Yang awoke to a crippling headache, her extremities wrapped in thick layers of gauze. A bright light above her temporarily left her blind, squinting uselessly. As her surroundings slowly faded into view, Yang saw her Uncle Qrow propped up next to her bed. Ruby and Blake were next to him, talking in hushed tones. Weiss strode with an air of irritation around the room. Team JNPR sat in the corner, talking quietly amongst themselves.
"Yang!" Ruby cried, seeing her sister's eyes shift. Leaping up from her seat, Ruby pulled Yang into a fierce hug.
"Ow, ow, ow!"
"Oh, sorry!" Ruby quickly relinquished the hug, staring sheepishly at Yang.
"It's not a problem,sis," Yang slurred, "just a bit tender is all."
It was a lot more than that if Yang was completely honest. Lines of fire burned across her skin, tracing ugly red welts across her skin. The parts of her that didn't burn throbbed with a dull soreness.
"Penny, you alright?"
"I'm fine."
Everyone else heaved a sigh of relief, but Yang sensed something off. She wasn't sure what, but Penny's inflection was off for some reason or another. She lacked her usual enthusiasm. Yang would have to check with her later, but more urgent matters were at hand.
"Where is she?" Yang stared pointedly at her uncle, her eyes flickering briefly.
"Gone, and that's all you need to know," Qrow met her stare with an equally steely one, "What the hell were you thinking? She could have killed you!"
"And she was going to! You said you kept in contact with her!"
"I told you she was dangerous! Instead of listening, you charged in like always!" Seeing the anger in confusion in Yang's eyes, Qrow took a deep breath before continuing, "Can all of you give me and Yang a minute? This is somewhat of a private matter." Weiss opened her mouth to protest, but Ruby game a look that made her think twice. Quietly, The rest of Rwby and JNPR departed the room. Once the door had closed,
"Penny, you too. This is something only Yang needs to hear."
"Fine." As the robot shut down, Yang began to speak again
"You told me last time that you would help me find her. Were you lying?"
"No... it's just complicated. If I had gone with you, I could have contained her if need be. You were never supposed to meet her alone."
"Why would I ever want to meet that bitch! She taught the guy that did this!" Yang screamed as she waved her disfigurement at Qrow, "You could have just told me the truth and saved me the trouble."
"Meeting her wouldn't have been for you, it would have been for her."
"What the hell does that even mean?! She was doing just peachy without me."
"Do you really want to know? You want answers and I can give you some. You do have a right to them, but they won't solve anything. The truth won't help you like you think it will."
"I'll be the judge of that. Please tell me your excuses for my mother."
"Alright, then settle in."
"Qrow, hurry the hell up, we're losing daylight!" Raven called behind her.
"Relax, it's not like we're in a rush. We're still a day and a half ahead of Oz's schedule."
Qrow strode casually up to his sister, his enjoyment of her irritation evident. They had been on the road for a week now, and it was clear that he was wearing on her.
"That doesn't mean we need to slow down. I'm tired of wading through this goddamn forest."
"Language,sis."
"Oh go to hell," but Raven couldn't hide her momentary smile.
"You're gonna be a bad influence on Yang with a mouth like that."
"Can't exactly be a bad influence when she never sees me. At this rate, Summer will end up spending more time with Yang than me."
The two continued on, bantering happily through the dense foliage. Their trek, though long, had been rather uneventful. Ozpin had sent them to an obscure sector of Vale completely overrun with Grimm. It was never anything they couldn't handle, more of an annoyance than anything. However, Raven and Qrow had not seen any of the creatures for the last day and a half. Maybe they were finally running into some good luck.
"So here's what I want to know," Qrow drawled, " who does Ozpin have locked up all they way out here? Seems kinda inconvenient."
"I wish I knew, brother. The man has always been stingy with details. He did tell us to not engage though; if it's someone he doesn't want us fighting then I imagine they're a pretty big problem."
"Exactly! Hand them over to Atlas or something! This cloak and dagger nonsense with him is a bit extreme."
"It's Ozpin, I'm sure he has a good reason."
Qrow offered up a noncommittal shrug as the two continued on. Hours passed, the sun sinking into the horizon. Sounds of distant grimm began to increase in intensity, the low rumble a constant threat.
"Alright, looks like we're only about ten miles out," Raven whispered as she examined her scroll. Qrow nodded in acknowledgment, silently transforming and flying into the distance. Focusing herself, Raven did the same and quickly joined her brother. Though neither would say it, they were both nervous. To insist on this level of stealth, and with the manner in which Ozpin had asked, was disconcerting. They had never heard even the faintest hint of fear enter Ozpin's voice since they had known the man, with the sole exception of this mission.
The duo ate away at the distance quickly, their wings proving far more effective than their feet. Under the dying glow of the evening sun, the twins finally arrived at their destination. Perched silently atop different trees, the twins eyes flicked from their destination to each other.
Sat beneath them was a small field, overgrown with thick weeds. Nestled amongst the weeds was a small cottage, clashing harshly with the overgrowth of the field. Seemingly untouched by nature, the cottage sat silent and dark in the center of the clearing.
"Not really what I expected," Qrow's voice hummed from inside Raven's head. Despite being used to this aspect of their semblance, it always took Raven a split second to differentiate her twin from the constant background noise of her mind.
Despite having communicated with Qrow like this since they were toddlers, Raven could never quite get over the foreignness of her brother's mind. It was just jarring hearing a mind other than her own, inexplicably offkey from the rest of her subconscious.
"Certainly doesn't look like much of a prison," Raven replied, "still we have to go about this like Ozpin said. Go ahead and test the barrier."
"You got it boss," Qrow answered, taking off from his branch. Hovering gently over their target, minute amounts of dust began to fall from Qrow's wings. Raven watched intently for the muted ignition that Ozpin said would signal that the containing aura remained functional. No ignition ever came, the grains of dust settling quietly into the grass.
"Well that certainly isn't a good sign," Qrow sighed as he settled onto a new tree.
"We still need the monitor the area. It's possible they're still nearby. Fan out, meet back here in an hour."
"You're really getting bossy," Qrow huffed before leaving his perch.
Raven chose not to retort, instead taking off in the opposite direction. An hour passed, the twins flying in increasingly large circles over the dense forest in search of signs of life. They found nothing, and returned to their roost in frustration.
"We have to report to Ozpin. I wish we had better news," Raven thought angrily.
"You know we really don't have to keep that up anymore. There's nothing around here, and it kind of gives me a headache," Qrow replied, a dull rasp accompanying his words.
"Ozpin insisted on complete silence," Raven thought crossly.
"Fine," Qrow conceded, "but I don't want to show up empty handed," leaving before Raven could protest, Qrow spiraled towards the cottage.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Raven shouted as she darted after her brother.
"Come on, don't you want to see what's in there?"
"No!"
"Whatever was there has been gone for awhile. Aren't you tired of always being left in the dark by Ozpin? Just a quick peek behind the curtain."
"He told us to not go near it for a reason, Qrow! Dammit!"
Raven's please fell on deaf ears. Slowing gracefully, Qrow alighted on the window of the cottage, staring intently as he did so. Raven landed next to her brother, intent on giving her brother an earful. Curiosity however got the best of her, causing Raven's determination to slip for just a moment. For the briefest of instances, Raven allowed her eyes to dart into the direction of the window.
A plain table stood in the center of the cottage, a wooden bowl its only adornment. A thick layer of dust covered the sparse amounts of furniture.
"Certainly doesn't look like much of a prison," Qrow whispered.
Raven had to agree. Though she knew that this building was merely a gatepoint to the real prison it seemed rather odd. Any number of means could have been used to mark the area, all of them much less inviting to snooping. It seemed an unnecessary safety hazard.
"I'm sure Ozpin has a good reason," Raven replied.
"Oh I doubt that, " a voice sounded behind them, " No matter how he acts, the man's too sentimental for his own good."
The siblings instinctively took flight, attempting to gain distance from the voice. Turning in midair the duo found themselves practically face to face with the face of a pale white woman, red eyes burning into the two of them as she pursued.
Raven could practically taste the power radiating off of the woman. Raven knew that engaging this adversary would end in nothing other than defeat. Rapidly coming to a decision, Raven willed her semblance to unravel. As her speed began to rapidly drop off, Raven drew and swung her katana in one smooth motion. Wrapping her hand tightly around her brother, she threw him unceremoniously through the newly generated portal. Before she could follow however, a clammy hand wrapped around her ankle. As the woman rose to face Raven, Raven took a moment to look once more at her brother. The two kept eye contact as the portal collapsed in front of her.
"Raven!"
Qrow tumbled into a familiar setting, watching in shock as the portal shut. Staring in disbelief, Qrow was slow to react as footsteps rapidly approached him.
"Qrow, what happened?!" Ozpin asked frantically. The appearance of one of his best hunters in such a state spelled ruin.
"We need to go back! She has Raven!"
Grasping the severity of the situation, Ozpin stepped toward the generation point of the portal. Acting quickly, Ozpin began to weave signs and dust into the focal point. Fire bloomed momentarily, then dissipated as the route of the portal burned away to nothing. Realizing what Ozpin had done, Qrow lurched to his feet.
"What the hell are you doing, Ozpin!" Qrow ripped his mentor violently away from the remains of the rift at the same moment the last spark died.
"It had to be done, Qrow. I'm sorry but Salem cannot be allowed to come here."
"You fucking coward! You can't just leave - AHHHH!" A searing pain coursed through Qrow's head; it felt as if someone had sunk a knife into his skull. The pain spread like a fire through him, the flares emanating from where his spine met his skull. The world began to spin around him, details fading into darkness.
"Qrow, look at me," Ozpin firmly gripped Qrow's chin, looking directly into his unfocused eyes. Ozpin concentrated, his free hand hovering just above Qrow's head. An obvious strain began to overtake his face at the same time as Qrow's eyes began to clear. A cold sweat clung to Qrow's skin as Ozpin finally released him.
"What was that?" Qrow croaked, his entire frame shaking.
"An unfortunate byproduct of your connection with Raven, I presume. However, this does tell us something. I felt magic, and if I am right that means Raven is still alive," Qrow looked up hopefully before Ozpin continued, " even if it is just barely."
"What happened to her?" Qrow asked quietly.
"With Salem's return, she will be looking for those strong enough to aid her. Raven is perhaps one of the most capable fighters in Remnant, something that Salem will be able to immediately recognize."
"Raven would never join something like that."
"I agree, but Salem won't waste time trying to convert her. That pain you felt was Raven, the true Raven, being buried in her own subconscious. If my suspicions are correct, the next time we meet her she will be an enemy."
"What does that even mean?!"
"It means that Raven, for the time being, is gone. However, I know this type of magic. If we can capture Raven, I will be able to help her. You have my word on that, Qrow."
"Raven's not exactly the most trackable of people."
"Normally no, but Salem made a very rare mistake. She doesn't know your connection with Raven. At the moment, I've had to close it nearly completely. However, I believe with concerted effort on your part you may be able to re-establish some form of communication with your sister. Nowhere near what it was, but eventually you may feel impressions, vague thoughts. Eventually, she will lead us back to her."
"I've been waiting for that moment for over decade," Qrow said sadly, " every time something meaningful has leaked through, it came too late. Raven isn't the type of person to stay in one place."
"Why did you never tell me this?" Yang asked through the lump in her throat.
"Because it's what she wanted. Raven wanted you to hate her. That single thought has consumed her for the better part of a decade. I thought this last bit of Raven, the one connected to my head, was the same calculating sister I used to know. I realize now that even that small nugget of her consciousness has been warped by a single idea, no greater goal in mind. Her desire to have you hate her holds no place in some bigger plan."
" What does she want?"
"Are you sure you want to keep going? I told you that this story won't make you feel any better. All this will do is put another burden on your shoulders. You have every right to this story Yang, but I beg you not to exercise them."
Yang's steely gaze was her only response. With a heavy sigh, Qrow continued with Raven's story.