We do not own RWBY or any other copyright content. All rights to it go to Monty Oum, VIZ Media, and their original owners. All OCs are owned by us.
Writing credits go to Uzumaki Ricky, Monsterhuntergod, Sharad the hedgehog, and Traines on here, as well as Kima Whitehawk Jordan on Facebook.
Tiger King and Dragon Queen
Volume 1 Chapter 14: Echoes of Destiny
After an awkward drive from the peaks of the Sōtora's homeland, they arrived at the airship landings for an overnight flight. The doors to the long limousines flung open as the Xiao-Long-Rose family, Sōtora's, and Red came out. Several servants handled their bags gingerly and carefully to be taken through check on procedures. All the while however, Yang had not taken her eyes off Azura. He was better, but she still could tell that his troubles were far from over.
"How are you doing, Azura?" Yang asked him.
Azura looked at her and managed to give her a weak smile. "I will be fine, Yang. Thank you." He replied, even though his eyes told her, pleaded to her, 'Can we talk about this in private?'
Giving him a slight nod, the two excused themselves to head to the bathroom. Once they were out of earshot, Azura spoke.
"I am not going to lie, Yang… I have been better…" He sadly told her, walking over to a sink and splashing some water on his face to calm his nerves.
"Well, it's a start. No one is expecting you to move on quickly, so long as you're trying. I know the feeling." Yang sighed, leaned against a wall as she kept close.
Azura nodded as he dried his face, then walked over and gently took her hand. "I don't know what I'd do without you right now…" He admitted, a bit nervous.
"Let's not think about that." Yang answered, trying to follow her own advice.
Azura gave a small smile in response. "Let us head back. We do not want the others getting the wrong idea." He told her, gently kissing the back of her hand.
"Or the right idea, by your mother's metrics." Yang teased as the two began to walk back.
As soon as they arrived, Ruby noticed her sister and Azura's return and the direction from which they were coming. She smiled as she saw their hands held together and that Azura seemed much calmer now. His recent mood had not been lost on her, but she had figured he would talk about it when he was ready. Grinning a bit like a mischievous fox, she decided to lighten the mood a little.
"So, you two. Going off to look for new curtains or something?" Ruby giggled, getting the attention of the others in the process.
"Oh my, Azu. In public, of all places? How scandalous." Quain teased his younger brother.
"Well, at least he's finally making his move." Lazuli teased as well.
Azura blushed at the words of his older siblings. "Please stop talking, you two…" He requested, clearly embarrassed.
"I don't get it." Argent replied.
"You never do." Aqua piped up.
"I will end you. And I'll make it look like a bloody accident…" Argent quietly growled.
"What was that Argent sweety?" Verdant asked in a sickeningly sweet tone.
Argent paled and looked at his mother. "N-Nothing, mom! Just worried about the flight! You know I don't fly well…" He quickly replied.
"That's what I thought." Verdant answered simply.
"So, Mr. Red. Got anything witty or offensive to say or is the well dry?" Qrow asked, drinking the rest of his flask before the flight.
Red, who was carrying a bag over his shoulder, simply waved him off and walked over to Azura. He then slung his arm over his friend's shoulder and began to quietly speak, "My friend, don't view this part of your life with despair. Take it from me, I've drunk deep from that bitter well, don't let it stop you like a wall. You have got a lot of new friends around here, some closer than others. You're in Vale, you're free from the cage. Don't be afraid to roam free while you can and go on the hunt."
Azura smiled and gave Red a nod. "Thank you, Red. I appreciate it." He told him, putting his hand out for his friend to take it.
After Red gave his friend a handshake, he turned around and said, "Well I've done my good deed for the day. Have fun with Blondie in Vale, big guy! Make your mom proud!"
Azura blushed with a smile as he playfully flipped friend off. "Don't encourage her, Red." He told his shorter bud.
"Man, even when I'm trying to egg someone on, I have bad luck." Qrow grumbled.
"Call it karma." Taiyang jokingly replied.
"I have literally done nothing wrong!" Qrow exclaimed.
"I meant karma from when we were younger, Bird Brain." Tai shot back playfully.
"So, what, is there a great bank of karma in the sky that no one told me about this whole time? That isn't a thing, right?" Qrow said, looking to the Sōtora's for some kind of answer only for them to give him an unsure back and forth tilting of a leveled hand to indicate 'Hard to say.'
"So, what's in the bag, Mr. Red?" Ruby asked.
"Oh, gifts for my team. Including brass knuckles for a particular someone." Red said gleefully.
"That's concerning." Ruby said nervously.
"Indeed. See you later, folks. I'm off to fight with security to get on my flight." Red said, chipperly heading off to a new brand of chaos.
"... Is he bipolar or something?" Ruby asked in disbelief.
"Jury's still out on that one…" Azura replied as he looked at the others who were seeing them off.
With that, Mido stepped up from among Azura's retainers to his cousin with a smile and pulled him into a hug. When they broke it, he looked at the azure samurai. "Take care, cuz." He said.
Azura nodded with a small smile. "Will do, Mido."
"Also, if you blow things with the blonde, can I call dibs?" Mido asked quietly with a grin.
In response, Azura simply frowned and smacked Mido upside the head. "That wasn't a no." Mido groaned a bit.
"No, but this is." Azura replied before punching Mido hard in the gut as Mido groaned.
"Fair enough… gonna be pissing red for a week after that one…" The green hurricane groaned in pain.
"And you earned it fair and square." Azura answered.
Mido groaned and gave his cousin a thumbs up as Trivia walked up and hugged Azura, trying her best to comfort him despite her limited knowledge of the subject.
'Oh, the joys of youthful love. Or a sick romantic comedy. Hard to tell which.' Trivia signed, feigning how sweet it was for effect.
Azura blushed but smiled. "Cute, Trivia. Very funny…" He replied with a hint of sarcasm.
'You're welcome.' Trivia chipperly signed.
Azura then looked at his remaining retainers and family members. Giving them a nod as they gave him encouraging smiles, he looked down as Guren rushed up and hugged Azura tightly, trying to comfort him. Guren then looked up at her friend. "If you need anyone to talk to, don't be afraid to call and ask. Okay?" She told him.
Nodding, Azura hugged her back. "I will. Thank you, Guren…" He told her as she took a step back so that Azura, his direct family, and the Xiao-Long-Rose contingent could board their flight.
"I thought you said you didn't have a lot of friends?" Yang asked.
"Do most of them really count if they're literally being paid to be around you and like you…?" Azura whispered.
"You can be paid to do a job and hate it." Yang answered back quietly.
"Exactly." Azura replied as they boarded the airship, getting first class accommodation of course.
As the airship finally began to take off, the roar of its engines howled into the night like a mechanical beast. Azura, however, looked out into the starry night in the vague direction of the peaks of his homeland. Trying desperately to hold back and slowly failing.
A Few Months Later: The Clearing Near the Xiao-Long-Rose Cabin
The sound of thunderous blows rang through the forest, disturbing any sense of calm the forest had. Azura observed that the two sisters were exchanging blow after blow with each other, hardening their bodies with the techniques they had already learned. Azura had eventually learned that the two sisters learned better through hands-on experience, leading to him having them spar with him to get an idea of feeling it in the moment before trying it on each other. Yang's physical superiority gave her an edge, hammering Ruby with brutal punches, and being able to weather the blows in kind. However, despite this, Ruby stood her ground, took and gave blows, and was to a shocking degree developing in an area that Azura long thought of her deficit. They nearly had it down on instinct. Nearly, at least.
"Alright girls. That is enough. I think we disturbed the eardrums of every creature enough." Azura said, throwing up his right hand to call it.
"Does this mean…?" Ruby started to ask.
"Time for the test." Azura finished for her.
With that, Yang and Ruby braced themselves while trying to tighten and harden their muscles, all on pure instinct. As they did, Azura shot at them like a levin bolt from the sky and struck them in their stomachs. To his pride and joy, he felt like he hit something extremely hard this time. Not quite as hard as iron, but still close. So very close.
"Not bad. You two are getting through the basics faster than I thought anyone just learning about this could. Impressive." Azura said, a small smirk of pride leaking out.
"Do we get ice cream now?" Ruby panted.
"Not yet, Ruby. Remember: We gotta go visit mom's grave." Yang reminded her sister.
"Oh, right…" Ruby said somberly.
Knowing what that meant, Azura placed a gentle hand on each of their shoulders. "Do you mind if I accompany you two? So that I can pay my respects…?" He asked, trying not to intrude.
"Of course." Ruby said, clearly trying to keep her own feelings in check.
Yang smiled a bit. "We'd be happy and honored for you to finally meet her." She told the blue shōgun.
With that, the three headed off. Following a small, well-walked trail, they arrived at a grassy cliff overlooking the sea. Waves crashed against the jagged rocks below as birds flew over and called on the salty breeze. It was a vastly different atmosphere to what he was used to. Surprisingly calm and peaceful.
Noticing a small headstone, very plain and unadorned, it provided a great contrast to his father's tomb. Not all heroes get the resting place they deserved, he internally mused. Politely, he remained quiet as the sisters made their way to their mother's grave. A small rose symbol adorned over a simple plaque saying 'Summer Rose.'
"Hey, Mom. Sorry we're so late. We had a bit of a road trip as of late to Mistral." Ruby said to the grave.
"We visited a land in samurai country called 'Tora Kuni.' I think you would've liked it, Mom. Even though the mountain air was cold, it was so beautiful there…" Yang added.
"It was over a friend of ours. Well, we told you about him. Azura, come over and say hi." Ruby said, motioning for him to come over.
Walking over, Azura pulled out something from his robes. To the surprise of the sisters, it was a bottle of sake, a sake cup, and some spiritual incense. And the sake was high grade, no less. Kneeling before the grave, Azura placed the incense at the grave, gently lit it, poured a bit of sake into the cup, and placed it before the grave before placing his hands in a prayer position while closing his eyes. Having paid his initial respects, Azura opened his eyes and gave the grave a sad smile.
"Hello, Lady Rose. I am Azura. I may not have had the pleasure of meeting you in person… but I know you had to have been an incredible woman. For you to have drawn a man like Lord Xiao Long to you and helped raise such wonderful young women like Yang and Ruby before your passing, I would not expect anything less." He told the grave before looking at the sisters.
"Silver tongued charmer, you." Yang teased.
"Thanks, Azura. That… means a lot." Ruby admitted, a sad smile on her face.
"In other news Mom, I've gotten into Beacon and Ruby is still going strong through Signal. Qrow comes and goes as always. Life isn't the same without you, but we're getting by." Yang said to the gravestone.
"And Azura's been teaching us some really cool ancient Mistrali martial arts stuff. He says we're making a lot of progress and doing great. I… hope you'd be proud of us if you could see us now…" Ruby told Summer's headstone, trying to not tear up.
Yang placed a gentle hand on Ruby's shoulder to comfort her. Azura, doing the same, turned to look at the grave marker. "They really are, Lady Rose. The potential your two daughters have is incredible. I can already tell that they will be great Huntresses by the time they graduate from Beacon. And I plan to help them learn as much as I can while I am going there with them to help them get there…" He said, trying to comfort the girls.
"It has been an honor, Lady Rose." Azura said, giving the gravestone a deep bow.
"Bye, Mom. I'll make sure to come around more often…" Ruby said, giving a faint smile.
The two then got up and slowly began to walk away. Yang, however, lingered. The two quickly noticed but gave Yang her space. If she needed more time, both understood why, even if they did not know the reason.
"Now that I have some privacy, Mom… There's something else I need to say. Things between me and Azura in private have… changed recently. I'm not sure how to explain it but… they have." Yang started, placing a hand on the gravestone.
"Azura… isn't like other guys I've been around. I've never let one get this close to me before. I know he's not telling me everything yet… but I've never been so close to a guy who was so genuine with me before. So willing to let down his guard and who made me feel so safe. I… I don't know what to do about it. All I know is… I'm happy with how things are going…" She continued, giving a bit of a smile.
With that, Yang stood up and dusted herself off. "We'll come visit again soon, Mom. Look forward to it…" Yang replied, giving a small smile and a wink to the grave before turning to follow Ruby and Azura.
A Few Hours Later: Azura's Cabin
Opening the door gingerly, Azura walked into his cabin with a level of exhaustion. Not physical, but far deeper than that. Putting his pack down, he went to freshen up for the night. The Xiao-Long-Rose family had invited him and his family over for a celebration on his and Yang's acceptance into Beacon. As soon as they found out, the small family became ecstatic and made swift preparations, rapidly inviting his family as soon as possible.
Azura then sat down and removed his shirt, folding it up and placing it gently in his laundry basket before heading into the bathroom with a fresh change of clothes. After showering, brushing his teeth, and getting dressed, Azura looked himself over in the mirror. He smiled at what he saw.
It was shockingly simple for him, and certainly out of style for anywhere in eastern Mistral, yet he did like it. A pale blue button-up shirt, white undershirt, and jeans adorned with a simple brown belt. For a second there, it made him forget his past. How he got to this point. If only it were this simple. To become just a person, just a guy. To just be… normal. He pondered that path many times and felt a certain longing for things to be simple.
For a moment, he pictured himself in a simple farmer's outfit. Tilling fields, milking cows, and just doing normal, common, everyday simple work for the sake of doing it rather than for building up strength and physical endurance. A small family of children with azure-blue or blonde hair. A simpler life that, in another lifetime, he maybe could have had. Shaking his head, Azura dismissed the thought.
"That is nothing but a fantasy. I may have been born into this life… but it did not choose me. I chose it. The decisions you make, and the actions that follow, are a reflection of who you truly are. You cannot hide from yourself…" The blue samurai told himself.
To take his mind off it, he flipped open his scroll. He soon pulled up his invitation to Beacon and reread it. It made him smile, a sad one, but still a smile. Even though his father was not there to finally see it happen, he knew he would be proud. He always was.
"I'll make you proud, Father… you and everyone else…" Azura said sadly.
For a moment, Azura looked at a picture on his mantle. An older one of him and Mido when they were younger, along with a little girl who looked a bit like Mido and several others. Among them was the pale, red eyed, bat-winged boy, Drake Blackslate, with a smile on his pale face. Beside him was a very pretty, if slightly short girl with vermillion-red hair, eyes, and vermillion-red bird plumage sticking out from her hair. At Drake's other side was a towering, strong, and dark green-haired boy with scaly, reptilian skin like a turtle and a big smile on his face. Azura let a single tear fall from his eye and hit the floor as he looked at the picture with a thousand-yard stare, lost in the past.
Meanwhile: The Xiao Long-Rose Cabin
As Ruby and Qrow worked on getting the place ready for the celebration, Tai had pulled Yang into her bedroom for a chat. Yang was still looking at her acceptance email on her scroll as Tai began to speak.
"Yang, I want to know that I am proud of you. But I do have to talk about something with you." Tai said simply.
This snapped Yang out of her thoughts as she looked up at her father. "Sure thing, Dad. What did you wanna talk about?" She replied, putting her scroll away.
"About Ruby." Tai simply answered, trying to gauge her response.
To his surprise, Yang, while seeming a bit worried, didn't look as worried as he was expecting. "What about her?" She asked.
"I know you and Ruby have always been close, partially because you had to, and partially because you were that close. Now going off to Beacon will be the first real time you've been away from her." Tai explained, giving a pause for Yang.
Yang sighed at that. "I know, Dad. I'm growing up more and so is Ruby. Before I know it, she's not gonna need her big sister to protect her anymore." The blonde pugilist said, knowing where her father was going with this.
"You know me too well. It doesn't mean you can't help her, or if she really needs it, shouldn't help her, but Ruby is growing up too. Soon, she won't need any of us to look after her. And, for that, I'm proud of both of you." Tai said, pride leaked through his dull tone of voice.
Yang gave a small smile at the older blonde's words. "Thanks, Dad…" Yang replied.
"Now that Ruby can start standing on her own two feet, it means you can now live your own life. Go down your own path that you never got the chance for because of me." Tai said a bit mournfully.
"Dad… you know I never blamed you for that. None of us did. After what happened to you, it's no wonder you shut down. But you were still there for us when we needed you. When it counted. For Ruby's first steps, first words, our first days at school, first boyfriends, all of it. That's more than anyone could ask of you…" Yang replied, gently hugging the older sun dragon.
"Thank you, Yang." Tai said with a small smile, wrapping his muscular arms around his little sun dragon, cherishing this rare moment, "However…"
Yang raised an eyebrow. "What's up, dad?" She asked, curious about what he wanted to discuss now.
"That doesn't mean I am not concerned for paths you might be taking." Tai said, trying to sound cryptic and subtle… and failing like a colossal train wreck.
Yang groaned. "Dad, really? You wanna talk about things between me and Azura? Now, of all times?" She sighed in frustration.
"When am I going to talk to you in person when you're off at Beacon? Besides, I'm not having my daughter go out with another guy after the last bunch you've had without talking about it." Tai explained firmly.
"Dad, Azu's not like those guys. They were boys. He is a man. A respectful, sweet, gentlemanly man." Yang insisted, crossing her arms over her chest in frustration.
Meanwhile, with Qrow and Ruby
"Uncle Qrow… Can I ask you something?" Ruby asked her uncle as the two worked to set up the celebration.
Qrow stopped in the middle of hanging a banner from atop a ladder to look down at his younger niece. "Sure thing, Ruby. What do you wanna ask me?" He replied, turning to look at the banner he had just hung that said "Congratulations, Blue Prince and Firecracker."
"First, is that banner going to get the two mad?" Ruby asked, pointing to the banner confused.
Qrow smirked a bit. "Not at all. I'm sure they'll love it." He insisted, stepping down from the ladder to admire his handiwork only to then slip on a rung and fall to the floor without his Aura up, "Ow… I'm okay…"
"Question two, how do you deal with… people leaving?" Ruby asked nervously.
Qrow raised an eyebrow as he got up off the floor. "Is this about the two of them leaving for Beacon soon and you having to make it at Signal without them?" He asked while dusting himself off, having a clever idea that that was exactly what the issue was.
"Maybe…" Ruby nervously answered.
Qrow placed a hand gently on Ruby's shoulder. "Ruby… trust me. You'll do fine. You've grown a lot over this last half year. Even if the Firecracker and the Blue Prince aren't there, your dad, me, and the two of them have all given you everything you need to make it without them." He reassured his younger niece.
"You… really think so?" Ruby asked, kind of shocked.
Qrow gave a smirk at that. "I know so, Ruby. After all, who was the one who taught you how to wield a scythe and saw you pick up the skills way faster than a normal kid should?" He asked playfully.
Ruby then surprised him by rushing up and hugging him. Qrow stood there for a bit before hugging her as Ruby snuggled into the embrace cutely.
"Thanks, Uncle Qrow." Ruby said warmly.
"Anytime, Ruby." Qrow replied as they broke the hug.
"Right. If you need me, I'm off to get something for the two Hunters-in-training! Can't have a going away party without gifts!" Ruby said, rushing out the door before Qrow properly got a chance to say goodbye. He only hoped she would stay safe.
To Be Continued…