Author's Note

I am SO sorry for the delay. There's been a flurry of events in my life since I last updated but things are much, much calmer now. I'll probably be pacing myself week-by-week, and I hope to begin releasing chapters maybe every 2-3 weeks now. I'm also thinking about some of my older stories, but at the same time, I'm also thinking about newer ones as well. We'll have to see what happens there.

Anyways, I still read the reviews I've been getting, and I just want to thank everyone who's commented, favorited, followed, or even just read the story without doing any of the above.

Just a reminder though, since I see a few of you haven't finished Mushoku Tensei, it won't just be the prologue with the major spoilers, they will be everywhere, and I mean everywhere as the story moves forward. I mean, Rudi's gonna be drawing on two lifetimes of experience, experience that consists of spoilers, plot twists, etc. from the main story. So just be careful if you're nitpicky about spoilers.

And with that, thank you for coming, and enjoy the chapter!

Yet Another World

Chapter 2: Juvenile Period - Daughter of the Fang

Blake Belladonna.

I briefly analyzed her name. 'Blake' probably means 'black' in some language out there, while her last name was also the name of a plant. I smiled at the cute name, even if the plant was deadly poisonous.

"Ah...thank you...for my ribbon." Blake released my hand and broke eye contact once again, looking down at the ground timidly.

Perhaps timidly is the wrong word. More like uncomfortably.

Her attitude only reinforced my idea that she wasn't used to strangers. This would make sense as she was accompanying the White Fang members that were currently visiting Glade. From what I can remember, they're supposedly a rather tight-knit group.

"No problem. But the forest is bad." I explained, keeping up the persona of a similarly-aged child, "Mom says never to go near it 'cause there's lots of scary things."

"O-Oh…" Blake trailed off, looking at the forest fearfully. She probably guessed what my warning meant right away.

It was then that I realized I had no idea if she's ever faced Grimm before. I've already grown accustomed to the idea of monsters out in the wild, but to most children, Grimm weren't something they would've come to terms with yet. Maybe just a few stories to scare them into behaving. For other children, they might've grown up living in constant fear of an attack, depending on their security situation.

I immediately felt bad.

"Don't worry though, my mom's really strong! And I can fight too!" I pounded my chest proudly with all the youthful bravado I could muster, then I gestured to the training sword at my hip, "I even have a sword!"

I was stared at with wide eyes in response to my declaration.

"You have a weapon…?" Blake's eyes started shining with something akin to admiration, "Are you a huntsman? Already?"

"Eh? Erm…" I coughed into my fist, embarrassed. There was no way a kid like me would be a huntsman yet, but her childish naivete prevented her from realizing that right away. "Actually, it's just a practice sword…"

"Oh...so you want to be a huntsman?" Blake continued curiously, ignoring my embarrassment. It seems her previous discomfort was now replaced with interest.

I couldn't help but think that the inquisitive look on her face suited her much more than awkward discomfort. I was reminded of a small kitten; fitting, given her faunus trait. I was also struck with a sudden wave of nostalgia, memories of my own children during their youths flashing through my mind.

Shaking it off, I replied truthfully, "Yeah, my mom's really cool! I wanna be just like her!"

After I said that, perhaps I stoked some competitive spirit in her or something, she immediately brought up her own parents.

"Well...m-my parents aren't huntsmen...but they're really strong too…!" She declared (relatively) energetically.

I had to hold back a chuckle. I'd instantly thought of the whole "my dad vs your dad" arguments that you'd sometimes see among children. Though that didn't really apply to me so much. My dad was a secondary father figure to most of the kids in Glade, and I respected him too. My previous dad, while not the most ideal role model, was still a hero to many, including me.

My mind then flashed back to the white fang members I'd seen leaving the ship. There'd been a particularly large man with similar features and clothing to Blake.

"Was your dad the big guy with the bushy beard?" I asked, head tilted in a wondering expression.

"Mmhmm!" Blake nodded, pride evident on her face.

"He looks tough!" I didn't exaggerate, the man looked like he could fold the adult Rudeus Greyrat in half, let alone the current me, "My dad used to be a huntsman, but now he writes books. He also cooks for us, so if you guys are staying for a while I can get some snacks for you."

"Really?" Blake's eyes lit up at the idea of food. Leave it to delicious cooking to always snare the attention of young children.

"Yeah, he makes a great Valean roast. Did I mention his cookies? I think he's actually better than Auntie Bonnet who owns the bakery in town." I bragged. At this point, Blake was positively salivating in anticipation.

"Wait, did you say your dad writes books, too?" She shook off her growing hunger, latching on to another statement I'd made.

"Oh yeah, he's a writer. Doesn't make as much money as he did when he was active, though." I shrugged. Blake gave me a weird look, probably confused why I brought up my parent's income, but didn't remark on it.

"Um, I really like reading…" She continued, a wistful expression on her face, "But I haven't read a new book in a while. Since we're too busy…"

"Seriously? Me too!" I grinned, "Hey, like I said before, if you guys are staying in town for a while, stop by my place. Food, books, we got plenty of both."

I almost didn't invite her, but then I realized it was normal for young children to play together. We were at an age where gender hadn't become a barrier yet. So I moved forward without reservations. Honestly, I don't know why I'm being so proactive with this girl I just met, but it might have something to do with my fatherly instincts.

"I-If we have time then...I think I'd li- Kyaa!" Blake began, before a particularly strong gust of wind interrupted us, making the trees of the nearby forest shake violently as they were buffeted. I was reminded that we were still standing a bit too close to the big scary forest, and it was making Blake a bit nervous. She was probably too polite (or shy) to say anything, especially since I didn't seem scared.

Before I could suggest we head back, a siren began wailing, accompanied by the ringing of that big old bell mounted on the town hall's tower. I immediately tensed up. Various messages could be communicated to Glade's residents by using the bell or the siren, since not everyone had scrolls, but the only time both were used at the same time was in the event of a Grimm attack on the town.

This was bad. We were on the opposite side of the farmlands, the southeast corner, to be specific, which was one of the farthest points from the safety of the town walls. I listened for the sound of the bell. After the initial warning, the number of bell rings would indicate the direction the Grimm were approaching from. One for north, two for east, etc.

My blood ran cold as I registered the bell's message.

Six rings. It was a full scale attack from all directions (5 would mean there are Grimm present in all directions, but on a smaller scale). There hasn't been an attack on this level since I was born. A lot of my friends had family members or other friends that perished in that event.

No, things should be different this time. That last major attack was the reason the Kingdom of Vale sent mom and dad to live here, two trained huntsman will do a lot more than just militia guardsmen.

"W-What's going on!?" Blake cried out, trembling nervously as she looked around frantically.

"It's the Grimm! Let's go back to the adults!" I grabbed her hand and prepared to pull her towards the clearing where the White Fang bullhead landed-

Grrr…

But I was stopped in my tracks by several bestial snarls. I'd been keeping an eye on the forest to make sure we weren't being approached, but I'd failed to properly scan the fields in front of us. Now there were packs Grimm emerging from the tall rows of wheat and corn, directly in our path to the airship clearing.

"Beowolves…" I grit my teeth. I'm confident I'd be able to force my way through, but I couldn't guarantee the safety of the untrained, aura-locked Blake. The Grimm must've entered the fields from another section of the forest.

It was at times like this I wondered why we built a settlement completely surrounded by a Grimm infested forest. It was hard to keep every inch of the forest border under surveillance.

"Come on, we'll go along the edge of the fields until we hit the town walls. We'll be safe there!" Summoning up my strength, I scooped up (the very lightweight) Blake and made to sprint for it. She let out a pretty cute squeal but held on tight, understanding the danger of the situation.

Before I'd even covered 10 meters, I found my route once again blocked when an Ursa Major emerged from the forest, taking up a position right in front of me. I sighed in frustration and prepared to charge into the crop fields to my right, but to my dismay the beowolves were keeping up, and had pretty much cut me off from entering the farmlands.

That left only one option, the most undesirable one. With an Ursa Major (which a young kid like me couldn't take on, even without a Blake weighing me down) to the west, and Beowolves to the north and east, I'd have to head south. Right into the forest, and going farther from the town and other people.

A quick glance confirmed that my projected entry point into the forest was free of Grimm. Though that really didn't mean much among those crowded, gnarled trunks. For all I know I might charge into a nest of them.

Damn it, it's not like I have a choice…!

I growled fiercely, held my charge closer, and charged in between the trees at full speed.

It wasn't like I didn't have a plan at all, but it was risky. As long as I traveled in straight lines, noting whenever I turned, I should be able to always know my general position relative to Glade and its walls. It would be even better if I could find one of the many game trails that I'd seen on mom's map, but I wasn't holding out for that, since I'd never seen them in person.

What I did know is that if I find one, I'd be able to follow it back towards the town.

Hopefully.

See, there were a lot of smaller trails that lead to dead ends, but there was also a main trail that all the hunters (not huntsman) and trackers used that pretty much lead straight to town. Regardless, the immediate goal was to escape the pursuing Grimm.

The larger Grimm were slowed down as I purposely chose the thickest parts of the forest to escape through. I took a moment in my mind to thank human biology for the small stature of its children. Oh, and faunus biology too, I guess.

Why is it that after reincarnating I find myself in deadly situations as a child? Hell, this is even earlier than in my last life!

Once the sounds of pursuit died away, the only things I could hear were the distant sounds of gunfire and the closer rustling of the forest around us. The Grimm must've been attracted to the more chaotic battle, rather than one calm and one not-so-calm kids.

"Are you alright?" I set Blake down carefully, making sure she could stand on her own.

"Y-Yes…" Blake looked around, fear still evident, "T-The Grimm are gone?"

"Looks like it." I nodded reassuringly, "But we have to keep moving. It's not safe out here."

I checked my own Aura reserves (which was apparently a high level technique to do so accurately, not that I knew that), having subtly expended some to enhance my mobility throughout the whole affair. I could've kept up that speed for maybe 10 more minutes, otherwise I'd be running too low to be comfortable if forced into combat.

So I had a bit of a surplus left, not bad at all.

And if my hunch was correct, the forest should actually be safer right now, since most of the Grimm that hang at the edges would be part of the attack. No telling how long before Grimm from farther away start arriving, though.

I pulled Blake lightly by the hand and we began traveling westwards through the forest, parallel to the town and the farmlands. If we don't find a game trail, we could just head north and with luck I'd run straight back into town or a crop field.

I took a moment to assess how Blake was faring through the ordeal. She was jumpy, as to be expected, but she was also moving even more quietly than I could, and she reacted well to my guidance. All in all, really well for a five year-old kid.

The vice grip on my hand wasn't loosening at all though.

"U-Um...are we lost?" Blake asked tentatively. We'd stopped for a moment so I could look around. I'd done this several times, as continuous movement was more likely to draw attention, and I might miss important signs of Grimm or the trail.

"No." I replied firmly, then sighed, "Just...it's kind of hard to know exactly where we are. We're definitely going the right direction, but that's all I know."

There was still the sound of fighting to the north, so as morbid as that may be, I knew where the town was relative to our location.

"Why don't we climb up into the trees?" Blake suggested, "To get a better view?"

"I can't carry you and climb at the same time."

"I-I can climb by myself, Rudi." Blake frowned. Well, pouted. As if to prove me wrong, she let go of my hand and deftly scaled a nearby tree.

"Wow." I whistled and nodded like an impressed instructor, drawing another weird look from the cat faunus, "I'd need Aura to climb that fast. One second."

I climbed the tree normally, taking several moments longer than Blake.

"You act like my dad sometimes." Blake pointed out when I made it to where she was sitting.

"Really?" I raised a quizzical eyebrow at her statement.

"The faces you make are like a grown-up's. And the way you talk sometimes, too. Back there with the Grimm...you were so adult-like."

Huh, I guess I'm not playing the part of a kid as well as I thought. Well not that I can help it in a life-threatening situation, but before that, too? Maybe I'm still too formal. That's not easy to cover-up, especially since I'm Japanese to begin with. We don't really talk casually to strangers/acquaintances unless it's someone below us on the social hierarchy, and Blake was my age (in this body, anyways).

Also, I'm surprised she considered me deciding to run the hell away was considered "adult-like". Most kids with combat training would've played the knight-in-shining-armor shtick. Which was, of course, a suicide move. It looks like the girl's got something of a realist streak pretty early in life.

Anyways.

Ignoring any other connotations of her calling me "adult-like", I shrugged, "My mom's been training me for over a year now. Maybe I'm becoming more like her already."

"What kind- Shh!" Blake suddenly shushed me, despite her being the one talking, and began looking around frantically, "I hear lots of movement."

I went on full alert, taking a moment to appreciate Blake's enhanced faunus hearing, "Where?"

"Uh, I think they're moving to town, but we're in the way!" That last part was a bit panicked, as Blake realized we were in danger.

"Grimm? A lot of them?" I asked, getting her to focus.

"I think so...it doesn't sound like it's people running, so it should either be Grimm or wild animals running from them." Blake said, ears twitching as she listened.

"Can you move tree-to-tree?" It didn't seem like the trees were too far apart, and judging from her earlier dexterity she might be able to jump between them.

"Yeah, I can." Blake nodded once, confidently.

"Okay, we've been going parallel to Glade for long enough I think, it's time to start heading north. We'll try to get out of the forest and get to the walls." I explained, "Let's go!"

I lead the way as I jumped from branch to branch, silently thanking my various past acrobatic experiences and my aura-enhanced legs. Blake followed behind, and I admit, much more gracefully than I was jumping. Her ears really weren't the only thing cat-like about her.

"Rudi, there's a problem." Blake spoke up worriedly.

"Hm? What's up?" I inquired as we jumped.

"Some of them are catching up, they're going really fast!" Blake exclaimed, panic once more entering her voice.

Catching up…? The only small-scale Grimm that should be able to move that fast are...creeps, huh. Not too dangerous, I guess.

I'd already read through all the information I could find on Grimm, and if there's one thing I was good at, it was learning and analyzing.

"If they can catch up to use this easily, they should be creeps. They can't climb trees so we can just keep going." I explained, Blake nodding to show she understood.

A short while later, they came into view below us, snarling and snapping. Some of them even tried to jump up, but this forest's trees were tall enough that they couldn't reach us.

Blake was beginning to get noticeably anxious, and she even almost stumbled a few times, so I slowed the pace a little bit to avoid an unfortunate accident.

Well, this turned out to be a mistake when a particularly large creep noticed my slower pace and rammed the tree I'd just landed on, making me lose my balance. Time seemed to slow as my foot slipped off the branch, I caught a glimpse of Blake standing on a nearby tree, an expression of horror no child should ever have etched on her face.

"Oh sh-" I failed to grasp any nearby branches, and I found myself plunging to the forest below.

"RUDI!" Blake screamed in terror as she watched me fall.

"I'll be fine!" I grunted as I redirected my aura to help me land safely, "Keep going!"

I didn't have time to look up at her as I immediately found myself surrounded by growling, snarling creeps. I sprang up, drawing the sword at my waist as I readied myself for combat. The fall, luckily, didn't drain much of my aura, so I had just about enough to feel safe for now.

Creeps, by and large, were rather weak, bipedal Grimm that vaguely resemble lizards. They had the standard bony plating all over, with a high concentration on the head, for headbutting. They had sharp teeth and claws too, but honestly, their overall threat level is bottom for a species of Grimm. A trained hunter would probably not be in any danger, even surrounded like I was.

Unfortunately, I am not a trained hunter, and I am a child. Not so unfortunately, I have a lifetime (and a half) of experience hidden in my head.

The first creep to charge at me received a rather violent thrust into its underbelly as I ducked under it and used its momentum to impale it on my dull sword. My opponent's charge only served to slice a nicely-sized gash along its length, giving it a fatal wound. This would normally be the part where I get covered in monster guts, and end up smelling like garbage the rest of the day, but luckily for me, Grimm dissolve when they die. With a weak groan, the creep flopped over on its side and began disintegrating. The black blood that spilled on me followed suit.

Non-messy fighting. I like it.

I didn't have much time to marvel as the other creeps began moving. These Grimm were predictable, their main attacks being headbutts/bites with their heads or jumps/kicks involving their talons (claws? I dunno). If they had arms, on the other hand, this would've been much more troubling. I'd also read that they sometimes swung their tails, so I'd have to watch out for that.

I pretty much did the same thing I did at first, with some variance based on how the creeps chose to attack me. It boiled down to what was pretty much a bullfight involving multiple bulls. If I was charged at, I'd crouch or sidestep, letting the monster's momentum do the work. If they jumped at me, I just had to make sure I dodged the talons and that they impaled themselves on my sword. In moments, three more creeps joined the on the ground, cold and unmoving.

But I was wary of the large creep, as the older and bigger a Grimm was, the more likely it was that they were intelligent. And that meant dangerous. Along with that large one, there were two smaller grunts on each flank, looking like bodyguards of the leader.

The leader stepped forward and roared, not the most intimidating roar I'd ever heard, but it was still pretty loud. The two bodyguards shrunk back, stepping away several paces. Did the leader want to fight me one-on-one?

I eyed the beast, cautiously switching my stance so that I'd be ready to dodge. I didn't want to try to counter its first attack, just in case it tried something I was unprepared for. It watched me take out four of its underlings, so it might have a plan to deal with me if I did the same techniques again.

The leader suddenly lunged, at first I thought it was going for a headbutt or bite, but it suddenly used its momentum to swing its tail straight at my body.

"Hah!" I grunted as I dropped to the ground, letting the tail pass safely above me. I was about to get back up before the beast could recover, but as I stood I was suddenly slammed with a wall of force from my left. With a heavy grunt, I was carried straight into a nearby tree trunk, the impact knocking the breath from me.

It took me a moment to realize what happened, the leader's entire attack had been a feint. There'd been a third underling creep hidden off to the side, and the leader had somehow coordinated a two-pronged attack on me. The underling had charged right in while I was distracted and headbutt-body-slammed me into the tree.

Clever bastards.

I was so out of practice. As I said before, I definitely didn't lack in physical combat knowledge or ability, but my preference was for ranged fighting. The fact that I got caught by such a simple trap would probably earn me an extra-heavy scolding from either my former father, or Eris. Probably both.

Grimacing, I drove my sword right down into an exposed spot on the back of the underling's neck, the dull blade still easily sliding in. It screamed in pain and collapsed, releasing me from being pinned against the tree. But before I even had a chance to catch my breath, the leader had closed the distance and proceeded to send me flying through the air with a heavy tail swipe.

"Grgk!" I felt my vision swim as the air in my lungs was once again forced out as I smashed into the ground. I groaned, staggering to my feet as the leader stomped towards me triumphantly. My aura was nearly depleted by this point, I could probably only take one more hit before these attacks start injuring me, badly.

The Grimm were suddenly distracted by twigs and sticks hitting them from above.

"L-Leave him alone!" Blake's voice called forcefully, though with an audible tremble. I looked up incredulously, the Grimm doing the same (not incredulously, of course, but more with hatred and surprise). Blake was still standing at the top of one of the nearby trees, and she was tearing off sticks from close branches and throwing them down at the Grimm. If I wasn't busy gasping for air, I would've shouted a reprimand at her.

The Grimm acted first. With something that almost seemed like contempt, the large creep ordered its two bodyguards to start attacking the tree Blake was perched on top of. Their savage tackles forced Blake to hold on for dear life. A more experienced fighter probably would've started kiting the Grimm by jumping between trees and continually harassing them. But this was most likely Blake's first time encountering them in a fight.

"Ahhh!" She screamed out fearfully, hunkering down and wrapping herself around the branch she'd been standing on.

The leader turned its attention back to me, but those precious few seconds had allowed me to regain my bearing. I needed to make sure Blake stayed safe, so I chose to go on the offensive. Apparently I caught it off guard, but it didn't dodge as I slammed my dull sword into its headplate, disorienting it. Humans in this world seemed to be stronger than the average human from my last world.

My enemy let out a groan and staggered, and I followed up instantly with an aura-enhanced jump, my blade aimed at that exposed spot on the back of the neck. Even if my blade wasn't sharp, thrusts with momentum could still easily pierce flesh, and with some satisfaction, I felt the blade slide roughly into the leader's neck muscles. It roared angrily before losing strength and sagging to the ground weakly. I ripped my blade free and finished it off with thrust through the eye socket, making sure the brain was destroyed.

Perhaps sensing the demise of their leader, the two underlings returned their attention to me, and were promptly dispatched with ease. After I made sure they were all truly dead and fading, I collapsed against a conveniently located tree trunk, and was promptly tackled once more.

This time, it was a crying Blake, who'd quickly scaled down the tree to see how I was doing.

"Are you okay…!?" Blake asked frantically.

"Alive and uninjured," I grinned, still panting heavily, I then gave her a mild glare, "I told you to keep going, didn't I?"

To my surprise, she returned the glare, "Daddy said friends need to stick together, and never leave each other behind!"

I bet if I was an adult telling her she should've run, she wouldn't be arguing back...oh well, I suppose it's a good mindset to have.

My grimace morphed into a rueful smile, "Well, if you'd kept going you could've gotten help from the town. We should be pretty close to the edge of the forest now…"

"Eh?" Blake followed my eyes and saw that we were only maybe 20 meters from the edge of the forest, and beyond that we could see the walls of Glade a little farther in the distance, "B-But...if...what if I didn't make it back in time?"

Honestly, her distraction did buy me some time, so I shouldn't be scolding her…

"What's done is done. Thank you, Blake." I patted her head warmly. She froze up, but didn't seem to mind the contact. In fact, she seemed to enjoy the head rub.

Uwah, so cat-like. Faunus and beast-people both enjoy being pet like this, I guess.

"Kyah!" Blake let out a surprised squeal when I began pinching and rubbing her cat ears, slapping my hand away, "W-What...are you doing!?"

"Oh, are they sensitive? I'm sorry." Oops.

"Yes, they are!" Blake's face was quite red, and now she was shooting a very cute mean look at me.

"Sorry, sorry. We should get going though." I stood up carefully, "The grown-ups are probably looking for us by now."

The sounds of fighting had died out, but with the town in sight we no longer needed to figure out where we were. Blake mentioned that she couldn't hear any more Grimm in the forest, so we headed out of the trees at a leisurely pace. As we approached Glade's southern wall, there was a flurry of movement, and the gates swung open.

"RUDI!" I was once again tackled before I could react, this time, by a pair of very worried parents of mine.

Kuroi had a duty to fulfill, but anyone could tell she was worried and distracted. Of course, that didn't stop her from easily slaying the charging goliath that threatened to leave a giant hole in the walls. Or the griffon that tried to divebomb the militia members. Or even the alpha-lead megapack of beowolves that had surrounded the settlement.

Yes, it'd be safe to say that despite her motherly concerns, Kuroi's killcount still far exceeded that of the militia and a rusty temporarily not-retired Ros. Huntsman were generally expected to be well-rounded, which she was, but she was so especially good at Grimm extermination that since graduating from Beacon, she found herself exclusively assigned to Grimm-related missions.

Ros was good at killing Grimm, to be expected, but he was more suited to more...clandestine tasks, like a certain dusty old Qrow he partnered with on occasion. Before he married Kuroi and retired.

Both of them wanted nothing more than to look for Rudi, who'd last been seen in the farmlands by the militia. But they couldn't just leave everyone to fend for themselves, not when their duty was to protect the isolated settlement.

As the battle concluded, one of their White Fang guests, a Mr. Ghira Belladonna roared something about a search party, and him and his crew disappeared into the eastern forests. He was apparently looking for his daughter, a motive Kuroi was sympathizing with all too well. She was preparing to follow him after making sure the village was secure, when the guards on the southern side began shouting.

"Ros, Kuroi! It's...It's Rudi! He's coming from the southern forest!" Someone shouted, "And I think he's got the white fang girl with him!"

"Is he hurt!?"

"Nope, not at all!"

Kuroi let out a sigh of relief.

"Someone go get Mr. Belladonna and tell him his daughter's been found!" She ordered, one of the militia around her instantly saluting and sprinting off. She tapped her foot impatiently as the gates opened, resisting the urge to jump over the walls, and all but charged as soon as her little boy was in sight.

"RUDI!" She swept him up in her arms, fussing over him as Ros caught up from behind, "Are you okay? Did the Grimm hurt you? Are these bruises? Why is your hair so messy?"

Perhaps bewildered by the onslaught of questions, Rudi just blinked as his parents felt for injuries all over his body. The faunus girl behind him was cracking a small smile at the sight.

"Rudi, tell us what happened." Ros said after they'd finished checking up on him, "Why were you outside the walls? How did you end up in the forest?"

I took a deep breath.

At first, I was surprised that Mom showed so much of her doting side in public, but in hindsight, we (me, Blake, along with the whole town) had just gone through a very deadly situation. Her reaction was completely normal.

"I was sitting on the eastern wall, looking over the fields…" I began to explain. The story was fairly straightforward, and I detailed all the actions I took and the logic behind them.

When I was done, both my parents were sporting very different looks. Kuro had something of an angry, worried look on her face, while Ros was beaming proudly.

"You went into the forest on purpose? Why?" Kuro asked, frowning.

"Mom, Blake doesn't have her aura. I didn't want to risk her getting hurt." I replied, having already said this once.

"Still, you probably could've ran past them and met up with us…" She didn't look convinced.

Ros looked like he was about to speak up, but before he could, Blake shyly interrupted.

"Um...Mrs. Lovac..?" Blake's voice was timid, probably because she's addressing unknown adults, "I-I have my hearing, so...I can tell when Grimm are close. And in the forest, we could outrun the Grimm more easily. S-See, the creeps were the only ones that could catch up…"

"The girl's right." Ros kneeled down in front of Blake, who squirmed at the attention, "Rudi said your distraction saved him. Thank you very much for that, Ms. Belladonna."

Blake flushed red at the praise, choosing to hide behind me in embarrassment.

"...Alright." Kuroi admitted, "You did really well, Rudi. My little huntsman!"

She ruffled my hair, probably embarrassed that she'd overreacted a bit. Though in my view, it was just a normal parental reaction.

I wasn't an overprotective parent back then. Nope. Definitely not. Perfectly natural, fatherly behavior.

"Let's go back ins-"

"BLAKE!" A deep, heavy voice roared, and with a small "Eep!" Blake was snatched from behind me into the arms of a rather large, black-haired man. It was Mr. Belladonna, who I saw at the landing earlier. "Sweetie, are you alright? Are you hurt? Where did you go!?"

Oh, I heard those lines not too long ago.

"Mr. Belladonna, we've already checked the children for injuries." Kuroi slipped into a professional demeanor, "I'm sure you'll want to hear the whole story, so let's return inside. Afterwards, we can begin discussing what the White Fang came here for."

There was a slight coldness in Kuroi's voice, which shocked me. Perhaps I was missing something? Now that I think about it, why did the Grimm attack right after the White Fang arrived…?

The tone of voice didn't seem to bother Mr. Belladonna, who nodded once in agreement as he continued fawning over Blake.

We walked back into town, heading for...my house, surprisingly. A quick scan of the buildings around me revealed that several houses were damaged, if not close to destroyed, and the town hall had a gaping hole in its side.

Well, that explains it. Most of the fighting should've taken place on or outside the walls, but looks like flying Grimm still caused damage to the town. And my family was pretty much the authority in town, replacing the old mayor that passed away a little while ago. Without the town hall, my place would be the next choice.

Somehow our house was undamaged completely, and everything was where it was last time I was in the building.

"You kids go upstairs for now, okay? We'll come get you when we're done, I'll have snacks ready," Ros gently guided me and Blake (only after her father finished his own checkup) up to my room, shutting the door behind him. On the way in I'd snatched several books from Dad's library so Blake could take a look at them.

Huh. Me, a girl, my room. I suppose I should be glad this body is still so young. I suddenly thought about the time Eris and I-

Ohh no you don't, you're stopping that train of thought right now, me.

Ignoring my internal strife, I placed my pile of books on the floor and turned to Blake.

"Hey, what kind of books do you li-" I stopped when Blake held up a finger to her lips, telling me to be quiet.

"I can hear the adults talking still, if you want to listen." Blake explained, tilting her head at me.

Ooh, a little eavesdropper here, huh?

"Uh...do you do this often?" I gave her a bemused smile, making her blush.

"I-I can't help it…my hearing is really good…" Blake replied defensively.

"Haha," I laughed good-naturedly, but I really was curious, especially given how cold my mom was with Blake's dad. It wasn't like we were spies either, just two curious kids in the eyes of the adults, "Sure, let's listen in.'

"Okay...um...they're saying…"

"I apologize!" Ghira Belladonna had instantly bowed his head once everyone was seated for the meeting.

"What for?" Ros blinked confusedly, looking around. The people in the room consisted of his dear wife Kuroi, the captain of the militia (who was doing his best to fade into the wall, he was just a simple farmer, damn it!), Ghira Belladonna, and another white fang member, a woman named Sienna Khan.

"Leader!" Sienna gasped at the display.

"It was our fault, it's a bad time of year for us to visit due to the annual increase in Grimm in the forest, yet we brought people who aren't entirely comfortable with visiting humans." Ghira stated, explaining to Ros.

"'Comfortable'? Those two got into a full scale fight with one of our guards. If they weren't unarmed, I'm sure someone would've died. The guard didn't even do anything to them!" Kuroi growled, but restrained herself from going further, "I hope they're back on the ship?"

"Yes, they're in confinement." Ghira admitted, "Their son is still out and about though. He was on the ship earlier, but now he's with the other Fang members setting up camp for the night."

The original agreement concerning the Fang's visit was to pick up faunus (and some human) supporters for a rally up in Vale. They would also get a chance to disembark and stretch their legs, as it was no short flight between Vale and Menagerie. With the Grimm attack however, the Fang decided to spend the night. They had plenty of supplies for camping on the airship, and many were invited to spend the night within the walls too.

"I trust their son won't try to impale one of the villagers on his horns?" Kuroi growled.

"Look here, human-" Sienna began, but Ghira cut her off with a wave of his hand.

"Adam's a good kid, he knows not all humans are bad." Ghira reassured her. He didn't add that the kid didn't quite disagree with his parents either. But he was still young and impressionable. Hopefully this visit and the trip to Vale would allow him to get some outside perspective.

"Wait, so the Grimm attacked because of a fight?" Ros had an incredulous look on his face, "A simple street fight wouldn't attract that many."

Ghira looked at Kuroi who just scowled, content to let him explain. Sighing, he began, "The Taurus couple um...scared the guard very badly. And there was an audience of villagers, including the guard's son, it would seem. To many of them, the intent of the fight seemed to go far beyond simple bodily harm."

"..." Ros frowned, "And you work with these people?"

"The Fang is shorthanded at the moment," Ghira growled, "But you're right, I should be more careful when vetting new recruits. Next time they get out of hand, I'll deal with them myself."

The promise in his voice served to relax the tension in the room. Though Sienna was looking noticeably disgruntled.

"Okay, so tomorrow everyone who wants to join the rally is going, right?" Ros moved the conversation forward, "Do you have enough room, or do we need to get another airship?"

"We should have enough room, it's a former freight transport so its bigger than the average airship" Ghira replied.

"Why did you bring your daughter, by the way?" Kuroi asked curiously, "This is going to be a pretty major rally, isn't it?"

"Blake wanted to go," Ghira replied simply, "I think it would do her some good to see what it's like outside that desert island."

"I see…" Kuroi frowned, not entirely approving of bringing a child to a potentially hostile environment, or at least an emotionally charged environment.

"Speaking of which, I also wanted to ask if any other families wanted to go. It would a show of solidarity if there were human children coming along with the faunus children…" Ghira pointed out, and quickly added, "But with the Grimm attack, I understand completely if no one has time to volunteer. I just wanted to get the word out."

"I'll ask, but as you said, things will be busy around here for now." Kuroi nodded.

"Then, the next thing to discuss is the matter the Fang's request for extra food and water…"

"Ah, they're getting to some boring stuff." I declared, motioning Blake to stop repeating what the adults had been saying.

At least now I know the reason for the Grimm attack, the spike of fear from a deadly fight must've triggered a mass of Grimm from the forest to come to Glade. Which was also caused by a pair of violent, human-hating faunus among that came along.

I let out a sigh, I knew Grimm were attracted to fear, but I didn't think they were that sensitive. I mean it wasn't like that potentially dangerous fight should've elicited pure terror, maybe a spike of horror and fear for the guard's safety...maybe it was the number of people? It just goes to show I can't underestimate anything in this world.

As for Blake, she didn't show much reaction to the conversation, aside from a gasp when they were talking about the Adam kid. They probably knew each other.

"Still, visiting Vale, huh…?" I muttered to myself.

"You want to go?" Blake returned her attention to me, head tilted.

"Yes. I do." I stated honestly, but since I'm still a child, I don't think I'd be able go. "But...my parents aren't free to go."

"It'd be nice...if you could come along." She looked down at my words, her ears flattened, "I've never been to a place with so many humans...and um...Adam said a lot of them don't like us…"

Ah, yes, that would be something he'd pick up from his parents.

"The ones who don't like faunus are just the loud ones. Most people don't mind. In fact, I bet they'd like you, just like any other person." I reassured the nervous girl.

"Mmm...but, I heard that humans call us animals." She didn't look convinced.

"Did I call you an animal?" I raised an eyebrow questioningly.

"Eh!?" Blake's cat-eyes blinked in surprise, "W-Well...no. But you're different...I think."

"Oh? I'm different, huh? And how many humans have you met?" I asked her teasingly.

"...Just you." She replied, pouting adorably.

"See? You just be yourself and see how things go. Someone who's mean to you is probably mean to everyone." I knew that wasn't always the case, but bigotry could range from simple to complex in nature. Doesn't make it right, though. "Besides, who could hate a brave, cute girl like you?"

"...!" Her face turned redder faster than a light switching on.

Oops. That was a little bit too much. Now, feign ignorance.

"Uhh...you alright?" I asked innocently.

"Y-Yes…!" Blake turned away from me, muttering to herself "So weird...Daddy calls me cute all the time…but..."

Ahh yes, the difference between a family compliment and one from a friend. She's much too young though, I should really refrain from doing things like that.

Please ignore the fact that my first wife, Sylphy, said she'd been in love with me since we met at 5 years old. Seriously, please. I'll start missing her even more if I keep thinking about her…

"Rudi?" Blake had recovered enough to face me again, "Do you think...you still might be able to go? I'd like it if you could…"

"Maybe...we'll have to see." I answered, not wanting to commit to anything.

I really did want to go though. If I get the chance, I'll bring it up with my parents.

"So, I'm guessing you've never seen this before?" I moved over to the pile of books and picked one out, titled Valean Fairy Tales Volume 1, "You're from Menagerie, right?"

"How'd you know?" Blake blinked in surprise.

"Just a guess. Looks like I'm right though." I grinned, handing her the book. It was fairly obvious that if she didn't have any contact with humans, there was only a handful of places she could've hailed from.

"Ohh...I've read some of these but…" Her eyes lit up as she scanned the table of contents and saw quite a few unfamiliar titles, "Wow, thank you!"

"No problem." I grabbed a book for myself, not really caring what I picked up since I've read Dad's entire library already.

"Um...actually, do you want to read with me? I like talking about stories…" She looked away shyly, trying her best to show that regardless of my answer it wouldn't affect her. How cat-like.

By this point I was beginning to form a solid picture of the cat faunus, and honestly, I was impressed. With only a little proper guidance, she'd grow up to be a fine young lady. She obviously had good moral guidance, judging from her display in the battle earlier. She's in-shape and quite athletic for her age, though I'm not sure how much of that skill is natural versus trained. And personality-wise, she's thoughtful, calm, and kind.

I'm rather certain that she'd be the type to overthink things, but that isn't always a bad thing. With someone to keep her from burning herself out, she'd be the solid voice of reason for a group of adventurers. Like a more withdrawn Roxy...

*Ahem* Anyways, I've been requested to read a book together.

"Sure. Let's read." I gave a short, good-natured laugh, put my book back in the pile, and settled down next to her.

"Okay, here goes…" Her voice was level as she began to read, but her ears were twitching excitedly.

How cute.

(If she also had a tail this picture would be a critical hit for sure)

We managed to get a few stories in by the time the adults finished their conversation. By then it was almost dinnertime, but I could smell Dad's cookies from upstairs. Hopefully they wouldn't make us wait to eat them.

"Kids, come on down!" Ros called.

"Coming!" I returned the shout, ushering Blake out of the room and down the stairs.

"...!" Blake's eyes widened upon seeing the steaming plate of cookies on the table.

"You're free to dig in." My dad gave her a warm smile before turning to me, "Rudi, Mr. Belladonna would like to have a word with you."

I turned to face the tall faunus man, who was watching his daughter with a happy smile. He looked at me and gestured for me to follow him into the front hall.

"I heard about what you did for my daughter." He said seriously, "I owe you my thanks, young man."

"I just...did the first thing that came to mind." I answered honestly, flushing a bit from the praise.

"Still, not many humans would do that for a faunus." He pointed out, "Most would've just protected themselves."

"Really?" I made my eyes widen, but my mind was eager for some firsthand accounts. I'd been living under the impression that bigots and discriminators were a minority, just like Earth, but this was a good opportunity to find out if I was mistaken.

"..." Mr. Belladonna gave me a serious look, probably trying to decide whether he should sugarcoat the truth or not. Something about me must've convinced him, but he continued, "Out here, everyone is close and friendly because it's a small town and you have to work together. In bigger cities, you will find more people who don't care, or outright hate us."

I figured that would the case, but my question was to what extent? What was the ratio of sympathy to indifference to hate? I mean, in my last world, there was a whole nation that followed a religion that advocated genocide of an entire race. And while not everyone that lived there was that extreme, there were a LOT of them.

But for now, I'll just reply to Mr. Belladonna.

"I don't hate faunus…" I replied sadly, channeling a bit of what I was really feeling into a forlorn, childish expression.

"Of course not." He clapped me on the back, "If only more people were like you, boy. If you ever need anything, let me know. A man never forgets his debts."

We returned to the dining room, where the rest of my family + Blake were setting up for dinner. I noticed that the other White Fang member was gone, along with the captain of the militia.

"Rudi~~~" Blake looked like she was about to cry, and about half the cookies were gone, "You get to eat these all the time…?"

"I wish…" I retorted, enjoying the scene of a cute child happily snacking, before taking a seat next to her and helping myself as well.

"This is just a treat." Kuroi explained to Blake, "It's not good to eat too many."

Blake just nodded, too busy enjoying the bites of heaven that were my father's cookies. After she had downed a few more, my dad removed the plate with a promise that we could finish it off after dinner.

The meal was pretty standard fare, some buttery steamed vegetables (carrots, broccoli, etc.) and a nice chunk of roast meat, but we had two extra guests so the amount of food was greater than normal. I was surprised when a few minutes into the meal Ros got up and came back with a green bean casserole, fresh out of the oven. Along with more meat.

"After I walked Ms. Khan back to the other White Fang members, I asked around to see if anyone wanted to visit Vale right now." Kuroi spoke up, addressing Mr. Belladonna, "Some families liked the idea, but their houses sustained damage during the fight. I don't think you'd want to delay your departure any longer, so they offered to come along next time the Fang stops by."

"That's too bad." He hummed in response, "Bah, it was just a last-minute idea. I appreciate you trying."

The table lapsed back into a comfortable silence. I glanced over at Blake who was eyeing me, trying to urge me to bring up my desire to visit Vale. I did have something of a plan of approach, but I was still (very) young, and my parents, while not overprotective, did keep a careful eye out.

But there's no harm in trying, I suppose.

"Umm...Mr. Belladonna, you and Blake are going to Vale, right?" I asked innocently, ignoring the surprised look on Blake's face.

"That's right, boy." He answered, receiving a glare from Kuroi, "Ahem, I mean, that's right, Rudi."

"Aww, I'm so jealous!" I complained in the most five year old-like way I could, "I've always wanted to see Vale...I mean, we have some pictures, but…"

"Well, you're free to come along! You'll be safe with me, it's the least I could do!" The man straightened up and hit his chest confidently, before adding, "Uh, that is, if your parents are okay with it."

Ahhh! That was way too direct! Blake, your dad's an idiot, I'm sorry to inform you.

No one noticed my inner turmoil as they thought about how to respond. Kuroi was shooting the most incredulous look at Ghira, while Ros looked thoughtful, and Blake was nodding. I decided to get a word in before anyone else did.

"Really!? That sounds like a lot of fun!" I put as much childish excitement, energy, and motivation as I could into both my voice and my body language. My statement got a rise out of my parents, in different ways.

"You are much too young to be without parental guidance, Rudi." Kuroi replied adamantly.

"Now now dear, we let Rudi wander around without supervision for long periods of time, you know?" Ros countered, apparently taking my side.

Not sure exactly why, but hey, I appreciate it.

"This is different, and you know that." Kuroi glared at her husband.

"Yes, I do." Ros returned her glare with a pointed look, "He'd be going to a safe city with plenty of people, with one of the best faunus fighters I've ever seen going with him. Not to mention said fighter has already offered his protection, and Rudi gets along with his daughter."

Mr. Belladonna nodded at first, then frowned when he heard the last part. He shot me a quick, suspicious glance.

Hey now...don't be suspecting a five year old of wooing your daughter…

"More people doesn't mean more safe…" Kuroi paused, looking thoughtful, "Besides…"

"Let me say one more thing," Ros stopped her, "Knowing our son, do you think he would be irresponsible or careless in any way?"

"That…" My mother was forced to concede that argument.

Heheh, there we go. I'm a model child if I do say so myself. Which I do.

"But," She continued, "What if something happens beyond his control? Unexpected incidents can happen at any time, you and I both know that. And we won't be there for him…"

Dang it, that was a good point too.

But father already had a reply ready.

"And that brings us back to him being under Ghira Belladonna's protection. I think that's pretty safe, in my opinion."

Mr. Belladonna nodded, "I will protect this boy with my life. It'd be shameful to not return what's offered."

He then continued, "It's not my business, but I think children should see the world while they're young. It would do wonders for them to see firsthand the planet they live on."

"..." Kuroi was silently contemplating now, a scowl on her face.

"Umm...I really want to go to Vale with Rudi…" Blake spoke up, her voice barely above a whisper. She shot puppy-eyes (or kitten-eyes) at everyone in the room, which pretty much melted my heart instantly.

It apparently did the same for my mom because her expression softened, "...Alright." "

""Yay!"" Blake and I shouted at the same time, the adults all smiling at the children's cheering.

"But Rudi,", Mom continued, "You have to listen to everything, and I mean everything, Mr. Belladonna tells you to do. If I hear that you didn't, you'll be in big, and I mean big, trouble."

Yes, I know you mean it, mother.

"I will! Oh, thank you soo much! I can't wait!" I gave a wide and genuine smile. To my side, Blake's face was also alight with a happy expression.

Indeed, planned and desired trips are much better than being knocked unconscious and forcefully sent to live in another city away from your childhood friend (or love, in her case), even if it turned out to be for the best.

Sylphy's still my waifu~! Literally, I mean she really was my wife. Ahh, I miss her...I really need to stop reminiscing...

"How long will you be in Vale?" Kuroi asked.

"It's about a day between here and Vale, and we'll just be there for one day for the rally. So in total it'll be around three days before Rudi gets back." Ghira explained.

"That's not bad…" She nodded, along with Dad.

"Vale's gonna be so cool~" I began cheerfully chatting with Blake as the adults hammered out the details. Oh, the perks of being a kid, you don't have to plan anything yourself.

"Can we borrow some of your books to read on the way there?" Blake looked just as excited, having someone she trusted along on a trip to a strange unknown place raised her spirits greatly.

"Go ahead, I don't mind." Ros interjected, giving us both a warm smile before returning to the other conversation.

We finished up dinner (and the cookies), and picked out a few books. It was an indescribable feeling I got, as I watched the young cat girl pick out books excitedly with cookie crumbs still on her face.

Her father had to hold her back, as apparently our library was more extensive than the ones she was used to, and if she had her way, she'd have her father's weight in books. With a small pout, Blake returned the books she deemed the least important.

It seemed that over the course of the evening, our families managed to grow closer. I watched as Ros and Ghira talked amiably, probably about dad stuff, and as Kuroi (very noticeably) began to dote on the adorable Blake, like she was her own daughter or something.

Honestly, it made me feel elated somehow. But alas, there was no room for them, and they already had a place to sleep.

"Umm...see you tomorrow, Rudi!" Blake bowed one last time as we walked the Belladonna's out of the house.

"Bye, have a good night!" I replied just as cheerfully, "Thanks again for taking me along, Mr. Belladonna!"

Mr. Belladonna nodded in acknowledgement, before glancing suspiciously between me and Blake again.

Just drop it already old man (I'm one to talk...), there's no childish crushes here.

"Rudi, you're sleeping with us tonight," Kuroi declared once we were alone.

"Eh? Whoa!"

Before I could do anything, Ros scooped me up and hefted me onto his shoulders, "Let's go champ! We're gonna keep you for as long as we can."

Later on that night…

"Rudi, always keep an eye out. In a big city like Vale, people are more dangerous than Grimm." Kuroi was explaining as all three of lay in bed, "Someone might try to steal something from you. Or...well, just be careful."

Is she worried about kidnapping? That's an issue wherever I go, huh.

I remembered the occasion that caused Eris to begin to accept me into her life: The attempt at kidnapping her by those thugs, and my first life-and-death battle as I tried to protect her. That was definitely one of the most frightening things I'd faced at that point.

"Okay, I won't let the bad people do anything!" I declared with confidence.

"I know you won't. You're such a good, smart boy." Her voice sounded a bit pained. As a former fellow parent, I could sympathize with the overwhelming worry one could feel towards their children.

Dad was already passed out, snoring loudly, with his arm draped protectively over both me and Mom.

"...Gods, keep him safe…" She suddenly prayed softly. I could barely hear the words.

I reached out and grabbed her hand tightly, to try and reassure her.

"Good night, Mom."

"...Good night, Rudi."

As we drifted off to sleep, I could see the skyline of Vale in my head, and I couldn't help getting excited all over again at being able to see it in person already.

Still, I'll have to be careful. Big cities mean crime, and with a civil rights movement going on while I'm there, there's a pretty good chance it might not be peaceful too.

I want to know more about the world though, and see it for myself. This will be the first step in accomplishing that.

I'll do my best to forge a good life, for the second time, with my third chance.

I refuse to do anything less.

Next up, we go to Vale!