It had been a long two years, Taiyang reflected as he made his way back home, driving the small car back down the dirt road back to his house.

Raising Yang had proven to be both a challenge, and a blessing, one that he wouldn't trade for anything else in the world.

But for all that he was happy to have her in his life, he still worried for a variety of reasons. The least of which was the latest discussion he had had with Dr. Polendina about her unique situation.

As Polendina had put it, Yang's growth started out roughly double the human norm physically, and eventually tapered off as she reached maturity. But, according to him, that growth was also not on the same scale as a regular human, and the numbers he had rattled off made Taiyang anxious just thinking about it.

Eleven feet. That was the upper end for Yang's eventual height when she was finished growing. She would be six feet tall by the time she was entering Signal.

Meanwhile, he claimed that her mental growth was different. She would start off at roughly double the human baseline, and then her growth would increase for most of her life, until plateauing at biological maturity.

It was that kind of information that made him fearful for her. As much as he knew she was special, he didn't want to rob her of normal human interaction.

Yet what else could he do? He couldn't explain away why he had a daughter that was taller than him by the time she was fucking thirteen.

When he had informed Ozpin of the situation, he had offered him all the financial resources he needed to hire tutors, or even to outright forge more documents to certified she had been home schooled if he had to.

Taiyang might just end up having to take it, but he certainly did not want to. Yang deserved to grow up with people her own age. It made him feel powerless to know that, no matter what he did, he wouldn't be able give her a normal childhood.

Despite her origins, and her quirks, deep down she was just a little girl right now. One who was growing up way too fast, but she still laughed, she cried, and experienced emotions like the rest of them.

She wouldn't be able to have friends, or really connect with people. She would always be different, towering over others. Although he suspected that even if she didn't have an abnormal physiology, she'd be doing that anyway.

Yang right now was the equivalent of a four-year-old in size. She came up to his knee, roughly, and was already able to have full conversations with him, even if she didn't understand everything adult yet. Her second 'birthday' had only been a month ago.
It had been a small affair, with only Team STRQ, Ozpin, and Dr. Polendina in attendance. A poor turnout for a child's birthday, but it was what it was.

Even then, the other two had been there with various ulterior motives in mind. Polendina wanted to observe Yang's behavior in a 'normal' environment, while Ozpin had been there, in his own words, to make sure there was nothing 'unusual' happening with Yang.

That had been a fun day for Yang, but a stressful one for Taiyang because of their presence. Raven had been tense the whole time, but that was because she not used to such domestic settings. Hunter training at Beacon had been one thing, hanging out with her team was a matter of comradery.

But cakes, candles, domestic settings? She didn't take to it well, at all. Taiyang could understand why, and that was part of the reason why he had chosen to be the stay-at-home parent, for the most part. He did teach, but it wasn't as though he left Yang entirely unattended. Either Summer, Qrow, or Raven were there to make sure she wasn't getting up to trouble.

She did anyway, of course. Yang's name was apt in more ways than one, for she was filled with a boundless energy. Even at four, she was trying to climb trees, swim, do anything and everything in the great outdoors. She loved nature, and already had incredible endurance for a child.

At first, Taiyang had been worried she would hurt herself. But so many actions that would have given a normal child bumps, scrapes, and bruises didn't even break her skin.

Once, she had actually jumped from a tree while his back had been turned. When he heard the 'thump', his heart had stopped.

He had rushed over to her, frantically trying to assess the damage. She had been groaning on the ground, and he had checked all over to see where she had fell. Was it her legs, her back, her head? He was immensely lucky she hadn't snapped her neck on the way down.

When she said "Oh…tha's why you said ta' be careful.", and promptly got back to her feet with only a faint bruise on her head, he had been rendered speechless for a minute.

He had promptly grounded her for the next week and told her never to scare him like that again.

From then on, she had been far more careful when going out to play. He still didn't like her going out to do that sort of thing, but it was kind of hard to chastise her when he knew that there was almost nothing in the yard that could conceivably hurt her.

The only what he could see her hurting herself is if she managed to get into his workshop or something…

Hmm. He'd have to get a lock for it now.

But that could wait. All he wanted to do right now was to get in, eat, and relax for the rest of the evening as much as he could.

As he pulled up to the house though, he immediately began noticing things that put him on alert. Yang wasn't outside, running up to the car to greet him. Normally Raven let her run free in the yard, usually keeping an eye on her or occasionally doing things with her.

Not seeing Yang outside wasn't unusual in and of itself, but Raven's motorcycle was missing, too.

Had she gone somewhere? Maybe…but why didn't she just wait for him to get home?

He parked the car, and very carefully made sure that Rainmaker was firmly attached to his arms. Weapons armed and loaded, he approached the house, scanning his surroundings.

He got up to the front steps and tested the doorknob. Locked.

Deciding to take a gamble, he knocked on the door. "Anyone home?" He said in a jovial tone that concealed the apprehension he felt.

A few moments of silence passed, in which Taiyang half-expected to be attacked before the door swung open gently. Yang was standing there, holding the door open for him. "Hi Daddy." She said with a faint lisp, courtesy of her first missing tooth. She was wearing her usual play clothes, a set of jeans and a pale-yellow t-shirt.

"Hey there champ." He said with relief. At least there wasn't anything nefarious going on, like he had half-expected, but he still felt those alarm bells ringing in the back of his head.

"Where's your mother?" He asked after a moment, shutting the door behind him.

"She said she had ta' go out for a while." Yang told him. Before he could even process that, she held out a small envelope for him. "She said ta' give ya' this."

The moment he saw that innocuous piece of paper, he knew.

He couldn't even begin to work though the swell of emotions that boiled up inside him. It was with immense self-control that he took the letter from Yang's hand. "Thanks. Now, why don't you go outside for a bit, okay? Daddy has to go do a few grown-up things."

"'Kay" She said, walking past him to head outside. Taiyang thanked all the gods he could think of that, as smart as she was, she didn't understand what had just happened yet.

He trudged over to the living room and sat down on the couch, opening the envelope with trembling fingers. There was a letter, alright, written in Raven's jerking, slanted script.

Taiyang,

There's not much to say here. When we started to go out, there was some mutual attraction. We were partners, and it was only natural that might turn into something else. But kids? The 'happily ever after?' That was never for me, and you would be kidding yourself otherwise if you thought it was. I stuck around, tried. But a normal kid would have been bad enough, and Yang is something else entirely. Could I have given that kid what she needs? I doubt it. It's not my purpose in life, Taiyang. I'm a fighter, pure and simple.

Besides. This war that Ozpin's got us tangled up in? He's not telling us the whole truth. When he told us about the Maidens, and about Magic, I thought he was finally trusting us. But there's a lot more to the story, and from what I've pieced together, this is not a war that we can win. I'm going back to where I belong, so I can prepare for the worst.

Hate me if you want, but we're all better off. I can't keep living lies.

Raven

Gods

damn her. Gods damn her.

He couldn't believe it. Couldn't believe that she would do something so completely heartless as this. Abandoning him, abandoning their child. He knew Raven loved Yang, could see it in everything she did. But, clearly, he didn't know her well enough, because he could not believe that the woman he loved would do something as blatantly cruel as abandon them.

For fuck's sake, she had given the letter to Yang. What if she had opened it and read it?

The whole situation made him sick with grief and anger. It threatened to drown him in an acidic fury, and he was so desperately trying to keep himself above the waves of raw hurt.

Summer. He needed to call Summer.

He pulled out his new Scroll and dialed it. With growing dread and anxiety, he put up with the wait between beats until he finally got an answer. "Hey Tai, what's up?" Summer said with a characteristic cheerfulness.

"Summer, I…" It was a far as he got before a lump rose in his throat. He took a deep breath, because he had to do this, no matter how hard it was. "Raven's gone." He finally managed to rasp.

A pause of silence ensued before Summer spoke in a tone of pure incredulity. "She…she's dead? I thought she wasn't on any mission this week!"

"No, no no no." God, as much as it pained him to think it, it might have been easier if that was the case. "She gave Yang a letter to give to me, before taking off."

He could hear her take in a shaky breath, trying to process the idea. "That's…I'm coming over. Right now. Just stay right there." She pleaded.

"Okay." He said numbly, before hanging up. He took a deep breath, and tried, very carefully, to get control of himself.

He failed, and wept.


The instant Taiyang hung up, Summer was already halfway out the door of her apartment, snagging the keys to her car. It was a small thing, utilitarian and austere. A hunter lifestyle paid well, but Summer was never one to spend money unnecessarily.

She got in, revved up the engine, and sped out of her parking spot like a bat out of hell. The neighbors would probably give her shit for it later, but all she could care about right now was getting to her teammate.

As she drove, a glint out of the corner of her eye made her look up. It was a small picture hanging from a chain on the joint of the rear-view mirror. It was a photo of their team, all standing together, taken during their second year at Beacon.

Her hand reached out and yanked it down, tossing it on the passenger seat so she wouldn't have to see it. The sight of her team united, which normally gave her hope and peace, filled her with sorrow and anger.

Her hands clenched the steering wheel hard enough to make it groan with protest. She inhaled, drinking deeply of the clean air of the island.

How could Raven have done what she did? Abandoning a friend, a comrade, a boyfriend/partner that you were raising a child together with.

She didn't know. It was an action that was utterly alien in its scope. Never in her wildest dreams did she think that Raven was capable of such a thing. As prickly as she could be, she still valued her team. Or at least, Summer thought she did.

Before she could reflect more on the subject, she saw she was nearing the familiar beaten path to Taiyang's home. Gravel crackled and popped as her tires churned through the dirt.

She got out and looked around briefly, catching sight of Yang…

Who was hanging from a tree limb. Upside down. Using only her feet to clamp onto the branch.

…that kid really was something else, wasn't she?

Summer walked closer, and looked up at the little climber. "What did your dad tell you about climbing in trees, Yang?" She asked, bemused at the situation.

"Ta' be careful." She said slowly, sighing as she deftly managed to swing herself up, grabbing hold of the branch with her hands so she could haul herself up and around. Now sitting on the branch, she gave Summer a contemplative look. "How's a' goin' Auntie?"

"I'm fine, sunshine. Where's your Daddy?" She asked, doing her best to not give away her distress.

Yang pointed towards the house. "Inside. He told me ta go pway outside." A troubled look passed over her face for a moment, and she finally asked the question Summer had been dreading. "Where's Mommy?"

Crap. Yang was always way smarter than was good for someone her age.

"That's what I want to talk to Daddy about. I'm going to go inside for a bit, then we'll come and get you, okay?" It was a deflection, but Summer couldn't even begin to broach that subject.

"Okay." Yang said, a bit mollified. But Summer had no doubt that the girl was putting on as much of an act as Summer was right now. Even if Yang didn't understand what, exactly, had happened, she probably could pick up the gist of it.

Gods, if Summer had Raven in front of her right now, she'd personally nail her to a tree with a few arrows from Whisper and then beat the shit out of her.

"Play safe now." She said with a lightness of tone and a smile. Yang gave her a little grin in return, and Summer made her way to the front door.

Testing the handle, she felt it give. Bracing herself for the worst, she let herself in.

Taiyang was sunk into the couch, staring off into space. As Summer came in fully and closed the door, he looked up at her. His eyes were bloodshot, puffy, and when he saw her come in, he tried to speak. "Summer, she…I jus-" and he couldn't get any farther because she walked over, hauled him to his feet, and gave him a bone crushing hug.

He caved, and started to cry into her shoulder. She could feel the dampness of his tears soaking her cloak as he sobbed, great heaves wracking his body as expressed the feeling of his heart breaking into a thousand pieces.

Summer closed her eyes, fighting back her own tears of anguish. A few trails of dampness marred her cheeks, but she ignored it.

Instead, she started to hum a nameless tune, running her hand along her teammate's back in soothing motions.

Finally, Taiyang managed to calm down, taking deep, shuddering breaths as he composed himself. He pulled away and sat back down, Summer following suit.

"Thank you." He rasped, sniffling as he wiped himself dry with the sleeve of his shirt. She gave him a wordless smile, glad if nothing else to be there for him.

They sat in silence for a while, Summer not wanting to press too hard. She knew that Taiyang would tell her what he was thinking, and she was not disappointed.

"Raven left." He began slowly, growing in intensity. "Left…this note. Said that she couldn't give Yang what she needed, that this was all pointless, and some other rambling bullshit." He plucked the letter off the table and gave it to Summer.

She read it. She was not impressed.

The intensity of her anger, already uncharacteristically high, grew tenfold upon seeing for herself the depth of Raven's betrayal. It went beyond merely leaving Taiyang, although that was inexcusable. She treated her time with Team STRQ, her friends, her lover whom wanted to build a life with her, as though they were trash.

Instead of talking to them, or Taiyang, about the issues she was having…she just left. Left her boyfriend alone to raise a kid who needed all the attention she could get, and then some.

Yes, Summer was very much one to forgive. To live and let live. To build bridges, rather than burn them down.

But if she saw Raven again, forget beating sense into her. She'd destroy her, and bring her broken body to Taiyang, so she could beg for forgiveness.

It was a very vengeful thought, and in the future, she would probably regret thinking it. But for the moment, Summer took comfort from the idea of revenge.

But that would have to wait. Right now, Taiyang and Yang needed her.

"It'll be alright." She finally found herself saying, causing Taiyang to look at her like she was crazy.

"Summer, I was barely able to keep someone here with Yang when Raven was here, and with your help and Qrow's. How in the hell am I going to do this and keep a damn jo- "

"I'll stay."

The words slipped out of her mouth. She had been thinking it, in the corner of her mind. But to actually come out and say it was a step into unfamiliar territory, for both of them.

Taiyang looked like a fish out of water. "You'll what?"

"I'll stay." She found herself repeating with a growing sense of certainty. "You need someone to watch Yang? I can do that."

"I can't ask you to do that." He said immediately, shaking his head. "Yang is my responsibility."
"We all found Yang that night, Taiyang." She shot back. "You might have adopted her. But don't think for a single second that I wouldn't drop everything to help take care of her."

Her sincerity rang like a bell, and it surprised even Summer with its intensity. Taiyang couldn't find fault with it, although he still looked uncomfortable in the extreme.

She reached out and placed a comforting hand on his knee. "It's not like we haven't lived together before."

He looked down at the hand, before slowly placing his own over hers. He gave it a squeeze.

"You're right." He said quietly, still looking down. "But things are different, Summer."

"Not everything. Not what matters." At that, he finally cracked a weak grin, his eyes growing misty again.

"I appreciate it." He took a deep breath afterwords, and finally made himself look at her face. "I guess I really can't stop you. You'd probably end up occupying my house if I said no anyway."

"You got that right." She gave his hand a squeeze back, and finally let go, sighing deeply. "There's going to be a lot to work out. But you'll pull through. We'll pull through."

Taiyang hummed in subdued agreement before a look of pain crossed his features once more. "…I still don't know how I'm going to tell Yang. Raven is her mother."

Wasn't that one of the worst things about this whole mess? Taiyang was a grown man, and while leaving him was bad enough, leaving Yang was in some ways worse, in Summer's opinion.

"We tell her a version of the truth. Raven had to go away, and Auntie Summer is going to be staying with the two of you until she gets back." That was probably the best either of them were going to come up with, and it was mostly true.

Taiyang grimaced. "I don't like the precedent that sets. Yang's intelligent enough to figure these things out, if not today then sooner, rather than later."

"If she is that intelligent, we'll just have to trust that she'll understand our reasons for trying to spare her feelings." Summer pointed out.

"When did you become the thinker of the team?" He snarked, but not unkindly.

She gave him a look of faux-offense, all while trying to stifle her giggles. "Are you suggesting I'm not known for thinking things through, Taiyang Xiao-Long?"

He gave her a meaningful look. "If you did think things through, you wouldn't be doing this."

"There's nothing to think about." To her, it was true. Whereas others might have thrown their hands up in the air and wished Taiyang the best, Summer was not that kind of person. She would throw all her energy into this, because it was nothing less than her friend deserved.

Now, Taiyang had a genuine smile on his face, the pain still there but no longer crushing him. Summer took comfort from it, because she knew that he would truly get through this, so long as he could find it in his heart to be happy.

He rose to his feet, stretching out theatrically. "Let's just take it one day at a time."

"When do you not?" She teased.

All things considered, she probably deserved the couch cushion he threw at her after that.


The next few days were hectic. Summer informed her landlord that she was moving out and started moving all her things over to Taiyang's house.

It hadn't been as bad or as awkward as she had feared, putting her things into the house and making space for herself. Raven had taken most of her things with her, and whatever Summer encountered of hers she quietly stuck in a small box and put it in the back of her new closet.

Taiyang had wisely let her do as she wished with her things, and while he never mentioned it, she thought he was secretly grateful that she moved the remains of Raven's things out of sight.

Despite the brave face he put on for everyone, he was still hurting. But it was like any wound; He might limp for a while, and he'd carry the memory with him forever, but he would heal.

Yang was much the same. She had taken to the news that Raven wasn't coming back with what at first appeared to be a naïve acceptance, but that hadn't held up. Taiyang ended up holding her as she cried, wailing for Mommy when Taiyang tried to tuck her into bed that first night.

Summer had woken up the next morning and immediately informed the Hunter Office that she was taking an extended leave of absence for the foreseeable future.

She then proceeded to do everything in her power to make sure that Yang was cared for and loved. Spoiled the hell out of her, too, but she slowly started to taper down on that as things fell into a situation that might be considered 'normal' for their family.

Taiyang was so relieved to have Summer there permanently, knowing that someone would be with her. His gratitude was humbling to her, and it almost made her uncomfortable with its sheer intensity.

But she wouldn't trade it for anything else in the world, and she genuinely found fulfillment in taking care of Yang. She had never had parents growing up herself, and although being thrust into this new role was unexpected to say the least, she couldn't say she regretted it. On the contrary, she took to it with great enthusiasm.

For a short while, things had settled into a pattern, as they all finally came to grips with their new living situation.

But then, Yang came to them both one morning when they were having coffee, and that's where things promptly went sideways again.

"Daddy." She asked, faint traces of her lisp still there, but since gone now that her new tooth had grown in at record pace. "When am I going to get a sister?"

The jet of fluid that shot out Taiyang's mouth could have probably bored through a Beowulf.

Summer, well, she could have changed her name to Winter in that moment, she went so pale and still.

After beating on his chest hard enough to rattle the furniture, Taiyang gave his daughter the most confused and terrified smile Summer had ever seen.

"I…ah…Yang, a…a sister is, well…that's uhm…not in the cards right now, kiddo." He finally managed to get out, giving Summer frantic 'bail me out' looks all the while.

All she could do was try very, very hard, to keep all the blood in her body from rushing to her face.

To their immense relief and befuddlement, Yang gave him a sage nod, as though he had answered all her questions. "O-Kay." She pronounced exactly, before turning on her heel and walking out of the living room, leaving the two of them to enjoy the most awkward morning they had ever experienced since the time they walked in on Qrow changing.

It would have been an otherwise unremarkable, if intensely embarrassing moment that left both of them unable to meet each other's eyes for the rest of the day.

But only a few days later, Yang asked about it again. Taiyang had promptly sat down and tried his hardest to explain to Yang that 'Summer wasn't like Mommy' in the way she was thinking.

Yang had stuck out her tongue in intense thought before agreeing with that premise and dropped it again.

But then it came up more, and more frequently, with different variations on the question. Sometimes she would ask Taiyang, sometimes she would ask Summer, and sometimes both of them. Poor Qrow, having finally visited them after having dropped everything else to try and track down Raven, had been asked as well. He'd nearly fainted on the spot.

In hindsight, they should have suspected something of greater significance was afoot. Especially the wording of Yang's initial question. 'When', not 'if'.

Indeed, by the time it came to a head, they would be slapping themselves for not realizing sooner.

It was lunch time, almost a month and a half since Summer had moved in with them. Yang was glaring at her soup with a mighty frown for someone her age, and while it left Taiyang a bit mystified, he was also having too much fun watching her expressions.

"What's the matter, Yang?" Summer asked, eyebrow raised as she finally decided to intervene, having just finished laying out all the food for their meal.

Yang looked up at her, eyes blazing with a burning frustration that gave Summer pause. "Where is she?" Yang asked, with a pout to end all pouts.

Oh…Summer and Taiyang had talked about what to do if this came up, thankfully. Summer cleared her throat, and knelt beside Yang, so they were eye level. "Honey, we don't know where Mommy is right now, but we're looking very ha- "

"Not Mommy." Yang clarified, blinking owlishly at the clearly unexpected answer. "My sister."

Again, with the sister talk. Summer loved Yang, but damnit if that constant talk hadn't made life very uncomfortable for her and Taiyang recently.

Not because the idea was repulsive. But because more and more, she was trying to picture it in her head…and…and she was liking what she saw.

Oh. Oh. She did the math in her head. Two plus two still equaled four, but Summer + Taiyang was starting to sound like a sensible equation as well.

Well. Wasn't that a kettle of fish that she really didn't know how to handle.

But still, she had to answer Yang's question. "Honey, your Daddy needs to find someone very special to give you a sister." She tried, unaware of the peculiar look that Taiyang was giving her. "But, maybe one day, that'll happen."

"No." Yang declared firmly, thrusting an accusing finger in Summer's face. "You're hiding her."

…in strictly theoretical terms, that would be correct, if Summer was pregnant. But she wasn't. She'd know. Hopefully.

Taiyang finally stepped in at Summer's clear helplessness. "Yang, that's enough. No one is hiding a sister from you. We've already talked to you about this."

"No!" Yang slammed an open hand on the table, the force of the blow snapping one of the legs of the table. The bowl of soup placed in front of her slid off, crashing to the floor. They both stared wide-eyed at Yang, completely unused to such bad behavior from her. "You're hiding her, and I want to see her!"


In the deep, dark depths of the Immaterium, a single being slept in an iron womb. Floating in the Unspace of nightmare, time was meaningless. Stasis held sway over this occupant…but not completely. For dimly, the dreamer, the yet-to-be, had a connection with something more. Something outside the realm that would have kept it blissfully asleep until the stars died.

The dreamer could feel the presence of its companion, the same one that had accompanied it on its long journey. But it was not there with it, and it hadn't been for some time.

It sometimes could feel the connection and more-so recently. Emotions and images, distant yet near flickered in its awareness, and it gazed at them with wonder. It shared this joy of discovery with the other.

But now, in the other-place, it could feel the distress of their missing companion. It did not like that feeling.

The Immaterium reacted to the will of the dreamer. In an act of primordial, untainted submission, it granted the wish of the occupant of the pod.

Like a rock hitting water, reality rippled high above Remnant.

The dreamer rejoined realspace for the first time in ten thousand years.

Much like the one that came before it, the pod began its descent towards the planet. Only this time, it was not random chance that guided the pod. This time, the dreamer directed it, with its first word echoing in its mind.

'Sister'


Yang was inconsolable, and neither Summer nor Taiyang were able to reason with her. It was very hard to deal with a screaming child at the best of times, much less one who was capable of damaging furniture in her flailing.

Taiyang had picked her up at this point, restraining her in a bear hug and was trying to keep her from hurting herself, or causing any more damage.

Summer had already cleaned up the mess on the floor, and was right there with Taiyang, trying to soothe Yang.

But just as quickly as her fit happened, it started to die down. Yang was still trying to squirm in her father's grasp, but it was instead to try and look at something up on the ceiling.

"She's here, she's here!" Yang chirped in a bout of glee that left the two parents to look at each other with confusion.

Summer was about to ask her what she was talking about, before something clicked in the back of her mind.

"Taiyang…let's say, against all logic, Yang does have a sister." Summer began, dreadful comprehension dawning on her. "Where would she be?"

A pause, even as Yang continued to squirm in a vain attempt to escape Taiyang's grip.

Summer and Taiyang made for the door, nearly bumping into each other in their mad scramble to get outside.

Yang giggled as she was jostled, her antagonism giving way to a bubbly happiness as she was carried. She tilted her head skyward and pointed her finger up at the distant heavens. "There she is!" She practically sang.

It took a moment of searching, but then they saw it in the clear blue sky. A distant fireball, flying through the air like a bolt of pure sunlight.

It was the arrival of another gestation pod. And somehow, Yang knew about it.

That defied belief, to put it mildly. But the proof was shrieking towards the ground in a chorus of pure, unadulterated noise.

Summer regained her wits first, trying to figure out where the pod was falling. "Taiyang, we need to move. Get your scroll, call Ozpin and Qrow."

Taiyang was too busy staring dumbfoundedly at the meteor. Yang took the opportunity to escape from his grasp, laughing like an imp the whole time.

"She's here! And, and she's gonna fall over… there!" Yang said, pointing in a distant direction. Where Yang had fallen behind the house, this was falling to the right side, closer to the shore.

Summer didn't quite know if Yang was speaking just from looking at the object, or if that unnatural knowledge of hers was somehow guiding her. It could be either, knowing Yang's intelligence.

Still, they had to do something. Taiyang made an executive decision, scooping up Yang once more. "We're going to go after that pod. I'm going to carry you, and you are going to be on your best behavior. Am I clear?" He said as sternly as he possibly could.

Yang nodded and hummed in approval. With that, they took off running after the pod. Thankfully the tree line was much thinner, and the pod was falling at a steeper angle.

They had only been running for about a few minutes before it finally roared over their heads, pulping the unfortunate trees in its wake.

The shielded themselves from the splinters that rained down on them and couldn't help but flinch at the earth-shaking sound of the impact.

When they finally turned around to look, they could see a small clearing where the pod knocked down all the trees. Thankfully, unlike last time, very few had caught fire. It allowed them to pick their way easily through the debris.

This time, the pod hadn't dug as far into the ground, despite the steeper angle of descent. The force of the blow had compacted much of the earth around it, and Patch's rocky layer of soil meant there was little soft material to plow through.

It had landed more or less upright, allowing Summer to notice that it was exactly the same as Yang's pod. The only difference was the marking on the pod, this time two parallel bars.

"II"

"Woah…" Yang said first, looking at the pod in awe. Summer couldn't help but privately agree with the sentiment. It was a rather cool sight.

"My sister's a robot." The blonde finished in a stage whisper.

…All things considered, Summer could see how Yang thought that.

"No sweetheart." She corrected. "There's a baby in there."

"Really?" Yang said skeptically, turning a critical eye on the pod. "Are you -sure- she's not a robot?"

"She's right." Taiyang chimed in, slowly setting Yang back down on the ground. "You came in one of those, too."

"Is that where all babies come from? The sky?" She said, eyes going wide at the idea.

"No, you're just very special." Taiyang corrected, playfully mussing her hair, making Yang squeal and dash away.

As heartwarming as the sight was, Summer still knew reality was going to swiftly going to come storming in. "Tai. We're going to have to do all that crap again."

He froze, before slapping himself in the face. "Polendina is never going to leave us alone now." He groaned. Shaking himself out of it, he looked at her. "Fine, but he's coming to Patch this time."

"I think he'd go to the bottom of the ocean if you told him to." She mused, causing him to laugh.

"Are you two gonna open it, or what?" Yang asked impatiently, gesturing with both arms to the pod.

"She does have a point…" Taiyang mused, looking to the pod before glancing at Summer. "You want to do the honors this time?"

It was a big thing to be asked, but at the same time, Summer couldn't help but feel a little trepidation. Even though the pod was already here…actually opening would probably all but ensure a new kid in their lives. It was a gut feeling she had, and like most of her feelings, she had long since learned to follow it.

"Alright." She said finally. Picking up a branch off the ground, she walked over to the pod, and used it to press the release button.

With the same anticlimactic venting of air, the device whirred as it unsealed the occupant from stasis, before unlocking.

When it opened, Summer stepped forward to pluck the child from its seat, once the devices hooking up the baby to the machine undid themselves.

Unlike Yang, this baby was a little bit chubby, with a stock of brunette hair. Also, unlike Yang, she was already wide awake, with brown eyes looking every which way.

…she was also drooling. All over Summer's cloak.

Amused, and yet silently lamenting the fact she was going to have to change now, she cradled the baby and looked down at her. "So…you're Yang's sister, huh?"

She didn't answer, naturally, although at this point Summer wouldn't have been surprised at that.

What did surprise her though, was the way the little child met her eyes. There was an intelligence there that a child simply should not have, even greater than the awareness Yang had been 'born' with.

The little one gurgled happily, with a gummy smile on her face as she looked at Summer.

Then her hair changed color. From the tips up, Summer's distinctive red dyed the child's own nascent hairs. If that wasn't enough, her eyes changed radically as well, morphing into a silvery hue that was a mirror of her own.

It took everything she had to not drop the baby in sheer shock.

Yang came forth before she could even say anything, the two adults standing there dumbly, unable to believe their eyes. "She likes you." She said simply, reaching up to poke the baby on its nose. She shrieked in shock, which turned to happy sounds as the curious child looked every which way for that offending hand.

"Well…guess Ozpin was onto something about magic, huh?" Taiyang finally said, getting over it with the resigned acceptance of someone who had grown used to the hurricane of nonsense life threw his way.

"Looks like it." Summer found herself numbly saying, unable to take her eyes off the baby. The same baby that had very, very clearly recognized Summer as…well, as her mother. There was no other possible conclusion to draw.

It was an instinctual reaction from the little girl, and yet it meant the world to her. It was a sign, a placing of trust in the one to pull her from the capsule and into the world, in lieu of a biological parent.

Summer's heart swelled with…something. Call it maternal instinct, or whatever, but it was a mix of emotions that made her head spin.

Was this what Taiyang had felt, upon first holding Yang? No wonder he hadn't thought twice about becoming a parent. How could anyone deny this sheer, all-consuming love?

All at once, Summer no longer hated Raven. Instead, she only felt pity, for Summer could not imagine giving up such joy.

"Hi there." Summer cooed, looking down at the baby, no, her baby.

Taiyang came up close to her, standing at her side as he peered at the adorable child. "Seems like you know what it feels like to have a kid fall from the sky." He joked, his face radiating the same kind of joy Summer felt in her heart. "What are you going to name her?"

Summer considered it, even as the baby tried to reach up to tug on Summer's long bangs. "I don't know." She said thoughtfully, dipping her head so the baby could get a grip on it. "What am I going to call you, my little gem?"

Like a bolt of lightning, it hit her. "How about Ruby?" When the words left her mouth, she knew it was right. It rang like a bell, and the feeling made her shiver for a moment. "Ruby Rose." She finished.

"Rolls off the tongue." Taiyang mused, reaching down to tickle the latest member of their family. "Is your name Ru-by?" He said, watching as the new child reacted with enthusiastic wiggling.

"I knew she was here." Yang said triumphantly, looking extraordinarily pleased with herself even as she stared at her sister.

"Yes, you did." Summer said thoughtfully, appraising her thoughtfully. This whole day had been another one filled with twists and turns, half of which they still didn't have answers for.

Oh, damn. She knew exactly what had to happen to start getting those answers, and she was already dreading it.

Polendina and Ozpin were going to be insufferable.


AN: I live! I know, it's been a while since the last update.

I hit a massive writer's block towards the start of the chapter, and I simply couldn't push myself to break through it. Thankfully, chipping away at it day by day finally got me over the hump. The vast majority of this was written in the past two days, probably about 4-5k words in total out of the whopping 7k this weighs.

I know, I know, many of you are impatient to see the girls grow up. Well, we're getting there! The pace will pick up dramatically, and I expect that the two will be going to Beacon within the next two, to three at most, chapters.

Some of you might be wondering why I'm dealing so much with Team STRQ. The answer is because it would be unrealistic not to do so. I'm attempting to convey what I think would be their genuine reactions to these circumstances. Even then, this chapter took so long because I'm not convinced I did the best job.

But ultimately, I think I've done the best job I could have without adding even more extensive elaboration. So, take this chapter as you will, and know that now we're heading back on track.

The next chapter should hopefully take less time to do, but I am committed to producing a chapter of Greek Tragedy before I update Highest is Heaven again. So that might push it back a bit.

Thanks for reading!