AN: Dyna-Man and I would like to dedicate to the late, great Akira Toriyama.
"Work hard, study hard, and eat and sleep plenty. That is the turtle hermit way."
Chapter 8
"I can't believe it, we're actually in Beacon!" Ruby said excitedly. The newly-formed Teams RWST, BRYK, and JNPR (with the exception of Nora, Ren, and Marlene, who had gone back to their lockers to get Marlene's stuff) were being lead down a hallway by Aerith, who was giving them a brief tour as she showed them to their dorms. "This is so amazing!"
"It's not amazing, it's awesome!" Yuffie cheered. "I can't wait to see all the cool stuff this place has."
"Like the armory," Ruby said before letting out an excited squee.
"I wouldn't get too excited, you two," Blake said. "This is still a school, so you'll have to study, not just fight things."
"Don't ruin this for us," Yuffie said.
Aerith chuckled. "It's good to see you're all in good spirits. Though you must be exhausted after fighting that Hy-Grimm."
"Nah, we're alright," Jaune said. "It was nothing we couldn't handle."
"Yeah, yo, that garden hose was nothing but a pushover," Reno said. "Didn't even land a single hit on us."
"Really, cause I could've sworn I saw you two get hit by its tail," Aerith said with a knowing smirk.
"Y-You saw that?" Jaune asked. "How?"
"There were cameras in the area."
"…It… may have gotten a few lucky hits." Aerith giggled at Jaune and Reno's embarrassment.
"So, Aerith, what can we expect from out first year?" Cloud asked.
"Yeah, like, do we have to worry about getting hazed by second years?" Yang asked.
"I'm not really sure, to be honest," Aerith said.
"Why wouldn't you know?" Ruby asked. "Aren't you a second year?"
"Technically this would be my first year, but I guess you could call me an 'extended student'."
"What does that mean?" Tifa asked.
"Well, I've lived here since I was seven."
Everyone came to a stop in shock at Aerith's statement, except for Yang and Red.
"You… live… at Beacon?" Ruby asked. "That. Is. So. Cool! Wait a second," she turned to Yang, "Why didn't you tell me this about her?"
"Oh, I didn't?" Yang asked. "Whoops, I guess I forgot." She chuckled nervously while rubbing the back of her head.
"Forgive me for saying this, but why would you be allowed to stay at Beacon for so long?" Pyrrha asked. "Why not live with your family?"
"Well, my dad is— uh, a Beacon staff member… and he… didn't like the idea of me being at home while he was here," Aerith said, as she twirled her hair around her finger for some reason. "So, he, uh, went to Professor Ozpin and asked if I could stay at Beacon, and he said yes. Even gave me my own personal dorm to sleep in."
"Well that's cool, but why didn't you participate in the initiation?" Tifa asked.
"Yeah, don't you need to prove yourself to Ozpin so you can hang with the other first years?" Yuffie asked.
Aerith chuckled nervously. "I'm pretty sure if I asked to join, my dad would've had had a heart attack. So instead, my—Professor Ozpin allowed me to join the first-year classes."
"So basically, you didn't earn your way into Beacon, it was just handed to you on a silver platter," Weiss said with a scowl on her face.
"I bet you'd know a thing or two about that, Miss Heiress," Aerith said, causing Weiss to growl in anger and glare daggers at her. "And for the record, I did earn my way into Beacon. The staff members taught me everything I needed to know, including how to fight."
"Ha!" Weiss exclaimed derisively. "I'll believe that when I see it."
"Oh, really?" Aerith asked challengingly. "Well, how about during combat class I challenge you to a match and show you just what I've learned, Princess?"
"I'd be happy to accept and show you what a real Huntress is capable of, Tree Hugger," Weiss said, as she and Aerith glared at each other. Everyone else just stared awkwardly at the two of them as the tension slowly rose, until Cloud stepped between them.
"That's enough, you two," he said. "There doesn't need to be a fight." Weiss turned away from Aerith with a huff. "Aerith, could you continue showing us to our dorms?"
"Of course. Right this way."
After a few more minutes of walking, they eventually arrived at a dorm room with RWST engraved on a plague on the door.
"Here we are," Aerith said. "Team RWST, welcome to your new home."
Ruby walked up to the door and held her Scroll up to it. She heard the lock click, and she opened the door. Behind it was a modest-looking room with four beds along the far wall, with a few sets of clothing folded neatly on one of them, a closet built into the right-hand wall, a rug, and enough room for an entire team.
"Huh, it looks pretty nice," Jaune said.
"Yeah, but I was expecting something with a little more 'wow' to it," Yang said. The members of Team RWST stepped into their new dorm room, each one putting their belongings down in front of their chosen bed.
"It may not look like much, but it's cozy enough," Aerith said. "And you're allowed to decorate it to make a little more homey if you want."
"Cool, cause I already brought some décor from home," Tifa said, holding up a duffel bag.
Cloud noticed the folded-up clothing on the bed and leaned down to examine them. "What are these?" There were two types of clothing, clearly for male and female. Both had a black blazer, but the male version had black slacks, while the female version had a short, red-plaid, pleated skirt.
"Oh, are these gifts?" Ruby asked.
"Of course not, these are obviously our uniforms," Weiss snapped.
"Weiss is right, for once," Aerith muttered. "They're your Beacon uniforms, you'll have to wear them when you go to your classes, including combat class."
"What? But they look so lame," Yuffie whined. "Can't I just wear my normal clothes?"
"Sorry, it's mandatory," Aerith said.
"Aww. Is it too late to get transferred to Shade?" Yuffie asked, prompting Blake to lightly flick the back of her head. "Ow!"
"Don't be rude," Blake scolded. "Wearing them won't be that bad."
"Your clothes are colorless and boring all the time, so you have a bias," Yuffie said. Blake simply rolled her eyes.
"Oh, come on, Yuf, they don't look that bad," Reno said.
"Yeah, they look very professional," Ruby said before turning to Aerith. "Can I wear my cloak with it?"
"Sure."
"Yay!"
"Well, we've found Team RWST's dorm, now we just need to find ours," Jaune said.
"Oh, yours is right next door," Aerith said.
"Huh?"
Aerith directed them to look at the door next to Team RWST's dorm, and they saw a plaque on the door with JNPR engraved in it. "And Team Brick is right across from Rust." True to her word, across the hall was a door with BRYK engraved on the plaque.
"Well, isn't this a nice coincidence," Pyrrha said with a smile on her face.
"Heh, I'm just thankful we don't have to walk to the other side of the building, yo," Reno said.
Aerith chuckled. "Well, I'm sure you all would like to get ready for bed, so I'll be going now. See you all tomorrow."
"Bye, Aerith," Yang said, waving to her.
"Thanks for the tour," Yuffie said, waving more enthusiastically. Teams JNPR and BRYK entered their dorms, and Aerith turned to leave, but she stopped at Team RWST's door, which was still open. She looked inside and saw that Ruby and her teammates had started unpacking.
"Ruby," she called out. The young reaper looked up and saw her standing there.
"Oh, Aerith," Ruby said before walking up to her. "Are you heading to your dorm?"
"Yep. But I wanted to tell you something before I left."
"What?"
"Congratulations on becoming leader," Aerith said, smiling brightly at Ruby.
"O-Oh, uh t-thanks," Ruby said with a blush. "But, it's no big deal, really."
"Don't undersell it. You should be proud to be given such an honor. Remember what I told you in the courtyard?"
"The only expectations I need to worry about are my own," Ruby recited.
"That's right. See you tomorrow, Ruby."
"Bye, Aerith."
Aerith turned and walked down the hallway as Ruby closed the door behind her.
Ruby becoming team leader had just confirmed something that Aerith knew from the second they first met.
Ruby Rose was something special.
In Team BRYK's dorm, everyone was busy unpacking, while Yang was piling blankets onto the floor to make a little bed.
"There you go, Red," she said, wiping her brow. "Now you have a nice place to—" She turned around to face Red and saw him lying on her bed.
"Yes?" he asked.
"Wh—Why are you in my bed?" Yang demanded.
"Because I do not wish to sleep on the floor," Red said, as if Yang was crazy for even asking.
"Then where am I supposed to sleep?" Yang asked. Red gestured towards the little blanket pile Yang had set up. "Oh hell no! I'm not sleeping on the floor!"
"Come on, yo, Red's part of the team," Reno said. "You gotta learn to compromise."
"Yeah, plus that bed you made looks pretty comfy," Yuffie said, trying really hard to stifle her giggles.
"I'm not sleeping on the floor, cause I have a bed," Yang said. "Listen Red, I went through a lot of trouble to make you a bed. So, get off mine before I make you."
"You're welcome to try," Red said challengingly.
"Red, could you please get off Yang's bed and sleep on the floor, at least for now?" Blake asked.
Red sighed. "Very well." He hopped off Yang's bed and walked over to the pile of blankets.
"Don't worry, I'll get you an actual bed next weekend," Blake said.
"Much appreciated, Miss Blake."
"Hey, if you don't want to sleep on the floor, you could sleep on my bed with me," Yuffie said. Red stared at her for several seconds, seeing through her obvious ploy to try and cuddle him.
"…No."
"Aww."
"Now that we've somewhat settled in, we can wait for the others to—" Red started to say before there was a knock at the door. Reno opened it up and revealed Team RWST, along with Jaune and Pyrrha, on the other side.
"Oh, hey guys," Reno said. "Here for Red's story?"
"No, we're here to give you a gift," Weiss said sarcastically. "Of course that's why we're here!" The large group walked into the dorm, having to huddle around in the limited space.
"Sorry we took so long," Tifa said. "We would've gotten here sooner, but…"
"We wanted to do some light unpacking first," Cloud finished.
"That is quite alright," Red said before he seemed to notice Ren and Nora's absence. "Where are the other two?"
"Oh, Ren and Nora had to retrieve that little girl's belongings," Pyrrha said.
"I sent them a message and told them where we are," Jaune said. "So we just have to wait a little—"
Nora suddenly kicked the door open and stepped inside with Marlene perched on her shoulders, with Ren following close behind with an apologetic look on his face.
"We're back!" Nora cheered. "Sorry we took so long, had to pick up some of her toys from Aerith's room."
"Oh, you're good," Yuffie said. "But how'd you unlock our door?"
"It was locked?" Nora asked. Everyone else stared at her silently for several seconds until Ren sighed.
"We'll pay for a new lock."
"Now, before anything else, we want to introduce you all to our little sister," Nora said, setting Marlene down on the ground. "Everyone, this is Marlene. Marlene, these are our new friends."
"Hello, it's very nice to meet you all," Marlene said, being met with a chorus of "aww"s from Ruby, Yang, Tifa, Yuffie, and Pyrrha. Nora walked Marlene over to the remaining half of Team JNPR.
"These are our teammates, Jaune and Pyrrha," Nora said.
"You'll be living with them, so be respectful, okay?" Ren said.
Marlene nodded her head. "It's very nice to meet you."
"Well, it's nice to meet you, too, little lady," Jaune said, kneeling down so he was eye-level with her. "I'm Jaune."
"Are you a knight?" she asked, looking at his armor.
"Uh, kind of. But I'm not ready to save any princesses just yet." Marlene then turned her attention to Pyrrha.
"Hello, Marlene. I'm Pyrrha. I hope we can be good friends."
"Wow, you're tall," Marlene said, craning her neck to look up at the former champion.
Pyrrha chuckled. "Yes I am, and maybe you'll be as tall as me some day."
Ruby suddenly rushed over to Marlene and kneeled down in front of her. "Oh my gosh, you're the cutest girl I've ever seen! I'm Ruby, it's very nice to meet you, Marlene."
"It's nice to meet you, too miss…" Marlene seemed to notice something. "You have eyes like mine."
"Huh, what are you-?" Ruby asked before finally noticing the young girl's eyes. They were silver, just like hers. "Oh, we do," Ruby said. "Isn't that a nice coincidence."
"But why do your eyes look weird?" Marlene asked.
"Marlene, that's not a nice thing to say," Ren scolded.
"It's alright," Ruby said. "It's because I'm a Faunus."
"I'm sorry," Marlene said. "I didn't mean to say that."
"That's okay, I forgive you," Ruby said before getting up and going back to her spot.
"So, how did you two become babysitters?" Reno asked.
"We'll explain later," Ren said. "Right now, I think we should focus on our new companion." He looked at Red.
"Oh, right," Nora said, bringing Marlene over to Red. "Marlene, this is Red XIII. We found him in the Emerald Forest. Now, he has a secret that you can't tell anyone about. Can you do that?" Marlene nodded her head. "Okay."
"Hello, Red," Marlene said.
"Greetings, little one," Red said, prompting Marlene to gasp.
"You can talk! Are you magic?"
"Red chuckled. "In a way, I suppose I am. But you can't tell anyone about my ability. Do you understand?"
"I promise."
"Thank you, young one." Nora picked up Marlene and they and Ren found a spot to sit. "Now that everyone is accounted for, I can answer all your questions."
"Yeah, like, what exactly are you?" Tifa asked.
"My kind has no name, but Faunus kind once referred to us as Wa'ya or Red Wolves."
"Gee, I wonder why…" Yuffie said, before being elbowed in the stomach by Blake.
"Does the rest of your kind live somewhere in the Emerald Forest?" Blake asked.
"We did once, but circumstances forced my ancestors to migrate east," Red said. "There, they found a new home referred to as The Valley of the Fallen Star, and we've been there for generations."
"Valley of the-? Wait, you mean Cosmo Canyon?" Weiss asked. "That's all the way in Vacuo."
"That's quite the journey," Cloud said. "It would take months to walk from Vacuo to Vale."
"I did not walk," Red said. "I wasn't brought here by choice, but mere circumstance."
"What do you mean?" Yuffie asked.
Red sighed sadly.
"My village was peaceful. It had never seen conflict of any kind. Food was plentiful, water was fresh, and Grimm attacks were a rarity. It was paradise. For generations, my village was completely hidden from human and Faunus eyes. That is, until the day they arrived."
Nanaki was suddenly jolted awake by a loud howl, instantly recognizing the signal of danger. Nanaki swiftly rose to his feet and ran out of the dark cave had had been sleeping in. Once outside, he saw the rest of his kind panicking and trying to flee.
"What happened?" he asked a Wa'ya that was running past him.
"A group of humans appeared and attacked. Deneh led them away."
"Deneh?" Nanaki asked. "I have to help her."
"You? What could a coward like you do?"
Nanaki paused for a moment to contemplate his decision, before running towards the danger.
"I knew the danger these invading humans presented, but I couldn't leave Deneh at their mercy."
Finally, Nanki spotted a section that had human and Wa'ya footprints intermingled and scattered around the area, as if there had been a fight.
They were here, he thought. But where did Deneh lead the humans?
Nanaki sniffed the ground, picking up Deneh and the humans' scent, which led in the direction of the mountain. He ran towards the mountain as fast as he could.
He eventually made it to the top of the mountain and saw Deneh being cornered at the edge of a cliff by three humans wearing black. One had long black hair, one was bald, and the last one was a blonde woman.
"No more running, Wa'ya," the black-haired one said. "It's time to come with us."
"After you attacked my village?!" Deneh yelled, bearing her fangs. "Why would I go anywhere with you?!"
"You can either come with us willingly, or we will force you." The humans slowly approached Deneh, causing her to back up and nearly fall off the cliff.
"Fear took over me as the humans approached Deneh. A part of me wanted to run, but I knew I couldn't leave one of my own behind. So, I did the only thing I could."
"Stop!" Nanaki shouted. The humans turned to look at him.
"Well, this is a surprise," the black-haired one said. "I thought all the Wa'ya fled."
"Release her, now!" Nanaki demanded.
"Heh, you think you're in any position to make demands?" the bald one asked.
"Yeah, fighting all three of us wouldn't be the best decision," the blonde one said.
"I know I can't fight you, but there is something I can do," Nanaki said.
"And what's that?" the black-haired one asked.
Nanaki looked at Deneh and saw her looking worriedly at him. "…I surrender myself to you. In exchange, you let Deneh go and leave our village."
"Nanaki…" Deneh said.
"Very well," the black-haired one said. "We agree to your terms." He raised his hand and summoned a rippling portal. "Now, let's take you to your new home."
Nanaki stepped towards the portal, but was stopped by Deneh. "Nanaki, don't do this. We can fight them if we—"
"No, these humans are different," Nanaki interrupted her. "Even together, we won't be able to defeat them. This is the only way."
"B-but…"
"Please, move aside." Hesitatingly, Deneh move out of Nanaki's way and he continued towards the portal. But, he stopped and looked back at Deneh one last time just before entering it. "Please, tell grandfather what I did."
"I-I will."
Nanaki entered the portal, with the three humans following behind. Once they were all through, it closed behind them, forever cutting Nanaki off from Deneh and his home.
"After my capture, I was handed over to a man in a white coat. A man who would become my tormentor."
Nanaki was strapped face-down on an operating table in a lab. The skin on his left leg was greatly irritated from being tattooed with the number XIII, but he was unable to scratch it. A man in a white lab coat soon entered the lab carrying a clipboard. The man was old and ugly and had a long greasy ponytail. His visage was contorted into a sadistic grin, and his beady eyes looked at Nanaki from behind round glasses.
"Ah, Subject 13, so nice to make your acquaintance," the man said. "I am Professor Hojo." Nanaki growled at him. "Oh, cease that animalistic performance. I know for a fact that you can understand me."
"What do you plan on doing with me?" Nanaki asked.
Hojo walked over to a drawer and began pulling out an assortment of surgical tools. He chuckled as he looked at them. "Well my dear Subject, you've been chosen to assist my colleagues in locating a place that most today only see as a mere fairy tale."
"I don't know what you're talking about," Nanaki said. "And if I did, I wouldn't tell you."
"You won't have to, my friend. I'll know everything about you soon enough." Hojo held up a large needle. "Now, let the experimentation begin."
"For an entire year, I was that man's lab rat. Week after week, I was subjected to dissections, injections, and every indignity that could be committed against another living being. I knew I needed to escape, and fate would finally provide me with some assistance."
Nanaki laid in a containment cell, surrounded by a forcefield. Hojo was in his lab looking over his notes when a guard walked in carrying a container of meat.
"Um, Professor Hojo?"
"What is it?" the scientist snapped. "Can't you see I'm busy?"
"U-Um, I'm here to feed the e-experiment."
"…Fine, but be quick about it." Hojo used his Semblance to levitate a remote from a table to his hand and hit a button, deactivating the forcefield.
"But, don't you need to accompany me?" the guard asked.
"The subject is sleeping," Hojo said, waving his hand dismissively. "My Semblance won't be required. Just don't make any noise like an imbecile."
"U-understood."
The guard made it to the lower level and approached Nanaki's containment cell, seeing the red creature asleep. He took a card out and unlocked the door before entering, leaving it open a smidge. The guard knelt down and began putting meat into Nanaki's bowl.
Nanaki sneakily opened an eye and saw the guard filling up his dish. He turned to the containment entry, and saw it slightly opened.
He wasn't going to miss this chance.
The guard finished filling Nanaki's dish and turned to leave, only to be met with Nanaki's claws slashing his face. The guard collapsed, clutching his face in pain as Nanaki burst through the door of his containment cell. He spotted Hojo looking down at him through the window of the upper level.
"No!" Hojo shouted before sounding the alarm. All the exits began to close. Nanaki saw metal doors begin to lower and rushed towards the nearest exit, just barely making it through before the door closed behind him.
A group of guards came around the corner and spotted him, one of them pointing at him. "There's the experiment! Frie the tranquilizers!"
The guards fired tranquilizer darts at Nanaki, but missed, forcing Nanaki to run down a hallway with the guards chasing after him. As Nanaki ran down the hallway, several drones descended from the ceiling and began firing. He evaded their blasts and used his flaming barrier to plow through the drones, allowing him to continue down the hallway.
Nanaki found himself in an area with a large window on one side and two elevators on the other. As he tried to catch his breath, he heard the guards approaching and headed towards another hallway, only to be stopped by more armed guards approaching with swords drawn. Nanaki turned to run, only to be stopped by the first group of guards. All the guards slowly advanced towards Nanaki, forcing him to back up towards the window.
Suddenly, a portal opened up between the two groups of guards, and the three humans that captured him stepped through.
"You've caused quite the commotion, Subject XIII," the black-haired one said. "And though you put up a valiant effort, it's time for you to return to Professor Hojo."
"We don't want to hurt you," the blonde one said. "Just come with us peacefully."
"But we will if we have to," said the bald one.
Nanaki stared the humans down for several seconds, until finally he ran for the large window. The guards opened fire to try to stop him, but were unsuccessful as Nanaki smashed through the window, landing on the ground.
Nanaki slowly rose to his feet and looked up to the suited humans looking down at him, before turning and running away from the building.
"After I escaped from my captors, I wandered the streets of their city for days. And though I was seen, the residents assumed I was a mere stray."
Nanaki walked down a busy sidewalk, the people giving him a wide berth so he could pass them. Eventually, Nanaki came across a restaurant and saw the chef throwing out some leftovers into a garbage can before walking back inside. With his stomach growling, Nanaki approached the garbage can, knocked it over, and began eating its contents.
As he ate, he heard a loud engine getting closer, and looked up to see a jeep carrying two guards from the lab driving towards him. Nanaki quickly hid behind the two remaining trash cans as the jeeps stopped.
"Look, something got into that trash can recently," one of them said. "Think it could've been Subject XIII?"
"Maybe," the other one said. "But it also could've been a stray. Junon's got a few running around."
"Yeah, you're probably right. Let's go check out Under Junon, it could be hiding somewhere down there."
"Let's go."
As the guards drove off, Nanaki ran down the nearby alleyway.
"Even though I wasn't a prisoner anymore, I was still in danger. If I didn't leave the city, I would have been captured again."
Nanaki eventually found himself in the lower levels of the city, a small port perpetually trapped under the literal shadow of the city above. He snuck his way through the port, weaving around shipping crates and dodging out of view of the guards. He quickly found a large ship that was still being loaded up.
Nanaki slowly crept up the docks and towards the ship, careful to not let anyone see him. He saw the last shipping crate bring prepared to be lifted onto the ship. As the crane lifted the crate, he ran towards the container at great speed, jumped onto the roof of a nearby forklift, and leaped onto the shipping crate without being seen. The crane set the shipping container down on top of the others, and the ship's horn blew before it departed.
"For weeks, I kept out of sight from the crew, eating any food they left behind, and never sleeping in the same place twice."
"Eventually, the ship arrived in Vale, and I made my way to the Emerald Forest," Red XIII said as he finished his story. "And you all know the rest."
Everyone just stared in stunned silence at Red for several seconds.
"…Whoa," Reno said, finally ending the silence.
"That's some story," Yang said.
"Red, I'm so sorry you had to go through that," Blake said.
"There is no need for you to apologize," Red said. "My sacrifice was my decision and mine alone, and I'd do it again."
"But no creature deserves to be put through that kind of torment," Pyrrha said.
"Agreed," Cloud said. "Do you know who captured you or what Kingdom they took you to?"
"Unfortunately, I do not," Red said. "The only one I know of is Hojo."
"I know Professor Hojo," Weiss said, surprising everyone.
"You know that science jerk?!" Nora asked.
"Well, I know of him," Weiss clarified. "He once worked for the SDC when my grandfather was in charge, but was fired for conducting unauthorized experiments. I suppose someone hired him afterwards."
"Someone who wants him to keep performing those experiments," Ren surmised.
"Well, if we can't figure out who captured you, let's do the next best thing," Ruby said, throwing her fist energetically into the air. "Let's send you back home!"
"Yeah, we just gotta find a Bullhead that's going to Vacuo and put you on it," Yuffie declared, joining her fellow Faunus in raising her fist.
"But I don't think we can get you a first class seat, so you'll have to settle with a crate," Jaune said.
"But it'll be the best crate you'll ever see, yo," Reno said.
"And filled with plenty of food and water," Yang chimed in.
"A kind offer, but I must decline," Red said, surprising everyone yet again.
"What?!" Ruby exclaimed. "But don't you want to go home?"
"More than anything. But I do not know if my tribe are still at Cosmo Canyon. They could've fled after the humans attacked."
"Or the ones who captured him could be waiting for him to return," Blake said.
"And from how Red described them, that could be very likely," Tifa said.
"So that means…" Ruby trailed off.
"I must remain here," Red finished.
"Oh. Well, if that's the case, then we're gonna make your time at Beacon the best ever! We'll give you games, food, and lots of hugs. All until we figure out how to get you home."
"I'd rather you refrained from hugging me," Red said. "Other than that, I appreciate your hospitality, Miss Rose." Ruby smiled at him.
"Well, since Red is gonna be staying here, I'm gonna have to give you a new nickname, Ruby," Tifa said. "So, how about Rubes?"
"Nope!" Yang loudly declared. "No, no, no, no. You can't call Ruby Rubes."
"What, why not?"
"Cause that's my nickname for her! Get your own!"
"Ugh, fine," Tifa groaned. "How about Roses?"
"If you like being lazy," Yang said, crossing her arms.
"Are you just looking for an excuse to get punched?" Tifa asked.
"Funny, I was gonna ask you the same thing," Yang said.
"Fight! Fight! Fight!" Nora chanted. "Kiss. Kiss. Kiss," she then whispered.
Cloud cleared his throat, getting both brawlers' attention. "Yang, Tifa, could you two hold off on beating the daylights out of each other until we're out of our brand new dorm rooms?"
The two girls in question glared at each other again for a few more seconds. "…Fine," they said simultaneously before sitting down.
"Okay, now that we know Red's story, how about we address the little elephant in the room?" Jaune asked, gesturing towards Marlene. Ren and Nora shared a solemn look before Ren crouched down to the little girl's level.
"Marlene, is it alright if we tell our friends how we met you?" Ren asked.
Marlene quickly adopted a very sad look on her face. "…Um."
"We won't tell them if you don't want us to," Nora said.
"I-It's okay," Marlene said, if reluctantly. "You can tell them."
"Are you sure?" Ren asked. Marlene nodded her head. "Okay." He handed Marlene his Scroll and put earbuds in her ears. "Here, play some games while we talk." The girl proceeded to boot up something on the device, doing her best to focus on it and drown out whatever was happening around her. The others looked at the trio in confusion.
"Sorry," Nora said. "It's just that we didn't meet Marlene under the best circumstances."
"And it's very difficult for her to talk about it," Ren added.
"That's okay," Pyrrha said, putting a hand on Ren's shoulder. "Just start from the beginning."
Ren sighed. "Okay. It all started when Nora and I were in Mistral…"
"We were on our way to the city to take a Bullhead to Vale."
"How much farther is Mistral?" Nora groaned, she and Ren having walked through the woods for hours until night had fallen. "My legs are gonna break soon."
"I believe we're close," Ren said. He pointed ahead and they could see the lights emanating from the mountainous city of Mistral in the distance.
"Oh my gods, we're almost there!" Nora cheered.
"I believe it will take us about an hour to walk there, then a Bullhead will take us the rest of the way," Ren said.
"And then we'll get into Beacon! It's gonna be so much fun! We'll make friends, beat up a bunch of stuff, and we'll have pancakes every morning! Come on, let's go!"
Nora tried to take off in a run, but Ren caught her by the back of her shirt to stop her. "Hold it, Nora. I think we should set up camp."
"What?! But we're so close!"
"I know, but we've walked for hours and I doubt any Bullheads will be running at this time," Ren said. "So let's sleep here tonight and head for the city in the morning."
Nora groaned. "Alright, we'll leave in the morning. Let's find a nice spot and—" She was interrupted by the sound of a girl's scream piercing the night. "Oh no, it sound like someone's in trouble!"
"They're nearby," Ren said. "Nora, get your hammer ready."
Nora pulled out Magnhild with an eager smile. "We're gonna sleep good tonight." The duo ran off in the direction of the scream. After about a minute, they came across a little girl curled up against a tree and surrounded by four Beowolves.
"Come on, she needs help," Nora said. Nora and Ren rushed to save the girl, with Nora launching herself into the air and towards the small pack. "Nora Smash!" The Beowolves looked up and Nora smashed one of their heads into the ground. A second one attempted to lunge at her, but Nora turned her hammer into its grenade launcher form and fired, hitting it in the chest and leaving a gaping hole.
The last two Beowolves attempted to attack Nora, but were intercepted by Ren firing his pistols at them. The first Beowolf swiped its claws at Ren, who jumped up and landed on its head. The second Beowolf attempted to attack Ren with its claws, but the young ninja dodged and allowed the beast to attack its own kind and knock its top jaw off.
Ren landed on the ground and slid between the Beowolf's legs, using the blades on his pistols to slash the back of its knees, causing it to collapse. The Beowolf attempted to get up, but Ren jumped up and plunged his weapons into its skull, killing it.
Ren breathed a sigh of relief and looked at Nora, who gave him a thumbs up. The two of them put their weapons away and walked over to the scared girl.
"Are you okay?" Ren asked.
"P-Please, d-don't hurt me," the girl said.
"We're not gonna hurt you, silly," Nora said. "We want to help."
"R-Really?"
"Of course," Ren said. "We're Hunters. Can you tell us your name and why you're in the woods by yourself?"
"M-My name is Marlene. I-I was in the woods because my—" she gasped. "Mommy! Daddy! Someone came to our house and hurt them! Please, help them!"
"Calm down, Marlene," Nora said. "Do you know which way your home is?"
"T-That way, over the hill!" she said, pointing frantically. "Please hurry!"
"Okay, I'll go over and see what I can do," Ren said. "Nora, you stay here with Marlene."
"Got it," Nora said, and Ren took off towards the hill as fast as he could. He could faintly hear Nora trying to comfort Marlene as he got further away. "It's gonna be okay, Marlene. Ren is super fast. He'll be at your house before you know it."
"R-Really?" Marlene asked.
"Yep! And I should know. He's my best friend. And he's gonna teach that big meanie not to mess with your parents."
Marlene finally smiled at Nora's words. "T-Thank you, Miss Nora.
"You're welcome."
After a few minutes of running, Ren finally arrived at Marlene's house. Though the lights were on, it was completely silent. He slowly approached the house, keeping his eyes and ears open for any trouble, and pressed himself up against the outside wall. He peered inside through a window and saw tables and chairs flipped over, and the inside a complete mess. There had definitely been some kind of struggle.
Ren slowly crept his way to the front door, finding it busted down. He cautiously entered the house and saw more signs of damage, noticing numerous large scratches on various walls. He crept through the wrecked home, eventually making his way into what he could tell was Marlene's bedroom based on the décor. That's when he saw her.
Lying on the ground by an open window was a woman with black hair pulled into a ponytail and wearing a blue dress. Ren quickly walked over to the woman and pressed his fingers against her neck to check for a pulse.
There was none. The woman was dead.
Suddenly, Ren head a groan coming from another room. He quickly followed the noise to the kitchen, where he saw a pair of legs sticking out from behind a flipped table. Ren ran over to the body and came-to-face with a man with short dark hair, lying on the ground and desperately clinging to life.
Ren knelt at the man's side. "Are you okay?"
The man coughed up blood. "M-Marlene… w-where's…"
"She's with my friend," Ren said. "She's safe."
"G-good," Marlene's father said. "A-as long as… she's o-okay."
"I'm gonna call for help," Ren said.
"Don't. I-It's too late for me." The man gestured towards his chest. Confused, Ren opened his shirt and saw a deep wound with a purple substance slowly spreading under the skin.
Poison, Ren thought.
"P-Please take care of h-her," Marlene's father said. "T-take care of Marlene."
"But there's still a chance—"
"No, t-there's not. Please, k-keep my l-little warrior safe a-and happy."
"Y-You have my word," Ren said.
"T-thank… you…" Marlene's father managed to say his last words before releasing a breath and falling still. After a few moments, Ren closed the man's eyes and solemnly left the house.
By the time Ren returned to the girls, Nora was holding two closed fists in front of Marlene. "Okay, which hand has the rock this time?" Nora asked.
"Um, this one?" Marlene asked, pointing at Nora's right hand. Nora flipped the hand over, revealing the rock in her palm.
"Three in a row! Man, you're good at this game."
"Thank you, Miss Nora."
"Oh, you don't have to call me 'miss'," Nora said. "Just call me Nora."
"O-Oh, okay, Nora."
Ren cleared his throat, drawing the girls' attention.
"Ren's back!" Nora shouted, as she and Marlene eagerly rushed over to him. "How did it go at the house? Did you break that jerk's legs?"
"Are my mommy and daddy okay?" Marlene asked. Ren looked down at Marlene, seeing the hope in her eyes.
It was almost too much.
He sighed. "I'm… I'm sorry Marlene. The fight was over before I arrived." Nora's eager smile slowly disappeared.
"Where are my mommy and daddy?" Marlene asked.
Ren didn't say anything, instead just looking down at the girl sadly. Marlene understood what his silence meant, and tears quickly began to run down her cheeks. She collapsed to her knees, letting out cries of anguish. Nora quickly enveloped the young girl in a hug and began consoling her.
"It's okay, Marlene. It's okay," she said.
As Marlene cried, Ren remembered the day he lost his parents and how there was no one to help him besides himself and Nora. He wouldn't let Marlene go through the same pain he did, and knew exactly what to do. He knelt down to Marlene's level.
"Marlene. I know this hurts," he said. "I lost my parents as well." Marlene stopped sobbing and looked at Ren. "It was devastating. I was alone and there was no one to help me, that is until I met Nora. We decided to help each other through our troubles, and we've been friends ever since." Nora smiled at Ren's words and Marlene's tears slowly began to stop. "We won't let you go through the same thing we did. So, how would you like to accompany me and Nora to Beacon?"
"B-Beacon?" Marlene asked. "What's that?"
"It's a school that teaches people how to fight monsters and Grimm!" Nora said excitedly. "And you don't need to worry about any tests or homework."
"That's not true, Nora," Ren said.
"Yeah, yeah. So what do you say, wanna come to Beacon with us?"
"Um , o-okay," Marlene said. "I don't have anywhere else to go. So I'll come with you. Thank you, Nora and Mister Ren."
"You're welcome, and you can just call me Ren. Now, let's make camp and we'll leave in the morning. Come on, Nora."
Nora picked up Marlene and put her on her shoulders. "We're right behind ya, Ren."
"The next morning, we arrived in Mistral and took a Bullhead straight to Beacon. We knew the staff wouldn't let Marlene stay at Beacon and would've most likely sent her into foster care, so we decided to make a plea to the Headmaster himself."
The elevator doors to the Headmaster's office opened, and Ren, Nora, and Marlene stepped into the spacious room, with Marlene holding Nora's hand. Ren noticed Ozpin's gaze lingering on Marlene as they approached.
He supposed that it was rather uncommon for a child to be at Beacon. It would make sense for her to get his attention.
"Well, I wasn't expecting any visitors today, but this is a welcome surprise," Professor Ozpin said. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"
"Apologies for the interruption, Professor, but we needed to speak with you," Ren said. "I'm Lie Ren."
"I'm Nora!"
"And I'm Marlene. It's nice to meet you, sir."
"It's a pleasure to meet you as well, young lady," Professor Ozpin said. "Now, what can I do for you?"
"We might be crossing the line by doing this, but we need to ask for a favor," Ren said.
"Oh, and what might this favor be?"
"Well, you see, Professor, Marlene here wasn't always with us," Nora said. "We found her after someone… took her parents away."
Marlene looked at the ground as tears threatened to spill out.
"Ah, my condolences, Marlene. No child should suffer such a loss."
"T-Thank you, sir," Marlene said.
"Now, I assume this favor you're asking involves young Marlene here," Professor Ozpin said.
"Yes sir," Ren said. "We were hoping you'll allow Marlene to stay at Beacon with us if we make it in. I know we're asking a lot from you, sir, but we think it would be better it—"
"I don't see why not," Professor Ozpin interrupted.
"…Huh?" Ren asked.
"Really?!" Nora and Marlene asked at the same time.
"Of course," Professor Ozpin said. "What kind of Hunter would I be if separated a child from her guardians? And I believe Beacon's own young ward would very much appreciate the company of someone close to her age." The young trio looked at him in confusion as he placed a call on his Scroll. "Hello Glynda, I require you in my office."
"I'll be right over," a woman's voice said, presumably belonging to whoever this Glynda was.
"Excellent. And bring Betty along with you."
"…Why?" Glynda asked.
"I have a surprise for her."
They heard Glynda sigh. "Very well. We'll be there shortly." With that, Glynda hung up the call, leaving Ren, Nora, and Marlene to question who Betty was.
After a few minutes, the elevator arrived and out stepped two people. One was a beautiful blonde woman in a white blouse and black skirt, and holding her hand was young girl about Marlene's age, with dirty blonde hair pulled into a bun with a pink scrunchie, wearing a wight jacket over a blue shirt and a frilly teal skirt.
"Ah, right on time," Professor Ozpin said. "Mister Ren, Miss Valkyrie, I would like you to meet Glynda Wallace and her daughter, Betty."
Betty saw Marlene and excitedly rushed over to her. "Hi, I'm Betty. What's your name?"
"Marlene. Do you live here?"
"Uh huh," Betty said. "With my mom and dad."
Marlene looked over at Glynda, who looked back at her. "She looks kind of scary," Marlene whispered.
"Not all the time," Betty whispered back.
"I heard that, young lady," Glynda said, making Betty giggle.
"I assume this is the reason you called us both up here?" Glynda asked to Professor Ozpin.
"Correct," he said. "Mister Ren and Miss Valkyrie are Marlene's guardians and requested that she be allowed to stay here, provided they completed their initiation of course. If they do, would you allow Marlene to join Betty's private lessons?"
"…I suppose so. But it's going to be difficult to get them to focus on their assignments if they're talking with each other."
"Excellent," Professor Ozpin said. "Now I believe you two should start heading to the auditorium. Glynda, please escort Marlene to Betty's quarters and provide her some sleeping attire."
"Wait, I can't go with Ren and Nora?" Marlene asked.
"Apologies, Marlene, but you're not of age to experience the beginnings of the Hunter's life just yet," Professor Ozpin said. "So you'll be staying with Betty until tomorrow."
Marlene looked down sadly at the headmaster's words.
"It'll be alright," Ren said, putting her shoulder. "It's just for one night."
"Yeah, and you get to have a sleepover with Betty," Nora said. "Doesn't that sound like fun?"
"I guess," Marlene said.
"Don't worry, we'll come get you before you know it," Ren said. "We promise."
Marlene smiled, and the group headed towards the elevator. Glynda pressed to button, and Ren looked back at the headmaster. "Thank you, Professor, for accepting our request."
"You're very welcome, Mister Ren."
The elevator arrived and everyone stepped inside. Marlene turned back to speak before the doors closed.
"Goodbye, Mister Ozpin," she said. "It was nice meeting you."
They saw the professor smile for a brief second, just before the doors closed.
"…And that's how it happened," Ren said, finally finishing his story, observing the much more somber mood in the room.
"That… poor child," Pyrrha said. Weiss nodded in agreement, turning her head to wipe tears from her eyes.
"H-How could a-anyone do something l-like that?" Ruby sobbed, being cradled by Yang.
"Sometimes the world is cruel, Miss Rose," Red said. "Even to the kindest souls."
"Did you tell the police or any Hunters?" Yang asked.
"We did and Marlene told them who attacked her family," Ren said. "A man with a big smile and a tail with a sharp end. That's all she could remember."
"Did they find the guy?" Reno asked.
"We don't know," Nora said. "We left for the Bullhead after we gave the report. For all we know, they could still be searching for the jerk right now."
"Well if I ever run into the guy, he ain't gonna walking after I'm through with him," Tifa said.
"That goes double for me," Yuffie said.
Weiss exhaled, finally stopping her tears. "Now, while I do find it commendable that you two took in a young child, I must ask, why not simply put her in the care of officials or take her to an orphanage?" Ren and Nora looked at her in contemplation.
"Yeah, raising a kid isn't easy, especially for two teens," Cloud said. "Why not have her be taken in by another family?"
"We could have, but it didn't seem right to just hand her off to someone else after she just lost her family. And whoever adopted her wouldn't understand what she's going through like we do," Ren said.
"Yeah, plus there are stories of people adopting kids out of orphanages in Mistral and forcing them into labor," Nora said, shocking everyone. "We couldn't risk putting Marlene through that."
"Well, I find it sweet that you two took in a child in her time of need," Pyrrha said. "I'd be more than happy to help you two in any way I can."
"I'll help, too," Jaune said. "I've babysat my little sisters so I know a thing or two when it comes to kids."
"Same here," Yang said, patting Ruby's head. "This little cookie monster needed to be under constant watch."
"Hey, those cookies were already missing when I got to the jar," Ruby said.
"We'll all help you take care of Marlene," Cloud said.
"Aww, thanks guys. That's sweet of you," Nora said. "But don't expect to get paid for this."
Tifa smiled. "Consider it free of charge." Everyone chuckled.
Reno glanced out the window and noticed that the sun had nearly set. "Whoa, check out how late it is, yo."
"Huh, I guess learning two backstories takes a lot of time," Yuffie said.
"I think it's best that we all head back to our dorms for the night," Weiss said.
"You're probably right," Nora said before turning to her ward. "Marlene."
"Huh?" Marlene asked, taking the earbuds out of her ears.
"It's time to go to bed."
"What? But I'm not…" she yawned. "…tired."
"That's what they all say," Nora said as she scooped up Marlene. Everyone began to move towards the door.
"Wait, before everyone hits the hay," Reno said. "Can I take a picture of all of us and send it to my mentor?"
"Uh, sure," Yang said. "But why?"
"I just want to let him know that I made it into Beacon and made some new buds, yo."
"I'd rather not participate," Red said. "My kind is not supposed to be seen by outsiders' eyes."
"Don't worry, yo, you'll just look like a big dog to him."
"I'm red."
"So are foxes," Yuffie said.
Red sighed. "…Very well. But just one."
"Cool," Reno said. "Alright everyone, get into position." Everyone grouped together on one side of the dorm as Reno set up his Scroll, setting a timer before rushing back to join the others. "Okay, everyone get their good sides ready." After a few seconds, the Scroll flashed and took the picture. "Alright, thanks guys. Have a nice night."
Everyone began filing out of Team BRYK's dorm.
"Good night guys," Ruby said. "See you in the morning."
She was the last to leave and closed the door to the dorm behind her.
"Goodnight," Yuffie said. "Man, I can't believe how many friends we've made today, and tomorrow's gonna be even better!"
Blake suddenly walked over to Yuffie and snatched the headband off her head. "Wha-? Hey, why'd you take my headband?!"
"Because you ran off to fight a Zolom," Blake said. "And don't think I didn't catch you eye Weiss's wallet."
"But I didn't take it!" Yuffie protested. "This is an abuse of authority!"
"You'll get your headband back after class tomorrow."
Yuffie groaned. "Could tonight get any worse?"
"Damn that woman!" Roman yelled as he slammed his Scroll onto the table. Neo had been sitting on said table eating out of a small tub of ice cream, but stopped and looked at Roman in sympathy at his outburst.
His "boss" had been her usual demanding self, and Roman hated her more and more every day.
He cursed his rotten luck for ever having met her.
The door to his warehouse hideout opened and a noticeably short man entered. He had a jiggly pot belly, wore a red robe over his clothes, and had a shock of blond hair on only one side of his head. In Roman's eyes, it was the worst haircut he had ever seen in his life.
It was Roman's reluctant business partner and fellow criminal, Don Corneo. He was followed by several of his men, one of them wheeling a cart that had a crate on it.
"Ah, Roman, how has your evening been?" Corneo asked, before immediately turning his attention to Neo. "And how are you, my little kitten? I'm still in the market for a bride." Neo responded by raising her middle finger at him.
"We're not in the mood, Corneo," Roman snapped.
"What's wrong, got stopped by a little girl again?" Corneo taunted, prompting his men to burst out laughing, only to stop when Roman aimed his cane at the mob boss's head.
"You need to learn to keep your mouth shut."
One of Corneo's goons pulled out a gun and aimed it at Roman. "Drop the stick, Torchwick!" Neo suddenly appeared beside the goon in a shimmer of pink light and held her blade against his neck, giving him a fierce glare.
"Would you like to repeat that?" Roman asked.
"Now, now, there's no need for us to fight," Corneo said. "After all, what would she think if you took out your own partner?"
With a frustrated growl, Roman and Neo put their weapons away.
"She'd think nothing of value was lost."
"Says you."
"Moving on," Roman said, trying to rub away the migraine he could feel coming on. "Were your men able to get the Materia?"
Corneo snapped his fingers and the goon pushed the cart up front, opening it up to reveal a multitude of colored orbs. "Does this answer your question?" Corneo asked.
"Only one crate?"
"The cops were on their way," the goon said. "We were lucky to get this much."
"Yeah, so be grateful for my boys," Corneo said.
"I won't be able to if we're all a pile of ash," Roman said.
"Listen, Torchy, there are a lot of stores in Vale and my boys are already stretched thin. So, unless you have an idea of how we can get more Materia and Dust, this—"
"Actually, I do," Roman interrupted. "And it's a simple one." He leaned closer to Corneo. "We need more manpower."
"Did you find the location of the Avalanche command center?" Tseng asked the operative on the other end of his Scroll. A girl's voice answered him in a robotic tone.
"Negative, it was merely a small branch," she said. "We'll bring the apprehended members to headquarters for questioning."
"Good. And if they don't give us the info we need, dispose of them."
"Understood." The operative ended the call and Tseng put his scroll away.
Avalanche. An Eco-Terrorist group that had been causing a lot of trouble in Midgar. Lately, their activities had become more militaristic and precise. He could only wonder what they were planning.
He was taken out of his thoughts by Elena entering the room, carrying a cup. "Hello, sir. I brought you a coffee, if that's alright."
"Of course. Thank you, Elena."
She walked over to him and handed him the cup. "So, any word from Team SNAR?"
"They found an Avalanche base, but it wasn't their headquarters as we once thought," Tseng said. "They're bringing in the members now."
"Well, it's better than nothing," Elena said with a chuckle. "Man, is it just me or did today move kind of slow?"
"No, I noticed it as well," Tseng said. "Along with Reno's absence."
"I guess Reno really got us through the days, huh? I miss that red headed goof. Hope he's doing alright in Beacon."
"Speaking of red," Tseng said. "Any reports regarding Subject 13?"
"Uh, yeah. The head of the Junon branch reported that Subject 13 was unable to be located and theorize that he must have escaped the city."
"That's unfortunate," Tseng said.
"Yeah, and I'm willing to bet that Hojo and the President won't be too happy about this either." Tseng's Scroll dinged, and he picked it up to check the messge. "I mean it took us months to find that village, and I doubt we'll find it again in the same spot."
"I don't think we'll need to worry about doing that again," Tseng said as he looked at the picture he had been sent.
"Uh, why?" Elena asked.
"See for yourself," Tseng said, handing her his Scroll. On it was a picture Reno had sent him of his new friends, but more importantly, a familiar red creature.
"I don't get it," Elena said. "It's just a picture of Reno and some new fri—wait, is that…?"
"Subject 13," Tseng confirmed.
"How'd it get to Beacon?"
Tseng stood up from his desk and walked over to a large window, looking down over the great metropolis of Midgar.
"It doesn't matter. We have his location. Grab Rude and tell him we're going to Vale."
AN: Nice and beefy chapter this time. I don't really have much else to say about it. It was pretty self-explanatory. So, we'll keep on rolling with the first day next chapter.
As always, thank you very much for Reading, and I'll see you all next time!