AN: Hey guys, gals! 'Sup?

Now, before we go any further, I wanted to just say a few things about the FFVII world. When the original game came out I was really young. Too young to play it, and by the time I was old enough the game wasn't exactly on the market anymore. That said, I will try to dive deep into the lore and the characters on the wiki and through youtube cutscenes that are important to the moments that'll be in the story. Besides, it will be different to a noticeable extent due to the blending of the characters from FFVII and their KH counterparts. For instance, Sephiroth won't be an alien's child but will be Cloud's Darkness as he was in KH, but he will still engage in actions that were present in FFVII.

Anyhoo, responses:

To ssjzohan: I'm glad it was a surprise last chapter! And I am in agreement: if only things like Keyblades were real. It would make for an interesting, if dangerous, world.

To G3r1k: Oh boy is right. I can't wait to show everything else that comes along.

To cturner971/Chretner: Keyblade Lore is super interesting. I can't wait until they reveal the official backstories and origins for the weapons, because there has to be some dark secret. As for SAO:A, I tried really hard on making Kirito funny, and I was always worried that I was laughing and no one else was. That happens a lot to me. Anyways, I love responding to reviews, whether in the story or in a reply message! I mean, you guys are taking time out of your day to talk to me, so the least I can do is respond. Besides, it's fun!

Chapter 7: Trust Issues

Jaune and Yang just stared, completely dumbfounded by the blonde haired and blue eyed man standing in front of them. By Jaune Arc standing in front of them. Jaune took a hesitant step forward, wondering if he was looking in a mirror somehow. A magical mirror. That changed his clothes. It was stupid, he had to admit, but the thought persisted nonetheless. Jaune raised one hand tentatively. Smirking in amusement, so too did the other Jaune. Jaune moved his hand forward to touch the other man's hand, again thinking of a mirror as the man moved in time with him. "What the hell is this?" Jaune asked. He moved his hand from that of his doppleganger's and poked the face of the Jaune in the black coat a few times.

This annoyed the other Jaune. He waved his hand, pushing Jaune's hand away. "Hey, stop that!" the black coated member of JNPR said. He raised his hand and began to poke Jaune in the face. "See? It's not fun, is it? Hey... this is pretty fun! I see why you were doing it."

"Stop, stop, I get it!" Jaune shouted in vain. The other Jaune continued to poke him in the face.

Eventually, Yang's arm shot up and grabbed the newcomer's arms, saving Jaune. "Who are you?" she asked abruptly.

"Are you like Xehanort? Can you change how you look?" Jaune asked first, fists clenched as he brought hem up and waved animatedly. "No, wait! One of those clone things that Sora told me about! You're a Replica! But... but who would make a Replica of me? Who would even know how to make a Replica of me? How did they get the DNA of me to make a Replica!? How -"

"I'm not a shapeshifter like Xehanort," the other Jaune interjected. "And I'm definitely not a Replica. I'm one hundred percent certified Jaune Arc. I could dance in a white dress if you really want me to prove it, but... please don't?"

Well that did mark the other blonde as a definite Jaune Arc, which raised another question. "... Am I the Replica?"

The other Jaune sweatdropped. "Er... no. No, you're not, Jaune."

"Good... Jaune?" Jaune said nervously.

Yang groaned. "Okay, this is dumb. Ground rules for this conversation, one of you is getting a nickname." She pointed at the Jaune in the black cloak. "You're not my Jaune, so that makes you OJ. Other Jaune."

"'Your Jaune?'" Jaune and OJ asked in tandem.

Yang rolled her eyes. "Yes, my Jaune. I'm babysitting him, after all."

"Ouch," OJ said, looking at Jaune and grinning. "You need a babysitter?"

"No!" Jaune shouted, maybe too fast.

"Someone as handsome and rugged as you? I didn't think so," OJ complimented Jaune.

Jaune grinned. "You would know, you dashing gentleman."

Yang groaned and buried her face in her hands. "God, two of them is unbearable," she muttered. She raised one hand, palm open. "Okay, stop it, you two. I know you're happy to finally find someone who will think your name is short, sweet, and that ladies love it, but we're busy." She pointed at OJ and narrowed her eyes angrily. "You, tell us what you want to tell us. Now."

Jaune noticed the anger in her voice. He pulled her to the side. "So... weren't you just telling me to cool it?"

Yang narrowed her eyes. "My mom just ran off. Again. I'm a little annoyed, Jaune," she growled before turning back to OJ. Jaune stared at her for a moment before shrugging and doing the same.

"So what's the deal, Jaune 2: Electric Boogaloo?" Yang asked forcefully.

Jaune and OJ glanced at one another before the man finally began to speak. "Look, I'm just here to tell you I'm here. I didn't want you to run into people who 'know' you."

Yang let out a slow breath. "And?"

Jaune glanced at her, then back to OJ. "Well, I was just hoping that I could have your help. It's not a guarantee I'll even need it, but -"

"Let me get this straight. You're coming to us for help?" Yang cut in.

OJ blinked in surprise. "I... Yeah. Of course, you're my friend."

Yang shook her head. "Aizen said another Keyblade wielder helped him. One that would want Jaune to survive, for some reason." She took a half-threatening step towards OJ and shoved her finger into his face. "Sounds like you, doesn't it?"

Jaune grabbed Yang's shoulder and pulled her away. Angrily and defensively, he growled, "Yang, I'm sure he didn't -"

"Yeah. Yeah, that was me, Jaune," OJ admitted with a sigh, his voice slightly hollow. He rubbed the back of his neck as Jaune stared at him, looking like he'd just been betrayed. "But... Look, just let me explain, will you? Please! I saved your lives, right? I can't be a 'bad guy' if I did that. "

Jaune gripped Yang's shoulder tighter. "I say we give him a chance," he said.

Yang looked him in the eyes for a moment before sighing and shrugging. "You got it, Vomit Boy." She turned back to OJ and crossed her arms. "Go ahead."

OJ was quiet for a few moments, looking around nervously. Raising her eyebrows expectantly, Yang forcefully asked, "Well?"

OJ flinched and shook his head. "Okay. Okay... It all began a few months ago when Salem was building the χ -blade. Or, rather, when she had already finished building it..."

S M H S

Salem stood atop the rubble of what had once been her crystalline pyramid and stared with wild eyes down at the two Keyblade wielders who dared stand against her. Their friends had long since fallen in battle, the despair clutching at their Hearts keeping them from defeating those that Salem had taken as her followers. It was inevitable now, with the moon of Kingdom Hearts darkening above and the χ -blade held tight in her left hand, that she would be victorious. She took a step towards her final two opponents and they took a half step back. "I'm disappointed, Jaune. Leading your old allies to my front door." Salem twirled the χ -blade in her right hand. "I had always expected more from you."

Jaune didn't respond, instead just clenching his fists tighter around the handle of the black Keyblade he held in front of him. His black coat fluttered as a wind borne from Salem's power shot out from the woman and tried to force the two Keyblade wielders backwards. Ruby stood beside him, her eyes set with anger and loss that helped her to resist. "I'm going to stop you," she snapped at the woman wearing her mother's skin. She twirled Crescent Rose at her side, the Keyblade glowing a bright red as it shifted its being, metal changing from sword to scythe. Then she ran at Salem and raised her weapon above her shoulder, launching a Firaga from its head that launched her even quicker towards the woman who wanted to destroy the world.

Salem raised the χ -blade and easily deflected the girl's blow, though the scythe came around again with a single explosion of fire. The tip of the scythe flew towards Salem's throat, so close that she thought that she would finally end this all and find a way through this. Instead, the weapon crashed uselessly into the woman's snow white skin and left only a tiny pinprick of blood that barely blossomed from within Salem. Salem reached out with her free hand and clutched the young woman's throat tight as soon as the blade's tip hit her throat. "I highly doubt that you could hope to stop me." She tossed Ruby away, the girl spiraling away and crashing through the crystal rubble to leave a purple cloud behind her.

Jaune appeared behind Salem, then, black Keyblade glinting with killing intent as he brought it in an upward, diagonal slash to bisect Salem. The woman sidestepped the attack, moving faster than she ever had as master of even her most magnificent Keyblade. She lowered the χ -blade to her left foot and brought it up violently, aiming to bisect her target just as her one time student had tried to do to her. He was faster than he looked, however, and brought around her first Keyblade to block what would have been his death blow. Still, it caused him to fly upward like a rocket, tumbling out of control before he began to plummet downward.

Jaune grimaced as he slowly regained some control of himself and threw the Keyblade out in front of him, calling to the weapon to shift its being as well. The weapon flashed black and white, disappearing and reappearing as a pair of black wings that flew up and attached themselves to the warrior's back. He angled himself upwards with his new vehicle and the whipping wind around him slowed with every passing moment. He descended under control until he was a manageable distance above the ongoing battle and then returned the Keyblade to its natural form in both hands above his head.

Ruby was fighting Salem on her own, or as best she could manage. Jaune watched the two fighting as he fell and quickly found gaps in the woman's defenses. Gaps that were not there when he had been fighting her. Ruby's Keyblade-scythe flashed past Salem's defenses, leaving a red gash along the woman's chest. It wasn't deep, nor did it look as if it truly hurt, but it was there nonetheless. The scythe came around again and again, sometimes encased in Fire, Blizzard, Thunder, or other spells as it swirled around like a vortex of death. "This is for my mother!" she screamed as a blow hit. She continued with every blow. "For Uncle Qrow and for my father! Ren and Nora! Blake and Sun! Vale! For Sora! For everyone that I've lost to you!"

Salem stumbled backwards as each blow hit her, leaving a thousand cuts all along her flesh. "Are you done?" Salem growled. Green light flashed from the χ -blade and the cuts on her body sewed themselves shut in an instant. She turned around and slashed out with the χ -blade, forcing Ruby to twirl the Keyblade in front of her. The blow slammed into the handle of the scythe, sending it flying from the young Huntress' grasp. The χ -blade flashed again and was at Ruby's throat, a threat and guarantee of the madwoman's victory over the silver eyed girl.

That was when Jaune came down behind Salem. His Keyblade was bathed in Darkness, forming a jagged edge of power that dragged across Salem's exposed back. The woman snarled in pain and the χ -blade's tip dipped towards the ground, giving Ruby time to summon her scythe back to her hand and coat it in a smooth coat of Light magic that burned bright, pulsating in time with the silvery glow of her eyes. With a battle roar, she brought the scythe down and crashing into Salem's shoulder. The blade burned against the woman's flesh, slowly inching through her body. At the same time, the black energy around the Keyblade intensified and was brought up at the hip directly across from the scythe. Darkness and Light began to approach one another, ever so slowly.

Salem hissed in pain and raised the χ -blade towards Ruby, slashing at the girl's head. The χ -blade went wide, however, missing Ruby without the girl even having to make an attempt at dodging. This gave Jaune all he needed to know – Summer Rose, whose Heart formed the crucial final piece of Light that made up the mythical χ -blade, was in control of the weapon in some way. "HARDER!" he screamed, pressing the blade harder into Salem's body. Ruby roared and brought her Keyblade-scythe down with a Firaga, the attack tearing a jagged line through the shoulder of the arm that held the χ -blade.

At that, Salem panicked. Her hand shot out to wrap around Ruby's throat. The girl, preoccupied with battling Salem, did not care and simply continued to push against the flesh and bone of what had once been her mother's body. "Continue and die!"

Ruby saw the panic in Salem's eyes. "I won't let you win!" the girl cried. Tears were streaming from her eyes and another Firaga increased the strength of her attack once more. The scythe burned through Salem's arm and the χ -blade fell tot he ground. Jaune abandoned his weapon and dove to catch the χ -blade, rolling to his feet with the most powerful weapon in the universe in his hands.

Salem screamed incoherently as her body slowly fell apart, flesh melting from her bone. "You stupid girl!" Energy pulsed through the woman's body and Jaune knew what she was going to do. She was trying to force her Heart into Ruby's, to take final revenge and distract him from using the χ -blade to reverse the destruction of the world.

Sadly, it worked.

Before Jaune could do anything to save Ruby, the world shuddered and a loud click echoed through the sky. He looked up at the moon above, filled completely with Darkness instead of the Light it was meant to radiate. Darkness began to creep across the entirety of Remnant, the last vestige of the realm of Light, filling it up while Jaune could only watch.

The world slipped away, dead. Nothing was visible except Darkness stretching on for eternity in every direction. Salem, now dressed in the skin of Ruby, Crescent Rose shattered at her feet, laughed – no, cackled in triumph. She watched the Pure Darkness spread from within and without the world. The ground exploded, screams of death and pain echoed across the battlefield. Evil had won.

Jaune wished he could escape, that he could change this. He wanted to get out. He wanted to find something, anything. His mind returned to Pyrrha. He needed to find Pyrrha! He could only drift through the Darkness, though. For how long, he did not know. Time has no meaning in the Realm of Darkness, and now everything was the Realm of Darkness save for the wild cackling – whether real or imagined – of Salem ringing through his ears.

And then, there was Light. The χ -blade exploded with power, its energy fragmenting all around Jaune as he slowly passed into unconsciousness.

He awoke some time later surrounded by the bones of Beacon Academy.

S M H S

"After that, I thought I was in the past, that I had another chance to save my home. Imagine my surprise when I saw that Sora was alive and Salem already defeated." OJ let his shoulders fall. "And that my world had died for real."

Jaune looked at the ground, taking in everything he'd heard. "That's... that's horrible," he muttered, looking up at OJ. He put a comforting hand on what was, essentially, his own shoulder. "I can't imagine what that must have been like. Losing everyone like that, even before the fight with Salem."

"Yeah..." Yang said, voice completely even.

"And then to lose everything else – your entire world. I mean, that makes everything I've gone through look like nothing," Jaune continued. He brought OJ in for a hug. "I'm so sorry."

OJ hugged him back. "Hey, don't say that, man. You haven't had it easy," He pushed Jaune away and smiled sadly. "We both had to deal with..."

Simultaneously. "Pyrrha."

"Yeah."

The two went silent for a while, commiserating. "And Aizen?" Yang asked impatiently.

"Oh, right, that..." OJ muttered. He sighed. "I, look, I wasn't happy about it, okay? If I had my way, I'd never have even met the guy! He was creepy and evil and he looked way too much like this singer from this other world. Josh something. On the other hand, he's easily the smartest person I could find in any world I've encountered in your time line. Which meant he was the only one that could solve my problem. Besides I didn't do anything he couldn't figure out himself in twenty seconds. In fact, I used the Keyblade to make him keep everyone there alive."

"And what did you need?" It was Jaune asking the question this time.

OJ smiled excitedly. "Okay... I don't belong here, okay? My world's gone, so I can't go back, but I can keep going, and Aizen knew how."

Yang frowned. "What do you mean keep going?"

"There's got to be more than just our two time lines. And... I'm going to keep going until I find a world where there's a Pyrrha. A place I could really belong." He turned towards Jaune, his face serious. "You have to understand that, don't you?"

Jaune smiled sadly: that did sound nice. A world with Pyrrha in it? Hell, it sounded good enough that he might even go for it. He shook his head to clear it. "I... well, no real harm no foul, I guess."

"What?!" Yang snapped, voice a whisper. She glanced between the two Jaunes and sighed. "Jaune, this jerk helped Aizen! The guy tried to kill us, kill Rukia, and is working on destroying his world!"

"As if Sora would let that happen," OJ pointed out. He walked towards Yang and tried to pat her shoulder, only for the woman to sidestep him and cross her arms angrily, signaling she would not be easily placated. "I didn't want to do it! I tried to trick him, but the guy is powerful! And, honestly, I was desperate. Seeing everyone – jeez, seeing you – is too hard right now. I lost all of my friends five months ago and now they're walking around and so am I!" He looked over at Jaune. "Not that, you know, I'm not happy you're around. It's just -"

"You feel like you'd just be a spare."

OJ nodded. "Like I'd be treated as the 'not real' Jaune," he reiterated sadly, eyes cast towards the ground.

Jaune frowned sympathetically. "You know that isn't how it would be."

"I'm already the other Jaune," OJ pointed out coldly. He threw his hands up and groaned. "And even if that wasn't the case, it wouldn't feel like home without Pyrrha." He looked down at Jaune, eyes meeting. "You get that, too."

"Happiness is moving forward, not trying to undo what happened," Yang cut in before Jaune could even respond.

"I – ugh, just... Look, I need a few things to move on." He took out a scroll from his pocket and handed it over to Jaune and Yang. The two looked at one another before reading together.

"Well, I don't know where you'd even get most of this stuff," Jaune began, looking up from the list at OJ's face, "but I know two of them. This thing that can fuse light and dark? That's the Hogyoku."

OJ scoffed at the name. "The Who-gee-yo-kwoo?"

"Hogyoku. Something your pal Aizen stole that he's going to use to destroy his world," Yang growled, voice low and eyes flickering red.

"He what!?" OJ shouted. He growled to himself and kicked the ground. "Of course he did... I guess I'll just have to take it from him later." He looked up at them and smiled resolutely. "And that way I can fix what I messed up, I promise."

"And this other thing is a Kingdom Key, like mine or Sora's. If you need help, we totally owe you one for saving us!" Jaune exclaimed, excited he could help someone at least. He held his hand out to OJ and smiled supportively. "How could I say no to someone I know like... myself."

OJ laughed, any trace of sadness vanishing from his face. "Thanks, but I actually think I have that one figured out. If it doesn't work out, I'll totally call you back for that offer. But if I have to keep going after this, it would be nice to have my own."

"The gold one," Jaune said after a moment's thought. "The one Mickey used."

OJ nodded vigorously, already having come to the same conclusion as Jaune. "Yup! Great minds really do think alike!" he shouted, high fiving Jaune. "Still, could you, I dunno, just keep an eye out for the other things on the list? I'd owe you guys one, then. Way more than one, really."

Jaune nodded before Yang could say anything. OJ's eyes softened further and tears welled up in his eyes. "I... I can't thank you guys enough."

"No need," Yang muttered under her breath. She narrowed her eyes on OJ: something about him just didn't sit right with her. "No need."

S M H S

Yang and Jaune sat in silence in the cockpit of the Gummi Ship, the both of them going through a pre-flight checklist so they could fly out to the next world they wanted to visit. The silence dragged on for some time, permeated only by occasional beeps and the noises of the ship they sat within. Neither felt comfortable cutting through the silence with their voices, but neither did they feel comfortable with the silence itself. Eventually: "So, how long were we down there in up here time?" Jaune asked. He turned his seat towards Yang, and she turned towards the computer in the cockpit. "Hopefully it hasn't been too long, right? Can you imagine, a thousand years passing before we ever went home ag-"

"Twenty minutes," she muttered before returning to pre-flight check.

Jaune's jaw dropped. "Twenty minutes! We were in Soul Society for a few days and that turned into months, but two days in Bridge to Aincrad and it's only been twenty minutes?" He shook his head and laughed, a nervous noise dedicated to preventing the silence from returning. "You weren't kidding about time being weird right now. Huh? Heh... Yang?"

The blonde woman sighed. "What?" she asked, looking like she was basically biting a hole through her tongue to keep from saying something.

"Yang, are you okay? You've been acting weird ever since we met the other me," he said. He scooted to the edge of his chair and looked the blonde in the eye. "What's going on, Yang?"

"Nothing," she said with a shrug. She moved to turn back to the wheel. "Now, it's my turn to choose the world, right?"

Jaune's hand on her arm stopped her. "Yang, come on. Why don't you just tell me?"

She looked over at him again and shook her head. "It's nothing," she repeated, too forcefully for it to be nothing.

"Yang, tell me." Jaune wasn't making a suggestion, now.

Yang did not like being bossed around, especially by the source of her headaches."Drop it, Vomit Boy."

"Yang!"

"I don't trust him!" she snapped. Her fists slammed into the arms of the Gummi Ship's seat and she glared with newly released emotion at her new team mate. "I don't trust that guy, waltzing in, saving our lives, asking for our help, and telling us everyone he loved is dead. Something just doesn't add up, I feel it in my gut!"

Jaune stared at her for a few moments, studying her slowly calming features. "Well, what are you going to say, Jaune?"

"You don't trust me, I get it," he said simply, turning away from her. He kept his face completely calm and glared out the window. "So, where are we going?"

"I don't trust you?" Yang asked incredulously. "How the hell are you getting that, Vomit Boy!?"

"It's obvious. You don't trust him, he's me. Therefore, you don't trust me."

"That's nowhere near true, you idiot," Yang said. She pointed at Jaune. "I don't know what it is, but I just don't like him. He's..."

"He's lost more than either of us ever have, so maybe you should cut him a break even if you won't cut me one," Jaune growled without looking at her. "I get you have reason to not trust me, but we have no reason to not trust him."

"He worked with Aizen!" Yang shouted. She threw her hands up. "Are you saying that's not a good enough reason to not trust him? Then I'd love to hear what would be! Does he have to try to destroy the world himself before you'll admit something is off!"

"I know myself better than anyone, Yang, and he fought against Salem when I didn't. He's better than that." He glared at her for a while. "And the fact you think any version of me that would fight Salem could do that shows that it's because you don't trust me. Better to find out now instead of later."

"Jaune – Ugh, why do boys always have to be so stupid!?" Yang snapped, returning her attention to the controls of the Gummi ship.

"What are you doing?" Jaune asked. He slammed his fists into the arm rests of his seat. "We're talking about this!"

"No, we're not. I didn't want to start a whole thing that I knew you'd get all weird about. You can't look past the fact he has your face and that he 'wants to find Pyrrha' to see that he's not quite right!"

"And you can't look past the fact he has my face to see he is!" Jaune looked nearly ready to explode with anger about this perceived distrust she had for him.

Yang blinked in surprise and shook her head, electing to take a step back before things got really bad. "Just... Just let me pick," she muttered, waving him off. She stared at the screen of world information nearby without actually reading any of it. After a moment, she brought her hand up to her face and rubbed her eyes. "Uh... This. This looks good." She pushed the controls and the ship began to glide forward.

"Let's hope this 'Gaia' place will help y – us calm down," she muttered under her breath, tossing a worried look towards Jaune who simply glared out into the Darkness that surrounded them, the black and purple energy swirls reflected in his angry blue eyes. Yang wondered if he really thought that she didn't trust him. She knew she did, other wise she wouldn't be here with him. But Jaune had always been... delicate, emotionally, even at Beacon. So that led to one question in Yang's mind: how the hell was she going to convince Vomit Boy that she trusted him!?

S M H S

Sora yawned as the comforting darkness of sleep came to an end, leaving the Keyblade wielder feeling refreshed after a few days – fun ones, he had to admit – of fighting Heartless and helping people. After all, what kind of vacation could one have without beating up monsters? The people they'd met on this world thought much the same, including his and Ruby's new friend Toshinori. Sora opened his eyes and sat up in his bed, wondering if Ruby was up yet. They'd been given separate rooms in guest dorms at Toshinori's school U.A., something Sora was somewhat relieved about. Qrow's threats were still fresh in his mind, despite the fact that it had been months on Remnant it had only been a week for the two of them. A week of staying at this school, trying to find out how to train people younger than him how to deal with impossible power and saving lives with it. He'd gotten a few good ideas so far, especially with how to make kids focus on using their abilities outside of the box.

He pushed himself out of bed and scratched his cheek absently as another yawn came from his mouth. It was probably time to move on and check on Yang and Jaune again. Shortly before coming here, they'd made sure to head down to the world the two had crash landed on and make sure they were okay. They hadn't seen anything the two couldn't deal with, so they'd left fast and let Jaune and Yang deal with Soul Society on their own. They could handle themselves, and they didn't want it to seem like they were babysitting them. Sora shuddered as he considered what Yang would do to them if she thought they were keeping too close an eye on her, something described in detail by Ruby's stories.

Sora turned and walked over to where his clothes were laid on the ground, Well, tossed more like it. He was good at saving worlds, not at keeping them clean. His sleeping shirt came off, revealing the well muscled albeit thin body of a Keyblade wielder before he unceremoniously tossed the shirt to the ground behind him. The Keyblade Master bent down and grabbed the black and red shirt he usually wore in his prosthetic left hand, tossing it up and catching it in both hands so he could slide it on. He traded out his pants for the dark gray hakama pants next and slid his red Crown emblem belt around his waist before he put on his black and red boots. A black and white short sleeved hoodie went over his shirt and he zipped it up half way, the black of the right side meeting the white of the left. The pauldron containing his Keyblade armor slid onto his left shoulder last.

"Hey, lazy bum, wake up!" Sora turned and smiled at the knocking coming from the door. Ruby's voice came again from the other side, "You can't sleep forever, Sora, we have to go have fun!"

He walked over to the door and opened it, his smile widening from what he saw. Ruby, her eyebrows close together and an impatient gleam in her silver eyes as her fist shot forward and rapped him in the nose. Sora yelped and stumbled backwards in surprise as the woman's face turned from impatient, to surprised, to sorry, back to impatient. "Oh, it couldn't have hurt that much, right?" she asked, stepping forward and pulling Sora's hands away from his face. She placed one of her own on his cheek and lightly slapped it.

"Well, no, but still," Sora said, his protest half-hearted as he grabbed the hand on his cheek and held it tight. "I think you should make it better, Ruby."

"Make it better?" she repeated, one eyebrow raised in a combination of disbelief that he would say that and mock wonder at what he could mean. "You mean... this?" She got up on the tips of her toes and pressed her mouth lightly against Sora's for a moment. The two tightened their holds on one another before separating. Sora let out a huff of annoyance.

"What?" Ruby asked, laughter in her voice. "At least you didn't think about Uncle Qrow killing you that time."

He shivered as an image of his own body being devoured by Grimm in a pit flashed through his mind, Qrow standing at the edge of the pit and laughing like a maniac. Sora returned to reality and nodded. "Small miracles," he agreed before laughing. Ruby was infected by the laughter a moment later and they leaned into a hug to support one another.

Sora leaned back and took in the sight that was Ruby Rose. Her trademark red, hooded cloak was dangling from her shoulders and clasped to her gray sweater-shirt by two small crosses accented by silvery thorns. The sleeves of the shirt ended just beyond a pair of dark leather bracers, while the main body was hidden by a harness that held up her black and red battle skirt. A belt adorned with silver bullets looped around her waist, holding a few pouches that contained personal items. Ripped stockings tucked into knee high black boots. A black and red Keyblade-Armor pauldron similar to Sora's was on her left shoulder. "Sora," she said, blushing and poking his forehead. "To anyone else this staring would be creepy."

"What? Come on, I'm not creepy!" Sora protested, lacing his fingers together at the base of his skull. "I'm focused!"

Ruby snorted at that. "I'll believe it when I see it."

Sora scowled playfully. "You're one to talk!"

They began laughing again.

Still, even with those two it would come to an end eventually. "Okay, okay... should we go look for Jaune and Yang again?"

Ruby pouted. "I guess," she muttered, disappointed. "But there were so many cool powers and weapons here! That one kid had those crazy bandage things he could use to grab people, or the amplifier for that loud kid's voice! So cool!"

"I bet there's a whole world of crazy weapons out there for us to find. You know, other than Remnant," Sora pointed out with a grin. "You know, where we're heading back soon? Where you're going to help out at Beacon for Headmistress Glynda and see all kinds of new weapons and powers?"

"Well, it sounds like I'm just complaining when you put it like that," she muttered in response, earning another laugh from Sora. "But come on... I have forever to see those!"

"Well, our vacation isn't over yet. We still have..." he raised a Gummi-computer that was in sync with their ship. "Almost two months before our beach day with everyone." His grin disappeared. "So... we should probably track down this Keyblade wielder that we saw, huh?"

Ruby grew serious as well, her mind drifting back to when they had seen him. He'd been standing far off, watching Sora, Ruby, and Toshinori cut down orange and purple 'Villain' Heartless that tried to attack the school. Any of the creatures that came near he destroyed, but he did not seek them out. Both Sora and Ruby had agreed this newcomer was someone to keep an eye on, only for him to disappear the very moment that they looked away to defend themselves. "We have no clue where he went, though."

"Probably to find Jaune," Sora noted jokingly Ruby stared at him dryly. His head went 'tick, tick, tick... RING!' "Oh... oh! Oh, he actually probably did, huh?"

"..." Ruby frowned, then let out a massive, annoyed groan. "Ugh, Yang's going to be so mad that we didn't think she could handle this!"

Sora grimaced. "Well, I'll handle Jaune. She's all yours," he said, putting his hands up and taking a step back.

"Jerk!" Ruby's fist playfully slammed into his chest.

"Oof!" Sora grunted as the fist hit his chest. "Hey, takes one to know one!"

S M H S

Ozpin, one-time Master of the Keyblade and formerly the immortal Headmaster of Beacon Academy, was hard at work following his retirement from teaching. He was overseeing the construction of the new school where he would help teach. The irony was not entirely lost on him that he had retired only to do what he had been doing for decades, but it couldn't be helped. He'd always been a teacher and he had always enjoyed it. Qrow, on the other hand, had really only ever taken teaching seriously as a part time job, as he was more inclined to explore the world and adventure like a man half his age. Therefore, the man had elected to explore the newly revealed landmass of Destiny Island alongside Schnee Corp. surveyors, paid Huntsmen, and the company's current leader. That it gave Qrow Branwen and Winter Schnee much time alone was likely the main reason the man had decided to forego helping Ozpin oversee construction. That he hated the minutiae of supervising was likely another core reason.

Ozpin sighed and looked up from a Scroll he held in his right hand so he could survey how the construction was going so far, while also appreciating the breeze that came in from the coast nearby. Scientists from Atlas were setting up as an experimental training facility, to be used for sparring between and battles against programmable Schnee battle bots. Elsewhere, artisans from Mistral were carving an image of the Keyblade vanquishing a massive Grimm sea serpent. Construction workers from Vacuo – Faunus and human alike – were setting up the main body of the temple-like structure with stone and steel from their homeland. Vale itself was providing the power source and a majority of the programming for the combat droids, as Vale had been known for having the best of the Huntsmen for nearly three decades.

"I see you're taking to retirement as well as expected." Ozpin raised an eyebrow behind his green glasses and turned towards the woman who had spoken. Headmistress Glynda Goodwitch of Beacon Academy was walking towards him with the same stern look on her face as always, though it seemed softer for seeing him again. She had traded her riding crop in for a familiar cane that was retracted within itself and placed in the holster on her hip. "Ozpin."

Ozpin smiled. "Glynda. It's been too long," he said. Ozpin raised his hand and took hers, shaking it once. "And besides, retirement is over rated. You'll see when you get to be... well, not my age, but a decade or two perhaps." He returned his attention to the Scroll.

"You seem slightly worried," Glynda pointed out. She put a comforting hand on her friend's shoulder.

Ozpin laughed. "You've known me too long, Glynda." He sighed and shut the Scroll completely. "The Lien that each of the Kingdoms pledged to help build the Academy is substantial, but I'm still fielding ideas for how the Academy will continue to supply itself without a steady source of income."

Glynda bit her cheek and thought for a moment. "You could rent land on Destiny Island. The Council has been begging me to get them an in with you."

"Qrow believes that the various governments and companies would be more interested in espionage than helping us. The only reason he trusts Schnee Corp at the moment is because Winter is in charge and they would not dare cross us so soon after the former CEO's actions. It would damage them too much."

"And yet you think it is an inevitability."

"Yes." Ozpin sighed and looked out at the ongoing construction. "This school will be more advanced than anything that has come before, and it will be closely connected to the other Academies and the Kingdoms through Ruby and her friends. Whereas the Keyblade Wielder was once a hermit protecting the worlds from afar, it is now becoming more widely known and integrated into Remnant. This is good – it gives a sense of weight to what they fight for."

"But you must take the bad with the good," Glynda finished for him. "Risking corruption, theft, and fear from others – the same things that nearly destroyed the four Academies."

Ozpin shrugged and decided to change the topic. "You obviously did not come here to hear me complain, did you? What can I do to help you, Glynda?" he inquired, his tone growing lighter.

"I need an excuse to visit an old friend?" Glynda asked, her voice stern yet innocent of any other motive. "Though, I could use some advice on dealing with Vale's council. Politicians are... ugh."

Ozpin smiled. "Of course, Glynda. I would more than glad to help you," he said sincerely. He turned around. "I'd be glad to speak more with you in a short while. My next meeting is already here."

Qrow walked up, a cocky grin on his face. "Glyn," he said, shooting a half salute to the two. "Been too long."

"Mr. Branwen," the woman responded, reaching out to force Qrow into shaking her hand, something he did with a smirk. "And it's 'Headmaster Goodwitch' to you."

Qrow let go of her hand and grinned wider. "'Kay, Glyn."

The woman rolled her eyes and walked away, casting a glance over her shoulder. "It was nice seeing you both." Then she continued on her way, the two men watching her go for a moment.

"How was the trip to the north west of the island?" Ozpin asked after a moment of silence, turning towards Qrow.

"Eventful," the Huntsman said, a wicked grin on his face.

"Hm... Hopefully you did more than engage with Ms. Schnee, Qrow. It would be unfortunate if I had to send you alone from now on," Ozpin stated dryly.

Qrow straightened up. "You wouldn't," he muttered with narrowed eyes.

"Do I look the type to bluff, Mr. Branwen?" Ozpin said back, voice low as his threat carried.

Qrow considered this for a moment before scoffing. "Well, lucky for both of us, then, that I did do my job. Too." Qrow stood up straighter and took out his Scroll, opening it and tapping on a few locations. "They've started to show up." He expanded the Scroll further so the map could be seen by the both of them, revealing a trio of dots on the northwestern coast of Destiny Island. "Nothing major yet. Griffons and Nevermores are popping up around here, and Beowolves – God knows how – here and here. That's, uh, not the worst, though." He placed his index finger on another location. "Shadows. A good couple hundred all throughout the mountain range. One or two Wyverns and a squad of Neoshadows near the center of the island where Salem died."

"Unfortunate, but to be expected. This could not remain a haven from creatures of Darkness for long." He closed his own Scroll and pocketed it. "We'll need to set up defenses around the Temple itself. We should have some money leftover in our current budget for that."

"That's what you were talking to Glyn about, then? This place is broke in five years?"

"Well, not if we turn the appearance of these creatures into a benefit. A sparsely populated, safe training ground far from the Academy would be an invaluable training experience for Huntsmen, Huntresses, and our own students. Perhaps even as a weapons testing ground for the Kingdoms and the companies nearby. It would also mean that the small outpost near the Academy remained such," Ozpin said, forming an idea. "Yes... this shows promise."

"Wow, I feel like you already had this planned out," Qrow muttered.

Ozpin laughed dryly. "No, but... I have practice dealing with this. The Four Academies required similar decisions be made in order to survive."

"Well, we should still probably send me and Sora out every few weeks. A 'safe' training ground wouldn't stay safe if too many of the big guys started to show up. And there goes the customers," Qrow said. He looked down at his Scroll and slammed it shut.

"Worried about your niece, Qrow. How sentimental of you," Ozpin said with a smirk.

"No, I'm worried I'm going to have to murder Sora. He not only didn't ask if she could leave with him, but it's also been months. Months of them alone. Without me to keep anything from happening." Qrow fumed angrily and his fist began to quiver at his side. "I changed my mind. I'm not worried I'm going to have to murder Sora. I am going to have to murder him."

Ozpin shot his old friend a semi-serious glare. "Do try to be gentle, Qrow. He did save the world, after all."

Qrow grinned wickedly again. "...No."

S M H S

A young man with spiky black hair stood at the ready, his illogically large sword held in front of him as the creatures advanced. They were monsters, formed from pure Darkness with burning yellow eyes filled to the brim with hunger. They scared him, he noticed. Hell, more like terrified him. He shook off his feelings and pushed them down, knowing it was time to fight not wonder about these creatures and their odd powers. He studied them closer to find a weakness.

The three creatures were mostly black, and looked like floating demons. They had feet with two wicked talons apiece. From its spine sprouted a long tail that ended with a bladed edge that looked nearly as sharp as the odd, segmented sword it held in its right hand. Its left hand was empty, though it too had talons that looked ready to cut steel like butter. Angelic wings that faded from black to white were present at the creature's elbows, mirrored by demonic wins sprouting from its shoulders. It had a face of death crowned with a large, empty Heart shape exactly like the empty hole in its chest.

The man with black hair jumped forward with his massive blade held in one hand, its tip towards the ground and its blade facing the enemy as he brought it up in an upward sweep. The creatures scattered as he approached, though his blade came close to catching all three. Instead, his sword caught against that of the middle monster, though the force was enough to send it stumbling backwards through the air, which gave the man time to follow up with another attack that cut through the creature cleanly and left nothing but smoke behind.

The other creatures were on him not long after, working together to try and cut him down. The black haired warrior moved backwards smoothly, easily deflecting every blow that the monsters sent his way. Still, they didn't give him much of an opening to counter and he was forced to bide his time.

Meanwhile, his two partners were dealing with their own opponents with varying degrees of success. One, a young man with long white hair and an even longer, wildly unwieldy looking Katana, was doing well. His blade flashed in elegant, precise movements that cut down the squadron of creatures gunning for him. The blade sliced one in half, then pierced the skull of another before an explosion of fire left the man's hand and incinerated a third entirely. A fourth, fifth, and sixth monster circled the man and tried to attack as one. Black energy flew towards the man and he smirked at the attempt. He spun around as quickly as possible, his silvery blade leaving a trail behind it as it created a tornado that forced the Darkness to ricochet away from him and back at the monsters, turning all three instantaneously into smoke.

The last young man wasn't doing very well. He had a helmet over his head that hid his face and a rifle that did not seem to be doing much damage to the monsters that were attacking him. The bullets that he shot passed harmlessly through the creatures' inky flesh and soared away from the battlefield. It was unfortunate, then, that he was faced with just as many creatures as the white haired warrior, and they were advancing on him far more easily than on the katana wielding warrior. The gun flew with commendable accuracy between the monsters, placing bullets firmly in the large skulls of the creatures, but it did less than nothing to them so they did not bother trying to dodge. When they got close enough, one easily slapped the gun out of his hands and the man stumbled backwards, falling to his back. The monsters all lunged at him a moment later, and his eyes shut behind his mask.

The long katana flashed through the air again and cleanly cut through five of the monsters. He snarled in rage before lashing out with pinpoint accuracy to bury his blade between the eyes of the sixth before turning and decapitating the two attacking the black haired young man. "Thanks, Seph!" he shouted, annoying the white haired man slightly.

Still, Sephiroth said nothing and allowed his partner to approach their comrade on the ground. "Are you okay?" the black haired man asked his ally on the ground. He held out his hand and pulled him up before sheathing his large weapon across his back.

"Yes, Sir," he mumbled nervously in response. "Thank you both, Sirs."

The black haired man laughed. "Come on, Cloud, I told you to stop with the 'Sir' thing. It's Zack to my friends." He grinned and looped his arm around Cloud's shoulder. "Besides, 'Sir' makes me feel old."

"I keep forgetting we're all the same age, Sirs – er, Zack. Sephiroth," he looked at Zack and the white haired man in turn. "The youngest SOLDIERs First Class ever! I feel more like a kid with you two, honestly..." Cloud glanced down, keeping his helmet on.

"It is a result of hard work that we are here," Sephiroth stated, his voice even and professional. He – somehow – sheathed his katana at his hip in a single movement. His voice became slightly softer. "You could one day reach this point."

"... Thank you, Sir," Cloud responded with a salute.

"Sir!? Again?" Zach shouted, shaking his head. He twisted the helmet on Cloud's head to the side and walked further along the path. The lights of a small town – Nibelheim – glowed in the distance. "Come on, ready to see your home?"

Cloud groaned. "Oh, er... Sure..."

"Sounds like someone is hiding secrets from their family," Sephiroth muttered dryly. "Did you already tell everyone you're First Class?"

Cloud answered only with embarrassed silence.

"Wow. Well, I guess that's why you haven't taken that ugly helmet off!" Zack joked with a grin.