Kuroyuri

Pine residence...

It's sunrise at Oscar's aunt's farm and in the interior of Oscar Pine's bedroom.

Oscar is staring at a packed, green backpack on his bed. He looks toward the window. His fingers tense for a moment.

Road...

The farm boy put on the backpack, walking along a dirt road away from the farm. He stops and looks over his shoulder, then faces forward, adjusts the backpack and resumes walking. A couple minutes have passed and Oscar following a dirt road in a forest.

"I'm sorry." Ozpin said, his voice echoing in Oscar's head.

"You know...the weirdest part is how it feels. Leaving home is crazy. Going to the city is crazy. Everything you've told me is completely crazy. But it doesn't feel crazy anymore. It feels like I'm doing the right thing." Oscar said.

"Well...I suppose that's good."

"No. It's scary." Oscar said, bowing his head as he speaks, then lifts his head up and looks nervously at the sky as thunder crackles in the distance.

He quickens his pace down the road.

Train station...

It's raining and Oscar hurries to the covered platform, holding his hands over his head.

When he gets there, he walks up to a large machine with a screen on it, which reads, 'Welcome! Scan Lien to begin.'

Oscar rests a Lien card against a scanner. The screen displays an error message that reads, 'ERROR. Unable to complete request. REASON GIVEN: Insufficient Funds (Code: 726)'

"Stupid thing. I'm assuming whatever weird magic this is doesn't come with an infinite supply of money?" Oscar asked.

"I'm afraid you'll have to solve this one on your own." Ozpin said.

Oscar suddenly becomes more alert, "Huh?"

"Be on your guard." Ozpin said, in a hushed tone.

"What do you mean?" Oscar asked, sensing someone move out from the left from beside the machine.

Soon, Hazel Rainart, who is walking toward Oscar, becomes visible.

"Here." Hazel said.

Oscar turns his attention to Hazel, who continues to approach him. Hazel stops near the machine and raises up his fist. In response, Oscar flinches away and widens his eyes, uttering a small noise. Hazel then slams his fist down on the machine, which beeps and makes the sound of dispensing paper, while Oscar straightens up and stares. As Hazel moves his fist, the machine spits out a small ticket. While Hazel walks away, Oscar picks the ticket up and then looks at him.

Hazel then stops and looks back at him, "Don't let such a small obstacle block your path."

He resumes on his way, while Oscar watches.

"That man. I felt...who is he?" Oscar asked.

A train horn is heard in the distance.

"Someone from my past. Someone who should not be taken lightly." Ozpin said.

A silver-gray train arrived on the other side of the train tracks. Its engine has glowing cyan markings, each in the form of two parallel lines with a series of evenly-spaced diagonal lines connecting them.

Kuroyuri…

A cracked signed bearing the name Kuroyuri rests against ruins.

"Donna." Jared said, standing behind Ruby and Jaune. "She was, she was awesome."

"Everything is going to be okay." Ruby said, looking at the dilapidated village. "Just take it easy, for me."

"I'll try."

Ruby Rose and Jaune Arc walk down the road with Jared Shay behind them, carrying Qrow Branwen on a stretcher. They pause and look unhappily around.

"Oh, man." Jaune said.

"Come on." Ruby said, and they continue forward. "Any of these places look like a pharmacy?"

"It's...honestly hard to tell." Jaune said.

"It's not like it'll say CVS." Jared said, letting out a sigh. "Or RITE AID, or Walgreens."

"Yeah." Ruby said, and among the ruins is an abandoned bicycle. "Ren really didn't want to come here, did he?"

"Uh...didn't seem so." Jaune said.

"Do either of you know...why?" Ruby asked.

"I think I have a pretty good idea…" Jaune said, letting out a sigh.

"This is Ren's home." Jared said, taking out his bow. "Losing Donna, it affected me. More than it ever did Penny and Pyrrha. I loved Donna, a lot, she was, um, she was my super temp."

"I know. Come on." Jaune said, and three continue on.

A withered waterlily is on the ground atop a miniscule puddle.

Flashback...

A pretty waterlily in full bloom floats on an aqueduct in the town center of Kuroyuri. Ren, as a child, looks eagerly at it with a smile.

"Why, hello, little Lie. Are we trying to catch a fish?" An Ren asked, laughing lightly.

"I've found a flower on the water!" Ren said, happily.

"Oh, I see!" An said.

Ren rushes over to his mother, "Can we take it home and plant it in the garden?"

"Oh no, sweetheart, that flower lives here." An said, as Ren looks down dejectedly and she rubs his head. "But I'll tell you what you can do. Take this Lien and go find something nice for your father's return. He's been hunting for quite some time. I bet that the journey's been very tiring, don't you?"

"Yes." Ren said, taking it.

"Do you think you'll know what he wants?" An asked.

"I think...he wants a water flower in the garden!"

"Why did you have to inherit my sass?" An asked, with a chuckle.

She gives her son a playful nudge on his bottom as Ren turns away on his new mission to find a gift for his father. He crosses the planks that serve as a bridge over the aqueduct. An watches him go with a smile.

Kuroyuri at this time is a prosperous and peaceful town.

Ren rushes up to a weapons stand, "What can I buy with this?"

"Well, something just your size." The young blacksmith said, chuckling.

He holds up two wooden toy weapons. One is a sword, reminiscent of Crocea Mors and the other is a hammer reminiscent of Magnhild.

Ren deflates in disappointment at being unable to buy a new weapon for his father.

He next waits in line at a liquor merchant.

"Sake, please." Ren said, and the wine merchant gives him a bemused look, and with a sigh, shakes his head in the negative.

Ren groans, a little frustrated.

He walks through the open town before stopping to look in a bakery window. There are several treats, including slices of lemon meringue pie, frosted cupcakes, actual cakes with frosted waterlilies atop them, and a shelf of kitten-shaped bread. Ren is happily excited but turns when he hears a voice.

"Hey, get back here!" A tall boy said.

Ren looks around the corner of the bakery, following the sound of a group of kids laughing and mocking. Three boys stand in a semicircle around a dirty looking girl who is crouched on the ground and clutching a loaf of bread. It's young Nora Valkyrie.

"Where'd you get that bread? I didn't see you pay for it, thief!" The tall boy said, angrily.

"No, look, it's all moldy!" The short boy said, annoyed.

"I think she got it from the trash!"

"Lemme see!" A medium height boy said, reaching out to Nora, but the ginger bites his finger before he can touch the bread. "Ah! She bit me!"

Tall Boy looks at Medium Boy's hand in horror before Medium Boy pushes Nora backward onto the ground. Nora whimpers for a second but gets up and grabs her bread off the ground. She takes a few more steps back before crouching away again.

"Where'd she come from?" The short boy asked, while Ren watches, taking a few uncertain steps forward. "She's dressed all weird!"

"I bet she's abandoned! Like a dog or something!" The tall boy said, happily.

"Does that mean I have rabies?" The medium height boy asked.

All three chuckle meanly. Nora sees Ren getting closer and looks at him with big, blinking eyes. The bullies see her focus has changed to behind them and they turn to look. Ren panics at having their focus and he turns to run, only to immediately bump into the legs of his father, Li Ren.

Ren falls back and looks up at him, "Father?"

"What is happening here?" Li asked.

The three bullies panic and look around, uncertain whether to run yet. Nora, however, sees this as her opening and takes off with her bread. After a beat the bullies decide to run, too.

"Do you wish to run with the rest of them?" Li asked, looking at Ren.

Ren is standing upright, but he lowers his face in response.

Li puts his hand on his son's shoulder and lowers to one knee, "Sometimes the worst action to take...is taking no action at all. Go home. I need to speak with the mayor."

Li leaves. Ren watches briefly and turns away thoughtfully.

Present...

Jaune walks up to Ruby and Jared in the ruins of Kuroyuri. The three of them are looking dejected.

"Nothing." Jaune said.

"This is just great. There is nothing, there is nothing we can do." Jared said, sadly. "We looked everywhere. And nothing."

"We should get back to Qrow." Ruby said, and she grabbed Jared's hand.

"Yeah, I can't just leave your uncle there, Ruby."

Qrow Branwen leans against a dead sakura tree, groaning. Though not conscious, he holds a hand over his wound. Ruby and Jared are crouched near Qrow's legs and Jaune standing over the three of them.

A creature makes a loud noise from off in the distance, causing both Ruby, Jaune, and Jared to turn.

"Grimm." Jared said, and Jaune's hand immediately goes to his sword and looks around for the source of the noise. "A Nuckelavee."

"It's far off." Ruby said.

"I know, but Ren and Nora are still out there." Jaune said.

Ruby looks at Qrow and Jared before standing and approaching Jaune.

"I'm sorry." Ruby said.

"No, I should be the one who's saying sorry." Jared said, holding Ruby's hand. "Like, I really am."

"Huh?" Jaune asked, turning around to face Ruby and Jared, though they are not looking up.

"Jared, you're as guilty as me." Ruby said, as she squeezed Jared's hand. "This is all our fault. We should have never dragged you guys into this."

"The both of you didn't drag us in. We wanted to come."

"But you didn't know about Tyrian, about…" Ruby said, feeling Jared's warmth fading away for a bit.

"About the Daleks, about the Master, about Thanos, about any of it. Even about Roman Torchwick and Cinder Fall." Jared said, recalling what happened.

"Ruby. Jared." Jaune said, cutting Ruby and Jared off. "We lost...we lost Pyrrha. The both of you lost her, too. And Penny, and your team, and in a way, Ruby, you lost...your sister. And Jared, you lost people you wished were still around. People like Rose, Owen, Tosh, Jenny, River, and Donna. But you two are still here, despite everything the both of you have lost, together or separated, everything you could still lose, you both chose to come out here."

Ruby and Jared turn to face Jaune, and becomes emotional as he continues.

"Because you guys felt like you could make a difference." Jaune said.

"Maybe." Jared said, as he and Ruby lifted their heads to look at Jaune.

"Neither of you dragged us along. You, Ruby Rose and Jared Shay gave us the courage to follow the both of you." Jaune said, putting his hand on Ruby's shoulder, and Ruby squeezed Jared's hand to feel the warmth again.

Ruby and Jared smile at Jaune, grateful, and he smiles back.

"Thank you, Jaune Arc." Jared said, happily. "I, um, I really needed that. Ruby did too. Come on, let's help out Qrow!"

"Talk about a mood change." Ruby said, with Jared walking back to Qrow.

Flashback…

There is a framed picture of the Ren family in the Ren household. Young Ren is sleeping until the sound of Grimm awakens him.

"Lie, get up. We have to go." An said, rushing into the house.

"Mother?" Ren asked, tired and uncertain.

An is grabbing his arm and pulling him up, "Now, right now, okay? Let's go!"

In the kitchen beyond Ren's bedroom, the outer door bursts inward as a heavily-breathing Li enters.

"Li!" An said, relieved.

"An, what are you doing?! We need to hurry!" Li said.

"We can go to the safehouse!"

"No. I saw the beast. We need a Huntsman. And you two need to leave."

"What?"

The creature sounds, loud and ominous, causing all three to look up at the ceiling and walls in alarm.

"Mother?" Ren asked.

An gets down to her knees to make eye contact with Ren, "It's OK, darling. Everything's OK."

The roof breaks above her head and the screen cuts to black. Crashing and a faint scream can be heard. They are soon followed by the muffled screams of many and loud footsteps accompanied by Li's heavy breathing.

Ren comes to gradually, held by his running father. Bits of flaming sparks speckle the air, "Father? What...where's Mother?"

Li is bleeding profusely from above his left eye. A woman nearby screams.

"What's going on?! Where is Mother?" Ren asked.

Villagers run in a panic, and black specks of ash float with the sparks. A rumble caused the ground to shake and Li falls, dropping Ren and landing on his back.

"Father!" Ren said, while everyone runs past them as Li pushes himself up slightly.

"Lie, you have to run." Li said.

"No. Don't. Please. Get up!" Ren said, moving to his father.

He looks up when he hears the Grimm roaring noise again. Behind them, people run while slowing flowed by the silhouetted image in a cloud of smoke. It is a Nuckelavee Grimm, a horse-shaped creature with a human torso growing out if its back.

"Listen to me, son. You have to be brave now. Do you understand?" Li asked.

"No, please. Please, I can't!" Ren said, shaking his head.

Li withdraws a knife from its sheath on his hip, "Yes, you can!"

He puts the knife in Ren's hand and pushes him away before falling back with a groan. Ren looks at the knife.

"Take action, son." Li said, getting to his feet, he looks down at his son. "Your mother and I love you."

Lie is gripping the knife tighter and fighting tears, "Father…"

The Nuckelavee stomps on the ground behind them. Li turns and readies his bow.

"Go!" Li said, on a cough.

He notches an arrow and pulls it back.

Li shouts at his son one more time as he releases the arrow, "Run!"

Ren runs and Li lets loose arrow after arrow at the towering Grimm.

Under an arch and jumping sideways down to a landing beside some steps, Ren crouches, panicking. The cries of Nevermores overhead cause him to look up. He hears sobbing from across the way and discovers Nora crouching beneath a building. A Nevermore flaps loudly and lands on the roof of a building near to the girl. It lets out a loud, dangerous cry.

The Nuckelavee stomps through the center of town releasing its own roar. Ren realizes that his father is now dead and cries. Behind him, the waterlily for the aqueduct floats untarnished. There's another Nevermore cry as Ren continues to sob. He stills and Aura shimmers over him, graying out his appearance.

Ren lets out a calm breath as color returns. He spots Nora and is running toward her, and he moves under the building to where she is.

"Hey!" Ren said, putting his hand on Nora's shoulder.

Nora gasps but calms when she sees that she's not been found by anything intending her harm.

"We have to be brave." Ren said, and the Nevermore cries above them, leaning down its head closer to the ground.

Nora whimpers and then throws her arms around Ren. His eyes and arms go wide before he accepts in. Putting his arms around her the shimmer happens again and both of them lose the color vivacity in their appearance.

The Nevermore, is dangerously close to where the two children crouch, turns its head and lets out a confused cry. Smoke rises from its body as it turns and cries again before launching into the air.

Color returns to the two children and the sounds of heavy steps are nearby. Ren watches the Nuckelavee come closer.

Nora turns and together they watch and wait as it pauses next to where they hide before moving on, "I'm scared…"

"Me, too." Ren said, looking at the wooden hammer on the ground.

Ren moves to retrieve it but Nora clutches his arm, afraid, "It's OK."

With another whimper, Nora lets him go and watches with big eyes as he moves away.

Ren grabs the wooden hammer and returns to her, "We'll keep each other safe."

Ren offers Nora the hammer. She looks down at it, clearly emotional before she takes it from him.

"What's your name?" Ren asked.

"Nora." Nora said.

"My name's Lie Ren." Ren said, smiling at Nora, blinking.

Present...

Wind blows with the whistling note of high altitude as present-day Ren walks a stony ledge. Before him is more of the mountain, with a cave just ahead.

"We never get the easy path, do we?" Ren asked, looking at Nora, as she comes up behind him. "Even when traveling with the Doctor and Jared, we always got the hard path. To get out of even more sticky situations."

"Easy's no fun anyway." Nora said, putting her hands behind her head.

She drops her hands and turns to Ren.

"You OK?" Nora asked.

"Mmm. And you?" Ren asked, with a nod.

"I've got you here, don't I?" Nora asked, as Ren looks at her as if he does not know what to make of her response.

"Come on. There's more than one way up a mountain." Nora said, gesturing with her hand as she moves forward.

Ren watches her for a beat before smiling. Thunder rumbles and Ren loses the smile, turning to look up at the sky.

"Hey! There's wind blowing out of this cave!" Nora said, and Ren catches up to her from inside the cave.

Leaves blow outward toward them.

"Think it might lead to the peak?" Nora asked.

"I suppose there's only one way to find ou...ah!" Ren said, cutting off as a large piece of fabric abruptly blows out from the cave and covers his face. Nora giggles, covering her mouth with her hands, as he frees himself. "Yes, yes. Very funny."

He looks down at the marked fabric in his hands and goes still.

Nora lowers her hands and steps closer, "Hey, what's wrong?"

"This is the symbol for Shion Village." Ren said.

"Shion? But that's...that's the village where we found the Huntsman. It's weeks away from here!" Nora said, and Ren drops the fabric and runs into the cave. "Ren! Wait!"

Ren stops once he is far enough into the cave to have a good look at what's there.

Nora catches up to him and becomes alarmed at what she sees, "Oh my gosh…"

In the spacious area, weapons speckle every place you can look. Swords, axes and staffs are all either propped up or on the ground. Ren moves in and picks up an arrow. He studies it while Nora approaches just behind him. As she looks he also sees what's on the ground...the Nuckelavee hoofprint. It is pointed toward another opening on the opposite end of the cave.

Several trees are outside this opening, just below. One at a time, moving away from the cave where Ren can be soon looking out, the trees shake.

"No…" Ren said, shaking his head.

Before the two of them are the shaking trees and the abandoned village of Kuroyuri. Nora takes his hand and he returns the grip and the Nuckelavee roars.