This is a reupload of chapter 3 since I accidently uploaded the first draft. If you read it, you'll notice that this version is around half the size of the first one with some changes at certain parts. If you're wondering why I keep drafts. It's because as those who read it probably noticed, I have a lot of important information to remember that I took out of the chapter to introduce them later.

Nostalgia is a strange feeling. You feel like you belong once again but not in the present. You yearn for the past, becoming estranged to the present. At least that's how Ruby felt standing in front of her father who was leaning on the door-frame of the main entrance. No words were exchanged at first, only a flurry of rose petals and a strong hug.

After a while they parted. "I'm sorry it took so long dad." Taiyang glanced towards his youngest daughter, who was watching from the side. "Let's talk inside." He said gesturing for them to enter.

Walking towards the kitchen table, the silver eyed woman couldn't help herself from letting her hands roam whatever they could reach; her fingers lingering as long as they could. Before sitting down, she heard her father ask Yang to fetch some firewood outside. A quick glance towards him told her enough, he was sparing her from the audience. The little sister was hesitant but still complied. They sat in front of each other basking in the feeling of being together again.

"Have you..." He started, clearly struggling to find his words. "Were you able to do it?" An amused huff came out of the woman. "You're making this sound like one of your old movies." He was not pleased at that answer. "Ruby." She shrunk under his gaze.

"Look dad I don't know what I should say. I want to say yes, but I've seen and heard things that I probably shouldn't have. Things that are kept hidden from the population waiting for their time to come out and let me tell you that when they do, it won't be pretty." The look she had in her eyes told him what wasn't said, his eyes widened.

Seeing his reaction, she gained a sad and apologetic look. "Figured you knew. Yes dad I know about her."

He stood up and started pacing. Anger and worry oozing out in his voice. "What? How? I've heard the rumors of your exploits, I saw the pattern of your travels. First year was Vale where you were mostly mentioned as someone being sighted often near raids of criminal hideouts. Second year was Vacuo which is when you started becoming more known thanks to all those rumors about you protecting people from grimms."

She felt like she had to add some details at that. "Actually, those were pretty much a coincidence. I met a student from Shade that was visiting Vale. I asked if he could be my guide until we reach the academy and he accepted. We had some trouble here and there ergo the rumors."

Her father had a doubtful look in his eyes. "And what became of him?" She glared at him. "Let's just say that he taught me how things worked in that kingdom and I showed him how well I learn."

His faced lost its colors. "You didn't..." She looked away from him. "No, not him." That told him enough. He sat down and stared at the table. "As a father, I hoped that none of you would ever have to go that far. But I know as a huntsman that it was just wishful thinking. Still..."

She didn't want to continue this subject, so she went back to the previous one. "My third year was a mix between Menagerie and Mistral. I know, that's a big jump from Vacuo, but I managed to get... contacts if you want to call them that."

"Who?" The older Xiao Long asked, afraid of the answer.

She stared into his eyes. "The White Fang." This confused him more than anything. "Why would they help you? You're human."

She lightly smiled and answered with a playful tone. "Remember that his happened three years ago. They weren't as radical as today. I met a group of them who still liked humans. I told them I needed to get to Mistral and they offered to bring me to Menagerie and work for them for a while, then I'd just have to take a smaller and less expansive ride to Mistral."

He was taken aback by this information. "You worked for the White Fang?!"

Gaining a neutral look, she answered. "You'd be surprised how different they were back then. I helped one of them as they were getting corned by thugs in Vacuo and then they were adamant one repaying the favor. Took a while to convince their leader though. Anyway I mostly did physical labor around their camps anyway."

She heard him mumbled. "I guess that's why you started gaining a lot of faunus attention."

Suddenly she gained this confused look. "Mistral was... a strange experience. Life was good in most places and the grimm activity were pretty tame. People say it's because of the huntsmen who are hard at work, but something inside me told me that there was more to it. I searched into it for a while, but some people started to recognize me which made investigating pretty hard. So I decided to do the huntsmen work that no one wanted to do while heading to Argus."

Taiyang smirked at that. "You mean all that babysitting work I've heard about?"

She sent him a playful glare. "There were other things, but yes. I did already have experience on the matter."

Chuckling, he leaned on the table. "Well let me tell you that it got a lot of people coming here with more than just words of admiration."

She laughed. "Oh I have a lot of stories about that for another time." Smiling, she dropped another bombshell on her dad. "I met the Grimm Reaper."

"You what?"

She almost laughed again. "You heard me, I met the Grimm Reaper. Trained under her even."

He was confused. "Trained what exactly? Combat? I don't mean any offense but wouldn't she be really old by now?"

It was her turn to lean on the table. "No dad she trained me on using these." She said, taping the corner of her eyes.

"Wait she has silver eyes too?"

This made Ruby glance at the table with sadness. "Not anymore. She was attacked by what she guessed were bounty hunters and they blinded her."

Her father looked awkwardly elsewhere. "Oh..."

The cape wearer continued her retelling. "My fourth year was spent in Atlas. The kingdom, not the flying city."

She was interrupted by Taiyang. "Yeah that's where you got most of your fame. You practically became a celebrity!"

She gracefully giggled. "Well I guess that is bound to happen when you spend most of the year defending the wall surrounding Mantle from Grimm and the rest of the year assisting military operations."

Her father chuckled. "I heard you got invited to a diner with the Schnees and declined. Don't get me wrong, I'm proud of you, but why turn something like that down?"

She stuck her tongue out slightly. "Let's just say I've been really bad for business for the past 4 years." He looked at her incredulously. "Hang on, you're not... talking about those schnee dust mines' workers disappearing in Vacuo right?"

She placed her elbows onto the table, intertwined her fingers and rested her chin on top of them. "Who knows?"

Letting this information sink in, he was struck with a new realization. "You're not here for the sake of coming back home, aren't you? Have you told Yang anything?"

She looked down. "No, she thinks I'm here to join beacon and get a hunter's license."

He raised an eyebrow at that. "She didn't ask why you're not taking the license exam?"

The red-tipped raven-haired woman gained an amused look. "She either didn't think about it with everything that was happening or doesn't know it's a thing."

Unknown to them, said young adult came back a bit before her father said her name which prompted her to eavesdrop on the conversation. Curious to hear more but too afraid of being caught, she took some distance from her spot and came back with louder footsteps which seemed to have surprised the two adults who were focused on their conversation.

"Hey, I'm ba~ck!" she lilted as they stood up.

Her sister was the first to talk afterwards. "Well it was nice catching up dad, but I should go to bed. Wouldn't want to miss the bullhead to Beacon now would I?" She went towards her and gave her one of her warm motherly hugs, the same she used to give her when she was younger.

"That applies to you too firecracker." She said, giving her a peck on the forehead. "Once you're done with these, I better hear you get to your room or I might have to punish you again."

They separated and Ruby went towards their father and kissed him on the cheek before wishing him a goodnight, leaving a blushing Yang behind.

Even with the questions that were plaguing Yang's mind from what she overheard, she could not suppress the thought that came to her while watching her sister go. "Who knew shoulders could be so sexy yet elegant at the same time?"