A/N: Special shoutout to Guest User Ouroborosdragon for their constant Guest Reviews. I really appreciate it, kind stranger. To respond, I thank you for pointing all that you said and I promise you, I did not overlook any of those facts you stated. I will do my best to address them in future chapters.

Now, on to the chapter!

[~]

"Happy Birthday!" Jaune said, the two of them gathered in Cinder's room as he handed her a small rectangle box.

"...What?" Cinder asked as she stared at the box in Jaune's hand.

"It's your birthday so, I bought you a gift." Jaune said, the boy's hands still outstretched.

"How do you know it's my birthday?" Cinder asked, "I don't even know when my birthday is."

"Well, I obviously don't know when it is exactly but I'm just making it today since it was four years ago today that we met each other for the first time." Jaune said, the smile on his face not wavering, "Makes it more convenient, doesn't it?"

"I fail to see the logic behind that." Cinder said as Jaune rolled his eyes at her.

"So, are you going to accept this gift or not?" Jaune asked.

"What's in it?"

"If I told you, then it wouldn't be a surprise, would it?" Jaune said, "Boy, you are awful at social interactions, aren't you?"

"Shut up. Give me that." Cinder said as she snatched the gift from the blonde's hand. A smile formed on her face as she opened the gift Jaune had just given her. It was a amber necklace with a pendant of the sun, "It's… beautiful. I don't get it but I like it."

"It's the sun."

"Yes, I understood that part."

"It shines light on all of Remnant."

"Truly, you are a wealth of knowledge, Jaune." Cinder said, rolling her eyes at the boy as she admired the gift she just received.

"What I'm trying to say is… that… um…" Jaune coughed as the blonde started to blush, "You're my Sun and that without you, my whole world would be dark."

As those words left the boy's mouth, Cinder looked up slowly from her gift as a look of disbelief had plastered itself on her face. Disbelief at what she had just heard with her own ears. A few seconds of silence passed before…

"Hahahahaha! That was the cheesiest and most embarrassing thing I've ever had the pleasure of hearing!" Cinder said, the girl erupting in uproarious laughter as she clutched her stomach in pain, "Who even told you to say that?"

"Tyrian. I heard him talking to himself like that about Salem and I decided to steal it." Jaune said as he covered his face in embarrassment.

"That's where you went wrong: Using Tyrian as an example for anything other than murder." Cinder said as she held back from laughing any further, "But it is a very beautiful gift. Thank you."

"Yeah? You really think so?" Jaune asked as Cinder responded with a warm smile and a nod, "Here, let me help you put it on."

"Thank you." Cinder said, the girl pulling away her hair, revealing the back of her neck as Jaune clasped the jewelry around it.

"There you go." Jaune said as he took a few steps back.

"How do I look?" Cinder asked as she stood up to parade her gift.

"Absolutely beautiful." Jaune said before the two of them shared a deep kiss.

"Where did you even buy this, anyway?" Cinder asked as she sat back down once more.

"I commissioned it from a blacksmith in Mistral." Jaune said.

"It must have cost a lot."

"Nah, not really. It was someone on Tyrian's hit list. I managed to convince him to let me ask the blacksmith for two more jobs before killing him." Jaune said, "All it cost me was my time, that's all."

"Wait, two? What's the other one?" Cinder asked before Jaune grabbed another gift from nearby.

"Ta-da, I got us a pair of matching necklaces." Jaune said as he opened the gift he got himself. Only this time, instead of the sun, the pendant was the moon in all its cracked glory.

"Thank you, Jaune, for the very thoughtful gifts. I couldn't have asked for anything more today." Cinder as the two of them embraced each other.

[~]

The living room was filled with a tense silence as Pyrrha, Ren, and Nora were in the midst of processing what Ruby and her team had learned through the Relic of Knowledge. All sorts of emotions were running through their minds - anger and frustration, mostly - but deep down, a small amount of despair were beginning to form within the three of them. The only one who didn't share that sentiment was-

"Hahahahaha!" Jaune laughed aloud as every face in the room turned towards the blonde.

"I'm sorry, is there something funny about this whole situation, Jaune?" Yang asked, an annoyed frown on her face.

"Funny? No, this whole thing isn't funny. It's downright hilarious." Jaune said as he wiped away a tear from his eyes.

"Would you care to elaborate?" Weiss asked. Turning his attention towards the heiress, the smile on Jaune's face immediately disappeared.

"It's hilarious because Salem was right. Everything you've just told us was the same crap Salem told me so long ago. I had my doubts, naturally because who wouldn't, right?" Jaune said, anger in his voice evident, "What makes this whole thing funnier is that Salem is a lot of things and trust me, she is every bit the monster you can imagine but as it turns out, she's not a liar. Imagine that, a monster whose one good virtue is honesty."

"Is there a point to all this?" Yang asked.

"Yeah, that I tried to tell you - all of you - that this whole mission was pointless from the very beginning." Jaune said as he got up from the couch, "But no, you just had to doubt me, didn't you? Talking about how we had to 'at least try everything in our power to stop Salem'. Now look where that's gotten you. A literal Spirit of Knowledge had to tell you what I've been saying like I'm some kind of broken record."

As the boy said that, he made to leave the room.

"Jaune, where are you going?" Ruby asked.

"Relax, I'm just going for a walk. Clear my head from all this crap." Jaune said before the boy slammed the door shut behind him. Nobody tried to stop the blonde from leaving. Even Nora was frustrated with this development, the ginger stomping her way to the second floor of the house.

"Nora, wait-" Ruby started to say only for Ren to hold the girl back.

"Ruby, I think… it's best if we have some time to think…" Ren said with a shake of his head as he went to join his partner, "Alone."

"Knock, knock. Mama Nikos is back with dinner." a voice said from the door, startling the girls of Team RWBY as a woman with red hair came barreling through. The woman, dressed in a snow stained black and red jacket, was carrying with her two full bags of groceries, "Is everything alright? I just saw Jaune storming off with a frightening look on… his… face…"

The woman trailed off as she noticed the somber mood that was currently present in her living room. Recovering quickly, Pyrrha immediately went to assist her mother with the bag in her hands.

"Is everything alright?" asked the elder Nikos.

"Mother, please, let me help you with that." Pyrrha said before the woman sidestepped away from her.

"Oh, thank you, dear but it's fine." the woman said, a warm smile on her face before her attention was drawn towards the four members of Team RWBY. Gasping, the woman quickly placed the bags in her hands down on the nearby table, "Are these girls Team RWBY?! Oh, Pyrrha's told me so much about you!"

"Um… hello…" Ruby said, a nervous smile on her face as she greeted Pyrrha's mother.

"Oh, you must be Ruby! My daughter mentioned you were a good friend but she never said you were adorable!" the woman said as she gave the young girl a giant hug, much to the amusement of the rest of her team.

"A-adorable…?" Ruby managed to squeak out as she tried in vain to escape the elder woman's grasp.

"I do apologize for not being here to greet you. I was busy with work, you see, and was only able to greet Pyrrha's team when they arrived." the woman said, letting the young girl go before turning to face the other members of Team RWBY, "This must be your team members."

"Yes, we are, Mrs Nikos. Good evening. I'm Weiss, this is Yang, and that is Blake." the heiress said as she bowed her head towards the woman, "We are terribly sorry for the intrusion."

"Oh, stop it, dear. It's no trouble at all." the woman said before giving Weiss a tight hug, "I'm just so happy to see how many friends my darling Pyrrha's made ever since she started going to Beacon. She was never the social type, you see, so when she called me to talk about all the wonderful things she did with her friends in Beacon, I could hardly contain myself."

"Mother, please. This is hardly to talk about the past." Pyrrha said, an embarrassed blush on her face as she carried the groceries into the kitchen.

"Oh, hush. It's not everyday I get to meet any of your friends now, is it?" the woman said before she pulled Ruby and Weiss close, "Now, who wants to see baby pictures?"

As the woman pulled out the album, none of the girls of Team RWBY nor her own mother noticed Pyrrha hiding in a corner, trying her best to shield her face.

[~]

Jaune was silent as he walked through the bustling streets of Argus, the blonde's mind currently running a hundred miles a minute as he thought back on everything that's happened in the past few weeks.

From making a deal with Raven - the actual Spring Maiden instead of that scrub who was following her around - to the battle of Haven and now to here in the seaside city of Argus. The boy was so lost in thought that he before he realized it, he had reached a park that overlooked the ocean.

Letting out a tired sigh, the blonde took a seat on an empty bench nearby as he eyed the people around him, each of them blissfully unaware of things going on behind the scenes. As the seconds passed, Jaune reached into his shirt before taking out the necklace he had bought all those years ago.

"You would have hated this place, I can tell." Jaune said aloud as he held the pendant of the cracked moon in his hands, "People laughing and complaining about things that don't matter. Kids screaming because of the smallest inconveniences. I don't think you'd have lasted a day here without burning this whole park down."

Memories of a time long past came back to him at that moment. Memories where of him killing Grimm and raiding villages on Salem's orders. Chaos and pain were all that he knew during that period of his life. More often than not, the pain came from Tyrian and Salem.

Jaune could admit to the fact that his life began to change - a small change but a change nonetheless - after meeting Cinder. A smile formed on the boy's face as he thought back to their first meeting. The two of them didn't always get along but over time, they began to trust one another and eventually, they fell in love. It wasn't something Salem approved of but as long as we retrieved for her the Relics and the Maidens, Salem was satisfied.

"Gods, I wish you were with me." Jaune said as he stared at the pendant in his hand. Before long and without realizing it, tears started filling the boy's eyes, "I miss you… so much."

The buzzing of the scroll in his pocket interrupted his train of thought. Sighing, the boy wiped away the tears on his face before he took out his scroll as he read the text he had just received from Pyrrha.

"Jaune, Oscar is missing. Please keep an eye out for him."

"Seriously?" Jaune spoke aloud as he let out a tired sigh. Putting the scroll away, the boy was about to get up before a familiar voice called out his name.

"Jaune." Oscar called out as Jaune noticed the boy's new outfit. Instead of his regular clothes, the boy now wore an olive coat over a white shirt, black trousers and a pair of red boots, "I… didn't expect to run into you here."

"Nice outfit. Where'd you get it?" Jaune asked as the boy took a seat beside him.

"From a shop down the road. I figured if we're really going to Atlas, I might as well buy something to keep me warm."

"With what money?" Jaune asked.

"Qrow's. I found him blackout drunk so I figured, if he has enough money to do that, I'm sure he wouldn't mind me borrowing some for a pair of new clothes." Oscar said as Jaune snorted at the boy's actions.

"I'm pretty sure you just wasted the man's cash for nothing." Jaune said as he tucked away his necklace, "It's impossible for us to get to Atlas as long as that shortstack is in charge."

"Oh… right…" Oscar said as he looked down at his feet. An awkward silence passed before Jaune spoke again.

"Heard anything from the old man lately? Maybe he has a plan."

"To be honest, he's been quiet ever since we set foot in Argus." Oscar replied, "I've been talking to him but he just hasn't responded. It's like he was… never there…"

"Oh, he's there, alright. He's just being a fucking coward to do anything." Jaune said, a scowl on his face, "Especially since he's lost the advantage of being able to manipulate everyone with his lies."

"It sounds like you… really don't like him…" Oscar said.

"At this point, who doesn't?" Jaune said as his scroll buzzed with another incoming text message. Standing up, the blonde then looked down at the boy beside him, "Come on, the side characters are looking for you."

"S-side characters?" Oscar asked as Jaune started to leave him behind, "J-Jaune, wait for me!"

[~]

"J-Jaune, wait for me!"

As soon as that name reached her ears, the woman immediately turned her head in search of the source.

"Jaune…" the blonde woman whispered as memories of a time long forgotten came rushing back to her. Memories of a young boy, her baby brother, chasing her around the backyard of her old home. Memories of them living together, as a family in a village on the outskirts of Vale.

As the woman scanned the crowd, her eyes zeroed in on two boys, one with blonde hair and the other with brown. The blonde haired boy was wearing a black coat and he was the one the woman was focusing on. As she rushed through the crowd, small drops of tears began to fill her eyes.

"Jaune, is that… really you…?" the woman whispered to herself, her hand outstretched as the two boys grew further and further away from her. In the end, the woman pulled her hand back with a shake of her head, "No, of course not. You died during the Grimm attack on our village."

"Saphron! There you are!" a voice called out. Turning around, Saphron saw that the source of the voice was her wife, Terra, with their infant son in her hands, "You said you were waiting by the benches. We were looking everywhere for you."

"Right, sorry. I just… got distracted…" Saphron said as she wiped away a tear.

"Saphron? Honey, are you okay?" Terra asked, a worried look on her face.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine. I just thought I saw someone I knew, that's all." Saphron said even as her expression said otherwise.

"Saphron, you know you can talk to me if anything's bothering you, right?" Terra said as the boy in her hands started grabbing for her glasses.

"I know that but I'm fine. I promise." the woman said as she took her son into her arms, "You believe me, don't you?"

The baby only laughed in response as Saphron held him.

"Well, if you say so. Now, come on, it's almost dinnertime and I'm starving." Terra said as the family of three started making their way back home, "What are we gonna be eating tonight?"

"Oh, I don't know… What do you want to eat tonight?" Saphron said as she pulled the baby close to hear ears. After a few seconds, the woman then turned to her wife and said, "Well, our beautiful baby boy says he wants to eat meatloaf tonight."

"Really? That baby said all that?" Terra asked.

"He sure did. After all, Jaune is the smartest and cutest baby in Argus." Saphron said, as the couple shared a laugh.

[~]

"I'm worried about Oscar." Ruby said as she and the rest of the group gathered outside the Nikos house.

"We all are, Ruby." Pyrrha said as she placed a comforting hand on the girl's shoulder.

"He'll be fine, I'm sure." Yang added as she shared a nod with her sister, "After all, Ozpin is always with him. Whether that's a good thing or a bad thing is a different subject."

"Yeah, but-"

"Hey, you side characters looking for someone?" A voice said, cutting Ruby off from whatever she was about to say. Turning her attention to the source of the voice, Ruby was filled with joy at the sight of Jaune and Oscar walking towards them.

"Oscar!" Ruby shouted before she crashed into the boy with the help of her Semblance. Looking up at the blonde, Ruby asked, "Jaune, where did you find him?"

"I didn't." Jaune said as he took a few steps back to avoid being crushed by everyone else who was happy to see Oscar, "He found me."

"And where have you been all day?" Pyrrha asked.

"Also, did he just call us side characters?" Weiss asked from the side.

"Does it matter? I'm here now, right?" Jaune replied.

"Thank you, Jaune!" Nora said as the girl gave the blonde a tight hug.

"For what? I told you, he was the one who found me." Jaune said as he pushed the girl away.

"Well, yeah but also thanks for… you know…" Nora said, letting her sentence trail off.

"Not leaving?" Jaune asked, scoffing at the accusation that went unsaid, "Where else am I supposed to go? Back to Salem?"

"Still, I'm glad you stayed." Nora said, a beaming smile on the girl's face even as the blonde rolled his eyes at her.

"This does not, however, solve our original problem." Weiss said, inadvertently dampening the mood, "Namely, how do we get to Atlas?"

"Have all of you considered just giving up this stupid mission of yours and retiring to a beach in Vacuo?" Jaune asked before being met with deadpan stares from everyone around him, "Alright, message received. If that's the case, then your best bet would be to steal an airship from the Atlas military base."

"...What?" Weiss asked, the girl mirroring the same confused expression on everyone else's face.

[~]

The airship descended into the clearing below smoothly. As soon as it landed, the hatch on the side opened to reveal a petite woman with mismatched colored eyes before her outfit changed in a shimmer of broken glass.

"Excellent work, Neo. With this, it shouldn't prove too difficult in getting to Atlas." Cinder said as she made her way towards the aircraft. Stepping off the aircraft, Neo then made use of her Semblance to disguise the airship before the two women hopped on board.

"Wait for me, Jaune." Cinder said as she gripped the sun pendant around her neck, "I'm coming for you."

[Chapter END]

A/N: Phew, that's a wrap for Chapter 8. This was another fun chapter for me to write. Highlights for me this chapter specifically were the flashback in the beginning and the scene where Saphron heard the name 'Jaune'. That was something I just wanted to put in that came to me last minute.

As for the chapter, I hope you guys liked it. Not much action here but there will be some next chapter. I'm thinking of making the whole 'steal an airship' thing into two chapters. I feel it would be better that way. So, stay tuned for that.

As always, faves, follows, and reviews are always appreciated.

Praise be to Cinder Fall.