In the middle of the ocean, sailing away from Vale was a large cruise ship, loaded with multiple people, who were all mostly Faunus, heading to a special location. One of these people was Blake Belladonna, who leaned against the rails on the starboard side of the ship, looking out into the empty and lonely ocean.

The ravenette was being constantly internally bombarded with guilt for everything that had happened at Beacon during the fall, but mostly because of what Adam did to both Yang and Setsuna. Watching her two friends be severely injured by someone tied to her past, she felt like it was her responsibility to keep them out of it and she failed that... But despite all the guilt, one final aspect is what forced her hand and made her runaway.

(Flashback)

Silently, the ravenette sat on a chair in one of the Shelters set up in Vale, looking over the unconscious Yang and Setsuna, who were both in medical beds, with their wounds professionally bandaged up, with Yang receiving some stitches in the process to close up her wound. Blake suddenly flinched as a hand touched her shoulder but when she turned her head, she was relieved to see that it was Weiss and behind her was Qrow, who had an unconscious but thankfully uninjured Ruby in his arms.

Weiss: "How's Yang and Setsuna?"

Blake: "T-They're still unconscious, due to the amount of blood they lost. But, they'll live..." She said, her tone a bit shaken up. "What... happened to Ruby?" She asked as the man sighed.

Qrow: "No idea. But she passed out on top of the tower. The docs found no injuries on her however, so it's a possibility she passed out from the stress and exhaustion."

Blake: "I see..." She then noticed that one person from their group of 6 was missing. "Where's Akito...?" Weiss fell silent and looked down while clenching her fists while Qrow glanced off and sighed. The silence caused Blake's heart to sink as she stood up. "W-Weiss...?"

Weiss: "U-Um..."

Paramedic: "Get him on a bed, quickly! He's losing a lot of blood!" The voice caught everyone's attention as they all turned to look. Rounding the corner was Dante, who sped walked toward one of the empty medical beds. However, upon her eyes landing on what or rather, who was in his arms, her eyes widened in horror.

It was Akito, missing his left arm all the way from his shoulder. The bandages around his right eye were torn up, revealing blood and he had more cuts and bruises all over his body, such as a large slash wound across his abdomen and an arrow puncture wound on his left thigh. Instantly, Blake got up and rushed over to him as Dante set down the male.

Blake: "Akito!!!" Dante turned his head as he looked at the feline.

Dante: "You... You're Blake, right?" She froze slightly but looked at the man and nodded as two paramedics quickly rushed over and began to work on patching up Akito. "Huh... So you're the girl wolf pup over here keeps talking about."

Blake: "I'm sorry, but who are you?"

Dante: "Dante and I guess you can say I'm the kid's guardian." The ravenette was taken by surprise but he cleared his throat "Enough of the shitty interruptions, as you can see, he isn't in good shape."

Blake: "W-What happened to him??"

Dante: "No clue. I found him like this on top of the tower with Qrow's niece and the remains of that Nikos girl." Blake flinched at the mention of Pyrrha's death. "Seems like whatever battle happened up there was a brutal one. When Qrow and I had gotten up there, he was still standing, but was unconscious. He kept mumbling your name. My best guess is that his willpower to see you again was so strong that his own body wouldn't rest. The kid really cares about you..."

Blake fell silent as her heart sank. Even when he was in such a state, all that was on his mind was... her. She should feel happy but... for whatever reason, it made her feel even worse as she fell to her knees and buried her face into her hands as she began to let out audible cries.

Blake: "A-A-Akito..." She sobbed her lover's name as Dante crouched next to her and just placed a supporting hand on her shoulder, as the ravenette was letting out all her cries of sorrow and regret.

(Flashback End)

Seeing Akito's heavily injured figure just broke her. She doesn't know why, but it made her run. She shouldn't be there anymore, shouldn't stay around them and let more bad things happen to them. So here she was, on a boat, with no familiar faces aside from herself.

Captain: "Traveling alone?" She gasped as she quickly turned to her right and gripped onto Gambol Shroud. However, she slowly began to calm down as she saw that it was just the captain of the ship. "Now, now. No threat here. Just here to chat." She remained silent before she slowly lowered her guard and released her grip.

Blake: "And why is that?"

Captain: "Well, not many people travel by boat on their own." he said while leaning against the railing. "It can be quite a lonely voyage, but I found those that do tend to have the more... interesting stories." Blake slowly began to clench her fists but slowly relaxed as she turned to look back out at the ocean.

Blake: "...Maybe it's just better for some people alone..." Suddenly, a yelp caused her to gasp, jump and quickly turn around, but she was relieved to see that it was only a pair of kids, running around and playing. The captain chuckled.

Captain: "Maybe, but with your paranoia, I think a few friendly faces wouldn't hurt."

Blake: "Who says I'm paranoid!?" She exclaimed, agitated now. The captain just laughed more.

Captain: "No one dear, no one. I'll leave you be." He said as he turned around and began to leave but paused. "But, uh fair warning: these trips can be awfully boring." And with that, he left her alone. The ravenette looked back to the ocean, silently contemplating something before she sighed. She slowly reached up to her bow and untied it, freeing her feline cat ears.

Blake: "Won't be needing this."

Holding her bow overboard, she lets it go, allowing it to float down into the water. She took one final glance at it, her past, before turning around and leaving to her personal quarters in the ship, unaware of a cloaked figure watching her. Unknown to anyone, however, was a red fin surfing through the water before diving back down, taking the bow with it.

>Chapter 33: Of Runaways and Stowaways<

Patch Island...
Xiao Long/Rose Residence...

Seated on the living room couch was Yang Xiao Long with her hair tied into a high ponytail, alive but clearly not all there. She was thinking of what to possibly do around the house while her father was out and glanced over to her right and saw a stack of books. But ultimately, she decided to pick up the TV remote and switch it on, the first channel talking about the situation at Beacon.

News Reporter: "... with no end in sight. Try as they might, the local Huntsmen and Huntresses can't seem to get a hold of the situation at Beacon Academy..." Instantly, she switched the channel.

News Reporter 2: "... though the fail-safes have supported wireless communication within the kingdom, the loss of the CCT tower continues to prevent contact with the outside world. Talks with Atlas officials regarding repairs have so far..." She once again changed the channel, landing on VOX News.

News Reporter 3: "Vale council voted this week to continue to ban any air traffic that does not have direct correlation with evacuation. The council has made it clear that they feel..." Yet again, she changed the channel, which landed on Lisa Lavender.

Lisa Lavender: "Multiple rumors continue to circulate as to who was behind the attack at the Vytal Festival tournament." The blonde's eyes widened slightly. "While no one knows for sure, officials have confirmed that high ranking White Fang member Adam Taurus was present for the attack." She stated as a picture of Adam popped up on the screen. "Any and all attempts to bring him into custody have been met with brutal force..."

Instantly, the blonde quickly decided to shut the TV off all together, with her breathing slightly faster but calming down quickly. Setting the remote down, she looked down but suddenly, the front door opened as a familiar voice was heard.

Taiyang: "I'm home!" The blonde leaned her head back so that she could see him and gave a faint smile to her father, holding a few smaller boxes, bags and a large rectangular box in his arms.

Yang: "Hey, dad."

Taiyang: "Guess what came in today!" He happily announced as he kicked the door close and made his way into the living room. The blonde looked at him curiously and tilted her head.

Yang: "What?" He responded however, with...

Taiyang: "I can't wait for you to try this." He said as he went into the kitchen. After a while, he came back to her, holding the singular rectangular box which had an Atlesian logo on its surface. He then sets it on the coffee table before her. "Well?"

Yang: "It's... for me?"

Taiyang: "For you and you only." She stared at the box briefly before opening it up, only to be shocked as greeting her with its shiny surface, was a platinum prosthetic right arm, with the joints coated in a dark gunmetal. "Brand new, state of the art, Atlas tech. You know I thought I was gonna have to pull some strings, call in a few favors, but you earned this one all on your own kiddo."

Yang: "Huh?" She looked back up at him, confused.

Taiyang: "Before I could even talk to him, General Ironwood already had one of his top scientists working on this, for you. He wanted me to tell you fought admirably. You should be proud of yourself." Yang remained silent and slowly looked back down to the gift she was given. "Well, you're gonna try it on?"

There was only silence before she responded, sounding unenthusiastic.

Yang: "I uh... I'm not feeling too great right now... Maybe later?" Taiyang's smile slowly dropped as Yang continued to dryly look up at him. He scratched the back of his head before slowly nodding.

Taiyang: "Well alright." In response, the blonde got up from the couch and began to make her way towards the stairs, but she halted and looked at her father.

Yang: "Thanks dad..." With that, she walked up the stairs, leaving the man alone with the prosthetic. He sighed and lowered his head.

Taiyang: "I'm sure you would have known how to cheer her up, Ace..." He mumbled and closed his eyes.

The rest of the day carried on like normal for Yang as she was managing to perform basic tasks around the house despite only having one arm, like sweeping the patio and checking the mail. She even began to wash a cup she had just finished drinking from but suddenly, she dropped it as a flash of red in the outline of Adam's mask appeared in her mind, followed by the sound of him swinging his sword. She gasped in a panic and stumbled back, leaning against the counter while breathing heavily. As she was slowly catching her breath, she realized what had happened and slammed her fist into the counter out of frustration. Little did she know however that her father was watching from the entrance of the kitchen, with a small sigh before turning and leaving her be.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The sun began to set as Blake was yet again, standing on the deck of the ship, looking out as she was being lost in her own thoughts. However, this time, she suddenly felt the feeling of being watched by someone. So, she quickly turned around an aimed Gambol Shroud in SMG form up at a figure in a brown cloak, who stood on the second floor of the deck

Blake: "Who's there!?"

The figure quickly disappeared. While she thought about chasing after whoever that was, she wouldn't have the time as the boat suddenly rocked, followed by a low growl being heard. She slowly looked up, her eyes widening as a large, Sea Viper Grimm was towering over both her and the ship. This kind of Grimm was called a Sea Feilong.

Crewmate 1: "Red alert!" The alarms in the ship began to blare loudly as a figure covered in a black, tattered coat glanced up towards the Sea Feilong, before gritting their teeth, revealing a set of fangs as a familiar broken blade flipped into position.

???: "Always fucking something..." their masculine voice muttered, their tone annoyed and frustrated.

Captain: "By the gods..." he muttered as he stared up at the Sea Feilong, which began to roar down at the ship. "All hands to battle stations!"

Crewmare 2: "Sir, we've never fought a Grimm this big!"

Captain: "We've never SEEN something this big. But we'll give 'er a fight, nonetheless."

Blake made a mad dash towards the bow of the ship before jumping off. Using her Semblance of Shadow to create a clone to boost herself off of, she charged the Sea Feilong. Throwing Gambol Shroud, it stuck itself into its head before she swung herself around to its back. As Gambol Shroud came loose, she quickly began to fire rapidly at it, only annoying it as it dived and began to rush the ship. shooting it and jumping back to the ship. Once she landed back on the deck, the captain maneuvered the ship towards the starboard side, just before the Sea Feilong could collide with it. Quickly, Blake went back on the offensive, leaping up to the Sea Feilong's head and quickly slashing at its head. However, the ship aimed its port side cannons and began to open fire, slightly staggering the Sea Feilong and forcing it to back off slightly, but also accidentally nearly hitting Blake, forcing her to retreat back onto the ship, where she clutched onto her left shoulder. Just as the Sea Feilong was about to attack however, a series of pink colored beams struck it in the face, causing it to roar out and become slightly staggered before it retreated back into the water.

Captain: "What was that!?" Blake was confused and looked around for the attacker before her eyes widened as she spotted them...

Blake: "I-Is that...?" It was a familiar armored figure with a broken blade attached to its right arm. However, its left arm was missing, replaced by a small, tattered brown cloak. There was no mistaking it... especially with that recognizable color or blue, white and red...

"The Exia...?"

The feline Faunus was stunned into silence, staring up at the roughed up Gundam. If the Exia was here, then there was no mistaking it, on who the meister was.

Blake: "Is that you, Akito!?" She questioned while raising her voice. At first, she received no answer... but slowly, the close-quarters Gundam slowly began to turn to face her, revealing that the right side of its face was damaged, revealing a red light in place of its right eye. However, their 'reunion' would be interrupted as the Sea Feilong resurfaced, angrier than ever as it roared loudly, causing the two to look towards it. The Exia turned its head towards Blake.

Akito (Exia): "Later. Right now, fight." Was all he said before rushing back toward the Sea Feilong, while continuously firing shots from Alpha at it. Blake was speechless but slightly gritted her teeth as she was about to jump back into battle again.

Captain: "Get the Heavy Cannon loaded!" he commanded.

Almost instantly, the Heavy Cannon became activated and aimed towards the Sea Feilong. As Akito backed away, he watched as the Viper Grimm began to hunch forwards as its back fins split open. With a loud roar, it suddenly sprouted two dragon wings from its back and took to the skies.

Captain: "Heavy Cannon, open fire!"

The Heavy Cannon began its assault by open firing on the Sea Feilong, but thanks to its wings, it was easily able to dodge each shot with ease. As it climbed up, it opened its mouth as an accumulation of electricity formed in its jaws, catching Akito, Blake and the crew by surprise. Blake was about to jump into action, but the figure that was covered in their brown cloak suddenly hopped off of her head and past Akito.

Blake: "Hey!" Looking up, she was shocked to see the person throw off their cloak, revealing the person to be none other than Sun Wukong. While grinning, he activated his Semblance, Via Sun, as the two clones launched higher up towards the Grimm. "Sun!?"

Akito (Exia): "So he did follow me... Fucking hell..." He muttered in annoyance.

Sun: "Not today, pal!" The two clones grabbed onto the Sea Feilong's whiskers and pulled back on it as Sun rammed into its snout and pulled back, forcing the Grimm to fire its electrical beam straight into the air.

Blake: "What are you doing!?" She questioned as the Sea Feilong began to fly around erratically while attempting to shake him off.

Sun: "Uh... Uh... you know... Just uh... hanging out!"

He was doing his best to hang on but unfortunately, the Sea Feilong's movements were too erratic, and it successfully managed to throw him right off. Blake gasped while Akito just groaned. The Feline Faunus quickly sung herself off of the ship and towards Sun, catching him in her arms, bridal style and landing on a small island. The Exia soon began to float in front of them.

Sun: "My hero!"

Blake: "You're not supposed to be here! In fact, neither of you are!"

Sun: "Yeah? Well, it looks like you could use all the help you can get!" Akito said nothing and just flew back off towards the Sea Feilong, which was being kept busy by the ship. Blake sighed in frustration and dropped the monkey Faunus. "Ow!"

Blake: "Just shut up and fight." She quickly jumped back towards the Sea Feilong as well as Sun laid on the ground, with a grin.

Sun: "Yes ma'am!"

The Exia continued firing beams at the Sea Feilong, striking it in its face as Blake leaped across its vision, firing Gambol Shroud at it, gaining its attention.  

As she landed on the ship, the Sea Feilong prepared an electrical beam before firing it, but instantly, Akito and Sun deflected the attack with ease.

Captain: "Huntsman!" The three looked towards him "If you could clip its wings and draw it out towards the bow, we can take it!" There was silence as Sun looked between Akito and Blake.

Sun: "I mean... you two are the ones with the swords." With her glaring at the male, Blake sighed

Akito (Exia): "I'll keep it distracted. Let's get this over with." he said before he quickly flew off towards the Sea Feilong, rapidly firing shot after shot from Alpha at it, causing the massive Grimm to roar in annoyance and begin to focus itself on the armored Faunus. It began to fire beam after beam at Akito, forcing him to roll out of the way of each attack before firing another shot. Sun looked back towards Blake.

Sun: "It's now or never!" He exclaimed as he leaped up, creating 3 extra clones, with one of them waiting on the bow.

Blake didn't hesitate and dashed forwards before leaping off of one clone. Then she used the other two clones to boost her up, towards Sun who waited with open arms. However, Blake wasn't having any of it as she instead kicked off of his head. As she began to free fall, the Sea Feilong fired off its lightning beam at her in rapid succession, but Blake managed to dodge by rolling out of the way before she landed on its right wing and began to drag it right through the wing's sail, causing the Sea Feilong to roar loudly in pain and flail around.

Unfortunately for it however, it wasn't over as Akito was blasting forwards at top speed, with the broken Alpha transforming into sword from before he slashed off the left wing, causing the Sea Feilong to roar loudly in pain.

Blake watched this as she was falling before suddenly Sun appeared beneath her and caught her with ease. She was a bit surprised for a moment as Akito landed next to them, looking annoyed at the Sun.

Sun: "This is the part where you say it."

Blake: "Ugh..."

Akito (Exia): "I really want to kill you..." He deadpanned before realizing something. "I'm really starting to sound like Setsu..." He sighed before suddenly, everything began to shake as the now aggressive Sea Feilong, glaring at them.

In an instant, Akito took off and began to blast it with Alpha. Blake quickly began to hop from rock to rock, with Sun not far behind as the Sea Feilong was busting through each of the rocks. Sun found himself getting suspended in midair as the rock he was just on was destroyed by the Sea Feilong that was attempting to eat him, but Akito and Blake swooped in and got him out of the way. However, the winged Sea Feilong instantly began to charge up its beam attack. Thankfully however, the ship rammed into the Sea Feilong, spearing it and instantly blasting it with the Heavy Cannon, completely destroying its head and killing it. The crew began to cheer as Blake sighed lightly, with Akito landing with a small hum.

Sun: "Haha! Up top!"

While he was expecting, more like hoping for a high five from one of the two or the both of them, he unfortunately wasn't given such a luxury. Instead, Akito just turned away as the Exia disappeared while Blake... slapped him.

After the battle, everyone on the ship was in good spirits after they successfully took down the Sea Feilong... well most people were. There was some tension in the air around Akito and Blake and Sun being there, did help to some extent. Speaking of the blonde monkey Faunus was tending to some civilians that were thanking him for helping out before he left them and returned to Akito and Blake, who haven't spoken to each other since reuniting.

Sun: "You'd think they'd never seen a fight before." He said before looking between the two of them, feeling the slowly growing tension between them. "So... uh..." Blake broke the silence and looked towards the blonde male.

Blake: "What are you doing here Sun?"

Sun: "Digging the new look by the way. Both of you! Seriously, that eyepatch really fits."

Akito's thoughts: "Not like I had much of a choice..." He thought as he rolled his eye. Though he fell silent as he kind of expected to hear some kind of response in his head from his sisters... only to remember that they weren't there... He sighed internally. "I'm gonna have to get used to this silence huh..."

Blake: "Sun!" She exclaimed, her frustration ever growing. At this point, Akito finally decided to speak.

Akito: "Are you trying to attract more Grimm here?" He questioned, in a slightly snarky and sarcastic tone. The ravenette clenched her fists but decided to say nothing as she continued to glare at Sun, who held his hands up.

Sun: "What, geez."

Blake: "Have you been following me!?

Sun: "Why are you only mad at me!? I'm not the only one who followed you, you know!"

Akito: "And you're the one that told me where she was going. Doesn't mean you had to come along though."

Sun: "Yeah! But don't you think I was worried too? She just left without saying anything, not even to you and you two are dating!" There was a bit of silence as the two black-haired Faunus looked away from each other. Blake broke the silence with a soft sigh and looked over to the sea.

Blae: "I had to... You wouldn't understand..." She leaned against the railing.

Sun: "No, I get it. The moment you left; I knew exactly what you were going to do." The feline Faunus looked towards him a bit surprised while Akito just shook his head as he had a feeling he knew where this was going. "You're going on a one-woman rampage against the White Fang! And with Akito here, now that'll become a couple rampage!" Blake's ears flattened as her expectations were immediately shattered in a terrible way.

Blake: "...What...?"

Sun: "You always felt like the fang was your fight. They show up, trash your school, hurt your friends. It makes perfect sense!"

Blake: "I can't believe you..."

Sun: "But there's no way I'm letting you do this alone. It's an honorable approach for sure, but you're gonna need some back up. And that's where I come in! Us Faunus gotta stick together after all."

Blake: "You're wrong Sun... You're so, so wrong..."

Sun: "What are you-"

Blake: "I'm not going anywhere NEAR the White Fang... Not yet..."

Sun: "Seriously?" This caused Akito to finally look towards the Feiline Faunus, with

Blake: "I need to sort things out..."

Sun: "Then why not do it with your friends? Your team? Your boyfriend even!"

Akito: "Hate to admit it but he has a point. I really don't appreciate being abandoned without so much as a damn note, while I'm literally going through the lowest point in my life."

Blake: "Oh don't give me that! You're both one to talk! Assuming Neptune, Sage and Scarlet aren't hiding below deck!" Then she glared at her boyfriend, the tension between them growing more. "And what about Setsuna!?" Akito's eye twitched as he glared back at her.

Akito: "At least unlike YOU, I TOLD not only Setsuna, but even Yang about where I was heading! I didn't just get out, say 'peace out bitches' and fucking left without any form of notice!" He exclaimed, with him finally raising his voice at her, which did take her slightly by surprise and even Sun. Realizing what he did, he clenched his fist and turned away silently. There was a bit of an awkward silence before Sun decided to break it, just to get the conversation back on track and avoid a full-blown argument breaking out between the two.

Sun: "A-Anyways, Neptune and the rest of the boys flew back to Mistral, I told them I'd catch up; not the first time I left them to take a boat. So... if you aren't going after the White Fang, where ARE you going?" Blake sighed slightly and looked out at the moon in the sky.

Blake: "Home." She said as Akito followed up with a sigh.

Akito: "Menagerie..." A subtle nod from the feline Faunus confirmed his suspicions.

Sun: "Well I'm coming with you!" The two looked at him silently. "The Grimm are getting worse, you saw it yourselves, and just because you're not going after the Fang, doesn't mean they won't be coming for either of you. Besides, I'm... kinda already on the boat."

Akito: "I can just toss you overboard." he deadpanned.

Sun: "Please don't..." He sweat dropped. A small laugh came from Blake as she for once gave a faint smile.

Blake: "There's really no stopping you."

Sun: "Nope!" He grinned towards the two before looking back out at the ocean. "This is going to be great! Never been to Menagerie before. That will be a regular journey to the East. Yeah, I like the sound of that."

Blake: "... Yeah..."

Sun: "But I'm surprised. You're from Menagerie Akito??" he looked towards the black-haired Wolf Faunus who shook his head.

Akito: "No... I... was technically born in Mantle... but after joining the White Fang, Menagerie became my home... Sienna Kahn in particular became somewhat of a mother figure to me... and even now, she still is." he said, closing his eye. While Sun hummed in interest, Blake just... felt the guilt in her heart building up even more now. What he had said earlier to her... really stung her. But even then, he was right in the end, and he had every right to be mad at her...

Sun: "So... You're running with one arm and one eye now. You gonna be okay like that?"

Akito: "Thanks for reminding me, monkey-do. But I can still fight just as fine, even with Exia in as shit of a state as it is." he said before he turned around and began to walk away. Blake however, quickly reached out to him.

Blake: "Akito!" he stopped moving and slightly turned his head to glance back at her through his left eye. "I..." She tried to say something but found herself struggling to say it, causing the male to sigh and shake his head.

Akito: "Forget it. It's too late at night for that shit anyways... I'm going to rest up." He said before leaving the two alone as he walked into the cabins.

Blake rubbed her arm with her ears flattening as her heart was being filled with even more regret now. She slowly but silently began to walk back into the cabins to just tap out for the night, leaving Sun on his lonesome. He sighed and scratched the back of his head.

Sun: "Well... This is going to be fun..."

>>Meanwhile<<

Atlas...
Atlas Academy...

(Flashbacks)

In the headmaster's office of Atlas Academy, Maya Arc stood before the headmaster, General James Ironwood, who approached the young girl with his arms behind his back.

Ironwood: "Maya, I have a special mission for you and only you.". He said, peaking the female's interest. He raised a hand and lifted what looked like another Gundam Core, attached to a necklace before he placed it into a small white necklace box and closed it. "You are to bring the new Gundam to Akito Zara. Exia's tracker should still be active. Follow it and be careful."

Maya: "Yes sir! But if I may ask... Why me?". She asked as she carefully took the Gundam Core into her hands.

Ironwood: "Because Wing Gundam Zero is the best for this job, with its supersonic flight in Neo Bird Mode. And I trust you the most to complete this important task." He smiled, patting the female on the head as she hummed and smiled.

Maya: "Thank you, sir. I'll complete this mission successfully."

Ironwood: "I know you will.". He said as he turned from her and began to walk towards his desk. Then he paused and looked back at her. "By the way, please be sure to tell Akito this crucial piece of information... 'Exia's Solar Reactor is required to activate the Gundam. And no matter what happens, Do NOT use the Trans-Am'."

Maya: "Do not use the Trans-Am huh... Is it... unstable with this one?"

Ironwood: "It is, and the solution to solving it is still not completed. But even then, we cannot wait as from the damage we witnessed on the Exia since we last saw it, it's on its last legs. But even without the Trans-Am, the new Gundam will be more than powerful enough for him."

Maya: "I see..." She looked at the box and noticed how on its surface was written a specific number... "GNT-0000... 00..." 

She remained silent but gained a determined expression and nodded to the general. 

Maya: "I will complete this mission, sir!"

(Flashback Ends)

Saria: "Ehh?? You got a solo mission from the General???" The snow fox Faunus asked her blonde leader, while looking in completely and utter shock. Maya sheepishly laughed as she scratched the back of her head while hopping off of her top bunk.

Maya: "Yep! It surprised me too but..." She held up a small white necklace box that had the number '00' written on it. "I'm the best one for the job, especially with Wing Zero's capabilities.

Lapis: "00 huh... Is that what it's called?"

Maya: "I think so. Apparently, it's the Exia's successor." She said before she placed it securely in her backpack and zipped it up before putting it on as she began to walk out the Dorm, her team following behind her. "But either way, considering Akito's a Faunus that was revealed to the entire world of being a former member of the White Fang by Cinder, I doubt that he'll be heading towards Atlas, meaning I'll have to go out of communication range. So, I won't be hearing from you guys from a while..."

Akira: "Who knows, maybe that's for the better." The blonde instantly pouted and punched his arm, as he didn't budge.

Maya: "You can't even be NICE to me when I'm leaving and don't know when I'll be back!?" She crossed her arms and began stomping "And here I thought Weiss softened you up..."

Akira: "What does she have to do with this...? He deadpanned, with a small bead of sweat dropping from his forehead.

Lapis: "Aha... Well, you know how Akira is. This is just his way of saying that he'll miss you." He spoke. Maya blinked and stared at her partner, who merely crossed his arms and looked off. She blushed, though more out of happiness and surprise than anything else as she instantly tackled him into a hug.

Maya: "Ahhhh I knew you cared about me, my BFF!!!" She squealed while nuzzling into him, as the black-haired male grunted and tried to fight against her embrace.

Akira: "H-Hey! Cut it out, woman!" As the struggle of best friends continued, Lapis and Saria looked at each other before both sharing a lighthearted laugh at their teammates' antics.

With that all settled, Maya stood out at the front of Atlas Academy, her backpack on as she was ready to set out on her journey. She looked back to her beloved teammates, with Lapis and Saria waving her goodbye while Akira didn't at first... until Saria elbowed him. He slightly hesitated but relented and gave a simple two finger wave. That's all Maya needed as she beamed a bright smile towards them before Wing Gundam Zero appeared on her body and took to the skies. Transforming into its Neo Bird Form, the winged Gundam blasted off into the distance, following its radar which displayed the location of the Gundam Exia, which seemed to be heading towards Menagerie's location.

________________________________________

Next Chapter: Family