This chapter took a lot longer than expected to come out because I got really sick this week, a cold and food poisoning then I spent three days awake because I had an exam, and then a whole day recovering from the exhaustion.

So a couple things I gotta address.

First of all, I'm sorry if I don't reply to all of the reviews, I tend to only reply when I get a question. Don't get me wrong I absolutely adore the positive feedback, like when Grand Spurinko called this story a gold mine I just kinda flipped out and rolled around on the floor smiling like an idiot for hours. Every review you leave, whether I mention it in the next chapter or not, I genuinely appreciate it, be it positive or negative feedback, I welcome it all.

Secondly, I won't be able to update as regularly as I would like to because final exams for me have started and they'll be going on until June 10th, so updates might be very irregular. Idk if this hurts me more than it hurts you because writing this fic is my favourite thing in the world to do. I love it when you leave reviews, I wake up daily and one of the first things I do is go check to see if I get new reviews.

This is chapter 45, and for me that's a special number because I prefer it over the number 50. Everyone's lie 50 is half of a hundred and that's like a benchmark, but I live on irregularities so to me the number 45 which is half of 90 is like one of my fav numbers. It also has to do with when I started this fic, I expected to hit volume 7 around chapter 90, maybe.

To give perspective, I'm like 55 to 60% done with the things I have planned for this fic, and I feel like as the days go by and the story develops I keep opening up more opportunities to expand, especially since as I write these chapters I'm also rewatching RWBY and I notice things that give me ideas.

To my guest reviewer: Four Horsemen huh? I like that idea, and I think I have some things I can do with that...

I know I'm super late with this chapter, but as a form of apology, it's triple my usual length, so have fun ^_^ Also from now on whenever Nova's in girl form I'll use she/her cuz at this stage he's officially accepted that part of him and also it helps me envision my character better from a writing perspective.


Chapter 45: Long Roads to Reunion


-Patch-

Nova and Yang had been steadily progressing with their training, and after a few days of grueling torture at the hands of Taiyang, They'd finally readied themselves.

The two teens were packing supplies for the trip, Tai had offered Nova some new clothes, but brown and yellow weren't exactly his colours.

"Yang, does Ruby have any spare clothes that are maybe one size too large for her?" Nova asked as he rummaged through the pile that Tai tossed him.

Yang placed her hand on her chin, "Maybe not her… but I think mom might've had something…"

"Mom? As in Summer?" Nova asked incredulously.

The blonde nodded, "Yup, she wasn't exactly a tall person… I'd say she was about half a head taller than Ruby… Why do you need something?"

Nova nodded, "I figure if we're going to travel across Vale into Mistral, I shouldn't exactly be walking around as Nova Flareheart… so… I'm going like this!" he pressed the button on his armlet and transformed into his female body, his hair growing a little longer to his lower back and body shape altering to suit. Standing before Yang now was Nova, except he looked very similar to Weiss.

"Wow… sometimes I forget you can do that… You look like Weiss now that you're hairs grown," Yang points out smiling.

Nova just shot her a cute smile in return, "Thanks, think if we throw me in a white dress I'd pass as a Schnee?"

"You'd have to get blue eyes but… no doubt about it… you probably could…" Yang mused before reaching into her closet and rummaging around, before pulling out a black skirt and top that looked very similar to Ruby's except it was long-sleeved without frilly ends, and was more tightly fitted, white rose symbols were laced around the waistline and patterned the skirt. "Here, this should be your size." She said handing the garment to the girl.

Nova gasped, "Yang you're giving me this? This is Summer's isn't it? Are you okay with…"

"It's fine, besides… I'm not going to wear it, it won't fit Ruby, and it's just gathering dust back there… I think, she'd be proud to have you wear it…" she smiled, a longing look in her gaze.

Nova gingerly took the outfit, "But… I'm not family…"

Yang flicked the dragon's forehead earning an adorable 'owie'. "Dude, I think I'm speaking for everyone in this house when I say, you are most definitely family… all you need to do is make it official," she winked.

"That's if she'd say yes…" Nova said thinking about Ruby. He missed her, not a moment went by when he wasn't thinking of her, if she was safe, if she was eating well. He thought often about Luna as well, but she was with his mother on Menagerie so he didn't worry about her as much.

"Do you think she's moved on…?" he asked nervously, as his mind began to wonder and his anxiety began to increase.

Yang shot him an 'are you kidding me?' look. "Dude, she literally swore on your grave that she wouldn't be able to love anyone else ever again, in front of everyone, at your funeral… I know my baby sister, she misses you more than you miss her…"

The dragon felt a twinge of pain in his heart, all the hurt Ruby must've felt when he didn't come back. He tried to put himself in her shoes, if she was the one that died instead of him, well, he suddenly felt the urge to burst into tears from the mere mental image.

Yang saw that look on his face, "Chin up, you'll make it up to her… just imagine the smile on her face when she sees you!". This made the prince instantly turn bright-eyed, Ruby's smile lit his world brighter than the sun itself. "Besides, big sis will ease you in so you don't cause panic."

Nova turned beet red, "I'm not calling you big sis…" he said playfully hitting her.

Yang just laughed, "Darn, and here I thought I'd get away with it…"

They stood in silence, going through old clothes and trying to find the perfect adventuring gear for a while, and, though Nova was quite content, Yang hand an increasingly worried expression.

"Alright, I'll bite, Yang, what's bothering you?" Nova asked looking to the blonde.

"It's nothing…"

"Bullshit."

"Ugh fine. If I tell you, promise you won't get mad?" she asked placing her hands on her hips.

Nova sighed, "Well, now that you put it like that I have to know…"

"You know how we said Ruby left without telling us?"

"Mhm…" Nova nodded.

Yang bit her lip and looked uneasy, "Well actually, before… Ruby left… she came to talk to me. She told me where she was going and what her plan was,"

Nova was surprised, but held his tongue, sensing Yang's distress.

"I didn't say anything because… well, when we spoke, I said some, really mean things to her, I said that all hope was lost and it was pointless to go out there, and things along those lines…" Yang said, now rubbing her arm. "I was in a pretty bad place, we'd just lost you… Blake had disappeared along with Weiss, I find out Pyrrha's in a coma and well… everything was just sort of exploding in on me and I just let out the gas…"

When Nova didn't respond she just kept talking, "I know I sound like I'm making excuses, and I know I'm not justified in what I said… Hex called me a coward… and she's right… even now, I'm terrified about what's out there… do you forgive me?" she asked looking up to the dragon.

Nova had his arms folded and his eyebrow raised, "Firstly, I'm not the one you should be apologizing to. Secondly, all I hear is whining and complaining, You're worried they won't forgive you, but the first matter is to attempt to be forgiven. If they don't forgive you then you need to just live with that, if they do then it's all good, but the first step is to face them yourself…"

Yang felt tears begin to sting her eyes, and she sniffled, "But how can I live like that if they don't forgive me? What if they just cast me aside?"

"I can't tell you how to live your life Yang, but Ruby is your sister, and you love Hex right?" he asked, and she nodded in confirmation.

"Then I think the answer should be painfully clear."

"To stay by their side and protect them even if they don't want me to…" Yang said wiping the tears from her eyes. "THANKS, NOVA! You always know what to say…" she jumped up and did something she'd never actually done before, and that was giving Nova a genuine hug.

Nova awkwardly hugged back, expecting it to last a few seconds until he felt Yang sniffling into his back, "I never got to say it but… I'm just so glad you're back… I really missed you…"

Nova held an embarrassed smile and rubbed circles in the taller girl's back, "I'm glad to be back…"

Suddenly he was pushed from her grasp, "Alright out! I'm going to get changed, we might be both girls but it's still embarrassing..."

Nova turned crimson, "Ah right… I'll… go take the bathroom…" he said before scuttling off.


Tai heard the distinct tapping of footsteps on the stairs as he sat making them one final lunch before they set off.

"Oh Hey, Nova is that you…Woah…" Tai's jaw dropped when he saw Nova coming down the stairs clad in Summer's old outfit, and a black beret to cover her horns. On her hands was a pair of black gloves that worked with the long sleeves to hide the dangerous-looking left arm.

"Yang lent this to me… I hope it's okay…" Nova said rubbing her head sheepishly.

Tai had to blink a few times, "Nova, right…. Still surprises me whenever you're like… that you know?"

"Yo, dude did the clothes fit… oh, daaammmnnn!" Yang said as she also came down the stairs clad in a khaki and orange outfit, similar to her old one except the jacket was buttoned along the waist and it no longer exposed her mid-riff.

Nova blushed cutely, "I'm never going to get used to being called pretty…"

Yang resisted the urge to glomp her and squeeze her life out. "Ahem! Um Yes… so dad, what's the situation?"

Tai had to cough and straighten himself, "Uh… yeah so you two have two options. First, is the long route from here to Mistral, most of which isn't available by normal transport means, I'd say it'll take you four days at best. Your second option is.."

Yang shook her head, "Going to see 'mom', right?"

Tai nodded, "Yup, though… are you sure you're up for that? Your mother can be a bit…"

Yang grimaced, "She's not my mother… just the woman who gave birth to me. Anyone who willingly abandons their daughter and family to live as a bandit doesn't count as a mother…"

Nova flinched at her harsh tone, he'd rarely seen Yang get this way. "Raven Branwen? That's who we're going to meet right?"

"You sound like you have history," Tai pointed out seeing Nova's expression.

"Hmm, not exactly. The first time my team and I travelled across Mistral ourselves, we came across her bandits fending off a pack of Grimm. I was tempted to just let them die but… I just had to have a conscience." Nova chuckled, thinking back at how grateful they were, but offered no compensation. "Any idea where she might actually be?"

"Just move from town to town, and ask around, eventually you'll find her, she's not that hard to find if you know how to look," Tai explained handing a map to Yang with a series of circled stops to make.

"So, now another matter," the older man said again now turning to Nova. "You need a weapon."

Nova was slightly offended that Tai didn't think he could handle himself without one, "Um… I have the techniques you taught us…"

"As good as they are, techniques will never substitute for a weapon, they are the mark of huntsmen and their most reliable tool," Tai said folding his arms. "I think Qrow had like an old handgun or something around here…"

Nova paled at the thought of carrying around something so archaic, "UH… no thanks pops, I got these!" she said holding out her claws, the ones of the left arm looking more like five-pointed daggers than actual claws. "I'm a dragon, we have natural weapons… or have you forgotten I can also level a forest in seconds?" she played with a small flame, dancing in her palm.

Tai felt the need to facepalm, "Ah so the dragon princess does have claws… beauty with a sting, I feel sorry for the poor sap that tries to pull a move on either of you…"

Nova chuckled, "I know exactly where to inflict the ultimate pain…" she held an evil glint in her eyes, gazing at the bladed claws.

Tai unconsciously gulped, his hands wandering to cover his genitalia, "You're also a guy… do you know no mercy…"

"Absolutely none…" she said as the two girls walked out the door to meet a remodelled Bumblebee standing in the front yard in all her glory.

"Like it? I did some adjustments while you two were training. Her engine now clocks up to around three hundred and fifty miles per hour with the turbo on. Figured you might need the edge if you need to get out of danger." He smirked.

Yang squealed and tackled her dad in a hug, "THANK YOU SO MUCH! I love you dad," she squeezed him.

Tai hugged back with a loving smile, "Just be careful out there okay? And bring your sister back in one piece preferably. You to Nova, look after my girls…"

Nova saluted, "You don't even have to ask," she then looked to the bike, "Is there like a side-car or something?"

Yang chuckled, "The day I put a side-car on my baby is the day I chop off my hair. Just climb on behind me and hold on tight,"

Nova began sputtering, "W-Wuh… argh fine… you win this one, but I'm still not calling you big sis…"

Yang snorted, "Whatever you say Schnee-look-alike,"


Yang and Nova pulled up at one of their final stops, every town they hit up on the road turned up either empty or the people just ran away at the mention of 'Branwen', either way things weren't looking all that helpful.

"Ugh it's so fucking hot outside…" the blonde said as she fixed her aviators on her face, taking one hand off the handlebars as they drove nigh full speed down the road, ignoring all motor safety rules.

"Yang shouldn't you be driving with two hands?" Nova asked clinging on to her tightly.

"Wanna see me do it with no hands?" she asked making Nova yelp.

"That's what I thought. I'm getting tired of all this driving, when are we getting to the next stop… oh…" Yang was about to ask Nova their destination when they arrived at a rather small gas station called 'Just Rite'.

"Pops marked this place but… doesn't seem to be a town…" Nova said airily. "Not sure if we'll find anything here either."

"Well, it beats driving for another two hours. Come on, let's go grab some refreshment for the road." Yang said as they parked up.

The two girls walked inside the rather unimpressive looking bar/convenience store. An old man stood at the counter, with grey hair and square glasses, to the far left was a passed out drunk.

They took up spots at the counter, "Oi, bartender, can you whip me up a Fire Storm? If you don't have that, it's just two shots tequila mixed into some cherry lemonade." Nova said plopping down her head on the table.

"I'll just take a water, no alcohol for me, can't be drinking and driving," Yang said.

Nova shot her a quirked eyebrow, "Really? Ironic that you're following that since you literally tripled the speed limit and ran four red lights on the way here."

Yang just laughed, "I gotta have a line to cross somewhere right?"

"Aren't you two a little young to be drinking?" The bartender asked, looking suspiciously at the two girls.

Yang and Nova shared a look and burst out laughing, "Oh man that's rich! Listen, pal, we might not look like it but we used to be Beacon students…"

The man's eyes went wide, "So… you were at the Fall?"

"Smack dab in the center of the battle, I got the fuck ton of scars to prove it," Nova said winking at the man who just sputtered.

"I- Ah, uh, my apologies… I'll fix you something, just don't let the word out I let minors drink," the man responded.

"You two are too young to drink?" slurred the drunken man at the end of the table, he groggily turned around revealing himself to be clad in a very familiar bandit uniform. If Raven Branwen was anything, it was strict dress codes that applied to her subordinates but not her. "You look like regular huntresses, and beauties to boot," he continued to slur.

Yang felt her brow twitch but Nova just elbowed her, "That's one of Raven's goonies, see if we can get him to take us to his camp…"

"What's it to you pal?" Yang asked raising an eyebrow.

"Nothin' just thinkin' that maybe you two sweet things would like some male company from a good lookin' guy," he smirked.

Yang felt the urge to vomit but Nova kept her cool, "Uh handsome guy? You know one?"

The man looked offended, "Ouch! Kitty's got claws… It'd be a shame if the word were to get out to the local law that two teenagers were drinking in this bar… I think you two should-," he was cut off when Nova got up from her seat and decked him so hard his body ricocheted off the floor and bounced back up so Nova could catch him by the collar. Even Yang had to wince at that.

"Sorry, he was pissing me off. Racist bandits are just so fucking annoying…" Nova said shaking the man awake. "You're one of Raven's dogs right? I'm going to need you to take us to her."

"And… what makes you think… I'll do that…" the man responded, his eye now swelling lightly.

Nova rolled her eyes and raised her fist again causing the man to flinch, "ALRIGHT! Point taken… but if I just lead you there my clan will skin me alive for ratting them out!"

"And that's our problem how?" Yang asked raising an eyebrow.

"Well after they're done killing me, they'll set their entire population on you, it's never gonna work out!" the man continued to complain.

"For once you said something intelligent," Nova said smirking at the man. "Alright, you guide us there and offer us up, as, like captives or something, that'll save your hide right?"

"I don't understand, why are we afraid to combat bandits again?" Yang asked raising a point.

Nova snapped her left hand, "Because, even if we beat the shit out of them, Raven's gonna be less likely to co-operate with us."

Yang nodded, "Right… well then we're off?"


The duo was led off the beaten road and onto a dirt path, by their bandit compatriot who was being held just above the road by Nova using one hand. If he gave them wrong directions they'd just let him go while peddling full speed, he probably wouldn't die but he'd definitely get his 'handsome' face dragged through a kilometer of asphalt.

"It's just up ahead!" The man squeaked as they neared a massive wooden wall with spiked tips lining the perimeter. Two guards stood at the front, so they parked just out of sight of them and made a short walk. The bandit man took the lead while Yang and Nova put on their acting faces so they looked like innocent teenagers.

"Yo guys!" The man waved to the two guards, who instantly went on alert at seeing the two girls.

"Halt! What's going on here?" The female guard asked, aiming her gun at them.

"Woah! Calm down, I just brought back two 'captives'," the man said with a wink that seemed to be some non-verbal signal that caused more guards to show up at the front.

Yang and Nova groaned, they should've known things wouldn't go smoothly.

"A hot blonde and another Schnee? Looks like someone is vying for a promotion with the boss…" the female guard said waving to the other soldiers behind her.

Another Schnee? Do I look that much like Weiss? Also what the hell are they talking about? Nova thought, placing a hand on her chin and tapping it.

"So, which Schnee are you? You don't look like that Atlas soldier bitch so… I'm guessing the family's hidden daughter? I'm sure daddy would pay a fuck ton just to get you back…" The female guard said smirking.

Nova decided to play along, "Oh please don't hurt me, daddy would hate to see my face all smashed up…" she pouted. Yang just gawked in surprise at Nova's ability to act so realistically, from body language to accent she matched Weiss.

"Don't worry your pretty face. We'll take good care of you… GET THEM!"

Nova just rolled her eyes and looked to Yang, "So much for the 'peaceful' approach…"

In a matter of seconds, a series of loud screaming and the odd cat screeching, the duo were led into the camp by the bruised faces and purple limbs of the group that tried to pick a fight with two of Remnant's most dangerous women.

The camp was as one would expect, small tents made of animal skins and cloth, tribal bones, and carvings accompanied by flame lit torches. It was amazing they even had guns in the first place. As they neared the center of the camp, all of the stationed guards and occupants left their posts to see what the commotion was about.

On the far end of the compound, Weiss Schnee sat trapped in a wooden cage with cell bars that were clearly made for wider people. How did she get here? Well…

-Flashback a day ago-

Weiss was on a one-person flight from Atlas to Vale, travelling via private SDC cargo ship for small deliveries. She was only able to acquire the flight due to staff's respect for what she did during the battle of Beacon, they were willing to overlook her father's ruling for her sake because they admired that out of all the Schnees, she was the one who fought on the front lines for them, they owed her their lives.

The flight was going relatively smoothly until they received a distress signal from a passenger ship, and Weiss being the type of person she was, insisted she help them. This incidentally led to them being attacked by a swarm of Lancers. A special type of insectoid Grimm that travelled in swarms, led by a Queen. The soldier wasps were relatively small in size, which was large considering they were as large as small birds. The queen on the other hand was bigger than a car. She managed to fend most of them off before being overwhelmed. There was only so much one huntress in training could do against an entire swarm that usually took a whole team to kill.

The airship crash-landed on the shores somewhere on the north coast of Vale, where she just so happened to be bagged and tagged by a group of wandering bandits. Such was the tale of misfortune of an abandoned Schnee. Punished Weiss, a girl denied her freedom.

-End Flashback-

She sat patiently in the cage for about a day. Her treatment was more or less humane since they didn't want to damage the goods, but they did take her weapon and dust supply and had her under watch for the entire time.

For the first time in twenty-four hours, Weiss Schnee was finally left unguarded.

Not bothering to look at the source of the commotion, she decided to seize the opportunity to escape. During her time captive, she wasn't just sitting idly bored. Behind her was a wall that no one could see through thus giving her perfect time to summon a small white armour suit, similar to the one she used to break out of her room, except about the size of a soda can, now it was just a matter of escape.

Back with Yang and Nova, the two girls stood proudly at the center of the camp, slowly being surrounded at all sides by bandits.

"Stop!" Came the commanding voice of Raven Branwen, echoing from her hut, which stood largely at the far end of the camp. It was grander than all the others, two torches stood outside wooden stairs that led up into the abode. "Who dares to enter my camp and humiliate my men?" she said stepping out of the tent.

Her eyes fell on the blonde and the white-haired girl next to her.

"Yang." She said taking off her Grimm Mask. Her hair was like her daughter's, wild and long, except it was pitch black. Her eyes were a bright scarlet, matching her red outfit. "After all these years, you've finally come to visit."

"Mom," Yang replied curtly, most of the bandits went wide-eyed, and slightly afraid now, knowing they just tried to beat up their chief's daughter. "You know I've searched for you, for years I've been trying to find you…"

"Yes, and through determination and hard work you persevered, so… any questions you have I'll be happy to answer," Raven said, a smug smile playing on her lips, which was rare for her. "You and your… friend… here can stay the night. I can have the cooks whip something up for you…"

"That's not why I'm here," Yang stated angrily, her features portraying animosity in every essence of the word.

Raven sighed, "What was that?" she said harshly, responding to her daughter's tone of voice.

"Ruby is somewhere in Mistral, she's with Qrow and she's going to need me, and my friend's help. I need you to take us to her."

"And why would I do that?"

"Because you owe it to your daughter for abandoning her for all these years. Plus… you owe me a favour…" Nova said now stepping into the conversation with a smirk.

Raven felt her brow twitch, "And who exactly are you to make such a statement?" she glared at her.

"Someone who saved your clan two years ago. Or have you forgotten the Grimm invasion that nearly wiped your people clean when you were staying in the forests behind Haven?" Nova responded, folding her arms.

Raven's face remained stoic, "I do indeed remember that. Our clan does owe you… still I don't see how that warrants my help in this specific scenario…" she then turned to Yang, "I have to say… I'm a little disappointed in you. After all, you did find me… why not take that drive and find your sister?"

"Ruby was headed to Mistral but there's no guarantee she's made it there, plus, searching for her through Anima would take ages. You're going to save me time." Yang folded her arms. "Dad told me how your semblance works. You can 'bond' with people and make a portal that takes you directly to them. You have one for dad, me, and one for Qrow."

Raven snorted, "That fool… Listen kid, if your sister is with Qrow then she's a lost cause. You don't want to get mixed up with them… Ozpin and his lies…"

Yang was unimpressed, "I don't care about that. I just want to protect my sister."

"Admirable as that is, I still see no reason to help you."

"Raven, if you aren't going to do it for the daughter you left behind, then do it for the favour you owe me. I mean seriously if you can't pay the damn child support then repay your debt." Nova said twirling her hair around.

Raven glared at her, "I won't need to repay a debt to a dead person… See to it they are dealt with…" she said signaling her men.

"Oh you are one mega-bitch…" Nova said cracking her knuckles.

"You watch your mouth in front of our leader!" one of the bandits yelled and charged at them. Yang's eyes turned red with rage, literally, and punched the man so hard he crashed through three tents and two crates. Another jumped at Nova but she just caught him mid-air with her left arm and clocked him with the right, cratering him into the dirt.

When the dust cleared the two saw, through the wreckage on the far end of the camp was a very familiar white-haired heiress.

"WEISS?!" Yang said incredulously, staring at her in disbelief.

"YANG?!" Weiss said in alarm, "WHAT'RE YOU DOING HERE?!"

"I came to see my mom, so she can take us to Ruby," Yang responded, pointing to Raven.

"Wait your mom kidnapped me?!"

"YOU KIDNAPPED HER?!" Yang yelled at Raven.

Weiss took the confusion as an opportunity to enlarge the soldier, breaking out of the cage allowing her to join up with Yang and Nova.

"What is that thing?" Yang asked as the three stood back to back.

"Long story, who's the chick?" Weiss asked nodding her head at Nova.

Yang snorted, "Oh Weiss you are going to love this…"

"Yo, Weiss-cream, it's been a while!" Nova said waving at the girl.

Weiss just tilted her head in confusion, "Who're you?"

Nova rolled her eyes, "Don't recognize me? Here this might help…" she pulled off the black beret on her head to reveal the horns.

"Luna?! What're you doing here?!" Weiss asked.

"Silly goose, I'm not Luna I'm..." Before Nova could fully respond a large blast of wind and light smashed through the area, "ENOUGH!" came the female voice of a light-skinned, blue-eyed girl with short black hair.

The blast of wind was so strong Nova summoned a shield of fire that glowed like the sun, encircling them before exploding outward, knocking back all of the bandits in the range.

"Now that the commotion is done…" Nova said looking at Weiss. The Schnee's eyes went wide, now seeing the distinct heterochromatic dragon slits that stared her in the face, the unmistakable scar, the larger black horns.

"Cease this chaos. Give the girl back her weapon… I'll see you three inside…" Raven said as she walked into the tent. "Come Vernarl…" the girl who wielded the wind from earlier nodded and followed her inside. Once they were gone, Weiss turned to the two, her hand covering her mouth in shock.

"You… you can't be…" she choked out, tears forming in her eyes.

"Come on ice princess, you can't kill me off that easily," Nova smirked, only to be tackled by the white-haired girl in a tight hug, followed by the distinct sound of sobbing.

"I… knew... it! I knew you weren't dead!" she said in between sobs. Nova smiled warmly and hugged her back. Yang joined in the love session.

"I'm so happy to see you guys! I missed you so much!" Weiss continued to cry into their shoulders.

"We missed you to ice princess."


Inside of Raven's tent was larger than the outside portrayed it to be, yet they still sat at a table that stood mere inches off the ground, kneeling on mats like traditional Mistralian style, which suggested to Nova that Raven was either a fan of the eastern culture or was of eastern descent, either way, it didn't change the fact that Raven was a huge piece of s-

"Shit mom, can't you get us some chairs?" Yang asked uncomfortably kneeling on the mat, then deciding to sit cross-legged after a few poor attempts at finding a comfortable position.

Raven just gave her a blank look, "No. Now, tell me, what business does two Schnees and my daughter have together, and why does one of you possess power that rivals a Maiden…"

"Maiden?!" Yang and Weiss exclaimed simultaneously.

Nova snorted, "Getting straight to business I see. Well you have a few things wrong there, lady, firstly I'm not a Schnee," she pointed to her horns that were now in full view. Raven eyed them curiously.

Nova sighed again, "Ugh gimme a sec…" she got up, left the tent, and then came back a few moments later wearing a different set of clothing. It was a black denim jacket with silver buttons over a black shirt with an orange flame symbol in the middle over the chest. Around his waist was a belt with a similar symbol that held up a pair of black jeans, followed by the standard combat boots. The outfit looked two sizes too large for her.

"Um… when did you…" Weiss looked confused.

"We didn't park that far from the camp… now then…" she pushed the button on her armlet and a flash of orange light enveloped the room until, standing before them was male Nova, the clothing now fitting around him properly.

Raven and Vernal were flabbergasted by the sudden change.

"What?!" Vernal exclaimed her eyes bugging out.

Nova just stretched into the air, and shook himself off, "My male body feels so much heavier than my female one it's weird… you'd think they'd share the same weight…" he said before sitting down.

"Who…" Vernal was ready to pass out.

"Nova Flareheart, crown prince of the Faunus, I'd say it's a pleasure but given our greeting…"

"How are you… weren't you a girl?" Raven pointed out looking flustered and confused.

Nova just snorted, "Yeah I am, and I'm also a guy, just don't think about it too much. To answer your earlier question, I am the Aspect of Fire, I assume you know what that means?"

Raven looked about ready to tear her hair out, but she held her cool, "I…I've heard legends of your kind… guardians of the natural world… bringers of balance…"

Nova nodded, "Very correct, so I assume you know the extent of my power?" he said glancing at his fingers as if he was checking his nails, though the hands were gloved making him look like a doofus.

"Are you threatening me?" Raven glared.

"Oh no, no I'm not. I'm just saying that if you were to try and pick a fight with us, things would probably escalate and wipe your clan out in the crossfire. I'm not a fan of killing people but, collateral damage is none of my concern…" he glared back.

Raven stiffened but calmed down a little, "Alright… enough hostility. I'm willing to comply with your requests if you're willing to listen to what I have to say…"

Nova glanced at his friends who just shrugged, "Alright, we're listening."

Raven inhaled deeply, "Judging by your reactions, you already know about the Maidens… but has Ozpin told you about your true enemy?"

Nova quirked his brow, "I've always had a feeling the rabbit hole went deeper than we thought… continue…"

"Long ago, back when I was still a huntress in training with Qrow, Summer and Tai… we were like you. Following Ozpin's orders blindly, taking on missions as he ordered. We even swore an oath of power to him… I assume you know of his magic?"

"Magic?!" Weiss looked surprised.

Nova just nodded, "Yes, I've always assumed he was capable…"

"Ozpin isn't who you think he is… he's a manipulative sociopath who holds no moral boundaries when it comes to using others to achieve his goal. He's forcing you to fight his war because he's too scared to do it himself."

"Who is he fighting exactly?" Yang asked.

Raven smiled, "Asking the right questions… He's fighting Salem."

"Who?" came the simultaneous question.

"Salem, is his mortal enemy. The Mother of All Grimm, a witch so powerful she makes Maidens look like toys. She and Ozpin have been at each other's throats for centuries, neither being able to gain the edge over the other. That's why he's been raising Huntsmen, to use as pawns in his game of chess…" Raven explained.

"So that's who the 'queen' is…" Nova said thoughtfully, drumming his hands on the table. "Alright so we're up against big bad monster queen, at the end of the day it's still the same goal. So what's your point Raven?"

"My point is… follow me out the back and I'll explain…" she said getting up from her seat.

They all followed her out to the back of the tent, Vernal stayed behind.

"Observe," Raven said as she walked up to a tree that stood a few feet from the back, the closer she got, the more aura began to envelop her body, except it wasn't exactly aura, it was more powerful and brighter. Eventually her body became smaller and smaller until, instead of Raven stood, a raven. A black bird of the harvest. The raven flew around the tree before transforming back into Raven.

"This is what Ozpin did to me… and Qrow… we swore an oath of power to him and he turns us into birds!" Raven said snarling.

Nova quirked his brow and folded his arms, "Oookayy… isn't that like… kinda cool? Can't you freely fly and what not? Hide in plain sight and gather information? I can't help but see this as a good thing…"

"That's not it. The point I'm trying to make is that Ozpin is a liar, a deceiver, he's manipulating you into fighting his war, a battle you have no reason to be a part of!"

"Is that why you left dad? Is that why you left us? Because they worked for Ozpin?" Yang said looking peeved.

"Your father was a fool. A soft fool who is blinded by faith. I left to look after my tribe, my family."

"BUT WE WERE YOUR FAMILY!" Yang said her anger flaring along with her semblance.

"I don't expect you to understand…" Raven said not looking at her.

Nova placed an arm on Yang's shoulder to stop her from doing anything rash.

"The only thing I understand, Raven, is that you have your priorities mixed up. Your daughter should come before anyone else. Secondly, you're wrong about one thing…" Nova said walking up to the woman.

"And what's that?"

"You say we're Ozpin's pawns, but, I never said we were doing this for him." Nova looked her dead in the eye.

"Huh?" she looked confused, "But that brat, Ruby, and Qrow…"

"You're assuming she left to continue Ozpin's mission. She really left because she wanted to find out the truth, she wanted to know what caused the fall of Beacon and she wanted revenge for… something…" he said remembering how he was assumed dead. "Personally? None of us here give two shits about what Ozpin wants. I've trusted him, and I still trust him to cooperate so long as our objectives coincide, but at the end of the day, I'm not loyal to him and I never was!"

"Weiss and I just want to protect Ruby. I don't really give two shits about this war, but if it puts Ruby in danger, if it puts my friends in danger, then it's my problem." Yang said now standing beside Nova.

"My friends stuck by me, and now it's my turn to stick by them. Besides, I have a score to settle with some people…" Weiss said joining them.

Raven looked shocked, she'd thought that her daughter was blinded by her soft family. That they just held blind loyalty to Ozpin and were just feeding his game.

"So… dragon boy… what's your motive?"

"I want to tear the White Fang's High Commander Onyx's head off and kick his body off a cliff. That's my motive."

"Revenge is it? A respectable goal but…"

"And to make a better future for my sister and my family, and when I say, family… I mean all of us…" he said hugging Yang and Weiss while still staring at Raven.

The older woman shook her head and sighed, "Family… well… I just hope you know what you're doing…"


-Mistral-

Mistral was unlike anything Team MNRNJR had ever seen, tall trees, dense forests, and jungles, humid environments, mostly mountainous terrain, even the city's greatest commerce hub was built on a square platform on the side of a mountain. It was as if the entire place was segregated into levels, like a hierarchy with the very top being the Huntsman Academy of Haven.

"Whose idea was it to walk again?" Nora complained as the party ascended the grand climb up to the academy.

Qrow chuckled, "Well, it's your first time here, so I figured we'd take a more… scenic route," he said. Compared to how he was before, his skin was a much healthier colour and his bandages were gone. His sense of style didn't exactly change and Ruby wasn't sure how or where he managed to find the exact same outfit lying around in a store, but she wasn't about to question it.

"This place is huge! Look at the market place! There are just so many weapons!" Ruby gushed as they passed the central area of commerce. Humans and Faunus were in droves, buying and selling, or just idly browsing.

"Yeah, people down there will sell you just about anything… whether they should or not…" Nitro said as he passed by a black market weapons dealer selling unbranded jet fuel and casually waved to him. The man just smiled and waved back.

"The underground market and regular commerce are combined up here and most people don't care. Just because they do shady business doesn't mean they're shady people. The real nasty ones are in the lower levels. The lower you go the darker the streets get… in more ways than one." Hex shuddered to remember her childhood. She'd seen things down there that she would never wish on anyone, not even her worst enemy.

It felt strange to be back in Mistral for the Zephyr siblings. It was like coming back to a home you'd rather not remember even if there were some fond memories.

"Oh yeah I forgot you two were from here! What's it like being back?" Jaune asked looking to them. Nitro and Hex shot each other an uncomfortable glance.

"It's not exactly nice. The people on the upper levels are fine but… Hex and I have most of our memories in the lower levels…" Nitro said looking pained.

"The Zephyr family had you working undercover ops down there right? Don't take this the wrong way but I find it hard to believe that one of the richest families in the world would let their only son prance around in the sewer of society without much protection." Qrow said looking back as they climbed the stairs.

Nitro snorted, "Well when you're twelve years old and your dad says that you need to prove your worth to the family by undertaking a mission only you could… there's not a lot of room to negotiate…"

Hex shuddered, "Our family's not bad… it's just dad has some weighted expectations…"

"Where are your parents by the way? Do they live around here?" Nora asked casually.

"They're not that much lower than Haven itself, the house is hard to miss if you're on the way back down the mountain," Nitro responded trying to avoid the conversation. His shoulders were tensed up and Hex could see the visible discomfort on his face. It was to be expected given the less than ideal parting terms.

"We should totally go see your peeps!" Nora suggested, waving her arms in the air and turning around with her eyes gleaming, though she deflated when she saw their expressions. "Not so good history huh…"

Nitro opted to answer but his words failed when the party crested the peak of the never-ending stairway. Haven was gorgeous, in every essence of the word.

The buildings were neatly placed as if every corner and the curved edge of the masterfully crafted eastern style buildings were carefully plotted for the most eye-catching scene. The grounds were open with no jarring walls and it felt more at home to nature than any other academy in the world. It was like a village that was built around a forest, not over it. The grand architecture blended perfectly with the natural environment as if man and nature had entered a mutualistic bond. The only thing that seemed off about the place was the apparent lack of people.

As they crossed the courtyard and approached the grand central building, team MNRNJR had to stop for a moment and admire the scenery.

"We made it…" Ruby said clutching the golden dragon tooth that hung around her neck. A single tear forming in her right eye, threatening to leak out. "We made it Nova…"

"He would be proud to see how far you've come… how far we've all come…" Hex said smiling as she placed a hand on the reaper's shoulder.

Ruby wiped the tear from her eye, "Yeah… I just wish he were here to see it."

Qrow hung back behind the team, glancing around for the indication that someone was around, but nothing. It was quiet… too quiet.

The inner halls of the academy were just as empty, marring only the ghosts warming the furniture as company.

"Hellooo! Anyone here?!" Nora called, her voice echoing through the empty halls.

"There doesn't seem to be anyone here," Ren pointed out.

"Well… I guess school isn't exactly in session right now…" Jaune said opting to see the light in things.

"No… this isn't right…" Qrow said taking out his weapon.

"There's usually at least one or two students hanging back, especially with the state of inter-continental communications, it's weird that we're not seeing anyone, not even grounds staff…" Hex said pulling out her weapons as well. Everyone else followed suit.

Qrow walked up to the door of the headmaster's office and kicked hard, the others rallying behind him, ready to fire at the first person that showed their face. Which, as soon as the door opened, turned out to be a short old man in an exquisite brown robe with gold embroidery.

"WAAAAAH!" The man screamed and fainted. Qrow also fell over from lack of balance, having been standing on one leg this whole time.

The teenagers just stood there looking at the comical display between the adults with confusion and disbelief.

"Uh… Professor Lionheart?" Ruby asked looking at the downed old man.

"Ugh…" Lionheart groaned as he got up, "Damnit Qrow! You scared me half to death!"

"Me?! Why weren't you there to greet us at the entrance? I thought something was wrong!" Qrow countered as he got to his feet.

Lionheart pulled out a pocket watch, "Oh dear… It seems I lost track of time…"

"Your lack of time management nearly got you shot Lionheart." He said helping the man dust off.

"Ah well you'll have to forgive me, I was busy reviewing forms for… well almost everything. You lot must be the students Qrow told me about…" Lionheart said his eyes wandering over the teens.

"Ruby Rose, Jaune Arc, Nora Valkyrie, Lie Ren, Hex, and Nitro Zephyr, at your service!" Ruby introduced them all. Lionheart's eyes went wide as he saw the Zephyr siblings.

"Mr. and Miss Zephyr… nice to see you again…" Lionheart was shocked. "I thought you two were…"

"Dead? Missing? Glad to see you wrote off our disappearances so easily headmaster." Hex glared at him.

Lionheart felt his breath hitch in his throat, "I… after the unfortunate incident involving those two… your parents came down pretty hard on the academy… demanding justice and whatnot… I told them that I was doing all I could but I couldn't stage a military act of war against a terrorist group…"

"I didn't even notice you were gone, your school records said you were legally issued permission to go to Vale under Vytal Festival exchange, though I don't ever remember signing those forms… or updating the records… so it begs the question… how did you do it and why?" Lionheart eyed them as he sat in his chair.

Hex and Nitro snorted simultaneously, "Professor, believe us when we say, we had reasons to do the things we did, and I do apologize for any grievances it caused you, I just don't think we're obligated to answer you since we're not your students anymore..." Hex said with the highest degree of acting possible. The others were impressed.

"Yes well… water under the bridge now… I do hope you don't mind me asking, where are those two friends of yours? Nova and Luna was it?" Lionheart asked looking around.

"Not here. Now… we have business to discuss." Nitro said abruptly causing the headmaster to flinch, but stood his ground.

The others breathed a sigh of relief, the whole exchange was discomforting but at least they were able to overlook their past differences and view the bigger picture. Qrow saw that look in their eyes, those two siblings didn't trust Lionheart, not one bit.

"Sorry about that, what is it you came to discuss exactly?" Lionheart asked turning to Qrow.

"Who's guarding the relic?" came the swift question.

Lionheart's eyes went wide as he looked at those in the room, "You've told them?"

"Yes but besides the point. Who. Is. Guarding. The. Relic?" Qrow interrogated.

"Qrow you travel on foot through miles of Grimm infested forest to question me about my handling of the Relic? On top of it all, you've told one of the greatest kept secrets known to man to a bunch of students? It seems rather reckless if you ask me Qrow…" Lionheart deflected.

"What's reckless is you not checking in with Oz for ages!"

"There was nothing to check in before the Fall of Beacon!" Lionheart countered. "Vale wasn't the only one affected by that day. Everyone saw what happened, saw that little girl being torn to pieces, those soldiers turning on civilians… all that negative energy…. Mistral controls the largest territory in the world when the Grimm came pouring in by the hundreds… you can imagine how difficult it was to deal with it all. We lost so many good huntsmen…"

"When it was all over, there were, even more, hurdles to cross."

"What do you mean?" Ruby asked nervously.

"First it was the dust embargo… then the closing of borders… then the White Fang began popping up in places around Mistral where their influence should not have existed. On top of everything, we still don't know where the Spring Maiden is!"

"All the more reason to have the Huntsmen and Huntresses here!" Qrow countered. "We need people to protect the relic and to find the Spring Maiden. There are too many variables to leave it unguarded!"

"Qrow we don't have the people to spare! I already sent a few huntsmen and huntresses out to go search for the Spring Maiden but we have had no luck. She was a good student you know, the Spring Maiden. She was diligent in her studies but when the power was entrusted to her so suddenly she began to break down from the pressure and ran away… I haven't stopped looking for her since!" Lionheart explained.

"About that… I may know where she is…" Qrow said causing everyone in the room to look surprised.

"WHAT?!"

"Yeah… it seems she'd been picked up by a group of bandits… specifically the Branwen tribe. I've been tracking my sister for some time now, and I found that they're main base is in this location," Qrow said as he pulled up a holo map from his scroll. It was a camp located not that far off the borders of Vale.

"Well this is fantastic! We can just grab a squad of huntsmen and go after them!" Ruby said rationalizing things.

Qrow snorted, "If only it were that easy. The first problem is in that we don't have the manpower. We could go in ourselves but, bandits aside, my sister won't give up the girl freely… plus I doubt the Maiden would come quietly either. It'll take a lot more than just us to take them down."

"Well… now that we've officially out ruled this… we'll need some time to strategize," Lionheart said, looking as though he wanted out of this conversation.

Qrow nodded, "We'll keep in touch…"

As the team walked out Qrow looked at them, "You kids head back to the house… I'm going to do some digging around town, see if I can find some of my old huntsman friends… plus I need a refill on this," he said waving the flask.


Qrow waltzed into town, spending his time looking at different boards, trying to find some clue as to where all the rest of the huntsmen had gone. From his interaction with Lionheart, he could tell something was up. Trained huntsmen don't just up and disappear like that, especially not some of the people he knew. They were good people, and even better fighters, so where the hell were they…

Eventually he'd all but given up his search and settled down at a bar to drink away his worries.

"Where the hell are we supposed to go from here… I'm almost fifty-percent sure Lionheart's a snake and we're no closer to finding the Spring Maiden now than I was two weeks ago…" Qrow mumbled to himself as he downed a glass of murky brown liquid on ice.

There was the quiet tapping of footsteps behind him, causing Qrow to turn around. Normally it wouldn't have warranted his attention, but the bar was empty, and anyone turning up at this hour in this part of town either had business or were shady, either way he didn't want to be caught off guard.

Except he was caught off guard because standing before him was a kid wearing what looked to be very stylish farmer overalls with half green half brown eyes, freckles, and brown hair. It was none other than Oscar Pine.

"Aren't you a little young to be walking in here?" Qrow asked sizing up the kid.

Oscar looked a little nervous, "Um… I'm supposed to tell you… I would like my cane back…?"

Qrow looked startled at first, then looked to his waist where hung the pristine white handle of Ozpin's cane and tossed it to him. "Hmph… it's good to see you Oz…"


Team MNJR were back at their place of stay, a rather large house that belonged to an old friend of Qrow's, who wasn't in town at the time.

Hex was working on her equipment while Nitro was sprawled on the floor, groaning. Nora was sitting on Ren who was laying on the couch in the living room while Ruby and Jaune sat at the dining table. Every single person in the room looked about as bored as bored could get. At least they were until there was a sudden knock on the door.

They all were instantly on alert, glaring at the source of the noise. Jaune hesitantly got up and opened it to reveal a very shy looking Oscar.

"Umm… is there a Ruby Rose here?" he asked nervously.

At first they were all confused as to why some kid was asking for Ruby when suddenly Qrow came tackling in from the side, swinging around Oscar's shoulder with glee. "PFFTTT YOU KIDS ARE SHHOOO UPTIGHT! Come on kid, you got some catching up to do…" he said as he wobbled in and collapsed onto the couch.

"Uh… Uncle Qrow? Are you drunk again?" Ruby asked looking at her uncle in disdain.

"Maybe ~ Anyway I found him!" Qrow pointed at Oscar, though it was more of him sticking his finger vertically in the air and waving it in the boy's general direction.

"You have silver eyes…" Oscar said looking at Ruby who was quite surprised at the very familiar statement.

"Um, sorry. My name's Oscar Pine but you know me as…"

"Wait for it…" Qrow said from his downed spot.

"Professor Ozpin, apparently," Oscar said though he himself looked just as confused as everyone else when they heard him.

Oscar then proceeded to explain the nature of his circumstances, as they all listened in with surprise.

"Imagine how it was for me when I wake up one morning and find myself sharing the body with someone who's apparently several centuries old … If I didn't share his memories, I'd have checked myself into the looney bin!" Oscar said as he waved his hands while sitting in a red armchair. "So this guy has me travelling across Mistral for what he says is the 'fate of the world'. Crazy Tuesday am I right?"

Nitro snickered, "I like this kid."

"You guys are weirdly accepting of all of this…" Oscar observed, glancing at the expressions of everyone in the room.

From his perspective they weren't much older than he was, and he couldn't help but wonder if the esteemed professor had a thing for roping teenagers into matters of universal calamity.

'Trust me Oscar, I don't like this any more than you do but these are the best huntresses and huntsmen we have. I wouldn't place more trust in anyone in the world of Remnant than I do for them,' Ozpin said in his head.

"Oh right I forgot we share thoughts," Oscar said out loud and everyone just tilted their heads in confusion. "Sorry just talking to the voice in my head, as in Ozpin. Yikes… never thought I'd say that out loud…" Oscar flinched at how he sounded.

"Gosh, I'm so sorry, we haven't introduced ourselves!" Ruby said piping up realizing she forgot formal courtesy.

Oscar blanched, "In all fairness, given the circumstances, names aren't exactly on my priority list of things I'm concerned about. No offence," he said looking at them.

"None taken, I feel yah," Hex said nodding.

"Oh give me one sec…" Oscar scrunched up his mind as if thinking really hard, his eyes flashing green briefly before returning to normal.

"Ruby Rose, a hyperactive prodigy. Nora Valkyrie, also hyperactive and slightly crazy. Lie Ren, quiet, and resourceful. Jaune Arc, a late bloomer but a reliable leader. Hex Magenta Zephyr, technology expert and resident super-genius and lastly Nitro Zephyr, loyal and reliable powerhouse." Oscar said pointing to them all in order, earning surprised looks and some bashful expressions.

"How did you…" Nitro opted.

"Just reading off what Ozpin stored here for ease of access," Oscar shrugged as if this was normal.

Qrow laughed, "Kid you're freaking them out. It's better if you just show them your little parlour trick."

Oscar sighed, "Fine, just so you know, I'll still be here." He said before his eyes flashed green as well as his body for a brief moment.

When he spoke again it was as if his voice had become different, "Nice to see you again students," Ozpin said in Oscar's voice.

"Professor… Ozpin?" Ruby asked as if unsure.

"Yes, I am, though Oscar is very much present as well, he has merely lent me control over this body temporarily," Ozpin said.

"How… is any of this possible? What… who are you?" Jaune asked.

"This curse was placed on my by the gods for my inability to defeat Salem in the past… Qrow says he's filled you all in on what's going on so to speak. Essentially, whenever I die, I am reincarnated into a host or new body after some time. Sometimes between a few years to a decade, though this has been the first time it was nigh instantaneous. It is my burden to bear the curse of eternal life until Salem is destroyed." Ozpin said.

"Doesn't seem like much of a curse to me," Nitro pointed out.

"Oh I assure you it is. Immortality gets very old, very quickly. It is a never-ending cycle of suffering…" Ozpin said that last part quietly. "Qrow's told me about your talk with Leonardo. He's not just being uncooperative, he's disobeying specific instructions I left him." Ozpin said.

"What? I thought all the headmasters took orders from you?" Ruby pointed out.

"That was how it was supposed to be, but now it seems Leonardo has been directly disobeying my orders. I don't want to make assumptions, but I can't out rule the concept that he might be the enemy Nova pinpointed either. In fact, the more I think about it the more it makes sense, someone in a high position of authority from Mistral with the power to sneak fugitives behind regulation walls. Still… we can't act recklessly. You all need some serious training before we start fighting them."

"Huh? But we're plenty strong already…" Nitro said.

"Hmph, you Mr. Zephyr think with your fists first and not your head. Your actions are rash and your semblance control is imperfect." Ozpin pointed the cane in his face.

"You Miss Zephyr have a severe lack of stamina and aura control. You are too reliant on your equipment to make up for your flaws." This caused Hex to flinch.

"Miss Rose you can only fight with Crescent Rose, without it you're weak. Mr. Arc as nice as it is to see you've improved, you still lack a semblance. Miss Valkyrie and Mr. Lie Ren are also highly untrained and rely on basic tactics, no matter how skilled you all are, you are far from being ready to fight Salem and her army. The only person among you who is even remotely ready is Mr. Flareheart… who doesn't seem to be here at the moment… and Miss Flareheart… and Wulf… and the rest of team RWBY… where are they?"

"Weiss got hooked back into Atlas by her dad, Yang's at home because of her injuries, Blake's fucked off to who knows where. Randolf's gone to Mantle and Luna's gone back home to rally against the White Fang." Hex explained listing off everyone.

Ozpin looked thoughtful, "I see… and what off Mr. Flareheart?"

Everyone in the room instantly had their eyes downcast, looking disheartened.

"He's… he's… no longer with us…" Ruby said fingering the dragon tooth around her neck.

"That is… regrettable news… this changes much of my plans…." He sat back down in his chair, "As unfortunate as that is, it just means you all will need to train even harder. We're all in this together now, there's no going back." Ozpin stated. "I will be training you all personally from here on out so, don't expect me to go easy on you…" his words faltered as Oscar's body glowed green again and he fell over on the chair.

"Ugh… my head hurts… Oz I don't know what a hangover feels like but this sure as hell feels like one…" Oscar said clutching his head in his hands.

Everyone just burst out laughing, "Welcome to our band of crazy Oscar,"


-Branwen Bandit Camp-

The bandit leader's eyes glowed a bright red for a moment, "It seems my brother is stationary at the moment. He's in a house, in Mistral. I can portal you there," she said folding her arms.

The trio shared elated glances, "She made it to Mistral?! That's incredible!" the girls and Nova squealed, which looked strange to Raven considering the boy was, well a boy at that time.

"Raven, exactly how far can you place your portals?" Nova asked as they walked out to the back of the tent to prepare for departure. His face was contorted in concentration, if Ruby had made it to Mistral, then he should probably try to make up for lost time...

"Why exactly should I tell you?" Raven quirked her brow. Giving up the range would be revealing her ace to someone who didn't exactly make themselves her ally. She was essentially being blackmailed into compliance.

Nova shrugged, "Don't ruffle your feathers bird brain. I just want to know if I can get some distance between me and the others." The bird brain comment made Raven want to pummel him into the ground, but she knew that if she tried it would result in catastrophic area damage.

Yang and Weiss folded their arms, "What's your angle flame-breath? Are you chickening out 'cause you're about to reunite with your girlfriend?" the blonde asked.

Nova bit his lip, "Not exactly... I just think I should get something for her, a sort of gift for putting her through all the pain..."

"You know that wasn't exactly your fault right? But... I guess you should bring something..." Weiss said placing her hands on her hips.

Raven groaned, "Consider this a favour you owe me, I'll portal my daughter and the Schnee to Qrow, and I can portal you a few meters away from the previous portal, out of sight."

Nova's eyes perked up, "Seriously?! That's great! Thanks Rave Rave!" he hugged the disgruntled bandit leader much to the surprise of the others. They could all visibly see Raven's brow twitch and a vein swell in her forehead but eventually she relaxed.

"I'm assuming you expect us to keep quiet about this until you decide to do the big reveal?" Yang asked shaking her head.

Nova smirked, "Counting on you 'big sis'," he smiled and Yang turned red.

"Hmph, only because you said it, come on Weiss," Yang huffed as she wheeled Bumblee, a massive red portal appeared in front of them.

"Is that thing safe?" Weiss asked skeptically.

"Well, I'd like to believe so?" Yang shrugged as she hopped on the bike, Weiss climbing on behind her. "Only one way to find out..." and with that, they disappeared through the portal, once they were successfully gone, Raven sighed and closed the portal.

"Alright you're up next. Just remember you. owe. me" Raven glared at him.

Nova on the contrary looked giddy, "Whatever you say my feathered friend!"

"I am NOT your friend!" Raven seethed, grinding her teeth as if he was her worst enemy instead.

A similar red portal appeared again within the next minute allowing Nova to pass through, "You know you like me! Friend!" Nova waved as he walked through, knowing very well that he was grinding on Raven's nerves to no end.


Back in Mistral, Qrow stood on the balcony of the house, overlooking the view of the city. He sighed deeply as he took a swig from his flask. In the time between him finding Oscar and now, he'd come across no new leads. Almost all the Huntsmen he once knew were either dead or missing in action. As if the situation couldn't get any worse, any attempts at talking to Lionheart just ended up in a dead-end, further confirming their fears. He needed just a little bit of hope.

Behind him, a large red portal opened up, drawing his attention. "Raven?" he asked curiously, unsure as to why his sister suddenly decided to visit him, usually if she had business, it wasn't very good, and he wasn't in the mood for more bad news.

His fears were soon subsided as the familiar sound of an engine rumbling was heard coming through it, the sound of a motorcycle he was too very well aware of... "It can't be..."

Sure enough, outrode an unmistakable yellow and black motorcycle with its equally blonde driver and a certain white-haired Schnee closely behind. His eyes widened in surprise and pure shock as Yang Xiaolong and Weiss Schnee came through sporting semi-smug looks.

"EVERYONE COME HERE! WE HAVE GUESTS!" Qrow called through the house a massive smile on his face as he turned to the two girls.

"Hey Uncle Qrow, how's it been?" Yang smiled waving to him. Instead of a response Qrow leapt at her and tackled her in a tight hug, while Weiss just stood awkwardly to the side.

"It's good to see you firecracker," he said as he ushered them inside. The moment his back was turned and he was thoroughly distracted, another red portal opened up, except, not on the balcony porch where he was, but off to the side... over the balcony, where it went unnoticed.

"WAAAAAAAH..." was the distant sound of screaming.

"Did anyone hear that?" Qrow asked perking his head up.

"Probably the sound of some idiot screaming, nothing to be concerned about..." Yang said smiling scarily.

"Oh okay, come on let's go inside!" Qrow accepted it without question and Weiss just looked at him baffled.


Inside the house, team MNRNJR was busy preparing dinner when they heard Qrow call out. Ruby cheerily filled up a pot with fresh tea and a few cups and brought the tray out into the living room. "Sorry we only have a few cups, we weren't exactly expecting guests... Dinner will be ready in a few..." her words died in her throat as her eyes fell on the form of her sister and Weiss, standing there nervously. Her jaw dropped and so did the tray, all the cups shattering on the floor, forgotten as Ruby just stared at her sister in disbelief.

There were a few moments of silence that involved a gaping Ruby and a quite nervous looking Yang. "Yang... I... I... I'm so sorry! I should've stayed and talked to you more but I wasn't sure if you wanted me around and..." Ruby began to stammer out much to Yang's bewilderment, so the blonde did the only thing she could think of and hugged the girl.

"Ruby, I should be the one to apologize, I said some really mean things and..." Yang began to cry as well, tears forming in her eyes. She was so afraid of facing Ruby again, that she wasn't prepared for her own sister whom she'd hurt to apologize in her stead, the very thought made her break down inside.

"I forgive you, what matters now is we face the future together..." Ruby said muffled by Yang's bosom.

Weiss stood there smiling awkwardly, unsure of how to act under the given circumstances, until Ruby and Yang opened the hug and allowed her in, to which the ex-heiress gladly complied. There involved a lot of sobbing and making up, until the rest of the team came into the room.

"Yang...?" Hex asked as she stood at the foot of the stairway, looking shocked to see the blonde, her hair was undone and her usual clothes had been swapped out for more casual wear, a simple dark purple t-shirt that said 'Hacker and Slasher' on it in yellow letters, and a pair of black sweat pants.

Yang felt her heart stop upon seeing Hex. She'd been so focused on trying to apologize to Ruby that she'd forgotten to formulate her apology to her girlfriend... or ex-girlfriend she wasn't even sure what they were.

Everyone in the room took a few steps back out of the picture, filing into the kitchen to give the two some space.

"Hex... I'm... I'm sorry... after what happened to Nova, I lost my mind in a way. I'm not saying it excuses the things I've said or the way I've acted, and I'm not asking you to forgive me. I deserve every bit of hate for what I've..." Yang was cut off when Hex tackled her in a tight hug.

"W-What?" Yang was caught off guard.

"You said some pretty mean shit, and you acted like a bitch." Hex said looking into her eyes, and holding her by the waist. "I can't exactly bring myself to completely forgive you right now... but Yang... I could never hate you..." she smiled, reaching up a hand to cup the blonde's face.

Yang's eyes widened, "D-Does this mean...?"

Hex snickered, "You're here now, I said to come find me when you found the girl you once were... and it seems like you did... so..."

"But I acted like a complete piece of... MMHMN!" She was silenced when Hex slammed her lips onto hers with full force. Yang instantly melted, her arms shaking around Hex's neck and pulling her in deeper, their mouths mashing against each other getting hungrier every moment they spent connected. Eventually, they broke for air, staring into each other's eyes.

"Are we back together?" Yang asked nervously.

Hex smirked, "What do you think~?" she leaned in again but was stopped by the sound of loud clapping. They both pulled away to see Nitro and the others re-entering the room.

"OOookkayyy before you two start eating each other's faces again, I'd like for us to at least eat some real food?" he gestured to the kitchen where the sudden smell of freshly made stew wafted through the air, causing everyone's stomach to grumble.

"We have so much to tell you guys about!" Ruby gushed as she pulled them in and they began chatting about their adventures.


-Earlier with Nova-

"Raven is totally closet about her emotions, I'm willing to bet she's actually a really nice person who has trouble expressing her feelings!" Nova said aloud as he crossed through the portal. It was a strange feeling, traveling by portal. There was no endless corridor of red or swirling luminescence. It was instant, one moment he was walking from the camp the next he was standing on nice, solid... air?

"Huh? That's weird, where did she..." Nova faltered when he realized he was not looking at the solid ground, nor was he right side up. "Oh fuck..."

Raven had placed the portal... in the air. The moment he stepped through it was like walking off a cliff. "RAVEN YOU BIIIIIIIIIITCCCCCHHHHH!" he screamed as he flailed through the air. Through a series of crashes, animal noises, and falling trees, he managed to land safely on the nice, warm, rock hard, bone-breaking ground. He'd somehow managed to crash into the middle levels of the Mistralian market place.

"OUCH! FUCK!" He yelled aloud as he pulled a twig from its embedded spot in his rear. "You know... I'm starting to think she might actually dislike me..."

He walked into the market square and began browsing for materials. He'd been planning for a long time to make a necklace for Ruby as he did for Luna, and he figured now was as good of a time as any. He'd usually require access to a forge to mold the metals, and a few days of work, but now that his powers could heat to white-hot levels, he could easily melt most metals.

"I may not have my card, but at least I still have the money I lynched off of..." he patted his pockets only to feel them empty, and the only thing that popped into his head was the smiling, conniving face of Raven, looking awfully smug. "...well played Raven Branwen... well played..." The next few minutes was Nova pickpocketing scraps of Lien off of practically every rich looking tourist in the market place. It was just too easy given the fact that the place was already crowded, and this high up form the ground, most people didn't expect pickpockets.

The next stage was acquiring dust, which proved surprisingly difficult but not impossible. Scraps of pure silver were easy enough to find since most black market dealers had a steady supply of precious metal if you knew how to ask, and being the ex-local street rat he was, Nova knew exactly how to ask and bargain.

The last problem was finding the gemstone. The evening was driving on and most shops were closing up. Nova would have given up hope had his eyes not landed on a street stall, on the far corner of the market place, under a blossoming tree that was entirely pink (A cherry blossom tree). An elderly woman sat under it, her skin was wrinkled and dry, her grey hair and dark skin accentuated her short stature such that she looked like a cute old lady. The stall was a small tent, nothing impressive except for the lines of bright gemstones that lined the stall shelves on blue velvet.

Nova made an instant line for the stall, barely making it in time before the lady was ready to start packing up. "Ma'am, how much are these?" he pointed at the gems that were on the front row.

"Fifty-Thousand Lien, uncut," she replied curtly. the price made Nova flinch.

"Are you serious? Lady that's daylight... err evening time robbery!" he countered, trying to get a better price.

"Hmph, if you don't like the price then..." she began to get up and started packing away.

Nova recoiled, "Wait!" he stopped her. No price was too high for Ruby, and even if he didn't have that much money on him, he could probably strike a deal. "Um... listen, I was at the battle of Beacon and I lost my card, but... if you can sell me a jewel for twenty-thousand I can pay the rest when I get my card back. I can guarantee I can pay you, double the original amount if you want!" Nova blurted out hoping to stop her from packing up shop.

"Sorry kid, no dice. I can't just bank it on some 'promise'..." she said folding her small arms. She moved a few boxes around to pack and that's when Nova spotted something, a brown rock ball, too dirty to be a gemstone yet it was sitting there on the shelf... There was just something about it that stood out to him, a feeling, buried in his soul. He moved around the tent to view it close up, and that's when his arm started to hum lightly as if it was telling him that this stone was something special.

"Hey lady... how much is this?" He asked, picking up the small rock. It was roughly the size of a pocket watch, semi-spherical in shape, more like a walnut, but slightly flatter.

The lady seemed to perk up, her entire demeanor shifting, "That old thing? That's just a rock, why would you want that? I keep it around for sentimental value..."

Nova hummed, "Call it a hunch, I guess." What he didn't know was that his left arm was glowing, specifically the Agniseki embedded in it. The lady took notice but said nothing about it.

"Here's what, you tell me why you're so desperate and you can have that for free," she said sitting down on a stool she kept around to rest her legs.

Nova quirked his brow, "That's it? Well... it's for a girl... she's not just some girl either. She's amazing, and adorable, and the sweetest person you'll ever meet. She's got this smile that just makes the world seem just a little brighter every time she does it, and a laugh that makes my heart stop every time I hear it... she's everything to me..."

"Well she most certainly must be more than just 'a girl' if she made you pickpocket twenty-seven different tourists to get spending money," the lady said drumming her hands on the tabletop.

Nova blinked in surprise, "How do you..."

"The same thing could be said for that thing embedded in your arm, Fragments of Remnant are not easy to come by..."

Now Nova was alarmed, "What?! Lady... who are you?"

The old woman chuckled, "Didn't your parents tell you it's rude to ask an old woman so many questions? Let's just say I'm someone who knows. Now go on and take that thing for free, go on get!" she started poking him with her walking stick out of her tent.

"Take care of yourself, your highness," she said before Nova could turn around. The term caught him off guard again and he spun around to ask her how she knew, but she was gone. The tent and the woman were just gone, as if they vanished into thin air, leaving no trace they were ever there in the first place.

"Nice job Nova, you fall thirty feet through the air and now you're seeing creepy old ladies, you've finally gone and lost it..." he said as he looked down at the rock in his hand. The streets were practically empty now that the sun had set and night had rolled in. He placed the rock in his left arm and he could feel the Agniseki react as if telling him to apply his power.

"Well... if you're sure about this..." Nova began to pour his fire into the rock, it absorbed the raw energy like a sponge until, in a bright flash that was too bright for his eyes, the rock seemed to explode in his hands. When Nova looked at his palm, sitting in the middle was a beautiful ornate ruby. It was almost purely translucent with a rich vibrant colour, and in the middle was a streak of silver, like a stretch of light, visible enough to the eye but not so large that it diluted the gorgeous red.

"Woah... what are you...?" Nova asked the gem as if expecting a response, but the more he turned it in his palm the more he figured it was just a normal gem, a normal gem that was hidden in a rock and sold by a creepy mysterious ghost lady. "Normal gem my ass... well at least it's pretty enough for Ruby... heh a ruby for Ruby... nice..." and thus he got to work on forging the metals, which believe it or not went faster than he expected.


It was the around 9:00 p.m when Nova finally made his way back up to the house where Raven had originally dropped them off. The hike was grueling given the distance he'd fallen and it really didn't help that he hadn't eaten in two days. The downside of having a metabolism that burnt the food away from his system was that it literally burnt it out so fast he got hungry every hour. The lights were still on, so it suggested people were still awake. Now he had two options, go in through the front door like a normal person, or sneak in through the balcony like a criminal.

Needless to say... Nova took the most optimal route and opted for the balcony. He managed to climb as discreetly as he could through the trees and plop himself onto the porch, the only thing that stopped him from proceeding any further was the sound of someone talking. Choosing to stay out of sight, he peeked around one of the pillars that were outside and observed the person. The dragon felt his heart stop when he saw who it was.

Ruby Rose stood, leaning on the rails and staring up at the moonlight sky and its vast expanse of stars. Her black and red hair parted around her face in a style that looked different from when he'd seen her at Beacon. She looked much more mature, her face still as beautiful as he remembered it, but somehow, all her experiences coming to this point just made her look even more astonishing to him. Everything about her felt more mature, from her choice of clothing, with the white shirt and black dress that went just above her knees, and the slightly torn knee socks that just made her look like the world's most beautiful survivalist. The only thing that was wrong was the saddened look marring her features.

"Yang and Weiss came back today, and it looks like Hex and Yang are back together, so that's great news..." she said toying with the dragon tooth around her neck.

Who was she talking to? Nova had to listen in closer.

"Blake and Luna are still not here but, I think if destiny means anything, we'll see each other again... The only other person that's not here is you... I just wish you were here with us, Nova... I miss you so... so much..." she began to choke on her words as tears threatened to leak from her eyes. "Every day that goes by I think about you... and every night I dream about seeing you in that state... I just hope that wherever you are... you're watching over me..."

Nova had heard enough.

"Really? You're talking to that piece of junk?" Nova said from the darkness.

Ruby instantly froze up and spun around alert, "Wh-who's there?" she asked sounding scared.

"Calm down red, honestly you'd think it'd be easier to recognize my voice," Nova said with a light chuckle.

"Seriously, I'm not playing games here, whoever you are you better show yourself now or I'll find you myself!" Ruby said drawing Crescent Rose from behind her.

Nova laughed again, "Oh come on love, I never knew you to have such an itchy trigger finger. Though, I guess it's to be expected when the love of your life is the world's greatest huntress in training."

Ruby felt her blood run cold at the use of the old pet name. Her heart hammering against her chest as the blood running through her veins was flowing at such a speed it made her ears ring, every breath she took felt like a thousand as a figure emerged from the darkness and into the bright moonlight. Time stood still as she began to realize just who was there, the string of fate was tied to the dead and she couldn't bring herself to look away.

"Hey Rubes, long time no see." Nova stood in the shining moonlight, his white hair blindingly white against the silver celestial rays, his horns pointing out, those unmistakable mismatched eyes and that damned smile...

Ruby stood jaw dropped, her mind shattering into a thousand pieces as she struggled to cope with the person standing before her. "Y-You're not real... just a figment of my imagination... yeah you've gotta be... or is this an enemy attack?" she asked herself, glancing around with Crescent Rose in hand.

Nova burst out into a fit of laughter, "Figment of your imagination?" he stretched out his right arm and pinched it, "Nope seems pretty real to me, I don't know what you're talking about... I swear to Oum girl, you were never this paranoid unless it was hiding your cookie stash from Nora, in which case you tended to get very paranoid..."

Ruby just broke down, all mental functions halted and she just stared with a glassy look as if her mind had up and left her head.

"Helllooo? Nova to Ruby Rose... are you there? Damnit... I think I broke her..." Nova muttered as he opted to walk forward.

Ruby dropped Crescent Rose with a loud clang, and Nova barely had a chance to react as a burst of rose petals crashed into him, knocking him hard against the concrete banister. "Woah there red, you're gonna kill me for real this time..." he said as the girl clung to his shirt, holding on for dear life as she bawled her eyes out. Staining his shirt with hot tears that seemed to flow endlessly. Nova could only wrap his arms around her tenderly, and gently stroked the back of her head, smiling and crying almost as hard as she was.

"I-It's you! It's... really... you isn't it?! I'm not hallucinating right? You're really here?!" she asked in between sobs, staring up at him, teary-eyed and almost in disbelief.

Nova smiled warmly and caressed her cheek with his right arm, "If I wasn't real then could I do this?" he leaned down and cupped her face, bringing his lips on to hers in a gentle kiss filled with love and longing. His lips softly pressing to hers as she melted into his arms, he tasted like cinnamon rolls and what she could only describe as adventure. He opted to break it but Ruby just pulled him back down, moving herself so she was sitting in his lap, pressing her mouth to his, and brushing her tongue against his lower lip, asking for entrance. Surprised at the suddenness he opened his mouth slightly, giving Ruby just enough room to snake her tongue into his mouth. The kiss escalated even further until their lungs burned.

"Wow... just... wow..." was all Nova could say as he leaned against her forehead. "I missed you so much holy shit..."

Ruby smirked and planted a quick kiss on his cheek, "How... are you here?! I watched you die... we all did... how..."

Nova laughed, "I'll explain later when I see everyone because it's a lot to explain, and I really don't want to do it more than once... so for now... can we just enjoy this?" he covered her right palm with his own, and she laced her fingers with his, leaning down onto his chest, nestling her head in the crook of his neck. He smelled like campfires and nature with a faint whiff of cinnamon, just like she remembered. The scent that just filled her with a sense of completeness and belonging.

"Oh right, almost forgot about this..." he reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out the necklace he had made earlier. The flawless Ruby with silver markings embedded inside was intricately laced into a silver cage, the edges of the gem were encrusted with fire dust that gave it a light glow, not bright enough to illuminate but not dim enough that it wasn't unnoticeable. It was strung up in a strong yet think silver chain.

"Nova this is..." she gasped as she saw the beauty of the necklace. "Where did you get the money for this...?"

"I didn't buy it, I made it. It's one of a kind, just like you. A flawless ruby for my flawless Ruby," he said as he reached around her neck and placed the necklace while simultaneously removing the dragon tooth. "There, you look even more beautiful with it on..." he said admiring her in the moonlight.

The smile that radiated off her face was more blinding than the sun itself in his eyes and he swore he needed shades, it made his heart flutter like it was a piece of paper in a tornado, he wanted nothing more than in that moment, to capture her smile because it was the more gorgeous than any painting or picture ever made. Amongst all the celestial bodies in the vast expanses of space, not one luminescent body could come close to the brilliance that radiated off of her at that moment.

"I love you Ruby... more than anything else in the world..." he said wistfully and unconsciously, causing Ruby to turn crimson.

"I-I love you too..." she leaned down and took him in another passionate kiss.

Once they were done, they sat there for a few more moments, enjoying each other's company and relishing in the time they shared as if every moment they spent together was making up for the times they weren't.

"You said you didn't buy this thing... but you must've had to buy the materials... this chain alone must've cost a fortune... where'd you get the money...?" Ruby asked looking at him.

"Um... well you see... so I kinda lost my bank card during the Fall of Beacon so..."

"You stole the money didn't you... Nova I've told you a thousand times! Stealing is wrong!" Ruby said sternly, lightly hitting his shoulder.

"Hey in my defence, I only pickpocketed the really rich, and even then I didn't steal more than a couple... hundred Lien... give or take... anyway, the gemstone was free from a kind and creepy old lady," he explained.

"Uhh... it's not cursed is it?"

"I don't think so...?" he answered with a shrug.

She shot him an 'are you serious?' look before they both burst out into a fit of laughter, which was interrupted when Nova's stomach growled loudly.

"Sounds like someone is hungry," she said poking his stomach playfully.

He chuckled, "Well I haven't eaten in a few days so..."

"Everyone's waiting inside it seems, they're all still awake, that'll give you a good time to talk about what happened," she said pulling him by the arm.

"Well... gotta face the music sometimes right?" he said offering a lopsided grin as he headed inside.


So I hoped you enjoyed this chapter. It took me several days of several hours straight to write this, and I really bit into my time for this one, but it came out in a way that I can be proud of.

Hopefully my exams don't kill me before I finish the next chapter. Until next time, stay amazing guys.