Author's Notes: Hey guys, I'm starting this new story and I even enlisted the help of Couer Al'Aran to help. I myself am no writer so he's a great person to go to in order to learn how to create great stories. I highly recommend going to his to support him in exchange for his assistance for those aspiring writers like myself.

Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy :D

Run.

Flee…

Heeled boots slammed down into a puddle as she continued her desperate flight, water splashing up around her as the heavens themselves seemed to open up. Her desperate gasps for breath drowned out by the booming thunder.

A quick glance behind her, shadowed shapes chasing – still so close. The girl shook her head, dispelling droplets as she struggled further onward. The lingering taste of fear on her lips, and something infinitely more bitter…

Betrayal.

Her boss… her friend… how had this happened to them? One moment all had seemed so good, and the next he had lain there, his lifeblood blossoming out across the floor as she stared in mute horror at the one who had turned on them.

She would have her vengeance, she swore it.

But none of that could happen now. Not until there's a definite place to lay low. With no destination, a semblance like hers was a lost effort. She could just as likely kill herself appearing inside of someone, or worse a wall.

A light flashed by overhead, a whistling crack sounding near the girl's ears as luminescent tracers whistled past her face. She ducked and weaved, doing anything possible that could to present a smaller target.

Just a little further… she roughly knew the area, it would soon open out into the streets of Vale – and from there it's child's play to vanish among the crowds.

Something struck the back of her head painfully, driving the girl to the pavement with a pained gasp. From between two shivering hands she could see her face reflected in a puddle. Tired, exhausted – pale skin streaked with dust and soot, pink and brown hair spooling down beside her.

She felt so heavy… the weight of her own body almost threatening to drag the girl down. But then they would catch her… and dispose of her permanently.

With as much energy the girl could muster, she pushed herself back to her feet and continued to tread further.

Some alien desire told her to stay, to lie down and accept it. But the girl would not.

Something seemed to shatter inside her as she moved, and after a brief moment – she felt normal once more; light and agile as she ran from her position. She could no longer hear her pursuers. Had she escaped them?

Was...the ordeal over?

Only a fool tempted fate by stopping to check, so the girl forced herself on. Continuing her sprint, the alleyways somehow looked different from before. Muted almost. The rain seemed to have stopped, despite the puddles that still splashed beneath her feet – and the hustle and bustle of Vale had left the surroundings. Now all the girl could hear was her own frantic breath, and the clacking of her heels on the cobbled streets. Echoing into the distance.

Until with a startled exhale of breath, the girl came to a stop.

This… she couldn't remember any of this…

The buildings had given way, and although she still stood on cobbled streets, the girl was now surrounded on all sides by what looked to be wire fencing. Had she taken a wrong turn? Not hard to imagine given her haste, but still…

Hesitantly she followed the path before her, not knowing where it led but certain that turning back to face her pursuers was the more fatal option. All paths led somewhere; this one would be no different.

It winded left and right for a few minutes, giving the girl time to catch her breath. One hand reached up to rub the back of her head, which still felt unbearably sore – only to come away clean. No blood… nothing. What had knocked her down?

Those thoughts were broken however as she came across a gate; wrought iron with vertical poles. Smooth and without ornamentation, the only unusual factor seemed to be the height of it – as it looked to top twelve feet. What were they seeking to keep out, Ursa?

Shaking her head, she stepped forwards, pressing her small hands against the metal.

It didn't budge.

With a frown, the girl threw her weight into the gates with all her might only to bounce back with a silent hiss of pain. Locked, and yet the girl could see no lock or opening for a key. Her eyes found the hinges, clean and new by the look of things. From the look of things,there was no latch on the opposite end of the gate. Once more she pushed, only to be rebuffed.

But that was fine. There was more than one way around an obstruction such as this. She glanced up towards the top, pleased to find no barbed wire or spikes present. With both hands gripping different poles, she tried to heave herself upwards the gate to climb above it. Her hands found no purchase however, sliding easily down the wet metal as she struggled for purchase. After a few minutes she huffed in frustration, glancing nervously behind her.

She still had time it seemed, but no doubt that would run out. She focused on the ground on the other side of the gate, thinking of all the variables involved, memorizing that space as best she was able as she reached for her semblance.

Only to grasp nothing, the comforting feel of her aura curiously absent.

"It won't work, you know?" A voice spoke from the girl's left. Startled, she jumped to the side reaching for her weapon only to find it missing. Had she dropped that when she fell? How careless! But if this man thought to take the girl then he had best be prepared for her to fight.

"Calm yourself child," the voice said as a man walked into the dim light. Non-descript, a shaggy grey beard and neatly-trimmed hair, he looked like any normal man over his fifties. With wrinkles caused by stress beneath his eyes, yet laugh lines around his mouth.

Dark blue eyes regarded her, as he smiled – though she noticed the expression seemed more for her benefit than his own genuine happiness. "What is your name, my dear?"

She huffed silently, shaking her head as she calmed herself. He wasn't one of Cinder's men, not at that age – the day she couldn't outrun a man that old was the day she died.

"I'll have you know I'm quite sprightly for my age Neo." She froze, eyes switching rapidly between colours as she stared at him. How had he? Some kind of semblance?

"Something like that," he said with a soft laugh, "suffice to say I can understand you my dear, so feel free to talk with me a while."

He could speak with her? How interesting, but still – there was no time for that, not when she was being pursued.

"Fear not my dear, those that chase you cannot find you here." He paused for a moment, seeming to age before her as he sighed sadly. "You are beyond their reach now."

Was that so? She wasn't sure how far she trusted the strange man, but if his words were true then that was a relief. Still, she couldn't stay there forever and needed to get back to Vale so she could start working on getting her own back. She turned back to the gates, running her hands over the bars as she looked for some kind of hidden latch.

"It still won't work Neo," the man said, though she ignored him, "if the gates won't open, then that is not your destination. Which for one as young as you…" He sighed once more, looking away. "That seems very sad."

She backed away from the gate, turning to face him. If that wasn't the way she was supposed to go, then where was she? She waited for his response, confident that he would be able to read her meaning.

"If the gate won't open, then your path leads this way." The man said gesturing with one hand to a wooden door she had not seen before. No… she hadn't missed it, she was certain it had not been there before.

Never mind. With a huff she strode forward, reaching for the handle with one hand – before freezing. Her pale hand shook, fingers twitching as she hesitated. A feeling of dread washed over her, seeming to rise up her arm until it reached her body. Leaving her shivering. After a second she collapsed to her knees, her entire frame shaking in fear.

What… what was that?! She had no idea, but there was no way she was opening that door, she couldn't. That couldn't be her destination.

Two warm hands settled on her shoulders, and in her fear she didn't shrug them off. The man didn't say anything for a while, simply lending his warmth as comfort until her fear subsided. When she looked up, the door had vanished.

"I do not like seeing that place either my dear," he said from behind her, "let alone seeing people sent there."

Her breath was coming out heavily now, as her shoulders rose and fell.

"Tell me, if I told you there was another way – a way for you to go through the first gate. Would you listen to me?"

She nodded. Pink and brown locks floating furiously in the air as her head bobbed up and down. She twisted in his hold, looking up at him expectantly. She still didn't know what was going on, but there was no way she was going through that door. Not a chance.

"I'm very glad to hear that my dear, and worry not – I will help you." The man smiled, showing pearly white teeth, and to her surprise she found herself nodding along – instantly calmed by his words. "It takes a very special kind of… aura, I suppose… to open those gates. But this is not like your semblances; it is something anyone can achieve in time. I like to call it, a pure aura. Yours has been tainted my dear, through the choices you have made in life, and sometimes by cruel necessity forced upon you."

She didn't say anything. Not that she could. She listened intently however, not meeting his eyes.

"There is another like you in Vale. Although I dare say you would never class him as similar to you." He laughed, frame shaking in mirth.

"Despite that, his future has the same potential that your past had, and I fear with the dark times ahead he might make the same choices you once did. Perhaps in the name of love… or loyalty, or maybe even duty. But to those gates the excuses matter little."

"All I ask from you Neo, is that you guide him. Look after him, and try to make sure he does not take that path when the time comes. Generosity, happiness, kindness and selflessness. These are the tenets he would be better suited to follow, and if you're able to ensure he does?"

The man paused, wiping an aged finger over her cheek. "Then I'm sure some of it will wash onto you as well."

Bodyguard then, and advisor of a sorts? She could handle that – hell, she'd been a bodyguard for Roman for long enough. Okay, so she had to stop him from becoming a criminal like she had, that will be a challenge– but she could always just force him. How hard could it be?

"Harder than you might imagine if you think like that my dear. Just remember, sometimes the gentlest of touches yields the best results. Still.. I expect you'll want to know who it is you'll be guarding as you put it?"

She nodded, and with a casual flourish the old man produced a simple piece of parchment, handing it to her. She looked down on the young face printed onto it, grimacing as she recognised the person.

Roman had her learn all the associates of their enemies, and this was single-handedly the least dangerous – and also the most idiotic, Jaune Arc.

"Appearances can be quite deceiving Neo. You should be familiar with that notion, given your profession." The man voiced out an argument to her thoughts. "He may not appear so, but this young man can and will become a catalyst of change. To where his morality stands is where your part lays crucial."

She reluctantly nodded, stuffing the picture into her pocket. Tracking the blonde wouldn't be too much trouble; she already knew where he resides. Of course, convincing him to let her hang around might be harder – and hiding under the nose of the Professors of Beacon too. But she would manage.

She turned to look around, still that damnable gate and the fencing around them. If only she could figure out where in Vale she was she could get to work.

"Oh," the man laughed, standing up beside her, "have you not realised where you are Neo?"

Obviously not. She thought to herself with a shake of her head, seriously, as wise as the guy sometimes seemed he sure liked to make pointless statements. She could only assume it was one of those "man things" – made it even worse through senility.

"Then allow me to inform you my dear," the man said as he rested a hand around her shoulder, turning her in a certain direction. "Do mind the body at your feet."

Body? She looked down before she gasped and recoiled – stepping back into the man's chest as she stared down in horror at the corpse before her. White and black clothes, stained with a growing puddle of blood that seemed to blossom around it. Pink and brown hair, matted and stained red, as vacant multi-coloured eyes stared up at her.

"Have you figured it out yet, my dear?"