Author's Note: Hello Readers! I am so very sorry for not getting Chapter 10 out sooner :/ I got caught up in assignments and was having trouble visualizing this next chapter and how it would work towards my vision for the rest of the story. I hope the wait didn't get to too many of you; trust me, it hurt me not to be able to get this out sooner, I've been dying to get back to writing.

To say the least, things are beginning to wrap up and a foreseeable end to this story will arrive within two to three chapters. I already have plenty of fanfic ideas that I will tackle when this is over and free time permits. But for now, enjoy the latest installment of Thunder Flowers and enjoy your weekend!

~thehemingwaydiemma

Chapter 10: Free Falling, or The End of All Good Things

Ren stood at attention, his highly disciplined posture bearing a militant appeal as he scoped out the newest location. The team had found their destination rather quickly; the lotus boy hadn't expected to be out just one day after leaving Beacon, already having found all the info they needed for taking down Roman. If Junior's words were true, this was the place to be.

The team had needed a rest from the previous day's fight, Jaune in particular. The leader needed his strength, and having only recently started his training with Pyrrha he was still in need of more time to improve. So, JNPR had checked into a small inn not far from Roman's supposed warehouse to calm down, get some sleep, and formulate their plan of attack. Ren had taken charge of lugging the small provisions (changes of clothes, toiletries, and rations) while Nora proudly pushed Jaune and Pyrrha in on the bell hop's luggage rack, excitedly hitting the assistance bell before being told to buzz off.

Ren's mind grew a little heavier. He still hadn't 100 percent processed Nora and what things were like between them. With her partially suggesting to move beyond friendship, and now him saving her life with such evident concern… Ren wanted to just go back to where they were before Beacon. Maybe back before he realized how much he loved her.

"Ren?"

It was the same tone she used on the trolley as she thanked him for his valiant deed. They were finishing the unpacking and the arrangement of their unconscious teammates (despite Nora's squealing about how cute they'd be in the same bed all snuggly, Ren insisted on putting Jaune on the couch to help him feel like the chivalrous leader) and had managed to take a breath.

Ren hadn't wanted to answer her. He knew she'd try to push talking about what had happened, which was by far the one thing he was beginning to not have patience for. The more distance, the better, he had thought.

"Yes, Nora?" he replied, keeping hi tone apathetic and even.

"Your roots are starting to show." She smiled sweetly, holding up the familiar bottle of pink dye. "We gotta fix you up for the big fight!"

While glad she wasn't going to press on any touchy material, Ren was still pretty tired. "Nora, we need to get our sleep; plus –"

"Plus nothing, Mister Lie! You gotta look the tops when we kick Roman's booty tomorrow, and my partner can't be looking sloppy!"

"When have I ever looked sloppy? It isn't that much root," he countered, looking at the strand in the mirror. It always fell right where he could just see it, right in the corner of his sight. Despite Nora nagging to add more pink to his style and making his dad double take in contempt, Ren was rather fond of his highlight; he already felt himself relenting to Nora's request.

"Please?" She asked, eyes starting to puppy-dog and lip beginning to quiver. "Pretty pretty please? Can I do it for you, Ren?"

Ren mock sighed, giving the impression that it was a big deal to him for Nora's sake. "Okay Nora, you win."

The hammer-girl double fisted the air, then leaped over and booped Ren affectionately on the nose. "Guess whose going to look preeettttyy?" she asked in sing-song fashion.

Ren rolled his eyes. "Ren is."

Nora grinned again, eyes scrunched up as she charge into the bathroom to start the water. "Ren is!" she cried out, careful enough to not wake up their team's second half. With a chuckle, Ren followed her into the bathroom.

Ren did another check over Stormflower, checking to make sure he had enough Dust cartidges to last the raid. Jaune's plan was simple enough – sneak their way in, find Roman's office, do their best to find out as much information while waiting for Ozpin and law-enforcement to appear (Jaue had called them when they had arrived at the warehouse) and find out where Cinder Fall was and how to get to her.

Ren fumbled with a cartridge, his mind still elsewhere as he caught the fragile green dust before it hit the ground.

"Hold still, silly, you're going to get the dye in your eye!"

Ren complied, waiting as Nora held that one little lock into the tub, applying the dye ever so carefully so that only it would be that bright shade of pink. Ren, while being bent over backward, was oddly in a sort of bliss, feeling warm steamy water play through the ends of his hair, laying back over a tub, and (as much as he was refusing to admit to himself) the feeling of Nora's fingers in his hair. This was one of the few grooming and maintenance activities he actually enjoyed; it was very calming, and he loved anything to do with stroking, washing, or playing with his hair. This one encompassed all three, so it took the cake nicely.

"And poof! There we go! One handsome Ren, side of pink, hold the boring." Pulling him up and out of the tub in a flourish, his spunky friend quickly took a towel and started fluffing his hair to dry it off. When she was done, Ren was ushered over to the mirror to see Nora's handiwork. As vibrant as ever, Ren's one lock of pink hair stood out against his ash grey, pink all the way down to the roots.

Nora, smiling in the reflection Ren was staring at, started to play with that one strand of pink, soft fingers running through Ren's hair. Ren felt his eyes already starting to droop, the sensitive scalp and hair sending tingles down his spine and loosening the knot in his stomach. Ren cracked his eyes open, coming eye to eye with Nora. The corners of her mouth crinkled in a smile, closing serenely as she gently rubber her nose up against his, causing him to loudly blush.

"Come on Ren," she said softly, light blue eyes opening up again. "We need to get some sleep."

"Hey, you ready Ren?" Jaune asked, breaking the flashback from Ren's mind.

Holding back the involuntary start, Ren looked at Jaune and his other team mates. Pyrrha held her spear aloft, scanning the enormous warehouse for enemies. Jaune stood causally by Ren's side, smile on his face and wind ruffling in the air.

Nora, out of character, looked at Ren with a mixture of aloof sadness and quietly arranged distance. It broke his heart to see her looking at him like that; he wasn't positive, but he thought he knew why her sudden changes were taking place.

Nora gave Ren a poke. "Aren't you going to change?"

Ren stiffened. "Nora, you know I rarely bring pajama's anywhere, I always sleep in my clothes –"

"But your clothes get wrinkly that way! At least sleep in your boxers or something, aren't you uncomfortable sleeping in heavy clothes all night?"

"Nora, I've told you – OOF!" Ren found himself pushed onto the bed, pinned down as his friend striped off his jacket, tenderly folding it and placing it on the ground. Despite Ren's struggles, Nora did the same for Ren's shoes and pants, leaving him in his black undershirt and a pair of green boxers with pink lotuses printed in lines down the sides. Nora blushed a little, clearly trying to take her eyes off of Ren's lithe yet muscular torso. Ren for his part felt entirely immodest and exposed, yet doing his best to avoid enjoying this too much.

Moving from her position on Ren's stomach, Nora got up to do the same for herself, pulling her white shirt over her head to reveal a lacy pink bra. As Ren averted his eyes while she pulled off her skirt, he reminded himself that his childhood friend had over the years become… irresistibly curvy, to say the least; it wasn't his place to enjoy that, their friendship was strictly platonic.

A soft rustle told Ren to brace himself as Nora slithered into bed, crawling under the sheets to press herself against Ren, arms wrapped around his chest, head buried in his sternum. The all too familiar contented sigh of the hammer wielder reached Ren's ears the same time the smile creasing his chest etched itself into his nerves. This is wrong, this is so wrong, we've never been so close, and we're hardly clothed, you need to do something.

In the same manner where everything goes wrong as soon as someone says "nothing could go wrong", Nora Valkyrie scooted up a little further so she was straddling Ren's waist unde the covers, arms now drapped around his neck, and, for the first time ever, planted a soft wet kiss on Ren's cheek. Her lisps were so soft, and very full; the kiss lasted a good seven seconds before Nora broke away, falling back on Ren with a playful bounce Instantly Ren felt himself stiffen up, hoping Nora didn't feel every part stiffen as his eyes shot wide and his face change from pink to scarlet. In the dark of the room, the lotus boy saw his partner, friend, and self-forbidden love smile up at him, fingers tracing patterns over his pale chest.

"Ren… I know I never tell you how much you mean to me, but… thanks. Not just for saving my yesterday, but for everything." Just the fact that Nora was talking slowly, in soft measured sentences told Ren that this was not just some rambling or off the top of her head speech; she had put everything into these words. "I'm really lucky to have such a great guy like you by my side and," she took a soft breath before pulling herself up to look at Ren in the eyes, "you make everything a thousand times better for me.

"Ren… I love you."

The three words had still echoed within Ren's head, even now. Here they were, on one of the most important missions of the school, and here he was, silently love-struck by the words he never thought he deserved to hear.

He gave Nora one last look. She broke away from his gaze, her hunched form not even wanting to meet his eyes now. Ren's heart twisted in his chest; that wasn't how he wanted to handle the situation. That wasn't how he wanted to leave things with Nora; they were so close to being back to the way they were and he had to drive them apart again.

This wasn't the feeling he wanted when he fought. This wasn't the way he wanted to continue.

He finally turned to Jaune, letting the five seconds of silence between Jaune's question break at long last.

"Yeah." He twirled Stormflower expertly, catching a concerned look from Pyrrha. "I'm ready."

This case was going to be easier to get into than their previous raid. Roman's warehouse was larger, and didn't seem to have as many complex machinery or compartments involved; there was a much more personal touch to the spacious, open basement.

Peering in through a window, JNPR was able to see work benches strewn with weapons, dirty mugs, and stolen goods, one of Torchwick's signature aircraft, and, most surprisingly, a few cages containing Ursa, Beowolves, and even a young Nevermore. Tacked on the walls were old maps of Remnanat, Vale, and more in-depth looks at the cross streets, geography, and topography of various locations around the area. Scattered around the warehouses interior, hired henchmen and the occasional member of the White Fang were seen standing, walking, or carrying crates from here to there.

"Shh!" Jaune whispered, waving a hand to keep the already quiet team even quieter. His blue eyes wide, their leader pointed to the far door of the warehouse. "It's him."

Roman Torchwick himself strode in, flanked by two henchmen on each side. The red headed criminal mastermind was just as Ruby described him as; thin, smartly dressed, with a confidant swagger about him that could be seen even from a distance. Peering in closer, Ren saw a black and red console in his hand, held opposite his trademark cane.

"Well, do you have the serum prepared?" Roman asked, the echoes of his voice carrying around the room to JNPR's ears. A black and red dressed henchman handed his boss a red cylinder, fitted into a large syringe like containter, which Torchwick promptly took, walking over to the cages containing the various Grimm.

"What's he trying to do?" Jaune voiced the team's collective thought out loud.

Roman stood before one of the larger Ursa, who glowered at its captor, a guttural growl rising in its throat. The gingered crime boss, cocky even from this distance, started to toss the scarlet cylinder from hand to hand, eyes still fixed on the Ursa in front of him.

Then, with lightning speed, Roman drove the needled end into the base of the Ursa's neck, causing the bear-like Grimm to double back in pain, earth shattering roar rattling Ren's teeth as it reverberated through the warehouse. Ren started in surprise, his heart leaping into his throat

"I say we find out what the hell is going on, how about you Jaune?" Pyrrha asked; even the Spartan was shaken by the Ursa and… whatever it was that Roman had done to him. Ren nodded, watching as and Nora mimicked his movement. Their curiosity was piqued as well; whatever Roman's plan was, they needed to get down there and hopefully sabatoge as much as they could.

"How much time did Ozpin say we had?" Ren asked.

Jaune looked at his scroll, flicking through the messages until he got to the most recent. "We have about ten minutes to do what we can." He hefted his sword, standing upright as the shield/sheath of Crocea Mors sprung open. "Ready, team?"

Not waiting for an answer, Jaune paced back a little, then dashed forward and threw himself through the window with a crash. Ren's eyes widened, then instinctively squeezed shut to avoid any splinters of glass that might have flown away from their leader's dramatic entrance.

Giving a sidelong glance to Pyrrha, Ren shrugged and, using Stormflower, shot a hole big enough for him to crash through , the fall short enough so he hit the ground seconds later, landing so he avoided absorbing too much impact and potentially injuring his knees. Two more crashes told Ren that his fellow team mates had also made their presence known, and Nora's sudden presence slightly behind him reminded Ren to sand clear as Magnhild changed from grenade to hammer. Already, henchmen were drawing weapons, Torchwick angrily puffing on his cigar. "I swear, these damn kids just keep getting crazier and crazier!" he spat, hefting his cane in combat stance. "How the hell do you even find us so often?!" he barked, this time addressing Jaune.

Jaune dusted himself off, much more composed than he might have been before Pyrrha's lessons. "We had a run in with a certain oxymoron," the blond replied. Roman, arched eyebrow and confused look, obviously didn't get the reference Ren was also having trouble understanding. Please don't tell me Pyrrha's been trying to teach him witty banter too Ren hoped, feeling embarrassed as even the henchmen looked at each other quizzically.

"Uh, Junior Xiong? Big guy, has a name like Junior? Kinda contradictory name if you ask –"

"Oh, yes, him" Roman coldly retorted, lighting a fresh cigar. "I see you made him squeal about my location, then?" Taking a blissful puff, Torchwick fixed his glare on Jaune. "If we're going to be making introductions this way, I suppose you're acquainted with a certain scythe wielder, dressed in mostly red?"

Jaune nodded slowly, doing his best to regain his authoritative composure. Jerking his head back toward the Grimm, Jaune continued the polite mincing of words. "So, uh, whatcha got going on there? Trying out Grimm tranquilizers or something?" Ren took the time to examine the collapsed Ursa, the now translucent cylinder still in it's neck.

Roman grinned. "Well, Golden Boy, since you ask so nicely, I'd say you deserve a little demonstration yourself. " Waving his arms to the henchmen to usher them in a circle around Team JNPR, Roman leered at Pyrrha. "Give the ladies a little something to remember this evening by, eh?"

While Jaune fumbled over his apparently knew nickname, Ren took a glance over in Nora's direction. Ren was a little shocked to see his usually chipper and battle hungry friend standing up straight, hammer held evenly in front of her, head bent with eyes turned towards the floor, her expression as blank as Ren's usually was. Why isn't she smiling? Or at least bouncing on her feet?

But while Ren knew full well why Nora was not herself, he was moreover trying to grasp that a battle wasn't putting her back into her normal spirits. Was it really that bad that his battle-hunger best friend seemed so devoid of joy? Would she snap out of it and just be Nora again?

Every thought was put on hold as more and more heart stopping roars erupted from the cages around the foursome, now being accompanied by shrieks that blurred the line between screams and howls with each passing second. Darting his eyes around the room, Ren saw similar red cylinders being emptied into the soft neck tissue of Ursa and Beowolf alike, and each henchman creaking open each animal's cage door.

Roman Torchwick, holding one of the sleek black consoles in his hand, slammed a thumb down on one of the red buttons, eyes reflecting the manic soul within. "Enjoy the latest efforts of mine, if you dare; Dust does have some interesting properties about it, doesn't it?"

"That's Dust?" Jaune exclaimed, watching one of the Ursa rise stiffly to its feet. "Why the heck are you doing shooting Dust into GriMm like that?"

Roman chuckled as more and more of the normally savage beasts rose to their hind feet, like soldiers rising from their graves. "Now what kind of villain would I be if I just gave away all the answers?" With a flourish, the dapper man twirled round and strode through the mass of Grimm with ease. "Keep them busy for me," he casually remarked to the henchman next to him, handing the red and black glad man the console as he strode away.

"Jaune…?" Pyrrha asked nervously as more an more henchmen pulled out their own remotes, punching in codes in an almost menacing fashion. Her blue eyed beau stood frozen in thought before replying.

"If the consoles have anything to do with it," he said so the henchmen didn't hear, "that Dust should, I don't know, control the Grimm? It seems weird, but we're dealt with weirder. If that's the case, Nora and Pyrrha, I need you guys to work with me to –"

"Look out!" Nora shouted, swinging her hammer to block a Beowolf that just leaped at Pyrrha. The Grimm were already trying to rush the four teens, leading Jaune to give the rest of his speech on the fight.

"Alright ladies," he said as he shoved his sword into the side of a Beowolf, shield shoving an Ursa paw away from his head with a practiced jerk, "we need to try and fend off the Grimm as we do our best to destroy or separate the controllers from those guys. Ren, since you're faster and more agile, you focus on the henchmen and their consoles, and maybe distract the Grimm if you need to."

Ren only half listened, focusing his attention on the three Beowolves circling him. Shooting one in the eye as it leapt at him, then dodging the next one's leap while expertly shoving both blades into it's unprotected underside, the lotus boy bashed the last one's head in as he sped through the mess of beasts toward the outer circle of red-tied goons. Catching the first by surprise, Ren splintered the controller in two and knocked the breath out of another with a jab of the elbow, his momentum allowing him to swing his foot into another's chest. Making quick demises of their consoles, Ren instinctively parried another assailant's punch, twisting him around and throwing him into the fray of controlled and recently freed Grimm, the later ones not having a preference on who they attacked and were more chaotic than their robotic counterparts.

Torchwick must have wanted to use this Dust-controlling mechanism to use Grimm to his advantage in fights or raids, Ren thought as he slid away from the projectile feathers of the solitary Nevermore circling above the fighting. Let's hope he doesn't try and make any more of this, he could pull off quite a bit with this stuff…

Dodging the Ursa's claw, Ren ducked under its legs to evade the larger, more difficult to kill Grimm, Ren caught sight of two things he needed to act on: one was Roman casually walking up to his airship, six henchmen behind him carrying and wheeling crates likely filled with Dust, weapons, and other important goods. The second was Nora, fully in charge of her situation with a dead serious grimace on her face as she diligently swung her hammer into the heads of Ursai and Beowolf alike, bashing in heads and crushing chest cavities alike with the controlled expertise of a warrior.

She's not enjoying herself, is she? Ren glumly thought to himself, letting the rest of the fighting melt away and become an endless, hardly audible drone in the back of his head. Pink eyes blazing in the battle light, Ren sought out Jaune Arc and nimbly picked his way toward his leader, dodging or engaging Grimm along the way.

Finally reaching his leader, Ren shot down a Beowolf about to jump Jaune on his blind spot. As the carcass hit the Arc boy's feet, he swung around in surprise, then faced Ren. "Thanks, I guess I owe you one," Jaune chuckled.

"No time, Torchwick is making an escape. I'm going to go after him, try and stop him if I can."

Jaune nodded, reengaging another Ursa as he acknowledged Ren's statement. "Stay safe and act quickly, okay?" he replied, shield going up to stop the spined bear's massive paw just in time.

Ren nodded back, turning around to dash back toward the massive airship that was just finished being loaded. Ren, sprinting forward with a sudden determination, fired shots upon shots of his twin Stormflowers, setting the few crates not put into the ship's cargo hold afire and sending the hired muscle running for cover, drawing weapons of their own. Torchwick himself leaned out of the pilot's window; hand on his head to avoid his feathered derby from blowing in the wind. His expression blank, the mastermind shrugged and got back into the cockpit, not seeing Ren as a major threat to his escape.

Ren knew very little about what he was going to do, likely because he hadn't figured that part out yet. But maybe that was why his non-plan was going to work so well; maybe working on the fly was going to show him something he didn't see if he just scoped out the scenario before taking action. Maybe learning as he went was going to work better this time because he had no time to think. All he could to was act, and he was going ot have to do it soon.

Leaping onto the side of the jet as it lurched forward, Ren dug both blades of Stormflower into the hull, clinging on as the heavy airplane/helicopter hybrid started to pick up speed. Ren wasn't sure, but if he got to the top of the ship he could get to the cockpit and hijack Roman from there, or try to kill the engine with Stormflower, or if he could get to a wing he might be able to set the ship off balance by ruining a thruster…

The tug at Ren's mouth was somewhere between a bittersweet smile and a wry frown. Interesting, he mused to himself. I'm being to sound a lot like –

"LIE REN!"

The huntsman's head whipped around as he heard a feminine shout call his name out of the fighting. Nora Valkyrie, face set in anger and determination, was sprinting toward him and the departing aircraft with surprising speed, Magnhild slung across her back. Giving her legs one last pump, Nora sprung in the air and landed on top of the ship as it finally caught air, taking off into the sky. Leaning over the edge of the ship, Nora had to yell to be heard over the engine.

"YOU DON'T RUSH HEADLONG INTO A SITUATION LIKE THAT REN! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!"

Ren scowled. She runs over to join me on this, finally done skulking around, and this is how she finally talks to me? Ren hoisted himself up and over the side of the ship, sheathing Stormflower in his sleeves.

"You're certainly one to talk, Nora! Don't try and call me out on that, we've got bigger problems to deal with!"

The cheery attitude was gone from Nora's voice as she sarcastically threw her hands in the air. "Oh, good! You finally want to talk about your behavior last night, after everything I was doing –"

"Yes, that, but I was talking more specifically about, oh, I don't know, stopping this guy from escaping on us?!" Ren shouted, gesturing to the fact that they were standing atop an aircraft that was already putting distance between itself and the warehouse.

Eyes still locked onto Ren's, Nora whipped Magnhild out from behind her and shot a grenade at the left wing of the ship, blowing apart one of the jets. The ship sputtered, giving a lurch before slowly regaining it's course, albeit lopsided and favoring it's injured left side. Roman must have been a skilled pilot, as the ship still increased in altitude until it was among the clouds.

"There, now he'll start circling around and trying to find a place to land" Nora said matter-of-factly. "Now, as we were saying…"

"Nora, what the heck is your problem?!" Ren shouted before Nora could respond.

"My problem?! My problem! Ren, I tell you I love you and all you say is "It's getting late" after a minute of awkward silence?! What kind of response is that?!"

"You took me off guard, and you were making me nervous with that get up, practically trying to come onto me when we're clearly best friends and nothing –"

Nora threw up her hands, clearly done. "Okay, fine, I may have gone a little overboard! But come on, we've been together for so long the "not-together-together" is just stupid! And at least I'm saying and showing how I feel, not acting so stiff and callous like some hunters I know!"

"You know I'm not as expressive of stuff like that, just like I know you can't just stay quiet about things. It's who we are, Nora!"

"But why, Ren?! I've been your best friend for ages now, you know I love you! We've been there through thick and thin, we've shared so much of our lives and identities, so why can't we take that to the next level? Just tell me how you feel and we can go from there, but don't just dance around the issue like we won't ever talk about it!"

Ren already felt his temper rise. Naturally, he saw all the possible distractions to use against the confrontation. The fact that they needed to stop the ship's flight and land it so Roman didn't try to escape; how any second they could fall off the edge; Nora's warped perception on the simplicity of relationships.

"Ren, I need an answer! Don't do this to me, please..."

Ren heaved a sigh. He wasn't going to get out of this easy.

"Nora, I can't ever lose you. I don't want to step into something that we can't ever get back from."

"But we can! We know each other better than anyone else, this would only make things better –"

That did it.

"THEY SAID THE SAME THING!" Ren suddenly barked, surprising himself at the amount of venom that fueled his words. A small lurch of the hull below him made Ren brade himself against the smooth metal, taking a dramatic knee before adjusting to the new altitude. The plane may still have been going in slow, huge circles, but there was still the risk of falling from this height.

Nora had jumped a little, regaining balance with an awkward shuffle. "I don't get it –"

"My parents were friends as close as we were, Nora. They told me about how close they had gotten, and how much the other meant to them. They told me how much being with their best friend every day of their life made them happy, and how they knew they'd stay friends through thick and thin." Ren already felt his long-repressed emotion drench his words, but kept talking, desperate to get the story out.

"Three kids later and here they are, too addicted to fighting to get a divorce and too bitter with themselves to want to patch things up. My parents are too steeped in their traditions and heritages to want to admit they're wrong or to seek help from anyone. And it's not just my parents. Every grandparent, both sides of the family, for as long as I could remember, divorced or saw a destroyed marriage when the last child left the house. My uncles and aunts are in abusive marriages that no one wants to talk about or try to fix. Even my older cousins never hold a relationship for three months before scaring their partner off or destroying their chances at any kind of future."

The look in Nora's eyes was one of heartbreak, empathy, and an overwhelming desire to give comfort or words of wisdom; while part of her knew the Lie household wasn't always the most comfortable atmosphere for her friend, she had never heard this story from Ren and the shock was evident on her face. Ren ignored it; in any other situation he would listen, but once the flood gates were breached there was no stopping it.

"Friendship can't last a relationship, Nora. It's in my blood to never succeed in love. If what I have with you is all I can have without tearing us apart…" There wasn't a need to go on. One more word and he would choke on his emotions, and the tension between the two was enough to leave that half sentence completed in both their minds.

Smoke had been billowing from Roman's destroyed thruster, and only now did Ren feel it itching his eyes. Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Ren felt something spike in his aura. Scanning for the potential threat, Ren saw it all too late.

"Nora! Look ou –!"

It wasn't any good. Roman still leaned out of his cockpit, and still pulled the trigger on his cane/gun. The bullet still whizzed it's way into Nora's leg, and, despite Ren's leap to catch her, both boy and girl still fell off the side of the helicopter, free falling into the clouds at an alarming speed.