One last Patch before the War

by SirDarkvid

Remnant is a dangerous place, the consequences of the great war still plaguing the world. In the young kingdom of Patch, four children will grow up on the peaceful island; unaware of the role they would play in protecting it. And as the Grimm evolve in ways not seen since times long past, Team RWBY will have to attempt to find a way to forge their own legacy.

4. Blooming in Patch 3

Menagerie, S̄ām Nạkbuỵ Cave

13:45 p.m., August 4, 68 post-Great War

The caverns under Menagerie had always been known to go to exceptional depths, so no one dared argue with Cho when she chose one of those caverns for the White Fang's base of operations.

Despite the expansive cave system, it was hard to find any place that was bustling with people. It was not a place you would want to raise a child, even if the central area where the children were taken care of was mostly isolated from the day to day operations. Iros Amitola did his best to take care of his young charges, distracting them with toys during the day and great stories of old faunus heros during the night.

But even with his best efforts, many children spend their days in fear, not unlike Blake.

"What do you think those things are?" Illia asked, having dragged her black haired friend to the entrance of the central cave to watch people hurry along, carrying crates and supplies in a hurry. Blake liked Illia, unlike Adam and the other older children. They scared her, giving her dirty looks that wanted to make her vanish right then and there. They were some of the youngest children in the base, only two newborns being even younger.

But Illia... She was a blessing made girl, really. Playing with her was so fun, making her forget where she was for a few precious moments. Only a day after meeting Blake, the young chameleon faunus already convinced her father to look out for Ghira, giving the man some much needed respite from Cho. And while she couldn't protect Blake from Adam and his 'games', she could be there for her afterwards.

In return, she could speak freely to Illia, telling her stories about team STRQ, her uncles and aunts as she called them, and their two children. And while the chameleon was hesitant to listen to stories about humans at first, she quickly became enamored with the fantastic tales of the great huntsman team and their exploits.

Taking Blake by the hand, she led them back into the cave, moving swiftly towards the back where the two built themselves a little nest of blankets and pillows. One of Illias' ideas when she noticed that Blakes enhanced hearing made it hard to relax with the sounds of the base in the background. "Whatever it is, I hope they finish soon…"

"I don't know, but I heard people talking about Vacuo. Maybe we are moving?" The faunus cat whispered, snuggling into the cushions littering the floor, a blanket over her head. Illia managed to sneak most of this stuff out of the barracks undetected.

Or so she thought. She got into a lot of trouble when Adam found out and told his mother. Of course, the moment she said it was for Blake, Cho smiled at her, telling her what a good little helper she was.

Despite her young age, Illia hated Cho. She hated her for forcing her and her father to live underground, she hated her for hurting her friend, she hated her for scaring her. And most of all, she hated her for treating her like a pet.

Thankfully, Illia would not abandon Blake, so she played along with Adam's fantasies. And every time he dragged Blake off somewhere, Illia would curl up in a corner and hope that she would come back safe. "Really, moving? Meh, whatever it is, it's even busier than usual." Ilia frowned as she plopped down next to Blake, the cat opening her blanket to let her in without hesitation. "Papa said he'll have to go out for a few days, so we can go into his office and stuff our stash with candy until-"

"Princess! Illia! Where are you?"

The moment they heard the shout, both girls tensed up. Illia took Blake into her arms as the two stayed under the blanket in the vain hope that Adam wouldn't find them. Of course, only moments after the young bull entered the cave he saw them. Grabbing the blanket, he tore it off with one quick motion, making Blake cry out in fear as she suddenly saw him towering before them.

His innocent smile on his face doing nothing to calm down her hammering heart. "Come on, my princess, I have great news!" Adam shouted, trying to grab her by the arm and force her to stand.

Illia shoved him away angrily, yelling at the older kid. "Beat it, Adam, now is not the time!" Ilia said, moving Blake behind her. "Blake's with me, and we're going to read a book-"

Thump, Thump, Thump

Heavy footsteps could be heard from the entrance, accompanied by the humming of a happy little melody.

Cho Taurus entered the cave with a smile, yet it only terrified the two little children. "My prince, there's no need to rush ahead. Your princess awaits your return diligently." She looked at the cowering cat faunus as she spoke, her brilliant smile taking on a cruel edge. "Don't you Blake?"

She reached down to pat her boy's head, the child clearly happy about his mothers words and attention. "Now then, enough hiding. Come here little princess." Reaching down, the giant woman easily picked Blake up from behind Illia, taking her in her arms. The child had become completely still, yet Cho continued talking without a care in the world. "I have exciting news, little ones." Waving her hand to tell Illia to follow, the chameleon faunus could only watch as her friend was carried along, too scared to even move.

And all she could do was walk along, powerless.

Moving towards the middle of the cave, Cho set Blake down on a little carpet Iros managed to buy to make the cave feel a little more like a home. As soon as she was out of Cho's arms, Adam pulled her down and pulled her against his chest. The mother looked at the scene with an approving smile, still ignoring the cat faunus' clear fear. Illia sat down to her right, taking the girl's hand in her own. It wasn't much, but when she felt Blake squeeze her hand slightly she knew her friend was at least hanging in there.

Still smiling brightly, Cho clapped her hands together as she continued talking. "As I said, I have exciting news. Next week is going to be very important for us. There's a very special girl who will join us soon, and I finally found someone that can lead us to her. You see, a little birdy knows all about her, so once we capture it, we will have another princess to join our little family."

"Who is she, Cho?" Illia asked as she tried to elbow Adam to force him to let go of Blake. The bull ignored her, his attention completely on his mother and her story.

"The girl is called the princess of autumn. Just like us, she has been hounded by the humans for a long time. I don't know if she's a faunus or a human, but either way, I know she has been hurt by these filthy humans just as much as we have. And considering how special she is, I'm willing to make an exception."

Hearing Cho speak about a human like sounded strange to illia. The leader of the White Fang never missed a chance to tell them how evil and disgusting all humans were. But if the girl really was so special, maybe she could help her protect Blake.

"So we're getting everything ready to move a small team to Vacuo to find the little bird and rescue the princess. Adam, my lovely little prince, you get to come with me this time-" The bull cheered, squeezing Blake even tighter as he celebrated. Said girl didn't make a sound, the iron grasp on Illias hand the only indication that she was in pain. "And you're coming with us too, Blake-''

The girl looked up in shock. Cho had never allowed her out of the base before.

Illia had the same thought, getting up to confront Cho. "Why does Blake get to leave? I've been here longer than her."

Cho looked at her, a smile never wavering. "Blake needs to see the truth about humans. You, little Illia, already know how evil they are. After all, they killed your mother without hesitation." The mention of her mothers death made the girl pause. She didn't know what exactly happened to her, only that she left one day on a trip for work and never returned.

But it didn't matter, she would not let her friend go alone. "You can't just take her!"

Cho's smile vanished as the little girl shouted at her. Moving closer, she grabbed Illia and lifted her up. "I'm sorry, little one. Are you trying to tell me what I can and can not do?"

Despite Cho's calm words, Illia was terrified as the women held her in the air. She wanted to flee, to beg, anything to make her let go. But she couldn't get the words out, couldn't even move. She squeezed her eyes shut as she started to cry, waiting for the inevitable-

"Don't hurt her!"

The sudden cry startled Illia and Cho, both looking down to see Blake standing up. Adam was lying behind her, having not expected his princess to move so suddenly. Watching her carefully, Cho's smile returned. Setting the shaking chameleon faunus down, she kneeled down in front of Blake. Gently, she took her head in between her hands. "Of course not, little one. I would never hurt your precious friend." Forcing her closer, she whispered. "After all, you are my princess. And a princess does as she is told, right?" Blake could only nod her head, terrified.

Her smile now as brilliant as carefree as before, Cho stood up. "Wonderful. I know you understand Blake. And soon, you will also understand why humans and faunus can never be family."

Turning around, she helped her son up before continuing. "Soon, I will show you what humans are really like. And then you will stop this silly notion of your 'aunts' and 'uncles' . There are filth, not worthy of even being in the same room as us." She talked as she straightened out Adams cloth, ruffling his hair after she finished. "Now my little prince, I know we just got here but I'm afraid you have to say goodbye to Blake for now. There is much to do before we leave, and you will have to be ready to protect your princess."

The boy smiled at his mother before moving to Blake. "Don't worry princess, as long as I'm here, nothing will ever hurt you!" The irony was lost on the child as he hugged the still shocked girl who didn't react to him at all. "And soon we will go out on countless adventures to help faunus all over the world. Just you wait, I'm gonna show you what a hero I am!" With a smile and a wave, the young bull rushed out of the cave.

Cho looked at the two girls before her for a moment, every hint of affection gone. After a moment, she turned around and started humming the same song, leaving with a smile on her face.

Blake could only stare at the ground, still in shock from what just happened. When she felt her friend move over and hug her, she couldn't help the tears anymore. Both of them sat there on the ground as they cried in each others arms, the *thud* *thud* *thud* Chos steps slowly fading into the distance.

---

"ipipiiií, pii, piiii - Pipipiiií, pii, piiii

Blake opened her eyes slowly as the alarm clock rang in her room. The memories of her time with Cho had been plaguing her dreams ever since she returned.

Rubbing the last few tears from her eyes, she slowly got up and looked around.

Home of the Belladonna family.

06:00 a.m., September 1, '68 post-Great War

Her room was illuminated brightly, various lamps and nightlights keeping the darkness away. It helped with the night terrors, at least a little. Of course, the fact that every light was in some way or the other showing Team STRQ helped almost as much as the light.

Her mother had talked to them over the phone constantly since Blake and Ghira returned home, keeping them up to date on how she was doing. When she mentioned her sleeping troubles without the lights on, aunt Summer seemed to have gotten an idea to help.

The next morning she showed up at their front door. And while Blake wanted nothing more than to rush down and finally see one of her extended family again, fear kept her paralyzied in her room. She could only sit on the floor, face pressed against the door to hear Summer talk about all the merchandise people made of their team. Including lamps, lamp shades, nightlights and various other nick nacks.

The child psychologist, a young bat faunus named Morrisay, who had visited their home regularly explained that it was normal for her to have trouble leaving her room or the house after what happened. And that a certain wariness around humans for a while would have to be expected.

But Blake couldn't help but feel like she was doing something wrong. She had nothing but good memories of her human family, yet she couldn't help the spike of panic when thinking about going out to see them. But she wanted too, more than anything.

Taking a deep breath, the young faunus went around her room, turning off each light one by one. When only the light of the rising sun was left, she turned towards the door. She moved with purpose, leaving her room ready to face this new day head on.

And maybe see the rest of her family.

Despite her new confidence, walking through the still somewhat dark hallways of her home unnerved her. The sun was only just rising, leaving long shadows in the house. The little faunus hurried along, forcing herself to not turn around every step to check the dark corners around her.

Focusing on the sound of her mother humming in the kitchen, Blake reached the stairs and hurried down into the more open and lid part of the house, the smell of rice and fried vegetables greated her, making her tummy growl in hunger.

Moving into the kitchen, Blake saw her uniform folded on one of the chairs.

Her wish to join Sanctuary Academy had been met with mixed reactions by her parents. They were supportive of her wish but couldn't help but fear sending her out amongst so many people, even more for being so soon. And Blake felt the same way, terrified of the idea.

But she was sick of living in fear, sick of not being able to go out and see the rest of her family. Sick of waking up crying every night. Huntsmen weren't afraid. Just like her aunts and uncles, they faced the world and everything in it without flinching.

Blake wanted to be like that, standing tall and proud to make sure no one had to be scared like she was. Her mother made it clear that there was no rush and that she could join the academy next year. Her father told her that she didn't need to push herself.

Part of her wanted to listen to them and just… wait. Stay in her room until she feels safe again.

It was so tempting to just curl up under her blanket while her mom sang her to sleep and ignore the world outside. But she knew she couldn't do that.

What kind of huntress would she be if she hid in her room all day? Not one that could protect people, that's for sure.

Besides, if she didn't join now, Yang would be ahead of her. And having to do this without her best friend by her side was scarier than she could describe.

Thinking about Yang made her look behind her towards the pictures lining the walls. One particular one was of her and Yang smiling brightly at the camera, a baby Ruby between them. She missed her friend terribly. She tried to remember her while telling stories of their exploits to Illia but they were getting hazy recently.

She remembers her laughter and confidence, being pulled along towards the next fun adventure. Such a stark contrast to how Adam would force her along to one of his games. She remembers her smell, sunshine and heat. It made her feel warm and safe, suppressing the memory of gunpowder and fear that penetrated the base of the White Fang.

Ruby was even harder to remember, the toddler having been too young to play with them until shortly before Blake was kidnapped. But she did remember holding her, a protective instinct kicking in the first moment she met her. She remembers her bright silver eyes, so similar to aunt Summer, looking up at her in wonder. And she remembered her smelling of roses and hope, something that kept her going during the cold and lonely nights when she wasn't sure if she was going to see either of them again.

Living right next door without being able to see them has been hard. The psychiatrist advised against letting the two come over, knowing the two children from her time with Ruby. Both were smart kids and understood that Blake needed time and space to be ok, but there were subtle things that a young child simply couldn't watch out for. So they made the decision to keep the three separated at least for the first few weeks, despite Ruby and Yang bouncing off the walls waiting to see Blake again.

Kali moved up behind her daughter, having heard her come down. It was great progress that Blake managed to leave her room on her own now but she couldn't help but worry about sending her to Sanctuary already. She was still so scared and fragile that Kali sometimes feared her little girl would break apart any moment. Ghira shared her fears but told her that they had to trust her to be strong. And if Kali knew one thing then that their daughter was stronger than anyone.

She will be fine today. Besides, she would have Qrow and Glynda to keep an eye on her.

Blake turned towards her mother as she got closer, a small and hesitant smile on her lips. One that turned into a giggle as she got picked up and nuzzled gently. "Well look who's up bright and early. I was just about ready to come get you for breakfast, my little shade." Setting Blake down at the table, Kali went back to the kitchen to bring the food in. "How are you feeling Blake? Nervous about your big day?"

The girl looked down at the plate her mother put before her. "... a little."

"You know you don't have to do anything you don't feel comfortable with honey. Just say the word and I have your father call-"

"No! I want to go, really"

Sitting down, Kali stroked Blakes head gently. "Shh, don't worry. We won't keep you from going. Both me and your father just want to make sure you're ready." Moving slightly to hug her daughter, she continued. "You are such a strong girl Blake. I know that no matter what happens today, you will be fine. But please don't feel like you have to act strong for our sake. If it gets too much you can always come home. And don't think that taking it slow means you will get removed from the class, ok?"

"You should listen to your mother, she knows what she's talking about" Ghira entered the room with a smile, having stopped in the door frame to watch the interaction between mother and daughter. Just like Blake, Ghira struggled with the aftermath of his captivity. It didn't help that Menagerie was putting pressure on him to return and take on the role of ambassador for the Faunus again.

But with the council's current stance on Cho and her part in all this, there was little point. Even he could do nothing against the damage she has caused if he didn't have the support of Menagerie. Going back to his old home would mean a senseless struggle and hurting his family. No, he could do much more here on Patch, making sure the needs of the Faunus were heard at least on the island.

But while that gave him strength, what really soothed his soul like nothing else, was seeing his family happy and safe.

He sat down on the other side of the table, reaching out to stroke Blakes while Kali kept her in her arms. "We both know that you can deal with anything you set your mind to. And I know how important this is for you. But there is no shame in pacing yourself. You will have years to get used to school, don't think you have to master it today." Blake listened to her father with rapt attention, smiling brightly at the affection and words her parents gave her.

"I know dad." Blake shuffled a little in her mothers arms, looking down nervously. " I just … I don't want to disappoint you guys."

Kali pushed her slightly so that she could look at her. "Listen carefully Blake. We could never be disappointed in you. Because we know that no matter what happens, you will always do your best. And you already showed us how incredible you are since you came home. Please don't think you need to do more for us."

And while Blake may not believe her parents quite yet, she did feel better after hearing their encouragement. Giving both a confident smile, she settled back down into her seat and started on her breakfast.

Kali and Ghira went ahead and started eating themselves, filling the room with idle conversation. The warm and homely feeling relaxed Blake further, making her dig into her food with gusto, taking large bites of rice and egg.

The adults watched her for a moment, happy to see her eating so well. While Cho, despite her cruelty, never starved any of the children, a terrorist base in a cave in the wilderness was not known for having a balanced diat for growing girls. Ghira had it far worse, having been starved on purpose to keep docile.

The meat Kali had been serving had helped a lot to regain lost weight, and a treat after having none for so many months. Ghira had once been used to it, growing up without much meat at all. It was mostly a cultural thing, as many Faunus in Menagerie were uncomfortable about eating something that so closely resembled them.

Kali, being born on Patch, had no such issues and ate meat of every kind. It had been quite the culture shock at first, even with Ghira being such an open minded person.

As they slowly finished eating, Kali brought up the subject she and Ghira discussed last night. "So Blake, after talking with Morrisay, we think it would be a good idea to visit Yang and Ruby before we have to leave, what do you think?"

Blakes ears perked up at the mention of the two, making her feel both excited and scared. "I … I would like too, yeah." Despite her mixed feelings, she couldn't help the smile as she thought about finally seeing the two again. She jumped out of her chair, moving towards the hallway. "I'm gonna go get ready." Her hesitance was now replaced with genuine joy as she hurried to her room, leaving her parents alone in the kitchen.

Ghira laughed, happy to see his little girl so excited after everything. Standing up, he started helping his wife clean up the table. As the two worked, he couldn't help but notice her slight frown. "Everything alright? Still worried if she's gonna be ok?"

She didn't answer right away, focused on cleaning the plate in her hand. "I'm not worried, not really. But I spent months thinking I would never see either of you again so I can't help but feel terrified of letting her out of my sight. I know she's gonna be fine. Our girl's a fighter, there's no way something like this will do more than slow her down a little." She finished with the plate, handing it over to Ghira. "And Qrow already promised he would keep an eye on her. As has Glynda, so there's nothing to worry about." Her hands shook as she talked, voice getting choked up as she continued. "I just-" Ghira gently took the plate out of her hands, setting it down in the sink before embracing his wife.

Kali couldn't help the slight hitch as she tried to get her emotions back under control, clinging to her husband for support. After a few moments, she felt calm enough again. "Look at me, you were the one kidnapped yet I'm the one falling apart every few minutes."

Ghira just smiled as he rubbed her back in a soothing motion. "And you have helped me and Blake more than I could ever say, my love. And even while I was with Cho, the thought of seeing you again and protecting our daughter were the only things that gave me the strength to hang on." Getting on her toes, Kali kissed him, words failing her as he held her.

The two stayed like that for a few moments before parting, both now smiling. Hearing the pattern of Blake's feet coming down the stairs again, the two went into the hallway. Blake met them at the stairs, clad in the Sanctuary uniform she grabbed before going to her room. A backpack was slung over her back, prepared by Kali yesterday.

"I'm ready, come on!" Blake couldn't stand still, all previous fears forgotten. She was finally going to see the rest of her family again and she would not let anything get between that.

Her parents laughed, happy to see her eager to leave. "Easy now my little shade, we have plenty of time. Ruby and Yang are not going anywhere." Kali tried to calm her daughter down at least a little while helping her put on her shoes before doing the same herself.

With mother and daughters occupied, Ghira focused his gaze on the top of the stairs, an old altar he had brought from his childhood home adorning part of the wall.

According to tradition, the God of Animals, or Teph Haeng Sagh as he was called in Menagerie, watched as the animals of his realm suffered under the sins of humans. Yet despite his anger, he did not strike them down. Instead, he united both man and beast, their bodies and souls finding harmony. With that, the first Faunus were born.

Many believe that Teph Haeng Sagh blessed them in times of need, giving rise to abilities like their enhanced senses. Others believed it to be more divine, giving fortune and protection when those that walked the path of harmony needed it the most.

Ghira was never much of a believer himself, rather focused on what he could do himself instead of putting his fate in a deity. And while he still prayed for his daughter's safety in those dark months, watching Cho ruin his work left him wondering how the supposed god of the Faunus could let something like that happen.

Still, if he did exist, he hoped he would look out for Blake after everything she suffered.

"Are you ready, dear?" Kali asked, grabbing his shoulder. Ghira turned quickly to find his daughter and wife ready to leave. The father of the family nodded, unable to help a pride filled smile as he saw Blake get ready to leave the house for the first time since they returned home.

Blake couldn't help the short spike of panic she felt as the door opened. But she didn't let that stop her from going out and walking straight to the STRQ house next door. Or she would have, if it wasn't for her Uncle Qrow standing on the sidewalk with three strangers behind him.

The older man smiled as he saw the little faunus walk out of the door, having been worried just as much as the rest of his team. Turning his smile into a lazy smirk, he opened his arms wide as he took a few small steps forward. "Well if it isn't my favorite little kitten, ready for her first day at Sanctuary. How you doing kiddo?"

Ghira and Kali followed Blake outside, watching the exchange closely. Despite Qrows lax tone and stance, they noticed how nervous the huntsman was. Unlike before where he would just scope Blake up, he now kept a generous distance, letting the girl have plenty of space. It was both heartwarming seeing the man so careful and sad that he had to do it in the first place.

But the words of Morrisay were clear: Humans could potentially make Blake regress after everything Cho told her over the month.

The young cat stared at her uncle for a moment, taking guard by his sudden appearance. She was worried that seeing him would cause her to be scared, but as she looked at him all she could think of were wild stories and fun games he would play with her and Yang. With a shout of 'Uncle Qrow' , she ran to him before jumping into his arms, the man catching her easily.

With a deep laugh he spun her around once before setting her on his left arm. His right ruffled her hair playfully.

Blake giggled as she tried to keep her uncle from messing up her hair, the huntsman taking great pleasure in making her laugh. The play continued for a few moments until someone cleared their throat behind them. As her parents walked up, Qrow sat her down before moving back to the three strangers still standing on the sidewalk.

With a sheepish smile, Qrow made introductions. "Right, right, sorry there little princess. Guys, allow me to introduce you to the Koks. The mean one here is Winter." He ignored the protest from the older girl. "The petit one is Weiss." Said girl looked very unamused by the man's antics. " And the boy is Withley." Said boy waved at them but seemed otherwise uninterested.

Moving a few meters towards his house, he turned around and put his hands on his waist. "So, with introduction out of the way, how about we say hi to the rest of the family before leaving? Ravens got a surprise for Ruby and Yang that I'm sure you guys are gonna find fun to watch."

---

Home of the Koks family

06:00 a.m., September 1, '68 post-Great War

Weiss groaned slightly as the light of the morning sun woke her. She never had to worry about this in Atlas, the sun reaching her room long after one of the staff would wake her. But as she stretched before looking around the room she couldn't really be bothered by the slight inconvenience.

Because even though her room was still rather bare after two weeks on Patch, it was her room.

No worry about him entering unannounced, no surveillance and no shouts from outside. Sure, it was far smaller, but she wouldn't trade it for anything. Stretching again, Weiss yawned as she rubbed her eyes, her matted hair shooting in all directions. Ok, maybe there were a few small things she would like to change. Like a better pillow that wasn't slowly killing her hair.

There was already movement in the joint bathroom she shared with Winter, so Weiss simply grabbed her uniform and stepped inside, a cloud of steam hitting her as she opened the door. Winter looked like she had been getting ready for hours, the sink in front of her covered with all kinds of bottles and beauty products, a hair dryer and hair straightener lit and resting on the toilet. "Morning..."

The older sister turned quickly toward the door, almost dropping the small mirror she held in her hands. "Good morning Wei- oh my goodness, your hair." Winter couldn't help but laugh a little as Weiss finished her business, bringing one of the chairs over so the little girl could sit in front of the mirror. "Sit down, I'll help you."

Weiss nodded, climbing into the chair, sitting quietly as Winter began to fix her hair. It was easy to tell how nervous her big sister was, her somewhat clumsy movements and the mess around them telling Weiss more than enough. It's not as if she didn't understand, Winter was going to join an already established class after all. Finding a way to integrate into the social hierarchy of Sanctuary would be hard.

Maybe their preparations were a little excessive, but even though they changed names, they were still Schnees. And a Schnee always came prepared. That included looking the part.

Watching her sister scuddle around the small bathroom was almost funny, reminding her of a time when their mother would help them get ready. She had been too young to remember what Willow taught them about taking care of oneself, but it felt familiar how Winter took care of her hair.

Thinking about their late mother put a damper on her mood, reminding her of how it all started to fall apart. Her sister noticed her souring mood quickly. "Hey, Weiss, what's wrong?"

Weiss shook her head, eyes cast to a corner of the bathroom so she wouldn't look at her big sister. "Nothing, I was just thinking... it's been a while since we've done this."

Winter knew exactly what Weiss meant, sighing as she got back up to continue working on her hair. "If you want, we can get ready together every day. It's not the same, but I think it would be a good opportunity to bond. And maybe you even learn how to do your own hair some day-"

"I'd wish mom could do it again..."

Winter had expected something like this. Yet her sister's comment still made her stop her tracks for a second, thankful that at least Whitley wasn't forcing her to remember Willow.

Their mother was a difficult topic for her. A part of her hated her, putting the blame for everything that went wrong on her. Neither she nor Jacques had an ideal marriage, but at least together they knew how to balance each other and raise their children properly.

But after Willow's death... their father lost himself in his 'mission' . She didn't know what he meant by that, only that it was something their grandfather apparently trusted him with before vanishing in Vacuo. Whatever it was, it had made him paranoid and aggressive, getting worse by the day. At least he only got physical with her, never laying a hand on Weiss and Whitley. It was a burden Winter carried for her younger siblings without hesitation, but she could do little against the verbal abuse.

Willow, whatever she did, ruined everything they had, and Winter wanted to hate her for it.

Yet, despite everything, all she could feel was a deep sadness and longing for the women. But she couldn't dwell on those feelings, she had to be strong for both Weiss and Whitley. They needed her to be their rock, and she would not fail them like their parents did.

The older sister had wondered what would have happened if they had remained a family, if their mother was still there. Maybe she herself would have abandoned the huntress career to join the company's board of directors. Maybe Weiss would have attended the normal Atlas educational course instead of 'obsessing' about being a huntress... or maybe she would have joined the Atlas army under Cordovin's command, becoming a high commander. Maybe Whitley would have grown up to become a snobbish cretin.

That latter was still a possibility, much to Winter's chagrin.

But none of that mattered anymore, because Willow was gone. She wasn't there to protect her children or to stop her father from driving the Schnee name into the dirt.

Their mother was dead, and nothing would change that fact. She had accepted it, but Weiss was still too young to understand all that it entailed... and though normally it was Klein who dealt with such things, she was sure she could handle it just as well.

Crouching down in front of her, Winter put her hands on her knees, opening her palms so Weiss could place her hands on them. "I'd want mother to be here too, but she's not. I know I'm not the same, but I want you to listen to me, Weiss. I promise I will be here for you, and I don't plan to break my promise."

Weiss could only nod, not wanting to let the tears gathering at the corners of her eyes spill. "...Thank you, big sister." Winter had endured almost three years of hell with their father for them, so if she said she would be there for them, she would be. "I have to impress Mister Port, can you make me a hairdo like yours?"

Winter nodded silently, getting up and beginning to resume finishing her hair. "Mister Port, eh? A legendary teacher, ideal for my little sister. Do you have a strategy planned to join a group of other children? I advise you to feign interest in what they like, no matter how childish it may seem. Common tastes or hobbies bring people together, as I understand-"

"Winter, are you telling me how to make friends? Are … are you sure you are qualified for that?"

Slightly embarrassed, Winter made sure to give a light tug on her sister's hair as she brushed it. "Making friends is no simple task Weiss. Do you have a strategy ready or not?"

"Well for your information, yes, yes I do." Weiss smiled proudly, waiting for Winter to congratulate her. But no such congratulations came, Winter instead continuing to smooth her hair as Weiss was left to continue her presentation. "Remember that girl I told you about?"

"Hurricane Ranger RR?"

"That's right. According to my research, Ruby has Asperger's Syndrome, so she has no natural empathy, struggling with understanding basic facial expressions and social cues. My idea is to become her emotional guide, getting her older sister Yang to feel indebted to me and include me in her circle of friends."

"Do you have proof that Yang and Ruby have a friendship circle?"

Weiss nodded, asking for silent permission to go get her Scroll. "Here, look at this," The white-haired girl said, returning to the chair, a picture of Ruby and Yang at a birthday party adorning the screen. "According to my research, Yang owns a minimum of four other friends. And those friends seem to tolerate Ruby, so if I manage to integrate myself as Yang's friend, I will gain her whole friendship circle by proxy... Winter, are we normal?"

"Of course we are, why do you ask- oh... Weiss, any self-respecting person would research the lives and relationships of their potential future friends on the internet to make sure they are suitable and balanced people. I myself have a list of possible friendships of advisable benefit within the twenty students that make up my course."

"I see, that puts my mind at ease. Whitley says we could just talk to them as he plans to do... but it seems to me that leaves too much to chance."

"Weiss, Whitley is our brother and I'd give my life for him... but he's not the brightest Dust crystal in the mine. Remember how one of his favorite games in the bathtub was to drink the water and then spit it up like a fountain?"

"Yeah..."

"Exactly, that's why we have to love him, because it's clear that we're the only sensible ones in the family."

The two sisters shared a smile, both focusing on finishing getting ready for their big day. Winter's uniform looked nothing like Atlas', which was a great relief. The northern academy had some absolutely amazing things, but a well designed uniform was not one of them, even in Ironwood's time as headmaster.

Open and stylish, with a note folded inside the jacket pockets encouraging students to customize the uniform as much as they wanted. It was clear that Glynda Goodwitch had taken as many ideas from Beacon as possible, which made Winter strangely excited.

Any self-respecting apprentice huntsman would wish they could study at the legendary academy, but alas, all that was left of Beacon was ruins and an ever replenishing hord of Grimm. Signal was very different, having none of the splendor that the former Academy of Dreams had. Since then, applications have been much more spread out over Remnant, both in official and unofficial schools like Sanctuary.

Having finished, the two sisters looked in the mirror. With a final nod, the two sisters left the bathroom, ready to start their new lives on Patch. All that was left before they could leave was to check if their brother managed to get out of bed..

With their backpacks slung over their shoulders, the two went down to the kitchen, much more animated than usual. To their surprise, they could already hear Klein and Whitley talking, the younger one laughing loudly. It seems strange for the two to be this loud, let alone so early in the morning.

And just as Winter expected, they were not alone.

"And then?! What happened next?" Whitley asked, clasping his hands together on the table, almost standing on his chair in excitement.

The guest couldn't help but laugh, picking up the little guy and putting him back on the floor so he wouldn't get in the way of his caretaker. "What do you think? Raven and I caught the Taijitu in an old sewage pipe, and Tai cut the crane over the ruins and crushed it. We had never hunted a King Taijitu of that size before. But as we learned, no matter how big the Grimm is, they don't like explosions and thousands of kilos being dropped on them." Qrow explained with a smile, enjoying Whitley's excitement at hearing the anecdote more than he expected.

He was much the same as Ruby in that respect, except that he wasn't running in circles while littering the room with rose petals.

But unfortunately for the little boy, the next story would have to wait, Qrow looking up when he heard the slightest creak of the staircase, despite how hard Winter was trying to sneak down. "Well well, ladies, don't you look fancy today? Going to some high society ball?" The huntsman smirked as he stood up, catching Whitley who was trying to climb on his shoulders.

"Qrow..." Winter muttered, not happy with having the cocky huntsman here. Ironwood wasn't going to be able to accompany them to Sanctuary, so the older sister had assumed it would be up to her to look after her siblings. What would never have occurred to her, obvious as it was, was that the general would ask someone else. "What are you doing here, Qrow?"

Of the four STRQ members, Qrow was the one Winter liked the least, simply for messing with her. With her being Ironwood's protégé and Qrow his right hand-or as he insisted, hidden hand-the two had seen far too much of each other in the last few weeks.

And every damn time, Qrow had found a way to taunt her. 'Nice dress, princess,' 'Do you think you can use your manners to kill Grimm, princess?.' 'Haven't you ever had a hamburger? Probably should have expected that, princess.'

He was a nuisance made man, a pain in the ass, even if Winter would never say something so crass.

"Jamey asked me to babysit you guys today, to keep me entertained while I have to do that whole helping Oobleck in his classes thing. Although I know he just didn't want me to follow Clover while he has fun in Mistral. Anyway, I'm not a teacher, but I consider myself a pretty good tutor-"

"Is that a flask?" Weiss pointed at the container protruding from Qrow's right pocket with a frown.

"...I consider myself a very good tutor for the youth, but not so good as to formally teach. At least I don't have to deal with the younger children, I can impart my life teachings to grown teenagers and-"

Winter had stopped listening, busy imagining the horror of having Qrow as a tutor during her time at Sanctuary. The young girl tried her best to remember how many apprentice hunting courses there were at the academy, praying that she wasn't in the one that had him in it.

The others had stopped talking, Weiss looking at her sister with concern. Taking a deep breath, Winter looked Qrow straight in the eyes. "You're the tutor for my class, aren't you?

"Yes, why?"

She sank to the floor without a word, putting her head on her knees. This was hell. That was the only explanation she could come up with as to why this man was haunting her ever since she set foot on Patch. She ignored Whitley poken her chest and Weiss shaking her, lost in her own despair. Klein watched the scene in amusement, glad that the three could just be kids after everything.

Qrow couldn't help but laugh at the girls' antics."Come on, princess, it's no big deal! You're going to be able to learn from the great Qrow Branwen for five years-"

"No!" Jumping to her feet, Winter pointed her finger at the huntsman. "I will not accept this! You are a good for nothing drunk whose main strategy is, and I quote verbatim from your autobiography-"

"I have an autobiography?-"

"'I prefer to let the fight come to me and then take care of the situation'. What kind of asinine idea is that?!"

"Well, it has worked for me so far-"

"WELL, IT SHOULDN'T! Fighting and hunting is a coordinated group effort, where each member of the team should have everything under control at all times, always prepared for any situation! What you do is anarchy, it's... it's... you're a hunting punk."

If Klein knew one thing then that Winter had trouble keeping her temper in check when she was stressed. And feeling like losing control was one of the worst stress factors for the young girl. And Qrow, all of Patch really, had a knack for chaos on the best of days. Still, he could clearly see that the island was good for her, allowing her to be more herself and express herself as she wished.

Setting the lunch boxes down on the table, Klein interrupted Winters rant by clearing his throat, grabbing her shoulder with his hand. "Miss Winter, aren't you being a bit unfair? It's true that Qrow doesn't hunt the way you were taught until now, but that doesnt mean hes doing it wrong. Your mother always said that a good huntsman is one who is always ready for anything, prepared to face any situation. You won't always be able to follow a plan, so if I may, even though I have no idea of the rules or customs of the hunt, I think maybe you should think about following your heart a little more and not judge others so lightly."

Winter looked at him for a moment before averting her eyes, realizing how she must have sounded just now. It was the same expression she would get when her parents scolded her, back when their father still cared about teaching them right from wrong. "That's my girl. Mister Qrow, are you sure you don't want to have breakfast? I have to go to the clinic, but I wouldn't mind-"

Qrow declined as he stood up, grabbing Whitley's hand and lifting him up to sit on his shoulders. "You don't have to worry, Klein, I wouldn't let anything bad happen to these three rascals. I know I don't look like it, but I meant it when I said I think I'm a good mentor... Just look at my nieces, those two are the most well behaved children on Patch! And besides, Tai is preparing breakfast at home while my sister finishes preparations for her 'show' , whatever that means, so we'll eat at my house before we leave for Sanctuary."

The butler-turned-father-turned-family doctor nodded confidently, placing lunch boxes in the children's backpacks before grabbing his doctor's hat and briefcase. "Then I'll leave everything to you. Children, behave yourselves and listen to Mister Qrow, okay?" All three nodded, even though Winter seemed more reluctant than her siblings. Willow would not be there to see them, but he was sure she watched over them, happy to see that they were well on their way to grow up into good people, far away from their father.

With a quick goodbye, Klein pulled into the garage and started his car, driving off to his new job determined to honor the position that Willow, Nicholas... and the former Jacques, had handed him.

...

...

"Can we get some candy bars from the fridge?"

"We certainly can." Qrow answered the little boy, helping him open the fridge as Winter gritted her teeth and Weiss put a hand to her forehead.

---

(Back to the present)

"So, with introduction out of the way, how about we say hi to the rest of the family before leaving? Ravens got a surprise for Ruby and Yang that I'm sure you guys are gonna find fun to watch."

Qrow wondered why he still believed anything he did was going to be easy. It never was, and this new situation just proved that point.

Both families were more than a little nervous and tense, with him in the middle as the one who would have to defuse the situation somehow. Not that he had any idea how to do that. He expected Winter to be nervous around the Belladonna, but what he didn't expect was that Ghira and Kali would be too.

It's not as if he couldn't understand them, but he was a bit surprised by the sudden silence, only interrupted by a shout from the STRQ house: Yang looking for her training gauntlets, Ruby not finding her favorite cloak, Summer trying to explain between apologies that she forgot to wash it, Tai yelling at them to come down for breakfast, and Raven complaining about the shouting.

"Well this is a fun start to the day, isn't it buddy?" Qrow looked at Whitley, who nodded with a smile. "Yeah, I thought so. Damn, eh … can any of you say something, anything? Why did I promise Summer I wouldn't drink so early on a school day?"

And to the rescue, came the bravest person of the seven in front of the Rose-Xiao Long-Branwen home.

Whitley

"Nice to meet you, faunus people! I really like your ears!" The little guy said with a beaming smile, offering his hand as he had seen his sisters do so many times, oblivious to what he had just said.

Ghira remained silent, regretting that Whitley's upbringing in Atlas had led him to say such a thing... and then turning to his wife with a frown, after hearing Kali laugh at the comment. His wife ignored his stare, kneeling down in front of the child and taking his hand in hers. "Nice to meet you too, Whitley. My name is Kali Belladonna, but you can call me Aunt Kali if you want. And I really like your white hair too."

"Hehe, it runs in the family, Klein says it's part of the package with our semblance-"
Before he could say anything else, Weiss lunged to put her hands on his mouth and drag him back as Winter tried to change the subject.

"Mister Belladonna..." The young woman bit her lip, trying desperately to remember what she had planned to say to the faunus family. Why was she not remembering anything? She had rehearsed this just last night!.

During her … investigation into the different families that would attend Sanctuary alongside her and her siblings, the Belladonna's were one of the first that came up. One of the most famous faunus in the world living on Patch. Right next to the legendary team STRQ.

She knew it was only a matter of time until they would meet face to face, and Ironwood made it clear that they were aware of their situation. So Winter spent days making sure she was prepared to show the man that she was nothing like Jacques. But when it came down to it, when it mattered most...

Winter found herself paralyzed with fear. For nothing she could say would change where they came from or the damage the Schnees have done to the faunus.

Ghira could tell what was going through Winter's head just by looking at her, her fear of how he would react to her presence clear as day. Her younger sister also looked scared, moving closer to her older sibling while looking at him..

It broke his heart to see that the pain their father brought even extended to his own children. He couldn't let that stand. "Nice to meet you, Winter." Ghira snapped her out of her thoughts, extending his hand with a small smile. "It's always a pleasure to meet good people. And thanks to RedHeavens blessing, I know none of you harbor similar thoughts to your father."

It wasn't entirely true, the Winchesters were a small bag of trouble to deal with even if their scale was much smaller than Jacques', especially since even Ghira himself could understand a little of the reason why they had sworn 'eternal and absolute enmity with the faunus race'. At least they didn't hate the faunus of the archipelago nor did they act against them... but that was a thought for another time.

Focusing back on Winter, he could see her fear being replaced by genuine excitement, the little white lie helping her relax. It seemed like his first impression of the escaped Schnee siblings had been right.

"I... I'm a big fan of your work, Mr. Ghira!" Winter insisted on grabbing the panther faunus' hand with both of hers, giving it a firm shake. "And I want you to know that I support you and make myself available for whatever you want, there is nothing I want more in this world than to be able to help you take back everything that Jacques Schnee and the kingdom of Atlas has taken from you-"

"Please Winter, there is no need for this" Ghira patted her shoulder. "You are still young and don't owe me anything. You should focus on your studies while I deal with everything."

While Winter and Ghira talked, the former insisting on being able to offer support, and Kali answering Whitley questions with a good natured laugh, only one pair remained.

Weiss searched her backpack for a tissue after her brother had the nerf to lick her hand after she stopped him blurting out their secret. The young cat faunus watched her silently, making Weiss wonder what she was thinking.

Blake watched the girl struggle with her backpack, keeping her spit covered hand away while she reached through it. Probably for something to wipe her hand with.

Weiss finally found what she was looking for, putting the backpack down before wiping her hand. She spent more time on it then needed, unsure how to talk to the faunus girl in front of her. She had prepared for Ruby and her special needs in her plan to get an in with her sister, but she forgot about the Belladonna child next door. Her kidnapping had been big news even in Atlas, yet Weiss didn't even think that she may meet her in Sanctuary.

Which left her without any clue on how to proceed.

Unable to take the awkward silence between the two kids, Qrow came forward. "Blake, meet Weiss. Weiss, meet Blake. Now shake hands or whatever you kids do these days, you're gonna be classmates from now after all."

Classmates

Blake took a closer look, only now noticing that Weiss was wearing the same uniform as her. As she did, she heard a small voice that sounded almost like Adam in the back of her head, telling her that humans are evil and not to be trusted. Yet she couldn't help but feel a slight tinge of happiness at the thought of the white haired girl in front of her sharing a class. She didn't know why, she was a stranger after all, but she still smiled at the girl.

Weiss scolded herself for not noticing the Sanctuary uniform on Blake before, upset that she was already failing before the school day had even started. Yet, when the faunus smiled at her, she couldn't help but return it with a small shy smile of her own, feeling a kindred spirit in the girl already.

A silent bond was forged between the two, just as an explosion shook the house behind them. "SORRY! But I've already found my gauntlets, we're ready now, mom!" Yang shouted, the sound of her and her sister running through the house being heard all the way to the sidewalk. Tai's voice was heard moments later, scolding Ruby for jumping on the couch from the first floor, again', while Summer confirmed that she managed to get her cloak ready.

"Is that … normal?" Weiss asked, rubbing her eyes, Blake smiling as she heard the familiar chaos of the STRQ family.

"Yes, and I was looking forward to seeing it." Blake told Weiss, the poor girl looking at her in disbelief. But seeing her so relaxed and happy despite the pandemonium just ahead of them put her strangely at ease. "What's going on, Uncle Qrow?"

Qrow turned quickly to them, pocketing a half-empty flask in his vest. "Honestly kiddo, I have no clue. My sister has been very secretive about what she has planned." He turned to Weiss, unable to help the smirk as he continued. "And some advice for you, shortcake. Don't question anything going on in that house. Trust me, it will make your life much easier" The huntsman opened the front door, showing it was unlocked.. "I'm back!, And I brought Ghira, Kali and Blake with me!" Qrow yelled through the house as he tossed his shoes to the side of the entrance.

Hearing Summer say they were in the backyard brought the two Belladonna parents into the house, Whitley following Kali and Winter making sure he didn't break anything.

Weiss and Blake waited for everyone to enter, taking the first step to meet the sister duo together.

---

Home of the Rose-Xiao Long-Branwen family

06:30 a.m., September 1, '68 post-Great War

The reddish light of dawn flooded the family's garden, the temperature slowly rising with the sun, a light breeze from the ocean bringing a feeling of calm with it.

Enjoying the smell of her peppermint tea, Raven sat on the grass, her eyes closed as the wind blew her loose hair, her sword stuck behind her in the grass. Her huntress's uniform felt different yet familiar after so many years; maybe some parts still needed to be fixed, but the fact that it was only a little tighter after two daughters comforted her, showing her that she kept in shape even after having two children.

Still, if there was anything more wonderful than seeing herself back in her uniform, it was seeing her two daughters in theirs. In front of her, the two sisters were trying to hold the same pose without much success, both tired from not having slept properly, the excitement of finally starting their apprenticeship as huntresses keeping them awake all night.

And looking out onto the back porch, Raven found that they were going to have a much larger crowd than expected. The Koks siblings, Ghira, Kali and Blake; a motley crew who were about to witness the efforts of the three Branwen girls of the house.

"In Mistral, it's tradition to celebrate the beginning of a new year with the family, meditating at dawn while enjoying a cup of peppermint tea. The Branwens may not have been particularly respectful of tradition, but one of the memories I treasure most was the day before we left for Beacon, with our father making us wake up early so the three of us could watch the sunrise together." Raven whispered, watching as her daughters kept their eyes closed. "I want to experience that same moment of bonding with you, and that's why we are here now. Listen to my words, and give a lock of hair to the wind so that it will never cease to guide you in your life, that's the only Branwen tradition I would like you to follow."

Rising slowly, Raven picked up her sword, feeling its weight for the first time in years. Tai and Summer had done a good job keeping 'Omen' in good condition, especially after she had just abandoned her faithful weapon after her fight with Rufus.

The Nodachi shone brightly, the well polished steel reflecting the new beginning for her and her daughters. "Yang," The mother said as she removed Omen from its sheath, hooking the hilt on the back of her belt. "From the moment you were born, you have been making your way through this world, always fighting with everything and everyone. But now that you start your way on becoming a huntress, it's important to understand that not everything in life can be solved with violence. Sometimes, a calm and peaceful approach is needed."

Reaching out to her, Raven used her sword to lift a strand of her daughter's hair. "This is a lesson I learned a long time ago thanks to my team, and I hope that you will too. Trust your instincts and don't let Burn dominate your heart, and I know that someday you will become a better huntress than we'll ever be."

A single cut, swift and precise. Yang would never agree to cut her hair beyond necessary trims, but on this occasion the blonde decided to let it go, her lock of hair dancing through the air until it fell and got lost in the grass.

"Ruby," Raven whispered, turning to her youngest daughter, trembling with both nerves and anticipation. With her the list of things she had prepared to say was much longer than it was for Yang, the eternal worry over the provenance of her little petal remaining etched in her mind. "You begin your education as a huntress far earlier than you should, and though Remnant is a cruel and bitter place, children should not be needed to fight... what I mean is..."

"Don't stress, just say it!"

"Repeat what you wrote on the paper, it was perfect!" Tai and Summer shouting from the porch, cheering her on as they always have.

Loud, boisterous and woefully inappropriate … that's why she loved them. "Ruby, I know the world will be a little harder for you, and we won't always be there to protect you. But I want you to remember one thing, you will never be alone, not as long as the wind carries your petals back to us. So keep moving forward, because I know that someday, you will be the protector you wish to be."

A single cut, a lock like her older sister's lost in the wind. They were both ready, even though a part of her wished they weren't yet. But she could not keep them from their dreams just because she was scared, no matter how much she wanted to keep them close just a little longer.

The garden was quiet for a few moments, which Raven considered appropriate before starting her show. With a snap of fingers, a red portal appeared behind her, her Locker falling through it with a heavy thud. Tai and Summer put their hands to their mouths, more than surprised that Ravne had recovered enough strength to create a portal relatively far away from a loved one, let alone a portal large enough for her entire Locker to fit through.

The huntress gave it a quick punch to open the door, an old trick she learned in Beacon, revealing the interior loaded with Dust and brand new hunting tools. "People in the cities don't understand what it means to be a huntsman. They can't see the sacrifices you have to make, the struggle you have to endure in this endless fight against the Grimm. You two are about to set out on a journey that will make you realize what it really means to protect this world. And it's time that I continue that same journey."

The news of Raven's return to the fray was not too much of a surprise to her daughters, having been with her on her way to recover her strength. But it was a surprise for her team and the Belladonnas, who had no idea of her intentions. Even Winter, having researched the history and status of STRQ, was shocked by Raven's words..

"All three of us are going to set out on our journey today, so we have to be ready. '' Raven turned around as she spoke, moving to her locker. "And there's only one way to test that." She took her Dust and Omens special sheet, securing it on her cloth with old but familiar motions. Having finished getting ready, she spun around, her nodachi drawn and ready. "Today, I will be your first enemy. I will show you mercy, because the world won't show it either." Pointing Omen at them, she sank into a ready stance. "So come and show me that you have the strength to overcome me. Because I will not let you leave until you can!"

---

One first struggle on the Journey

Ruby and Yang Vs. Raven Branwen

With a snap, the Hardlight training dome in the garden went up, creating an arena around them. Yang and Ruby were used to it, having been activating it to play on many occasions. Yet this felt different, the situation serious enough that the two couldn't help but tremble in anticipation.

Their mother was on the other side, still standing ready but making no move to start the fight.

Raven never struck the first blow, her battle style favouring counters to take enemies by surprise with devastating Dust strikes. Her daughters couldn't know it but despite her best efforts, a great deal of her fighting style still incorporated tactics from the Brawmen tribe. The ruthless techniques her father taught her, still being used to this day in between switching blades.

The two girls focused on Omen as it pointed at them. It was a one-of-a-kind nodachi, its interchangeable blade and trigger hilt turning it from a normal sword into a masterpiece of Dust handling, allowing Raven to switch elements so fast she almost looked like a Maiden. Ruby recognized the ammunition their mother had inserted as the low-frequency electrical mixtures, but that didn't mean it wasn't dangerous.

"Yang..."

"Yep," The older sister smiled, wiping her nose with her thumb, bouncing slightly from side to side to loosen up. "What are the rules, Mom? 15% Aura?"

Raven sighed, realizing she had gotten ahead of herself, the excitement of sparring making her forget setting up ground rules. "You still have to go to school after this, so we stop at 40. No restriction on weapon usage or number of hits. Thirty minute time limit or your father is gonna skin all three of us for missing breakfast."

The two girls nodded to each other, darting forward in perfect coordination. Ruby needed no prompting, jumping off Yang's back to propel herself with Petal Burst and begin her aerial assault, bouncing every time she lost altitude with her training sword, using it as if it were a pole. It wasn't the weapon she was most comfortable with, but then again, she didn't have much choice.

Port had been clear during the summer course that a huntsman should at least know the workings of each type of weapon before starting to look for his own. The little wolf took that lesson to heart, going through every single weapon she could get her hands on. Though so far she hasn't found anything that suited her.

Meanwhile, Yang began her assault from the ground, always moving so as not to attack from the same angle as Ruby. The two instinctively acted to cover the gap left by the other, forcing Raven to block both with her hilt and sword as she slowly backed away. A small spark of pride flooded her heart, proud of her daughter's ability to work together.

But a real enemy wouldn't just stay back and defend, so Raven decided to begin her offensive with a wide diagonal slash, striking both of them so fast they could barely block. Following up on her attack, Raven jumped up and caught Ruby by the leg, throwing her against Yang before launching an aura wave against the two. "Too many openings, consider this a valuable lesson."

The two girls recovered quickly, Yang grabbing Ruby by the arm and spinning her around so she could throw her with enough momentum to force Raven back. "Uptown Wolf!" Ruby shouted excitedly, trying to zigzag through the air with Petal Burst to deliver a horizontal slash.

'Copying my techniques, eh my little petal?' Raven grinned, blocking the attack with sword and hilt in her hands, jumping up and kicking her little girl back at Yang. "And you Yang, are you going to copy me too?"

"Nope, they're not flashy enough for me, I'd rather copy daddy and mommy!" The blonde's hair exploded into flames, her eyes as red as her mothers. Yang's initial dash was almost as fast as Ruby, propelling her with such force that Raven had to drive her sword into the ground to intercept her. "SUNNY DAY!" Yang shouted with laughter, using the force she absorbed from the impact to unleash Burn with a punch, flames following her fist.

It didn't quite reach the level of speed or effectiveness of Summer's Windy Day, but it was a more than respectable start for her first technique. And unfortunately, it was clear that they both planned to shout out all their trained attacks. Raven wasn't sure why she was surprised that they adopted Summers' bad habit, just like an entire generation of huntsmen after Team STRQ became famous.

"Not bad, not bad both of you... but how about mama shows you how it's really done?" Raven grinned broadly, kicking her sword to fend off Yang's attack.

Pulling back one of her legs, Raven smiled as she replaced Omens blade, only now realizing how much she missed using her attacks. Summer, Tai and Qrow tried to warn their girls, forgetting that the dome also blocked sound, making their shouts fall on deaf ears.

The huntress lunged forward, striking Yang with her hilt and throwing her towards Ruby. The two collided, and before they could react, Raven was on top of them, delivering a spinning slash that dragged them up, throwing them into the air. "Thunder Feather Drop Slash!" Raven shouted fiercely, activating Omen's trigger to cover the blade in Dust before delivering a final vertical slash that threw them to the ground, the electricity unleashing like lightning on impact.

For a few seconds, Raven smiled, proud that she could execute the technique that the six of them had come up with together last week. And while the name may have been silly, she never could have said no to it when Yang and Ruby came up with it.

The smile slowly faded as she noticed that neither of her two daughters was getting up, making her worried as the seconds ticked by. "Girls...?" Raven asked fearfully, not knowing whether to stop the timer. The attack should have damaged their auras considerably, but it shouldn't have seriously hurt them.

…

"THAT WAS AMAZING!" Ruby and Yang shouted at the same time, helping each other to stand up, and jumping up and down from excitement. "THUNDER FEATHER DROP SLASH!" The two sisters excitedly shouted out the name, launching themselves at their mother to hug her.

Raven stood paralyzed, catching her daughters by instinct as they kept talking about how cool her attack was. Even though she was still much weaker than before, it was exhilarating to be able to fight again. Being able to get her daughters so excited was making all the hours of grueling work and pain worth it. And even though she couldn't hear it, seeing her team cheer for her made her tear up. She didn't think she could do it before, but she really was back, ready to fight again.

And while there was still some way to go, she had no doubt that she would be stronger than ever in no time.

"What do you say, is mama awesome or what?" Raven smiled as she kneeled down, setting her daughters on the ground before giving them each a kiss on the forehead. It may have been a bit of an ego boost, but it mattered little to her.

They both nodded, looking up at their mother with awe. "This almost feels like a real fight!" Yang celebrated by spinning on her heels, Raven grabbing her arm to stop her.

"Yang, this is a real fight. Of course I'm not going all out against you but don't think I'm going easy on you either.. I know you're both very excited, but in a real battle you have to be on your toes at all times. Remember Port's first rule of hunting..."

"Never turn your back on the enemy, never trust and never give in." The two repeated without hesitation, both having memorized the teaching. "Hey, mama, if this is a real fight..." Ruby whispered, showing her sword to her mother. "Can I have another weapon? I don't like fighting with such short swords..."

Raven sighed as she used Omen to help her get back up before waking back to the locker. "A weapon with more reach, is it?" The mother asked without having to turn to see Ruby nod. Giving her daughter even more mobility would not make it easy on her, but she wouldn't handicap her either.

Sadly, her options were limited. Raven wasn't a fan of using different weapons, rather expanding her Dust options. Luckily, Summer was the opposite, going through weapons almost as much as she went through Dust mixtures. "Years ago, your mother tried to make a telescoping baton work: When she realized she couldn't add a missile launcher to it though, she abandoned the idea. And like most of her projects, it ended up gathering dust in one of our lockers." Grabbing the weapon from the bottom of the locker, she showed it to Ruby. "What do you think?"

The little wolf took the extendable baton, pressing the button and almost shooting backwards when it opened with extreme force. It was almost twice as tall as she was, which was just about right in her opinion. "Perfect, thank you so much mama!"

Raven smiled, closing the locker before taking a few steps away from it. She was proud of Ruby's progress, being able to recognise their facial expression and remember her manners most of the time now … unlike her sister. "Well if we're ready again... time to fight." The huntress leapt backwards, returning to the same stance she started the fight with. "Now that the warmup is over, you two better come at me with all you got."

The first clash after the fight resumed was far more brutal than Raven expected, Ruby using the Batons length to great effect. Yang was not far behind, using her Sunny Day repeatedly, knowing that Ruby could avoid the blows without having to warn her.

Raven was getting a little envious, the coordination of the two surpassing even that of Tai and Summer. Sanctuary didn't adopt Beacon's style of partners, but she had no doubt that Yang and Ruby would have been unmatched if it did.

"Time to get serious, ready Ruby?" Yang shouted as she unloaded a blast of Burn into the ground, stopping her mother before she could counterattack. Ruby landed behind her sister, turning into a cloud of petals and beginning to spin around, her petals bursting into flames. Raven shivered as her motherly instinct wanted to intervene as her kids were engulfed in flames, but she held it back. "Don't worry, Ruby feels no pain from my flames in Petal Burst. What you have to worry about is this, mama!"

Yang leapt forward, Ruby moving with her to create a tornado of flames. Yang's attacks bounced off the remaining petals in the air, igniting with more intensity and preventing Raven from clearly seeing where to block, finally beginning to notice her aura lowering with each new punch. "This is our combined technique, the Wolfing tornado!"

It seemed like Yang didn't just inherit her fathers love for puns but also his ability to hit like a truck, making Raven slide back with each block. Dodging backwards, she readied one of her old attacks, sure that they could take it. "Downtown Raven!"

The huntress zigzagged across the ground, dodging Ruby and landing a direct hit to Yang's stomach, activating the trigger to unleash an electric blast. The blonde got thrown back, colliding with the wall of the dome. Ruby stopped her spinning after Yang went flying, trying to hit her mothers outstretched arm. Raven simply took the hit, letting her aura absorb the damage..

Using the reach of the extendable baton, Ruby pushed herself towards her sister, trying to help her up. "Are you okay?"

Yang nodded, spitting on the ground, gritting her teeth. "I took a Downtown Raven, so I'm better than okay! But I'm running out of ideas here. Think you can take the lead sis?" Ruby's eyes widened in surprise, clenching her hands around her baton. "Don't be nervous, I know you come up with something good. Just show me where to punch and we got this."

The she-wolf nodded, staring at her mother. Three electric attacks, so she had to be almost out. Unless she reloaded, she could maybe use one or two more attacks. It was still dangerous, one good attack could take them out of the fight at this point so Ruby opted to proceed with caution. "I know that look, what's the plan pup?" Yang smiled, rising to her feet slowly as her sister focused on their mother.

"She has no opening, no weak spot to push."

"Doesn't sound good,"

"Nope, not at all, and that makes it more fun. Ready?" Ruby held her fist out for her sister, both grinning as Yang bumped it with her own. With a new plan the two went back on the offensive, charging at Raven. Only this time, Yang followed Ruby into the air with the help of the Baton, the two keeping up their aerial assault.

It seemed no different from the other attacks, but Raven could sense a ferocity that wasn't there before. The whole attack felt more precise and methodical, Ruby's pace allowing Yang to attack from different angles each time. Even she had to admit that it was getting harder to predict where the next attack would come from. Her little pup apparently had a talent for leading people in a fight, not that it surprised her.

The two sisters bounced off Ruby's baton, launching a cross kick that managed to knock Raven down and send her crashing to the ground, forcing the huntress back.

"It's not enough, we have to go further." Ruby whispered as she looked at her sister. "We need an opening. I think if we manage to force her into 'that' attack we can use our new secret technique."

Whether her daughter hoped she really wasn't listening to her or if it was a way of trying to intimidate her was something Raven didn't know. As a mother, all the huntress wanted was to see what her daughters had prepared.

Bringing her right foot forward, Raven sheathed her nodachi, leaving only a small sword edge out. Whatever they had planned, Hateful Raven would be able to counter it all. Exactly as Ruby planned. "Uptown Wolf, Yang."

The big sister nodded, launching her again, this time using Burn to speed her up. The wolf zigzagged through the air with her baton in front of her, straight into Raven's counterattack- Feat-!" The sudden shout stopped Raven in place, Ruby thrusting the baton into the ground just before Raven could unsheathe Omen.

Yang suddenly appeared from a blind spot, getting close enough to deliver a Burn powered punch. But not at her mother, but to the nailed tip of the baton on the ground. "Sunny day!"

The direct blow ripped the baton out of the ground, with so much strength that the tip hit Raven's stomach, launching her into the air. Ruby jumped just before her sister hit the staff, catching it in mid-air. "DRAGON TALON-" The she-wolf shouted, spinning on herself to catch momentum before slamming the baton into Raven's face full force. Her mother went straight down, right towards a waiting Yang.

"CHECKMATE!" Yang finished the attack, throwing an explosive punch that connected with Raven as she came down, launching her clear across the field and into the opposite wall of the dome.

Landing on her knees, the huntress gritted her teeth in pain. Neither of her daughters was anywhere near as strong as some of the opponents she faced before, but they knew exactly how to use their semblances to enhance their attacks. And despite the pain in her face and stomach, Raven couldn't be more proud of them.

The cheering from the rest of Team STRQ had stopped, the three not quite believing that someone managed to use Raven's ultimate counter against her. And they managed to toss her around too. The downed huntress looked up without moving from the ground, reading the aura meter at the top of the dome.

60% for Yang, 70% for Ruby and her.

In a single blow the two of them had managed to knock her down almost 30%.

Raven shuddered to think how this attack would have affected her if the two were older. The increase in physical strength alone would probably be enough to knock her out of the fight. Slowly, the huntress stood, legs a little shaky from the blow. Both Ruby and Yang were still standing in the middle of the arena, painting with exhaustion. Yet both had their guard up as they watched Raven.

"Not only did you copy Dragon Talon and Checkmate perfectly..." Raven wiped her lips with her sleeve, staring at them. "But you've also managed to pull off a feint that fooled me. I hope you don't grow up to be troublemakers, I'm not sure if I can handle that." The mother laughed, stretching her back and opening her arms to recover from the impact. "But seriously, what did I feed you to make you this strong? I'm pretty sure we were not hitting that hard at your age."

"We had one of the greatest huntresses in the world teach us, what did you expect?!" Yang shouted, waving her right arm in front of her. "We are gonna be even better than Team STRQ once we grow up. Everyone on Remnant will know us." Yang pressed her thumb against her chest, making sure it was clear she was serious about their goal.

"Is that so? You want to follow our path?" Raven crouched down again, hand moving to Omen. With a quick motion, she switched blades before launching herself at her daughters with another Downtown Raven. Ruby and Yang split up to block the attack separately, forcing Raven to choose who to attack. "Well then let's cut the crap and get it over with!" Except Raven didn't need to choose a target, spinning on the spot as she released a circular aura wave, launching her daughters into the air.

The attack continued with the mother jumping up and releasing another aura wave, juggling her daughters through the air with her Wind Dust blade, until she gathered them together and was able to kick them back to the ground. "Last surprise!"

Both girls managed to turn in time, trying to fend off their mother's swooping attack. "Well I know how to do that too, Last-" Yang didn't have time to concentrate her aura, Raven interrupting her with her Ice Dust blade, creating an icy mist between them both with a slash. "Ruby, watch out!"

Without pausing to let them breathe, Raven proceeded to attempt to replicate the circular attack, but this time Yang managed to slip underneath and trip her. "Pup!" the blonde shouted kicking Omen towards her sister, Ruby catching the nodachi in mid-air and preparing to spin on herself.

"You're not the first one to try that, you know!" Raven grunted, pressing a button on her belt. Omen's hilt opened downward, igniting a small Dust magazine that propelled the sword upwards like a rocket. Ruby was forced to let go, allowing Raven to catch her blade mid air. "Freezing Raven!" A blast of aura infused with Ice Dust hit Ruby, who could only manage to hold her arms in front of her, the impact sending her sliding to the ground. "You still have a long way to go before you can truly match me, my daughters. Downtown-"

Yang rammed her mother from behind, preventing her from lunging at Ruby. The she-wolf took the opportunity to rejoin the attack with Petal Burst, throwing herself against her mother's legs to raise her up, so that Yang could subdue her with Burn's increased strength.

"Scrambling... Dragon!" Yang managed to jump and dive backwards, hitting her mother with a suplex that Ruby followed by leaping over both of them, landing on her mother's stomach with a diving kick.

Raven activated Omen's Fire Dust blade inside the hilt again, using it as a makeshift flamethrower to get them both out of the way. "I'm not going to let you get away again, Mom!" Ruby didn't even let her breathe, retrieving her practice sword from the ground and using it as a running spear, the speed of Petal Burst making it so she could strike her mother's chest. "Thief's Edge!"

Mother and daughters smiled as the fight continued, neither side letting up. Summer, Tai, Qrow, Ghira, Kali and Winter watched in silence, stunned by the surprising strength of the two girls.

Whitley kept encouraging the sisters by calling them by their colors, oblivious to the fact that they couldn't hear him. Blake and Weiss were transfixed, their eyes glued to the fight in fear of missing a single moment. There was something about the way the sisters fought. They barely spoke to each other yet they could keep up and coordinate with each other despite the intensity of the battle. It was clear that the two trusted each other without question, something both young girls wish they could do too.

"Last Surprise!" Raven and Ruby clashed their aura waves, Yang pushing her sister from behind so she wouldn't lose ground to Raven.

Finally, the three of them were skimming the edge, their auras close to hitting the 40% mark. The fight was coming to an end, and both sides were determined to give it their all.

Raven wiped the sweat from her brow with her hand, her body ready to launch her beloved finisher. "Come on girls, I know you have something special still up your sleeves. One last attack, all or nothing."

"You got it, mom!" Ruby shouted back, turning to her sister. Yang gave her a thumbs up, activating Burn with full power.

'I doubt they're gonna use that trick twice so- what the hell?' The attack started the same, Ruby using Petal Burst to run around her sister. But instead of igniting the petals with Burn, she started ramming into her sister full force. With each hit her aura dropped while her hair glowed brighter.

"We won't hold back, Mom." Yang smiled as her hair burst into blue flames, Ruby falling to the ground sitting on her back, her aura dropping to 40% from colliding with Yang, hers dropping to 41%. "Burn only allows me to attack when I've taken damage, but thats dumb" Yang laughed, clashing fist against fist, a cocky smile on her face. "So Ruby and I have been experimenting to see if I could use all my energy as an engine-like semblance, like Inner Dragon and Macho-Power. This is the result of our training, Blue Rebellion!"

Raven could barely believe her eyes as she watched her daughters plan. Not only had they unlocked their semblances before the age of six, but they had managed to take them a step further on their own. She had no words to describe how proud she felt right now.

Well, if they would go all out, then she would have to do the same and demonstrate the full power of her own semblance. "Are you ready Yang? Next hit decides the match. Think you have what it takes?"

"I HOPE SO!" Yang lunged forward, Burn's power coursing through her. She flew at her mother much faster than before, reminiscent of Summers' attacks. "Burning Wolf-"

'Like mother, like daughter...' Raven thought to herself, waiting for the moment when Yang was too close to dodge the portal that opened in front of her, falling through it and ramming face first into the floor next to Ruby.

The blonde tried to pull herself back up with Ruby's help, but they were both paralyzed as six portals opened around them. "You two have surpassed even my wildest expectations, but this is where you lose." Concentrating her remaining aura on Omen, Raven summoned another six portals in front of her. With a cry, she unleashed her aura in a series of slashes, each sending Dust enhanced aura through the portals.

"TWISTED REALITY!" Raven, Yang and Ruby shouted in unison, the sisters being thrown into the dome wall one last time as the barrage of slashes hit them.

One first struggle on the Journey

Rubyand Yang: Defeated

As soon as the dome vanished, the three remaining STRQ members jumped into the garden, leaving the rest of the guests behind. Raven was breathing hard, not expecting her aura to drop so much in combat, a proof that she still had a few months to go before she could be at full strength again.

The two girls meanwhile kept laughing and saying how excited they were to have received a Twisted Reality and live to tell about it, seeing it as an achievement. And it certainly was incredible, as Summer and Tai kept saying as they smothered them in hugs and kisses.

Raven meanwhile found Qrow offering her his hand, the huntress reluctantly accepting it. "Are you going to tell me how pathetic I am for almost losing to my young children?"

Qrow shook his head, grabbing her by the shoulders to keep her from slumping. "I'm going to tell you that you've done a good job training our little girls and that you should be proud. Not many huntsmen would go up against you with such determination and confidence."

Her idiot brother didn't need to tell her, Raven was already proud. And not just for the way they had stood up to her today, but for everything they would accomplish in their lives as long as they fought as fiercely as they did today. The future seemed to be well protected, but until they were ready, she still had work to do.

Turning to her guests, Qrow supported her while they made their way to the porch. "Ghira, Kali, you can't imagine how glad I am to see you, and your little ones too. I hope you don't mind seeing me being dragged around by those two brats."

"Are you kidding? That was amazing, I can't believe I got to see the legendary Raven Branwen use the Twisted Reality again..." Winter whispered still in disbelief, not realizing until a few seconds later that she said that out loud. "W-what I mean is..."

"Well aren't you a sucker for strong women? I like that, I'm not going to lie." Raven laughed as she stretched on her own, using Omen to support herself. "You guys are staying for breakfast, right?" The huntress turned to the Belladonna, kneeling down to look at Blake directly. "Hey there kitten. Already out and about again, just like I knew you would be."

Blake stared at her aunt, watching as Raven opened her arms. And she would have jumped into them, if it weren't for the fact that someone beat her to it. "That was awesome, Qrow's sister!" Whitley squealed, hugging the huntress, who accepted the hug a little confused. "That thing you did with the Dust was like... fuaaa! I want to learn how to do that too!"

"Aren't you a little young to want to handle something as dangerous as Dust, Whitley?"

"Isn't Red too young to fight like that?" Whitley instantly responded.

"...Fair point. First let me ask Klein and when you're a little older we can start on some basic Dust chemistry." That's all Whitley needed, turning to Qrow to ask him to continue the story he had been telling him on the way here.

Raven was left kneeling as Tai went ahead and opened the porch door inviting everyone in for breakfast, Blake and Weiss waiting in the back next to Raven. "Are you guys going to make me beg or what?" The huntress teased them, grabbing them in a hug herself. "The four of you are going to be Ports apprentices, so why don't you team up? It won't be official like it was in Beacon but I noticed you two paying close attention to the fight." The pair nodded silently, both enjoying the motherly hug Raven was giving them. "You don't have to, of course. But I have a feeling you two are pretty eager after watching our little fight. Plus, knowing my girls, I doubt they're gonna leave you with much of a choice."

The two girls looked over Raven's shoulders, Ruby and Yang looking at them expectantly. They were both covered in bumps and bruises, but they were still smiling brightly, clearly unfazed that they just lossed. "I'm going to help set the table... or grab an ice pack, I'm not sure yet." Raven said as she got up, waving her hands to tell her daughters to come closer. "Don't take too long to come inside, okay? You still have to get ready before leaving for Sanctuary."

The garden was empty except for the four of them, the sounds of their families being heard from the house. The two sisters split up to welcome the two new team members, or so they hoped.

"Blake!" Yang shouted, hugging the cat, happier than ever to see her best friend again. She was relieved when her friend hugged her back, part of her having been afraid that the girl would reject her after what happened. Her parents explained to her why that could have happened and that it just meant Blake would need more time, but it wasn't something Yang wanted to experience, no matter the reason.

"Pretty girl!" Ruby exclaimed joyfully as she jumped at Weiss, hugging her neck. Weiss's promise of being classmates had made Ruby look forward to the start of the school year even more, asking her parents for any opportunity in the two weeks that had passed to see her. Sadly, no such opportunity came, so she had to be patient until today.

With some unspoken command, the two sisters switched..

"Blake!" Ruby buried her face in the cat's chest, taking in the familiar scent of her fellow faunus. She may have been too little the last time to fully remember her face, but that smell of fresh grass and belladonna was something she'd recognize anywhere.

"Nice to meet you, Weissy!" Yang smiled, grabbing the white-haired girl by the shoulders into a sideway hug. Weiss had not expected her to be this forward and close right at the start, but considering how her sister had no regard for personal space it really wasn't so strange that she was the same. Yang had heard so much about the 'pretty girl' that she couldn't wait to meet her. She only saw a glimpse of her that night, being more focused on Blake. But she had to admit, her sister really nailed it with her description. She was very pretty.

It was a little overwhelming having the full attention of the Rose-Xiao-Long-Brawmen sisters. Neither Blake nor Weiss were the most social of children and the current circumstances didn't help matters.

Yang and Ruby didn't seem bothered by their silence, prattling on without pause. Blake was the first to recover, glad that the earlier apprehension she felt when seeing Weiss had not returned when Yang hugged her. "H-hey …" Blake gave the sisters a shy smile, not trusting her voice quite yet.

"Hey!" The two sisters smiled back. "How did you guys like our defeat?" Ruby said as Yang put an arm around her neck, both looking to be fine with their loss.

"We got our asses kicked good and proper, didn't we?" Yang added, the two sisters bursting out laughing. "I still can't believe it, mama kicked our asses real good! Wait till I tell Coco about this, that show misses 'killed a Beowolf during summer camp' who's boss."

Weiss cleared her throat, gaining their attention after finally getting her bearings. "Why are you so happy? You've lost-" She stopped herself, realizing how reprimanding she sounded.

The two sisters nodded smoothly and took no offense at the comment, surprising Weiss. "I mean...it was obvious we were going to lose, wasn't it?" Ruby said with a shrug. "We were fighting with mama, the R of STRQ. We wanted to test our new attacks, not beat her-"

"It still bothers me that I didn't get to use my Last Surprise - Brawl ... I've been training my aura shockwaves to test it with mama." Yang kicked the ground in frustration, Ruby patting her sisters back to comfort her.

The other two girls looked at each other, not understanding why they had fought without expecting to win. For Blake, Cho had tried to teach her to only fight if you could win or take advantage of the situation, insisting how despicable were those who ran away or fought knowing they were going to lose.

And for Weiss, Jacques had made it clear that the only acceptable and expected outcome was total victory, anything less was not acceptable for a Schnee.

But Yang and Ruby were neither losers nor weaklings. They may have lost, but the air that surrounded them was not one of defeat but of determination to try again, again and again until they were as strong as they needed to be. It was so different from what they had learned above the clouds and in the depths of the earth... maybe Raven's idea was better than they thought.

The only way they could understand themselves and become like Ruby and Yang was to learn from them. A huntsman should never fight alone, and the two wanted to be able to follow the sisters' path to see if it would lead them to a better version of themselves.

"Do you want to..." The two said at the same time, looking at each other quickly and arguing with glances to see who would go first, Blake ending up winning. "Do you want to... team up?"

There it was, the question Ruby and Yang so wanted to hear. "Of course!" The two squealed with happiness, grabbing Blake and Weiss' hands, the two sisters serving as a link between the two to close the circle. "Here's to our new team, we're going to be amazing!" Yang celebrated, unable to help but jump for joy, Ruby mimicking her. "We need a good name. Something like... YBWR...?"

"Wait, what does YBWR mean?" Weiss asked with a frown, a feeling inside her telling her to get used to it.

"Yo...gurt." Even Ruby joined in the monochrome duo's sigh, Yang quickly grasping how pitiful her idea was. "Hey, I don't see you guys coming up with names! Just give me some time, I'm sure I can come up with something good... YBRW by Icebreaker, how about that?"

Blake tried to explain why it was a horrible name and ask why Yang was claiming the leadership position without asking, but Tai calling them to breakfast interrupted them. The sisters' stomachs growled, both of them laughing as they dragged their new best friends and teammates into the kitchen.

---

With full stomachs and after Kali and Ghira had said goodbye to their daughter, held by Raven and Tai inside the house, the school group set off through the streets of the Koa Edge district towards the Academy. Summer had to go to Pietro's clinic to get the new version of her prosthetic eye -this time it was bulletproof-, so she joined the group until they arrived in the classroom. The mother didn't dare leave Blake alone until she saw her safe and sound under Port's vigilant gaze.

As they moved on, the streets slowly filled with more parents and children like them, all walking towards the same destination. Shouts and merriment were growing all around them, themselves joining in as Whitley and Yang started a gray car counting contest... which ended in an argument over whether the bodywork counted for gray or not.

Blake felt a little overwhelmed by the increased number of pedestrians, and as soon as Ruby noticed, she ordered the others to set up a perimeter around her. Qrow and Summer found it amusing, so they decided to join in the formation around Blake, only Winter staying on the outside so she could direct and move people out of the way as the she-wolf had requested.

The cat was grateful for the first few minutes at least, until she realized that everyone was now looking at them because of the way they were moving forward. Ruby was very lucky that she didn't understand or care for the looks they were getting, only focusing on making Blake feel better.

At the halfway point the residential area ended, the street leading them to a commercial avenue that led next to Sanctuary Tower, and after it into Sanctuary Street directly. From that point the conversation jumped to continuing to choose team names until the academy came into view at the top of the street, half an hour to the opening of the school year.

Patch, Sanctuary Academy

08:30 a.m., September 1, '68 post-Great War

"Well, here we are, Sanctuary." Qrow introduced the academy to the Koks siblings, Whitley gazing at it with starry eyes, the first time he had seen it after refusing to miss a day of vacation to go meet his teachers. "Glynda's gone over budget for this, unbelievable," the huntsman whispered with a grin as Summer whistled at the sight before them.

Colorful banners adorned the whole academy, Ozpin Square being lid up and decorated to welcome both new and old students to Sanctuary. Postered were put up along the way, listing the hundred rules of Port hunting, the values of Sanctuary and the principles of equality between humans and faunus.

All this accompanied by the academy's anthem playing loudly across the plaza. The Koks siblings silently wondered if this was usual at the academy, but seeing the surprised faces of the others it was clear that it was not.

And as nice as the show was, the group had a first stop at the bus parking lot to pick up the sisters' friends and Clover's son. Ruby and Yang had done a good job of helping Blake remember them, and although the cat was still a little scared that she couldn't remember their faces, Yang's insistence that they would be okay made her feel better. At least a little.

Student buses brought people from the three main cities and farms on the island, Sanctuary serving as the central hub for all education in the archipelago. The group waited outside the parking lot, entertained with Ruby showing the others her newly purchased Huntleague cards. So focused on discussing whether or not Tai had a nose as big as on his card that none of them could hear the girl with shiny light brown hair, as tall as Yang, approaching from behind and grabbing the sisters by the neck. "Is this the new expansion of the year?"

"Coco!" Ruby turned quickly, hugging the older girl as Yang shoved her arm away. "Happy summer and nice beret!"

Coco rubbed her head making sure not to rub her ears too hard. "Happy summer to you too, Pup. And to the others... Did you pick up some strays on the way to Ruby?"

"Maybe those tacky sunglasses just don't let you see straight," Yang said smiling, stepping in front of Blake as Coco gave her a furious look, lowering her glasses slightly. "But I think you should recognize my best friend, right?"

Coco didn't need such a ridiculous stunt, pushing Yang aside as she approached Blake. "Of course I recognized you, welcome back Blakey. Can I..." Blake stepped forward, opening her arms. She had been able to deal with leaving the house, meeting new people and the undivided attention of the STRQ children. Greeting an old friend was almost relaxing at this point.

Coco took a step to hug her. "Welcome back..." The young fashionite whispered softly, rubbing her back trying to calm the nerves so evident in the fanus girl.

"It's good to be back-"

"Is that Blake?! Blake!"

Quickly, a hurricane of blondes arrived on the scene, two dozen girls of all ages surrounding the cat to celebrate her return, all leaving as quickly as they arrived, leaving only one blond boy holding hands with another smaller, black-haired tanned boy. "Hi Blake," Jaune greeted, trying to give the girl the space all his sisters and cousins clearly didn't, Blakes eyes still spinning from the whirlwind that is the Arc clan.

"Hey Jaune, I see your sisters are carrying on as usual." Blake tried to say as casually as he could, but the agitation had been too much. Coco and Yang came over at once to help her hold herself up, the blonde staring annoyed at her 'rival' .

"Yep... I'm sorry for my siblings-" Jaune paused as he watched from the side as Ruby approached in an extremely awkward manner, making sure her SR card from Glynda peeked out of her jacket pocket. "Really? I only have a duplicate Oobleck and an R of Harriet..."

Unfortunately, concentrating on the cards was not an option because on the other side, a white-haired boy he had never seen before was approaching his neighbors' son, both looking the same age. "Who are you?" the white-haired boy suddenly asked, Oscar so shocked that he merely pointed to himself. "Yes, you, who are you?"

"I'm Oscar... who are you?" Oscar asked, studying the white haired boy up and down. His posture and manner of speaking radiated perhaps too much charisma for his taste.

"Do you have a best friend?"

Oscar looked at Jaune, who patted him on the back, encouraging him to get closer. "I have friends from last year-"

"Well, I'm your best friend now. My name is Whitley Koks, with an H after the W." Whitley explained, offering him his hand ready to close the deal, Oscar still too confused to refuse. "Good, now you just need to be in my class for this to be perfect, because that's how friends are made-" The little boy glanced sideways at his older sisters, who had wandered away from the group due to the arrival of so many people.

There was nothing more Winter and Weiss wanted to do than prove to Whitley how wrong he was, but the two had backed themselves into a corner. Weiss had a little easier time making friends in that situation, being the same age as most of them, but Winter on the other hand was completely off her game.

The white-haired teen looked up at the clouds above her, praying that she could at least make one friend in what was left of the day- "Winter? Oh god, I knew it was your name that came up on the student list!"

Turning as if she'd heard a ghost, Winter came face to face with a dog faunus, his tail swaying from side to side. "...Marrow?"

The teenager grinned, spinning on his heels, stopping in front of Winter to wink at her. "The very same! I didn't expect to see you outside of Atlas."

Marrow Amin, one of Atlas Academy's scholarship students during Ironwood's time in charge, and unfortunately for Winter, a pushy knucklehead who seemed attached to her despite her clear and repeated refusal to team up. An orphan Faunus born in Mantle, Marrow received a scholarship directly from the Spec Ops at a very young age for the potency of his semblance. He vanished the same year Weiss was born, turning the years she spent at Atlas Academy more lonelier.

"I'm the one who didn't expect to see you out of the kingdom... what are you doing here?"

The dog faunus wiped his nose with the back of his index finger, pulling out his wallet with his other hand. "Winter, you're talking to the official adopted son of Clover Ebin! I know, I know, you'll have a lot of questions-"

"Not really."

"But I'll sum it up by saying that when Clover received Ironwood's offer to rejoin him in Patch's new Spec Ops, he offered me a chance to get out of Atlas before the faunus situation there got worse. And since he is the closest thing I have to family, I packed my bags and came here! That said... what's this about Ko-"

Seeing that Clover's son had a bad tendency to be as talkative as his father, Qrow stepped forward from behind covering his mouth with his hand, grabbing him by the arm. "Enough, wonderboy, we're late for class. You take care of everything, Sum?" Summer nodded, Qrow taking the opportunity to lead Winter out and drag Marrow with him.

The children waited at the bus stop for the last two members of the group, watching Jaune and Ruby compare cards while Coco commented on the aesthetics of the characters.

Luckily, they didn't have to wait too long. "Hello everyone, happy start to a new school year where we will become apprentices of- Blake!" Eliza Bleu, Sebastian Bleu's first and only daughter, jumped on Blake, forgetting her decorum for a second. "On behalf of all of Patch, let me tell you that we are so gla- ay ay ay ay!"

The dark skinned, orange-haired boy accompanying her tugged on her cheek, keeping her from embarrassing herself. "Hello again, Blake!" Fox said cheerfully, pulling his childhood friend away before releasing her. "On behalf of all of Patch, really?"

"My father is on official duty, so that means sooner or later Grandpa will give him the position. And as soon as he gives it to him, I will become the first huntress that also has a seat on the council." Eliza explained her plan seamlessly, smiling proudly as Fox rolled his eyes. She couldn't see it, but it made him feel better about his friend's behavior. And luckily for Weiss, though it might not seem so, Eliza was the first to notice her. "Oh, new girl! Nice to meet you. I am Elizabeth Bleu, but everyone calls me Eliza, granddaughter of the leader of the council of elders and- ay ay ay, okay, I'll stop!"

Weiss looked at her for a few seconds. Her strict upbringing told her to respond to the formal greeting in kind but she controlled herself. She was no longer a Schnee and shouldn't act like one. Weiss Koks was just an ordinary girl, an Atlas native who had come to Patch full of hopes and dreams... or at least that's what Klein had told them her alibis were. "I'm Weiss... Koks, nice to meet you all."

With Weiss greeting the group, Ruby quickly handed her cards to her best friend to join the white-haired girl in front of everyone. Not the best idea, because Jaune waited until her back was turned to trade one of his Ooblecks for Ruby's copy of Wolfmans. "Weiss is our new teammate, along with Blake!" The she-wolf explained happily, hugging Weiss.

"So it's like that, uh Pup?" Coco smiled, looking at Jaune, Fox and Eliza, all three nodding back. "Well I'm glad, because today we wanted to announce to you the founding of Team CJFE, pronounced coffee-"

"You're betraying us, Jaune?!" Yang turned to her blonde-haired comrade, grabbing him by the collar of his shirt. "I'm the one who helped you befriend Ruby, you can't leave me like this!"

"First, you're the one who left me behind just a second ago, and secondly I live next to Coco, I had no choice!" Jaune groaned until Yang released him, glaring daggers and the blond boy.

"Well if you guys already have a name, I'm pleased to announce that we do too!" Yang boasted without looking back, at how her three companions were in shock at the totally one-man decision making. "We are... we are... Y...R...you can read the W as a U... WE ARE RWBY!

The news was received with surprise not only by CJFE, but by Summer as well. And even by Yang's own teammates, and especially the one who had had her name taken for the team. "If your name is RWBY... is Ruby the team leader?" Eliza asked with a narrowing of her eyes.

"Yes- wait what?" Yang bit her tongue, Coco and Fox bursting out laughing. "I mean… Yeah, yes! Pup is too smart for herself, so it makes sense that we form a team around her. I'm the brave fist, Blake is the swift dagger, and Weiss is the wise book- You're smart, aren't you Weiss?" The white-haired girl nodded almost a little offended. "Well, we're Ruby's three pillars so she can become a incredible leader, just like this morning fighting with Mama-"

The mention of fighting drove the kids crazy, throwing themselves at Ruby and Yang to try to get the whole story, not even noticing the bell signaling the start of class. "Kids, game over." Summer said getting up from the hood of Port's car, stretching after sitting on it for so long. "It's time to kick off your first day of school, are you all ready?"

"YES!"