Patch

The sisters persuaded Matthew to come over to their home in Patch, a small island in the very west of Vale. The trio rode a Bullhead en route to their home, and as soon as it landed on a clearing Ruby instantly leaped from the said vehicle with a cheerful look.

"Welcome to Patch! Our humble abode!" Ruby stretched her arms wide in a welcoming manner while Yang was next to her and Matthew's eyes are observing the place.

He saw the calm and lush forest not far from them, a small vegetable field on the right, and with Matthew could presume is their home right next to the fences.

Their residence is a two-story log cabin with a training field on the left side. He saw a man, a tall masculine blonde man approaching them, and behind him is a small dog, looking curiously at Matthew.

"Hey, girls!" The man greets them and the two responded with a hug. "I missed you two. So, how's Vale? Did you buy that thing you wanted in the dust shop, Ruby?" He asks Ruby, ruffling her hair with a smile.

"Yep!" Ruby said. "I almost got in a fight, luckily Matthew was there to aid me!"

"What?!" The man cried out in surprise, with his wide eyes staring at Ruby and then at Matthew. "So, this guy helped you...?"

Matthew keenly nods as he introduced himself.

"It is nice to meet you--uhm, sir... My name is Matthew Strange and I happened to see your daughter fighting some bad guys outside of a dust shop. I helped her to deal with them and in a way... We've met Headmaster Ozpin."

"I see..." The man exhales and relaxes his body. "If Ruby's words are true then I would like to thank you for helping Ruby. My name is Taiyang Xiao Long, and I am their father. Just call me Tai for short. Oh! And this little dog right next to you is Zwei."

"Bark!" Zwei barks in a cheerful way and Matthew simply ruffles Zwei's head. After that, the two shook hands and Tai was impressed by Matthew's strong grip.

"It's sure is cold outside. Why don't we talk about what happened to you guys?" Tai stated as he offered them to go inside the cabin.

"That would be great, Dad. I'm starving." Yang said to herself as she directly heads to the kitchen.

Tai offers Matthew to seat in the living room and Zwei returns to his dog bed. Ruby went to her room while Yang is busy looking for food in the fridge.

"Tea, Coffee?" Tai asks and Matthew shakes in head response.

"I think I'll pass. Thank you, Mr. Xiao Long."

"Hahaha! I told you to call me Tai. Calling me Mr. Xiao Long makes me old." Tai stated with bolstering laughter.

"Oh, sorry. I'm just nervous in times like this." Matthew replied with a big sigh as Tai's laughter dies down.

"You've mentioned that you and Ruby met Ozpin, right?" Tai started to ask him with a cup of tea in his hand.

"Yes. The Headmaster observed our fight through his cameras around the city, long story short, he was impressed, and... he offered me and Ruby to be a student at Beacon Academy."

Tai choked on his tea in shock.

"Wha-What?! Beacon?!"

"I can't refuse his offer and so as Ruby... Funny that the headmaster simply bribes her with some cookies and she swiftly accepted it."

"Of course... Cookies..." Tai muttered in a dejected manner as he slumped back into his seat. Matthew could hear Tai mutter something inaudible as he looks down.

"And what are your goals with my lovely daughters, young man?" Tai's sudden mood changes into a more serious one. Matthew was baffled and only narrowed his eyes at the question.

"W-What kind of a question is that?"

"What I'm trying to tell you is your intentions with my daughters, Ruby and Yang. I don't want anyone nor anybody else hurting them, especially when in times like this."

Matthew quickly realizes Tai's question and he answers it calmly.

"Oh... That question? I don't have any." Matthew directly replied. "I don't have any intentions nor goals towards your daughters, sir. But Ruby sees me as her friend and Yang, too. I can see in the look on her face that she was alone and lonely during her early age and with Yang... She's coping with something I can't figure out. Tai, I can sense and see people's emotions just by looking at their faces. And with you..." Matthew pauses as he grits his teeth in awkwardness.

"You've lost someone important to you and them..."

"Am I right?"

"Huh..." Tai's expression changed into a neutral one while he stares straight into Matthew's eyes. He sighed once more and simply glances at the fireplace.

"Ruby lost her mother when she was a kid," Taiyang revealed in a somber tone. "Yang wanted to find her mother that abandoned her after she was born," Tai revealed the other bomb while Matthew continues to listen.

"I just-- I don't want my girls to be in pain again, Matthew. I can still remember Ruby crying and hugging me when she heard that her mother died that day... Yang, on the other hand, hated her mother due to abandoning her. Nevertheless, the two loved each other even when they have different mothers."

Matthew was speechless, hearing their hidden story from their father and behind Ruby's cheerful smile and Yang's activeness...

Matthew realized that they are also human.

And even Stephen reminded him to don't put his trust blindly in anyone, but with it, he also remembered one thing from his older brother.

'Love builds trust and trust strengthens love.'

Matthew smiled at the memory of his brother, but their conversation was halted when Yang came out from the kitchen calling Ruby upstairs.

"Ruby! Time to eat!" Yang yelled for Ruby to hear.

"Cookies?"

"No!"

Tai chuckled at the two as he left his seat.

"I think we'll continue this conversation at the dining table, Matthew. You should eat and perhaps we could listen to your story?" Tai stated as he left Matthew alone in the room.

•••

The dinner went eventful as Tai asks Matthew some questions about his personal life. Matthew simply made his story believable that he and his older brother, Stephen, live in a remote area in Vacuo.

He stated that the whole town is against them due to their 'semblances' which is the Mystic Arts, and the leaders of their community hunt them down throughout Vacuo only for Stephen to drag the other enemy fighters and their leader on a horde of Grimms.

Matthew successfully escaped while Stephen died to buy him some time to escape while he fought the leaders and the Grimms at the same time.

•••

(AUTHOR'S NOTE: The reason why Matthew can't go back to Earth 838 even if he could do it even if he have the Sling Ring and if he returns to his world, Mordo and the other members of the Illuminati will hunt him down for good and Matthew knew that Professor X and Mordo already notified the conspired Mutants, Sorcerers, and HYDRA elements about him. IN SHORT, HE'S A WANTED PERSON.)

•••

So he can't go back to Vacuo, fearing them and he dyed his hair black contrary to his original grey hair for his safety. (He faked that he dyed his hair, btw.)

During his traveling, he trained his semblance, fighting skills, and his body to learn more about Remnant and to help other people.

The family listened to his story and they were speechless after Matthew finished. Tai and Yang looked pity at the young man while Ruby was on the verge of tears, moved by Matthew's storytelling.

"That's *sniff* the saddest *sniff* story I've ever heard," Ruby commented as she wipes her tears from the corner of her eyes.

"I'm sorry. I'm sure he's resting in peace now. You had a great brother. Like me to Ruby. Yang added with a solemn nod.

"If you need something, we're here. And I would like to apologize for my hostility towards you earlier." Tai stated, placing his hand on the sorcerer's shoulder as condolences.

"Thank you, everyone," Matthew replied with a grateful nod.

"Oh! It's getting late!" Tai informs the three as he looked at the clock. "You girls should go to bed but clean yourselves first. And Matthew, we have a spare bedroom upstairs and that is your bedroom for now. If you need anything just ask me."

"Thank you, Tai."

"No worries, kid. I'm just returning my thanks that you rescued Ruby."

The night became quiet as all of them went into their rooms, and Matthew couldn't help but stare at the broken moon above as he leans on the window frame.

Matthew knew that it would be a death sentence if he decided to go back to Earth. And he also understood that Black Bolt hesitated to kill Stephen alongside Captain Carter. But they had no choice but to go along with that Mordo's plan to get rid of them.

Matthew went back to his bed and thinks about what would happen tomorrow morning.

"Nah, I'm sure it won't be that kind of chaotic." He chuckled as he drifted to sleep.

••••