Foreword

Author's note, 4-26-2024

I just wanted to give an update to this project, given the hopeful news we recently received from CRWBY. It seems things are going very well for RWBY to find a new home, and that it will retain the current creators moving forward. This has given me more hope for a proper ending to the series, which raises the question, what will I do with this project moving forward? Well, I plan on continuing it, for three reasons.

1. I'm doing it for myself. This is the largest writing project I have ever worked on and that I continue to work on. As a man who has always wanted to be a writer, this is huge for me. If I can finish my work here, I can prove to myself that I can stay focused on larger works and actually finish them, and maybe even write something original someday.

2. I'm doing it for those of you who have read and continue to read what I've published, and especially for those who have commented on my work. Seeing the reviews gives me a lot of joy, and I don't want to let down the people who are interested/invested in what I've done.

3. I'm doing it for fun. I think it will be enjoyable to see how my predictions fare against the canon ending we eventually get. Will I get theming right? Plot points, events, conversations? Obviously my OC's won't be included, and I will most definitely get some things wrong, but I want to know how my guesses turn out compared to what actually happens.

So, that's it. I will keep publishing chapters until the story I want to tell is finished. Thanks for coming on this journey with me.

Hey everyone. I started writing this back in February of 2024, after I had finished volume nine and came to the sad realization that volume ten had not yet been greenlit, and that it might not be greenlit. About two weeks later, we got the news that Rooster Teeth was being shut down. This put me into a depressive spiral, and I had to do something to help mitigate it. When I started this project, I was writing it for myself. It was my outlet, my way of coping with no new RWBY. I had attached to the show, and the knowledge that there might not be anymore was like that meme, where you're carrying around all this weight, in the form of bills and health issues and societal issues etc etc etc, and then you trip over a rock labeled 'minor inconvenience'. In this case, the rock would have been labeled 'No More RWBY'.

So. I started to write to cope with my depression. I don't do social media, I don't have twitter, or insta, I don't use facebook anymore, and I had a reddit account that I never used. Another thing I did to cope was to start browsing the sub for RWBY. It's where I got my info from, and I keep checking it daily to see if there's anything new I missed, since as I mentioned before I don't use any of the other forms of media where I might find things out. Browsing the sub, I came to the realization that other people were feeling the same way I did, and were wanting a conclusion to the story.

This, combined with support from my wife, led me to decide to start posting what I had written. What I'm writing is written with the assumption that the reader has a working knowledge of the characters, mechanics, and world of RWBY. It more or less follows canon, at least as far as the canon goes, but I have moved into unfamiliar territory that hasn't been explored in the show or books yet. It's a work in progress, and I don't know how long it's going to take me to get it all down. I have an endgame in mind, but there's still ground to cover between what I've finished and what I still have to do.

I want to stress that I'm not trying to take away from anything Kerry or Eddy or any of the other writers have accomplished. Without them, and without Monty, this would not have ever happened. Think of this as a tribute.

So, here goes, I guess. I've never worked on a project of this size before, and while I'm currently getting something written or edited every day, I'm not going to promise regular uploads. I have a wife, and kids, and a full-time job. I'll post to the sub when I update this, and I'll try to get something on here at least once a month, if not more frequently, but again no promises. At this time (4-7-2024) I have a little over 40k words written, and I'm still working on editing a good chunk of it.

Anyway. Enough chatting from me. Here it is, my attempt at a conclusion to the story of RWBY.

Chapter One

Qrow was exhausted, mentally and physically. His eyes were gritty with sand, his feet ached, his throat was dry. But still, he persevered. His patrol had just ended and he was wandering the streets of Vacuo. The fall of Atlas was just weeks past, and Vacuo was still adjusting. Having a kingdoms worth of refugees dropped on your doorstep would challenge any city, and given that Vacuo wasn't overly abundant in natural resources to begin with the challenges were great. But, they were coping.

The Atlesian military had constructed a series of simple barracks that housed hundreds, and Menagerie had shown up with several airships full of food and other goods. Still, there were far too many people crammed all along the streets and the fear and stress were palpable.

Not helping with the grimm, that. Qrow thought. As beings attracted to negative feelings, grimm were swarming to Vacuo like moths to a burning flame. Ah, well. Salem still hasn't shown, and the huntsmen and Atlesian military were keeping them at bay. For now. While he trudged along, his hand absentmindedly went for his flask. He unstopped it and took a swig, belatedly realizing it was just water, then grinned wanly. Every damn day he wanted a drink, but so far he had stayed sober. One step at a time.

Before long, his feet had made the trail back to his usual haunt, and he stopped in front of the memorial that had been raised for team RWBY, Penny, and Jaune. Over the last weeks dozens of other names had been added, along with photos, mementos, and other tokens. He heaved a sigh. Despite how bad things were, he still saw good in people. People working together, trying to right past wrongs. Faunus and humans, rich, poor, Atlesian, Vacuan, it didn't matter. They were all here together, working together, with a shared purpose he had never seen before.

Qrow placed his hand on Ruby's name and said "I wish you were here. All of you. So you could see what you started. Because you did start something." Tears filled his eyes as he bowed his head and stood there, hand still touching the monument, sand swirling about his feet.

His grief was suddenly snapped and replaced with buzzing adrenaline as a familiar noise emanated from behind him. He spun, hand on Harbinger's hilt. The hell is Raven doing here, he thought, heart racing as he took in the scene.

There was the familiar slash of red shimmering in the air, and through it stepped not Raven, but… Air slammed out his lungs as he heaved in shock. There were five people there that he never thought he'd see again. Five youthful faces, tired and drawn faces, but faces still brimming with determination and hope. And behind them, smiling that sardonic smile like only she could, his sister Raven.

"Hey Uncle Qrow. We're back." Ruby grinned tentatively at him, tattered cloak susurrating gently in the wind.

"Hey kiddo," he responded, voice cracking and smile splitting his face as the tears in his eyes began to fall.

As they stepped through the portal into the heat haze of Vacuo, Ruby's breath caught in her throat. The city sat shimmering before them, an improbable oasis in the middle of a desolate wasteland of sand, and above it flew dozens of ships. Ships of every make and model, sporting the colors of all the kingdoms of Remnant plus Menagerie. And there, in the middle of them all, hovering serenely like a jewel in the twilight sky, was Amity Coliseum.

"How. . ." she started weakly.

"It looks like your message got out Sis!" Yang exclaimed happily, giving her a punch on the shoulder.

Weiss, hand shading her eyes as she surveyed the scene, said sadly, "There are so few Atlesian ships left." As the kingdom with the largest military on Remnant, they had once boasted the largest air fleet as well. Now, she counted barely more than a dozen here. The fall of Atlas had taken a heavy toll, it seemed.

"Chin up, Weiss." Blake moved to her and put a hand on her shoulder. "Just because we don't see them here doesn't mean they aren't on missions somewhere."

"True. I'm still worried though, my family. . ." She trailed off. Last she knew, her father had been in jail for treason, her sister Winter had been fighting with Cinder, and she hadn't seen her mother and brother since the chaos at the portal.

Jaune moved in on her other side. "I'm sure they're ok Weiss. All of you Schnees are fighters." He looked her in the eyes, his expression soft. "We should get moving. The sooner we make it to the city, the sooner we can reunite with everyone." He began to stride off over the sand, rusted armor glinting dully in the setting sun's light.

Ruby started to follow when Yang threw an arm in front of her. "Yang, what"-

"Raven." Yang's eyes were hard, and crimson was beginning to swirl into her normally purple irises. The last time they had seen Raven was at Haven academy, and she had been fighting for the other side. Raven, Yang, Cinder, and Vernal had gone into the vault. And Yang was the one who came back up the elevator carrying the Relic. Ruby had asked once, tentatively, what had happened down there. Yang hadn't volunteered much information, and Ruby had dropped it.

Now they watched, weapons ready, as a portal opened before them. Raven stepped through, face lacking her trademark mask, and locked eyes with Yang. Ruby's hand inched up Crescent Rose's haft.

"You're alive." Raven's voice was soft with wonder, and to Ruby's astonishment, there was a tear in the corner of one of her eyes. Ruby had never known Raven to have a soft side, and she was taken aback. This is weird, she thought.

"Yup. It'll take more than a fall through space and time to kill me." There was an angry edge to Yang's voice, but Ruby could tell there was something underneath the anger, too. Yang herself was almost in tears. Very weird.

"Of course. I lost my connection to you and feared the worst." Still keeping direct eye contact with her daughter, the daughter she had abandoned as a baby, she said, "Yang. I'm sorry. For everything." She dropped to her knees and hung her head. "I know asking for forgiveness is a foolish thing, after everything I've done to you and your friends, but here I am."

Ruby watched anxiously at this turn of events, hands twisting around the grip of her weapon. Jaune and Weiss had their weapons leveled at the kneeling woman, but Blake was at Yangs side, supportive hand on her shoulder, Gambol Shroud sheathed. Ruby felt a pang at this. She hadn't acknowledged her sister and her friend's new relationship yet, other than to yell at them for daring to find happiness when she herself was so down. She had been hurting badly at the time, but she still had some making up to do.

Yang moved forward and pulled Raven to her feet. "You can start righting wrongs by taking us to Qrow. I think he deserves an apology from you too, and it'll save us a trip across this desert." Her expression had softened a little, and the crimson was ebbing from her eyes.

Raven stood, single tear now just a shining trail that had traced its path down her cheek, and nodded. Without another word, she unsheathed her odachi and slashed the air open.

"Hey Uncle Qrow. We're back." Ruby felt a release of emotions she hadn't known she was carrying at the sight of her uncle. Relief, happiness, grief, anxiety, sorrow, hope all hit her in waves that peaked and ebbed and mixed until she didn't know which to feel. He just looked so tired. There were bags under his eyes, his clothing was worn and weatherbeaten, and his five o'clock shadow was more beard and less shadow. But he was here, which meant he was still fighting. He hadn't given up.

"Hey, kiddo." His voice cracked, and there were tears streaming down his face. He rushed forward and crushed her into a hug. "I thought we had lost you. I've never, ever, been so glad to see someone before in my life."

"I'm glad to see you too." Ruby was crying now as she returned the hug with as much force as she could muster. "So much has happened to us I don't even know where to start. But we're back." They broke apart, both sniffing and wiping tears from their eyes.

Yang took this opportunity to crush Qrow into a hug of her own, hefting him into the air with the force of her embrace. He laughed and said, "Easy Yang! I think I felt a rib crack." She chortled and dropped him back to the ground.

"It's good to see you, Uncle," she replied. "And someone here has something they want to tell you." She stepped aside and left him with a clear line of sight to Raven.

Raven, who looked unusually out of sorts, cleared her throat. "Qrow, I ah. I'm sorry. For everything. I think you and the others deserve an explanation from me. But there are others who should hear what I have to say as well."

Ruby looked at her inquisitively. Raven was an enigma to Ruby, who couldn't understand a woman who would abandon her child and husband, fight against her family and the common good, and otherwise be such a righteous pain in the ass. Raven had been on a team with her father, mother, and Qrow, and had once, if it was to be believed, trusted them with her life. And then left them. Ruby, however, had grown a lot these last couple of years and understood that other people had the capacity to do so as well. She was willing to hear Raven out at least.

"Sure. I can bring you to Theo and Winter. They're the ones heading up the defense of Vacuo right now. I can't wait to see the looks on their faces." He caught Weiss's eye and smiled. "Winter is gonna lose it, Weiss. She's hiding it well, but she misses you something terrible."

Weiss, who had perked up at the mention of Winters name, said, "And the rest of my family? Did they make it?"

"Well, Willow, Whitley, and Klein are all here. There, ah, hasn't been any word on your father yet. We believe that he and Ironwood both went down with Atlas. I'm sorry."

"I see." Weiss had had a complicated relationship with her father, and Ruby could tell she was having trouble processing the idea that he might really be dead. "Thank you, Qrow. Let's not waste any more time, shall we?"

As this exchange was taking place Ruby noticed what they were standing around. A large stone monolith, etched with names and strewn with flowers and photos. Their names. And dozens of others besides. This memorial is dedicated to Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladona, Yang Xiao Long, Jaune Arc, and Penny Polendina. They gave their lives as Hunters, protecting the people. "In life, War. In death, Peace." As she looked at a photo of a smiling man with a spear hung nonchalantly over his shoulders, she felt herself tearing up again. Her and her friends had returned, but there were so many more that had not. And there would be so many, many more if Salem got her way.

We can still stop her, she thought. We can put an end to this. In the Ever After, she had finally broken down. The pressure of leadership and failure after failure had crushed her normally optimistic nature. She had ended up nearly taking her own life. The tree had offered her a way out, but in the end, she had returned as herself. And her team had stood with her, forgiven her. They were still standing, still ready to fight, and they would do so together.

Her friends moved over to her, and Jaune and Yang placed a hand on either of her shoulders. "We can do this, Ruby." Jaunes voice was low, earnest. "C'mon. Let's go let everyone else know we're back. Salem and Cinder can't get rid of us that easily."

Qrow couldn't help but grin as he led the way to Shade. He absently fingered Clover's talisman as he walked. His nieces and their teammates were alive, something nobody had thought possible. There were eyewitnesses who had seen them fall from the walkways into the interdimensional space that had linked Atlas to Vacuo, and surely there was no coming back from that, right? But there they were. Hurting, maybe, but here.

Ruby and Jaune, under their outer demeanor, both had far away looks in their eyes that Qrow knew too well. He had seen it in old warriors who had seen too much, fought too long. It hurt to see it on the faces of people so young. He'd have to make sure they got the rest they needed before getting thrown back into the fray. Weiss was quiet, but walking with a purpose. She was a force to be reckoned with, that one. Winters sister without a shadow of a doubt.

Blake and Yang, though, were on the opposite end of the spectrum. The two young women were all eyes and ears as they made their way through city, drinking in the sights and sounds. They bantered back and forth, and the looks they gave each other. There was such joy, tenderness, and honesty in those looks. He knew young love when he saw it, hopeless though he was in the romantic arts, and had been wondering if those two were gonna figure it out or not. They had been dancing around it since Blake had rejoined the group in Mistral, and it looked like whatever they'd been through had opened their eyes to what everyone else had seen for a while. It did his heart good to see them so happy. The world needed love, now more than ever.

Raven took up the rear, and even her presence couldn't sour his mood. He had been at odds with his sister for years, but maybe it was a good sign she was here now. Ozpin was always going on about working together, after all. Even so, he was going to keep an eye on her.

Night had truly fallen by the time they reached Shade. The massive pyramidal structure rose up before them, twinkling with lights. It was an imposing figure, with a solid-stone curtain wall and towers bristling with gun emplacements. Despite the late hour, a bullhead was touching down on a landing pad, no doubt offloading or picking up a group of huntsmen. He addressed the group as they crossed the bridge, waving to the guards at the top of the wall as he did so.

"Theo is the headmaster here. He's an extraordinary huntsman, but doesn't like the position he's been put in. He'd rather fight himself, instead of ordering others to do it, I guess is what I'm getting at. Don't mince words with him. Tell him the truth, no matter how outlandish it seems. He respects strength and honesty, and doesn't take any bullshit." He paused here, frowning as a thought occurred to him. "What you're about to tell him is probably gonna sound like bs, huh? Magic'll do that I guess. And you lot are magnets for weird crap." He sighed.

"Where's Robyn at? She could corroborate our story if needed." Blake remembered how they had used Robyn's semblance when Ironwood had addressed everyone and told them the truth about Salem. It worked like a lie detector. Speak a falsehood when Robyn linked with you, and everyone watching would know.

"We can call on her if we need to, I suppose." Qrow rubbed the back of his head. "Just do your best. Theo was part of Oz's inner circle before the lot of you got brought on board, so his capacity for understanding is pretty high."

They crossed a wide, open-air courtyard to the main building. It was teeming with carefully cultivated plant life. Noticing the looks of wonder, Qrow explained. "Shade is situated on top of a natural spring. It's the primary reason that the academy was built here. The spring provides water to all of the city."

Once they had all passed into the building, Qrow led them to the elevators. "Theo's office is at the very top. Let's go."

Winter stood over the holo display as team RNO gave their report. It had been a simple reconnaissance mission, out to an old fishing village on the coast and back to see if it was viable to resume operations there. The logistics of supplying such a large number of refugees and citizens was a tall order, and any edge they could get would help.

Theodore was reclined at his desk, gently puffing smoke from the cigar clamped in his lips towards the ceiling. He was a trim, well-muscled man in his forties with skin the color of polished bronze. His jet-black hair, cut short, was silver at the temples, and he boasted an impressive, well-manicured mustache. He had on a sky-blue vest, tailored to show off his physique, with no undershirt to further emphasize his build. The outfit was completed with a wide, sand-colored sash at his waist, tailored pants the same shade as his vest, black boots, and jeweled gloves the deep red of rubies.

When Winter had first met him, she had been nonplussed by his fashion choices, expecting a headmaster to dress more formally, but, she had noticed, many Vacuans dressed in a similar fashion. And Theodore managed to pull the ensemble off flawlessly.

Ren, Nora, and Oscar were the remnants and addon of the old team JNPR. With Pyrrha and then Jaune both having been killed in action, leadership of the team had officially passed to Lie Ren. He took to the role well. He was a reserved, capable fighter with a cool head that took his job seriously. Nora was the bombastic one, and even though she had been rather quiet since the events in Atlas, she had regained some of her old flair as she recounted the grimm they had fought.

Oscar, the young man who would become Ozpin reborn as their souls gradually fused, added clarity and detail to Nora's tale. Winter knew Oscar was a very capable individual, but she also knew the day would come when Oscar was no more and only Ozpin would be left. She thought it more than a little unfair that such an upstanding young man would fade away like that, and even though they relied on Ozpins advice and insight, she wasn't looking forward to the day that Oscar was fully taken over.

Oscar, young as he was, handled the situation with more grace than anyone rightly should, and Winter deeply respected him for it. Not everyone would be capable of hosting the soul of a millennia-old warrior with the knowledge that that warrior would eventually consume their entire being without going some kind of insane.

Nora finished with a slight flourish, and Ren gave a summary. "With the substantial number of grimm that are congregating around Vacuo, I think it is reasonable to assume that we can resume operations in Blueshell Cove. The two deathstalkers were the only grimm we encountered, and, as described by Nora, they were both dispatched. The issue lies in getting the food back into city, but that's the only complication I can see."

Theodore took his feet off his desk and leaned forward. His voice was deep and mellow, with a slight rasp. "Very good. We'll see to getting the boats repaired and protection for the workers assigned. Dismissed, RNO."

Ren inclined his head, Nora curtsied, and Oscar nodded. As they turned to leave, a knock sounded at the door. Before anyone could respond, it opened and Qrow came in. That man still didn't have proper manners, Winter sniffed to herself. Then the world was drenched in a swimmy sort of light, like she was at the bottom of a pool of water looking at the sun. Was that - no it couldn't - Weiss? The odd veil over her vision suddenly made sense as she realized she was openly weeping. She rushed across the room, her body still moving faster than her brain, and swept her younger sister into a hug.

"Weiss." Winter sighed the name, still not sure if this was real or an illusion brought on by stress and fatigue.

"It's good to see you too, Sister." Weiss sounded oddly constricted, and Winter consciously eased her arms from their crushing embrace. They were all standing there, plain as day, the young hunters that had died during the refugee transfer when Atlas fell. Except for one. Winter knew, with the Maiden power inside of her, that Penny was dead, had to be dead, but the sight of the others still caused a momentary flair of hope that maybe all of it was wrong and Penny would come in the door next, cheerfully saying "Sal-u-tations Winter!" But she didn't. Winter shook herself out of her shock and hugged Weiss a second time, much gentler than the first.

Behind her, Nora was monologuing and sounded slightly crazed. "Hahaha this is it Nora, your brain is finally fried, you've taken too many zaps. Ren finally confesses to you but no, you can't be happy, that would be too much. Your friends all die and it's just you and him again, like it always was before, except even sadder some how and now when you finally think you're moving forward the world says NOPE and you start to hallucinate and all of them are standing there looking at you like you're crazy, and you are crazy, you have to be, there's no other explanation"-

She stopped as Ren gently wrapped his arms around her shoulders. "It's ok, Nora. They're here. Really here. I can sense them with my semblance."

Winter watched as Nora stood there, chest heaving, then threw herself forward, arms outstretched. In typical Nora fashion she managed to take Ruby and Jaune to the floor with her. "I missed you all so much! I'm so sorry we couldn't help, we went through the gate like Jaune asked but there was this massive sandstorm and none of us could get back through and people kept coming out and then the grimm showed up and we had to start fighting them and then Winter came flying through, literally flying, and boy was she mad, and she was awesome, and scary, like a one woman army ripping like a force of nature through the grimm, but none of you came through and when we finally got to the city she said you were all dead and it was so sad but you're here now and my feelings! I'm in a glass case of emotions!"

Jaune and Ruby awkwardly patted her on the back through this tirade from their position underneath her on the stone floor, and Ruby said, "I'm sorry we put you through that Nora, but we're back now." She paused. "Um, this is nice and all, but the floor is kinda hard and you, uh, you're kinda heavy."

"Oh, sorry!" Nora jumped back to her feet with alacrity and helped the other two to theirs as well. Then they were all laughing, and it felt so good to laugh, all the stress and tension bubbling away for the moment. Embraces and smiles were shared, and tears were shed. Theodore watched from his desk, smiling as the two teams reunited. Winter, even through her tears of happiness, had noted Raven standing quietly in the back, and saw Theodore's eyes move her direction as well. She took his lead and kept her silence, however.

"This must be the much-lauded team RWBY, and Mr. Arc," Theo eventually said, getting to his feet. "I see that the reports of your deaths were greatly exaggerated." His eyes twinkled and his mustache twitched. "Welcome to Shade. I suppose you have a story to tell, if it's not too much trouble."

He had kept his composure remarkably well, and Winter straightened in response. She was still a highly trained military officer after all, and miracles aside there was duty to adhere to.

Ruby stepped forward, brushing down her skirt. "Are you familiar with 'The Girl Who Fell Through the World,' headmaster?"

Silence fell after Ruby finished her story. Nora was looking at Jaune with awe, Oscar was deep in thought, and Qrow was absently rubbing his beard. "So that makes two fairy tales that are really real," he mused. He took a swig from his water flask.

Theodore had resumed his reclined position, and there was a small cloud of smoke hovering around his head as he took in everything Ruby had said. "Another world. . . How many days were you in this 'Ever After?'" He asked.

"Um. Three total. I think." Ruby was hesitant, because she had spent a portion of her time not exactly with the rest of the group and had glossed that over. She didn't want to share her near suicide with everyone else just yet.

"Forty-two days have passed here," Theodore said quietly. "And you, young man. You spent decades there, known as the Rusted Knight, and yet return to us as youthful as the moment you fell. I know many of my colleagues would dearly love a chance like that." Theodore watched Jaune closely, marking the white streaks in the huntsman's otherwise golden-blonde hair.

"Yeah, well, it wasn't exactly a walk in the park, sir. Do you know what it was like, years passing, not knowing what had happened to everyone in Remnant? Not knowing who was still alive, or if Salem had won? Wondering if and when team RWBY would show up? Losing the only friends I had made while there? It was hell. I wouldn't wish it upon anyone." His voice, low at first, kept rising until he finished at a bitter shout.

Weiss moved next to him, bristling in his defense. "Headmaster, I hardly think telling him that this was some sort of wonderful opportunity was in good taste. Jaune thought he had lost everything, and he still waited for us. He kept doing his best to help the people he knew, despite everything that had happened to him. He's a better man than any other I know." Behind her, Blake and Yang shared a knowing look.

Theodore raised his hands in surrender. "My apologies. I didn't mean to detract from your hardships, Mr. Arc. You all have given me a lot to consider. And Miss Branwen, don't think I've forgotten about you."

Raven, who had melted into the back of the room and watched the events from there, stepped forward. Back straight, head held high, she moved assuredly before Theo. "I've come to pledge my sword in the defense of Shade, and as a whole, Remnant."

Silence greeted this proclamation, broken when Qrow barked out a short laugh. "You want to help now? After everything that happened? After you tried to steal the Relic of Knowledge? You've gotta be joking."

"Actually, she let me take the relic." Yang spoke up, watching her mother with curiosity in her eyes. "And, she's the one who found us in the desert and brought us here, in case you'd forgotten already."

"No, but Raven tried to kill me the last time we saw her. Could've given less than a damn if any of us had died. What's your motivation, Sis? You're always out for yourself." Qrow was pacing, punctuating his words with sharp gestures towards Raven.

"You're right Qrow. I have been self-serving for a long time now. I've seen, firsthand, a lot of the terrors that this world holds." She closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, they shone with tears. "I've been scared. This whole time, knowing what Salem is, what she can do. It's why I ran from You, and Tai, and Yang. I thought, foolishly, if I removed myself from the fight I could live without that fear. That getting away from Ozpin would mean that I could be free. I was wrong. For all my cowardice, Salem is tearing the world apart anyway. I've done terrible things, in my fear, but someone recently told me that true strength was being afraid and fighting anyway. So here I am."

She took a breath and continued. "I know I can't redeem myself just like that. All I can do is show you with my actions. I want to help. And, as the spring Maiden, it's high time I did my part."

"Wait, you're the spring Maiden?"-

"You what?"-

"Did she just say?"-

The room had gone into an uproar after that revelation. The only people who hadn't reacted were Yang and Theodore. Theodore rose, voice raised over the commotion. "All right, all right, everyone stow it. Raven. Show us."

Scarlet flames grew like wings from Raven's eyes. She began to hover over the floor, and wind started to spiral around her. She dropped back to the floor at a gesture from Theodore. "Well, this is certainly a surprise, to say the least. Oz, what do you think?"

There was a nearly imperceptible sigh from Oscar, who bowed his head and then straightened again, looking out at the room with ancient eyes. "I think we give her a chance. After all, we're in this together, are we not? And my time spent with Teams RWBY and JNR has taught me not to underestimate the power of forgiveness. We've already convinced two of Salem's associates to switch sides, and they have proved invaluable to our cause. Hazel, a man I thought would never in a thousand years come to my aid, gave his life in the defense of Atlas, and even now Emerald is awaiting the return of Ren, Nora and Oscar. Raven is a skilled fighter with powerful abilities."

"Very well. Winter, looks like our night isn't over yet. We'll need to get Ms. Branwen up to speed. Qrow, we'll need you as well. As for the rest of you, please show RWBY to the dorms. You could all use some cleaning up and rest. Your assignments will be given out in the morning." Theodore went back to the holo display and started scrolling through menus.

Qrow, still looking at Raven with a hard expression, sighed. "Ok, but I'm keeping an eye on you, Raven. Ruby, Yang, we'll finish catching up tomorrow, yeah?" He gave his nieces a quick grin and walked them out of the room.

"Sure thing, Uncle Qrow." Ruby and Yang gave Raven one last look before the door closed. She stood there, in the middle of the room, looking more vulnerable than either of the young women had ever seen her.

Nora filled them in as they made their way through the school turned command center, happily chattering away. "So, your rooms will be on our floor, but between the extra huntsmen stationed here at the academy and the lack of space overall we're having to make do with some makeshift and rather cramped quarters. The veteran huntsmen have all the good rooms." She wrinkled her nose. "Only two beds per room, and water for the showers is being rationed, but it's not all bad." She glanced quickly at Ren, turned a faint shade of pink, and continued talking.

"So yeah. Jaune, you can bunk with Oscar, he's got his own room. Emerald is. . . well, not a prisoner, not really, but kinda under house arrest? We keep trying to convince Theodore and Winter to give her some more freedom, but they haven't budged yet. Want to make sure she's not, y'know, still a bad guy. Anywho, showers are at the end of the floor there, and you can get your clothes laundered too. You might have to make do with some spare Atlas uniforms in the meantime, we didn't really have a chance to bring much with us. Well, you know that, you were there." She laughed. It seemed she hadn't lost her penchant for talking everyone's ears off, and was currently in high spirits, even by Nora's standards.

"Here we are!" She had stopped outside of a pair of doors. "Me and Ren, and Oscar, are further down the hall." She gave each of them a brief but powerful hug and said "It's so good to have you all back, you have no idea. Good night!"

Ruby watched her and the others go, nodded to Jaune, who went with them, then turned to her team. "So, how should we do this?"

Weiss gave her a pitying look, grabbed her by the arm, and said, "We'll take this one. You two can have the other," and dragged Ruby inside, leaving a bemused Yang standing in the hall with an embarrassed Blake at her side.

"After you, m'dear." Yang gestured towards the unoccupied room with a flourish and wink.

"Stop!" Blake smacked her arm, but she was smiling as she went into the room.

The inside looked like an old office that had been converted to sleeping quarters. There were beds against either wall, and a dresser crammed into the space underneath a small window that let the moonlight in. Blake sunk onto one of the beds and sighed. "I feel like I could sleep a week."

Yang threw herself onto the other one and lay there, looking at the ceiling. "Me too." She sniffed at her armpit and pulled a face. "However, I think a shower first is a good idea. I don't remember the last time I took one." She got up and started rummaging through the dresser.

"Hmm. I don't really think this is my color, whaddya think?" She held up a stark white shirt with the crest of Atlas embroidered on the chest. "Too. . . bland."

"I dunno, it might be fun to see you in a uniform," Blake teased.

Yang chucked the shirt into Blake's face and laughed. "Same to you, hot stuff. C'mon, let's go find out how much water we get."

Next door, Weiss was meticulously undoing her long braid. Ruby was curled into a ball on the other bed, staring out the window. "Weiss, I'm sorry I've been such a lousy leader." Ruby was crying again, tears leaking out onto her pillow.

"Ruby Rose!" Weiss admonished. "You are not a lousy leader. In fact, I daresay it's we who have been lousy teammates. You had been pushed to your limit and we failed to realize it. You were going through something awful and we weren't there for you. I'm so sorry you had to go through that without our support." She was watching Ruby closely.

Ruby turned those brilliant, tear-lined silver eyes to meet Weiss's gaze. "But I yelled at all of you. And then tried to kill myself. That's not how a leader acts. I was selfish and cruel." She hugged herself tightly.

Weiss got up and sat down next to her. "You were not being selfish, Ruby. I think we all sometimes forget the terrible burden you carry. You're that remarkable a person. You try your best, all the time, and we're in a situation where dreadful things are just going to happen. It's not your fault. There was this story my grandfather liked, and in it there was a character, an older captain, giving advice to one of his younger officers. He told them: 'It is possible to commit no mistakes and still lose. That is not weakness, that is life.' You can't second guess yourself Ruby." She paused, rubbing Ruby's back while the younger woman quietly sobbed.

"In the beginning, I thought Ozpin had made a mistake, making you the leader, remember? I was a prat, and I was wrong. You're the thing that keeps us all together and going. And if you fall, we'll be there to pick you up. I promise."

Weiss sat there, rubbing Ruby's back while Ruby let go of all the negative emotions she had had bottled up while the shattered moon lit them with its light.

Jaune couldn't sleep. He was wound up, tense. Oscar had shown him to their room, and Jaune had dropped off his gear and then left again to wander the halls. It was odd, having a young body again. He wondered if this is what Ozpin went through every time he reincarnated. The aches and snarls and pains were all gone. He felt good. Other than the decades of memories rattling around his head, that was.

He had had at least thirty years to ruminate over the events that had transpired before he had fallen into the abyss between worlds. Ironwoods descent into madness. Watching his friends fall, one by one. Seeing Penny mortally wounded, and the actions he had taken at her insistence to ensure Winter inherited the Maidens' powers. He had grieved, and lamented, and raged. He grew depressed, and apathetic. And then he had found Alyx and Lewis.

He had a purpose again, guiding and protecting the brother and sister as they explored the Ever After, and then the Cat Most Curious had taken that from him as well. He had failed again. He grew bitter and cynical, and then, when he thought all hope was lost, he had chanced upon team RWBY as they were attacked in the market by the Jabberwalker.

For them, the events had all happened quite literally yesterday. They were still fresh from the fight and trying to figure out this new world. Old memories had flooded back into him, and his grief and anger flared anew. He was so preoccupied with his own thoughts he had overlooked Ruby's pain. And she had nearly paid the ultimate cost for it. Some friend he was.

He stopped before a large window and stared up at the moon. A moon that had been shattered by one of the Brothers, millennia past. The first time humans had inhabited this world, and failed. Would we fail again? Ozpin was told straight up he couldn't destroy Salem. But maybe. . . maybe someone else could. He stood there, lost in thought, until a noise broke him from his reverie.

Piano notes hovered faintly in the air. Someone was playing, and the noise was enchanting. Without thinking about it he began to move in the direction of the music. The song was a slow dance, the bass steadily decanting the beat in a one, two, one, two, while the treble flowed through the melody.

He came to the room the music was emanating from, and hesitated. The door was ajar. Should he disturb the player? He peered through the crack and caught his breath. Weiss was sitting at a grand piano in what looked like Shade's music room. She was illuminated in a shaft of pure moonlight, and breathtakingly beautiful. Her hair was loose, something Jaune didn't think he'd ever seen, and flowed down her back like a silken white curtain.

As he watched, she began to increase the tempo. It picked up, faster and faster until her hands were flying over the keys. He knew she was a wonderful singer, but hadn't known she was a master pianist as well. Spellbound, he continued to watch. The music got louder, and angrier, and faster still. Just when he thought she couldn't possibly move her fingers any more quickly her semblance activated, and a pair of spectral hands materialized. They picked up the lowest and highest lines respectively while Weiss continued to play. She was effectively playing with two sets of hands. The skill on display was staggering.

And Weiss herself played like a woman possessed. She started banging out the notes in loud, almost discordant chords. Jaune noticed with a start that she was weeping as she played. There were bright spots of color high on her cheeks, and a stray lock of hair had obscured one of her eyes. But still, she sat ramrod straight. And played. And played. And played.

Jaune quietly moved inside, wondering if he should interrupt. Weiss was obviously working through something, and he decided against it. With a final, flourishing run of notes, her performance came to an end. She sat there with her head thrown back, hands still on the keys, chest quickly rising and falling, eyes closed, as the last notes lingered in the air.

Jaune gave a slight cough. Weiss started and whipped her head in his direction. When she saw it was him, she gave him a weak smile. "Jaune! You startled me. I was lost there, for a bit." Her eyes, the color of fresh glacial pools in the moonlight, were still limned with tears.

"Sorry. I heard you playing and couldn't help but listen in. You're incredible, Weiss. I've never heard anyone play like that before."

"That was my father's favorite song. Well, the start of it was, anyway. He would not have approved of the way I changed it." She moved the hair out of her face. "I must be a sight," she said, sniffing and wiping at her eyes.

"Weiss, you're beautiful. You're always beautiful. You ok? I'm here if you need someone to talk to."

Weiss moved over on the bench and patted the seat next to her. "I could talk, yeah."

Jaune sat next to her and she immediately dropped her head onto his shoulder. With a pang, he remembered a far off and long-ago memory of Pyrrha doing the same thing. He let himself feel the momentary sorrow, then brought himself back to the present. Pyrrha, wonderful as she had been, was gone. Weiss was here now and needed a friend.

"Soo, what's up?"

"Oh, you know, just trying to keep it together. Ruby cried herself to sleep, Blake and Yang have their first night alone, Winter is busy doing her thing. I saw a directory and noted this room. I haven't had a chance to play in a while and thought it might clear my head. The only song that came to mind was that damn dance. 'Rhapsody in Eden 5.' It was the one my father always made me play. It was so boring though, and I started to spice it up. Extra trills, picking up the tempo, that sort of thing. He always yelled when I did. 'You don't mess with the classics! It's not proper form!' Even dead, he's still in my head." She laughed bitterly.

"Y'know, I think it's ok for you to feel sad about your fathers passing. Even with everything he had done, he still helped raise you. People are messy, and gray. Good with the bad. That sort of thing." Jaune tentatively put an arm around her, and she gently sighed.

"It just, I don't know, isn't fair. He finally got his comeuppance, and I thought maybe we'd have a chance to really talk to him, try to get him to admit what horrible things he had done. And then he dies. I'll never have the chance to find out if there was a decent man under his scheming and politics. And that's. . . confusing. He played such a large part of my life, negative as much of it was, and I'm not sure how to move forward with the knowledge that he's gone."

"One day at a time. And it helps to have people to talk to, believe me. Me, your team, Winter, your mother, Whitley, Klein. You have a lot of good people around you, Weiss. There were days, in the Ever After, where I just talked out loud. Even if I had nobody to talk to. Getting your words out can help."

"Oh, Jaune. We'll all been through so much, haven't we? Nineteen years old with the weight of the world on our shoulders. Though you've been carrying that burden for a lot longer than us, now." She peered up at his face, her eyes still wet. "Thank you. For everything. For waiting for us, for being there for us, for me."

They sat for a while in silence, bathed in moonlight. Jaune felt as though something deep inside of him had finally broken loose. The weight of time and grief that had hardened around his heart was cracking. He felt at peace. Like he could start healing, finally. He rubbed Weiss's shoulder. She looked up at him again, then kissed him, for a delicious, dizzying moment. She pulled away, eyes shining with the light of the moon. "Good night, Jaune."

Then she was gone, leaving the taste of tears on his lips and the scent of flowers in the air. He looked after her, stunned, and touched his mouth in wonder. When he got back to his room, still in a daze, he found Oscar asleep. Jaune lay down, and for the first time in a long time fell into a deep, dreamless slumber.