Sorry for the slight delay. I've been brainstorming Hazbin Hotel stories out the wazoo! How can one be so excited about a series when there's only the pilot?

I'm starting to regret the idea of posting two chapters each week this month.

Disclaimer: Bleach belongs to Tite Kubo while RWBY belongs to Monty Oum and Rooster Teeth

Chapter 09: Making Amends

Ichigo laid back on the grassy field just outside at the dormitory, relaxing underneath a tree. The school day was a long one for Ichigo. Especially since Ozpin have asked for him to come to his office earlier this morning.

~~~Flashback Starts~~~

"So, have you made your decision?" Ozpin asked.

"On what?" Ichigo asked.

"On your team's early graduation."

"…Oh. That. I… don't know yet…"

"I see. Well, that's alright. But I need to tell you. You have about a week left for team IURR to be eligible to graduate this year."

"…Right. I'll tell you when we're ready."

~~~Flashback Ends~~~

But are they? Are they really? That's a mighty leap. A leap that Ichigo didn't want to risk.

"What put you in a sour mood now?" Kon asked, getting into Ichigo's face.

Ichigo pushes him away. "Like I'll tell you."

"Ichigo!" The orangette looks up to see Ruby running to him with a box in her arms.

"Ruby! Ichigo's being mean to me!" Kon exclaimed, running towards, only to be stepped on by her boot.

"Sorry!" Ruby apologized. Kon muffled a 'Yeah, right.' The young woman lowers to her knees beside Ichigo.

"What do you have there?" Ichigo asked, eyeing the package. Ruby opens it, letting an aroma of strawberries go free.

"Mini strawberry cookies." She said. "…I want to say sorry for what happened the day before. I really believed that we were ready for a mission like that." Ruby said sheepishly. "Obviously, we weren't."

"As long as no one got hurt." Ichigo said. "At least you four didn't learn the way that we did."

"So…Apology accepted?" Ruby's voice squeaked with uncertainty.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Guardians of Remnant ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Jugram and Bazz-B arrived at Beacon Academy.

"This place hasn't changed much." Bazz-B commented.

"Of course, it has. It changes every year." Jugram said, watching academy students walk by, both old and new.

"Whatever you say." Bazz-B said. "Hey, I'm gonna go look for him now. You wanna come with?"

"You go on ahead." Jugram told him. He looks at Beacon Tower. "I have business to attend to. I'll go see him when I finish."

"Alright. Catch ya later, Jugo." Bazz-B said with a mock salute. Jugram nodded before walking off, his long blonde hair flowing behind him. "Okay. Now, where should I start looking first." Bazz-B looks around for a little while. "Hey," He calls out to a Haven student, "I'm looking for someone, can you…" Bazz-B didn't get to finish when the student runs off. While slightly offended, Bazz-B goes to ask someone else, only to have the same response. It's happens again a couple more times. "What's the deal? They act like they've never seen a Quincy before."

"Maybe they're afraid of your ugly mug, Rooster-head." Someone said. Bazz-B whips around, clearly mad, until he saw the person. His anger went away, replaced by a friendly smirk.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Guardians of Remnant ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

It was expected. Jaune knew it was going to happen and he braced for it, four knuckles contacting his blonde cranium. He saw stars afterwards but took it like a champ.

"Now," Tatsuki started, "have you four learned your lesson?"

"Yes, ma'am." Jaune said.

"We're so sorry." Pyrrha apologized.

"We wanted to help." Nora said, nursing her own bump on the head.

"That's all well and good, but you guys are still first-years." Tatsuki said.

"We were so worried when Kurosaki-kun told us what happened." Orihime said. "Are you feeling okay today, Ren-kun?" Ren nodded.

"Next time, let us know what's going on, okay?" Keigo asked.

"We are saying this because we care." Mizuiro said. "Remember that."

"…Okay." Jaune said.

"Now that's over with, let's get back to training." Tatsuki said. "Jaune, you'll be facing me." The blonde nods before getting up and taking a stance. The others move to other spots for their sparring. After a few seconds, Tatsuki charges, throwing punch after punch. Jaune was able to block each one with his shield and then goes to slash the girl. Tatsuki ducks and goes for a kick at Jaune's hip. Jaune was able to keep his footing and goes for a stab strike. Tatsuki uses her armguard to block it. She resumes her barrage of attacks at the JNPR leader. With each strike, Tatsuki's Aura starts to illuminate around her body and her attacks are steadily increasing in power. Jaune did his best to keep his guard up, though, he could feel his feet dragging back, scrapping up the grass.

With a shout and her Semblance maxed out, Tatsuki delivers one final punch. To Jaune's credit, he didn't go flying or lost his footing. Although, he did skid back several feet and his Aura flickered but didn't break. The blonde let go of a breath he didn't know he was holding. He then heard Tatsuki clapping.

"That was good, Jaune. You've improved immensely." Tatsuki said.

Jaune chuckled as he scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, thanks to Pyrrha."

"True. But it's because you're putting your heart and mind into it. If you didn't have both, then you wouldn't have improved as much as you did." Tatsuki rubbed her neck, guilt evident on her face. "I'm sorry I wasn't much help before."

"Before? Oh…" Jaune said, remembering back when he was just a blubbering mess and was Cardin's favorite punching bag.

"I wasn't a very good mentor back then. I shouldn't have been so harsh, and I should have acted like an actual mentor." Tatsuki said apologetically. "Instead, I only berated you."

"…Well, you kinda made some valid points back there." Jaune said. "As leader, I can't afford to have my teammates save me every time I'm in trouble. I needed to learn to fight for myself first before I could fight for others. And, in your own aggressive way, you helped me with that."

After a moment of silence, Tatsuki let out a laugh. "Saphron wasn't kidding when she said you could be a charmer."

"…You spoke with one of my sisters?"

"Eh, me and Saph go back. Details aren't important. Congrats, by the way, Uncle Jaune."

"O-Oh, yeah."

"WHAT?!" Nora exclaimed. "You've never told us you're an uncle!"

"Well, not officially, but—"

"Is it a boy or a girl? What color do they like? Do they like pancakes?"

"Nora, calm down." Ren said.

"Congratulations, Jaune-kun!" Orihime said.

"I just learned about my sister-in-law being pregnant." Jaune said sheepishly. "And I shouldn't be the one you guys are congratulating."

"Still, you a have a new addition in your family!" Orihime said. Tatsuki could see a glimmer of sadness in Orihime's gray eyes, knowing full well that the poor girl would never get to have the same experience.

"I would love to meet him one day." Pyrrha said.

Jaune could feel his heart warm up at her words. "…Yeah."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Guardians of Remnant ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Okay, next question: What did the Mayura group do when Emperor Edo banned their women from preforming?" Ichigo asked Ruby. The two are in the latter's dorm, Ruby seating on her bed and Ichigo and the desk.

"Ummm…They instead used their men to do the female roles, thus starting the art of kabuk-eye."

"Kabuki." Ichigo corrected.

"Right. That."

"And where did they started to perform?"

"…the Kigiku District?"

Ichigo smiles. "Right." He tosses a mini strawberry cookie at Ruby. She manages to catch it in her mouth.

"Whoo!" She cheered as she chewed the pastry. "Thanks for helping me with this essay, Ichigo."

"No sweat. These essays can be a pain in the neck." Ichigo said.

"On the bright side, I get to write about the Mayura." Ruby said. In the book she is holding, there is an illustration of two of the Mayura, a man and a woman, their robes are a lovely blend of blues and greens. Behind the man is a brilliant display of peacock tail feathers and the woman has similar feathers protruding from her arms. "To think, a clan made up of Peacock Faunus'." Ruby smiles sadly. "It's unfortunate that such a beautiful group of people was killed off."

"Well, karma is a fickle thing. The Mayura became too vain for their own good. They looked down on both humans and Faunus due to their fame. Keep it as a warning not to get a swelled head."

"I guess."

Ichigo rises from his chair and heads towards the door. "Thirsty?"

"Uh-huh. There's a strawberry milkshake in the fridge with my name on it." Ruby said.

"What's with you and strawberries?" Ichigo grinned. Ruby giggles. Before he could touch the doorknob, the door swung open, smacking Ichigo into the wall.

"Where's my little girl?" Taiyang Xiao Long proclaimed.

"Dad!" Ruby shouted, crawling to the foot of her bed, the ropes keeping the furniture hanging creaked. Zwei, who's been relaxing on a pillow, barked his greeting.

"Whoa." Tai chuckled, eyeing his youngest daughter's hanging bed. "Is that safe?"

"Well, I don't see any cracks on the ceiling yet." Ruby said, pointing up. "So, what are you doing here?"

"Does a father need a reason to see his daughters?" Tai asked rhetorically. "Besides, I want to meet your mentors for this program thing Prof. Ozpin issued."

Ruby starts to giggle sheepishly. "Well, uh, one of them is actually behind that door."

Tai turns around just as Ichigo emerged from the other side of the door, holding his nose. Tai's eyes widen, as did his smile. "Well, I'll be… You're Masaki's son, aren't you?"

"Uh…Yeah, I am." Ichigo said, removing his hand from his red nose.

"Look at you! Last I saw you, you were up to here." Tai said, his hand to his waist. "Of course, it was at Masaki's funeral…"

"Ummm…"

"Wait, so you've meet Ichigo before?" Ruby asked her father.

"Of course. I was even at the hospital when he was born. Uryū too." Tai said. "In fact, you've met him before."

"Really?" Ruby asked.

"Really what?" Yang asked, popping into view.

"Yang, how come you never told me Dad was coming?" Ruby asked.

"That's because I just found out a little while ago." Yang said. "He saw me sparring with Renji. So, what you guys talking about?"

"Apparently, we've met Ichigo before."

"No foolin'? Where?"

"At my mom's funeral." Ichigo told her.

"Oh? Oh… Ohhhh… You were the kid crying underneath the bridge." Yang said. "Holy crap. We actually met before Beacon. That's so cool!"

"Huh. I don't remember that at all." Ruby thoughtfully said.

"You were probably too young to remember." Tai said to her. "Although, I'm kinda surprised you don't remember me at all. I've visited you guys every now again."

"Uhhh…" Ichigo said.

"We learned from Tatsuki that Ichigo has trouble remembering names and faces." Yang said, being cheeky. "She also told us how he thought Uryū's name was Ametatsu and thought he was a girl."

"Thanks." Ichigo said dryly.

"Your welcome."

"Are you girls busy with studying or anything?" Tai asked.

"I'm not. Ruby?" Yang asked.

"I still got this essay to do." Ruby said. "Why?"

"Well, I was thinking that the three of us could spend time at the festival." Tai said. "But school comes first."

"Are you sure?" Ruby asked.

"I'd say go for it." Ichigo said.

"Ichigo… Is that okay?" Ruby asked.

"The essay isn't due until next week, right?" Ichigo asked. Ruby nods. "Given how far you've gotten, I'd say you deserve a break."

"Really? Thanks, Ichigo!" Ruby said as she leaped down and hugs him. "I'll be sure to get back to it later."

"Wanna come with us?" Tai asked.

"…You okay with that?" Ichigo asked.

"Pfft. Duh. We've known each other since, apparently, ten years." Yang said. "So, yeah. You can join us."

"Please?" Ruby asked.

Ichigo smiles. He could almost see his father and sisters doing the same. "Sure."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Guardians of Remnant ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Uryū and Weiss are at the training grounds, practicing with their Semblances. Using Time Dilation, Weiss zips around, parrying with her childhood friend, while Uryū tries to shoot her with his Aura arrows. When Weiss goes for a stabbing technique, Uryū pulls up a light wall, causing her to bounce back. Uryū goes to attack her with his staff, but Weiss manages to block it. They gracefully leaped back from each other. After a moment of staredown, Uryū lets out a light sigh and forgoes his fighting stance.

"Okay. We're done for the day." He walks over to a small ice box. "Good work, Weiss." Uryū said as passes her a water bottle before taking a seat on a lawn chair.

"Thank you." Weiss thanked as she sits in a chair next to him. She takes a sip. "And…I'm happy that you're not mad anymore."

"As long as you have learned your lesson." Uryū said. He sips some of the water of his bottle. "How are you with your history essay?"

"It's going along superbly." Weiss said. "By tomorrow, I'll be finished."

"What's your essay about?" Uryū asked.

"Reggeboge Valley in the north of Atlas."

"Also known as the Rainbow Road."

"As for the others, Ruby is writing about the Mayura clan from Mistral, Yang is doing the Vacuo Voyagers, and Blake is doing the history of fish marketing in Vale. What did you guys do?"

"Hmmm…" Uryū hummed as he pondered. "…If I remember right, Kurosaki did an essay on the yakuza in Mistral, Renji wrote about the Neo White Fang, Ms. Kuchiki did a paper on Dust and the SDC as a whole, and I wrote about Mountain Glenn."

"I'd love to read it, if you still have it." Weiss said.

"I think I do. But, it's back at home." Uryū said.

"Well, there's always another time." Weiss said. "So, what should we do next?"

"Don't you think it's time to start with your Summoning?"

Weiss was about to take another drink of water before he said that. She lowers the bottle, watching the droplet is engulfed by a bigger droplet. "I… I don't know. I have tried before, but, I couldn't… I'm not as good as my sister."

"But you're not your sister." Uryū said. "You're Weiss and only Weiss. You don't need to compare yourself to others and you don't need to become someone else for their approval. Isn't that why you here?" After a moment of thinking, Weiss nods, looking a little more confident. "Let's start off with what you know. What is your kill count?"

Weiss takes a moment to remember. "…There was that Boarbatusk back during the first day of school in Prof. Port's class. And, now that I think about it, I didn't really kill any Grimm during initiation." Weiss blushed in embarrassment. She was so focused on proper form. The only kind of 'Grimm' she has ever faced was her sister's summoned ones, so those don't count. "Oh, and how can I forget, the Arma Gigas my father forced me to fight."

"Let's start off small then." Uryū said. "Try summoning the Boarbatusk."

Weiss was hesitant, unsure if it would work. Taking a deep breath, she gets up and conjures up the summoning circle of the Boarbatusk. She struggles to keep her mind calm, a bead of sweat dripping down her face. After several seconds, Weiss cancels the summon, panting.

"Don't force yourself. What were you thinking when you were trying to summon?" Uryū asked Weiss.

"Huh?"

"I'm not a Schnee, nor was I born into the family. I don't have the personal knowledge about your family's Glyphs. I will, however, do everything in my power to help you." Uryū said. Weiss smiled gratefully.

"…Thank you."

"Anything for a friend. Now, what were you thinking about?" Uryū asked again as Weiss sits back down next to him.

"…the company, the family, Mother, Father, Whitley…"

"How is Whitley?"

"He's not the same boy you remember. He's… becoming more like Father."

"…Well, right now, those thoughts are stressing you out. All that would do is tire you out faster. Keep in mind, your Aura is not only fueled by your soul, it is also your emotions. If you're not calm within, then you'll be drained of energy much quicker. Think of something more comforting." Uryū advised.

"How?" Weiss asked.

"Close your eyes." Weiss does so. "Ignore everything else, focus only on my voice… Listen to the calm wind, to the rustling leaves, to the flowing grass…" Weiss did as she was told, listening carefully to the flowing breeze and leaves in the trees. She breathes in and breathes out. "Now, think of something, someone, that is a reassuring presence to you."

She and Ruby are giggling.

"Ruby…"

Yang is comforting Weiss.

"…Yang…"

Blake and Weiss making peace with eachother.

"…Blake…"

Weiss trying to hide a giggle at Nora's antics.

"…Nora…"

Ren teaching Weiss how to bake cookies.

"…Ren…"

Weiss and Pyrrha are studying.

"…Pyrrha…"

Jaune being his normal, goofy self. And not trying to hit on her.

"…Jaune…"

Team RWBY spending time with Team IURR.

"…Meeting you guys…" Weiss opens her eyes and looks at Uryū. "…and reuniting with you." Weiss gets up from her chair again and conjures the Summoning Glyph again. She and Uryū can see the tusks emerging. Excitement builds up in Weiss' chest. She started to tip tap on her toes with enthusiasm. "Look. Look! I'm doing it!"

"Weiss, don't lose focus!" Uryū exclaimed. The Glyph faltered before exploding into shattered pieces. Weiss was pushed back, landing on her rear. She stares at the spot where the Glyph was in awe, unaware that Uryū has appeared at her side. "Weiss, are you alright?" The heiress didn't say anything. She blinked a few times. She finally turns to look at Uryū. "Weiss?"

Then, Weiss started to giggle before fully laughing. Uryū opened his mouth to talk to her, but whatever words he had died in his throat when Weiss flung her arms around his neck. "Did you see that? I almost did it!" Uryū reactively tensed up at the action, still not used to such close contact. He eventually relaxed a little and puts an arm around her.

They get up back to their feet. "Oh my gosh! I can't believe I almost did it!" Weiss exclaimed. "Did you see?"

"Yes, I did. And I'm happy for you." Uryū said.

"And it's thanks to you."

"Oh, I don't know about that." Uryū said as he shyly pushes a strand of hair behind his ear.

"Don't be so modest. You were a great help. You almost sounded like your grandfather."

"…Did I now?" Uryū forlornly glanced at the setting sun, it's fading rays reflecting his glasses. "I wonder about that every now and again… He taught me many things, told me many things, shown me many things… Sometimes, I wonder if he knew that he was going to die one day. Perhaps, he wanted someone to carry on his beliefs and teachings."

Weiss places a hand on Uryū's shoulder. "…And you were the perfect candidate."

The young Quincy looked mildly surprised. "…Really?"

"Very much so." A new voice answered. Uryū and Weiss turns around to see Jugram, his white coat hanging from his arm, revealing his long-sleeved shirt and a necklace with a scale of justice pendant. "Grandfather had always had faith in you."

"…Jugo. What are you doing here?" Uryū asked as the older Quincy came closer to him and Weiss.

"Does one need a reason to see his little brother?" Jugram said. He has a light smile, an expression he doesn't give out casually. Jugram has inherited most of his father's stoic exterior, but that doesn't stop him from showing other emotions, at least towards family and close friends. "And it is a pleasure to see you again, Ms. Schnee."

"Thank you." Weiss said politely.

"I'm just surprised to see you here early. I wouldn't have been expecting you until the week before the tournament." Uryū said. "Is something wrong? Is Luna okay?"

"Yes, everything is fine." Jugram answered. "Father just sent me and Bazz-B over to keep an eye on things. As requested by General Ironwood."

"Bazz-B is here, too?"

"Didn't he come looking for you? I found you quite easily, so he should have no problem." Jugram said.

"No. We haven't seen him." Weiss said. "We've been here training."

"Hmmm…" Jugram hummed.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Guardians of Remnant ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

*Bang**Bang**Bang*

The paintball shots were in succession as Ruby hit the moving cardboard Grimm. She grins as the man overseeing the game praised her. "You got a good shot there, little lady. Ever thought about becoming a Huntress?"

"I'm working on it!"

"I'm sure you are." The workman said. Ichigo could almost hear the nearly well-hidden mockery, but kept it to himself. Ruby really doesn't look like a future Huntress wearing her overall shorts and striped stockings plus an adorable corgi by her side. "Now, pick a prize. Any prize."

"I would like that one, please." Ruby said. The workman grabs a ladder to get the prize, an Ursa Minor plush.

"Here ya go."

"Thank you!"

"Have a nice day!"

"You too!"

"Did you have to get an Ursa? Why not a Beowulf?" Yang asked.

"This is more for Zwei than for me. Have you seen our shoes?" Ruby said.

"True."

"So, how's Isshin been doing? Is the clinic still doing good?" Tai asked Ichigo.

"Huh? Oh. Yeah, he's fine. And the clinic is still in business." Ichigo answered.

"That's good. I know I could have asked Isshin myself, but, he's probably busy with work." Tai said. "Everyone is busy with their lives."

"Aren't you a Huntsman?" Ichigo asked.

"I am. But I'm currently teaching at Signal, so I haven't been on a lot of missions lately." Tai answered. "…Especially since someone decided to up and leave without a moment's notice."

"Hey! Kurosaki-kun! Xiao Long-san! Ruby-chan!" Orihime shouted from a cotton candy stand. Ulquiorra was with her with his usual monotone expression.

"Hey, Orihime!" Ruby greeted, running over to her.

"Is she talking to me or Yang?" Tai asked Ichigo.

"What's going on here?" Yang wondered.

"We're selling cotton candy." Orihime said.

"Obliviously." Yang said. She glances at the buckets containing the puffs of sugar behind the older students. She sees the different flavors. Strawberry, Watermelon, Everyone Loves Grape, Misty Dew, Cheesy Cheddar Puffy Puffs, Root Beer, Marshmallow, Bacon and Maple Syrup, Chilli Pepper and Lemon, Blue Cheese Celery… "Uhhh, so what kind of flavors you got?"

"What do you have in mind?" Orihime asked.

"Surprise me."

Ulquiorra presents her a plastic bucket containing red and brown cotton candy. "This is Pickles, Jalapeno and Chocolate." He said monotonously. Yang stares at him, wondering if he was being serious.

"Oooh, that's super good! Try it!" Orihime insisted. Ichigo, Tai, Yang, and Ruby didn't seem keen to.

"…I like chocolate and pickles, especially sweet pickles…" Ruby said, bravely taking a piece of the candy. The others do the same. They all put their pieces in their mouths…

They tried their darnest not to cringe.

"It's… really unique, young lady." Tai said to Orihime.

"Would you like one?"

Tai opened his mouth, silent for a moment as he tries to come up with an excuse. "…I shouldn't. Heartburn. The works."

"Oh. Okay. As long as you enjoyed it. What about you three?"

"Uh, actually, I want some of that." Yang said, pointing at the root beer flavor. "I've never had it before and I always wanted to try it!" Ruby knew it was a lie, but she wasn't going to push her sister under the bus.

"Um, yeah. And you know me and strawberries." Ruby said.

"Okay! Ulquiorra, can you get them for me?" Orihime asked the goth Quincy.

"Sure." He said.

"What about you, Kurosaki-kun?" Orihime asked.

"I think I'll pass." Ichigo said.

"Okay." Orihime said. Ulquiorra returns with the two buckets of cotton candy. Tai hands him the Lien for purchase. "Thank you for your patronage!"

"Hoo, that was close." Yang said once they were out of earshot.

Ruby goes to take a bite into her strawberry cotton candy when she heard music playing. Very familiar music. "Look, Yang! Meg2umi is performing!" The opening for Tier Halibel's next song started off with the strums of her guitar.

"And it's Velonica!" Yang exclaimed. Tier's deep tone fit well with this song and she can sing surprisingly fast with it, a feat only a few fans can do. Unfortunately for the Patch sisters, they were quickly tongue-tied on the first verse when they tried to sing along.

Ruby blew a raspberry at her folly. "Gah, how do those cover singers do it?!"

"It will forever be a mystery." Yang said.

Ichigo notices a familiar Faunus in the crowd. It was Renji, accompanied by a Quincy man with a red mohawk and in Atlas uniform. A Quincy he does recognize.

"Hey, Renji!" Ichigo called out.

"Hey!" He called back.

"Well, if it isn't Karotte Kopf." The mohawk man said.

"Hey, Bazz-B." Ichigo greeted.

"Bazz-B?" Yang wondered.

"It's more of a nickname." Bazz-B said. "It's short for Bazzard Black. And you two must be members of this team RWBY."

"How did you know about us?" Ruby asked.

"I heard from Uryū."

"You know him?" Yang asked.

"Hell yeah, I'm a close friend of his brother." Bazz-B said.

"Didn't you say that you were gonna go see Uryū?" Renji asked Bazz-B.

"I did, but I got sidetracked."

"Obviously." Jugram said as he appeared with Uryū and Weiss.

"Is that…?" Yang started.

"Jugram Ishida." Bazz-B introduced. "Heir to the Ishida Medical Group."

"Holy cats, Uryū's older brother!" Ruby exclaimed.

"Oh, hey, Jugo. How did your meeting with Oz went?" Bazz-B asked.

"Swimmingly. Now, what happened to meeting with my younger brother?"

"I was going to meet him, but not right away. We're gonna be here for a while. He's not a baby."

"That's not the point."

As the two elder Quincy bicker, Ruby walks up to Weiss. "Hey, Weiss!"

Weiss smiles seeing her. "Hello, Ruby."

"Okay, okay. Let's not go flying off the handle." Tai intervened, stopping the two Quincys.

Jugram cleared his throat. "…Apologies…" He said. "Thank you, Mr. Xiao Long."

"You two are adults now." Tai said. "Well, human sense, that is."

"So, what brings you here?" Yang asked Jugram.

"Family business." he answered. "As heir, it is my duty to oversee the medical needs towards the upcoming tournament."

"…Would Ryūken be attending?" Uryū asked.

"He will." Jugram said. "He has some business to take care of in Atlas."

"…I see…"

Ichigo studied his partner, aware of the strained relationship between Uryū and Ryūken still on the mends.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Guardians of Remnant ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Blake makes her way back to her dorm building after reading Birth of a Dragon, a novel Ren had lent to her. It was an amazing book. She especially loved the complex relationship between the protagonist and antagonist. She couldn't wait to talk to Ren about it.

She knocks on the door to Jaune/Ren's room. Jaune answers it. "Hey, Blake."

"Hello, Jaune. Is Ren here?" the cat Faunus asked.

"He's over there." Jaune said, pointing at Ren reading at his desk.

Ren looks up, seeing Blake with his book. "You're finished?"

Blake walks forwards. "Yes, and I loved it. Isaac's goals to stopping Abigail's plans is so pure, but I feel like there is a deeper connection between the two."

"I think so too. Thankfully, the author is planning for a sequel." Ren said.

"I can't wait." Blake said, handing over the novel to the green ninja. Ren's pink eyes shifted to Jaune's unsure blues.

"Blake, there's something we need to tell you." Ren said.

The girl glanced at the two back and forth. "…What is it?"

"…Okay?"

"…Sooo…You know how Ren, me, and Sage went to the warehouse area to find anything about Roman and the White Fang?" Jaune asked.

"…Yes?"

"And how we found some of the WF there absconding with Atlesian tech?" Ren asked.

"Yes. And you got hurt." Blake said.

"Yeeaah…It's about the guy who hurt him." Jaune said. "He seems to know you personally."

Blake could feel her stomach drop. "…Who is he?"

"I think I heard one of the WF soldiers called him 'Adam'."

Blake could feel every single hair stand on ends at the mention of his name. She struggled to find her voice. "…Wha…Wh…Wha-What does he look like?" She could feel her legs trembling but forced herself to keep standing.

"Um… He has short hair in a shade of red and has horns. I couldn't see his face properly because he wore the mask. He wore mostly black and the blade of his sword is red. Do you know him?"

Blake became breathless as her worst fears were realized. Her legs became jelly and she would've fell on her knees if Ren hadn't got up to catch her. He lowers her to sit on the floral pattern comforter on his bed so she can compose herself. Adam is still in Vale. Adam was working for Roman. Adam nearly killed Ren and Jaune.

Where is he now? Is he here, on campus? Is he in this building right now?

"Blake? Do you want us to call your team?" Ren asked, sensing her paranoia.

"N-No. There's no need." Blake said. On shaky legs, she lifts herself from the bed and almost runs out, nearly hitting the doorframe on her way out.

"Blake…" Jaune muttered, visibly worried for the ninja catgirl. He turns to his male friend. "Was it really a good idea to tell her?"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Guardians of Remnant ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Ichigo returns to his dorm, flopping down on his bed after a long day. His eyes trailed over to an old notebook on the nightstand. He sits up and grabs it. He opens it to reveal pressed flowers on the pages. After the death of Masaki, Ichigo had started to collect flowers from around Karakura and put them in this notebook. He flips the pages until he's at the first one.

The first flower he had ever placed in this book was a red peony.

I'm not sure if it's a smart idea for Ren and Jaune to tell Blake about Adam, but, hey communication. Also, more drama.

Given how much Adrien looks like Terra, I'd say she's the one who gave birth to him thanks to a sperm donor.

Raise your hand if you hate writing essays. I can't stand them.

Next Chapter: Moving Forward (December 7)