Volume 1. Chapter 5. Ordinary Life?
Three days had passed since Summer and Taiyan's conversation. On the morning of that day, she hugged Taiyan, shouted "See you later!" to us, and ran off. What can I say? We haven't seen her for three days. Perhaps she is trying to tell Qrow about her pregnancy, so she will likely show up at our place eventually.
Right now, we are playing with Yang to pass the time and wait for Taiyang to return from work. As for his job, everything is as in the original: he works at Signal Academy, which is located on Patch Island. However, there are some differences from the original, for example, in his clothing. Taiyang looks different from the original: he doesn't wear brown shorts or that strange top like the shirt with uneven sleeves and a neckline cut, and the small vest that seemed too small on him. He doesn't have the knight's shoulder pad on his shoulders either. Now he is dressed more simply: pants, a T-shirt, and two fingerless gloves, which resemble his look in the series more closely. In the series, he had one glove, but here he has two, and the armband on his arm is a different color – not brown, but brownish-crimson.
Playing with Yang was quite strange. Not that we played anything complicated—no, we played with blocks, plush toys, and toy cars with mini motorcycles. The only odd thing was that we didn't have any dolls, even though Yang is a girl. We had plush toys, but no dolls. Why no dolls? The thing is, they didn't have plastic; they didn't even know what it was. How did I find out about this? During a shopping trip with Yang and Taiyang.
When we went shopping with dad, he mostly drove us rather than us walking on our own, but then we would stroll a bit.
I walked more than Yang because she was too restless, and Taiyang was afraid to let her out of the stroller, fearing she might run off on her little legs. As for me, it was a bit strange, but he trusted that I wouldn't run away. Although it was unusual to trust a small child who doesn't understand many things yet. I probably wouldn't have trusted myself either. However, he easily agreed after I spoke, though there was a bit of a fuss with Yang when she started crying, and Taiyang had to calm her down. It was resolved with a compromise: Yang held my hand, although I wasn't confident in this idea and initially refused. I was afraid I might fall when they started moving. My legs are small too, and while children have a lot of energy, they lack endurance.
As it turned out, there was no plastic in this world and no industry that could pollute the environment. Everything they could use relied on the help of Dust, which was mined by companies like Schnee.
Therefore, in this world, there were no plastic toys, instead, there were only plush toys made of various furs and fabrics. Interestingly, there were no humanoid toys among them, but there was a large variety of animal-shaped toys.
In this world, there were animals, and there were quite a lot of them, but for some reason, monsters weren't interested in them and didn't plan to kill them, except for humans.
How did I find out about this? I simply asked, although my speech wasn't very clear. However, it was clear enough to formulate a simple question: "What are these animals? And why don't monsters eat them?" Getting the answer, I received a list of animals that inhabit Patch Island. The second question was simpler and more understandable: "I don't know, son," he replied, uttering words that even reminded me of my past life.
So we wandered around the shops for about two hours until we bought groceries for Sunday and headed home.
While we were strolling and buying food, I noticed something strange trailing behind us. It looked like a bird. I only noticed it when I felt its gaze upon me. Until that moment, I hadn't even realized it was flying behind us.
It's hard to describe the feeling when you observe a bird that's observing you. It flies at a distance large enough to make it difficult to notice, but close enough to keep us in sight.
I felt like a complete psycho, understanding my current state. "I'm watching a bird. I'm watching a bird!" In the normal human world, people who, like me right now, would be watching birds, would be those with a mental trauma, ornithologists, or those who don't know what to do with their lives. If you stop thinking about your consciousness disorders, then you can only say one thing: this bird is familiar to me, although I don't remember what their version of a crow was supposed to look like. But there are only two people who could have become crows, and that's Qrow and Raven. Logically speaking, Qrow, judging by everything, wouldn't fly to watch us. And why would he? The only one left is Raven. She has more motives to watch us, at least three. But I have a strange feeling that she flew to check something and will disappear again. What exactly she could check is still a mystery to me. The only thing I can assume is that Qrow told her about Summer's decision to help Taiyang with the children, but that could also be just an assumption.
The surveillance continued for quite some time until we returned home. She watched us for a long time, but for some reason, didn't do anything else. At home, Taiyang started cooking dinner, and we continued playing, as usual. Until the feeling of being watched didn't return. At first, I glanced at Taiyang hoping he was watching me, but my hopes were in vain, and I returned to the window, which was closer to me, and saw a crow watching me and Yang.
If to describe what I saw, it was a crow with red eyes, which could scare a child because it looked menacing, but it didn't even bother me, though it should have. I'm still a child. Although it's very difficult to behave like that, making some childish mistakes, but the body hasn't fully developed yet, so making some mistakes is not difficult.
Now I was thinking about what to do with this problem. Should I let her continue to watch us or play my role, cry as if scared, and say, "Scary crow," and call my father. But while I was thinking about what to do, she disappeared. Although it would have been fun to go with the second option. "Hehehe".
After that day, she didn't appear again, at least I didn't see her or feel her gaze on me.
Though the person we wanted to see was supposed to appear on some unknown day, she was eagerly awaited, more by me than by Yang. It's hard to talk about Taiyang since he communicated through his scroll, which functioned as a phone in our world. So, he knew she would come. The day was ordinary, as always. The only difference was that nothing unusual happened, and life continued its course. Yang was growing, and so was I, and then, on one of those ordinary days, there was a knock at the door. After Taiyang opened it, we expected to see Summer Rose, but instead, Qrow Branwen appeared. This aroused my curiosity: "Why is he here?"
I could barely hear their conversation. At Qrow's request, Taiyang sent us to another room so that his manifestation, or in other words, his supernatural powers, wouldn't harm the children. Therefore, the content of their conversation remained a mystery to me. I couldn't hear anything through the door. Thus, the only option was to spend time as usual, which, I must say, was quite melancholic, turning each day into a routine.
Time passed, and their conversation ended. After that, Father allowed Yang and me to return. Although the games we played weren't boring, they became quite monotonous when played every day.
Some time after receiving an SMS on his scroll, he informed us that Summer Rose would be looking after us tomorrow.
His words conveyed a sense that we were being treated more like monsters than children.
"Tomorrow morning, a girl will come to stay with you until I return. So, be polite to her and don't give her any trouble while I'm gone," he said in a cheerful yet slightly nervous voice.
After hearing these words, I realized that we were no longer just ordinary children but had somehow turned into monsters capable of scaring someone.
Why did he come to such a conclusion? This happened because during our games, when Yang gets tired, she starts approaching me, looking for entertainment. You could say that when I see her reaching out to me, I run away from her, but she catches up to me. Even though we are still little, but when we already know how to walk, we do it quickly and energetically.
Every living creature, as well as parents, when they see their children running around, probably their brains quickly get tired. Therefore, although he tried to calm us down, it didn't work because stopping Yang is possible only with a tank. Her strong kicks of little legs to the stomach and ribs can cause significant discomfort if not tamed.
Most likely, he was worried because he was afraid that we could hurt Summer even under the cover of aura, which was very funny to me.
Laughter, of course, laughter, but the day inevitably comes to an end, so when the day was over and evening came, we went to bed. Although several times I wanted to ask my father what exactly they were talking about with Qrow or Uncle Qrow. When I gathered my thoughts to somehow articulate these words, I had several options. I could have not done it, but I was very curious about what they were talking about. So, in the end, I uttered those words.
"Dad, dad!" I exclaimed loudly.
"What is it, son?" He replied, slightly puzzled.
"What were you talking about with that guy?" As I spoke these words, I wanted to add a sparkle to my words and eyes.
"Do you want to know what we were talking about?" He replied, looking bewildered. "Nothing special, son, just a conversation, that's all". He said, pausing. "If I tell you, you won't understand anyway, so I better not tell you". His expression became strange after these words.
Those words, accompanied by a facial expression that is hard to describe, indicated that this conversation was personal, so he didn't want to talk about it. That's it, but understanding what could have caused such a sad expression on his face is difficult, but perhaps worth pondering. But that will be later, when Summer comes to watch over us. So it was better to end the conversation with him and smooth things over. In an attempt to smooth things over, I started with these words.
"I'm sorry, dad...". I said, trying to infuse as much tragedy into my tone as possible. "For asking such questions." My voice trembled with every word.
"What!" He exclaimed, startled. "Why are you apologizing to me?" His voice betrayed his concern and confusion.
"Because you seemed upset." I said, speaking even more sadly.
Taiyang approached, lifted me up, and hugged me tightly. I was surprised by the thought that I wasn't so easily reachable, but today my childish body said that if you're already grown-up at least morally, endure the embrace of an adult because he's your father. Although hugs from his side were indifferent to me, I still had no intention of avoiding his emotions.
We sat like that, maybe for five minutes, until he started talking to me again.
"Son...". He said in a quiet voice. "I'm sorry for saddening you. Son...". He continued in the same quiet tone.
I thought he was a strong person who prioritized his family, so he decided not to be a hunter but to have a regular job at the school for safety and stability. However, his quiet voice speaks of inner unrest that prevents him from moving forward, despite the passage of much time since her departure. He still hasn't forgotten her and hopes for her return.
She won't come back, and I know it. In the original story, there were only mentions of her possible return, but it was never clearly shown where she disappeared to at the end of the fifth season, only that she moved in with Taiyang. What happened next, I don't know, as it lost interest for me due to age and the fact that I'm dead.
How to calm him down so that he becomes calm and doesn't worry, but I have to say something, even though these words would sound better if I were a girl, but I'm a boy and my words will be foolish and naive.
"Dad, it's okay". I said, smiling widely, and turned to look at him. "You're a great father". I added, lightly touching his cheek. "So don't worry". I continued, staring into his eyes.
It seemed to me that at that moment when I said this, it was some clumsy attempt to express myself. I spoke so awkwardly that it could provoke a smile, especially from someone as small as me. But despite that, this situation looked comical.
If we deviate from the topic a bit, it's been two years since I was born with Yang. So I can more or less speak compared to when I was only one year old, but talking to Yang still seems strange. We spoke little and briefly, most of our communication happened through touches and body language. So I understood why she was pursuing me only when I managed to study her behavior and understand that the block works well, but not entirely. Her emotions depend on what I do and how I treat her. Understanding this, I wanted to reduce the number of influences on her consciousness, even indirectly. However, my gaze was directed towards more interesting aspects in the distance. So I didn't change anything because I didn't see a reason for it. But if I don't do this, I may have significant problems, and it would be interesting to find out what exactly they will be.
Taiyang interrupted my thoughts when he began to talk about us going to bed because it was already evening.
"Son!" He made a gesture with his hand to get my attention.
"What?" I said, bewildered.
"As I see, you're already falling asleep, son, so it's better for us to go to bed". He lifted me from his knees and put my little feet on the floor.
"Uh-huh." I said, pretending to be sleepy.
"Goodnight, son." He said with a smile.
"Uh-huh". I replied as I walked towards the open door.
As I climbed the stairs, my thoughts returned to where they had stopped when I looked at him earlier. At that moment, I consciously decided not to dwell on them too much to avoid becoming too attached to the people who live here and are part of my world.
As I exited Taiyang room, I pondered for a long time why I felt the need to find out what they were talking about. In my past life, I was more reserved than I am now. Perhaps, in addition to my influence on her, she also influences me? Most likely, she does influence me, but her influence is not very strong yet. Therefore, I need to start adapting to preserve myself as I am inside.
When I reached our room with my little feet, I walked through the open door and saw Yang already sleeping on the blanket, although if I looked closely, she took up all the space. Although she is small, when lying on her back, she looks like a cat wanting to occupy all the space in the world, and in this case, it's the bed.
I approached her, sat on the bed, and pondered how to move her without waking her up and freeing up some space for myself. I opted for the "cat rollover" tactic, and my plan succeeded: I rolled her to the other side of the bed and managed to lie down. At first, I thought I would be able to fall asleep after the conversation with Taian, but it didn't happen. I tossed and turned for a while, trying to find a comfortable position, but still couldn't sleep. Eventually, I pulled the blanket out from under her as I moved her aside and covered myself with it.
We had two blankets, but that didn't help. When she fell asleep, either Taiyang or I would cover her, but there was a peculiar thing: when we covered her, the blanket always ended up underneath her. And when she got cold, her hands would reach for my blanket. When it got hot again, my blanket would end up under her, but when she couldn't find anything to cover herself with, she would crawl towards me. This happened in spring, summer, autumn, and even winter. It didn't bother me when she snuggled up to me, but I was surprised that it didn't evoke any negative emotions in me.
I pondered that usually, such situations could cause discomfort due to psychological triggers formed in childhood. However, I didn't feel any negative emotions when she did this. It was interesting why she always wanted to touch me when she was bored or when she was going to sleep. I understood why she did it but didn't understand why I had no bad feelings about it, and even liked it. Maybe she senses that I appreciate it and therefore continues to do so. Or perhaps it reflects my subconscious desires. But if it doesn't cause me any trouble, then let it be so.
While I was trying to understand myself, I noticed that she started moving. Freezing, I watched her with one eye, hoping she wouldn't notice me. However, as soon as she realized I was there, she shouted:
"Yin! Brother". And she pounced on me like a predatory bird.
Why she did this, I couldn't comprehend. But when she shouted those words, I opened both eyes, and my head turned towards her. At that moment, I realized that this wild creature was ready to attack me. So, I assumed the most convenient position to catch a bird or a wild cat. When I managed to catch her so she wouldn't kill me, she hugged me tightly as if she was participating in a wrestling match. Besides her arms, she also used her legs, squeezing my body so hard that my hands and feet started to go numb.
I could have suffocated from her embrace, but my words stopped her from torturing my body.
"Yang..." I said in a muffled voice. "You're suffocating me." As I felt the breath of death.
After my words, she loosened her grip to the level of a butterfly cocoon, but still held me, as if she didn't want to let go. Although I had strange feelings about her, since she had hugged tightly since childhood and delivered strong, unexpected blows not seen by our parents, despite us being identical twins, I couldn't shake the feeling that she was stronger than me.
The strangeness of the thought that came to me was interrupted by the child who was hugging me, but she interrupted my thoughts not with words, but with a look. She began to move the upper part of her body away from me but didn't allow me to leave her owl-like embrace. When she looked at me, I felt like she could see right through me, which was unsettling. I also started to look into her eyes as carefully as possible, trying to notice what exactly I was delving into, what part of her consciousness. But even though I looked closely, I couldn't see anything significant, it seemed like she was admiring me, not distorting her consciousness.
This went on for some time, precisely twenty minutes. My mind was exhausted from our endless staring game, and we eventually fell asleep—she first, then me, after covering us both with a blanket. Amidst my actions, I noticed that I had won and began smiling like a fool, but I was happy because I understood what she was doing by looking into my eyes. She wanted to distract me from my worries.
The new day started early, as Summer Rose finally arrived—the person we had been waiting so long to see again. She arrived before Taiyang left for his job at Signal Academy. Seeing her in her usual attire, which she always wore, we immediately understood that she was prepared for any challenge. It looked as if she hadn't come to take care of two small children but to embark on a new mission to save the world.
When Summer arrived and stood before us, Taiyang and Summer began a rather amusing dialogue.
"Kids!" Our father called out in a distinct tone. "Don't cause trouble and try not to give her a hard time until I get back." He added with a serious expression.
We responded to him in unison:
"Okay, Dad!" - two childish voices uttered, still not very confidently articulating the words and not fully understanding what he meant.
After those words were spoken, there was a knock on the door. When it happened, he said these words:
"Oh, just in time." He said, approaching the door to open it.
After he opened them, his face expressed surprise. The combat attire, which I had described, though similar to regular clothing, stood out from her usual attire. It had compartments for ammunition. It especially stood out in appearance.
In her current outfit, red dominated more than black or white, which were prevalent when she attended the academy. Her attire differed from the usual in that she wore dark stockings instead of tights, which were part of her previous attire. Her appearance stunned everyone present, as this outfit, which looked like a regular dress, was actually combat gear, and distinguishing it was difficult for an untrained eye.
So when Taiyang froze in amazement upon seeing her, it surprised and amused me. And although he asked her why she was dressed in combat attire rather than regular clothing, she replied that this attire was normal and comfortable for her.
"Why are you dressed like this for just watching the kids?" His words conveyed surprise and bewilderment.
"When we talked earlier, you said to dress comfortably and as usual for childcare. So I dressed in what's comfortable for me." She noted.
"I hoped you'd opt for a more usual look, not one ready for new challenges." He said pointedly.
"Ahh". She uttered, her cheeks starting to blush. "Okay, next time I'll dress normally." She added, turning her face to the side to hide her embarrassment. "Will you finally let me in?" She turned her head towards him, raising an eyebrow.
"Oh, sorry." He said sheepishly. "Your appearance really surprised me." His gaze swept over her body. "So I forgot to let you in. " With these words, he stepped aside so she could enter the house.
As she passed by him, his facial expression changed abruptly, he was so surprised that it could only be called what the fuck.
"Did you bring a weapon with you?" He asked, looking puzzled.
"Yes." She replied, turning back to face him.
"Okay." His expression shifted to understanding. "But don't let the kids play with it." He hinted at her weapon discreetly.
"Shouldn't you be hurrying off to work?" She said, turning away from him.
"Oh." Flustered, he checked his watch. "You're right, I should." Quickly gathering his things, he turned to the children one last time. "Yan, Yin, behave yourselves and listen to Auntie Summer, okay?" As he spoke, he glanced at the children.
"Okay!" The synchronized chorus of children affirmed their agreement to behave well while their father was away.
"Alright, kids, I have to go." He was about to leave when he paused. "Summer, I trust you completely." With those words, he was gone.
As he left, a moment of quiet ensued, marking the beginning of our acquaintance with Summer, who looked somewhat contemplative. I had no idea what she was thinking about, but she stood there for a while, staring at the closed door. After a brief pause, she shifted her gaze towards us and spoke.
"Alright, kids, let's get to know each other. My name is Summer." She approached the children and sat down beside them. "What are your names?" Her eyes were fixed on the children.
She seemed quite odd, behaving as if she were a psychopath or someone who couldn't remember names she had already heard. Perhaps she intentionally forgot, or maybe she simply didn't know how to start a conversation with the children.
But it was probably time to start talking. It had been two years, and by now, we should be able to pronounce our names correctly.
"My name is Yin." I stepped forward to greet her.
It seemed strange that she was surprised that I was the first to approach her. I had a feeling that she expected Yang to be the first child to greet her, not me.
It was quite easy to understand that she thought Yang would be the first to approach her because Yang was a very energetic child, difficult for me to keep up with even though I was closer to her than even our father. Although she was a bit surprised when I greeted her and named myself, she composed herself and shifted her gaze to Yang, asking for her name.
"Okay." She said with joy. "And you, sweetheart, what's your name?"
After her words, Yang became timid and hid behind me. Seeing Yan hide behind my back, I noticed her looking at Summer with a frightened and distrustful expression. Turning my gaze to Summer, I saw that she was saddened by Yan's reaction to her greeting and desire to get to know her.
So, I took the initiative and began speaking to Summer on behalf of Yang.
"Her name is Yang." I said, hoping to dispel any misunderstanding.
While I had the idea of saying Yang name, hoping to smooth over the strange atmosphere between us, I quickly realized that this misunderstanding wouldn't dissipate so easily. The oddity of the situation increased when Summer retrieved her weapon, which was in the form of a rectangular box.
"Kids, do you know about people like the Grimm hunters? They're heroes of our time, risking their lives for the greater good of humanity". She straightened up, beginning to search for something behind her. "And I'm one of them, a Grimm hunter". She retrieved her weapon, but it was still concealed.
As she began telling her story about being a hunter, it didn't impress me much, but Yan perked up her ears to listen more closely. She attentively watched what Summer was pulling from behind her, even leaning slightly out from behind me to see better. To Yan's surprise, she pulled out a rectangular box. It seemed quite heavy to me. But the world is such a strange place, like the stars we don't know whether they still exist in the sky or not.
This weapon, as I understood, was currently in a compact state, but that was temporary. It looked rather inconspicuous to Yang, so her curiosity, which had emerged a moment ago, disappeared without a trace. She hid behind me again, looking at her with disappointment. And then a cunning and sly idea came to me, as precise as a Swiss watch in crime movies.
And so, I began my game. What else is there to do when you're a child? When the only thing left is to make up games and develop your body. So as not to die of boredom.
"Aunt Summer, could you show it to us closer?" I took one small step forward with undisguised interest.
My movement surprised Yan a bit, but when she looked into my eyes, it seemed like she understood something. It surprised me too, when I looked at her in that moment after saying those words.
Thoughts were flowing through my mind that seemed predictable only to her. But the plan would be successful, just like all those before it.
"Okay, Yin, but please be careful not to harm yourself." She brought something resembling a weapon closer to us.
"Okay, Aunt Summer, I'll be careful." I replied, carefully stepping closer to this weapon. "It's so cool! Does it have a name?" I asked, shifting my gaze from the red cube to Summer.
She looked at me with evident surprise, and her question reflected it.
"How do you know that?" She asked, visibly bewildered.
"What?" I replied, surprised and slightly nervous.
"That some hunters give names to their weapons?" She clarified, narrowing her eyes.
"From Dad." I said easily and clearly, like a child.
"I see." She glanced at Yang, who stood beside me. "My weapon is called Sundered Rose." She said with a hint of sadness in her voice.
Although I already knew that, it would be easier to say it when asked, "How do you know that?" Her gaze was somber, giving the impression that there were certain nuances hidden behind her relationship with this weapon, perhaps related to her family, about which she said nothing.
"What a beautiful name." I said. "And the color is wonderful." I added, trying to find the same button to activate a different form.
"It was also assembled by me personally." She said with some pride in her voice.
"Did you assemble it yourself?" I asked, feigning surprise, continuing to search for that button.
"Yes, all hunters must assemble their weapons themselves to become one with it." Her words conveyed a sense of excitement and pleasant memories.
She stood like that for a few seconds, and I managed to find that same button. My gaze fell on Yang, who stood to my left. Like people who can communicate telepathically, she suddenly dashed, noticing Summer when she snapped out of her thoughts.
"Yang, where are you going?" She asked sadly.
My gaze shifted to Summer, who was saddened by Yang sudden dash into another room. Although she was sad that Yang had fled from her, her distraction gave me a few minutes to find Pandora's box. This time was enough for me to find it - it wasn't heavily concealed, but it was also not noticeable if you didn't know where to look.
Although she could have gone after her and ruined my plan, for some reason she didn't want to go, just standing with her hand extended toward me. After this thought, I pressed the button. It opened loudly, startling Summer because when it did, her weapon nearly grazed me. People without an aura can die as easily as possible. Although it didn't bother me, I knew how her weapon should look in its expanded form, so the tip of the axe, which was close to my neck, didn't bother me.