"Alright maybe my own personal student life isn't the best source for good behaviour. Can't let them think I approve of beating up other students." With that Andrew felt like he had lost any high ground on the girls for he wasn't really known for following rules at Beacon himself in his youth. Ulysses on the other had was always a model student was would make a much better teacher than him.

After realising he hadn't done any work for the past half an hour he decided to get up and go get some coffee to wake him up in order to give him some more energy to do his paperwork. On his way to the break room he was still in a mind of his own wondering what the next week would bring, so much so that when he entered the room, he was oblivious to Glynda speaking to him.

"Hello? Andrew are you alight?" she asked

"What? Oh, sorry Glynda, I'm not myself at the moment." He replied as he grabbed a mug and started to boil the water for his coffee.

"I can see that. You're not feeling rough right now are you?" her tone was that of concern.

"I'm fine thanks, well in myself. I'm just wondering about something." Glynda took a sip of her drink

"Team RWBY?" Andrew span round to look at her. He was going to ask how she knew until he remembered that Ozpin was involved in their current escapade.

"Is it wrong for me to be worried about underage huntresses fighting in a dangerous area with next to no real combat experience?"

"They have attended combat schools or proved themselves in the entrance exam."

"That's all child's play compared to the real world."

"And they are well aware of that. Come on Andrew, you of all people should know that they're prepared for this." Andrew scoffed

"They're letting their ego's go to their heads. I'm just hoping Barty can keep them in line." Glynda started laughing. "Something funny?"

"I've just noticed something about you."

"Oh, really what?" he asked with curiosity.

"Women. You always have a problem with women, especially huntresses."

"What? Where did you get that from?"

"I just seem to remember a certain young woman who used to give you a lot of hassle. She had about the same amount of training as everyone else you've taught, and she always kept you in place. Strong and skilled, might even say she had one up on you in a fight. Didn't she?" the last part being said as Glynda took another sip of coffee to hide the smug grin forming on her face. She didn't need to hide it though.

"Ah…. yeah. Her."

Many years earlier.

All the students in the class sat in the upper arena of the sparing circle and watched a pair of students fight each other in the ring. Team CULA where all sitting together, Chris giving the match his undivided attention with Ulysses next to him making notes on the fight. Andrew was fazing in and out of the fight as when watching it he couldn't help but notice how the current combatants were not as skilled as he thought they would be.

"Boring you, are they?" Asked Lauren which snapped Andrew back into the room fully.

"I guess. If we're supposed to be learning something from this then I'm definitely not." Lauren shook her head

"You won't know unless you're paying attention. Come on Andrew, at least look like you're interested." He looked at the fight which hadn't really changed much and then slouched back in his seat.

"I'm pretty sure I'm missing nothing from these pair. I could beat them both easily."

"Overconfident much."

"It's true though. I may have people problems but fighting, that's something I've got sussed." Lauren turned away from him and continued watching the fight which only lasted a couple of minutes. When it was over the sparing teacher walked into the middle of the arena.

"Very well executed, now are there any volunteers for the next match or shall I select some people myself." Almost instantly Lauren jumped up

"Oh me! I'll go!" The teacher looked impressed with her eagerness

"Good start so who's going to fight you then?"

"Sir, can I request an opponent?"

"You can if you want to, who do you have in mind?" Lauren gave an evil smile

"I would like to fight him." After a couple of seconds Andrew realised, she was pointing at him.

"You want to fight your…... teammate?" The teacher asked

"Yes indeedy!" her voice sounded excited by this prospect.

"Are you okay with this Mr Tinman?" Andrew looked at the teacher and then at Lauren who was still smiling as if she had been waiting for this chance. Andrew gave a cocky smile back at her

"Yeah, let's do this." Now Ulysses spoke up

"Are you two seriously considering this? It is not appropriate for teammates to fight each other."

"Don't worry Ulysses, I'm going to be fine. Him on the other hand I can't promise anything." Lauren said as Andrew got to his feet the pair of them then walked down to the arena and collected their weapons. Once they were in the sparing zone, Andrew began to spin his axe around one hand in a way he had practised over the years while Lauren was stretching her legs out ready for the fight.

"Combatants ready. Begin" After that the match had started. Andrew began a casual walk towards Lauren and was about to give her a chance to reconsider but she was in a full speed charge heading towards him. Before Andrew knew what was going on, she was within striking range and only through a timely step back did he avoid the first blow coming from her right leg. As he steadied himself, he then swung his axe down on her, but she was too quick and was already out of place and activated her boot blades.

She then burst forth with a flurry of kicks and Andrew only survived the attack by encasing his left arm in a barrier and create a shield. Now he had a defence he started his own attack by pushing forward, so that Lauren didn't have the space to kick her legs out with enough force. After she stopped attacking, Andrew swung his axe forward again but in a horizontal motion and reaching out as far as he could. She simple jumped over the attack and then sent a kick out landing it in Andrew's exposed right shoulder but to no avail as the larger armour plate absorbed the majority of the impact. He did stumble back to reassure his footing however.

Now they both stood facing each other barely a few feet apart, Andrew knew that he was stronger than Lauren, but she was nimbler as well as being quicker. He decided the best way to win was to limit her movement and space to attack from, so he increased the size of his shield barrier and charged her with it. Lauren ran to her right side to avoid the charge although at the last moment notice the barriers shimmer being much larger causing her to rethink her strategy so instead ran back towards the wall behind her. Andrew kept on charging until she was stuck between a rock and a hard place.

"Got you!" he shouted and went to move forward again only to see Lauren give a toothy grin and leapt off the wall onto his barrier and then leapt from that back to the wall quickly going up until she was over the barrier. She landed behind Andrew and because he had made his shield barrier so large, he couldn't turn without shrinking it first. She made one kick into the square of his back but only got the one hit as Andrew collapsed his barrier entirely and swung with his axe, clanging with Lauren's other boot blade. Now Andrew swung his blade with his full force which Lauren couldn't block against just because his strength would send her flying back regardless. The blows connected creating a loud clash of steel on steel and as Andrew knew, sent Lauren hurtling back from the attack. She managed to recapture her composer before she was too far gone to recover for as she did Andrew was already on top of her again with another attack. He kept swinging his axe in different directions hoping to connect with one of them, but she always seemed to know which way to dodge and avoid it.

Andrew had then had enough so channelled his semblance into his axe, the green crystal dust absorbing it until his hand was shaking trying to contain the power. After he had held it for about ten seconds, he unleashed the barrier shock-wave and as the wave stretched out in a crescent moon shape getting, it got larger as it went further out. It hit Lauren and she was then caught up in the wave and had no choice but to go along for the ride, only stopping when she smacked the wall behind her.

Andrew's shock-wave had created a steam cloud as a side effect so he couldn't see anywhere the wave had been. He stood there, bent over, and panting so heavily that no matter how much air he breathed in it just wasn't enough to refill his lungs. Finally, when he could stand again he was sure that he had won the match when out of the mist, Lauren came charging out. He was so exhausted from his attack that he didn't have the time to respond to the new threat. Just before she booted him in the face an alarm went off signalling the end of the match by time limit.

"I think you're both done there students" said the teacher "I don't think the arena could handle another wave like that." Andrew looked around, still breathing quite deeply only to see Lauren standing in the same position from when the alarm went off and her foot far too close to his face for comfort. She then chuckled and lowered her leg as she walked away confident in the fact that the fight was hers. The rest of the class were all in a heighten state after witnessing that, but Andrew couldn't focus on anything as he was still trying to build up his energy from the fight.

"What the hell was that?" he said under his breath wondering how Lauren managed to avoid his last attack. It should have forced her to use up her aura to defend against it and won him the match but instead she was seconds away from defeating him. After he had walked of the arena, Chris was there to meet him.

"Nice try Andrew but I think Lauren got you there."

"I…would…have…won." Andrew tried to reply but still couldn't seem to get his breath back

"Not in a tournament match you would of. It's the first to depleted aura and by the looks of it I think you used up all of yours and then some. That last attack you made was a little overkill don't you think?"

"Evidently not. She somehow…. blocked it or…...dodged it. I don't know." He then took another step forward, but he was far weaker than the realised as his legs gave way. Fortunately, Chris caught him before he fell and propped him up with his shoulder.

"Thanks, I'm feeling really hungry right now." Chris sighed and they both started to walk together.

"Better get you something to eat. Just a word of advice though, if you're planning on doing that move again make sure you can walk away from it." Andrew nodded without even realising he was doing it as it was an almost reflexive response. That was the last thing he remembered before he blacked out completely.

When Andrew woke up, he was flat out in his bed still wearing his hunters' outfit. From the light that was coming through the window to their room he could tell it was late afternoon or early evening. After stretching his arms and feeling his joints crack, he then rolled over, so he was sitting on the side of his bed. It was then he noticed he wasn't alone in the room; Ulysses was sitting at his desk looking over his scroll at something Andrew couldn't make out at this distance. Taking a deep breath, he then spoke.

"How long was I out?" This made Ulysses jump and spin his chair around to face Andrew

"Evening Andrew! How are you feeling now?" he sounded very concerned

"Like something tried to suck the life out of me. What time is it? Actually, what day is it?"

"It is 17:33 and it is still the same day. Chris called me and Lauren to help bring you back to the room when you passed out after the sparing match. You have been asleep for a couple of hours; do you want me to get you anything?" Andrew ran his hands over his head and through his hair

"I drink would be nice." Ulysses span around in his chair and grabbed a glass of water that was sitting there. He then rushed it over to Andrew while he was still seated in his chair. Andrew took it with a nod and downed the glass in one.

"Thanks, I'm pretty sure my throat had turned into sandpaper." He then looked around the room again now he was a bit more alert. "Where's Chris and Lauren?" He asked

"After we dropped you off here Chris thought we should give you some time to rest so he went to do some studying in the library and Lauren went to get something to eat. I wanted to stay to make sure that if anything happened, I could be here to assist you." Andrew nodded again and put his head in his hands.

"Thanks for the concern. I'm all right though, really. That match just took it out of me."

"When we were in the forest you did not pass out after fighting then and when you beat team SILV you looked as though you could keep going for hours. What caused you to faint? Was it your semblance?" Andrew looked up

"Yeah, I used it a bit recklessly and paid the price. Don't worry, I'll be more careful in future."

"Was that truly necessary in a practice sparing match against a fellow teammate?" Andrew looked straight at Ulysses and could tell that he was making him uncomfortable

"I'm not getting back at her for the slaps to the face. I deserved that and I've moved on. Don't worry about us having a go at each other, it was a sparring match nothing more."

"Why did she want to fight you then?"

"Good question, maybe it's the way how she has fun." Ulysses shook his head

"I do not believe that to be the case. You may think she is slightly unusual from time to time, but I doubt that she would want to fight you because she was bored." Andrew sighed and realised that Ulysses had a valid point, she wouldn't pick a fight with him even if she was bored so the question is why did she want to fight him?

"Go and get something to eat, knowing you I bet you've not even had anything to eat yet. I'll be fine now." He could see Ulysses was unsure about this. "I'm fine, seriously. Please I don't want you getting ill because of me."

"Very well. Do you want me to get you something?" Andrew smiled

"No. Thank you but no. I'm just going to sleep and build up my energy."

"Okay, as long as you are sure you are fine." Once again Andrew smiled and nodded his head.

"Yes. Go on, before they close up the canteen." With that Ulysses stood up, patted Andrew on the shoulder and then left the room but not without a quick glance back. The response Andrew gave him was a smile as he pointed his finger in the direction of the canteen.

Once he was gone, Andrew waited a couple of minutes and then got up and left the room. He wanted to have a walk and get some fresh air; he had only ever done this move a couple of times and this was the worse side effect. At least this time he had someone to pick him up, last time the only person who could have done anything was his dad. Just the thought of that made him angry which is why he needed the walk; it was the only way that he found that would effectively calm him down.

Once he was outside, he started to walk around the campus while looking around at the buildings and the foliage. This was nothing like the port town he had come from, it was far more spacious, greener and in a single word beautiful. Suddenly he found himself at a bench that overlooked a cliff-side view of the city of Vale.

"Wow" he whispered as he slowly sat down on the bench and looked out into the distance. While he was sitting there staring out, he started to lose track of time.

"I never took you for a lover of nice views sulky." Andrew shot round at his hated nickname being used.

"Come on! I'm getting better so doesn't that mean you can drop that name now"

"Maybe, how about snoozy instead then? After your nap today when we finished our fight, I know you can sleep through anything. Me and Ulysses were shouting at you for about fifteen minutes and you never even flinched. You sure you should be out here?" Andrew turned back to the view

"Okay out of sulky and snoozy, I'll take sulky. At least I'm sort of getting use to that."

"Fair enough sulky!" Lauren said as she sat down next to him while he grimaced at that name. They then both sat there for a short while, looking out over the cliff side.

"I know it's not unusual for you to be quiet but you're REALLY quiet."

"I just like to enjoy the view."

"Again, is it wrong that I think it's weird you like doing this." Andrew scoffed but smiled

"Is it because I'm the bastard of the team. The one who's insensitive and cold. Sorry to disappoint you but I'm the type of person who likes nice views, long walks, and quiet nights. They help me feel better." Lauren turned her head to look at him and chuckled.

"I've just learned something else new about you today." Andrew laughed

"What else did you learn about me?" Lauren leaned back on the bench and put her arms behind her head all the while still smiling.

"Well for starters your semblance isn't as straight forward as anyone would think. You're not creating a barrier; you're using your own aura's protective field and projecting it out. They're strong and you can even move them or expand them, but it leaves you vulnerable, so you go head on into a fight leaving your opponent with only one way to fight you which is face to face. As soon as I kicked your shoulder plate I could tell you had little aura around it, you made a bigger barrier and lost more aura so I took a chance and got behind you and I was proved right when my boot connected with your back." Andrew slowly turned to face Lauren with a surprise smile, he couldn't believe she figured that out from only a few minutes of fighting.

"You must have known that before fighting me. You must have, didn't you?"

"Nope. You don't talk about yourself very much. I had to fight you just so I could understand you."

"Is that how you get to know everyone you meet?"

"Nope again. Ulysses was nice enough you talk to me and Chris being team leader actually likes to know his teammates and for them to know him. You on the over hand hardly talk and when you do it's about stuff that doesn't mean anything, I just wanted to know something else about you other than you are weird and sulky."

"You're right, I don't talk about myself. Not because I'm being an ass, I just hate my past." He sighed and looked out over the city. "Why do you really want to know me?" There was a silence that past between them, only the breeze could be heard as it whistled through nearby trees.

"We're teammates, I thought that would be enough. I heard when you formed teams here that they become your family." Andrew heard something in her voice, it wasn't the usual upbeat but a more sense of longing.

"Family. Don't you already have one?" he asked as she looked straight at the floor before she continued.

"Yeah, once. Mum, dad, and an older brother. Then a bandit group came through my village and killed them along with almost everyone else. They saw me and thought I would be useful to them."

"Useful?" Andrew inquired only for Lauren to snap up and look him right in the face, her own was a mask of disgusts which suddenly revealed to him what the bandits had in mind. "I'm sorry, I didn't know." He felt like a real ass now. "How old were you when all this…. Happened."

"15"

"This was two years ago?!" Lauren went quiet

"Just over actually. Worse time of my life." She was sounding as though she had a bad weekend and that's all it was.

"How can you be like this? Something like that would destroy a normal person but you act like nothing happened! How?!" Lauren was smiling again, her casual look staring back at Andrew made him wonder even more what was going on in her head.

"It did, for seven months I was their plaything. Tossed from one to the next for them to have their fun. As I said worse time of my life." Before Andrew could say another word, she continued. "Just as I was about resign myself to this fate, I was saved by a hunter. He found the bandits, killed them, and set me free but I wanted to end it all and be with my family again. The hunter wouldn't let me and instead took me in, taught me how to defend myself and finally made me want to live again."

"But all those memories, there still there. It all still happened. You can't simply have let it all go?"

"Yes, I can, and I have. It all happened but I can't change it, it's all in my past. I acknowledge it and I have moved on from it and made a vow that it will never happen again. To me or anyone else I can save."

"You are unbelievably optimistic." Andrew sighed, he wished he had that way of thinking. She had been through something far worse than he had but still saw the world in a good light without the darkness weighing it down.

"I was saved by that hunter; he took me off that dark road and helped me come back to myself." She paused and then put her hand on his thigh.

"Why tell me this? I mean I am sorry about what happened to you, but you don't need me to get over it, you're well-adjusted and have your life back."

"I'm not the one who needs saving." Andrew looked at her.

"Excuse me?"

"Ulysses told me that you have a problem with your past and seeing as you never talk about any family, I think I can make a good guess as to what happened."

"Okay he had no right telling you that."

"I forced it out of him."

"I can believe that." He sighed "My problems are just that, mine. You have far worse memories than mine, so I have no problems in comparison." Lauren smiled and made a small laugh

"I was trapped in a bad place for several months and was saved by one of the most important people in my life. You were trapped in a bad place for what must have been near enough seventeen years and you have not been saved yet. You're still trapped there in your mind so let us help you move on properly; you don't have to do this alone." Andrew felt his eyes begin to water.

"Why do you all care, not too long ago you all wanted to be shot of me."

"You said you wanted to change for the better, one thing I can say about you is that your honest. When we first met you, you were a real bastard but an honest one and after that fight with Ulysses you said you would change. I now know that you had a reason to behave the way you did, didn't excuse you though just made me see that it wasn't because you like being that way. Now I want to help you, save you."

"Am I worth saving, personally I think it would be a waste for you."

"I lost my family; you wish to escape yours. Together maybe we could find a new family." She never changed her face, but she started to tear up. "I think your worth saving because I thought I wasn't. He gave me back my life and I want to help you get yours back." They both smiled at each other and a few tears escaped their eyes but neither one moved. Finally, Andrew said in a wheeze

"Thanks." He took a deep breath. "Can we start in the morning; I just want to get some rest first. So, shall we go home?" Lauren suddenly had a silly smile on her face and laughed for several seconds.

"Yeah, home sounds good."