He had expected his finals to go the way they had. In the end he passed every class. Though his grades in both math and grimm studies were barely passing. Of course, being in fourth place overall in combat granted him a perfect grade in combat class. Alexei looked down at the report card and put it in his bag as he walked out of the school and towards his car. Clearing out his locker for the last time was enough to make him feel sentimental. He began to realize that this would also be the last time he'd walk out of Signal after a day of classes. Alexei turned around to look at the main building on campus one last time. A flash of red and rose petals collided into his chest, causing him to groan and stumble back.

"I'm sorry!" Ruby backed away from the hug she had just given him. "You're still healing aren't you?"

"It's fine, I'm just a bit sore." Alexei said as he rubbed at the scar with his hand. While the stitches had been pulled, the scar itself was still red and sore. Some of the muscles in his chest still ached when used. His cast had come off recently, as well.

Yang came walking up behind Ruby, waving to Alexei as she did so. "Leaving already?" She asked.

"Well, I've cleared my stuff out of my locker. Is there any other reason to stick around?"

Both Ruby and Yang put on pouts. Yang spoke first, "Are you really this oblivious or is it just a pain for you to hang out with us?" Her tone came out as teasing, but he immediately felt guilty.

"Oh, uh, sorry, I didn't know that you guys wanted to hang out with me."

"Of course we do!" Ruby exclaimed, looking shocked as she talked. "Why wouldn't we? You're our friend."

"You're just about the only friend Ruby and I have in common." Yang added.

"Well, I'm free for the whole day if you want to do something." He said awkwardly, unsure of where to look.

"We actually won't be able to hang too long, dad likes to take us out on the last day of school." Yang said. "We were just about to visit our uncle before we left, do you wanna come?"

Alexei didn't think before he nodded. Yang smiled and gestured for him to follow her and her sister. The three walked back into the main campus building, and followed it's hallways until they reached the door to the classroom. Before they were even inside, Alexei could hear the sound of a drawer being opened. Once he was past the door's threshold, he could see the professor with a flask to his lips. Qrow's eyes opened as he noticed the three teens walking into his classroom.

"Uncle Qrow!" Ruby put her hands on her hips. "You know you shouldn't do that at school!"

Qrow laughed as he put down the flask. "Not gonna matter if they catch me now, kiddo."

Yang and Ruby looked at each other and Alexei, confused. "Why not?" asked Yang.

Qrow sat on the desk in front of him, beside a shotgun-hammer hybrid. "I'm going to be going away for awhile, hunter business."

Ruby pouted as Yang frowned. "This is the first time you've been able to stay for this long in a long time." Ruby said, "Are you sure they can't send someone else?"

"Afraid not." Qrow frowned as well. "This mission is pretty important."

"What are you even going to be doing?" Yang asked as she moved to lean against one of the workbenches.

"You know I can't tell you that." Qrow gave them a somewhat serious look before his red eyes moved to rest on Alexei. "Oh hey, Alex, didn't notice you. What did these two do to drag you down here this time?"

Ruby pouted again as Alexei let out a small, nervous laugh. "I came here on my own. They just asked nicely."

Qrow's eyebrow raised. "Following my pretty nieces around, huh? You know what my brother-in-law did to the last boy who tried that?"

Both Yang and Ruby blushed lightly as their eyes widened. Alexei felt his breath stop and struggled to find any words to speak.

"Uncle Qrow!" Ruby all but screamed at him and started hitting him on the arm as he laughed.

"To be fair, that guy was kind of a creep." Yang said quietly. Alexei looked at her to see that she was looking at him out of the corner of her eye. When their gaze met, she looked away quickly, as did he.

"I'm just kidding with you, Alex." Qrow raised the flask to his mouth again to take a very audible gulp. "I'm not as overprotective of them as Taiyang anyways. I'll still break your arm if you hurt them though."

Yang rolled her eyes while Ruby just sighed and looked away. Qrow sat back, using his arms to hold himself up. "So, what're you three doing?"

"Just hanging out." Yang said. "You know Alexei's graduating after today, right?"

Qrow turned back to Alexei. "That's right. Where are you going after this?"

"Beacon, Headmaster Ozpin gave me an invitation himself." Alexei said after clearing his throat.

"Well aren't you lucky. It's probably because of that match you fought."

"Which is confusing since I technically lost." Alexei said with small shrug.

Qrow cocked his head slightly and narrowed his eyes. "You may have, but that move you pulled at the end was pretty impressive. Don't get me wrong, Aaden is a great fighter too, but you proved that you could make a split second decision that rendered your opponent immobile."

Alexei looked down at the ground as his eyebrows scrunched together. "That's more or less what Ozpin told me."

Qrow shrugged, "Makes sense. Him and I share some views on stuff like that. Either way, from what I've seen of you, I'm sure you'll do just fine. You've got a weapon me and Ruby here designed after all."

"Yeah!" Ruby joined in. "You're gonna do great at Beacon."

Alexei put on a smile and nodded. "Thanks." He said. Looking to his left, he could see that Yang was watching him with a neutral expression. She looked at him for a few seconds longer before she broke off her gaze.

"All three of you will." Said Qrow. "You girls are related to every member of the greatest team to ever graduate Beacon." He stopped to look at the clock on the back wall. "I'm sorry to stop you guys, but I've got to go home and start packing. I need to leave early because I was just going to look over this for a student." He gestured at the shotgun-hammer on the desk.

"Oh, are you repairing it?" Ruby started to jump from foot to foot. "Can I help you with it?"

"Doesn't your dad take the two of you to the arcade and pizza place on the last day of school?" Qrow smirked.

"There's plenty of time." Ruby said with a wave of her hand as she stared at the weapon on the table.

"Well, I guess I could use some help." Qrow said. He turned to Yang and Alexei. "What about you two? Want to comes with us?"

"Yeah, I'll walk though, it's not too far to your house, it's practically on campus." Yang said. "I just remembered that I've got to get something from my locker before we go."

Qrow looked carefully between Yang and Alexei before shrugging and turning to Ruby, who was drooling on the weapon sitting on the table. "Come on, Rubes, let's get this thing to my car."

Ruby picked up the weapon and bolted out of the room in a trail of rose petals before Qrow could even move. The older man smirked and walked out of the workshop, stopping only to glance back at Yang and Alexei with a raised eyebrow, before he shrugged and walked off.

Yang turned to Alexei once the sound of Qrow's footsteps died down. Her lilac eyes made him feel instantly anxious, but he managed to hold her gaze. They looked each other in the eye for what felt like hours to Alexei before Yang finally talked. "You're still depressed."

Alexei felt his chest clench as he unknowingly held his breath. She hadn't asked it, merely stated it in a calm manner that seemed so much unlike her. His eyes immediately drifted off to stare out the class windows where he studied the trees. She moved to stand in front of his gaze, causing him to once again start holding his breath as he looked up at the ceiling instead. He opened his mouth, the words that came out uncertain of themselves. "What's this about Yang?"

She merely moved forward and put her hands on his cheeks, forcing his face to turn to hers. Alexei sucked in a breath of air. Her hands were smooth and warm, warmer than he had expected. His eyes studied her face. She was barely an inch shorter than him, meaning it was easy for her to hold his face at arm's length. The look on her face was one that he couldn't understand. She looked...determined, her eyebrows close, but not so close that he'd think she was angry. The no doubt soft lips below that were pressed into a straight line, and her eyelids were slightly squinted as she studied him in return. He suddenly felt conscious of the rough, two-day stubble on his face that she could definitely feel at the moment.

"You've been like this ever since the fight. I've seen you like this before, but never for this long. You keep on avoiding talking about it, but that's over. Just, please, as someone who cares about you, just tell me something at least."

Alexei swallowed hard and looked away again, before giving a sigh. "Yang, I just get like this sometimes. I don't know how to describe it. It just happens, usually when I'm thinking about too many things all at once."

"What do you mean?" She let go of his face, something that both relieved and disappointed him at the same time.

He sighed once again and leaned against a table. "Have you ever just had so many thoughts all at once, or just one that you can't stop thinking about, and you just can't stop? Like, almost like your brain just stops focusing on your body so that it can try to work on what you're thinking on the inside. Sometimes those thoughts aren't bad and sometimes they don't even feel like thoughts. I do that a lot sometimes. My body stops and I just think about something until I stop thinking about it. Does that make sense?" He looked at her with his mouth slightly open.

Yang looked at Alexei in what he thought was confusion, but he wasn't completely sure if that was what it was. "I don't quite follow." She admitted as she scratched the back of her head. "Is it about the match?"

Alexei looked down, thinking about it for a second, and trying to make sure he didn't think about it for too long. "That's one of the things, but there are a lot of others."

"What are they?"

'I'm worthless. I wish I had never been born. What's wrong with me? I'll never make it at Beacon. What happens when I fuck everything up and everyone hates me? Why couldn't my semblance come out earlier like a normal person? Why can't I get a girlfriend? What's wrong with me? Will I always be like this? I'm a terrible fighter and I'll make an even worse huntsman. Do I have feelings for you? Do I have feelings for Amanda? Ruby? When are you going to leave me? Why does everyone always leave me? What's wrong with me? What the fuck is wrong with me? What in the fuck is wrong with me?!'

Alexei shook his head violently, almost causing himself to become dizzy. "There are too many."

Yang looked at him, her expression sinking. "Do you remember when I unlocked your aura for you?"

"Yeah, mostly."

Her eyes went back to him, a barely visible pout on her lips. "What did you forget?"

"Well, from what I remember, the staff, including Qrow learned that I hadn't had my aura unlocked yet when I first signed up for hunter training classes. Since I didn't have anyone in my family who could do it, and they figured it'd be best for someone around my age to do it, so that it'd be less intimidating and I could open up, they chose you."

Yang smiled at little bit at his retelling. "That's what I remember. It apparently didn't help by the way, you were so nervous when I did it that I swear I could hear your heartbeat from a few feet away."

Alexei looked elsewhere as he tried not to react. "Well-"

"But when I did it, I was kind of weirded out. I had never unlocked someone's aura before, but when my dad unlocked mine I could have sworn I felt his soul. I could feel his love for me and Ruby, the pain still left over from losing two wives, the pride he still carried, everything. Maybe it helped that I was so familiar with him. Before I unlocked yours though, we'd talked maybe once or twice before, so I knew nothing about you. All the things I felt from your soul were kind of strange to me at the time."

"You know I'm not really into the whole soul thing." Alexei said almost on instinct before wondering why he'd even said it.

Yang shook her head slightly with a small frown. "Now's not the time." She continued, the frown gone but the smile still hadn't returned. "Anyways, I could immediately feel how nervous you were, but then everything else came in. There were some good feelings, but also a lot of bad ones. I thought it was weird. It almost felt like anger, sadness, and fear all mixed into one. I realized that it was kind of like what I felt after my mom...disappeared, but it was still really different. What was really different was that I felt all of that at once, all of those emotions coming at once. It seemed so confusing, like they didn't know what they were themselves, and there didn't feel like there was a reason for them to be there, they just...were. Your aura unlocked so quickly, it was like it was letting me in and letting me feel everything, and then it pushed me away after I was done."

Alexei began studying the ceiling tiles, not providing any kind of response. Finally he did respond. "Oh."

"Oh? Really?" Yang's voice took on a tone of building frustration. "That's all you have to say?"

"I...What do you want me to say?"

"Something, anything." She sighed and calmed herself before speaking again. "Just tell me what you're feeling."

"I...don't know."

Yang's mouth hung open. "What?"

"I'm just… not certain. My feelings Yang, they're...confusing to me." Alexei looked down at his own hands as he closed and opened them repeatedly. "I just wish I could stop thinking."

She remained quiet for a few moments. 'Maybe she's realizing that this is the real me.' Alexei thought. 'The Alexei she knows is an act that feels unnatural. All forced smiles and laughs. One used as a defense. No doubt she'll just walk out and leave me for go-'

"Ruby and I were planning on going out next week, do you want to come?"

Now it was Alexei's turn to be confused. "What?" He asked.

"Sometimes, hanging out with friends is a good way to get your mind off of things. It can help." Yang smiled at his expression. "So, want to come?"

Alexei felt more confused than ever. "Um...sure. I just need to know where to go to meet you."

"I'll text you about it later." She said with a smile and a wink. With a quick move, she took a look at her scroll. "I've got to go though. Qrow will probably start getting suspicious and joke about it with dad who will freak out." She sighed. "I'll see you next week." With that, she opened the door to walk out, but stopped before completely out of his view. "And Alexei, stop overthinking things."

After she was gone, Alexei took a few minutes to stand in silence to reflect on what had just happened. His mind of course began to try and work out why Yang's mood had changed so suddenly, and forgot her advice on overthinking things shortly afterwards. The walk to his car was filled with more overthinking than any other walk he had taken in years.

The week passed quickly for Alexei. He had spent a few days gaming online with Marcus, and the two played one night with Aaden. Another day he had to register with Beacon Academy. He met Marcus there and learned that both Aaden and Avarna had also registered. The fact that Beacon was going to start classes merely a month after Signal's graduation was still shocking to him. The explanation that he received told him that it was to make sure that incoming freshmen wouldn't have enough time to slack off too much.

One day before he would go to hang out with Ruby and Yang was Signal's graduation ceremony. It passed without too much pain for him. Out of the over two-hundred graduating students, he still kept his place as the fourth best fighter in the class. His place for his studies was far less impressive, being somewhere in the high fifties. Alexei's mother had of course told him multiple times how proud she was of him, though he could still identify the apprehension in her voice. He doubted that he'd ever stop hearing it. She had made it clear that his choice to become a hunter made her incredibly nervous.

Saturday had finally come, and Alexei felt anxious about the whole thing. Once he was finished putting on his boots and opened the door to his bedroom, he was surprised as he nearly ran into his mother, who had a basket of laundry with her.

"You're going out?" Her face was filled with surprise.

"Yeah, I'm just going out with Yang."

"Oh really? I didn't know you were dating her." His mother smiled wide. "She's really cute Alex, seemed nice too the one time I met her."

"Well, it's not a date." Alexei said, clearing his throat as he did. "Her sister Ruby is going to be there too."

"Who invited you though?" His mother's eyebrow raised.

"Yang did."

"Well, just make sure you offer to pay if she just so happens to show up without Ruby." His mother walked past him to his parents' bedroom with the laundry basket behind her, leaving Alexei to stand in the hallway blinking his eyes with a confused face.

The drive to the shopping mall was an easy and quick one. Walking to the entrance made Alexei suddenly feel more anxiety. What if his mother had been right? What if Yang was going to be there, alone? Thoughts like those made his heartbeat increase in tempo as he tried not to think how he could do something to completely ruin his friendship with Yang, and by association, Ruby as well. With a sigh, Alexei decided that he was overthinking things, (as usual) and that Yang was just being a good friend.

Bright lights nearly overwhelmed him as he walked inside. Patch might have been tiny in comparison to Vale, but the mall was proof that the island had money to spend. There weren't many other ways to draw in tourists, after all.

Alexei walked to the center fountain, where Yang had told him she'd meet him with Ruby. Once he was there, he looked around and couldn't find either girl. Fearing the worst, he immediately began to think that he'd done something wrong and she'd decided not to show up, then he realized that he was ten minutes early. For Alexei, the wait was agonizing as he sat on the fountain's edge. He was plagued with thoughts of whether or not the two had found out that he wasn't worth their time.

"Hey! What'cha doing?"

Alexei jumped and immediately turned to the source of the voice. Yang was bent over slightly, looking him in the eyes. Instantly he felt all the nerves he had been allowing to build up take over as his heartbeat quickened and his mouth turned dry. Despite that, he managed to force himself to speak.

"Hey, Yang." Alexei noticed that she was wearing different clothes than usual. A yellow top that hugged her skin and had a neckline deeper than the school dress code allowed with a pair of shorts that stopped halfway to her knees. Looking around her in an attempt to not be caught staring, he noticed something else. "Where's Ruby?"

Yang stood up, still wearing a smile. "She's sick. Stayed up all night working on another weapon project and caught a cold."

Thinking on it, Alexei decided that was a very Ruby thing to do. His mind began to think about what his mother had said before he left, but he thought that maybe he was just overthinking things again.

"Come on, let's go get something to eat." Yang grabbed him by the hand and pulled him up with little effort, taking him to one of the mall's cafes.

Soon after they were seated by a window and told that a waitress would be with them shortly, Alexei began to feel overwhelmed by all the noise around him. It seemed as though a Saturday afternoon during a nice day in the summer was a day that was good for business. Alexei's ears picked up Yang's voice, but he hadn't understood her.

"I'm sorry, I didn't hear you." He said.

"Have you come here before?" Yang repeated, watching him.

"No. I've only been to the mall a few times, but that was usually for other things."

Yang opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted when a waitress came to ask for drinks. Alexei instantly asked for water, almost as a reflex. Feeling eyes on him, he noticed Yang looking at him with a smirk as she ordered orange soda. Once the waitress was gone Yang spoke.

"Water? Really, Alex?" She let out a small laugh that made Alexei feel something pleasant. "You should try living it up. I don't think I've ever seen you drink anything else."

Alexei cleared his throat and responded while trying to make sure that he didn't stare into her eyes for too long. "I'll eat for taste. I don't really like many flavored drinks."

"Really? No soda?" Yang's eyebrows raised as her eyes widened.

"No, the carbonation bothers me. Especially since I stopped drinking it a few years ago."

"What about hot chocolate?"

"I really don't like it because of how powdery it can be."

"Tea? Coffee?"

"I can't stand the flavor of either."

"So nothing at all?"

"Well, milk, cider, and some juices are okay, but I'd still take water over any of them."

"You're killing me Alex." Yang shook her head as the waitress walked up to the table and placed their drinks in front of them. Their orders were placed soon after, both deciding to have a cheese burger. The conversation by that point was unfocused, drifting to anything from who was going to what academy after Signal to the appearances of the people in the cafe.

"This is fun, I don't know why we haven't tried it out sooner." Yang said once they had both finished their food.

Alexei sat in silence for what he guessed was too long before speaking. "Well, I guess school keeps us all kind of busy. Sucks that Ruby got sick working on another project and couldn't come today."

Yang watched Alexei with a look that looked like disappointment to Alexei, before it disappeared rather quickly, replaced by what looked like realization. A sigh passed through Yang's lips. "You really aren't that smart when it comes to stuff like this, are you?"

Offense should have been what Alexei felt, instead it was mild confusion. "What do you mean?" He felt like the answer was in front of him, but something was making it nearly impossible to see.

Another sigh came from Yang. "Nevermind." A quick glance at her scroll's screen brought another smile to her face. "Hey, I think that the theater is going to be showing some movies soon, wanna check it out?"

"I don't have anything to do today." Alexei said.

"Cool." Yang stood, leaving money for a tip on the table. At the cash register, the two paid for their own meals and left the cafe, making their way to the mall's movie theater. Just like the rest of the shopping center, it was busy. Crowds walked in and out of the doors, a sign above them displayed the various shows being shown inside.

"Hmm." From the side, Alexei watched as Yang looked up at the sign. She ran a hand through her long hair and grabbed a few strands to play with while thinking. Alexei began to wonder what it would feel like to run his own hand through her hair. "How about 'The Indigo Polygraph'? It looked like it could be pretty kickass and funny too."

The trailers for the movie had definitely drawn Alexei in. A superhero who's only power was to tell when someone was lying was concept that he thought couldn't sell well, but apparently it's sizable comic book fan base and an actress who was a fan herself was enough for a studio to see a possibility for profit. Paying for a ticket made Alexei realize that his wallet was starting to get more and more empty. While he wanted to continue spending time with Yang, he hoped he wouldn't have to spend all his money before making it to Beacon. It also made him realize that he wouldn't have been able to follow his mother's advice even if he had remembered to at the cafe.

Watching the movie with Yang was something he wished would last as long as possible. Not many of the jokes made him laugh, but it was probably because he was distracted by the girl next to him. Her laugh may not have sounded much different from most peoples' laughs, but the way she laughed, starting from her stomach and working up to her cause her shoulders to shake was fascinating to him. At one point the two began to playfully fight over the armrest shared by their seats. The victory went to Yang, but Alexei, without thinking, put his arm on top of hers in defiance. She turned away from the movie to look at him with a smile that instantly made him his heart start its quick pace once again. It was a smile that he couldn't quite read, but one that made him feel a lot of emotions that he was barely familiar with. By the end of the movie, Yang had turned her arm over and slipped her fingers in between his, causing him yet another minor, harmless heart attack.

By the time the movie was over, he couldn't remember much of what had happened on the screen, and was more confused about what had happened between him and Yang.

'Was my mother right? Is this a date? Is Yang interested in me in a way that is more than just friendly? What is there about me to like though?' He was trying to work up the courage to ask Yang any one of these questions when she glanced down at her scroll and visibly flinched.

"I didn't know the movie would be that long!" She exclaimed, before turning to Alexei. "Okay, so I may not have told my dad about this and he gets home in less than an hour and I really need to get there before him. I just hope Ruby will cover for me." She leaned in, wrapping her arms around him.

Hugs weren't something that Alexei liked as much as others. In general he wasn't known for being touchy-feely. The hug that he was sharing with the girl in front of him, however, gave him a new opinion on human contact. With her chin resting on his shoulder, his face was close to her hair, allowing him to smell her sweet, honeysuckle-scented shampoo. The sensation of her chest pressed against his was one that made him fight to make sure that Yang wouldn't be feeling something pressed against her. After a few shock-filled seconds, he raised his own arms and wrapped them around her back, recoiling when he felt her soft hair, but he completed the hug anyways. After what seemed like a long time to Alexei, Yang broke off the hug, still staying close to him. She looked into his eyes and leaned in once again. This time, something soft and slightly wet touched Alexei's cheek. It lasted for a brief second, but it left a lasting impression.

"I had a lot of fun. I'd really like to stay, but I really have to go. I'll see you later, Alex." With that, Yang turned and began sprinting for the mall's exit.

He stood there for awhile with far too many things being processed in his brain at once. Then it finally hit him that Yang Xiao Long had kissed his cheek. That fact stayed in his mind until he finally managed to start moving his feet again.

The drive to the airship port was long for Alexei. Stuck inside his own mind, he paid no heed to the passing landscape outside of his family's car. Yang hadn't been able to find any more free time to hang out with him, leaving him to wonder what they would have done had they found the time to be alone. He had ultimately decided to not go to Avarna and Aaden's graduation party, instead choosing to stay in his house as usual. Now he was with his mom, on his way to start at a new school where he'd learn to slay monsters. Most people in his position would be feeling excited, but he felt anxious and nothing at the same time.

"Are you sure you have everything?" His mother asked him.

"Yeah, I was sure the last fifty times. I'm still sure now."

"I'm sorry, it's just that I'm nervous, you know I am."

"Yeah, mom, I know."

Forest changed to buildings as they passed into the city. Since he had never flown on an airship before, Alexei felt his anxiety build even more as wondered what exactly it would be like.

"You know that your dad wanted to come, right?" His mother spoke again, almost carefully.

"Yeah." Alexei said plainly. "Not like his job is that heavy on vacation days anyways."

"That's why I'm so proud of you for trying to follow your dream. He just gave up a long time ago. We both did. I'm so happy that you decided to get a better job than us, I just wish-"

"That it was something safer." Alexei finished for her. "You've told me that more times than I can count, mom. I know what I'm getting into."

"I don't know if you do, Alex." She continued as she made a turn, the airship port now visible in the distance. "Some of my brothers still have nightmares, and they were only in the military, but it still changed them. I can't imagine what it's like to be a hunter. The things they have to go through…and not to mention how many get hurt...or worse…"

"I get it." Alexei said, frustration building in his voice. "I'm making a huge mistake. I just shouldn't go through with it."

"No, baby, that's not what I meant."

"I know, mom." He gained control of his tone. "Just...I don't want to talk about this anymore."

The remainder of the drive was silent, Alexei watched as the tall buildings turned to skyscrapers the closer they got to the port. Patch may have been a small island in comparison to the mega city that was Vale, but it still had its rich areas. For someone like Alexei who had lived in a much smaller town outside of the city, it could be overwhelming at times, seeing less of the sky than usual. Once it came to a stop, Alexei could see how large the airship port truly was.

Standing higher than all other buildings around it, he had to wonder just how tall it was. Airships had a distinct advantage over planes, in that they didn't need nearly as much room for takeoff, so most airship ports were more vertical in design and were placed in the center of a large city. From the bottom, he could see airships high up in the sky taking off from pads on the sides, looking like the heads of mushrooms attached to a tree.

"Do you have everything?" His mother asked.

"Yes, mom, I have everything." Alexei opened the car door and moved to the back, where he opened the trunk and grabbed a large duffle bag and threw the strap over his shoulder. He pulled out two large rolling suitcases as his mother came to stand beside him.

"Okay, just...be careful? Please?" She hugged him from the side.

"I will, mom."

"I love you." She said as she let him go.

Alexei sighed as quietly as he could while turning away. "Love you too, bye."

"Don't forget to call."

"I won't." He didn't watch as she got in and drove away.

After passing through the massive doors, Alexei began to look for an elevator. Beacon ferried in as many students as it could at a time on large airships, which were located towards the top of the port itself. The inside of port made Alexei's heart speed up as he could barely see through the massive crowd. He moved through, bumping into more people than he could count, and eventually found his way to the massive structure in the center of the building that vaguely resembled a column. It seemed to hold multiple elevators that ran up to the top of the building. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out the piece of paper in the letter he had received that gave detailed instructions on how he was going to get to Beacon.

"Excuse me, are you going to move, or not?" The voice was definitely female, and the tone told Alexei that whoever it was felt very annoyed. Turning around, he saw the source.

Shoulder length brown hair that seemed perfectly styled hung around a pale, white face. Dark sunglasses hid her eyes from Alexei, making him unsure of where to look. Pressing her lips together in annoyance, the girl leaned on the large trunk she had been rolling along behind her.

"I'm sorry, I-uh, I was trying to figure out what pad I'm supposed to get to." He tried to look back at the paper in his hands.

Using her hand, the girl lowered her sunglasses with her hand to look at the letter Alexei held, when her eyes scanned over the Beacon symbol on its front, her eyes widened. "You're going to Beacon too, huh? Well you're in luck. I am too."

"Oh, uh, do you know what pad we're supposed to get to?" Alexei looked back up at her to see that she was looking him over. Not in the way someone looks at another person when they want to get to know them in a more carnal way, no, she was looking at him in the way he imagined an art critique would look over a painting. It was clear once she was done that he was less like a painting and more like a doodle drawn by a toddler.

"Well, at least the colors that you're wearing go together. It's pretty easy to tell that you didn't put much thought into the rest of it." Upon closer inspection, Alexei could tell that this girl was into fashion. Her entire outfit matched in ways he didn't know clothing could match. Even parts that looked like imperfections looked like they had been done on purpose. "I'm Coco Adel, not from Patch, thank god, just visiting family here before I go to Beacon."

She held out her hand, which of course looked just as perfect as her mostly brown colored outfit. He took her hand and shook it briefly. "Alexei Seryy. I'm from here."

"Wait, I've heard your name before. You were in that tournament in Signal that people have been talking about." She let go of his hand and appeared to study him further before stopping gesture her arm towards the elevators. "Come on, we can talk on the way to the pad."

Alexei let her start before walking at arm's length from her. "Who's talking about it?"

"You don't know? A lot of videos of you have been taken down, but for a while some recording someone from the crowd took was circling around of some forums. That move that you ended the fight with impressed a lot of people."

"I lost the fight."

"Technically, yeah, but you still managed to take that other guy from nearly full green down into the red with one move."

"I guess that's true."

The two got in the elevator with a middle aged couple and two kids. Coco pressed a button that would take them near the top of the port itself. She leaned against the glass of the elevator's back wall with a kind of confidence that Alexei could only wish he had.

"What caliber is that rifle of yours, by the way?"

".50 cal." Alexei replied.

"Nice. I use 5.56 for my own weapon. It's a six-barrel rotary MG, so if I used anything bigger the kick would be too much to handle. Your's must have a pretty good design if you can shoot a round that big so quick."

"Well, the girl who designed it made sure that there were plenty of components to make recoil easier to handle."

With a barely noticeable lurch, the elevator came to a stop, and the family got off. Once the door closed, Coco spoke again.

"Whoever she is, she must be a genius. Hell, if I were you, I'd start dating her just to make sure she couldn't make weapons for anyone not on my side."

The way she had said that so nonchalantly made Alexei blush, as well as the thought of him dating Ruby. He had rarely thought of her that way, but it happened on occasion. Even if she was three years younger he couldn't deny that she was very cute, and could no doubt grow up to become just a beautiful as her sister.

"Or are you dating her already?"

Alexei turned to see Coco looking at him over her sunglasses. He shook his head and held up his hands. "No, no. We've never had that kind of relationship."

"If you say so."

A single chime rang in the elevator as the doors opened. Before Alexei could even think to move, Coco was out of the doors and looking back at him through her sunglasses.

"Well, are you coming, or what?"

Feeling embarrassed, Alexei grabbed his bags and followed her out into the open area. Several others around their age were in the open space talking amongst themselves as they waited for the airships to arrive and take them to a new life at a new school. Alexei looked at the crowds as his nerves forced his fists and jaw to clench painfully.

"You going to be okay?" Coco looked at him in a way that he was pretty sure meant she was worried. Or perhaps he was embarrassing her with his display.

With a sigh and a close of his eyes he managed to shake his head up and down while starting to walk forward as best as he could. Blue stared up at him as he kept his eyes on the floor and idly followed Coco to a group of benches near the walkway that lead out to a suspended landing pad. A small sign was lit up next to the walkway stated that an airship was in transit to the pad. Alexei's new acquaintance took a seat on a bench and crossed her legs and stretched her arms out over the bench's back. Alexei took his seat on the bench opposite to her and settled on keeping his hands in his lap after he couldn't find a place for them.

"You're pretty awkward, huh?"

Alexei coughed at the unexpected observation. He looked up at the fashion savvy girl, who had rested her head and was staring up at the ceiling above them.

"I guess I can be."

"Alexei!" They both turned their heads to see three others approaching them. Recognizing Marcus, Aaden, and Avarna, Alexei waved to them, before feeling guilty when he realized that the gesture would be lost on the later. The three walked up to them, just noticing their unknown companion. "Who's this?" Marcus asked.

"Coco Adel. I'm going to be going to Beacon, same as the rest of you, I'd guess. So you guys know Alexei?"

"Oh my, Alexei, I had no idea you had a girlfriend. What should we tell Amanda and Yang?" Avarna smirked as her pale blue stared off into the sky past the landing pad.

"Me and him?" Coco smirked. "Don't get me wrong, he's cute, but not quite my type."

Being the topic of conversation wasn't doing much good for Alexei's nerves, and he eventually blocked out the introductions they made to each other as stared out at the sky. Eventually an airship floated through a few clouds towards their landing pad. Chatter stopped as other landing pads received an airship and security lined up to check student IDs. The group made their way to the walkway, stopping only to let the guard there scan their IDs before letting them on. The sound of running footsteps caught Alexei's attention and he looked back to see Amanda running to the landing pad with a few bags as well as the massive cloth bundle on her back that no doubt held all of her spears. She was the last one on the airship before the door behind closed.

"Hello Amanda." Avarna said. Alexei had no clue how she was so good at reading others with no eyesight. "I'm glad you were able to join us."

"Y-yeah, I, uh, forgot my ID and had to run back home." She looked from Avarna to Alexei, before quickly averting her eyes when she saw that he was looking back at her.

The small lurch before the airship rose into the air made some of the students shake as they gave an involuntary reaction to the sudden, unfamiliar movement. Coco gave a smirk at the group of ex-Signal students, all of whom, with the exception of Avarna, had let their bodies betray their inexperience with airborne travel. Holo-screens in front of the windows lit up, displaying news channels giving their daily reports.

"You guys are all pretty wet behind the ears. Have you even left Patch before?" Coco asked with the smirk that Alexei was getting used to seeing on her face.

Everyone but Avarna shook their heads. "I've been to Vale a few times. My family isn't particularly rich, but my father is a high ranking manager in the Grimoire Corporation, so we can afford the occasional vacation."

"Cool. My parents are fashion designers, so we're pretty well off ourselves."

"The rest of us aren't quite as lucky." Aaden said in his usual, quiet voice.

"Well, hopefully that shit's going to change." Said Marcus with a wide smile. "They say hunters make a lot of money. I can't wait to actually be able to afford stuff."

"It would be nice to have more money for my siblings." Amanda said timidly. Her eyes wandered over to Alexei, perhaps expecting him to speak up, but his mouth stayed closed as he idly played with the strap of his duffle bag while staring at the floor. Coco took notice.

"Anything wrong Alex?"

The use of his nickname made him jerk back into reality, the sounds of news reports and talking amongst other students no longer bearing down on his hearing.

Before anyone could add anything, a hologram lit up at every window, revealing the image of the woman that had accompanied Ozpin to Alexei's hospital room.

"Hello, and welcome to Beacon." The tone she spoke in was the same professional tone Alexei had heard at the hospital and her posture was still perfect. "My name is Glynda Goodwitch. You are among a privileged few who have received the honor of being selected to attend this prestigious academy."

"She's really laying it on thick, huh." Marcus stated rather than asked.

"Our world is experiencing an incredible time of peace, and as future huntsmen and huntresses, it is your duty to uphold it. You have demonstrated the courage needed for such a task, and now it is our turn to provide you with the knowledge and the training to protect our world."

Goodwitch faded out of existence, revealing the open windows which the students just now noticed and began to hurriedly gather around. When only Coco, Marcus, and Amanda went to the window, Alexei looked at the teen couple beside him and spoke before thinking.

"Why aren't you two interested in looking out?" Alexei asked.

"Well, the view out of a window never really did much for me." Avarna said with a very noticeable smirk on her lips.

"Oh, uh, sorry."

A small giggle came from Avarna as she covered her mouth. "It's fine Alexei. Perhaps I shouldn't tease you so much, but you do have a habit of making it easy. As for my boyfriend here, he's afraid of heights."

Alexei looked at Aaden, who turned to face somewhere that wasn't Alexei in a way that almost seemed out of embarrassment. Alexei could have thought that when he was fighting Aaden, that Aaden's face of fear was an intense adrenaline-fueled hallucination, but now, he could see that the unshakeable Aaden, known as Bulwark Aaden, or Aaden the Unwavering among certain more melodramatic students, was capable of feeling the most primal human emotion. Fear.

Towers, that was the first thing that he noticed. Oftentimes, he was told how the towers of Beacon loomed overhead. His imagination didn't do them much justice. By the sounds of fellow students-to-be, he apparently wasn't the only one impressed by the sight.

"Wow, I don't even think the Mercer building in southern Patch is that tall." Marcus said, standing by the window with many others.

The airship lurched as it was landed on an extended platform. Alexei felt his stomach lurch in a similar fashion. Hydraulics sounded as the door on the vessel opened, revealing the long path that led to the school many could only dream of attending. Many nearly ran off in excitement to reach the waiting academy. Alexei himself walked slower than the rest, allowing them to get ahead of him. This led to only one other walking beside him while she nervously fiddled with her bag's strap.

"You don't really s-seem all that excited." Amanda observed.

"I guess I'm not nearly as ecstatic as most of the people here." He agreed. Walked towards the school he noticed the disturbing lack of a response inside of him, though he had never been one to be excited about much.

"I-I feel a little overwhelmed. It's such a big change from Signal."

"I'm sure it'll be fine, but I have to agree. It's huge. Not to mention that the fight real Grimm here."

"D-Do you think they'll be scary. I've n-never actually seen one up close." Amanda managed to make eye contact with him briefly while asking her question, only to look away just as quickly.

"Well, I've seen them up close before."

"Really? What was it like?"

"I...well, to be honest, I can't remember. All I knew was that one second, I was helping a friend fight off some bullies, the next, I woke up days later in the hospital."

"That's awful!" Alexei looked to Amanda, who had stopped walking and was looking up at him with wide eyes. "What about the others? Your friend, and the b-bullies?"

"They...well. My friend, she...they said that her chest got caved in. As for the bullies, well, they said that they couldn't find much of their bodies. The investigators couldn't figure out how I survived. Just guessed that the Grimm found something more interesting, but it didn't make sense why a random Grimm made it to a playground, killed some kids, and then up and left."

"Wow...I can't believe that you'd st-still want to be a huntsman after that."

"I can't even remember it, so...I don't know. It's in the past. I don't think about it much." Alexei kept on walking as he thought about how much of a lie that was.

They walked past a fountain, which depicted hunters standing over a slain Grimm, and towards what looked like the main building, where many others were gathering around, while the rest moved on towards other things. A flash of light briefly shocked Alexei as he saw that the source was a smiling girl with dark green hair. Her eyes were blocked by a large camera that she slowly lowered it to stare back at the two.

"Hiya!" She gave a wave as she practically leapt forward, causing both to nearly fall backwards. "I'm Eisen, Eisen Diers!"

"Uh, hi, I guess." Alexei managed to get out. Even though the girl in front of him couldn't have been more than two meters away from him, he still felt like she was in his personal space. Feeling a shiver run down his spine, he looked over his shoulder to see Amanda behind his back, looking wearily at the over-enthusiastic girl.

"I'm with the photography club. We're just trying to get some early pictures of the incoming freshmen." Eisen stowed away the strange-looking camera in a bag hanging off her side. "Well, anyways, I'd love to stay and chat, but I've really got to go." The girl turned and skipped off, stopping only to a picture of an incredibly tall boy with Eastern features.

"Th-that was weird." Amanda said. Alexei could only agree quietly, a feeling of unease about the strange girl remained in the back of his head. Walking forward to the main building where most of the incoming students were heading, the two saw a few others that they recognized. He noticed Olivia Grimoire. The girl was wearing a purple dress that stopped above her ankles. It was one of the most conservative dresses Alexei had seen, with the only sections of her pale skin showing being her ankles, hands, and neck and face. Her long black hair went to her lower back and was topped by a small purple crown that had the the Grimoire family emblem of an opened book with a pen writing on its pages.

"Well, looks like the Grimoire heiress managed to buy her way into Beacon." Alexei muttered under his breath. Feeling Amanda's presence drift from him, he looked at her.

"I actually used to be friends with her." Amanda looked much more firm than usual.

"I-uh, sorry. I guess I'm just too quick to judge rich people." Alexei said nervously as he scratched the back of his head.

They walked on, a little more quiet until they ran into a familiar face. Her hair was cut short, just below the ears, in a wild fashion, as though she had done it herself. Two dark, short dog ears stood up above that, twitching every so often. Her jeans were torn off just below the knees, below which were two black combat boots with steel plates covering the toe. The tank top she wore was tight against her body, and stopped just above her belly button. The girl's pale blue eyes lazily scanned the crowd before coming to rest upon the two teenagers heading in her direction. "Oh, hey Amanda. Didn't know you finally got it on with the Berzerker."

Amanda immediately turned a shade of red as Alexei himself nervously shifted his gaze out to the skyline. The faunus girl in front of them chuckled as Amanda tried to stammer out a reply, but only got out a long string of gibberish. Alexei managed to clear his throat before speaking. "We're...not dating, Lainin."

"Oh believe me, I know. You two might try to stay out of all the spotlight, but if two members of the top ten started dating, it'd be the only thing those annoying preps would talk about." Lainin leaned against the tree she was standing by. "I never talked to you, Berzerker, but you always seemed cool. I know Amanda here likes you, so you're alright with me."

Seeing that Amanda wasn't going to speak, Alexei decided that the burden was on him to try and continue the weak conversation. "So, do you know when we're due in the auditorium, or where it is, for that matter?"

"I don't really know. Figured I could just wait for the crowd to clear and then sneak in a smoke or two before finding them again."

"You probably shouldn't try to do that on campus." Amanda spoke.

"Yeah, I probably shouldn't do a lot of things. I'm surprised I even got in here with my record. Either way, I'll see you two later. I really need that cig."

The faunus girl walked off, leaving the other two teens alone once again. The remainder of their aimless wandering was awkward. Neither knew what to talk about, and with the crowd finally thinned out, they didn't run into any others. Finally, they made their way into the large building that was already in their sights. Inside, a stage surrounded by another crowd was entirely bare with the exception of a microphone at its front.

The wait felt like hours to Alexei. Standing next to Amanda, he suddenly felt very conscious of her every movement. It felt similar to the time he spent with Yang at the movie theater. The talking amongst the crowd overwhelmed Alexei's ears, making it impossible to focus on any particular sounds, and he found himself unwillingly clenching his jaw. A loud, electronic tapping filled the room, gaining the audience's attention. Headmaster Ozpin stood on the stage, his Headmistress at his side. The two stood with complete confidence, Alexei noted. Ozpin leaned in closer to the mic.

"I try to keep these speeches brief. Many of you will not be graduating from this Academy." Quiet gasps filled the room, but the Headmaster continued. "We expect a lot from our students, as we are training you to be warriors, I do not doubt that many of you know the high casualty among hunters. The work many of you wish to make into a career, is filled with far less glory than stories would have you believe. Among those of you that graduate, you will lose friends and comrades in the field. Many will become changed by the harsh nature of the world beyond the walls of our city. Some won't be changed for the better. And though I must say it with a heavy heart, some of you may not even survive your time here. We are training you to fight monsters, ferocious beasts who would like for nothing more than to rip you to shreds. In order to prepare you for that, we must be just as extreme in our teachings. Just keep that in mind, should you find yourself having any doubts about being here."

With that, the Headmaster walked off the stage, and into a back room, leaving the crowd speechless, before Headmistress Goodwitch walked to the microphone.

"You'll all be sleeping in the common room tonight, and yes, you'll be sleeping co-ed, and under strict supervision. Dinner will be provided to you in the cafeteria, the location of which, you can find on any maps given to you, or your personal scrolls." She turned, and walked into the back room as well.

Alexei looked at the crowd around him. A few wore cocky smiles, while others looked like they were trying to look like the speech hadn't affected them. Others were pale-faced and visibly shaking. Startlingly enough, to Alexei, he didn't feel as affected, in fact, he felt better than usual. It felt like a new beginning. He had always been afraid in the human world, but in the world of a hunter, things were simple. He knew what to do, and what he had to work with. Sure, he felt nervous about the possibility of failure, but he worried more about letting others down than himself. For once, he felt good about a decision that he had made, and a smile worked its way onto his face. With thoughts that felt positive for once, Alexei made his way through the now-speaking crowd with Amanda just behind him, who, unbeknownst to him, was also smiling, having found strength from the boy she liked, as well as herself.

So, uh, a year, huh? Well, I guess I did say that my upload schedule was incredibly random.

All in all, fuck this chapter. I feel kind of bad putting it out, but it had to be this way for the story to make sense. It wasn't very fun to write, but I hope it's at least a little fun to read. Originally, I was going to end it differently, but I thought this was a great place to end and I think the endings on my past two chapters have been kind of shit. Plus it's 10 AM and I haven't slept in awhile so my critical thinking skills might be in the shitter at the moment. Don't worry, I have graveyard shift at my new (pretty awesome by the way) job, so this is just pretty much my new schedule. Anyways, I'll try to answer some reviews that are over a goddamn year old. May the gods have mercy on my soul.

DePlexx

Thanks, and uh, I hope one year wasn't too long for a boring chapter with no action in it whatsoever. They'll probably kiss somewhere around the time that Alexei grows a pair of balls. Which will probably be never.

Guest

I did. Kind of extremely late, but hey, fuck me, right?

Ionized Rose

Yeah. Awkward teenage romance is super awkward. I remember being a teenager. I don't recommend it.

Im Sammeh

Really sorry man, I take more time than Kentaro Miura and George R R Martin put together to write one chapter at this point.

Warhawk07

Thanks, trying to write an OC that is both powerful in combat and flawed enough (I hope) to not be a Gary Stu can be tough. Writing someone with this many problems just makes me want to slap them across the face and tell them to nut up, but hey, that's mental illness.

Guest

You're welcome, and thank you.

Well, after this, it's chapter 4. For those who are vets of the previous story, it'll definitely be familiar to you, but I'm going to try and make it way different. Pls no spoils for the new people. By the way, if anyone can coach me on how to effectively post on reddit, send me a PM. I'd like to shamelessly whore myself and my fic on the RWBY subreddit during their 'fanfiction friday' post thing.

See you all next time for some more shitposting. (Fuck, I'm tired.)