#♫ no matter how they toss the dice it had to be

[syncopatedid]

"I love you in every universe."

[jadekitty777]

Love on Borrowed Tai: Chapter 6

So hey how about we celebrate the second to last episode of Ice Queendom with the second to last chapter of this insane AU of mine? lol

In all serious, sorry it took me so long to get back to this one, but hopefully it was worth the wait!

Rating: T overall

Word Count: 6.7k

Summary: Tai’s life was simple. He rescued and rehabilitated injured Pokemon, helping them get back on their feet and back into the world. Then fate decided to throw him a curveball in the form of Qrow Branwen.

He had no idea how to rehabilitate a person… but his natural goodwill, and maybe a speck of loneliness, made him want to try.

~

Qrow was lost in more ways than one. With no home, no job, and his team and himself left severely injured, he finds himself desperately turning to the one man in Alola who could help him.

…A man he’d already met once before, but could never tell him how. [Pokemon AU]

Ao3 Link: Chapter 6

~

Qrow carefully tossed the blueberries in the colander as he ran them under the water, trying his best not to bruise them. A few more throws, and then he left them in the sink to drain, moving on to gather what he’d need for the waffle batter. As he passed Emerald perched on the counter, he gave her a little pat, the feline still nose-deep in her food bowl.

It had been his idea, actually. After noticing how fast she tended to eat on the floor – an issue that sometimes ended with her regurgitating it - he’d suspected the Glameow was nervous the other two might take her food. Considering how much of a bully Cinder could be, he could absolutely see why. So, he suggested having her eat up high where neither would reach and it had greatly improved her dining habits.

He still remembered how nice it had felt, when Tai had praised him for it. It was the first time he really felt like he was contributing.

Tai…

Thumbing idly at the new ring on his finger, his thoughts started to stray to the other man and last night. Despite everything, they had had fun. Normally, events like the Halu Halu were exhausting to Qrow. There was always too much noise and too many people. But Tai’s energy had been infectious, the blond leading him all over the grounds, always with a smile and a laugh as they tried the food and games, or marveled at the fire knife dancers with their Marowak and Braxian companions.

Nothing quite compared to the end though, sitting atop the island’s peak, snuggled together like a pair of roosting Pidoves as they enjoyed their private viewing of the fireworks.

He was grinning dumbly at the sugar shaker, before he realized what he was doing and shook his head vehemently. “Stop it.” He griped under his breath, setting it down with the rest of the ingredients.

He knew he couldn’t keep this up forever. He knew it.

And yet…

He just wasn’t ready to turn those smiles into scowls. Even if it was what he deserved.

You selfish ass.

Qrow sighed, setting the mixing bowl down a little harder than intended. Who did he have to blame but himself, really? Arceus, he shouldn’t have let things go as far as they had last night. What a hypocrite he was, telling Clover his feelings couldn’t matter. Look at him now, letting them mess him all up anyways!

He had to put a stop to it, before he ended up breaking Tai’s heart in an entirely different way.

Tonight.

He’d tell him everything tonight.

…At least he’d have that moment with the fireworks to comfort him when everything finally ended.

Qrow swallowed around the knot in his gut, and just like his therapist had told him to, started to hum old tunes, the focus-centered activity keeping his mind distracted from falling into darker thought patterns. By the time he’d gotten the batter all mixed together, he’d belted into a full-on song, some hit from ‘99.

“♪You take a chance, you roll the dice You risk it all, it's just a part of life You hold on tight to what you know You can't hold back, you got to let it go Every little step that you embrace One road ends, another begins And takes you to a better place♫”

He folded in the blueberries, keeping up the limericks and when he’d run out of words he remembered, moved to another one. Then another as he set up the waffle maker and went to go get the oil. Found himself feeling just a little lighter as he struggled to piece together how The Power of One went.

“♪You can make a difference You can make things right! To dream and make it ideal♫ – Hah, no. That’s not right.”

He shoved aside a couple bottles of cooking oils to get to the spray can. He’d just closed his fingers around the cap, when a slam from down the hall had him jumping back. The can fell over on its side and rolled off the shelf with a hollow clang, the sound of stomping feet thundering over it.

Something was wrong. Had something happened outside?

Qrow whirled, the concerned question already rising as the blond came into view, only for it to die in his throat as the other’s furious expression registered.

“T-Tai?”

Tai looked him up and down, snarling. “You…” He took a step forward, voice rising in pitch as he screamed, “YOU SON OF A BITCH!”

The noise sent the Trouble Trio into hiding – Emerald rocketing from the counter to underneath the coffee table in two seconds flat. Cinder stuffed herself behind the entertainment system and Mercury found a spot between the books on the shelves.

Recoiling himself, Qrow stumbled back, confusion and fear tumbling together. “W-Wha-? Tai?!”

“I can’t believe you!” Tai slammed his fist into the pantry door, before he started to advance towards him. “When were you going to tell me?! Huh?!”

His stomach dropped out, clarity hitting him like a Double Kick to the gut.

No.

No, not now. Not like this.

Instincts crawling, Qrow continued to back away, getting the counter between them, trying to formulate a response. Formulate anything.

What came out was a weak, guileless, “T-Tell you what?”

It was the wrong thing to say.

“Don’t act stupid. You fucking know what! You- you were there!” Tai hissed, keeping up the pursuit, backing him into the living room, “That’s why you called me Yang that day, isn’t it?!”

“I- What?? Look, just calm down. I can explain–wah!!” The shout punched out of him as his knees knocked against the coffee table and he went spiraling back. The impact left him winded, but he scrambled back up on his palms. Too late, because Tai was already standing over him.

Nowhere left to go.

“Tai… Please.”

Looking down upon him, fists clenched and face twisted in rage, literally shaking in his fury, Tai seemed terrifying.

So how was it, when he spoke next, the obvious catch to his voice still managed to shatter Qrow’s heart?

“Why would you do this to me?” Tears budded in the corners of those pretty blue eyes. “Just… why?”

He had no answer.

Qrow lowered his head, shame lodging in his throat. “I’m sorry.”

“SORRY DOESN’T BRING MY FAMILY BACK QROW.”

He ducked further down, wanting nothing more than to withdraw like a Wartortle as guilt and grief consumed him. And because he had nothing else, could only repeat, “I know. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

Hands reaching towards him had Qrow flinching back.

A sharp movement caught the corner of his eye, a blur of gray.

Tai took hold of his collar, starting to pull.

Yelled right in his face. “You think that you can just-”

Claws dug unforgivingly into Qrow’s back, and then Emerald was on his shoulder, spitting fiercely as her eyes gleamed.

“-Just!” Tai’s own eyes glowed unnaturally, and he started to blink rapidly. “….J-Just….”

That was all the warning Qrow got before the other man was tipping forward, nearly crushing him with his heavier weight as he fell atop him. He grunted, getting pinned back down onto the table.

Well fuck. What did he do now? ~ He found the evidence on Tai’s bedroom floor.

“Stupid, stupid, stupid!” Qrow jeered at himself as he paced the room, the paper crimping in his tight grasp. In the other hand was the phone, the cycle of never-ending rings only feeding his desperation. “Come on Clover, pick up!”

A click. “Hello, this is Clover’s voicemail, please-"

“Ugh!” He threw the phone across the room before he turned back to the man on the bed.

It had been ten minutes, but Tai had yet to awaken from his Hypnosis-induced rest. But as the seconds ticked on, he knew it was only a matter of time before he did and Qrow damn well had to be ready for it, unless he wanted his face smashed in.

The macabre thought only conjured back up the frightening image of the other stalking towards him, eyes blazing and teeth bared, all kindness stripped from those once-gentle features, leaving nothing but rage and hate behind. The look of a man who’d had a piece of his family horrifically ripped away from him and had just discovered he was in the presence of one of the people responsible for it.

Except… it wasn’t true. Not the way he knew Tai had come to accept it as, at least. But there had been no one left to clear their names. To tell the media what really happened that fateful day fifteen years ago. So speculation had taken hold and treated it like truth, tarnishing the reputations of those involved simply to tell a better story.

Now, he could finally set the record straight.

But as he looked to the one man who needed it most, Qrow asked himself, did it matter anymore?

Moreover, would Tai even believe him? Did he even deserve to be believed after he’d spinelessly hidden behind his justifications all this time? Made up excuse after excuse how it was for Tai, for himself, for this, for that? It was only in hindsight he realized what a fucking idiot he was and now, it all felt too late to repair.

A quiet grunt had his heart leaping from his chest, and he whirled, fully expecting Tai to be staring back – nonono, he wasn’t ready Arceus he needed more time – but the blonde had only shifted slightly, head dropping to the other side. Peaceful and unaware of what he would eventually awaken too.

But Qrow was still shaking, sweat beading along his forehead.

He couldn’t…

He couldn’t do this.

Frantically, crazedly, he ran from the room, finding the first pen he could and started to write.

Ten more minutes later, the house and the field was one person and five Pokemon emptier.

Resting on the bedsheets by Tai’s head was the article, folded over. On the blank side was only one sentence:

It was never their fault. ~ The first time Qrow had ever run away, he had been seven and a bit foolish. He talked big about how he’d start his journey early and become rich and famous by the time he was ten. The police had found him three days later, sleeping underneath the bleachers of Motostoke Stadium, living off stolen snacks from the concession stand.

Change the location, and the story was nearly identical to when he did it again six months later. Then another five after that. And once more, days after he had turned nine. Aimless, stupid decisions that all had the exact same problem attached to it.

Now, two decades later, as he sat on the beach, watching the waves roll in, miles of nothing but sea between him and another region, he found it hilariously ironic that the issue had still remained the same:

Where was he going to go anyways?

Qrow sighed, burying his head into his knees. “Are you really doing this?” He mumbled.

He didn’t expect an answer.

“Why, does coffee not suit?”

He started, clutching at his chest as his head jerked up.

Bart smiled back politely, holding two steaming mugs. “I just noticed you’ve been out here awhile.”

Qrow looked past the man to the single house that sat on this side of the beach, realizing quite suddenly he was technically moping around on the man’s front lawn. “I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to-” Trespass, “-I mean. I can go if I’m bothering you.”

“Nonsense!” With little preamble, one of the coffees was shoved at him. It smelt strong. Probably had enough shots in it to energize a Jolteon. “I don’t brew my favorite espresso for company I want to shoo away.” He nodded to the spot of sand beside him. “May I?”

Keenly aware this was still Bart’s property, he shrugged minutely, mumbling, “Knock yourself out I guess.”

“Always the mordant one, aren’t you?”

Used to the other’s sometimes diverse vocabulary, Qrow just quietly assumed that was a bad thing.

His lack of response did little to deter the other man, who unfolded like a sun lounger beside him yet still managed to appear unrelaxed and jittery somehow. After a long draw of his mug, Bart spoke up, “If I may be so bold, what troubles you?”

What a loaded question that was. He snorted, “How long you got?”

“Longer than I’m sure you’d care to talk.” He rightly guessed, peering at him atop his spectacles. “Perhaps just the abstract then?”

Qrow frowned, tapping his fingers along the ceramic. What did he really have to lose? “I lied to Tai about something. Something big. He found out a part of it and was furious with me, but instead of coming clean, I ran off instead.”

“Why not tell him the truth?” Bart asked, plainly and without judgment.

The list he’d conjured up over the months rolled through his thoughts. Any one of them would have sufficed for an answer, even the few Clover had crossed out for him…

But Qrow was getting really tired of lying. And at the heart of it all, he knew what it was.

“I’m afraid…” He lowered his head, sighing, “That once he knows he won’t see me the same way anymore.”

A thoughtful hum. “I see. And now you’re here. Wallowing on an empty beach, all alone.”

“Well, I mean, I’m not all alone anymore.” He tried to joke, without any touch of humor.

Still, it brought a smile on the other’s face. “Appreciated. But kind of ignoring the point, don’t you think?”

In lieu of replying, Qrow took a sip of coffee instead, grimacing. Bitter.

It deterred Bart none. “Did you know history is full of lies? Many times, this is because truth is often hidden purposely by those in power for various reasons. As a historian, sometimes we stumble upon these inconsistencies and have to choose whether to report our findings or not.” He tipped his head, the glint of the sun gleaming across his glasses. “And I’m certain you’re wondering – why would anyone choose not to report a finding? Is that not our job? But, the terrible fact of it is, many are not ready for some truths or find them so outlandish, they might even laugh you right out of the association. But there is a reason to take that risk.” He looked Qrow straight on. “Do you know what that reason is?”

He barely held back from rolling his eyes. Maybe Bart should have been a teacher, because he certainly felt like a student right now. “Because it’s the right thing to do.”

Bart’s reply surprised him.

“Oh no, not quite. Some things can really damage.” He turned back to the ocean where the waves swept closer and closer to their feet with each roll. “When I look at history, I see knowledge that could have helped. Lessons that could have stopped tragedies. Lives that could have been changed insurmountably had we just known more. I tell the true story because it’s what people deserve.”

Qrow hunched down, murmuring, “Even if it hurts?”

“Especially then.”

He knew what Bart was trying to communicate to him. He knew he was right, too. Above anyone else, Tai did deserve the truth. Not because he’d been kind to him. Not even because they’d developed feelings for each other. But because this was his family, his history and he had the right to know it. Even if it hurt.

Even if… it changed everything between them.

It was time to go back to that house, grow a pair, and take the Bullet Punch to the face.

Qrow sighed slowly, setting his cup down by his hip. “Yeah, I-”

“Flllly!!!”

The cry startled them both, heads turning towards the sky.

Dread curdled in his gut upon realizing it was Liusha coming right towards them.

And on his back… was Taiyang.

Something on his face must have given him away, because Bart lent close, asking, “Should I stay?”

He entertained it for exactly three seconds, before shaking his head. “No. I… I’ve got this.”

“As you will.” Bart picked up his mostly full cup before getting to his feet and with a parting, “I wish you luck,” scurried off back to his home without even giving Qrow a chance to thank him.

He shut his eyes, taking a few deep breaths to calm his nerves, before he got to his feet. Tried to look tall as he waited for the two to descend. Liusha soon touched down a few paces away, stirring a small sand cloud that settled quickly.

In the air, it had been impossible to gauge Tai’s expression, but as he slipped off his dragon’s back, it was clear there was still tension lining his features. His jaw was set and his forehead furrowed.

“H-Hey Tai.” Qrow inwardly cursed as his voice cracked.

Blue eyes, still searing with fury, crashed into him harder than the waves that knocked into his ankles. “Hey.”

Just do it. Do it already! “Look I-”

“Clover called.”

That derailed him completely. “…Oh.” He swallowed, crossing his arms to hide his shaking fingers. “And he told you… about me?”

“He told me…” Tai shook his head. Whether it was out of disbelief or frustration was hard to tell. “Enough. But I need to hear it from you. I-” He hesitated, expression shifting to something closer to pain. He looked away to hide it. “I need to know you didn’t have anything to do with my family’s deaths.”

Though he said it steadily, there was a vulnerability in the way his arms came up to hold himself.

Protecting himself, Qrow realized.

The ocean pushed against his legs again, urging him forward. He followed its guide, walking forward.

Maybe it was the realization they were both afraid for this conversation, or maybe it was because he’d do anything to get rid of that frailness the other man suddenly bore but finally, the fear that had knotted up inside of him for so long now loosened and Qrow found his voice.

“I’ll tell you everything.” ~ Qrow had been nineteen when he first met Ozpin.

Pure twist of fate, really. He’d been traveling the last stretch of Route 205, just entering the woods with Harbinger, when Blight popped out of her pokeball, barking frantic warnings. She’d developed several different ones over the years, each one conveying a different sort of instruction.

Today, she was saying ‘Follow me!’

Without hesitance, he and Harbinger sprinted further into the woods, his Abosl leading the way. It was barely a few turns through the trees before he found the looming danger – a man with silver hair was stooped over a thick overgrowth of wood ferns, inspecting them under a magnifying glass. Completely unaware that above him, a branch from a rotted tree was giving way.

It snapped before Qrow could yell to move – so he changed it to a command. “Harbinger, Slash!”

His speedy Scyther leapt to action immediately, clearing the distance in milliseconds. The man looked up just in time to see the branch being sliced in half mere feet above his head. It split above him, the two pieces dropping harmlessly on either side of him.

Qrow sighed in relief. “That was a close one. You alright?”

“Why… yes.” The other seemed lost in shock, looking between him and his Pokemon in confusion.

“Be more careful, yeah?” He said before nodding to his companions. “Good job you two, let’s go.”

They barely got a few feet before a hurried “Wait!” caused them to pause. Qrow looked back.

“At least allow me to repay you with dinner. My wife is making a wonderful stir fry.” He offered.

Years later, Qrow would ponder how much of his life would have changed, had he just said no. But the him who was ignorant to his future instead listened to his rumbling stomach and shrugged. “Sure, why not?”

“Wonderful!” Ozpin’s gaze darted between Qrow and Blight, eyes lighting up with excitement.

Three days later, he was walking into Pine-A-Co Labs, fiddling with the ridiculous collar of his newly minted lab coat as Ozpin introduced him to everyone as their new safety manager who would be in charge of warning them of any 'catastrophic failures' from here on out.

It seemed a rather extreme measure to take - it wasn't until he was scouring the Terrarium Department for the first time that he learned one of the first secrets of the lab.

"So, is it gonna explode?"

Qrow felt his eyebrow twitch at the question he'd heard much too often this week - mostly mockingly. No one thought a scruffy kid fresh out of the training gig had any right to be here. And as he stared down at the dials and mess of wiring he had no knowledge about, he couldn't help but feel they were right.

So. He snapped. "I don't know, okay? I don't know jack shit about this kind of stuff."

Perhaps had he looked at his inquior first, he might have never said a thing, because his first impression of Huáng was just how intimidating he was. Built like a Machoke and taller than even Qrow's modest six feet three, he was a giant of a man. So, he was surprised by how gentle his smile was when he said, "'Course you don't kid. I don't think that's why Oz hired you on."

"Uhhh..." Was his intelligent reply.

Huáng chuckled, "Heard what you did for the boss. Your Absol really noticed something as small as a branch breaking?" He asked as he leant back against the heavy duty glass of one of the terrariums. It could take the force of a Hariyama's Palm Strike, yet somehow Qrow was still surprised it didn't shatter.

"...Yeah?" He answered uncertainly. "Why is that a big deal? Absols are known for sensing disasters."

"Big disasters. Rockslides, floods, breaking dams - things like that. If you've got one that can pick up something small like that, she's got a lot of potential." The other man tilted his head, nodding to the device before Qrow. "That panel right there? Caught fire a few months ago. She's strung together with spare parts. If we had killed the power before it had happened, might of been able to spare the company the hassle."

This time, when he looked down, he suddenly saw the things he'd missed. The obvious mis-matched parts, the edges of the casing that were oddly blackened. He frowned. "So I'm just a glorified disaster detector. What an honor."

Huáng snorted. "Look kid, I get it ain't all glitz and glam, but, believe it or not, we could use a bit of that 'round here. Place has been falling apart at the seams lately. If we didn't believe in what we were doing here, lot of us probably would have jumped ship by now." He sighed, long and loud. "You should hear my wife. Love her to pieces, but she nags like nothing else about how I need to leave before we blow this place sky high."

"Now, now Huáng," A voice chastised before a much older woman stepped around the tank. She was stout but sturdy, with long graying hair tied back in a ponytail. Qrow could instantly see the family resemblance in their similar blond hair and identical lilac eyes. "You know Keahane just can't bear the thought of leaving her only child fatherless. Perhaps if you gave her another one to worry over, she'd ease up."

"Ugh. Mom." Huáng pinched the bridge of his nose. "That's the worst pitch you've given me yet."

"I just don't know why you can't give me a granddaughter. Named after me, naturally."

"Taiyang is named after you!"

"And he's a lovely boy, but it's not the same."

(Qrow stumbled a bit on his words when Tai actually laughed.

"Sounds like Nana alright." His eyes were distant but fond. "She tried the same spiel with me when I got old enough to marry."

Qrow glanced his way tentatively. "Would you of done it? Had things gone that way?"

"...Yeah. I think I would have." A beat. "Anyways, keep going.")

What Qrow wouldn't learn until a few weeks more was that he had joined the company in its very first year. Working in a lab that hadn't gone through proper inspection in years and with a very small grant fund, the researchers had very little to work with in terms of proper conditions and equipment (most of which had been donated from other facilities). With the government withholding any future funds without the team churning out results - a ploy to kill the program before it could start - they had to get by with pure perseverance and stubbornness.

So things were band-aided and everyone moved on and hoped to replace it a few years down the line.

Qrow knew a little something about what it was like for the world to work against you at every corner and respected the small team for fighting back anyways. That respect eventually grew into a determination to at least do his part and help bring the project off the ground. So he trained his team to help out as much as they could - Blight would keep tabs on the issues. Yoraito's natural lighting made him ideal during blackouts or night excursions. With Reaper's natural homing skills and Harbinger's precision cutting, they were a perfect duo to send out to collect heavy, faraway tree trunk samples to bring back.  

As for Qrow himself, he just did what he could. Cleaning, filing, categorizing. Whatever small task needed handling, he took care of. Which included, at one point, taking ownership of the little stray Zorua that kept hiding in their storage space because Yang just had to feed it.

"You started all this, why do I have to take her?" Qrow complained.

"These old bones of mine just can't keep up with a youngling like that anymore." Yang  reasoned mournfully... even as she fed the little scavenger more table scraps. "Besides, Beatrix has an aesthetic that matches you like a Ditto."

"What is that supposed to mean?" He grumbled only to blink and groan, loudly. "And please do not tell me you named her that!"

"Why? Does it sound-" Her grin was absolutely evil. "punny to you?"

(Tai was laughing again, harder than before.

Qrow wished he was surprised.)

As the years passed, and the money started rolling in, and the facility got a shiny new look as each new machine took the place of something old and archaic, Qrow wholly expected the same would eventually be done with him.

And yes, a new, actual safety manager eventually took his place and did a damn better job than he ever could.

But instead of kicking him out the door, Ozpin promoted him into being his personal assistant.

Qrow couldn't have been more over the Cresselia about it. Finally, he had something to give him purpose, with work that paid well and sought to make a difference. With friendships that were lasting and a place to call his own.

He felt at home.

Then one day... it all came to an abrupt, terrible end.

It was rare anyone was in the lab on a Sunday; but on this occasion, Qrow had been asked to come in for the test run on their newest machine.

Nothing was really out of the ordinary. He'd been asked to be on standby for the first fire up for dozens of heavy machinery in the past. Blight could tell if something was about to blow out - though the most they'd ever had to deal with was a small bit of smoke. Doing so on the weekend was merely an extra precaution - it meant if something went really wrong, then the amount of injury was limited to just the few on site, rather than the entire crew.

The only thing that was truly out of place was that no one seemed to know what this new machine was for. It had been being built at the back of one of the observation rooms for weeks now, taking up a sizable portion of the area. To Qrow, it just looked like nothing more than an altar of gears, as if a gigantic grandfather clock had been stripped of its housing, leaving its moving parts bare.

When he asked what it was all for, Oz only smiled in that secretive way of his, eyes lighting up brighter than a Chinchou's bobbles as he told him to wait and see. The same look he always gave when he'd come across the missing puzzle piece he'd been looking for and couldn't wait to show it off when the time was right.

When Qrow arrived that morning, he truly had no reason to believe anything was wrong.

"How much juice is this thing gonna need Oz?" Qrow asked as he bolted in another cable line to the main machine. Huáng was on the other end of the line, strapping it into one of the heavy-duty generators. Five others just like it were lined up beside it.

Just one was enough to power the entire building - what were they doing that would require this much energy?

"Oh this may not even be enough." Oz replied distractedly, focused on the meters on the machine as they fluctuated. "Go to medium power ladies!"

Yang and Salem, at two of the generators they'd already gotten connected, hit some buttons at the controls and they started to hum louder. Oz wrote some stuff down as he watched the machine take in the influx, completely absorbed.

Resigned, Qrow just continued to hook in the wiring.

Beside him, Huáng gave a chuckle. "That's old Oz for you."

They spent the entirety of the morning working at their assigned tasks - and it wasn't until a little after 1 that Oz announced they were ready for the first full test. They were all given a station - Yang, Huáng and Salem were to man the generators, while Oz was on the main control panel. As for Qrow, he and Blight were on standby at the gauges just slightly to the left; if things started to overheat or his Pokemon gave the call, they were to stop immediately.

"I'm so pleased I was able to have you three come here today. Three of my longest and loyalist employees, about to see the future of our industry." Oz was saying as he started to flip some switches. There were a number of controls - including a large, red button off to the side with a large white S on it. Qrow assumed it was the emergency stop button, just like they had on rollercoasters.

"Heh," His boss chuckled. "Or perhaps I should say the past? Would that be more appropriate dear?"

Qrow could probably count the amount of times he heard Salem laugh on one hand - yet every time it sent a weird shiver down his spine. "A bit of both darling."

"Boss, you know I always love a good pun but, helps if we know the context." Huáng said for them all.

"Yes, yes, of course." Oz flipped one last switch before reaching down for a box that had been brought and set aside when they first got here. "You remember when Salem and I traveled to the Spear Pillar to explore the flora there after the wildfire? We stumbled upon something - an incredible discovery! Part of the forest had already grown back, as if it had never been burned at all." He flipped open the box. "But not only had it grown back, it had grown back with flora that has not been seen in that region for hundreds of years. So we dug - and we found this." He lifted out a small, red gem that was shaped like an elongated hexagon. "We've been testing it ever since and the results have been the same; wherever this gem is buried, it grows the forest back from ages ago. This machine is meant to amplify that power; if we can do it right, we'll be able to regrow struggling forests in no time."

Huáng's eyes had grown large - and it wasn't from the pun. "Oz, are you serious?"

"But how could that be?" Yang shook her head. "That shouldn't be possible."

"The best hypothesis we have is that this gemstone has some sort of absorbent properties, and due to its proximity to the Pillar, it took in the power of Dialga. Perhaps in part due to the actions of Team Galactic all those years ago." Salem surmised.

Qrow grimaced, running his fingers through Blight's scruff. It had been an event that had occurred before he'd reached the region, but the news had been global - the leader of Team Galactic, Cyrus, had attempted to call forth the Legendary Pokemon, Dialga, to use its power to reshape the entire world.

This was starting to sound just a little too similar. "Look, I know I ain't a brainiac like you all, but are we sure this is something we should be messing with?"

"Think of all the good it'll do!" Oz exclaimed as he whirled on him. "Qrow, no matter our best efforts, nothing we do recreates some of our biggest losses during deforesting. Entire root systems are lost, carbon storage is reduced, and the entire microorganic ecosystems are wiped out. Restoring all that, it's-"

"Revolutionary." Huáng finished, eyes alight with excitement.

A quick sweep told him it was much the same for the women. Feeling outnumbered and defeated, Qrow slumped a bit, nodding.

Oz patted him on the shoulder. "Good man. And don't fret, the moment something seems amiss, we'll cut the test short." ~ "But then..." Qrow trailed off, swallowing hard.

At some point, they had started to walk at a leisurely pace across the beach. But he'd been talking so long, they'd wandered about halfway up Top Carat Hill. Suddenly though, he couldn't manage another step.

It only took two paces before Tai stopped as well. His expression was again hard to gauge and he wasn't entirely sure it wasn't just wishful thinking that he no longer appeared angry. "Then?"

He swallowed again but it did nothing for the dryness. "It went wrong. You know the rest. Place imploded and I ended up here while they..." He looked away, unable to say it.

"That's not enough." Dirt crunched underfoot as Tai came forward. "So how?"

He ducked his head further, entire stomach roiling like it was ready to twist itself inside out. Every word was as painful as if his organs were being ripped out with them as he whispered the damning truth. "Because it was my fault."

"How?" Tai gripped his shoulders, tight enough to hurt.

It did little to unmoor Qrow, jaw tightening to the point his teeth ached.

"You said it wasn't their fault."

His heart was thundering, eardrums a discordant collision of sound.

"But everything you've told me so far is that my family agreed to - to whatever the damnation this was!"

His eyes were beginning to burn.

"So how was it yours?"

When the silence only grew, Tai shook him, voice breaking with desperation. "Qrow, please!"

"Because I'm a fucking idiot, okay?!"

The eruptive shout was enough to make even Wela Volcano shudder away - and yet, somehow, Tai stood strong against it, not even flinching.

Somehow, that only made Qrow more angry. He knocked his hands aside, snarling, "Don't you get it, you idiot!? I KILLED THEM." The tears he'd been fighting back welled, traitorously slipping down his cheeks.

Qrow knew he didn't deserve to cry.

"Everything went wrong." He choked out, as if they were being scraped along the grater in his heart on the way out. "It just happened so fast. The machine, it started to-" ~ -to crackle, like it was generating a lightning storm all on its own. The heat gauge was going out of control. The gears of the machine were screeching horribly as they moved at unprecedented speeds, blue, electrical sparks discharging from the joints.

Before Qrow could even shout a warning, before Blight could even bark, a stray spark lanced across the space and hit Ozpin square in the chest.

It threw him back several yards, almost to the generators. Salem gave a cry of alarm, running to her fallen husband, while Yang and Huáng worked furiously on their panels.

"Shit!" Huáng snapped, "They're not turning over."

Yang's voice was clear over the chaos and noise. "Qrow! Shut it down!"

Qrow had ducked, gripping onto his Absol, trying to force her to the floor as more energy flew above them. But at the call, his eyes landed on the big, red button he'd spotted before. He was about two meters from it - so he recalled Blight and started to crawl the agonizing distance to the panel.

All the hairs on his body were standing on end.

The ground underneath his hands was shaking.

There was a loud bam as the top of one of the generators blew off.

The walls began to expand and contract, as if they were overtaken by an earthquake.

Huáng gave a shout of agony as something else exploded in his face.

Salem was screaming Ozpin's name, over and over.

Qrow reached the button.

His fist slammed down atop it.

There was a breath as everything stopped.

There was no sound and no movement. He could see Huáng, hand over his lower jaw. Yang poised in mid-run towards him. Salem, mouth open, yelling nothing; Oz, still in her arms. Even the electricity above him had frozen. He could make out every bend and crinkle like it was as stationary as a drawing.

"What?" Qrow had enough time to whisper, horrified, before a void opened up where the red gemstone once was and swallowed him.

There was no explaining what he fell into. It was a world of black and grays turning on each other like empty galaxies, the only source of light an occasional flash of blue or orange lightning. In each flash, he caught sight of Unown as they flew past him by the dozens, making foriegn tones that sounded almost musical as they undulated around chunks of a building - parts of the lab.

He wasn't sure how long he'd been falling before he called upon Reaper and tried to navigate the netherspace, to find his way back home.

But then he saw them - seemingly from nowhere and nothing, glowing eyes peering over him.

Another lightning flash illuminated the rest of Dialga, briefly, before a roar shook him to his core and the first attack came.

So much raw power behind it, that Reaper's wing snapped instantly.

They went down, wildly, barely managing a landing on one of the building slabs that might have been the ceiling.

Fear struck him like never before as he watched the massive Pokemon fly towards him. With no choice but to engage, he called the rest of his team out.

None of them stood a chance.

Blight's blood seeped into the ceiling tiles.

Beatrix lay, howling, the stench of burnt fur and skin filling the air.

Yoraito's ring gave one last pathetic burst of light from his mangled leg before it fizzled out.

Harbinger shook as he tried to stand, using his scythe-arm as leverage, his other laying three feet away.

Qrow's knees gave out from under him- ~ -And he fell into Tai's arms.

In the sea of darkness Qrow found himself lost in, Tai's fingers working their way through his hair was a lead pulling him back and his voice a gentle, guiding anchor.

"Sssh. No more." They settled, together, on the ground, Tai's grip never faltering. "No more Qrow. It's okay. It's over now. You're going to be okay."

The words welled a new set of tears to his eyes. But this felt different, shaking out of his very soul as he sobbed a great heaving pain into the other man's shoulder.

For the first time in months, Qrow allowed himself to finally and truly grieve.