Hey guys, welcome back to this installment of To Create One's Path. I know it's been a minute since I updated this story, so here you go. Honestly, I just try to update the story that hasn't been updated the longest. But anyway, I just wanted to let you all know that I am still no closer to getting a new computer yet, so I'll still be updating a little slow. But I promise that I'm trying my best here. I'm still trying to get these chapters out to you. I much enjoy writing and entertaining you guys. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this special chapter seeing over what the Rose/Xiao-Long family is doing.
Qrow was still on his way back from Kuroyuri, almost back to Beacon. He was currently taking a Bullhead to Vale as it happens as he wanted to take a break from flying in his bird form. All in all, he felt a little conflicted about what he learned while there, but still happy. He did get to see the kid after all. So that was a plus!
On the other hand, the kid was also sickly and kind of dying...
And he knew of the Maidens and the Queen, automatically making him a target.
And the fact that he had already been attacked by not only the Queen's pawns but also his own father...
Which also brought up the subject that the kid was one of the two Brothers and that he has to somehow regain back that godhood and kill said father, otherwise they will come and wipe out all of creation as they know it...
But at least Jaune was in good hands!
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..
...
Hopefully.
Either way, the veteran Hunter still had to relay to Ozpin and tell him what he had learned...er, what he had mostly learned.
"Lord this is a mess." Qrow whispered to himself as he wiped his face with his hand. His tired red eyes scanning the crowd for the hundredth time. No matter how tired you are as a Hunter, you always have to check your surroundings frequently. It's also something that was drilled into his head by his old tribe as well...
"We will be reaching our destination shortly. Please bear with us as we descend onto the landing pad. Thank you." The PA system announced as the ship started to lower itself for a landing. Qrow shook his head of his thoughts as he got up and started heading up to the exit, passing a number of teens and a few adults that stumbled as turbulence took hold. He, being a grizzled and experienced Huntsman, was perfectly balanced as he made his way across the floor.
*Thud*
"Ow!" A random civilian cried as they tripped over their own shoelaces. They stared at their shows as they knew that they had tied them before getting up from their seat...
"Hehe, gets a chuckle outta' me every time." Qrow said to himself as he reigned his Semblance back in. He looked forward and saw that they had now landed and the doors were now open. He walked out and took a deep breath, taking in the scenery before him.
A jumble of trash flying with the wind, the air quality being less than optimal, the roads and sidewalks looking cracked and borderline broken...
"Get out of my way you fuckin Faunus!"
The blatant racism too. Can't forget about the racism.
"P-please sir, I didn't mean any harm. I-I'll get out of your way." The Faunus child whimpered, before scurrying off into an ally. The guy that yelled at him scoffed before turning around to go about his day, never noticing another Faunus kid having stolen his wallet and watch while he was distracted and ran into that same alleyway as before.
'Ah, Vale. It's good to be back.' Qrow thought to himself as he smiled. He quickly made his way towards the main streets and made sure to secure his money and anything else that would be valuable before continuing on with his journey.
Approaching the cliffside that he had been thrown off while he was here, Qrow was actually in a good mood. His walk here was rather peaceful, all thing s considered.
Only two people tried to pickpocket him this time!
"Here we go." Qrow thought out loud as he transformed into his bird form and flew up the cliffside and glided high above the rooves of the buildings that made up Beacon Academy. The school that his little girl wanted to go to.
"I want to go to Beacon! Just like you, daddy!"
'Not now, Qrow. Don't start crying now.' The man thought as he held back the proud and happy tears that threatened to break loose. Undoubtedly one of the happiest days of his life when he heard her say those words. Of course, the choice of profession was cause for concern, especially with that close call with Summer, but that just meant that he needed to train her sufficiently. She already had the Silver Eyes, so she was going to have to get involved one way or another. It was best that she be prepared and not be helpless when it happened. But Qrow Digresses. That was for when he got back home, he just needed to get to Ozpin, give him the info and then head home.
So as he entered the window of Ozpin's office with the man himself at the desk typing away at his computer, he landed with a poof of feathers and Aura.
"Welcome Qrow, I take it your meeting with Amber was successful? You are back a bit early after all." Ozpin asked as he pressed a button on the side of his desk and closing the window before pressing another button and casting the room in dimly lit darkness. Qrow nodded before speaking up, looking away with a hand already rubbing the back of his head.
"Yeah, well I got a bit more than what would be considered...routine." Qrow answered a bit unsure. Immediately, Ozpin hardened his gaze and put his signature coffee mug down to stare intently at Qrow.
"Explain." The Headmaster demanded, making Qrow let out a breath and decided to get it over with.
"As it turns out, Amber was attacked by the Queen's Pawns." Qrow revealed. Ozpin closed his hand into a tight fist before asking in a level and calm tone.
"Is the Fall Maiden compromised?" The older gentleman asked. The former Tribesman waved his hand in a dismissive manner, shaking his head.
"No no, she's fine. Completely healthy actually." Qrow dispelled. It caused Ozpin to looked puzzled before leaning back in his chair, seemingly relaxed again.
"...So what exactly happened then?" The Headmaster asked after a moment of contemplating. Qrow scratched at the stubble on his chin before telling the Wizard of what transpired.
"Simple, People tried to assassinate her, she fought back, they backed off. Simple as that..." Qrow trailed off, making Ozpin suspicious of what really happened. Especially when he knew that Qrow's tell of when he was lying was to scratch at his chin.
"Qrow, what else happened?" Ozpin asked in a bit more of a demanding tone. Qrow shifted his eyes over to the man, noticing that he was scratching his chin again and blew out some air, knowing that he had been caught.
"Alright alright. So, you remember the kid I told you about before, Oz?" Qrow inquired. The Wizard narrowed his eyes before nodding, not sure where this was going. Was he implying that...no, it's better to ask and confirm than to assume and potentially do something regrettable.
"I do, yes. But what does he have to do with this, Qrow?" Ozpin asked, seeing that Qrow was trying to find a way to word what he wanted to say and being patient.
"Well, the thing is...he maybe kinda...saved her from the assailants." Qrow explained, shrugging. Ozpin took this all in and thought on it for a moment, turning to Qrow once again before asking another question.
"How did he happen to stumble upon the Maiden and the pawns. Plenty of people are attacked by bandits, and most try to stay out of the way. So he must know of Amber's identity as the Fall Maiden. My question is...how?" Ozpin thought out loud, making Qrow nod in understanding. One would only be curious as to how by chance a boy that was of previous interest to them would somehow stumble onto the scene of what would be a decisive battle between them and the Queen and then thwart the attack.
"From what I've gathered so far, they've actually been travelling together for a few weeks now if not a few months. He didn't figure out that she was the Fall Maiden until the attack. She had to use her powers to fend them off. She said that the leader of the three that tried to attack them had tried to use some sort of parasite Grim in a surprise attack. The kid was able to grab the thing and kill it before It was able to do anything to Amber." Qrow explained. Ozpin closed his eyes for a moment before nodding.
"I see. So this child...Jaune, I believe...is as interesting as you say he is. However...why didn't you bring him here? I would much like to have a talk with him and get to know exactly who he is." Ozpin said, once again picking up his mug and drinking from it.
"I already told you that the kid left us because he wanted to travel the world by himself. I wasn't going to try and take him away from that. Not that I think I could anyway." Qrow said, actively keeping his hand from coming up to scratch at his chin. The kid and Amber had told him to purposefully lie about what happened during the attack, and then lie again afterwards without his tell so that Ozpin wouldn't be as suspicious. Luckily, It worked.
"Right. I suppose there's nothing else on the matter. Though, I will have to hold a meeting with everyone soon over the matter of an attack by the Queen. So soon after Mount Glenn as well...It's not like her to do this. Something must have changed to give her this kind of courage...But enough of that, I will call for you when I decide the meeting time. So go home and spend time with your family. I know how hard it is to move into a new city. Tell Raven and Sumer that I said hello." Ozpin said, dismissing the Huntsman. Qrow nodded and turned to leave.
"You got it, Oz." Qrow called back as he made his way towards the only other way out of the tower. But it when he was right in front of the elevator when Ozpin called out one last time.
"Oh, Qrow, one last thing." The Headmaster said, gaining the attention of Qrow as he entered to elevator.
"Hm? What's up?" Qrow asked as he turned to the older gentleman. The Headmaster gave him a coy smile before reminding him of one last thing.
"That offer is still on the table. If any of you wish to teach here, My doors are always open." He said offered with a tilt of his mug. Qrow scoffed at the notion before pressing the button and having the doors close.
'Pfft. Teach here. I already got tired of teaching at Signal...Though, I could be there when Ruby and Yang get there...' Qrow contemplated, seeing that the opportunity was there to keep an eye on his daughter and niece. Anyway, that was all talk for another time. He just wanted to get to his wife and daughter right now.
(Time Lapse Brought To You By Chibi Qrow In A Bullhead Sitting Next To A Crying Baby And Someone Playing Music Full Blast Without Headphones)
So shaking off the amount of anger towards that one Asshole on the Bullhead, he finally started walking down a dirt path that lead to his house that was only about fifty meters out. The house rested on the border of what would be considered the suburbs and the country side where all the farming is done.
Really, it was a nice house. Two stories, five bedrooms, three bathrooms, a nice basement that he and Tai may or may not be planning to turn into a Mancave, a cellar, a separate building in the back that they were going to turn into a forge, with the initial house being around nine hundred square meters of space...
.
..
...
Alright, so maybe it was a bit better than just 'nice'. It did pay to have an entire family of Hunters and Huntresses. And some of them did have connections in certain places. So...it was less a large house and more of a small mansion.
"Only the best for family I guess." Qrow said to himself as he walked up to the porch of the house. It was perfectly positioned so that they could see anything coming in and prepare aptly for it. They weren't going to get caught of guard like last time. Plus, they were planning on installing a few safety precautions in the future. In all, while Qrow didn't like living in luxury, he would make an exception for the sole purpose of giving his little Strawberry Explosion the best life that he knew she deserved.
Taking out his keys and contemplating whether or not he should get a car, he then unlocked his door and entered, popping his neck and letting go of the tension that had been building up in his body all day. He did not like lying to Ozpin. Not because he didn't want to, no no no. But because about ninety percent of the time, he would know that you were lying and call you out on it. So for him to have successfully lied to him had made him initially paranoid for a moment. Either way, he was home, and he just wanted to unwind.
"Hey everyone, I'm home!" Qrow called out to the spacious...home. Still on the fence about either calling it a house or a mansion. On one hand, calling it a house wouldn't do this place justice. But on the other, calling it a mansion made him feel like he was violating his principles and feel like a jackass. Ugh, the things he does for love.
"Daddy!" Ruby cried as she seemingly teleported from the top of the stairs, to the bottom before once again teleporting into his embrace.
Oh yeah, before he had to leave for his mission, Ruby unlocked her Semblance! Which, if one wasn't paying attention, looked like teleportation. But because Qrow, Raven and Summer saw it, along with an account on Ruby's part, they knew that it was actually Hyper Speed.
Now this was no run of the mill speeding Semblance. This was some serious stuff! From what Qrow could see and from what Ruby told him, she could move so fast that everything around her seemingly slows down to almost a crawl. She could only do it for short bursts, but it could be trained up to become a truly powerful Semblance. Even now, he could see that she was moving a farther distance than he had seen before he left.
"Hey there, Ruby. Did ya miss me?" Qrow greeted, picking her up from under her arms and looking into her adorable silver eyes. Her tail was wagging like crazy and her smile threatened to give him a heart attack.
"Nope!" She responded with a cutesy voice. Qrow smiled in turn and nodded.
"That's my girl." Qrow chuckled before putting her down. She followed him as he walked through the house and towards the back.
"So what did I miss while I was gone? Anything cool happen?" Qrow asked as he walked with her into the kitchen.
"Not really. But I practiced with my Semblance real hard and can move down the staircase before I have to stop!" Ruby relayed, skipping as she kept up with her dad. Qrow gave a proud smile and responded with an awed voice.
"I saw that! Aren't you the speedy little reaper?" Qrow praised as he reached down and ruffled Ruby's hair, gaining a cute giggle in return. They both turned to the kitchen there he saw Taiyang leaning against the counter munching on some jerky. He perked up when he heard Ruby's giggle and noticed Qrow with her.
"Oh hey, I thought I heard somebody at the door. Welcome back. Anything that you can tell me happened?" Tai asked as he approached and gave a gave a side hug to his brother-in-law. Qrow returned it and thought on it before shrugging.
"I mean, there usually isn't, but you know the drill by now. Especially not with...you know." Qrow said, vaguely gesturing to Ruby who had gone into the fridge to grab herself a juice box. Tai nodded before gesturing for him to follow.
"Hey you two, come on. Summer is upstairs doing her crazy cookie experiments again, I think. And Raven is in the back training Yang on her Semblance." Tai informed them, Only pausing to clarify on what he said
"Oh yeah, Yang has her Semblance now." Tai explained, once again taking a bite out of his jerky. Qrow raised his eyebrows in surprise before turning a questioning stare over to Ruby. She wasn't paying attention though, and just noticed that he was looking at her and smiled back. Qrow let out a small laugh before shaking his head. She was just like her mother.
"Apparently, when she activates it, she feeds Aura into it and it gradually makes her stronger and faster after an initial spike in strength. Though interestingly, She can use someone else's Aura instead of her own." Tai said, once again surprising the red eyed man. He hadn't heard of a Semblance like that before. Holy crap these girls were shaping up to become absolute powerhouses!
"That's great! So how long can she keep it up for?" Qrow asked, wanting to know the kind of Aura that kind of Semblance would chug. They made it to the back yard where Yang and her mother were resting under a tree.
"Not long. Only for a minute. And she can only draw in so much of another's Aura. But the maximum she can lift when she's used up all of her own Aura is about ninety kilograms." Tai said with a proud smile. Qrow was fearing of a muscle cramp with how many times his eyebrows were rising on their own, but hot damn! She could lift ninety Kilograms!? Just what kind of lottery did those two win to allow them these kinds of Semblances!? They were only eight and six respectively!
"Hey Raven, Yang. What's this I hear about unlocking a Semblance?" Qrow asked, wanting to hear it from them too. Ruby was just standing next to them going off into her own daydream, mumbling something about marriage and...
blocking that notion out, Qrow focused solely on his sister and his niece lest he start getting angry all over again.
'Imprinting at the age of six...when I was her age...'
"Hi uncle Qrow! And yeah! I get super strong! And my hair lights up, and my eyes turn red like mommy's!" Yang exclaimed cheerfully, giving a sunshine smile. Raven giggled a small bit at her before nodding.
"That's right. But, welcome home Qrow. Me and Yang were just taking a break until her Aura refills so we can get back to training again." Raven started, taking a drink from her water bottle. Yang had her own, and it was much like her mother's, but the only difference being that it had a bunch of stickers of stars and dragons on it.
"Anything interesting happen?" Raven asked after putting down her water. Qrow was going to shake his head before he remembered that Jaune wanted him to say hi to everyone. He looked down to Yang and Ruby and decided that he should probably keep it between the parents. He just wasn't sure how the kids would react to being reminded of Jaune. Especially if they knew how badly he was banged up at the moment.
"I mean...yeah, but I think it's more of a offhanded kind of thing. Like when you see something different on the daily commute." Qrow said nonchalantly. Of course, this would be just another line to anyone else, but to these three adults who made that line so that they could tell each other that they needed to say something without the kids hearing, it meant that something serious happened. Raven nodded and Tai just sighed. That meant that he would have to go get Summer. And since he was the only one that could get her out of her 'crazy scientist' mode unharmed...
"Alright, alright. I'll go tell Summer you're here." Tai said, turning on his heel and heading towards the house. Qrow and Raven then turned to their respective children before getting their attention.
"Hey, you kids want to work some more on your weapon designs?" Qrow asked, making both cousins look up at him with stars in their eyes.
"Yeah! Come on let's go! Hurry up slowpokes!" Ruby answered, getting farther and farther away with each word. Yang wasn't too far behind her, running towards the other building that was not too far from the tree. Qrow helped Raven to her feet as they smiled at their children, feeling accomplished as parents. Considering who their family used to be, and especially their father...
"HAHAHA! YES! THYME, LEATHER, CHEWED BUBBLEGUM AND BURNED RUBBER! THAT WILL BE MY GREATEST CREATION!"
"God damn it Summer! Calm down!"
*Crash*
"We should get moving."
"Agreed."
Later on in the day when Tai was able to calm Summer down and both Branwen siblings were able to pry their children away from the workbench, all four of the had gotten together in the kitchen and hanging around the counter.
"What's up Qrow? What happened?" Summer asked, her hair still a bit frizzy, but nothing too out of the ordinary. Tai was a different story. He looked like he accidentally pissed off an eldritch god by putting thirteen point twenty-seven milliliters more mustard in it's gyro than it was okay with and it decided to curse him with the agony of having a single piece of charcoal blow up in his face, while simultaneously touching a metal object after rubbing his cotton socks all over the rug and having a five year old bloodhound tear the fresh salami that spilled from his sandwich and got onto his shirt off of him...
.
..
...
Also, he stepped on a Lego, so...you know. He looks like shit.
"So, the mission I was sent on to go to that one village that I can't tell you but you know the name of it anyway, right?" Qrow asked, getting a nod from the other three. He knocked on the marble counter before he continued.
"Do you know who I met there besides the person that I also can't tell you about but you also still know who it is?" Qrow asked again, making the three of them look at him with unamused faces.
"Could you get to the point, I had to stop my cookie making for this. I was on a roll too. you know!" Summer piped up, pouting. Tai next to her narrowed his eyes dangerously at her, the scorn of a thousand disappointed brothers flowing through him.
"No yeah, you stopped all by yourself. Totally." Tai grumbled to himself, crossing his arms and looking away. No one payed attention to him before Qrow continued after a beat of silence.
"...It was Jaune." Qrow finally got out, making the other three snap their attention to him with shocked faces and wide eyes.
"He says hi, by the way." Qrow continued, secretly taking a picture of each of their shocked faces for later. It wasn't until he put away his Scroll did they respond.
"You saw Jaune? Are you sure?" Summer asked with a hopeful tone. Qrow noticed that the other two also looked to him with varied looks of concern. Even Tai broke out of his funk and looked to him with hope. He nodded and smiled.
"I'm sure of it Shortstack. I was even able to talk to him for a while." Qrow said, making Raven Summer and Tai all sigh in relief. This time, Raven was the one to speak up.
"What did you talk about?" She asked, attentive to whatever her brother had to say. There wasn't a day that went by that she didn't think about Jaune. She even wore the handkerchief that he made her on her belt on her combat attire. Did it clash with the whole Warrior Samurai aesthetic? A little...but that was besides the point! This was a gift from her son. It was the same with the ribbon that Yang got for her on Mother's day once. She always wore it.
"Oh you know, how his adventure's gone so far, the people he's met, and the person that he travels with now..." Qrow trailed off, thinking how Jaune was traveling with the Fall Maiden. Should he tell them about that? It seemed pretty important. And so did the fact that he was really sick too...
"Really? He's traveling with someone? Who?" Tai asked, wanting to know who Jaune was traveling with now.
"...I can't say." Qrow said, making them all curious and a little worried again. Why couldn't he...
"All that I can say, is that they're a she." Qrow divulged, causing more quizzical looks to dawn on their faces for a moment before they all came to the same conclusion. If Qrow couldn't say who it was, and it was a she, and she was with Jaune, and he saw him on a mission that anything within that mission couldn't be talked about...
"You don't mean..." Raven started but couldn't finish. The unspoken conclusion that the three of them came to hung in the air, carrying a certain authority to it.
He was traveling with one of the Maidens.
"That's...At least we know he'll be completely safe, right?" Summer said optimistically. It was at those words that Qrow cringed and started scratching at his chin. The three saw this and grew immensely worried.
"He is safe, right?" Tai asked, stepping forward and grabbing Qrow's shoulder and tried looking him in the eye. Qrow couldn't bring himself to stare back, and the pit that was in their stomachs only grew deeper.
"Qrow, what happened?" Raven asked. This was serious, she could tell. Besides the point that this was one of her kids that they were talking about, the fact that anything was able to put Jaune into a corner concerned her. Was it legal trouble? They would have thought that he would have known them already! Or was it something else?
"He's...It's real bad. guys. He's pale, sickly, and weak. Weaker than I've ever seen him. He's coughing up this black liquid. It...it scared me." Qrow described, only worsening whatever the other three felt. So much was running though their heads and all of them wanted to know one thing.
"What happened to him?" Summer asked, eyes watery. Of course Summer would feel the most worried, she's the one that found him out in the Grimlands so long ago. She spent the most time with him, played with him, and even let him into her and Qrow's bed whenever he had a nightmare. Granted, Qrow wasn't the biggest fan of it, but the point was, he was just as much her son as Ruby was her daughter. She loved Jaune with everything she had. And hearing that he was in such a state broke her heart, wishing that she was there to care for him and hug him with all the strength she could muster.
"...I can't say that either." Qrow said, his arms crossed on his chest and eyes shut in indignation. He couldn't bring himself to look into his wife's teary eyes. Tai looked a bit frustrated with him, but knew that Qrow wouldn't withhold information without good reason. However, Yang didn't get her fiery attitude from him, so...
"And why not?" Raven threatened as she strode forward and grabbed her brother by his collar. She wouldn't be having any of Qrow's cryptic bullshit right now. Not when it involved Jaune. If she found out that Qrow found Jaune like that and simply left him there, then she was going to go out on her own and find him herself.
"Believe me, If I could tell you I would. But what's happening with him...what's happening with him is something that he wanted to tell you himself." Qrow said, remembering the whole situation with his father and the journey he's taking to beat him. That along with the whole deal with Ozpin and the Queen...
'Just my luck.' Qrow thought to himself as he sighed, feeling Raven loosen her hold on his shirt. She shook her head a little before backing off a bit,
"Let me guess, he refused to come home too?" Raven asked as she pinched the bridge of her nose. Qrow nodded with a shrug. His sister frowning lightly as he did so.
"Of course he did. He really needs to know when to get help." Raven mused to herself. All too knowing that while Jaune wouldn't think twice about helping someone else, he did have a tendency to refuse help for himself. She remembered that not too long ago, Jaune had decided that he would make every meal for the next four days. But it wasn't until the third day that everyone realized that he wasn't saving any food for himself and giving it all to them. From then on, Summer and Raven made it a rule that no one would eat until Jaune had his plate first.
"Is he at least getting help?" Tai asked, asking the question that they all wanted answered. At this, Qrow's face lightened up somewhat.
"Yeah, his traveling partner got him to someone that could heal him. He should be fine so long as he gets his rest." Qrow revealed, relieving the worries of the other three parents. Well, most of them. Summer was still worried over Jaune. What if something else happened while they weren't there? What if a Grim invasion happened in the village and he would have to fight and worsen his condition? What if his injury caused permanent damage? There were so many questions and doubts that she had for her little boy!
"Are you sure?" Summer finally asked, looking into her husband's crimson orbs. He smiled down at her, knowing that she would be the most worried for Jaune. He hugged her tightly and stoked her hair, hoping to ease her worried at least somewhat.
"I'm sure Shortstack. I wouldn't have left until I knew for sure that he was going to be okay. He wouldn't be able to get me to leave even if he tried." He whispered in a comforting and amused tone. Summer smiled as well, knowing that Qrow was being serious. Summer knew how much each of them cared for the blonde boy. And how far they would all go to make sure that he was okay. And while her worries weren't completely quelled, she would have faith that Jaune would stay safe and come back in one piece eventually.
"Alright. If you say so." Summer said finally. Raven looked at the scene before turning to Tai, who was also staring at her. It was times like these that made Raven glad that she didn't run away all those years ago. That she refused the offer to rejoin her old clan. Because with a loving husband like this, and a pair of brother and sister-in-law like that, and not to mention the two little girls that she cares for along with Jaune, she couldn't have been any happier.
Well, she could, if Jaune would just accept help and come home, but that was neither here nor there.
"Hey, I'm pretty sure that it's almost the girls' bed time. We should probably go find them. Oum only knows what happened the last time we left either Ruby or Yang alone for too long." Tai spoke up, looking back towards the other two. He knew that they would need to change the subject as to lighten up the mood. After all, it was seriously cramping up his vibe.
"Right. I guess we should get on that then." Summer agreed, pulling away from Qrow and wiping a few tears that threatened to escape. Qrow gave a small smile before nodding and making his way towards the rest of the house ready to look for the kids, followed closely by the rest of them.
'All in all, I'd say that went by as good as I'd hoped it would.' Qrow thought to himself as he started up the stairs, already able to hear the little footsteps and giggles of his daughter and niece talking about whatever it was that little girls talked about to themselves.
(Earlier When The Four Started Talking, Just Outside The Room)
So both Ruby and Yang had heard their parents out in the back yard talking about something called a com...comu...communism or something. And they knew what it meant. It meant that they wanted to talk about something that they didn't want to tell them. How did they know this? Well, Yang kind of figured it out when she realized that whenever they said that specific phrasing, they would all send her and Ruby away to their rooms or to the living room and then talk to themselves in the kitchen. Usually it was all stuff that neither her or Ruby could understand, so they really didn't stick around too long. Except for the odd occasion which detailed what they were going to get for their birthdays, or for non-descript winter holiday, or even the next plan for a vacation. However, this time...
"It was Jaune...He says hi, by the way."
Both Yang and Ruby lit up at the mention of the boy they lived with for so long.
"They're talking about Jaune! Do you think that he's coming back? I hope he's coming back!" Ruby whispered loudly, her tail wagging in a way that only Jaune was able to make it do. Ruby in her princess shirt and red skirt was positively vibrating on the spot with how excited she was. She was so thrilled that her knightly prince was coming back to her!
Her dreams of being a princess and her his prince! They would play together, hug, and even...h-hold...hands...hehe! She was going to snuggle the daylights out of him when he gets there!
"Me too! Oh! We should go get ready for him!" Yang suggested, also stoked to see Jaune again. She's been training real hard to be strong like him. So that she could fight the Grim with him. All alongside her cousin Ruby. Together they would be the best Hunter Team in the world! Nothing would be able to beat them They'd destroy all the Grim, beat up all the bad guys, make everyone happy, and make a big-big family. Just like when they played house together. Though, both her and Ruby would always fight over who got to be the mommy to Jaune's papa. That was old news however. For they both decided that, why not have them both be the momies? Neither of them wanted to be the baby, they were both big kids! Besides, It was simple! They both got what they wanted and neither of them had to be sad!
Win-win!
They were both going to go upstairs and try to get ready for Jaune's return, but then they heard something come from their parents once more.
"Really? He's traveling with someone? Who?" They heard Raven ask. It broke them out of their excited musings and made them more curious than anything. Jaune was exploring with someone else? Were they fun? Was Jaune friends with them? Of course they would be friends. Jaune wouldn't go anywhere with them if he wasn't a good person-
"All I that I can say, is that they're a she."
Huh. A she, was it? A girl. Spending time with Jaune. Alone...
"I don't think I'll like her." Yang said to herself as she thought about someone else getting close to Jaune. It left a feeling in her tummy that made her uncomfortable and it didn't feel good. Ruby next to her was already letting out a low but still adorable growl. Her tail wasn't even wagging!
"Me neither." Ruby agreed, crossing her arms and giving a pout at the idea. Her mom told her to be nice to strangers and they will be nice to you in turn, but she was finding it really hard to do that when the stranger was trying to steal her bestest friend away from her. She had known he would be her bestest friend when one day, something just clicked while they were in the same bed together after a thunderstorm started up and her parents were out of town for a mission. He stayed under the covers and stroked her hair until they both fell asleep peacefully. From then on there, she knew that he would be her partner when they became Hunters! And Yang would be there too! After they came to a compromise, they agreed that they would share his attention with each other. Either way, they would need to figure out a way to deal with this new girl.
So with a silent agreement between the two, they both made their way upstairs to their rooms and started plotting. Not really hearing or understanding the meaning of their parent's meeting.
Qrow was just outside Ruby's room when he heard both her and Yang talking.
"Alright, so we should make sure that he spends more time with us, right?"
"Yeah! And make sure that they don't spend time with him at all!"
"Yeah!"
The father was curious. Just what in the world were they talking about? Spend time with who? Him? Tai?...
He should probably ask.
"Hey girls, can I come in?" Qrow asked as he knocked on the door. There was a slight pause in the room before Ruby answered.
"It's okay daddy! You can come in!" Her cutesy voice called. Qrow smiled as he opened the door and entered, being assaulted by all the decorations and stickers on the walls. All of it fairytale themed. Everything that Ruby liked and did was almost entirely motivated by her fascination with fairytales. Either Summer or himself would have to read her a story from her bookshelf stuffed with books every night. She would refuse to go to sleep otherwise. It wasn't that big of a deal, seeing as how both he and his wife enjoyed her reactions to their storytelling anyhow. No matter how many times she's heard the story before.
"What have you guys been up to in here? Discussing how your weapons are going to turn out?" Qrow asked as he sat down in one of the tiny chairs at the tiny table with Ruby and Yang. He was used to it really, having tea parties with Ruby here and there. Yang too, on the rare occasion when Tai isn't available.
"...We were talking about Jaune." Yang said after bit of reluctance. Ruby nodded with earnest as Qrow was a bit surprised.
"Really? And why's that?" Qrow asked as he tried to figure out what brought this on. Sure, they still thought about him, as they would bring it up every so often after they moved, but recently, it has kind of died down. So he wanted to know what made them want to talk about it now.
"Well, we just thought about how he was going to go to Beacon like us, and we thought about that since we were making our weapons so..." Ruby trailed off, poking her fingers together. Qrow smiled warmly at her, then reached over and ruffled her hair.
"I know you guys miss him, but don't worry, you'll see him again. You just got to be a little patient, okay?" Qrow requested. Neither of them were at all satisfied with his answer and pouted at him. The man winced, not liking how the combined forces of their cuteness was tugging at his heartstrings.
The sight of both little girls being unhappy did not sit well with him. If he really could, he would have had Jaune come home just to make them happy. Though, that did make him remember the very likely scenario that Ruby had imprinted onto him.
'Deep breaths, Qrow. Deep breaths.' Qrow thought to himself as he ran a hand through his hair, trying to find the words that would please his nieces. But then, he realized something! He could record a video of the kid for Ruby and Yang!
"Alright, alright. How about this? The next time I see him, I get him to send us a message just for you?" Qrow proposed, looking to the two girls. At first they both kept up their pouts, but with a look to each other, they relented and gave a beaming smile.
"Okay!" They both said in unison. The father let out a relieved sigh. He wasn't sure when he would see the kid again, but he hoped that he would do it soon. After all, he wasn't going to be going very far any time soon, what with his...injury. So hopefully he'll have an opportunity to see him again sometime soon.
"Good. Now come on, It's almost bed time." Qrow said, getting up from the tiny chair and stretching his legs. Despite how many times he's sat in that chair, he always needs to flex his muscles, otherwise he's going to get a cramp.
The girls whines, but otherwise complied as they got up from their seats and headed over to their respective beds. With Yang giving one last hug to Ruby before she left the room and Ruby climbing up into her spacious and comfy bed. Getting comfortable in the comforter and looking at him, waiting for their routine bed time story. He chuckled at her before going to the light and turning it off, briefly bathing the room in darkness before he turned on the little projector next to the door, giving a dim light in the shape of animated stars and comets. He heard Ruby giggle over on the bed, always feeling floored with the idea that all of those stars could be out there beyond their world. She so desperately wanted to go there, to see it all up close. She hoped some day...
"Alright my little Strawberry, what do you want me to read tonight?" Qrow asked as he scanned the books on her shelf. She hummed to herself before answering her father.
"I don't know. You choose!" Ruby said, beaming a smile at him. Even in the dimly lit room, Qrow could see just how bright she was glowing. He paused a moment, seeing that his daughter was so happy. He wanted to keep it like this. Where he could protect her and keep her away from all the dangers of the world. Especially since the Queen was making moves on his family. He just wanted his little girl happy...
But he couldn't.
Not always, at least. She was going to be sad, angry, foolish, and regretful. But she would be able to do what she wanted, what she always dreamed of doing. She'd be able to do something in the world, change it even. And she'd make friends to be there when he couldn't. And eventually, she'd find the one that would be there for her in sickness and in health...
Like Jaune.
Pushing the overwhelming sense to reject any and all boys that wanted to take his girl away from him, he had to be realistic here. Out of anyone that he would think of Ruby getting together with in the future, he really couldn't find anyone that came as close to getting his blessing as Jaune himself. He could tell that he would protect Ruby. That he would be there when she was at her lowest. That he would make her happy, and support her. He couldn't be there forever, he knew that. One day, he was going to go away, and he wouldn't be able to come back. It would be nice that before then he could trust someone to fill in his shoes when he goes.
'...Heh. Good thing I don't have to think about that any time soon.' Qrow mused to himself as he shook his head of the notion. Until that day came, he could just enjoy this time where Ruby was still a kid that relied on her father.
"Hm, How about the tale of...Sleeping Beauty?" Qrow asked, getting a confirmation from Ruby. He plucked the book from the shelf and made his way over to her, slipping off his shoes and laying next to her daughter, ready to regal her with a story.
"Alright, nice and comfy?" Qrow asked, looking to Ruby as she leaned into his side.
"Yeah." She said quietly, staring up at him with wonder and excitement in her eyes. He smiled down at her and began his reading of the book.
"Once upon a time..."
Summer peaked through the small crack in the door as she saw Qrow finishing up the story that he was telling their daughter. The little Faunus now gently falling into a deep slumber. She had made her runs around the house and made sure that everything was locked up before making her way over to Ruby's room and noticed that Qrow was already putting her to sleep. Once he was done, he gently placed her head back onto the bed and placed the blanket over her, making sure that she was nice and warm. He placed a loving kiss on her forehead and just stood there or a moment before letting out a breath.
"Sleep tight, Ruby. Daddy loves you." Qrow whispered as he slowly retreated from her and towards the door. He turned to see that Summer had already opened the door and was leaning against the doorframe, smiling at him.
"I told you you'd be a good dad." Summer told him in a low tone as he stood before her. Qrow nodded his head, relenting to the point.
"I know, it's just...you know how my dad was. I was afraid that I would end up like him If I did end up having a kid. I don't want Ruby going through that." Qrow told his wife. Summer gave him a sympathetic look before letting him pass, backing out of the room with him and closing the door behind them.
"You're fine, Qrow. You'll never end up like that...I'll make sure of it." Summer said, sticking her tongue out at him. He chuckled at her antics, already feeling a little better. He never liked talking about his father, but when you spent a large majority of your life with the man, all of which was nothing but harsh training and even harsher reprimand for everything you did, It was hard. When he saw the opportunity to escape him and become a Huntsman, he took it. His sister...she almost went back to their tribe when she gave birth to Yang, but that was neither here nor there.
Stories for another time.
As they were laying in bed, ready to go to sleep, Summer had one more question for her husband before going to sleep.
"Qrow, how long to you think it'll be before we get to see Jaune again?" Summer asked as she turned her head to him. Qrow opened his eyes and turned to her as well before looking up at the ceiling in thought. He stayed like this for a moment before giving his honest opinion.
"Not for a long time probably. If what he said in the letter was true, then I think he has the full intention of traveling the world for whatever it is he's looking for. That's going to take time." Qrow said, making Summer seem a bit worried, but before she could delve any more into that doubt, Qrow nudged her shoulder with his.
"But, I know that it wont be any longer than ten years. That's when he'll have to attend Beacon after all. Not to mention, If he really is exploring the world, he'll have to come to Vale eventually. So we'll see him sooner or later." Qrow said, trying to calm his wife. She mulled on his words for a minute before nodding. She still didn't like it, but she understood what Qrow was saying. It wasn't like he was going away forever. It was just going to be a while before they all saw him again.
"You're right. I just have to be patient. Thank you, Qrow. Goodnight." Summer thanked, getting comfortable and closing her eyes. Qrow smiled at her before doing the same.
"Night, Shortstack." Qrow responded, also closing his eyes for sleep.
They both knew that the future was unsure, but they would just have to go with the flow and deal with things as they came.
For Qrow, that meant trying to make sure that his daughter was happy no matter what she was doing.
For Summer, it was making sure that they were all prepared for anything.
They both wanted one thing, however.
'No matter what happens. I'll be there to protect them.'
Hey guys! This has been another instalment in To Create One's Path. I hope you enjoyed. I'm kind of having a bit of a brain fart trying to think of a thing to put here. But in any case, this is not the end of the chapter! for I have a special omake that has been brewing since last year! Admittedly, it isn't anything to write home about, but I find it cute. Anyway, that's going to be it for me this cha[ter. I'll see you all in another chapter of mine. Toodles~!
Omake: Ruby Tuesday
So it's been a few weeks since Qrow came back, and they quickly remembered something that was overlooked in their want to get everything settled...
"Oh Shit! It's Hallows Eve!" Qrow whispered loudly, running through the store, looking for a good costume for his daughter. Tai and Raven went elsewhere for Yang. They took it upon themselves to go out while Summer stayed behind and watched the kids. So far...he hasn't had much luck.
Looking down one aisle: Empty.
Looking down the second aisle: Empty.
Looking down the third aisle: Empt-
"Wait!" Qrow called out as he saw a single costume that looked to be the right size. He dashed down the aisle with the speed of a supercharged Bullhead and snatched it up, smiling upon the good fortune that he was graced with.
'Size...Perfect!' Qrow exclaimed to himself in thought. He was almost ecstatic that he found a costume of-
"...Oh. God damn it."
Back at home, all four adults stood side by side as they stared at one of two children.
Yang was happy as could be as she trounced around in her cowgirl outfit. Though, as both Taiyang and Raven knew, it was actually a cowboy costume, they figured that it wouldn't be all that much of a difference. She even had a pair of toy revolvers in her hands and a toothpick in her mouth. She was happy with what she had, all things considered. Tai and Raven were relieved that they wouldn't have to deal with a temperamental Yang this year. Especially since they now knew just what her Semblance could do.
Qrow and Summer however...
"I told you, you should have gone with Tai and Rave! How did you think that costume was going to be okay?" Summer prodded, smacking Qrow in the back of the head. He recoiled from the pain before trying to defend himself.
"Hey! How was I supposed to know that Tai's store was going to get a last minute restock? Besides, I probably would have gotten an eye poked out with how hectic it apparently was." Qrow argued as he pointed at Tai, who was still holding an icepack to his cheek, trying to nurse a bruise that threatened to swell. Summer shook her head as she frowned.
"That's not the point, Qrow! Did you see the look on her face as she went to her room? I bet she hates it!" Summer practically yelled into his ear. Qrow at this point grew agitated as well, and turned to her with a frown of his own.
"Oh yeah? Then why didn't you go and get her the costume instead of me, huh? Do you think you would have done better!?" Qrow argued back. Summer scoffed before turning away from him, scoffing at his notion.
"Don't make this about me, Qrow! Someone had to stay behind and make sure that the girls didn't realize that somebody forgot that it was Hallows Eve!" Summer said, crossing her arms and huffing. Qrow stuttered before refuting her claim with one of his own.
"Wha-!? Oh NONONONONO. NO. Don't you point the finger at me for forgetting. We all forgot about that! Including you! So don't try that with me!" Qrow argued more, finding it ridiculous that she would even try to blame him for forgetting. Raven and Tai both stared at them with blank expressions before sighing and approaching them and bonking them on the head, getting their attention before pointing at the door that's handle was currently jiggling to open. They both froze in place and awaited to see if Ruby was happy, content, or angry with what they had gotten her.
The door opened and Ruby stepped out, waddling out as the rather...unorthodox costume prevented her from bringing together her legs...or squatting. In her hands were a pair of tiny little maracas which she shook with every step she walked. She smiled as she revealed...
"I'm a taco!" Ruby exclaimed as she slowly bounced in a circle, each jump accentuated by a shake of a maraca. She laughed and giggled as she moved, the different fillings of the 'taco' parting only at her face. Her arms and legs stuck out of the sides of the shell. After a minute or two of this, she approached her father and hugged him with all her might.
"Thank you daddy! I love it!" Ruby praised, hugging her dad's leg as much as her costume would allow. He stayed still, as did Summer, before he returned the hug.
"You're welcome, Ruby. I knew you would." He said with a loving smile...which quickly turned smug once he turned to a pouting and Blushing Summer.
"Don't you start with me, Qrow." She said simply, turning away from him again. Qrow released Ruby and sent her to get ready with Yang before turning to his wife.
"Come on. Say it." Qrow goaded, giving her the full power of his smugness.
"No." She said, still not looking at him. She pouted harder with her blush becoming a little more prominent.
"Say it with me, 'You. Were. Right.'" Qrow pronounced, taking a step towards her. She sank into her cloak even more at this.
"Mhm." Summer let out, feeling petty. At this, Qrow chuckled as he grasped her shoulders and placed his head next to hers.
"I am right. Search your heart. You know it to be true." Qrow whispered, clenching his fist in front of her face in a tiny show of theatrics. That's what broke Summer as she let out a small laugh before relenting.
"Alright...we were both right." Summer said as she started walking away, making her way to the front door where Tai, Raven, Ruby and Yang were waiting. Qrow deflated slightly before perking up quickly and following after her out of the house.
As they all walked down the path into the city, they already did a bunch of reconnaissance the other day when they remembered that it was Hallows Eve. And thanks to a few friends and Ozpin himself, they were able to set an ideal trick-or-treating route last night.
Qrow looked down to see both Yang and Ruby talking excitedly about all the candy that they were going to get. He chuckled, thinking about how they were going to have to withhold the candy from them after tonight, otherwise they'd eat and eat until they get stomachaches.
"Alright! Let's bother a bunch of old people until they give us candy!"
"Yeah!"
