A few weeks later...

In a bullhead headed for Beacon, Mal and Ruby are suddenly strangled by Yang, as she exclaims "Oh, I can't believe both my younger siblings are going with me to Beacon!" making Ruby struggle while Mal was already in the process of ejecting from his cloak.

Ruby pleaded to Yang to stop only for older sibling to squeeze harder. Mal luckily slips out of the vice grip like hold of Yang only to be dragged back in. She then releases both with both cloaked hunters in training gasping for air. She then said "But why, I'm SO proud of you two!"

Mal then snarkily replies with "If this is proud for getting in, I can just imagine what graduation hug might feel like." making Yang pout while playfully jabbing at his shoulder.

Yang then says "You two are definitely the bees knees!"

Ruby started wailing about not wanting to be "The bees knees" and wanting normal knees, on the other hand, Mal just frowns from the comment. They then see a blonde kid run past them, holding his mouth and keeping himself from vomiting. Some of his vomit then fell on floor which Mal luckily dodged. The same couldn't be said for Yang who then started saying "Ew, ew, ew, ew from the vomit that dropped on her boot. Mal could only give her a strained smile for her misfortune as if to say "Everything will be okay... I hope". Inwardly, Mal was celebrating for "Luck is on the side of Michael Dantes Espina". He then left them to look at the view. A memory then flashed of having once been in a airplane before, however, only now has he seen the aerial view with a window that big. However... it felt... fake... the memory didn't feel... real for some reason... oh well... probably just his imagination.

A few minutes after, the bullhead landed as Mal then sees the light peer through the exit of the bullhead. While the sound of awe from the other students filled the bullhead, all that Mal thought was "Alright, this is the first day on your road to be a hero! All it takes is the first ste-" Mal then hears a squelch as he then looks down in horror at the puddle of barf left by that blonde guy from earlier. Mal then realized it wasn't the end of his folly, as he apparently stepped too hard on the puddle, making him lose balance. He watched in horror as he crashes into a black blob he assumed was either hair... or a statue draped in black.

He then fell face first into that black blob and recovered only to see a blonde dude more or less as tall as maybe Yang looking down on him with a concerned yet conservative look. The boy then said "A-are you... okay?" in a voice that sounded like someone genderbent Fluttershy or something. Mal then found the comparison funnier when said boy also had light yellow wings. he felt a snicker make its way up his face so in an act of being friendly, Mal then smiled brightly. He then quickly got up and brushed himself, saying "Oh, um... sorry, clumsy ol' me. Hi, my name's Michael, call me Mal-".

Mal then froze in realization what or, rather, who he crashed into earlier. He then felt like he stared death down again when the black blob who, in fact WAS hair, brush themselves off while muttering profanities, then turned to him, and glared. It was a woman about his age, maaaybe older, with wolf ears and a tail, looking at him like how John Wick looked at Viggo. He may not care for his life, but he cares for the lives he can save. Due to that twisted logic, as well as the murderous aura this woman was putting off, Mal then quickly goes to make amends. He then ignores the blonde boy temporarily and then proceeds to bow profusely at the woman while saying "I'm sorry!" so fast he would give Deku's muttering a run for it's money. The other boy, probably sensing the same thing cowered as well.

The murderous intent dies down as the woman dusts herself off with a heavy sigh, saying "Be glad I didn't touch that vomit. We'd have a problem otherwise."

The boy despite that, decided to show courage by introducing himself in a voice so squeaked you would think he was being choked, saying "He-y... I'm... Cenn..." while slowly retreating into his wings, using them as makeshift blinds. Seeing the courage of the other boy, Mal gulps and then smiles, saying "H-hey, I-I'm M-Mal. I-I hope w-we can still b-be friends?" in semi-faked enthusiasm. He then smiled wistfully as he prepared for the eventuality of the woman pulling his honestly trembling shaking hand and crippling it.

Contrary to what he believed the woman merely punched her forehead and massaged her forehead as she tells herself "Down girl, you need to make friends remember?" before looking at Mal with a semi-hostile neutral gaze and said "It's Alice, Alice Black" with a voice carrying the tone of soldier on a mission. She then continues by saying "It's been nice meeting you, but I have things to do. See ya" then muttered "not" before leaving. Mal was then overcome with relief as he then jumped and pulled both of them into a hug, saying "Thankgoodnesspleasedon'tbreakmybones!" before running away. Cenn looked at Mal with mortification as Alice then huffs out "I'm gonna kill him on accident one of these days..."

Mal then ran, worried for Ruby and Yang, who he had come to care for as if they were his real siblings... siblings... He had those before... didn't he? He then flashes back to yet another memory, one with blurry face of two strangers... As he shook his head mid-running, he then stumbles on a random pebble and crashed into two familiar individuals who were arguing.

Then came an ever familiar voice. "G-ah! Watch it you dol-wait, YOU?!"

Mal opens to see his eyes to see Weiss angrily pointing at him while Ruby went and backed and forth between the two, and then said "Wait, you two know each other?" Mal then perplexedly says "Saber?" to which Weiss shouts "I'm not Saber!" while flushed in embarrassment. Mal then pulls up Ruby and Weiss and then said "What's going on?" to which Weiss then nods "Right, as I was saying... Don't you know how to be careful around dust? This material is extremely volatile!" She then continued rambling while angrily shaking a dust canister, this time, including Mal. Mal and Ruby looked at each other for help only to find the other being equally helpless. Ruby then spots the dust from Weiss's canister leaking out and her nose starting itch. Yet, no matter how much she wanted to speak up, she couldn't go around the flurry of scolding Weiss was directing at both of them. Mal then notices finally notices, but it was too late, Ruby sneezed and-

*KRAKABOOM!*

Mal pulled Weiss and Ruby in and brought up his cape only to look in shock at someone else's shadow looming over them. "A-are you three a-alright" came another familiar voice. Weiss was the first to snap out of the daze, saying "Where did y-" as the figure went running. Mal, having met him already but having forgot his name, then said "T-thank you!" to the running Cenn.

"Now that that guy is gone... YOU!" He then points at both of them and says "Do you two even know who I am?" to which Ma was about to speak up, only for Weiss to say "And it better not be Saber... I use a rapier, not a saber, a RAPE-PIER!"

Mal snarkily replies with "I know you are, you just remind me of a character I knew from a show CALLED Saber. Regal, cold attitude, beautfiul." Weiss blushes slightly at that last comment before hiding it with an angry glare. Ruby then gains enough courage to say "Cold eh? Why don't we just call you Ice Queen?" making both of them giggle. Weiss then says "The nerve of you two! Besides, aren't you two too young for Beacon?"

Ruby tries to voice a complaint but was immediately cut off by Weiss as she says "This is a prestiged academy. This isn't some... elementary school." Ruby having had enough then said "I said I was sorry! Ice queen..." "What did you say you... you.... DO you even know who you're talking to?!"

A voice very similar to the wolf lady then spoke up, saying "You're Weiss Schnee, heiress to the Schnee Dust Company" to which Weiss then says "Finally! Some recognition!" Mal and Ruby then turned to see a woman wearing black and white clothes walking towards them, specifically, Weiss. The woman then follows up with "The same company known for it's controversial work ethics and questionable work ethics."

Weiss then fumes up and says "The nerve of some people! UGH!" She then swipes the dust canister and storms off as the woman then leaves through the opposite side. Ruby then felt bad for getting the anger get the better of her and says "I'm sorry!" to Weiss leaving as Mal then says "See you later Saber!" earning another annoyed grunt from Weiss.

Ruby falls on the floor as she then sarcastically says "Welcome to Beacon..." Mal then squats besides her and pets his pseudo younger sister/twin, saying "It'll get better. You'll see."

A shadow then loomed over them. When they looked up, they were greeted by a blonde boy with a look that screamed low level knight class payer. Mal then squints and says "Now where have I seen you before? Wait, you're the guy whose vomit I slipped on!"

The boy then said "Eheheheh... sorry..." but then made a surprised yelp as Mal shakes his hand and says "I wouldn't have made friends without your help. Thanks." making him feel awkward, saying "Yeah... you're... welcome?"

The boy then helped Ruby up, saying "Hey, the name's Jaune." to which Ruby replies with "Ruby Rose! anyways... we better get going now. We wouldn't want to be late."

Ruby and Jaune then talked about everything they did in the original with Mal just taking in the sites at the sides. Mal then started to drift off as he then suddenly had random flashes of memoy from watching this show, Cenn, Alice, those two should've never existed... It's like this timeline was different. Yet... He then flashes back to seeing a fire happen in the show. A fire that hits too eerily close to home for his liking. He then sees the visage of a red haired warrior with a woman looming over her and turning her into ashes. A woman who looked like the woman he and Ruby fought on that rooftop. Those flaming eyes, the fiery lust for power, the hell she could cause, her name... Cin-

Mal was then snapped out by Ruby, saying "Bro, you okay there? You went there again." Jaune then asks "There?"

Mal not wanting to worry anyone for his sake, then says "It's nothing. I just get lost in thought a lot. Anyways, what is it?"

Ruby then said "Oh... uh... Jaune just asked you what your weapon is." Mal then nods and pulls out his one shield from his back and says "It's a square rotella like shield I guess." Ruby then giddily said "And?" to which Mal then said "And? Oh yeah... It shoots dust I gue-" only to be cut off by Ruby shouting "And it shoots dust!"

Jaune then asks "Is your older sister always this... happy?" to which Mal then shook his head "Yeah... Wait, did you say older sister?"

Jaune then said "Well... Yeah... I mean I'd assume with the cape thing and the hair and the eyes and stuff that you two were siblings?"

Mal's eye then twitches as he says "It's not that... I AM her brother, adopted but still... But you called me younger? I'll have you know I'm at least half a year older than her!"

He then pouts and crosses his arms frowning, as Ruby then says "Don't worry little bro. Someone will figure it out eventually." making Mal glare at her before sighing. She then turns to Jaune and says "Don't worry, he's just... self conscious about his height. He'll be fine."

Jaune nodded and then said "Wait... Adopted?" to which Ruby nods, as Yang then cuts them off waving at them. Yang then says "Hey, I saved you two a spot! Come on!"

Ruby then replies with "Okay sis! I'll be there in a bit." to which Jaune says "Sis?" to which Ruby said "Oh, same father, different mom."

Jaune then looked like he was in a daze as he said "Wait... You mean to tell me... That he looks like you but has no blood relations..."

"Yes?"

"Yet she looks nothing like you but she is?"

"Pretty much, yeah. What's so hard to get?"

"Okay... I'm not gonna try... I'm not even gonna try..."

"Well... See ya Jaune..."

When Ruby and Mal went to their seats, Jaune then says "Oh man, now where am I supposed to find another quirky girl like her?"

Unknown to him, a certain red head was crossing her arms behind him.

As they went to the seats, Mal then felt a pain throb in his chest and head as blurry, washed out memories filled his mind. This time not of his memories before the fire, but rather... even before that... He could see himself looking at the television a men and women wearing lab coats were busily pacing around him muttering many things. Some of the notable ones were...

"A failure..."

"defective homonculus..."

"Couldn't recreate the Faker..."

"Only 30 years to live..."

Mal then snaps out of it as he coughed something out. Ruby and Yang then looked at him concernedly as Yang then says "H-hey... Mal... you okay there bud?" to which he then airheadedly nodded and said "Yeah, yeah, just *cough* choked on my saliva." as he wipes blood he coughed out into his dark brown pants.

He then says "I'm just... going to... sleep as he settles on his chair and sleeps. He could hear the sudden introduction of Weiss's shrill voice but just napped to avoid further complications. Whatever is going on in his body... it doesn't-no it must not matter. He's gonna save people, or he's gonna die trying. That's all there ever will be for Michael Espina.