UPDATE

SO, my spring break has finally come, and I'm going to be travelling a fair bit, which means that I won't be able to update this tomorrow or next Friday. This sucks, I know, but I will still take time to get some writing in so that once I come back, I'll have another chapter ready as soon as I get back - Saturday night to Sunday-ish. And boy, oh boy, the plans I have in story for y'all - things are gonna start to heat up real soon ;) One might say that you will... "feel the burn." Eh? Eh? I swear I'm funny, y'all

Anyway, before I go, I just want to go ahead and thank you all for following this little project of mine - you folks are awesome and keep me motivated to write more and more! Until the next time~

THUD

The blonde almost dropped the bar at this unexpected sound from behind her, but she calmly lowered it to the resting position before turning to see the source of the noise. She figured that some careless idiot forgot to clip their weights onto their bar or attempted to lift something far heavier than they were capable of. To her surprise, though, no such thing seemed to have happened – many of the other patrons were looking in her direction, their expressions a mixture of curiosity and worry. Strange, I didn't drop anything. What's up with all these people? Now, Weiss on the other hand might have…Yang's train of thought screeched to a halt when she finally realized who was missing from the picture. Weiss. Shit. Where is she? It then dawned on her that everyone wasn't exactly looking at her, but rather at her feet. Slowly, she followed their lines of sight until she finally saw the petite girl collapsed on the floor. Again. But unlike the last time Yang found her there, she was definitely not conscious.

Crap, crap, crap, I pushed her too far! I got so carried away with teaching those exercises, I forgot how tired she was. The buxom trainer cursed herself for her negligence as she rushed to Weiss's side, immediately going to check her vitals. She held her fingers to the collapsed girl's throat, relieved to feel that her pulse was still going in a regular rhythm, albeit slightly weaker than it should be. Low blood pressure… that's weird, if anything her pressure should be higher because of exercise, Yang wondered. Maybe she stood up too fast or something? As she continued to think on what could have possibly made her trainee pass out, she moved her hand underneath her nose to see if she was still breathing, finding affirmation when she felt the girl's gentle breaths flow over her fingers.

Slowly and drowsily, Weiss's eyes began to open up, sending a wave of relief over the woman looking after her. Certainly, she'd already confirmed that the white-haired girl was alive, but Yang had feared that she might have been in a coma. Or paralyzed. Or hemorrhaging. Or perhaps even-

"Weiss? Weiss? Can you hear me? How are you feeling? Are you okay? Anything hurt? Do we need to get you to a hospital?" If no one else knew any better, they would think Yang was coddling a small child.

The reply came slowly, but it didn't lack the characteristic bite. "What are you talking about, you buffoon..? I'm fine, really, I don't see what you're prattling on abo-" Apparently, it just dawned on her what kind of situation she was in, as her eyes widened in horror and she shot up like a coiled spring. Her head swung right, left, taking quick snapshots of her surroundings before burying her head in her palms.

"Oh, Dust, I did it again."

"Did what?"

"Make a fool of myself. And this is only my second time setting foot in this place! Honestly, how could I let myself be this clumsy…"

The blonde placed her hand on Weiss's slumped shoulder in an attempt to comfort her. "Hey now, if anything, it was me that screwed up. I pushed you too hard on your first ever workout. If anything, Iought to be the one who's embarrassed, since I wasn't paying enough attention to my trainee to notice that you were getting so fatigued that you might faint. After all, as much as you're here to take care of your body, I'm here to do the same."

Weiss opened her mouth to speak, but then paused before any words came out. A moment passed, and she settled upon giving a quiet "thanks". Yang wasn't exactly sure why the heiress thanked her after she had just explained why the current situation was her fault, but she decided not to argue and instead offered her hand to once more pick up this girl from the floor. Weiss took it without a word and with the blonde's help righted herself.

"Well, I think it's safe to call it a day. We've seen pretty much everything I wanted to show you here, plus we did almost 50 minutes of exercises of all sorts," Yang started as she headed to the locker rooms. "Normally, that's still not quite enough time for a full workout, but I think for you, especially since I've put you a little out of sorts today, this will be enough."

"But don't I still have that one last exercise to do?" Weiss asked, having not moved from her spot next to the squat racks.

"Yeah, there were those squats, but I think it would be best to leave those for next time. You've done plenty today."

"No. I am going to finish them."

The trainer stopped in her tracks and turned to look at Weiss with a cocked eyebrow. Yang could have sworn that the girl before her would have loved to get away from this gym as soon as possible – the heiress herself knew that she did something klutzy every time she had come so far – but the look in her eyes said otherwise. They were those same determined eyes that she had remembered seeing when Weiss first stepped onto the gym floor, filled with purpose and resolve. Whatever gripes she had before about working out seemed to not matter anymore to her, as if something else was driving the heiress. Still, as far as Yang was concerned, she was in no condition to continue exercising.

"Weiss, I'm glad that you want to complete your workout, but you don't have to prove anything, really. You're worn out, and I can't in good conscience let you do something that might get yourself hurt."

"I am going to finish what I started." Although Yang was not someone to be easily intimidated, Weiss spoke with a voice far more imposing than her stature would suggest. The buxom woman sighed. It's no use, she's got her mind set on this – must be in her Schnee blood or something.

"Alright, I'll humor you," she said while heading back to Weiss, "but don't complain if you pass out on the floor in the middle of a rep."

"Wouldn't dream of it," Weiss replied, scowling at the thought. She moved to the rack which Yang had been using, placing the bar on the back of her shoulders just as it was demonstrated.

Unsurprisingly, squats turned out to be quite the struggle for the white-haired girl. Even though Yang left on her warm-up weights – 20 pounds on each side of the bar – they were more than a match for the tiny Weiss, who practically growled under the strain. With one look at her face, contorted from all the effort she was putting in, Yang couldn't help but snicker.

"You know, if need me to help, I can stand behind you and spo-"

"T-that won't be necessary!" Weiss said quickly.

"Oh?" Yang was just trying to be helpful, but she knew a good opportunity to tease someone when she saw one. "You know, any of the guys here would kill for the opportunity to be that close to me, with my hands holding their sides, and my boo-"

"Thank you, no. Honestly, is this what I'm going to have to deal with every day…" Her voice trailed off into a mumble as she continued her attempt at squats, her indignation sending Yang into another fit of giggles. Nevertheless, despite the struggle, Weiss managed in the end to actually squeeze out a full set of squats. Granted, 10 wasn't anything to be terribly impressed with, but considering that this girl had only a few minutes ago been lying collapsed on the floor, the blonde was still taken aback by the fortitude Weiss demonstrated. Perhaps she has the makings of a gym rat after all, she mused,although… she noticed how the heiress draped herself over the squat rack, tongue hanging out as she panted for breath, clearly indicating that despite whatever potential she might have, she was quite thoroughly spent for the day. She smiled at the sight, not out of mockery this time, but rather out of appreciation. Yeah, this princess might whine and moan, but in the end, she's got a mind of steel. She wants this to work. An idea suddenly popped into her head, and her smile grew wider. I think some positive reinforcement is in order.

Yang walked over to the exhausted Weiss. "Well now, I didn't think you had it in you to push yourself."

The worn-out girl raised her head just enough to meet her trainer's eyes. "I never leave anything unfinished," she declared coolly. "That's just the way I operate."

"That's good to hear, because there's just one more thing we've got to do."

As fatigued as she was, somehow even more energy seemed to drain from her trainee's expression. "What?! I thought all I needed to do was this one stupid exercise and I'd be through."

"First of all, you brought that 'stupid exercise' on yourself – I was happy with letting you free originally, but apparently you're a masochist at heart," Yang said, directing a smirk at Weiss. "Besides, you'll love it!"

"Really?" came the flat response. "Just like how I'll love the chest press? Or the fly machine?"

Yang pondered on this with a sagely expression for moment before answering. "Nah, this'll be even better. Everyone thinks so!"

Weiss let out a sigh, not wanting to be led around too much longer. "Alright, what is it?"

"Food!"

The heiress looked at her with a blank expression. "What."

"Food, you dumb-dumb! After any workout or exercise, the muscles in your body are all torn up, so it's the perfect time to eat lots of protein to help repair and build new muscles. That's how people go from having arms like yours to having guns like mine." To emphasize this point, the blonde flexed her arms, which Weiss stared at wide-eyed for a second before letting out an annoyed grunt. "Also, you burnt a lot of calories in the past hour or two, so you need to get all that back in order to not crash… again."

"You really enjoy tormenting me, don't you?"

"Only a little bit. But I'm not kidding – you really do need food. It'll be my treat!"

The petite girl raised her eyebrow questioningly. "Your treat? You make it sound like I'm getting rewarded for something."

"Well, of course, you just finished your first day of training with me!"

"I don't think I really did anything impressive enough to warrant a prize or something."

"No, no, you definitely deserve this. To be honest, I didn't think you'd even show up here to begin with. You just seemed so… sullen yesterday, and from what I gathered, you didn't seem like the kind of person who wanted help, so you coming in today came as a bit of surprise – but a good one. Plus, it turns out that you're actually quite the headstrong gal, finishing what you started even when you aren't in the greatest physical condition and when you didn't have to."

"But that doesn't mean anything," Weiss said logically, "it's not like I carried 200 pounds on my shoulders or something else notable. An award is something you get for perfection, not simply passing."

"Ah, see, that's where you're wrong. There is no perfection when it comes to exercise. There's always another step, another weight to add on, another trial to undertake, so "perfection" really lies in the will to move forward. You won't ever be perfect – hell, I'm certainly never going to be perfect – but it's in those moments, just like when you went for that extra set, that you'll achieve something like it." Yang paused, looking to Weiss's face and finding something she couldn't quite read. The heiress gave a small, careful smile, but her eyes were not focused on her, indicating that her mind was elsewhere – wherever that might be, Yang couldn't guess, but she wasn't planning on letting Weiss mull over her words for too long. More importantly, it was about 4:30, and Yang hadn't had food since noon.

"Alright, enough of that – time to chow!" Without another word, the eager blonde grabbed Weiss's arm and started running toward the exit, ignoring the sudden cries of distress behind her.

Yang stepped into her apartment with a great yawn. Usually, it took a lot to get the trainer tired, but this day in particular had worn her out more than most; between taking extra time to help her new trainee, then treating her to a late lunch, and then returning to complete her own workout. All the little things added up, and the crimson light shining through the room ahead told her that it was close to sunset already. Still, she'd made it home.

The apartment was surprisingly modest, especially considering the boisterous personality of its inhabitant, but Yang didn't like to spend too much of her money on decorations – it didn't help that she also lacked much taste, as her rooms in the past have often ended up looking awfully tacky. Complimenting this was her messiness, which could be noted from any cursory scan of the place. As often was the case, many of her clothes, dirty and clean, were strewn about the place, but it was at a reasonable level – she cleaned the apartment every weekend without fail, and everything lying about was the accumulation of a week's worth of laundry, with some dishes scattered here and there. Otherwise, the apartment was very welcoming: Yang had no shortage of couches and bean bag chairs for people to lounge around in; it sported a thick carpet, the kind one's toes might wiggle around and sink into; and the walls assaulted the eyes with a bright, happy yellow hue. The best part of the place in Yang's opinion, though, was the living room wall, which was make up almost entirely of giant window panes facing the south. Not many people would notice this detail, but Yang was always very particular about the windows of a house faced, since she always adamant about getting the most sunlight into the rooms – she loved it when the first rays of the morning sun peek through the curtains to wake her up, and it also saved her a few lien on the monthly electricity bills. All in all, the apartment suited her brilliantly.

The first thing Yang did when she set foot in the living room was to let herself fall face first onto one of the couches with a low moan. She had pushed herself extra hard on her last few sets of crunches, and she could already feel the burn in her abs. Man, am I going to feel this one tomorrow. She was in no mood to move around for a while, which gave her plenty of time to think about her day, Weiss in particular.

"So where are we going?" Weiss had asked.

"A Simple Wok! It's this little ramen shop just a few blocks away. You'll love it!"

"Are you sure? A lot of these places tend to have quite low sanitation scores, and don't they overcharge you all the time?"

"Nope and nope – I've been to this place for a long time now, so trust me when I say it's good." Yang's voice had a hint of nostalgia in it. She then added jokingly, "Don't worry, princess, I'm not planning on giving you food poisoning."

"For the last time, it's 'heiress!' Is that so hard to remember?"

"Not really, but I think 'princess' sounds better."

"…you really think so?"

"And you act like one a lot."

"Hey! What if I came up with an annoying nickname for you, how would you feel then?"

A sly grin crawled across Yang's face. "Try me."

"Well, fine, you… you big, stupid oaf!"

"Oooo, good one, Weiss," Yang said, completely unfazed, "but the only way I'm stupid is stupid hot." She then proceeded to touch her ass and make a sizzling noise. The petite girl merely grumbled and hit herself on the forehead.

"Why do I even try… oh yeah, by the way, when you said that you've been to this ramen place a long time, you made it sound like you've almost grew up with it or something."

"Aren't you the perceptive one?" The blonde couldn't decide whether to sound condescending or genuinely impressed that Weiss was able to pick up on subtle hints like that. "Yeah, when I was still in grade school, my dad used to take me and my sister to A Simple Wok all the time whenever we got good grades on our report cards. Even if only one of us did well – I usually got low marks in science and history – we both got rewarded. At first, I thought this was just my dad trying to be nice and not leaving one of us out, but now I see that was actually being quite clever - by tying our successes together, we came to appreciate each other more."

"That's… nice," Weiss responded plainly. Yang noticed that her companion seemed to be slipping into her thoughts.

"Well, it was, but now that she's in college, do I hear a single peep from her? Nooooooo, that would be asking for too much." She let out a harsh click of her tongue. "Anyway, we're here!"

The pair were greeted by an older gentleman with greying hair and a raspy voice, but Yang of course knew him as Fu Wong, the proprietor of A Simple Wok for as long as she could remember. They shook hands like old friends before the blonde started to show the different options on the menu for Weiss to look at. The heiress foolishly asked if Wong served any salads.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, Weiss, you're not here to munch on greens – I'm going to get you the biggest bowl they have here, 'cause from the looks of it," Yang quickly glanced up and down Weiss's small form, "you're gonna need it."

"Would that be two Grand Mistrals, then?" Wong asked.

"Wait, hold on! Just how big is the Grand Mistral?"

Yang held up her hands at almost shoulder width, causing Weiss's jaw to drop.

"Oh Dust… how… I can't even…"

"Don't worry, after a workout, you'd be surprised how much you can eat. Now, do you want chicken, beef, or pork?"

Weiss looked like she didn't want to argue anymore. "…chicken, please."

When they finally got their meals, the heiress stared at her bowl apprehensively, dreading the thought finishing all its contents. Yang, on the other hand, already began to shovel noodles and meat into her mouth. After eating merrily for a good five minutes, she turned over to her partner, who was still prodding at the food before her with uncertainty.

"What's the matter? Never seen noodles before?"

"No, it's just… it's just so much. I couldn't possibly eat it all."

"Well, while I'd appreciate if you finished it, since I did pay for you, don't feel like you have to be in a hurry. Just get what you can."

Weiss said nothing, returning her gaze to the meal in front of her. Slowly, she took her chopsticks and started to twirl a few noodles in them and then finally take a bite. She chewed slowly, deliberately, as if to fully assess the taste before swallowing it. She sat there on the stool for a while, waiting for the food to digest, and then… well, the last time Yang had ever seen anyone devour food that quickly was when she found out that her sister had gone through the whole cookie jar in 20 minutes.

"So… what did you think, Weiss?"

"That… was… the best… ever…" she slurred out, already starting to slip into a food coma. Yang and Wong both burst out in laughter at the compliment.

Yang smiled upon remembering that. It was a funny memory, sure, but that wasn't the reason Yang felt so warm thinking about it. No, it was because it was the first time Yang had seen this girl, so far so glum and cold, genuinely happy. The blonde wouldn't honestly have thought that the little Schnee had that kind of voracious appetite, but perhaps she was like most girls her age who starve themselves to look thinner than they ought to be, and she had to suppress the hunger of a dozen lions. Perhaps it was the first time in a while that she'd indulged herself. She should let herself be loose and free more often. Free...

Oh, Dust, I didn't schedule her next workout! Yang sat up with a start and immediately pulled out her scroll to send her a message. Of course, Weiss's name is all the way towards the bottom of the alphabet, and the buxom blonde has picked up her fair share of friends, acquaintances, friends-with-benefits, and hook-ups over the years so that it was actually something of a bother to scroll through her lengthy contact list. Oh, please, Yang, if that's the worst of your problems, you're doing real good for yourself, she thought, laughing at the ridiculousness of that idea. She started to absent-mindedly flick the screen up and up with her thumb, seeing all the names zip by, until one of them caught her attention, one that she had almost completely forgot about: Kitty-Cat.

Naturally, this wasn't the actual name of the person, but even so, seeing it caused Yang to freeze. This person… Yang had not seen her in a very long time, let alone heard from her. Years ago, they were quite close, but certain events transpired, and, well, they stopped being close. Gosh, how long has it been? Three, four years? I wonder if she's still-

The woman slumped over in the couch shook those thoughts out of her head. "That was another time, girly," Yang told herself before finally reaching Weiss's name in the contact list.

EDITOR: CatharticKnightmare

Hmm, "Kitty-Cat"… you know, if I was a betting man – which I'm not – but if I was, I'd venture to guess that this girl's name is Cat as in Catherine. Or Katarina. Yep. Probably just some crummy OC character.

Alright, I'm a few days late, and I really want to apologize for this! Last week, I came down with a nasty stomach virus, and when I wasn't hovering over the toilet, I was catching up on the work I had missed. But hey, I'm back now, and with an even longer chapter this time! I hope y'all enjoy and stay tuned for whatever shenanigans might be afoot next week. And as always, thank you all for reviewing and following this story – it means the world to me :)