A Third Rose
Chapter 9
The Search part 2
A/N: Just a quick FYI I'm not entirely sure when Mercury had his legs amputated but it had to have been done before Cinder and Emerald showed up to recruit his father. If his injuries had been bad enough as a result of the fight that his legs needed amputation then Merc wouldn't have even been able to even stand. As in at ALL. Yet we see him do just that in the show.
Also another thank you to Iron117Prime for his advice with some of the trickier parts with Mercury during this chapter.
As always, please read and review, I enjoy hearing feedback.
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-Frontier Village, Shed-
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The sun had seemingly already gone down and it was still pouring down rain, Nix sighed. It looked like he was not going to leave until sometime in the morning at least. So he felt as though he would probably need to spend the night in the shed. He figured he'd have to but the floor of the shed was somehow even less comfortable than the cargo compartments he had been sleeping in for the last few days. A remarkable achievement in and of itself. Still he figured that this wasn't something that was normally supposed to be slept on but did it really need to be this bad?!
In any event he had supposed he'd have to find the least uncomfortable position possible before he tried getting some sleep. Though he knew that was going to be incredibly difficult, the noise from the rain and the uncomfortable floor was more than a testament to that. Despite this though, the young boy was tired and needed to get some rest.
Nix closed his eyes and felt himself slowly start to doze off.
Only for his eyes to snap open when he heard what sounded like something hitting the door to the shed. Immediately Nix curled up on himself in his –hopefully- dark and inconspicuous corner and kept as quiet as he possibly could. 'Please just stay away,' he thought to himself hoping that a Grimm hadn't gotten past the walls or someone was coming to check on something in the shed 'There's nothing in here but random junk, no breaking, entering and attempted sleeping going on here, so just screw off please!' He mentally begged.
The doorknob started to rattle which made Nix let out a bated breath. At least that ruled out the Grimm; those things wouldn't even bother to use the door, they'd just tear it down. Of course that still left humans or faunus so whoever was coming in was smart, but Nix realized fairly quickly that they probably weren't looking for an intruder –hopefully- and were probably there to pick something up. Nix would just have to keep as calm and quiet as possible while waiting for the person who was there to go about their business and leave.
The door opened fully and someone started to walk into the room and he heard a faint clicking and a voice mutter "Of course the light switches are broken again." The person's voice sounded like very similar to his, at least in pitch and tone. Not to mention that the dark silhouette that Nix could make out looked to be about the same size.
While that didn't make things better, at least Nix realized that if this person was his age, then fighting his way out if the guy spotted him probably wouldn't be as difficult. Sure there were more than a few kids that were also on the streets that gave him a tough time when he started out but this was someone who grew up in a normal home. How tough could he be?
Of course fighting would have to be a last ditch option. The last thing he wanted was for a fight to break out; sure he could scrap with the best of them but he wasn't stupid. Loud noises could attract other people and the negative emotions would draw Grimm. Well to be honest he wasn't nearly as sure about that, they were in a small town so wouldn't the other emotions of the people living there be enough to 'block it out' so to speak?
Nix had no real idea but he wasn't about to take any chances.
As the silhouette got closer, it turned to one of the refrigerators and the person opened it allowing Nix to briefly glimpse the guy opening it up. The guy had short grey or silver hair and relatively pale skin but that was all he could really glimpse before door to the fridge obscured his view of the person entirely as it fully opened. The person rummaged around inside for a second or two before pulling out two six-packs of beer.
With his task completed the person started to make his way out and Nix started to relax a little and moved his leg just a little bit too quickly. It impacted the side of one of the boxes with a slight thump, causing Nix's blood to run cold as the guy who was right be the door turned back to look in. Nix didn't dare move or make a sound, afraid that it would tip the guy off if he wasn't already.
For several torturous seconds the boy at the front door seemed to stare into the darkness as though trying to see if someone was in there. Soon enough though, the person left and Nix managed to let out a sigh of relief. He hadn't been discovered.
Nix kept himself awake for the time being though, just in case whoever it was came back.
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-Frontier Village, Black Residence a short time later-
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"Ah, now thatsh the good shtuff!" Marcus stated with a noticeable slur in his voice. Mercury knew just by listening to his father that he wouldn't be conscious for very much longer. Sooner or later his old man would pass out and he'd be out his hair until the morning. Hell it would be a miracle if he could even finish the first couple of bottles given how much he had been drinking already. Mercury managed to keep himself small in his corner of the room of their home and wondered if tonight would be the night his old man finally died of alcohol poisoning and he'd finally be free. But as he watched his father slowly start to pass out from his favorite drink he knew that wouldn't happen.
It took a while but eventually his father's face finally hit the table Mercury found himself relaxing a little. Sure the hangover his dad would have in the morning would make him more violent –again- but at least he didn't have to worry about the bastard for the time being. There was also a small nagging idea at the back of his head that was getting louder and louder with every day that passed. It would be so easy to take a knife right now and run it across the bastard's throat right now. The 'training' or rather the beatings that his father was putting him through to 'toughen him up' were getting worse by the day.
If Mercury were being honest, he thought that the bastard just wanted to have fun. While almost every fiber of his being wanted to kill the monster, there was a small part of him left that just couldn't. He didn't know what it was, whether it was his conscience, the last shreds of desire for fatherly love, fear of what would happen if it turned out to be a ruse or what. But whatever it was it kept him from sliding the edge of a cooking knife across that monster's throat. The bastard had taken his legs, his semblance and Mercury didn't have the guts to take the fight to him.
Pushing those thoughts out of his head Mercury turned his thoughts to what he thought he heard back in the shed. He grabbed a flashlight from one of the drawers in the kitchen and opened the door before stepping out.
The very moment that Mercury Black stepped out of the cabin again he started to get pelted by raindrops that were still falling down once again. The twelve-year old boy groaned in annoyance as the rain began impacting his body and he started to make his way back towards the nearby shed.
Mercury wasn't stupid. When he went to get his father's booze he was sure he had heard something and it wasn't just something he could dismiss as the storm. Sure it was probably just a mouse or another rodent but at the same time, if someone was in the shed and they stole something –especially his father's favorite drinks- then it would be his head on a pike for letting something like that happen.
He trailed over to the shed, as quickly as he could so as to keep himself as dry as possible.
A few moments of practically running in the rain later he was at the shed and he cautiously opened the door and shined his flashlight in.
He came into view almost instantly. A guy about his age was sitting in a corner in the shed, his clothes were more than just a little bit wet and didn't exactly look like they were in the best possible condition. If anything the kid looked like he had been living out on the streets for a while but Mercury didn't recognize him as any of the kids in the small town. So he must have come in pretty recently.
What caught Mercury's eyes the most though was the sword he had strapped across his back. When he was spotted the guy immediately put his hands up and had an expression that could only truly be summed up as terrified. "This isn't what it looks like!" he shouted but then seemed to wince at how terrible that sounded.
Mercury gave the intruder a flat expression "Really? Because it looks like you broke your way into the storage shed of my dad's place with a sword and you're using the floor as a bed."
The intruder winced again "Okay it looks bad, but I didn't break in here because I only climbed up through the open window up there." He gestured to the small glass hatch near the ceiling and yes it was indeed open. "I swear I just wanted to find somewhere to get out of the rain and this was the only place I could find. I'm not here to steal anything or-"
Mercury didn't let the guy finish "Then who are you? And what's with the sword? Because most people don't go carrying those around, unless they're either criminals or Hunters and you don't look like a Hunter."
The intruder gave a sheepish expression before turning a bit more serious "My name's Nix. As for the sword it's a really long story, but I guess you could say that I'm trying to take this sword back to its home."
That…didn't answer much. And the look that he was giving the guy conveyed just how he thought about that vague an answer and it seemed as though the guy realized it as well.
"Look," Nix said in an almost pleading tone "I just want a place to rest for the night and then I'll be gone in the morning and boarding the next train to Vale. Please, I just want to stay here until then."
Mercury at first wanted to tell him to go to hell and then throw him out on his ass but, then he got an idea. A borderline insane, spur-of-the-moment, and all in due likelihood idiotic idea, but one that was so crazy, it just might work. It might also be the only chance he would ever realistically have of getting away from Marcus.
The bastard would be out until nearly the afternoon, if not in the early afternoon. That was more than enough time for him to pack food, water, clothes and as much cash as he could fit into a backpack and take off before Mercury's old man would even know he was there. Sure he was about to run out on his old man to take a complete stranger to Vale but this guy couldn't be anywhere near as bad as Marcus. Sure if his dad found out he'd probably kill him; but then again, it wasn't like he ran that risk lately anyways given his father battered his legs so bad they had to be replaced with cybernetics.
"You said you were trying to get to Vale right?" he asked, receiving a nod as an answer "You know the area at all."
The guy shook his head "I've never been outside of Vacuo in my life." At that Mercury's eyebrows shot up. If this guy was telling the truth then he really was far from home. It was then that a determined look came over Nix's face "I know it sounds crazy but I have to at least try to get there."
"To be perfectly honest, it's probably a freaking miracle that you've even made it this far and that you haven't gotten eaten by Grimm or something else yet."
Nix hopelessly shrugged and shook his head and spoke with fierce determination "I still have to get there."
"Well then you're going to need some help."
At that Nix looked at Mercury "And who's going to help me get there?" he asked, cocking an eyebrow. "You?"
The response Mercury gave was just as blunt "Yep."
Nix blinked twice in disbelief "But…why? I mean why would you want to leave your parents-"
"I only have a 'dad' and who gives a shit what he thinks!" he snarled angrily before he managed to push the anger back down and continued "Besides, you don't really look like you're in much of a position to refuse my help."
Nix was silent for a moment before letting out a mirthless chuckle "Fine, but can I at least know who I'm going to be traveling with?" he asked.
Mercury smiled "The name's Mercury."
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-Patch, Rose/Xiao Long Reisdence-
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Things were only getting worse at the Rose/Xiao Long household. It had been over a week since Qrow and Krim had left Vale to look for mom and they still hadn't heard anything from the search. The fear, anxiety and anguish was growing in the household, Cinder could feel it in the air. She hated it. The atmosphere was like being in the Glass Unicorn all over again, waiting for her next punishment, only this time the fear was coming directly from her sisters and father!
The look on their faces said it all. Ruby and Yang were in constant fear over whether or not they might never see mom again, dad's attempts at putting up a brave face for them were slipping more and more. She saw him whenever he thought he was alone, and he was just as scared as the rest of them.
At the moment, Cinder was in her room, sitting silently on her bed and looking up at the ceiling after waking up. She couldn't get back to sleep and her thoughts were a mess as she continued to think of everything that had happened since Qrow and Krim had left. Lycus and his family tried to visit as often as they could, and did their best to keep everyone's spirits up. While it did help at least Yang and Ruby somewhat, it wasn't working nearly as well as it was before.
The girl was broken out of her thoughts by a couple of knocks on the door. There was a sad and scared voice asking "Big Sis? C-can I talk to you please?"
Cinder was instantly on her feet and nearly rushed to the door in less than a second, the desperation in her younger sister's voice awakening the protective streak in her. Cinder swung the door open quickly but not so fast as to startle the eight-year old on the other side. What she saw broke her heart.
Yang was standing there, in her PJs shaking, her eyes watery and she looked like she was about to start crying at any second. In her hands was a piece of paper that looked like a photo but Cinder didn't really seem to notice. Instead she focused entirely on her little sister who seemed on the verge of completely breaking down.
"Sure come on in." Said Cinder ushering in her younger sister.
Yang hesitantly walked into the room and that was when the floodgates opened. She all but latched onto her older sister and started crying in earnest. For several seconds Cinder didn't know what to say before her protective streak reared its head "Yang? Yang what's wrong? What happened?!"
Her younger sister didn't respond for several seconds and instead her simply just intensified. For several minutes this continued before Yang finally managed to calm down enough to speak. "I-I found something and…" she trailed off, not knowing how to say what she wanted to say.
Cinder was about to ask what it was when Yang apparently said something that the elder of the two hadn't been expecting "I don't think that mom was my mom."
Cinder blinked, not really understanding what it was that Yang said when it finally sunk in. For whatever reason Yang had gotten it into her head that Summer hadn't been her mother. Cinder had heard of some cruel kids claiming that since Yang didn't look like Summer that she wasn't related. It was something that Summer had asked Cinder to let her and Taiyang handle. However, if things had gotten so bad to make Yang this upset, then someone was going to pay dearly!
At the moment though, Cinder was taken aback by this and immediately stated "Yang, that's crazy! Of course Summer's your mom! Why would you even think that?"
Yang didn't look at her, instead she held out the partially folded piece of paper and handed it to her older sister and said "I know I look more like dad than mom, and I thought that was it, but I found this."
Cinder unfolded the paper and what she saw shocked her to her core. It was a photo of four people, she saw her mother, Summer Rose with her trademark cloak and hood, her father Taiyang, on the far right was Drunkle Qrow but in between him and Taiyang was a woman with long black hair and a sword that was in a metal sheathe.
Taking a closer look at the woman, Cinder didn't see any immediate resemblance between her and Yang other than the curly hair, but then she noticed a few things. It was subtle at first, but it was evident. Once Cinder noticed it quickly became easy to tell the similarities between them. The jaw, the nose, the cheekbones, it was all there.
The twelve year old didn't know what to make of what she was looking at for several seconds as she tried to find her voice. "I-I don't know what to say. We'll just have to ask dad when he gets up, and he'll explain everything." She reassured.
Yang however wasn't nearly as reassured as Cinder would have liked. "But, but what if she left because of me? What if she didn't want me?" The words that came out of Yang's mouth were like daggers into Cinder's heart. Those were things that Cinder had wondered every day while she was at the orphanage and whenever she wasn't chosen by visiting adults looking for kids to adopt.
She knew instantly the kind of pain her sister was feeling "Yang." She managed to breathe out. Yang wasn't able to hear her at first but Cinder pulled her younger sibling in, her grip firm yet gentle.
"That's not true, it simply isn't. I don't know anything about this woman but I know for a fact that whatever happened, whatever reason she had for leaving, none of it could ever be your fault."
Yang still seemed doubtful but at the same time she felt somewhat comforted by her big sisters words.
As one sibling comforted another, Cinder renewed her personal vow that she would keep Ruby and Yang from harm. She wouldn't let her little sister fall into that same pit of despair she did when she was Yang's age. No matter what.
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-Train, Cargo Compartment-
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When the morning finally came Mercury found himself not in one of the train cabins like he had initially thought but instead one of the cargo compartments. "I know it's not exactly first class but there should be some comfortable spots in-between some of these crates somewhere," said Nix blandly as he found a small spot for himself that was small enough not to be noticed but large enough that he would be able to stretch his limbs if necessary.
Truth be told Mercury didn't know what to expect when he got all the money, food, and clothing he could get his hands on into a backpack and headed out. His first thought had been that they would be purchasing a train ticket like normal people. He then remembered that his new travel buddy was carrying a hunter's weapon of all things and that probably would raise more than a few questions, as would the fact that they didn't have any parents with them.
He also didn't expect them to be climbing onto a train literally seconds before it left the station. It wasn't heading straight to Vale but it would help them get a little bit closer. If they continued to train hop, then it was possible that they'd be at Vale in about a week's worth of travel give or take.
Mercury sat down right across from his new traveling companion and for a few minutes he didn't say anything even as Nix continued to cling onto the sheathed sword like it was a lifeline.
Curiosity ate away at Merc and eventually it won over "So, what exactly is going on with that?" He asked gesturing at the sword that Nix was carrying.
Nix looked down at the blade and a look of regret, fear and shame came over him before he managed to force it back down. It was only there for a second or two but Mercury definitely caught it. Eventually he let out a bated breath and said "It's a bit of a story, but since we're not going anywhere…" he trailed off for a second before he recounted the events that led him to this point.
Mercury was sort of right; it was one hell of a story. Everything from him having the sheer brass balls to pickpocket a huntress to said huntress deciding to not kicking the crap out of him when she finally caught up with him. Then she when she got her money back she apparently decided to not only give him some cash but talk to him and try to give him some advice. Then came everything that happened afterwards.
"...then they, they killed her and took her body. By the time I woke up it was all over. The only thing that was left was her sword and the clasp for her cloak." He stated "And then I just, well, figured that I should be the one to take it back to her family and apologize."
Mercury looked at Nix strangely "Apologize for what exactly?"
Nix looked at the floor, his expression miserable "I got her killed, if I hadn't been there and done what I did then she'd still be alive. A good person died that day. Someone who had family and friends died for a worthless street rat."
Mercury honestly didn't know how to respond to that one, and from how Nix was talking about it, it would probably be best if he didn't pursue that line of conversation for a while. Things settled into an awkward silence for a while before Nix asked an equally hard question "So, what you made you decide to run away from your dad?"
The boy's traveling companion gained a hard look "My 'dad' if you can call him that is nothing but a worthless drunk who beats me on a day to day basis and calls it 'training'. Every day it was the same as he decided to 'teach' me how to fight and kill people, so I could learn the trade."
Nix immediately picked up on how Mercury said 'fight and kill people.' Whoever his dad was, he certainly wasn't a huntsman. "He beat me so bad once, I had to get new legs," Mercury continued pulling up the sleeves on his pants to show the cybernetics underneath. Nix's jaw dropped in utter horror and anger.
"Holy shit…" he muttered in shock. Mercury gave his new friend a dark look "I don't want pity," he stated. Nix looked over at him, his gaze dead serious "I wasn't going to offer you pity, I was going to say that I would have offered to help you shove that bastard's head up his own ass."
At that Mercury just gaped at him for a second before he started to laugh at the image of such an event. Nix seemed to want to say something but Mercury just kept laughing. "Oh goddammit, hahahaha! That is just-" he couldn't finish what he was saying as the sheer ridiculousness kept him from calming down "Hahahahahaha! The fucking image! It's-hahahahahaha!"
Nix looked almost insulted as Mercury kept laughing for a good thirty seconds. Finally when Mercury managed to calm down he wiped a couple of tears from his eyes. "Wow, I haven't laughed that hard in…ever. I'm sorry I just got this picture in my head of you shoving my old man's head up his rear end and well…you know."
Nix's insulted expression turned to one of amusement at what his words entailed "Yeah I guess that would be kinda funny." He then chuckled. While both still had their issues, at least they were able to briefly forget about them for a few moments with that humor, even as the train continued to speed along.
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-Patch, Rose/Xiao Long Household-
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When Taiyang came down to make breakfast for the family he hadn't been expecting Cinder, Yang and Ruby to already be waiting for him, each one with a differing look on their faces. Yang looked anxious, an emotion that was rare before Summer had gone missing; Cinder was simply more serious, not angry, or at least not yet. Ruby though, she simply looked nervous and scared about what was going on, her head darting back and forth from her sisters to her father.
He blinked once, then twice before Cinder spoke up "Dad, can you please have a seat, there's something we all need to talk about." This he wasn't expecting. If anything he had been thinking he'd be the one to get the family together for a meeting to talk about the situation with Summer. Qrow and Krim were on the trail of what they thought was a good lead but at the same time Theodore said that he was going to have to call of the search in the desert at the end of the week if nothing was found.
The thought of that was like a constant hammer blow to his chest. The thought of Yang, Ruby, and Cinder growing up without their mother was quite possibly the most terrible thing he could imagine. Cinder especially, she adored Summer just as much as Ruby and Yang, and she only got to spend two years with her mother. He had to be strong for the three of them but it was getting harder every day.
Taiyang forced those thoughts and feelings as far down as he could while taking a seat. There was an awkward silence for a second or two before Cinder spoke up "Dad. A little while ago Yang found something and, well we don't really know what to make of it. We were hoping that you could explain a few things for us."
Cinder put a piece of paper face down on the table and then passed it over to her father. Curious, Taiyang picked up the piece of paper and turned it over. When he did he really wished he hadn't.
It was a picture of team STRQ right before their graduation from Beacon. Memories of those days flooded back into his head as he remembered the good times he had with Summer, Qrow and Raven. It almost brought a tear to his eyes as the happy memories clashed with the present.
It immediately became apparent why his girls were bringing this to him, especially when Yang asked "Dad, is mom really my mom? Am I really your daughter?" She asked. Ruby looked absolutely heartbroken while Yang looked on the brink of tears. Taiyang was about to say something but Cinder had beaten him to it.
"Yang, do you still think of me as your big sister? Is Ruby your sister?"
There was a silence and Taiyang could almost feel his heart hammering in his chest. Yang looked even more hurt and nodded "Then who cares who your birth mother was! You're my sister, you're Ruby's sister, and that's never going to change!"
Cinder was now pulling her sisters in for a reassuring hug, while she did though she looked up at her father and silently asked him for some support. Taiyang knew exactly what Yang needed to hear "Your sister's right Yang, Summer is, in every way that matters your mother but she isn't your mother by blood." Taiyang waited for the three sister's to stop hugging before he continued.
"Your birth mother's name is Raven, and she's Qrow's sister. She left shortly after you were born. Summer and I planned on telling you when you were older and ready to know."
Yang seemed hurt that her parents kept that his kind of information from her but she seemed to force it down in favor of her next question.
"Was it my fault she left?" Yang quietly asked, tears starting to form in the corners of her eyes. Taiyang felt his heart break into pieces at her words. Cinder and Ruby both looked heartbroken as well.
Taiyang then spoke, "Yang I don't know why Raven left. She never told me anything before she left, she never said why, she just took off. Whatever the reason though, I promise, that it was not and could never be your fault."
While those words came from the heart, Yang still felt betrayed. Her father and the woman she had thought had been her mother had lied to her, kept the truth of this from her throughout her entire life. She shook as anger and pain built up until it reached a crescendo.
"You liar!" she yelled tears streaming down her face. For an instant, Cinder saw herself in Yang's place. She tried to say something but Yang ran off and ran back to her room, the door slamming behind her.
Cinder and Ruby looked like they were about to start running after their sister, to try and help her but their father said "Wait!" He said before looking down at the floor, "Please."
The pair looked over at their father "But dad-" Ruby started helplessly but her father shook his head "She's overwhelmed. Please, just give her a little time." He begged.
At that Ruby started crying in earnest and her older sibling embraced her and kept her close and tried desperately to reassure her.
Their father's face fell into his hands as he tried his damnedest to keep himself together. Everything was falling apart at the seams.
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-Frontier Village, Black Residence-
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It was nearly midday when Marcus Black woke up awkwardly on his own couch with a hangover to end all hangovers. He growled when he saw the time. He'd have to get started with the boy here pretty soon. Despite almost being around for twelve years, the brat still had weakness in him despite everything he'd done to toughen the little bastard up so that he'd take up the reins when he was old enough.
'When I was his age my kill count was already in the double digits and he's still squeamish like a pathetic little wuss.' Marcus scoffed. Marcus would need to step things up a bit. Not only would he need to keep beating the weakness out of the boy but he'd also have to take him on some of his jobs. The brat would have to be the one to land the kill though, and Marcus would need to make sure that it was up close. Nothing got rid of weakness faster than watching the light leave the eyes from the target as they died.
The assassin lurched off of the couch and started to make his way towards his brat's room. The brat was in for one rude awakening today.
Marcus marched up to the boy's room and slammed open the door. The room was mostly as it had been left. But there was a message that had been scribbled on the wall with black marker and it only fueled his rage. It read: Go fuck yourself asshole! I'm leaving! In big bold letters.
The hitman snarled at the words that were written and yelled "Boy! This had better a joke because if you don't get your ass out here now, it will be the sorriest day of your short life!"
There wasn't an answer and Marcus started to look around the small home for any sign of his son, thinking that this was some pathetic ploy of his to hide or some shitty attempt at making a joke. A quick search of the home found that his son had taken not only his backpack, some of his clothes, food and water but also a lot of cash.
The little shit had decided to make a run for it and had stolen from him in the process. Oh, oh that little bastard was going to go through hell like never before! He'd be begging for mercy by the time Marcus was done with him.
Marcus gathered his weapon, a mechashift hatchet and machine pistol he called Rage, some cash and a few essentials. He'd find the boy, drag him back, and then make him suffer for even thinking that he could ever get away from him!
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To be continued.
Well, things just escalated quite severely. Yang's found out about her mother and feels betrayed by her dad, Cinder's trying to keep everyone together as best she can, Nix now has a travel buddy with both Qrow and Krim trying to find him while Merc's psycho father is in pursuit.