This is the flip side to my story "A Torched Rose" featuring the growth from the hero's perspective. Though mostly focusing on Yang, it will flip perspectives just as "A Torched Rose" will.

BLWU
CH. 1 Summer's Lost Rose

{-Yang-}

It was early summer, crickets chirping on the island of Patch. Fireflies and sparkling stars lighting the sky like a bottomless roof of glimmering gemstones. Remnant's shattered moon watching over it all. Yang was learning against Bumblebee in a wooden shed off to the side of the Xiao Long household, holding her scroll to her ear. "Ⱡ2000… yeah, I'll have your money old man. I'll swing by tomorrow to have her fixed up… thanks." Beep

Stepping out of the shed, she gently stepped through the home's front door. Yang stretched her arms up and out. The house was dark, empty, and cozy. Even in the light-dark, Yang knew the home like the back of her hand and walked down the hall. Not bothering to check on her sleeping sister for risk of waking her, she passed the reaper's room and swung her own bedroom door open and collapsed on the bed, looking up at a poster of Achieve Men. With a grin, her eyes grew heavy and came together, allowing the night to take her.

{-Yang-}

Slam! Yang jolted awake. "Yang! Have you seen ruby!?" Looking to the door, her father, Tai Yang Xiao-Long stood there a horrified and pleading expression on his face. Still sleepy, she just groaned and hit the bed again.

"I'm sure she's still sleeping. She's but up late recen-"

"She's not here!" The sister's heart stopped. What?

"What do you mean she's not here?"

"I mean she's not in her bedroom Yang! She's nowhere!" Her father cried out.

She forced herself from bed and pushed her father out of her way. Across the hall, her little sister's door open. Yang found the room desolate of Ruby, of Crescent Rose, of any traces she had been there. "Did she already leave?" She asked, hopefully.

"I woke up to her alarm. I thought she'd take care of it... But it just kept going. and going. And when I checked, she wasn't... She wasn't there." Tai croaked. "I don't think she came back last night Yang... god gods." Her father broke into tears and broke down. Yang watched her father nearly break out into a panic attack as he whispered to himself, holding his head in his hands. "Oh, gods. Not again, not again! I can't take another! I'm sorry Summer! I can-!"

"Dad! We don't..." Breathe... calm down. She placed her hand on his back, "We don't know that she's gone... It's only been a day." She said reassuringly, hoping to calm the both of them. "Ruby's strong."

Running to her room, Yang quickly dressed herself in her huntress attire and sped off to the shed. "Dad! I'm going out looking for Ruby! Stay here to see if she comes back! If she doesn't return by lunch, call the police!" Not knowing if he had heard, she kicked the door open and uncovered Bumblebee. She was off in seconds. Rubes... I almost lost you once. I'm not letting this happen again. You want to be a huntress... you're strong. Please be safe...

{-Yang-}

After hours of questioning random pedestrians, now only meaningless black figures in her frenzied state, the dragon's scroll received a call from home "Dad! Did Ruby come home!?" She asked frantically.

"No… She hasn't." Her father still sounded horribly in pain, but much more calm. "I was on the television, and I came across something on VNN. A silver-eyed scythe user dressed in red and black stopped Torchwick... From Dust Till Dawn. Go there and look. If she isn't… I'm calling the police."

Yang's blood turned to ice, She confronted a criminal like Torchwick? "Got it… bye." Remounting her motorcycle, she sped off again.

{-Yang-}

It had been several days… And still, her sister was nowhere to be seen. The police had given up after 2 days of searching... useless. No wonder Torchwick's still free... they can't do anything right, She thought cynically. Dad lost hope and fell into old habits again... and only a handful of her friends had bothered to still look, leaving the devastated Yang almost on her own to search for Ruby. Yang was destroyed... Had she meant nothing to anyone? Was she the only one who actually cared? She sat on the Aerofin Ship, staring off into space as they approached Beacon.

"Ruby… where are you?" The question plagued her every waking moment since her sister hadn't come home that night. To make matters worse the dust shop her sister frequented said she had fought off that criminal. Looking up she saw VNN broadcasting off a holographic screen… Torchwick. I know you're connected to this somehow. Yang's eyes flickered between lilac and blood red, others around her could feel the hatred radiate from the blonde.

Glancing down her eyes softened back to lilac. She ignored the broadcast until the screen vanished, and in its place was the blonde teacher known as Glynda Goodwich. The students around were somewhat surprised at the advanced holographic technology being used. She was also there... Yang felt her eyes string as tears began forming, "Gods, I'm such a terrible sister…"

A holographic recording of a confident Glynda Goodwitch fired to life. "Hello, and welcome to Beacon. My name is Glynda Goodwitch" Aren't you a huntress, Why weren't you there to help her? "You are among a privileged few who have received the honor of being selected to attend this Prestiges academy." It's your job to protect people, why weren't you there!? "We are experiencing an incredible time of peace, and as future huntsmen and huntresses, it is your duty to uphold it." So why…

The berserker's eyes glowed red and punched the hologram hard. "WHY DIDN'T YOU SAVE HER!?" The teenager's fist passed harmlessly through it, cracking the glass behind Goodwitch. Now everyone was looking at her as she crumpled to her knees, surrounded in dying flames.

The voice recording continued as if nothing had happened, "You have demonstrated the courage needed for such a task." What the hell am I doing? "And now it is our turn to provide you with the knowledge and the training to protect our world." With that, the voice ended, yet not a soul dared to speak.

"Hey… are you alright?" Yang peered up to those around her, but she nothing but faceless, dark, empty silhouettes. This school meant absolutely nothing to her without Ruby in her life. "I'm… I'm fine, just a bad memory." She grinned and got back up before walking off. With that, the mood returned, be it somewhat heavy, to the ship, and the kids began talking again.