Paradise Lost
Chapter14, A Cold Day In Hell
I do not own anything relating to either series. Seriously. What a shocker.
I am one lazy mofo, so I'm sorry for not just looking up Branwen on Google. I have no idea why the thought didn't even cross my mind, honestly.
I really laughed my ass off when I read the last line of your review, Soul90! Double Lotus sounds very, very promising, just saying!
You have certainly gotten close with a few of those guesses, Brown One, keep it up! You are so close on a few of those!
You are absolutely correct in saying that there are no such things as coincidences in my stories, Warlord of Chaos! Sorry for being so lurid with that scene!
That poor old lady, ThatGuyReturns! I'm glad I can sew the seeds of chaos and discord even from hundreds of miles away with mere words!
Well, Milton, the subject of Akira's V status as well as his previous lover will be covered later in the story whenever someone works up the courage to ask! In all honesty, I have a good idea on who I wanted to have this particular version of Akira paired with in the past, and I've even given hints throughout the story as to who they were.
Now, on with the story so we can get further into the meat of things and stuff or whatever!
[PL]
It was near midnight, and most of Beacon Academy was as silent as the night itself. A majority of the student body that did not return home for summer vacation were turning in for the night, though some continued to loiter in the courtyard and other spots around the school, such as the gardens.
The many teachers employed by the school had also turned in, leaving most of the school inactive and at peace. This inactivity did not extend to the Headmaster of the prestigious academy, however, nor his most loyal follower. Qrow and Ozpin alike continued to pace back and forth before a large machine hidden deep within the bowels of the Vault below Beacon, their minds racing as the genetic test being run on Akira's hair samples were nearly completed.
Quite a few hours had passed since the last conversation between the two over their Scrolls, leaving the men to congregate at the end of the day and wait as the much anticipated results from the DNA test finally began to appear on the large screen before them.
"It's finally time," Ozpin noted, glancing upwards at the hard-light screen projected above the machine used to analyze Akira's genetic structure, "Well, well, well... what do we have here?"
One by one, what appeared to be strands of DNA appeared on the screen until there were three, though the final strand being displayed on the far right is what caused Ozpin's bemused reaction.
The left strand of DNA displayed before them was that of Yang Xiao Long, who supplied a few strands of her hair as well to help prove or disprove 'Qrow's' theory of Akira's ancestry. A few different portions of the double helix were highlighted, showing that there had indeed been a match between the samples provided.
The middle strand was Qrow's, where once more there were different bars stretching between the double helix to show a genetic match. The glow that surrounded a majority of the genetic sequence of Qrow's DNA showed the familial relationship between himself and the first subject, Yang.
The final strand was Akira's, and like the previous two strands that appeared upon the screen, quite a few different segments of his coding were highlighted.
It was a close enough match between the three to show a close familial relation, proving Ozpin correct in his assumption. Stepping forward and tapping away at a few keys, Ozpin temporarily removed Qrow's strand of DNA from the screen and allowed Yang and Akira's to move closer to one another. Another two commands were typed in before another quick test was run.
The two sets of DNA disappeared from the screen, instead allowing what appeared to be the same bars within the double helix removed from their strands and isolated those that were shared between Yang and Akira.
Seconds later, a percentile was displayed at the bottom of the screen, as well the words Ozpin was expecting to see.
'38.8% match between Subject X and Subject Y – 1.28 Gigabases shared – Half Sibling Relationship Inferred'
"Well damn, Oz," Qrow breathed out heavily, his eyes closing as he reached downwards to grasp his flask, "I... well, I'm just glad I don't have to worry about paying seventeen years of child support."
"Hm, you would be happy about that, wouldn't you?" Ozpin questioned in amusement while typing another command into the massive machine, "Let's try something else, just to see..."
Yang's DNA was removed from the left portion of the screen, only to be replaced with one that was simply labeled 'Oz'. With one final command entered, another quick test began to run in the background before displaying another message across the bottom.
'2.5% match between Subject Y and King-O-5 – 0.009 Gigabases shared – No Familial Relationship Assumed'
"Hmm," Ozpin hummed lowly, his voice seemingly distorting for a moment before returning to normal as he typed another command, "I am going to isolate his sequencing and break it down into three categories, Branwen, Kurusu and Other. That should prove his relationship enough to convince him, correct?"
"I sure hope so," Qrow shrugged his shoulders, his eyes still drawn towards the holographic screen as Akira's sequencing was separated into three different categories before his eyes, "We can assume that the 'Other' sections of his DNA correspond with the 'Magic' gene, yeah?"
"This does provide evidence towards my theory about Humanity and Faunus-kind having the same ability to either awaken or be bestowed with Magic," Ozpin smiled lightly as his turned his attention back to the screen, "Akira is the first case I've ever come across of a Faunus wielding Magic, though, so I will need further evidence before I can be sure."
"Do you think his kids will inherit the ability to wield mana?"
"Let us cross that bridge when we get there, yes?" Ozpin didn't seem like he wanted to speculate any further, though Qrow looked like he was ready to argue his point.
"You don't get it, Oz, that kid is going to make all of your little Beacon girls melt in his hands!" Qrow threw his hands into the air in either frustration or confusion, "We might just have a real problem in the future if he continues to flirt with everyone around him. Stop laughing, I'm serious!"
"Do you really have any room to talk? I suppose he takes after you more than his mother if you are to be believed." Ozpin shook his head and turned away while gesturing for Qrow to follow along, "I've started printing out the three different segments we could isolate from his genetic sequence, let's convene in my office, I could use a cup of coffee right about now."
"I'm hoping he believes this, because he seemed very doubtful about being my nephew," Qrow murmured as he followed along, ignoring the sting of being called out as he had been, "I really don't see why an orphan would be doubtful about the identity of his mother, especially if they've never met..."
[PL]
Sunday had been a rather slow day for Akira, having slept rather well the previous night after having a lengthy conversation with Yang and Blake alike the night before. Futaba hadn't been in much of a talking mood, instead falling into what Akira dubbed her 'Hibernation State' much like after her Treasure had been stolen so many months ago. Unlike her rather lengthy sleep schedule prior to arriving on Remnant, however, Futaba had awoken in the middle of the afternoon wide awake and more chatty than ever.
"Thank you for coming, have a wonderful night and be safe." Akira waved as his last customer shuffled through his door and into the cold evening air, blending in with the passers by without an issue. He moved to shut the door behind her after it was left slightly ajar, only for someone to slip inside before he could make his way around the long counter.
"Heya, Akira," Came the now familiar voice of Yang Xiao Long as she and her sister Ruby made their way into the cafe while shutting the door behind them, "You don't check your phone while you work, do you?"
"Er, no," Akira reached up and scratched his cheek lightly while patting his pocket with his other hand, "I do sometimes when there isn't anyone around, but I try to keep busy otherwise. Idle hands and Devil's Playground's, you know?"
"What is up with you and all of these weird sayings?" Yang tilted a brow as she sat herself down at the counter, Ruby doing so as well, "You know what, that isn't really important, is it... little bro?"
Akira sighed and leaned against the counter lazily, one arm propped up as he popped his hips lazily, "You keep telling yourself that, sis, I just don't see us being related."
"Well, sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but..." Yang revealed a folded envelope that had been tucked into her pocket, one that seemed to be addressed to Akira, "This says otherwise, bub."
Akira breathed out as he took the offered item and opened it almost hastily, revealing four neatly folded pieces of paper with the top sheet being a small note addressed to him by Headmaster Ozpin of all people.
'Hello, Akira
I hope this note finds you in one piece. Knowing Qrow's luck, I wouldn't be surprised if your results are completely illegible by the time you receive them. The hair samples you and Qrow's niece, Yang, have provided to be tested indeed seem to point towards a familial relation between the two of you, specifically through your mother. Contained within is the complete mapping of your genome, as well as a spreadsheet of the isolated portions that correlate with those found within the DNA of your half-sister.
I believe it would be best for me to leave it to Qrow and Yang alike to address your new found relationship. Good luck, young man, you'll need it.
Sincerely, Ozpin'
The further Akira read, the further his brows fell until his eyes were half-lidded in what could only be amusement. Flipping to the next page, the amused expression on his face faded as he was graced with a very accurate breakdown of his DNA in a way he could almost understand. Statistics such as his blood type and concentrations of lingering radiation in his system were displayed on the upper left hand of the page, followed by what appeared to be a black and white bar graph below it.
The black and white bars represented the sequence of both himself and Yang in comparison, the black boxes representing the matched strands of DNA and the white representing those that did not. From the looks of things, he and Yang alike shared approximately forty percent of their DNA with one another, an impossibility in the mind of Akira.
His hands began to shake as he flipped the page once more, this time revealing the portions of his DNA that did not match with Yang placed in isolation and ran against every other registered person within the database used by Vale, Mistral and Atlas alike for their hospitals.
Of course, there was no match on his fathers side, something that didn't really surprise him in the least, but at this point he felt it should have.
Setting the papers down gently, Akira didn't bother looking at the final page, instead closing his eyes while reaching up to remove his glasses. Folding the fake lenses gently and placing them within his coat, Akira pinched the bridge of his nose and lowered his jaw slightly, allowing his hair to cascade over his closed eyes.
Taking a deep breath, the black haired Faunus did his best to wrap his mind around the fact that his DNA somehow matched close enough with Yang's to infer they had the same mother. It didn't make any sense to him, but in that moment, it did.
Remnant was, as far as Akira was concerned, just an alternate version of Earth, one that shared very close similarities in some instances while in others being completely different. Somehow, his mother had an evil twin, or maybe an evil counter-part would be more proper, one that was similar enough to register as his mother.
'Breath, Akira,' The former Joker reminded himself lightly as he did just that, releasing his breath and taking in another before opening his eyes and lowering his hands, 'This is... nothing. This is nothing, we've overcome crazier things.'
With this final thought, Akira sighed and turned his attention to the two quiet females sitting at his counter. Both of them seem almost hurt, if their expressions meant anything.
"Is.. is it because we're Human?" Yang questioned after a minute, breaking the tense silence between them, "Is that why you look so devastated to learn you have family?"
Akira nearly flinched at the question, only to smother his reaction and school his expression into one that was more pleasant. Despite the smile on his face, however, his eyes still spoke of his intense internal conflict as he continued to try and wrap his mind around the revealed information.
"It has nothing to do with the difference in our species, Yang," Akira admitted while gesturing his head towards the picture hanging on his wall by the counter, "The one with orange hair, Futaba, is my little sister. She's just as Human as... you."
Akira wanted to say 'the rest of us', but had to correct himself.
"So why do you look offended?" Yang questioned hotly, only for Ruby to finally speak up and cut her blond sister off.
"Yang, please," Ruby called out, her voice soft and almost withdrawn in tone, "Just give him a second to think, we've had all day to talk about this."
Realizing that she was likely just jumping to conclusions, Yang crossed her arms and leaned back in her chair before nodding her head. "Alright, your right... sorry Akira, Ruby, I'm just... bitter, I guess."
"It's fine, I'm sorry," Akira tilted his head as he turned and made his way towards the fridge, grabbing a tray of cooled cakes for the two before setting down a gallon of milk next to the large tray, "I just don't know how to feel about this, honestly. I've... never had a sibling, or..."
His story of being an orphan who never met his parents was easy to remember, allowing him to just let his silence speak for him in turn. He honestly didn't know how to feel about finding out he had an inter-dimensional sibling.
If Yang registered as his half-sister, then how many other dimensions existed where he had potential siblings? Were there an infinite number of dimensions, thus leaving him with just as many possible answers?
Thinking about it made his head hurt, despite how often he found his thoughts drifting to subjects such as those on his mind at the moment.
"It's fine, you're taking this better than my dad is, that's for sure..." Yang scoffed and looked to the side before sighing heavily, "So where do we go from here, Akira?"
"I'm... not sure," The frizzy haired teenager answered honestly, placing either palm on the counter as he leaned forward a bit while studying the surface of the bar as if it held the answers to all of lifes questions, "I suppose we make up for lost time?"
"Lost time, huh..." Yang huffed before tilting her head to beckon Akira from behind the counter, "Come here real quick."
"Okay?" Akira questioned more than stated before complying, slowly making his way around the counter before he stood before the two seated females, "What's up, Yang?"
Reaching out quickly, the blond boxer secured Akira in one of the tightest hugs he had been given in his entire life, her face pressing into his chest almost uncomfortably. After seconds of being embraced by the blond, Akira realized that she was shaking slightly as she wrapped her arms around his shoulder and tried to pull him closer, only to find it impossible.
The sounds of what sounded like muffled sobbing reached his feline ears before it did his normal ears, causing his eyes to widen as Yang began to speak lowly.
"I'm so sorry... if I knew you... you shouldn't have been alone, Akira, I'm sorry!" Yang began to sob openly after speaking, revealing just what was weighing so heavily on her mind, "Seventeen years... I can't imagine having no one for so long... without Ruby, Summer, Uncle Qrow... Dad..."
"It's..." Akira didn't continue with his words, instead returning the tight embrace of the boxer as he allowed her to continue to cry into his chest. Resting his jaw on the crown of her head gently, Akira started to rub circles with his right palm between her shoulder blades, causing her to shiver lightly as she sobbed even harder.
Ruby soon joined the hug, coming to stand at Yang's side before she wrapped her small arms around Akira and her sister alike in a surprisingly strong embrace, her own tears falling silently as the young teenager did her best to comfort her eldest sibling.
Something about the situation tugged at something within Akira and soon, he found his own tears falling unabated as the three continued to embrace one another tightly.
Yang was the first to finally calm herself, pulling away from Akira slightly while refusing to release her grip around his torso. "I'm sorry..."
The words were heavy and loaded with more meaning than anything she had spoken to him yet. She wasn't just apologizing for her tears, or her tight embrace, but for every moment of his life that she missed.
Akira didn't have the heart to explain to her that she didn't miss a thing, that his existence on Remnant was a mere fluke. Instead, he settled with gentle words and a soft touch.
"It's okay." Akira whispered as he traced his gloved thumb beneath her right eye, drying her tears while allowing him to tuck a strand of her hair behind her ear, "You're okay, Yang."
His words held just as much meaning as hers, despite how little either spoke. He couldn't possibly hold her absence in his life against her, though she could never understand why.
"Wait..." Ruby spoke up, still not removing her arms from around either Yang nor Akira, "I don't want to ruin the moment or anything, but I have a quick question..."
"What's up, Rubes?" Yang questioned after sniffling, removing one arm from around Akira to bring Ruby a bit closer as well.
"Well... it's just..." Ruby began lowly before sighing, "Akira and I aren't related, are we?"
From the way her voice shrank as she spoke, it was obvious that she had her own reservations with the whole situation as well.
"Nope, why?" Yang answered eloquently, her response leaving almost no room for questioning, "Wait, I remember now! You've always..."
The blond trailed off and coughed awkwardly, leaving Akira to turn his attention to Ruby with a questioning gaze.
"Do you... may I..." Ruby continued with her conflicted questioning before Yang finally decided to spare her the awkward fumbling.
"Ruby has always wanted a big brother and wants to claim you." Yang grinned at the amused expression that crossed Akira's face, "That's cool with you, then?"
"Of course," Akira turned his attention to the small black and red haired female burying her head into his side, "You may refer to me as your brother whenever you please, Ruby."
"This. Is. AWESOME!" Ruby shouted loudly, causing Yang to laugh before a loud thumping noise erupted from the ceiling above them.
Akira sighed before removing himself from the strange embrace between the three, straightening his coat before lifting a single finger. "Give me just a moment, there is someone I'd like you two to meet."
Without waiting for a response, Akira turned on his heel and marched towards the stairs, leaving Yang and Ruby to gather themselves once more as they began to munch on coffee cakes and whisper between themselves.
[PL]
"So, you're the blond claiming to be Akira's sister..." Futaba adjusted her glasses as she marched down the stairs after Akira, only to come to a rest behind him with only half of her small frame being visible, "I can totally see the resemblance, that's kinda creepy."
"Futaba, this is Yang Xiao Long, my... half-sister and her half-sister Ruby Rose. Yang, Ruby, this is one of my closest friends and little sister, Futaba Sakura." Akira gestured from the orange haired teenager clad in loose sweat pants and a neon green tank-top over a black spandex shirt to the two females sitting at his counter, a small smile on his face from successfully talking his 'pet nerd' into coming downstairs to meet his... new sisters.
It was strange to label Yang and Ruby as his siblings, despite how comfortable he had become in labeling Futaba as such. Perhaps it was due to the fact that he and Yang actually shared genetic information that caused him to quickly readjust his view of the blond from the friend-zone and into a particular place he reserved for his closest friends and loved ones.
Ruby had automatically gained the label of little sister upon confirming the new-found relationship between Yang and himself, especially considering just how hopeful she had been in being called such.
After enjoying the company of Futaba for some many months now, Akira had come to the conclusion that little sisters were awesome, and that you could never have too many of them.
"Hey they, Futaba," Yang greeted with a nod of her head before extending her hand for the young girl to take, quickly filing away her appearance and voice in her 'important people' compartment in her mind, as she liked to pretend she had, "It's nice to meet a fellow sister of Akira's!"
She was being slightly sarcastic considering she was technically the only sister of Akira, but Yang could tell that Akira and the orange haired female partially using him as a shield were close. The picture on his wall had been taken before Akira moved to Vale, and Yang knew he had been around for about seven months at this point.
Any relationship he had with Futaba had been long established over the course of at least a year, leaving Yang little doubts on the closeness between the two.
From just spending a few days around Akira, Yang had already developed a nearly fierce desire to spend more time with him. She couldn't imagine just how Futaba had felt after spending nearly a year in his presence.
"It's nice to meet you too, Yang," Futaba accepted the offered hand after glancing at Akira as if to ask permission, only for her to quickly retract her hand afterwards, "Sorry... I'm... really doing my best to not bolt to the room right now."
"You're doing great, Futaba," Akira grinned lightly before settling an arm around the orange haired teenagers shoulder before pulling her into his side, "We might just have to make a new checklist just so we can check 'meeting new family' off."
"Wait, we can make a new list?!" Futaba seemed almost excited by the prospect before jumping up and down twice in excitement, "That means I can go for double platinum! Score!"
Akira threw his head back and laughed almost heartily at this, his deep voice sending vibrations thumping through the chest of Futaba, Yang and Ruby alike from the sound. The tone of his voice was rich, almost as if it held musical properties without direction, showing just how happy he was to hear Futaba show such excitement.
"It's nice to meet you, Futaba," Ruby chirped happily, taking the opportunity to step forward and introduce herself while glancing at the Scroll hanging idly in Futaba's hand, "Are you playing Ultra Bash Sisters?!"
"Heck yes I am," Futaba snickered while holding it up, "Do you play?"
"Do I play?" Ruby questioned almost sarcastically while whipping her own Scroll out, "Let's Bash!"
Akira blinked owlishly as Futaba and Ruby quickly exchanged Scroll information before the two were off in their own little worlds, all due to the observant nature of Ruby and the nerdy nature of Futaba.
"You should have kept her hidden," Yang joked as she grabbed Akira's hand and dragged him to sit with her at the counter instead of standing in the doorway with a dumb expression on his face, "Now you'll never separate the two. Ruby is a total 'Basher', one of the best players at Signal."
"Futaba is pretty good at most games she gets her hands on," Akira shrugged lightly as he listened to the two begin to trash talk each others characters, "I'm glad she agreed to meet you, I was afraid she wouldn't leave the room at all, let alone come downstairs."
"Why did she look so... scared?" Yang pursed her lips as she tried to place the body language and expression of Futaba as she descended the stairs leading up to Blake's loft and Akira's room, "Does she live here too?"
"Futaba... has no where else to go," Akira tried to word it as best he could without going into details on just why she had no where to turn besides Leblanc, at least at the moment, "Her adopted father, Sojiro, took me in over a year ago after I got into a lot of trouble in the previous town I was staying in. After... well, we both ended up on the road and separated, only for her to find me after I ended up here in Vale."
There were large gaps in the story that Akira weaved for Yang, but from the expression on her face, they were gaps she could easily fill with whatever information she pleased. It was more than likely that Yang would simply assume that a Grimm attack wiped out the town that Akira and Futaba were staying in previously and that they had been separated, only to be reunited again later.
That was basically what happened, though without the Grimm, so it didn't really matter to Akira that he was basically lying to his newly found older sister.
"I'm sorry," Yang murmured softly, her lilac eyes gaining a new depth to them that Akira recognized as determination, "I'm going to be the best big sister the two of you have ever seen."
Her words, though gently delivered, were more fierce than Akira was prepared for. "You don't need to-"
"I want to." Yang cut him off by raising a hand calmly and speaking up, causing Akira to purse his lips before eventually nodding, "Good, no arguing with your big sister, buster."
"Okay, now you're just abusing your privileges." Akira deadpanned while fishing his Scroll from his pocket and opening up his contacts to dial Tukson's number, "Give me just one second, I nearly forgot about something."
The Scroll rang only twice before Tukson answered, a bright smile on his face as the video call was established.
"Well dang, hello Akira and friend," The Faunus book salesman waggled his brow at Yang as he spoke, almost ignoring Akira completely, "What's up big guy?"
"I just found out I have... living family members," Akira began, causing the man with black mutton-chops to gasp loudly, "I was hoping you could swing by and pick up the left overs for those by the warehouse tonight."
Yang sent him a questioning look about the leftovers, only for him to mouth 'tell you later' before turning his attention back to Tukson.
"Yeah, no problem at all," Akira's fellow shopkeeper agreed almost instantly with a large smile on his face, "That's fantastic news, man! I'm happy for you!"
"Thank you," Akira meant it, as well, for both agreeing to take his place in delivering the left overs from Leblanc to the homeless and hungry and for Tukson's happiness on his behalf, "I really appreciate it. Is Blake still over there, by the way?"
"She just left like, five minutes before you called," Tukson scratched his cheek before turning his attention quickly away from his Scroll, "There's my bird, too, let me get her stuff put away and we'll be by to grab the food. See you soon."
"Thanks, see you." Akira slid the Scroll shut and replaced it in his pocket before turning his attention back to Yang once more, "Sorry, I needed to take care of that before I forgot, all of this excitement makes me scatter brained."
"It's no problem," Yang grinned before repeating her question from earlier, "What was that about?"
"I don't keep any of the left overs from the day, usually," Akira shrugged lightly before reaching into another pocket of his coat to remove what appeared to be a deck of cards, "I give it to the homeless Faunus and Humans down in the Industrial District every night, hence why I'm always riding around town on my bike about this time."
"Oh, do you want me and Ruby to go so you can-" Yang was the one who was cut off this time, being silenced by a crimson gloved index finger being pressed against her plump lips.
"It's fine, Yang," Akira grinned before using the hand he silenced her with to reach out and draw her closer to him in a side hug, "I want to spend time with all of my sisters and get to know them better, if you don't mind?"
Yang found she couldn't agree more and neither could Ruby and Futaba.
[PL]
The sound of sobbing filled the home of one Taiyang Xiao Long as the blond haired man sat on his couch and wept. At his side was his former teammate and life long friend, Qrow Branwen, both men clutching a bottle of whiskey in their hands.
"It's just not right!" Taiyang shouted once more at the top of his lungs, "How could she just do that to me?! To Yang?! Hell, to her own son?!"
Each question was stated louder and louder, though the answer to each question was as vague as the ones prior to them. Qrow didn't have the answers that Taiyang sought. Qrow doubted even Raven herself had the answers to the questions posed by Taiyang.
"I know," Qrow agreed before knocking his bottle back once more, taking a deep drought of the burning liquid before sighing loudly in both pleasure and disgust with himself, "I know, Tai, it's fucked up. We jus' got to deal with it, like we always do."
"Yeah," Taiyang agreed sadly while glancing down at his own bottle before setting it down on the table before him, "I... I want to adopt him!"
"Er, what?" Qrow nearly choked on his tongue as he tried to process the words of his best friend, "No, that's... that's stupid. You're stupid."
"No, you're stupid," Tai retorted hotly, pointing the bottle of whiskey at Qrow as if it were a weapon, "I'm gonna' adopt him, and there ain't nothing you can do about it!"
"Tai, you aren't listening... you legally can't, he's an adult!"
"Oh..."
"Yeah, oh. Dumbass."