Nora could almost smell the pancakes from the hallway. She had just come back from the nurse's office where she had been waiting for Y/n to wake up. Jaune and Pyrrha had gone to the roof to train and Nora had intended on berating Ren for not staying with Y/n but could barely concentrate with the delicious smell of pancakes wafting through her nostrils.

"What ya cooking, good looking." Nora already knew it was pancakes but didn't want to be rude.

"Pancakes. With a special surprise."

"Ooh. I wonder what it could be?"

Nora sat down at the dorms table and Ren placed a very large stack of pancakes in front of her.

"Dig in."

"Thanks, Ren!" Nora said hurriedly as she tried to shove as many pancakes as she could into her mouth.

Ren just stood there smiling as Nora hungrily devoured the pancakes.

"Don't you want some Ren?"

"They're all yours."

Nora just gave him a nod and a smile as she continued filling her mouth with pancakes.

Nora finally finished all of the pancakes and lay back in her seat, content.

"So what was the surpri-"

Nora had a sudden dizzy spell and fell off her chair, hitting the ground, hard.

"Ren, help me," Nora said almost drunkenly as Ren continued to just stand there and smile.

"I'm sorry Nora, my master needs more servants."

Nora was getting extremely close to unconsciousness. The pancakes must have been laced with something.

"Ren, please."

Nora looked up at him with big, pleading and tearful eyes. Ren just stared back at her with what some would consider a look of contempt.

Nora's vision started to blacken and the last thing she saw was Ren with a face that told her she was worth nothing. A face she had seen many times during her childhood.

"...No" She choked out as she was finally knocked unconsciousness.

Ren picked her up and carried her to her bed. He layed her down and pulled a small, black worm out of his pocket.

"It will be better soon. You will thank me for this blessing later." Ren whispered as he placed the worm on Nora's chest and watched it crawl up through her nose and into her brain.

Ren took a step back and looked at Nora as she started violently convulsing. She spasmed for a few more seconds before sitting up in her bed and smiling at Ren.

"Thank you for this gift."

Ren smiled to himself. The infection was spreading.

Y/n was leaning against the wall of a random building in downtown vale, enjoying a smoothie while Weiss and Blake argued about the white fang. Quality entertainment. The argument was getting dangerously close to a screaming match when the group heard yelling from the docks.

"Stop that Faunus."

The gang watched as a monkey Faunus leapt off a ship and began running up the docks and past the group. The Faunus turned his head to the side and winked at Blake. Only Blake and Y/n were fast enough to notice the imperceptible movement. Blake blushed and Y/n just chuckled to himself. Y/n saw the Faunus continue to evade authorities and thought he might step in.

As the Faunus sprinted around a corner, Y/n teleported himself in front of him. The Monkey stopped himself from running into the man that had suddenly appeared in front of him but by doing so stumbled and fell on the sidewalk.

"Good to meet you, I'm Y/n." Y/n said while offering the fallen Faunus his hand.

"Didn't your mom tell you first impressions leave a mark?" The Faunus said while taking Y/n's hand.

"I'm an orphan so..."

"Oh, sorry, my names Sun Wukong by the way."

"Good to meet you Sun."

"Likewise."

"So can you tell me why there is a mob of very angry dock workers looking for you?"

"Stowaway."

Y/n and Sun decided to grab a bite to eat as Sun hadn't had much food while sailing over. Sun was impressed that Y/n could keep up with him in the speed department. Teleportation helped, of course.

They ate until the sky was black and Y/n invited Sun back to beacon as he would be staying there considering he was visiting for the tournament.

The duo was racing to see who could get to Beacon fastest. Y/n won. Sun was complimenting Y/n on his speed when they both heard a rustle in the bushes.

"If someones there, speak up," Sun said as he drew his weapon.

"You know, I think you might be telling that to the wrong person." Y/n said as he shot at the bushes, causing a cute girl with an umbrella to pop out.

"What are you doing out so late, little lady?"

"That was a very poor choice of words." Y/n said as Neo looked extremely pissed off by the Faunus' statement.

She leapt at Y/n and starting swinging her umbrella at him, he easily dodged or deflected her blows so he drew his sword and decided to go on the offensive. He slashed and hacked at her with uncanny precision. Neo drew her sword to defend herself from these counter blows. Y/n was trying to tire her with his powerful thrusts that were becoming more and more difficult to avoid. Sun decided to step in and started battering at Neo with his staff. Y/n teleported away and drew his pistol, ready if Sun should fail.

Neo put up an illusion of herself that Sun aimed at but shattered and the real Neo jumped over him and slashed him across the back. Sun fell to his knees and Neo put her blade across his throat. Boom. A single shot rang out across the night. Neo fell to her knees as Y/n blew smoke off the top of his pistol, he rushed over to check Sun and found that his cut was non-fatal and his aura would heal him.

Y/n then walked over to Neo and stood on her chest.

"Next time you come after me, at least have Roman's permission first."

Neo just gave him a glare of pure loathing as Y/n pressed down harder on her stomach. The illusion shattered into a thousand pieces and Y/n saw Neo running away in the distance.

He was better.

Y/n and Sun made their way into Beacon and ended up outside team WOLF's dorm. Y/n's solo team.

"You can sleep in here if you want."

"Thanks for the offer, but I got my own team that's waiting for me."

Y/n just nodded at Sun who walked back down the hallway, presumably to his team's dorm.

Y/n was tired after fighting Neo and was looking forward to a night of rest and recharging.

When he opened the door he saw a single man standing in the middle of the dorm, waiting for Y/n.

Even after all these years Y/n still recognised that face. The face that had laughed and sneered at him from his earliest memories. The face he had been having nightmares about for years. Tai Rose, formerly Tai Xiao Long

The two men just looked at each other for a few seconds. Tai with a look of concern and Y/n with a look of fury that would make most people tremble.

"Son, I-"

"I'm not your son."

"I would presume since I raised yo-"

"YOU DON'T HAVE THE LUXURY TO MAKE FUCKING PRESUMPTIONS!" Y/n shrieked in a sudden burst of anger.

"I'm sorry, I just came here to try and make amends."

"After all the shit you've done? I still have the scars."

Y/n lifted his shirt and showed his scar covered back to Tai.

"Remember when you would throw pots and pans at my head? Or how about when Raven used me as a sparring partner."

Y/n pulled his shirt down and walked over to his bed.

"I don't exactly feel like reconciling." Y/n said sarcastically.

"I just our family to be whole again."

"Your family was never whole, just you and Raven dotting on Ruby and Yang while treating me like dirt. I wasn't family. I was a slave."

"I just... I'm sorry."

A smile came across Y/n's face, then he started chuckling lightly, which turned into full-blown laughter. Y/n took a few minutes to calm down all the while Tai was just standing there, confused.

Y/n uttered a few more chuckles before finally acknowledging Tai.

"Sorry, Ha!, I almost killed you when I laid eyes on you and you think saying sorry makes everything magically better? Yang said the same thing, I guess the apple dosen't fall far from the tree."

Tai just stood there awkwardly, not knowing what to say.

"I'd suggest you leave, and if I ever see your face again I will kill you in ways you couldn't possibly imagine." Y/n said this while still having a smile on his face but Tai could sense the seriousness in his voice. He was telling the truth.

Tai walked to the door and took one last look at Y/n who was on his bed still chuckling to himself. Tai just sighed and left.

Y/n waited until he heard the last fading footsteps of Tai walking down the corridor. Y/n then started crying, he remembered all the nights he had spent in that house. In constant fear for his life. The times when Tai would start savagely beating him for no reason. The time when he went downstairs, grabbed a gun and held it to the side of his head, the time when Ruby found him seconds from suicide and talked him out of it.

Y/n would cry himself to sleep that night, the memories would turn into dreams, or, more accurately,

Nightmares.

"Are you guys... alright?"

"Were fine Jaune. How are you?"

"Good... I have to uh... go train with Pyrrha."

"Good luck."

"Uhh, thanks?"

Jaune made his way to Beacon cafeteria after talking to Ren and Nora in their dorm. Jaune spotted Pyrrha eating by herself and made his way over.

"Hey, Pyrrha."

"Hi, Jaune!"

"Have you noticed Ren and Nora acting... weirdly."

"A little bit, I woke in the middle of the night and Ren was just staring at me, smiling, it was creepy as hell."

"The same thing happened to me with Nora. I also hear Ren walking out of the dorm at random times in the night."

"I think we should report it."

"You sure?"

"If somethings wrong with our teammates then we have to do all we can to help them."

"Alright."

Jaune made his way to Ozpins office and reported his teammate's extremely strange behaviour. Ozpin told him not to worry and that they were probably just coming down with something. Jaune thanked him for his time and left.

Ozpin looked out his window at Beacon Academy. The school he had tried so hard to keep safe. Ozpin shivered as a cold wind blew through his office.

A storm was coming.