Tai was feeling very conflicted at the moment. On the one hand, here was his ex-wife, someone whom he had not seen since his eldest daughter was a baby. The blonde Huntsman could honestly say that he could not care less about the fate of the black-haired woman in front of him and would have been content to just let her be the hospital's problem instead of his.
On the other hand, he knew very well how Raven would react when she woke up and found herself in an unfamiliar place surrounded by unfamiliar people. Tai let out a small laugh as memories of a time long past came back to him, memories of how he and the other two members of Team STRQ tried to convince their final member to get treated in a hospital after a particularly disastrous mission.
With that thought in mind, the single father of two wasn't as eager to let the hospital staff suffer his ex-wife's wrath just because of his personal problems with her. It was all the man could do to scowl at the woman's unconscious form as she lay on a hospital bed, an expression of calm on the woman's face, before his thoughts were interrupted when the door to the room opened to reveal his youngest on the other side.
"Hey, dad" Ruby said, a plastic of packed food in her hand and two cans of soda in the other "I thought you might be hungry so I brought you some food"
"Ah, you didn't need to do that, kiddo" the man said, a small smile on his face as he took the food from the young girl and set it on a nearby table "Where's your sister?"
"Yang's…" the girl hesitated before continuing "outside in the waiting room. She's not… happy, to say the least"
"Right. Well, you stay here. Have some lunch. I'll talk to her" Tai said, patting Ruby on the head before he exited the room. Letting out a heavy sigh, the man's thoughts immediately wandered to the incident at their kitchen just the day before.
As soon as both girls saw that their kitchen not only had plates of food strewn all over the floor with their table broken in half, an expression of shock and panic formed on their faces before the house descended into chaos as the two girls screamed at the fact that blood had started pooling all over the floor and that the source of all that blood was laying on top of their dad.
To make matters worse, Yang looked like her Semblance was going to activate then and there when she saw exactly who it was that had caused such a chaotic scene in their kitchen. It was all he and Ruby could do to calm the girl down and actually convince her to load Raven into the car before the party of four immediately sped off to the nearest clinic. After stitching up his ex-wife's stump and supplying her with the needed blood to keep her alive, the clinic then called up a bullhead that brought the four of them to Vale General Hospital.
Rubbing his head as he entered the nearby waiting room, the blonde Huntsman could feel a giant headache coming. Tai took a seat next to his eldest daughter, who was currently in the middle of an intense staring contest with the floor in front of her.
"You know, glare any harder and you might just burn a hole through the floor" Tai said in a failed attempt to lighten the mood. Seeing his attempts at making a joke futile, the man sighed, "How are you feeling, Yang? You doing alright?"
The girl let the question hang in the air for a few seconds before she turned towards her father, her glare having lessened in intensity just a tiny bit, "Dad, why did you do all that for her?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, why did we have to bother dragging her all the way to the hospital? We could have just dumped her in front of the clinic and let her be someone else's problem" Yang argued.
"Well, you know what I've always tried to teach you girls, right?" Tai said "It's that you should always try your best to help those in need"
"Yeah but it's…" Yang started as she scratched her head, frustration starting to form on her face "It's not fair! I know that if the roles were reversed, she wouldn't do jack shit for you!"
"Yang…" Tai said, placing a hand on the girl's shoulder.
"So, what? Whenever she gets in a fight and almost dies, she just gets to appear in our lives and expect us to help her out?!" Yang growled at the thought "That's stupid! Why should we drop everything in our lives to look after her?!"
"Look, I get it. I'm not happy with the current situation as you are, believe me" Tai said, sharing a look with her daughter before continuing "But if I know your mo-"
"She's not my mother!" Yang shouted, her eyes turning a dangerous crimson "Summer Rose is my mother, not her. She's just… the woman who gave birth to me"
"You're right, I'm sorry" Tai said, flinching at the girl's point "My point is that, I know how Raven is going to react when – or rather, if – she wakes up and I don't think I have it in me to let the doctors suffer any of that"
"Hello, Tai" a voice said, interrupting a father-daughter duo before either of them could get another word in. Turning his head to the source of the voice, the veteran Huntsman was surprised at the sudden appearance of Beacon's Headmaster with the Deputy Headmistress behind him.
"Ozpin. Glynda" Tai said in greeting before turning his attention to Yang "Yang, Ruby bought us some packed lunches from the store below. Why don't you have your lunch with your sister, okay? I need to talk with Professor Ozpin for a bit"
Looking between the old headmaster and her father, the young girl had to wipe the stupefied look from her face before she spoke, "Y-yeah… Okay. You want me to bring you anything?"
"Nah, it's alright. I'll buy something for myself later" Tai said as the blonde girl went to join her half-sister.
"She certainly seems to have inherited some of Raven's more fiery traits, I'll give you that" Ozpin spoke, a chuckle escaping her lips "I'm assuming she'll be attending Beacon next year, then?"
"I'll be shocked if she doesn't" Tai said, a small smile at the thought "She's been going on and on about it these past few months"
Smiling at the man's musings, the Headmaster of Beacon then took a more serious expression before addressing the reason why he came here, "Raven. What is her current condition?"
"Aside from suffering major blood loss and having half of her left arm cut off? She's stable, for now. Doctors claim it might change when she wakes up. They say that she's bound to go into shock from the loss of her arm" Tai said "That is, if that woman even does wake up"
"There are doubts about that?" Glynda asked as she and Ozpin took a seat across from Tai.
"That's what the doctor told me" Tai said with a shrug "They tell me that her condition is stable now but they can't exactly be sure when she'll wake up. Could be today, could be tomorrow. Could even be next month. Who knows, really?"
"I see…" Ozpin said, humming as his thoughts wandered for a moment before turning back to Tai "Just so you're aware, I've already called Qrow and told him of what happened"
"Yeah, I know" Tai replied "He called me this morning to ask what the hell was going on. Tells me that he'll be here within the week"
"Yes. He has an important… companion with him, so to speak" Ozpin added, catching the blonde's attention.
"Something I should know about?" Tai asked before lowering his voice "Is it about… Her?"
"Unfortunately" Ozpin admitted with a sigh "The Fall Maiden was ambushed and is in dire straits. Qrow is in the middle of transporting her to be in my care"
"Shit. Is she going to be alright?" Tai asked
"General Ironwood has prepared a machine that will be able to… keep her from dying" Ozpin replied, an expression of uncertainty on his face "Hopefully, her Aura will be able to take over from there"
"Not sure I can do much to help with that, to be honest" Tai said with a scratch of his head.
"It's quite alright" Ozpin said with a chuckled "I'm only here to check on how you and your family are handling this unexpected situation. It was good seeing you, Tai"
"You, too Ozpin. Glynda"
"Tai" the blonde woman said in response as the three of them bid their farewells
[/]
To say Jaune Arc was ecstatic at the moment would be a huge understatement. For one thing, he was no longer being held captive by any bandits and that naturally eliminated any risk of death or being sold for ransom in the immediate future. Secondly, he managed to get back his family's ancestral sword and sheath, Crocea Mors, which was currently strapped to his side.
These were the thoughts that were going through the boy's mind as he and the rest of the villagers that had been kidnapped were following the Huntress – Miyamoto Musashi, she called herself – who had rescued them. Trekking through Mistral's wilderness, Jaune couldn't help but wonder just what kind of person this Huntress was. It was with this thought in mind that the young blonde caught up with the woman before making conversation.
"So, Miss Musashi… You're a Huntress, huh?" Jaune started, before mentally slapping himself for asking such a dumb question.
"Hmm? I guess I am" the woman replied as the group reached a split in the road.
"So, where to now?" one of the villagers asked before Musashi pointed to a sign planted nearby.
"Argus. That's where I'm supposed to meet up someone. A friend, you might say" the woman replied before the group pushed on with their journey. Noticing the twin blades the Huntress was carrying, a wild idea then formed itself inside the boy's head.
"Miss Musashi-" Jaune started before the woman cut him off.
"Just Musashi. None of that weird 'Miss' crap" the woman said as Jaune replied with a nod
"Musashi, those swords of yours… They're pretty cool" Jaune tried again, earning a proud nod from the Huntress.
"They are, aren't they?"
"You must be pretty good with them" Jaune added as the woman scratched the back of her head.
"Only the best that ever was" the woman replied before she mumbled something under her breath that Jaune couldn't quite catch.
"So, I was wondering…" Jaune said, letting his sentence trail off. Taking a deep breath, he steeled his emotions before facing the Huntress, "Could you please train me how to be a better fighter so I can get into Beacon?"
"I don't know, kid…" the woman replied, a look of uncertainty etched on her face as she stared at him "I've never been one to… teach people before. Can't say I'm any good at it, actually"
"Please!" Jaune begged again, with a bow of his head this time "I really, really, really want to be good enough to enter Beacon and become a Huntsman"
Silence reigned for a few seconds as Musashi stared at Jaune before she spoke, "That sword, are you any good with it?"
"No, I… can't say I am. I'm not even remotely close to being good with it" Jaune answered, a look of shame on his face "I never got a chance to train before this, you see…"
"Oh, yeah? Why's that?" the woman asked "Nobody in your family to teach you how to use it?"
"There was my dad but he…" Jaune started, as he stared down at his feet "He didn't exactly… want me to become a huntsman"
"Why not?"
"I don't know… I asked him once but he wouldn't tell me" Jaune answered, a pained look on his face "Even after all the pestering and begging, he still wouldn't train me so I figured, I'd just steal the family sword and shield and train myself so I can be good enough to enter Beacon"
Musashi hummed as she stared at him, causing Jaune's nerves to rise as the woman did so. Jaune was about to say something before the woman spoke once more, "And why do you want to enter… Beacon, was it? Why do you want to get into Beacon so much?"
"Well, it's because I want to be a Huntsman" Jaune answered, not a shred of hesitation in his voice "So I can save people. Help those in need. Not be the one who needs saving"
"Alright, I'll do it" Musashi answered, a toothy grin on her face.
"R-really? Just like that?" Jaune asked, surprised and shocked at how fast the Huntress agreed to help him.
"Yeah, why not?" Musashi added with a shrug "Besides, that story of yours about your dad not wanting to train you just… reminds me of someone, that's all"
"O-oh, okay" Jaune said, excitement in his eyes at the notion of finally being trained how to fight, "So, when do we start?"
"Later, when we find a good spot to rest" the woman replied as Jaune responded with a nod "But, you better be ready to work your butt off, got it? I won't take anything less than your best, kid"
"Yes, ma'am" Jaune responded.
"By the way, we've been talking for a while now but I still don't know your name, kid" Musashi said much to Jaune's surprise.
"O-oh, right. I forgot to introduce myself" Jaune said with a cough "My name's Jaune. Jaune Arc. It's short, sweet and it rolls off the tongue. Ladies love it"
A period of awkward silence followed after Jaune said that as heat crept up his cheeks with some of the villagers behind him snickering at his introduction. His new mentor, however, could only laugh at her new student's introduction.
[Two Days Later]
"Finally, Argus" Qrow said, heaving with Amber on her back, still unconscious "Well, at least this means you're alive"
Approaching the bustling entrance to the port city, the veteran Huntsman was promptly stopped in his tracks by two guards in Atlas uniforms, no doubt because of the woman who was knocked out cold on his back.
"Halt. Please state your name and the nature of your business in Argus" one of them said.
"Name's Qrow. Huntsman. I would show you my ID card but as you can see" the man said as he gestured towards the unconscious woman on his back with his head "My hands are kind of preoccupied at the moment"
"Qrow?" one of them asked as a look of understanding passed between the two soldiers.
"Yeah. Qrow Branwen" the man responded as he took a cautious step back. One of the soldiers then radioed something in before the one who was speaking to him stepped forward, "Something wrong?"
"Mr Branwen, please follow us" the soldier said.
"Why?"
"It's General Ironwood, sir. We received express orders a few days ago that if you were to show up here at Argus, we were to treat you as a VIP" the soldier replied as Qrow breathed a sigh of relief.
"Looks like having Jimmy as an ally is finally good for something" the man mumbled to himself before turning his attention towards the soldier in front of him "Lead the way"
"Yes, sir. This way, please. We have a bullhead that is ready to take you to Beacon in a few hours" the soldier said as he led the man into the city "We've also prepared a room for you to recuperate while you wait for the Bullhead to be ready, sir"
"By the way, I might have a friend coming along soon" Qrow said, pausing to adjust Amber on his back before continuing, "I'd appreciate it if you could look out for her and tell her where I am when she gets here"
"Very well, sir. What's her name?"
"Her name's Miyamoto Musashi…" Qrow answered as he started to describe his new companion to the soldier.
[/]
Raven Branwen currently had absolutely no idea where she was. Even if she were to walk around to look for clues, it would have been futile on account that she was surrounded by literal darkness.
"Hello…?" the woman said, as she walked through the dark void "Is… anyone there?"
Silence was her answer. She was about to call out to the void once more before a bright light suddenly engulfed her vision. Shielding her eyes with her arms, it took her a few seconds before she realized that the world around her was still shrouded in darkness only this time, she was surrounded by multiple orbs of light. Before she could say anything, one of the orbs of light in front of her transformed into someone that caused Raven to take a nervous step back.
"Why did you abandon your family, Raven?" came the ominous voice of her former team leader, Summer Rose.
"S-Summer?" Raven managed to croak out "Y-you can't be here… You died!"
"And whose fault was that?" came a familiar voice from behind the bandit, causing her to flinch "You could have saved her. Why didn't you?"
"T-tai…" Raven said, turning around to face her ex-husband "I-I wanted to but…"
"You were scared. You were a coward" came the aggravating voice of her younger brother "Like you always are"
"No! That's not true!" Raven shouted, rounding on the floating form of Qrow Branwen "Y-you're wrong… I… I am not a coward…"
"Then why…" another voice asked and it was one voice Raven really did not want to hear from right now "Why did you just leave me behind like that?"
"Y-Yang…" Raven said with a tremble in her voice as she reached towards her daughter.
"You were my mother!" the ghostly form of Yang Xiao-Long shouted as her face suddenly appeared in front of Raven's own "You abandoned me!"
"No!" Raven screamed once more before her vision was immediately attacked with a blinding light around her. With heavy breaths, the woman squinted her eyes to focus on her surroundings as she found herself in sat up on a bed and dressed in a hospital gown. Before her thoughts could go any further, a voice from beside her caused the woman to flinch as it was the very same voice she had heard not a few moments ago.
"Hello, mother" Yang Xiao-Long, her very own daughter, said as the blonde girl could only glare at Raven with blood-red eyes that were not too different from her own.
"…Son of a bitch"
[Chapter END]
A/N: And that's the end of Chapter 5. Gotta admit, I am just having a blast writing this story. Who knew, right? Anyway, I hope you guys and gals like this chapter. I had fun writing it.
And for this chapter, we have Tai wondering whether he should just abandon Raven to the hospital, a Samurai meeting a "Knight", Qrow arriving in Argus and receiving special treatment (courtesy of Ironwood) and a reunion between mother – sorry, birth-giver and spawn. I wonder what's going to happen next chapter? Guess you guys and gals are just gonna have to stay tuned.
As always, fave, follows, and reviews are always appreciated.
Praise be to Cinder Fall