Author's Notes:

Hi all! This is my first attempt at a full-fledged, multi-chaptered fic. It will most likely be my main creative project for months to come. I will try to keep the story as close to canon as possible for now, but I cannot say for certain that it will remain that way later on down the line.

Please leave a review! Any and all feedback is welcome.

Dedicated to Monty Oum. A true inspiration for us all and an unrelenting creative force.

Chapter 1: First Snow

The air that night was dead quiet, save for the faint sounds of two pencils scribbling themselves onto paper in the dorm room. With midterms fast approaching at Beacon, scenes like this had become all too common throughout student complexes. Suffice it to say, the difference was stark indeed compared to a couple months prior at the open of spring semester. Nowadays, there was hardly any loud music blaring through hallways, never mind confetti littering the whole scene.

Weiss stole a cursory glance at her hooded teammate and current study partner before bringing her eyes back to her hand-written essay. As the two were assigned as partners and shared identical assignments, they usually worked on their homework together. Weiss had just a single paragraph left to write, but it was becoming increasingly difficult to find the right way to finish the damn essay as unrelated thoughts began to randomly assail her.

The heiress shook her head, furious with herself that she could be even more distracted than the ever-impulsive Ruby Rose sitting across the desk from her. But try as she might, Weiss could not keep her jumbled thoughts at bay. An alarming amount of them seemed to yet again involve one of her other teammates, the amber-eyed faunus of the group.

Weiss absently wondered what Blake and her team partner Yang were up to at the moment. Were they still at the cafeteria? Maybe they're studying at the library? Or possibly…

"Weiss!"

Pulled from her thoughts, she almost jumped as her name was suddenly called. After gathering her bearings once again, she turned in a flash to the source of the disturbance.

"What, Ruby?! Don't startle me like that!"

"Ehehe… sorry Weiss," voiced the younger girl, "I was just wondering what's on your mind, that's all! It's not usual I see the ice princess herself staring up into space during a study session of all things."

Weiss drew in a halting breath, ignoring the "ice princess" comment for the time being.

"I don't know… probably just the long day getting to me."

"Something on your mind?" asked Ruby in a bright voice, eager to help out her teammate if something was bothering her.

"Well…" Weiss sighed before continuing, "OK, I know this might sound weird, but… what do you think Blake thinks of me?"

"You mean… as a friend? As a teammate?" A spark then lit up in the hooded girl's eyes. "Or do you mean-"

"Yes! I mean, no! No, I don't know, just… do you think she hates me?"

Ruby looked at her partner as if she were speaking an alien tongue.

"Blakey, hate you? What makes you think that? Why, the four of us are best friends! And more importantly, devoted members of team RWBY!" declared the red-clothed girl, a gleam entering her youthful eyes.

"Well… yeah. It's just…" Weiss gulped as her throat went suddenly dry. Vocally admitting what was on her mind was going to prove a more difficult task than she could have ever imagined. Although the heiress may have humbled herself a great deal since her first day at the Academy, her pride was still a competent force. After a few moments of struggling, she finally let the words extract themselves from her mouth.

"I don't know if she can really forgive me for all those… things… I said about her and her… kind." She was of course referring to the tension that had developed and subsequently exploded between her and Blake in regards to the latter girl's identity as a faunus.

It was not often that Weiss directly admitted to previous misdeeds. If anything, she'd usually try to forget anything even happened as her way of 'apologizing.' Nevertheless, ever since the revelation about Blake being not only a faunus but former member of the White Fang, the girl had been constantly weighing on Weiss's mind. Gaining some more confidence and momentum from getting that first confession out of the way, the heiress let more words tumble out of her mouth as her teammate listened patiently.

"It's… weird. I really don't want to be thinking about her so much; I mean, I don't know if it's out of guilt or pity or what, I just don't want her to hate me. Or think I hate her! I don't even necessarily hate the faunus either."

"I really do think she appreciates you, Weiss." Counseled the young team leader, "Blake might not be the type to always say what's on her mind, but I'm sure she's not one to hold a grudge for too long."

"Well, she can overreact to things. You know, like straight up disappearing after revealing her identity to us! And well… I did call her old buddies in the White Fang a bunch of liars and thieves," countered Weiss.

"And murderers!" Chirped the young auburn-haired girl, "don't forget that one!"

"Your assistance in this matter is as indispensable as ever, dear team leader." The sarcasm dripping from Weiss's mouth was practically visible. Uttering another line under her breath, she continued, "though it is true. They are a bunch of filthy murderers."

Ruby responded with a bit of nervous laughter. "While that may be the case, let's get back to Blake. We both know she wouldn't kill anyone for stupid reasons like someone like Torchwick would."

"Of course she wouldn't!" Weiss surprised herself with how emphatically she responded. "Anyway… I know there haven't been any major conflicts between us lately. I guess I'm just not quite sure if that's enough…"

"Then tell her!" Ruby beamed as she put forth her sudden, brilliant idea, "just tell her that you like her! I'm sure she won't hate you then!"

"L-l-like her?!" Echoed a flustered Weiss, her voice rising an octave. "Just because I don't despise her, that doesn't mean-"

"So you don't like Blake?" Wondered a perplexed Ruby.

"N-no! I-I… I mean… oh whatever! Forget about it. I'm going to get some fresh air!" Her voice shrill and face reddening against her will, Weiss leapt up and purposefully marched towards the door. Upon donning a pair of boots and pushing the door open, she swiftly scowled backwards, stormed out of the room and left behind a now thoroughly confused Ruby.

"Sure…" Ruby let the word hang in the air as the ice princess vanished from sight. As she considered mentioning the episode to her older sister later, the young huntress-in-training marveled at how mystifying a specimen Weiss could be at times.

Grimacing as cold air assailed her face, Weiss strolled out of the dorm building and desperately tried to collect her thoughts.

What are you doing? Why did you run out like that?! As she scolded herself for behaving so childishly in her mind, the girl recalled the exchange just now and tried to will the heat in her face away. The more she talked to Ruby about Blake, the more she had ended up getting flustered and agitated.

After a full ten minutes of wandering around aimlessly, Weiss was still unable to sort out her thoughts about the whole situation. And no matter how much she tried to think about something else, an image of the ever stoic Blake continually crept itself back into her mind.

Do I actually… like her? In the sense of the word that scythe-wielding dolt probably wasn't even thinking about? Her face grew even hotter as the unlikely possibility invaded her mind. The mere thought seemed ludicrous, given… well, everything!

"Ugh!" Weiss audibly let out her frustration as she kicked at some grass.

The girl's a faunus! She was part of the White Fang! For all I know, she could've been among the rascals who stole that train car full of her own family's Dust!

Weiss knew those thoughts were empty and meaningless. As enigmatic and difficult as she may be, the girl with the black bow was a good friend and dependable teammate. Sighing, she slumped down onto a patch of grass and stretched back to lean against a nearby tree. Glancing up at the night sky, she tried to steadily calm herself. Eventually, her breathing settled and she ultimately lost herself to the breathtaking sight of a few dozen stars dotting the sky.

She stayed that way for an indeterminable stretch of time, mind both idly wandering and quietly contemplating.

Had it been thirty minutes? Forty minutes? An hour? She couldn't tell. But in time, as the moon grew brighter and the winter air grew colder, Weiss closed her eyes and let a barely audible whisper escape from her lips into the rustling wind.

"I think... I like Blake Belladonna..."

Following those damning words up with a dubious chuckle, the heiress slowly pulled herself up from the grass. Shaking off the nightly chill, she trudged her way back to the dormitories, determined to get an early night's sleep.

Her stupid essay could wait until morning.