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Fighting Rose
Chapter 29
Trouble in Paradise, and more talks
…Xiao-Rose Household, Patch…
"… thanks to the efforts of one Cinder Fall and the amazing Pyrrha Nikos, the devastating attack of the radical White Fang was severely blunted. There have been no reported civilian or Fang casualties, and the man reportedly responsible for the attack has been apprehended, currently in custody of the Atlan military forces. Another 'hero' has been brought to light in the wake of these events, one Ruby Rose, daughter of the late Summer Rose having been key in discovering and holding off Fang forces. However, multiple questions and objections to her enrolment in Beacon have risen as a result of the attack, most revolving around her young age, the youngest to ever be enrolled in Beacon at 15 years old, along with some rumours that she was inept enough to cause the attack itself."
"It doesn't make sense!" The footage cut to one civilian, "Who lets some little girl into a job meant for actual adults!? You might as well allow the White Fang to walk right into Vale!"
"I honestly don't blame her," Another shrugged, "But there's clear signs of favouritism on Ozpin's part. Sure, her mom was a really good huntress and she's done some good stuff, but I'm betting that she'll be put into the Festival and lose out in the first round-!"
*CRACK*
"BULLSHIT!" Yang roared as the remote was turned to dust in her, the blonde chucking the remnants of it violently into the trashcan.
With all teams having been granted a week's break after the on-field missions, Yang and Ruby naturally chose to return to Patch to stretch their legs in order to relax. Surprisingly enough, Blake and Weiss opted to come along as well: Patch was known as a quiet but beautiful island with forests and beaches, with the few fledgling Grimm used as training for junior-Hunters from Signal. Having just unpacked and opting to try and relax from the trip over to the Rose/Xiao-Long household, a good round of the news was in order. This evidently did not help them relax.
"Morons," Weiss scoffed, her nail tapping harshly against the armrest of the sofa as a vein popped up on her head.
"As much as JNPR helped us, we'd been holding the line just fine before they dropped in," Blake agreed, her face blank but her amber eyes slitted.
"…I'm gonna go catch a breath of fresh air," Ruby said lightly, not looking at the team as she stood and quickly left the room.
"Ru-!" Yang got up to try and chase after her only for a warm and calloused palm to suddenly stop her in place.
"Don't. Give her some space."
Weiss and Blake practically jumped out of their skins, not having heard or even noticed the arrival of the new face. Well over six-foot in height, the power of his body was not hidden by his brown tank-top, dense but flexible musculature under lightly tanned skin pushing against the fabric, though his loose white hakama-pants decorated with cloudy crimson flames hid his legs. His face was angular and hardened, a powerful neck supporting a rigid jawline and mouth that looked eternally set in place, bushy eyebrows resting on piercing crimson eyes. All of his features, evidently Mistralese, were topped off with a head of spiky platinum-blonde hair, almost white in its appearance if you glanced at it.
"Oh. Hey dad," Yang said blandly as she went to brush his hand off, only for his to firmly grip down hard enough to stay in place. "What do you want?"
"Give her time and space," He said, his voice low and strong, "You know where she'll be, and this is something that she'll pull through without you coddling her. That aside…" He turned to Weiss and Blake, the two unsure of what to do until he nodded respectfully at them. "Weiss and Blake, right? Nice to meet you."
"N-nice to meet you too sir," Blake said as she shook his hand, almost flinching at how rough it felt.
"A pleasure to finally meet you Mr. Xiao-Long," Weiss curtseyed as she took his hand, reacting far more smoothly.
"Mm," He hummed, "I'm gonna borrow Yang for a moment. There's snacks in the top left of the pantry and extra remotes in the cupboard below the T.V, so make yourselves at home. Come Yang."
WBY glanced at each other, Weiss and Blake getting a little worried before Yang subtly shook her head, the latter herself a bit confused but allowing the other two to relax slightly. Taiyang picked up on this, Weiss could tell by glancing at him, but was surprised at how his features… softened slightly. Just slightly.
"I'll be back in a flash," Yang said with a grin, though this one seemed plastered on, "Pops probably just needs me for some heavy lifting."
Blake and Weiss promptly looked at the cupboard under the TV as soon as they left, finding it neatly filled with row upon row of the same remote.
"…huh," They both said at the same time.
"…wanna go keep an eye on them to make sure her dad isn't doing anything suspect?" Weiss asked.
"Was just gonna suggest the same thing," Blake agreed.
…
"SEI!" Ruby shouted as she threw one final roundhouse kick, phantasmal petals flung from her foot as she breathed deeply and wiped the thin sheen of sweat from her forehead. She sighed and gently sat down in front of a neatly-kept but fairly old stone slab overlooking a great cliff, a rose-design carved beautifully into the stone along with a single line.
'Thus Kindly I Scatter.'
"… man, what a year, huh?" Ruby chucked after a moment, "Got to fight Weiss, Pyrrha, a whole bunch of terrorists, a super-Grimm, a giant mecha, two superhuman soldiers from old-Atlan religion… and I've gotten stronger because of it. But it isn't enough, is it?"
She put her hand on the stone.
"You've fought things like this all the time and won, haven't you?" Ruby said softly, "That Erebus guy… if I could get to him even for a moment, then you probably beat the crap out of him. But that other one…" She snorted and leaned back, looking into the sky. "…I think if I can get to the level of Jaune's dad without using aura, then I'll have finally caught up to you. Well, maybe I'm not that far behind. That weird boost I got from the silver eyes… did something to me. My moves feel more coordinated, and I feel like I've got better control over my body. I'm not there yet, but… I'm getting there."
She looked directly at the stone, a massive grin on her face as her eyes seemed to shine, the air around her body rippling as the wind began to kick up.
"Let everyone doubt me. I'll show them just how strong I've become and I'll win the whole damn Tournament! Just watch me mom!" She couldn't help herself as she laughed a bit, wiping a few stray tears from her eyes as she stood and bowed at the gravestone. "…I promise I'll make you proud."
…
"So, what'd you need me to lift? You clearin' out some more trees?" Yang asked as she was led to the side of their house, right into a wide circle of dirt that disrupted the otherwise green grass surrounding it. Taiyang suddenly turned and put his hands up in a simple boxing-guard.
"Stance," He said simply.
"…eh?"
"Stance," He repeated, his voice the exact same in tone.
"Okaaaay?" Yang said as she slowly put her hands up, the hair on the back of her neck raised. He suddenly lashed out with a jab, Yang automatically slipping and sending her right hand crashing into his mouth with a shocking *BANG*. Her mouth dropped open as his head snapped back and he was sent sliding backwards
"O-OH MY GOD I'M SO SOR-!"
He simply raised an open palm before wiping his lips. Something flared across his aura with his face twitching slightly, the feeling of it brushing across Yang's own soul. Her throat tightened for a moment at that familiar sensation.
"Keep going," He said, "Not all out, but keep going."
When he covered the distance in an instant to throw a heavy roundhouse at her head, she again reacted by weaving under to throw a liver-blow, her knuckles impacting against his tight guard without him budging an inch. His kicking-leg cut back through the air towards her head, Yang going low and lashing out with a sweep for his supporting leg only for him to easily backflip away before she could reach him. She was already on her feet and dashing in with a barrage of jabs, Taiyang slipping a few while blocking others before returning a few attacks of his own, just a littler than hers yet she dodged or blocked them in turn. This went on for some time, the rhythm of the tussle flowing into Yang as he clashed with her father, though something bout this entire thing felt off.
'Why is he looking at me like that?'
He was supressing his emotions as usual, but occasionally something would slip through the cracks whenever she would land a successful blow. The corners of his mouth and eyes would twitch up, almost making him look as if he was about to… she grimaced, forcing the tight feeling of her throat out of her mind before feinting a front-kick to his stomach before her leg whipped over to his temple in a roundhouse, only for it to again smash into his guard.
"…you met with Raven," He said softly, Yang's eyes widening before she snarled and launched a right hook directly into his cheek, his head snapping to the side as he was sent skidding back further.
"What's it to you?" Yang spat. "Why the fuck would you even care?"
"You're still here," He said as he wiped his mouth, "And that's all that matters."
"Since when did my actions ever MATTER to you!?" Yang shouted, baring her teeth as her eyes burned red.
"Since the day you were born," He said, his voice growing louder as his own irises began to vanish. "I know that your anger makes you lash out, I know that you looked up to Raven, and yet when she came to you and offered her power to you, you said no."
"So what!?" Yang shouted as her hair began to burn before it was snuffed out by the wave of aura that washed over her and the feeling within it, one that made her eyes well up with tears.
"Yang, I couldn't have been prouder of you," He said simply.
"…w-why are you doing this?" Yang snarled, grinding her teeth together as she failed to stop the tears flowing from her eyes. "Are you gonna do the same damn thing she did? You gonna give me a choice and 'grant me power' like her!?"
"Never," He shook his head as he walked towards her. "I know I haven't been the best father, especially to you. I don't expect you to ever forgive me for that, and that's okay. Wrath and pleasure are no longer the only things guiding your fists, you've grown so much, and that's all I could ever hope for."
He stood directly in front of her now, her head down as she wept. His hand came up though he hesitated, pain flaring across his face at the state his daughter was in and the awkwardness of the situation before he grit his teeth and gently put his finger under her chin, gently making her look up at him.
"I am proud of you Yang," He murmured. "And… I'm so sorry."
That was the straw that broke the camel's back, Yang surging forward and hugging her father for the first time in years. The flames of their auras gently flickered around them as he slowly guided her to sit under the old Oaktree, Taiyang sitting close with his arm around her shoulders.
"H-hey… dad?" Yang asked after a while of silence.
"Mm?"
"We know about mom and Ruby's eyes but…" Yang said as she raised her hand, a tiny black spark dancing across her fingertips. "…what did my mother pass onto me? Hell, that guy Erebus, he said that Ruby and I have - !"
"Equal opposites in your blood," He hummed as Yang nodded. "…I wish I could tell you and your sister more about the potential you each hold, but I can't. Moreover, I won't."
"But-!"
"Yang," He said firmly, "It isn't that I do not trust you two. You've both far exceeded our expectations, but that's why I'm so cautious. The two of you have reached dangerous levels of power that'll break you if you use it wrong, which is why I wish Summer was here. She's a far better teacher than I am. I can teach you and Ruby to supress it, nothing more."
"…why say nothing?" Yang asked, "Why wait for so long?"
"…Summer was the perfect mother to you two," He said wistfully, "…while I… never worked well with others."
"You're a teacher at Signal!" Yang argued.
"You ever see me talk with the other staff?" He chuckled, Yang's head down in realization. "I'm respected because frankly I do my job and nothing else. Your mom was loved by everyone. When she was gone, that was…"
He looked away from Yang, the latter's eyebrows going up at the rage that was bubbling up underneath his skin. Where he could suppress all other emotions, this one was something that could not be contained.
"…it's why Qrow was there to look after you two when I relapsed into my youth, destroying whatever and whoever I could get my hands on. It's why I… why I was scared of influencing you, my own blood, someone susceptible to the same Wrath that I'm capable of."
Yang flinched in surprise. 'That sounds… no, feels like…mine?'
"You deserve better than me," He sighed, "But if the best I can do is provide for you and Ruby, then I'll gladly do it. You've found people better than I who've helped you grow into the beautiful young warrior you are today, like your sister and your sneaky friends trying to spy on us."
Yang's head snapped up to catch a glimpse of white and black flickers darting behind the corner of the house, a little snicker leaving her lips.
"Pfft… I guess you're right," She said with a warm smile, one that made Taiyang visibly relax, "They've all really helped me grow… but… Ruby and I still need someone to look up to."
"…mm," Taiyang nodded, shifting uncomfortably. It was jarring for Yang to see her father like this: not just far more open than either her or Ruby had ever known, but for someone as powerful as him to show discomfort and fear was odd… and a little familiar. "…if you two would have me, then…"
"Well, you're still here aren't you?" They both looked up to see Ruby hanging by her ankles from a branch, a big smile on her face. "You're our dad and you do care for us, nothing changes that. But you're still gonna have to make it up to Yang."
"Of course," He nodded, a small but telling smile on his face as he tousled the hair on both of their heads. A few laughs were shared as Ruby sat on the other side of her father, the family sitting in comfortable silence as it felt like a weight had been lifted from the trio.
"…So uh…" Yang started, "Ruby's got a boyfriend."
Blake and Weiss, who had been watching the calming scene from far away, were immediately blown off their feet as Taiyang's head snapped around to stare at his youngest daughter, his face covered by shadow and his eyes pools of pure red light.
"GODDAMNIT YANG!" Ruby cried as she covered her red face, Yang hooting with laughter as the sisters were practically oblivious to their father's wrath.
(TWBY Continued...)
Volume 3 out later this week... I'm BACK.