The 'Lone' Hero of Vale (RWBY & Link)

by SRenthusiast

Team RWBY runs into a classmate while on a self-assigned mission, when they realize he does not have any teammates because he is a one person team. Link quickly proves he's not just a swordsman and is very much worthy of calling himself a huntsman despite a dark past that correlates with major events (More of a fusionfic since it's Link in Remnant; starts in the middle of Volume 1)

56. More Complications & Positive Lessons

The City of Argus

Yang Xiao Long, Ruby Rose, Blake Belladonna, Weiss Schnee, Link, Qrow Branwen, Oscar Pine, and Maria Calavera all arrive at the entrance to the city of Argus courtesy of Yang's motorcycle and a flatbed trailer that carried the rest of the group. At last, they make it to their destination after days of battling a winter storm and many Grimm that almost killed them all. Link and Yang push the blonde's motorcycle, "Bumblebee" in a trailer, both exit said trailer as the latter inputs a code, "4-5-8" to lock her bike and keep it safe for their short stay in Argus. Now with a bit of breathing room, Link, team RWBY, Qrow, Oscar, and Maria take the time to admire their surroundings, gazing into the city, although it does not last for long as another blond and a familiar friend runs their way

"GUYS!" Jaune smiles as he comes to a halt, feet skidding on the floor, but he ultimately crashes into Blake and the two awkwardly hug. "S-Sorry!"

"It's okay." Blake chuckles. "Good to see you're okay though."

"You're glad to see I'm okay?!" Jaune scoffs with the biggest smile imaginable. "More like I am glad you're all okay. I was so worried!"

"Well…" Yang giggles. "It's been kind of a crazy trip."

"That's an understatement." Weiss rolls her eyes. "I'm just glad to be out of that scary house."

"What scary house?" Jaune raises an eyebrow

"Long story." Link mumbles as he approaches the lone member of team JNPR, "Did the rest of the passengers make it? And those other guys…" He thinks for a moment. "Dee and Dudley, yes."

"Heck yeah we did." He nods. "We did not face any trouble after we separated from you guys. As for Dee and Dudley, I taught them a few things and now they will hopefully take their jobs as protectors of the Argus Limited a bit more seriously."

"A bit?" Qrow shrugs. "Those two idiots are a lost cause."

"Uncle Qrow!" Ruby frowns

"As long as they learned something, that is a positive." Link smiles. "We learned a few things too."

"Oh yeah?" Jaune nods. "Like what?"

"That can wait!" Ruby shakes her head

"Why?" Link raises an eyebrow

"Because child." Maria chips in. "We only just arrived in the city, let's do anything but talk about the last few days."

"She's right, let's explore." Oscar grins

"Wait a second!" Jaune points at Maria. "You were the passenger we were missing! You had Dee, Dudley, and I worried sick! Where on earth did you go?"

"Welllll…" Maria cackles. "I remained at the back of the train after listening in to your conversation and plan. Besides, I felt safer with the huntsman and the children who know how to fight."

"H-HEY!" Jaune gasps

"She's just kidding." Yang sighs

Soon enough, the group that now consists of nine people, engages in their own conversations. Maria speaks to Oscar, Yang to Blake, Link to Weiss, and Qrow stands off by himself. Ruby and Jaune split off from the group, walk up to each other, and give each other a big hug. Jaune frowns, having been worried for days, but Ruby smiles, knowing she fulfilled the promise she made on the train. Meanwhile…

"Hey." Weiss mumbles as she and Link awkwardly stand next to each other. "Penny for your thoughts?"

"I'm sorry?" Link turns to her in confusion, knowledgeable of the words but not the saying

"That means can I know what's on your mind?" She smirks. "Dunce."

"O-Oh." Link blushes in embarrassment. "Sorry. I suppose what is on my mind right now is this. Has Jaune been waiting for us here this entire time? He must be staying somewhere. That and I am very happy we all made it out of that farm village alive."

"Duh, we have you to thank for some of that, and Ruby to thank for the rest." Weiss sighs. "It's my turn to apologize for saying those negative things and being weird-!"

"I do not accept." The blond shakes his head. "You were not in control and did not mean any of it."

Weiss sneaks her hand behind Link, out of sight from everybody else and gently wraps it around his lower back

"Always the sweet forgiving person you are." She rolls her eyes. "But I agree, it does feel good to be in a city with protection and not have to worry about Grimm or anyone dangerous attacking us. Although, I cannot say I am eager to leave Argus for… A-Atlas."

"I am not looking forward to that either." Link sighs. "But don't worry. If any trouble comes your way and I mean any. Like your father, brother, sister, Ironwood or anybody else, I will protect you."

"That's very kind of you, but I don't need protection." Weiss closes her eyes and chuckles. "Not that my sister would hurt me anyway, she is the only thing about Atlas I'm looking forward to."

"I'm happy to hear that." Link nods

"C'mon, we should get going!" Jaune turns his back on the group and sprints away. "You can all get a good view of the city from these things."

"What things?!" Ruby shouts

The rest of the group quickly follow Jaune, requiring Qrow to pull Maria by her arm in order for the older woman to not fall behind, until they are soon boarded on a trolley that has an exact design to a cable car, except with no rail. Everyone bunches up shoulder to shoulder despite the extra space, happily sightseeing

"I must admit." Yang chuckles. "It's a lot bigger than I thought it'd be."

"Yeah no kidding, this city is huge!" Ruby squeals in delight. "But wouldn't it be harder to settle something this big away from any main Kingdom?

"Yes and you're right, it was." Jaune nods. "That is until Mantle showed up. Early settlement attempts by Mistral didn't go well, but colonists from Mantle were able to help them brave the cold climate and eventually settle in just fine with no issues regarding weather or Grimm."

"It looks beautiful." Weiss smiles, eagerly turning to her partner. "Don't you agree?"

"Indeed, for such a large city that is not a capital city, they have done an amazing job." Link mumbles, whilst breathing rapidly, though it is willingly

"Are you okay?"

"Y-Yes, sorry." Link nods. "Attempting to get used to the cold, or acclimating as Ruby said."

"I see." Weiss returns the nod. "Don't pressure yourself too much, you can't be good at everything."

"Weiss." Link smiles. "I would not even say I am good at anything."

"Then you'd be a liar." She smirks

"I am not that!" Link pouts

Whilst the new couple politely bicker, the trolley, driven by two men, continues downward and deeper into the city. Various landmarks are seen throughout the short ride, such as various stores, a movie theater, and the bridge connecting Argus to the Atlesian Military base. Minutes later, the trolley makes a stop and when Jaune gets off, everyone follows the confident blond as he knows where to go

"I know we should relax but…" Blake looks around. "We should probably start looking for a ship as soon as possible."

"No, that can definitely wait." Yang sticks her tongue out

"Hmph." The cat faunus rolls her eyes as a faint blush spreads across her cheeks. "Fine."

"Jaune, I have a question." Oscar clears his throat. "Where have you been staying while we were away? Is that where we are going?"

"O-Oh!" Jaune chuckles nervously. "YES! Where have I been staying? You see, uh-!"

"There you are!"

The trolley leaves and behind it a blonde woman reveals herself standing across the street. This woman has the same blonde hair, blue eyes, and similar facial features as Jaune. She waves at the group while holding a tanned baby in her left arm, presumably her son. The boy has short black hair and brown eyes, wears a blue and white long-sleeved shirt with overalls and white socks

(It was only a matter of time before we ran into one of Jaune's many sisters.) Link weakly smiles, fully aware of the person behind them

"Is that...?" Yang grins. "...Who I think it is."

"Yep." Jaune smiles and waves back, blushing in embarrassment. "Hey, Saph."

Ruby sprints in front of Jaune, wide eyed. The silver eyed girl looks back and forth between Jaune and the woman identified as "Saph", which could be Saphron or Sapphire. Ruby gasps upon realizing who she is, in spite of the fact that she is the last to make the connection

"Come on then! My home is down the road. Follow me." Saph firmly says as she turns her back and walks away

"On our way!" Jaune nods and leads the way for those behind him

"What's her full name anyway?" Oscar asks

"Saphron!" The woman calls out

"Oooh, pretty." Ruby giggles

"What about the infant in her arms?" Maria mumbles while she gingerly limps forward

"Adrian!" Jaune turns to look over his shoulder

"Let it be publicly known, he only remembered that very recently!" Saphron turns her head to the side and sticks her tongue out

"B-Be quiet!" Jaune shakes his head. "Don't believe her! She's lying!"

Unfortunately for him, the rest of the group laughs at Jaune's expense, and they proceed this way until arriving at the home of Saphron Arc

"This is me!" She smiles. "You can keep all your weapons by the door. My wife should be home any time now, make yourselves comfortable and we can chat a little before she does."

The group enters the house and nearly everyone follows Saphron's request to remove their weapons and leave them on the right side of the entrance; only Link keeps his sword, shield, and gear on which does cause the homeowner to slightly grunt. Passing by a small kitchen, the group makes their way into the living room, which has a simple layout of two couches, a large coffee table, large bookshelf behind one of the couches, and a sliding glass door behind the other couch. Maria, Qrow, and Ruby take one couch, Saphron, Jaune, Blake, and Oscar take the other. Yang and Weiss sit on the floor, gushing and carefully watching Adrian play with different toys. Link is the only person who stands, he shifts awkwardly and uncomfortably, wanting to sit next to Weiss, but unable due to limited space

"Oh Jaune! I can't believe I'm meeting your sister!" Ruby kicks her feet in excitement. "I have so many questions."

"Will you knock it off already?!" Jaune crosses his arms

"Stop it." Saphron giggles as she squeezes her younger brother's cheeks. "I love telling stories about my baby brother."

"More like you stop it!" He groans while flailing his arms. "BESIDES! I am not a baby! That is a baby."

Jaune then extends his right arm and points in the direction of Weiss, Yang, and Adrian, pointing out the infant playing with a toy. The latter crosses his arms and huffs, mocking Jaune in the process

"AWWW!"

Yang and Weiss close in on and fuss over Adrian. Both of them baby talk at the toddler, who laughs in response to the extra attention

(Heh, that's sweet.) Link watches in amusement, unaware of Weiss' love for babies. (Then again… she did fuss over Zwei, so I should not be too surprised.)

"Hey Saphron." Blake turns to her. "So you're the only Arc living here?"

"Yep!" The older woman nods. "I moved the second I could. Jaune and I are the only two living away from home." She squints and changes her voice to a mocking tone. "I guess he just wanted to be like his big sis!"

"I, uh…" Jaune groans. "I suppose you aren't-!"

"Aw, you admit it!"

The two Arc siblings then proceed to play fight with each other by pulling each other's cheeks and flailing arms. However, this only lasts briefly when a door opens and shuts in a matter of seconds. A dark haired woman with red glasses, baby blue sweater, gray pants, and red flats on her feet is seen walking in with two bags of groceries

"Oh hey there!" Saphron waves at the woman. "Everyone, this is my lovely wife, Terra Cotta."

Everyone turns their attention to the front door to greet Terra, with many waves and come calls outs from team RWBY members

"Hello!" Ruby smiles

"It's very nice to meet you." Blake nods cordially

"Why, hello there!" Terra chuckles. "Wow Saph, this is quite the party, you weren't kidding. Before you continue entertaining the guests… Can I get some help please? Or anybody really will do."

"Link, Jaune, and Qrow." Ruby turns to the three of four males of the group. "You guys go."

"W-Why?" Link raises an eyebrow

"Yeah why us?" Jaune scoffs

"You want us ladies to slave away in the kitchen?" Ruby puckers her lips and makes them quiver while her eyes grow wide

"Okay okay! I will go." Link nods and jogs away

"That wasn't very nice." Weiss grunts. "But now I know another way to get through to Link."

"Fine, but I'm only going because Link said yes." Jaune groans and stands up, following closely behind

"Uncle Qrow?" Ruby puffs her cheeks, maximizing how much she can exaggerate.

"That stuff doesn't work on me, kiddo." Qrow rolls his eyes. "Hard pass. And hey, what about the farm brat?"

"Oscar has been through more than enough today." Ruby shakes her head

"It's okay, two out of three is still better than nothing." Yang giggles

"Besides, Jaune basically counts as two people in the kitchen." Saphron smiles. "He gets it from all his big sisters and our parents."

"I'd say Link also counts as two people." Blake nods. "He has picked up a lot of skills during his travels around Remnant."

"Yes indeed." Weiss smiles. "You could say he has the instincts of a mom and a protector."

"Is that so?" Saphron's eyes widened in shock. "Because Jaune spoke about all of you briefly and that Link fellow was the only one he had mixed feelings about."

"O-Oh…" Ruby nervously giggles. "Yeahhh, they were not on good terms for… too long."

"But are they okay now?" She raises both eyebrows, skeptical of Ruby's words. "I do not want any fighting in my house."

"They made up recently." Oscar nods. "I can confirm that with full confidence, they even shared a room during the train ride to Argus."

"Really? Fantastic!" Saphron's raised eyebrows and skeptical look disappears in seconds. "I'm happy to hear that."

Unaware of how loud they speak, Link, Jaune, and Terra exchange looks in the kitchen while unloading all the groceries and listening to everything. Terra grins while the two blond's awkwardly nod at one another as they move on to preparing ham sandwiches with mayonnaise, lettuce, tomato, and cheese

"Are we okay?" Jaune mumbles

"Sure." Link coldly mutters, then faintly sighs. "Sorry. I… held a lot of resentment towards everybody. It might take some time for me to let it go."

"I understand, sorry for blaming you for something you didn't do." Jaune sighs. "We were all wrong for that. W-Well, those who said it and believed it. I know you had a few believers."

"Yes I did." Link smiles, cherishing the small amount of trust a few people had in him. (Thank you Weiss, Pyrrha, Skylay, Ryker, Violet, and Leo.)

Exchanging more nods, Jaune and Link continue putting together a platter of ham sandwiches. Terra exits the kitchen and takes the spot previously occupied by her wife's brother

"Are you sure it's alright if we stay with you?" Weiss faces the married couple. "With our combined money, we can find somewhere else to stay if we are too much to deal with."

"Don't be silly! Of course you can stay." Saphron nods while holding Adrian in her lap now. "We're honored and happy to house Huntsmen and Huntresses."

"Exactly. You all risk so much to keep people like us safe. It's the least we can do." Terra says while slowly turning to Qrow. "Although, I will say… Qrow is it? I was surprised to learn you had students helping you. Is that even... legal?"

Silence…

"Uncle Qrow!" Ruby aggressively bumps his arm with her shoulder

"OH! Uhhh, sure. Why not? Think of it as an extended training mission." Qrow chuckles. "Trust me, I was a professor and even went to the same academy as them and let me tell ya, these kids are way better than we were at their age."

While this conversation carries on, Jaune and Link walk back into the room with two platters full of sandwiches. Jaune has a big smile on his face, while the latter has a neutral expression

"Our school was destroyed as well." Link mumbles. "You could say we are…?"

"Independant?" Jaune asks

"Yes." He nods

"I suppose that's fair." Terra nods

"Well anyway, like I said, these kids are way better than we were at their age." Qrow smirks. "Not better than me specifically, but a lot of them-!"

"Shut up, there's food!" Ruby barges him with her shoulder once more

"Never tell me to speak again then." Qrow rolls his eyes

Nearly everyone happily begins to eat the sandwiches. Blake moves to sit on the floor next to Yang and Weiss, with Jaune taking her spot on the couch. Link walks around the entire living room, handing out sandwiches to the group and hosts, before awkwardly taking a seat on the floor beside Weiss, the limited space has him bumping shoulders with Maria's legs as the older woman sits on the couch

"These are very tasty." Weiss nods at Jaune, then turns her attention to her boyfriend. "Aren't you going to have one, chef?"

"N-No thank you. I am not very hungry." Link shakes his head

These choice of words draw head turns and stares from everybody in the living, even Adrian who is likely just following the group. Saphron and Terra on the other hand, rapidly blink in confusion

"..." Link's eyes shift back and forth, briefly getting to look at the faces of those staring at him. "Sorry?"

"You better be, now eat." Weiss frowns

"Seriously, get some real food in your system and plenty of rest, you'll fight better than you do now." Qrow shrugs. "Maybe this time you'll listen."

"Wait, seriously?" Oscar gasps. "Link can fight better than what we already saw?"

"Sure, you're all going to get stronger after all." Qrow nods. "Your ceiling is higher than mine and even though you might never surpass me-!"

"Don't ruin the speech!" Ruby leans away, then springs forward, slamming herself into her uncle with more power

"Ow! Quit it!" The older man shrugs

"What my uncle is trying to say…" Yang giggles at her sister and uncle bickering. "...Is that you really should eat and rest consistently, it will benefit you greatly."

"Yang is right." Blake nods. "And if your story gave us any perspective on what your life has been like after Beacon fell, you need a whole week off to recharge your batteries and come back stronger."

"Unfortunately, we can't give you a whole week to recover." Maria grunts. "But for the short time we spend in Argus, take advantage child."

"Hold on, what story?" Jaune asks. "I want to hear a story."

"Finally somebody who wants to hear a story!" Maria shouts. "Where were you all along?"

Team RWBY, Oscar, and Link break into small laughter, and even Qrow chuckles at Maria's frustration

"So, are you gonna eat?" Weiss grabs a sandwich and presents it to her partner. "Or do we all have to jump on you and force feed it?"

"Well… when you put it like that." Link raises an eyebrow, but eventually cracks a smile and takes the sandwich. "Okay."

Weiss, Blake, Jaune, and Yang smile, Oscar and Ruby cheer, Qrow shuts his eyes, and Maria nods in approval. Saphron and Terra share a look with each other, smile at the happy outcome, but before either of them can reach for a sandwich, the latter's scroll buzzes uncontrollably

"Oh boy… excuse me, I'll be right back." Terra sighs, answers her scroll, then stands up and walks out of the room

"Is everything okay?" Blake asks

"Y-Yeah, I think… no, more like it will be. You see, Terra is a technician for the city's relay tower. The problem is, the military's radar system is also there." Saphron squints her eyes at Adrian, promptly switching over to baby talk. "And guess what's been on the fritz lately and who's getting falsely blamed?"

The group turns to Terra, who is pacing around whilst speaking into her scroll

"That's very unfortunate and not fair at all." Oscar sighs

"Welcome to the real world, farm brat." Qrow shrugs. "It sucks, we live, fight to survive, then die young on the battlefields or a bitter old person slowly deteriorating from health problems."

"Ignore this idiot." Maria shakes her head

"Will do." Saphron giggles, "Anyway, as nice as this is, I know for a fact you didn't just come here to visit me. Heck, even Jaune wouldn't do that. So what's your plan for tomorrow?" She asks despite knowing the answer coming her way. "I'm sure it's very important."

"Well!" Ruby's eyes light up as she takes a big bite of her sandwich, but rather than answer with her mouth full, the silver eyed girl finishes it first. "We're trying to make our way to Atlas. We'll probably start with the military base."

Saphron and Jaune turn to face each other with looks of worry present on both of their faces

"So, we kind of already tried that." The Arc brother chuckles. "And ummm... it didn't go so well."

"Oh come on." Yang finishes half a sandwich and begins eating another. "It couldn't be that bad."

"Then why don't you go over there and find out for yourself?" Jaune sighs. "Trust me, it will not go well. You could mention everything and they will shut you down without giving you a chance."

"Well then! You may give up that easily, but we won't." Ruby shakes her head. "Team RWBY, finish your sandwiches and let's go!"

"D-Do w-we h-have-!" Yang muffles while eating her dinner

"YES we have to!" Ruby nods. "The sooner the better!"

"I suppose waiting here won't benefit us when the option to approach the military base is there." Blake sighs, having completely two pieces or in other words, an entire sandwich. "Whenever you're all ready."

Link quietly finishes his half and stands up, then offers a hand to Weiss

"Thank you." Weiss smiles, takes the hand, and is suddenly pulled up to her feet! "Oh wow!"

"..." Link nods, shows off a gentle smile, then looks at the rest of team RWBY

"Are you also hard of hearing like me?" Maria shakes her head. "The silver eyed child said 'team RWBY' and I believe you are not part of the team."

"He can still come with us." Weiss mumbles

"And I thought you wanted him to eat well?" The older woman narrows her eyes

"She's got a point." Yang nods

"Fine, let's put it to a vote then." The ex-heiress smirks

"Oh no." Ruby sighs

"All in favor of Link joining us, raise your hands."

Weiss immediately raises her hand after putting the issue to a team vote, Blake raises her hand, but Yang and surprisingly Ruby do not

"Ruby?" Link quietly gasps

"S-Sorry, but you really do need to eat and get some rest." Ruby sighs. "Besides, when we convince the military to fly us to Atlas, there will be less time for you to do either."

"Either way, we're tied." Weiss glances at Link. "Will you be the deciding vote?"

"Of course." Link smiles

"That's not fair! Link is biased!" Yang shakes her head. "We need someone unbiased."

"So nobody in this room." Blake rolls her eyes

"Actually, Saph is pretty unbiased." Jaune closes his hand, stick out a thumb, and points to his sister

"I guess that's fair." Blake nods

"What do you say then, Jaune's super cool sister?!" Ruby leans closer and closer to Saphron

"Stop buttering her up!" Weiss narrows her eyes

"Ummm…" The older Arc sibling lingers in thought before deciding to briefly analyze everyone's body language. "Alright… I say Link stays behind, eats an entire sandwich at least, then does whatever he deems best to relax."

"Wooo!" Ruby jumps for joy

"That's settled. Now we can go!" Yang nods

"..." Weiss does not say a word, her happy expression falls as she reluctantly nods

"Fine, I say the more people we have to plead our case the better but… whatever." Blake looks away uncomfortably. "Though probably for the best, I am a faunus and Link is on the Atlas military's wanted list. The less people in trouble with Atlas, the better."

"Hey." Link places a hand on Weiss' shoulder. "It will be okay and just for you. I promise to eat enough and relax after."

"You better." Weiss closes her eyes as he sighs, before gently nodding in approval

The remainder of team RWBY stands up and the four girls soon exit the house, leaving the rest of the group sitting or standing in the living room. Terra eventually returns to the living room, initially confused by the lack of perky, happy, and stern girls in her living room. However, she is promptly informed where the team of four went by Saphron

"I did make a promise I intend to keep." Link bends down to pick up another half of a sandwich and quickly takes a bite

"This one also has a gift for you two ladies." Maria cackles as she holds a bottle of alcohol in her hand, the same bottle taken from the house at Brunswick Farms

(W-What the-!) Link feels around his hips and rear, but there is no bottle securely held by the young man's belt anymore

"You got the reflexes of a grandma! Hahahaha!"

"And that's coming from grandma." Jaune smirks

"Heh!" Oscar giggles

"Excuse me?!" Maria narrows her eyes

"Jaune! Respect your elders!" Saphron gasps

"S-Sorry!" He snickers

"Consider this Link's gift to you for letting us stay in your home." Maria hands the bottle to Qrow, as her arms are too short to reach Saphron or Terra

"Kid, where did you get this?" Qrow scratches his head

"That farm village, when Weiss and I were throwing bottles so she could set the place on fire." Link nods. "I just grabbed it on our way out."

"Well thanks." The older huntsman nods. "I could use a drink."

"That is not for you." Maria shakes her head

"Fine!" Qrow shrugs and extends his arm to Saphron

"Thanks!" Terra nods at Link. "That's very kind, thank you young man."

"Y-Yes! My pleasure." Link forces a smile

"Oooh, it's whiskey too." Saphron's eyes light up

"How about we open it up?" Terra wiggles her eyebrows suggestively

"I'm down." Qrow nods

"Of course you are." Maria laughs

"I would not mind." Link nods

"Who said you're getting any?" The older woman's laugh increases in intensity. "Silly child."

"Huh?" Link tilts his head

"Sorry. We can't serve alcohol to minors." Saphron shakes her head

"But… I brought the bottle." He blinks in confusion

"I have to agree with Saphron on this one. But hey, we have plenty of juices if you'd like some." Terra points to the kitchen

"No problem, it is okay." Link remains still in his spot while begrudgingly eating his sandwich. (Great, that's a bottle I took and now I cannot even have any, unbelievable.)

The blond watches with jealousy present across his face as Saphron serves the whiskey in four glasses, excluding Jaune, Oscar, and Link, who continue eating until they each have eaten one entire sandwich

"Excuse me?" Link clears his throat while addressing the homeowners, "Do you mind if I go out there?" He points to the sliding glass door separating them from the backyard. "I would like to train."

"Train?" Maria shakes her head. "You're the last out of all the children who needs training."

"If you say so." Link nods at the praise, but then smiles at Jaune's sister. "You did say I should eat a sandwich and then do whatever I deem best to relax."

"...!" Saphron gasps. "You're right, I did say that. Clever guy."

"Go ahead." Terra nods. "Just don't damage any of our yard, the lemon tree or the pond."

"Thank you." Link takes another half sandwich on his way out

"H-Hey!" Oscar calls out. "Do you mind if I watch you? Oz is gone so now I'm really on my own when it comes to learning about combat. So I thought-!"

"Of course. Although, I probably will not be out there for long if Ruby, Weiss, Yang, and Blake really do get turned away."

Link opens the sliding door and steps foot onto a wooden deck in the backyard, Oscar follows closely behind, shutting the door behind him to keep the cold from entering the warm house. The layout is quaint and elegant, it is a small yard surrounded by a stone wall. The aforementioned lemon tree to the far right side of the yard, nearby is a chair and small table, presumably for someone to sit and relax. Also mentioned was grass, which is conveniently low cut and lastly the pond to the upper right side of the backyard

"No room for you to rapidly zoom around, huh?" Oscar smiles, steps off the deck, and sits in the chair

"I am not that fast, you are thinking about Ruby." Link steps foot into the yard, breathes in the cold air, and calmly exhales. "Between you and me… and I won't even tell Weiss. Is Professor Ozpin really gone?"

"Mhm." Oscar nods. "After Qrow said those words, it's like he completely vanished, it felt weird but in a scary way. Oz has been in my head for months, that was the new norm and now…"

"Yes, going about your day without him giving you advice, tips, or taking over to offer us wisdom must feel strange to you." The blond draws both weapons and proceeds to warm up by twirling and spinning his sword in fluid circles with only one hand. "I'm not sure how much you can pick up from me since you fight with a cane and I with a sword. But I suppose anything can help."

Not giving Oscar a chance to respond, Link plants his feet and advances forward, battling through the aching and stinging sensations his body is still recovering from. Nevertheless, he lunges forward with every powerful sword slash and light swing he takes, along with the occasional stationary spinning slash. Displaying quickness and athleticism, Link also executes swift and effortless backflips, then decides to show Oscar how to keep an opponent guessing. The blond swordsman swings at the air with a diagonal swing, then changes the direction he travels with solid footwork and a sudden body shift, changing the angle from a straightforward attack to an attack from the right side, and striking the air with a rapid jab! Something a real opponent would not expect…

"Whoa, okay… take notes Oscar." The farmhand quietly speaks out loud while he diligently watches the former Beacon student. "I can definitely learn from you, Link. We don't have the same weapon, but the concept is the same, this cane can be swung like a sword."

Without the usage of the dust in his clothes or seeking the power of the demon within, Link continues unleashing every strike in his arsenal, mixing in side kick with his left leg, and the occasional spinning elbow strike, along with lunging forward and swinging, performing rolls, twirls, and more backflips. Link then plants his feet in the grass, digs his heels into the dirt, draws his arm back, and unloads his multiple sword jab combination! One swing! Two swings! Three! Four! Five!... And so on, until reaching sixteen jabs, where the swordsman ends the combination by executing another spinning slash! Link smiles and continues to peacefully train like a warrior or experienced student with many years of training, not a former student operating on little sleep with minimal food in his system

…

Back inside the house, Jaune watches through the glass door, eyes widened as he continues sitting on the couch, but with his head twisted, peering over his shoulder. Maria, Terra, and Saphron notice this, but Qrow ignores the blond, instead he focuses on the half empty glass of whiskey in his hands

"Why don't you go out there little brother?" Saphron smiles

"Out where? I'm not looking at anyone!" Jaune gasps, crosses his arms, and turns away in a huff

"We all saw you, child." Maria sighs as she pushes her glass towards Qrow. "Here, knock yourself out, fool."

"T-Thanks!" Qrow nods, dips his head back, and finishes his glass, "And she's right…" He turns to Jaune. "I wasn't even looking at you but I know you're watching the other blond idiot."

"What's the harm in joining them?" Terra asks

"It's complicated." Jaune shakes his head

"Yes, I remember how you spoke of him." Saphron rolls her eyes as she watches the young man train. "Wow… look at him go. Link sure is special, isn't he?"

"Of course. You and everyone else already think so." He groans

"Awww, someone's jealous!"

"N-NO! Am not!" Jaune furiously shakes his head. "...W-Well maybe a little."

"Then get stronger, child." Maria smirks. "Becoming upset every time someone praises the Link child does not do you or anybody else any good."

"She's right." Qrow narrows his eyes. "In fact, she's too nice. Stop crying already you pissant! When we're fighting the enemy, they will not be interested in debating who is or isn't strong."

"Ouch." Terra sighs. "That was a bit much."

"It's called a reality check. Or tough love, you pick." The older man nods

"Anyway, don't beat yourself up over it Jaune." Saphron maintains her sweet smile. "You weren't born a fighter and with the way you enrolled in Beacon, anyone else in your position would have failed or possibly died. But here you are, much bigger and stronger than I remember the last time I saw you."

"What are you trying to say, Saph?" Jaune weakly smiles

"You are strong in your own way. And hey, you mentioned Link used to help you at Beacon, right?" Saphron moves her eyes towards the sliding glass door. "Maybe that can happen again?"

"I don't know, we're not exactly as good of friends as we used to be." Jaune's expression drops

"Then work on that first." Terra nods. "You're all fighting together and that's how you will get through any tough situation. Qrow can't do it alone, Link can't do it alone, you can't do it alone… you get what I mean."

"Yeah, I guess you're both right."

"Of course they are." Maria chuckles. "Listen to women, especially your older sister."

"Yeah right, older sisters aren't all sunshine and rainbows." Qrow shrugs

"My sister isn't a monster." Jaune frowns

"Goo. Lucky you." Qrow downs the second glass of whiskey as fast he did the first

More time passes by, and minutes turn into an hour and team RWBY has still not returned. Link and Oscar remain outside with Jaune carefully watching from the comfort of the soft couch. Saphron and Terra show Qrow and Maria the rooms upstairs. There are limited bedrooms, but more than enough to house the huntsman, retired huntress, six students, and young farmhand. Then as the sun begins to travel west to eventually set, Oscar places a hand on the glass door and promptly opens it

Sliiide!

The farmhand enters the house, wielding Professor Ozpin's cane 'The Long Memory' and mimicking some of Link's sword strikes and attack pattern. The latter enters the house next, shutting the door behind him. Link nods at Jaune, then glares at the front door

"Where are Weiss, Ruby, Blake, and Yang?"

"I'm not sure. They have not returned." Jaune shakes his head

"Oh…" Link's gaze falls to the ground

"Just so you know, they're safe." The JNPR leader nods. "The most those Atlas guards did was rudely dismiss me and Saph, so I don't imagine they will do anything but dismiss them."

"Right, Weiss is still Atlas royalty." Oscar smiles

"Hm… those are good points." Link's looks up, noticing shadows at the front door

Slam!

"Unbelievable!" Yang storms in, fists balled up. "They didn't even give us a chance!"

Ruby, Blake, and Weiss silently enter behind the furious blonde. She paces back and forth as the other three girls meet the eyes of Link, Oscar, and Jaune. Their looks say it all, no luck with the Atlas military

"Assuming that attempt did not last long, where have you guys been?" Oscar raises an eyebrow

"None of your business!" Yang growls and storms upstairs

"Ow…" Jaune blinks in shock

"We took a walk around the city for a little." Blake mumbles. "It was much needed, if we had just returned here, Yang might have said something worse."

"Duly noted." Jaune nods. "What should we do now?"

"The only thought that comes to mind is that all of us have to go there tomorrow." Ruby wags her head rapidly. "After all, we have no other no other way of getting to Atlas without a ship."

"We could always steal one." Oscar smiles

"That may have to be our last resort." Link nods in agreement

"Are you crazy?!" Weiss shakes her head in horror. "It would be impossible. Even if we manage to get in the air, we'd be shot down immediately!"

"I didn't say it was a good idea." Oscar covers his mouth to giggle

"No no no. We don't have to cross any lines just yet." Ruby giggles alongside the farmhand. "Maybe with Qrow and Maria, it will help our chances of at least talking to someone."

"Wait…" Jaune gasps. "They didn't even speak to you guys?"

"NO!" Weiss crosses her arms. "It was so humiliating."

"They shut the gates on us the second we even got near the military base." Blake sighs

"Wow." Link frowns. "Typical of those Atlas-!"

But he stops himself when his eyes meet Weiss'

"Sorry." He mutters

"It's not like you're wrong." Weiss smiles weakly

"Thanks." Link smiles back, then lets out a sigh before uttering the first thought in his head. "How about we pick our rooms and get some rest? I do not think any of us rested well at Brunswick Farms after all."

Blake, Ruby, Weiss, and Oscar collectively turn to stare at Link, shocked that he of all people would suggest relaxation and sleep

"Did I… say something wrong?" Link nervously chuckles

"NO!"

Jaune snorts when the three members of team RWBY and Oscar respond at the same time

"One at a time." Jaune smirks

"I'll go." Blake nods, then glances at Link. "You did not say anything wrong. Not at all, we're just surprised." She smiles. "Why was I warned about some drastic change to Link? To me, he is still the same guy we all knew at Beacon… some things are different, sure. But it is not nearly the way Jaune, Oscar, Qrow, and Ozpin described."

"Oh. In that case, good." Link grins

"You heard the man, let's go to our rooms, rest our bodies, recharge our mentals, and prepare for tomorrow." Ruby commands by pointing to the stairs

Those downstairs obediently walk upstairs as instructed by Ruby, and as soon as they reach the top, Saphron and Terra are there to greet the group of six

"Hey." Saphron whispers. "Sorry. Maria, Qrow, and Yang settled into rooms and I don't know if they're sleeping, so let's whisper."

"Okay." Jaune nods. "What are the rooms looking like for all of us?"

"Well, our house has four bedrooms." Terra begins. "Me, Saph, and Adrian can take our master bedroom. We cleared out Adrian's room and the other two are guest rooms."

"Hmmm, how would that work?" Ruby rubs her chin, confused

"Actually, it's kind of up to you guys." Saphron giggles. "Qrow went into Adrian's room. Maria took one of the guest rooms, and Yang took the other from what I saw."

"Ohhh, that's perfect. Team RWBY gets their own room!" The silver eyed girl cheers

"SHHH!" Weiss frowns and loudly shushes her leader. "And stop making decisions for me!"

"Aw come on Weiss, we didn't even get to truly hang out on the train."

"She's not wrong." Blake nods

"I can room with Maria." Oscar mumbles

"Me too." Link chimes in

"W-What?!" Jaune gasps

"You snooze, you lose little brother." Saphron smirks

"He could always join us." Link smiles. "I'm sure Qrow wouldn't mind a room for himself."

"Phew! Yes please." Jaune nods

"That settles things." Weiss slowly nods, slightly disappointed that she is not rooming with her significant other

"Shhhh!" Terra taps an index finger against her lips, reminding everyone to be quiet

The remainder of team RWBY is led by Saphron to the room Yang stormed into, while Jaune, Link, and Oscar are led by Terra to the other room Maria selected. Everyone gets settled in as the guest rooms have two beds that fit two people in each bed. Team RWBY easily figures out who is going where, with the sisters sharing one bed, while the former enemies turned best friends Weiss and Blake share the other bed. Meanwhile, in the room next door, Maria has taken a bed all to herself and none of the three teenagers have the courage to object. Deciding not to sleep, Jaune exits the room to rejoin his sister and her wife, Link gestures for Oscar to take the bed as he sits on the ground, leans against the wall, glances up at the ceiling and shuts his eyes. However, the blond does not sleep. Instead, he patiently waits for Oscar to fall asleep before standing up and exiting the room, choosing to go downstairs where it will be empty

…

Hours later, it is nighttime and the first floor of Saphron and Terra's home is still empty, just as Link expected. He sits outside in the backyard that is partially lit up by two lights placed above the sliding glass door. Sitting on the wooden steps, Link calmly inhales and exhales the chilly Argus air, continuing his desire to acclimate to the cold

Sliiide!

Link's eyes shoot open as he turns, but to his delight, it is Weiss. She carefully closes the door, then walks to her partner, and silently sits down next to him

"Hi." Weiss mumbles

"Hello." Link nods. "What brings you out here?"

"I should be asking you that." She flashes a brief smile. "I woke up and wanted to talk to you. But when I went to your room, only Maria, Oscar, and Jaune were there. Did you sleep?"

"N-No." He turns away in shame. "I suggested sleeping for the rest of you."

"Have you been resting at least?" Weiss sighs

"Yes. I have chosen the couch downstairs." Link nods again, (I also saw the vision and perfectly detailed recollection of Pyrrha being killed… twice.) He turns back to face her. "Talk to me. What is on your mind?"

"Three things. First, I'm worried about tomorrow." The ex-heiress' expression drops. "If Jaune and his sister already tried, my team and I tried, I don't see how tomorrow goes any differently."

"Unfortunately, I cannot find a way to spin that positively." Link chuckles. "The Atlas military has never embraced open discussions or hearing suggestions from anyone. Now that the world is against them and Atlas entirely, they are even more on edge now."

"Yeah. And hey, I prefer to hear your honest opinion rather than a white lie to make me feel better." Weiss grins. "These next two relate to you. They have nothing to do with tomorrow, and please don't take this the wrong way but… why do you not seem concerned or scared of Salem? She can't be killed and we're likely going to fight an impossible battle when that day comes. Everyone reacted the way they did, but you did not… you seem calm if anything."

"Hm… Okay. I did not have an answer when Ruby asked me if I was not afraid of Raven, her spring maiden, or her bandits, but I do have an answer for your question." Link looks at the snowy grass as he silently breathes in and out, "If Salem cannot be killed, there has to be another way to stop her. She used to be kind and once believed in something good, so I believe there is some hope. Honestly, I am not afraid because it is my duty to protect those I love and do whatever it takes to make sure you are all safe. You, Ruby, Blake, Oscar, Yang, Qrow, Jaune, Ren, Nora, team CFVY wherever they are, team SLVR, SSSN, Myeong, her village, our professors, the list goes on. I will fight and do what I must to protect you all." His eyes trail away momentarily. (I also want to personally avenge Ray and Amber… since I can no longer avenge Pyrrha.)

"Aw… he mentioned me first." Weiss leans her head against his shoulder, satisfied by the answer given. "Alright, your answer was pretty good. Lastly… it is more than one question, but this stems from two things."

"Yes?" Link raises an eyebrow

"When Jaune, Nora, Ren, and Ruby were supposed to describe how you've changed, you came out and put an end to that discussion. Then I thought about this again after our walk back after nothing went right at the military base. You know, after being shut out at the military base." She sighs. "Here goes. Link, what can you tell me about your time in Anima alone and then reuniting with Ruby, Jaune, Nora, Ren, and Qrow. And why did Ruby gush like a fangirl while bringing up you doing battle against someone named Tyrian? I remember you said his name during our battle at Haven but-!"

"Ruby and her praise." Link promptly cuts her off, but with a smile on his face. "I will tell you everything, Weiss. After leaving the village of Kubota, I…"

And so, Link begins to describe his endless nights in the forests of Anima, where he combated and killed a lot of Grimm, took down bandits, assassins, and mercenaries, all while hardly sleeping or eating. Finding team RNJR as they passed through a village and combated a Petra Gigas at the request of the mayor in exchange for Jaune's weapons to be upgraded. Then described how he initially was following closely behind the team, but eventually found himself ahead of the team in order to clear the path in front of them, leading to their quick travel through Shion. This ultimately leads to the events that occurred in Oniyuri and the battle with Tyrian Callows. Link takes a deep breath and exhales loudly before diving into the intense fight. Talking further into the night, Link runs through every single detail, from the moment he made the save for Ruby, revealing his identity to team RNJR and Qrow, and the way he outclassed a deadly faunus assassin…

---

The next day, Saphron and Terra treat their guests with a quick breakfast of coffee, sliced bananas, and whole strawberries, which is a massive hit. Everyone, even Link, who changes out of his blue tunic and into the replacement green tunic recovered by Weiss in the snowstorm, eats and drinks everything set out. Next on the agenda, the entire group: Link, team RWBY, Qrow, Oscar and Maria make their way further into the city of Argus, soon reaching the southern stone wall and large bridge connecting the city to an Atlesian military base, comprised of three islands off the coast of Argus. The group steps foot on the bridge and cautiously marches forward. Link consistently turns his head side to side, skeptical and distrusting of the Atlas military. Upon reaching the end of the bridge and entrance of the main island, Yang stomps forward and places both hands on the vertical bars of the gate. She growls as two identical looking guards stand directly on the other side of said gate, staring at the group with both hands behind their backs. They wear brown boots and Atlas military clothing, along with ridiculously large caps containing visors that are pulled down to cover their eyes

"At least someone is here today!" Yang slams her prosthetic hand against the gate. "Come on! You didn't even hear us out yesterday!"

"That's right! Our orders are clear." The guard on the group's right side speaks. "The Mistral-Atlas border is closed!"

"Now please!" The guard next to him speaks up

"Have a good day!"

"Huh?" Yang blinks. "But-!"

Both of the guards suddenly puff their chests to appear bigger while standing firmly in unison

"A good day!"

(Well… at least someone is talking to us?) Link crosses his arms

"Let me try, kiddo." Qrow mumbles, his calm presence makes Yang step back. "Hey numbskulls! Look… I personally know Ironwood, okay? And hey, if you don't wanna believe that I'm friends with Ironwood then–!"

The guards look at one another, then promptly cut Qrow off with stern voices

"General Ironwood!"

"Yeah okay, General Ironwood. If you don't believe that then about this? We have Weiss Schnee with us and we're trying to get her home safely."

"Sure you are." Weiss looks down reluctantly, but knows it was the right thing to say

"Very well." The guard on the right mumbles before he and his partner speak in unison once more

"Approach!"

Weiss shares a look with Link who shakes his head, but the rest of the group nods. She hesitantly walks up to the gate as the two guards step up and bend down to inspect her. Link's eyes widen and he steps forward with her, although he is firmly grabbed by the arm, courtesy of Blake

"She'll be okay." The cat faunus whispers

"I hope you are correct." Link nods

After a brief moment, both guards stand straight and nod their heads, as Qrow's ploy about returning Weiss to safety works to perfection

"Very well!"

"You may speak with our commanding officer!" The guard on the right shouts

"Yes! We will fetch her at once!"

The two guards turn around, march with flexed arms and high knees as they loudly chant, "Hup hup hup" and "Atlas Atlas Atlas" all in sync, while moving away from the group to find their commanding officer

"I…" Link opens his mouth, but hesitates at first. "...have never seen soldiers that-!"

"Weird?" Ruby asks while slowly nodding her head

"Yes." He nods

"Uh oh." Maria looks away

"Is something wrong?" Oscar raises an eyebrow

"Well, I may know this commanding officer and let's just say… I wouldn't exactly call us friends."

"Uhhh, what does that mean then?" Ruby gasps

"Perhaps you're just mutual acquaintances?" Weiss retreats back to the group

Silence…

"Colleagues?" Blake asks

More silence…

"Oh no…" Yang sighs. "Enemies?"

"There we go!" Maria cackles, "Enemies indeed. I come through here about once every ten years to get my eyes checked in Atlas." She frowns. "It's ridiculous! You bring cashews on one flight, and suddenly you're placed on the additional screening list for life!"

"Are you… joking?" Link leans forward to look at the elderly woman

"I wish I was, child." Maria shakes her head

"You've gotta be kidding me." Qrow rubs his temples in frustration

"Oh don't be like that." Maria smiles. "Let's not give up hope yet."

(That's the spirit.) Link nods

Everyone expectantly looks towards Maria, awaiting words of wisdom

"...Maybe she's dead!"

Facepalms and sighs quickly ensue. However, before any more words can be exchanged with the retired huntress, the gates quickly open and the same two guards return

"Introducing!"

"Special operative!"

The two guards stand firm but not directly side to side, they make enough space for their commanding officer to stand in the middle

"CAROLINE CORDOVIN!"

Footsteps are heard as a short elderly woman around Maria's height and age approaches the group. The commanding officer has brown eyes, gray hair, and is wearing the standard Atlesian officer uniform. Immediately, Cordovin steps forward, goes face to face with, and glares at Maria

"You dare show yourself again… Witch."

"Pfft!" Maria grunts. "She-devil."

"You haven't changed much." Cordovin frowns. "And I see you've chosen larger contraband to smuggle this time."

"Oh, Cordo. The irony of you saying I haven't changed." Maria snickers. "They say time changes people, but I see you've still got a stick right up your a-!"

"SHHH!" Ruby sprints in front of Maria, cutting her off in the nick of time. "HI! Hello Miss Cordovin. My name is Ruby Rose, and I was wondering if you would hear us out about allowing us to get a ship to-!"

"I've already heard what your other little bimbo friends had to say, Miss Rose." Cordovin furiously glares at Jaune. "What are you doing back here?! I told you to never come back! At least the girl listened!"

"Heh! Hello to you too!" Jaune awkwardly waves

"Ugh!" Cordovin scoffs in disgust, "You civilians are clearly incapable of comprehending the importance of our mission here in Argus. So allow me to say this slowly, with smaller words: This base, that relay tower, the very safety of Argus are all gifts from the glorious Kingdom of Atlas!" She returns to stand by her personal guards. "And it is my duty to uphold them, as only I have the wit and tenacity for such a task."

The identical guards nod in approval

"Such wit!"

"Such tenacity!"

"Or maybe Atlas just wanted to get you as far from the kingdom as possible." Maria's smile grows wider

"You isolant little bitch!" Cordovin shakes her head. "This city wouldn't even be here if it weren't for Atlas, and what do we get in return? The entire world is ready to put a knife to our throats!"

"Please Miss Cordovin." Ruby continues to hide Maria with her entire body. "We know your kingdom had nothing to do with the Fall of Beacon. We were there."

"She's right." Weiss mumbles. "I know General Ironwood is just worried and that is likely why he closed the borders, but-!"

"The General is no coward! Atlas is strong." The Atlas commanding officer waves her hand to interrupt and dismiss the ex-heiress. "If all the kingdoms plan to make us their enemy, then so be it! None of it will matter in the end, because Atlas will pre-!"

"Enough." Link loudly sighs, cutting through the tension like a hot knife through butter. "What are you getting at, Miss Cordovin?"

"You want it said bluntly? So bet it, rude brat." Cordovin scoffs once more. "If Miss Schnee has truly come to her senses and wishes to return to her family, then of course the Atlas military will escort her home. But the kingdom will not be responsible for her 'friends' of... questionable character."

Cordovin turns to specifically glare at Blake towards the end of her statement

"...!" Blake gasps, her cat ears fall in shame

"What did you say?" Link blinks, shocked by the blatant discrimination

"Yeah what's that supposed to mean?" Weiss steps in front of her teammate

"Shall I continue then?" Cordovin turns to Link. "The kingdom of Atlas will also not be responsible for wanted criminals, even if General Ironwood halted the mission to apprehend or neutralize said criminal."

(Halted? Ironwood only halted the mission? Not called off all together?) Link does not respond verbally

Although, he does meets the commanding officer's eyes, completely unbothered by her insults but more focused on the new information learned

"Leave my friends alone." Weiss steps forward and extends her arms to shield the cat faunus and former one person team. "I fully intend on bringing them with me whenever I go."

"What a shame." Cordovin grins. "If you're not interested in my offer, then we're done here."

Seconds later, the gates to the military base quickly close, leaving the group shut out yet again, and officially going 0 for three in their attempts

"I don't know what to say." Weiss raises both eyebrows. "But I d-don't want to go alone."

Ruby steps forward and grabs Weiss' right hand. Instinctively, Link walks up to his secret girlfriend and grabs her left hand

"You guys…" The former heiress sighs

"Weiss." Ruby mumbles. "I told you we wouldn't leave your side for a second. We'll find a way to Atlas, all of us."

Link does not add on any words of support or encouragement, but he smiles. His facial expression and Ruby's words draw a smile from Weiss, who nods and looks back at the rest of the group. Unfortunately, Qrow already has his back turned and is walking away

"U-Uncle Qrow wait!" Ruby calls out

"Seriously. Are you already going to get drunk?" Yang frowns. "We need all of us working together."

"Yang's right." Oscar nods. "What are we going to do now?"

"We need a plan, obviously." Jaune mutters

"A plan?" Qrow stops and looks over his shoulder. "The main plan got shut on our faces… three times might I add. I'm going for a drink."

"Uncle Qrow stop!" Ruby jogs towards him. "I really think we should try and come up with something-!"

But Qrow continues walking, leaving his nieces and the rest of the group at the gate, experiencing defeat and a low morale looming over everyone, along with some angry and sad expressions

"What's his problem?" Jaune growls. "He's being such a bitter… you know what."

"Yeahhh. That's classic Qrow." Oscar chuckles

"No." He shakes his head. "He's being even more bitter than usual."

The rest of the group falls silent, including the sarcastic Maria as none of them know how to answer the JNPR leader's doubts

"Wait a second!" Jaune suddenly snaps his fingers, a wide grin appearing on his face. "We've got Ozpin with us! He can probably give us some advice. Let's go back home while we talk to Ozpin and we can officially introduce him to Saph when we get back."

In a heartbeat, Oscar sadly looks down upon hearing these words. Link, Weiss, Blake, Yang, and Maria exchange troubled looks, and Ruby balls up her fists. Jaune leads the way back to the home of his sister and her wife as the group silently follows. Silence threatens to set the tone of their walk back, until Ruby decides to clear her throat and confess everything that happened after they were separated while on the Argus Limited train…

---

Later on: Saphron and Terra's Home

Jaune storms into the house of his sister and her wife, behind him quietly enters the rest of the group. The former makes his way to the living room and frantically paces back and forth. The blond struggles to process everything, but what does register and remains in his head is the fact that Salem cannot be killed, and Ozpin… or better yet, Ozma has tried for many years through different men, all resulting in failure and death. Jaune growls as he glares at Ruby, then Link, Weiss, Yang, Blake, and lastly Oscar. Seeing the latter especially tips him over the edge, and Jaune throws a straight right hand! He punches the wall, leaving a very large dent in it

"Jaune!" Ruby shouts. "What are you going to tell your sister?"

"WHO CARES?!" Jaune closes his eyes, seething with rage. "Everything we did was for nothing!"

"That's not entirely true." Blake mumbles whilst sitting on a couch next to Yang

"Oh really?!" Jaune walks away from the dent in the wall, soon stopping near Weiss and Oscar. "Tell me something, Blake? Or anybody for that matter. How are we supposed to win?"

Team RWBY, Oscar, and Link each promptly go quiet. Meanwhile, Maria walks past the angry teenager, and does not acknowledge the other former students as she makes her way to the backyard, desiring the stay out the inevitably shouting match

"Great plan everyone!" Jaune frowns. "I'm drowning in all of your suggestions."

"Look, none of this is great, we know." Oscar speaks up. "But don't lash out at any of us. We're not the bad guys here."

"Are we sure about that?"

"W-What?" The farmhand raises an eyebrow

"You heard me. He's in your head, isn't he?" Jaune angrily walks towards Oscar. "Did you already know about this?"

"Are you crazy?" Weiss gasps and extends her arm to block him. "He didn't know any of it! Oscar is the reason we even found out about Ozpin's lies!"

"Sure, how convenient!"

Jaune pushes past Weiss' measly attempt to stop him. The angry blond grabs Oscar by the collar with both hands, roughly drives him back, and then shoves him against the wall!

"How much longer can we even trust him?!"

"Stop it Jaune!" Yang shouts

Link turns to Ruby, who also meets his eyes. The former's eyes move towards Jaune and Oscar, indirectly asking if he should get involved. Ruby follows along, only to hesitantly shake her head in response

"I won't stop! How do we even know it's really him?" Jaune shouts in the terrified farmhand's face. "What if he has been talking to that liar this whole time?!

"...!" Ruby's eyes shoot open when realizing how close Oscar is to being punched, she opens her mouth to the blond in green, and softly whispers. "Go Link."

Quickly nodding, Link runs forward and quickly makes his way in between Jaune and Oscar. With open hands, Link places his palms on the chests of both of them, gently pushing Jaune away while assuring Oscar that he is safe

"That's enough." He mumbles, positioning himself in front of the farmhand with crossed arms. "We do not need to get violent."

With relative ease, Link initially manages to keep things civil while carefully deescalating the tension, but the taller blond has other plans

"We are on the same team, all of us-!"

"Stay out of this!" Jaune marches forward, shoves Link to the side, and attempts to grab Oscar by the collar again

"JAUNE!" Ruby screams

(I said… enough!)

But Link does not back down in the slightest. He silently steps in between the two yet again, grabs Jaune by the hoodie with his right hand while Link's other hand inexplicably grips the neck of the team JNPR leader, applying a tight grip and lots of pressure in a split second

"Never put your hands on Oscar again!" Link shouts. "Listen to me Jaune. Weiss is right! Ozpin attempted to conceal his lies, manipulate us, and never let us get near the Relic, but Oscar stopped him and we found out the truth because of his efforts!"

"Gah!" Jaune uses all his strength to fight back, but the grip around his neck and hold on his hoodie is too strong. "W-Why is he so strong all of a sudden?! I always bested him physically in the past."

Despite being shorter and with a smaller frame, Link keeps Jaune at bay, maintaining the same grip which eventually leads to the latter's struggle to breathe. However, when Link attempts to let him go, Jaune instantly tries lunging at Oscar

"Jaune STOP!" Ruby angrily shouts whilst balling up her fists

(Grrr!) Link frowns, tightens his grip once more, and this time pushes Jaune against the wall

"Get your hands off my brother!"

Saphron's voice rings throughout the big house as she stands at the top of the stairs, arms crossed and a furious expression on her face. Unfortunately for the group, the older sister of Jaune can only see Link aggressively restraining and choking her brother

"B-But!" Link turns his head to face her

"No buts! I don't want violence in my home! I heard a loud punching sound earlier and now you're attacking my brother?!"

"You don't understand." Weiss shakes her head. "Link is not the aggressor-!"

"That doesn't matter right now." Saphron's eyes never leave the young man in green. "I said I don't want violence in my house, now he's attacking my brother?! I don't care who is in the right or wrong, Link needs to unhand Jaune and leave."

(...) Link breathes rapidly, initially overwhelmed by the hostility shown towards him, but ultimately respects Saphron's wishes and first releases Jaune

"Ngh!" Jaune quickly steps to his left, putting distance between himself and Link, but it is the looks from team RWBY that really strike him down to the core. "I…"

Jaune turns to Oscar with an apologetic look on his face, but says nothing in the end and marches upstairs. The angry and remorseful blond walks past Saphron, heads to his room, and slams the door shut!

"Are you okay?" Link looks over his shoulder, glancing at the scared farmhand

"Y-Yeah, I think so." Oscar mumbles

"Good." The blond nods and sighs loudly before turning his attention back to Saphron. "I apologize for what you saw."

"Thank you." The older Arc sibling mumbles, but uncrosses her arms to point at the door. "But I still need you to please leave. I do not feel safe with you in my house."

Immediate silence settles in as all the air in the room feels like it was sucked out when Saphron puts her foot down and does not budge

"...I understand." Link closes both eyes, nods again, then re-opens them as he walks to the front door

"W-Wait! We're coming with you." Weiss walks towards the door as well

"Right, can't have you running away again." Ruby giggles and follows her teammate, as Yang and Blake silently do the same

"You girls don't have to leave." Saphron's stern expression fades upon realizing she may send away five teenagers. "Uh oh… this isn't good at all."

But team RWBY defy her words, as all four girls give no responses and follow Link to the entrance of the house

"She's right." Link places his left hand on the door, but stops to speak to the four approaching girls. "You should stay here, this is a warm and comforting home. I could use some alone time anyway… and besides, one of us should check on Jaune later."

"I can do it." Ruby raises her hand, willingly volunteering

"Thanks Ruby." Link smiles, though nobody can see it

"Where will you go?" Blake asks

"I am not sure." Link nods. "Perhaps I will explore Argus as much as I can."

"How can we be sure you won't change your mind…" Yang raises an eyebrow. "In an abandoning way?"

"Simple." Link turns his head, now looking at all four girls. "I promise I will not leave. Is my word enough?"

"Duh." Yang smiles. "Of course it is."

"You better not go too far from here then!" Weiss angrily blurts out, eyes shaking as they partially well up. "And you bet I'll find you if you're gone all day."

"Maybe I will be gone all day then." Link smiles

"Y-You idiot!" Weiss narrows her eyes, but the girl's heart feels warm, assured by her partner's idea

Without saying another word, Link exits the three story home, shuts the door behind him, and calmly breathes in the cold air. Unsure of where exactly to go, the former one-person team trails down the stone steps, makes a right turn, and heads into an unknown city after getting himself thrown out of Saphron and Terra's home for trying to do the right thing…

---

Hours Later: Unknown Location in the City of Argus

Unfortunately, the optimistic male would soon find himself in a familiar position mentally. Darkness, emptiness, cold, and an unwanted feeling of loneliness are what Link experiences, despite having just expressed happiness and promising his friends he would be okay exploring the city alone. However, the issue is not the city, it is Link himself. He sits on a bench on an unfamiliar street with his eyes shut and arms crossed, as he shivers but not from the cold. Instead, it is his own dark thoughts. Link shivers, body tensing and muscles flexing as it becomes apparent that he in the middle of a vision when a handful of civilians attempt checking on and speaking to him, all to no avail

(...N-Not again… t-three times now… I've seen… her…) Link struggles internally but he is physically unable to move, and powerless to change anything in his visions. (G-Go away!)

Sadly, the vision does not go away. Pyrrha Nikos is on her knees, weak and defeated after having endured a difficult battle against a fully powered maiden. Cinder Fall stands in front of the defeated student with an evil smirk on her face, while the blonde swordsman angrily growls, knowing he cannot stop what is about to happen

"Do you believe in destiny?" Pyrrha speaks sternly, no fear is heard in the young woman's voice

"Yes." Cinder's smirk disappears as her forehead wrinkles and eyebrows furrow in anger

The fall maiden steps back and forms her bow and arrow again from mere shards of glass. Cinder pulls back on her bow and raises the bow to aim at Pyrrha's head. The red haired student shuts her eyes, accepting her fate while refusing to give Cinder the satisfaction of watching her suffer. For Pyrrha's lack of fear, the fall maiden narrows her eyes even further, lowers the bow down, and releases the arrow! The arrow soars through the air for a split second… When suddenly it freezes mid-air! The sharp tip of the long and thin arrow now only centimeters away from impaling Pyrrha's chest. Not only the arrow, but the entire vision goes still, Cinder remains still, in the motion of firing her bow and Pyrrha is on her knees, peacefully waiting for her inevitable death

(Huh?... W-What is happening?)

Link's breathing becomes louder with each passing second, and it takes over the vision until the entire scene slowly fades away to black. Thirty seconds of more darkness passes before the blond's vision returns and he finds himself back in the real world, sitting on the same bench he remembers wanting to sit at for a 'quick' breather. Link sighs, quickly stands up, then dread sinks in as he is unsure of where he is or how to return where he came

"Follow me…"

A familiar voice rings in Link's head and before he can walk away, it is his peripheral vision that notices a mysterious figure to his right side. Link's eyes shift first before his head turns to face the figure… There stands Pyrrha in the form of a bright white transparent ghost. She is peeking from around the corner of a building with her fingers intertwined and signature angelic smile plastered on her face. Pyrrha looks exactly the same as Link remembers the young woman from the times he saw her in the forests of Anima or at Haven Academy; same outfit, no weapons, and no circlet on her head

"O-Okay." Link mumbles and follows the ghost only visible to him, but to his annoyance 'Pyrrha' runs away just as she did in the forests. (I'll catch you faster this time! You do not have Ray or Amber here to distract me!)

And so the chase then begins! Link turns the corner and sprints after the ghost of Pyrrha, his fallen friend from Beacon Academy. Although, to the civilians of Argus casually strolling down the street, it looks as though someone is crazily sprinting down the streets, presumably on an intense run. Pyrrha continues ahead, running with the same speed as the real life young woman had, which is enough to not get caught by Link, who does manage to straight behind her. Minutes later, after running straight for what feels like hours, Pyrrha suddenly takes a left and crosses the road!

(Hm?… T-This is too specific… where are you taking me, Pyrrha?)

The change of course leads the blond swordsman into a park. The ghost version of Pyrrha puts an end to her sprinting, and slowly walks into said park; Link slows down and follows her as well. However, this is not a typical park with playgrounds or dedicated spaces to play sports, but a park with a lit up stone path, benches, perfect uniform length snowy grass, shrubs with red roses, stone pillars with greenery surrounding them, and lastly a stone pedestal… Where a larger than life statue of the late Pyrrha is placed. The statue of Pyrrha has her head down, eyes closed, sword 'Miló' on her back, and the young woman's shield 'Akoúo̱' in both hands held in front of her, below the waist

"W-Whoa…" Link's eyes widen and shake, both of them instantly water in shock and sadness

The young man slowly turns to face the ghost after finally catching up and standing next to her, but in another shocking twist, the ghost is nowhere to be seen, leaving Link alone with the statue of Pyrrha

"Oh Pyrrha…" Link sighs and closes his eyes, his breathing and beating heart intensify with the discovery he only just made

Unsure of what to say or do, whether to himself or out loud, Link drops down to both knees! Next, he leans forward and bends over until his hands and forehead touch the ground. This gives Link the opportunity to silently honor Pyrrha for a brief moment…

(I can't believe you're here… even as a statue. I…)

Link sits up, breathing rate continuously increasing, but the blond remains on his knees and soon notices a stone plaque under the statue of Pyrrha. Additionally, the plaque also has a short quote for the memorial statue: 'In honor of PYRRHA NIKOS, one of many students who fought valiantly at the fall of Beacon.'

"You're going to catch a cold out here, young man."

Link swiftly rises to his feet, opens his teary eyes, and glances in the direction of the voice. A woman approaches him with a gentle smile on her face. This woman has short red hair, green eyes, brown glasses, a brown coat, waist level leggings, and black boots… but to Link, all he sees is a shorter and older version of his deceased friend

"H-Hello." Link politely mutters. "I do not have anywhere to go right now, but it is okay. I need to… acclimate to the colder weather."

"I see. Well I hope that changes when it is nighttime." She politely mumbles

"What brings you out here, ma'am?"

"What a polite young man you are. I was actually going to pick up some flowers and then come here." The woman continues walking until she is next to the blond, "Did you know this memorial park was only completed today?" She grins. "An announcement about it will be made tomorrow, so whoever happens to discover this park today is quite special."

"I disagree." Link shakes his head, "The only special one here is her." He points to the statue of Pyrrha. "This statue should not be here."

"How so?" She looks up at the statue and carefully stares

"Because Pyrrha should be here. Next to you and I." He mumbles as tears spill down his cheeks. "Maybe not directly here, but she, myself, and our friends would be together, all of us. I probably should not say everything I know but-!"

"I believe I know, young man." The woman's eyes are also watery when sensing and knowing how emotional the blond next to her is. "You are here now because of what happened at Beacon, aren't you?"

"Yes but… how did you know that?" Link's jaw drops in surprise

"This was her home, she was born and raised here in Argus, trained at Sanctum Academy, and was known by everybody." The woman nods. "Back when the world could still freely communicate, everyone in Argus heard from her. How her classes were going, her ranking, grades, sparring matches, missions…" She turns to face Link at last, and smiles at him. "...All the amazing friends she made."

(S-She knows me…) Link does not respond with words, but respectfully nods

"When times were better and the world was more peaceful, the city of Argus was not your biggest fan." She softly giggles. "We heard that our Pyrrha had stiff competition from a certain 'one person team' who was thriving, succeeding, and proving he was as strong as four people. Seeing you for myself… I can see why she was always pushing herself to be the best possible huntress she could be."

"She was the best. I was the one doing my best to keep up with her." Link smiles back as the waterworks continue. "She was so humble too, we spoke nearly every day and Pyrrha always put others above herself whether it was money, protection, or emotional support. I… I was there during her final moments."

"..." The woman sighs as tears flow down her cheeks too. "...Really?"

"Mhm." Link nods, "I… failed to save her." He looks down at the statue's feet in shame. "S-Sorry, this should not be about me."

"No no, it is okay." She shakes her head and turns her attention to the statue. "I'm sure Pyrrha would want anyone who comes here to think about themselves, her, all the beautiful memories made, and express all emotions."

"That does sound like her." Link quietly chuckles

"Link, is it?"

"Yes ma'am." He nods

"She knew what she was doing on that day. Pyrrha was always going to fight to protect the people and things she loved. I hope you know that and I hope you do not let the guilt consume you." The woman continues admiring the beautiful detailed statue. "I can tell you are suffering a lot, but she is not gone."

"She isn't?" Link picks up his head and wipes away his tears

"Of course not. She is right here with us." She nods to the statue first, before pointing at the middle of her chest with her right hand, indicating to the heart. "With me, you, and everyone she ever loved."

"You are absolutely right." The blond continues wiping away tears while nodding. (And those who did this to her will pay. Cinder might be gone, but all of her associates are to blame too, as is Salem. But you do not need to hear this if you really are Pyrrha's mother.)

"It makes me sad that I was not the first one here, but in a way I am also glad other people care about her so much." The woman sniffles loudly while using her forearm to wipe away tears. "I should give you more time alone with her. I need to go pick up the flowers I ordered."

"Do you want me to accompany you there?" Link turns to her, then points to his weapons. "I can walk you back as well."

"That won't be necessary, Argus is a safe city, but thank you." She smiles. "Stay as long as you want, Link. I know you probably need some alone time with her."

"O-Okay." The blond mumbles. "It was nice to meet you."

"Likewise."

The woman slowly bows her head before turning around and walking off. Link watches her go and spots when she stops walking to turn and speak to him for what is likely to be the last time

"Link?" She asks

"Yes?" He nods

"Thank you for being there with her. I can only imagine that witnessing death is horrifying and traumatic…" The woman weakly smiles. "But I am glad she was not alone during those last moments."

Link gasps, then attempts to quickly shut his eyes but the tears spill out and flow down his cheeks, regardless of his attempts to hide his sadness. The woman's smile grows a tad wider as she gives Link a nod and walks away, leaving the former Beacon student alone in front of the memorial statue of Pyrrha

(She was not alone, yes.)

Link rapidly nods, then suddenly draws his sword, aims it downward, and drops to one knee! Partially digging his blade into the ground as he shuts his eyes and continues to honor and remember Pyrrha in silence, reminiscing over the good memories and time they created at Beacon, rather than the unfortunate end

(But those should not have been her final moments.)

---

City of Argus: Pyrrha Nikos Memorial Park

One hour later, the sun is now beginning to set on what started off as a hopeful day started with a nice and quick breakfast, only for it to turn sour immediately with the group's plan falling apart, followed by a heated blow up from Jaune and Link being kicked out of the house. Now, having been gone for nearly the whole day, Link breaks the kneeling pose, rises back to his feet, and slides his sword back in its metal scabbard. After honoring Pyrrha in front of the statue built for the deceased Beacon student, a weak smile and tears of joy are on his face

"LINK!"

The voice of Weiss can be heard as she finds Link standing in the center of the park, back turned. She desperately runs to him, having clearly been looking for him already. Weiss quickly makes her way deeper into the park until she is in close proximity to Link, in which case she slides in front of him and throws herself at her boyfriend, hugging him tightly while smacking his back with petite slaps

"I told you I'd find you if you left all day!" Weiss pouts, tightens her grip and looks up at Link, "Where were you?! And-!" She gasps. "Y-You're crying!"

"For most of that time, I was on a bench, stuck in place as I saw another dark vision." Link mumbles, "Then… I saw Pyrrha as a ghost, chased her, and she led me here." He lifts an arm, extends it, and points at the statue behind them. "And this is why I am crying."

Weiss turns her head and gasps again, this time even louder than before upon noticing the large statue that she somehow missed due to her concern for Link. Her eyes widened in seconds as she hesitantly lets go of her boyfriend to fully turn and admire the memorial landmark

"It's…"

"Incredible? Looks exactly like her? Surreal?" Link nods as he wipes away the remaining tears

"Perfect." Weiss whispers

"I could not have said it any better." Link chuckles, "I even-!" He stops himself, deciding not to mention the woman he met. (I can't… I do not know for certain it was Pyrrha's mother.)

"You what? Had a nice time out here? Nearly froze to death?" She rolls her eyes whilst repositioning herself to stand next to Link, leaning into the blond. "Which one is it?"

"None of those. I experienced joy and happiness when thinking about Pyrrha." His weak smile grows a tad bit wider. "And all of you guys know it's been a long time since that has happened."

"Yes it has…" Weiss' eyes light up with joy. "...too long in fact."

"Hey. Don't take this the wrong way, because I'm happy that you're here." Link grabs her right hand with his left and gently squeezes it. "But is there a reason you happen to be here? I stumbled upon this park or… more like I was led here by fate itself in the form of Pyrrha as a ghost."

"Right. I figured you would ask at some point." She sighs. "We're looking for Oscar. All of us: Ruby, Yang, Blake, me, Jaune, his sister, and Maria. Nobody knows where he, Qrow, or you are. Nobody is worried about Qrow because-!"

"He's drunk at a bar right now, yes." He nods

"Mhm, precisely." Weiss says while sarcastically raising both eyebrows. "They also aren't worried about you because you're strong and would come back eventually. Jaune apologized to us and explained what exactly happened to his sister; she wants to apologize to you now."

"Jaune told her everything?" Link raises both eyebrows

"Welllll! No no." She shakes her head. "Just that he was being a jerk to Oscar and you stepped in to defend him. Saphron feels bad because what she saw was you putting your hands on Jaune and… you know."

"I understand." The blond nods

"Everyone is mainly looking for Oscar but…" Weiss blushes and squeezes back, carefully interlacing her fingers with Link's. "I was worried about you the whole time, then figured I can prioritize looking for you and maybe find Oscar along the way."

"At least one of your searches was successful." Link also blushes as his hand is now completely intertwined with Weiss'. "We should look for Oscar and head back, shouldn't we?"

"Unfortunately yes."

Link turns to his left, facing Weiss whilst still holding her hand, the sun beautifully sets in front of them as they stand in the middle of an elegant park. With his right, Link wraps his arm around the waist of the ex-heiress, pulling her closer to him with minimal force. Weiss gasps, nervously glancing to one of the entrance of the park

"Hey…" Link leans forward and bumps his forehead against hers. "I am really happy you found me."

"Oh really?" Weiss smiles and stares into the blond's dark blue eyes. "Tell me why."

"Because in spite of everything going wrong today, I can always expect to be happy when I see you and that a bad day will be made better by you." Link's eyes trail to the right, getting another glance at the statue of Pyrrha, (Even if I already experienced some happiness today…) He internally chuckles, (I learned something from seeing you again, Pyrrha. Whether alive or dead, I need to cherish and appreciate everything and everyone I love, rather than always remembering the dark moments.) His gaze returns to Weiss, looking directly into her light blue eyes. "May I kiss you?"

"You're my b-boyfriend." Weiss rolls her eyes, her blush turns darker when pushing the last word out of her mouth. "You may kiss me whenever you want."

"O-Okay. I will."

With the approval of his girlfriend, Link dips his head and gently plants his lips on Weiss'. The happy and sometimes awkward couple softly kiss, only slyly turning their heads to deepen the kiss… Until Link leans forward and pulls Weiss closer to him with an arm wrapped around her back, and hand firmly set on her hip. The white haired young woman quietly squeals as her eyes widen in shock and delight. Weiss then returns the change of intensity by shutting her eyes, leaning into the kiss, caressing the blond's face with her free right hand, while carefully slipping her tongue in between their connected lips and exploring her partner's mouth. Link in return, immediately feels his face crimsoned at the increased intimacy. The enemies turned lovers continue kissing, pushing and pulling their bodies closer, and caressing one another while the sun sets behind them. Link and Weiss continue kissing, intending to fully enjoy the moment while it lasts before they inevitably must separate and return to urgent business: To find Oscar, figure out a way to get out of Argus, and make their way to Atlas once and for all