(A/N) Thanks for waiting a few extra days, my Beautiful Hunters! I can't tell you how much I appreciate how patient you guys were with me. Thankfully, everything is back on track now, and I doubt the holidays will get in the way (knock on wood), so the next chapter should be up at it's usual time on the first, although possibly the second since that's New Year's Day.

Now, onto something very important, I started this series knowing that Volume 5 and potentially Volume 6 were eventually going to screw with the plot and lore of War of OA eventually, and with episode 7 that popped up on Youtube, I can honestly say that the plotline of my story has now, officially, been affected. That said, this is not a bad change. In fact, because of the reveals in the main series, the story has definitely been improved. Keep in mind that this chapter won't reveal much to that end, though.

Also, last thing, I know I promised Grey a huge power up, and that's still coming, but I took it out of this chapter and put the reveal into the next one since it would make more sense there.

Thanks again for waiting, guys! I know you'll enjoy this, especially considering the plot relevance I've kept from you for so long.

Act 2

Chapter 6

Dear Rouge Ryokellia,

I can't feel anything. Once, I was a shell of a man, a husk void of anything called "love" or "friendship." I found that in my beloved teammates. Yang with her crass seduction, Blake with her judicious drive, and Team JNPR across the hall where our dearest cousin Pyrrha rests her head alongside her own company, the clutz Jaune Arc, the graceful Lie Ren, and the bubbly Nora Valkyrie. They were all fine. Just fine. Really, they all had the same effect on me as Pyrrha and Bloom did growing up- I felt loyalty and trust within them, but they would never be able to break down my walls. There's a good reason I've kept that up for so long. After your death, I couldn't allow myself to open up again.

Then, Ruby and Weiss came along. Remember them? I've mentioned them once or twice. Well, I figured out what those feelings I had been struggling with were. It was love. True, romantic, boundless love. Could you imagine how Grandpa would react to that? Me? Actually falling in love with someone? He's joked about it for years, always casting sarcastic glances at me every time I would check out an attractive customer, but if I ever admitted to him that I found someone, I think that would be the shock that would finally do him in.

It's funny, though. If you asked me how and why Weiss and Ruby managed to sneak their way into my hearts, or even just how they became my friends in the first place, I wouldn't be able to tell you. Loyalty and trust are easy to come by with me, but I honestly have no idea how they earned my friendship and affection. Maybe it had something to do with living in the same room as them for months, or being on the same team, going to the same classes, eating the same meals, or just how much work I put into them in order to make them at least somewhat like each other, but I really have no idea.

By all rights, it shouldn't have happened. Do you believe in soul mates? Or divine intervention? Because those are the only two options that really make sense to me.

In any case, they're dead now. I used to be able to feel love and happiness because of them, but now, that husk I used to be turned into a black hole. The girls made my heart grow three sizes, but their deaths made it shrink 6 to create a void that destroys anything that approaches it. Even Black Steele is silent. Admittedly, that isn't the worst thing in the world.

I… Miss them. I don't know what I'm going to do without them. They were the only ones who have been able to affect me in the same way you did before you died, and I barely managed to survive without you. I don't think I can do this. Not yet.

I love you, Big Sis. See you later.

Grey sighed and put down his phone, rubbing his eyes after staring at it for so long, updating his journal to Rouge, his and Bloom's older sister. It took him a few minutes to come back to reality. Slowly, the sounds and smells of the cafeteria to hit him, and he looked at each of the members of Team JNPR, feeling their eyes on them when he looked up, but only Pyrrha was willing to make complete eye contact with him. The others looked at their meals anxiously.

"Finishing up homework?" she asked him, biting into her baguette after scooping up some gravy with it. A week had passed after the battle, so after finally getting the city of Vale close enough back to functioning under its normal pretenses, the students and authorities were finally able to sit down and share a meal- one that was actually tasty and satisfying, and not just a quick, tasteless meal pack.

"Another letter to Rouge," he explained flatly, "Had to let her know." Pyrrha nodded solemnly, trying to keep her already puffy eyes from tearing up again.

"Who's Rouge?" Jaune asked carefully. Grey looked at him dryly but relented the information in good faith.

"Older sister. Died with my parents. Don't want to talk about it." Grey's tone was tight and flat, so Jaune took the message and returned to his food. The group returned to silence once more but perked up when they heard Grey's scroll vibrate and saw the huntsman glance at it.

You OK? Grey read the message from Bloom. He grimaced and swiftly typed back.

No. I love you, but leave me alone. Bloom sent back a sad face and a gif of a man jumping through a window, but he figured that meant she was going to ignore him for a bit.

"I miss them," Nora whimpered quietly, a stoic Ren wrapping an arm around her shaking shoulders as she buried her face in her hands, "I can't believe they're gone."

"Stop talking about it," Grey snapped. Nora looked up, clearly hurt, and the other three glared at him which he pointedly ignored.

"Grey," Jaune said soothingly, "She needs to-"

"I know," Grey interrupted with a snarl, "Just- just not now."

I'm here if you need to stop by and talk. Grey read the message from his Grandpa, his sneer growing into a scowl as his fingers violently crashed against the buttons of his scroll.

Leave. Me. Alone. He replied.

"How are Yang and Blake doing?" Pyrrha interjected, hoping to change the subject, shooting a very quick look of sympathy to Jaune.

"Last I saw, Yang was curled up with Ruby's hood, and Blake was hiding under the bed like she normally does when she's upset," Grey said after an irritated huff, "I didn't want to interrupt them. They'll come out when they're ready."

"Grey," Pyrrha said, trying to comfort him with a gentle grip on his wrist, "I hope you know I love you, OK? I'll always be here for you."

Grey snapped. He twisted his hand out of her grip and held her throat tightly with the same hand across the table, her own hands grabbing at his. She didn't break eye contact with him. She wasn't scared, or angry, or looking to defend herself, but instead was sending him a silent message. Jaune translated by wrapping his fingers around Grey's arm. He shook his head. Slowly, Grey released his grip.

"Sorry," he said curtly and sat back down, blinking the sting out of his eyes. Pyrrha smiled painfully, rubbing her neck as she tried to catch her breath again, putting her free hand on Jaune's thigh to keep the farm boy from saying something that he would regret. Fortunately, it didn't look like he would need to. Grey was already starting to walking away, his hands in his pockets. However, while at first she was relieved that the tough part was over, Pyrrha regretted not stopping her cousin when she saw that he wasn't walking back to the dorms like she thought.

"Ow! Stop! That hurts!" a twangy drawl from the other side of the cafeteria screamed. Turning around, Team JNPR saw Cardin and the rest of Team CRDL pulling on Velvet's ears, something that with the length they had to them could cause some really serious damage. Her eyes going wide, Pyrrha's breath caught in her throat when she saw Grey close the distance. Dashing forward on his boots, he made Cardin scream bloody murder after he broke the bully's wrist, pushing through his defensive aura like it was butter and snapping the bone in two. From there, Grey picked the boy up by his face. With one swift motion, he broke the entire line of tables down the cafeteria by slamming the bully's head into the wood. Grey looked up at the other three tiredly.

"Anyone else have something to say?" He asked, apathetically raising an eyebrow. The other members of Team CRDL fled in a hasty retreat, spinning around and stumbling over one another as they ran out of the room, leaving Grey to deal with their leader who was weakly trying to flip him by his ankle. Grey figured the action was involuntary, since the brute clearly wasn't conscious. Grey picked the guy up by the mantle of his armor, and wearing a bored expression as he lifted the guy off the ground, pulled a hand back. A mass of dark energy formed in his palm, ready to fire. Did they really think they could intimidate his best friend and get away with it?

"Grey stop!" he heard Velvet scream. He heard her voice bounce around his skull and glanced down at her with an almost predatory look, looking like he was about to treat her the same way Cardin did. He didn't even realize it. Dropping the still passed out bully, blood covering the front of his plate mail, he turned to her.

"Why?" he asked harshly, but genuinely, "He hurt you. He deserves to be hurt."

"Grey," said Pyrrha from behind him in a dark, trite tone, her hand on his shoulder. He turned, mentally shrinking under her deadly gaze, but unwilling to show it, their family resemblance blazing across the cafeteria like a pair of sleep deprived dragons. Grey wasn't the toughest guy in school, but right now, with his lack of any inhibitions or compassion, with mercy being the farthest thing from his mind, it was like an unstoppable force was about to meet an immovable object. It wasn't a question who would break first. The only thing on the audience's mind was who would throw the first punch.

Look around you, Grey. Your friends hate you. Grey winced, hearing that voice in his head. It was his own, clearly, but in his addled state, he didn't expect any amount of logic or reason to appear. He glanced over Pyrrha's shoulders. Ren looked afraid, Jaune concerned, but Nora? Nora looked heartbroken. Behind him, he saw that Team CFVY had decided to join in, not questioning anything, but seeing the danger and not hesitating to block Velvet from him. He glanced back up at Pyrrha, who was looking at him expectantly. He shrugged her hand off of him, and walked away, no one calling after him, and not looking back himself.

He didn't want to be alone. If he didn't have anyone next to him as he was, then he would do something incredibly stupid. Right now, he needed company. Actually, he needed a specific kind of company, but that wasn't available to him anymore, so instead, he speedily walked out of the school. He ran his hands through his hair tightly, choking up slightly and trying to hold back any emotion from breaking free from him.

"I just don't see the point to this anymore," he said to no one in particular, pulling out his scroll and watching the picture of himself, Ruby, and Weiss intently. He had his arms wrapped around both of them, grinning like a maniac with a peace sign held up while Ruby cackled, and Weiss blushed with her face turned away from the camera, trying to hide her pleased attitude. "I know how it must sound to you guys, giving up everything just because I lost what made me happy, but… I guess you don't really know what you had until it's gone. Even worse, once you've become used to a good thing, it becomes… difficult to live without. I don't really see myself ever being happy again without you. You guys were a gift of God to me, by it's like some cruel plot twist that you needed to die for me to figure out how I felt about you. I'm not going to hurt myself, so don't worry," he said with a somber chuckle, "But at this point, I don't care enough to make sure I'm OK. Reckless? Is that what you would call it?"

Running his hands over his face, he sobbed quietly. He just wanted to wake up in his bed and hope that this was some kind of poison induced fever dream.

"Gorgeous, aren't they?" Grey froze at the hollow voice behind him, turning sharply. He couldn't believe what he was seeing, his mouth dropping open in surprise, stumbling back into one of the stone pillars holding up the arches at the school's entrance. It was the hunter, alive and well, staring down at him with the eyes of a viper. Literal, physical, King Taijutsu eyes.

"I'm… pretty sure I killed you," Grey said curiously. The hunter stared back at him, rubbing his demon mask thoughtfully.

"You did," he admitted, "But obviously not for long. I just came to deliver a message." Grey straightened up, his eyes furrowing in anger.

"And what would that be- urk!" Grey doubled over when the hunter shot a jab to his but, knocking the wind out of him, then grabbing his shoulders, and whispering in his ear.

"Killing those two was the most orgasmic pleasure I've ever had," he hissed, "They were the weakest children I've ever fought, and deserved every bit of pain that came to them."

Grey's eyes turned crimson red as his breath returned, but the hunter had already separated from him, running down the courtyard and up the school's walls. Grey lost sight of him before he could recover enough to chase after the murderer, but it didn't seem to matter. As if guided by hatred, Grey could feel the his target's presence calling out to him, pulling him in a single direction, and the amateur huntsman didn't hesitate to follow that urge.

Do not hesitate to kill him, no matter how many tries it takes to make it permanent. Grey's panic faltered for a second as that voice came back to him, but he ignored it, following the basic "one problem at a time" mentality.

Using both his shields and boots to propel himself, Grey jumped to the top of the academy's ten story roof, seeing the hunter waiting for him with his arms crossed against a backdrop of open air. A caustic energy burned off of him that showed Grey just how much fun he was having. He even gave a rude gesture saying "are you even trying" before stepping back, arms spread wide, and falling off the edge of the school. Grey dashed over to the cliff. With just a small amount of reluctance, a brief hesitation, he answered that pull he was feeling one more time and jumped off after him. Thanks to his landing strategy, he hit the floor of the Emerald Forest lightly, and from there, he sprinted after the hunter again.

After a few brief minutes of the chase, the dirt road began to fade, the forest growing thicker until he could no longer run, the leaves blackening like soot and the trunks laced with red veins as if blood was coursing through their trunks. Even the sky took on a more gothic feel, the blue turning a depressing gold. It was in this nightmare realm where he found the hunter. The man was resting outside of a small cottage on the top of a hill, the building built into the side of a rock face, and the hunter himself sitting with his legs crossed on a wicker rocking chair, strumming a guitar. With a sharp twang, he looked up at Grey.

"About time you joined me," he said deeply, "For a second, I thought you had given up." Grey wasn't putting up with this. He wanted some answers, and no matter how many times he would have to kill him, Grey would learn everything. He stomped over, grabbed the assassin's shirt collar, and pulled him close.

"What are you?" Grey snarled, "Explain, now!" Grey nearly shivered at the sadistic grin he could feel under that creepy mask.

"Easy, child. I'm not here to fight you," the hunter admitted, jumping off his perch, "I'd love to beat you at one point, but I called you out here for a conversation. Not a murder." Grey lowered his hands for a second, raising his eyebrow and unsure how to proceed, but threw his shields out as a surprise attack. The hunter scoffed and grabbed Grey's throat, throwing him against a tree.

Grey hacked breathlessly when his spine connected perpendicular to the trunk. He wasn't prepared for that kind of speed, nor the strength. He wasn't that powerful last time, was he? After hitting the dirt and his spine nearly snapping in half, Grey struggled to stand.

"Are you kidding me? I invited you to my home, wanted to talk with you, and I even made you tea," the hunter scoffed disdainfully, gesturing to the kettle by his chair, but before he turned back, Grey began shooting his fully automatic bullets from Albatross. Unfortunately, the hunter didn't even need to look to slash the bullets out of the air.

"I hate you! Why did you have to kill Ruby and Weiss?!" Grey dashed over to the hunter with his tears falling behind him, throwing a few punches, then using his semblance to glide around the demon and slam a kick to the hunter's head, all of which he dodged effortlessly, "What did they ever do to you?! I want answers!" Grey maneuvered around the hunter the same way he was turning, pivoted, then tried to back fist his opponent in the back of his head, but stopped harshly when the hunter managed to block it. All he did was throw his hand vertically behind him and catch Grey's fist. In his panicked state, Grey didn't back off. He couldn't. He ducked down and tried to wrap his hands around the murderer's legs, trying to get him off his feet, but this wasn't effective either. The attempted throw was reversed. Grey ended his assault by getting slammed onto the ground, a huge weight in his chest, being pressed down by a knee.

"You don't want answers, Grey, no matter how willing I am to provide them," the hunter insisted angrily, grabbing Grey's hair and pulling his head back to keep him down, "You just want my attention."

The hunter turned to mist and reappeared a few feet away walking back to his tea. Grey coughed a few times as he stood back up. He turned his head back to his enemy as the man lowered his mask, downed a cup of tea like a shot of tequila, then pulled his mask back up before cracking his neck. Grey got into his stance again but halted himself when he saw the hunter's bored expression.

"What? What?!" Grey demanded, his voice cracking, "Take this seriously!" The hunter sighed. He shook his head and turned back up at the poor boy.

"I can't," the hunter said, making Grey drop his guard as his chest grew tight, pacing around him with an accusing finger digging at him, "Not when you're trying to kill yourself like this. I don't want to see you like this. I can't stand to see someone like you, as powerful as you are, destroy himself as if he's nothing important. Are you really willing to give up? Don't answer that!" The hunter teleported over and backhanded Grey across the face before he could respond, then pacing around even faster like a tiger about to pounce. "I have answers for you, I do, but before you get them, I want to tell you something. You may have realized this yourself, growing up the way you did, but where I come from, my people and my family believe that you can tell everything about another warrior by how they fight and who they become when they try to kill you, and I can tell you right now that Weiss and Ruby- yes I learned their names because they were worthy adversaries -wouldn't want to see you like this."

"Don't you dare say their- urk!" Grey's command was interrupted again with a jab to his gut.

"Interrupt me again, fledgling, see what happens!" the impromptu teacher threatened, "They were warriors. They were goddesses and amazons like I had ever seen, and I can say that you spit on their memory like this!"

"What do you want from me?" Grey asked, coughing up blood. The hunter crouched next to him, his hands resting on his knees as his slit pupils tore into Grey's silver eyes.

"All I want to do is talk," the hunter answered calmly, "I can't allow great heroes like you and the girls to die without honoring their memory. Think you can humor me for five minutes?"

Grey glanced up at him silently. Even though the hunter's aura burned when he tried to sense it, Grey could still feel the emotion behind his terrifying presence. He wasn't lying. For one reason for another, through the misguided ideal of honor to one's enemies, the hunter was being genuine in his plea. In his heart, Grey knew that this would be his only chance to get the knowledge he wanted.

Pragmatically, though, he knew he wouldn't be able to beat the hunter in single combat. Choosing not to be an idiot and commit suicide by deul, the young huntsman reached his hand up to the killer of his best friends and shook it confidently. Frankly, despite the murderous urge still twisting in his stomach, Grey was excited to see how this would go.

(...)

If even the most veteran hunters couldn't sense his presence, then either his ability to enter the invisible plane lying on top of the physical world was too powerful, or there was no hope for humanity. Glynda Goodwitch and that strange man Ozpin paced through their office as they organized their plan to restabilize the city, unaware of the monstrous figure strolling right past them. This was good. He had too much business to settle, and didn't want any annoyance like them getting in his way. Avoiding any distraction, ignoring the dozens of huntsmen that had taken residence in the hospital he had made his way to, the man hurried over to the back of the room and phased through the curtain blocking off the temporary morgue from the rest of the school's hospital.

What were the girls' names again? He already knew one of them was Ruby, the one with the silver eyes whom his hunter had killed. The other one was… A Schnee. All he could recognize her from was the familiar energy of her family, a corporation known for its evil deeds and the highest body count in all of Remnant's history. The spilled blood of the innocent was prevalent through her family's aura, the poor girl. It was fortunate that the administrators were waiting for the families of the girls to come pick up the bodies for their strange mortal funeral rituals since it created just enough time for his hunter to distract Grey, the darkness finally having settled into him at the end of the week. This was good.

He pulled up a chair in between the girls' beds, tying his nebula of red hair into a bun and began tracing his fingers over their bodies, reading them, gauging them through the aura flowing through their nervous system, unabated by the vulgarity of the situation. For thousands of years this battle has continued, and not once in his life had he met people like these two. Ruby was a bearer of the silver eyes, both a gift and a curse that she had the misfortune of being granted by forces beyond her control, yet unlike those that came before her, she was able to access the divine strength they possessed through training alone, if only in part. Most required a trigger that unlocked the power for them, acting as a key to the treasure.

The monster of a man bit the claw on his thumb thoughtfully. According to his hunter, Grey had some kind of unique property that was indirectly affecting Ruby's path to slowly reaching her true potential. The only question was how? What was it?

Looking over to the other girl, the Schnee, he advanced his examination. He traced the claw of one hand down her forehead, along the bridge of her nose, and centered it on her heart. Silently, he examined the bruised and battered aura that remained tied to her corpse, clairvoyantly seeing her past. She was there in the battle with his hunter. That much was interesting enough on its own, but even without the divine aid of the silver eyes, she was able to find someway to power up enough to defeat the hunter in single combat, if only temporarily due to his special… condition. That part caught his attention. Despite her failure, what was truly a wonder was the fact that she had sacrificed herself to perform that feat. It was rare humans were ever so generous. Last time he met someone so kind and wonderful, he gave her and her three sisters powers beyond their wildest dreams. Powers which were quickly taken advantage of by others.

Biting back the sad memory, he finished his remunerations of the Schnee's corpse and pulled a wisp of light from her chest, rolling it around his hand, letting it fly around his face, even brush against his cheek as if it were giving him a kiss. It didn't surprise him. That peculiar energy, the overtly affectionate behavior, was exactly what he was looking for, and the very reason he had stepped into the morgue in the first place. Trapping it in a bottle, he tucked it away comfortably in his sleeve.

Rubbing his chin, the monster began pacing around the room, casting the occasional glance at Ruby and her friend. So far, the god hadn't come to any kind of revelation as to why Ruby was so different among other bearers of this gift, able to access her powers naturally. Examining the ball of light, he growled at the familiar force. Love. Not only was that the emotion that still filled Ruby's unliving presence, but it essentially was 100% of the wisp's existence. Growling, he tried to swallow the disgusting emotion away, those horrid memories. If nothing else, love was a neurological con job and a product of corporate manipulation, and he could never understand how people could possibly be "happy" in a relationship built on such a flimsy precedent, and yet somehow, between both of these girls, and even with Grey himself, it seemed to be the one consistency.

No, that didn't make any sense. Ruby wasn't the first bearer of the silver eyes to fall in love, or to be loved by others. Summer Rose and Regina Schnee, ironically enough, the mothers of both of the girls in front of him, all had family that cared about them, a place to lay their head, and someone to hold them at night. However, not one of them had the same mastery over the gift that Ruby did.

"I've forgotten how humans work," the man decided, and reached into his other sleeve, pulling out a small white handbook with a golden latch over it and clearing his throat before he reading the contents aloud in his frilliest high school girl voice, smirking playfully, "Ruby is so annoying! Every time I try to get Grey alone, she's right there butting in where she doesn't belong! I've been trying to build up chemistry with him so I can finally confess my feelings for him, but if Ruby can't stop following him around like a lost puppy, then I'm never going to get anywhere! If I ever want to get the chance to take Scarlet's advice, then I need to find some way to get her to leave us alone."

The man furrowed his brow at the name. He had heard it a few times before, and Weiss talking to the one who held it didn't make him happy. Flipping ahead a few pages, he continued.

"Pyrrha and I were talking during lunch today," the monster continued in his normal voice, "She and I were both in line to get a salad, and she started getting really protective over Grey since she knows he and I are getting closer, playing that big sister role Winter always does for me. I can't really blame her for that, but it was super annoying. I know Pyrrha cares about Grey and all, but I think she was going a bit overboard. I'm not that horrid, am I?" he sighed, figuring this part was useless and flipped further.

"Ruby has been spending a lot of time with Grey lately," the man continued, raising his eyebrow curiously, thinking this one might be useful, "I loathe to admit it, but I got really jealous and started panicking so I followed them. I mistakenly thought they started dating and hadn't told the rest of the team, but while I'm glad I was wrong, that's besides the point. Sure, seeing her flirt with him pisses me off, but since I know she's not as big a threat as I previously thought, I've been watching them train together. I know I can't read auras like Ren or Grey, but even standing outside of the gym, I could feel Ruby's radiating off of her, like when I first met Black Steele in the Emerald Forest. I'm so glad they didn't see me, though. I could just imagine what Ruby would say if she caught me spying. She's a complete dunderhead in class, but she's not a total dunce, so she would easily use my stalkerish behavior to try to turn Grey away from me, but would that really work? Ruby may think that she's competing with me for Grey's affections, but that silly child doesn't realize we're not even playing the same game."

The interloper whistled at Weiss's diary thoughtfully. This was an interesting bit of drama he could quickly become addicted to, like bad reality TV.

Love, huh? And not just love, but jealousy? He really had forgotten how humans work. It sickened him to think that one of the most influential metaphysical powers in history, the silver eyes, and the rules that guide them could be overpowered by something that Flixar and Bisney movies were built upon, but he was fortunate to find out that that wasn't the end of it. Jealousy, as an emotion, is the fear that someone will take what you have, and with that anxiety comes an overwhelming desire to protect it. If Grey was really that important to them, then he could use that to his advantage.

Coming to examine the corpses was only one small step to achieve his final goal. Grey was the demon's true target. As a god, he had walked Remnant for thousands of years, but not once had he seen an average mortal be able to break the laws of nature with such ease. The girls, on the other hand, were more or less irrelevant to the overall issue, but it was clear to the man just how important they could be to that boy's development. If these two conflicting, polar opposite personalities were to somehow be put back into the mix… Grinning maliciously, the monster knew what he had to do.

Yes, it all made sense now. He knew the course of action he had to take if he wanted to figure anything out, and reaching into another fold in his robes, he pulled out a small, deep red crystal and rolled it in his fingers a few times, pulling out the bottle from earlier alongside it.

He paused for a second. Seeing the gemstone placed on the end table at Ruby's side, and the wisp of essence placed on Weiss's, he realized just what a mess this whole situation was. Why did the mortals have to get involved in this conflict? They were weak, and ultimately insignificant to the true fight that took place behind the curtain that guarded them from the eldritch truth that they should never be made aware of. This remembrance reminded the man of an emotion he hadn't felt in centuries- guilt.

"I don't take pride in killing you, Ruby, nor was I happy when I watched your friend sacrifice herself to avenge you in some misguided, life ending apology to you," the angel of death mused out of some kind of goal to justify his actions to the objects, "You and those like you, the people who have been deemed fit to hold the silver eyes, have to die. No matter how you choose to live your life, or what kind of people you choose to be, you are guilty of sins beyond your comprehension. For what it's worth, I'm sorry, but I can't allow you to live. Hell, if I didn't think you were more important to this than your brothers and sister, I wouldn't be doing this right now. I still probably shouldn't."

Sighing, he turned his attention to the Schnee.

"As for you…" he started, "You're just a victim of circumstance. If no one else, you're the one whom I regret the most having to get involved in this game of mine, but I'm afraid I can't let you give up playing it. You and Ruby… you're important in this somehow. I just don't know how yet. If nothing else, since you've gone against the natural human instinct of preservation and sacrificed yourself for those you care about, you've at least earned a second chance. I think you've earned some kind of reward, as well. After I'm done here, you'll know my name. Even if you don't know who I am or what I represent, you should take pride in that much. No other living mortal can say the same."

Taking a few deep breaths, the demon held his hands over the corpses of the girls. The room around them began to grow dark, even affecting the physical world outside of his alternate space and making the professors nearby panic as they assumed they were under attack again, which he promptly ignored. A sound boomed through the room. It was a creak like wood, loud enough to make anyone in the hospital who was conscious grab their ears in pain, but it was deep like the lowest of basses. If only they knew what was about to happen.

(...)

Bursting through the crowd in the center of Vale, Grey rushed to the bus terminal, pushing over random passersby who couldn't comprehend the reason for his flight. All they could see was an armed maniac. He sprinted over the flight deck, crashing through the line. As Ozpin's apprentice, even as a student, he had an official huntsman's badge that would grant him priority access to resources such as public transportation, and knowing this, he didn't bother with trivialities such as "politeness." He needed to get back to Beacon Academy. Sadly, after the fight he had just been through, he was far too weak to use one of his shields to try to make it back to the floating school.

Whipping out his scroll, and ignoring the cries of the pissed off people behind him, he flashed his badge to the guards at the toll and was let on the shuttle immediately, taking a seat at the far back. The last words that the hunter parted on him were still ringing in his head.

"I'm just distracting you, numb nuts," the voice echoed, "The real prize are those girls. While you've been here having fun with me, my master has been up there with them just waiting for the moment to take them. Did you really think I cared about you?"

Don't be an idiot, Grey, think this through, came that voice from earlier in the back of his mind, now fully manifesting itself as another force beyond Grey's control.

"What am I supposed to do?!" the host shouted back, earning a few more confused and disconcerting stares, "They're in danger! I can't just sit here and wait for them to be taken from me! Not again."

And waiting for this thing to land is helping them? When they're surrounding by trained warriors on all sides who would gladly help you if you asked them? Think!

Grey growled to himself. He didn't want to admit it, but the entity was right. Grey pulled out his scroll and pressed a specific speed dial.

"Hey-o!" came Nora's voice, followed by Grey's grumbling, "Pyrrha's busy right now, so I picked up her phone! What do you need, you bully slayer, you?" Grey relaxed slightly, a wry smirk cracking on his lips.

"I'm glad to hear you're not still mad at me, Valkyrie," he admitted, "And bully slayer? What's that about?"

"You've been the talk of the school since you beat up Cardin this morning! Everyone is in love with you and Jaune and Pyrrha have been beating off people with a stick since you're like their best friend and our classmates all want your autograph or something. I don't think it was that impressive, but they all seemed to like it. It's so hard to find someone who can truly appreciate good gore, you know? You could have borrowed my hammer to break his kneecaps if you really wanted to, by the way! Seriously, if you just asked me-"

"Nora," Grey interrupted, seething through gritted teeth as he tried to keep his voice level, "I love you, but I need you to put Pyrrha on the phone. Where is she?" Perhaps she heard the pleading in his voice, because Nora's tone dropped a bit seriously when she replied.

"We're all in the weight room," she revealed, "She's benching 240, but I'll get her up." Grey bit his lip, his breath hitching in his throat as she heard the hushed arguing on the other end.

"What do you want, Grey?" Pyrrha hissed.

Yep, she's pissed. The voice told Grey who readily agreed.

"Look, I know you're still mad at me for this morning, but I need you to listen to me real quick," Grey tried.

"Mad? I'm not mad at you. What ever would give you that idea?" Pyrrha chided.

Maybe you should have called Velvet. Or Coco. Or tamed a grimm on the way here. Those seem like they would have been safer options for you.

"Pyrrha, please just listen!" Grey begged.

"Why should I?" Pyrrha shot even more coldly than before.

"You little brat, would you shut up already?!" Grey growled with Black's voice, snarling so violently the whole shuttle shook mid air, making the pilot announce that they had hit a bit of turbulence. He could hear Pyrrha shudder on the other end of the line. He even blinked himself. Where did that come from?

"OK, what do you need?" she said, putting her fury aside.

"Go up to the morgue and check on Ruby and Weiss for me," Grey responded, "Someone is up there with them right now. He's…" Grey couldn't get the words out.

"I'm already on it," Pyrrha interrupted, "I'll call you when I know anything."

With that, the phone clicked off. Grey was satisfied knowing he could always count on his cousin to have his back when stuff hits the fan, no matter how mad at him she was, and let out a breath he had been holding in. Silently fuming, tapping his foot rapidly, he waited for the transport to touch down. When it did, he placed his hands in the pockets of his trench coat and walked down the courtyard casually, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible so no one would worry. The sun was beginning to set and classes still weren't in session, so at this time of day, everyone was out having a good time. It was surreal if nothing else. The way he walked along the path in a blind panic as everyone else had a smile on their faces, having a good time, and yet knowing how close things were to exploding in a mushroom cloud of rage and excitement.

Stepping through the front doors, he saw the usual sights from the past few days. Ozpin and Glynda were chatting right in the foyer of the building, reviewing dozens of documents on their pads about the rebuilding of the city, General Ironwood video chatting with another officer about Winter Schnee's condition. They waved to him, and he politely nodded, but hurried away.

Passing through the dorms on his way to the hospital, he passed by Coco who was talking with Yatsuhashi about Cardin's condition, and when they both saw Grey walking by them, they nodded respectfully as thanks for what he did for Velvet, but choosing not to say anything about it. It was like they were telling him, "we don't approve of your methods, but you got results." It wasn't until he got to the commons area where all of the students from each school could socialize with each other that he heard something interesting while passing by that creepy team from Haven. What were their names? They hadn't really made that much of an impact on him since he had arrived, but he at least knew their leader's name was Cinder. The woman gave him the chills, but when Grey heard her male teammate say something about an emergency in the hospital, Grey's panic got the best of him and he ended up forgetting his need for secrecy, and began sprinting through the halls. He actually blacked out for a second. He only woke up once he felt Pyrrha slap him across the face as hard as she could without dislocating his jaw.

"Are you sure you wanna go in there?" she asked him, watching him rub the mark on his face lightly. Silently, he took a very deep breath and closed his eyes, pushing the curtain aside and stepping into the morgue.

"Grey?" someone said in front of him. A shot of tension shot down Grey's lumbar and the back of his neck, cementing him in place.

"If I open my eyes…" he said threateningly, "Promise me that this won't be a dream."

He didn't get an answer. He stubbornly waited in place, the brief time feeling like an eternity as he watched out of the corner of his eyes two pairs of feet stepped over to him, both covered in the slip resistant socks that hospitals give out. Their sterile gowns hung below their knees with tubes and cords hooked up to the consistently beeping machines trailing behind them.

"Don't be such a pansy, you dolt," a second voice said demandingly. Both of the voices belonged to the two girls standing above him, the first one that called his name finding home in the bubbly younger combat addict, and the second to the cold and commanding corporate heiress. As much he wanted to, he couldn't bring himself to look at them. He didn't want to risk looking into their eyes, only to see the life fade away from them again, but they didn't give him a choice. Ever so lightly, they placed their hands on his cheeks, one gentle and calloused, and the other smooth yet firm, lifting his face up until his teary gaze leveled on their own smiling faces.

"Guys… I…" he tried to bring himself to speak but couldn't, his face contorting into a joyful sadness as tears began to fall down his face. He couldn't bring himself to say how much he missed them- the words just wouldn't come out. Instead, he cleared his throat decided to take a slightly different route, his face growing distant and scolding. "Weiss, Ruby. You guys are in so much trouble. I've been spending the past week worrying about you after the battle, and now you just return as if nothing happened? Well, let me tell you both that a lot of drama did happen! I'll have you know that Professor Port actually started wearing kilts to class to show us all how real warriors dress. Do you realize how lucky you are that you got to miss that? The loving smiles on their cheeks never left their faces as the girls pulled Grey into a tight hug, Ruby nuzzling into the crook of his neck, and Weiss dropping her head against his other shoulder.

"Yeah… We missed you, too," Ruby said for both of them.

"Is it really you?" Grey asked, his arms wrapped tightly around them as if afraid to let them go, and unable to speak above a whisper lest a sob escape him.

"If you seriously don't think we're real, than there is no hope for you," Weiss teased, laughing at his expense as she pulled away from the hug, a blush colored her cheeks as her lips parted, her eyes looking into Grey's wantingly, "But I think I know one way to convince you."

Grey's lips split apart slightly as Weiss laced her arms into his jacket and began moving closer to him, her eyes closing. He could feel her warm breath brush against his face, his heart pounding heavily, and as his pulse hit his ears with every beat, his eyes beginning to shut on their own, instinctively, his hands found their way to Weiss's hips, pulling her in, but before they could connect, he felt the princess get torn from his grasp. Ruby pushed her out of the way and stole Weiss's moment, kissing Grey in her place. Grey blinked, stunned out of his mind.

"Dang it, Ruby!" Weiss shouted, stomping her foot, "That was my kiss!" Ruby turned and winked at her teammate.

"You snooze, you lose, Wei-Wei," she teased, starting yet another catty argument. Grey shook his head. He pinched the bridge of his nose, sighing tersely, his shoulders shaking with laughter as the grief from the past week faded from his mind and body, weighing him down when he felt the adrenaline and tension drop off of him. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of Yang, Blake, and Nora sprinting into the room, crying hideously. Ren, Pyrrha, and Jaune followed in after them, watching with some amusement.

"You know, Yang," Grey joked, changing the subject as she choked her sister in a vice like hug, "You are a really ugly crier- AGH!" Before he could finish that statement, the pugilist used a shotgun shell to blast him against the wall. Ruby and Weiss paused their argument to turn to the bigger issue, who clearly wasn't taking them seriously as she proudly smirked and shrugged her shoulders. Digging himself from the crater in the wall, Grey smiled for the first time since the battle earlier in the week. It was pretty clear to him now that this wasn't a dream, or even some kind of very specific hallucination. Things were really back to normal.

Over the years, Grey had learned not to question good things, and even if he could find some kind of answer as to how the dead had risen, he was more than positive that he didn't want to find it. Ozpin and Glynda stormed in a few minutes later with an angry look and dozens of questions. Ironwood came in not a second afterwards with Winter running in and tackling her little sister just as Yang had done with Ruby, and seeing how happy everyone was, the positive effect this crime against nature had on everyone, Grey resolved his things like this should clearly never be questioned.

(A/N) As always, like, review, follow, favorite, and post your theories in the comments! Next chapter will be up in a month as always.