered something into his ear and they both took off running.

Weiss immediately followed after them into the thick forest.

"Wait! Adam!" She took off running after them

She could just barely make out the kids in the distance. The forest seemed to grow colder and colder by the second. Before long, the green foliage was replaced with layers of white snow.

The wind was pushing against her, sending hundreds of tiny snowflakes into her face. She hugged herself and forced herself through the knee-high snow. Despite it all, she was still about to see his tiny footprints in the snow.

She recognized the Dust mine the moment she saw its faint silhouette through the blizzard. She ran as quickly as she could towards it. When she finally arrived, she found Adam curled up against the cavern wall, quietly sobbing. He couldn't have been older than 4.

"Adam." She called out to him gently.

Adam gave no signs of hearing her, continuing to sob into his hands.

She gently approached him. "Hey, it's alright. You can tell me what's wrong."

She placed a hand on his shoulder. The moment her hand made contact, he cried out in pain and recoiled from her.

"W-why did you do that?!" He looked back at her angrily, with his tiny hands shielding the right side of his face.

"A-Adam?"

"Why did you burn me?!" He threw his hands down, revealing the freshly burned and blistered flesh permanently scarring his young, innocent face.

Weiss shot up drenched in sweat and her heart punching her chest aggressively. She immediately laid back down when her head began to spin from her new position.

"It's just a dream." She whispered to herself. "It's all just a bad dream."

'But how far from the truth was it?' The thought alone worsened her nausea.

She felt even worse than when she first woke up. The cave, despite being completely shrouded in shadows, felt like a sauna.

And there were still no signs of Adam.

'I can't stay here forever.' She realized with a miserable groan. 'Ruby still needs me.'

After struggling to fight against her vertigo, Weiss finally managed to help herself up to her feet.

'Exercise will do me some good.' She tried to convince herself. 'I'm a huntress! A stupid cold won't defeat me!'

She puffed out her chest and marched into the warm afternoon sunlight. Her dizziness returned with a vengeance and her eyes burned from the brightness outside.

'I can't give up here. I need to keep walking!'

She pushed herself forward despite her body's protests. Even when the ground began to move like waves, or when she doubled over dry heaving behind a bush; or when she felt so hot she was convinced she was on fire, she kept walking.

She kept walking until she physically couldn't anymore.

She cursed when her legs finally caved in. Weiss tried to catch herself but her arms felt like jelly, and the stars quickly dotting her vision wasn't helping.

The last thing she remembered was the sun roasting her back before the world went black.

"Wake up! Wake up! Snap out of it!"

She was still on fire. Weiss wasn't sure where she was, but she was certain someone had stuffed her into an oven.

'Maybe this is what hell feels like.' A morbid part of her thought. It would be fitting for a Schnee to be sentenced to the darkest corner of eternal damnation.

But not even the hottest hellfire could undo the damage done to Adam. To Violet. To the countless other children marked by her family.

"Come on, this isn't funny anymore! Wake up!" A hand was gently patting the side of her face.

She recognized Adam's voice, but she was convinced it was just a hallucination. There was no way he'd come back to her. Not after what he suffered through because of her family.

No, the last thing he'd do is rescue her from whatever hellscape she managed to fall into.

"Come on, Weiss. Don't do this to me now."

The use of her first name caught her attention. It'd been so long since he addressed her like that she had wondered if he even remembered what it was.

She opened her eyes and nearly burst into tears when she saw him staring down at her, with that horrifying scar still marring his face. The orange sunlight made his blazing hair even more vibrant than it normally was.

"You're real?" She wanted to reach out and touch him just to assure herself it wasn't an illusion, but she feared it would burn him again.

"And you're sick." He said bluntly.

She felt his bare hand on her forehead. It was cool to the touch.

"Dammit! Why did you think it was a good idea to travel in this state?!" He snapped, leaving her side.

She heard him open her briefcase and dig through her belongings. Weiss simply stared at him in awe as he pulled out Ash's map and skimmed through it.

If this was a dream she never wanted to wake up from it.

"Nearest village is a day's walk away if we don't stop for rest." He murmured. "Can't go back to that town unless we have a death wish."

"That sounds like a long time to walk." Weiss couldn't help but point out.

The bumpy ground was a perfectly good spot for her to lay on, the last thing she wanted was to walk for an entire day.

"As if I'm going to let you do any walking." He pocketed the map into his jacket. "Aside from your wallet, is there anything valuable in your briefcase you absolutely can't part with?"

"I like everything that's in there."

"I'm being serious."

"Fine," her head pounded as she tried to remember all the things that were stuffed in it. "I want to keep the clothes Violet gave me, oh and that red scarf you got me—it's pretty."

She didn't mean to let that last part slip, but he didn't seem bothered by it.

Adam pulled out each of the clothes she listed. He paused for a moment before taking out the spare Scroll she purchased.

"You don't want your new Scroll?" He asked.

"Oh, that's yours."

"Mine?" He looked utterly dumbfounded.

"Easier to be in contact through Scrolls. Well…unless you don't want to ever see me again."

"We can talk about…that later." He pocketed the Scroll before neatly folding her clothes. "I know you're not in the best state right now, but I'll need you to hold onto these."

He placed the clothes onto her belly. Weiss wasn't sure what he was trying to get at until she found herself scooped up into his arms.

"W-what are you—?"

"Carrying you to the nearest doctor. You're welcome, by the way."

Her stomach lurched when he took off running. Despite her added weight, he didn't seem the slightest bit bothered with the added luggage.

"I-I don't understand. Why would you still want to help me after…?" She once again found herself staring at that horrible scar.

"We can talk later."

"Aren't you mad?"

She felt his grip on her tighten. "Don't be ridiculous. You weren't the one who did this."

She couldn't believe her ears. His words lifted the crushing weight on her shoulders in an instant. Weiss wasn't sure how long she'd been waiting for him to finally say that to her, but it was like a breath of fresh air.

"Like I said, we'll talk once you can think straight." He spared her a quick glance. "Get some rest."

Weiss nodded and snuggled into his chest, falling asleep to the sound of his strong heartbeat.

As many of you can already tell, the next chapter is going to be a big one.

I know I've complained a lot about some of these chapters being hard to write/edit, but I'm not hyperbolizing when I say the next chapter is the hardest chapter I have to edit on many levels.

Since I'm a little too invested in this fun project now, I want to spend some extra time with it before I release it. I probably won't upload till Saturday or Friday at the earliest. Kinda breaks my usual schedule, but I think the extra time is necessary.

So with that being said, I'll see you guys in a few days. Take care :)