Chapter Two: Dark Pathways

The Roads of Anima, Shortly Before

When Yang saw the road sign she brought her motorcycle to a halt before it to read the text. Mistral waited on her right, and on her left was some other town or village, the name scrawled over with the word 'BANDITS'. Yang wasn't sure why a group of outlaws would broadcast their location, but this lined up with what Qrow had told her about his former tribemates marking their territory.

Yang considered if this meant what it appeared to mean: that while chasing after Ruby to Mistral, she'd found her mother's location, or at least a pretty good place to search for her. What had seemed a very simple mission suddenly had a profound complication.

Yang had told her father she was going to find Ruby, and ensure her sister's safety and reunite with someone she knew loved her. She'd told him what he needed to hear, but Yang fully intended to honor her word, because she anticipated a longer chase to find Raven and her buddies. She hadn't anticipated them being just a few miles out of her way. She wasn't sure what would happen when she found her mother or even what she'd say –even after all this time she still wasn't sure where to begin- but Yang had been waiting for the chance and chased leads far slimmer than this.

If she wanted to, she could chase the answer right now. She didn't know for certain when she'd find Ruby again, and while Yang expected she'd have another opportunity to find Raven in time, fate had curiously decided to make her choose then and there.

Yang was tired of letting fate decide. "You are in so much trouble when I find you," Yang promised Raven, before turning right and heading up the mountain path to Mistral, leaving Raven for another day.

Raven may have been her mother, but Ruby was her family. Yang had failed to respond when Ruby needed her just once, and the memory of that –no matter the circumstances, no matter how Yang might have justified it to herself- was one she'd have to atone for, so that Ruby would remember that she could always count on her big sister. It was bad enough Yang had allowed her maiming to affect Ruby. She would not leave her sister in danger to chase after a selfish wish.

Tonight

Raven had been to Mistral several times. If Qrow had been wounded in Kuroyuri, Mistral was the closest place he could've been moved to for medical attention. Given her brother's reputation, he was probably trying to remain as low-key as possible and had found himself a place to stay among the poor and downtrodden in the kingdom's very lowest rung, at the base of their mountain stronghold.

After assigning responsibilities to her captains, Raven made the trip, opting not to use her Semblance if it could be helped. Under cover of darkness and with her not inconsiderable agility, Raven moved through the woods and then scaled the kingdom walls, finding her way in to the poor districts in search of her quarry.

The local inns were all small and shabby, but catering to the underclass was usually aided by a well-stocked liquor cabinet. Raven figured whatever wound Qrow had suffered would be soothed by a liberal application of the cheap stuff, and she began her search at the mid-level establishments.

After finding nothing at the first two, Raven found herself becoming increasingly frustrated. She tried to rationalize that she was looking for someone trying not to be found and that she shouldn't be concerned about the setbacks, but her third failure to locate Qrow or his young ally angered her considerably. It angered her far more than it should have.

And she felt them, pounding on the walls, trying to scratch and claw their way out of their dimension and into hers'. She heard their whispers, carried on the mists from the kingdom's central waterfall, promising that at any moment they would break her feeble barrier.

Raven had managed to cow them just a few hours before, but she didn't have a second warning to offer. Her defenses were weakening, and they knew it, and they wasted no time in seeking to exploit it. She turned her attention to the hilt of her great sword, hoping that this gesture might intimidate a few of the dark denizens into withdrawing. Instead, it emboldened them further, as they begged her to cut a tear in the wind and pass into their home. Once they had her, they'd have all they needed.

She needed to use her Semblance. It was the only real advantage she and the tribe had over Salem, and the only reliable way of escape should the situation become dire enough. But to use her Semblance she had to travel into their territory, and each time she passed through it became harder and harder to find her way back out of the dark pathways.

Raven had to obtain the light. If she didn't the tribe would lose its greatest asset –sooner or later she'd falter- and then they'd have far bigger problems than Salem. Each trip was getting more perilous, and more and more of the darkness found its way to the barriers between dimensions. Most clashed against the walls splitting them off from this remnant, but some simply waited in the black, watching and waiting for the right moment.

She had to have the light. Not just for the sake of her tribe and their survival, but to try and limit the number of enemies they'd have to face when the war began in earnest. With only a small tribe loyal to her rather than a unified force, Raven had to rely on her connection to the dark pathways to try and circumvent Salem. And without the relics, the only other way to drive the darkness away was a powerful source of Aura.

It hadn't saved Raven before when she'd needed it to. But that was before she knew how to do anything indirect, before she realized the necessity of finding an alternate route.

Raven saw a tear appear in the air behind her and unsheathed her blade long enough to seal it back up. Some of the denizens retreated, but a bold few remained to try and force another opening.

She didn't have the luxury of time and she couldn't afford to be choosy. It had to be this boy Qrow was traveling with. It had to be now.

The alternative was to leave again… and there was far more than a single life depending on her to take the necessary steps.

Nora was elated when she heard from Ruby that Yang had found her way to them. She could hardly wait to engage in hijinks with the sisters again; it'd be just like the good old days at Beacon! Nora had flitted about the inn searching for Yang so she could catch up with her old friend, but had no luck finding her in the dining area or in the room split between Ruby and Qrow. She knew where Ren was (as he'd been otherwise occupied when Yang arrived) but hadn't seen Jaune since he politely excused himself to give the partners some time to themselves. He was probably outside doing that secret training Nora and Ren pretended not to be aware of.

But Jaune wasn't around either. As Nora recalled, the plan was for them to hunker down at the inn and wait for Qrow to finish his recovery, even if it meant dipping deep into their coin purse for a few days buying expensive pre-prepared meals rather than stocking up on trail rations or staple foods. Jaune probably hadn't stepped out to get supplies, so where could he have gone?

Well, Yang was back, and may have found him first. She could've dragged him off somewhere… but there weren't any messages on her nor Ren's Scrolls indicating Jaune would be absent. He knew how Nora worried when he was out of her sight for any significant length of time.

She would not lose him. Not after Beacon. Not after Pyrrha.

So Nora put her detective skills to good use, checking the exterior for footprints or signs of struggle. And there had been a struggle; an intense battle that cut up the ground and upset layer after layer of dirt. She recognized shoe prints in Jaune's size and saw he had charged all over the place, no doubt putting up an intense fight. At one point he'd managed to floor his opponent and pin them to the ground!

But who would be after Jaune? More like that crazy Faunus who tried to kidnap Ruby? He had mentioned being… interested in Jaune…

Nora needed to get to the bottom of this, and quickly. She rushed back to her room to inform Ren and gather her weapons… only to crash right into Jaune as he emerged from one of the other rooms, carrying his armor and Crocea Mors rather than adorned in either.

At first Nora was grateful to see him, but her focus quickly shifted to the stress he'd put her through by disappearing, if even only briefly. "Jaune, where have you been? I've been looking for you!" she snapped, pointing an accusatory index finger at his nose.

Normally Jaune would take such a revelation with good humor. Instead he raised his free hand, trying to pat at the air. "Keep it down, Nora."

That would not do. He'd worried her, and Nora would very much prefer he not do so. So to ingrain the lesson for him, she raised her voice a bit. "Why? Were you on some important secret mission? Why did you disappear without telling any of us?"

"It's… complicated," Jaune tried to explain, averting his gaze, Nora's finger brushing over his cheek.

Now Nora was becoming quite irritated. "Well, then uncomplicate it! Where did you go? What did you do? Why couldn't you just send us a text before you disappeared? Do you have any idea what's been going on while you were… I don't even know where you were and what you were doing and that's really bugging me!"

"Nora-" Jaune began, only for her to abruptly silence him.

"I'll be done in a moment," Nora assured him. "I just wanted to remind you that whatever reason you had to head out, whatever you needed to do, you do not get to be alone anymore, okay? I will not lose you, Ren will not lose you, and Ruby will not lose you. And Qrow won't either, I guess. And Yang, now that she's here."

"Yeah, I get it, Nora," Jaune agreed, still not looking at her.

Nora sighed, calming herself down to speak a little less fervently. "I'm sorry, I just saw all the signs of a scuffle outside and I thought… I worried that…"

"It was Yang," Jaune explained, still looking elsewhere. "She seemed really keen on sparring with me."

"Oh, good, that was my next question," Nora beamed, quickly becoming her usual upbeat self. "Where is she?"

Nora's good mood didn't last when Jaune continued to avert his gaze. She eyed him curiously, waiting for a response, only to glance back at the doorframe he'd emerged from, and the room different than the one he'd been splitting with her and Ren…

Nora turned her attention inward, looking past him, to some unfamiliar clothing on the floor, to messy and distorted bedsheets, to a long mane of blonde hair and a bare back poking out from under the covers, a right arm resting atop them, gripping empty air. Nora's eyes darted back and forth between Jaune and the woman in bed, at her unresponsive blonde hair to his determined efforts to avoid looking her in the eye… "Oh."

Raven found her mark at last, but not in trying to track Qrow. Aura had been shed outside this shabby building, but rather than dissipate into the air and vanish from sight, it lingered. Just as it had in Kuroyuri, the light remained when it should've been extinguished. Once again it had seen battle and held strong, but even a small flicker of this light terrified the denizens of the dark pathways, more and more of their number drawing away and not trying to force the cracks to widen.

He was here. And Qrow was likely here as well.

She could simply take the boy and be on her way. She didn't need to involve Qrow at all. But she suspected she'd need an inroad, and he might be helpful in convincing her target to accede to Raven's requests. Raven had not intended to meet with him again so soon, but she'd rather ask before she took. Their relationship was already on shaky ground, and she really would rather her brother see things her way.

Raven reached out with her senses, following the distortions where Qrow's own Semblance widened the tears. Just as she desperately had to push back against incursions, Qrow had no ability to stop weakening the fabric, because he constantly pulled on that same dimension in his every waking moment. Raven often wondered if it was why she'd been born: to mitigate the damage he caused by cutting through the dark.

She didn't want to talk to him, but she needed his cooperation now. As she made her way to his room, she detected the Aura, the light blinding her from its intensity as she tried to peer past her normal array of senses: there was so much more of it than she'd ever seen in a single place before. She actually had to avoid looking at it, it was so intense. It wasn't often anything was so powerful as to make Raven blink.

Still, she knew where to go now, and with the Aura so close the denizens were wary to attack. She made only a small tear for herself, and a short path to walk through. She had barely to take a step in their territory before emerging beside his bed.

He looked so old now, with all the gray streaks lining his hair. She wondered just how long he had, how much longer it'd be until he finally succeeded in drowning himself…

"Get away from him!"

Raven turned her head to the sound of the voice. A red blur darted towards her, and she had to carefully step aside so as not to be struck by it. She instinctively drew her great sword, searching for her foe. In such close quarters, speed would be more hindrance than advantage.

But when Raven laid eyes on her opponent, she froze, captivated by dark hair with red accents, and eyes of shining silver in the dark…

"Summer?" she breathed. The girl seemed to respond to Raven's interjection, eyeing her suspiciously rather than pressing the attack. Raven took in the rest of her features, trying to convince herself that she wasn't mad, that there was some rational reason for the conclusion she drew.

She did look astonishingly like Summer, but there were subtle differences in her cheeks and forehead. They were stronger and wider… just as they'd been in Yang and not in Raven.

Tai's youngest. Summer's daughter.

"I'm not here to harm him, child," Raven told her, still keeping her great sword aloft in case this speedy girl decided to try anything cute. "I need to have words with my brother."

"Brother?" the silver-eyed girl repeated.

"Rouse him," Raven instructed. "I'm sure he'll be thrilled I've come to visit."

She had long since lost any reluctance in lying to children.

While the girl moved to Qrow's side, still eyeing Raven suspiciously, Raven took the time to remove her Grimm mask, flipping out her hair and moving wayward strands from her face. The silver-eyed girl seemed more unnerved seeing Raven's face exposed, her red eyes shining in the dimly lit bedroom.

When she managed to convince Qrow to stir, he looked up at his sister, and sat up quite abruptly, putting himself squarely between Raven and the girl who'd been tending to him. How sweet it was to see him as the protective uncle, rather than the drunken lout. "What do you want?" Qrow snarled at her.

Raven was tempted to rile him up, to play with him a bit, but she needed to convince him to work with her tonight. She needed to avoid conflict if at all possible. "I came because I need your help, brother," Raven explained. "I need to talk to you about the boy you've been traveling with; the one who saved your life in Kuroyuri."

Qrow's fierceness was replaced with surprise, and then genuine curiosity. "Why?"

Raven took a deep breath. "As leader of the tribe, it is my responsibility to protect my people. And it is for them I must make this sacrifice…"

Yang kept trying to take hold of Blake's hand. Blake had been holding onto her while she'd been unconscious, whispering to her ear as she lay beside her partner. When Yang awoke and Blake was nowhere to be found, she thought she'd yet to emerge from sleep and remained in some particularly vivid dream.

Then she'd tried to grip with her right hand, and looked down and seen only the bloodied bandages…

Yang woke with a start, clenching her right hand over her bedsheet. She sat up with a start, only to quickly reach down to that same bedsheet and hike it up when she realized it was the only garment she'd been wearing. She glanced around the room, memories flooding back to her.

Jaune Arc. Of all the people that might've been her first… she honestly thought Blake would've had a better shot than him. But when he'd held her hand, when he'd refused to let go of it, when he'd pulled it back when Yang tried to take it away…

He wasn't holding that hand now. He wasn't lying in bed beside her. She was alone in a dark room, after… and he had disappeared.

Yang remembered how this felt, to think there'd be a hand holding her own when she woke, only to grasp empty air. Only to try and hold on with a hand that was no longer there.

Why had Jaune left?

Why had Blake? Why had her mother? Why did so many people have to leave her?

Maybe he was as surprised as Yang had been and not known how to react. Maybe he'd simply stepped out for a moment and she shouldn't be concerned; maybe he'd merely been courteous in trying not to wake her while he attended to something else. But Yang wouldn't mind being woken up; she had quite enjoyed his company. More than she expected to. In ways she hadn't expected to.

She should calm down. She shouldn't assume the worst. She hadn't taken Jaune to bed simply because they'd shared a drink and both had been feeling lonely and vulnerable. She liked Jaune. Maybe not like this… maybe not in this exact way, but enough to give him the benefit of a doubt. Enough to believe he wouldn't leave her without a good reason.

Once she had decided on that, Yang thought on what to do next. The others probably wondered where she'd gone. Or why Jaune disappeared at the same time Yang did. Maybe he'd gone to explain that… or defuse that, as the case may have been.

Yang would ask him once she found him. She was sure he had a good reason for the disappearing act.

If not, well, she had taken it easy on him during their sparring match. Her next love tap would be much less… loving.

Yang climbed out of bed and gathered her clothing, hoping that no one had filled in Ruby yet…

Nora was whispering to Ren behind him as Jaune made his way to Qrow and Ruby's room. He knew exactly what she was telling him and didn't really mind her sharing the details, but it didn't make him any less uncomfortable now that Ren was also in on his brief misadventure. He stared determinedly ahead, not wanting to look at either of his teammates right now. He didn't want them to see how guilty he'd felt or how much of that guilt came right out through his eyes.

He'd almost been relieved when he'd seen the text from Ruby on his Scroll. He'd clicked on it and moved right past Pyrrha's training video message to him so he didn't have to hear her voice or see her face. He didn't want to hear her encouraging him after what he'd done.

What he'd done…

He could blame the drink. He hadn't had much experience there, and this certainly wouldn't help him acclimate to it.

He could blame his depression and his loneliness. Maybe he could try and convince Yang that he was too damaged to make her happy, no matter how much he might've enjoyed what they shared. It would just be him trying to make himself feel better, to forget his hurt with her embrace… and that wasn't a thought that made him feel better. It made him feel like a jerk, like he'd used her somehow.

He should speak to her, let her know why he'd left… that he was weak and cowardly, that he wasn't the man he'd pretended to be, that he was still young and foolish. Hopefully listening to Qrow's world-weary snarking would reinforce that belief.

But when he stepped into Qrow and Ruby's room with Ren and Nora beside him, he was surprised to find an unfamiliar woman standing in the foreground, Qrow still seated upright in his bed, Ruby seated beside him on the bedspread.

She was tall and had thick hair like Yang's, only much darker and somehow even longer and wilder. Her eyes were a piercing bright red, and when she looked at Jaune they stood out in the dim light of the inn and the faint exterior lights of Mistral. She wore red and black armor and held a huge sword in her right hand and held a Grimm mask –not unlike the ones used by the White Fang- in her left hand.

Jaune pointedly looked at Qrow for some explanation. When he cast his glance their way Ruby suddenly averted her eyes. That was odd enough, but Qrow drew his attention and kept Ruby from his thoughts by proceeding to the business at hand: "Jaune, this is Raven Branwen- she's requested a meeting with you. Raven, this is Jaune Arc."

"Me?" Jaune repeated, before glancing back at the armored woman with the piercing red eyes, waiting for some further explanation for this strange occurrence.

"Go on," Qrow suggested.

Raven found herself overwhelmed being in his presence, the light of his Aura slipping through so much she had to actively muzzle her senses, trying not to be too distracted. But now she had to recite an oath older than her, from the tribe's inception, when warring families united under a single banner. She'd never expected to say the words. She'd never wished to.

"Jaune Arc," Raven began, forcing herself to look at him, even though she squinted her eyes a bit to manage it. "I am Raven Branwen, and I come before you seeking to seal an ancient pact of alliance and forge a bond to unite my tribe with yours'."

"Alliance?" Jaune repeated.

Raven continued with the script despite his interjection. She kept her eyes on the prize. "Whatever strength we hold does not match the strength we can share. Those we have sworn to protect are safer in two hands than one, and I offer my hand to you now, to unite our clans under a banner of shared leadership."

She needed him. She hated to admit that, but she had to acknowledge that simple fact.

The boy –bright as his Aura was- wasn't quite so overpowering as to be able to conceal his confusion from her. He looked expectantly to Qrow and his niece, the poor silver-eyed girl still looking at the floor, a faint tinge of pink in her cheeks. His friends standing behind him seemed a little further along; the boy in green had an expression of dawning comprehension, the girl in pink looking shocked and trying to open her mouth to speak.

"You might want to dumb it down," Qrow suggested. "And avoid all the fancy talk; he's a little slow."

Just what Raven wanted to hear. She knew this would be a trying, difficult task…

For her people. She had to save them.

Raven dug her sword into the wooden inn floor so her right hand would be free. She hesitated for a moment before she dropped to a knee and bowed her head, raising her right hand and reaching up towards the still-confused boy.

She hated to prostrate herself. She did not wish to beg.

For her people. For survival.

"Jaune Arc," Raven began again, still staring at the floor. Jaune listened intently, as his friends turned their heads back to the hall outside, to another joining this impromptu meeting. Raven hesitated, because she didn't know how he'd respond. She hoped he'd understand her gestures when she spoke bluntly.

"I ask for you join my tribe in alliance, and seal the pact… through marriage."

Yang had seen Ren and Nora flanking Jaune on the way to Qrow and Ruby's room. It seemed something important was going on. Something drew them all together. Yang felt inclined to be forgiving of Jaune for his departure, because it seemed like he'd been called away.

As she drew nearer, Yang saw another figure drop to kneel, and she was so curious as to what she'd borne witness to Yang stepped in to join them.

She'd seen that red armor before. She'd seen that great sword imbedded in the floor on the train at Mountain Glenn; it saved her life.

And the woman dropping to kneel… the woman she'd been searching for.

She addressed Jaune by name. She extended her hand up to him. She bowed her head when speaking her wish.

To marry him.

The mother Yang had been searching for had just proposed to the man Yang had given her virginity to, whom she'd made love to merely hours beforehand.

And she was there to witness the proposal.