Raven growled as she poked at the mass of meat – she was told that it was a chicken cutlet – with the fork in her hand before she sent a glare at the blonde man sitting beside her hospital bed.

"Would it kill you to get me some real food, Tai?" Raven asked, pointing the utensil in her hand at the man.

"Sure, I could buy you some actual food from outside the hospital," the man replied and for a second, Raven felt her spirits rise before it came plummeting back down, "After you give me the money to pay for it."

"You know I don't have any money right now." Raven said.

"Yeah, didn't think so. Can't imagine it would be easy for a bandit to open a bank account in Vale." Tai replied, a chuckle escaping his lips before casually dodging the fork Raven threw at him as it embedded itself into the wall behind him, "Now how are you going to eat your lunch, Raven?"

"I don't remember you being this much of a jerk. Qrow must be rubbing off on you." Raven commented, a frown forming on her face at thought of her twin.

"It's been nearly twenty years since we've had a proper talk, Rae. Things are bound to change between now and then."

"I suppose…" Raven commented, looking away from the man, "Honestly, I thought you'd be more furious with me. Especially considering that I just dropped back into your life like I did. Quite literally, in fact."

"Believe me, Raven, when you decided to open that portal over me and ruined my breakfast like you did, I was enraged" Tai said, a frown on his face "I mean, do you know how hard it is to get blood off a kitchen floor? Near impossible, I tell you."

"That's what you're mad about?" Raven asked, rounding on the man.

"Well, yeah…? What did you think I was talking about?" Tai asked. Raven hesitated on her answer as she could only click her tongue in annoyance.

"Nothing. Don't worry about it." Raven replied.

"What, did you think I was mad about how you just decided to come back after all this time, even if it was for getting half of your arm chopped off?" Tai asked, a small laugh escaping his lips, "Don't flatter yourself, Raven. You think I never noticed a bird watching Yang – only Yang – during her birthday every year?"

"Here I thought I was being subtle…" Raven said with a chuckle.

"You Branwens never were the subtle type." Tai added, a fond smile on his face before a commotion outside the room grabbed both of their attention. A few moments later, the door to their room slammed open as the third member of the former Team STRQ barged into the room.

"Hey, hey! There she is! My bitch of a twin sister. How's it going, Rae Rae?" Qrow asked, a shit eating grin on his face as he closed the door behind him.

"Ugh, now I have this idiot to deal with…" the woman in question said as she rubbed her face in annoyance.

"Oh, come on, Rae. Aren't you happy to see me?" the man asked as he pulled up a chair as he sat down beside the woman's bed, "After all, it's been so long since the three of us were in the same room together."

"Qrow, shut up. Seriously. Before I gouge your eye out with this plastic spoon." Raven said as she gripped the aforementioned utensil in her hand before waving it threateningly in front of her brother's face.

"Harsh." Qrow said, an amused chuckle leaving his lips before turning his attention to the other occupant of the room, "So, no kids today?"

"It's a weekday, Qrow. They're in school." Tai replied without even looking up from the newspaper in his hands.

"Ah, that's a bummer. There goes two thirds of the reason why I'm here today." Qrow said, a disappointed frown on his face.

"Since you eat my food for free from time to time, I hope that third reason is me." Tai added as Qrow could only shrug in response.

"Looks like you're having trouble with your lunch there, Rae. Need a… hand?" Qrow asked as he nudged Raven with his elbow.

"Wow. Never heard that one before." the woman said as she pushed the tray of food away.

"You know what they say, laughter is the best medicine." Qrow said, the man laughing at his own joke.

"Ever the comedian, aren't you, Qrow?" Raven said, "Just like your love life."

"Low blow, Rae. Low. Blow." the man said, "Besides, you need to loosen up a bit. Here, I got a few more arm jokes that I thought of while making my way here. Wanna tell me what you think?"

"No. And get out. My idiot quota is filled for the day."

"Here's a good one." the man said, continuing despite his sister's protests, "Why does everyone love their arms? Because they're all very attached to them."

The man could only laugh as he dodged a flying spoon thrown at his head.

[~]

"What's the matter, kid?" Musashi asked as she and Jaune strolled through the bustling streets of Argus, "You've had a nervous look ever since we stepped foot in this city."

"It's nothing…" Jaune said as his eyes scanned his surroundings not unlike when a prey was looking out for a predator.

"Certainly doesn't look like nothing." Musashi said as she bought herself a hotdog. Taking a bite, the woman let out an excited squeal, "Mmmm! What is this? I've never had something like this before!"

"It's a hotdog." Jaune said and almost immediately, the woman's face blanched with disgust.

"You people… eat dogs…?! That's barbaric!" Musashi exclaimed. Before the woman could throw the food away, Jaune had the presence of mind to grab her arm.

"That's just the name. The meat is chicken, sometimes beef or pork." Jaune said as he lowered the woman's arms, "Seriously, where did you come from that you've never had something like that?"

"I told you, I'm from a place called Japan." the woman replied, calming down after the blonde boy's explanation.

"Must be very out in the sticks if you've never had something like this before." Jaune said as he paid the vendor in front of him for the food.

"Yeah, something like that. Anyway, you were telling me about why you were scared of this place?" Musashi said, taking another bite out of the food in her hand.

"I wasn't-" Jaune started to say before letting out a defeated sigh, "It just occurred to me that… my sister and her wife is staying here…"

"And that's bad because…?"

"Well, remember when I told you I stole my family's sword to go to Beacon?" Jaune asked as Musashi nodded along, "Well, I also didn't tell anyone - not even my sisters - about it and I'm just scared of what Sapron is going to do to me if she catches me here."

"Surely your sister can't be that bad." Musashi said.

"You don't know the half of it…" Jaune said, a tired sigh escaping his lips as he started recount the stories of his childhood to his new mentor, "She has her nice moments but when we were kids, she was a giant prankster. Her number one victim? That would be yours truly."

Musashi let out a laugh as the woman listened to the blonde's stories.

"...even after she left, she would send me gag gifts for my birthday." Jaune whined aloud, "I love my sister, I do, but she is just the worst."

Before the boy could go any further, a voice suddenly spoke up from behind him that sent chills up the boys' spine.

"Now, Jaune, is that any way to talk about your dear sister?" Saphron Cotta-Arc said as the woman placed a strong grip on the boy's shoulder. Turning around, Jaune came face-to-face with an irate looking elder sister, her wife standing right beside her with a sleeping child in her hands, "Especially since I received a call from mom and dad a few weeks ago about how you'd run away from home with Crocea Mors."

"S-Saphron, hey! You're looking well…" Jaune said with a nervous chuckle, "You and Terra are looking well these days."

"Hi, Jaune." Terra said with a small wave, "It's so nice to see you again."

"I would love to continue this chat but this is hardly the place for a family reunion, is it?" Saphron said, "Why don't we continue this at our house, Jaune?"

"W-well, actually… I sort of have other-" Jaune said before his sister's grips on his shoulder tightened, causing the boy to wince, "On second thought, that sounds like a good idea."

"Wonderful. Please, follow me." the woman said as she dragged her brother by the shoulder as Musashi trailed along with an amused look on her face.

[~]

"...Of all the stupid, irresponsible, reckless, and stupid ideas you have ever had!" Saphron shouted as Jaune knelt down before her, a look of guilt on his face, "Do you know how worried we all were?! How mom kept calling every single day to see if there was any news about you?!"

"Saph, if I could just-" Jaune started to say before the glare on the woman's face intensified.

"Did I sound like I was done talking?!" the woman shouted once more as Jaune wisely shut his mouth, "We all were worried sick about you, Jaune! What kind of stupid reason did you have to just run away without even telling anyone?! Are you an idiot?! Do you want mom to suffer a heart attack?!"

"Saphron, I'm sorry, alright?!" Jaune shouted back, the boy having had enough of being lectured by his sister.

"Oh, you're sorry?! Well, that just makes everything better, doesn't it?!" Saphron continued, "I mean, you didn't even have the courtesy to leave a letter explaining to us what happened to you."

"Because I knew if I told mom or dad or any of you that you would have tried to stop me from leaving." Jaune argued.

"With good reason! You have no idea how to use that sword, Jaune! You were thought how to!" Saphron shot back.

"And whose fault do you think that is?!" Jaune shouted, the boy standing up as he faced his sister head-on, "I begged dad to train me as a Huntsman but he never listened to me! He knew that all I wanted to be in life was a Huntsman but he refuse. Every. Single. Time! He wouldn't even tell me why! Do you know how… how much that sucks when your own family wouldn't help you with your dream?!"

"And after all that, your conclusion was to, what? Steal Crocea Mors and somehow make it to Beacon?" Saphron asked.

"Yes! If that was what it took, absolutely. Because if my own family wasn't going to believe in me, then I might as well realize my dream with my own two hands." the boy said.

"And look where that brought you. If it wasn't for your new friend out there, you would still be stuck in a cage, held hostage by a group of bandits!" Saphron said, before the woman let out a defeated sigh, "Look, I'm happy that you know what you want to do with your life - really, I am - but you really shouldn't have made us all worry like that."

"...I know. I'm sorry." Jaune said as he looked down at his feet in shame, "I guess I just… really wanted this to work out so much that I wasn't thinking straight…"

"That's certainly one way of putting it." Saphron said, rolling her eyes as the woman placed a comforting hand on her brother's shoulder, "Come on, you must be tired. I'll have dinner ready soon so you just rest for now."

"Thanks, but Musashi and I can only stay for the night." Jaune said, before quickly adding, "We're catching a flight to Beacon tomorrow."

"...You're really not going to stop, are you?" Saphron asked, a half-smile on her face as she stared at the boy.

"No, I'm not." Jaune said, a determined look in the boy's eyes, "I've come this far so, I really want to see this through. Besides, I have Musashi to help train me."

"This Musashi woman, what do you know about her?" Saphron asked as the two Arc siblings walked into the living room where the woman in question currently had a small child in her arms. Terra, meanwhile, was off to the side and was busy fidgeting with something on her scroll.

"Not much. All I know is that she's from some village called Japan, strong, and she has no Huntress license." Jaune said.

"That doesn't suspicious to you?" Saphron asked.

"Of course it does but she did save me from all those bandits and after spending a few days with her, I can tell she's a good person." Jaune said.

"Oh? You spent a few days with her?" Saphron asked, a teasing smile on her face, "Whatever does that mean, baby brother?"

"Please, stop. It's not like that." Jaune said before Terra spoke up.

"So, that was quite the screaming competition between the two of you in there." the woman said as she put away her scroll, "I'm scared that all the glass broke because of how loud the two of you were. Are we all… good now?"

"Yeah, we're good. I just needed to tell this kid how stupid he was, that's all." Saphron said as she patted Jaune on the back.

"That's great because I am starving and with the two of you out of the kitchen, I can finally start preparing dinner." Terra said, "Would the two of you like to stay for dinner?"

"Oh, that would be most wonderful." Musashi answered for the both of them as she handed the baby in her arms back to Saphron, "Thank you very much."

"By the way, Jaune tells me the two of you will be leaving for Beacon tomorrow. If you don't have any place to stay tonight, then how about sleeping in the guest bedroom upstairs?" Saphron suggested.

"Oh, your kindness knows no bounds, Miss Saphron. I do apologize for inconveniencing you and your family like this." Musashi said, the woman bowing her head in gratitude.

"It's no problem, really. A friend is a friend of mine." Saphron said as Musashi nodded along happily.

"By the way, when you speak of dinner, is there any chance that you and Miss Terra are cooking udon?" Musashi asked, a desperate look in her eyes.

"U…don? I'm sorry but I've never heard of that. Have you, Terra?" Saphron asked as her wife shrugged in response.

"Ah, well… It's alright. It was a long shot, anyway." Musashi said although there was no mistaking the hint of disappointment in the woman's eyes.

[~]

"Raven, it's us. We're coming in." Tai said before he pushed open the door to his ex-wife's room, "We brought food and don't worry, it's real food-"

Tai stopped in the middle of his tracks, the blonde man speechless as he, his daughters, and Qrow walked into an empty hospital room.

"Raven? You in here?" Tai asked as he put the bag of food down on a nearby table. Frowning, the man looked around the room before he walked to the nearby window. Opening it, he poked his head outside for any clues as to where the woman had gone to.

"Anything?" Qrow asked as Tai shook his head in response.

"I wonder where she could have gone to…?" Ruby wondered aloud as she took a seat on a nearby chair.

"Obviously, that old hag left us. I'm not sure why any of you are surprised. It's not like we didn't expect any of this." Yang said, the girl wearing a deep frown on her face.

"Yang, I'm-"

"I'm fine, dad. I mean, why wouldn't I be, right? It's not like we wasted our afternoons visiting her to keep her company or anything." Yang said, the girl's eyes flickering between red and lilac, "Nevermind the fact that we went to the trouble of dragging her here after she literally dropped in on us."

The other three occupants of the room went quiet at Yang's small outburst, all three wisely choosing to let the blonde vent her emotions out.

"I'm not even sure why I'm surprise myself. After sixteen years of disappointment, I suppose I should have known better than to expect anything from that stupid old hag." Yang said, the girl's hands starting to tremble a little. Before any of them could respond, a dark red portal suddenly shimmered into existence beside Qrow. All four people in the room flinched in surprise before Raven stepped out, a plastic bag of food and drink in her hand.

"Rae, you're back." Qrow said, before he noticed the plastic bag, "Wait, where'd you go?"

"To get food. No way was I going to eat another bite of terrible hospital food." the woman said, oblivious of what was happening moments prior to her entrance.

"With what money?" Tai asked as Yang turned her face away from the woman.

"Qrow's." Raven answered before tossing the man his wallet back.

"What?! How'd you get my money?!" the man asked, scowling as he counted the lien in his hand.

"Unlike you, I'm not out of practice, brother." the woman said, a triumphant smirk on her face as she took a seat on the side of her bed.

"You can't do that. That's stealing!" Ruby shouted. Raven sent a glare at the girl in response, an act that sent her hiding behind Qrow with a squeal.

"We thought you left." Tai said, the man leaning against the wall with his arms crossed and an unamused expression on his face.

"I still have another day in here, don't I?" the woman said as he laid back down on her bed. The woman then gestured to the plastic bag she had brought in with her, "There's some extra ice-cream in there if you guys want any."

Nobody moved as silence reigned for a few seconds. Finally, Yang was the first to accept the woman's request, the young girl wordlessly taking a chocolate flavored ice-cream before handing out the rest to Ruby and her had.

"Hey, where's mine?" Qrow asked.

"I didn't buy one for you."

"Why not?"

"You're a grown man, you can do it yourself."

"You bought one for Tai." Qrow said, an annoyed frown on his face.

"I owe him for bringing me here when I was injured." Raven replied with a shrug.

"You think this is enough to repay me? You must have lost a lot more blood than I realize." Tai said with a chuckle.

"It's a start." Raven said as Tai let out a tired sigh.

"Thanks for the treat, hag." Yang said as she took out a huge chunk from the ice-cream in her hands.

"You're welcome, brat." Raven said in response as both of them had the tiniest hint of a smile on their faces.

[Chapter END]

A/N: And that's a wrap for Chapter 7. This was a fun chapter for me to write, particularly the Arc reunion and the final scene in the hospital. I hope you guys like it. Also, I just want to say that the reason this chapter took a while is because I was busy thinking of exactly where I wanted to take this story and finally, after the whole month of December and January, I finally know what I want to write about. Really excited. Well, that and because I'm really enjoying writing Knightfall.

Next chapter, we'll finally see Musashi and Jaune reach Beacon so, stay tuned for that.

As always, faves, follows, and reviews are always appreciated.

Praise be to Cinder Fall