Log 006: Time to Rise
A warm sunrise hits Yang as she tries to help Tai to carry wood logs for the coming winter. Zwei follows around, trying to play. Yang first tries with her right arm before grunting and quickly balancing a short stick with her feet, and kicking it away. Zwei quickly chases it, to Tai looking at the scene from afar.
Yang sits down on her bed back at her room. Her left hand slowly moves towards the bandages in her right arm. The bandages are dirty. Yang slowly leans and removes the bandages. She's happy that the white spikes have finally left and she can see that the wound is now fully closed, but with still black markings around it. Yang lays down, as Zwei jumps into the bed and cuddles with her.
Yang ponders with her eyes closed. The news hasn't been good, even if Vale is contained, there are reports that the amount of Grimm has increased, not allowed to say the source that she knows personally well. The current solution that Glynda, the leader of the operation to take back Vale, is to establish a wall, with a safe perimeter to avoid more incidents. No one is allowed in or out until the Hunters and Huntresses eliminate at least 50% of the Grimm within the perimeter. Yang opens her eyes and looks at the pictures of Tai, Ruby and Summer in her room. Her fist clinches, with Zwei, noticing Yang's unease, starts licking and cuddling harder, with cries to distract her thoughts. Yang smiles with empty eyes and hugs Zwei. She cuddles with him, getting a much needed warmth of someone that just accepts it.
A second that feels like years passes, as the birds chirp outside. Yang pauses to see the window and her reflection. She's stricken with determination and stands from her bed.
Tai is awoken from his noon slumber by some grunts outside. With a yawn he walks towards the kitchen, only to see Yang training in the garden. She does combat moves, losing balance when attempting to use her right arm out of instinct. She barely can do push ups with one hand, doing more planks and crunches. But what makes Tai smile is that she's giving it her all, almost like a picture of what it used to be, how it should be.
As Yang lays on the grass, panting every breath as the weeks laying down without exercise show their effects, she is surrounded with Zwei's cheers. Suddenly, a shadow offers a bottle with water.
"Thanks dad" Yang comments as she barely can sit down, her abs burn.
"You know", Tai comments, "you need to put your right foot a couple of centimeters to the right to not lose balance. Also straighten your back." Yang frowns. "Let me show you, lil' dragon!"
Tai stands and a pressure is felt, as he does the same punch that Yang was practicing with the correction he said and without real effort from his part. The grass waves as Tai's aura expands, accidentally making a hole on a tree at the edges of the backyard, around 5 meters in length from where he was standing. Yang is left with her mouth open, to reach that distance she needed her gauntlets at least.
"See? Simple posture can get you pretty far!" Tai joyfully remarks. Yang thoughtfully looks at her water.
"Dad…" Yang asks without looking at him. "I know you have been avoiding speaking about my mother all my life… especially after she left us, but…" Tai stares kindly at her. Yang lifts her sight. "Since you explained the truth about the Grimm, I've been wondering if you can explain why you always stop me from finding her."
Tai hides his eyes and lets out a gasp looking for air. "Because you're too much like her." Yang hides her face, eye contact would be as painful as her right arm. "Raven after learning the truth couldn't help but rage at the world, unable to understand that everything as we know it would crumble if she continued. And even if she continued, she didn't even know if she would live to see it through, and in spite of our differences I couldn't let her throw her life like that." Tai sits next to Yang, the last warm sunshine before winter hits them as the sun sets. "And it worked for a while, one thing led to another and you arrived." Tai places his hand over Yang's shoulder. "I know I probably didn't always make the right choices, but I tried my best so you had the best aspects of me and Raven."
Yang finally lifts her eyes, father and daughter finally looking eye to eye as the sun rays light up their faces. "Before I noticed, you grew so much even after so long bedridden." Tai kindly pets Yang. "And I trust you that you're able to make the right decisions. I begged you to protect Ruby, but you do need closure, I always knew." Yang looks at Tai in disbelief. "I'll help you train, reach your full strength back. And as a prize, I'll tell you where both Ruby and Raven are. Then it's all up to you, I trust you."
Yang nods, more determined than ever in her life before.
Log 006 End.