Author's Notes:

Thank you for the follows and favorites after just one short chapter! Honestly, I thought I'd put this up and we'd be somewhere around chapter 20-some-odd before anyone even found this. I truly hope that you all enjoy the story as much as I enjoyed writing it as part of 2015's NaNoWriMo. NaNoWriMo 2016 starts on 01 November ~ I encourage anyone who has ever thought of writing a novel to give it a shot!

Special thanks to the following firsts: pkmnguy as my first story follower, TitaniumTurtlex as the first to favorite the story, thompson1041 as the first to follow/favorite me as an author, and chaoslabyrinth was the first to post a review.

While I'm at it ~ please feel free to comment / review / or PM me with your thoughts!

Chapter 2

"You do have a name, don't you?" Weiss was growing impatient as the small woman seemed to ignore her while smoothing the covers on the bed. "I mean, you're mute, not deaf, you dolt!"

Unsure of how to respond to the girl in white, she continued to absently adjust the blanket of the small bed, wondering how she was supposed to share the tiny sleeping platform with this girl. Weiss made it clear that she still wasn't completely trusting her and said that she would sleep in the girl's bed, between Weiss and the wall so that she couldn't easily sneak out to rejoin Torchwick.

As if I would… Freedom from that element controlling her life was something that she wanted, no, needed, for as long as she could remember. Roman wasn't exactly evil, just an opportunistic criminal, but that Cinder woman ~ who's to say where she would draw the line. OW!

A book striking her back snapped her thoughts back to the present as she remained there facing the bed. Tears began to stream down her face. While it has been quite a while since she was beaten for something – always someone else's mistake that was blamed on her – she shuddered to think that this future Huntress was actually as cruel as a criminal.

With a forceful grip on her left shoulder, Weiss spun the woman around to face her. Startled by the tears, she took a step back as her mouth fell open.

"Good evening, team RWBY!" came the voice of the team's leader as she entered the room. Unfortunately, the rest of the team was otherwise occupied, so Ruby walked in on Weiss alone with her prisoner, who was now crying.

Using her speed, Ruby darted towards the small woman and wrapped her up in an inappropriately large hug.

"Is Weiss being mean to you?" Turning to her teammate while holding the softly crying woman, "Weiss ~ you're a monster! She may be a prisoner, but she's still a real, live person with feelings and hope and dreams."

"R-Ruby! I… you know I would never. And take your hands off of her this instant!"

"Weiss!"

"No. Just, no. Stay out of this Ruby."

"Maybe you should tell me why," Ruby caught herself, suddenly realizing that she had no idea what the woman in her arms' name was, "she is crying and you're as red as my hood."

Weiss had turned red. Not from anger at the small woman's ignoring of her. Well, maybe a little from being ignored, but mostly from an irrational feeling gripping her as she saw her prisoner in another girl's arms.

"Ruby, just… Please leave us alone. We need to, umm, talk, ugh, about stuff."

The small woman clasped her hand over her mouth at Weiss's words. Tears began to fall in torrents now as she collapsed from Ruby's arms and on to the bed. Shaking her head side to side as she tried to blink the tears out of her eyes. In her state, she lost control of her eyes and they were changing colors at every blink. From pink to brown to white.

"Hey, no, please." Weiss's face was hot. Shame overtook her emotions now.

Heedless to Ruby's presence, Weiss rushed to her prisoner and took her small face in her hands. As their eyes met, Weiss shuddered inside from the pain and hurt she saw.

"I was just being a dunce. Please, I didn't mean to hurt you."

This is the way it always is. They hurt you. Then they act remorseful. They tell you that it will never happen again. Until next time. And it will be your fault, like always. Knowing that she was giving away too many emotions with her eyes shifting colors as rapidly as they were, she clenched them shut and thought mournfully that she went from one abusive situation to another one. The Schnee girl would be just like Cinder was in the beginning, before she was given as a 'gift' to Roman, kind and soothing words, but violent and hurtful in action.

"Ruby, please go away." Weiss begged her. It was bad enough that she hurt someone in her charge; she couldn't handle her teammate, her leader, judging her as well. "Please…"

Placing a hand on the crying woman's shoulder, Ruby spoke to her, "Weiss may want me to leave, but I won't go anywhere if you want me to stay with you."

Turning her head from Weiss's hold, she looked to Ruby and shook her head before looking to Weiss and motioning between the two of them swiftly as she nodded.

"Okay. As long as you're sure." Still hesitant to leave them alone, Ruby didn't immediately move towards the exit.

The small woman reached up and touched Ruby's arm, smiled at her and gently nodded her head before inclining it towards the door.

Ruby took her meaning and strode across the room. Without looking back, as her hand grasped the knob, she spoke to Weiss, "If she's crying again when I get back, or I find out you're not treating her properly, I will tell Goodwitch that you're not fit for this charge." Ruby then slipped through the door and slammed it shut.

Weiss sat on the bed next to the small woman and, unsure what else to do, reached out to put her arm around the woman.

Seeing Weiss's arm moving towards her, unsure if she meant to strike out, the prisoner scooted into the corner created by the bed and walls. Grabbing a pillow, she shielded herself in the corner, knowing that it wouldn't be enough to protect herself from the Huntress in training.

Weiss stopped dead and looked in awe at the violently shaking, crying woman, desperately clinging to the pillow, terrified. Suddenly, Weiss understood what was happening. Weiss knew the small woman's fear.

"I'm not a monster." Weiss began. "My childhood was, very difficult. My father flew into these rages because of, well, a large variety of reasons, including the assassination of board members, hijacked shipments, and attacks on family members. He kept me inside the compound to protect me from the outside, but it didn't protect me from him."

Carefully looking at the Schnee girl from behind her shield, she blinked and both eyes went white. She saw Weiss staring at the ground, fists on her lap, knuckles white, and her shoulders shaking almost imperceptibly. For her power, wealth, and name, she was still a scared little girl, hiding the truth about her past.

Setting the pillow aside, and tentatively placing her right hand on Weiss's left shoulder, she slipped out of the bed and made her way to the desk Weiss was at when she threw the book. Finding some paper and a pen, the small woman scribbled a handful of words and returned to the bed. Sitting next to the Schnee girl, she placed her left hand on the girl's right knee and handed her the piece of paper.

Shocked at the gentleness of the touch, Weiss didn't dare to move suddenly, afraid of scaring her again. Slowly, she extended her right hand and placed it on the woman's left thigh while reaching for the note with her left. Daring a glance at the small woman's face, she saw that her tears were no longer streaming, and her irises had gone white.

Taking the paper, she read the few words:

I'm Neo. Neopolitan... You're not a monster, Weiss.

I think we've both been victims. Haven't we?

Taking a deep breath, Weiss replied simply, "Yes."

Neo blinked again and both eyes turned pink. She pointed to Weiss then herself, tapped her own chest, over her heart, and pointed to Weiss again.

"You feel what I feel?"

Neo nodded.

"I'm sorry I lashed out at you. This can't be easy for you."

Neo shook her head from side to side. Then, suddenly realizing that Weiss's hand was still on her thigh, became very aware of just how close they were sitting to one another and that her own hand was still on Weiss's knee. Weiss was right. This was not easy for her. And now, she was feeling even more vulnerable than before. She felt Weiss's hand give her a gentle squeeze before softly caressing her leg for a quick second before awkwardly pulling away and jumping off the bed.

"Well, right… Now that I know your name, Neo, I guess we're going to have to discuss plans for the rest of the night. Then we can take tomorrow and Sunday to figure out what we need to do to get you started on your way to becoming a proper Huntress."

Unsure what to say next, Weiss looked towards the door to their bathroom. She really had no idea what they were going to do with the rest of the night or how, exactly, she was going to ensure Neo would become a respectable Huntress.

"First thing's first. I need a shower." And a few minutes to get my head together. She smiled weakly at Neo before getting up and slipping into the bathroom to begin her nightly routine, hoping that she could wrap her head around the situation.