Author's Note: As Ruby stated in her letter to Yang, Qrow has given some information to RNJR and most likely give them a mission too, but there's no way I know what that is, so I'll go with my best guess, one which serves the ships, of course.

Chapter 1: Reunion.

If there was something she wasn't expecting, it was to recognize the girl standing in the center of the room.

The hooded girl seemed to be confused as her eyes opened to the world and the bright sunlight forced her to return to reality. The dream she just had was undoubtedly beautiful, optimistic, full of hope and illusions, for a brief moment she could feel happy and unconcerned. As the leader of team RNJR she knew that her teammates might need some of what she got from her dream because unfortunately, her reality lacks all of that. It was for this reason that until now she felt the duty to wear a smile as a mask, especially in the darkest moments, it was her task as a leader to ensure that the morale of the team remains high, after all, there's nothing worse than a group of capable warriors who lack the spirit to fight.

Eventually, being the pillar of strength and support of the team would become an impossible burden for her and she was well aware of it, now that she thought about it, she had no way of knowing how much longer she could have remained unbreakable, after all, Ruby had been the one who lost the most, the worst part is that she didn't give herself the opportunity to deal with it in order to appear strong, so far she has only sealed it inside. Good luck was truly on their side when the ships saw the smoke of the Grimm-horse that they defeated in Kuroyuri and went to inspect, otherwise... How much longer could she had continued? It was easy to look at the path behind them and think about the possibility of returning.

The letter she wrote to her sister, how long will it take it to get there? How many things would have changed by the time she receives the letter? Ruby didn't know how to deal with the thought of Yang trying to open the envelope with one hand or waiting for Taiyang to open it for her, it could also be that Yang didn't want to read the letter because she envies her in some way or this annoys her, those thoughts made her wonder if sending her letters was right at all, but hopefully her words would reach her and if she was even luckier then she would convince her to join them. Deep inside she knew her sister, the idea of Yang actually reading the letters and that it would rejuvenate her hopes and spirit was better, much better.

The only thing she needed right now was a good new, that's it, a familiar face or anything that would confirm that everything would be better from now on.

Maybe her own spirit would be brighter by having Yang back, the blonde had the special talent to brighten an atmosphere just due to her present. Ruby needed her by her side, for that reason and more. Yang was right the day she said, "Bad things just happen," she might have been annoyed when she said it but now Ruby could understand it now, since she could glimpse the real world outside her fanciful idea of what is to be a huntress, for the first time, she could see things as they really were out of the stories that were read to her as a child. That blow of reality was like a slap at the right moment... just when everything seemed dark, uncertain, lost and the situation became more desperate at every moment. She had finally opened her eyes.

A familiar face... just how low were the chances of that happening? She knew how wonderful it would be to have her team assembled again, but that idea seemed less likely every time she thought about it. First of all: they had no clue of Blake's whereabouts, nor they have any way to communicate with her... and they don't even know why she left. Second: there is no way they could meet Weiss again, she is in Atlas and it's very likely that she'll continue with her life, maybe Beacon is nothing more than a memory for her; she is with her family now and they seem to love her a lot: her sister showed some of that rude love the day they met at the tournament and Weiss was really happy to see her, there is also the fact that her father cared for her so much that he immediately went to Beacon to pick her up, so that she would be safe, so it is safe to assume that they are a wonderful family. In addition, part of Ruby was sure that Weiss wouldn't change a life of luxury to return to a team in which she didn't want to be in the first place, even if she left Atlas to be a huntress, she would do it with a team of her choice. The only thing Ruby knew was how much she missed her... and her two other teammates.

"There's been a little change of plans" her uncle told her in his usual calm voice.

"Wait, did we have a plan? You just told us to go to Heaven Academy and then you followed us," said the hooded girl, she had a good point because until now his uncle had kept all the details for himself, and Qrow recognized that.

"And if I hadn't followed, then what would you have done when you arrived here?" He smiled at her, wanting to make it clear that it's not a good idea to follow an order without knowing why you're doing it. He had a good point and now Ruby had no choice but to justify herself.

"They... I mean: Emerald and Mercury are part of a team, I think they were involved in what happened at Beacon, they were students transferred from Heaven so I would have looked for them or clues to find them"

If she really knew something Qrow needed her to tell him the whole story "interesting, but what makes you think they were related to the fall of Beacon?"

"Their leader... she never told me her name but she was the one I found in the tower... she... she was the one who killed Pyrrha. Besides, during the tournament Yang 'broke Mercury's knee' so he should have been in the hospital, but for the next encounter I found him standing guard in one of the corridors leading to Emerald, his knee was perfectly fine and he only stopped me long enough so that the match ended. I think they handled what happened in the tournament: Coco said she saw someone who wasn't there and Yang said she had to defend herself against someone who was helpless, both saw illusions and curiously enough, Emerald and Mercury were there when that happened... Pyrrha also acted strangely when she fought Penny, so maybe she also saw an illusion. The panic and uneasiness caused by the events of the tournament were what drew the Grimm"

This information was well received, but Qrow still had a question for her niece: "What makes you think they were really students transferred from Heaven?"

"I mean ... I did until you asked with that tone" she admitted, it's true that Ruby had trusted the word of those she considered suspicious.

"Don't be so hard on yourself, you did a good job with the clues you had" then he paused for a moment. "And even with the wrong clues you were heading to the right place" he paused again, giving the impression of hesitation. Maybe he wasn't sure if the team was ready for the things to come, and given the emotional state of the team who could blame him? Although, as she was thinking this, he smiled, "we're still going to the academy, but I'm not taking you to meet the Head Master yet, first, there's something your team must take care of"

…

"Okay, I'm not complaining..." began the blond faunus with monkey tail "but how are we going to take back the White Fang? I mean, we're great and everything but we are two and they have an army" Sun would never abandon a mission like this if that means that Blake will be the only one to face White Fang, but for as good of a friend he wanted to be, even he had a fair amount of doubts and insecurities regarding this plan... that he didn't know.

"Don't you have a team in Mistral?" Asked the black-haired, she was completely focus on the horizon, where the land was making its appearance. She was determined this time, no more running away, no more hesitation, because this time she would set things right for her and for the White Fang. Army or not, Blake knows how they operate. They don't need to defeat the whole army, they just have to take down the leader so that the rest would listen to her, and if they don't follow… well, she hopes that the others would see the error of their ways so that no confrontation is necessary.

With SSSN help or not, Blake knows exactly how the White Fang operates, knows very well that they don't need to defeat an army, if they succeed in removing the leader from power then the others will listen to them, they'll have no choice but to follow. Hopefully, the other faunus in the organization could be able to realize the errors in the methodology that they adopted, hopefully, they will realize that they were sold to the highest bidder and that what they're currently doing is to further separate the gap between faunus and humans. If they were lucky there would be no need for a large-scale confrontation.

"Well, yes, but they aren't exactly the kind of people who would jump right into a mission like this... although maybe Neptune would I'm not be sure of the others" as Blake did not respond he was giving the impression that maybe she didn't really care if the situation was impossible, "that means we would be three against an army, oh and that's only if there's no water nearby" was then that he realized that the girl was not really listening to him, "Blake? What are you planning?"

"I know what the mission is and what we need to accomplish, but I'm still working on the plan," she said as if it were nothing important.

"You cannot be serious, Are we really going to do this without a plan?" Sun tried to remain calm the best he could, but he was starting to freak out.

It was then that Blake let out the laughter she was holding, "Relax, of course I have a plan, but it's not the sort of thing you discuss here, on a boat, full of people who could hear us"

"Good point" he allowed himself to feel relaxed for the moment, only until he realized that he would have to think of a way to convince his team to be part of this crazy mission. He sighed, that will not be easy.

Blake was absolutely certain of what she had to do, she also knew exactly how to do it, but if her gaze returned to some random spot on the horizon it was out of fear. She wasn't afraid to fail or the things that could go wrong because she had planned this for months and she had several contingency plans in case something happens, nor was she afraid to face Adam because the idea of being able to get the chance to get revenge was something that motivated her even more. No, when Blake stared at the horizon and her gaze got lost in the golden tones of dawn, only an image peeked through her mind... and tortured her.

Yang.

Until now Blake had done her best to avoid thinking about her because every time her name or face appeared in her mind, the scene in which Yang lost her arm was repeated thousands of times in her mind... and there was nothing worse than the absolute guilt for what happened to her. Sun told her that Yang wouldn't blame her, that she would definitely do it again if it meant saving her life; But if Blake was honest, that was exactly what she didn't want to hear because that means that if something happens to them it will be because of her, what happens if one day Yang loses her cool and throws herself into a situation from which she won't have a way out? How could Blake live with that? If she left Beacon without saying goodbye, it was to protect her friends. But now that she was leaving her island she could cross paths with Yang and there was nothing in this world she feared the most.

Her mind was flooded with questions, one of the most persistent was: 'Does she hate me?' That's what she hoped for, she deserved it after leaving the way she did and considering everything that happened the night she left, there could be no forgiveness. What could she tell Yang if she ever sees her again? It's not like she could say, "I'm sorry that I left without saying anything the night you lost your arm to save me" it would have been easy to leave a note explaining the reasons for her departure and yet she didn't do it, she couldn't even express herself through writing, the reasons behind her actions could never reach Yang because she just left.

When she thought of Yang, she thought of her as a boxer who has lost one arm and is completely out of the game, no more dreams and no more chances of being a huntress, the actions Blake took that one night ruined her friend's life. Then why, why couldn't she bring herself to say she was sorry for everything she causes? Why was it so hard to let Yang know why she had to leave the way she did? Those questions and more were hunting her. A runner, that's what she is, that's why it was so hard to do all of this, that's why she never could. Even if she was now planning on defeating Adam to take back the White Fang, it was still impossible for her to write a letter to Yang.

Months have passed and the painful truth is that she could have written a letter if she wanted to, all she had to do was to take a paper and a pen to apologize to her partner, to express everything she is feeling right now, to explain that Adam was planning to kill everyone who is dear to her, and that's precisely the reason why she had to leave. She knew Yang and therefore she knew the blonde would forgive her without hesitation if only she explains everything to her, Blake knows that she would understand and, forgiving as Yang is, then she would even offer herself to be part of this impossible mission. But no, instead Blake decided that she wouldn't say a word to the girl who put her life at stake to save her, just because she lacked the courage to speak to her.

"Why?" She asked herself, "Why wasn't I able to say something that seemed so simple... something so absolutely necessary?"

When she thought of Yang, she thought of her as a boxer who had lost her arm and therefore was totally out of the game, her dreams and hopes of becoming a huntress vanished completely, the decisions Blake made that night ruined the life of her dear friend. Then why, why was it so hard to try to communicate with her? Many similar questions haunted her. Coward, that's what she is, even now that she was taking action to defeat Adam and take control of the White Fang... there was nothing else she feared more than meeting Yang... or writing her a letter.

"If we were to meet again... no, that would have to be impossible"

…

The girl of golden heart and hair was finally reaching Mistral. She was looking for the girl in the red hood who left a note and left with Jaune, Ren, and Nora to an adventure of which she knew nothing about. Although, to her surprise, it was proving to be difficult to find such a striking group of hunters and that was becoming exponentially frustrating. After a few hours strolling the streets asking people, she finally found an address and set off immediately.

It looks like they stayed at a hotel but then left this morning and of course, no one knew where they were heading, even if they had any idea of where they are, it was clear that they wouldn't share that information with Yang in an attempt to protect their customers. To make matters worse, no one would believe Yang if she says that she's looking for her younger sister, she had tried it once but because they share no similarities then no one would believe her. The situation was so frustrating for the lilac-eyed girl that at this point she was seriously considering taking the information out as she had done with Junior, but such actions would only bring problems and cause her to lose even more time without giving her a guarantee of receiving the answers she was looking for.

She sighed, part of her appreciated the good intentions of the receptionist even if they caused her a headache. Yang sat and took some time to clarify her ideas, the receptionist had returned to his work and had the courtesy to pass her a couple of magazines to read, although the blonde took it as a bad joke. After a moment she bent to take one of these magazines, on one of the pages she found an advertisement of Heaven academy.

Her eyes shined.

…

The once-heiress of one of the biggest companies in Remnant was patiently waiting for the chance to leave the cargo ship without been noticed. During the flight, she realized that she's done nothing to avoid being recognized, to make things worse her outfit was similar to the one she used in the charity event and the emblem of her family was literally on her back. It was true that Ironwood had plans for sealing Atlas but that won't happen for a week, and until he does, she could be dragged back to Atlas if somebody finds her. It was already too late to do something about it, but, if Blake could fool most people with just a bow then maybe…

While some men were carrying out some of the heaviest cargo she took the chance to go for one of the smallest, she opened a few boxes as quiet as she could until she found what she was looking for: some makeup. She took some to cover her scar and then she placed it back to where it was and exactly as it was, then she took off her long-sleeved blue shrug and loosed her hair so that it would be less easy to recognize her. Without the shrug her arms felt the cold of the breeze, Weiss was so used to long-sleeved clothing that she suddenly felt like she was somehow exposed. The long-sleeved shrug and the crown she wears on her ponytail where now save in her suitcase. There was nothing she could do about her dress or sword but hopefully this would be enough to fool most.

She hid as the pilot came looking for the last package.

"Everything is clear, you're free to go, nobody will be around for 10 minutes more or less." He said as he graved the small box and headed outside. "The Academy isn't far away, just go east from here"

"Thank you"

…

The Heaven Academy was magnificent: the gardens at the entrance, the simple yet imposing architecture of its structures and the mountains in the background made for a wonderful view. Ruby recalled the first time she got to Beacon, the feeling of amaze was the same and the rest of the team were just like her. Everything was so full of life, there sure were a lot of students today.

"We made it team!" said Nora, as optimistic as her usual self.

"Indeed, this journey of ours has concluded at last" added Ren, smiling back at her.

"And what are we waiting for?" Asked Jaune, "Let's go meet the Head Master" just as he was saying so, Nora's stomach roared.

"Not so fast" Intervened Qrow "We're not here to meet the Head Master just yet, there's someone I need to talk to first and it seems like you could go to the cafeteria"

"Oh, who is it? Can I go with you?" requested Ruby, she was not feeling hungry at all and this mystery person got her attention.

"Sure, I think you met already" He answered as he took the first step to the entrance; he knew very well how his words would only add more fuel to Ruby's curiosity

"Really? Who is it?" Part of her didn't want to ruin the surprise but the other part of her wanted to know the answer right away, "Oh, I'll see you later guys!" She waved at her teammates as she followed her uncle.

"Alright! We'll be in the cafeteria if you need us, just don't take so long" said Jaune.

"Yes! We'll see you!" Nora said almost in a rush "Now let's get something to eat" she grabbed both of her teammates by the shoulders as she walked to some random path that she hoped would lead them to the cafeteria, the girl was simply following her nose. Her stomach roared again.

Ruby followed Qrow through some corridors, this places was just as big as Beacon. The uniforms reminded her of Emerald, Mercury and whoever the black-haired girl of amber eyes was. Guilt, that was everything she felt for a moment as she relived all that happened during the fall of Beacon, then she shakes her head because that's not going to happen here, no if she can do something to prevent it or stop it.

"Alright kid, I need you to wait here for a sec." Her uncle stopped all of the sudden, in the middle of what appears to be a conference hall similar to the one Ozpin used at Beacon, "I want something from that vending machine and it'll be easier for this person to see a familiar face if you stay here"

"But who is it Qrow?" inquired Ruby, her uncle has had his fun with all of this unnecessary mystery, now was the perfect time for answers.

"The Ice Queen," he said just before leaving.

Ruby remained quiet for a few seconds, there was no way she could find Weiss here, she was sure of that. Then she remembered: that's how Qrow calls Winter, Weiss's elder sister; but it didn't make sense to her either. Why would any of the Schnees be here? Could Winter have been directed here by Ironwood's orders? How did she contact Qrow? What was going on? A lot of questions were added to Ruby's mind and when she thought of asking, her uncle was already gone.

Suddenly, and maybe because she was in the middle of this huge conference hall, she spotted someone of white long hair who looked lost, as she was looking for someone without success. This girl was wearing a blue dress, a white ribbon tied at the waist and most importantly… she had a rapier, or that's what it looked like, it was hard to tell because of the distance. The white-haired girl turned around and at that moment, their eyes met.

.