- ?-

...I shouldn't be here...

He couldn't tell where he was, couldn't tell how he'd gotten here either, but he could sense that it was...wrong to be here.

It felt like he wasn't meant to be here, like someone had overlooked a back door and he'd by some strange set of accidental circumstances managed to fall through it.

He felt like he was standing within emptiness itself. All around him was an inky pool of blackness that stretched on for as far as his eyes could see. He felt weightless, like he was merely an illusion within someone else's dream, another indicator to the young man that he should not be here.

But...where is...here?

He'd been quietly trudging through the otherwise silent space for an indiscernible amount of time now. He couldn't tell if he'd been here for an hour or a mere ten minutes. He supposed that was the intent of this space, so barren and empty with nothing but the vast black abyss to provide him any company. There was no way to tell if the spot he'd been in five minutes ago was any different from where he was now.

Roxas frowned.

He could picture someone easily going mad in this place.

Despite not knowing where he was or how he'd arrived at this destination, he decided to push forward. Not out of any knowledge of where he was going…but simply because he didn't know how else he was supposed to find his way out of this dark void of space.

He paused when he noticed something new for the first time in what felt like ages. His gaze fell downward, blue eyes noting that a thin layer of black film had begun to develop at the bottom of his boots. He studied it for a short time before bringing his fingers to it, feeling the thick, tar like substance coat his fingertips.

The contact was unpleasant, and led to a feeling of unease that Roxas couldn't shake.

"...H-hello?"

Roxas's head jerked up in an instant, his eyes wide as he searched for the voice he just heard.

His eyes narrowed as he slowly turned his head all around him, but found nothing.

He took another step, this time towards where he heard the greeting and felt his foot splash this time as it came in contact with the black substance.

"I-Is-" He heard the voice, which he was beginning to quickly realize belonged to a young boy, pause to sniffle. "Is t-there someone...out there?"

The child's question came out sounding half hopeful...and half terrified.

Roxas opened his mouth to respond, to call out to the boy who appeared to be lost in this dark abyss, but found his lips unable to speak.

He tried twice more, opening his mouth and mouthing the words only for no sound to come out.

"Please," He sounded young, no more than six or seven by Roxas's estimates. "P-Please come out i-if you're there!"

His voice sounded distant, and it sounded scared.

Roxas felt his fingers curl into fists as he began to quicken his pace, pushing forward towards the child with new vigor. He didn't know what he could do for the boy when he got to him, but he refused to ignore the child's pleas.

He frowned when he noticed the inky substance at his feet began to build, now deep enough that each step was submerging his boots up to his ankles. Despite feeling the liquid resist his progression, the young man trudged through; something in him convinced that the young boy was more important.

"I-I can hear you!" The boy called out with a growing excitement in his tone. "I know you're out there!" Roxas could picture whoever this child was, rising to their feet. "I'm over here!"

Roxas's pace quickened, the muscles in his legs straining to push through the liquid which had risen to halfway up his thighs now.

He felt a sense urgency begin to pull at his chest, a feeling that this was more important that he'd initially suspected.

His leg sunk down, the step taking him even deeper into the darkened liquid and he stumbled. His head slipped beneath the dark waters for only a moment before he was back on his feet, but that moment was enough to tell him that he did not want to fall down again.

It had felt like death under those waves. Roxas got the idea that if he wasn't careful, he could easily find himself trapped beneath its tide, as if it wanted him to tumble into it.

The darkness wanted him to venture deeper, to get lost within the confines of its inky blackness.

Still, Roxas pushed on, the liquid rising to the base of his chest when he finally saw what he'd been looking for.

Sitting on a small, circular platform floating atop what was beginning to feel like an ocean of blackness was a small child. His knees were pulled to his chest tightly, a mess of brown hair sat atop the boy's head.

A familiar set of blue eyes met with Roxas's, and immediately, he knew who the child was.

...Sora?

He looked like a much younger Sora. A Sora at the age of five or six curled up in a ball, wearing a white T-shirt and some shorts that you might wear to the beach. Roxas could see his arms and legs absolutely coated with the black substance, which had also stained his clothes all the way up to his face which had spots where the boy had managed to wipe away his mouth and eyes.

It looked like the child had fallen in and only barely managed to pull himself out in time. Roxas could also see that he'd been crying judging by his puffy face and red eyes.

The teen could feel his heart in his chest now, pounding with the beat of a heavy drum as he ventured even further into the thick substance. He knew now what his mission was: He was here solely to get Sora out.

Is this real!? Is this a dream?

Roxas couldn't be certain. It felt real. The cold sensation of the dark liquid coating his skin definitely felt real.

But…

He shook his head, no time to question what or where he was. His face tightened into a determined frown as he forced his body to continue forward despite its tired protests. It felt like he was trudging through tar now, as if the liquid somehow turned denser the further he ventured in.

His eyes remained locked on the boy, but Sora's eyes seemed to still be wandering, a fearful expression turning and shifting to look all around him.

Can he not see me?

He saw the boy's eyes drag over his approaching form multiple times only to move past without a hint of register.

"H-hello?" Sora's words came out in a quiet whimper.

Once again Roxas felt the immediate urge to answer him but found his lips silence unwavering.

"Are you...still there?" He watched the child pull his legs to his chest tighter, making him seem even smaller on his already tiny platform.

It was getting harder to progress forward now. His body was making less and less progress with every strained push. The liquid had risen so far as to meet the base of his neck and was beginning to splash and stain the bottom of his chin.

"P-please be there." Sora's voice was beginning to tremble, his gaze no longer searching for rescue.

"...Please…" The child grew silent after that word. Roxas could see the boy's shoulders' trembling as a quiet, muffled cry emanated from Sora.

Roxas felt exhausted but determined as he continued to trudge forward. It was hard to tell exactly how close he was to the child. It seemed like he was constantly moving away, like the black ocean around them moved him back every time he tried to move forward.

He took another, tired, strained step forward and-

Suddenly everything was black.

He realized his foot had slipped a moment after it had happened, but by then, he was already under.

His eyes searched upward, trying to rediscover the surface as he suddenly began sinking beneath the waves as if the platform he'd just been standing on had disappeared a moment ago. He felt panic rise to his chest, his limbs scrambling to try and swim back to the surface, his body straining to get back to Sora.

He kicked out as hard as he could, his arms making desperate grabs for the surface, but it was no use. No matter how hard the boy tried, he couldn't do anything more than sink. He could hear Sora's now distant cries growing even further away as he continued to drift deeper into the darkness..

I'm...sorry Sora…

Roxas felt the water somehow swell around his neck, tightening as if a hand had wrapped around his throat.

What is-

"He is not yours...anymore."

Roxas felt a cold chill run down his spine as the new presence made itself known. He couldn't see any face or actual limbs, but Roxas could still tell that they were there.

They were all around him.

"He...is mine."


He shot upward, his sheets exploding out in all directions from the momentum as he sat up. He could feel beads of sweat running down various parts of his body, his heart felt like it was going to burst from his chest from how hard it was pounding.

He took several deep, calming breaths as he took in his surroundings. He was back at the hotel with the rest of team Purger - well, almost all of team Purger.

Ruby had gotten her own room shortly after their arrival. Roxas had been uncertain as to the reason why, but the rest of his teammates seemed to understand, so he rolled with it.

The room was small, with two twin sized beds and a bathroom being the only distinguishing factors. The small, out of date TV sat in the center of the wall atop a large wooden dresser. The wall paper was generic and dated, Roxas had even noticed it peeling in places earlier when they first arrived.

The teen let out a soft sigh as to not wake his still resting teammates before rolling over to his side. He could hear Pyrrha and Jaune's soft breaths as they continued to doze off in their own respective beds. There'd only been two to begin with so Roxas had offered to sleep on the floor.

He figured it might help their opinions on him if he let them have the beds.

The teen groaned as he felt stiff in his lower back from lying on the hard ground.

Guess this is my price to pay.

He grumbled as he twisted, popping the lower part of his back and feeling a slight relief from the effort.

His breathing finally back to normal, Roxas fell back into the covers he'd turned into a makeshift bed, his eyes staring up at the ceiling as his mind played back the dream.

Roxas frowned. It hadn't...felt like a dream. It had felt so real, but there was no way that it could have been...right? Sora was his age, not a six year old. Besides, where was he in the first place? It didn't seem like anywhere Roxas had ever been before.

And that voice.

Roxas felt himself shutter immediately. It had been a deep, confident voice, a voice that Roxas was realizing he knew all too well.

...Xemnas…

It was unmistakable. That had been Xemnas's voice claiming Sora as his own. But what did that mean exactly? He'd seen Sora fall to Xemnas's weapon, he'd seen the boy breathe his last breath...right?

Roxas frowned. What could it mean if Xemnas...had Sora?

He didn't want to consider the implications.
He wanted to write it off as just that, a dream and nothing more. The only problem was that he could feel that the vision had been more than just one of his many inner concerns given shape.
What's more, that had felt like Sora.

Yes!

The young man blinked rapidly before his lips pulled into a frown

Was that me just a second ago?

Whose voice was that? It hadn't sounded like his own dialog in his head…it had been too light, almost feminine.

Roxas closed his eyes as he attempted to silence his own thoughts, seeing if he could hear it for a second time.
"..."

Maybe I'm just going mad.

Roxas felt his lips shape into a sarcastic grin. Just another problem to add to the now long running list of issues he had to address.

He sighed.
He was beginning to doubt even hearing the voice now, assuming it had just been the loose workings of a tired mind only just woken up.

He layed back down, positioning his arms behind his head as his eyes took in the cracks in the ceiling.

Regardless, the voice had agreed with him that the dream was more than just a dream. What it meant in a more literal sense was still lost to the boy, but he assumed that it suggested something…worse in the works.
What are you up to Xemnas?…

Immediately the teen's thoughts drifted towards Namine. She was the only other one of their group with any knowledge on the organization and Sora that might know more on the matter.
The teen began to run his hand on the ground, searching for his scroll in an attempt to contact the girl.
...So that you can tell her even more bad news just before a big fight?

His arm froze, his fingers wrapped around the screen as the blue light illuminated his face.

4AM...

Slowly, he retracted the limb before lying back in his sheets. The girl already had enough on her plate considering the circumstances. He didn't want her to be distracted worrying about the loose interpretations of a dark dream he just had.

Better to leave it alone until afterwards.

The teen frowned.

Assuming that there still is an afterwards…

All throughout the day, despite how smooth everything had been moving up until this point, he'd been entirely unsuccessful in shaking off this feeling that things were about to go terribly wrong.

The plan was a go, there hadn't been any hang ups, and thankfully, Ozpin's seemingly subtle assistance had gone at least mostly unnoticed.

Regardless, nothing would shatter the sensation of despair that had been building in his stomach for the past several hours. No matter what he tried to occupy himself with, he couldn't kill the idea that everything was about to come crashing down.
Slowly, the boy's mind began to wander to less stressful thoughts. He thought to Ruby and what she was doing then, still asleep he assumed. He thought back to the day, how normal it'd felt, how odd it had seemed when proceeding what felt so important.

In a couple of days, if Sun's information was correct, he and his friends were to face down Demyx and potentially the rest of the gang responsible for the attempt on his life back at the river.

The same people responsible for nearly ending Ruby's life as well.

He felt his fingers tightening into fists.

He would make sure that Demyx paid for what he did that night.

The teen closed his eyes, letting out a soft breath as he calmed his thoughts.

No point in getting riled up right now with everyone sleeping.

He forced his mind to change topics, instead thinking back to the… strange man who'd introduced himself as Qrow only hours before.

Roxas's brow furrowed.

That had certainly been an… odd experience to say the least.


-Fifteen Hours Earlier: Industrial District-

Roxas watched as his teammates continued to steal glances at their scrolls, frowning as they were met with the same message they'd been sent an hour ago.

Due to your Huntsman receiving a mission that has removed them from the area, your group is being rerouted to a replacement Huntsman. Please standby for further instructions.
It was an automated message for the students who's Huntress or Huntsman couldn't make it for whatever reason. It had appeared that all three of the groups had received this message of being redirected, and it had soon dawned on Roxas that this might be the headmaster's doing.

Real smooth Ozpin.

It had immediately set off red flags for the group, assuming that they'd been caught and that the headmaster had figured out a means to reroute them out of the area to prevent their plan from working.
Then it was discovered that this was not so rare an occurrence for the program. Yang had messaged some of her classmates and discovered that there were multiple teams that had received this message. Apparently, it was not uncommon for Huntsman and Huntresses to back out of the student-shadow program at the last minute for sometimes completely unspecified reasons. He supposed that not all Huntsman and Huntress would want to watch over a handful of teenagers for a full week's time.
He also speculated if Ozpin had purposefully rerouted a handful of other teams to mask this one redirect.
His eyes narrowed.

He could definitely picture the headmaster doing something tricky like that. Despite the fact that he'd never done anything to suggest he was anything more than a normal headmaster, something about the way he carried himself led the boy to feel there was something more to the man…
Something suspicious.

He couldn't place his finger on just what, or even why he had that feeling.

It was more of a hunch than anything else.

"We're definitely where it told us to be." Pyrrha said, sounding only slightly agitated while her eyes focused on the scroll in her hand. The message had also come with a meet up location, though only just a general area where the replacement Huntsman or Huntress would be once the area had been decided upon.
"It might be the page, try refreshing it." Jaune suggested, pulling out his own scroll to see if his bore a different response.
"...No that's not it…it's still the same message."

There was a collective sigh throughout the team. They'd already been waiting for an hour at least. They'd decided to walk around the block a few rounds to pass the time and see what the area had to offer.

Then they remembered why it was called the Industrial District and promptly stopped trying to sight see.

"..."

Out of the corner of his eye Roxas noticed Ruby's furrowed brow, her silver eyes staring through the cement sidewalk, clearly lost in thought.

"You okay?"

"Huh?" The girl's head perked up at the boy's voice, her eyes blinking rapidly as she looked back at him.

"Thinking about something?" He questioned, bumping her lightly with his shoulder.

"Oh, uh, no not really." A sheepish grin pulled on the girl's lips that he couldn't help but find cute.

He smiled.

"You can tell me, you know. I can tell it's bothering you." It was unlike the girl to space out anywhere but class. If she was silent, Roxas had learned that meant her thoughts were loud.

Ruby paused, her mouth slightly agape as she studied Roxas with surprise. "How do you know that?"

"Just something I picked up on." He smiled, enjoying that he'd been right. Watching Ruby, the boy noticed Pyrrha and Jaune pulling ahead of them slightly.

He didn't mind.

He liked talking with Ruby.

The girl rolled her eyes, grinning as she did. "Whatever, alright fine, you caught me." She paused, the smile slowly melting from her features.

"I'm just…nervous is all. You know, with…the mission."

Roxas's smile fell.
He knew what she meant.

He'd been feeling nervous all morning.

But I doubt that's what she wants to hear!

"Uh…don't." He croaked out awkwardly, feeling that he had not just one, but two feet in his mouth.

"...Dont?" His girlfriend repeated with a raised eyebrow.

Shoot...why am I so terrible at this?

"Uh, yeah. I don't think that you need to worry too much…we got this." He tried to sound confident.

Based on the slowly building bemused smile on Ruby's lips, he could tell that he hadn't been successful.

"Awww! You're trying to reassure me! That's so sweet!" She let out a charming laugh that made the young man smile back.

"I'm guessing I didn't do a very convincing job."

Ruby shook her head. "Nope! But you made me smile doing it so…" In one fluent motion, Ruby's arm had linked through Roxas's. "I don't think you're doing an absolutely terrible job."

It was Roxas's turn to roll his eyes.

Was this what it meant to be in a relationship? Just constantly teasing each other?

The boy felt Ruby's fingers interlace with his own.

He felt his heartbeat speed up.

...He supposed he didn't mind the teasing all that much.

"Well, well, well," He heard a gruff, vaguely familiar voice say from just behind them. "What do we have here?"
Both heads whipped around a moment later. Roxas was surprised that someone had managed to sneak up on him so easily. Usually he was a lot more aware of his surroundings.
Standing there was a thin, tall man with dark black hair blown back and messy in an intentionally rough style. His lips formed a thin line as his chin wore a five o'clock shadow that ran up each side of his jawline. His clothes were clean but appeared worn in places. His shirt was two different shades of grey with the sleeves rolled up to just below his elbows, the collar a sleek black that matched his dark pants.
The first thing Roxas noticed about him was the weapon hanging behind his hips just below the tattered remains of what looked to have once been a maroon cape. It appeared to be in a resting state to be carried around, but with the ability to extend into some type of blade.

The second thing he noticed was that the man was staring daggers into him.

Do I know this guy?

"Can we help you-"
"Uncle Qrow!" Ruby's voice exploded in a shrill cry as the girl pulled away from Roxas, leaping forward and draping the stranger in a tight hug.

Qrow?

He blinked.

Wait, Uncle Qrow?! This guy is Ruby's uncle?!

This was one of Ruby's family members? What's more, he knew that name.

That was the name of his contact.

"Who's this?" The newly introduced 'Qrow' said, remaining stiff as Ruby's body hung on his side, her legs kicking.

Roxas would have laughed at her antics had he not felt like he had a red set of crosshairs on his chest.

Seriously, why is he glaring at me like that?!

"Oh!" Ruby's eyes flashed towards his, meeting the teen's and widening as if she only just realized that Qrow hadn't blinked since he'd laid eyes on the blond.
"This-" She began, detaching from the man and gestured towards her teammate. "-is Roxas! A valuable member of team Purger… and, uh…" Her voice grew quieter as her cheeks filled with color.

"He's also my boyfriend. Please be nice to him."

The words came out as a quiet plea.

"...Roxas…" He watched as the man's eyes narrowed to slits before snapping back open.

He just remembered the conversation we had earlier. He just remembered me.

"Roxas." The man repeated once more before pausing.

Both figures remained stiff as they continued to stare at each other.

The teen didn't know what to do.

What am I supposed to say around Ruby's family members?!

Was there a protocol for these sorts of things that he wasn't aware of? Was that the reason the man had been glaring daggers at him before?

It certainly felt that way.

"Uh," He offered out a hand. "Nice to meet you?"

It's my best shot.

He thought to himself in a panic.

Slowly, Qrow's head shifted down to stare at the outstretched hand. The man waited a few moments longer than usual before accepting the handshake.

And Roxas noticed immediately that his grip was especially firm.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Roxas."

His lips formed a thin smile, his eyes narrowing to dangerous slits.

"Jaune! Pyrrha! Our Huntsman is over here!" The girl frowned as she got no response. "Oh jeez, looks like they went too far ahead. I'll go get them real quick."

A second later Ruby's form disappeared in a blur of crimson and descending rose pedals.

"I don't have long until she's back so I'll be frank." Qrow's voice had grown cold as ice, his tone venomous. The teen felt the man's grip tighten to a painful amount.

"You're dating Ruby so you know she got in two years early as per Ozpin's wishes. Now, I remember what it was like to be your age, but she's only fifteen so if you try anything inappropriate with my niece I will personally tear your-"

"-I'm back!" Ruby's voice suddenly chimed as her form materialized in a vibrant blur.

"-kidding me! You've never tried 'Frank's' down the road?" Qrow grinned, releasing his hand and patting his back in a friendly gesture. "Let me treat you and your team as we get to know each other. I know that you guys have probably been waiting for a little bit."

Jaune and Pyrrha appeared a few moments later.

"Oh, hello sir!" The young woman offered a pleasant smile and a wave as the two approached.

"I'm Jaune," The blond offered out a hand before indicating with a nod of his head. "And this is Pyrrha. We've been looking forward to finally meeting you after so long."

Roxas noted the slight annoyance slipping into his leader's words.

"Qrow." The Huntsman said simply before shaking both of their hands. Roxas watched as he did, but neither of his teammates had received the same crushing vice he'd felt moments earlier.

So he's mad at me because...he thinks I'm being inappropriate?

Roxas frowned as he realized that he didn't know what that meant. Was he being innapropriate? Had he done something to Ruby that he shouldn't have?

Was it the hand holding?

That was all he'd done to receive the hard glare, so was that not something that fifteen year olds were meant to do? He'd seen plenty of couples back at Beacon holding hands and no one seemed too upset about it.

But they're all older than us.

"Roxas?"

Ruby's voice shook the teen out of his thoughts. "Huh?" He turned his head, noticing that the group had already begun to move on without them.
"C'mon, we're gonna be left behind, silly." She smiled as her hand slipped into his before pulling him along.

Roxas's eyes lingered on their intertwined fingers.

He swallowed as a nervous sweat made its way down the side of his face.


-Twenty Minutes Later-

He'd been right.
This place was great.

Admittedly, Roxas supposed that the walls could use a new paint job. He studied what appeared to have once been a vibrant display of oranges and reds dancing across the space of the room. Now the paint was chipped and peeling in places, revealing old white undertones that ruined the image's original beauty.
There was also the fact that several of the simple wooden tables had stains as well as having cracks that splintered the wood like a bolt of lightning.
The chairs were creaky and uncomfortable.

And the waiter had been sort of rude when they'd arrived…

Roxas frowned, his eyes looking down at the meal before him.

A simple, greasy burger and fries.

And it was utterly delicious.

The teen shrugged as the sounds of food being thoroughly chewed and enjoyed echoed across the table they'd selected. No one was saying a word as they each eagerly devoured their respective meals.
He took a look to his left where Ruby was digging into a chili cheese dog with vigor. By her own admission, it was her favorite.

"Hm?" The girl looked over, noticing his stare. Her cheeks bulged with food as she took her final bite, a small dribble of mustard running down the corner of her mouth.

Roxas couldn't suppress his laughter, much to the young woman's embarrassment.

No, the restaurant itself certainly wasn't anything special to look at.

But the food certainly made up for it.
Soon, the group finished their meals, each sitting back in their chairs as Qrow began to speak.

"So, I know that I'm not your 'original' Huntsman." He motioned with air quotes.

"About that," Pyrrha interjected, "I was wondering what happened? Did something happen to our previous Huntsman?"
Qrow shook his head, "No, nothing like that. These things happen. The life of a Huntsman or Huntress is unpredictable and subject to change at a moment's notice. There's only a handful of us around at any given time due to the nature of our jobs, the dangers, the risks. Basically, it's not uncommon for us to complete an assignment only to immediately be put to work on another. Not only that, but our jobs aren't like your average plumber who knows a clog is only going to take him a few hours to fix. I'll be regularly out on assignments for weeks on end. Sometimes jobs take longer than you predict, other times they are shorter. Point is, it could be they just got held up by a job they thought they would be done with already."

"That…makes a lot of sense actually." Pyrrha murmured under her breath.

"So you just happened to be available at the time?" Jaune asked.

"Eh, actually I was taking a bit of time off after a particularly tough mission a little while ago." He turned towards Ruby, a devious grin on his lips. "But then I heard from Ozpin that this little rugrat-" As he said the word his hand descended on the girl's head, thoroughly ruffling through her hair as Ruby immediately attempted to pull away. "-and her team needed a replacement Huntsman to shadow, and I thought it'd be a good time to catch up with family." He shrugged.
"Huh," Pyrrha smiled. "Well that's convenient. "

"It is." He agreed.

Roxas blinked. It had been a stellar excuse, and one that was so convincing that even Roxas had begun to believe the man despite knowing otherwise.

...This guy is really good at lying…

He'd done it twice now, once back when they met, and now, both with such a naturalness that he doubted Ruby even suspected a thing was off.

It made the boy uneasy as he studied the seemingly aloof individual. His mannerisms seemed so normal, so laid back and yet at the same time Roxas could tell that he was still fully alert during all of it.
"So, now that we all have full stomachs, who would like to know what we're going to be doing for this week?"

Roxas caught Jaune and Pyrrha exchange nervous glances. He even saw Ruby shoot him a concerned look.

This was the moment of truth. They'd decided upon this particular Huntsman strictly for the fact that it kept them in the Industrial District. Since that Huntsman was no longer going to be here, that meant that it was up in the air what their task could be.

Of course, Roxas knew that Qrow wouldn't divert them to a different part of Vale since he was in on the plan.

...Right?

Roxas blinked.

He only just realized that this entire arrangement could be an intricate plan for Ozpin to remove them from Vale in an attempt to keep them out of trouble.

Change up all the Huntsmen and Huntresses so the three teams involved wouldn't be able to converge on the said factory?

Check.
Give a plausible excuse for this change, and one that no one could point blame towards?
Check.

The boy felt a nervous knot forming in the center of his chest.
Maybe he'd been wrong to include Ozpin on the plan.

"So, your other Huntsman likely had a plan in place on how to show you the ropes yada, yada, yada," He made a talking gesture with his hand that made Ruby giggle. "But since I got this sprung on me last minute, I'm not gonna pretend like I do. The way I see it, we have one of three options to choose from, and since I'm nice, I'll let you guys decide."
He held up his index finger. "This is your first choice. So, long story short, ever since the breach Grimm have been building up at the walls meant to keep them out of Vale." His face grew more serious as he spoke. "It's a pretty basic mission. We clear out some of the Grimm clawing at the city's borders."

Pyrrha's brow furrowed. "Wait, there's build up at the borders? Do we know why? Why hasn't this been on the news? I feel like that should be something the public should be informed about."

True, if Vale was in a state of danger, the people should know to better prepare themselves if something bad happens.

Roxas could see the rest of his team echo a similar opinion from the way their heads all turned, waiting for Qrow's response.

"You think so, huh?" The Huntsman shook his head. "Let's explore that idea a little bit then, shall we?"

Roxas watched as a wide grin pulled at his lips, a smile that told them that he knew something they didn't.
"You all, as Huntsmen and Huntresses in training, would obviously know what attracts the Grimm, right?"

"Fear." Ruby answered quickly.
"Exactly." He pointed a finger in her direction. "So, why of all times do you think the Grimm are starting to pile up now?"

Silence.

Roxas's eyes narrowed as he tried to think of the solution, replaying the man's words as he tried to come up with a reason.

The obvious answer would be that the general public was afraid.

But then that led to the question of why exactly that would be.

...Ever since the breach…

Roxas blinked.

He told them the reason why in his statement.

"It's the breach." He finally answered, his teammates all turning towards him with raised eyebrows. "Everyone's been scared ever since the breach."

"There we go." He nodded. "I doubt any of you realize it since you've been normalized by Grimm now. You see a beowolf, you take it down, you move on with the rest of your day." He shrugged. "Even I do it sometimes. The thing is, that's not how the majority of the rest of the world sees them. From the perspective of your common Joe who works down at the factory five times a week, you can bet your last lien that he has never seen a beowolf up close a day in his life. Most people spend their entire lives living within the safety of Vale's walls. Imagine the shock when suddenly an entire flood of Grimm erupts out of the ground, all at once, and kills everyone unfortunate enough to be around before the first responders get there."
The table's tone had shifted dramatically from the jovial conversation before.

Roxas looked across at his team, sober faces all around.
"We were there." Jaune added. "We remember."

"Yeah I heard about Ozpin issuing out even the first years to help in the fight. I wish I'd been around at the time to help. I've only heard a few stories about what happened that day, but I heard that you got to work with your sister's team to protect a shelter that was low on men."

Ruby flashed a smile. "Yeah, our teams are actually pretty close."

"That's good. Keeping friends, especially other Huntsmen and Huntresses as friends, is always a good idea."
He took a drink from his flask, downing the last of its contents. The rest of the table remained silent as the revelation hit them. He was right, of course the people are afraid now. The place they live, the place previously known as a haven from the Grimm, had just been proven wrong.

"Hey, what's with all the serious faces? No need to get so glum." He pounded the flask on the table. "Look, it's a tragic fact of life, but one you'll have to get over eventually in this line of work. Sometimes, people are going to die; sometimes, you won't be able to save everyone. Hell, I heard a story where some first years and a team of sophomores had to hold off an entire stadium from what I heard had been a huge wave of Grimm. Heard that nearly everything that could go wrong did. Rescue aircraft went down, people panicked, but that's what the life of a true Huntsman is. Understanding that at times, you can't save everyone. Sometimes, the best you can hope for is saving the people that still can be saved, and that's exactly what they did."

He let out a dark laugh.

"And get this, it was the first year that was the last one standing when the smoke cleared. Can you believe that? Blew me away when I heard it the first time." He stole a glance at his flask, frowning when he noticed it was empty.

Roxas felt all eyes on him.

"Uh," Ruby began awkwardly, "Yeah, I think I heard that one."

"It… rings a bell." Pyrrha began stealing a glance in Roxas's way.

Qrow's eyes narrowed. "What? What's that look about?" The man immediately caught on to the glances being shot towards Roxas.

He stared at Roxas with furrowed brows.

The boy swallowed.

"Um, the reason they're uh, acting that way is because the first year in that story…is me."

Qrow's eyes locked with his own for a moment before directing their attention a little lower towards his lips. The teen's eyebrows furrowed, confused at what the man was looking at until Roxas placed a hand on his chin.

He felt the long scar that ran up his neck.

He's noticing my old wounds…

"That's…" For the first time since they'd met, it appeared to the boy that the Huntsman had no words on the matter. "Huh."

He was staring at Roxas curiously now, as if he was trying to piece the boy together in his mind. Roxas felt like he was being mentally dissected, like the man was trying to figure him out right there and then.

It was nerve wracking.

"Well," The man's harsh gaze finally dropped before continuing, "In that case, congrats on making it out of such a crappy situation. I'm guessing you stayed close to the sophomores and kept yourself distant from the fight? A smart move considering you're still a first year."

"Um," Roxas considered correcting him, but concluded that would likely result in an even deeper glare from the man. "Something like that."

"Regardless," Qrow continued, "The point is that fear is what draws in the Grimm. You-" He motioned towards Pyrrha, "-were saying that we should alert the public on the news. I assume your thought process is so that the people of Vale can better prepare if another breach does occur, right?"

A nod.

"Now, tell me, if the public heard that Grimm were piling up at our borders, what do you think the general response would be."

It didn't take a genius to figure out.

Mass panic.

Roxas's eyes widened as he watched the rest of his classmates arrive at the same conclusion.

"I can tell by the looks on your faces you've all figured it out. If we broadcasted this information on the news it would just cause a panic, which would mean more fear, which would mean more Grimm at our doors, and then we might actually have a breach if it gets too bad."

"So…it's for their protection that they don't know."

The Huntsman nodded.

"That…" Ruby frowned, crossing her arms. "Something about that doesn't sit right with me."

Qrow nodded, "I know. Doesn't seem fair does it? But sometimes…just knowing something can put you in danger. Even if it's sometimes not fair, keeping people in the dark can keep them safe."

Roxas winced as he heard those words.

He'd learned that truth the hard way.
"So, what's option number two?" Jaune suddenly voiced up.

Roxas blinked.

He'd entirely forgotten that this was only the first option of several, and that it very aptly put them away from the compound they'd been planning to investigate.
It was beginning to look more and more like Ozpin had pulled one over on them.

You and your big mouth.

The teen felt regret building in the pit of his stomach. Had he just ruined this entire operation due to his nervousness?

Despite that, it appeared that the group was grateful for a subject change.

"Well option two is a simple escort job. Caravan taking some cargo to a small town a short flight south of here. We'd really just be added protection on top of the normal guards, so I doubt we'd see any real trouble." he scoffed before continuing, "I bet the most we'd see is a few Ursa, maybe a boarbatusk or two," he said making a side to side motion with his hand.

Another job that puts us way out on the outskirts of Vale!

Roxas felt his fingers tightening into fists.

He felt betrayed.

This had been his plan all along. Of course the headmaster wouldn't trust a handful of first years to organize and bust a crime syndicate!

"...And option three?" A slightly deflated sounding Jaune asked. Roxas could see his leader was arriving at the same conclusion.

"Oh, option three?"
Roxas thought he'd detected the slightest hint of a smirk on the Huntsman's lips.

"I thought I'd cut you kids a break, if you want it that is."

"...What do you mean?" Pyrrha asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Oh, there's a handful of buildings in the upper Industrial District that have had a few reports of 'suspicious individuals' at night. It's not really a Huntsman job, but I know how to phrase it so it sounds like it was a proper Huntsman job." He grinned. "I remember what it was like in Beacon, stressful, difficult, a lot of getting punched straight in the nose."
A short round of laughter rippled through the table.
"Point is," he continued, "I remember going through all that stress and wishing I'd got a chance to have a break in between it all. Basically, all the job would be is staying up on top of a rooftop and watching the roads for a little while."
Jaune's eyes grew wide with excitement, "Where exactly would we do that?"

He's definitely hiding a smirk now.

The huntsman pulled out a scroll from his back pocket, turning it around to show a red marker on a map of Vale.

It was only three roads away from the factory Sun had found.

The group shared a silent look.

...Alright Ozpin...I take it back.

Roxas's gaze shifted upward and caught a short glimpse of Qrow looking like a cat who'd just gotten up to some mischief.

...He's just been playing around with us the entire time!

The teen scowled as he made the realization.

The older huntsman let out a laugh.


-Fifteen Hours Later-

He'd tried for the better half of an hour to get back to sleep before eventually giving up and rising from his bed sheets. The blond did his best to remain silent as he slipped on his signature coat and stepped into the dimly lit hall.

His feet creaked against the old wooden floor as they carried him to the stairwell he noticed upon their arrival.
He hadn't been to the place he was going yet, but he knew where it was he wanted to be.

Roxas felt a shiver run down his spine as he pushed the heavy door open. The air was frigid as it rushed past his face into the warm stairwell. A moment later the boy's hood had been pulled over his ears.
He took another step out before letting the door gently clink shut behind him.
He didn't know exactly what his obsession with rooftops was, but it always seemed to calm him in times of stress.

Just what I need.

He thought to himself as he began to step towards the railing. There were cigarette buds and discarded litter scattered across the cracked cement. The boy assumed there was more trash than he could see considering the lamp next to the door had been shattered completely.

"I should have figured you'd come up here."

Roxas paused before a smile slowly spread from his lips.
Turning back towards the door, he saw the grinning form of Ruby sitting atop the building that housed the motel's upper stairwell. She already had her battle attire on, her combat boots kicking in the air as they dangled. She also had a large blanket wrapped around her which Roxas presumed she'd stolen from her bed.

"Why are you up here?" he asked, pleasantly surprised.

"...Probably the same reason you are." He watched her smile falter slightly as she held his gaze.

"..."

...She's not wrong.

With a hop, Roxas's fingers gripped the lip of the small building before hoisting himself up beside the girl.

He wrapped an arm around her a moment later, a move he'd learned at the movies.

She snuggled up next to him, sharing the blanket so that they both were wrapped within its folds.

"Hmm, you're warm." Ruby's voice hummed as she leaned into him more.

"Am I just your personal heater now?"

"Mhmm." The girl responded as she slowly curled up so that she was using his lap as a pillow. "The best heater of them all."
"Gee, thanks," he answered sarcastically. Eventually, he found his fingers slowly beginning to play with her hair, it was starting to get a little longer now.
Immediately, Roxas began to picture his girlfriend with long hair that ran down her shoulders.

He had to admit…it would look good on her.

The two fell into a silence as they sat there. Their eyes gazed out into the night sky, appreciating the thousands of twinkling lights littering the darkness.

"Roxas…"
His gaze shifted down.

"Are you…nervous?"

It was a simple question.

But the teen felt that his answer could not be.

Slowly, his lips parted.

"Yes…but I feel like I shouldn't be."

Ruby's body shifted, her head turned so that her eyes were able to study him curiously.

"Why?"

"Because, it's just another fight. I feel like my whole life has just been one long chain of fights. I've risked my life more times than I can count."

He frowned, his eyebrows furrowed as he continued.

"What makes this time so special?"

"..."

A few moments later, the boy felt Ruby's index finger gently trace the scar running up to the cusp of his chin. He closed his eyes, he couldn't tell for certain, but the skin there felt more sensitive than how it'd been before.

"...You're not alone you know. You've got your friends to back you up this time. I know that you've had to fight a lot of these fights alone..." Ruby's lips slipped into a frown.
"I know-I know, it's just-" He let out a sigh, "I know that everyone is going to be trying their hardest and it's not just me out there." He shook his head. "Even if I keep reminding myself of that, I just…can't shake this nervousness."

"...Well yeah, that makes sense."

Roxas's brows furrowed.

"Huh?"

"You've had to mostly rely on your own strength up until this point. Almost every time we've had a run in with the Organization…it came down to whether or not you were strong enough to stop them." She let out a frustrated breath. "None of us are ever skilled enough to make a difference. I mean, even back at the river, if Penny hadn't shown up I'm pretty sure we'd have been done for. And now, you physically can't rely on your own strength. You have to rely on everyone else… and I think you're scared because of it."

Roxas fell quiet, his eyes wide with a stunned expression.

She was right.

Xigbar, Axel, Luxord...her clone, Saix, and even the breach had all been battles that he'd only had himself to rely on. In all of those conflicts, the only person who'd been able to help him was himself and his abilities.
He frowned. Was that really it? He didn't know if he liked the implications of that fact. Was the truth of the matter simply that he couldn't rely on any of his friends when push came to shove? He felt conflicted in that conclusion, like admitting it was true meant that he didn't trust them somehow. They'd been working just as hard as him to sharpen their skills, to prove themselves as competent Huntsmen and Huntresses. He knew personally that each and every one of them were incredible combatants in their own right.

So why can't I put my faith in them?

"... Maybe it's because a lot of our friends are upset with me right now."
"Maybe…" Ruby's voice trailed off. Roxas could tell that she was thinking of something now…likely a plan to try and solve his problems he assumed.
"Why are you nervous then?"
Ruby blinked, "Huh?"
"Earlier, you told me you were nervous. Is it because you think we're gonna lose?"

"Um, I guess?" Ruby's head tilted to the side in his lap, as if she wasn't so certain herself.

Roxas raised an eyebrow. "You don't know?"

"Well, it's not that I'm scared of losing exactly. Honestly, I think I'm more afraid to find out that you were right."

I was right? Right about what?

"I don't understand…"

"Your fear, Roxas. Basically, I think what I'm saying is, I'm afraid that all this effort I've put in to make myself the most dangerous and effective Huntress I can be won't count for anything when we step in the ring of one of your old friends."

Roxas frowned, "Ruby, you're not weak. You know I don't think you are."

She let out a soft laugh. "Of course you don't actually think that. You're too sweet." She began poking at his cheeks playfully. "But- I just-" a frustrated sigh spilled from her lips.

"...You okay?"

The girl grew quiet as she turned her head, staring up at the stars. She said nothing for a long time. Roxas assumed that she'd not heard his question somehow when she finally spoke.

"... You know, ever since I was a toddler I wanted to be a Huntress."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I always thought they looked so cool and confident on TV. I'd be in my pajamas watching the Vytal Festival, bouncing around trying to replicate the moves I saw them doing." She laughed.

Roxas smiled with her.

"Point is…I've worked hard for this. I got into Beacon a whole two years earlier than most, and I was so proud of myself for managing it. Then," She gently pushed a finger into his chest. "You came around."

His head tilted to the side confused.
"Suddenly, there was another student my age in Beacon who came in at almost the exact same time. A student who was regularly pushed into life or death situations again and again to the point that even my uncle has heard about you. What's more, that same student is on my very own team." She looked away, appearing conflicted about what she was going to say next. "... No offense, Roxas, but it made me feel…small, I guess. It made me feel like I didn't need to be there, like none of us really needed to be there, other than you that is."

"I'm… sorry…" He'd never thought about it like that. Had he really shown up his other classmates that much?

She let out a laugh that eased the tension in his shoulders. "It's not your fault for being super strong Roxas. What I'm trying to get at is that, in a sense, you sort of lit a fire under my butt. You made me realize just how hard I would need to work if I was ever going to be a truly amazing Huntress. I've been pushing myself harder than I ever have before…and I'm just nervous that…" She paused, her words trailing off as she tried to collect her thoughts.

"...That I'll find out that I didn't work hard enough."

The two fell silent as the message sunk in for the young man.

"...Ruby?"
"Hm?"
"You're already an amazing Huntress."

She let out a dismissive laugh. "No I'm not, not yet. I haven't proven myself in the same way you have over and over again."

"But…" He smirked before continuing, "You've saved my life, like, more times than I can remember."

Ruby's face grew confused. "Huh?"

"Do you remember the first time we met?"
Ruby slowly pushed herself up so that she was sitting next to the boy. Her silver eyes were staring at him questioningly before she nodded.

"I remember that time. The first time I stumbled upon this world, only for the first things I encountered to be the Grimm. I remember thinking to myself, 'Well, looks like this is it,' as those things I didn't know were Ursa yet charged me for what I assumed was going to be the last time." He laughed. "Then, out of nowhere, two booming shots take them down, and all I see is a blur of red racing to my rescue before I pass out."

Ruby scoffed, "That was hardly impressive. All I did was-"

Roxas raised an index finger to her lips. "I wasn't finished yet."

Her mouth opened as if to protest before nodding and motioning him to continue.
"Then, there was the time I was fighting Xigbar. Man, was that a hard fight as any. I was drained, hurt, and knew that I wasn't going to survive another hit. I was trapped inside a ring of flames of my own design, a trap I had used for him that he turned back around on me. Then, just like before, a gunshot and blur of red rose pedals saves me at the very last second."

"I… I guess…" She shrugged.

He grinned, he could tell that she'd never thought of that before.

His smile fell as he recalled the next memory.

"Then…there was the time we met DiZ. If I'm being completely honest…I think that was the only time I truly thought that there wasn't even a chance for me to make it out of there alive. I accepted it and made peace with it." His smile returned. "And then, wouldn't you know it, that little blur of red races in and pulls me back from the brink of…well, I don't even know what was happening to me. I felt myself disappearing, being erased entirely. Then you saved me again. Even though none of us knew how, you still figured it out."

Ruby was completely quiet now, her silver eyes large and round as she continued to stare into his.

"Then there's the time at the river right after our first...uh, kiss," He felt his warmth rising in his cheeks as he said the word. "I fell while you were still standing. You fought off Demyx for- honestly I have no idea. I was passed out and bleeding at the time." He let out a shaky laugh.
He looked away, his eyes narrowing in thought. "Then there was the time just after the dance when that massive Ursa just sorta-" He made a dropping motion with his hands. "Started falling apart in front of me. Honestly, I should have known it was just my crimson guardian angel coming to my rescue like she always does."

He continued to study the street down below as he collected his thoughts. "In all honesty, out of our whole group…I trust you with my life more than anyone. To me, you're the most incredible Huntress I know. You've personally pulled me out of the fire at least five times, one of those times literally, and that's just off the top of my head. I'm sure I'm forgetting some time you-"

He paused as he heard a sniffle to his left.

Turning his head, he could see that his girlfriend had streams of tears running down her cheeks.

His eyes grew wide with panic.

Crap! Did I say something wrong?!

Suddenly, Ruby's arms were wrapped around him as she pulled him close.

The teen tasted the girl's lips a moment later.

Huh, maybe not.

Several seconds passed before the girl eventually released him, pulling back as she wiped her face with her sleeve.

"Sorry," She sniffled again. "I know that was probably gross."

Roxas sat in a daze, only vaguely aware of the dampness that had transferred to his face.

"Gross?" He repeated questioningly. He had certainly not found that gross.

She let out a laugh as she wiped the last of her tears away.

"I guess not." She leaned into him again, wrapping her arms around him in a hug as her head rested on his shoulder. "Thank you, Roxas. I think…I really needed to hear that."

"Of...course." He responded awkwardly, still feeling his heart beating a mile a minute from the kiss. "You're amazing Ruby. I think I'll just have to remind you of that every now and then."

He felt her snuggle into him deeper after his comment.

"You're a good boyfriend."

"You're a good girlfriend."

"Mhmm." She smiled. "Your 'crimson guardian angel' as you put it?"
He nodded, "Seemed like a good way to describe you."

"Hehe," Roxas could feel the girl radiating joy now. "It was."

The two sat quietly, appreciating the other's warmth as the orange glow of the sun began to slowly peek over the horizon.


Author's Note:

Hiya everyone, I hope you are all doing well during this rather stressful time. My best wishes to any of you who have been personally affected by the current pandemic, and I hope you recover soon.
Moving onto lighter topics, I wanted to discuss the future of this fanfic. I know that my update schedule has been less than stellar over the history of this story's creation. Despite its relative popularity, I've found the latest installments have been the hardest to write overall. I feel like I'm forever apologizing for being away so long every time I get around to writing the AN.
After enough of this practice, I've started to speculate why exactly I've been struggling to move forward with the story. I've arrived at the conclusion that it's a simple matter of where the RWBY franchise is as of right now.
WARNING! THE FOLLOWING DISCUSSES SPOILERS FOR VOLUMES 3-ONWARD OF RWBY

I'll just come out and say it. I personally don't enjoy RWBY anymore. I honestly don't believe I would be following the series had it not been for the fact that this fanfic exists and that I'm dedicated to see it to the end. I feel that I'm required to watch it purely out of need to maintain the canon information as much as possible. I know that's rich coming from the guy who made the mix up of the team name not having the first letter be the team leader, but I was a much younger author back then.
The point I'm making is simply that my enjoyment of the series has dwindled as a whole. In my own personal opinion, the volumes following vol 3 have been boring and unimpressive, lacking the style and heart it once had. I, like any RWBY fan, know that the creator Monty Oum passed away during this time, and I feel that the series has never recovered since.

This point is only magnified by the most recent volume of the series, which for the longest time felt like a return to form for the very first time.
Only to mess it up on the landing.

Relationships were being explored, characters were developing and there was actually a semi-competent plot with an interesting twist that finally showed the good guys fighting back against Salem. I was actually genuinely invested in the show again, maybe not as much as I was back in vol 3, but it still felt good to be enjoying the show after so long.
Then Clover's death happened.
It just showed me how little the writers care about the characters they're writing, and it made me not even attempt to watch the final episode (I had it spoiled for me by a fan anyway, so it didn't matter too much).

Watching Qrow's character, who up until this point had finally begun to show a connection with Clover (I know it was heavily implied romantic, but it was only in the blooming seeds part of the relationship) decide to team up with Tyrian to fight against Clover broke my faith in the series. Watching Qrow, look to Tyrian, a known serial killer who they'd previously just devoted their time to capturing, and decide to help him take down Clover before being somehow shocked that Tyrian, the serial killer, killed Clover.

Like, what other outcome were you expecting? This was the only outcome!
But, I digress. The point I'm making is simply, the series as a whole is not one that I'm necessarily infatuated with anymore, and it makes it difficult to want to write within its worlds as a result.
Understanding this point leads to what I meant when I said 'future of this fanfic'. I know that there are many of you who expect me to write out the Vytal festival and show the tournament arc, following the same plot line as the original RWBY canon. I will admit that for a long time, I wanted to do the very same. But soon I realized that if I were to replicate the fall of Beacon as so many fics do, then I would be locked into a plot that I personally have no true desire revisiting, or at least, not with the same dynamics in place.
That goes the same with the Kingdom Hearts storyline as I've gotten many a PM asking me about what I'm going to do when Xehanort initiates the KH3 plotline and how I'm gonna use 'insert rwby character here' and make sure they're a part of the fight now.
Now, personally…I have zero desire to do this. Essentially the impression I get from these requests is to see characters like Ruby and Yang appear alongside Riku and Sora in these iconic moments across the KH3 story, basically like the main characters of each world do as Sora explores them.

What's more, I would be virtually unable to change the canon events of KH3 due to the…nature of a Kingdom Hearts story. Any honest Kingdom Hearts fan will admit that the series is extremely convoluted, often just having things happen that are dramatic or cool and then explaining them away with some mumbo jumbo about the heart, darkness or friendship. The "rules" of the Kingdom Hearts are loose at best, meaning quite literally that at times I have no idea why something occurred (This is especially true of KH3).
That means that in order for events to play out how they need to, I would need to preserve the integrity of the original story as much as possible, meaning events would mostly play out the same (except now Blake or Pyrrha gets to comment on things).
I don't want to write that story. I've personally seen this happen too many times in cross overs, where characters don't actually make an impact on the world and events really play out like normally.
I want to make the actions taken by the character
matter.

But alas, I know that I may turn off fans of the series by making this decision.

So, I wanted to ask you all as viewers.

Please leave a review telling me your opinion on the matter. Tell me if you'd prefer to see the story follow the same general plot lines as the canon series, a sort of RWBY+Roxas & Namine if you will, or to watch the story unfold in an entirely new way that I'm eager to explore.
I'm not saying that I'm putting it to a vote because in the end I'm going to pursue what I feel makes for a better story, but that doesn't mean I don't value your input as fans of the series.

So please review if you enjoyed (or even if you didn't lol) and please remember to sign in if you expect a response from yours truly! As always I will make sure to respond to each review I get! (Seriously though, why do I get reviews from guests that are genuine questions as if I'm able to respond? Sign in next time silly!)

Anyhow, I hope you all keep safe and have a wonderful rest of your day/evening/night.

Until next time!


Hey guys! Shiloh the beta reader here! I hope everyone is okay and hanging in there with the whole Coronavirus going around and basically making life miserable and depressing. I know that things look grim and scary from the uncertainty, but we have to remember the one thing that Kingdom Hearts: When we find ourselves in the deepest darkness, there will always be a light to guide us back. We will get through this because as Monty once said: "The human soul is indomitable." But enough about me being corny and sentimental here, lol.

Now as you all probably already read from RoxaShadow, he will not follow the rest of the cannon from the RWBY and Kingdom Hearts series. Like any other loyal beta reader, I will go with where he decides to go with this story, though I still have an opinion on this matter. Quite frankly, I agree with RoxaShadow's argument. The Kingdom Hearts series has always been a mess when it comes to lore and stories. Everytime a new game or a new chapter rises from the series, more confusion and contradictions pop up that make it very difficult for me and RoxaShadow to follow along. As for the RWBY series, as much as I appreciate the CRWBY team doing their best, they still fall a little short and sometimes make me question if they even value some of the characters they put so much time and effort into creating.

Hence, I have come to the conclusion that from this point on, RoxaShadow will start to deviate from the cannon and take this chance to explore unknown territory that very few fanfic writers dare to set foot on. Though that doesn't mean he won't make the characters OOC. We love the RWBY and Kingdom Hearts characters for who they are. After all, they are part of the reason why we love the series in the first place, so believe me when I say that you all have nothing to worry about. Besides, I'll be here to be sure that our author doesn't do such a thing ;D But anyway, I intend to stick with this story until the very end. I've placed a lot of emotional investment in this story, so I'm gonna see through it to the very end. I hope that a majority of you will stick with us nutjobs and this story to the very end as well. If not, well...I won't stop you. We all have our opinions.

Well, I said my peace. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, so, as always, please be sure to leave a review. I also hope I did okay on editing this chapter because, believe me, I'm trying. I'll see you all in the next chapter, so until then be safe. And remember to wash your hands and NOT touch your face. Ciao!