Edited. Mar 4.
I forgot to add something when I initially posted this morning. I really hope most of you guys don't see this until later tonight ;;
Weiss ran into her first obstacle that very night. She had no idea where to sleep in the middle of the forest. The sun was quickly setting, turning the bright forest into a confusing dark maze of trees and shadows. Weiss hadn't planned what she would do during nightfall. She didn't even pack items to sleep on, she'd bet everything on a smooth flight to Mistral.
'Think!' She screamed to herself internally. 'It's going to get dark soon. I'll need a source of light and warmth, so let's build a fire!'
She eyed the Red Dust compartment on her sword longingly. It wouldn't be enough to last her the entire journey if she relied on it for campfires, and she'd only prepared enough for emergencies during combat.
She recalled long ago that fire could be made using natural resources, how the process was done escaped her but it was a start. Weiss collected a decent pile of twigs and branches she broke off from the trees and began experimentally rubbing the wood together.
All she accomplished was wasting her time. Weiss cursed the useless twigs and threw them angrily on the ground.
'Forget the fire. It's easier to sleep in the dark anyways.'
After compiling a miserable pile of fallen leaves, she laid on the cold foliage and tried to sleep. She quickly regretted the decision when the night grew colder and colder. The hard, lumpy ground beneath her didn't help to make her night any easier.
A snap of a twig made her sit up immediately. The only thing she could see for certain was the glimpses of twinkling stars beyond the thick blanket of leaves overhead.
Weiss frantically searched the pitch blackness for her weapon, but she could only manage to grasp onto leaves and dirt.
"You look pathetic." Adam's voice sounded right behind her.
She yelped, clumsily knocking herself into a tree trunk.
"It's a miracle you survived so long outside daddy's mansion." His footsteps circled her like a predator. She could just barely make out his towering figure in the shadows.
She continued to pat the ground frantically for her sword. Her hand eventually found itself around a small rock. Having a single rock on hand was better than being completely helpless.
She reeled her small weapon back when she heard him shift closer, yet his sword remained in his sheath. They both paused when neither of them made the move to strike first. By now, Weiss felt frozen to the bone.
He could have very easily disposed of her right then and there, she stood no chance in the dark and defenceless, but he didn't take the opportunity like she expected him to.
'Why are you here, Adam?'
"Leave me alone." Weiss was surprised at how collected her voice sounded.
"How can I when you're making such a spectacular fool of yourself?"
Something cold fell on her lap. She immediately kicked the object off, freezing when she heard the familiar twang of metal on the ground. She ran her hands towards the spot she heard the noise and breathed a sigh of relief when she felt the familiar shape of her sword.
'Why would he give this back to me?' She thought.
"It's no fun playing with an unarmed target," he said as if reading her mind.
'It's not too late for him,' she recalled Violet's words with a shiver.
Was it possible he didn't have intentions to kill her? Or was this some twisted game he was playing with her?
The more logical side of Weiss screamed at her to not cling onto false hope. Her heart, however, urged her to read between the lines.
"Why the hell did you collect this miserable pile of twigs? Wanting to take some souvenirs from your little trip in the wild?" He mocked, snapping her out of her confused thoughts.
"I-it's none of your business!" She snapped, face heating up at the prospect of telling him why exactly she'd gathered them. "Just leave me alone. I'm trying to sleep."
"Ah yes, sleeping in the cold. Sounds lovely to me."
She was completely thrown off by his sarcasm. Just what was his deal?
"If you have nothing better to do than to mock me then just go away."
"Not yet, Schnee. I'm not done with you yet." He said dangerously. "What the hell are you playing at?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about." She answered truthfully, slowly rising to her feet.
"Risking your pretty little face for a Faunus twice." He spat. "Are you trying to trick us into becoming your obedient little slaves again? Or maybe you're trying to protect your company assets. A dead Faunus can't provide you free labour, right? Go on, there's no one but you and me right now."
"You're completely overthinking this!" She felt a spark of anger at his accusation. "I saved Clay and Violet because it was the right thing to do. That's it."
"You expect me to believe that? Someone like you could never care for us."
She wasn't sure why his response cut into her heart the way it did. She didn't expect him to suddenly turn a new leaf after slaying a single Grimm on her behalf, but why did it hurt so much?
"I don't care what you believe! I know how I feel about this issue, and you can't tell me otherwise!"
"Stop lying, Schnee! You can't fool me with your spontaneous change in heart!"
"I don't know what else to tell you, asshole! I-I've just learned a few things from the Faunus." Her hands grew clammy at the memory of that awful SDC mark on Violet's back. "I-I'm sorry for doubting what you were saying about the Schnee Dust Company. You were right."
'How did they hurt you?' She bit back the question knawing away at her the past week.
"So you'll admit you were willingly turning a blind eye on their sins." He accused.
"I didn't know what was happening until recently!"
"Another human willfully pushing off the blame. You're all the same."
She wanted to punch him in the face for lumping her, and indirectly Ash, with people like Father who would happily mark the Faunus as their property. The mere comparison made her physically ill.
"I'm done with this conversation! Go away and let me sleep in peace!"
"Why would I do that when you're completely at my mercy?" He mocked her in a sickeningly sweet voice.
"You wouldn't do anything." She blurted recklessly.
"Are you sure about that, Princess?"
She shivered when she heard his blade being pulled from its sheath, she immediately held her sword up.
'Is it really not too late for you?' She wanted to scream at him. 'Why did you save me?'
Weiss forced down every instinct to strike and looked bravely at his dark figure.
"If you wanted me dead you would've killed me by now." She pointed out.
"Who says that's not part of tonight's plan?" The glee in his voice almost convinced her he was telling the truth. "Do you honestly think I would give up the opportunity to see you die?"
"Then why would you save my life?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about." He answered instantly.
'Got you!'
She smirked, knowing full well he could see her well in the dark. "Back at the village. Violet saw what you did. They all did."
That got him to go dead silent. She nervously braced herself to block his blade, mentally counting down the seconds as they dragged by.
"You're mine to kill, Schnee. Mine alone."
"Get over yourself! You're not the only one my family hurt." She snapped. "Violet and Clay have every reason to kill me too after the way my family mutilated them, but they didn't."
'Just like you.'
"And I don't care what you have to say or think, I will never stop fighting for them. Never." She vowed.
The moment he took a step forward she activated whatever Dust compartment was loaded, which happened to surround the both of them in an angry torrent of wind. She trembled from the cold air ruffling through her hair and clothes.
"You might've fooled them, but I will never stop until I expose your lies. " He promised icily. "The moment you slip, your life is mine, Schnee."
Weiss kept her guard up even as she heard his sword return to its sheath. She didn't lower her blade until he faded into the silence of the night.
She finally let herself breathe a big sigh of relief and collapsed onto her cold, itchy bed of scattered leaves. Her heart was racing–from fear or adrenaline, she didn't know.
After hopelessly failing to get into a position that was remotely comfortable or warm, she opted to spend the rest of the night counting the few stars she could see. As the night grew colder, she was reminded of the secret nights she once shared with that kind, innocent boy.
The next night wasn't any better, and the rain only made her feel more miserable. She luckily found a small cave to hide in before the rain could completely soak her.
Weiss finally caved into the cold and used a bit of her Red Dust to start a fire on a small pile of twigs she collected earlier. She huddled as close to the crackling fire as she could, trying to soak in all the warmth from the dying flame.
The fire was growing smaller and smaller as time went on. She worried she'd need to use more of her Dust to help it regain its prior size.
"You need to feed it to keep it going, idiot."
She nearly toppled over as his voice ripped through the silence.
"I don't remember asking for your opinion." She snapped, patting her side to assure herself that she was armed.
She tensed when he walked closer to her campfire. The shadows carving out his ominous dark figure only made him appear more Grimm-like.
Weiss flinched back when he reached down to the small pile of twigs and branches by her side. Adam didn't even react to her. It was like she was completely invisible to him.
"Throw some of your Dust into it." He ordered.
"I'm not going to waste my supply!"
"You're welcome to freeze for the rest of the night, Princess."
Weiss cursed the rain pelting outside for keeping her trapped inside with him. She reluctantly took a pinch of her Dust and sprinkled it into the active fire.
The fire expanded almost immediately. She kept her eyes locked on Adam as he added more of her twigs into the flame, making it even bigger than before.
"Thanks." She grumbled once he managed to build a large enough campfire to ward off the night's chill.
"Don't flatter yourself. I'm only here because of the rain." He scooted away until he was just barely lit up by the fire.
"You're staying here?!"
"I didn't build a fire for you! I like spending my nights warm, unlike some people!"
"As long as you don't come anywhere near my side of the cave." She said sternly, leaning into the shadows to hide her embarrassment.
"I wouldn't touch you with a ten-foot pole. I don't like getting my clothes dirty with scum."
Weiss did not like this idea one bit. While she was somewhat certain he wouldn't do anything to kill her, she still wasn't comfortable staying in a cave with him completely alone.
He was still the guy who attacked Beacon, who cut off her friend's arm—who once held her like she meant everything to him. He was still the guy who saved her life.
'Stupid!' She quickly dismissed those thoughts. 'I wish he would've just let me die back there! Jerk!'
"Can't you find a different hole to crawl into? I came here first." She grumbled.
"I wouldn't be anywhere near you if I had the choice." He scoffed. "Damn rain won't stop."
"It's not like I want this! Maybe if you weren't following me we wouldn't be stuck in this situation! Don't you have some White Fang shit to do?"
"For all you know, I could be doing exactly that."
"I doubt a terrorist organization would order you to simply follow me! I'm not stupid."
"Could've fooled me."
She shot him a glare before digging into her briefcase for the last of her food supply. She wasn't sure what she was going to do about meals from now on. She'd never had to look for food in the wild, and she didn't want to stomach the idea of hunting a wild animal and preparing it to eat.
She pulled out the last of her apples and a single orange from her briefcase. She glanced over at Adam who had his head turned away from her.
'I wonder if he's eaten yet.'
She almost laughed at the familiarity of their situation had it not been for the bitterness in her heart.
"Here." She rolled two apples over in his direction.
He looked down at the fruits with a grimace. "I don't need your charity."
"I'm not doing this out of pity." She took a bite out of her apple. "You can starve for all I care!"
She turned her back towards him and finished off the rest of her meal. It barely satisfied her hunger, but it was better than having nothing.
With some food in her belly, she felt her exhaustion take over with a vengeance, but the looming threat mere inches away from her kept her eyes wide open.
Weiss grumpily rested her back against the cavern wall, her sword resting on her lap. The tension between them was suffocating. Not even the rhythmic fall of raindrops outside could soothe the discomfort consuming the cave.
She sheepishly glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. It was the first time she could really study him without worrying about dodging his blade. He was undoubtedly different from when he was younger. He was tall, built like a warrior, and he never smiled anymore. The only thing that remained constant was the way he stood out from the shadows like a crimson inferno.
Weiss couldn't stop herself from wondering where his awful SDC scar was burnt into his body. Was it on his back like Violet? Or was it on his chest like Clay? What about his parents?
Weiss furiously wiped her burning eyes at the thought of her Adam being branded. He was so kind as a kid, so small and weak, that kind of treatment against him just wasn't fair.
None of it was.
If Adam heard her quiet whimpers, he didn't comment on it.
As the night grew darker, she found it increasingly difficult to keep her eyes open. Weiss kept reminding herself of the burning blade that would cut into her neck if she slept even for a second, but not even that seemed enough to ward off the sweet allure of sleep.
At some point, she must've succumbed to her exhaustion. She woke up the next morning with a scared jolt, immediately reaching for her sword and scrambling to her feet.
She scanned the cave in a daze. Early morning rays were now pouring in from the mouth of the cave, and birds chirped loudly outside. Adam was nowhere to be seen, along with the two apples she'd offered him the night before.
The campfire she managed to build didn't ward off the hunger chills that following night. Weiss was glad she watched Adam so closely when he crashed into her cave, tonight she'd managed to build and maintain a decently large campfire using what she saw him do.
Her food situation wasn't so lucky. She'd managed to find a berry bush sometime in the afternoon, but the tiny fruits were barely enough to keep her full through the night. Weiss had checked her map just before sunset and was relieved to see that she was nearing one of the first villages marked by Ash. All she needed was to survive a single night without food.
She groaned when another painful wave shot around her stomach. It would be a miracle for her to catch even an hour of uninterrupted sleep at this point.
"I keep questioning how you've survived this long." He spoke from somewhere behind her. It unnerved her how his presence no longer scared her as it should.
"Not in the mood, Adam." She snapped sharply.
She heard him approaching her, she made sure she had one hand on her sword but didn't flinch when she felt him mere inches behind her.
Weiss did jump a little when he suddenly dropped a bundle beside her.
"Leftovers." He rounded to the far end of the campfire and rested against a tree.
"Should I be worried that it's poisoned?" She asked half-jokingly.
"I wouldn't waste precious poisons on someone like you."
She untied the pouch with a bit of reluctance. Inside was a large pile of colourful berries in all shapes and sizes. Her stomach growled greedily at her dinner.
"Are you sure I can have all of this?"
"I said they were leftovers." He crossed his arms. "And I don't like being indebted with a human."
That was a good enough excuse for her to begin ripping through the collection of berries. She finished her small dinner in a matter of minutes. While far from the luxurious meals she was used to having every night, she found herself happily filled for the night.
"Thank you. I owe you." She folded the brown pouch and held it out to him.
"Keep it. I don't want it after you touched it."
"Excuse me, but you offered it to me!"
"I was getting even. I refuse to owe a Schnee anything."
"Hmph!" She bundled the stupid bag into a ball and threw it on the ground. "You could try being a little nicer if you're going to keep bothering me like this."
"The day I show kindness to a human is the day the world ends."
"Then it should've ended a long time ago." She knew her comment irked him by the way he tensed. With the threat of imminent death gone, surviving hours while being unconscious around him numbed that fear, she found it easier to work up her courage to snap back at him.
"If you know what's good for you, you'll shut your mouth." He warned.
"It's stupid to ignore our past!"
"We have nothing in common!" He jumped to his feet. "I'm done entertaining your delusions."
"I'm not done!" She leapt up when he turned his back on her. "Look, I'm sorry about the awful conditions you and your family had to work in—!"
"Don't you dare speak another word about my family!" Crimson light blazed to life in his hair. He faced her once more, hands balled into fists.
She felt a familiar fear constraining her heart, but she held her head up and continued pushing.
"You were right. I was completely blind to not see how our…workers were being treated. I can never tell you how sorry I am." She continued as calmly as she could. "But I'm not the one who hurt you. I wasn't the one in charge of those working conditions, it's unfair to take your anger out on me."
"You can't tell me how I can or can't treat you!"
He stepped closer into the light. The ominous glow of his Semblance was blazing as bright as the fire between them. She instinctively found her hand around her sword, though he made no move to draw his.
"You can stand here and pretend to be a supporter of the Faunus, but I know what you really are, Schnee. I will never forgive what your family did to us!"
"I don't expect you to forgive my family! What w-we did to you was awful, but it isn't an excuse to hurt innocent bystanders! You're only going cause more unnecessary pain!"
"You've got some nerve to lecture me about hurting innocent bystanders! It was humans who have been hurting us for centuries! If it weren't for Sienna, we would still be your slaves and punching bags!"
"But getting revenge isn't going to undo those crimes!" She pointed out bluntly. "You're just making more enemies and ruining more families!"
"So what?! Humans didn't give a shit about that when they hurt us, so why the fuck should I?!" He argued back.
'An eye for an eye.'
Weiss grit her teeth frustratingly, hating that she could follow the logic behind his madness.
"But not every human is guilty of hurting the Faunus! It's not fair to punish them for just being human!"
"Being born a human is a crime in of itself!"
"Then it makes you no different from the humans who deliberately hurt the Faunus for no reason!"
"What would you know?! The most hardship you had to go through was sitting through daddy's little temper tantrums!"
Weiss felt like he'd just slapped her across the face. She drew her sword and pointed it at his chest, this time he mirrored her reaction.
"Glad to know you still remember our past, you bastard!" She wiped her eyes dry with the back of her free hand. "I hate you! I wish you had lost your arm instead of Yang! I wish you died at Beacon instead of Pyrrha!"
"And your true colours finally show." He smirked arrogantly. "I knew your perfect little attitude towards the Faunus would finally break."
His stupid grin made her want to attack him right then and there. The flames of her rage made her see red.
"This has nothing to do with you being a Faunus! NOTHING! You hurt my friend permanently, you helped destroy the school I love, your invasion killed my classmates, and you hurt innocent humans! This is so much more than stupid prejudice!
"You think you're so heroic with your terrorism? News flash, you're just like the humans who hurt you-look in the mirror, Adam! You're all hateful, heinous, and heartless! You're all the same batch of monsters and I hate you all!"
She was breathless by the time she finished screaming at him. Her outrage wiped the smirk completely clean off his face. Neither of them spoke for an uncomfortably long time
"You're the biggest hypocrite I have the displeasure of knowing." The complete calmness in his voice sent shivers down her spine.
"You're delusional if you think I'm like you." She seethed.
"Oh, it's not that." He grinned coldly. "You claim to hate monsters like me, yet you turn around and embrace that same monster in school."
"Blake's ten times the person you are!"
"Oh really? I guess my old colleague failed to inform you about the crimes she committed during her time with the White Fang." Adam mocked with a sadistic chuckle. "There's so much I could tell.
"Maybe you want to hear the time she killed a group of human merchants. In her defence, they treated our people horribly, but by your standards, she should've never punished them with murder."
"Shut up!" She tightened her grip around her sword in hopes of stopping the tremors in her hand.
"Or maybe you want to hear the story of the time we sabotaged a rather pricey shipment of Dust. If I recall correctly, that particular stunt cost your company millions. What a shame, I bet your sweet father was thrilled to hear that news."
"S-she's not like that now!"
"Or I could tell you about the time we worked with Sierra to kill off those precious relatives of yours."
For a moment, Weiss forgot how to breathe.
"No…" Her voice came out so soft she could barely hear it.
"It was a fantastic series of hits planned by Sierra. Blake and I were personally invited to kick off the very first operation." He continued gleefully.
"S-stop it."
"I'll never forget it, princess. I had the honour of slaying that greedy uncle of yours, Sienna took care of his oaf of a daughter, and your innocent Blake disposed of that materialistic bitch of a wife."
Her sword clattered uselessly on the grass. Weiss' knees buckled together soon after and she found herself sitting on the ground. The campfire had long lost its warmth.
She found herself back at Lavendar's closed-casket funeral—at the funeral of her uncle's entire household, with nothing but flames of her rage to keep her warm through that cold day.
'She was just a child.' The thought was just as raw today.
"Y-you're lying." That was the only thing she managed to say.
"Just like when I was lying about your precious company's maltreatment of us?" He challenged her.
"S-she wouldn't lie about this. S-she wouldn't."
'She lied about who she was before this.' Her doubts whispered coldly to her. 'And she's told no one about where she went after Yang lost an arm for her.'
And everything he's ever said to her was true. Even now.
Weiss wasn't sure if she wanted to cry, hit him, or go running back to Violet and Ash's village to forget about her current life—every moment of it.
He sheathed his sword and retreated into the shadows, not speaking another word to her.
The moment he was out of sight she lost the last of her composure, collapsing into a pathetic ball on the ground, crying out in anguish. His words stung more than the Grimm that ripped open her torso, hurt more than the series of funerals she'd attended shortly after the slaying of Lavander's family; crushed her even more than the fall of Beacon.
Despite the pure agony ripping her heart into pieces, not a single Grimm ventured into her camp that night. She almost wished there had been a Grimm to take her out of her misery.
Another tough chapter to write. Not so much because the content was heavy, but it's the first big shift in the narrative. It was hard to make this work (and oh boy I tried my best lol). Lucky for me, there are even more difficult chapters to deal with soon!