It's hard to believe that it has been five years.

Five years since that day in the ruin, with James and the other crew of the AFV Dauntless. Five years since I took a scared little girl out of a cold, empty ruin and brought her home. Five years since Luna Fall took her place firmly at the top of my shit list.

And then she promptly vanished. No one's seen hide nor hair of her since.

The fact that the most technologically advanced nation on Remnant couldn't find her, or any trace of her for that matter, was deeply concerning. Worse still, no one had any clue as to what she was even doing in secret. And we were sure she was up to something. Abandoning a child in a lost temple, leaving a letter behind? There was no way she wasn't up to something.

I just hope that certain people are actually looking into it. Brother's know Atlas probably won't. Admittedly, this is because they probably can't find someone that doesn't really 'exist' like normal people, but sue me, she's a threat to my daughter.

Speaking of whom..

I glanced over to Cinder, currently in her school uniform and humming a happy tune to herself as she walked ahead of me. She's gone from an abandoned and frightened child that all but jumped at her own shadow, to a bright young girl, as cheerful as she is confident. Someone with a keen interest in sports and history (the latter of which was almost certainly my doing), and turning into a decent human being to boot.

And I am so damn proud of her!

We'd even gone on vacation to Mistral over the summer. A week of good food, sandy beaches, bright lights and amusement parks. The first vacation Cinder had ever been on. In hindsight, we could probably have gone on an actual vacation before, but finding a place to go on my budget is..difficult. Living in Atlas (the city, not the Kingdom) is expensive, even if you work for the military, and those seven days took about two years of savings.

So, not something we'd be doing every year.

"Mister Leonhardt says we're getting a new person today." Cinder told me, drawing me out of my thoughts.

"Oh?" I asked.

"Mhm!" She beamed. "His name is Mercury Black!"

Ah. That's why he wanted to talk about Oakwood. About a month ago, completely out of the blue, James Ironwood came to my office. My Brother's be damned office. Not to ask me about information he required for a deployment. Not for hunting down a criminal.

But for schools for his ward. More specifically, my opinion on Oakwood Elementary. I had known that James had taken on the guardianship of the young Mercury. It was pretty much an open secret amongst the military, if it was even considered a secret at all. So I had given my opinion, Oakwood was a fine school with good teachers and a warm, welcoming atmosphere.

I suppose Ironwood trusts me more than I realize. And wasn't that a somewhat scary thought. 'Mister Military' himself trusted me. That could either be really good, or really bad in the long run.

"Ah. Well, you be sure to be nice to him, alright? I'm sure he's nervous about joining a new school." I grinned to myself at the almost eager series of nods Cinder gave in response. "And I'm also sure that someone as sunny as you will cheer him up if he needs it."

She grinned at the praise, and skipped ahead, leaving me behind. It let me enjoy the quiet of the early morning, before the rush. It's going to be a fairly busy day on my end, and I will almost certainly be requiring more coffee than is healthy to get through it with my sanity intact. A delegation from Menagerie is coming and everyone is going to be running around trying to ensure no one has the opportunity to 'accidentally' attack the delegates.

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

Dear Brothers, it's University all over again. Minus the alcohol and sleep deprivation.

Eventually, we arrived at the school, joining the throng of children and parents. It wasn't as busy as it had been a week earlier at that start of term, but I suppose the newer parents and students have finally started to settle into their schedules.

"Be safe, Cinder. See you later."

"See you later Dad!" Cinder waved as she went through the school gates. "Love you!"

"Love you too sweetie!"

_____________

His legs still felt weird.

It had been three months since James had gifted him his newest prosthetics. Before, he had made do with legs made out of little more than a special type of plastic. It had taken time, but he had gotten the hang of it. But now, he had some of the most advanced prosthetics money and technology could provide. They were pretty much just a smaller version of the one James himself had. They were also considerably more sensitive than his old ones, and he still occasionally slipped up.

Dad…Marcus had always said Atlas and the Atlesian's that lived there were as arrogant as they were self-absorbed. But from what Mercury had seen, it was less to do with arrogance and more to do with the fact that Atlesian's tended to keep to themselves, and tended to reserve warmth and familial sentiments for when they were behind closed doors. But they were perfectly capable and willing to be warm.

The welcome he received from his now fellow students had been proof of that. Questions and smiles and countless introductions had been what had greeted him. It was so very…different, to how he had spent his life. But after three years of therapy and private tutors, three years of interacting with more than just his Da-..with Marcus, three years of playing catch up...he felt ready to actually rejoin the world.

But that didn't mean it wasn't exhausting. He found himself sat beneath the tree in the playground during the lunch break, just to take the chance and catch his breath. The lessons at school were different, but enjoyable (And he was grateful that he could put his skill with numbers to use in Mathematics).

He was just about to dig his book out of his bag, when he finally realized that he wasn't actually alone. There was a girl standing over him. Her black hair was held in a messy ponytail, and her golden eyes alight with barely restrained glee.

Cinder Schwartz. That was her name.

"Uhm…hello?"

"Hi!" She replied, her cheerfulness not dimming one bit.

"Are you…I mean.." Mercury mumbled through his words as he got to his feet. "Do you need me for something?"

Cinder shook her head, and stepped forward. After a few moments, she extended a hand. Unsure of what else to do, he extended his own to grasp hers. Barely a second later though…

"Come on!" She all but chirped as she led him away from the shade. "Let's go do something fun!"

"L-Like what?"

She turned around, and smiled at him. "No clue! But I'm sure we'll figure it out!"

In the years that followed, Mercury would reflect on what that smile, so shining and happy and joyful, would be the start of. In everything that followed, the good times and the bad, the grief and the glory, he would remember that it would be that smile that started it all.

What would end up being the best, worst and at times (far too many times) the most downright insane journey of his life began that cool and sunny autumn afternoon, with Cinder Schwartz all but dragging him along to play with his classmates and away from loneliness and self-imposed isolation.