Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.

Chapter 2: Unexpected Reunion

The passenger airship glided gracefully through the air, landing gently onto the docking station. It doors opened and dozens of prospective students rushed out, eager to get a look at Beacon Academy. They had all trained for many years to get to this point; to be worthy of coming to this illustrious institution and become one of the best, to become Huntsmen.

Only one of the young passengers didn't immediately disembark from the airship, instead waiting until everyone else was off before rising from her seat in the back and walking slowly to the open door.

The sudden bright light of the sun temporarily blinded the girl, causing her to squint and shield her eyes with her hands. When she could see again, she got her first look at the monumental structure of Beacon Academy.

It was an impressive sight to sure. Massive stone structures that contained all the necessities that students needed to live and train in comfort while being capable of withstanding huge amounts of damage and still stand. It was true testament to human engineering and a symbol of their resiliency.

Nora Valkyrie, age 17, was impressive sight herself, especially when compared to where she had started. Gone was the thin, sick girl in rags; replaced by a strong, fearless warrior. While possessing a fairly slim and petite frame, one would be badly mistaken to assume she was weak and frail.

Underneath her pale white skin were extremely well-developed muscles, the result of years of intense physical training. Even without her Semblance, she was monstrously strong and could overpower almost anyone. Her Semblance took it even further, granting her strength beyond what most veteran Huntsmen could even hope to have. Couple that with a few other tricks and skills that she knew and Nora was confident that she was the strongest of this new batch of students.

Nora looked around the perfectly maintained school grounds and saw smalls groups of students walking, gawking at the massive structures or making idle conversations. It took a good amount of her self-control to keep a derisive sneer off her face.

This was the next generation of Huntsmen and Huntresses that would protect the world? This group of children were going to be ones who stood directly in Lady Salem's way? They were just kids playing at being heroes. Did they honestly think that a good mark on a written test or a passing performance in a controlled combat situation made them ready to face down the hordes of Grimm, to try and stop the inevitable fate of mankind?

It all seemed like one big joke to her. The people of this world, a world on the constant verge of extinction, thought that such hand holding methods would be enough to save them?

It was nothing compared to what she had gone through, what she had endured. Her strength came through hard-worn experience, with lots of blood, sweat and tears. These other students would doubtlessly claim the same; that they had work hard to reach this position, but that was all a farce compared to what was needed to acquire true strength.

With Lady Salem, the Grimm and the untamed Wilds as her teachers, she had gained true strength. Strength enough to crash any who stood against her or her Lady; enough to crash any of these wannabe 'heroes' who had come to this school.

Nora shook her head; no matter what she couldn't get over confident. That above all would lead to her failing in her mission and she refused to fail Lady Salem. Not after all she had given her.

And she had to remember where she was, in the very centre of the enemy's stronghold. It would not be her fellow students that she would to be worried about, it was the Headmaster. Ozpin was the one who had done more than anyone else to hinder the Lady's plans. His greatest weapon was not his formidable skills in battle, but rather his mind. He was always on the lookout for next part of Lady Salem's plan, prepared to take advantage of any small flaw he could find.

If she wasn't careful, he would find out about her and she had no illusions about what he would do to extract the information she knew about Lady Salem's plan.

Nora looked around the grounds again, seeing more students arriving from different airships, but no one that could be a member of the facility.

Ozpin wasn't the only one she would have to be on guard for. The teachers at Beacon were all hand-picked by Ozpin himself, chosen for their skills as Huntsmen and their loyalty to the Headmaster. While it was doubtful that Ozpin had brought all of them into his inner circle, the most capable would certainly be members of Ozpin's brotherhood and would be on the lookout for anything related to Lady Salem.

She needed to keep a low-profile and not draw any unnecessary attention to herself. She needed to remain undetected at the school until the Vytal Festival. If she was outed beforehand, everything would be ruined. Sure, she could probably hold her own against any force Ozpin sent to capture her, especially if she went all out, but that wasn't the point. At this phase, she was only to be an observer, to make she everything went as it should. Ozpin and his cohorts were not her primary enemy.

Nora couldn't help but look behind her, almost imagining that the orange-eye, raven-haired schemer was right there waiting for her. That was impossible, as Cinder Falls was currently in Mistral, making preparation for her arrival at the end of the first semester. All the resources needed to take down a Kingdom were immense and she was keeping herself busy, from what she had reported to Lady Salem. Doubtless she had visited Vale before; to lay down the groundwork for what was to come and would probably come before the Haven students' officially arrived.

But that was in the future. Her job now was to get set up in Beacon before Cinder arrived and be prepared to keep an eye on her, to make sure she was working in Lady Salem's best interests. If she was found to working for her own benefit instead, only then would she step in.

Nora clenched her fist at this thought. This was what her duty was, her life's mission as given to her by her savior, Lady Salem. She was not to be the Sword that would slay the enemies of her Queen, but the Hammer that would ensure that the Sword did not bend or waver in it task, ready to beat it back into shape.

It didn't matter if the Hammer itself broke, so long as the Sword would still cut down her Lady's enemy.

But that was for the future. Right now her priority was simply to get into Beacon and then blend in as an ordinary student. That was a task that was easy said than done, though.

Nora was well aware of her unusually upbringing and how different that made her. There were many things about human society and culture that she was unaware of and she could easily make a spectacle of herself. If she made too many obvious blunders, she would draw unwanted attention to herself and make her job even harder.

She had a believable backstory already figured out, to explain away some of her social awkwardness but she would still need to be very careful. Her best bet was get onto a team of people that she could get along with reasonable well and simply hide in the background. She would need to pretend to be a fairly open and friendly person; having a reputation as a broody loner would only draw attention to her, not divert it.

From what she had viewed of humans from a distance, plus the books she had read, a person who looked like they had dark, mysterious past would only make people more interested in them. Such a person would also be the kind that Ozpin would probably suspect first at being a possible threat and keep under close supervision. She needed to blend in as just another of the regular student; not standing out anymore then she had too.

Nora took another look at the various teenagers milling around, taking note of their clothing. She had been worried that her wardrobe would stand out too much, but given what she saw the other students wearing, that wouldn't be a problem. Compared to the sheer canopy of colours and designs, her choice of clothes was downright subdued.

Not that she had much choice in what she wore; wearing only what she could find, make or steal didn't leave must room for fashion. Not that Nora knew or cared for what was fashionable, but she also didn't want to stick out like a sore thumb.

Most of what she wore was of a dark colour and geared towards practicality. A black vest with an up-turned collar coupled with a dark purple sleeveless top. She had two detached gray sleeves covering most of her arms, with black fingerless gloves on her hands. She had opted for a skirt, figuring that she should include some 'feminine' apparel into her appearance. Hers was of a medium length, dark violet colour. It was simply designed, not as ridiculous looking as those 'combat skirts' she had seen advertised. She had a pair of black shorts underneath her skirt and a pair of black shoes on her feet.

All in all it wasn't a bad set-up, especially for a collection of clothes that she quickly pulled off shelves of a clothing store as she was robbing it in the dead of night.

She added two unique item of her own to this ensemble. The first was customized piece of armour, covering her back, sides and abdomen. It was made of segmented pieces, allowing for flexibility while provide decent protection. It wasn't as elaborate or as all-encompassing as some of the armour she saw other student wearing, but it got the job done. It real purpose was to be a harness for her weapon, Magnhild, and to hold various 'special' grenades and other useful tools.

She had attempted to increases the protection it gave by adding a breast-plate to it, but it had proven too uncomfortable and constricting on her chest. Her breasts were apparently of a very large size, which did make clothes and such a bit of a hassle. However, from what she had read and observed, they were considered a very attraction quality for males and thus could be used to her advantage.

While she would never be a master of seduction like Cinder, she could at least attempt to use her body as a way to distract at least some of her opponents. She had cut a large diamond hole in top of her shirt, exposing a good amount of her cleavage. Her skirt also showed off some of her legs as well, creating what she hoped was a some-what alluring figure.

Her second personal item probably ruined that image, but she didn't care. Over top all of this was a tattered, well-worn black duster coat. Both sleeves had been torn off long ago and it had be damaged and repaired countless times. No matter how many times she tried to clean it, it still looked dirty and ragged.

Nora was not going to get rid of it, however. It was hers. She hadn't found it or stolen it; she had taken it. It was a symbol of her strength and progress and she wasn't going to part with it, no matter how out-of-place it looked. The day she had acquired it was the day that she had finally shed the last of her human frailty and weakness.

Almost all of it…

Nora shook her head and continued forward, side stepping a tall boy wearing green. She needed to stay focused and remember all that she had learned. She had to pass the examination and then simply be a normal student until Vytal festival. No one knew who she was, so if she kept her head down and eyes open then everything should be okay. As long as nothing crazy or unexpected happen, everything should-

"Nora?"

The sudden uttering of her name from behind her struck her still in a half step. Her left hand instinctively reached under her duster, gripping Magnhild on her back.

Who? Had Ozpin already found out about her already? But she had only been in Vale for less than a week and her small robbery had gone without a hitch. Was he just that observant?

Had Cinder found out about her, about her purpose? Had she come all the way here to deal with her, be it out of jealousy that Lady Salem didn't fully trust her or that she was a direct threat to her personal ambitions?

All these thoughts and questions swirls in the young girl's mind as she slowly turned around, body tense and ready to fight.

But it wasn't the Headmaster of Beacon or Lady Salem's Right Hand behind her, or anyone that could possibly be working for them.

It was the male student she had just passed. He was tall, with black hair tied into a long ponytail and a single pink highlight. He was wearing a green and black tailcoat with white pants. He had a lithe build, but still gave off the impression that he was a dangerous fighter.

But it was his magenta eyes that gave Nora pause. They were eyes that she remembered vividly, even after all these years. She had looked into those eyes many times, finding whatever strength in them that she could during those difficult days.

Those eyes were now opened wide and were filled with a multitude of emotions, the greatest of which was hope. Hope that the girl that he was looking at was who he thought it was.

He face was the same too, though he features had grown more sharp and adult-like as he aged. Having actual food and maintaining a healthy lifestyle had done wonders for him overall. The sick, undernourished and tired boy he once was had been stripped away, leaving the handsome young man that even back then, she knew he was.

But…it was impossible. There was no way it could be him. The chances were astronomical; that they would meet here of all places after so many years…

Nora found that her throat was suddenly very dry and her words were very hoarse. But it was still audible and her question was asked, a question that's answer she both hoped and feared for.

"Ren...?"

The airships disembarked it cargo of young, energy filled teenagers onto the grounds of Beacon Academy. Most immediately rushed to exit, eager to see the place they hoped would be their home for the next 4 years. All were filled with hope and determination, seeing this place as the next step on the road to fulfil their dreams of becoming Huntsmen.

For one Lie Ren, coming to Beacon was simply something for him to do.

Like the other student rushing pass him, he had spent years training at a combat school, working hard so that he could have a chance to come here. But it had never been his ambition to become a Huntsman, never a burning passion that forced him to go that extra mile. Sure he trained and studied rigorously, but mostly because it was a means to occupy his time.

Ren didn't feel any great sense of pride or excitement as he slowly walked down the paved pathways, sidestepping groups of milling applicants. He didn't have any great dream or anything really to drive him, no burning passion to make he go towards a higher goal. He didn't what he did with his life, what his future turned out to be.

He hadn't really cared about anything since that day; the day he lost her.

His early life had been nothing but pain and hardship. He had lived at that horrible orphanage for as long as he could remember, with bad food and even worse caretakers. Going to bed hungry and bruised from a beating was common, along with shivering all night from the cold. The only thing the Matron and her staff truly cared for was money; spending it on proper food, clothes, bedding or heating for the children's rooms was unacceptable.

Every day was a living hell and it was a wonder how any of them lasted any length of time. Beyond the neglect and poor healthcare, the sheer hopelessness of it all was soul crashing to such young children. He was surprised that kids just didn't give up and die; he was sure some had, but it was remarkable how most were able to get through each day. Each child had their own way of keeping their spirts up.

Being with her had been his method. He couldn't recall how or when they first met; it seemed like they had always been together, ever since they arrived at the orphanage in the town of Hollow. No matter how hard it got, she had been there for him. Those bright eyes and wide smile never failed to make him feel better; to make him believe that today would be just a little bit better.

They did everything together: sharing their meager meals, huddling for warmth under too-thin blanket and making what fun they could in such a heartless environment. Most of the games they made up involved one being a hero who would rescue the other from an evil monster and take them to a magic kingdom, where they would live happily ever after.

It was all just fantasy, a childish game they played but deep down they wished it was true. They had no idea what the world outside the dirty walls of the orphanage was like, but they would talk about it almost every night after lights out. It had to be better out there; with good food and warm bed and nice people who wouldn't hit them.

Deep down, Ren knew that wasn't the case, but dreamed along with his friend anyway. With her, the days seemed a little bit brighter and the nights a little less dark. He honestly began to think that they could do it; survive that place and make it out to the bigger, better world that had to be out there.

But of course it had to come to an end, like all good things. He honestly believed that any happiness that the children felt was poison to the staff and they deliberately tried to separate the two of them. Sure, children were moved and relocated to other affiliated orphanages (no one was ever adopted, ever), but they had been together for years at that point in the same place, so why send Ren all the way to Vacuo except to make them miserable and lose hope?

Ren had fought as hard as he ever had that day, when they tried to take him way. It was a hopeless battle, one nine-year old boy against several adults; but to his credit, it did take three of them to tie him down and put him in the car. His friend tried her best as well and he saw her get a good hit on the Matron herself, but it was all for naught. This fate was beyond either of their control and it was through teary eyes that he watched the orphanage and his only friend disappear through the car window.

For the first half of the long drive south to Vale, he simply sat in silence, tied up in the backseat. He cried silently as the notion of living without his friend, without her, really began to sink it. He had tried so hard, struggled as much as a young boy could, to make both of their lives better. All those times he had pretended to be a brave hero that came to rescue her from the monster had been just that; a game of pretend.

She was all that matter to him and if he couldn't save her when it was real, when it truly mattered…

The he was just the weak, good-for-nothing boy that the staff always said he was.

His sadness was slowly replaced with anger; pure, unadulterated rage direct at the people who made his life the way it was. Rather than driving him to scream and yell, like any other angry child, his mind became more focused. He looked around the car, searching for anything that he could use while as quietly and with as little movement as possible, testing the ropes that bound his hands and feet.

Like everything these people did, it was a shoddy job. He was able to loosen the one on his hands easy enough and was able to work on the one around his feet by pretending to sob and curl into a ball. The two men in the front barely gave a glance back; they had done this run many times and each time it was the same. Why should this time be any different?

But they never had to deal with a boy like Lie Ren before

They had gotten most of the way to Vale, traveling along the walled highway that connected the Kingdom to the towns and villages to the northeast, when Ren made his move. The road skirted along the edges of the Forever Falls and there were several twists and turns that required vehicles to slow down. Those two goons figured that since he was tied up, there was no point in the locking the back doors.

Now jumping out of a speeding car wasn't the smartest thing a young boy could do, but Ren was more than a little desperate. It was truly foolish given that the road was surrounded by a high wall designed to keep out Grimm and the two goons could easily stop the car, get out and catch him. There was very little hope of him escape in this situation.

But Fate seemed to be on the young boy's side. When he opened the door and leapt out, the man in the passenger seat immediately turned around in his seat and tried to reach into the back to grab him. He just missed, but succeeded in practically falling onto the driver, causing him to swerve and crash into the wall.

Ren took several minutes to pick himself up. He had tried to roll as he fell, but he was still pretty scraped and bruised from his tumble and both his left foot and the right side of his chest really hurt. He looked over at the car, smashed against the road wall and smoke was coming from the crashed front. From what he could see, neither of the men were moving to get out of the car, or moving at all.

The sound of a car approaching from the other direction shocked Ren in action. He needed to get out of here and back to the orphanage. He couldn't trust anyone else; only he could rescue his friend. He looked around frantically for a way to escape the enclosed road way.

Luckily for him, there was a section of the wall close to where they had crashed that was in a state of disrepair and a small hole, just wide enough for him, was visible. He quickly dashed towards it, ignoring the screech of the tires as the other car stopped and the shouts from the people getting out. Every adult he knew had hurt him and he wasn't going to take a chance with this people. He dove through the hole and into the wildness beyond, running back towards his hometown.

The untamed areas outside of the Kingdoms and fortified settlements were extremely dangerous to even fully trained and prepared adults; to a young boy with nothing but his tattered clothes on his back, it was a death sentence.

But again, Fate was with him. Not two day before, a group of Huntsmen and Huntresses had cleared that area of Grimm. While it would return to being infested with the creatures of darkness soon enough, at that moment it was as safe as any place outside the Kingdoms could be.

Keeping the wall in sight, Ren ran as fast as he could through the thick bush and rough terrain. He ran all day and all night, ignoring the pain and hunger. He added more cuts and bruises in short order, but never stopped his trek back to that horrible place he called home. He would find and rescue his friend, and take her far away; away from all the things and people that hurt them.

He would be the hero that she always said he was.

The sun was back in the sky again by the time he reached the walls of the Hollow. He made his way around to where the orphanage was, keeping out of sight of the gate and watchtowers. It was located in an isolated corner of the town, where the walls was almost as poorly maintained as the building itself. It had been many years since the Grimm had attacked the town, so the defences had been allowed to deteriorate.

There was a small hole, just big enough for a child to fit through, close to the orphanage. It was covered with bushes and near-impossible to find, but he and his friend had found it one day while exploring. They had talked endlessly about using the hole to escape, but all the stories about the Grimm on the other side stopped them.

Stopped him; she had said they should try while he convince her not to. If he had just a bit of her courage, maybe this whole thing wouldn't have happened.

No matter, he was going to make it right. His short time in the wilderness had convinced him that the adults were lying about how dangerous it was outside the walls. He could do this; sneak into the orphanage, rescue his friend and escape. In his mind it was easy, it was real and he could do it.

With more hope than he had ever had before, he crawled through the hole in the wall and made his way through the overgrown property to the main building.

What he saw there left him speechless; the entire area was swarming with police officers and social service workers from Vale. The Matron and the rest of the staff were being lead into car in handcuffs while the others children were being led away onto buses. This place had been his entire world and now that it was being torn apart, he didn't know what to do or how to feel.

One of the milling officers spotted him and dashed towards him. Ren instinctively tried to run away, but his body was too exhausted from his long trek to get very far. The man grabbed him and began to haul him back. He tried to fight him off, but as with everything he was too weak to do any good.

He was surprised that the man didn't simply hit him to make Ren stop struggling, just holding him tight and telling him to calm down. It took several more men, and several minutes of the social workers speaking gently to him for him to calm down, but he eventually did. The hot food they offered him helped a lot.

He was asked lots of questions as he ate and as the EMS fixed up his injuries. It would only be later that he learned the full story, but he got the gist of it at the moment.

The car that had come about the crash site had done the right thing in that situation; they called the police. As they were coming from the City, it was the Vale Police Department that they called. A patrol car was dispatched alongside the ambulance and the responding officers quickly realized that this was more than just a simply traffic accident.

The fact that a young child had been seen running into the surrounding wildness added a sense of urgency while a simply background on the two men in the car revealed long criminal records. The one in the passenger seat had died in the crash, but the driver was only unconscious.

While a search party was being organized, the survivor was quickly stabilized and when he regained consciousness, was promptly taken back to the precinct. He quickly caved in; giving up all the names that he knew and the whole nature of the organization he was part of.

The sheer scale of what they were facing was staggering, and it took most of that night for the Vale PD to plan and assemble the force necessary. At dawn, a long line of police cars left the Kingdom, traveling northeast to the town of Hollow.

So large and hurried was the preparations that while the search party was sent, it was many hours later and light was already fading, slowing their progress.

The main priority was the mission to Hollow, to arrest the mayor, the local chief of police, and the staff at the town's orphanage and to rescue all the children there.

The exposure of the network of corrupt and abusive orphanages shocked the world to the core. The subsequent police action was international in scale, with all four Kingdoms working together to right a grievous wrong. Hundreds of arrests were made and more than a few people were promoted for their actions. It was an event of truly historical proportions that would be discussed and examined for years afterwards.

It was learned that this operation first started over 30 years ago, after the Faunus Rights Revolution. Many Faunus children were left orphaned after the fighting stopped and many places were founded to care for them. Perhaps that it shouldn't have come as so much of a surprise that someone decide to take advantage of the situation; embezzling the money provided by the government at the expense of the children's welfare.

What was surprising was how far this spread and the criminal depths that it went to; all the while remaining hidden from the authorities. Over the years, several of these orphanages were set up, mostly in remote village far from the oversight of the Kingdoms. They started taking in human children as well as Faunus and made profits by selling them to various illegal groups when they were old enough. The children were constantly moved around and broken down mentally so they would be obedient to whoever they were sold to. Local politicians, law enforcements and a number of Kingdom officials were bribed to either help or look the other way.

Most of the orphanages had arrangements at smaller airstrips outside Kingdom jurisdiction to transport the children around, but the one at Hollow used the main airport in Vale instead. Guards at the gates and workers at the airport were all bought off so that children could effectively be smuggled into and out of the Kingdom. It was a well-organized operation that had worked for years.

Until one little boy jumped out of a car at the wrong moment and ruined it all.

Ren didn't really understand just how important his role was in the biggest criminal bust in Remnant's history. Even years later, when he could comprehend the scope of what happened and how he had caused it, it didn't matter to him.

All he wanted was to see his friend again.

He begged the police officers and to their credit, they did perform a thorough search of the area. They canvased the whole town, doubled-checked all the children they had rescued and organized search parties to sweep the surrounding region. All of the staff members were thoroughly, and none too gently, questioned on the girl's whereabouts.

They couldn't find a single trace. Not a footprint outside, nor tracks outside of the walls, not even any blood stains. Both children and adults confirmed that she had been taken to the Cupboard as punishment for hitting the Matron while Ren was being taken away. Almost a whole day passed before it was opened again, to reveal that she was gone. That was just before the police arrived; the Matron had been in the middle of rage, convinced one of the other kids had help her escape, and was causing such a commotion that they didn't hear the police arrive.

The search would go on for over a week, but within that first hour Ren knew what the truth was. He had failed; he wasn't a great hero coming to save the princess. He was just a powerless little boy. Fate had never been on his side, not once.

Ren didn't remember much after that; he pretty much shut down. The rest of that day, and even the next several weeks went by in a blur. He couldn't recall with any clarity the days he spent in hospital recovering from his ordeal, or when he was dropped off at his new orphanage. It was a nice place, well vetted by the authorities and located in a quiet section of Vale's Agricultural District. The staffs were kind and patient with him and even the other kids did their best to make him feel welcomed.

He didn't respond to those kind overtures; he kept mostly to himself. He didn't cry or act out or anything. He just stayed quiet and didn't interacted with anyone more than he had too. Part of him realized how unfair and ungrateful he was being, but the larger part him just didn't care.

Without her, nothing in his life mattered.

A turning point, if it could be called that, happened three years later. 12-year old Ren was not what one would call a model student as he barely put any effort into his studies, but he was at least punctual. He always left the orphanage early, before the other kids so he could walk to school alone. It wasn't that long of a walk to the local school, but he did often find himself enjoying.

That enjoyment was quickly spoiled by a trio of older kids who took it upon themselves to bully and harass any and all kid younger then themselves who happened to use this road. They picked on Ren often, pushing him down and hurling insults at him. It meant nothing to him; it didn't even really annoy him that much. He had suffered much worse.

But today it looked like he was going to be spared their 'torment' as it seemed that they had found another victim for this morning; a local boy about a year younger then Ren. He fully intended on simply walking by and not getting involved. A big person hurting someone smaller was nothing new to him and it seemed that was just how the world worked. Nothing he could do would change that.

But something stopped him from just walking by, something that made turn back and look at the scene. The younger boy was crying, begging for the other boys to stop. Ren didn't know who this boy was, just another face he sometimes saw.

Seeing him being abused by others brought back memories to him; not simply of his own hardships but that of his friend. She was never far from his thoughts, but at that moment she flew into the forefront of his mind. All the time when she was beaten by the staff at Hollow, times when he couldn't save her. The one time when it mattered the most and he had failed her. Rage and anger filled the young boys like he had never felt before.

It when then that quiet, shy and reserved Ren completely snapped.

He threw his schoolbag into the face of one of the older boys as he tackled another to the ground, wailing on him with his fists. They boys were taken by surprise, but quickly retaliated. A small, scrawny boy like Ren had no chance against three opponents who were all bigger then him. Victory was beyond him, but he didn't care at that moment. All he wanted was to hurt these boys as much as possible.

To his credit, all four had to be taken to hospital when the fight finally broken up by some adults who heard the commotion. Ren had the worst of it, but none of the other boys would be bullying other kids anytime soon.

It was only when the director of the orphanage came to see him that Ren started to regret his actions. His worry for Ren and his relief that he wasn't seriously injured were genuine, but Ren could see the disappointment in his eyes. He was an old man, but did everything to make sure the children under his care were happy and taken care of. Ren's behaviour was not making his job easier and he was probably blaming himself for what had happened. As much as he tried to ignore other people, he still didn't like causing them pain when they were trying to be nice to him.

It was when a local police officer was talking to the director, discussing how no charges would be pressed, that the notion that Ren should go to a combat school was brought up. The officer remarked that Ren had fought like a devil despite the huge disadvantage against him. It would be a waste if such fighting spirit wasn't put to good use.

Neither the director nor Ren spoke about that possibility, pretending that they didn't hear it. It was only several days later, when Ren was released from the hospital that the director took him off to the side and asked him if combat school was something he wanted to do. The director was a peaceful man and didn't want any of the children in his care to come to harm, but that fight was the most active and alive he had ever seen Ren. If the path of a warrior was what it took for him to heal, he wouldn't stop him.

Ren didn't give an answer right away. He didn't know what he wanted to do with his life. Combat school was the often the first step to become a Huntsmen, the great heroes in all the stories. Could Ren become like that, after failed to save the one person that mattered?

Ren wasn't sure, but what he did know was that he hated being weak, being powerless. If becoming a Huntsmen would mean that he never had to be so helpless again, then that was a good enough reason for him.

Ren made his decision.

After a few months of furious studying and physical training, Ren succeed in getting admitted to Bonfire Academy, located in an isolated section of Vale's Agricultural District. Four years of hard training and instruction eventually brought him to Beacon, where no great emotions would fill him as it would a normal person.

Ren stepped off the main path of Beacon's path, closing his eyes and doing the breathing exercises his therapist taught him. Dark moments of reflection like this were thankfully getting rarer; his life was in all honesty pretty good. While he had made no real friends at Bonfire, most of his fellow students had been kind and supportive of him. His hard work had paid off and he graduated at the top of his class.

His place at Beacon was almost assured, thanks to both his high grades and his victory in Vale's Inter-Kingdom Tournament. The annual tournament brought the best from all of the Kingdom's combat schools together into organized matches to test their skills.

Against most people's predictions, Ren was able to win it all. The final match was brutal, against a fiery blonde brawler from Signal Academy. Every hit just seemed to make her stronger, but luckily her attacks were clearly telegraphed and so he was able to dodge most of them. Still, it was a grueling battle and he would be happy to never see that girl again.

Ren opened his eyes and started walking down the path again. It wasn't like he was unhappy to be at Beacon; it was just that he didn't feel any great pride or joy.

Far from the first time, he wished his friend was here. He was sure she could have gotten into Beacon easily; she had the heart of a true fighter. Having her at Beacon would make this a truly unique experience; having her would make his life better overall.

He'd often imagined what she'd look like if she was still alive. She'd probably be keeping her hair short and wearing a canopy of bright and clashing colouring, with pink being the most prominent. She was just that kind of wild and eccentric of person.

Ren stepped around a short, orange haired girl walking the other way. It was kind of funny how much she looked like….wait.

Ren spun around lighting fast, not fully trusting what his brain had just processed. There may not be a lot of them, but there were more than one short girl with orange hair in the world. He would never dare to hope. But from that single look he got of this girl, now walking away from him, he just good such a strong feeling.

A name escaped his lips without him meaning too; a name that he hadn't spoken aloud in many years.

"Nora?"

The girl stopped dead in her tracks, a hand reaching into the tattered duster she wore. She turned her face to look at Ren, and that's when he knew for sure.

She had grown up, of course, but her face was the same. Her hair was still short and messy; it had been the easiest way to deal with it. Her skin was pale, though not as unhealthy as it had been before. Her clothes were a mess of different styles of masculine and feminine pieces; just the thing he would expect of her.

The colours she wore were darker and more subdued then he would imagine her wearing, but that was a minor thing. Her eyes were different though; Ren could clearly remember those shining turquoise eyes that held such warmth even in the hardest times. His memory must be off, since it was a pair of striking violet eyes staring back at him.

For a brief second he thought he had made a mistake; that this woman couldn't possibly be his long-lost friend. But those same eyes didn't have confusion within them. Ren was pretty good at reading people and he could see that there was both shock and recognition. This short, pale, orange haired 17-year old girl knew who he was.

"Ren?" the words were spoken softly, almost a whisper. She had spoken his name like that many times, after it was lights-out and they still wanted to talk to each other. Even after all these years, he could recognize that voice.

Tears began to well up in the corners of his eyes, emotions he hadn't felt in a long time filling his being. His friend, his Nora, was right here in front of him.

For several second the two simply stood still and stared at each other. Then Ren practically ran forward and wrapped Nora in big hug, crying and laughing with joy. Most people who knew him would have seen this as being completely out of character for him, but he didn't care. His Nora was back and he couldn't have been happier. Finally, things could be right again.

For Nora, a different set of thoughts and emotions were running through her head. There was a good deal of shock and joy at seeing her childhood friend again, but the biggest one was the thought that her task of infiltrating Beacon just got a little more complicated.

That's it for the second chapter. I had intended it to be a bit more even between Nora's introduction and Ren's backstory, but Ren's section ended up a bit longer then I intended. I hope you can bear with it as Nora will get more attention in the next chapter. Nora's own backstory will be told in pieces throughout the story.

Nora's clothes are basically the same as her normal pre-time skip outfit, just in darker colours and with a sleeveless duster coat over it. Her amour/harness is also a bit larger and covers more of her torso. Her differently coloured eyes will be explained later, but sufficed to say they are a visible sign of Salem's influence on her.

This is a harem story, with Nora eventually getting into relationships with the other members of Team JNPR and RWBY. The initial focus will be on her relationship with Ren, with the other characters following over the course of the story.

As before, I would like any and all suggestion for Nora's team name, with it having to start with an N or a V. I would like for it to follow the Colour Naming Scheme of RWBY, but it's not critical.

Like always, Read, Review, leave your suggestions and tell me what you think.