Hey guys, so I'm back with another chapter of SABL. I'll admit this isn't one of my better chapters, but I was able to finish this thanks to a flash of inspiration I got earlier in the week. So with this chapter, Sypher and Ozpin meet and some back story on Sypher's family will be revealed. As always, R&R, PM, and Enjoy!

Chapter 4

The boy groaned as he woke up. He felt horrible, like his body had been hit by a bus. As his vision came back to him, he noticed three things: he was sitting in a chair, his hands were cuffed behind him, and he was chained to a chair. As his senses fully came back to him, he began to struggle against his bonds, succeding in only making the chair move a little from side to side. He calmed himself and concentrated, his body glowing with a faint light. He cried out in pain as an electric shock was sent through his body and he stopped using his aura.

"Sypher Woods." Sypher looked to his left, where the sound originated from, and he saw a figure walking towards him. The lights turned on and the boy, now identified as Sypher, got a good look at his surroundings. He was in a large room, a desk and chair in front of him and a panoramic window view of Vale; above his head were a set of large gears, almost like clockwork, that rotated slowly; and to his left was a man in dark green and black clothing, silver hair, a cane in one hand and a coffee mug in the other. He walked over to the desk and sat down, setting his cane and mug to the side and folding his arms in front of himself as he leaned towards him. "We meet at last."

"Professor Ozpin," Sypher replied, "why am I not surprised?"

"So you know who I am?" Ozpin asked, continuing to stare at the boy in front of him.

"Of course, who doesn't know the headmaster of Beacon Academy?"

Ozpin chuckled a bit, "How about we just cut to the chase?" Sypher smiled and nodded. "You're probably wondering why I sent out two teams to find you and to bring you here? Why I haven't turned you over to the police?" Sypher nodded, his smile dropping a little. "Well, I'll just come right out and say it. I want you to be a part of my school."

Sypher openly laughed at that, making Ozpin frown in response. "No," Sypher said, stopping his laughter abruptly and looking at Ozpin with a hard look. "First of all, I believe you only accept students who have already attended another school, like Signal Academy." He leaned forward a bit, "I've never been to any Academy, and even then I'm 18 years old. It's too late for me."

Ozpin took a sip from his mug and replied, "You aren't the first one that I've made an exception for. There was another student who attended Signal Academy, and after seeing her skills and talents in combat I allowed her to join my school-even though she was only 15." Sypher raised an eyebrow, both out of curiosity and skepticism. "You've already seen her, of course."

Ozpin opened his scroll and opened an image, holding it up to Sypher so he could see. Sypher recognized her as the one who held a scythe to his neck. "Even so," Sypher continued, "I have my own problems to take care of." Ozpin stood and walked towards the large window. "Yes, I'm aware of that as well. Your mother and sister." Sypher looked at him in surprise as he continued, "It's a tragedy really, what you had to suffer through."

Sypher growled in frustration and succeeded in getting up, although the chair forced him into a hunched position. "I swear, if you do anything to them-"

"Calm yourself!" Ozpin shouted. Sypher was suddenly picked up off the ground and set back in a sitting position. A rhythmic tapping sound came from behind him and Sypher strained to see the woman approach from behind, the sound coming from her high heels.

She walked over to Ozpin's desk and said, "The transport ship is almost here."

She looked to Sypher and Ozpin said, "I know about your mother's condition, and how your sister has grown up with little education. So I'll make a deal with you, Sypher. If you join my school, become part of a team, I will provide unlimited funding for your mother's hospital bills and your sister's education. I will also provide them with everything they will need to live comfortably in Vale. All I ask in return is that you at least try to make this work." Ozpin waited for his answer and Sypher noticed a white airship outside approaching with a Vacuo symbol on the side.

"Fine, I accept your offer." Ozpin smiled and nodded at the woman next to him, who held up a riding crop (no, seriously, that's her weapon-look it up) and waved it. A purple glow surrounded the chair and Sypher felt his bonds break apart. He stood up, flexing his arms and rubbing his forearms.

"Go," Ozpin said. Sypher looked up at him as he continued, "They should be at the landing pad by now." Sypher nodded and ran out of the office as fast as he could. Glynda looked to Ozpin as he sat back down in his chair.

"I assume you already have his team in mind." Ozpin nodded as he looked through his scroll and found three more files, looking at the pictures of the "leftovers".

Sypher was running through the halls as fast as he could, pushing past people and earning angry shouts in return. Even without asking, he eventually found the landing pad and saw a group of people in white armored uniforms pulling a stretcher and a wheelchair towards the school. He ran faster and arrived, but was pushed back by one of the men in uniform.

"Sir, step back."

"Let me through!"

"Sir, you need to get back!"

"I'm her son!"

"Sypher." The two looked at the girl sitting in the wheelchair, who stood up on uneasy legs and attempted to walk to him.

"Emily," Sypher said as he dropped to his knees and hugged his little sister. He looked her over and asked how she was. She told him that her legs were weak, but other than that she was perfectly fine. Sypher remembered how her legs were burned by the flames that destroyed their home, and how she couldn't walk for months because of the intense pain it caused her. "I'm glad that you're okay. I see Mom had time to teach you some more."

Emily nodded her head, smiling. Emily refused to leave their mother's side while she was in the hospital. Even though she told Emily that she would be better getting an education, Emily didn't want to leave her alone and helpless and chose to stay with her.

"Sypher..." He turned to the weaker voice coming from the stretcher and stood. He went over to his mother, who was laying down in the stretcher. She had a breathing mask on, and he saw her smile through it. "Sypher, you've grown so much." Sypher held back the tears in his eyes and the men told him they had to take her to the hospital. Sypher nodded and back off, and watched as his two family members were taken away.

Watching the scene from afar were team RWBY, along with Jaune and Pyrrha. They were pushed aside not too long ago and, thinking he was trying to escape, pursued him. Ruby didn't use her semblance since there were other students blocking her path, but when they did catch up with him they stopped to watch the scene unfold.

"What do you suppose that was?" Jaune asked, curious about the scene that unfolded before them.

"Do you think it could be friends or family?" Blake suggested.

Their guess was as good as hers and Weiss said, "I feel like I've seen him before, somewhere."

"Was his face on every box of Pumpkin Pete's Marshmallow Flakes?" Jaune suggested. Weiss face palmed, remembering how she had to tell Jaune that to get him to recognize Pyrrha.

"No, I feel like I've seen him somewhere else as well," Yang said. None of them could come up with anything and they decided to see what Ozpin knew. Just as Ruby turned around, she looked back at the boy and watched him for a little while longer.

She strained to see it, but it almost looked like he was...crying?

I'm almost finished with the 5th chapter, and the next one will cover Sypher's "initiation" and also introduce the rest of team SABL. For now, here's a little recap on the Woods family:

Sypher Woods; Age-18; Occupation-unofficial Huntsman/Huntsman in training; Background-after the death of many family members, he traveled away from his home in Vacuo in search of Grimm. Inherited a large sum of money from his family, his mother passing it down to him since she cannot use it to support them.

Emily Woods: Age-12; Occupation-N/A; Background-was only two years old at the time of her family's death, sustained severe injuries to her legs (i.e. severe 3rd degree burns, fractured tibia in left leg) making her nearly immobile for the past ten years. Since then, her bones have been mended but her legs are still tender.

Janine Woods: Age-42; Occupation-former Huntress; Background-after the death of her husband, she and her two children fled to the main city of Vacuo where they received medical treatment. Janine, unfortunately, was diagnosed with a severe lung disease caused by the smoke from the fire and is permanently bedridden.

Also, lately I've been feeling bored. Can anyone recommend any good RWBY fanfics to me? I don't care about ratings, I just need a story that's a good read.