Eh... so much feels!
For the good of the tribe... that's all she told herself lately it seems. As she perched on a nearby branch watching her daughter spar, she became lost in thought. This wasn't the first time she's watched Yang like this. She did it all the time and not just Yang: She watched Qrow and she'd even sometimes watch Ruby. She rarely watched her old love, Tai. She knew if she did, she'd have way more trouble leaving him. She's watched Ruby more than she did Tai and the fact that Ruby was the proof that Tai moved on with another woman made it hard for her. Nevertheless, Raven held no contempt for Ruby even if she'd never admit it. Ruby was so much like Summer that it was scary sometimes. Ruby also gave Yang the companionship that Raven herself felt she could never provide. If anything, Ruby gave Yang more of a drive. Yang was what Raven wished she could have been but she felt like she never could be like that. Not after abandoning them the first time. Qrow noticed his sister up in the tree above them and grimaced.
He knew better than anyone that Raven cared more for her family than she would ever admit. She's always been like this: perched on a branch and watching from afar. He hated her for keeping this distance. She clearly still cared and she would show up often. Then, whenever he'd ask for her to come back, she would either bring up the tribe or act indifferent, like her family didn't matter. She even knew that he knew better than to fall for her acts. He knew her lies so well that he could translate what she really means. He didn't hold hard feelings for her for leaving: he hated the fact that even though she technically left, she was always on the outside looking in. She never truly abandoned them, she was just scared... of her own family. Her fear of Salem prompted her to leave, yes, but after she initially ran and after Summer married Tai, she never could bring herself to come back. She loved Yang and yet, all she ever does is watch... just watch and never seems to interfere. But, she's saved Yang and in a way, more than once but Qrow only counts that one time with Neo because she actually directly saved Yang. The other time was when Yang and Ruby nearly got eaten by Grimm.
Qrow remembered one of her portals opening up and her hand pulling him through. When he saw the grimm going to eat Yang and Ruby, he didn't even hesitate when he went in to defend them. It was the biggest heart attack he had in his life. But, he expected help only to see Raven perched on a tree just watching. It irritated him to no end. Yang and Ruby could have gotten hurt in that time she took to get him but rather than swallow her pride and save them herself, she wasted time and got him. It irritated him every time he'd catch her being there but only in her bird form rather than helping. It hurt... Yang needed her and so did he... and all she's ever done through these years is watch them as they went through all this. It was more insulting than just leaving without sparing them a second thought.
"You know, you could join us anytime." Qrow said, looking up at her.
He's said this countless times to Raven. But, nevertheless, he had to try again at least once every time he could. Because he knew she wanted to come back. It was obvious with how she'd follow them like this. But she shook her head and Qrow let out a sigh. He expected that answer, she almost always gave him the same answer. So they went back to watching Yang. Raven stared on sadly. Who is she to suddenly walk back into their lives like this? After all these years, she felt like she didn't deserve to be in their lives anymore. She used to always tell herself that her tribe needed her. But it wasn't like they couldn't care for themselves and she increased their numbers with more followers. She changed the tribe for the better... but not a day goes by that she doesn't think about dropping it all to come back. There was so much conflict in her mind: the tribe was her family but so were they. She could never have both.
And then she sometimes would regret leaving Yang with Tai. But she knew that if she didn't leave Yang, Tai and Qrow would have gone after her for sure. Neither of them would have let her raise Yang with the tribe. But sometimes she wondered if she could have. She used to watch Yang all the time when she was little. There were many times she would kill the grimm off in the distance while her and Ruby played so they wouldn't get hurt. There were a few times that Raven would sneak in the house at night and sit by Yang's bed. She always wanted to just grab Yang, hold her in her arms and maybe try being a mother for once. But she always stopped herself. She stubbornly stood by her decision to stay out of the fight or so it would seem. But then, it wasn't always that case. She says she took the maiden so that the tribe had more power but taking the maiden put the tribe in more danger. If she really had the tribe in mind, she wouldn't have taken her in. She hoped that maybe harboring the maiden and keeping her out of the way would maybe get rid of her guilt for avoiding the fight. Maybe if she could protect the maiden, she could forgive herself. However, the maiden wouldn't cooperate with her training. She was just too scared. So Raven decided to kill her and maybe end the girl's suffering... but it was difficult. Among the things Raven regretted, killing the maiden was on the top of her list. She even made sure to kill her in her sleep but... then she became the maiden which just rubbed the salt in. It meant that the maiden really cared for her... and the guilt just continued to pile on. So here she was, just watching and wishing that she would have stayed home and maybe Yang would be better for it.
But, there was one good thing that came out of her leaving: Ruby... even if Raven herself would never admit it. She helped Ruby once. She wandered off when she was little, looking for Summer shortly after her death. It hurt seeing Ruby looking for someone who would never come back. The only word two year old Ruby could say was "mama" as she looked around frantically. All she understood at the time was that Summer wasn't coming back. She still didn't understand what death was. It didn't help that they did not even have Summer's body to show her to maybe help her gain some closure. It was the one time Raven appeared in front of anyone aside from Qrow. She eventually figured out she was lost and grew frightened of being alone. So Raven, for the first time, flew down from her branch and stood in front of the girl in her real form. This was just Summer's child after all... no need to feel ashamed for helping her out, right?
The helmet scared Ruby and she started to cry, thinking Raven was a grimm. Raven removed her helmet and knelt in front of the crying girl, uncertain of what to do. She used to hold some contempt for Ruby because of her being Summer and Tai's child but now it had been dropped. Yang would be devastated if anything happened to Ruby as well... and so would Raven. It was hard not to like the little girl. Ruby stared at Raven, still frightened of the strange woman in front of her.
"You need to go home. Your daddy is probably worried sick. Come on, I'll take you back." Raven told her, reaching out a hand.
Ruby got up and hugged Raven, much to her surprise. She hesitantly put an arm around Ruby. She could just come home, couldn't she? She could maybe pick up where she left off, help her family like how Summer had helped them when she left. Pick up the pieces and keep the two girls happy... right? But she knew that if she came back, she wouldn't be able to stay out of the fight for long. She just couldn't go back into the fight... but what will happen to Ruby and Yang? Raven picked up Ruby and held her as the child leaned against her, crying into her shoulder. Eventually, as Raven walked carefully, the child's sobs subsided and she fell asleep. Inevitably, she saw Qrow fly over head. He nearly turned into his human form from where he was but he was too high up. He flew down and took to his real form. He was so relieved to see that Ruby was okay that he took her right out of Raven's arms, startling the child awake. Raven watched for a minute but then wordlessly flew away in her bird form, much to her brother's chagrin. Qrow looked around for her but Ruby started crying again. Qrow held her against himself and did his best to comfort her, opting to just take her home right away. Raven made sure no grimm came their way but did not go any closer.
She watched them get home. Yang ran out of the house and nearly climbed up Qrow's legs to get to Ruby. Everyone was worried sick. He let five year old Yang embrace her sister. Ruby was half of Yang's size but she still held her close like she was just a little doll. Yang had been crying previously but was crying harder more out of relief but she was still sad over Summer leaving... and having to have recently found out about Raven. Tai then ran over to them. He had just recently came back from searching another part of Patch. He quickly snatched Ruby and Yang in his arms. There was no way in hell he was going to pull Yang off of Ruby at the moment. He held them both, also crying. He lost the love of his life and thought for a moment he lost his daughter, too. Tai had never felt more scared in his life. Unable to keep her emotions in check, Raven flew away before anyone noticed her. Qrow sure did and he flew after her while Tai and his girls hugged things out. She tried to avoid him but nevertheless, inevitably had to confront him. She didn't face him, opting to lean against a tree, trying to bite back her emotions.
"Raven... please. We need you... I need you." Qrow begged.
She shook her head and before he could stop her, she took to her bird form and flew away again. Qrow let her go, knowing that there was no convincing her. He walked back over to the house, deciding to help Tai keep an eye on the girls for the night. By the time he got back, Tai had put both girls in the bath to get them ready for bed. Of course, Tai himself was trying to keep himself together. Qrow walked in.
"Go get a drink or something. I'll take over." Qrow told him.
Tai wordlessly left the bathroom while Yang sat in the tub numbly. Qrow felt horrible for even mentioning Raven that day. Before today, Yang only knew Summer as mom. But now she learned that she lost two moms all because of an argument he and Tai got into. Qrow reached over and put a hand on her.
"Hey, it's gonna be alright. You're a strong girl, right? We gotta look after Ruby." He said.
Qrow sometimes wondered if he should have redirected Yang over to taking care of Ruby or not. But, it gave her a drive. Little Yang nodded and grabbed the shampoo to scrub Ruby's hair with. Ruby was trying not to fall asleep in the tub, having had an exhausting day. Qrow would splash some water on her and Ruby would startle awake, giggle, and then go back to fighting sleep. Yang's gentle lathering didn't do her tired sister any favors either; it soothed the toddler. Yang focused her time and energy into taking care of Ruby from that day forward. She even made herself learn how to cook... although her first batch of cookies nearly burned the house down. Raven came around fewer times and she was proud of Yang for being so tough. She always tried to keep a big bright smile, a beautiful little girl with bouncing blonde curls. Raven never realized until recently how much Yang had been hurting... and that made her even more scared than ever to walk back into her life... what right did she have to be this girl's mother? And just like that, she's now become a young woman... no longer that happy little girl with cute little pigtails... but a woman who has been through hell and back in just under a year. But no... she's been in her own hell since that day Summer had left.
Raven always rehearsed to herself what to tell Yang when she found her. She'd say it was because of the tribe or something along those lines. But the reality is... she's always just been so scared. Scared of Salem, scared of coming back to the family she abandoned, and scared of what kind of mother she would be. But as she watched Yang, she already knew that just by staying out of her life, she had failed her still. Now, if she had the nerve to come back into her life, it could make things worse. She flew away off of her branch... maybe she was better never coming into her daughter's life. But now they were part of the same fight with a common enemy... and she was more afraid than ever and this time, she wasn't afraid for her own life. She took to her real form and interrupted Yang's sparring match with Ruby, much to everyone's surprise.
"First of all, you're hand to hand combat skills are so poor, it's laughable. You'd think my brother would have taught you better." Raven said to Ruby.
"Hey, she holds her own with Crescent Rose." Qrow said.
"You and I both know damn well you won't always have a weapon there to save you. And you, Yang-" She began.
"I'm not taking advice from you." Yang seethed, walking off.
"Excuse me, young lady? We are going against Salem and there's no way in hell I am letting you die out there with your current skill set." Raven said, walking after her.
The two ladies walked off, arguing the whole time and Qrow smiled after them. Ruby walked up to Qrow.
"Will they be alright?" She asked.
"They'll be fine... she's finally decided to come back. That's all that matters right now." Qrow said.
I really do think that Raven might think like this... I made some story adjustments.