You Fools. YOU THOUGHT I WOULD JUST BE SATISFIED WITH ONLY SONIC AND KIRBY?!

Get ready because this is gonna look like Endgame by the time we get to the final boss Salem.

One Step Back, Two Steps Forward

"Bravo, Ultimate Lifeform!" Cinder's voice echoed. "The Doctor didn't mention anything about you being able to fly! But now, I can see that you're almost out of power. So… you're easy pickings."

"Chaos… CONTROL!"

Ruby Rose was in her Silver Eye-induced coma. Barely lucid, able to pick some things up, but not a lot.

"It's alright kiddo, I gotcha… I gotcha…"

"poyo!"

"We're gonna be okay, Sis… I won't let anything else happen to you…"

"Nothing. Just turn it off, without the CCT, there's no point."

"Ruby… I love you."

Ruby's eyes fluttered open as she found herself in her bed. In her bed, back home. The pale-skinned girl suddenly felt a throbbing pain in her head as she sat up. "Ugh.."

Taiyang Xiao Long was taking a nap in a chair in Ruby's room, worried sick like the father he is. "Ruby!" He rushed to her side and comforted his sweet daughter.

"What happened?"

"Your Uncle Qrow found you unconscious. He got you out of there. You're safe now." The loving father took Ruby's hand and took a deep breath. "I'm so glad you're awake."

"Wait, Yang! Is she-"

"She's fine, your sister is out getting stuff for dinner." The concerned father leaned in and hugged his daughter. Ruby was surprised by how gentle her dad was, but she hugged him in response. The first face she saw after what she went through couldn't have been better than her loving father.

"B-but what about the school? And the rest of Vale?"

"It's okay. Ironwood and his robots were able to take the reins back for Vale… outside a bit of property damage, the city is gonna be okay…" The concerned father looked out the window. "Beacon… is a little bit more complicated,"

"That Grimm that you froze… it never went away…" Taiyang admitted. "It's still on the tower sitting there… menacingly. It keeps attracting more Grimm."

"I- wait what? I froze it?"

Taiyang frowned, trying to interject. "That's not important right now, how are you feeling?

"Hurting… all over." Tai took this as a sign to give Ruby some space. "I… still don't understand though…" Ruby held her arm and rubbed it. "How did I-?"

"It was your Silver eyes," Qrow said from the doorway.

"Silver eyes… that's what-"

"Ozpin said the night he first met you, right?."

Kirby scuttled over and floated up to Ruby's bed and gave the redhead girl a gentle hug with his soft body. "Roobles!"

Ruby blinked when Kirby said her name in the cutest way possible, it was what her girlfriend called her as a cutesy relationship name. "Where is she? Where is Bléu?"

Taiyang and Qrow shared a glance. Neither one of them wanted to break the news. "We were hoping that you would know." Tai started.

"I found you alone up there," Qrow admitted. "What's the last thing you remember?"

"I… I remember Yang threw me and Bléu up the tower then…" Her eyes widened. "Pyrrha!" Ruby's heart sank as she remembered The Champion got reduced to ash. "You didn't find her either..."

Taiyang shook her head, "And then..?"

"Th-then Bléu ran in front of me when I-" Ruby stopped mid-sentence, "no…" tears began to well up. "I froze her too…?"

Qrow frowned and shook his head, "Actually… I never found Bléu either."

Ruby froze up as tears began streaming down her cheeks. A sharp pain was felt in her chest as the Little Red Riding Hood began to weep and sob uncontrollably. "No… Nonononono! I…"

As the red girl wept for the Fallen, Qrow sighed and glanced at the flask that he kept in his inside pocket. Kirby watched as the girls cried, not fully understanding. He wanted to walk over and comfort her any way he could, but Qrow stopped him.

"I killed her…" Ruby choked on her own words. "I killed my own girlfriend!" The silver-eyed teen kept wiping her tears away, only for them to return again and again.

"Ruby! You didn't mean to." Taiyang was able to stop crying to console his traumatized daughter. "It's not your fault!" Ruby had a glare on her face and looked directly into Taiyang's eyes, into his soul.

"IT'S ALL MY FAULT!"

Silver Light began to fill the room as Ruby activated her silver eyes again. Qrow and Kirby were forced to blink as the bright light was too much for their eyes. Fortunately, this light was nowhere near as bright or intense as the one that

The blonde father went wide-eyed as she saw Ruby's face, filled with rage. Yang and Ruby didn't share much resemblance on account of having separate mothers. But at this moment, Taiyang thought he was looking into his other child's eyes when Ruby showed her angry eyes.

"Dad!" Ruby's expression immediately softened when she realized what just happened. Her mood quickly shifted from anger to concern as she was worried that she had done the same thing again. The youngest daughter hugged her father and was relieved when her dad didn't turn into dust. "I almost did it again…" The tears returned, and Ruby kept a tight grip on her daddy. "I can't lose you too…"

Taiyang let out a sigh of relief as Ruby hugged him. Even he didn't know whether or not he was going to meet the makers as well. The older man wrapped both arms around Ruby in a tight hug once again. "It's okay, Ruby… I'm here… I'm here."

"Ow ow…"

"Right, sorry." Taiyang didn't hug Ruby for very long.

Once the girls finally cried themselves out and calmed down a bit, Qrow stood up and sighed. "Ruby… I want you to understand one thing. Those born with Silver Eyes are destined to lead the life of a warrior. But Oz told me a long time ago that their Silver Eye powers only affect The Grimm."

"That would have been nice to know beforehand…" Taiyang glared at his exe brother in law.

Ruby frowned. "Then why isn't she here… hugging me? You both met her, she loved me. I know she wouldn't just leave without a word."

Taiyang looked away, silently agreeing with Ruby's words. "It's not like Ozpin has all the answers anyway. Good chance he was wrong." The tattooed man added.

Qrow was silenced, even questioning Ozpin's words himself. "I…"

"My everything hurts…" Ruby wiped her eyes, the life leaving her eyes. "I… May I be left alone? I think I wanna take a nap."

"Ruby…" Taiyang was more concerned now than ever. Thoughts immediately began to form, [She's not thinking about… killing herself, is she?] The caring father wanted to hold his precious child close, tears began to form in his eyes. No dad should ever have to see his daughter feel suicidal. But his worries were put at ease when Ruby pulled Kirby into a hug.

"Except you…" Ruby declared as she embraced the tiny ball of love. "I need you for cuddles. Wait… did you get bigger?"

"Y-yeah, he left for a week and came back with a growth spurt." Taiyang swiftly wiped his eyes, letting out a sigh of relief. He was thankful that his daughter wasn't too far gone. "We'll be in the other room. Just shout if you need us."

"W-wait… What about Weiss? Did she make it? And Blake? Are they here?"

"They're fine." Taiyang gave a reassuring smile. "They both ran away to Menagerie… Yang said that she wanted to tell you what happened when you woke up, I guess I'll let her do that when she gets back." The loving father leaned in to plant a kiss on his daughter's head. "Get some sleep, Ruby."

Ruby gave a weak smile and held Kirby close. "I love you…"

"Love you too sweetie…" Taiyang said with a smile

Kirby turned around to face Ruby and smiled. "Poyo!" His simple cheerful demeanor kept Ruby enthralled with life, but that didn't stop the redhead from circling back to Bléu. Her smile faded and she leaned back. Ruby cried herself to sleep with her new pudgy friend close.

Miles away, over the waters of the ocean

Weiss was sleeping in her and Blake's shared room, the former heiress was running away from her title and gave up on her old life. Sadly, giving up all of your money is not the best thing to do when you lose your arm. Weiss had to hide away in her room as soon as they made it to the ship. She spent her days sleeping, eating, and more sleeping. Her recovery was slow and painful, and avoiding professional treatment made losing her right arm all the more difficult.

Blake Belladonna gently opened the door and had a tray of food in hand. Blake stayed close to Weiss through her slow recovery, the cat girl noticed that her friend was still asleep. She stayed quiet as she gently set the tray next to the white-haired girl.

"Blake?"

"Sorry, I didn't wake you, did I?"

"No, I've been up for a few minutes."

"Okay, I should change your bandages before you eat. May I?" Blake approached. The raven-haired faunus felt guilty for what happened to the dismembered girl. She never left her friend's side unless it was to sleep or get things for her crippled friend.

"Yeah… Thank you…" Weiss looked away and let Blake do what she could. The kitty medic unraveled Weiss's bandages and frowned when she saw that her arm was getting infected.

"I spoke with the captain, we should be there within a few days… Then we can get you the treatment you need."

"I want to go outside."

"Weiss, I don't think-"

"I have been stuck in this room for almost two weeks now! I've never been on a boat before. My sister told me to travel the world, so I want to see the ocean at least once before we make it to your home."

"Are you sure? I'm still worried about you and your arm." Blake asked. "You lost a part of yourself because of me and my-... well, Adam…"

The crippled girl looked down at her nub. It was mortifying, losing a part of yourself, something you had in every waking moment. "I…" her right hand shook as she put it over her left shoulder. "It's a rough adjustment… But I think my Semblance helps." The white-haired girl used a summoning Glyph to make a new hand out of her Arma Gigas, replacing her old hand with a newer, stronger one. "It's like doing that mirror trick… but I know it's not really my arm…" Weiss looked back to her beastly friend. "Do you think I made a mistake? They probably could have reattached my arm if I went back with my father…"

"I… I'm not sure…" Blake looked away. "Thank you… for coming with me. I know this couldn't be easy for you… sacrificing so much for someone like me." Blake wiggled her ears behind her bow.

"You ran away from us once already, Blake. I wasn't going to let your ex-boyfriend hold that over you." Weiss held both of Blake's hands in hers.

"We were never together…" The raven-haired girl looked down. "I did love him… but he changed. I think he knew that too… That's why he called me his love."

"He was trying to get in your head… That IS toxic." Blake and Weiss sat in silence for a few moments. "Okay. I'm ready." Blake nodded and wrapped Weiss's arm up again, helping her white-haired friend get dressed.

Back on Patch

Yang was on Bumblebee, she had a few bags of groceries and was heading back home. Since it was snowing, the blonde's hands were starting to cramp up. She decided to take a break from driving and pulled over.

The final yellow girl rubbed her hands together to warm them up. She kicked the bike stand down on her bike and stood up, stretching, she began to look in her bag. The older sister got out the pack of ribs that she hoped would cheer Ruby up once she woke up. Sighing, Yang was immediately reminded of Bléu. She knew her sister's girlfriend arguably better than Ruby.

Yang knew for a fact that the only thing that would stop the blue-haired techno-nerd from watching over Ruby in her coma… would be if she was dead.

A few tears dropped onto the pack of ribs in her hands and froze on contact from the cold air. The blonde girl thought back to the days of Beacon. The laughs she shared with the Bléuberry, the surprisingly deep conversations they had.

Heck, she would even openly admit that she was good enough for Ruby. A bit of a pervert, but Yang knew that her sister was the top. The big sister sighed and wiped her eyes with her sleeve.

Suddenly, she heard a strange noise, like a swipe and swirl of energy. Yang prepared her Ember Celica and turned around. "Who are you?" The angry brawler's eyes shifted red as she saw who came out of the portal. "Mom…" Her eyes shifted back, but the glare never left.
"Yang, we have a lot to talk about."

The daughter rolled her eyes. "You're picking one hell of a time to talk."

"You weren't ready before." Raven still had her mask on.

"It's been a whole month since Beacon Fell and NOW you think it's time to talk?"

"...You were never alone until now." Raven finally took her mask off, revealing the resemblance. It was like looking into a mirror for Yang but her eyes were always red.

"And you never wondered why that was? I was looking after my sister!"

"Summer's kid will be fine."

Yang frowned at the mention of her other mother. "Yeah? And what makes you so sure?"

"Well, you can go back and ask that tight-lipped father and uncle of yours, or you can come with me, and I'll tell you everything."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

The samurai-clad mother tilted her head. She seems surprised by how little her daughter knows. "You… What HAVE they told you?"

Yang narrowed her eyes. "About Ruby? She's a Silver-Eyed warrior. Like Summer was… And Kirby is an alien or something, that one kinda went over my head." She scratched the back of her head.

Raven blinked. "Uh… what?"

"Oh, I guess you wouldn't know about that one. Oh well. It was nice… Catching up with you, Mom, but… I think I'm gonna pass on whatever you're selling me." She put her groceries back on her bike and was about to put her helmet back on.

"Yang, this is important. Weren't you the one looking for me?"

"Yeah, I did look for you, Mom. Ever since I was a girl." She put her helmet back on. "You were very determined to stay away from me."

"I was testing y-"

"Okay, don't even pull that card!" Yang looked back at Raven, her eyes now matching her mother's. "I wanted to find you! I wanted you to be proud of me when I finally found you. But then my sister killed my best friend!" Tears began to leak down her eyes. "And now I don't care what you think I'm 'ready for!' If you really want to build this bridge again, then you can come back to the house and explain there. I'm heading back to Ruby with or without you."

"... Are you done having your temper tantrum?"

That sent Yang over the edge. The utter lack of care in everything Raven said made the powerhouse of the remaining Team RWBY burst into flames. She threw a shotgun blast at Raven.

The bird woman showed her namesake, dodging the blast by turning into a bird herself. She orbited around the confused blonde girl a few times before landing on Yang's back, pinning her down into the snow. "There's a lot more at play here, Yang. This is no time to be playing House. You have a choice, either come with me and join our tribe, or go back home where you'll be surrounded by lies."

Yang was let up and she stood up. "Ya know. As weird as whatever that magic trick was… I honestly don't care enough to turn my back on Ruby." She patted herself down and shook the snow off. "The answer is no." Yang got on Bumblebee and revved it up.

"You're making a mistake."

"Yeah? Well, maybe you should have told me that sooner." The blonde biker put her shades on and drove back home.

Yang processed her second encounter with her mother as she drove. Why the hell was she able to turn into a bird? Her Semblance was clearly that portal thing she did. Then she blinked, she thought back to the security cameras that Bléu showed the rest of team RWBBY. Ozpin and Cinder were fighting with magical powers, was that connected? Yang groaned, she was never the brains of the team.

There was one thing that Yang knew for certain though. She made the right decision in choosing her sister. Bumblebee slowed to a halt as she finally made it back home. Bringing the groceries in, Yang saw the bright face on her dad's face. "Is she…?"

"You can go check if she's awake now. QUIETLY."

The excited brawler practically threw the groceries on the counter and dashed upstairs to her and her sister's room. Stopping herself, she took a deep breath and held back her excitement. Knocking on the door, Yang smiled when she heard rustling on the other side.

"Come in…"

Yang pushed the door open and saw her baby sister awake and blinking. "Ruby! You're okay!" The older sister wasted no time in closing the distance and pulling the smaller girl into a crushing hug.

Ruby was suddenly met with the disturbingly familiar squish of sisterly booba. "Ow ow! Yang! Too hard!" She struggled to escape her sister's grip.

Yang went wide-eyed and pulled away, feeling bad about how fragile her sister was right now. "Sorry!" Yang then noticed the redness around her eyes, Ruby had been crying. "She really is gone, isn't she?"

"Yeah…" The tears began to flow again. Yang let Ruby cry on her shoulder. The two sisters embraced and the elder sibling let out a few tears of her own. Yang began to accept the fact that two of her closest friends were really dead. "C-Cinder killed Pyrrha with her magic. A-and I… I killed my Bléuberry with my eyes…"

Yang frowned and put her hand on Ruby's head. "You can't start thinking that way."

"I… there's no other way to see it Yang…" Ruby frowned and looked away from Yang and Kirby. Two of the brightest beings on Remnant felt powerless to cheer up the shattered Rose Petals. "I probably blinded her… maybe she fell off? Or the dragon ate her before she could get her bearings?" Ruby tries to rationalize what could have happened, but Qrow and Ozpin say that her eyes only work on Grimm. "Maybe… Maybe she just got scared and ran…? She… She wouldn't leave me like that… Would she?"

Yang frowned at this idea. "If she did, then I'll kill her myself." The protective older sister pulled Ruby into another gentle hug. "If she isn't dead and did run away, I'll make sure she wishes you killed her. Okay?"

Ruby looked up at her temperamental older sister. She knew that the blonde girl was probably hurting just as much right now. Yang technically knew Bléu longer than Ruby did, she was just coping in her own way as a joke. If it was anyone else, the redhead would get even more upset, but the silver-eyed girl cracked a smile and started cry-laughing.

Yang and Kirby both joined in the laughter shortly after and everyone went in for another hug. After a few minutes of silence and soft whimpers from Ruby, Yang spoke again. "I just talked with Raven."

"Your mom? Yang that's-...!" Ruby paused mid-sentence when she saw her big sister's disappointed face. "Not good?"

"She wanted me to leave you and Dad to join her bandit camp thing."

"And you said no…"

"You're my family, Rubes, always have been. I'm not going anywhere, sisters till the end." Yang lifted her fist and Ruby returned the fist bump.

"And Ruby…"

"Yeah?"

"Told ya that you were special," Yang said before sticking her tongue out and giving Ruby a light noogie. The bombastic bombshell stood up and stretched. "Get plenty of rest, once you're ready, we're going to get what we can out of Dad and Qrow. Cuz I'm not staying cooped up in here."

"Definitely! Bléu and Pyrrha wouldn't want us to mope around!" Ruby gripped her hands and nodded, The adventure-loving Goldilocks' words lit a fire in the Red-Hooded hero's heart.

Yang smirked and gave Ruby a thumbs up and left the sore girl to recover.

Ruby thought back and smiled. "Bees's knees… huh."

Meanwhile, in a separate dimension

Ren Amamiya walked into the LeBlanc. He opened the door and took a deep breath, inhaling the warm scent of afternoon coffee and the faint whiff of curry. This moment in the day had become one of his favorites.

"Ah, you're back." The homey vibe that Sojiro Sakura presented every day kept Ren feeling like he was right at his home away from home.

They had a rough start. Sojiro was tough on Ren when he took the disgruntled teenager in, openly annoyed at how he regretted taking responsibility for such a troublemaker. Despite that, Sojiro eventually began to see that Ren was a good kid. A little snarky, but his actions spoke louder than his words. He went to school, stayed out of trouble, and even picked up a few hobbies here and there. And from what his teachers say, he even does pretty well in his studies. Even got himself a girlfriend, the sly dog. Sojiro couldn't be prouder… not that he would admit it.

Ren gave a simple smile and nod as he sat down and started doing today's crossword. It was raining, so the moppy-haired teen got out his books and started studying like he usually did when it rained. Sojiro couldn't help but smile when he noticed the kid get out his books and start studying.

"Mrow~"

Sojiro glanced at his feet and noticed that Morgana was at his feet, rubbing up against his leg. With a huff, the cranky older man leaned down and gave the cat a few head scratches. "Hey, little guy." He opened a small compartment and pulled out a little can of tuna. "Now don't you go telling the kid about this, our little secret."

A soft meow was uttered by the black cat as Morgana began to dig in. He was oddly perceptive for a kitty cat.

Ren noticed his phone buzz and picked it up. It started with his best friend Ryuji, as per usual.

[Guys, that was TOTALLY KICK ASS, RIGHT? We got through that Palace like it was nothing!]

Then everyone else in his merry little band began chipping into the conversation.

Futaba Sakura: [It only makes sense, we're basically pros at this point. Mwehehe]

Ann Takemi: [I still can't believe we stole Okumura's treasure so fast! It only took us like, what, a couple of days?]

The leader of the group smiled as he read everyone's lively messages. Watching all of his new friends interact with one another was just another one of the cozy vibes that Joker found himself enjoying in this new place he called home.

A few hours of studying pass and Sojiro starts wrapping up his shop for the night. "I'm headed home for the night. See you tomorrow, Ren." He put on his sick dapper hat and left.

Ren stretched his arms and yawned as he put his schoolwork away.

Morgana hopped up to the table and looked at his team leader. "It's getting late, you should-"

"Go to bed, yeah, yeah. I know." The black-haired teenager frowned at the cat/human/person/thing and its strict bedtime schedule.

"Hey! Sleep is important!"

Ren rolled his eyes and walked up the stairs with Morgana close behind. Getting into his pajamas, the leader of the Phantom Thieves got under the covers and closed his eyes.

As he fell into his slumber, Ren's consciousness immediately shifted to the familiar dark and cold reality of his prison, The Velvet Room. The framed young man got out of his prison bed, letting his chains rattle as he found himself in his own prison yet again. He walked over to the bars and took note of the guards.

"On your feet, Inmate! Our master wants a word with you." Caroline shouted at the boy. Her words were harsh, reminding the boy of his guilt with himself.

"He has a new opportunity for you. You would do well to heed his words." Justine's words were soft-spoken, but carried great meaning, reminding the boy of his silent determination to clear his name.

Igor sat at his desk, staring straight into Ren's soul. This man was a mystery, despite the circumstances, the long-nosed man presented himself as an ally. Even though the strange man helped Joker with managing his Personas, there was still the fact that he and the warden Lolis sat outside of the bars, while the betrayed boy was sitting in a cell. Igor spoke in his deep, almost unsettling voice. "First, I'd like to congratulate you for expelling the one proud of their greed… Or so I'd like to say, but something odd seems to have happened."

"What happened?"

"You and your allies have grown a great deal in a short amount of time. But it won't be enough to complete your rehabilitation. You lack strength."

Caroline swung her baton on the bars of Ren's prison doors. "You've been slacking! You'll never get anywhere at this rate!"

"..." Joker didn't even flinch at Caroline's aggressive behavior.

"You and your closest allies will be sent to another world, a world where people have wondrous abilities and dark monsters. You'll be looking for a man who represents the embodiment of Spite. Shadows will be much stronger in the Metaverse of this world, so this may take months, maybe even years to complete." Igor noticed the concerned look in the boy's eyes. "There is no need to worry," Igor said with a creepy grin. "Time moves differently in this world, if you're successful in redeeming this evil, you'll be returned to your world before tonight ends."

"Alright then, send us in."

The twin Wardens were surprised by how quickly the Inmate was ready to head off into another world. But the balding man had never grinned wider. "Very well, I will now transport you to the ones who will help you find this palace owner."

Back on the Boat

Weiss and Blake were on the side of the boat now. The catgirl helped the one-armed teen get dressed in her new outfit.

Weiss took off the hood that she'd been using to hide her face and revealed her shorter hair. Her hair got soaked in blood back at Beacon, so the former heiress asked Blake to give her a haircut. Her new hairstyle looked healthy and was chopped up to her breast. Her hair was now about halfway between Ruby's and Blake's.

A pretty combat skirt would attract too much attention, so for the first time in Weiss's life, she started wearing pants. Her entire wardrobe had a change, her flashy silver earrings were gone, replaced with blue studs in remembrance of her friend who died during The Fall. She wore a nicely made long-sleeved white and black shirt. The teenager was in self-exile, but that didn't stop her from wanting nice things. "Ah…" The former heiress took a deep breath in and smiled as she witnessed the beautiful sparkling waters of the sea. "This was a good idea. It smells awful out here, but it's better than that stuffy room."

Blake smiled at Weiss and they both jumped when a couple of faunus children ran by and screamed as they played. Weiss clung to the railing and began to breathe heavily, getting flashes back to The Fall. Blake held the top of Weiss's hand and comforted her. "You okay?"

Weiss swallowed hard and slowed her breathing. "Y-yes… it was just a couple of kids… I'm fine…"

Once Blake ensured that Weiss was over her episode, the catgirl sighed and took note of her bow. She slowly undid the ribbon and held it in her hand. "Guess I won't be needing-"

"Agh!"

Blake and Weiss looked over to see a small group of teenagers piled on a hooded figure. The young man threw his hood back and it was revealed to be Sun Wukong.

"A little help?" Sun said with a pained smile.

Yep, adding the Phantom Thieves to Volume 4 and NONE OF YOU CAN STOP ME.

As always, you can look up JigglyLily to find my twitch and discord to hang out with me.