Character Event: Taiyang and Me

[ ~ Chapter • Start ~ ]

Auntie Raven stared at the door in front of us, her fists clenched and she was also trying to calm herself down.

Then, she knocked on the door thrice, with more force than necessary.

"TAI! COME OVER HERE ALREADY!" She yelled, as soon enough footsteps can be heard slowly approaching the door.

It opened, revealing my drunk old man hunched forwards, staring at Raven.

"Tsk! Has Summer's death really affected you this much, to the point of being like... this!? You were merely about to leave her child around the street, for five times already!" Raven questioned him as she was almost at the verge of slapping him.

"That thing.... ain't my son!" He rebuked, sending a tinge of sadness on my chest for several different reasons. "And I am not accepting him as such-"

*SLAP!*

Raven had slapped him hard enough to push his body sideways headfirst.

That slap had been very personal.

".... And here I thought you could be better, Tai." She seemed to have grimaced, taking a step back from him.

There was a look of regret in her eyes, and if this goes on, more problems would surround everyone.

But the actual question is: Why am I silent? I told myself I would like to fix all this, so....

Steeling myself, I hopped forwards and stopped between the both of them and glared at Taiyang.

"What is it?!" He yelled once he noticed me.

"Let's talk, bastard. To somewhere both Ruby and Yang won't be disturbed." I replied, pointing to the open field just in front of our house.

Tai clicked his tongue, yet he reluctantly agreed to do so, even Raven had been surprised at my sudden actions to the point where she silently observed us.

".... So what do you want to talk about?"

Despite him looking sober, he was still conscious enough to listen to me, maybe a little, but that is enough.

Now, all I have to do is ask several questions, regarding myself to him.

"Why would you put the blame on me, dad? What happened to you?"

The moment I asked this his expression swiftly changed into barely contained hot steam

"Why? Why This is all your fault, child! You could have stopped her from dying that day!" He yelled at me, but I already knew who he meant by "her".

"But I could not. Her stubbornness is too strong." Was my reply. Father took a deep breath and immediately tried to calm down. It's probable that he's hiding more of his anger and frustration, which is actually a good thing.

"No, that cannot be right..... Shoot your next question, now."

His demanding tone made me hesitate, though... Some of this me's memories were actually a little foggy too.

"What about me? Did something happen to me years ago?"

When I asked this, Taiyang started sobbing seconds later.

"I.... y-you.... she.... that witch....."

More sobbing was let out from him as his knees hit the ground, while Raven looked really confused like me. Something inside my head began to feel like it is digging it's way out.

My head does feel numb, too.

No matter, I must approach him.

"Let me guess..... Is your problem about me, because I felt different from when I was before?" I almost yelled out at him.

Though in a blink of an eye, his fist had already been thrown towards me, his facial expression already becoming that of frustration.

I couldn't react, but I also did not expect that only a blast of wind instead of a full, harder-than-steel punch which would have both easily broken through my aura and break my facial bones hit me, thankfully I had upgraded several nodes in my growth tree so this was good enough.

Plus I purposely did not try to block the attack, knowing that my aura will definitely be broker trying to protect myself against an experienced huntsman's fist.

Certainly, I thought he would have been stopped by Raven, but he stopped himself.

Even she had almost unsheathed her katana!

But maybe what Taiyang really needs was a good ol' hug, so I did what my instincts told me by doing just that.

"Come on, dad.... please come back to your senses, this just isn't you!" I told him, and eventually, he hugged me.

"Yeah.... it's just not me, so..... it's time I tell you the truth." Tai spoke, making me confused while the feeling of my mind becoming numb due to something trying to dig out of it became stronger. "Reid, years ago.... you died by a strange Grimm's hands, or should I say, tentacles? It's hard to say, but I really believed you had become that witch's servant...."

Suddenly, I was no longer able to hear, my controls over my body started to be gone in seconds.

What's wrong?!

Then, I blacked out. I suppose, a memory that I was about to recollect is about to surface.

{ Flashback }

This dream is strange as I have no control over my body, and I feel like I have become a child once again.

By observation alone, it seems to be night, and I seem to be following a red light deeper in the forest nearby our home, amazed.

Knowing I am stuck inside a memory, which honestly felt like some fever dream, it does seem like I don't even have any control over my form which is a child.

And honestly, I actually died being strangled until my spine disconnected from my neck, which was from a Seer, which came from Salem.

Taiyang arrived, too late, and he only knelt down in despair as I was dropped to the ground without me able to move.

.... And there, the memory had ended.

So, all that distrust and abuse was because he really did think I was Salem's pupper, huh?

How drool....

{ Flashback End }

[ One Week Later.... ]

Once the memory did end, I awoke in morning with powerful phantom pains biting around my neck and in my throat.

This'll last for hours, and I'm forced to endure the pain. Thankfully, I had the [Calmness VI] node activated, allowing myself to CALMLY endure this pain.

When I opened the door out of my room, a red blur had crashed onto my body, and there came Ruby, who no longer had the dreaded sad expression whenever dad had us separated.

"Reid! You're finally awake! Did you know that Dad finally allowed us to be with you together! It's like the best day of my life right now!" Ruby shouted, before she pulled me towards the living room. "Come on, you're just in time for breakfast!"

Ahh, this family's stitched back together, as it should be. And it does put a smile on my face.

"Hm? Why does the cookies taste strangely bland?" -Reid

"Come on! It's my first try making it, why not dip it in milk, then?" -Taiyang

"This is the way of the cookies! All of them are made equal!" - Ruby

[ ~ Chapter • End ~ ]

Commentary: I originally wanted the both of them to fight, but then I realized him winning and Raven doing the rest of the job isn't really worth it. So, there's this. Something a little emotional that averts a Neglected/Abused Male Reader trope, even though the OC isn't really a reader insert.

Question: What do you think of this chapter? Is it surprising? Shocking? Or mildly disappointing?