Chapter 9
"Look, I know that I said I was upset…" Jean rubbed her neck, nervously. "But I just think it would be better if we solved our problems in a non-violent fashion-"
"I agree!" Paulette cackled inside the medic's mind. "Only replace the word 'non' with 'extremely' and follow the word 'violent' with 'explosive genocidal bloodbath!' MWAHAHAHAHA!"
Jean Purple had no idea what she had done to deserve this. The voice left a pounding headache with each dreadful word. "No! Stop!" She begged. "I don't wanna hurt anyone!"
"We will devour their hearts and crap out their souls!"
"But I'm a vegetarian!"
If the girl wasn't too busy arguing with herself, she might have noticed Fox Alistair walking up to the cave's entrance. "Hmph. Pink, they say." He grumbled. "I'd bet my bottom lien that it is lightish red. Huh?" The blind huntsman's enhanced hearing had picked up a young woman's voice, and he decided to investigate. His Atlesian sight-device allowed him to visualize a silhouette, but he couldn't make out any specific features. Nevertheless, Fox rubbed his chin as he continued to listen. "Hmm…five feet-seven…echoes of the footsteps indicate she's somewhere between one-hundred fifty and one-hundred eighty pounds…one of Team CCPR's girls, maybe...but who is she talking to?"
Meanwhile, Raven finally managed to get Yang to stay with her long enough to have a meaningful conversation. The older woman decided that it was time for both of them to stop running from their problems and face them head-on. "Yang, you have to believe me, I didn't want to leave. I only did it to protect you."
Yang scoffed. "Yeah?! Well, you did a fantastic job! Dad's condition is getting worse every day! I nearly got Ruby killed looking for you! My fucking school almost got destroyed! And in case you didn't notice, I recently became left-handed! If you really cared, why didn't you come back-?!"
"I loved you and your father, Yang!" Raven shouted in despair. "I couldn't stand the thought of putting either of you in danger!"
"What danger?!" Yang demanded. "What are you so afraid of, that you'd run away?! You! One of the toughest huntresses to graduate from Beacon! What were you afraid was gonna happen that you couldn't prevent?!"
Raven fell silent. Checking their surroundings to make sure no one was listening in, she dragged her daughter to a secluded corner of the room and took a deep breath. "Alright. What I'm about to tell you can not be shared with anyone else. Not even Ruby."
"Oh, this ought to be a good excuse." Yang snorted, arrogantly, as she crossed her arms.
"Okay… I'm the Spring Maiden."
"...come again?" Yang's expression was less angry, now. But more confused.
"A few months after you were born, I went on a routine assignment." Raven explained. "It was just supposed to be a simple task; kill the Grimm, save the people, go home. But while I was there, I ran into a woman who was taking advantage of a neighboring village. She had some kind of…supernatural powers. At first, I thought it was her semblance, but it wasn't like anything I'd ever seen before. She was controlling fire, wind, ice, and lightning all at once! She attacked without provocation, so I retaliated. It took all my strength, but I managed to put her down."
"What does that have to do with you not coming home?"
"Because after I killed her, something weird happened." Raven went on. "I began to develop the same elemental powers the woman had. After a talk with Ozpin, he told me that I had inherited the Spring Maidens powers, and warned me that others would seek it out for themselves. If I had stayed behind, anyone who sought the Maiden's power would try to use you to get to me! I couldn't do that to you!"
"Oh, bullshit!" Yang snapped. "You'd come up with any excuse to justify-"
"YANG!" Raven smashed her fist against the wall, causing bursts of flames and frost to surround them. Yang nearly jumped out of her skin as she looked into her mother's glowing eyes. Raven growled from frustration, but managed to restrain herself. "I'm not lying."
"Holy shit…" Yang breathed, shakily. After a few more minutes of awkward silence, Raven took a step back to give her some breathing room. Yang looked at the ground, unable to face her mother. "I'm still mad at you, though." She remarked.
"And I don't blame you." Raven sighed. "But now that you know the truth, I was hoping we could make amends. Make up for lost time. What can I do to prove to you that I want to improve our relationship?"
The huntress soon regretted asking that once she saw the sly grin on her daughter's face. "Well, there are two things you could do…" She replied. "Dad told me about a certain routine Team STRQ had. Made it so the guy who screwed up got a dose of humility."
Raven hung her head as she gave an exasperated sigh. Then she crossed her arms and looked Yang dead in the eyes. "I would just like everyone to know…that I suck."
"And?" Yang smirked.
"And that I'm a loser." Raven rolled her eyes. "And that I wear stupid clothes. And I would like to smell all the paint fumes." Despite the humiliation, Raven couldn't help but smile as she heard Yang laugh. "Okay, now that that's over with, what's the second thing you mentioned?"
"...can you teach me to use a sword?" The blonde brawler asked.
Raven blinked. "Come again? I mean, yes, I'd love to do it, but I'd like to know why. It was always my impression that you took after your father in terms of your fighting style."
Yang shrugged. "And I don't plan on getting rid of that fighting style altogether. Still, of all the things that Paulette said and did, the one thing I can't fault her for is how she - according to Ruby - was trying to prepare me for the possible return of Adam Taurus in her own, twisted way. Because she was right; there's a good chance that he will return someday, or that someone with equal skills in combat will come around. If that happens...well, if there's one thing my fight with Blake's douche ex proved, it's that I won't be able to simply punch my way out of every problem that comes my way. So, please, help this Sunny Little Dragon to truly bear her fangs." Yang paused to reflect on her words. "Dragon. Fang." She smirked. "I think I just found the new name of my secondary weapon...well, once I find and/or make it, that is."
Raven rolled her eyes with an amused smile. "Let's get you at least on an adequate level in swordplay before you go claiming or naming your weapon." She sighed before giving a nod. "I'll be happy to help you learn the basics - and maybe throw in a few specialized techniques in there - but just as a heads up, I will have to return to the tribe eventually. As far as they know, I'm simply repaying a perceived debt I owe to Summer…which, now that I think about it, isn't too far off the mark, but that's not the point. Whether I like it or not, I'm still the Brawnwen Tribe chief and as such, I have a responsibility to see to it that they don't get into too much trouble. Skilled as he might be in combat, it's only a matter of time before Peter gets his head stuck in a pumpkin...again."
Yang couldn't help but give a snort. "I guess you could say he's…Pumpkin Pete?"
Raven blinked before giving a light chuckle. "I can't believe I never thought of that...but then again, Taiyang always did have the better time coming up with jokes, as bad as some of them could be."
Yang gave a shudder that was equal parts discomfort and amusement. "Now that is something I already know all too well." Both she and her mother burst out into a shared laugh, before Yang gave Raven a light smile. "I guess you're not so bad after all." She then sighed. "If you need to look after your tribe, I won't stop you. Just knowing that you're alive and that you actually cared about me will have to be enough for me."
Raven just brushed some hair out of the girl's eyes before giving Yang a smile. "I can't promise much, but I can promise that I'll always be there when you really need me…and to show up for holidays and birthdays."
"Oh, you'd better show up," Yang declared with mock outrage, before joining her mother in a laugh and sharing a hug with her. She then shook her head as she broke the embrace. "Don't think this means I've forgiven you. Not sure I can genuinely see you as family after everything that's happened, Raven."
The Spring Maiden had to force down a flinch, understanding full well that it would take some time before Yang was ready to call her "Mom." Nevertheless, she gave a reluctant nod. "I...I know. I hate to admit it, but Summer's done a far better job as your mother than I have...but we don't have to be family. I'm willing to just be a friend if it means I get to be a part of your life."
"I just want you as a part of my life."
Yang winced as the words declared by her sister after nearly getting her killed echoed through her mind, before nodding. "You talked to Ruby, didn't you?" She smirked as Raven gave a sheepish grin. "It's fine. I trust her. And from the sound of things, she wants to trust you. Not too surprising, though; she always wants to see the best in people, so I suppose for her sake I can give you a chance to prove yourself. So, Sensei, what's the first step of learning how to sword fight?" She asked with a grin. One that Raven returned, knowing that this would be the first step to reconnecting with her daughter, all the while both of them were ignorant of how Ruby and Summer were watching this exchange, a small smile shared between them.
Back at the cave, Fox was growing more and more perturbed by what he was hearing: it was the situation with Ruby all over again. On second thought, it was worse. Paulette had been calm around Ruby, whereas with this woman, the rogue computer program was sounding more akin to a rabid animal. And if he was being honest, the woman wasn't fairing much better. To make matters even worse, he was picking up some strange chatter from deeper into the cave that...well, maybe it was just his imagination, but whoever they were, they didn't seem to be at all bothered by how they were surrounded by swarms of Grimm. He didn't quite understand it, but needless to say, it was looking like a pretty good time to call for backup.
"Coco? Coco, can you hear me?" He whispered into his scroll. "I think I found Paulette."
Back at Beacon, Coco could hardly believe her ears. "Velvet! Yats! Get over here now!"
"I'm coming! I'm coming!" Velvet shouted as she ran as fast as her legs would carry her, with Yatsuhashi right behind her. At last, the rabbit Faunus caught up to her leader, hands on her knees as she breathed heavily. "Whew...I came." She panted.
"What's the problem, Coco?" Yatsuhashi asked.
"Fox is rambling about some kinda 'cave devil' nearby. Be on the lookout."
Meanwhile, Blake was just heading back to Team RWBY's dorm room - reading the latest piece of erotica as she went - and found a certain ice queen sitting cross-legged on her bed, looking at her scroll. Curiously, Blake leaned over Weiss' shoulder to see Ruby's social media page. "Are you cyber-stalking Ruby's account?"
Weiss yelped from surprise. "Uh, no! Just checking on my leader!" She denied. "Look at this: Ruby and Penny at a weaponsmith shop. Ruby and Penny at a Dust store. Honestly, they call this a date?"
"Oh, my gods. Yang was right; you are jealous of Penny." Blake giggled.
"What?! N-no, I'm not!" Weiss shouted, only to frown when Blake gave a deadpan look in response; as if to ask "Are you sure about that?"
The Schnee heiress hung her head. "Alright, maybe I am a little jealous, but not for the reasons you think."
Blake merely raised an eyebrow in response. "You know, we wouldn't hold it against you if you felt the same way about Ruby as Yang and I felt about each other."
Weiss gave a grateful smile, but shook her head in frustration. "I know, and thanks for that, but like I said, that's not why I'm jealous. Okay, fine; maybe I have feelings for Ruby - I'm honestly not sure at the moment - but if Penny makes Ruby happy, then I have no business interfering. No, the reason why I'm jealous boils down to a simple question: why is it Penny can come back from the dead and get hugs and kisses while all I get for taking a bullet for her is the cold shoulder?! Yeah, from her point of view, we've just met, but the least she could do is thank me for saving her life!"
"I never did that, did I?" declared a newly arrived Ruby, having returned from her shopping spree with Penny, tears in her eyes. Before Weiss could reply, Ruby ran up and threw her arms around the heiress. "I'm sorry. I know you helped me, but I don't really know you, not really. All I do know is that I can't understand why you would try and sacrifice her life for me...especially when I couldn't shake the feeling that you hated me. I just...needed some space to try and figure things out...and I just ended up making you think that I hated you, and that couldn't be farther from the truth, despite what you might think."
Weiss could only shed some tears of her own as she returned the hug. "I know, and the truth is that I don't hate you either. Alright, fine: you can be childish, dim-witted at times, hyperactive, and your fighting capabilities without your scythe could use some work, but with how…difficult I can be to work with, I'm honestly surprised it took Paulette killing off your memory of me for you to start treating me with even an ounce of the scorn that I gave you when we first met. You are my best friend, Ruby, even if you can't remember us forming that bond, and I promise, if you'd just give me a chance, every bit of kindness you've given me will be returned and then some."
Ruby gave a teary-eyed grin even as she broke the embrace, the ghost of a memory of someone saving her from a Death Stalker during her initiation appearing before her eyes. "So, basically, if I quit trying to show off, you'll be…nicer?" Ruby blinked even as Weiss' eyes widened at hearing those words, the former of which holding her head in her hands, seemingly in pain. "I...I'm sorry: I don't know where that came from. It's just...every now and again, I get flashes of this girl that I tried making friends with. I remember feeling…happy during our time together, grateful that she treated me like just another student, and frustrated that I could never get her to smile more often: she had a great smile, you know. I just...I'm pretty sure she respected me, but I always got the feeling that she never liked me, you know? She was just…"
Weiss gave a bitter chuckle. "'...a total Ice Queen'? Yeah, as much as I hate that nickname, I can't deny that it pretty much describes my attitude back then pretty accurately." She gave a helpless shrug as Ruby looked at her with an expression that was equal parts confusion and understanding. "I didn't make the best impression when we first met, and I'll admit to having taken you for granted, but I'm willing to start over, if you are." To prove her point, she held out a hand with a smile. "Hello, my name is Weiss Schnee, heiress to the Schnee Dust Company, up-and-coming Dust Mage, and huntress-in-training."
Ruby looked at the hand and smiled. "Ruby Rose, amatuer mechanic and weaponsmith, up-and-coming Silver-Eyed Warrior, and huntress-in-training," she remarked before foregoing the handshake and giving Weiss a hug. "I can't promise to be the same girl that you remember."
Weiss just nodded. "It's fine: I'm hoping to be better than the one that you don't remember," she declared as she shared a bitter chuckle with Ruby, not quite noticing that Summer and Raven had been listening in on their conversation from the hallway.
Summer just chuckled. "Remind you of anyone?"
Raven gave a shrug and a smile. "Yeah, it does bring back memories...though I don't recall ever wanting to kiss you."
Summer snorted. "Didn't stop you from doing it that one time, though."
Raven could only give an angry blush. "If I ever find out who arranged that mistletoe…"
Meanwhile on Patch, Taiyang let out a sneeze, feeling a bit uneasy for some reason.
As all this was going on, however, Team CFVY were discussing who's turn it was to drive the Warthog, who would ride shotgun, and who would man the minigun turret. At last, Coco came up with a solution. "Okay!" She said, "I'm thinking of a number between one and a hundred. Whoever gets it gets first call on dibs. What is it?"
"Sixty-nine." Velvet and Yatsuhashi replied in perfect unison.
"Damn!" Coco snapped her fingers. "Back to square one!"
"Hey! What the hell are you three doing here?" The group turned to see Raven Branwen walking up to the Warthog. "Do any of you even have a license?"
"I do!" Velvet proudly declared, holding up said licence as proof, merely blinking when Raven and her two teammates looked at her in shock. "What? I needed the skill to get away from the more persistent members of the White Fang and besides, I needed some activities to take up my time because somebody wouldn't let me participate in combat training."
Coco just groaned. "How many times can I say 'I'm sorry?' Eh, don't answer that."
Raven cleared her throat. "Regardless, I'd feel more comfortable if you had someone watching your back, so I'll go ahead and contact Ruby and see if she can't arrange for someone to follow you in the tank."
Yatsuhashi blinked as Raven went off to find her niece. "Hey, is it just me, or did she actually seem concerned about us?"
Velvet snorted. "She's Yang's mother: I don't think she ever stopped caring. She just had a string of bad luck, is all."
Speaking of bad luck, a blast of plasma suddenly destroyed the Warthog, much to everyone's surprise. "MWAHAHAHAHA! You fools! No one gets the drop on me!" Paulette declared as she rode in on the mysterious vehicle.
"Oh, no! I'm too late!" Fox cried as he ran up behind the possessed medic. "Guys! Look out! It's the cave devil!"
While Paulette terrorized Team CFVY and Raven, Ruby watched all the drama unfold through the scope on Crescent Rose. Unfortunately, she was out of Dust and the rest of her team were spread out all over Beacon. Then, she spotted the school's tank. "Hmm…" She pondered. "Call the team…or get the tank…team…tank…team…tank…ah, screw it!" With that, the hooded huntress in training rushed over to the tank, ready for her rematch with Paulette.
To Be Continued
