LII - Earlywood

Proud of this one.

~~~(LII)~~~

Oxon let out a breath as he looked over the horizon. Today is the day they depart for Mistral. The group he had been helping to train was ready, their defensive tactics were strong and the offensive team was fierce. The boat was ready to depart in a few hours, food, ammo, and other supplies were in the final stages of being loaded up.

Oxon gazed out over the sparkling water as he stood on the main dock. The view comforted him as he steeled his mind for the journey ahead. He wasn't a big fan of traveling by water. "I can do this, it's just a short boat ride... I can't let the unsettling vastness of the ocean stop me from revenge, and even if Cinder isn't there, he will be."

Oxon was feeling better than he had in a long time. Compared to a few weeks ago, he felt lighter than a birch leaf. Tension that had wounded him so tightly had mostly disappeared.

He could only thank Kali for helping him move past a bit of his troubles a few nights back. The woman and her husband had spoken to him soon after, telling him that he was always welcome to find a home with them after their fight for Haven. Despite his discomfort with the hot climate of Menagerie, he was incredibly tempted. They didn't say it, but he read between the lines enough to know they would accept him into their home in more ways than one.

His heartstrings pulled at the thought of replacing his family, but he desperately wanted the love they were offering. Such kindness was something he missed and was unwilling to miss out on again. It seemed that Blake had not been told in advance and had gone into shock at the absurdity of her parents' plan. It still felt strange to him as well.

"Yo, Ox!" Oxon turned away from the water to see the approaching form of Sun. Over the last week and a half, he and the faunus had, not exactly made up, but there was positive progress on his efforts to make up for everything. The blonde noticed and had lessened his suspicions. Though it wasn't completely gone.

"Hey there Sun. Anything I can do ya for?"

"Papa B says your gear is ready and wanted me to tell you." That was good news, it was definitely cutting it close. "You think it'll help against Adam and Cinder?"

"It has to." The blonde shrugged before walking to the railing and leaning against it.

"Crazy to think it's been a year since then. A lot has changed."

Looking once more at the water, Oxon nodded his head in agreement. He and Sun hadn't talked all that much, same with Blake. Thankfully they seemed to be on their way to warming up to him once more. He had worked hard to get here and knew he still had work to do.

"Yeah." He glanced at the teen, a question on his mind. "Hey Sun, do you think she'll try and reunite with the others? She knows where the sisters live, having been there during the break."

"Blake? It's hard to say, I mean, I hope she does. Ever since that night she's been beating herself up over what happened, especially to Yang. I bet you feel the same?"

"Yeah… But at least she didn't know anything would happen." There were far too many differences between the two of them.

Sun looked at him and Oxon shifted his head to the side to avoid the gaze. One day, maybe, but not anytime soon. He doubted they'd want to see him either. He'd helped kill Pyrrha and Penny, he gave the white fang training in the paladins, and he'd lied to Weiss about almost everything. It was better if he and them led separate lives.

"Then fix things." Sun pushed off the railing and began to walk back to the city proper. "If you don't, if you fall back under Adam and Cinder, then I'll make sure you don't make any other mistakes."

"Right…" Oxon observed the sun as it was nearing its peak. Just a few hours to go. After a few more minutes, he too left the shore. He had to get his new gear after all.

He passed a few friendly people on the way there. A few faces he recognized from training. Not people he taught, but people that had come to watch. After a few days of training in the same spot, curious citizens of the island nation came to observe the men and women preparing for the Fang. He wanted to show them away at first, but then he saw a few of the men and some of the women trying harder.

He guessed that they wanted to impress the observers. Oxon had no complaints as long as it helped them improve. Though some of the guys did tend to say more than a few crass jokes. He took them to task personally.

All in all, it definitely raised the morale of not just the fighters, but the whole island as well. Once they came back, they would be even more able to defend against any Grimm that showed up. Everyone benefits from the current situation, well, except for the White Fang. But really, fuck them.

Walking up to the armorer, the man gave Oxon a friendly smile. Most of the population had become aware of his presence recently. Most had been friendly, offering him fish, fruit and other foods for his help defending the Belladonnas and for training their new forces. The boar tusked armorer was no exception.

"Good to see ya boy! I got your gear good and ready. While I had to forge it as quickly as I could, I haven't spared it any quality." The man bent down to pick up the desired prices and place them on the table. The smaller one immediately caught Oxon's attention and made him grin.

"You said this part was the one you needed the most?" Oxon's immediate reaction to the item on the counter was to remove his shirt, unknowingly causing a few nearby folks to pay a bit more attention. Sliding on the black long sleeve shirt was not something he would do normally in this temperature, but with a miniscule amount of aura, he became the most comfortable man on the island. It's blue frost inspired embroidery glowed a faint blue and his body temperature dropped by at least fifteen degrees.

"Fuck yeah…" He closed his eyes as he finally escaped the blazing heat after so long. His ice dust undershirt had finally been replaced after it was either lost or stolen by the White Fang. Even now, a bit of the humid air that came in contact with the article caused a bit of actual frost to form. "Blessed cold…"

"I guess the heat ain't for everyone I guess." The man chuckled at the euphoric expression on Oxon's face, but he was too happy to care. Now he could wear his armor without overheating. That fight back then had been awful, especially when the damn room burst into flames.

We still don't know how that happened. Eh, probably one of the twins missing one of their fire blasts.

"I can't thank you enough for this, especially since Menagerie has so little dust. If there is anyth-" He was cut off by the man loudly placing Bulls Breath, Virginiana, and New Leaf on the counter. The weapons were freshly sharpened and his shield given a new look.

Once simple and flat gray steel, the large metal shield had been given a layer of chemically rusted bronze. On its front facing side, the greenish blue metal had been engraved to resemble the bark of a tree. Long and short lines spread from top to bottom with even a few circular etchings resembling the growth rings where branches once grew.

He wanted to do more to thank the man even more now, but the stern smile on his face had Oxon pause. "No need for that boy, you've done more than enough for us here. I dread to think what might have happened if Taurus had been successful, we may have…" He shook his head. "Well, it didn't happen, so all we should focus on is kicking that bastard's ass as hard as we can."

Oxon couldn't agree more, and once he came back to Remnant, he looked at the second commissioned bit of gear. After complaining about the issue for far too long, he'd used the opportunity here to remedy it. It was heavy, but not so much that it would cause any issues.

He attached it to the side of his new rucksack with a happy hum. The new armor would be invaluable, he just knew it. He picked it up just in time too, his head turned to the sound of the large passenger ship blowing its horn. It's deep sound reverberating across the market. It was time.

Oxon felt a heavy slap on his back and almost fell over from the surprise alone. Turning around he saw the weapon smith giving him a toothy smile. "Good luck son! Give the monsters our regards!"

Oxon nodded at the man as he began to walk to the harbor once more. A few others joined him and he listened as they talked and made bets about how many they would take down. It was good they were excited, it was always good to be in good cheer when traveling. Oxon wasn't keen on fighting the kind of beast Blake and Sun fought on their way here.

"Go get 'em!"

"Show Adam the might of Menagerie!"

"Bring me back a souvenir!"

The group waved back at the people wishing them well. Couples embraced each other, promising to return safe. Friends shared handshakes, fist bumps, and other gestures of camaraderie. Oxon smiled faintly as the cluster of volunteers eventually made their way to the docks.

He sat on a keg as the large mob of faunus boarded the ship. Getting on the ship, and on the water, wasn't something he was looking forward to. From his spot, he could see the captain grinning as he talked with Sun near the front of the boat. He didn't know if Blake and her parents were on the boat yet, but he both wanted to and was anxious to join up with them.

He didn't know if it was a semblance or what, but simply being around Kali soothed him in a way that made him think of his mother. The two were alike in many ways. Oxon wished they could have met each other. He knew his brother would have liked to meet Ghira, the two were big thinkers and had comparable personalities.

As the crowd on the dock thinned, Oxon got to his feet and walked over to the gangplank. He took one last breath before he stepped into it. Though one step was as far as he got when he heard someone shout from the crowd of onlookers.

His hand twitched, ready to fall to his hip, but it didn't seem like anyone was anything more than annoyed. Resting his hand on his belt buckle instead, he waited to see what the issue was. Eventually the form of a girl pushed her way through the front row of people, running straight up to him.

As she got closer, he realized he knew the girl.

"Ka'a?" When she got to him, she was red faced, sweating, and breathing heavily. Oxon reached back and pulled out the round water canteen and offered her some water. She must have run all the way from her village. She drank deep of the stored water.

Handing it back, Oxon noticed it was completely empty. That was half a gallon! Shaking his head, he put it back on the side of his pack and looked at the girl.

"Ka'a, what's wrong? I can't imagine many reasons to run all this way." A horrifying thought came to his mind suddenly. "Is it Grimm!?"

She shook her head violently as she took deep breaths to get back to normal. The action showed off her hidden faunus trait, rows of serrated teeth. He'd been warned by a few other villagers of it since she was self conscious about it. Thanks to them, he didn't flinch the first time he saw, something she had happily noticed.

"I- I wanted to see you - and everyone - off! You're all going to Mistral, to stop the bad Fang."

Oxon chuckled and patted the girl on the head, something she didn't try to escape. "I appreciate it. I'm going to miss everyone, make sure to give the rest my regards, yeah?"

She looked up at him, determination waring with apprehension. The shorter girl reached into her satchel and took out a piece of cloth, placing it in his hands. The action surprised him, looking down, he wasn't sure what it was, but he felt something inside.

Unwrapping it carefully, he pulled out a necklace tied to a simple string. It was an interesting shape, a stylized fish hook with a barb near the bottom. It was made out of strange material, it was multicolored in places. It wasn't metal, stone, glass, or plastic.

"This, it's beautiful." The girl looked relieved at his praise.

"I made it from a turtle shell, it will keep you safe!" She made this for him? It's no wonder she ran as fast as she did, he was about to leave. He realized he was the last person who needed to get on the boat, glancing back at the ship, he saw that the faunus on board were staring at him too. "Mrs. Hameha saw the pieces of cloth that you had on your belt, so she and her husband Kame got the whole village to pitch in and make one as well. If you want to, that is…"

Her voice got smaller at the last bit, but he gave her a reassuring smile. Letting the cloth unfurl, he gasped at the beautiful embroidery. On a teal rectangle, there were beautiful patterns stitched into it. Swirling patterns of white and light blue that looked like gentle waves took up the top edge while sharper patterns in black and gray dotted the bottom. In the middle were two stylized sea creatures circling each other, a turtle with a green shell and a gray shark. The symbolism was lost on him, but he could tell a lot of work went into it.

"Thank you, Ka'a. No, Ka'ahupahau, this is a wonderful gift." He must have said it right because she gave a big smile in return. Then, after seemingly working up confidence, wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug.

"Don't forget about us! You have to come back!" Before he had the chance to say or do anything, she let go and dove off the dock into the salty water. He watched in complete shock as a dark form raced away from them down the coast.

I didn't even ask her what these symbols mean!

With nothing else coming up, he finally made his way into the ship. Oxon slipped the necklace over his neck and firmly held the new belt sash. The others were in his backpack, but when it was time to wear them again, he would wear this one with pride.

His attention was stolen from the new treasure when a few of the guys on board gave him applause and a few wolf whistles. They were definitely going to milk what just happened for the rest of the trip. Eyebrow twitching in embarrassment and annoyance, he turned to the crowd of jeering pseudo-soldiers.

"Ship or not, I can still make you all run laps! I saw you too Ilia! I'll make you run with the rest!"

~~~(LII)~~~

Oxon let out a powerful yawn as he blinked away exhaustion. It was nearing dawn on the second day of their journey. The ship had been traveling at a breakneck pace ever since leaving the island. He had to give it to the crew, they had been sailing since yesterday afternoon and well into the next day. They would need a break soon, mostly to resupply the ship and its dust engine. If all goes well, they should get to Mistral on the day of the attack.

He was happy the morning light was creeping over the horizon. He hadn't enjoyed his first boat ride over the ocean, and he was less than comfortable now. The inky blackness of the sea made him understand Neptune a bit more. The vast dark expanse was more than a bit unsettling. He much rather preferred solid ground to the rocking of the waves. Even if the ship was a lot larger than the White Fang one, it still made him nervous.

From behind him, he heard footsteps on the wooden deck. Angling his head to the side, he looked at a groggy Blake walking up to him. She seemed to have gotten a decent night's sleep. Oxon sadly didn't. He was far too anxious.

"Hey uh, what do I-"

Either sensing his apprehension or not fully willing to deal with what her family pulled, she cut him off. "Blake is still fine, preferable even. No need to rock the boat, Ox."

He let out a dry chuckle at the joke. It took her a few seconds to realize what she'd said as well. She grumbled to herself about Yang and how her humor must have infected her subconscious. That got a more natural chuckle from him and a half hearted glare from the girl.

"Well, good morning then, Blake. You ready for tomorrow?" The still sleepy girl rubbed her eyes of sleep and joined him in looking forward to the continent of Anima.

"As much as I can. I'll admit, I honestly never expected to see you again, I never wanted to either. But after everything back home, I know you're also chasing redemption." His heart warmed with dull happiness at her words.

"Thank you, for everything you've done. For forgiving me." She nodded at him and his words before turning back to the sea.

They stayed like that for a while. Two people who shared similar motivations and pasts. He and Blake watched the waves in comfortable silence for an unknown amount of time, long enough for the sun to have fully risen above the water on their right.

Starboard, whatever.

The wordless atmosphere ended when Blake spoke to him in a silent voice.

"After it's done, after we beat Adam. What will you do next?"

It wasn't hard for him to say his next move. "Cinder. I'm going to find her, and I'm going to either take her in or kill her. I told you how she caused the fall. How she brought Adam, Roman, and I into her group. She's a cancer on the planet, and I'm not going to let her cause anything else. I know she used Haven Academy as a cover, hopefully the people there can give me a few clues. That is if she's not there with Adam agan. He was supposed to give me information on her, but I don't think he ever intended on letting me be free to do so."

"But, how are you going to find her? She could be anywhere. Even if you do find her, what then? Have you forgotten about Emerald and Mercury? You can't fight them all on your own!" He looked at her, surprised to see and hear the concern coming out. "I distinctly remember you telling me off for the same kind of recklessness back in Beacon. So don't you go and make the same mistakes."

"You do remember I was working for Roman both of those times? I was trying to get you to back off the investigation."

"Regardless of your circumstances then, the advice was still valid. I know you want to find her, but doing it alone is suicide."

He let out a frustrated sigh as he looked down on the waves breaking against the hull of the ship. "What else can I do? I can't just let her continue with whatever it is she's after…"

"I'm not asking you to stop, just to slow down. Once we deal with Adam, then we can figure out something for her. Just don't go alone and kill yourself in the process."

He took in her words. She was right, no two ways about it. He smiled at her from the corner of his eye, she had a fair off look and a sad smile of her own.

"Those are wise words, where'd they come from? Or did you just put that together on the spot?"

Blake let out a wistful laugh. "Would you believe me if I said Yang was the one who told me?"

"I would." The blonde had helped get his head together before as well. She, and every other blonde in his life, seemed chock full of good and timely advice.

"She told me pretty much exactly what I told you back in school. Back when I was obsessing over Torchwick and the White Fang. She told me a story of her childhood and then helped bring me back down to Remnant. She surprised me with the strength of her words." He saw her smile and looked east. To Vale.

"Yeah, she sure is something, ain't she?"

The two once again had a brief moment of silence before Blake turned fully to face him. "After we take back the White Fang, will you join me? In tracking down my teammates?"

What? Reunite with the rest of RWBY? I shouldn't be anywhere near that.

Oxon had to think on the right words for a moment before answering. "I don't think I can. It was hard enough seeing you and Sun again, but that wasn't even something I thought would happen. To face them though, I don't think I can. Ruby, Yang… Weiss… I just can't."

She gave him a sad smile. "I know how it feels, to fear connections. You think you can't have anything nice, friends, family, or anything else because of the mistakes you made. I know that all too well. You know I was a part of the White Fang, before Weiss told you I bet." He nodded in affirmation.

"Then you know that the mistakes I've made have haunted me for years. The shadow of the organization, and of Adam, have hung on me for a long time. But still, I can't run away from them forever. Eventually I'll need to find them again. I need to get to Atlas as well, to find Weiss."

"Well, we know where Ruby and Yang are. I don't think you need me to find them, especially since I'm probably on Vale's most wanted right now. Atlas too if they were told I'd escaped."

"For Vale, the sisters don't live in the city proper, Patch is a moderate distance from the city. I'm sure we can think of something after that, besides, I'm sure Ruby would forgive you. She's a being of pure sugar after all."

"I wonder if that's all the cookies she eats, how the kid hasn't gotten diabetes is beyond me." The girl beside him laughed at that. Maybe Blake was onto something? If… If he joined her, then maybe he could try and beg them for forgiveness.

"Come on, I'm sure the cooks have made breakfast by now. I for one don't want to eat whatever scraps the others might leave us if we wait too long." With a deep breath, he pushed off the boat's railing and followed the unbowed girl into the ship. He'd just have to follow her lead.

~~~(LII)~~~

Weiss watched in shock as the ball of flame slammed into her leader. Seeing Yang's mom again had been a major surprise, and definitely not a pleasant one.

"Ruby!" Her sister cried out in concern, but then froze when she saw just who came out of the portal.

Weiss bit back a snarl as Cinder Fall stepped into the room. "Hello boys and girls." This was the monster responsible for Beacon, someone who needed to face justice.

More forms emerged next, that piece of work Vernal was followed by Emerald Sustrai, Mercury Black, and someone completely unexpected.

"Cinder…"

"Taxus?"

Weiss zoned out of whatever was said or done next. The taller Adhmad locked eyes with her, both of them sharing a look of surprise at seeing the other. She shouldn't have been surprised since Raven was present and clearly aligned with Cinder, but he clearly wasn't happy. He had the expression of one who had eaten a lemon that had previously killed his family.

A close enough comparison. I told him it was Cinder that forced Oxon into her service.

She was brought out of her focus when the large doors of the school opened up. A large man with tan skin and a beard walked in with a quiet confidence. She wondered who it could be before their newest member flinched at his entrance.

"Oh no…" Oscar, or perhaps Ozpin, seemed fearful of the newest entry to the room.

The man, who Weiss knew must be an enemy, closed the doors with a thud and locked them. This was quickly spiraling out of control. Weiss glanced at headmaster Lionheart only to see him shuffling on his feet and trying to not look at their group. The faunus had betrayed them, she realized.

Confirming her suspicions, the man behind them spoke out in a deep and gravelly voice. "The White Fang is prepping demolition and securing the school grounds. No one's getting in, and no one's getting out."

Weiss gave the traitorous huntsman a glare. "This was all just a trap?"

"It appears so…"

"You said that new guy's name, do you know him?" Weiss turned her head to Nora as the conversation continued between the two groups. She debated saying the whole truth, that he was Oxon's elder sibling. But that wouldn't mean anything in the long run and might start a fight.

"I met him and the short haired girl when Yang's mom held me for ransom. They work for the bandit leader, and now for Cinder it seems. Though the male seemed less "bandity" than the rest."

"Any information on his fighting style?" She had nothing for Ren. All she knew about the man were things she'd been told by Ox. He specialized in the bow and arrow, but had been taught by their father in similar ways. They both knew how to fight with a myriad of weapon types. Sword, spear, gun, bow, even unarmed were possible. It was hard to tell his style since his cloak hid everything except his neck and head. She pulled out her rapier and gave the only answer she could.

"No, but he's dangerous."

They didn't get a response due to the blonde knight verbally confronting Cinder. "What is wrong with you...? How can you be so broken inside... to take so many lives, and then come here and rub it in our faces like it's something to be proud of!?"

"Jaune…"

Jaune either didn't hear the concern or just plain ignored it. "All with that damn smile on your face!" He raised his head, showing tears falling freely down his face. They all knew why he was so emotional upon seeing the black haired woman.

The rest of the assembled huntsmen and training drew their weapons at the group. This was going to end in violence, and nobody wanted to be caught unprepared.

Qrow seemed vainly trying to stay out of a fight. "Everybody, stay calm."

Jaune was too far gone to heed the man's advice. "I'm gonna make you pay for what you did! Do you hear me?!"

"Kid!"

"Well?! Say something!"

There was a brief pause as the woman inspected Jaune. Weiss finally noticed the hint of something covering the left side of her face. Some kind of mask?

Cinder only had a question for the blonde. And not one that they expected. "Who are you again?"

That was all it took to set things off. The tall blonde charged in to clash with the evil woman. Weiss raised her weapon and prepared to fight, she wouldn't let another Fall of Beacon happen here, not again. She'd also make sure to beat some sense into the elder Adhmad before he made the same mistake as his brother.

~~~(LII)~~~

How is this for some tension eh? Though this omake may cut into it a bit. Didn't want to put it in the last chapter and ruin the mood, but I don't want to wait too long either.

If anyone hasn't figured it out, the husband of the first nice person he met is named Kame Hameha, after Kamehameha I, the first king of Hawaii. The mayor is based on the green sea turtle, a symbol of luck. And Ka'ahupahau is the shark goddess that protects fishers and chases off man-eaters. There are a few other references, but those were the ones I felt most important to get across.

~~~(LII)~~~

Omake: "Mom no!" "Mom Yes!"

Blake had been out in charge of making breakfast for the family tonight since her mother had stepped out for some reason. It was a big deal for her since she had done it before with the Fang and while solo traveling. But she was curious as to why her mom left so early. It wasn't normal.

"Smells great Blake!" She had to whap the blonde prehensile tail away from the fresh bacon.

"You will wait until mom gets back." Whenever she did. "You wouldn't want to disappoint her now that dad finally tolerates you."

The boy 'humphed' but accepted her command. Thankfully they didn't have long to wait since her mom walked in the room with a suspicious smile. Her father looked up from a book and nodded at her as well. Then they both turned to face her.

"What's going on?" Her eyes were narrowed as she raised her bacon tongs defensively.

"Well dear, it's about something we'd been talking about for a little bit. There are many out there who need help these days, and your father and I want to do more to help." That was good, great even, but why did Blake feel like there was a catch?

"Okay?"

"We know you used to complain about not having any siblings growing up, We had been too busy with the organization and then the country to really try again. Now though, your father and I have figured something out." The loud clatter of metal on wood rang out as Blake's ears stood straight up and he mind went numb. Ghira looked worried for a moment but realized she wasn't about to faint. There was unsteady breathing, but she caught herself on the counter.

"You… what? When did..? Now!?" Her wide eyes looked back and forth between her parents as the words sunk in. Mom was pregnant. Sure she'd wanted a little brother or sister as a kid, but that was over a decade ago!

Her father chuckled at her expression, finding her panic amusing.

"Dear, you could have probably said that better, there's no need to tease the girl."

Her mom pouted at the chastising. "It's revenge for how insistent she was as a kid. Turnabout is fair play, dear."

"What your mother is trying to say is that we are indeed opening our arms to others. It will take a bit of getting used to, but I want you to keep an open mind." As her father spoke, Blake noticed mom move to the door and whisper something to the other side. "And if this goes poorly, then blame Kali, this was her idea. You know how she gets."

Her mom scoffed before reaching into the hallway and bodily dragging in Oxon by the collar of his shirt. The teen had a worried loom on his face as he half heartedly tried to escape her grasp. The former woodsman had an anxious face that only grew worse when he saw Blake. He whispered something to her mother that earned him a light smack to his shoulder.

"Oh no you don't, no takesies backsies mister!"

"Yes, Mrs. Belladonna." The older woman's eyes narrowed and he shrunk a bit at the look. "I don't think I can say what you want yet."

Her mom's gaze softened in a mix of sadness and acceptance.

"Fair enough, it's a lot to take in after all." Her mom turned to face her, hand on Oxon's elbow. "In order to satisfy your old request as well as help a certain child that needs a bit more kindness in his life, your father and I agree to ask this young man a very important question."

A second hand was needed to keep Blake stable. Even then, it was a close thing. "You didn't…"

"Say hello to your new younger brother!"

Her head snapped to the left and stared open mouthed at the tall teen running the side of his head. Oxon gave her an apologetic grin as well as a small wave. He didn't seem upset though. If anything he looked guiltily ecstatic.

"Uh, hey Blake… If it matters, I didn't think she was being serious about this." Maybe this was just a nightmare. Maybe she would wake up back in Beacon and tell her teammates about the wild dream she had. Yang would laugh for sure.

Despite her efforts, her brain couldn't take the absurdity of the situation and promptly shut down. The last thing she saw before blacking out was three people reaching towards her as she had a great view of the ceiling. Maybe when she wakes up everything will be normal.

~~~(LII)~~~

Y'all enjoy? I kinda want to write a comedy fic, kinda like Team TMMO from my other fic. But writing an AU of an AU? Yeah….. Probably not the best idea ever.