Log 002: Burned Out

Ruby left a day ago.

Yang is looking at the window, not moving for a while, her body weakening every day that passes. Her missing arm itches until Tai forces her to eat a special soup he made for Ruby and her when they were little. She is even disgusted at that thought. Yang stumbles out of her bed, a shower after so many days might help. As drops of hot water flow through her scarred skin, Yang wonders what could have been. Weiss is back at Atlas, Ruby left with Jaune, Nora and Ren, and Blake. Yang grits her teeth. Her head leans on the shower's wall.

"Without even saying a word…" She mutters to herself. "Not Weiss or Blake… We were a team, right?" Yang closes her eyes and the bathroom fills with vapor as her hair glows. Suddenly a red slash, Yang panics as the pain of the gone arm reaches within. She tries to grab something to stop her fall with her right arm to no avail. Yang crashes towards the floor. A question from outside the house breaks her rapid heartbeat, Tai asking if she's okay. The fall was heard that sounded all around the house.

Yang doesn't answer, catching her breath, sits on the cold floor. Grabbing her face to have a sense of reality, she looks at what's left of her arm after the fall of Beacon. To her surprise, the wound is blackened with small spots of white. Curiosity stumbles as she touches the wound, the white spots are tough like stone. A knock is heard.

"Yang, are you in there? Everything alright?" Tai asks.

"Ye-yeah"

"If you need anything, just tell me, little dragon…" Tai returns to his chores. Yang doesn't have time to be angry at the nickname. "What's happening to my arm?"

Yang goes downstairs in ragged sports clothes, only to be disgusted at the smell of that stupid soup again. She walks towards the kitchen, Tai is happily cooking the soup she's been forced to eat since she woke up. Yang goes directly to the fridge to grab cereal and milk.

"Rough morning?" Tai asks Yang without stopping his cooking.

"Fell while showering, isn't there anything more to eat apart from that?" Yang responds bluntly.

"Sadly not until you fully recover!" Tai smiles as he finally sees a completely annoyed Yang. "But hey at least now you can stand up, no more slumbering in your cave!"

"I wish I could tho, but I've been itching for a shower, my hair needed its beauty time."

"Just your hair?"

"Just my hair."

"I see…" Tai returns to do the final touches to the soup. "How's your arm?"

"Gone." Yang leaves the kitchen and sits on the couch, turning on the TV.

"Just like her mother…" Tai smirks to himself.

The TV is mostly just news about the Fall of Beacon, with switching quickly the channel looking for something good, Yang only gets the information she experienced. The breach due to underground tunnels was just a hint of what came during the festival, as the White Fang lured an avalanche of Grimm towards Beacon, using the media and Atlas' robot army against themselves. Yang lands on a channel showing a documentary about Vacuo wilderness and stays in it as Zwei jumps into the couch to cuddle with her. She tries her best to pet him as he lays on her right side. Tai joins her with two bowls of that soup and a huge box.

"So… Ironwood sent this to everyone harmed by the Fall and his damaged droids." Tai hands the box to Yang. "I was waiting until you moved, so we can give it a try later."

Yang grabs the box, but instead of opening it like a birthday gift like Tai hoped, it's a slow melancholic movement, where Yang faces the reality that things won't ever be like before, just that now in a more cold and tangible form, as she pulls the gray metal prosthetic for her arm. Tai hugs Yang, with her not reacting as her once bright eyes analyze the prosthetic.

"He said that was of the highest quality since not only were you treated unfairly during the festival, but also stood your ground in spite of it." Tai says, trying to connect with something. The look that Yang gives to the prosthetic is unbearable to the eye. Tai pats Yang.

"Here, have some soup, this time I added some jalapeño sauce to it!" Tai hands the soup to Yang.

"Why are you giving me this soup over and over? I hated it when I was child and the feeling hasn't changed now." She says as she gives it a taste with the spoon. "Although the sauce does make it a bit better."

"Glad to hear." Tai looks happy to Yang. "Do you remember when I told Ruby and you that the soup was magical?"

"A blissful lie to keep us eating this." Yang gleefully says as she pours more sauce until the taste is numb.

"Not far off" Tai says laughing. "This soup was what we ate during missions." Finally catches Yang's attention. "Raven and Qrow introduced it to us, they mentioned that it helped them and their tribe warm and relieved, healing injuries." Yang is finally entranced. "Then they showed us the recipe and discovered it has a bit of dust in it, a weird thing honestly."

Yang looks at the soup.

"What's the name of this specific soup?"

"Well, the one I'm eating was called Dragon Himn, but yours is probably more of a roar!" Tai responds jokingly. Yang responds with a smile as she pushes her dad away.

Suddenly the pain is felt again, taking both by surprise. Yang tries to keep it together as the bowl of soup falls to the floor. Tai quickly tends to her, looking at Yang's limp right arm. Yang is in pain, holding her head trying to avoid the fear. Looks at her dad, only to see a face that she has never seen in Tai before.

Horror.

Tai quickly tends to Yang's arm, using his semblance in an attempt to room the blackness on it. Is not enough. Thinking quickly, Tai grabs his bowl and pours the soup onto the wound mixed with his semblance. Yang starts to calm down, both breathing heavily. Tai lets out a sigh of relief.

"What's happening to me?!" Yang says, trembling, grabbing Tai for support. Tai hugs her. Yang starts breathing better, the pain starts to leave, the scare vanishes in the humble father embrace.

"Yang, hear me closely." Tai says as serious as Yang has ever heard him before. "There's a certain truth that has broken this family apart way too much, but you have to promise me that after hearing this, you not only we'll be able to stand up on your own again, but protect everyone, especially Ruby."

Yang nods, now with a normal heart bit, but still shaken. "The Grimm come from us humans, we turn on them after we die." Tai says while holding Yang tightly. "Ozpin assured us it was contained, but now that the Fall happened, be prepared to see friends turn into undead." Yang looks at Tai determined.

"What can I do to stop this?".


Log 002 End.