I apologize for how incredibly late this is but exams ran longer than they usually would this week so I didn't get to work on this until yesterday. It's a bit shorter than I would like but I'll try to make it up to you guys next week when all my exams are over... though they won't be over til the 10th of June.

In response to Anthony Glider: No sadly I won't be sparing Vernarl because I want Raven as the Spring Maiden for this story... and there's stuff later down the line that it's applicable for, also I have plans for Weiss unless anyone wants to see her end up with someone specific, that being said Oscar is off limits right now because since the beginning I've had a planned ship for him. Otherwise, for Weiss, I'll be sticking with the person I wanted her to be shipped with because I think it's got some serious potential, who that is... is a surprise heh.

If you haven't gone on my twitter already, I highly recommend you do, the link is on my profile. A couple of amazing people have sent me fanart that of which I have posted, you can also check out their profiles for more.


Chapter 47: It's good to take a break sometimes


"Ilia?!" Blake exclaimed as she peered into the dark, her night vision enhancing the image before her to reveal the smaller girl hiding in the jungle bushes. Her glowing eyes were the only thing amidst the pitch-black shadows of the night.

Adam was instantly on guard, the small glint of red from his blade shining out of its scabbard in the pale light of the Belladonna household. He was ready to attack at the slightest sign of danger, the only reason he didn't was that commotion now would only cause unnecessary panic.

Ilia made no sound other than erratic eye movements as if begging them to follow her without saying it.

Blake went from combat mode to instant confusion as she observed the girl curiously. "What do you want?!" she asked glaring in her direction.

Ilia facepalmed in the darkness and began directly gesturing to follow her before disappearing into the depths of the foliage, nodding her head as if to cement the idea that she was to be followed.

The two Faunus shared a glance, "Uh… should we follow her?" Adam asked raising the eyebrow over his one functional eye.

"… It's Ilia… She might be working for the Fang, but in that time we fought, she could've chosen to kill Sun… but she didn't… there's some good in her, she's just misguided." Blake said clutching her right arm.

"So… is that a yes or….?" The redhead asked genuinely curious.

"What do you think?" the catgirl responded before getting up onto the balcony rails on all fours and leaping into the darkness. "Try to keep up!" came her distant call.

"Still the same as always…" Adam muttered as he watched her figure fade into the night before following after her. The cold wind of the night air whipped across their faces as they effortlessly maneuvered the tree line to civilized rooftops, it felt oddly reminiscent of their old days in the Fang. The espionage missions and night infiltration, some of the most fun Blake had when she was younger.

It wasn't long before they found her, atop one of the flat roofs near the Belladonna home, standing alone amidst the night sky.

"We're here… speak girl." Adam said gruffly as he landed beside Blake.

The catgirl hit him over the head, "Don't be so mean…" she turned to Ilia, "What's going on Ilia?"

"I-It's just you two?". The chameleon girl turned a shade of blue, with purple spots, "Blake… listen… about what happened today in the square…"

"Come to negotiate about your stolen war plans? Did Onyx find out and now your neck's on the line?" Adam interrogated, folding his arms and turning up his head.

Ilia turned red, literally, "NO! I…" she saw their faces… she needed to be calmer, "I came to hear it from you… what you said about Onyx… is it true?"

"Every word… he's nothing but a monster." Adam spat, his grip on his sword tensing.

Ilia could see the levels of deep-seated hatred in his eyes... that level of anger was not human... if he decided to kill her now, she would be dead with no resistance. Adam was dangerous.

"I didn't come here to fight you… I just… Blake, you shouldn't have come back home…"

"What're you talking about?" Blake asked looking both alarmed and confused, "You said this the first time… what do you mean?"

"I…I can't… say… listen there's a lot more going on than you realize… you can't just bring an assault on him like it's a simple concept…" Ilia said her skin turning blue.

"Wait what…?" Blake was taken by surprise at Ilia's tone, she was implying… a change of heart.

"Look… I don't have much time before they start looking for me. I'll explain everything tomorrow, meet me back here… seven p.m." she said looking anxious and slightly scared.

"Ilia I don't understand, what are you…" Blake's expression was now marred with concern, all of her senses were telling her that Ilia was in some sort of trouble.

"Please… I'll explain everything. I need to leave now!" Ilia said before dashing off into the night, leaving Blake and Adam to stew over what just occurred.

"She sounded… scared…" Blake said folding her arms.

"Sounds like Onyx has something on her… she doesn't strike me as some aggressive radical. I've dealt with my fair share of Fang when I was in command and I can say that she's not normal…" Adam said whilst rubbing his chin. "What if it's a trap?"

"I want to believe her… even if it is a trap, what're they going to do when I have the former White Fang captain on my side?" Blake asked with her hands on her hips.

Adam was surprised, "W-Well… I guess when you put it like that… still, your naivety will be your undoing, Blake."

"I don't need to hear that from you."


Not far off from their meeting place, Ilia set herself down at the edge of the village, bordering the dense jungle.

"You did good kid," the sinister voice of Edan said as he emerged from the shadows.

"Hmph, it was easy… she already trusts me." Ilia said with a stoic expression.

Edan chuckled, "Yes, your contributions to our cause will not go unnoticed…"

"Will you explain to me why you wanted me to set up the meeting now?" she asked folding her arms.

"Master Onyx has received word of the current situation… and in his benevolence, he has decided to have the Belladonnas and those associated… dealt with…" Fennec said also now emerging from the shadows, accompanied by his twin.

"They know too much about the plans… and their actions against him are… a hindrance. Hence… they must be silenced…" Corsac finished.

Ilia's eyes widened in shock, "WHAT?!" her face was the epitome of instant regret. She couldn't get Blake killed or her family. They were innocent people. "I can't! We can't! That's wrong!"

Edan chuckled, "Really kid? Do you think you have room to negotiate with us given your position?"

"You swore an oath to our cause," Corsac said with a dark smile.

"And your family is under our protection," Fennec finished.

"It would be a shame for that protection to… become a double-edged sword…" Corsac continued.

"Accidents do happen when a fight breaks out… civilian casualties after all…." Fennec finished for him.

Ilia felt a dark chill run up her spine as Edan gave her a cold stare.

"Need I remind you why they call me Edan 'Ghostblade'?" he began twirling one of the spectral daggers between his fingers.

"No… you're right. I'm sorry for my insubordination, it won't happen again," Ilia said her gaze cast downward, whilst biting her lower lip in frustration.

"Good… we're counting on you…." Edan said as they disappeared again as if traveling by shadow


-Mistral-

Ruby had the most comforting sleep of her life since she left Patch. Her dreams were filled with warmth and the smell of cinnamon…and the odd flash of orange… which was odd, but dreams tended to be strange at times. She was vaguely awake, her eyes were closed but her mind was more or less ready to awaken, the only problem was that her boyfriend was just so comfortable that it hurt her mentally to leave the comfort of his warmth.

She snuggled closer into his, unusually soft chest, feeling the slow rise and fall of his chest almost lull her into sleep again until Nova himself began to stir.

"Mmm, Ruby your hair is tickling my nose…" Nova said in a rather higher-pitched voice.

"My hair isn't anywhere near your nose stop being a pest and go back to sleep…" she mumbled nuzzling her head into his semi-squishy stomach.

Nova peaked his eyes open to see Ruby happily burying her face into his stomach, that's when he realized the hair in his face was white, "Oh shit… it's my hair what?... oh…" he glanced down to see his body was not that of which he went to bed in during the night.

"What was that oh for?" Ruby murmured now raising her head groggily, letting her black and red hair fall over her face. When she saw the state of Nova she realized what that 'oh' meant.

"You're a girl? Nova did you overuse your powers yesterday?" she asked curiously.

Nova glanced down, sure enough, he was now a she again. "No… must be the armlet bugging out again hold on…" he clicked the button on the armlet, there was a fizzled flash of orange, unlike the normal solid glow.

"And presto! I'm a guy… or not?" she looked down to see her body hadn't changed back. She made a move to push the button again only for the armlet to begin sparking and then just made a pained noise before it stopped sounding altogether.

"Fuck me sideways… damn things busted…" she cursed, before faceplanting on the bed, rolling her head over to Ruby who was sitting up against the bed head. "Guess I'm gonna be stuck like this until it gets fixed…"

"Is that a bad thing? I mean… I like the girl version of you, just as much as the guy version, you're still you… just while you're a guy you're hot… and as a girl, you're still hot but you're also very cute…" Ruby blushed as she complimented the dragon.

"Are you sayin' I'm not normally cute?" Nova asked, placing her head on Ruby's lap and looking up at her.

"Of course you are… just you're a different kind of cute!" Ruby said in a fit of giggles as she toyed with Nova's hair.

"Hmmm~," Nova grinned, nuzzling her head into Ruby's lap before *GROWL*.

"Was that an Ursa?" Ruby asked curiously looking out the window only to see the foliage and mountainside.

"No… that was my stomach… I totally forgot to eat last night…" Nova complained.

"How the hell did you… oh right the storytelling and stuff," the reaper chuckled as she poked the dragon leader's cheek.

Nova's head instantly shot up as her nose began to sniff the air.

"What is it, girl?! What do you smell?" Ruby asked as if Nova were a dog.

"Pancakes! There can only be one person to concoct such a delectable smell of deliciousness!"

"Nora!"

"Nora!" They both said simultaneously, before bursting into a fit of laughter.


The couple made their way downstairs to see most everyone else awake, the only person who wasn't was Qrow who was snoring away on the couch… how he moved from his bed to the couch again made absolutely no sense but they weren't questioning it.

"Mornin' guys… I smell pancakes… there better be enough for everybody and not just Nora otherwise someone's getting kicked halfway across Mistral for tempting me out of bed…" Nova grumbled as she moved into the kitchen.

"Wait I thought Weiss was over…" Jaune looked over to the dining table where Weiss was calmly reading a book until her name was called to which she looked slightly startled. "Who…?"

"Jaune… I'm gone for what a month? And you already forget what I look like?" Nova asked quirking her brow.

Jaune opened his mouth to answer but at that moment Oscar came downstairs.

"Morning guys, Ruby, Weiss…" he greeted as he passed Ruby and Nova.

"I'm over here!" Weiss fumed as Oscar's attention was drawn to the girl at the table.

"Wait… but you were just…" he turned around to see girl Nova with a shit-eating grin waving at him, while Weiss sat on the opposite side of the room. It took him more than three looks back and forth before he had a mental meltdown.

"Oscar!" Nova said taking the boy by the shoulders, "You see these?" she pointed to her horns.

Oscar nodded vigorously, whilst blushing. "And you see this?" Nova pointed to her scar over her right eye and the mismatched irises.

"Hey, you kinda look like…" Oscar began to realize.

"Now he gets it, good boy," Nova said patting him on the head before walking into the kitchen to find coffee.

"How…?" Oscar looked positively confused and slightly flustered, unable to look in the direction of the alarmingly good looking dragon girl that was wearing a t-shirt two sizes too large for her.

"Long story…" Nova answered as she turned around, leaning over the counter with an entire pot of coffee, casually drinking the boiling liquid like it was room temperature water.

"OOOH! STORYTIME AND BREAKFAST!" Nora squealed grabbing a stack of pancakes and sitting down.

"Yeah, I guess I could tell it over some food…" Nova said placing the empty pot down and stretching her arms above her head.

"Uh… you might want to change clothes first… or change back into a guy if you're doing that… there's only so much young Oscar's brain can handle before he overheats…" Yang pointed out. They all turned to see Nova's shirt hanging a little too loose around her chest, almost revealing her assets, and the stretching didn't do much to help either.

Nova instantly turned red, "OH! FUCK! My bad Oscar," she apologized to the boy who was currently redder than Ruby's hood, with blood leaking down his nose.

Everyone just laughed at his expense as he tried to cover his face.

"WEISS!"

"WHAT?!"

"I'M BORROWING YOUR…" Nova yelled as he climbed the stairs.

"DON'T YOU FUCKING DARE FINISH THAT SENTENCE!" The Schnee yelled back as she watched the girl disappear.


A few minutes later Nova came down wearing a black long-sleeved, v-neck shirt and what looked to be one of Weiss' white skirts and black knee socks. The shirt hugged Nova's body almost like spandex, accentuating her curves.

"The fact that you're allowed to look that good and you don't even try should be illegal…" Hex said, gesturing with her fork as Nova descended the stairs to sit at the table.

"She's not even wearing makeup! It's not fair!" Weiss protested as well.

"…But I never wear makeup either…" Ruby said raising the point.

"That's different, you're you… she's… ugh, this is impossible…" Weiss groaned faceplanting the table.

Nova snickered, "Come on ice queen if you let that personality thaw a little you might become… naturally hot…" she burst out laughing.

Yang chuckled, "Yeah and maybe people will 'warm-up' to you more!" she broke out into a fit of hysteria like Nova, as they both began heaving for air. Everyone in the room looked at them with pained expressions.

"Please tell me they only do that on occasion…" Oscar groaned rubbing his temples.

"Unfortunately not…" everyone else simultaneously responded.

"Come on guys, it's guys, why you gotta be so 'cold'?" Nova said pointing to Weiss while struggling to keep it in.

"Yeah, it's not like our humor is 'frozen' stale!" Yang said falling over.

Everyone felt their stomachs turn. It was bad enough having one Yang, but two was just overkill.

"Yang, please for the sake of our relationship, don't…" Hex threatened.

"Nova, if you make another pun, no snuggles for a week," Ruby followed up.

This seemed to slap both of them to their senses as they instantly righted themselves.

"Uhhh so what were we doing? Stories right? Well Oscar, allow me to tell you a tale of frozen tundras! Daring adventures! Mysteries and life or death situations!" Nova said as she began to tell the story of their first mission as Team ASHNRWBY.


"Woah… so… you survived that… but that doesn't explain why you're like this," Oscar pointed out.

"Right well, the nanomachines they injected me with used Maiden DNA as a base so that circulated in my bloodstream while I was low on blood. My semblance is an adaptation so my body adapted to the nanomachines and copied some of the DNA traits, as far as we know they only thing that changed is my body." Nova explained.

"Okay then if you changed then how were you a guy yesterday?"

"This thing," Nova raised the armlet, "Helps regulate the machines into their active state so I can be a guy as long as I want or switch to a girl if I need to. Thing is… it broke after the Fall of Beacon and it hasn't been fully repaired…"

"Don't look at me, that's biotech, I don't deal with biotech," Hex said backing out instantly.

"Which means I'll have to try and fix it…" Nova muttered looking pained.

"You're going to fix it?" Jaune asked.

"Hey! Just because I'm not a technowizard like Hex or a super medical genius like my sister and mother, doesn't mean I don't know how to fix this stuff. I designed and forged Asura, and helped my sister forge Galaxia, I have some knowledge!" she protested looking slightly offended.

"Yes, if the ability of your parents has indeed passed to you then it would be wrong for us to doubt your capabilities," Ren said calmly sipping tea.

"Right your parents are super geniuses! I forgot about that… You're mom's the nicest lady!" Nora said cheerfully.

"Nora you only say that because she bought you food," Red said blankly.

Nora stuck her tongue out in 'tee-hee'.

"Anyway so that's outta the way, ice princess, it's your turn," Nova said turning to the Schnee.

"Huh?" she blinked like a deer in headlights.

"You haven't told us about what happened. How did you manage to convince papa Schnee to let you go? I thought you were the heir to his corporation or whatever?" Nova asked, instantly regretting it as he watched her face fall like a stone off a cliff.

"That's… he didn't let me leave…"

"Huh?!" they all questioned.

"Well… thing is…" Weiss then began to tell the story about her return to Atlas and the charity ball.


"Damnnn girl, I'm impressed!" Hex said admiringly.

"Hell yeah, that's our Weiss-cream, sticking it to those pompous money bags!" Yang said smiling.

"I take it uncle dust emperor didn't take that act of rebellion too kindly…" Nova said, knowing exactly how those high society dirtbags handled things like public image. She could only imagine what Weiss was put through.

"No… he didn't. He stripped me of my claim to the Schnee Dust Company as an heiress and transferred everything to my brother…" Weiss said shaking slightly.

"What do you mean everything…?" Ruby asked looking worried for her friend.

"Wait you have a brother?!" Nora asked, which went ignored.

"My title as the heiress, my shares of the company, my inheritance, my rights as a Schnee, everything…" Weiss explained not looking at them, instead choosing to stare at the empty space on the table in front of her.

"That's awful… I mean I know how those families work… but still…" Nitro said shuddering as he remembered his own family.

"I don't blame him, I lost control. I gave in to my petty anger and disgraced him. It was even worse when he questioned me about it. It was like all my anger had hit a breaking point and I just let loose. Everything that had been bothering me over the years, his treatment of our family, how awful and broken it is. His dealings with the black market, his unethical treatment of the Faunus… all of it just came out." She clutched her arms around herself, "You should've seen him if disowning me wouldn't make him look bad, he would have done that the moment I left for Beacon…"

"Weiss…" Yang was at a loss for words. Everyone didn't know what to say.

"Hmph and what of it?" Nova spoke up.

"Huh?" Weiss looked up confused.

"You stood up for yourself! You put up with their shit for too long, I think it's a good thing you said what you said. You were right, Weiss, don't let anyone tell you otherwise." She said folding her arms.

"Yeah, Nova's right. Weiss, you stood your ground, you're Weiss, the Schnee name doesn't define you. When people think about the girl that fought for Beacon they don't see Weiss Schnee, we see just Weiss." Hex said smiling.

"B-But… I ruined everything! Don't you guys get it? By running away from home, breaking out… I've essentially ruined my life! If enough time passes… I might not have a home to come back to…" Weiss said with tears in her eyes.

Nova glanced at everyone around the table then back at Weiss, "Weiss you might need to wash that load of shit out of your mouth."

"E-Excuse me?!" Weiss wiped her eyes, looking angry now.

"You heard her, she said 'no home to go back to'. Weiss in case you haven't realized, let me spell it out for you. You always have a home with me, with us. The Flareheart Family's doors are open to you, former heiress to the SDC or not, you are Weiss. If your dad doesn't want you back then I want you." Nova said looking her hard in the eyes.

Weiss sniffled, "W-What?"

"Weiss, after everything we've been through, we're your family now… all of us," Ruby said smiling with pure light in her eyes, they all were.

Weiss was taken aback, "Y-You… really mean that?"

"Weiss, you're my family whether you like it or not," Nova said folding her arms.

Weiss was overcome with emotions as she tackled the dragon girl in a tight hug. "Thank you so much… I love you guys…" she sniffed.

"We love you to Weiss," Ruby responded joining the hug.

"UGH CAN'T A GUY GET OVER HIS HANGOVER IN PEACE?!" Qrow grumbled aloud as he rose from the couch to see the teens sitting at the table. "Hey, why are there two Schnees? Ugh, this must be a bad dream…"

"Do I really look like Weiss that much?" Nova asked alarmed.

"It's weird, take away the scars, change the eyes and you look almost identical, save for certain… aspects…" Hex said glancing at Nova's boobs.

"I'm not flat!" Weiss protested.

"No one said anything about that Weiss-cream," Nova snickered much to her expense.

"Seriously who's the chick?" Qrow asked now rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

" 'Sup old man, you miss me?" Nova said getting up and moving closer so Qrow could see her eyes and horns.

"No… way… n-n-no you're supposed to be dead you're y-you're…" Qrow's eyes widened as he began to tear up.

"Damn old man, since when were you capable of waterworks? You must be getting soft," Nova chuckled.

Qrow ceased all movements and just hugged the girl, tightly wrapping her shorter frame against his. The man was bawling his eyes out behind Nova as he hugged her. "It's nice to see you again too, Uncle Qrow…"

'It's quite strange to see Qrow get so emotional… usually, he's either drunk or angry or both…' Ozpin said.

'Is it that strange? This Nova guy…err girl? It seems to be loved by everyone… even you have some happy memories of him,' Oscar responded in his mind.

'Yes Miss Flareheart has deep-rooted connections to everyone here, and I hope you will come to feel the same way,' Ozpin finished.

'Well… we'll see…'

'Let me take over for a bit'

'Uh… sure…?'

"Good morning students," Ozpin said through Oscar's voice, startling everyone.

"Shit, Oz, I forgot you were there, Good morning to you to I guess," Yang replied slightly taken aback.

"Yes, you would do well to remember that I do share Oscar's senses and memory. That being said… today we'll be starting your training," Ozpin said sipping on coffee which he seemed to have obtained from thin air.

"What?! Oz no way, we just got here, we need some time to adjust," Nitro complained.

"Well while you take time to adjust our enemies will be constantly planning and getting stronger. They aren't going to wait for you to get more powerful. Our training starts today… that includes you as well Oscar," Ozpin said aloud.

'I'm not mentally prepared for this…'

"Well, I hate to break it to you might wizard, but Ruby and I have a day-long date today, so we'll be sitting the training out," Nova said smiling deviously as she detached from Qrow and joined her girlfriend.

Ruby looked nervous, "Uhhh… are you sure that's a good idea…?"

"Yes, I agree with Miss Rose, you two should remain here and train." Ozpin opened his cane and rested his right hand on it.

Nova chuckled, "Hate to break it to you Oz, but Yang and I already received training from Tai, there's a lot to perfect but I think we could afford one day… and as for Ruby, I'll train her myself."

"Are you sure you're qualified to train Miss Rose? I understand you are strong enough already but it is in your best interest to be ready." Ozpin said with what sounded like a threatening tone.

Nova waved her hand, "Try and stop us."

"Very well I shall." Ozpin smiled.

As Nova and Ruby walked toward the front door, Ozpin flew at them at an alarming speed, closing the gap in less than a second.

They all watched in horror, then awe, as Nova turned around instantly, grabbed the cane, and flipped Ozpin into the air before cartwheeling a kick that sent him crashing into Qrow, collapsing the two onto the couch.

Nova then dusted off herself, "There now do you have your answer?"

Ozpin got up in a coughing fit, "Well… it seems you've certainly grown stronger, though I'd fare better if this body could keep up with my movements."

"So do we get a pass?" Ruby asked hopefully.

"Yes Miss Rose, you are free to go, provided you spend the whole day tomorrow training… that being said, well done mastering the sensory field technique Miss Flareheart." Ozpin sat back down on the couch looking slightly dizzy.

"Yeah and Oscar, if you're hearing this I'm really sorry about the kick… I didn't realize you hadn't unlocked your aura yet…" Nova said causing everyone to wince. Taking that kick without aura would leave a nasty bruise at best.

"Uhh what was that?" Nora asked turning to Yang as Ruby and Nova left.

"Ozpin attacked Nova within his sensory field. It's a thing you can do with aura that lets you detect and react to attacks within a certain radius of your person. The more aura you use the higher you can extend the field… it's like a sixth sense." Yang explained nonchalantly.

"And you can do that too?" Jaune asked incredulously.

"Yeah, maybe not as good as her or my dad, but I'd say I'm pretty decent… there's a lot more you can do with aura than you think," the blonde brought up her hand to show them a glowing yellow fist.

"Yes… it seems you've learned techniques that take normal huntsmen decades to learn just a few weeks… I'm impressed," Ozpin said getting up, "There may not be anything to teach you Miss Xiaolong, but the others could stand to learn a few things."

"OOH, I ALWAYS WANTED TO GO TO BOOT CAMP!" Nora squealed.

"Nora there's no pancakes in real boot camp." Ren pointed out.

Nora made a disgusted face, "Never mind I hate boot camp."


"So what's first on our agenda?" Ruby asked as she trailed alongside her girlfriend, taking her hand in hers, entwining their fingers. The morning was nothing but clear skies and clean air. Warm sunshine and the occasional breeze, it was just the type of day to label a lazy day.

"Well… I was thinking we could go shopping? I sorta need some clothes here if I'm going to be regularly changing outfits… I only have one other set of girl clothes… and those are special…" Nova said bringing her index to her chin.

"Special?"

"Yeah… um… it's sort of special occasion clothes that Yang loaned me… I feel bad wearing them…" Nova blushed.

"Are they embarrassing?" Ruby asked genuinely curious.

"No… it's more like… they hold special meaning to you, and her."

"To me? What are you…"

"Never mind that, let's go explore the town!" Nova said tugging Ruby along, the poor girl left in the dark.

"Wait how are we going to buy clothes if we have no real money?" Ruby pointed out, the only real spending money she had was from Qrow and that was nothing more than a few Lien.

Nova raised her finger to suggest something, and Ruby stopped her before she could say it, "No, we are not stealing from the tourists."

"But…"

"Nova… stealing is wrong!" Ruby fumed.

"Fine… but that just means we're going to have to get my card replacement from the bank." Nova groaned.

"Well, it's better than stealing…"

"Ruby, love, you do realize that my bank account is literally filled with stolen money from the SDC right?" Nova pointed out.

Ruby thought for a moment, "Meh, after hearing what Weiss' dad did, I'll let it slide." She chuckled darkly… which was scary coming from the embodiment of sweetness.

Nova felt her sweat drop, "What have I done to you…"


When the couple walked into the bank, they were expecting long lines and hours of waiting, instead, it was unusually empty. The dark blue walls and black tiles of the large floor space made it look almost abandoned had it not been for the clerks at the various desks.

Ruby and Nova sat at the desk of one of the employees for personal account dealings. The employee was a short brown-haired girl with glasses, not much older than twenty-five, wearing a dark grey jacketed outfit.

"Hi… I'd like to get a replacement debit card? Lost the old one in an accident…" Nova scratched the back of her head while Ruby looked at her girlfriend with an expression that said 'really? That's what you're going with?'

"Name of the account and a form of ID?" the clerk responded looking rather glad to be talking to a person, which was odd considering most people working in a bank looked bored to tears with living.

"Alexandrite Lucius? As for ID…" Nova fished for her pockets only to realize she was wearing a skirt, and even if she were wearing pants her scroll was destroyed during the Fall of Beacon… "Fuck me and a half…"

"You forgot your ID didn't you…" the clerk raised her eyebrow.

"Not forgotten more like I lost that too…" Nova laughed nervously.

"Seriously?!" Ruby looked genuinely surprised.

"Hey, it's not my fault alright… My scroll and my wallet got destroyed and/or lost after that I fell off the tower. It's a little hard to keep track of the small stuff when you're literally bleeding to death under three tons of concrete and steel!" Nova countered.

Ruby recoiled, "Right… yeah, that makes more sense…"

"Three tons of concrete and steel? Are you all alright? What the hell happened?" The clerk asked now curious about the story.

Nova felt a spark of genius appear in her mind, "We were Beacon students, I lost my stuff during the Fall and well… it's been rough getting everything back…" she feigned trauma.

Ruby was genuinely surprised at her girlfriend's acting skills.

"The Fall of Beacon?! You must've been through so much…"

"Yeah, it was horrifying… one of my friends is in a coma right now from her injuries and I got separated from my sister… it's been really hard for us…" Nova reached over grabbing Ruby's hand and intertwining their fingers. The clerk saw the pained expression on Nova's face and instantly felt sorry for her.

"Well… there's not much I can do without a form of ID… but maybe my manager can pull some strings… I'll get her on the phone for you."

The moment the clerk turned to call the manager Nova shot Ruby a shit-eating grin and a thumbs up, to which the reaper just facepalmed, she felt guilty for playing along with this awful rouse.

"The manager will see you now… Miss Lucius…" the clerk guided the couple to the managerial office which was rather small considering the large size of the bank.

There was only enough room for a large desk, the various shelving and books, and a computer, as well as two chairs. Otherwise, the room was very cramped.

The manager was a very tall dark blue-haired woman, who looked to be in her mid-thirties. She wore a navy blue jacketed outfit much like the clerks downstairs, except hers was made of finer quality.

"So… I've been told you're a special case asking for a debit card replacement for one lost… in the Fall of Beacon? You're Beacon students?" the manager asked.

"Well were since Beacon is no longer operational… but yes. I lost my ID and such during the Fall… is there anything you can do to get me a replacement?" Nova asked pleadingly.

"A likely story, but as you are students… and very clearly minors… in the event of a replacement without identification, I'd need a relevant Parent or Guardian to sign off on everything… and present the relevant documents…"

"And that's unfortunate since… um… well…" Nova glanced at Ruby.

"Ugh, look lady. We're miles away from our parents, on a mission to save the world of Remnant from the forces of evil that caused the Fall of Beacon in the first place. My girlfriend here is also my boyfriend because things happened and we're just kids sent on a life or death mission and we just want access to her bank account so she could buy some clothes for the rest of our stay here!" Ruby exploded while Nova and the manager just looked at her wide-eyed in shock.

"And you expect me to believe all of that? Give me one good reason why I shouldn't…"

"Because… I can prove I'm Alexandrite Lucius, just give me a pen and paper, I'll prove my signature… or give me a fingerprint scan or something geez…" Nova said exasperated.

There was a knock on the door, like the sound of a wooden walking stack rapping onto the solid furniture. "Marina would you stop giving those kids a hard time!" an elderly female voice said from outside the office. The door opened to reveal a very short old woman with white hair and squinted eyes.

Nova's eyes widened, and she gasped, "YOU! You're that old lady from the market place!"

"You know my grandmother?" The manager, whose name was apparently Marina, answered.

"SHE'S YOUR GRANDMOTHER?!" Nova asked incredulously.

"I'm sorry who's the granny?" Ruby asked out of the loop.

"She's the one that gave me the gem for your necklace," Nova said gesturing to the necklace that hung around Ruby's neck.

The old lady looked at them and smiled, "So… that's what it turned into… interesting… and you have Silver eyes… Marina just give the kids what they want. I know them, they're good kids."

"But…"

"Don't disobey your elders! Besides, when have I ever led you astray?" The old lady pointed out.

Marina sighed, "Okay abuelita if you say so…"


It wasn't long before the couple walked out of the bank with a fresh new card, and accompanied by a familiar old lady.

"So… mysterious old lady, what did you mean when you said 'that's what it turned into' what did you mean? And what do you know about Silver Eyes?" Nova inquired.

"Well firstly, my name is Carmen Calavera, and I know about silver eyes because I also have them…" she opened her eyes wide so the teens could see, that her eyes, even though they were old, were definitely the same colour as Ruby's.

The two teens gasped.

"And that rock I gave you… it is a special stone, I can't tell you what it does… it might not even do anything at all… that's all dependant on how you use it …" she said lightly.

"I swear this lady only speaks in riddles…" Nova muttered to herself, "wait how did you even recognize me, I'm a girl!"

"It's not that hard when you carry the aura of the Agniseki with you…"

"Again how the fuck do you know about these things?!"

"You… I cannot answer you…" she gestured to Nova, "But… you… I can help you…"

Ruby blinked in confusion, "Me? Wha-?"

"Your eyes… they are dormant, they are awakening but they are still far from being useable… you are not ready… when your eyes awaken, find me again… for now… I can offer you some advice. Emotions are your first step in the right direction to unlocking your full potential." Raisa said as she walked away from them.

Ruby tilted her head, "What? Granny what do you mean by…" and then she was gone. Raisa vanished into thin air like a ghost, the only thing left behind was an echo in the wind.

"Emotions are the first step! You will need this in the future!" came the distant sound of her voice.

"There she goes again… lady's a nut job I tell yah…" Nova mumbled to herself.

"She said the stone has the potential to do something… and my eyes…" Ruby murmured as she clutched the necklace.

"Crazy lady is crazy, don't take her so seriously or you might end up like her," Nova replied.

Ruby just couldn't shake the feeling that Carmen's words were somehow important…


The town of Mistral seemed less busy than usual that day, the normally crowded streets and cramped market places were slightly sparser, making it look like the streets of Vale, without the endless concrete jungle or massive CCT Tower. It was a cozy place with smiling people, who carried about their lives as if the world around them wasn't on the brink of collapsing. It provided a respite from the heavy atmosphere that usually hovered around the teens, like a break in the heavy clouds of a thunderstorm. The light of hope would shine through, reminding them that better days still exist out there, and they should enjoy what little bits of peace they still have.

"Where are we going?" Ruby asked curiously as they wandered around. Nova would show her different stores that she either shoplifted from or bought from frequently, though there was a blurred line between stealing and buying when it came to Nova. Especially her kleptomaniacal tendencies in more 'prestigious' looking stores. Ruby had to constantly remind her girlfriend that she had money and didn't need to resort to such underhanded methods of procurement, but still, old habits died hard.

For Nova it wasn't that difficult to keep herself in check since her skirt had no pockets... something she cursed the designs vehemently for.

"You'll see..." Nova smiled warmly as she wrapped her arm around Ruby's right and leaned on her shoulder.

Ruby was about to question further when a faint floating pink speck floated gently across her field of vision. A delicate petal, bright and cheery like that of a flower, and just as one fell, more seemed to follow, until eventually, they arrived at a sight so breathtaking Ruby felt her heart stop.

It was a large flat park as if carved into the mountainside like a plateau, where dozens of trees with bright pink foliage adorned the area. A vast expanse of cherry blossom trees as far as the eye could see, all in full blood with their fallen petals blanketing the floor in a carpet of pink.

Ruby's eyes just widened in awe as she clutched her hands over her mouth. It was her first time seeing a scene so beautiful in her entire life, the atmospheres of peace and tranquility that was emanating from the environment struck her soul with feelings she didn't know she had. There were a few people laid on blankets on the ground, either picnicking or just enjoying the scenery.

"Welcome to Mistral's famous Eternal Blossom forest. It's like Forever Fall... but pink!" Nova smiled reaching up and kissing Ruby on the cheeks.

"I-It's beautiful... we need to bring everyone here!" Ruby exclaimed in excitement as she ran into the field of pink, kicking up cherry blossom petals as she moved, shopping bags are forgotten on the ground. Nova watched the petals fall around her smiling face in slow motion, capturing every moment of her smile, the brightness, and purity of her eyes. Her eyes hadn't shown this bright since they were still students at Beacon. She was like an everlasting gem, that despite whatever scratches it gets or how many bumps it encounters on the road, it still shines ever so brightly.

"One day... but I think for now... we should just enjoy it... together," she blushed while twirling her fingers.

Ruby's heart melted at the gesture and tackled her in a tight hug, knocking them both to the ground, petals erupting into the air around them, as Ruby laid on Nova's chest, staring into her eyes.

"You're the sweetest boy/girlfriend a girl could ask for..." Ruby said, her eyes emanating the purest form of emotion. She leaned her head down and rested her nose against Nova's.

Nova blushed dark red, "I can't deal with compliments so well..." she tried to avert her gaze.

Ruby chuckled at the cute reaction, "But you're usually so normal about it, like 'Yeah I'm awesome I know'."

"That's because I need to be like that... I'm the leader they expect me to be... I'm scared for the future. That fight with Onyx was a rude awakening that I am more mortal than I realize... and the fact that I was overwhelmed so easily when my opponent was holding back, scares me..." Nova reached up and gripped Ruby's hands that were lying a the side of him.

Ruby's expression softened, "Hey... don't talk like that, whatever we face tomorrow... we face it together. I'll be by your side... always... and that's a promise."

Nova tilted her head to stare Ruby in the eyes, "Is it? What if something happens tomorrow that we can't control... Ruby, you lost me once... and I don't want to have to lose you either..."

Ruby nuzzled her nose to her girlfriend's, "And you won't have to. We can't control the future, but we can control the present... and the present says the best gift you ever gave to me was coming back to me... and I plan to treasure it, and make every second count..."

"Goddamn, I love you..." Nova smiled warmly as Ruby closed the gap between them and firmly planted her lips on the dragon's own. The soft, gentle swaying of the trees and the ever falling pink that surrounded them complimented the scene of two fated lovers, sharing a moment of bliss under the comfort of the cherry blossom trees. The moment would forever be ingrained into their memories for as long as they lived.


Hopefully by next week things are back to normal... I hope...

Thanks to everyone that's still reading this actively, I love you all. I know things are slow but I've been putting out 1-2 Chapters a week, every week for about five months, this story is one of my favourite things to work on and I honestly can't wait to do the upcoming arcs for the end of Volume 5, Neo's arc and Oscar's arc that will happen pre-volume 7.