(Raven)
Part two - The Fall
Now
It had been too close. Neopolitan had been too close to sinking her blade into Yang's heart. Raven stood for a moment, looking at Yang. The daughter who didn't know her, she groaned softy as her eyes began to open. Raven opened a portal, and step away. Each step, felt like a mile. She had walked away from her daughter, too many times in her life already. Raven closed her eyes as she was swallowed up by the portal's dark red and blacks. Seventeen years had past by so plainly slow.
I
"She has your eyes, Tai" Raven said looking down at their newborn daughter, who she cradled gently in her arms. Taiyang nodded looking at their daughter, Yang lovely.
"True, but she looks like you" He said softly. Raven smiled rocking Yang, who had finally gone to sleep. She was a lively little baby.
"She could look like anything when she gets bigger" Raven told him. Taiyang nodded.
"I wonder if she'll become a huntress like her mother." He mused
"Oh, It will interesting to see," Raven said, "All I hope is that she takes after her father for personality."
Taiyang chuckled, kissing her on the cheek.
"Yang will be perfect whichever of us she takes after" He said.
Raven nodded, she wondered though, how she'd feel if Yang did follow in their footsteps and go to Beacon. Become a huntress.
"Rav" Taiyang asked, as Raven set Yang down into her crib.
"Yeah?"
"What are you thinking about?" He asked, his violet eyes searching her scarlet ones.
"Nothing." She muttered resting her hand on the edge of the crib. Taiyang sighed.
"Raven, if there is something worrying you, please tell me?"
Raven looked down at Yang, "I'm just thinking about Qrow and me"
"Why?" He asked softly.
"We lost out parents and they were hunters, and now you and me are hunters" She lamented, "I worry about what will happen to Yang if one of-" She choked the words down. Taiyang walked over to his wife.
"I promise that no matter what happens we'll never leave Yang alone" He said hugging her,
"And if the unthinkable happens, Yang will survive and become as wonderful and brilliant a women as her mother did." Raven smiled hugging him back tightly.
"I love you, Tai" She whispered.
"I love you" He said, they separated, "Now, don't you have a meeting to be getting to?" Taiyang rested his hands on his hips. Raven nodded, kissing Yang on the forehead softly.
"Mommy's got to go visit Auntie Summer" She said, "I'll be back later" Raven said looking over to Taiyang.
"Have fun" He said kissing her goodbye.
II
Raven sat in a sleepy corner of a local cafe. She loved coming to it, to enjoy a moment of quiet or for meeting her friends. The huntress checked her scroll, as the bell of the door, jiggled.
"Raven," Summer greeted as she walked over to the table. Walking may have been too strong a word for the stiff way Summer walked. Raven could make out a bandage peeking out from under Summer's cloak.
"Still not taking good care of yourself I see Summer" Raven replied resting her chin on her knuckled. Summer grinned, taking a seat.
"I'm fine, just slept in a chair and I'm feeling a bit stiff" She said.
"Of course, how could I forget how sleeping in a chair can make it appear as though you got hit by a bullhead." Raven relied drily.
"It may have been a pack of nasty Grimm" Summer said smiling sheepishly. Raven sighed smiling slightly. The waitress coming over to take Summer's order.
"One, hot chocolate, please" She said, once the waitress walked away, Summer turned back to Raven, "I am trying to more careful."
Raven lifted her head, "I know, but I still worry about you when you're not in my eyesight"
Summer smiled brightly, laughing softly.
"You are sounding very motherly these days." She said. Raven smiled to herself thinking about Yang.
"Seems I did have some maternal instincts after all" She said, the waitress returning with Summer's drink.
"Thank you" She said, taking a sip, "How is Yang doing ?"
"Still a ball of energy somehow" Raven told her, "She's only two months old at that"
"I'll have to come and visit soon" Summer mused.
"You could come over today," Raven said, swirling her coffee, "Yang always smiles when she sees you." She looked up at Summer, taking a sip of her drink. Summer smiled, her silver eyes were always friendly, inviting in a way Raven knew hers weren't.
"Plus me and Tai miss having you around" She continued, "You and my brother."
"I'm sorry for being away so much, Raven." Summer said kindly, "I'm always worried that if I'm not out keeping the Grimm at bay, then" She trailed off, slipping her coco. Raven knew what Summer meant, they both had lost people to the darker side of Remnant. "As for Qrow, he's been busy with something."
Raven crocked an eyebrow at her. "Really, what sort of something?" Qrow had been oddly quiet the past few weeks.
"He's been dealing with a bounty job and some shady organization." Summer said breezily.
"Are you helping him out?"
"Of course I am" She said
"I suppose I won't worry then" Raven said.
"How's Tai doing ?" Summer resting her head on her hands.
"He got offered a job at Signal" Raven told her.
"That's wonderful," Summer said "is he going to accept it?"
"I hope so" Raven said resting her chin on the back of her hand, "It would be a lot safer than for him now," Summer set down her cup, a concern in her silver eyes.
"Tai is strong" she said kindly, "Plus, he isn't reckless like…"
"Like you and Qrow" Raven finished.
"I suppose" Summer grinned weakly, "But, I still have a promise to keep remember."
Raven smiled, remembering the promise they all made on the rooftop of the dorm at Beacon.
"I don't know if I should find that comforting or not" She said.
"I've got Qrow watching my back and you and Tai have each other" Summer concluded
"We also have each others backs too" Raven said raising her mug. Summer smiled in earnest.
"Cheers" They tapped their mugs together.
III
Qrow rubbed his eyes setting down the tablet in his hands. An ache was beginning to form in-between his eyes. Close, he was getting dangerously close to whatever darkness was lurking in the underbelly of Remnant. Qrow reached for the glass on his desk, as the door clicked opened.
"Please tell me that's non-alcoholic" Raven said crossing her arms. Her scarlet eyes meeting her twin's. Qrow sighed getting up from his chair.
"I'm sure some percent of it is" He said running a hand through his dark locks. Raven shook her head walking into his office. The one he had been given since working as a hunter.
"I saw Summer today" Raven told him. Qrow perked up at this.
"Yeah, and I'm sorry for not visiting" He said, "I want to see my niece, I promise."
Raven smiled slightly, stopping before her brother.
"I'm glad to hear that, but it's not the reason I'm here" She said.
"Oh," Qrow leaned against his desk, his sister was never one to dance around a subject, "Then, why are you visiting, sister."
"Summer said you two were working on something dangerous" Raven said.
"We're huntsmen, the perimeters of our jobs are dangerous by nature." He countered. Raven sighed.
"I've heard a variation of that sentence quite a lot these days" She said, picking up the glass filled with amber liquid on Qrow's desk, "You're doing something beyond the average levels of dangers, Qrow"
Qrow clicked his tongue, rolling his shoulder. He reached for the glass in Raven's hand.
"May I ?" He asked, Raven handed it over. Qrow took a slip of it, appreciating the burn it brought on.
"Do you remember the fairy tale our parents used to tell us, the ones about the maidens ?" He asked her, swirling the liquid in his glass.
"Of course, they used to tell us about them all the times as kinds," Raven said looking baffled for a moment, "Why are bringing that up now?"
"Because, they are true" Qrow said looking up at her, "The maidens are real"
"Excuse me ?"
"There was four of them remember" He continued on.
"Yeah, I remember the story just fine" Raven waving her hand, "Why is that important"
"Because, the maiden have a history of being hunted for their powers and that hasn't changed" Qrow said darkly., "Mom and Dad had been apart of a group that protected them"
Raven felt her breath catch, "They were doing that job when they died."
"What do you mean" Raven demanded, Qrow looked down at the tiles of the floor, "Qrow!"
He looked up and his eyes were filled with pain.
"They were looking into a group that is trying to start a war among the kingdoms by using the maidens powers."
Raven leaned against the desk for support, anger and sorrow mixed inside of her head.
"I'm trying to find out more about this group," Qrow said quietly, downing the rest of his drink, "I was going to tell you eventually"
Raven laughed hollowly, "No, you were going to wait until they were defeated"
"Yeah, maybe" He said.
"You can't do this alone" Raven said.
"I'm not alone," He retorted, "I've got Summer and some others too"
Raven curled her hands into fists, "Let me help"
"I can't"
"Why not"
"You have a family now Raven!' Qrow shouted slamming his glass down on the desk, "You have Tai and Yang to think about"
"I don't need to be lectured about my family" Raven yelled back, "But you're my family too"
Qrow looked away stepping away, "I want Yang to know her uncle."
"I'm being careful, Raven." He said tiredly, "I know you want to find our parents killers as badly as I do, but"
"You don't want me involved"
"No, I would prefer if you weren't" Qrow said, "I don't want to lose you or put your family in danger for it. "
Raven nodded, "I won't push the issue but please keep me in the loop from now"
Qrow gave her a weak smile, "I promise, I will." Raven walked to her brother, placing her hands on his shoulders.
"Good, because as I have made it very clear, I won't lose the people I care about to reckless actions or lies"
Qrow nodded, "I know."
IV
Raven didn't mean to stumble into trouble. She actively avoided it since Yang had been born. Yet, she hadn't been able to rid her thoughts of the group that had killed her parents. It had been a thought in her head since the day they had died. Qrow had been annoyingly scarce in the information that he gave her. To be fair there was little concrete information on the group, no one knew a name or a a simple marking used by some of the members was known to them. Some called the group a cult, others rebels, or even a militia group support by one of the kingdoms. She tried to ignore it, as she had been telling everyone else to for weeks. Yet, when she caught sight of a bounty job with a man wearing the mark of the group on his arm. Raven had grabbed it and went after them. Raven now stalked through the outskirts of a small costal town. The man walked with his hood up and his head down. Raven wanted questions from him, and she intended to get them. The man was approaching a small shack, well out of the view of the townspeople. Raven waited behind a tree and watched as the man walked around the back of the shack. She counted to ten and hurried towards the shack, her katana drawn. Raven rounded the corner and saw no one.
"Shit" She muttered as, an blade nearly missed her ear. Raven twisted around and slashed at him. The man leapt back, a dangerous glint in his eyes. He held a halbert in his calloused hands.
"A huntress." He spat. Raven leveled her blade at him and charged. They clashed and slashed at one another. Raven ducked under his blade and slammed her fist into his nose. He groaned in pain, blood coursing down his face. Raven swept his feet out from under him. He fall against the shack. Raven rested her katana over his heart.
"Just be done with it bitch" He said gruffly.
"I'm not here to kill you," She said, "I want information on the organization you are apart of"
He laughed cruelly at her, "You don't wanna know about them," He said, "Not if you value your life"
Raven tightened her grip on her katana and pressed it into his shoulder. He gritted his teeth in pain.
"What are they trying to achieve?" She demanded. He grinned wickedly.
"Who knows, world domination" He said, Raven felt a pang of rage in her heart. She stabbed the sword in deeper.
"What. are. they. doing." She said
"I'll find out who you are and I''ll kill you and anyone close to you" He said with a deadly look in his eyes. Raven retracted her blade, blood staining his green jacket.
"Once you're in jail, I doubt that" She said. A shot rang out and Raven jumped away. Blood streaming down her cheek where the bullet grazed it. She looked for the attacker, and saw a person in a white bone mask with red markings. Raven deflated a blow from the knife mounted on their guns. The man chuckled, forcing himself up.
"Keep her busy" He called. Raven gritted her teeth as she battled the new attacker. They slashed the knives at her, flames arching off them. She opened up a portal and jumped out behind the knife wielding man. Raven slammed the butt of her katana into their mask. It flew off, but not before he threw a small grenade at her.
"Shit" Raven cut the grenade, and jumped back into a newly formed portal. She stepped out just in time to see a bullhead emerge from behind the shack. Raven watched helplessly as it flew off. The wind from it blowing her hair out around her. The huntress walked to where the mask had fallen. Raven picked it up, there wasn't anything in it, as far as she could tell. Raven tucked it away. She wanted nothing more than answers, yet she was beginning to think that this was not the way to go.
V
"Tai, be careful." Raven called to her husband as he carried Yang back to the porch. Yang was giggling joyfully as Tai held her up in the air.
"I am," He said, "I just miss getting to see her since I started working at Signal." Raven shook her head, but smiled faintly at him.
"How's your day been ?" Taiyang asked.
"It's been fine" She said, "Summer looked after Yang, while I had to go on a standard Grimm extermination."
"Sounds fun." He replied, Yang wrapped her tiny arms around Taiyang's head. He smiled, kissing the top of her head.
"I love you, too" Taiyang said.
"How was day ?" Raven asked.
"Good," He said, "The students at Signal are a lot less mischievous than we used to be at Beacon." Raven smiled.
"No one could be quite as mischievous as you were as a kid, Lumber boy" She said. Taiyang chuckled.
"It's lunch time for Yang" Raven also told him.
"Roger that." Taiyang walked inside, now cradling their daughter in his strong arms. Raven watched them contently. She hadn't told anyone about her research into the group that was threatening Remnant's safety. It had been two weeks since she dealt with the man with the tattoo and his masked partner. Raven looked out to the tree line that ran the perimeter of their backyard. Patch was a beautiful island, even with it's roaming packs of Beowolves. She watched the forest when something caught her eye. A man, with a eerie smirk watching her from the shadows. Raven's heart beat loudly as she recognized the man with the tattoo. She stepped forward, her aura flaring.
"Raven." Taiyang called from the house. Raven wiped around.
"Tai" She began looking back for the man. He had vanished from the woods.
"Everything alright ?" He asked walking to the door, Yang in his arms. She was suckling on a bottle.
"Yeah," Raven said trying to keep her voice sound even. Taiyang nodded.
"Okay, want to come inside" He said, "We need lunch too."
"Of course" Raven walked inside, her spine tickling as she felt unseen eyes watching her and her family.
VI
The night was dark, as the broken moon of Remnant was hidden behind a thick layer of clouds. Raven waited outside as Yang and Taiyang slept quietly inside. Her body felt heavy and she had to force herself to keep her eyes open. It had been two days since Raven had spotted the man in the woods. She had waited up each night for the man to appear. Qrow and Summer were off on a mission on the main land. Raven forced herself to wait until they returned to tell them the truth. However, she had sensed something amiss in the air that night. Raven gripped her katana waiting for the attack. There came a rustling from the forest. She stayed crouched in the brushes. He walked over towards the door, his halbert in his hands. Raven leapt from her hiding spot, and cut at his arm. He dodged it, smiling wickedly at her. Anger uncoiled in her chest, and she threw her shoulder into him, opening a portal that engulfed them. They fell out of it a good distance from the house. Raven's anger fueled her strikes, the man grunted at the impact of her katana. The halbert being thrown from his hands. She slugged him in the jaw. The man stumbled away, blood dripping from his mouth.
"Damn you are a fighter, Raven Branwen." He chuckled. Raven halted in her attacks, a chill running down her spine, "Surprised ?" He asked gleefully, "I've been checking up on you," He straightened up, "I know about you now, about that women in the cape and your sweet little family your husband and the little baby." Raven moved without thinking stabbing her blade into his leg. He yelled in pain.
"Do not ever go near my friends or my family" She growled. He grinned at her.
"I know all about you, Raven" The man told her, "But you don't know jack about me" Raven removed her blade, glaring at him. "I thought so"
"I will find out who you are and who you work for." She said, pulling out her scroll, "Once you're in jail."
The man looked unimpressed, "That won't change anything," He said "I'm nothing more than a nameless pawn" Raven dialed the number for the hunters organization.
"We'll burn Vale to the ground, and the Queen will rise from from the ashes," He said with a alarming conviction, "Anyone who stands in our way, will fall and die" Raven closed her eyes for a moment her parents faces flashing in her mind. "Even, If you throw me in jail, they'll die" He kept going.
"Who ?" Raven said through clenched teeth, the man smiled devilishly.
"Your precious little family" He said, "You will watch them die, and nothing can stop that" Raven drew in a shaky breath looking away. He was bluffing, she thought.
"My partner knows their faces, Raven" He cooed, "He'll kill them for me, to teach you a lesson" Raven lowered her scroll, her knuckles going white.
"Poor little Yang will die before she ever gets to grow up" He said laughing cruelly, "All because of you, Raven, Yang will-" His words were cut short as, Raven's katana sank into his heart. His dark eyes widened with shock for a moment, before he choked out a final laugh. Raven ripped her katana out of his chest. Raven's breathes came out in ragged intervals. The man's body crumbled to the forest floor. The light faded from his eyes. Raven staggered back, staring numbly at her katana coated in his blood. Raven's hands shook, she covered her mouth feeling nauseous.
"No, no,no" She cried quietly. Raven walked in a circled, her mind swirling. She needed to get rid of the body. The thought shouted in her head. She stabbed her katana into the dirt.
"Okay," She breathed out, "Okay"
VII
It took longer than, Raven cared to think about to bury the man's corpse. The thought alone made her stomach churn. She had gotten rid of her blood strained clothes and cleaned her katana. Raven found herself in her bedroom, sitting stumbled against the wall. Taiyang's loud breathing the only sound. Yang mercifully was still asleep in her crib. She couldn't stay, not here, not until, she knew they would both be safe. This mess was on her hands, and hers alone in her eyes. Raven covered her mouth, as she choked down a sob. Her eyes went blurry with tears.
"Oh, Tai" She whispered getting up from the floor. Raven walked over to the bed, where Taiyang slept. He could sleep through anything, and everything. Taiyang's face was so boyish and sweet as he slept. Raven ran a hand over his cheek as she sank to her knees besides him.
"I love you so much" She said, "That's why I need to go" Raven paused, "I put you and our daughter in harm's way and that's unacceptable" Taiyang remain slumbering, his mouth open slightly, "I'm so sorry, Tai, I'll be back as soon as I fix this all" Raven swore, "I just need time to put this all right, and then, I tell Summer and Qrow and we can work together like the old days" She smiled as tears rolled down her face, "I'll make every right." Raven kissed his lips softy.
"I love you, Tai, and I always will." She rose from the bed and found her way to Yang's crib.
"Yang, my sweet girl" Raven whispered quietly, "There is so much that I want to tell you, to teach you," She wiped her eyes, "I want to stay and watch you grow up everyday, but I can't" Raven swallowed another sob, "But, remember that I love you, Yang, I love you more than I can ever truly express," Yang stirred slightly, and Raven picked her up gently, singing a melody to her.
"I will come back for you, I promise that no matter how long it takes, I will come back to you Yang" Raven held her daughter, rocking her. "I love you" It felt like an eternity passed in that fleeting moment. Raven kissed, Yang's head, and set her down in the crib.
"I will see you again" Raven said, walking out the room. She took only what was needed, and wrote simple a note for Taiyang. She set it on the table, and looked at there home, once more before walking off into the night. Raven didn't allow herself to think of the man, she married. As he woke up to Yang's cries, to an empty bed. She didn't know that he walked to the crib and calmed down their daughter. She didn't see him walk to the kitchen and see the note. She didn't hear him shouting her name, or calling their teammates. She didn't see the panic on his face or the tears in his eyes. She saw none of this but knew what the note that caused it read.
"Goodbye, Tai"