AN: Apparently the book about Roman and Neo came out. I should probably check that out.

Once again, thanks to Lord Maximus for the help with this chapter.

Chapter 102

Of all the ways Winter thought she would be spending her time in Mistral before returning to Haven, going clothes shopping with her younger sister and her team wasn't one of them. Though, to be perfectly honest, it was nice to just go shopping with her like a normal sister would, without having to worry about propriety or an image.

First thing in the morning, Weiss had announced her intention of purchasing a new outfit. Since she had apparently partaken in Aqua's attack against her father, Weiss had assumed that meant that the chances of her rejoining the Schnee Family were slim to none. Therefore, she had announced her decision to try and truly strike out on her own. Make a name for herself without the SDC or the Schnee Family. As a Huntress.

Winter was immensely proud of her for that.

"Man, I'm bored," Ruby complained, sitting on the bench between Winter and Yang. They were the only ones that had come along on this shopping spree, since Aqua had evidently needed to sleep in. She and Qrow were up well into the night making up for lost time.

Unfortunately for Winter, her room was next to theirs, so she could hear everything.

Everything.

She wasn't sure she'd be able to make eye contact with either of them for at least a week.

"Stop complaining, sis," Yang said. "We're here to help Weiss, remember?"

"But does she have to take so long?" Ruby asked, slumping back further in her chair. They had already been there for two hours, as Weiss had a hard time deciding what she wanted from her new outfit.

"I think I got it!" Weiss finally declared, stepping outside of her changing room and shocking the other girls.

What Weiss was currently wearing was a very… drastic change from the fancy dress she had been wearing when she first arrived in Mistral.

She was now wearing a black bolero jacket with the Schnee snowflake on the back over a white blouse, with a sky blue combat skirt and white heeled boots, with her hair flowing down her back.

While that wouldn't ordinarily be reason to give pause, the fact that her blouse ended just below her ribs and left a decent amount of her stomach exposed was.

Weiss stood there happily, but with a slight embarrassed blush on her face.

"Whoa," Ruby said.

"Hot damn," Yang said, giving a little whistle. "Work it, girl!"

"Thanks," Weiss said. "What do you think, Winter?"

Winter cleared her throat. "It's certainly… bold."

"You hate it," Weiss said, slumping her shoulders.

"I didn't say that," Winter said. "It will just take a little getting used to."

"She's not wrong," Yang said. "I, for one, never thought I'd ever see Ice Queen's tummy."

"W-well, you were the main inspiration, actually," Weiss said. "You and Aqua."

"Wait, what?" Yang asked.

"You both always look so confident, and I'm trying to practically reinvent myself here," Weiss said. "I figured I could use some of that confidence myself."

"Aw, Weiss Cream, I'm actually really flattered."

"Hey!" Weiss said, making her teammates chuckle. "But seriously, when I first applied to Beacon, my goal was to become a Huntress so I could restore the Schnee Family name to honor as the head of the SDC. But with how easily I was disinherited, I realized that my father never had any intention of letting me inherit the company. And since I helped Aqua to attack him, I'm probably never going to be allowed back into the family. So, I'm going to make a name for myself on my own, without his help. Like my Grandfather did, I'm going to honor the Schnee name as a Huntress."

"Well, we've got your back, Weiss!" Ruby said enthusiastically. "So does the rest of Team RNJR. And Mom and Uncle Qrow, if you ask nicely!"

"Yes, Aqua said something to that effect," Weiss said, before smiling more genuinely. "Thank you."

"No prob," Yang said, giving her a thumbs up.

Winter smiled at the scene.

Her sister really thrived at Beacon, didn't she? The friendships that she had made really gave her to confidence to make something of herself.

And her father had tried to rip all of that away from her.

…And so had the general, even if it was indirectly so he could trap Aqua in Atlas.

"Oh, I almost forgot," Winter said, reaching into her back packet and pulling out Weiss's tiara. "I found this in the wreckage of the airship. I assume you'll be wanting it back."

Weiss looked at the piece of jewelry for a few seconds before shaking her head. "No thank you. I don't need it."

Winter was surprised, but nodded.

"So, I take it that's the outfit you're going with?' Yang asked.

"Yes," Weiss answered, moving towards the register. The others got off the bench to follow her, when Ruby stopped to look at an advertisement on the wall.

"Hey, check it out," Ruby said. "It's Pyrrha." The others stopped to examine the ad, and it did indeed depict Pyrrha Nikos, posing for the camera in a stunning red bikini. "I wonder how she's doing."

"Pretty good, by the looks of this picture," Yang said. "This was the kind of stuff she did before she went to Beacon? Damn, Vomit Boy is a lucky man."

"But she looked so uncomfortable," Ruby said sadly. "She has a sad look in her eyes."

"Hold on, this girl looks familiar, too," Weiss said, examining a different advertisement, this time depicting a girl with ling black hair done up in twin tails with vibrant green eyes. She was giving the camera a sultry look, clad in a skimpy black bikini. "Wasn't she on Cinder's team?"

"Wait, yeah!" Yang said. "I recognize her! It's that Mynt chick!"

"Actually," Ruby said. "I think that's Torchwick's partner, Neo. She told me she was heading to Mistral to look for Cinder, and I guess she picked up modeling. Looks like she's having a good time, too."

"Is this going to be a problem?" Weiss asked. "She's in Mistral, after all."

"I don't think we have to worry about her," Ruby said. "She hates Cinder just as much as we do. Roman was turned into a Heartless at Beacon. Neo even visited me right after the Fall to see how I was doing."

"Well, that's good at least," Yang said. "One less thing to worry about."

"We have to go back to Raven's camp?" Winter scowled in disgust. "Absolutely not. I will not allow that woman anywhere near my sister."

"Hey, I don't want to go near her, either, but we can't leave Spring in her hands. If we don't so something soon Salem will show up and either take Spring or force her and Raven to work with her," Qrow replied.

"You think she'd actually work with Salem?" Jaune asked.

"I once would have thought no, but after what she did with Ruby and her recent actions… Unfortunately I think she would betray us to Salem to save herself." Qrow sighed, rubbing his head.

Aqua patted her husband on the back. "Sadly, I agree but I also agree with Winter, and who knows if Raven will stay in the same place for long after what happened. Not to mention… I may have implied that if I ever saw her again she'd wish I hadn't. Feel free to take that as me threatening her to kill her, because I'm sure she did."

"Not as bad as me. I literally tried to kill her," Weiss said, surprising everyone except for Winter and Aqua. "I thought she got Winter killed in that lightning attack and I just lost it."

"And I warned her if she raised her sword to my sister again, I would cut her head off." Winter crossed her arms.

"She sounds like quite the people person," Cloud commented dryly.

"Oh trust me, that's a nice way of describing her." Qrow sighed.

"Yeah, you don't know what I'd do if I saw her," Yang said as her eyes flashed. "Maybe we should just hope she's dumb enough to provoke Salem and get herself and her precious tribe killed."

"Yang, you don't mean that," Ruby admonished.

"Oh, yeah I do, Rubes. Come on, you know what she's like. She abandoned me and Dad, kidnapped you for your Keyblade, tried to sell Mom and Weiss back to Atlas, used a Maiden to raid all those villages and murder who knows how many people. I for one won't shed a tear if she gets killed, because she has it coming." Yang crossed her arms.

Simba moved in and rubbed against her shoulder. "I have seen this kind of trouble before in my own family, when my father's brother Scar betrayed and murdered him, and framed me for it to become King of the Pride Lands. Nothing good comes from people like Scar and this Raven, and it's unlikely we can reason with her."

"I suppose we will simply have to wait and see how Raven will react," Ozpin said suddenly, taking a seat in a chair. "I once considered her an ally and a close friend, but it seems she has changed from the woman I knew all those years ago." He briefly looked down sadly before looking back up at Aqua. "First, before we discuss the matter at hand, I'd like to take the chance to apologize to you, Aqua." Ozpin said, looking at Aqua. "I was the one who recruited James to help against Salem. He's always been quick to act, but I never considered the possibility he would go as far as he did in his actions with you. His actions reflect my choice to trust him, and for that I am truly sorry for what you went through at Atlas."

Aqua looked at Ozpin before sighing. "It's not your fault, Ozpin. He seemed to be a good man at first, and I could see why you consider him a friend. Neither of us thought he would do what he did, and you aren't responsible for his actions. I know he went behind your back with the Vale Council and the army he brought to Beacon was against your advice, so don't be so quick to blame yourself for his actions."

"Perhaps, but it was my decision to recruit him, as it was to recruit Raven," Ozpin replied. "I trusted them both deeply to help me and it led to this. In fact I am worried the same can be said for Leonardo given how he had been acting. Him and James have both ignored specific instructions I left them both of them to carry out in case something happened to me."

"What exactly are these instructions?" Aqua asked, wanting to get a better idea on the situation.

"Well, the first instruction I left in case I was indisposed was for them along with the other headmasters to make sure all the Relics were secured. As you can see, Haven is practically empty, with even its teacher staff missing and the students sent home. At the very least, there should be one or two teams here to guard the Relic. The next step was for the headmasters to get in touch with each other, coordinating with the remaining academies, and ensuring that there are no current threats to the kingdoms, which unfortunately is hard to do since Beacon Tower was destroyed and the CCT is down, but it is still manageable," Ozpin began. "The next step would be that if one of the academies had been compromised like Beacon, the other academies would immediately send reinforcements to help take back the school. The combined warriors from three academies would be enough to help take back Beacon and eliminate the Grimm stationed there. And so far, both Leonardo and James have ignored these instructions, between Leonardo sending Haven's staff on missions and James pulling Atlas's armies behind the borders. As for Vacuo, Headmaster Theodore likely knows about Atlas pulling its armies back and is being cautious, likely making sure Vacuo is secured first before he makes any decision to commit their forces."

"Well, I know that Glynda has been leading the effort to take back and rebuild Beacon. She was named Headmistress in your absence," Qrow pointed out.

"That's good to know. She'll keep Vale safe while we handle things here." Ozpin nodded. "We'll need to make sure Haven is secured before checking on the other academies. At the very least, we know that James is keeping Atlas protected."

"About the only good thing he's doing," Qrow muttered, him and Yang glaring a bot at the ground.

"I've checked in and around Mistral, and all signs point to the White Fang gathering weapons and men," Winter spoke. "It's likely that they will launch an attack here like in Vale. After I gave my report, the general began ordering me and the rest of Atlas's forces to return."

"So he knows that an attack is likely coming, but won't send help," Cloud said, crossing his arms.

"And we've yet to find any Huntsmen around here," Qrow stated. "Meaning all Salem needs is Spring and she could walk in and take the Relic."

Aqua frowned, looking at Ozpin. "You say this Spring Maiden ran away about a decade ago and was picked up by Raven?"

"Qrow spent the last decade tracking her down, and all signs point to Spring having been picked up by the Branwen Tribe." Ozpin nodded.

"So she had a Maiden all this time and wanted the Keyblade as a bonus," Yang grunted.

Aqua frowned, turning to her youngest daughter. "Ruby, when Raven brought you to her camp, did you see anyone your age or a few years older aside from Cinder?"

Ruby shook her head. "No. They threw me in a cage with Cinder, but aside from her I didn't see anyone else there."

"That's odd…" Aqua muttered. "Raven seemed pretty confident in herself that she could beat us when we had her cornered that time…"

"What is it, Aqua?" Ozpin asked.

"When I went to rescue Ruby, Raven never gave a clue that she had anyone with magic working with her, but she was confident she could beat us when Qrow and I surrounded her. The Heartless appeared and gave her and her tribe time to escape. And she never mentioned having a Maiden in her camp… Until…" Aqua narrowed her eyes. "When we fought at the camp, a lighting strike was summoned. Before that, she gave a command to a girl named Vernal."

"Vernal? Is that the name of the Spring Maiden?" Weiss asked.

"Maybe but still… if Raven had a Maiden even before she kidnapped Ruby… She would have been just a child," Aqua muttered.

"Aqua?" Qrow asked.

"I have a feeling there's a bit more going on. If she was planning to use a Maiden against us back then, why didn't anyone step forward? And she had to have known a girl, even one with magical powers wouldn't have stood a chance against a veteran Huntsman and a Keyblade Master," Aqua explained. "And she went through a lot of trouble hiding this."

"Perhaps she wanted to keep Spring's identity a secret." Ozpin suggested.

"Nothing is that simple when it comes to Raven. Are we sure this Vernal is the same Maiden who ran away?" Aqua suggested. "If the girl ran away because she was scared how could Raven be sure she could be of any use to her?"

"Are you suggesting Raven had the powers transferred to someone else?" Ozpin asked, considering it. "It's possible, but I don't want to believe Raven would go that far."

"Believe it," Yang said. "At this point, nothing about her surprises me."

Aqua looked sadly at her oldest daughter. She knew that there was always some little bit of curiosity in Yang about the woman that gave birth to her, but it can't be easy for the girl to learn just how far Raven had fallen. Ruby gave her sister a quick hug to reassure her, making Yang smile appreciatively at her. Ozpin sighed.

"Regardless, I believe we might now have a better idea of what to expect when we return."

"Then you might want to know something else," Weiss spoke up. "Someone wearing a suit of armor with a Keyblade showed up and attacked Raven's camp just before we met up with you."

Ruby's eyes widened as she, Qrow, Nora, Ren and Jaune realized who Weiss was talking about as Yang spoke. "Someone else has a Keyblade?"

"Not just someone," Qrow threw a look at Aqua.

Aqua nodded. "It was my original armor and Keyblade from before I came to Remnant."

"I'm sorry?" Winter questioned. "What do you mean 'came to Remnant'?"

Everyone looked at the Specialist, blinking owlishly before Aqua pinched the bridge of her nose.

"I forgot you didn't know about that," she said in agitation. "Well, you might want to order some food and drinks because this is a long story."

"You expect me to believe that you're from another world?" Winter questioned. "I admit I have seen proof for a lot of things today but that's stretching it a bit."

"And yet the proof is right here in front of you. Take a look at Simba, Mushu, and Dumbo." Aqua gestured to the summons who stayed to listen to Aqua's tale. "I doubt they come from Remnant."

"That's true. I come from the Pride Lands, and I've never seen a human or a Faunus before, except from the last person that summoned me," Simba answered. "The Pride Lands are the world I'm the king of, like my father, and his father before him, and someday my daughter will be next to rule."

"I come from a land called China and boy, it's hard to find someone with a sense of humor there. Actually, it's a lot like around here," Mushu said, sitting back on Weiss's shoulder. "They're big are dragon guardians there."

Dumbo made a few sounds, which Simba translated. "Dumbo says he was born in a circus, and he was different from the other elephants because of his long ears that he can use to fly."

"A flying elephant?" Winter questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"I said the same thing," Weiss whispered in her sister's ear.

"It's so cool, and it makes him look adorable," Ruby said, hugging Dumbo again. "Wait, hold on, you had another summoner?" she asked Simba.

"Yes," the lion answered. "He was a Keyblade Wielder named Sora."

"Wait, you know Sora?!" Mushu asked. "Man, we kicked so much butt together!"

Dumbo made more noise. "He says Sora summoned him, as well."

"Hold on, all three of you were summoned by the same person?" Weiss asked.

"But we each only get one of you?" Yang asked.

"Just how strong is Sora?" Ruby asked, dumbfounded. Aqua chuckled, before looking back at Winter.

"As you can see, we're not exactly a normal group, even as far as immortal wizards go," Aqua said with a small smile before frowning. "As for the armor appearing… It has to do with how I ended up here, and it all started with a man named Xehanort."

"Hey Blake!" Sun called from inside the house as she stood outside on the balcony. "You ready to go?"

"Be right there!" she called back, before feeling something taped to the railing. Curiously, she picked it up and realized it was a note.

B

Things going too far.

Not sure what to do.

Find a quiet spot,

I'll find you.

Come alone. Please.

-I

Blake looked around to see if Ilia was nearby, before Sun stepped outside. She placed the note in her pocket before the boy wrapped his arms around her, hugging her from behind.

"You ready?" he asked. "We've got the entire nocturnal section to hit up." She didn't respond, drawing his concern. "You okay?"

"Yeah," she said. "I'll meet you there. I need to take care of something first." She broke the hug and gave him a quick peck on the lips before walking inside.

Her ears subtly picked up the sound of rustling leaves behind her.

Aqua told everyone her tale, of how in the beginning she was an apprentice who then became a Master, how her Master sent her to track down her friend Ven and keep an eye on Terra, and the adventures she had on the other worlds that culminated in confronting Xehanort and Vanitas in the Keyblade Graveyard. Ruby, Yang and Weiss were better prepared, but still felt saddened to hear what had happened in the Realm of Darkness. Nora, Ren, and Jaune were left flabbergasted, stunned and saddened as well by the end of the tale, with Nora even shedding tears. Winter remained composed, but it seemed to affect her as well. Ozpin was silent in Oscar's mind as he listened in stunned silence.

"After Ruby awakened her Keyblade, I stayed to help train her," Aqua said, finishing her tale. "For eleven years I've lived here in Remnant, even becoming the new mother to Ruby and Yang, and marrying Qrow about two years. I've heard nothing about what might have happened out there in the other worlds. I'm sure, though, that the armor was sent by Xehanort to track me down."

Winter was silent as she slowly took all this in. "And… no one else knows of this?"

"There are at least two others who know. One is Taiyang, Ruby and Yang's father, and he's kept it a secret. The other is Raven, who learned it by spying on Ruby and the others." Aqua glanced at her youngest daughter.

"I can confirm that. She snuck up on us after we encountered that armor ourselves, and Cloud being there we had to tell them. She used her bird form to eavesdrop on us," Qrow explained.

"As for why it remains a secret… It's part of the World Order. No worlds should know of the existence of others, let alone of powers like the Keyblade and the Heartless, or both could be used for terrible purposes. Weiss, along with her partner Blake discovered the truth when we accidentally ended up in the Realm of Darkness during their first semester at Beacon," Aqua explained, glancing at Weiss who nodded. "It's why I also chose to never tell Ironwood about it. His actions are the exact reason why the World Order exists."

Winter slowly digested all of this. "…And this… Xehanort? What does he want with you?"

"The same thing as before, probably. To reforge the X-Blade and with it, summon back Kingdom Hearts. And if he does succeed, all worlds, including Remnant will be in danger." Aqua glanced at Oscar. "I may not know what Salem wants with the Relics, but I assume it will put all of Remnant in danger."

Oscar's eyes flashed as Ozpin took over again. "You are correct. With the Relics in her possession Salem will be in the exact position of wiping out all life on Remnant."

"Well, I don't want to downplay the threat Salem is, but if Xehanort gets his hands on Kingdom Hearts, he'll be able to destroy all the worlds… All part of his insane plan to restart the Keyblade War and supposedly create a new form of balance between Light and Darkness." Aqua narrowed her eyes. "And I think he needs both Ven and I to do it. That's why he sent my armor after me. So I'll return to the Land of Departure and wake Ven up. It would be even worse if he decides to team up with Salem for some reason. If that happens, I don't think we'd be able to stop them."

"Is Xehanort really so powerful?" Winter asked.

Aqua sighed. "Eleven years ago, Xehanort was the most powerful Keyblade wielder alive, and that was despite being in his 80s."

"That old?" Nora asked.

"Yes, but as I told you, the last time I encountered him he had possessed Terra's body. I have no reason to believe that he's let Terra go since then, so he's had 11 years to get used to it. If he was unfathomably powerful in his 80's, imagine how strong he'll be in a body that's in its 30s."

The others were silent as they processed this. Aqua looked back up at Ozpin. "I have one more question for you. After you explained how your reincarnation works, I can't help but notice that it sounds awfully similar to what Xehanort did to Terra."

Ozpin sighed. "I can see where your concern lies, and frankly, I agree with the sentiment. Oscar didn't ask for this, and it's not fair that my burden and my soul are being forced on him. However, my reincarnation is different than how Xehanort took over Terra's body. I am not usurping his soul, but rather out souls are merging. When the process is complete, Oscar will still be Oscar. He'll just have my memories and magic."

"I that true?" Aqua asked. Ozpin nodded. "I suppose that will have to be good enough. Now, I have a question for Ruby."

"What is it, Mom?" Ruby asked.

"When I was a Raven's camp, I found out she made a Wayfinder as part of a way to bond with me to create a portal with her Semblance. She said something about watching you," Aqua explained. "Did you leave a Wayfinder at Summer's grave/"

Yang and Qrow looked surprised as they looked at Ruby, who looked surprised herself, but nodded. "Yeah, when we were on break before the tournament. I thought about the legend you told us when we were little and I wondered if it could somehow apply to Mommy… even if she was…"

Aqua patted Ruby on the shoulder. "It's okay. The reason I'm asking this has to do with something I experienced during my operation back in Atlas, but I first I need to ask Ozpin." She then looked at Oz. "You gave Qrow and Raven the ability to turn into birds, but were they the only members you recruited, or was it all of Team STRQ?"

Ruby and Yang looked at Ozpin, who nodded. "Yes, the Branwen twins along with their teammates, Tai and Summer, were recruited to help me against Salem. I am sure you know, Ruby has Silver Eyes, which gives her a power that all Grimm fear, much how I have learned the Heartless fear the Keyblade."

"We haven't talked a lot about Summer, even after I joined the family, but given how Salem sent someone after Ruby, I guess it was the same with Summer," Aqua observed.

"Well, I knew it would come to that. That is why I kept an eye on Team STRQ, assigned extra training missions to better prepare them. It seemed like they would become a formidable enemy to Salem, and perhaps the team that would tip the balance of power in our favor. Unfortunately, Raven's bonds with her teammates and even with her husband were not as strong as we thought, even when she was pregnant." Ozpin explained, becoming saddened at the end. "I am not sure how much you know, but Raven's discontent caused Team STRQ to fall apart, and you know what it led to."

"She ran back to her tribe," Yang grumbled.

Ruby looked at Ozpin. "Professor, do you know what happened? Why did… Mommy disappear?"

"Honestly, I don't know. After Raven left, Summer took a leave of absence from missions to help look after Miss Xiao Long and help Tai. I heard that she had entered a relationship with Tai, and that later led to you being born, Miss Rose. I later heard she was eventually taking active missions again, but it had been a year since I had last spoken to her before Qrow told me that she had disappeared," Ozpin explained. "He thought it was a mission I had sent her on, but I had no idea what this mission of hers was."

"Yeah, I busted into Ozpin's office and demanded to know where he sent her, but he had no clue," Qrow supplied. "We both started searching for her, but couldn't find her. We even tried to track down Raven and see if her Semblance could lead us to her, but Raven had moved the tribe's camp after she returned, and by the time we had a clue where was, a year had gone by."

"Yes, and unfortunately we had all assumed the worst," Ozpin said sadly, looking at Ruby. "Miss Rose, I swear to you that if I had known what your mother was going to do, I would have sent someone, even dropped everything and gone with her myself. As I said, I knew she was taking active missions again, but I had confidence in her skills and I believed she would have had Tai or Qrow with her at all times."

Ruby sighed and nodded. "I see."

"So what's this got to do with you in Atlas?" Yang asked Aqua.

"Well, I said the operation Ironwood gave me to replace the damaged part of my spine almost killed me. I placed myself in a healing trance where I would focus all my magic into healing myself and staying alive. Well, it was close and apparently I coded on the operating table and was technically dead for three minutes," Aqua explained, shocking her family and Oscar. "When that happened, I fell… I dived within my heart, and it seemed like I was going to die… And then I saw someone. I didn't see her face, but it was a woman… She wore a white cloak and had a white Wayfinder around her neck. She told me I couldn't die and stopped me from falling. The last thing I remember from that was asking me to… Look after our daughters."

Ruby, Yang, and Qrow were stunned to hear what Aqua said. Then they remembered the sudden feeling they had, as if Aqua had truly died.

It was with those memories that came the realization that she had in fact died.

Aqua was caught off-guard as Ruby jumped at her, hugging her tightly. Aqua staggered, but managed to remain standing. "Ruby?"

Looking down, she could see tears running down Ruby's face and she immediately hugged her youngest back. "Ruby?"

"I… I felt it," Ruby said through her tears. Aqua looked at her in confusion. "I felt you die." Aqua's eyes widened. "Before Tyrian attacked… I felt… like you died! I was so…so scared! A-And you really did die!"

"…Oh, sweetie," Aqua said, hugging Ruby tighter. "I'm so sorry."

"So, that was… that was real?" Yang asked.

"You felt it, too?" Qrow asked, and Yang nodded. The room was silent, save for the sounds of Ruby's sobs.

"You know, Ruby?" Aqua asked. "I think you saved me."

"W-what do you mean?" Ruby asked.

"I think your Wayfinder let Summer find me, when I was fading away," Aqua explained. "Summer guided me back to you, but she was only able to find me because of the connection you established. Because you left a Wayfinder at Summer's grave, she was able to guide me back home to you. You saved me, Ruby."

"Mom!" Ruby said, a new round tears erupting as she squeezed Aqua even tighter.

"Ilia?" Blake called out, stepping into a darkened alleyway.

"I'm here," Ilia said, prompting Blake to draw Gambol Shroud from her back as Ilia walked toward her with her hands up.

"Ilia, I know you're scared, but you don't have to be," Blake said. "My family and I, we can keep you safe."

"I'm sorry," Ilia said.

"You can make it up to me by helping us stop Corsac and Fennec."

"No. I'm sorry," Ilia said with more force, curling her right hand into a fist. Blake suddenly heard footsteps above her. She looked up and saw a Faunus with bat wings jump down and land on her back. Blake was knocked down, dropping her weapon. As she tried to get up, the man forcefully stepped on her back.

"Wait-!" Blake tried to say, before her upper body was suddenly wrapped up in spider webs.

"I've got her," a Faunus woman said behind her, holding onto the silk as Blake struggled to break free.

"Well done, Sister Trifa," the bat Faunus said. "and to you, Ilia." He tossed Ilia's sword back to her.

"Ilia! What are you doing?!" Blake yelled.

"I tried to warn you, Blake. I'm sorry."

"Don't tell me you're sorry!" Blake snapped.

"But I am. I am sorry it has to be this way, but you and your family are holding the Faunus back!"

"Because we're trying to protect people?!" Blake demanded. "In what world do you live in where attacking the innocent is the right thing to do?!"

"The same one as you!" Ilia yelled. "There's no such thing as innocent! There's no right thing to do! Only what's best for us! There's the humans that still hate the Faunus, and there's the others who stand by and let the hate happen! But you know what snuffs out hate? Fear. I don't like hurting people. But I'll tell you this…" She pointed her sword at Blake. "…It's gotten us results."

"Yeah, look where it's gotten you," Blake retorted, clearly surprising Ilia, but she quickly shrugged it off.

"We all have to make sacrifices for the greater good, no matter how much it hurts."

"And you think killing me is really for the greater good?"

"No, but getting rid of your family is."

WHAT?!

She was planning to…!

"You wouldn't! You can't! I won't let you!"

"I know. That's why you're being sent to Mistral," Ilia said. "To Adam."

Blake's struggles suddenly became a lot more fierce. "Ilia, please! You don't have to do this. This isn't you!"

"Yes. It is! But I guess back then you were just too busy falling for Adam to notice." That made Blake stop struggling to look at her in confusion. "I was always jealous of the way you looked at him," Ilia said, her spots on her face turning pink. "I wanted you to look at me that way. But we can't always get what we want! Yuma, with me. You two, get her to the docks."

Ilia and the bat Faunus walked away, leaving Blake along with the spider Faunus that restrained her and another White Fang soldier.

"Let's go, traitor," the spider said, giving the webs a tug. Blake didn't budge.

"Now!" she shouted, surprising the other Faunus. Suddenly, Sun dropped down from the roof above them, knocking down one of the Faunus and forcing the spider to let Blake go. After a brief melee, Sun had knocked both of them unconscious.

"Thanks for the invitation," Sun said. "You okay?"

"No," Blake said, picking up Gambol Shroud. "You heard Ilia, my family is in danger. Call the police and let's go!"

"Right!"

As they ran, Blake pulled out her scroll and dialed her mother's number.

"Come on, Mom, pick up!"

Ghira punched a White Fang soldier in the diaphragm, and slammed his head into the ground. He turned to look at one his guards.

"Go find my wife!" he shouted, before spotting another terrorist approaching him with his fist cocked back. Ghirs grabbed him by the wrist and hit him in the neck before tossing his body away. One of his guards jumped in the way of a bullet approaching him, and fell limp. Ghira caught the slain guard's body and gently lowered it to the ground, glaring up at his assailants, the Albain brothers.

"I believe it's time our dear chieftain stepped down, brother," Corsac said.

"Yes brother, I'm afraid I'm inclined to agree."

Ghira growled, ripping off his coat and extending his claws. He stared down the brothers for several seconds before the wall next to him exploded. He jumped back, expecting another attack, only to realize that several White Fang soldiers had been literally punched through it. Out of the cloud of a dust stepped a cat Faunus in a white tank top and black skirt.

"Sorry about the wall," Tifa said, stepping up next to Ghira and cracking her knuckles. She stared down the Albains. "So, is attacking Faunus that don't agree with you part of the greater good you were talking about?" she asked. "The White Fang will keep you safe, as long as you don't think for yourself? How is this any better than what the humans have done?"

"I wouldn't expect someone like you to understand," Corsac said.

"Oh trust me," Tifa said, getting into position. "I don't need to understand you to kick your asses."

AN: This honestly was a hell of a way to announce the first openly gay character in the series.

I was originally planning to start this chapter with another of scene of Aqua and Qrow waking up naked, but ultimately decided against it, since having the narration mention that Winter heard some thing that she can never unhear would be funnier.

And what do you think of Weiss's new outfit? I wanted to give her something bold, to symbolize her new start.

As always, thank you very much for reading, and I'll see you all next time!