"Okay, so when you said you'd answer any of my questions, I was thinking more of an interrogation kind-of thing." Yang said with an obvious degree of irritation. "Not a midday snack at the park."
She was seated at a bench in one of Vale City's most beautiful parks. Kids and parents were running all around, playing with each other, under the shade of the trees. It was a wonderful sight, but it left Yang feeling… strange. She blamed it the person beside her.
"I, for one, would like to start our relationship in a more normal way." Raven noted, forcing a bit of cheerfulness into her voice. She hoped she hadn't completely forgotten how to do that over the years. "I like interrogations just as much as everyone else, but sitting under the shade of the trees, in the fresh air of spring… That's more fitting for the situation."
"Who says we're going to have a relationship?" Yang asked snippily. "I just want my answer, not some tearful reunion. You might have given me birth, but Summer was my mother."
"I suppose she was." The mother agreed with a sad smile. "I wish I could thank her for that…"
She was silent for a little while, seemingly lost in her thoughts. Then she snapped her head up and turned to face Yang.
"What did your father tell you?"
"He told me about you after Summer died. He said you disappeared, but… Maybe he meant you were dead. I was just a little kid back then." Yang thought about telling her mother about how she had never lost hope, but she wasn't in the mood for it. "Don't tell me he lied too."
"He didn't. Your father knew only a smidge more than you…" Raven told quietly. She leaned forward, resting her arms on her legs as she looked at her hands. "I'm going to tell you the full story, but you've got to promise me something… I don't expect you to understand, much less forgive me. If you want to, you can spend the rest of your life hating me. You've grown too much, always away from me, for me to demand you even like me. But I need you to listen… To know. Can you do that?"
Yang looked at her silently for a moment, then nodded. Raven righted her posture and began her story.
I think the best approach here is to pull back a few years before my leaving. Roughly… ten years. When I was attending Beacon.
You know about my team, of course. Me, your uncle Qrow, Taiyang, and Summer. The wonder team, as Ozpin called us sometimes.
It was there that I met your father. He was… a bit of a hothead. Maybe not a bit. But we became good friends, and then things progressed beyond that. I won't bother you with the details. You only need to know that we did love each other very, very much.
Qrow was the prodigy. There is a reason he's so arrogant and commanding, Yang. He has the right to be so. Give him a mission and he'll complete it and two more at the planned timespan.
"How is that relevant?"
It will help you understand later on. Be patient.
And Summer… She was… She was my best friend. Always there for me, even at the most hopeless of situations. But she always so… Sad. She had barely any friends outside the team, because she was afraid of losing them.
Summer wasn't an easy person to understand, but I loved her.
And that, my daughter, is relevant.
Ruby walked inside her room, humming quietly under her breath. She had taken habit of doing that lately – it was a small distraction from her thoughts, but a distraction anyway.
She cast a look at Blake, who was sitting on her bed, reading intently. The faunus shifted her weight and winced, almost dropping the book. Ruby darted to her side, frowning worriedly.
"What happened?" She asked. "Did you open the stitches?"
"No, I just… I rubbed my back against something, and it must have touched the injuries. I'm fine." Blake muttered, looking up at her leader hesitantly. "Thanks for worrying."
Ruby shrugged and jumped to her own bed, trying to appear indifferent. Normally, Blake would have noticed the farce easily, but she was hurt physically and emotionally at the moment, so she just looked back at her book, wishing Ruby would show some sign of forgiveness.
Show no mercy! Ruby thought cheerfully as she sat on her bed. Mean Blake! Who does she think she is? No mercy!
"So, do you need anything?" The redhead blurted out.
"Not really. All I need it rest." Blake said. "Thanks."
"I don't need your thanks!" Ruby shrieked, then turned her back to her, crossing her arms stubbornly.
Blake looked at her quizzically, then shook her head slowly. Slowly, Ruby turned to look at her over her shoulder. Once again, the faunus was immersed in her book.
"I'm gonna grab some food for us." She decided suddenly.
"But I'm not hungry." Blake noted.
"I'm the leader!" Ruby screamed. "Don't tell me what to do!"
She raced out of the room, leaving Blake in a very confused state.
I wish she would just cut my head off already.
Now we get to the real story.
It started a long while after we graduated from Beacon. Your father and I were living together in Patch, in the same house you've lived in for all your life. A cozy little place, but we didn't get many missions. Taiyang had gotten a job as a professor at Signal a few years before, and I occasionally did some Huntress work for the island.
During that time, I was more preoccupied with you, of course. You were barely six months old, and constantly crying for attention.
"What a shock."
Meanwhile, Qrow was doing his usual thing. High-risk, high-reward missions. He always came out alive and richer, rarely ever injured. But then he took one mission that changed everything.
One day, out of the blue, he stumbles into our house, bleeding from head to toe and with scorch marks! I put you to sleep, call Taiyang, and start to treat him. Of course the blockhead didn't go to a hospital, no, he had to get big sister's help.
So, once he finally is starting to look like he's not going to die, Taiyang arrives. The two start their usual bickering, until Summer arrives too.
"What?"
Remember when I said she was a blessing? Well, in Beacon, we had these monitoring bugs in us so the school could track our vitals and position while we were out on field missions. She really liked that idea, and insisted we keep using ours so she could care for us. She must have noticed Qrow's state and where he was going, so she raced half across the continent to reach him.
"She was supermom!"
…Indeed.
When things calm down, Summer asks Qrow what the hell happened to him. He had taken a job, a relatively mild one, to investigate a small, but dangerous group in the frontier between Vale and Atlas. Turns out they were the beginning of the White Fang, and even then, they were a force to be reckoned with.
Qrow managed to knock out a bunch of them, but one in particular rose to challenge him. A tall, dark-haired woman with amber eyes that seemed to glow like fire. I'll never forget that description. For one of the few times in his life, Qrow was outmatched. He only escaped because the woman had no interest in chasing after him.
We all realized that was not a mild job anymore.
That woman was too powerful to face directly, and there were also hundreds of people between her and us. It would be bloodshed, with heavy losses to either side of the conflict. To bring that organization down, we had to reach it from the inside.
Qrow wanted to be the worm, obviously. But we all knew that wouldn't work. He was too famous already, practically a legend amongst the Huntsmen, and he had met that woman face to face.
"Also, he has a giant scythe. Not really subtle."
We also made that point.
Naturally, Taiyang and I started to volunteer, but Summer would have none of it. We had perfectly peaceful lives, and you. She had… Nothing like that. She said she would be losing nothing in the endeavor.
Taiyang relented, agreeing she was the one for the job. Qrow did too. I said she should go.
But I did not agree.
"And when he finally agreed to give us the Dust, I said… Uh, uh, Larry, too late. You had your chance, now you got only ashes." Torchwick recalled cheerfully. "So he's like, ashes? And we burn him to a crisp, then take the Dust. A happy ending to a happy story."
Cinder buried her face in her hands, doing her best to block out Roman's endless talking. By now, she was sure Ozpin had done this on purpose. She wasn't being tortured, or deprived of food, or kept under surveillance, but she wished she was, if it meant no more of her ex-colleague.
He continued to talk, and as he did, she leant back, looking at her open palms. They started to glow a faint orange, distorting the air around them with heat. She couldn't see it, but her eyes too were like two condensed wildfires in the darkness.
She felt empty inside. Not thinking, not feeling. Empty.
"Burned to a crisp… You know what that reminds me of?" Roman chuckled. "You, before you became a disgrace and a failure."
Suddenly, that emptiness was filled by rage – too much rage. Cinder stood up and turned to the side, then drove a fist into the metal wall. It bended under the force of the blow, a loud boom echoing across the prison hall.
"SHUT UP, OR I'LL BURN US OUT OF THESE CAGES, TEAR OUT YOUR INTESTINE AND FORCE YOU TO EAT IT RAW! THEN I'LL OPEN THAT TALKING LITTLE MOUTH OF YOURS AND MAKE YOU SWALLOW HELL, AND YOU'LL BE ASHES! ASHES!"
She stopped, her chest rising up and down with her erratic breathing. She waited, mentally begging for him to say something, anything, to give her reason to make good on her words.
He didn't.
Cinder looked down at her hands. They were burning. Burning without control. She slid down a wall, her whole body shaking.
What is wrong with me… What is wrong with me… What is wrong with me…
A week after, Summer left to begin the mission. We had no idea how long she would be gone for, but we knew it wouldn't be brief. Taiyang and Qrow were practically in tears, but she wasn't. She was used to that kind of thing, and was just glad she was the one to take up the burden.
I followed her.
She had confected this mask… A Grimm mask, like the ones the White Fang still uses to this day. The one I use now. The plan was for her to start as a mere recruit, then rise up the ranks until she met with that woman. Then she would kill her. It sounds easy enough, but it's not. I know from experience.
When she was getting near their recruitment place, I knocked her out. One good punch to the side of the head. She was out cold.
I donned the mask, and left.
For seventeen years.
They were silent for a few minutes. Yang stared blankly ahead, while Raven waited for a reaction. As the time passed, she only felt worse, expecting the worst from her daughter.
"Why?" The girl finally asked. "Why couldn't you let Summer go?"
"She was my best friend, Yang. More than that, she was… I can't tell you what she meant to me." Raven's voice faltered.
"You don't need to. I already know she meant more than your own daughter."
Raven froze, wishing she could just burst into tears, but the years had shaped her into a hardened version of herself. Nothing would ever be as easy as crying anymore.
"I said I didn't expect you to understand." She noted quietly. "But, picture this… If you were in my position, and Ruby was in Summer's… Wouldn't you do something to save her?"
"Yes. But she's my sister, and I don't have a daughter." Yang said.
"You had Taiyang." Raven stated, knowing it was the weakest excuse she could come up with. "And you had Qrow, and later Ruby. Summer had no one. She was already broken down. If she had left… Something would terrible would have happened to her."
Yang looked at her mother inquisitively, not really understanding her line of thought.
"Being infiltrated in the White Fang was hard. And I don't mean only the secrecy, the fear of being discovered or killed…" Raven said. "It's a horrible organization. I've seen things, Yang, that made me lose almost all hope in humanity. But I endured through it, because I knew that outside that hell, there was you." She smiled despite the situation. "Every time I would have to do something terrible, or turn a blind eye, or… Whatever… I would go to sleep at night, and think about you. And that's what kept me alive."
"I… S-see…" Yang said shakily, looking away so her mother wouldn't notice her tears. "And Summer didn't have that."
"Exactly. I can't- I don't want to imagine what would have become of her." Raven chuckled humorlessly. "She became an awesome supermom. I'm proud of you."
Yang nodded and got up, shifting her weight nervously. She looked towards Raven and gestured weakly. Raven stood too and went in for a hug, but her daughter took a large step back.
They stared at each other, not knowing what to say.
"I'll… See you around." Yang managed with a small voice.
"Yeah." Raven muttered. "See you, kiddo."
Ozpin entered the prison hall, swinging his cane lightly as he whistled under his breath. He went past most of the cages, knowing they were empty, until he found the important one. The one with a dent on its left side.
He opened the door and found Cinder curled up against a wall, hugging her legs with her head buried between her knees. She was shaking visibly, making Ozpin wonder if she was crying.
"Cinder?" He called softly, crouching until he was level with her. "Are you alright?"
"Leave. Me. Alone." She said, dragging each sound out slowly, as if it pained her to speak.
"Cinder. I don't know what has happened to you, but if there's anything…" He paused. "I'm sorry to inform you, but Raven Branwen will be seeing you later today. It will be painful. I tried my best to stop her, but there's only so much I can do for you."
She turned her head just enough for her eyes to be visible. They were red, and her usually lively amber irises seemed dead of color.
"Thank… You."
When Yang entered her room, she was still wiping away a few stray tears. She hated feeling so emotional, but she couldn't help it right then. Besides, if anyone made fun of her for it, she would slam against a wall and punch them in the nose. Repeatedly. She had the right to cry.
Blake looked up from her book, expecting Ruby or Weiss. She froze at the sight of her partner standing on the doorway, rubbing her eyes slowly. When she was done, Yang took a deep breath and finally noticed Blake.
"Hi." The faunus said after a long moment of silence.
"Hi." Yang greeted back, then turned to get a bottle of water from their stash.
Blake watched her, waiting for something else to be said, but Yang just stayed silent. The faunus nodded. Being ignored was better than being kicked out, at least for now.
Ruby arrived with a platter of food, which she deposited in Blake's lap dutifully. The brunette looked from the food to her leader in surprise.
"I thought you said you were getting food for us?"
"Don't question my leadership." Ruby said firmly. "Holler if you need help."
Blake smirked, faintly amused by her (perhaps) friend's attitude, then began to eat, even though she wasn't hungry.
"So…" Ruby looked at her sister. "How did it go with your mom?"
"It went… well." Yang said, turning to face her. "Better than I expected, but weird, I guess."
"What happened?!" The redhead demanded, jumping a bit too excitedly. "Tell me everything!"
Yang smiled slightly.
"Ah, we… We talked about why she left, which included Qrow, the White Fang, your mom…" She paused. "Can I get a hug?"
Ruby immediately complied, jumping to her arms and hugging her. Yang burst into tears, and before she could do anything, so did Ruby. Blake watched the two with a faint smile.
Weiss stepped inside the room, looking as regal as ever, glancing at the sisters before walking to Blake's side. She opened her mouth to say something, then did a double take and looked back at her other teammates.
"What- Why?" The heiress pinched her forehead. "Why couldn't I be put into a normal team with normal people?"
"Hey!" Blake protested jokingly.
"You're weird too." Weiss sighed. "And so am I."
Ruby separated from her sister and stood rigidly.
"We are going to eat pizza." She decided. "Blake, you are allowed to come along."
"But I just finished eating-"
"Who's the leader here?!"
"Okay…" Blake lowered her head meekly.
Ruby smiled widely, then exited the room, dragging Yang along happily. Blake put her platter to the side and followed. Weiss stared at them, bewildered.
"Seriously!" She yelled. "Have you checked for brain damage?!"
As Ozpin had said, Raven Branwen did visit Cinder as the sun set below the horizon. She wasn't wearing her mask, but her eyes were a deep shade of red, which made her even more intimidating.
"We're going to have a talk, Fall." Raven said. "I'm going to ask you some questions, and you're going to answer. Don't make this any harder than it has to be."
Cinder looked up at her emotionlessly. A shiver ran down Raven's back – that wasn't the look of a convicted criminal or even a captured animal, but of a dead person.
"You work for the White Fang." Raven said, ignoring the other's disturbing state. "For the White Fang. It's my understanding that you aren't truly a member of their organization… You are more like a third party. Am I right?"
"No." Cinder answered, almost too quiet to be heard. "I worked for them. Not anymore."
"Semantics. I don't give a crap about that. You were a murdered then, you're a murderer now. Now, to the big questions." Raven crossed her arms. "Why did you infiltrate Beacon?"
"To take it down from the inside."
Raven paused at these words. It was an obvious answer, but it shook her to her core because of her conversation with her daughter.
"They want to bring Vale down." Cinder muttered. "Why? I don't know. But it would never work with Beacon standing. Even the first year students can pose a threat, as you must know."
"I see." Raven nodded. "Who are they?"
"I don't know. The White Fang?" Cinder shrugged.
Suddenly, she was being held against the wall of her cage by one of Raven's hands, while the other was raised in front of her face in a closed fist.
"Who's your leader?!" Raven demanded. "Where is she and what's her name?!"
"I don't know!" Cinder growled. "I've never met her! Adam Taurus was my-"
Raven threw her out of the cage and gripped one of her arms, while pushing her down by her back. Cinder gritted her teeth, containing a scream as the pain spread all over her upper body.
"Don't give me this crap. I've devoted almost half of my life to bringing your friends to justice, so I recommend you don't play this game with me…" Raven said in a low tone. "I know your game, Fall. I've been forced to play it for years. And my opinion on it?"
She pulled back. There was a loud crack, and Cinder yelled.
"Not fun." Raven finished. "Who. Is. She?"
Cinder closed her eyes, her body shaking with rage and pain. She opened them again, and they were burning. With a sudden burst of power, she spun and kicked Raven on her cheek, making the older woman losing her grip on her.
"I don't know!" Cinder yelled. "Did you get it?! I. DON'T. KNOW!"
She swung a hand, throwing a burst of fire in her interrogator's direction. Raven drew her sword and deflected the projectile, then closed the distance between them. Cinder stepped to the side, narrowly avoiding the blade's sharp edge, and punched Raven on her stomach.
Raven's eyes seemed to become even redder, and she let go of her sword. In one movement, she raised her hand and grabbed Cinder by the throat, lifting her from the ground with the strength of one arm. Cinder screamed, letting out a barrage of flames from her mouth, but it flew above Raven's head without harming her.
The swordswoman walked until she had Cinder held against a wall. The pyromancer looked to the side, and in a moment of horror, noticed she was being pressed against a window, not a wall.
"You-" She tried to say. "Don't-"
Raven snarled and tensed, and Cinder knew she was going to put more force and break the glass. They were one of Vale's biggest buildings, only a few floors below the highest one. Not even the most resilient Aura would save someone from such a fall.
I could take her with me. Grab her while I fall…
She looked into Raven's eyes, and in them she found not only rage, but something else. She might not know why it was there, but it was hurt. Sadness. Not the feelings of a monster.
No.
Then Raven collapsed to the side, a bloody mark on the side of her forehead. Cinder fell down and crawled away from the window desperately, but was suddenly brought to her feet by a hand on the back of her collar.
"Sorry about that." Ozpin sighed. "You're going back to your cage."
He sat her on the bench of her cage and looked at her pitifully.
"I suppose you didn't comply." He said.
"I didn't know the answer." Cinder stated bitterly. "I didn't know!"
"I believe you. Go to sleep."
He closed the door, leaving her in utter darkness. She faintly heard the sound of Raven getting up. A few whispers.
And broken sobs.
Aw.
I'm interested in what you guys thought of the way I had Raven tell her story. I've never done it this way, so I'm not sure if it's good? Feedback, as always, is appreciated. (And of course that's not the end of the Yang-Raven conflict. There's more in store for them.)
Eat-your-intestine-sized thanks to everyone who reviewed, followed and favorited Falling Roses Burn Brighter!
-Zeroan