"…you got lucky. There's no way that's legitimate. Do it again!"

Summer rolled her eyes and breathed in a deep sigh before closing her lids and beginning to relax. She rested her palms atop her thighs as she concentrated, and another aura-fueled vision danced upon the inside of her eyelids. Within mere seconds, a whole myriad of images, sounds, and sensations played out within her mind, and her eyes snapped open once again to survey her team. Qrow and Taiyang were both standing before her, looking at her in disbelief as she sat upon a wrought iron bench within the academy gardens. Raven stood off to the side, arms folded and scowling. Summer cleared her throat, and began to speak.

"Provided we all remain where we are, and nothing I couldn't see happens elsewhere… one of the lilies in that hedge over there is going to fall somewhere in the next minute, and then two birds… um, brown and grey looking ones? Two birds are going to pass overhead between the hedges. Along with that… well, if I say something about it, it's going to change, but I saw one other thing, within the span of the next minute and a half or so. That gives me an idea," Summer finished as she dropped her hand from pointing at the hedge and took out her scroll, only to begin typing on the keypad furiously.

Qrow and Taiyang looked at each other, neither quite believing their leader's statements as they waited. Taiyang nervously rubbed his hands together, while Qrow folded his arms, and then put his hands in his pockets before slipping them out and folding his arms once again in a fit of nervous energy. Finally, he snorted, and took a seat beside Summer on the bench.

"…so what you're telling me is that you can see events a short while into the future… but only under given circumstances, and it has to be based on initial conditions that you set up in your mind. Based on reality, or what you assume is true. Is that it?"

"That's right," Summer clarified as she cast her eyes to the nearby hedge once again. A single lily fell to the dirt path below, and Taiyang's cheeks turned white at the sight.

"No… way."

"Way," Summer replied as she stopped fiddling with her scroll. She hovered a finger over one final button, and looked to Raven expectantly.

Raven let out a frustrated huff, and fixed Taiyang with a piercing glare. "There are hundreds… thousands of flowers all around us, and one of them falling isn't exactly a hard call. Birds flying overhead isn't unlikely, either, and the whole concept of 'fate', or seeing the future, is absurd. All of this is stupid, and I don't believe a word of it."

The very second that Raven stopped talking, Summer pressed her thumb to the Send button, and her teammates each received a message. Taiyang visibly jumped as his pocket vibrated, and he scrambled to pull the device out as Qrow and Raven did the same. Taiyang stared at his screen, where a message from Summer was displayed.

There are hundreds, thousands of flowers all around us, and one of them falling isn't exactly a hard call. Birds flying overhead isn't unlikely, either, and the whole concept of 'fate', or seeing the future, is absurd. All of this is stupid, and I don't believe a word of it. –Raven

The pallor of Raven's face shifted immediately to match Taiyang's, and she looked up from her scroll to Summer's smug expression.

"…is it still 'stupid' now, Raven?"

Instinctively, Raven looked up between the hedges and held her breath. No one on the team spoke as they waited together for any sign of birds. A lingering chill crept up Raven's chest and into her arms as she narrowed her eyes, waiting for something, anything to happen. Finally, Summer let out a gentle sigh, and shook her head. The team returned their attention to her as she began to speak once again.

"Well, looks like I set it up wrong, in my mind. No birds, after all. That happens, sometimes, but it's usually with small details. The big things, I can see coming if I focus and burn some aura."

"W-what do you mean, you set it up wrong?" Taiyang asked as he hastily put his scroll away and rubbed a hand along his chin.

"I mean, I'm reconstructing a scene in my mind, and then kinda… playing it in fast forward, to see how it plays out. I knew some birds were in the area, because they're visible in that tree, over there… but I guess I had them doing the wrong thing in my mind, initially, or I misjudged how many, or the type, and…" Summer paused, and smiled softly as two birds fitting her description darted between the hedges overhead. "…they were a little late, because of it."

"That's… incredible," Qrow stated. "How far can you see? How many times can you do it, before your aura breaks?"

"Not far at all," Summer lamented. "And… well, the record's three, so far. I don't like to push it, though- it takes a lot of concentration, and I have to zone out into my own head to see anything. I usually save it for when I get these… tingles. I can just sorta feel when something's about to go wrong. That's actually how my semblance first started out, and when I began training it, it evolved into this. This sort of… premonition ability."

"Don't… ever use it on me again," Raven seethed through clenched teeth. She glared viciously at Summer, and sucked in a tense breath. "I mean it. Don't set me up as one of your 'initial conditions', and don't tell me what you think I'm going to do. There's no such thing as fate, and I don't need a watchdog prying into my supposed future. Keep your semblance out of my affairs."

"Raven!" Qrow barked in a harsh tone. He looked briefly at Summer, whose expression had wilted into one of deep sadness as she stared at the ground. "That's not a fair statement, and you know it! Don't jump on her back for something she was born with that might affect you! She's part of our team, and our leader!"

Raven sneered at her brother, and her shoulders shook in fury as she snapped her eyes to him. "She may have been born with it, but she can control it! I want no part of this!"

"Well if she uses it at all while you're around, you will be in her visions, and you don't get to dictate when Summer uses her semblance! It could help us immensely in fights, and you're making her feel like garbage! You've defended me for my semblance for years, now. You should be understanding of hers," Qrow countered as he stood, looking ready for a fight.

Taiyang looked back and forth between the twins, before letting out a full body shiver as he tried to interrupt the argument. "And… what's your semblance, Qrow?"

"Bad luck," Qrow replied immediately without moving his eyes from Raven's. "I have a cute little radius of bad luck that affects everyone and everything near me, so long as my aura's up. It's been a huge burden and caused me a ton of trouble, but it's part of me. It's something I can use to my advantage, if I'm smart about it… and that's no different than Summer's situation. You know that, Raven."

Raven opened her mouth to say something in her defense, and paused as she caught sight of Summer sitting once again with her eyes closed. She watched as the other girl's aura flickered out, and then silver eyes opened to meet her own. Without another word, Raven turned on her heel and stomped off down the path.

"Raven!" Taiyang cried out as he began to jog after her. A sudden jerk at his wrist caused him to stop, and he looked down to see Summer's hand clasped firmly around it.

"Don't," she warned. "If you go, she slaps you, knees you in the stomach, and pushes you to the ground before heading back inside. I don't want you getting hurt."

Taiyang hesitated, before slipping out of Summer's grip and starting off down the path after his disappearing teammate.

"…thanks for the warning. You two stay here."

Leaves and flowers whipped past as Taiyang broke into a run in a desperate attempt to catch up to Raven. He barely saw a trail of black hair disappear around a corner in time to follow. With one final push, he managed to close the distance and reach out for Raven's shoulder.

"Raven, I just want to t-"

Taiyang never got to finish his sentence as a vicious slap rocked his cheek. The boy's face whipped to the side from the sheer force, and he felt a sharp knee crash into his abdomen as a speedy follow up. The move knocked the wind from his lungs, and Taiyang barely managed to get a hand up to catch the speeding palm aimed for the center of his chest. He pulled it in closely to his sternum, and Raven stumbled forward with a look of surprise as she became unbalanced. Taiyang fought back the urge to pull the girl into an embrace, and instead pushed the hand back to her as he let out a sputtering cough and put up a finger.

"Okay… one, not at all cool of you. And two… Summer said you'd knock my ass to the ground and escape, and gave me details on how you'd attack. I just used that to stop you, Raven. She can see possibility, not absolutes. Having knowledge of the future can change it, and what just happened is proof. She's not determining your 'destiny', or trying to command you. She's trying to help. Can't you see that?"

"And I don't want that kind of help!" Raven cried. "I don't want her future sight, I don't want your empathy semblance prying into me, and I don't want you coming after me! I'm a very private person, Tai! You both need to back off. Now," Raven warned as she took a few steps backward.

The pair of teens both stared at each other in silence, before Taiyang let out a labored sigh and shook his head.

"…Summer feels guilty, and heartbroken. She really likes you, Raven," Taiyang said softly. Raven stopped her retreat momentarily, and looked away, into the hedges.

"…stop."

"Qrow's lonely. He has been since we met, and I'd wager he's been that way for a long time, even before that. Pulling a stunt like this is making him feel lonelier, and I know that's not what you want. I can feel how much you two care about each other," Taiyang explained as he took a step forward. Raven remained still, and crossed her arms.

"…Summer's semblance can't see this far into the future, supposedly, so let me tell you what's going to happen if you take another step. I'm going to rearrange your face and go to Ozpin's office to demand a team transfer. Last warning."

Taiyang paused, and shook his head sadly before taking another slow step forward. Raven narrowed her eyes at him, before looking to the ground, defeated.

"I don't think you will," Taiyang protested. "You're exhausted. Physically, emotionally… you're angry, tense, worried, scared… about what, I don't know, but I can understand all of those feelings. You're not the only one, Raven. The one thing I'm picking up from you that I don't understand is… shame," Taiyang said while lowering his voice. "It's been there since the start of this class, so it isn't about what just happened. Why are you ashamed?"

Raven sniffed softly, and brought a hand up to wipe at her eyes as she kept them off of Taiyang's.

"…it's my semblance, alright? I don't have one. Are you happy, now? I've trained since I could walk to be a huntress, and I still haven't unlocked mine, and when I do, it might end up being something like Qrow's. I'm not ready for that, and I'm not happy not having it, either… and I can't admit what I just told you to him, because it would make him feel even worse than he already does. Is that what you wanted to hear? And don't you dare try to hug me."

Taiyang paused, very much caught before he had even begun to try to raise his arms. He cleared his throat, and shifted his weight awkwardly to one side.

"…now who's reading the future?"

Raven snorted, and Taiyang recoiled a bit before taking a step back. Another, unfamiliar twinge of emotion registered in his mind, emanating from Raven. Taiyang tried to block it out of his mind as quickly as possible, and gently laid a hand upon her shoulder.

"Raven, I won't do anything you aren't comfortable with… but my semblance is passive, like your brother's. I can't help it… but I can help you. I'll scribe for Port's assignment, and we can keep your lack of semblance between us, for now. If you want, I can explain it to Summer later, but it doesn't make you any less cool, in my eyes. The fact that you're as good as you apparently are, from what Kali told us at lunch, without a semblance actually makes you even more badass. Summer isn't the type to judge, either," Taiyang explained.

Raven stared at the boy's digits, before halfheartedly swatting them away. "No. I'll tell her, during next period. I have to apologize already, anyway," she finished in a small voice. "Can I just… have some time alone, for a bit?"

"Of course. I'll let the others know you're okay, and… don't be so hard on yourself, alright? We all like you," Taiyang reassured as he stepped back again and turned toward the path they had taken previously.

"Easier said than done," Raven spat. "Sorry. And… thanks. I don't know what's wrong with me. I just need sleep. I'll be fine tomorrow."

That isn't true, Taiyang thought to himself as he turned and raised a dismissive hand. "It's cool. We'll catch up during Free Sparring tonight."

"Sure," Raven said in a voice low enough that she knew he wouldn't hear it. She turned away from her companion and shook her head before walking off down the opposite path at a brisk pace.

Bartholomew checked his wristwatch once again as he waited by the stairs leading up to the second floor. He tapped his foot nervously before whirling and peeking through the small glass window within the wood once again, and letting out a disappointed sigh.

"Waiting for someone?" Taiyang asked as he emerged into the hallway from the glass doors leading outside. Bartholomew snapped his attention to the other boy, and offered a series of nods.

"Yes, yes, Adam is due to be on his way to Legends of Remnant with me at any moment… unless, of course, he's already there. He doesn't have a scroll, so I've no way of knowing."

Taiyang blinked in surprise, and moved to stand next to Bartholomew. "No scroll? That's unusual. I'm headed that way, too, so I'll wait with you."

"No, no, we're cutting it close, already. I'll meet you there," Bartholomew offered as he checked his watch once again.

"What if I go, and then send you a text if he… well, never mind," Taiyang said with a smirk as the door finally opened and Adam appeared into the hallway. The faunus looked back and forth between the other boys, and nodded softly.

"…are we heading to Legends together?"

"Yes," Bartholomew said with an unusual bite in his tone. "Now come, we haven't a moment to lose. We can't be late for Professor Ozpin's class."

"Professor Ozpin teaches this class?" Adam echoed as he blinked in surprise.

"Yeah, I think we were all pretty shocked when we found out," Taiyang clarified as the trio began to walk through the rapidly clogging halls. A throng of students clumped together as they tried to pass through an intersection safely, and the blonde boy ended up rubbing shoulders with a giant of a student he had never seen before.

"From what I've heard, the decision was last minute," the burly teen said in a deep voice. "Apparently, Professor Rembrandt was set to teach the course as he has for years, but he elected to go back into the field full time after the former headmaster's… passing. Professor Ozpin graciously stepped in to allow him to take his leave."

Bartholomew craned his neck to look up at the new arrival, and found himself staring into a round, tanned face with a rather pleasant demeanor. The boy's hair was shaved nearly down to the skin, and his coffee colored eyes seemed to be full of silent thought.

"Might I ask how you came by such information? I highly doubt that such a thing is widely known."

The massive boy nodded, and spoke once again as the group of students made it past the chokepoint and continued down the hall.

"My family knows Professor Rembrandt well. Yatsuhashi Daichi. Team JHRY," he offered.

"Bartholomew Oobleck, Team OKRA, and this is Adam Taurus, from the same," Bartholomew replied with a quick gesture to his companion. Adam nodded carefully in Yatsuhashi's general direction, before returning his attention to their path.

"Taiyang Xiao Long. STRQ," the blonde offered with a halfhearted wave. "How are we looking on time?"

Bartholomew checked his watch once again, and made a dissatisfied noise. "We've about one minute to make it around another corner. Seating may be suboptimal."

Adam looked away from Bartholomew, feeling guilty as he coughed into his hand. "Then it's a good thing that most classes are fifteen students or less."

Bartholomew merely made another noise of discontent in reply, and increased his pace. The other three boys followed in a straight line as they tried to worm their way through the crowd, only for Yatsuhashi to put his hand upon Bartholomew's shoulder.

"Allow me."

Before Bartholomew could reply, Yatsuhashi edged past to the front of the line and began to simply stroll through the crowd at a purposeful pace. The other students seemed to clear out around him as he made a show of walking with intent, and gave polite nodes to those he passed. Bartholomew, Adam, and Taiyang followed along in the gap left behind, and the quartet arrived at their destination with seconds to spare.

"Well. You're a good guy to have around," Taiyang joked as he reached up to pat Yatsuhashi on the upper back. "Maybe our teams should rub shoulders. We could use an escort through the halls."

Yatsuhashi let out a mirthful laugh as the group passed Professor Ozpin. They each offered polite nods and a greeting, and then began walking up the stairs into the available seats.

"Well, I, for one, would be more than happy. I can introduce you to our leader now, as a start. It looks like he's reserved a row."

Yatsuhashi led the way into the line of seats, and Bartholomew followed. Taiyang moved to bring up the rear, only to pause as he noticed Adam frozen at the end of the row, glaring daggers down past Yatsuhashi.

"…Adam? What's wrong?"

The faunus said nothing, his mind racing as he watched Jay Winchester reach over Yatushashi and grip Bartholomew's hand in a firm shake.

Raven took another deep breath, before opening her eyes and looking once again into the reflective glass before herself. Two tired, anxious crimson orbs stared back at her, and her white-knuckled grip on the sides of the sink tightened. She took a long, hard look at herself, and found a glint of moisture building up in the corner of her left eye. The sight hit the center of her chest like a high-caliber bullet, and she looked down into the sink, feeling defeated.

"Fuck."

Raven took a deep breath, and brought her eyes back up to stare at the girl in the glass once again. She channeled more fury into her gaze as she grumbled, and cleared her throat. The glistening point threatened to draw her attention once again, and Raven raised the back of her hand to quickly wipe at her eyes before setting it back on the side of the sink. With a shuddering breath, Raven began to speak in a near whisper, half grumbling and half spitting each word.

"You're going out there, and pulling Summer aside before you go into History together. You're going to apologize, admit that you're stupid, petty, and think she's a good person." For a moment, the fluorescent lights of the bathroom turned to scattered candles all around the mirror in Raven's mind, and her reflection seemed to gain a red, sleeveless vest in place of her black uniform jacket. "…despite everything…"

"…I don't think you're stupid, or petty," came a small voice from inside of one of the stalls. Raven's eyes widened as she looked at the door through the mirror in absolute horror, and felt her heart stop beating as the sound of a toilet flushing echoed off the walls of the bathroom. Suddenly, Raven's melancholy gave way to embarrassment and anger as she grit her teeth and turned to look at the green door in earnest.

"And you've been here this entire time?" Raven spat as she folded her arms and leaned her rear back into the sink. The door creaked softly as it slowly swung outward to reveal an equally embarrassed Summer Rose.

"Um… yeah," the girl admitted with a sheepish smile. She took her time walking to the sink next to Raven's, and began to wash her hands while avoiding eye contact. Raven paused as she tried to collect her thoughts, and listened to the running water.

"Why, exactly, would you come all the way back up to the bathroom in our hallway, rather than use one closer to the classrooms?"

"Shy bladder. I can't pee with people around. It's a thing," Summer admitted nonchalantly as she ran her semi-wet hands through her hair, working to style it a bit. She stole a sideways glance at Raven, to find that the other girl once again had a hand covering her face as she sighed.

"You would be fine with just outright admitting something like that, wouldn't you?" Raven asked, before shaking her head and dropping the hand. "Never mind. I already know the answer."

"Did you really come all the way up here just to rehearse what you were going to say to me?" Summer inquired as she finally turned the sink off, and grabbed a few paper towels. "That's… really sweet of you, actually."

"I am not sweet," Raven seethed. Summer's ever-present grin only widened at the words, and she turned to face her friend while clasping her hands behind herself.

"Alright, fine, you're… cool. Mysterious and sophisticated, even. Speaking of, what did you mean when you said I'm a good person 'despite everything'?"

Raven froze as Qrow's texts from earlier lingered in her thoughts. The stress of adding to his mistakes and compromising their cover even more leapt to the forefront of her mind, and she fished quickly for an excuse to satisfy her leader.

"…your semblance," Raven said slowly. "I thought that was obvious."

"Oh," Summer replied in a crestfallen tone. "Yeah. That. You know, I wasn't upset with you, or anything. I mean, I get it. It can be scary, to some people. Maybe to a lot of people," Summer offered as she walked back to the outside of the bathroom stall and leaned against the wall.

"I'm not scared," Raven boasted. "It's a combination of a lot of things, and it's a long story."

Summer pulled out her scroll and flipped the case open. "Well, we've still got twenty minutes before class. I'd like to hear it. After all, we've got this whole bathroom to ourselves. Probably."

Raven's heart elected to pause once again as she flicked her eyes to the other two stalls, only to find the doors wide open. She let loose a breath she wasn't aware that she had been holding, and rolled her eyes up to the lights glowing softly above her.

"Hilarious. I guess I at least owe you that much, though. It's two things. The easy one is jealousy. The hard one is… the concept of fate in general."

"Jealousy?" Summer repeated. "Because of your own semblance?"

"Because of my lack of a semblance, Summer," Raven said in a deadpan voice. "I've got nothing. I've been actively trying for years to get the stupid thing to trigger, and I come up with nothing, every time. And don't you dare tell me it's usually first unlocked by stress, or associated with a strong emotion," Raven warned. Summer abruptly closed her mouth and adopted a guilty look as she scuffed a shoe along the tile floor. "I've had more stress and felt more strong emotions than most people here. You don't even know."

"You're right, I don't," Summer agreed as she twisted the ball of her foot into the tile before letting her heel drop. "But I do still think you're cool, despite not having found your semblance, yet. Cooler than me, for sure."

Raven balked, and flushed slightly despite herself. "Summer, this isn't about feeling cool. This isn't like that. This is about feeling valid. What kind of huntress has no semblance?"

"What kind of adult thinks they'll never get one?" Summer countered as she finally worked up the nerve to look at Raven once again. "You need to relax, Raven. We're not going to go around shouting it from the rooftops, and Tai isn't going to judge you. He knows how you feel."

"I know," Raven snarled. "And that's beginning to become a problem, too. He's… every time he talks to me, in that… stupid, caring, tone of his, he's just…"

"…adorable? Hot? Endearing? Crush-worthy?" Summer offered with a smirk.

Raven blew a lock of hair out of her face and let out a snort.

"I'm not answering any of those, but knowing that he knows exactly how I'm feeling at any given moment, without even trying, is making things a lot harder. I don't like people prying into my life, Summer. Even being cordial to you two has been exhausting… and I like you two. I'm at my limit for meeting people and making nice already."

"And I'm guessing that's part of why you have issues with my semblance?" Summer asked as she pushed off the wall and began to approach. "You hate the feeling of a loss of control."

"I've fought for the right for control over my life for as long as I can remember. Home was hell, Summer. Qrow and I have been pushed to the limit and beyond it since we were just children, and even getting to Beacon was a struggle. I don't want to be told what I'm about to do, especially by someone who doesn't know the real me," Raven finished as Summer stopped just before her. The two girls locked eyes, and for the first time, Raven took note of their unusual color.

"So… don't do it," Summer said simply as she shrugged. "My semblance might tell you something like… 'hey Raven, if you tell Tai you think he's good-looking in the next five minutes, he'll kiss you on the cheek'. All you have to do is not tell him that, to break out of the events that follow. It's really that simple."

Raven clenched her jaw, and narrowed her eyes. "I see what you're doing, and you're not being subtle. Stop that."

"All I'm saying is you two are cute," Summer said as innocently as possible while rocking on her heels. "I could give another example."

"No, I get it," Raven clarified while raising her hands defensively. "Just make sure you do use a different example, next time. The thing about that is, if you're using your semblance to help us out, you're going to expect me to go along with it, aren't you? That's part of your role as leader. I'm supposed to follow your orders, and get the job done."

"Mm… not necessarily," Summer offered with another shrug. "My job as leader is more about trusting you to make the right call, based on what I know about you. If I make a prediction, and you think it's better not to follow it… then I'll trust you on that decision. In fact, I can say right now that when it comes down to something like that, I think you will make the right decision."

Raven allowed the statement to hang for a moment, before again letting out a heavy sigh. "Whatever that means. You're not still on about Tai, are you?"

"Maybe I am, maybe I'm not," Summer said in a singsong tone. "Either way, we probably should start walking to class, at this point. I'm totally ready to just forget about earlier, and move on. Are we good?"

"Yes, Summer, we're… good," Raven said with a frown. "I'll try not to let your semblance get to me. I just want to be allowed to make my own decisions, without feeling like I'm on invisible puppet strings. Is that too much to ask?"

"Nope," Summer replied immediately. "And that starts now. Time to make a choice," she insisted as she spread her arms wide.

"What are you doing?" Raven questioned with a hint of horror in her voice.

"Hug me… or don't," Summer offered. "Your choice. I won't be mad either way."

Raven made a noise akin to a valve leaking air as she fought the greatest internal battle of her life. After seconds of feeling as though her face was sliding off her skull, she leaned forward and gently wrapped her arms around her leader in an awkward, forced hug. Summer returned the gesture with a surprising warmth, and Raven found herself lingering in the gesture for longer than she'd intended before pulling back.

"…choice made. Now, let's get to History."

Summer beamed as she walked past Raven and headed to the bathroom door.

"You feel a little better, don't you?"

"…shut up, Summer."

Author's Note:

This chapter, more than any other in any story I've written, went through the most revisions and had the longest writing process by far. Yatsuhashi wasn't originally going to appear in this story at all, even when 'CFVY' shows up later on, but I still hadn't pinned down who the last member of Jay and Robin's team would be. I considered leaving the last member out of the story entirely, but that honestly just seems lame, so I'm working all of Team JHRY (Jury) into Volume 1 and the future of this story. It'll help to make the world feel more fleshed out, and gives me more characters to work with in the far future. 'H' will show up soon enough. Next update on Monday.

NOTE: Team JHRY was originally referred to as "Team WHYR (Wire)" in the first upload of this chapter. WHRY was a placeholder name, as I didn't have a good name for Jay's team at this point. They're referred to as JHRY in Chapter 15, and it seems like that's a different team- it's not. I went back and edited the author's note here before uploading 16, which features a lot of JHRY. Sorry for any confusion.

-RD