Chapter 2: Home Sweet Home

In the first year that Ace lived with Summer, a few things were common. Ace was very awkward, and had trouble interacting with Yang and Ruby. Tai was very protective of Yang and Ruby, but Summer seemed to trust Ace. She insisted that Taiyang train Ace in hand-to-hand combat.

Tai eventually relented and was genuinely surprised by the boy.

Ace learned much faster than Yang, with Tai struggling at times to keep up with the boy's rapid development at times. To say Ace was a prodigy, would be putting it lightly. He had a knack for anything combat related. Whether it was mastering new techniques, or conditioning his body, Ace seemed to optimize every second he spent training. He was determined to better himself and would make the most out of his time.

Ace was no longer the frail, sickly child that Summer brought home a year ago. He ate like he had a black hole for a stomach and never seemed to get sick. His body was barely able to keep up with the massive reserves of Aura he possessed. According to Ace, his Aura was unlocked during one of Salem's earliest experiments, to keep him from bleeding to death. Upon further inspection, Ace's Aura was unlike anything Tai or Summer had ever heard of.

The energy within Ace was far denser than normal Aura. Even while it wasn't being used, Ace's Aura coursed through him like a raging current. His Aura Reserves were monstrous, making it rather difficult for Ace to learn low-level Aura manipulation techniques. His destructive capability was staggering. He could use ungodly amounts of Aura to fuel his lightning or fire, yet still have a natural barrier between him and enemy attacks. He explained that Salem would torture hi if he didn't progress fast enough. It was clear that during the four years Salem imprisoned Ace, he had adapted to survive.

Ozpin hypothesized that Ace's Aura was a combination Ember's, Spark's, Jade's, and his own. Rather than converting the Aura Ace absorbed into his natural Aura, it was likely that Ace's Aura mixed with the new Aura and formed something entirely new, and many times stronger than the original.

Ace worked with Tai and Summer on individual aspects of his combat. Tai focused on physical conditioning, Aura manipulation, and hand-to-hand combat, while Summer trained Ace to master his Semblances and weaponry.

Ace struggled to control his Semblances, meaning his progress was slow, but steady. It was easy for him to cut loose and not restrain his fire or lightning, but Summer wanted him to master the basics of his Semblances before he started to use his full power. His swordplay was the exact opposite. After the first few months, Summer was forced to take her spars with Ace seriously. The swords seemed completely natural in the boy's hands. His speed, while still much slower than Summer, and creative fighting styles always kept Summer on her toes. She dual wielded with two short swords, Clementine and Rosa.

Summer taught Ace at a staggering rate, helping the boy develop a style that best fit his body, speed, and Semblances. She taught him how to channel Aura into his swords, but the attacks would almost always convert into fire or lightning. She told him that his swords were far stronger than anything she had seen, and channel Aura into them when he had the intent to kill.

Ace took an interest in bo staffs as well. He felt that his swords were a little too lethal to use in spars against anyone that wasn't Summer, Tai, or Qrow. Summer, being the gun nut that she was, helped Ace come up with a way to make his staff transform into a staff when the butts were connected. The staff would be hollow, but the metal was too strong to be broken, or even dented.

Ruby nearly had exploded in excitement when Ace promised to help her make a weapon when the time came.

While Summer only trained Ace, Tai started to train Yang as well.

Taiyang expected to be able to train Yang and Ace together, but after a week, it was obvious that Ace could learn much faster than his 'sister'. The boy took to fighting like a fish takes to water. Anything Tai threw at him; the boy would learn immediately. Ace tried to tell himself that it was the silver lining of his time with Salem, but it severed as a dark reminder of his past.

Ace would watch Tai, Tai would use whatever he was trying to teach against Ace, and then he was able to replicate the move almost perfectly. He polished up the moves thereafter, but in the year Ace had been sparring with Tai, they had covered almost five years' worth of martial arts training.

Tai was very hesitant to house Ace, at first. He heard about the mission details from Qrow and watched the footage of Ace slaughtering the guards without batting an eye. It terrified him that Summer would bring such a child home, but the real Ace was nothing like the one in the video. It was almost like they were two different people, which worried Ozpin.

Ace, while ridiculously awkward for the first month or so, was a very kind and loving boy. He got close to Ruby first, mainly because the girl would just follow him around like a lost puppy when they weren't in school. Eventually, Ace started to talk to Tai's youngest daughter.

Tai remembered when he saw Ace tickling Ruby to cheer her up after she was told she couldn't train with him and Yang. It was the first time Tai caught himself smiling at Ace, rather than wearing a forced neutral expression. The two were like real siblings. Ruby stopped bothering Tai and Summer when she had nightmares. Rather, Tai would find her in Ace's bed, with the boy holding her protectively whne they woke Ace and Ruby up in the morning.

It was clear that Ace had natural protective instincts for Ruby. He had no memory of his family prior to Salem abducting him, but he told Tai and Summer that it just felt natural to him.

Summer was the one to comfort Ace when he had nightmares about his time with Salem, but after a while, Ruby tried to help out. She would hug Ace as tight as she could until he calmed down, often times hearing him murmur apologies to people she had never heard of.

Ruby had asked Tai and Summer why Ace would have episodes, but they always dodged the questions. It annoyed Ruby, but she was too scared to ask Ace directly. She may be ditzy, but she wasn't stupid. There was a clear connection between everything. Why Ace trained so hard, why he was so protective of Ruby and Yang (even though the latter took some time to warm up to him), and why he was so secretive of his past. It hurt Ruby to know that Ace had to keep secrets from her.

Yang was another story.

Yang was extremely envious of Ace at first. He was the new kid, that came in an immediately had both Tai and Summer training him. Yang had been asking to start her training for years, but she they would always turn her down. Yet, they seemed more than willing to train Ace, even though he had no relation to them.

To make matters worse, Ace was better than Yang. Far better.

After the first week of training, Tai separated Yang and Ace, because she was holding him back. Her father never said that, but she knew it was true. Ace would train with Tai in the mornings and Summer in the evenings when she wasn't out on missions.

Yang never trained with Summer, but apparently Ace was good enough to train with their mother. It frustrated Yang to no end. It always made her feel like she wasn't good enough. She hated Ace even more when he started getting close to Ruby. Her sister would insist that Ace was nothing like she thought, but Yang would only get angrier.

For the first few months Ace lived with them, Yang would avoid him entirely, or purposely pick on him. His lack of social skills made him easy prey, but her words never seemed to bother him, much to her annoyance.

One day, Yang was having some trouble mastering a new technique her father taught her. She was trying her best, but the combination of kicks and quick jabs to uncovered pressure points was too unnatural for her. She remembered watching Ace master the technique in a matter of seconds a few months ago, yet she was held up on it for over a week, with her father insisting that she master it before they move on.

Ace came to Yang and asked if she wanted help, to which he received a particularly harsh verbal lashing from the blonde before she stormed off. Rather than leaving Yang alone, Ace followed her, like Ruby advised. No matter how far or fast she ran, Yang couldn't lose Ace. Whenever she thought she had finally lost him, he would just appear behind her again like he had been there the entire time.

After a few hours of running, Yang finally gave up and agreed to listen to Ace. She was very snotty at first, only listening to Ace so he would finally leave her alone, but Ace started to explain things her father didn't.

Ace told her that her fighting style was basically brawling, so a quick chain of attacks like the technique she was stuck on wouldn't be easy for her. He said that if she could combo it with a couple of power attacks to build up her momentum before going into the technique, it would feel a lot more natural.

Reluctantly, Yang tested what Ace suggested and had to agree. That afternoon, Yang showed the technique to her father, stunning the Huntsman. He was unsure of how Yang had progressed so much in a single afternoon. He knew Yang was like him, always rushing into things rather than thinking things through. He asked Ace if he had helped Yang, but Ace merely said that Yang just needed to make the technique her own, rather that do something foreign to her.

Slowly, but surely, Yang started to open up to Ace. She sat next to him in their classes and saw that his intelligence wasn't limited to fighting. He had nearly perfect grades and would always get the highest grades on tests or projects.

Yang started to ask for Ace's help on her training more often and noticed that the way he explained things was much easier for her to understand. She eventually started to talk to him about non-training topics and found that Ace was quite the jokester.

Ace was very sarcastic and comical most of the time, always having a nice one-liner to lift everyone's spirits. He would help her with her studies when she needed it, but Yang always liked to spar with Ace. He had a way of explaining situations to her mid-fight, so she could learn rather than just constantly getting beaten up by her father.

After a few months, Yang became quite fond of Ace. She called him 'big brother', even though they were unsure of who was technically the elder of the two. Where Yang was rash and impulsive, Ace was calm and calculated… unless you messed with his meat at dinner.

Yang and Ruby were always amazed by the sheer amount of food Ace consumed a day.

Tai couldn't help but feel a little guilty about his initial opinion of Ace. He had always wanted a son, just like Summer, and Ace was smart, caring, and protective of his siblings. Tai wouldn't have to worry about boys going after his daughters as long as Ace was around. He and Summer had accepted the boy as their son, and nothing could change that.

Everything went perfectly… until Summer didn't return from her mission.

When Tai, Ruby, Yang, and Ace found out, Ace wanted nothing more than to be alone. For the first few hours after finding out, Ace went out to a cliff overlooking the ocean at the edge of Patch, where Summer took him on nights that he couldn't sleep. He wasn't sure how long he was there, but Ace was reminded of the pain he felt when Ember, Spark, and Jade died.

The time Ace spent with Summer and her family was the happiest in his life. At times he felt like he was undeserving of such kindness.

Qrow and Ozpin kept the truth behind Summer's disappearance secret from Ace. They insisted that they would tell him when the time came, much to Ace's frustration. He wanted nothing more than to vent his anger destructively, but he knew that something had to be done first.

Ace had to bottle his emotions. He was the only one to deal with the death of loved ones before. He knew that Yang and Ruby would need someone to be there. Tai was their father, but this was the second time he lost a 'lover'. Ace could tell that the loss hurt him just as much, if not more that Yang and Ruby.

For weeks, Ace shared his room with Ruby and Yang, comforting them as the reality of the situation set in. Summer was gone.

Ace picked up the slack where Tai couldn't. He would cook and clean around the house, as well as help with Ruby's and Yang's homework whenever they asked. Tai, Yang, and Ruby all leaned on him to get through the loss. It was the least he could do. He owed Summer and her family a debt that could not be repaid. He kept himself busy, but never got the chance to grieve for Summer. He kept everything to himself, even finding it difficult to expresses his more repressed emotions when he was alone.

Yang, Ruby, and Ace grew even closer in the months following Summer's disappearance. Tai started to work a lot more, having to support three kids on his own, but was only able to do so because Ace helped him out around the house and with Ruby and Yang.

Ace started to train on his own, rather than asking Qrow or Tai for help. Summer was the one to push him the hardest, but now that she was gone. Ace knew that Salem might try to take abduct or kill him and Ruby if she discovered their location. Summer always used to mutter things in her sleep about Ruby having silver eyes, and a dormant power when she would nap or comfort him when he had nightmares, but Ace never asked about it.

Ace knew that Summer wasn't a loon, so there must be some truth behind her words. He assumed that Ruby could be targeted for one reason or another, so he needed to be ready. He trained himself for three hours in the morning before school, cleaned up and made breakfast, went to school for six hours, came home and made dinner, then went out to train six more hours on his own.

Yang had come to Ace for help with her training, but Ace always worked with her in the mornings. No one knew exactly what Ace did when he went off by himself to train, but he would always come back dead tired and drenched in sweat.

Ace became a perfectionist, running himself ragged every time he trained, but perfecting techniques, fighting styles, and mastering his Semblances. He developed methods of using his lightning and fire both offensive and defensively, as well as channeling Aura into his blades and staff.

Ace also started to use knives more often, using them as non-lethal alternatives to his swords. He would dual wield his knives, just like his swords, and developed a hand-to-hand/Arnis style.

Qrow had watched Ace on a number of occasions, remaining hidden, in his bird form. Ace was coming along better than anyone could have expected. He had a determination to him that was downright terrifying. He would advance by leaps and bounds in every aspect he put his mind to, yet didn't show any of it to Yang, Ruby, or the other kids at school. Everything Ace accomplished was well deserved and worked for.

Once Ace enrolled at Signal, he became much more secretive of his training. He was able to hide from Qrow and would not report his development to Ozpin. The only thing the pair had to go on was Ace's undefeated record at Signal.

At first, Ace mastered hand-to-hand combat. He used this in almost all of his spars at school, even when his partners would use weapons. His speed and strength far surpassed that of his classmates, allowing for him to dispatch his opponents with ease. He was never forced to reveal his Semblances, and only a handful of students actually landed hits on him.

On occasion, Ace would use his knives, but he never drew his swords, even though he took them everywhere with him. He felt venerable without them, not to mention, Summer was the one that helped him design the transforming mechanics of the blades, so Ace could also use them as a staff.

Qrow sparred Ace once, and to say the boy impressed would be putting in lightly. Ace didn't use his Semblances, but just his hand-to-hand, swordsmanship, and Dojutsu were terrifying. Qrow completely understood why he didn't use his sword or staff against his classmates.

Ace had a way of predicting blows in fights that was almost like a foresight Semblance, Qrow fought against in the Vital Festival, his third year at Beacon. Neither of them could explain it, but Ace said that if he watched a person hard enough and flooded the air around him with Aura, he could read the movements of their muscles and predict their attacks.

Qrow had never heard met anyone with the same mental fortitude as Ace, so he figured it might be something unique to him, but Ace did say that Salem tried to instill the skill into him when he would spar against the Grimm she created.

Qrow knew that Yang, Ruby, and Tai were worried about Ace. He never seemed to be bothered by Summer's death, but they knew that couldn't be farther from the truth. He had been there for all of them, but never been the one to lean on others. He didn't push them away, but he never let them in completely. It was obvious that Summer's death shattered Ace, but he never showed it. He was always their rock when they needed to vent, or let it all out, yet he never depended on them in that way.

Yang and Ruby wished that just once, Ace would let out his bottled-up emotions. They didn't know everything about his life before he lived with them, but they knew it was anything but happy. They saw his scars once when the family went to the beach and were horrified.

Ace saw the fear in their eyes as Yang and Ruby stared at him, and never let them see his scars again. He would always swim with a shirt or get dressed in the bathroom, so he didn't scare the girls.

Summer scolded the girls when she found out about it, but Ace insisted it was okay. Ruby and Yang still felt guilty about the way they acted that day. In a way, they showed fear, or disgust at the representations of Ace's life before them. They tried to apologize on a number of occasions, but Ace would always just dismiss the matter as 'ancient history'.

A few things about Ace really bothered Qrow. He had to admit, he was wrong about Ace. He was glad that his 'nieces' had someone like him looking out for them, but Ace never opened up.

Ace did everything on his own. He never relied on others to get stronger, or to learn. He was far more resourceful than those twice his age. He had mastered stealth by reading Summer's old journals and developed new styles based on advice she had given him years in the past. Nothing was ever good enough for Ace. He never seemed to plateau and was always coming up with more ways to combat different opponents or different Semblances. He kept journals of all the Semblances he read about or weapons he had seen, and came up with ways to counter each individual one as effectively as possible.

A few months after Summer died, Ruby asked Qrow's to train her, and Tai rekindled his training sessions with Yang, but Ace never asked for help from either of them. Ozpin would go and talk to the boy every now and then, but Ace was very secretive about his power.

Yang eventually discovered her Semblance, as did Ruby some time later. Upon realizing their Semblances, they asked Ace what his was, but he never gave them a straight answer, much to their annoyance. He would joke about it being a surprise, but never even hinted at what it could be.

Ozpin and Qrow were glad that Ace kept his Semblance a secret. He never had to use his abilities over the years, except in training, but even then, Summer had showed him distant or hidden locations where she had trained with her Silver Eyes power. There, Ace wouldn't be discovered, or risk harming anyone. He had sculpted his body and mind into weapons capable of handling most fights with just his physical capabilities.

At age 16, Ace was a hair under six feet, but stood at a solid 6'2 in his combat boots. He was 215 pounds of solid muscle, that had been gathered over years of insane physical conditioning. He had endurance out the ass, and could outmuscle Yang, even when her Semblance was active.

Ace's speed was comparable to Ruby's when her Semblance was active, much to the little girl's annoyance. The sisters often sparred against Ace over the years, only to be thrown around like ragdolls.

Ace seemed to have a sixth sense on the battlefield. He could feel when an attack was coming and move out of the way, even if he didn't see or hear it. He could mold his Aura into a field around him to spot enemies and 'see' the surrounding area. This ability was almost always active, even when Ace wasn't in combat.

Ace taught Ruby this technique, but Yang didn't have a good enough control over her Aura to master the technique. She had too much raw power to release the undetectable amounts needed for this technique to be used optimally.

Instead, Ace taught Yang a means of releasing bursts of Aura from her hands and feet to amplify the power of her attacks. Yang took advantage of the technique, tweaking it here and there to fit her needs. She was capable of dealing insane amounts of Aura damage with a single blow when she partnered her Aura Blasts with her Ember Celica.

Ace was number one in his grade, with Yang at number two. He was the top student in both academics and combat, making him particularly well know, even among the younger students. He made many friends during his time at the Signal, and much to Yang and Ruby's annoyance, attracted girls like moths to a flame.

There were many rumors going about Ace's sexual exploits, some saying that he slept with a few of the prettiest girls at their school, and others claiming he was interested in men, but Yang insisted that these were just rumors. She grew protective of Ace, much like he was of her and Ruby. She hated the way girls looked at him. Their lust-filled gazes drove her crazy. On more than one occasion, Yang picked fights with a few of the more audacious girls, but they never seemed to get the message. She had no idea how Ace ignored them.

Yang just looked forward to going to Beacon. She and Ace would be partners and lead a team on a number of adventures all around the world. They'd enjoy themselves and when Ruby was at Beacon, they would tease and harass her like good older siblings.

Ace seemed to be more focused on the present than the future. Any time Yang talked about how awesome it's gonna be to go away, Ace would get really quiet. He told her a number of times that he would prefer to live in the moment, which she could respect, but she could also tell that there was something more that he kept secret.

It wasn't until Qrow showed up with an odd request that Ace was forced to reveal his secrets.

One Year Before Canon

Ace stood at the sink, cleaning dishes, like he had many times in the past six years. It was a particularly nice Saturday afternoon, and Yang, Taiyang, and Ruby sat will full stomachs and nothing to do.

Ruby and Yang let out a satisfied groan, then the latter let out a hearty burb.

Yang wore an orange tank top with a flaming heart in the center that showed a few inches of her midriff and short black shorts. Ruby wore a plain black tank top with white pants that had little pink roses dotting them. Taiyang wore his normal attire, having just returned from a meeting at Signal.

"Ahhh," Yang sighed with a smile, "I love Ace's cooking."

Yang got a groan from her sister and father in response. They heard a knock at the door, and all looked at each other, before nodding in mutual understanding.

"Ace!" Tai called out as he held his bulging belly, "Can you get the door?"

The three heard a sigh from the kitchen before the water cut off and Ace came into sight.

"Really guys," Ace said as he wiped his hands on a dish towel. Ruby turned to face her surrogate brother. He towered over her and Yang and had a build that put her father to shame. His skinned darkened a bit over the years, contrasting his snow-white hair that sat in a controlled chaos on top of his head. He pushed it out of his face often, though the white never seemed to fade. He wore a black muscle shirt, revealing much of his muscular chest and arms. His scars covered his arms, a few peeked out of his collar, but the worst were concealed. He had on red shorts that went below his knees and was currently barefoot, "It's right next to the table guys…"

Ace only got a groan in response as he walked past his family with a grin and unlocked the door.

"Qrow?" Ace asked in slight confusion, "Come in. I didn't know you were coming by."

Ace stepped out of the way as Qrow entered. The Huntsman wore his normal attire, and actually didn't smell like cheap liquor for once.

"Sorry to intrude, I didn't plan on coming by," Qrow turned to Ace, "But Oz asked if I could talk to you about something."

Ace's eyes narrowed for a second and Qrow felt Ace's eyes watching his every move. The boy had a way of reading people. Even the most gifted liars were open books to Ace. Qrow fell victim to this a number of times over the years and learned it's better to just be honest with Ace. Sooner or later, he would always find out the truth anyways.

"What does Ozpin need with Ace?" Tai asked, sitting up in interest and concern. He ignored the discomfort in his stomach, knowing that Ozpin and Ace were never really the best of friends.

Yang and Ruby shared a look of confusion before turning to Ace for answers, but their surrogate brother was too busy staring down Qrow.

"Uh," Qrow muttered as he looked at Ruby and Yang, "I thinks tt's best if we keep it between the three of us."

Tai nodded after a second of hesitation, then looked at Ruby and Yang sitting next to him.

"Can you two give us a minute?" Tai asked his daughters. They looked like they were about to protest, but Ace just shook his head. They took the warning and reluctantly went away. They spared Ace one last glance, but only got a small smile from their brother before they turned down the hall.

Ace looked at Qrow, waiting for him to continue.

"Are they actually upstairs?" Qrow asked Ace, who shook his head.

"But if we keep our voices down," Ace countered, "They won't be able to hear us."

Tai was about to go scold his daughters, but Ace just raised a hand.

"This is apparently important if Oz got you out of the bars at this hour," Ace jabbed with a straight face, getting an annoyed expression from Qrow.

"It's 2:30," Qrow protested with a deadpanned expression.

Ace scoffed.

"Because you've never been drunk this early before," Ace said sarcastically. Tai grinned at Ace, and the boy cracked a smile of his own. Qrow just sighed before changing the subject.

"Anyways," Qrow grumbled, "Oz wanted me to ask you if you wanted to compete in the Mistral Regional Tournament this year."

Ace opened his eyes for a second before sighing. He looked up at Qrow, knowing that he was being volen-told, more than asked, but was curious as to why Ozpin would be willing to tip his hand and reveal Ace to the world.

"Why would I want to do that?" Ace asked in fake annoyance, "I've never been interested in flashy competitions like that."

Qrow pulled out his flask, using it to buy himself some time to think. He had drawn the short straw here. It was between him, Oz, and Goodwitch, and somehow Qrow was the one stuck with the Herculean Task of getting Ace to stop training and go fight people that were no match for him.

"Well," Qrow started, "There are a number of reasons. First off, prize money. There is this girl, Pyrrha something that has won three years in a row. Those in Mistral have taken to calling her the Untouchable Girl or something. People are willing to spend literal fuck-tons of money to see her fight. The champions purse is sitting at 1.5 million Lien. Second, this is the first year Vale, Mantle, and Vacuo are invited. It's kinda like a mini-Vital Festival. If you win it, you could make Vale look good and maybe catch the eye of some important people that we need on our side when the time comes. Lastly, Oz and I wants to see you in action. Not everyone you fight is always going to require your hundred percent. That would probably be the case here, but I doubt you can beat that Pyrrha girl without using your Semblances. We are all curious to see how far you have come, and you aren't exactly a fan of reporting in like we asked you to. So, why not just show us?"

Ace sighed as he rubbed the back of his head.

"Tai," Ace got his 'father's' attention, "If I win this thing, would you be willing to accept the prize money. It could make things a lot easier for a while and pay for Beacon when its tuition time."

Tai paled slightly at the thought of three kids going to Beacon. He then looked at Ace with a worried expression.

"You wouldn't want to keep it?" Tai asked, "There's nothing you would want?"

Ace's eyes lit up for a second and a sinister smile appeared on his face, making the two men grow weary.

"Actually, I'll get what I want, then give you the rest," Ace offered, his smile growing, "Assuming Tai is cool with accepting the money, you got yourself a deal."

Tai was more worried about what Ace wanted at this point, than anything else.

"Uh, Ace," Tai said nervously, "What exactly do you want to buy?"

Ace just smiled and waved off the question.

"I have to win this thing before I can think about that, right?" Ace's smile turned sinister again before he turned to Qrow, "Alright. When do we leave?"

Qrow looked at his watch, secretly happy that Ace didn't make this difficult.

"The tournament starts in two days," Qrow pointed out, "We should leave tonight so you can get situated before the fighting starts. Go get packed. I'll give Oz a call. He can set up a flight for us.

Ace nodded and walked out of the room. His grin fell as he started to think about the many contenders he had watched and read about over the years. Pyrrha Nikos was the only one to really catch his eye. She was the three-time champion of this tournament and won each year by a landslide. He wanted to face her eventually, curious about what her Semblance might be, and whether it would be worth taking.

Ozpin was strongly against Ace taking anymore Semblances, but Ace knew that if he wanted to actually reach Salem's level, he would have to use his Semblance. He was afraid to use it again, but he knew that the peace he had enjoyed for the last seven years was bound to end eventually. He needed to be ready when it did.

"Are you and Oz really that desperate to see how strong he is?" Tai muttered angrily, "He'll be at Beacon next year. Why can't you just wait?"

Qrow pulled out his scroll and began to dial Oz's number.

"At the rate things are going, we might not have a year," Qrow said darkly before walking out onto the front porch.

Ace turned the corner and saw Yang and Ruby waiting for him on the stairs. They shot up when they saw their brother walking up to them.

"What was that about? Is everything okay? Are you going away?" Ruby bombarded Ace with questions, earning herself a hand on the top of her head and an affectionate head pat.

"Calm down, Rubes," Ace smiled as he walked up the stairs, "I am going away for a bit, but I should be back in a week or so."

Yang and Ruby followed him to his room and saw that he was packing both combat gear and dress clothes.

"Where are you going?" Yang asked as she tried to piece it together by what Ace was packing.

Ace put his bag on his bed, Ruby and Yang sitting down on either side.

"Mistral," Ace replied as pulled out a spare cloak and set it on the coat rack next to his door, "I am going to be competing in the Mistral Regional Tournament, representing Vale."

Ace covered his ears preemptively.

"WHAT?!" Ruby and Yang yelled as they jumped to their feet. Ace smiled as he saw the looks on their faces.

"Oh my gosh! That's so cool!" Ruby gushed as she thought about watching Ace fight in a structured tournament. No one in Signal could even come close to beating Ace. If he were to go an compete in Mistral, he would have to give it his all.

"Why was I not asked?!" Yang yelled at Ace, "I'm the second ranked senior in Signal! Why wasn't I asked to participate?"

Ace shrugged his shoulders. He smiled at Yang, hoping she would keep her anger in check.

"Ozpin apparently wanted me to be the one to represent Vale," Ace said offhandedly as he packed some pajamas, "He apparently isn't happy with how I've been hiding my potential. This is probably his way of comparing me to some of the world's finest our age."

Yang crossed her arms and pouted cutely. Ace chuckled

"Still," Yang muttered, "I wanna go…"

Ace grinned as he turned to the blonde. He took a few steps and stopped in front of her.

"Awww," Ace cooed as he rubbed Yang's head, messing up her hair, "Is my little sister going to miss me?"

Yang blushed at Ace's actions, then swiped off his hand and tried to fix her hair.

"Hands off the hair," Yang growled dangerously.

Ruby stood up and looked at Ace's packed bag. He just had a change of his combat clothes resting on the bed, as he waited for Yang and Ruby to leave.

"Ace," Ruby said softly, "Can we talk about something really quick?"

Ace turned to Ruby in confusion. She seemed nervous about something.

"Sure, Ruby," Ace responded, "What's up?"

"I-I'm sorry for how I acted when I saw your scars," Ruby stuttered as she stared at her feet.

Ace's eyes widened as Ruby's words echoed in the air. Yang's eyes widened as well, as he breath caught in her throat. Ever since the initial scolding from Summer, Yang and Ruby had never even mentioned the scars that covered Ace's body. It was basically taboo in their household.

"Where is this coming from?" Ace put an arm around the small girl and pulled her into a hug, "I've already told you not to worry about it."

Ruby clutched to Ace's shirt as she felt tears form in her eyes.

"It's obviously not alright, Ace!" Ruby countered, "Ever since we first saw them, you have been scared to show us again. It's because of how we acted, isn't it?"

Ace froze, and Ruby noticed. Yang stared wide-eyed at her 'siblings' in shock. She was trembling slightly, remembering how terrified she was when she first saw the scars that covered Ace's torso.

"R-Rubes, it's-" Ace started before Ruby cut him off.

"Stop telling everyone that you're okay all the time!" Ruby felt tears on her cheeks, but she buried her face in Ace's chest, "You always keep everything bottled up! You have to let it out or it will overwhelm you."

Ace looked down at Ruby in shock, but the girl continued.

"When mom died, you were there for all of us," Ruby said softly as she remembered the many nights her and Yang cried themselves to sleep in this very room, "We leaned on you to get through it, but you never needed us."

Ace's hair shadowed his eyes as Ruby continued.

"We have done nothing but rely on you since mom brought you home!" Ruby sobbed, "Yet you haven't needed us! Why Ace? Why don't you let us help you like you help us?"

Ruby felt Ace's arms tighten around her. She quieted down as she waited for Ace to respond.

"Ruby," Ace said softly as a tear fell off his chin and onto Ruby's head, "You, Yang, and your parents have done more for me than I could ever repay. Your mother saved my life and gave me a reason to live."

Yang's eyes welled with tears as she saw her brother's sad expression. She got up slowly and approached Ace and Ruby.

"I was broken before I met her," Ace muttered, feeling Yang hug him from behind, "Now I have a family. I have two beautiful sisters that I would do anything for. I have a father that will always be there for me, even when I feel like I have nowhere to go. I can't put into words how much the three of you mean to me."

Ace felt his heart melt as his sisters embraced him. He was unsure of how long they stayed there, but it was the happiest he had been since Summer offered to take him home with her over seven years ago.

"Ozpin, Qrow, and your parents asked me to keep my past a secret," Ace revealed, getting shocked expressions from his sisters as they let go of him, "I've think you two have been in the dark for long enough."

Ace kissed the top of their heads and reached for the bottom of his shirt. He pulled off his shirt to reveal the horrific scars that peppered his muscular frame.

It was easier for Yang and Ruby this time. The scars were the stuff of nightmares, but they needed to see it. They memorized Ace's torso, Yang having a slight blush as she did so.

"When I get back," Ace pulled a new shirt over his chest, "I will answer whatever questions you guys have."

Ace grabbed a cloak from the rack next to his door and smiled at his sisters.

"Wish me luck," Ace chirped as he made his way out of the room and down the stairs.

As soon as Ace was out of earshot, Ruby and Yang tensed, the image of Ace's scarred torso fresh on their mind. An expression of horror came back to their faces as they tried to keep their cool.

"Sis," Yang asked, "Wh-What could have done that to him?"

Ruby just shook her head as she thought over what she had seen.

"I don't know…"