The Legion Calls

by Flamewing98

Born outside the walls, Romulus Lycanus grew up on the battlefield. It was simply all he knew. Life within a mobile military body, alongside his sister, is all he could hope for. After all, one should enjoy what they were born to do. However, tragic events caused by betrayal force the young faunus to leave his home and seek a new one. However, can he cope with a whole other world?

The Legion Calls

Hello everyone, and welcome back to what I like to call my One-offs! As the name implies, it's a story that's one chapter only. However, this one's a bit different. While this part is mine alone, it ties into another story that my pal Hironinja writes. So, when you all finish this one, go and read his work as well as mine if you enjoyed!

(…)

The forest was quiet outside the walls of the Remnan Kingdoms. The birds sang their songs, the leaves swayed with the wind, and all was well. However, the peaceful tranquility of the forest was soon shattered by a distant noise. It was a rumble, long and deep. The sky was clear, so thunder was ruled out. But to a trained ear, it was clear as to the cause of this noise. Several minutes passed as the sound grew closer and closer, gaining in volume as it did so.

Soldiers marching in unison passed through the area, silencing the songs of the birds and drowning out the sounds of the wind. The forest was now rules by the sounds of several thousand boots carrying their owners to their next destination. Among those owners was a young man. However, to call him a man would be slightly off. He looked normal enough, save for three things. He had wolf-like ears protruding from his head, fierce, yellow eyes, and a tail following behind him.

He was a faunus, and a proud one at that. Wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, pants, and boots all with white highlights, the young faunus marched with his comrades as they made their way through their yearly path. His name was Romulus Lycanus, and his yellow eyes were focused on the path before him. He was a part of the migratory group that lived away from the safety of the Kingdoms. They called themselves The Legion, and they were survivors.

On the march, Romulus looked around to take in his surroundings. He'd listen to the scenery, but it was no use. The sounds of the march drowned out everything else. Feeling a slow grin spread across his face, Romulus realized he wouldn't have it any other way. However, it was a shame that no Grimm had decided to attack so far. Tonight was the Festival of the Moon, and it was considered an ill omen if The Legion saw no combat on that sacred night. Besides, how else was he supposed to impress Scipiona?

"You seem full of thought today, little brother," Aurelia said, making Romulus mentally pinch his nose. Although only five minutes older, she simply refused to drop the fact that she technically WAS the older sibling.

"I was merely thinking of the festival," Romulus replied, glancing at his sister for a moment. Like him, she had black hair, yellow eyes, and wolf ears and a tail. However, her hair was much longer, going down to her waist.

"Ah, that's right!" Aurelia exclaimed in feigned surprise, nearly making Romulus snort. Every Legion member knew that tonight was the festival! "I had almost forgotten. I wonder what you're looking forward to the most, hm?"

"Hmpf," Romulus replied with a toothy grin. "Why don't you tell me?"

"Hm…" Aurelia pretended to ponder the matter for a few moments. "It could be the food."

"That's always a nice part," Romulus admitted, licking his lips without realizing it.

"Or it could be Cicero's stories. I know how much you like hearing about his 'Tales of Glory' as he puts it," Aurelia suggested.

"Of course!" Romulus argued. "Without hearing about the tales from our past, how can we hope to surpass them! Besides that… they're amazing to hear!" Aurelia merely giggled and leveled a golden gaze at her brother.

"Yes, yes. I think the whole Legion knows how much you like his stories."

"I… well…. Erg…" Romulus faltered, feeling himself blush. Stories were usually told to pups to get them excited to become soldiers, and instill tales of bravery on them. However, Romulus still liked listening to them, despite nearly being an adult. His pack mates gave him a hard time about it from time to time, but they all knew that Romulus could stomp them into the ground if they pushed it too far. Well… except for Aurelia, that is. She was about the only one who could hold her own against, if not defeat Romulus in a one on one.

"Or… perhaps you're hoping that Scipiona asks you to dance around the bonfire?" Aurelia suggested, making Romulus tense up and nearly misstep. Scipiona was another member of the New Moon pack, and, like Romulus and Aurelia, was a Gamma: a ground pounder, a basic soldier. The whole pack knew that she had eyes for Romulus, and liked to give the two a hard time. It was normal for prospective mates to dance around the fire in honor of the moon. However, Romulus got nervous at the thought, for some reason he couldn't explain.

"I… urk…" Romulus stammered, trying to collect himself. "I'm merely hoping we see combat today. It's an ill omen if we don't after all."

"I'm pretty sure we just might see—"

BROOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAN

The sound of a war horn coming from farther ahead in the formation cut Aurelia's sentence off. Immediately reacting to the noise, the two shut their mouths and began forming up. Their pack's Alpha, Manius Lucullus, was barking for the pack to form up. Taking mere moments, pack upon pack formed the standard battle line, working around the trees as best they could. Making space as the forward scouts returned, the line soon became a wall of steel as the soldiers of The Legion made themselves ready for the oncoming threat.

Holding his left hand up, Romulus readied his shield. The gauntlets on his hand ejected a small, rectangular object that soon expanded into a medium sized shield. However, unlike most shields, this one was merely held in the hand with a horizontal grip, as opposed to being attached to the arm. This made the shield as much a weapon as a sword. Speaking of, Romulus reached down to his right hip and drew his short sword, Ignis. Many people would laugh at the blade for being small, but it was like that by design. The size made the blade perfect for fighting in a unit, reduced the weight, and made it ideal for thrusting attacks, which were more lethal anyways. As an added bonus, the sword was imbued with fire dust, although that couldn't be seen yet.

"Soldiers!" Gaius, the pack Alpha, barked over the silence. Other Alphas were doing the same. "Ready yourselves!" Responding to the command, Romulus closed his eyes for a moment and activated his Semblance, Wolf Pack. He felt the bonds he shared with his pack, and they gave him strength. They trusted him, and he trusted them. They were one and the same… and they were mighty! Feeling his heart rate nearly double, Romulus opened his eyes, which practically were aflame. Their glow was indeed only matched by the now apparent rune lines on Ignis.

"Stand ready!" Gaius commanded, eyes aglow like the rest of The Legion. Obeying immediately, Romulus, Aurelia, and everyone on the frontline got into a shield wall position. Right on cue, a massive horde of Beowulfs appeared through the shrubbery, growling, roaring, and snarling as they saw fit. Feeling his tail begin to swish, and a grin cross his face, Romulus reveled in the feeling. Today was truly a blessed day!

"I wish you luck, Romulus," A female voice said. Glancing to his left, Romulus' yellow eyes met the amber ones belonging to Scipiona. Only slightly shorter than Romulus, Scipiona looks mostly the same as her pack. Black clothing covered her from head to toe, as did her armor. However, unlike Romulus and Aurelia, she had long brown hair instead. Lastly… she had no tail, only the ears of a faunus.

"I wish you good hunting as well," Romulus replied with a nod. "And may the Moon bless our festival tonight!" As he was about to turn his head, Romulus' smile nearly turned to a sneer when he noticed his half-brother Brutus. With red hair, yellow eyes, and an ego the size of an oak tree, he was quite obvious, especially since the two constantly butt heads. But, despite that, they got along well enough during a fight.

"Soldiers!" Gaius began. "Level pila!" Once again obeying, every soldier behind the front raised their left arm. At the press of a button on the shield, a tube opened and extended that contained a long javelin. This was the first stage of every assault. Pelt the enemy with a storm of javelins to kill as many as possible. "Fire!"

At the command, every pack launched a storm of missiles into the enemy advance. As the pila struck home, their targets were either knocked off their feet, toppled over, or killed outright.

"Chain assault, commence on my mark!"

Dropping the shield wall, the front line instead leveled their shields at the enemy. Pressing another button on the shield, a second javelin tube extended from the device. However, this javelin had a chain attached to the end of it.

"FIRE!"

Squeezing the trigger, Romulus launched his pila, smiling as it embedded itself into the stomach of an approaching Beowulf. Releasing the trigger, the chain began retracting with a mighty force. However, rather than pull the Beowulf towards Romulus, the opposite happened. Lifted off of his feet, Romulus flew towards the Beowulf at a blinding speed, sword leveled in a maneuver practiced countless times. Just as he was about to collide, Romulus extended his arm and stabbed the Beowulf with all his might, seeing the trail of flames his sword made in its wake.

The sheer force of the impact toppled the Beowulf over, smoke emanating from its burning wound. Ducking, Romulus watched as the second line repeated the maneuver, killing another wave of Beowulfs while the third line back began their charge. Chuckling, Romulus pulled his sword free and entered combat. As soon as he did, things became a blur. All became a haze of fur and steel and claws and blood as The Legion massacred the Beowulf horde. Reacting perfectly to his allies movements, Romulus felt no fear when an enemy came from behind, for his allies killed it. He felt no haste to rescue a comrade in need, for someone else already responded before he needed to. And Romulus felt no remorse, for the Grimm deserved killing. Furthermore, Romulus never felt the grin leave his face as he did what he did best: kill.

However, one event stuck out more than the others, and Romulus could scarcely forget it. It happened when he had become slightly more separated from his pack than he had meant to. Brutus was with him, however, so he deemed it fine at the time. All was going fine as Romulus pulled Ignis free of his latest kill when his senses alerted him to the trouble Brutus was in. Looking over, even Romulus hesitated for a moment. This Beowulf, unlike the others, was obviously experienced. Scars covered its body, and it was simply bigger, more menacing, and stronger. The Grimm and Brutus were exchanging blows, but the Beowulf was clearly winning as Brutus lost ground with every exchange.

This was when Romulus intervened. He had no javelin to throw, so close range was the way to go. Dodging over the dead bodies of fallen Beowulfs, Romulus made his way over to help Brutus, only for the Grimm to react. Catching Romulus off guard, the monster whipped itself around and caught the warrior with the back of its hand, sending him flying against a tree and causing Ignis to fly into the forest. Slowly lifting his head up, Romulus saw the Beowulf towering over him… and that was all. Brutus hadn't made any motion to help. Rather, he was cowering on the spot where he had last engaged the Grimm.

"Fine then," Romulus thought to himself, baring his teeth at the Grimm as it raised a claw to strike. With a flash of black, Romulus' hands were replaced with claws formed from his own Aura as he remembered one of The Legion's tenants. 'Fight your enemies tooth and claw'. If Brutus wouldn't help, then Romulus was simply going to help himself! The Beowulf brought its claws down with surprising speed, but Romulus saw the attack coming. With a twist of his body, the faunus ripped through the Grimm's arm with a single swipe and rose to his feet. Using the momentum, Romulus launched himself forward and tackled the Grimm, roaring his defiance!

As the two fell to the ground together, Romulus pressed his attack. Before the Grimm could react, Romulus opened his mouth and bit down on the monster's throat. Shaking the Grimm back and forth for a moment, Romulus finally jerked away with as much force as he could and tore open the Grimm's throat, killing it instantly. Silently rising to his feet, Romulus spit the dissolving piece of Grimm out of his mouth, cursing the foul taste it left. Locking his gaze of Brutus, Romulus couldn't help but begin to growl as he made his way over to his half-brother.

"YOU!" Romulus shouted, snapping Brutus from whatever stupor he was in. However, Romulus wasn't done. He lifted Brutus from his collar and pulled him close."What was that poor display!? I could've died had I not been a better soldier!" The fear in Brutus's eyes was soon replaced with pure rage.

"Fuck off, Romulus!" Brutus angrily replied, shoving the warrior away. Brutus copied his brother in the act of baring his teeth and growling. "I had a mere lapse in bravery, nothing more!"

"A mere lapse?!" Romulus asked, completely shocked at the gall. He then got back into Brutus' face, still growling. "Well your 'mere lapse in bravery' nearly cost me my fucking life!"

"And I'm starting to wish it had!" Brutus roared, using his slight height advantage to peer down on Romulus. The two locked eyes for what felt like an eternity, growling and glaring. Whatever prior relationship they had before was replaced with hatred now. At this point, Romulus could no longer stand his presence.

Giving his cowardly brother one last "Hmpf", the faunus retrieved his sword and returned to battle.

(…)

It didn't take long for the battle to finish. Small packs of Beowulfs suddenly grew brains and retreated as they saw the massive pile of their dead comrades. The cheer that rose from the ranks of The Legion was nearly deafening. It was to be expected, however. With enemy blood having been shed on this sacred day, the Moon Goddess would look upon them favorably. Brutus and Romulus hadn't shared a word since their exchange, and the two would openly growl at one another should they get too close. Aurelia, taking notice, went to get Romulus' side of the story.

It was sunset, now. The Legion was setting tents up for the night. Officers and leaders used a nearby clearing, and the rest of The Legion built their tents up in the forest. Hammocks for night watchmen were hung above the forest floor as they prepared for the shift changes in the middle of the night. Romulus, having set his tent up, cleaned his weapons, and eaten, sat on a tree limp to watch the sun set. He felt a slight shake as another member joined him, but he didn't bother looking. One sniff of the air gave him the information he needed.

"You and Brutus fighting again?" Aurelia asked, taking a seat beside him and tilting her head curiously.

"Hmpf…" Was Romulus' reply. He had nothing to say about that coward.

"Romulus…" Aurelia began, the slightest hint of annoyance in her tone. "Listen… I know you two clash a lot, but you're in the same pack. You need to learn to get along."

"No, sister," Romulus began, sounding surprisingly calm. "What needs to happen is that Brutus needs to stop being a coward. His hesitation on the battlefield would have cost me my life had I not been more trained. Fortunately, I'm a worthy fighter even without my sword."

"You use your claws, then?" Aurelia asked. Romulus merely chomped his teeth in response, telling Aurelia the answer.

"Left a foul taste in my mouth, too," Romulus added, letting his tongue hang out for a moment to prove his point, making Aurelia giggle before she placed an arm around Romulus and pulled him close.

"Still… You and Brutus have been fighting since we've been on the Contubernium as pups. Have you ever thought of giving him a gift?"

"Why the hell should I?" Romulus asked, frowning.

"Observe people more closely, Romulus," Aurelia scolded, silencing the young warrior. "Brutus doesn't get along well with others. As such, his semblance is likely much weaker than the rest of us. Perhaps, if he grows closer to you, he can start to trust and befriend others. Not only will this reconcile you two, but it'll help Brutus fight better."

"Then what do you propose I do, dear sister?" Romulus asked, grinning slightly.

"Well, my 'dear' brother," Aurelia began, changing her grip into a light headlock, making Romulus laugh as he tried to squirm free for a moment. "You should learn a craft."

"A craft?" Romulus asked, ceasing his movements. While not required, some soldiers in The Legion liked to learn something besides the killing arts. Normally, Omegas covered these aspects, but some soldiers took pride in their weapon being their own, or in their meal being prepared themselves.

"Yes," Aurelia replied with a firm nod. "I've seen you, Romulus. You're happy on the battlefield, and that's fine. You should enjoy what you were born to do. But I think it'd be good for you to learn how to create as well as destroy. It may change your outlook at life.

"Heh. Yes mother… Augh!" Romulus replied in jest, crying out as Aurelia again changed her grip. This time she gave a little tug on one of Romulus' ears. Looking up, he saw Aurelia merely grinning at him. However, he knew this grin. It said "Either do as I say, or I stomp you into the ground."

"I'll look into it," Romulus replied with a gulp. Slowly, Aurelia released her grip on his ear. The two sat in silence for a minute before Aurelia spoke again.

"It's been a while since we left the Contubernium, hasn't it?" Aurelia asked.

"It has…" Romulus agreed, remembering joining the unit at the age of five. "Hard to believe that, out of the eight of us, Gaius was the one to become Alpha."

"Especially since he was the smallest one when he joined!" Aurelia added with a giggle, making Romulus grin as well. He remembered the little pup. He also remembered how hard of a time he gave Gaius at the start. But, after proving himself for several years, Gaius just naturally assumed the leadership role. He was smarter than the rest of the pack, which definitely made him better at leading.

"Did you happen to see mother on the battlefield?" Aurelia asked, slightly confusing Romulus. Unlike "Wall-dwellers", as The Legion called them, Romulus and Aurelia only spent a year with their mother, their father leaving for the battlefield after their birth. Needless to say, their family bonds weren't overly strong. Your pack was your family.

"I don't really recall much," Romulus replied, scratching behind his own ear. "Battles just kinda blur together for me."

"As usual," Aurelia remarked, giggling as she did so. Romulus merely gave her a light glare. "She was actually right beside you for a little bit there but, knowing you, I doubt you noticed."

"Hmpf," Romulus merely grunted, returning his gaze to the setting sun. However, after a few minutes of peaceful quiet, Aurelia opened with another shocking question.

"Romulus?"

"Hm?"

"Have you ever wondered what life in the kingdoms is like?" Aurelia asked, making Romulus blink in surprise. Truthfully, he had rarely given the four kingdoms a second thought.

"They probably all lay about all day, filling their fat faces and reclining in their seats." Romulus replied, turning to lay his back on the branch. "Their walls protect them, so why would they have to lift a finger? I'm sure they're all eggheads or something. HAR HAR HAR!" However, Aurelia seemed serious, and Romulus cut off his laughter to look up at her. "Why do you ask?"

"I've thought about leaving to join one of the Kingdoms," Aurelia said, causing Romulus to snap back up and nearly fall out of the tree.

"What?!" Romulus yelled, making a few soldiers look at him irritably. After gesturing an apology, he lowered his voice. "You can't be serious!"

"I am!" Aurelia replied, locking her gaze with her brother's. Romulus was speechless as he saw the determination in her eyes. "I've heard good things about the kingdoms too. They have combat schools we could attend. But they have so much more, too!"

"What could they possibly have that The Legion doesn't?" Romulus asked.

"Family…" Aurelia whispered, making Romulus blink for a moment.

"What do you mean?"

"I want a family," Aurelia said, looking at the setting sun. "I'm not happy simply having a pup every other year with some different male only to see him leave before I even get to know him! I want someone I can be close to; someone to comfort me when I need it, and someone to share my strength. I want someone I can rely on as much as they rely on me."

What Aurelia said was true. Families rarely saw one another. In fact, there really WEREN'T any families, beside one's pack. Marriage Did exist… but very… VERY rarely. This resulted in very few pups born from the same two parents. However, this was how Romulus and Aurelia were different. They, being twins, were a rare occurrence of full-blooded siblings. This, among other things, made their bond infinitely stronger than any other.

"You have me," Romulus replied with a smile, resting a hand gently on Aurelia's shoulder. She smiled, but continued on.

"It's not the same, brother. I love you, truly… but not the same way I would love a husband. This life just… isn't for me."

"Sister, you can choose to marry permanently in The Legion!" Romulus argued. "There's no reason for you to go to the city! I have heard that they treat faunus like us poorly there!" While true, Romulus hadn't heard much about the issue, he did hear that faunus were constantly mistreated, and that was about it. But he was about ready to say anything to get his sister to stay! However, Aurelia merely fell silent, which made Romulus worry. After what felt like an eternity, she finally spoke again.

"Perhaps you are right." Romulus released a breath he hadn't realized he had been holding. "But I'll keep thinking about it." Another minute of silence fell before Aurelia asked her next question. "If I do leave… will you come with me?"

"What?" Romulus asked, nearly yelling again. Aurelia said nothing, settling for looking at her brother again. Faltering, Romulus shut his eyes to think. Romulus was a soldier of The Legion, through and through. He took orders, he fought, and he killed, but… his sister sounded sincere. She really DID want what was best for the two of them. However, thinking about it, Romulus was acting as an anchor, holding her back.

Being twins, it seemed, was both a strength and a weakness. They were stronger together, sure. However, they felt some strange need to stay together. Aurelia couldn't bring herself to leave Romulus and go to a city. Frowning, Romulus shook his head. He just couldn't decide! He was a loyal soldier of The Legion, but he couldn't imagine not having his sister by his side.

"I don't know…" Romulus finally muttered in reply, getting an understanding nod from Aurelia.

"It's alright, brother," Aurelia replied. "Maybe I can simply learn to deal with—"

"NO!" Romulus shouted, ignoring the irritated soldiers this time. He lifted his gaze to meet the shocked one of his elder sister. "Aurelia, you deserve to be happy. You mean the world to me, truly. But… how do you know that the kingdoms are the best for you? How much intel do you have on them?"

"Not much…" Aurelia admitted, letting her ears and tail droop a bit. However, she immediately perked right back up. "Then, how does this sound? I'll learn everything I can about the kingdoms. Then when we both turn eighteen, if I still think they're better for us than The Legion, maybe we can ask Imperator Augustus for permission to leave."

"That's fair," Romulus happily replied, giving Aurelia a nod. They'd both be adults by then, and not expected to have a parent with them. The matter settled, the two siblings were content to watch the sun set in silence. However, it wasn't long before Romulus became restless and left to help set up various stands for the Festival of the Moon.

As for the festival itself, it was pretty standard as celebrations went within the Legion. Night guards had shirt shifts so that they could at least attend for a bit. There was singing, dancing, and feasting. Romulus, much to his delight, nearly drowned himself in his favorite food: honey-glazed beef on a stick. At midnight, Scipiona asked him to dance around the fire, and they two shared a wonderful night together. Aurelia was present as well, and even stole her brother for a dance, just to tease him. However, Romulus could scarcely stop smiling for the whole night, and one thing was for certain. Romulus was happy.

(…)

Six months passed since the festival. Romulus, as per Aurelia's suggestion, delved into the world of crafting. He tried cooking, but was stopped due to lack of originality. Personally, Romulus saw little reason to bother with spices and whatnot. If it was meat and was cooked, he didn't really care. He also tried herding, but was quickly fired due to scaring the animals. What did they know? Cows were just likely cowardly by nature anyways. However, Romulus reached another world when he visited the camp blacksmiths. Inside, Romulus found he had a natural affinity with fire.

Keeping the temperature just right, pounding the iron to fit the shape you desire, and instilling a bit of yourself into every creation was what Romulus found amazing. As Aurelia had said, Romulus found himself loving the art of creating something, rather than always killing. So, after several months of apprenticeship, Romulus made his graduation craft and became a smith in his own right. The craft was a golden ring, encrusted with a red jewel. Carefully carving an eagle design onto the ring, Romulus presented his sister with his craft, which she now wore wherever she went.

While setting up camp, their pack Alpha approached the two as they maintained their weapons.

"You two, at attention!" Gaius barked.

"Sir!" Both siblings responded, standing straight and tall, facing their superior.

"Our pack has been chosen for foraging duty tonight, so I want you two to go out and gather what you can. Scipiona and Brutus have already gone ahead, so get to it!"

"Yes, sir!" The two replied, saluting before they put their armor on and delved into the forest. Foraging parties always consisted of two. Several packs would be selected to go forage. While nothing particularly special happened on most forays, it was always warned that the party should retreat to camp should they become overwhelmed by Grimm, which would sometimes wait in ambush.

"It has been a while since we've been tasked with foraging," Romulus observed, pushing a tree branch out of his way. He paused every now and again to sniff the air, hoping to catch the scent of berries or fruits.

"It has!" Aurelia agreed. "But I think it's fun. It's a chance for us to break from routine and do something different, isn't it?" Romulus grunted in reply. He had noticed his sister saying more and more things that entertained her outside of The Legion. Furthermore, she had gotten a little more information about one of the kingdoms, Vale. Apparently they had one of the best fighter schools, called Beacon Academy. Romulus laughed for a moment when he tried to picture the Wall-dweller idea of a "Good fighter". What did they know of fighting?

"Either way," Romulus began, refocusing himself. "Let's just get done as quickly as possible. I can't have Brutus showing me up, now can I?"

"I can't believe you two," Aurelia laughed. "You even crafted him a knife, and yet you still bicker and fight like pups."

"It'd be fine if he wouldn't always start the fights…" Romulus muttered, earning himself a cold stare from Aurelia. That was the thing about wolf-like ears… they came with wolf-like hearing. With Romulus giving his sister an apologetic grin, the twins fell into silence as they rummaged around the forest for anything edible.

While kneeling down by a patch of mushrooms, Romulus began to feel something. It was a slight tingle on the back of his neck, and it wouldn't go away. They were being watched.

"Sister!" Romulus hissed, making Aurelia nod.

"I can smell them," Aurelia whispered. "Beowulfs." Closing his eyes, Romulus listened closely. He could hear slight shuffling of leaves as the Grimm tried to stay quiet.

"I can count at least a dozen, likely more," Romulus said.

"We fight back to back, agreed?" Aurelia whispered, slowly bring her right hand to grab her sword.

"Right… Activate Wolf Pack on my mark," Romulus replied, grabbing his own sword and taking a deep breath. "3…2…1…"

The Grimm all broke their cover, snarling and roaring as the whole pack rushed the two siblings. There were more than Romulus predicted, numbering at least two dozen.

"MARK!" Romulus shouted, feeling his heart rate double and his sword burst to life as he slashed the nearest Grimm, relieving its shoulders the burden of carrying its ugly head around. Behind him, Aurelia snarled as she attacked the Grimm before her, catching them by surprise. Clearly, they expected the two to act defensively. In kind, Romulus launched himself into the fray, feeling himself begin to smile as Adrenaline rushed into his veins.

The two made an art form of the killing art, blocking, stabbing, and switching with one another as they danced death around their attackers. Grimm fell in pairs, as the twins made short work of the monsters. Within minutes, two dozen Beowulfs lay lifeless at their feet. Panting, the Lycanus twins used their eyes and ears to scan for more enemies. After a minute of nothing, all seemed well.

"HAR HAR HAR!" Romulus laughed. "Did those Grimm seriously think themselves a match for us?"

"I agree," Aurelia muttered, frowning to herself. "That attack made no sense… it was almost suicidal in nature."

"Why would they attack, then?" Romulus asked, wondering where Aurelia was going with her remark.

"It was almost like—"

GRRRRROOOOOAAAAAH!

Before the two could react, a massive Beowulf emerged from the forest, pushing trees aside as if mere toothpicks. Thrice the size of a normal Beowulf, this one was truly menacing. With fangs as large as an arm, claws as thick as trees, and eyes the deep shade of blood, most warriors would wet themselves at the mere sight of such a creature. Rather than immediately attack, however, the creature slowly began circling the two, growling and baring its fangs.

"This was planned," Aurelia said, finishing her previous thought. She had her sword out again, and the glow of both the runes and her eyes signaled that her Semblance was very much active. Likewise, Romulus emulated his sister, but he copied the Grimm as well. Growling and baring his fangs, Romulus sent the monster a clear message. He wouldn't go down without a fight.

"How the hell did this monster sneak up on us?" Romulus growled, never letting his gaze slip from the Grimm's face.

"No clue…" Aurelia replied.

The circling went on for several minutes. Clearly, this was an experienced Grimm. It showed obvious caution, and was clearly sizing the two up, debating which one to attack first. Meanwhile, Romulus and Aurelia whispered to one another, planning their attack. The idea was to constantly shift the Grimm's attention from one of them to the other, catching it with attacks when one fighter switched out.

After what felt like an eternity, the Grimm made its move. With a deafening roar, it lunged straight at Romulus. Rolling beneath the strike, Romulus slashed with his sword, only to have the Grimm counter with claws. Smirking, Romulus's expression changed as the monster not only threw him backwards with sheer force, but caught his sister on a backswing, sending her flying. Thankfully, the two twins landed mostly unharmed, thanks to their Aura.

Seeing the Grimm's back, Romulus raised his shield and fired a javelin, only to stare in awe as it bounced off of the Grimm's fur, which was somehow acting as a form of armor. Giving him a mere glance, the beast roared again and charged towards Aurelia, with Romulus in pursuit. Raising a massive paw, the Grimm slashed at Aurelia and cleaved through a tree, missing the faunus by mere inches as she used her immense speed to dodge.

Taking his chance, Romulus leapt at the Grimm's back, leveling his sword at eye height. He landed on the Grimm's back and plunged through the monster's fur, drawing the Grimm equivalent of blood and scorching the Grimm's inside. The behemoth roared in rage and began bucking, hoping to throw Romulus off. Only able to hold on for a short time, Romulus pulled his sword free and landed beside his sister, grinning to himself.

"Good, it bleeds," Romulus said, eagerly swishing his tail back and forth as he regained his stamina. "That means we can kill it."

"Just be careful," Aurelia warned. "This Grimm didn't get this powerful for nothing."

"Right." Rearing back, the monster made to roar again. However, rather than the usual noise, this roar was different. The pitch was incomprehensible to normal human ears, due to its high pitch. However, the wolf ears of the twins worked against them as a painful ringing sound tore its way into their heads, making them reflexively reach up and yowl in pain as they sunk to their knees. The Grimm took advantage of this weakness and charged. Before he could recover, Romulus was smashed aside and slammed into a tree.

His vision going fuzzy, Romulus could barely make out his sister fighting the monster alone. She wasn't faring well. Thankfully, she wasn't as weak to noise as he was, and was able to at least dodge the monster's attacks. However, she didn't land a single strike of her own. Romulus began to raise himself to help, only to hiss as pain shot up his left arm. Looking at it, Romulus saw blood soaking into his town up sleeve. So… this monster had managed to break through his aura on one massive attack… impressive.

Aurelia, dodging the attacks like a trained professional, tried to make her way over to her brother. Despite her efforts, the Grimm was intent on keeping the two apart. Clever, for a stupid beast. However, Romulus smiled to himself and he clenched his teeth and stood up, ignoring the pain through sheer force of will. Raising his shield, Romulus fired his chained javelin at the Beowulf. Rather than merely let the attack bounce off, the Grimm instead turned around and caught the javelin, yanking on the chain and pulling Romulus close.

However, this was exactly as Romulus had planned. Readying his sword, Romulus flew towards the Grimm at blinding speeds. As the Grimm made to slash with its free hand, Romulus used his Ignis to cut a flaming path through the monsters hand. Turning in midair, Romulus then embedded the sword into the Grimm's right eye, making it roar and howl in pain. It made to claw at him, but Romulus fell from his temporary perch, rolling as he hit the ground, only to be reminded of his aching arm once more. Taking the moment, Aurelia regrouped with her brother.

"Are you alright?" she asked.

"I can't much use my left arm," Romulus replied, raising his shield level with the ground, and even then gritting his teeth as his arm protested the movement. A moment of silence would have passed, were it not for the Grimm howling in pain.

"Go get reinforcements," Aurelia said, making Romulus shoot her a questioning look.

"And let you fight this thing by yourself?! No way in hell!"

"Romulus!" Aurelia roared, getting angry. "You're in no condition to fight without your other arm, and you saw me earlier. I can dodge this thing's attacks, and you definitely weakened it. I'll be fine if you hurry."

"But—" Romulus protested.

"GO! NOW!" Aurelia roared. The Grimm had ceased its howling and, after a growl, charged the two again, clearly enraged. However, its right hand was hanging uselessly at its side, having been cut down the middle by Romulus. Growling, Romulus turned his back and ran into the forest, hearing Aurelia engage the beast as he did so.

"You better not die, damn you!" Romulus thought, glancing back for a moment as he raced through the forest as fast as his Semblance would allow. However, as the distance between him and Aurelia increased, he could feel it wearing off, and his speed suffered as a result. After racing for what felt like years, Romulus finally met a comrade. However, he nearly groaned as it turned out to be Brutus. Oddly, Scipiona wasn't with him.

"Brutus!" Romulus called, running closer. "I need you to follow me! Aurelia needs backup!"

"Did you two find what made that awful screeching sound?" Brutus asked, flattening his ears as he remembered the sound. Romulus couldn't help but mirror the action.

"Yes, and she's fighting it as we speak!" Romulus replied. "She sent me to request reinforcements, so come on!" With a nod, Brutus began following behind Romulus, which slightly surprised the warrior. With how much the two fought, he was a little amazed that his half-brother agreed to help. Then again, this was for the sake of a pack mate, which was something that any Legion member would do.

Racing back, Romulus could make out the sounds of battle, and his heart soared. Fighting meant that Aurelia was alive! Bursting back into the clearing, Romulus' mood was quickly crushed as he saw the monster smash Aurelia against a tree. She slumped over, not even raising her head to face her foe.

"Aurelia!" Romulus cried, running ahead. Brutus was beside him, eye and sword aglow as he embraced Wolf Pack. The two charged towards the Grimm, which had several smoldering scars from Aurelia's attacks. Dodging the swipe, Romulus stabbed and hacked at the Grimm, making it pull back. Brutus, to his credit, did very well. Copying Romulus' earlier attack, Brutus leapt onto the monster's back and began viciously stabbing it in the back, letting the fire dust in his sword to the work it needed to.

The Grimm reared back to roar, and Romulus made his move. Raising his arm, despite his body's protest, Romulus shot his chain javelin into the Grimm's neck, and pulled himself towards the vital area. As he met the Grimm, Romulus began stabbing, cutting, and slashing in any way he could to kill the Grimm, roaring the whole while he did so. This monster would pay for hurting his sister!

Finally, the fight fled from the creature, and it began toppling backwards. Rolling off, Romulus couldn't help but smile to himself for a moment as he saw the Beowulf he had ever seen fall over dead, all thanks to him and his sister… and Brutus. Gasping, Romulus whipped his head to look at his sister, who still hadn't raised her head.

"Aurelia!" Romulus cried, sheathing his sword and running over to his sister, kneeling down beside her. "Aurelia, answer me!" Romulus felt his heart sink as he noticed the thin trail of blood leaking from Aurelia's mouth. She was in very bad shape. However, he had a ray of hope as she began coughing, signaling that she was, at the very least, alive!

"*cough cough*… Romulus?" Aurelia wheezed, making Romulus wince. Her voice was very weak, and it sounded like it hurt her to even speak.

"shhh shhh shhh," Romulus insisted. "Don't talk. I'll get you back to camp, and you'll be alright. We did it, sis. The beast is dead. Let the medic take care of the rest." Romulus placed n arm around his sister to raise her, only to have her cry out as he tried to lift her, causing him to immediately release his grip. Despite obviously being in pain, Aurelia chuckled a little.

"That's… not… going to… happen," Aurelia whispered, panting as she did so. Slowly, ever so slowly, she opened one of her eyes and focused on her brother. A smile crept along her face, highlighting her features as it did so, despite her injuries. Raising a hand, Aurelia used one of her fingers to motion Romulus closer.

As slow as every other movement, Aurelia removed the ring that Romulus had given her and placed it into his hand, cupping it shut as she did so.

"Sister… what are you doing?" Romulus asked, beginning to feel crushed. He had a feeling that he knew what it meant, and yet he rejected the thought.

"Please…. Keep this…. With you…" Aurelia wheezed. "Remember me…. Always…"

"W-what are you talking about, Aurelia?" Romulus asked, blinking the damned tears that dare escape his eyes. "You're just fine! The Grimm's dead, and we can go back to The Legion now." Panicking, Romulus looked to his half-brother for support. "She's going to be fine, right Brutus?" Meeting his brother's gaze for a moment, the red haired faunus slowly shook his head. Baring his fangs at his brother's foolishness, Romulus snapped his attention back to his sister, who had not closed her eyes again. Her breathing was growing quieter as well.

"SIS!" Romulus roared, gently taking hold of his sister. "Don't you die on me! I… I'll go get a medic instead! He'll fix you, okay! Just stay alive until then!" A moment of silence fell as Romulus futilely fought the tears that now streamed down his face. However, Aurelia once again spoke.

"I… love you… Romulus…" she said, barely audible, even to his enhanced hearing. "Please… see the kingdom… for me… okay?"

"No… we'll go together, sis!" Romulus argued. "We'll go see it together! All you need to do is hold on, okay?" Another minute of silence fell. But this time, Aurelia said nothing. Romulus couldn't even hear her breathing anymore. Placing a shaky finger on her neck, Romulus didn't believe his own senses when he felt no pulse. Gripping his sister again, Romulus gently shook her, openly weeping as he did so.

"Aurelia!"

"AURELIA!"

"AURELIIIIIIAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

(…)

Aurelia's funeral was a somber event, to put it gently. After singing the farewell chant in the ancient language of The Legion, Romulus lit the funeral pyre that his sister was laid atop of. Watching silently as his sister's spirit went to the moon, Romulus thumbed the golden ring he now wore and wept. One by one, the funeral goers left, telling Romulus how proud he should be, having a hero of a sister like he did... or now… had. However, much to his surprise, Romulus was called into the Imperator's tent the night of the funeral.

Passing by the guards, Romulus stood at attention as the Imperator stood, facing the back of the tent, arms folded behind his back. Imperator Augustus made for an imposing figure, even from behind. His black hair, despite the streaks of gray, was well groomed. His build and stance displayed an aura of power that could not be ignored, even by a fool. Finally, after an eternity of silence, the gruff, commanding voice of the Imperator broke the silence.

"Put your sword on my desk, boy."

"Yes, sir," Romulus replied, doing so without question. Putting his sword down on the desk in the middle of the tent, Romulus stood at attention again as the Imperator turned around and looked at his sword. If this was an inspection, Romulus had no reason to worry. Few soldiers took better care of their equipment. However, Romulus was most certainly NOT expecting the Imperator to draw his sword, only to smash the flat of the blade against the desk, shattering it to pieces.

"Do you know why I called you in here, boy?" Augustus asked, spitting out the term "boy" with obvious disgust.

"Sir, no sir," Romulus replied, getting another sinking feeling in his chest. However, before he could react, Romulus heard the tent flaps open and someone kick the back of his knees, causing him to sink to the ground. Before he could fight back, Romulus' head was pressed to the ground by a firm boot.

"Romulus Lycanus…" The Imperator began. "Due to your cowardice… your sister now lies dead. How do you plead?"

Knocked senseless for a moment, Romulus almost couldn't believe what he was hearing. However, he said his piece and explained what had happened. "She told me to find, help, sir!" Romulus argued. Slowly, meticulously, the imperator walked around his desk, careful to step on every shard of Ignis. Kneeling down, Augustus looked down at Romulus with fierce eyes.

"Do you think you can lie to me?" He asked, far too calmly for the rage in his eyes. Then he raised his voice. "We have a witness who claims to have seen you in hysterics, running for your life to find help!"

"And who is this person?!" Romulus demanded, immediately regretting yelling at the Imperator. Slowly, Augustus stood up, obviously motioning for whoever's boot was holding Romulus down to lift it. Standing, Romulus turned around to see the last person he expected to see…

Brutus.

"YOU!" Romulus shouted, taking a step towards Brutus. However, he was stopped as the two tent guards stepped closer, daring Romulus to make a move with their challenging gazes.

"It's true, Imperator," Brutus said. "He came to me in tears, clutching his bleeding arm and begging me to go save his sister. Apparently, the Grimm had caught them off guard and the little shit ran while his sister held the monster back."

"LIES!" Romulus shouted. "She ordered me to seek help, since she held the Beowulf off before and I had weakened it at the time! You even saw me kill it, Brutus!" Blinking in surprise, the Imperator shifted his gaze to Brutus, who looked as haughty as ever.

"If I recall correctly, I'm the one who killed it. You ran to your sister, while I launched a javelin into the beast's neck. Pulling myself close, I stabbed it until it could fight no longer."

"YOU LYING SACK OF—" Romulus began, only being cut off as one of the tent guards dashed forward and knocked Romulus off his feet with a punch. Slowly rising to his feet, Romulus could hear his teeth strain as he clenched him. Growling as fiercely as he could, Romulus made sure that Brutus knew that he was a dead man.

"As it stands," Augustus began, making Romulus silence himself. "I hereby judge you, Romulus Lycanus, guilty of desertion." Several feelings shot through Romulus at once; confusion, despair, betrayal, and rage. "By my authority as Imperator, I strip you of your rank, and deem you Omega. Unless an Alpha deems you worthy, may you never wear a chest piece again, and may you find honor in redeeming yourself by dying alone on the field of battle. You will never again fight beside your pack, and your weapons and arms are now forfeit." On cue, the tent guards walked over and took Romulus' shield.

Romulus made no move to object, despite his body demanding for Brutus' blood. He had been betrayed! Brutus knew he'd never run from a fight, and yet here he stood! As the guards placed his arms and armor in the desk, Romulus looked Brutus and swore a silent vow. Should the chance ever arise, he would kill Brutus. He wouldn't make it quick either… no. Brutus deserved to suffer… and suffer he would.

"Romulus?" Imperator Augustus asked.

"Yes, sir?" Romulus replied with what little dignity he could muster. The shock of becoming an Omega was just starting to hit him. Normally, Omegas were the honorably discharged, and were the ones who ran the day-to-day tasks. However, to be branded with the rank…. There was no greater shame.

"I understand you have been smithing in your time. That is your new use to The Legion. You are to make arms, armor, tools, and utensils that we require. I will hear no objection, and no complaints. Is that clear?"

"Yes sir…" Romulus replied, feeling his ears and tail droop. Now, above everything else, Romulus felt shame. He didn't deserve it, he knew that. But the shame hurt all the same.

(…)

The next two and a half years were a living hell for Romulus. Despite becoming an expert blacksmith, facing ridicule, near exile, and shame took their toll on the young man. He became not a faunus of flesh and blood… but one of iron and steel. He blocked all outside relationships with people. If anyone was to ever earn his trust again, they would have to prove it. Furthermore, Romulus swore another oath. No woman would ever get close to him again. He… he couldn't deal with the pain of losing another Aurelia…

However, the big change came not long after Romulus turned nineteen. He was fixing the chest piece of his old alpha when he caught wind of the news. Brutus was a father… with Scipiona as the mother. Gritting his teeth, Romulus pounded his will into the armor. It was fixed, but his rage was apparent. It looked no different, to the untrained eye. But anger was apparent. This… was when Romulus would take it no longer. Remembering what his sister had once dreamed of, Romulus solidified his resolve. He was going to make a new life in the kingdom of Vale.

Thankfully, Romulus didn't need a plan. He had learned more of the fighting academy, Beacon. From what he had learned, most students were only accepted if they submitted paperwork from previous schools and they were deemed "worthy". However, in some cases, students from outside the walls were sometimes accepted if they could pass a test. Resolving to enter the academy, Romulus made the last step. Approaching the Imperator's tent, Romulus' way was instantly blocked.

"What do you want, Omega?" One guard asked.

"The Imperator is busy! Be off elsewhere!" The other guard added. They both bared their fangs at Romulus, but he never felt his resolve shaken. The worst they could do at this point was kill him… and even that would practically be a kindness at this point.

"He may enter," Augustus' voice commanded, making the guards hesitantly lower their weapons. Romulus walked past the growling guards and once again entered the Imperator's tent. Imperator Augustus was busy looking at a map, obviously planning out The Legion's path for the year. "What do you want, Romulus?"

Shocked upon actually hearing name for once, Romulus cleared his throat before speaking.

"Sir… I wish to leave The Legion." Augustus actually stopped and looked up at this point, an oddly quizzical look on his face. "It was… it was Aurelia's dream to see the kingdoms, and I can see why. I still believe my punishment unjust, and would like the chance to prove myself." Imperator Augustus walked around his desk and stood in front of Romulus, towering over the young man. A minute felt like forever as he simply stared at Romulus, who stared fiercely back.

"Permission granted," Augustus said, nearly shocking Romulus off his feet.

"Sir?" Romulus asked, wondering for a moment if the Imperator was merely toying with him. Rather than answering, the Imperator merely opened his desk and pulled out two things. The first was a sword, looking exactly as Ignis once did. The next was a gauntlet with a golden circle in it, which Romulus recognized. That was the shield given to Omegas. It, unlike the standard shields, was meant for one on one combat. Furthermore, from what Romulus could tell, the sword was not infused with fire dust.

"These are your new weapons," The Imperator said, gesturing to the sword. "This sword is named Jiat. Its meaning has been lost to us, and it now is nothing. Let it remind you of what you now are. However… may it also remind you of how much you may achieve. The shield is named Clypeus. It will be your defensive tool. Before leaving, you may have a small amount of food, Lien, metal, and dust. Do with them what you will. You have 24 hours to leave camp." At that, the Imperator returned to his map, saying nothing else.

"Thank you, sir!" Romulus said, taking his new weapons. Leaving the tent, Romulus got busy. Using the forge all night, Romulus made what he could. Rather than complex armor, Romulus simply made segmented armor for his arm. Using his dust supply, Romulus went through the complex process of infusing his blade with the fire dust. After several strenuous hours, he was done. Using what little time he had left, Romulus slept and dreamed, for once, of a better future.

(…)

Watching Romulus leave his tent, Augustus couldn't help but smile to himself. Finally, the next step was coming forward. He had known about Romulus' case, of course. And he knew that Romulus was innocent. However, he also knew that Romulus and Aurelia were planning on leaving to join one of the kingdoms. Despite his loyalty, Augustus always had the best interests of his soldiers in mind. He had seen Romulus on the battlefield. He was a great soldier... one of the best he'd seen.

However, a great soldier wasn't always a great person. Augustus saw much more potential in Romulus. So, he went along with the obvious farce that Brutus had concocted. Augustus would always be eternally sorry to Romulus for putting him through the trials of being banded an Omega, but it was needed. It was a tough world out there, and Romulus needed to be tough for the road ahead. Sadly, the last phase was in a random stranger's hands. Whoever Romulus met, Augustus hoped, would be able to reopen the young soldier's heart, and make him able to trust people again. Seeing no further point in thinking about it, Augustus returned to his maps.

(…)

When morning came, Romulus was given his final baggage. It was called as such because it was believed that these were the last belongings Romulus would own, due to dying on his way to wherever he was going. In the bag was a decent supply of money, three day's worth of food, and some weapons and armor maintenance equipment. Anything else, he would have to get himself.

Leaving at Dawn, Romulus strode into the forest and never looked back. What followed was one of the most taxing journeys he had ever faced. Forced to forage for food, sleep without shelter, and fight any Grimm alone, Romulus began to feel the toll. However, he was always driven onward by the same feeling. He had a future again, and it was his sister's dream. Together… they would make it to Vale.

The trip started out quite well. Romulus manages to hunt a wild boar, and used its meat to stock his reserves. Not too many days later, he ran into a small human village. The Legion, quite rarely, encountered humans from time to time. Despite not interacting much, there were a few occasions where individual packs would be sent to act as bodyguards. The humans usually gave food or supplies as thanks, but some insisted on handing the packs what they called "Lien". Using some of his Lien, Romulus wondered if that's where his particular bit of currency had come from. After leaving the village after a night's rest, Romulus was in high spirits!

However, Romulus faced a great hurdle in his quest. After spending a sleepless night in a tree during a rainstorm, Romulus began to feel strange. How joints ached, his eyesight was not what it used to be, and everything was warm. But… he would not be stopped now! Before the storm had hit, he had seen the walls of Vale, and he could easily reach them by nightfall! After a grueling day of travel, night finally fell… and Romulus trudged on. His food reserve was completely exhausted, as was his body. Only through sheer force of will did he manage to put one foot in front of the other.

Slowly, eventually, the wall of Vale came into view. Somehow able to pick up his pace, Romulus bid the gate guards good welcome and was granted permission to enter the city. Walking around, he was elated! However, the feeling didn't last. Starved, dehydrated, and completely spent, Romulus could only manage a few more steps down whatever street he was on before collapsing. As his vision faded, he gave one last look at his ring and smiled. A figure could be seen approaching him, but Romulus paid it no mind. His focus was completely gone now, as were his cares.

"At least… we made it…. Aurelia….."

(…)

Romulus awoke to hearing a voice. It was a girls voice. Gentle, caring, and sweet were the only things that could describe its tone. Furthermore, Romulus could detect the faint smell of strawberries, for some reason. Opening his eyes, Romulus was greeted by the fuzzy shape of a human.

"Aurelia?" Romulus whispered, his voice cracking.

"You're awake?" The girl asked, sounding relieved. The figure then rose and made to leave the room. "Father! Father! He's awake! Father!" She then left, leaving Romulus alone in… wherever he was. Blinking several times, Romulus slowly but surely cleared his blurry vision. Once cleared, Romulus took in his surroundings.

He was in a house; that much was clear. He had heard of these from Aurelia. Rather than being torn down, houses were built on one spot and then stayed there. Furthermore, the room he was in was very… pink. Pink walls, a pink ceiling, pink "curtains" and a pink bed only made up a part of it. Beside the bed he was laying in, Romulus saw a desk with a mirror, a closet, and not much else. Then the panic set in.

Where was he!? Throwing the blanket off, Romulus made to leave the room, only to collapse as he left the bed. Just as he did, the girl returned with, presumably, her father.

"Are you alright?" The girl asked, rushing over to Romulus. However, rather than let her help, Romulus glared and growled at the girl, making her retreat.

"Where am I?" Romulus demanded, still glaring at the girl, who he could finally see. She was a young girl, about his age. She looked decently tall, but pretty frail in her build. Her hair was pink, and tied into one, long ponytail, and her Sapphire eyes were looking back at Romulus full of concern.

"You're in my daughter's room, young man," The father answered, drawing Romulus' attention. The father was quite an older gentleman, having about as much gray hair as Imperator Augustus. However, this man was much fatter. Furthermore, despite his tone, the man didn't have the same aura of command that Augustus did. Then again… few could manage that. "And I expect you to be more kind to the one who saved your life."

"What do you mean?" Romulus asked, slowly rising to his feet. Again, the girl made to help only to stop at a sharp stare from Romulus. Finally noticing, Romulus felt by his waist and on his wrist. "And where are my weapons?!"

"They're in my shop," The man replied. "And you won't be going anywhere like that, son." Romulus felt himself tense up as he imagined several ways to either barge past this man, disable him, or kill him outright to retrieve his weapons. After several moments, the girl finally spoke.

"Are… are you okay?" The girl asked, seeming to struggle to talk to Romulus. "I found you passed out in the street… and you were running a high fever. So I dragged you back to my father's Dust shop." Romulus blinked in surprise upon hearing this. This frail little girl had managed to drag him? Perhaps she was stronger than she looked…

"Right you are, my dear Olivia," The man said, placing a hand on his daughter's shoulder and giving her a proud smile. Then he returned his gaze to Romulus, but he seemed more relaxed. "Where are you from, son?"

"I'm… from outside the wall," Romulus replied, careful of his wording. He wouldn't tell some stranger where he was from, that was for damn sure! "I'm hoping to attend Beacon Academy."

"HAR! Well… it looks like you picked a good time to come to Vale, then. They won't be taking applications for another week, and you're not going anywhere in your condition. By the way… what's your name, son?"

"My name is Romulus… Romulus Lycanus," Romulus replied stiffly. The man seemed much more kind now, for some reason. But before he could think more about it, the girl had stepped closer.

"My name's Olivia Sakura!" She said, getting close to Romulus. Feeling his chest tighten, Romulus took a step backward, only to stumble. Before he could object, Olivia had rushed towards him and caught him. Suddenly becoming nervous, Romulus wriggled free only to stumble toward the bed. Finally having enough, Romulus sat down on the mattress, taking several breaths to calm himself down. Once again, Olivia's eyes were full of concern. Unable to meet her gaze, Romulus merely looked away.

"May I have the whole story, please?" Romulus asked, using what his sister had described as "politeness".

"Of how you got here? Of course," The man replied, leaving the room for a moment and returning with a chair. "The name's Tony, by the way. Tony Sakura. Anyways, my daughter found you collapsed in the street, running a high fever. She had been out shopping for groceries at the time, so you're lucky she found ya. Moving on, after findin' ya, she dragged you to my shop, which happened to be close by. After explaining to me how she found you, she ran to the doctor's office as fast as she could."

"Why did she need a doctor?" Romulus asked, making Olivia step closer again. He shot her a look, telling her not to come any closer, and she thankfully got the message.

"You had a fever, son… and a pretty nasty one at that," Olivia's father replied, making Romulus nod in response. It was likely that night he had been caught in the rainstorm. Rethinking it… he now owed these people a debt. They had saved him, and even gotten medicine for him. Rising again, Romulus bowed his head.

"You have my thanks for saving me," Romulus said. "If there is any way I can pay you back, I will. I have money, but not much. Otherwise… I am skilled at smithing, should that interest you."

"Smithing, eh?" The man mused, getting a suspicious glint in his eye. "Well… I COULD use a new chandelier for the—"

"Father!" Olivia objected, making the man laugh.

"Aw, I was kiddin' dear, honest! I couldn't take advantage of the poor kid!" the man cut off as he howled in laughter, making Romulus and Olivia exchange an awkward glance. However, Romulus couldn't help but smile a bit. The exchange reminded him of his little spats with Aurelia. Just as the man stopped laughing, there was a rather loud knock from the other room, which Romulus assumed was the man's shop. For some reason, the man's face lost all light it just had and grew worrisome.

"They're here already?" Olivia asked. "But they said we had until the end of the week to get the money!"

"Relax, Pumpkin'," the father assured, rising from his chair. "I'll handle this." Leaving the room, Olivia's father went to talk to whoever was knocking at the shop's door. Getting nervous, Olivia paced for a moment before, likely without realizing it, sat down next to Romulus. For some reason, her presence didn't bother Romulus this time, likely because she wasn't focused on him. However, thanks to his superb hearing, Romulus listened in on the exchange between Olivia's father and his guest.

"What do you White Fang thugs want?"

"We're just here to give… a warning," The thug replied.

"I told you that I'd have the money for you by the end of the week! Now get outta my shop! It's bad for business to see your types walkin' around!"

"Bad for business, am I? Well… how's THIS for business!" Footsteps could be heard, followed by a crashing sound. "Now remember, have that money, or else!" His point said, the presumed "White Fang" member made his leave, howling with laughter. Olivia's father could be heard cleaning up the mess as well, muttering something. Desiring answers, Romulus looked to Olivia.

"Who was that?"

"He's a no good, dirty, rotten thug from the White Fang!" She replied with a surprising amount of energy. "They've been harassing my father's shop for weeks now, and they're ruining our business! They keep demanding 'protection money', but they're the ones who damage our shop!"

"Why don't you use force to make them leave, then?" Romulus asked.

"I wish I could," Olivia muttered. "But Father won't let me fight them, especially after mother passed away two years ago. He's overly protective of me…" Suddenly, Olivia's eyes shot up to meet those of Romulus. She was on the verge of tears. "But I want to help! If I don't do anything… Our business will….. we'll…"

"Leave it to me," Romulus replied, making Olivia blink in surprise. "I'll take care of them once I get better. So don't worry about it, and we'll call our debt even. Does that sound lik—AUGH!" Romulus suddenly got cut off as Olivia wrapped her arms around him and wrapped him in a hug, which made the room suddenly get warm for whatever reason. He tried to voice his protest… but his voice suddenly abandoned ship, leaving the rest of him helpless.

"Oh, thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou~~~" Olivia squealed, squeezing Romulus even tighter. However, she then released him as she must've realized something. "But… how can you fight them alone? They usually come as a group of three when asking for money."

"That's all?" Romulus asked, snapping back to his old self at the mention of a fight. "HA! It'll take about ten times that number to even have a chance of scratching me!" Just as he finished, Olivia's father opened the door, obviously trying to play off the event.

"Sorry about that little interruption, son. Now… back to what we—"

"Father!" Olivia interrupted, snapping to her feet. "Romulus says he'll take care of the White Fang for us! Right, Romulus?"

"Once I get my strength back, sure. That would make our debt even, right?" Romulus raised an eyebrow at Tony, awaiting an answer.

"No," Tony replied, shocking both Olivia and Romulus into silence.

"B-but… father!" Olivia protested, only to be silenced by one look from Tony.

"Olivia, I told you several times. I'll handle them, and I don't want you to get involved." Tony then turned his gaze to look at Romulus. "That goes for you too, kid. I can't allow a guest to get hurt on my behalf."

"Yes, sir," Romulus stiffly replied, ignoring the pleading look Olivia gave him. If this old fool wanted to defend himself, fine. As far as Romulus cared, this didn't concern him if Tony would refuse his help. Setting his plan in stone, Tony instructed Romulus to continue resting until dinner time which, quite reluctantly, Romulus did.

(…)

Later that evening, Romulus sat at a table with Tony and Olivia for dinner. Rather than the meat he was expecting, Romulus encountered what Olivia called "bread". Picking it up, Romulus took a few tentative sniffs to make sure it was okay. Making his mind up, Romulus took a bite… and experienced a whole new level of deliciousness!

"W-what is this?!" Romulus demanded, showing his half eaten bread slice to Tony.

"HAR HAR HAR! That's bread, son. What, you mean to tell me you ain't had any before?" Tony asked, slapping his knee as he laughed at the question.

"No…" Romulus replied, staring at the half eaten roll in his hands. It was light, yet strangely filling. Its texture was… indescribable. However, one thing was certain: it wasn't meat. Despite that, Romulus couldn't help but wonder. "Where do you get this bread?"

"Why, at the bread store, son," Tony replied, taking a bite of his roll as well.

"But bread is made from growing wheat," Olivia added with a knowledgeable finger. She looked ready to explain more, but Romulus cut in with a question.

"What's wheat?" Olivia and Tony shared a confused glance before they both looked at Romulus again.

"Son… where did you say you were from?" Tony asked, leaning forward slightly.

"Outside the walls," Romulus bluntly replied. They could ask him all they liked… that was the best answer they were getting.

"Well what did ya have to eat then, son?" Tony continued.

"Meat," Romulus answered. "And sometimes wild fruits and vegetables."

"And that's it?" Olivia cut in. Now it was Romulus' turn to give her a confused look.

"Of course. What other kind of food is there?" Tony and Olivia shared a look before Tony leaned forward.

"Son… where did you say you were from again?" Romulus growled for a moment before answering.

"I told you. I'm from outside the walls, and that's all I'm saying!" Nodding, Tony leaned back in his seat before speaking again.

"You wouldn't happen to be from that group that calls themselves 'The Legion', would ya?" Romulus felt his heart stop for a moment before he shot to his feet, staring intently at Tony.

"How do you know of The Legion?!" Romulus demanded.

"Well… heh… there's a funny story 'bout that," Tony began, scratching his head with one finger. "Y'see… I'm from outside the walls too, son."

"You?" Romulus asked, looking Tony up and down. How could this… this… Wall-Dweller have been from outside the walls? He was so… soft. Noticing Romulus' look, Tony laughed.

"Don't you be givin' me any looks, now. I moved here with my mom and pop when I was a boy, see? But I remember one time when I was a lad when you Legion folks strolled through town. The harvest was bad that year, and Grimm had been showin' up more 'cuz of it. Thankfully, you guys fought 'em off for us." Tony paused to lean back and chuckle a bit. "And I'll be struck by a fryin' pan if you guys ain't the best fighters I seen in all my years."

"Well of course!" Romulus boasted, feeling himself grin. "Fighting is what we're born to do!" The faunus would've gone on but, for some reason, Olivia kept looking at him and giggling. "What is it?"

"Oh! I… um… n-nothing… It's just…" Olivia stuttered, shrinking somewhat under Romulus' gaze. "It's just that your tail started swishing back and forth when you talked about your home… and I thought it was kind of cute…"

"Urk…" Romulus grimaced, feeling the room heat up. In all of his time alive, Romulus could not once recall a time when someone described him as "cute". He could only imagine the ribbing Aurelia would've given him for that. Collecting himself after a moment, Romulus cleared his throat and sat down to resume his meal.

"What made you leave, son?"Tony asked after everyone had finished eating.

"That's none of your business…" Romulus growled, biting off a chunk of bread.

"Heh, fair enough…" Tony agreed, returning to washing the dishes. Olivia remained at the table looking slightly uncomfortable. However, something about Romulus seemed to have caught her eye.

"That's a pretty ring you have there!" Olivia said, leaning towards Romulus with a smile. Thankfully, the table prevented her from getting too close, but Romulus gave her a wary glance anyways. "Where did you get it?"

"I made it," Romulus replied, beginning to thumb the ring absentmindedly. "I DID tell you two that I was a smith, did I not?"

"Oh, wow!" Olivia cooed. "I'd love a ring like that someday!"

"Now, now, Pumpkin'. If we let young Romulus here make you a ring, that'd put us in HIS debt," Tony then burst out laughing for a moment before putting the last dish away. After hanging up the towel, he walked up to Romulus and moved to examine the ring. "But, let's see what you—"

"DON'T TOUCH IT!" Romulus roared, springing back from his chair. Baring his fangs at Tony, Romulus released a low growl from his throat as he leveled a glare at the man.

"Easy there, son," Tony replied, raising both of his hands up. "I didn't mean to pry. I just got a little curious, is all."

"Is that ring that important to you?" Olivia asked, finally making Romulus stop growling. However, he simply turned his back on the two.

"I'm done answering your questions," Romulus declared. "But the time is late. Where do you want me to sleep?"

"You could always take my bed again," Olivia offered.

"Then you take my bed, Pumpkin'," Tony said. "I get up first anyways, so I'll sleep on the couch."

"But, Father!" Olivia objected, looking up at Tony. "What about your back?" Slightly curious, Romulus turned to watch the two discuss this new topic.

"D'aw, I'll be fine. One night won't kill me now, will it?" Tony replied, giving Olivia a reassuring grin.

"No, Father!" Olivia argued. "The doctor said you needed room to sleep!" Suddenly, Olivia's face brightened. "Then I'll just sleep on the couch! I'm smaller anyways, so I'll fit better!" Nodding to herself, Olivia suddenly turned from her father and began walking to her room. "That sounds like a good plan, right Father?"

"Heh… if you say so, Pumpkin'…" Tony replied, sighing happily to himself. After watching the girl leave, Romulus merely stood there for a moment, arms crossed, before speaking.

"She cares for you a great deal." Tony merely laughed in response.

"She sure does. My little treasure, she is," Tony agreed. He walked up to stand beside Romulus before continuing. "What about you, son? You got family?"

"Hmpf…" Romulus replied, frowning and looking away which, surprisingly, only made Tony laugh again.

"Ah, that's right. You ain't answerin' and more of my questions now, are ya?" Leaving the room, Tony flicked a switch that suddenly made the room dark. "Welp, goodnight son. You know where your bed is."

(…)

The next morning began for Romulus as he picked up the sound of a click. Flinging himself upright, Romulus saw Olivia apparently sneaking into his room. She seemed to be holding something, but couldn't see what, due to her back being turned.

"What are you doing in here?" Romulus hissed, making Olivia cry out as she whirled around, nearly dropping the tray she held. On it was a plate that had… some things on top, as well as a glass of milk.

"O-oh… uhm… I was bringing your breakfast!" Olivia nervously replied, holding the tray up slightly. Blinking, Romulus leaned forward slightly and took a sniff. The flat discs on the plate smelled like bread, but a little different. However, there was also the scent of something very sweet.

"What are those?" Romulus asked, pointing to the discs.

"Hm? These?" Olivia asked, looking down. "These are pancakes, silly! You've never had them?"

"Pan…cakes?" Romulus mouthed. Frowning, he spoke more. "Isn't it a little early for sweets? Besides that, there's no festival, is there?"

"Heehee!" Olivia giggled, walking over to Romulus and resting the tray on his lap. "No, silly! This is what we sometimes eat for breakfast! Go on, try some!" Looking down at the 'pancakes' Romulus had to resist the urge to dive straight into them. The smell of them reminded him of the honeyed-pork he loved so much! But, now that he got a closer look, Romulus noticed the brown syrupy substance on the pancakes. However, one whiff was all he needed to tell that the "Maple syrup" as Olivia called it was what gave off the sweet aroma.

"I'll try it, then," Romulus said to nobody in particular. Taking his fork, Romulus cut a piece of pancake off and took a bite. What awaited him, much like last night, was a flavor of deliciousness that he had never experienced before! Visibly perking up, Romulus quickly cut off a bigger chunk of pancake and ate it with all due haste, making Olivia giggle. Swallowing, Romulus looked at the girl to see just what was so funny, only to find her looking at his tail again. Forcing it to stop wagging, Romulus huffed as he returned to his breakfast, which still tasted delicious.

"Hey, Romulus?" Olivia began.

"Hm?" Romulus replied, mouth full of pancake.

"Father mentioned you being from 'The Legion'. Uhm… what is that?" Olivia looked quite nervous while asking her question.

"It's my family," Romulus replied, pausing as he caught himself. "It… WAS my family."

"Did something happen?" Olivia asked, leaning forward slightly.

"I was betrayed," Romulus growled. "My own fucking brother lied to our Imperator about my sister and I getting attacked by a Grimm." Baring his teeth, Romulus felt his blood boil at the mere thought of Brutus. "I swear, by the moon, if I ever get my fucking hands on him… I'll….I'll…." Romulus trailed off as, oddly, he began to feel more relieved by something. After a moment, Romulus merely closed his eyes and enjoyed the sensation. It was almost as if Aurelia was there again, scratching behind his ears like he always liked. Snapping his eyes open, Romulus couldn't help but recoil as he saw that not Aurelia, but Olivia was the one scratching him.

"Unhand me, woman!" Romulus yelled, sliding backwards and spilling his glass of milk. Seeing this, Romulus readied himself to rise and get something to clean the mess with, and get away from Olivia. However, Olivia's thought was to grab the glass of milk first. Colliding, Romulus was dazed for a moment before regaining his vision, only to regret ever getting it back. Mere inches from his face was Olivia, face as red as a tomato.

"I… U-uhm…" She stammered, getting redder and redder by the second.

"Well… ain't this an eventful mornin'?" The voice of Tony observed. At the sound, Olivia found some strange source of energy and flung herself away from Romulus, standing straight as she tried to hide her face. For his part, Romulus felt quite flustered as well. His heart was racing, and he was, once again, wondering why in the hells the room was suddenly hot again. Laughing it off, Tony spoke once more.

"It's almost time to open the store, Pumpkin'. Mind cleanin' that up and lettin young Romulus here get back to rest?" Before Olivia could reply, Romulus cut in.

"I feel just fine." Standing up to prove his point, Romulus got up and stretched his stiff muscles. Tony seemed almost convinced until Romulus got to one muscle that was still achy and grimaced a little as he stretched it.

"Nice try, son, but you need to rest. Don't worry, you can start repayin' your debt to me tomorrow. Come on, Pumpkin'." With a beckoning wave, Tony left the room.

"R-right!" Olivia replied, giving Romulus one last look before leaving the room. Sighing, Romulus sat down and finished his breakfast. That done, Romulus' day consisted of napping, exercising what he could, and listening to Olivia's stories.

Surprisingly, Olivia had several stories to share regarding her live as a student at some place called Signal Academy. Apparently this was a place where young Wall-Dwellers went to learn how they fought Grimm. However, what came off as surprising was the thought of Olivia fighting. Looking at her, Romulus just couldn't see it.

"What was your weapon of choice?" Romulus asked, cutting Olivia off on some story or other.

"Hm? Oh! I'm an archer!" Olivia replied. "I'm pretty good at handling dust, so I put some into my arrows so I can use them for all sorts of things on the field!" Looking at the girl, Romulus gazed into her eyes to check something. Once he focused, he twitched his ear slightly, making Olivia ever so slightly glance at his ear before returning the faunus' look. Satisfied, Romulus leaned back with a toothy grin.

"You have pretty good eyes," Romulus noted. "We should have a spar once I'm well enough to fight."

"Oh! Um… no thanks!" Olivia hastily replied, making Romulus raise an eyebrow. Obviously noticing, Olivia explained herself. "I'm not a very good fighter by myself. I was never very good at close quarters fighting… which you seem like you'd be pretty good at."

"HAR! You got that right!" Romulus laughed. However, something began bothering the young man. Looking back at Olivia, Romulus voiced his concern. "Listen, Olivia… would you mind telling me some general information about the world within the walls? I need as much as I can get before I apply to Beacon."

"S-sure," Olivia replied, blinking upon hearing the sudden request. At that, Olivia began teaching Romulus some basics of life within the cities. He learned of shops and electricity and school and customs. Finding much of it quite odd, Romulus listened regardless. Some of it he remembered hearing from Aurelia, but all intel was good intel as far as he was concerned. Another night passed into morning as Romulus woke himself this time. The day proceeded as the previous one, with Romulus training as he could and taking lessons from Olivia when she had free time. Despite working in a shop, she seemed to be open more often than not.

However, the new event happened after dinner that evening. After enjoying what Tony called a "burger" Romulus was ready to retire for the night when Olivia voiced a concern.

"Father, we're running low on some things in the refrigerator!" Olivia said. "I'll run to the store and restock some things!" Olivia got no further than out of her chair before Tony interjected.

"Hold it, young lady! I don't want you going out this late at night, not with those White Fang crooks running around." Pausing to glance outside, Tony sighed before continuing. "I dunno if they'd try somethin' to extort more money out of us."

"Oh… yes… you're right, Father," Olivia hesitantly replied, sounding obviously downtrodden.

"I could escort her," Romulus cut in, making the two Sakuras look at him. Unfazed, Romulus continued. "I'm getting a little uncomfortable just sitting here, anyways. Plus, Olivia could show me around a little."

"Don't talk nonsense now, son. It's too dark out there!" Tony argued, pointing outside where, indeed, the sun had set. However, right as Tony looked back at Romulus, he realized the stupidity of what he just said as Romulus merely raised a scrutinizing eyebrow at him. Slouching back, Tony muttered in complaint. "Right…. You're a faunus…"

"Well it looks like everything's just fine, then!" Olivia said, clasping her hands together and smiling. Motioning for Romulus to follow, Olivia left the room. However, Romulus wasn't done talking to Tony.

"Olivia should bring her weapon along," Romulus said, shocking Tony into silence. "I want my weapons back as well."

"Now you just hold on a minute!" Tony roared, rising to his feet. "Just what makes you think that I'll get my daughter involved in this violent little world of yours, kid? Besides that, what makes you think I'd trust my pride and joy around some stranger!?"

"Danger will find her, one way or another," Romulus said matter-of-factly. "You need to face facts, Tony… you won't always be there to protect her."

"I'll be there to protect her!" Tony argued, making Romulus growl and slam his hands down on the table.

"Idiot! Just listen to yourself!" Tony recoiled slightly at the intensity of Romulus' words. Sighing to calm himself, Romulus continued. "You're old, Tony. If things run their natural course, you'll die before Olivia does. What would you have her do, then? Will you simply leave her to be pushed around by street thugs like you? She needs to learn how to defend herself."

"And just what do you know, boy?" Tony roared, getting right into Romulus' face. Baring his fangs, Romulus stood his ground. He could practically taste the anger in Tony's voice, but he also heard something else: desperation. Remembering what Olivia had told him, Romulus continued his point.

"You lost your wife to disease, did you not?"

"And what business of that is yours?" Tony angrily replied.

"You're doing the same thing to Olivia," Romulus replied, making Tony blink in surprise and step backwards. "Your coddling of her is killing her, whether you mean it or not. You can think yourself as safe as you like in these walls of yours, but it's all a lie. Thugs like those 'White Fang' bastards are a disease, and by not training Olivia, you're exposing her to them." Romulus paused to point at Tony's face. "You're killing your own daughter!" Stepping back, almost as if punched, Tony slumped back into his chair and ran both fingers through his hair, looking down at the floor. About a minute passed while nothing happened. However, Romulus soon heard the sounds of the man sniffling, trying to stop the tears from flowing down his face.

"You're right, son…" Tony mumbled. "By everything I hold dear… you're right." Finally looking up, Tony's red, puffy eyes met the golden ones of Romulus. "I just… couldn't imagine her getting hurt after what happened to Mary."

"You're wife?" Romulus asked, leaning back against the far wall.

"She was such a kindhearted woman," Tony continued, ignoring Romulus' question entirely. But when she fell ill… there wasn't nothin' I could do. Then, when she passed, I could only see the same kind of fate happenin' to my little girl too. So… I made myself her defender." Smirking halfheartedly, Tony continued. "I'd never a thought that I was only succeeding in cutting her off from the world, not protecting her from it."

"Sometimes all we need is a solid punch in the face," Romulus said, making Tony chuckle a little and lift his head.

"Heh… that's funny, son. Who told you that one?"

"My sire," Romulus replied with a fond smile. "Right before he punched me in the face for not cleaning my armor."

"An indirect message from one father to another, eh?" Tony mused. After a second, he rose from his seat and unlocked a cabinet. Taking Jiat and Clypeus out, Tony laid them out on the table and sat down while Romulus equipped his weapons. As Romulus made it to the doorway, he looked at Tony again.

"I'll be sending Olivia in here to get her weapon as well. Don't worry, I'll protect her as best I can. A pup doesn't learn to swim if you merely kick it into a river after all."

"That another lesson from your sire?" Tony laughed. Saying nothing, Romulus merely grinned back and left the room. Upon leaving, Romulus paused for a moment as he saw Olivia sitting on the couch, looking seemingly at nothing. Slowly, she rose and faced Romulus, surprising him once again as he saw a smile upon her face and tears in her eyes. Before Romulus could react, Olivia darted over and wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug, making for poor warrior's throat clench shut as he tried to shout "Get off!"

However, all that really came out was a strangled "Geehhfff."Obviously not hearing, Olivia whispered a quiet "Thank you" before finally releasing Romulus to go join her father in the kitchen. Taking deep breaths, Romulus calmed down and went to wait for the girl by the store's entrance. After several minutes, Olivia finally walked out of the store. Along with her usual garb, she now wore two, rather thick, dark green bracelets. Raising an eyebrow, Romulus questioned the girl.

"You're armed, now?"

"Mhm!" Olivia nodded. "Watch this!" With a flick, the bracelets that Olivia rapidly uncoiled themselves. The right one released a string and flew onto her back, forming the shape of a quiver which, surprisingly, had about two dozen arrows inside of it. The bracelet on her left wrist did a similar action, uncoiling itself and releasing a string. However, this one formed into an intricate recurve bow. Posing, Olivia smiled. "Armed and ready, Romulus."

"HA! Good!" Romulus replied with a grin. Returning her weapons back into bracelets, Olivia fell into step with Romulus as he motioned for her to walk with him. The two were silent for a while, with Olivia pointing out some key locations such as other dust shops, restaurants, and other places of interest. Finally, Olivia broke the silence as the two rounded a corner.

"Hey… Romulus?"

"Hm?" Romulus grunted in reply, keeping his eyes forward.

"Uhm… thanks for saying what you did to Father. I… I think he needed to hear something like that." Olivia paused to play with her hair nervously. "And… uhm… thanks for not actually hitting him." That last line made Romulus chuckle a little.

"Truth be told, I was going to if he didn't listen to me." Romulus then looked down at Olivia. "Thankfully, your father, much like my own, can actually listen."

"Oh! Speaking of that!" Olivia began. "What was your father like, Romulus?" Olivia tilted her head with obvious curiosity. However, much to her obvious dismay, Romulus merely shrugged.

"I don't know," He replied nonchalantly. "I didn't see him much."

"You mean you never even saw your own father?!" Olivia protested, raising two clenched fists to her chest in protest.

"Of course, not," Romulus replied. "I don't know how much your father told you, but families work much differently in The Legion. I'm only with my own mother for a year before being placed into basic school. After that, I join a unit of eight called a Contubernium, which eventually becomes my pack. This pack, or a 'team' as you would call it, is essentially my family, and we all grow up and learn to fight together. They're pretty much the only ones I spent my life with."

"What about…" Olivia stopped to wind her fingers around themselves for a moment. "Uhm… what about two people who got married?"

"It's pretty rare," Romulus replied, once again quite nonchalant, shocking Olivia into silence. "Normally, two faunus are together for long enough to conceive a pup, and then that's it. However, marriage CAN happen, as rare as it is."

"So… nobody was really THAT close to you?" Olivia asked, making Romulus's eyes darken slightly.

"No… I had a sister. We were a pretty rare case in The Legion," Romulus smiled as he recalled his tale. "We were born as twins, and people sometimes called us two halves of the same whole. We were pretty much always together, and I would've given everything I had for her. However…" Trailing off, Romulus' ears and tail drooped. "She's the one who gave everything for me instead…"

"You mean she's…" Olivia began, cupping her hands over her mouth, unable to say it. Rather than react as the girl expected, however, Romulus actually straightened up and smiled proudly.

"Yeah… she gave her life for me. I miss her… so much… But I always have hope."

"Hope?" Olivia asked. "Hope for wh—Mmf!" The girl was cut off as Romulus put a forceful hand over her mouth, raising a finger to his mouth in the universal "Shh" sign. Slowly removing his hand, Romulus' ears scanned this way and that, stopping to focus on alleyways and other avenues of attack.

"I count six enemies," Romulus said. "Most of them are in that alleyway over there." He pointed to an alley up ahead to their left. "However, two of them are to our right, likely to block us should we try to run."

"W-what do we do?" Olivia asked with a touch of panic in her voice.

"We fight them, of course!" Romulus replied, giving the girl a toothy grin. Turning ahead, Romulus raised his voice. "Hey! You six hiding in the alley! I know you're there, and there's no use hiding! Come on out now, and make it easier on yourselves!" After waiting for a moment or two, six thugs came filing out of the alley. Much to Romulus' disappointment, only two of them bothered to carry weapons. Two of the biggest thugs, all wearing matching leather jackets, carried metal baseball bats on them. The rest all cracked their knuckles and chuckled maliciously in an adorable attempt to intimidate them, which made Romulus sneer.

"Well, lookie what we gots here, boys!" One thug said, stepping forward. He was one of the thugs with the bats, and looked to be the leader. He was quite buff, with a long beard and cruel, black eyes. "It's a girl taking her dog for a moonlit walk. Ain't that adorable!" The leader paused to let his lackeys all laugh. Meanwhile, Romulus bared his fangs as soon as the thug called him a "dog" and mentally swore that that man would have at least one broken bone by night's end.

"What's a cute little thing like yourself doin' out this late anyways?" The second bat-wielding thug asked.

"W-we're just going to the-," Olivia nervously replied, stopping as Romulus raised a hand, motioning for her to be silent.

"Where we're going is none of your damn business!" Romulus growled. "Now, you six get a choice." The thugs all sneered even more as Romulus spoke. "You can either move yourselves out of our way, or we'll have to move you by force." Hearing the young faunus' threat, the six thugs all burst out laughing. After a few moments, the leader slowly walked towards the pair.

"Listen, girly. You know it's against the law to walk a dog without its leash, and I'm thinking that this one could really—" Fuming, Romulus stepped forward just as the thug was a mere step away and, in one swift motion, broke the man's arm at the elbow and slammed him, head first, into the nearest buildings and knocked him out cold. Stepping backwards, the thugs seemed temporarily shaken until the other one holding a bat spoke up.

"Hey! You can't do that to our boss! Let's get 'em boys!" With a cheer, the five other thugs all began rushing forward, only for two to be immediately blasted back by sizable blasts of wind. Risking a quick glance backwards, Romulus almost blinked in surprise to see that, not only had Olivia drawn her bow and aimed it, but managed to fire off two arrows so quickly.

"Heh… not bad for a Wall-Dweller," Romulus thought, turning his attention back to the three thugs before him. Letting one get close, Romulus easily countered the man's punch and followed up with one of his own. As the man stumbled back, Romulus delivered a swift kick to his chest to send him sprawling. That done, Romulus looked to his left to deal with another threat, only to see as Olivia sent him flying with a fiery explosion. Grinning, Romulus turned to the last opponent, who seemed to have lost the will to fight.

"L-listen, now. I don't want no trouble," The man pleaded. Slowly walking up to him, Romulus cracked his knuckles and smiled.

"And yet you're the ones who picked a fight," Romulus said, gesturing to the man's falling comrades. Most of them were out cold, and those that weren't groaned in agony. Grabbing the man by the collar, Romulus brought his face close to the thug. "Maybe you should've picked a different fight, instead."

"Romulus, stop!" Olivia cried, making Romulus turn to look at her. Weapons stowed away, Olivia ran over to voice her concern. "Let him go! He didn't actually attack either of us, and I think he learned his lesson!"

"Y-yeah!" the thug agreed. "I learned my lesson alright!" Looking back and forth between Olivia and the thug, Romulus growled for a moment before tossing the man back to the sidewalk.

"Count yourself lucky," Romulus warned, glaring at the man. Something about the man seemed a bit off to Romulus and, unfortunately, he didn't catch it in time. Having gotten a handful of gravel, the man suddenly sprang up with a roar and tossed the stones at Romulus, making him shield his vulnerable eyes. Hearing a shriek, Romulus lowered his shield to see the man had taken Olivia hostage and was using a newfound knife to keep her still. Baring his fangs, Romulus only got angrier as the thug began taunting him.

"Har har har! Thought ya had me there, didn't ya, ya little shits!" The thug paused to look at his comrades, and then to Olivia. "But, seein' all the trouble you caused me and my mates, I think I'll just keep this little beauty to myself, as payment." Stopping to laugh again, Romulus drew his sword and inched closer, only to have the thug tighten his grip on Olivia and bring the knife closer. "Hold it, mutt! Another step closer and I spill this little missy's guts all over the sidewalk!"

"Damn you…" Romulus growled, wracking his brain to come up with something. Olivia's desperate struggles only fueled the anger he was currently feeling. However, he had a plan. Letting his arms droop, Romulus turned his back on the thug. He felt awful upon hearing both Olivia's cry for help and the thug's triumphant laughter, but it was all to plan.

"That's a good dog. Put yer tail between your legs and crawl on home, now! Bwa ha ha ha haaa!" Tightening his grip on his sword, Romulus did several things at one. Turning around, Romulus refaced his target. Bringing his arm down, Romulus threw his sword at the thug, embedding it into the man's right shoulder. Dashing forward, Romulus gave Olivia just enough time to get out of his way before violently ripping his sword back out and kicking the man over. Standing over the bleeding thug, Romulus released a low growl.

However, surprising even himself, Romulus sheathed his weapon and lifted the man by his collar again, making him cry out in pain. Perhaps he was getting soft, or perhaps there was another reason, but Romulus wasn't going to kill this man.

"Let that be a lesson to you," Romulus growled, making the thug focus his horrified gaze on the faunus. "If you try anything… ANYTHING, know that I can not only stop you, but kill you. Now… get the fuck out of my way, and don't try something that stupid again." Once again releasing the man, Romulus watched him closely as he used his good arm to crawl out of the way and lean up against a building. Satisfied, Romulus motioned for Olivia to follow and took off at a jog. After a short time, Olivia nervously spoke up.

"Uhm… Thank you… for rescuing me, I mean."

"Anytime," Romulus replied. He then flashed the girl a grin. "Just don't make a habit of it, alright?"

"Hee hee, I think I can do that!" Olivia giggled, before letting a touch of concern enter her features. "But, hey… do you think that man will be alright?"

"Which man?" Romulus asked, making Olivia give him a shocked look.

"You know!" Olivia argued, dancing around the topic. "The one… that you… stabbed."

"Oh, him?" Romulus asked nonchalantly. Looking up into the air for a moment, Romulus thought about it. "Well, I didn't hit and vital organs, and I'm pretty sure I didn't hit any blood avenues either. So, unless he is absolutely useless at battlefield first-aid, he should be fine." Looking back at Olivia, Romulus was pretty confused at the worry that refused to leave her face.

"That… might be an issue, Romulus, Olivia quietly replied. "Not very many people know much about basic first aid outside of cleaning a wound and covering it. And even that might be a stretch for that thug back there."

"And?" Romulus asked, failing to see Olivia's point, making her look at the faunus, completely aghast. "He was going to kill you, Olivia. As far as I see it, he's lucky I didn't return the favor." Pausing, Romulus saw that Olivia was getting ready to argue. Mentally sighing, Romulus proposed a compromise. "Fine. How does this sound? Once we get to the store, we can call those police forces you told me about and tell them where to find the thugs. They should be able to help them, right?"

"Yeah!" Olivia happily replied. However, she then changed gears once again and gave Romulus a quizzical look. "But, Romulus? Does the thought of killing someone really not bother you? You almost didn't seem to care about whether he died or not."

"Olivia," Romulus began, wondering where to start. "Where I'm from, hesitation will get you killed. To be blunt, no, I don't care if that man dies or not. However, I got the feeling that you didn't want me to kill him, so I didn't. I can restrain myself, obviously, but I always fought to survive, so it's ingrained into me. If something gets in the way of that survival, I remove it… plain and simple."

"I see…" Olivia muttered, looking away for a moment. Feeling compelled for some reason, Romulus tried to reassure the girl.

"But, thanks to my skill and these police of yours, the idiot gets a second chance. Let's just hope they're not too slow this late at night, eh?" Grinning, Romulus hoped his joke amused the girl.

"You're right!" Olivia replied, turning and giving Romulus a smile of her own. Nodding, Romulus faced front. After another minute of jogging, Olivia pointed to a building that was their destination. Following Olivia around the store, Romulus took in the sights and asked Olivia what several food items were. He was particularly interested in their selection of beef jerky, as it reminded him of home. After a few minutes, Olivia had the groceries purchased and the authorities called. After taking a different path home, the two eventually arrived back at Tony's dust shop safe and sound. Opening the door, Olivia was nearly knocked off her feet by a warm embrace form her father, who was practically tripping over himself doting on his daughter.

"Oh, my little Pumpkin'!" Tony cried, lifting Olivia off of the ground, much to her embarrassment. "Nobody hurt you, did they? You made it to the store all safe?"

"No problems at all, sir!" Romulus reported, saluting as he did so out of reflex. "There was a small group of thugs, but they were no trouble to deal with."

"Thugs?" Tony asked, slowly setting Olivia down. "What do you mean, thugs?"

"Some bad men were waiting in some alleys to ambush anyone who walked by," Olivia said. she then gestured to Romulus. "But thankfully, Romulus picked them up before we even got there and called them out. Then we beat them and continued on our way!"

"And neither of you are hurt?" Tony asked, looking between the two with concern.

"Nah. You should see how they came out of it," Romulus replied with a smirk. "Ah, that reminds me. Would you prefer I clean my blade off over the sink or over the trash can?"

"What do yo- GARH!" Tony yelled, yelling out loud as Romulus unsheathed his bloody sword. "What in the name of my left boot happened out there?!" Demanding an answer, Tony glared at the two. Looking at one another, Romulus nodded to let Olivia explain it.

"When there was only one of the thugs left, he pretended to surrender," Olivia nervously began. "But he took advantage of Romulus' mercy and threw gravel in his eyes and grabbed me."

"Oh, I knew it!" Tony wailed. "This is why I didn't want you getting' involved in all this—"

"But, Father!" Olivia shouted, making Tony quiet down. "Romulus was there to help me. He… he threw his sword into the thug's shoulder and freed me. Once we got away, we called the police and reported the incident." Tony opened his mouth to say more, but Romulus decided to speak up.

"You're daughter is an amazing fighter, Tony." Blinking in surprise, Tony turned his attention to Romulus. "Her draw is about as quick as I've seen, and she knocked out nearly half of the thugs before they even became a problem. With training, she could easily hold her own, right Olivia?" Looking over, Romulus blinked in confusion as Olivia was not only fidgeting nervously with her hair, but her face was quite red. However, before he could say anything, Tony spoke up again.

"Hm… I don't' like it… but I guess all's well that ends well, hm?" Looking at the two youngsters, Tony gave them a bright grin. "So what do you two say to a little treat, eh?" Leading the two into the kitchen, Tony surprised the two by giving them something called "ice-cream", which Romulus immediately deemed as evil. After a few mere bites, his head began hurting like back in the Imperator's tent. Kindly refusing the treat, Romulus excused himself and went out the back of the store. Enjoying the clear skies, Romulus laid down on his back and looked up at the moon. Although waning, the moon easily was more than half-full.

After several minutes of peace, Romulus finally felt himself relax, as looking at the moon always did. It was always nice to see one's goddess, after all. But, there was another reason. It was here that he could see his sister again, in a way. But, before he got too relaxed, Romulus' ears picked up the sound of the door slowly opening. Taking a sniff, and smelling strawberries, Romulus spoke.

"Hello, Olivia."

"H-how did you know it was me?" Olivia asked, freezing in place and making Romulus chuckle. It was just so obvious!

"Strawberries," Romulus explained, which obviously only confused the girl further.

"What do you mean?" Olivia asked, walking over and sitting down beside Romulus.

"You smell like strawberries," Romulus elaborated. "I could probably pick your scent up from a mile away if I had to."

"Is your sense of smell really THAT strong?" a startled Olivia asked, making Romulus grin with pride.

"Of course!" He said. "My sense of hearing is much stronger than those ears of yours, too."

"I bet!" Olivia conceded. "But do you use your other ears for anything?"

"Other ears?" Romulus asked, giving Olivia a quizzical look.

"Yeah… you know," Olivia argued. "Just because you have wolf-like ears due to being a faunus, you still have human ears… right?" Pausing for a second, Romulus laughed for a moment before he sat up.

"Then I guess I'm a little different," The warrior explained, using a hand to life up his hair where human ears would be. Rather than what Olivia was likely expecting, it was just smooth skin, and no ears. Rather than say anything, Olivia looked at the spot for a moment and seemed to be lost in thought. Growing slightly uneasy under the girl's stare, Romulus lowered his hand and spoke up. "Is… is something the matter?"

"Oh!" Olivia cried, jumping slightly as she just realized that she had been staring at Romulus. "I was just wondering what happened to make you lose your human ears…"

"It's not just me," Romulus began. "Every member of the Legion is like me. We lost our human ears a long time ago, according to stories passed down, anyways."

"Wow…" Olivia sighed, looking up at the moon. After a minute of silence, she spoke again. "It's pretty, isn't it?"

"What is?" Romulus asked, looking up at the moon as well.

"The moon, silly!" Olivia cheerfully replied. "What else would we be looking at?" Romulus grunted before replying.

"I don't exactly see the moon as 'pretty', Olivia." Sensing she wanted an explaination, Romulus took a breath before continuing. "Like my comrades in The Legion, I worship the moon as a goddess. She resides over birth, bloodshed, death, and rebirth as a symbol of the cycle of life. You're born into the world, you fight, and you die."

"I see…" Olivia whispered. "Can I ask you something?"

"Go ahead," Romulus replied.

"What do you mean by 'rebirth', exactly?" Finding a strange humor in the situation, Romulus merely pointed a finger up to the sky where, once Olivia looked, some small shooting stars were beginning to make their way across the sky.

"Welcome home, brave warriors," Romulus mumbled, nodding to himself. Again, he got the odd feeling that Olivia was about to ask him something again, so he began explaining. "Once a soldier dies, his or her soul goes up to join the moon in the night sky." With a gesture, Romulus signaled that he was talking about the stars. "If a warrior's life was deemed worthy, they are given the Moon's blessing and are allowed to rejoin the world of the living once more, as soldiers reincarnated."

"Wow…" Olivia gasped, her face lighting up like a newborn pup, making Romulus chuckle. "But, wait. What's it like for someone to be reincarnated, Romulus?"

"It is said that they will always bear the same name as their past life," Romulus explained. "Other than that, it has also been said that soldiers will sometimes have visions of their past lives as well." Feeling like shocking Olivia further, for some reason, Romulus told her a little secret. "Apparently, I'm actually a reincarnated soldier, as well."

"Really?" Olivia nearly shouted, getting too close for comfort. After scooting back, Romulus cleared his throat and continued.

"Yes. I'm named after the founder of The Legion who was, as I told you, also named Romulus. However, unlike me, he had a brother instead. Most of the tale is lost to history, but apparently after the death of Romulus' brother, he left The Legion, and was never heard from again."

"That's really cool!" Olivia cooed. Rising to her feet, the girl began walking back to the store, stopping as she opened the door. "Thanks for sharing all of that with me, Romulus. Goodnight!" Grunting in reply, Romulus became lost in thought again once Olivia left.

Why had he told Olivia so much, anyways? He even said a few nights ago that he wouldn't answer any more questions and yet, here he was, telling Olivia all sorts of things. Suddenly smirking, Romulus merely discarded the thought. No matter, he would simply have to be more careful of what he shared to whom in the future. Then Romulus' thoughts drifted to Beacon. From what Olivia told him, he'd be forming a pack of four members, rather than the eight he was used to. Frowning, Romulus wondered what he'd be looking for in team members.

Obviously, they'd have to be able to fight. That much was a given. However… he also needed something else. He was no leader, so some Wall-Dweller was going to have to earn Romulus' respect enough to earn the title of Alpha. Smirking at the thought, Romulus remembered what Aurelia had told him. Apparently, some humans could actually fight just about on par with Legion members. Well… Romulus would believe it when he saw it. Rising to his feet, Romulus went to bed. Before going to Beacon, there was the issue of those White Fang thugs, first.

(…)

The next few days were quite relaxing for Romulus. While the store was open, Romulus would either leave to explore the nearby area, train himself, or tutor Olivia in basic self defense techniques. Surprisingly, the girl learned quite quickly, for a Wall-Dweller. However, the peaceful days were soon at an end, and the night before the thugs return arrived. After formulating a plan around the dinner table, the group of three went to bed, ready for the next morning. For a while, all seemed calm. However, it wouldn't last.

Barging into the store, the five thugs made it quite obvious who they were. Their uniforms, cocky demeanors, and weapons made it obvious. However, rather than actual weapons, as Romulus was expecting, they had simple tools. One had a bat, one had a hammer, one had a simple dagger, and the remaining two were unarmed.

"We're here for our money, old man!" The first one said, walking up to Tony as he stood behind the counter, acting surprised at the thug's arrival.

"Oh? You mean it's that day already? Heh… see… there's a funny little somethin' I gotta tell ya," Tony stammered.

"You don't have the money, do you?" The second thug asked, raising his baseball bat threateningly. "Well… I think a bit of a 'penalty' is in order, right boss?"

"Ha! Don't get ahead of me there, Michael," The leader said. He then turned back to Tony. "He's right though. I came here and gave you a warning. Now… it's time for the penalty!" The leader then began walking up to Tony, holding his knife in a ready position.

"HOLD IT!" Romulus shouted, making the five thugs nearly jump in surprise. "I'm a huntsman, and this store is now under MY protection! So clear out, all of you!"

"A huntsman!" The third thug, holding the hammer, wailed. "What do we do, boss?"

"Hold on a sec," The boss replied, surprisingly calm. He looked at Romulus, specifically at his ears and tail. "You're a faunus too, ain't ya?" Before Romulus could ask, the man pulled his hood back, revealing dog ears. The others did the same, showing bear ears and cat ears, among others. "We're just like you, you know? All we want is to be treated like equals to these… Humans! But they won't give us those rights, so we gotta take 'em! So… why don't you help a fellow faunus out, eh?"

Romulus took a moment to pause and think. Normally… he would've probably agreed with these thugs. If you wanted something… you took it. However, there were several reasons that Romulus didn't. First, he was starting to like the Sakura family, and they had saved his life to boot. Second, he was itching for a fight, and these five chuckleheads were ripe for the ass-kicking. Third, Romulus didn't take kindly to those who threatened his friends. So, spitting at the feet of the leader, Romulus made his reply.

"Fuck you," Romulus replied, flashing Tony a quick apologetic look. "You're full of lies, and you know it. I'll give you one chance to leave peacefully. After that… I resort to force."

"What, and you think we're scared of you?" The leader asked. The four henchmen became visibly more confident at his words. That was likely the reason he led. "It's five on one here, little man… Unless you think you can take all of us!" At the remark, all three burst out in laughter.

"Well… I tried to warn you," Romulus muttered, smirking to himself. "Olivia, now!" On command, Olivia flung the door to her room open, bow drawn. Before the bandits could react, the two unarmed ones were blasted against the far wall in a flash of electricity. Seeing a brief moment, Romulus flashed a Olivia a thumbs-up before facing his foes again.

Without warning, Romulus dashed forward, catching the leader with a quick jab to the nose. Clutching his injury, the leader wasn't ready as Romulus grabbed his uniform and threw him against the wall with a roar. The other two, after a moment of confusion, rushed Romulus with weapons raised. Mentally sighing at the absolutely poor technique, Romulus first blocked the thug with the hammer by catching his attack at the wrist, stopping the momentum before it started. Using his other hand, Romulus took Mr. Bat and put his between himself and Hammer Guy.

Not expecting it, the thug with the hammer walloped his comrade in the head, rendering him unconscious. Kicking the useless shield to a corner, Romulus used his enemy's confusion to deliver a solid punch to Hammer Guy's face, knocking him out as well. Wiping his hands off, Romulus almost laughed. That had simply been too easy! However, his triumph was cut short as Romulus heard a shriek. Looking over, Romulus saw the leader clutching Olivia while holding a knife to her throat.

"Alright, tough guy!" The thug challenged. "Either you scram, right now, or the girl gets it!" To prove his point, the bandit brought the knife dangerously close to Olivia's throat.

"Hey! Let her go!" Tony yelled, taking a step closer before the bandit turned towards him, reminding the father of the threat. His daughter's life was on the line. Baring his teeth, Romulus let out a low growl, unable to think of anything.

He couldn't reach the man in time simply running. Now a javelin could reach him in time, but Tony forbid Romulus from killing. Flattening his ears in frustration, Romulus wracked his mind for something to do!

"Clear outta here, kid," Tony said, shocking Romulus to his core.

"WHAT!" Romulus demanded.

"You did all ya could. Consider our debt even and scram!" Tony's fierce gaze would've fazed Romulus, had the faunus not noticed the tears in them. Then he understood. Tony was being forced. He valued his daughter more than his store.

Finally, Romulus hatched a plan! However, it was very risky. Closing his eyes for a moment, Romulus felt for something. It was surprisingly empty as he looked for the bonds he shared. He had none. His pack was far away, his Legion was elsewhere… and his sister was dead. However, there was a light in the darkness. Reaching for it, Romulus realized it was Olivia. She was placing her absolute faith in him. Drawing on the strength, Romulus opened his eyes to reveal their glow.

"Hey… what's this, now?" The thug asked, peering closer. "I'm warning you! No tricks!"

"You're right," Romulus agreed. Then, with a speed that astonished even him, Romulus dashed forward and grabbed the thug's hand that held the knife, stopping it. "No tricks." Grabbing the thug's other hand, Romulus first raised the thug's hands above his head so Olivia could run free. The potential obstacle in the way, Romulus then whipped the White Fang thug as hard as he could, tossing him through the still open front door of the shop.

Immediately following, Romulus stopped as he saw the thug slowly rising to his feet. Grinning, the young faunus cracked his knuckles he slowly approached the White Fang man. However, a sudden command made his old instincts kick in.

"Romulus, duck!" Immediately obeying, Romulus ducked and turned just in time to see a projectile fly past his face and into the store wall. Going with the spin, Romulus stopped on one knee and aimed up at the source with Clypeus. However, before he could even really aim, an arrow flew into the distant rooftop figure, exploding in a cloud of ice. Grinning, Romulus rose and looked to Olivia, who was still looking to the man.

"Nice shot, partner," Romulus complimented, giving Olivia a thumbs-up. Unsure of what to do, Olivia merely blushed, looked away, and muttered a thank-you. However, the job wasn't done. Turning back around, Romulus instead aimed his javelins at the White Fang leader who was now slowly trying to crawl away. With extreme precision, Romulus fired a javelin that flew through the man's jacket, but not the flesh underneath, effectively pinning the man to the cement.

Panting, Romulus took several deep breaths to calm himself down. Releasing the trust Olivia had in him, Romulus soon felt himself being lifted off of the ground. Looking down, Romulus saw the elated face of Tony.

"Kid, I dunno how ya did it… but ya did it!" Spinning Romulus around, despite the warrior's protests, Tony finally released Romulus, who took a few steps backward. "Not only did ya save my shop, but ya saved my daughter! Why, if I was a fool, I really would offer ya my daughter's hand in marriage. Gwar har har!"

"F-f-f-father!" Olivia stammered, clasping her red face and turning away. Oddly, she kept exchanging shy glances at Romulus, who felt his chest tighten at the idea, once again. Clearing his throat, Romulus hoped to avoid anything awkward.

"Right… well if that's all settled, I'll be going to Beacon now," Romulus managed to take a half-step towards the door before someone grabbed his hand.

"Don't go!" Turning, he saw Olivia clasping his hand for a second before nervously retracting it in favor of playing with her hair. "I mean… you still have to celebrate with us… right father?"

"Gwa ha ha! That's right, Pumpkin'!" Tony barked, slapping Romulus quite roughly on the back. "As soon as we tie these three goons up, we'll have us a little celebration!"

"Look, I appreciate it, truly," Romulus argued, growing nervous at the looks Olivia was giving him. They reminded him, oddly, of the ones Scipiona used to give him. "But I have to get to Beacon as soon as possible." Turning around, Romulus was stopped when Tony voiced one very obvious fact.

"Do you even know where Beacon is there, son?" Feeling his ears and tail droop, Romulus slowly turned around.

"I… erg….. no," Romulus admitted. Not wasting a moment, Tony walked over and clasped a shoulder around Romulus.

"Well, I'll tell ya what, son. If'n you stay the night and have a lil' celebration with us, I just might tell ya where Beacon is!" Not seeing much of a choice, Romulus hesitantly agreed.

"Oh, this is going to be so fun!" Olivia cheered! "Honestly, we can't thank you enough, Romulus!" Feeling an odd feeling, Romulus couldn't help but smile. This was, quite honestly, the first real time he had been thanked for doing… well… anything. In The Legion, you did things because you were expected to. But here, he helped these people because he WANTED to. And… it felt good! Wondering why Olivia was giggling, Romulus suddenly blushed as he noticed his tail wagging.

(…)

That evening and the next morning proceeded without incident. The police came not shortly after Tony called them, hauling all of the thugs off to jail. Toasting the victory, the group of four celebrated the events. However, for some reason, Olivia kept getting close to Romulus… uncomfortably so. Tony, having had a few drinks, kept saying she was "warmin up to him", whatever that meant. Olivia would always shy away for a few minutes when her father said that, but she always returned with something. However, sleep came, as it always did. Romulus slept in the corner of Olivia's room, while she took the bed.

The next morning, once everyone had eaten breakfast, Tony clasped a hand on Romulus' shoulder as the latter prepared to leave.

"Well, son… it's been real swell havin' ya around. I really can't thank ya enough for savin' not only my shop, but my daughter as well."

"It was nothing," Romulus replied, feeling a smile cross his face, something he hadn't been doing much of lately. "If you ever need me again, you'll know where to find me."

"Will do, son," Tony agreed. "Now… to get to Beacon…" Tony trailed off, giving Romulus a set of instructions. Once finalized, Romulus bid the man one last farewell before turning and marching away. However, someone still hadn't said their goodbye. Suddenly being hugged form behind, Romulus caught the scent of strawberries.

"O-olivia?" Romulus asked, stammering slightly at her closeness. Apparently realizing what she was doing, Olivia practically flung herself off of Romulus, blushing fiercely.

"I… u-um…," She stuttered, twisting back and forth nervously. Suddenly, she stepped forward and looked Romulus in the eyes. "Will I ever see you again?" Taking a slow breath, Romulus paused and looked up in thought.

"Unless you plan on attending Beacon… I doubt it. So, this is goodbye." Saying nothing else, Romulus turned and began walking away once again. After a few steps, he stopped and looked over his shoulder. For some reason, Olivia's normally bright features were gone. Instead, she almost seemed to be crying, which made Romulus frown as well. So, he did something about it. "Olivia?"

"I… what?" Olivia asked, hastily wiping her eyes. Romulus merely raised a hand up and flashed the girl a grin.

"Take care of yourself, alright?" Suddenly smiling, Olivia nodded.

"You too, Romulus! Don't be afraid to visit!" Satisfied, Romulus walked away, heading towards Beacon, and a brighter future.

(…)

Later that evening, Olivia was washing dishes while she sighed for what was surely the hundredth time. Catching on, Tony decided to pry.

"What's wrong, Pumpkin'?"

"Hm? Oh… it's nothing, Father. Don't worry," Olivia quietly replied, turning her head just slightly away. Smiling, Tony knew just what to say.

"You wanted to follow that Romulus, boy… didn't ya?"

"W-what?!" Olivia practically shrieked. Red-faced, the girl nervously tried to return to washing her plate, unable to focus with her father laughing. Sighing in defeat, Olivia decided to spill the beans. "I'm just not sure what I want to do. I really enjoyed spending time with Romulus, and it'd be nice to go back to learning to be a huntress. But, at the same time, you need help with the shop, Father."

"D'aw, don't worry about little old me, Pumpkin'!" Tony laughed, slapping his daughter on the back. "I get the feelin' that the little ruckus here might've stirred up some interest." At a questioning glance from Olivia, Tony winked and pulled her close, whispering as if someone was eavesdropping. "It ain't every dust store that resists the White Fang, you know. This just might boost our sales a tad or two!"

"R-really?!" Olivia squeaked with a visibly brightening face. "Then… you wouldn't mind?"

"Pumpkin'," Tony began, staring off into the distance. "I want you to be happy. Whether that's beside me, or wherever your heart takes you, I'll support you all the way, alright?" Looking at the same spot as her father, Olivia smiled to herself and nodded.

"Right!"

(…)

Hoo boy… was this fun to write! Funnily enough, this story was only 1k words long 2 days ago (as of this being uploaded) and now my hands hurt. And I still have a fencing class to go to DX. Oh well. I'm really hoping you all enjoyed reading this as much as I loved writing it, and feel free to check out Hironinja for the story I wrote this for, or more of my works if you liked my style!

I'm Flamewing98, signing off!