Bonus Ch 1: The Call
In the aftermath of the Battle of Haven, the group was left to pick up the pieces before heading off to Atlas the following month. This meant helping the repair teams, giving condolences to the families of Huntsmen Lionheart sold out (they wouldn't know that part), and sorting through his files after the funeral.
Yes, funeral.
In a move that greatly annoyed everyone, Ozpin lied to the public about the nature of the headmaster's death, saying he died valiantly protect the academy rather than selling it out and being unceremoniously offed by a Grimm. While (Y/N) hated that Lionheart would be remembered as a hero despite being responsible for the deaths of many of Mistral's Huntsmen, he also kinda understood why Oz went that route: the Grimm were already starting to grow in numbers after the news of the attack broke out. If the people knew Lionheart had not only betrayed them and subsequently helped kill many people, it would've been a bloodbath just like the Fall of Beacon. Still, it left a bad taste in the young boy's mouth. The former headmaster must have picked up his thoughts at the funeral because he took him and Qrow aside for a private talk.
"I don't like it either," he had assured him. "But, the people of Mistral need to be protected, and keeping them calm is our best course of action,"
"Don't worry firebreather, we'll make sure Leo's outed once Salem's out of our hair,"
(Y/N) sighed.
"Fine," Ozpin then put on a serious look.
"(Y/N), did anything else happen when you found Lionheart's body?"
His (E/C) eyes widened.
"W-what? Why would-,"
Qrow chuckled.
"You can read people well kid, but you're an open book yourself,"
The dragon blushed and rubbed his head.
"Well,"
Quickly, he explained what had happened when he had attack the Seer Grimm, and about his conversation with Salem. Ozpin frowned as Qrow immediately began to check on him. While he wasn't his nephew, technically, he knew how much he meant to the girls and that made it his job to look out for the kid too.
"Did she do anything to you? Why would you not tell anyone about that!"
"I-I didn't think it was real. It was just so weird. I had just saw Lionheart there, dead, so I thought I imagined it or it was something left over from Emerald,"
Qrow took a deep breath.
"Kid, this is really bad! If you have a target painted on your back-,"
"We already knew that," Ozpin cut him off. "Unfortunately, this has only confirmed our previous suspicions. (Y/N)," the boy straightened up. "I believe that Salem was just trying to frighten you. From now on, stay close to your sisters,"
"But, I already was-,"
"No, I mean do not be left alone for a second. I had a feeling Salem had an interest in you. Stay in the group,"
"...okay. Should I tell the girls?"
"I'll that up to you. Go back to the others. Qrow and I will discuss this further,"
The boy nodded and walked off. He didn't know what they spoke about after that, but he kept Ozpin's advice in mind and didn't leave the girl's sides for a minute.
(Timeskip)
A few days after the funeral, the gang was sorting through Lionheart's files back at the house. They did it here because no one felt comfortable doing it in the office which still had the faintest reek of blood. (Y/N) groaned loudly.
"This is so boring!"
"Yeah," Ruby agreed. "I am also bored,"
"This might not be fun, but we need to make sure everything is settled here before we head to Atlas," Blake stated sternly.
Luckily for them, she brought in people to help them: her parents, Ghira and Kali (who absolutely adored (Y/N)), Sun, and an old friend of her's, Ilia. They didn't have entire knowledge of the situation, unlike Blake who had been caught by the others in private, but they were informed of Lionheart's treachery because Blake did inform them of what happened during the battle and so they could help. Or in Sun's case, encourage (Y/N) and Ruby's complaining.
"Come on! We've already gotten through most of it. A little fun break couldn't hurt!"
"Not helping Sun," Weiss shot at him.
Ghira, who would've usually made a smart comment at Sun, seemed to be fully invested in one of the documents he held. Blake noticed her father's lack of attention  on Sun.
"Dad?"
Ghira shook his head.
"Oh sorry, I was wrapped up in this investigation report,"
"What's it about?" Yang asked, also wanting to get out of paperwork.
"Well, this is very recent. It seems Lionheart was having some sort of mysterious forest investigated,"
"That doesn't sound too strange," Kali said as she brought in tea. Ghira happily took a cup.
"No, what's strange is that the teams couldn't locate the forest,"
"What?" Blake asked, looking at the paper. "The coordinates are clearly marked there,"
"That's what odd. They arrived at the coordinates, but ended up lost in a fog for days before they wounded up back near the city,"
Sun also decided to peek at this.
"Okay, that's spooky, and cool. Can we focus on this?"
The male Belladonna ignored him and held up what looked like a photo which was really old, black and white old.
"It's odd. I see oak, maple, and elm trees, but I don't recognize this one,"
(Y/N) walked over and looked at fauna. Ghira was pointing at a particular tree. It was tall and looked like a mushroom with grass on top instead of leaves. It also growing in what appeared to be unnaturally cleared so the sun could shine down through the foliage.
"Oh, those are Dragon's Blood trees (these are real, they do not grow in the type of place I'm describing, but they're rare and on theme),"
Ghira looked at him.
"I didn't know you were interested in botany, (Y/N),"
The boy blinked.
"I'm...not. How did I know that?"
Everyone stared at him, confused. Ghira eventually shook his head and tried to put the paper down, only for (Y/N) to pick it up.
"Um, maybe we should check this out?"
"Why?" Yang asked.
"Well, it had to be important if Lionheart was sending search parties. Maybe he was looking for something there,"
Weiss glanced at Ruby.
"He does have a point,"
Yang stood up and looked at the coordinates.
"It's only a few days from here. It wouldn't take too long,"
"Some of us could stay behind to take care of the rest of the work and meet with you there," Kali offered.
Team RWBY looked at each other and seemed to nod in agreement.
"Alright," Ruby said. "Time for a field trip!"
(Timeskip)
After several hours of discussing/arguing, it was decided that Team RWBY, (Y/N), Sun, Qrow, and Oscar/Ozpin would investigate the forest while JNR, the Belladonna's, and Ilia would handle the rest of document and meet them there if they weren't back by then.
The next morning, the investigation team headed out and followed their map to the location. After several days of walking, they approached the location.
"Well, this is where search teams said they started getting turned around," Qrow said while looking at the map.
"They said something about a thick fog, completely impenetrable," Weiss added. "They even tried to get to a vantage point in the trees, but the fog was just to thick,"
She suddenly shrieked as Sun hung down from his tail in front of her.
"Sun!"
He smirked.
"Those guys were probably lazy and didn't climb high enough. This place only a little misty at best,"
"That does seem weird," Oscar agreed while touching one of the tree trunks.
"Maybe there was rain which caused it," Yang offered as she walked beside Blake.
The cat faunus shook her head.
"But the document didn't mention rain, and besides, three parties getting lost in a fog? That seems unnatural, especially since we're having no issues,"
"Don't hold your breath," Qrow muttered, taking a swing of alcohol. "We could run into trouble at anytime,"
Ignoring her uncle, Ruby walked up to (Y/N), who was walking in front and uncharacteristically ignoring everyone, and place a hand on his shoulder. He jumped, completely caught off guard.
"(Y/N)? Are you okay?"
"Y-yeah, I'm great! Why?"
She frowned.
"You've been really quiet. That's usually a bad sign from you,"
Sun suddenly appeared next to him.
"Yeah, little man, leave that to Blake,"
Blake frowned at this, but (Y/N) shook his head.
"I'm fine, I promise. I'm just...really interested in this place,"
Weiss smiled as she looked around.
"The forest here is really gorgeous,"
It was. The trees were so green and luscious, almost like you use the leaves as cushions. Plus, there were numerous flowers and fruits on them. The air also smelled so sweet thanks to the health of the plants. This place kinda reminded everyone of the Emerald Forest, only with a bit more color.
"Hey, what's that up ahead?" Oscar asked, catching sight of a peculiar shape in the distance. The group cautiously moved forward until the shape came into view. It was one of the strange trees from the photos.
"Well, we found it!" Sun exclaimed happily. "That wasn't so hard?"
"Guess Lionheart sent some second rate Huntsmen to scout," Yang joked as she examined the tree. "Wonder why it's called a Dragon's Blood tree,"
(Y/N) pursed his lips, trying to think. The whole trip he had been wondering why he knew this tree. He had never seen one before, not that he could remember at least, but still, it felt familiar. He placed his had on the trunk before sinking his claws into it, just deep enough that he felt a liquid. Pulling them out, he saw they were a crimson color. Ruby, who hadn't seen him do this, immediately freaked out, thinking he was bleeding.
"Whoa! When did you scratch your fingers!?"
Everyone crowded around him as Weiss snatched his hand to survey the damage. He tugged.
"No! It's not me, it's the tree! Look, the sap's red!"
Everyone saw the puncture marks on the tree and the tiny trickles of sap.
"Huh, it is," Sun commented as Blake rubbed her chin.
"That's why it has that name. The sap looks like blood," the monkey smirked.
"Also, Dragon's Blood tree is a cooler name than just Blood tree,"
Everyone nodded in sorta agreement before Qrow called out to them.
"Hey kids! There's a lake over here for us to refill!"
"Maybe for us to rinse off too," Yang added. "I think we could all use a good cool off,"
"Agreed," Weiss said as they all walked over to where Qrow was.
The lake was crystal clear but pretty shallow. Around the banks were lily pads and white lilies which had happily croaking frogs. At the center of the lake was a tiny island with a single willow tree.
"Okay, this place made the whole walk worth it," Sun announced as he laid down happily by the water.
"Maybe they were just searching for a good vacation spot," Oscar said as he touch one of the lily pads.
Everyone began to unwind by lake, happily taking in the view and smelling the flowers. After the entire mess at Haven and the hike there, no one, not even Qrow or Oz, was complaining about the break. Aside from Qrow, who sat away from everyone for obvious reasons, (Y/N) was the only one who seemed agitated. He walked around the edge of the water, pacing a bit. He glanced at the mouth of the river that drained into the lake. Eventually, he flew over to the tiny island with the willow tree. He climbed into branches and looked around.
This, something was just so familiar about all this. It was on the tip of his tongue, but he couldn't pin it down.
He then noticed something at the top of the tree, something carved into the trunk. He flew up and saw two names with a heart around them.
(F/N) and (M/N)
Those were his parents' names.
All at once, the memories came crash around him. Him and parents picnicking by the lake, his father showing him the Dragon's Blood tree, his mother showing him the carving from their first date!
"(Y/N)?" Weiss called. She had made a plate form of ice to see what he was up too on the island. "Is everything alright?"
"I-I know this place!" He yelled as he burst from the treetop and flew away, following the river. The others, stunned by his speed, quickly followed after him, calling out to him to slow down. (Y/N) didn't hear them and flew faster, curving as the river did until coming upon a series of small rapids. He landed on the bank, searching the forest line until he caught sighed of a hollowed out trunk leaning against a tall set of rocks. He walked up to it and placed his palm on it. He remembered this. His father made it, it was slide for him. He ran further in, not realizing Qrow was tailing him in his bird form. He came to a group of impossibly large and smooth trees, save for a set of rotten looking pieces of wood which wound up one of the trunks, which seemed to go on for miles. He shot up quickly, flying into the dense foliage. Qrow followed suit and was astonished when he came upon what looked like a giant treehouse. No, tree mansion was a better term.

(Something like this, only completely off the ground)
Qrow landed one of the outer decks and just admired the past. It looked a bit old and unmanaged, but still, it was a sight behold. Remembering the remaining members of the group, he flew back to them and led them to the treehouse.
"He's all the way up there?!" Oscar exclaimed. "There's no way we can climb that!"
"Hmp!" Sun remarked with a smirk. "Speak for yourself!"
He jumped at the trunk and began to scale it. Not a minute later, he slipped down unceremoniously and smiled bashfully.
"Um, anyone got a better idea?"
"Yes, stairs," Weiss pointed out helpfully.
The climb up was super long and tedious, but eventually they made it. They were just as amazed as Qrow was. They walked into the main house. It was in shambles. While still beautiful, furniture (who has nice furniture in a treehouse?) was thrown about, bits of glass and shatter window littered the floor, and bits of pretty everything were all over the place. They saw (Y/N) standing in the center of a wall, staring up at a very dusty painting. Yang ran up to him.
"(Y/N) what was that! You can't just fly off like that!" He didn't say a word or move. "(Y/N)?"
Ruby stepped closer and looked up at the painting. Gently, she brushed away the dust to reveal a picture of what looked like a couple and a baby. Both the man and the baby looked strikingly similar to (Y/N). Weiss put a hand to her mouth.
"Oh,"
Blake put a hand on his shoulder.
"(Y/N), is this-?"
He nodded.
"This...was my home,"