RNJR & CRMS

-Somewhere in Anima-

In a forest outside a village nearby, three people walked beside one another, as they chatted.

One possessed long black hair and was wearing a sleeveless tailcoat with a black turtleneck and a pair of white pants with pink and black detached sleeves; around his wrist he had on a green beaded bracelet with a certain logo.

Beside him was a girl possessing shoulder length orange hair, with the ends curled. She had on a pair of pink fingerless gloves and a white top with the heart cut diagonally; over it shehad on a blue and black bomber jacket with pink stripes. She also had on a a pink skirt with white boots and pink laces.

On her wrist she had on a beaded bracelet like the boy, but hers had been in pink and white.

Their names were Lie Ren and Nora Valkyrie.

Two more had been walking with them, one possessed gray pigtails and prothstetic legs, and the other had orange hair like Nora though it had been in a lighter shade, and she had a pair of fox ears and a tail.

Their names had been Rosario Black, and Scout Lapis.

And it looked as though they were having a debate.

"For the last time, that team name you've thought of just sounds dumb!" Rosario told her.

"Look, I'm just saying, there's more members of JNPR than there is RWBY!" Nora told her, "It just makes sense to go with that one!"

"But JNRR (Junior) isn't a color." Ren pointed out.

"See!?" Rosario practically yelled, "He gets it!"

"Nora, we're not trying to say it's a bad name." Scout said, "But all we're saying is the other one would make more sense."

Nora couldn't help but let out a groan, "How can I be more clear!?"

She held out her hand and the name JNRR suddenly appeared seemingly out of thin air, taking Rosario and Scout back; though, Ren remained unphased.

"One--Two--Three!" She counted while pointing to the letters, "That's MORE--Than one!"

"But we're helping Ruby with her objective." Ren said, holding out his hand, having the letters RNJR (Ranger) appear, making the two girls jump again, "Shouldn't that make her our leader?"

"Okay, how are you doing that?" Rosario asked.

"Doing what?" Ren and Nora said in unison.

"Guys… We need to stay focused."

Their attention was drawn over to their team leader Jaune who was crouching in front of a large log, alongside the second scythe user, Melody Wren Branwen along with a white fox with blue eyes by the name of Frosty; Melody looked to be playing on a guitar as she was making whatever tune came to mind.

Though a man stood beside the two of them, as he looked to be holding a cane. He had on a dark black buckled trench coat as his shirt looked to be in a pale white color revealing some faded scars along his chest, and he had on a set of dark brown gloves as well as a set of lightish brown hiking boots.

Upon his head he looked to have a dark gray fedora with a black strap and his hair looked to be in a darker shade of orange that looked to be a little long and disheveled. He also appeared to have signs of a beard growing in as he smoked from a cigar as he had been sitting on the ground with his head back.

"Also, JNRR sounds way cooler." Jaune soon added.

"EXACTLY!" Nora exclaimed, causing Ren to shrug.

"Seriously?" Rosario and Scout said.

"Really?" The man with the fedora said, "You guys could be talking about anything in the world, and you choose team names of all things?"

"Don't look at us, Nora's the one that brought it up!" Rosario said.

"It was a very serious topic Mr. Torchwick!" Scout soon added.

The man groaned as he rolled his emerald green eyes. "How many times do I gotta say it foxy? Enough with the Mister crap--" He said, "--Roman, is just fine."

"What's wrong with being polite?" Melody soon asked, "It worked for you as a thief didn't it?"

"Don't bring that up." The man named Roman said.

The group soon felt the whole ground shake; it felt as though it had been an earthquake, though they knew otherwise as they each armed themselves.

All except Jaune, who appeared to be missing a weapon.

"It's here." He said softly.

From nearby, Ruby Rose flew out of a field of cheers just over a cliff with the help of her semblance all while firing from her Crescent Rose. Out came a creature with a Grimm mask that was entirely made from rocks rushing towards her. They both fell into the trees below them while Ruby let out a scream. She hit every tree branch as she tried to grab onto at least one of them.

"BAD--!"

SMACK!

"--LANDING--!"

BAM!

"--STRATEGY!!"

WHAM!

Finally she had been able to regain herself as she caught her breath, having landed on one of the branches safely. The Giant Rock Grimm swung it's arm at her though she had been quick to move with the help of her semblance again.

Just when it was about to attack her again, shots were fired from above.

From the skies came Cristal, on the back of what looked to be a Griffon that was of a Grimm like the Rock Beast; though it's eyes had been in the color of white. She had her shotguns armed instead of her blades as she had fired what looked to be Dust bullets.

It tried to hit them both out of the air, though the Griffon named Senka proved to be too quick.

"Let's get that thing off of them!" Jaune said to the group.

Everyone nodded and started to move.

After getting rid of his cigar, he flipped his cane and fired a grappling hook into a tree nearby before using it to ascend. Rosario with the help of her gun heels ran along the side of the tree onto one of its many branches. Ren jumped from one tree to the next to obtain high ground, while Melody leaped in the air and changed into that of a crow following close behind Ren, before changing back landing just beside him.

"Don't forget me!" Nora said.

With her Magnid, she rocketed up and over the trees before she landed in the branches with the others, while Scout, Frosty and Jaune stayed on the ground.

"We need to draw its attention away from them!" Ren said.

"That's easier said than done!" Roman yelled over the noise.

"What are you guys waiting for!? An invitation!?" Cristal shouted as she flew by them, while still firing onto the Grimm creature.

"We could use some help!" Ruby added as she flew past them.

"Rosario!" Melody said, "Let's do it!"

"Copy that!" Rosario said.

With a push of a button on Melody's guitar, the neck attached itself on her arm before it formed an armblade with the turn of the gears. Rosario got ready as the arm came around; she used her gun heels to rocket herself onto it's arm, while Melody leaped into the air again, this time taking the form of a hawk.

For a moment, Melody changed back again, and the two of them simultaneously fired, in an attempt to hit it's mask. The beast however had been quick to block the bullets before it went to hit them both with it's other arm.

Melody switched back into a hawk, while Rosario jumped off, landing on the back of Senka when they flew under her; Immediately she hooked her arm around Cristal's waist while Melody had been back on the ground with Jaune Scout, and Frosty.

Ren soon made his move.

He jumped from tree after tree as he fired onto the Grimm with the help of his Storm Flowers. Nora kept the best busy as she fired her grenades towards it. He soon ran along its arm like Rosario did before but instead he jumped into the air and armed his blades; he came falling towards it and attacked it head on, but it didn't even phase it as it managed to shake him off.

"We gotta get in closer!" Jaune exclaimed.

"My blades don't hurt him!" Ren said, landing beside him, Frosty, Scout and Melody.

"Bullets don't even hurt this guy!" Melody shouted.

"Let's see if it can handle this firepower than!" Roman said as he flipped his cane again. He armed his Melodic Cudgel, and aimed for its mask. He pulled the trigger firing of a flare shot as it gave a whistle.

Despite its size however it had been quick on its feet as it put both of its arms in front of its mask.

"Even that didn't work!?" Scout exclaimed out of shock.

"How about this!?" Ruby soon yelled.

She reached into her ammo belt and armed her Crescent Rose with Dust bullets that had a lighting bolt labeled on it. With a leap in the air, she fired the weapon that had been laced with electricity. The arm of the beast soon glowed red as it blocked the attack again, surprising the group.

Cristal saw it lift it's arm in the air.

"OH CRAP!" She yelled in realization.

Her eye soon changed to gold as the butterfly wing appeared; just as it hit it's arm in the ground, creating a powerful wind, Cristal barely managed to form a barrier around herself, and the others, but they were sent flying anyway. Even Senka had been knocked out of the air.

Each of them managed to steady themselves, with Cristal catching Roman, and Senka using his body to keep them from falling backwards. Jaune on the other hand went toppling on the ground, eventually hitting a rock where his "boy's" were making most of the group flinch.

"You'll be fine without a weapon…" Jaune groaned, "... YOU'RE the strategist…"

"That's it!" Nora shouted before she started to run at the beast.

She spun her weapon, letting it switch to her hammer before leaping high into the air. With a single swing she was able to break its arm, making most of the group cheer at this. Though the cheers died down when the black mist took hold of a large boulder and threw it towards her.

At this Cristal acted as her eye changed to gold and the butterfly wing appeared. "RUBY! THROW ME!" She shouted.

Ruby gave a nod before using her scythe and activated her semblance so that she could throw her. Cristal flew at full speed before her fist glowed a purple glow as she threw it towards the rock, shattering it into a thousand pieces and dust with but a single hit, though it opened wounds on her knuckles

The Grimm soon picked up more rocks before tossing it at the group; most of them, even Jaune, had been quick to dodge the oncoming projectiles.

"Hey! Be careful!" Jaune said before getting hit in the face with one of the rocks; immediately Scout ran to his side to check him with Frosty beside her.

"GUYS! LOOK!" They heard Melody shout.

Jaune and Scout looked and they saw the Grimm suddenly grow a black claw hand, seemingly in a blink of an eye.

"Uh-oh…" Jaune said.

"That can't be good…" Scout added as her ears went down a little.

The Grimm soon shoved it's hand into a tree, and it had been its new arm. "THAT'S DEFINITELY NOT GOOD!!" The fox exclaimed before she, Frosty and Jaune started to run.

"HIS ARM IS A TREE!" Jaune shouted, "HIS ARM IS A TREE!!"

"Red!" Roman shouted.

Ruby only gave a nod before saying, "Big mistake!"

She soon armed her Crescent Rose with fire Dust; her and Roman took the shot, combining their flare and fire. Scout and Jaune smiled at this, but lost it now that they saw it's arm had been lit a flame.

"BIG MISTAKE!!" Jaune and Scout shouted as they picked up the pace.

Jaune ended up tripping as he ran leaving him wide open for the oncoming creature; At this Scout acted as she quickly got in front of and pressed a button on the hilt of her blade. The blade extended and had been made of ice; with one slash she managed to slice the tree in half, allowing them to sigh with relief. Though they had been caught off guard when its other arm came towards them, making them scream a little.

Ren quickly used his Storm Flowers as boomerangs to slice the mask, making it fall over on its back. The group soon joined up with them, as they started to formulate a plan.

"We're not getting anywhere with this!" Roman said, "We need a different strategy!"

"Right, okay!" Jaune said, "How do we do this!?"

"It's body is too thick to break through!" Ren said.

"It doesn't care about its body!" He said.

"Plus it keeps creating new limbs!" Nora added.

"But it keeps protecting its face!" Cristal pointed out.

"We can't break it!" Ruby exclaimed.

"Guys, it's starting to get back up!" Rosario said, "Now would be a good time to form a plan!"

"Does anyone have any ideas!?" Scout said.

"... If we cut off all of its limbs all at once and went for the--" Jaune started to say before his eyes widened with realization; he turned to the group.

"You guys, I got it!" He said to them, "We hit it--Harder!"

Everyone gave a look in Jaune's direction, as they couldn't help looking at him awkwardly. "... Is that it?" Ren asked, giving a quizzical look.

"Yeah, I was under the impression we were already doing that." Melody added.

"No, seriously! Like Cristal said, it keeps trying to protect its face!" Jaune soon explained, "So if we cut off all the limbs, we have a shot to kill the whole thing!"

"... That sounds so stupid--" Roman finally said, before he gave a smile, "--It might just work."

"Alright!" Ruby said, "Come on team, let's do this!"

"Yeah!" Nora said with enthusiasm.

"Right!" Ren said.

Melody soon turned to Cristal, Rosario and Scout, "Well, CRMS (Crimson)! You heard em! Let's do it, to it!"

"Right!" Cristal, Rosario and Scout said.

They all saw the Grimm get back on its feet, and they quickly put their plan into action. Jaune gave them the directions they needed, "Ruby, Cristal, left! Ren, Melody, right! Roman, Rosario, Scout, focus on the legs! Nora! You ready to try the new upgrade?"

Nora nodded and went off in a certain direction.

"Okay, than I'll--EEP!"

Jaune started to run when the Grimm came at him and Frosty again.

Ruby and Cristal attacked from the left; with Senka's help they were able to take to the skies and fly towards it. Ruby jumped off of Senka and used her Crescent Rose to slice its arm though soon found herself flying back. Cristal equipped her swords and activated the whip mod, and turned on its dust enhancement.

She swung her sword and attacked around its arm; though she was able to it, there was suddenly ice.

Despite this it had been able to break free, and knocked them out of the sky once again.

Ren along with Melody attacked on the right, with Melody equipping her scythe mode. They both charged at it head on, as they sliced and diced before getting pushed back by it.

As Jaune along with Frosty made themselves a target, both being extremely careful, Roman, Scout and Rosario attacked the beast's legs as they ran along the ground attacking it from behind. It didn't really have an effect, though they kept at it anyway as it had been the only thing that could be done.

All the while this was happening Nora had activated her semblance and was sending electricity straight to her hammer.

"Ready!" She yelled to the group.

Ruby and her cousin Melody flew high into the year and dove towards the beast, using their scythes to attack; neither of them had been surprised when they saw they didn't make a scratch on it. Ruby landed next to Jaune while Melody landed on the other side.

"USE EVERYTHING YOU GOT!" Jaune shouted.

Ruby gave a nod and activated her semblance; she flew straight towards the Grimm taking Nora with her. As they flew towards the Grimm, red and pink petals swirled like a drill before Ruby sliced up its arm and Nora took out its entire body with only a swing.

A phantom like creature soon flew out of the pile rocks, and went to fly in the forest; though Cristal had been quick to the punch as she trapped it with her weapon.

The creature, known as the Geist, struggled and growled. She started to shush it gently as she placed her hand on its mask.

"You've been hurting for so long..." She said softly, as she caressed the Geist's mask, "Don't worry… I'll help you..."

Shutting her eyes, the butterfly's wings appeared again and a light appeared between them. For a moment the Geist's eye changed to gold and looked more calm than before. At this Cristal released the creature.

"Go on now." She said to the Grimm, "Go back home."

The Geist complied as it disappeared into the trees in front of them. Cristal fell to her knees as she felt exhausted; Ruby and Roman immediately went to her side as they helped her to stand up. "You okay?" Ruby asked.

"Yeah…" Cristal replied tiredly, "... Guess I'm a bit more out of practice than I thought…"

"You'll get the hang of it little Gem." Roman said.

"Phew!" Jaune said, "Another victory for team CRMS and JNRR!"

The whole group looked at Jaune awkwardly at this as they all stayed silent. "Okay you know what, Ren?" Jaune said, "You might be onto something after all. It's just not sounding great anymore."

"THANK YOU!!" Rosario shouted.

"YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND MY VISION!!" Nora yelled at her.

Roman couldn't help but roll his eyes as he facepalmed himself, "... Teenagers…"

***

-A Few Moments Later-

Both teams RNJR and CRMS had been headed back into town while Roman and Senka stayed outside since they couldn't exactly come strolling through the village. One, until Roman obtained a disguise he's still known by reputation, and Senka, well… He was a Grimm. Everyone would run with their tails between their legs at the mere sight and it would definitely not end well.

Ruby was currently shaking the town's officials hand in gratitude.

"We truly can't thank you all enough." The Official said.

"We're just doing our job sir!" Ruby said with a smile.

"That Geist had been plaguing us for weeks." The Official said to them, "We were beginning to wonder if we'd have to relocate."

"Well, we're on our way to Mistral." Cristal said, "If you want, you and your people can come with us."

The Official only chuckled, "I take it your not from these parts. Anima is a large continent. I'm afraid our people would never survive the long trek to Mistral. It may be safer in the Kingdoms, but we prefer our way of life. I just wish we could pay you more."

"Oh, that's not necessary sir." Scout reassured the Official.

"Yeah, don't worry about it." Rosario said.

"Our previous arrangement is more than sufficient." Ren added.

Both teams both bowed their heads in respect before they headed off to their next location in the town. They arrived at the Blacksmith shop just in time as the store owner finished designing Jaunes new upgrade.

"There you go son!" The Owner said to Jaune with a smile, "It's going to be heavier than what you're used to, but you'll thank me the next time you go up against a set of claws."

"Wow…" Jaune said, "I don't know what to say…"

"Don't gotta say anything!" The Owner said, "Just put it on! I'll go get the rest."

With that the Owner went into the back room to get the rest of his armor. Frosty jumped on his hind legs and started to sniff the new armor. "Seems like Frosty likes his work." Melody said with a smile as she looked at Jaune.

"So…" Nora said, "... What are you waiting for? Try it on!"

"Oh! Right!" Jaune said as he removed his armor; he placed it just on the counter as he gave a solemn look, "Guess I was gonna grow out of it eventually."

"A sign of progress." Ren said with a smile.

"Right… Progress." Jaune said as he turned to them.

Though it hadn't been long before Melody and Ruby started to stifle a laugh, which left Jaune perplexed.

"What?" Jaune asked the two, "What is it?"

"What is that!?" Ruby exclaimed, pointing to his hoodie.

The hoodie he had on, apparently had a logo of a cute little bunny rabbit, which needless to say, it had taken everyone back. "What?" He said, "I've always had this!"

Melody finally lost it as she bursted out laughing, "Oh my God!" She exclaimed, "Are you kidding me with this Jaune!?"

"IT'S GOT A CUTE LITTLE BUNNY RABBIT!!" Ruby exclaimed.

Both of the girls gripped onto each other as they couldn't contain their laughter, making Jaune blush with embarrassment.

"It's Pumpkin Pete!" He said, "You know!? From the cereal!!"

The girls laughed even harder from this.

"Are you serious right now!?" Melody exclaimed, "You're still into that kind of a cereal!?"

"What did you do!?" Ruby asked him, "Send in a boxtop for a prize!?"

"Yeah! Fifty!" Jaune replied, still sounding embarrassed.

Ruby and Melody seemed to laugh even harder as they placed their hands on their stomach. The two of them fell onto their backs while kicking their legs up in the air. "Oh God, I'm crying…" Melody said as she giggled, "I can't stop em…"

"Hey now, I don't think it's funny." Scout said, "I think it's kind of cool."

"Of course you would think that kid." Rosario said, giving her a pat on the head.

"But I'm nearly as old as you…" Scout said as she gave a pout.

"Nah, you're still technically a kid." Cristal added.

"Well…" Ren said as he shrugged, "... I suppose we can't grow out of everything."

The Owner of the shop soon returned with Jaune's weapon and shield.

"Can't have a Huntsman without his weapon." He said, placing it on the counter, "Made all the modifications you asked for." The group had been left impressed as the shield and even sword had a golden outline and on the bottom of the shield it possessed a familiar crown shape.

"That was some fine metal you bought me." The Owner said, "Accents the white nicely. Where did you get it from anyway?"

Jaune's eyes soon looked to the crown insignia, as he couldn't help but think back to the one person who once had golden armor. Cristal had the same look as well, as she placed a hand on Jaune's shoulder.

"From a friend…" Jaune had eventually replied.

The group soon awaited for Jaune outside, wanting to give him some privacy to put on his armor. After a few moments, he stepped outside, revealing his new upgrade. His white armor had been outlined with gold and he now wore golden gauntlets; he also had a red scarf around his waist. He drew his sword and shield as the group had been left in awe as was the Owner.

"He cleans up alright, don't you think?" The Owner said.

"He most certainly does." Ren said.

"I still think a grenade launcher would've REALLY brought the look together!" Nora said.

"Nora, we've been over this, it's just not his style." Scout said.

"Nothing's gonna stop team RNJR and CRMS now!" Ruby said with a smile.

"Team JNRR!" Nora stated.

"Still not a color." Ren told her.

"Seriously? We're still on about this?" Rosario asked as she looked unamused.

"Well, it is Nora." Cristal said with a shrug.

Jaune soon told the group as he put his sword and shield away, "Guys, it doesn't matter what we're called… As long as we're together."

"You sure you kids won't stick around?" The Owner asked, "You've done a great deal for this town."

"It's tempting, though we're gonna have to decline." Cristal said.

"We've got another mission we have to take care of." Ruby said, placing her hand over her bracelet.

"Make it to Haven Academy! No matter what!" Nora stated.

"We heard the next village has a working airship." Ren said.

The Owner gave a thought, "There's no way to know for sure. Scroll signals have been weak enough even when Beacon Tower was still up. Haven't heard from Shion Village in awhile."

"There's only one way to find out." Scout said.

Both teams bid their farewells and went outside of town to meet up with Roman and Senka. They had gotten out from their hiding spots and Senka approached Cristal nuzzling her face with his beak.

"Hey there boy, did you miss me that much?" Cristal said with a giggle.

Roman soon noticed Jaune's new armor, "Nice touch Arky. The look suits you."

"Oh, tha-thanks." Jaune said as he blushed with embarrassment.

"Alright team!" Ruby said, "Let's move forward to Mistral!"

"YEAH!" Everyone except for Roman cheered. With that said the teams started to move along the path ahead, all the while Jaune checked over the list with Nora.

"Food?"

"Check!"

"Water?"

"Check!"

"How about ammo?"

"Locked and loaded! Thank you Schnee Dust company!"

Ruby's expression softened at the mentioning of the Schnee name. She couldn't help but think of her partner. She remembered the days during school, the good and the bad days and back at the Vytal Festival. She thought about the worst case scenario, that she may never see her again… It pained the thought as she thought about it.

Cristal and Melody soon noticed this as they approached her. "Hey Ruby…" Cristal said, "... Is everything okay?"

Ruby jumped before she said, "Oh, yeah! Don't worry, everything's just fine!"

Melody only gave her a look, "Ruby… Maize and I lived in the same house as you and Yang whenever dad was away on missions, and I know a droopy face when I see one. What's wrong? I'm family."

"And I'm your friend, you can tell us anything." Cristal said with a smile.

Ruby soon gave a sigh, "I was just… Thinking about Weiss again…"

Soon enough, Cristal's face softened as did Melody. "Oh yeah, the Heiress, you and Yang told me about when I called up."

"You miss her, huh?" Cristal asked.

"Yeah…" Ruby replied, "... I'm just wondering what she's doing right now in Atlas… And if she's thinking about you, Blake, Yang and I… And… I don't know… Maybe…?"

"Destiny?" Melody soon finished for her.

At this Cristal looked to the floor while Ruby nodded her head in reply, "I don't know if Weiss is wondering where she is, like we are after she went missing. I don't know, I guess I'm worried. Not just about her, but about Weiss too… What if she's forgotten about me?"

Cristal soon gasped, "Ruby Rose, don't you say such a thing!" She told her, "I may have only known her for a brief time, but I know she's not the kind of person to forget even if someone told her too! Even for an Ice Queen like her she's never one to forget!"

"She's right, you know." Melody said, "I know Destiny means a lot to you all, and Weiss means a lot too. But she's your partner, and she'll never regret having a girl like you on her team."

"How do you know that?" Ruby asked her cousin curiously.

"I learned it from dad." Melody replied, "When he was on STRQ, he was partnered with Auntie Summer--Rest her soul. From what he's told Maize and I, he knows her better than she knew herself. He said to us that Summer was one of the best of the best and he could never forget someone like her. Hell, he talked more about her than he did our Celi--" Melody stopped herself for a moment before she picked it back up, "--Our mom, I mean."

Ruby's eyes softened at this, while Cristal couldn't help but give a quizzical look as to why Melody's tone of voice changed.

She soon gave a smile, "Thanks you guys… I feel a little bit better."

"It's what family and friends are for!" Cristal said, giving a smile of her own.

Melody gave a nod, "And for what it's worth, when we find Destiny, I for one can't wait to meet her. She sounds like the best kid in the world."

Ruby and Cristal laughed at this. "Yeah…" Cristal said, "That she is."

"Don't worry Cristal!" Ruby said to her reassuringly, "We'll find your sister, I promise."

Soon enough their attention had been drawn to Scout. "Uh, hey Melody!" She said, calling out to her partner, "Quick question, you, Ruby or Cristal, don't have the map by any chance right?"

The three of them looked at each other as they exchanged a look of confusion.

"No, we thought Nora had it." Ruby replied, "Why?"

The group started to hiss through their breathing. "This is a REAL problem." Rosario said, running her hand through her hair.

"Tell me about it…" Jaune said as he slumped over.

Nora gave a nervous laugh as Roman couldn't help but facepalm himself again, "This is exactly why we can't have nice things…"

***

-Sometime Ago-

The rest of Ruby's team and Cristal's father met up with her and her cousin's group soon after they drove out the rest of the Grimm from the village. At first, Melody thought Ruby had lost her marbles when she saw Roman Torchwick, a criminal, had been with them. Though she was quick to calm them down, when she promised she and her friends would explain everything.

They decided to camp out nearby where the people of the town had been, in case the creatures of Grimm decided to come back. As they sat around the camofire, they had explained everything to Melody and her group.

What had happened in Beacon, why they were with a criminal like Roman, what Cristal did, and what they were doing out here in the first place.

Needless to say… They were surprised about it.

"Okay… So let me see if I got this right…" Melody said, "... You guys are tracking down the people responsible for the attack on Beacon… That girl with the scars can actually use magic, and is Roman's kid… Not only that, but you're trying to find her little sister--HIS second daughter that went missing… That sounds about right?"

"That's pretty much the gist of it." Ruby said awkwardly.

Melody, Rosario and Scout looked at one another.

"Wow…" Rosario said, "... Normally this would be the part where I would call someone crazy, but given the fact that girl… Uh Cristal was her name right---Did some sort of light show, I gotta say… It's believable."

"Wait…" Nora said surprised, "... You actually believe us?"

"Well as they say, seeing is believing." Scout said, "We would be crazy ourselves if we didn't believe you after what we witnessed tonight."

"Still can't believe the White Fang would stoop down low to kidnapping people." Rosario said, "And I thought Bandits would stoop to something like that."

"I'm sorry something like that happened to you and your sister." Scout said to Cristal before turning over to Roman, "And… I'm sorry that something terrible like that happened to your daughters."

"...Thanks for the courtesy." Roman said as he took a puff from his cigar.

"What about all of you?" Ren asked, "What are you doing all the way out here?"

"Well…" Melody said as she shrugged, "... Call it coincidence, but we're looking into the attack on Beacon too."

Ruby's group looked shocked at this, as they were literally dumbfounded. "Really?" Jaune asked, "You guys too?"

"Yeah." Rosario answered, "I have an idea on who could've attacked Beacon, and… Melody here says her father's friend resides in Haven and might have an idea on what's going on."

"Is that true?" Ruby said surprised, "Uncle Qrow knows someone like that?"

Melody gave a nod, "I remember my dad talking to Ozpin about it once. He's actually Headmaster of Haven Academy. Once I say I'm his daughter I'll ask him what's going on, and what we should do about catching the ones responsible"

".... That's actually not a bad idea." Jaune commented,.

"You really did think that one through." Roman added.

"Well I am the daughter of one of the greatest Huntsman that ever lived!" Melody said with a smile and in a prideful tone. Ruby couldn't help but giggle at her enthusiasm.

"It seems like we're going to Mistral for virtually the same reasons." Ren said.

"No kidding." Jaune said.

"Like Melody said, call it coincidence." Rosario said with a shrug.

Melody laughed before she said, "Took the words right out of my mouth! To think I would run into my cousin all the way out here in Anima!"

Ruby soon gave a laugh to, "I know! I'm just as surprised as you are! I'd dare say it's a miracle to find you out here, practically in the middle of nowhere."

Nora soon had a thought come over her head, "Hey! Since we're heading for Mistral, why don't you guys tag along with us!"

Melody, Rosario and Scout looked shocked by this kind of an offer.

"Have we gone with you?" Scout said.

"Wouldn't that be bothersome for you guys?" Rosario said, "I mean some of us barely know each other you know, with the exception of me, Roman, and Melody's cousin here."

"On the contrary it would be easier." Roman soon added, "We're all heading in the same direction anyway."

"Plus it wouldn't be bothersome at all!" Ruby soon added, "We could help each other!"

"Yep!" Cristal said, "And it wouldn't be bad to have a pretty good doctor on our team, in case we run into any trouble."

Scout couldn't help but turn red with embarrassment, "Well… I'm not THAT good."

"Says the girl whose town citizens praised her?" Melody asked amused.

"They just happened to like my work, that's all." Scout said.

"So… What do you guys say?" Ruby asked, "You wanna help us?"

Melody, Rosario and Scout looked to one another, as they started to give it some thought. After awhile Melody had been the first to speak up. "It's been far too long since I've been with my family. There's no way I'm just gonna let this opportunity get away from me. And… If Ruby needs me to help… Than you can be sure I'm all for it."

Ruby couldn't help but smile at this as she laughed softly; tears almost came to her eyes.

Rosario soon gave a shrug, "Eh, why the hell not? As said before, we're all heading in the same direction anyway."

"I'll be coming too!" Scout said with a smile, "I'm sure I can be of help too."

"HOORAY!" Nora cheered, "LET'S BREAK SOMEONE'S LEGS!"

The group looked to her awkwardly, as Melody, Rosario and Scout had been left befuddled. "... Uhh… What?" Rosario said.

"Don't worry, you'll get used to it." Ren said, waving it off.

"Oh, wait!" Ruby soon exclaimed, "I almost forgot!"

The group looked to her confused before she had surprised Melody with a hug; she basically froze as she didn't know how to react or how to respond. "This is from Maize…" Ruby soon said softly, "... She misses you… And I want you to come home soon…"

Melody let out a sigh before she finally hugged her back. "Oh Maize…" She said softly.

Cristal couldn't help but smile at this scene, before she suddenly noticed something out of the ordinary. She stood up as she looked to the sky which took the group back. "Cristal?" Roman said as he stood up beside her, "Sweetheart, what is it?"

Cristal didn't say anything as she walked away from the group, though she still had been close. The group became alert at this as they drew there weapons.

"No, wait!" Cristal told them calmly, as she held her hand out to them, "... This presence… I know it..."

"Presence?" Ruby said questiongly.

Before any of them could ask, they had heard something close by, stepping towards them in the dark; though they had still been on guard they soon lowered their weapons. They had been taken back when they saw something glow with white eyes through the thick layer of darkness.

Cristal's eyes widened slightly as she started to run towards the source of the light, with the group soon following behind her.

She slowed herself down as the young red eyed girl found herself before a particular creature. Ruby, Jaune, Nora, Ren, and Roman had been taken back by what had been before them, while Melody, Rosario and Scout's jaws seemingly dropped.

Before them stood a Griffon that had been that of Grimm; though it didn't have the burning red eyes unlike the others they've seen. Instead they saw it had been white calming eyes as it had been docile, looking to Cristal in the eyes as it let out a couple of noises.

Melody, and Rosario readied to attack it, though Ruby stopped them from doing so as she shook her head.

Cristal reached out to the Griffon, before the Griffon leaned towards her until his beak touched her palm. For a moment her eye shined white instead of gold, and the right side of a butterfly's wing appeared on her forehead only for a moment before disappearing again.

Tears started to come to her eyes as she felt her chest ache.

"... Senka… " She said softly, "... Your name is Senka… My sister… My baby sister… Saved you… And sent you to me..."

The Griffon leaned over, placing his head on her shoulder as Cristal began to cry, while the group remained shocked and in awe by the scene before them.

***

-Present; Somewhere in Remnant-

In a large windowed room, six people sat around a crystal like table with chairs made from that of a tree, one of them sitting in a strange way. Mercury Black and Emerald Sustari stood by the window looking onto the land of red, seeing the creatures of Grimm emerge from the pools of black.

Emerald looked fearfully while Mercury had a look of disgust on his face.

Someone had soon snapped their fingers, and just like that, they returned to a young woman's side. This person had been revealed to be that of the Fall Maiden… Cinder Fall.

Her hair had been cut short as she wore a long red dress with a single sleeve covering her entire arm.

Her face however told a different story.

Her face had a scar in the form of an X just over the bridge of her nose, and an eyepatch covering her left eye.

A young girl who looked to be that of nineteen sat by her side and next to the man who sat strangely in his chair. She had long black hair tied into a ponytail and had on a dark gray crop top revealing her breast line in a small portion that had been cut into a shape of a diamond and appeared to have a scar on her chest. She looked to have a scorpion's charm around her neck. She had on a pair of red wine khakis with black combat boots and dark brown ammo belt around her waist that looked to be slanted a little. She had on a pair of fingerless gloves in the color of gray that appeared to have armor paddings and reached up to her elbows, though bandages had been seen on the outside.

What struck her out the most was not only the Geist mask she had on, but upon her head, she had a pair of white horns that had been curved a little, and resembled that of a ram growing them in. She had her palm opened as she set in motion two spheres each in a different color, as red lines had been seen glowing dimly.

A tall woman stood by her side as well, as she stood eight foot two, possessing short white hair and looked as though she had been blinded as seen from a scar over both of them. She had on a black leather vest and wore a dark green collared shirt with a set of black shredded jeans with the same style boots the girl had but had been in a dark brown color.

The girl watched as Emerald and Mercury returned to Cinder's side; Emerald shoved at Mercury harshly and shoved him out of the way to make room.

A man who sat across from them, one by the name of Watts, soon spoke up, "Yes, please keep your…" He fixed up his tie a little, "... Posse in check."

Mercury glared over at Watts, and went to charge at him; though Emerald had been quick to stop him. All Cinder had done was look in their direction and yet…. She said nothing.

"Do you hear that?" Watts said, "Silence. I have half the mind to thank the little girl that bested you."

The man who was next to the young teen, one by the name of Tyrian said, "... If I were you, I'd hunt her down." He cackled, "Find her and… Well… She took your eye… Didn't she?"

All Cinder could do was stare at the man, just as he started to laugh. The young teen looked to Cinder and saw her try to say something, but she couldn't as all that came out was a raspy voice. The tall woman, though blind placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Pay them no mind Elise…" She said to the teen, as if she knew what she had been thinking, "... Focus on one thing… As your mother had said…"

"... I know, Shiro." The teen named Elise replied softly as she focused on the spheres, before she started to form a shape.

Cinder watched the young girl work, before she turned to Emerald; she leaned in, and allowed Cinder to whisper in her ear.

Watts only rolled his eyes at this, "Pathetic… Why do you even--"

Watt's sentence had been cut off when they heard the latch on the door; even Elise seemed to stop what she had been doing as the glow on her horns seemed to have vanished. Both of the doors opened, and everyone who had been sitting at the table stood, alert and their attention drawn.

One person entered the room, only one was enough to make them alert.

A woman only known as… Salem.

She stepped around the table leaving a faint trail of black vapor, at the moment not saying anything, till she reached to the throne of crystals at the far end.

Finally she spoke, as her voice sounded cold.

"Watts."

Watts flinched slightly as she turned to him; her eyes glowing a faint red glow, "... Do you find such malignance necessary?"

She gestured them all to sit, to which they complied; all except for Watts who stood tall.

"I apologize ma'am." Watts said calmly, "I'm not particularly fond of failure."

Salem took her seat as she looked upon those that sat at the table. "Than I see no reason for your cruelty towards young Cinder… She has become our Fall Maiden, destroyed Beacon tower, found our Elise, and most importantly… Killed dear Ozpin." She raised an eyebrow towards him, "... So I'm curious… To what failures are you referring?"

"... If I may mother…?" Elise soon spoke up, causing Salem to turn to her, "... Doctor Watts has told me of what Cinder and her group did to Beacon… And though they succeeded with your plan, they still did not acquire the Relic, nor did they get the other two descendants."

"How dare you!" Emerald glaring at Elise, "How could you say stuff like that so casually when you weren't even there to begin with!"

"I'm merely stating facts, Sustrai." Elise told her, "Facts that are clear to myself and our fellow comrades in this very room."

"You don't get to have an opinion like that Miss Plant!" Mercury said harshly, "You didn't even come around till after it all happened!"

"Yeah!" Emerald added, "If you think I'm gonna sit here and let you--"

Emerald had been cut off when her and Mercury found themselves being lifted off their ground; they were both unable to move their arms as if they had been bound. Elise had been the cause as her horns on her head glowed red again.

"--You should really reconsider who you speak to, unless you want to keep your voices." Elise said, "I can simply crush both of your necks and that'll be the end."

"Elise." Salem soon said sternly, "Put them down."

Elise didn't talk back, she only stayed silent as she looked at her calmly. "... Understood." She soon said, with a simple wave of her hand, Emerald and Mercury had fell on their feet catching their breaths, gasping for air.

"The young miss, does bring up a valid point, your Grace." The woman beside Elise named Shiro said, "Not to mention, her and Cinder survived an encounter with the girl with Silver Eyes."

"Yes." A man named Hazel soon said, "We've dealt with her kind before… How is it that a novice was able to beat one of us?"

"My thoughts exactly." Watts said, "Even without her new power it should've been effortless."

"It is because of the Maiden's power." Salem soon stated, before turning to the Maiden, "... Make no mistake Cinder. You and the descendants hold the key to our victory. But your newfound strength comes with a crippling weakness. Which is why you will remain by my side as we continue your treatment."

Cinder turned away looking unhappy to hear that as Emerald couldn't help but give a sympathetic look over in her direction.

"Dr. Watts." Salem said, "You are to take Cinder's place, and meet with our informant in Mistral."

"Very good." Watts said with a nod.

"Tyrian." She soon said, turning to him, "... I want you and Elise to continue your hunt for the sisters, as well as the Spring Maiden."

"Of course." Elise said as she nodded.

Tyrian let out a chuckle, "Gladly."

"And Hazel…" She said turning to him, "... I'm sending you and Shiro to the leader of the White Fang. Adam Tarrus has arranged the meeting. The boy continues to grow loyal. Ensure that Sienna Khan feels the same."

"Yes, your Grace." Shiro said as she bowed.

"... As you wish." Hazel said with a nod.

Cinder soon lifted her hand to get Emerald's attention which she had been successful at. She leaned over and Cinder spoke in her ear; after a moment she was straightening up.

"Speak child." Salem said to Emerald.

"... She wants to know…" Emerald said nervously, "... What about the girl?"

Watts merely scoffed, "What about her? Seems like this is Cinder's problem not ours."

Cinder slammed her fist on the table as she glared over at him; Watts couldn't help but smirk. "That's enough." Salem said, causing everyone to turn to her. Salem soon had a thought come over her.

"Tyrian, Elise?" Salem said.

"... Mother?" Elise said tilting her head.

"... Yes, my lady?" Tyrian said with a smile.

"The sisters and Spring, can wait…" Salem said, "Find the girl that did this to Cinder--"

Tyrian giggled as he clapped his hands at the sound of going after the one with silver eyes, but it soon died down when--

"--And bring her to me." She finished with a smile.

He couldn't help but let out a groan of disappointment, making Elise pat him on the shoulder; they both knew what that meant despite her not saying it directly. She wants the girl alive, no exceptions. But he soon shrugged and still had a smile anyway.

After all, just because she was needed alive… Didn't mean they couldn't hurt her.

"Because of your efforts, Beacon has fallen…" Salem said, "... And Haven… Will be next."

Everyone rose from their seats and went to leave the room. Elise went over to Tyrian as he snickered; snaking a hand around Elise's waist to bring her closer to him, he looked over to Cinder.

"Eye for an eye…" He said sinisterly.

He soon gave a laugh that echoed the entire room and halls.