Given the nature of a few of the reviews from the last chapter, I feel a need to point something out before we begin. People seem to believe I stay up-to-date on KH and RWBY because I write Fanfiction for them, which itself isn't far fetched, so I don't blame people. I'm letting you all know now, however, that I am not. I have not even started vol. 8, and more importantly, I am not up to date on Union X. I'm waiting for someone to upload an all cutscenes comp on Youtube that I can binge with a bowl of popcorn in one hand and a notepad in the other. As an aside, I also haven't seen whatever is important from Melody of Memory, though I have finally seen the Yozora cutscenes, thanks to Bizkit047's guide that allowed me to beat him!

Now on the story, and please enjoy!

Blake didn't know how, but they managed to get both Ruby and Kairi safely to the dorm without anyone stopping them or asking questions. Weiss wondered if it was just common knowledge around Beacon at this point that team RWBY got involved in a lot of weirdness, so the other students just let them be. Yang was just relieved to get her little sister off the cold concrete and onto a soft, warm bed. However, all that still left the concern about why the Keybladers weren't waking up.

Yang was quick to search Ruby's pockets for the Gummiphone. Another Wielder was the best place for answers, so she was hoping Mickey would be able to pick up. Unfortunately, her calls went unanswered. Not letting that stop her, Yang resolved to continue sending calls for as long as it took. Weiss pulled out her own scroll, announcing, "I'm contacting the headmaster."

"Do you really think he'll know what's going on?" Blake pointed out.

"Of course not," Weiss shook her head. "But maybe he can send a tight-lipped nurse to at least check up on these two?"

Yang frowned, any thought in her head roadblocked by the thought of her sister's condition.

Blake was the one to speak up next, "It's not the worst idea… I'd certainly feel better that we tried to do something, and we know Ozpin can keep a secret."

Yang sighed as another call to Mickey went unanswered. "Yeah, you're probably right. I'm gunna keep trying this, but… make the call."

Weiss nodded, and a few minutes later informed them Glynda was on her way to perform the checkup herself.

Blake's ears perked up the moment before there was a knock at the door. "That was a little quick…"

Weiss cracked the door open to greet, "Winter?"

"Weiss!" Winter seemed relieved that her sister had opened the door. "I wanted to speak with you. To apologize, actually…"

"I see, um…" Weiss's thoughts wandered to the stranger currently on her bed.

Winter winced, misreading Weiss's hesitance. "May I… come inside?"

Weiss's eyes snapped back to her sisters. "Right now is not a good time."

"Is everything okay?" Winter asked.

"What? No, everything is fine, I'm fine!" Weiss assured. "I appreciate this, truly, we're just in the middle of something. We'll talk later, I promise!"

With that, Weiss shut the door before the conversation could get further out of hand. Winter was sure something more was going on, but doubted her right to barge in and see. Weiss hadn't been wrong during their teatime. Winter had chosen her perpetrator and pursued with no real evidence. She wanted to trust her General, he had never steered her wrong before… but she also wanted to trust her dearest sister. If Weiss is right about Ironwood succumbing to forces he couldn't hope to control…

Winter didn't like where that line of thought took her.

"Specialist Schnee?"

Winter was broken from her reverie by Glynda Goodwitch. "Professor," Winter nodded professionally before turning and walking away. Whatever was going on, she needed evidence she could actually act on before she took her next steps. Goodwitch watched Winter leave with a suspicious eye before knocking on the door to RWBY dorm herself.

Weiss opened the door carefully, and was relieved to see it was Glynda. "Thank you for coming by, Professor."

"Of course," Glynda nodded. Her eyes were drawn to the newcomer on Weiss's bed. "This is another of Ruby's Masters?"

"Kairi," Yang nodded.

Glynda spent a few moments checking up the passed-out wielders, taking pulses, and generally looking over them. "Well, there's nothing apparently wrong with them. Obviously I cannot account for magics, but physically they're perfectly fine."

"Thank you, Professor," Weiss nodded.

"Have you contacted her other Master? Mickey?" Glynda asked.

Yang sighed. "I've probably sent him twenty calls already before Weiss even called you. Hopefully that's enough for him to get back to us soon."

"Where is he that even the Gummiphone doesn't reach?" Blake wondered.

"Not a question I can answer," Yang pointed out. "Like I even know the answer…"

"So there is stuff even you don't know?" Weiss picked up.

"Rubes is the wielder," Yang shrugged. "Just because I can know the same stuff doesn't mean I go out of my way to study it. Why fill my head with a bunch of crap I literally can't ever use?"

"I suppose I can't fault that logic…" Weiss reluctantly accepted.

"So… where exactly did Master Kairi come from again?" Glynda asked.

"A light that burst out of Ruby's chest. Far as I can tell, she somehow used Ruby as a medium for travel." Weiss answered as though it was the most natural explanation in the world.

Glynda could only respond with an "I see," that was an obvious lie.

As the dorm fell silent again, Yang shifted over to sit next to her sister. The elder ran a hand through the younger's hair and noted how peaceful their breath was, as if they were properly sleeping. Maybe that's all it is, Yang realized, like when she passed out after the train thing. "Well, if anyone deserves a nice nap, it's you, Rubes. As long as you wake up, sleep all you need…"

Ruby left the world of dreams and felt herself laying on something soft and warm. She didn't remember falling asleep, but she must have. What was the last thing I was doing? The Land of Departure fell, I joined Beacon… the docks, the train… Crona… Then someone in my dive… Ruby's eyes shot open. "Kairi!"

"Gah!" Yang jumped, surprised by the sudden movement from her sister.

"Sorry," Ruby immediately offered. With the haze of sleep vanished, she fully recalled what had happened. "How long has it been?"

"Nothing crazy like a week straight or anything," Yang answered. "Basically just overnight."

"I'm kinda surprised it wasn't longer," Ruby admitted. She then scanned the room, barely daring to hope what she saw was real… thankfully she wasn't disappointed as her gaze settled on the figure lying on Weiss's bed. "Master!" In a dash, Ruby was on her feet at Kairi's bedside.

"She kinda flew out of your chest," Yang explained.

Ruby reached out, taking Kairi's hand in her own. First Mickey, now this? Things finally felt like they were turning around.

The door opened a moment later, leading to Weiss and Blake entering the dorm. "You're awake!" Weiss noted happily. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine," Ruby assured. She squeezed Kairi's hand with a large smile on her face, "better than fine."

"I bet," Weiss smirked.

"And your Master?" Blake questioned, looking down to the still asleep wielder.

"She just needs time to recover," Ruby explained. "If I'm right about what she did, and I'm pretty sure I am, it would have a been a huge strain on her heart. Much larger than the strain it put on mine."

"But what exactly did she do?" Yang wondered.

"It's a power that uses the connections between hearts to travel," a familiar voice answered from the doorway.

"Mickey!" Yang greeted.

The small king closed the door behind him and smiled. "I saw your calls after coming back to check in, and figured I'd skip the callin' ya back and just head straight here. But I guess I didn't have to worry so much!"

"How did you figure something was wrong so quickly?" Weiss asked.

"Ruby knows the Gummiphone wouldn't be able to reach me. For that many calls to have been left, I figured someone else musta been using it, meaning Ruby was out for the count," Mickey explained.

"She was until a minute ago," Yang elaborated.

"I see," Mickey nodded before joining Ruby at Kairi's side.

Blake's curiosity eventually got the better of her. "I thought Ruby was trapped here because she couldn't travel to look for her Master? If wielders can use hearts to travel magically, why didn't Ruby do that already?"

"Cause it's a Master level skill," Mickey answered. "It's not easy, and when misused it has serious consequences. It's the kind of skill that's only used as a last resort." He turned to Ruby, "the fact you could even feel each other from where Kairi was, let alone do this, is a testament to the strength of your bond." Ruby's smile widened at the implication.

Unfortunately her smile wouldn't last long, as a familiar shiver passed over the two conscious wielders. Weiss was perceptive enough to notice the shift in the two. "What now? Is something wrong?"

"It seems another light appearing at this school didn't go unnoticed," Mickey told them. "I can handle this, you should keep resting."

"No, I can go," Ruby insisted. "I have to. There's something I have to say to them… Yang?"

"I've got Kairi," Yang nodded. Having a pretty good guess at where this was going, she added, "kick their butt."

Out on the courtyard, a now-familiar dark portal once again took shape. The few students without classes immediately took note of the strange occurrence. Most of them were less surprised when Ruby stepped out of Beacon's doors to confront the black circle. Everything exceptional that happened this year seemed to involve the young leader in one way or another. It also tended to involve explosions, which was why many students were already leaving.

Winter happened to be passing through the entrance hall when students suddenly piled in from outside. She wouldn't be Atlas's second in command if she wasn't perceptive enough to note the mixture of worry and intrigue. It helped that Ozpin himself seemed interested in watching through a nearby window, and the Specialist decided to step up next to him. Seeing Ruby and what appeared to be a diminutive faunus step up to a strange portal told her it was definitely the right move.

"I hear you have questions about the nature of Ruby's magic and the power of Darkness," Ozpin noted without looking away himself. "I have a feeling you're about to witness what is commonly referred to as a 'crash course'."

Winter, recalling her recent fallbacks, bit back her sour response and simply watched.

"I've definitely been on Remnant too long," Ruby realized, noting the behavior of the students. It probably wasn't smart to have this fight in front of the school.

Ruby and Mickey were reminded the decision wasn't entirely theirs as Crona stepped out of the Corridor. The hooded figure turned their shrouded face to Mickey, then to Ruby, before finally settling their eye on the window to RWBY Dorm. "So there is another one…" Crona seemed to shrink in on themselves a little, with their shoulders pushing forward and their head dipping down. Their left hand gripped their left bicep like always. "You were all supposed to be gone… You keep coming back, keep collecting on this world… I don't know if I can handle that…"

"Are you the one who attacked the Land of Departure?" Mickey asked.

"I… have to follow my Darkness…" Crona answered.

Ruby's fists clenched. "Why?" the young wielder asked. "Why the Darkness?"

"The Darkness was there when I woke up…" Crona explained in monotone, "and then it became a part of me… I am Darkness, and I have to follow my Darkness."

"Woke up?" Mickey caught. "From what?"

"From… the Darkness…" Crona's voice became increasingly unsure as they were interrogated.

"But that's not true, is it?" Ruby pressed, taking a step forward. "Darkness wasn't always the case, right?"

"I… I am Darkness… And I have to…" Crona was becoming visually distressed. Their hands reached up to grip their head. "What have you… what's going on… I don't know how to deal with this!"

Ruby closed the distance between them. "You used to fight for something else, right?" she urged them, placing her hand on their chest and once again traveling to Crona's dive.

"What are you…?" Crona shook their head.

"Remember!" Ruby didn't give them time to question. "Remember what you used to fight for," she summoned her Keyblade into her free hand. "Remember this!" she placed Crescent Rose in Crona's own hand. They could both feel the beast, the 'Darkness', slithering around the tower. Ruby could see the deep yellow eyes in her periphery, but she forced herself to stare on into Crona's eyes.

"Ignore the Darkness… Remember…" the young wielder pleaded. It finally seemed to be having an effect. Crona's Darkness tainted yellow eyes faded into a lavender that reminded Ruby of Yang's eyes. Crona's stance softened, and Ruby could tell they were beginning to remember. Then it all fell apart.

It started with Crona's eyes shrinking in obvious panic. A painful memory passing behind their eyes, eyes that faded back to yellow and Crona hyperventilated. Connected as they were in that moment, Ruby could feel it too. Memories that did not belong to her flashed behind her own eyes, too fast and too chaotic to make out. But the emotion… confusion, worry, fear… In that brief moment, Ruby truly understood the tragic figure before her.

Then Crona screamed, "NOOO!" Ruby was forced out of their dive, and in reality was pushed back by a dark vortex emanating from the cloaked figure. "No, no, no, no, no!" Crona continued, the pain evident in their voice. "It hurts! The memory hurts! The Light hurts! I don't know how to deal with that!"

"What happened!?" Mickey asked Ruby.

"I… I don't…" Ruby felt nauseous. She was flooded with memories she didn't own, memories she couldn't latch onto properly enough to recall. They became a hazy mess, and the understanding she felt a moment before left her.

"Ruby!" Mickey shouted and tugged on her arm to snap her back to awareness.

The young wielder forced the hazy images to the back of her mind. "Sorry… I thought… I hoped I could get through to them, but… I think I failed…"

"Don't worry about whether or not you failed," Mickey told her. "Worry about the threat right in front of us."

"Right," Ruby nodded. There was no point dwelling on a truth that escaped her. If she didn't fight her world and the people she loved would be in danger. Everything else would have to wait. Crona had appeared to calm down, though waves of Darkness visibly pulsed off their form.

Feeling the strength of Crona's Darkness made Ruby happy of at least one thing. Her hand came down on her finally repaired armor switch, enveloping her in light as her armor formed around her. A tight fitting and flexible black mail wrapped around Ruby neck to toe. Various bronze and lightly rose-tinted plates set into place over the mail across vital areas. Her helmet sported a mirrored vizor that hid Ruby's features completely, and finally, a skinny red cape reminiscent of Ruby's own unfolded from between the pauldrons and nearly swept the ground.

No sooner had Ruby's armor formed did Crona leap into action. Ruby barely had time to summon Crescent Rose to block the first strike. A claw made from Dark smoke curled around Ruby's Keyblade. Mickey took the opportunity to attack from the side, but Crona was fast enough for the small king, and grabbed Star Cluster as well. The claws glowed for a brief moment before exploding, sending both wielders several feet away.

Afterward, Crona's upper body fell limp. Mickey took the apparent opening to strike again, surprised when Crona bent completely backward under his Keyblade. Crona twisted around, throwing one of his arms to strike Mickey in the back as he passed over the unusually limber Dark wielder. Crona quickly began spinning again, closing the distance between himself and Ruby. Ruby was a bit more ready for Crona's unique fighting style, and was able to block a few more strikes.

Winter's eyes could barely keep up with the speed and savagery of the hooded figure. She couldn't imagine fighting that, but that appeared to be exactly what Ruby and her mysterious friend were doing. And while she wasn't sure whether or not Ruby could win, the young leader was at least holding her own. "It doesn't seem… human."

"Ms. Rose?" Ozpin questioned.

"Either of them," Winter clarified. "Ruby must have enough power to defeat any of us."

"And yet, she has only protected us," Ozpin pointed out. "A fact your General repeatedly ignored."

"Unless she wants to infiltrate," Winter argued.

"To what end? What do we have that she couldn't simply take at her strength?" Ozpin countered.

Winter couldn't find a reasonable response, and a deeply repressed part of her was starting to doubt Ironwood could either. Her attention was pulled back to the fight when Ruby's next move cracked the ground beneath the fighters.

The young wielder had used an "Aero!" spell to launch herself into the sky, right above Crona. Before Crona could prepare for the coming strike, Ruby cast a "Gravity!" spell on herself. The magic pulled her to the ground faster than she could fall naturally, adding to the force she attacked with when she reached the ground. She cracked the earth, but more importantly, she dealt actual damage to Crona. As Crona reeled the King flipped into the fray from behind the Dark wielder and struck a blow of his own before they could recover.

Crona growled in frustration, sounding much closer to a traditional Heartless than a human Darkness user. Their arm arced over their head to smash into the ground, and spiked of earth shot upward from under Mickey's and Ruby's feet, throwing them into the air.

Crona was quick to follow through, launching themself toward Ruby and spinning again with a claw out, striking her aside before she could recover. Thankfully Ruby's armor took the brunt of the damage. The plate cracked but left the girl within largely intact, though she still had the wind knocked out of her when she hit Beacon's wall with enough force to leave and impression in the stone.

Crona landed on their back and slowly slowly rolled onto their feet in time to see Mickey approaching again. Their melee with Mickey was just as viscous and even as it their melee with Ruby, which gave Ruby the time to find her feet. The young wielder realized Crona's back was to her. Might as well try, right? She raised Crescent Rose, and with her new understanding from her conversation with Mickey some days ago, summoned her power.

"Lux Firaga!"

The golden fireball burst from her Keyblade, trailing a path directly to Crona. The Dark user heard the cry and spun their head in time to take the light infused magic fire directly to their face once again. Mickey couldn't help but stare a moment over what he just saw, but quickly shook it off as he saw Ruby approaching.

When Ruby was close enough, she set up and quickly executed a zantetsuken. Crona recoiled just as Mickey jumped and flipped, using that momentum to ping-pong Crona back the other way with the business end of Star Cluster. The small king landed next to Ruby, and they both settled into their fighting stances.

Crona landed on their hands and knees. The dark energy that pulsed from their shoulders slowly faded as they stood up and stared into their hands. Flashes of memories brings images of a weapon made from light in their grip. "Did I… forget…? I don't understand…" After a moment, Crona vanished into a Dark Corridor.

"Did we scare them off?" Mickey asked, genuinely confused.

"I don't think so…" Ruby answered, equally confused. "I'd suggest that what I did earlier worked after all, but if did they wouldn't have fought us."

"That didn't feel like fighting a Darkness user," Mickey pointed out. "That felt like fighting a Heartless."

"Which means…?" Ruby questioned.

"I have no idea," Mickey freely admitted. After a bit of an awkward pause, the king added, "welp, no point in stressin' about it right now. Let's just be happy they're gone."

"If you say so…" Ruby accepted reluctantly, dispelling her armor in a bright flash.

"By the way, what was that spell you used at the end there?" Mickey questioned enthusiastically.

"I'm still not entirely sure," Ruby answered. "I used it once on accident, then I remembered what 'lux' means after talking to you about it. That was the first time I used it intentionally."

"If you're really able to infuse magic with elemental light," Mickey theorized with wonder in his voice, "do you have any idea how powerful that could be?"

"But I thought all magic came from Light in the first place," Ruby pointed out. "How can I give a spell more light?"

"Riku has been able to add Darkness to his spells for years," Mickey reminded her, "as have many of our Darkness wielding enemies. I don't think it's so far fetched."

"Hm…" As Ruby contemplated this, she noticed people beginning to come back into the courtyard. "We should probably get out of the open before people can start asking questions."

"Good point," Mickey nodded. "I'll stick around until Kairi wakes up, too. I got a feelin' we'll have a lot to talk about."