AN: I don't like this chapter much, it just feels like something is missing, tell me what you think. I felt like I could've done better, although, I'm not sure where.

lorhob09: Yes, Lu Bu will be in the story, and some of the other characters from RoR too. I've already got something planned for Lu Bu and that's the next character I plan to focus on after Adam, of course, Adam will still be mentioned throughout Lu Bu's Arc because you know how Lu Bu is, he loves a good challenge, but a fight between Lu Bu and Adam is way far from now.

Anyway, enjoy the chapter, and tell me how you feel about the chapter in the reviews, I enjoy improving my work and writing.

How does a child have peace of mind after they lose someone dear to them? Do they even perceive that the person they've held dear is gone, forever? So, how about distracting them from the thought, like eating sweets? Sure, it would distract them for a little while, but it wouldn't be a permanent solution. What about friends? Friends aren't formed through intervention but through bonds, you cannot force friendship nor would you be the one to decide who they're to be friends with.

The answer is, you can't. A bond that becomes unbreakable over the years is something you can never forget, you can only distract them, make them remember less of that very precious person they've held dear. Only time would be your accomplice with that solution, patience being your friend along the way.

But it does not give that child peace of mind, only a distraction. What does that make you from the child's view? How would you view yourself?

I can't say I know, my children all view me differently, but I believe they view me as a father.

They're all my children, no matter how young or old they get, I still love them the same.

Creak

Yang opened her eyes, it was dark, their room always was since they never slept with the lights on. Don't get her wrong, she would rather sleep with the lights on. It wasn't because she was scared of the dark, and even if she was she wouldn't admit it, but because of Ruby. When she learned about the grimm she associated the darkness with them. But because her dad doesn't like wasting electricity they can't leave the lights on all night.

He's picky about a lot of things, like if you tried getting close to the thermostat he would know it from across the house or even from outside. She found it amusing, but she didn't think her dad would like that right now.

Her dad also never liked them touching his tools or misplacing them, even though he's the one who misplaces them. But she didn't care what her dad lost, be it phone, wallet, tools, etc. She always knew what her dad was thinking, like whenever he was staring at Mom's bottom, he was thinking of dirty stuff.

Or whenever he gave a sweet smile to her Mom, that meant that he really loved her at that moment. Then there was her and Ruby, she always loved playing with her baby sister, they were pretty inseparable, she and Ruby would always play outside and sometimes they would get hurt. So, whenever their dad found out, his eyes would always widen and his brows would curve up which meant he was worried about the both of them getting hurt.

But it was hard to tell how her dad was feeling, what he was thinking, what he was planning inside that head of his that was scrambled with dark thoughts, what he planned to do now that their mom was gone, permanently. It made her question if her dad even cared for her and Ruby now that their mom is gone, it made her question, what if the only reason he loved them was because of their mom.

Yang rubbed her eyes, trying to get rid of the groggy feeling from waking up along with her thoughts. That's when she noticed something off, Ruby wasn't in her bed, and the door was left wide open.

Now, if it was before all of this happened, she wouldn't think much about it. But she didn't like the thought that both her baby sister and her dad were out of her sight. She knew her dad wouldn't dare lay a finger on her baby sister, but it didn't make her feel any better.

Before she knew it she found herself flying off her bed, she didn't bother putting shoes on, what mattered the most to her was trying to find Ruby and where she was late at night. Yang ran all over the second floor of her house, she checked the guest room, her parents' room, and the bathroom, and she made sure to check her room to make sure she wasn't seeing things, and she was right, Ruby was gone.

She doubted Ruby would go downstairs without her, Ruby was a bit afraid of their dad, he always had a look in his eyes that just said he wanted to yell at you which he would've probably done if he didn't hold back his emotions.

So, she ran downstairs, running into the living room, but the moment she saw the couch, the butterflies started acting up in her stomach. Her dad was sleeping on the couch, he never liked to be bothered when sleeping, but she didn't know where to begin finding her sister, Ruby. And as much as she disliked the thought, she needed her dad's help.

That and it was hard not to ask for help from him, when she and Ruby were younger he always spent time helping them learn. He taught them how to properly wash their hair, though their mom was better at that, but that wasn't all. He always answered their questions about the world they lived in but sometimes he kept the answers to himself. Her dad would also take them out every weekend to the park, and they would either play tag, have picnics, or play with Zwei.

She didn't notice it, but the butterflies were starting to simmer. She really loved her dad, but not the dad she had now. She was still a tad scared of him or maybe she was nervous that he would finally let loose, she didn't know. But she never knew why the butterflies acted up whenever she saw her dad, but she knew with each step she took towards the couch, it got worse.

Thousands of thoughts ran through her mind like what if her dad didn't care if Ruby was lost, what then? Or what if her dad finally snapped, Ruby, gone from the family, potentially dead… but she shook the thought out from her head. She never liked to think about how her family could die, she knew one day they would but she still didn't like to think about it.

Yang looked at her hand, it was sweaty and it was hard to tell but it felt like it was shaking, but it could've been her eyes playing tricks on her.

She wasn't scared of anything because she had her baby sister to protect, she had to be strong for her baby sister.

Yang shook her dad awake, he was sleeping on the couch again. It's not like he liked sleeping on the couch. It's just whenever he watches TV, which is most of the day, he would always drink and end up falling asleep on the couch.

Though she didn't know if their dad still loved them or not, it made her sad, angry, and confused, but they always made sure he had a blanket to stay warm at night.

"W-what is it, can't you see I'm trying to sleep?" Her dad pushed her away as he threw the blanket off himself. He placed his hand on his head as he grunted in pain. He was having another hangover.

"R-ruby! S-s-she's gone!" She stuttered over herself which was new to even herself. But instead of having time to think of why she stuttered, she locked eyes with her dad. She wanted to advert her eyes from his, her dad was bigger than her, stronger than her, and everything else when it came to comparing a child with an adult.

She felt so small in front of him.

"Where is she?" Her dad shouted as he grabbed her by the shoulders, "O-ow, dad-" She didn't get to finish that sentence because her dad interrupted her, "S-sorry. Hurry and get ready, we're going out to look for your sister. I'll call your Uncle Qrow so we can cover more ground."

Yang rubbed away the pain from her shoulders, she was befuddled, she thought her dad wouldn't have cared if she and Ruby left or got lost. She thought that he would go back to sleep and she would be the only one to go out and look for Ruby.

But she ignored the thought and the welling feeling in her heart as she ran upstairs to get her shoes, and everything she needed, also a bag of cookies since Ruby could smell cookies from a mile away, well, that's not true but it felt like she could.

"Are you ready?" Her father asked.

"Yeah." Yang nodded.

"Qrow?" Her father said out loud which confused her because she didn't see her Uncle Qrow anywhere.

"Yea, yea, just say the word." Uncle Qrow's voice came outside from beside the window, he was hiding from their sight which confused her.

"Alright, let's head out." Her father said with enough confidence to surprise her and maybe Uncle Qrow.

It was just surprising to see how much her dad changed in just a few minutes. He was willing to go out and find her missing sister, Ruby, all the admiration she had for her dad was slowly coming back, it made her heart flutter.

Maybe she was worried for nothing… Maybe the three of them, Ruby, her, and her dad would be just fine.

"Yang, why are you smiling, we've got to find your little sister before the grimm get to her." Her father scolded her, but she had a feeling her father felt just as happy as she did to finally talk to one another like a proper family should.

"Yea," Yang looked at her father once more, "thanks… dad." She whispered under her breath.

Though the smile left her face, she couldn't suppress the small smile that remained.

Ruby could feel it. She didn't know how to describe it but the feeling was driving her off the walls, and she thought her mom's cookies were the only thing that could do that.

It was quiet, too quiet, she wasn't sure why the forest was silent, but it didn't ease her mind, not at all. She was sure a single snap of a twig would send her running back home out of fear.

But she pushed on and the deeper she ventured into the forest the more foliage there was and the more packed the trees became, it became so bad that she had to be careful to not trip on any roots.

There weren't any pleasant memories she had in the forest she was in now, except for the few times her mom had taken both her sisters out on a picnic, including their dad. Those memories were and still are precious to her.

When she compared her family from then and now, the difference was so big that it made her vision foggy just thinking about it. She hated crying, not that it was bad but she thought if everyone was sad then who would be the one to help them? So, she decided she wanted to be the strong loveable girl her mom wanted her to be, but it was easier said than done.

And there it was again, the feeling that her mom was just behind the trees a couple of meters ahead, but the trees became so packed that it made it hard to see that far. She couldn't reach her, so maybe her voice could reach her mom. Maybe if she heard her daughter call her out she would welcome her with open arms.

"Mom!" She cried out.

But no response, so she continued pushing forward as she moved around the trees that blocked her path, and the closer she got the further the feeling got. It was weird and frustrating, it made her little heart sore and confused.

As she said before, the feeling had been there since a few days ago but whatever was helping produce this feeling stayed far but never too close. And it's been pulling at her heart for a long while.

Ruby had this gut feeling her mom was just behind a couple of trees ahead of her but whenever she checked to see if her mom was there, she wasn't, but the feeling still lingered, so where was her mom, was her mom avoiding her? What did she to deserve this treatment? Was it because she couldn't stay as the happy girl of the family, did her mom expect that much of her?

Ruby wanted to live up to her mother's expectations, she loved her mom, but to put that much responsibility on a child's shoulders wouldn't be what her mom wanted. But Ruby thought that was the case, she was desperate but she didn't know that.

No matter how many times Ruby tripped over branches, roots, and stones, no matter how dirty and icky she became, no matter how bad she smelled or how ugly she looked in the end, she would find her mom, she couldn't give up now.

It was like the story of a hero, his efforts of trying to save his world always ended in his victory but every time he won he would have to face the same grueling task over and over again, and nobody would know because everyone who praised the hero would forget the existence of their hero.

And this is how she learned the meaning of "So close yet so far" She hated that story because it never had a good ending, it tricked you into thinking everything he did had a purpose. But in the end, it revealed that everything he did was just another fruitless effort, for it to restart. The hero… never to see his true ending.

Was this what it felt like for that hero, she asked herself.

Her mom was so close yet so far, "Mom, please," Tears began to well in her eyes. She was supposed to be a strong girl, she wasn't supposed to cry, but everything she'd been dealing with up till now was beginning to get heavy on her mind, and she wanted her mom to get rid of this weight.

"Come back, come back to u-us." She hated waterworks, but she couldn't think of any way to bring her mom back.

"We miss you, don't leave us again." Every single word felt impossible to get out of her throat, but she did. Her vision began to blur, she'd rather fight off a hundred grimm, even if she couldn't, to see her mother again than to see her leave them again.

"Yang misses you…" Yang acted indifferent when her mom left, she still loved Ruby all the same, but she seemed so different, she seemed so protective in front of her father. Ruby still loved her dad and she hated to see Yang pull her away from him, but she didn't want to lose Yang either, she didn't want to lose the both of them.

"Dad misses you…" Ruby rubbed her eyes, she couldn't get rid of the tears blocking her vision, it just kept on flowing out and it made it impossible to see. But… That wasn't the reason why she was wiping away her tears.

Her mother always told her to be a big and strong girl, to not cower or cry in the face of danger, she wanted to look proud in front of her mother, she didn't want her mom to see this ugly side of her, the not so brave and strong side of her, like how her mom wanted her to be.

Her dad didn't understand, he stopped cleaning around the house, he stopped cooking for her and Yang, he stopped caring for them, he stopped working, and he stopped caring about his life and the lives of his daughters.

"I miss you…" Her mom was her everything. She treasured them, her dad, her big sister, and herself, but her mom always knew how to make her and Yang smile, how to make dad smile and give us all his sweet love. She knew how to make everyone comfortable without a facade. Her mom was their world.

But now her mom was gone, and that thought finally shattered her little heart.

"Ruby?" It was Yang. Ruby brought her head down as she fell to her knees, covering her face with her arms, trying to wipe away all the tears that continued to fall. She didn't want her big sister to see her like this. She tried her best to stop crying, but nothing could stop it, her sobs and the moans coming from her mouth wouldn't stop.

But it didn't last long as her big sister, Yang, hugged her, Yang held Ruby tight and close to her chest, Yang wrapped her arms around Ruby as a hand caressed the back of Ruby's head, something that her mom always used to do a lot.

"Ruby…" Yang said, her voice trembling. Yang didn't know that her baby sister had more tears to shed, she thought after everything that happened last time they were out that Ruby released all the emotions she had in store and ran them dry, but Yang didn't imagine that there would be more.

Yang wanted to comfort her a little longer, she wanted to stay like this until Ruby was done crying, but right now wasn't the time. With all the negative feelings Ruby is creating she is bound to bring grimm from within a mile.

"Ruby, we've got to go and find dad, come on." Yang pulled herself up, wrapping her hand around Ruby's hand. Once they locked hands she realized something, Ruby's hand was cold and covered in snot.

"Ew~" Yang said.

Ruby sniffled a couple of times before apologizing.

"Yea, yea, as long as you don't get any in my hair then it's fine with me." Yang said.

Howls

Whenever Yang and Ruby heard the sound of grimm they were never scared, but that was only because their mom was always with them whenever they went far out or their dad, but neither her dad nor mom was with them. So they both tensed up at the sound, they both knew the sound of those howls, and it wasn't a good thing.

"Come on! We've got to leave now!" Yang pulled Ruby's hand suddenly, thankfully, Ruby managed to catch herself and barely keep up with Yang's pace. It was dark and packed, and the forest had a ton of things you could tri-

Before she could finish the thought, she and Yang tripped over a root, and not so luckily enough they tripped at the spot where there was a decent slope downward. Yang's eyes widened at the sight, the slope went pretty far down, but she ignored the thought and wrapped her arms around her baby sister as they tumbled down.

Sticks and pebbles penetrated her skin, sometimes rocks jabbed at her and it would always cause her to cry out in pain.

She tried to open her eyes, but the world spun around her, so she kept her eyes shut waiting for it to end.

Then she heard a couple of loud snaps, she thought it might've been a couple of her bones that snapped into two with how loud it was but she was wrong, the thing that created the snapping noises was some vines they crashed into.

She thought the vines would stop their descent downhill but all the vines did was tangle around her and Ruby, and they weren't the nice kind of vines.

The vines were the thorny type which made the descent more painful as the thorns pushed further in every time her weight pushed down on them.

But Yabg thought as long as Ruby wasn't crying out in pain it didn't matter how much pain she suffered, so long as her baby sister was safe and sound she didn't care about the pain that made every second feel like minutes.

A strong force impacted Yang's back, she probably crashed into a tree she thought, but it made her release all the air in her lungs as her body tensed up in shock from the sudden impact.

She couldn't breathe.

Was she going to die right there and then?

But what made her scared more was the thought of her baby sister dying alongside her as the grimm devoured her corpse, she didn't like the thought of that one bit.

Yang always wanted to go to an amusement park with Ruby, but her baby sister wasn't tall enough yet. Now she and her baby sister wouldn't be able to experience the thrill you get from riding roller coasters or the feeling of being drenched with water after a ride.

She also wanted to show her mom and dad how strong of a huntress she would be in the future, show them that she would be a person admired throughout Remnant and all of history, but they always teased her about how would she go down in history if she couldn't pass history class.

It wasn't her fault though, she was never good at doing her homework, hell, she never did it at all, but she at least once wanted to help her baby sister do her homework, it was something small but it was something she wanted to do with her baby sister once she was old enough for school.

Then there was one last thing that sat in her mind, she wouldn't be able to kick her dad's ass as she promised to herself…

Her body felt cold, her body wasn't responding to her, it felt like she didn't have a body anymore.

Her eyes were forcing themselves shut, she couldn't go now, but she didn't feel scared of dying.

Then the world around her disappeared.

She couldn't feel a thing, hear a thing, see a thing, smell a thing, she couldn't even taste the blood in her mouth, it felt like her senses just vanished.

But she knew that... Only for a second, did she feel free.

If you had a choice between everything you ate tasting sweet or everything you ate tasting sour, what would you choose?

Depending on the person it could vary, but most would rather it be sweet than sour, some both. But you can only choose one.

Adam held a ripe apple, the surface had a nice crimson color to it and there wasn't a single deformity, it was perfect and it sat in his hand. It was so perfect that you could just imagine how juicy it would be to take a bite out of it. The apple looked like those shiny waxed apples you'd find in some grocery store or supermarket, but to him, it all tasted the same; sour.

For as long as he lived he would forever eat apples, though it isn't the forbidden fruit itself, the sour taste still lingered in his taste buds. Only until he, the man born from dust, returns to dust would he be free from the curse.

What a bitter ending.

"Adam?"

Adam released his hold on the apple, he watched it roll down the hill he sat on, rolling far from the tree it originated from. For as long as he lived, he never liked moving far from a spot he found himself comfortable in, of course, he did explore but never too far. He never had to because he and his family always stayed in one place and decided to live the rest of their lives in a forest similar to the forest he was currently in, but the forest he used to live in had everything he needed for his family to survive for as long as they needed.

But now he's lonely… again. It reminded him of when God first created him, from the very start of his birth he was lonely, there was nobody else except for himself that existed, the first and only human at birth. But God was merciful, God forced him into a deep slumber and God created Eve from one of his Ribs.

He never knew love until he met Eve.

And He would bear all the sins in the world if it meant he had the chance to see her again.

"Hm..?"

"We're all worried about you, you seem unwell, please, meet with your children you speak so fondly of, family is important." Adam turned to the person who he'd been friends with for a while… fur covered his body, and he stood on all four legs.

Well, his friend was more animal than person. His friend was a wolf, one of the many animals he befriended during his stay in the forest. He never thought of them any differently, he treated them like he would any of his children.

"I speak fondly of many, including you. Though we are not related… I think of you as family." Adam replied.

"That's the reason why you should leave, we may not be siblings of blood, but you've got real family out there, many of your children, good or bad, are out there, you should meet all of them… not spend your life in this lonely forest with us animals." The wolf spoke.

The wolf's gray fur looked pretty on the wolf, especially when the moonlight gave it an extra shine to it.

"And three of your children need you, their hearts are crying, why not lessen their pain?" The wolf asked Adam.

Adam sat in silence. He would admit that it brought sorrow to his heart to see his children engulfed by their emotions, sorrow, anguish, grief, and loss. He would do anything in his power to protect his children from harm or pain, but what could he do when they're in pain from the inside, from their hearts?

He couldn't bear to see them cry, he is a man among men, but he cannot control the hearts of his children, he cannot rid them of anguish with a swift motion of hand. He isn't a god nor would he start acting like one. All he ever wanted was to live his entire life with Eve and his two sons.

"I hear their cries… listening is all I can do." Adam said.

"But… is that enough?" The wolf asked.

"I'm… not sure." Adam is still human after all.

Yang's eyes widened as air entered her lungs, she was able to breathe again and she made sure to enjoy the luxury of breathing. She was supposed to be dead, but she guessed she got lucky and Oum decided to give her a second chance.

Her eyes wandered down and, thankfully, Ruby was still in her arms, but her baby sister wasn't in the best condition either, it looked like Ruby got a little bruised up on the way down, but at least Ruby wasn't in as bad of a condition as herself…

Yang tried to stand back up but that attempt ended quickly as a sharp pain coursed throughout her body. Her bones ached, her bruises ached, and she had burns and trickles of blood spilled from head to toe. She was just thankful she didn't get her eyes poked out on the way down or stabbed through by some giant stick.

But there was another problem, they got themselves tangled in thorny vines which was impossible to break out of. If only Yang was in perfect condition she would be able to break these thorny vines without a problem, it would still hurt, but at least she would be free.

Yang tried to break the vines anyway, but the vines were covered in thorns and every time she tried to tear away at the thorns, they would sink deeper into her skin, it felt like the vines had a mind of their own.

"R-ruby? Are you okay?" Yang asked, she felt her baby sister try to move around.

"Y-yea, but my whole body hurts… what happened?" Ruby asked Yang as she attempted to squirm free.

Yang grunted in annoyance as she tried breaking free, "We're trapped in some stupid vines," Yang growled as she continued to try and break free, "Why do these freaking vines have to be so strong." Blood poured from her hands making it harder to get a good grip on the vines.

If only she had her aura unlocked then these vines wouldn't be a problem at all.

Yang wasn't worried about bleeding to death, she was more worried about the grimm coming by to gobble them up and leave nothing behind. Yang knew one day there was a possibility that grimm might be the one to end her life, but not like this, she thought she would fight an epic battle against ancient and legendary grimm, 'The Great Blonde Huntress' known around the world. But now she'll just be the daily meal for some weak grimm.

The bushes started to rustle and this worried Yang, and after a few more seconds nothing happened except for a bunny jumping out.

Yang released a breath she didn't know she was holding, she thought it was going to be a pack of grimm.

A pack of beowolves creeped out of the bushes.

Yang cursed herself mentally for even saying anything, she jinxed it and now she'll be the reason why she and Ruby would die.

"Y-yang…" Ruby said, a hint of fear found in her voice but Yang knew Ruby was more scared than she let on.

"Don't worry, dad and Uncle Qrow should find us anytime now." Yang reassured Ruby.

"Wait, dad is looking for us?" Ruby asked.

"Yea, and Uncle Qrow." Yang said again.

Ruby would be jumping for joy at the thought that their dad was in on trying to find her but with the situation she was in right now, she didn't think Ruby had the time to jump in joy and celebrate that her dad was back to his old self.

The pack of beowolves came closer to them, they bared their teeth and snarled at the sight of her and Yang, each step they took felt like they leaped miles closer, which meant they were getting too close for comfort.

Ruby tried wriggling out of the vines, but it entailed no results, only causing the thorns to dig deeper into her skin.

"Ugh! This is so freaking stupid, we're not about to die because of some vines!" Yang shouted in anger.

Ruby agreed with Yang, she didn't want to die because she got trapped in some vines and grimm coincidentally found them trapped in them. Ruby thought her life would amount to more than this, now she would be on the news, one of the unfortunate of many kids who died tragically. She didn't want to be a part of them.

But before she could do anything that nostalgic feeling came back, it was her mom again. She looked around to the best of her ability, not like she could move much though since she was stuck in vines, it limited her movement a lot and they hurt whenever they started prickling her skin.

The last time she could remember being so limited was whenever her mom hugged her, her bear hugs were tough to break out of, and even her dad found it a bit of a struggle.

The feeling only got stronger within Ruby along with the grimm getting closer and closer to them. Was her mom really about to watch her die, did her mom want to see her prove her strength? No matter how hard Ruby tried she wouldn't be able to do a thing, she couldn't save anyone in the state she was in, she wasn't like her mom, she wasn't as strong as her, she wasn't as fast as her, she wasn't as funny or kind as her, and she couldn't easily make friends like her mom did.

Ruby was her daughter, so how was she so different and weak compared to her mom?

"Mom!" Ruby cried out to her again, she didn't know what to do, but her mom always knew, she always protected them from danger, and her mom always knew what to do. So, she begged, begged her mom to help her one last time.

"R-ruby?" Yang was taken aback by Ruby's outburst, it confused her a lot, why was she calling out to Mom? But Yang knew why, she understood why, and now she was confident that Ruby also felt what she felt.

Yang felt like her mother was close, she didn't know why, she couldn't comprehend why, she didn't know why she was hiding, but she chalked it up to her imagination or her head playing tricks with her. But that feeling always lingered, even more, whenever she got close to the forest, and it scared her.

If her mom was in the forest, why isn't she trying to make contact with us… what happened to her?

She wanted to call out for Mom too like Ruby did, but she heard it from her dad and Uncle Qrow's conversation, that their mom was M.I.A, but the feeling in her chest said otherwise. But what if she doesn't come, would it be better to call out for her Dad or Uncle Qrow

She decided on the safest option, "Dad!"

Crunch

The man spat out the apple he bit into,

"So sour…."

A man with nothing but a fig leaf covering his crotch appeared he was gorgeous, his platinum-blond hair swayed with the wind, his sky-blue eyes reflected the stars in the night sky, his muscles were toned and defined, the sight of him didn't make you fall in love with him, but a deep feeling in your heart yearned for him, like someone close that you haven't seen in a while had just unexpectedly surprised you.

At the moment, it felt like everything froze.

"Who's that?" Yang said out loud.

And why is he naked, Yang thought to herself.

The man looked at both Ruby and Yang. He remembered the both of them well, he watched them grow from the beginning of their lives, when they were just a newborn to now. He admired their family, it reminded him of his.

His wife and his two kids, living happily ever after, but it was torn away from him. Though he didn't hold any regrets, he died protecting his children, or so he thought but here he was, still alive and well. He thought about it for a long while, how he was still alive, it could've been many things like the Valkyries placing him somewhere safe for later use or…

mankind won.

But it saddened him to see how the family, of the two young girls in front of him, ended up. He wished he could've stopped their mother from going wherever she went. She was his daughter but to them, she was their mother.

"You two…" He said, his voice was extravagant, it was gentle, soothing, so soft and calming that it took both Ruby and Yang by surprise. If sound had a nice smell to it then this man was the first to ever produce a nice-smelling sound, sounds crazy and it is.

"Have you quelled the pain in your hearts, my children?" His eyes soften at the sight of them.

Ruby and Yang found it weird that they weren't bothered when he referred to them as his children. Just looking at him spoke that he was just some weirdo or lost homeless man who found a home in the forest, but something told them it was far from that. Something was telling them that they just knew it felt right and it made them uncomfortable that this unknown feeling was growing in their hearts.

They hadn't met this man once, but the feeling he gave off was just like their parents, it felt unnatural, it felt so weird and yet so good, good as in like how their mom gave them hugs or how she read them bedtime stories, it made them feel safe and they couldn't wrap their heads around why, why they felt so safe and nostalgic around this man.

A question bubbled up in both the minds of Ruby and Yang; did the man know them?

The beowolves ignored the man, which was baffling to both Ruby and Yang. Grimm doesn't just ignore people, even if you had no negative feelings and you were feeling giddy the entire day, if a grimm saw you then it would chase you down, that's how it worked.

So to see a man get ignored by grimm was a new experience for both Yang and Ruby. Ruby thought it was pretty cool but Yang thought it might've been because they thought she and Ruby were easier prey than he was. Which they were, but Yang's pride wouldn't admit it, but her pride wasn't so big that she would deny help.

Ruby and Yang both noticed the beowolves were ready to pounce at them at any moment, "What are you doing? Help us!" Yang shouted.

Ruby liked to believe her mom was the strongest huntress to ever live. She'd seen the way her mom fought and how fluid her every move and action were, it was like she was dancing in the wind if that was even possible.

She liked to see her mom go from one part of a pack of grimm to another as she killed a bunch of them with one swift motion, it was amazing. But a question always lingered in the back of her head, was it possible that there could be a huntsman or huntress out there stronger than her mom?

Ruby would usually laugh at the thought, that no one could be stronger than her mom, but she was proven wrong because of this man, who felt like her mom, in front of her…

It all happened in an instant, he was just standing there watching the grimm get closer and closer. That was when he dropped the apple he held in his hand. Ruby swore that time slowed down, that she was able to see every single detail on the apple, how shiny and reflective it was, the many blemishes on the apple, the two leaves that connected with the stem, she was able to see the insides of the apple where the man bit into, it didn't look like any other apple she's seen, she's never seen an apple so ripe and pretty, it almost looked too perfect to be true.

Ruby continued to watch the apple fall closer to the ground, it felt like it was taking ages to hit the ground but when it did the pack of beowolves was gone in an instant, all that was left was a strong gust of wind with branches and leaves flying off into the sky.

Ruby shut her eyes the moment she felt a strong gust of wind hit her face, she wasn't able to see what went down because of the flying sticks and pebbles, and she didn't want to lose an eye because she was curious

"Are you two okay?" The man asked. It was bizarre how just hearing him talk made you feel safe.

Ruby opened her eyes and she found the man standing in front of them, kneeling as he took hold of the vines, breaking them into pieces.

Ruby appreciated that the man freed them, but the pain from the thorny vines still lingered and all her adrenaline finally began to leave her body, leaving her with pain that she tried to hold in.

She'd never felt this much pain back when she fell down the stairs at her house, thankfully, she came out without any broken bones but the bruises were painful the following days, but she wasn't safe from her mom's scolding to be more careful when going up or down the stairs.

Ruby's eyes began to water and she didn't know why, well, she did but she could've blamed it on a lot of things, like how her big sister almost died because of her, or how this person in front of her felt like her mom, or how her dad is looking for her which meant he wasn't entirely gone, and there was also the fact that she wasn't good with pain. No matter how strong she tried to sound she never liked pain at all.

Ruby wrapped her arms around herself tightly.

She just wanted to go home and sleep on her comfy bed, she was tired after all the things that unfolded today. Both she and Yang almost died today and if wasn't for this man who saved them, they could very well be dead now.

But that's not the only thing on her mind, she was scared to be the cause of the death of someone close to her like Yang or her Dad. They'd already lost their mom and she didn't want to be next on the list, she couldn't imagine how sad they would be, how sad Yang and her Dad would be, maybe she should just stay home and never leave-

Ruby was snapped out of her thoughts as a warm yet gentle hand found itself on her cheek, it felt like her mom was there in front of her, she glanced up at the source… it was the man that saved them.

She wanted to get away from him, he was a stranger, a stranger that saved the both of them, but her dad told her not to trust any strangers, her dad and mom always talked about 'stranger danger' and she understood strangers weren't meant to be trusted. But she couldn't help but be reminded of her mom whenever she stared at him.

"Hey, don't cry, you're not alone." The man gave her a gentle smile.

Ruby found it odd, how the man felt so comforting, but she also found it odd that he was naked with nothing but a leaf covering his crotch but it looked completely normal in her eyes. She dismissed those thoughts.

Ruby felt at peace like she was with her mother again.

She didn't want to let this feeling go, she didn't want to let this emotion vanish, this could be her very last time feeling like her mom was right there in front of her, so she closed her eyes, accepting his comfort.

'Thanks, mom.' Ruby thought to herself.

.

.

.

"Hey! Get away from my baby sister you weirdo!" Yang shouted. This caused Ruby to snap her eyes open in surprise as she watched Yang hit the man square in the face. Ruby knew how Yang was with strangers but she didn't expect Yang to hit the man that saved them.

But Ruby couldn't help but notice how bloody Yang was, it scared her and hurt her to see Yang like that.

"Mom and Dad told me about people like you! Naked perverted flashers who like flashing little girls, you deviant!" Yang shouted in anger.

Yang was angry that a man who felt so familiar, close, comforting, soothing, everything that her mom made her feel, was right in front of her. And she knew nothing of the man or who he was. She was also angry that a stranger, though hard to say if he was a stranger or not, touched her baby sister. She's seen it a lot on the news, little girls or boys being kidnapped from strangers and because of that she always stuck close to Ruby whenever she went out.

But it was so confusing, it made her irritated, she felt like she could trust this person, but that's what made her mad. Who is he and why does he make her feel this way, she knows she's not supposed to trust strangers, but something is telling her that she can trust him. But her dad or mom never told them of a person like this and she didn't think she had any relatives, so this feeling could only be caused by a semblance.

Yang knew a small bit of information when it came to huntsmen, they all had a unique semblance that only they could use. It can range from many things like being able to control the elements or being able to have an advantage in combat and if you're unlucky it could be more useful for productive means, like cooking, cleaning, washing, etc.

But some semblances could trick the human mind, semblances that were sinister to the eyes of the majority, and those people hid from the majority. The only reason she knew this was because her mom used to let a lot of things slip easily when she was finished with her missions.

But to use a semblance to remind her of her dead mom, only made her angry.

Yang thought she would have to fight the man in front of her, she didn't know how he killed all those beowolves, but that didn't make her any more scared to fight him. If it meant that her sister would be safe from him then she would put herself in harm's way just to protect her.

But all that bravado was not necessary, she realized that the man wasn't going to fight back, he didn't take any fighting stance or pull out any weapons, not like he looked like he had one, he did nothing but soften his eyes at the sight of her.

She didn't want to admit it but the man in front of her held no resentment for her actions, even his eyes held a look of familiarity and kindness. She could tell that he didn't care what they did to him, he saw them as his children and he wouldn't lay a finger on them.

Yang was dumbfounded, she just hit the man in the face, and it wasn't a weak punch either, it was her specialty right hook that she always used on her dad whenever he hugged her too much. And she made sure to use all the strength she had left.

However Ruby had the opposite reaction to his presence.

"Hey, Mister-" Ruby caught the man's attention, "Who are you?" Ruby stared up at him, she couldn't explain it, but it was like her mom was standing in front of her, a feeling that her mom gave off, which was too complicated to explain, found itself in her heart again.

"Ah, call me…" He smiled once more, "Adam."

AN: Ah, appreciate this while you still can because I don't think Tai or Qrow would take kindly to an almost fully naked man getting near their daughters. Also, the next chapter should be the last time Adam meets the family for a while. I plan on getting him off Patch and meeting the other characters.

And sorry for the depressing chapters, I try to have some feel-good moments sprinkled throughout the chapters but it's a tad hard with the setting. But it will change after Adam departs from Patch and we move on to Lu Bu's Arc and his point of view.

If you want to see more of Adam during Lu Bu's Arc then just say so, but one thing I will say is, that Adam will eventually meet Lu Bu, but that's near the end of Lu Bu's Arc which will be short, maybe around 15k+ words. And I won't be making many fighting scenes with Adam, for obvious reasons.