Yang was beyond ticked off.
Months had passed since the Fall of Beacon. The school was in shambles, overrun by monsters. Her teammates were scattered across the world to who-knows where. On top of that, she'd lost a huge part of herself, and with it, her motivation to go on…
But none of that was as bad as the crime her father had committed. Her blood boiled, and she knew without checking in a mirror that her eyes must be blood-red. When she got her hands on Taiyang, he was going to pay for this!
"Daaaaaaaaddd!" Yang cried out, her angry bellow echoing from the kitchen to the rest of the house. She heard his soft footsteps pitter-pattering down the staircase. "Why would you do this, you jerk?!"
"What, what?" Tai asked frantically, panting as he paused in the open doorway to take a breath. His mat of golden hair fell flat, sweat dripping from it in a steady trickle.
Yang felt the matching blonde hair on the back of her neck standing up, fueled by a surge of her aura. She did not respond to his question. Instead, she simply pointed with her good arm.
"Oh!" Tai gasped, sliding both hands down the sides of his face when the realization hit him. "I'm so, so sorry! I keep forgetting about this, with your arm and-"
"That's not the point, Dad! Even before I lost it I would've been upset."
"Sorry," he said again, rushing over to retrieve the box of Pumpkin Pete's cereal for Yang from the insanely high cabinet.
"Whose bad idea was it to even build them like that, anyway?" Yang put her hand on her hip, impatiently tapping one foot. Tai grunted as he descended from the awkward position of standing on the tips of his toes, then passed her the cereal box.
"...Raven's." Tai looked away, rubbing the back of his head.
"Oh." Yang's eyes shifted back to their original vibrant purple color. At the mention of her perpetually absent mother, her earlier energy left her, made all the more obvious by her slumped shoulders. She silently poured the cereal into a bowl, added milk, passed the box back to her father, and left the room with her food.
Taiyang looked at Yang's back sadly, watching her walk away and wishing he knew what to say to comfort her. The right words never came. He returned the cereal to its proper place, then followed his daughter into the living room. He paused as he was about to turn the corner to where Yang sat on the couch, watching local television channels, and decided to give her space. After all, he didn't know what to do for her now. Bringing up her mother certainly hadn't helped things. It was probably best if he didn't stir the pot any further.
Half an hour passed. Yang sat in baggy pants, an orange tanktop and a light jacket, lazily flicking through channels with no real investment in what was on. Most of it was cookie-cutter reporting on the same news about Beacon Academy as in the previous two or three weeks. Every few days, minor details changed, but the overall message was the same: no one had new or useful information, the situation at the school wasn't getting any better, and everyone was terrified.
Yang's cereal bowl sat on a nearby coffee table, emptied of cereal, and with very little milk left inside. She decided that it might be a good idea to get up and take it to the sink. Not that she really cared one way or the other, but it was something to do besides watch reminders of the tragedy that befell her school. Sighing, she stood and walked into the kitchen with her bowl, going through the motions of washing it and the spoon she ate with like a robot. When that was done, she grabbed a few books from Tai's personal library and took them to the couch with her to peruse.
An hour since Yang ate, and still, nothing interesting was happening. She registered on some level that Taiyang went out to pick up deliveries, but had no clue how long ago he left. A few minutes? Twenty? Thirty? He did speak to her before leaving. However, she only half-heard him, lost in a fog of isolation and pain. Yang flicked through the television channels again, flatly staring at the uninteresting reports she'd heard a hundred times now as they flashed across the screen. Even in her current state, she had to admit that it really sucked not having the CCT up anymore. All of the basic channels were boring. Then again, everything was boring now, so what did it matter?
The door latch clicked and Taiyang walked in, loaded up with bags and boxes. Yang leaned back until she got a clear, upside-down view of Tai, acknowledging him with a modicum of emotion.
"Hey, dad." A fleeting realization that she normally helped Tai carry in heavy items ran through Yang's mind. She dismissed the thought. Those days were over.
"Guess what came in today?" He sounded cheerier than usual, even for him.
"What?"
Instead of answering her question, Tai kept things cryptic. "I can't wait for you to try this!"
Her father bumbled past the couch and walked into another room to put down all of the deliveries except one: a medium-sized box with no defining characteristics. That is, until he set it down in front of her and she saw the Atlas symbol on top of the box. What was this about? She couldn't figure it out.
Taiyang revealed that the gift within belonged to her, prompting her to lift the lid and look inside. Surprisingly, a sleek, high-tech prosthetic arm was laid neatly inside the box. A replacement for her missing limb!
In the middle of Tai's explanation about General Ironwood commissioning the arm to be made especially for her, there was a rustling outside. This disturbance was subtle, but enough to put the father and daughter in Huntsman and Huntress mode, respectively. Tai took a stance, and Yang turned toward the front door, clenching her fist as she waited.
Right before their eyes, a section of the wall beside the door came crumbling down. A crouched, wild-eyed man stood amidst the wreckage, a twisted smile on his face. He wore a long coat and two very sharp wrist blades that were currently in active mode. His dark, plaited hair hung loosely in a ponytail. Creeping Yang out even further, the man said nothing at first; he only snickered.
"Um...who are you, and why are you destroying our house?!" Yang demanded.
Taiyang stayed silent. Yang turned to him. Did he know the man?
"Wait…" Tai whispered. Then, louder, "You must be…"
"Hello," the man almost sang, slinking forward through the hole in the house he had made. "I'm here for the silver-eyed girl."
Yang's eyes burned red. Suddenly, she forgot about her personal troubles and was solely focused on this stranger's intentions. "Ruby?!"
Taiyang touched her shoulder, but she didn't back down.
The man's eyes bulged and he grinned from ear to ear, nodding in response. "So then," he began hopefully, "You DO know where she is?"
"What do you want with my sister, you creep?!" Yang felt the couch nearly give way under the pressure she exerted on it, her anger rising.
She watched as the stranger's facial expression changed. "Ah, now it all makes sense! You're 'hers,' aren't you?" He hopped up and down, then bent to bow in a gentlemanly way.
"Huh? Whose?"
Tai stepped forward, extending an arm to block the strange man off from his daughter. "Yang, get back."
"Ms. Xiao Long, my name is Tyrian," The man said in a slimy, unsettling voice. Taiyang stood between them protectively, while Yang merely raised an eyebrow in confusion.
"Leave our house. This doesn't have to get ugly."
"I'm afraid I cannot do that. Taiyang Xiao Long, I presume? I will not leave without the girl." Yang tensed up, eliciting more maniacal laughter from Tyrian. "Not you, miss!" His expression darkened, sending a chill down Yang's spine. "Your sister."
Taiyang was all business now, ready to defend against the intruder at a moment's notice. Yang was blown away, having never seen him this serious before. She found herself unconsciously moving toward the table where Ironwood's new tech sat.
"Listen to me, Yang," Tai whispered. She froze, her hand hovering over the box. "When I say, I need you to run and get help, okay? Find other local Huntsman!"
"But Dad-"
"No arguing!" Yang frowned. "Oh, and you should take that with you. The house...may not hold up well if this goes for longer than expected."
Yang swallowed hard and nodded her agreement. Taiyang smiled at his daughter before turning back toward the threat.
Tyrian took a few more steps over destroyed wood and rubble into the house, until he and Tai were a mere two or three paces from one another.
"One last chance to bring the girl to me. Queen's orders!"
Through clenched teeth, Tai said, "Not. Happening." They locked eyes, neither giving in.
"Very well," Tyrian said with a shrug. His lightning fast movements nearly escaped Yang's detection as he spun around to direct a kick at Taiyang. The former Team STRQ member was just as quick to react, though; the kick swept through air. Tyrian followed up by lunging with both blades at the ready. Taiyang ducked under his charge and landed a solid uppercut, knocking him out of the house and onto the grass outside. However, Tyrian was persistent, and flipped onto his feet again. Yang stood by in awe, wondering what she should do. Since when had her dad become such a force in battle? Now that she thought about it, she'd never seen him in a life and death battle. Maybe Qrow really wasn't exaggerating when he talked about the notoriety of their team!
"Yang!" Tai shouted as he grappled with Tyrian, snapping her back into focus. "Do what we discussed. Go, now!"
After a moment of indecision, Yang bolted for the door as instructed, carrying Ironwood's delivery under her arm. She gasped when Tyrian suddenly sprang toward her, intending to cut her off. He laughed wildly and foamed at the mouth, preparing to strike. Before he could, Taiyang snatched him up by his collar and flipped him overhead, slamming him into the coffee table on the other side of the couch. His coat slipped off as he rolled away, disoriented, revealing, to the father and daughter's shock, a scorpion tail! Yang shook off her surprise, using the temporary distraction her dad provided to leave the house.
She glanced back worriedly, watching Taiyang through the damaged wall and hoping he would be okay. He hadn't even had a chance to grab any gear. She thought back to the Fall of Beacon, grudgingly admitting that for all of Blake's faults, she had at least stayed to help Yang get to safety. Leaving Dad would make her a hypocrite. But it wasn't the same, right? No, of course not. She was going to find Tai some backup. Her scroll was with her, thankfully, so it would be easier to find local Huntsman or Huntresses available for jobs once she made it into town. Yang gritted her teeth, found her resolve, and got moving.
"Hyah!" Tyrian sliced Taiyang across the cheek, causing him to stumble back, then dove toward him. They crashed through an open doorway into the next room, engaging in a series of acrobatic maneuvers as they tried to get the edge over one another. Tyrian backflipped onto a chair and slipped out of reach just as Taiyang threw what would have been a devastating punch. Tai's aura sustained the impact of the punch, but one of the chair legs snapped, and it sank to the floor. Pursuing Tyrian again as he swung from the chandelier by his tail, Taiyang closed the distance between them with a roundhouse kick.
The experienced combatants traded blow for blow, knocking each other from room to room with equal measure of skill. Tyrian was faster, as well as less deliberate in how he attacked, but had trouble with hand to hand, which was to Taiyang's advantage. Still, the determined father knew he wouldn't be able to keep this up for long. He had no weapon, unlike Tyrian, who showed up at their house amply prepared. Even using standing lamps, pots and pans, and picture frames as pseudo-weapons only got him so far. The fight was slowly but surely starting to lean in the scorpion Faunus's favor. How could he even the odds?
Back in the living room, Tai danced away from a lash of Tyrian's tail, taking the opportunity to grab it, spin him around, and toss him into the wall near where he entered. The Faunus slammed against the wall with a heavy thud, immediately falling to his knees. He knelt there, panting heavily, then glared up at Taiyang. His eyes changed color from a light purple to hazel.
"Y-You bastard!" Tyrian screamed.
"What's wrong?" Tai smirked, realizing he'd found a huge weakness in his opponent's fighting style. "That hurt a bit too much?"
"Shut up!" Tyrian spat back, crouching with both blades active. He pumped one foot off of the floor, dashing straight for Taiyang, when suddenly, a loud crash resounded throughout the room. The wall and ceiling caved in behind Tyrian, driving him into the ground. Once the dust settled, Taiyang looked up to find out the cause and gasped. A large, round wheel rested on top of the slab of wreckage that had buried Tyrian. The familiar roar of the motor engine was unmistakable. Yang, his crazy sunny little dragon, had returned on Bumblebee and crashed it into Tyrian at full speed. The house, unfortunately, was collateral damage.
Wiping sweat from his forehead, Tai shouted, "Yang! What did you DO?!"
"Saved the day," she answered with confidence. He couldn't believe his eyes. His daughter was smiling, obviously pleased with herself. Plus, she was wearing the arm given to her by Ironwood!
Tai sighed. "You know, when I said go get help, this isn't what I meant!"
"Ughhhhh…" Tyrian moaned, attempting to crawl out from under the motorcycle.
Yang revved the engine using her new arm by pulling back on the motorcycle's handlebars. The front wheel kicked up dirt and dust as it drove deeper into Tyrian, snuffing out any fight he had left in him.
"Easy there, scorpion man," she said, looking down at him with an intense stare. As ridiculous and costly as her stunt was, Taiyang couldn't help but smile.
"You're already wearing it," he observed. Yang nodded.
"Needed two hands for this," she explained. Then she looked around at the damaged house. "Geez, did you guys fight the house or each other?"
"Good question," Tai said, rolling his shoulder. "I'd say the house won." They both laughed. It was good to see her smiling again, Tai thought with relief.
Yang dismounted Bumblebee, intentionally stepping on Tyrian's head as she approached her father. "Sooooo...now what?"
The moment Yang said this, a sudden noise drew their attention to the now much larger hole in the house. The two turned to see a speechless Port and Oobleck standing outside, frozen in place while they looked in on the apparent aftermath of a crazy battle. What was there to say at a time like this? Taiyang was quick to break the awkward silence.
"Now, young lady," he joked, "You get a job."