Hey guys just wanted to say I really, really, really, really, really like JoJo's Bizarre Adventure.

Well, this whole mess just got even messier.

Qrow sighed. He thought that Schnee was over fighting with Ruby, but apparently not. It pained him to watch their relationship – he wanted for the Schnee to come around, to prove herself to not be like the others in her family. He would never admit that, though.

And it wasn't just Schnee that was bothering him. He glanced over to his sister and his partner, an unknown emotion simmering within his stomach. Qrow knew he should be happy, that he should be supportive, but that knowing didn't help. At least Summer – the wonderful girl she was – seemed to share some kind of mutual feeling. At least, that was what Qrow assumed. He didn't miss the looks she gave the couple, the side-ways glances and sad eyes.

When Qrow looked at Taiyang, he saw Taiyang. The same beaming blond he stumbled across in the Emerald Forest. The same idiot who chased after Qrow's own sister ever since their meeting. It wasn't that he hated his partner. No, Qrow liked Taiyang. He liked his stupid jokes, he liked the fact that Tai was the first to patch them up after they got hurt. So, ideally, he wouldn't have any problem with the blond falling in love with someone. He wasn't even opposed to the idea of Taiyang and Summer hooking up and making Ruby. But then that just left…

Raven. His sister. His edgy, stoic sister. His sister that he had spent his entire life with. They were close, closer to each other than anyone else in Team STRQ, even their partners. They knew each other inside and out, their interests, what they would be thinking even outside of battle. Before they came to Beacon they had been inseparable. Life in the tribe had demanded it to be so.

That is, until they applied for Beacon.

He stole another glance, eyeing Raven and Taiyang warily. Something was pulling at his stomach, the feeling he couldn't describe. The lights dimmed, forcing Qrow's attention back to the screen.

Weiss raises her weapon forward, eyes determined. The Grimm knocks on its cage, growling.

"Gooo Weiss!" Yang cheers, pumping her fist in the air.

"Fight well!" Blake adds, smiling. She holds a flag in her hand labelled RWBY.

Ruby leans forward, squeezing her hands. "Yeah, represent Team RWBY!" She throws her hands I the air in excitement.

"Looks like Schnee's got a cheer squad," Qrow remarked. "Should give her a confidence boost, then."

"Ruby, I'm trying to focus!" Weiss snaps.

Ruby lowers her arms, voice lowering. "O-oh, sorry."

"I take that back," he said.

"Alright. Let the match… begin!" Port declares, striking at the lock with his axe. The cage door slams down, as a horned Grimm growls from inside -a boarbatusk. The grimm charges for Weiss. She spins out of the way, the metal of her sword clanging against its armour.

The boarbatusk stops, growling once more. Weiss raises her rapier, posed in a perfect battle stance.

"Haha! Wasn't expecting that, were you?" Port laughs.

"Underbelly," Summer said, memorising what their own professor had driven into them over and over. "Hit it at its weak spot."

Every Grimm had its weakness. It was just up to the huntsman to figure out what that weakness was.

"Hang in there Weiss!" Ruby cheers.

"More like Yang in there, am I right?" Taiyang joked, grinning idiotically. Qrow groaned, hearing his team mates do the same.

"You're not funny," he mumbled.

Weiss charges forward, sword arm outstretched. The grimm roars and slams its tusks onto Weiss, causing her to cry out as her sword becomes stuck in between the bones.

"Bold new approach. I like it!" Port remarks.

"Peter, that wasn't intentional," Qrow pointed out. "I'm pretty sure Schnee's losing."

"Come on Weiss, show it who's boss!" Ruby yelled while Weiss struggled in the Grimm's grip, glaring at her leader. The heiress' weapon is suddenly flung over the Grimm's body as she jumps back. The boarbatusk slams its face onto Weiss.

"Now what will you do without your weapon?" Port asks. Weiss looks up and gasps – the grimm charges for her, jaws wide open. She cries out as she dodges the attack. The boarbatusk slams its head on the desk while Weiss runs to her weapon, panting. In a swift movement, she slides to the floor and picks up the rapier.

"Weiss, go for its belly! There's no armour underneath-" Ruby calls out.

"Atta girl!" Tai cheered. "You'll do great on your studies, Rubes!"

"Stop telling me what to do!" Weiss snaps. Ruby turns silent, looking at her partner sadly.

Qrow sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Schneezles here, on the other hand – I've got a feeling she won't do all that great. If I've learned one thing from Beacon so far, it's that you do anything they," he jabs his thumb towards Summer, "tell you to."

Summer blushed, hiding her cheeks underneath her cloak. "Thanks, Qrow."

The grimm roars. It spins around, rolling violently towards Weiss. She quickly activates a glyph and deflects the attack, causing the grimm to fall on its back with its belly exposed. Weiss flips back onto another glyph, using it to propel herself forward and stab the grimm at its weak spot. The two slid forward, the grimm squealing as Weiss falls to her knees, panting.

"H-hey, at least she took Ruby's advice?" Summer shrugged.

"Bravo! Bravo!" Port says. "It appears we are indeed in the presence of a true huntress in training. I'm afraid that's all we have time for today."

Qrow scoffed. "You mean Ruby? The one who told her what to do?"

"Be sure to cover the assigned readings and stay vigilant." He raises to fingers up in the air. "Class dismissed."

"Later Pete," Taiyang waved merrily. "Me and Rae are coming after you when we get back."

Oh crap. He'd forgotten about their vendetta against their teacher's assistant. Qrow swallowed, glancing at his sister's murderous glare.

He should probably warn Peter when they returned.

Weiss glares at the professor before storming away, her own team watching.

"Sheesh, what's with her?" Jaune asks. Blake glances at the rest of her team.

The scene cuts to the hallway, where Weiss struts. Ruby runs after her, quickly catching up.

"Weiss!" the red-head calls out.

"What?" Weiss snaps.

"Oh boy here we go," Qrow groaned.

"What's wrong with you? Why are you being-"

"What's wrong with me? What's wrong with you?" Weiss cuts in. "You're supposed to be a leader and so far all you've been is a nuisance."

"Are you kidding me?" Summer clenched her fists. "Ruby's been perfect!"

"Yeah!" Taiyang agreed, glowering at Weiss.

Ruby scoffs. "What did I do?"

"That's just it, you've done nothing to earn your position. Back in the forest you acted like a child and you've only continued to do so."

"Actually, she's a leader because of her – " Ozpin began. Qrow saw a heel land on his foot from the corner of his eye. He heard the professor wince a moment later. "…Of her leadership potential."

Team STRQ shrugged. Seemed perfectly normal.

"Weiss, where is this coming from?" Ruby asks sadly. "What happened to all the talk about… working together? I thought you believed in acting as a team."

"Not a team led by you."

"Poor Ruby," Summer mumbled. "I can't imagine what she's going through right now."

"I've studied, and trained, and quite frankly, I deserve better." Weiss turns around, crossing her arms together while Ruby reaches for her slowly. "Ozpin made a mistake."

She storms off, leaving the saddened girl behind.

"Dunno if you've noticed ice princess, but Oz here's not one to make those," Qrow quipped, folding his own arms.

He heard the murmurs of agreement from his team beside him. Ozpin himself smiled. "Thank you, Mr Branwen."

"Please, Oz," he smirked, "call me Qrow."

Ruby turns around, only to be met by the headmaster himself.

"Hm. Now that didn't seem to go very well."

Qrow grinned. "Ah, the man, the myth, the legend himself."

"Is she right? Did you make a mistake?" Ruby asks timidly.

"NO!" Summer yelled. Blood rushed to her cheeks a moment later as the whole room stared at her. "I-I mean – um…"

Sensing her discomfort, Taiyang added, "making Ruby a leader isn't a mistake. It's one of the best decisions Ozpin has ever made!"

Ozpin chuckles. "That remains to be seen," he says.

Meanwhile, Weiss walks through a corridor, thinking. She reaches a balcony where Professor Port stands, admiring the view. She reaches behind him.

"Professor Port."

"Ah, Miss Schnee," Port greets. "And to what do I owe this fine pleasure?"

"Is she getting advice from Peter?" Taiyang wrinkled his nose in disgust. "And here I thought she had standards."

"I-I enjoyed your lecture," Weiss says.

"First time he's ever heard that," Raven remarked. Qrow eyed his sister, who was sharing a look with his partner. He flared his nostrils, fuming silently.

"Of course you did, child; you have the blood of a true huntress in you."

"You really think so?" the heiress asks, almost in an excited tone.

"Most surely!" Port assures. He hums. "Something's troubling you."

"Yes, sir."

"Dear girl, confess to me your strife!" Port says.

Summer sighed. "Peter, for the love of all things sacred, never say that again."

Weiss looks away, fidgeting her fingers. "Well, I-I think I should've been the leader of team RWBY," she confesses.

Port is silent for a moment, taking in his student's words. "That's preposterous."

"Took the words right outta my mouth, Pete," Qrow joked.

The scene cuts to Ruby and Ozpin, as Ruby asks, "What do you mean?"

"I mean it's only been one day," Ozpin elaborates before chuckling. "Ruby, I've made more mistakes than any man, woman, and child on this planet."

There was something about that sentence that made alarm bells ring in Qrow's head. He'd had met his fair share of people who had made some pretty big mistakes – the countless villains him and his team faced during their first year, not to mention his family – and to say you made more mistakes than they did was a pretty bold statement. Ozpin could have just been exaggerating for the sake of the conversation, but there was something, something that made Qrow think he wasn't lying.

And apparently he wasn't the only one.

"What does that mean?" his sister asked, turning to their headmaster. "What 'mistakes' have you made?"

There was a long silence, in which none of people in the room made even a sound. Ozpin himself had closed his eyes, sighing. Qrow saw his eyebrows scrunch slightly, his neck becoming almost tense.

"I'm afraid, Miss Branwen…"

The students hitched their breaths in unison, waiting for the answer.

"…I haven't the faintest idea what I am referring to," Ozpin finished, opening his eyes. Summer and Taiyang groaned, disappointed with the response, and both leaned their heads back with frustration.

"And here I thought I was gonna get some juicy stuff on Oz!" Taiyang said. Summer hummed along, nodding her head.

Neither of them saw what he and Raven saw. The slightest twitch of Ozpin's eye, the heavy swallow, and the quick movement of his lips. His words were only a faint murmur, and even with Qrow's corvid hearing all he managed to hear was "…be quiet…".

He and Raven looked at each other, the same blank expression on both of their faces. They understood each other, however. They knew what the other was thinking; Ozpin was hiding something, and they were going to find what.

Qrow glanced at Ozpin quickly before eyeing Raven and nodding discreetly. She made a point to side-eye their headmaster before nodding back.

"But at this moment, I would not consider your appointment to be leader to be one of them." Ozpin leans in closer to Ruby, smiling. "Do you?"

"Of course not!" Summer answered for Ruby.

"Excuse me?" Weiss exclaims.

"I've believed in Professor Ozpin for many years, and the man's never once led me astray," Port declares.

"Blindly trusting, don't you think?" Raven murmured to Qrow, their arms crossed and leaning towards each other, although their eyes never left the screen.

Qrow breathed out his nose. "Not really," he whispered back, "not in this situation. But we should see how far this trust goes first," he paused, eyeing Ozpin, "and whether it's deserved."

"So you would just blindly accept his decision even after seeing how exceptional I am?"

"Kid, you beat one Grimm in his class and only because Ruby told you how," Qrow pointed out. "Not exactly leadership material."

"With all due respect your exceptional skill on the battlefield is matched only by your poor attitude," Port counters.

"HOLY SHIT, THAT WAS BRUTAL," Taiyang yelled. "GET 'EM, PETE!"

"I thought you were holding a grudge against him," Summer pointed out.

The blond turned to his leader. "Sum, I can hold a grudge and appreciate some good banter when I see it." He grinned. "Don't worry, me and Rae are still gonna beat him up when we get back!" He turned back to the screen, not taking notice of Summer's ashen face.

"Don't get us into trouble…"

"How dare you!" Weiss snaps.

"My point exactly. I see a girl before me who has spent her entire life getting exactly what she wanted," Port lectures.

Weiss crosses her arms, looking away. "That's not even remotely true… well, not entirely true."

"Yeah, right," Raven scoffed. "Damn rich kids."

"I bet she never almost starved to death," Qrow joined his sister.

"You guys almost starved to death?" Summer gasped softly, looking at the twins. "Oh my gods, when?"

Qrow gritted his teeth. "Lots of times."

"Is the village okay?" the red-head asked, brows furrowing.

It took Qrow a moment to remember the story Raven and him had made up for everyone in Vale. "Y-yeah, the village is fine," he lied. "Just had a rough patch with no food for a few months, ya know? Winter and all that." He laughed nervously, waving his leaders concern's away.

Summer gave a sigh of relief. "That's great. We should visit it sometime!"

"Sure!" he replied on instinct, his voice cracking. He noticed his sister give him a pointed stare and shrugged, not sure what to say.

The scene cuts back to Ruby and Ozpin. "Being a team leader isn't just a title you carry into battle," Ozpin says, "but a badge you wear constantly."

Summer nodded.

"If you are not performing at your absolute best, then what reason do you give others to follow you?"

Ruby ponders the statement for a moment before breaking into a smile.

"I understand," the leader of STRQ had given the on-screen Ruby a small smile. "

"So the outcome did not fall in your favour. Do you really believe that acting in such a manner would cause those in power to reconsider their decision?" Port asks. Weiss looks at the floor, his words reeling through her head. "So instead of fretting about what you don't have, savour what you do. Hone your skills, perfect every technique, and be not the best leader, but the best person you can be."

Weiss straightens her back and give her professor the slightest smirk.

"So, she's good then?" Summer asked.

"Nah, she's…. cool," Taiyang sniggered before yelling in pain as Raven twisted his ear, fuming.

The scene cuts back to the other pair. Ozpin turns away from Ruby. "You've been burdened with a daunting responsibility, Ruby."

"Leading a team is super hard," Summer agreed.

Qrow glanced to his side to look at Summer, and just barely saw Ozpin's eyes gazing at the ground in an unreadable expression.

"I advise you take some time, to think about how you will uphold it," he finishes.

Ruby looks around her before walking off-screen, noticing Weiss with Port walking away outside. She cracks a smile as the scene transitions to night-time in the RWBY dorm. The door to the room creaks open, and Weiss's shadow is cast across the floor. Yang snores deeply while Blake rests peacefully in her sleep.

"I can name someone else who's like that," Raven said, staring at Taiyang. "His name is Tai, in case you didn't know."

The brawler smirked. "Let me guess – he's a skilled fighter, has a great singing voice, and stunning good looks?"

"…Perhaps."

"Funny, because I know a girl who sleeps in that exact same position," Taiyang jabbed his thumb at the image of Yang onscreen. "Black hair, just as good-looking as the guy you're talking about, could beat most of the kids in our year with one arm tied behind her back… maybe those two should hook up sometime and have a blonde daughter like her."

Raven laughed.

Qrow seethed.

Weiss pulls back on the curtains over Ruby's bed, revealing the said girl sleeping over her notes. The heiress widens her eyes and scans the books, mouth agape. She clears her throat, tapping Ruby.

The silver-eyed girl sits up quickly, dropping her pencil on the floor. "Weiss! I-I was studying and then I fell asleep – I'm sorry."

Weiss places her hand over Ruby's mouth and shushes her. Her gaze leads to an empty mug on the bed.

"How do you take your coffee?" Weiss asks.

Summer grinned. "Ruby's first friend!"

"Didn't she say she had friends at Beacon?" Raven pointed out.

"What?" Summer asked, the smile never dropping from her lips.

"I-I don't…"

"Answer the question."

"Uhh! Cream and five sugars!" Ruby answers.

There was a moment of silence in the room, before Taiyang announced, "Summer's paying for her dental bills."

Weiss sighs and rolls her eyes. "Don't move."

She jumps down from the bed as Ruby stares after her, confused. A moment later, she returns with a mug in hand. "Here."

Ruby takes the cup. "Um, thanks Weiss."

"Ruby, I think you have what it takes to be a good leader," Weiss says, "just know that I am going to be the greatest teammate you'll ever have."

"Who's your best teammate in STRQ, Summer?" Taiyang asked. "Me, right?"

"No, it's me," Qrow said bluntly.

"Me," the blond shot back.

"Me."

"Me."

"Not me," Raven interjected.

"Guys, guys! You're all my best teammates – " Summer started, trying to calm them down before another fight began.

Raven scoffed. "What a cop-out answer."

The leader's nervous grin fell, replaced by an irritated scowl. "It's Raven then. Raven is the best."

None of them said anything, before Glynda said, "Even I know that's a lie."

"Good luck studying." Weiss falls down before standing up again, pointing at Ruby's notes. "That's wrong by the way." She jumps down again as Ruby looks at the parchment in surprise.

"Hey Ruby?"

"Uh-huh?"

Weiss stands behind the door, staring from the hallway. "I always wanted bunk beds as a kid." She closes the door, leaving Ruby to studying alone. There is one final shot of Beacon at night before it fades to black.

The vision made Qrow feel a bit better about everything in general. Amidst all the bad future crap they were seeing, at least they saw two partners grow closer. It was always a good thing for people on the same team to be close, on the same page.

It wasn't any different for his sister and his partner, he told himself.

He had to be happy for her, for them. Just like he was happy for Ruby and Weiss, he needed to do the same for Raven. They were family after all, and they had been together through thick and thin. Qrow had to accept the changes that were happening to them.

It would just have to take a while.

There was still the case of Ozpin, though. Even if recent developments were to draw him and his sister apart, they at least still had the case of the headmaster to bond over. Unravelling the secrets of one of the most powerful men in Remnant sounded like a great family experience. Him and Raven could crack the case in no time at all. If his semblance didn't fuck things up for them.

He glanced to his team, and of course Rae and Tai are talking to each other, they always are –

Shaking the thoughts out of his head, but clenching his fists all the same, his gazed lingered to Summer Rose. Her eyes were locked on the couple, an indescribable look in her eyes. She gave them a smile, but Qrow saw through her lies. It was clearly fake.

He watched as Taiyang said something to Raven, causing her to chuckle, before he said some joke to Summer. He saw Summer blush and laugh along, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. Raven didn't say anything but stared at Summer, who gazed right back at her. Qrow shifted in his seat.

His team was getting real weird.

Fun fact: I've had this file in my computer since February this year (and also on ao3).

Sorry this took so long. I got burnt out on writing and... well, everything around exams, and then late December I got hit with depression real bad which lasted until late June. I just couldn't do much of anything during this period, and I apologise for the delay. I'll try finish Volume 1 by the end of the year, but then I'll be taking another break to work on a crossover fic plus writing my JJBA D&D campaign, and Volume 2, if all goes to plan, should be up a few months after Volume 5 has finished.

Speaking of JJBA, that's also another reason I haven't been updating. I've been obsessed with this series and was the only thing that I found enjoyment in for those months (anything else just made me angry - looking at you, Merlin), even when RWBY I wasn't big into. I'm almost up to date on the manga - up to chapter 37 of JoJolion - and fuck. FUCK. It's so good. I can't remember the last time I felt this way about a series. There's other things that I love, like One Piece and RWBY, but with those I tend to focus my love on specific aspects of the series. With JoJo though? My love is spread throughout. God. Now I know what people feel like when they say 'this thing got me through a tough time and I love it', because that's my situation with JJBA.

Maybe I should write a JoJo fanfiction...