Chapter 12: Matriarchal Mayhem
Barty hummed a small tune to himself as his ward set off for his dormitory, an ever present smile marred only slightly by the ashmarks covering his clothing. It spoke to the boy's enthusiasm that he had failed to mark the target even once. Instead, the scarred teen had littered the range with pockmarks, causing the supervisor to immediately revoke his rifle privileges for a week's time. Barty had tried to intervene, but there really wasn't much he could do about it.
Thankfully, the boy's lack of skill had been offset by the wonderful conversation they'd had. Reshan's musings on Aura were surprisingly deep, giving Barty several precious nuggets to add to his growing stack of curiosities to work on. His companion had pointed out that despite his loss of memory, his Semblance, for some reason, had not forgotten. For reasons unknown, his Aura seemed, to put it in his terms, clear. It took several years of advanced Aura study to learn how to sense one's Aura, but Reshan merely shrugged when asked, answering absentmindedly. However, the Semblance retained details that Reshan had not, remembering his past. He therefore stipulated that his Semblance was the same as the one he would have had before whatever fate befell his former self. It helped to narrow down the search for his home, but only slightly. Barry had already looked up the database of Huntsmen, and Reshan hadn't shown up.
He'd finished researching the list of names Reshan had given during his interview with Glynda, and the results were the same as always. They were Kingdoms that had all fallen several centuries prior, with the last one to exist crumbling during the Great War. The theory that Reshan was from Anima was gaining credence- no one from Atlas would have been cut off from modern knowledge like he had. Though, it did raise some questions. How had his village survived, sealed off from all contact? And how had he arrived here? Not to mention, how had the village been concealed for such a length of time that his ward didn't know the first thing about modern history, let alone what a Bullhead was?
Also, how had it not been surveyed during one of the Bullhead patrols frequenting Anima? There were too many gaps in the theory for Barty to simply declare it true. As such, he continued to look.
Stepping into his office, the green-haired professor took one look and slapped his face. "Peter, what are you doing?"
His comrade was currently rifling through the papers he had (neatly, despite what Levona would claim) stacked on his desk, mumbling something about steak. When the owner of the ransacked room cleared his throat, he froze like a deer in the headlights. After a full second, Peter whirled around, accidentally backhanding a pile of homeworks he had yet to hand back.
"Ah, there you are, Barty! I thought I'd take a little look-see to try and find-"
"And what are you doing, muttering about food? Lunch is being served now, if you'd like. The odds of you finding food stashed in my office are about zero." Barty closed the door behind him, sighing. The aged professor chuckled good-naturedly.
"No, no," he answered. "I'm trying to see if you have any records of the Bullhead patrol surveys in Anima. I figured that since Reshan had never seen one, he must have been from an area that isn't part of the normal sweep." He scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "I think that fish convinced me to, er, change my grazing habits."
For the longest time, Barty had an annoying situation of other staff members coming by to grab some of his biscuits. After a few stern conversations, most had stopped, with the sole exception of Peter. He had stubbornly carried on, denying any wrongdoing even when the evidence was sprinkled all over his moustache and suit.
That had ended when he'd 'accidentally' left a piece of salmon lying on his desk. After a grueling finals week, Barty had figured that Peter wouldn't be able to resist a delicious meal.
Se he'd coated it in a laxative.
Ah, the good days.
"I checked those records. The only regions not surveyed are those too dangerous for the pilots to enter, leaving the possibility of Reshan originating from there to be highly unlikely." Barty passed by the desk, going to feed Sir Watkins in his fish tank. "Though, it is possible. Not feasible, however."
Peter nodded. "Is there any way we could bring the lad to one of those areas?"
"Are you proposing an expedition to one of the most dangerous regions on Remnant?" Barty scowled, putting down the fish food. "Peter, you and I might survive. Might. He most certainly wouldn't!"
The aged professor raised an eyebrow. "What's frustrating you, old friend? Did Oz take your Vacuan formula?"
Damn him. He always knew, somehow. Underneath the boisterous act and his childish nature lay a man whose insight could pierce even the most murky waters. There was a reason he taught here- often, his counsel shaped the lives of his students. He was the unsung reason Vale had such a high caliber of protectors.
It definitely wasn't because he had tenure, making him unfireable.
"No, not that. I am disturbed due to my inability to solve Reshan's story," he admitted. "There are simply too many inconsistencies! How is it possible that he knows some of the most advanced combat techniques out there, yet he can't operate a firearm? His knowledge loss doesn't match others. He retained his procedural and semantic memories, yet his episodic memory is gone."
Peter frowned. "Care to elaborate?"
"Certainly." He started digging through his papers, explaining while he tried to find the survey reports from the Bullheads. "Procedural memory refers to the ability to perform tasks, such as walking and running. He retained procedural memory of how to wield a blade, among basic motor functions that most retain. Semantic memory refers to memory of facts, such as knowing about the amount of fire needed to combust a Lancer hive. In this, we are certainly lucky- without it, he wouldn't be able to talk."
"Is it possible that these, er, categories, are damaged?" Barty mulled it over for a brief moment before rejecting it.
"Unlikely. If Reshan had brain trauma to that degree, it would be plain as day. He wouldn't be able to retain any memory." Barty held up a hand, the reports clutched in it like a long lost prize. "Here are the Bullhead reports. If you have any progress, please let me know."
Peter took the reports, his typical smirk replaced by a small frown. "Barty."
"Yes?"
"These survey reports are from over twenty years ago."
"And?"
"I'm the one who submitted them."
"So?"
"I was extremely thorough in the expedition. I left no stone unturned. Why, I even found one of those 'long lost' villages, and brought them the great gift of civilization! Didn't stop them from-"
"Your point?"
"Reshan isn't from the backwaters of Anima."
Stepping out of the office, Summer wasn't sure what to say to her daughters. Was she supposed to hug them? Reassure them that she'd never leave again, and make them a batch of cookies like she used to whenever they got scared?
Or was she supposed to treat them differently, now that they'd grown up? Summer was utterly lost as to what to do. Sure, it was nice that Ruby and her had hit it off, but Yang didn't seem to be taking things quite as well. If she had to guess, her little Sun Dragon had learned about her true parentage.
It sounded like she had borne the burden of caring for Ruby in Summer's absence, and now she was confused. Well, like mother, like daughter. Neither of them knew what to do. The two sisters sat on a couch in the waiting room to Ozpin's office, with Ruby chatting animatedly about some thing or another while Yang simply stared at the ceiling with empty eyes. It broke her heart to see her baby girl so sad, so morose.
"Yang?" She stepped forward hesitantly. Tai and Qrow hung back, simply watching to see how things went. The two sisters paused, with Ruby giving Yang an encouraging look. The elder sister seemed reluctant, but she stood up. Stiffly walking over, she gave her mother a hug with more force than she expected.
"Mom, I'm sorry for yelling earlier. I didn't- I-" Summer immediately pulled her in, though she couldn't help but notice that Yang was taller than her now.
"It's okay, sweetie. I forgive you." After a second, she pulled her back to give her a look up and down, taking her visage in as she had so dearly wanted to before being so rudely interrupted by Qrow.
She definitely took after Raven, that was for sure. They shared the same face, and her build was roughly a mirror of her absent mothers. She was a mite taller, however, a sign of Tai's influence. Her outfit took inspiration from her father as well, with the same material present.
"By Oum, you're bigger than me now," she muttered. A small peal of laughter emerged from Yang.
"Well, I always did drink my milk," she replied. "Remember? You always told us that whenever we argued about it."
Remember? She remembered it like yesterday. Ruby sitting in her baby chair, mindlessly babbling as she gummed away on her spoon while Yang tried to feed her.
"And you'd always reply that milk wouldn't make all those icky boys go away, so there wasn't any point." Summer smiled at the memory. "So? Meet any icky boys yet?"
Yang immediately groaned while Ruby gagged. "Ugh, Mom! No!" The Faunus chuckled at her children's distress.
"Relax, Yangalang. So!" She clapped her hands together. "We have a day together, before your father and I go back to Patch. Wanna show us what you've learned?" Ruby immediately buzzed around the two, petals fluttering. "Ooh! You mean like a sparring match?"
Qrow grabbed his niece, ruffling her hair while Ruby protested at the treatment. "Course she does, kiddo." He set the silver-eyed girl down, raising an eyebrow. "You up for it, Sum?"
Her injuries weren't that severe. She nodded, hand ghosting down to where she kept Rose's Thorns. Thankfully, technology hadn't progressed to the point that her guns were obsolete. Tai had gotten her a few mags of her caliber, so she was good to go!
And she knew exactly who she was going to use them on, as soon as she convinced Qrow to drop the crackpot theory that she was an imposter. Oh, what she'd give for five minutes alone with Raven in a locked room….
The group set off for the arena. After a small moment of silence, the family started buzzing with conversation. Yang and Tai immediately gravitated towards each other, making bad puns as they went. Qrow hung out at the back, ever watchful of anyone who'd try and interfere. Ruby immediately went to her Scroll, typing out a message before sending it rapidly.
"Soo… who are you messaging?" Summer prodded.
"Our teammates, Weiss and Blake! I thought they might want to come and meet the family, plus get some training in." Ruby rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly. "Should probably message Reshan too…"
"Who's that?"
"He's a new guy from… er… Anima."
Summer could smell the lie from a mile away. There was no way she could miss the way her daughter's canine ears twitched, a telltale sign of deceit and treachery.
Before she could tell Ruby off for it, Yang came to her sister's rescue.
"Reshan is a… special case. He doesn't really want people to know where he's from- he's worried about people bullying him. I'll let him know." Her little Sun Dragon bopped Ruby on the nose. "You could've at least told Mom that much, silly. And what about Juniper?"
"Who's Juniper?"
"Team JNPR!" Yang pumped her fist. "They're the guys across the hall from us. Pyrrha is a world renowned fighter, Nora can crush rocks with her hands, Ren's practically a ninja, and Jaune is… he's… well, I'm sure he's got some sort of talent."
"I'm pretty sure we know what Vomit Boy's talent is," Ruby scoffed. She mimed throwing up. "He threw up on us the first time we met. Turns out he's got severe air sickness."
Summer rolled her eyes. "And he chose you guys over finding me a trash can."
"Yup." Ruby sighed. "Wasn't all his fault, though. We were on the airbus to Beacon, and there weren't any cans on there. First thing off the bus, he hurled his guts. Was all like 'blargh' and stuff! But he actually isn't so bad, once you get to know him. He helped me up after I accidentally blew up, and…."
While they walked, Summer learned of her darling's first few days at Beacon. Her Cookie Wolfer had apparently made some good friends in this JNPR, though it was to be expected that Jaune was the one she singled out. He was blonde, after all.
The training grounds were practically deserted, the only movement being the shadow of a lone hawk circling the dusty land searching for a mouse. The only inhabitants aside from the Rose family were a pair of girls. Her eyes narrowed when they walked onto the training grounds, spotting the SDC logo emblazoned on a shirt's backside. She didn't know if the reputation of the Dust corporation had changed with the passing of time, but if she had to guess, it hadn't.
Well, not everything is sunshine, dimwit, she scolded internally. Deal with it! She can't be more than a first year. Wait a moment….
"Ruby?"
"Yeah, Mom?"
"Are those your teammates?" Ruby nodded enthusiastically, waving towards the pair. They waved back, walking towards the family.
"A pleasure to meet you," the white-haired one curtsied. "I am Weiss Schnee, and I am honored-"
Tai cut her off, waving his arm. "No need for all the formality, Weiss. It's good to meet you too. I've heard good things about you from the girls!"
Her daughter… was on a team with a Schnee? And there hadn't been any difficulties? She tried to be an optimist, but even she had no love for the SDC family. It was well known what they did in the pursuit of profit, and she had seen firsthand the price of it.
"Your Winter's little sis, right?" Qrow's raspy question cut her thoughts short. Why was he on a first-name basis with a Schnee?
Weiss seemed to be equally puzzled by the mention. "Y-yes. How do you know my sister?"
Qrow simply smiled, chuckling. "Tell you later, kiddo. It's probably best if she tells you." He started pacing around the grassy terrain, getting a measure of the sparring arena.
Okay, that was confusing. She'd have to ask him what the hell he was doing with a Schnee. Weiss simply stared after him, a distant look on her face. Thankfully, Ruby decided to break the ice.
"OhmygoshWeissIdidn'tknowyouevenhadasister! Oh, right! This is my mother, and she just came back from the dead! Well, not really- she was alive the whole time. Butit'ssuchagoodstoryyouguyshavetohearit!"
Weiss simply put her head in her hand, grumbling. "Would you please slow down? None of us can understand you! And what do you mean, she came back from the dead?"
The black-haired one simply watched the others, golden eyes silently observing everything around her with the grace of a coiled panther. Yang brought her to the forefront, earning a small glare.
"I'm Blake. It's nice to meet you." She spoke quickly, immediately falling silent when her introduction was finished. Summer rolled her eyes, immediately pulling the taller girl into a hug.
"It's very nice to meet you, Blake. Thank you both for being such good partners with my daughters."
"It's my pleasure," Weiss answered. She seemed honest enough about that. Hopefully she wasn't as bad as her father. Summer walked over to the sparring ground, pulling out Rose's Thorns and gesturing toward her girls. "So? Who's first?"
She wasn't honestly sure if she'd be able to go all out today. Her injuries, while not severe, had not been healing as well as she'd wanted. Plus, they were kinda sore. Ah, well. She could handle a few kids, right?
Ruby immediately swirled around her, petals blurring into existence to mask her assault while her scythe tried to find Summer's legs.
Like that would work. Ha! Ruby had always been an ankle-biter as a toddler, and it looked like she still was.
In the blur of petals, Ruby halted in confusion. "Uh… Mom?" Her little Rose started to look left and right, before doing a quick one-eighty sweep with her blade. "Where'd you go?"
Summer smirked before warping off the tree she was hiding on, a crowd of white petals heralding her arrival directly behind her daughter. "Right here, sweetie."
Ruby eeped, turning around to see her mother putting a hand over her mouth, laughing. "Ohmygosh, you are just ADORABLE with that scythe!"
Summer immediately regretted it as soon as the words left her mouth. Ruby's ecstatic smile immediately changed into a pout, eyebrows narrowing dangerously close. "I'm a Huntress! I'm not some little kid!" She turned her scythe into a sniper, taking aim. "How's this for adorable?"
The white-cloaked Huntress weaved back and forth, trying to stay ahead of her daughter's fire. "Honey, I didn't mean that you're a little kid!"
Ruby didn't respond, instead electing to leap forward, somersaulting with her scythe to create a dangerous arc that would reap the end off of any Grimm's limb. Summer rolled right, immediately jumping back at Ruby. With a dagger, she speared the crimson cloak to the ground before slashing with the other. Ruby blocked with the haft of her weapon, lips pursed in concentration. She grabbed the Rose's Thorn pinning her cape, yanking it out of the ground.
Summer decided that she might have to end the fight before it got too intense. She reached into herself, summoning the ancient magic she had inherited from some long-forgotten woman. With a waved hand that held a small chunk of ice Dust to disguise what she was really doing, she froze Ruby to the ground before she swung. The younger Faunus toppled with a yelp.
"And that's the round!" She knelt beside her daughter, crushing the frost around her boots.
Ruby grumbled. "I coulda kept fighting…."
Summer shook her head gently, pulling Ruby up. "No you couldn't, honey. Do you remember my Semblance?" Ruby paused for a moment, shaking her head ruefully. Summer demonstrated, warping ten feet away, then right back again. "I can teleport! For long distances I can't do it so often- usually takes me a couple minutes. But for short range, I can do it instantly. So if you can't move, I'll almost always be able to finish you off." Summer smiled at Tai, memories of their time at Beacon surfacing. "It drove your father crazy trying to keep up."
Ruby tried to look like she was still grumpy, but Summer could see the way her ears perked up. "I bet he tried to take you head on."
Tai went to ruffle Ruby's hair, but upon remembering that her teammates were here, thought better of it. "I did. It took me about three months before I beat your mother." At this moment, Weiss decided to interject.
"How did you do it?" Summer turned to the heiress, seeing the curiosity written across her face.
"Well, first he started watching me during my fights. It was unnerving- he just watched, taking notes in this beat-up old book. Then, one day we were dueling, and it was like he could read all of my moves before I did them!"
Tai shrugged. "I was pretty annoyed at Summer by this point. She never brought it up, but I was the weakest on the team and we all knew it. So I decided to train like nuts, and eventually I started to learn Sum's fighting style."
Qrow put away his flask, wiping his mouth. "Even picked up a few new moves just to do it. So anyways, the fight begins, and we're all betting Tai's gonna get knocked out straightaway. Then all of a sudden, he gets this grin. Swings right behind him like a pickpocket just swiped his wallet."
"It worked," Tai recounted. "Summer warped behind me as she usually did to try and land a sneak attack in. She wasn't expecting me to catch on. I was so surprised that it worked, I nearly forgot to follow up." He gave her a smile. Summer smiled back, ears burning with the memory.
Qrow sniffed, lowering his eyes. "There's no way an imposter would remember something small like that. So… yeah. Sorry about all that, Sum."
Aha! He'd finally admitted to his errors! VINDICATION!
A red portal opened up directly behind him. Summer recognized it as her old partner's Semblance at work, creating a portal from somewhere on Remnant. Tai's eyes hardened, and he immediately pulled their daughters behind him. Ruby's eyes were wide with curiosity, while Yang's were clouded with confusion.
Weiss immediately backed up, hands reaching for a weapon that wasn't there. Blake cursed silently.
Not to be outdone, Qrow cursed loud enough for Ruby to flush. "Damn! Rae, don't shoot! She's-"
Out of the portal emerged… a cannonball. It shot out, knocking the silver fox out cold and sending him flying into her arms. Summer barely caught the unconscious man. Ruby immediately screamed, and Yang pulled her younger sister close. Summer scowled when the figure she had once loved (and still did, to an extent) came out.
Her outfit hadn't changed quite as much as she had expected. Other than a red cloth covering a small portion of her hair, she looked about the same, with a red kimono wrapped around her torso. High black stockings faded into high-heeled boots of the same colour.
Her face was as pale as she remembered it to be. Despite all the time the team had spent outdoors, her partner's complexion had refused to tan, lending her the appearance of a vampire. There were some new wrinkles, but not much else.
There was so much history the two shared. They hadn't planned on meeting at Beacon, and neither of them had expected to get along, let alone become friends. Yet, that was what had happened. Their lives had started to intertwine. Summer had gotten a glimpse of the dark side of life, of never being able to let her guard down for fear of being mugged or worse. The stark reality that the strong ruled the weak. Raven had been forced to put on a strong front, but behind the rough exterior was someone very different then she let on.
Raven, on the other hand, had seen what the life of a normal girl looked like. The very notion of being vulnerable was foreign to her, and it shook her to realize that not everyone stepped into a room and scanned it for threats and food. The first time Summer had convinced Raven to go clubbing, she had to practically beg for her to leave Omen behind.
The idea of living a safe life without constantly watching her back led to her eventually leaving the tribe for the short time she was wed to Tai, until one day she had left.
The two had become bitter enemies that day. Raven hated Summer for, as she had put it, stealing her man. Summer couldn't forgive Raven for abandoning a child, even if Yang was better off with Tai than the tribe. Whenever they met, a passionate debate sprung out in which words and blades were used interchangeably as arguments for their positions.
Yet, they had still met. Raven never came to meet her daughter, but Summer and Raven had met still, trying to put away the baggage of their lives and simply confide in a friend. The new chieftain had complained about the logistics of running a tribe, and the new mother complained about her lack of sleep. Frequently, they had gotten drunk when Qrow tagged along, dealing with their respective issues the same way. What had happened to make her disappear completely? From what Qrow had told her about the tribe's activities, she would have thought it was run by an evil warlord, not the girl who had cried when she found out she was pregnant.
Yang gasped. "M-mom?"
"Yes, honey?"
"Uh… I meant the other Mom…."
Oh, crap. Things had just gotten a hell of a lot more complicated.
Today was a day of revelations aplenty.
So mused Reshan as he padded toward the training field, blade stowed securely on his belt and his shield loyally guarding his back. His discussion on his Semblance with Dr. Oobleck had been rather intriguing, all things considered. There might be more to his Semblance than it appeared.
In the shower (why was it always so cold in there?) he had realized something. When he copied someone, their voice harmonized with his in sync, with both putting out an equivalent amount of volume. A rather incongruous detail that was not so special- all Semblance had their own unique quirks. What was intriguing was the way the voice dimmed as his Semblance faded from active use. Why did it do that?
And for that matter, why did his eye colour change as well? One quirk was normal. Two was something else.
He had a theory about what his Semblance was capable of, one that he hesitated to share with his guardian for fear of looking foolish. He duplicated almost everything about a person, from their movements down to their personalities. His Aura changed, his Semblance mimicked theirs, and his handwriting was notably altered from normal.
Why not physical traits, too? He was already mimicking everything else.
Unfortunately, there was still no progress on whatever it was that triggered his Semblance. Reshan wouldn't let that get him down. He was just happy that he was learning more about himself and the world around him.
His cheery demeanor at the idea remained unchanged while approaching the grounds, the explosions music to his ears. It meant that the next generation of protectors were busy preparing for their sworn duty.
In addition, there was this hawk in the sky he simply couldn't take his eyes off. It was so beautiful, so graceful. An apex hunter who's whims determined the fate of whatever it deemed to be its next meal. Wings beating lazily, as though it took the notion of flight, something inconceivable to a human, as given.
What would it be like to fly above Beacon, to leave behind his earthly concerns such as who he was and where he was from? How would he-
When he heard screams, he immediately zoned in, eyes rapidly scanning the grounds. His musings had left him unaware of his surroundings.
Shite, he thought. I'll have to do better in the future.
Besides for the group approximately fifty metres in front of him, there weren't any other occupants in the training grounds. His eyes immediately locked on to Ruby, who was sobbing in Yang's arms. Blake and Weiss had moved in front of the sisters, shielding them with their bodies. A scruffy-looking man lay on the ground, appearing as though his immortal soul had ascended to the Brother's Realm, while a woman in a dark red dress of unknown design stood with blade at the ready, glaring menacingly at a blonde man and a Beastfolk who appeared to be the spitting image of Ruby, with a white cloak seeming to be the only difference between the two.
Could that be Ruby's father and sister? Yang had mentioned her family was coming to visit. Speaking of, that woman with the blade looks an awful lot like Yang.
Too much like Yang. Hadn't the blonde brawler mentioned something about her mother leaving?
Wait….
Uh-oh. This could get bloody.
He started to run, hoping to reach Ruby before blood was drawn. If this was a family conflict like he suspected, things were about to get more violent than a tavern brawl after a bad harvest.
Currently, the only hostilities being exchanged were insults and hissed threats. Reshan had no doubt that the situation would escalate. Given that a man had already fallen, he was surprised that it hadn't already.
Blake's eyes flickered with relief when she spotted him. "Reshan!"
He skidded to a halt, a hand loosely gripping the hilt of his blade. "What happened?"
"YOU BITCH!"
Ruby's ears flinched, but other than that, she gave no sign of awareness as tears streaked across her face. Yang just stared at the woman who'd sworn. There were so many emotions crossing the blonde's face that he was having a hard time narrowing it all down. Hate, longing, confusion, fear, rage…just to name a few.
Weiss's eyes hardened, resembling the pale front of a glacier. Pointing to the woman who resembled Yang, she whispered, "This woman just knocked out her own twin brother, and now she's accusing us of doing so."
"How is that possible?" Reshan replied. Blake shook her head wryly.
"She arrived via some sort of portal. Before she came out, a cannon fired out of it, and Qrow got hit." She gestured to the fallen man. "He knew she was coming. Right before she fired, he started screaming for her to not shoot."
"At least I never abandoned my child!" Ruby's white-cloaked sister yelled. "You think you're so strong, but you're too weak to even handle a baby!"
The blonde man seemed to be the only one who had kept a cool head. "Now, now, let's put away the weapons, ladies. This doesn't have to come to a fight. Remember, the kids are here."
So he must be the father, he realized. His tan complexion was unique to him, but his hair colour was exactly the same as Yang's. Though he wasn't exactly seeing much resemblance between him and Ruby.
Ruby's sister stepped past the father, scowling fiercely with her canine ears flat against her skull. "Oh, I think it does, dear."
"Please, remember the-"
He cut off as the woman in dark red spoke. "Let the women talk, Tai. We have… business… to attend to."
The younger woman smirked. "Took the words right out of my mouth, Raven." Twin daggers flashed as they slid out, held at the ready. "Come get some, Bandit Queen."
Reshan dashed for the unconscious man, praying that he wasn't going to find a corpse. His prayers were answered when he turned over the man to find him breathing. A rather large lump lay on his forehead, indicative of recent trauma to the face. In other words, he'd gotten hit really hard.
"Ruby!" His yell caught his commander's attention, the Beastfolk looking up. "This man is merely unconscious." His words carried over the increasing maelstrom of sound the two women were generating, their arguments unaffected by the blonde man's attempted pacification.
With a tug, she pulled free of Yang's embrace, before she ran over to him. "Uncle Qrow?" The rest of team RWBY followed swiftly. The man muttered something under his breath, but other than that he was dead to the world. Ruby tried to pick him up, but the short girl wasn't strong enough. Yang came to her aid, draping the man over her shoulder.
Raven glared death at Ruby's white-cloaked sister. "For my friend, the one you murdered, only to try and imitate her... I will kill you."
Unfortunately, their efforts did not go unnoticed. Raven snarled. "Let. My brother. Go." She moved to try and cut them off from leaving, but Ruby's sister flashed her daggers, a small breeze sending her white cloak aflutter.
"Yang, get your uncle out of here!" she yelled. A blade gleaming with fire Dust crashed against her, sending her staggering away. Tai swore.
"Ruby! Get him out of here and get help! Find Ozpin, Glynda, anyone!" He charged in, fists battering away the pale-skinned woman. Reshan moved to cover, shield held up as Yang bore her uncle away from the combat. Blake was quick to follow, with Weiss…
…Skating away on a platform of light. Okay, that was new.
Ruby only paused slightly. "Reshan?"
"Yes, milady?"
"I-I… I order you to protect my mother!" She was practically shaking with fear. "Please keep her safe!"
Wait, the white-cloaked girl was her mother? She couldn't be more than six or seven years older than Ruby herself!
Reshan nodded, eyes set hard as he pushed away the questions raised. "I will do so with my life, milady." Ruby blurred away in a cloud of petals as he charged in, shield held at the ready. This was new. Ruby had never embraced her role as a commander before. It was likely more out of a desire to protect her mother than anything
Raven batted away Tai, smirking as she did so. Upon spotting Reshan moving in, she rolled her eyes. "You don't want to do this, weakling. Run back home. Otherwise…."
She didn't complete the statement, but she didn't need to. Reshan fully understood that, as a knight, there would be times when his life would be at risk. It appeared that this would be one of those times. This... Raven... she was intent on murder. She wouldn't hold back, and neither could he.
Her eyes were the exact same shade as his were when he'd first activated his Semblance. What on Remnant?
Does she know whoever it is I became, or who I used to be? Is she a link to my past?
Unfortunately, he would have to discover that later. For now, he had to fight as though his life depended on it.
Because from the little he'd seen, it very well might.
A/n: Dun dun dun!
Hey, guys. Hope you're all doing well. It was a bit hard for me to complete this chapter on time, but thankfully my workload is finally starting to lighten, so I think the next one will be easier.
I just wanted to say something in case some people are confused- I am attempting to write this from the viewpoint of multiple people. So when Reshan refers to Summer as Ruby's sister, it's because he thinks that she is. Yang did not gotten into a screaming match with Raven- that will happen later.
Please remember to leave a review! I really do appreciate them. Take care, guys! See you next time!
Next Chapter: June 10
