Cleaning had gone… About as well as one would expect. With the direction of Yin, they managed to make a good dent into the mess and get things moving back toward some semblance of normal. The scorch marks, which were superficial at best for the most part, took some elbow grease to grind out, and the careful maneuvering of rugs would hide the holes wrought by shrapnel for the time being.

However, some things were hopeless. Cushions too riddled with burns and holes had to be thrown out, illegible books tossed with them, and a solid hour was spent just trying to get the tang of smoke out of the carpet. The two siblings worked tirelessly, and at some point late in the day they stopped and crumpled to rest.

The two simply stared at what remained of the fireplace. The debris and scorch marks had been cleaned away, but there was very little they could do for the actual hole in the wall. That entire area was destroyed, giving a naked view of the foundational walls of their home.

"C-Can we even fix that?" Ruby groaned, laying face down and letting her tired body rest. Manual labor was not a favorite of hers on her best days.

Yin sighed and ducked his head, careful not to touch his face with his hands which were coated in grime and soot. No matter how he wracked his brain, he couldn't even begin to find a way to cover this up. It would take many hours and a whole lot of patience to even start to repair this; something neither of them had.

Then there was the upstairs bedroom. Yin had the foresight to shut off the house water supply the moment the danger had passed, but it was still too little too late. A nice pond of water had risen in that closet space, and the water heater was unsalvageable; more a wreck of steaming metal twisted under the force of an explosion. He just shut the door and ignored that part of the house.

Apart from those two, the house had been cleaned admirably. There were very few scorches along the wood finish of the home, anything destroyed or toppled was returned to its rightful place or thrown away. It had taken many hours, and the sun was well on its way to its descent, but it was worth it.

Yin coughed and pressed on his knee to pull himself up. He looked over to the split coffee table, one of the few remaining things left broken. His back flared up for a moment, a clear reminder that he was still very injured and that all this labor was going to have consequences tonight.

"Ruby, come give me a hand with this." Even his voice was utterly exhausted, carrying none of the usual vigor.

Ruby nodded into the floor before popping up. Together, they each took a side of one of the halves of the table and heaved it up. Physically, the eldest and youngest siblings were rather weak; Ruby on account of her small frame, and Yin due to his indifference to fitness. So when it came to things like this, teamwork was a necessity.

"Now… Just take it slow. We have to-" Ruby dropped her end, and Yin jumped in shock. The wood hit the ground hard, Yin hastened to drop his own end with the shift of its weight. "H-Hey! What the-!"

Ruby just pointed past him. Yin paused and looked over his shoulder, a sudden bright light filtering through the window landed on his shocked eyes. With how dark it had gotten outside, it was unmistakable what it could be. Car lights pulling up the path to their home.

They were out of time.

Yin backed off from the table in a clear panic, Ruby doing the same as she fretted over the state of the room. He glanced from the remaining destruction to the door, obviously weighing his options. There was no more time to clean; the state it was in currently would have to do.

Next, he examined his own hands; there was nothing that he could do for his injuries but he could at least clean himself up while he still had time. The feel of dust caking the lines of his palms made him want to vomit. Same for Ruby, she had gotten a little dirty and he was hesitant to bring her before Taiyang in any state other than pristine.

But first… There was something he had to handle.

"Ruby." He took her shoulders and kneeled down a bit so he could look her directly in the eyes. The girl blinked and met his look, tilting a bit in confusion and apprehensiveness at the upcoming event. "Before they get in here, I need something from you."

"From me? What do you mean?"

He faltered for a moment at her innocent expression, but braved on.. "I… I need you to promise me that you wont tell mom and dad about what happened here."

Silence. Ruby merely blinked at him owlishly. Obviously, she had no clue what he was getting at. He might as well have been speaking a different language.

"The tank. The explosions. How it chased us… You absolutely cannot tell them about any of that." Yin continued, never looking away from her supremely confused eyes as he explained.

Now she was aghast, reeling backward with a bewildered expression. "Wha- Hide it?! Why would we hide it?!"

Why indeed. There were many reasons he felt that they should hide it, but only a few made sense outside his brain. Deep inside of him, some long-buried instinct simply told him that under no circumstances should he reveal the existence of Sheer Heart Attack unless completely necessary. The why of that particular reason evaded him.

Even to his parents, the people he trusted above all else, he found himself shirking away from the idea of telling them. Did that make him a bad son? How could he possibly justify that?

Regardless, he had to be careful here. He needed her to listen to him, and he didn't have any time to waste.

"Look. There's no reason that they have to know exactly what caused all this. In fact, even we don't know what it really was. It'd be easier for everyone if we just kept it secret." Yin kept his voice level but made sure to show nonchalance as well.

"Well… That's true." Ruby allowed but still frowned, "But isn't that just more reason to tell them? If they know, maybe they can figure out what it is… And, and, if it comes back then they'll be prepared!" A fair point from her stance.

If it was a couple hours ago, he would have agreed with her. But he could feel it. He could feel that tank slumbering in his soul. It would obey his commands, and although he disliked Ruby he would never allow it to threaten his family again.

"It won't come back, Ruby. At least, it won't put us in any danger ever again." It was difficult to explain when even now he still had no idea what the tank actually was. But Sheer Heart Attack was his, whatever it was. That was all that mattered.

"Its gone for good. If we tell them now we'll just end up making them worried for nothing."

"W-worry them…?" Ruby hesitated again.

A stray thought passed through his mind and he latched onto it, realizing an opportunity to sway the young girl, underhanded as it was, "Yang has… She's been having a rough time lately. She's been stressed, and worried. It wouldn't be fair to bother her with this right now."

He found that he actually meant that despite his intentions. After last night, the last thing he wanted to put on her mind was the idea that she would need to protect them sooner than she expected. Or that she wasn't there when they were in danger. Sheer Heart Attack wasn't a danger any longer, but he still didn't want to burden Yang with the paranoia that knowing of its existence could bring.

Ruby obviously didn't know about that fact, "She… Really? I-I never knew…" Yin merely sighed at her downcast expression. At times, Yang was as good at hiding her feelings as he was. She was brash and prone to outbursts of anger or irrationality of course, but she often chose to keep her more sensitive issues close to her chest. That's why it didn't surprise him that Ruby didn't know about her troubles, despite their closeness.

"Yang rarely ever talks about stuff like that. Usually I have to drag it out of her." Yin chuckled, but his eyes grew more panicked when he saw the lights disappear from the window. Time was quickly running out. "Look. She just got her weapon. There's no reason to worry her with what happened this morning. Do you agree, Ruby?"

Ruby looked down and digested his words. He was swaying her, slowly but surely. It was an uphill battle, but he knew he was getting through to her. But it was still up in the air whether or not she would agree; their very lives had been in peril after all- worrying their family paled in comparison to the idea that it could possibly happen again.

If it came down to it, he may have to take more drastic measures to ensure her silence; such as threatening her.

But… His stomach rolled. For some reason, he wasn't all that comfortable with the idea anymore. It would be better if it didn't come to that. Easier.

Eventually she looked up. Blue met silver, and an elder brother frowned heavily.

Taiyang crouched down and fit his hands under his daughters arms, easily lifting her light frame free of her seat and out of the stationary car. His wife was right beside him, stooping down to wipe a strand a drool and matted down hair out of the little girls face.

"Welcome to the land of the living, Yang."

"...Whuzzat?"

Summer giggled, nudging the girl forward even as she stared blearily up at them. "We're home. You slept the whole way back, lazyhead."

"Oh…" Yang still didn't look all there. It wasn't all too surprising, she had spent almost the whole day on her feet after all. "What about my weapon?"

The patriarch placed a guiding hand on the tiny girl's back so she didn't end up tipping over into the rosebushes, "Your mom has it. She'll take good care of it until you learn how to use it." Probably spend the next two hours polishing it too.

He couldn't exactly let her have it when she was prone to rough play with her brother. Until he was certain Yang wouldn't accidentally break Yin's ribs with a playful jab, he would hold onto it.

The three trekked across the stones imbedded in the dirt leading up to their front door, the particularly thick snow and frigid air making them huddle together closer. Their little outing had taken much longer than any of them anticipated, and night had already fallen.

"Come on. I'm sure you're dying to surprise Yin and Ruby with your weapon."

Clearing the last step up to the quaint wooden door, Taiyang moved to open it only to pause abruptly. His hand hovered over the knob as he frowned, a mote of hesitation worming into his heart.

Ruby and Yin… The two weren't exactly close… and that was being generous. His hope was that the time alone would at least bring them closer, perhaps help them work out their differences just like he had with his own team.

Some overly paranoid part of his brain half-expected to walk in and find the two half-dead, likely after getting into a deadly brawl over something unimportant. Was it nonsensical? Yes. But kids were nonsensical. So he felt he could be forgiven for the hiccup of trepidation in him.

He chuckled to himself on the doorstep, earning a few incredulous looks from the most important girls in his life. Yeah right… Even if he thought the two actually disliked each other enough to reach that point, he knew Yin. His son was as level headed as they came. He wouldn't let it escalate that far.

The door groaned open, meeting resistance that it never had before. Dust spilled from the seams in the wood, making Taiyang cough as the entrance opened up completely.

The family stood stock still.

Burn marks, hole-riddled furniture, crushed fixtures and scattered flecks of trash… And standing side-by-side in the middle of it all were Yin and Ruby.

Ruby fidgeted on the spot, her thumbs twiddling as she stared up at them with an extremely shy smile. Her dress had a few streaks of ash here and there that flecked off as she shifted from one foot to the other.

Yin stood just beside her, his hands crossed resolutely behind his back as he tried to not meet his father's gaze. If the state of the room made Taiyang stop cold, then the sight of his son made his heart stop completely. On his cheek just beneath his eye he had a sloppy bandage soaked fully in still wet blood. His thigh and shoulder were bandaged just the same, and his clothes had splatters of the liquid staining it.

For a moment, they all just stood silently. The returned family members appalled at what they were witnessing.

Eventually, Yin broke the silence with a weak smile. "Hey, dad..."

Yin winced as Summer pressed a cotton ball soaked in alcohol against the fairly ugly gash in his cheek, the intense burning pain coming from the area making him scrunch his face up- but otherwise he didn't move, and allowed her to continue dabbing away the dry blood. As she worked her limited medical knowledge, Summer rubbed a hand gently against Yin's aching back while shooting him a pitying look.

The family sat around in the kitchen, one of the few places completely untouched by the carnage of that morning. The two younger sisters of the family sat awkwardly in the background, giving space to their mother as she tended to her son. Taiyang himself hung back and looked at the house in amazement, obviously trying to construct in his head just what could cause such destruction.

Yang was alive with energy and curiosity, grilling Ruby for answers to how the heck the house ended up like this. Yang's childish interest caught the eye of Taiyang and Yin's ear, who tensed nearly imperceptibly.

For her part, Ruby only gave short non-answers. She couldn't lie to save her life, and she definitely couldn't ignore the questions, but she could play stupid pretty convincingly; especially in the eyes of an already tired and confused Yang.

The sheer absurdity of the entire situation was playing to Yin and Ruby's favor. Nobody in their family expected to come home to find the place in the state it was in. Paying thanks to his own received injuries, they would be more inclined to give them the benefit of the doubt and not scrutinize their answers too closely.

Very few things could spear through Yin's cheek, leg, and turn his back into the bruised mess of welts that it was. Their own worry and confusion helped him greatly. He could spin this story however he wanted if he played his cards right. Of course, that didn't make the task of lying straight to his parents faces any less daunting.

"This is a pretty bad cut, Yin. I wish you would have called for us… This might end up scarring over for good." Her words were gentle yet chastising. She didn't show it, yet, but it was obvious she was angered that one of her kids had gotten hurt this much while she had been away.

He couldn't meet her gaze. Calling them home would have defeated the entire purpose of lying. Having to deal with the pain was a small price to pay for the sake of his plan.

Though he couldn't deny the flutter of warmth that settled in his stomach. It felt… nice to feel her worry.

As Summer peeled back the stained cotton ball and picked up a roll of gauze, Taiyang stepped forward. He grabbed the head of a chair and pulled it out so he could sit directly in front of his son. Even sitting down, the man towered over him and made his heart beat just a little faster. Tayiang's face was stern, but there were the unmistakable line of concern keeping it from being too intimidating.

That didn't stop him from shifting uncomfortably in his seat.

"You feeling okay Yin?"

Yin nodded, lightly touching the now professionally wrapped wound in his leg. "Yeah. I'm feeling fine. A little sore, I guess, but fine."

He had felt worse before, after all.

"Good. " Tai sighed, a small weight lifting from his shoulders, "Okay. Yin, just what the hell happened while your mother and I were gone?"

There it was. Yin steeled himself internally, preparing himself for what he was about to do. He could feel Ruby's eyes on the back of his head. The entire family's eyes were trained on him, awaiting his answer with bated breath. He only had one shot- one story to tell, and it had to be perfect.

So he played to the strength of anyone in his age group.

"I don't know."

Ignorance.

Yin pressed a hand against his head, making a show of creasing his soft features in thought as he met his dad's eyes. "Ruby and I were just hanging out in the living room a little after sunset when things just started… exploding."

"...Exploding?" Taiyang asked slowly. Sure, the house looked like it had been blown up a few times, but he didn't really think it was actually something like that. Off to the side Yang gave a shout of 'whooaa!' and Summer gasped in shock.

Yin nodded, or would have if Summer still wasn't wrapping his cheek up. "Yes. I… I was going to get a book while Ruby was eating in the kitchen when the fire place blew up. It caught me by surprise, and I fell onto the table."

Summer gave another gasp and her hands tightened defensively on his shoulder, a good sign to be sure. "I guess that explains the table… and your poor back."

Taiyang cupped a hand under his chin in thought, frowning, "The fireplace… Yin, did you turn the fireplace on?"

"Yes." He admitted, "I… I thought I did it just like how you showed me…" His father's eyes softened at the weak mutter.

Yin sighed internally, so far so good.

Lying wasn't about spinning some convoluted tale. After all, the more complicated a lie the harder it was to keep. Instead, for him lying was like playing a game of 'hangman' backwards. To lie to his parents, he pretended that he didn't know the answers at all. Instead, he provided sparse loosely connected facts while omitting certain things. In doing so, he provided a faintly clear picture with holes; holes that they would fill in on their own.

He didn't provide them with the answers. Instead, he slowly led them toward the conclusion he wanted them to come to.

Taiyang looked over to Summer, who hummed pensively. "The fireplace… You don't think it was…?"

"The fire dust? Maybe. I've never heard of fire dust doing this… especially such low grade concentrations of it, but it's certainly possible."

"Huh? You mean those dust crystals blew the house up?" Yang asked with wide eyes, the revelation came as a shock to her. Ruby as well had an amazed expression, though that was likely more due to her wonderment at how easily Yin just lied.

"Maybe. What else happened Yin?"

"Well… After the fire place blew up, I was going to take Ruby up to her room so we could lock ourselves in there. But I heard another explosion before we could get in. It… didn't sound good."

"The water heater…" Summer mused, thinking back to the steaming wreck they found in the kid's closet. She sent Taiyang a questioning look.

Tai could only nod gravely, "Dust based…"

Oh thank oum. Yin allowed himself a weak sigh of relief. He had no idea whether the water heater was electric or dust powered. If it was electric then he could have found himself in a very unfavorable position.

Yin continued on, pretending not to hear their musings. "After that, I decided to wait outside on the porch with Ruby until it was safe. I heard a couple more explosions and we waited for a while before we went back inside."

He finished his recount with a sigh. Looking at the scattered faces of his family warily. Taiyang and Summer were deep in thought as they mulled over his story, but there wasn't any sign of doubt or scepticism in their eyes as far as he could tell. Yang was clearly intrigued by the tale, but seemed more interested in the fact that Yin had nearly been blown up than the cause itself.

She had her strong gaze trained on him the entire time he told his tale. A touch of worry and… something else, burning in those eyes. Concern, and above all else- protectiveness.

A touch of unease settled over him as he caught her look. He may have to address that at some point before it got out of hand.

Ruby also watched him. Her face a mask of pure amazement.

'He… He made that look so easy! If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I would believe him too! Yin is so smart…' While his actions had hardly been praiseworthy just now, they still left an impression on Ruby.

Yin blinked and watched as Taiyang stood up and passed by him. The young man craned his neck around to follow his father's movements, the man moving over toward the pantry. He swung the door open and pulled out a bag from the bottom of the small room and presented it for the family to see.

The plastic bag still had a couple dull amber crystals rolling around in it. The family looked at the bag apprehensively, the fact that these seemingly harmless rocks had caused so much damage made Yang and Summer's heads spin.

"They're all still here."

"Looks like they only blow up when activated then." Summer surmised, before snatching up the bag and tossing it straight out the kitchen window. "I don't even want to imagine the damage if all the dust had blown up…"

Yin sighed again. Finding another few red dust crystals to refill the bag had not been easy, but it was worth it to keep up the illusion.

"It must have been scary for you two. I'm glad that you're both okay." Taiyang muttered in relief. This whole thing was a mess, and he dreaded to even think of the work needed to fix that fireplace. But as long as those two were alive and well, he would be fine.

"Yep!' Ruby chirped, pleased that the situation was finally over. "Yin kept me safe the whole time!"

Taiyang could only blink, "...Did he now?"

Yin rolled his eyes but didn't bother agreeing or disagreeing. Sure, he didn't like Ruby, but he wasn't just going to let her get blown up when he could do something about. Especially when his dad had already made him promise to keep her safe.

He was fine with lying when it benefited him, but he preferred not to break promises if he could help it.

Summer smiled despite the annoyed look from her son. "Thank you for keeping her safe, Yin. You were really brave today." Her hand gently rubbed at his back and his expression immediately melted. His eyes shut and all tension left his shoulders as he purred contentedly at the touch.

Taiyang gave another look around the house. "I guess I'll call a few people to fix this place up tomorrow. But we'll have to make do for tonight. Meaning…" He gave a pointed look at Yang, "No showers until we fix up the water heater."

"Aww man…"

Summer gave her own two cents, "Don't go near the fireplace either. It should be safe now, but we need to have a look at it in the morning." She glanced back over to her husband, "I'll call Qrow, see if he knows anything about it."

"Good idea hon. But… It's been a long day. I'm sure the kids just want to sleep now." Yang had been dead on her feet before this whole fiasco had energized her, but now she was beginning to rub tiredly at her eyes again. Yin especially looked like he was about to pass out at any moment from the hypnotic lull of Summer's fingers on his back; he was swaying in his seat with a serene look.

Yin only looked slightly disappointed as Summer moved away to pick Yang up and take Ruby's hand.

Yin laced his fingers and raised his hands high above his head, stretching his weary bones out with a hum of contentment. His back bruises flared at the action, but it was easily ignored thanks to a couple swallowed painkillers. Next he crossed an arm over his chest, his other arm crossing over that one as he applied pressure. Pleasurable pops rang out as all his accumulated stress began to fade away.

Things had gone better than he expected. The story was that for some reason all the active dust in the house had suddenly exploded, wrecking the place and nearly killing him. It was far from a perfect explanation and opened up even more questions, but any suspicion on him or Ruby was gone now.

With that, the secret of Sheer Heart Attack would remain just that, a secret.

Though this page in his life was far from over. This tank of his was still a puzzle he needed to unravel, and for once he had no idea where to even begin. Asking anybody was out of the question, but maybe there would be a book that could shed a little light on it? It was certainly worth a try.

*Thump *

Something soft crashed into the back of his head, making him stumble and blink in shock. Turning he found Yang lounging on his bed, staring at him with annoyance. A pillow thumped to the floor at his feet and Yin narrowed his eyes.

"Jeez… How long are you going to take? I wanna sleep already!"

"You're pretty bossy for someone who's sleeping in my bed… Again" Yin muttered in annoyance, already feeling exasperated at this arrangement.

Unfortunately, while his water heater plan did end up saving their lives, it had made the girls bedroom uninhabitable. They couldn't sleep in a room filled with an inch of water after all. So they would have to shack up elsewhere tonight. As soon as she heard that, Yang dashed into his room- not even giving him a chance to argue her decision.

"Oh stop complaining. You should be happy that your super strong sister is here to keep you safe from 'exploding dust'." She teased him.

"Of course I am, can't you tell how happy I am?" Yin asked in monotone, giving her a deadpan look as well that easily made her giggle. "Speaking of which… How did your day go?"

"Hmm?"

He wasn't too surprised that his scatterbrained sister forgot the entire reason she was gone all day. It was just part of her charm. "The shopping trip. Did you decide on a weapon?"

"Ohh! Yeah it went great!" Yang instantly brightened, basically vibrating with energy despite her drowsiness. "I took your advice and got a super cool weapon!"

"Is that so?" A small flicker of satisfaction settled in his stomach. Yang rarely ever took his advice on any matter, so it was always a nice surprise when she did and thanked him for it.

"So what did you decide on?"

"...Not telling!"

"Huh?" Yin stopped short. "What? What do you mean 'not telling'?"

Yang grinned devilishly, "Mom has it right now, so I can't show it to you! Plus, I want it to be a surprise!"

"A surprise?"

"That's right!" She affirmed, then yawned loudly. "-Ish gonna blow your socks off when you see it."

Yin sent her an unnamused look. Doubtful. Sure, he was interested in what she decided on, but he wasn't exactly dying to find out. It didn't really make any difference to him what she chose, and he certainly wouldn't lose any sleep if she felt some sort of vindication in withholding it from him for another couple hours.

He sighed good-naturedly. Yang could be so childish. Only mere seconds separated their age, but the difference in maturity was clear as day.

...

"...Not even a hint?"

She stuck her tongue out at him before falling back onto his bed spread-eagle, taking up as much space as possible. Yin grumbled and went to kick his slippers away under the bed and join her.

*Creak…*

He and Yang blinked, both looking up and watching as his bedroom door creaked open. Stepping through the opened slat, a familiar head of gradient hair stepped into his bedspace. Ruby looked around shyly, only hesitating for a moment at their combined stare before closing the door behind her.

"Rubes!" Yang immediately leapt from his bed, sending the comforter flying as she enveloped the shocked girl in a choking hug. The smaller girl yelped and struggled for a moment even as she giggled. Yang was so infatuated with her younger sister that she couldn't help but squeeze the life out of her every time she saw her.

Yin scowled as he watched the scene from a distance. But he didn't snap, he had expected this.

To buy her silence on the Sheer Heart Attack matter, he had struck a deal with Ruby. She agreed not to tell their parents on one condition: he was no longer allowed to lock his bedroom door.

Meaning that at any time Ruby or Yang could barge into his room as they pleased. Achieving peace and solitude was all but impossible now. It was a hefty price to pay to keep his secret, but one he paid nonetheless.

Ruby would keep up her end of the deal, and he would keep his door wide open. At the time he wondered what she had to gain from this arrangement, but now it was clear as day.

"So, Rubes. What brings you around these parts?"

"I erm… I was wondering if I could stay here tonight…?"

Yin crossed his arms and looked away, sending her a side-eyed glare. Of course…

Yang seemed surprised by the question, as if she hadn't even considered the idea of spending the night with her two favorite siblings. It sounded nice. Really nice. "What?! Of course you…"

She paused, as if only just realizing that this wasn't her room. Yin would have given her hell if she decided this on her own without even giving him a chance to say anything. He was uptight like that, always getting all grouchy when she did fun things.

Still, despite always being so distant or uptight he was always considerate of her feelings… even when he really didn't have to be. The least she could do is consider his feelings in return.

Besides, what kind of moron wouldn't want their super cute sister to sleep over?! It was basically a forgone conclusion!

"...Yin!" That didn't mean she couldn't stack the odds with a nice helping of puppy-dogs eyes.

"..." He looked away, brushing off her look as he furrowed his brow.

He had to admit, he had some amount of grudging respect for Ruby now. The girl was strong willed in the face of danger, could follow orders, and was smart enough to keep up with him; not an easy feat by any means. After their brush with death and the secret they now shared between each other, it was inevitable that they would grow closer.

But it didn't change how he felt. Even now, hatred welled up in his throat when he looked at her. What happened today didn't change anything; he still hated his younger sibling with a passion. Sure, he respected her bravery and owed her in more than one way, but that alone wasn't enough to simply banish the tainted emotions swirling in his heart.

Suffice to say, the idea of sharing his bed with her was sickening to him.

However… This was just the price he had to pay. Whether he liked it or not, his room was open territory now. He owed Ruby. If she wanted to spend the night here, then he would just have to swallow his pride and allow it.

"...Very well. You can stay here, Ruby."

Ruby's shock at his agreement was quickly overshadowed by her glee. What happened next was a blur, as a yellow and red meteor crash landed into his bed and wrinkled the already abused sheets. The two young girls wrestled for comfortable spots as Yin merely gave a withering sigh, shut the light off, and slipped into the bed, his two younger siblings dragging him right into the middle of the too small bed.

What a pain…

"So… What are you thinking?"

Taiyang sighed as he crouched in front of the fireplace, staring at the ruined wall tiredly. "I'm thinking that my vase is missing and probably destroyed. What a nightmare…"

Summer giggled despite herself, "That vase was ugly anyway, Tai."

"Well I thought it was neat!"

"Anyway," She continued, "I meant, what do you think about all this? What do you want to do?"

That was the question wasn't it? As it stood, there was really only one thing to do. He couldn't let something like this happen again, and with Yang finally owning a weapon of her own it was probably about time anyway.

"Tai…" Summer prodded, seeing the confliction on his face. "Yin nearly died today. We cant put it off any longer."

"I know… I'll awaken their aura tomorrow morning. It's time anyway."

Aura. Humanity's life force. There were many pervading theories on the source and nature of aura, the shield that protected them. Some believed it to be a gift from the gods themselves, others a natural adapted weapon in the face of the grimm threat.

Either way, Aura came surging up from the soul. It was the spirit itself made manifest; a physical envelope that surrounded a person and protected them from harm. Any incoming threats that normally could seriously wound would instead simply bounce away, or lose most of its force on the Aura barrier. Since time immemorial, Hunter's used their Aura as their chief protector against the unnatural might of grimm; the soul-born tool leveling the playing field between human and monster.

Aura could also be used for many different offensive purposes, but primarily it stood to protect a person. A shield with no handles, if you will. Constantly present and flexible to the whims of whoever holds it.

Something like that would keep his kid's safe in the event that he couldn't be there to protect them. So why didn't they have it yet? It wasn't restricted by age… Hell, even an animal could wield Aura if their souls were strong enough.

"Don't you think it's still too early?"

Summer smiled weakly, "No, I don't think so. Our kid's arent stupid Tai. They're smart enough to handle themselves. And you know Yin- do you really think he would change at all? I think he's more than ready to handle it."

The biggest problem with awakening Aura at a young age was that it fostered bad habits. It created a dangerous reliance. Kids with aura are far more likely to do dangerous things or act recklessly when they know they have a shield present at all times to nullify consequences.

It might sound cruel, but kids have to experience consequences in order for them to grow. They have to burn themselves on the stove so they can learn not to touch hot things. They have to trip down hills so they can learn to not rush things. They have to get bit by spiders or snakes so they can learn what creatures are dangerous.

But Aura deprives them of those experiences, and they would just keep making those same mistakes without ever paying for them.

It may sound inconsequential, but that sort of mindset in the real world could be fatal.

This wasn't a decision he could make without thinking. "Even so…"

"Yin nearly died, Tai." She reminded him firmly, making him wince. "We can't let that happen again. We just have to trust in them and hope for the best."

Taiyang watched her pretty face closely before sighing, smiling despite himself, "You're right… As usual. I'll do it tomorrow."

"See? Was that so hard? You should just agree with me more often."

A scoff, "You're not always a font of wisdom dear. If I remember correctly, I was the one who stopped you from weaponizing Yin's baby stroller."

Summer pouted, looking away. "I still think it was a good idea… Mowing down grimm while taking Ruby out for some fresh air? Genius!"

Taiyang guffawed as he stepped past her, continuing to survey the damage. With the kid's asleep, they were free to get a closer look at the extent of the destruction, and each new discovery made him marvel.

He had only ever seen high-grade dust explode with such potency before; the kind that never showed up on shelves and had to reserve a week in advance just to get an ounce of it. Even with most of the burn marks and broken furniture removed, he could still recreate a pretty accurate picture of just what the explosions must have looked like.

"Wait a minute…"

Taiyang slowly stepped to the wall and reached up, fitting his hands around the wall clock there and gently pulling it down. Dust and ash scattered away with the movement, staining his hands as he wiped the glass face clean with a swipe. The cracked clock stared back at him, making his mind race.

"Tai whats up?"

"This clock… Its broken…"

"Huh?" Summer muttered before stepping up and yelping in shock, "Aw man! That was a gift from Glynda! I loved that clock!"

The clock was frozen. Whatever broke its face must have ruined the internal workings of it as well. The hand's stood motionless, the smaller pointing at the 8, and the longer pointing at the 4. 8:20.

"Honey was this clock working before we left?" Taiyang asked, not looking away from his reflection in the glass.

"Hmm? I think so… I usually use it before I head out. Mostly just as routine now." Ever since becoming a mother, having a schedule became a part of life. Even more so than it had when she was part of her team.

"Then it must have broken after we left and before we got back.

Summer tilted her head, "So it got broken in the explosions? Well, I guess it's not surprising…"

"No. It is surprising." Taiyang insisted, presenting the clock. "Don't you recall? Yin told us that the fireplace exploded after sun-down."

"Uh… What are you getting at?" Summer was lost, not quite understanding what he was trying to show her.

"The clock. Something broke it, so it froze in place. But the clock's hands say 8:20… Which isn't even close to sun-down. An explosion definitely broke it, but it couldn't have possibly been broken after sun-down. It was broken at exactly 8:20 in the morning."

It couldn't have been broken at 8:20 in the night because they were home by that time. They surely would have noticed if another explosion happened. The only logical answer was that the first explosion didn't happen after sun-down, but rather at 8:20. Much earlier than Yin had told them.

That must have dawned on Summer, because her face suddenly paled. "That-! Wh-What does this mean?"

"I'm… Not sure."

Obviously, it meant that Yin had lied to him, at least partially. Sure, things had gone mostly as he described, down to himself being so gravely injured. But then why lie about the time? He knew his son, misremembering the time wasn't like him at all. It must have been purposeful.

He was hiding something. But what?

He should look into it. If there was more to the story then it was important that he hear it all. Perhaps he could even learn the true cause of the current state of their home, or at least a reason for why the hell Yin would lie to him.

Tai should have been burning with righteous indignation, but whatever ember of such emotion there could have been was promptly snuffed out as he considered the bigger picture. The truth of the matter was that Yin had lied to him, whether out of malice or not was up for debate.

But the truth of the matter was that he had also protected Ruby in the end. Yin didn't hurt himself on purpose, something had happened while they were gone to put him in such a state. And when it did happen, he kept Ruby safe, just as he promised. No lie could change that fact.

He knew that the two weren't best friends, so that meant a lot to him. It truly did warm his heart.

For that… he could overlook the lie. He was still curious, of course, but he had to trust that his son had good intentions for not telling the truth. As thanks for protecting his daughter, he would look the other way just this once.

"I'm not gonna forget it, though..." With that, he returned the clock to its place on the wall.

A hand reached up and snagged his ear, forcing Taiyang to yelp in agony as he was dragged frightfully off balance. The married man was brutally pulled to stare face to face with a thoroughly annoyed Summer Rose.

"Don't you ignore me, Tai!"

As a young man tried fruitlessly to drift to sleep in a bed cramped past capacity with two other bodies, one snoring directly against his throat and the other gripping his arm like a lifeline, the chilly outdoor air remained silent. The wintry land blanketed in the light of the shattered moon was truly a sight to behold, acres of white land stretching out for miles to other homes scattered about.

Up high above, something flashed in the night sky. A gleam of light, blinking into existence in the canopy of space above. It blazed across the expanse for a moment before once again disappearing; leaving only fleeting space-dust, and a premonition.

A/N:

I absolutely HATED writing this chapter. Im all for feel-good family scenes, but this time around I couldnt help but feel that I barely advanced the plot at all. Even still, not having this chapter would do more harm than good- so I made sure to try my hardest regardless. Dont be surprised if I end up coming back to this chapter to try and edit it somewhat in the future though.

Anyway, like I promised Im not going to let this story drop so soon. I still have an unclear end goal, but I have at least 2 arcs that are the same quality as chapter 4 that I want to get to. Until those are written im going to keep on chugging by.

Speaking of which, going forward I should make it clear that the timeline is a little different than canon. For the sake of fitting all my ideas in, just assume that most major events have been pushed forward in time just a little bit. At this time the characters are a year or two older than they might normally be around now.

Little side tidbit, for this chapter I liked to imagine Kira having some of the same poses and stances as Togami from Danganronpa. Really helped me get in the mind of him being a little callous.