RWBY: MRRN

VOLUME 6, CHAPTER 29: Unforgivable

Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY. All rights go to Rooster Teeth.

Raven sat next to Tai rather cautiously on the sofa, Zwei resting on his lap. They had managed some conversation, but overall, it was silent as they watched the current news going on.

"So they abandoned the mission to retake Beacon?" Raven asked Tai.

"They had to," Tai responded. "They were suffering too many casualties."

Again, silence. Tai's tone had become a bit friendlier after the mission to eliminate the Iron Knights, but he was still being cautious around the black-haired woman, the woman who was supposed to be a mother to Yang.

"Raven…did you really have to leave without saying anything?" Tai questioned. "You could've at least said something. You could've…" He sighed.

"What could I have said?" Raven asked. "Tai…I'm not mother material. I was raised to be a bandit, not a mother or a Huntress. The Branwen Tribe was the only thing I knew."

"Qrow grew beyond that," Tai pointed out. "And he had a Semblance that nearly drove him to suicide, something you never struggled with."

"I…I knew my own struggles," Raven claimed.

"Your own struggles? Didn't you hear what I said? Qrow's Semblance almost caused him to kill himself. If I hadn't gone after him, he wouldn't be here."

"I don't need to be reminded," Raven claimed, turning her head as she remembered.

After Qrow's suicide attempt, their friends became very worried about him and tried to help him. In Raven's eyes, there was nothing that could be done: misfortune was Qrow's Semblance, something he could never change. In her eyes, he simply had to find a way to deal with it, which is easier said than done.

"Why did you choose them over us?" Tai questioned again. "The tribe abused you, treated you like garbage. Strength doesn't come from standing alone, it comes from standing with others. The tribe only stood with you when you became their Chief. What if you hadn't done so?"

"Tai…I…" Raven responded hesitantly.

"They only said you were weak to excuse treating you like garbage. They made you adopt this mindset that revolves around their motto….well you know what, Raven? It's pure hypocrisy."

"Strength is necessary to survive, Tai," Raven claimed. "Sometimes, there's not someone around to protect you, which means you have to protect yourself. I know you don't approve of what I did, but their motto-"

"They used their motto drag you down to their level, Raven," Tai insisted. "Were you really happy at the Branwen Camp? Can you look me in the eye and say you were happy with where you were?"

For once, Raven didn't have an answer. She had never asked herself that question before nor had anyone. Was she truly happy at the Branwen Camp, before or after she attended Beacon Academy? Could she look back at her memories there with fondness?

In truth, the answer was no. She barely remembered anything during her time with the tribe where she was truly happy. There were a few moments of laughter and joy, but nothing that truly stuck with her.

When happiness was involved, it was when she was away from the tribe, away from their ways of banditry. She remembered many memories with Summer, Qrow, and Taiyang that she remembered to this day, memories filled with true laughter, made her feel warm inside. Team STRQ had given her something the tribe had never thought to give her: joy, fun and hope.

"No…I wasn't happy," Raven admitted. "I only remember being truly happy when…when I was away from them."

"Did you feel like you had a choice in going back?" Tai asked, his voice becoming calmer and warmer. "Or did you feel forced?"

"Tai…" Raven replied. "I know what you're getting at, but…" She sighed.

"All I wanted was for them to respect me, to view me as one of their own instead of just some orphan they took in. They raised me."

"They didn't raise you, Raven," Tai corrected. "They mistreated you and abused you, making you think that you weren't good enough until THEY said you were. That's not raising you, that's abusing you."

Raven couldn't deny that Tai made very excellent points. They made her feel like she was only good enough when THEY said she was. She felt that she HAD to go back and didn't have a choice. Did they truly raise her to be strong and fearsome? Or was Tai right and they simply abused her?

"You need to be honest with yourself, Raven" Tai stated. "That's the very first step to making things up with Yang and Qrow."

Tai still didn't know about she had done at Haven. She had sold them out to save herself; she had bargained for Yang's survival, but deep down, she knew that Cinder would ultimately not honor their deal. If Yang got in the way, they'd make sure to kill her.

How would Tai react, especially since Raven lied to his face about what happened? She knew that her former lover was forgiving, but even he had his limits and could possibly view her as irredeemable if he learned the truth. It seemed that no matter what options she had, she was stuck in a corner.

Either tell him the truth and possibly be called irredeemable or keep up the lie and risk utterly destroying Tai's trust in her. Neither way could spare her pain.

"Well, I'll be right back," Tai told her as he walked out the house to grab the mail. When he reached the mailbox and opened it, he saw that one envelope stood out from the rest; to his surprise, it was from Yang, having been sent out mere days ago from Mistral.

He smiled that his daughter had taken time to write back home and let him know how she was. He placed the rest of the mail in his arm and opened Yang's letter.

Upon starting to read it, he smiled as Yang informed him that she and Ruo had gotten back together as he knew how much she cared for him. She had also met up with Ruby and Qrow, helping to stop both the Wild Hunt and the destruction of Haven Academy.

After that…she started talking about Raven. Tai's smile started to sour as Yang recounted her encounters with Raven, from the Branwen Camp to…Haven Academy!?

Tai's heart skipped, wondering if he was reading right. He went over the paragraph again to make sure he wasn't mistaken, but it clearly stated that she had seen Raven at Haven Academy.

It became worse as Tai continued reading the letter. When he was finished, he stood there, shocked at what he just learned. Raven had lied to him about many things concerning what happened in Mistral. He angrily grasped the paper as his blood started to boil, fueled by feelings of anger, betrayal, sadness and rage.

"Raven…" he growled.

-0-

"Thank you all for coming on such short notice," David Brownwood addressed everyone gathered at the Argus Military Base through a megaphone. Every available soldier, Huntsman, Huntress, and militia fighter were gathered, waiting to be informed of the situation.

"Iron Knights have attacked the Argus Military outpost south of here. Based on what the survivors told us, Argus is their next target. They were unable to gain an approximate number on their weapons and fighters, but considering the lack of Iron Knight activity in Mistral so far, it's safe to say that they're sending everyone they have against us."

"Everyone?" Ruby gasped, only imagining how many Iron Knights could be marching on the city at the moment.

"We follow standard siege protocols. I want every soldier, Huntsman and Huntress either at the front wall or near the base since it'll undoubtedly attract Grimm and we'll need everyone we can to help. My lieutenants and I will be directing defenses, so talk to them to where you can help. After that, make sure all civilians are escorted to the safe zones underground and make sure they have ample provisions. Now move out."

As everyone dispersed, heading over to David Brownwood's lieutenants to ask where they'd be of the most help, David walked over to Glaucus and got his attention.

"I spoke to General Ironwood," he revealed. "He'll be sending an armored transport to escort you and your companions to Atlas."

"Thank you, David," Glaucus answered. "I'll make sure to inform them when I can."

"In the meantime, I need to contact General Ironwood and request reinforcements," David spoke. "We have no idea how many Iron Knights we're going up against and we may need every available soldier to help us."

"Definitely," Glaucus agreed. After concluding their conversation, the Argus Commander hurried back inside and made his way back to his office. He pressed the communications button and then pressed on the projection screen 'Emergency: Contact Immediately.' It was only a few moments before General Ironwood reappeared on the screen.

"Commander?" he addressed, confused to why he called back so soon.

"General, the Argus Military outpost south of the city was attacked," David informed. "An Iron Knight army is on their way to Argus as we speak. We don't know how many they are, but I believed they're sending an entire army with possibly airships and armored vehicles with Nachtfel leading the assault. I'm calling to request reinforcements."

"They're going to attack Argus?" General Ironwood gasped. "When will they arrive?"

"According to what the survivors said, they'll be here most likely be nightfall. We've about 800 Atlas soldiers, 200 Bushi Militia, and around 50 Huntsmen, mostly students. I'm already sending for reinforcements from Mistral as well, but I don't know when they'll be here." General Ironwood's face changed from shock to stern determination as he sat upright.

"I will have Colonel Holang-I assemble his fleet and make for Argus immediately. They'll be there as soon as they can, but you must hold out until they arrive. If Argus falls, the main route between Anima and Solitas falls with it."

"We will hold with everything and everyone we have," Commander Brownwood assured before saluting the General and hanging up.

-0-

"Kokkinos!" Pyrrha called out as she rushed over to her brother after asking where she'd be positioned during the siege. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," he assured his sister. "A few bumps and bruises, but I'll be okay."

"What happened?" she asked. "How did the outpost fall?"

"The Iron Knights had an infiltrator in the outpost," Kokkinos explained. "They shut down the defense measures and opened the gates for the Knights, allowing them quick entry inside. It was very little time before we were overrun and forced to retreat, especially with Nachtfel leading the assault."

"Nachtfel was there?" Pyrrha gasped. "But if he led the attack on the outpost, he may be leading the attack on Argus as well. Does Commander Brownwood know about this?"

"He does," Kokkinos informed. "So where will you be stationed?"

"I've been asked to help with the front wall due to my Polarity," Pyrrha answered. "They'll need my help in moving guns up there if needed."

"Well, I'm certainly glad we have you here to help," Kokkinos smiled, putting a hand on his sister's shoulder. "They'll be sure to hit us with everything they've got."

-0-

After everyone in the group were told where to be during the siege, they regrouped at Pyrrha's house to discuss what they had learned.

"Nachtfel himself is leading the assault?" Math spoke, showing his hatred for the devil swordsman. "If he's leading the attack on Argus, then he must be really determined to destroy it."

"Argus is a vital position," Glaucus explained. "It has the biggest Atlas military base outside of the Kingdom itself and is the main route between Anima and Solitas. If it falls, the Iron Knights will have control over most, if not all, of Anima's northern coast and will pose a grave danger to Mistral's northern territory. It's an excellent strategic position for them."

"No wonder there hasn't been any Iron Knight activity in Anima lately," Robin deduced. "They were saving all their numbers for the attack on the city. They're sure to be throwing everything they have: soldiers, tanks, airships, Berserkers, maybe Disciples as well."

"Possibly," Grayson responded before turning to the Gray Wanderer. "Commander Brownwood has granted us clearance to enter Atlas?"

"Yes," Glaucus confirmed. "General Ironwood will send an armored transport to escort us there. Most likely a precaution to protect against attackers."

"We can't leave now," Ruby stated. "Not when Argus is about to be attacked."

"But if we stay here, we risk the Relic falling to their hands," Robin pointed out. "Even with Jinn gone and the lamp out of questions, it's too much of a risk to keep it here."

"Are you honestly suggesting we just leave?" Yang questioned. "The people of Argus need our help. We can't just turn our backs on them; we're Huntsmen and Huntresses in training and we are supposed to protect those who cannot protect themselves."

"Robin has a point," Ren agreed with the redhaired archer. "Our task is to keep the Relic safe until we get it to Atlas. With Argus under immediate threat, keeping the Relic here is too dangerous. Perhaps we should get a ship and leave."

"Leave!?" Pyrrha gasped. "This is my home, Ren! They need us. I refuse to abandon these people. We'll make sure the Relic is somewhere safe during the battle, but we are NOT abandoning Argus."

"She's right," Ruby agreed. "Letting Argus fall is a risk we cannot take; it is too important of a position to let the Iron Knights control. We must defend Argus."

"But what about the Relic?" Blake brought up. "I agree that we must defend this city, but Ren and Robin have a point; where will the Relic be safe during the siege? It'll attract Grimm wherever it goes."

"Either Ruby, Blake or Ruo should hold onto it if you ask me," Jaune suggested. "Their Semblances would help them get out of tight spots if needed, ensuring the Relic stays safe during the battle. Odds are, the other Iron Knights don't know about it and may not come after it."

"I agree with Jaune," Weiss spoke. "Keeping it close is possibly the safest way and their Semblances make them ideal for holding onto it."

"Speaking of which, are you okay to fight, Robin?" Saf asked her cousin. "Without your visor-"

"I can fight," he assured. "Believe it or not, my Semblance had reemerged."

"What?" Yang gasped. "But your eyes…I thought-"

"So did I," Robin admitted, chuckling a bit. "After my visor was destroyed on the Argus Limited, I…developed echolocation."

"Echolocation?" Math asked. "So you can visually see everything through sound?"

"Yep," Robin smirked. "Before you ask, Sterling's been helping me to learn about it."

"You've still a ways to go," Sterling brought up. "You'll need more practice before the attack tonight."

"Then let's train," Robin insisted. "I'm not out of this fight, not yet, not when I'm needed."

"Someone had a complete change of heart," Weiss responded, noting Robin's much more optimistic attitude.

"Well, we now have a solid plan to defeat Salem and redeem humanity," Robin explained. "After what's happened, I'd say it definitely brightens one's attitude."

"Though there are still some things we need to learn about," Ruo brought up. "You, Math and Saf need to learn more about your Dark Herald powers and train with them. Grayson needs to teach Ruby more about her Silver Eyes."

"And why Salem wants me alive," Ruby brought up, much to everyone's confusion.

"Wants you alive?" Nasser questioned. "Where'd you hear that?"

"I remember," Weiss spoke, remembering the battle at Haven. "Valkoin criticized Cinder for trying to kill Ruby. He said Salem wanted her alive."

"But why?" Yang wondered. "That doesn't make any sense. Salem's been hunting down Silver Eyed people for centuries, so why would she suddenly want Ruby kept alive?"

"Without Jinn, we have no way of knowing why," Grayson replied. "But learning how to defeat Salem was much more important."

"Yes, it was," Forest agreed. "Which brings us to our next topic should we win against the Iron Knights."

"What would that be?" Pyrrha asked as she sat next to Math and lovingly held his arm.

"I talked with Sterling and Ruadh," Forest explained. "We're not going with you to Atlas."

"What?" Math gasped. "Where will you go?"

"To Vacuo," Sterling answered. "We must warn the Headmaster at Shade Academy for a possible attack."

"If the Headmaster there can be trusted," Math replied. "For all we know, he could possibly be in league with Salem just as Leo was."

"I doubt it, but it's possible," Qrow agreed.

"With the Disciples possibly out there as well, Salem may have ways to deal with both Vacuo and Atlas at the same time," Forest brought up. "I'd rather be safe than sorry."

"So the rest of us will go to Atlas then," Ruby assumed. "Salem has more forces under her command than we realized. Even if she's lost the White Fang's support, she still has the Iron Knights, Disciples, Grimm, Hazel, Tyrian…"

"For now, we must focus on keeping Argus safe," Oscar insisted. "We should get ready and help get the civilians to the safe zones."

"Yeah," Math agreed. "Before we do, my team and I are going to see Team CPPR. They…they lost Copper in the attack on the outpost, so we want to show our respects."

"Copper died?" Ruby asked sadly. "I'm sorry to hear that."

"Once we've helped them out, we'll help where we can," Math assured.

"So do whatever you need to do before nightfall," Qrow stated. "Ammo, weapon conditions, health, hunger…get whatever you need and be ready." As the group dispersed and started leaving the house, Jaune stopped Oscar before he could walk out.

"Hey, Oscar," he addressed. "I…I want to say I'm sorry for what happened yesterday when I got mad at you."

"I…" Oscar spoke, but fell flat. "I know you're angry about what happened and rightfully so, but I am NOT Ozpin himself. I am Oscar Pine and I am my own person." Jaune nodded his head, visibly ashamed of how he had treated Oscar ever since they met.

"I shouldn't have mistreated you and I'm sorry I did," Jaune apologized. "After what happened at Beacon, I didn't know if I could trust you after learning you had Ozpin in your head. He's responsible, not you."

"Well, I appreciate the apology," Oscar replied with a small smile. "Let's make it through this battle together and then get the Relic to Atlas."

"Yeah," Jaune agreed. He extended his hand, hoping Oscar would accept it. The farm boy looked at the Arc's hand for several moments before deciding to shake it, accepting Jaune's apology and forgiving him.

-0-

After Tai left the house, Raven decided to tend to her weapon, making sure it was properly cared for. As she did, she constantly thought about how Tai would react to the truth about her and Yang.

She was terrified of Tai's reaction to the truth, knowing how far she had gone to save herself. Sooner or later, he would learn what happened and it'd ultimately be up to Raven to decide how it went. Would she own up to her actions? Or would she hide behind her philosophy from the Branwen Tribe?

She had never been so conflicted in her life; everything about where she was contradicted the way she was raised. Where this place offered warmth and caring, the Branwen Camp only showed cold cruelty and disregard. Where Tai had treated her with a form of respect, despite what happened, the people of the tribe would often mistreat her for the smallest thing, showing no respect whatsoever.

"Raven," Tai spoke in a low voice. Raven turned around to see Tai standing in the doorway, a letter in his hand and his expression one of pure, controlled anger.

"Tai?" she spoke, wondering what was going on.

"You lied to me," he revealed.

"What-what are you-?"

"Haven," Tai revealed. "You said you weren't there when it was attacked, that you only saw Yang when she came to your camp." Tai held up the letter he had received from Yang.

"You lied to me about all of it!"

"Tai, I-"

"Don't even!" he barked angrily. "Yang wrote me the truth! You were there, at Haven!"

Raven's eyes widened in horror at the letter in Tai's hand. Yang had told Tai of the events that transpired in Mistral, undoubtedly including Raven's trespasses against the family. She was at a complete loss of words.

"To make it worse, you sold them out to save yourself! Ruby, Yang, Qrow…you sold them out!"

Raven's heart dropped as her lies were exposed. Everything she had done had been made visible to Taiyang, which placed her in a very bad position.

"I knew you had done some things after returning to the tribe, Raven, but selling your own family!?"

"I didn't have a choice!" Raven claimed. "They would've killed Yang if I hadn't-"

"SHUT UP!" Tai roared, his expression becoming absolute rage and anger. "You did it to save yourself and you know it, you liar!"

"Tai, you don't understand-"

"No, YOU don't understand! Yang spent years looking for you; you knew she was looking for you ever since you disappeared. You knew, yet the first thing you did was blame Yang for not finding you sooner when she had no idea where to look in the first place! You blamed her for getting you involved in this war when you were stupid enough to harbor a Maiden who you KNEW Salem was after! It's your own damn fault, not hers!"

"What…what did she tell you?" Raven asked. "Did she tell you-?"

"Don't even THINK of blaming Yang for this," Tai warned, walking closer to Raven. "You had the gall to endanger her life, to sell her out to Salem to save yourself, to stand by and nearly let Ruby DIE, and you won't even accept a shred of responsibility!"

"Tai, please listen to me-" Raven pleaded, but it fell on deaf ears.

"And let you lie to me more?" he questioned hostilely. "No; I won't stand here and let you tell a different story and try to make some weird explanation of how none of it was your fault. It was YOUR fault and yours alone. How could you be so selfish!? She was your family!"

"She made her choice, Tai. I tried to convince her and Ruby to come back, but they didn't listen."

"You're still doing it!" Tai roared, losing control over his anger at Raven's betrayal. "You're still deflecting the blame onto them. They don't think as selfishly and shortsighted as you." Tai stopped talking, breathing heavily as he tried to recollect himself from his outburst.

"So you came here to run. You came here because you…because I didn't know of what happened at Haven, so you could easily lie to me because you knew I wanted to believe you."

"Tai, it's not like that," Raven insisted. "I do care for Yang and-"

"DON'T LIE TO ME!" Tai roared, grabbing Raven's arms and pinning her against the wall. "DON'T! LIE! TO ME!"

Raven's face became complete fear and shock at Tai's reaction. He had her pinned against the wall, his hands dug into her arms and his face filled with contempt and anger towards the woman who lied to him.

"You abandoned your team, abandoned Summer, Yang, and I! You only saved Yang once and said you wouldn't do it again because of your damn code of survival! You blamed her for not finding you when you never did anything to help her for years! You sold her, Qrow and Ruby out to save yourself from Salem! You were okay with letting Ruby and Yang die! My daughters, for Oum's sake! You only came here to run and not face responsibility for what you did and then you had the gall to lie to me about everything!"

"Tai, please," Raven pleaded, scared by how violently her former lover was acting.

"You don't care about Yang, you only care about yourself! If you cared even a little bit about Yang, you wouldn't have sold her out at Haven! You would've at least taken some responsibility for her not finding you instead of blaming her! You think you're strong!? You're nothing but a selfish, hypocritical, ungrateful coward! Yang is everything you are not; she is truly strong, something you will never be because you-"

"Stop it!" Raven cried in fear, accidentally firing a fireball at Tai and making him crash against the opposite wall. She had never seen Tai so violent and angry before, so much so that it frightened her. Tai groaned as he recovered from the attack, just as Raven's eyes started to water.

"Tai… I didn't mean to-"

"Where'd you get those powers?" he demanded to know. "Those are the Spring Maiden's powers, aren't they?"

Raven backed away in horror, realizing that she had just exposed herself out of fear. Her breathing became ragged as she looked at her hands, the same hands she had used to kill the previous Spring Maiden.

"The last Spring Maiden ran away from Haven over a decade ago," Tai brought up. "What happened to her? Did you kill her?"

"Tai, I…"

"Did you kill her, Raven? Did you murder her?" Raven was silent, her mouth unable to produce any words to answer Tai's question. When the silence was prolonged for too long, Tai knew the answer.

"She was only a child! She was scared! How could you!?" Raven backed away in a near defeated manner as she hoped Tai's verbal onslaught would stop. She had never seen Tai so furious, so angry before, so willing to act violently…and it frightened her.

Finally, Tai's rage started to subside after seeing the way Raven backed away from him, acting as if she was a little girl scared by their parent's shouting. The elder sun dragon breathed several times to calm down and recollect himself; as angry as he was, he didn't want to frighten Raven any longer.

"Why did you lie to me?" he finally asked in a calmer tone, yet the anger was not gone from his voice.

"I was scared," Raven admitted, lowering her arms. "I didn't know how you'd react. I…I just…"

"You betrayed this family so many times, Raven," Tai stated. "You betrayed Summer. You betrayed Qrow. You betrayed Ruby and Yang. You betrayed ME!" He glared angrily at the raven-haired woman.

"Like an idiot, I believed you because I…because I wanted to believe that the woman I fell in love with years ago, the woman who bore my daughter, Yang Xiao Long, was still in there. But it's clear now…it's clear that the Raven Branwen I knew died years ago." Raven looked down in regret and sadness.

"Perhaps you're right," she confessed. "The Raven Branwen you knew is dead." There was silence in the house for a few moments as both Tai and Raven recollected themselves from the outburst upon the truth being revealed.

Tai regretted his violence and unrestrained anger towards Raven; as much as he was betrayed by her lies, he knew he shouldn't have reacted like that. He shouldn't have frightened her so much that she looked like a scared little child.

Raven's actions had come back to haunt her. Tai knew the truth about everything and realized that she had been lying to him this whole time. She had done things that would be considered unforgivable and rightfully so.

"Leave," he stated.

"What?" she asked,, uncertain if she heard right.

"I want you to leave, Raven…and this time, don't come back." Raven slowly reached out to try and touch Tai's shoulder, but her guilt and fright wouldn't allow it to make contact.

"Please, Tai…" she pleaded.

"You cannot be trusted," he stated, this time with both anger and sadness in his voice. "I cannot trust you anymore; not with my daughter, not with my feelings, and not to be honest with me. Now leave."

Raven's eyes watered heavily as she realized that there was no way to dissuade Tai from his decision. She sniffled a few times before walking over to pick up her weapon, Omen, and slowly made her way to the door. Raven looked at Tai one last time, who wasn't even looking back at her; to him, she possibly already dead to him. She let a few tears drop down her cheeks before opening the door and walking out, closing it behind her.

Tai fell back against the cabinets under the counter. His breathing became heavier and heavier as the reality of Raven Branwen came to light: the woman he loved years ago was truly dead, now a person who values her own life over everyone else's, including Yang.

His eyes started to water as his mind processed this horrible revelation, this horrible betrayal. Tears started to fall down his cheeks before he finally broke down and curled into a ball, letting lose the pain he had felt for so many years. Raven's betrayal had finally broken his emotional state and he had no words to describe this pain.