Chapter 35

Fire and Desire


(A/N: The second half of this chapter contains content that is sexual in nature. It's not terribly explicit and doesn't quite warrant an NSFW warning in my opinion, but I wanted to give you a heads up before reading. If you'd rather skip reading I understand and I'll have the important details written in my author's note down below. I hope you enjoy)


A young woman with dark hair and thick glasses led Weiss back to the communications center where upon arrival she apologized profusely for the automated doors not working properly, swearing that a maintenance team would arrive to fix them by morning. Besides the occasional one or two word responses that courtesy dictated, Weiss didn't say a word to her, not even during their awkward elevator ride where she had earnestly introduced herself as Bridget, which Weiss had been quick to point out she could read the name tag for herself. Weiss wasn't intentionally being rude but her admittedly limited patience was wearing thin for that evening, and as a familiar aura hidden within her own kept pointing out she didn't have Ruby there to take it out on.

Bridget through no fault of her own was a military employee aboard an academy airship built by the SDC, and thereby under her jurisdiction. Almost all of the equipment aboard the dreadnought class airship displayed the Schnee Dust Company's logo, and Weiss was neither expected nor required to go out of her way to be nice to a glorified messenger. She wasn't particularly rude, at least not in her own estimation, simply straightforward and in no mood for nonsense, which small talk with an employee wearing a name tag most certainly was.

"Greetings and salutations," said the holographic receptionist from behind the front desk. "Welcome to The Arcadia's Cross Continental Transmit Communications Center. What can I do for you this evening?"

Weiss ignored the amnesic hologram and marched straight for one of the private conference rooms in the back, the door unlocking just by waving her scroll in front of the scanner. Bridget followed close behind, and after instructing the SDC's heiress on how to properly use a desktop scroll Weiss kindly thanked her and asked that she close the door behind her. Judging by the way she ran out of the room and likely toward the other end of the airship Weiss thought perhaps she may have been a bit terse with her delivery but quickly forgot about the poor girl that had been unlucky enough to have been on duty when Weiss Schnee had received a transmission.

Alone for seemingly the first time since she could remember, Weiss took a series of much needed deep breaths and poured herself a glass of water from a complimentary dispenser in the room. She then retrieved a tube of lipstick from her dust pouch from which several aspirin tablets spilled out. After swallowing them and massaging her temples she got comfortable and inserted her scroll into the console, and typing the security code Bridget had given her she was met with a holographic screen that for ever so briefly caused her heart to flutter, having mistaken them for someone else.

The woman was in her mid to late twenties and had snowy white hair and piercing blue eyes, and wore the uniform of an Atlesian Specialist with her military and huntsman insignias proudly displayed on her collar. She sat back in her chair, arms folded across her chest with tempered patience, and to Weiss' mild annoyance only the top half of her face appeared in the right-hand corner of the screen, forcing her to quickly adjust the camera and her chair so that she was properly in frame.

"Why, Lieutenant Colonel Schnee," she said breathlessly. "To what do I owe the pleasure? Good lord, don't tell me Aunt Bianca finally passed!?"

The woman's eyes suddenly lit up and a smile tugged on her lip, an expression that at first appeared almost unfamiliar to her. "If she had I would have brought balloons and one of those noisemakers Father hates so much." Her accent and cadence while similar to Weiss' wasn't anywhere near as high-pitched, but also didn't quite have that angelic resonance that usually accompanied her. "And to my fellow huntsmen it's Lieutenant Commander, not that any huntsmen actually care. To you it's still big sister, though feel free to make it sound more gravitas than it actually is." Thawing out of a long hibernation the woman finally smiled, causing the younger girl's right eye to twinkle.

'You're looking and sounding more like Mother every time I see you...'

"It's good to see you, Winter," she said, struggling to keep her voice from cracking. "H-how are you doing?"

"I'm the Commander-in-Chief's executive officer currently stationed at a remote outpost in the middle of nowhere," she said matter-of-factly. "If it weren't for the daily Grimm attacks I would've died of boredom months ago, though given the circumstance I suppose I'm doing a great deal better than you. Did I rescue you in time from the banquet?"

"You're a little late actually. Dinner was almost over but you did save me from having to dance with one of Commander Mustang's sons. If he's anything like his father he's lucky he didn't lose a hand tonight, though I suppose if he had Dr. Polendina would've been all too happy fitting him with a replacement. Oh, and that reminds me. Field Commander Steele sends his regards and is sorry you couldn't make it tonight."

For ever so briefly Winter's smile faltered. "Does he now? Well then, please extend my own if you will. I'll be sure to thank him for treating my younger sister so kindly the next time I see him..." The sisters shared a knowing smile. Although there wasn't much she could do as either a lieutenant colonel or lieutenant commander, Winter could certainly pull some Schnee strings or at the very least send a pile of paperwork his way. Commander Steele likely expected it however and would gruffly laugh it off just like all the times previous.

After a chuckle and playful wink Winter began loosening her military bun so that her long, flowing hair fell freely past her shoulders. "In that case I'm sorry I couldn't get to my office sooner. I had subordinates badgering me about duty rosters and security details during the Vytal Festival, and despite the fact I'm not even going to be the commanding officer here in two weeks I had to listen to each and every single base request and approve them all one by one. Believe me it's faster than outright rejecting them. I also have superiors that want daily briefings and are looking for any reason to reprimand a twenty-six year old lieutenant colonel." She sighed and shook her head ruefully. "Have I ever mentioned that I miss being a major? Sometimes I think Mother had the right idea about staying a lieutenant..."

Listening to her list of grievances Weiss couldn't help smiling. It felt just like old times again, but a knowing look from her sister was all it took for her to remember the present. 'The line's not secure,' she interpreted.

Even after half a year apart from each other Weiss could almost feel her sister's aura there in the room with her, and gave the subtlest of nods showing that she understood. Every Schnee was taught from birth to always assume you were either being watched or recorded, and that anything you said even in private could someday be used against you.

"So-" Winter continued- "does this mean I've fulfilled my debt or do I still owe you?"

Weiss snorted. "At this rate you'll never be done paying me back. That's what happens when you attend Polaris and are forced to attend weekly banquets that you want out of."

"They weren't that frequent, and I'd be able to pay you back sooner if you weren't so insistent on putting Father in an early grave." Despite her harsh tone, Winter's smile only grew in size, and studying the girl whose camera was very obviously pointed down at a steep angle at her eyes lit up. "I think this might be the happiest I've ever seen you, Weiss. I take it you're enjoying your time at Beacon?"

Despite herself she couldn't help blushing and quickly looked away until the uncharacteristic color had drained from her cheeks. "Although nights like tonight remind me how much I miss Atlas, I couldn't imagine being anywhere else. Being a Specialist in-training certainly commands respect and rightfully so, but here at Beacon I'm not treated any differently from anyone else and my training isn't just formality. I feel like I'm actually doing some real good in the world, Winter. Finally..."

Her sister's eyes lit up even more, her aura flaring on its own. "You're starting to sound like a real huntress, Weiss. A far cry from the spoiled princess I saw off to Vale just earlier this year. Keep this up and I may have no other choice but to make you my field commander and deputy headmaster of Polaris. Who'll run the SDC then?"

"I'm sure we'll figure something out," she teased back. "And for the record, you were the real spoiled princess, but I still can't thank you enough for contacting Professor Good-"

Winter cleared her throat causing Weiss to stop and remember her sister's warning. "I assure you that my role was minimal if not non-existent. All I did was impart some experience and help fill some of the gaps your tutors may have missed. You and I both know that you're better with a blade than when I was your age, and you also caught on to glyphs quicker as well."

Weiss shook her head, knowing flattery when she heard it even if her sister's social graces were second to none. By the time Winter was her age and attending Polaris she was already a proficient summoner and time manipulator, and while Weiss supposedly might've been better with a blade her sister was also a foot taller and had a much larger aura pool to draw from.

"You're far too modest, but thank you for the lessons and for letting me practice against your Grimm summons. I-I wouldn't be here without them. It's just unfortunate that there's no substitute for the real thing..."

"No, I suppose there's not..." she agreed, studying the small figure again but now with a more concerned gaze. "Tell me, have you been eating well?"

Weiss stiffened in her seat. "O-of course I have! W-why wouldn't I be? And before you ask, I've been using plenty of eye-drops as well!"

Winter didn't appear to believe her and looked as though she wanted to pursue further but was held back by something unseen. "I'm sorry, Weiss. It's not that I don't enjoy seeing you or catching up after nearly half a year, but I'm a very busy woman. Did you just want out of dinner or was there something else you wanted to discuss?"

"As a matter of fact there is," she said brightly, switching back to a more respectful tone. "I've thoroughly exhausted all of my books and old tomes regarding advanced level glyphs, as well as everything I could find in Beacon's admittedly limited library. I was hoping you would give me remote access to the Schnee archives in time for the Vytal Festival."

Her sister nodded. "Having visited Beacon's library myself I'm not surprised, although I am surprised it's taken you this long to ask me. At Polaris it would've taken you at least until your second year to finish reading and mastering their library's collection of tomes, donated to them by the Schnee estate of course. Do you have your codex with you?"

Standing up just out of camera view Weiss retrieved from her pouch an ancient white leather-bound tome that had just barely fit in the small space usually reserved for dust vials and other small items. The pages had yellowed with age and flipping to approximately the middle revealed them all to be blank. Sitting back down she held the book up for her sister to see, and in unison they outstretched their hands as if to hold the other's despite a thousand miles separating them.

They both took a deep breath. "Ready?" Winter asked, her younger sister hesitating before nodding.

With the flick of their wrists white glyphs appeared in front of each of them, matching the other's exactly down to the most insignificant-looking runes. After they had all made a complete rotation and Weiss showed no signs of passing out, Winter inserted her left arm through her glyphs grimacing, and a moment later an icy limb emerged from Weiss'. A dozen more glyphs appeared on the pages of the tome, each more complex than the one before. At last peculiar words began appearing written in the ancient language whose very name had been lost to time.

As Weiss began swaying back and forth the hand caressed her cheek causing goosebumps to run down her spine, a pleasant sensation she wasn't normally accustomed to. After a tap on the nose the hand retreated back into the summoning glyph, and on the monitor Winter gave her arm a shake as if it had gone numb. Afterward she sat back in her chair with labored breaths and sweat on her brow, but it was nothing compared to her younger sister who was noticeably paler and staring off into a dark void.

"I'm alright," she said before Winter could ask, bringing the glass of water to her lips which she was careful not to spill. Afterward she attempted to fan herself with the old tome but it was suddenly much too heavy and quickly set it down after confirming that the ritual had indeed been a success. Even if it hadn't she wasn't sure if she would've been able to admit it to her sister, especially not when it had obviously taken a great deal out of her.

As Winter caught her breath Weiss stared at the runes, able to read and speak the words as fluently as that day's common tongue first spoken in Mantel over fifteen centuries ago. The ancient language was a great deal older than that however. It predated the first man and woman to walk the paradise that would later become Remnant, and even predated the innumerable angels and their infinite skies. As per tradition the words were the language of creation first spoken by its creator when the world and everything therein came into existence.

Not only did Weiss pride herself on being fluent in the language but also being one of the few who truly understood why their planet was called Remnant, even knowing its name prior to the fall of man. Royal blood coursed through her veins dating back nearly two millennia, and she'd had access to the Schnee archives since before she could even read. Unlike all the other pessimists that thought Remnant was an accursed name, godforsaken even, Weiss knew better. To be a remnant was not a curse but rather a blessing, meaning to be set apart from for divine favor, protection, and service.

When it came to faith Weiss was much like Ruby, except to her, religious texts were more like history books. She lived and breathed history, and her family was an enduring testament of being remnants of an otherwise long forgotten past.

"The archives will be available to you for the next two weeks," Winter said once she finally caught her breath. "I'll give you full access when I see you at the start of the tournament. That should last you at least until you're able to visit the archives in person once your semester is over. Only another Schnee will be able to read the pages of that tome, and it's as simple as operating your scroll. Of course we Schnees are the ones who invented portable libraries and information repositories, but I think we can both agree that the old ways are much more elegant and dignified."

A sad, warm smile spread across Weiss' face. "That's what Mother always said..."

Absently she began flipping to random the pages which were laid out like an extensive table of contents or index, the words lighting up whenever she touched them. The codex was another one of her family's brilliant inventions from long, long ago, though admittedly they were seldom used by her family as nothing compared to the actual archives and priceless treasures within.

"Do you mind me asking what specifically you're looking for?" Winter asked as she carefully wiped her brow with a handkerchief. "Not that either of us need an excuse to read from our archives, but you've piqued my curiosity. Seeing how I do know a thing or two about glyphs and have just a little more experience than you, perhaps I could be of assistance, or at least point you in the right direction."

"Nothing in particular," she answered, waving her off. "I've been practicing my summoning glyphs lately and even successfully summoned Ellowyn during my team's first mission, killing an Alpha King Taijitu in doing so. I've also been working on my time dilation and telekinesis glyphs, and can use them effectively now. More or less..."

"Very impressive." Meeting her gaze with a wry smile Winter crossed her arms over her chest. "Anything else?"

"Yes actually..." Weiss set the heavy tome down. "In my Grimm Ecology class we've been learning how certain Grimm have worked their way into legends, and if you can believe it, fairy tales." She stifled a snicker and shook her head.

"It would be just like Beacon's headmaster to want his students to study fairy tales," she said humorously.

"Yes, well, in 'The Shallow Sea' there was a Leviathan that terrorized a fishing village and in 'The Lady in the Tower' a Drake kidnapped a princess and lured countless of the king's knights to its lair. 'The Witch Queen of Salem' was rather curious if not ghastly, but the one I'm most interested in is 'The Tale of the Four Maidens', also known as 'The Story of Seasons'. Have you ever heard of it?"

Winter's eyes widened and she froze still as a statue, but nobody other than Weiss would've been able to read her sister well enough to notice. "Heard of them yes, but not until I was about your age," she said coolly. "Mother mostly told me Atlesian fairy tales growing up, and you know Father's stance on anything he deems even remotely childish."

Despite the warning and silent conversation happening between them, as well as the confirmation she was looking for, Weiss couldn't help grinning, remembering being a child and her sister sneaking into her bedroom late at night to read to her. "Two of my teammates are readers but mostly of mindless fiction. The other I'm not entirely sure if she even knows how to read. I just thought I'd see for myself what nonsense they had been filled with as children, or in my partner's case, a teenager."

Winter learned forward in her seat, her eyes practically icing over. "Take care of yourself, Weiss. Your teammates are all incredible from what I've been able to gather, yourself included, but I still worry about you."

'Your teammates are not to be trusted,' she interpreted. 'You're in danger...'

Weiss bit her tongue which was seething at her sister for not trusting her dear friends and teammates, but reluctantly she had to remind herself that it hadn't been that long ago she hadn't trusted them either.

Forcing a smile Winter shook her head. "Forgive us, but Father and I don't share Ozpin's humor in teaming you two Lionhearts, or nieces of Qrow Branwen."

"Technically Ruby isn't related to him by blood, and she and her sister are as much Lionhearts as I am a Gel. Their father doesn't appear to associate with the Lionhearts or even other Xiao Longs for that matter. I don't know the full story but he was apparently kicked out of the house as a teenager or something along-."

"They're still not to be fully trusted, Weiss. You know that, and I'm beginning to think they may be rubbing off on you."

"Good," she said, holding her chin high.

They held each other's cool gaze for several moments, neither blinking until eventually Winter smirked. "They've rubbed off on you alright. Father might disapprove but I couldn't be happier. Just take care of yourself, and keep a close eye on the stray cats wandering around Beacon. You know how Father and I feel about animals..."

Weiss' good eye twitched and she swallowed a sudden lump in her throat. She fully had expected a thorough background check into her teammates' past and wasn't surprised her sister knew about Blake being a faunus, but with any luck Professor Ozpin had been able to erase any evidence of her having been a member of the White Fang as he promised he would when accepting her into his academy. From what the sisters told her it wasn't the first time the headmaster had created an entirely new identity for one of his students, or covered up something disreputable from their past.

Although she hadn't liked her sister's tone and knew she didn't approve of her being teammates with a faunus there was very little she could say when Winter was purposefully being discreet for Weiss' sake and possibly even Blake's.

"Although he enjoys his cat naps I assure you Zwei is one hundred percent puppy boy," she said, grinning like the idiot whose mind she partially shared. Judging by her sister's raised brow the SDC's thorough investigation didn't appear to have included Ruby and Yang's corgi or the fact he'd had been mailed to them via huntsman express a month earlier. "Never mind. Just an inside joke between teammates."

Winter slowly nodded, studying her sister as if making sure she was alright. "In that case I'm glad to hear that you're all getting along so well."

"We may have our occasional disagreements but we get along for the most part." A small voice in the back of her head calmly reminded her how many times a day Weiss threatened her, though she did have to admit Weiss was making commendable progress. Lately she only fantasized about strangling her partner once or twice a day.

"I remember a time not that long ago when the entire Schnee ancestral estate wasn't big enough for the two of us," said Winter fondly. "I can't imagine sharing a dorm room with three other girls, or a bathroom for that matter." She shuddered as if the very thought made her skin crawl, and even after four months together Weiss felt a tingle go up her spine as well.

Thinking about her teammates wishing they were together Weiss fell silent underneath her sister's studious gaze. A metallic clicking sound accompanied her deep thought, the sound of Myrtenaster's cylinder being turned out of nervous habit, and evidently Winter recognized its origin and what prompted it.

"You know I'd feel a lot better about your safety if you'd stop being stubborn and get your sword finished already."

Weiss' head snapped to attention. "Myrtenaster is finished!" she yelled, fire replacing the ice in her eyes.

Winter fluttered her eyelashes as if having expected this sort of reaction. "No it isn't." she said, emphasizing each word in case her sister was hard of hearing. "Ever since Papa- I mean Grandfather Nicholas passed you haven't let anyone else touch Myrtenaster not even for maintenance, and you still haven't had its hilt fitted for a parrying dagger. He's gone, Weiss, and it's time you moved on."

To accentuate her point Winter withdrew a foot-long blade hidden in the hilt of the elegant saber that she had brought into camera view. Holding it up she balanced it on a finger, and Weiss did her best to act unimpressed by its immaculate craftsmanship rivaled only by the saber and her own rapier.

"As far as I'm concerned Myrtenaster is already complete. I'm not opposed to carrying a parrying dagger, and occasionally I create one with my glyphs, but Papa said he'd design one specifically for me. A-and I don't want someone else's dagger..." She quickly blinked something from her eye before taking a deep breath. "And for your information I've finally found a weapon smith competent enough to trust Myrtenaster with. Someone who can actually read blueprints correctly and even improved Myrtenaster's clunky dust cylinder, which is how it should've operated in the first place."

"Your prodigy of a partner I presume?"

"What of it?"

"Nothing, nothing. I'm happy for you, honestly. I'm just suddenly reminded how much alike the two of you are."

"Who? Me and Ruby?" She tried not to smile or let her pride show on her cheeks, and hoped her sister couldn't hear what the voice in her head was saying.

Winter shook her head and leaned forward smirking devilishly. "You and Father."

"How dare you!?"

"You may be trying to follow Mother's footsteps, Weiss, but you are more like Father than you will ever know or admit."

With a huff Weiss crossed her arms over her chest and turned away so she no longer had to face her sister's thoroughly pleased expression. "Am not..." she grumbled under her breath, taking satisfaction at getting the last word

Winter sighed and shook her head. "It's already starting. Listen, Weiss, it's getting late and I really should be going. Helping oversee security for the Vytal Festival as well as an entire territory isn't as easy as I make it look. If there isn't anything else I-"

"Oh! That reminds me! Speaking of security, I recently discovered a peculiar bug in the new Atlesian Knights. Unlike the previous models I don't have any authority whatsoever over them, and an Atlesian bullhead piloted by AK-200s even shot at me and my friends during the breach. Even if they didn't recognize me as a Schnee they still shouldn't have fired their cannons with innocent bystanders in the way, especially not on foreign soil. We both know how the second faunus crusade began..."

Winter paled and glanced over her shoulder as though looking to see if anyone was there. The sisters once again shared a knowing look with each other and nodded. "I'll be sure to inform my superiors and the SDC engineers right away. Dr. Ramos will want to hear about this."

"He probably would but I've been told that someone by the name of Dr. Watts was the project manager prior to the Knights entering the manufacturing phase of production." Winter's eyes narrowed and under her gaze Weiss' goosebumps returned. "I'm sure it's just a minor bug and nothing at all to worry about. Just wanted you to be aware."

"I'm sure, and that's very thoughtful of you. I'll look into it right away..."

A moment silence fell between them, her sister deep in thought when Weiss cleared her throat. "It was really good talking to you, Winter. I-I've missed you..."

Her right eye twinkled, and seeing that her sister's left eye didn't have quite the same luster, Winter's own eyes sparkled if only for a moment. "It was good getting to see and talk to you too, Weiss. I'm sure you probably think being a Specialist in the military has made me cold, well, cold-er, but I like to think in some ways it's actually warmed me. I know you and I haven't always gotten along, and even now we can't go half an hour without arguing, but please know that I love you."

"I-I love you too, Sis..."

"I'll be seeing you in person in two weeks. With any luck I'll be there for your first match, but I'll at least be able to watch your second. Your teammates would be fools to not advance you to the doubles round. Until then, stay safe and be vigilant."

Weiss swallowed. Obviously there was something her sister knew but couldn't say even over a secure line. "I will, and you do the same."

"See ya, runt," said Winter playfully, her accent and cadence not quite as strong.

"Bye, Ice Queen..."

After a parting smile the transmission ended and Weiss was left staring at her reflection with only the gentle hum of electronics to keep her company. The familiar squeaky voice in her head was eerily quiet, and despite the near overwhelming urge to go and reunite with her or put a stop to whatever was tomfoolery was happening between Yang and Henry, she instead opened the large tome and began flipping through the expansive index until she found what she was looking for. The conjuring glyphs could wait, as could their unnatural relationship with Grimm. Right now Weiss wanted answers for a change, not half-truths or outright lies.

"'The Four Maidens'," she read aloud, translating the ancient runes on the page. She flared her aura and the pages suddenly changed with countless references to the fairy tale over the centuries, including common interpretations and what was believed to be the historical origins of the tale, of which there were multiple versions and contradictory in nature. She flipped through the pages pausing occasionally at familiar paintings of her ancestors and the other great houses of Remnant until deciding to start where Ruby and Yang had, with the specific version of the fairy tale Summer had read to them before bedtime.

"'Once upon a time there lived four sisters named Winter, Spring, Autumn, and Summer...'"


The heavy door swung open and a brilliant light filled the darkness, causing fiery shadows to dance all around the otherwise quiet bedroom. Within the light were two bodies pressed against one another, fighting for dominance just like their overwhelming auras. Their mouths only ever paused to occasionally breathe or attack the other's neck, but their hands never stopped exploring. Everywhere their auras made direct contact created waves of euphoria that reverberated through their bodies into the other, invigorating them to explore further and occasionally make them forget whos pleasure belonged to whom.

Before the door closed behind them, Yang had already been stripped of her vest and ammo belt and was helping Henry out his jacket and shirt. Pausing for just a moment to catch her breath and admire his chiseled physique, she began undoing his sword belt, her hands shaking as she tossed it aside along with his gold rapier encrusted with priceless jewels. Her gauntlets slipped off a moment later but as he began helping her out of her already partially unbuttoned blouse, Yang leaped up and wrapped her legs around his waist and her arms behind his neck.

Taking his time, Henry carried her over to his bed where Yang suddenly found herself lying on her back looking up at him, hands still exploring while his mouth quickly became intimate with the most sensitive parts of her neck. As she stared up at the ceiling dizzy and out of breath, sensual moans let him know how he was doing and where to go next. When his hands came to a halt and he finally came up for air, Yang grinned as mischievously as she could manage being as nervous as she was, and unwrapped her legs from around his waist and placed them atop his shoulders.

Henry grinned as he studied the long legs and where they came together, and Yang found herself trembling as he unzipped her left boot and let it fall to the floor followed by the right. Afterward he went to work meticulously unbuttoning the garters connected to her thigh-high stockings, slowly slipping them off each leg. When he paused to admire their smooth touch with both his hands and lips, Yang shifted her weight onto her neck and shoulders so that her bottom was pointed in the air, and taking the hint, Henry began the long, arduous task of removing her mini-skirt. Folded in half with her legs practically behind her head, Yang had to wait until the article of clothing passed over her feet before getting to see his reaction, which upon viewing caused her fluttering heart to start hammering against her chest.

Yang looked up at him, hardly able to breathe, her bare legs resting atop his shoulders again and feet hooked behind his neck as he looked down upon her, enjoying the view and practically salivating. Under his gaze she fought every urge to cross her knees or hide her face underneath a pillow, and the swarm of butterflies in her chest nearly flew out her mouth when he shifted her weight back onto her shoulders and was suddenly kneeling over her, kissing her thighs. After a bit of sinister teasing that caused her to moan and whimper uncontrollably, his thumbs found themselves inside the waistband of her silky white underwear, slowly pulling them down her thighs and over her head...

The teasing resumed a hundredfold as did her incoherent moans, and she had to grab fistfuls of the bedspread to keep herself from flying away prematurely. Before her underwear could be pulled down past her knees and beyond the point of no return however, Yang gradually and more than a little reluctantly unfolded herself and wrapped her legs back around his waist. Pulling Henry back down on top of her, their mouths reunited with Yang's lips only momentarily hesitant, and after a brief excursion south, his fingers found themselves busily fumbling with the remaining buttons of her blouse. With her body squirming and badly misbehaving, Yang rolled over so she was now the one on top, taking a surprising amount of strength and fortitude to do so despite him hardly putting up a fight.

Breathless and her face bright crimson, she pulled her panties up from around her thighs just enough so she could properly straddle him, and after a bit of research found a comfortable, agonizing position for them both. Almost absently she rolled her tongue over her lips, enjoying the foreign taste before smiling shyly and looking away suddenly embarrassed. Swaying her hips back and forth she reached around underneath her blouse, struggling for a moment before triumphantly dangling her bra in front of him and slinging it across the room.

Starting at her hips, Henry's hands began exploring with Yang moaning from both the physical touch and the way his aura pulsed through her, feeling his every desire and pleasure while at the same time sharing her own. With the temperature steadily rising, she placed his hands back on her hips and playfully slapped them away when they began wandering up her shirt again. Deciding he had more than enough to keep his hands occupied for the time being, she methodically began undoing the troublesome buttons of her blouse. Making her job difficult however was Henry occasionally bucking underneath her and his hands finding new places to tease and torment. Once only the two bottom buttons remained she motioned for him to finish, but couldn't help groaning when he removed his mischievous hands from particularly sensitive regions.

He struggled with the buttons until she began helping him along, and once the final button was undone she arched her back and rocked her head backward, the blouse gradually falling from her shoulders as she awaited his touch. The hands were slow traveling up her stomach, lazy almost, and unable to wait any longer Yang grabbed them and lunged forward.

Their lips interlocked again but this time his movements were sluggish and hands practically idle. She grabbed his hands willing them to continue climbing, and helped him roll back on top of her. She had just placed her legs back atop of his shoulders and was folding herself in half again so he could finish removing her pesky underwear and finish what he started, when Henry's aura gave a sudden and violent shudder before becoming no more. Just as she'd gotten her legs behind her head again and was nearly free of her underwear, Yang's reddish eyes opened wide and she quickly pushed his lifeless body aside and rolled over onto the floor.

Sitting with her back against the bed out of breath and shaking uncontrollably she curled into a ball hiding her face between her knees. She went through every technique she had ever learned to help calm her volatile emotions and powers but none of them seemed to be doing any good even on the second time through. Quiet sobs were heard in the brightly lit bedroom and after the third try Yang began slapping herself out of frustration and for actually thinking things might end differently this time.

"Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!" She slapped herself one final time before remembering that she wasn't the one in need of medical attention, and so after a fearful glance at the young man lying unconscious on the bed she pulled up her underwear from around her ankles after nearly tripping and sprinted into the adjoining bathroom where she grabbed a monogrammed washcloth and whetted it with cold water. Steam rose just from the brief contact with her skin, and feeling the cloth already beginning to dry she ran her wrists under the water fogging up the bathroom but to no avail.

Carrying the washcloth with just her fingertips she ran back to Henry's side and placed the damp rag atop his forehead before quickly backing away again. His body was almost as feverish as her own, and an outline of sweat surrounded him staining the wrinkled bedspread. His body twitched unnaturally and occasionally he'd mutter something nonsensical that more resembled a small boy's whimpering. Yang continued slowly backing away, holding her breath and fighting the urge to run half-naked down the hall until she found help. She stood there for how long she wasn't sure until his irregular breathing finally started becoming more labored before eventually stabilizing. Only then did she sigh with relief and take her eyes off him, her knees nearly buckling underneath her.

Although Yang didn't feel even remotely cool she knew the room just like the rest of the ship must've been fairly chilly, but spying the thermostat by the door she turned it down another few degrees and waited until her aura's desires and body's hormones stopped screaming at her before cautiously approaching again.

"If it makes you feel better, you lasted a hell of a lot longer than the other guys." She gave him a gentle kiss on the cheek. "And I wanted that more than I've ever wanted anything my entire life, maybe even more than you wanted me..."

Despite the attempted humor it was drowned out by a weak voice and somber tone. Three years of Specialist training hadn't prepared Henry Marigold for third base with Yang Xiao Long, nor had being the top of his class and a likely candidate for winning the Vytal Festival. Even before tonight she had begun losing hope that she would ever find that special someone. Someone that made her feel special and gave her the love and attention even she hadn't even realized she craved so badly. Someone who would always be there for her and who she didn't have to worry about suddenly being turned to ashes...

She mindlessly wandered back into the bathroom to wash her face, not caring about her meticulously applied makeup at this point. The cold water upon touching her skin turned to steam just like before, and so she settled on using a dry washcloth to clean herself and wipe away the sweat sticking to her body. Glancing around the large, immaculate bathroom to keep her mind occupied, she found herself suddenly jealous of Polaris' students, and was sorely tempted to try taking a cold shower even if it more resembled a sauna.

Disgusted and realizing she might not have much time she shuffled back into the bedroom in just her unbuttoned blouse and underwear, looking everywhere for her ammo belt before finding it discarded atop the dresser. Retrieving her scroll she took a moment to appreciate her clothes strewn all over the bedroom as though it were a work of art, wishing desperately that her final two articles of clothing could've been added as well, along with his of course. They'd both been a bit neglectful in that regard.

With a heavy hearted sigh she took a seat at the desk and jiggled the mouse, causing the log-in screen to appear asking for an authorization code and proof of identification. "Here goes nothing..." Yang took a deep breath and held it as she inserted her scroll into the docking port and activated an icon with a black feather.

She didn't have to hold her breath for very long however as almost immediately she was logged in and the holographic screen began flickering as files began being copied and transferred onto her scroll. Thanks to her Uncle Qrow's thoughtfulness, her scrolls hacking ability was idiot proof, or 'Yang proof' as it was sometimes called. So long as Atlas, Polaris, or the SDC hadn't upgraded their security recently she'd be golden and tonight wouldn't be a complete waste. Just an unsatisfying one...

Despite her success she didn't feel much like celebrating, and glanced back at Henry lying unconscious on his bed barely able to look at him. If he'd had it his way or if Yang hadn't slowed things down near the beginning he'd likely be dead...

Having your aura unlocked meant that every emotion was stronger than that of the average person's, but in Yang's case it was several times stronger still. Not that Henry hadn't wanted to rip her clothes off practically seconds after meeting her, and not that she blamed him, but her own lust and pleasures had been like an uncontrollable wildfire that had engulfed him and very nearly left him smoldering.

When their bodies had been pressed up against one another Yang had completely forgotten why she needed in his bedroom, as well as the fears that plagued her mind and never allowed a moment's reprieve. Even while straddling him and slowly unbuttoning her shirt to buy time that had been more about teasing him and prolonging her pleasure and wildest fantasies for as long as possible rather than following any actual plan. Her body had acted on its own accord, instinctively knowing the more feverish she became the sooner it would be over, and had been too busy enjoying the shy butterflies fluttering in her chest, the curling of her toes, and everything else in between to care about anything else.

Even minutes later she still trembled, the intoxicating combination of excitement and nervous energy from being at her most vulnerable. If it'd been possible she would've gotten goosebumps trying to put her feelings into words and figure out why it had been so imperative that she get undressed first and in such an exposed and compromising position. The entire room lit up like her cheeks remembering how vulnerable and beyond self-conscious she had felt looking up at him. Herself laid bare and on full display, powerless to stop him and unable to hide from his lustful gaze, and loving every minute of it.

She slapped herself again but this time to keep her aura and hormones in check. Even now she and Henry's auras still mingled in the air together, filling the room and making it difficult for her to breathe or concentrate.

The longer she stared at the lifeless young man the more Yang's guilt attempted to consume her, and not just because she'd caused Henry to pass out in such dangerous fashion. She had essentially used him to get what she wanted, and from what little she could glean from Henry's aura she got the feeling that a lot of what other people saw of Henry was a facade much like countless other people Yang had seen through, including her teammates. He missed his life in Atlas something terribly, and as evidenced by his skill tonight this hadn't been the first time he had taken a girl back to his bedroom to better his mood or forget his troubles. She got the feeling this was a fairly common occurrence actually, and Yang remembered a time not that long ago she hadn't been much different and might've still been if she'd been more successful.

Yang had everything that most guys were attracted to, and Henry Marigold just so happened to flaunt what she and so many other girls like herself flocked toward. Henry was famous, charming, and handsome, but more than anything he also had money. Perhaps it was simply because her family had lived in debt most of her life and occasionally had just barely scraped by, but Yang had always been drawn to the more well off huntsmen in-training she went to school with, as well as those more powerful than herself before becoming a thing of the past. Henry had also been able to keep up with her wit and verbal skills during their brief tour of the airship before getting distracted, a rare feat, and once or twice may have even gotten close to getting the better of her.

Regardless of his intentions or incentives Henry had wanted to make her feel special and to take care of her every need, make her forget her every worry, and if possible never leave her side or that bed...

Still sniffling she chuckled at the way her chest heaved and her blouse clung to her figure. She was still savoring the enthralling rush coursing through her body and how more than anything she wanted to crawl back in bed and lay her head on Henry's chest, or preferably finish what they started. Just looking at him she felt her fever return and found herself fighting for control over her aura which she had never quite mastered. Losing an already losing battle she quickly turned away and closed her eyes imagining the cold, lonely shower waiting for her back at Beacon.

Lonely...

The room darkened and Yang slumped in her chair, bringing her knees up to her chest. Squeezing her eyes shut she forced herself to recall the first victim from night like tonight. Just a couple years ago if that long she had brought a boy home while her dad and sister were away. Neither of them had planned on doing anything particularly naughty, just an innocent make-out session on the sofa and perhaps some harmless touching, but not long into the session Yang's temperature had begun rising like never before while with a boy.

When Ruby walked through the door home early due to her semblance she had screamed, which Yang had thought was a little unnecessary seeing how they hadn't been doing anything her sister hadn't caught her doing before, and had been about to tell her off when Ruby tackled her off the sofa thereby saving the boy's life, which earned her a black eye for her trouble.

Yang hated thinking back to that horrible, humiliating night but it had an effect better than any cold shower ever would. The boy ended up being alright after being carried to Signal's medical facility, and when he awoke the next day from heat and aura exhaustion he'd had no memory of the day prior. Yang ended up telling him the same lie she and Ruby had told the nurses as well as their father, that he and Yang had simply been rough housing when she got carried away, leaving out the part about doing it indoors or in their apartment of course.

Only she and Ruby knew the truth, which was also why her sister generally just ignored her out when she told extravagant tales of her physical conquests to their friends and teammates.

Sure, she could exhaust her aura to the point it barely kept herself warm but it wouldn't be the same. Physical intimacy between bodies certainly had it's appeals but it paled in comparison to sharing your soul with another person. Yang wanted the other participant to feel everything that she felt and put her heightened emotions to good use. Without her aura she never quite felt like herself, and the intoxicating, exhilarating rush reminiscent of her semblance wouldn't be there, nor the uncontrollable desire.

Making love or just having a bit of naughty fun together was one thing, pleasures of the flesh as some might say, but while Yang certainly didn't mind partaking she ultimately wanted something more. She wanted that special someone who she could share her entire soul with without fear of harming them, but so far the only person she had ever met like that had been Amber...

Yang had never felt the same uncontrollable desire or unbridled passion with other girls as she did with guys, but her relationship with Amber had always been special, if not turbulent at times. Over the years they'd had their fair share of fights, verbal and physical, but if they fought on a Monday then chances were by the weekend they'd generally be back to sleeping over at each other's apartments. Neither had ever been very good at apologies, and so they had agreed to always say them in unison seeing how the fights were usually both their faults anyway due to Yang not having learned control over her semblance and Amber often having difficulty with her Maiden powers.

She sniffled thinking about her, imagining her childhood best friend barging into the room and after commenting about her state of undress instructing her to get dressed so they could go out clubbing and forget their troubles. Amber hadn't been supposed to leave the Isle of Patch without informing Signal's headmaster so she could be provided a huntsman escort, but over the years she had taken to sneaking out at night and had even taught the habit to Yang who later turned it into an art form. And they'd had a lot of good times together, too many to count.

There she sat wiping away tears until she heard the desktop scroll shutting itself off. Assuming the misdeed must've been done she got up and was about to return the evidence to her ammo belt when it alerted her to a text message from Weiss.

'Got what we came for. On my way back to the dinner in time for goodbyes before heading to the randevu. You coming?'

Wiping her face Yang grinned and quickly snapped a picture of the bedroom, focusing on her miniskirt on the floor and her bra hanging from the back of the chair. 'Got what I came for too. Several times in fact, and hopefully will again!' she replied. 'Text Rubes when you're done and ask if she's ready. If so GO FIND HER and take her back to the room. And be sure to tell her that her big sis is gonna be late and to not wait up ;)'

After sending she waited for a few moments for a response, and despite the fact Weiss was an expert texter and hated not having the last word nearly a minute went by causing Yang to laugh and shove the scroll back into her ammo belt. Not seeing any point to remaining half-dressed even if she was comfortable she gradually began gathering her clothes, stuffing her vest into her belt followed by her bra which didn't quite fit, and purposefully buttoning her shirt incorrectly to display what she wasn't wearing underneath. Even combined with her wild hair and feverish aura it likely wouldn't fool her sister but she'd certainly get a reaction out of Blake and Weiss when she returned, which she sorely needed right about then. She also looked forward to walking the halls of the airship and Beacon and being the subject of tomorrow's juicy gossip.

Once she was adequately dressed she sat back in the chair deciding she'd wait for Henry to wake up to make sure he was alright. From experience she knew he'd have a raunchy migraine and aching body, and that it wouldn't be too difficult convincing him that he'd had too much to drink at dinner and passed out before any real fun could be had. Poor Henry was quickly becoming an afterthought however as Yang's mind regressed back to what she had been trying so desperately to not think about. Her baby sister and the light of her life didn't have long to live...


(A/N: Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed. This was my first time writing what's essentially a sex scene and I hope I didn't embarrass myself too badly. It's not exactly something I'm comfortable writing but I've always had the philosophy of writing scenes the way you see them happening, and that's what I tried to do here. If you decided to skip the second half of the chapter, the main things you need to know going forward is that Henry led Yang back to his bedroom where things started getting steamy, literally. Yang found herself in a couple of vulnerable positions and mostly out of her clothes by the end, but before things could get NSFW, Henry passed out from a combination of heat and aura exhaustion. Afterward Yang felt incredibly frustrated and angry with herself, as well as guilty, and after making sure that Henry was going to be alright, she began downloading information off his desktop scroll just like Qrow asked her to in Chapter 25. During this time we discovered this wasn't the first time Yang has nearly killed someone due to "overheating". In fact, it sounds like it's happened a couple of times, the first of which involved Ruby tackling her sister off a boy thereby saving his life.

Personally I think the scene spoke a lot about Yang's character. She had a very difficult childhood losing both her mother and stepmother, and due to her father shutting down and her uncle often being away for work, it fell on Yang to take care of Ruby despite there just being a two and a half year difference between them. For about eight years now Yang has felt the burden of a responsibility she wasn't ready for, and has suffered from a real lack of attention and feeling of security from her father and uncle. Yang is a physical person and would've likely pursued physical relationships, but just like Weiss and Blake, there's also a sense of loneliness and insecurity driving her. We got to see a vulnerable side to Yang that we rarely see, and I think when she doesn't feel like she has to act tough or be responsible is when we see her true personality come out. It is possible for Yang to get physically intimate without harming the other person, and it would seem she's done so before, but more than anything Yang wants to share her aura with the person, and unfortunately that's very dangerous.

I'll leave Yang's thoughts about Amber up to personal interpretation, as well as how physical Yang got with guys and/or possibly other girls in the past. She and Amber were incredibly close and went through a lot of pain and suffering together, and it would seem Yang inherited a bit of her old training partner's wild streak. I consider them to just be very close friends, but if anything physical or serious happened between them in the past is entirely up to you. I prefer leaving such things to the imagination and personal interpretation, which is partially why rather than being graphic in my descriptions I tried leaving a lot of the sexual content of this chapter up to your imagination. A person's mental imagery is a powerful tool, and reading back I think you may find my descriptions weren't actually all that explicit. My job as the writer is to give you all a visual, and as is the case with every scene I hope I did so respectfully and realistically.

As for the first scene of the chapter, when coming up with Winter's character for this story I basically imagined her as a more world weary Weiss, and someone who's now just trying to enjoy the little things in life. While I view Weiss as being a "princess" in every sense of the word, I view Winter as an uncrowned queen and military officer. She understands the hardships of the huntsmen and military personnel, and while Weiss has said that Winter is a better heiress than herself, I think Winter prefers military/huntsman life while Weiss prefers corporate settings despite the fact Winter says she's a more natural swordsman. I wanted them to be very similar but also very different from one another, and I think it'd be interesting if their skills and interests were basically inverses of one another. I also wanted to show the sisters do honestly love each other but there's a wall of ice between them, partially because of the age difference and their upbringing, but also because they're just very different people at heart. While Weiss can be very cold she also has a wide range of emotions, but I think Winter is more the stereotypical Schnee, though she obviously has some warmth to her. And I hope this interaction shed some light as to why Weiss gets along with Yang as she does. It would also seem that Weiss has taken up interest in 'The Tale of the Four Maidens', and that Winter recognized the name. Have I ever mentioned I like Weiss taking the initiative and thinking ahead?

Next up is Ruby and Penny's long awaited reunion. I hope you enjoy :)

All credit goes to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who has blessed me with this story and with all of you wonderful readers. God bless)