Chapter 4: Early Rising, Late Departures:

Several hours passed in blissful silence. No more roaring of Grimm or mad cackling of Demons. Nor was the air filled with the sound of gunfire, screaming, or the clashing of steel. For the rest of the night, a peaceful calm fell over the town.

Then peaking over the forest, rays of sunlight bathed the town.

But what they revealed was not a pretty sight.

Off to the side, Yang sighed, "Think we're gonna get a bad review for this?"

"Unlikely." her partner mused, "It was mostly like this when we got here."

The logging town they had been sent to protect was beyond repair. While during the dead of night the town looked in bad shape, the sunrise showed all. It was a lost cause. The protective walls were in worn down from Grimm attacks and whatever that monster had done. Barely any of the villager's homes were left standing. The few that were still around were uninhabitable, not even the most lowly of lowlife would attempt living in one without the threat of a roof collapsing on their head.

Large pot holes and craters littered the town's courtyard. It would take days of hard work to smooth everything out again, not to mention getting the supplies needed to repair the place inside. The main gate of the settlement was literally gone, thrown aside like two knocked over playing cards.

And despite all that, the town's condition wasn't even the worst of it.

Both Yang and Blake watched as the few remaining villagers gathered at the center of their ruined home. Out of what had to be at least a hundred people who used to live here, only a scattered handful emerged from the demolished houses.

A couple of men, a few women but mostly it was nothing but kids. Young ones at that.

Blake figured they must have hid underneath the floorboards when the Grimm attacked. They were small enough to go unseen, and in the chaos the monsters wouldn't have noticed a few heads go missing in the carnage.

As the people emerged however, Blake noticed one of the children. A little girl with black hair slipped underneath one of the boarded up doors and ran over to one of the older kids. She latched onto a boy's leg, tears rushing down her cheeks.

She heard broken, sobbing cries as the little one pressed her face into the boy's damp pant leg. He reached down and ruffled her hair, calmly reassuring her that everything was alright.

Blake said nothing but a smile crept onto her face. A solemn one, but a smile nonetheless.

"Hey."

An elbow to her side brought Blake back to reality. She blinked, and looked at her partner. Yang was smirking at her, with one of those infectious grins.

That could only mean good things.

"So, how long will we bail him out of that?"

Blake followed the blonde's gesturing and came upon a sight that made even her wince.

Not too far from where the partners had settled was another duo, though this pair was far from conventional. The larger of the two was their Professor. Port was laughing, his jolly chuckles filling the air like a trombone. His hands were patting the shoulders of a much smaller teen, who looked like he was torn with being respectful and wanting to turn tail and run at the first opportunity.

Tanjiro Kamado, as he introduced himself, nodded patiently as the Professor went on and on about the boy's display of skill. Now that Yang and Blake could get a good look at him in the daylight, the boy wasn't as intimidating as he appeared last night.

Yang chuckled. Though, even her sister could appear intimidating if she showed up in the middle of one of the worst nights imaginable and collectively eviscerated some revolting monster in a matter of moments.

Looking at the boy now? Well, he was a bit shorter than either her or Blake but not overly so. She couldn't call him a shorty like Ruby or Weiss. He also had this wicked scar on the top of his forehead, oh and the widest of eyes. They honestly reminded Yang of her sister whenever she got excited over something. Though, his eyes weren't as shiny. Oh, and he also had that big checkered coat he wore. It seriously gave him something of a lumberjack vibe.

Yang scratched her chin. Were they sure he wasn't from the village? He'd totally fit in with that outfit.

"It was simply marvelous, marvelous my boy! I've never seen footwork like that before!" Port laughed, "Please, do tell, what school did you attend? I would much like to congratulate your instructor for their fine tutelage!"

Tanjiro lightly chuckled, clearly embarrassed, "Oh, well, thank you! But…um, to be frank, I never went to any type of schooling…"

"Oh?"

The boy slowly nodded, "Um yes. Mr. Urokodaki taught me everything I know. If it wasn't for him, I would have been dead a hundred times over by now…"

Port released the boy's shoulders and twirled his mustache, "Quite interesting. I never heard of such a man before, and you say he doesn't teach at any of the academies? Such a shame."

"Um, no, I'm sorry." Tanjiro shook his head, though a bit more hesitantly this time, "Mr. Urokodaki lives by himself in the mountains. He found me and taught me so much…I don't think I can ever repay him for his kindness…"

Once more, Port let loose a bellowing laugh. He patted the boy on the shoulders again with a bit too much force, "Ah, don't be down young lad! If there is anything I have learned in all my years as a Huntsman and a teacher, it's that there is nothing that warms a man's heart like seeing his student prosper and thrive after their time together is done."

"I'm sure if this Urokodaki fellow could see you know, he'd be nothing but proud!"

For a brief moment, Tanjiro turned his gaze downward. He stared, shifting his feet as the words bounced around in his head. But after a few seconds, the boy smiled and gave the Professor a sharp nod.

"Of course!"

Port laughed, "Of course, of course! Trust me lad, I should know! As one of the foremost teachers in my field, I have seen the best and brightest go on to do some of the most remarkable things! In fact, one comes to mind right now! It was from a few years ago, from one of my most brightest of graduating classes-"

Before the Professor could launch into another of his long winded tales, he stopped. His boasting was silent by the sound of a small beeping noise. Both him and Tanjiro looked around, caught off and confused by the sudden noise.

While Tanjiro frantically looked around for this bizarre sound however, the Professor merely blinked and reached into his back pocket. Much to the boy's continued confusion, the man calmly pulled out a small device from his back pocket. With the flick of his finger, Port pressed something on the device and strangely, the beeping ceased.

'What was that?'

Taking a moment to glance down at the device, Port gave it a sharp nod. He flicked something on the object's surface and turned back to Tanjiro. Unsurprisingly, he seemed to completely miss the look of bewilderment the boy had.

"Sorry about that," he apologized, "I'm afraid I'll have to cut our conversation short here. I just got word that our departure is swiftly approaching! So, it's time to gather up the survivors and get ready to make way, my boy!"

Tanjiro blinked, still a tad confused, "O-oh, alright then!"

"Fantastic! I look forward to continuing where we left off once we depart, but until then!"

Quite content, the rotund professor offered the boy a playful salute and left him to his own devices. Peter on the other hand, quickly made his way over to the few villagers that remained in town. He had a big smile, one that was hardly covered even by the majestic mustache. As he watched the man go, Tanjiro wished he could wear such a smile. But when his gaze drifted from the Professor to the townsfolk, his shrank.

He glanced around the village, taking in its decrepit state. Braunes Holz was a large town but he couldn't begin to ponder how many people called it home. But as he scanned the faces of those who remained, sorrow filled his chest. If he had been quicker, cut down those shadow monsters, done it more effectively, or maybe avoided them all together, what then? Could he have saved more? Would fewer have had to die?

There were so many questions plaguing his head. The last thing he remembered was, a mission. They were heading somewhere, meeting up with someone important. But on the way they ran into...something happened, it made his head hurt. Where were they now? His friends? What about their assignment? Why did everything smell so strange...wrong? And what about the moon!?

It was broken! Shattered to pieces!

He wanted to demand answers, scream at the sky for some sort of reprieve...but...what did that matter?

Tanjiro clenched his fist. So many questions, and they weighed him down. Like chained weights clamped to his feet. He could have been here sooner if not for that. Saved more.

How many had he let down by dragging his feet through the-

"So, finally escaped the endless jabbering of the mustache, huh?"

Before a sour mood could entrench itself in the depths of his brain, a new voice dragged Tanjiro out of his funk. He shook the thoughts away like loose cobwebs and turned to face the newcomers. To his surprise, it was the pair of girls. The same two who had been handling the Demon before his arrival. The one who threw the strange question was the blonde one, while her companion trailed behind, if only slightly.

"Um…excuse me?"

Yang chuckled, amused with both her quip and the confusion on the boy's face, "Nothing, nothing. Our professor just loves to hear himself talk, it's pretty much a death sentence if you get caught up in one of his stories."

Again, Tanjiro blinked, "I didn't think it was that bad…"

"You say that now, but imagine having to go through that while sitting in class for about two hours straight?"

Yang felt an immense sense of satisfaction when she saw Tanjiro's face wrinkle. It was just a bit, barely noticeable. Unbeknownst to the brawler, Tanjiro didn't mind the odd story. He heard plenty when he used to visit town in order to sell his family's charcoal. Often they were a relief from the stress of selling enough charred wood to keep his family going. What got the boy though was the implication. He was used to quick, short tales that could be over and done with in a few minutes.

But listening to that man drone on for hours on end, with no escape? It reminded him of his days training with Mr. Urokodaki. Isolated in the woods, alone, nothing but his training on his mind...

Madness is defined by doing the same thing over and over again, expecting a different result. It was kinda like that, but oh so boring!

"But enough about teach!" Yang exclaimed, "I'm far more interested in checkers over here!"

"...checkers?"

Yang chuckled. She reached over and pinched the boy's jacket, "You know, checkers, like the pattern on your shirt?"

"Oh."

Tanjiro still didn't get it.

"Ignore her. She has a habit of doing this," Blake noted, intervening for the boy's sake, "I'm convinced shes just bad with faces but still wants to sound cheeky about it."

Yang gasped with about as much mock hurt she could muster, "How dare-I'll have you know back a Signal, everyone was lining up to get one of my nicknames. It was basically a tradition!"

"So Jaune should be 'honored' you still call him Vomit Boy?"

The Brawler's smirk slipped, "Okay, not one of my finest moments. But hey, he likes it!"

"Sure he does."

Such a retort struck a cord within Yang, or at least her funny bone. Maybe that wasn't the best name she could give the blonde noodle. He hadn't exactly made the repeat mistake since that fateful day. But then again, her and Nora did often debate on a betting pool whenever Jaune had to board any type of flying vehicle. He often claimed how common his air-sickness was but the poor guy was still the only one who nearly lost his lunch every time they flew anywhere.

As the brawler took a moment to consider what she should call their sister team's leader, Tanjiro turned to her partner and offered his thanks, "Well, nevertheless, thank you for clearing that up, miss…"

As the boy's sentence trailed off, Blake realized a rather embarrassing fact.

Neither of them had introduced themselves yet, "Oh, right, sorry."

"I'm Blake, and this is Yang." she explained, gesturing toward herself and then to her teammate. Said Brawler snapped out of her musings and shot the boy a big grin.

"Sup."

Tanjiro, to his credit, didn't miss a beat. He flashed a bright smile and nodded happily at the pair, "Great! It's nice to meet you. Heh, I'd introduce myself but um…I kinda already did?"

The night before he had screamed his name to the heavens like some mad declaration. Tanjiro blushed. If the town hadn't been reduced to a bloody wasteland, someone would have given him a earful. Some poor soul would have slammed their windows open, peaked outside, and screamed at him close his damn mouth. It certainly wouldn't have been the first time that happened.

"Eh, forget about it." Yang chuckled, "You did enough already when you took care of the big and ugly, that was awesome!"

The Blonde Brawler grinned, happily watching as the boy's ears turned a light shade of red, "I mean…thank you kindly, but really I only did my duty…"

"Nah, nah." Yang shook her finger, "Don't give me that. I wore down the knuckles on my gloves beating the tar out of that jerk and then you showed up and dropped him in a minute. Now that was crazy."

Where it was out of an eagerness to see the boy embarrassed or genuine gratitude, Tanjiro wasn't sure. All the boy did feel was the heat rising on his face. Suddenly, his sandals looked far more interesting than gazing up at the lady heaping praise on him.

Luckily for the lad, Yang wasn't the only one there to offer her opinion.

"My partner laying it on thick aside."

Tanjiro looked up and saw the small, but thankful smile Blake offered him, "You really did help us out. Thank you."

"O-Of course!"

Steeling himself, the young slayer shook his head violently and raised it.

For the first time since arriving, Tanjiro got a real good look at the Beacon duo. Not their looks or how they presented themselves but something underneath. Like a flowing essence that pulsed from their very being. It wasn't a scent or something on the surface. Instead, it was deeper, so much deeper. He couldn't put his finger exactly on what it was, but it felt oddly familiar nevertheless.

Yang was like a mix of a raging flame and a calm campfire. Both bright and explosive but also warm and inviting. It was akin to a big fuzzy bear, something you'd have the urge to hug despite knowing it could rip you limb from limb. A good comparison he could make was the girl's hair. It was wild and untamed but also warm and very soft to look at. Both dangerous, yet welcoming.

Strangely though, even the idea of touching her hair sent shivers up Tanjiro's spine.

Blake on the other hand? Tanjiro swore she was nearly the polar opposite of her teammate. She had this aloof, stand-offish aura around her. Like someone who preferred to stay in the shadows. Oddly, within that shadow wasn't a hint of coldness nor dismissal. Instead, hiding within the blackness was something…trembling, uncertain perhaps? It was hard to tell. Whatever it was, Blake hid it well.

As he gazed up at her amber eyes, Tanjiro stopped.

His cheerful, embarrassed expression slid right off his face. His already wide eyes grew wider, blinking rapidly in Blake's direction.

"Um…Miss Blake?"

The girl raised a brow, somewhat surprised at the boy's sudden change in demeanor, "Yeah?"

"If it's not…too much to ask, um…do you mind me asking a question?"

Again, Blake blinked. Where did this come from?

"Sure, what is it?"

A pregnant pause filled the air. Tanjiro almost shrank in place. He looked around oddly, looking as if he had noticed something he shouldn't have. Was he being watched, was this a test or something? Or was he about to ask something he really should have left alone? All these questions stuffed his already crammed head but the moment his eyes saw what they did, he couldn't keep himself from asking.

"Um, well…" he muttered, "I just noticed it, but…what's that on your head?"

Blake narrowed her eyes, confused. Her head, was there something on her head? She couldn't feel anything. In fact, the top of her head felt oddly free and comfortable for some reason. That shouldn't be the case, not with her bow covering her-

"Oh…"

Yang glanced over to her partner and winced, "Ah, right."

Blake's ears shot upward in an instant. Right, the Demon had ripped her bow off back during their scuffle. In all the crazy carnage, finding her bow and reapplying it had completely slipped her mind.

A small hint of red slowly bloomed on Blake's cheeks. Did she seriously let this happen? Weeks at Beacon had gone by even thinking about her bow. It was practically her routine now. Wake up in the morning, shower, put her bow on, and go about the entire rest of the day not even thinking about it. But now, one small slip up and she forgot her bow even existed?

It was mortifying, especially after all the giggling she got from Ruby and Yang once the truth came out.

Slowly, Blake turned her gaze downward and met Tanjiro's.

Strangely, the boy wasn't overly shocked, disgusted, or anything she half expected from someone who randomly discovered what she really was. Instead, the boy's eyes were as wide as dinner plates and he looked utterly…confused?

"It's my ears…" she muttered, "I'm a Faunus."

Tanjiro's head tilted slightly to the side, "And that is…?"

Slowly, Blake's mortification melted away. What replaced it was a fair bit of skepticism and a raised brow.

Twice. This was the second time in the same day that she had met someone who didn't know what a Faunus was. Sure, she could excuse the giant monster who tried to eat her several times, but Tanjiro? What, did he live off in the forest, isolated from the rest of the world? Sure, there were settlements where seeing a Faunus was rare, but to have no idea what they even were? That was pushing it.

'Though…' she mused to herself, 'He did tell the professor that he used to live in the mountains…maybe that was it?'

There were always rare cases. People living in absolute isolation, eyes and ears closed off to the world. Blake couldn't dismiss the possibility. Her own team had compared her to something similar with her recent pass time of isolating herself in the library. Though, her team still didn't understand why she did that but that was neither here nor there. This was about someone being utterly clueless about what a Faunus was, it had nothing to do with her...right?

As the Huntress began her own little internal debate regarding her own...personal issues, she failed to notice a change in the boy's expression.

Tanjiro took one glance at Blake's contemplated look, how her eyebrows scrunched up and how quiet she suddenly became. Realization struck the boy like an iron hammer to the top of his noggin.

Oh no, he'd gone and upset her.

"Ah! No! Um…" he fumbled, "I didn't mean anything bad by it, I promise! I was just caught off guard and didn't know how to react, so-so I just asked! Please don't be upset!"

Blake blinked, "What? No, I'm not-"

"Aw, good going." Yang chimed in with a light elbow, "He made you upset, you made him upset, now we're just going around in circles."

"But I didn't-!"

"I'm sorry!"

This was gonna give Blake a migraine.

Taking a deep breath, the Faunus promptly ignored her partner's remarks and focused on Tanjiro. The kid was practically vibrating between bowing his head at her and repeating the same two words over again. It honestly reminded her of a certain Red-head back at Beacon. She had a rather unhealthy habit of apologizing too. Only, at least she was a bit more reserved about it most of the time.

Either way, Blake let out a small sigh and grabbed Tanjiro by the shoulders

Thankfully, the boy wasn't a wind up toy that had to be held down till it stopped. As her fingers brushed against the soft fabric of his coat, the apologies stopped and Tanjiro looked up with wide eyes.

"I'm not upset. Just…a bit confused," she clarified, "Have you really not heard of a Faunus before?"

Much to Blake's relief, another apology did not come out of the boy's mouth. Instead, he followed her example. He took a deep breath, and shook his head, "I'm afraid not. Back home I've never seen anything like your ears before…"

The closest thing Tanjiro could think of was Chachamaru, Lady Tamayo's little familiar. But that was an actual cat, not a person with similar ears.

There was a pretty big difference, especially when he saw them…move.

'It's actually a bit adorable.'

Blake however, was a bit stumped. Did he really not know what a Faunus was in any capacity? Not even from wise cracks and offensive jokes? It doesn't matter where on Remnant you were, at least a few of them typically slipped by. Tanjiro however, looked utterly clueless. But what was she to do? Explain exactly what a Faunus was or something? They came to town in order to slay some monsters and protect a village, not explain racial differences between humanity and the Faunus.

She was not even remotely prepared for this!

Luckily, Blake wasn't alone on this front. Yang, the moment she saw Blake's face scrunch up, she knew it was time to step in.

The Blonde Brawler slung an arm around Tanjiro's shoulders and pointed him toward Blake's ears, "Alright, just to get it out of the way. Quick rundown on what a Faunus is? They're just people with extra animal parts. Ears, tails, things like that? You see someone with cat ears, bunny ears, or a fluffy tail? That's a Faunus."

"Really? That's it?"

Yang waved her hand back and forth, "To put it simply? Pretty much."

"Yang!" her partner protested, "It's not that simple!"

The moment she said that, Blake's partner shot her a flat glare, "I'm tired, my hair is a mess, and we're still waiting on our ride to get here."

"Do you really want to pull a Oobleck and spend the next hour giving the guy a run down of all the nitty bitty bits that you guys have that we don't?"

Blake frowned. She opened her mouth to protest but promptly closed it.

Sure, she could give Tanjiro a long, ethical discussion on what a Faunus is, how they were different from humans, and other things. It wouldn't take an hour like Yang claimed, but it would be a lengthy discussion. But the more she considered it? Her legs were sore, her ears hurt from a monster yanking on them, and they did have a long ride home to sit through.

Yang smirked.

Oh, she wouldn't let her live this down. Not for at least a week.

"Anyway!" Yang laughed, "Now that's settled. You're gonna be riding back to Beacon with us?"

"Beacon?"

Yang hunched next to Tanjiro and waved her arm in a big, grand manner, "It's one of the biggest, baddest, most badass Huntsmen academies in the world. Blake and I go there. So once we're done here we'll be heading on home. Ya know, gotta get all these people somewhere safe after that prick wrecked everything. They don't even have a front door anymore."

"Oh," Tanjiro mused, but turned his head away, "I'm sorry, but I have business out here I still need to take care of."

That right there made Yang's mood deflate a bit, "Business? Like what?"

Tanjiro didn't answer. For a moment, his gaze turned away from Yang, Blake, and the village itself. His gaze traveled beyond the town, past the giant hole where the gate had been. Beyond the walls was a vast expanse of trees, a massive forest. There was a single dirt path leading from it into the settlement, but beyond that? There was naught but trees, grass, and foliage within. Quite the jungle in every direction.

"My friends…" he mused.

"I was traveling with two of my friends. We were…" he hesitated, "...separated sometime yesterday. I was trying to find them when I caught wind of the Demon here. If I'm lucky, they should still be in the forest somewhere."

Blake frowned, "If you're lucky…?"

The two Huntresses shared a look. They recalled their Professor's speech from earlier. Braunes Holz was basically a frontier town. A settlement far from any fully grown cities and was mostly self reliant. It had taken three days for Vale to hear about their troubles and get someone out there to help. And even then? They were too late. If any other towns were nearby, they might have had a better chance to assist before Beacon could.

But there wasn't, Braunes Holz was isolated. Simple as that. The Logging town was out in the middle of nowhere in the middle of miles of forest. For business purposes it was the perfect location for lumber but nothing else. And now that the town was a desolate ruin, there wouldn't be any hint of civilization for days, maybe even weeks of walking.

If Tanjiro's friends were really stuck somewhere in those woods, they could be anywhere.

So if the boy was willing to wander off in the forest to look for them, with no idea where either of them could possibly be...

"I…don't think that's such a good idea." Yang winced, "Were you guys gonna meet up somewhere? Maybe a place they could be hold up till you get there?"

At least then, maybe the Professor could convince the Pilot to make a pit-stop so they could collect his friends.

Unfortunately, Tanjiro shook his head, "We don't. The three of us had a destination in mind but when we were separated, I couldn't recognize any part of the forest anymore. It's like we spit out in random directions…"

Blake nodded, "Out in the wild, it's very easy to get turned around, especially when something unexpected happens."

Be it a freak storm, a sudden Grimm attack, or something even farther out of left field, navigating the wilds was never easy. Doctor Oobleck's class often covered tales of explorers of the past venturing beyond the Kingdoms in search of new lands, free of the Grimm. But as heroic and noble their pursuits sounded, Remnant wasn't kind to the curious. Blake distinctly remembered a pop quiz the Doctor threw at them on the subject of why these expeditions typically failed.

Even Weiss was upset over the sheer number of multiple choice answers it had.

Tanjiro nodded in agreement, "Yes, and one of my friends…isn't exactly the best at dealing with...anything really. Thankfully, my other friend is very experienced with navigating forests. So as long as they're together, they should be fine until we meet back up."

He could honestly picture it. A mop of blonde hair screaming his head off while a shirtless barbarian drags him by the foot through the forest, all the while screaming his head off. The mental image fits them like a glove.

"Hm…" Yang mused, "Nope, sorry. I still think this is a bad idea."

Tanjiro frowned, "Then what would you suggest? I won't leave my friends out there."

He wouldn't budge on this. It wouldn't be the first time the trio had been in a forest filled with unknown horrors, twists and turns, and an uncertainty of escape. In fact, counting Final Selection and the numerous missions they had been on, this would be the third time such a thing had happened. The only major difference being the lack of Demons prowling around and the addition of the Grimm. Nevertheless, leaving without his companions just felt…wrong.

"How about this," Blake suggested, "Come with us to Beacon. We can inform the faculty of what happened to your friends and get someone trained in search and rescue, who are trained for this sort of thing."

Yang punched the air, "Yeah! You already got yourself a good impression with Prof. Port! Maybe if we're lucky, our team might get selected to help out! We can comb this forest in no time!"

"You'd honestly do that?"

Grinning, Yang gave the boy a playful punch in the shoulder, "Damn straight. You saved our bacon, so why can't we return the favor?"

Hesitation swelled in Tanjiro's chest. He couldn't deny the logic being thrown his way. This wasn't the forest he and the others had been in. It smelled all wrong. Plus, these shadow creatures, the Grimm, were throwing his sense of direction off completely. The entire forest reeked with their scent. The only reason he found his way to town was due to the sheer intensity of the blood in the air. The sheer fact they were active night and day didn't help.

But, could he really just leave? The girls were friendly, sure and they made good points. Being in uncharted territory, having some additional help couldn't hurt.

'But how long might that take?' he muttered, 'I can't just leave them here for days…'

The troublesome question slammed the boy's mind back and forth like a hammer in a forge. If it was up to him, he'd already be in those woods, calling out their names without abandon.

But what did his training say about being reckless like that?

His mind flashed to the mountains, the Final Selection. That Hand Demon who gleeful boasted about killing so many of Mr. Urokodaki's students. His gleeful taunting of how he brutally slaughtered Makomo and Sabito. Tanjiro let out an enraged roar and charged in, slicing and dicing the arms like he was a wild animal. His efforts ended with him nearly getting his spine broken against the trunk of a tree.

Then there was the Spider Demon.

He tried to take his sister. Those infernal threads, all that blood. Again and again, he rushed in with rage in his heart. The demon could have killed him so easily on several occasions. If it wasn't for his sister…if it wasn't for the Demon belittling him…

He would have died.

All because he lacked…

'Control,' he sighed, taking a breather, 'I need to have control.'

Rushing into the depths of that forest was only a one way trip to getting lost, or worse. He had to believe in his friends. They weren't the most responsible, or sensible people he had ever met, but if the duo had one thing going, it was this.

They were too stubborn to give up, for better or worse.

Taking a moment, a deep breath and clenching his fists, Tanjiro turned to Yang and placed his hand on her own, "Alright. I see your point."

Almost immediately, the boy's head found itself in a hug that was far too soft for his liking.

"Awesome!"

Yang wrapped both her arms around the boy's head and squeezed him in a tight hug. It happened so suddenly that the teen didn't have the chance to slip away before his sandals left the ground. Despite her feminine wilds, the Blonde Buster had the grip strength to bend metal. It was almost like Tanjiro was a stuffed animal being man-handled by someone didn't know their own strength.

Or she did, and just got a kick out of embarrassing people like this.

Blake shook her head at her partner's antics. Oh, she didn't stop Yang from practically suffocating the boy against her chest. That was basically a given. Yang often got a bit too touchy feely when she was happy, something her sister complained about non-stop whenever she was on the receiving end of it. And she wasn't the only one.

Still, she was glad. At least they wouldn't have to worry about someone walking to their death in a Grimm infested forest anytime soon.

That just left getting him some actual help once they got back to Beacon.

Speaking of which, as Tanjiro slowly pried himself free of Yang's hug, a thought came to mind, "Um, I don't mean to be rude, aside from you nearly killing me!-But, how are we going to get to this…Beacon place?"

The duo had mentioned that they were miles away from the nearest village. After all the concern they sent his way about going into the forest, how were they going to get to this illustrious academy? Not only would walking by foot be dangerous but they also had the Professor and all of the survivors to escort as well. With the Grimm prowling about it wouldn't be easy.

Unbeknownst to the boy, things were happening near the center of the ruined town. Professor Port had gathered the remaining villagers toward the center of town. With his scroll in hand, the man silently urged everyone to gather around.

Overhead, a sudden gust of blew through the town. Wind rushed in so suddenly, it nearly knocked Tanjiro off his feet. If Yang still didn't have a grip around the boy's neck, he might of went tumbling like a overturned basket.

Odder still, the wind wasn't alone. As the village trembled underneath the sudden turbulence, a large shadow began to form, dead center in the middle of town.

Tanjiro looked around confused. For a multitude of reasons. Where did this wend come from? The air was calm as day just a few moments ago. And what of this shadow? He hadn't caught of whiff of rain all night. Shouldn't be any rain clouds near them and it was the early stretches of the morning. Did the weather change on a dime in this part of the world?

"What's going on?"

Blake looked up, her eyes squinting, "That would be our ride."

Well that didn't help matters! What could that mean? Tanjiro looked baffled at the girl and reluctantly, he looked up.

His eyes, almost literally, felt like they popped out of his skull.

"WHAT?!"

Vale, Airborne, sometime later.

He couldn't believe it. Not a bit of it.

For the past couple of hours, Tanjiro's mind like it had packed its backs and taken a holiday on him. That had to be it, he reasoned. There was no other real explanation he could think of.

His brain called in a favor and abandoned him the moment he laid his eyes on this strange metal contraption.

What could he even call it? A vehicle? A machine? Some kind of strange mythical bird that flew people around as some manner of transport? All seemed to fit but nothing eased the boy's head enough for it all to make sense.

Though, the headache might be because of a different reason. That being, Tanjiro hadn't stopped pressing his face against the window since the moment he boarded the Bullhead.

"Still enjoying the view?"

Sitting across from the lad, Yang couldn't hide her grin. This had to be the second most amusing thing she'd seen while aboard a Bullhead. The first being that time a hyper-crazed Nora tried to ride a ship going at full speed while standing on one of its wings. She claimed it was because of a bet (Ren denied it), but everyone else assumed it was due to the pot of coffee she guzzled that morning.

After that stunt, the remaining members of her team made sure Nora would get her studying done early in the afternoon instead of staying up through half the night. No more extra strong caffeine to keep her awake during Professor Port's class.

Either way, Tanjiro still came in at a very solid second place for Yang's amusement.

The boy practically shut down the moment he saw the Bullhead come in for a landing. As the Professor and Blake calmly escorted the villagers onto the ship, the poor shrimp was stuttering up a storm. He tried to ask a handful of questions but the Slayer could barely string together a sentence before someone dragged him onboard as well.

Since then, his face had all but glued itself to the nearest window and hadn't come loose during the entire flight.

It kinda killed any small talk Yang wanted to get in but the sheer amusement more than made up for it. He was like a small puppy being in a car for the first time. Wanting nothing but to stick his head out the window and enjoy the wind on his face.

Blake didn't enjoy the comparison for obvious reasons but even she thought it was funny.

Thankfully for Tanjiro, no one else was around to notice his utter absence from the material plane. The village refugees had all cluttered around the front of the ship. They were shaken up pretty fierce but mostly, the group simply wanted to stick together. No one could blame them for that. Losing their home, bearing the blunt force of a full scale grim incursion, and that monster that tormented them? Everyone deserved a break after that.

Professor Port meanwhile, he kept himself busy in the cockpit. Once the ship was in CCT range, Blake assumed he had gone to radio Professor Ozpin about how things had gone. The mission, the survivors, and maybe even Tanjiro.

Knowing the Professor though? Any report he made was likely to be a lengthy one.

Speaking of Tanjiro though, the boy quite literally was in his own little world. His eyes darted back and forth, utterly amazed at what he was looking at out the window.

"The Town…" he muttered, "It's unbelievable…"

Yang leaned back in her seat, arms propped behind her head, "Vale isn't too shabby, now is it?"

Not too shabby? Tanjiro couldn't comprehend that description. When he and his sister first visited a modern city after shortly beginning their journey, Tanjiro was sure his brain had fried itself. The lights, the crowds, the noises. It was all so overwhelming. He and his family had lived on the mountain all of their lives. Their little hut was peaceful if simplistic and even when he visited town to sell his charcoal, it was pretty common compared to a actual city.

But Vale? Seeing it, let alone from the sky? That was a whole different matter.

Tall stone buildings with tiled rooftops. Crowded sidewalks with people going about their day peacefully. They had shops with large open displays and massive glass windows. There were these strange, horseless carriages moving up and down the streets. Tanjiro even saw more Faunus among the many groups of people. Yang had been right about the different animal features. Even up high, Tanjiro swore he saw some with different ears, horns, and maybe a tail or two.

It was just so bizarre, seeing all of this from on high. The highest Tanjiro had ever gotten in his life was from climbing an extra tall tree. Yet now, he was flying like one of the crows that often accompanied him and his allies on assignments.

Was this what they saw every time they took flight?

"If you think this is nuts, just wait until we get to Beacon. It'll blow your socks off."

Tanjiro only numbly nodded, still enraptured by the sights before him. Yang didn't mind however, she was sure seeing the school would snap the kid out of his trance. She still remembered her sister's first day and how thrilled she was when the school came into view. It just piled onto the already extensive lists of reasons why that day was so special. One giant candle on top of the birthday cake.

That was until the moment was broken by a certain Vomit Boy spewing chunks all over her new boots.

Yang huffed. That nickname was well earned, no one could convince her otherwise.

As the Brawler thought back to that fateful day, she realized something when she looked between Tanjiro and her ruined boots. Back during Beacon's Introduction day, everyone arrived at the school with just a few changes of clothes. Some pajamas, a few sets of outfits, stuff to sleep on, and some personal things. No one but the most confident of students brought all of their stuff for the school year just in case they didn't pass initiation. They were allowed to collect everything else during the following weekend.

Looking at Tanjiro however, both Yang and Blake noticed that…he didn't have much.

Back at the logging town, it was easy to assume he had simply left his things outside town. Tucked away, out of the danger zone while he leaped into the fight. That way he could come back and get everything later when it was safe.

But as they boarded the Bullhead, that assumption was proven false.

Tanjiro had nothing but the clothes on his back. Literally. He has his outfit, his checkered coat, a pair of sandals, his sword, and that strange box he carried around since arriving. The latter two were sitting in the seat next to their owner. The sword leaning against the wooden box as its wielder was immersed with the sights out the window.

Mid-flight, Yang found her curiosity bubble up on the subject of that box. Maybe it was the boredom, or just her mind wondering. But for the life of her, Yang pondered what could possibly be in there.

Was that where he was hiding spare clothes? Maybe some hiking equipment? He did mention that he and his friends were doing some traveling before they got separated. Or, was it was some sort of strange ritual box containing some ancient evil he was gonna go bury out in the boonies where no one could possibly find it?Maybe another one of those Demon things he killed back at that frontier town?

Yang snorted. Okay, that might be pushing it but still. She was curious. Long flights plus boredom gave way to weird ideas.

She nearly debated sneaking a peak while Tanjiro was lost in his own little world but a stern glare from Blake shut down that route.

"Spoil sport." she grumbled.

Still, the curiosity was still there. So after a couple minutes of tapping her foot against the metal floor, Yang bit the bullet, "Hey, Tanji?"

"That's not my name," Tanjiro responded with almost practiced ease, "But yes?"

"What's up with that big box you've been carrying around?" she asked, pointing to said box, "I mean, it looks cool and everything, but if you needed a backpack, I'm sure you could have found something a bit less…"

Blake peaked down from her scroll, "...cumbersome?"

"I was gonna say it's a pain in the back, but that works too."

Finally, after the longest of time, Tanjiro pried his face away from the window. He had a big red mark on his cheek due to the glass but he ignored it. The boy's attention quickly shifted from the wondrous view to the box in question.

His expression softened, eyes dimming slightly. He gently reached over and brushed his fingertips against the wooden surface.

"It's nothing special." he mused, "Just something that's been in my family for quite a while."

"A family heirloom?"

Tanjiro wordlessly nodded, satisfying Blake's question. His gaze however, slowly drifted toward the front of the box. Instead of a flat wooden surface, there was a small door with a little metal hatch attached to it.

Seconds passed, and yet Tanjiro stared, almost waiting for something to happen. As much as his eyes willed it however, the box didn't budge. The door remained as it was.

Closed.

With a sigh, Tanjiro relented his staring and turned back to the window. He gave the box one last pat and left it by itself. Instead, he turned his gaze back toward the city of Vale. This massive town was still hard to comprehend. Unless someone spent hours upon hours walking up its winding streets, through its smoothly paved roads, and visited each and every shop, there was no way to really feel just how large the city was. But in the air? He could see everything.

And far, far in the distance, beyond the townsfolk and their homes?

Tanjiro swore he saw something rising out of the horizon. It was far away, still several minutes out from wherever this 'Bullhead' was going. To his eyes, it looked to be some sort of shapeless, gray blob. Until they got closer, it looked almost impossible to get a good read on what exactly it was. A mountain rage in the distance? More of the city? Some sort of temple on the outskirts of town? It was an enigma.

Except for one thing. There was one detail that even miles away, Tanjiro swore he could see clearly.

A large, Emerald Tower, rising in the distance.

Like a Beacon.

AN: Welcome back everyone.

Sorry this one took a bit longer than a week. We had the Volume 9 finale of RWBY that came out (One that I really enjoyed, now the wait for V10 to be greenlit and released is gonna be hell, as it always is), more Demon Slayer in the meanwhile, and just a bunch of personal stuff happened. It was a bother, but thats besides the point. We're back, and with a bit of a tamer chapter after two chapters of nonstop fighting. As you an see, Tanjiro isn't alone (not that he was ever), his companions are around...just missing in action at the moment. Eh, I wouldn't worry about them. They'll show up sooner rather than later.

Either way though, next time we arrive at Beacon, meet some more familiar faces, and Tanjiro might have to provide some answers if he wants to get some of his own!