The forest's red leaves fell around his head, swirling in the wind. A scent of sweetened pine mixed among them. Gregor snatched one and rolled the crimson between his fingers as he examined it. "Nothing." He muttered, casting the leaf aside. "Absolutely nothing."

Ahead of him, the girls continued their slow pace through the woods. He had no way of tracking the time but the sun was beginning to fall behind the trees and it had been much higher when the search of the forest had begun. Since entering the red woods, they had seen nothing.

For a long time the girls remained on guard, but after a time they had settled. When no attacks seemed immanent they had simply walked, occasional conversation between Ruby and Yang breaking the stillness. Until Now, Gregor had done everything in his power to avoid speaking. He sidestepped any questions passed his way and feigned deafness when he couldn't think of better way out.

Blake seemed to be the only one who noticed. She shot the man glances every few minutes and had made several offhand comments. None had elected a reaction from him. While they had lowered their guard with no sign of attack he seemed to be expecting the trees themselves to attack them at any second.

Gregor stood looking up at the red trees around him. He had seen forests like this before in another world. Red leaves and Grass that went on miles. This forest had something more to it. He could feel some kind of evil in the air. A greasy stain somewhere beneath the sweet scent of the leaves and bark around him, but despite the sick sense they had yet to encounter anything.

"Does it bother anyone else we haven't seen any Grimm?" Ruby asked, turning back to Blake and Gregor. Yang shrugged but Blake seemed more disturbed.

"They may be avoiding us, but I haven't seen any trace of them. I haven't heard anything either. If they are hiding, they are doing a very good job." She reported.

"No sign of Darkside either." Gregor added. "He's not here."

"You're sure?" Ruby asked and he nodded. With a long sigh he let his collapse and fell into a seat among the red leaves. A few errant red dots clung to his grey hair as the plume settled.

Yang stepped next to the fallen man with hands on her hips. "Even if we did find him, what are you going to do?"

Gregor paused and focused his eyes on the blonde beside him, the dark iris intent. "I'm going stop him. Kill him if I can."

"You sure you can?" he turned his head to Ruby who stood a bit further away, one arm tucked behind her back and rocking on her feet. "I mean, you got beat up by that guy from before. If Darkside is so bad, can you really beat him?"

"I didn't want to kill that guy. I was holding back." Yang arched a brow at his words and he seemed to notice turning on her. "I'm not lying." He defended.

"I didn't say you were."

"I was holding back."

"Hey I get it."

He opened his mouth to speak but stopped, letting his jaw fall closed with a huff. "I have to find him first. He's still hiding somewhere else."

"How do you know he's not hiding here somewhere?" Blake added, giving the trees around them a wary glance. There was nothing moving beyond the shadows but if he was as powerful; as Gregor lead them to believe there was no reason he couldn't conceal his presence.

Gregor gave something between a laugh and a scoff. "If he was here he wouldn't be able to resist messing with us." His shoulders fell as he spoke and his tone dropped. "He may be a brilliant cunning monster but he is extremely petty and sadistic. He won't expose himself to me right now, but he wouldn't be able resist testing me and you."

"Why wouldn't he attack directly?" Ruby asked settling into the grass beside him.

The boy held up his book. He gave the leather tome a slight shake as he spoke. "I've got the book. I'm stronger than him right now and he knows it."

"So he'll hide." Blake added taking a seat beside Gregor.

The boy shook his head. "He'll never hide, he just plans. He'll keep his distance but it's not in his nature to lay low and hide. He almost can't help but cause trouble and chaos. It's as much a part of him as breathing. Wherever he is, destruction will be right behind him."

"I still don't get why having a book makes you so much stronger than him?' Yang finally gave in and fell among the leaves with her friends, her hair splaying among the grass and snaking among natures remnants. "It's a book. They get boring after a while."

The other two girls gave the blond a pair of venomous glares she remained oblivious to. Gregor simply rubbed the cover of the tome in his hands idly as he spoke.

"The book is how we've moved between worlds. It's the only thing that came with me from my home. It's been with me in every world and even though I still don't know everything about it I know a few things for sure. When I'm holding it, it's like a well of power. I can draw on it. With that power I can do a lot more."

Blake turned her eyes to the man. He was lost in thought. His eyes glazed over the book in his lap. Another image fell over him. This one, a ghostly glimpse of him with book in hand, radiant light flowing form his body.

"Ok." Ruby said defiantly turning on her butt to face the man. "So we just have to find this guy."

"No." He whispered. He closed his eyes and slowly turned to face Ruby before opening them on her. His brow creased. "I know you want to help but this isn't some hunt you can follow me on. This is going to take time. Don't look at me like that, it's not about protecting you it's about letting you all have your lives." He added as Bake opened her mouth to object.

He wasn't wrong. AS the girls traded glances they admitted it to themselves as well. School stared back tomorrow and it wouldn't let them go chasing some bad guy on the whim of a stranger. Gregor seemed to sense his victory, turning away from the girls before falling back into the leaves with a grunt. The act threw red leaves into the air, swirling through the air in a chaotic mass around the girls.

"I like it here." He muttered.

"What do you like?" Yang asked turning a curious brow to him.

"It's beautiful." He laughed the response, as if it was obvious. "It smells wonderful too. Like some weird mix of pine and sweet flowers. I've seen some great places in the past but never a red forest."

"What kind of places have you seen?" Ruby asked, drawing her knees to her chest and falling with the others to glance up at the trees.

"More places than you can imagine." He said. His tone dipped but the way he spoke reminded Ruby of Qrow's voice when he told old war stories. "I've seen the great mountains of Gimel, the crystal seas of Calera, the wax forest of Calderon and more. I've even seen a place where clouds were firm enough to lay on and take a nap."

"That's impossible." Yang added while crossing her hands behind her head.

"Not there. The rules are different. I wish I could tell you even half of it but it would take ages to explain." A beaming smile pulled at his face as the memory touched him. "It's not even the places, it's the people sometimes. I've met some incredible people. The Valkyries, warriors born with these powerful wings. Kids who are ghosts, young men that are old and people with more courage than they have brains"

"What about your home?" Ruby asked, turning to look at the boy. A playful smile was painted across her face. "What kind of world do you come from? Is it filled with flying animals and magical trees?"

Greg scoffed. "No, my home was very average. Come to think of it, I'm not sure average is a word I'm allowed to use anymore." Blake chuckled and even Yang drew her eyes back to the boy as he spoke. "My world had no magic. We dint have monsters running around, dust or anything like that. We just kind of got through day to day. It was simple but there was a lot to appreciate about it."

"What happened?" Yang asked turning to look.

"Darkside." As if it were final, Greg rolled back to sitting position. They all looked at his back. His grey shoulders fell and rolled. "When Darkside came into existence my world didn't have to power to fight him off. I wasn't strong enough back then and he killed everyone. In the end I managed to beat him enough to throw him back in the book he came from, but I had to chase him. Make sure he didn't do it again somewhere else."

He gave a long sigh as his fingers played at the pages. "That was a long time ago. As far as I know, my home is gone."

Yang looked to him and let her eyes fall away before she muttered. "Sorry.".

"Don't be. You didn't know." Blake looked at Greg but then turned her gaze away when he caught her eyes. She did know, not everything but she could remember fleeting image. Fractured memories of a home, of family, fleeting and far away. Dwelling on them made her eyes water.

"Well, what about the guy who attacked you two?" Ruby added from her spot. "Was that guy working with him? Maybe we can find this Darkside guy if we find that guy instead."

"Whoever that guy was he's not connected to Darkside. Blake might know who he is though." Gregor said with a shrug.

No one looked to see Blake's face pale as he spoke.

"How would she know?" Yang asked turning to look at Gregor. The boy rolled his hands up without facing her.

"All I know is she called him by name before I showed up. She must at least know who he is. So maybe you can explain why he did that Blake." His words fell into silence when he turned and saw the way her face was creased, the tight line her mouth was pressed into. "Crap. I messed up didn't I?"

"No." The faunus sat up and pulled her legs to her chest. "They deserve to know." It wasn't a lie. Her team did deserve to know about the man from her past, the threat he apparently imposed. It didn't make her any happier to bear that part of her past to her friends.

"Deserve to know what?" Yang asked, now pulling from her space next to the black haired woman. With a soft touch her heavy arm wrapped around the smaller girl's shoulder. "Is it about the White Fang?" Blake nodded once into yang's arm.

"You don't have to hide from us Blake." Ruby added, joining her sister beside her friend. Her small head bobbed as Ruby gave a halfhearted smile.

It was tempting. She knew if she said so they wouldn't pressure her. Ever since the weekend she disappeared they had respected her privacy so long as it wasn't dangerous. They encouraged her and she had shared some of her happier times in the White Fang, even some of the random moments from her childhood and how she felt about the new group.

She hid the reality. She didn't mention the hatred she still felt, the times she had been treated low, left out and outright hated by others for who she was. She never mentioned it but they never asked. This wasn't the same. This would be direct lying to her friends. In truth it wasn't any different, but in her mind it was enough to force her to speak.

She forced the sick feeling in her chest away and faced Ruby without a smile. "No." She muttered as firmly as she could. "You deserve to know. I didn't think he would ever come back, that's why I never told you."

"Hey don't sweat it," Yang added, her infectious smile returning. "I haven't told you about all of my boyfriend's either. I've got some real stories I could tell, if you know what I mean." She gently ribbed her friend with her elbow electing a burning red hue from Blake's face.

"Eww yang!" Ruby yelled covering her ears and shaking her head. "That's nasty! I don't want to Hear that!"

"Oh come on, you're growing up. I bet you've had eyes on Jaune since you got here." The older turned her attention her little sister, grabbing and ruffling the bubble of red and black hair.

As the two continued to spit remarks, Blake watched, a genuine smile touching her lips. Gregor shifted and she saw him sit back, a smile on his lips but he turned away. His face looked as if it couldn't decide to be happy or start crying.

"That's… That's not even…" Whatever Yang's last comment had been it left Ruby speechless and Yang sneering at her younger sister. With a face as red as her hood Ruby buried it her arms, crossed over her drawn knees, trying shut out her sister's now growing laughter. While it was funny to watch, Blake came to the young girl's rescue.

"Yang, Adam was never my boyfriend." The statement seemed to pull the blonde's attention from tormenting her sister and even succeed in getting a red faced Ruby to remove her eyes from her sleeves to face her friend. "We were friends, but never like that." The idea was making her burn up a little. It wasn't that Adam hadn't been attractive and strong. Firm in what he believed and always there, but it had never become anything more than that.

"So, why would he try to hurt you?" Ruby asked, the red faded from her cheeks, now replaced with a look of curious trepidation.

"He embraced the White Fang's violent new course. I didn't." She looked down as she spoke. "He was more than willing to let people get hurt and killed if it was for the cause. I couldn't stand it. So during one of our missions, I left. He was the last person I saw before I left the White Fang. I always assumed he hated me for abandoning him, but I never thought he hated me so much."

She didn't want to show it but just thinking about it was making her hands clench. Having to see the results of burning the bridges with the White Fang hurt. Knowing it was there was one thing, having it chase you down was another.

The girls noticed. Yang's hand found its way to rest on the girl's shoulder and Ruby sat at attention, a child enthralled by the story but respectful of the message it carried. The clearing filled in silence before it was broken by two sounds, one following the other.

"That's horrible!"

"Jesus Christ!"

From above, the bright burning ball of color fell, hanging upside down. Sun looked around the group after adding his opinion. In the same instant, Greg screamed and leapt to his feet, brandishing his book like sword at the newcomer. With a lazy roll, Sun fell from the tree and landed in a cross legged place beside Blake, facing Greg. "You ok?"

"Why the hell would you sneak up on us like that?" The other boy yelled. His chest beat with heavy breaths while he stared down the other boy.

"I didn't. I've been here the whole time." With an absent motion he bit into the banana in his hand. "I mean what's the big deal?" he added as he chewed.

"It's rude to talk with your mouth full." Gregor added, settling back into his spot. Sun seemed to ignore the boy's comment. As the two had argued, the girls had stared at the faunus as he descended the tree and settled in with them. No one felt the need to voice a concern over his apparent spying and sudden interruption. Greg let his gaze linger over Sun and his bag of food. "You got any apples?"

He caught the casually thrown fruit and appraised it before taking a hefty, loud bite.

"Why were you following us Sun?" Blake asked refusing another piece of fruit he offered. He smiled but she wouldn't let herself do the same. After a moment his faltered.

"Just curious why a group of girls goes running off into forest with a strange boy." Sun shot a fleeting glace towards Gregor. "After all the noise in town I was curious." He added with a shrug.

She let herself smile now. Curious was Sun's way of saying he was worried. The boy had been hanging around them a lot, despite his status as a foreign student and their implied rivalry he had been nothing if not kind and amusing for the last month. Loudmouth and with a vague respect of the law, he was good when he tried. "We were looking for someone."

"Well you found him." He declared pointing a thumb to his own exposed chest and laughing. Ruby joined him and Yang soon after. Blake didn't laugh but her smile persisted. It wasn't likely she could get a straight answer out of the boy so she resolved to let his snooping go. It was well intended if nothing else.

"How much did you hear Sun?" Gregor asked, now seated again and swallowing his apple in small bites.

The golden haired boy faced the grey headed one with a look of half interest, idly eating his own food before he spoke. "I only just caught up. But I did hear enough about you talking about other worlds. Guess there is more to you than I thought."

"You shouldn't judge a book by its cover." Yang added with a firm wave of the hand from her position in the grass. Everyone gave a collective sigh except Sun. The boy slapped her hand with a firm chuckle of satisfaction.

Greg turned his head to the sky before taking another large bite from the apple. "It's getting late." He said staring at the sun as it descended behind the trees. The rays began to bath the world in burning oranges and darkening reds that gave the forest floor a menacing yet luminescent quality.

"Well Sun, can I trust you to get these ladies back home safe and sound?" Gregor said, rolling to his feet and hurling the remains of his apple into the forest.

The faunus chuckled. "I doubt you have to worry about that." He said with a grin. After a moment of appraising the smile Gregor let it go, hoping it wasn't as creepy as he thought.

"Where are you going?" Ruby asked, rising to her feet as well.

"I'm off to find Darkside." He said opening his book. "He's out there and I'm gonna find him. With any luck it won't take long and I can stop him before he does any major damage."

"You're just going to leave?" Yang whined from her position rolling to face the boy.

"What about us?" Blake added.

"You live your lives." He said with a weak shrug. "Just pretend I never showed up. With any luck we'll never see each other again."

"Ow." Sun said with mock hurt, putting a hand to his chest.

"That's not it." The boy defended weakly, sounding more tired than annoyed. "If I do my job right, then you won't see trace of me or Darkside ever again."

"You can't come back afterwards?" Ruby asked.

His face fell as the girl spoke. "Yeah, are you too good to come back and say hi?" Yang added only making the boy look more dejected. Blake was about to interject when he brightened up suddenly.

"Yeah, you're right. I can manage to come back some day. Might be awhile though." The smile was forced, almost painfully so but the sisters seemed ignorant to it. As they agreed to terms, Blake caught his eyes. There was a lie behind his face.

She watched Gregor make more false promises to return and take Ruby up on offers of good food, happy activities and Yang's suggestive ideas. It was amusing to see the strange boy blush.

"Sun," he added getting the other boy's attention. Gregor offered his hand down to the other fighter. "Wish we could have gotten along a bit better."

Sun smirked and waved his hand. "Don't sweat it."

He gave a nod of his head to Blake and added. "Now, who wants to see one last magic trick?" Ruby's hand shot up but she quickly pulled it back when she saw no one else move.

Gregor didn't seem to notice, stepping away from the group and opening his book in one hand. With a wave, the pages began to tear their way free of the book, floating of their own accord about him as if he were the center of a tornado. Ruby watched as the pages arranged behind him, latching to his back like glue and began to take a shape. After the pages settled, more than should have been in the book, Gregor gave one swift beat of his new paper wings and soared into the air through the red trees and into the world beyond.

Sun was the first to speak after sound of windswept paper faded. "Ok, I'll admit it. That was pretty cool."

Author's notes: Holy exposition Batman! This was a really long one with a lot of edits but I like how it ended up. I do understand that this was a lot of exposition but I had to get some of this information out there. I hope I got it out so it wasn't boring to read.

So volume 2 is coming out now. I have yet to watch it but I must. I will try to keep to my schedule as much as I can even as I hopelessly fan boy over this series.

It's that time again, where I fall to my knees and cry like a baby for people to leave a review/comment for the story! ….. You should do that.