Chapter 16

A Song of Ice and Fire

*bing*

The brass elevator doors parted and out stormed an indignant-looking heiress whose heels clicked with every awkward step she took. In case there might've been any unwelcome eyes watching down the hall or in the break room off to the side, she attempted to appear as intimidating as her small stature and frilly combat skirt would allow, but for the tall blonde casually strolling behind her the act was almost as amusing as it was suspenseful.

Yang had her scroll's camera at the ready, wearing a wide grin in anticipation for when Weiss' priceless shoes became her greatest downfall, and couldn't help shaping her hand like a gun and lining it up with what she had always claimed in the past to be a 'sizable chapped target just asking to be kicked', which looked as though she'd sat in a yellow powder-like substance.

"I tried to stop her," she said, aiming down the sights, "but you know how childish Ruby can be sometimes."

Weiss muttered something rather unladylike under her breath and continued limping into the side-room populated only by a couple of empty tables, a sofa, a kitchenette, and a wall of post office boxes unaware that the girl behind her was busily reliving what might've have been the highlight of her life. She'd felt so proud to have hit her target, sizable or not, despite not having fired a gun in close to a year, and the aftermath of handing the sniper-scythe back to her stunned sister accompanied by high-pitched screams and curses across the room still made her aura glow.

"You're welcome by the way. If I hadn't taken Myrtenaster off your hands you'd be feeling guilty right about now for killing my sister. Okay, maybe later you'd be feeling guilty. But don't worry, your glorified ice pick is lying safely in your locker just how you like it. I barely even snooped through your stuff this time. No need to thank me. Just looking out for one of my top fifty besties."

Ignoring the talkative portable sun following too close behind, Weiss came to a stop in front of her particular box on the bottom row and retrieved her student ID from her dust pouch. Yang, curious to see if she had any mail as well unlocked her's with a quick swipe of her card but found herself disappointed by it gathering dust.

"Alright, let's see if Rubes' hiding any birthday presents!" She rubbed her hands together before pulling another ID from her belt, this one of her sister with wild morning hair and chocolate smeared on her lips. Apparently someone had accidentally mailed off the wrong photo when she was applying to Beacon, and someone had also nabbed it when she wasn't looking earlier that morning.

Bending down and opening the lower box, Yang found a couple envelopes with names and addresses she recognized as coming from Signal, but no small packages or notices to go downstairs for pickup like she'd been hoping.

'Maybe there's money inside,' she thought to herself holding it up to the light. 'There ought to be SOMETHING! They were my friends first after all...'

Seeing and also feeling nothing inside but folded paper, she sighed and stuffed the mail into her ammo belt. Her sister was possibly the only person left on Remnant who still preferred writing letters over texting or email, and unlike her checked her mailbox daily if not hourly. Yang on the other hand normally only made it a point to check her box around the beginning of each month around the time their legacy condolences were supposed to arrive. It was always a somber day seeing the envelopes addressed to 'The Daughter of Raven Branwen-Xiao Long, Yang Xiao Long' and 'The Daughter of Summer Rose, Ruby Rose', but there was also a great sense of pride as well. Their mothers hadn't been forgotten, and it was almost as though they were still taking care of them. Buying whatever clothes, textbooks, or school supplies their daughters needed, and most importantly, enabling their respective chocolate, alcohol, and firearms vices.

"It's here! It's here!"

She turned to see the other girl bouncing on the balls of her feet with a brown package labeled 'fragile' hugged tightly to her chest.

"It's here! It's here!" the shrill voice repeated. "It's finally here!"

Yang grinned as Weiss lost any self-respect that might've remained after having her backside painted yellow, but couldn't help being disappointed and just a little irritated when she practically skipped out the room and down the hallway forgetting about her limp from just a few moments prior.

Arriving at the mysterious purple carpet stain just outside their room, Weiss threw the door open and instinctively ducked as a monochrome ball of fur flew through the air and attached itself to Yang. While the pair wrestled on the ground for dominance, she gingerly sat down on her bed, furiously tearing ripping open the package with as much dignity and patience as a five-year-old on Christmas morning.

"Pinned ya again," the pack-leader teased with the submissive corgi playfully chewing on her finger. She then began rubbing his exposed underbelly causing his eyes to roll to the back of his head which only encouraged her to continue.

"So what'd you order again? I remember you saying something about a pig's head but for some reason everything gets a little fuzzy after that..." It wasn't often the girls received packages in the mail shopping in the commercial district as often as they did. Blake would occasionally order books online when she couldn't find them in the few and far between bookstores still remaining, but generally anything and everything they wanted could be found in ample supply in the city, particularly in the department stores of the 'unaffordable side of town'.

Thinking the girl was simply too excited to answer, Yang was about to repeat herself when soothing music accompanied by Weiss' angelic voice filled room, causing her every sore muscle to tense up.

"...You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy when skies are gray. You'll never know dear, how much I love you. Oh please don't take my sunshine away..."

*sniffle*

Zwei untangled himself from the pack-leader's clutches and sat below the source of the lullaby with his ears perked up while Yang remained motionless and with her head down.

When the melody and her singing came to a satisfying end, Weiss looked down at her captivated audience then at the sparkling object in her hands. "I have a music box just like this beside my bed in Atlas. I didn't want anyone getting the wrong impression and thinking I was homesick, because I'm not. I just needed- I mean wanted to hear it again, and so ordered another just like it..."

She leaned over letting Zwei sniff the ornate white box that was about the size of his food bowl. There was too much metal and grease to be a chew toy, though perhaps not for his fellow pup, but when he gave an approving yip anyway she rewarded him by scratching behind his ears. "You understand don't you, puppy-tart?"

He answered with a warm tongue that caused her to giggle. "This is my home now," she whispered, lightly tapping him on the nose.

Yang meanwhile sluggishly got back to her feet and dragged them over to the mini-fridge, keeping her head down and her mane covering her face. Perhaps out of curiosity though, she glanced out the corner of her eye down at the music box. Just by its sound and its owner she'd known it had cost a small fortune, but that was before seeing Weiss tracing her fingers over the intricate silver patterns on its sides reminiscent of weeping willows, and the diamonds in the shape of a snowflake on the top.

Although she wasn't nearly as fascinated by gadgetry as her younger sister, even she briefly paused admiring and peering into the box where hundreds of tiny gears stood still, and only after appreciating their beauty did she notice the young girl made of silver and the smiling woman whose feet she stood on. A tiny track underneath them somehow ran atop and through the gears, and the pair looked deep into each other's eyes waiting patiently for when the music would begin again so as to continue their never ending dance.

She reached into the fridge with an unsteady hand and retrieved a bottle buried in the back, then removed the cap with her teeth and spat it into the trash before stalking toward the bathroom.

"You like it?"

Yang stopped before she could completely drain the bottle. "Beautiful," she grumbled, slamming the door shut behind her.

Weiss quickly rewound the box, but no sooner had the music started playing again and she begin humming along that the sound of running water from both sinks roared from the other side of the door.

Moments after the song had played in its entirety for the fourth or fifth time, the water shut off and Yang reemerged wearing her usual pajamas. Black boy shorts and an orange top, as well as fresh yellow bandages around her midriff, left shoulder, right thigh and knee, and her biceps. She threw the towel she'd using to clean and dry herself off into a yellow clothes hamper, and unceremoniously dumped the now empty bottle into the trash.

"It was made by the finest craftsmen in Atlas nearly a century ago and has over six hundred moving parts," Weiss said as though she never left the room. "And no, your sister cannot under any circumstances take it apart just to figure out how it works. Not even if she promises to put it back together like new. Or better than new for that matter..."

Just as she began turning the little handle eager to watch the dance routine again, Yang cleared her throat.

"Hey, Weiss?" she asked. "I-I know your music box is great and all, but would you mind not playing it in front of Ruby?"

The girl looked up wide-eyed as though Christmas had just been cancelled. "B-but why? I was going to play it for her when she got back, and tonight if she had trouble sleeping again. I know I said I didn't want her meddling with it, but I'd been looking forward to showing it to her." Yang gestured at the woman and little girl, and after several moments passing, realization then horror crossed Weiss' face, and her finger slipped off the handle.

*Oh please don't take my sunshine away...*

"Oh my God!" She covered her mouth. "Her Mother! She used to sing it to her didn't she? Yang, I am so sorry I can't believe I was going to-"

"Don't worry about it." The larger girl bounced off her partner's bed onto her own, kicking her long legs over the edge as she sat. "No harm done..."

Weiss' sorrowful puppy eyes matched that of Zwei's, and she appeared to be fighting within herself whether she wanted to turn the silver handle again. Eventually she decided better of it as though her partner would somehow be able to sense it, and only after her hand fell to her side did Yang release her white knuckled grip on the sheets.

Once again Weiss' supple fingers traced the silver willow trees, and soon had company as Zwei jumped onto her bed looking expectantly at her fingernails.

"Nana," she said, "I mean Grandmother Jess, she gave me the music box beside my bed shortly after Mother passed..."

Yang made a small, involuntary sound. "I-I'm sorry, Weiss."

"I don't recall Mother playing it too often for me before bedtime, probably because she rarely ever had time for me, but I can still hear it echoing down the halls day and night..." She looked down at her lap and removed an imaginary speck of dust from the woman's face. "Then one morning I didn't hear it, and I was told at breakfast that my brother had passed sometime during the night. It was later that week Nana gave it to me..."

"B-brother?" Yang breathed,

Weiss nodded absently. "My little brother Whitley," she said in a voice as empty as her expression. "He'd be Ruby's age in January..."

For Yang it felt as though she'd been punched in the gut and all the air had been sucked out of her lungs. To anyone except those living in that room with her, the girl's tone and demeanor would've been thought of as cold and callous, as though they were discussing nothing more than the weather, but Yang could see the small twitch in her normally stoic features and hear the faintest emotive in her voice. And without fully knowing what she was doing, she climbed down and joined her across the room on the bottom bunk.

"I know what it's like to lose a mom," she said, embracing the girl and flaring her aura. "I've lost two actually, but I can't imagine not being a big sis. I am so sorry, Weiss."

Weiss didn't return the hug, nor did she acknowledge the arms wrapped around her or the warm body pressed against her. Even her aura was like a fortress of ice, and only after several comforting squeezes and gentle laps of flame did Yang release her but remain close by her side. Any closer and she might as well have been sitting in her lap.

"I am so sorry," she said again, eyes watering. "I knew about your mom from watching the news, but I honestly never knew you had a little brother. I'm so-"

"That's because I don't like to talk about him either," snapped the Ice Queen, stirring from her long hibernation. "I also don't like discussing Father or Winter if you hadn't noticed, and I didn't have the misfortune of watching their bodies lowered into the ground as a little girl."

Yang flinched and felt shivers travel up her spine but never took her misty eyes off her, and after taking several long, haggard breaths, Weiss averted her gaze down at her shoes. "That came out worse than I intended," she said almost robotically. "I apol-"

Without a word Yang snaked an arm around her and leaned forward, pointing with a sad smile at her eyes which flickered red but only for show. "You don't need to apologize, Weiss. I understand. I understand probably better than anyone..."

She leaned back and pulled the girl closer so that she rested her head atop her shoulder, and gently began undoing her ponytail. Weiss allowed it despite her many claims of not liking to be touched, as well as being almost as protective over her long, silky white hair as the blonde. It had been after an exhausting day and a particularly bad dream one night that she discovered the mesmeric, calming sensation of calloused fingers massaging her scalp and playing with her hair, and ever since had found herself quietly jealous of her partner.

After a long silence Weiss cleared her throat. "You once told me Ruby was born early, right?"

Yang nodded, interpreting her speaking again as a good sign. "Yeah, by about seven weeks. She wasn't breathing right and had to be hooked up to some scary-looking machines, but we got to take her home pretty soon after that. Leave it to Rubes to be impatient. I always blamed it on Summer getting her addicted to strawberries and cookies in the womb, but-" Watery blue orbs looked up meeting lilac, but they almost seemed to be looking through her.

"Yang, I was born nearly a month earlier than Ruby, and Whitley even earlier than that." Her gaze fell again to the floor. "I'm not sure if you've ever noticed, but I'm somewhat shor- vertically challenged, especially compared to the rest of the women in my family."

The girl looking down at her blinked. "I hadn't noticed," she said somehow without an ounce of humor.

"Nana's hunchback but she's still half a foot taller than me, and before my aura activated I spent most of my childhood out of breath and sickly-looking."

"You mean more than usual?" Weiss let out a deep breath as the Ice Queen momentary returned. "Sorry, force of habit..."

"As I was saying, I wasn't particularly the poster child of good health. I got sick easily, and my muscles were weak and my bones brittle. Actually they still are but my aura compensates, and I pulled, tore, and broke more than a few when I first began my huntress training, let alone fencing and gymnastics a few years prior to that..."

She glanced back up with all moistness in her eyes turned to ice. "But the Schnee Dust Company is the medical field, and has been ever since Poppa- I mean Grandfather Nicholas became its president." Weiss paused for a moment and looked as though she had swallowed something bitter. "We were already the leaders of every medical advancement these last fifty years, but after I was born he more than doubled the research and development budget. Around the world we fund the world's leading experts in aura manipulation and cybernetics, as well as employ the finest doctors and surgeons money can buy. Them and my many tutors are the real reason I'm attending a huntsmen academy today, and why despite everything my vision isn't as impaired as it should be."

Yang froze, and suddenly found herself desperately trying not to focus on the piercing scarred eye obscured by several layers of makeup. Like her sister and partner, she generally tried to avoid looking directly at the scar that began above her brow and traveled down her cheek nearly level to her lip because of how visibly upset and self-conscious it made her. Even the week prior when her pale face had been bare, Yang had been too worried about concealing it from the info broker and reassuring her on its appearance to truly study it up close. Now however even with all the makeup on she couldn't help being drawn to how thick and deep it was. Too thick and too deep she had always thought...

She wet her lips about to ask a question she had long since guessed due to Weiss' sometimes clumsy reactions and seemingly inability to catch a ball, and the scar's existence itself, but closed her mouth and returned to running her fingers through her hair.

"What I suppose I'm trying to say is that Mother and I had complications before and after I was born. I'm sure your family experienced something similar with Ruby and perhaps her mother."

The taller girl closed her eyes and nodded. "I don't know about Summer, but yeah. Seeing Rubes hooked up to those machines was the first and only time I've ever seen my uncle cry, but I guess we probably have you to thank for them being so high tech. So thank you, Weiss."

She coughed and turned her attention to the corgi pawing at her skirt. "Well, I don't know whether Mother or Father cried or not, but I wasn't exactly brought home later that day, or even week. They were later warned by the doctors and experts that they shouldn't try having another child, even if the heir to the company was likely to be an invalid when she grew up. Their words mind you, and Father's of course. For awhile they listened, but soon after Mother got her strength back and more medical advancements were made, they wanted to try again. This time for a male heir."

"I'm sorry..."

"There was trouble from the very beginning, and after he was born Whitley was even smaller and frailer than I was, and was taken into the nursery which had been renovated with state of the art medical equipment. The reason you never heard I had a little brother is probably because it was so long ago for one thing, but also because Mother never left the mansion when she was carrying him. The family also tried keeping him out of the news as much as possible, including those trashy gossip magazines you read. There's been enough of my family's scandals, tragedies, and deaths in the media over the years, and unlike Father, Poppa always thought it best to keep the children away from it for as long as possible, but especially for his daughter's sake. But you know what happened. They found Willow Schnee asleep in the garden after having her morning cocktails, though I suppose they did leave that second part out only to speculate worse..." Weiss sighed. "Whitley was Mother's pride and joy, and I don't go a day without thinking about how much I miss playing with him and talking to someone who'd listen, but now it's like we're supposed to pretend like he never even existed..."

Yang couldn't help glancing at the empty bottle in the trashcan desperately wishing she could make it disappear. Looking back down however she couldn't help thinking back to the day before initiation when a certain heiress had barked at her and her little sister, which to Yang Xiao Long had been about as intimidating as Zwei wearing a frilly skirt and high-heels. All day long if the 'lost beach bunny' wasn't getting enamored stares she was getting incredulous looks as to how and why someone like herself would be at Beacon Academy, but besides her sister who had been absolutely terrified of the Ice Queen, Yang believed she might've been the only one to see through the snobbish, sharped tongue, rich girl routine, which wasn't entirely an act, to the girl who underneath the many layers of makeup had been undersized and obviously looking for a friend. And as she learned later an underdog her entire life.

She pulled her closer and flared her comforting aura but again was met with a cold wall of ice.

"Don't get the wrong idea about me or my family," Weiss said sharply. "We might both come from broken families, Yang, but that doesn't mean they're both loving. My sister and I only see each other a handful times a year, and while we get along pleasantly, we don't exactly have the kind of relationship you and Ruby do. The closest Father's ever come to giving either of us a hug is laying a hand on our shoulders when pictures were being taken or at funerals, where he'd order us not to shed a single tear or show an ounce of weakness, and I don't exactly have the fondest memories of Mother either. Everyone else is either dead, well on their way, or makes Father seem just lovely in comparison."

The other girl remained silent but finally found her voice as pitiful as it might've been. "You still love them though. I can feel it you know..."

Weiss swallowed and pulled herself away from the embrace calming her aura. "Yes, as a matter of fact I do," her voice cracked, "and unlike the rest of the world I understand first hand why my family has the horrible reputation that it does. It's because of masked fiends who turn respectable huntresses into alcoholics, put kind old men in early graves, and attack innocent little girls with red dust infused knives."

Yang's breath caught and she looked down at the piercing blue eyes of the heiress who was gritting her teeth and almost willing her to keep staring.

"Father couldn't even stand to look at me until I was out of my last surgery. Then he sent the servants in to make me look presentable, and in his office he grabbed me by the chin, scowled and demanded that I leave. Apparently all the money and finest surgeons in the world can't fix what everyone including your own aura knows is a fully healed ugly face!" The temperature plummeted and without warning she struck the leg of the top bunk causing it to shake above them and Zwei to scurry away, and she quickly hid her face beneath a pile of white hair.

"Weiss..." Her breath plumed in the air and her hand fell atop the heiress' shoulder which she attempted to brush off but was too determined to stay where it was.

She brushed the bangs out of her eyes and began taking deep breaths in order to compose herself before speaking again. "And we haven't spoken since the day I left for Beacon..."

The hand squeezed gently. "Do you think that might have anything to do with ignoring all his calls?"

Weiss turned her head and glared. "What have I told you about snooping through my things?" she asked coldly, a not-so-veiled threat hiding in her voice.

Yang scooted over and gave a lopsided grin. "And what have I told you about leaving your stuff where I can find it? Or not coming to me when you have a problem?" Weiss turned away causing her lip to fall. "Weiss, you were getting so many calls a day in such a bad, mopey mood because of them that I thought someone was harassing you, and so when you weren't looking I decided to do something about it. And lucky for your dad and Atlas' military I couldn't find a cheap enough flight up north that day and by the next I'd calmed down enough to realize what was really going on. And you still haven't answered my question."

When she remained silent the blonde cleared her throat, and could no longer see her breath when she began speaking again. "Back in the lost city you said your dad was happy to get rid of you when you decided to become a huntress, but that's not true is it?"

Weiss didn't say a word, but just as Yang began to think the heiress was done speaking her soft voice spoke up. "Maybe not entirely..." said said absently, sounding unsure of herself.

"Listen, I don't know if you even realize it or not, but every time Blake or my 'trashy gossip magazines' have something nasty to say about him, you're always there to defend him, and I think you honestly mean every word you say. I know you two don't exactly get along-"

"Which is putting it mildly..."

"-and between you, my uncle, and my partner I don't really have the highest opinion of him either, but like you said your family's the way it is for a reason. He lost his wife, his son, and if I remember right, he was right there beside you when-" she brushed the hair obscuring Weiss' left eye. "-when his baby girl was attacked and he couldn't do a thing to protect her. I know another man who went through something real similar and pretty much gave up on life afterward, and another who started drinking and never lost his red eyes afterward. Please, Weiss, at least talk to him. He deserves that much."

"Well have you spoken to your father recently?" she asked almost accusingly.

Yang hesitated, unsure whether the situation called for an equally combative response or not. "As a matter of fact I have," she said, mocking her tone before smiling kindly. "I just didn't want to say anything at the time cause it'd be like rubbing your nose in it. He's way out of CCT range right now, but once he heard about the breach he called me while we were in the hospital from an airship on his way back to Vale. Once I got him to calm down I told him the truth that his girls were a little banged up at the moment, but left out the part about Ruby practically being comatose and having the skin torn and/or burned off the bottom of her feet, and me having blown holes throughout my gorgeous bod and how I nearly killed Beacon's entire burn unit for scrubbing it too hard. I told the doctors and nurses if he called they were supposed to leave all that out too."

"Told?"

"Told, threatened, same thing really. Anyway, we had a good five minute talk even if it sounded like he was using a hair dryer. He asked to talk to Rubes but she was asleep and he was starting to break up, and when she woke up I told her it was just the usual Dad checkup." Despite how morbid her words had sounded describing their hospital stay, pride bubbled in Yang's voice as well as her aura. "Dad's on his first real official huntsmen mission in about ten years, twenty if we're counting solo missions. I told him he had better get his butt back on the ground, and before he jumped out of the airship and we lost connection, I told him how proud his girls are of him."

Yang glanced down at the smaller girl who laughed nervously thinking back to initiation and the school's first official lesson, and how she herself had once jumped out of an airship thousands of feet in the air in pursuit of her partner.

"I hate to say it but I was honestly beginning to think he'd never go on another real mission again. Even when I heard he'd left, which he's still a jerk for not telling me, I thought it was just Signal throwing him another bone and another easy escort mission so he could keep his part time status." She smiled sadly to herself. "I think being on his own has been really good for him. At the beginning of the school year if he wasn't calling me late every night I was calling him to make sure he was still eating and going to work, and then checking with his secretary to make sure he wasn't lying. He's had that problem before, and to be honest before school started I was practically worrying myself sick thinking about leaving him and Rubes together while I went off to Beacon, and as much as I hated leaving him without either of his girls, Ruby coming with me was best for the both of them.

"For them or for you?"

"Luckily he still had Zwei," she said, ignoring her curt tone and question. Instead she pointed at the napping corgi drooling on the frills of Weiss' skirt. "He told me that when we didn't come home that night Zwei curled up on Ruby's bed and whined till morning, and Dad didn't sound much better when I called. That's the reason I kept flying back home saying I'd forgotten something, which was only true the first three times, and why I'd occasionally drag Rubes along for a quick visit."

"I still can't believe in all our months together you never mentioned having a such a precious puppy-boy."

"I'm sure we did, but you were probably tuning us out and Blake pretending she didn't hear right and repressing it."

Weiss opened her mouth as though she was about to speak but held her tongue.

"Rubes knows how Dad is. He has his good days and occasionally his bad, which thankfully are becoming rarer, but it's harder for her to snap him out of it. Sometimes it takes more than a gentle push, and that's just not who she is. Plus, she's not much better when she sees him like that. It reminds her of old times, and she can't help but blame herself."

"But it's not her fault. She-"

Yang glanced over. "Weiss, forgetting about what happened in Patchwork, Ruby's almost the spitting image of Summer, especially now that she's about the same age as when she and Dad first met. And you've seen how much I look like my mom. Honestly I think being away from us has been the best thing for him. He's not reminded every time he looks at us of our moms, or how much it hurt to lose them. He's lost a lot, two pieces of his soul as a matter of fact, and as much as it used to aggravate me when I was younger and he was worse, I can't be mad at him for the way he is. In fact, I'd give him a call right now if I could..."

Weiss was quiet for a moment but when she realized the other girl was looking at her expectantly she cleared her throat. "What was she like? Summer I mean. If you don't mind me asking that is."

Yang sighed shaking her head at the girl changing the subject again. "I could probably find you a picture if I looked hard enough, but she almost always has a white hood covering her face. Summer was shy and usually too busy taking everyone else's pictures to be in them, and was a pretty good photographer if you hadn't noticed."

Weiss tilted her head and blinked. "Wait, she was the one who took that indecent picture of your mother!?" Yang nodded cheerfully. "I-I thought you said it'd been your father."

"All he did was push the button and drool. Summer was the one who got Mom set, the lighting just right, and made sure the camera was idiot proof for him. That kind of stuff was how Mom and Summer paid for tuition without having to rely on student aid, or as the schools call them 'scholarships'." She gave the heiress a knowing look. "Usually it was just my mom posing, but occasionally she'd convince Summer get in on the fun too. Of course they used fake names and wore wigs and contact lenses so they didn't get in trouble with the school. I've thought about doing it myself actually. Unfortunately we don't have many of those pictures left, and none of the videos, and my dad and uncle either don't know which magazines and sites they shot for or like they always tease us they don't want me and Rubes seeing something that'll ruin how we look at our moms. Like that could ever happen. But to answer your question, think of Ruby just a little taller and slightly less squeaky voice."

"But what was she like?"

Yang shrugged. "I dunno know. Nice? The best mom a smart-mouth stepdaughter could ask for? I mean, she was shy, like really shy, but she was always great around little kids. She taught basics for a little while at Signal, and sometimes taught at the school house in Patchwork. To be honest she was like a little kid herself."

"She sounds like Ruby." Weiss smiled to herself.

"Yeah-" She grinned back, "but Ruby's really come out of her shell these past few months, and that's mostly because of you, Weiss. And thank you."

The heiress looked down blushing and playing with her thumbs.

"To be honest I don't think Summer ever really came out of her's. She loved people, she really did, but looking back I get the feeling she never fully trust them. Besides her teammates but especially my mom, and the person who recruited her to Signal, I don't think she ever really got close to anybody." She paused for a moment to find her voice and blink away tears before speaking again. "I don't know the full story, and I'm not really sure that I want to, but from what my dad and uncle tell me, even by team RWBY standards Summer had a rough childhood..."

Weiss swallowed not exactly sure if she wanted to know what that meant either considering the implications, but began creating a mental image of the woman. She imagined the shy, childlike demeanor of her partner as well as the motormouth that only seemed to close in front of strangers. She also imagined the happy-go-lucky attitude that was only ever interrupted by brief bouts of melancholy where she had a faraway look about her as though she was tuning the entire world out.

At first Weiss had found all those traits insufferable, finding Ruby Rose as nothing more than an impudent child who didn't listen or pay attention to what was happening around her, but eventually came to understand her and accept that was just who she was, and found herself fond if not admiring her for those qualities. It still irritated her to no end though...

"Summer was born in the badlands of Vacuo but she ran away from home to live with her grandmother in Patchwork. Heh, I always thought it was kinda funny naming your daughter after what kingdom they're born in..."

"Excuse you?" she replied sounding offended, "What's wrong with my sister being named after our kingdom? Or half the women in our family for that matter?"

"Nothing, but your family's a little more traditional than most are. For those of us who don't have pedigrees going back over a thousand years, Spring, Summer, Autumn, and yes Winter are sorta like old fashioned nicknames. Grandparents calling their grand kids 'sweet summer child' is actually pretty common in Vacuo. Same for Spring in Mistral, and Autumn or Fall in Vale. I can vaguely remember my grandma Ellie calling me her 'sweet spring child' actually. Nowadays though it's usually sarcastic like when someone's being a princess or drama queen. The names do come from fairy tale princesses after all. I-I mean if you believe that sort of thing..."

"Oh..." She coughed awkwardly. "So you don't think 'Summer' was her real name?"

"I know for sure 'Rose' wasn't because that was her grandmother's name. Summer got away from a hell hole and I think she wanted a brand new life, and I also think we know someone who can relate to that." They glanced over at the opposite bed and Weiss felt a lump in her throat. She knew of course that the poisonous flower 'Belladonna' wasn't the girl's family name as she had never known her family, but besides the night she ran away and mistrust clouded Weiss' mind, she had never considered that 'Blake' might not actually have been her name before coming to Beacon either, and couldn't help feeling a bit unsettled.

"What about in combat?" she asked, knowing that would perk Yang up and distract her own naturally suspicious mind.

"Oh she was an terrific support fighter. Kinda like you, Weiss." She looked over to see her blushing again. "Her combat ratings were just above average like her aura levels, but her smarts, semblance, and aura manipulation more than made up for it. She could mimic my mom and our dad and uncle's weapons and even powers, which makes for one a hell of a versatile supporter and healer even if she couldn't keep it up for very long."

"Do you know what other kinds of glyphs she used by chance? Besides-"

"You mean besides her 'counterfeit' summoning glyphs?"

Weiss flinched. "Okay, I'll admit using a combination of purple and yellow dust in tandem with traditional summoning glyphs to create photokinetic or 'hard-light' constructs of your teammates' weapons to use yourself and mimicking their auras and semblances is clever though perhaps a bit unconventional, but I'm willing to keep an open mind considering I can barely summon my grandfather's greatsword with white dust for any more than a few seconds without having an aneurysm."

"Fair enough, and to answer your question, no. As far as I know Summer was never able to use any other kind of glyph, except maybe transference but you told me that has more to do with aura manipulation, but I do know she could use white summons like your family. It just wore her out and like you just about made her head explode. She could fake a haste glyph with her grandmother's and later my uncle's semblance though, and a fire glyph with my dad's. She was so good at it she was even able to get the better of them in the Vytal Festival's senior bracket."

"That's what Ruby said, but how? No disrespect to Summer, but us supporters tend to not make it very far in the tournament compared to you front line fighters. We just don't have the aura pools, the stamina, or sometimes even the right semblances. No matter how good we are we're just too easily overwhelmed by stronger, more durable opponents, or by the sheer number of Grimm." She cringed and scolded herself as it slipped out, but either Yang didn't catch what she said or was kindly pretending she hadn't. "And w-what about your mom? Didn't you say something the other night about her semblance making yours look like a joke in comparison?"

"Yeah pretty much, but back when the tournament was still annual Mom never wanted to move past the team or doubles rounds, and decided not to compete in the senior singles bracket. She was always scared of losing control of her semblance and seriously hurting someone, and she didn't like how some people looked at her when she was focused." Yang's flickered red but just for show again. "Just like how it took a while when us regular humans first discovered the faunus, it took a while for the other kingdoms to accept that native Vacuoans were just like them just with darker skin and red eyes, but I guess for some it was and still is a little off-putting seeing someone's pupils disappear when they go into a blood rage."

"I suppose that's one way of putting it..."

"Anyway, if you think I'm a heavy hitter, you ought to stop tuning out me and Ruby's stories about our dad and uncle. Nobody thought Summer stood a chance for the reasons you just said, but she knew her teammates better than they knew themselves, or better than she even knew herself to be honest. And don't tell my sister, but I don't think Dad or our uncle gave it their all. They'd both been to the finals before, actually they faced off the year before, and I think they decided it was her turn. Summer was great don't get me wrong, and on any other team she probably would've been a front line fighter because even I'd be a supporter on that team, but nobody beats our uncle, especially not back then."

"And that's why Ruby's wants one of us to win the Vytal Festival so badly," Weiss sighed. "She wants to be just like her..."

Yang nodded. "Ever since I can remember Rubes has wanted to be exactly like her. She already looks like her, but she pretty much wears the same clothes, basically has the same aura, and she even has the same squeaky voice. And hell, she even writes her 'Rs' the same."

"She also took her mother's maiden name, or her great-grandmother's name I suppose. Despite marrying- well you know..."

"Yeah, that too," she said slowly, "but there's a bit more to it that just wanting to be like her mom and her team..."

"Like what?"

Yang bit her lip in thought. "Listen, we don't talk about it very much and I don't want you to take this the wrong way, but our family's not exactly rich. I'm not saying we ever dug through trash cans like Blake or my mom and uncle did, and I'm definitely not gonna complain, but things haven't always been easy for us. After Summer died our dad and uncle stopped going to work and bills and debts started piling up, and they've always been stupid with money anyway. It's only been the past year or so we've been able to catch up again, but now we're paying for two girls' tuition to Beacon instead of just one, and as much as I adore Bumblebee, they're both idiots for buying her as a graduation present for me. Yeah Rubes wants to be like her mom so bad it hurts, and I'd like make her, my mom, and our dad and uncle proud too, but if we could make names for ourselves in the Vytal Festival as freshmen that means getting potential employers' attention. That means more money and better jobs, and the harder the job the more likely an employer is to hire more than one huntsman, and those kinds of jobs usually only go to the very top of each class. A lot of the time the lesser teams or partners have to split the pay because only one of them was hired. I know that doesn't sound like much to you, but for Rubes and especially me, and maybe Blake, that means a lot."

"I-I'm sorry. I hadn't really thought about any of that..."

"It's not your fault, and I probably shouldn't have said anything. Ruby's not worried about making money, but I am and she wants me happy and us together after we graduate. Other than that all she wants is to make the world a better place, and would be happy living in another cozy cottage with a strawberry garden like she grew up in, but I want to live in a real house someday. Not in some guest dorm or cabin the school lets us rent for cheap. I want to be able to buy things when they're not on sale and go shopping even I don't have coupons. The Vytal Festival's a measuring stick for all huntsmen in-training, and all future employers will be watching. The more we can stand out from the competition the better our chances of getting better jobs and being hired together. And whether that's as freelancers or contracted somewhere will be entirely up to us. No more table scraps, no more handouts, and no more cutting corners..."

"If that's all that Ruby wants," Weiss said quietly, "then it sounds like she really is like her mom."

"She really is," Yang agreed, wiping her nose. "Unfortunately she inherited her great-grandmother's semblance, or close to it from what I've been told, and she sucks at aura manipulation. Summer on the other hand was so freaking good at it she was able to unlock our auras earlier than most kids do, and could even mimic our semblances before we or anyone else knew what they were gonna be." She let out a loud snort. "Heh, poor Rubes. This one time the three of us were playing tag in the cottage when she activated her semblance accidentally and smacked the coffee table at like twenty miles an hour. She started crying but Summer just waved her hand and made the boo-boo all better again, and then the two cheaters started running around me again. She'd even do the same for my knuckles when I first started putting holes in the walls..."

"She sounds like a really sweet woman," Weiss said quietly, reaching out and grabbing her hand, "and a really great mom."

Yang nodded and turned to face her again. "And you remind Ruby of her a whole lot you know."

"That's what her report said, but-" Her head whipped up not realizing she'd spoken aloud. "B-but I don't see how that's even remotely possible."

"Well..." Yang drawled, "maybe it has something to do with your glyphs and wearing all white, but if I were a betting girl and I am, I'd put everything I have on you being really sweet too, Weiss."

The heiress turned her head. "I'm not sweet, and if your idiotic sister keeps pushing herself like today she's going to wind up in even worse shape."

Yang couldn't help letting out a soft chuckle as the girl attempted to keep up appearances despite her morose tone and hints of getting choked up. "When Rubes gets back don't sugar coat it for her. She'd probably just eat that too."

"Like you have any room to talk."

"What can I say?" She patted her chest with a wide grin. "Built for comfort and pleasure, not speed."

"I'm being serious!" Weiss snapped with the ice in her eyes suddenly melting. "As happy and relieved as I am that Blake didn't go through with the plan, I know in my heart that was the wrong decision. Now she's going to be in even worse pain, and I don't know if I can take any more..."

Yang remained quiet as she watched the girl wiping her eyes. She squeezed her hand. "I'm being serious too, Weiss. I love that little girl more than anything and I would do anything to protect her, or at least I thought I would..." She swallowed. "All the huntresses in our family have died young, and at this rate neither of us is gonna outlive our moms. But as much as I'd like to break her legs so she lives a long life away from the business, I'd rather see her happy, and I've never seen her happier than here at Beacon and here with you. Summer never wanted this kind of life for her, but I think she was proof that this business follows our family whether we're in it or not. Our dad and uncle have talked to us about the risks of being huntresses since I can remember to make sure this is what we really want and pushed us to our limits to make sure we're ready. If a Grimm doesn't kill her first she's probably gonna pop her heart from going too fast, and if I haven't done the same at that point then I'll die of a broken heart. And that's why we've got you and Blake..."

"It won't come to that..."

"Weiss," she said gently, "this is the only kind of life Rubes and I have ever wanted, and I can't imagine either of us retiring unless we're forced to. Except if-" Her face brightened and she cleared her throat. "My idea of a happily-ever-after is falling in love with a man who worships me and treats me like their queen but doesn't put up with any of my BS, and who I don't have to worry about turning to ashes when things get physical between us. If I ever find that man I'm not making the same mistake as my mom. I'm retiring on the spot and starting a family with him. But I think Ruby's idea of a happily-ever-after is the four of us together as old crones and a corgi, but outside of that I think she wants to die saving someone's life just like her mom. Which is why I'm hoping Ruby takes after her mom in another way."

Weiss raised a curious brow.

"I want to be Auntie Yang." She smiled sheepishly. "I want it to be with someone she loves of course, and preferably not just some one night stand between grieving friends like what happened between Dad and Summer, but I know that's the one thing on Remnant that would make Ruby leave the huntsmen without a single regret because I saw the same thing happen to Summer when she threw away her badge and became supermom. From our dad and uncle's stories it doesn't sound like Summer was the kind of person who falls in love and I don't think she was all that interested in guys, and they're probably the furthest thing from Ruby's mind too. If it happens I hope it's a LONG time from now and with the person she loves, and that they get married, preferably beforehand, so I can plan the wedding, but I just wanna see my Ruby that happy someday..."

"So do I..."

*sniffle*

Weiss removed her thumb from the silver rod of the music box she'd been turning absently, and Yang stifled a yawn as the song began playing again. She shut her eyes tightly until it ended and heard the box close, and feeling the mattress lift up slightly she caught a glimpse of the music box being tucked away for safekeeping.

"Mother had a very beautiful singing voice," Weiss said quietly. "She was professionally trained of course and most people think I just inherited just another one of her special talents, but actually I take after Father..."

Yang finished blinking the mist from her eyes and turned to the girl who was smoothing the wrinkles of her skirt.

"When I was a little girl I'd walk by his office and hear him singing Christmas carols even in the middle of summer. Something he picked up from Papa I suppose. One day I started a duet with him and we sang together until late at night when I fell asleep in his lap and he carried me to bed..." Her lip twitched. "Later he hired private tutors to go along with my violin, piano, and dance lessons. Singing helped strengthen my lungs, and soon after I began performing at all the SDC charity events, and once in a great while he'd even practice with me. But after Mother and my brother passed I never heard him sing again..."

She scooted closer to the blonde and looked up. "Someday Father will find the White Fang members that did this to me," she said matter-of-factly, running her fingertips over the scar, "and when he does there will be hell to pay."

Yang swallowed and nodded stiffly. "My dad would do the same thing..."

"I'll think about what you said, and the next time he calls I'll consider answering."

Again she nodded. "That's all I'm asking, Weiss. Just let him know that you're alright. He cares about you, he just-"

"When I told Father my intentions of becoming a huntress-" Weiss said seemingly ignoring her, "and showed him all the letters of interest from the academies I'd received he threw them in my face before storming off. Later after watching me practice for some time he spoke with General Ironwood and humored me by hiring combat tutors. Up until that point I'd simply been practicing my fencing and glyphs on old Atlesian Knights, and occasionally with Winter whenever we'd see each other, but part of me always dreaded that because I thought she was an unfair teacher. With the tutors however I saw Grimm for the very first time in person, and after getting over my initial terror I truly thought I was going to be the next prodigious huntress of this generation, but now I see that everyone but my sister was treating me with kid gloves, and that I was partnered with that huntress and her just as talented if not more, ill tempered, kindhearted big sister..."

They caught each other's eye and the heiress stared at her seemingly enamored for a moment. "Just as Father was preparing my application to Polaris, I went behind his back and applied to Beacon instead. To say he was furious would be an understatement, and he went so far as to say I was tarnishing the family legacy by being the first Schnee not to receive their huntress training from the school we founded two centuries ago. A legacy mind you that isn't even really his, which I reminded him of..."

Her hand raised and touched the left side of her face. "And the last time we spoke was when I was leaving for Vale, and he told me that we'd speak again after the school year was over about reapplying to Polaris, and then he told me to leave. He didn't even look at me..."

"Weiss-"

"Yang, at Polaris my training would be entirely a formality and I'd be working strictly for the benefit of the SDC, and my entire huntress career would be just for show. I'm proud that I'm carrying on my family's tradition and our legacy even if much of it is just a facade, but I came to Beacon to try and do some good in the world while I still can. After graduation my four year huntress tour will consist of rubbing shoulders with high society and getting to know learning everything there is to know about our company's security. Hardly real or respectable huntress work."

"Which is what you are," she affirmed, "and someday you're gonna be the most powerful woman in the world."

Weiss coughed awkwardly. "Thank you, but I'm really not, or at least I won't be. And the same goes for the latter."

The larger girl raised her brow curiously and Weiss sighed as though the answer should be obvious. "Mother was a lieutenant in the Atlesian Specialist Huntsmen unit and a respectable huntress when her older brother and sister died and Papa first began having problems with his health. She took a leave of absence to help run the company and marry a brilliant businessman she didn't love and have children she never asked for, and eventually had to retire because of her own health. Winter is currently going against the family tradition of being the eldest. It was expected of her to graduate from Polaris and serve with ASH before taking her place in the company while I followed Mother's footsteps of being an actual huntress, but now she's a colonel on the fast track of making Brigadier General, and the SDC is now even more intertwined with the military and government than when Papa ran it. When General Ironwood retires she'll take his position as headmistress of Polaris, Grand Marshal of Atlas' registered huntsmen, Commander-in-Chief of the Winter Kingdom, as well as dozens of other titles. The only thing she'll be missing is a crown made of sapphire and diamonds on her head and a throne made of ivory to sit on..."

Yang stared at her speechless and hints of worry on her face.

"She and her future husband will be on the SDC's board of directors but I'll be handling the day to day operations as CEO and president. This is something Father, the majority of my family, and powerful people calling themselves loyalists have been planning for a very long time, and Papa is rolling in his grave right now because it's the one thing he was afraid of. I'm sure you know full well what happened the last time my family had that kind of power."

"Yes," she answered stiffly. "Blake might've said a thing or two about that..."

"Anyway, after we graduate my years as a huntress will be spent overseeing the SDC security and going months without seeing Grimm, and I'll likely never see you three ever again, unless..."

"Unless?"

Weiss eyes sparkled. "I-I'd understand if Blake wouldn't be able to accept on principal, but how would you and Ruby feel about coming with me. It won't be the most exciting huntress work, but you'll get to travel around the world and be well compensated for babysitting the future head of the company."

"Weiss, I-I don't know what to say."

"Then don't say anything. Three years is a long time from now, and I'd completely understand if you don't want to, but I'd really appreciate it if you'd at least say you'll consider-."

Yang laughed and slowly ticked off her fingers. "Traveling the world, getting rich, and being surrounded by filthy rich, good-looking men? Sign me up! I can't speak for Blake, and you'll probably have to pester her about it, but maybe the two of you can finally build that bridge between the humans and faunus she's always dreamed of. And you already you know Ruby will follow you to hell and back if it means irritating you just awhile longer. And yes I have talked to her about it, and yes she is pretty much oblivious to it."

The heiress snorted in an unladylike manner and let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. "Thank you, and while you sister's still too young to come work for us, the company has enough issues with breaking labor laws at the moment, I might have a summer job for you if you're interested."

"Weiss-" She shook her head. "We're your friends. As much as we appreciate it, like really appreciate it, none of us like using you just for your wallet or your company. Okay, sometimes we do, but that's not fair to you."

"Life isn't fair. Like you say we're friends, and this is what friends do for each other. Money is no object to me and spending it on you three is no trouble, especially compared to how much you all mean to me. It's the very least I can do. And you haven't even heard what the job entails."

"Okay, what is it?"

Weiss made a huffing sound as she sat up straight and the air of nobility returned and surrounded her. "Well, instead of posing for some risque magazine or on the internet while wearing a disguise that'll fool nobody seeing how you already prance around in your skimpy undergarments everywhere you go, and a disguise that simply won't do the real Yang justice, I propose you come work for me this summer. The SDC already owns several clothing brands and is always in need of new models, and I'm considering starting up a new one in time for swimsuit season..." Yang's eyes widened. "It wouldn't be against Beacon's rules, but even if it is let me handle it. I could also find Blake a job somewhere if she'd be willing. We do own a couple of libraries, but I'd understand if she couldn't accept."

"I-I don't know what to say, Weiss."

"Just say you'll think about it. Facing the prospect of spending my so-called vacation with Father doesn't excite me, and I'd rather spend it with my friends while learning more about the company hands on without his oversight. And this will keep me out of those trashy gossip columns when they inevitably discover your identity and that I'm your teammate..." she muttered.

Yang wrapped her arms around her and squeezed. "I take it back! You're totally one of my top ten besties!"

It was only with the briefest hesitation that Weiss embraced her back and buried her face in the crook of her neck. When they finally released one another and the last of their aura separated, Weiss stared up at the panting girl beaming. "Yang, I think I know how it must feel to be your sister, and maybe a little of what she's going through right now. I have a beautiful and talented older sister whose shadow I'll never get out of, was for lack of a better word raised by a single parent, and everyone looks at me like I'm different and don't belong. Four months ago I wanted nothing more than to be team RWBY's main front line fighter and the leader you all looked up to and depended on, but that person ended up becoming your sister. And for the first week of school I was absolutely furious because I was too stubborn to admit that it takes more than just perfect grades to be a leader, and I'm not saying this is exactly how she feels, but I had to learn to accept that I'm the weak link on this team and-."

"No you're-"

"-I'm by far physically the weakest, and had to transition into being the team's supporter because I couldn't handle being on the front lines. I have by far the lowest aura pool on the team, and I-"

"Had the lowest aura pool," Yang corrected somberly to the puzzled heiress. "You passed Ruby not too long after the mission..."

"That's only because her aura is practically zero right now."

"See for yourself."

Despite her absolute certainty, Weiss glanced at her wrist scroll almost afraid of what she'd see, and reluctantly pressed the screen to view the team's statistics.

"You were on the front line with me for a long time holding your own against hordes of Grimm, which have always scared you more than the rest of us. You had to manage your aura consumption and pace yourself perfectly, and you gained a hell of a lot of something you'd been missing."

"Experience?"

"Confidence." Yang gave her a gentle nudge. "Confidence in yourself. A month ago you would've still fought conservatively with me, but you might've won today if I hadn't pulled a muscle and needed to end things."

"It's not that big of a jump," she said modestly, seeing the rough numbers compare to her partner's from the last time they'd been max. "Aura doesn't just increase because of combat conditions."

Yang shrugged. "It does a little bit, which is one reason Goodwitch pushes us so hard, but you were using aura reserves you didn't even know you had and creating glyphs with a fraction of the aura you used to."

"Most of which were sloppy and crude." At the cut down of herself and skills she received a dirty look. "But I suppose they were effective enough..."

"Weiss, you probably used over a hundred glyphs in that battle after spending two days on a mission where you barely slept and despite having a sensitive bladder I'm pretty sure waited till we got back home to pee. Remember how just a month ago you couldn't create a couple dozen elementals without nearly passing out? Or just one or two of your specialized glyphs without your head exploding? Not including your elementals and all the freaky stuff you can do with gravity, you also used haste and telekinetic glyphs to the point you ran out of dust, and also summoned what Ruby gushed was 'the biggest and most awesome sword that's not a sword-gun' she had ever seen. Which for some reason you don't like to talk about and practically begged us not to tell anyone what you did, or that you're the one that finished off the Alpha King Taijitu."

"I just don't want my family to find out...

"And if that's what you want we won't push you, but the biggest reason your aura shot up so much is because now you know exactly who you are."

"I've always known who I am," she huffed indignantly.

The larger girl looked down at her skeptically, and gradually Weiss' shoulders slumped. "So after deciding that you were the weak link on this team, you knew deep down that you're not too far from being its biggest powerhouse? Or that everyone who swings a sword in this school watches you and takes notes? Including Pyrrha? Or that your 'prodigious' partner occasionally borrows Myrtenaster when you're not looking and pretends she's you?"

Weiss lowered her head and remained silent.

"You've always known that underneath the Ice Queen is a girl who's genuinely warm and nice? You always knew that people didn't need to be paid to be your friend? Or didn't need anything in return? That maybe some of us would want to be your friend?"

Besides a small sniffling sound she didn't respond.

"We wear our souls on our sleeves, Weiss, and that's what give us power. If someone like us looks in the mirror and doesn't recognize what they see... or worse hates themself, then they'll never be nearly as strong as they could be."

"That's easy for someone like you to say," she choked tearfully. "You've never gone a day in your life with so much as a bad hair day, much less a hideous scar covering half your face..."

Gently, calloused fingers grabbed her by the chin so she was looking at misty lilac. "I found out what kind of person I am a long time ago, and that's when I decided who I wasn't going to be. And nobody calling me a 'blonde bimbo', 'party girl', 'rage-aholic', or other not-so-nice things people call girls like me can change that. If anyone thinks that way about me then they obviously don't know me, and I'd rather keep it that way."

"T-then why do you-"

"Why do I act like a 'blonde, rage-aholic party girl who probably deserves half of things she's called'?" She gave a wry smile. "Why does Blake wear a bow, Ruby a hood, and you half a dozen layers of makeup?"

The heiress sniffled but found herself nodding.

"Then again..." Yang winked playfully. "I hate schoolwork and I really like punching things. I really like guys calling me pretty and giving me the attention, probably because I never really got it at home, and I get all tingly inside seeing them drool over what they can't touch." She wiped something from her eye but continued smiling. "I also happen to appreciate the taste of a strawberry sunrise while waiting for coffee to brew, and hearing my baby sister and our best friends laugh is music to my ears."

Weiss tried to look away but Yang still had her by the chin, and so she settled on staring up at her partner's bunk. Yang must've felt as her point had been made as she released her, but not seconds later did the heiress feel a sharp pain in her shoulder.

"Ow!" Her eyes widened and she stared at the girl and her tight fist while rubbing the point of impact. "What was that for!"

Yang smiled but it was offset by her eyes flickering. "That was for calling yourself ugly and your scar hideous." She held her by the chin again and leaned forward kissing her atop her left eye then her cheek, leaving the heiress breathless as she felt warm aura pass from her lips. "Weiss, you are not ugly and your scar does not make you ugly. Summer once told me that the point of sharing your aura with three other people is to see yourself how they see you, and my baby sister thinks the absolute world of you. And so do Blake and I..."

She embraced her again letting Weiss get lost in what little aura she had left after practice, and before releasing her shivered as the gesture was returned in full.

Weiss coughed and needlessly adjusted her attire as the two struggled for air and felt the sudden ache from their sore muscles.

"Does Ruby know who she really is?" she sniffled. "Ever since the mission...she hasn't been the same..."

Yang opened her mouth to speak but abruptly closed it. "Not yet..." she said simply before using the girl for leverage and bouncing off the bed back onto her feet. She stumbled for a moment favoring her bandaged right leg while hugging left arm tightly against her chest, and quickly found herself wondering how her sister had managed to handle Crescent Rose in her current state as she herself hadn't even considered loading Ember Celica.

"If you don't mind I think I'm gonna skip the nap and soak in the tub till they get back. Everything hurts, and for some reason Blake doesn't appreciate sleeping under sweaty girls. Heh, that's funny 'cause it's true. Either that or she just really likes my soaps, shampoos, and conditioners."

"Trust me, it's the former, but being a faunus and your partner I'm sure the latter has something to do with it." She dabbed her eyes with a handkerchief then blew. "And you're breaking the dibs rule by the way, which we all agreed is a punishable offense."

"You can take the shower if you want." Yang glanced back at her with a not-so-innocent smile. "That is if you don't mind being watched getting in and out or through the glass. You know how claustrophobic I get when the curtains are pulled around the tub, and how is screws up my sinuses. If you'd like we could share the tub like me and Rubes back in the day. Or that time in the locker room showers when I was finally able to sneak up on miss cat hearing."

Weiss didn't respond nor did she even blink to the blonde's chagrin.

"So..." she drawled thinking fast. "Does the lightweight have a preference of where all we go clubbing next week for my birthday? 'Every Body, Needs Some Bawdy' has this thing they do for birthday boys and girls where they bring you this MASSIVE cake and out pops a-"

Yang ducked underneath a pillow as the scarlet faced heiress hiding a sheepish smile attempted to take her head off. "I'll have you know that we Schnees can hold our liqueur quite well thank you very much. And thinking about what you said, I wouldn't mind getting the kind of attention you spoke of earlier myself. Also, it's entirely possible I may have already ordered you an Atlesian chocolate cake..."

Yang squealed in delight and tossed the pillow back, hitting the girl square in the chest and knocking her backward so her legs flew in the air.

"It's gonna be awhile until I have that kind of aura," she said humbly, sitting up with head down and speaking into the pillow.

"You'll get there. I might not have had tutors back at Signal, but I did have a combat instructor who put me through living hell to get me where I am today." She shook her head. "Sometimes I'm not sure if it's because he just didn't want me to end up like my mom and stepmom, or if it was some kind of sadistic payback for everything his sister put him through. My aura has already just about plateaued but it still has a year or two of developing left, and when it's done I'm gonna beat the red out of his eyes and break his stupid sniper-scythe in two and watch him and Ruby cry over it."

As she bathed in the daydream rubbing her hands together impatiently, Weiss swallowed a thought. It was well known around the school that the sisters' uncle was in his nearly unheard of fifth tour of duty as a full time registered huntsman with Signal Academy, and was an almost mythological figure of sorts around Vale, but for Weiss it was difficult to take the tall-tales about him seriously. She and Blake also couldn't decide if being drunk in all of them explained a lot or made them just that more impressive...

"Your uncle must be pretty incredible considering yourself and your sister."

Yang smiled with pride but chuckled nervously as though that might've been the understatement of the century. "My Uncle Qrow graduated from Beacon with the highest combat rating the school's ever seen, and became the first freshman to win the Vytal Festival and the first and only to ever win it three years in a row. He taught me everything I know about my semblance, but while I learned most of my aura and combat training from our Dad, he took Ruby under his wing and now she's at Beacon Academy two years early and has one of the top five combat ratings in the class, and she's the youngest team leader in the school's history. If she were seventeen and had let her aura develop more, and finished her scythe training for that matter, I'd be the one sleeping on the bottom bunk back home and there wouldn't be a darn thing I could do about it."

"She's incredible," Weiss agreed. "I suppose I've never really given it much thought, but I'm kinda surprised you weren't accepted early."

Yang rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly. "Yeah, well, Rubes is...special, and she was recruited by Ozpin himself." She shifted her weight uncomfortably. "I got offers from Haven and Shade my junior year, but I had my eyes set on Beacon, and they're picky since almost all the kids that get accepted here early get sent back for more training. Ruby's kinda the exception, but even if I gotten accepted, she and Dad still needed me at home."

She let out a long sigh followed by a moment of silence. "Those sound like excuses though. The truth is Ozpin or whoever probably wasn't interested because I was still a bit of a screw up back then. I hadn't gotten all the partying out of my system, and hadn't mellowed yet."

Weiss stood up. "Mellowed? You?"

Yang smirked at her. "Overconfident and red eyes don't really go together, and neither does skipping class to sunbathe on the beach or sleep off a hangover. Or both."

"So in other words nothing's changed? If we were closer to the ocean that's where you'd be right now."

"I wouldn't knock the beach like that. It was the one place I could go to be away from all the problems at home but still be within earshot when something else inevitably went wrong." When Weiss looked up with an apologetic smile Yang grinned back and winked. "It also has scenic views and guys all too willing to help with sunscreen. And I wouldn't say nothing's changed. I have a close friend who's helped teach me how to control my emotions better and keep a cool head. Our powers might practically be polar opposites, but we're a lot alike in a lot of ways."

Weiss looked down blushing while Yang took a step toward the fridge. "How about you order some pizza for tonight? Just be sure to ask for extra anchovies for Blake. She totally deserves it, and tell them to pick us up some movies on the way, and some bandages. I think someone's been double dipping..."

"Oh, I know! Let's have another DSNY marathon!"

Yang couldn't help chuckling at the girl's newfound obsession. "Just anything but 'Bumbie'. I rented it a few years ago and ended up burning it for making Ruby cry and scream 'Bumbie's mom!' for like a freaking month. God, I hate movie..."

"Let's see..." She opened her scroll looking at a long list with check-marks beside some of the names. "We haven't seen half of the PIXR movies, or FRZN, or-"

"Before that though you might wanna wash your sheets. Otherwise we're all gonna have to pile into Blake's bed or bring one down."

"Huh?"

"Your skid mark." She pointed, and the heiress turned instantly horrified by the yellow powder-like substance staining her bedspread, and craned her neck around to see it had come from her bruised backside.

The blonde held her aching ribs as she laughed and bent down looking for something in the back of the fridge. "Dibs on the comforter and your new thousand count Vacuon cotton electric blankets. Take it from me, getting yellow dust out of bedding is a pain in the EEEEPP!"

Yang shot straight up banging her head on the top of the fridge as it felt as though someone had just poured ice water down the front, back, and sides of her shorts, and had wrenched them down when she noticed the heiress smiling contently and blowing frost off her finger gun. "Nice birthmark you've got there. I believe you might've just sang in a higher pitch than even I can reach."

As she pulled her perfectly dry shorts back up with a bit of pink to her cheeks, Weiss indulged herself with high-pitched giggles watching the blonde barely able to stand as though her legs and perhaps nether regions had gone numb.

"Best two out of three?" Yang asked, grinning as her eyes turned red and the temperature rose.

Weiss took several white dust crystals out of her pouch, and took a deep breath as a glyph enveloped her and the temperature dropped momentarily. Panting, a sword hilt appeared in her hands, and from the glyph she retrieved a massive greatsword longer than she was tall. She matched the blonde's grin.

"Winner gets the bubble bath and Ruby's rubber duck..."

(A/N: Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed. My deepest apologies for the long delay, friends. This was a very long chapter, but it was also very important to me personally. I really love Yang and Weiss as characters, and I hope that shined through here. I absolutely love their sisterly relationship as it as well as their characters just have so much range. From them fighting over bathing arrangements to talking about their insecurities, to crying on the other's shoulder and shooting each other in the rear, I just love it. And as much as I enjoy the dynamic of them all training to be huntresses together, I must admit that I might enjoy seeing them as just normal(ish) teenage girls and the natural hi-jinx that would ensue from four very different personalities sharing a bedroom and bathroom together, as well as their literal souls. I hope you enjoy it as well.

I'm sorry to all Whitley fans who might've wanted to see his inclusion in this narrative, but sadly I just couldn't find a place for him, and I thought the secret tragedy of Weiss no longer being a big sister would make her bond with Yang and Ruby that more special. The big and little sisters/siblings she always wanted and wished she had. In regards to Willow Schnee, I've always liked the early theory that all of team RWBY's mothers are dead (or in Blake's case simply never having been a part of her life), and that being something that strengthens their bond. I also hope you enjoyed a little more insight to Summer, as well as her big sis, little sis relationship with Raven which has quickly become one of my favorites and I hope I get the opportunity to share with you someday. I won't get into what happened to Summer to make her run away from home and caused her not to trust others, or some of the other implications possibly hinted at, and I think this is something I'm content with leaving up to your personal interpretation for the moment. As always, I hope it wasn't taken too far and I hope you enjoyed my take on them.

For those perhaps curious, I recently began writing a fun little side project titled "The Queen of Jurassic Park", which is a RWBY x Jurassic Park crossover. I also went back and edited/revised all forty chapters of "The Petals Scatter Now" to fix spelling and syntax errors and overall make for a more enjoyable experience. This was one reason why this chapter was so late, but another is because I'm also working on a sequel to "The Prodigal Stray" which I hope to share with you very soon. I've also been working very hard on a new introduction to "Remnants of Salvation", and it is my current plan to eventually rename the current story "Remnants of Salvation - One Shot" as the original Chapters 2 & 3 will be reworked into Chapters 4 & 5 of a newer version of the story. This probably won't be happening for quite some time however as I'm rather busy with the before mentioned stories as well as Chapter 17, but I just wanted to give everyone a heads up that I am working on the story and I will give an update when the newer version is posted.

As always thank you so very much everyone for all your support and incredible patience, friends. All credit goes to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who has made this story possible and blessed me with all of you. God bless)