Hunter's Sanctuary: The Final Cut

By Centurious the Azure and Storm Wolf77415

Chapter 1: Patches of Snow

(Island of Patch, Kingdom of Vale)

If a resident of Remnant was asked if where they lived was a nice place to live, the answer most people would get is. "Oh it's just fine…when the Grimm aren't being a trouble." It was a fact of life that the creatures of darkness known as Grimm plagued the lands, relegating humanity and Faunus to the confines of the four kingdoms, but even then, a few places could be called a safe haven.

One such place was the island of Patch, located ten miles off the coast of the Kingdom of Vale. Mostly known for its fishing industry, and with a relatively minor level of Grimm infestation, Patch was considered to be a good place to raise a family. There was a bustling of activity in and around one modest, two story wooden house, the front decorating with banners that read "Good luck" and "Bon Voyage."

The house was full of people wishing one family well in the next phase of their lives. The atmosphere was mostly casual, people were spread about in the living room, the kitchen, and on the small deck. The day was warm, the sun was out in full, shining its inviting light on the whole of the island. Although for others Patch would be a little colder, the children of the family had taken one corner of the living room for themselves. They looked just plain bored.

"I'm not looking forward to this at all." Sirius Caelestinus muttered, looking completely disinterested at all the guests as they milled about, making idle small talk. "Why we need to move to Atlas at all is beyond me." Although he already had a very good idea as he looked across to the room, his eyes narrowing as he zeroed in a squat, broad-shouldered man in a slightly cheap-looking suit sat with his mother, Priscilla.

The first impression most people got of Wallace Caelestinus was 'Used Car Saleman'. It wasn't hard to see why, what with his swept back blonde hair, beady pale blue eyes, and oily smile, it was a rather fitting description. But still, he was far more than a used car salesman. In fact he had managed to make a name for himself as a very capable businessman, so capable in fact, he recently been promoted to the position of Chief Operations Officer for the Schnee Dust Company.

Wallace was a wealthy man, and had more than a few mansions to his name, including one in Atlas. With his new posting, it wasn't a stretch to say he would want to be close to his job in case of unforeseen complications. However this also had the unfortunate side effect of taking his family away from the rest of their relatives, the children his age were making their opinions of this very clear.

"I don't want you to gooooooo!" His cousin, eight-year-old Ruby Rose wailed at the top of her lungs, clutching onto Sirius's arm in a death grip. Sirius just gave her brotherly smile and pat on the cheek, taking in her round face, deep red hair framing the brilliant silver eyes that were her most striking feature, inherited from her mother, Summer Rose, resplendent in her pure white cloak as she chatted with her husband Taiyang Xiao Long.

Of all the kids his age, he had an especially soft spot for Ruby, if he could sum her up in one word, it would be 'purity'. Ruby was always so honest and open with her feelings. Sirius would have to admit to himself that one of two things keeping him on Patch would have been Ruby. The other being the six-year old girl currently curled up on the couch, taking a nap. Cordelia Caelestinus was his half sister, through their mother. While he had no love for his stepfather, Sirius doted on his sister. She was an adorable child with long, midnight black hair, and silver eyes like Ruby. She wore a black dress, trimmed in white frills.

Yang Xiao Long, Ruby's half sister, pouted and folded her arms, her long blonde locks tied up in pigtails, bouncing up and down. She looked almost cute if not for her eyes subtly flickering from purple to fierce red. "If they want you to go that badly, I'll show them how wrong it is. I've been working on my fighting with my Dad." She threw out a decent punch. Taiyang was an instructor at Signal Academy on the island. "A little facial reconstruction should be enough to make them see why they can't just take you away."

Sirius snorted, his lips twisting upwards into a bemused smirk at the image of Yang's tiny fist burying itself in Wallace's greasy, smug looking face, shattering bones entirely, he wondered if he could send a picture to one of the local magazines, the smashed in face look would be all the rage amongst the hip crowd. "If it were only that simple, Yang. Do you think you can solve all the problems in the world by punching them into submission?"

"Why not?" Yang pouted once again. "It's like Uncle Qrow always said to me, if you keep running then bullies will keep chasing you, but if you turn around and kick them in the face, then they won't anymore." The way she grinned, and how her eyes turned red, it made Yang look rather ominous. "And most of all…they'll always remember."

Ezra Lavender wasn't as vocal in his displeasure as his other cousins, but there was disappointment in the young man's eyes. "While I'm not as vocal as the girls are. I have to say I'm not a big fan of this turn of events. The island will seem a little emptier without you, Sirius."

"I'm with my brother on this one." Ezra's older brother, 14-year-old Markus said. the white and black dog ears on his head, twitching every so often. "I know how these types operate all too well. Once Wallace gets settled into his office, he's going to ignore you and Aunt Priscilla just so he can cavort with the wealthy and powerful. He's just a walking grease ball."

"I'm glad all of you feel that way." Sirius said, running a finger along his little sister's cheek, taking in her innocent face. "If anything else, Cordelia could remain here on Patch with you guys, and then join us once she's gotten a little older. I doubt she quite understands just what it means to move." Although he knew in the back of his mind, it was given Cordelia would accompany them to the frigid wastes of Atlas.

It wasn't just the children who were discussing the recent turn of events. The adults were also talking about the big move. "I'm still not sure why you would want to go all the way up north, Prissy." Summer said, fiddling with the hem of her cloak.

"It's called following your bliss, sister. I will always love Patch and a part of me will remain here on this humble, little rock. But this marriage to Wallace is a fresh start for me. Atlas is at the cutting edge of technology and research and development. With his connections to the military, that means demand for my work will be high. In my eyes, it's a much needed change of scenery."

"I think what Summer's talking about is how the kids feel about this." Taiyang looked over to where the children had pulled out one of their favorite board games, wanting to spend a few more precious moments together. "Neither of the girls took the news very well, especially Ruby. She and Sirius have always been joined at the hip, it's like a part of her has been cut away."

Priscilla just patted Taiyang on the shoulder. "Children are more resilient than you think, Tai. They'll be just fine. It will take time to adjust, that's true, but I know Sirius and Cordelia will get along once they've settled in. Not to mention we won't have to worry about Lien. I imagine in about a year we'll be quite financially secure. What I have now is far and above what I had with…" She trailed off at that.

"We can't all be in your position, Prissy." Ezra and Markus's mother, Moira piped up. "I'm the last person to say this, since I'm a doctor who can't even cure her own addiction. I know I could fall off the wagon at any moment, but this is a very bad idea to me. There's a reason I moved from the Grove here to Patch. That was necessary. But this is less than necessary. We all know you're financially secure; this is just you stroking your own ego! In all likelihood, once you get to Atlas, ol' Greaseball will spend all his time buried in his work without giving you a second thought!"

"I'm with the good doctor here." A deep voice slurred. Priscilla glared at the slouched form of Qrow Branwen, slumped in the corner, half drunk with a sour expression on his face. "All you're doing is following the money where it takes you. How long until Wallace outlives his usefulness and then you move onto the next guy, just like what happened with you and Steven?"

Taiyang and Summer winced at his words, while Moira just gave a smug little grin. It was no secret to any of them that Priscilla had married her last husband, Steven Lavender, partially for his money. The man had been a brilliant scientist and his mind was what drew her to him. Steven had been a decent, upstanding man who took Sirius as his own son.

Priscilla's eyes narrowed. She was long used to the sardonic scythe user, and wouldn't rise to the bait. "If you had pulled your head out of your ass and didn't spend half your time in a drunken stupor, we could have had something. That being said, you have no right to say where I go or what I do." Her words seemed to give Qrow a small breath of sobriety, as he stood up, rearing to his full height.

"I beg to differ! I may have no say in where you go, but I do when it comes to Sirius. I know for a fact that he's really my son. Those eyes are a dead giveaway, don't try to ignore it!" He hissed. "You can do whatever you want, Priss, but I would like to have some part in my son's life. I'll take him in and then send him on his way to you when he gets older."

Priscilla was a second away from laughing. "Oh that is rich! If he is your son, I pray to Oum that he didn't inherit your love of the bottle. And besides, if I did leave him here on Patch, I know for a fact that Tai would be the one doing the work of raising him. Sirius is coming with Wallace and I to Atlas, Qrow. You can consider the subject closed!"

It was then Wallace stepped in to play peacemaker. "Please, please everyone." He spoke in a smooth tone, although to Qrow it sounded as oily as his hair. "Qrow, I understand your apprehension about being so far away, but you needn't worry at all about either of the children. We will be fine in Atlas. If you wish to come and visit us, I'm certain I can make it happen."

Qrow said nothing. He just pulled out his ever-present companion, taking a long drag of hooch. "I'm going outside. The air is foul in here." He sauntered off, giving a single, aside glance to Sirius as he walked by the kids, still engrossed in their board game. The two locked eyes for a second. Qrow just shook his head, going outside. The game forgotten, Sirius got up to follow him.

The older man was standing away from a group of people, leaning against the railing, as he took another drag of booze, looking out over the rolling hills of Patch. He silently cursed the fact that Priscilla was right on some levels, he hadn't exactly been prime husband material. He could only reflect on what could have been, and only watch the woman he loved from afar in the arms of another man.

Sirius took a spot next to Qrow. He took in the sights of the island, since he didn't know when or if he'd ever see it again. Since it was the start of fall, the trees were turning red, orange, and brown. "Hey…Dad." Sirius finally broke the silence, taking note of Qrow's smirk of bemusement. "Yeah, I've known for a while, it's pretty obvious when you look at us together. Mom has silver eyes and black hair with brown streaks, and Steven didn't have red eyes at all."

Qrow regarded taking a drink, but thought maybe this was one time he needed to be a little more sober than normal. "The sad thing…I really did try to clean myself up, get sober, but it was a case of too little, too late. Your mom had already started dating Steven. Plus, I'm the walking incarnation of bad luck, so any relationship we would have had probably would disintegrate faster than you can say dead Grimm."

Sirius's black canine ears twitched, a sign of distress and annoyance. "Do you think I care about that at all? You're the reason I'm even here to begin with. Not to mention it seems like you actually care about my opinion. Mom doesn't take me seriously at all. If she didn't always feel like she had to be right, then she and Wallace wouldn't even be breathing the same oxygen. Okay, you smell like wet Zwei, and always look like you just got out of bed. But that's stuff I can always live with. I can tell you're a good guy who tries to help others, like a true Huntsman should."

Qrow chuckled. "Aw, you know how to flatter your old man, kid. I guess you got some of this birdbrain's charm after all." Sirius let out a light chuckle too, and they were both laughing. It would have been a perfect scene, a father and son bonding, but the humor didn't last long.

"Mom's problem is she's too blinded by her need for wealth and promotion. I'd rather live in the Grove again that go live in Atlas. At least in the Grove humans and Faunus are more or less on the same level. I hear about on the news they aren't treated well, especially in Atlas. I'm not going to lie…that scares me a lot, Dad."

Qrow laid a hand on Sirius's shoulder, a simple gesture of reassurance from a father to his son. "I wouldn't worry too much. Your mom doesn't know it, but I'm capable of a lot more than she realizes. I've got eyes and ears everywhere, because my boss is an important man, more important than any other person in Remnant. If he wanted to, he could make anything happen with just a snap of his fingers, or a flash of his glasses. I have some friends in Atlas, if you have any problems, they'll let me know."

Sirius couldn't explain it, but the calm gesture from Qrow just felt so right in every way possible, solidifying the fact who and what this man was. He had seen Taiyang comforting Ruby and Yang plenty of times when something was wrong, and now he really understood just what that feeling was like. It was something he wished had come into his life a lot sooner. "Thanks…even if Wallace is Mom's husband now. I know for a fact whom my Dad is."

The older man just gave a slight nod of approval, before gently patting Sirius on the cheek. "And don't you dare forget it. Go and spend some time with your cousins while you have the chance. I can't do anything about this move, but at least you can make some good memories before you take the big hike up north." Sirius gave a slight nod, trotting back inside while Qrow once again took another sip from his flask, but for once, his heart felt a little lighter and it wasn't from the alcohol.

Sirius came back inside, to find the others still playing their game. "Where did you go?" Ruby asked.

"I was just hanging out with Qrow." Sirius said, sitting down at the board. "He's a pretty cool guy." Ruby's eyes lit up and she nodded vigorously, if there was anyone closer to Qrow besides Sirius, it was the little girl in the red cloak.

"I took your turns for you." Yang said, picking up the dice and handing them to Sirius. "So go ahead."

"Thanks, Yang." He shook the small plastic cubes in his hand and tossed them across the board. The sound of the dice caused Cordelia to stir from her place on the couch. She let out a small whine as she stretched. "Oh…hey there little sis." Sirius said, his voice taking on a gentle tone that only came out for her or Ruby. "Did you have a good nap?"

She nodded, regarding her half brother for a second, cocking her head to the side that just made her look all the cuter in his eyes. "Did something happen to you, big brother? You were sad before, now it looks like you're happy again."

"Yeah, you could say that. I know I was upset about having to leave Patch. But now…I think it's going to be all right."

"Why's that?" Markus asked.

Sirius smiled, looking out to the deck. "I just needed some reassurance from my dad is all."

(Six Months Later, Caelestinus Manor, Kingdom of Atlas)

"Happy Birthday, Cordelia!" a series of voices chorused. The Caelestinus estate in Atlas was quite festive, as the youngest member of the family celebrated her seventh birthday. Cordelia's eyes shined at the large pile of presents stacked up around her, not to mention the large chocolate sheet cake with white frosting just waiting to be devoured.

Sirius stood off to the side, taking in the atmosphere. He was easing into his new home, thanks to the help of his two step sisters, Maya and Taylor, Wallace's daughters from a previous marriage. The girls had readily welcomed their new siblings in their home, helping them to adjust to Atlas. Maya had been the one to spearhead throwing Cordelia a birthday party as a way to show how they cared. If anything else it had earned them extra brownie points with Sirius.

If Sirius had to be honest, if he wasn't related to either of the girls, he'd asked them out in a second, as they were both quite attractive. Maya wore her long, pink hair straight, framing her reddish-range eyes. She was currently wearing a short-sleeved dress that matched the color of her hair, under a white sweater, a necessity in Atlas's frigid climates, along with white panty hose and heels. She leaned over, giving the birthday girl a gentle hug and a kiss on the cheek. "Happy Birthday, Cordy. We're so glad to have you as part of the family."

The younger sister, Taylor, looked a little fragile with her slender figure and thin legs. Her light pink hair was tied in pigtails with red hair tubes. She wore a long, red sweater that reached down to above her knees over a black tank-top and jeans, not to mention a bored expression as she gazed at her Scroll. Although anyone watching closely enough could see how her red eyes softened when Taylor looked at Cordelia, the little girl's crushing cuteness could easily be her Semblance.

"Thank you everyone…" Cordelia trailed off shyly, the birthday girl was decked out in brilliant red party dress with white lace. Her black hair done up in twin tails with help from her step sisters.

Priscilla put her hands on her daughter's shoulders. "This is your special day, honey. It's only right you're center stage." She gave Cordelia a delicate kiss on the cheek. "Mama loves you so much, sweetheart."

Sirius watched with quiet as his little sister began tearing into her presents. "Maybe we can make this whole thing work after all." He mused quietly to himself, watching as Priscilla passed another gift, wrapped with silver paper to Cordelia. "At least Mom is here, unlike some other people I can name." He muttered, noting Wallace's absence. "I guess Aunt Moira was right, the minute we arrive, he ditches us."

"I still don't see why we had to come here for this, Harz! We don't even know these people!" a shrill voice rang out. Sirius went to see who was at the door. He left the spacious dining room, heading for the front entry hall. The dog Faunus stopped in his tracks the moment upon laying eyes on the source of the voice. A young girl his own age, resplendent in a white fur lined coat that came down to her shins, silver tights adorning her slender legs, and white patent leather Mary-Jane shoes.

Sirius thought she was the most striking creature he had ever laid eyes on. Although he was taken aback by how cold she acted. As if a giant wall of ice surrounded her, a wall that was personified in those chilling blue eyes. He also picked up an unsettling vibe from the man with her, especially the wide smile that never seemed to leave his face. "Now now, Weiss. Wallace wanted us to meet his family, this is a special day for young Cordelia, try to at least be cordial to her." He replied in a smooth voice.

"Uh, can I take your coats?" Sirius offered weakly, holding his arms out. The girl just looked at him funny, before a nudge from the man prompted her to remove her coat, revealing a white, long sleeved dress with a snowflake motif, He could imagine what a knockout she'd be when she got older.

"Ah, you must be young Sirius." The man spoke, the smile never leaving as he removed his own dark overcoat. "Allow me to introduce myself properly. I am Harz Schnee, Chief Financial Officer for Schnee Industries, this lovely lady right here is my younger sister, Weiss. Go ahead and introduce yourself, Weiss. It's only proper."

The girl took a few tentative steps forward, holding her hand out. "It's nice to meet you." Weiss was clearly forcing herself to do this, if just for the sake of social niceties. "Your stepfather asked to come to your sister's birthday party. I'm afraid we didn't have time to buy a gift." Sirius just gave an understanding nod, taking Weiss's hand, gently kissing it.

"It's not a problem at all, Miss Schnee. It's an honor to meet you." He spoke in a smooth voice, doing his best to turn on the charm. "Come with me and I'll introduce you to the rest of my family. They're in the main living room." Weiss was taken off guard by Sirius's gesture just giving him a cold glare, as she tossed her braid over her shoulder.

"Thanks, but I can find the way myself." With that she brushed past him, not even giving Sirius the time of day. He just looked at where she had walked by. His entire body went rigid when Harz put his hand on the younger man's shoulder.

"I apologize for my sister's attitude. She's actually not a bad person once get to know her. However, it takes a while to get past those cold shields she put up around herself. Sad to say it's something of a…family tradition." Never once did his smile dissipate. "So tell me, what kind of cake did you get? I know I'm hungry for it."

Sirius just stood there as Harz followed his younger sister. "Well this just gets more and more interesting. I wonder who's going to be next through that door?" He remarked, not really expecting to get a response, only for the doorbell to ring. He fought the urge to laugh. "Wow, either I've got psychic powers or Oum's got a wicked sense of humor."

He opened the door to see a trio of boys his own age standing on the front porch, the one in the center held a birthday gift for Cordelia. He took a minute to take them all in. Sirius's first impression is that none of them were from Atlas, or even Mantle for that matter, if the dark skin was any indication. The one in the center carried himself with a regal bearing, wearing a dark long sleeved shirt and zip up vest. Dark gray hair framed a calm, thoughtful face with stone gray eyes.

The boy standing to the right of him wore a black, double-breasted military styled coat that seemed to barely cover his broad frame. A black watchcap covered his short cropped dark hair, there was a calculating gleam in his amber eyes, and Sirius could see instantly that this guy was sizing him up.

The last boy was the most dressed up, wearing a full suit, colored dark gray with a purple patterned button up shirt underneath, and a waist coat matching the rest of his ensemble. His dirty blonde hair cut in a way that pointed it straight up. A pair of frameless glasses covered his deep green eyes.

"How many people did my mother invite to this thing?" Sirius asked.

The boy in the vest gave a wide grin. "Actually, we're here to see you, man. The birthday party just provided a good excuse for us to meet. I overheard your mother tell mine that she was hoping it would help you make some friends." He held his hand out. "I'm Yukimasa, these two chuckleheads to either side of me are Landon and Isamu. We wanted to welcome you to Atlas."

Sirius regarded the gesture for a few minutes, before tentatively taking Yukimasa's hand. "You're not from around here either, I can tell by your names and accents. Let me guess, Mistral or that general area?"

"You're not wrong." The boy with the glasses, whom Sirius now knew as Isamu spoke with a cultured accent. "Landon is from Mistral, while Masa and I hail from Yamatai, an island off the coast of Anima." He offered a slight bow. "It's an honor and pleasure to meet you, Mr. Caelestinus. I hope Miss Cordelia enjoys the gift we bought for her."

Yukimasa just rolled his eyes. "Always the proper type, 'Samu. But we do hope she enjoys it. And we want to get to know you." Landon just snickered, clearly all too used to the behavior of his friend. Sirius's lips curled upwards and he began laughing too.

"Well, come on in and join the party. There's no point in freezing your ass off. And just you so you know 'Samu, the name is Sirius. I'd much rather you call me that." With that, Sirius welcomed his three new friends into the house. The boys removed their coats, making their way to the living room.

Yukimasa was surprised upon catching sight of Weiss, currently standing against the wall, looking on the proceedings with a detached air. "Well look at this, I didn't think I'd see the Ice Princess of the Schnee present here." He drawled, sidling up to her, not fazed by the scowl she gave him. "Let me guess, you didn't want to be here, but daddy dearest expected you to go because Wallace is his new right hand man?"

"Just buzz off, Ikaruga." Weiss said, using Yukimasa's last name, folding her arms as she put on air of indifference. "It's only proper that I make an appearance." It was then Cordelia caught sight of the arrivals and walked up to her. Her eyes were wide in delight. Weiss wasn't sure what to do.

"Wow, you're really pretty!" Cordelia said to Weiss, "I like the color of your dress and hair. It's just like fallen snow. Are you a snow princess of some kind?" The questions came out rapid fire, and it was adorable.

Yukimasa just chortled. "She might be, little one." He said, kneeling down to get on the same level as her. "Where I'm from there are tales of snow spirits who take the form of beautiful young women. But even if she is on the chilly side, I doubt she'd suck the life from you. She hasn't completed her training yet."

The Schnee Heiress flashed an irritated glare at Yukimasa had heard this kind of talk before from people who were kissing up to her family, usually her father, but there was an innocence to this girl, who wasn't aware of just how cold and heartless Weiss's family was. She didn't want to let her down. Weiss put her hand on Cordelia's shoulder. "Don't pay any attention to him, he's just being silly. My name is Weiss, my daddy is the man your daddy works for."

"I see you've met the birthday girl." The girls turned to see Sirius having joined Yukimasa and the others. "I suppose not even you can stand up to my little sister's cuteness. Makes me wonder if it's some kind of perpetual Semblance she unlocked early, because no one seems to be able to resist her charms." Weiss said nothing, although she privately admitted that perhaps the newcomer was right.

"So like, is this the party we heard about?" a dimwitted, feminine voice rang out, causing all the children save the Caelstinus siblings to freeze in their tracks.

Yukimasa and Landon both groaned as Isamu just shook his head in disgust, the light catching off the lenses of his glasses. "Oh great…the Bimbo Brigade came here!"

"Ugh, the Fuertes Twins." Weiss hissed, looking ready to bolt, although she didn't want to upset her new friend. She gave a gentle smile to Cordelia. "Excuse me for this, but I need to go and freshen up for a while. We can talk later." The girl nodded her head, finally giving Weiss the chance to put her mask of iciness back on. She pushed by the others, going to the bathroom, audibly locking the door.

Sirius wasn't sure what the others were getting all worked up about. In walked a pair of twin girls, the only way to tell them apart was one of them wore her hair in twin tails. He would say both of the girls were kind of hot, but they carried themselves with a less than wholesome vibe, especially the girl in the twin tails, she just emanated an aura that screamed 'Future Skank', with the way she snapped her chewing gum.

Her twin sighed, shaking her head, apparently she was long used to this. "Yes, Jamie. Where else would the party be? Besides, it's not like it's anything Remnant shattering, it's a seven year old's birthday, what are you expecting, a wild rave? I seriously doubt there's going to be anything like that around here."

The twin-tailed girl ignored her sister's words, sauntering up to Sirius, the purple and gray dress she more looking a little tighter than it should have on her slender frame, all the while still chewing her gum. "Hiya, so you're the new face in town. The name's Jamie Fuertes, the long faced clone next to me is my sister, Sarah."

"Uh, hi." Sirius said, not sure what to do make of the new arrivals. "I'm glad you showed up here, although I'm certain there's a little thing called personal space and you're violating it right now." Jamie just pouted and walked off, she caught sight of Weiss poking her head out of the bathroom door, wondering if it was safe to come out.

"Well, if it isn't the future Ice Queen? Like I had no idea you actually had the stones to come out of your ivory tower and mingle with us common folk? If I didn't know any better I'd say you actually a soul in that hollow shell of a flat body of yours!" Jamie mocked. Sarah just shook her head, as neither of them had much of a figure anyway; they were only ten for crying out loud! But Jamie's words weren't going to pierce Weiss's icy shield easily, and she had turned the full might of her cold stare on her.

"Now, just you wait a minute!" Sirius said, putting himself between Weiss and Jamie. "Miss Schnee is a guest in my home, the same as you. You give her the same respect as anyone else." His ears twitched as he glared at Jamie. "Otherwise, I'll have no problem showing your pretty little ass the door!" Since Sirius had his back to her, he didn't notice the slight nod of approval Weiss gave. Her opinion of him had just gone up a few levels.

Jamie looked a little intimidated, but at the same time she seemed almost excited. It made Sirius wonder just what was going on in her head. Before the awkward situation could get any worse, the doorbell rang, indicating more guests. Sirius was actually grateful for the interruption. "Coming!" He called, putting as much distance between him and Jamie as possible, throwing open the door and praying whoever was present had a degree of sanity. "Hello, welcome to the Caelstinus residence." He began, only to be met by a sour glare.

"Oh great, Cardin, look at this…it's a Faunus!" a boy his age, with short cropped burnt orange hair sneered in disgust to a younger boy that was almost a perfect mirror of him. "Here I thought this was supposed to be an upscale party, but it's just a bunch of filthy animals rolling around in the muck!"

A low growl escaped from Sirius's lips, not breaking with his tormentor's indigo eyes. "Well, aren't you just an absolute charmer? Perhaps you could introduce yourself properly, that way I'll make it a point to keep as far away from you as possible."

"The name is Reid Winchester, and this is my little brother, Cardin. My father works for the Schnees and I was told to come here, but I wasn't told that there would be a bunch of dumb animals here. Look at those ears, it's clear you're a filthy mutt, I bet you have to work in order to lick your ass." Sirius's nostril's flared at the cheap jab. No way were either of them coming near Cordelia!

"Oh I'm a filthy mutt, you're clearly a hairless Neanderthal. I bet your brain capacity hasn't increased since your ancestors' earliest days. I can tell by the shape of your forehead. Or maybe it's just from butting heads with everyone you antagonize with your ugly words!" Sirius's ears had pricked up as his aggression rose. It was bad enough that he had to leave home, but prejudice due to being a Faunus wasn't needed!

Reid sneered some more, his fingers curling into a fist. Sirius felt his own hands tensing, ready for an inevitable throw down, only to receive an unexpected hand from Harz, that smile still present. "As a responsible adult, I think I will slam this door, and you will leave. It's easy right?" A deft flick of the wrist and the door slammed shut, and he locked it for extra measure.

Sirius looked to Harz, his smile a little less creepy to his eyes. "Consider this my way of welcoming you to Atlas. I should let you know that not everyone here is a racist bastard. You just happened to make a very powerful friend in my family. Before you get any ideas, I'm not doing this just because your stepfather is my dad's right hand. I noticed earlier how you stood up for my little sister. I ask you continue to be nice to her. Weiss needs friends badly."

"Uh, okay." Sirius said.

It was then Priscilla came up, having heard the doorbell and subsequent slam. "Sirius, who was at the door, honey?"

Harz then stepped in. "I'm afraid we had some unwanted guests, Mrs. Caelestinus. They used some rather harsh language and insulted your son. I felt it was proper if they weren't allowed in your home during your daughter's special day so I promptly told them to get lost." Priscilla looked to her son.

"He's not wrong, Mom. It's exactly what happened. They didn't like the fact we were Faunus, and called us a bunch of dirty animals." Sirius glared at Priscilla. "I appreciate you inviting all these kids here because you wanted me to make some friends, Mom. But I think you could have been a little more selective in who you chose."

"I invited them through their parents. I got their numbers from Wallace's address book. I called almost all of them personally to introduce myself to them. It's not entirely my fault, I can't predict how they'll act." Priscilla huffed, before turning to Harz. "Although I am glad to see you here, Harz. It seems your sister and my daughter are hitting it off quite well."

Harz just offered a sweeping bow before kissing Priscilla's hand. "It's not a problem at all, Mrs. Caelestinus. I'm sorry my father couldn't show up here as promised. But what can I say? It's hard when you're one of the most powerful men in all of the kingdom."

She just laughed. "Please, call me Priscilla."

"Hey, Priscilla?" Maya called out, coming around the corner with Taylor. "Everyone is here, So I thought it might be a good idea for us to get started." Her face lit up at seeing Harz. "Hey there, Harz! It's been a while! I heard your family had been invited. Does this mean Weiss is here as well?"

"It would be nice to see her again." Taylor remarked, her lips twitching upward in the ghost of a smile. "We have the same voice teacher."

Sirius sized up his situation. Despite the appearance of the Winchester brats, life in Atlas seemed to be shaping out for the better. But deep in the reaches of his soul, He knew there was a part of him that was forever left behind on the island of Patch in Vale, perhaps one day he could go back and see Ruby and Yang, and introduce them to the new friends he had made.

(Two Months Later, Nicholas Schnee Elementary School)

"This really sucks!" Sirius huffed under his breath as he stood at the front of the classroom in front of the teacher's desk. He had come back from recess to find a lot of nasty racial slurs written on his desktop. It hadn't taken him all of five seconds for him to figure out who it was, he recognized Reid's handwriting anywhere, a kindergartner wrote better than he did.

The teacher just looked at him with a stern frown. "Now are you sure about this, young man? This school doesn't tolerate liars."

Sirius wanted to groan. He knew there being a Faunus meant he would have to deal with prejudice. However, this teacher took thickheaded stupidity to a whole new level. "How can I be lying to you? The evidence is right there!" He indicated to the desk, still covered with the various insults. "And the suspect is present as well, check the latest homework paper, the handwriting should be a dead giveaway."

The teacher pulled out a sheaf of papers, cycling through them before he stopped at one in particular. He looked at the name at the top of the paper, checked Sirius's desktop one more time. "Mr. Winchester, please come up here right now." He ordered. Sirius grinned inside, finally justice would be served. Reid came up, looking like a perfect little angel. "Young man, did you write all those terrible things on Sirius's desk?"

"Aw, come on teach, it was just a prank. It's all in good fun!" the words were as fake as Reid's smile. Sirius could tell from a mile away. "It's not my fault Sirius can't take a joke." Sirius ground his teeth in silent anger. Reid was just toying with him, but certainly the teacher wouldn't be so clueless!

"Just try not to do it again." The teacher said, waving a dismissive hand at Reid, the false smile dropping for a minute as he smirked at Sirius, returning to his seat with a noticeable swagger in his step as he high-fived one of his many cronies.

"Come on, Teach. You can't be serious! This isn't the first time Reid has done stuff like this. Maybe you could do more than just give that little thug a slap on the wrist!" Sirius urged, only to shrink back as the teacher slammed his fist on the table.

"You will not speak to me in a such a manner, Mr. Caelestinus. If you keep this up, then I'll send you straight to the principal's office! Now take your seat at once!" Sirius began muttering under his breath, crashing into his chair. He pulled a few wipes from his desk and began cleaning off his desktop as the teacher began the afternoon lessons.

Once he had finished cleaning his desk, Sirius just put on a blank face, tuning out the teacher's monotonous lecture. He felt something poke him in the back. He turned around to see the student behind him with a folded slip of paper, "It's for you." she said, slipping it to him. Tentatively he took the note, opening it up to see it was from Yukimasa.

"Sorry about this, bro. If it's any help, I think Reid is a total jackass as well. I've heard his baby brother isn't any better. We all feel for you, even Weiss, if you can believe that." Sirius felt his burden lighten just a slight bit, he looked to Weiss, sitting at the front of the room, and saw she was looking right back at him. Blazing ruby red met frigid ice blue. He could see there was a genuine concern. The shared gaze only lasted for the barest fraction of a second before she looked away. He didn't know why, but it was the most comfort he had felt all day. The bell rang, signaling the end of class. He wasted no time in packing his bag, bolting for the door in order to avoid any further heckling from Reid.

(Caelestinus Manor)

Sirius's entire body sagged as he approached the front door. "I never thought I'd be so glad to be home. This day sucked!" He paused when he put his hand on the doorknob, hearing a faint sound through the thick Vale oak door, cracking it open to hear a truly angelic tone. He entered the house, following the sound to the side room where Wallace kept a grand piano.

He wasn't surprised to see Maya and Taylor there with their vocal coach, an older man, his hair going slightly gray, but the presence of Weiss herself took him totally off guard. All he could do was stand and listen to the beauty that was Weiss Schnee's voice. It lifted the weariness from his soul. It was then Maya caught sight of him, looking on in total awe, she thought he'd make a good statue.

"Hey there, Sirius." She said, causing Weiss to lose her focus, gasping. Maya saw how her stepbrother looked at her fellow idol, she flashed a glance to Taylor, the sisters smiled. "I hope you don't mind Weiss coming over to practice."

"Uh, no, not at all." Sirius said, trying to look cool, but failing miserably. He walked up, his legs twitching nervously. "H-how are you, today, Miss Schnee?" He flashed a glance to his sisters that said 'bug off and let me talk to her alone!' Luckily, both Maya and Taylor took the hint, leaving to get a drink.

The vocal coach saw it too. "How about we take five, Weiss? I need to use the bathroom." He left the room, and so now it was just the two of them. Weiss shyly clung to her skirt, she wasn't sure what to say. Sirius looked a little nervous himself. Despite their initial meeting, he had found something drew him to the Schnee heiress.

"Hello there, Miss Schnee. I'm hoping you enjoy your stay here in my home." Sirius tried to sound formal the way he had heard Wallace talk a few times, but it just came out sounding awkward. He took Weiss's hand, gently kissing it.

"You can drop the fancy talk. It doesn't suit you. Besides, it's not the first time I've been here, and please…call me Weiss." She said, taking seat on the piano bench, idly tapping her fingers on her leg. "I didn't get a chance to say this to you at your sister's birthday party, but thank you for standing up to that brat, Jamie, for me. We've never gotten along. She considers me her rival, but I just see her as an annoyance, although Sarah's not so bad. I wish she'd stand up for herself more."

"It's no problem. I don't like bullies in any shape or form. Although I don't think the Winchester brothers got that particular memo. That teacher either doesn't like Faunus himself, or he's just plain dumb. Certainly he could see of all the crap Reid and his goons have been pulling on me the last two months, the water balloons in the gym, the giant Beowolf cutout he snuck into the bathroom, although I admit that was actually kind of impressive, but it still stands. I guess it just proves that adults are useless!"

Weiss let out a small 'hmph', as she threw her hair back. "Reid Winchester is nothing more than a small minded bigot who won't rise above being a hired thug." She folded her arms, looking away slightly. "I'll be honest…I've never really talked to a Faunus before. My father always said they were nothing but troublemakers and crooks that had nothing but ill intentions. But…I've been finding myself challenging my own beliefs as of late. It's in no small part of because of you."

Sirius said nothing, just motioning for Weiss to continue. "I've kept my eye on you ever since you came to Atlas, so I could judge your character for myself. What I've seen leads me to think you've been given a raw deal. Reid has been throwing hate at you that just isn't deserved."

If the joy he had felt from that simple glance earlier today was a temporary relief, the words coming out of Weiss's mouth was a soothing balm causing all his pains and sorrows to completely fall away from him. She smiled, and it was a lovely sight, he wanted to see her smile more. He took a seat next to her on the mahogany piano bench. "You know what, Weiss? We barely know each other, but I think we could become good friends if we just gave it a little time and put some real effort into it."

His hand went up to the dog ears on his head. "I may have these things, but I'm part human too. My dad, that is, my real dad, is human. In fact he's one of the greatest Huntsmen in the world, he could stomp Reid into the ground with a flick of his wrist. I'll admit he's far from ideal. He has a serious drinking problem. Not to mention he smells like wet dog, but I still think he's awesome, maybe even stronger than my mom, and that's saying something."

"You'll have to introduce me to him someday." Weiss said. The moment was adorable, a boy and a girl bonding. Nothing could ruin it…at least until the two of them heard giggling coming from the doorway. Weiss scowled her personality taking a total 180, "I can hear you two! Come out here right now!"

With that, Maya and Taylor poked their heads in. Maya was clearly enjoying the events unfolding before her. Both of them had their Scrolls out, causing both Sirius and Weiss to pale when they realized what she was going to do. "Oh relax, I figure you'd want a little keepsake anyway." Taylor said, flipping to the camera app. "Sit closer to each other." The would-be couple started blushing as they inched a little closer to each other, Weiss gasped when his fingers brushed up against hers.

"Okay, smile big and say Grimm!" Maya chimed.

"Grimm!" Neither of them knew it, but Sirius and Weiss had laid the groundwork for a relationship and would become each other's most important person.