The moment Sun Wukong walked- well, jumped, really- off the boat and breathed in the sweet Mistralian air, he knew he was home. Tightening the grip on his heavy backpack, full of things he'd need immediately and couldn't wait two weeks to have, like the rest of his belongings, he skillfully navigated his way through the bustling docks of Recall, full of people wishing good byes and happily greeting their loved ones.
Sun didn't have anyone holding up a sign with his name, or a young relative running into his arms and laughing like the man and his daughter a few feet away from him. Instead, his family was scattered across Mistral, his immediate family at the very least. His two brothers, older sister, and mother, with graying hair and the cooking skills of a goddess, were all spread out across Mistral.
Roxy, his younger sister, twenty years old and five years his junior, was the closest to the nautical town of Recall, a few cities west, studying for a major in engineering, at St. Annalice University. Sun would have visited her first, but exams had just ended, and Roxy has no doubt slipped into a self-induced one week long coma.
The concrete under his feet was comforting and familiar, as if each crack and contour was ingrained into his memory. Why, the last time he was here, it was back when he was just leaving for Vale to study at Beacon Academy. His hair was shorter then, hands softer, he was still-
No, Sun wouldn’t let painful memories ruin his first day back home. He was going to relive the good memories. Which is exactly why the first thing he did was travel a few cities by train over to Halo.
-
The train ride was two hours long, much shorter than the three day boat ride, but a lot less tolerable. Sun was jittery, he couldn’t just stay in one seat for long. He hopped around in the empty compartment to chill his nerves, switching from seat to seat every few moments, whistling loudly, laying on his back sprawled over a few seats, before getting off and moving over to the next thing to keep him occupied. At least the boat ride had open air, at least it had open areas where you could hang over the edge and watch the water beneath you.
And then there was the third stop after Sun had boarded, about forty minutes later. A group of twenty, twenty people (more or less) piled into the compartment, and sun was squashed into the window seat of where he had been at that moment. The compartment filling quickly with adults and small children and everything in-between.
Oh gods, they were loud, and that’s something, coming from the blond simian faunus.
20 minutes passed by and a multitude of songs sung by the younger kids made Sun feel like he was going to spontaneously combust. His leg was jittering, his tail was twitching impatiently, and all he could do was twiddle his thumbs and try his best not to get too overwhelmed.
At the ninety minute mark of Sun’s trip, a couple of adults had managed to corral the more rowdy kids of the bunch, and the others had drifted off into bumpy train dreamland.
-
The ‘sweet Mistralian air’ was thick with the afterthought of rain. Puddles scattered the wet concrete and Sun could feel the precipitation stick to his skin. It wasn’t very pleasant, but it was home, no matter Sun’s distaste for rain.
The blond’s stomach let out an unearthly growl a few blocks from his destination. Maybe he could get lunch-, er, dinner. Right, time zones,- with his friends. Surely they’d be starving after working all day like he knew they were.
The exterior of the shop was a bright red, making all the muted colors of the stores beside it appear dull and boring. In a fancy cursive font, the store’s name could be read.
Ruby’s Roses.
“Welcome to Ruby’s Rose's!” A voice called out from the back once the doorbell jingled a little noise. “I’ll be with you in just a moment!”
Sun took that as a chance to take in the surroundings. Strolling around the large shop, he noticed how-to books and pamphlets lining the wall by the cash register. Along with the spinning rack of cards and this and that on the counter.
In every other nook and cranny, there were flowers. From things Sun could recognize, such as roses and tulips, to things he doubted he could even pronounce. The scent overwhelmed all of his other senses, and it brought him back to the garden his mother had in their backyard before they moved to Mistral.
Behind the counter of the cash register, Sun recognized a familiar photo frame. He reached over and plucked it from the counter, turning it around to see the picture.
Instead of the picture it had had all those years ago, the one of Ruby smiling in her graduation gown, surrounded by all of her friends, it was a picture of the trip to a famous theme park that had happened the day before Sun left for Vale.
Ruby was in the middle, smiling again. Her arms were wrapped around Yang, her sister, and Blake, one of her best friend’s, shoulders. On Yang’s side, Pyrrha and Jaune, two more of Ruby’s really good friends, were holding hands. Sun could remember how they went on the Ferris Wheel together, and Jaune got scared. He chuckled at the thought, but looking at who was on Blake’s side made him stop, and a frown appeared on his face. It was him, riding on the back of his boyfriend at the time and throwing a peace sign.
“Neptune…” He muttered, but the door near the back of the store swung open. He quickly placed the photo frame back in its place.
“Sorry, one of my employee’s had forgotten to clean up a few things in the back before he headed out.” Ruby apologized, walking out of a door labeled “Employees Only”, with a large trash bag in her hands. She cut herself off with a gasp when she saw the smiling faunus, dropping the plastic bag and sprinting forward to tackle-hug him.
Sun made a noise of surprise when Ruby pile-drived him, falling onto his back. She hovered over him, an apologetic smile on her face. Still the same smile. Her eyes lit up the same way they did when he met her in tenth grade.
Ruby let go of her fatal choke hold on Sun and crawled of him, back onto her feet. She brushed off her dress and held out a hand for Sun.
“Welcome home.” Ruby sad as she brought him to his feet. He straightened his back and towered over the girl, still smiling.
Ruby took the moment to stare up at him, breathing out a small “Woah…”
“Woah?”
“Look at you!” Exclaimed Ruby, reaching over to ruffle his hair.
“Look at me? Look at you! Youre a fully grown woman!” He shed crocodile tears, pretending to wipe his face. “I’m so proud of you.” And it was true, her hair was kept back with a red bandana and a hair tie, but you could tell that her hair went down over her shoulder blades. She wore a red sundress and black flats, a rose corsage around her tanned wrist. In fact, she was wearing about a dozen flowers. On her head and on her arms and pinned to her dress. It looked cute. Her face was more defined, but never lost its baby fat and she, without a doubt, had dirt under her fingernails. “You’re still really short, though.”
“I grew three inches!”
Sun stuck his tongue out at Ruby, who huffed and crossed her arms, glaring at the older man.
“So the whole flower thing went well, obviously.” Sun gestured to the shop and Ruby beamed with pride. “But what about all the robots and tech geeky tuff, how’s that coming along?”
Instead of replying, Ruby raced off out of the room, holding up a finger to tell him to wait a moment. A minute passed and many yelps and crashed could be heard, slightly worrying Sun. Ruby emerged victorious back into the main room, holding up a manila folder. She shoved the folder into Sun’s unsuspecting hands, causing him to almost stumble and drop them.
“Open it.”
Sun made an effort not to rip the old yellow paper. It took a few attempts to get his fingers under the metals strips and push them up together, his clumsy hands fumbling when he pulled out the papers. Gods, he needed smaller fingers.
The paper on top was a crinkled flyer, the page torn and its corners creased and ripped. Sun attempted to read it, only for Ruby to snatch the papers out of his hands.
“You’re taking too long.” She flipped through the pages, knowing exactly what she was looking for. She pulled out a sheet somewhere towards the bottom, in much better shape than anything else in the folder, save for the rip at the top left, indicating it had been removed from a stack of papers. Ruby handed it with care, and when Sun saw the paper, he tried not to dig his thumbnails into it like he would usually do with paper to steady it.
“Is this?”
“Yep.”
“But you told me Penny said-“
“She was wrong. A guy got kicked out for drugs or something.” She snorted. “Idiot.”
REDWATER ACADEMY
Headmaster: James Ironwood
Dear Madame Rose,
We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Redwood Academy on full scholarship. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment. (Those on full scholarships need not buy any, for they will be delivered to you.)
Term begins on the 2nd of September. We await your reply no later than September 1st.
Yours sincerely,
Glynda Goodwitch
Deputy Headmistress
“Why didn’t you tell me this sooner? This is amazing! Ruby, I’m so proud of you! Really, I am.” Ruby’s face flushed at his words, and she plucked the paper from his hands, adding it to the pile in hers and slipping the whole thing back into the manila before she began speaking again.
“I was waiting until you came for Christmas to tell you, but you decided to show up six months early. You dweeb!” She playfully punched him in the arm. “How dare you ruin my big surprise?”
“Do you want me to go back? Because the train ride here sucked.”
Ruby narrowed her eyebrows, poking him in the chest. “Don’t you dare, Sun Wukong!” He held up his hands in defeat, and she snickered, her face softening. “What are you even doing here anyway? You’re not supposed to be back until December.”
“I’ve decided it’s time to move back to Mistral.”
“You’re joshing me, bro.”
Silence.
Ruby gave a sheepish smile, rubbing the back of her neck. “I’ll never say that again.”
Sun wiped fake sweat from his forehead. “Phew! Good!”
“I missed you too much.” He teased, rustling her hair.
She made a noise of protest, slapping away his hands and running fingers through her hair to fix it. “Shut up.”
Sun looked at her. Her smile. He eyes. The way her hair faded into a crimson red. Suddenly, they were back in Chemistry, sitting in the back of the class and giggling at the one kid that would always be asking stupid questions, never keeping his damn mouth shut. The teacher was one of their favorites, always cracking jokes and shutting down rowdy kids in the funniest ways imaginable.
They were back at Ruby’s house, playing video games in the living room in their pajamas as her dad made blueberry pancakes for dinner. Yang’s throwing a pillow at Sun and he retaliates by throwing two, and oh, if you want a war, you’ll get a war.
They were back in the ceremony for Ruby’s graduation day and she was crying her goddamn eyes out and hugging all of her fellow seniors. All of her friends that had already graduated laughed and took pictures and hugged her, promising it will all be okay. Sun carried her out of the school on her shoulders singing the national anthem.
“No, seriously.” His voice was soft as he spoke, giving her a genuine smile. “I missed you guys. A lot.”
Ruby stared up at him for a moment, before throwing her arms around his torso and burying her face into his chest,
“Don’t make me cry.” She sniffled, “I missed you too, stupid.”
“Clearly not enough to keep from insulting me. May I remind you, I just graduated from college while you just got accepted into one.”
That earned Sun another punch in the arm. Ruby drew away from him, sticking her tongue out at him. A pause. Ruby took a moment to process what he had just told her. “Wait. You graduated?”
“That’s what I just said. Yeah.”
“Oh my gods! C’mon, we are going out to celebrate!” Ruby ran back into the room for a second time, coming back out seconds later with a red purse over her shoulder. She grabbed Sun by the hand, dragging him out of the shop.
“Woah-hey! Slow down! What about your shop?”
Ruby stared at the flower store, which looked smaller on the outside, for a moment before leaving Sun’s side and going back in. She flipped the sign around and then walked back to him, grabbing him by the back of his shirt.
Closed.
“Now, mush.”
“But the lights are still on, and you didn’t even lo- oh, forget it.” Sun was practically sliding across the pavement. He shook his head, giving up. “Where are we going?” And then his stomach growled again.
-
The bus ride was a good thirty five minutes long. Sun was absolutely positive that if he had to take another form of public transportation today, he’d keel over and die right then and there.
Ruby leaned over to Sun, whispering, “Bartholomew Oobleck the Second at nine o’clock.” Sun peered over to see the man standing next to the pairs seats. His hair was a rat’s nest and he was talking rapidly into his mobile phone. He was drinking from a thermos as well, which sealed the deal. He wasn’t the faunus’ eleventh grade history teach, but dye his hair and give him glasses, and he might as well have been.
Sun snickered, he replied in a tone made to imitate his teacher’s. “Remember kids, one day, we’ll all get to know the greatest rock stars of all time, ‘Hunting Grimm’! And I for one, am looking forward to it.
Ruby burst out into laughter, covering her mouth to muffle the noise. Through her fingers, she choked out a “Buy gold!”, which sent Sun into hysterics much like her own, regardless of the annoyed and confused faces as the pair laughed.
-
They got off the bus in the downtown area of Harker, 200 miles from the docks of Recall.
Where Sun moved to when he was eight.
Where he lived for twelve years.
Where he met Ruby. Met Neptune. Met Yang, and Blake, and Pyrrha, and Jaune, and everyone.
Oh gods, he really did miss them.
He could remember the antique shop a couple of blacks from the bus stop, and waved at the old lady, Sonia, working there as two childhood friends wove their way through the streets full of people and cars.
The two walked through the door of the café not too long after, and was greeted with bubblegum pink stools and cotton candy blue walls. A majority of the customers were teenagers and college age students, drinking milkshakes and feasting on ice cream and cake as they studied or read or wrote or did whatever they would usually do when they came here. The sugary scents of desserts was magnificent, and Sun was craving something chocolate-y.
“Welcome, y’all! To the White Fang!” A short girl stood behind the counter, her dual-colored eyes twinkling as she smiled. “Sink your teeth into something sweet!” She let out a growl, before giggling. As the two got closer, her eyes widened.
“Sun! Is that you?” He smiled and nodded, holding his arms out for her to hug him. Instead, she punched him in the arm. “Welcome back, you giant loser. I haven’t seen you in four years, but a promise is a promise.” He held out his arms more, giving her a pleading puppy face. She groaned and leaned forward, wrapping her arms around him for a moment before pulling away. He smiled triumphantly.
~
Blood. The most startling of reds. It’s warm and sticky as it stains your skin and your clothes, oozing out of wounds. Seeing it instills a fear no one in the history of Remnant has been able to perfectly describe. Blood is death, and it is fear.
Blood. Human and faunus are both covered in it, kicking and screaming as they breath in air independently for the first time in their lives. It pumps through your veins, connecting your heart and your brain and your feet into one complete whole instead of the many parts it is made of. Blood is life, and it is connection.
The Aka Shi Forest, more affectionately and commonly known as the Forest of Life, is the only forest of its kind in all of Remnant. During autumn, every single leaf in the forest would transform from a lush green into a bright crimson. People would flock all from all around the world to see it, but there was only a small portion of the forest actually available to tourists. The people living in Harker, where the Aka Shi Forest was, didn’t want to be bothered any more than they had to.
Sun and Neptune lived in a neighborhood right by the forest. Sun nearest to it, being on the end of the block, while Neptune was a few houses over.
After school during the fall, Sun and Neptune would get off the bus and go off into the woods. There were campgrounds and trails all over, but their favorite area was about ten minutes away from Sun’s house.
A simple tree in a large clearing, accompanied by a creek flowing to the White River, which ran across the forest.
Neptune had found it first. Sun and Neptune were twelve years old at the time, and it was the third week of school. The two friends hopped off the bus and made their way over to Neptune’s house, where they would hang out until Sun had to go home for dinner (but sometimes he got to stay over for that, too). While Neptune’s parents usually weren’t home until five because of their jobs, Sun liked hanging out there more, because he had a lot of cool things.
As they were walking down the sidewalk, Neptune tripped and stumbled over his own feet, almost falling over. Sun laughed at him, only to actually fall.
It had hurt. He landed right on his face, trying to hold out his arms to help only injured him more. He stood back up and grimaced, taking in the damage. The palms of his hands were scratched up, but not bleeding. He had scraped his forehead and left knee, both of which were bleeding. Sun took it like a champ, at least, that was what he remembered. Neptune would probably add in how he saw Sun cry a bit.
Regardless, he was then sitting on the counter of Neptune’s kitchen, hissing in pain as the antiseptic stung when it made contact with his broken skin. Neptune paid no mind, continuing to take care of Sun’s cuts and bruises. After the blond had on a couple band-aids and was well, he took this opportunity to tease Neptune, saying he’d make a good wife one day. Neptune’s cheeks flushed and he threatened to give Sun something a lot worse than a few scratches.
“Is it a kiss, wife?” Neptune hit him over, but Sun persisted. He hopped off the counter and advanced toward Neptune. “C’mon! Give me a kiss!”
Neptune made a startled noise, laughing and bolting for the back door. Sun wasn’t as good at running as he was now, and he had stood in shock for a moment, staring at Neptune as he fled the scene before he ran after blue-haired boy. He was still faster than Neptune, so he could catch up if he tried to.
If there was one thing Neptune was good at, it was catching people off guard. Distracting them from the main idea. Doing just about anything to confuse them. That's why, when he made it into the forest, he ran in circles and zig-zags, feeling Sun’s eyes bore into his back as he tried to escape him, laughing the whole time.
Rustling above Neptune led him to believe Sun had taken to climbing the trees, hopping from one to one to get to Neptune quicker.
The game was on.
Blue hair did not blend in well with the scarlet surroundings, so Neptune was at a slight disadvantage. He made another left turn, picking up speed when he felt a leaf fall onto his back. Then, he lost his footing.
“Wh-woah!” He yelped, his foot caught on a stump. He stumbled and toppled, rolling a few feet until-
Splash.
He had fell into a creek.
Sun was by him in seconds, shouting and jumping into the water to grab him. He huffed as he pulled the boy out of the water, it took a moment, because he wasn’t very strong.
“I could’ve gotten out myself.” Neptune muttered, clothes soaked through and water dripping from his hair onto his face.
“You injured yourself! Neptune, you could have died!” Sun exclaimed, overacting a bit as he threw his arms around Neptune.
“Gah! Get off me dude! Are you trying to choke me or something?” Neptune pushed Sun off of him, using his hands to push himself into a sitting position.
“Yeah, yeah, yeah, whatever Nep, now how ‘bo-” Sun trailed off, his eyes widening.
Neptune tilted his head in confusion, before turning to see what Sun was staring at. It was then when he realized where they were. A clearing, the forest ground covered in red leaves, even though the only tree in the clearing was right in the middle, a few feet away from Sun and Neptune, towering over all the other trees around the clearing. “Woah…”
~
“Hello.~” The voice on the other line sung, exuberance with each syllable. Sun could practically hear the bounce in her step. No doubt she was circling the living room, like a hawk, or an excited puppy, more likely.
“Hello.~” Sun replied, smiling. The moment the red head on the other side heard the voice, she gasped. The type of gasp that would seem overdramatic if it was anyone but Nora Valkyrie. “SUN!” Then the owner of the name heard a muffled, “Ren! Get your big green butt out here! Sun’s on the phone!”
“Guess who’s on the phone!” Nora bounced on the balls of her feet as Ren scuffled out of his room and entered the living room, yawning and rubbing his eyes. She held up the peach colored phone like it was a first place trophy.
“I’m guessing it’s Sun. You said his name twice just now.”
Nora rolled her eyes, but wasn’t really bothered by him raining on her parade. She bit her lip, thinking for a split second. “Think fast!” Before the words had even left her mouth, the mobile device was flying through the air.
Ren caught the phone without a problem, bring the phone down to his ear. He let out a small sigh, though the small smile on his face betrayed the apathy he was displaying.
“Hello, Sun.”
~
“Neo.” Roman growled, a feral look in his eyes as he glared down at his smirking co-worker.
“Yes, Roman?~” Her eyes shone with an innocence that could only be recognized as completely and utterly fabricated by those that knew her closely.
“How many times have I told you not to pinch me like that?”
She tilted her head in confusion, placing a single freshly manicured finger to the side of her cheek. “Pinch you how so?” Her other hand found its way to Roman’s back, pinching him in the rear for the second time that evening. “Like that?”
Roman yelped.
~
“So, where are you going for your honeymoon?” Pyrrha questioned, stirring her spoon in her milkshake, her other hand under the table, entwined with Jaune’s, much like the happy couple across from the two.
“Los Monos.” Neptune replied.
“Oh, how romantic!” Pyrrha cooed, “Will Sun be accompanying you?”
Weiss shook her head, “You see, we had originally asked him to, but-”
“I wanted to give the two love birds their special time together. It’s their honeymoon, after all, not mine.”
Jaune shot a quizzical look at the three, turning to Pyrrha. “Why would he be going with them, anyway?” That earned a chorus of laughter. Jaune’s face flushed, “I’m being serious!”
Pyrrha covered her mouth as she giggled, shaking her head. “I’m sorry, Jaune, I’m sorry.”
“Jaune, we asked Sun to join us because we’re in a relationship.”
The older blond gaped, “Wait, so all three of your are dating? Each other?”
Weiss shook her head, “No, you see, Neptune and I are married, and Neptune is also in a relationship with Sun.”
“Ohhh.” He nodded, finally understanding. “But wait, what about you and Sun?”
Sun shrugged, “Who knows?”
"Love is weird." Jaune said, and then took another swig from his milkshake.
~
Her smile dropped and she glared at Sun, as if giggling is the worst offense to humanity, and he just made her commit something worse than murder.
“I’m still not quite sure how I feel about you.”
Sun made a noise, waving his hand in a dismissive manner. “Give it a few weeks. You’ll love me in no time.”
“Is that a promise?”
“I swear on a monkey’s uncle.” He snickered, “My uncle.“
Weiss rolled her eyes, her shoulders sagging slightly.
“I’m being serious, Sun.” She spoke out in a quiet voice, refusing to meet his puzzled gaze. She twiddled with the sleeves of her blouse as she continued, “You really hurt him.”
A long pause, and the only noise in the room was Simba singing with Timone and Pumba.
“I know.”
“I was his first, you know.”
“His first what?”
“Everything, really.”
“Really?” She quirked an eyebrow, crossing her arms and staring up at him. “His first kiss?”
A nod.
“First love?”
A nod.
“First time?”
A nod.
“First person to say love you to other than his parents?”
He barks out a laugh as he nods. “Yeah, yeah, all that stuff.”
“His first heartbreak.”
It wasn't a question.
Silence.
A nod.
~
Neptune stood at the doorway, arms crossed as a small smile graced his lips. He kept silent as the two people he loved most in the world grew closer and closer before his eyes.
“I’m afraid he’s going to steal you away from me.” Weiss breathed into Neptune’s neck, hugging him tighter. Neptune’s hands ran up her arms and he lightly grabbed her shoulders, pulling her away so icy blue eyes met cerulean.
“Weiss Zerlinda Schnee, listen to me.” He began, kissing her on the cheek. “I am in love with you, okay?”
“But you’re in love with him as well.” She murmured, looking away from Neptune, her hand traveled up to lay on top of his, squeezing it at an attempt of comfort.
“Weiss.” He spoke firmly, “We are engaged. We are in love and we’re going to spend the rest of our lives together. No matter what happens, I’ll always love you. I’ll love you more than the waves love the land, kissing it every chance they get no matter how many times they get pushed back and have to find their way again. I love you more than the night sky loves the stars, how it lives to let them shine and light up its night and the world below it. And nothing, nothing can take my love away from you.
“Weiss, love is limitless.”
~
“My baby has come home!” Strong arms wrapped around Sun’s neck, and a chin rested on top of his head. His mother pulled away and grabbed his face, kissing him all over, before hitting him over the head.
“Ow! Ma! What was that for?” Sun rubbed the back of his head, wincing at the pain.
“Don’t you dare ever leave for that long again, Sun Wukong! You were on the other side of Remnant! I forbid you from leaving this house!” Kenriss humphed, crossing her arms and staring up at her son, who was a good head taller than her.
“Ma, I’m twenty-five, you can’t just ground me.”
“You watch me, my little monkey.” She cooed, reaching up and ruffling his hair.
“Gah! Why does everyone keep doing that?” Sun complained, fixing his hair, despite it being messy still. But it was stylishly messy, at least, that’s what Sun thought.
“Don’t ask me, dear. Now go wash up, supper’s almost ready.”
“What are we having?” Questioned Sun as he made his way for the bathroom in the hallway.
“You’ll see.~” Sun suppressed a groan. He hated his mother’s surprises, although he couldn’t deny he loved her cooking regardless.
~
“Sun? Is-Is that really you? Sun, what the hell are you doing here? Why are you not in Vale right now?”
“Did ya miss me?”
Instead of responding, Neptune ran forward and threw his arms around Sun.
“I’ll take that as a yes.” Sun grinned the same cheeky grin he always wore around Neptune.
The blue haired man coughed and pulled away. “Sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry! C’mon dude, I missed you too!”
“Nep, who’s at the door?” Sun raised an eyebrow, a weird feeling in his stomach. Only he called Neptune, Nep, no one else. The owner of the voice walked through the door, and Sun could see she was- she was extravagant. Long snow white hair cascading down to her midriff, which would be even longer if she didn’t wear it up in a high side-ponytail with a beautiful tiara. A white dress that spilled over her knees, it looked like it was made of snow.