Weiss Schnee – Remnant of the Ice General

Chapter 6 – Life at the Academy

The kingdom of Atlas was a technological marvel. After the Great War it rose from the ashes of Mantel and became the world leading kingdom in research and development. And despite losing the war, nowadays people consider Atlas the most powerful kingdom both in terms of its economy and military.

There were several powerful families that rose to power during the kingdom's transformation, but none was more prominent then the Schnee family. After Nicholas Schnee revolutionized the way Dust was mined and processed, the Schnee family name became known to people across the four kingdoms.

What was once a rare resource, only available for the rich and elite became available for average citizen, bringing electricity to those that couldn't afford it before. Clean water to villages in Vacuo or warm air to houses in Atlas. And most important of all, making Dust available to every huntsman and huntress on Remnant.

With the newfound wealth Nicholas helped rebuild Atlas, making it into the kingdom it is today. For his deeds he became known as Nicholas the Great and people admired him across the world.

Unfortunately, no-one lives forever and after his death the company was inherited by his son-in-law Jacques.

Jacques Schnee was a strict man, formally a huntsman and chief of security for the SDC. Yet he must've had a soft side once, evident by the fact that Nicholas's daughter Willow fell in love with him when she was helping her father run the company. That however was a long time ago.

Jacques had different idea on how to run the company. Ideas he either hid from his father-in-law, or perhaps developed after getting a taste of power.

Jacques wanted to increase profits no matter the cost. He turned to Atlas and signed many contracts with its military. He opened a new research division focusing on developing new and deadlier weapons out of dust. He opened additional mines across the kingdoms so he could sell more to the army.

With additional mines rose the demand for more miners. That's when the headmaster and newly appointed general in the Atlesian army came up with an idea to use prison labor.

Many would say this was the end for the golden days of the SDC. Mining was once seen as an honorable job and miners where handsomely rewarded for risking their lives. Nowadays, it was viewed as job for criminals that paid less than the average wage. Safety regulation once followed to the T, were now ignored for profit.

Crimes where once you would get away with a warning were now punished by the mine. And Mantel, once proud capital of an empire that reached the shores of Anima and Sanus, became a mining city. Anyone who would protest went ignored as government used the SDC to fuel its war machine, in case another war broke out.

The Schnee's became richer than ever and at public events they acted like diligent and happy family that made many other Atlesian elite jealous. However, behind closed doors there was a different picture.


Shouts echoed through the Schnee manner, something that wasn't all that uncommon, but today was different.

A ten-year-old was sitting on a chair in a living room. Her legs were swinging back and forth, she wasn't quite tall enough to reach the ground. Her white hair was tied in an off-center ponytail. A birthday cake was sitting before her, candles with number ten lit on top.

Yet there was no joy in the birthday party. She listened to her parent's screaming match that was happening in the other room, the heavy sets of wooden doors did very little to dull their shouts.

"Weiss, maybe we should eat your cake in your room." Weiss turned her attention to the girl sitting in front of her. Winter, her older sister. They had the same eyes and hair color, only difference was that Winter had her hair tied in a bun. That and she was taller, but Weiss had no doubt she would catch up to her sister.

"I want to listen to mom and dad." Weiss responded and turned her attention back to the door.

"You shouldn't listen to them fighting." Winter tried to argued, but her words fell on deaf ears.

"Why not, it's not like I am eavesdropping on them." The logic was sound, to her at least. If her parents didn't want to be heard they wouldn't be shouting so loudly that everyone in the manor could hear them. "Besides they are fighting because of me. So, I have right to know what they are saying."

"Weiss, mom and dad aren't fighting because of you." Winter tried to reassure her sister, but it was in vain when both of them heard the words that came next.

"This is about your daughter, Jacques. She has birthday and you are just going to leave!"

"I told you I have a business meeting, I told you to leave the party for tomorrow, but you didn't listen!"

"So, some meeting is more important than your daughter!"

"Yes! And Weiss is a smart girl, she will understand, unlike her mother."

Winter wanted to tell her sister to go to her room so she wouldn't have to listen to this, but she knew she couldn't. Weiss was extremely stubborn, once she got an idea inside her head there was no way to change her mind.

Winter counted herself lucky that Weiss was reasonable most of the times, setting her mind on things that were either harmless or beneficial. Like the time she demanded to start her sword lesson alongside her or the time she took tests to skip grades in elementary school.

This time Weiss was not reasonable, at least Winter thought so. Only good thing was that their younger brother Whitley decided to go back to his room, at least after getting an approving nod from Weiss.

"I don't get it. Why is mom so mad about this?" Weiss asked, looking at Winter for answers.

"It's your birthday." Said Winter, but Weiss shook her head.

"Mom could have asked me to wait for tomorrow. She knows I wouldn't mind." She said before frowning. "It's like she wanted to have this fight."

That wasn't far from the truth. The truth was things were rough between their parents for the past year. This wasn't the first-time father would be missing an important family event. Missing for dinners and only going out with the family to show-off was now almost expected. And mother has been fed up with it. This was an ultimatum of sorts. Either he would make time or things were over.

Suddenly the shouts stopped and Weiss' sensitive ears picked up a sound of a slap echoing in the room next door. Weiss watched as the door to father's study flew open and her mom walked out of the room. Even from distance Weiss could see tears beginning to form in her eyes and she could see her redden cheek.

"Mom!" Winter called out to her, but Willow just walked past her, ignoring her daughters. Few seconds later their father walked out of his study. Winter sent him a death glare but if he noticed it, he ignored it.

"Happy birthday, Weiss." That was all he said before walking out as well.

"Happy birthday, me." Weiss whispered to herself before blowing out the candles. She twirled a knife between her fingers, cut a piece of her cake and offered it to Winter.

"Thank you." Winter took the cake but couldn't look her sister in the eyes. "I'm sorry it had to end like this."

"You have nothing to apologize for. If mother and father don't want to be here, it's their choice." Weiss responded before cutting into the cake again and put a slice on her plate.

Winter didn't know what to say to that. This wasn't the first time Weiss expressed such believes. This was why she didn't have any friends. She never asked someone for friendship or for others to spend time with her. Many saw her as strange and cold, and if they couldn't build up courage to talk to her, Weiss saw them as not worth her time.

Perhaps it was a gift in disguise. Winter knew that in the future people would try to get close to her sister, only to use her for money or fame. Gods knew she was dealing with that herself at the combat school. So, it would be better if Weiss had no friends, rather than dozen pretenders.

For a moment the sisters ate the birthday cake in comfortable silence, Weiss sipping her hot cocoa. After a while, Winter noticed her sister's eyes would strafe to the sealed package on her left.

"Want to open your present?" She asked and Weiss beamed with excitement. Winter handed her the present and Weiss wasted no second to tear it open.

"Oh?" The look of excitement was replaced with one of surprise and a bit of confusion.

"You don't like it?" Winter asked, not wanting to disappoint Weiss on her birthday, mother and father had done that already.

"No, it's great. It's just not what I expected." Weiss said. In her hand she was holding a detailed carving of a Nevermore.

"But you told me you wanted a Nevermore." Winter remembered how a few weeks ago they passed a toy store and Weiss commented how she wanted the avian Grimm.

"I meant a real one."

"Pardon?" The older sister asked. Weiss was smart for her age and she knew that Grimm weren't friendly nor were they kept as pets.

"I had a dream the other night." Weiss said hesitantly and Winter's confusion turned into alarm.

Weiss was troubled by nightmares ever since she could remember. The frequency was troubling on its own, but what was worse was the content of these nightmares.

Weiss told her she dreamt about living outside of the kingdoms. Living with a nomad tribe, then watching them all die. Stealing and surviving on her own. Enlisting in an army and fighting in a war.

Winter tried telling it to her parents, but father just brushed it off and mother said those dreams would pass. She didn't agree and decided to take her sister to a doctor, but even there she came up short. The doctors just told her these were simple night-terrors and that Weiss had very active imagination and that she shouldn't let her watch too much TV.

So, every other night Winter would wake up to the frightened screams of her younger sister. The rest of the night she would spend with Weiss holding her in her arms, trying to comfort the crying girl.

"Was it another nightmare." Winter asked softly.

Weiss could see concern and pity in her sister's eyes.

Weiss hated pity and she didn't ask for sympathy.

"No, this one was pretty good. I captured and tamed a dragon, then flew on its back. That's why I wanted a real Nevermore." Weiss said playing with the sculpture. She would have asked for Wyvern, but she knew to be realistic.

"You know no one can tame a Grimm, right?" Said Winter, but then an idea came to her mind. "But if you want to fly, I can help you with that."

Winter brought Weiss outside to the gardens, her younger sibling watching her with anticipation. Winter focused for a second and then summoned a glyph. After a second of waiting, a giant Nevermore rose from that glyph.

Weiss stared in awe for a moment. She knew their family semblance was hereditary and that it was capable of summoning Grimm. Unfortunately, all her attempts ended in failure.

She was comforted by the fact that her mother told her it took her long time before she could summon. Even her grandfather told her that he was approaching his twenties before he was capable of it.

The fact that Winter could fully use her Semblance while being just fifteen was amazing, but not unexpected. Weiss knew her sister was very talented and could succeed at anything she put her mind to.

Weiss would be lying if she said she didn't look up to her, though she would never admit it either.

The Nevermore took a step closer to the sisters and offered its wing so they could climb on top of it. Unlike its wild counterparts, Grimm summoned by Winter's semblance was pure white and instead of hateful crimson eyes, theirs where crystal-blue.

"What are you waiting for?" Winter teased, already climbing up the Grimm's back.

Weiss didn't need to be told twice and soon joined her sister and with one flap of its massive wings the beast took to the skies.

In matter of seconds Weiss found herself high in the clouds, the cities of Atlas and Mantel below her, people looking like ants.

It was so much better then riding an air-ship. There were no sounds of engine, no glass to block her view. She could feel the cold wind against her skin, so powerful that it blew her hair from the ponytail letting it loose. It was like she was still dreaming.

However, something was different. In those dreams, she was alone. Her friends and family killed; her tribe burned to the ground.

In the real world she wasn't alone. Her parents might be neglectful, but she still had her siblings, and nothing would ever change that.


Ruby looked at the sleeping forms of her teammates. Team RWBY, her team. She still couldn't believe she was made the team leader.

Truth be told she didn't know why Ozpin choose her. She was two years younger than the rest of her team, wasn't as good fighter as Yang.

Blake, even though Ruby didn't get to see her in action all that much, carried herself with confidence that she sorely lacked.

And then there was Weiss. When she was declared the team leader Ruby feared Weiss would be jealous, but she didn't say anything. In fact, the white-haired girl didn't look her way since the initiation ended and Ruby wondered if she did something to upset her. Her feelings were still uncertain towards the girl.

She told Yang she didn't want to be seen as special, but she didn't want to be seen as child either. Weiss didn't see her as one, she saw her as huntress and a partner. When Weiss told her she didn't need to prove herself, Ruby finally felt like she belonged in Beacon.

But on the other hand, Yang must have reason for such intense hatred towards the girl. Since their apparent fight her sister's been on edge, more impulsive than usual and quick to lash out.

Ruby had to get to the bottom of that. But first she had to wake her team up.

Once more Ruby looked at her teammates, still sleeping. Weiss' bed was at the left side of the room, while Yang slept at the right side, Ruby and Blake placed as buffers between them. Although Ruby suspected she was a buffer between Weiss and Blake as well.

No longer wasting precious time, Ruby snuck up to Weiss and pulled a whistle from her school uniform.

Was this a bad idea, most likely yes. Would it be fun, absolutely! Unfortunately for the little reaper she never got the chance to blow the whistle.

Weiss' hand shot from underneath the covers and grasped Ruby's in a vice-like grip. Weiss opened her eyes, meeting Ruby's for the first time since the initiation. Then she noticed the item in her hand and heavy silence fell onto them.

"Do you want to have that whistle shove down your throat?" Weiss asked calmly.

Ruby gulped and shook her head. For some reason she thought Weiss didn't make empty threats.

"Then do not try to pull stunt like this again." Weiss warned her and let go of her hand.

Weiss was dressed in a simple white shirt that left little to the imagination. She got of the bed, her bare feet touching the cold wooden floor. She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and shook her head trying to smooth out her bed-hair.

Glancing at the clock, she saw they had an hour and a half before the classes would start, and the rest of the team was still sleeping.

"Though I think Blake might appreciate if someone woke her up." Weiss said after a while without meeting Ruby's gaze.

Was it petty? Perhaps, especially when Blake's cat ears were much more sensitive than her own human ears. But considering Blake is a part of terrorist group that wanted her dead, Weiss believe she was entitled to some revenge. Besides if she could drive a wedge between Ruby and Blake, all the better.

While contemplating how to make Blake's life at Beacon a miserable experience, Ruby already was putting the plan in motion. Managing to sneak up on the sleeping catgirl, she leaned closer to her ears and blown the whistle.

The reaction was immediate. Blake jumped high up in the air, landing on all fours on the bed, still dressed in her black yukata. She almost hissed at Ruby before catching herself at the last moment.

"Good morning, team RWBY!" The young huntress announced happily, not noticing the glare Blake was sending her way. Weiss had to suppress a grin when she noticed how the girl was gently rubbing her irritated cat ears that were still hidden beneath her bow.

Deciding she had enough fun for now, the white-haired girl got of the bed and went to the bathroom.

Weiss took off her clothes, entered the shower and turned it on. She relaxed as she felt the hot water fall down on her face and cascade down her body.

The relaxing shower helped her think about her situation. She was on a team with girl that most likely wanted to kill her, forcing her to sleep with one eye open, much to her discomfort. Another girl that wanted to get revenge for beating her up few weeks ago. And lastly Ruby, despite getting along with her, she could feel she still had some reservations, most likely because of the conflict with her sister. That was something she had to address.

But the worst part was that she wasn't named the team leader, instead it was Ruby who got the position. She didn't understand. She killed more Grimm, she led them to the relics, saved Ruby's life and without her, Ruby's plan to kill the Nevermore would never work.

And her own thoughts about the girl were making things even worse!

She could see steam building up in the shower and despite the hot water she could feel the air getting colder as she lost control of her emotions.

Weiss took a deep breath to calm herself, uncurling her fingers in the process. In the end this was merely a setback. Her plans weren't set in stone, she would adapt and overcome any and all obstacles. And she wouldn't let Blake, Yang or even Ruby to stand in the way of her goals.


Weiss looked at herself in the mirror. She was dressed in the Beacon Academy uniform that consisted of dark-maroon blazer, brown vest and white shirt underneath it, with red checkered skirt.

She scrutinized the outfit and ultimately decided it wasn't all that bad. It was definitely better than the dull grey uniforms of Atlas, although Haven's all black uniforms were quite a bit more appealing to her.

Weiss ran a hand through her still damp hair. She didn't want to take her military hat with her to the class, but that left a distinct feeling of emptiness on top of her head. She briefly considered tying her hair in a ponytail, before she discarded that idea.

Deciding to just power through that empty feeling, Weiss stepped back to their dorm room to see Blake and Yang were already in their uniforms.

In her absence Ruby had decided to unpack and decorate their room. Having nothing better to do Weiss decided to join her team.

Ruby was overseeing the whole decoration, trying to act like a leader. If you asked her, she would tell you it was going swimmingly, except for the part where she cut their curtains in two with Crescent Rose, she was glad Weiss wasn't here to see that.

The decoration wasn't all that much. Ruby simply filled her bookshelf with her weapon magazines. She put clothes her father packed for her in the closet, stashed her toolbox at the bottom of said closet and then contemplated where she should put her plush Beowolf, so that it would stand out.

Blake had the least things she brought with herself to Beacon. A bag of clothes Ruby wasn't sure would last her for even a week. Besides that, the raven-haired girl also brought another suitcase full of books, so much she could supply a small library. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Blake trying to hide some book about ninjas behind the others. Ruby's curiosity peeked; she decided to ask her about that later, she was always a fan of ninjas.

Yang easily had the most things she brought with herself. She wasted no second plastering the walls on hers and Blake's half of the room with posters of boy-bands or pictures of motorcycles. Her shelf was soon filled with bunch of fashion and bike magazines. Blake's lack of clothes came in handy as Yang filled the empty shelfs with her own. Lastly, much to Blake's and even Weiss' shock, Yang placed a large, old-fashioned jukebox at the corner of the room.

Ruby had to repress the urge to facepalm, at least dad managed to talk her out of bringing the pool-table.

Lastly Ruby watched as Weiss unpacked her things. She didn't know much, but from what uncle Qrow told her, rich Atlesian families like to show off their wealth. So, she expected Weiss to have more clothes than all three of them combined, to bring some expansive paintings or bring enough dust to supply an entire army.

Weiss didn't bring any of that. If Ruby had to describe it, it would be efficient. She had enough cloth for the week, none of which look too expensive. Enough dust for a month, all of which was stored in bullet proof suitcases, so there wouldn't be any accidents. Small box with oils and tools to maintain her weapon and a small coffee machine Ruby was sure she would thank her for later. Almost everything Weiss brought with her served a purpose.

Almost everything, except for a beautiful carving of a Nevermore that Weiss gently placed on her nightstand.

Ruby simply shrugged her shoulders and decided to put her plush Beowolf right next to Weiss' Nevermore, not noticing the girl's disapproving look.

"I think we might have a problem." Blake's monotone voice cut through the silence.

Ruby took a step back and saw the problem Blake was talking about. In the process of unpacking they decided to push to beds as close to each other as possible, almost piling them atop of each other. Not that they unpacked, there seemed to be no more room for the beds. And Ruby knew whose fault it was.

"Dad told you the there wouldn't be enough space for the jukebox." Ruby turned to Yang, who rubbed the back of her head and avoided her sister's gaze.

"How should I have known he meant it? I thought he just didn't want me to bring it here." Yang defended herself, but then her expression lit up.

"But I think I have a solution." Yang gave Ruby a meaningful look and the redhead grinned in return.

"Bunk beds!" The two sisters exclaimed together before looking at their partners.

Blake simply nodded, while Weiss merely shrugged, neither of them had any problems with the idea.

Ten minutes later Weiss was wondering how she agreed to this death trap. Yang and Blake's bunk bed was fairly reasonable. The two girls just stacked one bed above the other, using Blake's spare books to created more space between them.

Ruby had a different idea. She ran outside and after a minute she returned with a rope and couple of nails. With morbid fascination Weiss watched as Ruby hammered the nails to the ceiling. The redhead then wrapped the rope around the nails before hoisting the whole bed up into the air, right above Weiss' bed. As a finishing touch Ruby placed a curtain around her bed.

Weiss tugged on the bed, testing if it will collapse; fortunately it seemed to be sturdy enough.

"That's that." Said Ruby, wiping an imaginative sweat of her forehead.

Suddenly there was a knock on the front door. Ruby, being the closest to the door, was the one that opened it revealing Jaune Arc standing on the other side.

"Hey guys, what's with all that noise?" Jaune asked, sneaking a peek at their room.

"Hi, Jaune. We were just making bunk beds." Ruby said happily, gesturing to the bed of Damocles hanging above Weiss' head.

"That's cool, but you know that classes start at nine, right?" Jaune asked and Weiss checked her scroll.

"If that's the case then I guess we should hurry." The white-haired girl stated, before walking from their room.

Yang herself reached for her scroll and checked the time, only to see it was five to nine. Showing the time to others, she summarized their thought with a single word.

"Crap."


Team RWBY arrived at the classroom at the last minute, quickly followed by Jaune's team JNPR. Unfortunately, all the backseats were taken, forcing them into the first row.

Just as they sat down the teacher walked into the classroom. He was an older man, with mop of grey hair accompanied by grey mustache. He was rather short and was quite overweight. He was dressed in red double-breasted suit with golden lining and pair of black pants.

As far as first appearances go, Weiss wasn't impressed by their Grimm Studies teacher.

"Demons, Prowlers of the Night, Creatures of Darkness." The teacher started, taking his place at the podium.

"Yes, humanity has given many names to the Grimm. I, however, simply call them prey. And you shall call them that as well, once you graduate from this academy." He continued and Weiss listened to his introduction to this subject.

That quickly turned into introduction of himself. Peter Port, a world class huntsman that traveled through all four kingdoms, slayed every type of Grimm there was, fought of hordes that would destroy villages, all the while seducing young maidens across Remnant.

Weiss wasn't sure when exactly she tuned the professor out. If she had to guess it would be somewhere between killing Boarbatusk with his bare hands and falling into a den of Deathstalkers.

She simply rested her cheek against her fist and idly spared a glance to her teammates. Blake read a book while pretending to be taking notes. Ruby didn't bother even pretending as she was trying to balance and apple on top of her pencil. Yang, surprisingly, was the only one who was paying attention and devouring Port's outlandish stories with excitement.

Honestly speaking, Weiss found herself disappointed. She knew she wouldn't be learning anything new in this class, as she already knew the strengths and weaknesses of every Grimm and how to kill them efficiently. Still, she expected Beacon's teachers to be more than self-gloating storytellers.

Few minutes later Weiss heard noises few rows above her. Turning around she spotted a team of boys laughing. She recognized one of them as Cardin Winchester, if only because he shoved Jaune into his rocket locker during their tour of the school. They were pointing at Ruby, who seemed to fall asleep, and Jaune Arc, who lost his textbook on the first day and had to share with Pyrrha.

She hardly cared what Ruby or the others were doing or how they choose to spent their time in class. As long as Ruby managed to get top marks, she could do whatever she wanted. If that was catching up on sleep due to waking up early that was her choice.

But the thought of comparing her Ruby to a buffoon like Jaune was unacceptable. She would have to do something about that.

And soon enough a chance has shown itself.

"A true huntsman has to be strong; they have to be intelligent and most of all they have to be courageous." Port announced while dragging a cage from the backstage to the center of the classroom. "Which one of you believes they have what it takes to be a true huntsman?"

The cage rattled and low growl could be heard from inside. Now, Weiss could raise her hand. She could go down there and kill whatever Grimm the old man managed to caught. She would kill it with just a wave of her hand and establish superiority to the rest of the students. However, she decided to do something else instead.

Weiss stomped with her heel on top of Ruby's foot. Being roughly awakened from her dream, the younger girl jumped from her seat bringing everyone's attention on her, including the teachers.

"Yes, that's the spirit miss Rose. So young and already so enthusiastic. Get your weapon and show us what a true huntress is made of." Port announced.

Ruby blinked twice, not understanding what was going before noticing the rattling cage on the podium. Still, she gave Weiss a questioning stare, but the ice queen simply mirrored her look and Ruby wondered what was her game.


After quickly running to the locker room to get Crescent Rose, Ruby stood at the center of her makeshift arena.

"Ready?" The teacher asked.

Ruby looked around, noticing how everyone in the classroom was giving her attention and she was starting to feel nervous. What if she fails? She wouldn't just embarrass herself, but also the rest of her team. Then everyone would be pointing at her and she would become known as the girl who got mopped with on the first day.

Just when she was about to back out from the challenge, her eyes met Weiss' cold gaze. Ruby gulped. It was as if the girl could read her mind, daring her to give up. And Ruby realized she didn't want to give up. Not when the reputation of their team was hanging on her shoulders.

So, Ruby took a deep breath, her feet parting a little as she entered her combat stance. The grip on her weapon tightened as she exhaled. She let everything fade into the background. Weiss, her team, the teacher and even the rest of the students became nonexistence as Ruby focused on the cage.

She knew tunnel vision like this wasn't good and she learned her lesson when she got ambushed by the Nevermore during the initiation. But in situation like this, she could afford focusing only on her target.

She gave a firm nod and Port opened the door to the cage. The very next second Boarbatusk ran out the cage. It immediately zeroed in on Ruby. It ran towards its would be prey, before entering a spinning motion like Sonic the Hedgehog, fully intending on running the girl over.

Thought taken off-guard, Ruby still managed to dodge the incoming Grimm and it slammed against a wall instead.

Having a moment to think Ruby studied the Grimm. Boarbatusk, as its name implied, resembled an overgrown boar. It had tusk large enough to impale someone and heavy armor on its back, making it hard to take down.

At such a close distance, she could probably punch straight through said armor with her sniper rounds, but she couldn't risk the bullets bouncing off and hitting some of the students. Then, if she couldn't go through the armor, she would just have to go around it.

The Grimm stared her down, almost hesitant to charge her for a second time. To encourage it Ruby waved her red cape in front of it, like she was a matador in a ring. That seemed to work as the Boarbatusk charged her again, but this time Ruby stood her ground.

She swung her scythe to intercept the Grimm's charge. The strength of their clash reverberated through the classroom. Crescent Rose slipped from her hand and flown into the air and both combatants were thrown of their feet.

Ruby was aware she wasn't strong enough to keep her balance, but she also knew she didn't need to as she recovered much quicker. Using her Semblance, she blitzed through the air grabbing her weapon and then descending down onto the Grimm and stabbing it into its stomach. The Grimm squealed but was still alive, that is until Ruby dragged the blade through the rest of its belly splitting it wide open.

The Grimm was dead in less than a second.

"Looks like we are in a presence of a true huntress." Port's voice brought Ruby out of her tunnel vision.

She looked around and realized that almost every student was clapping her and Ruby started blushing. Admits the students she noticed Weiss looking at her with piercing eyes.


"Why did you do that?" Ruby asked, deciding to confront Weiss after classes ended.

"Why did I do what?" Replied the white-haired girl.

"You wanted me to fight that Boarbatusk. Why?" She asked, now standing before Weiss, blocking her path.

"Some students were comparing you to Jaune Arc of all people. I decided to prove them wrong. If anything, you should be thanking me." Weiss shot back, before she gave Ruby a dark look. "Besides you are the team leader, how people think of you reflects back on me."

Ruby took a step back after hearing the venom in Weiss' words. Strangely enough, she had a feeling not all of it was directed at her.

"Is this why you've been avoiding me since the initiation. You are angry that I became the team leader instead of you?" She continued prodding, not willing to back down.

Weiss hesitated for a second, deep down she knew her reason for avoiding Ruby was much different, but she shook her head not wanting to dwell on that thought even a second longer.

"You are reckless, inexperience and two years behind your study." Weiss took a step towards Ruby and into her personal space while looking down at her. "I don't know why Ozpin decided to make you the team leader, but whatever his reason was, he was mistaken."

With those words Weiss turned around, deciding to end the conversation, but unfortunately for her Ruby had the last word.

"So, everything you said to me at the initiation was a lie? You never wanted to be my partner? You didn't even want to be my friend!" Ruby's accusations stopped Weiss in her tracks.

That wasn't true. She didn't lie to her in the forest. She wanted Ruby as a partner and she respected her as a fighter. Just now she killed that Boarbatusk better than fully trained huntsmen. Then why did she go off on her just now?

Weiss turned around to explain. But the only thing she found was an empty hallway and scattered petals.


Ruby walked through the halls of Beacon with her head to the ground. She didn't know what to think. Was she sad? Angry? Disappointed? Weiss was the first friend she made in Beacon, at least Ruby thought that. As it turned out, Weiss pretty much hated her.

But why? During the initiation she told her she didn't need to prove herself and now Weiss did complete one-eighty. Ruby thought it was because she was appointed the team's leader, but then she realized Weiss was avoiding her even before the team naming ceremony, just after she killed that Nevermore. Was she mad at Ruby for 'stealing' her kill, was it something that petty? She even agreed to her plan.

Being lost in thoughts, Ruby didn't notice the man that was standing before her until she crashed into him.

"I'm sorry." She quickly apologized, but any other word died on her tongue as she recognized the person she bumped into.

"It's alright, no harm done." Headmaster Ozpin responded glancing down at her. "Though, you look quite troubled. May I ask what's bothering you?"

Ruby thought about her answer. She didn't exactly wanted to tell Ozpin about her fight with Weiss, but at the same time she had her own doubts about her position as the leader of RWBY.

"I think you made a mistake, sir." Said Ruby and at Ozpin's puzzled look she elaborated. "I don't have what it takes to be a leader. Yang is stronger, Weiss is smarter and Blake is more mature. How can they follow me when I'm two years younger? They will just resent me."

By 'they' she mostly meant Weiss, but her point still stood.

For his part Ozpin considered Ruby's words before answering.

"It takes more than strength or knowledge to lead a team. It's something I didn't see in any other member of RWBY other than you." He responded, but as usual that left Ruby with more questions than answers.

"And what is that?"

"I'm afraid it's something you have to find out on your own. But in the meantime, since you are aware of your shortcomings, you can start improving on them." Ozpin said, before turning around and leaving.

Ruby didn't feel any wiser then before their talk. She still didn't know why Ozpin named her the leader. But his advice wasn't completely useless. If Weiss saw her nothing more than reckless and childish, she would just have to show her how mature she can be.


Weiss was standing on the schools balcony that overlooked the city of Vale. She didn't know how much time she spent there, only that the sun was slowly edging closer to the horizon. She needed that time to clear her mind.

Maybe coming to Beacon was a mistake, what did she have to gain here in the first place? Prestige by winning the Vytal Tournament? Huntsman license? Allies and base of operation against the White Fang? She didn't need any of that!

Maybe she should just forget about Beacon, forget about Cinder Fall and Adam Taurus, and forget about Vale entirely. She should kill Blake while she had the chance, leave for Mistral, track down the base of the White Fang and rip out the throat of high leader Khan with her bare hands if she had to. That sounded like a good plan.

No, it was a terrible plan and she could hardly believe she just thought that. Not to mention she would just be running away from her current problem. She took several deep breaths, trying to chase out any impulsive or reckless thoughts out of her mind and center herself.

She looked down to her sketchbook. Truth be told, she wasn't all that good at drawing, but it was something that put her mind at ease. Up to this point it was filled with sketches of a young boy that's been a center point in many of her more pleasant dreams. But her last entry was different. For the last hour she let her hand draw on her own and only now realized that the person she has drawn was Ruby.

On instinct she grabbed the page, ready to rip it from the sketchbook, only to stop herself at the last moment. No, no more impulsive decisions. What would she achieved by ripping the page out anyway? Instead she smoothed the page out and placed the book back in her pocket.

Besides, any feelings she might have towards the girl weren't real. Her mind was just making connection to a boy she never met and any feelings she had towards him weren't her own either.

She leaned against the railing taking in the picture of setting sun. Now that her mind was clear she could see why Ozpin gave the role of leader to Ruby. Yang and Blake would never follow her command. Blake hated her on principle alone while Yang simply wanted revenge.

The fact she was edging both of them further during the initiation didn't earn her any leadership points either. Only Ruby managed to remain level-headed. She calmed them down and persuade them to work together when Weiss wanted to fight. Ruby was someone both Blake and Yang would respect from the start.

Perhaps if she tried to calm them down she would now be the team leader. But she didn't and there was no point on pondering the what-ifs. The only thing she could do was to curse her inability to control her desires.

Few minutes later she noticed she wasn't as alone as she thought.

"Something on your mind, headmaster?" Weiss called out and turned around.

Sure enough Ozpin was standing in the doorway. Weiss wondered if he was on the lookout to give advice to all the students on the first day of school, or if he only followed those that had the 'potential' as he called it.

"I was about to ask you the same thing. You seem to be lost in thoughts." Ozpin approached her taking a sip from his mug.

But Weiss noticed the gesture for what it was, a poorly disguised attempt at examining her. She also noticed he was slightly on guard around her. His cane was in his other hand and she was pretty sure he didn't need it for walking. She could feel the hair on the back of her neck stand up. He was scanning her with something Weiss could only describe as a sixth sense, a Semblance perhaps?

Whatever he was searching for, he didn't seem to find it.

"Are you upset with Miss Rose for taking the role of a leader?" He broke the silence after a while, to which Weiss shook her head.

"It would hardly be fair to be upset with her for something she had no control over." Weiss responded, her face remaining neutral.

"Then are you upset with me?" Ozpin asked but Weiss just gave a shrug.

"Ruby does have it in her to be a good leader. She just needs someone to watch over her." Weiss said, before her gaze narrowed at Ozpin. "If you were hoping to teach me some grand lesson about being a perfect teammate by appointing me to this role, then you are just wasting your time."

With those words, Weiss left Ozpin alone on the balcony heading back to her room with new purpose in mind.

"I do wonder about that, Miss Schnee."


When Weiss entered her room, the sun has already set. Blake and Yang weren't in the room, but light was shining behind the curtain of Ruby's bed.

Weiss closed the door and stepped into the room, only to stumble as she stepped onto something in the dark. She bent over to pick up Ruby's plush Beowolf that was lying on the ground.

She glanced towards the open window. She could throw the thing out, getting rid of it for good. But instead, she smoothed the thing out and placed it back next to her Nevermore on the shelf.

"Ruby?" Weiss called out to her partner, but heard no response.

Her partner's bed was hoisted quite high in the air and Weiss couldn't see in there from the ground. So, she summoned a glyph mid air to look into Ruby's bed. She pulled back the curtain and what she saw surprised her.

Ruby was lying in her bed asleep, still wearing her academy uniform. There were half a dozen books surrounding her ranging from Grimm studies, Dust and Aura theories to something as simple as history. Furthermore, there was a notebook with barely eligible notes within.

"Did this girl really try to condense two years of study material into few hours?" Weiss wondered. "You truly are something, Ruby Rose."

She looked from the notes and back at Ruby, only to realize the girl was no longer there. Instead, Weiss found herself lying in bed next to a brown-haired boy. She studied his handsome face and the way his chest rose and fell with each breath. She stared for almost a minute and she couldn't help herself. Weiss stroke his cheek before tugging his hair behind his ear to make more room to admire his face.

But when she blinked her vision went back to normal, and Weiss desperately tried to ignore the warmth at the tips of her fingers or the way Ruby's hair was now tuck behind her ear.

The redhead woke up from her sleep, yawning. She slowly opened her eyes and her vision focused on the white-haired girl standing next to her bed.

"Weiss?" Ruby asked, sitting up in her bed.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you up." Weiss replied.

"Do you need anything?" She inquired and Weiss sucked in a deep breath before speaking.

"I shouldn't have been so harsh on you. You are young, reckless and inexperienced, but so is everyone else in Beacon. I want you to know I don't hold it against you." It was like a weight was lifted from her heart after saying that.

"Then why were you so mad at me?" The confusion was clear in her eyes and yet Weiss was hesitant to answer.

She didn't want to lie. In her mind only the weak and cowardly had to resort to lies, even those of omissions.

"You remind me of someone. I guess it made me upset having to remember him."

And yet Weiss has resorted to telling half truths. What did that tell about her?

"What happened to him?" Ruby carefully asked, knowing even the city of Atlas wasn't completely safe. Weiss didn't respond for a long time, seemingly lost in her thoughts.

"You don't have to answer-"

"He died." Weiss responded, her voice felt distant and her eyes were unfocused. "Bite off more than he could chew trying to save a bunch of strangers and died in the process."

"He sounds like a hero." She said.

"Glory is no used to you dead." Weiss scoffed, shaking herself from her stupor.

Ruby didn't want to argue, it was clear Weiss was still mourning him, whoever he was. She could see the pain in her eyes. Weiss was hiding it very well, but Ruby knew that look.

"So it's not about me becoming the leader?" Ruby wanted to make sure.

"No. Not getting that role was my own foolishness." Weiss actually chuckled. "And between you, Blake and Yang, I'm glad it was you. Not like the two of them would listen to me anyway."

"Weiss, can I ask you something?" Ruby didn't know when Blake or Yang will return, but she hoped she could use that time to get some answers out of Weiss.

"What exactly do you want to ask about?" Weiss asked, sensing that whatever Ruby was about to ask would be important.

"What happened between you and my sister?"

That question lingered in the air for a while. Weiss noted how Ruby sat up straighter, trying to look taller. It was good to see this level of loyalty to the people she cared about.

"That's a long story." She asked back, jumping down from her glyph and towards the coffee machine. "Care for a coffee in the meantime?"

Ruby reluctantly nodded, jumping down from her bed and sitting at the desk. At the same time Weiss prepared two cups of white coffee, throwing five cubes of sugar in both cups.

"So, what did your sister tell you about our encounter?" Weiss asked, as both girls sat at the desk with their cups of coffee.

"Nothing, she didn't want to talk about it." Weiss wasn't surprised by that answer; she doubted the girl wanted to be reminded of her own beating.

"Did you ever hear about a place in downtown Vale called Junior's bar?" By Ruby's widened eyes it was clear she recognized the name.

"Dad warned us about that place. He told us mercenaries and criminals like to visit that club."

"The place is run by a man called Hei Xiong. He is a sort of informant for the criminal underworld. If you want to know something, he will tell you or at the very least get you in contact with someone who will." Weiss explained and Ruby's eyes lit up with worry.

"But what would Yang want form-" She stopped a look of recognition on her face. "Raven..."

"Raven, was that the girl she was looking for?" Weiss asked.

"It's… complicated and I don't think I should be the one to tell you." Ruby responded after a while.

"Fine by me." Weiss didn't pry into someone's past when it didn't concern her. Besides if she wanted truth she would go to the source anyway.

"What were you doing in there?" Ruby's tone wasn't accusatory but there was edge of curiosity in it.

"I was hoping to get some information on the White Fang, their rising activity was concerning me. Then I heard commotion downstairs. Before I got there, your sister managed to beat all the bouncers, Junior's bodyguards and even Junior himself. I was actually impressed."

"But why did you fought?" The younger girl asked.

"Yang thought I knew who this 'Raven' is and decided to beat the answer out of me. I simply taught her lesson she won't forget."

Ruby was split. On one hand it sounded that Weiss was simply defending herself, she couldn't fault her for that. On the other hand…

"Did you have to beat her up so much?" Ruby asked now sounding accusatory. "She couldn't even walk the day after and I'm pretty sure she had broken her arm."

"Yang should count herself lucky it was me who fought her." Weiss leaned closer to Ruby to get her point across. "People that visit this place wouldn't be so forgiving. They would have no problem killing your sister and dumping her body in a river."

Suddenly Ruby felt nauseous. She wasn't exactly thankful to Weiss, but hearing how close Yang was to dying that night scared her. Perhaps Weiss was right; even thou that thought made her uncomfortable. If her sister learned she wasn't untouchable, she would be less likely to risk her life and jump head first into a den of criminals.

"So is your curiosity sated, O' leader?" Weiss teased when Ruby didn't ask any more question.

"Yeah." Ruby gave her a nod. "And thanks, for telling me the truth."

"It was no problem." Weiss put her hand on Ruby's shoulder, giving the girl a reassuring squeeze and smiling down at her. "Anyway, we should get ready for bed. First class tomorrow is combat class. I have a feeling it will be quite fun."

Ruby might have imagined it, but at the last sentence Weiss' smile turned almost predatory.