AN: Hey everyone! Sorry for the longer than usual update time. I've been up to a lot recently with my family. And when I got halfway through this, I decided I didn't like how it was going and had to rewrite. On top of that, it's a bridge chapter between the last arc and the final stretch before chapter 20, and it has no fights, which flow a lot easier sometimes. All of it together just kind of compounded.

Anyways, I'm glad last chapter was so well liked. I'm excited for Yang to show up later, as well as Weiss and Blake.

To gamelover41592: I aim to (awkwardly) please.

To 7: Weiss and Blake will show up later, at about the same time. Weiss is still stuck in her family home and Blake is going to feel terrible she couldn't figure out about Adam's next target, and her go to response when things go south is to run away. Also, they've both been active while Yang has been laying around the entire time, so I've so far decided against a second pre-introduction section for the both of them, but if the inspiration strikes one or both might get a section.

To sethman610 & ShadowWarriorOmega: I don't want to give too much away, but Sora's certainty about how it's inevitable his friends will find him is going to factor in a lot when the team comes face to face with Salem, as well as in what Xehanort is planning. It's connected to the book the old man left Sora, as well.

To M8: You called me M8, so I'll go the same for you. To be honest, I forgot completely to cover the lack of summonings. Thanks for bringing that up or I would have never remembered! I bring up why he hasn't done all that in this chapter, so thanks again.

Chapter 16: Ties That Bind

"I have never been so very happy for a woman to turn me down," Jaune said as the topic of conversation between him, Ren, and Sora turned towards the race that the Knight had lost on the day of the attack. Despite his hope that Ruby and Sora had forgotten about it in the violence that had followed, they had pushed him to ask the young woman to the dance. She had turned him down, much to the Knight's relief. "Coco and her handbag have always been... terrifying."

"Agreed," Ren muttered, shivering.

"Really?" Sora asked, nonplussed by what his friends were saying. He frowned at the ground then looked back up at his friends, confusions till evident on his face. "Why?"

"The huge gun?" Ren suggested. He raised his hand and began to count off the list. "Her overbearing personality, her utter hatred of people who don't dress up to her standards, how she will go completely insane if she gets some dust on her outfit? On top of that, Jaune's clumsy around girls, so of course it wouldn't have ended well."

"Hey!" Jaune responded indignantly. Then he shrugged and clasped his hands in front of himself. "Yeah..."

The three boys were waiting together outside the room where Ruby and Nora were getting ready for the dance, the topics of conversation never getting too deep or speculative on the coming events. There would be tons of time to worry about Xehanort or Salem tomorrow; for now, the theme of the day was fun. Well, actually it was 'Dragon Slayers of Remnant,' with Ruby and Sora being considered the guests of honor, but the Keyblade Wielder didn't care much for praise like that. Not for just being himself.

Sora was wearing a black suit jacket and pants with patent leather shoes. Beneath that he wore a button up shirt of deep crimson with a black and white checkerboard tie; the shirt was unbuttoned at the very top button and the tie slightly loose. Around his neck was his crown necklace, one of his style's permanent fixtures. Ren was wearing a black suit as well, with pink and magenta accents. His shirt was white, and he wore a bow tie of pink and magenta alternating stripes. Jaune was dressed differently from the two of them, with a white jacket over a gray shirt tucked into his black dress pants. The Knight's tie was the standard black, save for a golden insignia shaped like his family's coat of arms just below the knot.

"So... what do you think they're doing in there?" Sora asked. He checked his scroll and raised an eyebrow. "It's already been two hours!?"

"Buddy, if there's one thing that the men of the Arc family knows," Jaune said, putting his arm around Sora's shoulders, "it's that women are a mystery that we can never fully understand. Let us not consider what we can never know."

"Riiiight," Sora responded, rolling his eyes before laughing with Ren and Jaune. Sora smiled as he changed the topic. "So, it's really not weird that I'm from another world? I get Ruby not being freaked out, but -"

"A person's place of origin is meaningless when compared to the place where they have arrived," Ren pointed out, raising one finger as he did. He shrugged and shook his head. "And when you told us, Nora whispered to me that she'd already guessed you were from further than even you let on as soon as you crashed into us from the sky."

"The things that girl notices," Jaune muttered under his breath dryly. He raised his voice and said with the most serious face he could muster, "Well, as long as you don't bring a bunch of UFO's to terrorize the planet and steal our resources, I don't see a problem."

"Dang! There goes my weekend," the Keyblade Wielder said mockingly. He punched Jaune's shoulder. "That's only in movies, Jaune. I had one Gummi Ship and I don't even know if it's good for attacking a world from... 'Space.'"

"Hey, I'm not worried! Anymore..." Jaune muttered sheepishly.

"Well, then the invasion's going perfectly," Sora said, raising his hands like claws and warbling an inhuman noise. Jaune and Ren laughed at the face Sora held after the sound died down, with the Keyblade Wielder joining in after a few seconds. "Ah, I like that Ren laughs and smiles now. I promised I'd get you to laugh the moment I met you, and it finally starts happening."

Ren rolled his eyes and smirked at the Keyblade Wielder. "I laughed – on the inside," he half protested. He shook his head at the disappointed glare of Sora. "Well, it didn't help half of the time you were joking about Nora and me. I could not always see the humor in it, could I?"

"You couldn't even see the truth in it," Jaune remarked, causing Sora to laugh heartily. Ren just glared at them, unamused with their jokes. Jaune smirked at his friend's serious glare. "Oh, good. I thought old Ren had disappeared."

Sora laughed with Jaune at that for a while until he began to hear footsteps coming down the hall. He glanced down and stopped laughing, smiling at the dusty old Qrow approaching them. "Hey, Qrow," Sora said, waving at the warrior who was walking with his gaze locked on the ground and his hands firmly in his pockets. The older man was wearing a suit not dissimilar to his usual outfit. He was wearing a black shirt unbuttoned at the top two buttons beneath a gray and black suit jacket. His sleeves, still, were rolled up. Around his unbuttoned shirt's top was a loose tie matching the color of his ever present cape. "Qrow?"

"Hm?" the man muttered, looking up suddenly. He shook his head and smirked at the three boys. "What are you three up to? Doing each others nails and gossiping about cute boys?"

"Ha. Just waiting on Ruby and Nora," Sora said dryly. He scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "Did you know girls took this long to get ready?"

"You've only been waiting two hours, right? They've got a lot more to deal with. Besides, two hours is nothing. Raven took six hours to get her miles of hair ready for a dance once," Qrow said, laughing quietly at his memories. He gestured at the door with his shoulder. "I bet dear old sis started this morning and won't finish until after those two."

"To be fair, her hair is like, waist length," Sora pointed out, making a hair shape with his hands. "And looks like it's more than half her weight."

"Us Branwens do have very thick hair," Qrow admitted with a shrug.

Sora laughed for a moment. "Wait! Qrow, before I forget, could I talk to you for a minute? I have a big favor to ask," he said, jumping towards the Huntsman. Qrow flinched backwards at the exuberant smile of the young man, then nodded slowly. "Great!" Sora turned to look at Ren and Jaune. "I'll be back in a sec, guys." Then he walked off, Qrow following him with a shrug.

"Why don't you want Blondie and Lovebird over there listening in?" Qrow asked as Sora rounded a corner and turned around. The Huntsman raised an eyebrow and pulled his hands from his pockets before crossing them over his chest.

"Because I thought it'd be better if it was a surprise. For now," Sora said, grinning at Qrow. "Tell me, how easy would it be to book us transport for wherever we're going that has a large training area?"

"It might cost me a favor or two," Qrow responded. The man cocked his head to the side. "Why?"

"Well, Xehanort taught his lackeys how to use Darkness," Sora said with a nonchalant shrug. Then he grinned wide. "I want to try and teach everyone how to use Light against Xehanort's goons."

Qrow whistled, actually impressed. "Wow. You really think they've got what it takes."

"Ruby already has this weird... connection with it. Jaune and everyone else have the Hearts for it. It'll be a blast," Sora said, glint in his eye as he smiled at Qrow and shot the Huntsman a thumbs up. "Next time we run into those bad guys, the fights will turn out very different. Believe me."

"I already do, Kid," Qrow said, shooting the kid a smile. "And Sora – thanks for making a decision. I'm glad to see what I said got through to you, especially as fast as it did."

Sora blushed and began to scratch the back of his head. "Ah, it's nothing..." he began, glancing down and blushing even deeper. He looked back up after a moment and fought off the red in his cheeks. "To be fair, I had a lot of help, Qrow. If Nora, Ren, and Jaune hadn't set us up, who knows how long it could have taken?"

"Good friends, huh?" Qrow said with a sad smile.

Sora didn't quite notice the subtle sadness, instead cheerfully agreeing, "Some of the best."

Qrow nodded wistfully, his mind wandering to the good times he'd had with Aride. "Then hold on to 'em. World's a dangerous place if you don't keep close with the people you care about," Qrow cautioned. He shook his head from his reverie and returned his trademark smirk to his face. "So, Kid, do I need to repeat any of my many, many threats to you now that you're going on a date with my niece? I have a few new ones, and I think they're scarier than the others."

Sora palled. "I... uh..."

Qrow laughed boisterously and turned to go back to the door and wait for Ruby. "Or not. Just know that, whatever it is you're imagining, it can't be worse than what I'd have planned." Then Qrow began to amble around the corner and down the hall. Sora stared at the place where the Huntsman had stood for a second, trembling at the knowledge that Qrow could probably come up with some pretty twisted punishments. Then Sora smoothed his jacket and fought off his imagination. He took a deep breath and followed Qrow, looking up at the ceiling as his mind turned to how he'd help his friends learn how to use the Light.

"Finally, Sora!"

Sora grinned and looked down at the source of the voice, saying, "Hey Ru – Wow..." Qrow smirked at the Keyblade wielder from behind his niece.

Ruby blushed at that. "Oh, shut up," she said, clasping her hands in front of her. She was wearing a dress that ended three quarters of the way down her thigh in the front and trailed out to mid-calf in the back. It was mainly a deep red, but there was a thorn-like pattern that crisscrossed the fabric in a way that reminded Sora of, fittingly, roses. Ruby had a chain around her throat from which dangled a small, silver-white version of her Rose insignia. The Huntress was wearing black, high heel straps, appearing much more nervous than was usual for her as she wobbled from side to side. "Coco kind of forced her way onto our dress trip."

Behind her, Nora was dancing around the quietly smiling Ren. She was dressed in a two tone dress with a flowery skirt. The top coloring was shaped like a heart in magenta and the skirt was closer to hot pink that gradually faded into white towards the bottom. Her shoes were light pink wedges over white tights. "Ren! Ren! Do I look good? You look good!"

"Of course, Nora," Ren responded with a less quiet smile. "Thanks."

"Yes, yes, you're all very pretty. I'm sure you'll all tie for Prom Queen," Qrow remarked dryly, gesturing around at the kids. "But if we don't get going, we're going to be late. So, move. Now."

R W B Y

The dance was located in the main hall of Haven Academy, a huge ballroom filled with keys hanging from the ceiling. "You know, I get that Sora and Ruby saved the place, but did no one really notice that they've made this a Key Party?" Qrow asked as he entered the room with the kids. He gestured up at the decorations, but earned only a blank look from the kids. "R-really? I mean... oh, come on!"

"I understand, Little Brother," Raven said, appearing out of the shadows. She was wearing a tight fitting black dress with a slit running up to her mid thigh on the left. She wore a crimson, feather like sash as a belt that trailed down to her left knee, covering the slit slightly. The dress had a tight sleeve that wrapped around her right palm like a glove. Her left side was bare at the shoulder, giving the top of the dress an asymmetric slant. Her hair trailed down to the small of her back in its usual look. "This crowd is a little young for that kind of event. Save her."

Qrow growled. "By five minutes," he growled. Then the Huntsman shook his head. "And who do you mean? Not –" Qrow shook his head again as he realized that his sister did, in fact, mean the Ice Queen. He looked over at the kids, noticing how much they'd changed recently. Ruby's hair was longer, making her look even more like her mother, and a fair bit taller. Though, likely still much shorter than Yang. Sora's hair had calmed down, somewhat, the spikes becoming slightly flatter on the top of his head. He retained his youthful look, but had grown somewhat into an adult. Blondie stood with a confidence that he had lacked even at the beginning of their journey, making him look like Argent from the few times Qrow had spoken with the kid. Even Ren and Nora were different, his injury having caused both of them to approach the mean; where he had once been stoic, Ren had learned how to smile, and where she was once bouncing off the walls, Nora would now smile more contently. Not to say he still wasn't the quiet one and she the crazy one; all five of them were still very much the same people they had been months earlier at the start of their journey – little more than normal kids. Qrow sighed. "Go have fun. We can talk tomorrow."

The kids glanced at one another then shrugged and walked off. "See ya, Uncle Qrow," Ruby called, waving at him as they all walked off together.

Qrow smiled and waved them off before turning back to his sister. "Rae, I –" Qrow growled to himself and clenched his fists at his sides. His sister was already gone. He muttered, "God dammit, Rae."

Sora and the others, meanwhile, were beginning to enjoy themselves. "Guys!" a familiar voice called as a golden haired Faunus – not wearing a tie – and a blue haired boy in a suit, walked over to them. Neither had a date at their arms. "Hey, how are you guys?"

"Neptune! Sun! We're... pretty good, actually. How about you?" Ruby asked, smiling at her friends.

"Good. Good," Neptune said, scratching the back of his head. He grinned after a moment and shrugged. "I guess we can't complain. We're famous by association with you guys. Friends with the champion team from Vale. Or would you prefer 'The Dragon Slayers of Remnant?' Sidenote, super glad they changed the theme from 'Enchantment Under the Sea.'"

"Dude," Sun muttered in disappointment.

"Oh, it was nothing," Sora said, waving the title off. It was meaningless to him, after all. "I just did what anyone would have done."

"Oh, just take the compliment," Jaune said, half envious. "It's not bragging if you've actually killed one of the biggest monsters ever!"

"Eh, I've destroyed lots bigger," Sora said with a nonchalant shrug.

The others had no real response to that. At first, they didn't quite believe Sora. That monster had been the size of a three story building! Of course, Sora wasn't the kind to run around and brag about himself, either, so they decided to take that at face value. Sora was a scary guy. After a long pause, Sun decided to change the topic of conversation."Can't believe we haven't seen you since the end of the Tournament," he said. He crossed his arms and looked around. "You guys been avoiding us?"

"If it's Sun's smell, that's completely fair," Neptune noted. Sun frowned and sniffed himself. He cringed then shrugged in defeat.

Ruby snickered and shook his head. She pointed with her thumb over at Ren and Nora, who were nervously holding hands. "Nothing like that. Those two just had to stop making eyes at each other and decide to jump into it head first," she responded with a grin. Ren glared at her dryly for this while Nora just smiled brightly.

A smile that contained her own retort. "Yep. And we had to plan how to get Ruby and Sora how to do the same thing. We'll tell you all about how awkward they were later!" Nora shouted, drawing the attention of those near their group.

"Could you have said that any louder?" Ruby asked, and she immediately knew it had been a mistake to do so.

"SORA AND RUBY HAD AN AMAZINGLY AWKWARD FIRST DATE!" Nora screamed at the top of her lungs, drowning out the intensely loud music and causing the entire party to turn and look right at Sora and Ruby. The music even stopped for a while as the spotlight centered on the two increasingly embarrassed warriors. Sora snickered and leaned over to Ren, whispering excitedly, "Maybe their second will be more awkward!"

Sora looked around, his hand in Ruby's. "Um..." The entire room was staring right at them, as if waiting for these two teenagers to make a decision. Sora chuckled nervously and whispered so only Ruby could hear, "I was less nervous fighting the Sea Serpent."

"You too?" Ruby agreed, voice squeaky. "I don't have a plan for this, do you have a plan?"

"No," Sora responded. Then the music began to play again, though the spotlight remained and everyone continued to stare at them. "Well, maybe I do now."

Ruby looked over at him, ignoring the music. "No."

"Yes."

"No," Ruby replied, glaring in annoyance at the Keyblade Wielder. He thought she looked nervous.

"Then... fight me," he said, grinning. Ruby cringed, taken aback by that. Fight him? "Dancing and fighting are... kind of similar." He looked over at Jaune, whom he had heard was quite the footloose master. "Right?"

"Sure," the Knight responded. He smiled and nodded at the two. "Except a lot easier, I think."

Sora turned back to Ruby. "Come on. Once, and then nobody will pay attention. I think."

Ruby just glared at him as the instrumental intro began to play again. "Fine," she glared, grabbing Sora's outstretched hand. He grinned and pulled her into the crowd, dancing with her. After a few moments, so too did everyone else in the room. "This is a good song."

"What's it called?" Sora asked as they moved together to the beat.

"Red Like Roses."

The Keyblade Wielder laughed. "I guess that's perfect," he said as he caught sight of Ruby staring at him. He smiled fondly at the young Huntress. "Given present company and everything."

"Well, the decorations are all you," Ruby responded with a snicker.

"You had to remind me?" Sora asked dryly as he spun Ruby in time with the music. He brought her close again and dipped her. "I'll drop you."

"Liar," Ruby responded with a more confident smile. She pulled herself up and spun Sora away. To the bewildered Keyblade wielder: "You said you wanted a fight."

"You're on," Sora replied, running towards her with a huge grin on his face.

R W B Y

Qrow watched his niece dance around with the Keyboy, enjoying herself. As much as he hated to see Ruby with any boy, at least it was one who challenged her. She hated dancing in public, considering herself 'Socially Awkward.' After a short while, the rest of their team joined in with the crowd, laughter and voices mixing together above the music. "Have fun, Ruby," Qrow muttered before turning around to leave. He shut his eyes and pocketed his hands; he needed a drink.

He had to stop, however, when he crashed into another person. "Eh, sorry," he grunted, opening his eyes and instinctively grabbing the woman by her shoulders.

"No it was my -" they both stopped speaking when they caught sight of one another. Qrow hurriedly pushed the woman to her feet and took a step back. Winter Schnee narrowed her eyes on Qrow Branwen and crossed her arms. "Drunkard."

"Ice Queen," Qrow responded, losing his cocky grin. He looked the woman up and down. She was wearing a dress of a white that matched her hair, save for the light blue and gray Schnee snow flakes that came together on one side of her full length skirt. She was wearing elbow length white gloves. "You look... good."

Winter blushed and was quiet for a moment. She remained quiet for a short moment, searching for words. "And you look the same," she finally replied, her face becoming – somehow – even more disdainful. "But worse."

"Oh! Charming as always," Qrow responded with a smirk. He looked down and shook his head, entertained by the younger woman's response. She was almost as snarky as him, sometimes. Finally he looked back up at her; he wanted to speak to the Schnee about something. So he held out his hand as the song ended, knowing another would soon begin. People were clapping softly for the song choice. "Dance?"

"With... me?" the woman responded, befuddled by this sudden question.

"No. With the woman behind you, Ice Queen," Qrow explained mockingly. He held his hand out straighter, then raised his eyebrows expectantly. "Well?"

Winter considered Qrow's open palm for a moment. Her face flashed between annoyed and actually considering the inquiry. "Going once, twice..."

"Fine," Winter finally snapped, grabbing Qrow's hand. "Though what game are you – Eek!" She was suddenly twirled closer to Qrow, wrapped in his arms.

"Not a very lady like sound, Ice Queen," he taunted into her ear, his breath hot on the side of her neck.

Winter gulped down her lack of retort and spun again, pushing him away until they were again connected only by their outstretched hands. Her annoyed blue eyes burrowed into her partner's laughing red ones. "I feel naked without my weapon."

"Is that an offer," Qrow asked, snickering at the growing blush on Winter's face. "Cause – Eek!" He was suddenly twirled around into her arms.

"I lead," Winter commanded. Qrow laughed nervously at that. "Also, not a very manly sound, Drunkard."

"Oh, you are just a treat." Qrow smirked and spun away from her. He looked her up and down again. "Is that a challenge, Ice Queen?" His face soured suddenly. "Because unfortun – because I have more important things to talk to you about."

Winter froze at the sudden change in Qrow's countenance. "Then lead better," she responded approaching him. He shifted the grip between his right hand and her left then looped his hand onto her hip. Winter placed her free hand on his shoulder. "I do not tolerate lack of grace in a dance partner."

"Good," Qrow said as the beat picked up again. He began to lead her through the dance, the two moving with the practiced grace of warriors who had long trained in battle. Their every step was perfectly in time with the music, and eventually everyone else began to give them a small berth, not wanting to be put into any kind of competition with them. Still, though, Qrow did not begin to ask her any questions.

Qrow eventually pulled her closer. "Now. Why did you defend me against the Councils?" He noticed her stiffen just barely. "Calm down, Ice Queen."

"I already explained myself, Drunkard," Winter responded, pulling away with the music before letting Qrow lead again. She did not wish to begin this conversation with him. He saw that, but kept quiet nonetheless. They continued their dance for a while, quietly going about their movements together. As they neared one another again, Winter lost to the urge to say something else. "Your sister seemed most concerned for you. When she came to retrieve the General, that is."

"Really? And here I thought she didn't care," Qrow replied dryly as he sped up to the pace of the music. He shrugged to himself. "If she came for Jimmy, why did you come?"

"The General was busy. If he did not remain in Atlas –" she stopped herself from revealing too much. "He had pressing matters to deal with and decided I would be more than adequate as a substitute."

"Well, you did great," Qrow responded without thinking.

"Thank you," Winter said, blushing slightly and glancing away from his face. They avoided each other's eyes for a while, after that, and danced in silence. Perhaps too soon, the song ended.

"I... have to go," Winter said as Qrow let go of her waist. His hand remained clasped in hers, but it slowly slid out as she turned and walked away. Qrow didn't move the entire time, his hand remaining where it had been. He let it fall to his side after a moment and looked around. "What are you teenagers staring at? Go make bad choices!" Then he walked off to the wall of the room and pulled out a flask.

"It's my first drink today, Rae, so calm the hell down," he grunted as he unscrewed the top. His sister's form seemed to melt out of the shadows beside him, her face showing how intrigued she was by her brother's behavior. "I'm honestly not in the mood right now."

"I can see that," she said, taking the flask from him before he could take a drink and taking a sip herself. She handed it back. "Do you need liquid courage to do what your feet want you to do?"

"And what does that mean?" Qrow asked, stopping before he could take a drink. He closed his flask distrustfully.

"Your feet. Unlike your face, they're pointed at the door," Raven explained. Qrow raised an eyebrow but looked down regardless. She was right. His feet were both angled slightly at the exit.

He looked back up at her after making a show of moving his feet to a normal position. "Yeah, of course they are. I want to leave. This place smells like teen spirit and nobody's spiked the punch yet," Qrow growled. He looked over at the punch, then decided against it and returned his flask to his pocket. He began to rub the bridge of his nose. "So whatever it is you're insinuating, could you stop?"

"I could," Raven acquiesced with a shrug. Her smile became venomous. "But I won't. I haven't seen you this off kilter since we met Summer in school. So... do you have a thing for women with seasonal names? Cause I know this girl named Autumn -"

"Shut up," Qrow growled, whirling on his sister and slamming his left hand into the wall. There was a dull thud disguised by the music. Raven just continued smiling at her brother like he was an idiot. "Don't. Just don't. Ice Queen is..." Qrow just shrugged, his usual line of insults for the regimented, albeit graceful warrior somehow having dried up. "I think the nickname explains it well enough."

"Hm. Coming from 'Drunkard' that doesn't mean much," Raven pointed out. She shrugged. "Still, she obviously didn't put much effort into a derogatory name."

"She's an Atlesian Specialist," Qrow said, more to himself than his sister.

Raven shrugged. "Well, you still have her glove in your right hand," Raven said, pointing at the white fabric dangling from the Huntsman's hand by his side. Qrow looked down in surprise. Raven laughed. "You are adorably clueless, Little Brother. Regardless of her occupation, or whether she is or isn't interested in a drunk cynic, you didn't get any answers from her. And now you have an excuse to follow her."

Qrow looked between the glove and his sister. "This doesn't mean I have a thing for her," Qrow growled as he ran past his sister and out of the dance after the white haired Atlesian Specialist.

Raven just watched him go, smirking at his back the entire time. "No... Of course not," she remarked, sarcasm almost physically rolling from her voice. "You were always a bad liar compared to me, Little Brother. Which, I guess, doesn't say much. But still... Good luck, Qrow." With that, she produced out the flask she'd stolen from her brother's pocket and began grinning evilly at the punch.

"Don't even think about it," Glynda growled, having caught sight of Raven's gaze from the other side of the room and appearing in front of the punch with a glare of pure, rules-loving malice. "Or else, Mrs. Xiao Long."

"I was... kidding, Glyn! Just..." Raven went quiet as Glynda's gaze slowly cowed her. Finally, Raven could only manage to squeak out, "Sorry, Ms. Goodwitch."

R W B Y

Sora smiled at the next group of four to approach him – a dark skinned girl with white-yellow hair, a pair of serious boys who had pink or black hair, and a shorter girl with wild, green locks. Ever since his dance with Ruby, she and the others had been pulled into conversations with people they'd known from school or from the Vytal Festival. The boy Ruby fought one on one had pulled her away to talk to her; it sounded like congratulations. Sora had been happy to talk and meet new people at the dance, especially as most of them were wondering how he and Ruby had done whatever it was that they'd done to the Sea Serpent. A few of the people so far had made passes at him even he could recognize, though, and that number was steadily climbing. So far, the four he was with seemed more interested in the Keyblade. "Yeah, I can show you guys," Sora said, raising his hand in front of him when their leader – the dark skinned girl – asked. A half second later, nearly the entire group of Huntsmen jumped backwards in surprise as the large, gold and silver Key appeared in Sora's hand.

"So, what is it?" the green haired girl asked. She was leaning against a skateboard, and had somehow snuck into the dance wearing her normal clothes, a hoodie and boots. "Besides one of the weirdest looking swords ever?"

Sora laughed. "I've seen weirder," he said, thinking of the unwieldy weapons his friends from Radiant Garden had used. Leon and Cloud alone had swords taller than either of them. And Clouds was dull, rusty, and covered in bandages from lack of care. And Oragnization XIII? Sora wouldn't have thought a deck of cards and a thing of dice to be useful. Granted, they weren't very useful... "Lots weirder."

"But how did it kill the Dragon?" their leader asked. She was wearing a red and gold, loose dress.

Sora smiled. "Magic?" he supplied honestly.

The team of Huntsmen were quiet for some time, having gotten the same true answer Sora had given everyone else so far. Eventually, they all began to laugh, leaning against on another as Sora just stared on dryly. So far, everyone else had given him the same response when he said 'magic.' He looked past them after a moment and saw a familiar blonde mop walking upstairs and onto a balcony. Sora frowned and returned his attention to the laughing group of four in front of him. "I've got to go talk to someone," Sora said, waving goodbye. They didn't notice even as he walked around them and followed Jaune outside.

The Knight was leaning against the railing, staring out at the stars. Sora just leaned against the wall, knowing that the warrior already knew that he was there. Sora knew Jaune would talk when he was ready; the Keyblade Wielder was just there if he needed to talk.

Sora looked up at the sky as well, tracing the unfamiliar patters of stars in the sky. He realized with a start that he hadn't thought about his old friends in days. Hadn't even considered where they were or what they were doing. He suddenly began to wonder, then. All his Summoning Charms had fallen apart or disappeared in the Darkness of the Lanes Between and the subsequent fall to Remnant's surface. If they hadn't, maybe he could try to talk to Genie, and he could use his 'phenomenal, nearly cosmic powers' to tell everyone where Sora had landed.

They'd probably gone to Yen Sid or Merlin first, now that Sora thought about it, hoping they could find him using the wizards' magical sight. If they hadn't found him yet, that must have meant the two wizards couldn't see him with their powerful scrying. That, or Sora was further from his friends' worlds than he'd ever been before.

The Keyblade Wielder shrugged it off and looked back down. Jaune was looking up at the stars still, arms crossed as he leaned against the balcony rail. Eventually, he began to speak. "Sorry about making you worry, Sora. I'm just..." Jaune sighed and shrugged. The Knight turned around to stare at Sora with saddened eyes. "Did you know that the first time I really knew that I cared about Pyrrha was at a dance just like this one?"

Sora shook his head. "You don't talk about your memories of her too often," Sora said, trying to be there for his friend. "At least, nothing specific."

Jaune nodded, mouth pursed. "I guess I haven't. Sorry, it just... never comes up," the Knight replied. He laughed dryly. "Probably because you guys all avoid the topic, right?"

Sora shrugged in affirmation. "Thanks for that," Jaune said, turning around to stare up at the sky again. He laughed again, trying to stave off his mood. "I hate acting like this. I feel weak, like I can't do anything when I think about Pyrrha."

Jaune turned around quickly. "Not that I don't like thinking about her," he assured the Keyblade Wielder, already knowing how Sora's face was growing worried at that idea. "She's still... Light."

Sora nodded as Jaune explained. "I get it. I had a friend named Leon... he felt the same way about someone he loved," Sora explained, walking over to stand beside Jaune. The Keyblade Wielder placed his hands on the railing and looked out into the sky again, remembering his meetings with the Gunblade swordsman. Sora looked over at Jaune, only his eyes moving. "And I felt the same once. It's fuzzy, and I don't always... remember. But I have a Nobody – he was made from me, once. I still remember how he felt when he watched his closest friend disappear, die in his arms, and fade from almost everyone else's memory. The ache is dull now, but I know it was a void. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I get loving memories of someone but hating how remembering them feels."

"That's pretty much it," Jaune said hollowly. He sighed and placed one hand against the railing. After a moment he looked out over the city, tears welling up in his eyes. To his credit, they didn't fall. "I don't want to forget her... ever. In fact, I'd do anything to get her back."

Sora frowned, but didn't let his friend see. Sora was worried he'd put a dangerous idea into the young Knight's head during their Dive to his Heart. Sure, everyone he'd ever met had left a mark on his Heart, and that mark would never go away. They'd always be with him. And, true, people who were lost or taken in by someone else's Heart could be guided back by that connection, like Roxas and Ven and Xion and Terra and Isa had been. But... But if someone was killed, if they had no body to go back to, they couldn't just come back. Pyrrha wouldn't come back to life.

Still, Sora was sure Jaune knew that. "I know, Buddy," he said, placing his hand on Jaune's shoulder sympathetically. "I know."

R W B Y

Winter Schnee was very fast when it came to changing her clothes, a habit that was pounded into her head over the course of both her Huntress training and her subsequent military training. Something else those two intensive training programs taught her? How to easily spot and lose a tail. Especially ones who could be smelled from a half mile away. Unfortunately for her, Qrow Branwen had not had a drink in almost three days, and his Aura had helped flush out all of the alcohol remaining in his system long ago. In short? Qrow Branwen was waiting for her in front of her ship just as she planned to leave. She stopped about ten paces from him, staring at the Huntsman with a questioning glare. "Ice Queen," he said, juggling the decapitated skulls of the Atlesian Knight droids in time with the music drifting from the dance. He smiled at her as the three heads flew into the air again then landed, stacked one atop the other, in his left hand. "Impressed?"

The Specialist narrowed her eyes and quickly drew her blade, sending a swarm of tiny, icy Nevermores crashing into the stack and sending it flying. "Why are you here, destroying property of the Atlesian military yet again, Qrow?"

"We're using first names now?" Qrow asked. He swooned sarcastically. "Oh, Winter!"

"I see. To annoy me, then," Winter noted. She shook her head and sheathed her blade slowly. Then she began to walk, placing her hand on Qrow's shoulder to shove him out of the way as she reached him. "If you'll excuse me, I am likely already late for actual conversations that I need to have."

Winter stopped when she felt an unbending arm lance out in her path. "You forgot this, Winter," Qrow mumbled quietly, not looking over at her. She growled, but looked down at his hand. Her eyes widened when she saw one of her gloves.

"Did you steal that from my bags!?" she snapped, reaching to draw her weapon again. Qrow did not flinch as the metal edge kissed his throat. "You damnable dru-"

"You forgot it, Ice Queen. Slid right off your hand after our dance," the red eyed man interjected calmly, looking over at her finally. Gone was his usual smirk, his infuriating stubbornness. Winter also realized with a start that so too was the smell gone. All of it was replaced with... what looked like a level of respect for her.

Schnee sheathed her weapon once more and snatched her glove out of Qrow's hand. He stared at her for a while, as if he was awaiting something. When it didn't come, Qrow merely shrugged and pocketed his hands. "See you around, Ice Queen." Qrow began to walk away.

"Wait," she said after a short pause. Her hand snapped out, grabbing hold of the tattered edge of Qrow's cape. He cried as his momentum suddenly disappeared and he nearly fell backwards. He gained his footing again after a half second and turned around. Winter was staring at him, her blue eyes fixed on the pools of red in Qrow's skull. She sighed. "Blue Fairy."

"Excuse me?" Qrow asked, crossing his arms. He raised one eyebrow, looking for an explanation.

"Blue Fairy. That's why I defended you as well as the boy, Qrow," Winter said simply, her hands rubbing together nervously in front of her.

The Huntsman laughed and shook his head, earning a more wintry look from the Specialist. "Now you've lost me, Ice Queen," he said as he calmed down. He gave the woman a quizzical glare. "You defended me after I revealed Atlesian military and state secrets to the world? Well, this will be the first time I've ever said an Atlesian Specialist surprised me. Why?"

Winter made a noise halfway between a growl of annoyance she usually saved for her dealings with Qrow and a sigh of disappointment... again usually reserved for Qrow. "I had been of the belief," she began, her cheeks reddening in a blush, "that General Ironwood and his predecessor had shut down that specific research group years ago. Blue Fairy's crimes during the Great War up until your ac– your team's actions over twenty years ago in the defense of Remnant's peace... were true atrocities, from all the reports I've read."

"Almost. Only thing you got wrong is that it wasn't Stonewall who shut down Fairy. It was Team STRQ who put them down twenty some years ago," Qrow explained, smirking proudly. The expression was soon replaced with an apologetic frown. "And I'm actually sorry to shatter your hopes, Winter, but they came back online just six years after we beat them."

"Yes, I know. Now. When I called the general, he tried to blow me off, but admitted that much," Winter said, clasping her hands behind her. "When we later spoke, he said Ozpin had tried to convince him to shut it down again."

"Ah, don't blame Jimmy for this one," Qrow said, catching the betrayed look in Winter's eyes. The Huntsman put his hand on her shoulder to comfort her. "The Atlesian Council is the group of idiots responsible for this massive screw up. Jimmy's hands are tied."

"So is this why you consider us 'Sellouts?'" Winter asked Qrow after a short pause. The music filled the subsequent silence, as much an answer as if Qrow had just said it aloud. "Dumb question with an obvious answer..."

"Well, then I guess we're even," Qrow said. He smiled down at Winter, who was glaring at the ground, then moved his hand out to softly lift her face until their eyes met. "Come on, Winter; moody doesn't fit you nearly as well as it fits me. Where's the haughty princess I love to hate, huh?"

Winter glared in annoyance at the Huntsman and slapped his hand away. "There we go!" Qrow said, patting her shoulder. "Good as new."

"We are nowhere near even, Qrow," the Atlesian Specialist snarled. She sighed and let her hand fall to his chest; Qrow hoped she couldn't feel the heartbeat that was pounding in his ears. "But I will try to find a way to repay this debt."

"You aren't nearly as bad as you seem, Winter," Qrow said, not merely being polite to the woman when he said it. He took a step back and offered his hand, a slow song starting up in the background.

"Somehow, Qrow, neither are you," Winter agreed, her voice containing the same inflection as Qrow's. She quickly took his hand and pulled him close. Qrow held in a laugh. "But this time, I lead, Drunkard."

"Is that a challenge, Ice Queen?"

R W B Y

"What is it with you guys and staring up at the sky tonight?" Sora asked as he pulled himself up and onto the roof. He perched himself up, hanging by his elbows and resting his head on his forearms. Ruby turned her head towards him from where she was laying down and smiled in greeting. She moved one arm from beneath her head and patted on the roof beside her. Sora smiled back and pulled himself up. He walked over and, after a second, was laying beside the young Huntress and staring at the sky as well. "See anything good yet?"

"No shooting stars that are actually really funny aliens," Ruby joked. She looked over at Sora and smiled. "Otherwise, not much. Just wondering what it's like out there."

Sora nodded and returned his attention to the sky. "Well, there's a ton of 'em, and all the worlds I've been to are different. Some are a lot like here. Some are... really different."

"Tell me about a different one, then," Ruby supplied, also staring up at the stars. "The most different one you can think of."

Sora laughed. "Off the top of my head? Halloween Town, then."

Ruby looked over at him, eyebrows raised. "Halloween Town? Like the holiday?"

"Yep," Sora said, smiling at the stars that were sparkling in his eyes. "Everyone who lives there is a monster, but not in the way that the Grimm are. My best friend from that world is a walking, talking skeleton who is the town's Pumpkin King. His name is Jack Skellington, and he has this awesome ghost dog named Zero who has a glowing red nose. They play fetch with one of Jack's ribs all over their world. It all looks like a cemetery there, with gravestones and gargoyles everywhere, even the homes. Jack has this huge, awesome mansion that looks like it's haunted. And it is! All the ghosts are his friends. His neighbor is this crazy scientist who can unlatch his head and play with his own brain. Jack and the scientist's daughter are quite the power couple over there."

"Sounds like a crazy place," Ruby said, turning and smiling at Sora.

He looked over and grinned. "That's not even half of it! Halloween Town is connected to all these other places on its world. Christmas Town is my favorite!"

"Wait! Christmas Town?" Ruby asked, shooting up. She looked incredibly excited. "Does... Does he live there?"

Sora frowned, confused for a moment. Then: "Oh! Santa! Yep. He's great. Doesn't really like Jack much, though." Sora trailed off and laughed nervously.

"Why?"

Sora laughed nervously again. "Apparently, Jack had a really bad idea once. He's always been Pumpkin King, living Halloween every day. So he decided one year to try and pull of Christmas instead."

Ruby grimaced. "That sounds..."

"I wasn't there, but Santa gets significantly less jolly when you bring it up," the Keyblade Wielder explained with a grimace as Ruby laid down again. Sora shivered. "And Jack doesn't always get what is jolly and what is terrifying. He tried to give me a magical, talking, severed head as a Christmas gift once, and said it was what he gave all the best boys and girls when he tried to play Santa."

Ruby shivered. "That is disturbing," Ruby muttered.

"I don't think it was a real head, though," Sora muttered as an excuse. He grimaced. "At least, I hope so."

"And... Jack is your friend from there?" Ruby asked, still perturbed by the Skellington's idea of a Christmas present.

"Ah, he means well," Sora explained with a laugh. "And he did his best to protect everyone from this guy named Oogie Boogie. That guy was bad. He tried to kill Jack and everyone else with the Heartless, and then he tried to kill Santa! He was this big green guy made out of bugs and... I want to say socks. Dirty socks, I think. But that guy's gone now. The Darkness ate him up, and Halloween Town is safe now."

"It sounds a lot less scary than I thought it would. These monsters are just... people who look like monsters, aren't they?" Ruby said. "Same Hearts and Souls as us, just not human."

"Probably pretty close to that whole 'Alien' thing Jaune keeps bringing up," Sora said with a laugh.

Ruby laughed with him for a moment. "Thanks," she said after a while. She and Sora met eyes.

"I could... take you sometime," Sora supplied, blushing. He rolled back onto his back, fighting off the burning in his cheeks. "And then I could bring you right back here. Once we have a Gummi ship."

"I'd like that," Ruby said. She leaned over and Sora froze as she delivered a quick kiss to his cheek. His blush turned bright red and he felt his heart pounding in his ears.

"Um..." Sora just mumbled, brain frozen. "Um... I... Um..."

Ruby giggled and looked back up at the stars, excited by the prospect of finding all new people to help. "Well, we better get back to the dance, huh?"

"Um... I... Um..."