Remnant of the Key

by lyokoMARVELanime

Adopted from FandomBard12. Four Keybladers meet four huntresses while on a quest to recover a lost friend. Now, their destinies shall become intertwined as they fight against darkness of both Remnant and beyond. The question is, just what else will come from this meeting between the two?

4. The Badge and The Burden

AN: To post a new chapter, or not to post a new chapter? That is NEVER the question here at lyokoMARVELanime studios, especially when said chapter has just been finished, like today's. Which is why we are now saying welcome back for another exciting chapter in Remnant of the Key!

[audience applause]

Yeah, pretty cool, right? We're rolling these chapters out pretty quickly in comparison to our production rate for stories as of late, but maybe that's because a lot the ideas for this story are all really fresh in my mind, and are likely to be out there very quickly. Well, whatever the case, I guess it definitely helps to forget about the fact that Weiss was playing that sad song in the beginning note of yesterday's chapter.

Ruby: I thought you were already over that?

AN: Again, every time I think of that song, I'm reminded of that last scene between Sora and Kairi at the end of Kingdom Hearts 3! It takes a little bit to shake that off.

Ruby: Really? Because I thought you were able to shake it off very easily with all that time you spent in your dressing room yesterday, with that one item.

AN: I don't know what you're talking about.

Ruby: Oh really? Hey, you in the back! Hiding in that control booth! Run that security footage.

AN: What?! Hey, no! Don't you dare! I will fire you if you do!

Ruby: [draws and aims Crescent Rose] Roll it!

[security footage starts playing on monitor]

AN in Security Footage: [seen standing next to an Inflatable Xehanort Punching Dummy] Well, well, well. You think you're so big and tough. "Oh look at me. I'm Master Xehanort, the greatest villain in all of darkness, and I'm gonna get me the power of the x-blade." Oh no you ain't! POW! [punches the dummy] Ooh! Right the scruffy beard! Ha, ha! Aw, what's the matter, Sidious Wannabe? Did mean old Voldemort take back his little scheme of putting pieces of himself inside of others from you? Say! I got a message for you from Sephiroth. It goes like this: "This is for stealing my shtick, yo!" KAPOW! [punches dummy again] Yeah, that better have hurt! Be glad I just knocked you on your butt, Gramps! Cause Sephiroth wanted me to slice you up into little tiny bits like he would've with his sword! But why do that, when I can just keep doing this! WA-POW! [Hits the dummy again, this time with a spin kick] Yeah, that's right! Who's your Keyblade master! [slaps the dummy with one hand before proceeding to continue with beating it down]

[end footage]

AN: Ehehehe...Wow...Awkward...What? Like no one has wanted to beat that guy down after what he did to Kairi in Kingdom Hearts 3 alone? I feel like I'm justified.

Sora: Hey! How come you didn't tell me you had an inflatable punching dummy of that maniac?

AN: Because you seemed to enjoy beating down the real thing a lot more, and I didn't want you and Kairi to destroy said dummy, since I don't want to risk trying to beat up the real thing. He's crazy enough to not care about whether or not hurting me would prevent me from posting more chapters.

Sora: Okay, that's fair. So, are there any reviews that we can answer today?

AN: As a matter of fact, I do believe there are. Let's begin with "Hamm1999", I don't think there will be that many Beacon students around when Terra and Aqua come back into the action, and really, Ven's not going to have much time to make a fool of himself since he'll be with the rest of Team SLVR panicking about how Aqua's going to punish them for not telling her they were coming to Beacon in the first place. Also, the Aladdin cast is not here at the moment. They're all over in the new special Kingdom Hearts Wing of the studio rehearsing for when they appear in Hearts of Avengers, but from what I've gathered, they seem pretty cool with how it turned out. They actually agree with me in saying that Will Smith did a good job as Genie. Like second best Genie after Robin Williams.

Ventus: I don't really think that's a fair comparison, considering that anyone could be considered second best to Robin Williams's performance if they were to try and take on his roles.

AN: Fair enough. Moving on to the next review answer, "Dragon Rider 66", first off, I'm still a little undecided on whether or not Team SLVR will have their Aura and Semblances unlocked, mainly because as far as most people on Remnant know, they already have. That is part of the whole story that they're trying to sell in an attempt to hide their identities as Keyblade wielders/people from other worlds after all. Maybe after the secret gets out to either Team RWBY or something, but I can't really say for sure at this time. As for what may happen if Ruby met Hiro from Big Hero 6, I think you might be right about how they may to invent something really big, but at the same time, I think the only ones who would be concerned like how Roxas is in regards to Lea's new friendship with Nora would be Yang, Weiss, Roxas, and maybe some of Hiro's friends.

Also, just to point out again, like I mentioned at the start of this chapter, and the start of the previous chapter, hearing "Don't Think Twice" makes me feel sad, because I can't help but think about that scene at the end of KH3 whenever I hear it. I'm fine, really.

And in regards to my thoughts/feelings on the Spider-Man and Sony deal, honestly, I think that Sony was making a huge mistake, or just being flat out idiots at the time. Pulling Spidey out of the MCU like that would not just mess up a lot of plans for the future of the MCU, and with a good number of which already being set in motion after Far From Home at that, but it would cause a major uproar from fans all over the world, as we've already seen just from hearing about the possibility. Not to mention they made a stupid move in trying to pin the blame for the whole thing on Disney. I mean, they do remember what happened to the director for the Guardians of the Galaxy movies, right, and how that was just over something he posted online years ago? You don't mess with Disney like that. You will end up on the losing side 99% of the time. I'm just glad it seems like they're starting to work out something of a new deal so that we won't have to worry about the MCU losing their Spider-Man aka the new leading face of the MCU, because let's face it, Far From Home has pretty much cemented Peter Parker/Spider-Man into that role.

Moving on from that rant, "Recentreader325", yeah, Qrow's reaction to RoseHeart may be something that a lot of people will enjoy while feeling sorry for Sora at the same time, but I wouldn't expect him to be too much of a protective father-figure for long. It is Sora we're talking about after all. Lea on the other hand...Well...that's a little more up in the air at the moment, at least in Qrow's case. As far as Chirithy goes, I don't really have too many plans for him right now. I mean, he just doesn't really seem like that big of a deal right now, aside from how he helped Sora in the Final World. Beyond that, he hasn't really done much as far as I've seen and known, at least in the main focus story of KH, besides just meeting up with Ven again. I do like your suggestion on what Roxas would use Keyblade transformations, and the name suggestion you made for the other Keyblade wielders. Gonna have to keep ARTX in mind. Though if you don't mind me asking, how would that be pronounced? Would it be like Artist or something? And yes, members of the other teams will get a chance to join in on the Attraction Flows once they find out the secret that Team SLVR is made up of people from other worlds. As for Cinder...I actually hadn't really thought about it that much on how she would try to react to the Kingdom Hearts world entering her realm of notice. I guess she could try to aim to get the powers of a Keyblade, but I highly doubt that she would try for that of a Princess of Heart's power. Keep in mind, that's involving powers of pure light, and Cinder...Yeah, she ain't anywhere near someone that would be involved with the light, in case you haven't noticed.

"HelpSomeone", when Kairi finally meets up with Ruby and Sora, and find out about the two...well, I will say that she won't really hate Ruby or anything like that, but there will be a bit of a rivalry between the two of them at first. I can't really say anything more than that at this time, because anymore than that enters the realm of spoilers in a huge, serious way.

My man "Monkey D. Conan", to answer your question, both Team RWBY and JNPR will find out the truth about other worlds in due time, but it will be the former who finds out first, and as you've probably figured out by now, it will be by accident. I do like the suggestion you made about Yang admitting to already knowing and all that, but I'm afraid that won't be the case here. Sorry, but the whipped jokes won't be coming from that. They will still likely come around at some point though. Hehehe.

Lea: It's not that funny.

AN: Says you. Finally, yes, Sora will be getting back various abilities he's had in the past as time goes on, but I wouldn't expect him or most of the others to be getting Keyblade Armor/Gliders any time soon if at all. Same goes for the Command Styles. I mean, I might give the other wielders the Gliders, but that's a big maybe right now, and beyond that, it wouldn't really be anything else. At least, I'm not planning for it to be at the moment.

Yang: Oh, and "Guest" of 8/22/2019, no worries about that. You're right in thinking that Lea does seem like a piece of cake.

Lea: I'm not really sure how to take that.

AN: As for that same reviewer's other question, it was stated in the first chapter that Riku is in fact dating Namine in this story.

Rolling it on to "SomeOne Random", did I make a DBZA reference? I hadn't even noticed. Hm. Oh well. And as for the matter of Nora becoming too much for Lea to handle, somehow I don't think that'll be too big of a problem. But let's be honest here, sometimes she's too much for Ren to handle, and he's stuck with her since they were little kids, after all. Also, now that you've mentioned it, I never really noticed that Pyrrha and Lea had that many similarities. I'm kinda ashamed of myself for missing that, but I will consider likely making it a point of reference for the future. Now regarding Amber being saved like how Ventus (And technically Roxas and Xion) was...I had not really thought about it too much, but...I suppose that it's not the most out there idea I've heard. Still, you also have to remember that Cinder's powers became as strong as they are now because of the fact that she had killed Amber. I'm not saying that I wouldn't be able to figure out a way to make it work and still save Amber, but...I'll definitely have to think on this a little bit more. Thanks for that suggestion.

"Hotshot6", I was not entirely aware of this fact, mainly because I've seen and heard many people refer to it as a cape, so I'm likely going to call it a cape at times. Fair warning on that, pal.

Oh, "Anonymaton", Team RWBY were really intrigued by your question, and had spent a lot of time thinking over the answer. I think they might have it now. Girls?

Blake: Me.

Ruby: Me.

Weiss: Ruby.

Yang: Blake.

Ruby: Whoa! Sis, Blake, I think you mean me. I'd look awesome doing an entrance thing to "Duel of the Fates".

Yang: Nah, Ruby. You're just not dark enough to really fit with it. I mean, maybe if you were Maria Calavera, I'd buy that, but...Yeah, I'd have to agree with my partner on this.

Blake: Yep. I'm the best suited for that song.

Weiss: Oh please. Ruby's got that in the bag.

AN: Yeah, clearly they have not quite settled on a final answer. If I could make a video of the two making such an entrance to that song, or at least how I think they would, I probably would've posted it on YouTube and left it for you guys to decide.

Ruby: Guess we'll have to settle for descriptive stuff like we do with your theme song parodies.

Blake: Gladly. [inserts a tape into the media player]

AN: Wait, what? No, we don't have time for...And they're doing it anyway. Great.

[cue "Duel of the Fates" as video plays. Blake is seen standing on a branch in the Forever Fall Forest, gazing off into the distance from the shadows before she drops down to the ground, making a superhero landing. She slowly stands up while drawing Gambol Shroud from her back, taking the sword in one hand and the sheath in the other. Commences impressive dance with both blades slicing through the air as she spins, flips, and swings, killing many Grimm that were previously unseen, before she finally ends in a stance similar to the one she took after cutting through several missiles during Team RWBY's battle against Torchwick's stolen mech suit. end "Duel of the Fates"]

Ruby: Okay, that wasn't bad, but now it's my turn. [plays her own tape]

[cue "Duel of the Fates" again as new video plays. Ruby seen kneeling before her mother's gravestone with her hood up before she slowly stands and turns to slowly walk away. Grimm begin lurking in the shadows as Ruby walks, seeming like she's not paying them any mind. When she comes to the edge of a small a cliff looking over a village where she can hear people screaming, her eyes narrow under her hood, and she then jumps down before using her semblance to rush in. Arriving in the village, Ruby stands in the middle of the Grimm, letting her hood fall off her head, before slowly drawing Crescent Rose and letting it unfold and tearing through the soulless creatures in a manner that could be seen as similar to how Darth Maul fought, until she has wiped out all the Grimm, at which point she assumes her iconic pose while the casings of the Dust Bullets she used fall around her. end "Duel of the Fates"]

Weiss: I think that proves mine and Ruby's point. [exchanges a low-five with Ruby]

AN: Yeah, I'll let you four work that out amongst yourselves. Readers and reviewers alike, I'll let you decide which you thought was better. For now though, enjoy today's chapter.

I do not own anything from either the Kingdom Hearts or RWBY franchises, or any other franchise mentioned in this story.

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Chapter 4: The Badge and the Burden

Morning at Beacon Academy seemed like a very calm, soothing, and relaxing experience. The sun was shining, birds were singing, the weather was perfect, and all to the point where even the most strict and serious of people would want to just stay in bed and forget about any concerns or responsibilities that they may or may not have had that day. Sadly, such a thing was not possible for anyone, because we all have to wake up and greet the day at some point, despite how much we may or may not want to. That did not mean that we could not take our time getting up, as Weiss was doing just after opening her eyes and sitting up in bed, stretching her arms out in order to help work out any remaining drowsiness. Whatever amount of sleep remained after that point though was quickly knocked out of her when a certain someone in a red hood suddenly came up and loudly blew a whistle in her ear, startling the heiress right out of her bed.

"Good morning Team RWBY," Ruby cheered excitedly as she hopped off the bed again.

Looking up, Weiss would have to admit that she was at least a little impressed that the younger girl was already dressed in her standard school uniform already, even she did add a personal touch to it by keeping her regular red cloak, but that did not excuse the girl from blowing a whistle at her that loudly, and practically right next to her ear no less. "What in the world is wrong with you," Weiss demanded.

Ruby seemed to ignore the question, either because she was too excited to start the day or just because she somehow did not hear the question. Whatever the case it did not matter, since Ruby carried on like Weiss had not said anything. "Now that you're awake we can officially begin our first order of business."

"Excuse me?"

"Decorating," Yang happily informed while holding a large bundle of stuff in her arms for all to see.

"What," Weiss questioned, now more incredulous than confused.

"We still have to unpack," Blake pointed out to the heiress as she hefted up her own suitcase. Said suitcase turned out to not be very well secured, as it ended up dropping open and spilling its contents out onto the floor. "And clean," the black haired girl added on.

It was hard to argue the fact that Blake did have a point, but Weiss was still a little too peeved with her sudden wake-up call to really admit that to anyone. The fact that Ruby suddenly came out of nowhere to blow her whistle at her again certainly did not help to improve the Schnee heiress's mood in that regard, but what no one expected was for the door to their room to suddenly be kicked open. This time, all the girls were startled, but they quickly became confused when they saw that the person responsible for bursting in such a manner was none other than Sora, who was spinning left and right like he was trying to quickly locate something with his Keyblade in hand.

"What happened? Who's hurt? Where's the bad guy?! Where are the monsters," Sora rapidly questioned as he continued his frantic search, his eyes narrowed in an almost dangerous manner that proved he would show little mercy to whatever may be threatening his friends.

"Easy there, Action-Man. There's nothing to worry about," Yang reassured the leader of Team SLVR in an attempt to calm him down while the rest of her teammates all looked at him with varying expressions of their own. Weiss, of course, was more than a little upset at the boy for just bursting into the girls' room like that, likely ready to admonish him for just breaking in like he had, while Ruby looked very concerned for how panicked and almost dangerous her friend seemed right now. Blake on the other hand seemed almost as concerned as Ruby, but at the same time, it looked like she recognized the look in Sora's eyes from somewhere. Yang was paying their reactions little mind though, as she was more concerned for Sora at the moment. "What's got you so wound up?"

Seeing that there was indeed no threat, Sora slowly stood down, chuckling sheepishly as he dismissed his Keyblade and scratched the back of his head with his other hand. "Uh…Sorry about that," he apologized. "Something just woke me up, and I thought that there was some kind of danger or something. I'm used to almost always being on the go and needing to react to any sudden thing at a moment's notice. You know the old saying; old habits die hard."

"That would explain why you're still in your pajamas," Blake noted with a very faint blush, or at least it was faint compared to how Ruby's face had lit up upon seeing Sora's current attire.

Sora's sleepwear was actually rather modest compared to that of most guys, and consisted of simple red shorts and a white t-shirt that, while rather loose, still seemed to cling to his chest just enough for one to see how well-developed his upper body really was. Not to the point where there was very little left to the imagination, mind you, but certainly enough to where the mind did not need to go too far in painting the rest of the picture. When Sora realized he was still clad in said attire, despite how modest it was, his smile still seemed to fade a little while his own face began turning red, and he slowly began to back out of the room with one last apology to the girls.

"Well…Sorry again for just…you know. I'm gonna…I'm gonna go now," Sora stuttered until he was out the door at last.

"Hang on a minute," Ruby called out, having just remembered something that Sora told her just after the ceremony where the teams and leaders were announced. "I thought you could open or close any lock with your Keyblade. Why'd you kick the door open?"

"Uh…Dramatic effect," Sora shrugged in return, his grin widening a little bit when he responded. When most of the other girls just stared at him in disbelief, he added, "Hey, it would've startled any bad guys just as much as it did all of you. Seen it happen before…And I may have actually forgotten about that in the heat of the moment."

That last excuse was the most believable to the girls, and they finally allowed Sora to depart from their room so that they could carry on with what they were doing. Seeing that it was still pretty early, and that there was still a good amount of time before classes started, Sora was left to wonder about what he could do to pass the time until then. In all honesty, he probably would have slept in quite a bit more if Ruby's whistle had not woke him up, but now that he was awake, he had very serious doubts that he would be able to get back to sleep. That did not mean he wanted to just sit around and wait out the rest of the time before his first official class at Beacon, and while he did have more than one option of what he could do, he still felt the need to think it all over. On one hand, he could just go and find some place to do some light training, but on the other, the rest of his team was still asleep, and if they were able to sleep through Ruby's loud whistle, then odds were they would end up oversleeping as well.

Not wanting to leave a bad impression on either their hosts or whoever was teaching their first class, Sora figured that he might as well at least try and rouse the rest of Team SLVR, and quickly returned to their dorm room so he could do just that. Plus, like Team RWBY, the four Keyblade wielders still needed to unpack their personal belongings as well, as few as they were, and Sora felt like their room could do with a little personalization anyway, so what better way to start the day than that? Besides, the whole reason they came to Beacon in the first place was so that they could become better Keyblade wielders anyway, so he was sure that he would get plenty of chances to practice his skills later on.

Upon entering Team SLVR's room again, Sora was met with the sight of his three, sleeping teammates, and while Ventus and Roxas looked normal enough, seeing the way that Lea was sprawled out with his arms stretched out over the sides of his bed made Sora smile in amusement. The tall redhead looked ridiculous, but as funny as he looked, Sora was going to have to ruin the image and get him up with the other two. It was not until after he had managed to wake up both of the blonde boys that Sora realized just how difficult the task of waking Lea was going to be though, because no matter what Sora did, the former Number VIII of the first Organization XIII just could not be roused from his slumber. Even when Ventus began to provide some assistance, the guy just would not stir even the slightest. Eventually, Sora was ready to just blast Lea awake with one of his spells, but just as he was about to summon out Kingdom Key, Roxas came in from Team SLVR's personal bathroom, with a cup of water in his hand, and a devious smirk on his face.

"Allow me," Roxas requested, and Sora found he was a little too confused by what Roxas was doing to do anything besides stepping aside.

As he watched Roxas approach Lea's bed, Sora started to get an idea as to what the blonde had in mind, and could not help but roll his eyes in amusement. If shouting in the guy's ears and basically making almost enough noise to make someone think an army of crazed Heartless was marching through the room would not wake Lea up, then Sora highly doubted that just pouring some water on the guy would do the trick. Boy was he mistaken, because after "stealthily" making his way right next to Lea's bed, Roxas held the cup right over his friend's face, and dumped it all out on the redhead in one go, resulting in Lea jumping up from the bed in a state of panic as he flailed his arms about like a crazy man.

Lea's panic soon ended though when he heard a familiar bit of laughter, and he was soon glaring right at the cackling blonde responsible for the trick. "Not cool, man," Lea growled. "Using a guy's phobia to wake him up when he's having one of the greatest dreams ever."

"Well, nothing else was getting you out of bed, so drastic measures had to be taken," Roxas shrugged, though his smile proved he was not as sorry as he was trying to sound.

"Oh, you think that makes it better, or that it's funny, huh? Well what if I decided to tell everyone about that time when you and Xion went to the Bistro and…"

Now it was Roxas who was looking panicked, as he jumped Lea to not only wrestle the taller redhead to the ground, but also struggle to keep his best friend from finishing his sentence. Oddly enough, Roxas was somehow winning, despite Lea's size advantage, and that just made it all the more funny for Sora and Ventus. Still, Sora knew that they should not be wasting time messing around, even if they did still have a fair amount of time before their first class of the day, and he soon got to work breaking the two friends' wrestling match up.

Once he had gotten the two former Nobodies apart, Sora finally declared, "Okay, we've still got some time before our first class of the day, so once you're all suited up in the school uniforms, we can get to work on finally unpacking and turning this room into a living space worthy of Team SLVR!"

"Easier said than done, Sora. Even with the little amount of stuff that we brought along with us to this world, it's gonna be hard to really do all that much decorating with what amount of space we have in this room," Ventus pointed out.

"He has a point, and even without that, the beds just take up way too much space as it is," Lea added. "Sure, they're nice beds, but still…"

"How about we worry about that after we get dressed and unpack the essential stuff that we would need for the day-to-day for now," Roxas suggested.

"Sounds good to me. Any objections," Sora asked. When none were given, he then declared, "Alright boys, lets suit up!"

Despite his enthusiastic declaration making it a little more exciting, none of the guys were too thrilled about the uniforms that they had been given. Sure, they were not too different from the other standard boys' uniforms that other students wore, which consisted of a simple white dress shirt, red tie, blue vest, and black suits lined with gold, and they could customize their outfits if they wanted to, but that did not make them any happier over the fact that they had to wear the "damned monkey suits," as Lea had put it while he was putting his on. Then again, the other three could not help but think that maybe Lea's had ended up being a size too small considering how much grumbling and grunting he did as he was doing so.

"Seriously, do we really have to wear these things," Lea questioned once again as he fidgeted a little with his tie.

"Yes," Sora, Ventus, and Roxas all answered as one. They were not any happier about it than their redheaded friend, but they were still getting pretty annoyed with his complaints about the thing.

Lea just rolled his eyes in response before he finally loosened his tie to the point where it looked like it would come undone at any second, while unbuttoning the top-most buttons on his white shirt. "Ah…well, at least that helps me breathe a little better," Lea sighed in relief.

"I don't think the staff's going to be too happy with you doing something like that," Ventus cautioned in worry.

"Why not? I mean, it's not stopping Ruby from wearing her cloak," Sora pointed out without even realizing it. Not until the other boys had all turned to look at him with very suspicious eyes. "What's with those looks?"

"How exactly do you know that the eccentric Miss Rose is wearing her hood with her uniform, Sora," Ventus questioned in a sly tone of voice.

"Uh…I may have…stopped by Team RWBY's room earlier this morning," Sora hesitantly admitted. When his friends' looks persisted, Sora could not help but rapidly admit, "And by stopped by I mean that I was woken up by Ruby using a whistle to wake up her teammates and rushed over to see if something was wrong because I thought that they were being attacked or something."

"Seriously? Man I've said it before, and I'll say it again. You just can't help yourself from always trying to be the hero rushing to the rescue. Especially when a girl's involved," Lea teased, drawing a blush out of Sora with that last sentence.

"Well to be fair, the girl in question is Ruby, and she does have a very unique kind of cuteness to her," Roxas pointed out, trying to sound like he was defending Sora when in reality, they all know that he was teasing his former other just as much as Lea was. "Don't get me wrong; I would never cheat on Xion, but that doesn't mean I'm blind to the inherent cute factor that Ruby has going for her, or the fact that her level of cuteness can't be measured by any standard scale without giving it a setting that literally has her name on it."

"Plus there's also the fact that the two have clearly cliqued in the short amount of time that they've known each other, and even for Sora's skills at getting people to open up and change for the better, that's really saying something for someone who's as socially awkward as Ruby has claimed to be," Ventus added on, smirking in the exact same way as the other two.

"You guys all suck," Sora grumbled under his breath as he turned away with his arms crossed, hoping to keep the three jokers from seeing how red his face was turning the more that they talked.

He would have tried to look for a way to change the topic had it not presented itself in a very unexpected manner. The manner in question being the sound of Weiss's shrill voice crying out, "IT'S 8:55 YOU DUNCE!"

"What the…" Lea muttered as he and the others all peeked out their door at the same time as Team JNPR, and just in time to see Weiss racing out of Team RWBY's room not even a second later, with the rest of the heiress's team watching after her for a second or two.

"Uhh, t-t-to, to class," Ruby ordered as she quickly ran after her partner, with Yang and Blake right behind her.

"Class," Jaune repeated just before he and the rest of his team all toppled over each other. That did not keep the blonde down for too long, as he was soon up on his feet and racing off after the girls as he cried out, "We're gonna be late!"

"Sora? Just how long did you say we had before our first class of the day, again," Ventus questioned.

Sora just checked the time on his Scroll, and upon seeing that Weiss was right about the time, he immediately rushed out the door as well, with the rest of the guys following him, along with the remainder of Team JNPR, all the while questioning, "How long did we spend trying to get Axel out of bed?!"

"Don't know! Think about it later! Run now," Ventus advised.

"And if you want, feel free to blame Axel while you're doing so," Roxas added.

"Why is it always MY fault," Lea demanded as he ran, only to receive no answer in reply.

At some point during their sprint from the dorms to the main building where classes were to be held, Sora managed to catch up with Ruby, to her slight surprise. Even without her Semblance, Ruby had always been really fast on her feet, so to see Sora keeping pace with her so easily came as a bit of a surprise to the hooded Huntress-in-training. An impressive one, but a surprise all the same. That was not the only thing about Sora that Ruby noticed right at that moment though. "I see you decided to take a more personal touch with your uniform as well," Ruby observed, getting a confused look from Sora that said he was not sure what she was talking about. "You're still wearing that necklace of yours."

Glancing down at his neck, Sora could not help but smile a bit as he fingered the crown pendant that hung from the chain around his neck, and replied, "Yeah, I hadn't even realized it, but then again, I've worn this thing for so long it's practically become a part of me. I haven't gone anywhere without it since the day I first got it, and it would feel way too weird to start doing so now."

Ruby nodded in understanding, knowing exactly what Sora meant by that since it was the same way for her when it came to her red cloak in a way. Of course, there was a bit more reason to why her cloak was so special to her besides that, and she had a feeling that the same could be said for why Sora cared about that necklace of his so much. She felt like it was a good hunch, considering how he eyed the pendant while he was fingering it with a look she knew she held a few times after she first got her cloak, and whenever she visited her mother's gravestone, but now was not the best time to be delving into such personal matters. Right now, they had to scramble in order to make sure they were not late for their first class of the day.

With that in mind, Ruby's excitement began to shine through once again when she asked, "So, you ready for our first day of classes at Beacon?"

"Are you kidding," Sora questioned with a grin. "We're going to a school to learn how to fight monsters, save the world, and basically be better heroes! What's not to be excited about?! This is gonna be awesome!"

"Yeah," Ruby cheered in agreement while she and Sora high-fived one another, much to the amusement of most of their friends and teammates as they all continued hurrying to class.

---

'This is so NOT awesome," Sora mentally corrected himself barely even an hour later as he struggled to stay awake. Sure, he was not expecting for every class to involve doing various work outs, sparring practices, or any other thing like that, but he had at least expected that the classes that involved written work would at least be a little more interesting than the one he and the others were sitting in right now. Sure a Grimm Studies class would be a big help for them in understanding how to fight the soulless abominations, especially in the case of him and his fellow Keyblade wielders, but not only was it still boring, but the class was made even less interesting from the way that their teacher was going on about his past adventures.

Sora was sure that Peter Port was indeed a very skilled Huntsman in his youth, and that he still retained enough of those skills now to qualify as a teacher at Beacon Academy, but somehow, he highly doubted that all of the things he told them about in the stories about his "glory days" were true. Normally, Sora would not mind listening to a good story, but in this case, it really came off as more like ridiculous ramblings than it did an actual story. Besides, there was a time and place to brag about your past accomplishments, and while some would say that this could be the place, it did not really seem like the time to Sora. All of his friends seemed to agree, given how most of them were barely able to focus on what Professor Port was saying, save for one or two of them, and even then, Sora felt that might be pushing it a little.

'We ran all the way from the dorms in a mad rush to make sure we weren't late, for this,' Sora thought incredulously as he struggled to keep himself upright. He did not have any delusions of being able to keep himself from nodding off, so he may as well at least try to make it look like he was just diligently taking notes, even if he was asleep. From the look of things, it seemed that Lea had the same idea, because he was hunched over with his head in one hand and a pencil in the other, but that did not stop Sora from noticing how steady his breathing was, proving that the pyro was more than likely asleep. Glancing further past Lea, Sora saw that Roxas and Ventus were not really doing much better than him, but at the same time, they were not as far gone as the redhead yet.

At one point, Sora felt that he was finally going to go down, when he picked up on the sound of someone quietly snickering to his immediate right. Turning to the girl in question, Sora glanced between Ruby and the paper she was scratching her pencil on, wondering what she could find so funny about taking notes on what Port was trying rambling about right now, until Ruby took notice of how his eyes were trained on her. With a few more strokes of her pencil, Ruby set the writing utensil down, and then held up her paper for Sora to see with a sneaky little grin on her face. On the paper in Ruby's hand, was a very ridiculous picture of their current teacher, with the words "Professor Poop" written at the bottom. The drawing alone made it hard for Sora to not start laughing at her silliness, but when Ruby blew a quick raspberry to imitate a fart sound, he just could not hold it in any longer. He was just glad he could keep it down to amused chuckles, and that was what drove the rest of Team RWBY to turn and see Ruby's drawing as well. Only Yang and Blake got a laugh out of it though, as Weiss merely glared at the scythe wielder in disapproval.

"Ahem," Professor Port suddenly coughed, startling the laughs out of everyone, thinking that they had been caught. They all soon breathed a sigh of relief when he just continued on like nothing had happened. "In the end the Beowolf was no match for my sheer tenacity…"

Sora rolled his eyes at that, and after making sure that Port could not see him, he quickly scribbled something down on his paper before sliding it over for Ruby to see. 'Sheer tenacity? More like the massive size of his ego,' the note read.

Now it was Ruby had to keep from laughing out loud, both because the message was funny, and because she completely agreed with Sora's statement. Taking up her pencil again, Ruby immediately scrawled out a note of her own in reply, and slid it over for Sora to read. 'Not that I disagree, but you probably shouldn't be passing notes like that when we're sitting in the front row.'

Sora instantly shot her a look after reading the note that clearly showed he was questioning if she had actually just wrote that to him, and then scribbled out his next reply. 'Said the girl who's secretly drawing ridiculous pictures of the teacher while she's also sitting in the front row.'

While she did shrug in reply, Ruby's smile remained completely shameless and as amused as ever over her previous action. He did have a point, but then again, having a lousy choice of seats was their own fault, since they were the last ones to arrive for class. 'Can you blame me,' she then wrote out. 'Until now, I thought it was impossible to make fighting monsters sound boring.'

'Right?! Not to mention that I'm pretty sure he's making a lot of this up,' Sora quickly wrote out.

The two friends continued on with their note passing from there, not really talking about much of anything after a while, and while Port did not seem to realize that he was being ignored by them, Weiss most certainly did, and she was far from happy about it, as her sour expression could prove. It steadily grew from just being sour to a full-on glare of indignation and frustration the more she watched the two team leaders, right up to and through the end of Professor Port's story, as he went into what he believed to be the lesson behind his rather ridiculous tale, and there was soon little doubt that she would soon explode at the first chance she was offered.

"The moral of this story? A true huntsman must be honorable. A true huntsman must be dependable. A true huntsman must be strategic, well-educated, and wise," Professor Port finally concluded before he posed a question to the students. "So, who among you believes themselves to be the embodiment of these traits?"

Finally, Weiss's chance to blow off steam seemed to have come, as she instantly shot her hand up in the air, and declared, "I do sir!"

"Well then, let's find out," Port challenged as he turned towards a cage he had set off to the side, prompting whatever beast he was keeping contained in it to start snarling and growling as it fought to break out. "Step forward, and face your opponent."

As Weiss stood up to retrieve her weapon and combat attire, Roxas looked between their teacher and the cage for a few moments before he finally asked, "Was that thing in here the whole time? And how did we not notice it until just now?"

"Maybe the old man's story had bored it to sleep like it did Lea," Ventus offered with a grin, earning a quiet chuckle from his fellow blonde.

Their laughter was actually what startled Lea awake again, and he quickly glanced around to make sure that Port had not caught him sleeping. When he saw that the cost was clear, he looked over to his pals and asked, "What'd I miss?"

"Just the rest of Port's story, him going on about the qualities of a true huntsman, and the Ice Princess suddenly volunteering herself for a surprise fight with some creature that Port had locked in that cage over there. I'm pretty sure that this is likely her getting ready to throw a hissy fit or something," Roxas filled in for his friend.

"Oh, well, now things are getting interesting. A hundred munny says that she loses her cool before the fight is even halfway over," Lea grinned in response, while Ventus rolled his eyes at both of them.

"I say it'll be just right before the end that she completely snaps, and make it two hundred," Roxas accepted in response with a grin while he accepted his friend's low-five to seal the deal.

"Come on, you two. She's not that bad," Ventus scolded in Weiss's defense.

"Says you. You're the only one here who hasn't been subjected to her snotty attitude to the same extent as the rest of us," Lea argued.

"I think Sora mentioned that she was about as cold as Arendelle or something when he first met her," Roxas added on.

While Ventus did not doubt that Weiss had a bit of an attitude problem, he still felt like the others were probably judging her a little too harshly. Not that he seemed likely to convince them of that right now, or that he even had the chance to try, because it was at that moment that Weiss finally came back in, all geared up for a fight with her rapier fully loaded and ready for battle. At least, that was what it seemed like to everyone else, but Ventus could see that there was a certain intensity to Weiss's form that she did not normally have. More than that, the cold, steel that was in her eyes was new to him as well; it almost seemed like she was trying to prove something after being told that she was wrong. Before he could think on it much more though, he ended up getting distracted by the cheers of her teammates, and a few other classmates as well, though it was mostly in the case of those that were on Ven's team.

"Goooo Weiss," Yang cheered with a fist pump.

"Fight well," Blake added on as she waved a flag that had her team's name printed on it.

"Yeah, represent Team RWBY," Ruby finished with an added bit of excitement.

That last one was the only one that Weiss actually responded to, and it was not in an accepting manner. "Ruby, I'm trying to focus," Weiss scolded.

"Oh, sorry," Ruby meekly apologized.

"Don't worry, Weiss. You've got this," Sora encouraged, despite how much he wanted to glare at the heiress for her comment to Ruby. He figured that she just needed a few more votes of confidence right now in order to improve her mood. After all, she had been startled awake by Ruby's whistle much like he had been.

"But do us a favor and don't lead it over here," Roxas playfully requested.

"Or better yet, just hit it with one of your icy glares. Maybe it'll freeze to death in an instant," Lea taunted, earning him one such glare from the girl. "Yeah, that'd be one I'm talking about, but direct it at whatever the prof's got in the cage. It'll be more effective on that than it is on me."

"Just do your best, Weiss," Ventus finally called out, cutting Lea off before he could say anything more to upset the girl.

"Alright. Let the match…BEGIN," Port declared as he sliced off the lock the cage with the axe blades on his personally customized blunderbuss, and the minute that the door dropped, a boar-like Grimm that everyone recognized as a Boarbatusk came rushing out with a growl. Acting more on instinct than her actual training, Weiss quickly leapt to the side, swiping her blade at the Boarbatusk as it passed her. Rolling to her feet again, Weiss glared at the monster boar, almost picturing it as everyone that had recently made her mad in some way when she did before she brushed that aside in an attempt to regain her focus. Not that Port's commentary was really doing too much to help with that. "Haha, wasn't expecting that were you?"

"Hang in there, Weiss," Ruby encouraged, already having forgotten her partner's earlier request for quiet.

Incidentally, Weiss did somehow manage to block out a good deal of her annoyance with Ruby when she next lunged at the pig, but in her rush, she had gone along a different path than intended with her strike, and ended up receiving a nasty hit from the Boarbatusk's tusks in her side, while her rapier ended up caught in the long, sharp appendages at the same time. "Bold, new approach," Port complimented as Weiss struggled to get her sword free. "I like it!"

"Come on Weiss, show it who's boss," Ruby cried out. Unfortunately, that ended up distracting Weiss just enough for the Grimm to rip her weapon out of her hand and across the room from them both. Having not been expecting to be disarmed so suddenly, Weiss was left unable to recover before the Grimm struck again, and ended up knocked to the ground as a result.

"Oho, now what will you do without your weapon," Port questioned, almost sounding like he was enjoying Weiss's struggle.

"Does he realize how little his color commentary is actually helping her right now," Ventus questioned.

"Who cares? It's making the show all the better," Lea grinned happily.

"Okay, dude, we get it. You don't like Weiss, but there's a limit to what you can find enjoyable when it comes to how she may or may not struggle and/or suffer," Roxas told off the redhead, now no longer finding Lea's constant need to put down the heiress as amusing.

It was during that time that Weiss had managed pick herself up again, and then managed to roll away from the Boarbatusk's next charge, leaving it to collide with the wall behind her while she quickly retrieved her rapier. The minute she saw her partner had retrieved her blade Ruby called out, "Weiss, go for its belly! There's no armor underneath…"

"Stop telling me what to do," Weiss finally, coldly snapped, making Ruby flinch as her smile fell into a sad frown. Now Sora did not have a problem with glaring the white haired girl. Ruby was just trying to help out her friend; there was no need for Weiss to talk to her like that.

Before Sora could say anything though, Ventus shouted, "Weiss, watch out!"

Turning back to the Grimm, everyone watched in awe as the Boarbatusk let out an angry, squeal-like roar before rolling itself up into a fast-moving, spiked ball of death that came hurtling towards Weiss. This time though, Weiss was more than ready, or at least ready to a sufficient extent, and with a wave of her rapier, she quickly summoned two of her snowflake glyphs; one in front of her and one behind. The Boarbatusk slammed right into the first glyph, and dropped down onto its back, leaving it open to attack as it struggled to get upright again. Weiss was not about to let the troublesome beast get that far, but instead, she back flipped onto the second glyph, kicked off of it, and rocketed forward with her rapier aimed right at its exposed, unprotected stomach. Her attack struck true, and after letting out a little bit of whimpering and weak squeals, the pig finally began to break down into dust like all other Grimm do when they are killed.

"Bravo! Braa-vo! It appears we are indeed in the presence of a true huntress-in-training," Port happily praised while Weiss caught her breath. "I'm afraid that's all the time we have for today. Be sure to cover the assigned readings, and stay vigilant. Class dismissed."

While everyone else calmly gathered up their belongings and started filing out of the room, Weiss just threw another cold, silent glare at Ruby before she spun around on her heel and marched out. Her teammates all watched her go with worried gazes, though Ruby's eyes had a bit of hurt mixed into them as well, while others were all wondering the same question that Jaune eventually muttered after watching her go.

"Sheesh, what's with her," Jaune asked.

"A very excellent question, my friend," Roxas replied while throwing a worried glance in Sora's direction. After hearing about his team leader's past encounters with Weiss, Roxas could not help but think that Sora would leap out of his seat to chase after Weiss so he could give her another piece of his mind, if not just outright attack the girl for how she had been acting towards Ruby. It certainly seemed that way from the way that Sora was glaring at her back, but the boy remained right where he was, only moving to give Ruby a few words of comfort in an attempt to raise the hooded girl's downtrodden spirits a little. He quietly breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing that, before he turned to Lea and held his hand out to the pyro. "Alright, she snapped just before the fight ended, now pay up."

Lea just let out an annoyed growl as he fished the agreed upon two hundred munny from his pocket and handed it over the blonde, grumbling, "Why do I keep making bets with you?"

"Don't know. I honestly thought you would've learned by now, or at least after half of the poker nights that Luxord used to host back in the old days. Namely the ones where I completely cleaned you out," Roxas teased as he pocketed his prize.

All further conversation between those two went unheard by Ventus, as he was still staring at where Weiss had disappeared, thinking to himself about what could be done to help the girl with whatever problem she was having right now before it ended up having some very serious consequences on Team RWBY.

---

Weiss's mood did not change for the rest of the day, and considering that she had quite a few classes with her partner that day, it was hard for Ruby to not notice this. Sure, Sora had assured her earlier that the Schnee heiress would cool off if she just gave it a little time, but Ruby was not so sure about that. She considered Weiss a friend, despite their rocky start, and she really wanted Weiss to think of her the same way, so once classes were over for the day, Ruby set out to take what the other Keyblade wielders would consider a very Sora-esque action: chasing down a friend to try and help them out, even if they had said not too. Thankfully, she did not have to look for too long, as she soon found Weiss in the hallway, still fuming like she had been earlier.

"Weiss," Ruby called out to get the girl's attention, but when Weiss turned to face her with the same glare that she had received at the end of Port's class, Ruby could not help but flinch back a little. Still, Ruby was not going to let that stop her, and this only helped her get right to the heart of the matter. "What's wrong with you? Why are you being…?"

"What's wrong with me? What's wrong with you," Weiss snapped before Ruby could finish. "You're supposed to be a leader and all you've been so far is a nuisance."

Ruby could not stop herself from scoffing at that before she asked, "What did I do?"

"That's just it! You've done nothing to earn your position! Back in the forest you acted like a child and you've only continued to do so," Weiss accused, finally letting out everything that had been bothering her since the ceremony, and unfortunately for Ruby, she was not holding back any of her frustration. Sure it hurt, but Ruby was still able to keep it together just enough to keep talking.

"Weiss, where is this coming from? What happened to all the talk about working together? I thought you believed in acting as a team," Ruby reminded her while trying her best to keep her voice strong despite how quiet she became.

"Not a team led by you. I've studied, and trained, and quite frankly, I deserve better," Weiss stated, all the while with her voice as cold as ever. The next thing she said though was even colder than that though, if to no one else, than certainly to Ruby and the hooded huntress-in-training had a feeling that Weiss meant it to be that way at the moment. "Ozpin made a mistake."

Ruby wanted to try and reach out, to say or do something to help raise Weiss's spirits a little, but that last thing that Weiss said definitely had more of an impact than anything else. More than just an impact; it really hurt to the point where Ruby did not just feel terrible, she felt like she was going to start crying at any moment. The fact that she could feel the tears building up in her eyes already certainly reinforced the idea, and Ruby likely would have run right back to her room, or really just anywhere that she could be alone in order to let it all out had she not found the school headmaster that was just mentioned standing behind her, his cane and a mug of coffee in hand as usual.

"Hmm. Now that didn't seem to go very well," Ozpin commented. His voice may have sounded a little neutral, but there was a touch of sympathy to it as he looked to poor Ruby.

"Is she right? Did you make a mistake," Ruby asked, her doubts now much stronger than they had been when she had been first named as the leader after hearing Weiss's words.

"That remains to be seen," Ozpin replied with a smile. Clearly he had this conversation with others before, and he had no problems having it again if it meant cheering Ruby up a little.

"What do you mean," Ruby asked.

"I mean it's only been one day," Ozpin pointed out with a light chuckle. "Ruby, I've made more mistakes than any man, woman, and child on this planet, but at this moment I would not consider your appointment to leader to be one of them. Do you?"

Ruby did not say anything. She had been a little surprised by the fact when Ozpin declared her as leader, but she was at least a little confident to the point that made her believe she could do it. That confidence only grew a little after receiving congratulations from her sister, Sora, and a lot of her other friends, but still, after her talk with Weiss, Ruby was not so sure. "I…I really don't know," Ruby admitted.

"Well, I suppose I would be a little worried if you did know for sure. Doubt is a natural thing for anyone to feel when placed into such a position, but I find that the best leaders are the ones who not only possess the talent to lead, but also listen to others so that they can better improve in the way they lead," Ozpin admitted, surprising the girl a bit. "Being a team leader isn't just a title you carry into battle, but a badge you wear constantly. If you are not always performing at your absolute best, then what reason do you give others to follow you?" When Ruby started to smile again, Ozpin turned to take his leave, but not without one last bit of advice for the young Rose. "You've been burdened with a daunting responsibility, Ruby. I advise you take some time to think about how you will uphold it. Though do remember, there are others you can talk to about this, some of which who have even been through it in one manner or another in the past. Isn't that right, Mr. Hikari?"

That last comment surprised Ruby a little, until Sora stepped out from behind the corner with a sheepish smile and wave to them both. "How long did you know I was there," Sora asked the professor.

"Since a few moments ago," Ozpin admitted. "If I had known you were going to attempt to say something though, I would have waited a little longer. I'm sorry to say that I appear to have beaten you to the punch this time."

"It's no big deal," Sora shrugged with an easy going smile.

"Well, I'll leave you both to think on what I've said, and to discuss it as well," Ozpin bade in farewell to the two, feeling that his work here was done.

After watching the headmaster go, Ruby looked to Sora, curious about what Ozpin had implied. From the sound of things, this had not been the first time that Sora had been in a position of leadership to some extent, and the way Ozpin said it made her think that it was not even a brief time, either. Sure, she did not know too much about Sora's past, or really the pasts of anyone on Team SLVR, but was it really possible that Sora had been through something that had tested his ability to lead others? It would certainly help to make sense of why Ozpin had chosen Sora to lead his team, but for the life of her, Ruby could not think of what Sora could have gone through that would qualify as such.

More than that, as she looked at Sora, Ruby could once again see that far-off look in his eyes that she saw in the Emerald Forest; the one that reflected a deep sense of hurt. Now that they were not in the midst of fighting for their lives, Ruby had a chance to really study that little bit of emotion in his eyes, and after thinking it over for a moment, she began to think that maybe, just maybe it was not that different from a look her own eyes held many years ago after she lost her mother. Sure, it still crept up on her every now and then, but from what Ruby could glisten, this hurt was much more recent for Sora. Thinking that he could be suffering from such a pain made Ruby's heart hurt a little for him, and for some reason, she could not help but want to try and alleviate that pain from his heart somehow.

She was actually just about to say something to him, though whether it was on what she saw in his eyes, or what Ozpin said, Ruby was not sure, because Sora had quickly tried to wipe away that distant gaze and the sadness it held with his usual smile when he spoke to her first. "So, are you feeling better now," Sora asked.

Ruby was not entirely fooled. She knew that Sora was trying to cover up something, but she would not press him on the matter just yet. There were other things that they could discuss right now that were of more immediate concern. "Yeah, I think so," Ruby admitted, letting her own smile creep up onto her face again. "So, are you guys all settled into your dorm yet?"

"Just about, but I wish we had a little more space to make the room feel a bit more like home for us," Sora admitted.

"Have you tried replacing your beds with bunk beds," Ruby asked. "That's what we did in our room, and it worked perfectly."

As tempted as he was to ask how they managed to accomplish that, the idea of making their beds into bunk beds was just way too perfect an idea in Sora's eyes, and he was sure the rest of the guys would be on board with it. "Ruby, that's brilliant! Thanks so much," Sora cheered as he wrapped his arms around the girl in a sudden hug. "I'm gonna head back and get my team working on that right away!"

Ruby could only nod in response while her face started matching her cloak again. Really, it was getting ridiculous how often she found herself blushing while she was around Sora, but she had to admit, it felt really nice to get a hug from him. She probably would have even joined him in his excited rush back to the dorm building had she not glanced outside beforehand to see Weiss standing out on one of the balconies and thought of something else they should do.

"Hey Sora, do you mind coming with me to make a quick stop at the library before we head back," Ruby asked.

---

Weiss was still stomping down the hall, not really having a specific destination in mind, or even a direction really, so it was not until she had spotted someone else in the area that she took notice of her location. From what she gathered, it looked as though she were on one of the outside balconies, and one of the perfect ones to watch the sunset from at that, at least as far as she knew from her limited time at Beacon thus far, and over on one of the benches, gazing at the colorful, twilight sky and setting sun, was a certain blonde that she had only briefly encountered during their time in the Emerald Forest. Weiss wanted to change that though, as this person had certainly caught her interest in a way that none of the other students had, including Pyrrha, so she quickly walked to him in order to strike up a conversation. Not that she really knew what she wanted to say, or even if he would notice her approach, but as she drew closer, she found that he had been too wrapped in the view to realize she was there, and that somehow helped find something to talk about.

"Ventus," Weiss called out, startling the young man a bit when she did.

"Oh, Weiss. Sorry, I didn't hear you coming," Ventus apologized.

"It's quite alright. I mean, this view is rather lovely," Weiss assured him, indicating the sunset he had just been watching. She then looked to him and asked, "What are you doing out here by yourself anyway?"

"I was trying to do some studying with Roxas, but I couldn't really get my mind to focus on our work, so I came out here to clear my head, and maybe find someplace that I could stargaze from later on," Ventus shrugged.

"You stargaze," Weiss asked in surprise.

"Yeah. It's a favorite past time of both mine and my best friends. Even before I met them though, I'd love coming out at night to just gaze up at the stars, wondering what kind of mysteries and stories they held while lighting up the night sky. Some of my best memories happened while stargazing," Ventus sighed fondly. He then reached into his pocket and pulled out his green Wayfinder and finished, "Like the night when I first got this."

Looking at the star-shaped charm, Weiss could certainly understand at least part of the reason why he would think back on such a moment with fondness. It was a very lovely charm, from the silver edges, to the green, stain-glass points, and right down to the smaller copy of Ven's badge sitting right in the middle of the five-pointed star. Still, from the way Ventus had said that, she could not help but feel that there was a much greater significance to the object than just how nice it looked, and felt prompted to ask about it. "What is that?"

"It's called a Wayfinder; a special kind of good luck charm. My best friend, Aqua made it along with two others just like it. She kept one of the other two for herself, gave me this one, and gave the other one to my other best friend, Terra," Ventus explained with a fond smile. "When she gave them to us, she said that the charms had a special kind of magic to them. I didn't really understand it at the time, but now I know that the magic she was talking about, was that these charms represented the unbreakable connection that three of shared. To be honest, there are days when I feel a little stupid for not realizing it sooner, especially given how Aqua had told us about a legend she heard that inspired her to make the charms in the first place."

"What legend is that," Weiss asked, now very curious.

Ventus paused for a minute to figure out the best way to tell the tale, not because he did not remember it, but rather, because the only times he heard the tale, it was always among people that knew about the existence of other worlds. Not that it took him too long to figure out, as he proved when he spoke up again after a few seconds of silence. "Well, on a certain special island very far away from here, there's this tree that grows star-shaped fruit, and the fruit represents an unbreakable connection. It's said that so long as you and your friends carry good luck charms shaped like this unique fruit, nothing could ever drive you apart, and you would always find your way back to each other." Ventus could not help but smile a little wider after he had finished telling Weiss about this tale, but mainly because of another thing he remembered Aqua saying when she handed out the Wayfinders amongst their little trio of friends, and he could not help but add it in as an afterthought. "It's funny; Aqua said that technically, you're supposed to make them with seashells, but she did the best with what she had, and honestly, I don't really think that it mattered all that much in the end, because it proved true either way for the three of us. Even if we did end up needing a little extra help."

Weiss could not help but smile a little after hearing all of that, having sensed just how special a place this all had in Ventus's heart just from the way he talked about it all, and after he finished, she just had to comment, "Well, I think she did a very excellent job in making them as well, if yours is anything to go by. It's very beautiful."

"Glad you think so, too. I'll be sure to let Aqua know you approve the next time I see her, assuming I live long enough, that is," Ventus replied with a small shiver near the end.

That confused Weiss a little, and she felt prompted to ask, "Why do you say that?"

"Let's just say that I may have forgotten to mention to Aqua that I was coming to Beacon before I left, along with the fact that the rest of my friends were going to be doing the same. It's not that I really needed her permission to come here though, but she does like to know about stuff like that in advance, mainly because she views me like the little brother she never had, and the same goes for Sora, too. I'm not sure that applies to Roxas and Lea, but she does see them as close friends, and she really cares about anyone that she views in that manner, and that makes her a little…protective at times, almost to the point of being motherly, and occasionally, very scary when she's the last to learn about stuff that's happened to those friends," Ventus revealed.

Weiss could certainly understand what that was like to an extent after having her own sister practically take over in raising and training her when things in her family started getting a little more difficult, but thinking about that soon brought her mind back to the things that had been troubling her all day. Realizing that, Weiss decided to take a seat next to Ventus in an attempt to better calm herself down, and tried to lose herself in the lovely view that was in front of them. Needless to say, it did not entirely work, but it did at least keep her from getting angry again, like she had when Ruby confronted her earlier. What it did not do was keep the sad look off of her face, or Ventus from noticing said look.

"Do you mind if I ask what's wrong," Ventus inquired.

"What makes you think that there's something wrong," Weiss questioned.

Ventus just had to smile in good humor as he replied, "You haven't exactly made it too big of a secret that something has been bothering you all day. Even now, it's written all over your face that you're upset about whatever this thing is." When Weiss did not say anything in reply to that, Ventus reached over to place a reassuring hand on her shoulder and said, "Hey, it's just the two of us out here, you know. Whatever it is, you can tell me, and I won't tell anyone else if that's what you're worried about."

Weiss did not necessarily have a problem with everyone knowing about the things that bothered her, per say, but hearing that the boy would not go telling others if she did not want him to did make her feel a little more reassured, and ultimately served to help her finally let out what had been weighing on her for quite some time now. "I think I should've been the leader of Team RWBY," Weiss confessed.

"Hmm…I see," Ventus hummed in thought upon hearing that. When he did not say anymore than that, Weiss could not help but look to him in confusion. Clearly she had been expecting a little more than that from him, and he continued to surprise her when he next spoke up. "Any particular reason why?"

"Excuse me," Weiss asked, showing her surprise at the blonde just as much as her confusion when she spoke.

"Just humor me for the moment," Ventus prompted.

Weiss was not sure where he was going with this, but she figured there was no harm in granting his request to humor him for the moment. "Because I've studied and trained all of my life for this. I went through all the proper channels to get into Beacon, and as you saw, I've done everything humanly possible and more to show that I can become the best huntress of my generation, and yet, despite all of that, some little kid who somehow snuck into Beacon two years ahead of schedule is made the leader of my team? It just doesn't seem right. How can Ruby be expected to lead us when she hasn't put in nearly the same amount of work as the rest of us, and has no clue what any of us have done to get here?

"You may be right about that," Ventus agreed. That brought a smile to Weiss's face, showing that she was glad to hear someone was on her side, until he finished his statement. "But at the same time, you're absolutely wrong."

"Excuse me?!" Weiss demanded, her voice rising up a few pitches in volume once her smile had vanished.

"Hear me out; I agree that Ruby has no idea what you're capable of, but you can't really say that you know what she's capable of either," Ventus pointed out to the girl. "Did you ever think that maybe there was a reason that she was skipped ahead, aside from whatever theories that you've come up with since meeting her, I mean?" Her silence was enough of an answer for him, and he continued to press on from there. "From what I've heard, Ozpin himself was the one who granted Ruby the chance to skip ahead, and considering that he's both the headmaster and a very experienced huntsman, I have to believe that there was a very solid reason for his decisions."

"I'll admit that I can understand what you're saying when it comes to his admitting Ruby into Beacon earlier, but are you really willing to just blindly accept his decision in regards to the team's leader even after seeing how exceptional I am," Weiss asked.

"Well to be fair, he also chose the perfect person to lead my team, so I can't say that I find it too hard to argue with him," Ventus pointed out, surprising Weiss a little bit. Though not as much as the next thing he said. "And no offense, but from what I've seen and heard, the only thing that matches your skill in a fight is your really poor attitude."

"How dare you," Weiss started to say, only to be cut off before she could go any further.

"Yeah, that pretty much proves my point, you know," Ventus informed her, silencing Weiss with that one sentence. "I'm not saying that you didn't work hard to become the fighter you are, but at the same time, a lot of us can't help but see you as a girl that has spent her entire life getting everything she wanted just by asking."

"That's not even remotely true," Weiss huffed defiantly with her arms crossed. When Ventus just looked at her in disbelief, she could not help but falter a bit and admit, "Well…not entirely true."

"I never said it was," Ventus reassured her. "But there's more to being a leader than just being a capable fighter and it's not something that just anyone can do. Sure, you can spend your whole life preparing yourself for such a position, study everything you can to make sure that you'll be ready to take charge if or when a situation calls for you to do so, but none of that means anything if you can't give others a real reason to follow you into a fight. I don't just mean that in the sense of having others like you, because there are times when your teammates will be upset with a decision you make, even if it does lead to a favorable result. A real leader is someone that can inspire others to keep going even when it all seems hopeless, or pointless, or just simply like there's no way for them to win. They can give others the courage to follow them anywhere, even if the path leads right into the gates of hell itself, and that's a daunting task for anyone to undertake, especially if they don't feel up to the task, but anyone who can hold that kind of fortitude naturally will always prove that they can do the job in the end. I've only really seen that kind of charisma in a few people before, but I can confidently say that Ruby is one of the people that has it."

"I…suppose that's true," Weiss admitted, thinking back to the initiation when Ruby really got serious and took charge like it was second nature to her.

"Of course, I'm sure you have it as well, and may be able to bring it out in your own way, but throwing a fit because things didn't go your way isn't the best way to prove it to anyone," Ventus continued to advise. "If anything, it just presents you with another challenge that can prove to be just as great as the challenge of being a leader. To be not the best leader, but the best teammate and the best person you can be. That would still require you to continue improving your skills and technique, but at the same time, it can also show that you are willing to let others take the lead when necessary. I'm sure that you can do that, if not for the team as a whole, then definitely for Ruby."

"Do you really think so," Weiss asked. She was very doubtful of the fact after the way she had snapped at the scythe wielder.

"Of course. After all, she does, honestly want to be your friend, probably even more so than she wants to be your leader," Ventus reminded her with a smile. That same smile fell a little though as he added, "We can't always get everything we want, but we can make the best of what we do have, and more often than not, that can lead us to gaining something much better."

Weiss let that stew in her mind for a minute before she finally gave Ventus a smile of thanks, showing that she did at least understand a little of what he was saying. Still, she was left a little confused as to why Ventus seemed a bit sad when he said that last part, but she did not feel like this was the best time to pry. Maybe another time, but certainly not now when they had just shared quite the moment together. That moment seemed like it was going to start coming to a close when Ventus stood up and prepared to leave, and Weiss was not sure if she wanted it to end just yet, so she quickly asked something that she had been wondering about for a little while now, and even more so after something that the blonde had said a little while earlier.

"Ventus, do you really think that Sora is the best person to lead Team SLVR? I mean, he seems even more childish than Ruby," Weiss questioned.

Hearing that Ventus could not help but chuckle out loud, much to Weiss's surprise, and answered, "It's because of how 'childish' he is that I'm so sure that he's the best person to lead." Once again, he could see that he had left Weiss confused, and he had no problem explaining this. "Despite what others may think, Sora's been through a lot in his life; things that would probably have left a more sane person feeling broken and defeated a long time ago. Despite all the hardships he had faced though, he still found a way to keep going while smiling like he's having the time of his life. Add in the fact that he's got a natural charm that helps him to make friends literally everywhere he goes, along with the fact that there are so many hearts that are connected to his because they've seen just how special a person he is, and quite frankly, I would have been more upset if someone else had been named as leader instead of him."

"You really think he's that special," Weiss asked, clearly still skeptical.

"I don't think he is. I know he is, and even after the most recent hardship that he's being forced to deal with even now, I still believe that he is that special," Ventus corrected with a smile. "I mean, it would be a little strange otherwise, considering that he's actually saved my life at least three times now, and that he's saved the lives of all the rest of his friends a few times as well, and all without a single concern for his own wellbeing, or a thought of receiving any thanks afterwards, or in some cases, without really knowing who we were at the time."

That surprised Weiss a little. After enduring the kind of childhood that she had been subjected to, she honestly found it hard to believe that someone so kind and pure could really exist, and yet, here was Ventus, claiming that his leader was such a person. Sure, she was also a little curious about what kind of hardships he was talking about, including the one that he claimed Sora was currently dealing, but that was a small factor in comparison to all the rest of what Ventus had said. It really helped her to realize that there was a much more elaborate picture underneath than the one she had first painted upon meeting Sora, and after thinking it over, she could not help but wonder if the she had painted was just a different picture altogether.

When she noticed that Ventus was standing up to leave, Weiss quickly rose from her seat as well and said, "Thank you for listening, and for what you said, Ventus. I think you've really given me a lot to think about."

"Anytime," Ventus smiled in return. "But on one condition."

"What's that?"

"Just call me Ven, okay? All my friends do," the blonde replied.

"Wait, what? You…actually think of me as a friend," Weiss questioned in surprise. "But…After everything that I've said and done to others, and some of your friends…"

"Hey, Sora's not the only one who can make friends everywhere he goes. He's just the one who's best at it," Ventus shrugged in return while resting his hands behind his head in a relaxed manner. "Besides, you're the only one here who hasn't confused me for Roxas even once, or vice versa, so that definitely earns you more than a few points in your favor."

Now Weiss was starting to grin a little, honestly feeling really excited at the prospect of being considered as the blonde boy's friend just for a simple thing like that. "You know, in all honesty, I can't understand why people would confuse you two for one another," Weiss admitted. "There are way more differences between you two besides your choices of attire."

"Oh? How so," Ventus questioned, curious as to what things she would point out.

"Well for one thing, your hair's a lighter shade of blonde than Roxas's, and the same can be said for your voice as well. His sounds a little more rough and deep, while yours sounds relaxed and light," Weiss easily listed without even trying. After glancing over Ventus for a minute, she found one other thing to add, and said, "And from what I can tell, you do seem like you have a little bit more of a tan on you than Roxas does."

Now it was Ven's turn to grin widely, feeling very happy to hear that someone had noticed some physical differences between him and the former Nobody that did not include the clothes that they wore. More than that, hearing Weiss say all of this actually gave him a rather warm feeling that he could not remember experiencing before. Though whether he had or not mattered little to him, because Ventus just somehow knew that this was likely the start of something really great. Looking up at the sky, he could see that the sun had almost completely set, and he quickly moved back over to the bench again and asked, "Say, would you like to spend a few minutes stargazing with me? I did mention that I was trying to find a good place to do that from, so might as well start with this spot since we're already here."

Weiss happily accepted the offer, and the two were soon seated side by side once again, this time without the weight of any concerns or problems to bring down the mood, and all the while, unaware that their presence had given some inspiration to a certain girl in a red hood after she had seen them.

---

It ended up being very late into the evening when Weiss finally returned to her team's dorm. In all honesty, she had not expected to be stargazing with Ventus for so long, but the way that his eyes lit up as he watched the stars, both as they appeared in the night sky and afterwards was just so captivating that she found a certain element of entertainment in it that had not come from the night sky. Really, it was almost like she was watching a little kid seeing fireworks for the first time in a way, and that made the whole experience quite charming. Of course, that was not to say she was just watching either Ventus or the stars the entire time; they also shared a little bit of small talk as well. It was nothing too big or heavy like the conversation that they had when she first found him out there; just some small tidbits about some things about their lives up until now, a story or two that they each enjoyed hearing growing up, and probably most memorable for Weiss, her learning about the legend that Ven's friend Terra had once told him about the stars in the sky. It was quite the intriguing tale about how every star up in the sky was actually another world, and how the light from those stars was the light of the worlds' hearts shining down on them like a million lanterns, but at the same time, it did seem a little silly. Sure, no one on Remnant could say for sure since they had not discovered a way to travel beyond their own world, but there was just no way that other worlds could exists, at least not in the way that Ventus was claiming.

Matters of what Weiss believed or not, she did have a lovely time hanging out with Ventus, but there always comes a moment where one has to call it a night and Weiss was doing just that once she realized how late in the evening it was getting. As she traveled back to her room though, Weiss knew she was probably going to have to face Ruby at some point and apologize for what she had said earlier. After her talk with Ventus, she could admit that she had been more than a little harsh taking out her problems on Ruby like that, but she was still puzzling over how she could show Ruby that she did want to make things right. The only other thing that she was more concerned about was whether or not Ruby had told her big sister about their fight. Even if she had not seen the full extent of it, Weiss had been more than capable of realizing that Yang was very protective of her little sister from the moment that she first met her, and she did not wish to be the poor soul that was on the receiving end of whatever wrath Yang could unleash onto someone that had upset her sister.

When she finally returned to her dorm, Weiss would not deny that she had breathed a sigh of relief at seeing that Yang and Blake were both already fast asleep, the former more so than the latter, but she was much more interested in seeing if Ruby was still awake or not. Going up to her partner's bunk, Weiss lifted the white sheet covering it, only to be left surprised at what she found underneath. Ruby did seem to be asleep, but it did not seem like she had intended to fall asleep just yet, because she was sleeping amongst a plethora of open books, notes, and homework assignments that they been given that day. Not just that though, but even a few other things that Weiss did not remember them being told to look over, and a few notes on what Ruby seemed to know about the capabilities of her teammates, along with some rough ideas on various different strategies that they could implement when working together. Needless to say, Weiss was now impressed to the point of being speechless. Not only that, but it just reinforced the point that she needed to make things right with Ruby now more than ever.

Slowly reaching over while quietly clearing her throat for a stronger effect, Weiss gave her partner a gentle nudge that slowly started to arouse Ruby from her slumber. When the younger girl noticed who was attempting to wake her, she quickly jumped up in her bed with a start, and began rapidly explaining, "Weiss! I-I was studying and then I fell asleep I'm sorry…"

Before Ruby could say anything more at the risk of waking the other two members of their team, Weiss quickly covered her mouth with a finger to her lips signaling quiet as she took in another study of Ruby's bed. Upon spotting the empty mug with Beacon's emblem on it, Weiss looked to Ruby and asked, "How do you take her coffee?"

"Uh, I-I don't…"

"Answer the question," Weiss insisted before Ruby could finish.

"Uhh! Cream and five sugars," Ruby quickly replied.

Weiss could not help but roll her eyes with a sigh at the rather childish preference of coffee, but then again, she probably should not have been too surprised by this since it was Ruby. "Don't move," Weiss ordered before disappearing from Ruby's sight again. Ruby just glanced left to right in confusion afterwards, until Weiss came back with a steaming hot cup of the very drink she was asking about in hand and a smile on her face. "Here."

"Um, thanks Weiss," Ruby nodded in quiet acceptance as she carefully took the offered drink in her hand. She did not want to spill any of it on her notes or bed, after all, but she was also really surprised about this sudden one-eighty that Weiss's mood seemed to have taken from earlier today.

Weiss must have realized this, as her face fell a little before she spoke up again. "Ruby, I think you have what it takes to be a good leader," Weiss slowly admitted, and when Ruby began to smile a little bit upon hearing that, she found a little more encouragement building up to finish her promise. "Just know, that I am going to be the best teammate you'll ever have." That made Ruby's smile fully form, and earned the heiress a grateful nod in return that seemed to raise her spirits even more than they had been before. Feeling that she had said enough, Weiss then started to lower herself from Ruby's bed as she said, "Good luck studying." She had to pause for a second though when she noticed something on Ruby's homework assignment and quickly pointed to the item in question as she added, "That's wrong by the way."

Ruby quickly turned to see what Weiss was referring to, and was able to figure out her mistake on the assignment quickly enough. She figured that she must have made it when she was starting to doze off, but before she could start to correct it, she heard Weiss calling out to her again. "Hey Ruby," the heiress had said.

"Uh-huh," Ruby hummed to show she was listening even as she turned to face Weiss, who looked to be heading back out of the room for something else, likely to return her weapon to her personal locker, since she still had it on her.

Weiss hesitated for a moment before she finally admitted, "I always wanted bunk beds as a kid."

Even though she had left the room and closed the door after saying that, Weiss could still see the grin that had taken up residence on Ruby's face in her mind after she had said that, and to be honest, that actually made her a little happier than she had first thought it would. It really seemed like Ventus might have had a point in what he was telling her earlier about the natural charisma of a leader, and she was soon starting to think of other ways she could better show she was serious in her promise to Ruby. At least, that was what she was thinking about until she heard someone grunting in exertion, along with the sounds of something cutting through the air.

Deciding to investigate, Weiss eventually found herself out in one of the courtyards between the dorms and the locker room, and was a little surprised to see Sora hard at work running through what she could only assume were various drills with his Keyblade. After the fight in the Emerald Forest, Weiss had assumed that Sora did not possess any form of fighting technique in his abilities, but now, seeing him carefully exercising his breathing and swinging his strange blade in fluid, repeated motions, she could tell that while it was not any technique she had seen or heard of before, it was certainly much more developed than something that she expected of someone that had not been in very many fights before. Sure, it still proved that he was more self-taught than anything, but with the way his movements flowed together from one to the next, it seemed much more refined than those of most self-taught fighters that Weiss knew about. Taking in the glean of sweat on his brow, along with just how heavy his breathing was, and Weiss came to realize that he had likely been doing this for quite some time, but there was something else that caught her attention.

That other thing was the look in Sora's eyes. No longer did they hold the carefree, childlike excitement that she had seen from him so often before now, but a hardened, cold steel that she had only seen from veteran huntsmen and soldiers, and even her older sister on a few occasions. Seeing such a look on someone like Sora was not just surprising; it was actually a little scary, because it seemed so out of place on him, but for Weiss, there was one other thing she felt from seeing this. It actually surprised her a little that she was getting that feeling, too, but considering what she had seen of the leader of Team SLVR thus far, there was no denying that she was definitely excited about seeing just what he was capable of first-hand.

When Sora finally seemed to have reached a stopping point in which he could catch his breath, Weiss decided now was a good time to announce her presence to him, and stepped forward to do so. Apparently she had been a little more quiet than she thought, because the minute Sora realized someone was approaching him, he instantly spun around to aim his Keyblade at her as if he were expecting an attack, much to Weiss's surprise. Upon hearing her frightened gasp and seeing the startled look on her face, Sora quickly stood down while his hardened was replaced with an apologetic one. "Oh, Weiss, I'm so sorry about that. I didn't hear you coming until just now," Sora said. He then turned a little more thoughtful as he asked, "Why are you out here, anyway? Was I being a little louder than I thought? Because I came out here so that I wouldn't disturb anyone…"

"No, no! You're fine. I hadn't even realized you were here until I had come outside myself and started passing by," Weiss reassured him. She then asked, "Do you…always train this late at night?"

"As of recently, yeah," Sora confessed as he started to retake his original position in the middle of the impromptu training field. "I have to make sure that I'm at my best so that none of my friends get hurt." His voice turned a little quieter as he added, "Not again, at least."

Weiss had almost missed that last part, but she had not been able to really hear it to the point where she could make out the exact words. Just enough that she was able to realize he was thinking of whatever hardship Ventus mentioned Sora was currently going through. Having realized this, Weiss decided that she should try and keep him from thinking of such sad things, and said, "Listen…I was wondering if I could ask you a couple of things."

"Uh…Sure, what's up," Sora inquired, a little curious and at the same time cautious.

Taking a deep breath, Weiss looked Sora dead in the eye and said, "I would like to have a chance to fight you some time."

"Huh? You want to fight me," Sora asked, not sure he had heard right.

"Not right this second, but maybe in our next combat class together or something. You've shown that you're a capable fighter, and I was hoping that I could actually test my skills against yours in a little sparring match," Weiss explained.

Hearing that explanation, Sora was able to relax a little more. For a second he thought that Weiss had been asking because he had somehow really upset her recently, but hearing that she only wanted a friendly sparring match so that she could get better as a fighter definitely came as a relief to him. "Okay, sure," Sora agreed with his usual smile. "Just say the word, and I'll be there and ready."

Weiss smiled in thanks for Sora's acceptance, but it quickly fell when she came to the other thing that she wanted to ask him. "Also, Ven told me that you're really good at making friends, so…I was wondering…" the more she spoke about this, the more red with embarrassment Weiss's face became, but she pushed on, knowing that this was something she had to do. "I wanted to ask if you could give me a few tips on…how to be a better friend to someone. Or at least to Ruby."

Upon hearing that, Sora could not help his smile from turning a little humorous, but he managed to keep his laughter at bay, seeing as this definitely looked hard for Weiss to ask. After ensuring that he would not let any of his chuckles out, Sora finally replied, "There's not really any trick to being a good friend. I mean, sure, it's nice if you want to help them out with stuff, whether you can or not, but all you really have to do is just spend time with each other and have fun. Though, in my own personal opinion, it does help if you can smile a little more when you're with your friends."

"Really? How is smiling more supposed to help," Weiss asked skeptically. You could not blame her, given that she had been around more than a few fake smiles for a great deal of her life, so she did not really see how such a thing could really be of benefit to her trying to improve her admittedly rocky friendship with Ruby.

That all changed when Sora suddenly dismissed his Keyblade and used his hands to help him make a rather ridiculous face at her as he replied, "Like this."

Weiss just stared at him for a few minutes, hardly believing what she was seeing right now, but when Sora continued to hold the expression, she found that she could not hold back what was bubbling up inside of her, and soon burst out laughing like no tomorrow. "Hahaha! Oh…Oh sweet Oum, that face…HAHAHAHAHA," Weiss somehow managed to say in the midst of her laughing.

Dropping his silly expression, Sora could only smile happily and say, "There, that's it. You see, Weiss. Sometimes, all it takes is a smile, or a little bit of silliness."

Having gotten her laughter to settle after that episode, Weiss just continued smiling at Sora as she said, "Thank you for that, Sora. It would seem that Ven was right about you."

"Huh," Sora hummed in confusion, not entirely sure if he wanted to know everything that Ventus had said to Weiss about him.

Weiss just continued smiling as she carried along on her way to the locker rooms, before she glanced back at Sora one more time and said, "You should probably considering getting some sleep soon, though. You don't want to risk falling asleep in class anymore than already did today, after all."

Sora was still a little off-put by Weiss's earlier statement about Ven, but he did at least manage to give her a smile in return for the advice. Sure, he had no intention of going to bed just yet, as he still wanted to run a few drills that he could not do with just anyone watching, but he could acknowledge that it was getting really late. So, he resolved to run through those drills quickly and turn in the minute he was done, all the while thinking that things were just getting better and better every day, even with the few bumps in the road that they had encountered on this particular day.

---

AN: Well, wasn't that an interesting first day? Not really too much of a change from the canon story, beyond some minor details here and there, though, but what can you really do?

Of course, that lack of change is the big reason as to why a lot of the start of the chapter was focused on Team SLVR, and since you're all likely wondering about it now, yes, they will be following Team RWBY's lead and turn their beds into bunk beds, though they will likely be a bit more stable than RWBY's.

Ruby: Hey, bunk beds are awesome! Why wouldn't they want to follow our lead on that?

AN: Well, they might have a ceiling fan for one...Anyways, yeah, I had Ventus take Port's place in the conversation with Weiss, and as an added bonus, that also helped get the gears turning a little more on making Windchill happen. It's kinda a sweet, really. Plus, now Weiss is starting to break her icy shell, and that moment at the end between her and Sora has certainly proven to be a bit of help, too.

Sora: I was honestly kinda hoping that you would at least imply that Weiss and I had a spar at the end there.

AN: Well, I felt like such a thing should be given a little more detail than just saying that it was going to happen and then moving onto another scene/ending the chapter. Don't worry though, we will see that face-off very soon. Like, next chapter soon. And yeah, Sora gave Weiss the funny face special. It was just too tempting to pass up.

Anyways, it also helped Weiss to get a few more clues on just what kind of people Sora and his friends are, and now, she's joined some of her other teammates in wondering about the mystery behind the Keyblade wielders. Yeah, that's going to be a big thing that will eventually come back to bite Team SLVR in the bum, huh? Seems like Yang is the only one who doesn't have some kind of big suspicion about the four, doesn't it? Of course, that only begs the question as to how long that will really last, or even if she is the only one who isn't a little curious about the mystery?

Moving it along, aside from making Windchill start rolling a little more, there were other reasons why I had Ven take Port's place in that conversation. For one thing, I feel like the point would be made a little better to Weiss if it was coming from someone closer to her age, and who has been through much more in life than most people their age have, or at least, their physical age. Plus, this also helped Ventus to get a better idea of who Weiss is as a person, beyond just what's on the surface, so there's that as well.

As for how Team SLVR looks in their Beacon uniforms, Sora's got the basic ensemble, with the addition of his necklace, Lea's is much more relaxed and...well, you saw the description in the chapter. Roxas is probably the only one who doesn't have any customization to his uniform, while Ventus is still wearing his shoulder armor along with the rest of the outfit. Hey, if Terra and Aqua would still wear those things when they're not in warrior wear, then it's not much of a stretch that Ven would too, you know.

Okay, I think that covers everything I wanted to go into detail on today, so let's get this all wrapped up, and move Onto the Preview!...

No school seems to be complete without a local bully to terrorize the students, and this particular bully seems to focus a lot of his attention on some of Beacon's Faunus students and Jaune. A day that starts out as rather light-hearted and exciting quickly turns sour when Sora and Roxas find themselves doing something about the antics of Cardin Winchester, but just what will come about as a result of their interference in Cardin's actions against other students? Can the Keyblade wielders put an end to Cardin's less than honorable ways, or will Jaune have to step up and show his tormentor that he's not as weak as seems? Things are really going down, next time.

Please read and review, and may your heart be your guiding key for your landing strategy.