"Do we really gotta do this? We know enough about each other already." Crimson sighs, sitting on his bed next to Jotaro's, who's also sitting on his respective bed.

"We only know what's on the surface, Crimson." Jotaro corrects with a smile. "But it's a good opportunity to bond with one another if we wish to work as a team. Remember, you agreed to this after we're finished with classes today."

"Yeah, but I didn't think we'd go through with it!" Crimson laughs. "I'm more surprised this was River's idea!"

As mentioned, River looks up from a book he's reading called Ninjas Of Love, sitting on his bed next to Crimson's.

"It was just an idea, nothing too special." River says, hiding his embarrassment behind the book.

"I disagree; it's a great idea River, and I'm glad our leader decided to go with it." Jotaro smiles.

"Alright, Team! Let's listen up!" Fenrir calls to attention, standing in front of his team near the dorm entrance. "Thanks to our teammate, River Strife, he proposed an idea yesterday that we should talk more about ourselves so we get to know each other better. Now that classes are finished for today, we'd take the free time we have left and use it as an opportunity to bond! Since I'm Team Leader, and I've noticed some of you aren't willing to participate yet, I'll go first."

Jotaro and Crimson decide to listen to Fenrir's story but River hides his face in the book only for Crimson to snatch it off his hands, forcing River to listen.

"Ahem, it's very nice to meet the three of you. I'm Fenrir Calavera, as you already know, I'm 16 years old, my birthday is May 27th, 1201 of the Valean Calendar. I'm a hundred percent human, My semblance is called Howl which allows me to unleash an air bending shout to literally knock the wind out of my enemies. I'm a weapons geek like another team leader we know of but I'm not as crazy as she is. I hail from the Kingdom of Mistral in the Continent of Anima, and I've lived with my Grandmother, Maria Calavera, for 8 years and she taught me how to wield a scythe." Fenrir tells about himself, sighing afterwards. "Now, any questions?"

"...Wait, that's it?" Crimson asks after a long pause. "Nothing too complicated, like admitting our insecurities?"

"No, nothing that complicated." Fenrir laughs. "Just enough of the basics so we know about who we are and where we came from. And it's a bonus to share whatever you guys have on the inside too, like me being a weapons geek."

"I will admit, I never pegged you as one." River chimes.

"I suppose I'm next now?" Jotaro stands up, taking Fenrir's spot as the leader sits on his respective bed. Jotaro clears his throat, like he's preparing an inspirational speech. "Hello, fellow teammates. My name is Jotaro Kurozaki, I'm 17 years old and I was born on December 21st, 1200 in the Valean Calendar. I'm a human noble who hails from the Kingdom of Atlas in the Continent of Solitas. My Semblance is called Detective Vision, I'm able to see even the smallest detail hidden to the naked eye. I have many acquired skills in culinary, archeology, chemistry, tactical strategy and financial sorting, I've even trained my aura to be more than a simple forcefield which I'm sure you'll get the chance to see in the field. I'm also knowledgeable of many Grimm in every region they come from."

"So he's like a living Vytalpedia." Crimson jokes, laughing until River bumps his shoulder to stop.

"Ahem, I'm the Heir to the Kurozaki Legacy, I live with my Mother and two sisters; my family founded and currently owns Kurozaki Armaments and Technology where we help build the future for Remnant. And once I graduate from Beacon, I'll be taking my mother's place as CEO...once the board sees my skills are satisfactory to them." After Jotaro finishes his story, he clears his throat to break the silent air in the room. "Any questions?"

"Sounds like you've got some big shoes to fill, think you're up for it?" Fenrir asks.

"I'd hope so, I've spent the past seven years trying to honor my father's position." Jotaro sighs.

"Yeah, I noticed you didn't mention your father before, what happened? He left to get milk and never came back?" Crimson jokes, followed by his laughter.

"No, he passed away...heart disease." Jotaro coldly answers, making Crimson's smile falter, not finding his joke funny anymore.

The entire room falls silent after Jotaro's answer, making the atmosphere cold and heavy.

"Shit...ok, I'll go next." Crimson sighs, taking Jotaro's place as the Heir sits down on his bed. "Uh...I'm Crimson Vernados, I'm also 17 as I'm sure you can guess. I was born on February 10th, 1201 in the Valean Calendar. My Semblance is Endure, meaning I can take any and all attacks, where my Aura barely drains from a hit. I don't know where I was born exactly, but I grew up in Western Sanus where I was picked up by a Nomad Clan. I know how to survive in the wild and I've become an expert on vehicles, I already have a jeep of my own I call the Red Queen. And I'm an expert fighter in hand to hand combat which is where my SMG tonfa gauntlets I call Ragnarok came from. In my Clan, I was taught how to survive but never to watch my own mouth, sometimes I act before I think without any self control. I'm here at Beacon now because I wanted to help people my own way...any questions?"

"Do you have any friends from your Clan?" Fenrir asks.

"That's a difficult question; I had a falling out with my clan and...we didn't get back in touch since." Crimson answers, Fenrir nods in understanding. "Alright, it's your turn, River."

As requested, River reluctantly stands up and takes Crimson's place while the latter sits down to listen.

"Hello, I'm River Strife...17...and uh...I guess I was born on August 16th, 1201 in the Valean Calendar." River starts, scratching his arm nervously. "And...I was born and raised in Vale as a Streetkid. My Semblance is called Deadeye, which allows me to hit any target without fail, no matter how far, how quick, or even with what weapons I'm using. I was also trained by a Veteran Huntress named Yuriko Flowers. And I've been known not to socialize with others because I've been...very difficult. And I would like to apologize in advance for any wrongdoings I've done to you guys."

"Like using my toothbrush to clean your ears?" Crimson teases.

"I'll buy you a new one, I promise." River quickly says.

"You mentioned being a Streetkid, did you know anybody in the streets?" Jotaro asks.

"No, As I mentioned, I always isolate myself from others due to my paranoia and distrust." River answers

"Ok, now we have that out of the way. We gotta work together as a team, it's fine to be ourselves when we're hanging out, but in the field, we gotta stay focused and remember why we all chose to be Huntsmen, yes, we may have joined Beacon for different reasons, but we shouldn't let those reasons divide us, we must stand as one." Fenrir explains, which his teammates nod to his speech. "Now, since we still have some free time today, how about we go ask if Team RWBY's not too busy to hang out with us? Since we got along with them last time, I figured there wouldn't be any harm in becoming friends with them."

"Why not? Jotaro's already close with Weiss Schnee." Crimson says, he and the others standing up from their beds.

"And I promised Blake I'd return her book today." River says, picking up the Ninjas of Love book from Crimson's bed.

Team CJVR approaches Team RWBY's dorm room, aiming to know more about them. Jotaro was about to knock until Crimson slams the door open with zero intent of courtesy.

"Hey Girls! How's it going?!" Crimson sings in glee, oblivious to how rudely he entered without permission.

"Crimson, have you never heard of personal privacy?" Jotaro asks in disgust for Crimson's lack of manners.

The boys stop, wide eyed when they notice the girls surrounding their leader who's holding a stray cat in her arms.

"Uh, is that a cat?" Fenrir asks, pointing at the cat

"Yeah, Blake found it in the streets, sheltered in a box." Yang answers.

"You boys realize it's rude and uncourteous to barge in an all girls' dorm without permission, yes?" Blake asks, a slight twitch in her bow for irritation. "We could've been changing."

"Isn't that why locks were invented?" River asks, but is pushed aside by Jotaro who laughs nervously.

"My apologies, girls. Crimson was just really excited to see you, we'll do better next time." Jotaro excuses himself and the boys, then turns to the cat to quickly change the subject. "So, what will you do with this cat? You're not planning on taking care of it, are you?"

"Not really, we won't have enough time for it when we go on missions." Yang shrugs.

"That's why I believe we should set it up for adoption." Weiss says, the others notice she's wearing a headband of cat ears and holding a couple of cat toys in both hands.

"Uh...is that really what you believe, Ice Queen?" Fenrir asks, chuckling.

"So fluffy..." River says, petting the cat, now in his arms.

"I could take care of it while you guys find him a home" Blake offers, taking the cat off River's arms.

"Good idea, Blake! You look like a cat person so I think you'd do better with him!" Ruby agrees in joy.

"We'll give Team RWBY a hand in that regard." Jotaro suggests. "More people looking for his home should speed things up."

"Ah, so we're home hunters for the little guy now!" Crimson jokes.

"Actually, you guys help the girls without me, I'll stay here and give Blake a hand in caring for the little guy." Fenrir says, staring at the cat.

"Are you sure, Fenrir?" Jotaro asks, an eyebrow raised. Which Fenrir answers with a nod. "Very well, if you need anything, call us."

The members of RWBY and CJVR leave the dorm, some looking back with concerned looks and River quickly leaving Blake's book on the table before he forgets until it was just Fenrir and Blake.

"What made you think I needed help?" Blake asks.

"Because unlike them...I can tell you're not a cat person. I woulda smelled cat fur all over you by now if you were." Fenrir answers, smirking. Blake only sighs, knowing he's right. "Don't worry, this'll be a breeze with just the two of us."

*

It was, in fact, not a breeze for just the two of them. The two only had three hours taking care of the cat and it was already in too much mischief. First, it jumped off the desk and bounced off Fenrir's head, knocking him to the floor. The cat stole Fenrir's eyepatch while he was out cold, leaving Blake to chase after it, begging the cat to let go of his eyepatch. Then it climbs onto Blake's shoulder and nibbles on her ribbon, leaving an uncomfortable tingly feeling in her, like a spider crawling on someone's skin.

In the next hour, the cat steals a piece of Blake's fish, Fenrir chases after the cat only for both of them to knock over a lot of books on the shelf attached to the wall. One book falls and hits Fenrir square in the nose. Next, Fenrir was able to hold the cat down carefully while Blake groomed its fur with a brush, it wasn't easy; the amount of scratch marks on Fenrir's hands and face show it.

Next, Blake puts a ribbon on the cat's neck, to make it look presentable. Fenrir lightly pats the cat's head with his finger and laughs in joy. Blake smiles at Fenrir, she was a little reserved for his help, but grateful he's here.

It's nearly dusk, and the exhaustion between the two students shows they've been at this for too long. Both Blake and Fenrir lie on the floor beside each other, catching their breath.

"I never thought taking care of a cat would be this...exhausting." Blake sighs.

"But hey...at least it's over...for now." Fenrir sighs next, followed by laughter.

"How's the little guy, now?" Blake asks, looking at Fenrir, who sits up to check on the cat.

The cat appears to be asleep on Blake's bed, curled up on her covers.

"He's sleeping, guess all that running around tired him out...good" Fenrir laughs, lying back down. "I was hoping you'd connect to him better, being a Cat Faunus and all."

"What are you talking about? I'm not a Fau-,"

"Lying's not gonna work on me, Blake, I can see right through you." Fenrir chuckles

Blake tries to come up with an excuse, a reason as to why she would hide herself from being a Faunus, but Fenrir waves dismissively at her

"It's fine...don't worry about it! I don't really care if you're a Faunus or not, you want to help people, and that's good enough for me." Fenrir says, smiling

"...How did you know?" Blake asks, sitting up to look at Fenrir

"Simple...Faunus have the ability to sense one another, I think it has something to do with their animal traits...I'm not really sure." Fenrir shrugs.

"You're a Faunus?" Blake asks, raising an eyebrow.

"Half-Faunus. I had a Human father and a Faunus mother"

"You mean...you're a Half-Blood?!" Blake gasps

"Make it sound like that's something to be ashamed of." Fenrir sits up, looking at Blake.

"No, I'm just surprised...I didn't think a Half-Blood like you would be possible, because of the relations between Humans and Faunus." Blake was almost taken aback...she had never suspected Fenrir would be half human and half Faunus...but that would explain a lot of things involving his sense of smell.

"Did you...tell your team? About what you are?"

"Nope, told them I'm one hundred percent human."

"But, why would you lie to them?"

"Why do you wear that bow?"

Blake looks away, she couldn't find the answer to his question. Actually, she does know what to say but isn't sure if her answer's correct.

"Blake, I didn't have what you'd call a 'childhood' when I was growing up. Sometimes you're hated simply because you look different, you should know how people treat the Faunus...do you think they'll treat someone like me any different?" Fenrir asks

"But, your teammates aren't like that, are they?"

"No...at least, I don't think so. But I can't tell them everything based off my gut feeling."

"So why tell me? We barely know each other."

"Being what you are is enough of an answer."

At first, Blake didn't understand what Fenrir meant, until her bow twitches. She sighs, guess even those who aren't Faunus get the worst of it. Her childhood wasn't happy either...but Fenrir must've had it worse.

"And don't worry, Blake."

"Don't worry about what?"

"Your secret...I'll keep yours as long as you keep mine."

Blake looks at Fenrir again, noticing the reassuring smile on his face. She couldn't help but smile back.

"Ok...I promise."

*

Near Beacon's exterior cafeteria area, the members of RWBY and CJVR are walking to their dorms after finishing their search.

"Hey, do you think Fenrir and Blake are alright? It didn't look easy, taking care of a cat." Yang asks

"There's no reason to worry about that now." Weiss replies.

"Weiss is correct." Jotaro nods. "If we were uncertain of their capabilities in looking after a pet, then we should've left them more aid. Nonetheless, it's far too late for us to worry."

"I didn't think we'd find anyone so quickly!" Ruby chirps, earning an agreed nod from River.

Among the group, Crimson was falling behind, a troubled look on his face. Jotaro looks behind him, noticing Crimson's expression. With a sigh, Jotaro approaches Crimson while the others continue walking

"Is there something wrong?" Jotaro asks, surprising Crimson. "You've become unusually quiet."

"Yeah...I guess you could say something's bugging me." Crimson says, scratching the back of his head. "I owe you an apology, I joked about your old man without any thought and...it was a real douche move I made. It's like I said earlier, I act before I think and that gets me into loads of trouble...it doesn't really help I've lived in West Sanus for a while...people like me aren't supposed to hold anything back so..."

"No, Crimson...I should apologize." Jotaro sighs, surprising Crimson again. "I allowed my temper to flare when you asked and...it was unbecoming of a gentleman like myself. You had no idea of my father's condition and...I suppose the feeling of his loss never left me."

"Still, that shouldn't be an excuse. I was a jerk, and I'm sorry for that." Crimson gives Jotaro an apologetic smile. The heir only chuckles to himself, confusing the nomad.

"We're both at fault, and I believe it's only best if we improve from our mistakes." Jotaro smiles. "While your apology isn't necessary, I do appreciate it. We'll have a lot of growing to do if we're to work as a team...and I feel like this is the beginning."

Crimson thinks for a moment and smiles, he doesn't entirely get what Jotaro is saying but understands enough to agree with him

*

Reaching the dorms, the members of RWBY decided to enter first by Jotaro's suggestion, since it's their room. Yang was the first to open the door and enters.

"We're back!" Yang smiles, waving her arm happily. "Blake, Fenrir, we've got good news!"

But the group stops to notice their respective teammates both fast asleep. Blake was sleeping on her bed next to the cat while Fenrir was sleeping on the floor, his back rested against Blake's bed in a sitting position.

"Ah, they're asleep." Jotaro whispers.

"Guess taking care of the cat was hard work for both of them, and look at their matching ribbons." Yang says, carefully covering Blake with her blanket as the others take care not to trip on Fenrir's leg.

"Aw, don't the three of them look so cute?" Ruby whispers with a big smile.

"But why's Fenrir sleeping in Team RWBY's room? Wouldn't it be better to sleep in our dorm?" River asks.

"Well, River, when a boy and a girl love each other very much-," Crimson begins, grinning as he puts his hand on River's shoulder, making the owner flinch in surprise.

"Crimson Vernados!" Weiss scolds in a hushed tone. Crossing her arms and glaring at Crimson.

"What? I'm only joking, besides, it's not like he doesn't know about the birds and the bees." Crimson replies, pointing at River

"The birds and the bees? How are they relevant to my question?" River asks, surprising and worrying the others that he isn't aware of The Talk.

"Anyway..." Yang speaks up, brushing away the awkward atmosphere. "Let's wait until they wake up, then we'll tell them."

The others nod in agreement to Yang's suggestion and wait until Blake and Fenrir wake up.

*

"So, you found the little guy a home, huh?" Fenrir asks, leaning against the bed legs of Yang and Blake's bunk while Blake was sitting beside her bed.

Two hours had only passed until the two woke up. Their nap left them refreshed and energized enough to hear what the others explained, both are happy to hear the cat's gonna be living with a family.

"That's great to hear, guys. I'm glad he'll have a family to look after him." Blake says, petting the cat resting on her lap.

"Oh, you're ok with that?" Ruby asks, tilting her head.

"We thought you'd be more sad about giving up the little guy." Yang adds, chuckling to herself.

"Why would they be sad about it? We discussed sending him to a loving family from the beginning." River says, a confused eyebrow raised.

"River's right, we never intended to keep him in the first place." Blake says, looking at the cat with a smile.

Fenrir looks at Blake as she continues stroking the cat. He can see it, the sharpened look in her eyes, the insistent but soft stroking on the cat's fur, and the tone of her voice. Blake wants to keep the cat, but she knows that's not possible with the life they have. To Fenrir, it's impressive she's able to put on a brave face and accept things as they happen...he's almost envious.

"It looks like the rain stopped." Jotaro says, looking out the window. "We should meet with the family before it gets too late. Then it's time to say goodbye to our feline friend."

"Yeah, we'll be right behind you guys." Fenrir says, following the group as they leave the dorm.

*

Goodbyes are always filled with sorrow, that's why Fenrir hates them so much. But he doubts they'll see the cat again as the family happily adopts him. Blake waves goodbye to the cat as the child carries him, sad she must part ways with him.

"They seemed nice, huh?" Yang asks, wrapping her arm around Blake's shoulders.

"Y-yeah..." Blake mutters, but Yang could see the discouraged look on her face.

"Hey, check it out! A Rainbow!" Ruby calls out.

Teams RWBY and CJVR look up to see the rainbow Ruby called out, seeing it's beautiful shine as the sun peeks through the clouds. The eight couldn't help but stare at it.

"In Atlas, they say a rainbow shining after a rainy weather is meant to be a sign of good things to happen." Jotaro informs, smiling at the rainbow. "I have a hunch, that cat will be just fine."

Hearing Jotaro's words of comfort, knowing they were meant for Blake, it couldn't help but bring a tear to her eye as they slowly drift down her cheeks.

"Yeah..." Blake says, a small crack in her voice as she smiles. "He'll have a great life."

End of Chapter 8