Chapter 9: Red vs Blue Church Song
Here we are with a world recommended by my Beta Reader, Nacoma23. It's short so sorry about that. I have to admit, I never thought of using songs before. So if you have any recommendations, then I wouldn't mind receiving some. Just send me the link to it or something on review or PM. Now enjoy.
The screen was loading up, ready to show the next world. Before it began though, Mayden first realized the audiance should be informed they weren't seeing action, drama, or whatever things people saw on t.v..
"Ah, I should tell you all now, the next world will be featuring something that we all know and love. Singing." That got a short pause from many.
"Singing." Ruby asked a bit confused.
"Yep, singing."
"But why?" Winter asked. While she didn't hate such a thing, she did wonder why they were seeing such a thing now.
"Because a colleague of mind recommended it. Quite the Creator he is." The Keeper replied.
"Creator?" Glynda pondered.
"Just a certain type of...beings that create things. Like the worlds you see." So some kind of God perhaps, or at least that's what Ozpin guessed. He could only wonder though if those gods were less volatile than them.
"In any case, I'd appreciator it if you all stayed a little quite during this session." Deciding their was no harm in doing so, they did as they were told. The screen finally lit up, music coming out. Then they all saw a face that a certain group recognized.
The screen came to life, showing a dark background, but then a spotlight fell upon a figure, illuminating him. It was a younger Taiyang Xiao Long, the father of Ruby and Yang. He looked rather stressed and depressed, like he had just been through a rough day.
"Dad!" Ruby cried out excitedly, then noticed the look on his face. "He...looks sad."
"He does." Yang recognized that look her father was making. It was the look he gave when Summer died. Does this mean they were going to see some sad song? Qrow thinking it would be considering that solemn look he had on.
"Now this should be fun." Mercury laid back and relaxed, chewing on his popcorn. Nice to see some guy being all depressed, double since this was the blonde's dad. Yang responded by flipping the middle finger.
The background suddenly shifted to a forest, as music began to play. Tai than sang rather dejectedly, "Another day, I'm stuck here, another day goes by."
The background shifted again, this time showing a close-up of Tai's tired face. He sang again, "Another day I ask myself: why do I even try."
He then looked to the distance and groaned, "These Shitheads all around me? They poke and prod and pry."
He clenched his fist, bringing it to his heart, as he spoke again, "Sometimes I wish that I'd just… DIE!"
The relatives of Tai were now worried.
The background changed back to the forest, revealing that Tai was not alone. Standing around him were a much younger Glynda, Qrow, Ozpin, and Oobleck. They had been looking for Tai, who had stormed off in anger from his house. His newborn daughter, Yang, had been crying all night, keeping him awake. His friend and teammate, Summer, had stayed behind to look after the infant as her father cooled off.
Qrow told him bluntly, "Oh, come on, Tai. Your life's not that bad."
"Yeah, plus you already died once!" Oobleck added, reminding Tai of his near-death experience.
Very worried! Their father/brother-in-law died already?! A few wondering how he was even alive, since Ruby, Yang, and Qrow never heard of this. Then again this is another dimension.
"And whose fault was that, Caboose?" Tai retorted, using Oobleck's old nickname form school. He also remembered how it was Oobleck who had caused his temporary death.
"Qrow did it." Oobleck said, pushing the blame onto Tai's (ex) brother-in-law.
Qrow took offense at that remark and passed the blame on. He cried out, "Glynda did it!"
Glynda, not at all amused, simply said, "I would rather not get involved in this."
Now angrier than before, Tai shouted, "All of you shut up! You want to know about my life? I'll tell you."
"This doesn't seem good." Yang said out loud with her sister nodding.
"I'm sure he'll be fine. Just needs to let out stress." The violent way from the looks of it. Qrow then nudged Yang to cover Ruby's ears as he was pretty sure some 'interesting words' were about to be said.
"Hey!" The young Rose said not happy what was going on.
"Really Nora?" Ren said the same thing, only this was because Nora was blocking his ears for some reason.
"Sorry Renny. But you shouldn't hear any of this." The childhood friend just sighed. This was going to be a bit vexing.
The scene changed to show Tai in his house, using a vacuum to clean the floor, while holding a crying Yang, as the kitchen caught on fire. As all this was shown, a disembodied Tai narrated, "My nine to five is filled with misery."
Yang cringed a bit.
It shifted to show the man lying on a couch, throwing darts at a wanted poster of his Ex-wife, Raven, who had ran out on him and their daughter. She said that she was going out for a bit, but never came back. "My ex-wife is such a BITCH to me,"
Qrow couldn't deny that.
It then changed to show a tiny graveyard with three gravestones, each one inscribed with Tai's name. Two graves were buried, and another was waiting to be filled. "I think my near-death count's pushing three,"
Ruby may not be capable of hearing-dang it Yang-but even she was worried. Slowly chewing her nails.
The screen returned to the forest, where Tai was now standing, glaring at the unwanted company. "I just don't get how this is hard to see."
It shifted to Tai in his bed, late at night, his bloodshot eyes crying as his daughter's cries echo in the distance. Tai's voice began to break as he sang, "And as I lie awake at night… I. Just. Want. To. DIE!"
"Oh please!" Qrow scoffed, folding his arms as he began to sing. "You're overly dramatic."
Ozpin, agreeing with Qrow, added, "You're clearly, asymptomatic."
Glynda chimed, nodding her head dramatically as she spoke. "Your life is hardly, that traumatic."
Oobleck, for some reason, added, "But your girlfriend is half-aquatic."
His eye twitching, Tai glared daggers at the idiots standing before him. He then angrily bellowed, "Y'know, I think I change my mind. I, wish, you'd, all, DIE!"
It would appear things were becoming bad. From how things were going, also a lot worse.
Ozpin argued, "C'mon buddy, you've got a good thing going for ya!"
"Is that any way to talk to your teammate?" Qrow shot back.
Oobleck then nonsensically added, "Yeah! Or you girlfriend?"
Their voices began to meld together, as their incessant voices become one loud, obnoxious cacophony of unbearable chatter. Tai looked at each speaker, trying to speak up, "No, really, guys- shut up."
"Oh boy." Qrow muttered knowing where this was going. Yang now covering the protesting Ruby's eyes from seeing what was about to happen.
Winter oddly doing the same confusing and somewhat annoying Weiss.
Ren just slapped Nora's hand saying, "No."
In any case the Tai of this dimension was about to blow.
His voice is drowned out as they continued talking. Getting fed up with their needless chatter, Tai spoke up again, "I had a whole song planned."
It finally became too much for the man, as his anger reached the threshold, causing him to lose his temper. His face and eyes burn red as he squawks, "Shut up! Shut Up! JUST SHUT THE FUCK UP!"
The scene changed to Tai standing atop a rock, overlooking a waterfall that was near his house. His arms were reaching to the sky, as though asking for the Gods to help him. He continued to sing, though this time, it came out like he was screaming. "Living here's not going well!"
It changed to him standing in front of his home. "This house is my detention cell!"
It changes back to the forest, With Tai declaring in desperation, "I feel the need to scream and yell!"
He then focused his attention on his co-called friends who were trying to "help" him. He then all but screeched, "I wish that you'd all BURN IN HELL!"
"He must be under quite the stress." Ironwood said with Oscar nodding just a bit. Actually tense under the pressure Tai was giving off. The poor man having lost it.
The group of adults now stood silently as Tai vented out his frustrations on them. The man stomped his foot, face red with anger, as he screams out with spit flying out of his mouth. "Oh, oh, and it gets worse! I have been to jury duty THIRTY-SEVEN times! I always get the middles seats on flights! Last year, no one wished me a happy birthday!"
He pointed to Qrow, "I always have to bail your drunken ass out of holding!"
...Qrow was-actually, is still guilty on that.
Then he Ozpin, "You never thanked me for helping you!"
...Ozpin couldn't deny that.
"You told me to become a teacher!" He shouted at Glynda.
...Glynda told Tai it was an easy job...That had been a mistake.
Then he turned onto Oobleck, "And you nearly killed me not once, but TWO times!"
If the good teacher had been here, he would be feeling uncomfortable.
He then shouted at them, "FUCK YOU! FUCK EVERYONE! AND FUCK THIS FUCKING SONG!"
The music faded as Summer approached from behind, holding a now sleeping Yang in her arms. She tapped Tai on the shoulder, getting his attention, and calmly asked. "You feeling any better?"
Tai sighed and said, "Yeah, actually, I kinda do."
His former leader smiled. "Good, because I've got some good news…"
Tai raised a brow, curious to hear what she had to say.
"I'm pregnant." She tells him happily.
Tai, after having his explosive episode, simply keels over. He had just died from shock.
"..." The frustration, grievance, and anger was quite high on Tai. So high, that the stress actually somehow killed him. The daughters and 'brother' of the man weren't sure how to feel. Luckily, before they could feel sad and horror with their dimensional father dying, the dimensional Oobleck came with a plan.
Oobleck, ever reliable, ran to his side, taking out some lightning Dust in his hand. He then shouted, "CLEAR!"
The green-haired doctor than shoved the Dust into the man's chest, jolting his heat. Tai immediately came back to life and sprang back up, taking a deep breath. Everyone else gathered around Summer, congratulating her as Oobleck helped Tai up.
He then told the soon-to-be father of two, "See, I told you so, your girlfriend is half-aquatic."
Tai, despite being happy, simply glared at the man and groaned, "Just shut up, Caboose."
The screen faded to black.
"Hm. That was interesting I suppose." Merucry put in his thoughts, finding the song okay. The anger and frustrations were quite amusing. Shame it didn't last long, or the death.
"I'm just glad was okay." Ruby was still upset Yang covered her ears for the majority of the song. But what could she do now? In any case, once she saw her dad again, she would hug and apologize to him.
"In any case, hopefully we won't see that again. Or anything like it. Right Mayden?" The Keeper of the room just whistled. "Really?"
"In other news," The Keeper began changing the topic. "We're all going to see another song."
"Again." While Blake didn't hate singing, the last 'song', if it could be called that, was really just Tai letting go of his frustrations. She didn't have high expectations for this next one.
"Don't worry, it'll be an actual song. One with first seats to watching the song being played in your world's afterlife in fact."
"WHAT!" Everybody yelled.
"The afterlife! As in the place the dead go to!?" Jaune yelled.
"The place where Adam probably went. Hell no doubt." Adam snarled at Cinder's words. However contrary to her thoughts he didn't go to hell. He went somewhere else.
"The afterlife. To think we would see such a thing." Glynda remarked wondering what it would be like. The soul of Ozpin wondering if it would be the white space he entered before. Then decided it might be something else instead.
"Hey Yang," Ruby asked her sister who looked. "Do you….do you think mom's there?" Summer died a long time ago. Naturally if an afterlife existed then surely their mother was their.
"I..don't know." Yang didn't want to give Ruby false hope, but even she wished dearly they may meet Summer again. Qrow now fully sober ready to see how this plays out.
"I should say something, but first everybody quite!" The Keeper demanded shutting them up. "Now," The Keeper continued hoping they wouldn't interrupt. "I will say this once and only once. You will see certain people in the afterlife, but not the actual afterlife itself."
"How come?" Nora asked.
"Because their are some rules here and there. Not even other Keepers can do this unless they have special permission. It's just rules." It was a shame the cast couldn't see paradise, but just had to accept it.
"In any case a certain person will sing another song. Now enjoy." With that the screen started gaining a little color. Everybody now ready to see what people they would see in the afterlife. Their hopes turned down when they saw who came up excluding one.
And their ends this chapter. Can you guess who will appear next? Plus, who will be joining them after the next chapter, where intermission will start next. Also, after the next chapter, if anybody has any songs they like and want to see it here, then recommend it on PM or the Review. I can't guarantee it, but if I like it I'll make a chapter with the crew seeing it. I already have on author giving me permission with his songs. Until next time.