The students gathered in the classroom, filing up one of the two rows of stairs into their seats of the half circle desks. Along the walls at the front of the class were various medical supplies and first aid kits and to the far right a locked cabinet containing bottles of anesthetics. Posters of anatomy, muscle maps and organ locations flanked the black board behind the teachers desk with a coat rack to the side.

The professor who served has their substitute stood there waiting for them to take their seats before making her announcement. Slowly she bowed her head to them, informing them that their normal professor would be returning today and that she was being promoted to cover Professor Peach's classes. Silence fell across the room, the students as well as Beacon's staff had all heard of Peach's fate at the hands of the Grimm.

The substitute raised her head, "I know it's sad" she told them brushing her russet hair from her face, "But try to stay positive. It's what she would want."

The doors opened drawing the attention of the room. He stood there in a blue dress shirt with a violet tie hugging his neck, hand slid into one pocket of his white suit pants and his hair perfectly combed back. It had been twenty-two days since they had last seen him, Professor Sin Helms, teacher, doctor, virologist, huntsman.

"Exquisitely dressed as always I see" the substitute teacher said as Sin stood in the doorway, "Well class this is where we part ways. I'll see you tomorrow when I take over Peach's class."

As she steps into the doorway to leave Sin grabs her shoulder, "Thank you Ivy."

The woman simply smiles at him, "They're all yours now. And. Welcome back."

Sin inhales deeply as he crosses the plane into his classroom for the first time in three weeks. Standing in front of his desk he faces his class many of them having discouraged expressions, he couldn't blame them. While Peach didn't hold a central role at Beacon like Goodwitch or Oobleck did, she was loved by most of the student body and her death summoned a dark cloud for many.

"Class" he began, "I hope you've all kept to your studies in my absence" he reaches behind him for the roster notebook on his desk, "It looks like everyone is here today so let's see."

Skimming through the names his eyes stop at one, "Ms. Valkyrie" he says looking up, "Say you're in the field and a teammate, or ally or anyone really has fractured a bone, what's the first step you should take in treating them?"

His eyes along with the eyes of the rest of the class landed on a girl with orange hair.

"Oh, um...I think I should check for any bleeding first off and if there is stop it."

Her professor nodded, "And how does one go about stopping bleeding...Ms...Xiao Long."

A girl in the front row locked eyes with him, "Well obviously you would need to apply pressure to the injury."

Again Sin nodded, "Correct, now what do you use to apply pressure?"

"Whatever's on hand?" the girl answered, "Obviously a cloth of some kind would be best, but whatever is available would work."

"No" her teacher told her, "Well yes, but only if you want to make things worse. You want to use a sterile bandage or a cloth that is clean" he nods his head to the side, "If available. You could use something less sterile, but you risk infection. Something that should only be done if no other option is present."

He scanned the rows, "Now the next step would be to immobilize the injured area and set a splint if possible. What would be after that...Mr. Arc."

A boy with blonde hair looked up, surprised, "Oh um...Uh, apply an ice pack to limit the swelling?"

Sin smiled, "Exactly, you've been studying I see."

"Yeah, well you know" the boy muttered.

"Field medicine is important for any huntsman" Sin told them beginning to pace in front of his desk, "Even basic first aid can save your life, or someone else's. Even if you know how to use your aura and your semblance those won't protect you forever."

He continued explaining to them the importance of field medicine even though he knew that by now they were well aware of it's importance. Try as he might to focus on his students he could only think of his other work in his lab and the efforts to find a cure around the world. When class was about to end he leaned against his desk casting a hesitant silent gaze at the tiled floor.

"No homework for tonight" he told them as the bell rang, "Just do some reviews on what you've learned so far."

"Professor" a girl with black and red hair said walking over to him.

Looking up he answered, "Yes Ms. Rose" smiling softly as his eyes met hers.

The short girl with silver eyes stood in front of him, smiling back, "I know you're still sad about Professor Peach, but I just wanted to say I'm glad you're alright."

"I will be" he told her, "But I appreciate that you're worried about me. Have you been keeping up with your studies?"

The girl nodded, "Well, mostly. Professor Ivy has given us a lot to do so it's been hard to keep up between all of my classes."

"The life of a student" her teacher sighs, "I still remember the days when I studied here."

"What was Beacon like back then?" another female student with long blonde hair asked joining them.

"Mostly the same" he answered, "Honestly the only thing that's changed was the staff and students really. The academy you see now was the same back in my day."

He banishes his nostalgic grin, "But enough about me, how has team RWBY been since I've been away?"

"Pretty good" the blonde student told him, "Well, mostly. We've had a few hiccups, but we're all good now."

Sin nodded once more, "That is to be expected, you've only been a team for a few months, but in time you will become as close as can be" his nostalgic grin returned once more, "My team and I spent most of our first year unable to stand each other. It wasn't until the last month of the year that we finally became friends."

He reached into his pocket, within his wallet a photo of him another male and two females, three of the four the two girls recognized as their teachers. On the back of the photo the words Team FSIA was written along with the names of each of the members.

"Fiona Peach, Sin Helms, Ivy Esperer and Alfred Norne" Sin said reading the signatures on the picture, "We signed our names to each other's copy of the photo our own special way of doing yearbook signatures. Even though we knew we'd never forget each other we did it anyway. Team Fuchsia, heh, I still remember the kind of shenanigans we'd get up to drive old Ozpin mad."

"You were on a team with Professor Peach and Professor Ivy?" the girl with white hair asked finally breaking her silence.

"Yeah" Sin replied almost silently, "Me and Ivy go way back, even before we enrolled at Beacon, since we were kids and as for Fiona, Professor Peach we met her at Beacon. Her and Ivy hated each other at first, so much that for the first couple of months we made an agreement with the team next door to switch roommates for a while. Fiona would sleep in their room and their guy would sleep in ours."

"That bad huh?" the blonde girl asked.

"It was rough that first year" Sin told her, "But I'll tell you girls, it those kinds of relationships the ones that are forged through fire that become the strongest."

He eyed each of them, "Ruby, Weiss, Blake, Yang. If any of you ever get into an argument or a fight with each always remember to stay together through it. Even if it means taking time to separate yourselves to cool off, remember to never forego each other. Do that and stay together and you'll be invincible. Unless you face us of course, then you're screwed."

He chuckled as he slid the photo back into his wallet, "What about the other guy?" the girl with black hair and a bow asked him, "Alfred Norne."

Sin leaned back against his desk, "Alfred gave up being a huntsman. After he and his wife had their daughter he wanted to do something less dangerous that would allow him to support his family. We still see him every so often, he lives here in Vale, maybe one day I'll introduce you to him, but until then."

He stood up, "You four should be heading out, you're too young to spend all your time talking to an old man like me."

"Oh that's right" Ruby panicked, "We're missing lunch! Quickly to the cafeteria!"

The young energetic girl quickly rushed from the classroom leaving her teammates to say goodbye to their professor before leaving in a more normal hurried fashion. Sin turned his smile lingering as he straightened his desk, even though he chose to focus more on his other work he enjoyed teaching and chatting with his students. As much as he enjoyed teaching, he hated what it was for. The thought of teaching his students and training them just to send them out to hunt the monsters that plague their world filled him with a fear he could not describe, but for his students he would always hold that fear in check, for their sake.

"So how did it go?" a voice asked from his doorway.

"Well enough" he answered turning his eyes to the woman who was his substitute while he was gone, "How about yours?"

"About as good as one could expect" she answered keeping her smile, "Fiona was loved, it won't be easy to fill her shoes."

Sin let out a gruff chuckle, "Yeah there is no replacing her. How are you holding up Ivy?"

"Not too good" she admitted her smile fading, "It's just so hard to believe she's gone."

"Did you tell Alfred?"

Ivy shook her head, her russet hair gently waving in front of her face, "No, I was going to call him when classes ended today. To see if he could get time to come visit and say goodbye to her."

"That would be nice" Sin said, "The three of us can have a drink in her name, spend the night remembering the old days."

Ivy smiled again, "We're not that old you know."

Sin set his papers and class roster down, "Well. I certainly feel like it."

Ivy gave him a light push, "That's because you spend all your time in that lab of yours, going days without sleep. You don't have to work all the time, it's ok to take a break every now and then."

Sin's grin vanished, "You've been talking to Glynda I see. She hit me you know."

She reached for his arm, "Sin, please" her arm snaking its way around his, "For me, get some rest."

Eventually, he agreed to his childhood friend's request opting to sleep that night instead of work, though he would spend the following day in his lab desperately using the final hours of the captive Grimm's life cycle to find anything that would help create a cure, only to fail once again. As the creature died and it's body began dissolving into a black liquid that just as quickly evaporated into a black mist he released a final heavy breath before leaving his lab. It was that day where the funeral service for Fiona Peach would be held, with him and his surviving teammates giving the eulogy. The skies were dark that evening as thick clouds blocked the setting sun, he was thankful for the rain as it made his tears unnoticeable.

Several hours after the funeral had concluded he along with Ivy and their old teammate Alfred banded together in a bar, sitting at a round table with four seats, their drinks in front of them and a trio of empty shot glasses turned upside down at the empty seat.

"Honestly" Alfred laughed half hiding his face in his hand, "Sometimes it still amazes me that we managed to become friends. Fi, was crazy in school."

"No kidding" Ivy agreed, "She straight up hated us."

"I wouldn't mind reliving a few of those days though" Alfred said running his hand over his shaven head.

Ivy snorted, "Speak for yourself, remember that day I put my name on her test? Even though we both passed she tried to poison me."

The three shared a loud laugh, "Well" Sin began, "It wouldn't have been that bad, worst case is you just would have been throwing up for the next two or three days."

Alfred shook his head, "Still though, definitely an overreaction."

Sin leaned forward his elbow sliding off the table once forcing Alfred to reach out and catch him before he fell, "And look at it this way" Sin said with a quick hiccup, "If she didn't do that, I wouldn't have discovered my semblance, so it all worked out in the end right?"

Ivy nodded, "Yeah, better you than me."

Alfred chuckled, "Better him than either of us."

"Yeah, yeah" Sin hiccupped, "Laugh it up you two."

Alfred caught him again before he fell forward, "Hey you're the one who brought it up" he looked at his watch, "It's almost time for me to head back home. One more toast to Fi."

Raising his bottle his two friends followed suit snickering as Sin missed his first two attempts to make their drinks connect.

With his final sip Sin slowly leaned over the table and began snoring causing his friends to laugh once more as his empty bottle rolled off the table.

"Help me carry him back?" Ivy asked lifting one of Sin's arms over her shoulder.

Alfred nodded, "You don't have to go back to Beacon. You two can stay at my place tonight. Sarah and Lily would be happy to see you."

"That'd be nice" Ivy replied thanking him as they carried their unconscious friend outside to hail a cab.