Revised on: June 19, 2018

Water. Earth. Fire. Air.

Long ago, the four nations coexisted in harmony. Together, they stood against the forces of Grimm, creatures of nightmare hailing from another world.

Only the Avatar could master all four elements. Only he could banish the Grimm. But when the world needed him most… he vanished.

Remnant learned to truly fear the Grimm. And just as it seemed like things couldn't get any worse… The Fire Nation attacked.

Fifteen years have passed since chaos descended upon Remnant, but now a new Avatar awakens: my daughter, a young airbender named Ruby. And although her airbending skills are great, she still has a lot to learn before she's able to save anyone.

But I believe that Ruby can save the world.

Book Two: Earth

Chapter Six: The Ties that Bind

Ruby gulped, bouncing anxiously on the balls of her feet. As excited as she was about finally getting to learning earthbending, she couldn't deny she was also a little scared. Unlike waterbending, which she had done a few times before becoming Weiss' unofficial pupil, earthbending was an absolute unknown to her. What if she made a fool of herself - or worse, what if she couldn't earthbend at all?

Pyrrha had taken her a small way away from camp, to a plain spot by the side of the road, but Ruby was sure Weiss and Jaune could still see them very clearly. Another thing to be nervous about. She really didn't want to embarrass herself in front of her oldest friends as well as her newest one.

"Relax, Ruby," Pyrrha said as she did some preliminary stretching. "You might get hurt, what with all that tension. With earthbending, you need to always pay attention to your body."

"O-okay. But I thought earthbending was all about tension?" Ruby asked. "I mean, whenever I see people earthbending, they're always stiff and guarded and all that stuff… You know, kinda like a rock?"

"It might look so, but a good earthbender knows how to be a rock without behaving like a rock," Pyrrha said, rubbing her chin thoughtfully. "That analogy sounded better in my head. But how else to convey that feeling? Hmm…"

They shared a long moment of silence, Ruby standing there awkwardly while Pyrrha pondered the question from all angles. To be a rock, but not behave like a rock…

"Anyways!" Pyrrha cleared her throat. "Sorry, teaching someone is even trickier than I imagined. I suppose we should begin with some basic stances. Follow my example, and don't worry about messing up - I'll be right here to help you."

She assumed a classic earthbending pose which Ruby vaguely recognized, probably having seen it before in her travels. The nomad bit her lip, then mimicked as best she could.

Pyrrha relaxed, then started to walk around her, inspecting her closely. "Again, with the tension," she said. "Just breathe deeply. That'll help."

Ruby did as advised, and indeed, she felt her muscles relaxing and mind clearing a bit. It was a bit silly, considering she already knew this type of technique, being a master airbender, but she felt justified with how stressful new experiences like this could be.

"Good. Now, let me polish your stance a bit." Pyrrha stopped in front of her, laying a hand on Ruby's shoulder. "Feet on the ground. Spread your legs. Shoulders high, arms low…"

Ruby followed her instructions quietly, though her attention was slipping away from the exercise. Something about Pyrrha's words was very distracting, and more than that… strangely distressing…?

"Perfect!" Pyrrha exclaimed. "Now you look like an earthbender."

Ruby froze, her eyes widening…

Feet on the ground. Spread your legs. Shoulders high, arms low… Perfect! Now you look like an earthbender.

I only wanted to bring out the true potential inside of you.

Lay a finger on my sister, and you're done for!

It's my fault. My responsibility. I'm sorry, but I have to get them back. I have to.

I understand. I do. But bringing that to light now, of all times, was just… cruel.

She is the reason why, Avatar.

WELCOME BACK

Ruby gasped, falling towards the ground. Pyrrha caught her and swiftly brought her back to her feet, looking at her in fright. "Ruby? Are you okay?"

"I'm… I'm fine." Ruby shook her head lethargically. "Sorry! I don't know what happened."

"Maybe this isn't the best time for us to start your training," Pyrrha suggested guiltily. "All that tension… You must be so uncomfortable still. I shouldn't have pushed you."

"Pyrrha, it's not your fault. Seriously." Ruby smiled faintly. "I just need to lie down, I think."

Pyrrha tilted her head slightly, as if she didn't totally agree with her, but she didn't object. What Ruby didn't predict is that she would lift her up in her arms and carry her back to the camp, much to Weiss and Jaune's confusion.

"Uh, what's up?" Jaune asked. "I thought you two were going to begin the earthbending madness."

Pyrrha laid Ruby down on the grass, patted her in the head once, then stood up. "Ruby is tired. As a responsible teacher, I have decided it is best for her to rest until she is ready for her lessons!" she declared dutifully. "Are you good there on the ground, Ruby?"

"Uh, sure?" Ruby replied hesitantly.

"As a responsible teacher, I could bend the dirt in order to provide you with a better terrain to rest on." Pyrrha raised a finger. "I could also set up a tent for you, but I know you prefer to sleep in the open, and I very much respect that! You are my pupil, after all!"

"Uh, no, I'm good. Thanks anyway."

Pyrrha nodded, then sat down beside Jaune, who looked somewhere between awestruck and terrified. Weiss looked at Ruby, frowning worriedly.

"Are you sick, Ruby?" she asked. "We could hold off on traveling for a while. We still have a sizeable lead on the Fire Nation."

"No. Seriously, guys, I'm fine. It's just a little headache." Ruby turned around. "I'm gonna sleep. We can get going in the morning, like always."

Weiss shared a look with Jaune and Pyrrha, but ultimately, they let her be. Ruby closed her eyes, trying to fend off the uneasy feeling growing in the back of her head.

Yang closed the door of her room behind her, stepping barefooted into the dark hallway. She looked around to make sure nobody was nearby, then started to walk, keeping as quiet as possible.

She didn't know much about this place, having only been there for a few days, but that was enough time for her to find her way through its many hallways. After rescuing them from Cinder Fall, Qrow had taken her and her father south of Atlas, to an abandoned village, and there, an underground hideout.

She hadn't said anything about it, but during their journey, she had detected an unspoken tension between her father and Qrow. She first thought it was maybe because of Qrow leaving to rebel against the Fire Nation, or Taiyang doing just the contrary, but that suspicion quickly died off when she noticed they always stopped talking when she was nearby. Like they had something to hide, from her specifically.

Yang didn't like secrets, especially when it came to family. She was going to find out the truth, even if she had to beat it out of her elders… Gently, of course. Very gently.

Turning around a corner, Yang saw the light of a fireplace coming from the hideout's living room. She sneaked closer, keeping close to the wall and straining her ears to listen to the quiet voices on the other side of it.

"…I can't just tell her," her father said. "With the war and us being banished, it's just too complicated. She's got enough trouble in her life as is, the last thing she needs is… You know."

"When is it not going to be complicated, Taiyang?" Qrow asked. "I get you have good intentions, but you're still wrong. Dead wrong. Telling her would be good, for both of you."

"You don't get it. Qrow, you see the world through these lenses that make everything look… romantic and fantastical," Taiyang replied bitterly. "The truth needs to be stay a secret. That is what is best for everybody involved."

"Oh, really? Everybody?" Qrow scoffed. "I bet Yang would love to hear that. I guess you're gonna keep her in the dark forever too, huh?"

Yang gasped, thrown by the sudden turn in the conversation. She thought they had been talking about her all along, but maybe that wasn't the case after all?

Shaking off her confusion, Yang clenched her fists and walked inside the room, tired of eavesdropping like a child. The conversation stopped suddenly as her father and uncle turned to look at her, sat opposite of each other in chairs in front of the fireplace.

"What the heck are you two talking about?" she asked, allowing some anger into her voice, just enough to get them to understand she wasn't kidding around. "Just what are you hiding from me?"

"Uh…" Taiyang raised his hands sheepishly. "Nothing…?"

"Oh, you're gonna get it now," Qrow said, joining his hands behind his head and leaning back in his chair.

Yang walked to her father, stared him down for a moment, then kicked him in the ankle. He yelped, raising his leg to grasp it, then looked up at her, pouting. "I didn't raise you to be this violent!"

"You kinda did, actually." Yang put her hands on her hips. "You also raised me to not keep secrets from family."

Taiyang looked at the fireplace, pursing his lips. His jokey facade had fallen now, revealing how uncomfortable he truly was with the situation. But that didn't placate Yang, and her uncle too.

"If you don't start talking, I will," Qrow warned, the look in his eyes indicating he meant every word.

Yang nodded, then sat beside her uncle. Together, they stared at Taiyang, until finally he sighed and turned his eyes back to them.

"Fine," he said. "But we're gonna do this properly. Start from the very beginning."

"And when is that?" Yang asked.

"When your parents met," Qrow said. "Actually, far before that."

"Oh, great. Love story between my parents," Yang groaned. "This is not going to be gross, right?"

Qrow smiled humorlessly. "Trust me, Firecracker, you'll soon be wishing it was only gross."

Ruby opened her eyes to the vast blue of the sky all around her. She sat up and felt the terrain beneath her, realizing she was lying on clouds. Realizing what was happening, she stood up and turned around, and without surprise found Avatar Ozpin standing there, leaning on his cane, as always.

"Nice to see you again, Ruby."

Ruby bowed briefly. "Avatar Ozpin." She looked up at him. "Did you summon me here? I don't remember asking for help."

"You did, and you didn't," Ozpin said. "You needed guidance, and though you might never have thought to seek it from me… Here I am." His eyes twinkled. "We help each other like that."

Ruby nodded hesitantly. Man, being the Avatar was weird.

"So, how exactly can you help me?" she asked. "I was tired when I fell asleep. Had a headache. But I don't think that's Avatar territory."

"Sometimes the body reacts to the turmoil in the spirit in the most imperceptible of ways. Other times, it reacts like a canoe caught in the ocean during a thunderstorm," Ozpin said. "What do you think could be causing the turmoil in your spirit now, Ruby?"

Ruby crossed her arms and hummed, pondering his questions. She had been nervous about training with Pyrrha, but that wasn't that big of a deal. The Fire Nation forces were approaching, but she wasn't that scared of them, not yet at least. There was Weiss, but, well, she was always there, and Ruby was dealing with that just fine nowadays.

"…The visions, I guess," she said. "Back when we went through the Three Kings' Path, I was shown a lot of weird stuff. Apparently, it was – is, will be? - my future." She shook her head. "It sounds crazy, but I did see Pyrrha there, and she's with us now. So if that much was real…"

"I see." Ozpin tilted his head curiously. "What more?"

"There were some visions that were not as clear… They were more like flashes, I can only remember hearing some things…" Ruby snapped her fingers. "Just this morning, Pyrrha repeated one of them word by word when we were going to train! That was when I collapsed!"

Ozpin closed his eyes. Ruby took a step back, feeling a strange sensation course through her, not unlike what she felt when she went into the Avatar State, except lesser.

"Ah. Yes…" Ozpin opened his eyes. "I believe I've got a clue about what is bothering you, Ruby. Let's us find the root of the problem together."

He extended a hand. Ruby took it without a second's hesitation, and they faded away to somewhere else.

"Your mother and I have known each other for pretty much all our lives," Taiyang started. "As the child of one of the most powerful houses in the Fire Nation, I frequented the same circles as the royal family. Raven was a frequent sight, and nice company in otherwise boring parties when we were kids. But it took a while for us to actually become friends."

Yang leaned back, settling more comfortably in her chair. So far, this story did not sound half as terrible as she had expected. But this was only the beginning, of course.

"It took time, and me…" Qrow pointed to himself. "…and another friend, but we ended up forming a pretty tight group. We were always getting trouble back then."

"No, you were always getting into trouble, and we were the ones who had to fix everything afterwards," Taiyang corrected. "You almost burned the palace down one time."

"Oh, please. Like that could ever happen with so many firebenders around!" Qrow rolled his eyes.

"Boys, please, let's get back to the point," Yang said sternly. "So it was you two, Mom, and who's this other friend?"

"I've told you about her before. Her name was Summer," Taiyang said. "She was an ambassador from the Air Nomads, but she spent a lot of time around us back then."

"A very nice gal." Qrow nodded solemnly. "You would have liked her, Yang."

Taiyang threw him a look, then cleared his throat. Yang shook her head, wondering how two grown men could act like such boys.

"So, what's the point of telling me this?" she asked, exasperated. "You were teenagers. Cool. You had an Air Nomad friend. Also cool. And?"

"Well, we all had lots of fun, but eventually, as always happens in groups comprising of blooming teenagers…" Qrow put his hand on his chest and gasped dramatically. "Romance reared its beautiful, treacherous face!"

"Eew! Okay, that's the gross part." Yang shut her eyes. "Can we skip it?"

"Not entirely. You see, my sister had a thing for your father here, as you can imagine…" Qrow said. "Alas… so did Summer."

Yang blinked. She looked from Qrow to her father, noticing how quiet he had gotten all of a sudden.

"Okay," she said hesitantly. "What's the big deal?"

"The big deal is…" Qrow sighed. "One of those ladies' feelings was not unrequited. But it's not the one you expect."

They appeared in a hallway lit by torchlight. Banners with the insignia of the Fire Nation lined the wall. Ahead of them, another Ozpin walked, though he didn't look all that different from the one Ruby knew.

"Where are we?" Ruby asked, twisting her nose. "When are we?"

"Vacuo, the Fire Nation capital. The royal castle, to be most precise," Ozpin said, recognizing the place immediately. "As for when… Hmm. This cannot be that long before my death. Let's follow him." He paused. "I mean, follow me. Yes, me."

Ruby smiled faintly, glad to see that even her past life was sometimes thrown off by their weird spirit powers.

They followed the younger Ozpin through the hallways of the castle, Ruby taking interest in their surroundings in the meanwhile. In her dreams, she had imagined this castle like a diabolical fortress, but it wasn't all that different from the palace in the North Pole or the sprawling structures of Atlas.

Eventually, the younger Ozpin stopped before a door and opened it. They entered a lavish bedroom. On the floor, a young child played with some lettered squares, arranging short words. There was something oddly familiar about her.

"Who's that?" Ruby asked, watching the young Ozpin crouch in front of the kid.

"That's the princess Yang Branwen," Ozpin said. "Yes, I remember this quite clearly now."

"That's Yang?" Ruby got on the tip of her toes, holding back a squeal. "She's so cute! No wonder she didn't have the heart to hurt me in the end!"

The door opened again, and the Fire Lord stepped in. Ruby screamed and jumped away from her path, taking out her staff and swinging it at her, only for it to pass through her.

"Calm down, Ruby," Ozpin chuckled. "It's just a memory."

"Uh, yeah. I know. I just got a really bad cramp, is all," Ruby said sheepishly.

Raven stepped around Ozpin and baby Yang, sending a scalding look at the Avatar. "Ozpin. What are you doing in my child's room?"

"I was going to talk to you, but I was told you were busy, so I came to pay the princess a visit." The young Ozpin smiled. "She is my princess too, after all. I pride myself in my roots."

He extended a hand, and Yang ran the tips of her fingers along his palms, giggling softly. Suddenly, Raven bent down and lifted her up, then put her down on her bed. The Fire Lord looked at her child, and for an instant, Ruby could swear she saw contempt in her eyes.

"Alright. You had your visit," Raven said, walking out of the room, dragging the Avatar with her. "Now, what was it that you wished to talk about?"

The younger Ozpin frowned, looking deep into her eyes. "Raven, are you feeling well?" he asked. "You look worn out. Unbalanced even, I would dare say.."

"And? It comes with being the Fire Lord," she replied immediately.

"Your father rarely had this look," he said. "Until a couple weeks ago, you were the picture of serenity. Since then…"

Raven turned around and started to walk away. The younger Ozpin went after her, seemingly unwilling to let matters go.

"Raven, listen to me. This stress is not good for you," he said. "Perhaps you should take some time off. Go offshore, no business attached. How long has it been since you saw Summer?"

Raven spun around suddenly, her eyes burning red. "I would be happy if I never had to see that harlot ever again!" She breathed deeply, then turned around and walked away for good.

Ruby lowered her head, fists trembling at her sides. She really wished the Fire Lord wasn't untouchable right now.

"Hold your judgement, Ruby," Ozpin said softly. "She used to be a wonderful woman. People change. Sometimes they are forced to."

"Yeah, well. I'm all for forgiveness and giving people the benefit of the doubt…" Ruby looked away. "But she killed my Mom."

Ozpin didn't give that an answer.

"We're on the right track. In fact, I might already have this solved…" he said. "But let me take you through the rest of this journey. You need to see for yourself."

Yang stared at her father, wondering what was going on inside his head while his eyes fled hers. He was silent, but as she was no longer a child, that spoke volumes to her. She knew what she was hearing, what was coming, but she couldn't accept it. Not yet.

"Okay. So…" she said slowly, her voice becoming very small. "You and Summer were… together?"

Taiyang's shoulders dropped, and finally, he seemed to find the strength to face her again. "Yes. For a few years," he said. "We were young. A little older than you, but still just as airheaded and naive."

"Hey." Yang smiled, though it was difficult to keep it up for long.

"My sister was not so happy she wasn't the one to catch Tai's attention. We were all still friends, of course, but she wasn't a graceful loser. Fair to say she still isn't," Qrow said. "Summer was lucky she wasn't a firebender, or else Raven would have challenged her to an Agni Kai."

"She did try once. Summer changed the rules to a card game competition and won… barely." Taiyang frowned. "They really did treat me like a piece of meat, now that I think about it."

"Oh, and you were so upset about it, the poor victim." Qrow rolled his eyes.

Yang stood up and turned around, taking a deep breath. Taiyang looked at Qrow, and the rebel nodded in understanding.

"Raven never tried to tear Summer and your father apart, though," Qrow said. "When she inevitably did, it wasn't by any decision of hers. She made it rather clear it was never her plan for things to go as they did, and as big of a critic of hers that I am, I have to admit she was honest."

"When your grandfather died, the title of Fire Lord passed down to your mother," Taiyang continued. "But Raven was young, and she had no heir. Should anything have happened to her, Qrow would have been the only remaining person with a legitimate claim to the throne. And that is not a secure enough state for any country to be in."

"So she needed to get an heir fast." Yang turned around. "And she chose you to be her husband."

"Her councilors chose for her. She tried to argue, but she wasn't the woman she is today," Qrow said. "The decision was set, and there wasn't anything any of us could do about it but accept it."

Yang looked at her father, a strange calm falling upon her. Maybe she should be feeling weird about hearing all this, but it was difficult to feel anything but sympathy for everyone involved in the story.

"Sorry, Dad," she said. "I guess you had to break it off with Summer, then?"

"Yeah. She went away for a while. Her visits became more infrequent." Taiyang leaned towards her. "Yang, I need you to understand that, while it was an arranged marriage, I still loved your mother. Maybe not in the way she wanted, but I did love her."

"It's true. He was always there for her." Qrow scoffed. "Most of the time, anyway."

Yang approached her father, stopping beside his chair. She looked down at him and crossed her arms. "You didn't really break it off, did you?"

The scenery slowly took form around them, a vast room with many of the same decorations as before. There was a throne, and upon it sat Fire Lord Raven, looking even younger than before, holding baby Yang in her arms. She had a genuine smile on her face, which Ruby couldn't help but find disturbing.

To the right of the throne stood Ozpin, and to the left, Taiyang Xiao Long. Ruby hummed, looking him up and down. It was weird seeing him so young. She had always thought he had this experienced and weathered air about him, but she supposed that would come with time.

"When's this?" Ruby asked. "Oh, I guess that's a dumb question. Yang's just a baby now."

"Yes, she cannot be a month old yet," her Ozpin confirmed. "She was big news during these times. The new heir to the Burning Throne. People from all around the world came to see her. And that is why I brought you here."

The doors of the throne room opened, and a woman walked in with quick, noiseless steps. Her features were hidden by a red cowl, but Ruby's heart raced nonetheless. She knew who it was at once.

"Hey, guys! Long time no see, huh?" Summer pulled down her cowl and smiled, stopping before the throne. Her silver eyes wandered over the three, stopping at Ozpin. "Avatar Ozpin!" She bowed. "It's always an honor to be in your presence."

He bowed in return. "And it's always wonderful to see how much my favorite airbender ambassador has grown."

"Yes, yes, it's always the same with you two," Raven raised an eyebrow. "Go on with the reverence. It's not like we've all known Ozpin since we were children."

"Now, now, are you feeling jealous, Fire Lord?" Summer put her hands on her hips. "Do you want me to bow to you too?"

"Of course not, you goofball." Raven got up and handed Yang over to Taiyang, then spread her arms welcomingly. "Come here."

Summer laughed lightly and hugged her. Ruby's eyes widened, and she looked from the embracing women to her Ozpin. She truly didn't know to feel about this scene – it was something she never would have imagined, not even in her wildest dreams.

"You act surprised, but your mother and Fire Lord Raven were always great friends," Ozpin said. "Some members of the Fire Nation nobility used to say they might even be too close, that it wasn't good for the nation for Raven to be so emotionally attached to a foreigner like Summer."

"But… but…" Ruby mumbled. "Fire Lord! Evil! Very, very evil!"

"Like I said… people change."

Summer and Raven parted, and the airbender turned to looked at Taiyang. She flashed him a smile, then looked down at Yang.

"Oh. My. Gosh," she said breathlessly. "She's so cute! I want to pinch her! I-I want to spin her around with her! Raven, please, please, please let me hold her?"

The Fire Lord chuckled, then nodded, giving her go-ahead. As soon as Yang was in Summer's arms, she went spinning away, giggling uncontrollably.

"Jeez. She really likes children," Taiyang noted, sounding more afraid than impressed.

"Guess I saved you from that fate, huh?" Raven raised an eyebrow. "You should probably make sure she doesn't break our child."

"Good thinking," Taiyang said, then walked towards the still spinning Summer. "Summer! Don't hold Yang like that, her head's gonna fly off!"

Raven smiled, leaning on the arm of her throne to watch as her husband tried to protect the baby as best he could against such the force of nature that was Summer. Slowly, however, her smile faded, and lines of worry appeared on her face.

"Are you worried, Raven?" the younger Ozpin asked quietly beside her.

"Worried? I cannot say," she said. "I wonder sometimes, if they still be bitter after so many years. If I am failing to see how my husband and my best friend are hurting. Ozpin, am I blinded by my own happiness?"

"No. They are not bitter, nor they are hurting," Ozpin replied surely. "Their spirits couldn't be more tranquil."

"Well, then," Raven sighed. "I concede to your Avatar wisdom."

Ruby turned to her Ozpin, formulating a question inside her head. Before she could finish, however, he raised a hand and nodded knowingly. He knew the question already.

Now came the answer.

"I did," Taiyang said. "Soon as I heard the news, I went to talk to Summer. We discussed things. It was very clear what had to happen, so we decided not to resist it and split up." He paused. "The commitment just… wasn't very effective."

"But thank heavens you tried, right?" Qrow scoffed. "Because that makes everything so much better! You tried."

"I never said I wasn't wrong, Qrow, you don't have to attack me!" Taiyang snapped, sitting forward in his chair. "You said it yourself - I was there for Raven. I did everything I could to support her, to be the husband she needed! I'm sorry I wasn't strong enough to be more than that, but that's just the reality of how things went!"

"Yes, it was all very painful for you!" Qrow said, his words dripping with sarcasm. "How difficult it must have been to share the Fire Lord's bed, to bask in all the privileges, and then go behind her back with her best friend! Oh, woe is Taiyang!"

"You know what, Qrow? You're right." Taiyang smiled condescendingly. "I was so terrible to your sister, while you were so supportive with the whole deserting your country and declaring her humanity's number one enemy. I should have been more like you."

"That's some precious hypocrisy right there. Remind me what you are doing nowadays?"

"I'm protecting my daughter."

"Oh, yeah? Which one of them?"

"Both, you imbecile!"

"Yes, and you've done so much. Where would we be if it weren't for the enlightening guidance of Taiyang Xiao-"

Yang stomped on the floor. Fire erupted out of the fireplace, lighting up the room and throwing embers everywhere.

The two men turned to look at her, dead silent.

"…You have another daughter?"

The moon was hidden behind a cluster of clouds, its outline barely visible through them. There were no stars in the sky. The air felt heavy somehow, heated, charged with emotion, even to Ruby, who physically shouldn't be feeling any of that.

Her mother was leaning on the guardrail on top of the wall, looking down at an empty courtyard. For a moment, Ruby thought she was facing a mirror, but no, she was only younger than Ruby could have ever witnessed under normal circumstances.

Avatar Ozpin walked to her, his appearance foretold by the beating of his cane against the ground. He stopped before her and leaned on the guardrail too, smiling softly.

"Pondering the news, Miss Summer?"

"I guess," she said, shifting uneasily. "You don't have to bother talking to me. I'm fine, swear."

"There's no shame in admitting how you truly feel," Ozpin said. "My airbending teacher once shared with me a piece of wisdom that, to this day, I still think about. What is a tornado, if not the wind succumbing to the turmoil it has endured for days? And how does a tornado stop-"

"-if not by releasing said turmoil, or else it spin on itself forever?" Summer completed. "You know that doesn't make any sense, right? Tornadoes happen when hot air meets with cold air and then everything goes kablooey! and then oops, there goes my house!"

"The saying is not meant to be scientifically accurate," Ozpin chuckled. "It's meant to make you reflect."

"Avatar Ozpin, I promise you I've released all my turmoil already. I'm fine," Summer said. "I talked with Taiyang, and Raven. I know why they're going to marry, and I'm not going to stop them." She paused. "It hurts, yeah. But there will be other people in the future."

"Of course." The Avatar nodded. "But then why are you here?"

"Tai made me a promise." Summer smirked. "Well, more like I forced him to make me a promise… He'll be here soon."

"Alright. I won't bother you, then," Ozpin bowed. "Safe travels, Summer."

He turned and walked away. Ruby braced herself, preparing to be whisked away to another memory, but it never happened, even after he was gone from her sight. Ruby looked around, surprised to see even her Ozpin wasn't with her. How was she here, then? This wasn't a memory of hers. Something weird was going on.

"Yes!" Summer whispered excitedly, vaulting over the wall. Ruby followed quickly, landing on the courtyard below.

Her mother walked in front of her, disappearing under the shadows of a great tree. Ruby watched from a distance, seeing the vague outline of another person moving there too.

She heard a male voice, familiar yet strange, whisper from the dark. "I'm sorry. Things shouldn't have to be this way."

"It's fine. I'm… coming to terms with it," her mother whispered back. "Aren't you?"

"Yeah. Slowly. But I don't want to lose you. You'll still be around, right?"

"As often as I can."

"Good. Raven will be happy too."

"I'm… I'm sorry. It was selfish of me to ask you for this. It's only making it more painful."

"Hey. I agreed to this, okay? It's something we both need. One last time, right?"

"Yeah…"

The clouds parted, and Ruby saw her mother holding Taiyang's hands, her head resting against his chest. She looked up, meeting his eyes, and smiled.

"One last time, under the moonlight."

Yang pushed her back with her arm, coming to stand before her protectively. Ruby flinched, feeling the heat irradiating from her, washing over her face almost painfully.

"Lay a finger on my sister, and you're done for!"

Suddenly, she was standing in the clouds again, with Ozpin standing before her.

"Do you understand now?"

Ruby rubbed her eyes. She took a deep breath, then shook her head. "My father… is Taiyang Xiao Long, which means…" she said slowly. "Yang is my sister."

"Indeed. You knew, yet you didn't knew."

"…What?" Ruby looked at him in bewilderment.

"Ah. It's… complicated, as it always is with us." Ozpin bowed his head apologetically. "Your spirit knew, because I knew. But your mind, naturally, did not know. With the visions of the future bringing you closer to the truth, the two came into contact… Hence, turmoil."

"Hence, headaches and weird dreams."

Ozpin nodded. Ruby huffed, lying down on the clouds. She looked up at the blue sky, rubbing her forehead tiredly.

"Yang is my sister. Her dad is my dad…" Her eyes widened. "Oh, no, does that make the Fire Lord my step-mother?!"

"You can choose to look at it that way, I suppose." Ozpin sat down beside her. "But perhaps it would be best for you to leave those questions for later. You've had enough revelations for one night."

Ruby hummed in agreement. She closed her eyes, and after a few seconds, the clouds gave way beneath her, and she drifted off into stranger, yet more calming dreams…

The room was silent for minutes. Taiyang's eyes didn't leave the floor. Qrow tapped the arm of his chair anxiously, betraying his otherwise serene demeanor. Yang stood still, looking at the fireplace.

Then suddenly, she stepped back and started laughing. Loud, uncontrollable, violent laughter that took her breath away and made her weak at the knees. Qrow stared at her as if she had gone mad, while her father squirmed uncomfortably in his seat.

"A-alright… I get it. I get it. You don't need to say it," Yang said, slowly recovering. "The sister which you've been keeping a secret from me – as well as your cheating on my mother – all this time, is none other than…" She stood up straight, losing all semblance of the lightness she had been displaying but a second ago. "The Avatar herself."

"…Yes," Taiyang said, not looking at her.

Yang turned around and punched the air, unleashing a barrage of fire that hit the wall and bounced back, spraying embers over them. "You knew she was my sister all this time, while I chased her all around the world, wanting to capture her and bring her to the Fire Lord, which would have ruined her life!, but still…" She spun to face him again. "You kept it a secret?!"

Taiyang opened and closed his mouth, fishing for a decent answer. "It was to protect you."

"Excuse me, what? How did that secret protect me from anything?" she asked. "Stop lying. That's all you do! You lie, you do things you know are wrong and then you lie to make yourself feel better! I bet you even believe your own lies!"

He slumped in his chair, not able to meet her eyes. Qrow opened his mouth to talk, but before he could, Yang whipped around, pointing a finger at him.

"And you! You're no better than him!" she exclaimed. "You turned your back on your family, on your whole country, to run around and act like you're such a mighty, feared rebel, when everything you've done has actually amounted to nothing! The Fire Nation is coming, it's destroying everything in its path, and here you are hiding like a coward!"

"Now that is just unfair," Qrow said. "You don't have a clue about the work I've done, the lives I've saved."

"Yeah? And whose fault is that?" Yang glared at him. "You act all high and mighty, like you're better than my father, but you kept me in the dark just as long as he did. Hell, I bet you have hundreds more secrets you're keeping from me."

Qrow looked away, for once unable to find a sharp retort. Yang shook her head in disappointment, then turned around and walked out of the room. She stopped in the doorway and looked over her shoulder.

"I'm leaving. Don't look for me," she said. "You can enjoy being terrible people together, how about that?"

She left, slamming the door behind her. The flames in the fireplace fizzled out, leaving them in darkness.

Ruby opened her eyes. The night wasn't over. Everyone was sleeping in their tents. Someone had covered her with her cloak, leaving her warm in the chilly air. She looked up.

There were no stars in the sky, the clouds parting to reveal the moon. She gazed at its silver surface, her thoughts in another place, another time lingering - familiar faces with newfound meanings.

Sleep didn't come to her again until dawn, but she didn't mind. Ruby fell into a warm slumber with a smile on her lips.

Yang's boot fell upon a puddle, splashing water all over her leg. She grunted in annoyance, looking down to see if there was any nasty dirt along with it.

She saw her own reflection in the shallow water and swiped away the tears, only to shudder at the eyes that stared back at her. Violet, with a sparking red in its depths. Stuck in-between, and there couldn't be a more painful feeling than that.

Yang raised her head and looked at the east horizon, from whence the Fire Nation's invasion forces came. She had come to many answers she didn't know she wanted today. Somewhere out there, there were more yet to be found – with the person who most owed her.

"Alright, then," Yang muttered. "Let's see what you have to say for yourself."

Aaah. It's good to finally have the truth out there. This chapter has been a long time coming, and as difficult as it was to write it, I am very happy about how it turned out.

I realize that a lot of what was covered here is stuff that just wouldn't fly in the original Avatar. Imagine if the characters suddenly started talking about someone's father betraying their mother and having another child and so on... It would feel extremely jarring. But I think we've gotten to a point in this story where we've covered enough stuff that was of similar, heavier tones, that this won't suffer from that effect.

But do let me know what you thought of this chapter. I am very interested in how you guys received it.

Next chapter is going to be very different. I guarantee you guys won't know what it is until you read its title (and then it will be very, very obvious, but oh well). See you then, and thanks for reading!

-Zeroan