AN: Probably a chapter or two away from moving onto Lu Bu's Arc.

Enjoy the Chapter!

Adam would be lying if he said he liked being alone most of the time. As calming as it is, it gets lonely after a while. It made him a little glad that he was able to come in contact with one of his own. Two were young and the other was an adult already.

It saddened him to see his children become Adults. They are always more aware of their actions and morality. Aware if their actions have a positive or negative effect on their life or on others. Too conscious of how they live their life and, at one point, feel it is useless and a waste.

It pained him to see them act that way. He couldn't do anything but listen to their sorrow.

But here he was, saving his children from the grasp of death. Not that it's a bad thing, no, but it was a good thing; he was able to help his children in some form instead of listening to their cries.

"Uncle Qrow, is Yang…. Is she going to be okay?" Ruby's voice wavered with the words that came out of her mouth.

"She's going to be fine, kiddo, she's just a little tuckered out." Qrow responded, but it only eased her worries slightly.

"Look, your big sister is tough and she cares about you a lot," Qrow said, "Which is ironic considering her biological mother." Qrow whispered under his breath.

"It could've been worse." Qrow added.

Qrow sneaked a glance at Ruby, she still looked a little worried about Yang's health. Qrow wouldn't admit it but he always becomes bothered and guilty whenever his nieces felt troubled, especially when they expressed it around him, it made him feel responsible to lend a shoulder to lean on.

"She'll survive, kiddo, you don't need to worry about a thing when I'm around, you know that already." Qrow tried to reassure Ruby.

"Yeah, I know… but she ended up like this because of me, if I didn't-"

Qrow sighed, "Listen, it was inevitable that the two of you would've gotten hurt. It's the middle of the night and there's grimm roaming around, you were bound to get into some trouble."

Qrow continued, "But don't think it was your fault she ended up like this. It was her decision to protect you from danger, her decision to find you and bring you back home that she ended up like this. She loves you way too much for her own good."

Ruby nodded but her eyes were glued to the ground.

"Then… can you teach me, teach me how to protect her like how she protects me?" Ruby asked as she looked up at Qrow.

"Hah…" Qrow rubbed his temple with his free hand, "Anytime, but you're a little too under the minimum age, maybe in another nine years, pipsqueak."

"Nine years? But that's way too long~" Ruby moaned in annoyance, "How about next year?" Ruby asked.

"Nah, still too young, you wouldn't even be able to lift a training weapon." Qrow said.

"Then how about a year and a half, that's long enough." Ruby tried to convince her Uncle Qrow but it was failing miserably.

"And get weird looks by people because I'm training a toddler how to fight against grimm, yea, no thanks, try again in nine years." Qrow said.

Ruby ran up in front of Qrow, giving him the puppy dog eyes, "Please!" Ruby said as she held her hands together.

Qrow winced at the sight. He knew she was going to use the puppy eyes sooner or later, but even when he was prepared, it still pierced his defenses, "Fine, but I'll train you when Yang starts her training, and you'll need to get Tai's permission, capeesh?"

"Yippee!" Ruby shouted in joy. All she needed to do was do the same thing she did to Qrow but towards her dad.

And just like that, they would all fall under her control.

Ruby chuckled at the thought of her using the puppy eyes for evil, even though she wouldn't, but it was a funny thought to have anyway.

Ruby and Qrow continued following a dirt path that led to the Cabin, meanwhile, Adam followed behind, feeling like he had been forgotten about.

Knock, Knock, Knock.

The front door of a two-story cabin burst open, revealing Tai, "Qrow, I got your text, Yang and Ruby, they're fine, right!?"

Qrow groaned from the sudden increase in volume, "Yeah, Ruby's a little scratched up but Yang took most of the beatings." Qrow said.

Qrow lifted Yang off his shoulder, holding her bridal style.

"What? What happened to her!?" Tai shouted as he ran up to Qrow, scanning all Yang's injuries.

"By the looks of it, she must've gone tumbling down a hill" Qrow continued, "You can tell by the green stains and dirt sticking to her and the clothing. Then there's a couple of splinters that dug deep into her skin, well, at first glance, and there are some bruises that are starting to develop, not sure if there's more 'cause of the clothing."

"She also got caught by some thorny vines on the way down, saw some lying around where she was standing." Qrow sighed, "Unfortunately, there's still some thorns stuck to her exposed skin but most of the thorns stuck to her clothing." Qrow said with relief,

"Let's just hope it stopped the thorns from piercing her skin…. but it's still going to hurt pulling the thorns out." Qrow said.

Qrow's dealt with pain, be it getting slashed or stabbed by a knife, or sword, hit in the head, and hitting the ground like a sandbag, he couldn't get used to it. He could only expect the shock and not panic, it hurt all the same though.

"Dammit Yang, it wouldn't have hurt to be a little safer, you know." Tai said as he hovered over Yang, brushing aside the hair that stuck to her face.

"What about Ruby, where's she?" Tai said as he caressed Yang's unconscious face.

"I'm here…" Ruby said timidly. Ruby heard from Yang that he was his old self, but she wasn't sure if it was true.

Tai's eyes softened at the sight of Ruby, but there was also a pained look in his eyes. It's the same look Tai held whenever he saw her.

Did he really change?

The thought was brushed away when her dad wrapped around her, hugging her tightly. It surprised her, it made her happy, it made her heart ache.

And she cried.

A few minutes later she was rubbing her snot away on her dad's shirt, but he didn't mind. And, at some point, when she was bawling her eyes out, her Uncle Qrow went upstairs to put Yang on the single bed in the guest's room.

Ruby and Yang would usually sleep in the same room but Tai and Qrow didn't want Ruby to be sleeping next to her unconscious sister, and they also had to wipe off all the dried-up blood and take the thorns out which would definitely wake Yang up screaming in pain.

"That's not all, Tai," Qrow said as he gained a serious look.

Tai noticed this and sent Ruby upstairs to watch over Yang.

"What is it this time?" Tai said, equally as serious as Qrow had become.

Qrow sighed before shouting, "Get in here already!"

"I was going to, but I didn't want to ruin a heart-warming moment like that." Adam said as he walked in through the front entrance.

Adam couldn't hide the smile on his face as he locked eyes with Tai, "You did well." Adam said.

Tai felt a wave of emotions invade his heart, it surprised him, it made him feel like everything was going to be okay, and it made him nostalgic, being reminded of loved ones he cared deeply for.

But there was one problem, "Um, why don't you have any clothes on?" Tai asked with a confused look, "Qrow, I thought I told you my cabin isn't a homeless shelter."

"Tai... he's the one who saved my nieces, your daughters, from getting eaten by a pack of beowolves." Qrow said as he leaned against a wall near the front entrance.

"What! How did a pack of beowolves manage to get pass us?" Tai asked.

"I think you should be more worried that you called the man who saved your daughters a homeless person." Qrow said, chuckling to himself.

Tai smacked himself in the face, "I'm so, so sorry, you just have no clothes and I thought-" Tai couldn't find any excuses, although, he didn't have to be sorry about anything. It's normal to be shocked and uncomfortable by a person who had nothing on but a leaf covering their private area.

"Tai." Qrow said with an expression that said 'Just forget about it.'

"Right, right, sorry." Tai said with a wry smile.

You thought it would take him a few seconds to get himself back on track, but Tai's embarrassment vanished in a blink of an eye, "Thanks for saving my daughters, Mr..?" Tai said.

"Call me Adam." He said.

"Thank you, Adam. You saved my daughters' lives and I cannot express how much I appreciate that you would risk your life for them."

"It's okay, I wasn't in any risk."

Tai would've been mad at such a cocky attitude but he felt like Adam wasn't trying to sound cocky, but it still kind of annoyed him. However, it felt like he couldn't get mad at him, like what he said was true.

Adam continued, "I would always lend a helping hand to those in need. And as for thanks… I would need some time to think about that."

Before Tai could say anything else, he was pulled outside by Qrow.

"What are you doing?" Tai said. Confused by Qrow's actions.

Qrow ignored Tai's question and replied with another, "By the look on your face, you felt it too, huh?"

"What… what are you talking about?" Tai said. Confusion etched on his face.

"I'm talking about the feeling like you know the guy but you've never met him once," Qrow said before continuing "Or maybe I met him while I was drunk, but I wouldn't forget a pretty boy like him."

Tai took a second to register what Qrow meant but when he did, his eyes lit up a bit, "I mean, I guess, but it's probably because he looked similar to someone I've met before." Tai tried explaining that feeling.

"Yeah, but there's another feeling he gives off, doesn't it remind you of someone?" Qrow questioned.

"I mean, now that you mention it, it kind of does. It's like the feeling I get whenever I'm with sum- my wife and my kids, a pleasing feeling. It's really hard to describe but I just feel comfortable near them." Tai explained.

"Don't you feel the same with that man too?" Qrow said.

"Yea… yea, I do… weird-" Tai said with a quiet voice.

"You're not alone, Tai, and it's what I'm trying to figure out. There's also the fact that he coincidentally saved your two daughters, in the middle of the night at that. Doesn't that seem suspicious to you?" Qrow said as he opened up his flask, taking a swig of the contents before capping it again.

"Then there's that feeling that you could trust him. At first, I thought it was his semblance, but there would be no point in keeping it active, especially now." Qrow added.

"I won't lie, it puts me on edge, never had this feeling with anyone else unless I was with Summer," Qrow said.

Tai winced. He knew Qrow was in love with Summer, but at the time Tai was desperate for someone to fill the void in his heart, and it just so happened Summer had also wanted him to fill the void in her heart.

"Do you know what's causing it?" Tai said.

"I was about to get to that," Qrow continued, "I tried asking the man himself, calls himself Adam. Asked if he'd meant to keep his semblance on till now because some people like to think they can keep it hidden from others. I thought it would rile him up, maybe a clue to some ulterior motive, but all I got was a confused look and a question on what a semblance is."

"Right, Adam?" Qrow called out to Adam which confused Tai since they were outside of the cabin and Adam was inside.

But before Tai could ask Qrow about it, he heard a reply.

"Yeah," Adam agreed as he peeked out from the window and nodded, "although you're missing the part where I explained to you that you're my descendant, I believe that is the cause."

"Descendant..?" Tai said with a befuddled look.

"Is he your dad or something, Qrow? I thought you said you never had one." Tai said.

Qrow let out a deep sigh before responding to Tai's stupid question, "God, sometimes I wonder if you have a brain in there or not. How can someone close to me, who also was apart of my team, be this irritating," Qrow rubbed his temple.

"But he just said-" Tai was interrupted by Qrow, "Don't take everything at face value. And did you forget? You said you got the same feeling too, which would mean that you're also his descendant, if what he said is true." Qrow added.

"Me? You? Part of the same family tree, yea, I don't see it." Tai agreed.

Qrow usually never allowed his curiosity to get the better of him. In the end, he would find out one way or another, but this time he was eager to know the man named Adam. How is he able to produce these emotions in others?

"It's not that complicated," Adam wrapped his arms around a furball called Zwei, "You can find people you are fond of, people you love, people you admire, and people you would do anything for. But there are people you hate, people you resent, people you despise." Adam said as he held Zwei in his arms, Zwei allowed Adam to pet and ruffle his fur.

Zwei was fond of Adam, but Zwei was fond of everyone.

"You are part of the many who view me in a positive light, but there are some bitter of my existence," Adam said, his eyes longing for something out of his reach.

Adam remembered how the gods wanted him dead for causing chaos in their court, but, at the time, it didn't matter to him. He did it for Eve and he would do it again.

Qrow understood where Adam was coming from. There are people he would do anything for, like Tai, Summer, Ruby, Yang, and even his sister Raven, even if he hates that she ran away with her tail between her legs, he couldn't bring himself to ignore her when she needed him the most.

However, her stupid rule annoyed him, 'save you once and then leave you to die the next.' He couldn't comprehend why she made the rule, if he was given the chance to save anyone he held dear an infinite amount of times he would take it every time. Maybe it's because she's the leader of the Branwen tribe, she can't show her soft side to them or else her 'family' would use it against her, to make her do what they want.

It pissed him off to see how her perception of 'family' had become so twisted.

Anyway, enough of that. There will be people you love and hate, sure, but that didn't explain this feeling in his heart when he met Adam.

Qrow barely takes trips into the city, but he's pretty damn sure he doesn't get this same feeling when he walks by hundreds of strangers. And the only time he did feel at peace was when he was with Summer, but somehow with Adam too, so there's something Adam isn't telling him.

That or he's oblivious to the effect he has on people around him. Qrow doubted the latter.

Tai sighed, "A lot has happened today," Tai said as he glanced toward Qrow, "Let's just head inside and talk about it tomorrow, it's getting late and I don't think I can leave Ruby to watch over Yang."

"Right…" Qrow wasn't done talking with Tai, there was a lot more they had to discuss and Tai still had some issues that needed to be resolved, but Qrow could wait till morning, he was pretty tired after the events that unfolded.

"I almost forgot, Tai, can you give spare clothing for Adam." Qrow said it like it wasn't a request but a demand.

"Yea, no problem, but my shirts might be a little big on him, and I only got shorts. I didn't get to clean any of my clothing the past week or two…" Tai said with dejection, obviously bothered by the cause of the reason.

"Yea, sorry about not being able to visit after I told you about that, I've been busy trying to find the perp. And before you ask, no, I didn't find the bastard." Qrow said as he took another swig.

Qrow would drink whenever he felt down, the reason being is he believed that whenever he felt under the weather his bad luck would start acting up, though he never tested if it was true or not.

That and he also couldn't get rid of his drinking habit.

Qrow sighed in delight after gulping down all the alcohol his flask had left.

"So… have you decided?" Qrow asked.

"Decided what?" Tai replied.

Tai gave a face of realization but it immediately turned gloomy, "Right… I need a little more time to think about it."

"Really?" Qrow thought a week and a half was enough time, but he guessed wrong.

"I mean, you've got all the time you want, but I prefer it if you arrange the funeral as soon as possible." Qrow continued, "Even if we don't have the body, we've got to at least do this much. To honor her death, Summer's death."

Qrow made sure to mention her name in hopes that Tai would make his decision sooner rather than later.

And Tai isn't the only person distraught over Summer's death. Summer was a lovable person from the moment you met her, she made many friends during her time in Beacon. Hell, she even befriended some of the teachers and to no one's surprise, her grades got a little better.

Didn't take a super genius to figure out why.

So, a lot of her friends contacted him and most likely Tai too since they were all a team in Beacon before. And, oh boy, he never expected to be bombed with over 99+ notifications when he woke up one morning.

Unfortunately, they still text about every day, asking when her funeral will be arranged. Which, much to their disappointment, was met with 'it hasn't been arranged yet, her family is yet to decide.'

Obviously, when the funeral is held the casket would be left closed. Much to his disappointment, Qrow wasn't able to find a body to retrieve, only bloody remains. So, friends and family had their right to see her once more and say their goodbyes, forcefully revoked because he wasn't able to retrieve her… her corpse.

"You're right, I'll try to find the time to arrange it, but right now my top priority is for Yang's recovery." Tai said.

Tai may have sounded confident and looked like he had newfound vigor, but it was just a facade. In reality, he still felt grief for the loss of his wife and regret that he had shown a horrible side of him towards his daughter.

He felt like he had to make it up to them, to be a better father. He still felt the same amount of grief when he heard of Summer's death, he hadn't changed. But he believed that he had to approach from a different perspective, to not allow his emotions get the best of him, or else his daughters would have to suffer the consequences.

The final straw was when Ruby attempted to run away, which gave him the much-needed push to change, but it was a push he wished never happened. It was a push that risked Ruby's life.

"Tai, catch." Adam's voice called out.

Before he knew it, as Tai turned around a big round black fluff ball was heading straight towards him. He scrambled around before catching it, which he did successfully.

Bark

Zwei sat in his arms, licking at his face.

Adam leaned forward on the window frame, holding up his head with his hand, "Zwei is kind despite his experiences. He has a deep love for you and your family." Adam said as he locked eyes with Tai, "But you've never noticed it, his love and worry for you. He was always by your side during your time of grief but you've never noticed him, like you did with your daughters." Adam said.

"Ruby and Yang, they too were grieving at the loss of someone dear, your wife, Summer. They tried to get through to you, their love, worry, and empathy, all neglected and dismissed. Nothing but to be wary of yourself, in return." Adam said.

"Show them that you've changed. Give them your love they deserve, the love they craved in mourning. Give them a shoulder to lean on, be the one to show them that there is more than a bitter ending waiting for them at the end." Adam said wistfully.

After all, Adam wanted to see them become the happy family they once were.

But Adam's sudden speech left Tai speechless. He looked at Zwei who sat in his arms, Zwei was panting happily as he had his mouth open and tongue sticking out.

Zwei was around a month old when they adopted him, a week before Summer's death, it was her suggestion to get a family pet.

At first, he didn't want to adopt a dog, mostly because he didn't want to be picking at the hair that got stuck on the couch nor did he want to use a roller to get all the stragglers clinging to the couch and rug, aka, dog hair.

But he was also worried about whether they had the room and money necessary to take care of the dog, and if his kids, Ruby and Yang, would react positively to a dog or would they hate the dog. But he doubted they would hate a pet dog, except Yang.

It was a decision that when he looked back on, made him feel stupid.

They were so happy at the time. Ruby and Yang played with Zwei every single day whenever Summer was out, they played catch with him even though he would always trip over himself when he ran.

In a way, he could see Zwei as Summer's last gift to her family.

But Zwei wasn't the only gift she had left for him. His daughter, Ruby, was the most precious gift he had received.

A gift they both created.

A gift he neglected and wished he hadn't.

Tai didn't feel sorrow.

He didn't feel remorse.

He didn't feel grief.

He didn't feel shame,

But he was able to feel relief as a single tear ran down his face.

Tai wiped the tear away, "I needed this," Tai smiled.

"Qrow, Adam… thank you, I mean it."

AN: You know, I wanted to make some character development with these characters, which I'm not sure if I made progress with, but I realized that we won't be seeing them for a while after we begin the Lu Bu Arc. Oh well, at least I won't have to explain their backstory at least, I think.

Anyway, see you in a few days, probably.