An uncomfortable silence passed between Sun, Blake, and Kali as they sat upon the floor of the Haven Academy headmaster's office. A silver urn with purple banded accents at the top and bottom stood silently in the center of their formation, reflecting orange glows from the nearby fireplace. Blake leaned heavily into Sun and kept one of her hands intertwined with his, while Kali sat across from the two of them. The older faunus and her daughter had both let tears slip throughout the quiet little ceremony, while Sun simply felt hollow as he stared at the object.

"…I don't even know what to say," he began. "I feel like I've just let it all out between tears, screaming, and fights over the past few days. Seeing him like this makes it all feel pointless. Like we failed."

Kali shook her head and wiped her eyes against one of her sleeves. "The fact that we have this room to sit in means that we won. He would be proud of both of you, for everything you've done since that night. Hundreds of students will have a place to call home for the coming semester thanks to our family. Ghira died defending that ideal, and upholding peace between humans and faunus."

"Humans aren't the problem, right now," Blake said in a rough voice that sounded more like a croak than anything. "Adam's extremism brought this down on us, and if he isn't permanently stopped, more families will be doing what we're doing right now. I need to know that he's taken care of."

Sun offered Blake a light squeeze around the shoulders, followed by a kiss on the cheek. "He will be. Cinnamon's handling that part for us, so we can take care of this relic. Had Ghira known about the relics and the fight to defend them, you know he'd do everything in his power to keep them secure. I'll personally see to it that the relic is put away somewhere safe, and that Cinnamon follows through, if that's what it takes to make you feel content."

"There you go again," Kali mused. "Everything before yourself, just like Ghira. You wear his colors and armor well, Sun."

Sun heaved a sigh, and looked down at his deep purple shirt and the familiar metallic belt. "Wearing this… I don't know. It helps, somehow, and I need all the help I can get."

"…which is why I should go with you," Blake added as she looked up at him. Sun tensed and shifted in his spot upon the floor.

"Blake, now really isn't the time…"

"Now is the best time," she protested. "With Mom here, and Dad as my witness, I want this to be decided."

Kali frowned as she rose to a standing position and walked over to the headmaster's desk. She ran her fingers along the polished wood as she looked over the ornaments, and kept her voice low.

"…are you suggesting that there's an alternative to going with Sun?"

Sun looked away as Kali made her way back around the desk. "Blake… wants to go with you, but she also thinks she should go with my squad. I'm telling her to go and help the Black Claw, while she's insisting that it's not an option, no matter how badly she feels like she should."

Kali stopped walking and locked eyes with her daughter. A silent conversation occurred between the two women, and Blake was the first to hang her head and look away.

"…Mom, that isn't fair…"

"He's right here, Blake. Ghira would have told you to put duty before personal needs, and Sun is telling you the same thing, now. We're all making sacrifices in order to keep our friends, and the world safe and make forward progress. The part of you that knows that, the part of you that came from your father, is the part telling you to come with me. There is no better way to honor Ghira than to let yourself do this," Kali finished.

"Listen to your mom and I. Please," Sun added alongside another squeeze. "I'll be okay, until we see each other again. Even if things aren't great for me right now, I'll power through it."

"And what if I won't be okay without you?" Blake asked as she looked up at Sun. "What if I've only become strong because I had you for support?"

"Then the only way to know for sure is to take that support away, for a time," Kali pointed out. "I'll be with you, ready and willing to help you through any rough patches. Your voice, your experiences, and potentially your combat skills will be invaluable to establishing a foothold for the Claw."

Blake let out one final, heavy sigh of protest before hanging her head again in resignation as she opened her mouth to address the floor.

"Sun… are you really going to manage, without me?"

"…I'll have to. It's going to suck, but… when I was alone last night, thinking through this over and over, I realized something else. The biggest stumbling block in our relationship is that when something goes wrong for you, I won't let myself focus on anything else. It's irritating you, it's wearing me down, and there's no fixing it. If we have some time apart, and my squad's trip to Atlas gives me the kind of time alone that I think it might… I'll have to focus on myself. We should consider this a small test. A test for you, to see if I've really helped you stand on your own, and a test for me, to see if I can start… admitting my problems and facing them head-on," Sun grumbled.

Kali finally returned to the teens, and knelt to pick up Ghira's urn. "The pair of you willingly sacrificing so much is heartbreaking to see… but it also shows me that you've both grown. That growth only exists because of your bond. Without it, the things you've both experienced would have broken you. Blake, will you come with me? I could use backup from someone I know I can trust."

Blake finally looked back up at her mother, and nodded once. "I will. For the sake of everyone, except for myself."

"And Sun," Kali continued, "will you promise to use the time away from my daughter to work at improving yourself, and growing into who you want to be?"

"I will," Sun said without hesitation.

"Then it's decided," Kali confirmed as she offered the urn to Blake. "Please, take him back to the safe house. He'll be journeying with us, and he'll be given a seat of honor within our new headquarters."

"Do you know where we're going to start?" Blake asked as she accepted the cold metal container.

"In what will become the fifth kingdom," Kali replied. "The Mistrali government isn't being of any help to us, and it's gotten to the point that they're threatening to eject us from the city if we continue. We're headed back to Menagerie. We'll be going home soon, rebuilding the manor, and turning it into a beacon of dialogue and change. One day, we'll have an equal stake in the political affairs of Remnant… partially due to the role that Sun is going to play in securing the relic of knowledge."

Sun smirked as the details of the plan came together. "You can count on me!"

Blake gave her mother a conflicted look and one last nod before carrying the urn out of the office. Sun moved to follow, only for Kali's voice to stop him in his tracks.

"…Sun. A moment?"

Sun took one final step forward to close the door to the office before turning on his heel and approaching Kali once again.

"What's up?"

Kali sauntered forward and lightly placed her hand in the center of Sun's chest, only to earn a small blush from the boy.

"This may be the last time we see each other or get to talk for quite a long time. None of us know if and when Raven will be found, or start to cooperate. I have faith that Ruby and Ozpin can get it done, but… no matter what, in two months' time, if we have no word from the others, I'm sending Blake your way. I wouldn't dare keep her from you any longer. Stay in Atlas until that time, so you don't miss her. Please."

Sun's heart fluttered a bit, and he gave the woman a firm nod. "We will. Thanks, Kali. I'm putting on a brave face for her sake, but… I'm worried."

"I know, Sun. We all are," Kali reassured. "But I want you to know one other thing, as well. No matter what happens from this point forward, you will always be a Belladonna, in my eyes. I'm proud of you, and I'm looking forward to seeing your future with my daughter."

Kali took another step forward and wrapped Sun in a bone-crushing hug, which he happily returned.

"What, no jokes about sex this time?" Sun teased.

"Not this time, no. Just take my words to heart, and know that when the fight is over, you'll have a family to come back to in Menagerie," Kali reassured.

Sun pulled back, and gave Kali a sad smile. "Thanks. Is it weird if I call you… 'Mom'?"

Kali quirked a brow, and shook her head. "I've been called weirder things before. Be seeing you, son."

Sun offered a small wave, and moved out of the office to follow Blake.

Heavy footfalls echoed in the hall as Sage's boots thumped against the wooden floor. He rolled his neck with a groan as he made his way back through the safe house and toward the living room, only to stop momentarily as the sound of several voices echoed within. Sage frowned to himself and shook his head before continuing on his path and stepping into the spacious room.

"…something like that. He seems pretty beat up about it, too," Ruby said from her position on the loveseat while looking over at Nora and Ren. The noise from Sage's footsteps drew her attention, and she stood to greet him with a cheery grin. "Oh, hey there! Nice to see you, Sage!"

"…yeah… sure," Sage agreed with a forced smile.

"What brings you back so soon? Come to hang out with the cool kids?" Nora asked as she laced her hands behind her head and closed her eyes with a self-assured smirk.

Sage folded his arms and remained a good distance away from the trio as he eyed up the décor of the room. "Nah, not so much that. I just came by to see if there's anything you or the professor want done, before we head out."

Ruby flopped back onto the couch and patted the cushion beside herself. "Hm… we should do a supply run before we go, but I think that's something that would be best to do together."

"Additionally, you're already putting yourself out there by agreeing to come with a team that shares no members with the one you're used to," Ren added. "It seems unfair to ask more of you, individually. Sun told us all how you were willing to make that sacrifice and stick to this path, despite the difficulties of being away from your friends."

Sage finally began to move and sat down next to Ruby as he kept his arms folded, and eyes upon the coffee table. "Did he, now?"

"Uh huh!" Nora agreed as she leaned forward again. "There's a pretty good chance that Salem is gonna send her worst after us, once she learns we're carrying the 'relic', if you get what I'm sayin'. It's pretty cool of you to stick with it. Wish we had a guy like that with us at Haven."

A hot wave of nauseating guilt hit Sage as he grit his teeth. "Yeah, about that…"

Sage never got a chance to finish his thought as he felt a tiny hand rest upon his shoulder. He looked off to the side, only to find Ruby giving him a sympathetic look.

"It's okay, Sage. We know you would've rushed in to help, if you had known. Things got a little crazy, and Sun told us he didn't even consider that you might have been here and able to help all along. It's what happens next that's really important, and hearing that you're so willing to help out is great. We'll treat you just like you've been with us the whole time!" Ruby reassured as she patted the shoulder of Sage's coat.

Sage's mind raced as he sat in stunned silence. He shifted to clasp his hands between his legs as he leaned forward, and found his palms growing hot and uncomfortable.

"…so, ah, tell me about this… Salem woman. What exactly do you mean by her 'worst'?"

"Salem is the queen of grimm," Ren began. "Apparently, she's capable of spawning and controlling them, from the individual to the army. If a relic is in play, then she's sure not to go easy on us. Fortunately, Ruby, Nora, and I are used to fighting as a unit, and from what Sun has told us of your abilities, you should fit right in."

"Yeah!" Nora agreed as she raised a fist into the air. "Sun talked you up to us quite a bit this morning. Seems to me like he's got faith that you'll be ready to go on the front lines."

Ruby nodded in agreement, and rocked herself forward to jump back into a standing position. "Nora's right. I think I'm gonna get some milk from the fridge. You want anything, Sage?"

A bead of sweat trickled down Sage's back, and elicited a full-body shiver. "I think… water would be good."

"Water it is!" Ruby said with a nod before heading off to the kitchen. Sage watched her go, before turning back to face Ren and Nora.

"…are you alright?" Ren asked. "You don't look well."

"Yeah, no, I'm fine," Sage insisted. "You wouldn't happen to know where Sun got off to, would ya?"

Nora threw a hand forward in a dismissive motion, and shook her head. "He told us he and Blake would be gone for the day, but he didn't say where. Probably makin' out in their bedroom in secret."

"Nora!" Ren interjected. "Please, don't speculate about our comrades' personal lives!"

"What? It's true!" Nora insisted, before looking back to Sage. "Why, are you worried about him? He seemed a little down, but he said he'd be okay when I asked."

"…guess you could say that, yeah," Sage agreed as he took out his scroll. "He really talked to you three about our team, this morning?"

"For quite some time, yes," Ren replied. "He also told us that he feels awful for leaving you, Neptune, and Scarlet behind while helping Blake."

"And that he thinks he's a pretty awful leader," Ruby added as she walked back into the room with two glasses. She handed Sage the one filled with clear liquid, and sat back down heavily. "He actually talked to Jaune and I about that last night, too. Personally, I think that with as much as he cares about everyone here, he's among the best. He just had to make a tough call, and he hates that you and Neptune had to suffer for it."

Sage took a long drink of water, and exhaled through his nose. "You know Blake pretty well, right? Do you think Sun made the right call, running after her?"

Ren and Nora exchanged nervous looks as Ruby set her glass down upon the coffee table and gave Sage her full attention.

"Honestly… yeah, I do. Blake's been so battered and abused by so many things in her life that the attack on Beacon was her breaking point. I think Sun ran after her in a snap decision because he was afraid of what she might do, either to herself or others, at her lowest point."

Ren nodded along with Ruby's statement. "While I doubt that it was easy without him, you had Neptune and Scarlet, and he trusted the three of you to support each other. When Blake left us, she had no one."

"…and yet all the three of us did was fight about what to do next, and whether or not Sun made the right call," Sage replied. He drained his glass and put it next to Ruby's on the table, before standing up and beginning to tap on his scroll. "I think I need some air."

"Yeah, it gets a little stuffy in here," Nora commented. "We'll be here for ya, when you get back."

Sage nodded slowly, and walked out the glass doors to the lawn. He tapped a few more times and turned the scroll off before pocketing it, and heading toward the fence. Silently, he leaned against the wood and cursed softly to himself before shaking his head.

"…damn it, Sun. You're not making this easy…"

Author's Note:

So, just to recap, because it can get a little confusing:

-Ruby, Oscar/Ozpin, Ren, Nora, and Sage are headed... somewhere to attempt to find Raven.

-Blake, Kali, Qrow, and Neptune are headed for Menagerie to establish the Claw and push for a fifth kingdom.

-Sun, Ilia, Yang, Weiss, and Jaune are off to Atlas, with the relic of knowledge.

Tomorrow's chapter is one of my personal favorites. It includes two very specific events that a lot of people have been asking for for a long time...

-RD