"Well, I suppose this is goodbye, Jaune." Saphron said. She, Terra, and Adrian were standing outside an airship that was ready to take both Jaune and Musashi to Beacon Academy.

"Nah, this isn't goodbye, Saph. This is more of a… see you later." Jaune said as Saphron let out a small laugh as the two siblings hugged each other.

"See you later, Jaune. It was really nice to see you again." Terra said as she hugged Jaune.

"You, too, Terra. You should go visit Orleans soon. I know mom is dying to hear from her grandchild." Jaune said as he pinched the baby's cheeks.

"That's not all mom is dying to hear from." Saphron added from the side as Jaune responded with an eye roll.

"Ugh… Do I have to?" Jaune asked, the boy dreading at the thought of calling his parents and telling them what he's been up to ever since running away with the family sword and shield.

"Yes, you do!" Saphron fired back, an annoyed frown on the woman's face.

"Can't you do it for me?" Jaune asked before immediately taking back his words as he saw the fury in his sister's eyes, "Alright, alright… I'll call them as soon as possible…"

"Don't worry, Miss Saphron. Yours truly will make sure this kid gives your parents a call or two." Musashi said as she wrapped an arm around Jaune.

"Thank you, Musashi." Saphron said, smiling at the woman.

"Well, I think that's enough talk, don't you? We'd better get going. Wouldn't want to keep the pilot waiting." Jaune said as he dragged Musashi and the bag of supplies his sister bought for him onto the plane.

"Goodbye, Miss Saphron! Miss Terra! I'll keep Jaune safe!" Musashi shouted out, waving to the family of three just as the doors of the airship closed. Standing there, the trio watched as the airship took off before Saphron let out a loud gasp.

"Oh no!" Saphron shouted, startling her wife.

"Saphron? What's wrong? Is everything alright?" Terra asked.

"I forgot to… give Jaune his medicine…" Saphron said as she took out a small bottle of pills from her purse.

"Medicine? For what?" Terra asked.

"His airsickness."

"Airsickness…? Oh… well… I'm sure he'll be fine." Terra said, the woman breathing a sigh of relief after fearing the worst, "After all, it can't be that bad, right?"

Saphron, meanwhile, could only let out a nervous chuckle as she silently sent out a prayer of condolences to the pilot and Musashi.

[~]

"H-hang in there, Jaune… We're almost there…" Musashi said, the woman pinching her nose as hard as she could while still hugging the wall. Rounding on the pilot, Musashi continued with desperation in her eyes, "Right, Mr Pilot? We're almost there, right? Please, for the love of Buddha, please tell me we're almost there!"

"Y-yeah… we're almost there…" the pilot said, the man trying his best not to die from the smell of vomit permeating through the airship, "In fact, there… it is now…"

As the pilot said that, the airship finally penetrated the clouds as the sprawling towers of Beacon Academy finally came into view.

Even through all the different worlds the samurai has been through, few places had offered a sight as majestic as Beacon Academy. There Musashi stood, at the front of the airship, so amazed by what she was witnessing that she was almost able to forget about the stench of vomit in the air. As soon as the smell hit her nose once more, the woman recoiled in shock as she rounded on the pilot just like before.

"Please, you have to go faster! Isn't there any way to speed this thing up?!" Musashi shouted, the woman growing increasingly desperate for clean and breathable air, "I'm this close to cutting off my own nose, you hear me?! This close!"

"M-ma'am, I'm going to have to ask you to calm down and let me go!" the pilot shouted, the airship rocking even further due to Musashi shaking him, "If you don't, we are going to crash!"

"Alright, fine! How much further?!" Musashi asked just as the airship landed safely on the grounds of the academy.

"We've literally just landed. There, I've opened the door for you." As soon as those words left the pilot's mouth, so, too, did Musashi sprint her way out of the airship, the woman jumping for joy at the presence of fresh air.

"Ah, so this is what it feels like to breathe again! Oh, fresh air! Sweet, sweet fresh air!" the woman said as she sucked in a number of deep breaths, "I'll never take you for granted again."

A groan could be heard from behind the woman as Jaune, too, stepped off the airship, the boy looking greener than when he first stepped into it.

"And you! Why didn't you tell me that you weren't good at flying?!" Musashi shouted as she pointed at her blonde travelling companion slash apprentice. Unable to give a straight answer, Jaune quickly made his way to a nearby trash can before promptly emptying the contents of his stomach, "I mean, come on! I've never been on a flying ship before but you don't see me throwing up."

"Blargh…" was all the boy could say.

"If it was this bad, we could have arrived here by boat or ship." Musashi said as she reluctantly and very gingerly rubbed the boy's back.

"Blargh…"

"You're bad with ships, too? Jeez, kid, are you sure you want to be a huntsman?" Musashi asked, the woman somehow able to understand the blonde through all the barfing, "You know they travel for a living, right?"

"Blargh…?"

"I suppose just being in Vale is one option but where's the fun in that?! The world is big, Jaune, and you need to broaden your horizons and then some!" Musashi said as the blonde finally took his head from out of of the trash can.

"Y-you think so…?" Jaune asked as he wiped some spit from his mouth.

"I know so! And with me teaching you, the sky's the limit for you, kid!" Musashi said as the woman patted the blonde on the back, "Now, wipe that crap off of your face and let's do what we came here to do!"

"Uh… which is what, exactly?" Jaune asked as the boy finally had a chance to take in his surroundings. He, like Musashi before him, immediately became awe-struck upon witnessing Beacon Academy. Jaune had seen what it looked like on TV and from afar before but none of those could compare to seeing it up close and personal.

"Well, Qrow told me to look for a Professor… Oz… Oars… Oscar…?" Musashi said, the woman trying desperately to recall what her travelling companion had told her just a few days ago, "Something with an Oz…"

"Ahem. I believe I am the person you're referring to, Miss Musashi?" a voice said from behind the duo, startling the both of them. Turning around, Jaune and Musashi were greeted with the sight of a man with silver hair wearing an unzipped black suit over a dark green, unbuttoned vest, a green shirt, and a pair of dark green pants and black trouser shoes. Giving the pair a small smile, the old man continued as he offered the woman a hand, "Good afternoon. I am Professor Ozpin and with me today is my deputy, Glynda Goodwitch."

"Oh, uh… It's nice to meet you, Professor Ozpin. Deputy Professor Goodwitch." Musashi said, taking the old man's hand as Ozpin let out an amused snort.

"It's Deputy Headmistress, actually." Glynda said, as the two women shook hands. The blonde had her hair tied up in a bun as she wore an outfit that consisted of a long-sleeved top, a black high-waisted pencil skirt, a pair of black boots, and a cape to finish it off.

"Headmistress? Then that makes you the Headmaster of Beacon, doesn't it?" Musashi asked as she turned her attention back to Ozpin.

"Yes, I believe it does." Ozpin said with an amused smile.

"Hmm… Funny thing but in all the places I've been to, I've never actually met a headmaster." Musashi mused to herself as she turned towards Jaune, "Weird, don't you think?"

"And you must be Mr Arc." Ozpin said as he took a step towards the young boy, an act that made Jaune flinch in surprise.

"Oh, uh… Yes, that's me, Mr Headmaster, sir." Jaune said, the boy incredibly tense and nervous as all eyes were suddenly on him.

"Funny thing, Mr Arc, but it just so happened that I received a visit from your father just a few days ago." Ozpin said as all color drained from Jaune's face.

"M-my dad…? He was here…?" Jaune asked as the boy's eyes darted from left to right in search of a man with blonde hair who was no doubt about ready to murder him.

"Indeed." Ozpin said as he took another sip of coffee, "He was quite furious, too, saying something about tearing a young boy limb from limb."

Jaune let out an audible gulp as those words reached his ears, "Uh, by any chance… he's not still here, is he?"

"Fortunately for you, Nicholas left just yesterday after he was finally convinced that you weren't here." Ozpin said as Jaune let out a sigh of relief, "However, he did tell me to call him immediately if you ever made your way here."

"Ahah… Could you maybe… not do that…?" Jaune asked with a chuckle. Ozpin, meanwhile, continued sipping on his coffee, eyebrow raised as he stared at the boy in front of him, "Is that a no? I'll take that as a no…"

"What the Headmaster is saying, Mr Arc, is that it would be in our best interests if you just gave your parents a call informing them of how you're doing." Glynda said.

"Is there a third option? Preferably one where I don't get yelled at by my parents?" Jaune asked before his idea was dismissed with a simple glare by the woman, "On second thought, your idea sounds infinitely better, Miss Goodwitch."

"Wonderful. The CCT Tower is over there." Ozpin said, pointing towards Jaune's right, at the tall building in the distance. As Jaune quickly made his way towards his destination, he then turned his attention towards Musashi, "Now then, Miss Musashi, I believe you came here for a different reason, yes?"

"That's right, I almost forgot! Amber! Is she okay?!" Musashi asked.

"Hmm… I believe it would be easier to show you rather than attempt a half-hearted explanation." Ozpin said.

[~]

Jaune let out a heavy sigh as he stepped out of the CCT. After getting chewed out by both of his parents, the young blonde didn't feel like doing much of anything that day. Deciding to do his best to cheer himself up, he then decided that the best way to do that was by taking a self-guided tour through the halls of Beacon Academy.

It was during this self-guided tour that the boy happened to come across the academy's library. Taking a step inside, the boy was immediately awestruck at the amount of books the library held. As the boy wandered through the library's shelves, he noticed a young girl with a red hooded cloak struggling to reach a book on a shelf above her.

"Here, let me help you with that." Jaune said, the boy making his way towards the girl as he grabbed the book from the top shelf.

"Oh, thanks." the girl said.

"Aren't you a little young to go to Beacon?" Jaune asked as he handed the girl the book.

"Obviously but I am planning to apply in a few years." the girl said, "I'm Ruby, by the way. Ruby Rose."

"Oh, uh… I'm Jaune. Jaune Arc." Jaune said, the boy leaning on a bookshelf in an attempt to look cool, "It's short, sweet. Rolls of the tongue. Ladies love it."

A period of silence followed as Ruby stared at Jaune whose face slowly filled with embarrassment before finally, the young girl burst with laughter.

"Shhhh!" hissed the nearby librarian as Ruby quickly sent an apologetic look her way.

"What was that?!" Ruby asked as quietly as possible.

"...Just forget about it. It was stupid and obviously…" Jaune said, letting out a deep sigh as he covered his face with his hands, "Please… Just forget about it…"

Ruby let out a small laugh as the two of them sat at a nearby table.

"So, anyway," Jaune said in an attempt to quickly change the subject, "If you're not a student, what are you doing here?"

"I'm here with my uncle. He's a huntsman, you see, and he's not around much. Since he's in town, he offered to show me around." Ruby said, "What about you?"

"I'm here with a… a friend, actually. She had some business to do around here. After that, she's going to help train me so I'd be ready for when I'm applying for Beacon next year." Jaune said before the boy let out a tired sigh, "Or at least, that was the plan, anyway."

"Why? What's wrong?" Ruby asked.

"It's… my parents." Jaune said, "They don't want me to become a huntsman. They said it's too dangerous. I mean, I know dangerous but it's also what I've always wanted to be since I was a kid, you know?"

"Oh, that's…" Ruby started to say before the girl shook her head, "Why not try to convince them to let you attend?"

"They'd never say yes, especially since I've never attended a Combat School before." Jaune said.

"So what? You've still got nine months left until the next application period. You can totally get better in that time." Ruby said.

"You think so?" Jaune asked as he looked at the girl.

"I know so. Besides, when has hard work betrayed anyone?" Ruby added.

"You know what, you're right, Ruby. I mean, what's the worst that could happen, right? It's not like they can ground me for life or anything." Jaune said.

"Yeah, that's the spirit, Jaune!" Ruby said, the duo giving each other a high five before being shushed by the librarian. Sending her an apologetic look, Ruby then changed the subject, "So, what kind of weapon do you use?"

"Me? Oh, well… I just planned to use this old family sword of mine." Jaune said as he brought out Crocea Mors still in its sheath and placed it on the table. "I mean, it's not much but it is sharp and I've been told it's pretty much indestructible."

"Don't be so hard on it. Nothing beats the classics, after all." Ruby said as the girl took great care as she inspected the weapon before her.

"What about you? What kind of weapon are you using?" Jaune asked. As the girl's eyes lit up, Jaune almost immediately regretted asking that question.

"I'm so glad you asked, Jaune." Ruby said as she pulled out a scroll. Fiddling with it, the girl then showed him a blueprint for the weapon she was currently designing, "It's not ready yet but it will be and once it is, it will be the greatest and most beautiful weapon ever made."

"What is it?" Jaune asked, the boy not quite sure what he was looking at.

"It's not an 'it', Jaune, it's a 'she' and she is my baby, Crescent Rose." Ruby said, the girl quickly going off on her new blonde friend as she proceeded to explain every intricate detail of her future weapon.

Jaune, for his part, managed to understood half of what Ruby was saying as his mind whirled at how fast and enthusiastic the girl was about Crescent Rose.

[~]

"Will she be alright?" Musashi asked as she stared at the unconscious form of Amber.

"She is alive, yes but whether or not she will ever open her eyes again…" Ozpin said, letting his sentence wander.

"I see. Do you know what's wrong with her?" Musashi asked.

"No, not at the moment but we do have some of the best doctors in Vale coming over to check on her." Glynda said, "Hopefully they'll be able to help her."

"And the people responsible for this, do you know who they are?" Musashi asked.

"We were hoping you would be able to shed some light on that matter, Miss Musashi." Ozpin said, "Qrow here tells me you and Amber fought them. Might you be able to tell us more about who your attackers were?"

"We were ambushed. There were three of them, a woman and two kids, a boy and a girl…" Musashi said, the woman scratching her head in confusion, "Funny thing, I… can't really remember what they look like."

"Were you hit on the head? Could be a concussion." Qrow suggested.

"No, it's nothing like that… It's like, when I think back on how the fight went, some stuff… didn't quite add up…" Musashi said, "The horse Amber was on, it suddenly went wild. Panicked like something scared it. We tried to calm it down but it just wouldn't listen. That's when we were attacked."

"And there weren't any other wild animals at the time? Or the creatures of Grimm?" Qrow asked.

"Nah, it was just me, Amber, and the horse." Musashi said, "And when we were attacked, their faces… It was weird but they were all blurry."

"Blurry? What do you mean by that?" Ozpin asked.

"Their faces… During the fight, all of their faces were distorted so I couldn't even make out what they looked like." Musashi said.

"Oz, it could be an Illusion semblance." Qrow said

"Quite. If true, it would be a troublesome ability for our enemies to have."

"Semblance? You're talking about that magic stuff Amber does, right? The way she floated up to the sky before throwing around lightning and wind like it was nothing." Musashi said which surprised the trio in front of her.

"You… witnessed all of that?" Ozpin asked.

"I did. It surprised me at first but then I met this other lady who could do the same thing so I figured everyone could do it." Musashi said, shrugging.

"I'm sorry, you met another person who was able to do the same things as Amber?" Ozpin asked, his eyes wide and fully awake now, "And you're sure it was a woman?"

"Yeah, that's right. Why? Is that bad?" Musashi asked.

"This woman, did you happen to see what she looked like?" Glynda asked.

"Well, she was wearing black and red clothes but as for her face, I couldn't tell you. She was wearing a white mask sort of like those demonic beasts I've been fighting." Musashi said.

"Black and red clothes…" Glynda said.

"A white mask…" Ozpin added.

"Don't tell me…" Qrow said as the trio tried to process the information they just received.

"Miss Musashi, tell me, what do you plan on doing now?" Ozpin asked.

"Now? Well, I was planning on travelling the world for a bit, see what it's got to offer. That and take the kid along with me, train him up to be a Huntsman."

"The young Arc boy? You would do that for someone you've just met?" Ozpin asked to which Musashi shrugged in response.

"Sure, why not? He's a good kid. Honest, too." Musashi said.

"In that case, might I ask for your help to keep an eye out for anything suspicious?" Ozpin asked.

"Anything suspicious? That's a wide area you're asking me to cover, old man." Musashi said.

"Then allow me to be more specific. The three people who ambushed you before, we suspect they're working for someone else. Someone incredibly powerful and not to mention dangerous. If you do find out anything of note regarding those three or the individual they're working for, could I trouble you to relay that information to me or failing that, to Glynda or Qrow?"

"If it's to get back at those bastards for what they did to Amber, then sure." Musashi said with a smile, "Only on one condition, though."

"Name it."

"The kid, Jaune, I want you to let him into Beacon next year when he applies." Musashi said.

"An interesting proposal however, I cannot simply accept him into Beacon if he does not possess the qualifications." Ozpin said.

"Ah, don't worry about that. I'll make sure he more than qualifies when the time comes around." Musashi said.

"Very well. I'll make sure to let him at least attempt Beacon's Initiation." Ozpin said as he offered the woman his hand, "So, do we have an accord."

"Sweet. You got yourself a deal, Headmaster." Musashi said, an excited look on her eyes as she gave the old man a firm handshake, "So, about those three that attacked Amber, do you have any idea where I should start?"

"It just so happens that I have an acquaintance in Atlas that has need for assistance." Ozpin said.

"You're sending them to Jimmy? You don't think that's dangerous for the kid?" Qrow asked.

"Ah, come on, Qrow! You don't need to worry about anything with me around. After all, I'm hailed as history's greatest swordswoman where I'm from." Musashi said, the woman putting her arm around the Huntsman as a big grin appeared on her face, "So, what's the mission about, Headmaster?"

Amused by the woman's actions, Ozpin then proceeded to explain to her the details of the mission she would be on while also telling her about General Ironwood and her contact there, a woman named Winter Schnee.

[~]

As Jaune and Ruby toured the halls of Beacon Academy, the blonde was suddenly startled as a hand grabbed his back.

"Jaune! There you are! Let's go, we're leaving!" Musashi said, the woman cutting off whatever conversation he and Ruby was just having.

"Eh? We're leaving? Now?" Jaune asked, confusion all over his face while Ruby could only stare in shock at the woman's sudden appearance.

"That's right. Let's go." Musashi said.

"Wait, where are we going?" Jaune asked.

"To a place called Atlas. I've got a mission there and I'm bringing you along as part of your training." Musashi said.

"I can't go to Atlas."

"Why not?"

"My parents told me to come home."

"Your parents who don't want you to become a huntsman?" Musashi asked.

"That's right."

"Do you still want to become a Huntsman?"

"I do but… they're my parents. I can't just… leave…"

"Why not?" Musashi asked.

"W-what?" Jaune said, "What do you mean why not?"

"Look, kid, I get it. They're your parents and you gotta respect their decisions but there comes a time in everyone's life where you have to just take a leap of faith. This is that leap of faith." Musashi said before she turned her attention towards Ruby, "Isn't that right, girl whose name I don't even know?"

"Uh… Yes?" Ruby managed to stammer out.

"See, even she knows it's the right thing to do." Musashi said, offering Jaune her hand once more, "So, what will it be, Jaune?"

"Alright, I've made up my mind." Jaune said, the boy looking up at Musashi with determination in his eyes, "I'll go with you to Atlas and train to become a Huntsman."

"That's the spirit!" Musashi said as he patted the boy on the back.

"But Jaune, what about your parents?" Ruby asked.

"I'll just… go home after we're done with Atlas." Jaune said, "I'm sure it'll be fine."

"Attaboy. Now, let's go! Our ship is ready and waiting to fly us to Atlas." Musashi said.

"F-fly? Musashi, have you forgotten about my… um… my condition?" Jaune asked as the woman completely froze in her tracks.

"Okay, firs things first: We find medicine for that stupid airsickness of yours and then we fly to Atlas." Musashi said as she dragged Jaune behind her, "Now come on, we have less than a year to get your butt ready for Initiation."

"Eh?"

"That's right. Me and you, we're travelling the world. First Atlas, then the other two kingdoms whose names escape me right now." Musashi said.

"But what about going back home?" Jaune asked.

"We are going back home. We're just taking the long way round." Musashi replied, a bright smile on the woman's face as opposed to the look of distress etched on Jaune's own.

[Chapter END]

A/N: Whew. Eight months without an update. That's a long time. Well, I managed to finally write Chapter 8. Here's hoping you guys and gals like it. I had fun writing this chapter.

Next chapter, however, we'll focus a bit more on Raven's developing situation with Yang and the others. I have some interesting ideas for that one so, stay tuned. Here's hoping it won't take another eight months for Chapter 9.

As always, faves, follows, and reviews are always appreciated.