23

Duality

"Well?"

Raven turned around once the door closed behind the two of them, her arms crossed over her chest as she regarded her daughter. Yang mimicked the black haired woman's posture as they stared each other down.

"You wanted to talk, so talk."

Yang scoffed at her mother, "Yeah, I've got some questions for you." Raven simply waved a hand for her to continue, "I guess I should start out with the behemoth in the room. Why. Why did you abandon me?"

There it was. She'd waited so many years to ask this woman that question and now it was out in the air. Raven's eyebrow quirked up, as if to ask if that was really all she wanted to ask and Yang felt anger well up inside her chest but she stamped down on it as much as she could, this was too important to start a fight over. No matter what, she needed this.

"That's your first question? I take it Tai doesn't talk about me much, then?"

"I mean I wouldn't wanna talk about the woman who ripped my heart out either."

A quick glare from her mother, "Well there was a reason. Mainly, the Tribe. There were others but those are his secrets."

"The tribe? That was the reason you abandoned your daughter?" Yang was incredulous.

"My Father died. Chieftain of our tribe and the one who sent us to Beacon in the first place. I… was chosen as the next leader, and the tribe did not… approve of my relationship. I was asked to make a choice. My Tribe or my family."

Yang slowly closed her eyes. Seeing as where Raven was standing she knew what the woman had chosen, "And so you chose your tribe over your family."

"My tribe is my family."

"And what am I!? Do I really mean so little to you? Was it really that easy of a choice?!" Yang exploded, no longer able to contain herself.

"OF course not!" Raven snapped back, "Don't be so foolish as to think it was easy, my life has been anything but."

"And yet you still chose them over me and Dad."

"You didn't need me. You had Tai and you were my child, you would be strong no matter what but the tribe needed me."

"Of course I still needed you!" Yang's chest was heaving as she stared at her own mother.

"And yet look at you. You've grown up strong." The approval disgusted the blonde.

"Tch." Yang turned around, unsure how much longer she could truly control herself if she had to look the woman in the eyes any more. She felt tears threatening to break through her ironclad defense. No she couldn't cry now, later sure. But not now.

"Honestly Yang," The woman continued, unheeding of her daughter's emotional turmoil, or perhaps uncaring, "What other answer did you truly expect? Perhaps some tragic story where I had no choice but to leave for the safety of the family I still love? I didn't think you'd be so naive."

"You'd think. I guess you don't know me as much as you think you do." Yang snarled.

"Do you have any more questions or was it just the one?"

"One more. Why did you help us like that? Why do you care?"

"That?" Raven sighed, " Cinder found the tribe, threatened it. I don't like threats. So I came up with a plan. Only I could kill the woman, yet she was constantly surrounded by her lackeys. I needed a situation in which I could face her on even footing. Well, she was planning to kill your sister so I used that. I played along all the while ensuring we would be left alone by making a deal with the Schnee girl." The woman smirked, "Now she's dead and you have your relic, safe and sound."

"And again for the tribe, huh?"

"Always. Are we done here?"

"Why? Anxious to leave?" The blonde whirled around, eyes crimson. The woman was standing there, meeting her crimson orbs with her bright red, hues almost matching. Raven was still in the pose she had adopted upon entering the room, an almost bored look on her face as she was confronted with her raging daughter.

"I still have some loose ends to tie up with the tribe before I leave it."

"Whatever. I've got what I needed."

Raven drew her blade and created a portal in mid air. Casting one more glance back as she left a different emotion played across her face as she stepped through, one Yang could not identify because of how quickly it was gone.

As the red and black swirl vanished into thin air Yang sat down shakily on the bed in the room, it was the only spare room left. She clasped her trembling hands together and leaned her chin on them, taking deep breaths. The rage was there, hot in her chest, but there was something else, like an ice cube, that sat there heavy in her stomach. It was the despairing certainty.

The blonde had always suspected her mother's motives. With the way her father had acted whenever the subject came up, it was easy to guess what had generally happen. But hearing the words had brought it all crashing in. A finality she probably wasn't ready for but would have come sooner or later.

She felt something wet slide down her cheek and wiped it away but the flood gates had been open and more tears started streaming down her face. Giving up on wiping them away she just threw herself into the pillow to stifle herself. Her throat clenched and she let out a cry into the soft confines of the cushion.

Yang had always known, in her head, about Raven. The woman had abandoned her, that was obvious. But her heart had never given up, not until now, and it let out all the emotion she had pent up for all these years into the frustrated tears flowing from her eyes.

The first thing that Raven saw when she stepped through her portal was Vernal's face. The girl looked up at her chieftain with expectation and admiration. The black haired woman adored the girl but she would never admit it. Her protege was capable and strong, it made her proud that the tribe had flourished as it had under her leadership. With a nod she stepped past Vernal in into her tent, leaving a message that she was not to be disturbed with the young woman.

Taking a deep breath she took in the familiar surrounding of her tent but when she closed her eyes she could only see the tortured visage of her daughter. When she had left she knew her daughter would hate her, had expected it. But seeing it first hand directed at her was gut wrenching. Unconsciously her hands curled into fists.

Of course she had always watched the girl, how could she not? This was her own daughter and even if Summer had made better mother than she could ever be it still hurt to see her daughter happily being raised by another woman. They never seen her, on the branches of Patch, but she had seen them.

Then Summer had died. And old ache in her chest throbbed as she remembered her old teammate. There were so many things she had kept from them. From Tai, Qrow, and Summer. Things she could no longer tell them because long kept secrets were better off buried. She knew she had hurt the man she loved and that had torn at her just as much as leaving her daughter behind had.

Now everything was coming back., Qrow, Ozpin, and Yang. The fight she had tried to leave was catching up to her and leaving her family in danger, both her tribe and her daughter.

Everything would be fine, however, she would not let Salem win. That monster would not have her child.

Even if said child hated her.

That was okay, even as the tears welled up behind her eyes, she knew this would happen. Had told herself time and time again that this would happen. Yang would be strong and eventually their paths would cross.

But she hadn't expected it to be so hard and it would only get more difficult the more time she spent around her beautiful daughter. She had been so secretly proud when she'd heard her daughter talking of how she would protect her sister. Watching the two of them interact was almost like seeing her old team again. Ruby was just like Summer and their sisterly relationship something she almost envied.

The tears broke through and started falling onto the ground and she stood there, silently weeping. Raven sank to her knees, unable to move as something stuck in her throat.

If ever there was a time when Raven Branwen regretted her decisions, it was right then. It was all she could do to keep telling herself that it was for the sake of her daughter and the man she still loved.

Ruby thought her sister looked like she had been crying when she finally exited the room she and Raven had occupied. It had been a tense time for everyone though Jaune continued to cook breakfast for everyone. They'd all paused when they heard the muffled shouting though no one had been able to make it out, except for maybe Blake.

The young reaper jumped up and threw her arms around her sister in a tight hug. The blonde let out a forceful chuckle and rubbed her hand on Ruby's head, ruffling her hair. Even despite her sister insisting she was fine the younger girl knew she wasn't and the slight tightening of her arms around Ruby confirmed it. A silent, sisterly, communication went back and forth between them she she looked into her sister's lilac eyes and she knew everything was going to be fine.

The brunette relaxed visibly when Yang gratefully accepted a plate of breakfast from Jaune. Judging from his expression, Ruby wasn't the only one who knew she wasn't okay and the food an attempt at comfort.

"Good morning." Oscar yawned as he entered the dining room and sleepily took a plate for himself loaded with eggs and bacon. The boy still walked with a pronounced limp. It had been his first battle since Ozpin had inhabited his body and the boy had done well. Ruby was actually really surprised at how fast Oscar was picking up the skills he needed to survive.

There was some conversation over breakfast but mainly everyone ate in silence. Yang got questioned by Weiss about her budding relationship. Nora was pretty upset that she was among the last to find out and decried that her boy was all grown up. Ren looked quite pleased at the development though.

"Uh.. hey everyone? Um Ozpin has something he wants to say." Oscar shrugged and then his eyes flashed, his posture slackened for a moment and when he straightened up his entire presence had changed.

"Good morning everyone. As Oscar said to you I would like to discuss our plans from now on."

Everyone stopped to listen to him, and it wasn't because it was Ozpin speaking. Everyone wanted to know what the next step would be.

"As Qrow may or may not have informed you all, our next destinations would be Atlas. As it stands, the kingdom of Atlas is not only the most secure but has allies I know are still on our side. James is not only an old friend but perhaps also just as dedicated as I to ending Salem's threat. Also, with no headmaster, Haven Academy is no longer a safe place to hide the Relic of Knowledge. Normally I would have asked Raven to reseal it but perhaps it is for the best to keep it on hand, where I can guard it."

"So, what does this relic do?" Ruby held her hand up when she asked the question, it wasn't her fault the he acted like a teacher.

"A good question, Miss Rose." Ozpin presented the lamp for everyone to see and as it grew in size he placed it on the table where it floated just barely off the surface, "The Relic of Knowledge grants just that, knowledge. Though it does have it's conditions. It will answer any question as long as it's about anything current or past. It cannot tell you the future."

Everyone eyes lit up as he explained that, Ren's in particular focused on the lamp. Nora got super excited until her partner explained that no, they weren't wishes. She sat back down with a harrumph.

"Also," Ozpin added with a chuckle, "The lamp will only answer 3 questions every one hundred years and I'm afraid the questions were all used up when it was sealed away last. I'm afraid asking it anything is impossible."

"Tch, answers would be pretty handy right now, " Yang piped up, "We could totally ask what Salem is planning or something."

"Yes that would be useful." A wistful expression danced across his face, "But regardless we must get to Atlas."

"I just escaped there and now I have to go back? I want it on record that I'm going under duress." The ex-heiress whined.

"Aw c'mon Ice Queen. You can show us around your icy domain. Even show us your Ice Castle where your cold heart is stored." Yang smirked at Weiss and only received a roll of the eyes.

"Well the plan is to head to Atlas through the town of Argus. There we can probably secure passage by contacting Jimmy. Either that or mini-Ice Queen over here can help us." Qrow smirked like his niece at the voiced complaints of said ex-heiress.

"As such we will leave in two weeks. I'd like you all to get some last minute training in before we begin our journey. Jaune I'm glad to see you've unlocked your semblance but I would like to explore what you can do with it. The rest of you, well, you saw what we are up against for yourself. We need to be as prepared as we can be for when Salem's people cross our paths again."

His posture went slack again as he reverted back to Oscar, it seemed he was still feeling the effects of his fight at Haven. Ruby felt a tinge of concern for the young man who was housing what seemed to be two souls. Picking up her plate and bringing it to the sink she spared a glance for her sister who's smile still seemed fragile but looked to be doing a lot better than earlier. It helped having something to discuss like what they were going to do next.

That was good. It was rare to see her sister in a vulnerable state, she could count them on one hand and half of them had happened in the last year.

Ruby caught it out of the corner of her eye. It was small, something that shouldn't have even mattered. She saw Yangs fingers intertwine with Jaune's under the table and he gave her a brief squeeze. Her smile seemed to get just a bit stronger.

It only reinforced Ruby's decision to give him up. Her sister deserved someone who could make her happy like that, support her when she was feeling weak. Yang had pretty much raised her when her mother had passed away and her father had retreated into himself. Ruby owed so much to her sister she could easily make this kind of sacrifice.

Or at least it should have been.

Why won't this feeling just go away?

A/N: This chapter was a long time coming and something I had been looking forward to writing for quite a while. I always imagined that Raven still had feeling for both Tai and Yang.

Anyways I need to look for a Beta. My proofreader has had things come up in her life and hasn't been able to go over this story in a few months and I've decided that I really need a Beta. Here's to hoping things work out and the quality of this story increases.

This weekend I plan on FINALLY updating Old Man Jaune. I feel really bad for not giving it more love but life has been hectic and just updating Lithiom Rose has been difficult but I at least have a new chapter almost finished for it.

Sorry for the shameless plug but I am at least glad to see that apparently it has been more well received than this story.