"-you want to break up with me-"

That voice...Cassian?

"We aren't going to talk about this until I know my little sister is fine."

Winter's voice. Firm, but sad.

"Of course, but I just wanted to-."

Cassian. His voice is calm, yet he seems to be pleading.

"Cassian, please. Let's do this somewhere more private alright?"

"...she's waking up."

Weiss rubbed her head and sat up, wincing as a dull pain rain through her body. "W-where am I?"

"You're in the infirmary Ms. Schnee." Cassian said. He was leaning next to the door, his sheathed sword gripped lightly in his right hand. "You took some serious damage during the fight, but luckily your aura took the brunt of the damage. You'll be fine after a few hours."

"You did good little sister." Winter smiled at Weiss, but Weiss noticed that it seemed a bit forced. "Your decision to come here for Huntress training was not detrimental after all."

"Thank you Win-big sister." Weiss noticed how Winter's eyes widened just a fraction. In the corner of her eye, she saw Cassian smile slightly. "It was a good spar. I hope that we can do it again."

"Likewise." Winter smiled at Weiss, this time genuinely. "Now then, Cassian and I should be going. Your friends have been waiting outside to check on you. A certain boy with spiky blue hair was particularly adamant that he see you as soon as possible." Noticing Weiss' blush, Winter chuckled, while Cassian lowered his sunglasses and shot Weiss a wink. "He is not my type, but I can see why one would be attracted to him. I hope you heed my words little sister." With that said, Winter turned towards the door, which Cassian had already opened.

As Winter left, Cassian paused and smiled at Weiss, before shutting the door behind him.

Weiss got a few seconds of calm, before the door burst open and Team RWBY, SSSN and JNPR all rushed in.

It was only after they had begun recapping Weiss' fight in great detail that Weiss realised that Winter had referred to Cassian by his first name.

"It's good that she has friends." Cassian commented, shutting the door behind him. With a click, he locked it. He and Winter were currently inside an unused classroom. Cassian had told Yin that he needed sometime alone with her, a request that Yin was more than happy to fulfill (as he still felt some responsibility for Silvers' actions). "She'll grow into a fine young-"

Crack.

Cassian stumbled sideways as Winter's hand struck his right cheek.

"That was for kissing your ex-girlfriend in front of me." Winter said simply. Anger, long withheld, dyed her face.

"I deserved that." Cassian admitted, standing back up, only to receive another brutal slap on his other cheek. This time, he let his neck crack to the right, taking the full force of the blow.

"That's for saying I'd want to break up with you." She was positively livid now, tears of anger staining her cheeks.

"I deserved that as well." Cassian rotated his head back, preparing for another assault. "Before you continue, I just want to say that what happened today was completely my fault and please-"

Whatever Cassian was about to say was cut off when Winter smashed her lips against his. The two kissed for a long time, before finally pulling apart. It had been a rough kiss, one full of raw emotion and words.

"And that's me saying that I still love you regardless." Winter panted, an embarrassed smile on her face.

"I-I…" Cassian was genuinely lost for words. Shock was evident on his face. Winter, seeing such a rare expression on Cassian's face, burst out laughing. "I-never mind." Cassian, after a while, simply gave up trying to be coherent and smiled.

A few minutes later, Winter managed to stop laughing.

"Was it that funny?" Cassian asked. The two of them had, at some point, moved away from the doorway and were seated side-by-side on the teacher's desk. Winter's head was resting on Cassian's shoulder while Cassian rested his head on Winter's. "Me being speechless?"

"Oh yes." Winter giggled. "It was."

"...I'm sorry." Cassian said after a moment. "I don't know what else to say but sorry-" Winter placed her finger on Cassian's mouth, silencing him.

"I forgive you." Winter wrapped her arms around Cassian's arm and pulled herself close. "I promised myself that I'd listen to your side of the story, but now that I think about it, I don't really care-"

"Winter, you can't just forgive me like that! I need to be-" Winter once again cut off Cassian by covering his mouth, only this time with her own. This kiss was longer and more gentle than the last.

"If you need to do something to redeem yourself-" Winter murmured after they'd broken apart. "-then make me a promise."

"A promise?"

"That you'll be mine and only mine. Forever."

Cassian immediately stepped off the table and twirled around so he was facing Winter. Dropping to one knee, Cassian lowered his head so that they were nearly touching Winter's feet.

"I, Cassian Gray, swear to forever be loyal and true to Winter Schnee for the rest of my life. Should I forsake this vow, may I be struck down by Oum himself and his crows eat my entrails for all eternity."

"Good." Winter admitted, using her foot to lift Cassian's head by his chin so that he was looking her in the eye. "But I was thinking more along the lines of something involving a ring, if you get my drift?"

That made Cassian blush red. After a minute, Winter too blushed at her own forwardness.

"Well, I did promise you one day didn't I?" Cassian, after a while, whispered softly. This only caused Winter to flush even more as she remembered that night. Cassian stood up and pulled Winter into a hug. "I hope that you're willing to wait though, since at this moment in our lives it isn't the best thing to do.."

"As long as it takes." Winter replied without hesitation. She had buried her face into Cassian's chest, but Cassian could feel the warmth from her blush. "As long as it takes…"

The two remained in that room for a long time, neither talking nor moving, but enjoying each other's company.

"Where'd Winter and Cassian go?" Yang asked, brushing water off her shoulders. She had made numerous 'whipped' puns and jokes to Weiss, none of which had been taken kindly by the younger Schnee. The ultimate conclusion had been Weiss using a glyph to freeze Yang in an ice pillar to 'cool off', in her words. (This had elicited a groan from those present, and an "At least I'm trying! Geez!" from Weiss.)

"Dunno." Sage responded, chewing on a biscuit he had found somewhere. "They left as soon as we went in."

"Oooo do you think they went for some sexy time-ow!" Nora yelped as Ren whacked her on the head.

"Nora, don't talk about the potential sexual exploits of Winter in front of Winter's younger sister."

"But isn't Weiss at least a teeny bit curious? I mean, it's all over the internet!"

"Actually, that's a good point." Yang turned to the Schnee heiress, who had been noticeably quiet during the conversation. "Wouldn't Weissy here be the best person to ask about the truth regarding Winter and Cassian?"

"Um…" Weiss looked at all the expectant faces around her. "Well...I don't actually know."

"What!?" Yang shouted in surprise, causing Weiss to flinch. "You're her sister! How could you not know if she's dating her bodyguard!?"

"Winter was never the type to share her feelings. Plus, I only heard about their supposed relationship yesterday."

"Wait, you don't read Vale's Gossip Girl XOXO?" Scarlet asked.

"No. Who does?" Everyone, including Ren and Ruby, raised their hand. "What…even you Blake!?"

"It's quality literature." Blake said defensively. Weiss rolled her eyes, but decided not to press the point.

"Well, regardless of all of your questionable reading tastes, no I don't know if my sister is dating her bodyguard." Weiss vaguely remembered hearing something in her daze earlier that may have indicated otherwise, but decided to dismiss it. Better not to say anything then say something based on imperfect information. "Nor do I have any knowledge that may indicate whether the rumor is true or not."

"Awww that's no fun." Nora huffed. "Oh, I know! Let's spy on them."

"I would advise against that." A voice suddenly said from the doorway. The crowd of students immediately turned around, to find themselves looking at a young...guy/girl. The androgynous human sighed. "...I'm a guy."

"Yin Chi-tu." Weiss muttered, recognising the seasoned Hunter.

"Ms. Schnee." Yin nodded his head in greeting, unperturbed by the noticeable change in the room's atmosphere. "I am glad to see you are alright. It would be most unfortunate if one of the Schnee Family were injured under our watch."

"Thank you for your concern."

"The Colonel holds the Schnee family in high regard. It is only fitting that I do the same."

"You seem to hold the Colonel in very high regard yourself." Yin laughed.

"That I do. If you heard the stories of what he's done for other people, you'd see why everyone else does as well. There is a legitimate reason why he's known as the White Knight."

"Wait, so that wasn't a media thing?" Sage asked. Yin shook his head.

"No. Originally we at the Academy called Cassian that because he was the personal bodyguard to the-" Yin cast a glance at Weiss, before continuing. "-former heiress of the Schnee Dust Company."

"Unimaginative." Weiss grunted. "But understandable, considering it's a military academy."

Yin snorted, before continuing.

"Anyway, I suppose the first thing that caught everyone's attention was what he did with Silvers Iscariot."

"Silvers Iscariot? Your team leader?" Yang asked, remembering the small girl who had escorted them during Winter's presentation. "Wait...wasn't she hugging Cassian?"

"Silvers' infatuation with the Colonel stems from what the Colonel did for her in her first year at the Academy."

"So when Cassian was in his second year." Yin nodded. "So, what did he do?"

"Well, it's an interesting story." Yin thought back to four years ago, when he had met the people who would eventually form Team SHYD.

"-and that's how I met Silvers." Cassian finished. "And as you know, we eventually dated and broke up-"

"Did you sleep with her?." Winter asked, her head lying in Cassian's lap. At some point, they'd moved to the nearest set of benches.

"…I just gave you a eloquent and engaging story about my past and you ask me that?"

"It's a serious question."

"Erm…"

"Cassian, I won't get mad. I promise."

"Well…" Cassian coughed. "We were nineteen year olds and dating…"

"So you did sleep with her."

"...yes." Cassian braced himself for some physical retaliation, but Winter only sighed and re-adjusted her head into a more comfortable position.

"Fine. Are there any other ex-girlfriends that I should know about?"

Winter's new position meant she could no longer see Cassian's face. Had she seen it, she would have noticed the look of anguish that briefly crossed Cassian's face.

"None...that you have to worry about." Cassian replied, scratching Winter's head.

"Mmmm." Winter smiled and snuggled against Cassian, completely unaware of Cassian's innermost thoughts. "OK then."

They stayed like this for a few minutes, Winter lightly dozing while Cassian fiddled with her hair.

"You should talk to your sister." Cassian suddenly said, breaking the silence. He could feel Winter wiggle a bit in response, but she didn't say anything. "As in, have a serious heart-to-heart."

"...It isn't that easy Cassian." Winter said after a pause. Her voice sounded withdrawn and defeated. "You know that I've never had a good-"

"That's a lie and we both know it." Cassian cut in, his voice firm. "We grew up together remember? I still remember how she used to cling to you a barnacle against a fishing boat whenever you'd go out and play. Even now I know she wants to have her sister back."

"Really?" The hope in Winter's voice was fragile, but it was hope nevertheless. "Does she really want that?"

"Yes." Cassian promised. "Yes, she does."

"...I want it to you know." Winter mumbled. "To be a sister again."

"I know you do." Cassian whispered, stroking Winter's hair.

After a few moments of silence, Winter suddenly spoke up, a smirk on her face.

"A barnacle against a fishing boat? Was that the best analogy you could come up with?"

"Hey, I'm from a fishing town!."

"Really?"

"Yes it's-wait we aren't talking about me." Cassian lightly tapped Winter on the forehead, making her giggle. "So, will you go talk with your sister?"

"...alright." Winter said, after a minute of consideration. "But only because you asked."

"You'll be happy you did." Cassian patted Winter's cheek, knowing full well that Winter would have done it even if he hadn't mentioned it to her. She was, in the end, a prideful member of the Schnee family. "And she will be as well."

Winter hummed in contentment.

"H-he really did that?" Sage asked. Tears were rolling down his cheeks as Yin finished his story. Next to him, Scarlet blew his nose in a tissue. The other inhabitants of the room, while not quite as emotionally affected by the story, were also humbled by Yin's story about Cassian.

"That and more." Yin replied. At some point, he had found himself surrounded by the numerous Hunters-and-Huntresses in training. "Though, if I was to tell you anymore of the Colonel's stories, I'd be here-"

"Anymore of whose stories?" A bemused voice asked from the doorway. Leaning against the doorframe was the Colonel himself.

"Ah Colonel!" Yin jumped to his feet. "I see that you've finished your business."

"Yes, thank you for that Yin." Yin bowed his head in response. "Though, I'm here to deliver a message to Ms. Schnee from my mistress."

"For me?" Weiss asked. Next to her, Neptune was holding a glass of juice with a straw in it.

"My mistress would like to spend some…" Cassian paused, as if trying to come up with the correct words. "Happy sisterly-time?"

"Happy sisterly-time…?" Weiss' mind took a few moments to decipher the meaning behind Cassian's words. "You aren't just putting words in my sister's mouth again are you?"

"I'm sure that not the only thing he's putting in her mouth-ow!" Yang winced and rubbed her arm, Blake giving her a withering stare. Cassian and Yin simply sighed at the blond brawler's innuendo.

"So, do you mind Ms. Schnee?"

"N-no." Weiss stuttered, surprised at the offer. "I don't mind at all."

"Should we go?" Ren asked, having correctly deduced Cassian's intent. "We wouldn't want to intrude upon a sisterly bonding time."

"That would be most appreciated Mr. Lie." Cassian shot a glance at Yin. "Perhaps Yin will continue to entertain you with his stories, over pancakes of course."

"Yay pancakes!" Nora shouted, immediately pushing most of the room out.

As the students filled out, Cassian noted that Neptune seemed a bit reluctant to leave Weiss' side. The blue haired boy kept shooting worried glances in Weiss' direction.

"Mr. Vasilias." Cassian suddenly placed his hand on Neptune's shoulder. "Would you mind coming with me for a moment?"

"M-me?" Neptune asked. Cassian nodded. Neptune then turned to Weiss. "Is that fine with you, snow an-"

"It's fine!" Weiss said quickly, cutting Neptune off with a blush on her face. "I want to talk with my sister privately as well."

"OK." Neptune turned to Cassian and shot him a million-watt smile. "Sure, I'll come with you."

"Perfect." Cassian gave Weiss a warm smile, before departing with Neptune in tow.

A few seconds after the two men had left, the door opened once more and Winter Schnee stepped in.

Weiss noticed that her sister looked a lot more relaxed and happy then she had an hour ago. While her expression still remained the same, Winter's body language indicated her change in mood.

"Hello little sister." Winter said, pulling up a chair and seating herself next to Weiss' bed. "I think its time we had a heart-to-heart, don't you agree?"

"Soooo Colonel."

"Please, just call me Cassian. Or Cass, if you prefer."

"I will if you call me Neptune."

"Deal."

The two men were currently walking down the halls, with Cassian in the lead and Neptune tailing behind. With a start, Neptune realised they were heading for the training halls.

"Cassian, are we going to the training halls?"

"Yup." Cassian replied, opening the door to one of the halls. He motioned for Neptune to step inside. "I wanted to talk to you privately, but I also feel a need to punch you. So I decided to pick a place where I could do both." Cassian gave Neptune a sunny smile, which he did not return.

"Um, why do you want to punch me?" Neptune decided to immediately jump to his biggest concern at the moment.

"Because you're flirting with my mistress' younger sister." Cassian replied, stripping his formal wear off and changing into training gear. "Who I also view as a younger sister of sorts."

"So you want to punch me for flirting with Weiss?"

"Pretty much. My mistress and I flipped for this and I won. She wanted to whip you with Sturm und Drang."

"...I should be thankful that you won then shouldn't I?"

"Unless you're into BDSM, then yes you should." Cassian slid a pair of gloves over his hands. "Don't worry, I won't hurt you too badly."

"Sure." Neptune made as if to remove his weapon, only for Cassian to stop him. "Wait, isn't this a hand-to-hand combat thing?"

"For me, yes. But you're using your weapon." Cassian stepped into the centre of the hall and bounced on his feet, his hands raised in front of his face in a similar stance to Yang. "Now then, show me what you can do."

Weiss was currently experiencing something she hadn't experienced in a long time.

She was being hugged by her sister.

It had been completely out of the blue, with no prior warning. The moment the door shut behind Winter, she had pulled Weiss into a hug.

Weiss could feel her sister's warmth, could smell the faint scent of mint. Memories, thousands of them, immediately came to Weiss' mind as she breathed in Winter's scent.

Weiss watching as Winter climbed the big tree in the Schnee estate.

Winter teaching Weiss how to properly cut vegetables with a knife and fork.

Winter hugging Weiss during a thunderstorm.

Weiss hiding behind Winter during their first meeting with Cassian.

Weiss asking Winter for bunkbeds.

Tears begun to form around Weiss' eyes as she relaxed in her sister's firm embrace.

Neither of them said a word, for words were not needed at that moment.

There were just somethings that words couldn't communicate after all.

"Gah!" Neptune shrieked, ducking under one of Cassian's right hooks. He had already been disarmed exactly four seconds into the match, and was now trying not to get hit. "Careful of the face-" Whatever Neptune was about to say was abruptly interrupted when Cassian stabbed his fingers lightly into his solar plexus (Well, lightly for Cassian. The force of the stab was enough to empty Neptune's lungs instantly, as well as temporarily paralyze his right lung.)

"You know, when I said we'd talk-" Cassian followed up the crippling blow with a quick one-two combo, sending Neptune reeling for breath and stumbling backwards. "-I meant that we'd talk with our fists."

Neptune couldn't come up with an answer for that, too busy trying to get his body to breath. Cassian responded by sweeping Neptune's legs from under him, before striking Neptune in the chest with his toes. This blow immediately sent a bolt of pain through Neptune, as well as re-energising his entire body.

"GAH-woah." Neptune blinked, surprised at the sudden burst of energy. "What the heck-?"

"Temporary energy boost." Cassian replied, suddenly grabbing Neptune's leg and hurling him across the training hall. "Didn't want you tapping out just yet."

Neptune's body hit the wall with a crack. Luckily, his aura managed to protect him from the brunt of the blow. Neptune landed face-first on the floor.

"Ow…" Neptune mumbled, standing up. "You're really not holding back are you?"

"Oh, I am." Cassian grinned. "If you want me to get serious, I could send you to the infirmary to keep Ms. Schnee company."

"I'll pass thanks." Cassian laughed and lowered his hands. "Are we done?" Neptune asked hopefully.

"For now." Cassian walked towards Neptune, stopping about a meter away from the younger man. "So, what do you think of Ms. Schnee anyways?"

"You mean Weiss?" Cassian nodded. "Well, I think she's cool."

"Does that mean there's romantic intent…?"

"I don't know." Neptune answered honestly. "I mean, I like her a lot. But I don't know if it's in a romantic way."

"Mmm I know that feeling." Cassian nodded sagely. "I was like that for a long time as well."

"Oh with Silvers?"

"Sure." Cassian replied in a way that indicated it was anything but that. His tone however, told Neptune that it was in his best interests not to probe. "I remember how difficult it was to sort out my feelings for her."

"But you did in the end?"

"I did." Cassian nodded. "It wasn't easy, but I did."

"How? I mean, how did you find out you liked her?"

"I realised that I was nothing without her." Cassian said it as if it was the most normal thing in the world.

"Cassian, I don't think Weiss and I are even near that level of commitment. We've been on two dates tops."

"That isn't enough for you guys?"

"You fell in love after two dates!?"

"Yes?"

"I think that's considered abnormal Cassian." Neptune shook his head, unable to believe the Colonel.

"I suppose." Cassian was completely unaffected by the realisation that his relationship was considered so unnatural. "But I like to think it was true love."

"...I get the odd feeling we aren't talking about Silvers anymore."

"We aren't."

"Oh." Seeing that Cassian was not going to elaborate, Neptune decided to let the point sit. "Well, I hope it ends well for you and your...beloved?"

"Yeah…" Cassian mumbled, having already lost focus. His eyes were glazed over, as if he was thinking about something. "...Neptune."

"Hmm?" Neptune stopped checking his body for wounds. "What's up?"

"Love…" Cassian trailed off.

"Yes?"

"...is a battlefield." Cassian finished cryptically. He wasn't looking at Neptune, instead choosing to stare at some random spot in the hall. "And the fight...never ends. "

"...OK?" Neptune replied, unsure of why Cassian had suddenly said something so…melodramatic. Something told him however, that Cassian may not have been talking to him.

It was almost as if Cassian was giving himself advice.

Or perhaps remembering something important.

"Winter…" Weiss sniffed. She had been crying into her sister's bosom for the past few minutes or so. "I-I-"

"Shhh…" Winter softly brushed Weiss' hair, a gesture she hadn't done in years. "It's alright little sister."

"I-I missed you." Weiss mumbled. "I missed you so much…"

"And I you." Winter said in a soothing tone, lightly planting a kiss on Weiss' head. "I should have come back a long time ago. I'm so sorry about that Weiss. I failed you as your big sister, disappearing all those years ago."

"It isn't your fault!" Weiss suddenly shouted into Winter's chest. "I was childish! And stupid! And a complete dunce! I just wanted to get back at you for ignoring me, but in the process I-"

"Weiss." Winter said in a firm but kind tone. "You can't blame yourself for everything. You were only a child then. How could you be expected to know?"

"But I should have known-"

"No." Winter gently lifted Weiss' head so that the two sisters were looking each other in the eye. Weiss could see the old Winter, the real Winter, in those eyes. The Winter that had protected Weiss from everything all that time ago. "You shouldn't have. I was selfish Weiss, placing my own happiness in front of everything else. I wanted to get away from the Castle, from father. And in the process, I robbed you of your right to a childhood."

"I don't care about that! I jus-just wanted you Winter!" Weiss sobbed, clutching her sister as if she was afraid she'd disappear. "I just wanted my sister back…"

"And now you do." Winter whispered softly, rubbing Weiss' back. Tears had begun to form in the corner of Winter's eyes as well. "I promise you Weiss. I won't leave you alone anymore. Not this time."

AWWW SO CUTE. Anyways, we'll go even deeper into their relationships in the next chapter. Review if you have anything to say! (Comments, constructive criticism, suggestions, ect.)