Chapter 11) Leave Me Alone!

A/N: Summer is supposed to be over, so why is it still so unbearably hot!? Winter can't come soon enough.

Anyway, here's another chapter. Enjoy!

CONTENT WARNING: This chapter dives into themes of abuse and trauma, especially in the second half.

As her Scroll buzzed for the fifth time that morning alone, Weiss did her best to resist the urge to hurl the thing across the library. Letting out a huff of exasperation, she glanced at the screen and saw that yes, it was indeed her father calling her yet again.

Why are these things designed to never be able to turn off so long as they have charge on them?

Weiss pressed 'ignore' once again, and returned to her work. Surely her father would give up eventually? He did apparently have a whole company to run, after all. How much time could he afford to waste chasing after her anyway?

Picking her pen back up, Weiss turned her attention back to her assignment.

Q7b) Assuming the proportions you have given for Part (a) are accurate, how much refined Lightning Dust is required to produce the necessary energy to run the engine as it is described in the brief?

Weiss knew the ins-and-outs of Dust better than most people her age did, so it was no trouble for her to solve the questions they had been set for their homework. Writing the answer down, Weiss turned the worksheet over and began to read the next question.

BUZZ! BUZZ!

This time, Weiss didn't even look at the screen before she hit 'ignore.'

Leave me alone.

"Hey, are you Weiss Schnee?"

Weiss looked up from her work, and fought down a groan. The boy who had walked up to her was wearing a grey uniform that she immediately recognised.

"Yes, my name is Weiss," she said as calmly as she could to the Atlas student. "Now if you would be so kind, I am in the middle of an assignment right now, so please go away."

The boy looked rather put off by her response, not that Weiss cared how he saw her. She just wanted him gone.

"Alright, sheesh. What's got you all bent out of shape?"

Weiss levelled the boy with a glare. "Probably the fact that you people have spent the last two days pestering me every chance you get, and it has long since become tiresome."

The boy seemed at a loss for how to reply to that, so he simply turned and walked away, back towards a small group of similarly-dressed people who were muttering amongst themselves while glancing her way with very little subtlety.

The early arrival of the Atlas students two days ago had been met with much fanfare and discussion amongst the population of Beacon. Even Ruby, the person Weiss would have expected to be the least enthusiastic about the whole situation besides herself, had apparently succeeded in striking up a friendship with a pair of Atlas students in record time and had insisted on giving them a tour, much to her elder sister's joy. Yang had likewise struck up a friendly conversation with another student, and even the quiet and conversation-averse Blake had seemed to take to the new arrivals with some interest.

Weiss, meanwhile, had been dreading the Atlas students' arrival ever since Professor Ozpin had announced it. It would be just like her father to 'reach out' to some Atlas student and ask them to pass on a message to his daughter.

While that had not happened… yet, what had been happening over the last two days had been aggravating enough.

What's it like being a member of the Schnee family? That was one she got asked a lot.

Is it true you aren't the heiress anymore? That one was also quite frequent, and even less welcome that the first.

How did you get your scar?

That one, she hated more than the rest.

But no matter how many times she told them that she didn't want to talk, no matter how many times she made it quite clear that she did not at all appreciate these total strangers asking her such personal questions, they just kept on accosting her. In between classes, during mealtimes, and now apparently even when she was trying to study in peace!

BUZZ! BUZZ!

And on top of it all, her father had been calling her nonstop!

Her concentration now ruined, Weiss got up and packed away her things, shoving her books into her bag and stuffing her Scroll into her pocket after once again having to hit 'ignore' to silence its incessant buzzing.

As she made her way out, yet another Atlas student attempted to talk to her, but she didn't even give them the chance, swerving past them without so much as a word as she swiftly exited the library and began to walk back towards the dorm.

…

Three wrong turns later, Weiss pulled her Scroll back out and opened up the map of the school to figure out where she was.

"I do not have a terrible sense of direction!" Weiss had fumed after one too many remarks from Yang. "This school is just so needlessly big! Anyone would get lost in it!"

"I'm pretty sure Schnee Manor is bigger than Beacon," Blake had commented. "Do you get lost in your own home as well?"

No, she did not, since most of the manor had been strictly off-limits to her and her siblings. Their bedrooms, the dining room and the main hall were the only places they had been allowed to go without permission.

Not that she had said that to her teammates. That was none of their business, after all.

Eventually, Weiss found her way back to the dorms, and let herself into the room. She was apparently alone, the rest of her team off elsewhere.

That suited Weiss just fine. She was guaranteed some genuine peace and quiet now.

Retrieving her work from her bag, Weiss set herself down at the desk and resumed her work.

…

It took five minutes of staring at the page and drawing a blank for Weiss to realise that no, she was not going to get any more work done today.

So she once again shoved her books back into her bag and threw the entire thing haphazardly into a corner. She would put it away properly later, but at that moment she just did not care enough to bother.

She couldn't go to the sparring rooms, not if she wanted to continue avoiding the Atlas students. Going out for a walk in the grounds was similarly out of the question.

Weiss briefly pondered the possibility of calling one of her teammates and asking if she could join them on whatever it was they were doing, but decided against it quickly. Odds were good that they were spending time together with their new Atlas friends, after all.

Darn it, I should have grabbed a book to read before I left the library…

Weiss glanced at the small shelf of books that belonged to Blake.

She wouldn't mind if I borrowed one, would she?

It wasn't a particularly wide selection, maybe a dozen or so different books to choose from, but Weiss was bored enough and frustrated enough to not mind.

The Man With Two Souls was one she had already read before. It was interesting, but Weiss wanted something new.

History of the Great War did not sound like a light read, and judging by its thickness, Weiss doubted she would even finish it before she graduated.

The Seven Swords caught her attention. The description on the back sounded interesting enough, at least.

Mind made up; Weiss made her way back over to her bed with her chosen book in hand.

Despite Yang's insistence that her ridiculous hammock-beds were supposed to be a temporary measure, they had wound up becoming a permanent feature of the room, much to Weiss' chagrin. But at least she had a system to get up to her bunk without help now. Slipping off her shoes, Weiss used the bedside table to boost herself up and reach her bunk, pulling herself up using the ropes.

Settling herself against her pillows, Weiss opened up The Seven Swords and began to read.

Asagi fell to her knees in despair. She had journeyed so long, travelled so far, only for it all to have been in vain. All she could do was watch as the warrior turned and walked away without sparing her a second glance.

Her pleas had fallen on deaf ears.

What was she to do now? Akabeni had been her village's last hope. No other warrior would aid them, not for the meagre price they could offer. The bandits would come, raze her home to the ground, slaughter her family, take all that they could, because what could they do to stop them?

Nothing.

Not a damn thing!

"Please!" Asagi bowed low, her forehead pressed against the rough wood of the tavern as she prostrated herself before Akabeni. "I beg you! We will be forever in your debt!"

"I cannot eat your debt," Akabeni rumbled. "I cannot buy my ale with your debt. What you can offer me is not enough for me to risk my life."

Asagi could no longer hold back her tears. She cried, because she could do nothing else. She cried, because the world was so cruel and without hope. She cried, because she didn't want to die, she didn't want to die, she was so scared of dying…

"Beni, do not walk away from this."

Asagi lifted her head. A younger man, not much older than herself, had risen from his seat. His hair was long and unkempt, his clothes tattered, but he stared after the retreating form of Akabeni with intense eyes.

Akabeni stopped walking. "Murasaki, have care how you speak to me. I only tolerate you so much. Do not test my patience, boy."

The unkempt man, Murasaki, took a step forwards. "How can you turn away from this woman's plight? Were you not sworn to protect those below your station?"

"I was," replied Akabeni. "But no longer. Those days are passed. I did my duty, now I rest. My twilight is approaching, and I will not risk cutting short the precious few years I have left in return for such a pitiful payment."

Akabeni then turned to face Murasaki, his expression dark. "And you will not accept her request either, boy. We make for the coast tomorrow, if you recall, and I will not leave you behind."

Murasaki stood his ground, stood tall in the face of the veteran soldier's harsh gaze. "You do not own my life, Beni. I choose my own path, and you have no right to sway my choice."

Akabeni took a step closer to Murasaki. He towered over the shorter man, and despite his long years, he was clearly stronger. "And you have no right to insist that I stay."

"Then leave, but I will not leave with you. I make for this village that needs help."

Asagi would have sworn that she had not seen Akabeni move, yet in an instant he had drawn his sword and pressed it against Murasaki's neck. "If you are so eager to throw your life away, boy, then perhaps I should spare you the trouble and kill you right now."

Asagi surged to her feet. She would not allow this young man to be killed because of her-

Silver flashed, the sound of metal-on-metal rang in the air, and quicker than Asagi's eye could follow, Murasaki had drawn his own blade and parried Akabeni's aside.

In doing so, his cloak had fallen from his shoulders, and Asagi gasped as she saw that the young man possessed only one arm.

"I am not as fragile as you seem to believe, old man," Murasaki spat. "If you think you can take my life so easily, then take it!"

Akabeni did not move.

Neither did Murasaki.

Asagi was frozen where she stood, paralysed with shock and fear.

Everyone else in the tavern had scrambled for cover. The owner had ducked behind the countertop, and the patrons all hid beneath their tables.

For a few moments, moments that extended for what felt like an age, no-one moved or spoke.

The two swordsmen stared each other down in silence, tense and poised.

And then, swift and sudden, they exploded into combat-

"Are you enjoying that one?"

Weiss startled, almost dropping the book as she whipped her head around to see who had spoken.

Blake and Yang had arrived back in the dorm, Weiss having managed to not hear the door opening as she was absorbed in her reading. Yang was already making her way towards the bathroom, while Blake was smirking at Weiss, arms folded as she leaned against the wall.

Weiss frowned. "I was, until you interrupted me."

Blake just kept on smirking at her. "Glad you like it. Just make sure you put it back when you're done."

Weiss bristled at the implied insinuation. "I was going to do that anyway, I'm not a thief!"

Blake shrugged. "I'm not saying you are."

Weiss was about to respond to that, when…

BUZZ! BUZZ!

"Oh, for the love of…" Weiss pulled her Scroll from her pocket, ready to once again hit 'ignore' and then actually throw the thing across the room, because she had had enough of people bothering her for one day…

WHITLEY

Weiss felt her anger fade quickly seeing her twin's name on the screen.

Smiling, Weiss hit 'answer' and raised her Scroll to her ear. "Hello Whitley. How are you?"

The voice that spoke back to Weiss was not her brother's.

"Weiss, my girl. Why are you not answering when I call you?"

Weiss felt her blood run cold as her father's voice rang in her ear.

"F-father?"

"Yes, Weiss. Now tell me, why have you been ignoring me?"

Weiss did not respond. She felt her heartrate quicken, her breaths become shallower, and she could have sworn that she heard his footsteps behind her. His hand would be on her shoulder soon, gripping her tight, and she would have to apologise and promise to do better from now on-

A sudden realisation blew all of those worries away and replaced them with something far more frightening.

"You took Whitley's Scroll?" Weiss whispered.

Father huffed. "Of course. I needed to speak to you somehow."

Father had taken Whitley's Scroll.

Which meant that Whitley was still…

"He didn't know!" Weiss yelled, panic causing her voice to rise in pitch and volume. "He didn't know I was leaving!"

"Lies," Father said, cutting her off. "You all planned this together. Whitley told me as much when I spoke with him."

Weiss felt her panic rise further. "Where is he? Where's my brother?"

"Why, he's right here," replied Father. "Would you like to speak with him?"

There was a moment of silence, then… "Weiss?"

"Whitley!" Weiss cried. "I'm so sorry! Are you OK?"

"I'm fine." Whitley sounded so tired. "And you have nothing to apologise for."

Weiss clenched her fist, her nails digging into her palm. "I'll come back. Tell Father that-"

"No!" Whitley yelled. "Don't you dare! Weiss, don't worry about me, I'll be fine, you don't have to-"

Whitley's voice was cut off, then a moment later Father was speaking to her again.

"Weiss, my girl," he said, his voice calm, his tone kind. All fake. "You are always welcome back with the family. Whenever you want to come home, just say the word and I'll have you brought to me straight away."

Weiss swallowed. "What if I don't want to come home?" she whispered. "Ever?"

Father was silent again for a moment. When next he spoke, the false kindness was gone, replaced with cold disappointment. "Then you will no longer be a Schnee. You will not see your brother, your mother, or myself. You will have no access to the family name, or any of the benefits that come with it. You will be alone, like your sister is."

Then Father's tone was friendly once again, dripping with his signature fake kindness. "But of course, all you have to do is call, and that can all be in the past. You can even be the Heiress again if you wish, since your brother is, well…"

Weiss gripped her Scroll so tightly it began to creak. All her fear, worry and panic was driven out by her rage at the way Father dared to speak of her brother.

"I hate you," she hissed. "I have always hated you."

"Nonsense," Father scoffed. "We're family. Now, I did have more to discuss with you, but I can tell that you need time to think. I shall call you again in a few days, or you can call me whenever you like. Oh, and do be sure to study hard. It wouldn't do for you to fall short now, would it? After all, our reputation is everything."

Before Weiss had a chance to say anything in response, Father had hung up.

…

Weiss stared at her Scroll. She felt sick.

"Uh, Schnee?"

Weiss lifted her head. Blake was staring at her, eyes wide. She had, of course, witnessed the entire thing.

Slowly, Weiss lowered herself down from her bunk and walked towards the door, her Scroll clutched tightly to her chest.

"Weiss?"

Weiss paused for a moment. Blake never called her by her actual name.

"I need to make a call," Weiss said quietly. "I'll be back later."

Somehow, Weiss had found her way back to the same empty classroom she had hid away in last time, after her fight with Ruby. She was holding her Scroll in front of her, one name highlighted, her finger hovering over the call button.

WINTER

Would she even answer?

This is for Whitley.

Weiss hit call.

The Scroll rang… and rang… and rang…

There was a click, and then, "Weiss?"

There were so many things she wanted to say, but what came out first was angry and bitter.

"You were supposed to get him out! You promised us!"

That had been the plan. Weiss would leave for Beacon, and Winter would take Whitley away to stay with her. All of them were supposed to get out, away from him, not one of them left behind.

If Weiss had known that this would happen, she never would have left her brother all alone…

"I tried, Weiss," Winter sighed. "I tried everything I could, but it just didn't work. I can't legally take custody of Whitley, not while I remain a Special Operative. I just wouldn't be able to take care of him, I wouldn't be there enough."

"But you promised!" Weiss no longer bothered to stop herself from crying. Tears poured down her face as the reality of the situation fell upon her. "He's all by himself, Winter! We left him all alone with… with…"

Weiss sobbed painfully, unable to finish talking.

"I'm sorry, Weiss." Winter sounded close to tears herself. "I couldn't keep my promise, and I'm sorry."

Weiss fought to pull herself together, stifling her sobs as much as she could. "I… I have to go back. I'll call Father and-"

"You will do no such thing!" snapped Winter. "I am not letting you go back there, Weiss. You got out, don't throw that away."

"But Whitley," Weiss protested. "What about Whitley?"

"Weiss, listen to me." Winter spoke calmly but firmly. "Your brother wanted you to get out, just as much as you wanted him to get out. He didn't help you get accepted into Beacon because he was hoping that it would benefit him, he did it for you. He loves you, and he wants you to be safe and happy. We both want you to be safe and happy."

Weiss sniffled. "But what about Whitley? Doesn't he deserve to be safe as well?"

"Weiss, if you go back now, what would that accomplish? Whitley would still be there, but now you would be as well, and Jacques will have gotten exactly what he wants, just like he always does."

Weiss wrapped an arm around herself, curling up in the chair she was sat on. "At least he wouldn't be alone," she mumbled.

Winter sighed. "Weiss, you're the one that Jacques wants. You were his… favourite." She spat that word out, making it clear what she thought of how Father treated his trophy. "I won't lie and say that Whitley will have it easy, but Jacques never paid as much attention to him, for better or worse. And in a year's time, he won't have any more say in the matter. Whitley will be able to leave on his own."

Weiss balked at what Winter was suggesting. "We can't just leave him there for a whole year on his own, Winter!"

"Weiss," Winter said firmly. "Your brother is not fragile. Jacques might not think highly of him, but you and I both know that Whitley is strong in his own way."

Weiss hiccupped, wiping away some of her tears. "C-can I see you?"

"Of course you can."

Weiss lowered her Scroll and pressed the button to turn on the camera. A few seconds later, Winter's face appeared on her screen.

Winter had her hair down, and by the looks of things she had been settling in for the evening before Weiss called. Her eyes looked tired, but she smiled at Weiss nonetheless, a small but genuine smile.

"How are you?" Weiss asked.

"I'm fine," Winter replied. "And Whitley will be fine as well. I might not have been able to get him out, but I can still check up on him whenever I can. Jacques doesn't know it, but I still have Klein's number, and he has mine."

Weiss sniffled again. "Whitley… I was able to speak to him, a little. He said… he yelled at me not to come back."

"Well then, are you going to disagree with both me and Whitley?" Winter asked.

Weiss took a shaky breath. "I'm just… I'm scared, Winter. I'm so scared something will happen to him because I left."

Winter sat down. "Weiss, think of it this way: if Whitley wasn't a factor, if this was just about you, what would you want to do?"

What would she want? That was an easy question to answer.

"To never see Father again for as long as I live."

Winter gave a slight chuckle at that. "Then make that choice, Weiss. Not for anyone else, but for yourself. You have your own life to live now, Weiss. Live for yourself for a change."

Weiss sagged in her seat. She was exhausted. "Thank-you, Winter. For everything."

Winter smiled once more. "You should get some rest. I can't speak for how Beacon runs its classes, but if they're anything like Atlas, you'll need a good night's sleep."

The mention of Atlas made Weiss remember the other thing that had ruined her day. "Ugh, the Atlas students keep asking me questions. I wish they would just leave me alone."

Winter grimaced in sympathy. "I'm afraid I can't help with that. I recommend you just avoid them, though I imagine that's what you've been doing anyway."

A yawn escaped Weiss, and she felt her eyelids beginning to grow heavy. "Sorry," she mumbled. "I should go."

"Yes, I think that would be wise," agreed Winter. "Get back to your dorm before you wind up falling asleep in that classroom you're in."

"I will," Weiss replied. "Good night, Winter."

"Good night, Weiss. Take care."

Weiss stood at the entrance to the dorm, slightly hesitant to enter. No doubt Blake had filled Yang in on what she had overheard, maybe even told Ruby as well. She was really not looking forward to being asked about what had just happened.

Just tell them you sorted it out, and leave it at that. No need for them to know the details.

Taking a breath, Weiss entered the dorm.

No Ruby, she was apparently still elsewhere.

No Blake, either, which was strange. Maybe she was in the shower?

The only other person in the room was…

"You look like crap," said Yang bluntly from where she was laying on her bed.

Weiss did not even have the energy to spare to snark back. "I need some sleep," was all she could manage as she all but dragged herself towards her bunk.

"Weiss, wait." There was the sound of creaking springs as Yang got up.

Weiss turned around. "Can it wait till morning?"

Yang scratched her cheek awkwardly. "Look, I know we aren't exactly… close, but we are teammates. So, if you ever wanna talk, or anything like that, you can just ask."

Weiss blinked. Yang's offer sounded… genuine. Not a hint of teasing or sarcasm to be detected.

"I'll… keep that in mind." Weiss certainly did not feel like baring her soul to anyone right now, much less Yang, but she could at least appreciate the sentiment.

With a nod, Yang returned to her own bed, and Weiss clambered into hers.

Within seconds of her head hitting her pillow, she was fast asleep.

[To borrow a line from one Hooty the Owl: "Special delivery! PAIN!"]

Hello again to the readers who are returning from before. And to those of you who just found this fic today, welcome! I'm Not Scot.

To clarify, Weiss and Whitley are twins in this version of events, and they are much closer than in canon. In fact, all the Schnee siblings are very close. They looked out for each other a lot back at home, since they didn't really have anyone else.

I'm leaning hard into Weiss having an awful home life in this, so I wanted to offset that by improving hers and Whitley's relationship. I really like sibling dynamics in stories that are positive rather than toxic, although I do recognise when a toxic sibling dynamic can work well in a story. I just decided against it for my version of events.

As for what it is that Jacques looks down on Whitley for? Well, next chapter will reveal that, as well as a few other details about Weiss' backstory in this fic. I won't give anything away yet, but as a hint, Weiss' scar was received in a different way than in canon, and she wasn't the only one who got hurt…

[No, I haven't watched Ice Queendom yet. I'm waiting until it's finished, then I'm gonna binge it all in one go on a free weekend.]

In other news, we are now at the end of Act 2 of Volume 1. From here on out, we start to build towards our first big climax: the events of episodes 15 and 16 of the main series. I have five chapters to cover that with according to my self-imposed rules, and then it's on to Volume 2!

That's all for now, though, so for the time being, I shall take my leave.

Until next time,

Not Scot.

P.S: The extra little 'story-within-a-story' I added wasn't just an excuse for me to make a Seven Samurai reference, nor was it me adding some of my own unrelated writing into my fanfiction. Like with the earlier 'The Man With Two Souls' extract, it includes a nice dose of foreshadowing for future events.