He did know why he didn't remember before. How could he have forgotten? That black hair, those violet eyes, the flowing wolf's tail.

Even now, he remembered that day like it was yesterday.

~----~

He was told to stay inside that day.

The White Fang was holding a huge protest, and Cenn's parents didn't want either one of their young children getting involved. He must've been six years old, at most. Before everything happened, he just remembered sitting in his room with Kane, playing with their toys and just minding their own business.

Cenn broke the silence, finally speaking to his brother.

"Why do mama and papa want us inside?" he asked, "I'm bored."

Kane didn't look up from what he was doing, but answered his brother's question.

"Well," he said, "mom and dad want us to be safe. If that means staying inside for a day, then I don't mind."

Cenn pouted and fidgeted with a small action figure.

"I know," he said, "I just wanna play outside..."

Kane chuckled.

"Just be patient, Cenn," he said, "We'll play outside tomorrow, 'kay?"

Cenn sighed.

"Okaaaay..." he sighed. He didn't really get it. Wasn't the White Fang fighting for them? How could it be dangerous if they were just protesting? There's no fighting in protests.

There were a few more moments of silence between them.

"So," Kane said, "Have you been thinking about any more weapon ideas?"

Cenn looked up from his action figure and nodded.

"Yup!" he said, then got up from the floor and went over to his dresser. He opened a drawer, then took out a piece of paper. He shuffled over to Kane and held the paper out with both hands. Kane took the drawing with a smile, then began to inspect it.

It was a crude drawing, as expected from a five-year-old, but it got the idea across. It depicted some kind of staff, but on each end there was a circular blade. Kane laughed a little under his breath, realizing what Cenn drawn: it was basically a fusion between both of their parents' weapons.

"You know, you should try to come up with something a little more original," Kane said with a chuckle, "I mean, don't get me wrong, it looks cool, but copying mom and dad isn't gonna get you anywhere."

Cenn scrunched his face.

"I wasn't copying them!" he exclaimed, "I just...borrowed!"

"You literally took mom's weapons and attached them to either end of dad's," Kane chuckled.

Cenn tried to find a retort.

"Y-You're not even gonna be a Huntsman, big bro!" he said. "Don't make fun of my weapons!"

Kane laughed.

"I know I'm not gonna be using any weapons anytime soon," he said, "but I am gonna be making them, so there's that."

Cenn crossed his arms.

"Fineeeee..." he sat back down, his legs criss-crossed.

"You'll figure it out one day, Cenn," Kane said with a chuckle, "you just gotta really think about it! You need something that really fits you! So when you get to school, the teachers will be impressed and you'll get a head start!"

"I knowww..." Cenn said, "It's just really hard..."

"Don't worry," Kane said, "Like I said, you'll get it one day."

Cenn simply nodded, his hands folded in his lap.

There was suddenly a strange kind of silence, one that was different from the others in between their conversations. Something felt off about this silence. There was an eerie tension that hung in the air, almost like something was just about to snap. Like something was going to happen.

That was when they heard the explosion.

It wasn't loud by any means, but it was just enough that both boys could hear it. They locked eyes, both pairs wide with worry. They scrambled to stand up and look out their window, out towards Vale. They saw smoke rising out of the city skyline, and the echo of blaring police sirens diffused through the air. Cenn felt something come over him. He needed to go see. He needed to know what was going on.

He grabbed onto the windowsill.

"Wait, Cenn, what are y-"

Cenn vaulted out of the window and began to run as fast as he could towards the city.

"Cenn!!" he heard Kane's voice behind him, "Come back!!"

Cenn suddenly flapped his wings, which sent him into the air away from anything that could hold him back. The city was close, but it was just far away enough that it took Cenn at least 5 minutes to get there by flying. He wasn't too good at flying yet, as he was still pretty young, but he had just enough skill in the field to get where he was going.

And when he arrived at the scene of the protest, what he saw terrified him. Fire seemed to erupt from everywhere: cars, buildings, the street itself. Faunus, and even other humans, were throwing what seemed to be bombs at the police, who were firing back at them. Some of the Faunus even had hidden firearms of various types.

Cenn thought this was supposed to be a protest. This wasn't a protest at all. It was an all-out riot.

Cenn landed on the roof of a nearby building and watched in horror as all of this unfolded. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. This was absolutely insane, and most likely WAY too much for a five-year-old to be watching. After a few more seconds, Cenn decided to try to make his way back home. He needed to tell his parents about this. He turned around and took off into the air.

He began to glide back in the direction of where his village was, but was interrupted by something that he heard. A voice. It was faint, but it sounded like a young boy, possibly slightly older than Cenn himself.

"...sten here, filth..! Your kind is attacking our city and the people protecting it..! So, I'm gonna teach you a lesson!"

Cenn immediately began to fly towards the source of the voice. Someone was going to get hurt. He couldn't let that happen. As he turned, he almost lost his balance, but quickly regained it as he straightened out again.

After a few seconds of searching, he finally found the source. A group of boys were walking away from someone lying on the ground. It was a young girl, who looked to be about a year older than Cenn.

He took action quickly.

He landed next to the girl and began to try and pick her up. Now that he had a closer look at her, he noticed a few of her features. Her clothes were in tatters, and she had raven black hair. A wolf's tail protruded from her lower back. As Cenn was trying to hold her, he heard something behind him.

"Hey!" someone snapped at him.

Cenn looked back to see one of the boys from the group before running back towards him, cracking his knuckles. Cenn scrambled, picking up the girl and beginning to run in the opposite direction. He tried to take off, flapping his wings and lifting a few feet off the ground, but soon felt the initial momentum peter out. He felt his feet skid back down onto the ground, and that was when Cenn realized: he couldn't fly. There was too much weight.

Cenn turned back and saw the whole group of boys running angrily at him. He couldn't get away from them. He heard them, felt them getting closer. As they got their closest, Cenn squeezed his eyes shut.

Suddenly, he heard something land behind him. He turned around, and his gaze met a pair of large, platinum blonde wings protruding out the back of a woman. She had long hair of the same color that was tied back into a braid. She was wearing a white denim jacket and light blue jeans with brown combat boots. In each of her hands she was holding an ornate chakram, their circular blades glinting in the light that peered through the trees.

Cenn's mother.

Cenn peered around the side of his mother and looked at the group of boys. They all looked more than slightly scared. Cenn's mother spoke.

"Hello, boys," she said with an intimidatingly cheerful voice, "What seems to be the problem?"

"U-Um," one of the boys said, "W-We were just-"

"Chasing my son?"

"W-We didn't know he was your son, miss, we're so-"

"You should be sorry. Because I have half a mind to report you to the police for assaulting this young girl that my son is carrying."

"Pfft!" another boy near the back of the four kids said, "You think they'll listen to you? Please."

"Well," she said, putting one of her chakrams in a holster on her hip, then taking out her Scroll and holding it out in front of her, "I think they just might listen to an officially licensed Huntress, don't you?"

The boy immediately fell quite.

"Now," she said, putting away her Scroll, "as I was saying..." Her tone suddenly grew more serious, "I'm going to give you boys ten seconds to run out of that gate...and if you do, I won't report you."

"That's-"

"One."

The boys suddenly turned and ran away, even faster than when they were chasing Cenn. When they scrambled out of the park gate, Cenn's mother put her chakrams in their holsters and sighed. She turned around to face her youngest son. Her cobalt eyes met her son's.

Cenn's eyes were practically sparkling, wide in awe. His mom was so...cool! She knelt down and put both of her hands on Cenn's shoulders.

"Did they hurt you?" she asked, concerned, "They didn't touch you, did they?"

Cenn shook his head.

"No, mama," he said, "I'm okay!"

"Thank the gods..." she said, "You had me worried sick...Kane told me you ran off. What did I tell you about going out today?"

"I'm sorry, mama..." Cenn said, "I just wanted to see what was going on..."

Cenn's mother sighed.

"It's alright, sweetie..." she said, "You clearly inherited my rashness..."

Cenn looked down at the girl in his arms.

"She's hurt," he said, "We need to help her!"

Cenn's mother looked at the girl for a moment, then looked back at her son and nodded.

"Let's get her back home, okay?"

~----~

The rest of the day went by.

Cenn's parents took the girl in and let her rest in Cenn's bedroom. His father dressed her wounds and made sure she was all patched up before they tucked her into Cenn's bed. Cenn slept on the floor that night, taking a couple of extra blankets and pillows to make himself more comfortable. He couldn't sleep, and not just because he was scared. Of course he was scared, he had witnessed something that no child should ever witness. But he also stayed awake because he wanted to make sure that the girl was alright. However, before long, he was fast asleep.

The next morning, Cenn stayed in his room and watched over the faunus girl. His parents tried to get him out of the room, but he refused, so when breakfast was ready, they just brought him food and let him go about his business. The same went for lunch. His parents thought that he would've at least moved, but no. He remained there, sitting across the room, watching diligently.

Cenn's father entered the room, holding a plate in one hand and a cup in the other hand. On the plate was a sandwich, along with two oatmeal cookies. Cenn's father was on the taller side, about 5 feet and 11 inches tall, and had short chestnut hair that was undercut and slicked back loosely. He adorned the same cobalt eyes that practically defined their family. He was wearing a white, tight fit tee shirt that accentuated his athletic build. He was also wearing tan cargo pants and boots. He had a sweet smile and a loving air about him.

He moved over to Cenn and knelt down next to him.

"I got you lunch," he said, "PB and J with the bread toasted. Your favorite."

Cenn took the plate from his father.

"Thanks, papa," Cenn said. He took a bite out of his sandwich and smiled. His father sat down on the floor next to the chair that Cenn was sitting in.

"So," Cenn's father started, "how's she doin', bud?"

Cenn looked over at the girl.

"She's still asleep," he said, "It's been a while, how come she hasn't woken up yet?"

"Well," Cenn's father explained, "that's because she's hurt. Her body needs to get better, and that means she has to rest. She'll wake up soon."

Cenn nodded. "Okay..." he said.

Cenn's father put his hand on the back of his son's neck.

"I'll leave you to it," he said with a smile, then got up off of the ground, leaving the cup on the floor. He walked towards the door, then looked back at his son. "See you later, champ."

"Bye bye, papa," Cenn said with a soft smile.

Cenn's father smiled, then closed the door behind him. As he did this, Cenn placed his plate with the half-eaten sandwich on the ground and picked up the cup. He took a sip of its contents. Fresh lemonade. He smiled again to himself.

Suddenly, a soft groan sounded from across the room.

Cenn looked up from his cup and over to the girl. Her eyes were opening. Cenn got up from his chair, put his cup on his dresser, and quickly walked over to the side of his bed. He looked at the girl as she woke up slowly. Her eyes opened, revealing her deep violet irises. She began to slowly sit up. Cenn backed away a little bit, giving her a little bit of room.

"Hello!" Cenn said as she rubbed her eyes. She snapped her head over at Cenn.

"W-Who are you?" she immediately asked, "W-Where am I?"

"You're in my bedroom!" Cenn said with his hands folded in front of him. "My name's Cenn. I found you in a park. You were hurt really bad so I brought you back here with my mama!"

The girl looked around the room, and then back to Cenn.

"What..?"

The door behind them suddenly opened, and there stood both of Cenn's parents.

"Oh, thank goodness," Cenn's mother said, walking into the room and kneeling down next to her son, "Hi there, honey. You must be very confused, aren't you?"

The girl went quiet for a moment, and then nodded.

"Well, my name is Lilith Ionacht. You can call me Lily. The man in the door over there is my husband, Kel. I hope my son introduced himself already."

The girl nodded again.

"Ok, good," she said, "do you have a name, sweetheart?"

The young girl nodded.

"Alice..." she said, "My name is Alice..."

Lily nodded and smiled at Alice.

"Nice to meet you, Alice," Lily said with a soft smile. "Do you have any way we can contact your parents? They must be worried sick about you."

Alice looked down at her hands.

"I don't have parents..." she stated simply.

Lily took a breath, then took one of Alice's hands in her own.

"I'm so sorry," she said, "I didn't know."

"It's okay, ma'am..." Alice said.

Lily then stood up.

"Well," she said, "for the time being, you're staying with us."

Alice looked up from her hands.

"Really?" she asked. "You're sure?"

Lily nodded, a bright smile adorning her face.

"Of course!" she said, "My husband and I would love to keep you here until we find a family for you. How does that sound?"

"That's...I...thank you, ma'am..."

Cenn sat down on the edge of the bed.

"I hope we can be friends, Alice!" he said with a bright smile.

Alice's expression was one of surprise for a moment, but a bright smile soon crept onto her face.

"Yeah!" she said with a giggle.

~----~

Two months pass.

Alice grew accustomed to everything, becoming almost like a third child to the Ionachts. Lily even gave Alice some of her old clothes that she would wear as a child, which they had stored in the attic. Alice seemed to really like it in the small village where the Ionachts lived.

In this time, Cenn and Alice grew closer and closer. They played outside practically every day. Kane often had to watch them in order to keep them from getting into any trouble. Cenn also continued to sleep on the floor for the duration of Alice's stay, much to his parents' chagrin and Alice's amusement, considering she was the one sleeping in his bed.

This day was just like any other day, better even. The sun was shining, there wasn't a cloud in the sky. A perfect day for playing outside. And that's what the kids did.

Cenn and Alice were out front of the house, running around and playing some version of tag when the front door suddenly opened. Lily called out to the two children.

"Come on inside, kids!" she said, "I got something to tell you!"

Cenn and Alice looked between each other, then walked into the house. They sat down at the table along with both of Cenn's parents. Kane sat down next to Cenn, and Alice on the other side.

"What is it, mama?" Cenn asked.

The two adults looked between each other, then back at the kids.

"So," Kel said, "We have some news."

"What kind of news?" Kane asked.

"So," Lily began, "After a couple months, we finally found a new family for Alice to stay with."

The kids' eyes lit up.

"Really?" Alice said with a smile, "You mean it?"

"And she can still play with us?" Cenn asked.

There was then a sudden silence after Cenn's question.

"Actually..." Lily said, "The family that we chose...lives in Atlas."

Cenn felt his heart sink. Atlas? But that was...so far away. They wouldn't be able to see her there.

"What...?" Cenn said.

"Atlas..?" Alice added.

"But that's so far away..." Kane said.

"It's the best we could've done...we're sorry, but it's the only one we found."

The three children looked between each other, then looked back at the adults. They knew this was the best thing for her. But that didn't make the separation any easier.

~----~

Today was the day.

The day that Alice would move out.

All of her bags were packed, all with little keepsakes from the house. Cenn cleaned all of his sheets up from the floor and put them back on his bed, the one that she had slept in for almost two months. She would be gone.

It was funny.

It seemed like almost yesterday that he had found her in that park.

That was when he knew what he wanted to do.

As Alice walked towards her new family, Cenn ran up to her.

"Alice!" he said, "Wait!"

She turned back, clearly shocked.

"Y-yeah?" she said. Her new parents were standing behind her, clearly getting impatient. Cenn went up to her, then took something out of his pocket. A necklace. A piece of string through a canine tooth. He tied it around her neck.

"When you look at this..." he said, "Can you think of me?"

Alice looked at Cenn and nodded with a soft smile.

"Of course."

~----~

That was over a decade ago.

And there she was.

Right in front of him.

That little Faunus girl he had found in the park. He walked over and touched the necklace, not thinking about what he was doing. He then looked into her eyes, tears forming in his own.

"I remember..."

~----~

Boom! Flashback done! Thanks for reading guys! Love ya! -Cenn51903