The gray overcast in the sky on this day matched perfectly with Lie Ren's mood. While nobody could get an answer out of him why he seemed more downtrodden than usual, Nora knew all too well. He had been like this every year on this date, ever since that day...

The bell signaling the end of class and the end of the final period of the day. Professor Port gave a hearty farewell as he reminded his fleeing students started leaving the classroom.

"Man, what a day!" Jaune sighed. "Who's up to head into Vale to relax for the rest of the afternoon?"

"Thanks for the suggestion, Jaune, but I'm not in the mood." Ren sighed, heading the opposite direction from the rest of Team JNPR.

"Why, Ren?" Pyrrha asked. She above all was able to tell the martial artist was definately not feeling himself.

"It's nothing. I'd just like to be left alone is all." he replied, walking towards the landing pad.

"What was that all about?" Jaune asked as he watched his teammate leave.

"I think I know." Nora said without her usual enthusiasm. "What's today's date?"

"February 1st. Why?" her leader replied.

Nora's greenish blue eyes looked down in a melancholy manner. "So it's that time of year again..."

Ten years ago...

"Reeeeeeen! Where are you!" a little voice called out to the oriental home of the Lie clan. She had lived next door to the boy her age as long as she could remember, and since then, she and Ren had been inseperable friends. From getting through preschool together to sleeping over at each other's houses, there wasn't a day they hadn't spent together. Bundled up in a thick pink parka as the cool breeze made her shiver, a glimmer of hope casted over her face as the front door opened. Instead of her friend answering, his mother, dressed all in black stood before her.

"Hi Ren's Mom! Can Ren come out to play?" Nora asked, oblivious to the sorrow cast over her face.

"I'm sorry, Nora." Ren's mother said shakily. "Ren can't today. There's...been a bit of an incident.

"Oh no!" the little girl gasped. "Is he okay?"

"He will be. It was about his father, Monty." the older woman explained, her pink eyes tearing up. "I don't know if you're old enough to understand but...his father..." She paused as she choked back a sob. "His father went to Heaven today..."

"Good for him! When will he be back?" Nora asked, breaking the heart of the woman before her even more with her childish obliviousness.

"He's not coming back." she explained. "You see, Nora, when somebody goes to Heaven, they have to get there by falling asleep...and can never wake up again."

Nora's cheerful attitude slowly turned to a concerned one. "Oh..." she said, getting the message. "I didn't know. I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault, sweetie..." Ren's mother said, putting a hand on her shoulder. "How about you go try and cheer him up? He should be out back."

Nora nodded with a serious look on her face, running around the house to find Ren with her back towards her, sitting on a swing connected to a tall Sakura tree, barren thanks to the winter cold, despite the little snow on the ground. Instead of his usual green tunic, a bare black one was on his person. As Nora got closer, she could hear a soft sniffling sound coming from him.

"Ren?" she called out. No answer. "Ren, please..." she called out again.

"Go away, Nora... Please." Ren asked, turning slightly to his friend. Only his eye was visible over his shoulder, and even from there, it was red from crying and still dripping tears as he mourned the loss of his father.

"Ren, I came over to play, but now I'm just worried about you." she asked. "I just want to let you know I'm here for you."

"You don't understand, Nora." Ren shrugged her words off. "You've never had to deal with losing a parent before."

"No, but I'm getting the gist of it." Nora said, getting close enough to hug him. "And you're not going through this alone." she said, giving a sympathetic smile.

Ren looked down for a moment, followed by him getting off the swing and quickly pulling his friend into a hug. He burried his head into her shoulder and gave out a wail that was unlike anything Nora had heard before: utter sorrow. She stood with him that day until he calmed down enough to go over to her house for their usual playdate. It helped get both their mind off the tragic event of earlier that day, and was just what the boy needed.

Back in the present...

The flight back home took about an hour, but it was worth it to Nora. She, Jaune and Pyrrha had snuck aboard the airship Ren was taking to his and Nora's hometown. Silently, they sneakily followed the depressed teenager out of the airport and through town to a small graveyard. They watched from afar as he walked up to a grave on top of a hill. It perfectly overlooked the sunset as it cast a dark orange glow over the sky. Ren kneeled down in front of it, a tear starting to build up in his eye before he sensed something.

"Okay...How long have you been following me?" he asked as his team walked up behind him.

"Long enough." Nora answered.

"Nora explained to us on the way here." Pyrrha explained. "We had no idea, Ren, We're so sorry."

He gave a sigh as he turned to face them. "It's not your fault. You had every right to worry about me, being my team and all..."

"That's not all we meant, Ren." Jaune said, kneeling down next to him in front of the tombstone. "H-hey, Monty, sir." he spoke to it, much to Ren's surprise. "I don't think you know me, but I'd like you to know your son is doing his best to make you proud. He's been one of my best friends ever since I came to Beacon, and has been doing really well in his studies."

Pyrrha stepped forward next. "It's true. He's also been very capable in other aspects as well. He's a great fighter against any kind of Grimm, an amazing sparring partner, and let's not forget a great chef. I can't start the day without his pancakes." she chuckled, eliciting one from everyone in the group as well, including Ren.

Finally, Nora stepped forward, getting closer to Ren as she smiled sweetly at the granite memorial. "Hi, again, Mister Lie. I don't really remember much about you, but you really helped shape Ren into the kind of guy he is today, and I can't thank you enough for that. Without his friendship, I don't know how far I'd get by in life. So I just wanted to say thanks for giving me the best buddy I could ever ask for."

Ren looked among his friends, each of them giving great testimony to his achievements since he last visited the grave of his father. He wiped the tears from his eyes and pulled Nora into a hug, which quickly turned to a group one as Jaune and Pyrrha joined in. He smiled as he looked back at the grave. "Well, I guess that's everything I came to tell you about, Dad. I'll be back to visit really soon. I love you, Dad."

"Feeling better now, Ren?" Nora asked.

"Much better. Thanks guys." he smiled, receiving a Boop from his childhood friend as the team of Huntsmen and Huntresses in training got up and started to leave the graveyard. "We have a few hours before the airship back to Beacon leaves. Would you two like to see the rest of our town?" he asked Jaune and Pyrrha.

"That would be a grand idea." Pyrrha smiled as the two locals led their friends out and back into town, one of them feeling much happier surrounded by his friends and teammates.

Just an idea I had for a One Shot that quickly turned into a tribute piece after recent events. RIP Monty Oum (1981-2015)