When Weiss agreed, Ruby began to bring them to their shared dormitories. The moment the door shut, Ruby asked, "What have I done to upset you? Did I make you uncomfortable in some way? Did I say or do something?" The questions caught Weiss off-guard and she began to sputter. When they finally registered, she was even more confused.

"Upset? Ruby, you never did anything to upset me, what on… wherever we are, made you think that?"

"Lately, not even just here, you've been acting all weird around me. You would either go all quiet, act unusual, or run off. These past few weeks I've been trying to wrap my brain around things that I've done that could have made you really mad, but I can't think of anything. Now it seems more apparent than ever, so what did I do wrong?"

All this time, in the midst of her trying to figure out her own feelings, she's been unintentionally causing Ruby this much worry. Weiss feels dread well up in her stomach upon discovering this revelation, but she continues to hesitate to tell the truth. "Ruby, believe me, it's nothing that you've done it's just–"

"Weiss, I'm coming to you because this feels like something that will change our friendship if it's left unsaid." That's the thing, it would change their relationship and that's what's scaring Weiss at the moment. As well as her fear of rejection… She doesn't know if Ruby feels the same way and she's terrified to ask. But they're also feelings that she's just recently discovered and she has no idea what to make of them. Part of Weiss wants to believe it's a simple crush that will come and go but another part is telling her that that's not the case and there is so much more to it. It's all just so disconcerting.

Weiss realizes she's been looking down the whole time and she finally raises her gaze to Ruby whose eyes are full of worry and concern. "Weiss…You know you can tell me." Weiss knows that but it feels like she can't!

"Ruby, I…I don't know what I'm feeling and…and it's terrifying me. I wish I could tell you but it all feels so complicated and I don't know what to make of it." Ruby listens quietly as Weiss attempts to explain what she thinks is wrong with her. When Weiss comes to a point where she's really just blurting out words, Ruby grabs both of Weiss's hands, holding them. That gets Weiss quiet and her whole face goes red.

"Hey, it's okay if it's not easy to say, I just don't want whatever's going on between the two of us to ruin our friendship. Weiss, you're the first friend I made at Beacon and I can't risk losing that. When you do finally figure out what's going on in here," Ruby points to her forehead, "Then you can tell me through here," She moves her finger towards Weiss's lips. Weiss doesn't know how to respond so she simply nods.

"You're the first genuine friend I've made Ruby, you like me not for my name, but for me. I don't want to lose you either." They stand in silence, hands still intertwined as they smile. Both of them felt some kind of pull as they slowly moved closer, their faces mere inches apart. Weiss deemed it natural as her eyes started fluttering shut and the two were so close they… could…almost…

"Hey! Are you guys okay in there?!" Nora shouted from the other side of the door, knocking all the while. The girls jumped apart, faces burning as they avoided meeting eyes.

"Sorry, Nora was just getting a little worried, you guys okay?" Jaune asked, his voice a little muffled.

Ruby nervously laughed, "Y-yeah, we're fine!" She chanced a look over at Weiss but her back was turned. "We'll be out in a second!" Ruby yells back then walks over to Weiss. "Hey, um, you okay?"

"You Dolt, of course, I'm fine!" Weiss brushes past Ruby and quickly exits the room, being extra careful not to let her face show. Nora enters the room but notices how disheveled Ruby looks.

"Man, you're face is red! Did we interrupt something?" Ruby's eyes widen when she sees Nora's smirk.

"No! Nothing like that! Let's just start the next episode." Ruby moves on silently and sits in her seat.

"Man, your face is red, what happened in there?" Yang asks with a smug smile. Ruby mutters a 'nothing' and turns her head to the screen. Yang isn't convinced, but who in this room was when those two walked down the hall with their faces on fire?

(Volume 5 Intro)

Qrow enters a bar and stops in front of the man behind the bar who's carving wood. The man asks if he'll have the regular or a special. "I'm actually looking for someone, goes by the name Shiro Wan, ever heard of 'em?"

Originally they were thinking this was going to be another moment of an episode where they find Qrow drinking at a bar. It wouldn't be the first time they've witnessed it. But, to their surprise, it was Qrow trying to gain some information about… a guy they'd never heard about, but he seemed rather important.

"I heard he's a regular around here." The man wonders who's asking, implying that he knew the guy. "Hey, I'm not some cop if that's what you mean. I need Shiro for a gig, we go way back."

Yang and Ruby never heard Qrow ever mention the guy, but they might just been a story he's never told them. It wouldn't be the only thing he hasn't shared with them, but they digress. "Is anyone else getting a feeling that he's already said the wrong thing?" Jaune asks.

The man repeats his words, nodding, "So he's a friend of yours." Qrow places a hand on his chin, looking like he's thinking, but he doesn't deny the assumption. "Well, in that case… you tell that jerk that he better not show his ugly face in here until he pays me the lien he owes me!" He points his knife directly at Qrow.

So, those two weren't exactly on the best terms.

Qrow chuckles nervously, "Did I say friend, I meant acquaintance."

Yeah, maybe they should mention to Qrow that he shouldn't refer to himself as one of the guy's friends. Just a small suggestion as that was a clearly bad idea. They get Qrow was just trying to get information, but if it's a guy you don't personally know, they think it would be on the smarter side to choose your words very carefully.

"Man, I wonder how this gonna turn out?" Yang says, expecting some kind of showdown to happen.

The man stabs his knife into the counter, causing Qrow to backtrack and slowly exit the establishment. He puts his hands up, calling him and Shiro colleagues. Qrow thanks him for his time and shuts the door behind him, leaning against the wall to take a drink and remove Wan, Shiro from a list off his scroll.

"How much money does Shiro owe the guy anyway?" Ruby asks curiously.

"16,000 lien, give or take." All heads whip around, wondering if she was serious. Raider gives them all a look that tells them she is, in fact, serious.

Qrow sighs, muttering sarcastically that things were a great start. He was startled by a knife coming through the door, very close to his head.

"Oh my Gods…" Pyrrha mumbles, holding a hand up to her mouth in shock.

"Yeah, so I think that's your queue to go," Yang says.

In the rain, Qrow continues to ask around, getting more frustrated each time he runs into a refusal. He stands in front of a house with its windows boarded up and it's his last name on the last.

"Is that the last huntsmen or huntress on the list? And no one else agreed to join them?" Oscar asks frantically. It appeared so, they just hoped they would have some luck with this last house. Ren felt like something off so he turned around to find Raider frowning. Well, with that response, that meant this person was going to turn down the choice as well, weren't they?

"Heather Shields," Qrow murmurs. He knocks on the door, his attention brought to kids running in the rain, but when he gets no answer he starts to bang on the door.

"It's only been a couple of seconds, relax," Sun says.

"That's a convincing sales pitch you got there," Nora adds.

Qrow goes to bang on the door again but it opens. "Oh, uh, uh hey there, I'm looking for Heather." The man doesn't respond, but his brows furrow when he hears the name.

Blake notices the small movement. It looked as if hearing the same brought sadness, but…what happened?

"Look, pal, I've had a rough day, do you know where she is or not?" A little girl steps out behind her father's legs.

"Does he know where mommy is?" She looks just like Amber.

The room falls silent as some cover their mouths. Ren is brought to a shocking realization that that was why Raider was frowning. Yang and Ruby were rapidly brought back to when they would always ask when mom was coming back. Only for the news of her death to come back to them. Tears were falling and whimpers echoed throughout the room.

"She was a mother…" Blake whispered.

Qrow sees the child, recognizing her resemblance, "I, uh, I'm sorry to bother you…" Both the child and father leave, shutting the door behind them.

"Ugh, that hurt so much to watch again," Raider muttered. No one commented on it though.

Qrow rubbed the back of his head and turned around to leave. He pulls out his canteen but puts it back with a sigh.

The group was surprised, they thought he would have taken one.

Qrow observes the list of Mistral Missions and looks through all the marked contacts on his scroll. The huntsmen and huntresses line up with all the contacts.

Qrow was looking around, asking anyone if they knew where they all were, but now they've discovered they've all…most likely been killed.

Both Weiss and Blake narrowed their eyes, finding this all really suspicious and set up. For but a single moment, the accusation that Professor Lionheart had done it came to mind. A part of them didn't want to believe, but another part thought it made sense. Qrow had told Professor Lionheart that he was going to try and recruit huntsmen to help fight but to now learn that they're all inconviently dead seems like no coincidence.

Qrow reenters the same shop from before, the man saying he has a lot of nerve coming back. Qrow asks how much Shiro owed him. "Well, I'd say about 16,000 lien." Qrow is shocked but tosses down lien on the counter, surprising the man.

"Qrow's paying all that?! Also, how?!" Sun exclaims. They didn't have an answer, but damn were they not expecting that turn of events.

"Wait, what? Man, you must be in some serious trouble with him if you're paying me off." Qrow announces that his name is clear and the other man's face grows solemn when Qrow walks away. "That idiot." Qrow sighs, standing in the doorway but agrees with him.

In Raven Branwen's tent, Yang, Weiss, and Raven are sat while Vernal pours them all tea.

The group was still saddened for the man who was lost, but they were all invested in the information that Raven was about to share. Some of it might be the same as Qrow had told Team RNJR, but they knew Raven didn't plan on sugarcoating anything.

It was clear how much she disliked Ozpin, and she wasn't going to spare any details on everything he kept hidden from everyone else.

Raven asks Vernal to wait outside and when she's gone, Yang asks her to tell them the 'truth'. Raven takes a sip of her tea, "You know, it's better when it's hot."

Weiss scoffed, "And you're really obnoxious."

Weiss retorts that she's really obnoxious.

The others weren't even surprised at this point that they were saying the exact same thing moments before they happened.

"The truth is that truth is hard to come by. A story of victory for one person is a story of defeat for someone else. By now your uncle has surely told Ruby and her friends plenty of stories," Raven starts off.

"Well, he's never given me a reason to doubt him before," Yang replies.

Unlike a certain someone that I know, Yang thinks to herself.

"That doesn't mean those reasons don't exist." Yang sends a glare her mother's way at that response. "You know, you and your teammates might as well be the poster children for the huntsmen academies, our motives vary but you all enrolled to try and make the world a better place, it's adorable."

Sun was about to ask if her mother was always like this, but thought better of it as that would open up to a very touchy subject. Sun watched Yang explain her driven obsessed experience with Yang and thought it wise to keep his mouth shut.

Raven moves into a more relaxed position and Yang reminds her that that's what huntsmen and huntresses do. "Not all of them, some people are just in it for the money and the fame, there's even more that are just looking to grow stronger."

Their thoughts went to people like Cardin and his friends and the other people they'd come across while at Beacon.

"Your uncle Qrow and I didn't attend Beacon to become huntsmen, we did it to learn how to kill huntsmen ."

"What the fuck?!"

"Our uncle went to Beacon to learn to become an assassin?! No that can't be true, that just can't be!" Ruby wanted to deny it, she would've denied it, but this knowledge is coming from Raven who went along with uncle Qrow when they were enrolled.

That was a fact they never expected to learn about their uncle. What made him change his mind? In all honesty, that's kinda scary to learn about your family, especially one the sisters are so close to and to learn that he went there to try and kill people? They love their uncle and always will, but that can't stop the small part that also now sees him in a different light. At least his past self, that is.

They both silently agreed that that fact would never be mentioned. As for the rest of them, everyone always had their secrets from the past, but that wasn't something you'd hear every day.

Raider couldn't help the internal chuckle. They were trying to train Qrow to be the next Grim Reaper.

Weiss and Yang gasp in shock, clearly not expecting to hear that. "Daddy and uncle left that part out, hm? Aside from the Grimm, huntsmen were the only ones capable of ruining our raids and hunting us down, our tribe needed a counterforce," Raven explains, taking a break to sip her tea. "And Qrow and I were the perfect age, the entrance exams were child's play compared to what we've already been through. We were good, so good we caught the attention of Beacon's very own headmaster, Professor Ozpin." Raven had gotten up to face her map of Remnant.

Just like Ruby had done the night she first stopped Roman and Junior's goons from robbing the poor man's shop.

"Even after we were put on a team, I could tell he was keeping his eye on us. Back then I thought it was because he knew, but it was Team STRQ he was interested in."

They were confused as to what she was referring to and it appeared Yang had the same question.

Yang asks what she means by that. "Constant attention, extra training missions, turning a blind eye whenever we happen to break the rules and get into more trouble than we should have."

Team RWBY was now thinking about how Professor Ozpin was giving them that same treatment back home. If that's the case, then what's the connection? What makes Ozpin so interested in people like them? One of the more recent memories was when they quite literally destroyed the entire mess hall and when Professor Goodwitch came to give them a piece of her mind, Professor Ozpin essentially told her to lay off and let them have fun.

"Sound familiar?"

A bit too familiar if you asked them, but what was she trying to get at?

Yang asks her to get to the point after Weiss gestures for her to ask. "How much do you know about Professor Ozpin? About his past?"

"He was a prodigy, one of the youngest headmasters to be appointed to a school," Weiss answers.

When they hear the information, that's all incredibly surface-level. Knowing what they know now, that's probably knowledge he wants everyone to know to cover up what he hides from everyone.

"Because that's how he planned it, the man you know as Ozpin designed those schools and has followers inside every academy on Remnant that are loyal to him and no one else."

Thinking about Professor Lionheart, that information isn't entirely true.

"That doesn't make any sense, how could he have, no, why would someone even do that?" Yang questions.

"Because old man Oz has a great and terrible secret, one that could spread fear across the world. One that he eventually entrusted to our team and once I knew there was no going back."

This had to be the catalyst as to why Team STRQ broke apart, because of the thoughts about Professor Ozpin's secret. Raven had different views, and those opinions must have been what broke them apart.

"I needed to know more, but with every new discovery I made, the more horrifying the world became."

"Okay, then tell us, what's the big secret? What's so crazy that the rest of us don't know?" Yang shouts.

"The creatures of Grimm have a master named Salem, she can't be stopped, she can't be reasoned with, and she will not rest until humanity crumbles at her feet."

They were already aware of that part of the news, but it's still terrifying to hear nonetheless. To know there's a force out there that will stop at nothing until the world is dead and gone.

Weiss voices her disturbance. "You know you two haven't even touched your tea," Raven states.

"How can we when you're giving us unsettling information like this? It will only make us more sick to our stomach and we might actually throw up!" Yang shouts.

Raven takes another sip as Yang stands up, asking why they should even believe any of what she's saying. "Now you're catching on, so far you've done nothing but accept what others tell you. You'll need to question everything," The two stare at each other for a couple of moments before Raven turns back around, "Otherwise you'll end up just as blind as Qrow–"

Anger began to build up inside Yang, having a feeling that it was about to come to a breaking point with the next words Raven said. Yang silently dared her to say anything else.

"And your fool of a father…" With a loud bang, the table is ruined. Yang's eyes are blazing and she's glaring heatedly at her mother.

"Son of bitch! Don't you ever talk about my family like that!" Yang screams, swiftly standing from her seat. Her fists are clenched and her eyes burn a scarlet red.

"Yeah!" Ruby agrees, just without the use of language like her sister. The two of them weren't going to stand around, while this pathetic excuse of a mother who was never there in the first place, insult their family. Yang felt like breaking more than a table after hearing that. Colorful words flew through her head, but they never made it out.

"Yang…"

"Ruby…"

Their respective partners called to them, and they couldn't explain it, but just their soft voices alone could quell their strong emotions for the woman on-screen. Both slowly sat back down, but there was still anger from Raven's remark about their dad.

A teacup tumbles to Raven's feet. "Don't you dare talk about my family like that!" Yang hears a click behind her as Vernal points her weapon, telling Yang that she needs to calm down.

"Don't you tell me to calm down!" Yang shouts. Blake does the same thing, whispering her name and getting her to settle down.

Weiss grabs her hand and begs her as well. Raven tells her to listen to her friend as they've never let her down before.

Yang wants to yell a remark but refrains because of Blake's hand on her arm.

"You don't know the first thing about my teammates, about me! You were never there, you left us! Why…?" Her voice breaks and her eyes return to their normal lilac.

"I know more than you realize, not just about you, and not just what I've been told but things I've seen with my own eyes. I know the Grimm have a leader, I know people who can come back from the dead. I know that magic is real and I can prove it."

"Do you plan on turning into a bird because if so, we've already seen this whole spiel, it isn't going to surprise anymore. We've been given enough time to get used to it." Nora waves her hand like it isn't a big deal. The rest of them nod, having the urge to yawn.

"You said Tai told you all about my semblance? Well, I doubt he ever told you what Oz did to my brother and me." Raven steps out of her tent and Weiss and Yang share a look. Vernal tells them to go see for themselves.

"Wait…Ozpin was the one to give them the ability to turn into birds? How? Why?" Ruby exclaims. They knew it had to have come from some kind of spell, but to hear that Professor Ozpin was the one to inflict it upon them was shocking.

"What on Remnant would possess him to do that?" Weiss asks. They were thinking they would find out and see. If they were going to be told in the next couple of moments.

Yang and Weiss rush out, finding no one. "Yang? Are you okay?"

"I'll be fine once we can get her to take us to Ruby."

If Yang was being entirely honest, no, she was the farthest from okay at the moment.

"It's okay if you're not okay."

"You didn't believe what she said, right?"

It's quite hard to ignore it with what they've all witnessed these past couple of volumes. Everything they've seen behind closed doors and what they've been shown with everyone else. It's incredibly hard not to believe it.

"I…Of course not. Well, not all of it, it was crazy, we have dust, semblances, but I mean there's no such thing as magic." Their attention was grabbed by the caw of a raven. Weiss is confused by the bird, but Yang feels that she's seen it before. Weiss wonders if it belongs to her mom.

It doesn't belong to her mom, that is her mom.

The bird flies through the trees and then transforms into Raven. Weiss and Yang stand shell-shocked. Yang asked how she was able to do that. "Well, I could explain it to you," Raven grabs her sword and slices the air, leaving a red portal in its stead, "Or you could ask your uncle." Yang is confused, thinking that Raven is letting them go. "I'm giving you a choice–"

"Not much of a choice if I already know what I'm going to do, now is it?" Yang comments, wrapping an arm around her sister.

"Stay here, with me, and I'll answer all of your questions and more, we can have a fresh start." Yang glares at her mother.

You lost that chance the moment you walked out on me and my family, Yang hated how she thought it would be so easy. She's been gone for her entire life, never there and she thinks she can just walk back in it like everything can be redone?! Yang felt beyond pissed.

"Or, you can go back to Qrow and join Ozpin's impossible war against Salem. And meet the same fate as so many others, but can you really go back to trusting someone who's kept so much from you?"

"All I care about is making sure I get to my sister," Yang states.

Weiss looks towards Yang, but all she cares about is making sure that Ruby is safe. Raven doesn't hide her disappointment.

Yang didn't care, her mother could be disappointed in her all she wanted, but it wasn't going to make much of a difference. In another life it might have, but not this life.

Yang and Weiss ride out on Bumblebee when Raven stops her, "Yang, if you side with your uncle, I may not be as kind the next time we meet."

"Pssh, you weren't kind now," Yang scoffs.

"You weren't kind this time either," Yang responds with Weiss rolling her eyes. When the portal shuts, Raven murmurs that she knows. In Mistral, Qrow looks across a balcony, confused as he thinks over all the huntsmen and huntresses.

The same thought of Professor Lionheart passes through Weiss and Blake's mind.

Qrow sighs and is startled when Raven's portal appears, thinking it's his sister. He's surprised but happy to see it's Yang. Team RNJR is making dinner, Nora is cutting the carrots, eating some while she's at it, Jaune sets the table, and Ren and Ruby are at the stove.

Ren shook his head, and Nora just laughed harmlessly. "What? You can't blame a girl for being hungry."

Ren declares that their first batch is done and Ruby adds that they're just waiting for Qrow and then they'll be all set. "Do you really think he's going to bring that many people? This is a lot of food," Nora asks. Ruby isn't sure, but they could use all the help they could get.

Unfortunately, they wouldn't be able to get much help from the huntsmen and huntresses of Mistral.

Qrow yells from the other room that he's back and Ruby shouts she'll be right there. Ren looks down at the food and tells her she's going to overcook it. Ruby tells him to be quiet as she won't as Qrow calls for Ruby. A few seconds later, smoke puffs up and she lets Ren take over. Ruby announces that she's coming while grabbing the tea tray.

The group wasn't able to properly express how happy they were about to be when they watch the reunion of Yang, Ruby, and Weiss. It was going to be incredible!

"So, we didn't know how many people were coming so we just cooked all of it." Ruby immediately drops the tray, making everything shatter as Weiss and Yang stand in front of her.

Yang and Ruby don't wait to bring themselves closer to one another, making sure there was no room left between them. Yang also doesn't hesitate to place a kiss atop her sister's head.

Ruby stumbles back in shock, making Yang step forward. It all comes to a breaking point, "Yang I-I'm so sorry I-I should have stayed and I-I should have talked to you more! I-I just-I wasn't sure you wanted me around!"

"Ruby…I will always want my sister, if I'm mad or not, don't you dare think otherwise," Yang says. She brings her sister closer and the two of them don't even register that they're both crying.

Yang rushes to hold her sister, and says, "I love you." Ruby bursts into tears, uttering those same words. The rest of Team NJR walk into the room and smile at the display. Qrow does the same and Oscar saunters in, confused, but quickly understands what's happening. Weiss stands off, wiping a tear when Ruby says her name.

Ruby grabs Weiss and brings her into the hug. Weiss gasps in surprise but Ruby whispers, "You're a part of this too, so don't think for a second that you'll be left out." Weiss doesn't fight it, joining in with the sisters.

Yang and Ruby open up their arms. Weiss smiles and quickly jumps into the embrace and the three remain that way as things go black.

The episode ends and the group couldn't be happier that they were ending on something that was so happy. They wished all the episodes would end like that, it was so sweet and wholesome. All they needed was the final reunion with all of them and everything would be perfect. Sadly, they figured that reunion wouldn't be until the final episodes of the volume, coming down to a final fight.

"OH!" Nora yells, catching all of them off guard. "Qrow and Raven, now I get it! Ha, solved it!" Nora folds her arms behind her head and leans back in her seat.