Chapter 41

Weiss

"Ruby's been out cold for a little while, now…" Weiss thought as she anxiously awaited her turn to drift off into hyperspace. She pulled out her scroll and decided to listen to music as her mind silently drifted in and out of 'insanity' as she called it.

"Could there be a possibility of losing my mind? I know he said that there wasn't any, but I simply cannot believe that a substance which is capable of altering someone's mind so greatly would leave no residual effects." Weiss thought as she skipped through songs on her playlist until she found one she liked.

"Looking for something to distract your mind?" Lionel asked.

Weiss closed her eyes due to the effects of the Omni-dust but continued the conversation nevertheless. "Truthfully? Yes. Even though I know that I probably won't find anything like that." She countered.

"Unfortunately, this is something that you simply have to face head on. I assure you that if you continue putting it off, you will regret it." Lionel informed.

Weiss opened her eyes and turned her head to the direction of Lionel's voice as she yelled, "Then what do you propose I do? You never give us any solid information! It's always cryptic warnings and subtle hints! Tell me what I need to do!" Weiss heart skipped a beat as her vision came into focus.

"Just who do you think you're yelling at?" Jacques asked.

"W – what are you doing here?" Weiss stammered around her words.

"I came to see what you've accomplished at this…school." Jacques said with disgust. "Little did I know that sending you here would lead you to become a drug addict. Is this what you do with your free time?" he asked in annoyance.

"N – no, of course not…" Weiss mumbled slowly. "I…am a part of this team…" she said while looking around the room.

"A team with other drug addicts? Is this how you expect to carry on the legacy of the Schnee Dust Company?" Jacques asked in a rage.

"No! I would…never…think of…uh…" Weiss mumbled in confusion. Her mind was, much like Yang had said earlier, was moving too fast for her to stop and speak. Instead of coming up with coherent responses, her mind was erratically going to the worst possible scenario. "What if I'm not able to come out of this?" she thought in fear as she looked around the room.

The outlines of every surface within her field of vision was moving. Not a calm motion like what should be expected, but a restless, angry motion. The visuals had completely engulfed the entire room and, even her teammates, looked as though they were dissolving into this infinite view of fractals.

"Dad…?" Weiss asked as she turned her head back around to where her father had been standing. When she focused on the area, she realized she was staring down one of the halls in her mansion. She began to walk forward, toward the large door at the end of the hall which she was familiar with being her father's office. With each step, she not only noticed her not making any progress toward the door, but she was sure the distance was getting greater.

"Father!" Weiss yelled as she began to run down the hall, once again, making no progress. As her steps grew louder, she could only watch as the door opened to reveal both Jacques and Ironwood stepping out, which subsequently caused her to stop in her tracks.

"Make no mistake, we will be closing our borders. We got off relatively easy during their last attack, but that is only thanks to Ozpin's warning." Ironwood stated.

"You cannot do this! You would be restricting anyone from leaving and ending most forms of trade." Jacques argued.

"That's the point. No one gets in or out without the permission of the council." Ironwood stated.

"What a convenient way of saying 'without YOUR permission.' How long do you think this lunacy will last?" Jacques asked angrily.

"Until such a time that Atlas will be safe. We have got to start treating the White Fang like a threat instated of a group of delinquents." Ironwood stated.

"That doesn't actually answer my question. The money our company makes is a large part of the Atlesian economy; preventing the exportation of my dust is going to hurt you more in the long run." Jacques stated.

"I'm sure we'll manage. As of right now, the only things getting in or out is the mail. And even that is now subject to individual and personal searches." Ironwood said.

Jacques scoffed, "Ironwood, listen to me –"

"Jacques! I didn't come here to ask for your opinion. I was making sure that you knew…this is happening regardless of what you want." Ironwood said assertively, ending the conversation as he walked away.

"Klein!" Jacques called before the named man appeared a few seconds later.

"Yes, sir?" Klein asked.

"I need you to fetch my daughter from Beacon academy." Jacques.

"Whatever for, sir?" Klein asked.

"The General is closing Atlas' borders. I need to make sure she's back home first." Jacques said.

"Of course, sir. She will be delighted at how much you care for her safety." Klein said.

"Just bring her here…" Jacques said as he returned to his office. "…so I can keep an eye on her." he finished.

"That bastard." Weiss thought as she began to walk down the hall once again, this time making actual progress toward the door. Upon reaching where Klein and her father were standing, the door disappeared from the wall.

Weiss scanned across the wall for a logical reason as to why the door would disappear, but only managed to rationalize that it was one of her father's secrets. She turned around to go back the way she came only to be met with the sight of her favorite flower garden from home. She walked through the garden with amazement before reaching a small clearing with a stone circle in the center of it.

Weiss made her way to the center of the circle to find Myrtenaster sitting in the center. As she picked up her blade, a gust of wind flew by her. She quickly blocked a side-swing from another blade with Myrtenaster.

"Winter!" Weiss yelled as she shrugged off her sister's attack.

"I hope you're ready!" Winter yelled as she attacked once again, a flurry of blades, punches, and kicks flying through the air. Weiss was not much better as she attempted to counter-attack, only to be blocked by her sister. In terms of physical skill, Weiss was not too far behind Winter.

Winter raised her blade into the air, summoning a glyph on the ground behind her. From the glyph, a large beast rose from the ground; a Beowolf stood before them as she readied her blade for another assault from Weiss. "Is that all you've got?" Winter asked.

"Not even close." Weiss said as she summoned a glyph of her own, firing three projectiles from it. Each of the projectiles fired toward Winter, who quickly dodged, and attacked.

Weiss managed to keep up with her sister's blows but was having a hard time keeping track of the summoned Beowolf also. She blocked another slash from her sister with Myrtenaster but was flanked by the Beowolf from behind. The beast knocked her to the ground with amazing force.

As Weiss opened her eyes, she felt the familiar sensation of rain landing on her face. She sat up and notice that she was now in the middle of a forest with Grimm circling them from the trees. She quickly jumped up with her weapon ready and notice her unconscious teammates on the ground around her.

Yang had been severely beaten with what looked like a broken leg. Blake had been stabbed by an Ursa, but was not in critical condition, fortunately. Ruby had taken the brunt of the attack by trying to block as much of the Grimm as possible with only her body and Crescent Rose.

Weiss realized that they had been sent on a mission to retrieve a missing prisoner by the name of Cinder Fall. Upon this realization, she finally took notice of a woman watching them from the tree tops. Weiss pulled out her scroll and signaled for an emergency pickup as she prepared herself for more combat.

"I'm not scared of you!" Weiss yelled as she summoned as many glyphs as her strength would allow. She set them up in a circle around her and her teammates before activating them. They acted much like flamethrowers in how they began to burn away the forest from where she was standing; the light rain was unable to keep up with the flames.

Just as fast as they could, the Grimm began to jump across and through the fire, many dying in the process, in order to finish off the attack. Weiss, being exhausted, elected to keep her distance as they attacked by using more glyphs to jump from one area to another. She made sure she kept a reserve of energy left over if any of the Grimm tried to focus on one of her unconscious teammates.

As a Death Stalker managed to make its' way past the fire, it set its' eyes on Yang. Weiss took no time placing a protective glyph above Yang's body, catching the Grimm's stinger. Weiss summoned a second glyph underneath her feet to launch herself toward the beast, which had faltered backward due to the protective glyph next to Yang firing an explosive projectile at the Death Stalker's face. Weiss quickly sliced the stinger off of the beast causing it to enter a state of rage.

"How much longer?" Weiss yelled at the back of her mind. She continued to fight off the Grimm with amazing skill, it being obvious that something else was giving her the energy she needed for the fight. She was, without a doubt, making quick work of the Grimm despite being outrageously outnumbered.

In the distance, Weiss could faintly hear the sound of propellers spinning, which caused her to look at the direction of the noise. "Finally…" Weiss muttered as she continued to attack the Grimm. The fire was beginning to be reduced due to the increased intensity of the rain which, in turn, allowed more Grimm to be able to make it through the barrier she had put up.

She was getting attacked from all sides; a King Taijitu from the back and an Ursa and two Beowolf's from the front, with many more Grimm pouring in from the forest. "Are you serious right now?" Weiss thought as she continued to defend herself and her teammates. Just as she managed to kill the immediate Grimm around her, the rest of the Grimm immediately began to focus on her unconscious teammates.

"No way!" Weiss yelled before jumping closer to her teammates only to be blocked by the forgotten figure of Cinder Fall in front of her. A battle quickly ensued with Cinder having the upper hand; Weiss was exhausted, the protective fire had gone out, the rain was pouring to the point of interfering with her fighting, and she was the only person currently conscious. Weiss didn't have any time to counter-attack the woman since any opportunity she had to attack was absorbed by summoning a glyph to protect her comrades.

The airship had finally made it into her view as it got closer to the battlefield. As it approached, Weiss was noticeably getting better at fighting, the positivity making her more productive while battling. Just as she managed to deal her first attack to Cinder Fall, a stab into her right chest, she heard an explosion ring out behind her.

Weiss turned her head to see the destroyed remains of her airship falling to the ground. It was at this point that she found herself on the ground. She looked beneath herself and saw blood pouring from around the edges of a hole within her chest. "Wait…I thought…I stabbed her…?" Weiss thought as she noticed the metal that was sticking through her body and keeping her pinned to the ground.

The heiress looked up to the horrific sight of her teammates being mauled and eviscerated by the Grimm. She was unable to block the emotions that forced their way out of her body; she was sad and completely enraged. She forced her the metal out of the ground and made herself stand up. She gripped the metal with both hands, pulling it out of her body with her eyes clenched and a scream of agony.

As she opened her eyes, she was inside of an airship which Klein was piloting. "Ah! Good evening my little snowflake. How are you feeling?" Klein asked with delight.

"I had a terrible nightmare, I believe." Weiss responded.

"Coming home after so long can have that kind of effect." Klein stated. "Four years…It's been quite a while." He finished.

"Yes…Beacon was a fascinating place." Weiss said while still in a daze.

"Did you accomplish your goal while being there?" Klein asked.

"I believe I did…though not through the means by which I expected." Weiss stated.

"How do you mean?" Klein asked.

"I met a great group of people; they have…made an impact that I will not soon forget." Weiss said before suddenly remembering the tragic fate of her team, in the forest many months prior. Tears began to slowly slide down her cheeks before she broke into a fit of crying. "If only I were stronger…I could have kept them safe! Damn it!" she yelled as she continued to wail.

"Miss Schnee…" Klein said as he knelt down in front of her. They were now sitting on a balcony in a nice house, but not a familiar one. "…I, personally, believe that something can be learned from every experience, no matter how tragic or glorious." Klein said calmly.

"What was I supposed to learn from my team – my friends – dying?" Weiss asked as tears continued down her face.

"When something bad happens to us, it is often self-induced. By that I mean our own worries and insecurities are what cause this negative experience. Sometimes the experience can be very traumatic or mildly annoying, but they usually have the same solution. Coming to terms and fixing your issues, helps to ease the pain." Klein said apologetically.

"That won't bring them back, though!" Weiss yelled.

"Tell me, Miss Schnee? What is your biggest fear?" Klein asked.

Weiss was appalled, "What? This is no time –"

"Not being good enough." Klein answered for her.

"What?" Weiss asked.

"Your father, your sister, your title, your friends…everything you worry about revolves around not being good enough for one reason or another." Klein elaborated.

"What do you mean?" Weiss wondered in confusion.

"I mean you need to realize that you will never be the same as your father; he is a unique person, just as you are, and no one can ever replace him. You have only two choices: be worse than him, or be better." Klein explained.

"I can't simply tell him that! He believes he is perfect and that I must be on his level before succeeding him." Weiss yelled.

"Much the same can be said of Miss Winter." Klein added as though he ignored Weiss. "Your team – your friends – wouldn't even exist if you weren't good enough. You would have never been put on a team with them and, by extension, would have never become friends." Klein continued.

"That entire team selection process was set up for the sake of randomness!" Weiss argued.

"It was set up for the APPEARANCE of randomness." Klein said with emphasis. "Think of all of the events that have happened thus far and tell me, truthfully, if you think your team selection was random." Klein said confidently.

"But…" Weiss trailed off as she lowered her head and crossed her fingers in her lap.

"What about your title? The entire reason you gave your father for going to Beacon was to 'improve your résumé' if I'm not mistaken." Klein added.

"I get it." Weiss half-whispered.

"Do you, though?" Klein asked.

"Yes!" Weiss yelled as she stood up from her sobbing position to be met with the sight of her father.

"'Yes' what?" Jacques asked.

"Yes, I get it!" Weiss yelled. "I'm not some helpless damsel and I don't need YOU telling me what I do and don't need in my life! I'm strong enough for the Knight-General to accept me as his student; I'm strong enough to be a Hunter; A I know I'm good enough to do your job!" she screamed and yelled her statement at her father as he watched in anger.

"Yeah! Why don't you back off?!" A familiar voice yelled.

Jacques and Weiss both looked to the door to house opening. In a casual pajama fashion, Ruby walks through the door with a playfully grumpy look on her face. Weiss looked back at her father but was met with the shorter sight of Klein. "That is the correct answer!" Klein said happily.

"What're you doing, Weiss?" Ruby asked as she took Weiss' hands.

"I don't really know…" Weiss said as she looked out at the beautiful landscape from the balcony, Klein nowhere to be seen. Ruby quickly placed her forehead to Weiss', planting a long kiss on her lips.

"Are you okay?" Ruby asked after the kiss, Weiss' eyes still closed. When she opened them again, she was in the familiar room in which she had been administered Omni-dust.

"Yes. I don't really remember what happened, but I still have the answers." Weiss said in confusion as she looked at Ruby's messy hair. She had slumped down to Ruby's lap while unconscious. Weiss looked at the clock on the wall and was surprised to see that it was 5:32 and 47 seconds in the evening.

"What answers did you get?" Ruby asked.

"I'm good enough." Weiss said without context.

"Good enough for what?" Ruby asked while giggling.

"For anything I put my mind to. I'm good enough to be the head of the Schnee Dust Company; I'm good enough for Team RWBY; I'm good enough for you…" Weiss said, placing her hand on Ruby's cheek for her latter comment.

"I could've told you that!" Ruby said with a sigh. "I can't wait to tell you about mine…but we should wait for those two." She finished with a glance to her sister and Blake. Yang was laying with her feet propped up on the coffee table, her left arm on the armrest, right arm around Blake, and her head leaned back against the top of the couch facing the ceiling. Blake was curled up as much as her body would allow, with her head resting on Yang's lap.

"I wonder how much longer until they come out?" Weiss asked.

"I don't know. But I don't really want to move right now, anyway." Ruby said while placing her hand on Weiss' cheek.

"Me neither. I would take a nap until they get up…but I'm afraid to close my eyes again." Weiss joked.

"I know what you mean! Oh well…" Ruby said as she pulled out her scroll, put her headphone's audio plug into the audio jack, and handed one of them to Weiss who placed it in her ear. "We can just relax a little until then." She finished awhile placing the other earbud into her ear and pressing 'Play' on her music.