An alarm started to blare. Yang slapped it and then it went silent. She rolled over and stared at the ceiling, still half asleep. She was never fond of mornings. She wasn't sure how long she just laid there, staring into the wooden ceiling of their room. Eventually, she pulled herself out of bed and stretched.
She saw that Ruby was still asleep and couldn't help but smile at her. She must have been tossing and turning in her sleep, the way her comforter was sprawled out and hanging off the bed. Yang walked over and fixed it for her before leaving their room. The pleasant smells of pancakes and bacon wafting up the stairs woke Yang up right away. She headed down to the kitchen as soon as she could and found her father sitting at the table.
"Morning, pops!"
"Morning, Yang. Ruby is still fast asleep?"
"Like a baby!"
"She'll wake up soon enough," her dad said as Yang served herself breakfast.
"Beacon gets closer and closer by the day. Still feeling nervous about it?"
"I think it feels a lot more real now," Yang said. "It's just… I feel sort of bad about leaving Ruby behind."
"You aren't 'leaving her behind', Yang. You're going out and living your own life. It isn't like you're abandoning her."
"I know, dad, but what if something happens while I'm gone?"
"I'll deal with it. You'll be going, but I'm sticking right here in Patch, so Ruby's in good hands. Besides, this is a good thing."
"Is it?"
"It'll be the first time in your entire lives that the two of you aren't together. This'll be a very important first. It won't be easy, but the two of you are going to have to learn to be apart at some point." Her dad waved his fork at her. "Just think of your time away as the perfect chance for Ruby to become more independent and get out of her shell. You want that for her, don't you?"
"Yeah, I do…"
"So, how was your night? I know that your alarm clock went off a while ago. Stay up until 4 AM staring at your Scroll again?"
"Maybe," Yang said.
"Well, just don't overdo it. No school, no work, no responsibilities, so sleep schedules don't matter. But you should make sure that you don't destroy it too much, or you'll regret it."
"Yeah, I know, I know!" Yang dismissively waved her hand. "I'll fix myself before classes at Beacon actually start. Just want to enjoy the freedom while it lasts, you know?"
"All too well, trust me. But, I'm going to have to rob some of that freedom of yours. I want to spar later. Once you're gone, we're not going to have nearly as many chances to, so may as well make the most of what time we do have."
"Yeah, you're right. And if it gives me another chance to put you in your place, losing a bit of time is a small price to pay!"
"You really think you're going to win?" Her dad asked with a laugh, "How many times have you lost to me now?"
"This time is gonna be different, just you watch!"
"If it isn't, you're in charge of making dinner."
"You're on, old man!" Yang thrust one of her hands towards her father, who firmly shook it. The two shared a look, a fiercely competitive flame burning in both of their eyes.
Yang spent the morning doing some chores, as she usually did. She worked more quickly than she would normally, fueled by the sheer excitement at the prospect of beating her dad in the fight. She usually found them painfully boring and monotonous, but having something to look forward to always made them more bearable. Once Yang was done with her chores, she ran outside of the house. She saw her dad out back already, stretching.
"Oh, you got that done earlier than I expected."
"Of course I did!" Yang did her own quick stretches to keep herself limber.
Her dad had taught Yang everything she needed to know about fighting. Beating him in a fight was a great way to make her feel good about herself. Why shouldn't the student feel good after defeating the master? Her win record against him wasn't exactly good, but she had to keep on trying. One of these days she'd have more wins than losses. She just had to keep pushing.
The slow, steady beating of Yang's heart began pounding in her ears as she and her dad both got into a ready stance. They stared each other down, waiting for the other to make a move. Yang was the first to move, performing a spinning back kick. A blast of her Aura shot from the sole of her foot as she thrust it forward, speeding towards her dad. He rolled out of the way and Yang sped towards him.
He parried her next kick, and now that the two were in close quarters, they began trading blows. Block after block, lucky blow after lucky blow. They danced around each other, trying to get into the other's blind spot, just for them to turn just as suddenly and disrupt the assault. Each hit of her dad's that got through stung just a bit, but Yang liked the sensation. Each and every punch she took made her stronger, so the pain had a purpose, even if she thought it was terribly cliche to put it like that.
Yang was starting to feel sore, and at that point, she decided she had taken enough of a beating. It was time that her dad was on the receiving end now. Yang's heart started pounding in her ears again, then a black shape rounded the corner. Just as Yang registered the shape as Ruby, she found herself slamming into the grass. She pulled herself up, her body screeching in protest, and pouted.
"Dammit, dad!"
"Sorry, Yang," he walked over to her and offered a hand, "but that's why you never take your eyes off your opponent in a fight," he added, pulling her up.
"Hey, Ruby! Heading out to visit mom?" Yang asked.
"Yeah. I'll be back later. Don't wait for me if I'm not back in time for dinner, okay?"
"You know I'm not going to be able to do that, Ruby," said her father, "If it starts getting dark, I'm sending Yang after you." Ruby shrugged, and her father sighed. "Take care, Ruby."
Yang brushed the grass and leaves out of her hair and brushed herself off. Her dad gave her a moment to reorient herself, and Yang was ready to pick up where she left off. She focused completely and utterly on her heartbeat, slow and deliberate. Then it began to pick up. It grew faster and faster, getting frantic. She started getting hotter and she started feeling more powerful.
Yang set off at a blur. She planted her foot in front of her dad, stomping down with so much force she kicked up the dirt. She winded her arm back and threw her fist towards her dad's face. He lifted his arm up just in time to block the hit, but Yang didn't let up. She unleashed a flurry of punches and kicks on her dad, not giving him a moment of time to retaliate. Yang was committed to breaking right through his defenses with force and then delivering the finishing blow. She occasionally saw her dad's Aura flicker, and she knew it was only a matter of time until it would break and the fight was hers. She pushed him back with each of her brutish attacks, but then one of her punches didn't budge him an inch.
Yang focused on her heartbeat again, and it slowed down, settling at a calm, rhythmic pace. The pain she had been feeling washed away. She calmed herself just as her dad turned the tables on her. Yang didn't last nearly as long as her dad did, and the next time she found herself on the grass, staring up at the clear blue sky, she didn't have the strength to pick herself up.
"Too Hot, Yang." Her dad walked over and loomed over her, hands on his hips. "I've fought you too many times for that to work. You should know that."
"Well, what was I supposed to do? That's the whole point of Cold!"
"Just Right, maybe? You might actually be still standing if you used it more." He scratched his head. "By the way, can you even stand?"
"No, not at all," Yang said. "I'll get up. Eventually…"
Yet another loss for Yang. That's just how she was for one on one fights. Bide her time, then simply overpower whoever it was she was fighting. It's what got her through Signal. Even if people picked up on it, once Yang went Hot, it was only a matter of time until they went down. There just weren't enough people who could take her out before she went Hot or could stand up to her once she did. Her dad was one of the few people who could.
He was the only person she's ever fought dozens and dozens of times. He's had time to learn and adapt. A Huntress wasn't someone who was meant to have rivals. She was meant to encounter Grimm and kill them before they could pose a threat to anyone. It wasn't like they'd be getting away and would run into her later, smarter and more prepared for what she had in store. How would she surpass her dad? Would it be useful in learning how to beat him outside of just getting her ego stroked?
Signal was a far cry from what she'd heard about Beacon. Whatever she'd learn there would probably help to answer those questions of hers. She could only hope that it would. After laying in the grass for a while, being caressed by the gentle breeze that was blowing across the island of Patch that day, Yang finally had regained enough strength to sit up.
"I think… I'll go see Ruby. I think talking to mom will be good for me."
She groaned as she stood up. It wasn't just the pain. The realization that she was on cooking duty for the night just set in. She was able to get up now, but she still hurt. Once her Aura was actually recharged, the pain would be gone. She just had to hold out until then. After cleaning herself up and getting changed, Yang rounded the house. There she found her motorcycle, Bumblebee. She'd have to see if it was possible to bring it with her. Beacon would have to have some sort of garage, right? Yang straddled her bike and revved the engine. Just like her sister, spending time with their mother put Yang at ease, and helped to lift her spirits when she was feeling down. It was just what she needed when she was in a funk like this. She tore off down the road, looking forward to spending a bit of quality time, just the three of them.
I'd like to thank everyone for reading as much as they have. This isn't something I addressed before, so I may as well do it now. The Beacon Arc will be very similar to the show. It isn't until after it that the major changes really begin to happen, but there's too many small things that lead into the immediate aftermath of Beacon, and things further down the line, that I can't just skip to the trip to Mistral since I assume everyone knows what's going on.
I hope you're all able to enjoy the journey to that divergence, even if more often than not, it'll be quite familiar.
