So this chapter may feel a bit more filler-y than other chapters, but I did want to do this one as a sort of bridge between the last one and future chapters. Frost has definitey gotten past his darker points, but he'd never really been given a huge chance to really thank everyone. Also, for anyone that has ever been in a dark place before, whether it be full-on depression or something akin to it, even having people to talk to can make a world of difference, hence the inclusion of Team JNPR given how they had interacted with Frost, even if it wasn't as much as Team RWBYs interactions with him.

Either way, I am very much looking forward to future chapters since we'll be delving into Volume 3 territory and a much more actiony part of the story. Thanks again to those that have been here for the long haul, and for those just now joining in? Any and all feedback on thoughts, concerns, and other general stuff would be much appreciated as it helps me polish up on something that I already love immensely. Being able to do this for you guys and myself is an incredibly liberating thing, and I hope I can do this for quite some time to come.

Frost took a relaxing breath as he strolled through the dark reaches of his dreamscape. With his hands casually tucked into his pockets as he traveled on Frost was, for once, at peace with himself. Or at least…most of himself.

An ominous figure was fast approaching from the opposite direction, its intent as plain as the darkness surrounding the two of them- it was here for Frost. As the two neared each other they stopped at the same time, Frost standing with a neutral expression while the shadowy figure seemed to glare at him from behind the darkness that seemed to bend and weave across its face.

"So…we gonna try the same song and dance this time?" Frost asked while he raised one hand from out of his pocket questioningly. "Cause we've done this at least a half a dozen times, and after last night I'm not exactly worried about anything that happens here."

The Shadow emitted a rumbling growl from its throat before speaking, "You've delayed this confrontation time after time when I came searching for you in the past couple of weeks whenever you've had a relapse of your mood. You've begged, and cried, and even attempted to fight against your inevitable descent in darkness." The Shadow paused as it straightened out its own posture, revealing a glowing red eye from its blackened mask. "Why would you suddenly approach me like an acquaintance when I seek nothing but your destruction?"

Frost placed both hands on his sides for a few moments as he chuckled lightly. The Shadow raised an eyebrow with a frown as it examined this out of character attitude. Frost sighed as he raised his head to face his darker self. "Because as much as we may be at odds…you're still a part of me. True you're a more selfish, lethal, dickish part of me, but you're still me."

The Shadow scoffed as it crossed its arms against it chest, turning its head to the side with a sharp huff of breath. "Do you think I would be so idiotic to think of myself as an extension of you? Clearly you are the weaker half if you think something like that would stop the pain I wish to deal on you."

Frost waited a moment as he tapped one of his feet before regarding the shade once more. "If you're done trying to berate me, you could let me finish you know." Frost sighed as he shook his head slightly. "Seriously, if this is what people have to deal with when they talk to me half the time, I have a lot more to apologize for than I thought. But that can wait. Right now I have something more important to deal with."

The shade regarded Frost's determined expression as a glimmer of recollection crossed its red eye. "Ah, yes. Poor little Neo. The one you chose to leave behind when the going got tough rather than blast your way through those that attempted to bar your path." The shade began to slowly pace in a large circle around Frost as it attempted to dig at him with its words. "She meant so much to you, to US. And yet you left her behind like leftovers when you fled from those blocking your path. Pathetic."

"If you're trying so hard to berate me for things that have already transpired, then I don't get what you're trying to accomplish," Frost stated with a roll of his eyes. "You end up targeting yourself with those words as much as you throw them at me. So maybe I should have fought more, maybe I should've put more effort into reaching Neo first before I left. But I didn't, and saying a bunch of what if's stopped working a long time ago. So maybe I need to try something else."

"I'm sorry."

The shade froze mid-step as those two words carried from Frost's lips into the dark reaches of the dreamscape. It then turned and regarded Frost with an intrigued look in its eye as it slowly approached the white-haired boy. "What did you say?"

"I said, 'I'm sorry'." Frost stated simply.

The shade stood in front of him as it regarded his straightened posture and stern expression, before cracking a fist against the side of his head with a disgusted expression. Frost stumbled a bit before he was able to right his balance, feeling his head for a moment in case there was anything like blood before remembering that he couldn't bleed in a dream from something like that. Frost then turned to once again face the Shadow as it clenched its fists tightly at its sides with a murderous glint in its visible eye.

"DO YOU REALLY THINK A SIMPLE APOLOGY WILL STOP ME?! THAT I WILL CEASE MY EFFORTS TO TEAR YOU ASUNDER JUST BECAUSE YOU BENT OVER AND ASKED FOR MY FORGIVENESS?!" Frost easily dodged to the side as the shade sailed at him with its hands outstretched in an effort to grasp his neck tightly. "MY FURY WILL NOT KNOW ITS END UNTIL YOU HAVE FELT THE PAIN I HAVE FELT SINCE THE DAY THIS ALL BEGAN!"

Frost sighed as he snapped his fingers and metal chains sprouted from amidst the black ground before coiling around the shade's wrists and feet, binding it in place before pulling it into a kneeling position. From there Frost walked up to the glaring figure as he sat down on his legs in front of it patiently. He gazed upon the shadow of himself as it struggled against its bonds, the darkness slowly dissipating from its figure to reveal a similar looking person to himself. The only real differences being the shades of black and faded grey that the shade was comprised of rather than the blue, black, and white that was Frost's appearance.

"If I had known that this is what I had done to myself when I repressed all of those emotions and feelings so many weeks ago…" Frost started quietly as the shade pulled at its bindings every now and then while glaring at him. "I would have spoken wholeheartedly about all of this sooner. I should have been honest with Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Yang from the beginning, but instead I gave them the cold shoulder and attempted to carry the weight of my burdens on my own shoulders without realizing the damage I was doing to myself." He regarded the shade calmly for a few moments as it continued to glare at him, albeit with less struggling than before. "At first I thought you were some sort of lingering presence of that drug Neo and I had been ingesting, but it took me until tonight for it to finally make sense."

"Oh, really?" The Shade replied with a venomous tone as it spat in Frost's face. "And what did your so called 'brilliance' come up with this time? That I'm a delusion of your mind? That I'm simply a representation of you darker emotions manifest in an effort for you to become stronger when you defeat me?"

"Pfft." Frost scoffed as he held back a laugh at that statement. "If everything were that simple I doubt the Grimm would be much of a problem given that they're empowered by the negative emotions of humanity." Frost shook his head slightly as he took a deep breath before continuing. "No, you are me. But not in the sense of physically being me."

"You're more like a representation of my guilty conscience, constantly seeking atonement or retribution for the things that we've done and have yet to be punished for. But think about it. We've been torturing ourselves more than anyone else after what has happened. Neo forgave us for the warehouse even though she lost her voice. Why? Because we saved her life in the end. The alternative of her dying wasn't something that we could live with, and she was thankful that we just went to that length even though it meant we would keep those scars on our back as a reminder of our mistake." Frost took a moment to examine the shade in front of him, its arms lay slack at its sides as its body seemed to lighten slightly amidst the darkness before he continued.

"We even took the time to get to know a bunch of students at Beacon in our time there. Heck, over the course of the last month we've figured out that Ruby is the most caring person in the whole entirety of Remnant, and that Weiss, even under that cold exterior, is actually someone quite knowledgeable of things and willing to lend an open ear if you just talk to her." The shade once again brightened slightly as Frost continued regaling their past, the shuddering of chains ceasing altogether as they seemed to slowly vanish from its body.

"And as for Blake and Yang? They have been the biggest blessing we could have received since we left the company of Cinder and the others. Despite both of their backgrounds, as well as their experiences with those that have worked with or still work for Cinder and Torchwick, they still let us talk and vent about the things we had done. Blake was the one who opened the door for us to even start having these moments of clarity, while Yang cemented it all by being that last step out of the hole we had dug ourselves into. Every one of them helped us in their own way, whether it be a shoulder to cry on, a person to talk to, or someone who was just there to keep us company when we could use it most. They saved us."

It was after this final declaration that a bright flash emitted from the figure in front of Frost, as a warm feeling washed over him. After the light faded, Frost became aware of his new surroundings. He was currently standing in the empty courtyard in the centre of the Beacon grounds. As he looked around, he eventually noticed another figure that looked exactly like him sitting atop the statue in a similar fashion to how he had been sitting when Yang had come by the night before. The figure was smiling solemnly as it looked out over the gently moving clouds in the sky, the birds chirping sweetly in the distance. It sighed for a moment before hopping down in front of Frost, who now realized he was dressed in his Beacon attire and not in his usual garb. He smiled slightly as the other him clapped a hand to his shoulder, lightly.

"Out of all of the people who had forgiven us, who had told us that things would be alright. There was always one person we forgot to apologize to the most." The other him nodded slightly as its body began to fade and merge into Frost's as a white light began to fill his vision. Frost finally felt a sense of peace as he felt a warm presence fill his being and smiled.

"Ourselves."

Frost opened his eyes sharply, but not with a sharp jolt in his bed, or a layer of sweat covering his brow. If anything, he felt the most well-rested that he had felt since coming to Beacon. As he carefully slid out of his bed and slipped over to the washroom to get changed for the day, he couldn't help but notice the makings of a beautiful sunrise as it began cresting the mountains in the distance. The shades of red, yellow, and orange amidst the clear blue sky and puffy white clouds left him breathless and with a wide smile before he stepped into the washroom for a couple of minutes.

After finishing freshening up, Frost once again carefully tiptoed over to the door that led to the hallway, though he flinched when the floor creaked slightly as his foot pressed down on a spot on the floor that happened to be the same one that had alerted Blake the night he had started to gradually open up to them. As Frost turned to look back at the beds, he noticed a set of amber eyes now watching him and his hand that was outstretched for the doorknob.

Blake had one eyebrow raised as she examined the current situation, her mouth beginning the motions of calling out the other girls names to wake them in the event he was suddenly about to run off. A sharp motion for Blake to stop from Frost managed just that, as he motioned out into the hall to Blake before he gently opened the door. After a moment of him holding the door open, Blake rolled her eyes with a small smile before climbing out of her own bed and walking past Frost into the hall as he shut the door behind them. Before she could speak however, Frost opened his mouth first.

"Okay, so I know how that might have looked a moment ago. Considering what just happened last night I can understand the concern you guys might have about me dashing off or something now that you all know the truth. But that wasn't what I was doing. You have to believe me." Frost stated pleadingly as he looked at Blake.

"So you're telling me you weren't about to sneak out of the room and go somewhere else without the rest of us knowing?" Blake asked as she raised an eyebrow once again.

"…Okay, it is what it looked like." Frost admitted as he scratched the back of his head with one hand. He raised a finger as Blake began to open her mouth once again before continuing. "But it's not for the reason you think. I know that today is a day off and that everyone will still be sleeping in for a couple hours. But that's why I need to go right now and take care of something. It's not life-threatening, or anything of that sort, and I promise I'll be back in time for when everyone is waking up. Just let me go and do my thing, okay?" Frost pleaded as he looked with Blake with his hands clasped in front of him.

Blake uncomfortably looked to the side as she was unable to meet the sad look on Frost's face. Someone needed to tell him soon that his attempt at puppy dog eyes was disturbing and should never be repeated by him. Ever. She eventually caved however, as she sagged her shoulders in defeat. "Fine. Just make sure to be back in time for Ruby's alarm."

"Promise." Frost stated as he saluted her comically. "And just to be sure you can trust me, if I'm not back within 5 minutes of the alarm, you have permission to send Ruby and Yang out hunting for me."

Blake widened her eyes slightly at his statement as she thought about how that could end up. "Are you sure?" She looked almost worried as she looked at the white-haired boy.

"Completely." Frost stated as he turned Blake around and started to usher her towards the door as he carefully opened it with one hand. "Now go back to sleep with the others. I promise everything will be fine when I get back."

Blake hesitated slightly before nodding her head with a quiet sigh as she carefully closed the door in front of Frost with a light click. The white-haired youth waited a few moments before nodding his head briefly and started to lightly jog down the halls of the dorms while making as little noise as possible as he approached his destination. After about 5-10 minutes of jogging down a few flights of stairs, he arrived at a set of double doors and pushed them open to reveal where he would be spending the next near 2 hours. A wild smirk appeared on his face as he examined the battlefield before him.

"Showtime."

Nearly two hours later, a blaring sound could be heard coming from Team RWBY's dorm as 3 of the girls all groaned out their displeasure. The fourth however, was patiently watching the door as she occasionally snuck glances towards the clock on her scroll. After she had closed the door, Blake had been unable to get back to sleep and had instead elected to continue reading more Ninjas of Love without fear of being bothered by her teammates. Her fast reflexes resulted in her treasured book quickly finding its way in a secret nook under her pillow before anyone's eyes could adjust enough to see it.

Yang hopped down from her bunk as she stretched loudly, numerous joints popping and groaning as she did her morning stretches. Ruby turned her head to look outside and admire the morning view and sunshine while Weiss berated the logic that said they needed to be awake so soon on a day that did not in fact require being up for anything like classes, tests, fights, or anything of the like. Blake gave a small smile as she beheld the girls usual antics as the clock on her scroll beeped at the 5 minute mark she had set earlier.

As she turned to hesitantly unleash Ruby and Yang upon the campus, a light knocking could be heard from their door, no other noise coming from it as all of the girls gave each other confused looks. The knocking once again sounded on their door, to which Yang shrugged as she strolled forward to yank it open with a slight glint to her eyes and being interrupted before getting cleaned up for the day.

Her mouth was unable to move or make sounds as she came face-to-face with a cart holding four plates of one of the best breakfasts she had ever laid eyes upon. The other girls sniffed the air as the scent of freshly scrambled eggs, warm toast, still steaming sausage links, and a warm bowl of oatmeal sat upon each large plate. The sound of knocking and smell of food was even enough to warrant the opening of Team JNPR's door as Jaune looked out to see what was going on. He and the other members of Team JNPR reacted in a similar fashion as they, too, noticed the assorted spread that lay on the cart sitting in the hallway.

It wasn't until the sound of someone clearing their throat reached their ears that everyone noticed Frost smirking as he stood with his arms crossed by the cart. He motioned for Tea JNPR to come over as he carefully wheeled the cart past Yang and gently stopped it in the centre of the room. He then stepped out into the hall to grab a few folding chairs her had grabbed before setting them around the room for Team JNPR as they began to shuffle into the room with varying degrees of alertness.

It was a few moments of awkward silence as Frost walked past everyone and sat casually down on his own cot as he propped his back against the wall with his hands behind his head. "Well? Dig in already."

"Umm…what is this?" Weiss was the first to voice the question on all of their minds as everyone took turns looking between Frost and the tray of food in front of them.

"What do you m-" Frost started as he looked at the cart before smacking himself on the forehead. "Wait, I got this." Frost stated as he hopped off his bed before reaching onto a second layer of the cart of retrieving four MORE plates of food that he distributed to Team JNPR before retrieving a couple stacks of glasses and a pitcher of freshly squeezed juice as he set them on the desk between the two sets of beds. "There we go. All good." He then returned to casually sitting on his bed as the others gave him odd looks except for Nora, who had already begun digging into her plate of food. The rest of Team JNPR shrugged their shoulders as they each grabbed some juice before sitting at one of the chairs that Frost had set out.

Team RWBY however, was still more than a little confused. What had happened to the guy that had practically fallen at their feet weeping just the night before as he let out all of his frustrations and grievances from his past few months. How had he 180d so fast that he was acting like…this the very next day. It was Weiss who once again broke the silence of the room.

"You didn't answer my question."

"Hmm?" Frost queried as he turned his head to face her, a calm smile apparent on his face.

"When I asked you what was going on, you ignored me and instead grabbed even more food to give to Team JNPR. What happened to last night?" Weiss snapped as she glared at the white-haired boy who calmed his expression down to a more neutral state.

Team JNPR paused amidst their plates of food as they noticed the tension suddenly filling the air as the girls of Team RWBY all gave Frost varying looks of concern or frustration. They also turned to face Frost, but with looks of confusion as he sighed slightly.

"I kinda figured this might happen given how chipper I've been this morning." Frost scratched his chin as he contemplated how to proceed. "How about I start with this."

"I'm sorry for how I've been acting lately."

"What…do you mean?" Pyrrha calmly asked as she gently set her plate atop the nearby bookshelf, now aware that things were not necessarily as cheerful as they originally appeared.

Frost chuckled slightly as he faced Team JNPR. "You guys haven't really been in the loop as much lately given how quiet I've probably been in the past. Let's just say that last night I had a very though-provoking conversation with Yang, after having similar ones with Ruby, Weiss, and Blake over the last few weeks. They got me to taking a serious look at myself while I was sleeping last night, and I came to a conclusion." Frost took a deep breath as he sat a little straighter on his bed. "I've been a colossal idiot."

"Colossal? Personally I think it's a bit more severe than- Hey!" Weiss was interrupted by Yang popping her lightly on the shoulder in an effort to stem her tirade.

"Be that as it may, that doesn't exactly explain any of this." Blake stated as she gestured towards the spread of food in the room.

"To be honest, I wanted to grab a table with the chairs, but I only had so much arm space and-" Frost noticed a frown being given to him in varying strengths by all of Team RWBY. "…I'm getting off topic. Needless to say, this is my way of apologizing for the way I've been acting on and off the past few weeks, as well as for all of you being friends to me when I really needed it."

"But…all we've done is talk with you." Jaune stated as Team JNPR nodded their assent. "Why make this for us as well?"

"Because even by just being there from time to time and striking up conversation, you guys made me feel like I belonged here. It wasn't just a request from Ozpin and Ironwood for me to be here by that point. I felt welcomed and treated as though this was where I had always been meant to be. And that meant a lot to me." Frost smiled as he turned towards the others. "Now go on and grab some food already before it gets cold, sheesh!"

The four girls all looked at each other before shrugging slightly and each grabbing a plate and utensils from the cart. Each of them began to dig into their food, suddenly becoming aware of the flavour on top of the scent it had been teasing them with this whole time. Ruby and Yang nearly drooled as they began to shovel into their food in earnest along with Jaune and Nora, while the other four chose to eat their food at a more modest pace while still enjoying it.

After everyone had finished eating their morning meals, they all sighed contentedly as they sat around the room with varying degrees of peace. It was Yang that broke the silence of the room as she turned to regards Frost from his perch during the time that the rest of them had been eating.

"So where's your food?" She asked as she used a toothpick between a few of her teeth.

"I had something to eat while I was cooking everything. I've never been one to eat a large meal in the mornings, so I've been good for a while now." Frost descended from his cot to the floor as he reached down to the lower level of the cart and retrieved what looked like a plate of chocolate chip cookies that he set on the now empty desk due to all of the used dishes sitting piled on the top level of the cart.

"Can we do this every day?!" Ruby squealed with a laugh from Frost as everyone gave the plate of cookies an odd look.

"Not every day Ruby." Frost stated as the redhead snatched a couple cookies despite Weiss' protests before inhaling them just as quickly. Nora wasn't too far behind as she also grabbed a few confectioneries before returning to her seat and giving one to Ren as he nodded a small thanks.

"Either way, this is still kind of weird, even for you, dude." Yang stated as she spoke to Frost while others nodded in agreement.

"It's probably a bit of the personality I liked to use when I would help make meals for the other kids at the orphanage as I grew up. I got used to helping out with that sort of thing, as Weiss already knows." A small nod of the heiress' head agreed with this as the others looked to Weiss for clarification. "And I felt that this would be a lot easier of a way to thank you guys then trying to figure something out over the long term. So I went with my gut instinct."

"Well if this is what your gut instinct tells you," Yang started as she gave him a smirk. "Hopefully it ends up coming up with more smart ideas like this one down the road!"

"Believe me, I hope so too." Frost stated with a simple smile. "But let's worry about that when it comes, alright? I'm quite content to sit back and relax for today, so let's keep it that way, alright?"

There were no disagreements as everyone nodded their approval before going about casual conversation with one another. Between conversations, Frost couldn't help but look outside and smile as he admired the sun as it seemed to glow a little bit brighter that day.