164

Chapter 164

Ruby awoke with a yawn. Sitting up in her bed, she stretched her hands over her head. For a second, she smacked her lips, blinking sleepily as she stared at the wall in front of her.

God...this sucks, she thought. Not too long ago, she was perpetually astonishing her friends with her ability to come into full wakefulness almost immediately, thanks to her training and experience. But now, after so many weeks of languishing, it appeared that her instincts had dulled considerably. I really need to get out of this funk, she thought bitterly. Next thing I know, I'll wake up to realize I've started putting on fat.

With that pleasant notion in mind, Ruby pulled back the covers, shedding her pajamas as she headed to the bathroom. At least she didn't need to worry about anyone catching sight of her naked body right now. Whatever else, having a room to herself was a blessing.

A few minutes later, Ruby emerged from the bathroom. Heading to the closet, she pulled out her clothes and dressed herself, using her Aura to form her cloak and hood. That done, she pulled open the door and made her way down the hallway to the kitchen.

"Ah, good morning," said Yukimura, looking up from the stove, the sizzle of bacon and sausage reaching Ruby's ears, accompanied by scents that tickled her nose, prompting her stomach to growl.

"Good morning..." Ruby's voice trailed off, as it usually did, when addressing her godfather. Unfortunately, however close they had gotten, since she'd learned about him, Ruby still didn't yet feel comfortable calling him "Dad". Calling him "Godfather" made her sound like she was in a cheesy crime movie, as well as just sounding painfully formal, and "GodDad" wasn't actually a word, though she might consider making it one, if only to spare herself this awkwardness every morning.

"You know, I'm perfectly fine if you call me by name," said Yukimura cheerfully. "I know that we have a lot of bonding to do, and a lot of lost time to make up for. You don't have to really consider me your father, if you don't want to."

"I do!" Ruby blurted. "It just...it just feels a little awkward still. This is really new to me."

"It's new to me too," said Yukimura, transferring the food from the pan to the plate, and sliding it across the table to where Ruby sat down. "The point is that we'll feel our way through it, a little at a time. There's no need to force yourself into anything you're uncomfortable with, particularly since I doubt you and Yang will be staying here for very long."

Ruby swallowed, a lump forming in her throat at the reminder that this situation, as pleasant as it was, was only temporary. It had been at Qrow's suggestion that she and Yang were here, in Yukimura's home, residing above the very shop she'd brought Jaune to, where she'd first met her godfather. Without any classes in session, and the dorms only being open as a matter of necessity, there was no obligation for Ruby and Yang to continue rooming with their teams. Knowing that, Qrow had been the one to suggest that they spend this unexpected free time with their godfather, getting to know the man that Taiyang had tried so hard to keep out of their lives.

The other members of RASP and RYNB had been supportive of the idea, even if it meant that Ruby and Jaune couldn't share a bed for the time being. Yukimura informed them that he would have been happy to allow Jaune to share Ruby's room, but Jaune had politely declined, stating that Yukimura should get some time exclusively with his goddaughters. Besides, Jaune had needed to spend quite a lot of time with his own family, doing his best to reassure them, after the turbulent battle that had nearly destroyed the Kingdom.

In the weeks since the battle, Jaune's family had taken up temporary residence in the guest quarters at Beacon. Given that, aside from Jaune's parents; there were also his seven sisters, Terra, and Adrian; things were fairly crowded. However, the Kingdoms were still wrestling with getting things back under control, with all the unrest created by Jester's revelation. Routes to Ansel and Argus were not yet clear, and it would be at least another week or so before the Arcs would be able to return to their respective homes.

Were it only the continued threat of Grimm, things would be more understandable. But Jinn's revelations had kicked off dozens of changes that were threatening to cause some major disruptions, if they weren't handled carefully. The most dramatic of those developments were on the spiritual side of things. Several new religions had spawned practically overnight.

One religion was openly worshiping the Brother Gods. Ignoring Jinn's story about how they had come to this world, and the fact that they were pretenders, people were declaring that humanity was destined to bring the Relics together, and bring the gods' judgment upon the world. Surprisingly, Ozpin himself had apparently been enshrined as a holy prophet by this religion, and at least some of its followers were espousing a desire to seek out his new incarnation, so that he could lead them into salvation...or so they said.

More disturbingly, there was a new religious sect that had begun to worship the Mibu, much to the distress of Kyo and Sasame. The other Mibu visitors, including Makoto and the Goyosei, had already returned to Leng, so they were spared the uncomfortable notion that there were people seeking to elevate the Mibu back into godhood, after the Mibu themselves had spent so much time setting that attitude into the past. Kyo was particularly distressed, because such worship was emerging in towns and settlements that he had visited. Where he had once been welcomed for the promised respite from the Grimm he would bring, his image was now enshrined, and he was understandably worried about what kind of reception he would receive, if his arrival was treated as that of a god, and about how people would react to his attempts to disabuse them of the notion.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, amongst the most fervent adherents to this new worship of the Mibu were faunus. Apparently, the revelation that the faunus had been an unwitting creation of the Crimson King from several generations back, when he had revived humanity, had prompted them to view the Mibu as their creators. But then, there were those on the other end of the spectrum, human supremacists who proclaimed that the faunus were born of a "mistake" and needed to be cleansed to perfect the Mibu's creation. It was a religion that was as factional as it was widespread, for all that its overall numbers were low. Ruby could only be grateful that the Mibu themselves, secluded as they were, were all but completely unaware that this was going on, unsure about how some of them would respond to it.

However, perhaps the most disturbing development of all on the religious front was the emergence of a cult worshiping Salem, of all things. Even though she had been destroyed, once and for all, and the selfish and self-serving origins of her pitiful state had been laid bare in Jinn's story, there were still people who had apparently decided to put their faith in her. Unsurprisingly, theirs was a creed of nihilism. They believed that Salem would one day return and bring about the end of the world, something that they actively sought to aid.

Therefore, sowing the seeds of dissent and unrest, which had been nothing more than a means to an end for Salem herself, practically became creed to these people, as they believed that bringing down the Grimm upon themselves and those around them was a symbol of highest devotion. Likewise, members of this new cult were also looking for Ozpin, as well as the Maidens, with far-less wholesome intentions than the religion that worshiped the Brother Gods. The cult had been denounced across all four Kingdoms, and the authorities were cracking down on its members as best they possibly could. But an idea, once planted, is not so easy to snuff out. It might be years before the Cult of Salem, as it was being called, was finally destroyed, if that was ever managed at all.

And yet, these changes amounted to small wrinkles in the current state of affairs. By and large, people were emerging to see the world as a better place. The revelation of Salem's existence, her origins, and her intentions; had been a source of fear and unease. However, that had been followed by the revelation that her threat had been ended once and for all. Salem had been constantly working to bring about humanity's destruction...and she had been stopped at last. The vast majority of the world greeted that knowledge with a sense of relief, finding the world to be a brighter place, now that there wasn't a malevolent force working to forever undermine it.

However, those were all incidental to Ruby's current situation, as she wolfed down the breakfast Yukimura had provided her. Just a couple of minutes behind her, a sleepy Yang arrived, just in time for Yukimura to slide another plate across the table to her. The moment the savory smells of breakfast reached her nose, Yang's previous torpor was all but forgotten, and she dug in with a relish.

A few minutes later, they took their empty plates to the sink, rinsing them off before sticking them in the dishwasher.

"So, what do you two have planned for today?" asked Yukimura, cleaning up his cooking implements.

"Eh, I'm gonna play things by ear," said Yang, grinning. "I figured I'd take the airship to Beacon and see if anyone wants to hit the sparring ring."

"I...I don't have any plans," Ruby admitted lamely.

"You're welcome to stay around and watch me work," said Yukimura.

Ruby nodded, deciding to take him up on that. It wouldn't be the first time, since she had started living here. In fact, she'd actually already graduated from simply watching to helping a little, learning a few of the elements of Yukimura's craft in creating Huntsman and Huntress outfits. At the moment, she'd been learning how to forge and shape armor, which was intriguing, since it had a fair bit in common with forging weapons, and appealed to Ruby's sensibilities. Working on that had done at least a little to help fill in the yawning void left by Akaibara's absence.

Ruby set the piece of shaped steel into the furnace, closing the clear, reinforced-glass door, before selecting the tempering program from the menu alongside it. The interior of the furnace turned a molten red and orange color, the color swiftly beginning to bleed into the steel as well. Ruby watched, checking the reading from the thermometer on the menu, watching the reading of the metal's temperature rapidly rise.

When it reached the ideal temperature, there was a click. The interior suddenly turned a pale blue, heat replaced by cold. In an instant, condensation formed on the red-hot steel, before it hissed away just as quickly, filling the chamber with steam. The metal within creaked harshly, then settled. When the steam had cleared, the plate was resting there, ready to be removed.

Ruby couldn't help but marvel at the innovation behind modern furnaces that people like Yukimura made use of. This kind of technology would be unthinkable in the Mibu lands. Murasame's forge made use of the molten heat rising from within the volcano the Royal Palace was built into the side of. But other smiths serving the clan still made use of the traditional charcoal furnaces that they had worked with since time immemorial.

In contrast, the furnaces used in the cutting-edge workshops of the Kingdoms made use of Dust and advanced electronics that removed most of the guesswork and manual labor from the equation. Gone were the days where smiths had to work the bellows to maintain a constant temperature and carefully monitor the color of the heated steel by eye to judge its temperature. Dust replaced charcoal flames, and electronic thermometers replaced the eye, the modern furnace able to heat whatever was in it to exactly the right temperature, then immediately cool and temper it. Advanced convection capabilities also ensured the efficient transfer of heat in and out of the metal to further enhance the process.

For her part, Ruby understood why the Mibu persisted with such antiquated tools. The labor that went into the creation of Mibu weapons and armor was a means of personal investment, a process of continual engagement that allowed the smith to infuse his Aura into his creation, thus breathing life into the instruments he forged. However, the process of learning and mastering such skills was one that took years, if not decades. It was a way that required just as much devotion and training as any martial art someone like Ruby might practice. In contrast, if she followed Yukimura's directions, and selected the correct setting on the furnace, Ruby could at least handle the tempering step of the forging process of her own, all with nothing more than the pressing of a few buttons.

Taking the metal out of the furnace, she could feel it in her hands. For what it was, it felt remarkably light, being one of the Dust-forged alloys that Yukimura had developed for the outfits he created, designed to be durable without compromising mobility. She wasn't sure that the steel a Mibu smith forged would have this intrinsic lightness, without sacrificing durability. Yet, it was still nothing more than metal. It lacked that spark of life, the presence of Aura that Mibu infused into their creations. Not that Ruby could complain. After all, Jaune's armor was like this.

"It's ready," she said, bringing the tempered piece to Yukimura, who accepted it, and quickly fitted into place, where the rest of the armor he was assembling hung from a torso-shaped mounting.

"Thank you," said Yukimura pleasantly, snapping the completed plate into place. "That should do it for this order."

"Who is this for?" asked Ruby.

"He's a fairly average Huntsman," said Yukimura. "He does steady work. The last couple of weeks have been hard on his outfit though, so I've been working on replacement pieces for his armor. He'll be by to pick this up, later this week."

"Oh..." said Ruby.

Pulling back from his work, Yukimura stretched his arms over his head. "Well, that should do it for today's schedule. Having you help me out certainly makes this go faster."

"I-I haven't messed anything up, have I?" asked Ruby worriedly.

Yukimura laughed. "Not at all," he said. "You pick things up quickly. Are you sure you wouldn't like to go into creating outfits alongside me?"

"N-no thanks," said Ruby, feeling a bit bad about having to turn him down. However, she was still determined to be a Huntress.

If that's the case, then why am I just sitting around on my butt?

The admonishment rose up within her head automatically. She claimed she still wanted to be a Huntress. But instead, she'd been spending the last few weeks languishing, not even bothering to train in any meaningful fashion. She knew her skills would degrade, and yet she did nothing to maintain or polish them, instead contenting herself with days of meaningless busywork. However, every time she thought of doing some training, of working to get back into shape, her body and mind froze up. Her left hand moved reflexively towards the small of her back, fingers closing around something that was no longer there, the reminder completely draining away any desire to train from her.

The others, especially Kyo and Sasame, understood. As such, they weren't pushing her to train, even if it meant letting her skill degrade. For her part, Ruby knew that her unwillingness to start moving forward was disrespectful towards her sword. Yet she still couldn't help but tremble at the understanding that things would never be the same for her.

It seemed that Yukimura noticed her unease. Coming around, he gently hugged her from behind. "You still seem so lost," he noted.

Ruby realized she couldn't, and shouldn't, hide the truth from him. "I feel lost," she admitted.

Lowering his face down, Yukimura gently kissed the top of her head. "That's understandable," he said. "Many Huntsmen and Huntresses are badly affected by the loss of their weapons. Some have lost their will to keep fighting entirely from such a loss. Your blade was so much more than any ordinary weapon, so that feeling of loss would be even greater."

"I know that, and everyone's been so understanding, but..." Ruby didn't know what to say. Part of her wished that someone would find the courage to tell her to just stop sulking, get off her butt, and get over it. If Akaibara's spirit could reach over from the other side, Ruby had no doubt that her sword would have just such an admonishment for her.

"Well...that being the case, why not go back to the beginning?" asked Yukimura.

"What do you mean?" asked Ruby.

Letting her go, Yukimura smiled mysteriously. "Follow me."

He led her towards the stairs that led back up into his residence above the shop. However, instead of taking the stairs up, he instead pressed his hand against the wall. A flicker revealed a concealed panel, and a rectangular seam appeared on the wall, opening up to reveal a hidden door, and a set of stairs that led down instead.

Ruby blinked, then her eyes widened. Despite all the time she'd spent in this place lately, she had no idea about this. Wordlessly, she followed Yukimura down the stairs. They didn't go very far. This was nothing like the facility Mason Ayers had used beneath an office building. Ruby figured that, depth-wise, this was maybe a little deeper than most basements, but not much more than that.

She followed Yukimura into a large room, and he hit the lights to illuminate the space. It was impressively large. In terms of floorspace, it could have easily held one of the basic sparring rings in Beacon. Indeed, a portion of that space seemed to be given over to a sparring ring of some kind. The ceiling was lower, but not low enough for it to feel cramped. One wall of the room was host to racks that held a variety of weapons and armaments. A corner near those racks hosted a work terminal and chair. On the far side of the room from the rack was a wall, with an opening into a second space, showcasing what was clearly a firing range.

"What is this place?" she asked, looking around.

"Well, above is the workspace for Yukimura: the designer," explained her godfather. "This space, on the other hand, is for Yukimura: the Huntsman."

"Um...why the fancy concealed door?" asked Ruby dubiously.

Yukimura beamed cheerfully at her. "It's every boy's dream to have a secret base, isn't it?"

Thinking about how Jaune would gush over how cool this place was, Ruby couldn't bring herself to argue, even if it did seem rather silly to her. "But why show me this?" she asked.

"Well, I figured that, since you're still dealing with the loss of your sword, it might do you well to start from the basics, from before you had your sword," explained Yukimura.

"You mean...?" Ruby canted her head.

"The most basic training you began with," said Yukimura. "Before you were granted such a magnificent blade, I am sure that your siblings started with physical training. Given that they were Mibu, they also started with Aura-training too, correct?"

Ruby nodded.

"Then why not start from there," said Yukimura. "I can understand if trying to practice your katas is too painful for you to do right now. That being the case, start with something that isn't so painful, in order to regain the mindset of working towards your goal to become a Huntress. Build from there, and I am sure that you will eventually reach the point where you will be able to pick up the sword again."

Ruby blinked, realizing that what Yukimura was suggesting made sense. "So...just start with the basics?"

"That's right," said Yukimura, "with me."

"Huh?"

Yukimura's smile widened. "Truth be told, I've been curious about Mibu Aura-techniques for sometime now. I never got the chance to ask either of your siblings about it. So learning from you would be an excellent opportunity.

"More importantly, to teach is to learn. Having a student of your own will help you further refine your own skills, enhance your focus, and perhaps help you to overcome your current slump. What do you say?"

Ruby mulled it over for a moment. As she did, she found that the idea didn't seem so bad at all. She'd enjoyed training Jaune, even before they'd become romantically involved. She'd liked the sensation of helping her friends, guiding them to better understand their Auras and refine skills that they never would have acquired, had they stuck exclusively with what was taught in the Kingdoms. When she thought about doing that again, she found that the emptiness within her wasn't so debilitating anymore.

"So, that having been said, what are we doing first, Ruby-sensei?" asked Yukimura teasingly.

Ruby couldn't help but giggle at his address for her. "Well...for starters, let's get to work on the Three Exercises. The first one is called Temper. You seem to have a good idea of how that works already, but you can still improve..."

Time slipped away as Ruby worked with her godfather, guiding him through the first of the Three Exercises needed to fully harness his Aura. It wasn't until a frantic Yang called, demanding to know where they were, that the pair realized just how engrossed they were in their training.

Ruby found herself reflecting that it wasn't a bad way to spend her time at all.

As the days went by, the situation around the world continued to stabilize. Just a few days later, it was declared that the routes between Vale and the other Kingdoms were open, as were the routes to Vale's various settlements, those that had survived the aftermath of the conflict.

First went the visitors and tourists, who had come to Vale for the Vytal Festival. In the wake of Salem's attack, they'd been trapped in the Kingdom for weeks. Given the completely unexpected nature of the conflict, it was unthinkable that they be charged for continued accommodations within the Kingdom. Yet, at the same time, supporting so many people for too long was not something that the Kingdom could maintain. So it was with no small amount of relief that those people were finally told that they could return to their homes and families.

It wasn't good news all around. More than a few had lost friends and family, or had learned that the settlements that they'd hailed from had been overrun. However, those who could go home did, which was the vast majority of them, thankfully.

After them went the visiting students from the different Academies. In some ways, that was harder than it was for civilians who had merely been visiting. Many of the visiting students had struck up close friendships with students from other schools, friendships that had only been strengthened by the trial of fighting alongside each other. More than a few romances had formed as well, with the couples worrying about how the distance would affect their burgeoning relationships. However, even as they were reluctant to part with the ones with whom they'd forged such strong ties, the visiting students were also eager to return to their home Kingdoms.

Jaune saw his own family off at the airport, glad that they would be able to head back home, now that the way to Ansel had been cleared. Saphron and Terra would also be heading out to Argus the same day. Ruby and the rest of RASP joined Jaune in exchanging fond farewells with his mother and sisters, his three youngest sisters clinging tightly to him, before they were finally ushered aboard the family bullhead by their father. Given the amount of time that he had spent with them, Jaune and his family were well on the way to clearing the bad feelings that had lingered between them, after the years of discord that they had suffered from before.

Following that came a surprise. Blake announced that she would be leaving Vale to return to Menagerie, declaring her intention to go see her parents. After years spent estranged from them, and being reluctant to see them, even after she realized how right they were, Blake had decided that the time had finally come to bite the bullet, and go see her mother and father.

However, she would not be going alone. Much to her surprise, the rest of her team, even Yang, had volunteered to accompany her. Even more surprisingly, one other person would be going with her as well.

Sun Wukong had chosen to remain in Vale, despite the rest of his team taking their leave. Sun defended his decision by pointing out that Haven's situation was the same as Beacon, the Academy having suspended classes for the remainder of the year, while advancing the students who had already been passing to the next year automatically. Haven was also struggling to fill in the void left by the disappearance (and presumed death) of its Headmaster, Leonardo Lionheart. Which meant that things over there were only in even greater disarray.

On the note of Lionheart, an investigation by Qrow, at Ozpin's behest, had revealed a horrifying truth. Lionheart had defected to Salem's faction years ago, and had been covertly providing Salem with information regarding Huntsmen and Huntresses active within Mistral, who Salem's agents had been actively hunting down, in between their other activities. Their best guess was that Lionheart had then been disposed of, when Jester and Raven had gone to retrieve the Relic of Knowledge from the vault beneath Haven. It was a bitter blow, knowing that someone so trusted had gone so bad. Worse still, it was the kind of thing that Ozpin and his circle could never allow to come to light. Therefore, they were working quickly and quietly to find an appropriate replacement for Lionheart. At least they wouldn't need to worry about the next Headmaster betraying them to Salem.

The end result of all this was that Sun would be joining Team RYNB on their trip to Menagerie, with Sun viewing this as an opportunity to meet his girlfriend's parents, and hopefully get their approval, regarding his relationship with their daughter. Blake wasn't overly worried, given how much better Sun was than her last boyfriend.

Not long after them, Kyo and Amber also took their leave. By that point, Kyo's Aura was no longer really required to keep the Grimm at bay, now that the shock and grief of Salem's attack had worn off, and public order had been restored. If anything, any reluctance he had to resume his wandering after this mainly stemmed from the thought of having to convince the villages he visited not to treat him as some kind of living god. Aside that, the only other reason for delay had been Amber's rehabilitation, which was all but finished by that point. In any case, Kyo had started getting anxious, this being the longest he had ever spent in one place that wasn't Onmyo.

The next startling piece of news was the departure of Ruby's friends, who had come to visit during the Vytal Festival. That they were leaving wasn't such surprising news. The real shock came from the revelation of where they were going.

"You're going to Mistral!?" exclaimed Ruby, flummoxed by the idea, staring in confusion at Team MNPS, as they all stood in the terminal of Vale's Central Station. "When did you decide this?"

"It wasn't so long ago," said Miyu, smiling fondly at Ruby. "We're sorry for not telling you sooner. But you were dealing with other things."

"Yeah..." admitted Ruby. She still was dealing with those things, if she was being honest with herself. "But why?"

"To meet Oscar-kun's aunt, of course!" replied Natsuki cheerfully, wrapping her arms around Oscar's shoulders and hugging herself to him from behind, nuzzling her cheek against his, as he blushed.

"That far along, huh?" mused Ruby, smiling slyly.

Natsuki squeaked, her cheeks coloring at the realization of what she was admitting to. She averted her eyes, though she remained clinging to her new boyfriend from behind. "Um...Well...given Oscar-kun...um...that is..."

"We've got to figure out how to break it to her that her nephew is hosting the soul of an immortal Wizard inside his noggin," declared Maria as she ambled up, cackling. "Poor boy. Personally, I think you should be charging that freeloader rent."

"Where would I even send the bill?" Oscar wanted to know.

"Beacon, of course," said Maria with all good cheer.

"Um...Ozpin says that won't work," said Oscar.

"He would," grumbled Maria.

Ruby couldn't help but giggle at their antics. She was glad that Natsuki and Oscar were going together, and felt reassured by the fact that Miyu and Setsuna would be going with them too. By this point, Team MNPS could be counted on to look after one another, even if Maria weren't chaperoning them.

Reaching out, she took Natsuki's hand in her left, and Oscar's in her right. "Just be careful," she said. "Even if Salem is gone, there are still people looking for you."

"We will," Natsuki replied. "Ozpin is gonna keep teaching me how to use my magic, but we'll keep it a secret."

Oscar nodded.

Ruby looked at them one last time, then pulled on their hands, pulling both of them into a hug, which they gladly returned. She was glad to see that Oscar's cheeks weren't even coloring now. Apparently, he truly had gotten over his crush on her. It seemed that his relationship with Natsuki was progressing well too.

After that, she exchanged words of farewell with Miyu and Setsuna, exchanging hugs with them as well. Then she watched as Maria shepherded the group onto the train, continuing to watch as it pulled out of sight.

"I hope their families back home are gonna be okay with this," commented Jaune.

"Sasame-nee will probably smooth things over," said Ruby. "Since I did something similar, they probably won't think too much of it."

Jaune nodded. "So...what's the plan now?"

"I...I'm not sure," said Ruby. She sighed, stretching her arms over her head. "First things first, I've gotta get serious about whipping myself back into shape. Then...I'll figure out where to go from there."

Jaune nodded, feeling a bit reluctant. Ruby still hadn't replaced her sword. The sash at the small of her back was devoid of any weapon and, even though he knew that it couldn't be further from the truth, Ruby looked painfully vulnerable to him right now.

Ruby reached down into one of her pockets, and pulled out her scroll. "But first..."

"First, what...?" Jaune wanted to know.

"Something I promised Yang," said Ruby. "There's someone I need to see..."

Never in a million years had Ruby imagined that she would find herself in this place. The room was incredibly bare, which; combined with its white walls, ceiling, and floor; seemed almost painfully sterile. It looked like a place where the decorator had gone out of his way to wipe away any signs of life or living. This was not a room suitable for people, at least to Ruby's mind it wasn't.

She was seated in a chair that was just as white as anything else in the room...the only other things in the room being the table and the identical chair on the other side. To the untrained observer, the room looked completely open, with nothing to keep a person on one end of it from migrating to the other. However, Ruby was easily able to sense the buzz of the hard-light barrier that divided the room, and the table, in half. It remained invisible to the naked eye, only appearing should someone try to force their way past it.

Ruby was glad for that invisible partition. She wasn't sure what the person she had come to speak to would do, if it weren't there...and wasn't sure what she would do, if it weren't there.

The door on the other side of the room opened with a faint click. Ruby's eyes widened the tiniest of bit at the sight of Taiyang Xiao Long entering. Her father had traded out his previous clothes (or had been made to trade them out, more likely) for a plain long-sleeved shirt and pair of pants, both of which were as white and sterile as the room they were in. His hair had gotten shaggier and longer...and also lightened. The soul-patch that decorated his chin had spread out into a full-blown stubble, well on its way to becoming a proper beard. There were dark bags under her father's eyes, a sign that he hadn't been sleeping well.

Given the conditions of their previous encounters, Ruby had expected her father to bound in with all the energy and excitement of a child who'd been given exactly what he'd asked for for his Yuletide present. Twice before, Taiyang had tried to forcefully remove Ruby from Beacon and drag her back to Patch, and been rebuffed. And now...she had been the one to seek him out.

And yet, now, Taiyang shuffled into the room, tentatively pulling out the chair and sitting down on it, fidgeting nervously as he finally looked across the room and met her eyes, something that almost looked...contrite...in his expression.

"You came..." was all he said.

"I did," Ruby replied. "I came here because Yang asked me to, so don't go thanking me for it."

Taiyang finally brought his eyes up to meet hers. Ruby met his gaze squarely, still not sure what to feel about him. This was the man who'd tried to lock her away from the world, first by denying her the chance to become a Huntress, then gradually isolating her from her circle of friends, even going to the point of planning to withdraw her from school. After she had run away, then run into him at Beacon, Taiyang had still tried to bring her back home, completely ignoring her own will. Even after that had been stopped, he'd still attempted to practically kidnap her in Vale, his obsession reaching the point where they had needed to lock him up in this place, as the only feasible means of keeping him from continuing to act on it.

By all rights, Ruby should have despised him. On some level, she did. She loathed the man in front of her with a passion. Taiyang was an obsessive, possessive scumbag, who'd been so wrapped up in what he wanted that he actively refused anything that his own daughter might want for herself, if it went against his wishes. Looking at him should have filled her with a simmering anger, a desire to slug him, even though the barrier would stop her.

However, as she looked at the man Taiyang was now, all Ruby could bring herself to feel was pity. The Taiyang Xiao Long in front of her was nothing short of pathetic. This was not the man she had spent most of her life resenting. This was a man who had been so completely drained by his obsession that it had eaten away practically any aspect of his character but that obsession. Looking at her father in this state, Ruby just couldn't bring herself to get that worked up by him.

"Ruby..." Her name coming from his mouth gave Ruby pause. It wasn't the way he usually said it, loaded with both overbearing fatherly love and fatherly authority. It was almost a sigh.

"What is it?" she asked.

"I...I was wrong." Once again, Taiyang lowered his eyes down to the table, his expression full of sorrow.

Ruby raised an eyebrow, the next question rolling off her tongue automatically. "About what?"

"About you...about your strength." Taiyang sighed, his gaze slipping off the side of the table and onto the floor, tracing its way towards the wall. "You're every bit the Huntress your mother was...if not more. I'm sorry it took me so long to see that."

There was a flickering return of anger within Ruby's gut. Took you long enough, she wanted to say bitterly. However, she couldn't bring herself to say it, her anger still being overwhelmed by the simple pity she felt at the sight of the despondent man in front of her.

"Qrow and Yang told me about the final fight, about how you killed Salem," said Taiyang, finally bringing his eyes back to hers. "I couldn't believe it. Even if I hadn't doubted you from the beginning, I wouldn't have been able to believe it. But you did it. You killed her, the one that nobody was supposed to be able to kill. I...I..."

If you say "I'm so proud of you," this conversation is ending right now, thought Ruby, her eyes narrowing. Not even for Yang's sake would she tolerate hypocrisy of such a staggering degree.

Almost as though he had read her mind, or was aware of the utter hypocrisy of such a statement, Taiyang stopped himself from saying anything more. Instead..."You avenged her."

"What?" grunted Ruby, confused.

"Your mother," said Taiyang. "You avenged her. After everything we suffered, you finally made Salem pay for her crimes."

"I guess I did," Ruby admitted, as much to herself as anyone else. The fact that Salem had as good as admitted that she was behind Summer's death, whether directly or indirectly, was practically a footnote in the grand scheme of things. During the fight itself, the thought of avenging her lost mother was the furthest thing from Ruby's mind, Ruby too preoccupied with the need to protect the people whose fates were resting on her sword. Even afterwards, it hadn't really occurred to her, until Taiyang had brought it up to her now.

Taiyang's eyes widened, his expression becoming hopeful. "But it's more than that. Salem was behind everything, the attacks on the Kingdoms, the unrest, the White Fang...Now that she's gone..."

Ruby frowned. "Did you know about Salem?" she asked.

"I...I did..." Taiyang lowered his eyes to the table. "Back then, after we graduated from Beacon, Team Stark was Ozpin's preferred team for trying to head off Salem's efforts. We squared off with her agents many times.

"Then Raven and I had Yang. After that, something changed in Raven, and she disappeared. I don't know what it was...or I didn't at the time. I think she must have found out the truth, that Salem couldn't be killed, at least not by people like us, and came to the realization that Ozpin was just using us."

Of course he was, thought Ruby. That would have been the truth, whether Salem could be killed or not. But, in a sense, that was perfectly understandable. To serve under someone, and operate according to their orders, was to be used by them. It didn't mean that that person didn't care. Although, after so many lifetimes of fighting the same struggle over and over again, Ruby could easily understand it if Ozpin started to get a little...detached...if only to spare himself the pain of losing people who had put their faith in him over and over again.

"After that, Summer helped me to pick up the pieces, and raise Yang," Taiyang continued. "Then we had you. Our life was perfect. I retired from the fight so that I could help raise you girls. But Summer had the Silver Eyes, and so much conviction, so she kept taking missions at Ozpin's behest, all the way up until she disappeared...until she died."

Taiyang had been resting his hands on the table. Now he dragged his fingers across its metal surface, curling them into fists. "I...I couldn't watch you go through the same thing. You looked just like Summer. You even had the same eyes as her. Of course Ozpin would want to use you the same way he had her, use you up the same way he did her. There was no way I could stand by and just let that happen."

And no way you could talk about it either, thought Ruby, frowning. Given the nature of Ozpin's conflict with Salem, there was no way that Taiyang could get away with telling someone, even his own daughters, about it, without severe repercussions. Not to mention that hearing of a conflict with an evil entity spanning centuries, like something out of the storybooks Yang had read to her long ago, was all the more likely to fire up Ruby's enthusiasm, rather than dampen it.

It certainly made things add up in her head. It explained Taiyang's paper-thin excuses, his unwillingness, or inability, to provide proper reasons for why she couldn't become a Huntress. If he couldn't tell her the real reason she was being denied the future she wanted, then all he had left were excuses.

It also explained his more paranoid behavior as well. The other aspect, one that was easier to overlook, was that Ruby had Silver Eyes, just like her mother. She imagined that Taiyang must have been aware that those eyes, and the power that they carried, had probably made Summer a priority target for Salem and her minions. If Salem was aware that Summer had a daughter, a daughter who had inherited the same eyes as Summer, there was every chance that Salem's people had already been seeking Ruby out, even back when she'd been a child. It was no wonder that Taiyang had become so protective, worried whenever Ruby was out of his sight for too long. It wasn't such a surprise that he was forever checking up on her when she went on sleepovers with her school-friends, when his mind was conjuring images of some sinister figure, like Tyrian, spiriting her away in the dark of night.

Knowing the truth about Salem and Ruby's mother, as well as the role Team STRQ had played in the war against Salem, explained so much about Taiyang's behavior...explained it, but went no further in excusing it. Even if Taiyang's fears were perfectly valid, that gave him no right to treat her like an object, to crush any agency Ruby herself might possess, and lock her away from the world. He had turned their home into a prison, turned himself into her jailer, guilted Yang into helping him, and stripped Ruby of almost all her connections; all in the name of her safety. Even after they had met again, after years of absence, he'd still treated her like the same object, something he needed to confine and lock away.

Taiyang let out another sigh, this one of relief. "But now…It's finally over. She's gone…for good. With what the Relic showed us, I would have never thought it possible. But you did it."

"I guess," Ruby conceded, wondering what Taiyang's point was.

Taiyang gave her a relaxed smile. "With her gone…we're finally free. I don't have to worry anymore."

"Is that what you think?" asked Ruby, a harsh edge to her tone.

"Huh?" Taiyang recoiled back at the anger in her voice.

"After a lifetime of giving me nothing but doubt and talking down to me, of treating me as helpless…now that the big, bad boogiewoman is gone, it's okay, is that it?" asked Ruby, her eyes narrowing.

"Tha-that's not what I…" Taiyang trailed off, apparently unsure of what he meant to say.

"Now that the impossible task is over," said Ruby, "and you don't have to worry about Ozpin sending me off to die in his war, now it's perfectly okay for me to be a Huntress. Is that what you were trying to say?"

"I…I…" Taiyang looked down. "Maybe." Then he looked up at her again. "Ruby…I was completely wrong…about you…about everything. It was a mistake to try and keep you locked away like that. I-I'm sorry."

Ruby's eyes narrowed dangerously. "'Mistake'…" she repeated. "We're way past the level of 'mistakes', Taiyang Xiao Long."

Taiyang winced visibly at Ruby's use of his name, rather than calling him "Dad" or "Father".

"You weren't making a mistake," insisted Ruby. "You deliberately ignored anything that didn't fit into your neat little worldview. Whatever you couldn't use to justify dragging me back to that house with you, you just threw to the side and pretended never happened.

"I fought Pyrrha Nikos, the Invincible Girl, to a draw. Apparently you thought, because I didn't win against the Mistral Regional Tournament's four-time champion, I didn't have what it took to be a Huntress. It was such a shock that it created a minor scandal that we spent weeks having to deal with. But you were perfectly happy to pretend it didn't matter.

"None of that was a 'mistake'. None of that was an accident. And it's far too late for apologies."

Taiyang opened his mouth. Then apparently thought better of what he was about to say. "I…" He sighed again and looked down. "You're right."

Ruby couldn't even find it in herself to take satisfaction in his admission.

"Ruby…what I did was wrong. Everything. I was a horrid father, to you and Yang. I…I understand that now. That's why…"

"Why what?" pressed Ruby.

Taiyang met her eyes once more. "That's why…I'm going to get better. I promise. I'll get out of here. And when I do, I won't be the man you ran away from, the man you had to fight. I promise that I will do better. And then…"

"Then what?" pressed Ruby. "Are you expecting me to magically forgive you, that we'll all go back to Patch together, and live happily ever after?"

"I…I wouldn't say that," said Taiyang. "But…do you really have a reason not to?"

Ruby blinked. "Huh…?

Taiyang looked at her intently. "I know that you're in a funk right now. I can see it. You lost something…or someone."

Ruby looked down, her heart thudding. "Both," she said in a voice so soft, it was almost a whisper.

Taiyang nodded. "I thought so. That look in your eyes…I used to see it in the mirror, right after your mother…right after we…" He shuddered. "Who did you lose?"

"My sword," said Ruby.

Taiyang blinked, seeming confused by her revelation. "Your…sword…?"

Ruby nodded, looking straight at him.

"Ruby…" Taiyang took on a conciliatory tone. "…a Huntress or Huntsman's weapon is something special. That much is true. But if you're in such a state because you lost your sword, then maybe-"

"Don't say it," growled Ruby, the dangerous edge reappearing in her voice. "My sword was not just some weapon. She was every bit as alive as any person, something you might have noticed, had you bothered to pay attention when you were watching me use her. She deliberately gave up her life, sacrificed herself, to help me win the final battle. And I refuse to allow anyone, least of all you, to belittle that."

From the expression on his face, Taiyang clearly wanted to disagree. Then he shook his head, playing his next card. "But that's the point, Ruby. When you experience a loss like that, it can shake you to your core, damage the conviction that keeps you going. When you lose someone or something so dear to you…well…do you really need to keep going?"

"What do you mean?" asked Ruby.

Taiyang leaned forward. "Ruby…It's over, isn't it? You won. You saved the world. Salem is gone. The Kingdoms are safe and secure, and everything is going to be all right. Your fight…it's over. You don't need to do more. You've done enough. You don't have to go out on anymore missions. You can stay-"

"With you?" interjected Ruby.

"Well…I am your father," said Taiyang.

"No," said Ruby firmly, taking the wind out of his sails. "You're not. And you never will be."

"Ruby, I…"

"You gave up your last chance to be my father months ago, at Beacon," continued Ruby. "You used up all your other chances. That ship has sailed."

Now it was her fingers that were curling to form fists, on top of the table. "And you're wrong about one other thing. It's not over."

"It's not?"

Ruby stared straight on at Taiyang. "It's not over. Salem may be gone, but the Grimm are still a problem. They still infest the world and go after any people they can find. Even if Salem isn't directing them, they're still a threat that people need to be protected from. And, even if Salem isn't a threat anymore, there are plenty more threats that can replace her."

Ruby's grip tightened, the knowledge of what had been happening in the weeks since she had defeated Salem and Jester racing through her head. Communities were in turmoil. New ideologies and religions, some of them dangerous, had arisen from the ashes of the last conflict. The White Fang was scattered and leaderless, now that both Sienna Khan and Adam Taurus were dead. Ilia was trying to do what she could to help pick up the pieces, but she wasn't a prospective High Leader. It was entirely possible that the organization could wind up fragmenting, with who knew how many of those factions turning just as extremist as Adam's had.

Though Salem was gone, and was no longer actively fomenting conflict through her agents, there were plenty of future conflicts that were building on their own, conflicts that would draw the Grimm, and put people in danger.

And Ruby had made it her calling to protect those people, to push back against the darkness, no matter what shape it took. The end of Salem didn't mean an end to her life's work. Instead, her true battles were only just beginning.

That's right…even without Akaibara, I'm still a Huntress, thought Ruby, a faint smile appearing on her face. No matter what…I need to keep moving forward.

"Ruby…?" Taiyang tilted his head, confused by her expression.

"I think we're done, here," said Ruby, pushing away from the table.

"Ruby!" yelped Taiyang, confused by how suddenly she was putting an end to their conversation.

Ruby stopped at the door, glancing back over her shoulder at her father. "I wondered why I came here. I thought this might have been a mistake. But…now I know that it wasn't."

"Ruby…?" Taiyang's jaw dropped slightly at her admission.

Ruby's smile widened a little. "Thanks to this, I know what I need to do. You helped remind me of what's truly important. So…for that…even if it wasn't what you meant to do…I need to thank you."

"Ruby…" Taiyang's last utterance of her name was a resigned whisper, as he understood that any hope he'd had of convincing her to give up her path in life had completely evaporated…if there had ever been any to begin with.

"So…thanks," said Ruby. She turned a little more to look straight at him. "You will never be my father, Taiyang. But…if you get the help you need, if you really meant all those things you said about how you realize you were wrong, if you get over that, then maybe…I might just be willing to see you as family."

With that, she walked out, closing the door behind herself, leaving Taiyang to his own thoughts.

Outside the door to the visitor's room, Ruby leaned against the door, clenching her left hand in front of her. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, knowing what she needed to do next. It was time to go home.