Warmth was the first thing Kairi noticed. A sensation that had eluded her since the Land of Departure fell. It was enough to encourage her to force her eyes open. Opening her eyes resulted in another experience she lacked in recent weeks, actual light shining in through the windows. She slowly forced herself up to take in her surroundings. She was in a bed near a window, but it was hard to tell much else as a series of drapes surrounded her.

"Kairi!"

The familiar diverted the Master's attention to a chair by her bed. "Your Majesty?"

Mickey quickly put a finger up to his lips. "I'm just another Master here."

"Right," Kairi nodded. "But where is here?"

"You don't remember?" Mickey asked. "You used Ruby's heart to travel here!"

It came rushing back, and certainly explained why she felt so exhausted. "So I made it out! I'm on Ruby's home-" She stopped herself short before saying 'homeworld'.

Mickey nodded.

"So where is Ruby?" Kairi questioned.

"In class," Mickey told her. "I'll go get her."

"Class?" Kairi wondered. Mickey didn't answer that one as he had already dashed away to fetch the younger wielder.

A few minutes later the curtains barely opened before she got a face full of hair and a weight wrapped around her torso. "Master!" Ruby had cried as she practically tackled Kairi in her attempt to hug her.

Kairi found herself laughing as she returned the gesture. "It's so good to see you, Ruby…"

"You have no idea…" Ruby told her, before chucking and shaking her head. "Actually, you probably do. You were in a much worse place than I was…"

"At least it was only a few weeks," Kairi consoled.

"Weeks?" Ruby pulled away to question.

"At least, it has been for me," Kairi recalled the time distortions the Realm of Darkness was known for. "How long has it been for you…?"

"Like, six months," Ruby answered.

"Oh, Ruby…" Kairi's face fell. "I'm so sorry…"

Ruby shook her head, "it's not your fault."

"Maybe not, but the Masters should have been able to handle the attack at the castle," Kairi reasoned. "But we couldn't, and the whole world fell…"

Mickey, who was right behind Ruby as she charged in, asked, "did the other Masters make it?"

"They're alive," Kairi confirmed.

"I've been trying to track ya' down," Mickey told her, "but I can't seem to get a solid trace."

"We were on the move," Kairi explained, "trying to find what was left of the Land of Departure."

"Um," Ruby interrupted, "maybe we should wait to talk until we're somewhere more… secure."

"Right," Kairi took another look around, "where are we?"

"The medical wing of Beacon Academy, one of the schools that trains Remnant's Huntsmen," Ruby explained.

"Academy? Does this have something to do with you being in a 'class'?" Kairi smirked.

Ruby chuckled and shrugged, "I had to fill my time somehow. I couldn't leave at first with my armor broken, and I didn't want to get rusty."

"In fact, she's gotten stronger," Mickey endorsed.

"Well, in that case, how could I possibly complain?" Kairi joked. Her face turned serious, "we probably do need that secure place to talk freely. Where can we do that?"

"I might be able to get us help with finding privacy," Ruby stated, pulling out her scroll. "I'll explain more later, but I kinda have an 'in' with the faculty."

Ruby was indeed able to find them a private room. Glynda's combat arena was soundproofed for hopefully obvious reasons, and even though they didn't have the actual key to lock the door behind them with, the Keyblade could take care of that. No one was entering until they were done, even if they did have the actual door key. With their meeting place secured, the trio got started with bringing each other up to speed about the past six months, starting with Ruby.

"You've had a difficult time of things," Kairi acknowledged after Ruby finished. "I'm sorry you had to go through this, make these decisions… This isn't the kind of stuff a student should have to worry about."

"So, you're not going to punish me for breaking World Order either?" Ruby asked tentatively.

Kairi giggled, "like Mickey told you, it doesn't work like that."

"I still think I'm getting off easy," Ruby admitted. "Even after Ironwood went full Heartless."

"Speaking of, you really used Meteor? Without a Link?" Kairi spoke with pride in her voice.

Ruby blushed and rubbed the back of her neck. "It's not that big a deal…"

Kairi's smirk widened, "well, maybe not, compared to those lux spells…"

Ruby's blush deepened, "C'mon…"

"Seriously, Ruby, it's huge," Kairi insisted. "You've improved your magic so much on your own. Let me be proud of you. And be proud of yourself! It's only arrogance if you don't deserve it."

"And… you think I deserve it?" Ruby asked uneasily.

Mickey smiled. "We know you do!"

Ruby's blush finally faded and her smile grew. It made her happy that her Masters were proud of her.

"Before we get too off topic, though," Mickey interjected, "how were things in the Realm of Darkness?"

"Like I said, we decided to look for the Land of Departure," Kairi began. "We figured it only fell so easily because of its unique properties."

"What unique properties?" Ruby questioned.

"This information is usually reserved for graduated Masters," Kairi explained. "The Land of Departure is capable of traveling between the realms. It's so we can hide our secrets in a crisis."

"That's right," Mickey recalled. "So you guys are thinkin' if you can find the Land of Departure in the Dark Realm, you may be able to use its nature to restore it."

"And ride it back to the Realm of Light," Kairi nodded.

"It explains why I'm having trouble findin' you all," Mickey noted. "Every time I think I'm on the trail of you guys, I could only follow it for so long before needin' a break. By the time I got back to it, y'all moved farther away."

"Other than that, there's nothing worth saying," Kairi told them. "We certainly haven't been attacked by people like this Maiden Thief or Crona. It seems a little odd they're focusing on this world…"

"I don't know how they ended up here, but I think maybe I'm the reason they picked Remnant to attack," Ruby theorized. "They're only goal seems to be 'attack light'. They found me here and just haven't considered other targets."

"And they apparently absorb Darkness. Here, they have both Heartless and Grimm to feed on," Kairi pointed out.

"I don't know that their thinking is that complex," Ruby countered. "I swear it's like they're going through motions without much thought. They even keep saying they're just 'following their Darkness'."

"Well, whether it's part of a complex plan or not, the truth is they still do it," Kairi reiterated. "They're going to be stronger the next time they show up. We need to be, too. I don't want them running away again."

"So back to training?" Ruby asked.

"Not quite," Kairi shook her head. "Three lights can only get so bright on their own."

"I can keep looking for the other Masters," Mickey suggested. "With you here to look after Ruby, I'll feel more comfortable making longer trips. Maybe I can finally catch up."

"But what are we going to do?" Ruby asked Kairi.

"We are going to collect the other students," Kairi announced. "Not only will we all be safer together, Makoto in particular will be strong enough to help."

Ruby spent a moment thinking before saying something neither of the Masters expected. "I'm sorry, but… I can't go with you."

Kairi's eyes widened in surprise. "I thought your armor was fixed?"

"It's not about that," Ruby told her.

"Then what?" Kairi pressed calmly, willing to hear her student out.

Ruby sighed. "The Maiden Thief, Crona… there's a lot of Darkness on Remnant right now. If we all leave… I'm sorry, Master, but I refuse to leave my homeworld undefended. As restless as I've been, as much as I want to go… I can't."

Kairi's eyes softened as she took in Ruby's reasoning. It wasn't something that she could argue in good conscious. "Unfortunately, Ruby, I need you to search for the students."

"Master…"

"I never connected with the others," Kairi explained. "You can follow your bonds to find their worlds. Without you, I'd just be probing the darkness blindly."

Ruby gave a defeated sigh. "I understand…"

"So I'll stay here."

It was Ruby's turn to be surprised. "What?"

"I should probably rest a few more days anyway before I consider donning my armor and traveling the Ocean Between," Kairi rationalized. "I'll take your place as the Headmaster's ally, and I'll stay on guard here for Crona, and their Maiden Thief if they'll let me. You're better suited for finding the others quickly, so I'll watch over Remnant."

"But then I'll be traveling the worlds without a Master," Ruby pointed out.

"You're ready," Mickey endorsed. "I've fought alongside you, I know it better than anyone!"

"You really think so?" Ruby questioned.

"Even if we weren't in a crisis, I would trust you with this," Kairi assured. "You've grown so much, Ruby. You can do this."

Ruby smiled, "thank you."

"Alright," Kairi nodded. "There's no time to waste. Go say your goodbyes and get in the air. I'll introduce myself to Ozpin…"

"And I'll return to the Dark Realm, better equipped for my search!" Mickey finished.

"Let's go."

It was unsurprising to find both team RWBY and Ozpin waiting for them on the other side of the door. Ozpin stepped forward first. "I hope your meeting was a productive one," he half-joked, half-inquired.

"It was," Kairi answered. "In fact, you and I have things to discuss."

"I hope I'm not in trouble," Ozpin quipped with a charismatic grin.

Ruby took the chance to break off and head straight for her team. "Hey, guys."

"You seem excited," Weiss noted. "Good news?"

Ruby smiled. "It's time, Weiss."

"Time for what?" the heiress asked, though it clicked for her rather quickly. "Wait, you mean…?"

The young wielder nodded. "I've got a mission. Which means I'm leaving Beacon."

"What about the Maiden Thief?" Weiss pointed out.

"Or Crona!?" Blake added.

"Kairi is going to stay here in case help's needed before I get back," Ruby quickly assured.

"So you will be back here?" Yang noted.

"Crona is threatening Beacon," Ruby explained, sending a pointed look to Yang and Blake as she spoke the last word. "My mission is to track down the other students and bring them here for the inevitable fight."

While Ruby explained things to her team, Kairi revealed her intentions to the headmaster. "I'm sending Ruby on an assignment that will take her away from Beacon," she began.

"Ruby always warned me her tenure as a student would not be permanent. Though I did hope I would have her for longer," Ozpin admitted.

"We're not leaving you to fend for yourself," Kairi continued. "Crona will still attack this school, and if I'm not mistaken you have a more… local threat, using Darkness, correct?"

"The Maiden Thief," Ozpin concerned.

"There was a reason you wanted Ruby in your group. I offer my Keyblade in her place while she's away," Kairi revealed.

Ozpin was relieved to hear it. He didn't want to get his hopes up that such an offer would be extended. "I would be a fool not to accept. Thank you, Master…?"

"Kairi," she finally introduced. "And you are Ozpin, correct?"

"That is right," Ozpin nodded. "If I may ask… why send Ruby and stay here yourself? Instead of the other way around?"

Kairi decided it was easier to deny. "Please accept it's enough to know we discussed our options and found this the best one."

"Very well," Ozpin accepted. "We are quite familiar with Ruby setting boundaries for what she could and could not tell us. If you tell us not to pry, we will honor the wish."

With goodbyes spoken and duties handed over, it was time for Ruby to leave. Rather than do yet another fantastical thing in Beacon's front courtyard, she made her way to the edge of the Emerald Forest to leave. Just before she could prepare a gate, she heard footsteps behind her. She turned to see Weiss, Blake, and Yang approaching her. "What are you doing here?

"You think a quick sayonara in a cramped hallway is enough of a goodbye?" Yang jabbed, "we're here to see you off properly!" The blonde closed the last few feet and drew her sister into a deep hug. "You be careful out there, you hear?"

"I will be," Ruby assured, hugging Yang back.

"Good luck," Blake offered, "and remember, even as you leave, we'll always be a team."

"May your heart be your guiding key," Weiss raised her hand to her heart as she passed the ancient prayer.

Ruby's smile was as wide as it could be. "Thank you, all of you." Instead of simply taking off further away, Ruby figured her team deserved a little treat. She dramatically slapped her armor switch and the bright light engulfed her. The light faded to reveal her shining, intact armor.

"Wow," Weiss's jaw dropped. "I saw a glimpse from the dorm window the other day, but up close… it really is impressive."

"It suits you," Blake complimented.

Knowing they couldn't see her grin, Ruby nodded. She summoned Crescent Rose, mounted its glider form, and with one last wave to her friends and her world, she finally took off for the Ocean Between.

The wind blew idly through the near-empty streets of the sleepy small town. Metal boots clacked along the sidewalk of the main road, their wearer's strut carrying them toward the edge of town. They found their way up the hill that led to a lighthouse. It was a nice spot to end the day. Certainly better than going 'home', Chloe thought bitterly. She hopped a bench in front of the lighthouse, sitting on the back with her feet on the seat. If she tilted her head one way, she could watch the sunset. Tilt it the other, and it was a lovely view of the town.

"Arcadia Bay," Chloe sighed to herself. "I'm gone months, and I may have well been gone a day. Some things really never change." As she watched the sun set, she thought on her task for the following day. Sneaking into Blackwell Academy would be easy. Getting some cash off Prescott should be even easier.

A niggling voice in the back of her mind scolded her, telling her she shouldn't be coercing money, even if that rich prick deserved it. She noted that voice sounded a lot like Ruby… If you wanted to stop me, you'd be here, Chloe scolded back. Anyone would be here. But I've been left alone, again…

Chloe still couldn't help but feel she was letting her friend down. So, she resolved not to use magic swords and fireballs. It didn't make the guilt go away, but it made it small enough to ignore. Back to business. First the money, then Frank. Then I find out what happened to Rachel.

I was originally going to spin off into a sequel right about now, but I decided what the hell. It's easier to keep it one book, so one book it shall be.