This was actually one of the very first ideas for a story I had, I just never got around to write it because it was a one-shot. Luckily, Reddit's Nora-themed MonCon gave the excuse I needed, so here it is. It's a bit Ren centric, but it's all about his relationship with her, so hopefully it isn't too off-theme.
Stormflower
Ren finished setting up the tent and took a few steps back to appreciate his handywork. The green cloth house stood proud and firm, inviting him to rest inside where it was warm and dry, much unlike the forest all around, and would prove quite invaluable in the mission the team would be facing soon. It was incredible what one could achieve when not babysitting his teammates and their crazy antics. Even Pyrrha, the most mature and seasoned warrior of them all, could start to act like a hormone-fueled schoolgirl without so much as a warning, especially when dorky noodly-blondes were involved.
He rather enjoyed the carefree playfulness that the team provided, even if he didn't always join in. Sometimes he had to play the part of group dad, reminding them of responsibilities and limits, and they were notoriously grateful for it. It was a nice harmony, how they balanced out each other. Ozpin had done a wonderful job with building team JNPR, and he couldn't have wished for better companions and friends.
Lost deep within thought, he started humming a tune, something he didn't feel comfortable doing near the others. Despite how close they had become, there were still uncertainties that were hard to let go of. Friends were not something he was very accustomed to having, and that came with its own set of challenges, the exception being, of course, his partner. The ginger girl had been with him for so long it was even hard to picture not having her around.
Suddenly, he heard a scream.
Nora. It was her voice.
The ninja's legs were working by themselves before he even realized what he was doing. She was only supposed to be gathering firewood, a simple yet practical activity, perfect to vent off the girl's tendency for breaking and destroying. Pyrrha and Jaune had gone hunting and were too far out of reach, leaving only him if something were to go sideways.
But nothing could go sideways. That scream had to have been nothing major. Nora was okay, she had to be. Otherwise, he would...
"He's weird!"
"He never talks to anyone!"
"I hear his mom and dad were eaten by Grimm."
Ren wanted to disappear. He wanted to curl into a little ball and fade into nothingness. There, the voices of hatred couldn't reach him. But most of all, no one would see his tears.
He hated living there. The orphanage was grey and colorless. There was no joy, no music or smiling. And worst of all, the kids were mean to him.
Missing his parents was hurtful, but it was much worse that with each passing day their faces faded a little bit more from memory. It had been nearly two years since they had gone missing, and everyone knew what missing meant around those parts. He had long given up on waiting for their return. His seventh birthday would be coming soon, but he couldn't care less about it. He had no one to celebrate it with.
That day, his room felt even more suffocating than usual. He could hear the other children having fun outside, but he didn't want to join them, neither would they let him. Living in the outskirts of the Kingdom, where danger roamed aplenty, and without walls to protect them, many kids ended up orphans. One would think in their pain they would band together, enduring the hardships through companionship, and that was mostly the case, yet they seemed to avoid Ren altogether. Maybe it was because he was quiet, or because he was usually smarter than most, but honestly he had given up on finding an explanation. Sometimes people were just cruel for no reason.
He snuck outside through the window, as he frequently did whenever he could no long bear that prison. Over time he had become exceptionally good at it, sneaking away silently without getting caught, although he knew the keepers, the gentle couple who ran the orphanage, turned a blind eye to his escapades. They were aware of how hard it could be, and were kind enough to allow him to find solace elsewhere.
That afternoon he decided to visit the nearby woods. It was close enough to civilization that no Grimm would venture there, yet absolutely peaceful. He could climb the trees, run across the branches and feel the wind on his face. It was so liberating, being away from everything and free to do however he pleased with no judgment whatsoever. Simply put, he could find there a shard of happiness, however small it might be. Hours went by before he even considered going back, but the come of dusk forced him out of his daze.
When he returned and was nearing the entrance, he spotted three boys by the door, waiting for him. They were all older, and had taken a liking to made his life hell, sometimes even go as far as beating him up. Whatever intentions they had in mind, their presence was simply not a good omen.
"Hey look, it's stupid Ren! What were you doing out, weirdo? You know you can't leave without permission."
"Yeah, you're gonna get in a lot of trouble when we tell Ms. Duquette!"
"You're outside too, doesn't that mean you're in trouble too?" His voice was unfazed, a mask for his fear. All he wanted was to flee, to be rid of those idiots.
"Oh, stupid Ren is trying to get smart on us again. Maybe we should teach him some manners!"
They pushed him to the floor, and he fell, helpless to defend himself. The usual punching and kicking was about to begin, when, like providence, the door to the orphanage creaked and opened.
Everyone stood still, scared of being caught mid-act by the keepers, yet the one who came out from inside was a short little girl that neither of them had seen before. She had bright-orange hair and deep green irises that were now filled with anger, as she screamed, with her hands on both sides of her waist in an indignant pose.
"What are you doing?"
"Walk away, this is boys-only business. You're not welcome here."
She took a few steps forward until her and the bully were face to face. She was a tad shorter than him, but there was not a trace of fright in her eyes.
"Whatever you're doing to him, you're going to stop. Now."
"And why should we listen t-" He never got to finish that sentence, as there was a knee on his groin causing all kinds of pain imaginable.
The other two lunged forward to catch her, but she stepped to the side and punched one of them in the nose. Considering her size it shouldn't have hurt too much, yet there he was on the ground, bleeding and groaning. The third one saw his friend's fates and decided it was wiser to just run away. The redheaded girl still picked up a pebble to throw at his fleeting back, but missed.
Walking over to Ren, she grinned and offered him a hand. When he motioned to grab it, she slipped out of his grasp, stretching forward to strike him lightly on the nose.
"Boop!" Her smile was contagious and absolutely endearing. Ren knew right then that she was different, that she wouldn't hurt him like the others.
"What was that for?" He shuffled to his feet and faced that strange girl.
"Now you have to be my friend!" She wasn't pleading or demanding, but stating as a matter of fact.
"Are you new? I don't think we've met."
"Yep. Just got here today." They both knew what that meant, but neither of them said it. Against all odds, she was still smiling. "What's your name?"
"Ren. What about you?"
"I'm Nora."
There was another scream.
It was Nora again.
His blood turned cold inside, and his mouth could taste nothing but ashes.
He tried to push himself to run faster, working his muscles past the limit. It didn't matter the strain he was putting on his body, as long as it meant getting to the redhead soon. The uncertainty gnawed at his insides, leaving a pit of anxiety inside his stomach.
Nora was one of the strongest people he knew, both physically and emotionally. There was simply no way those screams were of distress.
Yet the feeling wouldn't leave him, the overwhelming doubt. If she actually was in danger, it was a bet he could not take. She meant too much to him, nothing could replace the weight that girl had in shaping the person he had become.
He promised himself everything would be okay, that she would be safe, and nothing bad would ever happen. But he knew it wasn't true, he had witnessed first-hand how cruel and unforgiving the world they had been born into could be. Nothing could stop his mind from imagining the myriad of perils that could be befalling on his ginger friend at the moment, all the grotesque ways her strength could be challenged. Nothing could stop him from imagining happening to her what had happened to his parents.
So instead, he focused on remembering all the many happy moments in their relationship.
"I can't do it, Nora!"
The ginger girl lunged at him, trying to punch him square in the face. He nimbly dodged the hit, leaving her back exposed briefly, but when he tried to strike back she was already waiting. Tripping the feet, she made him fall on his back, then jumped down to restrain any attempt at getting up.
Grabbed by both arms, and utterly defeated, Ren felt his heart beating fast from the exercise she was forcing him to do. Also the fact that he was lying on the ground and she was almost straddling him, their faces only inches apart, wasn't helping.
"Come on, you're not even trying!" Nora pouted, and he wondered what he would have to do to see that face more often. It was just too adorable.
"I'm trying, but you're too good! Just face it, I'll never learn how to fight."
"You will, but as long as you don't give up!" She punched him lightly in the chest, only, for Nora, lightly was enough to drain the air from his lungs entirely.
Other people went about their business through the yard, paying no attention to those two lying on the ground. Over the past four years since they'd met, Nora and Ren had become inseparable, and quite the gossip topic around the orphanage. They were constantly together, only separate during the night (and only because they had been refused a shared room, despite both of their innocent but insistent pleas), so they had become somewhat of an item. And since she'd arrived, no one had ever been mean to him. He had even started to smile again.
"I'm not strong like you."
"Maybe not on your muscles, but you're agile, and way faster than I am. And..." She tapped his head. "...you're smart. You simply need to figure out how to use it to your advantage."
She got up from on top of him, and offered the boy a hand too. It felt good to be complimented by someone who mattered, and maybe she was right, he still had a chance. She could be surprisingly wise, in between bursts of destructive energy.
"I just don't understand why this is so important to you."
"I..." She looked downwards, and Ren immediately thought he had screwed up. "I haven't told you this before, but... at the end of the year I want to apply to a combat school!"
Her eyes lit up, casting away the uncertainty that had been there seconds ago.
"Nora, that's amazing! I'm so happy for you, I'm sure you'll do great." The dark-haired boy smiled, feeling proud for her.
"Thanks. I... I was hoping you could come with me." That caught him by surprise.
"Why? I would be terrible at it. I've never been a fighter."
"But you should learn how to fight! To defend yourself and... maybe even to defend others. Make sure no kid ever loses their parents like we did. That's what I want, but I can't do it without you. I mean, if I go alone who will keep me from breaking everyone's legs? You're my only family, I'm not willing to leave you behind."
The boy considered it all for a minute. Training to be able to join a combat school would be difficult, but at least it was a foreseeable goal. He didn't have anything planned for the future, he just simply knew he didn't want to be away from Nora. If that was the price to pay, he would gladly pay it.
"Okay."
"What?"
"I said okay. I will train until I can fight well enough to apply."
The redhead tackled him to the floor and hugged him, in a mix of joy and pain from the impact. He was content to just lie there until the end of days, in pure peace and quiet. Although neither peace nor quiet were descriptive of her.
"Boop!" She touched his nose as she had time and again before, a gesture private to Nora and her impossible to understand thoughts. But it made him smile.
Ren frowned.
The screams had stopped and everything was quiet, but he only found that to be even more worrying. Whatever had caused the ginger to yell had either been destroyed or had triumphed. And he couldn't fathom the latter possibility.
He barely even remembered his life before the girl had barged into it. How could he picture a scenario where she was taken away?
In that rush of adrenaline and panic, he prayed to every god willing to listen, asking... no, begging for her safety.
Without her, there would be nothing but pain. Pain and anger. He would lose sight of himself, as he had once already, and she wouldn't be there to pull him back. He didn't want to go through it again, and he hoped he wouldn't have to.
So he kept running, and he kept praying.
"So, how'd it go?"
Nora was jumping up and down in place, eager to hear the news from the boy who was slowly, and painfully so, walking over.
"I think it went well. I favored stealth and the element of surprise like you said, and the examiners actually looked surprised." She exploded into laughter, and he even calmly joined with a couple of chuckles. "How about yours?"
"It was AWESOME! They sent a couple of Boarbatusks after me, and I smashed them to bits within seconds, but then then I had to face the King Boarbatusk, he was massive, like twice my size! And..." Exams didn't involve Grimm, much less imaginary or of that scale, but he didn't correct her. She was too excited for him to rain on that parade.
"...so I yanked the live wire and shocked myself with it, and suddenly I had the power to destroy THE WHOLE WORLD! But I didn't 'cause you live in it!" She finished the tale with a cheesy smile from ear to ear.
"How thoughtful of you..."
She took hold of his arm and they walked through the halls at the sound of the ginger's preposterous bragging that had begun once again, and made their way to the main building of the school, hoping to find the results to their entrance exams. Of course, Nora hadn't stopped talking for a second.
"...then I picked up Magnhild and... Hey, Ren? Do you have a name for your pistols yet?"
"No, I'm still trying to find something fitting."
"Eh that's okay, I guess you still have time. Oh look, the results are up! Nora Valkyrie... Accepted! I passed Ren, I did it!" She squeezed his arm with glee, almost ripping his muscles to pieces.
"Oh and... Lie Ren... Accepted too! We made it, Ren! We're going to combat school together!"
Nora tackled him into a hug, but this time he stepped one foot back and managed to remain standing. All those hours of intense training had certainly paid off. He returned the contact lightly, but the girl was starting to ramble again.
"Well, not together-together, but you get what I mean, right? Oh this is so cool, I can't wait! We should celebrate!"
Ren let her slide off the embrace, and decided to entertain a wild idea.
"Let's go back home and I'll make you some pancakes." He expected an ecstatic response, but instead was met with puzzled green eyes.
"Pan...cakes? What's that?"
"You don't know what pancakes are?" She shook her head in denial. "Well then, I think you're in for a nice surprise."
And with that, they walked off from the campus. The results of that afternoon, and her consequent newfound love for pancakes, were so astronomical that he would soon come to regret ever cooking for Nora, but the ginger was just too cute to deny. And he feared she would go on a murdering sprees if he did refuse, so he vowed to never find out.
The constant sprint led him to splintered trees and broken branches, in what looked like the territory of a very large beast. He immediately knew he was close, following the trail of demolished flora that would undoubtedly lead to the girl. The landscape had been marked by a peculiar brand of destructive behavior that only Nora was a master of.
He slowed down when he saw Magnhild stuck hilt-deep into a tree. That did not bode well at all, if she had been screaming and had no weapon, it was trouble indeed. Ren felt his throat clench and his stomach crawl up his insides. She couldn't be hurt, she had to be okay. He didn't want to live through that again, but most of all he couldn't afford to lose her.
It was then that he found the small clearing, and time stopped altogether.
He saw the four men, who looked tired and bruised, still recovering from a fight that looked to have happened very recently. One of them was limping, leaning on the undamaged leg. And over to the other side, on the ground, was a redhead girl. She was lying down with closed eyes, showing no signs of life.
Nora had always been absurdly strong but also reckless, charging headfirst without asserting danger. That meant she could reasonably be taken by surprise and overpowered, which had most likely been the case. But Ren didn't think of that. In fact, he wasn't thinking at all.
Everything turned red. There were no trees around, no grass on the ground or clouds in the sky. There was only him and the men who had hurt Nora. And there was only one sentence on his mind.
Make them pay.
"That sloth exhibit was AMAZING, Ren! Thanks for taking me."
He smiled and offered no answer. It had been a mostly okay exhibit, but Nora had loved it beyond measure, becoming completely infatuated with the slow but fuzzy animals. All in all, he was satisfied with his pick for a celebratory outing for both of them getting picked onto Beacon. Her enthusiasm had even been worth the fact that she wouldn't shut up about sloths for the next few months.
They strolled through the streets of Vale, in no rush to catch the train back home. It had been a long way through combat school, but the five years had made them both stronger and closer together. The ninja though back to how they'd met, so long ago, and she had not only saved him but helped him become stronger. People looked at the redhead and saw an explosive, almost-childish girl, but he knew better. There was kindness and wisdom behind all her will to destroy, even if sometimes she required a friendly hand to remind her of boundaries.
Their peaceful afternoon was, however, disturbed by a loud and obnoxious voice coming from the other side of the street.
"Hey hotstuff, why don't come here and give us a kiss?"
Looking over, he saw three men hanging out outside a bar, in various states of inebriation, despite the fact that night hadn't even yet fallen. They disgusted him, sad pits of testosterone begging for attention for passing women, but he remained silent about it as he always did. When he glanced at his partners eyes, he was surprised to find not a trace of anger in them. The ginger who was always eager to start a fight, appeared unfazed as if nothing had happened.
"Come on baby, I'm twice the man your boyfriend is!"
He clenched his fists in fury, and felt Nora react by grabbing his arm harder. She looked at him with a soothing smile, and suddenly he understood. She was too strong to let some pathetic slobs get to her, they weren't even worth the effort of a fight. She might've lashed out against an intolerant classmate with combat expertise, but not fools who were too weak to even be decent human beings, they would've never stood a chance. However crazy she might seem to some, there was honor in her slight psychoticness, she had no lust for blood without due reason. Ren felt honored to have a glimpse that deep into her person. That was the Nora only he knew. That was the Nora he l...
"Whatever, bitch."
He felt her hands slip away, and turned in time to see her fall to the ground, alongside the bottle that had been thrown at her. Time slowed down as she fell, shards of dark glass raining all around the girl. And on the side of her head, were the point of impact had been, he saw blood.
His vision turned red. He had endured beatings and much more during his life, but he had never seen Nora hurt. And that sight flipped him over the edge. He moved across the road within a flash, and the men never even saw him coming. They were just civilians, with no Semblance or even Aura-training, they were no match for him in a good day. And this was not at all a good day.
He grabbed the first one by the face and slammed it on the pavement, bloodily breaking his nose.. When the second tried to intervene, the ninja was already behind him, and his knee cracked under the devastating blow delivered to its back, agony taking over all his other senses. The last one just stood in place, frozen in shock, and didn't even fight back when Ren came for him.
He could've stopped after that, but he didn't. He also could've stopped a few seconds later, when neither of them could get up, not even to flee, their blood and tears of pain mixing down on the ground. He could've stopped at any time, but his mind was too far gone, consumed into a trance of vengeance.
How dare they hurt her? How dare they profane the only pure thing on Remnant, the one person he had ever met who didn't know hatred or contempt. Explosive and unpredictable, but true, a beacon of bright light in the darkness that was the world.
His only light.
His only family.
And they had wounded her. They had to pay.
They had to suffer.
Nearing the first of the drunkards, the one who had thrown the bottle, he leaned down with one foot on his elbow and grabbing the shoulder, ready to pull until the man could never dream to throw again. He didn't, but only because of a familiar voice calling up to him.
"Ren, stop!"
There was no one to stop him this time.
He kept firing and stabbing those monsters who had dared to hurt Nora, barely able to process a thought of any kind, too entrenched in his need for payback. His muscles and actions weren't his own, but of the beast that lied within him, biding its time until the moment to take over arose. And it only ceased when it had been satisfied, when no one else was left standing.
Frozen in place, Ren contemplated his horrifying work. Bodies lay torn and disfigured, blood everywhere. It sickened him what he had done. But it didn't matter, as long as the redhead was okay.
He ran to her side and checked for a pulse. It was weak, but it was there, meaning she was still safe, but she wasn't waking up despite his attempts. He took her hands onto his and gripped them like it was the last time they'd ever be together.
"Nora, please wake up. I need you." She didn't move, so he kept talking. In that moment of overwhelming despair, he said more than would be characteristic for him, more than he'd ever told her.
"I can't do this without you. Everyone thinks I'm the one who keeps you in check, and I try, but you also help me remain sane. I wouldn't know how to fight without you. I wouldn't have made it into Beacon, and met all these amazing people without you. I would still be a scared and weak little kid if I hadn't met you. You're the one who inspired me to become better, to help myself and others. How am I supposed to go on if you're not with me? You're the only one I have. You're everything I have. My family."
He squeezed her fingers harder, longing to feel her there.
Nora groaned and shifted slightly, making his heart jump in response.
"Nora! You're awake!"
"You're crushing my hand."
"Oh right, sorry." He eased on the grip, but refused to let go. "Hum, how much of that did you hear?"
"Hear what?" She wiggled to a more comfortable position, and feebly opened her eyes. Next, she saw the blood pooling all around, and her expression hardened with sadness. "It happened again, didn't it?"
"Yes. I'm sorry, I just saw you hurt, and I couldn't..."
"I know, I was there last time, remember?"
Ren fought back the tears. The guilt was overwhelming his senses, and bundled with the scare of losing his childhood-friend, all the bottled emotions were surfacing like never before.
The redhead moved her arm upwards, slipping out of his grasp, and cupped his face with her hand.
"Ren? You're supposed to be the emotionless one, you're kinda ruining our shtick!"
He faced her with a confused look. How was she able to joke around at this moment?
"If you start crying, I'll have to be take over your part. And you remember what happened the last time I went in the kitchen." Oh boy, did he. The mere thought made him shudder, and he understood what was happening. She was trying to lift his spirits, despite she herself being saddened by what had transpired as well, and she was succeeding.
"Nora..."
"I said it's okay. It's not like I haven't broken a few legs for you too."
"Tha- Wait, you did what?"
She laughed thinly, yet managing to sound maniacal, and refused to elaborate, although the ninja was somewhat sure she was just masking disappointment. But the real question was whether or not she was speaking the truth, and he wasn't sure he wished to know. Trying not to think too much of the matter, he hunched over and rested his forehead against hers with a loud sigh.
"You're awfully affectionate today. Not that I'm complaining or anything, it's just weird, you're usually so quiet and..." She was rambling again, but he didn't stop her. After the scare he had just suffered through, it was almost refreshing. "...I'll just shut up now. I'm surprised, is all I'm saying."
"I'm never letting you out of my sight again."
She giggled like a schoolgirl who'd just been asked to prom. "Deal."
Moving away, he leaned to the side and slid a hand under her legs, to try to lift the girl up, so he could take her back to camp. She did not, however, understand the intention.
"OH! Lie Ren, are you trying to take advantage of me while I'm hurt? When did you get so naughty?"
Not even bothering to respond, the ninja stood up grabbing her bridal-style, and started to walk away, stopping only to retrieve the discarded hammer. For a second, when he got on his feet, he thought he had caught a glimpse of her disappointed eyes, that had hoped he was actually trying to get frisky with her, but it was gone so fast that it must've been his imagination. The Queen of the Castle held on to his neck, and rested her head on his chest, feeling the sound of his heartbeat, and that's how she stayed throughout the whole journey.
Together, they both left the site of the carnage behind them, hoping never to relive it again.
"Hey Ren?"
He remained sitting on his bed, curled into a ball around his knees. The things he had done to those drunks on the street, how far he had descended into becoming a monster, were still haunting him, keeping him from sleeping. Nora had predicted something of the sort might happen, and had spent the entire time by his side, offering a reassuring presence. Despite seeming like an airhead, she understood him like no other.
"Ren?"
He moved his head slightly to indicate he was listening, and felt the girl's head shift to his left side. Sitting behind him, her arms were locked in a hug around his stomach, pressing her body against his back.
"I have an idea for the name of your pistols."
"Oh?"
"Stormflower. Because you're calm and focused like a flower, but there's a storm hidden inside you." When she wanted to be deep, she went full-on poetry.
"'Calm and focused like a flower'? What kind of sense does that make?" Without even looking, he knew she was puffing her cheeks, insulted by how easily he dismissed the effort she had put into the thought.
"Hey, I was just tryi-"
"I'm kidding. I love it."
"Looks like Pyrrha and Jaune aren't back yet, huh?" Nora spoke from underneath his arms, causing vibrations to crawl through his skin.
They had just reached the camp, and everything was still in one piece, meaning neither of their teammates had returned from hunting for food.
"Pyrrha's probably running our fearless leader to the ground with training drills like you did with me."
"Or they're doing other things together..." To punctuate the innuendo she elbowed him in the ribs.
"Nora! Don't do that or I'll drop you!" She laughed innocently at his reaction.
He placed her down inside the tent, despite her groans of pain when he did, so she could rest for the remainder of the day.
"Hey, Ren? I forgot the firewood, think you can get some? Just so that Jaune and Pyrrha don't notice what happened, they'd only get worried for nothing. I don't want them to see me like this." After everything, she still had some pride left and didn't want to be seen vulnerable. Everyone thought of her as that strong unkillable warrior, she had a reputation to uphold, meaning Ren was the only one who could glimpse at the deeper parts behind the mask. But that didn't prevent him from toying about it.
"What about me? Doesn't it bother you that I've seen you like that?"
"Of course not, silly! You're family."
He smiled, and got up to walk away. Before he could leave, a voice called out for him.
"Ren? Can you come here for a sec? I forgot something."
Turning to the shelter, he leaned in wondering what she wanted this time.
"Come closer, I don't want to say it out loud." The mischievous grin on her lips completely betrayed her intentions. She was up to something.
He got down on his knees and lowered his face until it was close to the lying girl's. Maybe it was too close, they were inches from each other. Nora was silent, and if he didn't know better he would've thought she was going to kiss him. Did he know better, though? She was quite strange, after all, but in the most wonderful of ways.
The girl failed to suppress a giggle, and moved a hand upwards to tap him on the nose.
"Boop."
This is version 2.0. It feels a little better, thanks to the amazing people who gave input. But hey you can never stop improving, so keep those reviews coming.