*Huff*

*Puff*

I'm not late, I'm not late, I'm not late, I'm not late-

I slammed through the door of the shop, immediately announcing my presence to the only person inside.

"I'M NOT LATE, DON'T CLOSE THE SHOP YET!"

The old man shopkeeper behind the counter jumped in shock, before turning around to see what the commotion was about. Sighing when he realized it was only me, he placed a hand over his heart, "Ah... It's just you, kid-"

"IS THE NEW WEAPONS MAGAZINE OUT?!"

Flinching from pure terror once again, as I was suddenly in front of him, he held out a palm to push me back. "S-Stop doing that! That's twice now you've nearly killed me via heart attack. My old bones can't handle your excitement!"

In my deliriously delirious mind though, I could only hop from foot to foot as I kept chanting "Weapons Magazine, Weapons Magazine!" like a nerd in front of him.

He shook his head and sighed, figuring it'd be better if he just got me what I wanted. Pointing behind, he said, "Newest edition just shipped in an hour ago. I got it restocked in the b-"

And that was all he could get out before I squealed like an idiot. I threw a piece of lien into the air as a tip, and rushed towards my destiny.

The shopkeeper fumbled a bit as he tried to catch the plastic card from the air, slapping his hands together and firmly catching it.

"Heh…crazy kid." He chuckled to himself, stashing away the generous donation into his register.

Meanwhile, there I was in the back of the shop, biting my nails anxiously as I tried to find the literary work that I had been waiting for.

Ok, where is it? Fashion magazines, news magazines, pet magazines, magazines magazines, where in the world is- THERE IT IS!

Hungrily, I immediately grasped the tabloid and turned to the first page, highlighting this week's noteworthy and unique weapon inventions. And it was well worth the wait, as I came across the most wonderful showcases of ingenious designs of weapons that I wished I could have conceived for myself.

Gigantic revolver lance that shoots explosives, beautiful sword and shield that interlocks together to form a battle axe, A GUITAR THAT IS BOTH CHAINSAW AND SHOTGUN?!

I sighed in ecstasy, experiencing true bliss.

Deciding to let the moment last, I put on my earbuds and let my music player go on auto-play in order to ignore any distractions from the outside world that would dare pull me out of my personal adventure.

"Dream of anything, I'll make it all come true!

Everything you need is all I have for you!"

"Guess it's another slow day today." The old shopkeeper sighed, lamenting about how there was not even one single customer that came in that day.

Well, besides that one kid in the back of course. How was he doing? Blaring loud music into his ears and drooling over guns again? Yeah, the usual.

Agh, if it weren't for that newfangled mall that opened up nearby, stealing all the customers. How was an honest small business owner like him supposed to compete with the Schnee Dust Company? Were his low prices not enough?

It was amazing how he still managed to stay afloat, despite the rather severe drought of customers. If it weren't for that kid back there coming in once a week to restock for Dust and ammo, he'd probably have shut down the shop months ago.

"Maybe this is a sign that I should I retire…" He mumbled, scratching his chin in consideration.

It would be a nice change of pace. He could branch out towards other things, discover other talents. He wondered if he'd get better luck maintaining a noodle shop instead? Unless there happened to be a Schnee Noodle Corporation in the works, he'd probably be fine.

But then there was the kid though…

As eccentric as he was, the young boy was good company. Sure, the kid may have shaved a few years out of his lifespan about a couple hundred times, but he was a nice lad. Reminded him of his younger years when he was still full of energy himself. Oh, those were the days.

Nah, he'd try to keep the Dust shop open for a couple more years if he could help it. Besides, maybe his luck would come around sometime soon?

Just as he thought that, he had his attention stolen by the door as it jingled.

Well, how about that? He smiled to himself before going to greet the new customers.

But he paused for a bit as he felt something was slightly… off about them.

A group of men in black suits and red sunglasses surrounded a man in white as he smoked on his cigar. The shopkeeper frowned when he saw the man rudely drop a few ashes on his floor.

Before he could say anything to reprimand the man however, he found himself staring at the end of a gun.

"Do you have any idea how hard it is to find a Dust shop open this late?"

Maybe this is a sign that I should retire…

It would be a nice change of pace.

"Please, just take my lien and leave." The old man tried to reason with the criminals, but their bowler hat wearing leader shushed him.

"Calm down, we're not here for your money." The man smiled innocently enough, before nodding to his henchmen, "Grab the Dust."

The men in black followed his command, spreading out inside the shop and filling their container tubes from the shop's Dust chutes.

The one who was holding a gun to his head roughly slammed an opened case in front of him, "Crystals. Burned. Uncut."

The shopkeeper wordlessly began filling the case with the crystals he had on display.

Thinking about it now, there was probably a lower statistical chance of getting robbed if he had opened a noodle shop instead. If only fate hadn't been so cruel to him.

"They see you as small and helpless, they see you as just a child, surprised when they find out that a warrior will soon run wild!"

The shopkeeper's eyes bulged in shock when he realized that he forgot about the kid!

There he was, slowly walking towards the counter with his nose still deep in that magazine and his earbuds still blaring loud music over his ears. He was so distracted, that he didn't even notice what was going on around him.

Everyone was just staring at the kid as he walked by, never taking their eyes off of him even as he casually stood right next to the man in the white coat.

"Can you believe the things that people can make these days? There's an electric guitar that was both a shotgun, AND a chainsaw! How crazy is that?" The kid laughed, his attention never once straying from the magazine that he held.

The shopkeeper wanted to signal for the kid to realize the danger that he was in, but unfortunately, the man in white beat him to the punch.

"Ahem! Excuse me." He cleared his throat.

"Hm?" The kid looked up at him for a brief moment before turning his head back to magazine again, and took a few steps back. "Oh sorry. Go ahead in front of me."

Jeez kid, there's lack of awareness, and then there's just plain stupidity! The old man couldn't help but facepalm.

The man in white rolled his eyes, deciding to signal a henchman from behind to deal with the problem instead.

One of the robbers went up to the kid, forcefully turning him around and grabbing the magazine out of his hands, "Pay attention, dammit!"

"Hey, what are you doing?!" The kid took off his earbuds to glare at the rude intruding man, "I was reading that! If you needed something, you could have just-" He was silenced when the man pointed a sword at his face, much to his surprise.

I took my time to look around, noticing all the people carrying weapons and wearing similar fashion statements. There was also some shady looking mascara bowler hat wearing guy smoking a cigar, carrying about like everything was perfectly normal.

Group of people with weapons out in a public area? All of them wearing gang-like clothing? That one douche smoking a cigar with a bowler-hat on? There could only be one reasonable conclusion for this.

"Oohh, this is a robbery!" I nodded, finally understanding the situation. The bowler-hat wearing douchebag rubbed his forehead in exasperation.

I turned back to the swordsman, "So, what now? Gonna do your bad guy deeds on me?"

"You think this is a game kid?" The dude growled, clutching his sword closer to my face, "Unless you want to be shish kebab, you better do what we tell you to!"

I scoffed, "Oh please, like you're gonna intimidate me when your safety-switch isn't even off."

The man raised an eyebrow in confusion, "Safety-switch? But my sword doesn't have a-"

The moment he took his eyes off of me and glanced at his sword, I kicked him in the crotch. He made a noise similar to a boarbatusk squeal before collapsing to his knees.

Now that I had the height advantage, I pulled a red case out from my back and slammed it hard into his face, watching him as he flew back and slammed his head against the Dust chutes before landing on his face and falling unconscious. His friend, who was just besides him, jumped back out of shock.

"WOW, okay, can't believe that actually worked!" I chuckled, "Seriously guy? Checking the safety on your gun after pulling it out on someone is dumb enough already, but checking the safety on a sword is just something else entirely! Unless like, you know, the sword was also part gun, and you installed a safety switch for whatever reason. Or something."

"Bastard!" Another robber nearby the window pulled out a pistol and aimed it straight at me, "I'm gonna make you pay for-"

"GWUAH"

"OUT THE WINDOW YOU GO!"

The window of the Dust Till Dawn shop shattered into pieces as I kicked the gunman through it, and landed right on top of his unconscious face.

Stepping off, I looked at the damage I just caused and silently wondered if I was going to have to pay for breaking that…

Meh, I'd deal with that later. There was something more important to do right now.

As the robbers peered through the shattered window, I pressed a button on the side of my red case to reveal it's true form. The red case shifted in my hand, morphing and extending itself to form into an intimidatingly-sized red scythe.

I smirked, seeing tiny bits of fear in their expressions.

They had every right to be scared, after all. One day, every single beast of Grimm would have their heads cut off by the blade of my magnum opus, Crescent Rose.

I began expertly twirling Crescent Rose in my left hand, despite her seemingly massive size, and slugged her over my shoulder. Then, I proceeded with my introduction.

"I am the inevitability that everyone forgets until their very last moments. I am the being that everyone will eventually answer to when they meet their end. Nothing in life lasts forever, and I am the one who sees to that."

Dramatically pulling my hoodie up, I spun around while twirling Crescent Rose, and then struck a heroic pose.

"I am the Grimm Reaper."

I'd been looking for an opportunity to use that line for the past three years now. Now that I got to use it, it kinda gave me a nice rush.

I fully expected these criminals to soil their pants and run away in fear at this point. While it did seem that I was able to freak out most of them, the guy in the bowler hat just gave me a bored look, to my annoyance.

"Well, isn't that adorable." He deadpanned, taking a whiff of his cigar.

My eye twitched. Been working on perfecting that intro for years, so I was just a little bit peeved on how thoughtlessly he dissed it.

"Let's see if I'm still adorable once I shove my scythe up your ass…" I silently grumbled to myself, gripping my weapon tighter.

"And the night started off so well too." Bowlerhat-Wearing Douchebag sighed, growing more frustrated as things continued to go against his plans. Gesturing towards me, he reminded his compadres, "Don't just stand there! Get him!"

Like a sudden burst of courage, his underlings snapped themselves out of their stupor and charged after me.

Hm… a lone teenaged boy holding an agricultural wheat cutting tool versus a group of armed robbers, duking it out in the middle of the spacious streets? Clearly, this match provided unfair odds.

For them.

As one of robbers came at me to slash my face off, he was surprised to find his sword passing through harmlessly as I seemingly dissipated into red rose petals.

Not expecting that, he frantically searched around, only to feel something smash his head from above and everything fading to black.

I had used my semblance to jump above him, and slammed the blunt side of Crescent Rose against his skull.

"Love Tap!"

I landed back on my feet, safe and sound with one less enemy to deal with.

To my left, I heard a gun cocking. Out of reflex, I flipped Crescent Rose to be aimed in front of me and pulled a trigger on her rifle mechanism. While I wasn't aiming for anything specific, I took advantage of the recoil by combining it with my semblance, allowing me to speed backwards just in time to dodge riddles of bullets whizzing by where I was originally standing.

Using the momentum, I spun around and shot another bullet behind me, changing directions as I set my sights towards the Submachine gunner.

Since I was moving so fast, he wasn't able to react quick enough to stop me from sweeping him off his legs. Midway through his fall, I spun around and slammed Crescent Rose into his gut, the speed and the force behind the attack causing him to be launched away and face planting into the wall of a brick building.

"Slingshot."

Next up, I heard two men screaming their battle cry from behind me as they had their swords raised for an overhead swing.

I shifted Crescent Rose's blade ninety degrees up, before swinging it behind me to block the two swords from slicing me up. As their blades clashed against Crescent Rose, I fired another round to allow the recoil to overpower them, pushing their swords back.

Not letting them any time to recover, I continued to let Crescent Rose's blade spin around to swipe at their feet, tripping them up. Firing another shot, I spun in a circle one more time but twisting her so that her blunt side faced towards the two robbers.

Crescent Rose collided into both of them at the same time, knocking both of their butts to fly over their leader and crash back inside the Dust shop.

"Merry-Go-Round."

I pulled my hoodie back down, and shifted my scythe's blade back to her original shape while giving her a casual spin.

I totally timed that in my head. It took less than fifteen seconds for me to beat them all, and I barely even broke a sweat.

Booyah! I proudly and quietly fist pumped to myself. If this had been a few years ago, I probably wouldn't have even stood a chance against those guys. Training with Uncle Qrow was awesome! I was only just a few steps away from finally reaching my dream of becoming a fully fledged Huntsman!

Back in the moment though, it was only just the two of us now. Me, and Bowlerhat-Wearing Douchebag.

Despite me showcasing how awesomely skilled my feats of badassery were, he didn't look the least bit scared. In fact, it was like he almost expected his goons to lose against me.

"Nice to know I got my money's worth. Idiots." He scoffed, flicking his cigar away and putting it out with his cane.

"So, you ready to give up and turn yourself in to the cops? Or do I have to do to you what I did to your buddies?" I offered him, going into my battle stance just in case he made a run for it.

"Hm, tough choice. I wonder which one I should pick?" He hummed to himself in faux-consideration, "Gimme a minute to decide."

Obviously, he wasn't actually trying to decide which to pick. I wasn't stupid.

What is he stalling for though?

He briefly glanced at something out of the corner of his eye and lit up, before resuming his attention towards me. "You know what, this is such a hard decision to make. I just can't bring myself to pick which one, so I've decided to choose a third option."

"Third option?"

"Neither!" Out of nowhere, he brought up his cane to aim at me, flipping the cap at the end of it to reveal a barrel and a crosshair reticle. "Adios, Shorty!"

Oh shit-

I barely managed to dodge out of the way, shooting below me to launch myself up into the air. Whatever he shot caused a huge explosion to the ground where I was just standing, the force of the explosion propelling me even further away as debris of concrete flew about.

I was able to land safely away through a somersault, although nearly tripping on some of the debris from the explosion on my landing.

Bowlerhat-Wearing Douchebag was nowhere to be seen, however. It looked like he was able to use the distraction as a chance to escape.

Crap...

Can't believe I dropped my guard like that! If I had been paying more attention, he wouldn't have gotten- WAIT A DUST DAMN SECOND!

"The hell did he just call me?!"

Twenty-seven seconds ago...

"Adios, Shorty!"

Twenty-seven seconds later…

…

I am soooo going to break the shit out of his face for that.

"I'M NOT SHORT, I'M JUST SLOWLY DEVELOPING!"

I turned around frantically to search for this douchebag, figuring that he couldn't have gotten too far. Luckily for me, I was able to spot him just a few yards away, hastily climbing up a ladder to the roof of a building.

With him now in my sights, I chased after him with a newfound thirst for vengeance.

"GET BACK HERE YOU SON OF A SHEEPDOG I'M GONNA SHOVE THAT CANE DOWN YOUR THROAT AND FORCE YOU TO PLAY BAGPIPES WITH IT YOU LOUSY-"

The old shopkeeper carefully peeked his head above his counter, now that the commotion had died down. Seeing that the coast was clear, he pulled himself up and observed his surroundings.

A broken window. A few Dust chutes cracked and currently leaking out some Dust onto an unconscious robber. At least three more unconscious robbers lying about in his store. The man in white and the kid in red, nowhere in sight.

All in all, the damages weren't too serious, but the insurance papers for this was still going to be bitch and a half to take care of. Not to mention the cost of replacing all that Dust.

The old shopkeeper sighed, before taking out his Scroll and dialing for the police.

"Retirement." He declared.

Bowlerhat sighed in relief when he made it up to the rooftop, finally away from the danger. He gave a brief glance back at the shop with disappointment, "Tonight was an unlucky night. Ah well. It's a good thing I already made five backup plans for the next few raids by the end of the wee-" He turned around, only to be startled back when he saw me patiently waiting for him with a smile.

"'Hi there!" I greeted.

He greeted back by taking a swipe at my face with his cane, which I was able to dodge by leaping back.

Shifting to a more defensive stance, he growled, "Well, aren't you persistent, you little cockro-"

I interrupted him by zipping past him and slamming the back of his head.

He grunted as he toppled forward a few feet away, but was able to push himself off the floor and jump back into his stance.

"I'M NOT LITTLE, GO TO HELL!" I yelled at him, "Who are you to speak anyway?! You're the jerk who was trying to rob an innocent old man's dust shop, wearing a stupid hat and wearing stupid mascara on your stupid face! YA STUPID BOWLERHAT-WEARING DOUCHEBAG!"

"Persistent, and annoyingly childish. Just my luck." He muttered, running a palm down his face. "Look Shorty, I don't-"

"STAHP CALLING ME THAAAT!" I recklessly charged in to sweep him off his feet.

This time though, he was prepared for it, using his cane to block my attack from tripping him.

I didn't let up, bouncing off his block and spinning around to slash at him in a diagonal angle.

He was also able to block it, and countered by jabbing a fist into my stomach. I staggered back, to which he then swung his cane at my face and pushed me a few feet away.

I recovered quickly enough and stood my ground, my Aura already coming into effect to heal my injuries.

I pressed forward, spinning myself into another swing aimed at his neck. He blocked it, and tried to counter again. This time, I didn't give him another chance. Bouncing off from his block, I used the leftover momentum to spin around and slide over behind him, continuing my attack.

He was quick enough to twirl his cane around to block me again from the side, using the curled handle to lock Crescent Rose in place and stop her from bouncing away, cutting off my attack momentum completely.

I tried tugging her back, but his hold on her was surprisingly strong. He used an elbow to jab my face from behind, and then grunted as he pulled his cane forward, carrying me along as I flew overhead. I yelped, landing painfully as I tumbled into a roll and ended up face first on the floor, Crescent Rose clattering right next to me.

I coughed for a bit, rubbing my sore face as I steadily got back on my feet and grabbed Crescent Rose. This guy has insane reaction time when he was focused. Damnit.

The both of us stared each other down. Good, and Evil, standing on opposite sides, ready to fight each other again.

"I'll admit kid, you're pretty fast." Bowlerhat tipped his hat as a compliment, before stating, "But too bad for you, I'm just plain faster."

…

Faster?

"I am going to show you why that is literally the dumbest thing you could have ever said to me." I said, no trace of anything other than pure contempt for him in my tone.

I expertly spun Crescent Rose in my left hand, theatrically showcasing my skilled usage of her, before dramatically slamming her blade to the floor and pulling my hood up.

Bowlerhat-Wearing Douchebag raised an eyebrow at me curiously, before smirking and showing off his own skills. He began twirling his cane around and juggling it to each hand, finally resting it under his arm and beckoning me with the universal hand gesture. Come and get me.

I felt my grip tighten while holding Crescent Rose as I narrowed my eyes at him.

But before I could even do anything, something huge had appeared out of nowhere behind Bowlerhat and shined a blindingly bright light at me. I had to bring my arm up to cover my eyes.

Over the noise of the sudden Bullhead vehicle, Bowlerhat yelled, "Sorry kiddo! Gotta cut this fight short! My ride home is here!"

The Bullhead lowered itself and opened up a hatch on the side, allowing Bowlerhat to climb on. He turned back to me and gave a smug grin, "This will be the last time I see you, Shorty! But don't feel sad! I'll leave you a momento to remember me by!"

He pulled something out of his coat, and tossed it at me.

It wasn't until the object landed in front of my feet, did I figure out what he was trying to do.

"In Hell!" He cackled, aiming his cane at me once more.

"Nope." And on that remark, I scooped up the Dust crystal with Crescent Rose, swinging it back into the air just in time for Bowlerhat to fire his cane-cannon.

The Dust crystal exploded just out of harm's way.

"Woohoohoo!" He cheered, thinking that it was enough to stop me.

It wasn't.

Combined with my semblance, I shot Crescent Rose at my feet and launched through the smoke of the explosion, flying right towards the retreating Bullhead.

"The name is ROSS!"

The moment I was high enough to be face to face with him, I swung at his chest.

Not expecting me to get away unscathed, let alone jumping through the explosion to go after him, he wasn't able to react as he was knocked back against the opposite wall of the Bullhead, dropping his cane in the process.

I landed safely inside, none the worse for wear. I casually kicked the cane-cannon off the Bullhead and walked up to Bowlerhat as he tried to get his footing back, before pushing the rifle-barrel of Crescent Rose against his neck.

He gagged a bit, trying to punch Crescent Rose off of him and reach out to grab me. All he accomplished was flailing around like an idiot though, since Crescent Rose's length was too long for him to reach.

Seeing his efforts to escape my hold were futile, he raised his hands up in surrender. "Okay kid," He said hoarsely, "You got me! You beat me fair and square! I'll make a deal with ya kid, if you let me go, I'll promise to come with you peacefully and quietly! No trying to escape! Scout's honor!"

"I have, like, seven warning bells going off in my head telling me how much that's a terrible idea and why I shouldn't believe you."

"Well, they ain't exactly wrong. So uh, I guess it was worth a shot." He shrugged as he chuckled weakly.

"Right…" I deadpanned. "I'm going to knock you out now. Goodnight."

Before I pulled the trigger though, Bowlerhat quickly waved his arms around in plea, "WAIT! Waitwaitwaitwaitwait! I gotta ask you one quick question! Just one really important question that you need to hear out!"

Despite the bad feeling that this might be another one of his obvious tricks he had up his sleeve, I decided to hear him out against my better judgement. "What is it?"

"If I'm right here," he pointed at himself, before smiling deviously and pointing at something behind me, "Who was piloting the plane?"

I followed his finger to come to the sight of-

…

"Amazing legs…" I found myself breathlessly utter in awe.

"Flattering."

Before I could look up to clearly see the face of the mysterious legs-woman that spoke to me, I had felt an invisible force push me away from Bowlerhat and out of the Bullhead.

From my disorientation, I managed to lose my grip on Crescent Rose as I fell, causing her to be flung out of my reach. I wildly flailed my hands around in an attempt to grab her again, but to no avail.

Everything went into slow-motion.

I was falling from dozens of stories above ground. My only lifeline was pulled away from my hands. I was too disoriented to figure out what to do.

At this height, no amount of Aura was going to prevent me from taking massive injuries from the fall. Best case scenario, I get knocked out and get sent to the hospital, which Bowlerhat and his accomplice would have already escaped. Worst case, broken spine, crushed bones, possible trauma to the head. Dreams of being a Huntsman go bye-bye.

I was in a pretty desperate situation. In desperate situations like these, I was gonna have to creatively improvise the crap out of this mess.

What I was about to do was extremely stupid though, since it was something I just started experimenting with, and hadn't actually gotten any practice with. But hell, I'd been looking for an excuse to use it eventually, so why not?

At least if I failed, I'd look really cool doing it.

I started concentrating all of my Aura to charge my semblance up, twisting myself into position. Once I was prepared, I didn't think twice to let it loose.

And thus, I began to spin like my life depended on it.

"PLACEHOLDER NAAAAAAAME!"

With the speed of my semblance affecting how fast I spun, I stretched out my arms straight and used them to propel myself upwards into the air like a freakin' helicopter.

I quickly steered myself towards Crescent Rose until I was just close enough to her. There, I stopped my spin to reach out and grab her firmly in my hands. "HAHA, GOTCHA!"

Now with my lifeline back in my grasp, I immediately aimed Crescent Rose underneath me and rapidly fired her to launch me back up to the edge of the roof. Using Crescent Rose's blade to hook onto the edge, I steadily pulled myself over and finally got back safely to where I was before.

"OhdearsweetDust, why is the world still spinning when I've already stopped?!" I rasped, collapsing onto my knees and breathing heavily from the over exertion. I had to slap a hand to cover my mouth, in order to stop my stomach from hurling everything it ate tonight out on the floor. "Auugh, physics, why won't you have mercy on meeee?"

The two mysterious criminals calmly stood in the cabin of their vehicle as they silently watched the young boy in red writhing about below them.

"Sheesh, that kid's just full of surprises." The one in the white coat said.

"Rather adaptable, I'll admit." The woman in the red dress gave an impressed nod.

"So, what do you suppose we do with him? You wanna kill him now while he's vulnerable?"

"You know, I'm in a good mood today. Perhaps I'll let this one live, just this once."

"You're kidding me, right? He was the one that screwed up my raid tonight! Plus, didn't he see your face?"

"Any interruptions he caused were a result of your own failings, Roman." The woman chastised, "Shouldn't a professional thief be able to deal with someone as simple as a child?"

The man looked away from her with a frustrated growl.

"As for whether my identity was compromised, well, I can safely say that I managed to push him away before he had a good look." She chuckled, "It appears my wondrous legs made him pause from looking up any further."

"I'm getting the feeling that played a part in why you're in such a good mood." He silently deadpanned.

As I laid there on the ground to recover, I almost didn't notice the Bullhead leaving when its hatch closed up and began taking off.

"Shit!"

Ignoring the strain from my lungs, I sprang back to my feet to see where those two were headed.

"You're not gonna get away that easy!"

Before I could even activate my semblance to chase after them, someone held me back in place by grabbing hold of my shoulder.

"Stop."

"Wha-?"

Startled, I turned around to see the face of a gorgeous blonde woman in glasses, looking sternly at me.

"Wait, who are you? Where did you come from?"

"It's over now. Don't exert yourself anymore than you need to." She told me in an authoritative voice.

"But I can still go after them!" I argued, "They haven't gotten too far off. If I start running now, I can still catch up to them before they-"

"Don't be irrational! Look at yourself, you can barely breathe properly!" The woman frowned frustratedly at me, "Even if you catch up to them, what then? Are you aware of how much Aura you have left? With the little you still have left in your reserves, you won't be able to survive a second confrontation!"

I blinked at her words, taking the time to actually look at myself.

She was right. Now that the adrenaline was wearing off, I realized just how exhausted I was. I was gasping in air like a fish out of water, and my Aura was barely doing anything to fix up my injuries. I also had the splitting headache I usually got when I overused my semblance.

Did I really use up that much from the spinning helicopter move?

Damn, it was a really bad habit of mine to keep pushing myself to the point where I'd already exhausted all my Aura. I seriously needed to get that fixed at some point.

Despite all that though, I still couldn't help but feel absolutely worthless by letting those criminals go. I had him right there in my hands! He was literally right there, and I ended up letting getting distracted by a pair of legs!

DAMN MY TEENAGE HORMONES!

"Man… I was so close too…" I groaned, loosening myself up and massaging my forehead.

"You've done all that you can. Just let the police handle the rest for now." The woman told me. Walking up besides me, she firmly grabbed my shoulders, "In the meantime, I must ask you to come with me to the precinct for questioning."

"Questioning?" I looked up at her confusedly.

Why would she want to bring me in for questioning? She didn't look like a police officer, or at least as far as I could tell. Although, she did kinda look somewhat important and professional. Now that I thought about it, she also looked kinda familiar too. Like I might have seen her on TV before.

Wait a second… wait- If she wasn't an officer, then… that meant-

"Are you a Huntress?" I asked in a hopeful and excited tone.

She raised an eyebrow at me.

Instantly, my brain had locked in the puzzle pieces into place.

Oh dust, she was. OH DUST, SHE WAS- I WAS STANDING IN FRONT OF AN ACTUAL HUNTRESS!

Not just any average Huntress though! She was one of THE most famous Huntresses in Vale! She was a professor of the kingdom's most prestigious hunter academy, an academy that I had always dreamed of going to, and was also the deputy to the Headmaster himself of the same school!

This woman was Glynda Goodwitch!

And she totally just saw me fail at capturing those criminals!

Oh dust.

"Uh- Hi!" I awkwardly greeted her, before fumbling around, "Sorry for- uh- not being- um- I was just- I didn't recognize- I'm uh-"

Stop stammering like an idiot in front of her, you moron! Agh, you probably already left a bad first impression on her! Especially after she witnessed you majorly sucking against Bowlerhat-Douchebag and Miss Legs!

Come on, you could still redeem yourself! Ask for her how she's doing, introduce yourself, tell her that you're in training to become like her! Say literally anything at all that could be understood by the English language!

"C-c-can I ask for an autograph please?" I managed to ask coherently.

She glared at me.

Did I say something wrong?

Yeah, I probably said something wrong..

"I hope you've realize how reckless your actions were tonight, young man!"

I whimpered pathetically in my seat as Huntress Goodwitch paced back and forth across the table from me.

"Not only did you risk your life, but you could have potentially risked the lives of others as well!"

I tried to speak up to defend myself, but kinda just ended up muttering instead, "Well I mean, I was able to stop them before the shopkeeper got hurt though-"

She stomped in place and turned to glare directly at me with stern eyes.

"Okayshuttingupnow." I zipped my mouth.

She held up her fingers and counted off, "Three hundred lien in property damage, reckless shooting of a high caliber sniper rifle in a public area, excessive usage of violence- I'm still trying to fathom how you haven't gotten charged with a lawsuit yet!"

"...sorry." I quietly resumed my pathetic whimpering, holding my knees up to my chest and waiting until she was finally done reprimanding me.

I guess I couldn't blame her. I probably did end up causing more problems than I did fixing them. This kind of thing tended to happen more often than I would've liked, so none of this was surprising.

I knew that I definitely could have done better today. If only I didn't let my guard down! Maybe I would have at least been able to arrest that Bowlerhat guy!

But nope. Instead, I ended up getting surprise attacked by his accomplice and they both got away.

Damn… I really was useless, wasn't I?

Seeing me in my pitying state perhaps caused her to simmer down, as she sighed and softly said, "Look, I understand that you were trying to help. Those men were committing a robbery, and you felt it was only right to stop them. I'll admit that it was brave of you to choose to act instead of remaining passive."

Hearing her compliment me, I perked up slightly and glanced out at her from behind my legs.

"If it was up to me, I'd send you back home..." She crossed her arms as she faced her back at me, "With a pat on the back…"

Feeling relieved, I gave myself a small smile as I straightened myself in my seat-

She suddenly turned around and whipped a riding crop on the table in front of me, startling me back into my fetal position.

"...and a slap on the wrist." She said, returning back into her strict no-nonsense persona.

"Mmfsorry!" I whimpered yet again, this time in a more fearful tone.

She harrumphed, adjusting her glasses up before saying, "But unfortunately, that's not up for me to decide. You have someone who wants to see you."

At the mention of someone wanting to see me, I tilted my head in confusion. Who wanted to talk to me? Was it someone I knew?

As the Huntress stepped to the side, I was greeted with the sight of a smiling man in a green suit holding a coffee mug.

The moment I saw him appear at the doorway, it took me a second to realize that I had my mouth opened from shock.

"Ross Rose." He nodded in salutations.

It was him. The Headmaster of Vale's most prestigious Hunter academy. The man in charge of the school I had been dreaming of going to ever since I wanted to become a Huntsman.

Headmaster Ozpin of Beacon Academy.

This man was a living legend, considered the Headmaster of all headmasters. Year after year, Hunters that had trained in his school would graduate to become famously renowned celebrities throughout the entire world of Remnant! Almost all of the Huntsmen and Huntresses that ever made a name for themselves had once been students of Beacon Academy. Champions of tournaments and heroes of justice, mascots and symbols of hope and peace. Records have confirmed that Beacon produced the most amounts of successful graduates each year, more so than the academies of Shade and Haven combined, with Atlas only slightly lagging behind.

They all said that it was because of the Headmaster himself that Beacon was as successful as it was. Under his guidance, his rules and his methods, Beacon prospered more than it ever had compared to any of its previous headmasters. The results never proved otherwise.

I believed that going to Beacon was my only guaranteed shot at becoming the hero I always wanted to be.

And for whatever reason, here was the Headmaster of Beacon standing right here in front of me in the very flesh.

In fact, more than just that. He was-… very close to my face for some reason.

I tilted my head back in surprise from my personal space suddenly being invaded.

He stared at me curiously, "You have… silver eyes."

"I guess? I mean, I was kinda… born with them." I said, having absolutely no idea how to respond to something as random as that.

Silver eyes aren't exactly that weird, are they?

As he continued to creepily stare at my eyeballs, he murmured, "Inherited from your mother…"

I blinked, "Yeah. How'd you know that?"

"A gut feeling, you might call it." He narrowed his eyes in deep thought.

While still staring at me.

Two inches away from my face.

…

…

…

"This is getting uncomfortable…" I awkwardly whispered.

"Yes, quite." He whispered back.

Pulling back, he cleared his throat and resumed his smile. "Sorry for that. Onwards to business, shall we?"

"Uh… alright?" I took quick glances around me, having no idea what was going on.

You know, Ozpin seemed a lot weirder in person than how I imagined he would be.

As he took his seat, I began first by asking, "So, like, am I in trouble?"

"Oh no, nonono-" he waved away his hand at the notion and reassured me, "Despite all pretenses, you're not here to be interrogated, young man. Think of this as more of an… interview, so to speak."

"Okaaaay…" I raised an eyebrow, still feeling uneasy.

That feeling quickly disappeared the moment Ozpin pulled a plate of cookies out from nowhere and set it in front of me on the table.

My eyes dilated as I zoned my sights in on the plate of delectable snack treats, an insatiable bloodthirst inside of me calling out in hunger.

These were chocolate chip cookies. My favorite flavor.

I. Freaking. Love. Cookies.

"You must be peckish. Feel free to partake in-"

Not needing any further permission, I immediately scarfed down everything that wasn't nailed on the plate like a rabid animal in a dumpster.

Ozpin and company watched me with widened eyes, taken off guard with my sudden lack of table manners.

"Oh my." He commented, rearranging his glasses upright, "It's good to know you're quick to make yourself comfortable in certain situations, at least."

"Mmfmmffh." I politely told him, before resuming my tactical assault.

Carrying on, Ozpin silently nodded to his partner. Glynda nodded back, pulling out her Scroll Tablet and spinning it around to show me footage of tonight's robbery attempt. As well as me, foiling said attempt in a rather extremely badass fashion, if I do say so myself.

I kept on narcissistically watching the footage as I mindlessly inhaled the last remaining cookies.

"I am the inevitability that everyone forgets until their very last moments. I am the being that everyone will eventually answer to when they meet their end. Nothing in life lasts forever, and I am the one who sees to that."

Dramatically pulling my hoodie up, I spun around while twirling Crescent Rose, and then struck a heroic pose.

"I am the Grimm Reaper."

Hm… you know, now that I think about it, maybe I should keep working on that dramatic intro. Even though my gimmick was me resembling the Grim Reaper, I think I ended up making myself sound like some sort of maniac with a fixation for death. Scary, sure, but totally not what I was going for.

And that's about three years of hard work down the drain… I frowned disappointedly to myself.

Although, watching myself beat the crap out of, like, four to five guys in less than fifteen seconds gave me a bit of an ego boost. I couldn't help but look back at how much I sucked back then, before comparing to how cool I was now. Knowing that I'd potentially grow up to become even more badass was also pretty exciting for me.

I just knew it. Someday, people all over the corners of the world would know the name of Grimm Reaper. And I was totally gonna sign autographs too, unlike a certain someone I asked earlier today...

As the recording came to an end, it rewinded back a few seconds to where I was singlehandedly beating the crap out of all the robbers, doing all the cool spinny attacks. "So, where did you learn to fight like this?"

"Ah lerh hah ftoo phit ie Thignal Aghadehmeh." I muffled with cheeks bulged full of cookies.

Miss Goodwitch grimaced in disgust before telling me, "Please chew and swallow before you speak."

"Shksme-" I closed my mouth and swallowed, "'Scuse me, sorry. I said I learned how to fight in Signal Academy." Then I began to lick the plate clean of any crumbs left behind.

"Now I find that to be quite surprising." Ozpin leaned forward and crossed his hands contemplatively under his chin, "How did a preliminary school acquire the knowledge to teach you to utilize one of the most complicated and versatile pieces of weaponry ever conceived by mankind?"

Finished with my plate, I set it back down and gave him a questioning look, "One of the most complicated and versatile pieces of weaponry? My uncle Qrow told me that learning how to use a scythe was as easy as learning any other basic weaponry. I always thought people just chose not to use it because they didn't think it was cool enough."

"Ah, I see." He chuckled, leaning back in his seat and shaking his head with a smile. "Oh, you dusty old crow…"

"Huh?" I knitted my eyebrows together, "Wait, hold on, do you know my uncle?"

"Of course. He's the only other proficient scythe-wielder that I happened to know in my life."

Ozpin quietly paused for a moment to take a sip from his coffee mug. The mug didn't actually give off the smell of coffee, more like some kind of herbal tea. I guess that would make sense. Who'd be in their right mind to drink coffee near the middle of the night?

A bespectacled man with green hair began to nod off as he was nearly finished with his paperwork.

He yawned heavily, before finally giving his signature to the last piece of paper on the pile. With a content smile, he delicately laid it on top of the paper stack, and took a generous sip from his coffee thermos.

Now finished with work, Professor Oobleck could finally-

"I'M A DOCTOR DAMN IT!" He abruptly yelled, flinging his thermos at an invisible entity and spilling the caffeinated contents all over the floor.

Then his head slammed into the table, promptly passing out.

"Tell me," He set his mug down and crossed his hands under his chin again, "Your uncle was the one who taught you how to wield a scythe, was he not?"

I happily nodded, "Yeah, he was. Back when I first started out, I was pretty terrible with whatever I had in my hands. I always fumbled around with any kind of sword and I tended to miss a lot with guns in general. I was way behind in Weapons Handling compared to the other students, to the point where I had to be held back for an entire year."

I rubbed my head embarrassingly as I recounted the earlier days of my life.

"I thought that I wasn't ever going to improve. I was so scared that I might never become a Huntsman if I never learned how to use a weapon for myself. I was already a year behind, so my future kinda looked a little bleak." I gave a reminiscent smile, "But then my uncle decided that enough was enough, and applied to become a weapons instructor at Signal solely for my sake. It only took him half a year to teach me everything I needed to know about properly using a scythe as a weapon, as well as teaching me how to use my semblance to compliment it. Not only did it help me catch up with my grades, but I managed to become one of the top ranking students based on combat in Signal!"

I excitedly stood up from my seat and gushed, "And you totally saw me out there too, didn't you?! I was like, WHABAM, KAPOW-" I did a mock up of a bunch of karate stances in place, "Oh you got a gun, do you? Well let me just FWOOSH zip on by and freaking smack ya to the side of a wall! HAHA!" I spun around, getting caught up in my memories of the fight, "Two guys sneaking up on one? Let me show you why chivalry isn't dead yet! HIYAH-"

"Ahem."

I froze in place with my foot in the air. Looking over my shoulder, I saw Glynda with her arms crossed and an annoyed expression. Ozpin was covering his mouth to stop chuckling.

With an awkward smile, I lowered my foot and sat back down. I stayed silent, pretending that I wasn't acting like a complete idiot a few seconds ago.

With all that said and done, Ozpin asked me, "What are your reasons for wanting to grow up to become a Huntsman?"

"I'm sorry?"

"Your motivations." He rephrased, "It's quite a dangerous profession, isn't it? Wouldn't you rather have a safer job that pays well and lets you be near your family?"

I smirked and shook my head, "I couldn't imagine myself growing up to be anything but a Huntsman. This has been a dream of mine for my entire life."

"And why is that, if you're willing to share?"

I sighed, thinking up a proper response in my head. Figuring out the proper words, I explained, "I want to become a hero."

"A hero you say?"

"Ahuh." I nodded, "Like, a real life superhero! The kind that you'd see in action movies or comic books. I want to go on exciting and romantic adventures to stop bad guys and save the world from evil! I want to protect people from the Grimm, make everywhere a safer place to live in. I want the entirety of Remnant to know who I am and what I can do, so that they can look up to me as a role model and try to follow my example!"

I glanced away, daydreaming of a perfect future where everyone could be happy. "I just want to make this world a better place than it already is. I'm convinced that the only way I can do any of this is by graduating from Beacon and becoming a fully licensed Huntsman."

"I see." Ozpin hummed in thought, before asking, "Why Beacon in particular though? There are many academies in Vale besides Beacon that are surely less strict, and guarantee a license once you graduate."

"Well, there's a couple of reasons why I want to go to Beacon specifically. I have a sister that just got accepted to join its initiation course, and knowing her, she'll blow it out of the water." I paused considerately, before answering, "I guess the most important reason why though, is because of Beacon's track record of producing so many famous figures in society. It's practically a proven fact at this point that people who graduate from Beacon are guaranteed to leave a huge footprint in the history pages. Sure, I could just go to any other Hunter academy wherever I want, but if I needed to surefire way to make an actual impact on this world, then Beacon is my only shot to accomplish that. I seriously can't think of any other way to do this."

Finished with my confession, I sat back and gauged their reactions.

Miss Goodwitch only looked at me in a rather remorseful way. Like what I said was something to feel sorry for, or something.

Ozpin had his eyes closed introspectively, before he finally said, "Hm, quite enlightening."

Taking another sip of his mug, he set it down and asked, "I presume that you know who I am?"

"Yeah." I nodded, "You're Professor Ozpin, the famous Headmaster of the best school in the world."

"And you firmly believe that I'm the only person in existence that has the power to turn your dreams into reality, or so I understand?"

"Yeah… if you put it that way, then pretty much." I nodded again.

He looked over to Miss Goodwitch for a moment, sharing a quick face-banter with her before she rolled her eyes in concession.

With a small grin, Ozpin looked back over to me and said something I never expected to hear that night.

"Well, who am I to deny someone their dreams?"

I sat there, completely stunned in my seat. Did I hear that right? Did the Headmaster of Beacon Academy himself just tell me I'd have a reserved spot waiting for me at his school? Without having to go through any of the sign ups or prepare any forms to turn in, waiting for about a month just to get a response?

"Are you seriously saying that I'll be able to join Beacon the moment I graduate from Signal?"

"Oh, much more than that, Ross." He leaned in closer and widened his grin conspiratorially, "How would you like to be enrolled in Beacon this very year?"

What?

Wait, what?!

"Now?! As in, two years earlier than I normally could?! For real?!" I laughed in disbelief, "Holy- Yes! Oh my freaking gosh, yes! A hundred million times yes!"

"Then congratulations, Ross Rose. I'll be seeing you in my academy for initiation tomorrow, when the summer vacation ends. Don't be late now."

"And that is how I, your amazingly talented and handsome younger brother, Ross Sgàrlaid Rose, got accepted into Beacon by the Headmaster himself! You may now applaud and show your admiration." I respectfully and humbly bowed, finished recounting everything that happened to me up to this point.

With a shrill shriek of joy, my sister started hopping in place as she held onto her wide smiling face. "Oh, that's so cool! I am so proud of you right now!"

People who stood nearby had to cover their ears and move away to different corners of the vertibird heading to Beacon as my sister, Yang Xiao Long, began gushing liking crazy.

Wrapping her arms around my neck and suffocating me in between the oversized watermelons that she generously defined as boobs, she gladly told me, "This is the best day ever! I can't believe I get to bring my little brother along with me to Beacon!"

"MMPH MMMPH!" I pushed her breasts away from my face and gasped for air, "Please show your admiration through any other means besides trying to choke me to death!"

"Whoops, sorry." She thankfully released me from her airtight grip, letting me breathe in much needed oxygen. As I rubbed my throat, she excitedly continued, "Honestly though, I totally knew something like this was gonna happen eventually!"

"Oh yeah?" I coughed for a bit, before clearing my throat and asking, "What makes you say that?"

"Duh, because you're the most awesomest person to ever exist right now!" She said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Counting off, she listed, "You got the best grades. You've been listed at the top of combat rankings in Signal ever since you finished learning lessons from Uncle Qrow. You got the most epic weapon hybrid combo ever created in history, that no one else could ever dream of pulling off except you- which you built by yourself with your own two hands! You're practically a prodigy! I'm surprised that you didn't get an offer to join Beacon sooner!"

I blushed at the sudden torrent of compliments she handed me, looking away as I scratched my cheek, "Geez, I think you're starting to over exaggerate now."

"I'm serious, though!" Firmly holding my shoulders and arranging me to face all the people standing around in front of us, Yang assured me: "Trust me lil' bro. Once you get to Beacon and start showing off your skills, everyone is gonna realize you're the bee's knees!"

Despite her words, I couldn't help but feel a pang of self-doubt as I looked over the mass populace of good-looking seventeen year old students. It was then that I realized how out of place I truly was. All these teenagers nearing adulthood, with two more years of experience than me, all traveled from different parts of Remnant just to get accepted into Beacon. Who knew what sort of people I was going to be paired up with?

Beacon was considered a prestigious academy for a reason, you know. They didn't just accept any run-of-the-mill fighter that knew the basics of wielding a sword. They methodically processed and sorted out only the students they deemed worthy of bringing out to their full potential.

All I did to get noticed was try to stop a robbery, which I didn't even manage to get right since their leader escaped…

It made me wonder if I didn't somehow get accepted by fluke.

"I dunno, Yang…" I gave an unconvinced shrug, "I mean, having good grades and a high ranking in Signal is one thing, but trying to compare myself to Beacon standards is another level entirely. Like, I'm only fifteen years old, and I'm already going to a school that's meant for people older and more experienced than me. Who knows how much better everyone else might be compared to me?"

With that, I felt Yang smack me upside the head. "Ow!" I turned around to look at her with an annoyed glare, but she was having none of it.

"Did you get a stroke and entirely forget that it was the Headmaster of Beacon that personally invited you here?" She reminded me, "If the bossman himself took a look at you and thought you were prime Beacon material, then chances are, you're way better than most people who had to sit and wait for an entire month just to get their response letters." With a grin, she clasped a hand on my shoulder and gestured out to everyone else on board the vertibird, "Besides, the fact that you're only fifteen means that by the time you reach my age, you're gonna end up being even more awesome than everyone else!"

Hearing her confidence for me, I gave a small smile back with a renewed sense of optimism, "You really think so?"

"Like I said Ross, 'Bee's knees.'" She emphasized.

"'Bee's knees.'" I ended up repeating after her, humming in thought.

Bee's knees…

Perséphone - Retro Funky (SUNDANCE Remix)

One and uh-two and uh-three and uh-four,

A one and uh-two and uh-three and uh-boom'

With dramatic flair, I kicked open the front doors of the academy and confidently strode outside as millions of fans screamed their hearts out for me on the sidelines.

Stepping down the extremely long red carpet, I threw a few winks to the people on my left and blew a few kisses on my right, getting the crowd even more riled up in excitement. If it hadn't been for Beacon's professional security guards holding them back behind the fence pole's rope, I'd most likely have been torn to shreds by now.

A few reporters and photographers ran up to me, asking me loads of various questions and taking tons of pictures. I decided to be generous, and gave them something good to look at, flexing my epic biceps and doing all sorts of cool poses.

One of the reporters asked a question that stood out to me as he waved a small microphone in front of my face. "Mr. Ross Rose, sir! What are you going to do next now that you've graduated from Beacon Academy?!"

"That's easy to answer," I spoke in a sexy deep adult-like tone of voice, causing multiple women in the crowd to swoon, "I'm gonna go save the entire world from evil. After that, I'll wipe out the Grimm to make this world a safer place to live in. Then, I'm gonna end racism, because that's totally a thing that needs to die out sometime soon."

"So freakin' cool." The reporter softly spoke in awe as I walked past him and towards a few of my fans.

A group of them shrieked and clamored up to where I was heading, their arms reaching out to me as they held pictures of me from my younger years, as well as pens to sign them with.

I gladly took one of the pens and proceeded to sign autographs for all my adoring fans, cherishing each of their squeals of delight as they kissed their mementos and hugged them tightly to their chest.

Just then, out of nowhere, someone yelled out "LOOK! Up in the sky!"

Curiously, we all looked up to see something flying above us.

"It's a bird!" One commenter shouted.

"It's a plane!" Another corrected him.

"No wait- Yeah, it's probably a plane." The first commenter agreed. "Dunno why I thought 'bird.'"

"That's no plane! That's a car!" I pointed in surprised.

And then a sports car crash landed from the sky and cartwheeled its way over to me, somehow not killing anyone in the process.

Knowing that a random car that appeared out of nowhere from the sky wasn't enough to hurt me, I had stayed where I was and patiently waited for it to stop, even when everyone else was running for their lives from the renegade car.

The car managed to land upright in front of me.

With the dust settling for a clearer view, I saw that it was actually some sort of futuristic space car from the future! With neon lights and invisible tires and extremely cool window shades.

The door of the car opened up to reveal an incredibly beautiful girl behind the wheel, wearing cool futuristic clothing and a skirt with knee socks. Pulling her slender legs out the car, she confidently stood up from her seat and pointed her finger directly at me, "I've finally found you, Ross Rose!"

"Well yeah, that's my name, but who are you?" I asked the amazingly hot girl wearing the futuristic skirt.

"I am the reincarnation of your girlfriend from an alternate life in a different dimension!" She boldly introduced herself.

"A reincarnation of my girlfriend from a different life in an alternate dimension?" I repeated in surprise.

"No, a reincarnation of your girlfriend from an alternate life in a different dimension!" She corrected, before explaining, "You see Ross, you and I were originally the most romantic couple in the universe! No one else could hold a candle to the relationship we once had! But then, after we were tragically torn apart when we died of old age in each other's arms, we were somehow brought back to life in completely different bodies in separately different dimensions!"

I gasped at the revelation of my incredibly convoluted past!

"For reasons I still haven't figured out yet, I was the only one out of the two of us who managed to keep all of my memories of our past lives! With the knowledge of knowing you were still out there somewhere, so far away from my grasp, I was desperate to find you again! I spent years using a time traveling dimensional hopping machine that I invented, so that it would allow to me to traverse through time and space just to look for you! But when I found out about a fifteen year old boy who was able to get accepted into the best school in the world two years earlier than anyone else, I knew I had found my true love that I lost all those years ago! Now that we're together again, we can finally become lovers once more, and get married, and have tons of time-traveling babies which we will then name after various shades of red, blue, and purple!"

"Oh." I blinked. "Cool."

"I've missed your elegant tongue, my love!" She happily professed, before grabbing me by the collar and pulling me towards her, "It's been far too long! Kiss me you fool!"

And so I passionately kissed her, happy to be together again with the soul mate that I never even knew I had until this very moment.

Touched by the heartwarming sight, the crowd cheered in joy for our reunion. They all celebrated by chanting my name as I continued to make out with my reincarnated girlfriend from an alternate life in a different dimension.

"ROSS! ROSS! ROSS! ROSS! ROSS! ROSS!"

"Ross. Ross? Ross! Come on buddy, come back to me."

"Huh- What? What?" I stammered, returning to reality as Yang snapped her fingers in front of my face. "What is it?"

"Pfft, you've been spacing out for, like, the past five minutes with a really goofy smile." She snickered.

"No I wasn't." I immediately denied.

"You have drool running down your chin."

Wait, what? Oh- agh- Ew, gross! Damn it Spaced-Out Ross! Stop making me look like an idiot!

I wiped away my saliva, before making up an excuse. "I was really hungry. I forgot to eat this morning because I was so excited to get to Beacon."

"Suuuuure, Ross. Whateeeever you say." She said in a teasing tone.

"Shut up, you." I did my best impression of a stern glare that would rival one with Professor Goodwitch herself.

It apparently had no effect, as Yang stuck her tongue out at me in response.

Not one to let an insult like that pass, I retaliated by sticking out my own tongue at her.

She countered by stretching down an eye to make a silly face at me.

I evened the score out by pulling both of my eyes down and blowing a raspberry at her.

In revenge, she broke the whole system and pulled my tongue.

"ACK, YANNGUH- Shhop ib!" I yelped as she firmly held onto my tongue with her fingers.

"Say it." She commanded me.

"Mno!" I valiantly attempted to wrestle her hand away from my innocent tongue, alas to no avail.

"Say uncle!" She tugged upwards, forcing me to stand on my toes.

Not able to withstand such devious torture, I decided to set aside my dignity and relented, "Okaa- okaa! Unca!"

"Good." She praised my obedience, but was still left unsatisfied. "Now say 'My Uncle Qrow wore a tutu and liked it.'"

"Mah Unca Kwow wah ah pupu ang yike ih." I shamelessly repeated after her.

"And this is why I'm the big sister." She gloated with an evil laugh, still not relinquishing her hold of my tongue.

"Skew you!"

We were interrupted from our playful sibling fight when we noticed a bunch of people beginning to huddle up over in front of the holo-screen. After listening in for a moment, I found that they were tuning in on some news report about a robbery. Which made me curious, what was so special about this robbery that it grabbed everyone's attention?

Yang and I glanced at each other for a brief moment before we decided to check out what was going on for ourselves.

We missed the opening segment of the report, but we were able to thankfully catch up before they started the interview with the victim.

"We now go live to the scene of the crime. Cyril?"

My eyes nearly popped out of my skull when I saw that the location was none other than the Dust Till Dawn shop!

I frantically shook my sister's arm and pointed a finger at the screen, "Yang, that's where I was last night!"

"What?! Seriously?!" She asked, just as shocked as I was.

I could only nod rapidly in response.

"You think it was the same incident that got you to meet the Headmaster?"

"It's gotta be!"

Turning our attention back to the broadcast, the news reporter had just finished explaining whatever he was talking about and seemed to be getting ready to question the victim.

The camera cut over to the news reporter holding up a microphone for the Old Shopkeeper.

"Sir, can you describe to us what happened last night in your own perspective?"

"Okay… Uh… It started out as a regular night, you know? Same as any other night. Business was slow, so I kept the shop open past closing time to maybe grab some late night stragglers. Boy, was I unlucky, because I happened to grab a bunch of armed gangsters instead! They just decided to barge in, put a gun up to my head, and tried to rob me for all my dust!"

"That sounds like a frightening experience, sir. What went through your mind when all of this happened?"

"Retirement plans, basically."

That got a few chuckles out of the people watching, as well as the news reporter himself.

"But no, I was really scared. I promised them all the money I had in the cash register if they left me alone, but there was this one guy who had a white coat and a cigar, I think he was the leader. He wasn't even interested in the cash. They were only dead set on robbing all the Dust I had in stock."

"But then something happened, right?"

I nervously covered my hands over my mouth in anticipation for what he was about to say next.

"Aheh, this is gonna need some explaining. See, there's this kid that usually comes around my shop every week, right? He always checks up every week to buy a new copy of that Weapons Magazine stuff, and every time he comes over, he usually leaves behind a really big tip. Very nice kid- anyway, that same kid just so happened to be with us in the shop that night. You know what he did?"

"What exactly did he do?"

I started quietly squealing as I hopped in place.

"He beat up every single last one of them and saved my life!"

Haha! Yes! I was being mentioned on the news network for helping the Old Shopkeeper!

"It happened so fast! One of the gangsters was holding a sword up to his face, but then this kid suddenly pulled out this red box and smashed it against the man's face! Then he kicked another one out of the window! I wasn't even mad that it was my window that got smashed, I was just amazed how he managed to do it so easily!"

"Do you think this young man was some sort of Huntsman?"

"No, I think he was just in training. But he sure could have fooled me, I never knew these Hunter schools could teach these kids so well at such a young age!"

I excitedly glanced over at Yang to see her giving me a smug grin, as if to say, 'Told you so'.

"So what happened next? Did you see him do anything else?"

"Sadly no. I got too scared and ducked behind the counter to avoid getting hurt. I could only cower in fear like the old man I am, so I just heard the fighting instead. After it got all quiet though, I stood up and saw my shop in a complete mess, but at least four or five of those robbers were completely unconscious and lying on the floor. There was no sign of the kid or the man in the white coat anywhere. That was when I decided to call the police."

"Truly an amazing story you've told us. Do you know this young man's name?"

At the mention of my name, I facepalmed with an aggravated groan. I knew I forgot something!

"Er… I actually have no idea. We never exchanged names."

I had been going to that shop every week for the past seven months, and I never bothered to ask the guy's name?! What the hell is wrong with me?!

"Haven't you been going to that guy's shop for a few months now? How come you never told him your name?" Yang asked incredulously.

"I know, please shut up…" I moaned into my hand.

"Can you at least describe to us what he looks like?"

I perked back up, sensing my second chance!

"Well, he wore a lot of red leather clothing."

That I did.

"He had short hair that was dyed with a bit of a red tint."

That was actually my natural hair color, but I could see how he would make that mistake.

"He carries around a music player and listens to some sort of rock song a lot."

Casey Williams forever and ever, baby.

"And… let's see… I'm forgetting something here."

My scythe! Tell them about Crescent Rose, my awesome gigantic scythe that'll someday be the most iconic weapon in the history of everything ever!

"Oh yeah, he was also a bit short."

"I'LL KILL HIM!"

Yang skillfully held me back as I roared and tried to charge my way to break the holo-projector into pieces.

"HOW DARE HE BETRAY ME LIKE THIS?! I'VE BEEN GOING TO HIS STORE FOR THE PAST SEVEN MONTHS NOW, AND THIS IS THE RESPECT I GET?! RAAA-"

"Ross, calm down! Happy thoughts! Think happy thoughts!" Yang yelled, doing her best to get me to chill out.

A few people nearby awkwardly stepped back in fear, just to avoid anything I might dish out.

"Sir, if this Hunter-in-training was watching you right now, do you have any words you want to say to him?"

The shopkeeper waved gratefully to the camera, "Wherever you are kid, I just wanna let you know that I'll be reserving every new copy of your favorite magazine for you, free of charge! Just… as soon as I can afford to fix up the shop and get it open again…"

Hearing that, I managed to calm back down and stood still in my spot, crossing my arms and grumbling to myself. Razzle-frazzle-dazzle…

The screen then switched to a familiar image of that one Bowlerhat-Wearing Douchebag from last night. I immediately stood up straight in attention, wondering what they were gonna say about the guy.

"Police have confirmed that the robbery was led by none other than the nefarious criminal, Roman Torchwick, who continues to evade authorities to this day. If you have any information regarding the knowledge of his whereabouts, please contact the Vale Police Department. And now, back to you, Lisa."

The news went on to talk about something else, but I found myself wandering towards a window with my thoughts lingering on the Bowlerhat Douche.

"Roman Torchwick, huh?" I murmured under my breath, ingraining the name into my mind next to the image of his face.

Next time, Douchebag… next time.

"You okay?"

I was brought out of my thoughts when Yang stepped to my side, giving me a concerned glance.

I looked back out the window, watching the scenery of Vale's Kingdom pass by below us.

…

"I could have done better last night." I said.

"What're you talking about?"

"Roman Torchwick, the guy with the bowler hat." I explained. "I was this close to catching him, you know. But then I got distracted and nearly got a broken spine because an accomplice of his had shown up out of nowhere." I sighed tiredly, "If only I paid more attention to my surroundings, I might have been able to bring those two behind bars."

"Hey, c'mon…" Yang comforted me by rubbing my back, "Don't think like that. You tried your best."

"That's the thing though, I seriously think I could have done better. I mean, I had an opportunity right there to knock him out and bring him back with me, but I didn't take it for some reason. Because of that, I gave him an opportunity to run away. I just can't help but feel like it'll be my fault for not stopping him if he ever tries to do something again."

"No one could have asked you to do anything more than what you've already done. It's in the past now, so you shouldn't let it bring you down." She nudged me a bit with a small smile, "At least you were able to stop him and his buddies from robbing that dust store! You also managed to get all of his goons arrested, so that's gotta mean something, right?"

I gave her a neutral hum.

"Besides, think of it like this! If it wasn't for him robbing that store last night, you would have never grabbed the Headmaster's attention and gotten invited to Beacon early!"

I grimaced at the thought.

She frowned, "Wrong thing to say?"

"Yeah, sort of. T-That didn't really comfort me at all." I said honestly.

"Sorry…"

There was an awkward pause after that. Although it didn't really last that long, as Yang decided to break it.

"Look, he's still out there, right? So that just means you're gonna be more prepared later when you eventually cross paths with him. If I know my little brother- and trust me, I know him way too well," We both chuckled at that, before she continued, "You're gonna find this jerk again, right when he's about to commit another crime. When that happens, this 'Roman Torchwick' better look out twice, 'cause my little bro ain't gonna make the same mistake the next time."

On that, she ended with a charming little grin, which I couldn't help but laugh at how ridiculous it looked.

I felt a little bit better now, knowing my sister had my back. I shouldn't hang up on my mistakes, as long as I learn from them and remember to never make them again.

Next time, Douchebag… next time.

"Thanks sis."

"No prob, Bob."

It was then that I thought up of a devious little idea to get back at her for that little tongue pulling trick earlier.

Taking advantage of the calm atmosphere, I looked up at Yang and innocently asked her, "Hey Yang, did you eat something today? I just noticed you have something stuck on your teeth."

"I do?" She self consciously covered her mouth, "Damn, it must have been the salad I ate this morning."

Her lips pursed as she began to lick her teeth clean of any leftover salad leaves that never actually existed.

Showing her teeth, she asked, "Did I get it?"

"No, I think it's wedged inside of-" I started, before she interrupted me and pointed at my own mouth.

"Actually, Ross, you got something stuck in your teeth too!"

"Wait, for real?" I exclaimed in surprise. Which was weird, since I hadn't gotten the chance to even eat anything this morning.

"Here, open your mouth."

I did so, tilting my head at an angle for her to see inside better. "Where do you see it?"

She slowly brought a finger up to inspect my mouth, "It's riiiiiight… THERE!"

I suddenly felt my tongue getting grabbed again, and I realized I'd been counter-tricked using my own idea!

"Ha! You thought you could sneak a fast one on me just 'cause we were having a little sappy bonding moment? Nice try bro, but like I said before, I know you way too well to fall for your tricks."

"THAMMIT YANG! THAPS MOTH FHAIR!" I valiantly attempted to wrestle her hand away from my innocent tongue again, alas like before, to no avail.

"All's fair in love and waaar~!" She sang, taking great pleasure from watching me squirm in her grasp. "Now say it again."

"FHUCK THAP MOISE!" I cursed at her.

"Hey, watch your language young man!" She chastised me as she pulled my tongue up and forced me on my toes again.

"I HATHE YOU THO MUSH WIGHTH MOW!"

Despite myself, I was grinning on the inside. I don't think I could ever ask for a better sister.

"Hello, and welcome to Beacon."

We were interrupted yet again by another transmission on the holo-projector, this time with an announcement from Professor Goodwitch.

Turning to face the projection, Yang let go of my tongue and allowed me to sink back to my feet as I wiped away the taste of her fingers. Bleugh, it tastes like girly hair spray and shampoo.

"Hey, who's that?" Yang asked me.

Finished cleaning my tongue out, I answered, "Her name is Glynda Goodwitch. She's a professor here in Beacon."

"My name is Glynda Goodwitch, and I'm a professor here at Beacon."

"See? Didn't even need to introduce her."

"Oh."

The professor continued on with her introduction, "You are among a privileged few who have received the honor of being chosen to attend this prestigious academy. Right now, our world is experiencing an incredible time of peace, and as future Huntsman and Huntresses, it is your duty to uphold and maintain the peace for as long as humanly possible. All of you have showcased the courage and the potential needed to improve and become the Hunters you so wished to be. With our guidance, we can provide you the knowledge and training to unlock your full potential so that you may use your powers to help us protect the world of Remnant together."

As her hologram disappeared, I noticed something far out in the distance. Drawn to the sight, I couldn't help but walk over to the other side of the ship and press my face against the window to get a better look.

And what I saw made me squee like a kid on a sugar rush.

"Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh- it's the Beacon Tower! We're finally going to reach the academy!" I gushed, the window slowly getting fogged up against my heavy and enthusiastic breaths.

Alongside me were students who were similarly amazed as the tower came into view beyond the cliff side. Hushed whispers of awe and excitement could be heard throughout the vertibird as we neared our destination.

"Somebody sure is pumped up." Yang teased as she stood next to me, which was a complete understatement to the giddiness I was feeling.

"Are you kidding me? I've been dreaming about this moment ever since I first learned what Beacon even was! Now I'm finally going to see what Beacon looks like from inside with my own two eyes!"

"More than that, Ross." Yang proudly wrapped an arm around my shoulder, "For the next four years, Beacon's gonna be our home."

"And I can't wait to see what's in store for us next when we get there." I smiled contently, taking in the wonderful sight of the ocean near the academy. With a dreamy sigh, I commented, "Man, the view up here looks gorgeous. I could stare out this window all day if I could."

"Totes." Yang nodded in agreement besides me.

Nothing could possibly ruin this moment for me.

"Heurgk!"

The noise of a nearby student catching our attention, we turned away from the window to look at a blonde guy on our right as he held his mouth closed in his hand, making all sorts of nauseating noises as his face turned green.

With heavy steps, he pushed himself away from the windows and stumbled past us as he looked around for what I was assuming was a trash can.

With a giggle, Yang noted, "Looks like the view isn't for everyone."

I disappointedly clicked my tongue, "A darn shame. I'd hate to imagine what it'd be like for me if I always got sick from tall heights."

"That would definitely be a nightmare for you, since you're always so sensitive about your-"

"NNNGH-SHADDAP." I smoothly transitioned myself out of that conversation like a buttered up car crashing into a bus.

*Pukes*

…

I felt a moist substance covering the side of my leg.

My eye twitching, I robotically turn my head down to see the same blonde boy from before collapsing on his knees right next to me.

He looked up at my emotionless face in horror, realizing what he had done to me.

"I am so sor-HEURK!" He barely managed to get out before holding his mouth shut as he felt another surge of bile rising up.

"Ooh… that is gross…" Yang silently whispered as she slowly backed away.

It took me a moment for my brain to catch up with what just happened. Once it did though, I pretty much reacted how you'd expect I would.

"WHAT THE FU-"

AN: And boom, my remastered version of the first chapter is done. What do you guys think about it compared to my original lame copy paste version? Leave a review below if you can, and if you've already reviewed chapter one when this story first came out two years ago, then look for a chapter you haven't reviewed yet, and leave your comments and criticisms there.

I'll leave the original first chapter on the second chapter slot for now, before I finish remastering the second chapter and deleting the original first chapter to make room.