Chapter Seven: Say Something

Ruby had been very reluctant to leave Yang's side, but eventually Ren managed to convince her she was the only one who could return to the inn and bring back medical supplies quickly enough to help. Ren and Nora would keep Yang safe, and while Qrow hadn't yet made it back to top form he was at least healthy enough to stay on his feet. Ruby would have to move quickly so they could get Yang patched up enough to travel out of the forest and back inside the kingdom walls before their various negative emotions at Yang's injury and Jaune's departure brought the Grimm down on their already vulnerable position.

Ruby didn't want to leave Yang for even a moment while she bled, but once she'd made it back to the inn and collected the bandages, salves, a portable stretcher, and everything else she could stuff in her arms, she was able to take some solace in doing something to help her sister with her wound. The minutes spent getting back through the kingdom's walls and to the inn were maddening, because every moment she spent without wind rushing past her ears she could do nothing but dwell on the thoughts consuming her now.

Raven Branwen… she nearly killed Yang… nearly killed her own daughter…

Which meant Summer Rose hadn't been-

Which meant she and Yang weren't-

No, that wasn't important right now. Getting Yang to safety had to be her only thought. What were her own doubts and confusion when her sister's life was at stake? What did it matter what complex history they may have had and their parents may have kept from them?

What did it matter if Yang was her half-sister? It shouldn't have changed how she felt or lessened the very real love they shared.

But it was. Doubt was creeping into her thoughts now, and much as she tried to drown out the thoughts, they kept reaching out to her every moment she wasn't in motion. She really wished she could've just stayed beside Yang and sent someone else, if only so she didn't have to think about what this revelation meant.

It shouldn't have meant anything at all. She wouldn't be running any faster if she hadn't heard the truth about Yang's parentage.

So why did the thought hurt?

When she finally returned to the clearing, Ren set to work applying the salves to Yang's wounds while Nora kept Yang's head elevated. Once certain her sister wasn't in immediate danger of dying, Ruby turned her attention to her Uncle Qrow, still searching the tree line for any attackers- Grimm or bandit or monster from another dimension.

The emotions Ruby was feeling now would draw the Grimm to them. But she couldn't quite manage to suppress them. Her sister was badly wounded and that was Ruby's immediate priority, but the thought that Yang had kept this secret from her… that she'd known all along and been willing to fight against her mother, maybe even known that mother might try to kill her…

And then there was what her uncle knew, and what her Dad knew, and how exactly her Dad had ended up marrying –had he even been married to Raven?- two of his teammates and fathering daughters with both, and… and Ruby really didn't want to think about any of that, but it was hard for her not to.

Qrow eventually looked away from the trees and turned his attention to his silver-eyed niece. He was slow to respond to her presence, before eventually steeling himself and stepping over to greet her, still unsteady in his slow stagger. He waited expectantly for her, knowing where her head was at, knowing what she wanted so badly to ask him. He just made a point of waiting for her to ask.

Words never managed to leave Ruby's mouth. She tried a few times, but all she managed were a few timid whimpers. Qrow moved over towards her, reaching out with a gentle hand, but Ruby pushed him away.

"Not… not right now, okay?" Ruby requested. "I… I really want… just… please… please don't ask me to trust you right now."

Qrow's hand slowly fell away, batting against his thigh when it finally returned to his side. "Yeah, kid. Okay."

Ren finished applying bandages to the wound poking out Yang's back and went with Nora to place the blonde bruiser on a stretcher. Ruby moved over to join them as they gingerly hoisted Yang up. Qrow turned his attention to Yang's motorcycle, pushing it along after them, using it as support to help stay on his feet as he brought up the rear. Ruby took hold of Yang's left hand, searching for a response.

"You should probably just let her rest," Ren politely suggested from behind her. "Let her sleep through the pain, at least until we get back."

Ruby agreed with the suggestion, but could not be persuaded to let go of her sister's hand. Worrying about Yang's health kept her thoughts away from the startling revelation of Yang's parentage, and holding onto her helped Ruby not worry quite as much.

It had been a mistake to ever let go of that hug Ruby gave her when she finally saw her big sister return. Things would've turned out so much better if Ruby had held on just a while longer…

Kuroyuri

Jaune was surprised how quickly they made it back to the abandoned town. The big bandit Amaranth had hoisted him up and carried him for part of the trip, and the bandits moved through the woods with stunning speed. Even Raven kept up an incredibly fast pace, possibly because of all the Aura she'd drawn out from Jaune.

The town was still a dilapidated ruin, but there were signs of life: fires burning in the distance and casting smoke into the sky- not so different from the residue left from the giant Grimm he'd battled there days beforehand- and as he drew nearer he saw a handful of tents and new tarps placed over some of the more intact buildings. A wooden barricade had been propped up over the circular entrance to the town, manned by a pair of individuals: one in familiar Atlesian blue military armor, the other in the brown and red uniform of the soldiers from Mistral.

Jaune glanced around and saw a variety of getups in the people inside Kuroyuri's protective walls. Some wore a similar configuration of red armor and black underclothing like Raven and her two captains, but they were few. A great many more wore the green of Vale, the blue of Atlas…

"Why is everyone dressed so differently?" Jaune inquired, his curiosity getting the better of him. Amaranth glanced over at Raven, waiting for her instruction.

When she nodded, the hulking captain answered: "They haven't finished their initiation. They wear the colors of their old kingdoms to remind them where they came from, and what they've turned their backs on. It reminds each of them that they are a traitor, and that they have nowhere else to go now."

Jaune looked at the few wearing red and black, clearly in charge as they directed the bevy of others in setting up their various living quarters and manning the walls of the kingdom. They didn't seem to be complex orders, as the more senior 'initiated' members of the bandit tribe barely spared any time on the new recruits.

Once inside the ruins, Amaranth set Jaune down to walk on his own two feet. As he drew nearer he saw a handful of children, though all of them at least a few years old and walking around unaided. There were many women, both in the tribe's red and black and their kingdom's old colors, but none cradling any babies or assisting any toddlers. "Why are there so few children?" he asked.

"Our chief's order," Debian explained. "Part of any emergency retreat is to use her Semblance and escape through the dark pathways. Our tribe has become too large; we've already lost a few trying to make that trip, and now the chief alone walks that path. It's made travel… difficult."

"But not for much longer," Raven reminded him, looking determinedly ahead. "As we're about to announce."

When the others took notice of Raven's arrival, those clad in red and black gestured to the uninitiated members of their tribe. They were slow and clumsy in response, but the various members of former kingdoms all dropped to kneel (even those standing on the walls and manning the barricade) and bowed their heads low. Once all the newer recruits had done the same, the more senior bandits followed suit, dropping to a bent knee. When Raven stopped walking and found a place to address them in the open, Debian and Amaranth did the same, Amaranth harshly pushing Jaune down to his knees, pushing the back of his blonde head.

"I know you're not happy to be here," Raven addressed them, "but I've found what I was seeking, and the time is drawing close." She snapped her fingers in her left hand. Amaranth rose up, pulling Jaune along with him, scraping his knees along the uneven ground and dropping him to kneel at Raven's side. "I have found us the light that will burn through the darkness and make me mistress of the pathways again."

Those kneeling before her couldn't help but look up in curiosity. Jaune glanced out at the crowd of bandits, and saw curiosity at best and confusion and outright contempt at worst. Not that their reactions surprised him… it hadn't been so long ago that people looked down on him just for pretending he was good enough to go to a huntsman academy. No doubt they were skeptical about how Jaune would help them defeat a bunch of extradimensional horrors when he was being tossed around by a single criminal.

"The time is short and the task will be difficult," Raven admitted. "But we will regain control over the pathways and reclaim our advantage. This I promise you: our tribe is stronger tonight than it has ever been, and tomorrow we will be stronger still, and the next day stronger than that. Our moment is very near, and I will lead you to greater prizes than ever before."

The bandits raised their left arms and pressed them to their chests, before bowing their heads even lower. Save for the small children, everyone repeated this motion of supplication before Raven.

"Complete your tasks and then settle in," Raven instructed. "I want a foraging party ready for first light; we're going to remain here a while longer."

Once Raven started to walk again the various bandits rose up and resumed their tasks. Amaranth hoisted Jaune up by the back of his hoodie and prodded him along to follow after Raven. Raven headed for one of the larger and more ornate looking tents, where a seasoned bandit woman clad in red and black waited, stepping aside and holding open the flaps to allow her leader entry. Amaranth continued to push Jaune ahead, barely having a moment to see inside before he was thrown in after Raven.

Jaune stumbled but managed to stay on his feet as he glanced around. Though the floor was still the uneven mix of rock and pavement of Kuroyuri, atop it was some impressive furniture, including a large, comfortable-looking canopy bed, a four legged wooden table with a few wooden seats positioned around it and some food provisions placed at the table center. Raven removed her mask and began disrobing of her armor, piling it on one of the wooden chairs.

When she turned to look at Jaune her eyes were full and open, no longer squinting when she spoke to him. "That went better than I thought. No one was bold enough to voice their objections."

"Maybe they were afraid of what you'd do if they stepped out of line," Jaune dryly suggested.

Raven either missed or ignored his subtle remark. "As they should be." She glanced past Jaune to the flaps of her tent, listening for Amaranth and Debian to leave before she continued. "Every day is a struggle to survive, and those who would undermine me make that struggle more difficult." She set her sword down beside her bed and then turned her attention back to Jaune. "Will you seek to undermine me, Jaune Arc?"

Jaune shook his head. "You did what I asked, and I gave you my word. An Arc never goes back on his word."

"Good," Raven nodded, before she started removing her black garments as well. Jaune's eyes widened as he froze in place. Raven took note of his reaction and focused her red eyes on his blue ones. "Were you not expecting this to happen?"

"I… uh…" was all Jaune could manage.

Raven stepped towards him, keeping her gaze fixed on him. "This isn't the life either of us imagined. But you will not hate this as much as you think you will."

Raven finished disrobing and walked over to lay in her bed. Jaune was still frozen in place as he tried to process all she'd said and done.

She had said she wanted him to help conceive a child. Jaune had briefly wondered about such a possibility when he and Yang shared a moment like this, but always with dread at the prospect. He knew that was always a possible result, but it hadn't been a high priority in his mind at the time. When alone with Yang he hadn't done very much thinking.

Alone with Raven, all he could do was think. She was a beautiful woman who closely resembled another beautiful woman Jaune had already been with, but that didn't make the task any easier for him. He could still see a few drops of Yang's blood splattered against the sheath of Raven's sword. Her armor still smelt of her fresh wounds, and the scars Yang had left in her side were very apparent against Raven's fair skin.

He tried to rationalize that it would help in some way, that his actions would fend off dangerous creatures that threatened Remnant and his friends. He tried to conclude that doing this had been necessary to save Yang's life, and that he'd never have climbed into her mother's bed for any other reason.

Some part of him -something primal and atavistic-tried to compel him on, but Jaune couldn't simply give himself over to that thought as he had with Yang. With Yang, the guilt he felt was for a woman Yang had never wronged. With Raven… it seemed all she'd ever done was wrong Yang.

"Come to bed," Raven bid.

Jaune tried to think of how much Raven resembled her daughter; resembled his lover. Tried to envision it was her calling to him.

Neither thought helped.

But Jaune did as he was bid and began to disrobe himself, closing his eyes as he lay down beside her. Raven reached an arm over to his chest, leaning close and taking in the dimensions of his body.

He wasn't so different from another man she'd once loved, a chiseled, blue-eyed blonde with a similar nature. Though the fact he still smelled very much like the daughter she'd once shared with that man made the task difficult for her. He'd never be strong enough to initiate this. He might eventually be a willing participant, but for now Raven had to do the work.

Raven took hold of his wrist and drew his Aura into her. The light was so abundant in him she could keep it flowing and energize herself. That at least she enjoyed. For that, she wished to dip her cup in and never stop.

Raven took the initiative and moved her face over his own to kiss him, to taste the man she'd claimed as her husband. He did not respond, but she anticipated that… he would in time, and serve a purpose for her. Eventually, he would not hate the role fate had handed him, and if he was as good a man as he seemed to be, then he might find some happiness in tending to their children… even if Raven would have to mitigate some of that kindness to ensure they grew to be strong.

She guided his motions, and in time, the light gave way to the dark.

Mistral

Once back at the inn, Ruby remained with Yang in the room she'd rented. Ren promised to remain awake and come running if she needed any medical assistance, before returning to the room he'd shared with Nora (and previously with Jaune) to rest as best he could without ever finding sleep.

Nora had been seated on the second bed in their room, looking quite downcast. Ren hoped Ruby would have no need of him, because it seemed someone else was as much in need of healing.

"He never slept in either of these beds," Nora remarked. "Do you remember how he insisted on sleeping on the floor so you and I could recuperate after Kuroyuri? Do you remember how he'd just sit here with his back against the frame and work with nothing but that?"

Ren wanted to remind her of the rest Jaune found in Yang's bed, but thought better of it. "I remember."

"Or when we were in the Vale Safe Zone, how he gave us his rations because we were still wounded?" Nora continued. "Or how he promised he'd stay with us, even when he could've gone back home to his family at any time?"

"I remember," Ren said again. He sat down beside her on the bed. "I'll never forget the moment he called me his brother."

"And we just let that woman take him," Nora bitterly mused. "How? How?"

"If we hadn't, she'd gave killed Yang," Ren reminded her. "Jaune did what he had to, and we obeyed our leader's last order."

"It doesn't have to be his last order," Nora argued. "We could track them, find our way to them before Raven pulls her portal trick, find a way to sneak Jaune out…"

"And do you really believe Jaune would allow us to take him?" Ren asked her. "When he already gave his word to Raven that he'd do what she asked? Even if we could reach him, even if we could find a way to bring him out, can you ever envision a scenario where Jaune would break his word?"

Nora was silent for a long time, before moving over to tightly ensnare Ren between her arms. Ren was quite used to spontaneous Nora hugs by now, and took it in stride. He reached over to pull her in tighter, letting her press against him.

"I already lost one teammate," Nora said, almost too quietly for Ren to pick up. "I don't know how to lose another one. I told Jaune –I told him the day Yang came back- that I'd never let him be alone again and I wouldn't let anyone take him away. What good am I if I can't keep my word the way he can?"

"You've never broken a promise made to me," Ren reminded her. "But sometimes there are things we can't stop –things we can't change- and it is all we can do to go on in spite of them. We learned how to keep going without Pyrrha, no matter how hard it may have been to do so. We have to honor Jaune's wish and go on without him, because Ruby will need our help. So long as we have our duty, so long as there's still someone who needs us, we can still be of use." He held her a little tighter. "And you can still be good."

Nora pressed her head to Ren's shoulder. "I miss him. Right now, already. I miss him the way I miss you when you're not around."

Ren cradled her head. "I know."

Yang woke with a start, clenching her right hand. "Jaune-!"

There was a wooden roof over her head, rather than a misty tree line. There was a comfortable mattress beneath her, not bloodstained dirt. There was a blanket over her body, and not her mother towering over her. Her stomach still hurt, but it didn't seem like she had a sword poking out of her now.

"Yang, it's okay," she heard Ruby say, squeezing Yang's left hand tight. "You're back at the inn. You're all right."

Yang had never thought the empty grip in her right hand would feel more real than the left she'd had all her life. She'd never thought she'd feel cold holding her sister's hand just because her right wasn't holding Jaune's.

"Jaune," Yang said again, her voice hoarse. She tried to sit up, struggling to move and position herself upright against the headboard.

She wasn't looking at Ruby. She couldn't quite seem to move, even to turn her head. She felt Ruby squeeze her hand even tighter when she whispered: "He's gone."

Yang knew it to be true. She'd watched him walk away, even though she'd struggled to keep his hand in her own. She'd heard him whisper something to her and then go off with her mother, disappearing in the dark. Yang knew she'd challenged for his hand and lost.

And then Qrow had snapped at Raven, and Ruby…

Ruby heard…

Yang had to look her in the eye. She had to reach over and tell her sister that she loved her very much and whatever she'd heard –whatever she'd learned- nothing had changed and that Yang was as much her family now as she'd been the day Ruby was born, when she'd vowed to always be with her and love and protect her forever.

She had to do something. She had to just say something.

Yang couldn't drag herself up. She couldn't open her mouth to speak. She just felt tired. And cold. So very cold.

"Rest," Ruby instructed her. "I'll look after you."

It wasn't fair Ruby had to be so strong. That wasn't the role she was supposed to play. Yang was supposed to be the big sister, taking care of her, looking after her, protecting her from the harshness of the world. Yang had failed to answer her at a crucial time once before, and she would not let herself fail to tell her now.

Yang summoned all the strength she had to roll over onto her left side, nearly falling onto Ruby. Yang reached over and pulled her into a hug, though her grip must've been quite weak, and she was putting far too much weight onto her little sister.

"You are my sister," Yang forced herself to say, even in that hoarse and painful voice. "I love you. I love you… so much."

Ruby embraced her as best she could while supporting the weight of Yang's sizeable upper body. She tried to say something, but in the end Ruby broke down, crying into Yang's shoulder.

If Yang had her way, Ruby might've learned the truth some day. But she was quite happy letting Ruby believe Summer Rose was Yang's mother, because Yang believed that more than ever now. Robbing Ruby of her stability and faith… forever tainting memories of Ruby's childhood… it was just another in the long list of grievances Raven had afflicted them with.

Eventually, however, Ruby composed herself and pushed Yang back into bed, still holding her big sister's hand. "Rest," she said again. "We'll talk when you're better."

Yang badly wanted to talk now, to help her sister process what she'd learned. The last thing she wanted was to leave her alone with a painful thought if there was any way Yang could help her through it.

But she was so tired… her grip on Ruby's hand was weakening…

And she kept trying to squeeze Jaune's hand with her right, her fingers cold without his hand to hold.

Kuroyuri- Morning

Raven awoke well before Jaune and moved quietly as not to wake him. She'd been rejuvenated by him, his Aura giving her the energy of a much younger woman. Looking back at him lying in bed, she understood what her daughter had seen in him…why she'd fought for him.

Why she might've thought herself invincible with his support to drive her.

Raven knew she was not invincible. She knew better than to believe that she was a better fighter than the innumerable monsters waiting in the dark.

They weren't whispering now. They weren't scratching at the walls of their cages. They were afraid to challenge her, but that moment would pass. They had a plan they'd set in motion, and setback or not, they would act while they had the opportunity. They were closer than they'd ever been, and a lull in their movements hadn't changed that simple fact.

Raven sat down beside Jaune in her bed. It had been so long since she'd had a quiet morning, she wanted to savor the feeling of waking beside a man, of the simple intimacy she had long gone without.

He did not love her. Maybe he never would.

Love had cost her before. It had weakened her, and imbalanced her, and led her to a state where she was not in command of her powers, where she was beholden –however indirectly- to the whims of others and her authority over her people depended on what she could draw from this man she'd claimed.

He'd love their children. In that he'd have no choice.

Raven hadn't had any choice in that. It was why she'd needed him right away. To try and forget that hurt, to try and escape the memory, so that when she thought on the prior day, she'd remember her first night with her husband and not how she'd had to harm her child.

Not the life she'd wished for. But maybe, after the threat had passed, good enough.

Mistral- Late Morning

Yang heard something… a sound like clinking glass. She heard heavy breathing and the sound of wood scraping along the floor.

Yang squeezed her left hand. Ruby wasn't holding onto her anymore…

She shot upwards, rearing back her right hand. Even if she could barely move, getting hit with a hunk of metal would still hurt whoever dared move her baby sister from her side.

She felt a hand catch her metal wrist before she could complete the arc of her swing. "Easy, firecracker," her uncle Qrow's voice advised her.

Yang opened her eyes and saw her uncle sitting beside her, still holding her wrist. Yang lowered her arm, and Qrow relaxed his grip. She looked around as best she could, searching for silver eyes or dark hair with red accents. "Where's Ruby?"

Qrow jerked his head back, sliding in his wooden chair a bit out of Yang's frame of vision, so she could see Ruby asleep in the next bed over. "She wasn't talking to me, but she did listen when I said she should rest. She tried to pretend for a bit, tried to eavesdrop –you know her- in case I was gonna let slip any more secrets, but she's been up for so long, looking after you, looking after me, worrying about everybody all the time… eventually she just conked."

Yang was glad Ruby was asleep. She'd badly needed it. Though once again she'd woken and found no hand to hold. It wasn't a feeling she was sure she could get used to.

Still, she was feeling a little better, at least enough to move around. This time she succeeded in sitting upright, looking over at her uncle. He was seated at her bedside in a wooden chair, and had brought over a pair of dusty looking glasses and set them on her nightstand, sitting beside the gin bottle he'd given her before he'd left her behind in Patch to follow after Ruby.

"It's a little early," Yang remarked.

"You've had a long day," Qrow reminded her, as he uncorked the bottle and poured the hard stuff into each glass. "And I figured I shouldn't let my niece drink alone."

He took one of the glasses in hand and held it out to her. "It helps with the pain. Trust me, I know."

The pain in her stomach wasn't so bad. Still, Yang took the glass from his hand, looking down at the pale yellow liquid. It had been barely two days since her first sip, since she shared this liquor with Jaune… to think… if she'd never offered him the bottle, if she'd never sat down to talk with him and led him back to her room…

Raven would have still come for him. And he'd have probably gone with her, and gotten something in return that could've helped Ruby on her mission, because that was the kind of guy he was. Yang would not have missed him so much if she'd just seen her old school classmate simply take one for the team. She'd probably have been okay with it… and that was a damning thought to her, that just two days ago she'd have thought so little about Jaune's welfare.

He was gone, and she couldn't save him.

Just like she couldn't save Blake… or Ruby…

Yang set the glass back down on the nightstand. "This is something I do with Jaune," she decided.

"Then you'll never drink this stuff again," Qrow pointed out, before drinking from his own glass.

Yang huffed. "Well, go ahead, don't hold back on my account."

"I could use one myself," Qrow admitted. "That wasn't a good day for any of us, kid."

Yang appreciated how Qrow hadn't rubbed her nose in it just yet. "Are you mad?"

Qrow shrugged. "Not as much as I thought I'd be. I'm glad you're alive. I'm glad blondie managed to talk her out of things."

"And take him away," Yang added. "You glad she did that too?"

"Yang," Qrow solemnly replied, "I'm not going to pretend I was cool with you two; you know I wasn't. But do you really think I ever wanted to see my sister try to kill her own daughter? Do you think I ever wanted to see her fall so low?"

Yang conceded that was probably a fair appraisal. She looked over at Ruby still asleep, thinking of how terrible it'd be to see disappointment in those eyes. Yang was suddenly very grateful Ruby had cried into her shoulder and not tried to hold her gaze.

"I never wanted her to know," Yang muttered. "Even when I told myself I'd find my mother, I never once thought I'd stop and tell Ruby any of it. I never wanted her to think there was anything different –anything less- there just because there was a different woman she'd never known about. I never wanted her to think about how Dad could love someone other than Summer… about what life would be like if she hadn't ever come around. It isn't fair that she has to deal with this."

"Your Dad loved all of you, for one reason or another," Qrow told her. "Loved Raven just as much as he loved Summer, loved you and Ruby just as much as he loved each of them."

"How does that help?" Yang demanded. "Knowing that he loved… that he even thought she was…"

Qrow poured himself a second drink. "And maybe knowing blondie will love her too?"

Yang glared at him. "Don't you say that. Don't you ever say that again…"

Qrow shrugged. "I hope he does. I hope he finds something good to hang onto. I hope my sister finds happiness too, weird as that may sound." Qrow leaned closer to her bedside. "I may have tried to scare him off, but I want all the people in my life to be happy, kid. I just wished we could've gotten some help from Raven along the way. I wish things weren't so bad I had to trade your boyfriend for a few scraps of intel… but that's where things are now. That's the world we're living in."

As Qrow went to take a drink, the glass slipped from his hand and shattered on the wooden floor, the gin spilling out and splashing against the leg of his chair.

"Bad luck…" Qrow sighed. "That's unfortunate."

"Why?" Yang asked, turning to look up at the ceiling.

"Because I'm getting better," Qrow answered. "And that means Raven's monsters will be coming out to play… and blondie will be going with her to fight them again."

The Dark Pathways

The elder had finally finished collecting the errant limbs that the red huntress had cut away. Its scars still burned from where the Aura had washed over, where the wandering light had struck, but at least its body was whole again.

The others whispered of retreat, but the elder would not be deterred. It called out to the others, in a howl that reverberated through the curves and edges of the dark. They answered it, seeking freedom.

Seeking opportunity.

The distortions had begun again. They were increasing in frequency.

The time was drawing nearer. Their chance would be only the briefest moment, but it would be enough.

Darkness would spill out into the remnant apart and wash over its every corner, and they would dispel all the light, and turn their prison into a paradise.

Soon…