Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Rage.  

What a terrifying emotion.  

Powerful enough to consume you and controlling enough to keep you locked into that state of mind.  

It is a hungry beast, never being able to get enough fuel, or always having too much fuel to keep the fire stoked. It will not subside; it will not rest. It will take over your entire being until the flames die out.  

Rage… is not something to be taken lightly.  

This is the emotion that Weiss found her soul filled with.  

Pure, unadulterated, rage.  

Weiss was not prone to rage. She always took situations in with a logical point of view, thinking it through methodically. Her anger was always defined by an iciness, a deathly chill so brutal that none dared stood in her way when she got to that level of coldness. The closest she got to this kind of anger was back at Haven, where she almost lost her partner at the hands of Cinder. The rage she felt then was comparable to an infinite blizzard, seeping into her heart until all she felt was ice.  

But this…  

This was unfamiliar. This was hot and boiling fury. A wildfire untamed, ready to be released to cause the most destructive chaos imaginable.  

Rage was more Yang’s territory than her own. No wonder why they butted heads so often back at Beacon. She wished she heeded Yang’s advice more when it came to her own issues with anger.  

Maybe if she did, she would’ve had more control.  

Such anger could have only been caused by betrayal. A pain that she never expected, making her heart clench in agony. It shot through her chest and into the rest of her body, only to be replaced by a fury that refused to be tempered.  

And Gods, was she betrayed.  

By none other than one Winter Schnee.  

Her own sister. The one family member that she trusted, that she could actually rely on. One of the only people in her life that would never let her down.  

She never would’ve guessed that Winter would be the one to stab her in the back like this.  

One moment was all it took.  

One.  

Singular.  

Moment. 

The situation she found herself in was not one she ever wanted to be in again. Her team, nowhere to be found other than her partner. Winter, staring her down with her blade raised. Ruby, unable to see, curled up on the ground, the remnants of her silver eyes flashing white bursts of light.  

How the fuck did she even get here?  

A week prior...   

It all started with one of Ironwood’s plans. Team RWBY, Winter, and Ironwood were all gathered around the desk in the general’s office, trying to figure out a way to defeat Salem. The office itself had a large wooden desk that was placed in the center. There were four steps that led up to it. Giant glass windows surrounded the back half of the room and half of the ceiling, overlooking all of Atlas. The colors were muted and dark, and there was only a small light fixture on the ceiling. Otherwise, the room was lit up by the city lights. Weiss could feel the imposing atmosphere that the room held. It was a symbol of authority and power, rather than a place of democracy and teamwork.  

Qrow, Penny, the Ace-Ops and Team JNOR were busy with other tasks. The cursed woman was growing closer by the second, and Amity Tower wasn’t near completion yet. Ideas were traded, discussed, and then thrown out because there was always a flaw, always an issue that came up. All of them were on edge from running out of time, and the thin veil of trust shared could be shattered at any point.  

The meeting lasted for hours, well into the night, until Ironwood said something that put the entire team on edge.  

“What if we use Ruby’s eyes?” 

Exchanged glances were shared between the team. The way Ironwood said that was… disturbing to say the least.  

“What do you mean, use them?” Yang asked defensively.  

“I mean harness her power. It’s the only way to defeat the Grimm at this point.” 

“You’re going to have to be a bit more specific,” Blake spoke up, not liking where this was going.  

Ironwood sighed, clearly exasperated. “What I am trying to say is that we can empower her. There have been… certain experiments that we’ve been running on the qualities of silver eyes. We believe we have found a way to use that power without harming the individual. Ruby would just have to go through some testing, and at the end of it all, she would quite literally be the most powerful warrior, and the one most equipped to defeat Salem.” 

“Experiments? What kind of experiments?” Weiss asked. She was fully aware of just how unethical those could get. There was no way she letting that happen to her partner.  

Winter stepped in. “These tests have been nothing but ethical, I can assure you. General Ironwood placed me in charge of them. I’ve been making sure every subject has been properly taken care of, and if there is any risk to the subject, the test is either not conducted or altered to be safe.” 

“You didn’t answer her question,” Blake pointed out, eyes narrowing. “Sure, they might be safe, but what kind are they?” 

“That information is classified.” 

“Bullshit,” Yang stated. “We’re supposed to be trusting each other, and you can’t even tell us what tests you’re gonna run on my sister? Not happening. Tell us, or we find another plan.” 

“Yang…” Weiss warned.  

“No, Weiss. You of all people should be pushing for more information. I understand that that’s your sister, but they’re trying to involve your partner, who is also my sister.” 

“You’re right, that is my sister, Yang. She would never do anything to harm Ruby, or any of us for that matter,” Weiss retorted, before giving Winter a serious look.  

“Right?” 

Winter paused for a moment, and Weiss had to question why. Winter was the only person who knew how she truly felt about Ruby. She knew exactly what she would do for her.  

So why wouldn’t she immediately agree?  

Winter’s subtle glance toward Ironwood confirmed her suspicions. Of course, the general wouldn’t let her voice that out loud; he was only concerned with defeating Salem. She was sure that he wouldn’t care if Ruby died in the process, even if he said otherwise.  

Good thing her sister did. 

... Right? 

“Correct,” Winter finally let out. “No harm will come to Ruby Rose. You have my word.” 

Yang still wasn’t happy with the idea, but Weiss had her fears relieved. She could trust Winter. She’d never let her down before.  

“Ruby? What do you think?” Blake asked, clearly wanting to know if her leader would even agree to doing this.  

The cloaked Huntress had her eyes to the ground, contemplating. On one hand, this could be the only way to defeat Salem. That was her duty, after all, ever since Beacon fell. If the tests went right, the war would be over, and no more lives would be lost.  

On the other hand, was it worth her life? Was it worth her team’s torment if she died? What were they even going to subject her to? What would happen if it all went wrong?  

Did the ends justify the means? Or were the means how you kept your morality along the way? 

Ruby didn’t know the answer to that question.  

What she did know is that her eyes were a weapon. And if that weapon could be used to bring down their greatest enemy? 

Well. It couldn’t hurt to try.  

“If this is the only way to defeat Salem,” she started. “Then I’ll do it, but with a few conditions: you tell us, all of us, what the tests are, and you keep my team in the loop. If any of them feel that it gets too dangerous, the tests end and we find another way. Deal?” 

Ironwood grunted, not willing to give up any more information than what was necessary. Winter seemed all too happy to agree though. With an exchanged glance between the two of them, the general nodded.  

“Alright,” Winter began. “The tests are simple and conducted in a controlled environment. First, we figure out how much power can be emitted from singular to multiple bursts. How many Grimm can be killed? Does it take multiple flashes with different Grimm? How long can the power be sustained? Second, we then work on control. We know from talks with Maria that the power comes from within, so how can we empower that? What are the emotions needed to truly manifest such a power? These are all questions we answer through the tests, with breaks and rest in between, of course.  

“Third, we build up the individual’s tolerance via controlled combat with Grimm. The Grimm have to be real, rather than simulations, and the user must be in the presence of Grimm, so we built an… arena specifically designed for such an encounter.” 

The team collectively gasped at that. Live Grimm? Within the city walls? Just how far was Ironwood willing to go to defeat Salem?  

“If at any point the subject is at risk, trained Huntsman and Huntresses are on standby to eliminate the threat,” Winter continued. “Finally, once we and the subject feel that they are ready, we send them out into the arena without any help nearby. We send in waves of Grimm at a time, each to be defeated by the power of silver eyes. If the individual succeeds, then we all know that they’re fully able to defeat Grimm in a tremendous way.” 

“And if they fail?” Yang asked. 

Winter paused and glanced away for a split second. “… once the subject’s Aura falls to red, I step in and eliminate the threats. They then go back to training.” 

Blake narrowed her eyes. There was something that Winter was hiding, but she wasn’t sure what. The way she paused and glanced to the side so quickly… it set her nerves on edge.  

She just hoped Weiss would listen to her if she brought it up. 

“Do the others know about this?” she asked instead. “The Ace-Ops, Oz, Maria, Penny? What have you told them?” 

“Nothing, aside from Maria, whom we have questioned, but she doesn’t know the full extent.” Ironwood replied. “These tests have been kept strictly under wraps. Not even the rest of the Ace-Ops know. If you agree to this, you will not be able to tell your friends. The risk of Salem finding out is too high.” 

“That isn’t right,” the Faunus countered. “You can’t force us to keep this from our friends. There’s strength in numbers.” 

“As I said, the risk is too high.” 

“Sir,” Winter intervened. “Perhaps a compromise could work in this instance?” 

A grunt from the general served as her approval to continue, so she did. “We can let their friends know that these tests will be being conducted, but we will not specify any details, other than that everyone has agreed. Operational security will remain intact.” 

The girls exchanged glances with one another. None of them were happy about having to keep this from their friends, but with the way Ironwood was acting, it wasn’t worth the risk.  

‘Looks like we’re on our own again,’ Blake thought to herself, but she nodded in response. It’s not like they had a choice right now.  

“It’s acceptable to us,” Ruby confirmed, although her tone was begrudging.  

Finally, Ironwood nodded his head. “This compromise is acceptable. Now that that’s out of the way, will you agree to this plan?”  

“Will you give us a few moments? My team needs to agree to this, after all,” Ruby requested.  

With another grunt, Ironwood nodded and waved them away, starting his own quiet conversation with Winter. The team moved away for some privacy, huddling around each other.  

“I’m gonna be the first one to say that this is a stupid plan and we should find another way,” Yang started.  

“Yang…” Weiss said.  

“No, this is ridiculous. An arena? Have they been capturing live Grimm? That’s sheer insanity. You can’t tell me this is smart, Weiss.” 

“As much as I don’t want to admit it…” Blake chimed in. “Your sister is hiding something. At the very end, during the last part… I don’t know how to explain it, but something was off with the way she said it.” 

“See? I’m not the only one who thinks this is a bad idea.” 

“I trust her. Winter would never harm any of us, especially Ruby,” Weiss argued.  

“And how do you know that for sure, Weiss? She’s been Ironwood’s lapdog this entire time!” Yang retorted. “We shouldn’t do this. At all.” 

“Guys…” Ruby said.  

“Do not insult my family like that, Yang. You don’t know her like I do.” 

“I’ve seen enough to know that she isn’t trustworthy. Sorry, Weiss, be mad at me all you want, but I think that deep down, you know I’m right.” 

“Guys,” Ruby tried again, to no avail.  

“Look, I won’t go as far as Yang is, but there’s another problem with this,” Blake pointed out. “We’re running out of time. I’m sure that normally, these tests have been conducted with the proper amount of time, but with how antsy Ironwood is getting, what’s to say they won’t rush Ruby through this?” 

“Enough!” 

All eyes turned toward their leader, who had a scowl on her face, but an aura of determination surrounded her as well.  

“They’re asking me,” she began. “This is my decision. I would love for you all to agree, but that’s clearly not going to happen. So, here’s the plan: I’m going to go through with it, provided all of you are there. If they try separating us, or rushing the tests, we find another way. The way I see it, this is just a backup plan until Amity Tower is up. It can’t hurt to try.” 

The finality in Ruby’s voice left no room for argument. Yang scoffed, Blake’s ears downturned out of worry, and Weiss couldn’t resist the smirk that formed on her face, much to Yang’s chagrin.  

“Fine, whatever,” Yang retorted. “But I’m holding you to what you said. If any of us feel it’s too dangerous, we stop this nonsense.” 

“Yang, much love, but you’re going to stop this regardless,” Ruby pointed out. “And Weiss, you’re too biased towards your sister. I’ll admit, I’m willing to give this a try and I probably won’t stop, so that leaves Blake.” 

The Faunus raised a questioning eyebrow. “What do you need me to do?” 

“I’m leaving you in charge of when to stop the plan. I trust your judgment, and you’re the most level-headed out of all of us. When you feel it gets too dangerous, you make your move. Sound like a plan?” 

Blake frowned. She was in agreement with Yang of not wanting to do this, and now the responsibility of stopping it was on her? Did she really have the best judgement?  

But the way Ruby was looking at her, with so much trust and faith… she couldn’t fail her.  

She wouldn’t fail her.  

“I understand.” 

“Good. Now let’s get this over with.” 

The team turned back towards the military duo, signaling that they were ready. With a nod to each other, Ironwood stepped forward.  

“What is your decision?” he asked.  

Ruby stepped forward. “I’ll do it. But my team will be involved through it all. As I said before, if any of them feels that it goes too far, the tests are stopped. Deal?” 

Her team exchanged glances. Why wasn’t Ruby telling Ironwood that it would be Blake who would stop everything if it came down to it? 

The general nodded and held out his hand. “This will be on your terms. As Winter said, you will not be harmed, and we will listen to your team.” 

“Alright.” Ruby shook his hand, solidifying the plan.  

“We’ll reconvene in the morning. Get some rest, all of you,” Ironwood stated before turning away to his desk.  

The team nodded before leaving the room to head to their dorms. It was a short walk away, and once they all got in, Yang locked the door.  

The dorms themselves were a little bit smaller than the Beacon dorms. There were two sets of bunk beds on the right-hand side built into the wall, a large glass window on the back wall, a restroom to the immediate left of the entrance, and a vanity on the back left wall. The colors were white and blue, but there wasn’t really any personalization. It felt… sterile and monotone.  

Just another reason as to why Weiss hated it here.  

“This is a stupid plan, Rubes. I really hope you know what you’re doing,” Yang said as she laid down in her bed.  

“It’s a matter of trust,” Ruby replied. “The second that trust is broken, we’re finding another way. But we have to work together in order to defeat Salem. We don’t have a choice.” 

“There’s always a choice, Ruby,” Blake mentioned as she laid down as well. “Don’t let anyone convince you otherwise.” 

“Also, why didn’t you tell Ironwood that it would just be Blake?” Yang asked.  

Ruby let out a sigh. “With everything going on, it’s better for them to think that any of you can stop it rather than just Blake. Call it a failsafe, if you will.” 

“Wouldn’t that lead to less trust in the end? You still haven’t told him about Oz.” 

“For good reason, Yang. You don’t trust him anymore than I do. At this point, I trust Winter more than him.” 

“Speaking of, you guys get some rest,” Weiss stated. “I need to go talk with my sister.” 

“What, gonna make sure she isn’t lying to you?” Yang muttered.  

“She isn’t. I know she isn’t.” 

“You don’t, though. Maybe you should stop lying to yourself in the process.” 

“Yang, keep it up and see what happens.” 

“Seriously, guys?” Ruby said. “Can’t you just agree to disagree?” 

“This is your life we’re talking about, Ruby,” Yang retorted. “There isn’t any agreeing to disagreeing on this. If Winter hurts you, she’s gonna find herself in a world of pain.” 

“For the Gods’ sake, Yang, I’m not asking you to trust her, I’m asking you to trust me,” Weiss remarked in frustration. “Why do you think I’m going to go talk to her? You of all people know what I would do if… if any of you were harmed.” 

Yang sighed. “Yeah… I do. That’s why I’m telling you to be careful, Weiss. Just… don’t let your feelings cloud your judgment.” 

“I won’t. I’m a master of that, remember?”  

With that, Weiss left to go find her sister. There was something bothering her, and she needed to know that Winter would keep her word.  

She wasn’t sure what she would do if she didn’t.  

Ruby went to go lay down in her bed. The exhaustion from all the events that transpired was catching up to her, and it didn’t take long before she fell asleep.  

“Yang, what did she mean by that?” Blake asked quietly after Ruby went to sleep.  

Another sigh. “Haven… it’s not my story to tell.” 

Blake hummed in response. “Do you really think Winter would betray her like that?” 

“I don’t know for sure. But it’s a possibility that we need to be prepared for.” 

A shrug. “I guess. I just hope it doesn’t come to that. Have a good night, Yang.” 

“You too.” 

Meanwhile, Weiss found her sister in her office, reading up on various reports. The office itself was small, having a desk in the middle with a lamp, but a glass window filled the back wall, and the walls were covered with dark wooden bookshelves. Winter was an avid reader, so there were many different types of books. Through the window, Weiss could see the glimmering lights of Atlas.  

This was supposed to be her home.  

But it felt like a prison.  

The door was open, so she gave a gentle knock before walking in and sitting down. Winter looked up at the knock, surprised to see her sister there.  

“Weiss. To what do I owe the pleasure?” she said, putting down her report and giving the ex-heiress her full attention.  

“Winter. I just… had a few questions, if you don’t mind.” 

“Not at all. I’m assuming this is about the experiments?” 

“Indeed. To be completely honest, I am somewhat skeptical of the safety of these tests.” 

Winter nodded. “I understand your concern. As I said before, you have my word that to the best of my ability, Ruby will not be harmed. We have conducted these tests before.” 

Weiss narrowed her eyes. “Be honest with me, Winter. What are the odds?” 

A pause. “The chances of harm are minimal.” 

“Are you absolutely sure?” 

“Yes. I would not lie to you, sister.” 

Weiss sighed. “I know. It’s just… I already told you how I feel about her. She’s… my partner. One of the only people who I would do anything for. You know what I would do if she were to get hurt.” 

“I know. You told me what happened at Haven. I have nothing against Ruby Rose. I think she would be a perfect match for you.” 

The ex-heiress perked up at that. “Really?” 

“Yes. I would tell you if I thought otherwise.” 

“That… means a lot to me, Winter. Thank you.” 

“Of course. Now, were there any other questions?” 

Weiss thought back to the conversation in Ironwood’s office. Her sister explained the tests well enough, and she could see the truth in her eyes when she gave her word. That meant she only had a couple other concerns... including one about Ironwood and how similar he was to their father. 

That was something she had to keep under wraps though. Saying something like that now would only alienate her sister. No, she had to play this safe.  

“Two,” she began. “One is the arena you mentioned. Live Grimm? How did you even capture them to bring them within the city walls? You know how much panic that would cause if anyone found out.” 

“That’s why the Grimm are brought in secret and fully contained,” Winter explained. “There is no chance of them breaking out, and they are under armed guard around the clock. The only reason they are within the city walls is for these tests. Ironwood has been working on this plan for some time now.” 

Weiss raised an eyebrow. “You seriously think that’s a good idea?” 

“It’s the only back-up plan we have, Weiss. We don’t expect Amity Tower to be completed in time, not with how fast Salem is moving. And the Winter Maiden is… unreliable at best. It’s not something we can guarantee. Silver eyes, however… that is a guarantee, with the results we already have.” 

‘Hold it in, Weiss, don’t mention it, not yet, damn it...’  

“You sound like Ironwood.” 

‘Fuck.’  

Winter’s expression darkened, not expecting that response. “What’s your point?” 

Well. There was that cat out of the bag.  

It was just so frustrating though, hearing her sister praise a man that had parallels to their wretched father. She couldn’t say that outright just yet, but she could at least point out her other issues with Ironwood. She just had to be careful about it was all. 

Which at this point wasn’t anything new for her. 

“I just... think you should be cautious,” she said slowly. “The way he’s treating Mantle, the hints he keeps dropping about wanting to only protect Atlas, his absolute insistence on loyalty being the only thing that matters? It’s not right, sister.” 

“I have full confidence in his capabilities and leadership.” 

“And what if I don’t?” Weiss countered. “Winter, please. Don’t dismiss my concerns outright like this. You know I wouldn’t bring this up to you if I didn’t feel strongly about it.” 

A fist tightened. “You do not know him like I do.” 

“Funny. Those are the same words I used about you to Yang.” 

“Do you not trust me?” 

“I trust you, Winter. I do not trust Ironwood. If there is anything I learned back at Beacon, it’s that you can’t force your team to follow you. You have to earn it, and if something isn’t right, then you speak up about it.” 

The soldier narrowed her eyes. “General Ironwood has earned my loyalty and trust, Weiss.” 

“Has he? You follow his orders around like a lapdog!” 

“He is my general and I am his most trusted soldier. I am doing my job.” 

Weiss shook her head in disbelief. “And your job is to listen and follow blindly? That isn’t leadership, Winter, nor is it the behavior of a good teammate.” 

Winter scoffed. “I won’t discuss this topic anymore with you, Weiss. It is your choice to not trust him. But he is doing what is best for all of us.” 

“I hope you’re absolutely certain about that,” Weiss remarked as she rose from her chair to leave. “I should turn in. Have a good night, sister. I’ll see you in the morning.” 

A sigh. “Good night, Weiss.” 

With that, Weiss started to walk towards the dorms. Thoughts raced around her mind, the conversation refusing to leave her head.  

‘How could Winter still believe in Ironwood like that? After every reason that I gave. And live Grimm? The Winter I knew would never agree to such insanity.’ 

The thoughts wouldn’t quiet down, so Weiss just shook her head and focused on making it back, ignoring the fear creeping in her soul.  

It didn’t take her long to reach the dorms. Weiss slowly opened the door and quietly stepped in so as to not wake her team. Closing the door and locking it, she turned around and rested her back to the door, letting out a quiet sigh.  

Unbeknownst to her, Yang was still awake.  

“Hey.” 

Weiss jumped, not expecting anyone to be awake at this hour. She shot a glare towards the blonde, who shrugged in response.  

“Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you,” Yang said in a low tone to stay as quiet as possible. 

“You’re fine,” Weiss responded in kind. “What are you still doing up?” 

“Waiting for you to get back. How was the talk?” 

“It was… interesting.” 

“How so?” 

Weiss rolled her eyes. Of course Yang wouldn’t leave her alone until she got answers.  

“I don’t believe she will break her word to us about harming Ruby,” she replied. “What I don’t trust is how close she is to Ironwood.” 

“You finally picked up on that?” 

“It’s hard not to when he’s similar to my father, so yes, I did,” Weiss retorted.  

Yang’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “Oh… sorry, Weiss. I, uh, didn’t realize.” 

“It’s fine. But now you understand.” 

“Yeah… I think I do. I’m, uh, also sorry for being so harsh earlier. You know how I am.” 

“I do. But you also know how I am in regards to your sister. If anything were to happen to her…” 

“I know. I remember what happened at Haven. You almost went ballistic.” 

“I did, actually.”  

The memories flooded Weiss’ mind. Haven was the last time that she truly felt angry. And for good reason too: Ruby almost died.  

The battle wasn’t going well.   

Weiss was stuck in a losing battle against Emerald with no help from anyone around. She tried to stand her ground, she really did, but Emerald was too quick, and it didn’t take long for the ex-heiress to fall to the ground, drained of energy but not out of Aura. The thief, claiming a premature victory, went to go help Mercury against Yang, and all Weiss could do was stare.   

She watched helplessly as Vernal danced around her partner, throwing in quick strikes that were too fast even for the cloaked Huntress to defend against. With every blow, her Aura faded until a pained shout filled the air as the red glow flickered then shattered into pieces. The scream that Ruby let out…   

It still haunted her memory to this day.   

“RUBY!”  

She saw Ruby collapse to the ground, struggling to get up as Vernal stood over her triumphantly. But then the second in command to Raven just… left her there, choosing instead to make her way to the entrance of the Vault.   

Weiss didn’t know why, and she pushed herself back up, already starting to move towards her fallen partner.   

That was, until Cinder practically tossed Jaune away, causing him to almost be knocked out by the force of the blow, his weapon clattering to the ground. Satisfied with those results, the Fall Maiden looked at Ruby, before turning towards Weiss who was forced to tear her attention away from her partner.   

“Funny how you’re the last one I have to deal with,” she said in that sickly sweet tone. “You couldn’t save Ruby up on the clock tower. Can you save her here? Or will you fail yet again?”  

Weiss readied her weapon in response, drawing upon her Semblance in preparation for a summon.   

“Don’t you dare touch her,” she growled out.   

“Oh, I won’t touch her,” Cinder replied slyly, forming a spear in her hands.  

Ruby was back up on her knees now, sucking in deep breaths as she reached for her weapon. Unfortunately, her back was turned, and Weiss felt paralyzed with fear.   

‘Don’t do it, don’t do it, don’t throw that spear, Ruby, please, look behind you, please, please, please!’ Weiss thought to herself, trying to get her body to move, but it was like she was moving through molasses.   

Cinder took one more look at Weiss with that evil smirk of hers before turning towards Ruby.   

“But this will.”  

A throw.   

A gasp.   

A sickening sound of a blade passing through flesh.   

Ruby looking down, barely breathing as the spear fizzled away.  

Blood.   

Too much blood.   

A collapse.   

Rage.   

“NO!” Weiss screamed out, immediately slamming her sword into the ground to summon her Queen Lancer. It was an immense drain on her Aura, especially when she wasn’t used to summoning, but she didn’t care.   

She was furious, and that fury fueled her summon to the point where it rose almost immediately.   

With a silent command, the Lancer swooped in and stung Cinder in the stomach, who was too distracted by her summon to even react in time. She held Cinder there for a moment, letting the Maiden feel the pain before tossing her in the direction of the vault, away from Ruby.   

Cinder ended up being slammed against the wall, her Aura flickering before fading. She let out a cry of pain, which caused Emerald to break off from fighting Yang to go check on her.   

But Weiss didn’t care.   

All that mattered right now was Ruby.   

Quickly, she used her Lancer to pick up Ruby and Jaune to set them over to the side, before having it maintain watch. Oscar was too busy with Hazel, Lionheart grabbed Cinder and Raven to go open the vault, and Ren went to go take care of Mercury with Yang while Nora rushed over to stand guard.   

Faintly, she could hear Yang’s own cry of rage at seeing her sister pierced, but even with Ren’s added help, Mercury was too quick. This only caused Yang to become even angrier, and if Weiss wasn’t so focused on Ruby and the storm thundering inside her, she would’ve felt almost intimidated by Yang’s fury.   

Almost.   

“Ruby!” Jaune cried out, already moving to try to stem the bleeding. Weiss did the same.  

They shared a glance, and what Jaune saw in the Ice Queen’s eyes terrified him.   

There was pain, but it was covered by a swirling blizzard that formed. Those eyes were deathly cold, to the point where Jaune could almost feel the iciness radiating off of her.   

“Weiss, she’s going to be okay,” he tried reassuring her.   

A chilling glare was sent his way. “You don’t know that.”  

“I’m going to do everything I can, alright? But Yang needs you!”  

Eyes narrowed. “If you think I’m leaving Ruby here-”  

“You have to, or we lose this entire fight! Nora and I will cover her, but you need to go! Take your anger out on Mercury, I can feel how cold you are and it’s not going to help your partner. ” 

With a growl of frustration, Weiss tore away to set her sights on Mercury. She let her summon fade away before she lost all her energy, and with a focused mind, she struck.   

The battle went quickly after that. Jaune ended up unlocking his Semblance to boost Ruby’s Aura, and Weiss felt the storm within her dissipate when her partner was standing again, healthy and alive. It wrapped up smoothly, and Weiss was too filled with rage to remember most of the aftermath. What she did recall though was the fear in Mercury’s eyes as she attacked him. That man didn’t scare easily, but he quickly found out that an angry Weiss and an angry Yang were not people to fuck around with.   

Yang checked in with her afterwards, asking if she was alright. The glare she received in return told the blonde everything she needed to know.   

That was the moment when Yang fully understood just what Weiss would do if Ruby ever got hurt. It was also the moment where Weiss won her approval when it came to being with Ruby.   

When Weiss got angry like that, there was no stopping her.  

“Weiss. Come back to me.” Yang’s voice broke through her reverie, and the ex-heiress shook her head.  

“My apologies. I didn’t mean to lose myself there.” 

“You’re good. It’s just…” Yang let out a sigh. “If Winter does break her word… I’m not sure you’ll come back from that.” 

“What do you mean?” 

“I mean that you almost killed Cinder back at Haven. If you kept attacking, she would’ve died. Are you truly prepared to do that to your own sister?” 

Weiss frowned. The rage she felt back at Haven was almost uncontrollable. If Winter really did betray her, and Ruby got hurt… would she be able to control herself? 

“I don’t know,” she answered honestly. “It’s not like I would want to. I would make her pay, but… I wouldn’t want to kill her. That’s still my sister.” 

“Exactly why I’m telling you to be careful and prepare for the worst. Take it from me: that kind of betrayal hurts deep. It’s not something you can just come back from like nothing happened.” 

“Speaking from experience?” 

Yang looked away, her expression darkening. “You know I am.” 

‘Right. Blake and Raven.’  

“Are you… still upset with Blake? About that?” 

The blonde shrugged. “Kind of? It’s like… I’m not mad anymore. I won’t lie and say it still doesn’t hurt. I don’t know if I’m ever going to be able to forgive such a thing. That being said… she’s proven herself in my eyes.” 

Yang looked over to her sleeping partner with a loving fondness in her eyes. “She came back… that’s gotta mean something, right? And… well…” 

Weiss raised an eyebrow. “Yes?” 

“I… think I might be starting to fall for her. Again. Like I did back at Beacon.” 

The ex-heiress smiled. Internally, she wanted to scream ‘finally’ to the Gods above, but everyone was asleep.  

“Congratulations, you finally got your useless head out of the mud,” she teased. “On a more serious note, I have good reason to believe she loves you too. Don’t lose your chance.” 

She glanced over to Ruby. “Not like I almost lost mine.” 

“You still haven’t told her?” 

Weiss threw up her hands silently in frustration. “I want to. Gods, do I want to. But there hasn’t been time… and now with Penny back…” 

“I’m stopping you right there,” Yang held up her hand. “You’re telling me that because there’s no time and that Penny’s back, you’re just gonna keep your mouth shut? Weiss, do you know how stupid that sounds?” 

“What am I supposed to do, Yang? She’s too busy with the war we are currently in. I don’t want to burden her.” 

Yang shook her head in exasperation. “And you call me useless. She’s been waiting for you, Weiss. This entire time, she’s been waiting for you to say something. So why haven’t you?” 

“You don’t know that for certain.” 

Yang raised an eyebrow. “Repeat that again to me. Say it slower this time. Really think it through.” 

Weiss blinked, realizing her mistake. Of course, Yang would know. Ruby probably told her, seeing as they’re sisters and all. 

With a sigh, she nodded. “Alright. I see your point of view.” 

“Took you long enough.” 

“Shut up.” 

“You love me.” 

“Do I?” 

“Yep. You have to if you’re gonna start dating my sister. Those are the rules.” 

Weiss sighed. “Even if you may be right, I’m not going to say anything with these tests coming up.” 

Yang shrugged. “Your choice, Ice Queen. Just don’t leave her hanging for too long.” 

“I won’t.” The way Weiss stated that with such conviction assured Yang of that fact.  

“Alright. Bedtime?” 

“Yes. Have a good night, Yang.” 

“You too, Weiss.” 

With that, the blonde turned in, and it only took a few minutes before she fell asleep.  

Weiss, however, was staring up at the ceiling in her bunk bed. Her mind was too active for her to fall asleep. Maybe if she actually thought things through, she would settle down enough to get at least some semblance of sleep.  

The biggest concern she had was Winter. No matter how hard she tried, there was just a small part of her that kept whispering, “What if?" 

It was aggravating, and seeing how close her sister was to Ironwood didn’t help matters at all, it only made them worse. It still baffled her how Winter couldn’t see just how similar Ironwood was to their father, even if she hadn’t brought it up yet. All the signs were there! The control, the manipulation, the lies…  

The secrets he was clearly withholding.  

Weiss scoffed quietly. If her sister was going to go down that road, she wouldn’t follow her. Right now, her goal was to make sure Ruby got through these tests safely.  

And if that meant she had to fight Winter…  

Well. She hoped it wouldn’t come to that.  

‘Stop it, Weiss. You know Winter. She would choose you over Ironwood if it came down to it. That’s what family does. You just have to trust her.’  

Unfortunately, trust was hard to come by these days.  

There were a select few people that Weiss trusted with her everything. Her team, Team JNR, Klein, and Winter. She hated that Winter was at the bottom of that list, but with the way she was acting, she had to be careful.  

With how everything was going at this point, she couldn’t be too careful anymore.  

The last thoughts Weiss had before she drifted to sleep was that no matter what happened, Ruby would survive. She would do anything to make that happen.  

She already did before, right?  

Chapter Text

Six days prior…  

Today was the day.  

The day where everything could go wrong.  

Weiss woke up before the others. The first thing she noticed was her team still asleep. Ruby and Blake were on their side, sleeping silently, while Yang was lightly snoring. It was ironic that she was the first one up, since Weiss was the last to go to sleep.  

Oh well. It wasn’t like she needed much rest anyways. The rigorous training program and the missions that the Ace-Ops put her team through made sure of that.  

Letting out a yawn and a stretch, she made her way to the restroom to get ready for the day. As she went about her morning routine, the memories from yesterday decided to intrude upon her mind.  

Weiss sighed and shook her head, trying to clear them away. Ruby made her decision. As her partner and best friend, it was her duty and role to support her.  

Not that she minded. As proven in the past, she would do anything for her.  

Even if that meant taking on her own sister…  

Weiss grimaced, shaking her head once more. It would do her no good to dwell on what could happen, especially the worst-case scenario. Instead, she needed to focus on the present.  

That current goal was making sure her teammates didn’t sleep through it all. She knew Winter would be knocking on their door soon. Checking the time on her scroll, she figured they had about an hour before her sister would intervene.  

‘And so it begins…’  

As much as she wanted to talk with Ruby alone about the whole ordeal, she knew the leader needed her rest. Yang was next to impossible to wake up when she was snoring, so that left Blake.  

Exiting the restroom, she quietly went over to the currently sleeping Faunus and very lightly tapped her on the shoulder. Blake’s eyes shot open immediately, her hand going to her side where she usually laid Gambol Shroud, before relaxing the second she realized it was Weiss who woke her up.  

“Weiss? What’s wrong?” she whispered.  

The ex-heiress shook her head before pointing to the bathroom along with the time on her scroll. 

Nodding in understanding, Blake slowly got up and stretched before following Weiss. Once the door was shut, the Faunus looked at her teammate with a raised eyebrow.  

“Please tell me you have a good reason for waking me up this early.” 

“We have to get ready. The tests start today, remember?” 

Blake just stared at her. “And that’s the only reason you woke me up an hour before I actually needed to?” 

Weiss turned away. Even if Blake just woke up, she was extremely good at noticing when something was wrong. And in this case, it was her feelings on the whole situation.  

“I just… wanted to talk to you… about it all.” 

“You already know my thoughts on the matter... but something tells me you don’t know how you feel.” 

Weiss sighed. “How’d you guess?” 

“I know you, Weiss. You’re usually an early riser, but you wouldn’t wake me up unless it was to talk. So, spill.” 

“I just… I don’t know,” Weiss let out in frustration. “I want to believe Winter. I do believe her. She… she knows how I feel about Ruby. And I already know you do too. It’s just…” 

She trailed off, not sure how to express how she felt. Blake just stood there in silence as Weiss gathered her thoughts, knowing she needed time.  

“If something goes wrong,” the ex-heiress continued, “and Winter chooses to stick to whatever Ironwood says…” 

“What makes you think that?” 

“I don’t know.” 

“Are you sure about that?” 

Weiss looked at her teammate in confusion. “What’s that supposed to mean?” 

Blake just raised an eyebrow in return. “I think you’ve already come to the same conclusion I have. You just don’t want to admit it because it’s your sister we’re talking about.” 

“What am I supposed to say, Blake? That if Winter chooses Ironwood over Ruby, over me , I would lose it? I think I already know.” 

“And that is why I was trying to warn you yesterday.” 

“About my sister hiding something?” 

“Yeah… I don’t want to think that’s the case but…” 

“I know,” Weiss replied with an exasperated sigh. “Trust me, I know . When we talked last night, she couldn’t see how similar Ironwood is to our damn father. I want to trust her, I want to believe her… but something is telling me that this could all go wrong, and fast.” 

Blake reached out to put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “And if that happens, we’ll be ready. All of us. We won’t let anything happen to Ruby, and if your sister does go down that route, we’ll be there to support you. Okay?” 

Weiss looked towards her teammate gratefully. “Thank you, Blake. That means more than I can say.” 

“Always. Now… I’m assuming you wanted to talk to Ruby?” 

“Yes, but… she needs her rest.” 

“Honestly, it’s probably better if we wake her and Yang up. I think we need to discuss the possibility of things going wrong.” 

“You’re right. Back up plans never hurt.” 

“Then let’s go. But first, I’m going to wake up properly. Give me some time?” 

Weiss blinked. She was so focused on her inner turmoil that she didn’t even let Blake go about her morning routine.  

“Of course. My apologies.” 

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll meet you out there soon.” 

With a nod, Weiss turned to exit the restroom. Yang and Ruby were still asleep, so she sat on her bunk bed as she waited for Blake to get ready.

Bunk beds. Something she always wanted as a kid.  

Who would’ve thought that this is where she would be now? Back in Atlas trying to stop a cursed woman who had a death wish, which just so happened to line up with trying to save the world from ending. The more she thought about it, the more absurd the situation seemed. Weiss spent most of her life trying to get away from Atlas, away from her joke of a family. To end up back here…  

Well. It was still her home, after all. As much as she didn’t have many good memories here, Atlas was her kingdom.  

She wouldn’t let it fall without a fight.  

Suddenly, she heard Ruby stirring in her sleep. Weiss immediately moved to go check on her, as it seemed restless, before Ruby shot up, gasping for air and hitting her head on the top bunk.  

“Ow… ” 

“Ruby? Are you okay?” Weiss asked, concerned.  

“Ugh… I’m fine. It’ll go away,” she groaned. 

“Did you have a nightmare?” 

“Yeah… but it’s fine. It wasn’t real.” 

Weiss simply raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure you’re okay?” 

“I’m good, Weiss. Seriously. I don’t want to talk about it.” Her tone was serious, and the ex-heiress decided to let it go for now.  

Ruby checked the time on her scroll before putting it away and then glancing up towards Weiss, who was looking down towards her.  

“You’re up early,” she mentioned. 

“I... had trouble sleeping,” Weiss replied, hoping that Ruby wouldn’t pry further. Thankfully, all she received was a shrug. 

“Figures. Is the bathroom available? I really gotta use it.” 

“It’s all yours,” Blake said as she exited the restroom. A twitch of her ears told Weiss that she heard everything.  

Ruby darted in the second Blake wasn’t in the way, which caused a smile to form on Weiss’ face. At least Ruby had some semblance of her old self.  

They all changed a lot, since Beacon.  

Meanwhile, Blake decided to take the opportunity to slowly wake Yang up. The blonde was a slow riser except for in emergencies, where she could be alert almost as fast as Blake did. This was not an emergency though, and Blake took her time with the process.  

What she expected was for Yang to grumble and slowly get up.  

What she did not expect was for Yang to wrap her arms around her and pull her in for cuddles.  

Surprised, Blake looked around, trying to find an escape, much to the amusement of Weiss. She shot her a glare, and Weiss giggled in response.  

“Looks like you’re trapped,” she teased.  

“Shush.” 

“Oh, it’s not me you have to worry about, it’s Ruby. You might want to extract yourself before she sees.” 

With a roll of the eyes, Blake tried to get herself up. She really did, but Yang’s strength seemed to remain even in her sleep. Her grip tightened further to the point where Blake was completely trapped.  

Sighing, the Faunus gave up. She really didn’t care if Ruby saw, as her feelings for Yang were quite clear. She was just waiting for the blonde to take the leap at this point.  

Ruby exited the bathroom in that moment and grinned the second she saw the black and yellow duo cuddling.  

“Took you guys long enough,” she commented.  

“She’s asleep,” Blake explained. “I’m not going to deny these cuddles.” 

Another grin. “Now if only my sister would say something.” 

“She’s taking her time, and I’m fine with letting her. When she’s ready, I’ll know.” 

“Well, you have my official sisterly approval!” 

Blake smiled. “Thanks, Ruby. That means a lot.” 

“I would’ve said something a long time ago if I didn’t think you were good for her. She’ll realize it soon enough.” 

“And when that day comes, I’ll be here.” 

“Good. Now then… what’s the plan today?” 

Weiss took that moment to interject. “The tests, remember?” 

“Oh. Right. I’m assuming Winter will be showing up soon then?” 

“Most likely. That’s the other reason I was up early.” 

Ruby took that moment to just…. stare at Weiss. Like she was searching for something. Those silver eyes bore into Weiss’ soul, and the ex-heiress couldn’t stop the very quiet gasp that left her lungs. It happened every time Ruby looked at her like there was always something hidden, and Weiss could never figure out what it was.  

It drove her insane. 

“Are… you okay, Weiss?” 

The Huntress in question raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?” 

“I don’t know. It just… feels like something’s wrong. Are you worried?” 

Silence.  

How could Ruby detect all of that just by looking at her? Weiss prided herself on wearing a mask so well that no one could figure out how she was truly feeling. Aside from Winter, Ruby was the only one who could see past that mask like it was never there. A quick glance with Blake confirmed that Ruby saw right through her.  

Just like she always did.  

“I think we’re all worried about what could happen,” Blake finally said, coming to her rescue. “There are a lot of factors that could go wrong, and this feels more… dangerous.” 

“Blake, what we do for a living is dangerous. What part of this is different?” Ruby countered.  

The Faunus couldn’t find a good rebuttal for that. Ruby had a point. Trying to save the world from a woman who just wanted to die was a dangerous thing, indeed.  

“Because it’s your life that’s being put on the line directly,” Yang chimed in, to the surprise of all of them. The blonde carefully let go of Blake so she could stretch and stand up.  

“Everything we’ve done before, we’ve done as a team,” she continued, fully awake now. “It was all of us at risk, not just you. That’s why this is different. Not to mention if all this goes wrong, Ironwood and Winter would have their troops on us in an instant. It’s… a big risk, Rubes.” 

Ruby sighed. “Look, I don’t really like this plan either, as I’ve said before. But until we can get Amity Tower up and running, the tests will at least delay Ironwood from doing anything stupid. Besides, I trust Blake’s judgment, and I’m not doing this without all of you there.” 

“Ruby…” Weiss started to say, only to trail off when her eyes were upon her again.  

“I know you’re worried, Weiss,” she started. “I know all of you are worried. But I don’t see another way at this point. I think we’re all in agreement when I say that Ironwood is starting to… not be himself.” 

“That’s an understatement,” Yang said.  

“Exactly. My point is that if this can satisfy him, he’ll get off our backs long enough for us to get the tower up.” 

“He won’t be satisfied.” 

All eyes turned towards Weiss, who let out a sigh.  

“I talked with Yang a little bit about this last night,” she mentioned, wrapping her arms around herself. “Ironwood is… scarily similar to my father. And if there’s one thing I learned from my parody of a family, it’s that people like that… they will never be satisfied. They will always want more . Granted, Ironwood is at least trying to save Atlas, so it’s less selfish, but the underlying motivation is the same. As long as Salem lives, the general will not back down. I tried talking to my sister about the concerns I have regarding Ironwood’s methods, but… she wouldn’t listen.” 

Weiss turned to Ruby. “What I’m trying to say is, be careful . Don’t push yourself to your limits on this. The general will exploit that until you have nothing left.” 

“Don’t worry, Weiss. I won’t go too far.” Ruby pulled her into a hug at that, and the ex-heiress quickly reciprocated.  

She really didn’t want to let go. Here, within her arms, Ruby was safe and alive. But Winter would be here within a few minutes, and she was running out of time.  

No matter. She would take all the time she could get.  

The world would burn before Weiss ever let her partner go without a fight.  

And then there was the knock on the door, signaling Winter’s arrival. It was a one-two, one-two-three pattern, which was the one that they came up with so long ago.  

Reluctantly, Weiss let go of her partner to answer the door, while Yang took that moment to go get ready while she still had the chance. Giving her team a quick glance, and receiving two nods in return, she opened the door to see Winter standing there, along with two guards that seemed to be unarmed.  

Still, something felt… off.  

“Winter,” Weiss welcomed her. “How are you?” 

“I am well, sister,” she replied. “We are here to see if your team is ready to begin.” 

Weiss glanced back towards Ruby and Blake. Ruby was emotionless, while Blake twitched her ear a few times before folding it back: a dead giveaway that she felt it too.  

“You may have to give us a few moments, Winter. One of us had a bit of a late start to our day,” Weiss said, turning to her sister. It was a shoddy delay tactic, but it was all she had.  

Winter’s eyes narrowed, trying to search for anything that would give her excuse away, but Weiss stood her ground. Her sister left the family the second she could, forcing Weiss to master the art of deception in order to survive.  

Thankfully, it worked. Winter simply nodded before stepping back.  

“And one more thing: your guards aren’t needed,” Weiss added.  

An eyebrow raised. “Ironwood requested for me to have them here.” 

“There’s no reason for that, Winter, and you know it. We’ll be out shortly.” With that, Weiss closed the door and locked it before turning around and resting her back against it, letting out a deep sigh. 

“You good, Weiss?” Ruby asked.” 

“I’m fine.” The cold response was automatic, and Weiss quickly gave her partner an apologetic glance. “I’m okay,” she corrected herself.  

“That took guts, Weiss,” Yang said, having just returned from the restroom. “I overheard. These walls are surprisingly thin.” 

“It was just another ploy from Ironwood. My sister wouldn’t bring those guards otherwise.” 

“Still,” Blake chimed in. “You stood up to her. That must’ve been hard.” 

Another sigh. “Extremely. But it was necessary.” 

“Good job regardless. So… what’s the plan?” Yang asked.  

“We get this done and over with,” Ruby replied with a steely tone. Gone was the cheery girl from before; in her place was their courageous leader.  

“Are you sure you’re ready, Rubes?” 

“No. But at this point, we don’t have a choice. Let’s just go.”  

Ruby moved to open the door before Weiss blocked her, giving her a look of worry.  

A silent exchange passed between them, and Weiss couldn’t argue against the determination in her partner’s eyes. There was no stopping her now.  

Nodding, she moved away, and Ruby opened the door to find only Winter there.  

“We’re ready now,” Ruby stated as she stepped out, with her team following her.  

“Good. I sent away the guards. My sister had a point,” Winter replied as she started to walk down the long hallway. 

“They weren’t really necessary in the first place,” Yang muttered to herself, prompting a gentle shove from Blake as the team followed the soldier.  

“How are you feeling, Miss Rose?” Winter asked.  

“I feel ready. Where are we going, again?” Ruby asked.  

“Your tests will start at the labs that are next to the arena we built, with some of our top scientists. We’ll begin the second phase there. It's a short distance away.” 

“Second phase? What about the first?” Blake questioned.  

“We did some… expediting,” Winter explained. “According to Maria, the power of silver eyes depends on the individual’s emotions. We looked back at our previous results with other individuals and found that they were generally the same. It doesn’t matter how many Grimm there are, they will all fall to one burst if they are within the immediate area. With control, it can also be used multiple times if necessary. The Grimm Reaper confirmed this herself. Therefore, once we get some baselines, we can proceed to the second phase today.” 

The team exchanged looks with each other. This was not going the way they expected.  

‘Looks like Ironwood wanted to rush things,’ Weiss thought to herself. ‘I just hope the scientists don’t do the same.’  

It didn’t take long for the group to reach the labs. After they walked further along the seemingly never-ending hallway, Winter came to a stop at a solid grey door to their left. Opening it revealed a short corridor that led to another door, but this one had both a retina scanner and a keycard system next to it for security. Winter first swiped a keycard before looking into the retina scanner, causing the door to open. With a wave of her hand, she gestured for the team to follow.  

Inside was an expansive white room with black trim along the edges, with a dark gray tiled floor and a white ceiling that was covered in rows of florescent lights. On the right side were eight tables in a two by four formation filled with computers and general lab equipment that all seemed to serve a specific purpose. The purpose was obvious, but Weiss wasn’t sure what half the equipment actually did.  

‘Nothing special on that side,’ she thought to herself, before hearing a gasp let out by none other than Yang.  

Turning to her left revealed the arena. Oval-shaped in design, with a domed glass ceiling, the arena seemed to be built into the ground and was around 12 feet deep. There were two balconies at each end of the dome for viewing, along with two doors for easy access. A ladder led down into it, and Weiss could barely make out a large metal gate that was at the far end of the dome.  

‘Is that where they let out the Grimm into the arena? This isn’t far from our quarters.’ An exchanged glance with Blake showed that she wasn’t the only one thinking it.  

“Welcome to our specially designed lab,” Winter started. “As you can see, everything is already set up. Our team of scientists will be monitoring and recording everything. First, we’ll get a few baseline metrics via a few flashes of your eyes. There will be Grimm in the arena so your eyes can activate, but we will not be sending you down there just yet. Once we have those readings, we can proceed to the second phase. Let me know when you are ready to begin.” 

“So… that’s the arena?” Yang asked.  

“Indeed.” 

“And those gates…” 

“Are where the Grimm come from, correct.” 

“We’re not that far from our dorms. Did you seriously build all of this so close just for the sake of convenience?” 

“Yes.” 

Yang paused, not expecting a direct answer. “Well. Straight to the point, I see. Anything else you’ve been holding out on us about?” 

“Yang-” Weiss interrupted, but to no avail.  

“Don’t even start, Weiss. We’re away from the general now,” she said with a glare towards her teammate before looking back at Winter.  

“You gave us your word in front of Ironwood,” Yang continued, fire burning in her lilac eyes. “I want your word now, away from him. You’re in charge of these experiments, right? Then I need to know that even if you or Ironwood don’t get the results you want, you’re not about to toss my sister away like she’s a tool to be discarded after being used.”  

Winter paused, before folding her hands behind her back as she formulated a response. Unbeknownst to her, Weiss noticed how she clenched her fist.  

Subtleties were the major form of communication in the Schnee family. It had to be that way, lest Jacques got angry and went for a more direct approach. Because of this, Weiss was keenly attuned to every movement that her sister made.  

That was one thing that didn’t change when her sister joined the military: the subtleties.  

The ex-heiress decided to respond the same way: with a hint of a raised eyebrow and a shifting of her body ever so slightly towards her partner, hoping her sister would receive the message.  

A split-second glance told her that it was well received, and Weiss let out a silent sigh of relief. Maybe her sister wasn’t on Ironwood’s side after all. Maybe she was just overthinking all of this.  

“Let me make this vow to you personally then,” Winter began. “I swear on my honor as a soldier that no harm will come to your sister. I have been conducting these tests for some time now, and we have every safety precaution put into place. Nothing happens without my approval, and given your terms, nothing will happen without any of your approval either.” 

Yang narrowed her eyes, trying to figure out how truthful the soldier was being. After a moment, she relaxed and held up her hand.  

“Alright. You have my trust. For now, that is,” she said. Winter nodded and moved to shake the blonde’s hand.  

“Wait.” 

The ex-heiress’ voice rang out, causing both Yang and Winter to turn and look at her. Even Blake twitched an ear in response in confusion. Ruby, for her part, was seemingly lost in her thoughts, staring at the arena.  

Weiss didn’t like that one bit. 

“Winter. You know that isn’t good enough,” she started with a pointed glare. “We talked about this last night. Give me something more believable.” 

“Are you doubting my oath, sister?” 

“I doubt what you’re swearing it on. Don’t try and fool me.” 

A sigh. “Would our family name be better?” 

“You and I both know you don’t actually give a damn about our family name. Try again.” The glare was sharp now, with a look that could cut through ice. Fitting, given that she was going up against her sister. 

Again. 

Eyes narrowed before looking down with a resigned sigh. “Alright. Then I swear on our bond as sisters.” 

Weiss raised an eyebrow, holding in the gasp that was threatening to come out. Winter was not one to ever swear on their bond unless she was serious. The soldier knew just how precious that was to the ex-heiress.  

If that oath were to ever be broken... 

Well. Weiss would become broken herself. 

“Alright. I trust you, sister,” she finally let out. “Don’t lead me astray.” 

“I would never. Now, are we all on the same page?” 

The team nodded, including Ruby, who was apparently listening the entire time, although her eyes still rested on the arena. Yang put her hand out again, shook Winter’s hand, and that was it. 

The beginning of the end.