I'm definitely sticking to Tuesdays. Feel free to ask questions regarding anything related to the story or characters. But until next time!

Note: I do not own either RWBY or Fairy Tail. Those are owned by Rooster Teeth and Hiro Mashima ( and FUNimation). Please support the official release.

Note two: Bolded text indicates telepathic dialogue. Italic text indicates a flashback.

"The Fanus War may seem like ancient history to some of you," addressed his class. "But its effects can still be seen to this day. Tell me, how many of you have been discriminated against because of your race?"

Jaune, half-asleep, vaguely noticed a small scattering of Fanus in the class raising their hands. It was too early for Jaune to be thinking critically about anything.

"Dreadful, simply dreadful," the green-haired teacher shook his head. "Now, can anyone tell me the turning point of the war?"

Weiss's hand shot up. "The Battle of Fort Castle," she promptly answered.

"And can anyone tell me what advantage the Fanus had over General Langune's forces?" Something hit the back of Jaune's head.

"Huh?" He raised his head to see Cardin snickering to one of his teammates. A paper ball sat on the floor.

"Mr. Arc!" Oobleck's sudden callout surprised Jaune. "Finally contributing to class! What is the answer?"
"Uh…" Unprepared, Jaune quickly scanned the room, noticing Pyrrha pointing to her eyes. "They had binoculars?"

"Pffff," Cardin cackled behind him. Jaune felt like melting into the ground. "What an idiot."

"Mr. Winchester," the Professor snapped at the mace-wielder. "Would you like to answer the question?"

"It's a lot easier to train animals," the bully smirked.

"Cardin," Oobleck lowered his glasses. "You will see me after class. Now, does anyone else have an answer?"

Pyrrha raised her hand. "Well, the General tried to attack the Fanus while they were asleep. But, he underestimated his enemy and forgot that the Fanus have excellent night vision. So his force was routed."

"Precisely!" Oobleck paced the floor. "By refusing to regard the Fanus as anything but inferior, General Langune failed to create an effective strategy and ultimately got his force annihilated. That is all the time we had left today. Make sure you finish revising your essays on the causes of the Great War. And Mr. Arc, please try and pay attention like your teammates." Jaune felt terrible. What kind of team leader was he, if his teammates were doing a better job than he was? The weight of inadequacy bore down on him.

As he slowly packed his things, he heard someone tap the desk in front of him.

"Jaune?" he looked up to see Pyrrha's face looking down at him. "Are you…okay?"

"I'm fine," Jaune brushed off the comment and stood with all of his belongings packed away. He…couldn't ask for help, not right after what happened.

"Jaune," Pyrrha halted him, a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Please if there's something wrong, I'm–your team is here for you."

That stopped Jaune in his tracks. August…the professor had known about his faked transcripts. That much was clear by the second Semblance class Jaune had taken. But he hadn't been kicked out. The school was giving him a real chance to show he belonged here.

"I can't tell you right now," Jaune stared into Pyrrha's green eyes, "After class?"

The redhead's face softened. "I'll hold you to it."

Zeref glanced furtively at the students around him. Luckily, everyone else was paying attention to the fight between Jaune and Cardin, the latter of which was pummeling the living daylights out of Jaune.

The Black Wizard closed his eyes and focused. A small flame flickered in his palm, stabilizing as he poured more magic into it. He tried to feel any pain in his head, only to find a barely noticeable buzz. The ring was…working. He looked around again. Everyone had their attention still on the fight. But Jaune's aura was almost out. Zeref tried to lift one of the empty chairs on the far wall of the room. It rose a few feet off the ground. But then the headache grew and his vision got blurry. He let the chair drop.

"What are you doing?" Mavis asked him, "Please test the rings after I finish this quiz at least–it's hard to concentrate."

"S-sorry," Zeref let the ring suppress his magic. He still wasn't used to annoyed Mavis. Though, he also wasn't used to not having Mavis by his side either. A loud clang shook him out of his thoughts.

A final swing by Cardin knocked off Jaune's shield, which skidded on the ground until it contacted the hard-light shield that surrounded the sparring ring. The mace-wield swung down again, ready to deliver a finishing blow.

"Mr. Winchester!" Professor Goodwitch's voice stopped Cardin right in his tracks. "The fight is over." The native Mistrali scoffed before pulling away. Zeref noticed Glynda wait until Cardin had left the ring before continuing. "As you can see class, Mr. Arc's Aura has dipped into the red. In a tournament-style match, he would've lost. And Mr. Arc, while it is important to check your Aura level, try not to get distracted by it." The bell rang, signaling the end of class. Remember everyone, the Vytal Festival is only a few months away! I hope that those of you who qualify for the tournament improve by then."

As students trickled out of the classroom, Zeref kept his eye on Jaune. August had asked his father after one class to look after the inexperienced huntsman-in-training. But more importantly, Zeref felt like after how he treated Jaune on the first day of school, he owed it to the kid. Pyrrha, who had already packed all of her things, went to help her team leader from the stage.

Aura depletion made people feel physically and mentally exhausted–at least, according to August. Zeref assumed it was like magic exhaustion–where a wizard spends all of their magic power, the same condition Mavis had been inflicted with after using Law.

As Zeref was just about to let them go, he noticed Cardin trail the pair. The Black Wizard narrowed his eyes; Cardin had been very blatant with their bullying, especially when it came to Jaune. Better be safe than sorry.

"I'll meet you back at our dorm," Zeref told his girlfriend, "I have something I need to check."

"I'm going to help Ruby study for a bit then," Mavis replied, "You know, to catch up. We'll be in the library if you finish before we do."

Zeref slung his satchel over his shoulder, before following Cardin at a safe distance, who in turn, was tailing Jaune and Pyrrha. Zeref followed the students to the stairwell. He was just about to ascend the stairs when he noticed Cardin stop to open a nearby window. The mace-wielder slid the glass upward before climbing out onto the old fire escape outside. Why was he–it clicked. It was clear that most people used the elevators now, as the grated metal stairs were entirely rusted–making them very creaky. He could hear groaning metal even after giving Pyrrha and Jaune a decent head start.

Zeref thought about it for a moment. He needed to get up the stairwell without using the stairs. All he had at the moment was his Semblance, school supplies, and…right. He twisted his wedding ring, and let some of his magic release. He quickly calculated the height he would need to teleport–50 feet. He concentrated, moving a ball of magical energy up the central column and allowing more energy to coalesce in front of the roof's access door.

With Jaune and Pyrrha on the roof, Zeref materialized where he'd gathered his magic

Unlike when he used his death magic to teleport, there was no transition for his eyes, immediately upsetting his stomach. His recently eaten lunch churned uncomfortably–the cafeteria had served fried chicken. Luckily for Zeref, Pyrrha had only partially closed the door, which allowed the Black Wizard to overhear Juane and Pyrrha's conversation. But that wasn't why he was here. Pooling more magic together, Zeref pinpointed Cardin's faint, but distinct magical signature: it felt almost malicious. And he was standing right under the top of the roof, just out of sight. Zeref pooled more magic together and sent it toward the far side of the roof, right past Jaune and Pyrrha. It dipped over the far wall, landing just two feet behind Cardin, who Zeref could sense was crouching behind the wall. This bastard…the Black Wizard had enough. He cast the spell.

The slight creaking of the fire escape drew Cardin's attention. "Wha–" he started to say before Zeref pinned him against the wall.

"Let me make this clear," Zeref's expression betrayed the pressure in his head, "Never. Bother. Jaune. Again." Cardin's eyes widened, sweat forming on his face. The mace-wielder tried pushing Zeref away from him.

"H-how are you doing that?" the brunette stammered.

"Zeref," Mavis asked with unusual calm. "Take a deep breath." In response, Zeref let the kid go, before activating his telekinesis. He was beginning to see dark spots. Grabbing hold of Cardin, Zeref moved him till he was dangling in the air.

"Please, my Spriggan," Mavis's tone was tinged with pain now.

"Swear on it," Zeref put a hand to his head. He noticed his own reflection in Cardin's armor. His eyes were glowing red. Cardin nodded vigorously, his pupils dilated in pure fear. "You never saw this." Cardin was tossed back onto a metal catwalk, after which Zeref closed off his magic once again. Taking a deep breath, he carefully stepped over Cardin, who had been knocked out when his head hit the metal.

That was too close. Way too close. Close enough that he could've killed Cardin. Close enough that he might've set off Mavis, killing…Ruby, and everyone in the library. No, no. He couldn't lose control–not now. He needed to get it together. At least until he could find Mav–

"Hey, Zeref!" Yang's sudden callout nearly caused him to jump out of his skin, "Have you seen Ruby anywhere?"

"...Mavis?" Ruby tapped the blonde's shoulder.

Mavis blinked her emerald eyes, trying to control the secondhand panic she was feeling.

"Sorry Ruby," She offered a tight smile. "I got a little distracted. Which problem are you having trouble with now?"

"Well," the girl got in Mavis's face, her silver eyes concentrating on Mavis's emerald ones, "Your eyes got red for a second."

"Oh right!" Mavis rubbed her eyes. "I'm just feeling tired. Don't worry about me."

"Uh, okay then!" Ruby's cheerful tone was tinged with uncertainty but turned her attention back to the calculus homework. "Ugh, integrals suck. Why am I the only one who has to do this?"

The Fairy Tactician studied the young huntress's face, her brow knit in frustration. "Ruby. You're doing fine. Why don't we check on the chocolate cake?"

The silver-eyed girl brightened considerably. "Sure!" She hopped out of her chair, packing all of her school supplies in a whirlwind of arm movements. "Let's go."

"Where was Weiss again?" Mavis asked as they walked to their dorm's communal kitchen. "I thought she usually helped you with your homework."

"She and Blake have a project for Plant Sciences due tomorrow. Weiss said she needed to make sure that everything was okay." She rolled her eyes. "But I'm sure they're fine. Weiss is probably being a worrywort."

"What are we going to do?" Weiss moaned, pressing her hands to her cheeks. The whole plant had been ripped out of the ground, with stems and leaves scattered on the surrounding soil. "Are you sure you don't know where the catnip went?"

"N-no," Blake looked away, hiding the blush that was forming on her face, "I know a florist in Vale that sells catnip."

Weiss grabbed the black-haired girl by the wrist and began dragging her to the Bullhead station. "Then we need to hurry!"

"Speaking of which, where is Zeref?"

"Huh?" Mavis had her scroll half open, ready to open the door to the kitchen. "Oh, he…" she could still vividly feel the pain, as if someone took a sledgehammer to the inside of her skull. "...had to check on something." Then she remembered. "I…told him to meet us at the library." She melted into the floor. "Could you get the cake out? I need to let Zeref know. Also, the oven is smoking."

"Alright–" Ruby's eyes widened when she looked inside, "My cake!" She rushed inside, her movements erratic. The sweet tooth got a face full of smoke when she opened the oven door. Nor did she turn off the device.

"Zeref?" Mavis reached out, tentatively. "Are you–"

"Where are you?" he responded almost immediately. "And, sort of."

Mavis decided that sort of was better than no. "The dorm's kitchens. Do you need to talk?"

There was a long pause. "Yes. And uh, sorry."

"I just wish you warned me before that happened," Mavis stood to help Ruby. She had gotten the cake out–the outside charred. The oven wasn't turned off. Mavis giggled. "Ruby, you need to turn off the oven."

"Oh," the red and black-haired girl dialed the temperature to zero, "right."

Mavis took a knife and cut off a small slice. Despite the burning outside, the inside of the cake was somehow okay. However, that was probably due to Ruby adding way more filling than she needed to. "Most of it is fine. Here." She cut out another slice and handed that one to Ruby.

"Hahhh," her mouth drooled at the sight of the food. She took her fork and crammed over half of the cake into her mouth.

"So much like Natsu," Mavis murmured without thinking. Wow. She hadn't thought about her family, not for the last few years anyway. If Remnant followed the same passage of time, almost everyone she'd known was probably…gone. Their kids and grandkids taking their place.

"Natsu?" Ruby asked. Or at least tried to ask, given that her mouth was filled to the brim with cake. "Who's that?"

"Zeref's little brother," Mavis took a tentative bite out of her own slice. Then again, Natsu was technically a demon, so he would still be aroudn. She could barely taste the bitterness of the chocolate, as Ruby had overloaded the batter with sugar. "Why don't we go over your reading analysis?" Mavis tried to shift Ruby back.

"You mean the one for Legends of Remnant? Sure!"

Yang waved an arm in front of Zeref's face, trying to get his attention. When she found the black-haired student in an almost deserted corner of the building, she was taken aback by his haunted expression. To the blonde brawler at least, Zeref always seemed so self-assured. He seemed to always know what to say to help, especially to her.

"Geez Zeref," Yang moved ahead of him, turning around, "something must've gotten under your skin. Feeling a little rattled?"

He didn't say anything, only tilting his head up to his onyx eyes to meet Yang's lilac. The void stared into Yang, filling her with dread.

"Lost your spine Zeref?" Yang tried a different tactic, taunting the student advisor. Something was definitely wrong. But if she could get a reaction out of him… "Don't have the guts to say anything?"

He suddenly put a hand on her shoulder. "Miss Xiao Long, I appreciate what you're trying to do, but please, I…need some time alone."

All of Yang's bluster faded as she took in the black-haired student's shaking body. "You need to sit down." She grabbed him by the wrist and dragged him into a nearby supply closet. The small room smelled overwhelmingly of ammonia and rubbing alcohol. She sat him down.

"Look, you don't have to tell me what's wrong," Yang peeked back out into the hallway, ensuring there wouldn't be anyone to interrupt them. "But, if you need to let something off your chest, I promise not to judge."

Zeref's breathing slowed, which Yang took as a good sign. "I don't think Cardin isn't going to be bothering anyone for a while."

"That implies a lot of things," she crossed her arms, "All of which include Cardin getting his ass handed to him. I approve."

That got a rise out of Zeref, whose face flickered with a smile. "I might have threatened him with bodily harm…and death."

"Please elaborate," Yang sat down, cross-legged, and leaned forward. "This all sounds very entertaining."

"Cardin was following Jaune and Pyrrha," he looked away, his cheeks turning a little red, "and he was trying to eavesdrop on their conversation. So I may have…dangled him off of the fire escape in the air."

"You did not," Yang muffled her laugh with her hand, "I'm glad you saved me the time of scaring the shit out of Cardin."

"I went a little overboard," he muttered to himself.

"Don't be sorry," Yang gave him a sympathetic smile, "Cardin's been an asshole to everyone for a while now–and don't get me even started on what he's done with Velvet."

"I guess that's fair," Zeref stood to his feet and extended a hand. "Thanks, Yang. This…this really helped."

She grinned and took his hand. "Just returning the favor ya know? Now c'mon, we have to find Ruby. And I'm sure Mavis has been worried sick about where you disappeared off to. And by the way, did you catch what Jaune and Pyrrha were talking about?"

As Zeref pulled Yang to her feet, he raised his eyebrows. "Why would you care?"

"Oh, nothing," She looked away, "Okay fine. Blake and I were taking bets on whether Pyrrha would confess to Jaune or not."

"Jaune admitted to faking his way into Beacon," he replied as the two of them exited the supply closet. Yang didn't say anything for a few seconds. Sure, Jaune didn't exactly excel at Beacon, but lying to get in? That was…

"Vomit Boy's going to have to clarify some things at dinner," she let a slightly deranged smirk form, before adding "How'd Pyrrha react?"

"Jaune asked her for help to catch up," Zeref answered vaguely, "But I didn't catch anything after that."

"Huh," Yang shrugged. That sounded odd, but she couldn't discern why. "So, do you know where my sister is?"

"She should be back at the dorms with Mavis," he pulled out his scroll, "Weiss wasn't able to help Ruby with her math homework, something about a Plant Science project?"

"The one she's working with Blake for–," she started, "and that just reminded me I'm going to have to pay her fifty lien."

"Maybe you shouldn't have bet on someone else's love life," Zeref muttered as he typed something on his scroll. "We're going to have to hurry if we want to catch dinner."

"Okay then," Yang grinned, "Race you there?"

"I promised I'd meet up with Mavis first. Maybe some other time" he began to turn away, before pausing, "And Yang?"

"Hm?"

"Thank you."

Blake, with trembling hands, slowly set the catnip back into the ground. She could resist the temptation for just one day.

"Are we," Weiss lay flat on the group, trying to catch her breath, "good?"

"Yeah," the cat fanus let herself sink to the ground, "Oum, that was stressful."

"If I find whoever sent us on this–" the white-haired girl struggled to find the wording, " this wild goose chase is–isn't going to see the sun ever again." Blake gulped and turned to pick at the grass. "Is something wrong?"

"I don't know about you, but I could go for some food," Blake got up.

"I suppose running around all day would make us build an appetite," Weiss agreed, "But is the cafeteria even open? It's pretty late."

"I could always just make something," a smirk slowly formed on Blake's face, "For myself, of course. I don't know if it would be wise for you to try and cook."

"Wha–" Weiss shot up cheeks puffed indignation. "What are you trying to say?"

"Seriously Schnee?" Blake gave Weiss a pointed stare, "When was the last time you ever used a stove?"

"I-I," the rapier wielder looked down at her shoes mouth pressed into a fine line.

"Just this once," Blake sighed. "But you're going to have help."

"Of course. I can't have my laziness taint the Schnee family's name."

Blake squeezed her wrist. Of all the things Weiss could've brought up, this was it. The former freedom fighter could probably list for hours the many, many ways Weiss's family brought shame to their name. But looking at the Heiress now, her completely genuine look of pride on her face, and frankly, she was too tired to start that debate again.

Just as Blake was going to suggest they head back to the dorm, she heard a cracking noise. She unclipped Gambol Shroud from its sheathe, holding the pistol by her side. Her eyes darted at the dark treeline of the Emerald Forest.

"Why are you–" Weiss had a hand on her rapier, but her face was full of confusion.

"Shhh," Blake put a finger to her lips. She turned her amber eyes back to the foliage.

"Uh, guys?" Mavis's voice caused both girls to flinch. Blake willed her cat ears to stop twitching from the nervousness. "I think it's a little after curfew." The student advisor was wearing a black, sleeveless dress with pink frills. A pastel pink sash, with light blue tips, encircled her waist. Mavis had put her hands on her waist.

"Sorry Mavis," Blake resheathed her gun, tilting her head in the direction of the catnip, "We just got back from Vale. Someone, uh, destroyed our catnip–and the project is due tomorrow."
"And?" Mavis turned to Weiss. She raised her eyebrows.

"We," the Heiress's ice-blue eyes flickered to the right, "had to find a florist who was willing to sell us a catnip for the project."

Mavis let out a small chuckle. "Alright, you two. Just make sure you get to your dorm. And if you were wondering, Yang and Ruby made pancakes since you missed dinner."

"Where are you going?" Blake wondered aloud, "You made it sound like you won't be following us."

"The headmaster called me to ask about something," the blonde gave a noncommittal shrug. "Not sure what it's about."

"Well, that sucks," Weiss sighed. "I hope it goes well."

"Thanks, Weiss," a smile formed on Mavis's face. "You two really should get going though. You won't want to run into Zeref at this hour."

"You don't have to tell me twice," Blake stifled a yawn, "C'mon Weiss." She grabbed the white-haired girl's right hand, dragging Weiss along with her.

"Night Mavis!" Weiss waved as the two reentered the school building.

"Well you certainly warmed up to her quickly," Blake noted.

"We've been sparring almost every morning," Weiss answered her, "Well, Ruby and I."
"Wha–?" the cat fanus collected herself. That explained why Ruby was suddenly always up on time. "And neither of you told me? Does Yang know?"

"I haven't told her," Weiss answered, "But given Ruby, Yang probably knows by now."

At least Yang wasn't in on this, Blake thought to herself, before questioning why that mattered so much to her. "You know, I don't think has ever put Mavis or Zeref against anyone during class."

"I mean, yeah I guess." Weiss gave her a strange look. "But why would she do that? Just because they have a bit more responsibility shouldn't exempt them from the sparring ring."

"How are they anyway?" Blake was genuinely curious about how Mavis and Zeref fought. "I haven't seen them in action since initiation I think." The Heiress looked hesitant to answer. "Weiss?"

"Why don't you and Yang fight them yourself?" the rapier wielder suggested, "I'm sure the two of them would be open with that; I mean, Ruby and I don't always work out with them every morning."

"If Yang's okay with it," Blake answered. Her stomach growled. "Race you to the dorms?"

"I don't think we sh–" Weiss was interrupted by her own belly growling. "F-fine."

"Okay," the black-haired girl smirked before sprinting away.

"Are we good?" Spriggan sat on a tree branch, feeling the carbon fiber mask on his face–Atlas technology.

"The two of them are running down the halls," Titania answered. "I think we're in the clear."

Spriggan let out a sigh of relief he didn't know he was holding. Taking off the mask, Zeref rapidly blinked his eyes to get used to the dark lighting. The piece of Atlas hardware in his hands was shaped into a teardrop shape, with gold highlights following where cheekbones would be. The eye lenses were equipped with a camera, along with a number of other features that the Black Wizard had taken the liberty of ignoring.

The tree branches rustled as a flash of blonde hair appeared in the otherwise dark green foliage.

"Ready to go?" Titania softly landed next to Zeref her mask already on.

"Let's go."

This does not apply if you are reading after January 1, 2024.

Hey everyone! Quick update. With the holidays around the corner, I'll be delaying the next chapter to January 1st. Merry Christmas to you all, and have a happy New Year!