ThatKIrcguy
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Breathe Chapter 44: Pressing Forward
🕑 Added 2025-01-20 05:27:30 +0000 UTCStanding in front of her home on Patch with her bags sitting on the porch, Yang stood with her hand on the doorknob, wanting to enter, but also knowing that she was probably going to be in a lot of trouble with her dad.
She had decided to stay behind in Mistral without Qrow to look out for her after all. Trashing a nightclub didn’t really measure up to staying behind in a foreign Kingdom.
“Alright Yang, you’ve got this. You’ve made it all the way back to Patch on your own, there’s no point in wimping out now,” She muttered to herself. Twisting the doorknob, she froze when she heard the sound of a gun firing in the distance. “Hello sweet distraction.”
Grabbing Ember Celica from one of her bags, she took off, racing down the dirt path that led to the woods. Unfortunately for her, the spot where the gunshot came from was a lot closer to her home, meaning that she wasn’t going to be able to delay her return for much longer.
Hearing the sound of someone fighting Grimm, Yang slowed her pace and readied herself. Approaching the small clearing that came to a sudden end with a cliff overlooking the ocean, Yang was forced to shield her eyes as a brief flash of light washed over her.
The sound of fighting suddenly died down and Yang made her way closer, only to see an odd sight. Nearly a dozen Beowolves stood, their skin grey and their bodies unmoving, standing in the center of it all was Ruby who was leaning heavily on her scythe, clearly exhausted.
“Not bad… Not bad at all,” Maria remarked as she stepped through the frozen garden of Grimm. “It took you a bit to pull it off, but you finally did it.” Smashing her cane into one of the Beowolves' heads, the stone crumbled away, revealing that the Grimm was still alive inside… Albeit, it was missing large chunks of its flesh. “You’ve come a long way in such a short time. Good work.”
“Thank you,” Ruby beamed happily.
“That being said, you still need a lot of work,” Maria continued. Shifting her cane into its scythe form, she sliced through the Grimm, killing it in one move. “It’s all well and good to be able to petrify Grimm, but it’s pointless if doing so leaves you exhausted and unable to defend yourself. Grimm aren’t the only threats out there.”
“I know,” Ruby replied.
“Good,” Maria nodded. “It’s important to always keep your guard up. You never know when someone will come along and try to stick a blade in your back.”
“I know already, you’ve GAH!” Ruby yelped as she felt someone grab her. Squirming in her captor's grasp, she managed to free herself and rolled forward, holding Crescent Rose at the ready. “Who… YANG?!”
“Geez Rubes, is that any way to treat your sister when she’s just trying to give you a hug?” Yang asked, smirking. “Really feeling the love here.”
“Yang!” Ruby cheered. Dropping her scythe, she threw herself forward, catching Yang in a tight hug. “You’re back! I know it’s only been a few days, but I really missed you.”
“I missed you too,” Yang hummed, returning the hug.
“Dad missed you as well, he was really worried and a little angry when you decided to stay behind in Mistral,” Ruby said. “Don’t worry, he’s mostly calmed down now… But you’re probably still grounded.”
“I suppose that’s fair,” Yang replied, pulling back from the hug. “I… Needed some time to clear my head. Being grounded seems like a fair trade. You said that he was angry?”
Cutting through one of the Grimm that appeared to be breaking through its shell, Maria leaned on her cane. “Eh, I wouldn’t worry about it too much. Taiyang has a few other things to worry about other than being angry at you.”
“Like?” Yang asked.
Shuddering, Ruby looked away. “You don’t want to know.”
With that reaction? She really wanted to know, but she’d settle for finding out later. “So, you really seem to be getting the hang of those eyes,” Yang said, changing the subject, watching as Ruby puffed up with pride. Ruffling Ruby’s hair, Yang grinned. “Don’t get too cocky. You’re not the only one that’s learnt a new trick.”
“Yaaang,” Ruby groaned, straightening her hair.
“She’s still got a long way to go before she’ll be able to do even half the things I was capable of,” Maria commented.
“But I’ve made a lot of progress,” Ruby argued. “I mean, look at this.” She tapped on of the petrified Grimm with her knuckles. “I did it all with my eye laser thingies… How awesome is that?”
“Very awesome,” Yang chuckled.
Hearing a growl, Yang glanced behind her, seeing a regular Beowolf stalking towards them, not intelligent enough to realize that it wasn’t even a threat to them.
“I’ll handle it,” Ruby announced, eagerly heading towards the approaching Grimm. Stopping a short distance away, Ruby proceeded to glare at the Grimm. A few moments passed and the Beowolf grew closer “Um…” Ruby hummed, unsure of herself. Taking off, she proceeded to run around the clearing with the Grimm chasing closely behind.
“Help me out here… What exactly am I looking at?” Yang asked, watching as the comical scene unfolded in front of her.
When it came to fighting, Ruby could give Yang a run for her money. A single Beowolf shouldn’t even register as a threat, much less force Ruby to flee.
Sighing, Maria rubbed her forehead. “Unfortunately, it does take Ruby a little time before she’s able to use her eyes. She’ll need a lot more practice before she’s able to use them on demand.”
“Oh, so Ruby’s just stalling then,” Yang realized. “I guess that makes sense.”
“I’ve almost got it,” Ruby called out as she sped by with the Beowolf trailing after her. “Just a couple more minutes and this guy is toast.”
Shaking her head in amusement, Yang stepped to the side and watched as Ruby made a U turn, heading back towards her.
Raising her leg behind her, she brought it down and blurred forwards. Passing Ruby, Yang reared her fist back and smashed it into the Beowolf’s head, blowing it clean off, before she skidded to a stop.
Turning back around, she smirked when she saw the look of shock on Ruby’s face.
“What the heck was that?!” Ruby asked. “You were all like ‘woosh’ and you killed that Beowolf in an instant… You were never that quick before,” She finished, breathing heavily as she caught her breath.
“I did tell you that you weren’t the only one that learnt something new,” Yang said in a sing-song tone.
“Yeah, but I thought you meant something like using new ammo or learning how to throw a different kick, not this,” Ruby continued.
“Yeah, well… I’m just awesome like that.”
“I’ll say,” Maria interrupted, hobbling over. “That kind of speed isn’t something that’s learned overnight, unless… Coal taught you a little something, didn’t he?”
“How’d you… Right, you’re his grandmother,” Yang realized, scratching the back of her head awkwardly. “Yeah, I helped him with a little bit of his training and he showed me how to move really fast.”
“I thought so,” Maria nodded.
Eyeing her sister, Ruby grinned. “This is great,” She cheered. “I’ve always wanted someone that could keep up with me. Is that the fastest you can go, or can you go even faster?”
“I… Don’t really know,” Yang hummed, rubbing her chin. “I suppose I might be able to go faster if I increased the number of kicks. I’ll have to try it out.”
“Awesome… I don’t really know what you just said, but awesome,” Ruby said, before dramatically pointing a finger towards her sister. “I challenge you, Yang Xiao Long, to a race back home. The winner gets… The winner gets…” Ruby trailed off as she looked around. “The winner gets their chores taken care of by the loser for a week.”
“You’re on,” Yang smirked confidently. “But don’t you think you’ve got too big of an advantage? You’ve had your whole life to practice with your Semblance, while I’ve only had a couple of days at best.”
“I see,” Ruby said, rubbing her chin sagely. “Then… I’ll give you a head start. How’s that?”
“Good enough,” Yang hummed.
Lining up, the two sisters readied themselves for their impromptu race.
“Ready and… GO!”
Kicking off the ground, Yang blurred forward, quickly disappearing into the forest, only to come to a sudden stop when she smashed face first into a tree. “Ow…” She muttered, rubbing her nose. “Okay, note to self, trees are really solid.”
Kicking off the ground once more, she blurred through the forest, paying extra attention to her surroundings. Feeling something poke her arm, she turned to see Ruby’s excited face, a trail of rose petals following closely behind.
“See ya,” Ruby smiled before blurring past Yang.
“Why you little,” Yang said, amused by her sisters actions. Passing the one second mark, she kicked off the ground over twenty times and was suddenly thrown forward at an uncontrollable speed, not that she minded. It was a straight shot to their home from here. “Come here,” Yang called out as she collided with Ruby’s form.
Said sister let out a yelp as they tumbled forward, rolling to a stop just in front of their porch.
“No fair,” Ruby pouted. “I never tried to sabotage you.”
“And that’s why you didn’t win,” Yang teased. Standing up, she dusted herself off.
“Well you didn’t win either,” Ruby argued. “It was a draw.”
“Fair enough, I…”
“Yang?” A blonde head of hair peeked out from the door before it was suddenly thrown open.
“Dad, I…” Yang began, but was cut off when Taiyang pulled her into a crushing hug. “Sorry… I know that I worried you, but I needed a little time alone after meeting Raven.”
Wincing at that, Taiyang pulled back. “I understand. She’s… Not exactly the nicest person out there. That’s why I decided on fifty.”
“Fifty?” Yang asked, not quite sure what he meant by that.
Taiyang nodded. “Fifty years grounded. It was going to be a solid hundred, but since Raven was involved, it’s only fifty.”
“Haha, you’re not serious, right?” Yang asked nervously.
“Yang,” Taiyang began seriously, before smiling brightly. “Fifty.”
“But…”
“Fifty.”
“I…”
“Fifty.”
“Taiyang,” Maria called out as she slowly made her way back to the house. “I suppose now that your other daughter is back, she’ll be needing her room. I guess this means that I’ll be staying with you in your room. Just don’t get any ideas, I told you before that I’m…”
Taiyang gagged. “Wouldn’t you rather want to go and spend time with your grandson?”
“Eh, Coal can take care of himself,” Maria waved him off. “Besides, I’m still busy training Ruby.”
“Great,” Taiyang muttered.
“Okay, seriously. What did I miss while I was away?” Yang asked her dad.
“Forty.”
“Huh, I want to know why…”
“Thirty,” Taiyang relented.
“Why does Maria think you want her in your b…”
“One week, that’s my final offer!” Taiyang interrupted her. “Just… Drop these questions and you’ll only be grounded a week, alright.”
Rubbing the back of her head, Yang glanced at Ruby who looked away, avoiding eye contact. Shrugging, she decided to leave things as they were. She’d find out eventually… Maybe she’d ask her uncle what happened. He’d probably know.
For now, she had other things to focus on. Beacon was coming up and she wanted to master that Shave technique that Coal had taught her. Glancing towards Ruby, Yang smiled. She had the perfect person to help her with her newfound speed.
After that, she’d have to see if she could pull off that Iron Body technique as well.
“Hey Ruby, you think we could have another race?” Yang asked. “I don’t exactly have much practice with moving that fast.”
Looking towards their dad who still looked disgusted at Maria’s suggestion of sharing a bed, she nodded eagerly. “Yeah.”
…Breathe…
Stepping into her home, several different servants carried her bags in for her. Weiss sighed as she took in her surroundings. They were impeccable, not a thing was out of place, but it all felt so cold... Hollow even.
She’d always felt lonely, but now that she had spent time around others… Talking with Pyrrha and Coal, enduring Yang’s terrible puns and sharing a room with her sister, it became that much more apparent.
For the first time in a while, Weiss found herself craving company. She’d even be willing to put up with Yang and her constant stream of bad puns than endure the solitude of her home.
“So you’ve finally returned,” Whitley called out, slowly stepping down one of the many staircases. “I trust that you’ve had an enjoyable trip… Besides the mine's failure, of course.”
Weiss perked up. “It was pleasant,” She hummed. “How have things been here?”
“Quiet,” Whitley answered. “At least until it was revealed that the Colliers mining company was behind the sabotage. Father was furious, I haven’t seen much of him since.”
“He’s probably angrier that it got out than that it happened,” Weiss muttered under her breath.
“Yes, well,” Whitley coughed into his hand. “I should get going. You’ve obviously had a long, tiring flight and want to settle in.”
Weiss nodded silently. It had been a fairly long flight, but her airship hadn’t been particularly uncomfortable. It had been one of the more luxurious models after all. She’d definitely be taking it when she left for Beacon.
For now, she’d just have to figure out a way to pass the time. There were still a number of songs she could work on… Speaking of, she did have a few that were ready and only needed to be released.
Watching as her brother left, Weiss smiled. Whether he knew it or not, he had helped her. The Schnee mansion was lonely at the best of times, but Whitley had seen fit to welcome her back in his own little way.
Weiss couldn’t help but feel a pang of guilt. When she’d left, she’d left him here on his own… She was going to leave him here for months on end when she attended Beacon.
“Whitley,” Weiss called out.
“Yes?”
“Have… Have you given any thought on what you want to do in the future?” Weiss asked. “You are a Schnee and we do have a hereditary Semblance. If you wanted, you could probably become a Huntsman.”
Whitley raised a questioning eyebrow. “I believe my talents lie on another path. I’m not suited for the Huntsman lifestyle. I’ll see you at dinner, Weiss.” Turning, he exited the room, leaving Weiss alone once more.
Sighting, Weiss left for her own room. While she was excited to be going to Beacon, she was also a little concerned about leaving her brother all alone.
…Breathe…
It was the early morning in Beacon’s Amphitheater. Yawning, I glanced towards Pyrrha who was doing some light exercise, before turning back to Winter who was currently focusing on her breathing. Ozpin had also arrived a bit earlier, opting to simply observe us from the bleachers.
Heading here early was a bit of a necessity, especially when there were a number of students that would be using it later during class or just for practice in the evening. The Vytal Tournament was being held in Vale this year after all.
Beacon, much like Atlas Academy, was absolutely massive, although it did have its differences, namely, it didn’t appear as high tech, seeming more like a fairytale castle.
The Academy itself was capable of hosting a few thousand students, but, from what I understood, the actual number was a little less than a thousand. It seemed Ozpin chose to focus on the quality of his students rather than sheer quantity.
Speaking of quality.
…
Winter Schnee
Breathing Style: Frost
…
“Frost Breathing,” I muttered.
I’d never heard of that one before. That did complicate things. Unlike Pyrrha who I could teach a few Flame Breathing techniques to, Winter was going to have to learn hers from scratch. It wasn’t an insurmountable problem, I did have access to the Transparent World after all. I’d just have to help her figure it out.
“Frost Breathing,” Winter repeated. “Is that the name of my Breathing Style?”
“It seems to be,” I hummed.
“I see,” Winter nodded, accepting my answer. “Could you explain how it works? While I understand that a Breathing Style helps increase the speed and strength of an attack, I’m not quite certain that I understand its relation to other Breathing Styles. What makes it different from Pyrrha’s Flame Breathing?”
That was a bit of a difficult question, but it was one that I had an answer to, having personally experienced it for myself.
“A person's Breathing Style depends on the nature of their soul,” I explained, thinking back to when I saw my own spiritual core. “It’s… Well, I suppose it’s the element your soul resembles. The one it’s most compatible with. The Breathing Styles help to bring that energy out and uses it as a weapon, much like how Aura is used as a shield.”
Winter’s eyes widened. “Then… Everyone else is only ever using half of their potential,” She realized. “Huntsmen and Huntresses for hundreds if not thousands of years have been fighting the Grimm without realizing their full potential”
I suppose that was one way of looking at it. Total Concentration Breathing harmonized well with Aura. It was the Yin to Aura’s Yang.
Now that I thought about it, it was probably why the Six Powers didn’t use any Aura. They were simply physical techniques with no relation to a person’s spiritual core, unlike Sun Breathing.
“How fascinating,” Ozpin commented from his spot in the stands. “In all my years of my long life, I’ve never come across something quite like this. I’ve always thought that, outside of a powerful Semblance, Aura was the limit to what a person could do, but learning it’s only half the picture,” He chuckled. “It’s humbling.”
“It’s one of the reasons why I want to master my Aura,” I hummed. “I want to see if anything unique will happen.”
“Then it seems we have a lot to learn from one another,” Ozpin replied. Heading down the stairs, he stood opposite me, leaning lightly on his cane. “Before that, perhaps we can see exactly where we stand.”
Wait, was he…
“I seem to remember you having little problem dealing with the Ace-Ops,” Ozpin continued. “Perhaps I could be a better matched opponent.”
He was!
“I’m game,” I grinned.
Ever since I’d awakened the Demon Slayer Mark, I’d struggled to find a decent fight. The Ace-Ops, Salem’s necromantic Grimm, Raven… None of them had really challenged me. If there was one person in this world that had the experience and power to actually put up a decent fight, it was Ozpin.
“Excellent,” Ozpin hummed. “We best begin soon, before I have to return to my duties as the Headmaster of Beacon. Glynda will no doubt be requiring my assistance a little later on.”
As much as this training session was for Winter and Pyrrha to learn their respective Breathing Styles, I really wanted to have a spar with Ozpin.
“Winter…”
“I’ll observe your fight from the stands,” Winter interrupted. “And I’ll be sure to take Pyrrha with me. It’ll be an interesting learning experience, watching how you use your Breathing Style from an outside perspective.”
“…Thank you,” I hummed.
Watching as Pyrrha and Winter made their way to the stands, I turned back towards Ozpin, only to see a large projection of him and myself appear on the wall behind him. Our Aura gauge’s were both completely full.
“Ordinarily, a duel would end when either of our Aura is in the red, but I believe you and I are a little more experienced than that,” Ozpin noted, tapping on his scroll. “Let’s set it to… 10%”
“That’s fine with me,” I replied.
“Excellent,” Ozpin hummed. “Then let’s begin.”
Moving on reflex, I brought my sheath up and clicked my sword out, barely blocking the end of Ozpin’s cane which sent me skidding backwards. Coming to a stop, I finished unsheathing my sword.
Watching him cautiously, I waited for a single moment, before taking a hissed breath.
“Sun Breathing: Flash, One Step”
-50AP
Launching myself forward, my blade clanged against Ozpin’s cane. Jumping back, we both rushed at each other at high speed.
Our weapons smashed into one another each time we passed each other by. Bringing my blade down one final time, I kept a close eye on Ozpin’s cane, watching as the force from my blow was absorbed into it.
…Right. While I did remember that Ozpin’s cane was capable of one-shotting Leviathan class Grimm, I didn’t realize that his weapon would be absorbing all of the kinetic energy from my attacks.
Seeing that I wasn’t paying attention, Ozpin pulled back before lashing out with his cane, scoring a blow against my chest.
-500AP
“I believe the first blow goes to me,” Ozpin announced.
“That cane of yours has a little trick of its own,” I noted. “I wonder what the maximum amount of force it can absorb is.”
Rushing forward, I took a hissed breath and brought my blade down.
“Sun Breathing: Dance”
-500 AP
Ozpin’s cane vibrated as it absorbed all of the kinetic energy from my blow, but I wasn’t done yet. Taking another breath, I swung my blade in an arc, making contact with his cane several times.
“Sun Breathing: Burning Bones, Summer Sun.”
-500AP
Jumping back in order to gain some distance from me, Ozpin’s cane hummed as it struggled to keep absorbing my attack.
Seeing that I was pressuring him, I raised my blade and shot forward.
“Sun Breathing: Sun Halo Dragon Head Dance”
-800 AP
We moved through the Amphitheater in a blur, only briefly colliding before we separated again. Pressing down on the lever of his cane, the gears spun to life and a green glow suddenly encased his body. Moving faster than before his attacks gained an extra weight behind them as he began using the stored kinetic energy.
Grinning at the challenge, I took one more hissed breath and readied myself.
“Sun Breathing: Thirteenth Form”
-0 AP
Stepping into his attack, I brought my blade down, leaving an afterimage behind. My blade collided with Ozpin’s cane, but, unlike before, I didn’t stop with a single attack.
Moving at high speed, Ozpin managed to block my next slash and the one after that, before he was simply overwhelmed.
Stepping past him, with my sword held at my side, I momentarily glanced up at the Aura meters only to see that Ozpin’s had dipped a little under halfway while mine was a little less than three quarters full.
While I would like to think that I was strong enough to deplete Ozpin’s Aura by half with only a few hits, the obvious answer was that using the kinetic energy stored in his cane along with whatever that green energy was, exhausted him faster.
Sheathing my sword, I turned back and faced Ozpin, seeing that he was getting ready for his next move.
“I hope you don’t mind if I take this opportunity to try something new,” I called out.
“By all means,” Ozpin replied.
Taking a moment to feel the slight breeze flow around me, I recalled how it felt to jump off the air. How it felt to move so fast that the air felt solid.
Accessing the Transparent World, my perception increased and the world slowed down to a crawl. Watching as Ozpin rushed forward, I twisted my body and lashed out with a kick, feeling the air solidify around my leg as a blade of compressed wind rushed forward.
Ping!
Already knowing what the message would say, I ignored it and instead chose to focus on the fight. It wouldn’t be much longer before it came to an end. Ozpin was strong… Strong enough to overpower a Maiden, but he lacked the necessary stamina to continue a drawn out fight of this level.
Seeing Ozpin rushing towards me after dodging the wind blade, I took a deep, slow breath and relaxed my body. Closing my eyes, I focused my entire attention on my body and blocked out all other senses, entering the Selfless State.
Waiting for a few moments, I suddenly felt the air shift around my chest and twisted my body out of the way. Another gust of air pushed against my face and I followed its movement, avoiding Ozpin’s cane entirely.
Several more strikes came and several more missed as the slightest feeling of the air moving alerted me to Ozpin’s attack and showed me the perfect way to avoid them, like a piece of paper fluttering in the wind.
Ping!
The blows eventually slowed to a stop and I allowed myself to slip from the Selfless State. Opening my eyes, the world shifted back to its normal state and I found a winded Ozpin leaning on his cane. A quick glance towards the display revealed that his Aura was solidly in the red, having dipped a little below 10%
“I don’t believe I’ve ever had a fight quite like that,” Ozpin hummed. “Those final techniques of yours were fairly interesting.”
“It’s a little something that I learnt when I was in Argus,” I replied.
I’d be happy to show them to him, but it seemed that, in order to use the Six Powers, one needed a really strong body which would only be gained from mastering Total Concentration Constant. Yang had only just managed to learn Shave which seemed to be the easiest technique to use.
Taking a quick glance through my skills list, I let out a short sigh. It seemed that, in order to learn the secret, Seventh Power, I was going to have to master all of the others. Well… I wasn’t a stranger to hard work.
I’d just have to practice in between training Pyrrha and Winter.
Comments
SkulduggeryHaven
Thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed it.
Radiant Tiefling
Thank you for the update.
SkulduggeryHaven
Thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter. Ember Celica is a really cool weapon, but they do kind of have a hard limit to what they're capable of and are a bit overly reliant on ammo. The Six Powers will go a long way to helping Yang grow stronger.
Matthew Gonzales
Thanks for the chapter, kinda looking forward to Yang learning Tempest Kick since she could already somewhat do Shave, kinda gives her an option to dish out ranged damage from her feet instead of Ember Celcilia. It might probably change up her style.
SkulduggeryHaven
Thanks, I'm glad that you enjoyed it.
Phanthom Fox 12
Precise and deadly, Winter to a T Can't wait
James French
Thanks for the chappy !
SkulduggeryHaven
Thanks, I do have a few ideas for some techniques, but I really like the way you described it as having a 'cold biting sensation.' There's still quite a few fight scenes to come in the near future, especially with Ozpin's missions coming up.
Phanthom Fox 12
Frost Breathing... Nice name, the way it can be utilized can vary from piercing attacks to sweeping to resemble the cold biting sensation or the overwhelming cold but you probably have ideas. A spar with Ozpin was unexpected but not unwelcome, can't wait to see what you have next
