7

I want to start off by answering a question someone had, yes we will be seeing Shirou's friend. Actually, besides the flashback this chapter, she will be showing up later. The one at the end was Amber. I do agree on adding in some perspectives on other characters that aren't fans of Shirou, it will happen. I want to try and explore some villains in this story. Might make a few new ones, since Shirou won't have the same missions as RWBY.

I will be explaining some things this chapter and for those that want to see Tai, he'll be in this chapter. Surprised people want to see him so badly, It's almost like people forget he didn't show up for like a long time in the show.

Also, for any new people reading, this is obviously not a fast paced type of story, it can be at times but I wanted to write a long form story with Shirou as the lead. It won't be a quick 20 chapter fic. I just started doing this a month and half ago, so I'm still improving as I go. I'm all for constructive criticism, but keep it constructive, otherwise I'll just ignore it. So far, it hasn't been that bad, but I have seen a few. Anyways, explanations and such will come, I don't want to do what I did in my DxD fic and explain everything in the notes. It will happen in the story.

Someone also thought the rune thing was magic, when I stated he uses dust and aura and that anyone can use and learn them without mana. Wanted to clear that up, its not his semblance. Analyzing them to understand them, yes, but using them, no. I realize it was confusing the way it was worded, but he can teach them to others, which was one of his ideas, teach Weiss runes. He occasionally uses mana for them, but mostly dust and aura.

As for Weiss and Shirou's dust idea's it takes awhile to actually come up with working prototypes and such. Idea's go through phases, so they won't show up right after I mention them.

Anyways, wanted to say, the plan is still to try and catch up to my DxD fic with Sword amongst the roses, and get half way with Sword and Vanadis. So, for those of you that like these fics, they will be my main focus for awhile. Sorry for the long AN this time, just wanted to get that out of way.

Okay, so I was in the middle of writing this next chapter. When I got a review from SerBen55 of some art he did, I just wanted to do a public shoutout, it looks awesome. I'll include the link at the end, check it out.

Now, on to the story.

Chapter 7

Shirou was running through the forest. He knew that he should have walked her back to her house. He was such an idiot. He decided he was going too slow, the image of a sword being drawn from it's sheathe appeared in his mind, his circuits hummed to life and the circuits could be seen spreading down his arm and up his neck. He reinforced himself to his limit, nearly breaking his bones from the stress, as he sped forward.

He never wanted his sister's semblance as much as he did right now. He finally leapt up to the branches of a tree, before using blade works to create platforms for each step he took, ignoring the amount of aura he was using with each one. He didn't care at the moment. He needed to find her. Then he saw a beowolf running through the forest, towards an obvious destination. His eyes narrowed, before following it.

He saw a horde of grimm, beowolves, Ursa minors, nevermores circling in the sky, and he felt something bigger headed towards them. He didn't know what caused such a large swarm to gather, a single person, no matter how much despair they were experiencing could gather such numbers. As he was growing closer, he saw her. She was up against a tree, still trying to fight them off.

Her left arm was useless, her right leg mangled, and it appeared she had an injury to her eye. Multiple wounds covered her body, the amount of blood would have caused even most experienced huntsman to pause. To Shirou, however, the sight only reminded him of his old world. Of his failures.

The sight brought forth the memories of the children he had held in his arms, or the women who had asked him to protect their children. Each dying in his arms, casualties of a war, battle, or terror attack. Each one avoidable, each one where he was too late. Killing didn't stain Shirou's hands with blood, what stained his hands was the blood of those he had failed to save.

What Shirou remembered, was a little girl who only wished to return to her mother moments before bleeding out. Bombs exploding around him, guns firing off rounds nonstop, and screams of help and anguish. Each time, his mind would see that hell he walked through so many years ago. Shirou, powerless to help anyone who called to him. No matter what world, no matter how much time passed, those cries for help and the sight of burning bodies was forever ingrained within him.

Before, those were strangers that he opted to help and yet, they weighed on his soul. This world was going to be different. He would save those he cared about, he wouldn't leave them behind. He may have had loved ones, but he didn't prioritize them. This time would be different. That was what he told himself. Yet, there she was. Violet, a girl he befriended five years earlier. After everything Shirou went through, seeing her like that, something happened to his heart. What was once repressed broke through.

No more weakness. He wouldn't let her die. He would save her. "I am the bone of my sword." Ignoring the weapon he had on his back hip, he summoned forth a weapon suited to killing monsters. Hrunting answered his call, around him, other weapons formed, some mundane, others less so. Gae Bolg, Caladbolg, Durindana, and many others were called, pushing Shirou's abilities to their limit.

He cared not for sorting, he only needed a weapon that killed. Another weapon answered his call, Arondight, one he would have been surprised seeing, as he didn't know Archer had seen it, but his mind was not thinking clearly. The only thought he had, was to save his friend. Archer's dual wielding immediately took over, cutting through the crowd as multiple other weapons began firing down around him.

He wasn't even paying attention to what he was doing, only slicing his way through the horde. When the blades in the air were fired off, another took its place. If he was only tracing, such a tactic would be wasteful, but he now had a semblance that allowed him to use the tactic of a most hated enemy. Above, below, to the side, it didn't matter, blades rained from every direction around Shirou as he cut through any grimm in his path.

Grimm didn't have blood exactly, but remnants of the shadow that made them up could still stick. Shirou was covered in this shadow, in blackness. If anyone saw him, they would think he was a grimm himself. The only thing untouched, was the white bandana around his neck. The only semblance that showed that he was even a human. When Hrunting killed one, it immediately sought another, never satisfied.

Arondight, eager to protect the maiden, as its previous wielder did so long ago, never wavered amongst the horde. Both blades, sliced and stabbed, gorged and ripped, dissected and disemboweled. It would never be enough for them, for like their wielder, they were blades, and they longed to cut through their enemies. The two blades represented their wielder perfectly, one a bloodthirsty beast, another, a knight who sought only to protect.

Shirou could feel it, the large beast headed towards his location. However, a familiar smell managed to bring him back to his senses. The smell of spring. He regained his senses, looking around, seeing that most of the grimm had been slain. What remained would be killed by blade works. He quickly ran to her side. "Come on, come on, stay with me, Vi. I won't let you die here."

His words were frantic, though his thoughts were even more so. A thought entered his mind. He closed his eyes, "I am the bone of my sword." Combining both aura with mana, he replicated the sheathe that saved his life so long ago. "Avalon." Using both allowed him to create something that functioned off aura and mana, but he didn't have very much left after his onslaught.

He quickly grabbed the sheathe and inserted it into Violet's body. He then cut himself on Arondight, before using the blood to write runes on her body. Fairy runes, they were something he hadn't been able to experiment with just yet, but he knew what some did. He needed to stop the bleeding and with the fairy runes acting in conjunction with Avalon, they would stitch her up long enough for him to get her to safety.

The runes he had used activated a minor healing effect, small, but its real importance was that it would keep her from dying from shock. Just as he finished, Shirou stood up and looked into the direction where the creature was coming from. Obviously attracted to the bloodlust of him and his weapons. He called his black bow, altering Hrunting before taking aim.

"You want it? Then take it. Hunt them down, hound of the red plains. Hrunting." He fired off the noble phantasm, turning back to his friend, not caring about the explosion that rocked the area afterwards. He quickly traced a blood transfusion kit. Not a sword, so more mana was lost, but it didn't matter. He needed to work fast. He quickly set it up as it needed, before inserting it into his friend. His blood would transfer mana to the sheathe, while he tried to push whatever aura he had left into it.

He made sure that nothing would interfere with the transfer, so he decided to carry her in his arms, rather than on his back to make sure she would keep receiving his blood. He didn't need gravity to mess it up. He remembered walking through the forest, carrying her in his arms. He remembered talking, but didn't remember exactly what he said. The last thing he remembered was seeing a bird flying around, before he blacked out.

Shirou had recounted that story to each person who checked on him, leaving out certain parts. He was thankful that they worried so much. However, recounting the story wasn't something he enjoyed all that much. Violet was a dear friend, and he still blamed himself for allowing such a thing to happen to her. The girl in the cafeteria reminded him of her, with how shy and timid she seemed. He bet that the girl was talented and strong in her own right, just like Violet.

He hated himself for allowing Cardin to push him that far. He admitted to himself that calling noble phantasms may have been a bit much. However, he got his point across. Then, Blake seemed different when she talked to him, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what it was. Maybe it was because she was a faunus? He didn't know for sure.

Currently, he was on the roof waiting for his visitor. He knew that Raven was nearby, the smell of spring was hard to miss. He guessed that it had to do with his discharge of mana in the cafeteria. Then, there was a faint smell of fall that wafted through the air. He didn't know where it came from, but he could smell it. Another magic user was in the academy. He let out a groan, wondering why his time at Beacon couldn't be normal for once.

Admittedly, Raven knew she had little to be worried about. However, she remembered Shiro's incident the previous year. The idiot thought he was secretive, but she had felt the familiar feeling of magic coming from him in the forest. Not to mention the blast that went off. She decided to tell him about the maidens and Ozpin, but she figured she'd help keep that secret when she found out.

She let out a sigh, the brat was always attracting or looking for trouble. No matter how mature the brat may seem, he was still just a kid. He didn't need to be attracting that kind of trouble. Magic was not something he could be careless about. She wasn't the kid's mom, but he dragged her back five years ago to be one for Yang, so she supposed she'd do Summer a favor and watch after the two twins.

She still didn't know how to be a mother, nor was she overly keen on the idea. However, she was trying, if only to make sure the three brats wouldn't end up as Ozpin's pawns in his shadow war. At least, that was what she told herself.

She saw the idiot on the roof, alone this time, thankfully. She quickly swooped down and changed forms seamlessly, appearing behind him. He was currently sitting on the ledge, looking up at the broken moon, as he usually did. She still didn't understand what was so great about it. She noticed his usual night time set up, the portable tea set. One cup had already been filled, so she knew that he was expecting her.

The brat was always good at knowing when she was around. Maybe it had to do with whatever magic he had. She let out a huff and picked up the cup and leaned against a nearby wall. "So, are you going to talk?" She asked him, seeing him let out a sigh.

"You know, sometimes it's common courtesy to ask how my day has been, or ask how I have been. Makes you seem more approachable that way. Five years, and you still haven't learned, I'm starting to think you do it on purpose." he said taking a sip of his tea. Raven clicked her tongue.

"Five years and I thought you would have learned I'm not a courteous person." She replied. "Besides, your one to talk." She saw him flinch slightly, causing her to smirk. "You're tactics on forced parenthood aside, what's really bothering you brat?"

"Why did you really agree to come back and be a parent for Yang?" He asked her, it seemed he wanted to put it off. She wondered if she was the only one who knew his secret. It seemed that she would be the only one who he told thus far. She took a drink of her tea, before leaning her head against the wall.

"Besides your superb charisma? It was a few different things. Believe it or not, your mom had a lot to do with it. Then there was you, who sounds just like her. Ruby, who looks like her. Then, what you said about being afraid, it was true and I sort of just wanted to prove you wrong." She said with a smirk on her face, though she did mean it.

"I was afraid, of a lot of things. However, you were right when you said that I love Yang. There were so many times when I would be watching, that I wanted to appear and talk to her. However, what kind of mother could I truly be? I was raised by bandits and, instead of raising her after she was born, I ran away. I hid behind my mentality of strength means everything, but in the end, it was nothing more than words." She said solemnly, deciding to be truthful with him. If she wanted to get him to talk, then this was the best way.

"Then Summer died, leaving her alone, but instead of coming back. I stayed away. It took me twelve years, the death of my best friend, and a stupid brat to convince me to stop being a coward. So, I did what you and Summer always talked about, and faced my fears." She watched Shiro and noticed that he was looking more solemn each time she mentioned Summer.

"It's been five years since then. We still argue, but like you said to Yang, at least I'm trying. So, tell me kid, what is it that's on your mind? You said that Yang needed a mother, but I can see clearly that you need one too. So, spill it." She said before sitting her cup down next to the pot. She walked over towards Shiro and sat next to him. She felt very out of place and was a bit uncomfortable, but the kid was obviously struggling.

"I used to have nightmares and mom would always be there to help me through them. Then Violet almost died and they came back, but this time, Ruby and Yang were there to help me. However, today I had a reminder of those nightmares. Of not being able to save someone I care about, because I was too much of an idiot to do what needed to be done." He said to her, finally answering her question.

She remembered nights when he would thrash and cry. She would be watching from outside the house and wondered why Summer put up with it, but then, Summer would come and start humming and singing to him. He would immediately calm down. She also remembered after the girl almost died, when Ruby and Yang would sleep beside him because of nightmares.

Some of the things she heard him say in his sleep chilled her to the bone. A part of her thought he may have been having dreams of a past life, judging by the things he would say. She, of course, had no way of knowing that she was right. However, the pain he was in in those dreams was real. She always knew that he was a bit messed up when it came to emotions and common sense, but so was Summer in some ways. Who willingly throws themselves in harms way for a stranger?

However, she knew that both mother, son, and daughter were the same in that way. Though, if Raven was being honest, Ruby seemed much more well adjusted compared to her brother. Mature he may be, but his mentality needed some work. However, mother and son were the same in one other regard. They loved their family above all else. Shiro would help people, throw himself in harms way, but he would never allow his sisters to face the world alone.

Summer wanted to save her family from experiencing what they did, but failed. When she died, she knew Shiro took it the hardest. Adopting a mindset of unbending steel. He would live for his sisters and die for them if needed. However, if a choice existed, he would take harm for a stranger, but never give up his life for one. Raven saw it in his eyes, even now, with the light that shined in them that had been dim once before.

He decided long ago, his life was not his to give. His life belonged to Yang and Ruby. Raven saw that. It was one of the reasons she trusted him so much. However, she knew that he ended up bottling things up like an idiot because of it. Which led to things like now. If she wasn't here, then the brat would likely implode.

"Shiro, just tell me." She said to him softly, surprising herself. Shiro took a deep breath.

"I figured you already knew, I thought I saw you that day. Today, I let my emotions get the better of me. I released a burst of mana, just a bit of pressure. I may have called some weapons that were dangerous too. I guess, I just want to know that I won't fail Ruby and Yang like I failed Violet." He finally said to her. Raven thought she would have to beat it out of him.

"You're being an idiot." She said simply. Shiro looked at her with a quirked brow. She let out a snort at his expression. "I was there when you and Ruby were born, well, outside, but I was there. You cried the entire time, until Ruby was finally born. Then you stopped. The two of you were inseparable, add Yang into that, and well, the three of you watch out for each other Shiro. Just like I do for Qrow, even if I don't want to talk to him, he's still my brother."

She stood up, before laying a hand on his head. "I think you are feeling like this, because you aren't attached to Ruby at the hip anymore. Yang was two years older, so you would eventually part, but she would always be with you, so you got used to it. Now that you aren't together all of the time, you're mind is starting to come up with scenario's that won't happen." Shiro seemed to relax at her words.

"As for your magic, I appreciate you telling me finally. You haven't told anyone else have you?" Shirou only shook his head in response. "Good, keep it that way. Magic isn't something you want people to know about. I don't know how you have it, nor do I really want to know, all that matters is that you do have it." Raven let out a sigh. Seriously, the kid was a massive pain.

"If you really want to protect them, don't let anyone know you have it. No one knows I have maiden powers except for you and Vernal, and we try to keep it hidden. If a time comes when you have to use it, make sure whoever sees it is either dead, or Yang and Ruby, maybe someone you trust, but keep it secret. Understand?"

Shirou nodded his head. He didn't need to be told twice. He had his semblance, it functioned the same as his magecraft anyways, so it was a perfect cover. Runes could be used with aura and could be used by anyone, especially with the new design he made making it easier. The dust infused ink he invented early on helped make that possible. He had his bases covered, as long as nothing crazy happened, he wouldn't need to use magecraft.

He knew that Raven was right, he had been growing more on edge ever since initiation. Then there was everything else, he had been taking on too much ever since mom died. He did find himself worrying more and more, maybe he just needed to relax and enjoy life, rather than try to solve everything. He was a student, or as Raven liked to call him, a kid or brat.

He didn't expect Raven to act like a mom though, honestly, he was a bit proud of her for being able to do that. "Thanks Raven, I appreciate it." He said to her, though she only let out a huff, obviously trying to maintain her facade. He smiled, "Do you want me to get Yang?" Raven shook her head.

"I'll be spending time with her in a few days. I just came to check and make sure you and the girls were okay and didn't get caught up in something stupid, or worse, one of them became a maiden." Shirou's eyes widened, before he remembered something just as Raven opened a portal.

"Wait, Raven, is there another maiden here in Vale? Smells like fall?" Raven actually quirked a brow.

"The fall maiden was said to be around Vale, but her whereabouts are a well kept secret. If you smelled her, then she must be close by." Shirou brought a hand to his face, remembering the woman Ruby and him encountered, though she smelled of flames mixed with fall. This one had no smell of flame.

"I see. Well, I'll try and steer clear. If something comes up, I'll contact you. I may know about magic, but this stuff with maidens is a bit over my head." He said to her, rubbing the back of his head. Raven only smirked.

"Remember what I said about keeping it a secret Shiro. If you did smell a maiden, then that must mean Ozpin has something to do with it. He doesn't need to know you have magic, otherwise he'll get ideas." She began to step through the portal before she looked over her shoulder. "And try to relax Shiro, get a girlfriend or something. It may help." She said before walking through completely, the portal closing.

Shirou stood there for a moment, before he registered her words. "Was that her way of telling me I need to..." He shook his head. He didn't want to go down that road. He was sure he wasn't even close enough to anyone for that to be an option anyways. He supposed he might as well finish his tea and head to bed. It didn't seem like Blake or Pyrrha would be coming tonight anyways.

Ruby was very excited for the field trip to Forever Fall. They wouldn't be going until later on in the day, but still, it was hard to contain her excitement. Collecting the sweet sap from trees wasn't what she was excited about. While she didn't wish for grimm to attack everyone, she did know that it was a possibility, and that possibility is what she was excited for, since she was prepared.

You see, the two teams were chosen to test out the new invention of Shiro and Weiss. Shiro had been a bit more laid back since the incident with Cardin. Ruby didn't know how to explain it, but she had a connection with Shirou. She liked to think that they both had a piece of the each other's souls. She thought that because she could usually feel when Shiro would use his semblance, or was about to.

When he was sad, she could feel it. Likewise, she knew Shiro must have been similar. The two always knew what the other felt and were usually always in sync when fighting together. When the two were separated for long periods of time, which was rare, she felt incomplete and would often feel antsy. She didn't know how to explain it, but she figured it was because they were twins.

So, she knew that Shiro had been stressed recently. Her and Yang did their best to help him, but Shiro continued to take on more and more things. He was beginning to burn out. Thankfully, after the incident, he felt more relaxed and sure of himself. As if a weight had been lifted. This led to him relaxing a bit more and he even asked her for help. Her! She was so excited when he finally began to rely on her and their other friends.

Because of this change, Weiss and him managed to complete a working model of their newest little tool far faster. Apparently, Shiro and Weiss wanted to create an affordable self defense dust weapon. She heard Shiro refer to it as an easier to use Black Key. She didn't know what a Black Key was and her brother was muttering to himself, so she figured it must have been one of his weapons.

They named it Snow Thorn, which Weiss was very embarrassed about for some reason. Anyways, Ruby thought it was cool. Apparently there were two types, civilian and huntsman. Both were white sword hilts. However, when dust was inserted into them, the color would change. Civilian ones had small buttons, or triggers, that activated the dust, forming a blade. Another trigger could shoot the blade from the hilt.

The huntsman version was similar, but it was activated with aura, rather than a trigger. Likewise, after shooting the blade, you could insert aura and cause the dust to activate once it hit it's target. Or, you could be cool like Shiro and her and throw them. Oh, she was so excited to try them on real targets! The cool part, was that they didn't take up much space on her belt since they were small one handed hilts.

She was currently putting dust into the Thorns her brother gave her, preparing them just in case. As she was just finishing up, her scroll began to go off. She looked at it and made a happy squeal. She quickly answered the video call, "Hi Dad! Yang, look, it's dad! Wait, I need to get Shiro!" She quickly tossed her phone up into the air, where Yang managed to catch it.

Ruby raced down the hall, her rose petals marking her trail. She came to a stop at the entrance of the dorm kitchen, where Shiro was preparing ingredients to make cookies, or maybe a cake, she didn't know. She hoped it was cookies. She wondered what kind they would be, before shaking her head. She was getting side tracked.

Shiro, however, noticed her and turned around, revealing the apron Ruby had procured for him recently, it simply read, 'Unlimited Cookie Works'. "Something the matter, Ruby?" He asked, though Ruby only responded with a big smile.

"Dad's video calling, so I came to grab you. So, consider yourself grabbed." She said, disappearing in a burst of petals, before reappearing latched onto Shiro's back. Rather than react as anyone else might, Shiro simply sat down the utensils he had in his hands, and began to walk towards Ruby's room, Ruby still latched onto him.

Ruby and Shiro made it back to the room, just in time to overhear Yang introduce Blake and Weiss to their dad. "Yep, so that's our team. Oh, look, they're back. Say hi to dad, Shiro!" Yang said with a big smile on her face. Ruby popped her head up to look over Shiro's shoulder and saw their dad looking at her and Shiro with a happy smile. Also, she noticed Blake and Weiss look at the apron she had bought for Shiro. The both silently snorted, before turning away when they noticed Ruby looking at them.

"Hey pops, how are you doing without us?" Ruby could tell Shiro was happy to see their dad. She remembered him telling her that he was worried about leaving dad alone at home. Something about, not eating properly.

"Oh, you know, just the same ol' stuff. The kids at Signal were all excited to hear that you two made it into Beacon. I was a bit worried, but I can tell from looking at you two that you're doing just fine." He said happily, obviously referring to the fact that she was perched on Shiro's back. "I see you changed your outfit Shiro, looking pretty snazzy. I bet your a real ladies man just like your dear old dad."

Yang then started laughing, as Shiro rubbed the back of his head. She knew from the motion and his awkward laugh, that he most likely had one of his usual smiles on his face. "Heh, if by ladies you mean my sisters, then sure. I have made some friends though, but my love life is still pretty nonexistent." Her brother replied with a laugh.

Her dad then let out a loud laugh. "Yeah, right, if you're gonna be like that, then I'll just have to ask your sisters." Ruby tilted her head to the side, thinking about what her dad said. She thought her brother was pretty popular and was good friends with everyone. He did spend a lot of time with Weiss, Blake, and Pyrrha when he wasn't with her and Yang. But she was pretty sure that her brother didn't need a love life anyways, her and Yang loved him plenty.

Yang though, seemed to disagree, "Oh, you know how Shiro is dad. He's the same old Shiro. Ain't that right Weisscream?" She said, throwing a wink at her teammate, who quickly replied.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Adding a little huff afterwards. Yang snickered at her reply.

"Oh, but you shouldn't worry too much dad, he did save a bunny girl from a bully the other day. You know what they say about knights saving the damsel in distress." Ruby was a bit confused, but quickly realized what she meant and quietly chuckled. She heard her brother make a small 'hmph' after Yang's words.

"Oh, I see. Way to go son, you're making moves already. Your old man's proud of you." Her dad said, wiping away a fake tear. Shiro simply sighed while shaking his head. Ruby decided to hop off of Shiro and made her way over to the scroll.

"Hey, dad, how's Zwei doing? Have you been feeding him?" She asked in a worried tone, then she remembered Shiro, "Oh, and Kalion too." She added for her brother. Blake's ears perked up at the names.

"No need to worry Ruby, he's been well fed, but he definitely misses having you guys around. Kalion has been doing well, Violet's parent's have been using him to help out around town." Shiro seemed to perk up at hearing that. "So, no need to worry Shiro, your horse is in good hands." Her brother smiled and nodded.

"You have a horse?" Weiss asked Shiro. Though, Ruby noticed Blake also scoot over on her bed to hear him.

"I do. She sort of just appeared one day, so I asked the old man if I could take care of her and that was that. Before you ask, yes, I know how to ride." He answered nonchalantly. Ruby knew how much Shiro loved that horse. Zwei liked her too.

"And Zwei?" Blake asked him.

"He's a dog." He answered simply. Though, Ruby noticed Blake frown a bit. Who didn't love puppies? She noticed her brother smirk, "He's a good dog, but I sort of prefer cats." He then let out a small chuckle. Ruby noticed Blake's bow move, which sort of freaked her out. Bows didn't normally move on their own, did they?

"So, kids, are you enjoying Beacon so far?" Dad asked them, obviously excited that his children were now becoming huntsman and huntresses.

"Of course!", "Oh yeah!", and "Yep." were the replies from the three siblings. It was good that the three were happy, and their dad was glad that even Shiro was enjoying his time there. He could see it in his son's eyes and even the way that he held himself. Now, he was like his sister, in that they both now had the same fire in them that their mother did.

They may fight for different reasons, but he knew that in the end, they each wanted to protect the people and honor Summer's memory. "Hey, dad, are you going to come to the Vytal Festival or are you going to watch from home?" Shiro asked him.

Ruby looked at her father expectantly. He gave them a smile, "Well, it all depends on work. But who knows, I may surprise you guys."

"Typical dad, trying to act cool and mysterious." Yang said with her hands on her hips. Shiro let out a small laugh.

After talking for awhile, and meeting Shirou's team, it was time to hang up. But, Shirou stopped in the hallway, "Hey, dad, how is Violet doing?" He asked with a solemn voice. His dad let out a sigh, before looking at him with a smile.

"She's doing really good, Shiro. The prosthetics came in and she has been getting back into the swing of things. She's been asking about you too. So, you may have to start thinking of getting a hold of her." He said to him. Shirou responded with a sad smile.

"Yeah, I think I'll call her soon. I just wanted to make sure she was getting better. I've been trying to move past all that." He said to his father. He could see that his dad was happy.

"Good, I'm glad. You've been blaming yourself for too long. She'll be glad to hear from you again. It's good to see that you found the same fire your mother had. Your mom would be proud of you kids." He said to him, causing Shiro to unknowingly bring his hand down and touch the remnants of his moms cloak.

"Thanks, dad. I should probably return this to Ruby now." He replied with a smile on her face.

"Keep watching over your sisters, and don't forget to make sure they stay out of trouble." Shirou let out a laugh.

"Yeah, as if I've ever been able to stop them before. However, I'll make sure to drag them out of it when it happens." He replied to his dad as he opened the door to return the phone to Ruby. After saying their goodbyes, Shirou went back to start on his cookies.

As he was preparing his stuff again, this time remembering to take off his jacket, he saw his team enter. "Hey guys, something up?" He asked.

"We're going to help you bake cookies and muffins, and all of the other things!" Nora said excitedly, before she appeared next to him with different ingredients. Shirou tilted his head, before smiling.

"Alright, but first..." He then made three aprons, each one the same color as each of teammates. "You need to wear these." He said with a smile on his face. Pyrrha walked up and took one. She quickly put it on and smiled at him.

"So, how do I look?" She said posing with a big smile on her face.

"I think you look great." Shirou said with a smile. Pyrrha then walked up to the table and looked at the ingredients and utensils with a happy hum. "Well, why don't we get started?"

"Yeah! Team Cookies will bake the best ever cookies to have ever existed!" Nora exclaimed holding the sugar. Ren was standing beside Shirou as both Pyrrha and Nora were getting everything started.

"So, Ren, how are you feeling about the team so far?" Ren looked over him, before giving him one of the small signature Ren smirks or smiles, Shirou hadn't figured it out yet.

"Its been great. Nora has been really happy about everything. While she's always been, well, Nora. I can tell that she's been a lot happier." Shirou was actually happy to hear that. After his talk with Raven and his dad, well, he figured some down time would be a good idea.

"That's good to hear." He said as the two watched Nora and Pyrrha continuing to do most of the work. He was actually surprised that they both were so good at it. He figured it was because they each watched him at one point. Still, to copy him to that extent was impressive. Though, he was a bit worried that Nora might blow something up on accident.

"Should we join in? If we let them do everything, Nora might blow something up on accident." Ren said to him, mirroring his thoughts exactly, causing Shirou to let out a small laugh.

"Yeah, probably." He answered, both making their way over to the table. Needless to say, it didn't take long for everything to devolve into a big mess. Somehow, the flour exploded, before someone accidentally flung a piece of dough. Which then caused things to devolve further, as Nora decided to pay back whoever did it.

Despite the big mess and waste of ingredients, Shirou was happy. He probably sounded like an old man, but hearing his team laughing and having fun actually brought a smile to his face. More so when he thought about each member of his team. It may have been hard to tell if you were going by appearances, but each member, himself included, were all pretty damaged in some way.

He decided to have this become a more common occurrence. Maybe without the mess though. As the group finally managed to stop long enough to place the cookies into the oven, Shirou noticed that Pyrrha seemed happier than he had ever seen her before. He knew that it was because she was able to be herself. Another thing for him to work on making a common occurrence.

Elsewhere, Ozpin was in the middle of looking through security footage. He knew that he felt someone use magic of some kind inside the school. However, he couldn't figure out where it came from. The only thing he noticed, was Shiro Rose and his use of his semblance when confronting Cardin Winchester. Other than that, nothing out of the ordinary had happened.

However, he couldn't count anything out just yet. If it was Shiro Rose, then how did he have access to magic? The more he thought about it, the more unlikely it seemed. He knew that he was able to use runes, which, while impressive, wasn't magic. In fact, he saw that Shiro had even offered to teach Weiss Schnee how to use them, along with anyone else who wanted to learn.

Ozpin figured it was more than likely a false discharge of his silver eyes. Though, that meant he would have to keep an eye on Shiro as well as Ruby, which would divide up his time. Though, it did seem to work, as Pyrrha Nikos seemed to be developing even more. As of now, she was the best candidate to inherit the maiden powers of Amber. Perhaps, he would watch them a little more closely.

He was uneasy. He didn't know how to explain it, but he felt like the peace they had enjoyed thus far, would soon be coming to an end. If his hunch was right, then teams RWBY and SPRN, were going to be a major part of the action going forward. However, he knew that Shiro Rose was a wildcard. Out of each person, he was the easiest to predict, but the hardest to prepare for. He cared for his sisters and his loved ones.

Which meant that he would do everything in his power to protect them. However, Ozpin had to be careful, because if that meant protecting them from him, well, that would complicate everything. He had seen the boy fight, he was talented. However, he was still young. He didn't need to worry about such a possibility right now, but in a few years? Best to play it safe.