It was peaceful at Summer's grave, the news of her death was no surprise to Raven but even after leaving there was still something that she felt for her old friend. She had wanted to stay close but Ozpin and Salem's minions had left her no choice, she was too deep in his circle for them to let her live a normal life. Leaving completely was the only way to survive but looking at Summer's tombstone spawned a doubt inside her, what could have been if she had stayed, what would her life be like?
A branch broke in a nearby bush and years of training kicked into effect, Raven drew her sword and rushed into the bush grabbing whoever was in it and raising them by their collar.
Yellow hair and lilac eyes, it was her daughter. After a moment the black haired huntress composed herself, her tone was anything but motherly though, "What are you doing here girl?"
"This is my mom's grave, I can come here when I want to! Now let me go or my dad will beat you up!" Yang already had both the stubbornness and ferocity of both her parents.
"You shouldn't be this far away from home alone, there are grimm in this forest that would just love to kill a small girl like you." Some fear would be good for her, if she wouldn't be around to raise her daughter then at least here she might be able to teach her this lesson. Knowing when and when not to take risks and fight was the most important lesson she had learned during her time away from the tribe.
Undeterred Yang took this threat as a challenge, "I'm not afraid, they would kill you too if they were around."
"I'm a huntress, the grimm are of no concern to me." The absent mother still had an issue though. She wasn't lying about grimm being about and her child could die if she left her alone.
"And as a huntress it is my duty to defend the weak, like girls foolish enough to wander away from the protection of her family before she can defend herself. Come girl and I will take you back to them."
Quick on the draw Yang's answer came back with the defiance only a child could muster, "And what if I don't want to go with you?"
"Can you free yourself?" Ever defiant Yang attempted to do so but was no match for Raven's iron grip. "I am going to let you down, I am faster and stronger than you and will catch you if you try to run so walk with me or I will drag you back."
Reluctantly Yang stopped struggling so Raven put her daughter down and began to walk back to where she remember Tai lived, her daughter following beside her.
"You don't seem like a huntress, aren't you supposed to be nice and look heroic, like the old heroes of the kingdoms?" Right, the mother remembered now that children were supposed to ask lots of questions with obvious answers.
"Do I not look strong?" Yang gave a quick nod "A huntress' presence is supposed to be powerful, I might not look like a knight but what I wear suits me and my purposes."
It seemed that her daughter had developed quite the curiosity, asking her about everything about being a huntress be it weapons, semblance, dust and everything in between. No grimm approached and their journey was a peaceful one until the house became close.
"Did you know my mom, was that why you're here? She wasn't always home but when she was she was the best."
This question required some careful thought, Yang didn't know her so it might be good to talk about Summer with her, both the bad and good. The only risk being that Tai or Qrow might find out that there was a huntress that looked like her and visited Summer's grave and Yang, it would make her brother insufferable but she could manage that. And Yang deserved the truth, at least some of it without the filter others used.
"I did, Summer and I were close."
"How close?" After a minute of thought Raven had an answer that she could share without divulging any information her daughter might be able to use to make any dangerous connections.
"We knew each other for years, I haven't talked to her for a long time though. What I remember was a woman that would always sacrifice her own needs for others no matter the cost, that's what got her killed. She didn't accept the fact that it was a fight she couldn't win and died for it."
The blonde child's face scrunched up in displeasure, "But helping others is what huntresses do, they are strong and fight grimm so that others don't have to." No doubt Summer's influence, time to set the record straight.
"Not all of them, some use their strength for themselves," Mercenaries, bounty hunters, and of course bandits are nothing next to a huntsmen unless they invested in having the same training like she had done.
This didn't seem to mesh with Yang's view of the world, placing a scowl on the young girl's face, "But they should be nice like Mom was, you should always help someone if you can." Again Summer's naivety had rubbed off on her daughter, damn her and the flimsy morals she taught Yang.
"Your mother was a fool to believe that." This sent the girl over the edge. The young brawler's eyes turned red further increasing the resemblance to herself, and although it stayed the same color her blindingly blonde hair became even brighter.
"Don't talk about her like that!"
"Why? Because it isn't what you want to hear? The sooner you learn that in this world the strong survive and weak die the better." Her daughter was beginning to irritate her, she still clung to the dead woman and wouldn't accept the truth.
"My mom wasn't weak!"
Fine, if she had to spell it out to her daughter to understand she would, it's what mothers are for after all, "She was. Her morals are what made her weak and it's what got her killed."
"Mom was the best huntress that ever lived, it doesn't matter what you say! She always did the right thing and was stronger than you will ever be! You are just a weak huntress that will never be as good as my mom!"
"I am your mother!
There was a short pause as the two looked at each before the older one slashed open a portal and started to step through.
"Wait," The Bandit Queen was stopped by a small girl holding her hand, "You look like me. Why do you look like me?"
Raven wouldn't answer and Yang wouldn't let go. How could she possibly explain, how could she explain everything to the daughter that she had left?
"Who are you? Who are you really? I deserve the truth. "
Yang was crying but her face was still determined. Determined to learn the truth, and in it she could see so much of herself, her nose, chin, the shape of her eyes. Yang looked so much like herself but with a few changed colors. She was her daughter.
Withholding the truth was what Raven hated so much about Ozpin and here she was doing the same to her own blood. Even if she had left her daughter she didn't want to hurt her, that's why she left her with Tai who could give their daughter a much better life. And if she didn't tell her who knows how she might grow up, hating her for one but there would always be one question "why would my mom leave me?" and maybe more. No child deserved that, her child didn't deserve that. She closed the portal and faced one of the most difficult things in her life.
"I, I was part of team STRQ, Summer was my partner. My brother and your father were also on our team." Yang seem to be regaining control of herself now that she was getting answers.
"But you were friends then, why haven't I heard of you?"
"We were the best in Beacon," Instead of answering her question it would be best to tell the story as a whole, "So good as to catch the attention of its headmaster Ozpin, he recruited us to his cause in a secret war of sort"
"Against who?"
"It's hard to explain," Because it was, how to tell Yang what happened without the ramifications of talking about Salem. "It was a cult of sorts, they worshiped the grimm and worked towards destroying the kingdoms."
This answer bothered Yang though, the red in her eyes returning, "You still haven't answered my question, who are you and why don't I know you?"
"If you had seen the things I have you would understand-
"So make me understand!" She was right, no more half truths, if she wanted her daughter to have any sort of kind thoughts towards her then Yang needed to know everything.
"I am your mother, your real mother. Your father and I feel in love and had you shortly after Beacon, Summer and Tai must have had your sister after I left. As for why it's because it was a fight that couldn't be won. Rather than die in vain I chose to survive, away from anyone that would want to kill me for my actions against the grimm and their worshipers while fighting with Ozpin."
"But why not take us with you? What did you run to that couldn't have all of us together?"
This time with her daughter was making Raven question her own decision to leave her and her old lover behind. No life with the tribe was too dangerous, even before you considered the possibility of Salem's minions finding you without a wizard's protection, "Tai can give you a better life than I can, its for the best. He will still answer if Ozpin calls him it will eventually kill him but it does give you the old man's protection."
Yang's face was much too thoughtful for someone so young, all the new revelations working inside her mind. She eventually settle on one more question, "So now what?"
If she was expecting her mother to stay and be a big happy family then Yang was going to be disappointed, that life wasn't possible for her now. "You're father is probably starting to worry, you should go back home."
The currently present mother gave her daughter a gentle push towards the warm looking house and then opened a portal back to her tribe. But as she started to walk through Yang tried one last time to keep her there.
"You could stay, we wouldn't tell anyone you're here."
"I can't."