"Raven!"
The woman flinched at the sound of the voice. It was one she had not heard for years, yet was as familiar to her was if t had been spoken yesterday. She hoped her mind was playing a trick on her, hat the stress from the last few raids were starting to get to her, that she just needed to sit down and get some more sleep. But she knew better. There hadn't been a raid for at least a week, and even if there had been, she would never have allowed herself to fall into such a state of inattentiveness. The voice was real, it was present, it was a strange combination of surprise, relief and frustration.
And it was right behind her.
Her black hair flapping in the wind, Raven Branwen turned to see the owner of the voice. At first glance, the person she saw through the slits of her bony mask would not have seemed remarkable or threatening in any way. She was a young woman, clearly in her late twenties, and garbed in clothes that seemed to be at odds with each other. She was wearing what appeared to be a black utility suit and heavy boots, with a combat skirt reaching halfway between her knees and ankles. To some, this would have inspired a stealthy demeanor, but this was quashed by the brilliant white cloak that was draped over her shoulders. Raven knew better however. Hidden within that cloak were instruments of death that would make anyone, Grimm and human alike tremble in fear. And under the shadows of the pearly hood, she knew there was a great sundering power that made her even more fearsome. Raven stared at the figure for a moment, neither moving a muscle as the sounds of the warm spring night filled the air. Finally, seeing that her companion was waiting for her to make the first move, the bandit reached up to her face and removed the mask. Stern features and burning red eyes were revealed to the world as her face twisted into an annoyed frown.
"What are you doing here, Summer?"
The woman in the cloak pushed back her hood, revealing a pair of silvery eyes and medium length reddish-brown hair. Unlike the woman across from her, Summer's features were soft, warm, and inviting, the type one would expect from a cheerful schoolgirl who wants to make friends with everyone. However, her expression now did not show any of that. Instead, she gave an air of frustration and sorrow as she looked into the eyes of her former partner.
"I could be asking you the same question."
"Isn't it obvious?" Raven asked matter-of-factly. "I'm living my life. No hidden agendas, no wild goose chases. Just me, myself, and I."
"And the gang of killers and thieves you call a tribe?" Summer retorted. The huntress was thoroughly unimpressed with Raven's excuse, and slowly made her way across the clearing toward the other woman. "And in any event," she continued, "You should be somewhere else. As in where I've been for the past three years."
"Summer- "
"Stop." She said bluntly, raising a finger towards the sky so as to shut her old teammate up. "I don't want any excuses, Raven. I just want to know is why you decided to up and leave less than a month after giving birth to gods-know-where without telling us."
"Does it matter?" said Raven as she turned away. "It seems everything's been going find without me."
Summer opened her mouth to retort, but no words came. She sighed, knowing Raven was right. The past three years had been some of the most wonderful of her life. A little girl with bright blonde pigtails was currently fast asleep in her bed, tuckered out from a day in the park with her daddy and five-month-old sister. Summer's heart had been warmed with the chance to participate in that afternoon of fun and excitement.
That said, she could only claim the younger girl as her own. The blonde belonged to the woman currently with her back to her.
Realizing she had gotten distracted, Summer focused on the conversation at hand. "That doesn't answer my question, Raven. I may have the privilege of raising Yang, but the only reason I have it is because you walked out on us. Now are you going to answer me or not?"
Raven picked up a stone and tossed it into the woods, still not facing her old leader. "Maybe I wasn't in the same boat as the rest of you. Maybe I wasn't comfortable with the idea of becoming Old Man Oz's sacrificial lamb. Funny thing about weapons, you can only use them if you know where they are."
It took a moment for Summer's mind to wrap around what Raven had said. When it dawned on her, she found herself shocked to say the least. "That's why you left? You wanted out of the mission?"
"Ding, ding!" Raven replied with sarcastic enthusiasm. "Give the woman a prize!"
"But, why?" Summer found herself scratching her head. "Why run away? Why not just tell Oz that you're not- "?
"Do you really think he'd let me leave?" Raven barked as she whipped her body around. "You really think he won't find some way to convince me to stay "for the greater good" or whatever excuse he's using? He drafted me and my brother the minute he gave us those wings."
"Oh, please." Summer rolled her eyes. "You're stubborn enough to have refused to fight. How does that justify leaving Yang and Tai behind?"
"Like I said," Raven replied, "weapons are only useful if you know where they are. If I stayed there, Oz would just keep pestering me. Besides, I don't see what you're complaining about here. Sounds like Yang's getting along fine, along with that other one you and Tai popped out."
Summer's throat went dry. She had been prepared for things that she may not have expected, but this…
"How…how do you know…?"
"My name does have a double meaning, you know?"
Summer put it together quickly. When she did, something began to grow in her. Ever since finding her wayward friend, she had been a bit angry, as to be expected when confronting someone who had abandoned her team and family. But that anger had been quiet and subdued until now, more a garnish on the plate than anything else. Now, that anger was starting to grow, evidenced when Summer's next words took on a much harsher tone.
"So that's it? You're perfectly okay with spying on your family, but you can't be bothered to actually be a part of it? All because you don't want to fight Salem anymore?"
Raven groaned and approached Summer. "I told you, Oz would have just pulled me back into that mess- "
"And I told you," Summer interrupted as she also began to walk towards Raven, "you could have easily said no. And that's another thing, why did you want out? You're not one to turn down a fight, and You know as well as I do that the people in Ozpin's circle are the only people who can stop Salem from- "
"Damn it, Summer, open your eyes!" Now it was Raven's turn to interrupt. Her irritated scowl hand morphed into outright anger, as if scolding a child. "There is no stopping Salem! Ozpin's had centuries to figure out something, and if he hasn't got a solution now, he doesn't' have one at all. Those two have been at this game forever, and how many people have died in the crossfire? Everyone in that little club; Qrow, Glynda, James, Tai, Leo, they're just pawns to be sent out and die." She paused for a moment. "And you know that, don't you?"
Summer couldn't believe what Raven was saying. How could she think like this? Unfortunately for the bandit, Summer was not one to be shut out by sudden accusations and had her reply ready to fire. "Are you serious? You think this has no purpose? That we should just ignore Salem and do nothing? We're huntresses, Raven, we have a job to do!"
"You're a huntress, Summer," Raven retorted, "you know damn well why Qrow and I were sent there in the first place."
"So, what?" Summer shot back, starting to get more angered the longer this continued. "You stuck around anyway and signed on when Oz asked. We agreed to protect people from danger, and frankly, I don't see anything more dangerous than a literal Grimm witch!"
"A Grimm witch that no-one's been able to beat for who knows how long! Everyone Oz has pulled into his crusade is bound to end up mounted on her wall, so why should I waste my life for something that'll only get me killed?"
"Because it's your responsibility!"
Raven was taken aback by Summer's sudden response, clearly not expecting someone to response so quickly to one of her pronouncements. Though her cloak hid them, Summer's hands were starting to ball up as her frustration with her friend grew.
"Even if you're not a real huntress, you are a mother. Parents have a responsibility to provide for their children, regardless of what they want for themselves. This isn't about you or what you want, Raven. This is about Yang, and Ruby, and the world they will grow up in. We have a job to make sure our families are safe, and if that means holding Salem at bay, so be it!"
Raven growled as she pressed her hand to her forehead. "Spare me with the naïve monologuing, Summer. What's the point of throwing yourself into a fight if you know you can't win?"
"It's not about winning, it's about not losing!" Summer knew she was projecting at this point, but she didn't care. She was going to get through to Raven if it killed her. "Every day we stand against evil is a day the people we love can live their lives. And we can't do that if we run away!"
"Then why don't you take that cute little speech of yours and tell it to someone who's just as willing to throw their life away on some pointless mission that'll only get them killed. Me? I'll be staying out here. Living my life and surviving."
Summer only now realized that she was a mere foot away from Raven, nearly seeing her reflection in those red eyes. She scrapped her brain for something to say, something to convince Raven to come back. But all she found was feelings she was unfamiliar with when it came to her friends. Feelings of anger, disappointment, disgust. Left with few options, she drew from those feelings, crafted her next words deliberately and carefully, then let the bandit know exactly how she felt.
"Alright, Raven. Go on, have your fun. Keep running away, keep avoiding your responsibilities, keep hiding from Salem…like a coward."
WHAM!
The world spun like a top as Summer's body spun around before hitting the grass with a thud. She had neglected to properly engage her Aura, she had intended this to be a civil conversation, so Raven's punch hurt a lot more than it should have. Her cheek stung from the blow, and she tasted a modicum of blood inside her mouth. Summer had been in more hectic situations than these before, so the injury did not other her in the slightest. Its source, however…
Summer looked up to see Raven with her fist still balled up, seething as she glared at the downed huntress. In all her life, never had Summer felt so small. Her mind flashed back to Team STRQ's school days, a collection of lovable and find memories that all too often included Raven Branwen. Despite their conflicting personalities, the two had been remarkably close, to the point where some wondered if she was the other Branwen sibling. Now this same woman was looking at her with barely contained rage.
"Coward, huh?" Raven spat. "Well, what does that make you? I'll tell you what it makes you, it makes you Ozpins loyal errand puppy!"
Ignoring the pain on her cheek, Summer rose to her feet to stare Raven back in the eye. She found her own anger harder to control than ever tonight, her body shaking so much that she did not even register the soft rumbling of thunder in the distance. Calming herself down, Summer shot her friend a glare of her own. "I'm not sure what you think hitting me will accomplish Raven."
"I was hoping to knock some sense into you."
"If anyone needs sense knocked into them, it's the woman who'd rather run and hide than stand and fight!"
"I'm not fighting something just so I can join Ozpin's mass grave!" Raven was now gripping her sword handle in a vice just to keep her violently shaking fist under control.
Sumer was unfazed, once again approaching Raven. "If I do die fighting Salem, then at least I can go to my grave knowing I tried to make the world a safer place."
"Something that will never happen, and you know it!" Raven almost yelled. "How about that little brat of yours? How do you think she'll react when she finds out her mommy was stupid enough-! "
WHAM!
Summer didn't know what came over her. All she knew was that Raven was now keeling over, holding her stomach as if she was going to throw up, while her own fist jutted out, balled into a fist tighter than a screw. None of that registered in her mind, however. The only thing crossing her mind right now was the unbridled fury in response to the words of the hunched over woman.
"How…dare…you!" she spat, her words dripping with venom as Raven rose back to her feet. "What right do you have to use my own daughter against me?!"
Raven let out a few ragged breaths as the returned the silver-eyed woman's glare. "Seemed like the only thing to get you to listen."
"If anyone can't listen, it's you!" Summer was struggling to keep herself calm, but staring into those scarlet eyes was only making her angrier. "You abandoned your family! You didn't give a damn about your own child! What gives you the right to lecture a real mother on that!?"
"If Tai, or Qrow, or you for that matter had any sense, you would all have been joining me out here where it's really safe! Yang included!"
"What is it, Raven? Is it sense we're missing, or are you just missing your spine?"
"I'm warning you Summer!"
"Warning me? What, are you going to hit me again?"
"I'm really compelled to, right now!"
"That's right, Raven, act out like that, don't bother owning up to your actions!"
"Watch it!"
"You know, I've got you figured out, Rae. You're so scared of standing up for someone besides yourself, you can't even stick around for your own child!
"Shut up!"
"That's the truth, isn't it?!"
"Shut up!"
"Isn't it!?"
"SHUT UP!"
Just as another, louder rumble of thunder echoed around them, Raven launched forward, wrapping her arms around Summer as she forced them both to the ground. As her head hit the grass, Summer felt a hand press down on her chest, keeping her down. Looking up, she saw Raven, her faced twisted into a furious snarl, raising her right hand above her head. In the span of a second, the fist flew, slamming into the already bruised cheek. Luckily, Summer had engaged her Aura to full strength by now, so she was able to mitigate and focus through most of the damage to hear the word coming from Raven's mouth, each statement accented by a punch.
"You don't know me! What I've been through! What I've seen! You don't know what this really is, damn you!"
As Raven rose her fist for the sixth punch, Summer saw her chance. Freeing her left hand, she caught the offending hand just before it met her jaw, holding it in place. With her assailant momentarily distracted, Summer contorted her legs to wrap her ankles around Raven's neck, thrusting them forward to wretch the bandit off her. Both women stumbled to their feet and were on each other again in seconds. Hands and feet flew in a storm of punches and kicks, each trying to gain some form of leverage over the other. Sadly for Raven, Summer was just better at this. Aside from being more comfortable in unarmed combat than the swordswoman, Summer had sparred with her partner hundreds of times over the years and knew her approach inside and out. Just as Raven threw an overextended punch, Summer caught the arm with both hands, using the momentum to flip Raven on her back. Holding the limb in a vice grip, Summer glared down at the pinned bandit.
"That's enough, Raven! I don't want to hurt you, but-Gah!"
A sharp pain forced Summer to release Raven's arm and grab her breast. Had she been more attentive to Raven's free hand, she would have seen it fly up to strike her chest. Taking advantage, Raven scrambled back to her feet and kicked at Summer's stomach, sending the Huntress to the ground before running towards the woods.
Not this time!
Abandoning her stinging breast, Summer reached for her belt, retrieving a coiled strand of leather covered with metal studs. Before Raven could reach the tree line, Summer swung her whip forward with a speed that would even catch Barty Oobleck off guard, wrapping the cable around one of Raven's ankles and forcing her to the ground with a thud. As Raven groaned from the impact, Summer pulled the whip taught, making sure that Raven wasn't going anywhere. Raven shot Summer a dirty look once she found herself sitting down properly, while Summer merely sighed.
"Really, boob punching? That's low even for you, Rae."
Raven growled in response. "It's called doing whatever it takes to survive. Try it sometime!"
Suddenly, her hand shot to her scabbard. At the touch of a button, the hilt of her sword blasted out, a crimson blade following in its wake. Forced to release her grip on the whip, Summer reached to her belt to retrieve a small blue dagger before hurling the weapon at the approaching sword. While ice Dust may have seemed like a poor choice against fire, the knife was still successful at stopping the blade's momentum. This distraction was all Raven need to free herself from the whip and rush forward to collect her weapon, bringing it overhead for a flying chop. Summer reacted immediately, sending several more knives flying and forcing the bandit to deflect them, giving herself enough time to dive out of the way.
As Raven's sword carved into the dirt and Summer rose back to her feet, the first flash of lightning filled the sky, followed instantly by a thunderclap that could have doubled as a cannon blast. Within seconds, the floodgates of Heaven opened up, releasing a downpour that soaked through the huntresses' clothes. Despite this, and ignoring how her hair was getting matted to her head, Raven turned around to face Summer, sword held in a ready position even as her grip threatened to crush the hilt like a soda can. Even as her own hair was plastered to her scalp, Summer recoiled her whip and reached her hand back to her knife pouch. Silver and red eyes, which had once looked upon each other as the closest of friends, were now narrowed with nothing less than sheer contempt. The aerial deluge was largely ignored, even as streams of rain trickled down their faces. For several long, wet seconds, the two merely stood there.
Raven broke the silence. Summer soon followed. The words that left their mouths only gave the impression of mutual loathing.
"I thought you were stronger than this!"
"I thought you were my friend!"
No other words were spoken as Raven lunged.
Within seconds, the forest clearing had exploded into a martial hurricane. The sounds of cracking leather and swinging metal filled the air as the two combatants threw themselves into the most intense combat they could muster. Raven's strikes were unrelenting, a never-ending barrage of slashes and cleaves that were nonetheless executed with the precision and grace of a true swordmaster. Summer was equally impressive, each swing of her lash interfering with several of her opponent's attacks while volleys of thrown daggers worked to arrest her forward momentum. Trees and rocks became platforms to be jumped off of, and the grass beneath them disintegrating from the explosions of Dust. On occasion, the women would come close enough that a punch or kick was thrown, the only verbal noise joining the din being the grunts of pain and discomfort resulting from the fighters' blows. The mastery of combat here was unquestionable, two of the greatest huntresses of their generation laying into each other with skill and power beyond what most could even imagine.
The only thing that would have kept Beacon Academy's combat instructors from praising the duel was the emotions behind its participants.
Raven continued to hack at Summer, shifting her blade occasionally bust still trying to tear through her guard. Summer knew she couldn't evade forever, especially against an offence as powerful as Raven's who at this point didn't seem to care about what her sword slash did to Summer's body. Though as luck would have it, Summer knew exactly how to solve this problem. Pulling two knives from her belt, one lined with gravity Dust and another with lightning, Summer waited for Raven to get in close. Just as the bandit swung her blade, Summer leapt away and let the knives fly. Yanking her whip back, the popper struck the blades and cracked them.
As she was already sailing away, Summer was able to get clear of the explosion. Raven was not so lucky, a purple pressure wave throwing her backwards as stinging electricity coursed through her body. As Raven jammed her sword to the ground to steady herself, Summer dashed forward to make her move. With a flick of a switch, the metal studs on her whip's thong elongated into sharpened barbs, similar to the thorns on a rose vine. Now with a more lethal variant of her weapon, Summer swung the barbed whip at her opponent. It was a blow that Raven only barely avoided, causing the tree behind her to lose a large chunk of bark. Raven switched to an earth Dust blade just in time to continue the fight, only now it was she who was on the defensive. The extra barbs made Summer's whip even harder to defend against than before, the extra surface area adding power to the blows while gradually shredding at Raven's Aura. Raven may have been nearly unstoppable when on the offensive, but Summer of all people knew she was nowhere near as good when forced to defend. With each crack of her whip, Raven was forced to give ground, barely able to keep the thorny lash at bay. Summer continued her assault, gradually forcing them back to the clearing where their altercation had started. This fight had gone on long enough, and she was determined do end it. It was time Raven Branwen paid for her arrogance.
Suddenly, Raven stumbled back a bit, momentarily losing her footing. To most, this would have simply been a woman slipping in some mud in a rainstorm. But to Summer Rose, it was her golden opportunity. Swinging her whip wide and strong, Summer aimed the weapon right at Raven's hands, knocking the sword from her grasp. As Raven grabbed her hand, Summer sent the whip coiling around her target and pulled tight. Raven cried out as the barbs dug into her, and a flashing red light covered her body. Her Aura was almost broken, and Summer had her at her mercy. Disengaging the barbs, Summer summoned all her strength and yanked Raven toward her. Raven's already soaked clothes were further soiled by the mud she slid in before landing at Summer's feet, feet that proceeded to kick her scabbard away from her. Raven's head jerked back and forth before she started to scramble and slip in the mud, which only served to stoke the already raging fire that was Summer's anger. Regaining her own footing, Summer jumped on Raven, pinning her to the ground…
And then she felt her leg explode into pain.
Caught off guard by the pain, Summer screamed as she fell to the side. Clutching the offending leg, she looked to find one of her own knives buried in her thigh. It was later that she pieced together that Raven had scavenged one of her thrown daggers in an act of desperation before stabbing her in the leg. The pain was excruciating, but Summer knew better than to pull the weapon out right now. Instead, she gripped her thigh to keep some pressure on the wound, breathing heavily as she did so.
Another flash of lightning reminded Summer of who had stabbed her in the first place. Raven was on her hands and knees, gasping for breath when she looked over. What surprised Summer was the expression on the woman's face. Al through the fight, Raven had had a look of pure hatred etched into her features, that rage driving each of her sword swings. But now, a new face showed itself. A face of shock, fear and…regret? Raven's eyes started to puff up, but thanks to the storm, Summer couldn't tell the tears from the rain. Raven opened her mouth as if to say something, but all she managed to do was more gasped breathing.
Reminded of her condition by a sharp stab of pain, Summer turned away from Raven and reached up to a tree to pull herself up. Thankfully, there was a village nearby with an airship, so if she could stand long enough to make it there, she could certainly get home. She grabbed a knot, then a low branch, then another knot, slowly rising back to her feet.
Suddenly, the dark clearing was filled with red light. A red light Summer knew all too well. Forcing her head around, she saw Raven had collected her weapons and opened a portal. As the bandit slowly limped toward the red blob, Summer found the strength to use her voice again.
"RAVEN!"
For the second time that night, Raven turned to the woman calling her name. Summer now saw that her eyes were red in more ways than one, a sorrowful look she had never seen from her frie- her former friend before. As before, Summer waited for an answer, but all she got was two tearful words.
"I'm sorry…"
With those two words, the injured bandit trudged toward the portal as her former partner stood motionless by a tree, too injured to give chance, only able to utter several words.
"Raven…"
No reply.
"Raven…"
The woman vanished, along with the portal.
"RAVEN!"
-XX-
It was nine in the morning when Tai got the call. A heavily injured huntress matching a description of his wife had been found outside a small village outside Vale, and was currently being treated at the general hospital. Within minutes, he had Yang and Ruby dressed, clicked into their carseats, and was speeding off to the city. Qrow was out on a mission and would meet them there later, but right now, all Tai cared about was getting to the hospital without getting a speeding ticket. When they got to the room, little Yang clutching an impromptu "Get Well" card in her pudgy hands, Tai found a woman that seemed almost unrecognizable. Summer was laying on the bed, her thigh holding a nasty stitch over an obvious stab wound. Her face was as melancholy as was humanly possible, her hair a mess and her eyes indicating she had been crying. Thankfully, the almost-three-year-old was able to break the uncomfortable silence.
"Mommy!"
Summer's head turned to the doorway to see her husband and daughters. As Tai walked in with Ruby, Yang made a beeline for the bed, though she was scooped up by her mother before she could even reach the covers. Fresh tears poured from her face as she buried her face in Yang's sunshine hair, while Yang nuzzled her face into Summer's neck. The only reason Summer dared let go was a quiet whimpering coming from Ruby, who was also pulled in close as Tai approached the other side. Summer knew that they would ask her what happened, and she would certainly tell Tai later. But for now, all she wanted to do was hold her family close, let them know how much she loved them…
And wonder what could have possessed Raven Branwen to give something like this up.