556I'm glad to see so many people picked up the story! Thank you for reviewing! Now that I'm not pretending to be 'The Author' I can actually respond to them properly!
That being said, two different people both pointed out that Salem did all that, just for some nookie. And they are technically correct! The best kind of correct!
On with the chapter!
Taiyang Xiao-Long was not having a good day. It had been almost two months since his daughter had ran away from home with her friends from Beacon. His other daughter was in the throes of depression, and while he would always be there for her, it didn't make him any happier.
And to top it all off, the snow had finally melted. Which meant all of Zwei's little presents he had hidden during the Winter months were finally seen and stepped in. So, when a friend of his in town called him to say some stranger was walking around flaunting his daughter's motorbike like it was his own, he got pissed.
He marched into the town with a scowl that not many people there had seen before. He was generally a pretty happy fellow, and his house was well out of the way of the main town by design. Huntsman tended to stay away from regular folk, it was safer that way.
But regardless if the guy who had his baby's bike was Huntsman or not, Taiyang would be sure to show him how he handled business. He made his way through the town, faded blonde hair flying wildly as his head jerked sporadically, looking down the various streets for his girl's bike.
He finally spotted it, leaning on its stand next to a grocery store. He cracked his knuckles together as he approached, ready to teach the thief a lesson. The door to the grocery store suddenly opened with the ringing of a bell, and despite himself, Taiyang quickly dodged to the side. It was always better to get the jump on someone.
Hiding behind the corner of the store, he waited for the guy to pass by. "Thanks!" A voice called into the store, and he heard the sound of the kickstand being flipped. Taiyang waited for the purr of the engine from his daughter's bike, but it never came.
Instead, he watched as the front wheel slowly trundled into view, along with the man who had stolen it. A green cloak with ripped sleeves went down to his calves, and a pair of emerald gauntlets held onto the handles of the motorbike.
He had blonde hair a few shades darker than his own, and a set of wolf ears on his head. He also hadn't noticed Taiyang. That would probably be due to the eyepatch covering the side he was on. The older man stepped out once the Faunus had fully passed by, and grabbed the back of the motorbike, preventing it from moving.
The sudden stop caused the Faunus to lurch, his stomach hitting the handlebars as he let out a curse. "Ow. What the fuck was…" He turned around to check the back wheel, and a single steely blue eye noticed the hand holding the back of Bumblebee.
"That-t-t." His eye travelled up the arm before meeting Taiyang's own. "T-t-taifuck! Uh, fuckyang! Gah, fuckin', you're fucking Taiyang!" The Faunus suddenly said, completely slack from surprise.
The cursing brought a frown to the older man's brow, not that he hadn't heard enough of it before, hanging around with Qrow, but as a teacher it was still something he wasn't fond of. "Yeah. I am. Taiyang Xiao-Long. And this."
He hissed the last part as he gripped down on the motorbike. "Isn't yours. So, what're you doing with my girl's bike?" His own blue eyes bored into the Faunus angrily.
"Returning it."
"Huh?" Taiyang's anger was suddenly replaced by confusion, as he stood a bit straighter, looking at the Faunus more closely. He didn't recognise him at all, though he didn't seem to be lying.
"What do you mean 'returning it' ?" He asked, loosening his grip on the bike, if only slightly.
"Well, I came to a few days after the Fall." The Faunus' posture was, not relaxed, but not as tense as it had been a moment ago. He still looked like he was coiled like a spring, ready to shoot into action at any second. Definitely Huntsmen trained, Tai realised.
"And, after finding out what I'd missed, and what we'd lost…" His fist clenched tightly, and Taiyang's own did the same. The Fall of Beacon was hard on everyone, and he counted himself among those unlucky.
"I needed to right my wrongs." The Faunus whispered to himself, before shaking his head. "Found this in Vale after getting patched up, and I knew it wasn't right to leave it there." His one eye hardened, looking like he was staring beyond Taiyang.
"You knew it was Yang's?" He wouldn't say he trusted the Faunus just yet, but he wasn't the gallivanting thief the person who called him described him as. Tai's eye twitched slightly as he remembered the friend who called had a tendency to exaggerate things.
"Yeah, she's my si-friend. A good friend." His eye met Taiyang's, a single faded blonde eyebrow raising as he wondered what the Faunus had meant to say. "But, I wanted to make it up to her. I've got a lot to make up for…"
He trailed off, reaching behind him to rummage around in a satchel under his cloak. "I've got something for Ruby, too, if you could give it to her-" "Ruby isn't here." Taiyang cut him off with a frown.
The Faunus looked back up to Taiyang, his one eye wide in shock. "Ruby's… gone?"
"Yeah." He crossed his arms across one another as he frowned. "She took off a month or two ago with some friends from Beacon. And didn't leave anything but a note." His last words came out as a growl. He wasn't mad at his daughter, just disappointed.
Which, if the girl was here in person, would argue was worse. The Faunus hadn't said anything for several moments, his eyebrows knit together in a small frown as his blue eye darted rapidly, as if he was thinking a million thoughts a second.
"I… I didn't know." He said quietly, before looking back up to Taiyang. For some reason, the boy looked happy. Tai frowned slightly. No, not happy. It was like he was genuinely surprised, but that he couldn't believe it.
"I didn't realise…" He shook his head, his hand coming up to tug slightly at the eye patch. Taiyang noticed some scarring around that side of his head, but it was mostly covered by the overgrown dirty blonde hair.
"Thanks Burnie." "Who?"
The Faunus suddenly looked panicked as he met Taiyang's confused stare. "Uhhh, is your Semblance not the same as Yang's where you burn up?" He made some gestures to his hair.
Despite himself, Taiyang couldn't help but let a short snort out. Another blonde that loved puns. No wonder he was friends with his daughter. "No. My Semblance…" He took a moment to flick the boy's one covered arm.
He brought his hand back as the Faunus looked at the offending arm confusedly. Taiyang concentrated for a moment, and suddenly the arm was flung backward. "Lets me hit something I've hit before harder and stronger."
"That is dope." The Faunus said. He quickly looked up to Taiyang. "That's a good thing." He clarified.
"I'm not that old." Tai complained good-naturedly, before shaking his head and looking at the bike. "Why didn't you bring it directly to the house? I had to hear it off someone else that some jerk was toting around my daughter's bike like he owned it."
"Oh, I actually have a pretty simple explanation for that actually." The Faunus managed a small smile. "I've got no clue where the Hell you live."
Taiyang hesitated for a moment. "Yeah, that'd do it." He nodded with a sigh. He looked back to where he had come from. "Do you want to see her? She could probably use a friendly face…" The way he said it had the boy swallowing.
In that moment, compared to Taiyang the Faunus suddenly looked a lot smaller, like he was shrinking in on himself. "I, I don't think I can. I need to fix a lot, before I'm able to face anyone again."
Taiyang had a sudden urge to place a hand on the boy's shoulder and comfort him. "Hey, I'm just asking. This will probably be enough to at least cheer her up." He gave a pat on the motorbike's saddle.
"I'm glad." The Faunus said, honestly. It was strange how easily Taiyang believed him. "Right. I'm happy you've got this, cause I have other things to fix and wrongs to right." He rolled his shoulders trusting the bike in Taiyang's care.
The Huntsman gave a nod of approval. "And I also have to catch a cat and teach her not to run off with my girlfriend." The nod faltered, as Taiyang looked to the Faunus oddly. He seemed to notice.
"Long story." He said awkwardly with a small scratch behind his head. He cracked his neck to the side, a few joints popping as he looked forward with a determined frown on his face. "Hopefully I can catch the last boat."
"And tell Yang I said hi! And I'm gonna make some Rocky Mountain oysters! " With that, he ran off back to the Patch docks. Taiyang watched him go with a shake of his head. He had no idea what that last bit was. Maybe it was an inside joke between him and his daughter. He probably should have told the kid not to put everything on his shoulders. He reminded him a little of himself at that age, but it was mostly the looks.
"Right." Taiyang nodded, grabbing the handles of Bumblebee and began to wheel it back home. "Time to get you home, and tell Yang 'hi' from…" He paused, looking back to try and spot the Faunus he had been talking to.
"Ah, shit." Taiyang hated cursing, but with no one around he allowed himself a bit of hypocrisy. "I never got his name."
…
"This is Lisa Lavender, reporting for Vale News Network. Still reeling from the catastrophic attack on Beacon, Vale is slowly picking up the pieces as Huntsmen and Huntresses alike are attempting to get a hold of Beacon Academy."
"Distrust of Atlas still lingers, after their own androids turned against our people in their time of need. However, Atlas Officials have said that a Virus turned their Atlesian Knight Units against the public, before the AI was able to overcome the virus and return to the proper side."
"However, there has been no word in regard to the robot disguised as a young girl entering the Vytal Tournament. Rumours continue to fly as to who was behind the attack on the festival, and Atlas has seen fit to give us the names of those responsible."
"Cinder Fall, Mercury Black and Emerald Sustrai claimed to be from Haven Academy, however with the loss of the CCT Tower there has been no way to contact Headmaster Lionheart in order to get a statement."
"The other name that is constantly circulating is that of 'Crue Cullen'-" A remote was hurled through the projection, as Yang Xiao-Long shot to her feet, her eyes briefly glowing red with anger. As quickly as it came, it evaporated into nothingness as her eyes returned to lilac and she slumped down onto her sofa.
The TV continued to play as Yang wore a scowl on her face. They kept throwing Crue under the Bullhead, and it continued to piss her off. Or, it would if she could bring herself to feel the anger.
"-unknown what the late Headmaster was thinking when he accepted the Faunus with no background into Beacon-" "HEY!" Yang suddenly refocused on the projection as a familiar yell sounded out. On screen, Lisa Lavender suddenly turned as the camera focused on a young man with auburn hair rapidly approaching.
"Excuse me sir, this is a live broadcast-" "I couldn't give a damn! You need to stop dragging Crue's name through the mud! He wasn't some damn villain who tried to destroy the school!" "And you are aware of this, how?"
"Because he was my friend!" Cardin Winchester exclaimed, glaring at the reporter. "Crue Cullen was a Faunus who fought and died protecting Beacon, and I'm not gonna stand here and listen to you make him out to be a monster."
"You fought at Beacon." Lisa Lavender realised, looking Cardin up and down and only now seeing the armour he wore and the mace on his hip. "I'm sorry, I didn't realise. But how can you be sure Crue Cullen is who you say he is? Or rather, who you say he isn't."
"Because if he was actually a Villain I wouldn't be standing here talking to you." Cardin's indigo eyes bored into Lisa's. "Crue was a lot of things, but he cared about people, even when they didn't deserve it. I wasn't the nicest guy in Beacon, and me and Crue constantly butted heads and fought with each other."
"But when there was an opportunity for him to leave me to die, to be a slave to someone else, he didn't take it. If he was evil, if he was really behind an attack like that, he wouldn't have cared to leave some racist jerk to die."
"I see, thank you for your time, Mister…" Lisa held the microphone directly to Cardin, who opened his mouth to answer, only to be covered in a purple glow and suddenly yanked away with a yelp. The camera whirled to see the stern form of Glynda Goodwitch glaring at the camera.
"Mr. Winchester is required to aid those still in evacuation of Vale. And while I do not agree with disrupting a live broadcast, I do agree with his words. Crue Cullen was an exemplary student of Beacon, one who gave his life to protect it."
"So please. Miss Lavender. Stop disparaging the dead." Glynda Goodwitch's olive eyes narrowed as she sent a chill through the spine of those watching.
"R-Right. Thank you for those words, Huntress. This is Lisa Lavender, signing off."
An advertisement for chewing gum began to play along with an annoying jingle. Yang sighed, reaching for the remote to turn off the TV, before remembering she threw it through the floating screen.
With a low groan, she pushed herself up off the couch, using only one hand. The weightlessness on her right side was something she had unwillingly gotten used to. She had gotten used to a lot that she would prefer she didn't.
The loneliness for one, Yang thought as she picked up the remote and shut off the tv. It was bad enough that Blake had abandoned them, when it was her ex that made her this way. And then, Weiss, the one she actually tried to save, was whisked away by her father. To Atlas. Where it was 'safe'.
Nowhere was safe anymore, Yang's shoulders hunched as she rested against the wall. The Atlas robots had turned against them, before suddenly fixing themselves and fighting the Grimm once more.
That was the last thing the world saw, before whoever was recording stopped, realising Atlas was winning and showing a good side. According to Ruby, it was her who managed to turn the tide. Along with Roman Torchwick of all people, and Neopolitan.
Her blonde brows knit into a scowl. Neopolitan. Polly. Apparently they were one in the same. That did manage to anger her. The girl she comforted over her breakup was the same one that kicked her ass in the Breach and knocked her out not even a few days before.
The same girl that broke up with her brother and made him cry. Her scowl fell, replaced by a sombre expression. Her brother. Crue was gone. It was bad enough to be reminded of it constantly on the news, but every time she tried to think of fond memories of Beacon, they eventually involved Crue.
She had memories without him, of course. Memories of Ruby, Weiss and Blake. And of team JNPR. She thought of them all constantly. But, at least they were alive. As far as she knew anyway. Ruby had left with nothing but a note. Abandoning her in stupid quest for vengeance.
She couldn't bring herself to care. What was the point of going on a quest for vengeance when the people you were leaving behind were still alive. And alone. Her thoughts were interrupted by the front door opening, and her Dad stepping in with a wide smile.
"Yaaaang!" He called, despite looking directly at her. "I've got a surprise for you." He waved her towards the outside. Reluctantly, Yang pushed off the wall and made her way over. She didn't know what her Dad had in store for her, but at the very least the fresh air might be nice.
She stepped out, the bright Spring sun causing her to wince as she made to cover her eyes. With the shade of her arm, she saw her Dad standing a few feet in front of her, making jazz hands right next to… "Bumblebee!?"
Yang dropped her arm and jaw in shock. Her yellow and black motorbike lay before her, and her Dad looked over the moon at the show of emotion. "I thought this was stuck all the way in Vale? How did you get it here?!"
She walked forward, gently laying a hand on the handlebars. "Wish I could take the credit, but I just got it from the town to here." Taiyang said, smiling softly at his daughter. "A friend of yours from Beacon dropped it by."
A friend? "Who?" She asked, trying to look behind her Dad to see if the person was waiting to surprise her too. Taiyang laughed awkwardly as he scratched the back of his head.
"You know, in all the excitement I forgot to get a name." He lowered his hand. "But, aside from the fact he was a Faunus, he looked like he could be one of us. Blonde hair, blue eye." He described, hoping his daughter would know who it was he met.
Two people immediately sprung to her mind from the description, but she also knew one of them was dead. "Sun." She whispered in surprise. It made a certain amount of sense, she guessed. He would have seen her riding Bumblebee the night they went to stop Torchwick.
"Is he here?" She asked, her lilac eyes trying not to look too hopeful. The expression on her Dad's face told her all she needed to.
"He, wanted to. But he said he needs to right some wrongs. And to go catch a cat and teach them not to… well it's not important." Taiyang trailed off, looking to the side.
Definitely Sun, then, Yang realised. She was upset she didn't have a chance to talk to him, but still glad he cared enough to bring her bike back. If not a little surprised. She didn't think the guy even knew how to drive a bike.
"He says hi." Tai said gently, resting a hand on his daughter's shoulder. "And, something about oysters?" Yang's own hand came up to rest on it, feeling the warmth spreading through her.
"Thanks Dad. And I'll have to thank Sun when I see him." She said without thinking. "If. If I see him." She frowned, shrugging her arm and letting her hand fall. Tai's hand fell soon after, as Yang grabbed the handlebar of Bumblebee and began wheeling it towards the small shed on the outside of their house.
Taiyang watched his daughter go with a small frown. He wouldn't rush her. It would be wrong. But as he watched her struggle to move the bike with a single arm, he realised a small push wouldn't hurt.
With that, Taiyang took out his Scroll and began to compose a message. The CCT might be down, but he had a few favours he could call in to get a message to Atlas. And more importantly, to Ironwood. The General was part of Ozpin's circle and knew of Yang's actions during the Fall.
If he could get word to him, Ironwood would probably have some Atlesian scientist whip something up to help. He paused for a moment, blue eyes going skyward.
That was a big if.
…
"Hi." Crue said, and immediately winced at how he sounded.
"Yeah, that, that was dumb." He gave an awkward laugh, kicking at the ground beneath his feet as he tried to think of something to say. "I'm just glad I managed to finally find you."
"I'm not here to apologise, which probably sounds pretty rude now that I think about it. I'm just here to, to explain." He stared to the sky, seeing the slowly setting Sun. He'd have to hurry this up if he wanted to get back in time.
"I just, I wanted to let you know I'll protect her. The moment I find her, I'll make sure she stays safe. I promise." His blue eye glanced downward, as he read the words before him.
"Thus Kindly I Scatter."
The grave of Summer Rose lay before him. Crue wasn't sure why he decided to visit it. It just seemed like the right thing to do at the time. And now, here he was. Feeling unsure as to what to even say or do.
"I, I'm not sure if you know me." He hung his head, his ears flicking back and forth as shuffled his feet. "If Ruby hasn't introduced me, my name's Crue." It felt a bit strange, introducing himself to someone he had never met, nor would ever meet.
"I, I love Ruby." He stated. "And Yang. They're both like sisters to me. And some of the best friends I've ever had." The grave remained silent, expectedly so, as Crue continued to speak.
"If she has told you about me, it'd probably be the fact I died." He gave a small shrug of his shoulders as the ghost of a smile flashed across his face. "Surprise." He said with a small jingle, before his head fell.
"I'll have to think of a better way to tell Ruby that. I've already met Taiyang, he'll tell Yang." He found himself pausing. "She's, she's not in the best place right now. She lost a part of herself. And the people she held closest ended up being out of reach."
Crue wondered if he could count himself lucky enough to be amongst that group. Maybe if he had the courage to visit her himself he could have asked. He frowned, sighing as he bottled up his own fears.
"I can't visit her myself. I, I'm a coward." A feeling burned inside his stomach. One of resigned agreement. "I've always been a coward. I never told them anything, because I was too afraid. At the start, I was just afraid they might think I'm crazy. And toss me out where I wouldn't be able to help at all."
"Then, I ended up caring about them. Loving them. And I was even more afraid. Afraid of them hating me for what I knew. For keeping these secrets. So, I didn't tell them. I didn't tell anyone." He paused, thinking.
"Well, except Raven. But, frankly I don't know what I expected to help there. She's as awful as I imagined her to be." His spirits felt a bit lighter after insulting her, and he looked down to the item in his hand.
A pink rose twirled in his fingers, as he set it down on the grave. "Hope you like it. It's an Old Blush. Apparently it helped inspire a poem you might have liked." Crue took a moment to look around, making doubly sure he was alone.
"Oh, why am I doing this?" He whispered, taking in a deep breath and closing his eyes. And then, he began to softly speak.
" 'Tis the last rose of summer,
Left blooming alone;
All her lovely companions
Are faded and gone;
No flower of her kindred,
No rose-bud is nigh,
To reflect back her blushes
Or give sigh for sigh!"
The poem was something Crue knew even before he had seen the grave. Before meeting any of his friends. Before even seeing them for the first time.
"I'll not leave thee, thou lone one.
To pine on the stem;
Since the lovely are sleeping,
Go, sleep thou with them;
Thus kindly I scatter
Thy leaves o'er the bed,
Where thy mates of the garden
Lie scentless and dead."
And after all, why shouldn't he know it off by heart.
"So soon may I follow,
When friendships decay,
And from love's shining circle
The gems drop away!
When true hearts lie withered,
And fond ones are flown,
Oh! who would inhabit
This bleak world alone?"
It was the song that was played at his family's funeral.
You know, it feels kinda weird writing a story where everyone thinks a main character is dead, and then the next chapter you guys read is him being very much not dead. That being said, I need to find a good balance of showing what Crue is up to, and how his changes have affected the rest of the world.
Crue has his own goals, most of which involve kicking Cinder's teeth in. And getting presents for his friends to help apologise for the fact they all think he's dead. The only thing he really knows is that they were pretending to be from Haven, and that's what Qrow hinted to Ruby all that time ago.
But, he also needs to find Neo. Who has run off with Blake in hopes of finding Cinder using her natural magnetism for bad guys. In fact, we might just be seeing what those two are up to next chapter…
Anyway, hope you enjoyed this one, let me know if you did, and as always…
Until Next Time
-Friday