Chapter 4: Trial by Aura (Complete)
The house was rather cozy, Jacen had to admit, with its quiet charm.
Yang had led him on a quick tour around the house's first floor.
She showed him their living room with a television, then stopped in the kitchen, where he noticed the shelves.
"That's a bit high for shelves," Jacen said, making Yang chuckle.
"I've been asking dad why they were built like this," Yang said.
"He said that it was something my mom did herself," she stopped with her earlier spirited mood shifting to unhappiness.
She'd looked at a framed picture that Jacen noticed on the counter.
Four people were posed underneath a tree, two of which he'd recognized.
"I take it this is your dad and Ruby's mom?" He asked, pointing to the image of a young man with blonde hair whom he'd immediately recognized had similar features to Yang, then pointed to a woman in a white cloak with features identical to Ruby's.
Yang nodded and identified both, "The blonde one is our dad Taiyang Xiao Long, and that's Summer Rose, Ruby's mom," she said, then pointed to the other two.
Jacen looked at the woman holding a sheathed sword which she supported on her hip, her outfit giving him the impression of a tribal woman, her eyes, he noticed, were red, not unlike how Yang's eyes did whenever she used her semblance.
Then Jacen looked at the other man in the photo, only for Ruby to be the one to identify him.
"That's our uncle Qrow," she said with every ounce of pride she could put in her voice.
"He's a teacher at Signal who taught me how to use my weapon," she paused, looking at the other man with the kind of respect a child has for someone they see as a role model.
"His weapon even inspired me for Crescent Rose."
Jacen smiled a bit, "I see you look up to him a lot," he said.
His attention went to Yang, who was wearing a somewhat guarded look, "I'm assuming the other woman is," He started, only for Yang to cut in.
"Raven, she's my mom," she said with a voice indicating a feeling of hurt, especially when she looked toward the stairs, doubtlessly leading to the upper floors where their rooms were.
Jacen's mind returned from the picture to when Yang had entered the nightclub demanding Junior tell her what she needed to know.
It was far off, but from what Jacen saw and what the woman wore there was a connection.
"That's who you were looking for that night?" Jacen asked.
"I don't know why, but she just up and left, never even told dad why," Yang said, crossing her arms while frowning.
"I have more memories of Summer that I see her as more my mom than she was," Yang added.
Jacen sensed a pang of guilt for something that had happened in the past.
"The nightclub wasn't the first time you tried looking for her, was it?" He asked, hopefully in a respectful manner.
He noticed Yang clenching her fists, with even Ruby looking concerned.
The memory played out just as it typically did.
It had been a few days since Summer had died, and she remembered Taiyang looking completely distraught.
Even Qrow had come to pay his respects to the one she and Ruby called mom.
Now, Yang looked as her dad collapsed into a chair next to the window looking outside.
The snow was falling heavily, but he wasn't looking at it.
He was staring at a picture he held, but then he put it away, buried his face in his hands, and began sobbing quietly.
She knew what he was going through, though Ruby was too young to remember; Yang had always seen Summer as her mom, yet, where was her mom?
What had happened to make Raven leave Taiyang and, subsequently, Yang?
She watched as her father stood, his eyes red-rimmed as he slowly walked past her, though he stopped to give Yang a pat on the head before making his way toward the stairs.
Just beforehand, the sound of a fist hitting the wall made her jump, followed by the sound of something falling and breaking.
She ran to see what it was, only to stop when she saw a framed picture with its glass shattered.
She'd never noticed this picture before; it held the image of an old shed or barn.
She looked up toward the stairs when she heard her dad closing his room door and locking it.
Looking back at the photo, Yang wondered if there was something about this place that could give her answers as to why Raven had left.
Looking around, she saw Ruby on the couch asleep.
Not wanting to go alone, Yang gently placed Ruby into a little red wagon that a rope could pull, then headed out the door.
It was cold, with the wind only sharpening it, but Yang didn't want to give up at the start.
Her dad had begun to retreat into himself, and she wanted to ease her nagging questions when she found Raven.
She must have walked for hours with Ruby still fast asleep in the wagon.
Yang had gotten caught in tree branches and thorn bushes, giving her various scraps on her face, arms, and legs.
Worse yet, she felt exhausted, and she was practically numb from the cold.
She looked at Ruby snuggled beneath a warm blanket she'd gotten; at least Ruby wasn't as cold.
The sound of a twig snapping turned her gaze forward, and she saw she'd finally reached the shed in the picture.
As she got closer, she noticed the darkness inside the shed, accompanied by a low growl.
Then she saw it; red flaming eyes seemed to open, followed by several more.
One of them lunged toward her, a beowolf and a small pack.
Yang could hardly move, "What do I do!?" She said over and over, trying to will herself to move.
Just then, a black feather fell in front of her, followed by a flourish of blade movements; then, suddenly, she saw all the attacking Grimm had been slain.
"You, okay, firecracker?" Qrow said, sounding panicked and out of breath.
Yang fell onto her knees and began sobbing.
Qrow made it to her, stabbing Harbinger in the ground, crossing his arms, and giving her a scathing look.
"You could have gotten both yourself and your sister killed!" Qrow's anger seemed to strike a chord in Yang.
He was right, she'd barely been able to move, and she'd have been utterly useless in keeping them from killing Ruby, who seemed to wake up with the sound of Qrow's voice.
"I thought I could find my mom," Yang said, looking up at Qrow.
"Raven ain't here, firecracker," Qrow was still angry, but it was beginning to fade into sympathy slowly.
"Your dad just lost his wife; you wanna add yourself or Ruby to that list?" He wasn't shouting at her, simply trying to convey that their dad had been through enough tragedy.
Qrow had knelt and embraced her, making her shed quiet tears.
It took Yang a second to realize she'd been crying; she also noticed Jacen had his hand on her shoulder.
Did he see what always played in her mind?
Must be more of that Force semblance of his, she thought.
She probably wasn't wrong because Jacen was also shedding tears, with Ruby giving both of them a towel.
She quickly rubbed her eyes, "I guess you saw that?" She asked.
"I guess there are things in each of our pasts that are too painful to recall," he said.
"My stupidity nearly got me, and Ruby killed," she said, still trying to fight back tears.
Ruby placed Yang's hand in hers, "Please don't be so hard on yourself," she said kindly and gently.
Something in Ruby's voice then made her feel a little better.
Taking a deep breath, she quickly returned to her usual persona.
"So Jacen, you wanted me to teach you about aura, right?"
Suddenly, Jacen's expression went from one of sorrow to frustration.
"I know the fundamentals anyway, but I haven't been able to unlock it," he said, clearly distressed.
"I know that it's the manifestation of one's soul, that living things can produce an aura, while the Grimm are unable to do so due to a lack of soul."
Yang gave false congratulatory applause, "Bravo, you know the textbook, but even you know that there's only so much you can grasp from books," she said, getting a bit closer.
"I'm guessing you've tried everything to unlock your aura?" She inquired.
"Every time, it's like I'm doing something wrong," Jacen said, showing more frustration, only for Yang to place a hand on his chest.
"Well, I'm not sure if this will work, but I know a different way to help you unlock it," she placed her hand on the place on his chest where his heart was and closed her eyes.
"You won't read this in any textbook either," she said before her aura began to shimmer.
Jacen was confused at first, but then he felt it; the presence of Yang's aura suddenly amplified to the point it was as visible as steam on hot metal.
Then he saw Yang open her eyes and utter a chant or mantra.
"For it is in passing that we achieve immortality," Yang's voice rang almost dreamlike.
"Through this, we become a paragon of virtue and glory to rise above all, infinite in distance and unbound by death. I release your soul and by my shoulder protect thee."
Just as Yang finished the last line, he felt something wash over him; suddenly, he seemed to have even more awareness, and his body felt like it had been encased in a natural armor.
This is aura, he mused to himself; the sensation of it was akin to waking up from a deep sleep.
Yang let her hand drop, and the aura around her vanished, as did his.
"W-what was that?" He was amazed by what had just happened.
"I unlocked your aura using my own," she said, pointing at him.
"Though what you now have is yours."
He was at a loss, "Who taught you that, your uncle?"
Yang shook her head, "Actually, Summer mentioned it to me; it was thanks to her that I could unlock my own aura."
Jacen felt a bit concerned, wasn't this like leeching off someone's life force?
"That's not dangerous, is it?" He asked.
"Nah, though it does tend to make you a bit tired afterward; I only needed to use a small amount of mine to awaken yours," she said.
He felt almost rejuvenated now that his aura had been awakened; even the Force seemed to resound more than it typically did.
Yang slightly grinned, "Though we've got to get you used to training while you get used to aura in combat, so we'll meet as often as possible to go through training."
Jacen winced; it felt like he was a padawan again under the feet of a Jedi master who often drilled into him the importance of being prepared for anything.
Outwardly he said, "Well, since we're both going to Beacon, why don't we make it a group study?" He motioned for Skipper, playing catch with Zwei for the last twenty minutes, to come to his side.
"Skipper has an entire collection of courses downloaded into his information matrix," he said, getting an affirmative tone from the droid.
Yang looked at Skipper with her fingers under her chin, "Wow, your little droid has a lot of use."
Jacen nodded, "He has it in spades; anything I can't put into my scroll, Skipper stores it and saves it for later."
Yang seemed impressed and snapped her fingers, "Alright, we'll get ourselves ready for Beacon," he noticed Yang looking at Ruby.
"You might also wanna catch up on your studies while at Signal, Ruby," she said.
Ruby showed them both a confident though childish smirk, "Just you wait; I'll catch up on my studies in Signal, then I'll be going to Beacon too," her confidence suddenly became sheepishness.
"Though I'm not looking to be seen as anything too special, just an average aspiring huntress in training."
To a degree, Jacen couldn't blame her for not wanting to stick out too much, though he knew his situation was somewhat unique in the sense that Ozpin had gone through the trouble of ensuring Jacen became a student when Beacon's first term began.
Outwardly he showed Ruby a thumbs up, "You'll make it for sure, Ruby," he said, adding inspiration to his voice.
He noticed Ruby suddenly have a passing thought, though Jacen wasn't prepared for the explanation.
"What does kriffing and schutta mean?" She asked curiously.
Dank farrik, he thought, feeling his stomach drop a bit.
He typically didn't swear, except whenever he was in the middle of a battle, though even then, he was with his clone troopers.
Older though she was, Ruby was still a kid, and it wouldn't do too well if their dad, or more likely if their uncle Qrow caught Ruby saying any of those words out loud.
"Please don't say either of those, Ruby," he said, his face a mix of embarrassment and shame.
Yang gasped exaggeratedly while putting her hand over her mouth, "Qrow's probably gonna kill you, Jacen."
That part, in particular, wasn't an exaggeration, and he had the haunting image of the same man in the photo, older now and with a look that left very little doubt about how he disapproved of the fact that his niece had learned a new pair of swear words.
Ruby instantly covered her mouth, "Oh no, now I gotta wash my mouth out with soap."
In a blur of red and petals, she dashed upstairs into the bathroom.
Inwardly, he hoped she wouldn't put soap in her mouth.
"I gotta have better control over what comes out of me during a fight," he said, seeming utterly ashamed.
He noticed Yang giving him a pat on the back, "It's happened to me sometimes whenever I'm out on a fight myself, though I make sure Ruby isn't within earshot."
He turned his eyes on Yang, folded his arms across his chest, and grinned mischievously, "I'll bet that made your dad happy," he said sarcastically.
Yang rubbed the back of her head nervously, "The first time I did, dad couldn't believe it, and then he wanted to punch Qrow in the face," she said.
"Qrow insisted that he didn't say anything like that, but dad wasn't buying it."
Jacen slightly chuckled before referring to the photo, "Speaking of which, how did they end up meeting?" He asked in genuine curiosity.
Yang obliged him, "They all went to Beacon together and were put into the same team, STRQ to be precise."
Jacen smiled inwardly; a team name that used its members' names to create an acronym; in this case, the team name was likely called Stark.
It reminded him of the few times he'd let a team of troopers, often with Commander Shades acting as an additional fighter, they'd give themselves code names based on the mission parameters.
The memory of Commander Shades cast a dark shadow over his initial fascination, it was those exact clones under Shades's command that had been responsible for Daro's death, yet Jacen knew it wouldn't have happened if not for that dreadful order.
If only the Jedi had known what Palpatine planned to do with the clones when the war was ending, but then again, that was played right into his plot as he used the effects of whatever had occurred the night members of the Jedi Council had gone to arrest, or according to the propaganda, attempted to assassinate the then Supreme Chancellor, to gain sympathy from the masses.
He'd never given a moment's thought to what happened to the clones after the war ended and after they had been absorbed into the established Galactic Empire, which replaced the Republic.
He shook his head to clear his thoughts and asked Yang, "How do they put people into different teams?"
Yang gave a short laugh, "Well, I think Qrow said something about them being tossed together," she said, putting enough emphasis on the word "tossed" to give Jacen an ominous feeling.
Perhaps picking up on his mood, Yang had placed her hand on his shoulder and gave him an encouraging look, "Don't think too hard about it; as good a fighter as you are, it shouldn't be a problem."
He gave her a confident smile which turned to surprise when he heard Ruby rush into the kitchen, spitting into the sink.
"Ew, I never wanna do that again," Ruby exclaimed as she sloshed water in her mouth and then spat it back out,
"You put soap in your mouth?" Yang asked pointedly.
Jacen couldn't withhold a laugh making Ruby look at him, "Well, why don't we give your mouth a good washing, mister gutter mouth."
Jacen adopted a convincing hurt expression, "Ouch, that stings."
The sound of Skipper laughing at his expense made Jacen hit Skipper lightly on the head.
"She doesn't need encouragement from you," he said, adding a hint of admonishment.
Hearing Yang's laughter, he looked at her to see her arms folded across her chest, "So, shall we begin our training, mister Jedi?"
Jacen respectfully bowed, "Ready when you are, miss dragon."
END