"Winter, it's me." Weiss mumbled, knocking on the bedroom door. No answer. "Winter, please answer me. You've been in there for two months."

Still no answer. With a sigh, Weiss tried the doorknob again. Locked.

"Winter, I'm going to break this door down if you don't open it within the next three seconds."

Counting to four, Weiss placed her palm against the lock and pressed downwards. The lock immediately broke, allowing Weiss to push the door open.

Stepping into the room, Weiss was immediately assaulted by an intense chill. Looking around, she realised that the entire room was coated in a thin layer of frost. Looking at the ground, Weiss noted the half-eaten plates of food, also covered in frost. At least Winter was eating.

At the far end of the room lay a large king sized bed. Upon that bed sat Winter, curled up in a ball and wrapped in blankets. Around her, actual ice crystals had formed, giving the entire thing a holy appearance.

"Winter." Weiss repeated, much louder this time. Her sister however, didn't react. It took Weiss a moment to realise she was staring at something in her palm.

A silver ring.

"Winter…" Weiss walked over to her sister, before taking a seat next to the older Schnee. Winter's only response to Weiss' presence was to shift a tiny bit, giving her sister more room. Weiss wrapped her arms around her sister, noting her incredibly low body temperature.

"..." Winter pressed herself into her little sister, like a moth to flame. "..."

"It's ok." Weiss pulled her sister closer, ignoring the frost that was building on her skin. "I'm right here."

"..." Winter didn't answer with words, choosing to huddle even closer. She was hungry for physical contact, for warmth. Weiss obliged, allowing her elder sister to hug her until it hurt. "..."

"Do you remember when we first met him?" Weiss wondered if she was doing the right thing, talking about Cassian. "We were so young back then."

"..." Winter didn't say a word, but Weiss could tell she was listening. Deciding to take that as a go ahead, Weiss continued to talk.

"He was awkward. Then again, so was I, hiding behind you throughout the duration of our meeting." Weiss chuckled at the memory, while Winter didn't make a single sound. "You weren't however. I remember how confident you were when you spoke to him, how effortlessly you took the role of leader-"

"I wasn't." Winter's voice was throaty, worn down by the crying that she had no doubt been doing. "I was terrified when I walked into that room. Cas-" Winter noticeably choked when she tried to say his name, but managed to continue nevertheless. "-he was the first boy I'd met who was my age. I didn't know how to act, so I decided to be confident."

"Be confident? Winter you're one of the most confident people I know!"

"No, I'm not. I'm a weak person Weiss. All my confidence, all my posing, it was all an act to fool the masses."

"Don't sa-"

"But I'm happy I was born weak Weiss." A bit of strength appeared in Winter's voice. At the same time, Weiss felt Winter's body temperature rise ever so slightly. "Because I got to meet Cassian. Had I been strong, I would have refused a bodyguard. Instead, Cassian made me strong. He made me forget the lies and facades that I had lived with my whole life. It was because of him Weiss, that I managed to break free from the false world that I inhabited."

Weiss didn't know whether she wanted to hear her sister, her beautiful and perfect elder sister, talk like this. Winter however continued to speak her mind, continued to reveal her darkest secrets and truths.

"Cassian taught the weak me that weakness wasn't a bad thing. All people are born weak-, he used to say, -but that's we must form bonds, since that's how we grow strong." Winter smiled a sad smile as she recounted his words. "I think it was then that I realised I was in love with him. Because no matter what lies I said, what sins I did, he would stand beside me. He saw me for who I was, not who I was meant to become. The strong Winter Schnee that ran Pale Horse, the weak Winter Schnee who just wanted to be cuddled, Cassian accepted it all without complaint."

Weiss knew the weight associated with the Schnee name. She bared it with pride after all. But her sister was different. Winter didn't want to bear the Schnee name. Winter just wanted to be herself, to be free of all the burdens. And that was what Cassian did. He was a person that would let her be...well her. And for Winter, that was all she ever wanted.

"You know, I considered ending it all." Weiss, hearing those words, immediately focused her attention on Winter. Her sister, noticing the alarm on Weiss' face, let out a baleful laugh. "Don't worry, I'm not going to. Because I know that Cassian wouldn't want that. He'd want me to live my life."

"Yes, yes he would." Weiss felt her sister shift against her. At the same time, Winter's breathing slowed. No doubt this conversation had drained her. It had been the first time she'd spoken in months after all.

"Weiss…" Winter mumbled, her voice growing tired. "Before I go to sleep, can I ask you something?"

"Anything."

"Do you think...he was happy in the end?"

"Yes." Weiss replied unhesitatingly.

"Why?"

"Because he achieved what he wanted." Weiss said, wondering where the words were coming from. "He died knowing that the one he loved loved him back, and was safe from harm. For Cassian, I believe that's all he ever wanted. Your love and safety."

"He...was always like that. Kind...to a fault." Winter whispered, her eyes beginning to close. "But...that's why I love him."

Weiss waited for Winter to fall asleep, before adding one last comment.

"That's why we all love him big sister." Weiss mumbled, gently laying her sister on the bed. "Sleep well now, and dream of your love."

"P-please." The White Fang member gasped. He was bleeding from numerous bullet wounds, his face contorted in pain. "M-mercy-"

"No." Silvers said, waving her baton. Her drones opened fire, executing the man on the spot. "White Fang trash."

"Commander, that was a bit unnecessary." Yin said, returning his halberd to its sheath. "The fifteenth agreement of the Halifax Convention states that killing combatants who have surrendered-"

"They're terrorists, not combatants." Silvers replied. "Now shut up Yin."

"...as you wish." Yin sighed. "But I'm sure the Colonel-"

With reflexes honed through years of training, Yin dodged the numerous bullets that were fired at him from multiple directions.

"Don't you dare mention Cass to me Yin." Silvers pointed her baton at her subordinate, her drones prepared to unleash another barrage. "You have no right to mention him to me."

"I have every right to mention the Colonel, Silvers." Yin drew his halberd from its sheath. "He was my commander as well."

"He was my lover Yin!" Silvers yelled. "I loved him! And now he's dead, killed by the White Fang!"

On the sidelines, Davina and Helaine shared a look, before returning their gaze to their fellow teammates.

"People die all the time." Yin stated. "We're soldiers and bodyguards Silvers. The moment we step onto the battlefield, we accept that death can strike us at any moment. The Colonel was no different in that aspect."

"Cassian was different-!"

"How so Silvers?" Yin challenged. "How was the Colonel any different from us? He wasn't a superhero that bullets bounced off. He was a man who swung his sword for his convictions, and died for them as well."

"He was a superhero." Silvers said defiantly. "He was my superhero." Silvers placed her hand on her chest. "Do you know what it's like to be the sister of the most heinous traitor in Atlas' history?"

Yin resisted the urge to wince. He, like every other person in Atlas, was aware of the story of former Lieutenant-General Ferris Iscariot, aka Silvers' brother.

One of the strongest Hunters of his generation, Ferris Iscariot was five years Silvers' senior. A monster who fought his partner and lover Fenris for the title of Strongest, Ferris Iscariot eventually, for reasons unknown, slaughtered all but one of his superiors, before disappearing into the wilderness. It was said that not a single Hunter or Huntress in Atlas had come close to reaching Ferris and Fenris' power.

Rumors said that the reason Fenris left the army immediately after his betrayal was to avoid being ordered to hunt him down, but no one had the guts to ask Fenris about that.

"The number of times people have tried to kill me for my brother's crimes is...well incalculable, seeing as I stopped counting after the first hundred." Silvers let out a self-deprecating laugh. "The Academy was worse though. Even though I had only been a child when he turned rogue, the cadets still treated me like I was an accomplice of his. Everyone but Cass."

Yin knew this story. He had told the exact same story to the young Hunters at Beacon.

"Hello there." Silvers looked up from her book, expecting another round of bullying. Standing next to her was a tall man with grayish hair and a pair of thick-rimmed glasses. "Good book?"

"What do you want?" Silvers glared at the man. He was attractive, she supposed. Judging from his attire, and the mark on his chest, he was a year older than her. "Are you planning to hit me again? Because I promise you, I won't go down without a fight."

"Hit you?" The man looked genuinely horrified. "Why would I hit you? Why would anyone hit you?"

"Oh don't play dumb with me! I'm an Iscariot! That's all the reason you people need to hurt me!"

"An Iscariot?" To Silvers' surprise, the man looked confused. "Is that meant to mean something…?"

"Ferris Iscariot? The heinous war criminal? My brother?" Silvers looked at the man in disbelief, yet at the same time a tiny nugget of joy grew in her chest. "Killed a bunch of Atlas commanders?"

"Oh, you're talking about the Gram Incident?" Silvers nodded her head. "And the killer was your brother?"

With a start, Silvers realised she had just ostracised herself again. Bracing herself for the abuse that was no doubt to follow, she was surprised when a hand patted her head. Looking up, she saw that the man's face wasn't even the slightest bit angry. Noticing Silvers' stare, the man quickly retracted his hand.

"Sorry about that!" The man said, blushing slightly. "You reminded me of my friend Velvet. I always used to pat her head when she looked down."

"You're not...going to hurt me?" Silvers mumbled, expecting a surprise attack.

"Why would I hurt you?"

"Because I'm the younger sister of Ferris Iscariot-"

"So? I'm the younger brother of Canna Habringer." Silvers' eyes widened in the surprise. Canna Habringer was a vocal anti-Schnee, anti-military and pro-Faunus doctor/activist. For her younger brother to go to Atlas Military Academy, which effectively represented all that she hated, was something Silvers couldn't imagine.

"Weren't you worried?" Silvers asked after a moment.

"About what?"

"About being ostracised or hated? I mean, your sister is-"

"My sister and I are two different people." The man replied, shrugging his shoulders. "Why would her beliefs and decisions have anything to do with me? If people want to judge me, it should be because of my actions, not my sister's."

"I think that's a very idealistic viewpoint." Silvers said darkly. "From my experience most people aren't like that."

"True." The man nodded his head in agreement. "But I don't really care about that. So long as there's one person who will see me for who I am, why would I care about the hundred who don't?"

"He was a kind man." Yin said.

"He was the best man." Silvers corrected, sliding her baton back in its sheath. "He didn't deserve to die at the hands of the White Fang. He should have died of old age, surrounded by the ones who loved him."

"No one can choose their death commander." Yin returned his halberd to its sheath. "But they can choose what they die for."

"And he chose to die for the woman he loved." Yin was silent, knowing full well the ramifications of what Silvers was saying. "I hope she realises that."

"I'm sure Ms. Schnee is aware." Yin crossed his arms. "She loved him too."

"...yeah." Silvers kicked a rock lying on the ground. "Let's go guys. We have more White Fang to kill."

Velvet Scarlatina sat in her garden, carefully tending to her plants. It was dusk, and her cliffside garden afforded her a beautiful view of the sunset.

"Hello Mr. Radish~" Velvet murmured, not really into her song. She remembered years ago back home, when Cassian first taught her how talking to plants helped them grow.

"What are you doing Cass?" Velvet asked. She was wearing a onesie with holes in the hood to let her ears out. In her right hand she clutched the hand of her chibi Ursa doll, which was dragging on the floor behind her.

"Gardening." Cassian replied, wiping some sweat from his brow. "Canna normally does this, but today she's busy so…"

"She forced you to do it?" Velvet asked, tilting her head. At eight years old, Velvet had a burning need to learn as many things as possible.

"Yup." Cassian pulled another vegetable from the ground, this one a large juicy carrot. Velvet, upon seeing the carrot, felt her ears immediately perk up. Cassian, seeing the gesture, smiled. "Do you want the carrot Velvet?"

"U-uh." Velvet fidgeted, her eight year old brain torn between the manners that her parents were teaching her, and her burning need to eat the said carrot. "I-I-"

"Ahahaha!" Cassian laughed, handing Velvet the carrot. "Here, take the carrot."

"T-thank you!" Velvet said, immediately devouring the carrot. Cassian watched with a bemused look at the tiny rabbit faunus ate the carrot in two bites. "I-It's so goood!"

"Really? I'm glad." Cassian pulled a radish from the ground, before wiping it on his shirt and taking a bite. "Hmm...delicious."

"How do you make them taste so good?" Velvet asked, wiping carrot fragments from his face. "These taste so much better than the store ones that mama buys!"

"Mmm…" Cassian placed his hand on his chin. "Can you keep a secret Velvet?"

"A secret!?" Velvet's eyes lit up. She loved secrets. "Yes, yes I can!"

"Good." Cassian looked to his left and right, before leaning forward. "To make any vegetable taste delicious, you have to sing to it."

"Sing?" Cassian nodded his head in a sage-like manner. "Like Do-re-mi-fa-so?"

"Kinda." Cassian thought for a moment. "But I prefer the radish song."

"The radish song?"

Taking a deep breath, Cassian suddenly begun to sing.

"Hello Mr. Radish~ How do you do? I think I will soon eat you~!"

Velvet was silent for a moment, before bursting out in giggles. Cassian really couldn't sing.

"Hey!" Cassian said in mock anger. "It's a real way to make plants grow up delicious!"

"I-I'm sorry!" Velvet managed to stammer between giggles, tears of laughter forming in the corner of her eye. "It's just...so funny!"

When Velvet fell over and begun to roll around in laughter, Cassian too began to laugh. The two children's laughter filled the sky, an ode of joy to days spent doing fun things.

"How do you do? I think I will soon eat you-" Velvet choked, feeling emotions well up in her throat. She had thought she'd moved past the grief, but whenever she was alone in her garden the sadness would return. Cassian Gray had been like an older brother to her, a human who didn't discriminate against Faunus.

And now he was gone.

"Cass." Velvet said as the sun dipped below the horizon. "I miss you."

Behind Velvet, at the edge of the garden, Helaine Cassius watched over her cousin. Her rabbit ears had allowed her to hear everyone of Velvet's words.

After a few moments, Helaine spun around and disappeared into the winding paths of Beacon's gardens.

Sometimes, it was best to be alone.

Yin Chi-tu sucked on his cigar, enjoying the taste of the smoke, before exhaling. He watched as the smoke disappeared into the night sky. Above him, he could see the broken moon ringed by hundreds of stars.

"How pretty." Yin muttered, before reaching for the decanter on the table in front of him. "The night sky is really beautiful."

"May I join you?" James Ironwood's voice said from behind the boy.

"Of course General." Ironwood took a seat next to Yin, before pulling out a gunmetal case of cigarettes. "Need a light?"

"Thank you." Yin lit up the General's cigarette, noting the green smoke that emitted from the edge. "Ah this hits the spot."

"So General, how may I help you?" Yin poured the General a glass of whisky, which the General accepted with a word of thanks.

"Tell me about Cassian Gray." Upon seeing Yin's raised eyebrow, the General chuckled. "I have to admit, I am curious about the man. He obviously meant a lot to Team SHYD, not to mention Winter Schnee."

"Well they were in a relationship." After the livestream, the entire world knew that Winter Schnee and Cassian Gray had been romantically involved. And not some half-assed we're in love crap. Everyone had heard the angst in her voice, seen the horror on her face as her lover with cut down in front of her eyes.

"So you knew beforehand." Yin nodded. There wasn't any point in denying it at this point. "How long?"

"Perhaps a few days at most." Yin took another drag from his cigar. "They were engaged."

"They were?"

"It was true love." Yin said simply, taking a drink. "Plain and simple."

"I dare say I never imagined you of all people would be telling me about true love."

"I'm still human General."

Ironwood chuckled.

"I suppose you are."

The two of them drank in silence, neither one sure of what to say. Eventually, Ironwood held his glass up.

"A toast then. To Cassian!"

"To Cassian." Yin clinked their glasses together, before gulping the alcohol down. The burn was painful, but at the same time nice.

"What's your name?" Cassian Gray asked. The two of them were standing in one of Atlas' training rooms.

"Yin Chi-tu."

"Nice name."

Cassian grinned, holding his hand out.

"My name is Cassian. Cassian Gray."

Cassian Gray gasped and opened his eyes. Immediately, pain assaulted his senses, nearly sending him right back into a coma. As it happened, it did knock him temporarily unconscious.

When he woke up later, he managed to see what appeared to be sunlight before the pain knocked him unconscious once more.

On the third time, Cassian managed to grit his teeth and bear the pain. While it was most definitely not lessening, at least he could stay conscious.

"H-how long have I been out?" Cassian muttered through gritted teeth. His voice was rough, telling him that it had been a while since he'd last used it. Looking down, Cassian couldn't help but wince.

A massive scar ran down his chest, the stitch marks blatantly obvious. Around the main scar, smaller white lines indicated the numerous other cuts that he had received during the course of the battle. Moving his arm, Cassian could feel the scar stretch, indicating that his body had still not fully recovered from his ordeal.

Cassian wondered if it ever would. Adam's attack had been brutal to say the least. Even Cassian was unsure exactly how he'd managed to avoid being bisected in half. Checking his body, Cassian realised that numerous tubes and electrodes had been attached to his body.

Removing most of them, Cassian looked at the last, and the most painful, tube that was still attached to his body. He knew the mechanism behind removing it, but vaguely remembered that anaesthetic tended to be used during removal due to the discomfort associated with the procedure.

"This is going to hurt." Cassian grabbed the catheter attached to his nether regions, before swearing loudly as he removed it. "OUM DAMN IT!"

Almost immediately, Cassian's door opened, revealing Schokolade.

"Oh, hey." Cassian waved at the Vanagandr sub-commander, tears in his eyes. "How long have I been out?"

"..." Schokolade held up two fingers.

"Two days?"

Shake of the head.

"Two weeks?"

Shake of the head.

"...two months?"

Nod.

"...Does Winter know I'm alive?" Cassian finally asked, once he had accepted that a sixth of a year had passed since his death.

Shake of the head.

"Reim Schnee has something to do with this, doesn't he?"

Schokolade's answer was to hold out Damocles. Cassian swung his legs over to the edge of the bed, before taking a tentative step. His legs, while shaky, managed to hold up. Cassian stumbled over to Schokolade, before taking Damocles from him.

"Where is he?"

"..." Schokolade motioned for Cassian to follow him, before stepping out of the room. Taking a deep breath, Cassian followed after Schokolade, trying his best not to fall over.

Deep inside, Cassian knew that there was a very good chance that he'd come back to life, only to die again.

Gripping Damocles tightly, Cassian prepared for the inevitable battle that he was soon to face.

His last trial before he could truly return to the land of the living.

MUHAHAHAHA HE'S BACK!

I make no promises that he won't die for real this time though, seeing as he's still badly injured and has one last fight.

Ferris