Sorry, this is a little late for Ruby's birthday chapter but I really was preoccupied with work. I also started writing the next arc, so I wanted to make some filler to close off this before I really get into the good stuff.

Also Totallynotaduck, you were half right heh.

Chapter 82: Happy Birthday Ruby

Nova awoke to find himself back in the torture chamber, the cold shackles tethered to his arms and legs, eating away at the skin. Onyx stood in place of the Callow's siblings this time, another snarl plastered on his face as it usually was.

The dragon glanced around the room, trying to discern what was different this time, "So... we're here again," he said snarkily, grinning at the man. Despite it being another nightmare, Nova still felt the pain as though it were real. His entire body hurt to the brink of collapse.

"You can be a smartass all you want, but you and I both know you're just moments away from breaking..." Onyx grinned, brandishing his blade.

Nova flinched, "Just get it over with. You can't hurt me anymore..."

"Oh? I will always find a way to break you..." Onyx snapped his fingers and Nova's mother was now chained to the walls beside him. A different turn from either Ruby or Luna.

"Son...? What...?" Elain weakly tried to speak. Scars and blood marred her face and her left eye was swollen purple.

"Don't bring my mom into this!" Nova bared his fangs.

Onyx chuckled, "I will involve everyone..." the door to the chamber opened, and stepping through was not only his father this time... but Luna as well.

"YOU MONSTER! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Nova growled, the concept of a dream slowly fading as the shock of seeing his sister on the other side was beginning to overrule his rationality.

"I'm simply... bringing you more pain..."

Luna walked over to their mother, Flint Flareheart following behind, both brandishing what looked like saw blades. Luna's eyes were glassed over as if she was a zombie.

"No... STOP! LUNA STOP! DAD PLEASE!" Nova cried out in vain as his two family members took their blades and began sawing off Elain's limbs one by one. Each yank of the serrated edges caused the wolf Faunus to scream in pain, louder and louder, deafening the dragon's ears with pain.

Ruby stirred in her dream, she was back in the snow again, and this time there was no wreckage... only a graveyard filled with tombstones. The weapons of her friends rested over the freshly tilled piles of snow.

She wandered across the field, visiting each grave, stopping and kneeling before each one as tears dropped from her eyes, anguish filling her heart as every grave grew worse and worse, some still had blood splattered over the stones.

"I'm sorry I wasn't strong enough..." Ruby muttered as she passed by Nova's grave and her heart stopped. "Not you too... please... I couldn't..." she sobbed.

Regret overwhelmed her soul as she clawed at the frozen earth, pounding her small fists against it, and bawling her eyes out.

"WHY DID IT HAVE TO BE YOU TOO!" she screamed.

"...STOP! DAD PLEASE!" she heard his voice echoing from the grave. Her tears stopped suddenly as she gasped in shock. What was that?

She listened closer and she could hear screams from beneath the earth. Steeling her resolve she feverishly began digging with her bare hands, clawing away at the mound of snow until she revealed an empty grave with only darkness beneath it, like an abyss of nothingness.

Yet now that the grave was uncovered, she could hear the screams echo from within, like someone crying out for help. It was Nova, she felt it in her bones, in her soul. Without any hesitation, she dove into the grave, darkness surrounding her in an endless void until suddenly she was standing in an unfamiliar room of fleshy walls. It smelled of blood.

Looking around the dimly lit room, she finally focused on the noise source. Nova was chained to the ceiling at the wall, suspended as he watched Luna and someone she didn't recognize tear away at Elain.

"PLEASE! NO... RUBY NOT YOU TOO!" Nova screamed his eyes landing on her now.

"What's going on here?" Ruby asked in a mix of horror and confusion as she saw Onyx before her. He didn't seem to acknowledge her presence.

Nova's crying stopped suddenly as he peered at her, his expression a mix of pain and bewilderment, "H-Huh...?"

Their moment was cut off by Elain's dying screams and Ruby immediately threw herself onto Luna and the man, throwing them aside. No one seemed to react as she did.

"Nova...! This is a dream! You're having a nightmare!" she called as she ran up past Onyx and began unshackling Nova.

The dragon seemed to pause as the pain slowly left his face, realization dawned on him once more, "I-If this is a nightmare, then how are you...?"

She whisked him out of the room, away from Onyx, and back up the hole she came from, onto the snow.

Nova clutched onto her for dear life, "Ruby... oh god... I thought he got you too and..."

She pulled him close, kissing his forehead, "Shh, it's okay. It's just a nightmare. I was having one too until I heard your voice..." she gestured around her allowing Nova to see the field of graves.

He looked at her with sympathy and rested his forehead against hers, for some reason, now that he wasn't alone he could find the strength he needed to persevere, "I guess we've both been going through a lot huh..."

She nodded, "Ever since that day in Atlas... I've been seeing this on repeat, the moment I thought I failed you... that I failed everyone."

"And I keep revisiting my torture room, Onyx always finds some way to make it hurt more and more..." Nova said almost choking on his words.

They sat in silence for a moment, just allowing themselves to recover in each other's arms, "We're pretty fucked up aren't we..." he said absently.

"Yeah... we are... but that doesn't mean we have to deal with it alone anymore. Your pain is my pain and mine is yours. The fact that our minds are now connected... I'm glad I could be here for you." she whispered, stroking his hair.

He held her tightly, "If we share dreams now, then maybe we can change the scenery. Not sure I like seeing the graves of my dead friends..."

She didn't laugh at his dark humour, instead, she tried to think hard about a happy memory and soon the scenery changed and they were back on Patch, in her house's living room.

The smell of fresh pancakes filled the air and they now sat on her sofa, "Is this better?" she asked gazing into his eyes.

He nodded with a weak smile, "Much better..."

Ruby awoke the next morning with a quiet melody playing in her head, the bed was warm but it was missing the familiar warmth she was accustomed to. Reaching across the sheets to where Nova was, she fumbled around in the dark with her eyes closed, grumbling in discomfort when she found his space empty.

"Mmmmuhhh…" she groaned, rolling over to where his spot was, hugging the pillow tightly. Finding it not the same, she finally pulled herself from the dredges of sleep, calling her fiancé on the soul connection. Thoughts of the previous nightmares fading away, as she chose to focus on his calming melodies.

"In the shower babe, gimme a minute…" he responded calmly.

"It's too early in the morning for showers… and where is that music coming from?" she blearily opened her eyes and stared at the door to their bathroom.

"You can hear that?! Oh shit, sorry if I woke you up."

She blinked, "Is that… coming from your head? That's neat!" she sat up in her pajamas as he came out of the bathroom, drying his hair. He was wearing comfortable black shorts and a white shirt.

"Guess it's not just our thoughts that are shared huh? Gotta be more careful with the music then." He chimed.

She scooted back to her side when he sat down on the bed, pulling her into his lap as she rested her head on his shoulder, "I don't know… kinda like it. Maybe not in a serious situation but it makes me feel closer to you, hearing the little jingles in your brain," she teased, reaching up to kiss him when he put a finger on her lips.

"Go brush your teeth first, kisses after you get rid of morning breath."

She pouted, "Fine but why are you getting ready so early? It's not like we have school."

As they finished speaking, a soft knock came at the door, like small hands banging against the wood.

"Hello? Uncuh Pointy are you in here?" the small squeaky voice of Mira said from behind the door.

Nova opened the door to see the three-year-old standing in front of their door dressed in a casual teal sundress.

"Uncuh Pointy!" she squealed as he reached down and picked her up.

"Mira? What are you doing here you rascal?" he tickled her nose.

She grabbed onto his hand while laughing, "Mommy and daddy are out with the other Fawnas, dey said dat uncuh pointy in charge today."

Nova looked at her unamused, "So… your dad thinks he can just drop you off at a moment's notice and I'll be okay with that?"

"Hm?" the toddler tilted her head quizzically.

"Well, he's absolutely right!" Nova tossed Mira into the air and caught her.

Ruby giggled upon seeing the display, Nova was like a doting father even though Mira wasn't his kid.

"Uncuh Pointy? Who that?" she pointed to Ruby who was now approaching her from behind Nova.

Nova grinned, "This is my lovely bride-to-be, Ruby Rose."

Mira gasped, "Are you married to uncuh Pointy?!"

Ruby pinched her cheeks, "Not yet, but soon hopefully. I'm Ruby, you can call me Aunty Ruby."

"Red Aunty!"

"Uh…"

Nova shook his head, "She chooses the nicknames sadly."

"I see… still she's so cute."

"We got to take her to class with us though…"

"What but we don't have school."

He looked at her dryly, "Yes we do…"

"We're not students anymore silly."

"Honey, we're the teachers."

"OH SHIT!" she bolted out of his lap and rushed to the bathroom, "I FUCKING FORGOT I HAVE CLASS AT 8!"

He heard the shower turning on, "What time is it?" she called back.

"You got an hour, but I dare say we need coffee."

"Right. You go get those; I'll meet you when I'm done! Also, why is there so much music in your head?"

Nova thought harder about the music as if trying to cover up something.

"I'll weed it out of you later mister…" she replied.

Shaking his head Nova smiled and got dressed and headed to the closet where there was some work clothing in a black case. "Nice of Citrine to loan me some formal attire…" he clicked open the case to find a white frilly blouse and formal black skirt, much like what Glynda used to wear. A note attached to it read:

Sorry, only female clothing was available. That shouldn't be a problem, right? I'm fucking with you. Under it is a male set.

-Citrine

He sighed, "Got me good there… now the question is do I look better in the suit or the skirt?" he debated.

Inevitably deciding on the white shirt, black dress pants, and black jacket with a tie, he slung the jacket around his shoulders like a cape and headed to make coffee. Mira, nesting comfortably in his arms.

Luna and Oscar were in the kitchen, munching away on what looked like eggs and toast.

"Morning you two," Nova said walking in and heading for the coffee machine.

"Oh, you're up early," Luna said with a mouthful of bread. "Coffee's still warm if you want… and where did the brat come from?"

He looked at the pot dryly, the colouring was light, far too light for his liking. Dumping an extra spoonful of instant brew into the warm water, he poured two cups. One black like the midnight sky and the other with cream and five sugars.

"This is Adam and Belle's adopted kid, isn't she adorable?!" he held her out at arm's length.

"Blue Aunty and wierdo!" she giggled pointing at them.

Oscar looked offended, "I'm not weird…"

"Hey man, she gets to pick nicknames, I didn't make the rules," nova shrugged as he placed her down onto a highchair and went for the coffee.

Heating both to boiling point with his hands he placed them down on the table as he sat opposite to them.

Oscar eyed the two mugs, "Uh… two cups? I don't think it's wise to give a toddler caffeine…"

He snorted, "No you dingus, Ruby's on her way…" he tugged on their connection "You comin' babe? Got you coffee."

"Yeah, just threw on my shirt. I'll be there in five."

"She'll be here in five." He replied, sipping the scalding liquid.

Oscar blinked, "Minutes?"

The dragon held up his hand for "Three… two… and…" he pointed to the door when a red blur of petals shot through. She was dressed in a black shirt with a tie and a knee-length red skirt. Her accompanying red hood was ever-present.

"That was oddly accurate…" Luna eyed him suspiciously.

Nova wordlessly smiled and handed Ruby the coffee as she sat down next to him, "So what's for breakfast?" she chimed in.

Oscar, recovering from the disorientation replied, "Uh… eggs and toast?"

Nova spied the look on Ruby's face as he smirked, "A craving for waffles I see. I'm on it."

"Thank you…" she squeezed his hand.

Luna watched them just stare at each other wordlessly as Nova began preparing the waffle batter.

"Okay… you guys are acting weird…" the blue dragon said, looking between the two.

"We're perfectly normal." They said in unity as Nova reached into the pantry, grabbed three marshmallows, and tossed them at Ruby who caught them without looking and dumped them in her coffee.

Mira giggled as she received a cup of hot chocolate, "Mommy and daddy never let me eat sweets for breakfast!"

"Then it's our little secret," the couple said in unity.

Oscar scooted closer to Luna, "They're starting to scare me…"

She whispered back, "Why, oh why, do they seem more in sync than before."

"Oscar you should chew slower," Nova said calmly as he heated the waffle iron.

"How do you… you aren't even looking at me?!"

Nova stopped and blinked for a moment. Looking around the counter.

Ruby just giggled and got up, finding the cooking spray, and threw it to him. He caught it without looking at went back to the waffle maker.

Oscar dropped his bread with his mouth agape.

Ruby shrugged, "He needed the cooking spray and didn't know where it was."

"Okay… but how did you know that?!"

"Secret~" she waltzed up and grabbed a plate from the cupboard, raised it up, and just as she did a stack of waffles flew onto it… followed by syrup. Not a drop was spilled.

When Nova sat down with his own plate the two then began to eat in perfect harmony. Even their chewing was in sync.

"I… either it's too early in the morning or something is up with you two. Did you rehearse this?" Luna asked, cautiously looking at her brother.

The leader couple swallowed in sync again, "Nope!" they both said simultaneously.

"Oh, right. We got class, come on love you can carry the waffles with you." Nova said getting up from his seat. "Bye guys~" they both said simultaneously as Ruby and Nova casually walked out the door.

Oscar and Luna both looked at the empty doorway, as Luna said, "That was weird…"

"You can say that again…"

Ruby and Nova stumbled into their classroom roughly five minutes before the start of the class, Nova seemingly decided to not let go of his niece, he carried her in his arms. All the students were already there.

"Alright guys, today we have Nova joining us to help out with today's lesson. He'll be giving a lecture today on Special Grimm Classifications..." Ruby announced as Nova sat on top of her desk.

"Uh… I thought I was just going to show up and help you?"

"Don't worry about it, you'll be fine~"

Sighing, he got up, "Uh… Good morning guys, if you didn't already know, I'm Nova Flareheart. It's nice to meet you…. And this bundle of joy is my niece Mira. Say hi Mira!"

"Hi funny people!" she waved cutely, melting the hearts of all.

"Ah, your highness!" Gawain got up and bowed. Murmurs went around as several others did the same.

"Guys please… no need to bow. You can also just call me Nova… or whatever suits your fancy."

Someone raised their hand, "Ah you… er…"

"That's Violet."

"Right, Violet. Question?"

"Oh, you know my name? Um… your highness, what was Vale like?"

Nova clapped, "Getting right into it are we…" he glanced back at Ruby and handed her the child, "Okay… guess I might as well. Um, Vale was… if I were to give it one word. It was broken. There were Grimm everywhere, in droves and packs. Honestly, I'm impressed we even managed to take it back without any casualties."

He began thinking about how to explain it when he got an idea, "OH YES! RIGHT! That brings me back to our topic today. There was one of the new class of Grimm there." He fished into his pocket and brought out his scroll, projecting a diagram of the horseman Grimm.

"We call these guys The Horsemen of the Apocalypse." Nova started explaining, "So far, we've come across four variations of them but despite their name sense I think there may be more."

He popped up more diagrams of the Knuckleave, the shield-bearing one they found on the road to Argus, the Spear wielding one in Atlas alongside the flying one with the scythe.

"So far we've seen the Knuckleave, the one we've dubbed as Warmonger, the Achilles, and the latest Death Charger. These guys have thick armour, move at incredible speeds, and are capable of wielding weaponry."

Ether raised her hand and stood up, "Grimm with weapons? Does this imply intelligence?"

"Yes, it does. These Grimm are sentient, capable of commanding and communicating with other Grimm. They also have a sense of self-preservation and know when to attack and when to retreat. The Death Charger was also capable of flying and shooting projectiles with some sort of cannon. I believe Salem uses these as commanders for her army."

"Why are there only so few of them?" she asked again.

Nova hummed, "Well my theory is that these Grimm are hard to make. They take time and effort to conjure up as compared to the mass-produced ones. That's why she only uses them when she absolutely needs to, if they go down it means we've dealt a solid blow to her army. This brings me to the other classes…"

Nova then brought up images of the Leviathan fortress, Wendigo Grimm, and the avian-like bipedals that could use martial arts. "These are unknown class Grimm. They don't particularly fit into any of the other categories and are fully unique. These bird-like Grimm are capable of fighting with martial arts, the Wendigo can shapeshift and regenerate. The Fortress was a living creature capable of storing an entire base of operations."

Gawain looked dark, "If they are as you say… how can we hope to defeat these creatures? There could be dozens and…"

"Fret not, for we have defeated them before and in your combat classes Yang and Qrow and the others will do their best to teach you how to deal with these situations and adapt to new ones. Remember, fear is your worst enemy. Do not give in to fear, because when you do, she wins."

"You know… you guys say you're teaching us how to fight but we've never actually seen any of you fight yet." Regis smirked. Gawain slapped in on the back of the head for his insolence.

"Forgive him, your highness, he's just an idiot…" Gawain amended.

Nova shook his head, "No he's right. You guys want a demonstration?"

"YEAH!" the whole class echoed.

"Well, I guess we could ask Citrine…"

Team ASHNRWBYJNPR was outside in the training grounds accompanied by the respective classes. It'd been only one day since Nova was back, but Citrine had already put him to work, having him assist with joint class activities since there weren't any available individual classes for him to attend. He was a sort of assistant teacher to the already established ones.

Since the classes requested a combat demonstration on what high-level fighting would look like, Citrine thought it would be a good idea for them to see what they needed to live up to.

Weiss was currently on the battleground facing off against Pyrrha, their match had been well underway with both combatants sitting at around half their Aura meters with Weiss being at a slight advantage.

The ex-heiress was standing on the opposing side of the arena with Myrtenaster in a fencing pose, Pyrrha on the other hand was not giving her time for a fast strike as she flung her shield across the field.

While Weiss was dodging the attack Pyrrha had already launched into the air throwing her javelin for a pincer strike from above. Narrowly dodging the shield she barely reacted in time to the javelin which grazed along her shoulder, scratching at her Aura bar.

Pyrrha was quick on the approach as she descended onto the spear, yanking it out of the ground and swinging it at Weiss's head in one single action.

Weiss responded by ducking and summoning a blade of ice in her free hand, striking upward at the gladiator, slicing straight through her torso, and backing up to adopt a dual-wielding stance.

Not letting her get a moment to breathe, Pyrrha pushed the assault closing the gap, her focus now on Weiss's second weapon. The Schnee smirked as Pyrrha had failed to notice the two white sigils that formed around her mid-air, Weiss had driven Myrtenaster into the ground and used her semblance, draining a bit of her aura to summon two large, armoured hands that grasped onto Pyrrha locking her in place.

"And now for the Coup de grace…" Weiss muttered as she used her ice blade and broke it into several shards that hovered around her and began pelting bullets into Pyrrha until her Aura dropped into the red.

"That's the match!" Citrine announced as a horn blared signaling the end of the spar.

Weiss released the arms and ran up to Pyrrha, checking to make sure she hadn't done any real damage, "Sorry about that Pyrrha… are you okay?"

The redhead laughed lightly, "I'm fine, not a scratch. You on the other hand… that was some impressive work! It's been a while since I've been beaten in a fair fight."

Weiss chuckled nervously, "It's hardly fair, I have those funny ice powers from the stone… I didn't want to use it but you were so strong I had to!"

"Think nothing of it! In a fight you use all your weapons to your advantage, if you didn't I would have felt insulted."

"Still…"

"Take the win with pride, Weiss. You've grown a lot in the time I've been gone."

They moved to the bleachers where Neo was frantically signing to Weiss about how cool she was in the fight. The Schnee only managed to stutter out thanks while blushing at Neo's blatant shows of affection.

"And we have time for maybe one more match of the day. I think I'll let the students decide who they want to see!" Citrine announced loudly as cheers erupted. "Alright guys, if you look at your scroll you'll see a list of those who haven't fought yet, so vote on it!"

"I want to see the new guy fight!" someone said in the background.

"Yeah! Let's see Nova!"

The dragon in question blinked in surprise, "Uh sure? Why not…?" Mira clapped happily in his lap.

The students began furiously voting on his next opponent. He was surprised by the seemingly eager responses to wanting to see him fight.

Once all the votes were in Nova got up from his spot next to Ruby.

"Alright guys… the votes are in and the one to fight our prince today is none other than…" Citirine pulled up the charts, there was a 20% vote for him to fight Luna and… "Oh… wow, looks like we have a fight of the ages! Fiancé vs fiancé! Nova vs Ruby!"

The dragon screeched to a halt as he looked down at his bride-to-be, "Uh… should we tell them that this is probably a bad fight since we can read each other's minds?"

She giggled, "Nah, let's give it a shot. Besides, I have yet to spar with you since Beacon!"

"Ha, I guess we haven't had a chance to see who's stronger between us huh?"

"Let's go hot stuff, I'll kick your cute ass halfway across the courtyard if you go easy on me!" she eagerly got up and strode to the arena, pulling out Crescent Rose.

Nova shook his head with a smile, took Mira off his lap and handed her to Weiss, and followed after her.

Once they were on the battlefield, they took opposing sides. The midday sun bore down on the plateau with intense heat, but despite it, the two Huntsmen were unphased. He got into a drawing stance, "Alright Red, ready whenever you are."

"Oooh, silence on the field. I guess our lovebirds don't want to share their thoughts on the matchup?" Citrine asked through the mic.

Nova mentally slapped himself, it was easy to forget they were talking in each other's minds, "Uh we're good! Start the match whenever!"

"Those two are acting weird?" Yang asked, tilting her head.

Hex shrugged, slinging an arm around her waist, "I wonder if they had a fight?"

Luna snorted in laughter next to her, "Those two? Fight? Please, you'd sooner see hell freeze over. They are literally so in love with each other that they could never be mad at the other… it's honestly kinda weird."

"And gross," Nitro said dryly.

"Amen brother," Blake said with a snarky attitude.

"MATCH… BEGIN!"

Nova was first to strike, immediately blinking to Ruby's location with Helios arcing upward, a trail of fire following in its wake. Ruby read his actions through their bond and brought up Crescent Rose to block it as the steel clashed and sparks flew in all directions.

"Oh so you're cheating now are you?" he asked coyly.

She stuck her tongue out, "It's not cheating if you're so open with your attacks in the connection."

The Rose pushed him back and made a spinning death wheel toward him, knocking him into the air. Nova read the attack and sheathed Helios, using his arm to block the attack and firing off dust rounds at her torso, point blank she cringed at the sting. She hooked him with the scythe and attempted to fling him to the ground but he easily read her movements again and held the blade with his bare hand, but wasn't prepared for when she fired off the sniper using the recoil to send them both crashing.

"Good stuff babe! Even if I saw it coming I couldn't react to it." He commemorated her skill.

She flipped her hair back, "I'm just that good!"

"Yeah… you are. Which means I'm done playing it safe!" he clicked the switch on the sheathe and his wristband, transforming Helios into the scythe and turning into a girl.

"Oh fuck…" Ruby cursed.

"No holding back. Right my love?" female Nova said with eagerness.

"No holding back!" Ruby let the power of the Silver Eyes flow out into her shroud.

Nova's scythe became enwrapped in flames of bright silver and orange while Ruby's weapon became coated in Silver and Red. The two dashed simultaneously with more speed than any of the students were capable of following as the intensity of Aura and Magic clashing made the arena shake and rumble, the very ground began to vibrate as both scythes clashed in magnificent glory, each strike matching blow for blow.

Both Auras seemed to decrease at the same pace.

"Polendina set up the barrier!" Citrine yelled out prompting Dr. Polendina, who was chowing down on a bag of popcorn to call over Penny who flew onto the scene and projected a transparent dome over the arena, just in time too as waves of fire and silver light began crashing against it.

"Looks like our power couple is really going all out! Who do you think will emerge victorious?!" Citrine commentated.

"Ruby's got this!" Gawain shouted, cheering on his hero.

"I don't know, I'm voting for Nova, not sure why she's a girl but I dig it!" Violet yelled next to him.

"Ready to end this?" Nova asked tiredly.

"Last attack… that's all I got in me…" Ruby panted.

"Alright babe, it's all or nothing!"

Nova's scythe reared back behind her head, summoning the power of the Maiden she combined the flows of energy as the flames coated the weapon creating a giant flaming scythe.

Ruby thought about how to counter it, mustering all of the power she could at the moment she dug deep into her soul as her own silver light began sprouting around Crescent Rose… then something changed.

She felt the radiating heat of Nova's magic within her as the light turned into flames, burning with bright silver, her vision sharpened and her soul began to vibrate with intense energy. Nova stared into her eyes and saw that they were not the normal gorgeous human pupils he was so accustomed to, but at this moment, they were… dragon-like.

The two launched their final attack at each other, both scythes clashing in a blaze of glory that erupted outward, shattering the barrier in a brilliant explosion of silver, orange and red fire. Rose petals danced in the sky as the two lay flat on the ground, both Auras depleted.

The crowd gasped in shock as silence befell the arena.

"I…I-It's a tie?!" Citrine announced. "That was incredible! What an unbelievable performance from these two!"

Nova was first to get up, offering a hand to Ruby who took it, "What was that?!" Nova asked, pulling Ruby into a hug.

"I-I don't know… that was different…" she answered, looking into his eyes.

"Ruby your eyes…! They're… like mine!" Nova pointed out in surprise.

Ruby blinked rapidly, "W-What?!"

"I don't know how but… I think it might be because of our joined souls?"

As she said that, the eyes returned to normal and Ruby was staring at him with her normal silver orbs. "Do you think Raisa knows anything about this?" Ruby asked.

Nova shook her head, "I doubt it. I feel like this is all new territory but it couldn't hurt to ask."

"Alright, you two, enough staring into each other's eyes!" Citrine said through the mic causing the two to blush in embarrassment. They walked off to meet their team.

"You guys, that was insane!" Nitro said excitedly, "Man I knew you were strong but that was wild!"

Nova and Ruby looked at each other and grinned.

"I guess we weren't expecting it either," they both said in unison.

Nitro blinked, "Uh… you guys okay? Did you hit your heads or something?"

"We don't know what you're talking about. We're perfectly fine." They continued together.

"Okay, this is getting creepy."

"Nothing creepy about it, we're just that in sync!" they both said.

"Yang help! They're worse!" Nitro ran behind the blonde, Oscar and Luna watched it in amusement but chose to say nothing.

The brawler eyed them, "Okay you two… did you plan this? How much did you rehearse?"

"We didn't rehearse anything. It's just natural."

"It's almost like you're one person and it's getting kinda weird…"

"Who knows, next we'll…"

"…start finishing each other's sentences. Or worse start…"

"Doing synchronized movements."

They then proceeded to perfectly mirror their eye movements, then hand movements, and finally head movements.

"AHHHHHH! IT'S A NIGHTMARE COME TRUE!" Nitro screamed.

They both laughed simultaneously.

"Okay enough fucking with them," Nova glanced at Ruby.

"Due to some training with Raisa, our souls are now bonded so we can read each other's minds and talk through just our thoughts," Ruby finished for her.

"So on top of being the grossest couple of all time, you somehow managed to make yourselves worse. That's it, I'm calling it, we're all doomed." Nitro groaned as he looked toward the sky, "WHICH SICK FUCK DID THIS?! STOP REMINDING ME I'M FOREVER ALONE!"

Nova and Ruby also glanced at the sky, "Who are you talking to?"

"…"

Yang clapped, "Oh right, can you two meet us in the cafeteria at like… six?"

Ruby looked at Nova before turning to her, "Why six?"

Nova did his best to hide his thoughts, when Ruby peered into them she was met with the same music from before.

"… No reason. Just show up at that time, no earlier. Got it? And wear something nice." Yang then began hustling the others out of the arena.

Eventually, the two found themselves at the cafeteria at the appointed time. Nova was dressed in black jeans, and his white royal coat, and Ruby was dressed in her black short-sleeved shirt with a fishnet undershirt and red skirt. Mira was still with them, dressed in a cute orange dress.

"Any idea what this is about?" Nova asked the two, trying to pretend like he didn't know anything. Mira just shook her head furiously while Ruby just shrugged.

The lights in the cafeteria were off as the two cautiously walked through the entrance. The moment they crossed the threshold, the lights shot on and all of their friends popped out from the corners of the pillars, "SURPRISE!" they all yelled, catching the couple off guard.

"Huh?!" they both said in unity. "What's happening here?"

Yang sauntered up to Ruby and put a party hat on her head, "Don't tell me you forgot what occurred this week while you were on a mission…?"

Ruby and Nova blinked, and the dragon shot her a sheepish grin as he let his thoughts flow and Ruby's eyes went wide in realization.

"Oh my god… how could I forget?!" she snapped up looking around in wonder. There were balloons and streamers all around with banners hung saying 'Happy Birthday Ruby!'

"It's a few days late but… well you're always so busy it was hard to find time to gather it all…" Yang said sheepishly.

Ruby melted, "Thanks sis… this means a lot."

"Happy day of your birth friend Ruby!" Penny smiled warmly as she ran up to her, "Father and I made you this, hope you like it."

She handed the red reaper a small box the size of a briefcase, as Ruby opened it she found two new magazines for her sniper, they were chrome and red, dazzlingly shiny.

"These can condense your dust ammunition into three-round bursts!" Penny shook her hand vigorously.

Ruby was at a loss for words, "Penny this is wonderful… when did you guys have time to plan all this?!"

The dragon smirked, "Do you have any idea how hard it was to hide this from you? Especially since we share the same head space?"

She pondered for a moment then it dawned on her, "THAT'S WHAT THE MUSIC WAS FOR!"

"Hehe, surprise…" the others began queuing the music while Nitro went around bringing out the food.

Ruby opened her various presents from everyone but when she got to Yang, the blonde held out a small case about the size of her palm.

Upon opening it she found… a pair of keys with a rose emblem on the keychain.

"What's this? New keys?" she asked her sister, bewildered.

Yang snorted, "Oh it gets better, press that little button on the keychain."

Ruby found a small LED button on the center of the rose which she pressed. It blinked a few times before the sound of revving engines was heard down the hall.

She spun around to see a black and red motorcycle, much like Yang's Bumblebee except it looked a lot more teched out.

"YOU GOT ME A MOTORCYCLE?!" she squealed rushing up to it.

Yang shrugged, "It was from all of us actually. Dr. Polendina helped us put it together and I figured since you're old enough to drive we might as well get you one."

"Thank you! Thank you, thank you, thank you! I love you guys so much!" Ruby hugged her.

Hex walked over from the tables and patted the seat, "Oh it keeps getting even better. This baby is tuned to Aura. You know what that means?"

Ruby tilted her head in confusion.

"It means you can use it with your Semblance."

Ruby's eyes began to sparkle, as she rushed over to the bike and caressed it, "We are going to go so many places together… I'm gonna name you… Rose Burst!"

Nova watched her admire the bike, "Looks like I got competition." He let Mira go as she scampered across the room to where Jaune was and began harassing the blonde knight.

"Sorry babe, you know she could never replace you."

"Oh, it's a she now?" Nova smirked.

"This is the best birthday ever guys. I… honestly can't thank you enough." Ruby smiled warmly, wiping her eyes.

Her fiancé pulled her into an embrace, "Not yet, you haven't opened my present yet. I mean it's no motorcycle but…" he reached into his pocket and brought out one of Hex's patented storage cubes and opened it to reveal a chain-like contraption on a handle.

"It's an attachment for Crescent Rose. You can use this to extend the blade on a chain. Gives you more versatility and…" he fished into his other pocket and brought out a pocket watch, it was sterling silver with rubies embedded around the edges, "Open it."

She opened the pocket watch to see inside had 'To my better half. You are my heart and I am your soul.' – Nova Flareheart.

She began tearing up, "Nova this is… beautiful… I…"

He placed a kiss on her forehead, "Don't thank me. It's the least I could do. I'd give you the world if I could."

Tai and Elain found the two chatting away with the others when the party finally got underway. The two parents made a loud 'Ahem' sound garnering their attention.

"Dad!" Ruby smiled as she hugged him, "Where have you been?"

'Arf! Arf!" Zwei barked as he ran around her leg, "Aww I missed you too buddy."

Tai chuckled, "Sorry kiddo, Citrine has been working us to the bone so I haven't had much time to see you. I couldn't miss my daughter's party though."

Elain gave Ruby a quick hug before pulling back, "Alright so down to business. Do you two have anything to tell us?"

The couple looked at each other and then back at them, "Uh… not really? Are we forgetting something?"

Elain shook her head, "Kids, when were you going to tell your dear parents that you were getting married?"

The couple simultaneously slapped their foreheads, "Ah shit! I knew we forgot something."

Tai looked at them cautiously, "Uh what's with the simultaneous talking?"

"Don't worry about it." They said in unison.

Nova broke the sync first, "Uh… sorry Pops, I guess we got wrapped up in all of this we forgot. I hope you're not mad."

Tai sighed and patted him on the shoulder, "Son if it were any other man I'd have strung him alive. You, however, you've proved time and time again that you're not just worthy as a Huntsman and a person, but you've always been there for my daughter. You stuck by her through hell and back so… I'm honestly proud to have you as my son-in-law."

Nova was taken aback, "Thanks pops… that… means a lot."

"And you, Miss Ruby Rose." Elain started off sternly, "Look, I don't have a lot of say in what my son does with his life anymore. I lost that privilege a long time ago. He grew up without me and if it weren't for you, he'd probably still be some depressed kid just trying to get by. You showed him that there was more to life than just surviving, and as a mother, I'd like to thank you for being there for him when I wasn't."

"That being said…" she continued, "Not only are you a beauty to look at, but you're strong and capable, responsible and a hard worker. You've also been nothing but a sweetheart to me since we met. I'm proud to call you my daughter-in-law. There's no one I'd be happier with than you."

Ruby hugged the wolf Faunus tightly, "Thanks Aunty E, I'd be by your son's side through fire and the flames."

"Please child, you may call me mother," Elain said with a smirk.

"Oh… okay m-mother." Ruby stuttered.

Elain hugged her again and shot Nova a look, "You better treasure her until the ends of the earth."

Nova smirked, "Come on, that goes without saying."

"So when are we getting grandkids?" Elain asked, clapping her hands.

The couple choked, "Uh…"

"I'm joking. Try not to wait too long though, I'm not getting any younger here."

Tai nodded, "Maybe when the war is over."

The couple found themselves on the dancefloor, wrapped in each other's arms as they slow danced, Ruby's head resting on Nova's shoulder.

"This is nice," she said calmly, love radiating between them on the soul connection.

He moved a strand of hair out of her face and looked into her eyes, "I wish this peace would last forever."

She nodded, "Yeah… but we're probably on borrowed time now."

"I try not to think about our responsibilities right now…" Nova said as he waltzed.

"You brought it up first. Come on, it's my birthday we should just enjoy the moment."

"Who says I'm not?" he spun her around before pulling her back.

She giggled, "Speaking of which, why have we never celebrated your birthday? I mean, I never asked when it was because you never talk about it. I didn't want to pry but… I mean we're practically married already so I think I should know when my lover's birthday is."

Nova sighed, "December 27th. The first time was the day we met. The next time we could have celebrated together there was the chaos at the breach. The third time I'd been presumed dead. Besides, I don't really celebrate my birthday."

"Why not?"

"It's also the day my life turned to shit, when everything started…" he said grimly.

She understood, feeling his pain and complicated emotions as she nestled her head back onto his shoulder, placing a quick kiss on his jaw, "Well, how about we celebrate it this time? Provided nothing stupid happens."

"But something stupid always happens."

"True but if it doesn't… I'm throwing you the biggest party ever, okay?" she looked him in the eye.

He laughed, "What am I going to do with you?"

"Anything you want my love."

"Tempting… but I think I'll start with this…" he leaned down and closed the space between them, capturing her lips in a tender loving kiss as love radiated through their connection even stronger than before. She reached her arms around his neck and deepened the kiss, not willing to let him go.

When they finally broke apart she lingered, her nose pressing to his, "I love you, so much…"

"I love you too, Ruby," he caressed her face, "Happy Birthday."

Again, just a little bit of filler before I start the next arc of the story. A little peace before things get really dark.