Epilogue: The Beginning...

Two Months Later...

The crowd was large, a few thousand people perhaps, and made up almost entirely of dignitaries, Huntsmen, and corporate heads from around the world. Behind the stage where the podium rested one could see the remains of Beacon Academy and the construction equipment that was rebuilding it. Sora was sitting on one of the chairs placed atop the stage, close to the podium. He was wearing a new outfit, as almost everyone else his age was. He had a black and red shirt hidden beneath a two toned, short sleeved hoodie. One side was a dark black, the other a bright white. Gray-black hakama pants covered his legs, held tight at his waist by a red belt. As the chain had been destroyed during the battle with Salem, the belt was adorned with the crown emblem he had once worn as a necklace. His left shoulder, leading down to his prosthetic hand was covered in charcoal and red armor that flared out in his trademark crown design at the top with a large circle at the center.

To his left, enjoying the sunlight of late spring, was Ruby. She was wearing a similar outfit as she always did, accented by her red cape. Her jacket was gone, revealing the gray sweater-shirt that was tucked into leather vambraces. The shirt was mostly hidden behind her black and red battle skirt whose with a harness that looped around her shoulders and her upper arms and was accented with a belt laced with bullets. Her knee high boots covered her purposefully ripped stockings that ended a few inches below her skirt. She had a smaller, black and red piece of armor on her left shoulder, a circle of white graced with her Scatter insignia.

To her left was Weiss, wearing a blue and black miniskirt dress tied with a white cloth sash. The dress glittered in the sunlight, small, snowflake like designs shining in the blue. A dark gray-blue shrug with a large sapphire at the center clasp covered her shoulders and arms. Blake sat next to her, wearing a long white coat over a black croptop, a cat design made out of squares cut from the chest. She had dark black pants that were hidden beneath her thigh high black boots belted around her thigh. She had also gotten rid of her bow ever since defeating Adam. Yang was the last of RWBY in the line, wearing lblack pants and a long, tan—gold coat with orange lining and a golden border. She had a purple sash tied around her left knee, shortly above where her brown boots with bronze reinforced toes and heels ended. Her orange shirt peeked out slightly from beneath her diagonally zipped jacket and matched the top of the high collar the jacket had. A black glove covered the hand of her new arm, and her newly remade Ember Celica was placed over the bracers in their bracelet form. She had decided against integrating the weapon and the hand, saying something about how it was inevitable it would be destroyed again in a fight and she didn't want to have to rebuild the weapon again.

Nora sat beside her, dressed in a slightly more heavily armored outfit, though her ever bright color scheme remained. She had an Easter blue shirt on, six silver circles on her chest starting at either shoulder and continuing down to her belt. A pink bomber jacket with thin black stripes on the sleeves. It was tied over the silver, cell like armor on her arms by belt like black straps. Her hammer insignia was emblazoned on the back of the jacket in an out of place green and magenta. She had on bright pink, padded pants tucked into her white and black combat boots. Currently, she was twirling the magenta strands of Ren's hair around her finger. Speaking of the other, remaining half of Team JNPR, he was wearing a sleeveless long coat, this one closed over his black shirt. A magenta and black sash tightened over his midsection like a belt and held a few pouches emblazoned with a hot pink lotus flower. The sash held the pouches tight to the thighs of his pants. He had long, pink to black gradient detached sleeves ending with metal arm rings. His calf high, open toed sandals were completely still, the only one of them that was more than ready to enjoy some peace and quiet... outwardly, at least.

Sun and Neptune were the only ones of the younger warriors to not get new outfits. When asked they merely said, "Why mess with perfection?"

On the other side of the podium, Ozpin was sitting with a smile of freedom. The death of Salem seemed to have given him a new lease on life, freeing him from a duty he had spent a thousand years agonizing over. On top of that, the old man was not sure, but it also seemed that her death had freed him from his immortality. He was no longer healing as fast as he had become accustomed to, and he was starting to feel his outwardage for once. Glynda was sitting beside him, smirking at the man's smile despite herself. It was nice to see him happy for once.

Further down the line, Sora could see Qrow. His eyes were locked in their right corners, focused intently on the white haired woman sitting beside him. Winter and Qrow were talking under their breath, trying not to move or otherwise disturb the event. Given how Ironwood's and Taiyang's faces when they glanced over at the pair, it did not seem to be working.

Sora tightened his left hand around Ruby's, the padded palm of his red and gray prosthetic warm in her hand. She looked over at him and smiled. He knew she was still sad about her mom's death, but she wasn't showing it. She was too busy focusing on how happy she was to have one last chance to see the woman for real rather than as a puppet of Salem. "You aren't worried about tonight, are you?" Ruby whispered, laughter filling her voice.

Sora shook his head. "No, I think they'll be fine," he responded. He leaned back and shut his eyes. "I'm just enjoying the company."

"Oh... don't... shut up..." Ruby muttered, blushing as she always did at compliments.

Sora opened his eyes and sat up when he heard the crowd in front of the stage suddenly quiet down. Ozpin was standing at the podium, looking out over the people gathered there. His green suit was fluttering slightly in the wind and his cane was leaning against the podium. "I'll... keep this brief," he said, earning a laugh from everyone present that had attended Beacon under his tutelage. He smiled and waited for those rather boisterous people to quiet down. He cleared his throat and sighed. "For decades, I brought people to this school, to my school, in search of knowledge. The knowledge of who and what it would take to save the world and protect the people from a threat about which they knew nothing.

"It was this mistake that destroyed Beacon and pushed our world to its very brink. I... I am sorry. Had I given the truth to all who earned it, perhaps this evil would never have grown to such powerful heights and many lives that were lost would still remain." Ozpin glanced over his shoulder at Ruby for a moment before looking back at the crowd. "But still, you all thrived. You showed me hope in your strength and your desire to protect no matter the personal cost. It is a bit of a cliché to say this, but I believe I learned as much from all of you as you did from me."

Ozpin smiled at the small laugh that passed through the crowd. "I believe it is time that this gift be given to another. We are gathered today so we can give this responsibility to the person who deserves it most, and to ring in the staff of this school when it is completed in six months." He reached down and picked up his cane, then turned to the side and gestured with it towards Glynda. "For that, I would give you all over to the new Headmistress of Beacon Academy, Glynda Goodwitch."

Applause erupted at this statement, causing Glynda to blush profusely as she stood up and walked over to Ozpin. He smiled and clapped with the crowds, stopping only to hold the cane out to the woman. "Good luck, Ms. Goodwitch." He placed his hand on her arm and walked back to his seat.

Goodwitch turned to the crowds and cleared her throat. "Hello..."

R W B Y

Sora held his sea salt ice cream and smiled as he walked around the field used for the reception of the event. Groups of people were talking loudly while gathered around the many tables that covered the field, and a few of the more well informed ones had tried to rope him into things, thinking he was just a dumb kid. He caught sight of Ruby a moment later and walked over, finding her laughing with Qrow, Weiss, and Winter. Sora took another bite of his treat and inserted himself into the group. "Sora," Ruby said, shoving him lightly with her left shoulder. Sora grinned and pushed back.

"Hey, weaponless into a pit of Grimm, remember?" Qrow growled, interrupting their moment. Sora turned to look at the man who was standing with his arm around the elder Schnee sister's shoulders. "Don't be so disgustingly lovey dovey, got it?"

"Oh, please, you're one to talk," Weiss pointed out, causing the man and the woman he was with to flinch and blush. Weiss placed her hands on her hips and leaned forward slightly, a bossy and defensive glare in her eyes. "Remember, if you hurt my sister I'll do far worse than throw you into a pit of Grimm without a weapon. Tell me, what are your thoughts on using dogs to help hunt down birds?"

"Sister," Winter cautioned. Weiss sighed and leaned back, crossing her arms over her chest. "I do not need to be protected, by you or anyone else."

"I don't know, Ice Queen. You sure you don't have a Frosty Royal Guard somewhere?" Qrow mocked. Winter glared at him, but that only made his mocking grin grow wider.

"So... congratulations on the job offer, Qrow," Sora said before he took another bite of his treat.

Qrow rolled his eyes. "Ha ha. You know you don't have to congratulate me on getting a job you and Oz offered me," the man said. He shook his head. "I still don't know how the two of you roped me into helping your Keyboy Academy get up and running."

"Well, it'll involve way too much free time for the next few years, and you get to be one of the first people allowed to live on Destiny Island," Sora pointed out, referring to the dragon shaped landmass where Salem had been defeated. Following their ejection from Jaune's Heart, the χ -blade had immediately fallen apart. The sudden eruption of Light energy had purified the entire region, annihilating the Black Dust and the evil crystals that had covered the landscape. All of the Grimm and Heartless that had been there had also been destroyed, annihilated by the purifying wave of energy. Now, the landmass was mostly green hills and plains dotted with stone and crystal clear pools of water. A Keyblade Academy was being built near one of the larger lakes, a place where any Keyblade Wielder could comfortably practice and learn how to use the magical weapons.

"Besides, I'll be spending quite a lot of time there getting the new Schnee Corporation facilities on Destiny Island up and running," Winter pointed out, placing her hand on Qrow's arm as she did. "And with all your free time –"

"You see, you two are not allowed to talk about how gross they act sometimes," Weiss interjected before anything else could be said. She shook her head. "His personality is affecting yours far too much, Sister. At this rate, I'll be the mature one." Ruby and Sora snorted at that and began to laugh at the ever more annoyed older couple.

"Yes, well, as I said, I will be there often. It seems that the Island is the best place to study the new sky." Winter looked over at Ruby and Sora. "The Kingdoms are incredibly interested in finding out how the sky went from having a shattered moon and a million stars, to no stars and a heart shaped moon, to finally having a circular moon and a million stars."

"Not even I think it would be a good idea to tell everyone that there are suddenly a million different worlds out there that didn't exist before," Sora said, shrugging and grinning at the woman. He grew serious and scratched the back of his head. "Speaking of which, did you deliver the package like I asked?"

Winter nodded. "It is currently being unpacked by Doctor Polendina and a squadron of Atlesian Droids in the hangar of General Ironwood's flagship. I trust that whatever it is the Doctor made for you, it is important?" the white haired woman asked.

"Well, all I can say is that I'm grateful you were able to get me almost all of the Gummi that fell to Remnant." Sora smiled and finished off his ice cream. He sighed and looked down at the stick in his hand. "Not a winner. Hmph..." He shrugged and looked back up. "Well, I've gotta go. See you soon, Ruby! See you, Qrow, Winter, Weiss!" He leaned over and gave Ruby a quick kiss on the cheek, then ran away before Qrow could do anything about it.

Sora grinned when he heard Winter hold the man back despite his protests. He was in the clear. "Sorry Qrow, had to annoy you one more time," Sora said, grinning as he made his way over to another group of his friends.

"Hey, man of the century!" Sun said as he continually coiled and uncoiled the region where his tail met the prosthesis hidden beneath synthetic skin and fur. Sora had noticed he was doing the same thing over the past two months with his own hand, like he was still getting used to it. Blake rolled her eyes beside the Faunus while Neptune grabbed drinks nearby for him and Weiss.

"Hey, guys," Sora said, grinning and rubbing the back of his head. The armor on his arm clinked softly with every movement.

"Oh, I know that 'Hey, guys,'" Neptune muttered. He turned and looked at Sora with an eyebrow raised. "That's the same 'Hey, guys' that Sun always gives us when he stows away aboard a ship instead of flying with us."

The other two looked at Neptune, then back at Sora. "He's right," Sun admitted.

Blake shook her head. "You're not planning on leaving, are you? Ruby wouldn't be happy." She thought about adding in something about the Keyblade Academy, but knew that was nowhere near the most important thing to the Keyblade Master when compared with Ruby.

Sora shook his head. "It's not forever. I have things keeping me here now, so I'll always come back. " And I don't think Ruby will really be that mad. He shrugged and placed his hands in his pockets while he began to look up at the sky. His eyes eventually caught sight of a star visible even during the daylight hours. "I just want an adventure, you know that feeling!"

"Do I ever! I'm going to tag along with this hot number to find the rest of Taurus' sympathizers in Vacuo!" Sun said, perhaps too loudly. He elbowed Blake in the arm, causing the cat Faunus to glare at him.

"I don't think that the Fang in Vacuo heard you," Blake muttered dryly.

"It's gonna be great!" Sun shouted, perhaps even louder than earlier.

Blake sighed and shook her head, though she seemed more entertained with Sun than anything else. "Well, yeah, we're going on an adventure, too."

"Oh, but I want to go on an adventure and I'm a bad guy?" Sora asked, earning an angry glare from the woman. She sighed once again and found she had to agree with his assessment.

Sun shrugged. "Well, with Ruby already hired on by Headmistress Goodwitch as the combat and magic teacher for Beacon, it's not like we'd have a lot of time to hang out anyways." The Faunus glanced over at Neptune. "And with the Ice Princess and her Royal Guard doing the same thing for a few months in Atlas, I feel like we're all going our own ways."

"Nah. There's always going to be some crazy monster who's gonna make us team up again!" Sora grinned. He shrugged and said, "It's happened to me every time I've expected some peace and quiet."

"Life of a hero, huh?" Neptune remarked dryly. He leaned against the table, waiting until Sora left before he took the punch to Weiss.

"Fine, how about this? We all meet up again in five months. How about... uh... Oh! The beach in Vacuo! Let's meet up in five months there, no matter what. Tell everybody that's what we're doing."

Sun smiled. "Hm... you know what, I think I'd like that." He wrapped his arm around Blake's shoulders. "What do you think, Kitten?"

"I think I'll kill you if you keep calling me 'Kitten,'" Blake half joked.

"Ah, you're no fun," Sun muttered, though his smile had yet to disappear.

"So how's the tail treating you?" Sora decided to ask as the quiet began to drag on. He raised his left fist and frowned. "This thing still feels like it's moving a bit slow. What do you -" He stopped when he saw Sun crying into Blake's shoulder. "Um..."

"Why'd you have to bring that up, Sora?" Neptune asked. He shook his head and nodded his head at Blake. "Well, got to go."

"Have fun with your better half," Sun said, stopping his tears for just a second before returning to crying.

Sora grinned guiltily at Blake. "Um... Bye!" he shouted, then he turned to walk away. He picked up another sea salt ice cream as he went. "Maybe this one's a winner."

Sora yelped as he was pulled aside by someone. "Agh, lemme go!" Sora shouted, flailing about. He frowned and looked over at his captor, then sighed. "Oh, Oz. Sorry." Sora unwrapped the sea salt treat and took a bite. Through his chewing: "What's up?"

Ozpin looked up at the sky. "I heard you're going to go exploring."

"Well, someone needs to. Besides, there's got to be new Keyblade Wielders out there. Someone needs to help them before the Darkness finds them," Sora responded.

"You don't have to explain yourself to me. You aren't so old that you can't go out and have fun sometimes," Ozpin assured the young man. He looked over at the young man and smiled widely. "Besides, after everything you've done, you deserve some down time after saving the universe."

Sora grinned sheepishly and took another bite. "Good. I'm hoping it doesn't end with me having to fight for Kingdom Hearts again."

"As do I, Sora." Ozpin smiled knowingly. "And I suspect you'll be looking for someone else, as well."

"Some of the stuff they had listed in Blue Fairy sounded old. Like things I saw way back when," Sora admitted. He took another bite and fell silent for a moment. "If it all really did disappear into thin air, maybe some of my old friends are still out there."

"That is a possibility," Ozpin admitted. He had not seen what had been in the research division, but the descriptions claimed to have found them in the deepest Dust reserves of Atlas and the other Kingdoms. That meant they were very old, maybe older than Remnant. Sora could be right. Ozpin placed his hands in front of him, then laughed dryly when he remembered he no longer had the cane to rest them atop. "And you'll also be looking for Miss Nustrai and Mister Black?"

Sora nodded and took another bite. He squinted in pain. "Brainfreeze," he explained. He shook his head to get rid of the feeling, the took a breath. "Yeah. They deserve a thank you." The two criminals had disappeared into a Portal of Darkness before anyone could stop them from leaving. He knew that made sense, given they would be locked up for their part in Salem's plans if they stayed. After all, it had happened to Jaune.

Ozpin saw Sora's sad look. "Mister Arc?"

"Yeah."

Ozpin nodded in agreement. "I believe he is stronger than even he knows," Ozpin stated. He placed a hand on Sora's shoulder. "And I suspect that is going to serve him well."

Sora took the last bite of the Sea Salt ice cream. "Yeah it is." He looked down at the popsicle stick and laughed boisterously. "Hey! Winner!"

R W B Y

Jaune stared at the ground of the Atlesian transport into which he'd been loaded fifteen minutes earlier by a group of Schnee droids. If he cared, he would admit that it was a nice change of scenery from the white, padded room where he'd been kept in solitary confinement in Vale's prison. He supposed that made sense, given his role in Salem's plans. He'd actually been expecting the death penalty; isn't that how someone who almost destroyed the world should be punished? He supposed that it didn't matter, it was like he was dead if he never saw anyone else.

He sighed and clenched his fists before letting them open. His hands were bound by a cuffs more than strong enough to hold him now that he had abandoned the Keyblade. He wasn't sure if the motion sickness had returned because he had abandoned the Keyblade or if he had just never used transportation when he had one. The metal connecting his wrists clinked and he let his entire body in its orange, prisoner jumpsuit slump as he fought off tears. His hair draped over his face and his blue eyes, once so full of life and joy, grew more and more empty as he held back his tears. He wondered what his friends were doing right then. Probably having fun or fighting monsters. Both? He smiled, knowing that he'd helped them achieve that, even if he had been part of the problem once.

The transport stopped moving suddenly and set down, the sudden heavy movement unseating Jaune. He flailed wildly before falling, hard, to the floor. "Ow," he groaned as he pushed himself up to his feet. He rubbed his forehead and groaned again. "Why'd we land so heavy?"

The door of the transport slid open, revealing five faces he had never expected to see again. "Hey, Jaune!" Sora said, waving with his left hand at the young man. As soon as that was said, Ren and Nora charged through the door to say their own hello.

Jaune gurgled as he was slammed into the wall of the transport, Nora's considerable strength already more than enough to rock the flying machine. With a little help from Ren, though, they very nearly toppled it completely. Argent, Ruby, and Sora smiled and let the three have a moment. Eventually, though: "Guys, come on. We've gotta let him out of those cuffs."

Nora, performing a fireman carry on the dazed and slightly injured Jaune, walked out beside Ren. "Oh, come on. Can't we have more time to say good bye?" Nora begged. Argent looked at the three. He wanted more time with his son, too, but he knew it was only a matter of time before someone figured out that someone had illegally transferred Jaune from his cell. Ozpin, Goodwitch, and Ironwood would be able to keep everyone's names out of any report, but they still had to hurry.

"Good bye?" Jaune asked, barely recovered from the Rennora assault. Nora walked him out of the ship and placed him on his feet in front of Sora.

Sora nodded. "Yeah." He summoned the Master Keeper to his hand and tapped it lightly against the cuffs. They slid open and clattered against the ground, letting Jaune rub where his wrists had been chafing from the metal. Sora dismissed the weapon and motioned for everyone to follow him. "Schnee Dust collected almost all of the Gummi that fell when the Realm of Darkness was reborn just before our fight with Salem. When I explained what it was I asked her to give it all to Doctor Polendina to make a ship. She agreed as a... lind of a 'thank you' for stopping DISC," he explained as they all walked around the ship and towards the other side of the hangar. Jaune walked at the back, wondering what was going on.

"And what does this have to do with me?" Jaune asked sullenly.

Ruby looked over her shoulder. "Come on, even I could have figured it out by now," Ruby joked. Jaune blushed angrily when his father began to laugh at him.

"It does seem rather obvious, Son," Argent admitted. He slowed down to walk beside his son. "Though if you haven't figured it out by now, I'll just let your friends explain."

"Thanks," Jaune mumbled dryly.

Sora motioned for them walking when he was only a few steps away from a pair of large shapes covered in canvas. He continued, crouching beside one of the shapes and pulling a silver box from beneath it. He lifted it easily and walked over to Jaune. "Put this stuff on, then I'll tell you everything."He grinned at the Knight and held out the box, which had a rising sun emblem emblazoned on the side. Jaune looked around, then reached out to take it. He nearly fell flat on his face, the box was so heavy. Sora grimaced and caught the box and the Knight. "Oops, forgot. Keyblade strength..." He steadied Jaune and took the box. "I'll just take it over there and you can change." Sora moved the box to the other side of the hidden shape and placed it down, Jaune at his heels. Sora gave a lazy salute and walked back to stand with the others.

"I haven't thanked you two for this, have I?" Argent suddenly said, turning to Ruby and Sora after a few moments of silence.

"For helping out a friend?" Ruby asked, confused.

Sora shook his head. "Yeah, this is just something you do," he pointed out.

"Break your friends out of prison and – "

"SH!" Ren hissed at Nora. The berserker quieted down and grinned sheepishly at her partner. "I know you'd be sad if you didn't get to see his face for the big surprise."

"Ren. Nora... Did you guys..?" Jaune asked as he came around the corner. He was dressed in an outfit reminiscent of his old one. He was wearing the exact same black sweatshirt and blue jeans again, having been provided by his father at Sora and Ruby's request. However, there were also significant differences. The armor was heavier and larger, for one. It reached down to his core, and had golden-bronze accents that created segments that reminded the blonde of Pyrrha's armor. He also had bronze and white bracers connected to bronze-gold finger armor over black gloves. A red sash was tied around his waist and his belt with a small pouch was tightened lopsided over the cloth. He tapped the toes of his black and white combat boots against the ground as he waited for a response.

Ren smiled while Nora shrieked excitedly. "Yes," Ren said quietly. He was holding back tears as he explained. "We found some of Pyrrha's old armor in Beacon's ruins."

Jaune looked at the ground and the two wondered if they'd done something wrong until he rushed forward and slammed into them hard enough that even Nora stumbled backwards. "Th-thanks, guys!" he sobbed into their conjoined shoulders. Tears were streaming from his blue eyes, causing a chain reaction that made his team mates begin to cry and hug him back.

"Your dad supplied the rest of it," Ren explained through his tears.

Jaune pushed away from his friends and smiled at them one more time before rushing his dad, hugging the man tight. "I'm glad you approve," Argent said. He hugged his son and kept himself calm, knowing that he had to be strong for his boy. He pushed his son to arms length and nodded in the direction of the two Keyblade Wielders. "But you still need Sora and Ruby's gifts."

"I think you'll like this," Sora said. He grinned wide and held his left hand up. There was a bright flash, and the Kingdom Key appeared. The blade of the weapon was held in his hand, teeth pointed at the ground. "What do you think? It matches the armor!"

Jaune blinked. "Wh-what!?" he asked.

"Silly, he said it matches your armor. Duh," Nora said.

"I... Why?" Jaune clarified, asking just Sora this time.

The Keyblade Master grinned. "Well, that's the surprise." He dismissed the Kingdom Key for a moment and cupped his hands around his mouth. "You can come out now!"

Jaune turned around and felt his jaw drop. One of the canvases was beginning to flutter wildly, a blue light appearing beneath it. Eventually, the energy that was creating the light caused the canvas to erupt in blue flames, soaring out of the hangar and dying out. This left a bright red... spaceship sitting in the middle of the hangar. It looked like a fighter ship from one of those old sci fi movies, and it made Jaune giddy with both excitement and fear. Sure it was an awesome space ship, but he was terrified of what that would do to his motion sickness. The engines were whirring, their blue light slowly dying down as whoever was in the ship began to shut it off. "A Gummi ship, meant for you and -"

"'Sup, Vomit Boy!" a woman shouted as the cockpit of the Gummi ship flew open, the dome sliding into the ship's body. Yang leaped out and landed beside the blonde knight. She looped her right arm around his shoulder and grinned evilly. "You aren't going to ruin the décor in there, are you?"

"You're not explaining anything!" Jaune shouted. He threw his hands up, forcing Yang to sigh and step away.

"Redemption, obviously," Sora said. He stared at Jaune's confused glare and sighed. "Fine... So, after we beat Salem, Kingdom Hearts created a ton of new worlds out there before disappearing. The lanes between those worlds have been reconnected, which means people with the ability to travel through portals can now travel between worlds."

"People like Morrigan," Yang cut in, frowning.

"Yeah, or people who would try to get to Kingdom Hearts. So, Jaune, you're going to do two things for us," Sora said.

"One is that you're gonna help me go exploring while we find my dear old mom and get her back," Yang said. She punched Jaune in the shoulder with her robotic fist and the knight yelped in pain. "Wimp."

Argent piped up again. "The other is you're going to go out and help people. Like a hero."

"No!" Jaune snapped. "After what I did... I should... I should be locked up." He crossed his arms. "I need to be punished."

"Fine, your punishment is community service," Ruby remarked dryly, earning a laugh from everyone except the humor-deaf Yang and the stunned Jaune.

"There you go, paying your debt to society! Now, to save those worlds and lock their Keyholes, you'll need a Keyblade. Oh look, a Keyblade!" Sora grinned and summoned the Kingdom Key back to his hand. He held the hilt out to Jaune. "For redemption and hope, this is your Key. All you need to do is take it and set yourself free. If you ever stray, you rely on your friends. We'll be in your Heart until the end." Sora finished his own version of the Keyblade Inheritance oath and held the weapon out more.

Jaune looked at the handle for a moment, then finally reached up to grab it. "But what about your dual wielding?" Jaune asked.

Sora let go of the Kingdom Key and raised his left hand. "Turns out that I had an extra hanging around," he said. A flash of black filled with white electricity filled the air and the black and white Keyblade appeared. He looked at it and shook his head, dismissing the blade. "I'll probably just stick with the Master Keeper unless something crazy strong shows up. I still don't like the idea of using the Keyblade that Xehanort used. "

Jaune looked down at the weapon in his right hand. It hadn't left. "So this is..."

"Congratulations. Oz said this makes you my 'apprentice,' but that makes me feel really old," Sora grinned. "And all this leaves is the two gifts."

"Headmaster – Er, Ozpin showed us how to make this," Ruby said, accidentally calling the old warrior by his former title. She reached behind her and pulled a pauldron from the place where she had once hung her scythe. It was gold and white, matching the color of his new armor perfectly. It flared upward slightly at the top, tapering to a point. At the center of the place that would be placed directly over Jaune's shoulder was a silver circle, the bright yellow of Jaune's family crest filling the circle. She walked over to Jaune and handed it over.

The Kingdom Key disappeared on command and he took the piece of armor from her. He lifted it to his shoulder and tightened the straps around his arm. "What is it?"

"Touch it with the Kingdom Key to activate it the very first time!" Sora said. He grinned. "Wouldn't want to ruin the surprise!"

Jaune raised his eyebrow but did as he was told. The Keyblade appeared in his right hand, the feeling much warmer than the summoning of the other Keyblade had been while he was under the influence of Darkness. "Like this?" he asked just as he tapped the circle with the teeth of the Keyblade. There was a bright light all around Jaune, and he stumbled backwards with a cry of surprise. Yang laughed as his head slammed into the wing of the Gummi ship behind him and he fell to his back.

"Keyblade armor," Ruby said suddenly. "It's made from the Kingdom Key. You form it by just pressing the button with your hand."

Jaune stood up and blinked. It was like the armor he was wearing was completely weightless, but it was still strong enough that he had barely felt it when his head slammed into the Gummi ship. He looked down at his hands, seeing that the golden and white armor that had been covering his hands had been replaced by a mostly white armor made from an odd, flexible metal. Black accented the area around the joints of his fingers. He turned around and looked at the shiny exterior of the Gummi ship to see more of this new armor. His arms were covered with white armor on the outsides, a black fabric on the inside of his limbs. His bracers flared out at the elbows, forming sharp blades that looked like they could be used in a fight. The shoulder no longer flared out, instead fitting to his shoulders in a boxy shape. His chest armor had also been replaced, the Keyblade Armor tighter than his other armor. It was golden at the top of his chest and white continuing down to the end of his torso. Segmented armor covered his legs, mostly a white silver that melted into black and gold armored boots. His head was covered by a black visor, one that was nearly Heart shaped. It was connected to the segmented armor that ran up his neck, forming a Darkness-proof seal around his body. A pair of golden ears flared up from the back of his head. "I... I look like Pumpkin Pete!" he shouted excitedly, just before the armor disappeared. "Aw..." He turned around. "What happened?"

"You dismissed it," Sora said with a shrug. He smiled at Jaune. "Do you like it?"

Jaune bit his cheek. He wasn't going to cry tears of joy again. "Th-thank you!" he said. He walked over to Ruby and Sora and hugged them both.

"No problem, Jaune," Ruby said simply, patting him on the back.

"One last thing!" Sora said. He pushed Jaune away slightly and looked over at Ruby.

She made a small noise. "Right!" She reached into her pocket and pulled out a star shaped piece of jewelry that Jaune felt he had seen before.

"You destroyed the one I tried to give you last time," Sora explained when Jaune took the item. "It's a Wayfinder."

Ruby grinned. "A promise that we'll always meet again as friends."

Jaune looked down at the golden star, eyes locking on the family crest placed at the center. "Thanks guys. A lot." He carefully clipped the item to his belt, letting his hand linger on it for a moment.

"Hey, Jaune, let's go! Thrills to seek, Moms to find!" Yang growled, growing impatient.

Argent rolled his eyes and placed his hand on his son's shoulder. "This Gummi ship thing can let you land almost anywhere that's safe, so come home soon. Your mom and sisters miss you." He glanced at the ground. "I miss you." He looked over at the ship. "Now get going, okay? Before I start crying, too."

"Yeah!" Yang shouted. She grabbed Jaune by the hood and jumped up to the cockpit of the Gummi ship in a single bound, dragging the screaming and newly reminted Keyblade Wielder behind her. "Now, don't you dare throw up in here, Vomit Boy! You better hold it in if you expect to survive the first trip!"

"Bye, Jaune!" Nora shouted, so happy that he was free rather than imprisoned that she was able to fight off the tears at saying goodbye yet again.

"See you soon, Friend," Ren said simply.

Sora smiled. "Good luck, man."

"Come back soon, Sis!" Ruby shouted. "Good luck with her sense of humor, Jaune!"

The two stood up in the ship and smiled down at their friends. "See you in five months! Beach party!" Yang shouted.

"What?" Jaune asked just as the cockpit slammed shut and the Gummi ship flew out of the hangar fast enough that a whirlwind of air pushed everyone else present back a few feet. Sora and the others ran to the edge of the hangar and watched the red and yellow ship spin in the air, grimacing as they realized Yang was obviously in control of the ship. Her driving combined with Jaune's motion sickness? This really wasn't going to end well. The ship did another loop and then soared straight up into the sky, blinking as it became another star in the distance.

"Good luck," Sora repeated, this time much less optimistic. "With her at the wheel, you'll need it."

R W B Y

Sora and Ruby sat at the edge of the hangar, staring out at Beacon Academy being rebuilt far below. Everyone else had long since left, leaving the two of them completely alone. They sat in silence for a while, just letting their hands touch. "You're leaving, aren't you?" Ruby asked suddenly.

Sora sighed and scratched his head. "Yeah," he admitted after a moment. He waited for a response, but none came. He stood up, hand still holding Ruby's, and pulled her with him. The two began to walk towards the other canvas. Sora raised his hand, summoning the Master Keeper, and let loose a weak aero spell, causing the canvas to be thrown from what it covered. Another ship, red and yellow just like the first one, was revealed. He stopped walking and dismissed his Keyblade.

"You've been planning this for a while, haven't you?" Ruby said.

"Yeah." He looked up at the ship and tightened his grip on Ruby's hand. He felt like he needed to explain it all to her. "There's so much out there that I want to see. People and places. And with everything that's happened, I owe it to myself to take a vacation, right? Who knows, maybe there's worlds out there like the ones I saw before. Maybe I can meet some old friends again."

"I get it," Ruby said. She let go of his hand and turned him toward her. She pointed at herself with her thumb and furrowed her brow angrily. "But I'm coming."

Sora blinked once and then grinned sheepishly. He placed his hand on the back of his head. "Hey, now I don't get to invite you!" he said, mock disappointment in his voice. He gestured at the ship. "I did get it made for two, and you know... we both have a lot of free time right now. You don't need to be back here for a few months to teach at Beacon, and the Keyblade Academy won't be finished for a while."

"I'm not sure if Qrow or my dad will approve of me all alone with a boy," Ruby pointed out jokingly.

"I think I've heard all their threats by now," Sora said, though he was inwardly worried he had not. Qrow and Tai could be... scary, when it came to Ruby.

Ruby jumped up onto the ship and opened the cockpit. She turned around and waved impatiently for Sora to follow. "Hey, you can fly this thing to Patch, right? I can't say goodbye with a note again, you know," Ruby said simply.

Sora smiled and jumped after her. "I wouldn't have it any other way," he said. He turned her and gave her a kiss. The two let themselves enjoy it for a moment, that they were in a time of peace, however short it might be. After all, right then, it was the beginning of the rest of their lives. They might as well enjoy it.

Smaller, More Honest Souls

AN: And that's that. It was shorter, and I was already half done when I finished Chapter 40, so that's why this was so fast to come out.

I know it's a bit sweet, but I like me a 'happy ending.' Even if the heroes lose something, I like it when they feel like it's not the end of the world and just know good times will still come. It's a Sora and Ruby thing to do, right?

I almost can't believe it's over. I've been doing this story with the most regularity out of any of them for almost a year, so having finished now feels weird. But you know what, it was fun! I started out with an idea and I finished it. So thanks to all of you for sticking with me for this long; I hope it was a great ride.

Side note, I finally finished Volume Four – I know, I'm a week behind. Uh, Nuckelavee is actually scary despite being a cartoon. Really nailed that whole... 'Wild Hunt meets the Devil' thing. Also, Jaune's ultra sword. Really cool. I think that is my favorite RWBY battle so far, because I was legitimately worried it would murder Ren or Nora. Love that Rennora moment though. I loved the Volume as a whole, especially that last twist before the credits, especially since Oz was the one who gave Lionheart that tea set.

This story has the most favorites and follows and reviews and views and words of any story I've written so far, so it became pretty special to me. Thank you guys, it means a lot to me that you all enjoyed this for so long.

So, whether you're catching this chapter just as its coming out or a year after that complete box has been checked, please leave a review. I'd love to hear what you all thought of the story as a unified whole, especially before the spin-quel comes out.

Which reminds me. I said I'd reveal everything I have about the story in this chapter.

Like I said last time, I love the title. And now that you've read this epilogue, I hope you will too. When I eventually get down to writing it, it's not gonna follow Sora and Ruby, so keep that in mind for how unimaginatively punny it is.

SMHS: Arc of Redemption.

It's lame, I know, but I can't help liking it. The more and more I think about it, the more I love it. Yang or Jaune would definitely use a stupid pun like that eventually, and it would be magnificently awkward and funny.

I don't have everything planned out for the story yet, but it'll probably have a lighter tone than this one did sometimes. I also have a couple ideas as to where the two will travel, and they'll visit each world at least twice. Keep in mind, though, these worlds could change at any moment until they're written.

As you all likely know, I love abridgments of Anime, and the one that I think would work best is the phenomenal SAO: Abridged by the hilarious Something Witty Entertainment. It's like SAO but with more jokes and a Kirito who is infinitely meaner and will probably relish sarcastically pointing out their 'health bars' when they meet. The straight up anime world that I picked is Bleach. Ichigo's inner hollow will play into Jaune's struggle with his inner Darkness and whether he can use it. The Final Fantasy world was already referenced in this story, back in the Blue Fairy chapters where we see Cloud and Sephiroth. They'll be a combination of the KH and FFVII versions of their characters. I know that there will be at least one more world, a Disney based one, and maybe another world from any of those same four genres. I'm not sure what those one/two will be, yet.

Anyways, I can't believe this is the last time I'll get to say this in this story... Responses.

To gamelover41592: Thank you. I'm glad to have entertained one last time with this story's fights! Thanks for the reviews!

To grimlock987: Yeah, I don't have a plan to jump ahead that far anytime soon, but I still don't even know exactly how the spin-quel will end up. For now, I'm sticking with this time period. Thanks for the reviews!

To brave kid: Thanks. I can't wait to reach the next chapter either. Thanks for the reviews!

To ReneTheKeyblader: I hope you enjoyed this little cooldown, too. Thanks for the reviews!

To Chretner: Don't worry, I don't have any plans to stop anytime soon. Writing is the best practice for writing, after all. I want to be good/comfortable enough with my writing to polish off and publish a book one day, so your praise makes me really happy! And don't worry, this story may be ending, but the series will probably continue sometime before the end of the year. Thanks for the review!

To Warrior of Six Blades: I forgot to mention this last time, but you're right about Xehanort's Heartless. He'll have to show up eventually. That's actually why I made Raven's Heartless have such a complicated death scene, with Morrigan throwing Ruby Keyblade first into the Heartless. Moving on, I'm happy that the Salem battle was close to a Final Boss Fight for a video game; that's pretty much what I was going for! I have my own idea for the HOW of Pyrrha being in Jaune's Heart. I'm not sure if it'll be fully explained in the spin-quel or not, so if you want to know what was going through my mind go ahead and PM me. Thanks for the reviews!

To Guest: Thank you. I'm glad that I won you over way back when. You gave some great praise here, and I can say it made me really happy to see. Thanks for the reviews!

To Chaos-Guard: I'm really happy that I was able to make a story that surpassed your expectations so much. I'm glad to have been on this quest, too. I hope that what I write from now on breaks expectations just as much as this did. Thanks for the reviews!

And to everyone who has ever reviewed: Thanks for all your time! If I never responded to your reviews, I usually only do it for the ones on the latest chapter. I'm sorry I never responded to you, but right now I want to respond with a thank you. I love that you liked the story enough to say anything about it.

And finally, one last thing to everybody. Happy Valentines!