Post by Admin on Jun 1, 2016 20:41:13 GMT
ᏰᏝᎧᎧᎷᎥᏁᎶ ᏒᎧᏕᏋ to Ōku Nomoji
April 23 ·
{{ Closed }}
{{ Alternate RWBYverse }}
Summer gave Yang and Ruby kisses, and Taiyang a hug. "Don't worry," the white hooded Huntress said with a cheeky grin. "I'll be home before you know it. It's only a few days."
Her smile and cheer hid the slight concern she had over the mission. They had already talked about it in length. TaiYang had been against her going - even Qrow had been against it. But Summer could be stubborn when she wanted to be. Oz had asked her; she was gonna go.
With a wave, Summer left, boarding the airship.
If all went well, she'd only be gone for five days. They could survive that long without her, couldn't they?
---
Summer panted as she ducked into the mouth of the cave, crouching for a couple of minutes. The Grimm concentration was worse than they had thought; but she could handle it. She just needed a moment.
Mountain Glenn had just gotten started; she would do whatever she could to help it survive.
Sitting down fully, the Huntress pulled dinner out of her pack. She'd eat, and get back to it. There were still a few hours before nightfall, there was still a lot she could do.
Once she'd finished her quick meal, Summer peeked out the entrance of the cave, and considered the enemy drawing nearer. Some Ursa? Piece of cake! She'd take care of them, and head back to the city.
----
After making her report to the Hunter in charge of the task force, Summer headed for home. Things seemed to be under control now, they agreed...she could go home to the girls, to her family.
As she made her way to the subway to take the train to Vale, she paused. That portal... It looked similar to Raven's!
Without even thinking twice, Summer ran through it.
And emerged...back in the Emerald Forest. She could walk to Vale from here...but why here? In fact, it would almost be simpler to simply run to Patch. She was probably close enough, at this point.
"Weird..." The Huntress said to herself, shaking her head slightly. Well, there was no use worrying about it. There was no sign of any Grimm.
Summer made her way home, deciding to sleep in a tree overnight. If Raven ever showed up again, she'd ask her abut that portal.
----
As Summer made her way back home, she couldn't shake the feeling that things seemed different, somehow. Things had changed. But how?
She shook it off, and made her way to their cottage, pausing ft a brief moment when she spied the gravestone on the cliff. Someone had died..? What had happened?
She didn't stop to look closely at it, realizing if someone had died, she needed to get home all the sooner.
Summer sped up, reaching home in record time. The house seemed different, somehow, too...
But she opened the door anyway, stepping inside, and calling out as she shut the door behind her. "TaiYang? Yang? Ruby? I'm home!"
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1Ōku Nomoji
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Taiyang Xiao-Long
Taiyang Xiao-Long "This is a bad idea, Summer. You shouldn't go," the cowardly man stated, crossing his arms. He was always the more relaxed one out of the group, especially when it came to having battle tactics. Of course, he loved fighting, but at the sametime, it was far too much of a hassle to do; at least, as far as immediacy sake was concerned. He was someone that would rather help from the sidelines; being thrown into absolute danger and battle wasn't necessarily his cup of tea.
"For once, Blondie's right," Qrow agreed, frowning slightly as he gazed into the silver hues of the woman that he loved. If he could have bent forward to kiss her right now, he would, but that was no longer an option - he had signed off on that right a long time ago. After all, he had claimed Ozpin's work as far more important than his own family; TaiYang was a much better man than he was, even if the Lion was a coward.
"I don't want you to go." The slight lowering of his voice was as pleading as he would allow himself to sound, the subtle glow of his eyes being the only sign of the love that he still held for the woman dancing through his eyes. "Those girls need you." I need you.
Knowing that there was no way to stop her, TaiYang went to gather the girls and let them say their goodbyes.
----
Qrow followed the woman the airship, red eyes glowing in his bird form as he circled above her once she was about the climb in. Five days, Summer; if it took her longer than four, he was going to come search for her. Four days would be far too long for his comfort. Actually...
He dipped down and circled three times. If he hadn't heard from her in three days, he was coming to find her. End of story.
Perching upwards on one of the cliffs, he shifted into his human form, whipping off his scythe and shooting into the very air far from where she was. If she listened carefully, it would be a nice, subtle morse code. Morse code for 'I love you. Come back to us safely.'
--------
The atmosphere had grown cold in the loving house where they had all stayed. Depression settled over the blonde man that had once promised to keep a close eye on the children no matter what occurred, and at this point, no matter how hard Yang tried, there was no getting him out of it.
Qrow had stopped coming to the house entirely, even dropping out of Signal Academy as a teacher. He focused his entire life on work; Tai supposed that he believed that maybe it was all a lie, that maybe he would be able to find Summer instead of the corpse that had came to them. Either that, or he was working himself to death to avoid the actual realization that Summer was really dead.
Yang grabbed her little sister and went out, Ruby sleeping soundly in the wagon that she was being carried in. If she couldn't save Summer - Summer was dead - maybe she would be able to drag her own birthmother home. All she would have to do would be to find her...
At least then... At least then...
-----
Things had changed. That was definite. Colder atmosphere. No sounds of crying or pitter patters of little feet. No sounds of soft humming coming from Tai as he lulled Ruby back to sleep, no scent of Qrow's musk as he came to check on their little angel.
Things were definitely changed; after all, it had been over ten years since Summer had been in this house, since she had last been heard from...
Since Qrow had watched her die, falling off the side of a cliff.
"Home?"
The voice called from the shop as a man who was far more haggard than he should be turned attention over to her.
Eyes widen as he gaze upon her, his hand grasping to gather his weapon. "Who are you?"
Like · Reply · 1 · May 10 at 3:58pm
ᏰᏝᎧᎧᎷᎥᏁᎶ ᏒᎧᏕᏋ
ᏰᏝᎧᎧᎷᎥᏁᎶ ᏒᎧᏕᏋ In the time Summer waited for a response, the differences that were apparent in the house had caused Summer's heart to skip a couple of beats. Qrow's scent should still be here - where was it? Why couldn't she smell the musk of their Dusty Old Qrow in their home anymore?
Yang and Ruby should have come running at her words. There was no sound of their feet, no whisper of movement that reminded her of the girls in the house.
TaiYang was usually in the kitchen this time of day - and yet it lay dark and unused.
And there were pictures... Pictures of young women she didn't know - and yet, at the same time knew too well... She recognized the shape of Yang's face, the color of her hair, the cheeky smile... And Ruby... Her daughter's hair color and style was no different than her own; and she even wore a cloak like her...and her eyes, of course, her eyes were exactly the same as her mother's.
Summer's holding one of those pictures already by the time the man calls from the shop, her eyes widening in denial, in shock only just beginning to run it's course through her very being.
It's the question, coupled with his actions, however, that spur Summer into action. She pushed down her ivory hood, and spun on her heels to see him.
He had changed so much... He was older now; she could see that so clearly. And if he was older, then Qrow--
Would Qrow even be alive?
Silver eyes meet the Lion's blue, hazy through the tears that have already begun to form and begun to stream down her cheeks. "...Wrong house, apparently," the woman replies, her voice trembling.
How could this be? How could so much time have passed?
Summer turned away from TaiYang before he could lash out at her; before he could try to attack her. She didn't have the energy to utilize her semblance. She didn't have the composure to remember to put that picture frame with the picture of the girls in it back down onto the entry table.
She didn't even have the thought process to decide where to go.
No; Summer ran. She just ran.
The silver eyed warrior ran to the one place where everything had always seemed to come together, since graduating Beacon, not even remembering in that moment that there was a grave there, now.
She ran to the cliff.
Like · Reply · 1 · May 10 at 4:26pm
Taiyang Xiao-Long
Taiyang Xiao-Long Eyes narrow even more. It was clear that TaiYang had a broken heart, a withering will to continue going. After all, the love of his life had disappeared with barely even a note... and the woman that came so brightly into his life afterwards had just abandoned him as well. He had lost two loves in a very small amount of time.. None of that would ever be okay.
Qrow hadn't visited the house in a long while. The girls were off to school. Him and Qrow had a falling out over Tai's depression. Qrow's bluntness didn't help any situation either, and thus, the two had quickly fallen apart. The girls were really the only thing truly holding them together; and even then, Tai knew he was a failure as a dad - he didn't need Qrow to constantly remind him of that.
The girls were away at Beacon, the same place where Team STRQ had grown up together. How had everything started going so wrong? When had everything that they had worked so hard for as kids and teenagers start turning sour so quickly?
Tai had stopped cooking altogether. After all, with no other mouths to feed besides his own - and Zwei - there wasn't a reason for him to bother with the kitchen anymore. A couple of sandwiches here, a canned meal there, and he was set. There was no point in firing up the grill, hearing cries of delight from the kids, Qrow, and Summer at the delicious aromas. No point in turning on the oven and baking a fresh loaf of bread.
There was honestly very little point to anything anymore. Even though everything had been said and done for a while, Tai was still in a daze. A completely dark daze that would never release him from the mangled hands that had wrapped around his conscious.
He turned his gaze towards the pictures and back to the hooded figure that had entered the house. She had sounded so familiar when she came bursting through, the silver flash of eyes that were so rare in this beautiful world of color seeming so sweet and sincere... but their Summer was dead, defeated as one of the casualties in Mountain Glenn.
Never could Tai have hope that she had returned, that she had somehow defeated all of the Grimm, that she had somehow came out of the shadows. After all, he had seen her fallen form, had seen the scars that badly destroyed her face...
Summer was gone. Even hearing the season's name made him freeze in a phantom pain, doubling him over in sorrow.
The Lion's blue orbs narrowed even more as he looked at her, his fist clenching, teeth starting to grind in irritation. She looked so much like Summer; who was this impersonator who thought she could just waltz into his home and pretend that everything was okay?
He didn't stop her as she ran. He didn't reply as she stated words that seemed more broken than anything that seemed to flow from her. No. No. This was not okay.
---
"Hey, Mom. It's me, Ruby. I just wanted to stop by and tell you how things were going at Beacon before I headed out for another Quarter. It's been a lot of fun. I've made a lot of good, new friends, people that I can count on and trust. And Jaune."
She giggled a little at that, silver eyes down at the ground, the burial site at her feet. "I miss you, Mom. I don't know why you had to leave from us, but I just want you to know that I love you. And I'm not angry. I just want to see you again."
Like · Reply · May 10 at 7:00pm
ᏰᏝᎧᎧᎷᎥᏁᎶ ᏒᎧᏕᏋ
ᏰᏝᎧᎧᎷᎥᏁᎶ ᏒᎧᏕᏋ More than anything else, the look in TaiYang's eyes had frightened Summer. Everything was wrong - nothing was as it was supposed to be. The girls should still be children - not grown women off to study at Beacon to become Huntresses.
TaiYang should have welcomed her home with a tight hug, and the promise that everything was alright now.
Qrow should have been hanging around, subtly surveying her for injuries.
Summer had never realized just how much she relied on those simple pleasures, the things she had always taken for granted upon coming home from any assignment. Those little things had made her world a better place. They had kept her whole, solid...real.
And now it was all gone, somehow.
Summer's steps slowed, her energy dwindling. How long had it been since she'd had something to eat? Since she'd taken the chance to rest?
The Huntress wasn't sure. And she was weary.
Summer pulled out her scroll, and looked down at it. Qrow and TaiYang's faces both shone from it, with Yang and Ruby held by each of the men. Summer herself was in the middle of it all. They were all grinning. So happy. So oblivious.
She unlocked her scroll, her fingers hovering briefly over Qrow's face. Dare she call him? Text him? How would /he/ react?
She only had so many choices. Ozpin would be just as reluctant to believe she was alive as well...she had to start somewhere.
So Summer's fingers typed out a quick message to the dusty Qrow.
{ EternityIsToday }
Cliff. Now.
Short. Sweet. if he thought she was dead it would be impossible to avoid being attacked by him. But maybe he still believed...
Her footsteps heavy, Summer pushed onward, tucking her scroll back into her pocket. All she had to do was make it to the cliff, and wait.
The rest would take care of itself.
----
Finally reaching the cliff she had passed what seemed so long ago, now, Summer paused as she heard the voice speaking. She peeked out from behind a tree, and stared at the girl who had her back to her. Ruby... There was no one else it could be.
Summer bit her lip, holding back the sobs that were welling up in her chest.
Oh her little girl... Her precious little girl; how much she had grown. And just like TaiYang, she believed Summer was dead. How could Summer ever face them? How could Summer ever find a way to explain what had happened - when she didn't even understand it herself?
Ducking back behind the tree's broad trunk, Summer slipped to the ground, and pulled her knees to her chest. She just needed to wait for Ruby to leave.
The waiting would just about kill her.
But she had to. How could Summer face her daughter?
It was then Ruby's final words penetrated the Huntress's exhausted mind. 'I just want to see you again'.
Oh how Summer understood that sentiment. She knew better than perhaps anyone else.
The once fearless leader of team STRQ let out a quiet sob, unable to stop the sound before it escaped. Hopefully it had been too quiet for Ruby to hear her....
Like · Reply · May 11 at 10:46pm
Taiyang Xiao-Long
Taiyang Xiao-Long TaiYang shook himself from his thoughts. That woman really did look familiar. Maybe he had been far too harsh on her when he had sent her away; after all, she didn't seem as though she had entered his home to cause him any sort of trouble. All the same, unless it were Qrow or his little girls, he didn't enjoy company anymore. People would cause all kinds of trouble for him, try to get him involved in matters that he wanted no part of.. And if it were someone from the Inner Circle, there was almost always a possibility that they would ask him to go on yet another mission - something the Cowardly Lion would never wish to partake in.
The house had grown lonely, though. Since Summer had died, the girls started school, and Qrow was no where to truly be found, it was one of those things where he had grown accustomed to being alone. Of course, he was still cheery, still eccentric. At least he tried to do so anyway.
It was something that drew people to him, and in the end, most of the people in Patch knew of TaiYang and his loneliness. And sent whoever they could his way to try to cheer the older man up. He had been far too young to deal with such pain and torment anyway, far too innocent and needing to have people around for anything else to really take merit. After all, his previous wife had left him and disappeared completely. His second wife was killed.
The warmth of the man's heart shook him to his core and made him realize that he had truly done something atrocious - he had turned away someone that was clearly troubled and needed help.
Fist clenching slightly, sunlight-maned warrior disappeared out the front door; maybe he could find her before she disappeared too far. She was going in the direction of the cliff, right?
Not really far one could go past that.
Like · Reply · May 12 at 2:45pm
Ōku Nomoji
Ōku Nomoji [~Ruby Rose~]
"Sorry, Mom, but it is almost time for me to go to school again," another whisper escaped from her as she looked down at the headstone that marked the grave, the grave that her beloved mother was lain to rest in. She had been far too young to really know her mother when she had died. After all, Ruby was currently only 15. Her mother had died quite the while ago, even back when Yang was still not yet ready to go to Signal Academy to train.
Sigh escaped her as she reached behind her to pull out a single rose - red and black spotted just like her and her mother's hair. "Dad always said that you like these roses the most. Uncle Qrow gave me some of his musk at one point - he always made me feel safe - so I sprayed a little on this rose for you too. I know that you can't hear me, that you can't see me, but Mom...?
"I promise to become the best Huntress that I can become and make you proud."
Placing the single rose on the area that marked where her mother's chest should be, Ruby stepped back, wiping a soft, single tear from her eye. There was too much to do to keep her promise than to stay sobbing around here. School was awaiting her, as were her teammates.
Yang. Blake. Weiss. Together, they were going to be the best team that had ever came out of Beacon Academy - even cooler than the group that her uncle called the most amazing team ever - that of course, being his own.
A soft smile crossed her lips as silver eyes rested on the grave for just a few more seconds. Picking up Crecent Rose from the side of the grave, she stood, ready to head out and leave.
Until the sound of sobs reach her ears. They were soft, almost indiscernable, but that was something that wouldn't make Ruby miss them. After all, Weiss had been helping her learn how to fend for herself and take more heed of her surroundings; the simple sound of it was clear.
Looking around, she frowned, trying to find the source...
Like · Reply · May 12 at 2:53pm
ᏰᏝᎧᎧᎷᎥᏁᎶ ᏒᎧᏕᏋ
ᏰᏝᎧᎧᎷᎥᏁᎶ ᏒᎧᏕᏋ After she had put her scroll away, Summer didn’t even bother pulling it back out to check it again. Either Qrow had seen, and was on his way – or he would have put the message down as a ghost of the machine, a hallucination of his grief-trodden mind. She wasn’t sure which version of her Qrow she’d prefer, which version of the man she knew she’d rather meet once more.
But perhaps it wouldn’t matter. Perhaps he wouldn’t be coming.
Summer wasn’t sure she could handle the look of cold dismissal she had seen on TaiYang’s face on Qrow’s. Maybe she shouldn’t have messaged him, shouldn’t have asked him to come…
But as she sits there, she sees the distant door of the cottage she had once shared with TaiYang open, and felt a trembling of fear. Had TaiYang decided she was an imposter, and had to be dealt with? There was only one way Summer could prove him wrong…and Qrow had made her promise never, not ever, unless her life absolutely depended upon it.
Only if she was in danger of death should she ever call upon the powers that lay beyond her aura.
Summer didn’t want to call upon the power of summer, on the power that defined her duties and abilities of a Maiden. She didn’t want it…didn’t even want to think about those blasted powers.
Qrow. TaiYang. Ozpin. Glynda. Had they been surprised, when the power hadn’t manifested in Ruby? Had they doubted her death, then? Or did they simply believe the power would only reveal itself when her daughter was old enough to wield it?
It was yet another thing on the growing list of things Summer didn’t think she wanted to find out.
This whole while she thought, Summer had been trying to contain her sobs, trying to keep her tears from bursting free. Hoping Ruby wouldn’t hear her, that her daughter would merely walk away, and leave her here, to mourn the death of everything she’d ever known.
“Go, just go, Ruby.” She whispered, oh-so-softly. “Just go back to school.” It would be better for her if she didn't see the wreck that was her mother.
Like · Reply · May 16 at 5:32pm