Author note.
I don't own any of the rights to The Umbrella Academy. I'll be honest I haven't read the comics and only vaguely know the show.
This is just a bunch of linked one shots and probably not a totally fleshed idea.
This is my first fanfic.
Vanya helps with training
Vanya knew she was ordinary. She had been told by her father, by her siblings, it was a message that was pushed and pushed so it had to be true.
It came as a surprise to her when her father called her into his office.
Vanya watched her siblings come back from training bruised and broken more times then she could count.
This is a story of little Vanya stepping up to protect them and punishment for finding her backbone.
Training with 1 - flight
In the court yard Vanya stood next to her father waiting, standing to attention like he had taught her, she was a good girl, she did as she was told.
Number 1 jogged in.
"Today you will be working on rescuing hostages.
You will grab number 7 and throw her as high as you can, without injury"
Number 1 looked at number 7 with trepidation. Then straightened his shoulders and nodded.
Slowly, cautiously picking up seven.
A low murmur "a little tight Luther"
Taking a breath and relaxing his grip slightly he launched Vanya.
The breath was knocked out of her.
On her descent was when she started to scream.
Landing with a crack in Luther's arms.
"Again 1"
Number 7 spoke softly still shaken "please I think I hurt my ribs"
"Enough! Again"
Again and again till number 1 nearly drops her.
Luther is panting and perspiring.
"Put her down"
Vanya is shaking and promptly turns and vomits.
"You are dismissed"
Number 1 hesitated for only a second looking at his younger sibling before leaving number 7 in the court yard with their father.
Grace walks in with her usual smile and ushered Vanya to the infirmary.
Later that night at dinner number 5 asks where Vanya is, grace turns and smiles and says she's sleeping in the infirmary.
Luther looks down feeling slightly guilty.
"No speaking at the table, number 7 is fine she was helping with training today"
Grace frowns slightly before putting a smile back on her face as she walks away.
After dinner has been dismissed five runs to Vanya who was asleep.
"What's wrong with her? When will she be out?"
"Soon, just a couple of broken ribs, nothing to worry about" grace states.
"Broken ribs!" Five splutters.
"It's time for bed, leave her to rest."
Training with 2 - the knifes edge
She should have kept her mouth shut. She should have done a lot of things but didn't. The training her siblings were getting should just be called torture. She refused to watch it happen any more and screamed for her father to stop.
That was a mistake
"You are questioning my methods? You the ordinary one, the one that doesn't understand sacrifice?"
Reginald hauled number 7 up by her arm and stood her against a wall.
"You will stand there, you will not move"
Reginald leaves and Vanya is left standing there shaking.
After what feels like an eternity her father walks back in with number 2.
"Today you will practice aiming with sense deprivation.
You will stand behind this wall and try to hit as close to the target with actually hitting it." The target being 7. " this is practice for curving your blades through the air as well as accuracy.
It will simulate a hostage situation where they are being held captive and you must hit the target but miss the hostage"
Number 2 swallowed and nodded his head.
It shocked two when his father put ear muffs on his head.
Reginald nodded his head towards 2.
'Get on with it' was what that nod meant number 2 knew that so he started.
It scared him, he didn't know if he hit his target or missed. No thunk to be heard, no idea if he killed his little sister. A little girl who just yesterday yelled at him and number 1 for killing ants.
It wasn't till all of his knives had been used that Reginald gave the signal to remove the ear muffs.
" you will be doing this ever week till you get a perfect 100%"
Number 2's stomach dropped, knowing this meant he must have hit her at least once.
" you will leave and after dinner I will give you a written report about your performance"
Knowing he was dismissed number 2 was still hesitant leave but Reginald had already walked off towards his sister.
Training with 3 - the revelation
Reginald was writing at his desk when Vanya walked in.
He continued to write totally dismissing her presence till he was ready and not a moment before.
"Today number 3 will practice a hostage situation where the hostage knows about a danger but she does not. I want to know if the hostage will continue through the dangerous situation or will their fear overcome the Rumour."
Grabbing a brown box that until that moment had been easy to overlook. He through the contents across the carpets.
Shiny, glittery shards of glass strewn across the carpet. Some larger pieces the size of Vanyas small palm and others just tiny specks.
"Take off your shoes and socks"
" please, please no" Vanya begs.
"Now! You ordinary girl this is the only way you have any value"
" please"
"Now seven"
Tears running down her face she slowly takes one shoe the. The other off.
"Grace, bring number 3 to the door, don't let her enter"
Grace returned with 3 by her side.
Number 3 smiles as she comes to the door then frowns as she sees seven.
You would think that being sisters they would be closer. You would be wrong.
Number 3 hated seven, she wished she was the only girl.
"You will Rumor number 7 out of the room using the most direct route."
Number 7 whimpers and for the first time number 3 sees the tear marks on her faces.
Taking a breath "I heard a Rumor you came to the door using the most direct route."
A sob escapes seven as she hesitates to raise her foot. Slowly raising and lowering her feet she walks towards the door, sobbing at each step.
Three frowns and wonders why seven is always such a cry baby.
When she finally makes it the door Grace swoops in and picks her up, cradling a sobbing seven.
Number 3 gasps when she seeing the blood dripping down Vanyas feet.
Reginald hums " we will have to work on hostage awareness"
Number 3 flees to her room to cry into her pillow.
Training with 4 - the dark
Waking up in the middle of the night to get a drink was normal for Vanya.
Quiet as a ghost she sometimes felt like she padded down the stairs.
Hearing a noise she ducks into an enclave.
A sobbing Klaus walks past with a worried grace helping to hold him up.
"You must get over your fears number 4"
Quietly as she could she raced back up stairs.
Next morning Klaus was not at breakfast.
When asked grace stated that extra training had made him tired.
Number 1 grumbled about wanting extra training and number 6 hands clenched.
After being dismissed from breakfast she raced after six to find out what happened.
"You don't get it. You never get your ordinary. Just leave us alone."
Tears pricked at her eyes but she let six go.
At dinner Reginald announced that number 4 would be doing more training that night.
Number 4 went still then white and started to shake.
That night Vanya followed Reginald as he dragged Klaus out of the house, she ran to keep up.
She watched as their father throw number 4 into a mausoleum.
He locked the gate and just strolled away.
Hearing Klaus scream for anyone to come rescue him, she had to wait, had to make sure dear old dad wouldn't come back.
Running towards the gate she started to skate them to see if she could open them but they remained shut.
"Klaus!" She shouts. "I'm here, I'm here"
Klaus reaches through the bars and she latches onto his hand.
Crying "I can't get you out."
"Please,please help me"
"I can't open the gate but I'm staying right here"
He lets go of her hands to push them to his ears. Huddled to himself.
"I can hear their screams, please"
Vanya takes a deep breath and swallows the sob that's threat to overwhelm her.
Opens her mouths and starts to sing.
Reaching through the bars again she grabs onto Klaus and sings.
She's not very good but she sings loudly hoping that maybe it's louder then the wailing of the dead.
She sings till Klaus stops rocking, till he looks at her.
She sings till her mouth is dry and then sings some more.
Klaus fall asleep due to exhaustion and yet Vanya stays vigilant over him and hums when singing starts to hurt. At day break she rouses Klaus and says she has to run home before their father comes back.
He doesn't want her to leave and it takes a moment for his hand to unwind from her but with a nod and a small smile he lets her go.
Walking back into the house she realises she's been caught, standing in the foyer is Reginald surrounded by the rest of her siblings.
"Where have you been number seven"
She shakes her head refusing to answer.
"You don't think I'm unaware of your meddling, you un-"
You're a monster she shouts cutting him off.
Thwack, he back hands her so hard she falls to the ground.
Kicks her once and leaves with the others following like ducks.
Klaus and grace walk in and see her laying there. Picking her up between them they head to the infirmary together.
After that night you could see Klaus sneaking into Vanyas room to listen to her play or find them wrapped around each other sleeping.
Training with 5 - the leap of faith
Standing on top of the academy was terrifying.
Another hostage situation.
Number five was called to the bottom of the building. Waiting for instructions.
Reginald turned to number 7.
"Jump"
"W-what? No, no I won't "
" number 1, pick her up and throw her off"
Luther came forward picking her up while she struggled, screamed to be let go.
Reginald lent over the edge and called down.
"I would catch if I was you"
Turned and gave a nod to 1
Who proceeds to do as ordered.
Frozen five watched in horror as Vanya came crashing towards the ground. Without thought he jumped in a haze of blue.
"I have you, I've got you Vanya"
She vomited on his shoes and started to sob.
"He throw me, Luther throw me because dad said to"
Five was vibrating with anger, panting from exertion.
Dad had been pushing five, he believed that he could jump with a passenger.
Guessing in a sick sense he was right.
Training with 6 - the tame
Quiet, don't awaken the horror. Always thinking of ways to keep the beast within him subdued.
He didn't know what about his little sister that made them steer but they did when ever she was around, whenever she was agitated.
It made him cross whenever she was around.
Father must have realised.
Reginald sent Vanya into the room with the horror released.
He doesn't remember shouting but Ben is sure he did.
Shutting his eyes he doesn't want to see his sister ripped apart no matter how much she annoys him.
It wasn't till a high pitched squeal is let out of Vanya that he looks up.
"It tickles stop."
Wrapping around her, exploring, poking at her skin.
It seems they were never agitated with her.
They wanted to get close to her, dragging Ben closer while they explored.
It wasn't till years later.
When Vanya was playing to end the world that Ben realised that the horror always knew. That she was the more powerful being.