A.N. I only got one review. And this person actually brought up what they thought about this story. So quick explanation. In this story, I have taken a lot of creative liberty on this. While in cannon, the Grimm don't have genders that we know of, and in this story, I did not specify which grimm would be Michael's father. More explanation will come and then you'll understand where I'm going from.

But still only one review. Why won't you guys tell me what you think? Do you guy's not care? Is my story not good enough? Tell me! Anyway read and review. You read that? Review! On with the story.

Blake lay on the bed pretending to be asleep. She was conflicted about all this. The sudden appearance of Michael had startled her, and then he had easily known about her secret. Well, one of them. It was still concerning. He had shown no affront at her being a faunus, but that just made her more wary. He didn't react at all, and that was just too suspicious. She slowly opened her eyes and didn't see anything move. Slowly she sat up and still saw nothing. Michael was nowhere to be found.

Quietly she slipped out of bed and carefully avoided Sun while he slept on the floor. She looked around and still didn't see Michael. She looked outside and saw a silhouette against the night.

"Why aren't you asleep?" Michael asked.

"I could say the same to you," Blake countered. She walked to the open window and saw Michael sitting on the ledge.

"Why'd you try to hide it Blake?" Michael asked.

"Because people think less of me because I'm faunus. It's just better if I hide it," Blake

explained with a sad smile.

"Only if you think so," Michael answered. "I'm not faunus, but I've been deemed worse

than them."

Blake turned to look at him. "How so?" What could make anyone thought less of than a

faunus?

"It doesn't matter," Michael said. Blake didn't pry. "But why didn't you at least tell us? We're your friends Blake."

Blake didn't answer for a minute. "How about this, I give an answer, and then you give an answer."

"That's fair," Michael agreed.

"I didn't tell anyone I'm a faunus because of some… problems… with my past," Blake answered. "Now what makes you deemed less than a faunus?"

"My heritage," Michael answered. "They think I'm a monster." He considered his next question. "Did your past have anything to do with the white fang?"

"Yes," Blake answered. "Back in the beginning, it was simply an organization for equality, and I was at the front of every rally. But then the leaders stepped down, and a new leader with a new way of thinking stepped in. We didn't have peaceful protests anymore, but now we had organized attacks. The worst part was that it was working, but not out of respect, but fear." Blake took a breath. "So I left. I couldn't do it anymore, and I left."

"I'm guessing you didn't hear about the Blooded Paw then?" Michael asked. Blake shook her head. "It was a splinter group a while back. They followed the same thinking as the white fang do now. They caused some trouble." He paused as a memory surfaced unbidden. A memory of friends dead in their beds. "But they were quickly put down."

"I didn't know about that," Blake said. "My turn. Why would you be a monster?"

"My father was not human," Michael answered. "He was a grimm."

"What? I thought grimm didn't even have genders," she said.

"Most don't," Michael answered. "However there was a time when there were grimm that looked like humans. They would integrate into society and then cause chaos. They were the embodiment of everything wrong with humanity. They had no mercy, raped the women, murdered the children. Everything they could destroy, they did."

"What happened to them?" Blake asked.

"They stopped," Michael said. "They were called golems, but they stopped showing up. No more attacks, or even sightings of golems. No one knows why, but they just stopped. My father, for lack of a better term, was a golem that raped my mother." He stared out into the night. "It's why my semblance is what it is, my skewed mental state as well, and the beast you saw in the forest? That was me turned into what I guess would be a grimm."

Blake didn't say anything. It was too much to take in at once. It didn't make much sense. "How do you deal with it?" She asked.

"I stopped caring," Michael said. "If they figured it out, I'd just deal. If they didn't, I wouldn't just put out that information."

"You had friends at least?" Blake asked.

"Yeah," Michael said. "They were my best friends." He laughed. "We grew up in the slums. Stealing was part of life. The beginning of my childhood was basically in a lab. Then my mother and I fell through the cracks for the most part. We had a monthly check that they gave us but they forgot about me. My mother became a teacher at a school that was nearby, but I was so far ahead of the class, that I'd just skip school most of the time. I used that time to learn other things. Things like how to know who would be safe to bribe, and who was to be avoided. I learned street smarts when I wasn't in school."

"What happened?" Blake asked.

"I saved someone," Michael answered. "It was the first time that my semblance activated fully. I became a monster to people and they drove me out. I fled and traveled around remnant. Atlas, Mistral, Vacuo, anywhere was home to me. I met people. I made enemies. I didn't come back to Vale until I was fifteen."

Blake was quiet for a bit before she spoke again. "What were their names?"

"Who?" Michael asked.

"Your friends," Blake clarified.

Tears dripped from Michael's eyes. "Sorry," he said. "It's just that two of them were killed right before I left. Talking about them is hard." He coughed and covered his mouth. He took a quick glance at the blood before he tried to hide his hand, but Blake had already seen it.

"What's going on?" She asked. "Why are you coughing up blood?"

"It's nothing," he said.

"No it isn't," she said in a rare occurrence of anger. "What is going on? And don't say it was your semblance."

"It's fine," Michael said again. "I've got it under control."

"Michael," Blake said. "I've answered your questions."

"And I've answered far more of yours," Michael countered.

"Fine!" Blake said. "Ask me more questions then!"

Michael didn't answer he turned back to the sky. "Why did you try to attack me? I don't think you actually wanted to hurt me."

"No," she answered. "I didn't. But I know that you can heal any injury you have, and I couldn't actually hurt you."

"It still would've hurt," Michael countered. "Healing doesn't remove the pain." He watched the sky. "I can't think of any more questions."

"None?" Blake asked.

"None," he said. "I guess that's it then." Blake just nodded. "Should I tell the others where you are?" he asked.

"No!" She said loudly before cringing. Sun rolled over in his sleep and muttered something about bananas. "Just don't tell them. I… I can't go back right now."

"That's fine," he said with a shrug. "Just know that they care for you even if they don't seem like it. I think Ruby might cry if you didn't come back."

"I don't think I could live with myself if I made Ruby cry," Blake said. "Just give me a little more time."

"Okay," Michael said. "Get some sleep. Your ears are drooping." He reached up and stroked her cat ears gently. Blake was surprised and blushed hard. He laughed. She scowled.

"You dick," she cursed before walking back to the bed. "Don't touch my ears." She muttered as she blushed. He was definitely torturing her on purpose. She could still feel his touch. Unbidden a thought of the two of them in the book, Ninja's of Love, popped into her head and she blushed again. "Dammit."


Michael leaned against the wall and let his eyes close. He could take a little bit of time to sleep. He closed his eyes and felt sleep overtake him.

All around him, he saw people. He couldn't make out their faces. They didn't bother him, and he didn't bother them. He looked around and saw something. A woman. She was an ashen gray and veins of deep purple ran across her skin. Her hair was white and pulled up in an interesting hairstyle. She looked at him and smirked. She stepped to the side and Michael saw someone. He couldn't tell who it was. They kept changing. It was Pyrrha, Ruby, Yang, people he hadn't seen before, and anyone he had ever met. They didn't move. The woman spun and grabbed the person's throat and picked them up.

"No!" he yelled. He began to run, but he never got any closer. She tightened her grip and he heard a snap. The head lolled to the side and he roared. He raced forward and struck at the woman. A blade of bone was in his hand and it sank into her stomach.

"I didn't kill them," she laughed. "You did." Her face changed to Tyra's. "You got me killed. You're a monster."

Michael stumbled back as she stood up. Blood ran out of her stomach as black began to creep up her body. "No," he whispered. "I never could."

"You killed me!" She screamed. "You moved aside and I died!"

"No…" he whispered. "I didn't. I would never kill anyone."

"Tell that to the Blooded Paw," she said.

"They were murderers!" He shouted.

"And you are too," she said with anger on her face. "But who could expect anything more from a monster." She stepped forward and pushed him. He fell back and there was nothing. He began to fall and watched her face as the black covered her and she collapsed. He fell farther and farther, eventually turning to see the bottom coming closer. He closed his eyes and felt the cold unforgiving pavement.


"Someone call an ambulance!" a voice called. Michael opened his eyes to see a crowd of people around him. He groaned and began to sit up. "Hey," someone said. He looked up to see a young man above him. "You took a huge fall. I don't know how you're alive. You really can't move right now."

Michael tried to speak but unintelligible words came out. He ran things through in his head. He must have just hit the ground when he did in the dream. Otherwise, he'd be healed and under attack like a grimm. He flared his aura and worked on fixing his face while searching for other injuries. He had a fractured skull, every rib was broken, his lung punctured by three ribs, and utterly mangled legs. His arms were broken at the elbow, and he could feel a piece of his kidney in the wrong place. His face fixed, he began to work on his other injuries and he felt his caved in skull move back into place. People gasped and he tried to sit up again. His head finished healing, and he fixed his arms next. He sat up and gasped in pain.

"Hey," he heard. A pair of paramedics moved to him. "Don't move." They commanded as they moved to his side.

"Heh," he laughed dryly. "A pair of paramedics. That's funny." He pushed himself to a sitting position as his arms finished healing. He moved to his innards with his semblance and felt almost detached. Why did these people care about him? Oh yeah, they got paid. He only needed one thing right then, and it was aura. His innards finished repairing and he moved to his legs as he searched for a suitable source of aura. One of the passersby had their aura and he established a connection with his aura. He began to drain the unfortunate man of his aura and he felt a pang of guilt. He immediately felt disgusted with himself and stopped. His legs finished healing and he stood up. The paramedics immediately moved to stop him.

"I'm fine," he said. He stretched and let out a gasp as a few things snapped back into their sockets and he rolled his neck and arms. He heard a few snaps and cracks and he looked up. He saw the ledge and shook his head. He must have rolled off the ledge in his sleep. Still, that was a nasty nightmare.

"Sir, please allow us to at least make sure everything is okay," a paramedic requested.

"Fine," he said. "But I'm telling you, I'm fine."


"Well I can't find anything wrong," the doctor said. "I guess you're clear to leave."

"I did say so," Michael answered.

"Yeah," the doctor said. "But you probably should get some new clothes. Your current ones are absolutely destroyed."

"I'll get something," Michael answered.

"Where?" he asked. "You look like you've been murdered, or were murdering somebody."

Michael snickered. "Yeah, I do. Know where I could get some clothes?"

"Just go down the street two shops and you'll see a clothing store. They get this kind of thing all the time," the doctor said.

"Seriously?" Michael asked.

"You'd be surprised what gets sold in cities," the doctor said.

"Thanks," Michael said as he stood up. He quickly walked out and down to the store that the doctor had recommended. As he opened the door, the clerk looked up before sighing.

"Just tell us what you want first," he said. "I don't want to be scrubbing out blood again."

"I just need a simple tee shirt and jeans and a pair of shoes," Michael said.

"I'm assuming you need underwear and socks too?" the clerk asked. Michael nodded. "Come with me," he said. "Just don't get blood everywhere."


Michael stepped out of the shop completely different. He was clean, and he had a new outfit. He now wore a simple white tee shirt, and a pair of good jeans. He wore a pair of black sneakers and he had transferred all his personal items to his pockets. His jacket would be cleaned by tomorrow according to the clerk, and it would be shipped straight to Beacon. Michael looked at scroll and seeing the time walked back to the hotel. As he climbed the stairs, he wondered if Blake and Sun were still there. He got to the top and opened the door with his scroll. Inside, the room was empty and freshly cleaned. Ah well, figures they wouldn't stick around.

As he walked outside, he heard a shuffle from the side and he turned to see a man in a trenchcoat standing in the alley, a cigarette in his mouth that he was busy lighting. Michael looked down the street and saw another man talking to a smaller, scrawny looking boy. Michael began to walk over and the first man stepped in his path.

"What D'you want?" he asked with a sneer.

"What's going on?" Michael asked.

"Nun'ya buisness," he said as he bent down to look at Michael. "Go home." He blew a puff of smoke in Michael's face and Michael peeked around the man. The boy was on his knees and the man was counting a stack of lien. He swiftly gave the boy a kick and the boy fell.

"Are you familiar with the thief's code?" Michael asked. "What rule did the boy break?"

"How do you know of the theifs code?" the man asked.

"I can see the mark on him. He didn't cover it well. You two did though. It's on the back of your neck, just above the collar," Michael said. "His is on his arm, below his shirtsleeve. You guys are bold. Most cops will know what that sign means. You'll be on a watchlist easily. This leads me to believe that you're information brokers. Aren't you?"

"You're smart," he said. "Too smart. You need to learn when to shut your mouth."

"I understand what happens to thieves," Michael said. "I lived in Tartarus before."

"Oh really?" He asked. "You're a bit young."

"Earned citizenship through the pit," Michael said. "Didn't take long."

"I see," the man said. "To answer your question, that little guy ratted out three others, stole their pickings, and then gambled it away."

"I see," Michael said. "Are you satisfied with it now."

"No," the man snarled. "He's goin' back to Tartarus for his trial." Michael nodded. "I'm here to keep him from running away. He's got two strikes against him."

"What for?" Michael asked.

"He ratted out several others before, and he worked as a double agent for a higher up. The only reason he wasn't sent to the grimm front was 'cause he gave us a lot of good intel. We got out several of our boys, charged with 'slave trafficking'."

"Were they?" Michael asked.

"No, just being recruited," the man said. "The debtors are brought in much more stealthily."

"Any news?" Michael asked.

"Just that somethin' big's goin' down," the man said. "A man came down looking for people to do grunt work. I can't remember his name. He was real nice dressed though."

"Did he wear a white coat and a black hat?" Michael asked.

"Yeh," the man said.

"Dammit Roman," Michael cursed. "Now what are you up to?"

"What guild are you in?" the man asked.

"I'm unaffiliated," Michael answered. "I have many people that hire me, and I am careful not to let my responsibilities clash."

"You're not working for any cops are ya?" the man asked with a dangerous glint.

"I only work for the government when they have no other options. I do not follow only the thief's code, but I have my own agenda," Michael answered.

"You rat us out," the man said dangerously. "And you'll pay."

"I doubt you could do that," Michael said. "But you don't have to worry. If you aren't causing problems that I have to step in for, I won't make any problems for you."

"And what counts as a problem?" the man asked.

"Murder spree's, rape spree's, government sabotage, the big ones. I could care less if you steal from another to feed yourself," Michael replied. "Now I have things to do, so I'll take my leave."

"What's your name?" the man asked.

"None of your concern," Michael answered.

"Watch yourself," the man said. "Many follow the old code. The new code has been losing support."

"You too," Michael said. "Only the strong survive in Tartarus."


Michael sat in a shop, looking out the window. Things were moving quickly. Roman was doing something, and he usually didn't do anything too big. Michael would know, after all, Roman had been one of his closest friends. Tartarus was also known as the city of thieves, and with a new ruler, there had been changes in the thief's code. That one was much more tolerant of people's' situations. It however limited contact with certain individuals.

Michael looked at his scroll. It was getting late, but he couldn't shake the feeling that he needed to stay in vale. He looked outside at the slowly setting sun and yawned. He set his head on his fist and closed his eyes for just a second.


Roman Torchwick was on edge. This was a bigger operation than he was used to. He would finish it though. He was in it for the win, and this time, he wouldn't have to deal with that pesky little kid.

A blade found itself at his throat and he froze. Who was it? A senior hunter?

"Brothers of the white fang!" he heard. Another little girl? Seriously? Was he supposed to be intimidated? This would be child's play compared to how he used to train. He began to tone her out but he snapped back to reality when she moved her blade closer.

"I'll put an end to your little operation," she said.

"It's not really a little operation," he snarked as several more bullheads flew into view. His cane was pointed down, and it was much more than a simple fashion statement. He pulled the trigger, and a concussive blast knocked back the girl. He turned to see a faunus with cat ears. She would be considered adorable if she wasn't trying to kill him. Ah well.


Michael fell out of his seat as an explosion sounded through the night. Wait, night? He looked at his scroll. It was late! He ran out the door and looked to see a plume of smoke in the sky. "Shit!" he cursed. He began to run as hard as he could, using back alleys and shortcuts to get to the site of the explosion. He began to grow and he quickly pulled off his shirt. He reached the docks, and began to swerve between the crates.

He saw Roman point his cane at a Sun. "Roman!" he yelled. Roman turned and Michael slowed to a stop as he looked at him. Roman lowered his cane and Michael took in the site of the man.

"Michael?" he asked. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm stopping you from doing anything you'll regret," Michael answered.

"What?" Roman asked. "You think I'll regret it? These kids are a thorn in my side."

"They're doing the same thing we used to do," Michael replied. "What would the twins-"

"Don't even mention the twins!" Roman yelled. "You know how they died, and whose fault it was!" He scowled. "Then you left. Not by choice, but were driven out by the very people who were supposed to stand by us! They cast us out! I'm making my own living, and I won't let you stand in my way." He sighed. "Take them. Leave. I don't want to fight you, but I will if I have to. You know I'm the only one who could ever give you a real fight."

"Then I have to stop you," Michael said. "This isn't you, and you have never been this rash before."

"It's not the me you remember," Roman said. He pointed at Michael with his cane. "I've had to change. I'll be the one on top though. But I still can't let you stand in my way." He fired, and Michael felt it hit him straight in the face. His flesh burned and charred and he fell on his back.

"Michael!" he heard someone scream. He couldn't tell who with his damaged ears. He reformed his face as fast as he could and stood up. He felt less worried now. This could be fun. Maybe he could really let loose. His vision was restored and he laughed.

"I should have seen that coming Roman!" Michael laughed. Roman had walked away, but now he looked at Michael. A group of white fang moved in front of him and Sun stood up. "You and Blake back off!" Michael snarled. "I haven't had a fight like this for a while." He straightened and used his semblance. He wouldn't need twisted mirror. Only problem was the need for aura. Ha! Who was he kidding? There was plenty of people to drain aura from. He felt pieces of bone begin to push through his skin at his ribs. He grasped the bone and began to pull it out. As he did, he began to drain aura from the White Fang grunts. This time, it was much more. He could almost see strings of white pulling from them into him. He finished pulling out the bones and it sharpened into a pair of swords. The blade was serrated and extended about as long as his arm. He studied it and smiled.

"This will be fun," he said. Roman looked at him with a hint of fear. He quick as a flash swung his right sword into a nearby grunt. The unfortunate faunus went flying into a crate and Michael laughed. The group charged him and he began to fight. His blades flicked about, a dance of destruction filling the area. His blades cut into the ground and hit with enough force to leave a nasty bruise on the receiver even with their aura. All the while, he was getting closer to Roman. He was still draining their aura's slightly, but not much.

"This is new," Roman said. "You've never fought like this before." he struck with his cane and Michael crossed his swords to block it. Michael kicked at Roman and he skipped back. Michael continued with his attack as he began to settle down. This was fun, but he had no need to seriously injure Roman. Why did he ever think he needed to? Why was it weird. He spun and struck again and again. Each blow was blocked by Roman's cane and he laughed. Roman seemed to gain his composure and Michael felt himself start going back to normal, but he still hadn't had a fight like this for a long time. Roman had always been the best sparring partner.

"I needed this," Michael said as he twisted as swept his leg at Roman who jumped it before swinging his cane at Michael. Michael's smirk softened to a smile of exhilaration as the two continued their fight.

"How long has it been Roman?" Michael asked.

"At least a few years," Roman replied. "You've improved."

"You haven't gotten any worse," Michael said. "Thought I wonder what you've been up to all this time."

"You tell me first," Roman laughed as they continued their fight while the others were finishing with the other grunts. As they finished, they looked to see Michael and Roman fighting each other, but with smiles and good natured banter.

"You know what's going on?" Sun asked. Blake just shrugged.


Ruby watched from the rooftop as Penny stood next to her. She was still getting over the sight of Michael being shot point blank.

"Ruby," Penny said. "There is a Grimm nearby."

"Okay Penny," Ruby said, halfway listening. Penny searched around before looking forward.

"The grimm is in front of us," Penny said. "Determining target." Ruby didn't respond. Her eyes focused on Michael. "Grimm signature identified." She stepped towards the edge of the roof.

"Penny what are you doing?" Ruby asked.

"Don't worry Ruby!" Penny smiled. "I'm combat ready!" She leaped off the roof as her backpack opened.


Michael spun, slashing at Roman, who was forced back. Michael followed with a double bladed strike, and Roman leaped away. Michael smiled as he straightened. A sudden sound alerted him and he turned to be hit by a sword. It swung back and several more struck at him. He began to block each one with a sword and found himself hard pressed to stop every one. He focused his semblance and with some of the extra bodily materials he had, an extra pair of arms formed on his shoulder blades. He grimaced and formed another pair of swords, with the extra arms, he found himself much more able to fight. He searched for his attacker and saw Penny.

"What the hell are you doing?" he asked.

"Removing Grimm threat," Penny answered. Michael inwardly groaned. She was artificial and someone had gone through the trouble of giving her a way to produce aura. Of course she'd have a way to track Grimm, and she was probably picking up on him when he used his semblance. Ah well, no way to change things now, but it was a pain in the ass.

Michael continued protecting himself and didn't notice Roman stand up and begin to walk away, or the new bullheads that were flying in. Michael instead began to work his way towards Penny so that he could stop this fight.

Penny didn't wait for him to come to her and quickly backed away, pulling her swords with her that Michael saw were connected by thin lines. The swords began to spin and a green energy began to charge.

Michael's eyes widened and he knew he was in big trouble. He dropped his swords and pulled out twisted mirror. He pulled and it stretched and elongated until it was six feet wide and ten feet tall. The energy was released and it slammed into the mirror, but the mirror began to absorb the energy. As the output finished, Michael shrank it down into a large crystal tube that resembled a rocket launcher. It crackled with energy and Michael knew it had gathered too much energy at once. He turned it and saw the incoming Bullheads. He pulled the crystal trigger and a blast of energy sheared through a bullhead. He aimed again and pulled the trigger. Another fell and he smiled. The energy stopped sparking and Michael breathed out in relief. He turned back to Penny and saw another blade coming at him. This time, he snatched it out of the air and pulled. Penny was unprepared for this and flew towards him. He caught her by the neck and pinned her to the ground. The other three arms each quickly grabbed each blade that thrashed around and held them still.

"Are you done Penny?" He asked.

"I must remove all Grimm," Penny said.

"I'm only half Grimm," Michael said. "You don't have to remove me." She considered this.

"I suppose I don't!" She said. Michael released her and offered her his hand. She instead leaped to her feet. Maybe she just didn't understand the gesture. Police sirens filled the air and Michael sighed. He was trying to stay under the radar.


The group were sitting on crates while Michael watched the sky. He had pulled the extra arms back in and had put his shirt back on. The police had questioned them, but it had been fine. Michael watched as Weiss and Yang walked up to them and Michael turned to watch. He still couldn't tell what Weiss was feeling, but that was usual.

"Weiss!" Ruby said. She began to ramble and Michael felt the strange presence of Penny leave. He turned and saw her step into a car. There were normal people in the car and he narrowed his eyes. Possibly her creators? No concern of his anyway.

"I don't care," Weiss said. Michael smiled. "You're not a part of them anymore? Then I don't care."

"Weiss," Michael quipped with a smirk. He couldn't resist this. "You do have a heart!"

"I've always had a heart you dunce!" She pouted.

"Was it frozen?" Michael asked. The others laughed.

"You will pay for that," Weiss said.

"Sure thing snow angel," Michael said with a laugh, using the name Jaune used that she hated so much.

Weiss sighed before turning back to Blake. "Next time, just come to your team instead of…" she looked at sun. "Someone else."

"Oh," Sun said. "Michael."

"Yeah?" he asked. Sun tossed him a bag. Michael looked inside to see Lien. He picked one up. "Where'd you get these?" Michael asked.

"I split some of my secret stashes," he replied. "I had someone break 'em."

"These are counterfeit," Michael said as he lifted one up. A carefully painted side of the card was peeling off, revealing a false cart.

"What?" Sun shouted. "That dirty little!"

"It's fine," Michael said. "You just owe me a favor later."

"Fine," Sun sighed.

"Hey," Ruby said. "Where's Penny?"

"She left a little bit ago," Michael answered. "Guess she had to go home."

"Oh," Ruby said, a bit downcast. "She was nice."

"She was weird," Sun said and was glared at by Ruby. "And an awesome fighter that could kick my-"

"Dude," Michael cut in. "You screwed up. Don't make Ruby mad."

"Yeah," Ruby said. "I'll get Yang on you."

"Better run," Michael suggested.

"Uh, I'll see you guys around," Sun said before leaping away.

"Let's get back to beacon," Michael suggested.

"Good idea," Yang said.

A.N. Wow! Longest chapter I've done! I finally finished this, and I want you to review! Please! But other than that, have a great day!