A/N: I had a lot of difficulty writing this chapter out. Not like an "I'm having emotional difficulty writing this" type thing, it's just been kinda hard to write with how busy I've been lately. Then again, I did recently get my wisdom teeth removed, so there's that. Oh pain, why must you do this to me?

Anyhow, complaints about my pain aside, we made it to 800 reviews! Holy crap, that's awesome. It's a bit weird, having a review count that's higher than the follow and favorite counts, but I'm just stoked so many people are reading! Anyway, I hope you all enjoy the chapter!

Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY or My Hero Academia. They belong to Monty Oum, Kohei Horikoshi, and their respective publishing companies. Please support the official releases.

I do not own the cover image.

Chapter 58: Departures and Returns

Bakugo's fists reverberated upon contact with the solid wood dummy that Sun had brought home just a week ago. It was fairly durable, though the many indents in the wood itself said otherwise. Normally it would've broken by now. It definitely wasn't because he felt distracted. Nope. This dummy was just tougher than the other ones. Way tougher.

With a sharp breath and the slow release of his stance, Bakugo quickly snapped himself out of it. He was distracted, intentionally or not. Sun was still getting through some pretty tough stuff, and would be for a long while. Blake was helping him out, but she had her own problems to deal with, too.

And Neo... well, he could never get an exact read on her, but she acted the same way she always had. Most of the time. Whenever they were alone together, mostly on the rooftop of this place, she'd get pretty quiet, barely typing a word into her scroll and just... sitting there. Sometimes leaning against him because it was cold. Granted, it did get like that some nights, but not always. And never as often as she claimed.

There was something there, between them. He didn't know what, or why it came to pass in the first place, or if he even liked the notion, but it was there all the same. They'd definitely have to talk about it. But not now. Later, when everything was sorted out, and they didn't have to go into a desert where blinding heat and Moldugas were both just as likely to kill them.

Still, Bakugo let his thoughts drift to the conversation that had taken place just a few days prior, when Sun was still recovering, and it was decided what they'd do.

(a few days ago, Belladonna household, Bakugo's POV)

"At this point, the safest place for the three of you would be the desert itself. The Fang will not be happy about what happened here, especially if they follow Adam. They'll be gathering strength and will be preparing a counter-attack," Ghira said, with Kali at his side while Bakugo, Blake, and Neo sat across from them.

"Luckily, given their current resources, this won't happen for at least another few weeks, given our doubling of the active militia. It should give you the time you need to investigate your respective histories. And... Blake, as much as I want you to stay here..." Ghira started, faltering mid-sentence as he seemed to have lost the words.

"... they could be singling me out because of Adam, I know that dad. But if I'm here, I can help you. I can take some of the weight off of your shoulders, help organize or plan, do... something!" she responded, clearly not wishing to leave her family again so soon after she'd come home.

"And I wish I could let you. But as you said, they'll be singling you out the next time. You likely won't be their only target, but you'll be a priority. And there will be a next time, whether in a few weeks or two months. We simply cannot take that risk," Ghira said.

"I can defend myself! I can protect you, and mom, and-" Blake said as sobs started to crack into her sentence, cutting her off. Neo, briefly, tried to put a comforting hand to the girl's shoulder, but thought better of it a second later, believing that any gesture of the sort from her wouldn't be welcomed. Bakugo had thought similarly. He wanted to help her out, but he honestly didn't know how.

"I have no doubt about that, Blake. But this is about more than your protection," Ghira said, putting his large hand on his daughter's comparatively tiny shoulder as she wiped the growing tears from her eyes. "There are... many things, about us, and about your heritage, that you need to learn. And, to be honest, going out there and learning for yourself will give you far more answers than I currently possess."

"What... what are you talking about? I know my heritage. You were-" Blake tried to say.

"Not all of it, Blake. The White Fang movement and its corruption is only part of it," Kali corrected. "We've already arranged for a Sand Ship for you all to traverse the desert with some ease. The answers you want are out there. Most of them, at least."

"Why? What's out in the desert? And what are you talking about? … what don't I know about?"

"... might as well get this out of the way," Bakugo began before Ghira could stop him. "You're one of the few faunus left on this planet with the potential to become a Berserker. And the reason I say that, is because we're already on the brink of total extinction."

(present time, the Belladonna household, Bakugo's POV)

Ghira had not been happy about how he'd said that. Neither had Kali, though she had understood his reasoning far sooner than her husband had. If they were going to succeed, they couldn't pull any punches with the truth, no matter how uncomfortable or unsavory it was to look at or hear about. If he needed to be blunt about it, so be it.

Blake's reaction was very subdued. She was clearly shocked by what she had learned, but she almost seemed to... shut down, for a while. For those few hours, she never said a word, barely gave a grunt in response to anything, and only ate a few bites of dinner that night. For those few hours, Bakugo had regretted what he'd said.

But the next day, she seemed determined to make sure that everything went as smoothly as possible. She'd read up on Sand Ship maintenance and piloting, helped gather all of the supplies they needed, and, once Sun had recovered enough, they'd been practicing with the ship every spare hour they had. It was probably the first time Bakugo had seen her give a genuine smile since... well, since Beacon, really. Even if it was pretty small.

Then, he heard a deliberate echo of high heeled boots against the floor, causing him to turn to the source as he calmed his beating heart and quickened breath. Neo, as she always did, had her arms crossed beneath her chest as she waited for him to approach, the angling of her limbs making it ever so slightly harder to look her in the eyes for obvious reasons.

Still, he grabbed the towel that hung around his neck and wiped his face and brow of the built-up sweat, and made his way over to the ice-cream colored girl. "How long were you standing there?"

"Do you really need to ask that?" Neo signed to him.

"Well, I didn't bother checking for anyone until I heard your loud ass footsteps, so you tell me," Bakugo responded in kind.

"Are you calling me flat-footed?" Neo replied in faux-offense.

"No. Just obvious," the blonde direwolf retorted.

"... touché," she signed. "Speaking of obvious... I think Ghira knows I'm human. Probably. Maybe-"

"Oh yeah, he definitely knows," Bakugo said before she could continue.

"Oh. Huh," Neo said as the revelation slowly dawned on her. "Hey, if you knew that he knew, why the hell didn't you tell me?!"

"Because that would've led to a conversation that would inevitably end up with you trying to hit me on the head way too many times. Besides, you look good with horns, and I wasn't about to give you a reason to stop projecting them," Bakugo said calmly. This was weird. Usually, he'd be arguing up and down and across every wall of the building, but for some reason, whenever he talked to Neo, especially lately, he'd either be the voice of reason or just have polite, if often snarky, banter with her. It was simultaneously cathartic... and kind of off-putting. And he went along with it anyway.

As Neo was about to retort again, she began to process what he'd just said to her. He... he thought she looked good with horns? Why? Was it because it fit her 'devilish prankster' esque personality or because she actually looked prettier with them or-

No. Stop that train of thought. You're reading way too much into this, girl. This is Bakugo you're debating. The same guy who's so dense someone actually had to point out the fact that he was blushing after he got kissed on the cheek.

Hah. That was a hilarious story, though.

… and he is pretty hot-

Okay, stop it! This is your best and, currently, only friend! Do not fuck that up!

After Neo shook herself out of that, and prevented her own blush from sinking any deeper than a mild pink, she quickly followed Bakugo through the halls of the Belladonna home and eventually to the backdoor.

But before they got there, there was something she needed to do. Without warning, Neo got behind Bakugo and hugged him almost aggressively, her arms tight around his chest as her feet failed to find footing in the floor. Damn, when did he get this tall? Not that she exactly minded.

"... the hell, Minty?" Bakugo asked in genuine confusion. Not for the first time in her life, Neo wished she still had her voice. It would've made this so much easier. She wouldn't have to let go of him just to explain herself.

Still, that was exactly what she did, after a few long seconds, untangling her arms from his torso as she stood back, and let him turn to face her. "You don't need to bottle stuff up for my sake. Mine or anyone else's. I'm here if you need to talk. As you can clearly tell, I'm a pretty good listener."

After a few seconds of what Neo presumed was stunned silence, Bakugo then surprised her by chuckling and retorting, "You say that, yet you're also one of the chattiest people I know."

She was about to pretend to feign offense, but she stopped herself, knowing that they needed to get going and she'd already delayed them long enough. Instead, she gave a coy smile as they continued to walk towards the back entrance of the home.

"Thanks, though," Bakugo said as they walked. "I might have to take you up on that offer someday."

Behind the house itself laid the Sand Ship, a medium-sized thing with just enough room for the four of them to live on, even if it was a bit cramped. Just in front of it were Kali and Blake hugging each other as they finished their farewell, while Ghira and one of his guard loaded the last of the supplies onto the ship itself.

Sun was currently at the top of the main mast, checking to make sure that the sails themselves were secure and in tip-top shape. However, as Sun spotted the two of them and made his way over, it became apparent that something was quite different about his appearance. Specifically, the coat that he was now wearing.

"Hey, guys! You ready?" Sun asked as he bounced off the ship's deck, landing in front of them with an improvised side-flip to dull the impact.

"I already packed my stuff in the ship last night, gunchucks" Bakugo said as Neo simply shrugged and gave a 'what he said' gesture towards Bakugo.

"Alright! Ghira just got the last of the things packed up, so we're basically ready to go anytime," Sun said.

.

..

…

"... Sun... that's Sage's coat, isn't it?" Bakugo asked.

The blonde monkey faunus went silent, his face turning downwards as he fiddled with the fabric of the aforementioned garment. "... yeah. It's all I have that's actually his. I kept it... heh, I honestly don't know why I kept it. I never really planned on wearing it, I know that much. Then again, no plan often survives first contact with the enemy, am I right?"

Neo shrugged, giving her own odd confirmation of this truth, while Bakugo gave him the same blank but investigative stare that was so uncharacteristic of him. They'd been seeing it more often. Maybe it was due to Ghira's lessons? Maybe he was mellowing out? Maybe some combination of the two? Any way you put it, it was still very unlike Bakugo.

"You don't need to talk about it if you don't want to. I'm pretty sure Blake already knows why, but if she won't tell, then we won't ask. Take your time with this stuff, alright?" Bakugo asked with a supportive hand on Sun's shoulder.

Despite the unusualness of it all, Sun gave him a firm nod after a few seconds of stunned silence, following it up with, "You're being unusually calm today. What's up?"

"I already worked out my daily aggression on that dummy you brought back. Don't worry, I'll be back to pummeling you idiots by tomorrow," Bakugo replied as he walked over to Ghira.

"And there he is," Sun said to himself, Neo giving a playful nod as the blonde direwolf rolled his eyes. They knew he was still within earshot, right? He could practically hear Neo's little grin bouncing off the back of his skull...

With a reluctant huff, he walked over to the Belladonnas, where Ghira and Blake broke from their embrace as they too said their goodbye. Bakugo walked up to Ghira, looked him in the eye, and said, "Things 'll probably be a lot quieter around here for a while."

"A shame, that. I was honestly growing fond of all the noise," the tall man said with a sly grin. As Blake walked to the Sand Ship with a brief glance back to her father and the blonde direwolf faunus, Ghira's face turned serious as he handed Bakugo a few scrolls of the parchment variety. "These contain what you have learned over the last few weeks, as well as some more advanced techniques for you to learn. It will keep you somewhat busy. And... if Blake comes into the power as well, I want you to teach her what you can."

"... did you just say what I think you just said, old man?" Bakugo asked in complete surprise.

"Yes, I did. I don't like the idea, but I must still acknowledge the possibility. If it does come to pass, I want you to be prepared. You know far too well what can happen when you're not in control," Ghira said.

"Don't remind me," Bakugo replied with a small, involuntary shudder. "I'm not like you, Ghira. I'm not... a teacher. I don't have the patience for it."

"I'm not perfect, young Bakugo. I'm simply one of many different kinds," Ghira said. "I don't have all the answers. And I believe that the ones I have won't be enough to calm her curiosity. You feel the same on some level, I believe?"

He wasn't wrong. While Bakugo certainly had gotten answers to some of his questions, it always seemed as though Ghira, for everything he knew and taught to him, never seemed to know more than that. He knew some of their history, the different colors of some of the Berserkers that had come before, but that was almost it. He knew nearly as much as Ghira did now, with the exception of his fighting style.

He'd been craving more answers ever since. The one thing that never left his mind, no matter what other thoughts and questions came and went, was 'what happened to all of them?' And not the vague answers of going feral either: Bakugo wanted details. They deserved to know what happened. And it would seem that this vast, uninhabited desert, would hold the closest thing they'd ever have to it.

"I see. Well, it's time for you to go. If you stay any longer, I fear you may never leave. Be careful! And take care of each other!" Ghira said with a firm clap to Bakugo's shoulder and a warm smile as he turned back to the house.

With a small smile given back, Bakugo too turned to the Sand Ship, and gave the first order, "Alright, it's time to get going! Weigh anchor and set sail! Bring us that Oumdamn horizon!"

(meanwhile, Kuroyuri, Shoto's POV)

The half and half leader never knew what to expect when they finally came across Kuroyuri. Evidence of a Grimm attack, for sure. Ruined and dilapidated buildings in various states of disrepair, absolutely.

Shoto was never prepared for the silence. The deafening, all-consuming quiet of the gloomily-lit day. Neither were the others it seemed. Ruby and Jaune were constantly on edge, the former with her scythe in sniper form while the latter held a constant hand over the sheath of his sword, the ghostly helmet of Lancelot floating behind to provide a third pair of eyes. One couldn't be too careful. Especially here.

Least prepared for it were likely Ren and Nora themselves. Especially the former. These were the same streets he lived on as a boy. Shoto still didn't know what kind of life he had led before everything had happened here. Did he have many friends back then? What were his parents like? Did he... did he have a happy home?

Shoto desperately hoped that his last question proved true. Ren deserved some good memories to look back on. Even if he may not want to recall them.

Nora held his hand in a tight but still comfortable grip. She clearly had memories of this place as well, though she did not discuss them. Her gaze, however, often trailed off into what would've been alleyways and backstreets for a few seconds, as though in remembrance, before she and Ren continued their path through the ruined streets.

It didn't take much for him to connect the dots. Her life had likely been harder than Ren's. In fact, this may well have been the place they first met, though he had yet to know the circumstances of it. He'd keep that to himself, though. If they wanted to share, they'd do so without his meddling.

He suddenly felt an odd sensation under his boot. It was akin to stepping on an oddly placed rock, only rocks weren't often formed in the shape of a shaft. Stepping back, Shoto saw what exactly he had stepped upon: an arrow. It had a mid-sized head, with barbs on either side of it, dried blood still clinging to it after all this time. The shaft itself was of a dark material. If not wood, maybe a lightweight composite of some kind. He knew of no other material to make a suitable arrow to fire. At its tail were faded black feathers, either by make or by blood. Either was likely.

Still, what stood out to him the most was that there was still blood on the arrow at all. That either meant one of two things. One, the Grimm that this arrow had struck was still alive somewhere. Two, this attack had been orchestrated, and the arrow had struck one of the people who'd been present to oversee it.

Neither possibility was pleasant to think about, and Shoto knew that talking to Ren about something like that, especially now, would likely only distress him. Instead, he picked up the arrow and put it in his sack. If he was going to explain his reasoning, he'd need evidence. Right now, the arrow was all Shoto had. Might as well keep it safe.

(meanwhile, a short way off, Jaune's POV)

The blonde knight knew that something was bothering his friend. She had been looking into the distance for a long while, for an enemy that may not be there. He couldn't blame Ruby for being cautious, but she was going to give herself tunnel vision at this rate, if she hadn't already.

So, with a silent thought to Lancelot to expand his lookout for a short while, Jaune walked over to his friend and tapped her lightly on the shoulder, to get her attention. Ruby had a short jump at that, almost whirling around and butting him in the face with her gun. She stopped her strike midway when she saw that it was only him.

"Sorry, sorry," she recovered sheepishly, giving a fake smile to go with it. "Haven't slept too well recently."

That was something of an understatement. Last night, she'd barely slept a wink. Ren hadn't exactly slept much either, but he still got there with Nora's coaxing. She'd actually spooned him, somehow, despite the fact that she was the second shortest person he knew. Still, no one gave them grief or teased them over it. Not today. That was the last thing they needed.

Ruby though... Ruby had stayed awake all the way through the rest of the watches. She'd been awake since midnight. Or what they assumed had been midnight. Something she dreamed of had probably disturbed her, and she didn't trust her mind to leave her to rest if she fell asleep again. She hadn't spoken of it, and they hadn't mentioned it.

But he'd rather try to help than let one of his friends suffer in silence.

And now, with a serious line in his lips and worry in his eyes, Jaune looked Ruby in the eye and said, "I know that. We all have, at some level. But... Ruby, what's wrong? You haven't been yourself the whole day. Hell, you haven't really been yourself for a while now. Something's clearly bothering you, and I... I want to help. Even if you just need someone who can listen."

Her fake smile faltered at that. She didn't seem to expect that someone would actually notice how... unlike herself she had been, recently. Most of the concern had been directed toward ren and Nora until now, for good reason.

"... this is... it's my problem Jaune. I appreciate your concern, really, but Ren and Nora need it more than I do. Always have-" Ruby said.

"Don't," Jaune forced out through grit teeth, frustrated at the past self he saw in Ruby's eyes now. "Don't do that. Don't you dare think of yourself as less than any of us. You're our friend too, Ruby. And you're hurting."

A few seconds of silence passed as his words began to sink in.

"Look, it doesn't need to be now. Hell, it probably shouldn't be now, to be honest. And you don't need to talk to me if you don't want to. But... damnit, you should talk to someone! Even if it's just to get your feelings off your chest."

Moments passed like molasses as they stood there in gloomy silence. It took him a full second to realize that she was crying, quietly. There were no sounds, no sobs, but the thin trails of tears ran down her face all the same.

Before the blonde knight could move forward to comfort her, she suddenly rocketed forward with her semblance and barreled into him. Her arms kept him from falling as she gripped the blonde knight in a bear hug, shaking as silent sobs shook her body uncontrollably.

Jaune quickly regained his balance and pulled Ruby closer to him, deepening the hug. This was good. Not in the typical sense, but still good. As he'd said before, she needed to get her feelings off her chest. If this was how she needed to do that, then so be it.

But still, she eventually managed to speak. "I can't... *sob* … I can't stop seeing her... she's always right there in front of me and I'm running, I'm running as fast as I can and I just... I'm never fast enough. I can never get to her fast enough. It's my fault, it's my fault, it's-"

"Ruby," Jaune said firmly, despite the fact that tears were lining the edges of his own eyes. "Please, stop. It's not your fault. I know feel differently, but trust me, it isn't.

"We... we weren't prepared for Cinder," Jaune said, drawing words from a heavy conversation just one week ago. "She took on all of us at once. Not to mention she had a dragon on her side. And... we lost, despite everything we tried to do to stop her. The numbers advantage, breaking the dragon's wing, and everything else... we were outmatched. Entirely outmatched. I couldn't... I couldn't get to Pyrrha in time. None of us could. So, if you still feel that you're at fault...

"... then so am I."

It took several long seconds, but Ruby eventually managed to pull herself away from her best friend, wiping the rest of the tears from her eyes. It left them a bit red, but that was to be expected. She took a deep breath of air, but said nothing else. It wasn't any cause for concern to Jaune. She would talk more when she was ready. And she had basically unloaded her emotions into the open, something he still remembered going through. He'd give her the space she needed.

Or, he would've, if it hadn't been for that shriek. That hollow, pain-filled, deathly shriek. No words were called out, but they knew better. Unsheathing Corcea Mors as Ruby formed up with Cresent Rose, they thought the same thing. A sound like that could only mean one thing.

An Elder Grimm.

A/N: And that's all I had time to write. Sorry that the chapters have been so short lately. I've been busy with college stuff. It's fun, but man is it hectic. Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed it! And now:

Review Responses:

Thunder Dragon: I mean, yeah. I want them to succeed too. Doesn't mean it'll be easy. Besides, I thought that Emerald could use some more agency outside of Cinder.

Odin's Eye: Indeed, although it did take a while to finally get out of there.

Gojifreak: They always seem to do that, huh?

Black Fang: Don't bother. She can teleport. Probably. Maybe. I'm not sure.

Midgardsormr Jr: Fair enough, but considering everything I've done for the heroes, I figured the villains could use a bit of a power boost. Can't make things too easy, after all!

Madmagusmax: Indeed, she is! Also, while Salem doesn't specialize in the art, she does know some spells relating to it. I think it probably would've happened shortly before or after she went to the Elder Brother. It was likely another avenue that was exhausted before she finally turned to the gods.

DD Lore Nerd: Eh... maybe. It depends on how things balance out.

Phoenix Wizard: Well... she's still technically at the same power level, her magic just has the outlines for some more rules now. I'm gonna stick to them even if we find out she has different ones later on, because I like how this system works.

Kaiser Dragon: So do I, but I already have enough characters running around. So... so many...

Gojifreak: Hah... so was I... but I guess Volume 6 wasn't.

Mecha Manda: I'd be tempted to join you, but I am the author. So... *begins work on Chapter 59*

narutoxninetaileddemon: Man, these are a lot of reviews. I appreciate you taking the time to read through all of the chapters! Hope you enjoyed this one just as much! I should be able to respond directly this time!

Next Chapter: 10/11

Seeya in the next one!