A/n So I had my first RWBY story in my WotW oneshots. I may go back to that and make a sequel of of, perhaps even a full story. But first I had another RWBY plot bunny rattling around in my head. One that focuses on Raven and my theory on why she left.
Enjoy.
Fear. True gut wrenching fear.
Terror.
Such a foreign concept. Never in her life had she felt like this before.
Not against Grimm, or any opponent she has ever come across.
But the biggest blow came from what the source of this fear was.
A child.
A child only a few days old.
Her child.
Yang.
Raven Branwen, feared Huntress and member of the illustrious team STRQ was afraid of a newborn baby. Her own baby.
When she was pregnant she knew the hormones were getting to her. She was irritable, well a bit more irritable really, she put so much energy into making sure everything was perfect for when the baby came.
Raven was strong, determined and in control, ready for whatever challenge would come next.
She was wrong.
Now she is filled with foreign feelings.
Fear, Worry, Anxiety.
Doubt.
'How can I be a mother?' she thinks to herself. 'I'm no role-model. I grew up in a bandit camp for Dust's sakes'
She looks down to the baby lying in the nursery of the hospital.
"She is so beautiful, so pure and innocent." Raven whispers then looking down to her own hands. "What can I teach her? All I know how to do is fight and kill." Her vision flashes, her hands stained with blood.
"She would be better without me. Both her and Tai." Tears begin to fall from her red eyes.
She returns to her room in the hospital. Tai is gone, he said he had to talk to one of the doctors about something.
Raven grabs a slip of paper and writes a quick note.
It says "Tai, I can't do this. I know I am not cut out to be a mother. I am leaving."
Folding the note she places it on the bed and opens the window. Taking in a deep breath she changes into her raven form and flys away.
/With Tai/
"Doc, I'm worried about Raven. She hasn't been the same since she gave birth." Tai said to the doctor as he leaned against the wall of a room. "She seems almost, I don't know depressed. I have never seen her like that."
"Well that is not to uncommon, especially considering this is her first child." The doctor says reviewing a chart from Raven. "It is possible she has been experiencing some postpartum depression."
"Postpartum depression?" Tai says, "How serious is this?"
"If you are concerned we can evaluate her, depending on a severity it could just be a bit of reassurance or maybe just a bit of medication." The doctor says as he grabs his clipboard and heads towards the door.
The two pass by the nursery and Tai picks up his daughter, holding her in his arms as they continue to Raven's room.
They find an empty room, Raven nowhere to be found. Tai reads the note and hands it to the doctor. He then goes to the open window and stares out searching for the tell-tale black feathers of his beloved.
"Oh dear." The doctor says as he reads the simple note.
Tai tries to hold back his tears, knowing that his Raven is suffering and not being able to do anything to help her.
A single black feather floats into the room on a breeze. It drifts and dances before falling right onto baby Yang. The newborn girl grabs at the feather and softly begins to cry.
Reaching out, crying for her mother.
But she is gone.
Months pass, then a year and still no word from Raven.
Qrow's anger at his sister eventually faded.
Tai is doing his best to raise a baby girl as a single father.
And Summer is doing her best to support them both. She keeps telling them she knows Raven will be back. Raven is her partner after all. In some ways she knows Raven better than even Tai and her brother.
As Raven's partner she feels like she is Yang's godmother. A statement that Tai would not dispute. She helps her friend and teammate raise his daughter and begins to see little Yang as her daughter as well.
Tai and Summer grow even closer and then two years after Raven left, little Ruby Rose is born.
Years pass and Raven has been wandering the world, fighting, slaying grimm, using violence to distract her from the pain she feels.
All the violence to her justifies her decision to leave. That she is not meant to be a mother.
But it still hurts.
Over time the fear and doubt faded. Only to be replaced with guilt and shame.
"I abandoned them, my team, my FAMILY!" she shouts as she slashed through another horde of grimm. Her feelings of pain and sorrow drawing even more for her to fell. "Yang…. How can I possibly face her with what I have done?"
Eventually Raven manages to muster up the courage to portal to Tai and try to apologize and try to make amends. In her bird form she peers into the house.
She sees little six-year-old Yang, a wild mane of blonde hair as she plays with some blocks on the floor. Tai smiling as his little girl stacks the blocks and then knocks them over with a giggle.
The scene makes Raven's heart ache. She should be down there. She should be smiling at her daughter as well.
Then a voice draws her attention.
It is her partner, Summer. What is she doing at Tai's house?
She has probably been helping Tai with Yang. Summer was always good with kids.
She would be a great mother….
Oh.
Summer enters the room carrying a little bundle.
A child.
Just one look is all Raven need to see the truth. Summer and Tai's child.
Summer glances out the window. For a moment Raven thinks she has been spotted.
"Tai could you hold Ruby for a minute. I need to take care of something outside." Summer says with a smile.
Tai gladly hold his youngest daughter as Summer walks out the back door to their little house.
Summer take a short walk away from the house. Raven is too stunned to do anything. She is walking right towards her.
"Hello Raven, how have you been?" Summer asks with a smile.
A smile!
Like she is actually happy to see her. Like she….
One look into Summer's eyes confirms it. She is glad, she is happy that Raven came back.
How? Why? So many questions run through Raven's mind but she stays frozen on the branch looking down at Summer.
And she is still SMILING.
"Raven I know why you left, Tai does too. You were scared and you didn't know what to do. We don't blame you for what happened. And we will always welcome you back. We are a team Raven, partners. We will always be there for you." Summer says looking up at Raven on her perch.
She then turns and walks back to the house. As the door shuts whatever spell was holding Raven is broken.
They don't blame her.
They don't blame her.
But she blames herself.
And the guilt and shame she feels rises to new heights.
And again she flys away.
The next day Summer was called up on a mission.
As she left she gave Yang and little Ruby a kiss and promised she would see them when she made it back home.
But not all promises can be kept.
A/n I have decided that this will not be a one shot and I will be returning to this story soon! Also Vol 6 is really hitting all the right spots, no spoilers though. And yes that one line is a reference to Red Like Roses part 2.
Hope you all enjoyed my first RWBY fanfic. Keep an eye out for chapter 2 coming soon.