After the battle in the courtyard of Beacon Academy, Winter and Ironwood were waiting in Ozpin's office, the former pacing around somewhat aggressively. A minute later, and elevator doors opened to reveal Ozpin, Glynda, Akito and a smirking Qrow. Instantly, Winter lashed out at him.

Winter Schnee: "What were you thinking!?"

Ironwood: "If you were one of my men, I would have you shot."

Qrow: "If I was one of your men, I'd shoot myself." He countered, taking out his flask. Akito nearly fell over and covered his mouth as he did his best to prevent himself from laughing.

Akito: "Holy shit...!"

Autumn: "Daaammmnnn that was good!!! I like this old man already!"

Winter Schnee: "You're not out of the clear either, young man!" She said, glaring at Akito who rolled his eyes and shrugged.

Akito: "Sorry, not listening to the right hand of Ironwood who couldn't keep her temper in check and act professionally like she should be." He said, waving his hands dismissively at the elder Schnee while Qrow only shorted at that, already liking that the kid next to him was being sassy towards Winter Schnee of all people.

Spring: "Ooh!"

Winter Zara: "This is getting out of control..."

The white-haired female glared at the wolf, but Ironwood stopped her from doing anything. Glynda then spoke with her arms crossed.

Glynda: "While I wouldn't condone their behavior, Akito is right, you know. Retaliating like you did, certainly didn't help the situation."

Winter Schnee: "Qrow was drunk!"

Glynda: "He's always drunk!" Everyone took a glance at Qrow who was drinking from his flask. He noticed and stopped, holding it away from him. Ozpin sighed and sat back down.

Ozpin: "Qrow, why are you here?"

Ironwood: "You've been out of contact for weeks! You can't just go dark in the field!"

Qrow: "I'm not one of your special operatives, Jimmy."

Winter Schnee: "General."

Qrow: "Whatever. You sent me to get Intel on our enemy and I'm telling you, our enemy is here."

Ironwood: "We know."

Qrow: *scoffs* "Oh! Oh, you know! Well thank goodness Dante and I are out there, risking our lives keeping you all informed!"

Akito's ears twitched the moment Qrow yelled out the name, "Dante", which caused his eyes to widen. His sisters seemed to notice as well as they were mumbling to each other. However, before Akito could get a word in, Ozpin attempted to speak.

Ozpin: "Qrow—"

Qrow: "Communication's a two-way street pal." He said, looking at Ironwood before he took out his Scroll and pointed to the single button on its frame. "You see this? That's the 'SEND' button."

Winter Schnee: "They had reason to assume you'd been compromised."

Qrow: "And I have reason to assume you don't need to be here. *Points to Winter* Seriously, who invited her?" There was a brief silence before Ironwood spoke.

Ironwood: "Schnee we will discuss this matter back on my ship."

Winter Schnee: "But sir—"

Ironwood: "Winter! Leave."

Winter Schnee: "...Yes sir." She saluted to him before making her way to the elevator; Qrow sending a wink her way. When she left, they continued.

Ironwood: "Go on."

Qrow: "Your little infiltrator isn't just another pawn. She's the one responsible for Autumn's condition." He said, taking another drink. While Glynda's expression displayed shock, the ones that were more confused and surprised were Akito and his sisters.

Autumn: "Uh... What?"

Spring: "What are they talking about?"

Glynda: "What?"

Qrow: "Despite what the world thinks, we're not just teachers or generals or headmasters. The people in this room, the leader of the other two academies, we're the ones that keep the world safe from evil no one even knows about. It's why we meet behind closed doors, why we work in the shadows. So, tell me James, when you brought your army to Vale, did you think you were being discreet, or did you just not give a damn!?"

There was a moment of silence as Ironwood narrowed his eyes before walking away, taking out his scroll.

Ironwood: "Being discreet wasn't working." He placed his scroll on Ozpin's desks, displaying a holographic image of Amity with the Atlas Military around it. "I'm here because this is what was necessary."

Qrow: "You're here because Ozpin wanted you here! He made you a part of this inner circle and opened your eyes to the real fight that's in front of us!"

Ironwood: "And I am grateful."

Qrow: "Oh, well, you've got a real funny way of showing it."

Ironwood: "The people of Vale needed someone to protect them, someone who would act. When they look to the sky and see my fleet, they feel safe and our enemies will feel our strength." At that, Qrow began chuckling.

Qrow: "You... You think they're scared of your little ships? I've been out there, and I've seen the things she's made and let me tell you, they are fear."

Summer: "'She'?"

Ozpin: "And fear will bring the Grimm. A Guardian is a symbol of comfort, but an Army is a symbol of conflict. There's an energy in the air now, a question in the back of everyone's minds; 'If this is the size of our defenses, what is it we're expecting to fight?'" Everyone looked to Ironwood as he just sighed and picked up his scroll, causing the hologram to disappear.

Ironwood: "So then, what would you suggest we do?"

Ozpin: "I suggest we find our 'Guardian'." He smiled. However, before anything else could even be told, Akito finally piped up.

Akito: "So, you guys gonna stop with all of this and tell me what the hell's actually going on?" He asked, his voice sounding irritated. The adults all looked around before Ozpin was the one to answer.

Ozpin: "I do apologize, Mr. Zara for keeping you out of the loop like this. However, it will be time for you and your sisters to fully learn about what we truly mean. For now, you have something to share with us?" Qrow raised an eyebrow as he glanced at Ozpin, then at the young Wolf Faunus, his eyes narrowing slightly.

Qrow's thoughts: "Hmm... Zara huh..." A brief image of a woman with black hair with wolf ears and fiery orange eyes flashed through his mind before he focused on Akito. "Well I'll be damned..."

The Wolf Faunus narrowed his eyes at the old wizard, his faith in him wavering before he took a deep breath. Akito then proceeded to inform Ozpin and the other three adults in the room about what they've gathered so far, about Emerald and Mercury and this 'Jet' person. And most importantly, about what Mio spoke to him about. Of course, he purposely left out the information about Akira's possible connections to them. After the boatload of information, the adults in the room took time to process the information they received. It wasn't much, but did raise some concerns, mainly Mio's warning. The adults proceeded to discuss what to do now, but first, Ozpin turned to Akito and smiled.

Ozpin: "Thank you for telling us this, Akito. As I said before, I will call you up when I am ready to tell you everything. You may leave and take some time to rest up. You, Ace and Setsuna do have an upcoming match soon."

Akito: "Right... Thanks Ozpin." He said as he began to walk towards the elevator, but then stopped as he remembered something. He looked back specifically at Qrow. "Old man."

Qrow: "I'm not old." He replied, taking a swig from his flask.

Akito: "Earlier you mentioned the name, Dante..." He paused as he saw Qrow stop drinking. Wiping his mouth, he turned to face the wolf and narrowed his eyes before his expression softened a bit.

Qrow: "Ah, that asshole wasn't lying when he said he had took responsibilities of you... Heh, yeah he's still kickin'." Akito's eyes widened while his four sisters gasped.

Autumn: "No freaking way!"

Spring: "Mr. Dante's alive!?"

Summer: "Holy...! He's alive!"

Qrow: "He would have been here but had to take care of something. If everything goes smoothly, you should see him soon enough." He spoke.

Akito was silent, looking down at his hand as he could recall the memories from when the man named Dante took in both him and Setsuna after they left the White Fang. That same man that he spoke to Blake about before the dance last semester. He never knew what happened to him after he disappeared, but now he knew... he was alive.

Winter: "Big bro..." Akito quickly shook his head to keep himself calm and nodded to Ruby's uncle with thanks.

Akito: "Right. Thank you, Mr. Branwen." He said before he entered the elevator, its doors closing. At that moment, Qrow scoffed.

Qrow: "'Mr. Branwen' pfft. Kids these days and making me sound like an old asshole."

Glynda: "Qrow..." He sighed as Ironwood shook his head and Ozpin could only chuckle. His eyes wandered back to the elevator as he sighed internally.

Ozpin's thoughts: "Soon my children... Soon you will know the truth. All six of you... Only then, I pray that none of you choose to join your mother..."

>Chapter 24: Conflicted Thoughts<

In the Amity Colosseum, Velvet, Yakumo and Fox along with Ruby, Yang, Summer, Autumn and Spring were in the stands, watching as the first match in the Doubles Category was about to take place. The duos that would be battling against each other were...

Port: "Emerald and Mercury of Haven VS Coco and Yatsuhashi of Beacon!"

Velvet: "Good luck, you two!" She called out to her teammates.

Everyone looked at the center of the arena as the biomes were chosen. Unlike the Teams matches where only Two Biomes were chosen, for the doubles, four were to be used. Those four ended up being the City, Savanna, Geyser and Forest biomes. Coco eyed Emerald from head to toe, a grin of interest on her face.

Coco: "Hey, love the outfit kid."

Emerald: "I'll try not to get blood on it."

Yatsuhashi: "I can't promise you'll leave without a scratch."

Emerald: "I won't be the one bleeding."

Coco: "Ooh, I like her." She smirked as all four fighters got ready as Port began the countdown.

Port: "3, 2, 1, BEGIN!"

With Akito...

Akito: "Ugh, god fucking damnit..."

Akito groaned as he slumped down in one of the benches in the classroom that Professor Port taught in. After coming back from the headmaster's office, Akito was trying to calm himself down. After what happened with his sister, the altercation with Winter and Qrow and then the sudden news of the man that took him in, Dante still being alive, Akito didn't know what to do now. After sending off Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter to do whatever they wanted to, Akito went to a place he knew he wouldn't really be disturbed by any random person.

Blake: "There you are." Speaking of interruptions. Akito's wolf ears twitched as he heard the gentle footsteps of Blake slowly approach him. Soon enough, the feline Faunus was sitting next to him. "I thought I'd come to find you but... you don't look so good."

Akito: "Ouch. Thanks for that." He said with a slight hint of sarcasm in his voice. Blake rolled her eyes, but her expression softened as she scooted over to him.

Blake: "What's wrong...?"

Akito didn't answer for a while, but Blake didn't rush him. She didn't want to rush him. All she knew is that she'll be there for him when he's ready. A deep sigh escaped Akito's lips before he told her everything that happened in Ozpin's office, doing his best to explain to the best of his ability. He also added in the conversation he had with Mio earlier the day. After it was over, Blake sat there in a state of bewilderment and worry. It was a lot of information to take in.

Blake: "All this information... and you still can't get any solid answer" She said as the male groaned out of frustration and buried his face into his hands.

Akito: "It's all just... eating away with me..." He said with a deep sigh but soon felt the soft hand of Blake rest on his as she leaned towards him.

Blake: "Hey." He looked into her beautiful amber eyes. "You've never let something like this get to you before. I know it's difficult... but out of the two of us, you've been the first to always push on no matter what. That's one of the many reasons why I love you so much, Akito."

Akito fell silent as he watched as a gentle and loving smile crossed Blake's lip. He couldn't really believe it as he felt his heart skip a beat and flutter, his face heating up. Seeing this, Blake couldn't help but fall into a fit of cute giggles, which caused Akito to blink and glance away.

Blake: "Hahaha. That look you had on; it was so adorable~!"

Akito: "H-Hmph. Whatever, pussy cat." He crossed his arms with a scoff, which only triggered Blake to keep laughing. Akito listened to her laughter filled with joy, each giggle she outs filling his heart with a warmth. He couldn't help it as he smiled, feeling how lucky he was to have someone like Blake. "Thanks, Blake."

Blake: "H-Huh?" She questioned, wiping the tears from her eyes as she sat back up straight. She watched as Akito turned to face her, a warm smile present on his face.

Akito: "Thanks for being an amazing girlfriend." Now it was Blake's turn to blush, her cheeks reddening up to her ears as she found herself stuttering and becoming hotter.

Blake: "I-I..."

Akito: "Aww, little kitty's blushing~" He wiggled his eyebrows as he held a smug grin. Only then, Blake realized that he had managed to completely turn the attention back to her. Her cat ears twitched underneath her bow as she glanced to the side, while hugging her arms.

Blake: "H-Hah. You're such an annoying tease." She said as a laugh escaped Akito. Blake couldn't help but smile as she looked back at him. She found herself getting lost in those mesmerizing crimson eyes of his, with her mind wandering back to that one night that essentially kick-started their relationship. Her smile brightened some more as she leaned towards him and rested her head on his shoulder. "You know... After Yang and Weiss' match, your match is gonna happen. I'm gonna be watching of course."

Akito: "Ah... No pressure, babe." He said as she giggled before she slowly looked up at him.

Blake: "But... I suppose I could give you some good luck for it." She said as she leaned up and wrapped her arms around his neck.

Akito wouldn't have any chance to even say anything as he was silenced by the Feline Faunus' lips as she kissed him. With a chuckle in his mind, he returned the warm lock of lips while his arms snaked around her waist. A short while, the kiss broke slightly as the two looked into each other's eyes.

Blake: "Make sure you win, okay...?"

Akito: "Losing was never an option for me..."

Blake: "Good... Kiss me more..."

Meanwhile in the festival grounds...

The entirety of Team MYLC were accompanying Penny through the festival grounds, with Akira being dragged along due to his leader's anger at him for ditching them earlier. As the group were walking past a stand however, they suddenly heard...

Oobleck: "And with an amazing upset, Emerald and Mercury are victorious!" Akira halted and glanced towards the television within the stand, with the students that were at it gasping in surprise.

Beacon Student: "No way. Team CFVY lost?"

The rest of Team MYLC and even Penny paused and looked at the screen as well. As the camera zoomed in on the faces of Emerald and Mercury, with the medical team carrying the downed Coco and Yatsuhashi out, Akira couldn't help but narrow his eyes. Maya noticed the look in his eyes and slowly raised her eyebrow in curiosity.

With Weiss...

Weiss: "You're leaving?"

Weiss sat with her elder sister, Winter, under a more peaceful area that seemed kind of like a patio. After catching up for a bit, the younger Schnee became saddened to hear that her elder sister was leaving soon.

Winter: "Yes. I was merely needed to oversee the transport of additional units to Vale. Our last shipment was lost to an ambush. I believe you had a run in with its cargo actually." In response, Weiss scratched the back of her head with a slightly sheepish smile. Winter smiled. "It's fortunate those Paladins were in the prototype stage, otherwise your team may not have fared so well. Weiss, you've done... well out here on your own. You should be proud. I'll be honest, it was quite amusing seeing father's face the day you left for Beacon." She said, a smile growing on her face as Weiss grinned.

Weiss: "I can't wait to show him what I've learned."

Winter: "Oh? And what do you think you've learned?"

Weiss: "What do you mean? I'm getting better with my Glyphs. I've even started Time Dilation."

Winter: "And what about your Summoning?" Weiss fell silent and looked away with a frown and a sigh.

Weiss: "I... you know I can't..."

Winter: "Don't be ridiculous. Every Schnee has the ability to summon. We have for generations."

Weiss: "I've tried! It's just... it's the one thing I'm having trouble with!" She exclaimed, getting more frustrated with herself more than anything. Winter, however, began to calm her with her elder sisterly tone.

Winter: "We Schnees are unique. Unlike many, our Semblance is hereditary. But it doesn't mean it will come easily. Your Semblance is like a muscle, the more you practice with it, the stronger it will become. But if you only focus on one aspect of it... if you fail to test your limits of what you think is possible..." There was a small flash of light as Weiss shielded her eyes. But the moment she looked back at her sister, her eyes widened in shock to see a white Beowolf Summon standing by her side. "Then you may never truly grow."

???: "Um..." Both Schnees turned their heads to immediately met with a certain blue-haired girl with goat horns on the top of her head. While Winter was initially confused, Weiss instantly shot up with wide eyes.

Weiss: "Winter! You're here?"

Winter: "Huh? What do you—"

Winter: "Ah, yes. I heard voices over here and decided to check it out!" She said with a small smile before she looked at Weiss' elder sister. Weiss also did the same but became shocked to see her sister's confused expression. Then it hit her...

Both her sister and Akito's sister have the same name.

(A/N: "And it all comes spiraling down")

Clearing her throat, Weiss caught the attention of both Winters and quickly got to work.

Weiss: "Ah, allow me to do the honors of introducing you to each other." She then looked at her older sister as she gestured to the goat Faunus. "Sister, this here is Winter Zara, Akito's sister." She then looked at the other Winter. "Winter, this is my big sister, Winter Schnee."

There was a brief silence as both Winters looked at Weiss, then at each other before....

Winters: "Eh?"

>Meanwhile<

Ruby: "You'll never beat me old man!"

Qrow: "Heh, you're nothing but talk kid!"

Yang: "You can do it Ruby!"

Ace: "Kick her ass, Qrow!"

Two out of the four Zara sisters, Spring and Summer, were seated on Blake's bed, watching this epic virtual battle between Qrow and Ruby. Originally, the two were in the dorms when Ruby, Yang and Ace brought Qrow along, but the two ethereal sisters were welcomed to stay and watch, which they accepted. While Qrow was at first confused by the two girls, and suspicious of their names in particular, he decided not to pay much attention to it, for now at least as right now, they just looked like normal students. Soon, the Video Game announcer yelled out.

"SOARING NINJA WINS!!! TOTAL ANNIHILATION!!!"

Both Qrow and Ace smirked as they shared a high-five at the easy victory while Ruby stared at the screen in disbelief.

Spring: "Ouch..." She winced, with memories on how her brother would easily defeat her in video games plaguing her mind.

Qrow: "And by the way, don't ever call me old."

Yang: "My turn!" she exclaimed as she pushed the argent-eyed girl out of the way, literally causing her to go flying back. The blonde held a confident grin on her face as she began to select her character.

Ace: "Ahh, ready to get your ass kicked, Yang?" He smirked towards his sister, who merely smirked.

Yang: "Ha! Watch me, bro!"

Summer: "This... gives me deja vu..." She whispered as watching the family interact with one another brought back some memories for her. Spring looked to her elder sister and comforted her by rubbing her shoulder.

"NEW CHALLENGER APPROACHES!"

Qrow: "Now, where was I?" Ruby instantly got back up and sped over to Weiss's bed, where she sat down next to her brother.

Ruby: "You were telling us about your last mission!"

Qrow: "Right, right... I'd come across a small village in the swamps, west of Mistral. Right off the bat, I knew something wasn't right."

Ruby: "What were you doing there?"

Qrow: "I needed information. Tired from battling Grimm along the way, I decided to start my search at the town's inn. The place was crawling with lowlifes and thugs, even a few Huntsmen that I could only assume had been hired by less than reputable people for less than respectable jobs. And that's when it happened..."

Yang: "What happened?" Summer and Spring listened intently as they saw Qrow's face contort into one of sheer defeat.

Qrow: "I was defeated..."

Ace: "You? Defeated?"

Qrow: "By the mere sight..." His frown slowly began to stretch upwards into a big and smug grin. "...of the innkeeper's skirt length!"

In an instant, Ace unleashed a burst of laughter just as a pillow shaped like a dog's head was thrown at the dunkard, who instantly easily caught it. While Spring blinked in slight confusion, not sure on what to say about the story, Summer blushed as thoughts ran through her mind before she swiftly pushed her short skirt down and pushed her legs closer together.

"SOARING NINJA WINS!!! TOTAL ANNIHILATION!!!"

Yang: "You are the worst!"

Summer: "Pervert..." Qrow, Ruby and Ace all exchanged looks before they all began to laugh even more from the two girl's reactions.

Qrow: "Best two out of three?"

Ruby: "So Uncle Qrow, did you get in trouble with Ozpin?"

Qrow: "Nah, me and Oz go way back. We're cool."

Yang: "Cool of an old guy." the drunkard looked at him annoyed.

Qrow: "Not funny."

Ruby: "So, what are you doing here anyways? I thought Dad said that you would be on a mission, for like... ever."

"READY? FIGHT!!!"

Qrow: "Well, a professional Huntsman like me is expected to get results, as soon as possible."

Ruby: "Yeah, I get that. We're pretty much pros too."

Qrow: "Oh really?" He raised an eyebrow.

Ace: "That is quite a stretch right there, Rubes..." He sweat dropped while the two ethereal sisters looked at each other as the conversation continued on.

Yang: "Psch, yeah! Read the news sometime, we totally saved Vale while you were gone."

Qrow: "Funny, because I heard Vale suffered a Grimm attack after you almost managed to stop a train." He said as he ended up defeating the blonde in their second match, with her scowling at his sly smirk.

"SOARING NINJA WINS!!! TOTAL ANNIHILATION!!!"

Ace: "Key word is 'almost'. And also, let's not forget about that Sobek that was wreaking havoc before Maya managed to kill it with her Gundam and that was only after you guys led it out of the city. Even then, a lot of collateral damage occurred because of it."

Qrow: "That's right and they don't give out medals for almost."

Ruby: "They do and they're called silver!"

Yang: "Well, we helped take down Roman Torchwick! He's looked up in Ironwood's ship and crime's been down ever since! That's basically a bounty mission!"

Qrow: "Sure, you may be acting like Huntresses but you're not thinking like one. Do you really think four girls and their friends could really end all crime in a Kingdom?"

Ruby: "I mean, I did until you said that..." She tapped her fingertips together. It was at this moment that Summer spoke up

Summer: "He's right." Everyone's turned to look at her, a grim expression on her face." Even after everything, crime hasn't dropped since Roman got jailed... no... It's stopped completely. No White Fang activity anywhere around the city. It's like... a King Taijitu. You cut off the head but you're still not finished as now the second head's calling the shots."

Qrow: "What she said. That's what Ironwood can't get through that thick metal head of his."

Yang: "You... know the General?"

Qrow: "Hey, I know everybody to some extent. Remember, you're talking to a member of the coolest team that graduated Beacon!"

He then pulled out a photo from his pocket featuring the legendary Team STRQ, which consisted of their leader and Ruby's mother, Summer Rose, Taiyang Xiao Long, Raven Brawnen and Qrow himself.

(Team STRQ)

While Ace and Yang's eyes landed on Raven, Ruby just looked in awe at the team. Summer and Spring were also surprised but the younger of the two sisters also noticed something about the photo. There seemed to be an outline of the bottom of a wine bottle on it, along with quite a lot of tear markings.

Spring's thoughts: "Oh Qrow..." She instantly felt for the drunkard as she touched her chest, with her feeling heavy sense of sadness from him

Qrow: "Heh, Team STRQ... That's when I met your parents." Summer however spoke up.

Summer: "Wait... Who are they?" She asked.

Everyone looked at what she was pointing at in the photo as it was revealed that Team STRQ wasn't the only one present in that picture. They were accompanied by a second team that were all to the right of Summer Rose.

Closest to the woman covered by her white cloak was... a Wolf Faunus woman with long black hair and orange accents. Her eyes were colored fiery orange and seemed to also have flames bursting from her wolf ears. She seemed to be wearing a red dress-top with the shoulders cut out and a black skirt. But she also had some spikes on her outfit, such as on her belt, on her wrists and around her neck like a choker.

The second was a human man with semi-long white hair that's slightly parted in the front. He wore a faded red jacket with a skull on the back, along with an ordinary black Henley T-shirt with three buttons as the sleeves itself reached through his elbows, where it also featured torn details. For his wrists, he wore black driving gloves and white bandages. For his legs, he wore a black belt with golden accents, black leather pants, and brown boots. And finally, in his hand, resting on his shoulder was a large silver sword with a skull on its hilt.

The third was also a human male who looked alot like the first male. He had fair, yet pale skin, and white, swept back hair, which did put an emphasis on the fierce, yet stoic expression on his face. He wore a black coat with light neon blue serpentine patterns and three separated coattails with tattered edges, along with a deep blue vest. He also was wearing charcoal gray fingerless gloves, black pants and dark boots covered by teal gaiters. In his hand was a long katana, hidden within its scabbard.

And the final one was another female, also Human. With long black hair that had blue accents in it, she was the shortest of the team, just a tiny bit shorter than the first woman. She wore a white dress with black gloves that didn't cover her fingers, except for partially covering her thumbs. She also seemed to wear black flat-heeled shoes that expose her toes and a singular calf-length shock on her left leg while on her right leg were black straps. In her hand, she held what looked like a flute close to her body as she had the most gentleness of smiles.

Qrow: "Ahh, how could I have forgotten. That right there is, Team CDSY (Kandinsky)."

Ace: "Team CDSY?"

Qrow: "Yep. Listing in reverse order, they consist of Selena Yaeger, Vergil Sparda, Dante Sparda and... Claret Zara." There was a collective gasp from the three siblings as they all shared a look.

Ruby: "Zara...? You mean... she's Akito's mom!?" She exclaimed. Spring and Summer's eyes widened as they stared at the wolf in the picture, with multiple memories, flashes of her face quickly sped through their minds.

Spring: "O-Our Mom...? She... went to Beacon with Mr. Dante and you guys??"

Qrow: "Well that just confirmed my theory." He said, as the two sisters looked confused for a moment. "I knew that kid looked familiar. He has eyes just like his mother and four sisters seem to be directly linked to him." He looked at the two as Spring gasped a bit.

Qrow: "That was a secret that Claret entrusted only to our teams, when she gave birth. She met a guy and got knocked up by him, but he was a deadbeat and ran away, leaving her to fend for herself. She was meant to have sixtuplets, but strangely, only two pups popped out. While the girl was for the most part normal, the boy, it felt like he was 5 souls living in one body. She thought it was a miracle but wanted to keep it a secret. Afterwhich, she went on and lived in Mantle for a while. Despite the conditions, she was a tough woman and so were her kids."

Summer: "Then... What happened to her? Where is she now?" She asked. The dunkard fell silent and narrowed his eyes at the photo in his hand.

Qrow: "No one knows. The last person to have seen Claret was... Dante and even then, she never disclosed any information to him, aside from... 'Oz has a new mission for me. I should be back in a couple of months'. It's been over a decade since then..."

Yang: "Wait, but if she just left, then who took care of Akito and you girls?"

Summer: "I barely remembered it, but mother trusted us to this very nice older lady in Mantle that ran an orphanage. It was actually quite nice, I remember. But back then, we were unable to manifest our physical forms... so we had to see everything through Akito's eyes. But... it didn't last. The orphanage was taken down, to make way for a new Schnee Dust Company warehouse in Mantle... She... never stood a chance when she tried to stop them... Akito tried to protect her, but consequently, he was punished severely by that man... And that was when... Jacques... took our brother into the mines. And... well, you know the rest."

Ruby and Yang fell silent as the image of the S.D.C logo burned into Akito's arm flashed through their minds. While Ace himself hasn't seen it, he could picture what happened and closed his eyes.

Spring: "So... about the others... uh.. Mr. Qrow?" She looked at the Drunkard.

Qrow: "Qrow's just fine. Well I don't think I need to explain Dante. He's like me, but a bit more of an asshole."

Spring: "Hey!"

Qrow: "I stand by my point, pipsqueak." He said with a smug grin while the green-haired Faunus pouted.

Summer: "Dante was the one that took care of Akito, Setsuna and us after we ended up in Mistral after leaving the White Fang." She explained to the three Rose/Xiao Long/Sparda siblings. "But, we never saw him again after some mission he was sent on. We thought he died but judging what Qrow said, he's still alive."

Qrow: "That he is. He was supposed to be back alongside me, but had to take care of something first. He should be back before the Vytal Festival's over. Maybe then, the 6 of you will finally get your answers." He said, looking directly at the pink-haired Faunus. "For the last two, Vergil is Dante's brother and Ace's father. He's probably out there alongside Raven." Yang and Ace both looked back at the picture. "And Selena... Well, I'm not sure what happened to her. I... we all kinda lost contact with her after Claret never came back..."

There was a brief silence before Ruby broke it.

Ruby: "Well... were you guys popular?" Hearing her question caused the drunkard to smirk.

Qrow "We were pretty well known back in the day."

Ruby: "Well known for crummy fashion sense!"

Qrow: Hey we looked good! And I have a number of inappropriate stories to back that up! Especially about Selena, hehe~" He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. While Spring just looked confused, Summer on the other hand blinked before her face went completely red.

Summer: "W-Wait a second!"

Qrow: "But, I'll save those for when you're older." He said, pulling the photo away from Yang and Ace and slipping it back into his pocket.

Summer: "Hey!"

Ruby: "Ew, gross!"

Spring: "What is he talking about?"

Summer: "Nothing Spring!" She instantly smiled at her younger sister and patted her on the head. With a bit of a sigh, Qrow stood up from his spot.

Qrow: "Anyways, I'm too old to be hanging out with a bunch of kids; you're gonna cramp my style." He said as he began to make his way towards the door.

Ace: "But didn't you just say not to call you old?"

Qrow: "I don't know what you're talking about." Ace smirked and rolled his eyes at his uncle. "Look, just remember that you've still got a long way to go... and don't think for a second that graduating means you're done. Every day out there is worth a week in this place." He specifically looked towards his nieces and nephew. "You three, you're gonna go far, but only if you keep learning, if you never stop moving forward."

Then he took a look towards Summer and Spring.

Qrow: "And you girls. I can tell you four and the wolf kid's gonna go far. Claret would be proud and so would ol' Dante."And with that final statement, he left. The two ethereal sisters were left, speechless. While Summer looked out of the window, Spring held her chest.

Spring: "Mom... Mr. Dante..."

>>Meanwhile<<

After the two Winters had introduced themselves to each other, Winter Schnee had instructed her younger sister, Weiss, to attempt to perform her Summoning technique. Winter Zara sat on one of the chairs, watching the process. Weiss was in a stance, pointing the blade of Myrtenaster to the ground in front of her as a Glyph with four swords in it was spinning in front of her.

Winter Schnee: "Excellent form! Now think to all your fallen foes; the ones that forced you to push yourself past who you were and become who you are now. Think of them and watch them come to your side."

Winter Zara's thoughts: "So that's how Summoning works for the Schnees... To think that a single Semblance could do so much... incredible..."

Weiss began gritting her teeth as the Glyph began spinning faster and began to fluctuate in size. She was getting frustrated and began squinting my eyes. Eventually, the Glyph disappeared, and she sighed in frustration.

Weiss: "I can't!" Her elder sister immediately slapped the back of her head, causing the ethereal sister to wince from the impact.

Winter Schnee: "Stop doubting yourself!"

Weiss: "I'm trying!"

Winter Schnee: "If this is what you call trying, then you have no hope of winning the tournament, let alone succeeding as a Huntress. Why don't you just move back home? I'm sure Father will give you a nice job as a receptionist."

Weiss: "I don't need his charity!"

Winter Schnee: "But you do need his money, don't you?" she guessed, a slightly smug grin forming on her lips. In an instant, Weiss' eyes widened as she snapped her head towards her sister.

Weiss: "What!? How did you know about that!?"

Winter Schnee: "Lucky guess. I may have been in a similar situation when I joined the military. So, what have you done this time?" She held her smug grin as she rested a hand on her hip while Weiss tried to think of a reason as to why she was cut off, but truthfully, she couldn't.

Weiss: "That's the thing, I'm not really sure. I went to pay for lunch the other day and my card didn't work."

Winter Schnee: "How embarrassing~."

Weiss: "I Know!" She quickly lowered her tone as she realized that her sister's expression turned more serious. "...It was... Why would he cut me off like that?"

Winter Schnee: "Perhaps so you'd stop avoiding him and call home." Hearing that, the younger Schnee's expression contorted to one of anger as she began the Summoning process again, the same Glyph appearing but it was spinning quickly and fluctuating its size like mad. However, she became slightly surprised as Akito's sister, Winter Zara rested her hand on her shoulder.

Winter Zara: "Weiss, that's enough... Letting your emotions control your actions won't result in anything good." She looked down to the side with a pained expression. "Trust me when I say I have first hand experience of that..." She said with multiple flashes of Akito in her head. Weiss became speechless, seeing the blue-haired Faunus' expression as her summoning Glyph slowly disappeared.

Weiss: "Winter... I..."

Winter Schnee: "She's right, you know." The two girls turned to look at the elder Schnee. "Emotions can grant you strength, but you must never let them overpower you. It sounds to me like you have two choices in front of you. You can call him, beg for his money back and explain once again why you want to study at Beacon over Atlas. Or... you could continue to explore Remnant, discovering more about the world, and... about yourself. But it's time for me to go." The goat Faunus stepped away as Winter Schnee pulled her younger sister into an embrace, to which she returned it.

Weiss: "It was really good to see you, Winter."

Winter Schnee: "Until next time sister." She said as she pulled away, a gentle smile on her face. Then she turned to the girl who shared the same name as her and smiled at her. "Please continue to look after my little sister for me, Winter Zara."

Winter Zara: "Ah! Of course! But you know, it was me and everyone that were there for Weiss. But we'll continue to be there for her, I can guarantee that, Winter." She said with a smile. There was a brief silence before she scratched the back of her head. "Ooh that's going to take some getting used to..."

Both Schnees released a series of giggles as the Faunus joined them.

Winter Schnee: "You and me both."

Winter Zara: "But please, um... Winter?" The elder Schnee raised an eyebrow to her. "Please forgive my big brother for earlier. You see he's been in a less than... desirable mood. And it certainly didn't help since you're the daughter of the man that enslaved him for the majority of his childhood." At that, the white-haired woman's eyes widened in surprise while Weiss just looked down.

Winter Schnee: "I see..." She said with a small sigh and looked away, wondering how many lives her father ruined for the Faunus.

Winter Zara: "But..." She looked back at the blue-haired girl, seeing her smile a bit. "He's been able to mostly move past that. He at first, never really liked Weiss but after a while, he's grown to appreciate her and even though he won't outright admit it, he's thankful that she's trying to redefine the Schnee Name."

Wiess: "H-Huh?" She widened her eyes in surprise, a faint blush forming on her cheeks of embarrassment and flattery.

Winter Zara: "And he hopes... that too will continue to help redefine the Schnee Name too, Winter." There was a brief moment of silence, both Schnees taking their time to sort their thoughts and take in what Akito hoped for them. The elder of the two sisters couldn't help but chuckle as her smile seemed to get more warmer.

Winter Schnee's thoughts: "He... really is just like him..." She thought as an image of a particular man with white hair and wearing a red coat appeared in her mind, triggering for a faint pink hue to appear on the elder Schnee's cheeks. Then she smiled warmly and spoke out loud.

Winter: "Then I hope to not disappoint him. Take care now." She said with a small bow as she began to walk away, with Weiss and Winter Zara both waving their goodbyes.

Weiss: "Bye Winter!"

As they watched the elder Schnee leave, Winter Zara felt a small bit of energy coming from behind her and turned her head. Her eyes widened however as she noticed what looked like a small greatsword materializing out of a small glyph as a butterfly landed on it.

Winter's thoughts: "N-No way... Did she...?"

Weiss: "Winter?" She came out of her thoughts just as the sword vanished. Then she looked at Weiss. "Is what you said about Akito true?" She asked, her curiosity becoming more evident. Winter smiled at her and nodded.

Winter: "Yes. Trust me when I say, he really wants you to succeed. Though... he may have trouble admitting it, but hey, we all like him that way." She said with a small giggle. Weiss couldn't help but smile too, more out of relief than anything.

Weiss: "Then I'll make sure to live up to his expectations!"

Winter: "That's the spirit! C'mon, let's head back to the academy. We can watch your sister's ship leave from there." She said as Weiss' expression instantly brightened up.

Weiss: "Good thinking! Let's go!" She said, grabbing her by the hand and pulling her along as Winter yelped in surprise but smiled.

Winter's thoughts: "You might not think it Weiss, but you're making a lot more progress than you give yourself credit for. Soon enough, you'll be as strong if not stronger than her." She held her smile, looking like a proud big sister as the heiress dragged her along.

Somewhere in Vale...

As the sky continued to darken with the broken moon slowly rising into the sky, a figure could be seen standing on a rooftop, looking up towards Beacon Academy and Amity Colosseum. It was a male with a dark red coat on, reminiscent of the man from Qrow's photo. He slowly grinned as there seemed to be a fiery aura around him.

???: "Jackpot." Was all he said as he suddenly transformed into some demonic form and began flying towards the destination.

________________________________________

Next Chapter: Wings of Zero

Maya (Wing Zero): "Wing Gundam Zero, Maya Arc, Locked on Target!"

She announced as the green eyes of the Wing Gundam Zero glowed brightly, with her slowly rotating in midair with her Twin Buster Rifle pointed directly up. The crowd in Amity cheered loudly, excited as they were getting to witness a Gundam making its first official public appearance.

Port: "Oh and Maya Arc has brought out the weapon General Ironwood and Atlas Scientists have been working so hard to perfect, the Mobile Suit Gundam!"