Raven Branwen had graced Vale with her presence. However, no one knew it was her. They'd heard legends of the Bandit Leader Raven Branwen, but it was improbable that anyone knew for sure what she looked like.
She was contacted by her brother, Qrow Branwen to meet up in a coffee shop that he selected. The majority of her mind had decided to not go but, in the past, he rarely contacted her unless it was important, so why not a little family reunion?
She entered the shop. It was a quiet and quaint place; the dim lights made the rooms dark. Dark enough for her to not be noticed. She didn't come unarmed however, for she didn't completely trust her brother enough to think that he would leave her unscathed.
She saw the familiar slouch in the corner. Funnily enough, there was no sight of his flask. Seems to be making progress on himself, Raven mused.
She quietly walked to the booth and sat down in front of him, placing her Grimm mask onto the table. "Brother."
"Sister."
"What calls for the occasion?"
He looked at her and swirled his glass of water. "We needed to talk," he said. He took a deep breath before downing the rest of the water. "Tai… how long has it been since you've seen him?"
She scoffed and began to stand up. That's why he'd called her here? Risking her hide and possibly being discovered to talk about her ex-lover? What a waste of her time. She sneered at him and made to leave. Suddenly she felt a strong grip on her forearm and gave her brother a raised eyebrow. He gestured for her to sit down again, to which she obliged begrudgingly, for there was nothing stopping him from alerting the authorities.
"I haven't contacted him since I left, you should know that."
He brooded over his glass before peering up at her. Red met red: the twins were much alike but so different at the same time. "Tai's a strong man, Raven. You know that. In STRQ, he was the monolith of strength, both physically and emotionally."
Where was he going with this?
"Have you ever seen him cry?"
That was not what she had been expecting. She'd expected him to talk about Tai like he had visited him recently.
"No, I have not. Why?"
Qrow stopped again before looking down. "I've only seen that man cry three times in my life: first time was when he found out you were pregnant with Yang. He was so over the moon in happiness that it was honestly infectious. It made his world when he found out, you have no idea."
Raven winced. She tried to forget her pregnancy, for that had been a soft time for her. The hormones had affected her outlook on life. The birth was painful enough without bringing it up, and it dredged up the memories of her non-existent relationship with her daughter.
"Second time was when you left without saying a word," Qrow continued, bringing her back to reality. "At first he was hopeful that you would return, but as days turned into weeks, the reality came to him. I remember walking down the steps into the kitchen and hearing that man sobbing into his hands on the couch. I have heard screeches from Grimm that has chilled me to the bone, but that man's crying made me feel despair. There was no hope in his chokes, no hope in his tears as they streamed down his face. He didn't react when I placed my hand on his shoulder. His whole body shook with sadness and despair. He wasn't even angry, he just muttered the word 'why' between sobs… that man loved you with all his heart. He wouldn't shut up about how you looked after our graduation dance, he was in love with you."
Raven moved a bit restlessly. She was aware of the pain she would cause when she went back to her tribe, but she was clueless on how in love Tai was with her. She thought that he just loved her like how teenagers love each other. She shuffled again and looked at her brother. What was his goal? Was he trying to guilt trip her into leaving the tribe? Fat chance. "What is the point of this?"
Qrow raised his hand to silence her, he brought his eyes back to hers and held them there. They were similar in how stubborn they were. But since Qrow hasn't had a drink yet, she would say that he was more stubborn than her at this point in time. "Third time….. It'll always stay with me….. It was when Summer left on a mission and never came back… That man, was broken inside. I have never seen someone so broken in my entire life Raven. I was very upset when Summer left, but Tai was heart broken. He slipped into a long bout of depression, often forgetting to look after the kids. I picked up the slack and helped him look after Yang and Ruby, but ultimately I thought he had lost the will to live… Two women that he loved beyond life itself, and they were gone from his world."
She felt uncomfortable once again. "What is your point, Brother?"
He pursed his lips. "Tai…. No one has seen him in a while since his daughters have left for Beacon… Do you want to pay him a visit?"
She looked at him with surprise. "Implying that he wanted to see me?"
He nodded slowly. "Yes, from time to time he has talked about wanting to see you again. I thought now, would be the best time."
She deliberated for a couple of minutes… Qrow was right, now there wasn't much to do with the tribe as they have just set up camp. Vernal could look after herself and the camp… And her heart somewhat ached for that blonde haired man. She came back to reality and nodded to Qrow before standing up. She drew her sword and sliced open a portal, using her Semblance and connection to Tai to create a portal right to his home.
She breathed in, slightly nervous. She took the steps into the portal, her mask clipped onto her belt, and was met with their painfully familiar home at Patch. She breathed in the smells and looked at the sights. All of it brought painful memories flooding back. By now she thought that this was beginning to be a mistake but Qrow was already behind her.
She took another deep breath and walked up the steps of the porch and raised a hand to knock on the door. She hesitated before knocking three times…. She could hear footsteps on the other side before the door was swung wide open. There, standing proudly, was her ex: Taiyang Xiao Long.
Tai did a double take when he saw the pair on his porch. "R-Raven?" He took a couple of steps back in shock. "W-what are you doing here?"
"I-I'm not sure myself, Tai. It was Qrow that convinced me."
"Please come in then." He said eagerly. Raven stepped over the threshold and began to look around. The place hadn't changed a bit. She was about to turn around and look at Tai but there was something wrong…. He didn't look right and neither did Qrow.
Suddenly, a voice that was different and horrifying emanated from his throat. "You left me, Raven. You left me and Summer to look after Yang. Did you know what that did to me, what that did to STRQ?"
Raven took a step back and drew her sword as Tai began to change physically. Red tears began to stream down his face but never disappeared as his eyes went black. His skin paled and he pointed an accusing finger at Raven. "You left me in despair, you left me for your own selfish reasons!"
She took another step back and bumped into Qrow, who was undergoing the same transformation. "He is right you know. You left your true family for a band of vagabonds and murderers. How can you live with yourself knowing that you left your family, your lover and your daughter alone in this world!?"
Words caught in her mouth as her eyes widened, this was a nightmare. "This isn't real, it can't be. You're not Tai! You're not Qrow!" She was forcefully turned around by the thing that looked like Tai. He placed his hands over her face. This brought more painful memories rushing back as she remembered their first kiss at the top of Beacon. But that was another reality from where she was now.
"This is real. This is happening, and it's all your fault!" He went to attack her…
She screamed as she awoke in cold sweats, her sleeping attire was soaked in it. She panted heavily and looked around frantically, feeling her face before letting a sob escape her lips. She cradled her face in her hands before hearing Vernal from outside.
"Raven… Raven are you alright?"
Raven mopped her face with her blanket and breathed deeply, getting her voice under control. "I am fine Vernal, I'm fine…" But in reality, she was far from fine.