Yang arrived at the Amity Colosseum without breaking a sweat. It was packed with people, and the smell of multitudes was already starting to set in.

Luckily, the entrance to the lockers was mostly out of the general public's view, and so she met her team there, the sounds of the audience barely hearable through the walls. How she longed to get all those cheers.

When she arrived, she found both Weiss and Blake giving her glares that could kill.

"Sup girls?" She asked with a smile, trying to disperse the hostile atmosphere.

"Don't 'sup' me! You two were supposed to come half an hour ago!" Weiss said stomping her foot on the floor.

"Oh come on Weiss Cream…" Yang complained, which only irritated Weiss more, her face growing hot. Blake put a hand on her shoulder, which she had never done before that she remembered. For Blake to comfort Weiss meant that things were not right.

"Yang, this is important for all of us. I know you like to have fun, but–" Blake said, voice calm and stare more than understanding.

"I wasn't having fun or slacking! I was getting Cinder who, lucky me, forgot about the match today," Yang said, crossing her arms.

"She forgot? How does that happen?" Blake asked, raising an eyebrow, hands on her hips.

"Runs in the family," Weiss mumbled.

"I don't slack!" Ruby said, raising a hand.

"You're adopted then," Weiss replied.

Ruby gasped, looking at Yang with teary eyes. "Am I?!"

"No!" Yang said, shouting loudly towards the ceiling. "Let's just do this, alright?"

The team then walked towards the exit that lead to the arena, side by side.

She felt a hand on her shoulder.

"If she forgot about such an important event, then maybe she doesn't care," Weiss said before going to Ruby's side. Yang felt anger bubble in her chest. How dare Weiss say that? And why? She thought Weiss had her things handled with her family.

She decided to pay it no mind. In fact, she'd pay it a lot of mind, she would use her anger to win the match.

As Team RWBY exited the locker room, they were met by a blinding light, followed by the view of the amity colosseum.

It was massive, with a five hundred by five hundred meter arena in the center, that had a blank middle with concrete floor and surroundings that changed randomly. All around, bleachers three stories high surrounded the arena, giving it a sort of claustrophobic vibe if not for the open roof.

Team RWBY were met with cheers, and some compliments and greetings from fans. The four girls returned some of the waves with their own, Yang even winking for some of the audience, which made them melt.

As they got onto the arena itself, they were put face to face with a team they had never seen. Their clothes betrayed that they were from Mistral, however.

"Ladies and Gentlement!" A voice boomed all around them. Yang recognized it as Oobleck's voice, and lamented those who were going to hear this over radio.

"Welcome to the fortieth Vytal Festival in celebration of the peace and unity achieved after the terrible great war.

This year, in Vale, we'll be holding a ladder event as always. For those who don't know, thirty two teams of four will face against each other in a four on four basis for the first round each member suffering defeat each round by either ring out or their aura dropping below a ten percent threshold and once the entire team is out, or the timer expires and one team has more members than other then the winner is declared.

The winner will advance to a doubles round where a pair from one team will face the pair of another so that one of the fighters of that pair can advance to the singles round. After that, well, it's a simple ladder where losers are pit against loser and winners against winners until one remains to claim victory for their team and kingdom!"

The whole explanation took less than a minute, with Oobleck speaking at lightning speed and running out of breath at the end.

"Thank you, Oobleck. Very concise explanation," Port said as the two announcers appeared on a big screen that floated above the arena and projected in four directions. "This particular year, thanks to technology from Atlas, we'll have very peculiar encounters since all terrain surrounding the centre of the arena will be randomized0 Mountains, oceans, caves, blizzards, spike fields, anything can pop up! Each team will need to be very aware of their surroundings and use them to their advantage!

The first match of the tournament will have Teams RWBY vs TEAM ABRN! The most promising teams according to their respective headmasters. Now, enough chatter, and let the match begin!"

The other team smirked at them, all of them extremely confident, except a dark skinned woman who simply stared at them with disdain and intrigue. Yang decided then, that she was hers to pummel into the ground.

They all readied their weapons as the screens displaying the battlefields they would have began to spin.

Cinder followed Ironwood without saying a word, but she could feel some kind of tension in the air. As they got closer and closer to the Beacon Tower that housed Ozpin's office, she saw the number of Atlesian guards and Knight robots increase to the point that entire patrols where on the academy grounds.

The only sounds she could hear were those of footsteps and military jargon.

As they entered the lobby that housed the elevators and stopped to wait for one, she caught a glimpse of Winter and Penny apparently waiting for Ironwood. Penny smiled brightly upon spotting her.

"Salutations, professor Cinder! a.k.a Super sis!" Penny said with a military salute. At this, Winter raised and eyebrow and even Ironwood turned to her. For her part, Cinder could only stare in absent shock with a crimson face.

"Who the– Why do you–?!" She said, embarrassed out of her mind.

"Oh, that's what friend Ruby called you. A very appropriate alias according to her parameters," Penny said. Her voice sounded stilted somewhat, as if she were new to speaking. But it was better than the other times she heard her.

"That Ruby…" Cinder grimaced, covering her face with her palm. "… maybe you are spending too much time with her."

"That's what I've been telling her. But she always insist on hanging out with your sister instead of attending her lessons and developing her skills."

"My skills are at an acceptable level according to my father's parameters."

"But not Atlas', and you are property of Atlas, Penny," As Ironwood said that, Cinder felt her fists tighten as a burning sensation began rising on her face.

"Excuse you? She's not property. She's a human being," Cinder replied, trying her best to suppress her anger.

"Whatever you say," the elevator opened then as Ironwood looked intently at Penny who cowered a little, as if ashamed of something. "Come on now."

Cinder grit her teeth. She wanted to kill Ironwood. But she also remembered she still needed to see her sisters through their Beacon days, and the pay was extremely good. Besides, there were other ways of dissenting than violence. Killing was not the answer. Yes, just like Summer would tell her.

Before Cinder entered the elevator, Winter whispered to her. "Can we talk after you are done?"

"Anything for you," Cinder replied with a wink, which left Winter reeling.

Where was she?

Yang kept looking at the teacher's site on the stadium, and she saw the likes of Glynda Goodwitch, Peach, the Forgemaster, and others. But not Cinder. That was distracting her.

The woman named Arslan was keeping up well, her strong and fierce style of Martial Arts was competing with her wild brawling. It was like that ice scream haired woman all over again. She still hadn't lived that down. She needed to do better, she knew, but that would be admitting she was weak and that her mother had reason to leave her.

That was good enough. With a scream, she burst power and punched right into Arslan's open palm, and made her retreat despite the Mistral student digging her feet into the ground.

Yang smirked and continued her assault.

The elevator's doors opened to reveal Ozpin's office, as dark as ever. The clockwork seemed to be moving a little faster, however. There was a stale smell in the air, as if he hadn't left in over a day.

"Ironwood, Professor Cinder," he said. His voiced was pleasant, but she saw him glare daggers at the general. "What is it that you need? I've already spared all my combat able and non essential professors."

"It's not enough," Ironwood said, as a map of Vale opened. It had a bunch of yellow points on the outskirts of the city, and near them red spots. Some larger, others smaller. Vale was completely surrounded by this along it's commercial district near the Forever Fall Forest. "We need to reinforce section B. I need Cinder there."

Cinder's eye widened. "I'm sorry, but I can't–"

"I don't care. Grimm are closing in on every direction of Vale and we need every huntsman we can muster."

"There are dozens of others, why the professors?" Cinder asked.

"He needs those he can control," said Ozpin, resting his chin on his knuckles. "Isn't that right, general?"

Cinder looked at the general with scrutiny, but Ironwood didn't budge. He was as stone faced as ever.

"I need to guide them. Otherwise, they would be too disorganized. But huntsmen don't play by the rules, and they don't follow orders. That's why I need the professors," he explained. Cinder understood now. Professors were huntsmen second, thus, they had to obey the headmaster for the most part. And with Vale needing them as well, their sense of duty was on the line on two fronts.

"Maybe if you hadn't brought your entire army–"

"–Cinder," Ozpin said, eyes narrowed.

"You know I'm right!" Cinder said stepping up to his desk and plopping her hands down.

"Regardless, he is right. Too many Grimm are closing in, more than ever before," he said, closing his eyes before opening them again and looking at the general. "But I need Cinder here."

"For what?" Cinder asked. Ironwood looked at Ozpin with surprise, but said nothing.

"I'll tell you later, professor. However, I do need you to do something," Cinder groaned. She knew lives were at stake. But she didn't care as much, all she wanted was to see her sisters be victorious.

"Now?" She asked.

"Yes."

"What is it?" She asked as she crossed her arms. As she did, Ironwood closed his hologram with a sigh.

"Keep an eye on Pyrrha Nikos. She is very important to this school, and I fear she may be targeted by our enemies. Be they students, professors, or even friends, don't trust anyone. If anything seems out of place, no matter how ridiculous, you come to us and protect her. Understood?" He said. Cinder's eyes opened wide at his request. She had never seen Ozpin so harsh. So hellbent on something. She was taken aback.

"I–yes. Crystal clear," Cinder said.

"Glad to hear it. Dismissed," he said. Cinder turned around and headed for the elevators, but not before taking a peak at Ironwood who remained in the office.

When the elevator came, the doors opened to reveal her uncle standing before her.

"Hey, troublemaker," he said, canteen in hand. Cinder smiled, and he returned it. "How's it going?"

"Kind of in a hurry now drunkle," she said, smiling even more at his annoyed expression.

"The match? It's almost over, you know," hearing that, Cinder panicked.

"That's why I have to hurry even more!" She said, opening an adjacent shaft and seeing it was empty down to first floor. Perfect.

"Alright. Meet you later," she said as the jumped into it, falling into the darkness.

Watching her niece disappear into the elevator shaft, Qrow whistled. She wasn't even related to him and yet had the same attitude that he had during his Beacon days. He felt some sort of pride at that, before mentally smacking himself. It wasn't right. That was bad behaviour, and he was the source. He was a bad influence.

As he entered the office, he saw Ironwood and Ozpin argue again, and sighed.

"Why are you fighting me so much? We want the same goal," Ironwood said.

"You caused this disaster," Ozpin replied.

"No, you did. If you had listened to me–"

"Hey now, we are all adults here. Or well, at least Oz is," he said, taking another sip of his alcohol.

"Qrow. Anything to report?"

"Outside lots and lots of Grimm in Forever Fall? No, all White Fang activity dropped to zero. Looks like we dealt a severe blow to them,"

"Or they were a distraction," Ironwood said. "Something to allow infiltrators to take hold."

Qrow didn't want to admit it, but Ironwood's fear was not unfounded. Isshin, and then Raven. They could not take any more backstabs. And the CCT tower infiltrator was still out there.

"Yes. A storm is coming," Ozpin said with a sigh. He closed his eyes, and steadied his breathing. Qrow stopped drinking as he watched Ozpin's face scrunch up a few times. His canteen felt cold.

"We cannot wait any longer," he said, opening his eyes and looking at Qrow. That stare made his knees tremble. "Cinder has proved trustworthy, just like you said."

"I didn't mean it that way," he replied, desperation seeping into his voice.

"Doesn't matter. She is strong, capable, and has grown to care for her family and the academy."

"But–"

"Qrow, these are desperate times," Ironwood said, placing a hand on his shoulder. It felt foreign, but it was also a small comfort, something Qrow hadn't had in a long time.

"We need to transfer the Fall Maiden powers. I already had a candidate in mind, but it seems a better one has popped up," Ozpin said.

Qrow remained silent, but his hand shook.

"Then test your first candidate again, please. Cinder is too old," he tried to muster any kind of excuse.

"Very well. We'll discuss it again," Ironwood said, surprising the other huntsman. Ozpin raised an eyebrow.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. I don't trust Cinder, not yet. I say she becomes our second option," he admitted. Qrow glared at the general.

"We'll see," Ozpin said, turning back towards his window overlooking the school campus. "We'll see."

Cinder landed on the roof of the elevator, opened the hatch, and exited before the doors that two people were taking closed.

Once she was back in the lobby, she met the stares of both Winter and Penny.

"What?" She asked with a shrug. Winter simply shook her head. Penny, seeing this, did the same with a small smile on her face.

"You never change," commented Winter.

"I can change, but only if I want to. See ya later Ice Queen," she said as she dashed out. However, as she rounded the corner, something caught her attention.

"May I go watch friend Ruby's match?" Penny asked in a giddy voice. Cinder stopped in her tracks, and adjusted her hearing.

"No. You are to remain here until I return from the meeting," Winter said, stern as ever.

"Roger," Penny replied, now much less enthusiastic.

Cinder got closer, hugging the wall. The people passing by simply looked at her with confusion, probably thinking she was nuts.

Once she heard the sound of Winter's hills disappear after the sound of an elevator floor, she looked around the corner. Penny was sitting in a chair, dangling her legs as she hummed some kind of song. However, her face was absolutely neutral, neither happy nor sad.

Cinder felt a pang of anger. She could not stand seeing an Atlesian force a girl to not have fun. So, against her better judgement, she approached Penny. The girl's expression immediately turned happy upon seeing her.

"Professor Cinder. What bring you back thirty seconds after leaving in such a hurry?" She asked.

With a frown and her hands on her hips, Cinder replied. "So Winter left you here to rot."

"I won't decompose anytime soon," Penny replied, looking herself over.

"What I mean is… You wanted to go watch Ruby, and Winter denied you for no reason," she said.

"Her reasons are always sound," Penny said.

"Denying you basic fun is no sound reason. Why is she always sticking with you anyways?" Cinder asked. Immediately, Penny looked down.

"I'm… not at liberty to say," Cinder sighed and knelt at her level, looking her straight in the eye.

"You are not her little slave. You are a person. You can do whatever you want," she said. For a second, she heard Summer's voice beside her. Those little words she often spoke to her to comfort her. She wanted to give Penny the same treatment.

"Friend Ruby told me something similar. But… I must follow the rules," Penny replied, fidgetting. Cinder got up.

"Listen, rules only exist to keep us in check for a little while. They are all meant to be broken eventually. You gather goodwill, and then behind their noses, you break them and do what you want. Makes sense?" At this, Penny looked up, a finger on her chin.

"Hmm. Makes sense. I have been following every order…" Cinder smiled hearing this. She got her.

"Then you are allowed to break one,"

"Winter will be mad,"

"You can apologize later. Now come on, we're late," she said, grabbing Penny's hand and pulling.

To her surprise, she did not budge. It was like trying to lift an anvil with no aura, and so, she slipped and fell to the ground on her back, still holding on to Penny's hand.

"Are you alright professor?" She asked, looking her over.

"What are you made of, pure metal?" Cinder asked with a groan. Penny retreated and stood tall, like a toy soldier, as Cinder got up.

"Nope. I'm made of flesh and bone," she said.

"I was being rhetorical,"

"Oh. Should I be rhetorical as well?"

"L–Let's just go!" Cinder said.

Despite sprinting at full speed, Penny followed without a hitch. It was strange for a girl so young, but she didn't mind. Cinder liked that she didn't slow her down.

She arrived late, very late. By the point she was with Penny in the teacher observatory, with a really good view to boot, Team ABRN already had Team RWBY on the ropes. Team RWBY seemed off, with Yang separating very easily. However, at one point, the brawler made eye contact with Cinder or at least that's what she felt, and the match was turned around.

Cinder watched Team RWBY win with an incredible team manoeuvre where Weiss trapped most of the enemy members into a ball of ice and Yang used her semblance to send int into the last member and ring them out. A very clean victory.

Cinder often took glances at Penny during the match, and the girl seemed very excited, which made the older huntress happy. Very happy.

Cinder then noticed that the only teachers in the lounge were Glynda, who left shortly after the match ended and Peach, who gave Cinder a nod before diving into her scroll.

"Oh!" Penny said, looking at her scroll. "Friend Ruby wants to have a reunion in the fairgrounds," Penny said, jumping with energy. Just then, Cinder's own scroll rang. A message from Yang also wanted them to meet up.

"Well, looks like we'll all have a meeting then. Let's go," Cinder said, turning to leave.

"Right behind you, Professor!"

Cinder and Penny walked around the fairgrounds, looking around. While Cinder did not have much interest in dumb games and the loud noises were annoying, but at least the somewhat fresh air combined with cotton candy and popcorn were something. Penny, meanwhile, seemed to be amazed at everything.

Unlike Beacon, the fairgrounds were packed with visitors. It was a grassy, open area with some trees that was near the academy and where the colosseum floated. It was full of festivities, food stands, games, screens to watch the tournament, and booths to buy… huntsmen cards. Cinder wanted to see if there was one of herself.

The people around had no care in the world, while the people of Vale and Beacon were terrified beyond belief. All because of Atlas.

"Penny! Super Sis! Over here!" Shouted a squeaky voice. In the middle of a corridor of food tents stood team RWBY. They looked no different than a month ago, except for Weiss who had her left hand covered with a glove. Her jacket was also closed, giving her a small turtleneck.

"Friend Ruby!" Penny said, dashing towards Ruby and barreling her into the ground. Apparently, Penny was heavy enough to crush Ruby.

"Why…" Asked her little sister. Cinder approached as Penny helped Ruby stand up.

"Hey you four. Good match out there, very impressive" she commented. Yang looked at her with a mix of glare and smile.

"Thank you," Weiss said. Ruby didn't say anything, stammering with a blush.

"You were late, sis. Bath was too good?" Yang asked.

"No," Cinder said with a groan. "Ironwood wanted to give me a mission."

"Right now?" Blake asked.

"Yeah. The panic from that failed breach is attracting Grimm," Cinder said.

"But we stopped them," Ruby said, ungluing herself from Penny.

"The White Fang is still out there," Blake said. And it almost seemed like she moved to stand between Penny and Ruby. "Even if Adam is… gone… most of their members survived. I doubt they'll give up easily."

Blake seemed to shake a little at the mention of Adam. Cinder had heard from Ruby all about that frightful swordsman. Luckily, it was Yang who put a hand on Blake's journey.

"There's no way he survived, Blake," she said in a soft voice.

"And if he did, we'll bring that criminal to justice, as well as all the others," Weiss added. At this, Blake glared at her.

"They're not all criminals, they are misguided. How can you still not get that?" Blake asked, irritated.

"Their actions are those of criminals. They all have a choice like you–" Ruby decided to step in at this time.

"Alright, enough already. You're all killing the mood. Let's just go celebrate with a meal and be happy for once!" she said, stepping in between them.

"I agree, sustenance is very important after a long fight," Penny added.

"Yeah, I'm starving. I could eat an entire fish right now!" Ruby said, eyeing Blake.

"I could do that was well," said the Faunus.

"Then let's all go! I've got the perfect place," Yang said, dragging Weiss along.

Cinder smiled and began following the group. As they entered a particularly large zone of the fairgrounds, a man with huge shoulders bumped into her. She glared, but paid him no mind.

"Excuse me," she heard from behind him. She didn't stop. "Are you Professor Cinder?"

She groaned. Even far away Lisa Lavender made her life impossible.

Team RWBY stopped and looked back. The crowd had dispersed a little, allowing sound to flow more clearly.

"Who wants to know?" She asked, turning around.

"Hey… Cinder," said a man with broad shoulders, gray hair tied in a ponytail with one bang at the front of his face, brown eyes and a lean if strong complexion. His face was adorned with various scars that contrasted with his dark skin. He wore a grey vest with blue undershirt and military part while carrying two maces on his back.

Her breath caught in her throat, her chest was left without air, forcing her to take a step back.

She recognized him.

"R- R- Rho- Rhodes?!" She asked. She was paralysed. It was like seeing a ghost.

The ghost smiled. "Y-Yes, it's me. Long time no see," he said, somewhat awkwardly.

Cinder looked around, the world seemed like it was closing in on her.

He had disappeared. He was gone forever, and did not seem like he wanted to be found. The Madame was gone. That part of her life was over. Done. Extinguished.

So… "Why are you here?" She asked, hands shaking uncontrollably.

"I saw you on the tv. I had to make sure it was you," Rhodes replied.

"After all this time…" Cinder said, retreating slightly.

"Cinder…" Rhodes advanced, but instantly she fixed him with a glare.

"Do not take another step. Just–"

"You okay sis?" Cinder and Rhodes looked behind and saw Yang approach. She stood next to Cinder, eyeing Rhodes with skepticism. "Who is this guy?"

Rhodes, for his part, simply looked at the blonde with astonishment.

"Hey sir. You know Cinder?" Ruby asked, standing opposite of Yang. Although her expression remained neutral, she stared at Cinder, as if asking her if she was alright.

"And these are…" Rhodes said, breaking the ice. Cinder took a deep breath to steady her nerves. She was better than this. She no longer was a defenceless girl.

"My sisters," she said. She would not give out names, not yet.

Rhodes' eyes opened wide at the revelation.

"Sisters? Cinder, what in the–"

"Hey! If you only came here to bother my sister and talk shit, better get going!" Yang said, stepping in front of Cinder as if to defend her. She cracked her knuckles. "Don't make me ask twice."

"I'm not here to hurt her," he said, but Yang remained unconvinced. Cinder felt a warm sensation in her chest, and a smile could not help but form on her face.

"I don't think he's lying Yang," Ruby said, looking Rhodes all over.

"Ru–" Cinder got tired of being invisible in this conversation, and so garnered the willpower to speak.

"Alright already!" She said, stretching her arms as if to put distance between everyone and herself. "He's… alright. Just get going, I'll catch up with you later."

Yang and Ruby looked at her with worry.

"You sure?" Yang asked, her voice now calm.

"Yes. I'm just going to have a few words with him. He's the one who trained me, who I told you about," she said, placing a hand on Yang's shoulder. The brawler looked at him with surprise, and then anger. Ruby gasped.

"He is the one who couldn't–?!"

"Not now Ruby," Cinder said, putting a hand over Ruby's mouth.

"I don't like this. But you'll be fine, right?" Yang asked. Cinder nodded.

"Alright. Let's go Ruby," Yang said, stepping away. Ruby looked hesitant, but in the end simply gave Cinder a quick hug before dashing away.

She turned to Rhodes, who was looking at her with an expression that betrayed his guilt. Or so she hoped.

"Alright," she said, letting a breath out. "Let's talk."

They did not talk at all. They simply got a pair of noodle soups from a nearby stand and sat alone at a table, the food growing cold as they looked at it instead of each other.

It was so awkward. Despite not wanting to be there at all, Cinder felt like the random people around them, the sounds of the happy celebrations and the sweet smells were all gone.

Cinder did not know what to say. But she had to say something, she was not about to be the awkward one.

"How did you end up here anyway?" She asked suddenly. Rhodes looked up in surprise.

"My partner brought us here on a job, and we decided to enjoy the festival in the meantime," Rhodes said.

"So it was pure coincidence. You had no intention of searching for me," she said.

"I… Of course I did want to find you! But I wanted to make sure…"

"...it was convenient," she said, harshly. Rhodes grew quiet. "That does sound just like you."

"I know," he said after a while looking down like a hurt puppy. "But I didn't know where you were either. I thought you were dead."

"Right," she said, looking away from him. He hadn't changed one bit. She hated that. She still could not trust him. "So what is it that you want now?"

"I just want to make sure you're okay," he said. She glared at him.

"I'm fine here."

"You sure? Those two sisters…"

"They love me. They are my family."

"I could see that. It's just that–"

"–Look I don't go through families like tic tacs, Rhodes!" Cinder said, not letting him finish that sentence. Why did he have to bring those memories to the forefront?

"Why do you have to be like this? I'm trying," he said.

"Wow, trying. Right. You tried very hard then as well, didn't you?" She said, crossing her arms and looking away.

"I did what I did because I had no choice! But you are better now," he said.

"Not thanks to you," she shot back.

"Please Cinder, I… maybe we can leave that behind us. Start anew."

Rhodes fell silent, and so did Cinder.

She ate her noodles while thinking of her answer.

She was conflicted. Her old teacher was still there, and he seemed to genuinely care for her. But that memory, that abandonment… it was hard to forget that. Maybe that's what Yang felt with Raven.

When she finished, she looked him in the eye. "I don't think we can. And we're not okay in the slightest," she said, and watched him crumble. "… but maybe you can make up. I don't know. I still can't bring myself hate you."

With that admittance, Rhodes smiled and they both fell silent.

"Well, if you're a professor, I reckon you are busy," he said while beginning to eat his noodles.

"It's a pain, but the pay is good, I can see my sisters and feel superior about my knowledge," she said. That got a chuckle out of Rhodes.

"Hmm. For all that talk about going anywhere, you finally decided to settle," he commented. Cinder frowned.

"It's only for this year. Who knows what will happen," she said.

"Well, I think it's done you good,"

"I don't know… It made me soft."

"I think soft is better. Believe me," he said, making one of his hands solid steel.

"Still with that?"

"Yep. It's saved my life countless times. But it also hurts my back now,"

"You're old."

"So are you."

"I'm still young and full of life," she said with a smirk. But it still didn't feel right. After everything, he hadn't even apologized. She needed time to think. "Well, I have to leave. I agreed to have lunch with my sisters. So… uh… bye," she said, getting up.

"Let's meet again. I'll give you my number," he said, imitating her action.

With a sigh, she accepted, and they exchanged scroll numbers. That was it, a semi direct link to her old teacher. Her old life.

"There. Just give me some time. So… uh… Bye Rhodes," she said somewhat awkwardly. He just stood there, looking at her with sadness..

With that she stepped away without uttering a single word, nor looking back.

She still didn't know how to feel.

A/N: And that's all for now. I know I left this story for over a month, but college and F/go caught my attention. Also I needed my ideas to cook. Luckily I made an outline this time, so I have things planned out.

I hope I didn't make it seem like Rhodes was innocent or in the right, he is a PoS, but not irredeemable, at least here. What will Cinder do with him? You'll have to find out.

That's all for now. Chiao!