Weiss didn't get any sleep that night. She was too busy worrying about Winter. Ruby, Blake and Yang had all searched with her long into the night, but they eventually had to give up due to fatigue. Even if they wanted to find her, they needed rest or there was no way they'd be able to keep the search up.

What do I tell my parents? They'll be back tomorrow… if Winter isn't back by then…

Weiss took a glance at the clock.

5:43 AM.

I've got nothing better to do anyway seeing as I can't sleep, so I may as well go for a walk to clear my head.

Donning her fur jacket, she headed outside, Myrtenaster in tow. Winter may not have been a Huntress, but Weiss could certainly look after herself. The cold air made her skin numb, but she didn't care. The change of pace felt nice to her. It helped her forget about everything, just for a little while. She didn't know what to do, so she just took a short walk around the town, eventually growing tired of it and returning home.

Upon her arrival, she noticed something. A mysterious briefcase was in front of the door, and it had definitely not been there when she had left.

'Who…'

Weiss' mind immediately went to Benihime.

'Did she… did she come here?'

Fearfully reaching out to the briefcase, she slowly picked it up and opened it, breathing a sigh of relief when she saw it was empty but for a small piece of paper. She took a deep breath before reading the message.

You will place the money in this briefcase. Tomorrow morning I will call you no later than 9 AM with further instructions. If you wish to see your sister alive again, you will follow them to the letter. And again, if I smell any police involvement the deal is off and your sister dies. Have a good day.

'Have a good day…?' Weiss repeated, sickened by how casual Benihime acted. 'Yeah right.'

Weiss attempted to get some sleep again, but she was once more unable to, the stress being too much. Instead, she just lay in bed, contemplating Benihime's letter.

The entire Schnee company's wealth… gone. I want my sister back, but… the company is everything we have. What do I do…?

The time was already 10:34 AM.

Ruby and the others are probably out searching for her, aren't they…? Oh yeah, they said they'd get her back… Winter's going to be fine…'

Finally succumbing to exhaustion, Weiss drifted off to sleep, still plagued with worry but confident that her friends would save her sister.

'I wonder how she'll react to my curveball?'

'Why did you choose to send her a briefcase in the first place, Benihime? Why tell her to invest the money and then send her specific instructions on how to carry it?'

'Because,' she replied confidently whilst adjusting the mask she was wearing, 'I don't plan to have her invest the money at all. I'm going to change my request, and instead tell her to bring the money in cash to a certain location. If I am correct, she'll get quite flustered after I tell her to do something differently, and if they've tried to plan anything to keep both the money and get their sister back then it will ruin that too.'

'Then why not wait until tomorrow to send that briefcase?'

'I never said that the delivery of the money was the only thing I was going to do differently. I've got a little something up my sleeve for them,' she said whilst smirking. 'I'm already aware that her friends are searching for Winter as we speak, but that's not a problem. They would never expect us to be here.'

'That's true,' the man replied. 'This place is supposed to be the safest place in Vale. This is the last place they'd suspect.'

Just then, a soft voice interrupted their conversation.

'Why are you doing this?'

It was Winter Schnee. She was unrestrained and completely unharmed, yet Benihime remained perfectly calm.

'Oh, it's nothing personal,' Benihime casually responded. 'Well, actually it is. But not against you. You see, the Schnee Dust Company have hurt a lot of people in the past.'

Winter began to grow intimidated by the ever so slightly flaring voice of Benihime, slowly growing louder and louder with anger.

'Specifically, your parents have been the biggest offenders. You have no idea what atrocities they committed. No idea how much I suffered because of their company. I lost my daughter because of your parents!'

Taking a breath to calm down, Benihime continued. 'I'm not doing this to hurt you or your sister. I'm doing this to hurt your parents. You can rest assured that I will not harm you while you are here. I might have threatened to hurt you to your sister, but that was necessary to bend her to my will. As far as I am concerned, you are innocent. I will not harm an innocent young girl if I can help it. You have been fed well, given entertainment and have been left unrestrained. If that isn't enough for you to trust that you are safe I don't know what will convince you.'

'Maybe the fact that you kidnapped me is making me a little distrustful. Forgive me, I shouldn't be so rude in the presence of your kindness,' she sarcastically remarked.

'Look,' Benihime replied, 'I understand that you're probably very angry and upset. But this is a necessary evil. I'm going to show you and your sister just what kind of people your parents are. Sure, I'm also doing it to work towards my own goals as well, but that's irrelevant. Don't worry, in a few days you'll be back with your family and this will all be forgotten. Now if you'll excuse me, I have some shopping to go do. I'm going to need it for what's coming up,' she said with a sly smirk, before leaving Winter in the safe hands of her henchmen.

They'll never suspect that we were hiding her under Beacon Academy all this time, Benihime thought to herself.

'Where the hell could she be?'

Ruby's cries of frustration were followed by immediate thoughts of where Benihime could possibly be holding Winter.

'We've searched the entirety of the outskirts and still there's no sign of her… the only other places are residential areas but they're heavily populated, it'd be impossible to hide someone there without being caught unless…'

Ruby had finally caught onto how Benihime was able to pull off such a dangerous crime so easily.

'Unless Benihime isn't alone.'

Damn it Ruby, why are you such an idiot? Why didn't you consider the fact that she had accomplices?!

As she chastised herself, she began to thoroughly search the centre of Vale for any sign of Winter.

Meanwhile, Blake and Yang were having as much success as Ruby. Blake had found absolutely nothing, but Yang did have an encounter with a lady who seemed suspicious of her.

'Are you looking for something?' the woman asked, obviously apprehensive of Yang's strange behaviour.

'Actually, yes,' she replied, intending on being as vague as possible with her answer. 'Have you seen a girl with white hair anywhere? She's about 5"10 and she wears light blue summer dresses all the time.'

Yang hoped it was vague enough to keep Winter's identity out of it but specific enough for the woman to have seen her.

'White hair and blue dresses, huh? Wait, I did actually see a girl like that. She was with two men; it looked like she'd fallen asleep or something. I figured she must have been drunk or something.'

'Do you know where she went?' Yang frantically asked, ecstatic that she had finally gotten somewhere.

'Yeah, they said something about taking her to the northern district. My guess would be to look there for her.'

'Thank you! This has been a huge help, thanks!'

'No problem,' the women replied, a coy smile crossing her lips as Yang turned away.

As Benihime entered her temporary hideout, she took a seat on one of her chairs, leaning back and taking a deep breath.

'It's good to know everything's going your way,' she commented to herself. 'I'm sure those guys are running rings around Vale right now, aren't they Winter?'

She tilted her head to look at the girl who was standing in the doorway.

'What did my parents do to you to make you hate them so much?'

Benihime seemed caught off guard by her sudden question.

'Well, there are a lot of reasons. Some indirect, others... not so much. You see, when a person has power, what do they do with it? Do they sit there and do nothing, or do they use it?'

Unsure of whether her question was rhetorical or not, Winter remained silent.

'They use it of course,' Benihime continued. 'When a person uses power, they realise just how great it is. They want to use it more. And they begin to use it so much that it borders on abuse. Abuse leads to hatred, hatred leads to fighting, and whoever wins the fight gains more power. It's a disgusting, vicious cycle. One which your parents have been milking for decades now. One which I intend to destroy. That's why I hate your parents. Do you understand now?'

Winter may not have been given the context of Benihime's words, but the sharp tone she spoke them with gave her a good idea.

'It was the settlement, wasn't it?'

That village, the failed experiment of so many years ago had been the only major investment the Schnee Dust Company had made outside of business. But they didn't fund the materials or tools for the village. They funded the weapons which the soldiers carried. The weapons that would eventually cause the deaths of so many innocents. Winter was well aware of the controversy surrounding her family, and Benihime's furious expression told her she was correct.

'It was indeed. I'm going to tear down everyone involved in that bastard experiment, even if I have to destroy the world to do it. They will pay for what they did.'

Weiss slowly roused from her slumber, and for a few moments she forgot all about the situation with Winter. However, reality soon set in and she panicked, unsure of the time.

'6:30 PM?! I missed an entire day?! Winter…!'

Immediately getting up and running to her front entrance, she flung the door open only to be met with Ruby and Blake both looking disheartened at her doorstep.

'Guys… what are you doing here…? Is Winter…?'

'No,' Ruby interjected, 'but we haven't found her. Actually, we haven't found anything. I'm sorry, Weiss. We promised you we'd bring her back, but we let you down.'

'I'm sorry too,' Blake said, not even raising her eyes to look at Weiss. 'Even with all the experience Ruby and I have with tracking and spying, we didn't find a thing. It's like she just disappeared.'

'I see,' Weiss replied, obviously disappointed that they couldn't find Winter. 'Well, I guess there's only one thing left to do. You guys can come in for a while.'

As she said that, she began to walk towards the town centre.

'Wait!' Ruby called after her. 'Where are you going?'

'…To the bank,' she solemnly replied. 'I'm going to take every bit of cash under the Schnee name and hand it over to Benihime.'

'Weiss…' Blake began, before the heiress interrupted.

'It's OK, Blake. She's my sister and I love her. I'd much rather have her than the company. I'm sure my parents will understand.'

She was about to leave again, before she noticed something.

'Wait, where's Yang?'

'We don't know,' Ruby dejectedly replied. 'We tried contacting her but didn't get a response.'

'I see… well, if you see her tell her that she doesn't have to keep up the search.'

'Are you sure you wanna do this?' Ruby continued, obviously torn at Weiss' decision.

'It's fine, Ruby. Really. I'd much rather have it this way than lose my sister.'

With the briefcase in hand, the only thing they could do was wait for Weiss to take the money out and get ready for tomorrow. It was sure to be a hectic day, with Weiss' parents returning home as well as the transfer happening soon.

'I wish there was something more we could do,' Blake said to Ruby, both of them determined to make sure Winter was returned to them in the coming days.

'There might still be something you can do,' Ruby told her with a smirk. 'I have an idea.'

'What are you thinking?' Blake asked, intrigued. Ruby's ideas whilst usually chaotic, were also usually very reliable plans.

'Well, Benihime wants Weiss to put her company's money in that briefcase, right?'

'I'd assume so, what about it?'

'If we can follow Weiss without Benihime noticing, she has to either come out herself or send one of her men to get the briefcase. She'll lead us right to her.'

I can't tell her what I'm actually planning. She'd go nuts if she found out.

Weiss soon returned, the briefcase filled with all the cash to the Schnee name. In anticipation of tomorrow's events, Ruby and Blake both opted to stay the night at Weiss' house, Yang soon arriving after Blake sent a message.

Benihime's got another thing coming if she thinks she's getting this money that easily.

Ruby took a small bottle out of her pocket something she had prepared in advance and slipped a little of it in each of their drinks. Within minutes her former teammates were out cold, the sleeping drug working like a charm.

Sneaking out, Ruby headed for the town centre. There were still plenty of stores open as it wasn't very late, so she bought a briefcase identical to the one Benihime had sent as well as a business suit, and a wig. She already possessed a tracking device, so she had everything she needed..

With that, Ruby's side of the plan had been set in motion.

The next morning soon came around, Weiss panicking when she realised that she could have missed Benihime's phone call. It was 8:33 AM, so she had just less than half an hour to get ready and wait for the call to arrive.

'Blake,' Ruby whispered, ushering the Faunus over to her.

'What is it?' Blake replied just as quietly, not wanting to rouse Weiss' suspicion.

'I want you to tail Weiss. I've got my own briefcase here full of tracking equipment, so I'll follow her from somewhere remote, but I think it's best if we have someone following her in person too. If we do this right we can save Winter and the money.'

'Sounds good, but what about Yang?' she answered, looking over at the blonde as she spoke.

'I'm about to talk to her about it. Just make sure you don't lose sight of her, OK? If an emergency comes up, dial my phone. I'll come right away.'

'Got it,' Blake said, pleased with the idea.

None of them had any clue what Ruby had done. She was certain of it. She definitely had a tracking device, but that wasn't to be used for Benihime. She had already planted that on the clothes Weiss had set out for the day. Speaking to Yang next, she explained what she wanted her to do.

'Yang, I know you aren't going to like this but I want you to stay here. Weiss' parents need to know what's going on, and if you come with us I'm worried that you'll go nuts and ruin everything.'

Yang groaned at the idea, but complied nonetheless.

'Ruby,' she called out, the redhead turning to face her sister, 'bring her back safe, OK?'

'Will do,' Ruby answered with a smile.

Weiss showered and changed clothes, and finally the familiar ringing tone began to play. Looking at the time, it was exactly 9 AM. There was no doubt about who the caller was. Picking it up, she answered with a timid voice.

'H-hello, Benihime.'

'Hello, Weiss. I trust you have the money ready?'

'Yes,' she replied in a disheartened tone. 'What do you want me to do?'

'You're going to be getting a bit of exercise today. I hope you're looking forward to it.'

After Weiss returned her remark with silence, Benihime continued.

'Head to the northern district. Take the train there if you would, and head for the large business tower. Also, keep this phone with you. I'll contact you further when you get there.'

'Understood,' Weiss replied, making her way to the train station. Ruby nodded to Blake, indicating that their operation had just begun. Blake silently stalked Weiss, whilst Ruby lagged a little further behind.

I need Weiss to stop somewhere before I can act, Ruby thought to herself as she moved. Knowing how clever Benihime was, she anticipated that it wouldn't be a simple, 'go here and leave the briefcase' deal, but rather it would be a very well laid out plan that she intended to outfox the group with. Little did Benihime know that Ruby had already made the first move.

Blake surveyed every little part of her surroundings, taking note of everything and everyone. She intended to memorize the clothing of everyone present, that way if someone was following them it would be fairly obvious.

Upon noting no suspicious activity, she continued quietly following Weiss, staying around 40 feet away just in case.

Weiss soon reached the building as instructed, and sure enough Benihime called a few seconds later.

'Good. Now I want you to head back to the southern district. Head for the large sports ground and wait at the front entrance for three minutes. Take a bus there this time though, not the train, and I'll contact you when your wait is finished.'

Weiss again did as she was told, although she was still confused by Benihime's strange instructions. Hours passed, and it seemed as though Benihime was just going to keep sending Weiss all around Vale forever. It was definitely taking its toll on Weiss and Blake, both of them having to use all of their energy to keep up with her demands. Ruby was faring a little better due to her semblance, but she was still feeling the strain of all the running around too.

Good, Benihime thought. I've been sending them all over the city and haven't seen a single police officer near them. I guess they really didn't ask for their help. Now for the main course.

'Head to the western district and go to the park in the centre. There will be a white car there occupied by one man who will be smoking, and it will be unlocked. I want you to sit inside, do as he says and wait for further instructions.

Thankful that they were finally getting somewhere, Weiss headed over to her new destination as quickly as possible.

Sure enough, there was one car there that fit Benihime's description, and she climbed into the back seat, tightly clutching the briefcase.

'So you're the girl?' the man asked in a gruff tone, taking a puff of his cigarette.

'Yes,' Weiss replied, gaining confidence that she would be with her sister again soon.

'Place the briefcase on the seat next to you. Don't touch it until Benihime says so, or else. She'll contact you shortly.'

'Y-yes,' Weiss answered, a little intimidated by the man's tough appearance.

He got up and left, leaving her all alone in the car with the briefcase.

A few minutes later, she heard a knock on the window and quickly looked up, her expression turning to horror.

A man and woman were staring at her through the window and gesturing her to step outside.

They were wearing police uniforms.