V4E4: For Your Own Good

Days passed since Ruby and Co. left for Mistral. Days turned to weeks, weeks turned into a month and Hope, at last, was free.

Hope opened the door to the Rose/Xiao-Long residence, having gone to the hospital for the last time and came out leaning on a cane. His wounds had healed up far faster than anticipated and so did his recovery after his surgery. All thanks to the Seraph of Health and Healing and the earthly agents he sent to Remnant. Hope sent Raphael a quick prayer in thanks, one that was answered with a sense of bliss in his heart. The first thing he wanted was to fix himself some coffee, beelining it towards the coffee machine. He sat down at the counter, waiting patiently for the thick black brew to pour into the carafe. Taiyang soon came in as well, the early morning wait at the hospital had been hell on his old bones. He rolled his shoulders to alleviate the discomfort as he too waited for the coffee to enter his tired stomach. After an agonizingly long wait of five minutes, both men finally had their caffeine addiction temporarily satisfied. A sound came from down the living room, of sluggish steps slowly making their way down the stairs.

What came into the kitchen could only be described as a fluffy ball of gold.

Yang groggily sat down between the two members of her family. She looked like she'd had much, much better days. Ever since Ruby left, Yang just stopped bothering. She was never a morning person, but she never slept until noon. Although she's a slob in regard to her surroundings, she is incredibly fastidious in her personal care.

Considering the state of her prized hair and the fact she hadn't waxed her legs and pits in weeks, it was very easy to guess that Yang was having quite the shocker.

Hope parted the golden veil of hair, an action normally considered suicidal by people who knew Yang. Instead of hissing, backing away or swatting his hand away, she let Hope rudimentarily groom her with his fingers. What he saw wasn't a pretty sight. Despite sleeping over ten hours every day, Yang looked like she was on the verge of collapsing into exhaustion. Dark circles stained the underside of her eyes. She even lost some weight, worryingly enough.

A sight Hope was familiar with every time he looked in the mirror, once upon a time.

Tai silently prepared her a mocha, one of her favourites, in the hopes that it would alleviate her dire mood. Even when presented with the beverage, she just blinked impassively before taking a few sips. Hope already knew what was eating at Yang but considering how badly she was having it, he decided that proactivity would be a better option than wait until Yang snaps.

"Worried?" He said simply.

Yang nodded gravely.

"To death..."

Telling her that her worries were unfounded would be, #1. a lie and, #2. counterproductive. And anything besides, Yang would be needed at Ruby's side. That and she needed to have a chat with Raven anyhow, so that'll do.

"Qrow's watching over them."

Yang scoffed antagonistically.

"Right, because I want a depressed drunk to guard over my little sister."

Tai winced.

"Yang..." he said with disappointment clear in his tone.

Hope just sipped his coffee.

"I know, I just said that because it makes your job easier."

Both Xiao-Longs looked at him in confusion.

"Pardon the what/fuck?" They said in unison.

Tai glared at his daughter for swearing but the atomic blonde completely ignored him in favour of what Hope just said.

"Right now, they're probably near the Ringed City and with Qrow nearby, it'll make going right to them easier."

Yang focused on the fact that they were near Mistral.

"So that's where the trail led them..." she mumbled.

Her eyes turned a violent red

"So that's where Cinder's hiding..." she spat through her teeth.

Hope shrugged.

"Nope, she's elsewhere."

Both Tai and Yang looked at Hope in confusion once more.

"Huh?"

"She's busy trying to scheme." Hope glanced at Tai, then at the ring hanging from his necklace. "I sure do hope that a certain someone isn't retarded is all."

Tai gasped when he realized where Hope was looking and held the ring tightly. Yang threw her hair back and stared Hope down.

"Where's Ruby?"

The Seer shrugged again.

"Noh a fuchin' clu, Luv." he slurred phlegmatically in an approximation of a Welsh accent. "I know they're close, it's been a month and they have a car. It can't take much longer than that."

"That's not helpful in the least."

"It's not meant to be." Hope admitted. "Try and go to Mistral on your own, and you'll be looking for Ruby for days at which point, she might have already gone off and tried to solve the problem herself. Bullheads and international flights are now limited to trading only due to White Fangs causing troubles and greater Grimm activities."

Yang ruffled her hair in frustration.

"What the hell can I do then?!"

Hope took a long sip of his coffee for dramatic effect, much to the detriment of Yang's dwindling patience. Seeing that he was not helping, Hope stopped acting like a jackass and bluntly told her the answer.

"Raven can help you."

Taiyang's jaw dropped to the floor, now realizing why he had brought Qrow up. Yang just frowned.

"Raven? Why would I want anything to do with her?"

Hope waved to Yang's father, who flinched.

"Why don't you ask the guy she married why she's so important?"

Yang turned around, glaring at her father curiously. The man in question looked down to avoid looking into his daughter's eyes, still red and full of contempt.

"Raven... Her semblance allows her to create tears in space-time."

"What?"

"She can create portals." Hope explained in layman's terms.

Tai nodded.

"It has a quirk, er... Limitation might be more accurate." he continued. "She can create those portals, but they can only open near someone she has a connection with."

"Any connection?" Yang asked.

"No, things like acquaintance won't work. Old and close friends, family... things like that."

Yang nodded in understanding.

"Hence why Qrow's important..." she concluded.

Hope smirked mysteriously in his coffee.

"It was thought out." he paused. "I think..."

Yang sighed.

"Ok? I know how to start. But where? Raven could be anywhere."

Tai looked down and away.

"Not... Anywhere..."

Yang looked at her dad in shock at the revelation.

"Wait, you know where she is?"

Hope pointed to the ring hanging from Tai's necklace.

"Since they both kept their rings, I doubt that they've truly stopped thinking about the other."

Tai's eyes widened.

"R-Rae kept her ring?" he asked, his eyes swelling with tears.

Hope nodded as he hopped off his seat.

"Yup. that and a locket, though I didn't see what's inside."

Taiyang gripped the counter and choked up with tears. One might think his outburst one born of grief, but his smile was anything but sad.

"The locket too?" his voice broke. "Rae..."

Hope took the carafe and refilled his cup as Yang held her father's back supportively.

"I've not much else to add, so I'll take my leave."

Yang looked back, a suspicious look on her face.

"You've met Raven."

Hope nodded, his back turned to her.

"She's a shockingly pleasant woman. A picky eater but still."

Yang frowned angrily.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

Hope turned back, looking insulted at her anger.

"Weren't you the one who said that you wanted nothing to do with her?"

Yang flinched backwards.

"T-That's different! You met with a Mistralli bandit queen! Do you know in how much danger you could have been?!"

Hope shrugged.

"As I said, she was pleasant and was a complete gentlewoman. If you want to confirm it, you're gonna have to go and ask her yourself."

Yang looked down, still pissed that Hope withheld that kind of information from her. Still, she nodded reluctantly.

"Fine..."

Hope left the room as the parent and child discussed her next move. As he ascended the stairs, Summer appeared and wrapped her arms around Hope. She didn't look too happy and held Hope closely.

"I'm worried..."

Hope nodded.

"Yang's a strong girl. I believe in her to make the right call."

"Do you think she's ready to meet Raven?"

Hope stopped just as he reached the second-floor landing, a sour look on his face.

"Not in the least," he admitted. "But if she wants to find Ruby fast, she'll need the Branwen twins."

"I mean, you make it sound like she's going to go in, guns blazing and try to fight Raven."

"After what I've learned? Yang's probably going to leave that meeting hating Raven, if she doesn't try to rearrange her face with Ember Silica."

Summer facepalmed.

"Oh gods, what did she do?"

Hope remained silent, clueing her in that it was bad. She sighed exasperatedly.

"Tell me later..."

"I don't think I want to..."

"Why?"

"Because you'll blow a gasket and try to haunt Raven and make her life a living nightmare."

"Now I REALLY want to know more."

"Now I really don't want to tell you."

Summer poked his cheek repeatedly while puffing her cheeks.

"You're a fucking nuisance!" he cried out.

"And you're rude!"

Yang was never one for goodbyes, she absolutely hated them as a matter of fact. Maybe it was because she never got to say goodbye to Summer, maybe it was because it was the first and last thing she heard that she could understand from Raven before she departed.

Maybe it's just because saying goodbye to someone you love is just so goddamned sad.

Whatever the case may be, she silently strapped her luggage to her bike. If her and her father's calculations were correct, it would take her a week or two or reach Clan Branwen on her bike. So she prepared in consequence with enough food and daily necessities to last her the trip and some more just in case. The sound of the front door opening made her flinch and look back. Hope stood in the doorway, leaning on his cane. Yang gasped when she saw him in combat-ready attire.

"Mighty early to be leaving." Hope pointed at the sun. "Sun's barely up."

Yang said nothing as she kept packing her bags, her eyes now red as blood. Once she was done strapping her bags, she finally deigned to talk.

"The sooner I leave, the sooner I get to Raven," she explained curtly. "The sooner I get to Raven, the Sooner I get to Qrow and Ruby."

Hope nodded.

"Makes sense." She pointed at her with his chin, crossing his arms. "Still doesn't explain why you don't at least let your dad see you off."

Yang double-checked the strapping on her bike, ignoring what Hope said. The Seer frowned sadly.

"You could at least have told me you were gonna-"

"What?" Yang interjected. "So you can follow me and get yourself killed again?"

Hope didn't respond as he walked over. Yang finally turned back around with an angry scowl.

"Cut the shit, Hope. I know why you're here and I'm not having any of it."

Hope scowled back.

"Well you woke up-"

"Shut. Up." Yang cut once more. "I won't let you guilt trip me into shutting up like you normally do."

Hope flinched.

"I-I didn't-"

Yang held a hand up to silence him, cutting him for the third time and getting on his nerves. She took two fingers of the hand she held up and jammed them into Hope's chest forcefully.

"You are staying here, safe with Dad, while I go and help Ruby deal with whatever shit gets thrown at us now."

"And do what?!" Hope decried. "Twiddle my thumbs?!"

"Exactly," Yang confirmed coldly.

"Fuck that!" Hope spat. "You wouldn't stand for this shit if it was you!"

Yang nodded in acquiescence.

"True." she looked into his eyes in defiance. "But this is about you, not me."

Hope glared at her in annoyance.

"Yang, you're an emotional mess!" he accused. "You've been sleeping in for weeks and you look like hot fucking trash!"

Yang grimaced angrily until Hope's annoyance melted into deep worry.

"How in the name of Mary, Joseph and Joshua am I meant to not be worried?!"

Yang's anger melted away but she looked away, trying to deflect the feeling of guilt mounting in her heart.

"You won't get me to-"

Now was Hope's turn to cut her off, grabbing her hand.

"For fuck's sake, Luv! I know I can be reckless. I know! Fuck, I literally died for a moment! But would it kill you to at least acknowledge the fact that I just want you to be as happy and safe as much as you want me to be?"

Yang had to bite down on her lips to not make a sound as she kept avoiding his gaze. Her heart began to hurt as guilt squeezed.

"Yang..." Hope pleaded. "I'm worried too. I just... I want to go with you. I want to make sure everyone's back together again... I..."

He looked down, squeezing her hand.

"I just want to make sure you'll be ok..."

She slapped his hand away, trying desperately to ignore the pain in her heart.

"I can't..." she finally said. "I just can't..."

She went to straddle her Bumblebee but Hope grabbed her arm.

"Yang, please-"

In a split second, Hope saw Yang grit her teeth before shoving her leg between his and hooking the back of his bad leg and swiping him off his feet. Hope cried out as she hit his tendon, holding it in pain.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?!" Hope blurted in pain.

He squinted through the pain enough to see that she was holding back tears, her lips glowing as her teeth ground through her Aura.

"You stay here," she commanded. "You stay home and don't you think about leaving Patch because if you do..."

She threw her arms back, unfurling her Ember Silicas. Hope's eyes widened in shock.

"I'll send you back here myself." she threatened.

She straddled her bike as Hope tried to get back on his feet, only for his infirmity to get the better of him.

"Why?! Didn't you say I was strong!?" he cried out desperately. "I thought you believed in me!"

Yang looked down and away to hide her shameful frown.

"I was wrong." Was all she could muster without her voice breaking.

Hope blinked incredulously as Yang made her bike roar to life. She paused, gripping the handles with shaking hands.

"Goodbye, Anon... Stay safe..."

She peeled out on the driveway before departing at top speed, leaving a still-shocked Hope in the dust. He hadn't even noticed the tear stains on the floor as his shock turned into boiling rage.

"No..."

Veins began bulging as his expression grew dark.

"No, this will not do."

He stabbed his cane into the floor as he lifted himself off the ground. He walked towards the door, where Taiyang was probably just waking up from all the commotion and yelling. Tai stood in the doorway, confused as to why Hope looked like he was about to commit murder.

"Did something happen?" he asked. "Where's Yang?"

Hope glanced at him angrily before motioning towards the house.

"Your daughter's a cunt. Now come sit down and I'll explain..."

It didn't take a genius to know Hope wasn't one. He just couldn't help himself, he had to meddle even if it cost him dearly. The first time, he literally lost the skin off his back. The second time nearly killed him, skinned his nerves raw and crippled him until a biblical angel saved him.

The third time took his life, straight up.

But he came back, and he was going to go further. Anything to spare those he loves from that terrible fate cast upon them by a bunch of half-wits in a writer's room.

Not like I'm any better, being a three-quarter wits bellend writing in his room, but that's enough fourth-wall self-deprecation for now.

Hope finished his own preparation as he closed a large backpack. It wasn't as meticulously planned out as Ruby or as quickly thrown together but still essential as Yang but Hope couldn't care less. He's lived on the streets for long enough to know he can tough it out with the bare essentials. A tent, sleeping bag, enough food and water to last him long enough to get to a town to resupply and a bit extra just in case. Also some cleaning supplies for his weapon and accessories like a mount for a flashlight and a silencer. Finally, he packed some basic self-care stuff to not be miserable.

He knows what it's like to not wash for a month, he really, really doesn't want to live through that again.

He closed his bag and slid it to the side, making way for his weapons. He held up Shatterslash, and the quiet choir of discordant voices quieted as they surrounded his reflection in a halo of spider cracks. He smiled viciously at it.

"Ready, partner?"

Each voice within the blade whistled quietly with a determined cadence. They were ready to hack and slash at his side once more. He sheathed it, setting it comfortably on his belt. Next, was an old friend he had thought lost. He held his pistol to the light. the last time he saw it, Cinder had engulfed it in flames. He had expected a half-melted slag heap, only for the weapon to be mostly fine if a bit flame scorched. Nothing a lot of polishing and greasing couldn't fix. Hope looked into his reflection and flinched. His reflection was replaced by a hazy mass, almost as if the fire had destroyed its ability to copy Hope's appearance. It was almost unreadable save for the utter rage that shined in its piercing eyes. It looked back vindictively with crossed arms. Hope frowned seriously.

"I'm going to go get revenge on the cunt who maimed me and burned you. You in?"

The reflection grimaced angrily, its teeth almost looking like fangs, as it nodded. It too wanted revenge, but also redemption. It failed Hope once, it won't let it happen again.

He twirled it dramatically before holstering it on his hip. He turned back, to his last but unavailable partner. The remains of Morrigan, Hope's AMR, lay uselessly in a small wooden box. Luckily, he knew a Daemonsmith who would be of help. He put the final touches on the box as, on top of having the remains of his rifle, there were two bottles of fine Sake rice wine. A small gift of the Masas.

as he moved the box onto the desk, he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror. His old outfit had been thoroughly trashed and, sadly, Team CVFY had already relocated to Vacuo after some trials and tribulations. So, no Coco to fix his rags. still, the style was similar enough, if made more practical for the journey ahead. A black and blue all-weather coat rode on his shoulders, the open front revealing a light grey shirt. His black riding pants were plain for the most part but they contrasted well with his leather double belt and holster. His outdoor boots were slightly pointy and covered with an ornate steel tip. The only visible jewelry he wore was his necklace, his rings had to be tucked away to spare his remaining flesh hand the pain of having to put them on his ruined skin. He still kept them close in a small pouch inside his coat. Hanging from his metallic arm was a simple memento of the dreadful day Vale fell. Blake's ribbon, its supple, soft and elastic form was tied around his stump once more in a cute knot reminiscent of RWBY's black cat's old style. He rubbed it gently and smiled, a feeling of peace permeating hid his hands inside velvet-lined gloves, as normal gloves were too rough on the inside for his damaged hand. That and he wanted to keep his metal hand as a surprise to potential idiots who might pick a fight with him. Pocking out from under his gloves was the only thing he dared to wear on his poor wrist, the one thing he refused to let go of.

his best friend's friendship bracelet.

The bracelet was in a sorry state, it's blackened and burnt for hanging sadly from his burned wrist. The very same attack that had disfigured the Otherworldly Seer had nearly destroyed the last thing he had to remember his departed friend with. Its peach pink, black and royal blue fabric had shrunk under the heat of Cinder's flame, irreparably damaging and blackening the last remnants of his dead friend. His eyes glazed over, his heart pumping with rage and pain as he looked at the burnt proof of bond. His hand balled into a fist as he turned to leave the room, where a lonely-looking Tai leaned against the doorframe.

"Gonna be awfully quiet around here again." he lamented.

"You still have Zwei." Hope pointed out with tongue in cheek, even if he was still red with rage because of Yang.

The goodest boy in question sat in front of Hope, clearly upset. Hope's previously red-hot rage cooled down slightly, enough to not snap at the dog like an asshole.

"I already told you, I can't bring you. You have to watch the house and keep Tai out of trouble."

The master of the house became flustered.

"H-hey! I'm not that hopeless!"

Both the Seer and the Dog looked at Elder Dragon with thinned lips, much to the annoyance of the latter.

"Oh, come off it!"

Hope looked back at Zwei, who sighed in disappointment before walking over to Tai's side.

"Stay strong, you magnificent son of a bitch." he saluted.

Hope sighed as he strapped on his backpack.

"Well, road's waiting," he said. "It's gonna be a bitch but once I get to one of the Trans-Mistral train stations, I should be good to go for a while."

Tai crossed his arms, looking worried.

"You sure you don't want me to give you a lift?"

"With all due respect, Tai, It won't shorten my journey by much. Since, you know, I'll have to cross the ocean to get there. So I'd rather not waste your time."

He walked past Tai and into the entrance hall.

"Besides, your truck ain't all terrain and where I'm going, I'll need good wheels for the journey."

Tai frowned sadly for a moment, until a lightbulb lit in his head once the word 'all-terrain' was uttered. He smiled nostalgically.

"No... But I know of a little beast that might make a lot of your worries disappear."

Hope tilted his head as Tai left the house in favour of the garage. Hope followed suit in curiosity about what Taiyang's 'little beast' might be. Both entered the dim building but with the flip of a switch, the whole room illuminated. The room was spacious and neatly organized, with old canisters of Power Dust gathering normal dust in a small pyramid while small cans of different types of oil were strewn around the different shelves. Amongst the old oil rags and tool cabinets were three neat spots located in front of the main garage door. One spot was reserved for Taiyang's truck, a normal, if a bit old, flat-bed pick-up truck. Stereotypical, sure, but incredibly useful for handyman Tai. An empty spot stood where Yang's Bumblebee normally was.

The last spot was an odd one, one that Hope never noticed.

It was further to the left, almost hiding in plain sight. A bike it seemed, if the shape of the object under the protective tarp was to be believed. Tai grinned like an old man reliving an old memory as he caressed the hidden frame.

"Haven't taken you out for a while..." he mumbled.

The Elder Dragon ripped the tarp off, revealing a badass motorcycle. It looked like a prototype Hope once saw in an old motor magazine from the 2000s. It looked like a Japanese bike, sleek with sharp edges and corners that looked straight out of a mech anime.

But it had four wheels.

It wasn't a quad bike as the wheels were too close together and looked like they had a tilting suspension which reminded Hope of those tricycle bikes hipsters loved. The aesthetic style, strangely, reminded Hope of an old American military Cruiser, with a white star and trim on an olive-green frame with a large black seat. The suspension was elongated like a Chopper and the seat had a long and comfortable-looking backrest, meaning you would sit back instead of leaning forward.

This dieselpunk/near-future Frankenstein of a motorcycle made Hope's jaw drop at how cool it looked.

"Sweet Christ on a fucking bike..."

Tai rubbed his nose proudly.

"The fruit of over a decade of labour and love."

Hope was almost afraid to touch it but as he did, his flesh hands was met with smooth, cool steel.

"What's the mileage on this beauty?"

Tai shrugged.

"It's practically brand new."

Hope looked back.

"Come the fuck again?"

Tai pointed to the bike.

"I've changed all its parts over the years, done so many customizations and commissioned work on it that it's basically as good as the day I originally bought it."

Hope snorted.

"Its name ain't Thesius, right?"

Tai shrugged.

"Never gave much thought to the name, it was just my little pet project when I had nothing else to do."

Tai smiled but there was no true joy in it, instead, it was full of melancholy.

"Besides, it's yours now. You can name her."

Hope blinked incredulously before shaking his head violently.

"Tai! No!" he protested. "I-I can't!"

The Elder Dragon held up a hand to silence him.

"Listen, son," he demanded. "This bike hasn't been used in years. You have an important mission ahead of you, and you need to get there fast."

Tai held his fist against Hope's heart. His smile looked much less sad, if still somewhat nostalgic.

"I'd rather she be of use to someone who still has that fire inside them, instead of rotting in an old garage."

Hope looked down at the floor, lost for words. He looked at the bike again, craving that once familiar feeling of wind going through his air as he cruised down the highway at 130KM/H (80MPH). He looked back up at the older man, fumbling over his words.

"F-fuck, man... I... I don't know what to say..."

Tai grinned.

"Start with, 'Where are the keys?'"

Taio produced a small magnetic key chain from his pocket before handing it over to an awestruck Hope.

"For real?" was all the Seer could muster.

Tai nodded.

"For real, For real."

He winked at him.

"Only the best stead will do for the Hero of Vale!"

Hope scoffed out a laugh. For once, that epithet didn't sound so bad when attached to himself.

"Many more heroes than just me."

"Yeah, but you were the one who lit a fire under their asses and into their hearts."

Hope smirked.

"I thought you disapproved of swearing."

Tai shrugged with a knowing grin.

"If they can say it on TV..."

Hope shook his head as he began attaching Yang's old side cart to the bike, so as to not have to strap on his bag with rope or ratchet straps. As he did, he couldn't help but feel like Taiyang wasn't telling him everything. A nagging breeze kept pestering him to ask despite his respect for the man's choice not to tell him and it was starting to get on his nerves. He finally relented once he was done ratcheting the cart in place.

"Why are you helping me?" Hope asked. "You could have easily taken Yang's side and I would have understood."

Tai shook his head.

"Would you have backed down if I did?"

"Fuck no," Hope answered immediately.

Tai waved his hand towards him.

"There's your answer."

"And that's enough to back someone you barely know instead of your flesh and blood?"

Tai nodded.

"I knew someone like you." he reminisced. "It was a long time ago, but I still remember that bastard."

Tai chuckled.

"Kind of a hard-ass, but I knew that was just stress. Guy was a father despite being so young and he desperately wanted to go back to his wife and kids..."

He smiled warmly, staring at Hope.

"He had that same drive to do what he thought was right, not to mention his ridiculous willpower. Didn't matter if he got shot, cut up or had half his bones broken. The crazy bastard stood up and cried out for them to try harder!"

He looked into Hope's eyes, his deep blue orb reminding the man of his old friend.

"You remind me of him so damned much, I can't help but root for you the same way I did him."

Hope paused, a familiar sense of deja-vue coming in. He said nothing on the matter but felt like he'd heard about that man before.

'Didn't Port also mention something like that?' He thought.

He shook his head as he gripped the keys from his belt and stared at the bike.

"Well... You know what they say about gift horses..."

He tentatively straddled the bike, a sense of excitement that he hadn't felt in a long, long time reared its beautiful head.

"Fuck... I missed this," he exclaimed with a stupid smile.

Last time he was on a bike, he hadn't had the luxury of being able to just drive as he, Yang and Neptune were busy going to an information broker to find evidence of Torchwick's misgivings. It helped in the short term, as the evidence was used to quickly lock Torchwick up but since the Fall happened right after...

'Yeah, that didn't amount to much, innit?'

He shrugged.

'Oh well. At least I brushed up on my intimidation tactics with Junior.'

A notification appeared on his scroll and once he pulled it up, it showed a bunch of custom map markers for his location app. Hope looked up to the patriarch of his friend's family curiously.

"Map markers?" he questioned.

Tai nodded.

"You need to get to the Trans-Mistral, right? Best way to get there fast is through that hidden road I sent you."

Hope hummed pensively as he inspected the path. It made sense in theory, as it was cutting through a lot of obstacles like forests and rocky outcrops. Considering the dual-purpose nature of the bike, it shouldn't be too much trouble to go through.

"How'd you get this?" Hope asked.

A nostalgic Tai merely looked down with a smile.

"Rae told me about them, back in the day. Said her clan used them to evade Huntsmen and bounty hunters."

Hope leaned back in the bike's seat.

"Wait, wouldn't that mean I'm gonna come across Branwen bandits?"

Tai nodded gravely.

"Not just Branwen, there are gonna be a lot more than just Rae's men. Probably a lot of exiles from other clans and Raven's banding together, or worse..."

"Like? If I'm gonna go there I want to know what I'm going against."

Tai shrugged sadly.

"I don't really know the outlaw landscape in Anima. But I have to stress this: The Animan wilderness is much more untamed than Sanus's. Grimms are an even worse problem than here and there are rumours of desperate people doing... Unsavoury things to survive. And I'm not just talking about banditry."

Hope sighed tiredly.

"Great, a bunch of fucking Sawney Beans running around Anima... Fan-fucking-tastic."

Hope slung his pack in the new sidecar and strapped it securely. He looked at the man who housed him for a year, a man whose hard work and willingness to put up with his bullshit with nary a complaint. A man who took care of his daughters all through the while. A man who had earned his respect.

"Thank you. For everything."

The Elder Dragon smiled paternally.

"Anytime."

Hope scoffed.

"I wouldn't bet on it."

He put the keys in the ignition and the bike roared to life. The previous feeling of excitement became one of bliss, one that was shared with Tai, who was just happy to see his labour of love roar once more. Tai opened the garage door wide for Hope, who gave him a thumbs up. Tai approached, holding something.

"Another gift?" Hope asked.

Tai nodded.

"Yes, but not from me."

Hope cocked his head until Tai put it into proper view. It was an intricately crafted stick cane with a lacquered black finish. On the smooth black surface was a rose vine motif made out of a brilliant alloy of wrought iron and silver. The handle had a clear, and suspicious, separation between it and the rest of the cane. A quick pull confirmed Hope's suspicion and the handle produced a hidden estoc-style short sword with no sword guard. Hope couldn't help but chuckle.

"Let me guess, Ruby?"

Tai nodded.

"Obvious, isn't it?" he teased. "She told me to give it to you after your last hospital visit. You know, a congratulatory gift."

Hope looked into his reflection and it looked back at him, reflecting him perfectly and without any weird, paranatural nonsense happening. He put it back in its sheath/shaft and gently held it against his forehead, silently praying for Ruby's safety. He smiled after strapping it into the sidecar and tossing out the plain cane he had been given at the hospital.

"You have one hell of a daughter."

Taiyang shrugged.

"As I said, she's Summer's kid."

Hope frowned curiously. The first time he heard it, it obviously felt like a jab at Ruby. But now it sounded more matter of fact and franc rather than truly in jest. He looked over at Summer, who was crying pathetically.

"Doggy..."

He rolled his eyes.

"I can tell she is."

Taiyang hesitated.

"And when you see Yang again, please make up with her."

Hope shook his head contemptuously despite his heart feeling otherwise.

"That's gonna be up to her, Tai. Not me."

He gave Tai a farewell wave.

"I'm off," he said.

Tai nodded with a lonely expression.

"See you later, son. Good luck."

Hope jerked the accelerator and made the bike sing before riding out of the garage. As he rolled onto the road, he felt Summer hang from his shoulder.

"Let's venture, yar?" he said to his newest partner.

Summer looked forward, her ghostly chest swelling with excitement.

"It's been a while." she winked at him. "But I'm sure this old lady can give you a few pointers!"

He chuckled.

"Sure, Luv. whatever you say!"

For some reason, Hope could already hear cowboy guitar music playing as he drove into the open roads of Patch. Spectral rose petals melded with the dust he kicked up as he rode into the horizon.

V4E4 - END!

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