With the sun far from rising, the night was rather still. There wasn't a cloud in sight, but small gusts of wind were audible from the house. Tossing, and turning, beads of sweat formed on her skin. Yang stressed in her sleep, like most nights, nightmares seemed to engulf her mind.
Darkness filled her vision for a moment then shifting to crimson red. A thin horizon line drew itself across the landscape, showing the floor, Yang felt present. Stepping forward, her combat boots created a ripple like water before fading out. She lifted both of her hands to stare at them, squeezing them as if they were real. Suddenly, a laugh echoed behind Yang. Recognizing the voice, she twisted herself rapidly to find a lone bridge, crimson red like the background with black shading where what would have been wood and stone. A girl dressed in black sat atop the edge of the bridge, swinging her feet rhythmically, gazing straight forward. Yang didn't even take a second to process, she sped over to the girl.
"Blake?" Yang called out, with a soft crack in her voice.
The girl continued to stare outward, till Yang's boots created a clunk sound on the wood, which caused the girl to turn her head to her. Suddenly, the bridge creaked and groaned, twisting sideways. Yang let out a yelp as she fell off the bridge, reaching out to the railing with her amputated arm, unable to grab it. Adams' Grimm mask flashed across the darkness in bright red.
Yang gasped loudly as she woke from the dream with a jolt from falling. Breathing frantically, she gripped her sheets in an attempt to stabilize herself, slowly bringing herself down from panic. Tears fell from her face to the sheets, leaving them temporarily stained. Yang's lip trembled as she shut her eyes bitterly.
"Shit…" She muttered.
After a moment, she reached under her bed to grab a shoebox containing several pictures and Ember Celica. Yang stared at the contents for a moment, before reaching for her single gauntlet with a shaking hand. She took it out and placed it on her nightstand with the utmost caution, revealing the first picture. Ruby piggybacking her older sister as a toddler. She took this out as well, preciously placing it next to Ember Celica.
Taking the next picture out, she held it endearingly, gazing across the picture, big red letters written "New friends!" with Ruby, Wiess, Yang, and Blake all standing next to each other. Her thumb grazed over Blake's side of the picture longingly. Yang closed her eyes again out of pain.
Letting out a heated puff of air, she stuffed everything back into the box and tucked it underneath the bed. Standing up, she walked over to the window to stare out at the forest.
Struck with an idea, Yang exchanged her pajamas for tight dark blue jeans with a brown bomber jacket. Quietly she slipped out from the house through the back door. The moonlight lit up the forest surrounding the cabin, as well as a tiny stone path, leading through the thick woods. Yang strode gently on the path filling her lungs with the crisp air. The breeze rustled the trees, sending a shiver up her spine as she walked. The trees opened up to a clearing containing a crystal clear lake shimmering with the moonlight.
Yang stopped at the edge of the water to gaze at the scene, then stripped all of her clothing, discarding them to a wooden bench which stood by the edge of the forest. Since being home Yang lost most of her muscle due to the lack of movement, however, she was still rather skinny because of how little she ate. The moonlight that shined the lake, accentuated her pale skin as she stepped into the water. A small gasp escaped her lips as the water went past her waist. Her hair grazed the water before being engulfed when Yang tilted her head to the water, rubbing her scalp. She dove under, feeling the prickle of the ice-cold water on her cheeks. Resurfacing, she wiped her eyes to study the full moon.
"You didn't even give me a chance." Yang whispered to herself.
Did she even stop to think about how I would feel? Does she think I blamed her for what happened? She continued to ponder to herself. There was this feeling in Yang's chest, undeniable grief squeezed her heart, it was the same feeling when someone dear to you lies. Only, it never faded away. Yang had the right to be frustrated. After all, she told only Blake about her abandonment issues. To her, it felt as though Blake had just forgotten about it. During their time at Beacon, Yang believed they were close enough to trust her with this, but maybe Blake didn't fully understand.
Yang dove again, attempting to clear her mind, this time trying to stay under for as long as possible. Unable to hold it anymore, she came back up to the surface, gasping for air, her heart beating fast and hard. Taking another moment to breathe, Yang couldn't help but remember her time with Blake, all the times they laughed together. She opened her once bright lilac eyes, which were suddenly dimmed from her realization that things could never be like they once were. Baring a blank look, Yang strode out of the water to the shore. After dressing up, she wandered back up to the house without much more thought.
Since being brought home, Yang didn't do much else than grab the mail, sweep the deck and wash some dishes occasionally. Daily nightmares left her drained of energy and motivation. Yang cried many nights, falling asleep only when she was so tired from her body seizing and wheezing. She would pass out without even realizing. It had become a routine for her to escape out the back door to the lake. It was the only place she could calm herself. Even though Yang knew there were potential Grimm in the forest, she never carried a weapon with her. She tried her luck each night with little hesitation because she didn't care. The cold water was her only high, now that she couldn't fight. Yang was furious that Blake left, all of them, but to have her fighting taken away from her was devastating. She knew that trying to fight Grimm with only one arm was pointless, so she didn't.
Yang woke up feeling more groggy than usual. Unable to go down to the kitchen just yet she laid there, staring up at her ceiling mindlessly.
She gave a great sigh and made her way down. Whilst grabbing a large cup of coffee, Yang saw a new sticky note on the fridge and curiously plucked it off to read it.
"Happy Birthday my sunny little dragon! I'm so sorry, there was an emergency at work, but I'll most likely be back by noon." Was scrawled in her father's handwriting. Pursing her lips, she simply stuck it back on the fridge. Yang hadn't even noticed her birthday had come as she didn't care about trivial things like that anymore. She didn't blame her father, Tai, for not being here too. He had work and that was more probably important. Though Yang couldn't help but feel slightly bitter that she wasn't with her friends like every other year.
Plopping down on the living room couch, Yang placed her mug on the coffee table in front of her, next to a short pile of books. She grazed it with her eyes lovingly before clicking on the TV with a remote.
"Beacon Academy is still undergoing repairs, all the local huntsmen and huntresses are doing their best to fix the campus, as well as the local towns." A woman with a sharp tone began to report. "Not to mention clearing the dozens of Grimm still wandering the grounds, continuing to attack the people working to restore this prestigious academy to its former self." She concluded before switching to another topic.
"In other news, the only known suspect for the attack, Adam Taurus, still hasn't been arrested." Yang drew a sharp inhale and froze, her eyes fixed to the screen. "He is known for being associated with the White Fang as one of the leaders and is being charged for numerous murders." The reporter continued. Yang wanted to shut off the TV, but couldn't move a muscle. "If you have any information on him please report it to the-"
The door right next to the living room busted open.
"Happy Birthday!" Tai exclaimed while holding several bags in his arms.
Yang jumped two feet back, absolutely shaken by the intrusion.
"Shit!" She yelled as she stood up defensively. Her eyes became beady as she stared at Tai, who was horror stuck as well to have caused such panic in his daughter.
"I'm so sorry I scared you, are you okay?" He stammered as he dropped his items to reach out with his hands. Yang held out her own as a stop sign to keep him from getting closer.
"I'm okay, I just thought you were someone else." Yang gulped. She picked up the remote and turned the TV off. "How was work? You're back early, is everything okay?" Tai approached her to pull her into a deep hug. Holding her tightly, he said softly:
"Happy birthday my sunny little dragon." Yang released her stress hesitantly before nuzzling her face into his chest, accepting it. They hugged for a minute before pulling away. "It's not every day you turn nine-teen is it?" He followed up. Yang put on a fake smile for him.
"Work had a false alarm, some idiot student tried to sneak into Signal, causing the alarm to go off. Have you had breakfast yet?" Turning the conversation to her.
"Oh, I'm not too hungry this morning, to be honest. Maybe lunch?" She asked softly, sitting back down on the couch uncomfortably.
"Yeah of course, whenever you want. But you should check this out, it came right on time in the mail this morning!" Tai said excitedly while pulling out a long white box with the Atlas logo centered on it. "Came all the way from Atlas, before I even asked, Ironwood had his top scientist working on this for you."
"For me?" Yang said.
"For you and you only," Tai responded proudly. She slid the top of the box off, revealing a sleek, brand new prosthetic arm. Its silver accents shined with its matte black joints. Yang's sad eyes grazed across it.
"Brand new, state of the art, Atlas tech."
Still shaken and frankly exhausted she leaned back on the couch, moving her gaze away from it.
"Ironwood wanted me to tell you that you fought admirably. You should be proud of yourself." There was a pause.
"Well, don't you want to try it on?" He said anxiously.
"Ah, maybe later? I didn't sleep too well, so… I'm pretty tired." She said apprehensively.
Tai seemed disappointed, yet with a mild sigh, he let her go. "Well, okay." Yang gave a small nod before standing up to head to her room. Halfway up the stairs, she turned to Tai who hadn't moved yet.
"Thanks, Dad."
Then proceeded to her room.
Later that day, Yang was organizing her room, clearing the floor of the stinky laundry when she noticed that the prosthetic arm had appeared on her nightstand. Tai must have come up during the day and placed it there, she thought.
Suddenly, she heard the distinct sound of laughing coming from the kitchen, they sounded very familiar. Peering into the room she found Tai, Professor Port, and 'Doctor' Oobleck sitting around the wooden table, in the middle of a story. Each of them had a drink accompanied by blushed smiles.
"-and then I shouted at him to get down, but it was too late! Qrow got up on the stage wearing the girls' skirt and-" Tai paused as he saw her leaning on the corner of the wall.
"Yang! Come, sit down, would you like a drink?" He exclaimed.
"Oh, Miss Xiao Long! How nice to see you again!" Oobleck said excitedly. He was an extremely tall, lanky man with circular glasses and spiky green hair. He of course also had his usual clothes on, a partially untucked white button-up with a long solid yellow tie loosely hanging around his collar, and black pants.
"Yes, how are you?" Port added. Peter Port was a large man with bushy grey eyebrows and a mustache. He wore a double-breasted burgundy suit with gold piping and buttons and pants tucked into olive boots. "I'm doing okay Professor." Yang lied to avoid the awkward conversation that could follow, but regardless she took a seat at the table comfortably by propping one knee up while the other hung from the chair. Her eye nervously caught the bottle of booze sitting in the middle of the table. Taking a quiet breath, she declined Tai's offer, instead taking some water.
"As I was saying, I couldn't stop Qrow from getting on stage wearing that girl's skirt, and he just grabs the mic from Ozpin and starts singing the national anthem in front of the whole school!" Tai bent over laughing as the two teachers also erupted with laughter. Yang herself laughed too, a deep meaningful laugh filled her up with warmth, a feeling she hadn't experienced since school. Tai, hearing his daughters laugh, stopped and snapped his head up with joy. He looked at her with an endearing smile.
"So, what are you guys doing here?" Yang asked after she finished laughing.
"Well despite popular belief, we teachers have a life outside of the classroom. We needed a break from restoring the school, and thought it would be nice to remember some old stories with a drink or two." Doctor Oobleck chimed.
"It's been difficult with Grimm numbers rising," Port added
"This incident shook the kingdoms and towns. Whoever brought this attack made it look like Huntsman and Huntresses were helping the Grimm take down the Atlas soldiers. No one trusts them now." Tai said bitterly.
Yang swung her body to face him."That's ridiculous! We risked everything to protect the people! Haven't they been told that the Atlas military was hacked by Torchwick?" Yang asked frustratedly.
"I'm afraid they have actually, Ironwood told them, but the world saw prior a student who broke a boy's leg after he had already been beaten."
"I told you, he attacked me." Yang interrupted with a hurt tone.
"Maybe, but everyone saw differently. They also saw students attacking the soldiers on TV. Simply put they believe their eyes, instead of him. Ironwood was quite rattled by the fact that his army was taken down in one fell swoop. His paranoia grows by the minute." Tai rebutted.
"I know friends, students, who died fighting. It disgusts me to hear that they hate us." Yang gritted her teeth, gripping her stump, fuming.
"It bothers us too, Miss Xiao Long, but we don't focus on that. We can only attempt to reclaim the people's trust." Port stated calmly.
"I understand." She said softly.
They chatted for several more hours, until they started to yawn, deciding that it would be best to return home. As Yang and Tai showed them outside Port asked:
"Yang, could I have a word with you?" Gesturing away from her father and Oobleck with a nod.
"Sure, what did you want to talk about?" She asked awkwardly.
He leaned over to her, raising his eyebrows to reveal his dark brown eyes, he said as calmly as ever: "Amidst the madness, it's important to remember the happy moments of your life and hold onto them. Never let the enemy take them from you." He slid a piece of paper into her hand and with a small wink, he walked away. Yang didn't say anything, just stared oddly. She slipped the paper into her pocket and joined Tai in saying goodbye.
"Thank you for having us Tai, we do hope we see you both again soon." Oobleck said kindly. "Stay safe." With a wave, they disappeared into the forest.
It wasn't until Yang was in her room again that she looked at the paper he gave her. She unfolded it to find a picture of her class. Various faces were lined up, and in the front were Ruby, Wiess, Blake, and Yang all standing next to each other. Big smiles were on each of them, you could see their eyes glittering, trouble-free. Yang yearned to be back there so badly, it made her heartache. She folded it back up and tucked it in her nightstand drawer.
The screeching Grimms howl's echoed through the ruins, mixed with the screams of students, sending terror down Yang's spine. Standing there in the middle of the scene where it happened, Yang looked in front of her to see Adam, slowly walking toward her. She started to shoot him sloppily with her gauntlets, but the bullets just passed right through him. He got closer, drawing his blade, pointing it at her. Trying again to hit him, nothing came out, she glanced down to find that her weapon had disappeared. As she turned her eyes back up, Adam came face to face with her, displaying a disgusting smile.
"No!" Yang yelled. It was a repeating torture. Shooting up from the bed, she ran to the lake at top speed, not stopping till she got to the bench. Stipping down to her bra and underwear, she wasted no time jumping into the lake. Diving under the surface, Yang let out a muffled scream in the water. After staying underwater for as long as possible, she emerged gasping for air, her chest heaving.
"How much longer? How many more before I can sleep again?" Yang shouted furiously at the full moon.
"Well, that depends when you want to." A deep voice stated.
She snapped her head in the direction of the voice, to find Tai standing on the shore, staring at her.
"Didn't invite me huh?" He said jokingly.
"I wanted to be alone." Yang hissed, while raising her eyebrows, still fuming.
"What are you doing here kiddo?"
"I'm sure you can guess why actually." She said distastefully. "It soothes me, takes my mind off things."
"Nightmares?" Tai questioned.
Yang answered with a nod, averting her gaze from Tai.
He bobbed his head, looking away from her, pursing his lips.
"What was that supposed to mean? 'It depends on when I want to'?" Yang asked bitterly. "Well, I think it's pretty obvious, isn't it?" He replied plainly, but she just stared at him. "I don't know if you've realized yet, but you could come out of this experience, stronger than before, more resilient." Yang glared at him sharply. "You've been through more than the average huntress in training Yang, you know loss, you know the mistakes you've made. So, why don't you try again? What's stopping you?"
Yang turned to face the shining moon instead of Tai. Whilst admiring it, she responded to him quietly.
"Honestly, I'm afraid of it happening again. I don't think I would be able to handle this a second time Dad." She clenched the side of her hip for support.
"When you were at school, what motivated you to be a huntress?" Tai questioned her.
Yang wasn't surprised that he asked her, just unsure of the answer. Even when she was at school she never had a concrete reason as to why she fought.
"You know I've always been a thrill-seeker Dad, I love the adventure that comes from being a huntress, the adrenaline rush has always been my high." She didn't say anything at the moment, but she had always wanted to know the reason for her mothers' absence. Ever since Raven left, Yang pushed herself to find where she had gone, to find clues that could lead her to her mother, but due to a childhood incident, she knew her search would never control her.
"You can still do that, you've just gotten today a new arm today, so why haven't you tried it on?"
"I feel- I feel like it'll be a handicap." Yang muttered shamefully.
"You don't know that though. Give it a chance, and I'm sure it will be amazing." Tai said sweetly. "It'll be difficult, but I know you can do it, I'll help you if you let me."
"What about the nightmares? They won't just disappear." She croaked.
"You'll just have to do what you do best, fight it, conquer it."
Yang withdrew her gaze from the moon, she looked at him with beady eyes. The trees rustled around them, filling the gaping hole of silence before she said "I'm ready."
Tai held out his hand to her, as she took it, he pulled her from the water securely. After slipping her clothes back on, they started walking back to the house.
"I want to be alone when I put on the arm though." Yang stated sternly. Tai gave her a respectful nod.
The following morning, the warm glow from the sun-filled Yang's room, making it so comfortable, it was rather hard for her to get up. Laying on her stomach she groaned and nuzzled her face to her warm sheets. Nonetheless, she sat up and gave a long yawn whilst stretching her arm up over her head. The conversation she and Tai shared swirled in her mind till she fell asleep.
Yang thought about Ruby too. She had left for Mitstal with Ren, Nora, and Jaune after the fall of Beacon. Only, she hadn't said goodbye to Yang, she had just left a letter. Yang wasn't distraught over it, just disappointed she didn't feel comfortable enough to tell her in person. Yang was concerned for Ruby, not because she can't handle herself, but because she's still a child, still innocent. There were several times Yang thought about going after her, but she wasn't ready yet and she knew it.
Reluctantly, she glanced at the silver prosthetic resting on her nightstand. As if it was potentially going to attack her, Yang slid over to it with caution. She bit her lip nervously, pondering. She grazed it with her fingers, feeling the smooth surface, it was beautifully constructed. Yang flipped it over to examine its other side, the scientist's work was immaculate, not just anyone would have been able to make this. Picking it up with the gentlest touch, she slid the arm onto her stump, Yang's eyes suddenly started to burn as she held back tears, bringing her left hand to her mouth in astonishment. The arm truly felt natural. Squeezing her fist, she let out a choked laugh, a surprised smile formed on her face. It wasn't what she was imagining at all, she expected the new arm to be heavy, but on the contrary, it felt weightless. Curiously, she attempted to pick up the picture frame that was once propped up next to the arm. Grasping it firmly, she lifted it from the table. She practiced flexing her wrist, by turning it around in her grasp, before setting it down on the nightstand. Slowly, she brought her prosthetic hand to her face, grazing her fingers across her cheek. Yang froze, bewildered by the ability to feel warmth through her new fingers. How is this possible? She thought to herself. It was in no way the handicap she expected it to be, it was stronger than her old arm.
She was caught off guard by the smell of freshly cooked pancakes and sausage wafting through the house. Yang was going to join her father for breakfast soon, but she needed another second with her new arm. She hugged it close to her chest, it suddenly felt precious to Yang, like a dear friend.
Jogging down to the kitchen, she continued to flex the arm with amazement. Yang approached her father from behind him silently as he was trying to balance several plates on his arms.
"Let me help you with that." Yang offered as she grabbed one of the plates with her prosthetic hand. Tai thanked her, but just as quickly did a double-take. He gawked for a moment but replaced it with a small grin out of respect.
"Good morning," she said softly with a smile. "Smells amazing Dad." Bringing the plate she took from Tai, she sat down at the table and stuffed a pancake whole into her mouth.
"Good morning… You put it on?" He stammered. "How are you feeling?"
"Fantastic. This technology is incredible." She mumbled with a pancake falling out of her mouth. Yang cleared her throat with a short cough.
"I uh, thought about our conversation last night before falling asleep." She shifted to a much more serious tone, glancing up at Tai endearingly. "You were right, I can pull myself back up, now that I have this." Motioning to her prosthetic. "I have to find Ruby, she needs all the help she can get, she's still just a child. I know she has JNR, but something tells me this is bigger than the White Fang and some crime bosses. You didn't see the Grimm dad, there were far more than we had ever seen. Then this enormous Grimm broke out of a mountain. Roman Torchwick can't manage that on his own." She paused. "And I have to do it for myself. I need this." Yang remarked.
Tai felt a little choked up, "I am so proud of you." She beamed at him.
He truly did admire his daughter, he thought as he turned back the stove to continue cooking breakfast.
"I heard from Qrow, about the giant Grimm, it's called a Wyvern. They're incredibly rare, so much so that their existence has been questioned." Tai explained. "You're right though, you have to do this for yourself, but you aren't ready. You have to get strong again." Now turning to face Yang with a pan of sausages.
"So how many do you want?" Tai asked her very seriously.