Chapter Five: Words and Deeds
Ruby heard a commotion coming from the room she'd been sharing with her uncle. She'd left Yang's side and rushed over, only to find her Uncle Qrow out of bed and standing upright, violently shaking Jaune back and forth by his collar, while Ren and Nora hung off either of his arms trying to wrench him away.
Ruby moved to intervene, both to save Jaune from his imminent demise and to put her uncle back to bed before he overexerted himself. Working in tandem with Ren and Nora, Ruby managed to finally pull Qrow's hands from Jaune's neck and gently guided him back to his bed. Hopefully all the energy he'd spent getting up and throttling Jaune would leave him too winded to continue his assault. "I guess he found out?" Ruby dryly inquired.
Nora nodded. "I'm thinking we give it another few hours and everyone in Mistral will hear about it."
Their banter did nothing to improve Qrow's mood. "Just when I was starting to like you, blondie, you decide today is a good day to hook up with my niece?!"
Jaune was apparently still too shaken to reply, so Ren addressed Qrow's concerns on his leader's behalf. "I don't believe Jaune was expecting your sister to propose to him today. Otherwise I'm sure he'd have tried to manage the time accordingly."
"Don't get smart with me, kid," Qrow warned, before turning his attention to Ruby. "And you knew? Were you planning on telling your uncle?"
"I just found out a minute ago!" Ruby protested, before abruptly changing tactics. "Besides, you never talked to me about your sister or her whole deal!"
"And that was a mistake," Qrow admitted. "I never wanted you to get caught up in her web and all the things she's up to; all the things she's already done…" He took a deep breath. "Okay, let's focus for a minute. Let's hash things out."
Ruby glanced back at Jaune, still sitting quietly and looking quite despondent. She stepped over from Qrow's bedside to Jaune's, reaching down to place a hand on his shoulder. "Jaune?"
Jaune wasn't sure what he was supposed to say. He was still a little overwhelmed by his trip into some kind of strange pocket dimension with sentient spider monsters that threatened Remnant with their incursion, and then Raven explained wanting him to father a child with her, and then she let him (and Qrow) know that she knew about him and Yang, who just so happened to be Raven's daughter. He was nowhere close to being able to process what happened, let alone explain his actions to Yang's apparently quite protective uncle.
What should he say? Qrow was a drunk; maybe hearing he and Yang shared some booze beforehand would help… no, that would probably just give him further encouragement to throttle Jaune. Both he and Yang were recovering from trauma after Beacon fell; surely a seasoned huntsman would understand how lingering tensions might flare up in such a strange and intimate way. Or Qrow might just think Jaune took advantage of his niece while she was in a fragile emotional state and be completely unsympathetic to Jaune's own doubts.
Really, Yang hadn't been on his mind until Raven brought her up. Even now, he was less concerned about what his relationship was with Yang than the imminent threat of monsters from another dimension.
"Qrow, you're the one who let her pitch this to us," Jaune pointed out. "You knew those things were real, too. You knew what they were capable of."
"All I knew was it gave Raven an excuse not to be around," Qrow replied, briefly glancing at the back of Ruby's head. "I know what it is to have a dangerous Semblance –believe me I do- but I didn't up and leave…" He paused as he considered his words. "…I didn't up and leave Oz and abandon the fight against Salem because I had better things to do." He pointed an index finger at Jaune. "But don't change the subject. Yang, remember? Or you already decided to trade up for my sister?"
"You're the one who brought her in!" Jaune snapped back. "Why'd you even have her meet with me?"
"Because unreliable though she is, Raven does know a few things," Qrow answered. "And while I wasn't planning on selling you off to her before, that idea's really grown on me in the last few minutes for some reason…"
Ruby intervened, slapping her uncle's shoulder and casting him a disapproving glare. "What does Raven know?"
Qrow glanced around the room. "Wasn't that long ago we were talking about them… and Raven may have a lead on one of them." He turned his attention to Jaune. "Trust me when I say this kid: I didn't think about letting her take you with her before, but I was weighing our options. It might've been worth the trade."
"What might have been worth the trade?" Nora asked, moving closer to Jaune and narrowing her eyes at Qrow.
"The Spring Maiden," Qrow answered. "Raven knows where she is."
Yang started with the obvious. "Why did you abandon me? Why did you leave me and Dad?"
"You weren't what I wanted," Raven bluntly replied. "I thought your father would give me strong children, and he didn't. You were a disappointment and you weren't worth the trouble."
Raven looked straight at her and harshly dismissed her. Yang refused to look away, to show any doubt or shame, to let her know that this flippant reply had hurt her. "If you just wanted a strong kid, why did you marry Dad?"
"I loved him," Raven answered flatly.
"Loved…? How can you even say that? You left him!" Yang snapped.
Raven shrugged. "Nothing lasts forever. I loved him: past tense. He was my partner at Beacon and we fought side by side so many times that I came to respect him, care for him… and eventually love him enough to think of him as something more than my partner. It was good while it lasted. I enjoyed the time we had."
Raven seemed quite whimsical considering how callous her words were. Yang had hoped there'd be something more complex there, like maybe this business with invading monsters from another dimension was involved somehow. "And what, I came along and you just stopped loving him right then?"
"Pretty much," Raven confirmed. "It was possible another child would've turned out better, but I'd still be saddled with you. And seeing as Taiyang kept you around, he'd have only poisoned the next one's mind thinking something weak could remain."
Yang felt her hands shaking, her temper rising below the surface. She tried to keep herself calm, carefully measuring the length of each breath. "And now you want to marry Jaune. Gonna' leave him too if he doesn't give you the kid you want?"
"That shouldn't be an issue," Raven answered. "Once I've bound us together I'll be able to draw his Aura to me. The next generation will inherit the trait I have in mind, and I will ensure they're strong enough to carry on this duty."
Yang's two conflicting emotions were suddenly in alignment. Her jealousy at Raven trying to abscond with Jaune and her resentment at being abandoned compounded together, thinking of Raven using him for no other reason than this…
Raven looked at Yang's trembling hands. "I had no idea you felt this way. I thought you just took him for pleasure."
Yang abruptly stopped all her motions, save for her widening eyes. Raven knew? How did she-?
"He has so much Aura, it leaves residue," Raven explained. "And when we were in the dark pathways, we were in very tight quarters, and he smelt very much like you. Each of you has left your mark upon the other."
Yang suddenly felt very self-conscious. She suppressed the urge to blush, to show any embarrassment at the thought of talking about this with Raven. It reminded her of talking to Summer about boys, even if she'd still been very young and hadn't yet truly understood anything about them…
Yang shook her head. Raven may have given birth to her, but she didn't deserve to be compared to Summer Rose. And clearly she'd never wished to be.
Yang steadied herself. "Well, since you know… I'm sure you can understand why I might not want you to take him away."
Raven shrugged again. "I'm sure there are many things you want, Yang. And I'm sure you've learned-" She very pointedly glanced at Yang's right arm. "- that you're not strong enough to take them."
Raven stood up, even unsteady on her feet and still applying pressure to her wounds. "I'd be only too happy to let you take Jaune Arc as your own and make whatever life you think you could have with him, but there is too much at stake for me to give him up. What is your happiness versus the survival of my people? What is Jaune Arc's life versus the safety of this remnant?" Raven finally averted her gaze from her daughter. "I will have him, Yang, because I need to have him. Even if you felt the same, you're not strong enough to take him. Accept it. Cut your losses and move on."
Yang looked at the side of Raven's head. Her mother… the person Yang spent more than a decade looking for, hoping to understand something about herself, about her past, about the world, hoping that maybe there'd be some way to repair the damage done and add her wayward family back into her life…
This was what she spent her life chasing? This was what had nearly cost Ruby her life because Yang was so desperate to know?
Yang stood up from her bed too. Raven turned to meet her gaze, betraying no doubt. Clearly, Raven knew who she was and didn't care if Yang disapproved. Yang had only one more question. "Why did you save me at Mountain Glenn?"
"Sentiment," Raven was quick to answer. "A favor for Taiyang's sake; not something I intend to repeat."
A favor…?
Yang scoffed and stormed past her, stepping out of the room and violently slamming the door behind her. She'd intended to give Raven a bit more time than that, to ask every possible question, about where she'd been, about who she'd met, about the time at Beacon and the time before that… but none of it mattered now. Raven's answers hurt worse than the silence Yang met the first time she'd asked the questions.
She'd waited most of her life to meet her mother, and now that she had Yang only wished she'd never found her. She'd rather have lived with doubt and uncertainty than know this was the prize at the end of her journey.
Raven waited for several seconds after Yang left. She was well-practiced at keeping her composure and pulling back her emotions when she needed to, and this teenage girl hadn't quite managed to break through her defenses. She'd come very close, but -as Raven expected- Yang had become so disgusted as to walk out before she could realize how much damage had been done.
The words tasted bitter in Raven's mouth. It didn't usually hurt to tell the truth, but this… well, this dogma she spouted she'd once believed. It was easy to say she didn't need Yang, that Yang was weak, that her love for Taiyang had faded, because all those things were true. The Raven Branwen that existed before her daughter's birth would say those words and not regret speaking the truth.
The Raven Branwen who'd just spat on her daughter's hopes and ripped away a possible chance at happiness… all she could think was how hard it'd been to let her go, to sacrifice the chance to love someone and be loved in return, because that was what had to be done.
Better to let Yang hate her. Better she should live, even if she'd never become as strong as her mother. For anyone else, Raven would see that as an unforgiveable sin. For a mother… for the first and only time Raven asked how strong she wanted her child to have to be.
Raven returned to the bed and slipped on her mask. If anyone would try to eavesdrop they wouldn't hear her sobs; they'd be muffled under the obscuring shade. And under that mask, she'd remember what was important. She'd remember what she'd made the sacrifices for.
This would be over soon. Yang would be alive, and have another chance to find happiness. Raven would continue the battle, but it would not seem quite so hopeless.
She just had to bear the pain a while longer. She'd recover from her wounds and move on… but then, the pain of her wounds would always hurt less than her words and deeds.
Yang rejoined the others as Qrow was laying out his plan to Team RNJR. She was in kind of a daze and barely heard him talk, only that he intended to haggle as much as they could from Raven in return for Jaune: her tribe's assistance in the fight against Salem –whoever that was-, her help in defending Mistral while they were all on the same continent, and -most importantly- the location of the Spring Maiden, and Raven's help in keeping her safe from their enemies. Nora was definitely opposed to his plan, constantly interjecting to voice her disapproval. Ruby and Ren were more reserved, though neither seemed keen on trading Jaune to Raven.
Jaune himself, though… "Guys, I think we have to do it. There's too much at stake."
"Jaune-" Ruby began, but he raised his hand, waiting to quell her before he continued.
"I've seen what Raven's fighting against, and if we can get her help in the fight, then that's what we have to do," Jaune explained. "I… I can't say this is how I pictured things going for me, but very few things in the past few months have turned out the way we planned them."
He very pointedly glanced at Yang, still lingering in the doorway. Yang met his eye, her expression turning fierce. "And you'll just go with her; let her take you away forever?"
Jaune continued to look at her, though he was quiet for several moments, deep in thought. He recalled taking her hand, sharing a drink, following her into her room…
Then he remembered the monsters in the pathways chasing after Raven and himself, and seeing some of them cut down by his Aura infused to her blade. He remembered one promising to return him to the past and fix his mistakes, knowing how easily he'd been tempted by a creature he couldn't see…
"I've seen what she's fighting," Jaune explained. "I understand why she's doing this, Yang. And she's strong –we all know she's strong- and she'll be much more help against the baddies than I will. Look, I really don't want to do this, but I…" He sighed. "…I think we'll get more than we'll lose."
"Jaune," Nora interjected, but Ren reached over to take hold of her shoulder. She glared back at him for a moment before she composed herself. She understood Jaune's point, but hadn't quite managed to bottle her protective instincts.
Yang made no such attempt to follow her example. She reached down and hoisted Jaune up by the collar of his hoodie. "We're going to talk about this."
"Yang, if you think for one second I'm done with him-" Qrow began.
"Deal with it, Qrow," Yang snapped. "I made my choice then, and I'm making my choice now. Go back to protecting Ruby from boys; it's too late for me."
Jaune didn't resist Yang's grip as she pulled him along. He figured they'd be having this conversation sooner or later, and the prospect of marrying Yang's mother turned into an unexpected alleviation of his burden. His hand had been forced, and he had to sacrifice for the good of Remnant. What would his feelings matter then?
As Yang pulled him along behind her, Ruby turned her attention to Qrow, still fixated on him with a disapproving glare. Qrow scoffed and averted his niece's eye, muttering about how he sympathized with their father for a change.
Ruby then turned her attention to Ren and Nora, both of whom were processing the thought of having to go forward without Jaune. No doubt they'd manage so long as they had each other, but he was their closest friend and –in many ways- a sort of surrogate family to them. They'd become increasingly protective of him after Pyrrha's death, and their support of his leadership had always been unwavering, even if they followed him in deferring to Ruby on their journey across Anima.
Ruby herself wasn't sure what to do. Jaune had clearly been shaken by his trip with Raven through the portal, and now seemed willing to accept Raven's offer for the greater good. If her Uncle Qrow was right and Raven could help them find one of the Maidens that might be an even greater help than rushing to Haven Academy.
And Raven –difficult as she could be- was once Qrow's teammate and was somewhere in the same category of power. As much as Ruby liked Jaune, and as much as he'd undeniably improved, she knew he wasn't wrong to consider her help more valuable than his own.
She was angry at herself for even considering this. She was angry at Jaune for his willingness to accept this fate. She was angry at Raven for snatching her best friend away. She was angry at Qrow for letting her stick around and present the offer in the first place.
Yang eventually released her grip on Jaune's collar and instead took hold of his wrist, deliberately holding onto him with her left hand as she led him along. With her own room occupied by Raven, Yang took Jaune into the room he'd been splitting with Ren and Nora. Once inside and behind a locked door, she switched to her right hand in taking hold of his throat and pushing him up against the wall.
Jaune was surprisingly calm, even with her cold metal fingers wrapped around his neck. He was very patient in his tone when he asked: "Yang?"
"You are not marrying my mother," Yang flatly told him.
"How many times do I have to say I don't want to?" Jaune reminded her. "None of this has turned out how I wanted Yang."
Yang focused on those cool blue eyes of his. She remembered looking across at them standing in the doorway, then looking down upon them lying on her bed…
Yang released her grip on his neck and then reached her right hand down to take hold of his left, to search for the spark that had prompted her to act, to feel his warmth when she was feeling so cold. "None?" she repeated.
Jaune fought hard to maintain his eye contact with her, though it was clearly a struggle for him. "A day ago, things made sense. Maybe I wasn't in a good place, but I thought I was finding my way out of it; I thought I was moving forward, little by little. Then you came in, and it was something new and exciting and different, and all I could think about was what happened before… about what I'd left behind. About what I'd missed."
Yang remembered the training video, that he'd been playing over and over again. She remembered hearing Pyrrha try -desperately- to confess her feelings and fail to do so, and how guilty Jaune looked when he thought about how oblivious he'd been, turning to the bottle of gin for comfort. She thought about him leaving her bed. "Do you regret it?" she finally asked.
Jaune knew what the easy answer was. He knew that if he could just say he was wrong -that he'd been feeling vulnerable and alone and it led to him being impulsive- he'd be able to drive her away. It'd hurt her and she might lash out at him, but it'd put the blame on him and it'd make it easier for her to accept his leaving and ensure she wouldn't miss him when he was gone.
But then Jaune thought on Yang's support and encouragement at Beacon, and then her kindness in reaching out to him when he was down, and how their shared losses brought them closer together.
"I never expected this," Jaune admitted. "I never thought about this; honest, I never thought this would happen. I don't know what we were before, and I really don't know what we are now."
He steeled himself. Yang needed more than those waffling excuses. She needed a definitive answer, and he owed it to her to say it; to be a bigger man than he really was and tell her he'd made a mistake, and she shouldn't chase after something that was doomed even before Raven came into the picture.
Feeling her hand in his, he remembered waking beside her, feeling her breathing on his neck…
He thought on the guilt he'd felt when he'd heard Pyrrha's voice, he wondered what she'd think, he wondered if the dead judged the living, he wondered if any of this mattered when spider monsters and legions of other nightmares were trying to attack… and then he thought of the hand holding his now, and the lilac eyes he was looking into.
He knew what he should say. But then he remembered how Pyrrha had advised him once, when he'd pursued a woman other than her. She'd reminded him to be honest and sincere, and if nothing else, that was easy for him to remember.
"I don't regret it," Jaune finally said. "I… I don't want you to regret it either. I don't want you to think what we had –whatever it is we had- was a mistake."
Yang had the same thought before. Now she had another, tightening her grip on Jaune's hand. "What we have."
Jaune finally broke his gaze from her, unable to maintain it any longer. "Yang, I… I really wish we could see what this was –um, what this is- and where it'll all go, but after the things I saw in there…"
"Tell her we can find another way," Yang insisted. "Tell her you have someone else."
"I want to," Jaune assured her. "I want to tell her that. But what happens if it isn't enough? Do you really think your mother dropped down to her knee because she thought she had any other choice?"
Yang cursed him his logic. She didn't want to consider that possibility. She didn't want to acknowledge anything Raven Branwen suggested had been true. "It's still your choice," she fiercely replied.
Jaune continued to avert his eyes. "I saw them, Yang. The threat is real. I can't just forget that."
"Yes, you can!" Yang snapped, reaching her left hand to his chin and turning his head upwards, making him face her. "You can decide for yourself! You don't have to -I don't even know what this is- sacrifice just because she said she needs you to!"
"And what about Salem and all her bad guy buddies, Yang?" Jaune asked. "How do we stop Cinder and Tyrian and all the others ? Qrow can't beat them by himself. You can't, Ruby can't, certainly I can't! I wish it was so simple as just working together and fighting them off, but we can't. We tried to fight just one of them –Ren, Nora, Ruby and me- and we lost. Now, maybe I can do something that'll help us in that fight… and I have to do it if I can. I have to help."
Yang was seething now. Raven's words echoed louder and louder in her head, and her grip on Jaune was tightening, no doubt becoming quite painful as her metal fingers squeezed his flesh and bone. He winced, but Jaune had yet to complain.
Raven was not right. Yang wouldn't let her be right. She was strong enough to take what she wanted.
And she would.
"I don't want to talk about what you have to do," Yang finally said, relaxing her grip, calming her nerves. "I want to know what you want to do. I want to know what you'd do right now if you didn't think you had to agree to this insane proposal. Tell me."
Jaune held her gaze for a long time. He felt her hand in his own, and firmly in her grip the memories of a few hours ago flooded back to him.
Yang had made the first move. He thought it only fair he show the initiative this time.
Jaune leaned forward and kissed her. Yang was taken aback at first, but soon her left hand was running through his blonde locks, pulling him in tighter, as Jaune's right hand moved around her back and pulled her up at the waist. They held that embrace for several long moments before Jaune finally broke away.
"That," he said simply. "I'd do that."
Yang nodded, and for the first time in their conversation, it was her turn to avert her gaze. "I don't know what this is either. I don't know how these things are supposed to go or what they're supposed to be like… but I want this." Once a little more sure of her feelings, Yang was able to look at him again. "I don't care what happens next, I don't care what it's supposed to mean or how it's supposed to change us: I want this."
Jaune nodded. "I want this, too."
A few minutes ago he'd been relieved that he could end this relationship, ensnared by the burden of his duty and forced to give up on whatever he might've had with Yang. Now, in her embrace, he couldn't think of leaving it.
Let the dead judge. Let his memories try to remind him of pain and loss. Let nightmares try to force their way out of the dark. The lilac eyes before him and the hand holding his own were every bit as real, and far, far more important now.
Jaune hoisted Yang up by her waist and kissed her again, pushing her down onto one of the two beds in the room. Yang was initially surprised by his assertive display, but quickly found herself pleased with where they'd ended up.
Yang tightened her grip, never once letting go of Jaune's hand, holding the spark that united them close, vowing to never let it leave her again. This bond she'd forged with him had its meaning; she didn't know what it was or where it was going, only that it was hers and his and what each of them wanted.
The world was a dangerous place and the weight of reality had a way of crushing any sense of optimism and hope; Yang and Jaune had each learned that lesson on the same day. But moments like these, feelings like these… there was a reason to cling to them and dare to hope again.
Very Early Morning
Raven had not slept well, with her wounds continuing to bother her and her discussion with Yang still haunting her thoughts. She might've preferred a restful night to mitigate the pain of the damage inflicted upon her, but she knew how rare such things were, and it would not come tonight.
And for the leader of a tribe of warriors, thieves, and outcasts, she knew better than to ever relax her guard.
Raven rolled out of the bed a moment before the dagger fell, and drew her blade to counter the swing of an axe, pushing its wielder away. Raven leveled her greatsword at two assailants, barely visible in the dim candlelight, save for the red pauldrons they wore, the armor granted to those who'd been promoted from simple thugs and highwaymen to captains.
Raven took in the intricacies of their armor, and the build of either assailant: both men, one thin and wispy, the other tall and hulking. She then considered who among her tribe might be bold enough to try such an attack. If they thought her vulnerable, that number would be enormous. If they thought her distracted and they'd decided on a bit of forethought…
"Debian," she greeted the thin one, before turning to his taller associate. "Amaranth."
The thin one answered first. "You're overdue."
Raven considered how best to approach the situation. His wording was a veiled threat, just in case she decided not to take their attack seriously; a reminder that they could resume trying to kill her at any moment. "I am negotiating," Raven assured them.
"Negotiating," Amaranth spat. "You should've taken your prize and returned to Kuroyuri."
He was all muscle and no brains; nothing but a blunt instrument who rose through the ranks on nothing but power and grit. No doubt whatever deal he'd struck with Debian to form this alliance would more beneficial to his smaller partner. "And you two negotiated, didn't you? Decided to split power once your leader was gone?"
"We're not the only ones willing to entertain the idea," Debian quickly interjected, before his musclebound associate could think too hard on Raven's implication.
"And are you the only ones who forgot the rules?" Raven asked. "You drew your weapons in the presence of your chieftain. You know what has to happen now."
"Blood must be shed," Amaranth agreed.
Debian was far less eager to continue now that Raven was armed and on her feet. "Only testing our leader's mettle." He pulled his dagger out of the bedspread and turned it flat in his palm. "We were… concerned."
Blatant lies, but right now Raven had no need of going through another round of infighting with her subordinates. There were challenges enough ahead.
But then again, there were rules to abide by. "Amaranth is right," Raven told them. "Blood must be shed." She pointed her great sword forth. "And it won't be mine."
The two captains exchanged looks. No doubt they hadn't intended for this attempted coup to end as abruptly as it had… and neither were eager to pay the price. Exactly as Raven hoped, their loyalty to whatever deal they'd made was far outweighed by their self-interest.
Debian again interceded before his 'ally' could think too much on the situation. Reluctantly, the wispy thief shifted his dagger in his hand, taking hold of its hilt, and then cut a long line along his opposite arm, pouring drops onto the wooden floor. Amaranth strapped his axe to his back and Debian found his dagger its sheath, leaving his wound open.
Raven accepted this outcome, lowering her great sword. "The boy is here. He will come with us tomorrow. He's putting his affairs in order and his allies are haggling over the price."
"He'd better be worth it," Amaranth grunted.
"He will be," Raven assured. "He's already fought in the dark pathways. He's seen what we're up against."
That was an error on her part. She'd reminded them how much simpler their lives would be if they'd simply succeeded in assassinating her; if they'd removed her unstable powers from the equation. Raven didn't think that'd stop the elders from trying to carry out their plan, but if they thought killing her was a simpler solution… if they ever worked in collaboration and moved on it… it was best Raven not bring up the possibility.
"And what will we do to earn your little trophy?" Debian asked, finally reaching over to apply pressure to his wound.
Raven's first instinct was to snark about helping her brother find a woman, but she suppressed the thought. They'd have more to use against her if she reminded them they were making a pact with someone who'd already abandoned their tribe: by law, her brother should already be dead, and only Raven's leadership bought him his life.
Instead Raven composed a different answer. "Salem will eventually need to be fought. And we'll need to fight her."
"We were going to do that anyway," Debian remarked, his eyes racing back and forth as he tried to understand what toll was being exacted from them, and what his personal stake might be.
"At a time of our choosing," Raven reminded him. "Not anymore."
Now Debian understood and raised no further objection. Amaranth asked: "And when will we return?"
"End of the day," Raven assured him. "He's still young: let him remember who he is before he has to surrender himself. Tonight he is ours'."
That satisfied them… for the moment. Raven knew that she'd managed to stay their hands, but only for so long. Eventually they might be ambitious enough to try again.
She abandoned any plans to sleep. Clearly she couldn't rest with so many eyes –and daggers- at her back.
Yang squeezed the fingers in her right hand. She was quite surprised to feel a set of fingers resting there between her own, and when she opened her eyes and saw Jaune's blonde head resting beside her own, and glanced down to see his hand holding onto hers', at last she found what she'd been seeking.
He hadn't left her. Whatever reason he'd had the first time, it hadn't convinced him to leave her this time. Now he was hers, and she his for this moment.
And more to come, because Yang liked waking up to this feeling. She liked what preceded it, and wanted to know what else could follow it.
She wasn't going to lose this. Not to Raven. Not to anyone.
Breakfast was a tense affair. Qrow was still irritated about Yang and Jaune, and Nora and Ren hadn't gotten much sleep –both because they worried about Jaune's fate and because they tried to sleep on the wooden floor in Qrow and Ruby's room- and Ruby had tossed and turned all night thinking on her big sister and her best friend.
And now Raven had two friends with her, both carrying weapons and dressed in heavy, blood-red armor. Yang and Jaune hadn't emerged from their room. Details still hadn't been hashed out, and now they had a bigger audience to discuss the finer points with.
Things were precarious, and the stakes were massive. The last thing the situation needed was a reckless, impulsive action.
While Raven and her subordinates sat down for a meal, Yang finally emerged from the room JN_R had been sharing and marched downstairs.
She slapped both her hands down on the table and stared her mother down. "He's not going with you."
Raven betrayed nothing, flippantly replying. "He is. He knows he is."
"I'm not letting you take him," Yang flatly replied.
"You can't stop me," Raven assured her.
Yang knew her mother was powerful. Yang knew that no matter how much she improved training with her Dad and working on finesse and strategy, she still couldn't compare to four years of combat school and whatever dangers she'd faced in two decades of constant battle against men and monsters alike.
Yang knew what happened the last time she faced an enemy with a sword in hand.
Then she remember holding onto Jaune's hand, and the spark, and how desperate she'd been to prove Raven wrong.
"I guess we'll have to find out," Yang fiercely replied, her eyes turning red.
Raven could not break her gaze. Not with her subordinates watching as this girl so brazenly challenged her. "When?" Raven asked.
"When you're ready," Yang replied. "I'll find us a place."
Raven nodded. "Any place will do to mark your headstone."
Yang scoffed. "Not today."
Raven betrayed nothing to Amaranth and Debian, never once breaking her composure. She knew what they'd expect –what they'd demand- Raven do to this outsider interfering. If she hesitated for a moment, if she dared give them reason to believe this weak girl's life might matter at all to her… "Twilight," Raven decided. "It'll be a fitting time to see a sun meet its end."
Yang nodded and headed away. Raven could hear the gears churning in Debian's head, no doubt already speculating on how to seize an opportunity while his wounded leader risked further injury.
Raven would have to be swift and merciless. She couldn't show weakness now, while her usurpers stood on either side. She couldn't simply leave Jaune to her, or death would find its way to them all anyway… and possibly find its way all across the remnant they called home.
Raven couldn't falter. There was too much at stake.
She'd tried to convince her daughter to abandon this life, to cut her losses and moved on. Instead, Yang did just as Raven would: fought for what she wanted, even against a seemingly insurmountable challenge.
And Raven had to kill her for it.