AN: I want to try and speed up this story, but it's a bit hard without setting everything up and making everything make sense. Honestly, I regret placing the setting a decade before the events of Volume 1 RWBY. Thankfully, there's going to be a major time skip. When? I have no idea.

Oh, and I didn't forget about Lu Bu, I'm just struggling to think of how to make him interesting in this story, but it's kind of hard to since his only goal is to battle with strong people. He's also taking care of the Branwen tribe as the temporary leader. So, you can expect what's going on over there. I'll see if I can get a whole chapter for him in the next few chapters coming up.

Anyway, Enjoy the Chapter!

Saffron Ambrosia

I take hold of a cup of hot green tea, the steam rising from the surface. I bring it closer to my mouth, pursing my lips. My lips made contact. Scorching. On second thought, maybe I'll let it cool down. Placing the cup down. My focus switches from the green tea to Blake. So young. I thought. She didn't look any older than seven, but because she's small and quick-witted—or more so quick on her feet—she's able to sneak by grimm or lose them if they caught onto her. That was what I've heard from Buddha. I haven't actually seen it for myself. I have no reason to doubt Buddha is lying. There wouldn't be a reason to, and even if there was, this house of his is miles deep into the forest we're currently in. So, you would need some form of skill to first, find the house, and second, make it past the grimm.

I won't get into the nitty-gritty with everything that transpired last night when I and Adam spoke with Buddha. I'll get into the important stuff first—the most important to the least important. First, this isn't important to me, but to Adam, Buddha had no clue where Eve was, nor had he seen anyone resembling her. I wasn't really bothered by the fact. The only form of negative feelings I gained from that information was when Adam had this tired look on his face. That's what the emotion he was expressing looked like to me.

Adam is good at hiding his emotions or he doesn't let them get the best of him. I'm not sure. If I had lost someone dear to me, would I be able to handle it like he does? Thankfully, Buddha also had good news. Eve is still alive. She's just not in Menagerie—she's across the world, potentially. This livened up the mood, but I was skeptical. So, I asked him how he knew that. He responded with the only eye he had, gaining a lily pattern that glowed brightly. It was mesmerizing. I snapped out of it as soon as Buddha had called out my name.

At the time, I was embarrassed, but Buddha waved it off. He explained to me that the reason he knew Eve was still alive and kicking was because he attained enlightenment—being able to see the soul of an entity with it, even remembering their souls. I had a feeling it was his semblance and not this so-called enlightenment, but I didn't comment on it.

Here I was now.

"How does that prove you know where Eve is?" I ask Buddha. His face wasn't the friendliest right now, if anything, he looked about done having to try and explain everything to me.

"Man, as I said before, I don't know where she is. For all I know, she could be in a cave or something." Buddha says, "All I'm saying is she's still alive and breathing, but she's in distraught." Buddha took the lollipop out of his mouth. "Every soul is different and unique. Size, color, shape, even from how bright it is to whether it's 'good or evil.' I can see every little detail. I can even tell if a person I've seen before is still alive or currently in pain, not where they are, but If I haven't seen them then I don't know much about their condition. They have to be visible in my line of sight for me to see their soul and remember it. Lucky for Adam, he and Eve are an exception. They both share the same soul—makes it possible for me to pinpoint Eve's location—if you give me enough time, mostly 'cause this is extremely rare."

I opened my mouth to speak, but Buddha interjected, "Don't even say anything similar to 'how do I know that.' unless you know the story of Adam and Eve, if you don't… then forget about it 'cause you're startin' to make me a tiny bit annoyed right now with all your questions." Buddha says, biting down on his lollipop, and it produces a nice crunch. That poor lollipop was near its breaking point.

I sat quietly, not knowing what to say… well—that and I was irked that he indirectly told me to shut up.

I spent my time in silence thinking about what he had said. 'unless you know the story of Adam and Eve…' their story? How am I supposed to know their life story, I hadn't asked Adam for his life story when I first met him. It's not every day you ask someone their life story the moment you meet them, that'd be weird unless I'm the weird one not doing exactly that.

I kick the stupid thought out of my head before coming forth to reality. I turn to face Adam, He is already facing Buddha with his mouth open to speak.

"Thank you, Buddha, I take comfort in knowing she's alive. And my kids, Cain and Abel, how are they doing?" Adam says.

Cain and Abel… I don't know how I didn't realize this earlier, but their names don't exactly follow the color-naming rule, usually, the first or last name is the name of a color or something close to a color, not something that isn't a color. I ignore the thought—it's just a name and them not being named after a color isn't such a big deal. There are plenty of people out there like that, although a small minority.

I sneak a glance at the black-haired girl, Blake. She sat silently and undisturbed on the cushion, staring down at the table while sneaking a few glances at Adam and Me once in a while. She and I are the only people in the house following that color-naming rule. Also… why is she here? It's nearly dark out, aren't her parents worried about her? She should really go back home because I know my parents would be worried sick about me… only after my parents give me stern talking to the point where I almost cry and then proceed to punish me for staying out late. I don't hate them for that, In the end they were only mad that I made them worry, anything could happen in the city if you're not careful. They were probably thinking up all sorts of bad things that I could've gotten myself into.

"Yeah, they're doin' alright, same deal as your wife, without the distraught part though. You just gotta find 'em—what sucks for you is that I can't pinpoint their location the same way as your wife, Eve. As I said before, every soul is different." Buddha says, sounding like he could care less—well, that's what the tone of his voice sounds like to me. I actually don't know how he feels about the topic.

"I see… thank you once again." Adam says.

"No problem." Buddha waves it off.

No problem? It's more than just a problem. I thought. You just told Adam that his family is alive out there and not dead. Although judging Buddha's character—the way he presents himself with little to no mannerisms and less than the average person, he feels more of a delinquent than a proper adult. Yet, I won't ever take action on openly announcing my criticism of his character.

After the conversation that took place, Buddha offered us some sleep in the other room, a guest room, which surprised me. The house from the outside looks too small to have a guest room. Guess I was wrong. I accepted but Adam respectfully declined—explaining that he felt at peace sleeping in the forest, it was the only place he had slept for the past couple of years he had been here. Hearing that made me confused, we've only been in Menagerie for, by now, a day. He probably means before I met him, of course. I thought. I mentally nod at the reason I concluded.

I finish my tea before heading to the guest room. I heard an extra pair of feet following behind, and I took a quick glance. It was Blake. It's making me a bit nervous that she's following me, not because she's fast, nimble, quick, or whatever Buddha said about her. And why would I be scared of a little girl? No, the reason why I was nervous was because of the awkward silence between us. I was a kid once—sure, but I never was good at dealing with kids and it only got worse the more I grew older. However, I still found them adorable with their chubby cheeks and their nature to speak the truth.

"Um…" Blake tries to come up with something, "So… this is the guest room, and uh… can I ask why are you here?" Blake says.

"What?" I respond, stopping in my tracks, "Do I need a reason to be here?" It came out ruder than I meant it to be.

"No, you don't need one… I guess. I'm just curious- what about your friend? Buddha knows him, who is he?" Blake says, her cat ears perking up, waiting for a response. Not even a second later, Blake's eyes widen, "You don't need to tell me if you don't want to, I understand." Blake says, waving her hands anxiously.

"Ah, I don't mind," I say. "But before we talk about that…" I looked around the empty guest room I was now in, "Where's the bed?"

Blake walks up to one of the three sliding doors in the guest room, opening it, and pulling out a huge blanket, or something that looks like one. "Is that…?" I wait for a response.

"It's a futon," Blake says. She sets it down on the floor, unrolling it and placing the pillow where you would expect it to be.

I've seen these 'futons' in Kuroyuri, images online of course. I never had the time to explore tourist hot spots nor the time to go sightseeing. Mostly because my school had a type of curriculum or system infamous for not giving any students holiday breaks. We still had weekends off, thankfully. If we didn't I definitely would have torn my hair out from my scalp from all the stress.

"Oh, I've never slept on the floor before…" I say.

"You're not actually sleeping on the floor. Futons have a lot of, uhh—I don't know. But It doesn't feel like you're sleeping on the floor." Blake says while shrugging, her cat ears not showing as much emotion as they did before.

"Really? That's great." I comment. I don't know what else to say, this is embarrassing. I thought. Suddenly, I remember hearing that she wanted to know more about Adam, "So, about Adam... what do you want to know?" I say, "Nothing too personal though, that would be an invasion of privacy." I took a moment to see how contradicting that was, ignoring it after. It's not like I know anything too personal about him.

"Wh-what?! Why would I…? I'm just curious about where he came from, and if…" Blake drags out.

"If…?" I repeat her.

"If he's a faunus-" Blake blurts out.

I gave her a bewildered look, "What? Does he look like one? Last time I checked, he doesn't look like a faunus." I say, obviously confused, "So… no, he's not a faunus, I think?"

Blake's cat ears further droop, "Ah, I thought- never mind." Blake says, dejectedly. "I'll let you sleep now. Goodnight, Mrs…"

"Ambrosia, but you can call me Saffron—not used to being called by my last name, and I'm not that old yet, I'm a year from being an adult." I say, placing my hands on my hips.

"Oh, alright. Goodnight, Saffron." Blake waved me goodnight, turning off the lights before leaving and closing the sliding door behind her that produced a nice click, keeping it in place. I let out a sigh. I guess I'm not interesting enough to ask about. I thought while pouting. I guess it doesn't really matter all too much.

I tuck myself into the futon, from the neck down everything is covered. The moonlight seeped from another sliding door that I assumed led to the backyard. I flip over, lying on my side. I recount the events that I rehearsed not too long ago. Me—running away from the city. Sleeping in a cold and dark cave, alone. Exploring the expansiveness of the forest outside the city of Mistral then running into a stranger named Adam. I didn't know him, but his presence was all too comforting, and he was willing to protect me from that man, Hazel.

I flip over to the other side of the futon, uncomfortable—not from the futon but from myself bringing up that man, Hazel. Who was he anyway? Lionheart didn't tell me much about Hazel. The only thing he did tell me was that Hazel is a dangerous man I don't ever want to encounter or approach alone unless I want death breathing down my neck. And he was right. When I first met Hazel I didn't know how to react, his intimidating size alone was enough to make me scared. Thankfully I wasn't alone at the time.

I lay on my back, staring at the ceiling. I guess it's about time I fall asleep now. I closed my eyes which were already getting heavy a few minutes ago. I allow the drowsy feeling to take over. Finally, I fell asleep.

By the time I woke up the sun was already rising, barely over the horizon line. The sliding door to the backyard had been opened when I awoke. Was someone here while I was asleep? I thought. I slid out my futon and then went on to neatly fold the blanket and futon, placing them back inside the closet along with the pillow. As much as I want to sleep for a little longer, I'm not sure if the host, Buddha, wants me or anybody here for any longer. I think. He does seem like the type of person who wants to be left alone and unbothered.

I head outside the room, walking down a hallway that was only visible due to the sunlight bleeding in. What I assume to be the living room had an occupant already. Buddha. Before I could turn back he took notice of my presence. I freeze in place.

"Ah, Saffron, up early I see. You know what they say, early bird gets the worm." Buddha says, a lollipop in his mouth as usual, "Actually, there's nothing to be early for, sorry 'bout that. It's not easy getting food 'round here, you know—being far from the city and everything. I don't really need the food either, it's more for you guys." He says.

My shoulders sag, not wanting to take part in the conversation. What other choice do I have? I turn around and cock my head. "I'm sure I saw some rabbits and even some bears running around yesterday," I say. "There's plenty of wild animals running around here, why not hunt them?"

"Man... and spend energy actually hunting them?" Buddha sighs, stretching his arms, "Yeah, no thanks, plus, I don't really like the idea of killing animals." Buddha says.

I let out a sigh. Sometimes I find Buddha annoying at times. I sat down on one of the cushions on the floor, sitting across the table from him. "Where's Adam?" I ask Buddha. Buddha's face turns emotionless, and his mouth is closed, showing his two bottom canine teeth and his usual listless gaze.

"Huh? Weren't you listening to the conversation last night?" Buddha says. I was about to say something, but he didn't give me a chance to, "He's outside sleeping somewhere in the forest, not sure where or how far though." Buddha says.

I raise an eyebrow at this, "I thought you said you can find souls you've seen before." I brought up. I think that's what he said, right?

"Wow, you really do have a horrible memory," Buddha says with a fake surprised look. It serves its only purpose of making me irked. I'm pretty sure it was visible on my face too. "Sheesh, no need to get riled up. But yeah, I do remember souls, and I can tell whenever people are in critical condition or still alive and kicking—doesn't help me find 'em though." Buddha sighs, "Before you ask another question relating to that, let me answer it for you. Yes, I can find Eve—remember, Adam and Eve are of the same soul, If a soul is visible to me then I can pinpoint its location. What do you think that means?" Buddha leans back, using an arm as support.

I sat in silence, only a single conclusion popping up in my head, "Because Adam and Eve share the same soul or they're of the same soul. That would mean… if you look at Adam- his soul… then you would know where the other part of his soul is, right?" I answer, looking for clarification from Buddha.

"Bingo. You know, for someone with horrible memory, you're not so bad catching onto things." Buddha says with a cheeky smirk. "Unfortunately for you guys, there's a downside. I'm not omnipotent, so I don't really know how far Eve is. I can only tell you the general direction you have to take to get to her. It'd be a different story if I came along with y'all, but I ain't feeling like traveling hundreds of miles." Buddha says. "However, if you can fetch me a map, I can probably try to write down where she is, you know, guess how far she is." Buddha shrugs his shoulders, "It's better than nothing."

What he says is true. It is better than nothing. I nod, but before leaving, I ask Buddha one more question, "What happened to the young girl, uhh… Blake." I say, almost forgetting her name somehow. Maybe Buddha was right. I do have a bad memory. I thought.

"Oh, I told her to stay the night. You know, even if faunus have night vision, which is pretty nifty, I didn't want her going out so late out at night, especially 'round here." Buddha says before placing a hand on his chin, "Actually, she might be able to point you in the direction of where to buy a map. She's been living here in Menagerie ever since she was born, you know."

I open my mouth to speak, but then again, this is Buddha we're talking about, "If you're going out to look for Blake, she went out not too long ago looking for Adam." Buddha says. "'Che. I tried telling her to wait. But she's just as impatient as she's quick-witted." Buddha says, biting down on his lollipop, repeating its never-ending cycle of shattering without ever figuring out how many licks does it take to reach the center of a t***sie pop. Hold on, I think it's a different brand, I thought.

"You should start by leaving through the backyard and entering the forest that way. You'll probably find them, but if you're gonna get lost then good luck." Buddha says.

I nod, not knowing what else to say, I decide to send my farewells, "Well, I guess I'll see you later, Buddha." I say. Leaving to the guest room.

"Yeah, yeah, cya later," Buddha says, giving me a wave goodbye.

AN: You're wondering how Adam and Eve are of the same soul. Well, I'm not entirely sure if they are, but if you know the lore behind Adam and Eve then you'd know Eve was created from one of Adam's Ribs. So, I'm going to say they are, for the plot's sake.