Yo guys! Welcome back to another chapter of RWBYK: The True King! I just wanna say thanks to all the reviews for the story so far. It means a lot. You guys are awesome!!! So without further adu, Enjoy!

(Opening Theme : Unleash the Power - Finley)

XXXXXXXXXXX

(Esuna, 8 years ago)

On a large island east of Vale stood a small town, that had natural barriers in the form of mountains, narrow passages, and rocky terrain.

The town itself was as a well-established settlement that was fairly large and housed many people, but out of the thousands of citizens of Esuna. Not a single person held the same amount of significance as a single blue haired child. A child who was only at the tender age of seven. His name was Kyon 'Ky' Virtus.

His father, Noctis Lucis was not only a powerful Hunter, he was also was known for his honor and valor. And because of his father almost always on a mission, Ky was frequently left at home with his mother Aqua Virtus.

And today was no different, since Ky was currently running down the stairs of his home intending on finding his mother Sophia.

"Mom!" A young Ky screamed as he turned down the base of the stairs and ran towards the kitchen.

"Yes, what is it!" The voice of his mother shouted back. She was a woman with silver eyes, and long blue hair hanging on the right side of her face. She also wore a light blue, hooded cloak that covers a robe, shirt, and sash that are all a darker shade of blue with turquoise tassels appear on the front of the cloak.

Ky didn't reply, instead he stepped into the kitchen and found his mother slicing vegetables with a large knife. "It's my birthday!" He exclaimed with huge smile on his face.

"I know." Aqua smiled before, before stabbing the knife into the countertop and looking at her son. "Come here, Mr. Seven-Year-Old."

Ky ran into his mother's arm as she picked him up and held him tightly. "Happy birthday, my little Kyon."

"Thanks Mom."

Ky looked exactly like her husband, since he had spiky blue locks and looks. However, Ky acted and dressed completely different from his father; in fact Ky acted more like Aqua. Though what mainly made he stand out was his piercing eyes, which were of shining gold.

"Aren't you supposed to be meeting with Aptus?" Aqua asked her son with a raised eyebrow.

Ky nodded his head eagerly. "Yeah! I'm meeting him at the orphanage in a bit!" He then rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. "Hey, Mom, is Dad going to coming home today?"

Aqua tensed up at the question, but held it back. "I-I'm not sure. Why do you ask?"

Ky twiddled his thumbs while meeting his mother's gaze. "Well, I know he's been gone for while, but since it's my birthday I thought maybe he would want to be here to celebrate with usssss..." Ky spoke, while dragging the last word out.

Aqua sighed and ruffled Ky's hair with apologetic smile. "I'm afraid he won't make it back in time."

Ky's face fell. "Oh," was all he mutter as he looked down in shame.

"Why the long face? Cheer up, I'm sure that even if he can't make it, he'll find some other way to make it up to you." Aqua replied strongly. Though Ky was still upset, he felt his hopes being lifted after his mother had told him that.

Aqua pondered over something for a moment, before her eyes brightened. "Oh! That reminds me." She then reached into her pocket and took out a box. "Here, Ky. This is your birthday present."

"Really?" Ky perked up.

"I was going to save it for later today, but I figured I give it to you now. Go on. Open it." Sophia said giving Ky the box before Ky opened it, revealing a blue a star-shaped necklace with a white symbol.

Ky looked at it in awe. "A necklace?"

"Not just any necklace." Aqua said. "Somewhere out there, there's this tree with star-shaped fruit. And the fruit represents an unbreakable connection. So as long as you and your friends carry good luck charms shaped like it, nothing can ever drive you apart. You will always find your way back to each other. An unbreakable connection."

"Whoa..." Ky smiled and latched onto Sophia and bringing her into a hug. "Thanks for the necklace, Mom. I love it." Ky said as he put the necklace on around his neck.

"You're welcome." Aqua said in a sweet and loving voice. "And later today, I'm going to make you the best birthday cake ever."

"Yay!" Ky cheered loudly, throwing his arms in the air. He then looked over at the time saw it was 10:30. "Oh, it's time to meet up with Aptus!"

The blunette hopped out of his mom's arms. "See ya later, Mom! Love you!" He spoke happily, as he didn't waste a second running towards the door.

"Kyon!" Aqua called out to her son, but stopped when she heard the door slam. "Love...you too." The mother muttered, before grabbed her knife and began to slice more vegetables.

Little did she know that was the last time she would see her son.

XXXXXXXXX

Speaking of Ky, the small blue haired child was currently leaping off the stairs which lead to the door of his home.

Rushing down the street, Ky blazed through the market district at a good pace for a boy his age. His destination was the opposite side of town, to a orphanage where he was to meet Aptus.

"Hey look its Ky!" A random man shouted loudly, while he waved at the small seven-year old.

Ky grinned as he waved back to the man. Since Ky's father was one of the best Hunters and a fantastic one at that, the small blunette child was beloved by the townspeople.

"It's won't be young Ky for long; wait till I become a famous Hunter, Mr. Hector!" Ky replied cheerfully, as he continued down the road which lead to his friend.

After a short trek through the market district, Ky made it to the opposite side of town and saw the orphanage Aptus lived in.

The orphanage was a simple two story brick building with a large gate, which was currently open, allowing Ky access to the home. Without wasting a second, Ky ran straight towards the large oak door, while bringing his hand up to knock.

"Hello is anyone home?" Ky asked, while he repeatedly stuck the door with his fist.

Hearing footsteps, Ky backed away from the door as it opened to reveal one of the women hired to help around the place.

"Oh Ky! What a wonderful surprise, I take it your here for Aptus" The maid said kindly, giving a soft smile. "He's been expecting, out in the backyard."

Ky nodded at the information given to him. "Alright I'll make sure to stop by and say hello." Ky replied, as he entered the home and started to walk through the halls as he passed by other kids who were lounging around the area. He then made his through the hall and towards the backyard.

"Ap, I'm here!" Ky announced while he walked out onto the open field.

"Well look who it is." A boy who appeared to be just a two years older than Ky spoke up. This was Ky's best friend Aptus Firebrand.

Aptus had reddish-orange hair which was spiked with dark blue eyes. His outfit consisted of a orange T-shirt under a brown sleeveless vest, orange short, red wristbands and red shoes with white socks. What made him really stand out was his small fox ears, meaning he was a Fox Faunus.

(Pretend he has small fox ears, his shirt is orange and his eyes are green.)

"Ap!" Ky exclaimed happily, before he and the red/orange- haired boy met halfway and did a unique handshake.

"Good to see ya, Birthday-boy," Aptus said with a foxy grin. "I was almost starting to think you weren't going to show up."

"Aww come on Ap, have a little faith," Ky spoke, returning the grin. "Besides we had plans to...umm, what were we doing again?"

"You really forgot!?" Aptus questioned him exasperatedly. "We were going to head towards the beach!"

"Oh yeah!" Ky realized.

"I figured you forget." Aptus sighed at that. "It was my brilliant mind that came up with the idea." He then poked Ky in the forehead head. "Didn't you have it memorized?"

"Of course I did!" Ky shouted, smacking Aptus' finger away. "I just...took my time remembering is all."

"Uh-huh..." Aptus brushed the issue aside and turned towards the forest. "Anyways we should get going before sun down."

Ky smiled and started to follow Aptus to the back exit of the training ground; which lead to the path which the two boys took to the beach and play/spar in their free time.

Though before the two boys could make another move, a loud explosion sounded off in the distance and was quickly followed by an intense shockwave. Causing Ky to both lose their balance and fall over. Aptus' looked around as his ears twitched rapidly.

"What the heck was that!?" Ky cried out as he felt more shock waves and heard loud explosions and screams of terror.

"Something's wrong!" Aptus said, grabbing the blunette's attention while simultaneously holding out a helping hand to help his friend to his feet. "We need to find back inside!"

Nodding his head, Ky looked towards the orphanage Aptus resided in. "Alright, let's hurry!" He shouted out.

However, before anyone could move an inch an explosion of flames engulfed the orphanage and quickly traveled towards them.

"Ahhh!" Ky yelled as he brought his hands up to shield himself from the blazing inferno; that was mere inches from his face.

XXXXXXXXX

(Present day)

Suddenly Ky felt himself being shaken from the darkness as he heard a voice call out his name. His eyes flashed open and he shot up from his sleeping bag, sweat covering his forehead and neck. He saw Ruby, Yang, Blake and even Weiss all standing in their pajamas aside his sleeping bag staring at him with concern. The moon light was peering through the curtains as Ruby began to talk "You okay, Ky? You were screaming in your sleep, it scared all of us."

Ky's deep breathes slowly adjusted to normal the images of where he was at swimming in his mind "I was... dreaming." He wiped the sweat from his forehead as the others looked at him, concern.

"More like having a nightmare I'm guessing." Yang said concerned.

"What were you dreaming about?" Blake asked.

Ky thought about his dream, reviewing it in his mind before answering "It was nothing...Just a bad dream that means nothing."

"Really? I find that hard to believe" Weiss spoke up. "Not only you were struggling in your sleep, you also had a look of fear on your face."

Ky looked to all of his friends, and looked at the ground wondering what to say. "I..."

Thankfully, Ruby stepped in. "Well, at least the nightmare's over. That's all that matters."

"She's right, besides If I start to panic over a dream, Goodwitch would be chewing me out." Ky said with a fake smile.

"Yeah, she can be intense." Yang said folding her arms with a nod.

"We should get back to sleep," Blake said. "Maybe it'll take your mind off things."

"Yeah, okay." Ky replied rubbing his head. "Sorry I woke you guys up."

"Nah, it's cool. Don't worry about it." Yang waved him off.

"Try not to make a habit of it," Weiss told him with a huff.

With that, Everyone went back to their bed as Ky looked down at his hands. 'It felt so real almost...' He thought. 'Like I was back to that day.'

From her bed, Ruby was looking at Ky, who had his head bowed, thinking about what just happened.

XXXXXXXXX

Cafeteria, A Week Later...

"Ready to lose this time, Rosebud?"

Ruby smirked at the taunt, "Pfft, yeah right! Prepared to have your butt handed to you like in the chess game!"

A pause.

Clearly anyone could see that Ky and Ruby have influenced each other over the pass few weeks, as it was evident that they were growing pretty close to one another.

Ky stared at her for a moment before grinning in enthusiatic amusment, "Big words for someone already losing to the King of Fun. Bring it on!"

"Always!"

Ky and Ruby were playing Super Dragon Crystal Go Kart Bash Two, with both of them intensely vying for first. Neck and neck, Ruby started screaming in rage when Ky blasts her with a Blue Homing Ball, which made her spin out.

"Oh c'mon!" Ruby yelled, slamming her head on the table, "That's three times in a role!"

"I told you Rosebud, I'm the King of Fun!" Ky boasted, with a smirk that made even Yang laugh a little. She watched as Ruby pouted a little bit before she lifted her head and pointed at Ky. "I, Ruby Rose, demand a rematch!" She declared.

"When you going to give up sis?" Yang asked.

"When I win!" Ruby stated crossing her arms, her pout still present.

The rest of the two teams just watch the duo with amused expressions, while Weiss shook her head with a sigh. "I swear, those two are made for each other."

Blake just nodded silently in agreement, a small smile on her face as she watched the two. "They are clearly two peas in a pod."

Ruby looked around the table and noticed that Jaune was missing. "Huh? Jaune's still not here?"

"Yeah, we have no idea where's he's gone," Nora told the young reaper.

Pyrrha just sighed as she picked at her food in disinterest.

"Hey, Warrior Goddess!" Ky called out, a nickname that he recently started to use for the red head. He waved over to get her attention, which it did, and she snapped back into reality and turned towards the group with an apologetic face.

"Oh! I'm sorry. I was just..... thinking about something." She told them.

"Yeah, we noticed. Do you know what's been up Jaune lately?"

Pyrrha's friendly atmosphere turned from good to bad when Ky felt anger and, at the same time, anxious around her. "I...I can't say that I do."

"Should we try looking for him?" Ruby asked.

"No need. There he is right now," Yang said pointing to the door, causing the group to look towards it as well.

They then saw Jaune walked into the lunch room...with Team CRDL of all people, which was shocking to say the least.

"Uhh, why the heck is he hanging out with that jerk and those goons?" Ruby asked.

"Beats me," Ky narrowed his eyes, in suspicion.

"Jaune!" Nora happily shouted to her leader waving at him.

Jaune looked over but was quickly taken away by Cardin causing Nora to frown.

"Looks like he's having lunch with Cardin." Ren commented.

"Why in the world would he hang out with the person who's been giving you hell since day one?"

"Beats me." Nora asked, "You think they worked out their differences?"

Ren shrugged. "Seems so."

"I find it odd that they could work out their differences so soon." Weiss stated.

"Odd!" Nora jumped up happily. "That's the perfect word for today!"

Pyrrha frowned. "Yeah, I think things are 'odd' as well."

XXXXXXXXXXX

A quiet content escaped Ky's lips as he was currently hanging upside down to allow him blood flow to his brain. He had his legs locked around a thick tree branch, waiving with the passing of strong wind, allowing his headphones in his ears to drown out any noise around him.

Smiling, Ky slowly closed his eyes he relaxed with a contented sigh. Before he opened his mouth and began to start singing.

Ky swayed his head slightly as he swung lightly. He was so lost in the music that barely noticed whoever who was smelling like strawberries next to him had patted his shoulder.

Strawberries? Then that meant...

Ky's eyes open, he saw Ruby hanging upside down by him, she noticed his eyes opened and smile.

"Hey neighbor, what'cha doing up here?"" Ky smirked a little, it would seem Ruby was picking up on some of her sister's pun techniques, and they were indeed effective.

The bluenette then pulled his headphones off his ears. "Hey, Rosebud," He greeted. "I'm just... hanging out."

Ruby groaned with a playful eyeroll. "You and Yang with your puns."

"Hehe, not everyone can appreciate power of wordplay." Ky snickered. "Also, to answer your question I needed some fresh air."

"So you decided to do that while upside down in a tree?" Ruby snorted.

"Hey, ain't nothing like blood to the head to get the adrenaline pumping." Ky stated with a mere shrug.

Ruby let out a giggle at what Ky said, smiling as she angled herself to keep her battles skirt from falling. That would be highly embarrassing, probably would make Yang die of laughter if she was here currently.

"I see what you mean, though this is a little uncomfortable," Ruby commented as she moved to make herself more comfortable, while Ky looked at her with a smile.

"There you go. It's not bad once you get use to it." He told her.

Leaning up, he managed to sit on the tree branch in one go, but Ruby was stuck doing crunches a little bit. Attempting to lean back up, but falling just short of the pivot, and falling back down. She dangled there for a minute until she saw Ky lean back down, holding her by her back with his forearm and helping her lean back up.

"Thanks. I need to cut down on the cookies..." Ruby says, watching as Ky snorted, grinning at her.

"Then you wouldn't be as sweet." Ruby blushed, but she then giggles a little bit, sitting up in the tree by Ky.

"Port's class was, thankfully, canceled today. Man, I swear, if I hear another story I'm going to freak. They sound so unrealistic..." Ky laughed, the tale about Port slaying a giant octopus Grimm was a farfetched tell at least.

Especially since he claimed to have done it with his bare hands.

"So you wanted to get your weekend homework out of the way, too,?" Ruby asked.

"No, I did it all last night, and yes, I know that's surprising," Ky said with a roll of his eyes. Before he could continue, he ended up stopping short when Ruby next spoke.

"Nope."

"What?" Ky asked.

"Nope," Ruby repeated as simply as she had the first time. "You may be a goof to others, but I can tell that when you set your mind to something, you don't quit until it's done."

"But what if it's something that's really important?"

"Mmm....Nope," Ruby said once again, her smile only vanishing when she paused to act like she was thinking it over.

Her response got a brief laugh out of Ky before he commented, "Thanks, I needed that. It's nice to know that not everyone thinks of me as a goof. At least, not entirely." He then thought back to Ruby's guess and asked, "What about you?"

"Nope. I did most of mine last night, too. I was planning on leaving the rest for later tonight so that Yang doesn't have an excuse to try and drag me along to some of the clubs she likes going to," Ruby admitted without shame. "Blake on the other hand, did go to the library just a little while ago for that reason. Either that or to check out some new books to read." That got her a nod from Ky in understanding, since he knew that Blake almost always had a book with her whenever possible, and Ruby then asked, "So what were you going to do after this?"

"You know, could give your blades some weapon upgrades," Ruby guessed. Her eyebrows then scrunched together in thought as she reasoned, "Then again, your weapons are already pretty awesome as it is, so I doubt you would really be thinking about upgrading them."

Ky could not help but laugh again. Then he thought about how long it had been since he last did any kind of work to keep Bright Crest and Fallen Abyss in top shape. Sure, he normally took them to Aptus when it was time for a check-up, but he had picked up enough from watching him work to learn how to do a lot of the basic maintenance himself. Plus, the last thing he wanted was for either of his blades to end up breaking in half on the battlefield. "Actually, that doesn't sound like a bad idea. My swords are pretty strong, but I guess making some upgrades wouldn't hurt."

"Really? Well, in that case..." Ruby then suddenly seemed to become a little more nervous, as she asked, "D-Do you think...I mean...would you want to..."

"Want to what?" Ky asked, a little confused by Ruby's sudden change.

"Would you...like to come with me to do some maintenance on our weapons?" Ruby finally rushed out. It may seem like she was copping out of she really wanted to ask, but for Ruby, this was a pretty big deal, since she preferred to do most of her weapon maintenance alone. Not that she had a problem with other people being around while she did all the necessary checks and cleanings for her precious Crescent Rose, but she did not normally invite other people to join her with it aside from her family. Not since she finally proved she could do it on her own a few years back. In Ruby's mind, this was a really big deal, and certain people (Yang) would go so far as to say that it was Ruby's idea of a date.

Ky looked a bit surprised at the offer, especially how cute Ruby looked as she awaited his answer. With a grin, he replied, "Sure. Sounds good, Rosebud."

"Oh, great! Well, let's get going," Ruby sighed in relief, while on the inside she was cheering like she had just gotten the best birthday present in the history of presents.

Ky could only smile a little more, as if knowing what Ruby was thinking right now, but he said nothing as the two of them made their way to Beacon's workshop. As they walked side by side, Ruby drew a little closer to him, almost to the point where their hands were brushing against one another. Not that it bothered either if them.

XXXXXXXXXX

Ruby was happily skipping along to the school's workshop with Ky following after her with a grin on his face at Ruby's most recent display of her unique brand of cuteness. Seriously, was she always like this, or did it take a lot of effort to do so?

A few more eager skips later, and the two were stepping into Beacon's workshop, ready to get started on their respective maintenance work. Looking around the place, one could see that it had a very typical set-up for a weaponry forge at its base level, but there were also plenty of other features to the room that made it really stand out and show just how high-class a school Beacon was. Everything that they would need for doing the easier jobs on weapons like Ruby's and the more finer operations work that would require one to get a more delicate instrument was here in this room, resting in a specific toolbox, on a workbench, or hanging up on the wall with other tools. Ky watched as Ruby was already claiming a table for them to use while gathering what she needed to give her precious scythe a check-up, as she had put it earlier on.

Ruby then treated Ky to quite the impressive show of craftsmanship as she used every tool at her disposal to make various adjustments on her scythe, be it in the form of cleaning or repairing, all the while muttering little notes to herself about what did or did not work. Ky may not really get a lot in terms of highly technical stuff, but he was still able to tell just how impressive something was just from the small cues that a person gave off when they were talking about the matter or just performing the necessary work, and from where he was standing, Ruby was doing some really impressive work on her already amazing scythe. It reminded him of when he first met Aptus and they helped them make adjustments to their equipment so that they could better fight against the Grimm, but seeing Ruby do all of this on her own somehow made this even more impressive than that.

Eventually, Ky felt that he had to give some kind of comment on the girl's work ethic and skill, but found that he could barely say much more than one simple statement that probably put it really mildly, at least in his opinion. "Wow, Rosebud, you're really good at this."

Hearing that sudden bit of praise, no matter how small it may have been was what finally broke Ruby out of the little world she had gotten lost in while she worked, but she still managed to follow the necessary safety precautions before turning her attention onto Ky so she could properly reply, even if it was with a slightly bashful tone. "Thanks. I've had a lot of practice and a really good teacher," Ruby admitted while brushing her bangs back a little out of shyness.

"Oh yeah! Back when we first met the Wizard of Oz, you said it was your uncle!" Ky said, snapping his fingers in emphasis. "What was his name again...? Pro? Glow? Show?

Ruby giggled. "Qrow. He's one of the best huntsmen to ever graduate from Beacon, and the best scythe wielder ever, period," She stated with pride. "He used to be a teacher at Signal a while back before he started taking on some really big and serious jobs as a huntsman. Like I said, I was complete garbage before he took me under his wing."

"...And now, you're all like...Hooowaaaah! Witchaaaa!" Ky grinned as he did the martial artist poses with noise, that Ruby did the night they met.

Ruby could not help but laugh a bit at that last part, even if it was slightly at her expense. Not that she seemed to mind too much, given how Ky smiled. "Yep!"

"So did he teach you all of your fighting abilities," Ky eventually managed to ask, honestly curious about the people who had taught Ruby the skills that had helped her get into Beacon two years early.

"Well, most of them, especially when it comes to anything relating to how to use my scythe, and all of this as well," Ruby replied, gesturing to Crescent Rose and the tools she was using at the moment to perform maintenance on the weapon. "My dad and Yang also taught me a few things in the way of hand-to-hand combat, but it's just...well, I wouldn't say I'm complete garbage at it, but I'm definitely not that great either."

"Ah, I get it," Ky said with a nod. "So, did your family teach you how to fight with any other weapons too? I mean, you must've learned how to use a few others since you like weapons so much, right?"

"Well, I did try out a couple of different things before I finally settled on my scythe, but Uncle Qrow did teach me a lot about how to use a sword as well while he was training me," Ruby admitted.

"Really? Cool," Ky grinned upon hearing that. "Hey, maybe you and me could have a sword match some time just so I can see how good you are. And if you want, I could even show you a few techniques that I learned too."

That made Ruby light up quite a bit, and she did not hesitate to accept the offer. Sure, she was better with her scythe than she was a sword, but her uncle did make it a point to make sure she was at least a little proficient with a blade, since it was one of the most common weapons among huntsmen aside from guns. If there was a chance Ky could help her get better, she was not going to pass up the opportunity. Thinking of that, Ruby felt that since he asked about her training, it was only right that she inquire about his. "Now that I think about it, the night we met, didn't you say you were taught by your friends?"

"Oh, the Twilight Town Committee," Ky replied to her.

"The who?" Ruby asked, looking at him confused.

Ky then pulled out his Scroll and started going through it before he pulled up picture and showed it to Ruby.

"These guys are the Radiant Garden Committee." Ky said gesturing to the picture from left to right. "There names are Leon, Tifa, Yuffie and Cloud. Leon's the leader of the Committee."

Ruby's eyes sparkled in glee. "Oh wow, they look so cool! Especially their weapons!"

Ky smiled in amusement. "Yeah, they're pretty badass. They're a group of Hunters that protect Twilight Town from Grimm and anyone with bad intentions. When it came to hand to hand combat, Aptus and I were taught mainly by Tifa. She's the only one in the group who fights bare handed."

"Like Yang?"

"Yeah, and trust me...Tifa's no pushover. But as far as swordplay is concerned, we learned a lot of that from Leon, Yuffie and Cloud. In fact, even it wasn't for them, Aptus and I wouldn't be here right now..."

Ruby stopped what she was doing and looked over at the young teen. "What do you mean?"

"Well...I uh..." Ky hesitated a bit rubbing the back of his neck, when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked over saw Ruby smiling softly at him.

"Like I said before, only when you're ready," The crimsonette told him.

Ky let out a sigh and took in a deep breath. "You're right, Rosebud. I guess this is something I can't keep locked up. It's just...remember that dream I had week ago?"

"Yeah," Ruby nodded silently. "You were pretty shaken by it."

"...Well, it was actually about the day I lost my mom...and my home."

Ruby's eyes widened as she formed an 'o' shape with her mouth. "Oh." She gasped, causing Ky to nod.

"Yeah, it's time I told someone about what happened that day." Ky began, looking up to the ceiling. "It all started over 8 years ago. The day was normal like any other and I was at the orphanage, visiting Aptus. Though in a blink of an eye, everything shifted into chaos."

XXXXXXXXXX

(Flashback: Day of the attack)

Explosions were sounding off left and right; while large pillars of flames shot high up into the sky. Occasionally large quakes would shake the entire town, showing that someone with abnormal strength was the cause.

Ky who was knocked off his feet. Lifting his head, he looked towards the orphanage home where he currently resided in.

"Ky!" Aptus called out, grabbing the blunette's attention while simultaneously holding out a helping hand to help his friend to his feet. "We need to go now!"

Accepting the hand, Ky was hoisted to his feet. Then by looking over to his friend he shouted out. "Alright!"

Aptus nodded, however, everyone froze in fear when an explosion engulfed the home. Kicking up flames that quickly traveled towards the two boys.

Ky brought his arm's up over his eyes, hoping to shield himself. However, he never felt the flames blaze.

"I got your back, bud." Aptus' voice said, causing Ky to sigh in relief. "Got that memorized?"

Opening his eyes, Ky found his friend standing in front him using his Semblance to absorb the flames into his body. "Thanks Ap," Ky spoke thankfully while looking around the town "But I don't understand, what is going on?"

Aptus soon absorbed the flames back with ease and looked back to the bluenette. "It seems that the town's under attack. Listen Ky we need go find you mom and escape from here."

Ky walked up to his the red-orange Faunus unable to believe everything that is going on. "But why are we being attacked?" He asked, his fear slightly showing.

Aptus placed a hand on his friend. "I wish I knew. For now don't worry about that. We need to get moving. I'll look out for you, since your Semblance hasn't fully developed yet."

Ky looked up at the sky, as smoke rose up from all around. The sounds of battle ringing throughout the town stirred fear in the small child. Suddenly Ky felt Aptus grip onto his wrist and begin to drag him away from the field.

"Come on!" The elder boy shouted, refusing to look back towards his home. He was afraid of what was going on too, but he had to be strong for Ky.

They were now slowly inching further and further away from the orphanage; that was already being evacuated.

XXXXXXXXX

(Flashback end)

Ruby was taken aback by Ky's story, but was still left with so many questions.

"What happened next?" Ruby asked, wanting to the rest.

Ky leaned against one of the tables. "You might want to sit down for this." He began and Ruby complied. "Well after that we set out to find my mom..."

XXXXXXXX

Ky ran at a steady pace, following Aptus' lead. The blue-haired child refusing to look around the town; where buildings were burning and falling to the ground while the people inside screamed for help. However, most of the civilians who managed to make their way onto the streets would simply push past the group of small children, hoping to escape and save their own lives.

"Ap, we should help all these people!" Ky shouted out, trying to speak over the screams.

The red-orange haired faunus looked over his shoulder. "Ky there isn't anything we can do. Besides we have to find your Mom." He explained, before turning his attention forward.

Ky bit the bottom of his lip. He wanted to help the citizens, but he knew there was nothing he could do.

"Don't worry." Aptus spoke grabbing his best friend's attention. "We are going to make it through this together. And don't worry about the people, they won't go down that easily."

Ky took his friend's words to heart and prayed that what he said was true. But the young child had a sense of hopelessness about their current situation.

"Remember the Mistress's orders, kill everyone and capture the 'Light'!" A deep male voice shouted loudly, catching Ky's attention.

Looking behind him, Ky saw something that made his heart drop. Rampaging throughout the town were dozen of Grimm, ranging from Bewoulf, Ursa, Beringel, Boarbatsuk to several King Taiju. Though the truly frightening thing, was the pile of dead citizens around them.

Aptus tugged on Ky's hand. "C'mon! We've got to hurry!"

"But Ap, look..." he pointed to the parade of Grimm that were rampaging through the town. "All those Grimm..."

"Yeah, that's why we've got to hurry and find your Mom!" Aptus said with urgency. But the bluenette didn't budge as his focus was on the Grimm. He couldn't take his eyes off of them for some odd reason but one last tug from his friend snapped him out of it. Yet it was too late as a few Grimm had managed to spot the two boys, their sharp teeth drenched with fresh blood.

Reacting faster than anyone else, Aptus rushed in front of Ky. Then by controlling the flames he absorbed earlier, he was then engulfed in a fiery aura.

"Incinerate!" Aptus exclaimed, as long whips of fire surrounded his arms and he swiped his arms in a circular fashion creating powerfully destructive flames in a large cyclone that barreled into the Grimm. While in the flames the creatures were seen taking huge damage, they immediately began to disintegrate as the fire vortex started to go out and create smoke.

Turning around Aptus looked at the young boy not close by. Even if Ky wasn't his actual brother, he treated him like one.

"C'mon, let's hurry before anymore spot us," Aptus said, before he noticed the look on Ky's face. Said boy was left shocked. This was the first time he had witnessed death and he wasn't ready by any means to shake it off.

Aptus grabbed Ky's wrist and together, the two boys ran off. "Ky listen to me." The Faunus spoke up. "We need to keep moving, I know you're frightened. But don't worry, no matter what happens."

Complying with his friend's instructions, Ky fell into step, running as fast as his small legs would carry him, towards his home.

"Hey Ap should we cut through the back ally's? So we can avoid possible enemy encounters on the main streets." Ky proposed, thinking avoiding conflict would be the best choice of action.

Aptus shook her head. "No, don't get me wrong it's a good idea. However, it leaves too many possibilities for us to be cornered or trapped. It would be much safer to be out in the open, where we have room to run and fight." The eldest child explained, as he began to turn down the street.

"That's a sound plan." Ky spoke up, thinking it over. "Though what about if we get separated? What will our plan be then?"

Aptus thumped his chest with his free fist. "Don't worry little buddy, we won't get separated. I'll make sure of that." The second child reassured, trying to ease the small child's nerves.

"Ugh...!"

Hearing the grunt, both boys looked over and saw it was the man Ky greeted earlier, his lower body trapped under some large rubble.

"Mr. Hector!" Ky cried out in terror, running over to the downed man. This also caused Aptus to follow him as well.

The man opened his eyes and saw the bluenette running over to him. "Ky?"

Ky looked down at the man who was incredibly pale. "Are you okay, sir?"

"He's bleeding bad." Aptus spoke, gesturing his hand down at the bleeding wound. "It looks pretty bad..."

"Then, we need to stop the bleeding and patch him up!" Ky said, frantically looking around for a first aid kit.

"No, listen to me." The man coughed out, blood leaking from the corners of his mouth. "I can't get out, it doesn't take an idiot to see that. And besides I won't last much longer, I've lost too much blood."

"...I'm afraid he's right." Aptus ordered in a low voice, already knowing what the man was planning to say. "If we don't get moving again someone will find us."

"No way!" Ky tried to lift the rubble off Hector, but the bluenette didn't have the strength in him. "We aren't leaving you! Just because you are older doesn't mean that we can't protect you!"

"Don't waste you're energy, I'm a lost cause! There is no saving me."" Hector told, while falling to his knees. "I'm not going to let two young promising boys die, because they are trying to protect me."

"But..." Ky began to say, when he felt pain in his chest causing him to grasp at it.

"Ky! What's wrong?" Aptus asked with concern, noticing his friend pained face.

Soon the pain in Ky's chest subsided as a worried expression appeared on his face. "Mom..." He gasped in a low voice, his mind barely able to continue to function. "I got a bad feeling that something bad happened to her."

Hearing that caused Aptus' eyes to widen. Everything was going wrong, first their town was being attacked for unknown reasons. Now after nearly reaching Ky's home, he finds out the last person who can help them is probably in trouble.

Then A loud roar was from from behind them as they could feel the ground shaking from the approaching Grimm.

Hector looked over his shoulder and cursed his luck. "Damn more of those monsters. And I'm in no shape to run or fight." He spoke mainly to himself, but he quickly shook out of Ky's grasp, resulting in him falling onto his back. "You both need to run now! There is no saving me now just go!"

Ky bent down to help the man, refusing to leave him behind. Though he stopped as Aptus grabbed onto his wrist.

"He's right." The red-orange haired boy mumbled. "If we try to help the only thing we would accomplish is our deaths."

Ky jerked away from Aptus, he knew the boy was right. "Alright... We will go." The blue-haired boy muttered, before turning his back to Hector. "I'm sorry Mr. Hector..."

"Heh don't be sorry, I'm happy that I can at least keep the next generation safe for a little longer." The elder man replied with a small chuckle. "Now you two start running, I'll slow them down."

Nodding his head Aptus turned away from the man. "Let's go Ky!" Aptus ordered as he took off in a sprint.

Ky shot Hector one last glance, before jerking his head away and running forward.

XXXXXXXXXX

(Flashback end)

"I'll never forget the look he gave me before I ran off. If was the last time we saw each other, but he wasn't sad or afraid. Mr. Hector smiled the entire time." Ky explained as he stopped talking and looked to Ruby, who was rather quiet through the story.

"He was happy that you two got away." Ruby finally spoke and Ky nodded.

"Yeah he was..."

Ruby rubbed her arm and looked down. She was sadden when she lost her mom, but she didn't lose nearly close to what Ky did.

'I'm surprised he is always so happy and smiling.' Ruby thought to herself, feeling the urge to just hold onto the bluenette. "Tell me Ky what happened next? Did you two escape the town?"

Ky flinched, his eyes showing nothing but hurt and anguish. "I guess you could say that." The bluenette shrugged. "We made it to my old house and..."

Ky gripped the table hard and looked towards the ground. "That's when I found my mom lying dead a few feet away... I never even got to say goodbye."

Ruby's eyes grew as wide as saucers, her hand covering her mouth. Thinking how traumatizing that must have been for him.

"At that point I was about to give up, but Ap keep me going." Ky explained, shortly before he felt Ruby dive into him and wrap around him.

"You don't have to say any more." The crimsonette croaked out weakly, as she shed tears for Ky.

"No it's fine Rosebud I need to tell someone about this." Ky replied quickly, wanting to let out everything he's kept inside for so many years.

"Alright you know I'm here for you, but only tell me if you're sure you want to."

Ky placed a hand onto Ruby's head. "I'm sure Rosebud, now let me finish my story." The bluenette began, taking a long drawn out breath. "After we left Mr. Hector behind, Ap and I ran for quite a long time. Eventually we ended up at my house."

XXXXXXXXX

(Flashback)

Ky hunched over and desperately sucked in as much air as his lungs could take. He and Aptus both had cleared a great amount of distant very quickly and neither both had much left in them.

"Ky... I... see your... house up ahead." Aptus panted out, though he was faring better than his friend.

Ky looked up and his eyes shot wide open. Spotting a mess of long light-blue hair; sprawled out on the ground a few feet away from his house.

"Mom!" Ky shrieked in terror, running over to the downed woman. "Mom!? MOM!"

Ky quickly dove to his mother's side and lifted her head up. Aptus on the other hand bent over and checked her pulse.

There was none.

"Ky I'm sorry... She's gone." The red-orange haired faunus mumbled, fighting his hardest to not to lose his temper.

Ky on the other hand couldn't keep it in. He began to sob uncontrollably, as he buried his face into his mother's hair.

Aptus placed a comforting hand onto Ky's shoulder. "I'm sorry." The boy spoke softly. He then looked around with anger. "Who did this?"

"That would be me." A deep male voice answered, before anyone else could speak. It's sound dignified as if the person was used to having authority over a situation.

Ky and Aptus both turned to find a single person, standing casually only a few feet away, wearing a black and red organic-looking bodysuit. Hr also wore a silver helmet covered with dark glass, hiding his face from view.

"Who are you?!" Aptus yelled in anger, causing the man to snort.

"Please boy if you wish to die, keep the demands coming. It's beneath me to answer to such low creatures as yourself." The mystery man replied in a taunting manner. "Though I can see you are close to this woman. She put up quite the useless fight. Though I should applaud her, this woman did manage to defeat some of my strongest Grimm. Like it matters though, when I return more will be brought into existence and her death will mean nothing."

Ky clinched his fist, how dare this man talk about his mother like that. "Why did you do this? Why would you attack our town!?" Ky cried out, his emotions getting the better of him. "Answer me!"

The figure's suddenly lifted an arm up. "Stupid brat!" The man roared in anger, throwing an arm forward as two dark portals appear beside him. Suddenly, large torrents of red and black thorns shot through the the portals and carry Ky and Aptus into the air. "I am Vanitas, and I am here for something you people hold dear: the 'Light'!"

Ky landed roughly on the ground and groaned in pain. 'The 'Light'? What is he talking about? He thought to himself, before lifting his head up and looking over towards the man with fear. However, Aptus' coughing brought him out of his trance. "Aptus! Are you ok!" The bluenette shouted in worry, moving over to his friend's side.

"I'm fine Ky, nothing serious." Aptus spoke before igniting his right arm in flames. "Listen... we need fight back."

Ky couldn't believe what he was hearing. Aptus actually wanted him to fight back. Against the man who looks like his mother didn't even scratch him. He couldn't do it.

"Ap I can't do it, it's a hopeless fight." Ky mumbled causing the man to smirk.

Aptus placed his arm onto Ky. "No it's not Ky, we can do this. We are not letting those people, Hector and your mom's sacrifices go to waste." Aptus spoke with determination and certainty. "We will make it out of this town alive and we WILL get stronger. So strong that no one will die in front of us again because we are weak. Got that memorized?"

"Aptus."

"Promise me Ky." Aptus cut in, stopping the bluenette's speech. "Promise me that we will keep moving forward together."

Ky gripped his fists tightly. "Alright Aptus I pro-" Ky was cut off by a long black vine of thorns; which constricted around his body. Freezing all of his movements, while also digging into his skin.

"Do you really think I'd waste my time and let you fight back?" Vanitas asked, looking Ky. Who were both being squeezed so tightly they couldn't speak. "I'm just going to kill you and get this over with."

"Gwahhhhh!" Ky cried out in pain together, causing Vanitas to laugh.

"That's right scream! Scream then die worthless human!" The masked man shouted out loudly, loving every minute of the child's pained expression.

"Ky!" Aptus exclaimed before looking at the man in rage. "Let him go, you bastard!"

With that, he launched at their attacker with a battle cry. However out of the corner of his eye she saw black thorns approaching his midsection and knew he was too close to dodge out of the way this time. Shifting his body quickly, Aptus brought his forearms together using them as a makeshift shield when the thorns made contact. He felt the force of the blow crush his arms to his chest as he was sent flying back. He was airborne for several seconds before feeling his back hit the hard wall with a loud SLAM.

Aptus slumped to the ground out cold, from having the all of the wind knocked out of his chest.

"Aptus!" Ky began to lose his vision, as everything started to go black. 'So this is how everything ends. All the running and people giving their life's up for nothing.' Ky thought sadly to himself, before looking towards Aptus out of the corner of his eye. 'I'm sorry Ap, we couldn't get stronger together.'

"King's Limit!" A new deep voice shouted, before a pillar of power crashed down onto Vanitas. Just as Ky finally slipped into unconsciousness.

XXXXXXXXXX

(Flashback end)

"And that's the last thing I remember about the attack." Ky finished looking to Ruby, to see her reaction.

"What? Then how did you and Aptus escape?" Ruby asked in confusion, since by the end of that story it sounded like Ky shouldn't be among the living.

"We were saved by Leon and the others." Ky explained gesturing to the picture he held. "They were coming down to visit and they made it just in time to save me and Aptus."

Ruby's eyes lit up with recognition. "So that pillar of power-"

"Was one of Leon's sword attacks and a strong one at that." Ky finished looking to the bright and clear sky. "Apparently he was able to fend off Vanitas, shortly after using that attack. Then he and the rest of the Committee took us away from the town to get treated for our wounds."

"So you both were able to survive?" Ruby asked and Ky nodded. "What about the rest of the town?"

Ky looked down at this question. "Leon and Tifa went back for survivors and there was a few, but no traces of my family were found." He explained in a sadden tone. "So we figured them all to be dead. Even though we only buried my Mom."

"I'm sorry, Ky." Ruby spoke softly, bringing the bluenette into another hug.

"You know you've been giving out a lot of hugs today Rosebud." Ky joked, causing her to smile once she heard him laugh. "But don't worry, after Leon and the others saved me and Aptus, we lived and trained with them for a few years. They also helped me activate my Semblance. Those were all good times in my life. There's also something Leon said to me that I keep close to this day."

Ruby asked, backing off the bluenette and looked at him "What's that?" She asked.

"May your heart be your guiding key."

Ruby tilted her head at the phrase. "What does that mean?"

"In other words, you ultimately need to do what your heart feels is right," Ky replied with a grin. "I keep that close to me to remember to always follow my heart."

Ruby pondered to herself as she took in what Ky had said before a smile grew on her face. "You know what? That sounds really cool. I'd love to hear some story's about you living with them." The scythe user admitted truthfully.

"Well maybe I'll tell you sometime later, I wanted to come down here and clear my thoughts. But you've helped me do that. Thanks Rosebud."

Ruby giggled. "You're welcome." She felt really happy that her friend was okay, when a thought came to mind. "Hey Ky?" She spoke, getting his attention.

"Hmmm?"

"What do you think that Vanitas guy meant when he said he was after the 'Light?' " Ruby asked.

Ky folded his arms in thought. "You know? I'm not sure myself. According to Leon what told me, the 'Light' is a source that's so powerful that even Vanitas and the Grimm have great fear of it." He explained. "Apparently, it was in the town somewhere. But they never found it."

"What do you mean?" Ruby asked curiously.

"Apparently, Vanitas never found the 'Light' at all when he escaped. Still, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't curious about it..." Ky said, before shrugging. "Oh well, let's get back to making our weapons look more badass." He proposed with a grin.

Despite not knowing all of the details that surrounded all the things regarding this 'Light', Ruby found herself grinning along with Ky for the rest of their time in the workshop, each of them giving their weapons the necessary attention that they needed to stay in their best shape.

XXXXXXXX

Oh boy that was a big one to write! Hopefully you all forgive my latency with this chapter since I decided not to split the chapter in two and instead delivered something that is far more than twice the typical chapter length.

Comment and let me know what you think about the story! Until then...Keep moving forward!

Stormy out!!!