10- Mother, Father, Sister, Sister
[Remnant/ 3 of November 83 A.G.W/ Taiyang Xiao Long: 34 Years old, 6:15]
Taiyang walked back and forth, 7 hours, it has been SEVEN hours since his daughter disappeared.
At first, he didn't look too much into it, it wouldn't be the first time she had gone on one of her "secret" training trips.
He had even long since killed every grimm on Patch just to be safe, their strength was still a threat to her in large numbers after all.
He began to get worried after four hours, it was then that he noticed her Ki signature was nowhere in Patch, he might be able to hide his but he sure as hell knows she couldn't do the same.
So, of course, he made some calls to some of his friends on the island to know whether or not they saw her, but none did.
He then called the school, but again, nothing, he then called the hospital, again, nothing.
He proceeded to try everything, calling the police, tracking her scroll, and even talking to Qrow not long ago, he hoped the man would talk with that damn sister of his and find Yang soon.
That was his definitive solution and now? Now, he just had to wait.
"AAAAAAAHHHH!" Ruby screamed again, the girl had tears on the sides of her eyes as she did so.
And calm down Ruby while doing so.
Her aura exploded outward, red light consumed the room as it threw everything not nailed down to the ground away.
Not something simple, the girl, even without proper training -Her sessions with yang couldn't be called proper training by any means- proved to be much more talented than her mother.
If he wasn't so stressed he might have felt proud, his girl didn't even awaken the power in her eyes and still managed to unlock her Ki the fact Yang helped didn't take any of the pride away, much to the contrary.
It increased it as even managing to draw out someone's Ki is already a monumental feat, the fact his oldest even managed to do it spoke of her talent in teaching.
'Or maybe her stubbornness.'
Contrary to Yang, Ruby's ki awakening was a surprise and not at all expected.
Tai breathed deeply, everything was going to hell, literally, not even five minutes ago he was almost blinded by an explosion originating from Forever Falls.
The second one that is, the first one made everything shake.
That one destroyed a good part of the forest, and if he was sensing it right, it also hit parts of Vale.
But even then that was not the most worrying thing of all, no, he felt something… familiar in that energy signature.
But he dismissed the very notion, the idea by itself was ridiculous, it must have been a mistake, Yang is not even close to being powerful enough to do something like this.
She'd need to be 50 times more powerful to do such a thing, and seven hours is not nearly enough time for her to reach such a point, maybe in 4 years or more but certainly not today.
But… Just to be safe, he will call Ozpin and ask him about it.
"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!"
As soon as he takes care of his little cookie of course.
Turning around he walked towards his daughter and took her in his arms, slowly he caressed her head while smiling.
"No, no, no, no, don't cry little cookie, your sister is fine we'll find her, don't worry."
"Re- Hic* really?" She asked with tears still falling from her eyes.
It still amazed him to see his two daughters so in tune with one another.
He was happy, really happy to have his daughters so close, if he had to describe it he'd say they were the model siblings, something he would brag about, if he could that is.
They trained together, played together, and slept together. Hell, Yang even gave Ruby half of her money just so she could get some toys.
What he was not happy with however is the constant reminder of his failure as a father.
Seeing his daughter caring more about another person as both a parental figure and a sibling does nothing but remind him of his failure, he is not angry about it, no, much to the contrary, as long as they are happy he is happy too.
It still hurts despite this.
What led to it, to his daughter looking up to her sister for guidance and care rather than him upsets him greatly, worst of all he knows he can't blame anyone else but himself, he just doesn't know what he did wrong after THAT.
He doesn't know why but Yang seems to… Distrust him, he didn't understand, he really didn't.
He tried, he tried to be better, but if her actions are anything to go by he failed miserably
All he ever wanted was for her to live a good life, he understands his… depressive state made her think less of him but he worked really, really hard to make up to her.
He did the best food he could, brought her to the city's center weekly, got to the park every chance he could, taught her everything he knew, read every book he could about parenting as a single father and even read her some history books when she got to sleep.
He dedicated the entirety of his life to being a good father.
He was very, very careful to never scream with her, not that she made it hard of course, Yang is a model for any educated child as far as he knew.
He even did the hardest thing he could and supported her dream of becoming a huntress, he gave every tip and taught her every trick in the book to have a good body for her future career.
Because of this he even managed to keep his body in its peak state even without working as a hunter, he did it to both keep himself ready and give Yang something to aspire to, he knows very well his daughter admires strength above all.
She wouldn't work so hard toward it if that wasn't the case.
He even had plans to properly train her in Ki usage when she reached 11, she is a saiyan but he still preferred to be careful with her progress.
It worked, everything he did, worked, and he couldn't be happier.
Yang was warming up to him, she even started calling him dad again, just a little more time and he was sure he'd be able to have a good father-and-daughter talk without pushing her away.
He just wanted to truly talk to her and explain himself, say how sorry he was for what happened back then, he had those episodes since Summer died but that specific one was the worst of them all.
Summer died in 78 but he was able to keep the secret for close to three years, it was only when they discovered the lie that he realized he should have just told them.
Maybe it was the way his daughters reacted. maybe it was just the anniversary of her death but after that, he became almost catatonic.
But that didn't matter, getting punched in the face by Qrow helped him get himself together and the responsibility to his daughters made it so he didn't fall into old habits for years.
Together with them, he was recovering.
Life was good, he was getting back on track, rebuilding the family he almost destroyed, and getting the right to call himself a father again.
And then DustTube happened.
Oh, how he hated the damn thing, it was a good idea, one that brought money to the house, enough for him not to worry about buying the absurd amounts of food Yang needed.
It wasn't worth it, even begging Raven for money would have been better than the alternative.
He knows very well about his responsibilities, as the guardian and the father of Yang it is his duty to protect her from the world until a time when she no longer needs him.
That is why he signed that damn paper, so Yang could live her childhood, have more time to herself and receive a passive income for her future.
Maybe he should have taken her reaction more seriously and talked to her when she ran to her room, but his stupid brain didn't, and the next day when she seemed to return to normal he just left her alone.
He didn't know what was passing through her mind, he still doesn't, but if there is something he is sure is that he should have talked to her.
He didn't, and for the second time, he lost his daughter without even knowing it, he should have seen it, she didn't call him dad anymore, she didn't even call him Tai, hell she only spoke to him when she had no other option.
Then a 'brilliant' idea came to his mind, with Qrow's help he pushed Yang to socialize more, he thought that if she had more friends she'd open up more and calm down.
Training and studying were good and all but he thought it was taking its toll on her, now he sees how idiotic that vision truly was.
Things were bad, but they could get better he was sure of it.
And then that boy ripped her tail out, and she almost killed him for it.
He had to admit, if the boy wasn't in the hospital he'd have sent him there himself.
Things went downhill from there, Yang changed, previously he'd describe her as a shy girl who didn't like to interact with others, she didn't speak much, and never, she never got angry, upset, and sad maybe but never angry.
After losing her tail, and for some reason being unable to reattach it she became very, very short tempered, she'd snap at him at even the minor things.
She'd scream and shout things that made him very… sad, she said very harmful things, things he thought no 10-year-old should even speak, things he still hopes she didn't mean.
It was then that he realized what she truly thought of him, it was ridiculous, it took his daughter literally screaming at him with tears in her eyes for him to understand how she saw him.
Nothing like the truth getting thrown in his face for him to think of his actions and worst of all, he still doesn't know what he did for her to think that way.
Oh sure, his episode 2 years ago is obviously something related to it but he is sure this isn't the sole reason, but now it doesn't matter.
What matters is that 3 months later that is to say, now, he still feels like a useless father that can't even help his daughter, the single most important thing he is supposed to do!
"But, but she was angry at m- Hic* Yang's never angry, she always smiles, did I do something wrong? Is this w- Hic* why she left? Because she hat- Hic* hates me? I promise I'll eat my veggies without complaining if she co- Hic* comes back, I'm sorry."
Ruby said as she kept hiccupping, if she wasn't crying so much he'd find it cute.
He sighed again.
"No, of course not little cookie, she loves you, she was just upset at that boy, he took something very important from her and she is really angry about it."
Ruby wiped her eyes with her shirt before looking pleadingly at him.
"Really?"
"Puff, of course, Li-"
Trimmmmm*
Turning his face to the right he looked at his scroll and smiled.
"See? Qrow is calling back, he probably already found your big sis."
Smiling still he got up and put Ruby on the ground, before he could even move the girl was already with his scroll in hand.
"Drunkle Qrow, where's sis?!" Ruby asked excitedly, apparently forgetting she was even sad not ten seconds ago.
Sweat fell from his head as he giggled awkwardly, he is almost 100% sure his daughter has a speed semblance.
Ruby's expression turned confused as she tilted her head.
"Auntie?"
Tai's heart sank as he heard Ruby's words, slowly he exhaled while his body froze, he didn't know what to do.
"Dad? Oh yes, he's here!" She screamed excitedly.
"But why do you want to talk with him?"
Tai felt his fist tighten as he heard the conversation, he really doesn't want that damn woman anywhere near Ruby.
"Oh sis, if she with you?!" Stars sparkled in her eyes.
"Hmn Hmn." She hummed as she nodded her head.
Turning her head she looked at him and smiled.
"Daddy, Auntie wants to talk to you, she says Yang is with her and wants you to go there."
Forcing a smile out he walked towards her and took the Scroll.
"That's very good cookie, but don't go attending any calls from my scroll again ok?"
"Ok, Daddy!"
"Why don't you go to your room and wear a pretty dress, we'll be going out to meet your sis again pretty soon, I'm sure she'll be happy to see you in that red one."
Ruby simply smiled and ran as fast as she could to her room.
Making sure she was out of reach Taiyang dropped his smile and put the scroll on his ear.
"What do you want, and why is my daughter with you?" He asked directly, he had no intention of wasting any time.
"Tch, grumpy as always I see, but I'm not here to brick with you, sperm donor-."
"At least I didn't abandon my family, you damn wench."
He heard a clicking noise from the other side, followed by a sigh.
"As I said, I didn't call to brick with you, My daughter flew over to Forever Falls and passed the last 7 hours, most of which sleeping, fighting against grimm and almost dying more times than I can count."
He froze, unconsciously even if for just a moment he stopped breathing as his eyes blinked and lost focus to the point he couldn't see anything in front of him.
With a slow, and forcibly calm voice, he spoke.
"What?" He said as if it was a question, it wasn't, he was demanding an answer.
"Hey, hey, it's not like I threw her into the fucking place, I was protecting her every step of the way, even Ozpin was there, she was in no danger."
He blinked as the anger began to dissipate, but not disappear.
"Why was she there? How is she now? Why did you even allow her to stay?!"
"Calm your pants hummie, She was here to the best of my ability to tell, let out some steam, losing her tail affected her pretty badly, but all things considered no one in the family would have reacted any differently."
She sighed in exasperation.
"I saw some insane shit you know, 10 years old and she managed to survive a swarm of Ravagers, kill a beringel by herself and even escape a dream spider's illusion ha! And I thought she was talentless, can you believe me?"
He heard the sound of laughter coming out of the scroll, with shaking hands he concentrated and breathed deeply to calm himself.
That damn woman and her family, except for Qrow all of them could go to hell for all he cared, what kind of insane mother would let her child fight against Grimm?!
"My little dragon fought against a fucking Pool guardian, and almost won too, can you believe it? I can brag about this for decades!"
Confusion gripped his mind as he heard Raven's words, he could understand them but… They still puzzled him.
They… they made no sense, the logic behind them, it… It's not possible.
He felt the energy but… It was impossible, right?
Yang…. couldn't have done it, she doesn't have the power to, it… yes, she's lying, but, no, she is too prideful for that.
Blinking his unfocused eyes he tried to arrive at some kind of explanation, but, he found nothing.
His confusion was so great he didn't even notice the tone of pride coming through Raven's voice, the woman seemed unnaturally happy.
Something he only saw when she was together with Summer or killing Grimm, for more than he hated her he knows very well Summer's death managed to hit her even harder than him.
"Yeah I wouldn't have believed had I not seen it either, but, anyways, let me tell you something for your sake, I am thankful for the years you spent looking after my daughter, but, it's over."
Raven's words knocked him out of his stupor the woman must have noticed his breathing had stopped and continued to speak.
"Look, I just let her with you because I didn't believe, nor did I want her to handle a life like mine, but things changed, she proved herself to be stronger than even me on that Forest."
"You… you can't-" His anger surged as his voice began to increase in tone.
"That boy who cut her tail off? It was an agent of HER."
He instantly went quiet.
"She knows about, possibly everything, I'm taking Yang out of your care she's a target now, and I'll train her with the tribe so she'll not be one anymore, you are incapable of protecting her, so I'll be the one doing it."
His body shook with anger, in both himself and the woman on the other side of the line, she abandoned her own daughter purely because she was weak, and now she wants to come back just because she got stronger.
No, no, no, she doesn't get to do this, she certainly doesn't get to despise her own daughter because of her weakness and then come back when she gets stronger.
If there is something he knows is that a parent has to love their children unconditionally and not if they meet their standards.
'What right do you have?'
No, no, he won't let her, he might not be a good father but he sure as hell is much, much better than that wench.
"Now take this loss as a champ, and come to see your daughter for one last time, she's recovering in Vale's main hospital, Ozpin can tell you everything that happened."
Click*
The line went dead as Raven turned it off.
Crack*
His fist tightened, breaking the Scroll in his hand, with deep breaths he tried to calm himself down, water began to form on the side of his eyes as his rage began to overwhelm him.
'What. Gives. You. The. Right?!'
"Daddy!"
Suddenly he recomposed himself and looked at Ruby with a smile on his face.
"Yes, little cookie?" He asked calmly while putting his hands behind his back.
Crack!
"Can we go now?"
Putting his finger on his chin he made a show of thinking it over.
"I don't know, are you cute enough? I hear they only let princesses inside."
She giggled and then rolled her eyes as if the answer was obvious.
"Duh, of course, Daddy, I took the cutest one I had!"
He slapped his forehead.
"Ah, yes! How could I forget? now! We should go cute cookie, a little dragon awaits us!"
With a smile on his face, he ran and scooped up Ruby in his arms while continuing to run toward the port, his daughter kept giggling all the while.
Behind him, he left the crushed scroll behind.
—--------------------------------------------------------------
[Remnant/ 3 of November 83 A.G.W/ Taiyang Xiao Long: 34 Years old/ Vale's Hospital/ 6:20]
Taiyang walked quickly through the streets of Vale, the Hospital was already in sight but the air around the city was tense.
The streets were practically barren, hunters ran toward the walls almost frantically, the other two hospitals he passed through were full of people with either bleeding ears or damaged eyes.
It was to be expected whatever happened in forever falls, whatever Yang did to cause that explosion, it scared people, the upper and commercial districts were the most affected, and the others suffered negligible damage.
Letting Ruby grip his hand he walked inside the hospital, wasting no time he quickly reached the receptionist.
"Excuse me, I am Taiyang Xiao-Long, I'm here for my daughter Yang Xiao-Long."
Not waiting for a response he pulled out his ID and showed it to the man who took it and after a quick glance started to type on his computer.
Not a second later the man looked at him again with a neutral expression.
"Fourth floor, room 76 I.C.U, Miss Branwen is waiting for you."
Ignoring his last words he simply nodded and quickly moved to the elevator.
"Dad?"
"Yes, little cookie?"
Ruby looked around hesitantly, she seemed to be nervous.
"Is sis ok?"
"Of course she is dear, why are you asking?"
Ding*
The elevator's door opened, wasting no time he picked his daughter up and entered after letting the ones inside out first.
Luckily nobody else seemed to want to take the elevator, so he simply clicked on the button to close the door and then on the other to go to the fourth floor.
"It's just… Drunkle Qrow said only people really bad go to the hospital, Yang's not bad, is she?"
Despite the situation he found himself in he couldn't help but giggle.
"Ah, I'm being serious you know!" Ruby pouted while angrily looking at him.
"No, no little cookie I'm not laughing at you, I'm laughing at Qrow, he meant to say people who are feeling bad go to the hospital not people who are bad."
Ruby's expression turned fearful.
"No! Does that mean Sis is not well, what happened?!"
Ding*
The door opened, wasting no time he walked out while caressing Ruby's hair.
"She… got a little angry at the boy who took her tail three months ago, she was so angry she had to, discount it on something, and so, she flew away to beat up some Grimm, but, she got a little beaten up while doing that, so now she is here on the hospital."
Looking down and seeing his daughter about to cry he quickly added.
"Ah, but you don't need to worry, Vale's main hospital is exclusive to hunters and their family members, they have the best technology in all of Remnant, as long as someone is alive they can handle it!"
Ruby tilted her head.
"Really? Then why didn't mo-"
"So, you are finally here."
Snapping his face toward the voice his expression became neutral.
"Raven."
"Auntie!" Ruby jumped off his arm and ran toward Raven, hugging her leg.
The Saiyan on the other hand made a awkward expression, one that briefly morphed into a complicated one as she seemed to remember something.
"Hey shrimp, good to finally see you, you look cuter, prettier too, when your mom showed me your baby pictures you looked like a mole rat." Raven smiled as she took Ruby in her arms and kissed her cheek.
The action briefly made him pause, he wondered whether or not the woman he just talked to on his scroll was even the same one in front of him, if not for her side comment he'd think she wasn't Raven.
"Hehe, thanks Auntie," Ruby answered with a smile, not knowing at all what a mole rat was.
"How's sis? Dad said she was bad?" Raven turned her face toward him, her expression seemed uncertain.
"She's in a recovery tank, here, go to that room and see for yourself, stay there while I talk to your dad ok?"
Ruby nodded and ran toward the room she pointed to, waiting until she was inside Tai walked toward Raven with a frown on his face.
"If you thin-"
"I've changed my mind." Raven quickly interrupted him.
"Huh?"
"Look, I know, you don't like me, your humans are all the same, fussy and all, that's why your children are all the same, weak and pathetic, that's why I left, I thought Yang was just like them, but now, I don't need to stay away."
Raven spoke as if she was saying something obvious.
"I didn't believe she could handle the family's training so I left her with you, but now I know better, Yang has a potential even greater than mine, and so, I'll train her to the best of my ability so she can grow up to be the best she can be."
"I'll let you stay close, despite your usefulness being already over."
Tai opened his mouth
"It's clear you aren't able to protect your own daughter, both physically and mentally, just accept this and be glad."
But closed it as Raven interrupted him.
"I'll be bringing the tribe to Patch to protect her better, I'm not doing this for you, I'm simply fulfilling a promise, and Yang seems to like her little sister, so I would feel bad to separate them."
She sighed, and then turned around to walk toward her daughter's room.
"Come, she's going to wake up soon, and I'd prefer if she sees some familiar faces when she does."
Looking at Raven's back he stood frozen in place, veins popped up on his head while he tried to calm himself down, he couldn't, and so, he did the only thing he could.
He laughed, he genuinely laughed, as if he just heard the funniest thing in the world.
He must have annoyed the woman as not a moment later she stopped and looked back at him with an irritated expression.
"You think, you really think you can just abandon your daughter because she didn't meet your absurd requirements when she was born and just come back?"
He almost stuttered as his body trembled, he couldn't hold the rage building up inside him, he wanted to be the better man but with that, unreasonable woman it seemed to be impossible.
"Demanding for me to let YOU take care of her? Are you out of your mind?!"
Fully turning toward him Raven crossed her arms, the next second his vision changed, he wasn't confused, she had done this numerous times before.
Seeing the distant buildings he knew very well the woman had teleported him to the roof of the hospital.
"I. Don't. Need. Your. Permission. To. Do. Anything." Raven spoke slowly as if explaining something to a child.
"I LET you raise MY daughter, you are not her father, you are quite literally, just a sperm donor and a nanny, in case you forgot I ASKED for SUMMER to take care of her because I couldn't do it myself."
Raven quickly summoned her magic, not a second later a dome of light surrounded them both, he didn't know what it was for, and neither did he care.
He was far more interested in the woman's words, perhaps he hoped that after all this time she would have changed, but no, even now she doesn't understand human emotions, even while being one herself, even if just 1/3
"What are you even complaining about anyway? you didn't even want to raise the girl, you just did it because Summer died, because you felt some kind of guilt, pathetic."
She spit on his boot.
"I am thankful you took care of her but that is far as it goes, a thank you, is more than enough, even more, you have proved yourself incapable of raising her, you had years to help her, and failed."
Raven breathed deeply, ignoring his flinch as she kept talking.
"You know very well, Bond allows me to sense what those linked to me feel, and Yang was a ball of self-hatred and rage when she arrived at that forest, so let me tell you something that your little human mind might not understand."
Walking close to him Raven pushed him back while still going forward, he didn't react, contrary to her, he knows a fight will solve nothing.
"You. Don't. Know. How. To. Raise. A. Saiyan!"
Using more strength she pushed him back, almost making him fall out of the roof.
With an angry huff, he forced himself up and spoke.
"Oh, and how was I supposed to raise her then Raven? Hmn?? Should I have thrown her into a grimm infested forest? Beat her up and send her to sleep with broken bones? Is that what I should have done?!"
He shook his head.
"No, I might not know what I did to make my daughter hate me that much but I'm sure of one thing, I didn't make the wrong call while being kind to her, and I certainly didn't do the wrong thing by loving her, regardless of how she was, contrary to you."
"And put that in your mind, Yang is a Human too! And so are you, why does everyone in your family seem to forget that?"
Starting her down he closed his fist, even as red fire began to flow in her eyes he did not back down.
"You don't know shit." The woman spoke in a low tone. "I am not a human, I am not a Faunus, I am not even a Saiyajin, but out of all three of the things that make me who I am, my saiyan side is the strongest of them all, and hence the most prevalent."
"We think differently, so how about you discard that little human common sense and realize it doesn't work for us!"
"And for your information, I had a wonderful childhood, but just because I didn't want my daughter to pass through the same doesn't mean it wouldn't have been a good thing for her."
"Put that on YOUR mind, all I ever wanted was for her to be strong, strong enough to never need me."
"I might have made mistakes, but you know what? Even if by choice, I wasn't here to help her, no, I left that to you, you had years to be a good father, to talk to her and to raise her properly, and what did you do?"
"Nothing, 10 years of and every spec of maturity coming from her came from her NEEDING to have it, because she believed that if didn't grow, she'd die starving."
His fist tightened as he felt his breathing stop, he forced himself not to flinch, he had come to terms with what had happened and accepted his faults long ago.
"I had seven hours with her, most of them she didn't even see me, and you know what? Even if indirectly, if it wasn't for me? She'd still be a broken mess."
"Because even while hesitating, even while second-guessing everything I know how a fucking Saiyan thinks, my only regret is not having come sooner to take her from you."
"But who's the better parent is not under questioning here, you know why? Beyond everything, I said to you, at the end of it all, those fights, near-death experiences, and even that fucking dram spider."
"I was the one hugging my daughter while she quite literally exalted happiness just by me being there."
"Funny right? I wasn't with her for 9 years, and still, she loves me more than you, so just accept the reality of things and be happy I'm even letting you near her, because after your colossal failure, you shouldn't even have the right to call yourself a father."
He shook his head frantically, he might have made mistakes, and now he sees that he might have misjudged the way he should raise Yang but he sure as hell will not accept being thrown out as the second, unimportant parent.
"no, No, NO! You are the most inconsiderate, cold-hearted, insensible woman I have ever seen in my life, I might have made mistakes but at least I know of them, I work to fix them."
"And what about you? What gives you the right to talk to me about being a parent? YOU ABANDONED YOUR DAUGHTER BECAUSE SHE WAS WEAK!"
Raven flinched back, had he not been so angry he'd have noticed the weird reaction.
"You abandoned your child because she wasn't what you wanted her to be! You don't love her, you love NOTHING! Nothing besides killing, fighting, and eating like a fucking pig!"
Veins popped up on Raven's head as she closed her fist, a look of scorn plastered on her face, even still, she seemed to be holding herself.
He knows very well that if a fight were to happen he would stand no chance, even still, he kept talking, he wouldn't, he would not let someone like her near Yang.
"I might have made mistakes, I might have not given all that I could, but if there is something in this world that I didn't do wrong is loving my daughter unconditionally, contrary to you I would take care of her whether or not she is perfect."
Breathing through his mouth he stared at Raven's unmoving form, he could feel her anger, he expected her to scream, or even attack him, but none of these things happened.
"You… Think I didn't love my daughter? Because she was weak, that is what you think? Is that why you are so against me?" She asked with an unnaturally calm voice, something that greatly surprised him.
"No, no, The day when Yang was born was the happiest of my life, you weren't there, we were just teammates at the time and I had just wanted a strong man to be the father of my child."
She exhaled while closing her eyes, standing this way for a second she lifted her head and looked at him with a neutral expression.
"You didn't see it, but when they gave me Yang I was so scared, so, so scared of harming her by accident, she was weak, incredibly weak."
"My hands were trembling, you know, she had 10, just… 10 battle power, stronger than an adult but ridiculously weak for any of my family, no one, NO ONE of my family was ever born with less than 100."
She scoffed while wiping her face, if Tai didn't know better he'd think she was on the verge of crying.
"She was a fragile thing, not fit to live with me, but even then, I loved her."
Sniff*
"I was scared you know, I don't know about other parents but at the time I thought about everything that could go wrong, an accident, someone harming her to get to me, or even just her wanting to follow her mother's footsteps and become a huntress."
"I didn't leave because I didn't love her, no, every day I used my semblance to check on her, every day for 9 years, do you really think delivering milk could have sustained her? No! I sent people from the tribe to give small tips to her."
He shook his head.
"Oh, so you decided to just, not come to help your daughter? I may not have the right to say anything but at least I have the excuse of being trapped in my own head, what about you? You could have just made a portal and come here couldn't you?"
Raven started to walk back and forth while hitting her head.
"No! I couldn't, do you have any idea how I was raised? Do you have any idea how I would have to raise my daughter if I was near her?!"
"You don't? So let me explain to you, my mother trained me since I could walk, she beat me up every time we sparred, I had my body broken more times than I could count and almost died multiple times in my childhood!"
"And you know what?! I loved every second of it, I had a wonderful mother that wanted me to become the best warrior I could possibly be, and through my semblance, I could feel nothing but love coming from her."
"But you know what she didn't prepare me for? To do the same for my family, I never, NEVER gave Qrow more than small cuts while we sparred, Because if there is something she did stick in my mind is to value family!"
"And I did, had I not left Ma would have found out about Yang, and believe me when I say that she would not accept a weak granddaughter, I thought Yang couldn't handle it you know, she was weak, and showed no promise in anything."
"I wouldn't, I WOULDN'T put my daughter through the same things I passed through, if I could barely handle that then she sure as hell couldn't."
She breathed heavily, her throat felt dry.
"Do you think I'm strong? That woman can still kick my ass."
Raven gripped her hair and pushed it down, she was at the limit of her patience.
"I love my family, and while I could have fought against my Ma I didn't want to hurt her, I didn't want to hurt anybody! So I left, I left so nobody besides me would be hurt."
An astonished look formed on his face, she was crying, Raven Branwen is crying, in front of him.
"She was a baby then, I was sure that if she didn't see me she wouldn't be hurt, that's why I specifically told you all to never mention me, and It broke my heart when I did that."
"And you know what? I wanted a strong daughter too, but I realized that, Yang would never be as strong as me, she would never be strong enough to fight against HER in this fucking war!"
"You say you had an excuse to not take care of her because you were stuck on your own mind?! Guess what jackass I was too!"
Raven opened her arms as she threw them up.
"Surprise, surprise, I am not perfect, I wanted to create a world where MY daughter could be weak, where she wouldn't need to be strong just to survive the next day!"
"I love my daughter, and I sacrificed so much just to make a better world for her, so don't you dare say I am back just because she is what I always wanted her to be."
Raven breathed heavily, her eyes stayed fixated on his frozen form, he… he never saw it like this.
"I am happy, and I am proud of my daughter because of that forest, she showed and did so many incredible things that you wouldn't believe Tai, I always wanted her to be happy no matter what."
"But after that boy, that agent of Salem almost Killed her I became desperate, honestly, I felt pathetic."
She giggled in a self-deprecating form.
"I realized that I couldn't protect her like this, she needed to become stronger, and I knew she wouldn't, she was talentless."
He opened his mouth, but was interrupted as Raven made a sign for him to stop, she wasn't done talking.
"That attack made me realize something very important, all the sacrifices I have done, served for nothing, the world stayed the same thing, I didn't make a difference, AT ALL!"
"That's why I was planning to talk to Yang, and bring her with me, but then, Forever Falls happened, and everything changed."
"I said it before but I'll say it again, I always loved my daughter, independent of whether or not she was weak or strong, or disabled or even fucking retarded."
"But after seeing her fight in that forest, seeing her power level go from a mere 58 to an absurd 878, it brought so much happiness to me, it meant She that I was wrong."
"I. WAS. WRONG!"
Raven smiled as she jumped up and down.
"She is more talented than me, more powerful than me at that age, and I am sure that when I take care of her training, she will surpass everyone, 15 times Tai, she improved 15 times over in mere hours, and most of these she was sleeping!"
A confused expression formed on his face, he is… certain that this isn't possible.
"Yes, it's true, you can feel it from here, even now it's still growing, that last attack, that red Kamehameha as she calls it? The power of that thing was 6.477."
Ignoring the hitch in his breathing Raven continued.
"Seven hours Tai, I only reached that level when I was 14 Tai and she just fucking surpassed 14 years of training in Seven. Goddam. Hours."
"So put that on your head I am not coming back just because my daughter is strong, I would have gotten back even if she was the weakest creature on this planet, I am letting you stay near her despise your 'amazing' job in being a farther simply because I made a promise to Summer."
Fixing her hair Raven turned around and walked toward the stairs.
"My daughter is in danger, and I'm not about to let a weak, whimpering, impotent man of all things raise her, much less protect her, I will train her to be the strongest warrior on this goddamn planet."
"And when she surpasses me, Salem is not going to be a problem anymore."
He breathed slowly, with a determined face he opened his hands and spoke.
"You know what, why don't we let her decide? Hmn, whatever Yang decides will be what we do, if she wants to train with you, so be it, if she wants to be raised by this deadbeat dead and continue training with him then so be it."
With a light kick, Raven opened the door and walked down the stairs, the woman didn't even acknowledge his words, but he understood, she agreed with him.
He said nothing, he knows very well, two wrongs don't make a right, and for more that he wants it, he knows, that in this conversation there wasn't a right.
—--------------------------------------------------------------
[Remnant/ 3 of November 83 A.G.W/ Yang Xiao Long: 10 Years old/ Vale's Hospital/ 6:20]
Warm, she felt it all over her, it was… pleasant, if she had to compare it to something, it would be like getting out of a pool and bathing in the sun's light.
It felt amazing, her muscles, bones, and even her brain felt incredible like she had the best rest in her life.
"**** **** little dragon, ********** ** going to ** **."
Suddenly, she heard a muddy voice through the water, she tried to open her eyes but they felt… heavy, as if she was extremely tired.
She stopped, there is no reason for her to wake up now, although incapable of seeing she can still feel the Ki signature of the woman in front of her.
It was impossible to forget, especially when it felt so familiar, even 1000 meters away she'd be able to recognize her mother's Ki.
Extending her arm she tried to reach her, but something stopped her. She felt annoyed, trying a second time she uses more strength, but even then, nothing happened.
She was about to try a third time when something passed through her, in a mere second, she felt herself grow calm.
"I am H*** *****e dr****, there** n***i** to ***** ***ut."
Going back into her fetal position she relaxed her body, through her senses she was able to hear two familiar Ki signatures coming toward her.
The next moment she felt her mother hurriedly leave and go… somewhere, she may be able to sense Ki but she is still blind.
Silence returned to her world, involuntarily she began to think about what she had done, in the forest and even before it.
It was brief, she is very much aware of her faults, both her mother and her semblance helped her to see them.
Her thoughts then quickly turned to the future as she felt the strength in her body increasing, no, not increasing, stopping, without realizing she had received one last Zenkai.
The thought about her Saiyan biology brought upon old memories of her past life, more specifically, of Dragon Ball.
She remembered something, Saiyans do in fact have limits, in the anime and manga, for the entirety of Dragon Ball Z and even the start of Super Goku never surpassed Frieza's 120 million power in his base form.
As far as she is aware the limit of growth of a saiyajin is 70 to 80 million, or at least by the time they reach this level diminishing returns hit them hard.
This cap on strength is something Goku himself only surpassed when he obtained god Ki, although she doesn't believe for a second that super has any chance of happening due to the awful characterization of many characters she still believes the Gods, Angels, and even Zeno exist.
But that doesn't matter for now, what matters is the power of Goku.
In both anime and manga, the true power of Saiyans lies in their transformations, even the zenkai boost has a hard limit, becoming useless after the Saiyan in question reaches their limit, the full extent of their latent potential that is.
Goku Black for example, after being healed by Zamasu received a Zenkai boost, allowing him to surpass Vegeta.
The prince in question, even after being healed by a senzu didn't receive a zenkai, the reason? Zenkais cannot break limits, at least not of normal Saiyans.
If their latent potential is already fully explored the Zenkai can't do shit, but, there are exceptions, specifically, a mutant Saiyan.
70 trillion, this is Broly's base power level when he arrived on Earth, at least according to the wiki, the thing might or might not be wrong but she understands that trying to power scale Dragon Ball is a pointless endeavor.
Still, it is the only thing she can work with, in other words, it's more a theory than a fact.
Broly's power might not sound much compared to Goku's 100 trillion on base during the tournament of power but one has to remember something extremely important.
Broly doesn't have god Ki, even more, he stayed on a planet with SIGNIFICANTLY weaker creatures and still managed to become so strong.
Putting in small words, Broly is the monster of monsters, able to evolve into such a ridiculous point the only reason he was surpassed was that he wasn't the protagonist.
The fusion dance multiplies one's power with the second individual, presuming Goku and Vegeta's power levels were 105 trillion in base that would mean Gogeta's base power alone was eleven octillion twenty-five septillion or 1.1025e+28.
And it took that man going blue to overpower Broly.
That means one of three things, one Broly is so absurdly strong only a fusion could ever hope to defeat him, two, whoever wrote that script had no fucking idea how to count or three, the fusion dance got a retcon and doesn't multiply their power levels anymore.
In either case, even if the third is far more likely she can't let the mere possibility of such a power slip away, both the legendary super saiyan and the fusion dance that is.
THAT is why she is so fixated on Ikari, and why she is so happy at the possibility of having her tail back, Broly might have achieved it without his, but she is sure she is not capable of it without hers.
Of course, she knows Broly's power is due to being a mutant and not because of Ikari but she found a solution, a way to increase her power level, Genki, and even her latent potential, possibly infinitely, Energy cultivation is her ace in the hole for that.
Even more, she is absolutely sure of it, call it a hutch but she thinks her Faunus side will alter her great ape or even Ikari form.
Combining her base power with that of Oozaru without transforming will not strengthen her body, but also her Zenkai, this fusion, combined with Energy cultivation will, hopefully, transform her into a mutant Saiyan, like Broly.
Because at the end of the day, Oozaru is not truly a transformation, no, it is more like a Saiyan's true form, if she obtains it, and trains properly she is sure she will be able to reach even Broly's ikari, 22.4 Quintillion Battle power in just her base.
This is without even thinking of God Ki, if she ever reaches this point she doubts even Beerus will be able to fight against her.
Before obtaining god Ki Goku had a total of 75 million on his base, after it, he obtained a total of 7.5 Trillion on Frieza's resurrection, of course, he kept training but this is still a difference of 100,000.
22.4 quintillion multiplied by 100 thousand equals 2,240,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 or two octillion, two hundred forty septillions.
And she still won't reach the angels with that, much less Zeno, what a fucking joke, there is no way in her life she'd ever allow that mentally retarded child to live if she had the strength to kill it.
A creature with no compassion and the power to erase universes at will brings nothing but disaster.
But that doesn't matter, it won't matter for a looong time, her mother is a Saiyan so she knows the universe she is in is a fusion of Dragon Ball, but for now, there's nothing she can do.
Salem and the Brother Gods will go first, then she can worry about other things.
Like how to get even stronger with things she can do, for example, with her technique, Energy Cultivation she can feed Katamashī to her cells, strengthening them to such a point her limits will be broken even without Ikari.
Much like the androids her body will be much more powerful even without the assistance of Ki, the growth of it being related to the body will also allow her to increase her power level passively.
Increasing the strength of her natural body, without the assistance of any type of energy her Latent potential will be increased to absurd levels.
The only downside is that this technique is slow, extremely slow, well, she is sure she can do it faster now that her energy control improved and her mind stabilized but to improve her technique she will first need to fully comprehend it and study all of her energies further.
A process that will take years, she may have called herself a shonen protagonist but she sure as hell can't take information from her ass.
But…
'This is for the future, for now…'
Clenching her fist she felt the increase in power she received from Zenkai, having her wounds return after de-transforming allowed her to gain a last zenkai while recovering in the hospital.
878 → 998 (+120)
It wasn't much compared to the last two she received but still, she is extremely happy.
Smiling like an idiot she started to giggle, the day might have started horrible, but it ended in a way she asked herself whether or not she was dreaming, but still, she is extremely happy.
She got absurdly stronger, gaining 940 Battle power in a single day, learned the secret, well, A secret of Ki, obtained two transformations, and a bunch of techniques.
An insane semblance, and she even managed to talk with both of her mothers, even better, she can regain her Tail now!
Best day ever wouldn't even come close to describing it!
She giggled inside the respirator when suddenly, she felt a familiar Ki signature close.
"YANG!"
The scream was so loud she was able to hear it even inside whatever… thing she was in, she was sure the shout was much louder than what she heard, and was thankful for the water surrounding her.
She'd never say it to her face but she compared her sister with a banshee many times in her mind.
Suddenly she felt the water around her disappear, no, not disappear, more like, go down?
She had no time to wonder as she felt her feet touch the ground, opening her eyes she saw Ruby with her face glued on the glass in front of her.
Sighing tiredly she took the respirator out of her mouth and threw it away, looking down she took… whatever the hell was attached to her lower body out.
Hssss*
Not a second later the glass wall opened.
Splat*
And Ruby fell face first into the still wet ground.
"I'm okay!" Ruby quickly shot up and not a second later, jumped on her.
"YangIwassoworriedaboutyou!youwereawayandIthoughtyouhatedmebutthenDadsaiditwasactuallyjustthatreallybadboythathadtakenyourtailawayan-!"
Yang put her hand on her sister's head, making the smaller girl stop her unrecognizable babbling and look up at her, only to be met with a warm smile.
Ruby's rants were always fun to see but now, she felt she needed to tell her something.
"Thank you, for always being here for me, you may not have realized this Ruby but, You were my light."
Ruby's face turned confused, and Yang laughed.
"How to say this… you are like a hunter to me, you know, they give hope to everyone, that even in the worst situations there still can be someone who will save you."
Yang touched her heart, she felt shame, it was… embarrassing for her to say this, but if there is one thing that she knows is that not talking before has only made things worse.
"You were this person for me you know, you were my hero, I was… sad, very sad, both because of Mom, and Dad, but it wasn't as bad as I thought, I was just overreacting to everything."
"Still, even if it was all in my head, it was still real to me you know, so… Thank you, for being there for me, taking care of someone other than gave me a reason to get up every day."
She scratched her cheek, her heart was beating faster, the word embarrassment doesn't even come close to describing what she was feeling.
"So… thanks, for being my hero."
Ruby's head tilted as her expression turned unbelievable, she… for her, her sister is… the best.
It was hard to express it, she just knows that her sister is the most awesome person in the whole world, she did everything she wanted and was just so cool!
She taught her ki, how to fly, how to shoot lasers, but, and a bunch of other cool things, like how to twist her tongue, of course, she didn't just like her sis because she gave her things no, she loves her because she is someone she always looks up to.
In school Yang was good at everything, a straight 10 outta 10 student, she wasn't popular but that was ok with her, it meant she didn't have to share her attention.
When she asked something Yang always knew the answer, when she remembered Mom and got sad she always comforted her, Yang made it so she didn't cry for a loong time, and she was happy for that.
Not only that but she was just so strong too! Stronger than anyone else, and she wanted to become a huntress in the future, a hero!
Professor Crim always said being a hunter was a dangerous thing but Yang just didn't care, she just kept going forward to realize her dream
There wasn't a day when Yang didn't train, she woke up soon and got to sleep late. Every time she wakes up she sees her sis training outside.
It was all like Bam! destroy that rock, Boom! explode that tree, Gah! Shoot an energy beam.
She wanted, she wanted so bad to be just like her, her sister was just like those heroes from those fairy tales, and she always wanted to be like her, to be together with her when she got to crazy adventures.
Ruby and Yang, heroes of Remnant, she could even imagine the books they'd write about them!
Putting it simply, Yang was always her hero, always someone she wanted to be, always someone she admired, but now? Now she is telling her, all this time, SHE was her hero?
A toothy smile, bigger than any she had ever had before appeared on her face.
Really, that was the best thing she could ever be told, she's a hero too!
"Your big sis was just being a big dummy, but I'm ok now, you don't need to worry, there's no way I'd ever hate my cute little sister ya know?"
Bringing Ruby closer she lifted the girl up and kissed her on the cheek, just to hug her not a second later, a hug that was reciprocated instantly.
She smiled, truly smiled, she was happy, if someone said this was the perfect day she'd believe them.
Momentarily distracted her eyes pierced Ruby's form, looking deeper into her energy she was able to sense her sister's power level, whatever her mother had done allowed for her to finally quantify someone's strength.
36, It was small, almost nothing, but now that her Ma is here she is sure that she can get someone to properly train Ruby, there is no way in hell she'll ever allow someone so precious to her stay a weakling, anything below her own power level is absolutely unacceptable.
She smiled, closing her eyes she transformed into her phantom form, she did not grow this time, no, the growth she underwent before was just her returning to her older form from her previous life.
If she wished she could even get her previous body back by doing this, not that she would, the person she was before died long ago, although… it is a pity she only realized that now.
Feeling the two distinct Ki signatures approaching her heart began to beat faster, wasting no time she used her semblance, a secondary power it gave her was the ability to detect where something she lost was.
"Whoa!"
And now, she can perfectly sense her tail nearby.
In an explosion of blue light an azure ball of energy suddenly appeared inside the room and shot toward her.
She did nothing and simply stood still as the ball of light attached itself to her back, for a moment she felt more than half of her aura being consumed, as if trying to break through something.
The next the light died down.
Wiggle*
Yang smiled, putting Ruby down she looked back, and saw her tail, wiggling back and forth.
When her parents appeared inside the room they found her crying while hugging her tail.