CHAPTER 10:

Return to Vale, A Vytal Outing! Pt. 1

"I'm so excited!" Ruby exclaimed, "We haven't really gotten a lot of time to get away from Beacon since school started, and it's nice to see everyone getting so festive!"

"Don't get ahead of yourself, Ruby," Weiss sighed. The effect of her exasperation was muted however by her own brilliant smile as she walked in time with Ruby. "I didn't put this into our schedule just so we could mess around. We're going to the docks so we can welcome our new friends to Vale!"

Blake stared at Weiss. "You mean spy on the competition."

"Potato, potahto, Blake. You mustn't linger on the tiny details."

"I agree with Weiss. Meeting new people is always fun, isn't it?"

"Maybe for you. I'd feel better if we had just stayed at the dorm."

"Come on, Blake, cheer up! Look, there's a food vendor over there!"

"Ruby, don't—Oh god. Blake, we need to catch her!

"That's your partner, not mine."

As Yang watched the proceedings with a faint smile on her face, her eyes quietly followed the zooming figure of her little sister. Her chest tightened and she felt her breath catch as her smile faltered. Even as she followed behind Weiss and Blake as they caught up to Ruby, the feeling never abated. In fact, it only grew, and it had been growing since Ruby had that dream, that nightmare right before their Initiation. A feeling of unease. A feeling that something wasn't right. The feeling that whatever Ruby had dreamed of, wasn't just a dream.

And Yang couldn't stop her heart from breaking the more she saw Ruby change.

Yang had tried her best to ignore it. She had smiled with Ruby upon learning that they could go to school together. She had been shocked to see Ruby collapse just by looking at the weapons around them the next day—Yang had been so caught off guard that she hadn't even thought about screaming for help. She hadn't felt so helpless in so long, holding Ruby in her arms like she was—

It brought back bad memories. Memories Yang would rather forget. Ones she could never forget, because they taught her that she couldn't handle losing more than she already had. Summer was gone. Her real mother left her behind. And her dad barely counted anymore, which left Ruby. Her sister. The one person she cared about more than anything else in the world, because they had only been able to count on each other for so many years. So, how did it feel to see someone she had known and loved for so many years change so much in such a short amount of time?

It was terrifying.

After Initiation, everything had seemed fine. Sure, Ruby was more sure of herself: Yang always wanted Ruby to be more confident. Sure, Ruby was more thoughtful and less energetic: It was bound to happen since skipping a few years was sure to make anyone slow down. None of this alarmed Yang because it all made sense. Ruby had to grow up if she wanted to survive going to school with people three years older than her. But what scared Yang was how fast it happened, and how different Ruby was now compared to just a few months ago. How much she had changed. How different she was.

That didn't even mention Ruby's new abilities. Yang had heard of Ruby's dreams ever since she was little. Those weren't new. Ruby's obsession with weapons had always been something they could handle, because Yang knew it was just how Ruby was. But it had never crossed her mind that Ruby could ever get powers that trumped even her Semblance. She could never have guessed that Ruby was capable of being a magus. And Yang certainly could never have known that Ruby was capable of destroying herself from the inside because of it.

As Ruby goaded Weiss and Blake into trying some of the street food, Yang could only watch and feel like crying. It was odd. She had felt like crying a lot lately. Or yelling at the top of her lungs. Screaming for all the world to hear, because she couldn't handle it. She couldn't handle knowing what was happening to Ruby. And Ruby's apology had only made her fragile heart worse.

Yang should have been the one to apologise first. She knew this much. There was no way that she could ever take back her words, that she loved Summer more than Ruby did. How could she have said that? Summer was Ruby's mom through and through! And Yang? She wasn't even Summer's child. And she had the gall to say those things to Ruby. Her little sister. Her half-sister. The sister she had worried over and cried over while she lay comatose and overheating, before blowing up on her all because she couldn't control her anger. Anger at herself for letting it all happen, and anger at Ruby for worrying her. Anger that Ruby didn't deserve in the least.

So how could Ruby forgive Yang, when she couldn't even forgive herself? When she couldn't be the bigger sister and apologise to Ruby first? When she could only stand by and watch as Ruby's hair turned ashy and her skin turned bronze because of some power she still couldn't understand? It was a wonder how Yang could even function with her worries piling up, and it all centred around the one person in her life that Yang couldn't afford to lose.

For the millionth time since their argument, Yang took a deep breath and tried to clear the fog from her eyes.

She failed.

~~RoaD~~

Blake's ears twitched as a sound she had been hearing a lot more recently filtered through her bow. Turning her attention away from her two bickering teammates, she looked to see Yang wiping at her eyes before resuming to smile a smile that was so obviously fake it hurt to look at. Not like Ruby would ever notice with how naive she was, nor would Weiss ever comment on it with her own fake smiles. Blake shook her head and brought out the extra street food she had bought and walked over to her partner.

"Crepe for your thoughts?"

That seemed to snap Yang out of whatever mood she had been in as her gaze shifted from Ruby to Blake. "Huh? Oh, sure! I don't know what a crepe is, but it looks good, huh?"

Blake wiggled her own in the air and shrugged before taking a bite. "Tastes good, too."

Yang took the offered crepe and bit into it wholesale before grumbling her approval. "You're right. This is good." She finished her bite and went for another just as Blake interrupted her.

"Hey. You took the crepe, so tell me what's on your mind."

The grip Yang had on her crepe tightened ever so slightly, but Blake noticed. She then looked over to Weiss chopping Ruby on the head before moving to stand next to her partner. "You're still on about Ruby, huh."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Blake glanced at Yang. "You might be able to hide it from Ruby, but Weiss and I aren't so naive to think that one apology could fix all of this. You're just like your sister, you know? You're both stubborn and can't tell when you're hurting yourself and the people around you. You might have yourselves fooled, but not me."

A quiet moment settled between them before it was broken with a whisper. "…I know, Blake. You've told me that already. But what am I supposed to do? Say sorry again? Tell her that I'm scared she'll disappear? What's that even going to do? I'm lost, Blake. It feels like I should be happy we're on good terms again, but…"

"But it feels like you're further away than ever."

It was more a statement than anything, and Yang nodded slowly.

Blake sighed. She hated seeing her partner like this. She had gotten used to the blonde's antics, being the muscle-head and loudmouth that Yang was. There was a certain charm to being able to tune Yang's voice out while Blake flipped through her books. It was the past week that had disrupted that norm they had established, starting with Ruby's breakdown and ending with their 'makeup', if an outsider could even call it that. The team worked together again, they were able to collect sap from the forest with a few exciting surprises, but Yang had been quieter than she had ever been. Even Weiss noticed, having pulled Blake aside the night after while Yang was in the washroom and Ruby had her headphones in doing homework at her desk.

"Is Yang really okay with Ruby now?" Weiss had asked. "I can't help but feel like something's missing. It isn't the same as it was before."

"She only acts normal around Ruby," Blake immediately whispered, her eyes darting to the huntress in question. "Around me, well, I haven't heard much from Yang."

"Really? That's not terrible then, is it?"

"That's really bad, Weiss. Usually she's talking my ear off. She's been quiet since Ruby collapsed and even after they made up. I don't think she's doing all that great."

"What do you suppose we do? The Vytal Festival is just around the corner and we need our partners in their best shape so we can put out a good showing. At the very least, I want us to feel like a team again. Not this flimsy peace we've established."

And then Blake had watched with curious eyes as Weiss sighed. Her posture softened and her eyes shifted to their right. Blake followed her gaze and she found Ruby now sleeping on the open pages of her notebook softly snoring. It was a surprisingly peaceful sight, one Blake herself couldn't help but crack a grin at. With all of the stresses of the week and the surprise encounter with the Ursa at their sap-collecting mission that day, they were all exhausted, but Ruby had been at the forefront of it all.

"I keep forgetting she's only fifteen, Blake," Weiss had finally whispered. Blake watched as Weiss took Ruby's blanket and draped it over Ruby, who leaned into the action. "Leading a team, all of this fantastical mage stuff, and now Yang; It's a wonder she's moving at all."

She stepped back to stand next to me while keeping her eyes on Ruby and said, "I had to use everything I had to keep her from overheating, Blake. I used the purest Ice Dust that the Schnee's can produce, and it was only 'good enough.' And today, it was a close thing. She's overworking herself."

Blake stared at the Weiss Schnee that then stood before her. It wasn't the heiress she had long since dispelled her image of, nor was it the prideful perfect huntress that stood before, but a Weiss Schnee that couldn't be faked. At that moment, Blake couldn't help but feel shame for ever having felt that Weiss was as cold-hearted as she made herself out to be.

Now here they were, walking around Vale for a weekend outing, looking for all the world like the team they were supposed to be, but the team dynamic was as tenuous as ever. Yang, who Blake had come to know as the team's rightful spitfire, now stood beside her with a solemn look that had no place on her once-boisterous and happy face. Where was the self-assured huntress she had come to know? The person who would overcome any obstacle to right her wrongs and right those who wronged her? The older sister that loved her younger sister, who would do anything to be on good terms with her family?

Blake clenched her fists. Weiss was one thing—Blake couldn't stand finding out whether the person who stood before her was the true form of Yang. As far as she was concerned, Yang was just depressed, and Blake would be damned if she didn't help repair the rift Yang had created in her own mistaken pride. She was damned enough as it was. If she could help heal the rift in this family…Well, Blake could damn well try.

Apparently, Yang had seen some of what Blake had been thinking on her face as she called her name. Blake responded by staring the blonde right in her eyes and glared with all her might.

"Snap out of it, Yang."

"H-huh?"

"Look at them, Yang. What do you see?"

Blake pointed at Weiss and Ruby, who were now arguing about something, where Ruby was animatedly throwing her arms around as Weiss berated her. Yang stared at the scene and gulped before looking back at Blake. "I see Weiss yelling at my sister. Probably did something dumb again."

"And?"

Yang blinked and furrowed her brows. "…'And'? What do you mean?"

"What else do you see."

"I told you. My sister being an idiot. Weiss being Weiss. What am I missing?"

Blake clicked her tongue. "Do you know what I see? I see Ruby having the time of her life with her partner. Excited out of her mind, because Weiss organised this for the whole team, and because she gets to try out some new food. Happy, because her sister is talking to her again and agreed to go on this trip. Do you know what that one day apart did to her, Yang?"

Yang's face turned red as her eyes darted back to Ruby's now giggling form. Weiss hovered over her, her head bowed in defeat. "I…Well, you already told me a little bit, but—"

"She was dead where she stood, Yang. If it wasn't for the fact that we had classes, she wouldn't have moved one inch from that bed. You're her anchor, Yang. I don't need to tell you this again. I thought you were fine after you both apologised, but clearly I was wrong."

"I can't just stop, Blake," Yang said in a quiet, hoarse voice. "Every time I look at her, all I see is my mistakes. All I see is someone I failed—am failing to protect. And I'm taking it out on her. How can I face her when I couldn't even apologise to her first?"

Now Blake couldn't stop herself from shaking as her eye twitched and she felt her hands flex. A sharp sting ran through her mind, and she found herself grinding her teeth together as she stared at Yang. No, Blake thought. With monumental effort, she took a deep breath, and said, "Get over yourself, Yang. We make mistakes. That's part of living. You want to talk mistakes? You're talking to the biggest mistake this side of Vale. So get over it, Yang. Some people get second chances. You have your second chance with Ruby. Now use it."

Yang had opened her mouth to seemingly retort in anger at Blake's words until she finished, and now, Yang could only stare at Blake. That was when Blake realised what had just happened, and she relaxed. Steeling herself once more, she hid behind the indifferent mask she had so grown used to.

"Blake, I'm sorry. What—"

"No, Yang. You don't get to ask me anything until you fix this. So pick yourself up. I'd like to think I know who you are at least a little by now, and the you right now isn't the Yang I know. What'll it be? Will you let yourself drift further and further away from Ruby, or will you patch things up?"

At those words, Yang flinched and Blake turned as they heard Ruby's voice call out to them. It seemed that Ruby and Weiss had finally realised how far ahead they were compared to Blake and Yang. With one last look, Blake started jogging towards them with a shout of affirmation. "Coming!"

She left behind her partner, who, unbeknownst to her, followed close behind with a familiar ember blazing behind her lilac eyes.

~~RoaD~~

Ruby blinked as she saw the fiery looks that Blake and Yang sported. Had they had an argument while she and Weiss had gone and done their own thing? It wasn't like they had walked away for too long either. Was it because of the crepes they bought? Maybe they disagreed on the flavours. Chalking it up to a partnerly argument she wasn't involved with, she shrugged.

"You guys sure took your time. We were just about to walk away without you!" Ruby laughed. "Come on! There's still a lot to look at!"

Weiss sighed, as if she were just getting a moment of rest from carrying something heavy. "Oh, stuff it, Ruby. I can't even take my eyes off of you for one second unless I want you to disappear on me. There's only so much to see and do, you know."

"Yeah, but this was your idea, wasn't it? We have to make the most of the day while we still have it, don't you think?"

"Well, yes, but the Vytal Festival isn't going anywhere for the foreseeable future. We still have plenty of time, Ruby."

"Whatever you say, Weiss."

Ruby returned her attention to Blake and her sister. She eyed Yang especially, and was happy to see that her sister didn't seem as down as she had been that morning. If Ruby had to guess, she would have said that Yang wasn't all too excited to explore Vale that day, but something must have changed. Perhaps that crepe Blake bought for her really did change her mood for the better. Well, if there was one thing Ruby lived by, it was the simple fact that food made everything better. With a grin, Ruby bounced up to Yang and hugged her from the side.

"So, Yang! What do you think of the decorations so far?"

The action seemed to have caught Yang off-guard as she actually stumbled a bit. "Hey! Don't just jump at people out of nowhere, Rubes! You might give a girl a heart attack!"

Weiss shook her head. "You would think we've had enough of surprises after that Ursa the other day."

"You're telling me," Blake muttered, though Ruby noticed that her eyes seemed to be watching her and Yang more carefully than she let on. With a huff, Ruby rolled her eyes good-naturedly and beamed.

"Sorry, Yang. Couldn't help it. I just love you, you know?"

"I love you too, Rubes. More than you know."

For some reason, that really made the fires in Ruby's heart blaze that much warmer and she found herself releasing a contented breath. "I think I know pretty darn well, Yang. Now come on, stop lagging behind and walk beside us!"

No sooner after those words did Team RWBY found themselves walking apace with each other with smiles on their faces. Ruby was delighted as they all pointed out things they found interesting while walking through the bustling streets of Vale. There was just so much to look at, and honestly, Ruby disagreed with Weiss. It never seemed to end around her! She was sure that if she wanted, she could wander the streets of Vale all day and still not see everything that was being set up for the festival. The very thought made Ruby excited.

That was, until Ruby noticed something strange up ahead—A familiar sight that made her want to grab something and bend it the wrong way until it snapped.

A broken storefront for a Dust shop.

The team's pace slowed as they came upon the crime scene with curious eyes and ears. In the midst of the yellow tape, two officers seemed to be talking shop about what had happened, and as they came near, Ruby couldn't help but mutter, "What happened here?"

The detectives appeared to have heard her as they looked at the girls and recognised them for what they were: An up-and-coming huntress team. With a shrug, one officer looked at the other before turning back to them. "It isn't that much of a secret," the one said. "Dust robbery, left everything else intact. Second one this week. Still doesn't make sense."

"Who do you think it is?" the other one asked. "My money's on the White Fang."

"I think we need a break."

"On that we agree."

At that, the officers returned to their own conversation, leaving Team RWBY to slowly walk away from the scene. Weiss, who had gone quiet upon approaching the crime scene then chose that moment to shake her head. "Another one. It really doesn't make sense, does it? And with the White Fang as suspects too." She clicked her tongue and scowled. "Why is it always the White Fang?"

"Who needs that much Dust anyways?" Ruby asked. "I mean, I had an encounter with a burglary before the semester started too, and that was a whole thing on its own with this guy that had a gun cane, but this is just crazy."

Both Weiss and Blake seemed to perk up at Ruby's words. In fact, Ruby blinked as she noticed Blake had nearly opened her mouth to talk to Weiss. "You fought off a burglary?" Weiss asked. "I haven't heard of this before."

"This is news to me too."

"You girls didn't hear?" Yang said in a boastful voice as she folded her arms and stood next to Ruby with a grin. "My little sis fought off some guy named Roman Torchwick to a standstill! Of course, I wasn't there to see it, but I just know Ruby was a badass."

"Yang! Quit it!" Ruby shoved Yang away as she rubbed her warming cheeks. "Sheesh. It wasn't all that amazing, you know. It was a pretty crazy night and I would have gotten blown up if it weren't for Professor Goodwitch."

"Still, sis. Ozpin himself invited you after seeing your kickass moves. That's gotta say something, right?"

"No—I mean yes, but stop it!" Ruby huffed.

"Huh." Blake pursed her lips and nodded slowly. "So you got in because you stopped a Dust store from being robbed."

Weiss, to her credit, only shook her head. "What an absolutely ridiculous reason to be accepted into Beacon—But completely to be expected of Ruby. No sense in ever making sense of you, is there?" Weiss sighed. "So it was either the White Fang or this Roman character, hm? Well, either option doesn't sound great, does it? Attacking Dust shops like this truly is the lowest of the low for a bunch of thugs."

"It just doesn't make sense if it's the White Fang," Blake said. "There's no precedent. Like Ruby said: What would they need that much Dust for?"

"I don't know." Weiss shrugged with a dubious look. "To blow up the city? It's not like I enjoy dwelling on the activities of terrorist groups."

"I hardly think the White Fang could be considered terrorists," Blake argued. "More like a group of misguided Faunus."

"They had their moment of peace," Weiss shot back. "They could have stuck to protests. Those so-called misguided Faunus chose to start committing acts of violence. Is that not considered terrorism? It's only fair we reward that violence with punishment. Harsh punishment"

"I agree, but that doesn't mean all Faunus are bad," Blake whispered. "I just…it doesn't make sense."

Weiss shook her head and crossed her arms. "They might not all be bad, Blake, but that doesn't mean they're all good, either. Of all people, I would know." She then sighed as she turned to her teammate. "Look. I agree with you—This isn't their usual modus operandi, but it's still suspicious, don't you think? Either way, White Fang or Torchwick, this isn't a good look."

As Blake and Weiss continued to debate who could have caused it all, Ruby continued to run over the scene in her mind. It was true that it didn't make much sense. Why would someone choose to rob the Dust only, and leave the money behind? Wasn't money what organisations like the White Fang or people like Torchwick wanted? If it didn't make sense to Weiss or Blake, then it really didn't make sense to Ruby herself. Absentmindedly, she found herself staring at one of the errant glass shards close to them.

And with the sound of Crescent Roses gunfire and a shell hitting the ground, Ruby stared a little closer—

"Stop that Faunus!"

Hearing multiple voices shouting around her, Ruby's head snapped towards the source of those voices and, with her circuits still turned on, found the world almost moving in slow motion. Her eyes, sharper than ever and burning with uncomfortable warmth, watched as a particularly fast Faunus with blond hair and tanned skin rushed past them, and the incredulous look Blake sported when he winked at her.

With her next blink and her circuits switching off, Ruby swung her head the other way and watched the boy disappear around the street corner. "There goes the competition, I guess," Yang said. "Didn't think they'd stowaway though."

Blake stared, apparently flabbergasted at the audacity of the boy. Weiss could only glare in the direction the boy had disappeared in before hopping on both her feet. "Well?" She exclaimed. "What are we waiting for? We have to keep our eyes on him and see what he's capable of!" Without another word, Weiss ran after the trail of dust that the runaway Faunus had left behind, leaving Ruby, Blake, and Yang to stare at her disappearing back with looks varying between shock and exasperation.

"We weren't even done arguing," Blake grumbled.

"We should chase after her, right?" Ruby asked, already walking quickly in her direction. "Right, guys?"

"Yeah, we probably should," Yang said. "I just think it's funny that you're the one catching up to her now instead of the other way around."

"Yang!"

"Sorry, sorry, I had to point it out."

Without another word, the two gave chase to Weiss and the mystery boy, while Blake followed closely behind. They turned the corner, and just as they saw Weiss bump into someone, the mystery figure had already leapt across the street and entered an alleyway only to nimbly appear on its roof and disappeared straight after.

"We lost him! Argh!" Weiss shouted. "I'll catch you next time, you blond-headed menace!"

Yang flinched. "Why do I suddenly feel attacked?"

"I wasn't talking to you, Yang!"

"I know that, but—"

"Uh…Weiss?"

They all looked at Ruby. "Ruby? What—Oh."

That was when they all noticed her downward gaze, and Weiss remembered she had bumped into someone. With a yelp of surprise, she jumped away from the fallen girl, who continued to smile brightly in spite of their continued existence on the ground. All things considered, it was a smile that was entirely too real, and completely unnatural. It was enough to make Ruby quirk her head with curiosity, and just as she began to really stare at the girl, enough to where she felt her inner Crescent Rose cocking its hammer to fire—

The girl spoke.

"Sal-u-tations!"

A/N: Hoh boy. Volume 9 is off to the races, and episode 2's ending was heart wrenching. The line that got me was "She took a message of hope to the stars." God. I had to finish this today because of it. And sorry I couldn't post in February. I really wanted to, but school sucks. I'm writing for three other classes, not including other writing I'm doing for personal projects. This story is really falling on the backburner, but I haven't forgotten it.

I missed out farming the last Lore for the Bitter Valentines event in F/GO and was a little peeved, but the Grail Front with Big Ushi was a breeze though.

Speaking of Type-Moon things: I got my copy of Mahoyo (Witch on the Holy Night), so I've been reading through that and having a blast learning about Magic from the story Nasu introduced everything in. Aoko sure is a tsundere, and Alice is a precious poisonous cinnamon roll. I'm only on chapter 6 though, so I still have a lot of ground to cover, and I'm sure my impressions of the Witch and the Blue Magician will change.

On that note, yeah, I try and base my knowledge of Nasu lore on the VNs, discussion boards, the wiki (for as much of it concurs with other research), and of course, my own understandings and head canons of it.

The Ever After does pose an interesting idea to me though, of whether it could act as the Reverse Side of the World for Remnant, or some other domain that exists between the realms—Perhaps a "middle earth", or a Hollowed Earth, a dimensional pocket, like Olympus or Nahui Mictlan.

I will also be concluding part one of this story after the next Vale chapter, or the chapter after that. Why am I now splitting this story into parts? Because I didn't think I could break away too much from Team RWBY at this point, wanting to capture everything that was changing from a close-up view. Even with this chapter, I've started trying to break away from strictyl Ruby's POV and showing the other team members' thought processes.

Now that it's been well established, I want to start messing around with some other POV characters, and I personally think that would have been narratively inappropriate as the story is now—Not including Omake's and the like. I think splitting it into parts would help with that at least in part, so people aren't shocked by the sudden change in tone and perspectives.

As for Yang not apologising first: Every time I tried to write that scene like that, it rejected me. It wouldn't let me write it. The Yang in my head was stubborn like that, but I was able to explore more of that here—Though perhaps, I should have included it last chapter. My apologies.

Finally, thank you to everyone who left a review. As always, I appreciate it, and it helps me remember that there are people who actually like this throwaway story of mine. Thank you for reading.

And now, an Omake! Or, I suppose, Interlude 2. Please note the portion where I completely failed to write anything, because it's simple enough to imagine it:

OMAKE 5/Interlude 2:

where this chapter originally meant to start—or, in other words:

Forever Fall (Lite)

The two boys stared at each other with suspicious looks. The taller of the two scowled at the other before looking around to see if anyone else was nearby. Team RWBY was a little ways away laughing at something Weiss had said, while the rest of Team JNPR was laughing with them. The other members of Team CRDL on the other hand were close enough for Jaune to grow weary.

"Jaune," the red-head said.

The blond nodded. "Cardin."

"I won't say sorry."

Jaune scratched his head and made a confused look. "Uh, sure. That's not why I'm here though."

After the incident with Ruby, Team JNPR had done their best to be considerate of her and the rest of the team. Those two days that Team RWBY had been ready to fall apart were some of the most stress-inducing they had had since entering Beacon. Nora, who was veritably the most energetic of them all was down, Ren was more quiet and wide-eyed than he usually was, and Pyrrha, well…

Jaune was grateful for the reprieve from Cardin's attacks, but Yang's fight with Ruby had made him realise something: He needed to be stronger. He needed to be able to protect his team: It was his responsibility. That night, he had asked Pyrrha to help him be better, because he wanted to make sure they didn't have to worry about him. So they would never cry over him like Yang did with Ruby.

Needless to say, Jaune was beaten and sore, but it was a good feeling. Pyrrha was an awesome teacher, and he always felt like he was improving. But it wasn't until after Yang and Ruby had seemingly made up that the intense look she had had disappeared. They soon fall back into their routines with Team RWBY, with Nora hugging the sisters to death and Pyrrha smiling at the two, but Ren had continued his silent vigil, and Jaune noticed the looks he gave Ruby and Cardin.

There was also an underlying tension between Ruby and Yang that his team couldn't quite fathom, even though by all appearances the two sisters had made up.

And as much as Jaune would have liked to say he had forgotten, even he knew that the existence of magecraft and Magic was something important. Aura and Semblances were crazy enough as is, but to use that same energy to actively change the world itself was…

"You need something?"

Blinking his thoughts away, Jaune shook his head. He hadn't realised he was looking at Cardin. "No. I was just thinking."

Cardin regarded him for a moment before he frowned. "Think somewhere else."

"Kind of hard to do that when our teams have to work together on this."

"But why the hell are you next to me? Don't you remember what I said? Or is your memory as short as your skill?"

He glanced over to his team, where he saw Pyrrha look over at him in slight worry. He smiled before turning back to Cardin. "Because I want to know why."

Cardin paused. "Why what?"

"Why you chose to tell us about magecraft."

"Shut the hell up! Are you an idiot?" Cardin grabbed Jaune by his sweater and scowled. "Don't say that out loud!"

"Sure," Jaune stuttered, surprised at the action. "But I still want to know."

Clicking his tongue, Cardin growled and shoved Jaune away. "Do I need a reason?"

"Doesn't everyone have a reason for doing things?"

"Maybe I want you all dead. Just knowing about it is dangerous enough. At least Ruby will live."

"I don't believe that."

"I don't care what you believe."

"Why did you tell us?"

Cardin grit his teeth before sighing. "You've grown some backbone, Jaune. What the hell has Pyrrha been feeding you?" He shook his head. "No. I don't care. The reason you're looking for doesn't exist. I only told you because you were all dumbasses that wanted to get involved. Nothing more. Nothing less."

"So it had nothing to do with the fact that Ruby was hurt, and you were the only one who could help."

"The hell do you want from me?" Cardin asked. "You want me to say that I'm an altruistic bastard who runs around helping people? Because that's bullshit. I beat you up. I nearly killed Ruby. I'm the person Faunus are terrified of in Beacon. You tell me, Jaune."

The clearing was quiet. The rest of Team CRDL looked like they were ready to walk over, while Jaune could tell Pyrrha had noticed what was happening to them. He shook his head and met Cardin's eyes.

"You've done bad things, sure. But I don't think you're a bad person."

Cardin was quiet as he turned and finished topping up his jar. He then capped it and stood facing away from Jaune. "Whatever. It doesn't change the fact that I'll beat your ass six ways to Sunday if you don't leave me alone right now."

Jaune flinched, but stood his ground. "Cardin—"

His next words were drowned out by the sound of a loud roar.

[commence battle scene where the team leaders: Ruby, Jaune, and Cardin fight off the Ursa, with Cardin taking a blow for Jaune and Jaune managing to land the final hit while Ruby distracted it.]

Jaune's blood felt like it was running a mile a minute, and he tried to gulp in as much of the cool spring air as he could. Slowly making his way to where Cardin lay on his back, he planted his sword into the ground and leaned on it. "So," Jaune huffed. "Are we cool?"

In an equally winded and weak voice, Cardin said, "You tell me, shit-for-brains."

Jaune chuckled. "We're cool."

All the while, Ruby was collecting her bearings as she walked back over to her team. As she heard the interaction between Jaune and Cardin, something everyone else in the clearing heard, she sighed. "Boys."

The rest of Team RWBY and the girls of Team JNPR nodded solemnly. "Boys."