AN: Sorry guys! None RWBY in this chapter. Raven, Qrow, Sun, and Neptune take over the reins on this chapter. There are mentions of the girls though and I'm sort of developing a bit of background information here. Anyway, enjoy!
ooOOoo
"Hey Sis," for once her twin wasn't drinking when she met him. "I gotta' ask you about something I was told when you left."
"I'm so glad you learned how to knock, Qrow," Raven's voice was heavy with sarcasm as she narrowed her eyes at him. She removed a piece of armor and sat on her bed, her fingers working on other pieces. It had been a while since he had stepped foot in the Branwen estate. Their father would probably have his head if he knew Qrow had dared to show his face after all these years. Well, at least JD Branwen got one of the twins back under his grasp. That would at least tide him over until he passed on and she assumed the head of the Branwen Clan, as had always been intended.
"Back when STRQ was dissolved, Weiss Schnee went into hiding because of you," Qrow stated rather than asked.
"Dissolved? That's a rather… obscure way to put it…" She frowned at the way he tried to discount the past. "Did you come all this way to speculate on my actions or is there something else you want?"
"Information… Why?" He knew that Raven trained both the Schnee girls, but she had been rather fond of them during that time. After Ozpin killed Summer and Tai though, Raven lost her damn mind and Oscar had to fill him in on what he missed… Somehow, he felt like Oscar left some things out. "What were you doing with Weiss that was so special?"
"All this time and now you want to know why?" Raven's voice was laced with poison. "Would it be enough to say it was a request from Summer?"
"That gives me even more questions," he crossed his arms in irritation. "Oscar's leaving things out and that girl was terrified of you. We had to completely omit your name from conversation and I need to know what that was about. You and Summer had a lot more information than Tai and I ever did. I need to know what happened that day."
"That's insulting," the corvin Faunus growled. "I lost everything that day. Who are you to question my actions?!"
"Lo- I did too!" He couldn't believe she was still coming up with excuses after almost 11 years. It still hurt, but they had to find a way to move forward. He buried himself in alcohol, while she chose to run away stew in her own malice and self-pity. "I had to watch both you and Tai be with the girl I loved! Tai was my best friend and you were my sister – someone who hated humans! I didn't want to come in between you and a human that was changing you!"
"So now you're admitting you were jealous?" Raven gave him a skeptical look that evolved into a sharp glare. "We all knew but we left it alone because you didn't want to face it, but don't blame the fact you never tried on me!"
"We're twins, Raven, but we've never been the same," he growled. "You and I were always different as night and day, but when it I counted, I chose to stay. I raised Tai and Summer's girls because I was committed to both her and my best friend. I've watched my girls grow into amazing young women."
"My girls."
"No, you don't get that right anymore. Not when you damn sure don't act like they are!" Qrow shouted and she shifted uncomfortably, unable to look him in the eye. He'd held his tongue for long enough thinking that maybe his silence would make her more inclined to return home. "They've been through so much and I've tried to get you to come back. They both almost died last night because of your mistake and I'm trying to figure out how the hell I'm supposed to help with something I know next to nothing about. If you care anything for them, you'll come clean with me!... If you still love Summ-."
THWACK
"Don't!" The dark haired woman's fist buried into the wall beside her and her eyes smoldered with a mixture of fear and hurt. "Don't you dare use her name against me!
"You weren't there to protect her." Unphased, he looked her straight in the eye. "To protect any of them."
"And neither were you." Tears welled up in her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. "But Tai was and even he couldn't stop it. What makes you think we would have made a difference? We're Branwens, Qrow. Unholy poison runs through our veins and makes us powerless against that man. Tai had full mastery over Holy and that wasn't enough."
"Yang possesses that power and potential too, Rae," Qrow stated calmly. "That's what Dad's goal was this whole time, right? The Schnee wanted a child that held the Holy Curse and the Holy Blessing, while the Dad wanted to create a Holy Faunus, right?"
"Qrow, no matter how you look at her, no part of Yang is a Branwen," Raven lamented. "I still don't see what Dad claimed was Branwen about her. I don't love her any less for it, but I can't give her what she needs. Not like you, someone who always loved humans. I know that I could have come back, but it was for the best. Yang never showed signs of being a Faunus and it was either me or her that had to return… Yang couldn't look at me… How was she supposed to live among the Branwens? This was for the best."
"Nothing Branwen about her?!" Qrow asked in disbelief. "She's the most Branwen person I know, next to you – definitely more than me, anyway. She's just as stubborn, conflicted, and angry as you… Significantly less emo periods, but she has her moments…" She gave him a blank expression at that comment. "But the biggest thing is that I think things were a success with whatever you guys were doing! She may not have feathers but I've seen her under Holy and those proud Branwen eyes of yours show so radiantly. Sometimes I forget that she's not you, but then she starts with Tai's ridiculous puns and I realize she's blonde!" He pinched his fingers together as a form of measurement. "Okay, so maybe she looks a little like Tai, but she's definitely all you."
"That's right," Raven said distantly. "She did Awaken recently… Late to the table, but she's there… Summer did predict both of them would be late-bloomers… I can't believe just how right she's been this whole time…"
"Well, without Tai, there's no one left to show Yang how to control it. She's the last of the Xiao Longs, Raven, and she's so afraid! She doesn't know what's going on with her own body and Taurus is making plans. If there's any part of you that wants to fix things, now is the time! It won't be easy, but you can still make things right!"
"You know I can't show myself in front of them… In front of Yang…" Her fist loosened and she withdrew from him to remove the rest of her armor. "I'm of no use to them and I've got my hands full with the White Fang. On my own, all I can do is cause some setbacks, but Taurus has been on the lookout for me since the Branwens ceded from the White Fang. I've been able to find some unsettling information, but I don't have the manpower willing to go against him. This is the most I can do for any of you."
"Will you at least help me out by telling me why things the way they are?" He paused for a moment and let her think. "What did you mean when you said you were following Summer's orders and that she predicted things?" Raven looked up and leaned back, crashing onto her bed with an exhausted sigh, patting the bed beside her.
"Sit down," she mumbled. "This is gonna' take a while… I'll admit that I owe you this, but you won't like anything I have to say." Against his better judgment, he sat down next to his sister. She closed her eyes and he could see her fingers begin to tremble. A part of him felt bad for her. He knew he was pressuring her to face the things she had been running from.
All their lives, Raven had been seen as the stronger alpha of the two. Great things had been expected of her from the beginning and Summer had been her undoing. She gave everything up for that girl and as much as he also cared for their team leader, he supported the world of positivity that Raven had been opened up to… Unfortunately, it was that very world that completely destroyed her – even more than him.
Emotionally, she was the weaker of the two. The truth was that between them, he had been the one that always encouraged her to keep going and believed that she had the ability to change. Without that, they both knew that she would have burnt out long ago. He took her hand and squeezed it reassuringly, letting her know that he was still there for her. Everything would be okay in the end. He'd just get mad for a bit and then things would get better. That's how it always was.
"Summer and I only ever briefly mentioned to you and Tai that we met as children…" Raven recalled the silver pools of mercury that still haunted her dreams and the unusual human they belonged to. "As Branwens, we were always feared because we were Faunus that resembled vampires at night. I was always proud of my feathers, even though humans were afraid of them, but this little girl with eyes that glowed in the moonlight said they were so pretty. I guess that's how everything started…"
ooOOoo
"Hey dude, you feelin' alright?" Sun checked on Neptune. It had been a few days since the Winter incident. He knew Neptune was still healing from the poison, but the loss of Weiss had taken a major toll on both his buddy and the Rose girl. She'd been holed up in Weiss' room, but Neptune had opted to go out into the sun for the first time in two years. They both thought it was a good idea for him to start immersing himself in the daylight again. After all, this was his world again.
"Yeah, I'm still a little worn out from recovery, but I'm sure that'll pass." The blue-haired boy muttered with his hands behind head. "It's so warm out here. I'm not used to this. I do feel a little sick though, but it goes away at night, so there's that. I'm probably just used to things being colder." He tugged at his collar, loosening it to emphasize the uncomfortable heat.
"Aw, I think it's super pleasant out!" He grinned forward. "Well, at least we get a little bit of time to unwind before tonight."
"Yeah," Neptune shrugged, unsure of how things will pan out or if he'd even be allowed to assist. "I'm surprised that Oscar was able to reschedule the meeting with the Schnee. I'm even more surprised that Mr. Schnee accepted. I guess even he understood the predicament we were in."
"Hmmm," Sun rubbed his chin and his tail swayed gently behind him in contemplation. "I'm gonna' go out on a whim and say he left out the part where we have Rose and Xiao Long." That made sense. Hunters weren't tearing apart the city looking for them. The intelligent thing to do would be for Oscar to say that they were in his possession and under lock and key. Knowing Oscar, that was probably the case.
In the last few days, Blake had reappeared once or twice, though she dodged many of their questions. Even stranger was that she was actively avoiding Glynda and she adored that woman like a mother. If they had to guess, the other night really affected her, which was odd since she missed the whole fiasco. The feline had been very adamant about asking about Yang's condition, but when they asked Yang, she hadn't seen her once. This bothered the blonde and she became even moodier than she already was in the already unfamiliar territory. She was probably angry with both Qrow and Blake for leaving things out, but without them here, she and Ruby were also dealing with this without the two people that could help them cope.
"So are we going to Junior's?"
"No way, man!" Neptune all but had a heart attack. He couldn't show his face there. "Dude, they'll smell me right away! We can't reveal that Weiss is dead yet! If that gets out, a lot of trouble will start again. We can't afford that on top of everything else!"
"Ah, shit, you're right," Sun frowned. "Well, I don't even know what to do right now. What else do we even do?"
"I guess we find another place to chill at." Neptune thought to himself a bit and decided on something. "Y'know, there's this awesome spot I used to go! I haven't been there is a while, but since I can eat food again!..."
"Hahaha, sure let's go, dude!" Sun didn't think he had ever seen Neptune this excited. With his hands clasped together, Neptune lead the way, daydreaming about the food he hadn't had since before he had died. The monkey grinned to himself, knowing he was the first to see this side of his best friend. He'd almost lost him just a few days ago. He wouldn't take him for granted and if Neptune wanted to go somewhere, that's exactly where they would go.
Looking around, Neptune enjoyed himself as he walked freely among regular people for the first time in forever. Having resigned himself to the world of night, he had forgotten how much he missed simple things like this. Scanning over the many shop signs, he silently prayed the small hole in the wall place was still around. It would be pretty poor luck on his part if they were gone… But that was when he found it. Glories – a Cajun eatery.
They ran through the door and quickly found seats, ordering a few things off the menu. Everything was the same as back when he was a Hunter-in-training and he was going to enjoy himself the way it was meant to be. Hopefully, Sun would enjoy himself too. He wasn't sure if Sun actually cared for this type of seasoning, but he'd know soon enough.
To his surprise, Sun seemed to be enjoying the vegetable gumbo he went with. That was a surprising choice. He almost expected him to go after the Cajun BBQ, but hey, whatever interested him. Now that he thought about it, Blake was true to her nature as a feline Faunus and ate a lot of fish and other meats. Sun tended to go with more produce, though he did occasionally eat meat… Maybe that's how he managed his weight so well… Ah crap, he'd have to start doing that again. Oh man… It was times like this he wished he'd had the metabolisms of Yang or Ruby in his human life.
"Haha, did you hear that the Hive Syndicate rescheduled their meeting?" A voice came from behind. "Turns out they got fucked up by the White Fang the other night. If they can't even handle them, how are they approaching us for a ceasefire? We could just wipe out all their leaders at the meeting!"
"I'm sure that's what Jacques has in mind," another Hunter stated, clearly bored with the topic. "I heard that Headmaster Pine is overseeing things though. That should be interesting. Seems suspicious that Hive was okay with that."
Neptune and Sun flashed looks at each other. It was time for them to get out of there. It was bad enough that they got stared at when they walked in. If they knew they were Hive, things could get out of hand pretty easily. They started to back away, but ran into something soft and solid.
"Well, look what we got here," a voice boomed from in front of them. They looked up to find they had run into a towering giant of a man. "A mangy monkey and his boyfriend."
"Hey!" Neptune shrieked and Neptune laughed. "I like chicks!"
"Whatever you gotta' tell yourself to make it real," the man's mustache bobbed up and down with each syllable. "You should be ashamed of yourself for hanging out with something other than your own kind. The monkey isn't welcome." Dammit, Sun really wanted to come in here and this was just getting worse.
"Since when are Faunus not welcome here?!" Yeah, it'd been a while since Neptune was last able to come here, but if he was able to enjoy real food again, he really wanted something he missed. He also happened to want his best friend to enjoy it with him.
"They ain't ever been welcome in fine establishments like this," he glowered at the blonde. "Even if he happened to have a Schnee Crest, it still wouldn't excuse him, which I also don't see… So what am I supposed to think of that?"
"L-look, I just got out of the hospital and I wanted to get some real food man!" Neptune waved his hands defensively. "I'm relying on my friend for assistance!"
"Well, rely your asses outta' here," the man grabbed Neptune's collar and the boy started praying to whatever deity would answer. "I'll give you a friendly reminde- blergh!" A sharp blow to the man's face sent him flying across the dining area into several tables.
"These are Blake and Weiss' inferiors, correct?" A tall dark-haired bird Faunus woman dressed in red and black armor stood in front of them with an unimpressed look in her eyes.
"Rae, you didn't need to make an entry like that!" They recognized that exhausted sounding voice. Ruby and Yang's uncle walked up behind her. "Yeah, that's them- Neptune and Sun."
"I see," she looked them over.
"Uh, Xiao Long, seriously – first you insult Faunus but this is crossing the line!" Sun snapped at the dark haired woman, who gritted her teeth, feathers rustling as he went off. "The whole emo thing is fine, but dressing up as a Faunus isn't gonna' get me to forgive you any faster. That's actually more offensive!"
"This little shit!" Raven snagged him by his ear. "Do you have any idea who you are talking to?!"
"Who the fuck do you think you are?" The wall of a man marched toward them. "Figures a filthy Faunus like you would take a cheap shot." Raven glared at the man from the corner of her eyes.
"Whoa, whoa ,whoa! Don't pick this fight, man!" A slightly older Hunter walked in front of the man and flagged him down. "These are ScareQrow and the Telltale Heart - Team STRQ's Ill-Fated Twins!"
"What are you boys doing out here?" Qrow asked , shooting a glance at the former vampire. "Aren't you still in recovery?"
"Well-"
"If he's fine enough to play around with the fool, he's fine enough to be put to work," Raven said, walking out of the diner. "Follow."
"Oh man," Sun shrank in on himself. "I can't believe that was the first thing I said to The Telltale Heart…"
"You also didn't realize that Yang has Faunus family…" Qrow deadpanned.
"Everyone keeps saying she's human!"
"Well, as her birth giver, I can assure you that somewhere deep inside there is something part Faunus," Raven stated dismissively.
"Birth giver?" That was such a strange term to use when referring to being someone's mother.
"…" Raven suddenly stopped and Sun put his hands up defensively. After a moment, she apparently chose to ignore the comment and continued moving.
"Look, kids, Raven's kinda' moody right now. Got a lot goin' on in our heads," Qrow tried to ease the situation.
"So, uh, Miss Branwen. Eeep!" Neptune squeaked when she turned her eyes toward him. In response, she rolled her eyes. Great, he was off to an awesome start. "Wh-what are we doing?"
"As much as I'm against the idea of getting involved, I am going to be lending a hand to you all," she said in a bored tone. "We are going to be setting up countermeasures in the event your little cease fire agreement goes south. It's almost always guaranteed with the Schnee."
"Jacques can be kind of a dick and he knows Hive ran into some trouble recently," Qrow explained. "I wouldn't be surprised if he tries something, so we've got to prepare everyone. Mine and Oscar's involvement with Hive is as of yet still unknown to Jacques, and with Weiss gone and Pyrrha stepping in, all our cards are in the wrong places. Not to mention, we don't know what the White Fang, The Council, or Winter have planned out. These are all people looking for both Yang and Ruby. With our key players out for tonight, HQ is pretty much unprotected. How are you with a sniper rifle?"
"Uh, I mean, I'm pretty decent," Neptune shrugged. "It's been a while since I've used one but give me a few minutes in the firing range to get used to it again and I'll be good."
"Alright," Qrow contemplated. "Definitely do that when we get back. We'll be keeping you at a distance. Sun will be with you, as well… And there's one last thing," Qrow tapped his foot in thought. "Do not let Yang or Ruby know about Raven. We can't afford any mistakes during this."
"O-ok…" Neptune nodded, but he didn't get it. Seriously, Yang deserved a chance to meet her mom again… but she was a bit hot-headed. He wasn't really too worried about Ruby though. She'd probably be bummed out to know she missed a chance, but she'd cheer up. It's just; this would be something that would perk them up, even if Yang got pissed at first.
The rest of the day was filled with moving heavy things around and plotting out positions in preparation for anything that may have become a problem. The positive thing about Hive was that each member that would be present could individually handle about 10 run-of-the-mill Hunters. While she would remain in the shadows, Raven planned to make an appearance if something unexpected happened. With Weiss being gone, she would be the trump card that no one knew was there – not even the side she was taking up arms for. The former-Huntress was surprisingly thorough and Neptune couldn't but admire just how dedicated this woman was. At times, he saw bits of Yang reflected in her. At other times, she was the total opposite, but the determination and focus was what got him. That was exactly the same.
"Hey, Miss Branwen?" He was bit hesitant at first, but he wanted to know more about his old partner's mother.
"What is it, kid?" Wow, she and Qrow really were similar.
"I wanted to know why you decided to help."
"You don't want it?" She raised an eyebrow at him. "Bold move, brat."
"N-no," Neptune put his hands up defensively. "I just… And I mean no offense by this; I was told you only do things that benefit you. That you were a selfish woman that abandoned her family… At least, that's what Yang always said." Raven's harsh glare softened a bit.
"She's right. I am completely selfish." She tried to hide the hurt. "How do you know this doesn't benefit me?"
"Because you haven't brought up anything about a reward the entire time and Hive has nothing to offer you or the Branwen family," Neptune paused for a moment. "Except for the fact that we have Yang."
"Yang and Ruby," Raven corrected him under her breath. "I don't understand why it is that all you people seem to think that Yang would be the only one I care about. While it's true that I naturally hold a deeper bond with Yang, they are both my daughters, Summer's daughters… our daughters," Raven smiled as she corrected herself. "Summer and I both got so upset whenever someone implied that they could each only have one mother. They had two and a father… well, I suppose two of those, as well. As it is now, they have no mothers and an uncle that's doing a better job at being a parent than any of us."
"Why don't you go back then?" The aqua boy was seriously confused. Yang painted her so poorly, yet this woman spoke so fondly of them, despite having abandoned them. Was this just another stubborn thing they had in common?
"They don't need me anymore," Raven twisted something together and it clicked. "I messed up and I can't take what I did back."
"Yeah, I mean, I guess they're okay, but I think they'd do a lot better if you were around," Neptune frowned. "I was Yang's partner before I died. She still wanted you to come back and that was only two years ago. She'd get so angry and then she'd talk about something fun you did as a family, but then try to hide it," he scratched his cheek. "I dunno', I guess I just want her to finally have peace of mind."
"Ah," Raven smirked at him mischievously. "Missed your chance while it was in front of you, eh?"
"Wh-what?!" Neptune shrieked. "N-no! I'd never touch your daughter!" The Faunus woman narrowed her eyes at him.
"Are you saying there is something wrong with my daughter?"
"What!" His heart started racing. This woman was crazy! "Now you're just putting words in my mouth!"
"Raven, his heart just started beating again," Qrow muttered. "And you're already trying to give him a heart attack."
"Oh look, my dashing younger brother," she used such a monotone voice. "Here to ruin all of my fun... again…" Yep, she was definitely Yang's mother. The personality had to have been inherited… Either that or she was just that similar to Qrow.
ooOOoo
AN: Soooo, this chapter was actually twice this length, but I made the decision to split it in half. I kind felt the last half destroy the harmony of the chapter over all because it's super action and this kinda' went more into character development? Idk. Next chapter starts tying up part of the Winter Arc and gears things toward a Council/Salem arc. Blake will be a big part of the next chapter as well, though Yang and Ruby won't. I think they pop up in the chapter after that? As always, don't quote me on anything I say. Let's pretend I actually do a decent job at accurately guessing whatever the hell I'm doing (I don't lol). Anyway, I hope to have another chapter out before Xmas or shortly after! In the mean time, if I don't, Merry Xmas to all of you!
Reviewer Response:
Enigma0403: No, Weiss is not dead. Everyone is under the impression that she is because salt and water have devastating effects on vampires. It hasn't been clarified completely, but that's what Oscar and Blake were sent to do.
Kinigget: Funny story, I got an email alert stating that you issued reviews and I was like… Oh yeah, I was supposed to put out a chapter today, so I put out 24 lol. I do enjoy seeing what people think as they go through the chapters. As readers, it's now known that Winter has a deep anger-seated anger mixed into jealousy and love. You're going to find out in the next chapter about half of why Winter is so angry and get a major hint at what's driving her so hard.
Kurei555: We all have our kryptonite, even Weiss! But yes, I intended to give out information as characters learn. I do admit I've chosen some confusing ways to go over things. Many characters have information that others do not, so I often choose to change perspectives to a character who is about to learn something from another. For instance, Blake notes to herself that there is something Yang would hate to find out the truth about Oscar. Blake is aware of details regarding Oscar's connection to Ozpin, though not the entire truths. Many people will also only know half-truths. Raven and Oscar will serve as major plot devices since they both know pretty much everything that's going on. Even Qrow has been kept largely in the dark, as he brought up at the beginning of this chapter.
Nakfyre: I've come to realize that about my characters as well. I sadly just get these "dope ideas" as like to think of them and I don't consider "maybe I should flesh out my characters a bit". So now I'm trying to do that, as well as with the background. I kinda' just through a bunch of characters in that didn't have anything that set them apart. I do feel like as others that are involved in their lives pop up, I'm giving myself better opportunities to do that.