And here, ladies and gentlemen, is the final chapter of Amnesia.

Before I begin, I'd like to once again say thank you for sticking with me and this story. I know, my update schedule was choppy, I made a lot of promises that I couldn't/didn't keep and I'm sorry, but each time I posted a chapter you all let me know that the product I was putting out was enjoyable, albeit a tad poorly written.

I have a huge update coming at the end of this chapter, too. One that's going to change this account completely.

Until then, I hope you all enjoy the finale of Amnesia!

Yang was the first to stir, her vision was blurry as her mind was spinning. She couldn't actually tell if what happened just now happened. She was on her belly as she slowly maneuvered herself up and over onto her back, breathing heavily, tiredly even. "What... The... Hell?" She huffed.

Blake was the next to stir, her amber eyes slowly blinking open. She shook her head and lifted herself to a sitting position off of her right side with a groan. "What are you cursing at?" She asked, rubbing her right temple. "Because whatever it is, let me curse with you."

Weiss jumped up to a sitting position, her shock filled eyes told all of the story. "What? Who? How? Where are we?" She asked more and more out of breath, "Are we dead? Did we win?" She grabbed Blake's shoulders tightly and came in close, "Did I make the game-winning goal, coach?!"

Blake, trying to maintain her composure, slowly gripped Weiss' hands and took them off of her shoulder, relieving the intense pressure, "Yes, Weiss. We won, you scored the game winner." She slowly spoke, trying to get Weiss to calm down, "You'll get your trophy when your captain wakes up."

The heiress shook herself and blinked, her expression now returning to normal, but confused. "What... Did I just-?" Both Yang and Blake nodded with a smile. "Oh god..."

Yang clicked as she tried to keep her composure, "You, uh... You want to-"

"I don't want to talk about it." Was the only thing the black and yellow themed girls heard, causing them to chuckle. "Weiss looked at their professor, who had just began to stir, opening her emerald eyes quickly. Then she peered at Ruby, who was still asleep, her hood covering her face.

"We did it." Glynda said as she stood up, brushing the dust off of herself. "We actually did it... We beat a Dark Spore..." She too, glanced over at Ruby as she leaned against her desk for support, obviously being completely physically drained. "She might need a minute to wake up."

The team nodded in understanding, neither really having any real idea of what's supposed to happen. Actually, they have no idea of what's going on in general. Weiss slowly stood up first, then offered a hand to Blake, who gladly accepted. Yang maneuvered into a crawl to check up on her baby sister, lifting the red hood off of her face. She wondered if she should check the young leaders' vital signs, but once she heard the very light snoring and saw the hair move away from Ruby's face, Yang was certain that she was okay.

Blake knelt down next to Yang while Glynda packed the orb away. Weiss walked up next to her instructor curiously, "Professor," She called, "Did... Did all of that happen? What we saw and did, was it-?"

"As real as it could get, Miss Schnee." The instructor nodded, "It's difficult to explain, so I won't bore you with details. Instead, all I'll say is: Believe what you want, what happened, happened." She began to walked away as Weiss began to comprehend her teacher's words. She turned and followed Glynda into the storage closet in the back of the room.

"Alright, I can get that. But, what about the Spore?"

The blonde instructor put the case down where it belonged and glanced at her white themed student with a smile. "Miss Schnee, there's a few things you should know." She said quietly, not to disturb the rest of the team, "There are a few ways that the Spore could have worked. It may have wanted Ruby dead, or it may have wanted her body. Same with the rest of you all." Weiss cocked her head, confused. "It may have wanted Ruby dead so it could do whatever it felt like."

"Be like a tick." The heiress realized with a slow nod, "Feed off of the host until it's strong enough to move on-"

"Only it would kill the host and take her body. We've seen it before." Goodwitch shook her head as she exited the storage space, closing it slowly, "It's all about control with Grimm." She peered over to the rest of the team and nudged Weiss, "I'll explain more once we know of your leaders condition. If I were you, I would go and be there when she wakes up."

The heiress nodded and slowly rejoined her friends. Yang was currently lifting up Ruby's hood, barely revealing the still unconscious girls' face. Blake was behind her partner, so Weiss took a seat next to the faunus, examining her teammates' work. Thus far, Ruby had yet to budge. It was worrying, to say the least.

Until her eyelids flicked, for a moment.

"Ruby." Yang quietly soothed into the peacefully resting girls' ear, "Are you awake?" Ruby's hand balled itself into a fist as she scrunched her face in a rather annoyed expression, "Barely. Came on, now! Don't keep us in the dark."

Everything in her ached, from her muscles to her very bones. Her mind was clouded and hazy and her vision was blurry. Ruby shivered as a cold chill went down her spine. Yang recognized this and wrapped an arm around her sister's' shoulders, all as Ruby slowly began to roll onto her front, propping herself up on all fours with Yang's help. Blake and Weiss stayed ready to jump in, if need be.

"Uhg," Ruby sighed, "What was that?"

"Mind games." Goodwitch replied with a chuckle, "How are you feeling?"

Slowly, the leader ached her way to a kneel, but only made it that far before her headache intensified. "I feel like I've been through the most extreme mosh pit at a rock concert."

Yang and Blake both cringed, Yang knowing the feeling firsthand while Blake understood just what their leader was saying. Weiss simply blinked, not having any clue of what that was, "Can you give me that in layman's terms?" The instructor inquired.

"She feels like crap."

"Thank you Miss Xiao Long." Goodwitch turned back to Ruby, who was still on her knees and very tired-looking, "Are you hurt? Should I call the infirmary?"

Ruby shook her head and waved the her instructor off, "Nah, I'm good. Just tired... And really, really sore." She turned to face Goodwitch, "What exactly was that, anyway?"

"As I explained earlier, it was a method we have that utilizes dust and Aura in order to infiltrate somebody's subconscious mind. In a word, it's a form of hypnotism where we can all see what we need to."

"So what did we see, exactly?" Weiss inquired. Blake and Yang also nodded in curiosity.

"It was a dream, in a way." Goodwitch leaned against her desk as she explained further, "You see, the Stone that we used is referred to as a Dream Stone or a Mind Stone. More commonly a Dream Stone, however, as it automatically triggers a dream once a person's consciousness has left their body. Then, when we return, we all can see the dream play out."

"Why was it that dream, though?" Ruby asked meekly, "I mean, I'm glad it was my mother's grave and not something way more personal or embarrassing, but why that one in particular?"

Glynda simply shrugged, "I'm not sure. It was all at random. You could have seen any dream you wanted. My thought was that the Dark Spore recognized that we were coming and wanted to set a mood."

Ruby, as well as the rest of her team, blinked and nodded with the rather simple and sensible explanation. It does make sense that the Spore would have noticed the absence of Ruby while in her mind and would have made preparations in order to combat the team.

"So now what?" Blake asked.

Glynda turned to Ruby, who met her instructors emerald eyes rather stoically, "Well, I'm just going to get right to it. How do you feel? Do you remember anything?"

Rubbing her head, Ruby closed her eyes and tried to think. Still, all she saw was fuzziness and haze as her head was pounding, screaming at her. She shook her head and slowly opened her eyes, "I'm sorry, I don't know." The team each had their own dejected reactions, but Goodwitch still held her composure, "I feel... Different, that's for sure. I know who I am, where I am, what I was doing and what's going on, but... I just..." She sighed as both of her hands grasped her temples, "My head just really, really hurts."

"What other symptoms are you experiencing?" Goodwitch reset her posture to a standing pose as she maneuvered her way around the desk to the front, "Depending on what you're feeling, we might have to wait until later to begin an evaluation."

"Dizziness, lightheaded, my whole body's sore, my vision's kinda blurry..."

The instructor smiled and nodded. Of course it had to be those symptoms. It wasn't uncommon for somebody who had just had their mind infiltrated like that to have these, but that still didn't make it any less irritating. "Well, until you start feeling better we're going to have to call this one off. For now."

"Wait, what?" Yang jumped to her feet quickly, "How long can these effects last?"

"Please, Miss Xiao Long, I know you want your sister's memory back, but these effects can take up to a week, max. She could be perfectly fine in the morning after some rest, or she could even take two pills and she might be fine, but we won't know and we really shouldn't push it." She examined the rest of the team, "There are side effects you all should know, while we're on the topic."

The team intently listened as Weiss slowly helped Ruby to her feet, the red-clad leader grasping her head all the way up, "You will all have a slight headache, and within the next few minutes your remaining Aura will diminish completely. Meaning you're all going to be very sore and tired. It is unavoidable, so be ready."

"Anything else?' Weiss curiously asked.

"Just that you should feel better in the morning and your Aura should recover over time." The heiress was met by a smile with the honest reply, "I'm just going to let you all go back to your dorm and I'll meet you in the morning."

The team rose to the feet and agreed. They could feel the side effects start to kick in, so if they wanted to go back to their dorm, it was now or never. They left the office, saying their goodbyes, and hurried back to their dorm, leaving their instructor behind. It was just past two in the morning, and the instructor was contemplating calling off class for tomorrow. She, too was coming down with a headache, and extremely low Aura might not help for combat class if something goes awry.

She sighed as she walked back to her comfy leather chair, taking a seat and leaning back with a relaxed sigh. All the while, she could only imagine the things that she heard. She wasn't too far away from the fight and heard most of what was said overall, considering what might have happened if they didn't catch the Spore quick enough. She also had a hint of pride over her students, each one having a commanding victory over their own emotions.

The only thing that stopped her from intervening was the threat of everybody being trapped if she were to fail at her duty. She was content, however. Eventually everybody has to learn to do things on their own, and Glynda Goodwitch felt that, for a first year team, RWBY was more than ready.

"We did good, Glynda." She said to herself within her empty office space, "No... They did good."

Weiss and Ruby slowly tried to keep up with their teammates, who were practically miles ahead of them. Ruby had been holding her head all the way, the searing pain burned her mind with each step. "I'm not sure if I can make it, Weiss..." She mumbled, "Seriously, this sucks!"

"Hey." The heiress quietly called in a soothing yet threatening way, "You can make it. Just keep your eyes closed and let me guide you." Weiss had been carrying Ruby ever since they got out of Goodwitch's office. Despite slowly feeling fatigue take its toll, she pressed on. "If our not-so-better-half hadn't run off on us, we might actually be able to move a little faster."

Ruby tried to chuckle, but each step only caused more and more pain. "Weiss, is there any glyph that you have that can... Oh," She dropped to her knees, taking the heiress down with her, "I don't feel so good."

"Throw up here, and you die."

"Not in that sort of way, Weiss... I haven't thrown up since I was five... Remind me to tell you that story, I think you'd enjoy it..."

"So what's wrong?"

"I... I don't-"

She fell to the ground with a soft thud, her eyes slowly closing. The heiress sighed, knowing that this was inevitable. Fatigue had encased her leader far sooner than everybody else, even though the effects were just starting to take effect on her now. Nevertheless, Weiss still lifted her surprisingly light but not light enough partner, and carried her towards the quad. In the distance, she could barely make out two figures ahead, both of whom were silhouetted by back light in the night air. 'I'm going to murder both of them for leaving me with this!' Her violent thoughts carried over to her facial expression as she tried to make the ride as easy as possible for her partner.

"Weiss! Finally!" Yang called as the heiress came in closer. Yang examined the two more and more and her lilac eyes went wide as Blake watched on, "What happened to her?" The brawlers' voice was clearly concerned, but Blake had a feeling she knew what happened.

"Your sister's headache caused her to fall asleep on me." The heiress stomped her feet into place once Yang approached, "You take her. Now." The demand caused Yang to stutter and Blake to laugh from beyond. "I've carried her enough through this, and you can probably make the journey more comfortable for her."

Weiss' duress and annoyance grew as Yang hesitated more. "I guess I'm still confused as-"

"Just take her!" Yang quickly scooped her sister the moment her white-themed teammate raised her voice, trying to end the yelling before more pain could come to everyone. Yang's head was already ringing from her Aura dropping so quickly, she didn't need anything else. Blake shrugged and walked on with Weiss, leaving the siblings behind for a moment. "She was like dead weight in my hands."

"Weiss," Yang called, "You understand that Ruby is like, ninety pounds when she's wet, right?" Blake nodded in agreement, "Seriously, you two are about the same weight."

"Two things," The ever-expected list that Weiss was famous for began as the team slowly marched through the darkened campus, fatigue soon dawning on them as they felt their very Aura die away. "One, there's no way that Ruby is not over ninety. None. Sec-"

"You're one to talk!" A meek voice was heard from behind, one that the heiress didn't need to turn to see. Ruby clearly took offense, somehow knowing that Weiss was talking about her, "If I'm over ninety pounds, then you're under fifty!"

Yang and Blake went wide eyed, mouths agape as Weiss turned, her nostrils flared with rage at the comeback, "How dare-"

"I don't know, Ruby." Blake piped, "I think it's tough for someone that's four-foot-nothing to weigh a lot."

"Oh so this is how it's going to be, huh?"

"Yup."

"Uhuh..."

"You did start it."

"Fine!" Weiss turned and walked away from the group, who sat back and snickered for a moment. Yang quickly reset her sister, going from a bridal carry to a piggy-back. "And, I'll have you know, I pride myself on my figure, thank you very much!"

"Nobody dissed your figure, Weiss." Yang called, "You're beautiful. What we just hit is you on the scale, is all."

"Valuable lesson!" Ruby called, only to grasp her head in regret and pain, "If you're going to kick me while I'm down, make sure I'm really down!"

Weiss turned back incredulously at her partner, "Did you fake being unconscious!?" Ruby hid behind her sister as the heiress raised her voice more and more.

"Weiss!" Blake called, grabbing her head, "If you yell again, we'll be carrying you off in a body bag." The faunus simply walked past the heiress, her threat now known, "Shut up."

"This isn't over."

Yang intervened, "Yeah, it is."

"Seriously, though. Ruby." Weiss tugged on her leader's cloak, gaining her attention as the team approached the dorm, "Did you actually fake it?"

"Just now?" Weiss nodded, "No. I'm... Kinda fading in and out, right now. I was wide awake a second ago, and now I'm tired aga-" She was cut off by her limbs going limp as she fell into Yang's back, causing the blonde to chuckle as the made it to the door.

"Guess that didn't last long." As the yellow and white themed girls approached the door, they were stopped by Blake, who hadn't moved in almost a minute. "Blake?" Yang called worriedly, "Is everything alright?"

It took a moment for the faunus to reply. She blinked a few times before tiredly turning her head to face her team, "You know..." She mumbled, "You know what sucks?" Both Yang and Weiss shrugged as their expressions grew more concerned, "Knowing that you're about to hit the wall at full speed in a few minutes, but not knowing when." Weiss slowly approached her teammate in fear of what's to come. "And you know something else?"

"What's that?" Yang answered.

"I think I just hit that wall." Blake's amber eyes rolled back as she fell over, only to be caught by Weiss just before they hit the ground. The heiress' strained legs tried to keep the sudden weight up, but failed as she dropped to her butt, Blake firmly asleep in her lap.

Weiss sighed, clearly annoyed as Yang covered her mouth with a chuckle. "Have any joke to make?" Weiss asked, "Go ahead."

"Too many, not enough of a crowd." Yang offered a free hand, which her teammate gladly accepted. Instead of waiting on Weiss to open the door, Yang decided to get it herself and nudged her sister, who had been stirring all throughout the debacle with Blake.

"Ruby, hold the door." The brawler ordered. Ruby raised her eyebrows and leaned back, keeping the door open by her sheer core strength... Okay, the door wasn't that heavy. Weiss dragged Blake onto her smaller back and dredged the faunus inside, hunched over in pain by the near literal dead weight.

"Forget Ruby." The heiress quipped, "How much does she weigh?"

"Weiss, this is why we tell you to come to the gym and work out with us!" Yang sighed, "Ruby can bench Blake with no issue, and that's saying something!"

"Are you calling me weak?"

"Sis, I'm calling you small."

Ruby shrugged, not wanting to fuss over it. "Whatever." She buried her head back into Yang's hair and sighed, contemplating letting sleep overtake her again.

"Wait, Yang." Weiss stopped her teammate with a firm, and cold, hand to the gut. Yang paused and stared down at the heiress, "Why am I carrying your partner?"

Yang shrugged, "Uh, because I'm carrying Ruby?" The red-clad girl waved without looking up. Yang smiled while Weiss stared daggers. "Alright, trade off."

Yang knelt down in front of the stairs and waited for the shift in weight from her back before lifting Blake in a firefighter carry. Weiss took Ruby bridal style as their leader faded out once again. "Man, she is just messed up, isn't she?" The heiress asked.

"I don't even want to know what's going on inside her head right now..."

Yang led the duo up the stairs, they had a long way to go. Weiss continued to honestly question her teammate, "Is it her explanation back in Goodwitch's office?" Yang nodded as they passed the second floor, "Is a mosh pit really that bad?"

"Depends on the concert." Yang shrugged, "Also, depends on how hard you were going. If you're rocking out, headbanging and running around, you can easily get a concussion within a half-hour." Weiss raised her eyebrows in astonishment, "All depends on the show."

"You sound like you're talking from experience?"

Yang shook her head with a sigh, "Not me. A friend of Ruby's on Signal is a huge metal head. Really, the classic looking kind, long hair, beard, all that. He at least grooms himself properly." Weiss nodded as she slowed, "Anyway, he goes to every concert he can, even if it's not his music style, and every now and again he'll come back with a new head injury of some sort. If it's a smoother concert, then he'll be fine. Anything heavy and the hospitals have a private room on standby for him." She chuckled at the thought, and she wasn't far off, either.

However, as they approached the fourth floor, Yang noticed a lack of footsteps behind her. She thought for sure that Weiss would have found that to have been funny and the lack of laughter behind her only meant...

"Oh no..." Turning around, she saw nothing. Turning the corner of the stairs and one flight below, she found her teammate on all four, breathing heavily. "Weiss!"

"I'm alright." The heiress assured, "Just lost my breath is all." She took a deep breath, and exhaled slowly, "I think I know what Blake meant went she said she 'hit the wall'..."

"Weiss don't you da-" The threat was cut off as Weiss collapsed on top of her leader, who was still unconscious. Sighing heavily, Yang was annoyed and scared. Scared because she knew if she didn't hurry, this same fate would befall her as well. Annoyed because... Well, she has to literally carry her whole team! "I swear you all owe me so much."

She reset, throwing Ruby back into a piggy-back carry and throwing Weiss and Blake over both of her shoulder's, Yang lifted and angrily marched up the stairs. Each step seemed to be heavier and heavier as her team's combined weight began to take its toll on her already battered body. Her muscles screamed as she passed the fifth floor... Three more to go.

All the while, she could only imagine what the feeling of the inevitable crash would be like. The body giving in and the muscles shutting down as you instantly drift into sleep. It seemed... pretty unnerving, but also really obnoxious, given her current situation. "Sixth." She huffed, still climbing. Luckily, her body had been used to huge hits, so her Aura was far more sustainable.

Though, she could feel herself weaken more and more as she passed the seventh floor. For a moment she thought she felt Ruby stir, but relaxed once the movement stopped.

It took a moment, but they finally arrived at their floor. "All thanks to the gym!" Yang declared, "And squats save the day!" As she peered around the barely lit hall, she could barely hear a humming to her right. Peering over, she paused with great annoyance when she realized that the elevator sat right next to the stairwell. "And you come in to spoil the mood... Perfect."

Shaking her head in annoyance, Yang walked down the hall, contemplating knocking JNPR's door down in order to help her with her team. But, she thought against it. They had class in the morning after all, and she doesn't want to bother them again for a while.

Her target in sight, she sighed graciously as she turned down her team's' hallway. "Finally..." She huffed. Three doors away, she felt it... Her muscles strained, her mind went fuzzy as she dropped to the floor. "Damnit!" She muttered, forcing herself to her feet. Now two doors down, her body ached and screamed as she disobeyed, her vision now sending the world into a spinning tizzy. One more door as she slid against the wall lazily, accidentally bumping Blake against it. She dropped to her knees once more, her body pressuring her to give in as her legs gave out.

"Not yet!" She demanded, "One more door!" When she looked up at the lock terminal above her, she could barely make out numbers as her arms went limp, but still stayed wrapped around her teammates' waists. The room numbers, they looked familiar... Wait... "This is our dorm..."

Her posture slumped in confusion as she dug for her scroll, but was unable to find it. She violently pat her pockets, finding everything empty. "No, no, nonono, no!" She flipped the insides of every pouch and pocket, returning with nothing, "What the hell?!"

Then, a beep and a click. Yang looked up and saw a red-sleeved arm with a familiar scroll at the terminal... Ruby must have retrieved the scroll when Yang collapsed... 'Clever girl.' The eldest sibling thought, forcing the door open and throwing herself inside. She landed on the floor with a thud and released her team, all of whom landed close. Yang ached her way to her back and faced the ceiling, kicking the front door closed. "We made it, team." She tiredly declared, "Go us." Her voice had no enthusiasm as her body now gave in.

"So that's what it feels like, eh?"

Goodwitch walked down the hall quietly, the sun beginning to beak over the horizon. It had been four hours since RWBY had departed and she hadn't heard from any of the team members. She was afraid that they didn't make it home, and to be without Aura during the night could lead to trouble in terms of illness.

No calls nor any returned texts made the instructor high-tail it from her office, which brings her to the door of Team RWBY's dorm. She sighed as she knocked, shaking her head all along the way. It was a light knock, just one to stir the one's inside... Still, no sign of movement from within...

'Alright, try again...' She thought, knocking even harder. Still, she heard nothing. 'To the extremes, then...' She scanned her scroll along the door's electric lock and waited for the click. All Beacon faculty had special codes within the locking system throughout campus, essentially making their scroll's skeleton keys. This, however, had one issue, and that was that the scroll's had to have a code in them to prove the identity of the user. Obnoxious, yes. Needed, also yes.

When Glynda put in her code, she heard the door unlock with a click. Slowly turning the knob, she waited to see if there was any protest from within... Still, no signs of life... This worried her, causing her to frantically open the door revealing...

A sprawled mess of humanity in the middle of the room...

'I... I don't even know what to say...' She thought as she examined the room. All of the curtains were closed, covering the windows from the outside light.

She really didn't know what to expect, but can tell you for sure that it wasn't this. Yang was in the middle of the pile on her back, snoring loudly. Blake was curled into a ball and tucked on her partner's left shoulder. Weiss was surprisingly sprawled out as she lay on Yang's right shoulder, extremely close to using the blonde's breast as a pillow. Ruby had wrapped her cloak around herself, utilizing it as a blanket (which could only be assumed was its real purpose...) and was resting peacefully on Yang's abdomen, back to the floor. However, to Goodwitch it didn't appear that Ruby was sleeping... No, her eyelids were moving, was she dreaming?

Glynda walked around to face Ruby, when silver orbs tiredly revealed themselves. Ruby waved, her facial expression staying stoic. Crouching to the teens' level, Glynda whispered, "Don't mind me, I'm just making sure that you all made it." Slowly, the leader nodded, showing her understanding. "How are you feeling?"

"I've been fading in and out all night." Ruby silently replied, honesty in her voice, "I don't think I've gotten a steady thirty minutes of sleep... Is that normal?"

Glynda nodded, "Yes, that'll happen for another day or so. After a while you'll just go right to sleep like normal, it's just your mind and body processing everything. Do you still have a headache?"

Ruby thought about it for a moment, closing her eyes to be sure... "Not really? I don't know for sure, sorry?"

"It's alright, I'm just making sure." Glynda rose to her feet and walked backwards, clearing her throat, "I'm glad to see you all made it. I'll come back later tonight, say before dinner?" Ruby gave a thumbs up, "Very good. Sleep tight."

Ruby turned over in response, finding the next wave of sleep easily. All night she had been asleep one second, awake the next, and so on and so forth. To be honest, she wasn't sure what was dream and what was reality anymore, and it kinda scared her. Her headache went down a little bit, but with the lack of movement she just couldn't tell if she was dizzy or not.

As Glynda backed away, she had the perfect photo moment for the team. She wouldn't condone something like this, like ever, but given all that the team had been through, this seemed like the perfect shot that might never happen. She pulled out her scroll and snapped a quick picture. Luckily enough there was light in the room from somewhere so she didn't have to use the flash feature. Instead, she inspected her photo, smiled and sent it to each member of RWBY.

'I think they'd like that...' She thought as she walked out of the dorm, slowly and quietly closing the door behind her.

The morning progressed into early afternoon as the sun began to peek through the curtains more and more. The bright illumination found its way towards the sleeping eyes of a certain Blonde, who groaned in annoyance and pain at the light. Slowly opening her eyes, Yang began to examine her dorm, but was confused... She wasn't as high as she normally was... She must not have been in her bunk.

As she looked around, she felt a force tug on her. Looking down, Yang could make out Weiss' white hair resting comfortably on her chest. The brawler blushed momentarily as she recalled the night before... The crash as they all barely made it to their dorm... Hell, if it wasn't for the light, she wouldn't be up now!

But there was almost nothing Yang could do... She was so far away from the curtain to pull it closed and that one beam of light that shone through made her want to choke a person...

'Well, I've got three right here...' Her cryptic thought was shaken away as she groaned, contemplating whether or not she should put her team in their respective bunks. As she carefully stretched her muscles, she could see a pair or cat ears peak above her shoulder. Lifting her head, Yang could see Blake nuzzled in between her shoulder and her chest. All the while wondering just where Ruby ended up, after all the younger sibling was on Yang's back last night...

Her curiosity was settled after another force upon her abdomen moved, apparently turning over. 'Well...'Yang thought,'At least I know I can make a good bed... I guess I've got that going for me.' As she sat, the sun's light was now getting to obnoxious levels, having not moved in a few minutes. The blonde audibly sighed and made her decision: Since there's no way she can go back to sleep now, she'll put her team to bed and start her day.

The only challenge is just how damn snug the team is to her. Seriously, they couldn't get any closer to Yang without her feeling obligated to call them all in the morning. Getting away without awakening any of them up would be a challenge in itself! Still, she had to try. She hoped her team was as unconscious as ever, slowly maneuvering Weiss off of her chest and slowly letting the heiress down on the floor.

One down as Weiss curled herself into a ball. Next was Blake. The faunus required less work, given her position, but her being a very light sleeper made Yang worry. She carefully lifted the black haired beauty off of her shoulder and scooted herself upwards, giving Blake a small area for herself. Once enough room was made available, Yang slowly let her partner down on her side and watched as the faunus went back to sleep, although seemed very irritated about something.

Finally it was Ruby's turn. The youngest sibling had been knocked away from Yang when the brawler had moved herself to work on Blake, but the only reaction out of the leader was a grunt as she hit the ground softly. Yang shook her head when she realized just how tired Ruby was, after all by the sounds of it from the night before, Ruby was trying hard to stay awake, but her body just didn't want to communicate and kept telling her to sleep. She must have given in during the elevator ride, unless she woke up at some point in the night.

That concern is one for later, however. She scooped her sister and softly tossed her into her hanging bed, a refreshing sight compared to the last month. She wondered how Blake would react to getting her bed back, too. After all, the faunus had just gotten used to the hanging abode...

After she tossed the covers over her leader, she turned to see her rather surprisingly cute teammates, both curled up, facing each other using an arm as a pillow and the other as a blanket. She smiled lightly at the sight and decided to memorialize it... For later... She brought up her scroll, but paused when she noticed that she had a message. Blinking, she popped the message open and found a picture and a note... From Professor Goodwitch?

It was a photo of the team, curled and cuddled together on the floor with a note: "I knew you would crash when you got home, but this is ridiculous!"

'What the hell? She was here!?'

Yang shot a quick message, just asking what the professor was doing within their dorm and patiently awaited a response, all the while working on the rest of her team. Despite being rather embarrassed about Goodwitch's photo, she had to admit, it was damn cute... She's going to get that blown up and plant it on a wall somewhere in the dorm...

Yang slowly scooped Weiss and carefully laid the heiress in her bed, tossing the covers over while slowly taking out the tiara. If that thing broke or bent in any way then Yang was a goner for sure. Finally, she turned to her partner and blinked once Weiss was secured. Yang was lucky, not waking Blake the first time, but she was sure her luck would run out for the day.

The brawler tiptoed over and knelt down, examining her partner with a smirk. Blake was so content where she was... Though, Yang worried that her partner had lost her bow the night prior... Questions for later as Yang carefully scooped the faunus and set her down on the proper bunk. As she did her partner let out a quiet groan, causing Yang to pause with eyes wide in fear. However, after a minute passed the soft snoring would return and Yang silently rejoiced, tossing the cover over her partner.

Content with all that she had done, Yang maneuvered around the dorm, making sure that not a single crack of light would shine. Considering the brightness of the outdoors right now, she had to guess it was almost noon. Sighing, she checked her scroll to see how close she was and found another message from the Professor...

'Earlier before classes started, just wanted to check on you all.' It read, 'I see you're up now. How's the rest of the team?'

Yang scoffed, 'Still out. Probably for a while. I'm used to being low on Aura so this isn't bothering me one bit... How are you holding up?'

She walked back to her bunk and hopped on, eyes glued to her scroll. It wasn't uncommon to receive messages from instructors, though the quick reply's were interesting, as Goodwitch should have a class right now. Perhaps not, as she may have called class off... Another reply came through:

'Tired, but coffee helps. Are you excited?'

Yang blinked and smiled, knowing precisely what her instructor was talking about without saying it. 'Very much so.' She replied hurriedly, 'I want to wake her up so badly and talk about it all, but I know she needs to rest... How long is she supposed to be out?'

It took a while for Goodwitch to respond, making Yang consider that she may have caught the older woman in the middle of a fight. The explanation, once it was received, was brief but accurate. 'It all depends on how her body reacts to the Spore's sudden departure. There's something you should know, unless it's already happened of course...?'

Yang furrowed her brow for a moment, what on Remnant could she be talking about?

'The Spore will have to find a way out of her body, and the prime way to do that is through her stomach.' Oh no. 'It has two methods of escape... Good luck.' With eyes wide, Yang sat back and peered at her sister, only to receive another quick message back, 'No, I'm wrong. There's only one way out, and it's up.'

'So she's going to get sick?'

'Unless she already has?'

'Not that I know of.'

'Miss Xiao Long, prepare a bucket.'

Of course. Great. Terrific.

"Well," She huffed, "Not the first time, probably won't be the last." As she jumped from her bed and aimed for the broom closet, she could hear a stirring from behind her. Rolling her eyes, Yang realized that she probably woke Blake up. At this point, she actively did not care. Yang hadn't showered, slept in her combat clothes and was just used as a bed for twelve hours... No, she was not in the best of moods.

"Won't be the last time for what?" Her partner called, rubbing her amber eyes as she rolled over in her bed, "Who are you even talking to?"

"Myself." Yang sung as she pulled out a tin bucket, "Here we go."

"What's that for?"

"Oh, Blakey, if I told you then it would ruin the surprise." Her cheeky smile was liable to get her smacked by her partner, if Blake wasn't so groggy. Still, the familiar gaze of annoyance out of the faunus caused Yang to rethink her explanation. "When Weiss wakes up, I'll tell you."

A heavy sigh from the next bunk alerted the dup, "I'm already up." Weiss pouted, "You two are talking." Yang rolled her eyes and shrugged. "Now why do you have a pale with you?" The brawler pointed up at the occupant in the floating bed. Weiss and Blake turned to their teammate, clearly confused, but Yang was happy to explain.

"Professor Goodwitch told me that she might get sick, so I'm staying prepared."

Weiss sat up in her bed, "Oh sure, be prepared when the teacher says so but when I recommend it you'd blow it off."

Yang nodded tauntingly with a smile, "Yup." She proudly declared with a giggle. "Now, if you'd like to get up, Weiss, as you are in the splash zone."

The heiress shrieked as the bed swayed slightly, scared that Ruby had awoken in a not-so-fine fashion. When she turned, she found that it was Yang who barely nudged the bed, causing the heiress' face to turn to a new shade of red. "Oh come on, that was funny!"

"That was pretty good, Weiss." Blake agreed, tapping her teammate's shoulder.

"Just wait, both of you." Weiss declared, "You've had your fun the last few hours, but a Schnee never forgets!"

Yang gasped, "Uh oh, Blake, I think we angered Weiss." Her sarcastic tone was met by an icy glare, "Whatever shall we do?!" Yang theatrically keeled over, being caught by her partner with her leg stuck straight out.

"Sleep with one eye open, you two." The cryptic declaration was set as Weiss was no fool when it came to jokes. Plus, she had her partner to help... At least, she hoped Ruby would help. Glancing at the bed of her aforementioned partner, Weiss noticed that it had began to sway as the occupant stirred more and more. Her eyes went wide with realization as Yang and Blake composed themselves.

Slowly, but surely, Ruby rolled up into a sitting position and stared blankly out into space. Her team quietly stared at their now risen leader, caution on all of their faces as nobody made a single move. It was a long minute, but Yang was first to break the silence. "Uh, hey sis." She called, "H-how are you feeling?"

Ruby only blinked in response as her blank stare seemed to go on forever. Yang and Blake locked eyes and shrugged as Weiss cautiously approached her leader. "Hey," She soothed, grabbing Ruby's exposed hand. "You there?" Ruby slowly turned her head towards the heiress, but still said nothing. "Are you... Feeling okay?"

"No... No, not really." Was all Ruby could say as she quickly jumped from her bed, landing on her feet in front of the team. "As a matter of fact..." She bolted away, her speed semblance gaining her an advantage as her stomach seemed to betray her. She slammed the door as she entered the bathroom, and her team could only flinch as they could barely hear the violent expulsion of the contents of the young leader's stomach.

"Well, Yang." Blake chuckled, "You won't be needing this." The faunus took the bucket back to the closet as Weiss sat in her bed, turning her scroll on as she ignored the ongoing mess being made. "What? Too important to help your leader?" Blake taunted.

"I... I don't do that sort of thing... You know?"

"Caretaker isn't in you?"

"No, Yang." Weiss admonished, "I just don't like barf... At all. The sight, the sound, I just..." She shivered at the very thought of it. Yang and Blake both shrugged, understanding the heiress' point.

"I'll go check on her." Yang said, causing Blake to release a sigh of relief. With a knock on the door, Yang could hear her younger sister cough once or twice before calling out, "Sis? You okay?"

"Yeah." Ruby replied, out of breath, "I think I'm good... I got that out of my system now... Whew." Yang opened the door as the toilet flushed, "You don't want to see it. Trust me." The blonde nodded and knelt down to her sibling's level, who was leaning against the side of the bathtub tiredly.

"Do you know what just happened?" She asked curiously.

"I just gave myself a very bad taste in my mouth?" Blake peaked her head around the corner and heard the comment, picking up a glass and filling it almost to the rim with water, subsequently handing it to her leader. "Thanks."

"Not necessarily true. But not wrong, either." The elder sister chuckled as Ruby downed the drink in one go. "Can you walk? Think you're strong enough?"

"Are you still dizzy?" Weiss called as she too peered around the corner. Ruby blinked as her partner's icy-blue eyes locked with her silver ones. Her mind cleared as she tried to stand, only to be assisted by Yang, who caught her leader staring uncannily into Weiss' eyes. "W-what are you-?"

"Weiss..." Ruby squinted as she walked out on her own power, looking her partner straight into her eyes as her facial expression contorted from confused to elation. Her mind was flooded with memories of her and her partner, from the Emerald Forest to just meandering about in Vale, even to the not-so-pretty arguments that the two would constantly find themselves in. Regardless, each memory was more beautiful than the last. "I remember..."

Weiss blinked in surprise, "What do you remember?" She asked, grasping her leader's shoulders. Blake and Yang once again turned and looked at each other as the display before them pressed on.

"I remember... Everything!" Ruby returned the grasp in kind, latching onto Weiss' shoulders, "I remember the Initiation! I remember the CCT! Every study session, it's all coming back!" The two danced around as they embraced one another. Yang covered her mouth in awe as her sister continued, locking eyes with Blake, "You!" She pointed, "I remember how you stood up for me the first day we met! How you tried to shoo Yang and I away, and I remember how Yang and I have broken you out of your- ACK!" She was cut off as Blake joined the embrace. "You've come so far out of your shell!" The leader barely choked out as the weight of both of her teammates grew.

"You've come as far as I have." The faunus soothed with tears in her eyes. This was the very moment she was waiting for, for so long. Divine retribution, finally repaying her debt to her leader who risked so much to save her.

"I also remember how this all started." Ruby whispered, "And I'd do it again in a heartbeat." She wouldn't face Blake's amber eyes, instead she turned to the lilac orbs of her sister, still standing with a stunned expression. "And you!" She playfully called, "I remember how you abandoned me on the first day," Yang blushed at the memory, rubbing the back of her head, "And I also remember how hard you were on everybody over the year, breaking us out of old habits."

The blonde shrugged as she stood back away from the group, "I just did what I had to do, you know?" Before she could say anything else, three arms reached out, grabbed her undershirt and yanked her into the embrace. In that moment all of the teams' worries and troubles went away as they swayed with each other in their arms. Hope and effort, hard work and determination reigned supreme this day, and for many more to come for sure.

The day progressed lazily for Team RWBY. It was late showers for all, the last being done at Two in the afternoon. Weiss had made a note to never sleep so late again, despite the way they all felt the previous night.

The team also discovered the picture that their professor snapped to them early in the morning, each one having a varying reaction, but they all still were along the lines of 'How cute!' Yang still kept her little plan a secret. By week's end she will have that picture as a poster up on the wall.

Yang had discussed Goodwitch's plan, which delayed any meals to have been had by the team until she arrived with her synopsis. As they waited, Ruby went on and on about just what exactly she remembered, as she may have been lost in the moment. Truthfully, it wasn't everything, but it was a lot in one go. She was admittedly lost on a few things, though, finding certain events incomplete. Her team was more than willing to fill her in on anything that she needed help on, though it didn't seem like a good sign, not remembering everything.

Glynda arrived as quickly as she could, almost instantly being thrown into a group hug by the team. An affectionate sign of gratitude from them all. "Well, it's nice to see you all, as well!" She chuckled. "But I must insist that we hurry, I have a meeting with the headmaster soon."

"Alright." Ruby clapped as the team bounced away, "Let's get this started!" Her enthusiasm was a welcomed sight, compared to the silent and gloomy child that replaced her over the course of the last month.

"Very well." Ruby took a seat next to Weiss on the heiress' bed as the black and yellow themed teammates took seats on their respective bunks. "I guess the first place to begin is how are you feeling?"

"Great. I mean, I threw up, but Yang said that we were expecting that?"

Goodwitch nodded, "Yes, we were. That was your body taking the Dark Seed out."

"Wait-" Blake called, "I thought it was attached to her brain... or something?"

"Not exactly. Even if that was the case, the body's natural reaction for anything intrusive and invasive is to send it through the digestive track. If it turns to be too aggressive, the next move is to... Well, take it out another way."

"So the spore is gone?"

"As far as we can tell, yes, Ruby." Glynda nodded, "You are Seed free. Now," She opened her scroll and tapped the screen a few times, "I understand that your mind has cleared up nicely since last night." Ruby smiled as she nodded, "I suppose you know what I'm going to ask."

She continued to nod as she thought about her next explanation, afraid she might be too longwinded or too blunt. "Well, I have been able to remember a few things." Glynda smirked, her elation within well hidden from the group, "It felt like a lot at first, but then it started to overwhelm me."

Blake took over for her, "She's been telling us everything that she can, but a few things are left blank and hazy."

And that's where the smirk died, turning into a look of annoyance. She expected that, despite not wanting to accept it. "It's like I said before, everything will come back in time. It might not be as soon as a week, but we can hope." Glynda explained, "All you need to do is keep your team informed and keep a steady mind. It may seem like much now, but everything will slow down into a comfortable pace, and if it gets to be too much, just have a seat somewhere until you're feeling better."

The team nodded in understanding. This next week would be interesting, to say the least. "I do have one more question." Ruby nervously piped, "What are the chances that I remember everything from this last, what was it a month?"

"That's a good question. The answer: It's up to you." All of RWBY gave their professor a confused look as she further explained, "The mind is a marvelous thing, Miss Rose. If you want to forget or to remember something, then you have to make that choice." Glynda turned to leave as the team began to comprehend her last few words of wisdom. "Good luck to you all, and I'll see you in class tomorrow."

She left, silently closing the door behind her, all of RWBY left in momentary silence. Particularly Ruby, who was deep in thought for a good few minutes. For the last month she had thought that it was an outside force- only recently did she discover that it was the Dark Seed- that took away her memories, and now she's being told that she had the willpower to overcome that... Alone?

She shook her head at the notion. No, she couldn't have done it alone. "So," Blake said, "What else do you have for us?"

Ruby smirked as a few visions came to mind, some that could use context... "Well..."

Glynda walked away from the dorm building before bringing up her scroll's phone application and dialed the Headmaster. It rang twice before Ozpin answered. "Hello, Glynda."

"Good news and bad news." The combat instructor began, "Good news is, Ruby has her memory. It's coming in slowly, but surely."

Ozpin sighed as he sat back in his chair comfortably, "Very good. Now what's the bad news?"

"Bad news is I was too late to extract the spore." This is where Ozpin dipped his head in disappointment, "They all woke up far earlier than I anticipated. I'm afraid the Spore is somewhere in Beacon's sewer systems..."

He thought silently for a moment, but his conclusion came quickly. "It is no concern of us, now." He determined. "Ruby's youthful stomach may not have had the strength to destroy the spore while it was within her, but I can only assume that it was damaged enough to no longer be an issue anymore."

"But Ozpin-"

"Really, Glynda, do you think anything could survive the within the sewer systems?" He chuckled as he paced around his office, "The worst thing that can happen is the Spore will manifest into a Crokolisk within our sewers. Then we can have that Urban Legend that Qrow is always pressuring us to make."

"You can't be serious?" Glynda deadpanned.

Ozpin smiled and turned to face his desk, "You know I am." He chuckled, "And, did you ever tell Team RWBY about your theory of Summer Rose within the dream? By the way you sounded this morning, you were certain that it wasn't her."

A reluctant pause filled the line with silence as Glynda stuttered, "N-no, sir. I haven't. It didn't seem like a good idea, after all the whole team seemed so hopeful. I think I'll just let my thoughts to myself for right now, and I'll sit down with the team on a later date." She had explained how the very presence of Summer within Ruby's mind seemed... Too right, and considered the thought that maybe Summer was a figment of Ruby's imagination. After all, they were in a dream...

Still, she knew that there was a time and a place for everything, and bringing the morale of the team down like that just didn't feel right.

Ozpin nodded, though knew his colleague couldn't see it. "Very good, Glynda. Come up to my office when you can, as we have some work to finish." He hung up the line and sat back down in his chair, turning to face the City of Vale, which his tower overlooked. An unknown attribute of a Spore, once it was out of a host body, would be to manifest into a Grimm. At least, that was the legend behind one.

Now that Dark Seed's have been proven to exist, Ozpin wanted to find out exactly what the Seed can be and what it can do, considering the only thing they had on it was old texts and rumors. But, if he knew the human body like he did, then he could only assume that the stomach acids of the fifteen-year-old girl whom he let in would have damaged it enough to terminally destabilize it, preventing a Grimm from forming.

If anything does happen though, he'll just send Qrow to deal with the, ahem, 'Urban Legend'…

The team talked for hours after Goodwitch departed. They had considered dinner, but another unforeseen symptom of the operation from the night prior seemed to be a lack of appetite, as shown by both Ruby and Blake. Yang and Weiss, however weren't as patient, and they departed for the cafeteria, but promised to bring something back for their respective partners.

Leaving the Red and Black themed pair alone.

As they walked out of the dorm building, Weiss looked towards Yang with curiosity. "You know," She started, "There's something I don't get." Yang raised an eyebrow as she waited for the heiress to continue, "If this was any other day, or if we hadn't done what we did last night, you would've dragged both Ruby and Blake out with us... Why did you leave them?"

"Well, my dear Watson-!"

"Please stop calling me that."

"Never." Weiss pouted as Yang continued, "Thing is, Ruby's still really tired and I don't want to run the risk of her getting sick again, especially outside the dorm." Weiss nodded, but couldn't help but feel an ulterior motive. Still, she wouldn't push and Yang wouldn't tell. The duo could hear the sounds from the cafeteria as the approached the building, knowing deep down that they just hit the prime dinner rush.

... And more food would be available. Fresh, too.

As the duo walked in, they were greeted and stopped by a passing team JNPR. "Yang!" Pyrrha called, almost crashing into her friend, "Weiss! Hello."

"Hello Pyrrha, everyone." Weiss greeted, "How are you all?"

"Full to bursting!" Nora declared theatrically as Yang and Pyrrha stood side by side. Ren caught his partner as Jaune took over.

"We just got done eating and we're about to head back to the dorm and finish some work... We uh, missed you guys in class today. Everything alright?"

Weiss and Yang met each other's gaze, both of them shrugging, neither wanting to ruin a surprise. "Nah." Yang shook her head, "We're good. Just uh, had a late night is all."

"So you skipped class?"

"Yes, Jaune." Weiss deadpanned, "Is that so surprising?"

"With you on the team, yes Weiss." Pyrrha was instantly to her leader's aide, but turned to Yang after appropriating support. "Yang I... I feel like I owe you an apology for my actions earlier..."

Yang stopped her friend with a caring hand on Pyrrha's shoulder, "Aup-up, no Pyrrha." She smiled, "It's alright. Besides, it's not me you need to apologize to." Pyrrha's expression turned fearful and confused, "Go back to our dorm and talk to Ruby. She's the one you need to apologize to." Weiss nodded from behind the group as Yang convinced JNPR to go. Pyrrha nodded in agreement, thanking her friend for her honesty.

"She's right." Pyrrha declared, "Let's go."

As JNPR walked away, Weiss patted her teammate on the back with a smile, "Smooth." The heiress said.

"Aren't I? Come on, we've got some food to collect."

Blake and Ruby sat in relative silence, neither having moved from their respective seats. Actually, since Goodwitch had arrived, neither of the two girls had gotten up. Ruby just kicked her legs whilst avoiding eye contact as Blake thought of something to say.

The faunus cursed Weiss for volunteering to retrieve dinner, but knew between the two, she was the most qualified to take care of Ruby if anything happened... "So." Blake sighed, "Still not hungry?"

Ruby scrunched her face at the very thought and shook her head, "Nah, my stomach is still kinda reeling."

"You know Yang will make you eat something before we call it a night?" Ruby nodded, "And I don't want another late night." Ruby chuckled as she kept her gaze to the floor, mildly annoying Blake. "Hey," She called, "Look at me for a sec..." Slowly, silver eyes locked on to amber as Ruby reluctantly agreed, "Is everything alright?"

"Yeah, it is... I'm just... I'm thinking about a few things is all."

Blake, for the first time in two hours, got up off of her bunk and plopped herself next to her leader, wrapping a caring arm around her shoulder. "Talk to me. What's up?"

Ruby, surprised by the sudden close contact, blushed and faced away shyly. Blake hadn't seen this side of her leader in awhile, not since the start of the year... Even when she had Amnesia, Ruby was far more up for contact... What's going on?

"It's just..." The red-clad girl started, "I meant what I said earlier... You know?" Blake raised an eyebrow in confusion, "About all that you did to help."

"O-oh..."

"I know, Weiss and Yang did a lot too, but you... You did so much so early. Why?"

'Damnit...'- "It's because..." No going back, now. "I felt guilty." Stunned, silver eyes locked on to her amber orbs as Blake now had to explain, "That fight that we had, that big Deathstalker... Ruby, I should be dead!" Blake released her grasp on her leader and started pacing around, "I messed up so badly that I should be dead twice over, really!" Ruby stood up slowly as Blake nervously continued, "You saved my life and paid the price for it, and I just felt so guilty that I-"

A pair of soft lips suddenly pressed against her own, stopping Blake dead in her tracks. She stared down into the short, red-streaked hair of her leader, only to close her eyes as she reciprocated the motion. Blake was speechless, thoughtless... What had she done to deserve such affection?

Slowly, Ruby separated from her teammate and opened her eyes, having fallen back to her feet (as she had to stand on her toes to break the difference in height). "Whatever your reason..." She whispered. "Thanks..." Ruby turned and walked back to Weiss' bunk, plopping down easily as her teammate was left standing in stunned silence.

Blake's thoughts began to race as confusion overtook all expression. "Why?" She asked. The only response Ruby could offer was a smile, a blush and a shrug. Blake fell back on her bunk, deep in thought.

"Just my thanks to you." Ruby finally replied, "I have something in store for Weiss and Yang, but I don't need a lot of courage for them."

"You waited until they left...?"

"Why do you think I persuaded them out the door?"

Blake sighed with a smile at her leader's craftiness. She should have seen it coming, some of the signs were there. Ever since Ruby woke up she had been giving off odd and mixed signals, but the team passed it off as her being tired. Upon further inspection, however, Blake came to realize that Ruby's excuse may not have been the actual reason. No, her face still told a different story. "As... As nice as that was," Blake admitted, "How about you tell me what's really bothering you?"

Closing her eyes, Ruby's smile faded quickly as her head slowly dropped. She placed her forearms on her knees for support as she sighed, knowing she had been found out. "I never could hide anything from you..." Blake blinked, but maintained eye contact, "I... I'm having trouble with... Last night, you know?"

Blake shook her head, "No. What's wrong?"

"As much as I want to believe that my mother was actually in that dream... Or whatever it was, I don't... I don't think-" She had trouble finding the right words to describe her emotions, even though it was all relatively simple. Blake understood what was about to happen, but didn't want to interrupt. This revelation had to be realized on her own... "I don't think that it was really her. It didn't feel like her... I think my mind played a trick on me, on all of us..."

"And you didn't want Yang to be here for when you told me?"

"I'm telling you because I trust you, Blake." The leader honestly replied, "I feel like Yang might already know, but... I don't want to say anything. I'm not sure how she would respond, you know?"

Blake smirked as she took a deep breath, her leader's attitude about the whole thing was clear as day, "Ruby, if this entire semester, let alone the last month, told me anything about your sister, it's that she'd be more understanding than you realize. I'm sure she'll take it well."

"You haven't lived with her as long as I have..."

"But I know her just as well as you." The retort was instantaneous as Blake folded her arms, matter-of-factly. "We're all family, Ruby. And she-"

-Knock knock knock-

Three light knocks alerted the duo towards the door. They both glanced curiously at the other, Blake silently assuring that she had the door. When she got up, Ruby did too, though the reaper stayed in her place. Curiosity peaked with both teens, after all Yang and Weiss would have a way in, so who would be here to-?

"Pyrrha?" Blake's voice was filled with surprise as all of team JNPR waited patiently behind their teammate. "What are you all-?"

"Blake, um... Can I talk to Ruby?" The gladiator's voice was filled with concern, perhaps sorrow. Blake could sense the very genuine nature, but the last time the two had a discussion, it didn't end well...

"It's alright." Ruby assured with a calm hand on Blake's shoulder, moving her teammate beyond the threshold of the door. She stared into the emerald green orbs of Pyrrha's eyes, a look of sincerity on the older teens' face. "Hey, Pyr... Everyone." Ruby greeted.

"I'm... I'm going to cut to the chase, if that's okay?" Ruby nodded affirmatively, "I'm... I'm sorry for the way I acted earlier. It was bullheaded and foolish and... I'm sorry."

Ruby lightly smiled, knowing what her friend was talking about but not exactly able to recall the event. It seemed familiar, though. Still... "I accept your apology, Pyrrha." The gladiator smiled and brought the reaper in for an embrace, which was reciprocated in full. Ruby pondered over whether or not she should tell her friends the news...?

"So, uh..." Jaune began, rubbing the back of his head, "Where were you all today?"

"Oh, did Yang and Weiss not tell you?" Blake called with a smile. "Ruby, would you-?"

Breaking the embrace, Ruby turned to her teammate and smirked with a wink that only Yang could have taught. "Sure." She turned to Jaune and began, "The first time you and I talked it was after Weiss left me out in the courtyard." Jaune blinked, "We walked around campus before realizing that we were pretty hopelessly lost. You tried to recruit only ladies onto your team before initiation and... it half worked."

JNPR all turned to each other in shock as Ruby continued onto Pyrrha, "You calmly passed Weiss on her invitation to a team on more than one occasion, and I'm pretty sure you had your sights on Jaune the whole time." Pyrrha blushed and stepped back, "And Jaune, you really need to use your guitar skills on your team."

"Ruby!" Nora cheered, "Did you-?!"

"You rode a freaking Ursa during initiation without letting Ren have a ride before killing it!"

"You did!" The hammer-wielder cheered as she lifted the Rose into a spinning hug, laughing all the while. "When? How? Why didn't you tell us earlier?!"

"We only found out last night." Blake reasoned, "We've been asleep up until about a few hours ago. "

"That's great!" Ren stoically clapped, "I'm very happy for you."

An energetic voice from down the hall called the groups' attention, "Did we miss the big reveal?!" All eyes turned and saw Yang and Weiss running down the hall with bags of food in tow. "Weiss! I told you we shouldn't have stopped!"

"We'll need drinks for tonight with the food you picked out." The heiress deadpanned, "So? Did you tell them?"

Pyrrha nodded as her team smiled, "Yes, she told us and we're very happy for all of you." JNPR all nodded in agreement, "If there's anything else that we can do, please let us know!"

Ruby nodded in acceptance, "You'll be the first to know." She opened the doorway for her team to bring in the food, "I'm sorry to hit and run like this, but-"

"No, no! Eat!" Pyrrha blushed as she and her team slowly moved back into their dorm room, "We can talk afterwards! Enjoy!"

JNPR retreated quickly, leaving their friends to eat in peace. Ruby sighed happily, thankful for all of her friends, all that she had right now. When she closed the door, she felt a force on her shoulder and heard a soft voice in her ear.

"You should tell them..." Blake whispered, "Better to get it out now than later..." The faunus walked away slowly with a shrug, "Just a thought."

'Yeah... Just a thought... I might as well be honest now...' Ruby turned to her teammates, who were currently unpacking the food in preparations for their first real meal in the last two days.

"Ruby?" The eldest sister called, concern riddling her voice as she examined her younger sibling, "Is everything okay?"

Ruby blinked and smiled, "Yeah, I'm good..." Her smiled slowly dimmed as her team kept their gaze on her, "Actually... There's something I want to talk to you all about."

Her team nodded quickly, concerned over what their illustrious leader had to say. Weiss was the first- and really only- to speak. "We're all ears, Ruby."

"Right... Where do I start?"

Glynda patiently waited as the elevator to the Headmaster's office took it's time going up, giving her a chance to think for once today. Despite how she was feeling and how her body reacted to the events of the night prior, she was still very proud of what RWBY had accomplished today. She also knew that there was so much more that they didn't know about the Dark Seed in the first place…

A ding rang out as Glynda's emerald eyes opened. She took her stance, her back going straight as the door opened, giving her a chance to walk in. "Professor Ozpin." She called.

"Glynda." The Headmaster offered a cup of coffee, which she gladly accepted as she took a seat tiredly. "I see you've had a busy day."

"Chuckle all you'd like." She sighed, "You don't know the troubles I've seen."

"Indeed." A few taps on his table and a hologram appeared in the middle of the room. A hologram of a dark orb of some sort… "Do you know what this is?"

"Given the theme of the last two days, I'm going to guess a Dark Seed?"

"Correct." Ozpin took a sip of his coffee and leaned back in his chair, "I had a word with some of my colleagues at the other academies, and they have also had a rise in Dark Seed cases recently."

"How much of a rise?"

"One per year, which they're afraid will grow." Glynda eased up after hearing the low number, but still asked the Headmaster to continue. "I have also found something else that you may like to hear."

"I'm all ears." She sighed as she took another sip, holding her head up with her arm unenthusiastically.

Ozpin rose from his seat and took a deep breath before beginning, "We know what the Spore's can do. The other Headmaster's and I have determined that the Spore will drain a person's memory slowly, which will then cause them grief and suffering."

"Wait…?"

"Ruby would have lost all of her memories, regardless of how hard her team worked with her." The grim news caused the combat instructor to sit back and think, but Ozpin continued anyway, "Now that the Spore has been defeated, that will no longer happen. In fact, she's lucky to be getting any of her memories back at all."

"Why is that?"

"All of the other cases have so far been treated, but those students have not recovered much, if at all…" Glynda's head dropped in sorrow. Kids with their whole lives ahead of them and they can barely remember some of the best times they've had? "Perhaps it was the way this spore reacted, or maybe it was just a weaker one. Needless to say, Miss Rose is insanely lucky."

Glynda nodded in agreement, but couldn't shake a bad feeling… "We'll just see how far her luck can take her, though…"

Ruby and her team had been eating dinner as their leader explained her theory on Summer in the dream. "All in all," She finished as she dug into the ham dinner that her sister and partner brought back up, "It just didn't feel like it was her, you know? I mean, I know Blake and Weiss won't, but Yang…?"

The blonde nodded as she continued to eat, her hunger taking over since the day prior, though she hadn't made much eye contact with her sister during the explanation. "No, I get it." She finally said, "I had my feelings on this, too. I didn't want to say anything, but I did think that she just… Wasn't herself." Blake and Weiss eyed each other as the sisters continued, both appearing to have a sense of guilt in their voices. Were they really so reluctant to talk about this? Perhaps so, after all this wasn't a topic they were always so open to talk about… "I'm just glad that we can get this aside before it turned into something… Much, much worse."

Ruby nodded in agreement and stacked her tray on the nightstand, breaking eye contact with the rest of her team. Weiss had just about enough of the sisters' pity party and stepped up, "Well, I'm glad you two were able to work that out." She said with a smile, "Now, we can move on and finally get some school work done."

Ruby smiled and winked at Yang before beginning, "I don't know, Weiss." She said with a yawn, "I'm still really tired and all…"

"You're the exception."

The red-clad girl blinked in surprise, "Wait, really?"

"Weiss!"

"What the hell is this!?"

The heiress chuckled as she folded her arms in front of her chest, "This is for last night and this morning."

"Ruby participated too!" Blake declared, causing her leader to raise her arms defensively, "Why does she get off so easily?"

"Because she's my partner and I'm playing favorites, that's why!" Yang and Blake both locked eyes with stunned expressions as Weiss continued, "Plus, I never relinquished control of the team back to Ruby, so I'm still in charge."

Ruby stood up and nodded with a smile, just to watch her team squirm, "She's right. Until she feels that I'm able to be a leader again, she doesn't have to give me the team back." The reaper hopped into her bed and tossed her arms back, "Have fun, you two."

Yang dejectedly sighed as divine retribution had come for her and her partner, she leaned forward and ran her fingers through her hair. Blake sat back and sighed as Weiss and Ruby both chuckled at the display. Weiss said she would have her revenge, and sooner is always better than later.

Then, a lightbulb went off in Yang's mind as she had an idea. "Oh!" She looked up at her sister and grabbed her scroll, "You can't go back to bed yet, Rubes!"

"What do you-?" The youngest was cut off when a scroll was shoved into her hands, causing her to blink with a blank expression.

"You still need to call Qrow and Dad, tell them you're alright!"

Silver eyes went wide as a mix of realization and happiness came across her face. Ruby jumped down and hugged her sister in thanks before finally making the call. "I almost forgot!"

Weiss and Blake locked eyes as the sisters embraced each other, both partners knowing what to do. "We'll leave you two alone for right now." Weiss declared, "Then we'll be back in." Yang nodded and smiled as the duo broke off, Ruby finally unlocking her scroll. Weiss and Blake walked out, quietly closing the door only to be met by JNPR's resident nutjob.

"So?" Nora asked in her childlike curiosity, "How's she doing?"

Blake took over for Weiss, "Both are doing well. Ruby's calling home to tell them that she's alright, and then we're going back in." All of JNPR smiled and nodded at the news, "If you want to do anything with her, though, you might have to wait until tomorrow. I think she's a little overloaded right now and some more rest might to her well."

Nora dejectedly dropped her head and whined, "But I want to see her, now!"

Ren put a hand on his partner's shoulder and sighed, trying to calm her down, "Nora, if she has a case of sensory overload, then it might be best if we just back off until tomorrow. No reason to give her more of a headache." His reason was more than enough for his other teammates, but Nora would still pout, walking back inside their dorm. Once again, Ren sighed and turned to his friends. "Sorry about her, she's just-"

Weiss raised a hand and smiled, cutting the young man off. "We understand." Was all she assured. Jaune and Pyrrha locked eyes, both wanting to ask the same question but neither wanting to ask it. Still, the leader took charge first.

"So," He said, earning a look from the white and black themed girls, "We'll see you in class tomorrow, right?"

Both girls nodded, Blake taking the conversation from her teammate, "We should be. I know Weiss is going to push for it."

"Well," Pyrrha stepped in, "If you need any notes from the last few classes, let us know. We'll be happy to help."

Weiss nodded with a heavy exhale, "Thank you." She said with a small smile, "Two days off of class is more than enough. I just don't want to be too far behind."

"That's why we're here."

"Thanks, Pyrrha."

Time passed as the group of five talked, just shooting the breeze now. It had been so long since they were able to just sit and talk about classes or other events, which was refreshing to the two girls. Blake listened in on her partner and leader, though, trying to figure out when was the best time to go back in. Right now, Ruby and Yang were currently having a tearful discussion with their father. The faunus smiled as she zoned out for a moment, thinking back to that moment in the dorm, with her and Ruby…

She questioned the feelings she currently had. Confusion topped the list, but she wondered if the affection her leader showed was out of thanks, or something else…

"Hey!" Weiss nudged, "You still in there?"

Blushing, Blake looked up and blinked, finding the backs of JNPR as they returned to the dorm, "Y-yeah, I'm fine."

Weiss smiled and shook her head, "Sure you are, that's why you're blushing madly." Blake blinked, her face turning a new shade of red, just like Weiss earlier, "I'm joking, you know. Now, come on, the sister's are done."

Nodding, the faunus joined her teammate and walked back into the dorm, finding a familiar scene. Ruby was up in her bed, apparently looking to get some sleep now that she's done all that she needs to do. Yang assured her teammates that their leader was fine, all the while staying as quiet as possible.

It was barely eight and the sun was just setting, causing the team to make their decision too. They'd follow Ruby and walk into the land of sleep, with everything seemingly back to normal for the first time…

Yang walked into the bathroom, leaving Weiss and Blake alone momentarily. The heiress took this time… "Hey," She quietly called, "Are you alright? I thought I lost you out there…"

"Huh? Yeah, I'm fine. Why?"

Weiss shook her head, "It just… You seem different. I'm just wondering if something happened that I need to know about?"

'Oh, something happened…' Blake shook away the thought and smiled, "I'm fine. Thanks."

Closing her eyes and dropping her head, Weiss huffed at the response, "Believe it or not, you're not a good liar after I know all of your tells." The bathroom door opened as Yang slowly walked out, "Something's up, and I'll find it." She took the bathroom before Blake could and began her nightly routine, closing the door behind her. Yang made a curious face and pointed at Weiss, but her partner waved her off.

"It's nothing." She assured, "Just Weiss being Weiss."

The brawler nodded simply and closed the curtains before jumping into her bed. "That's something that we can work out tomorrow. Night."

"Good night."

Despite being eyed by the heiress clad in white, Blake still accomplished her routine with simplicity and ease, trying to be as quiet as possible for her team. The best thing that she could do, for her and Ruby, would be to keep quiet. of course, with Weiss, it's easier said than done. 'Hopefully I can just get through tomorrow without incident, then talk to Ruby about all of this…'

Really, she didn't think she had any reason to be concerned or confused, but there was still something that she needed to know. Turning off the bathroom light, she examined the darkened dorm and sighed happily. Weiss and Yang were asleep, the latter snoring loudly while the former barely made any noise at all, and Ruby was up in her bed, fast asleep for the first time in what seemed like an eternity.

Everything, for once, felt like it was back to normal…

With the morning, came the sun. Before the sun, came all of Team RWBY. For once, the team felt rested and relaxed before the day could even begin, which gave them all a chance to get breakfast before class, an unusual ritual that they could get used too.

Their morning routines done, Ruby led her team to the cafeteria in hopes of… Well, everything. She found not being able to recollect on a few details to be mildly infuriating, and wished to discuss them with her team. Also, she wanted to get out of the dorm a little bit.

Plus a little more team bonding never hurt anyone.

The team was surprised when they finally arrived at the cafeteria. Quite a few early risers on a Wednesday came in for breakfast, even Team JNPR. They were also surprised to see that their red and white themed teammates had gotten them full trays of food with two free seats at a table. With a thanks, all eight dug in for the first time in what felt like an eternity. Laughter and jokes, smiles all around.

Class was, remarkably, amazing for the team. Sure they had Grimm studies and that meant dealing with Professor Port and his, ahem, "lectures", but that didn't make it any less memorable for all. Ruby even received a few welcome backs from other students, after word had mysteriously gotten around campus. Team CFVY would even pay a visit later in the night, treating RWBY to another dinner in Vale.

Before that, however, Ruby had one stop to make: Professor Peach.

Out of all of the instructors at Beacon, Peach was possibly the nicest. She had compassion for her students and was very open and understanding, not veering from rather mature topics, but that didn't bother anybody. She also helped Team RWBY on more than one occasion during their ordeal, and the Red-clad leader wanted to give her thanks. She had already done so for Professor Goodwitch.

A knock on the office door, the shaded window simply labeled "Peach". A voice within alerted the teen, "Come in." Ruby turned the knob and opened the door, entering to see her target sitting at the desk at the far end of the room. Peach smiled as she laid her eyes upon her guest, "Miss Rose, quite the surprise. Please, come in!" Ruby nodded and closed the door behind her, walking into the office, but opting to stand. "Glynda, er, Professor Goodwitch, told me about what happened. I'm proud of you and your team!"

Shaking her head, Ruby lightly smiled and peered towards the ground, "Thanks, and on that note, my team and some friends want to go into town and celebrate, so I thought I'd come by and say thanks."

Peach cocked an eyebrow as she sat back in her chair, "For what?"

"I know you did a lot of behind the scenes work with us, and you helped out a lot! I know you're probably going to downplay your work, so… I want you to know that no matter what you say about it, I, and my team, will always be thankful for what you did."

The honest tone of her student caused Peach to smile and dip her head, hiding her expression. Rising to her feet, Peach slowly looked to her student, meeting her silver eyes, "Well, in that case I don't think I have any choice but to accept this token of gratitude." She bowed, but Ruby shook her head, "What's the matter?"

"That wasn't the token of gratitude," Ruby responded with a chuckle, "This is." She opened her arms wide, the universal signal for a hug. Nodding quickly, the instructor instantly understood and agreed, meeting Ruby at the front of the heavy oak desk for a tight embrace.

The two held the hug for a moment before mutually breaking it off. "So," Peach began, "You said you were going into Vale?"

Silver eyes lit up at the mention of the celebration, "Yeah! Coco is treating me and my team to a dinner at a restaurant in downtown."

"Coco Adel? Of CFVY?" Ruby nodded, causing Peach to chuckle, "If you really want to have fun with it, let her know I expect her retest to be taken soon. She'll know what it means." The teen smirked at the suggestion, but her attention wasn't taken for long. "Speaking of retest, if you'd like to redo any of the one's that you took during your, um, ordeal, then I would be more than happy to oblige."

Ruby nodded and bowed, "Thanks for the offer! I'll let you know if I need to." Peach nodded as she leaned against her desk, "In the meantime, I hate to cut this, but I'm afraid I'm running late."

"Yeah, don't keep Miss Adel waiting." Peach waved her away, "I'd hate for her to find out that a little detour to my office caused you all to miss a reservation."

"Right. Again, thanks so much for all that you did. I may not be able to remember it right away, but I know it helped a ton!"

"It was my pleasure." Peach finally nodded, "Now go, have fun tonight." Ruby smiled and waved as she quickly exited the office, leaving the Biology instructor within to sigh heavily. "My night has been made just a little better, now…" She said to herself as she glanced around her room, "I wonder if I have anything in here I can celebrate with…?"

As Ruby exited the room, she was met by a familiar sight: Weiss' impatient form, sitting at a chair just down the hall. The red-clad girl sighed and rubbed the back of her head at the sight of her "leader". "She's right, you know." Weiss said, "If this detour causes us to miss our reservation, then Coco's going to murder you."

"She's going to have to try really hard, Weiss!" Her partner laughed as she began to walk away, "Now come on! We're late enough as is!"

When Weiss and Ruby finally arrived at the landing pad, they were met by a very patient team CFVY, as well as their Black and Yellow themed teammates. Coco quipped about why the duo were late, but was shot down once Ruby explained her reasoning. The gunner shook her head and huffed a "whatever" as they all boarded their ride into Vale.

Coco had assumed that they might be later than she would like, so she made the reservation at seven-ten, rather than seven o'clock. Giving more than enough leeway to work.

Their destination was one of the fancier places in town, a five-star that received Weiss' seal of Approval (trademarked). Despite the reputation, it didn't stop the two teams from having fun, cracking jokes on one-another and having a really nice time. Their meals were divine, everything cooked very well, followed up by a huge dessert, compliments of the chef (who apparently knew Coco, though she never gave an explanation of how).

For once, everything felt like it was normal again. They could go back to class without fear of the unknown, and they could be with friends afterwards just like before.

And it felt great.

What can I say? I'm a man of happy/sappy endings.

So, how did you all like it? Did I end it on a high note? Was it sent out the way you wanted? Could I have done better? And, since it's the last chapter, feel free to tell me your favorite moment/line/phrase from the fic!

Now, I will be the first to say that YES, SOME CHAPTERS WILL BE UP FOR CHANGE AS TIME MOVES ON. I might not get to it right away, but know that some moments will need to be redone, just because of inconsistency, or perhaps just bad writing on my part.

Before I get anywhere else, there's a few people I'd like to thank. Firstly, I'd like to dedicate this story to one of my favorite High School English teacher and two time Cancer survivor, (who would like to remain anonymous) who inspired me to get off of my ass and write the stories (yes, all of them) that I had running about through my mind. Even though I'm well graduated, you managed to keep on inspiring me, to push myself to be better as a writer and a person. You know who you are. Thank you.

Secondly, I'd like to thank the late and still ever great, Monty Oum. My teacher may have inspired me to get off my ass, but you gave me the world that helped that inspiration grow. You will never be forgotten, and may you Rest in Peace.

Next, I'd like to give a huge thank you to Karmahhhhh, my collab partner for the fanfic Wings of Chaos turned editor! You dealt with a lot of bullshit out of me, and I can't thank you enough for all that you did with this story, Downed and others (yet to be seen by the public).

Finally, I'd like to thank you, the reader. You constantly put up with my inconsistency and my lack of promise keeping and even though my writing style isn't... Great, you still gave me a chance and stuck with me until the end. Thank you for your dedication and your time.

As promised, I have a huge update on the channel as a whole. You can find a more expounded and précis version on my User Profile. Anyway,

With school and work, which are both becoming fulltime deals, I find myself with little time on my hands. A lot less than I used to have, which is... Mildly upsetting, only because I love doing this. I love sitting down and writing out whatever useless thing is in my head, I love seeing the response I get, be it good or bad. But, recently I find that being able to sit down and do this gets tougher and tougher. That being said, as much as I want to make the sequel to Downed, or remake Cataclysmic, I just can't.

Well, not consistently, anyway.

Once this semester of classes are done, I plan to take the summer off to work some more, thus reducing the damage that the cost of the next Fall semester will have on my bank account. Not only will I have more time to myself (which means more time to write) but I'll also probably have a renewed vigor to do so! I don't plan on posting each chapter as they get done, I do plan on posting them when they're finished!

I have a plethora of stories in mind, all RWBY fanfics, all being worked out right now. I will not stop, but I will slow down. As free time becomes available to me, I'll write out each story one by one, and when that story is complete, or close to, I'll release it with a steady and fair schedule. This way I can keep up consistency and, if I fall into another rut and hit writer's block again, I won't be keeping you all hanging.

On my Profile you can find a short list of stories that I plan to write, all of them are series. One-shots (I call them One-y's) will not be there, but might pop up periodically.

I, in conjunction with Karm, have much planned. He is working on an absolutely massive project of his own, and while I have the time, he and I are going to work on Wings of Chaos, which is up for a MASSIVE overhaul. Seriously, it's been a while since it received a proper update and we're both so sorry. But it's going to go the way of Cataclysmic, soon. This time, we both have an idea of what we want to do, so it'll come out better (we can hope!)

Once again, I'd like to thank you all for reading this story. It turned into a much bigger project than I intended, and you stuck with it until the end! You are all wonderful and patient, and I hope you can stick with me until the Summer season, which is when you can expect a lot of my stories to come out.

Well, one last time...

Until Next Time!