.
- "… Then one day, you arrived. I heard your angel cry… Helpless, small, and perfect, welcome to your life… "
The front door opened, cutting Yang in her song. She didn't know it further anyway, she only heard it once, half asleep. That night…
Qrow put two plastic bags on the bed and motioned for her to come and see. Arriving at Mistral, they took a small apartment funded by Ozpin, just to have a bed each and not sleep with the same decor as that in which Raven died. It would be hurting themselves for nothing.
-There you go, I think it's your size.
Yang took a brown T-shirt and black pants from the bag, and held them against her to gauge the size. With everything that happened, she and Qrow spent over a week before realizing that she had no other clothes than the ones she was wearing when she arrived, that is to say a jacket with a sleeve torn off and covered with blood.
-So ?
Yang nodded and took her new clothes with her to the bathroom. She also had the feeling that she forgot to wash in the past few days …
Qrow watched Yang leave without a word. She was apparently not very talkative, but at least she was talking to him. Barely more than a week after a traumatic experience, it was a very good start, and from the outside, she seemed to recover quite quickly, she was eating properly and didn't wake up in the middle of the night because of nightmares. Of course, he knew things were much more complicated psychologically, but he couldn't do much for the moment, he wasn't an expert. In fact, he was already very grateful that this was not her first experience of death. When a child like Ruby would never have been able to see a drop of blood again and would have spent whole days screaming and crying to get her mom back, Yang quickly accepted that her mother would not return and that she had to continue living despite everything. It was always very hard to live, but it was bearable for her, she forced herself to go forward, not to lament all day, to eat even if she didn't want to. The tribe's survival instinct could be good.
But how long was he going to be able to stay with her? He couldn't take her with him on his missions for Ozpin, even though she knew about Salem. He could obviously leave her with Tai and Summer, it was the most logical and the safest for her, but she might not feel in her place. His teammates were nice, yes, too nice. Yang might be ten years old, but she had the mentality of an adult and was used to be treated so, while still being mentally fragile because of the recent events. Finding the right balance without having personally experienced life in the tribe could be complicated. And then, she didn't look very excited when he told her about Tai…
But what else could he do? Someone had to take care of her, if only to help her with her arm. Although this point didn't seem to bother her though, as if she had always had only one arm. Losing her family so violently must have hurt her much more, and then Raven must have taught her to adapt to all situations. "As long as you're alive, keep fighting," or something like that. Hard to believe that a missing arm wasn't a priority but…
Qrow pulled out his Scroll and scrolled through his long list of contacts, hoping that one of them could help him unblock the situation in any way. Some names made him laugh considering his problem, imagining Glynda's stunned look of in front of Raven's daughter was very entertaining. Oh ! Peter and Barty's reactions would also be amazing! But thinking about it, if it hadn't been for all this panic, Qrow himself would certainly have been the worst of them… Raven mom, it sounds like a joke…
His eyes fell on the name "Jimmy". James had only been in Ozpin's circle for a few weeks, and he was a soldier to the nails, but since the little girl was a Maiden, he would do anything for her. She could live in Atlas, on her own, go to any school, and have access to the appropriate facilities to learn to control her powers. Maybe he could even provide her with a prosthesis? Stupid question, the Maidens were the main barrier to prevent Salem from getting hold of the Relics and destroying Remnant, obviously he would provide her with a prosthesis, especially if Oz asked him. And at least he was sure no one there would treat her like a child, it was the army after all.
It was a good plan, if only he was not a hundred percent sure that Tai would never accept his daughter living in a military base, even if he had never met her before… Just hoping that Ozpin could be convincing, because it was the only correct idea he had so far…
-Hey Qrow?
Qrow almost jumped when he heard the kid. He didn't noticed that she was out of the shower, she was awfully quiet…
-Yeah what?
Yang said nothing and handed him the comb. Qrow felt a drop of sweat bead on the side of his forehead as he understood what she was asking him. Even when wet, he had no idea how to get a comb through that , and obviously she didn't either. However, he did not complain, and motioned for her to sit in front of him on the bed. She did, and after a deep breath, he tried to comb the yellow mess he was facing.
His hand did not go lower than a few centimeters before being completely blocked.
-How did you do so far…?
-Mother used to do it for me all the time.
-You never untangled your hair yourself?
-I tried but I can't do it anymore since they passed my shoulders. I must have been four years old. And… Mother loved to do it to me…
Qrow looked at the comb that stood alone between the curls with a hint of despair. How could Raven like to comb through this? How could she even just put a comb through it?
-I'm not sensible with my hair, you know.
-Fortunately…
Because he was going to do it… He was going to spend hours there and struggling as much as killing a herd of Goliaths with a spoon, but he was going to do it…
With a sigh, he rolled up his sleeves and tried to pass the comb again. His eyebrow twitched. He would never make it like that, there were too many knots in the same place, and the thickness of the loops meant that the teeth of the comb could not even cross everything… Let's think, he had already seen Raven untangled her hair right? How was she doing again…?
Qrow's face lit up. He had not forgotten that! … But he was starting to wonder about his selective memory…
Momentarily placing the comb next to him, he separated a wick from the rest. This step was already a challenge because of the absurd amount of knots, but he ended up isolating a wick of hair from the rest of the hair. He then took the comb, and began to untangle the bottom about ten centimeters, then a few centimeters above, then a little more.
In the end, it took him three and a half hours, but he had succeeded. The mass of blonde hair, almost dry now, looked much less wild and intimidating like that. Yang stood up and thanked him with a small nod, before going to her own bed. Qrow watched her for a moment. It was so disturbing, she was so similar to Raven and at the same time so different, she had the same long curly hair, but the opposite color, she spoke very little, but without this coldness in her voice, she had this maturity and this seriousness in her gaze and in her movements, but sometimes she acted like a small child, and looked as fragile as glass… Like at this moment, while she braided the hair of her doll and tied her hat, not without difficulty because of her missing arm. At the same time, she didn't have much else to do.
-Hey, what did you do in your free time?
Yang opened her mouth to answer, then closed it, her fingers stopped moving, and she looked away. She seemed to hesitate a few moments, then resumed her activity as if nothing had happened. Strange…
-I trained, or I helped Mother manage the tribe and prepare the raids.
Qrow blinked a few times before understanding what he had just heard. Manage the tribe? Prepare the raids? At ten? What was Raven thinking? It was barely the age to-…
-Since when do you participate in raids?
-Since I was eight years old.
Eight years… Raven had sent her daughter on a raid at the age of eight…
Qrow sighed and dropped his face into his hand. No, Tai and Summer would never understand Yang…
Two weeks. It's been two weeks since that night. The raindrops banged against the glass at an irregular rate, and the wind whistled through the slight opening of the window. Yang was looking outside, sitting on her bed. Qrow went out to get food, but with the weather, he would take a little longer than expected to return. In the meantime, she was bored, her doll's hair was more untangled than ever, she had already read the few books that her uncle bought her to pass the time, and there was not much else to do in a rental apartment. There was still TV, but she didn't see the point of it…
Her gaze then fell on the only other object in the room. Raven's weapon. None of them had the heart to part with it, and Qrow agreed to let her keep it. It was her mother's weapon, and she had none other than her dagger, so it was logical that it should belong to her… except that it was a right-handed weapon, and she no longer had right hand. For the moment, having one less arm didn't bother her that much, she had grown up in an environment that required adapting to survive, if she missed one arm, then she would compensate with the other , it was that simple, especially since she was ambidextrous in combat. But not being able to use the weapon her mother left her gave her a bitter aftertaste… No, she mustn't say things like "if I still had my arm", she lost it, it was done, no going back. That was what she had been taught. Survive whatever happens.
Yang stood up and walked over to the weapon against the wall. If she only had her left arm, then she would use her left arm. Tying the scabbard to her right hip was not an easy task, but she managed after a lot of effort. Her hand landed on the handle, and there came the problem, the mechanism was suitable for a right hand, and using the left hand was very uncomfortable, she even felt that her fingers were too short to reach certain buttons, which she should be able to do with the other hand. Too bad, she would manage.
Pressing the main trigger, a slight click sounds, followed by the sound of the blade slowly pulled from its sheath. Yang looked at the sword in her hand, covered with a blade of Wind Dust. She remembered when she was young and that, when planted in the ground, the handle was so high for her that she couldn't even touch it. She was only three years old when she held a sword for the first time. She must have looked ridiculous now that she thought about it… Yet her mother always encouraged her, she explained step by step how to do it, did not scold her when she made a mistake, and repeated that she was proud from her. And Yang had always done her best to deserve this pride, she had trained until exhaustion countless times. She wanted to be able to defend herself, she didn't want to be a burden for the tribe, she wanted her mother to be proud of her, she wanted to look like that person she admired so much, she wanted to be worthy of to be the daughter of someone so amazing, and more than anything, she wanted to see her smile. And that determination had only grown over time.
It was not an ill-suited handle that was going to stop her!
Yang took a deep breath and got into position. She didn't train for two weeks, she had to recover. She then performed the first movements of her basic exercises, and a second problem presented to her. No matter how much she knew how to handle weapons with both hands… her call foot remained her right foot. The foot crashed hard on the ground.
-Dammit!
No matter how hard she tried, having a dominant foot opposite the hand with which she held the sword without having the second to balance caused her a very disabling imbalance. Her eyebrow twitched several times as she continued her series of movements, slowly enough to force herself to put her left foot forward rather than the right… She couldn't fight like that. Correct positioning must come naturally, forcing it required too much concentration. It would take a long time for this problem to be solve, but she was in no rush, and Raven had taught her to be patient. Fortunately.
The sword swayed slowly from place to place, the light from the bulb reflecting off the blade. Each movement was precise, calculated to the millimeter, repeated a thousand times, day or night, rain or shine. Yang had always been much better in hand-to-hand combat, her Semblance went in this direction, so she had redoubled her efforts to become a swordswoman at the height of her mother. She wanted to be like her, make her happy, make her proud…
-Tell me Yang, is it just an impression or… Everything you do has something to do with your mother?
Yang froze in her movement. Why did Ren's question came back to her now? It wasn't even true, everything she did wasn't related to Raven, she had things for herself, like… like…
The wind was starting to blow hard, it was the beginning of winter. In the ten centimeters of snow from the backyard, a little girl with blond hair struggled to lift a sword obviously too heavy for her little arms. She then dragged it behind her for a short distance, before starting to turn on herself, the weapon still at arm's length. With the momentum, the sword took off from the ground for half a turn, before slipping from her hands. The little girl fell flat on her stomach in the snow. Her feet lifted for a moment, before falling back with a nervous growl.
A soft, melodious laugh resounded in the isolated corner of the camp, and the little girl looked up quickly before running towards the new arrival, leaving small footprints in the snow behind her.
-Mommy!
Raven knelt down to catch her daughter who jumped on her, hugging her with her tiny arms. The little blonde quickly detached and then began to bounce, leaning on her mother's lap, a radiant smile on her lips.
-Hey mommy, did you see that? I train to be super strong with a sword like you!
Another laugh escaped Raven's lips, and her hand landed on Yang's head to ruffle her hair. She still had child's hair, so soft to the touch.
-I see that, but are you sure you want to use a sword? There are lots of other types of weapons you know.
Yang shook her head forcefully and clenched her fists in front of her, pouting.
-No, I want to do everything just like you mommy!
Raven's smile sagged slightly, so that Yang did not see it.
- "Everything just like me" eh? I don't know if it's the best path to take…
Yang tilted her head on the side with a confused look. Raven then stood up and walked over to a crate where several weapons were stored.
- ... But if that's really what you want.
Then she pulled out a tanto and motioned for Yang to come closer, before putting it in her hands. She then crouched down behind her and positioned her correctly.
That was their very first training together.
Yang slowly opened her eyes and looked around. She was back in bed, it was still raining outside, and she could hear the sound of the shower. A plate with what should be an unidentifiable microwave dish was placed on the bedside table next to her. She must have passed out at one point or another.
Her fist clenched on the blanket. She was tired of being weak.
Three weeks. For the first time in three weeks, Yang went out for a walk. She was tired of being locked up all day, even if she spent the most of this time training, she was made to live outdoors. Qrow had seemed pleased with her decision, and even gave her some money so she could buy something if she wanted to. All that reminded her of the journey of a few days that she had made with her mother after her first raid, the same journey where they had quarreled, but from which they came back even more united, and where she had also had the opportunity to make her first friends. Ren and Nora were still out and about in Anima, she could very well come across them at the corner of a street. Her gaze fell on her sleeve which hung in the wind. How could she explain this to them without telling them the whole truth, that she was a bandit and that she had killed innocent people of her own free will? Would they hate her? Would she lose them too?
-Eh! Look where you go brat!
Yang looked up at the man who just pushed her. He was a tall, bearded man dressed like a businessman. All the blonde knew about people like him was that they used to store their wallets in their inner left pocket. She couldn't help a little amused smirk at the thought.
-What is that insolent air, your parents didn't tell you to apologize when you hurt an adult?
Yang raised an eyebrow. "Hurt"? She almost wanted to laugh about it. She simply bypassed him rather than setting off a scene, but he grabbed her arm to hold her back…
-Wait a second young girl! Who allows you to ignore-…
… Or rather the sleeve in which her arm should have been. The man froze. A ten-year-old child with a missing arm was not very common, and for someone unfamiliar with the world of Huntsmen, it should be even worse. Poor guy, what would he say if he knew what she had seen, what she had done?
As the man still looked at her, a mixture of fear and disgust on his face, the provocative side of Yang took over, and she turned completely towards him, showing her most beautiful fake smile of innocent little girl, her eyes brilliant bright red straight out of hell.
-It would be very bad for you if I started to cry right now, in front of everyone.
She was a child, an adorable little blonde visibly disabled, held by a man in the middle of the street. Yang knew how to cry on command, and if she did, no doubt people wouldn't even wonder what had happened.
This time, the man let go of her and stepped back, frightened, and Yang walked away without paying any more attention. It had been a long time since she had fun scaring someone. The last time was when she smashed a bottle against a tree before pinning the tips against Antonin's neck so he would leave her alone. To have tried harder two days later, she had to admit that he had a certain courage.
Her feet carried her across the streets, not quite knowing where to take her. Unlike the time she met Ren and Nora, she had been careful where she was going so that she could return without too much trouble, she had no way of contacting Qrow if she got lost, and she still hadn't tried to fly. He had mentioned the idea of buying her a Scroll, but she didn't really see the point of it, she never needed one in the tribe, she always knew who was where and always went to speak directly to the people when she had something to tell them.
Her foot kicked a stone, which bounced off a pole and came back to her head. With her Aura it didn't hurt, but it was enough to annoy her. She then took a deep breath to calm down. It was just a stone and it happened to everyone to be unlucky. She must remain unperturbed, not appear weak, she must be strong, she mustn't lament for such small things.
-The weak die, the strong live.
Yang looked around. People were walking quietly in the street, children were hanging from their parents' hands, elderly were being helped to carry their groceries. While Raven was dead. Her fist clenched, it was only a lie, otherwise it would be her who would have died that night, because she had been too weak to defend her tribe against the Grimm, too weak to defend her mother against this woman, too weak to save her own life by herself. So Raven had to do it for her. She paid the price for her weakness in her place.
Yang's feet brought her back to the apartment. With one arm missing and an unsuitable weapon, she was even weaker than she was that night. She still needed to train.
If he could it in this form, Qrow would have sighed. No doubt, it was Raven's daughter, this poor man would long remember this meeting…
With a wingbeat, Qrow continued to follow his niece. She may have seemed better, but he couldn't help but worry. Yes she could defend herself, yes she knew how not to attract attention, yes she knew how to come back alone, but with her temperament a little too similar her mother's, he preferred to be careful. So he followed her flying. She must have known that Raven could turn into a bird, but did she know about him? In case she did, he stayed high or hidden, she might not appreciate him watching over her like that.
Finally, she returned to the apartment only an hour after leaving, frowning. Nothing had happened, except her little confrontation with the businessman, but she had grown up in the forest, maybe she just couldn't stand the city well. Ah no, she was going to get her weapon to train outside… For about a week, she had decided to learn how to wield Raven's sword with her left hand, despite the right-handed handle. Using her mother's weapon was for her a way of hanging onto the past, even unconsciously, a way of always having her mother with her, protecting her. Yang may have seemed to recover quickly, but some wounds would take a very long time to heal… It had been only three weeks ago after all.
Besides, since Ozpin's last call, Qrow hadn't communicated with anyone. They left him space and he was grateful, even if he spent this time looking after Yang, she needed more attention than he did, and he promised Raven to take care of her. For now everything was going well. Too well. And with its Semblance, long periods without problems never announced anything good. He knew where the problem was hidden. A few times during meals, he had mentioned going to Vale or Patch, and each time he had seen her eyes blink red before she changed the subject. He also remembered her disgusted look when he asked her if she knew Tai, or the deadly look she gave him when he was talking with Ozpin. She clearly did not want to meet them, and the option of entrusting her to James seemed increasingly relevant. In fact, it was the only relevant option he had in mind at the moment. He would talk to her about it tonight, for now she was training, and he needed a drink…
Summer was worried. It had been three weeks since they heard from Qrow, three weeks since Ozpin announced Raven's death, three weeks since Tai closed in on himself. She didn't know what to do.
Several times she asked Oz to tell her where Qrow was, so that she could be by his side and not leave him alone in a moment like this, you should never be alone when you were sad, you always needed your friends around in difficult times. However, the old man had refused, explaining that, on the contrary, he needed to be given space. If she understood his reasoning, she did not agree, but what really shocked her was his categorical refusal, almost a ban on getting involved ...
Ozpin had never refused her anything, which gave her the reputation of being the headmaster's favorite when she was in Beacon. This wasn't true of course, for proof, her team had taken more detention than anyone, and had to do extra training missions all the time! It was almost slavery! Although with all the mess they caused, they were lucky not to have been fired…
Their time at Beacon seemed so distant. At the time they were only a group of teenagers unable to get along, and today she was married to Tai, the man with whom she had been in love since their first year, they had an adorable little eight years old daughter, Qrow often visited them between two missions, and Raven…
Summer didn't know what to think about the death of her teammate. Obviously, she was sad, but she had only heard about her from Qrow once or twice in ten years, and if she was honest, she had been too busy raising her daughter and helping Tai to recover from his wife's sudden departure to really care. Summer was so angry against her for leaving. Raven had everything her teammate had always wanted and she just threw everything out the window, she was the cool and mature girl of the school, she did everything perfectly, she had a brother with whom she got along very well, and she had Tai, she was married to the most wonderful man in the world, she had a nice quiet life with him in a beautiful house in the forest, and some time before she left, they even talked about having their first child. Of course, with the missions multiplying at that time, they should have waited, but they were seriously considering it.
And then one day, when Tai and Summer returned from a mission together, all of Raven's belongings were gone. After some research, Qrow found her, back in her tribe, claiming that their team had been an "interesting experience" but that it was time to come back to reality, before blaming Ozpin. She had abandoned them all. Tai was falling apart, and Summer had tried to keep him together, she had been there for him after Raven left, and they ended up getting married, living together, and having this child he had wanted so badly. And Summer would be lying if she said she didn't feel proud that, for once, she had succeeded where Raven had failed.
She wanted her teammate to come back, she wanted her friend to fight by their side again, for them to become the team STRQ they had always been, but she also always had that fear deep inside herself, a fear she was ashamed of, she was afraid that Raven, by returning, would take back the place she left when leaving, a place that Summer had dreamed of silently for years, and that she had abandoned for a small group of killers.
But now that Raven was dead, Summer was torn between sadness and relief, and she felt really bad about it, she couldn't believe she was almost happy with the death of her friend, while her other teammates were wiped out. She was so ashamed…
-Mom! Cookies are burning!
Summer got up from the couch to save what she could from her last batch of cakes. Tai was so immersed in his work since that day that Ruby was starting to feel neglected, even if she didn't say anything about it, so her mother was taking good care of her.
As she served the plate of hot cookies on the table next to a large glass of milk, Summer wondered for a moment what kind of mother Raven could have been. She would never know…
-…
-What?
-… Nothing nothing …
-Eh, you're not allow to laugh, okay?
For her defense, Yang wasn't laughing, she looked disgusted. After three weeks of eating only frozen or take-out food, Qrow decided to cook by himself. But it seems that all the talent he had in combat has taken the place of his talent in cooking… He thought he could at least make pasta…
Qrow looked down at his own plate, a sort of half-burnt beige porridge held together with the shape of the bottom of the pan. He may have turned the thermostat a little too hard… and too long…
-Okay, I'm ordering a pizza… Have you ever eaten pizza?
-Sometimes.
-Cool.
Once the order was placed, the room fell silent, with the exception of the radio, which reported on local weather. It was always less awkward than a clock ticking.
-Hey…
Yang stopped turning her knife in her hand and looked up at her uncle. Qrow turned off the radio and took a deep breath before speaking. He was about to deliberately enter a minefield…
-You know we won't stay here forever?
She nodded.
-You also know I work for Ozpin.
This was not a question, but she nodded anyway, frowning. Qrow was really thankful that she was mature enough to listen to him despite a subject that easily got her angry. Would she have been like that while growing up with Tai? No chance…
-Now I am entitled to some vacation time to… recover. But after, I will have to go back to my basic missions, investigate Salem, try to discover her plans, find her supporters, … and search the Spring Maiden.
Hearing it, Yang stood up abruptly and put her hand on the handle of Raven's sword, which she wore at her waist, ready to defend herself if he tried to take her away by force. Despite the time they had spent together so far, the girl still didn't fully trust him about Ozpin. Raven must have painted the image of one of the old man's most fervent supporters, and unlike him, she seemed to know why her mother hated the old man so much… and to have inherited this hatred towards him.
Qrow sighed and raised his hands to show that he had no intention of forcing her.
-Calm down, I understand that you don't like him, but I will be obliged to tell him-…
-I won't be one of his pawns!
Her eyes had turned red, and it was somehow even more frightening than the flames. He knew what a Maiden's powers could do, but he had no idea what her Semblance could do.
Qrow waved his hands still raised slightly to make her understand that he would do nothing for the moment, that he only wanted to talk.
-Listen, I haven't told anyone about you yet and I won't without your permission, so calm down and listen to what I have to say before getting mad, can you do that?
-…
-I won't tell anyone without your permission. You have my word.
Yang stared at him for a few more seconds, and after a moment, she sat down slowly, remaining ready to move again if necessary. Her eyes back to purple, she leaned back in her chair, carrying her arm under her chest, as if her arms were crossed, surely trying to look intimidating. Qrow allowed himself to lower his hands, sighing.
-Good… I know you don't like him…
-…
-… okay, you hate him. But. I can't just let you wander alone in nature.
-I-…
-You could manage on your own, I know, I was raised by the tribe too. But you are a Maiden. You risk having Salem chasing you, she knew that the Spring Maiden was in the tribe, and now that theoretically no one remains, if she finds someone who looks so similar to Raven , she will understand right away.
Yang momentarily looked down. He was right and she knew it.
-So, that's the only idea I have for now, even if it's not ideal. Since you have to go somewhere where you can be protected from her , but you don't want to see either Ozpin or your father…
Yang's fist clenched, and he knew she was holding back from getting upset again. If she blamed them as much for Raven's death as Qrow blamed himself, it was already amazing that she made theeffort to hold back.
-… I had the idea of taking you to Atlas. Jimmy has been in the group for a short time, but he is someone I trust enough for that, and as he leads the army, you will have all the equipment to learn how to use your powers. Without having to see Ozpin or Tai.
Yang looked at him as if he just told her that the moon wasn't broken. At the same time, going from "bandit in the Mistral forest" to "privileged in the Atlas army" must have sounded oddly in her head. Quits to live under the "protection" of an Academy Headmaster, Shade's one would have been more logical, Vacuo's tacit laws were actually quite close to what she known in the tribe. But, call him paranoid if you want, Qrow would feel more reassured about Salem by leaving the girl in a secure military center rather than in the midst of thieves and villains… even if it was exactly what she had grown in…
-Yeah, I know it's not the idea of the era. If you have a better option…
Did she even think about what she was going to do from now? Looks like no.
Qrow sighed. He promised Raven to take care of her daughter, but he could neither stay with her, nor take her with him, and she refused to approach the people he trusted most. Being a Maiden, entrusting her to one of the headmasters seemed to be the only valid option he had so far, but Ozpin was out of competition, and Leo had already lost the Spring Maiden once. And choose between leaving her in the middle of the desert or in a military center…
Qrow's heart tightened. She would be safer at Atlas, but she would be happier at Vacuo. And more than anything, she prefered not to go anywhere, not to be one of Ozpin's "pawns" as she said. It was quite strange, generally, the term "pawn" rather meant the supporters of Salem, because she used them as sacrificial objects. Oz was not like that, he cared about them, trusted them, he was like their grandfather. Raven too had thought like that once, then one day, she began to say the complete opposite, and she left, without telling them that she was pregnant.
…
… What had Ozpin done to her so that she would give up everything to keep her baby away from him…?
-Mother did everything so that Ozpin didn't learn of my existence…
-I know, but we don't have much choice if we want you to stay safe.
-… She did it to protect me. Safe ? With Ozpin? Do you even know what he did to her?
-No… But I would appreciate it if you'd tell me.
Yang opened her mouth, but stopped, and looked down. She still wasn't sure if she could trust him. In her eyes, he could still go and tell everything as soon as her back was turned.
It was going to be hard to gain her trust…
-It's not urgent this evening either. I leave you the week to think about it?
She nodded, and the pizza delivery boy arrived right there. The meal took place with the radio as the only sound, then Yang went to bed without a word, keeping her weapon with her, just in case.
Atlas. The Kingdom of advanced technology and high society of Remnant.
Yang had grown up in the Mistralian forest, and had never considered leaving it. Of course, now she had no choice, Qrow was right, if Salem learned of her existence she would be in great danger. In fact, she was already very grateful that he didn't force her to meet this bastard of Ozpin, or her father. She did not want to have anything to do with him, he was not from her family, her family was dead and he was not one of them, if someone asked, she was an orphan. She had made her choice two years ago, and she would not go back on it, even if she was alone, she was not so desperate.
But she hadn't even thought about what she would do from now on. Until then, her future was set, she would grow up in the tribe as one of their best fighters, and one day would take up the torch from her mother as chief. Then everything collapsed, and with these powers, she was trapped in the never-ending war between Ozpin and Salem, a war her mother had tried to keep her away from before she was born.
Yang looked over her shoulder, Qrow slept with his back turned to her, his sword placed next to his bed. Then she looked down at Raven's sword, which she kept with her at all times, even at night. She was pretty much able to use it now, she could handle fights against low level Grimm, and she still had her Semblance. And she had her powers…
Without a sound, she went into the bathroom and locked the door. She had to get stronger, and she didn't need Ozpin's minions to train her.
-Listen to me Yang, magic is not something you use, it's something you do, it's a part of you, it comes just as naturally to you as breathing.
As naturally as breathing. She could do it, she already lit a flame in her hand, she should be able to do it again. Yang reached over to the sink, and closed her eyes. She thought back to the stories her mother told her when she was a child, the ice figures dancing on the table, the light emanating from them, the precision of the sculptures, Raven's voice guiding them in their movements, her hand gently caressing her head, her long hair which sometimes fell over her shoulders, the smell of mint tea, the sweet smile she made for her…
Yang fell on her knees, tears running silently from her eyes. She didn't know what to do, she had nowhere to go, no one to turn to. What would she do to Atlas? Why should she learn to control her powers? Why did she continue to train? There was no longer a tribe to protect, no more future role to take on, no more mother to make proud… Qrow was with her but she didn't know how far she could trust him.
But if she didn't go to Atlas, what would she do? Where would she go? Would she settle in a small random village like the ones she once destroyed? Would Qrow put her in an orphanage? Would she roam the wild like Ren and Nora? They were two, she would be alone, she knew how to survive, but what would she do with this life? What could she do with it? She, a ten year old child without family, with one arm missing and a weapon that she could barely handle…
Maybe she should agree to go to Atlas and see how things go from there. But the idea of being one of Ozpin's pawns put her off. Her mother had given up on everything to avoid that. Especially since she would surely become a Huntress, the people who had killed so many members of her family during the raids. No, Atlas was out of question.
Except that she had nothing else left, and Qrow would never agree to leave her unprotected, he trusted Ozpin too much for that. He never believed Raven when she told him that the old man was a manipulative liar, he would surely not believe her…
Finally, Yang fell asleep in the bathroom, sitting against the wall, not seeing the ice sculpture that was starting to melt in the sink, representing a woman with long wild hair with a Nevermore mask on her face, brandishing a katana forward as if to guide her troops.
-Hey you're okay?
Yang only answered with a nod, gently spinning her spoon in her bowl of cereal, until the cutlery slipped her fingers and drowned in milk, making her groan. Qrow sighed and looked at his Scroll, people finally started talking about "the end of the strongest tribe of bandits in Anima". It had to be admitted that they had been holding on for decades, and would surely have lasted a long time if Salem didn't get involved. Many people should rejoice, be relieved that they no longer had to worry about being attacked by surprise, others should just say "these bandits only got what they deserved". They wouldn't be wrong, the bandits were outlaws, criminals. But contrary to what everyone thought, they were not bad people. And no one deserved to fall because of this witch.
-Qrow…
-Hmm?
-I don't want to go to Atlas.
…
-Did you think about it?
-Yes.
There was a pause, then Qrow sighed and put his closed scroll on the table.
-Fine.
For a moment, he could see astonishment in his niece's eyes, before she pretended to refocus on her breakfast, as if she was not disturbed by the ease with which he accepted her decision. She had apparently never eaten cereal, when Ruby finished an XL size box in less than a week. The two little girls really had nothing in common.
-Where do you want to go then?
The question seemed to catch her off guard, she obviously didn't expect him to be so accommodating. But he decided that she would pass before Ozpin. It was the least he could do to catch up with Raven, and now Qrow couldn't get out of his head that Oz had actually done something wrong that had forced her to leave. When she said after leaving that he was a manipulative bastard and other unflattering things, Qrow obviously did not believe her, he thought she was looking for excuses to flee the fight, he was too angry at her for trying to understand her, and he could count on the fingers of his hand the number of times they had spoken again after that, never very cordially.
But now that he had Yang in front of him, and after what she had said the other day, he was forced to accept that his sister knew something about Ozpin that they didn't, that he had done to her something serious enough that she wanted to keep her child away from him, and that she had decided that the wisest decision was to leave. He wouldn't say that Raven was right to hide her daughter, but there must have been a good reason for her to act as if the old man was as dangerous as Salem. Keeping the girl a secret was perhaps the best option, even if it was the one that reassured him the least.
-I dunno…
-I guessed so …
Silence returned, Yang finished her bowl and went to rinse it in the sink.
BIIIIIIP ~…!
Qrow reopened his Scroll and glanced at the person calling him. Summer. If he usually liked to listen to his teammate talking, now he absolutely did not want to, and he did not want to risk letting out an information on Yang, he promised not to talk about her without her permission . So with some remorse, he rejected the call. Reject a call from Summer. He never thought he would do that one day… It was crazy, he had known this kid for less than a month, and yet he was ready to do anything for her, he even lied to Ozpin. But it was normal, she was his niece, he was the only family she had for now, because he had been unable to save Raven… It was his fault if the girl was there now, so he would take care of her for as long as it was needed, no matter how much he had to suffer for that. Let's just hope he'd not regret it…
A month. It's been a month now. It was the end of November, the cold was starting to be felt. Winter was coming early to Mistral. Qrow sighed and took another sip. He wondered what people could say about him, a man in his thirties with a giant sword next to him and a half-empty bottle of strong alcohol in a hand, sitting on a bench in a park with a blond kid of ten years with a pro Huntsman weapon at the hip and one arm missing. If he were in front of a school, someone would surely have already called the police. Oh and fuck, who cared what people thought?
-You made up your mind?
Yang looked away. He had asked her a few times during the week, and each time she answered negatively, but now she simply did not answer…
-So ?
-I…
His gaze fell on the people passing. It was a weekday morning, there weren't many people, one or two old people who came to feed the birds, a few people who were enjoying a day off… Oh, a kindergarten class.
-I want to stay here. Well, not necessarily in Mistral, but… Fend for myself. I don't want to go to one of these Academies. And I really don't want Ozpin to know that I exist. Tai neither.
Ouch. Qrow took another sip from his bottle. He knew she could do it and that was what would suit her best. But he was certainly not at peace with the idea of leaving her alone without any means of looking after her or coming to help her if she needed it. He promised Raven that he would be there for her, he didn't want to break that promise already.
-What if Salem finds you?
-She doesn't know I exist. Nobody knows. And no one will know.
-Except me.
-Mother told you, that's fine with me.
Raven, always Raven. Yang may survive no matter the circumstances, and she may be very mature for her age, but she was still a child who still needed her mother. He couldn't just leave her alone to roam Mistral…
-Where would you sleep?
-I'll find camping equipment.
Obviously…
-Do you plan to spend your time stealing food?
-I'll do jobs, I helped everywhere in the camp, I can do lots of things.
She had an answer for everything. Qrow opened his mouth to ask another question, but Yang cut him off, looking him straight in the eyes, her fist clenched on her thigh.
-Two years ago, I met two orphan children my age who lived very well like that, and they had no advanced training, no pro weapons, no Maiden powers, and they were not brought up in a bandit tribe. I can live by myself.
She wouldn't change her mind. Qrow sighed and finished his bottle. It was not the "survival" aspect that worried him, it was loneliness. If he followed his sister's logic, who apparently knew more than he did, the girl was safer in secret, and Oz couldn't contradict that kind of logic, but he couldn't just pretend she didn't exist. What would happen if Salem found her? She would have no one to help her and he would blame himself until the end of his days if something happened to her because he wasn't there when she needed…
Then he got an idea. He got up and motioned for the little girl to follow him. They walked in silence for about twenty minutes, until they reached a small electronics store. The bell above the door rang, and after a few seconds a man came out of the back room.
-Hello, what can I do for you?
-We need a Scroll for the kid.
Yang looked at her uncle surprisingly, but Qrow just shrugged and continued talking with the manager, until he offered him a simple model, without not too much space for many applications, but that would be enough. He paid and went out, and tapped something on the device before giving it to the little girl. She took it up, and saw the name "Qrow" as the only current contact.
-I won't force you to go anywhere kid, even less until I'm sure I know who I can trust, but I promised my sister to keep an eye on you, so if you have to frolic all alone around the world, I prefer to have a way to reach you.
She looks at him for a few moments, then the Scroll.
-Can I have Mother's number too?
Qrow blinked, then looked disappointed at his empty bottle. He then took out his own Scroll, and took the opportunity to show the girl how to make an additional contact. He knew it was bad for her to hold on to this kind of things, but he felt unable to refuse her anything knowing that he had been wrong for so long.
-Done.
-You… really let me stay?
-Not that it reassures me a lot… But I once decided to trust Oz over my own sister, and we both know how it ended… This time I will believe in her.
Yang's eyes widened and her gaze was lost in the void for a few moments, and Qrow wondered if he said something stupid without realizing it.
-Yang?
-You… are really not going to tell Ozpin about me?
-There must be a reason why your mother didn't do it. And I have known Summer enough to know that the maternal instinct is never wrong.
-Neither to Tai?
-Eh, I gave you my word, right? Besides, I promised Raven to watch over you, not to imprison you against your will. Especially if I'm not sure where you would be really safe…
There was a moment of flutter, and Qrow thought he saw a very slight smile on Yang's lips as she put the new Scroll in her jacket pocket. He was about to leave for the apartment, when he felt a small hand slip into his. Slowly, he turned, and his left hand dropped the empty bottle. For a moment, the world seemed to stop, he no longer heard the noise of the city around him, he did not hear the noise of the glass breaking on the ground.
Yang looked up, her eyes wet.
-Thank you Qrow…
-Hey Raven!
Raven sighed when she saw her brother running towards her, smiling like an idiot. It was their first break on the return trip from the raid, and she wanted to rest enough not to be left behind.
-What?
Qrow stopped in front of her, he had blood on him, while she managed to dodge all the drops. Looking at her you would never assume she killed an entire family with a simple knife.
-Guess !
Raven frowned. She did not like when people were beating around the bush, it had the knack to annoy her.
-Qrow…
-Okay okay… So close your eyes.
She sighed again but did what he told. Qrow waited a few seconds and shook his hand in front of her eyes to make sure she wasn't cheating, then pulled something out of his bag. He looked at his find and rehabilitated it, and, with more pride and hope than he ever felt before, held out the toy right in front of his sister's face.
-Tadaaaaa!
Raven opened her eyes with some annoyance, but her expression changed completely when she saw the doll in front of her. She took it gently, and sat it on her lap.
-So? You wanted one like that, right?
She did not answer, her eyes fixed on the porcelain doll in her hands. She lowered her head, clutching the toy against her.
-Rav-…
-Thank you.
Raven looked up, a big smile on her lips and tears running from her eyes.
-Thank you Qrow! You're the best brother in the world!
-She looks like you so much…
Qrow let out a sigh, and walked to the apartment, Yang's hand still in his. Maybe he was not doing so bad after all.
-You've everything, you're sure?
-For the tenth time Qrow, yes!
-Okay, okay.
Yang sighed and finished filling her bag. Qrow had bought her warm clothes for the coming winter, some basic supplies, and even left her money so that she could manage for a while, including taking hostel rooms during the winter. She still didn't understand why he was trying so hard for her, but she appreciated that. He might not realize it, but sometimes he sounded like Raven, or acted like her. It was disturbing, and at the same time reassuring, it left her a point of reference.
She liked Qrow, he did not treat her like a kid or a handicapped person, he did not comment on her manners, he left her space when she needed it… He was a bit clumsy sometimes, but it wasn't that bad, nor was its negative level in cooking. And the way he looked at her when she thanked him… She didn't know what he saw at the time, but she felt it was something important, a mixture of shock, sadness, nostalgia, and also a little joy… She would never approach Ozpin or Tai, but she was willing to give Qrow a chance, after all, he had decided to trust Raven over Ozpin, and Raven trusted him too. If Raven trusted him,Yang would try to trust him.
The two Branwens left the building and walked silently through the streets. Qrow had to return to Vale, if only to let them know that he was still alive after almost a month without news, so Yang accompanied him to the airship. She wasn't sure what she would do next, or why she would do it, but her survival instinct kept her from being shot down.
When they got to the airfield, the next departure for Vale was in twenty-five minutes, so in the meantime they sat on a bench outside, a can of soda for one, a can of beer for the other. It was getting cold, the wind was blowing hard enough to make hats fly away, Yang's empty sleeve had been tied in a knot to avoid embarrassing her, next to her, a dark red backpack contained all of her personal effects, mainly clothing, hygiene supplies, a very compact sleeping bag, and her doll. She wouldn't part with it for anything.
-So, really sure you don't want to come with me?
-Sure.
-Okay…
Qrow lowered half of his can at once, before collapsing on the back of the bench. Yang had nothing against alcoholics, she had known enough of them to be used to it, but she wondered if he had always been like that or if it was due to recent events. She didn't know him very much yet, she had just managed to define him as he was now, she knew that he hardly slept, drank a lot, sincerely regretted having made Raven suffer, was clever enough to understand that Ozpin was not to be trusted, and valued his responsibilities to his family more than to the old wizard. … And say that he was the worst cook in the world would be an understatement. Who can miss a microwave dish? Anyway, for Yang it was enough. The family came before everything else, that was what she learned in the tribe.
-We'll meet again?
-Of course, I'm not going to let you go like that, and someone needs to make sure that you don't do too much bullshit in your corner.
Yang nodded and took a sip from her own can. So much had happened in just one month. Only a few weeks ago, she lived in the camp, surrounded by people she had always known, preparing one of their usual raids, under the supervision of her mother. They hadn't seen each other that day, but she remembered that Raven put her to bed singing a lullaby to her. The last moment they shared together before everything turned upside down. And now she was there, in Mistral, with an uncle she had never met before, Maiden's powers, one arm missing, and a porcelain doll, with nowhere to go. Her whole life had been swept away with the back of the hand by a single Salem's minion, and from the most dangerous tribe of bandits of Anima, there only remained her, a ten-year-old girl.
-Don't hesitate to call me if you need anything.
-I can manage on my own.
-So if you just want to chat.
Yang nodded, and her empty can missed the nearest trash by a few inches. Weird, she usually aimed better… She got up and walked next to Qrow in the departure hall. Despite what she could say, she didn't want him to leave, she wanted to stay with him, she wanted a reassuring presence, a presence similar to Raven's. She didn't want to be alone, but she wanted even less to meet Tai or Ozpin, she didn't want to be one of his pawns, not when her mother had suffered so much to avoid her that, not when she had the choice.
-Well… Time to say goodbye.
Qrow hesitated a bit, then held out his hand and put it on Yang's head. She started slightly, no one was usually allowed to touch her hair except her mother, even Vernal and Ramy was fired for that. However, coming from Qrow it didn't bother her, she even let him untangle her hair, she wasn't sure why. Qrow's hand moved a little, not enough to mess it up, just enough to make her feel it. A shiver ran through her, then she relaxed. It was so similar to Raven's touch, the same softness, the same warmth, just a little more clumsy.
-Take care of you kiddo.
-I told you that my name was Yang…
He let out a laugh, and she groaned in response.
The airship for Vale flied off about ten minutes later, and Yang watched it slowly fly away. She wondered for a moment why he hadn't been there flying himself, then shrugged and turned around. The whole town of Mistral was visible from the point where she was, at the top of the mountain. It was the startline of her journey.
Hello everyone !
This is the end of Part I, The Four Seasons of Childhood. It was a great adventure, full of cute and sad moments, but childhood is over, and now is the time to grow…
And no, Yang still does not meet the rest of her family, sorry for those who were impatiently waiting for it, but you will still have to wait. After all, when Yang decided to stay with Raven in the tribe, she made a final choice, with no going back, she doesn't consider Tai & co as her family, even if he has no one else.
And for Qrow, yes, he hides from Ozpin that he knows who the Spring Maiden is, and yes, he hides from Tai that he has another daughter. I know it can be weird coming from him, but don't forget that now, he knows that his sister left everything to keep Yang secret and that she died to save her, and his guilt plays a lot in his decisions. And as in addition he starts to have suspicions about Ozpin…
I had originally planned to make two versions of this chap, this one, where Yang stays on her side, and another where she would have accepted the idea of going to Atlas, because seriously, you really think that thisYang will be able to adapt to "normal" life if I just put her in? Between her education and the trauma, I doubt about it.
And there's always this bastard manipulator of Ozpin, Yang knows why Raven left so obviously she doesn't want to approach him.
Anyway, as I said earlier, this is the end of Part I. We'll see you for the prologue to Part II next week, and you can expect for more action.
Goodbye and thank you for your support!
