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Fighting Rose

Chapter 28.5

A need to talk


While the others fell asleep the moment they had the chance, their brains overloaded with information and their minds still exhausted from the battle, Yang could not. As expected, Ruby had hit the sheets first the moment she had the chance no thanks to how draining the Silver Eyes had been on her body, which was almost directly after the quick meeting with Ozpin. But still, she couldn't forget the power that flowed through her veins after she hit herself with Black Flash. Thanks to Ruby, she was aware that there were cases of unique interactions of semblances coming into contact with the strange technique, though while what happened to her certainly constituted under that, she couldn't help but feel that there was something more to it. The way her blood boiled… Even stepping into the cool night air didn't help, that warm feeling running through her veins still there. It wasn't as if she was frothing at the mouth to try and destroy anything, but it was more than noticeable and made her uncomfortable. She huffed out a breath, flinching in surprise at the sheer amount of mist that came from her mouth despite it not being that cold, despite it being very early October.

"What the hell…?" She muttered, puffs of mist accentuated with her words as she searched for a bench to sit on, her eyes coming onto a strange sight. The last thing she expected to see was the massive form of a man sitting on a lone bench in front of a fountain, his body covered by a black trench-coat, though what was shocking were his facial features: his skin and mane-like hair a shocking crimson. His features, despite his unusual skin-tone, were exotic and handsome with a powerful jawline, slightly pronounced cheekbones, hooked nose and slightly messy eyebrows, his right eye appearing scarred shut while the other's iris shined with mesmerising violet light. His brows were furrowed as he appeared to be deeply concentrating on a book in his hands, clearly frustrated at what he was reading. Regardless of the peaceful activity, the presence of the man was staggering, Yang's legs actually buckling under the pressure of it.

'Is he another Astartes!?' Yang was about to pick her fists up and launch herself forward, only for him to shout out of nowhere –

"Well that's just fhackin schewpid!" He suddenly cursed, his accent similar to Diodes but richer in tone, "Why would they change how the power-system of the world works halfway through the bloody story!? None of the previous chapters even closely adhere to the new rules!"

She stood there for a moment as he grumbled and went back to reading, grumbling under his breath as he flicked a page. Looking at the way he was hunched over, looking at the tiny book floating in the air, the critical and pinched expression on her face, all of it boiled over until she finally cracked.

"Snrrk!" She couldn't help herself, unable to cover her snicker in time as the man looked up to stare at her, her snicker devolving into giggles as she watched him flounder upon realizing that his almost childish outburst had been seen.

"Y-you forget you saw this young lady!" He commanded as he pointed a finger at her, the finger wilting as she burst into full on laughter.

"S-sorry!" She stuttered as she managed to get a hold of herself, "I-it's just… pfft, it's weird seeing two giants in one day doing really mundane things."

"Ah. You speak of Diodes," He said simply, the smiling dropping off her face for a moment before he waved his hands in a placating manner. "Please do not attack me, I'm his brother."

"…wait, so you're one of Jaune's uncles then?" She realized as she relaxed. "Sorry for almost jumping you."

"Indeed I am," He confirmed, "And it's quite alright. You wouldn't have been able to hurt me anyway."

"Haaah?" Yang leaned in with scrunched eyebrows, her eyes flickering from lilac to red. "Big or not, you've got a lotta balls to try and say that to me!" He stared at her for a moment, her blood growing hotter for a moment as she saw the smug look on his face before his expression turned to one of concern. "Somethin' on my face?"

"…You feel like your blood is uncomfortable in its own veins," He stated as she flinched back, "You're unable to sleep and you feel unnaturally warm, correct?"

"H-how did you-?"

"Very little escapes the power of my soul tempered by my mind," He said as he tapped his temple, "Much less that power bubbling right underneath your skin. Come and sit, I don't bite."

She hesitated. Of course, him being absolutely massive and his powerful presence didn't help, but there was this odd sense of humanity to him, so similar to Diodes yet distinct in his sarcasm and concern. So she sat next to him, an arm's length away yet surprised at the sudden lack of overwhelming aura exuding from him and how warm his violet gaze was as he examined her.

"Hmm… you forcefully unlocked this power earlier today," He hummed before his eyebrow went up, "And it seems that you've become noticeably stronger because of it too."

"What, really?" Yang scoffed as she gripped the metal armrest, "Don't really feel any different though-!"

*CRRRK*

She looked at the armrest her hand was lightly gripping, lightly gripping, only to find that it was squished like dough.

"…huh," she muttered.

"Your semblance is a power-stockpiling one, yes? The more damage you take, the more the potency of your aura and your raw strength increases."

"That's… pretty on the money," She confirmed.

"You must have taken an extremely high amount of physical trauma then," He concluded, "While the majority of the absorbed force bleeds away, some of it has permanently strengthened you. It's likely that you'll be able to hold even greater amounts of power now, not to mention what you could potentially dish out."

"Ain't that right…" Yang said in awe, clenching her fist. Still, that odd warmth remained.

"Try closing your eyes," He suggested, again easily picking up on her discomfort, "Your newfound strength isn't out of control, but you don't have the best grasp on it. Your resting power is simply greater than what it was previously, just have it shrink to a more manageable level and you should be fine."

Yang nodded and did just that. Meditation was more Ruby and Blake's thing, but it wasn't as if she was inept at it. Indeed, upon checking her aura she couldn't help but gasp in surprise: despite it being her 'resting' state, her aura was blazing far hotter than normal. Concentrating, she simply breathed out while allowing the flames to die down, the overly warm feeling in her blood dissipating as she slowly forced her excess power out along with it.

"Wow… thanks a lot!" She sighed in relief before turning to him, "Sorry for bein' rude by the way. Yang Xiao Long is the name."

"Mag – Markus," The man replied politely, though Yang noticed the slip as they shook hands, her own dwarfed by his massive one. "And you can make it up to me by telling me if Headmaster Ozpin is still taking visitors at this hour."

"Well, I don't think you're someone he can exactly ignore," Yang chuckled. "I think if you walk in and ask the receptionist, you should be fine."

"Very well," He nodded as he prepared to stand, only for his eye to shoot wide open and his body to stiffen. His head snapped to the side, Yang following his gaze towards what seemed to be an empty stretch of walkway. She flinched as he held out a hand and summoned a Greatspear made of pure gold in a flash of violet light, the curved blade crackling with blue lightning as he stood in front of her, and soon she saw why. The hair on the back of her neck rose as a red tear was ripped open from nothing, expanding into a swirling circle as a figure stepped out of it, one that made her mouth drop open.

She was a little taller than Yang, her heeled boots clicking across the stone in a confident stride, the red and black armoured yukata lightly chiming with every step she took, black hair so similar to Yang's while her face was covered with a bone-mask emulating the appearance of an elder-nevermore. But that aura, Yang instinctively knew that aura even if this was the first time having run into this person, and she felt her throat begin to sting. The woman stopped in surprise as she looked at the massive man staring her down, recognition blooming across her aura even as she relaxed.

"Well," She spoke, "I can't say I was expecting to run into you, Magnus."

'So that's his actual name,' Yang thought absently.

"Where did you get that power from?" He bit back, the spear's lighting seeming to crackle louder, "It is not yours."

"It is now," She said evenly, the lack of hostility from her making the giant relax, if only a little. "And you aren't exactly one to criticize me for taking power from dubious sources."

"That was a very long time ago," He said sharply, "And I've come to understand that power taken by force will always come to bite you in the bloody ass, given the chance. You continue to ignore the pull of Causality, and it will be your downfall just as it was mine."

"Spare me the poetic bullshit Magnus," She sighed before turning to face Yang, the latter flinching, "I'm not here to talk to you anyway."

"… why are you here, mom?" Yang's voice cracked, her fists trembling.

The woman slowly took off her mask, revealing a face eerily similar to Yang's, especially with her vibrant red eyes. More unnerving was the crinkle of her eyes and smile: she was proud.

'Proud of me…?' Yang wondered, the thought making her heart ache.

"You've grown quite a lot, Yang. We have a lot to talk about." Raven Branwen said as she walked forward, the smile dropping off her face as Magnus stepped in between them.

"Raven… if you're doing what I think you're doing-!" He growled.

Her face twisted into a monstrous glare, the pressure in the air skyrocketing for a split second as Magnus raised his free hand to his side, a red blast of light slamming into his palm and sending him skidding back. He hissed and shook his hand, smoke wafting from his palm as his eye glowed fiercely, at least until Raven calmed down and raised a hand.

"I'm not here to fight, nor am I here to do anything," Raven said, "I'm simply here to give my daughter words of… advice." She turned to Yang, the girl silent as she stared at her mother. "You've tasted it. The power in your, in our blood."

Yang's fists clenched, and that was answer enough.

"Mm. I sensed as much," She continued with a chuckle, "If you really are worthy enough to be my daughter, then embrace that power. Dive headfirst into its depths, revel in it, and do as you please with it. Abandon Ozpin's stupid war and join me…" Her hand rested on Yang's shoulder, a black spark dancing across her fingers and leaping into her daughter's flesh. For a split second, Yang's eyes burned red and her hair went black, and it was as if they were mirror images of each other. Yang's head drooped down as she returned to normal, her bangs covering her eyes.

"How dare you…!" Magnus growled under his breath, though he stayed his hand upon sensing something within Yang.

"It's wonderful isn't it?" Raven sighed, "I can teach you how to fully bring it out too. There's more to our blood than you realize, all you have to do it join me-!"

"And abandon Ruby?" Yang asked, her voice small. "And leave behind everyone who's helped raise me up to who I am now?"

"Well… duh," Raven said as if was the most obvious thing in the world. "They're all useless. Why rely on something so weak when I can offer you something far better?" She brought her open palm forward, gesturing Yang to take it. "Leave these dregs behind Yang, and I'll grant you power beyond your imagination."

There was a moment of stillness before Yang slowly raise her hand and extended her arm…

"I REFUSE!"

*BANG*

…her fist smashing directly into Raven's face and sending the older woman flying back, blood dripping from her nose and mouth.

"You have the fucking audacity to call my family DREGS!?" Yang roared, her hair having turned black upon impact before fading back to gold, eyes burning crimson as tears ran down her face, "Is that what I was before I found out about this? Without this, am I just a fucking dreg to you!?" Her head dropped as she began to sob, words rattling out between heaving breaths. "I-I thought that you needed us, needed me to be stronger because you needed help. But I get it now…" She furiously wiped the tears from her eyes, fruitless at it was as she stared Raven down. "You don't care. You never cared; you just see everyone around you as redundant. To think I ever thought of you as a mom…" Yang snapped, "…Summer Rose was my mother, I see that now. Get out of my sight and never speak to me again."

"You've peeked into the truth of this world think I'm wrong?" When Raven smoothly stood up, it was as if she hadn't been struck at all, her face now twisted into a scowl and the pressure appeared once more. "You almost died at the hands of a bloodthirsty Astartes and think that you can simply skimp by with your childish little 'training', like this is some kind of sparring match?" She turned around and drew the crimson nodachi hanging at her hip from its rotational dust-sheathe, slashing at the air to create another red portal. "How disappointing. I'd expected more from you, but it seems even the bare minimum is too much."

She stepped through and the portal closed a moment after, Yang collapsing to her knees as she was wracked with sobs. Of all they ways she'd expected her first meeting with her mother to go, this was not one of them. All of that hoping, all for nothing.

'She doesn't love me.'

The agony of the realization ripped across her soul as she smashed her fist into the floor, her hair flashing black again as the stone beneath her was pulverized. Her body wilted into the ground, her head touching the floor as she continued to cry. It was here that Magnus knelt next to her, his hand awkwardly reaching out and hesitating, unsure about what to do at first before gently placing his palm on her shoulder, allowing the calm of his soul to touch hers.

"Parents are… complicated," He said after a moment, Yang's tears somewhat stemmed as she felt the soothing relief of his soul.

"Y-you…" She sniffed as she wiped her face again, sitting up, "You can r-relate, huh?"

"My father banned and condemned me for using a power he also wielded," He snorted, "And then I messed up big-time making a deal I could've avoided if he'd warned me about the drawbacks. Then I got my spine broken."

"…huh…" Yang chuckled wetly, a crooked grin flashing on her face before she looked down at her trembling hands. "…do… do you think he loved you?"

"…Yes… and no," He said honestly, "He played favourites, he talked and laughed and fought with my brothers and I, but… he never loved any of us." Her face twisted up as more tears poured from her eyes, his calm being the only thing anchoring her. "I won't lie to you: it gets better, but it will never truly heal. Though, I can give you a tip that helps."

"A-and what's that?" Yang asked.

"You said it yourself," Magnus said, "Summer is your mom. You have a father, a sister, companions that will stick their necks out for you, stay by you, fight for you. It never heals, but… it helps."

Yang sniffled and wiped her face again, thinking of the stern but ever-present hand of her father, Ruby's confident grin, Weiss' pleased smile, Blake's catty smirk… Summer's bright and beaming face. It still deeply hurt, the scowl of her mother, but he was right. It helped.

"… didn't think I'd have a breakdown and get helped by a stranger in the middle of the night," She sniffed with a wobbly grin. "Th-thank you."

"Ah well, weirder things have happened," Magnus hummed as he helped her up. "And don't thank me, it's the least I can do. I've known Raven for some time, working with Ozpin and whatnot, and your uncle Qrow speaks of your family quite often."

"Huh, so Jaune's super-sized uncle knows mine," She chuckled as she wiped her eyes again, "Shouldn't be surprised at this point."

"Indeed," Magnus nodded with a grin. "Of you go now. You need rest, and stargazing won't help you in that regard. And don't forget about what I said."

"I will… and thank you again," Yang said softly.

(TWBY Continued...)


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