Location: Initiative Safe Zone

Flying across the training field and landing down before turning back into his human form, Qrow observed the happens around the compound, which had an eerie aura of uncertainty all over it. Even though it had only been a week since the Collective's attack on the place it had felt like a much longer time had passed.

Maki and Yang where involved in a long drawn out sparring session, a common occurrence, Yang's inability to do anything at the moment made her put all her focus in becoming stronger and Maki used the training sessions as a way to deal with her grief regarding Yuta's unfortunate fate.

Yuta's death had hit everybody, Panda and Inumaki had left the school out of grief and anger. Nora and Ren kept mostly to each other living with the uncertainty and knowing that even this place wasn't safe. Megumi and his girlfriend Power also kept themselves somewhat secluded from the rest, which wasn't the oddest thing but Qrow remembered overhearing them talking about leaving.

Maki and Yang spend a lot of time either training or helping out and caring for Kara, who had no clue what was going and was wondering where her parents had gone too, and even more asking questions about what her grandfather meant when he told her that Weiss wasn't her mother.

Qrow didn't have the hard to explain to a three year old the complex situation they where in, let alone if she would even get it. Yang usually kept her occupied and was surprisingly good in her caring role to Qrow's shock.

Gojo didn't waste any time after everything happened with going on the warpath trying to find Vecna, the one responsible for Yuta's death. First he went back to their Remnant and killed Zemo. And now he was back there again negotiating with Ironwood to get Silver into their custody. It didn't sit right with anyone, worst of all was Ruby.

His niece was no longer the bright and cheery aspirational girl she had once been. Guilt and regret had consumed her, she blamed herself for what happened to Jaune, Weiss and Blake. A sentiment not helped by Gojo reprimanding her constantly about her actions which he believed is what ultimately got Yuta killed.

Qrow walked up the stairs thinking about it, he had been mad, he had shouted at Gojo, but the arrogant all powerful man simply continued to shut him down as he continued on his own vengeance bent road to find and kill Vecna.

It was then that Qrow found himself in front of Ruby's room, knocking soundly and waiting for a reply.

The door opened slightly and he saw his niece, her red hood covering her face.

"Hello uncle Qrow…what is it?" she asked in a depressed tone.

"Can we talk for a bit Ruby?"

He could tell by her body language that she wasn't in the mood to talk. But nevertheless she opened her door and allowed him in. He stepped inside and closed the door behind him, Ruby went on to sit on the bed and Qrow sat next to her.

"What is it you want to talk about uncle Qrow?" she asked as she pulled her hood back.

Qrow sighed and didn't waste any time in ripping the band aid straight off "look Ruby I know how you're feeling and I know that Gojo has been hard on you for what happened. But don't listen to him, what happened is not your fault."

Ruby didn't respond immediately, but her first reaction after a while was a very clear sob.

"But…but it is my fault…" she muttered.

"Ruby it's not…"

"BUT IT IS!" Ruby yelled as she stood up right in front of Qrow "it is all my fault uncle Qrow! If I didn't keep having the Mind Stone from all of you! If I hadn't listened to Malthazard and….and if I didn't mess around with that prison realm then Jaune wouldn't have ended up there…IT'S ALL MY FAULT! I FAILED THEM!"

What followed was Ruby breaking down into a weeping mess, Qrow stood up and embraced her as she cried.

"You didn't fail them Ruby…you didn't…" he tried to say, unsure if she could even hear him. He just let her cry all of her feelings out into this chest.

It stayed that way for at least two minutes before Ruby somewhat calmed down.

"I'm sorry uncle Qrow…" she sobbed.

"It's okay Ruby. I understand you have been holding this in for a while and Gojo playing the blame game with you isn't helping."

Ruby shook her head, wiping away her tears "no. No it isn't…"

Qrow sighed "Ruby. I get how you feel, how you feel like you failed in every move you tried to make but…believe me Ruby you did what you could, all it took was one wrong move on anyone's part and the situation would've been so much different. Believe me I know how it is to fail."

Ruby gave a confused expression "you failed. In what uncle Qrow you are a superhero, you saved mine and Yang's life as kids, there is nothing you can't do."

Qrow sighed audibly and stepped backwards, sitting back down on the bed.

"I could never tell you this story before but…considering all that's happened…"

Ruby sat down on the bed next to him.

"It was years ago when Gojo first recruited me to his cause. It was my very first mission, word had gotten out that the Collective where trying to gain resources from a very strange society of little people known as the Minimoys. So I was send out there, to a farm house of a family that had made contact with these little Minimoys. The family there welcomed me, Archibald and Daisy and their grandson Arthur, with their helped I actually shrunk down to a tiny size, like almost a bug's size."

Ruby giggled at the thought of a tiny Qrow.

"Yeah laugh all you want but it wasn't funny," Qrow laughed before he continued "but as soon as I was that size I had to infiltrate the Minimoy kingdom and discover what the Collective was after, turns out they where after a serum that could enhance grow that was created by Archibald, a serum that had fallen into the possession of a Minimoy general gone rogue, one that they referred to as the Evil M."

Ruby stopped giggling as she realized what Qrow was talking about.

"Malthazard…."

Qrow nodded in response.

"He used the serum to grow to human size. And he went out to seek revenge on the family that had interfered with his plans for a long time….I…I wasn't fast enough….by the time I had regained my normal size, he had slaughtered them…all of them…"

Ruby saw something she had never seen before. Qrow desperately trying to hold back tears.

"Archibald…Daisy…even Arthur…he was just a child, just a few years younger then you," he said looking at Ruby "I failed them Ruby…I was too late to save them and…my biggest regret to this day is not killing Malthazard when I had the chance. Instead…I wanted to punish him, so I shrunk him back to his Minimoy size and captured him, intending to keep him imprisoned here as a crime for his actions…"

Qrow wiped away his tears, looking down.

"I blame myself every day for not saving them…If only I had been faster, if my semblance wasn't just an omen for catastrophe maybe I could've done more…"

Ruby embraced him tightly, not saying a word, just returning the kindness he had shown her. Qrow wept as he was reminded of the people he couldn't save.

"We're going to get him uncle Qrow. We're going to make sure he won't hurt anyone ever again…" she told him reassuringly.