Hello, my name is BloodyCow. And welcome to my fic!

This is a rewrite of my previous fic called Team SLVR that was last updated at Jan 27, 2018.

I didn't really think that it'd take me more than a year to bring this bad boy up, sorry about that.

Anyway, I hope all of you will get to enjoy this.

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN RWBY.

FEBRUARY 16, 2019

Adorned in an ashen shirt with a black jacket over it, a young man with black fitted pants leant on the railings at the bow of a passenger ferry, staring off into the distance without a care in the world. The sun was at least halfway to its peak. The occasional blows of the horn could be heard from the bow of the ship—as if it would bother him. His ears were covered with the muffs of his headphones, blaring with music.

His eyes were closed as he followed through with the rhythm of the music. Unkempt black hair dancing with the gentle breeze that wafted through the deck. Despite being almost midday and post-summer, it wasn't hot or warm than it should be.

The smell of the cool ocean permeated through his nose and he loved the smell of it. The ocean reminded him of his sister—always energetic and moving from one place to another. Most of all, the gentle smile she always keeps on her face, much like how the ocean was as gentle as it comes. But where there is a time where the ocean rages, she too rages like one—and it was a nightmare whenever that happens.

He stood idly by the crowd, staring at seagulls that flew over the boat and the horizon—all the while, listening to his tunes. That was until someone bumped him on the shoulders—or rather punched him, if only lightly, on his shoulders.

"Hey, what are you spacing out for?" It was the most dependable leader of the year. He rolled his eyes as he let slip the headphones from his ears to his neck. Leona Solaris stared at him quizzically with vibrant auburn eyes before shrugging, with her beautiful orange mane bouncing over her shoulder pauldrons.

Other people passed by, sparing Leona a glance or two. He couldn't help but chuckle. There was no mistaking it though and he couldn't blame them; Leona was, after all, a stunning girl—so it was not her fault if they bump into someone else. Under those pauldrons, chest plate, vambracers and gauntlets, a tanned dress shirt was tucked into a white and orange checkered skirt. White knee socks reached up to her thighs. Steel plated boots clattered on the iron works of the ship, as opposed to the leathered-combat boots that he was wearing.

"It's nothing, really. I was just wondering why Ozpin sent us out into a mission just before the start of the semester. Though, I doubt it has anything to do with the auditorium last semester, right?" He asked, as he turned to the orange knight. "Do you think he's doing this just to spite us?"

The girl young her head, "No, I don't think so." She yawned a little before recovering quickly. "If he was, Ozpin would've sent us on a more difficult mission. The last one was a breeze . . ." She yawned again but tried to disguise it as a breath. Leona was definitely tired from the looks of it.

"You look tired . . ." He tried.

"I'm not—I'm fin—!" She tried to stifle it again but despite her efforts, it gone through.

"No, you're not. I knew you shouldn't have taken that extra night watch." He said. "I'm not gonna say I told you so . . ." The pointed glare that she gave him was enough to make a grown man shrivel up in fear.

"Gray," She started, "I told you, it is fine. You don't need to do anything about it."

"You're probably even too weak to even fight off against me or our teammates for that matter." Leona was about to argue but he raised his hand to stop her, "How 'bout this? After you take your rest back in our dorm room, I'll join you in with reporting to Ozpin. Sounds good?" Leona thought about it for a second before nodding along with his plan.

"Fine, I'll do it—but only because you asked me to, Gray . . ."

"Great, I wouldn't be much of a partner if I let you implode now, would I?" He smirked at her to which she returned it.

"And I wouldn't be much of a leader if I took all of our tasks for myself. Besides, it's high time that we finally get show off to our unsuspecting and upcoming juniors for this year." She said while stretching her arms skywards. "It wouldn't bode well for the both of us if we were not in tip-top shape."

Gray huffed and continued to lean against the metal railings. "Yeah, but we can probably try to tone it down a bit. We wouldn't want a repeat of what happened last term." He sighed, "I know you guys were pretty excitable last time, but this doesn't have to be like last time."

Their first year together was a disaster. Sure, he might've contributed to that chaos by choosing to be impertinent till the end of the year—or rather, would have been if the team didn't manage to open him up to them.

How the heck did they survive classes again?

The raised brow had a condescending edge to it, "Sure, be like that. As far as I can recall, it was you who was being a pain in the ass." She said, planting her fists at her hips.

"Touché." He said, "But I seem to recall as well that it took you guys more time to at least make Maive speak more than three or four words. Me? You guys just mentioned you wanted to get to know me and there, you have it . . ." It wasn't really what happened to the team but it was more along the lines of what he said.

"That's putting it lightly. Though, you were the deciding factor as to why Maive decided to open up to us, right? But yeah, whatever helps you sleep at night . . ." She revealed to him her smug smile. But it vanished when Gray grunted in response. "But seriously, Ozpin said that the new students are gonna be an interesting lot this year."

"Well, it was Ozpin that said that, we won't know for sure that it'll be as interesting as he says. I mean, this is Ozpin we're talking about. Interesting for him would be opening up a coffee shop in the middle of the courtyard and trying to piss off more than half the school population. " He deadpanned.

Leona chuckled, "Well, yeah, sure, you got a point there . . . but still—!"

"Plus, I'd probably be overshadowed by you and our teammates." Gray said, "Did you know that Iris put up posters of us with ridiculous definitions? She even had Maive help her with it . . ." Leona groaned and leaned closer to the railings.

"'A princess knight of unparalled skills from a distant land, a fox Faunus with more than enough intellect to overthrow a kingdom, a swordsman of unknown origin with skills that grows beyond the comprehension of a professional huntsman and a mysterious archer of many talents' was what it said, right?" She said, "Even though Mistral is not that far to Vale compared to the other kingdoms . . ."

"She's getting ahead of herself with those things."

"Hmph, it's Iris we're talking about, it's a given." The horns of the ferry shot again. When they looked ahead, the Vale docks were already in sight. "Better get to the others, we're almost there." She said, making Gray nod. The both of them headed to their lodgings in the ferry down in the middle section of the ship. It was at least worth two days of travelling by boat from Vale to another settlement located at an island far off into the sea and another two days going back.

They arrived shortly to the entrance of their cabin, "You think they're okay?" He asked.

"They'll be fine!" She said, assuring him. But he didn't feel assured at all.

"Last time we took a boat, Iris nearly emptied her stomach on our luggage." Gray muttered to himself as he shook his head and opened the door. When they got in, they didn't know why they weren't shocked at all. "See? I'm not gonna say 'I told you so' because that'd be just rude." He managed to let out.

"Uh . . ." A blue-cropped-haired girl was bowled over a trash bin. She wore a short blue and black hoodie that extended up to her waist and a dark-blue short tube that exposed her abdomen. The black pants that she wore were too short even by perverted standards. Lastly, riding boots and knee socks with her right—black and left—blue. What stood out from her, however, was the blue fox tail that she had, which was limp on her backside.

She was the more positive and outgoing girl in the team . . . even if that wasn't so evident right now. She might be a genius but that didn't mean every geniuses have to be immune to seasickness.

"Um, Iris is having a hard time. It would be best if we leave her be for now . . ." Another girl was seated on a bed near the girl over the trash bin. "I moved the luggage over there to provide some space for Iris, and in case, she decides to flood the luggage in vomit." She spoke again in a neutral tone.

"Thanks, you're a lifesaver, Maive." The girl with long straight purple hair nodded and turned her attention back to the book at her hands. She has a violet sleeveless turtleneck sweater with a black skirt. Leathered knee-high boots were adorned with silver trinkets.

Maive was the aloof and cool girl in the whole year—or that's what people from an outside perspective would perceive her as. But in truth, she's nothing like that. She's clumsy and an airhead, who likes to read books in her free time.

Other people would probably never notice the difference but just by looking at her, Gray could already spot the differences. A lock of her hair dangling in-between her eyes had a hairclip that was loosely attached to it. Her skirt was wrinkled and a mess. Even the book in her hands was something about common sense. But that doesn't mean she isn't intelligent—Maive's probably the one of the top students in terms of theory, coming on second place just behind Iris. And coming far in third was Leona. But Gray was mostly placed in the average part.

Leona moved closer to Iris but not too close, in fear that vomit will get to her shoes. "We need to prepare to leave. The docks are near and Ozpin will want that report as soon as we land." He said to the group.

"Y-yeah . . ." Iris said, "There's at least 15 minutes left before docking. We should—!" She vomited again into the bin. The team only found out that Iris had sea sickness when she boarded one ship, to their—and even Iris'—surprise. The only reason why they used the ferry was because all bullheads that Beacon used were under maintenance for at least a week for the upcoming term. That meant using the ferry to and fro.

Leona's hand landed on Maive's knee, making the violet-themed girl to look at their leader, "We'll prepare our bags and Iris', while Gray takes care of transportation. The Beacon bullheads going to Vale should still be operational."

Gray nodded, "I think I can manage that. Though, Leona needs a rest after everything that had happened." Maive looked at her leader and probably noticed the bags under her eyes. She turned back to him and nodded.

"I know that." Leona said.

"I will watch over them." Maive countered.

"That would be for the best. I'll be back before the ferry docks but you can find me at the deck if there're any problems." Leona stared at Maive and looked back to Gray to tell him off that she can look after herself, but he was already out the door before she could. It was a good thing too, since Gray couldn't hide the smirk that he had.

On the deck, he pulled out his scroll and sent a quick message to the Beacon staff for transportation to be directed to the Vale docks. After he was done, he stayed there, leaning on the railings once again.

For some reason, he wanted to be alone for a while. Being the only male member of the team was really getting to him—too much oestrogen in one place. But the guys back in Beacon were merely sending him jealous looks from his predicament.

'Too bad though. They'll understand soon enough just how terrifying these girls are.' He thought, 'On that note, a little me time wouldn't hurt.' His mind wandered again, idly thinking of different things at the same time. Multitasking as he would like to phrase. But a specific thought flashed by.

'We're finally second years and with a new batch of huntsmen and huntresses-in-training, I'm starting to think that the new school year would be anything but peaceful. I think it'll be better if it was boring. Boring is good. Boring means there's nothing to worry about, except some homework and combat class and it also means no one will be dying anytime soon.'

The captain of the ship began to give orders at the men on the deck. The passengers were ready to disembark with a few staying behind as they try to pack their things. He just hoped that his teammates were prepared as well, knowing them, they'd probably struggle for a bit.

After briskly walking past other passengers, he made to walk back to their cabin when he saw his team walk out with their bags in tow. He'll have to apologize for not being there sooner.

Leona was carrying one of his teammates, with an arm slung over Leona's shoulder. The other one hang back like she expected to be vomited on by the girl that was being carried. Iris had a pale expression on her face and a hand covering her mouth if ever vomit was threatening to rise up to her throat.

Her short hair stuck to her face like glue. Her sweaty gloved hands held onto Leona's shoulders with a vice grip. Every unexpected movement from Leona did that.

Gray ignored the fact that Leona was giving him a pleading look and how her face seemed to wince every time the girl beside her would strengthen her grip. What does she think he'll do? He does not want to go in that area. He'd rather fight Grimm than have vomit all over him. Maive also had the same idea as him.

She was pinching her nose while her other hand was holding one of her bags. Her face seemingly drawing up a neutral expression. Nonetheless, he approached them and held open his hands.

Maive gave him his weapon—an odachi with an ornamented black scabbard called Rosaletta—and his bags. But he didn't stop there. He carried their bags, including Maive's for them. Leona gave a silent thanks for the gesture and continued to carry Iris around.

"D-don't worry about me, Leona . . . I . . . I'll be fine." Her voice was shaky and there was no trace of the energetic girl within her.

"I'd rather you not vomiting at any civilians and stay where you are." Iris merely whined about it but tried not to struggle too much, "Maive, lead the way."

"Towards the nearest Valean airstrip, we go." And they all walked off towards the Vale.

. . .

A sword parried a strike, letting it skid pass the length of the blade and into the ground.

The wielder grunted in exhaustion and pain as a knee went deep into his gut. His feet were lifted off the ground as a result of the force of the blow. He was sent flying a few feet from his previous position and fell face-first to the ground.

He rolled away as a blade was buried into the ground for a few inches. "Good!" The owner of the other sword shouted. Before long, the two combatants were in a flurry of sword strikes that the both of them blocked or parried.

In a minute or two, both swords were in a deadlock.

"You're getting good, Jaune!" Jeremiah Arc, the patriarch of the Arc family, said. He was a muscular and tall man that towered over six feet and three inches tall with blonde hair and sapphire-like eyes. Despite being over forty, he still retained to look a lot like his twenty-year-old self. He pushed him back before disengaging and ending the battle prematurely. "Keep this up and you'll be ready in no time at all." The man said as he sheathed his blade by his hip.

"I know that. I've been training for more than three years for this, dad." Jaune Arc—the only son of Jeremiah—said, sheathing his blade and sitting down on the grass. He was much like his father, but leaner and scragglier than him. "I had a lot of catching up to do since I never did ask for training before. But with everything that I am now, I think I'll be okay . . ."

There was uncertainty in his voice, but Jeremiah couldn't voice out and say to his son that he was fine. Contrary to what Jeremiah was doing now, he couldn't proudly say that the results of his son's training were in contribution of his own since it really wasn't.

The first person that Jaune had ever received training wasn't from a family member but from a friend. He taught him proper forms and footwork, downright to the conditioning of his body. Jaune's style was completely different from his and all he ever done for the training was as a sparring partner. Of course, he'd give Jaune tips on how to better his footwork and anything regarding combat. At least, his friend left something out for the father to impart something from his own to his son.

In truth, he really wasn't against training Jaune but the way the boy acted from birth was worrying. He saw himself as a hero of the populace whenever he played with his sisters. A naïve view of heroism where the hero would slay the bad guy, save the kingdom and be praised by the people. Jeremiah saw that as something of a warning, that Jaune would more than likely risk his own life to protect those that are in need.

In a world like theirs, it would be viewed upon as a heroic act and Jaune would definitely receive the praise that he'd always wanted. But what would that mean for his friends and family? The years' worth of teaching him to become what he was now? That's why he didn't train him.

Jeremiah saw so much of himself in his boy that it was almost ghastly. He knew that was what Jaune would do. But now, he can't do anything but continue what was started and make sure that Jaune was prepared enough for Beacon.

"You're doing a good job is what it looks like to me, Jaune. He would be proud." Upon hearing him mention his mentor, Jaune's shoulders slumped. "Hey, what's wrong?" His hand landed on his son's shoulders.

"It's just . . ." It was the first time in a while that he saw Jaune's face contort in frustration. "It's just that . . . I can't help but feel like I'm comparing myself to him. I know, he knows and even you know the difference between the two of us, even if you haven't seen him fight yet."

"Is that what you're worried about?" Jeremiah couldn't help but laugh. "You're measuring yourself against one of the few that can survive the wilds of the Badlands and come out unscathed. I think it's safe to say that that's a ridiculous notion." He couldn't help but smile when Jaune could only huff and cross his arms. Jaune was acting more of a child as the days go by. "But I can't blame you that he's the only one you have to measure yourself with. The only other person is me; since I'm still on active duty, while your mother is already retired. Don't beat yourself up because of this."

"Alright, alright, fine." He sighed. "But do you really think that he's going to be in Beacon?" Jaune's blue orbs danced with hope as he looked at Jeremiah. And to think that the kid used to look up to him, now it was someone else and much younger too.

"I know so. Ozpin told me. And you know how I've got some connection with that rightful bastard." They shared a laugh. In the past, Jeremiah would've had it hard to just laugh and joke with Jaune. But it seems that those days were over and something in the horizon was taking shape for the both of them. 'I guess I've gotta thank him for this chance to reconcile with my son.' In some way, the man who trained Jaune manage to worm into their hearts. Now, if only he could do something about his sister though . . .

"Boys! Dinner's ready!" Isabella Arc shouted by the kitchen window.

"Be right there, honey!" Jeremiah shouted back. "There's only three days left before the new term starts in Beacon. You need to be in tip-top shape if you really want to get in there. You didn't go to prep school so other people would definitely be better than you are. Three years isn't enough to make you catch up to them . . ." He grinned when he saw Jaune's face turning serious—blue eyes sharpened, mouth set on a thin line.

"I know, and I want to get stronger—strong enough to go head-to-head with anyone there." Jeremiah couldn't be much prouder.

. . .

Iris Rackler breathed in relief as they landed on Beacon grounds. The ride back to Vale was tortuous at worst and uncomfortable at best. It came as a shock —not only to the team but also to her. Who knew that she'd be that affected by seasickness?

"SLVR is back, baby!" Iris shouted with her arms extended sideward. "I can finally do my work on the ideas that plagued my mind during that mission! C'mon, Maive, let's get to it!" She squealed and could no longer contain her excitement. If there was one thing that Iris loved more than her friends, it was inventing new tech that she can use in combat. And her partner would follow around her just like what any big sister would.

Though, there were times that her ideas weren't combat-oriented but more for domestic uses; such as, the walking fridge or the AI that she made in her personal computer.

"Iris," Her leader stated, with a tired sigh, "as much as I would love to just relax in our room and do nothing for the day, I was hoping that you'd at least help us with our luggage."

Iris tilted her head. "I thought Gray has that covered?"

"I would be if I wasn't going to accompany Leona to Ozpin's office. She's gonna need more than one mouth to retell the details on what happened in our mission. That and Leona's practically gonna collapse if she spent more energy." Gray—the only male member of the team—said. "And I'm gonna need all the mental strength that I have when dealing with Ozpin." He sighed, as if going to the headmaster was a pain. Well, in truth, it was. Iris shrugged not at all caring if she was carrying half the burden of the team.

After lifting her part and Gray's his, they walked down the ramp of the bullhead and made their way through Beacon's courtyard. Students were milling about and minding their own business. That was until they saw them. Iris couldn't really understand why they'd stare at their team as if they were some top dogs.

But in a sense, they were. To her belief, team SLVR—the most awesome team in all of Beacon—was unstoppable and undefeated. None of them, no one in their team has ever lost a match from the start of the year. Even if the team was a little rocky from the start; being only her and Leona to actually put effort in building up the team.

Gray, however, said that they weren't really the best of the best. He was humble like that, even if he was the only one who kept holding back on his opponents. Leona and Gray were walking ahead for a few feet while she and Maive were just behind them.

"Hey, Maive." The silent member of their team tilted her head in response. It was cute. "You think that we can invite CFVY with our little experiment? I've been dying to test my ideas out!"

"I don't think Coco and Velvet would appreciate being experimented on . . ." She said.

"Of course, they're not gonna be a part of that . . . I'll ask Fox and Yatsu for that." The grin she sent Maive's way was nothing short of a cheeky one. She was glad when Maive smile one on her own. "Then, it's official. We'll ask Coco later. Oh, I can't wait!"

The trip to their dorm was spent in a comfortable silence with Iris and Maive bringing up the rear. Upon entering, however, they were met with one complication. "Hey, guys. How was the mission?" Coco's face was met with a heavy luggage as Iris threw whatever she was holding in her left hand. The force nearly sent her barrelling to the other side of the room. "Ow, that hurt." Coco pouted, but never did one of them dare say it was cute in any way. They'd never live it down. "That was some greeting. I was only here to welcome you back. Now, it looks my efforts were unappreciated."

All of team SLVR sighed, putting down their bags near their respective beds. "How did you even get in here?" Coco Adel—the leader of team CFVY—raised a brow.

"Oh, that? I just asked Miss Goodwitch if I can get in your room since I've seem to have forgotten my books here." All four members of team SLVR stared at her. "What? It's really the only thing I can come up with!"

"Or you could've just asked Velvet to open the door for you." Gray said, with an unimpressed look. "I gave her the code needed for our room, since she tends to leave things behind most of the time whenever you guys are visiting."

"When did Bun-bun ever get VIP access to this room?" She asked.

"Because she is more trustworthy than you are, Coco." This time it was Leona to throw the jab at Coco. It was slightly amusing to see the varying reactions the coffee-themed girl would have with the unexpected jabs towards her.

"C'mon, guys. You don't mean that, right?" Coco turned towards the last bastion she could find in Maive. But her partner was never one for siding with the enemy.

"I'm sorry, Coco. But I do not wish to lie . . ." Comical sobs were heard in the room as she was left alone by everyone, until they heard a knock on the door.

"Coco, you in there? We've been looking for you everywhere!" It was Velvet. And one that Coco decided to tell her woes. The door wasn't so much as gently pulled open than ripped off of its hinges. Coco lunged towards Iris' fellow faunus.

"Bun-bun! Leona and the others are being mean to me again!" She bawled. But Velvet didn't even turn to comfort her leader rather turned to the returned team. So, it was pretty amusing to see Coco call out to Velvet with a shocked expression—as if she was left behind by her only friend.

"Welcome back, everyone!" Velvet said, smiling brightly. "It's been a few weeks since you all left. How was the mission?" Maive walked towards Velvet while holding a paper bag with both hands and gave it to her. "Oh, what's this?"

"Maive got it for you when we were waiting for a bullhead earlier." Iris said without looking at them and continued to prepare her gadgets. "Said something about a gift for you . . ."

"Oh," Velvet opened the bag and was surprised to see what was inside. Eyes wide, she faced Maive with a gleeful expression, "Maive! You shouldn't have! These carrot cakes are from that expensive café, right?" Seeing Maive nod, Velvet couldn't help but glomp at the girl.

"Hey, why does Velvet get a gift and I don't?" Coco, the ever annoying friend, said. No longer crying crocodile tears.

"Don't worry," Leona placated, "We've got everyone souvenirs from our last mission. Not to mention, we got a bit of allowance from being given gifts by the village we protected."

Upon hearing this, Coco went giddy, "Goodie! I'll get Fox and the big guy!" And Coco was gone in an instant.

"You did buy souvenirs for them, right?" Gray asked.

Leona glanced at him in confusion, "No, I thought you . . . did it . . ."

Shaking her head, Iris could only snort in amusement. "Well, who's going to give them the bad news?" In the end, team SLVR were better fighters and bad friends.

. . .

It was cold at night—that was a no-brainer. But tonight, it was unusually cold. The cold concrete floor sent shivers down his spine and he couldn't help but shudder. The shattered moon did little to provide him some much needed light as he made his way towards the veranda on the second floor.

Gray's always been having these recurring dreams and it's not showing signs of stopping. Well, it was because he's had these since the day the world decided to fuck with his life. He wouldn't say any of these to his teammates or friends from team CFVY; they'd needlessly worry about him even if they didn't need to. He released a sigh, stepping forward to lean on the stone railings. The stone was cold to his skin—his breath hitched at the bitter cold. It wasn't even winter, how was it so cold?

"Brrr . . . what the hell? Summer just ended and it's freaking cold. Even Atlas wasn't this cold when summer ended." It was a lot colder in Atlas actually. It was probably climate change or some crap like that. He didn't know and he didn't care either. "What am I even doing here?" Moping? Nah. That was more up Fox's alley. He just needed to get away from a nightmare for once and to think about all the mistakes that he had made in the past.

It would've been easy enough if there was something that he can do about these dreams of his. Though, he could probably chalk it up as the effect of going to the headmaster's office. But the human mind was a fickle thing. So, he wouldn't go that far. He may be able to fight with his eyes closed or fight on a swarm of Grimm without any hesitation. But here he was, up and about all because of one little dream. He was strong and weak at the same time.

"I've only been having these dreams lately after I left Atlas and Ein behind." He sighed. Gray's hand went up to his chest where a small bulge was visible. He palmed the small bulge and continued stroking it. It was a necklace that was given to them by their late mother—a memento of sorts. "If that was the case, would the nightmares stop if I meet up with her?" He asked to no one in particular and looked up to the shattered moon as if looking for answers.

"You know, you could just ask for someone to give you advice."

"As much as I want advice on the matter, I don't think it's a good idea to eavesdrop on someone even if it was meant for good intentions, Coco." He turned around to face the girl and wasn't shocked that her sunglasses were still adorned on her head—albeit, hung loosely on the top of her forehead. Without her glasses her small round face and dark brown eyes were open for the world to see—she's actually pretty cute if he completely ignores her attitude. "What are you even doing here?" She forgone her regular outfit in favour of her nightwear—a pair of pyjama pants and a brown tank top with a coffee bean imprint. There were two cups of steaming coffee on both hands.

"What? Can't a girl have some peace of mind when half my room is occupied by two testosterone-filled, muscle brained idiots? Besides, I'm still bummed out that none of you guys got me something." She exclaimed, with a pointed look directed at him.

Gray held up his hands in a placating manner. "Okay, okay." He said, sighing. "You do know if we get caught by anyone, we'll get burned by Goodwitch, right?"

"It'll be fine," She waved him off. "It's past midnight and there's not a soul left awake in Beacon. Besides, I should be asking you the same thing. You were probably awake longer than I was, anyway."

"As if I was the one taking the time to make two of your favourite blend in the middle of the night." Gray gestured to the cups of coffee. "What are you even going to do with two of them?"

"I was going to drink them but since you're here, you might as well keep me company." She said, handing a cup to him. He shrugged and accepted the brew. "So, you got anything to tell me. You never know. I might give good advice for once." She threw a cheeky grin his way but he merely chuckled in response.

"Good advice or not, I'm not risking my health on that." He sipped on the hot beverage she gave him and was surprised that it wasn't coffee. "Cocoa? I thought you loved coffee more than this stuff?"

"Hah! Just because I like coffee doesn't mean I don't like a good cocoa once in a while and I don't drink caffeine at night—it ruins my beauty sleep." She sipped on hers, "Besides, who doesn't like a drink named after you?" She winked at him, but Gray rolled his eyes.

"So, the great Coco Adel is making jokes now. It must be the end of the world if it's like that." He received a light punch for his jibe but didn't receive anything else. "It's been a few weeks ever since we left for that mission; how's the team?"

"Meh, same old, same old. There's really nothing much that I can say about us—only that it can be pretty boring if it was just us. I mean, we have an introverted bunny with few friends that I can count with my fingers, a philosophical giant of a man with nothing to say except proverbs and the like, and then there's the quiet martial artist wannabe with a crush on a ditzy airhead." She went on, "If you're asking how the team is, I think I'm the only one in the team that's actually pretty great at socializing. So, we are royally fucked." Gray huffed, amused at her words.

"Big words for someone that only has her team and mine as her friends."

"Hey! At least, I'm not the one out there looking for fights almost every day of every week!"

"I'm not looking for fights in Beacon. They're the ones who're asking for it." But then Gray perked up as if realizing something. "But I remember a certain someone goading them on about taking me on in a fight." He eyed Coco purposefully and noticed her sweat drop. Oh, he wasn't going to drop that anytime soon.

"W-why don't we move on from that?" Gray eyed her for another moment, "I-I mean you were pretty arrogant b-back when we didn't even know each other . . ." She started to fidget under his gaze. Gray's eyes narrowed even further before snickering. It was interesting how Coco can have changed attitudes in an instant. "What the hell, you jerk!? I was actually worried about myself for a moment there!" She shouted, pushing him with both hands.

"It's just that your reactions are pretty cute, Coco." Wait. Did he actually just say that? When silenced reigned over them, he got a bit worried that he dug himself a grave. He's never gonna live that down, wasn't he? He turned to face her but he noticed her cheeks flushing a bright pink. "Hey, you okay?" He asked suddenly worried about her.

"N-nothing, you asshole . . ." Her voice was nothing short of a mutter. Before he could get a chance to talk to her, she gulps down the last of her cocoa. "I'm going back." In an instant, she was gone from her spot and out of the door.

"What the —?" He had to blink twice to make sure that he just saw Coco run out with the speed that could rival that of Oobleck's. "Damn hyperactive coffee-addicts . . ." Coco wasn't really exclusive in that list.

. . .

After being woken up by his partner, Gray groggily sat up from his bed, having slept late because of a late night rendezvous—not that anything happened at all with Coco. There was only one problem, "Leona, why the hell did you wake me up seven in the morning?" It was bad enough that he didn't get that much sleep last night and to wake up before the break of dawn? That was just asking for too much.

"It's the start of a new term." His leader said. "Would it be too much of a pain for you to actually put some effort into turning over a new leaf?" Yeah, it'd be too much of a pain and a waste of effort if she asked him. "I know you said you wanted a peaceful year but that doesn't mean we can slack off on our studies and waste the day." She went on, "As a famous philosopher once said, one who seizes the day will be successful in life."

"You're really starting to sound like Yatsu." He said.

"I'm not trying to," Her face flushed, "Besides; we can't just lie down on our beds while the day is going on. Where's your sense of adventure?"

"I lost it on the way to Beacon."

"Then, we'll just have to find it. Along with your manners and timid tongue. Seriously, you were quieter during our first year. What happened to that Gray, I wonder?" She sighed. That was just an exaggeration. He was nowhere timid than what she was thinking about.

"Uh, Leona? I think we can call Gray anything but timid or shy. That's more Velvet's gig than anything at all." Then there came Iris to his rescue. "But Leona, you're pretty spot-on, though. He was a bit quieter before than what he is now."

"Great, now half the team is against me." He threw up his arms and flopped back into his bed, "Let's get back to the point already. Why are we up and about when half of Beacon is probably still asleep?"

"Gray, starting from today and onwards, we are going to be second-years. Lessons will be different than usual with two new classes for Aura manipulation and Dust theory. Not to mention, there'll be more people that we'll have to look after."

He raised one brow. "I don't get it."

"She means that we will have our very own juniors, silly!" Iris exclaimed, now fully cloaked in her combat attire. Yeah, he knows it too.

"So? I don't get why the two of you are so excited about this . . . sure, we'll have the underlings running around and doing our jobs for us. But I still don't see a point."

"You don't get it!?" Iris exclaimed. "There will finally be people who'll not look at us like we're crazy!"

Gray stared at her. "Iris," He said, condescendingly. "Are you really that desperate to get some new friends? Because I thought that we were more than enough for that kind of job." To add insult to injury, Maive patted her partner's head while sucking on a lollipop. Maive really does love her sweets.

It must've been just his imagination but there might've been a tick mark appearing on Iris' forehead. It was comical. "Gray . . ." She let out a growl.

But he was hardly threatened, evident by his wide smile. "Yes, dear Iris?" If it was the Iris from before, then she'd have already sucker-punched him through to the wall. Thankfully, she managed to reign in her temper before she lost control of herself. Instead, she huffed and walked out of the room. It was always fun riling up his teammates

He heard a sigh, "Gray . . ."

"What?" Leona stared at him with a raised brow as if already telling him what to do. Meh, he was already planning to apologize later, anyway. "Yeah, yeah. I'll apologize later. Happy?" Leona smiled and nodded. "So, what's the plan for today?"

"Today, we have no classes since they'll be busy with the first-years' initiation. I'll be going to Vale to stock up some much needed Dust for Flare." Her sword was called Flare—it was a weapon that had an engine that heats up the blade to a tremendous degree that it can slice through pretty much everything. Not to mention, with her semblance to control heat and fire, she's like her own sun. "And Fox asked for you, that's one of the reasons why I woke you up."

"Got it. And what about you, Maive? You're not just gonna follow Iris or me around in Beacon; nor are you going to Vale with Leona like last time, are you?" He asked. It's become a habit for Maive to always be with someone in their team, outside a mission. Not that they really cared or whatnot; they still indulged her for it.

She cutely tilted her head to the side, while tapping her chin. "Mrfl gofin vird dio."

"Maive, don't talk with your mouth full." She obediently pulled out her lollipop.

"I'm going with you." Maive said, pointing in his direction.

Gray glanced at her then sighed. There was no point in trying to avoid her. She never really was a fan of crowds. Going with Leona was a no-go. Iris was also nowhere in sight. So that left him as the only viable option. "Alright. I was just about to go and hang out with CFVY, anyway."

"Give my regards to the others. I'll be taking breakfast in Vale since the Dust store I'm visiting will be having a sale."

"Got it. C'mon, Maive, let's get some breakfast and see if CFVY is already awake." Maive followed behind him without saying a word while Leona waved after them. "Though, I have a feeling that Coco has something in store for us."

. . .

Jaune could only sigh. It was already shaping up to be a bad day. Firstly, there was the time on the bullhead. He had motion sickness! No one had the right to call him . . . ugh, vomit boy! Although, he was able to make friends with the little huntress in red, Ruby. She was cute like one of his little sisters. He wondered if her sister was just as friendly as she was—even if Ruby was a little quirky and awkward than most.

Then, there was Yang—the sister of Ruby—and Weiss—the snow angel. Hah, it was love at first sight. Despite the cold shoulder she was giving him, she was like someone that was sent from the above. He wondered if he was going to meet with her tomorrow. She was the only thing he was actually looking forward to. And Ruby too—can't forget about his first friend in Beacon!

Actually, the vomit thing was the only bad thing that happened to him and the jibes because of that. Now, they were all gathered in the ballroom. Half of which was divided into the boys' side and the girls' side. In the middle of the room was a congregation of groups which have girls in them. Not that he cared.

He was only here for two things: being a huntsman and finding Gray, the mentor of his and first male friend who didn't use him to get close to his sisters—there's a story behind that. Jaune could never guess why he ever left them and his sister, no less. Ein was distraught when she learned that her precious big brother left her at the hands of a family. But she was thankful enough that his family was both hospitable and friendly.

She grew up but she never spent a day checking her scroll if her brother ever called. If there was someone in their family going out to any of the kingdoms, she'd asked them to keep an eye out for her brother. In a sense, she was already part of the family—Gray too. Jaune's parents looked after Ein like one of their own and it was like he had another sister to add to the already large bundle.

And Gray pretty much acted like what a big brother would to him—being a year older and all that.

But when he tried to look for him in the crowds, there was no one that minutely resembled him. Jaune spent half of the speech looking for him in that crowded place and no luck. Was his dad really right about Gray being in Beacon?

He groaned in frustration. Finding Gray was supposed to be easy enough, but as time passes by, it would look like becoming a huntsman is an easier task than that. But there was no worry. It was only the first day. Gray might've been in Vale or away on a mission tonight. That's probably why he couldn't see him today.

Realizing that it was already past twelve in the evening and he was not even near exhausted to go to sleep, Jaune got up from his bedroll and left the ballroom quietly. He wandered aimlessly around the halls of Beacon—only to find himself lost as he turned a corner. Every hallway was eerily similar to the last. The only way to really discern his position was the arrows with labels on them stuck to the walls.

"Oh, this one leads to the veranda. Might as well get some fresh air before going to bed." He said to himself as he started walking towards the balcony. It's also a pretty good idea to map out the area he's going to stay for the next four years. Even if he doesn't find bed by tomorrow morning. If he was lucky, he might have a better look at the entire school and he might have just a chance to sleep peacefully.

As he stepped out of the door leading out to the balcony, he shivered from the cold.

"What the heck? I thought it'd be warmer here in Beacon than Vale."

"Tell me about it . . ." Jaune stood still. He knew that voice. He spent months in agony for having to listen to that voice commanding him to become stronger. It was because of the voice that he was able to enter Beacon with the skillset he has now. "I mean, summer just ended and it became cold of the sudden. It's not like winter is coming or something like that. Or it could've been the cold shoulder the Schnee girl was giving you." But then Jaune's shock turned to exasperation when Gray spoke.

"Gray . . ." Jaune turned around to face him. He's gotta admit, Gray looks a lot older than he used to. He was shocked that Gray laughed, though.

"It's funny how many people take that tone with me." Gray said. "It's almost like it's a thing now and that the balcony's become a very popular place all of the sudden. I wonder why."

"It certainly was like that back home. You always get under the skin of others." He said, smiling towards him and ignoring his last comment. "Why did you leave?" Aaaaand the tension was back. Talk about awkward. Gray regarded him for a moment before sighing.

"It's not like I had any choice in the matter. I wanted to stay—I really do." There was something in his voice that Jaune never thought he'd hear in Gray. Desperation. "But there was something that stopped me from doing so. I . . . have enemies, Jaune. People that would want nothing more than to hurt me and the people I care about. That's why I had to leave. Because I could not risk the lives of you and your family. Even my sister."

"So, you did have a reason." Jaune said. "We thought that you were sick of the life of a normal person and that's why you left. It's a good thing that that isn't the case."

Gray nodded. "How's Ein?"

"She's worried about you, you know?"

"Yeah, I do."

"You should give her a call sometimes." Jaune added, "Ein's probably been through a lot these past years without ever seeing her big brother." He went on, "I just don't see why you would leave her in the care of another family, though. The two of you were always joined at the hip—she was always attached to you and you indulged her for it. You did say that you raised her by yourself." Jaune shrugged. Not really surprised if Gray would be unwilling to say anything. He was stubborn like that.

Imagine his surprise when Gray actually gave out an answer. "I told you that I have enemies, right?" Jaune slowly nodded. "As much as I wanted to stay with Ein or that I wanted her to come with me, there was no telling what would happen to her if I either stayed or left with her. She would've been hurt all the same." Gray walked to his side as he put his arms on the railings, "I have enemies, Jaune. That's not something that I'm willing to risk for my own happiness. They are powerful, more powerful than even your father or most of the huntsman or huntresses here in Beacon. The school doesn't even know it. Hell, my teammates don't know it. This is a personal war on my side, Jaune. And I'm not going to drag anyone else into it."

The silence that followed was tense and thick. Something that even a freaking butter knife could cut through it. "Can you tell me who they are?" He asked, mostly just to break the silence.

"I don't know what you'll get for knowing them. It'd be too dangerous for you to chase after them." Gray reprimanded. "Even I'm having some trouble in dealing with those bastards. I'm not sure of what you can do to them if I can't even beat them myself."

"I-I'm not." Jaune quickly said. "I-I'm not going to look for them. I just want to know what their names are so that I can avoid them."

Gray huffed but didn't say anything to refute his statement. "If it's going to be like that, then I suppose that's a sound reason than anything I've heard." Jaune breathed a sigh of relief, "Listen up. These names will stay between us and I'd like it to stay that way for the rest of our time in Beacon or until I've managed to beat them into submission." He looked up to the sky and stayed silent as if contemplating what to say. "Tyrian Callows—the deranged psychopathic killer—, Adam Taurus—one of the White Fang's best lieutenants—and Zen Viola—the famed assassin in Vacuo. And there's more than just the three of them."

Jaune wasn't sure of what to say. For one, he was surprised that Gray even has enemies and to hear him say that he has was shocking. Gray was one of the kindest . . . okay, maybe not the kindest but he was someone who would make sure that people would never get hurt. Not in his watch.

Secondly, some of those were very dangerous people. Just from hearing the name of Adam Taurus, a lieutenant of the White Fang and one of its more dangerous fighters, brought Jaune to a shudder.

"Now that you know, Jaune. You know what to do when you hear their names." He nodded to let him know he understood. "Good, then let's get you back to bed. You still have initiation tomorrow and I'd hate to see my protégée fail to wake up to it." Gray tapped him on his shoulders and walked back to the doors. Jaune followed, of course, only because he can't trust himself in navigating the halls.

"Hey, there is one other thing . . ." Jaune said.

"What it is?" Gray stated, without looking back.

"How'd you know that Weiss was giving me the cold shoulder?"

". . . Would you believe me if I told you that one of my friends decided that spying on the competition was a good idea?"

. . .

In a dark tower surrounded by a dead wasteland, the creatures of Grimm and a dark cesspool of tar, no one had the audacity to speak to the Queen of all Grimm. Not even a death threat from her could make her subordinates mutter a response.

"I see." At the head of the table sat the most powerful being in the world—second only to the gods. She has deathly pale skin, covered with deep red and purple veins that run up her arms and face. The sclera of her eyes was jet black and irises glowed red. A black diamond-shaped marking was placed in the centre of her forehead. She wore a black robe with intricate red markings resembling eyes. "So, our excitable Tyrian has been captured and had been turned in to the authorities?"

"Yes, milady. It is unfortunate that he'd be captured during his search for the spring maiden." Another person, who stood behind her, said. "Young Cinder has already managed to infiltrate Haven Academy with the help of my contact; while the others are still busy with the work you have given them, milady."

"It is of no consequence that Tyrian has been captured but it would not do to not have someone track down the winter maiden." Looking over the edge of the terrace, she turned around to face Arthur Watts. "Have Zen and Tulpen retrieve Tyrian and have him resume his search."

"What of Zen and Tulpen, milady? I believe they are still in the middle of their search for the other maidens."

"Have them delay their search." She said firmly, making Watts freeze. "The spring maiden is of utmost importance than the others. Without the relic of knowledge, we would not be able to find the other relics—especially the relic of creation. I will not be delay by some meddling humans to achieve my goals." She turned back to the Grimm-spawning pool of tar, "Who was it that captured Tyrian, my dear?"

"I do not yet know, but if he was captured with ease then this person will surely be someone that we must be careful of. Someone that is best not fiddled with . . ." There was caution in his tone, but she supposed she could forgive him for the fear he's shown. Tyrian may be a psychopathic killer with screws loose but he was a man with greater skills that could be on par to that of Hazel.

"Discover this person's identity. And report back to me as soon as you are able."

The man bowed deeply, not caring if she saw him or not. "Yes, milady. It will be done." Watts left, leaving Salem to her thoughts.

"Soon, my dear cousin. We shall see each other again."

THANK YOU FOR READING!