Author's Notes

Hello everyone!

I wanted to take the time to say that the stories posted here will have a vastly different tone with each and every entry. The idea was to challenge myself in-between stories to try a few different writing styles.

I get each one of these prompts from the Writing Prompt Wednesday thread on /r/RWBY, so those prompts will dictate what shows up on here each week.

I am still planning on releasing another story shortly, I just wanted to get a bit more practice in to make sure it was something worthwhile!

I hope you enjoy!

~Sh1f7er

Prompt - "What? Isn't this what you wanted?"

The battle of Haven Academy had been what some were calling a victory. Nobody had expected Raven and Vernal to be there to help defend the relic. Certainly not Cinder.

The battlefield had turned into a bloody mess when they arrived. The powers of the maidens shook Remnant with fire and lightening so powerful that half of the school had been destroyed. Civilians of Mistral tried their best to abandon the city. To them it must have seemed like the gods had decided to rain down hell from atop the mountain. Yang still hadn't been given confirmation on whether or not they had made it out in time.

She wished she could be back there helping them. The rest of her team was. Instead, Qrow had specifically asked for her help tracking down what was left of Adam's White Fang forces. They were going to regroup. Whatever members of the attack were left had to be stopped.

After an hour of travel they had yet to find anything though. The dense forests made it too difficult to track the stragglers. In his infinite drunken wisdom, Qrow had come up with the idea to split up to cover more ground. It sounded terrible at the time.

Running into her mother made it worse.

Raven wore a smug smile as she approached. "Yang. You came looking for me." She made no moves of hostility. It didn't make her words any less aggravating.

"No. I came out here to find what's left of everyone that attacked Haven. I should've figured that you would have run away from the school too."

The smug face quickly turned into a frown. "And here I thought helping you would finally teach you that I'm on your side." Raven placed a hand on her hip as if to emphasize her annoyance.

Yang's eyes flashed red. "And what side would that be? The side that comes around for the first time in eighteen years and expects a thank you for it? Please. You haven't changed anything since the last time we spoke."

"I don't think you understand. I told you that this was a battle that you would never win on your own. I told you that it was far bigger than us. Far bigger than anyone. Yet, you didn't listen to me. You couldn't trust me. If I hadn't decided to help you, you would be dead." Her tone dropped with her final words. Yang just barely picked up on the sadness that it held.

Yang didn't understand. "You came to save me?" Raven simply nodded and Yang's eyes began to fill with tears. "But why? Why did you come now? After all this time, what changed?"

Raven sighed at her daughters growing hysterics. "Because I was scared."

The answer cracked through Yang's stifled tears. "You were scared?"

Raven took a step closer from the tree line. "Yes. I was scared." Her voice had changed once again. No longer was there pride and confidence in it. Now, Yang could only describe it as regret. "I was scared when I left you and your father. I always had been."

Raven's voice grew as she continued her slow approach towards Yang. It seemed that she was even questioning if it was alright to get close to her own daughter. "I saw all of the things that Salem and Ozpin were capable of. It made me realize that there would be no winning. Each and every day could be my last. All it would take is a single mistake and I would be gone."

Yang looked up at her mother. For so long they had felt so distant. Now she only stood a few feet in front of her. "When I had you, that fear grew more than I could ever imagine. I had brought a life into a world that was so evil that I feared for myself each and every day. How was I supposed to protect my own daughter if I was already worried about myself?"

Raven stopped. She was no more than an arm's length away. She held out her arms for Yang to join her.

Yang's eyes closed. After all these years, she couldn't bring herself into the embrace. Instead, she took a step away from her mother.

Raven eyes flared. "What? Isn't this what you wanted? For us to talk? For answers?"

Yang lowered her head. Her words were weak and broken. "Yes. It's everything I've wanted and more." A gunshot rang. Yang winced at its roar. She didn't dare take her eyes off the ground. "I just gave up that dream a long time ago."

Yang lowered her arm to her side. The words of her mother racked through her brain. "Question everything." It was the only lesson Raven had shared with her. The only advice that had ever come from her mother. It only made sense that she would be questioned too. Yang turned to head back to Haven, leaving Emerald's dead body on the ground with her weapon still gripped in her hand.