章 1: The Abuse And The Escape
AN: Semi-NSFW only for a few words.
Third Person POV
*Somewhere in Patch*
The Xiao Long residence was a rather, "peaceful" family. Residents of the island of Patch, somewhere in the woods near a town. Near being half a kilometer away.
There is Taiyang Xiao Long, blonde, the head of the house. Father of Ruby Rose and Yang Xiao Long, also the husband of Summer Rose. Abusive, a wife-beater of his ex-wife Raven. The other reason she left the household.
*SMACK**SMACK*
*THUD*
Hitting a young weak boy and knocking him into the floor with a thud, Tai looked elated. Meanwhile, the child looked beaten; bruised up. Some parts of him have turned purple, broken bones, and wounds bleeding lightly. Scars can be seen in his whole body, some look like it's from stabbing, some from slices.
Tai:" Take that, you little bastard!"
Aurum: "Auuughh."
Yang Xiao Long, blonde, 6 years old, the daughter of Tai and Raven Branwen, his ex-wife. She is the half-sister of Ruby Rose. Outgoing, shining and burning with energy like the sun. She stood near his father, looking at the scene with slight anticipation and mock irritation.
Yang:" It's my turn dad, no fair!" she giggled, a baseball bat in her small hands. It's a wonder how a child her age could even lift something like that with only a little bit of discomfort.
Ruby:"..."
Ruby Rose, 4 years old, black hair with red tips just like her mother, Tai's daughter to Summer. A rather shy girl, dubbed as a cookie monster, a title she inherited from Summer Rose. Currently looking at the scene in a distance with a blank look, before hurrying out of the house to play with Zwei their pet corgi, not bothering to be part of this scene, something she knows to be bad despite the others' ok sign.
Aurum:"Haah,haah,haah,"
And then there is Aurum Aurelius,7 years old, the adoptive child of the family. Having brown unkempt hair with white streaks in the front because of the immense stress, having green eyes. The household's "stress reliever". Malnourished, scared, trying to stop himself from crying; which is a useless act. The boy weakly coughed blood, pleading with a whimper.
Aurum:"*cough**cough*, p-please...n-no more...."
The young Aurum when he was but a baby, was left in front of the family's home in a basket with a piece of paper containing his name in it. Qrow Branwen, twin brother of Raven, was the one who saw him outside of the family's front door, before taking the baby inside and letting the family take care of him. Of course, this was a terrible idea that just happened to take a few years to see its effects, especially with Qrow's bad luck charm powers.
Yang:" Nope! This is fun. We aren't your family, and dad said you're trash that someone left behind. He said we should just "recycle" you and make you useful. That's why I can do this."
And with a cheerful smile, swung the heavy stick in her hands.
*SWOOSH*
*CRUNCH*
Aurum: "AAAAHHHH M-MY HANDS!"
Currently 7 years old, abused since he was 3. Treated like trash. A punching bag. A living marital aid. Nothing he could do to change his fate within the confines of his prison. His most precious moments are the times where he could stay relatively "safe". Especially whenever Qrow visits them. No abuses, no forced sex, no nothing. Even food. But at least he won't be 'hurt'. Aurum didn't know what he was told about him, as Qrow never saw what he now looked or even sounded like.
The unfortunate boy kept his hand to himself, watching with horror at his bloodied fingers with some bending inhumanely as the blondes just stood there, watching at their handiwork. A regular "bonding session", a weekly ritual in their lives. Beating up a kid can be surprisingly stress-relieving, something Tai found to be a miracle worker in removing his mind from troubles.
???: "Tai, Yang, leave him and eat your lunch already." a woman, presumably talking with authority, 'reprimanded'. Tai rolled his eyes with annoyance and envy, knowing what she would do. Yang just pouted, spitting at Aurum before heading to the dining room.
Summer Rose, black hair with red tips, the mother of Ruby, wife of Tai, and surrogate mother of Yang, and Aurum legally.
Summer:" hush Aurum, come with me."
She dragged the boy up the stairs with no concern for his safety, the woman visibly excited at the prospect of her 'doing' the child. Something she found to be enjoyable lately; an act she discovered "accidentally" when she got drunk once.
Yang:" Dad, what does mom even do to him? she keeps dragging him off into that room."
Tai:" *tch* Something you shouldn't know for now. All you have to know is that she's relieving some stress, and in a way that makes me jealous."
Yang just snorted, before focusing on eating the food in front of her. 'Whatever, I don't care what happens to that trash', she thought.
.....
Summer brought him into a separate room she used as her "love nest", and what is essentially Aurum's 'room'. Bland and empty with only a single bed, complete with soundproofing on the window and on the walls. The room also has solid flooring so that the kids won't hear or feel anything.
She threw the boy into the decently-sized bed, ignoring the painful grunts of his. She bent down and removed his shorts along with his boxers. Lo and behold, revealed a hard, little thing measuring somewhere between 2-3 inches, rather impressive for a child.
Seeing this scene never tired Summer's eyes that is currently filled with lust. She pleasured herself for a bit, before lowering her body and pushing the stick inside her.
Despite the malnourished body and frequent beatings, Aurum surprisingly was still durable. But still, painful things were painful.
Aurum: "P-please stop....it h-hurts...."
Summer just continued, not caring about the plea of the child. This continued on and on, before nightfall.
.....
Summer: "aaaah, I wonder how 'big' you'd be once you grow up? *giggle* I'd love to try it then. I'm sorry if we're gonna stop it here Aurum, I still need to cook for dinner you see~."
She removed herself from the still boy; the bed creaking. She fixed herself before leaving and locking the door, not looking back at the devastated child currently curled up in a fetal position, sobbing.
Aurum just stayed there, unmoving with soulless eyes. Wondering, what did he do to deserve this? It hurt all the time, forced to do their bidding and conveniently used. Not cared about, treated like a toy. Maybe that's his fate, a very cruel one at that.
He just wished, wished that the nightmares would end. Wishing that he won't be hurt again.
But alas, this is just the tip of the iceberg.
*1-year time skip provided by the *regular routines* done in the household*
One day, the mother rose went somewhere away, an investigation job for a huntress like her. It was all fine and dandy in the house after a few days of her absence. The beat ups, Yang blaming Aurum for matters he didn't do and the like. But what's abnormal is that it's been 3 weeks since Summer went on a mission, and there was no word about her. The blondes and the little rose were very worried since there wasn't any kind of communication from her scroll, not even a text even after their countless tries.
It was so much that the beatings lessened. Aurum still got assaulted, but it ended much quicker and less hurting than usual, something he was relieved. He still gets verbally abused, ordered around to clean the house, make food, do the dishes and other chores. But still, he was happy. He didn't care if anything happened to Summer. As long as he was safe.
.....
*knock*knock*
???: "Hello! Excuse me, is this the house of a Taiyang Xiao Long? I'm here to deliver mail."
Aurum heard a knock at the door. Tai looked at him menacingly from the couch before gesturing him to receive the mail. The half-siblings were out today, they went to the town's school.
Aurum put down the plate he was washing and dried his hands before making his way to the door. He opened it to see a man in a light blue polo shirt, dark blue shorts, a blue hat with a logo for the mail. The man looked shocked at the child in front of him.
A tattered brown shirt and pants stained with dry blood, looking like he went through hell and back. He also noticed the obvious look of fear in the child who was staring at him.
Aurum: "U-Uhm... w-what...d-do you.... w-want...."
Shocked out of his stupor, he looked inside to see a blonde man with a scruffy chin beard death glaring at him. He flinched before grabbing an envelope out of his satchel in a panicky manner, shoving it in the hands of Aurum who took it with a grunt. The man then speed-walked out of the house, not wanting to be broiled into other people's problems. Passing by a pair of gossiping children with schoolbags who walked leisurely.
Aurum's whole body shook before he trudged near Tai and shakily offers the letter. Tai clicked his tongue before snatching the paper out of Aurum's hands. Aurum stood there trembling in fear.
Tai read the letter in silence. Aurum's instincts are alarming of danger, he became uneasy as he quivered in fear. A few seconds later, Tai wore a mixed expression, full of disbelief and sorrow, then it morphed into blame and anger. No, not anger. Rage. Pure and unbridled. He quickly looked at Aurum, who had a terrified expression, who predicted what was about to happen.
Tai:" THIS IS YOUR FAULT!"
Tai kicked Aurum in the stomach, resulting in Aurum flying and breaking the door. He landed outside of the house, bouncing twice before face-planting in front of a shocked Yang and Ruby.
Ruby:" Dad, what happened?!"
Ruby yelled. She always saw her dad and Yang hurting her adoptive big brother, but never this far. She saw Aurum even more bloodied as he coughed out a lot of blood.
Tai:" HE, HE'S THE REASON SUMMER IS DEAD!"
Ruby/Yang:" WHAT?!"
They stared at their father in shock, including Aurum who has a much more bewildered expression. The pair then turned their attention to the wheezing boy. Yang with rage and Ruby with shock and confusion. She clenched her tiny hands before screaming her question at him.
Ruby:" AURUM, IS THIS TRUE?! HOW CAN YOU DO THAT?!"
Aurum:" I...I...."
Ruby:" "SHE TREATED YOU LIKE HER OWN SON!"
Aurum:" I...d-don–"
Ruby knew deep down that he didn't do anything to deserve this, that he also wasn't the cause of her death. But shock and sorrow were clouding her judgment. and so,
*THUD*
Ruby:" HOW COULD YOU?!*hic*WHY?! YOU TRULY ARE TRASH!"
*THUD* *THUD*
Ruby didn't care anymore, as she began to stomp on the boy hard, the blondes joining in. They began to stomp Aurum, letting all out of their emotions. Aurum just shriveled down in a fetal position, trying to protect his body from the abuse that is much worse than usual.
Aurum:"*hic**cough*I...I d-didn't do anything!"
*THUD*
Tai:" SHUT UP! DON'T TRY TO AVOID IT! IT'S YOUR FAULT SHE DIED!"
Aurum just continued to cry as he got more and more bloodied up from the injustice he received. Soon, they stopped. Tai dragged him into the second floor of the house before throwing him in his prison, locking it.
Tai:" YOU'RE NOT COMING OUT OF THERE! YOU'LL ALSO HAVE TO STARVE FOR THE REST OF THE NIGHT! JUST DROP DEAD!"
Aurum....he just stayed on the cold floor. Shockingly still conscious but didn't have any energy to muster up. Not moving like that, he just cried and cried.
Aurum:" Why.....Why...Why...I d-didn't...do...anything...."
Like a broken record, he just repeated those words before passing out.
.....
The abuse got worse. He was stuck in the room, imprisoned and still bleeding. Every time after the adoptive family ate, Tai would walk in and puts stale bread and dirty water in front of him before thrashing the child again. From time to time, Yang and Ruby would tag along and also pummeled him in the ground. After the beating sessions, Aurum would weakly consume the food.
He was finally let out after a month, still beaten and riddled with even more wounds. He was bossed around even more, while Yang just makes every kind of excuse to hit him. He continued to experience this for 2 more years before he finally decided to go escape the house and try his luck on grasping the thin line of hope for freedom.
He was too scared to kill himself, and they won't let him bleed out, quite the hypocrites. So, one day, he took the opportunity at night to sneak out of his room and made his way downstairs. There, he saw Tai passed out on the couch, with a beer bottle in his hands.
Aurum just crept silently to the door and opened it. It squeaked loudly, waking Tai up with a daze. Scared, Aurum just bolted out of the house into the woods. Not caring about what that was about and where he was going. He could hear shouting from behind him, but he continued to run and ignoring it.
He stopped near a tree, gasping with a tired breath. His feet bleeding harshly from running in the woods barefoot. Suddenly, he heard rustling to his right, to see a hungry and growling beowolf that popped out of its head sniffing the air. Scared, Aurum stood there rooted. Another rustling bush came from behind him, which he ignored. The beowolf was about to pounce on Aurum when he felt himself being dragged deeper into the forest. Surprised, Aurum looked at the person holding his hand. All he saw was a pale skinned girl with flowing white hair and fox ears, wearing a blue sundress.
???:" Hurry, hurry!"
They continued running before she tripped and dragged Aurum with her into the ground. He looked around and saw that they were in a cliff, a piece of stone erected nearby. Howls were heard behind them, and out came a pack of beowolves. Scared out of his wits, Aurum just trembled in place. He was coming to terms and is resigned with his ordeal when he felt the girl hug him into her chest.
???: "Don't worry, I'm here...I'll protect you."
Aurum looked upwards, to see the girls face. It was beautiful, with her blue eyes staring at him reassuringly and with kindness, despite the inevitable situation. 'Ah, at least I die with someone who finally cares about me genuinely...' he thought.
He just closed his eyes with a small content smile, waiting for their death when a beowolf finally lunged for them. He heard the girl shriek in fear, clutching his head into her chest tightly. Aurum braced himself for the mauling when suddenly the cries of dying beowolves echoed in his ears. He slowly opened his eyes, and there he saw a cloaked figure with a greatsword in his hand. The figure had spiky black hair and some stubble in his chin. He looked at both of them with his dull red eyes, sighing with relief.
???2: "You okay there kids?"
The girl hugging Aurum breathed out a relieved sigh of her own.
???1: "Yes, yes we are."
The figure stared at both children, especially at the boy. He was shocked at how badly hurt he is.
???2: "Apparently your friend there isn't. We need to take him somewhere. I know a place near here."
The cloaked figure reached out for the children, but Aurum squeaked with fear.
Aurum: "N-no.... p-please don't h-hurt me..."
The man and the girl were surprised by his statement.
???2: "shhh, don't worry kid. I won't hurt you. If it helps, I'm a huntsman. The names Qrow Branwen."
Hearing the name, Aurum visibly wore a horrified expression, as he cried hysterically.
Aurum: "NOOOO I-I DIDN'T KILL SUMMER! I DIDN'T! PLEASE! PLEASE DON'T HURT ME!"
The pair were now even more shocked. Especially the man.
Qrow: "You- how do you know that name?!"
mistaking Qrow's bewilderment for anger, Aurum desperately crawled out of the girl's arms wailing, trying to escape while getting the dirt on his wounds. The girl just sat there, her ears hurting; confused and shocked, before waking from her stupor. She crawled after him, not caring how dirty her dress got. She hugged Aurum against her chest with more strength, not letting him escape as she comforted him.
???1: "Hey, hey, don't worry. I don't know any Summer, but I do know you aren't someone who would kill a person."
Aurum just cried in her chest, tears and snot flowing out like a faucet. The moonlight shined upon them, and Qrow saw the boy's hair and eyes with more clarity.
Qrow:" Aurum?!" he yelled with bewilderment.
He just stood there rooted with shock, which changed into a worrying and confused gaze. The kid's hair was brown, with a whole lot of white streaks in it. Judging from the bruises and scars all over his body, he looked like he was a war-hardened veteran. Only, he was a child that was abused. And it looked like he regularly got beaten at that. Qrow was aghast seeing the boy's wounds even worse than what he assumed to be.
Qrow:" How did you get those wounds...."
???1: "I don't care how he got those wounds, but mister we need to bring him somewhere, a hospital maybe."
Qrow nodded before taking both in his arms. Aurum tried to escape of his arms, but Qrow reassured him.
Qrow: "Don't worry kid, I won't hurt you. And I don't blame you for Summer's death."
Aurum continued struggling, as he looked at Qrow's sad and worried gaze. Aurum just stared at his eyes, as he cried a bit more before passing out from anemia and exhaustion. Qrow sighed again before running into the town's direction as Aurum's body got a bit paler than earlier, something that alarmed both of them. Qrow weaved through the forest with greater haste but then heard the girl in his right say something.
???1: "Ariene. Ariene Gwen."
Qrow: "Excuse me?"
The girl rolled her eyes before clarifying.
Ariene:" That's my name, silly mister. Thanks for saving us."
Qrow chuckled at that before responding with a bit of a depressed sigh.
Qrow: "Your welcome. But it seems I didn't save Aurum any sooner."
Ariene: "What do you mean?"
Qrow: "We'd have to ask Aurm here for some details."
Qrow said, before focusing on rushing to the hospital.
.....
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