Well, I'm happy to see that this attempt to move beyond my normal Fanfiction niche has been relatively successful!

Let's just hope this success can last, huh?

Disclaimer: I, Raymond Smith, Own Nothing

A Family of Black, Gold, & Pink

Chapter 2: Meet the Family

On the small island of Patch, we find the daughter of Taiyang Xiao Long and Summer Rose lounging on the couch of her home while browsing through a weapons magazine that she had a subscription to. Her father was out doing some shopping and her sister was upstairs taking a shower.

For Ruby Rose, her life had its ups and downs. The ups consisted of her having a supportive family, being almost finished with Signal Academy, and having a weapon she had poured her heart and soul into. The downs consisted of her mother having died when she was very young and her family taking the death much harder than she had.

She was too young to remember much about her mother, Summer. From what Yang told her, she was Super Mom. From what her father told her, she looked just like Summer. From what her Uncle Qrow told her, she was a good friend and a great leader of Team STRQ.

They clearly had more vivid memories of Summer, but Ruby couldn't remember much about her. She loved her mom very much and honored her birthday and anniversary of her death, but it hurt Ruby that she didn't have many memories of her personally. It was nice hearing about her, but it wasn't the same as having those memories herself.

Currently, thoughts of her late mother weren't on Ruby's mind. Instead, she was thinking of different components she saw in the magazine that she could use for her weapon Crescent Rose. Some of the parts were better than what she already had, and all of them were legal.

She was still nervous about her baby getting confiscated because of certain questionably legal parts.

A surprise knock at the door brought the young Huntress-to-be out of her thoughts. She set the magazine down and headed for the door, opening it to reveal a woman she'd never seen before, but who looked remarkably like her older sister.

"Uh… Can I help you?" she greeted awkwardly.

"Is Tai in?" the woman asked crisply.

That was the nickname her father went by, so this woman must've known him. "He's not here right now. He's out shopping."

The woman let out a small, frustrated sigh. "Right… You mind if I come in and wait for him? I need to speak with him…and Yang."

'She knows Yang?' Ruby thought curiously. "Uh, sure. Please, come in," she offered as she stepped aside, allowing the woman inside.

However, as the woman passed by her, she saw an odd pink thing in a harness on her back. It smiled at her and waved when it saw her, calling out, "Hi~!"

Ruby never stood a chance.

"OH MY GOSH! IT'S SO CUTE~!" she squealed, quickly closing the door and having her face close to the pink thing's. "Aren't you just the cutest thing?! Yes, you are~!"

Raven rolled her eyes at her late friend's daughter's reaction to seeing Kirby. 'She has your weakness for cute things, Summer,' she thought in amusement as she took off the makeshift child carrier she was wearing and pulled the alien boy out of it to place him next to her on the couch.

"What's its name?" Ruby asked eagerly, still being close to him.

"His name's Kirby. I...recently adopted him," Raven answered, briefly glancing toward the stairs and the muffled sounds of a running shower. 'Yang…'

"Isn't that the name of a vacuum brand…?"

"Trust me, kid; the name definitely fits."

"If you say so," she replied with a shrug, not getting it.

'You will,' Raven thought, once again in amusement. She then heard the shower upstairs cut off, mentally estimating that she had around fifteen minutes before her daughter would be downstairs.

During the few times Raven observed Yang in her avian transformation, she saw that her daughter had grown out her blonde hair incredibly long and was very protective of it. She found that both funny and nostalgic, having been the same about her own hair when she was around Yang's age.

"Like mother, like daughter," Summer had said to her during one of her visits. Raven couldn't disagree.

"So, what were you reading?" Raven asked Ruby.

"Hmm? Oh, just a weapons magazine. I'm just browsing though, since I already have my own weapon. I made it myself, too!"

"Most Signal Students make their own weapons."

"Oh, yeah…" Ruby agreed sheepishly.

"What'd you make?"

"A High-Caliber Sniper-Scythe!"

'Of course, you'd have her copy you, Qrow…' she thought with a deadpanned expression, something Ruby fell victim to.

"W-What's wrong with that?"

"I just remember a dusty old crow having something similar," Raven answered in a dull tone. "I wasn't expecting him to let somebody copy his so-called style."

"Hey! Uncle Qrow has plenty of style!" Ruby cried out in defense of her super cool uncle.

"Yeah, sure he does…" was the sarcastic response.

With puffed out cheeks, Ruby gave a glare that was far more adorable than intimidating. Raven simply smirked at this while absently patting Kirby on his head, making him sigh in content.

"So, you put in illegal parts like Qrow?" she asked casually, smirking when Ruby choked on her spit and looked incredibly guilty. "I'll take that as a No."

"I-I don't know what you're talking about! Crescent Rose is perfectly legal!" Ruby declared defensively, but she sounded ready to have a panic attack.

"Relax, kid. Trust me, I could give less of a damn about things being legal."

When she realized that the woman was only teasing her, Ruby sighed in relief before she heard footsteps coming down the stairs. Seeing her sister enter the room, she greeted, "Hey, Yang. We have a guest. She knows dad and Uncle Qrow."

"Oh, yeah?" Yang replied, not seeing the woman's face but noticing the pink blob next to her. "That a new plushy?"

"Nope! He's this lady's adopted kid! He's called Kirby, and look!" Ruby grabbed the little guy and held him up as he waved to the blonde teen. "Isn't he the cutest?!"

"Hi~!" Kirby greeted with his signature happy tone.

Yang chuckled and rubbed Kirby's head. "Yeah, he's pretty cute. So, who's this?" she asked, gesturing to the woman who had yet to turn around.

"I uh… I never got her name, actually," Ruby confessed sheepishly, earning a dry look from Yang.

"So, you just let some random woman into our house because she knows dad and Uncle Qrow?"

"I forgot to ask her, okay?!"

"Of course, you did… Soooo…what do we call you, miss?"

The woman took a breath and got up from the couch before slowly turning around to face Yang. The polite smile on the blonde's face fell at the sight of her, changing into a look of visible shock as she took an involuntary step backward.

"Yang…?" Ruby spoke up in concern.

However, Yang didn't hear her, her focus entirely on the face she had only ever seen in a photo that her father immediately confiscated from her as a child. It was the face of someone she had risked, not only her life, but Ruby's life trying to find when she was younger.

"M-Mom…?" she choked out.

Despite her own nerves at seeing Yang this close for the first time since her birth, Raven gave her daughter a faint smile. "You've grown well, Yang…" she commented honestly, pleased that her daughter looked healthy and physically capable for the life of a Huntress.

The shock at seeing her estranged mother gave way to angry tears as Yang quickly closed the distance and slugged the woman with a heavy punch, making Ruby and Kirby cry out in shock while Raven didn't defend herself and took the hit. She stumbled back a bit, not letting her Aura block the damage and revealing her newly busted lip.

"Why are you here…?" Yang demanded in almost a whisper, her fists clenched and trembling in growing anger as her blonde locks flickered like fire. They then ignited as she looked up from the floor and glared at the woman with blazing crimson eyes that matched hers and had tears rolling down. "WHY NOW?! WHY DID YOU LEAVE?!"

Even knowing that Yang would be rightfully upset and furious with her didn't lessen the pain Raven felt at seeing the heartbroken rage in her daughter's eyes. Summer had warned her many times throughout the years that she was making a mistake staying away for so long, but Raven stubbornly stayed away. Seeing Yang's tearful fury drove home how Summer, like always, was right.

'Yang… How much have I hurt you…?' Raven thought shamefully, refusing to cry in front of her daughter. Yang's tears were rightfully earned, and Raven didn't deserve to cry; she knew this.

"I looked for you," Yang continued, no longer yelling but still just as furious. "I nearly got myself and Ruby killed trying to find you! Dad and Uncle Qrow wouldn't tell me anything, and neither did mom!"

Raven knew that mom was Summer, and she more than deserved the right to be called that for raising Yang. She knew that Yang needed to get everything off her chest, so she stayed silent and waited.

"They never gave me a straight answer, but I never stopped wondering where you were; why you left. And here you are, waltzing back in like nothing happened. So, tell me: WHY did you leave? Why come back NOW?"

Raven waited a couple more seconds to see if Yang would continue. When she didn't, the finally spoke up.

"Nothing I can say will make you forgive me for what I've done. No amount of excuses or reasons can make it up to you, and nothing I say will convince your father or Qrow that I'm being honest with you. I can only tell you why I'm back; not why I left."

Yang's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Tell me, anyway. I'll decide if your reasons are enough; nobody else."

Despite the situation, Raven chuckled softly and commented, "So stubborn… I'd have thought Tai would've prevented that…"

"Stop stalling!"

"I'm not stalling, Yang… I swear to you, I'm not stalling anything. I'm just trying to find the right way to say this, and trying to come to terms with seeing you again after so long…"

Yang growled at that, but Ruby helped her calm down by gently grabbing her by the hand. After a few moments, Yang's Semblance slowly died down and she allowed Ruby to lead her to the couch. The sisters took the couch while Raven took a chair and Kirby hopped into her lap.

"I doubt what I'll tell you will make sense. Knowing your father and Qrow, they wouldn't want either of you to know about what's out there beyond the Grimm," Raven began.

"Beyond the Grimm?" Ruby repeated.

"Yes. You see, while the Grimm are indeed creatures of darkness that only attack Humans, Faunus, or manmade creations such as cities, they aren't just spawned in the wild. They follow someone that nobody but those in the know are aware of. Going by the name Salem, she is known to us as the Mother of Grimm."

"Salem…" Yang repeated dubiously.

"You can bring it up to Tai or Qrow if you don't believe me, but I swear to you that everything I'm about to tell you is true. Team STRQ fought against the forces Salem has under her control, but I grew sick of the never-ending war between us and Salem. We were led by Ozpin, who currently resides as the Headmaster of Beacon Academy."

"Wait, mom was in some sort of secret war with you guys against this Salem lady?" Ruby questioned.

Raven nodded, but Yang saw that this one was joined by a more somber expression. "Yes…Out of the four of us, only Summer and Qrow kept up the fight alongside Ozpin and his other allies. I was sick of it all and stepped away, and Tai joined me when we found out I was pregnant with you, Yang."

Yang said nothing, just giving Raven a hard stare and silently ordering her to continue.

"What Ozpin never told us, but something I believe to be true, was that Salem couldn't be beaten. She might be stopped for a time, but never truly beaten. This was why I left, but Summer and Qrow kept holding on to the false hope that Ozpin kept on telling us with that damn silver tongue of his. He even gave Qrow and I a small dose of magic, allowing us to take the form of birds."

"You can't be serious. Magic doesn't ex-" Yang started to deny before she was rendered speechless by Raven becoming a raven in a dark flash before changing back in a second flash. "Holy crap…"

"You think you're shocked? Imagine how Qrow and I felt when we were trying to get used to our new bodies. Although, after getting the hang of it, flying is admittedly very relaxing."

"That's so cool!" Ruby gushed.

"So, Ozpin gave you and Uncle Qrow some magic to try and get you both to stay on his side?" Yang guessed.

"Yes. While I did for a time, I still left when I felt that everything we had done and were still trying to do was amounting to nothing. Ozpin didn't try that hard to stop me, but when Summer expressed her own doubts, he pulled out all the stops in keeping her in the fight. He wasn't about to let her leave his forces."

"But why…?" Ruby questioned worriedly.

"Because she has silver eyes, which you also have, Ruby."

"What do my eyes have to do with anything?"

"Silver Eyed Warriors are the bane of all Grimm and creatures of Darkness; Salem included, if what Ozpin's actions can support. Anyone with silver eyes is on Salem's hitlist, along with any woman who holds the title of Maiden."

"Maiden…?" both sisters repeated.

"Yes, the Maidens… Four women who hold a title based on one of the four seasons and have access to magical power over the elements based on the season they carry. Maidens, at the time of their death, pass on their title and power to the last girl or woman to be in their most deepest of thoughts. I only know of three of the current Maidens, though one of them has gone quiet; so, she may have died recently."

"So, Salem has a grudge against people with silver eyes and these Maidens?" Yang summarized.

"That's correct. However, there's more to the Maidens than we knew until Ozpin had no choice but to inform us. Of the four Huntsmen Academies of Remnant, each holds a relic that is held in a vault that can only be accessed by a specific Maiden. Beacon Academy's relic can only be accessed by the Fall Maiden, who is the one I believe to have recently perished or gone into hiding. I'm hoping it's the latter and that she's staying off of both Salem and Ozpin's radars."

Ruby and Yang took a few moments to process everything that had been revealed to them. While Yang wanted to deny it all, part of her believed what Raven had told her and Ruby. It didn't help that Qrow was always gone on jobs for some guy named Oz and he would be away for weeks – sometimes even months – at a time.

"This is a lot to take in," she began, "but it doesn't answer my question. Why did you leave? And why come back now?"

Raven nodded at that. "You're right; I haven't answered your questions yet. However, I needed you to know all of this to help explain my reasons." When the sisters nodded in understanding, she continued, "You may not believe me, but I left to keep you safe, Yang."

"How in the hell is leaving your newborn daughter keeping her safe?" Yang challenged with a glare.

"Because Salem knew about us – about Team STRQ – because of our previous battles against those who served her. However, she didn't know about you. She knew I had left Ozpin since she sent someone to offer a place at her side not long after I left."

"So…you left Yang to keep her existence a secret from Salem?" Ruby guessed.

"Yes. I've used people by targeting those they cared about before, and I knew that a monster like Salem would have no problem doing the same thing. I wasn't about to let my daughter become a target of Salem…"

Here, she looked to Yang with open guilt on her face.

"…even if it meant abandoning her to keep her safe…"

Yang's glare softened at that. While she was still upset, she could see that Raven was being completely open with her. The guilt and shame on the woman's face was all too real to be faked.

"But didn't she know about mom…?" Ruby asked.

"She did, but Summer was always close to Ozpin; someone that Salem seemed hesitant to target. I didn't – and still don't – trust Ozpin, and Salem made me that previous offer because of my distrust in him. Summer, ever the optimist, never lost trust in the man…"

Yang could see where this was going. "You think that mom died because she trusted too much in Ozpin…"

Ruby gasped at this while Raven nodded sadly. "I do… What Summer never told Tai or Qrow was that she and I stayed in touch even after I left thanks to my Semblance, Kindred Link. It allows me to create gateways between myself and someone I trust or care for, and I only have Links with Summer, Tai, Qrow, and you Yang."

"Wait… So, you never fully left…?" Yang whispered in surprise.

"Of course, not. I would keep tabs on your growth through Summer before she died, and I personally watched you in my corvid form after her passing. I always kept watch over you, Ruby. I owed it to Summer for being the mother that I never could be for Yang. I swore on her grave that I would look after you both, and I'm here now to keep that promise in full."

Yang frowned again. "Mom died years ago, though… Why wait that long?"

"Because I had found the Spring Maiden," Raven confessed, much to the shock of the sisters. "I couldn't just leave her without trying to prepare her for Salem of her subordinates. But no matter what I did to help train her, it didn't stop her from being overwhelmed by her responsibilities as a Maiden." She took a breath with eyes closed. "…So, I did something drastic to keep the Spring Maiden out of Salem's clutches."

Ruby and Yang were silent at that, and while Yang had an idea what Raven meant, Ruby couldn't help asking worriedly, "What did you do…?"

With eyes still closed, the sisters saw flames flicker to life around Raven's eyelids before she opened them and revealed her blazing crimson eyes. "…I did what needed to be done."

Ruby gasped in shock while Yang had a look of disappointment. "You killed her…didn't you?" she accused.

"I did…"

"But… But why?" Ruby asked in visible horror. "Why kill her?!"

"It was cruel, and the girl deserved better," Raven confessed. "But sometimes you're forced to do cruel things for the sake of others…"

"You're trying to justify murder?"

"I'm trying to tell you that if I didn't do what I did, she would have run off and been found by Salem. What I did prevented that, even if it meant the death of the previous Maiden. And not long after I became the newest Spring Maiden, this little guy," she patted Kirby's head, making him smile, "landed outside of the tribe's camp in a falling star. I found him and witnessed him dispatch an entire pack of Grimm before deciding to take him with me."

"But with you being a Maiden now, why come here?" Yang asked.

"Because I can use this new power to hold back anyone Salem sends. I was a coward when it came to standing up to her; I hate saying it, but I will admit it. But now, I will do everything I can to protect both of you."

Ruby was still trying to come to terms with Raven's confession of murder while Yang was frowning at her.

"You don't have to call me mother or even see me as one. I know I gave up that right the moment I left you… But I promise you that everything I've done, and everything I will do will be for you, Yang; you and Ruby. Summer was the mother you both deserved, but she was gone far too soon. I can never replace her, and I would never want to. However, I will not stop looking after you both, because I made Summer a promise. And I refuse to break a promise made to the one person I could proudly call both my friend and my sister."

With her piece said, Raven stood up from the chair she was on and placed Kirby in the child carrier before putting it back on. She then made her way to the door and opened it to leave before stopping and turning around to face the sisters again.

"I'll be back tomorrow. If you want to let Tai and Qrow know I'm back, go ahead. Either way, I'll be seeing you both and them tomorrow." She then turned back around and bid, "Think about what I said…" before she left the Xiao Long household.

She just hoped that tomorrow would be better than today.

"I hope they believe me," she muttered as she walked down the forest path.

"Poyo…" Kirby mumbled sadly, wriggling out of the carrier so that he could climb onto her shoulder and hug the side of her head.

Despite the somber exit, Raven smiled at his attempts to cheer her up and pulled him away from her head to hold him in her arms. "With any luck, you'll have some new sisters, Kirby… And I'll keep you all safe…"

She looked up to the sunset-colored sky as her crimson eyes once more lit up with flames.

"I swear it…"

That's the end of chapter two! How'd I do?

So, Raven has revealed the truth about Salem and the Maidens to both Yang and Ruby. How will the future change now that the two sisters are aware of these things before even starting their journey at Beacon Academy?

Will they believe Raven's words? Will they give Ozpin a chance? Or will their future paths be drastically changed by these revealed truths?

Until next time!

Stay safe, healthy, and positive!

Dreaming of the Future

pain17ification