Big Issues
AN: Not too much to say this time. I'd like to thank laog for the fave of this series. And I'll let you all know that this chapter is very dialogue heavy and will raise a lot of questions where few will be answered in this chapter. Enjoy.
Caught
"So…you've finally found me." The masked woman says as she looks Team DAYT over. None of them could see her eyes through the dark holes but they could feel her gaze sweeping over them head to toe. Then she reached up and grasped the helmet and slowly lifted it from her head and sat it on one of the high posts of her platform.
All four of the team had seen the pictures that Qrow had of his old team before and Taiyang had brought out a few more photos and a few videos of those days. The woman looked almost identical to Yang, though it should be Yang looked like her, only with black hair and permanent red eyes. The signs of age and weather were minimal on her face and there were no traces of injuries in her movements either.
This is Raven Branwen, twin sister of Qrow, first wife of Taiyang Xiao Long, and mother of Yang Xiao Long standing right in front of them.
Raven paced on the platform, "You must have gone through great lengths to find me, no doubt proving your resourcefulness and your conviction." She stops and offers a hand to her daughter. "And now that you are here, I offer you a place with me in the Branwen Tribe."
The pair locked eyes for a few seconds and everyone else watched the event with anticipation.
"You should know, I actually didn't come here looking for you." Yang smirks at her mother as she puts a hand on her hip, pleased at how she took the wind out of Raven's sails, if even for a moment.
"I see, yet that doesn't change the fact that you did spend years looking for me and are here now." Between the raised position and her head held high, Raven was literally looking down her nose at them.
"Maybe, but apparently the expectations of my mother's life were set too high if she surrounds herself with people like this." Yang jabs a thumb at their 'escorts' who were standing bruised and scuffed.
"Did you have to be so rough with my men?" Raven deflects with a question.
"I didn't start the fight."
"And you've certainly finished it. I respect your strength for defeating them."
"Are we sure the Branwen Tribe are what they were hyped up to be? All of those guys together didn't even last a minute and couldn't hurt me. What can the rest of these bozos do?" Yang declares confidently.
That made Raven narrow her eyes in irritation but was stopped from retorting by the actions of her tribe.
"How dare you talk down to our leader! We're the strongest tribe in Anima! Get them!" Some random guy yells out and charges at the team with a spiked club in hand. Several more drew their weapons and joined in the fight.
—-
"This is my best chance to leave with everyone distracted!" Weiss says to herself as her Arma Gigas cuts the straps holding her legs and moves to free her hands.
There was something that drew everyone on the camp to the center and away from her and any noise she made was easily drowned out by the murmurs from the gathered crowd.
—-
The bandit that had made the declaration to attack reached Talon first since she was closest. The short girl didn't try to take her swords in hand, opting to drill her fist into his stomach with a well timed punch that was followed by a blast of air that sent him back the way he came and into the crowd.
Two more went after Denko but he wove around their swords with ease, waiting and striking their wrists to disarm them with his fist. With their hands empty, he grabs the pair, spun and throws them into a third to trip him up.
Anya stepped away from her team a few strides and raised her hands. Seconds later, everyone in front of her within thirty feet had collapsed to the ground. That earned a wary glance from those on the platform and fear from the bandits she didn't sap.
Yang let the first man come and raise his mace, only to give him a boot to the chest that stopped him dead in his tracks before he dropped to the ground. A woman was backhanded away and a large man needed a few quick jabs to bring down and was then kicked away.
Then she saw Shay having used the man for cover as he rushed her with a knife. She met him halfway and let her anger be known after the third time she had to deal with him today. The red eyes made him hesitate and that cost him, an uppercut to his chin sent him flying until he hit a tent and it collapsed and wrapped him up.
But it was what was in the tent that drew attention, Weiss Schnee standing there looking shocked that her cover was suddenly gone.
"Weiss?"
"Yang?"
The fighting from the others continued, though none of DAYT used their weapons, a demonstration that the bandits had little chance of beating them.
"Okay, let's get in there!" Weiss turns to her summoned Grimm armor and concentrates, making it grow from the size of a small child to its full sixteen foot height in seconds. From there, Weiss was scooped up in its large hand and the Arma Gigas marched through the mob to where her friends were. A few bandits were unfortunate to be stepped on, though they were left in pain. Others were kicked out of the way. Some more were aware of their surroundings enough to get out of the way.
"What is that?!" Yang asks as Weiss was set down next to her.
"I can explain later. What are you doing here?"
The bandits were smart enough to hold themselves back now that there were two more fighters added to the mix, and one of them being their big money ticket.
"Well… that's my mom." The blonde gestures to Raven who was just standing there watching the chaos with an unreadable expression on her face.
"Wait, your Mom?! Your mom kidnapped me?!"
Yang's head whipped back towards Raven. "You kidnapped her?!"
Raven said nothing but gave Vernal a glance. The girl nods and takes one of her odd pistols in hand and fires the dual beam of energy right over everyone's heads. "ENOUGH!" That stopped any thoughts of continuing the fight, at least from the bandits, and a few sharper-eyed ones saw that the nearest tree to the gate now has a pair of holes burned through it.
"You five, inside my tent. Now." Raven demands as she points at the team and Weiss before storming back inside, taking her helmet with her. That left Vernal and Tater outside, the former holstering her weapon and gesturing for them to hurry up while looking grumpy, the latter walking around to the front of the platform to serve as the guard. The rest of the tribe were fairly quick to leave for their normal activities and dragged those away that couldn't move.
"Well… that was a thing." Yang comments before a pair of arms wrapped around her shoulders and the weight nearly made her stumble.
"I missed you so much!" Weiss cried into Yang's chest, it was as high as she could reach given their height difference and girths.
The blonde didn't waste any time wrapping her friend in a tight hug. "I missed you too." The others idly watched the reunion and as the giant white armor faded.
"You know, we should get in there and see what she has to say." Denko tells the girls after letting them hug for a minute, noting that Weiss' feet were off the ground once Yang squeezed her and the height difference.
"Do we?" Both of them ask together.
"We need answers." Anya says as she walks by. Talon caught Denko's eye by nodding her head at her sister.
—-
Sun woke up feeling rather stiff and groggy, though a familiar soft and warm body on his side made up for that. An annoying soft beeping had originally been the reason he woke, the constant pattern of noise growing irritating.
Blue eyes opened to see Blake draped over his right side, keeping him warm there while the white sheet handled the rest… though he was pretty sure the arm she held was asleep judging by the grip she had on the limb and the numb feeling.
The beeping picked its pace when he noticed how far her yukata had opened during her sleep, granting him a very generous view of cleavage.
"I'm glad to see things look like they are working well." The sound of Kali's voice next to him made his head snap to his left, though doing so made his shoulder twinge with pain. She was looking him over and her eyes lingered near his waist where one of Blake's legs lay across. His gaze followed hers and he blushed brightly from the bulge seen through the sheet, the heart monitor beeping rapidly.
"Calm down, the doctors will do some stress tests for your heart later. No need to beat them to the punch."
"The doctors? What happened?"
"I guess the drugs are still wearing off. That and you just woke up so I can't blame you for forgetting." Kali stayed sitting in her chair but looked apologetic… for a few seconds. "But I can see why Blake loves her private time with you." Her eyes flicked back to his waist and the heart monitor spiked again. He was just glad the embarrassment had drained the blood from there.
"Kali!" Ghira warns his wife as he steps into the room in time to catch the teasing and the monitor going nuts. "Let the boy rest, he's been through enough."
"Just having a little fun. I was hoping Blake would wake up to this." Kali grins, not really settling the minds of either male present.
"Let her rest, even from my office I could tell she was worried sick."
"Wha?" Blake mutters as her head lifts and her ears perk up.
"Hey Blake! Um… mind giving my arm back?" Sun greets her.
Upon hearing his voice, her eyes went wide and ears stood tall as she looked up to his face. "Sun!"
She may have released his arm as requested but that was traded for straddling his legs and giving him a big hug and kiss. Unfortunately, that made 'Little Sun' wake up again and the monitor go crazy as his heart rate spiked even further.
Kali simply grinned widely at the display of affection as Ghira facepalmed. Not only had Kali gotten her way but he also couldn't accuse Sun of violating his rules when it came to Blake. Granted, he had warmed up to the boy and how happy he made his daughter… and couldn't see the reaction under Blake.
"How are you feeling?" Blake finally sat up, though the rubbing at his waist didn't stop and he couldn't control what had a mind of its own.
Sun took a moment to close his eyes and check how everything felt. There was the obvious soft and heavy weight of Blake on his legs and hips, something that he'd gotten used to and enjoyed. His right arm was getting the feeling back, the limb flexing a little to work out the kinks and help the blood flow better. His left arm felt fairly normal but trying to lift it brought a flash of pain across his chest.
"Agh! That hurts!" He winced and almost instantly Blake had taken hold of his arm and was lowering it herself.
"Dummy, you were stabbed there. Of course it's going to hurt." She used her hold on his hand to give it a light slap.
"Ah, right." He let his head drop back down onto the pillow, not that it had far to go. "What about Ilia? Did we get her?"
"Sorry Sun, you are my top priority." Blake gave him an apologetic smile but her eyes were serious.
"Ilia may have gotten away but it was thanks to your efforts that her scroll is in our hands." Ghira picks up the explanation. "While you were here being treated, we've been going through all of the information on the scroll and having teams sweeping the island looking for her. Ilia… is not exactly welcome on Menagerie anymore."
"And how long am I gonna be stuck here?" Sun groans, not from the weight on him but the idea of being sedentary.
"That'll depend on the doctors and how they think you are healing." Kali tells him gently.
"Hopefully, you won't strain yourself by doing anything stupid." Ghira comments, earning himself a jab to the stomach from his daughter.
"Got it." Sun could only grin as his girlfriend defended him from her father.
It didn't take long for a doctor to stop by and give Sun a full evaluation and released the young man from the hospital, with an extensive list of restrictions and scheduled checkups. He needed a new shirt, the hole wasn't bad but the bloodstains were extensive so that it was disposed of. So he wound up walking home with his shoulder and chest wrapped in bandages with little more than a hospital gown to cover his upper body… worn backwards so that his chest was exposed and it billowed out behind him like Blake's long coat does.
"Am I gonna be allowed to train again this month?" Sun asks Blake as they go to his room.
"Sun, there's a week left in the month, so no." The cat could only laugh as she went through his drawers to find a new shirt, finding that he had a trio of copies of the white shirt. "Have you ever thought about changing your usual clothes?" She helps him put one on since he couldn't raise his arm correctly.
"Not really." He winced as he shrugged, an act that didn't go unnoticed under her sharp eyes. "Never thought about having too much to carry around."
"Carry around? Sun, this is your home now."
"Really? And I thought it was wherever you were?" He grins as her face turns bright red, his tail tracing a path up her leg didn't help her racing heart either.
"Y-y-you make it sound like we're joined at the hips!" She sputters as she tries to hide her face.
"We were, a few times. And you've got plenty to hold onto." His right hand reaches around to pat the well-padded girl on the waist.
"Sun!"
"You're not denying it!" He teases as his hand around her begins to tickle.
"Haha! Stop!"
"And why would I do that?" His tail starts tickling her other side. "I want to hear you laughing."
Until then, Blake had been able to keep her laughter fairly controlled but his tail reaching across her belly and the fine, soft hairs rubbed the bare skin. She needed the stress relief and soon let her mirth go unfiltered as she was 'tortured' on his bed.
CRASH!
Both Faunus immediately stopped and looked to the door and stared. Where the sliding door had been, was now an open hole due to it being on the floor… with Kali laying on top of it. Out in the hallway, Itazura looked like she was just barely holding back her own laughter while Ghira peeked around the corner with his hand over his face.
"Mom!"
"Oh, um… glad to see you both feeling better." The cat woman says quickly as she stands up and tries unsuccessfully to push the door back in place. "I'm going to make dinner now! Haha. See you kids later!"
The others could only stare as she rushed out of the room until the door fell onto the floor again. With a heavy sigh, Ghira picked it up and easily fitted it back in place, gave it a quick test, and walked out. That just left Itazura to silently giggle as she closes the door and disappears into her room.
Sun didn't need Blake's sensitive ears to hear the howls of laughter from the fox.
"Ummm… maybe some new clothes would be a nice change."
—-
Oscar waited at the train station as the rain poured over the awning. His friend had gone to get them something to eat leaving him to get their tickets to Mistral.
The reason for the trip was layered; partly because his aunt arranged for him to attend school in the main Kingdom with the potential of being more than just a simple farmer, possibly even getting to make it to Haven Academy. The other was to have company with the man who had saved them since he was on his way to Mistral for something that he wouldn't elaborate on.
But they both appreciated the company for the trip.
His turn at the ticket machine went well enough, entering the information needed until payment was due.
INSUFFICIENT FUNDS
The screen blinked at him a few times before asking for payment again, leaving the boy to pat down every pocket he had to find another Lien card.
"Don't let the little things bother you." A deep, gruff voice spoke from just behind him. Oscar turned to see a mountain of a man wearing brown and green who had obviously just walked out of the rain.
A massive hand reached up and slammed down on the machine as he inserted a card of his own that covered the tiny amount required for Oscar to get his tickets.
Now that the boy had his tickets, the man took his card back and pocketed it as he walks away, leaving large puddles in his path.
"Who was that?" Oscar nearly jumped at his friend's question.
"I don't know. He just helped pay for the tickets." The boy explains as he takes his drink and snack.
"Hm… I guess if we ever run into him again we'll have to thank him. Think he'd take a drink or two?"
"I don't know." Was the boy's simple answer. Fifteen minutes later, they were on the train heading north to Mistral.
—-
The inside of Raven's tent was a lot different than the rest of the camp. Not only was the tent large and needed a few lanterns to be lit, but there was a comfortable looking bed on one side covered in dark red sheets and a large fluffy pillow. In the middle sits a low wooden table that already was set for two, no doubt for Raven and Vernal. A few large trunks lined the back, presumably filled with supplies and other perks of being the leader of the tribe. A thick rug covered the wooden platform to muffle their footsteps and cushions to be used for more comfortable sitting sat near the trunks.
By the time the team entered, Vernal had retrieved enough cups for them all from a trunk and had another pot sitting on a small Dust using camp stove.
"Take a seat." Raven offers from her own cushion between the bed and table.
It was a bit of a tight squeeze for so many to be there at once, especially when Vernal set up an extra collapsible table for Weiss and Denko. Through it all, Raven sat silently as Vernal worked, going down the line of Weiss, Denko, Yang, Talon, and Anya to provide them tea and small bowls of snacks that looked like dried fruits and meats.
"You know, tea is best when it's hot." Raven finally speaks after taking a long sip from her own cup.
"Not bad. Your own blend?" Talon had to try it for herself and let her expert pallet take control and diffuse the situation.
"There's a few herbs and spices that grow in the area that gives the tea a distinct flavor." The elder woman smiles at the approval.
"Hmm… and a hint of mint aftertaste, nice. Gotta get the recipe."
"Yang? You haven't stopped looking at me like that since you came in." Raven smoothly changes the subject.
"Gee, I wonder why?" There was no small amount of sarcasm in her tone. "I just happened to find my mother for the first time in my life after hearing about how great of a Huntress she was, only to find her lording over a bunch of lowlife bandits in the woods."
"Hmm, did your uncle ever tell you about our past? Or your father?" Raven deflected to a slightly different topic. "And speaking of my brother, does he even know what happened to your arm?"
"Wait what? Your arm?" Weiss asks as she leans around Denko to see her old teammate better.
"Surprise." Yang smiles weakly as she raises her right arm to show that most of it was now metal and the flesh ended under the golden bracelet on her arm.
"B-but how? Your arm was reattached?!"
Yang let out a sigh. "Short version, there were complications and I had to get it off before it spread. Now I have a new one."
Weiss sat shocked for a few moments as she tried to process that information. Then something else clicked. "Wait, where's Ruby? You went home together, didn't you?"
Yang spared her mother a quick glance to see her sitting quietly and simply watching as she drank her tea. Vernal was equally quiet as she knelt beside her boss.
"We did go home with Denko back to Patch. But she left with Jaune and the others for a mission to Mistral before this happened." She used her left hand to make a chopping motion at her right arm.
"To Mistral?! But I was just there last week, spent nearly three months there and I didn't hear a thing about Ruby or the others."
That got the team worried. They had heard that there had been some minor problems for their trip but they would have figured that the team was done and back in Vale by now.
"What were you doing in Mistral?" Yang had to ask.
"I was part of a mission team that had to go to Mistral as part of our investigation. Things went well enough there but my ship was attacked by Lancers as I flew back. Last thing I knew was that we were crashing and I woke up caught by her." Weiss directed the last part at Vernal.
"And what was your mission?" Denko took a turn.
"She was looking for who set a bounty on her head." Raven set her cup down, smirking at four shocked faces while Weiss looked cross.
"A bounty? Weiss, what did you do?" Denko was starting to regret sitting between the two girls.
"It's all because Jacques wants his little songbird back in her golden cage." Raven answers.
"Her dad put a bounty on her to bring her home?" Talon asks as she eats a few berries.
"You know, I do like your rebellious attitude. It's been fun to watch you fight that man in your own way." Raven comments casually.
"And you called him to collect the price on my head!"
"And you should know that not every deal goes through as expected." Red eyes narrowed.
"You're just going to let me go?" Weiss was suspicious with good reason.
"Unless you want to play a little game. We get the money and you get a little assistance escaping from him again." Raven was truly devious.
Weiss actually took a few seconds to consider that option. "As much fun as it would be to hurt him like that, I'm afraid that I'd rather not be anywhere close to him if I can help it."
"Damn, Weiss! I knew you had been giving your dad the cold shoulder since Beacon but you're going glacial on him now."
"Hmph! Hot head."
"Alright, enough small talk." Raven cuts in. "Vernal, give the girl her weapon."
The Second in Command hesitated but complied, removing the rapier from her belt and handing it over to its owner. Weiss was quick to give it an inspection, noting that the Dust in the chambers was minimal.
"Now, you said that you weren't here for me. But what did bring you here?"
Denko withdrew his scroll and opened it to the picture of the Spring Maiden. "We had a couple leads looking for her." He shows the bandits the picture and while Raven's expression stayed tightly controlled to appear calm, Vernal looked like she had seen a ghost.
"Amazing what new clothes and a haircut can do, huh, Flora?" Talon asks with a smirk.
"Flora? But I thought her name is Vernal?" Weiss asks, feeling that she was out of the loop.
"Where did you get that picture?!" Vernal raised her voice, though it was odd that she gripped her left arm to cover the flower tattoo.
"I'm sure Raven could take a pretty accurate guess." Denko says as he puts his scroll back in his pocket.
"Ozpin."
"Technically it was Glynda but for the same reason. We are here for the Spring Maiden." He states flatly.
Raven glanced at Vernal to see her still shocked before leveling her glare at the team. "They have you chasing fairy tales now?"
"Cut the bullshit, mom. You know all about them too." Yang spat out.
"I thought we took all of our pictures when we left." Vernal's mumbling drew all attention to her. "Give it to me!"
That outburst shocked the team but they weren't too worried… aside from Weiss who looked glad to be in a corner and the target.
"Could give you a copy… if you have a scroll. But we don't have any physical copies to give you." Denko tries to calm the situation.
"Then delete it! Get my sister off your scrolls! Now!"
"Your sister?" The two blondes repeat.
"Twins." Anya finally speaks. "Flora and Vernal are twins. It was barely mentioned in her profile but it also didn't say much about her family."
"Then… the two of you ran away together." Talon connected the dots.
Raven reached out and pulled her protege down by the shoulder. "Calm down. I'll tell them for you."
"Tell us what?" Yang crosses her arms.
"How Vernal and Flora became part of the Branwen Tribe."
Ten years ago, twin sisters had lived in the closest town to Mistral when one began to show signs of strange power, freezing water on a hot summer day, gusts of wind from nowhere, clouds that would cause downpours would just appear from a clear sky.
It didn't take long for Leonardo Lionheart, the Headmaster of Haven Academy, to arrive and offer training to the girl to help her control her newfound powers, along with explaining part of the significance of her power.
The training went well enough, at first, but it didn't take long for the weight of the responsibility to weigh down on the girl. Soon, that began to affect her training and not long after her mind wasn't into the task anymore. The deaths of her parents from a Grimm attack left her hanging by a thread.
And through it all, her sister watched, helpless to do anything for her. Not until she came up with a plan to get her sister away from everyone so it would just be them.
What little control over her powers allowed them to escape from Mistral and they fled by horseback as far as they could travel by day, not knowing where they were really going. And if they didn't know where they were, they reasoned that no one else would either. Eventually, they found a small valley to settle in with plenty of fish, small game, and fruits that they could eat.
They spent a few months living there together and the Maidens' mind began to heal despite her powers remaining raw from lack of training.
Winter began to set in and the girls only had so much to last them through the season and what supplies they had taken were beginning to run low. From that desperation to survive and keep her sister safe, the Maiden used her powers to help them get through the cold weather.
A blizzard swept through one day and the Maiden lacked the control to counter it, even for the tiny shelter set up within the small cave they lived in.
Then the woman happened upon them after the storm had passed. At first they were scared of seeing another person but a brief use of Maiden powers clued the woman onto who she was. She told them that she knew about the powers quite well and how she had originally was one to help keep them safe from those who would misuse them. But she had left the others, much as the girls had done and they bonded over that shared past with the Maiden Guardians.
The woman then offered the girls a chance to live with her and be protected. Given their struggles for the winter, the girls soon accepted the offer and packed up what little they had and left with the woman.
True to her word, she kept them safe from the outside world, even if the tribe they joined would travel a few times a year. It didn't take long for bonds to form and they treated the woman as if she were family.
When small accidents would happen on account of the girl's Maiden powers, the woman treated them as such. But the girl began to worry about hurting the others in the tribe and the woman helped her train to control them to prevent more accidents. They were successful after a few months but her fears of hurting others only grew with her training.
It became clear that the girl was overwhelmed by the responsibility of her powers, despite the best efforts of everyone in the tribe doing their best to alleviate her burdens.
"Interesting story but there's something you're leaving out." Anya says as she gives the bandits a slight glare. "What happened to the Spring Maiden?"
"I'm the Spring Maiden now." Vernal declares confidently.
"Really?" Anya's lips turn up for a slight smile. "Then why does she have the power when you don't?" She points right at Raven.
"What do you mean?" Yang asks, not exactly following the dark girls line of thought.
"Hmph, what I mean is that Vernal is lying about being the Spring Maiden. That would be your mom."
"Those are some strong accusations, little girl." Raven was showing her irritation as red eyes locked onto red eyes.
"Then you don't know me very well. You saw what I did to your goons out there? I absorb aura, that's my semblance. Even now I suck up everyone's aura in this tent but I recognize the 'taste' of Maiden Power because I've trained with Summer and fought Fall." Anya explains with a smirk. "You are the Spring Maiden without a doubt and our mission to find her was a success."
"If you think I'm going back to Ozpin, you better think again." Raven states as she rises to her feet.
"But Professor Ozpin died at Beacon?" Weiss mutters.
Raven saw the confusion on her daughter's face as well and jumped on the opportunity. "So, your little boyfriend told you about the Maidens but didn't tell you about Ozpin and his secrets?"
"And why should I trust what you have to say?" Yang shot back with a glare.
Raven sat down on the edge of her bed, glad that she had retaken control of the conversation. "Because what I will tell you he'll agree with."
Yang whipped her head to look at Denko who looked mildly apologetic. "Really? More secrets?"
"Hey, you were blown away by learning about the Maidens. Did you think I was gonna dump something like that on you on top of that?"
Yang glared at him for a few seconds before settling with giving him a light punch to the shoulder.
"Besides, the topic never really came up." He adds
Raven watched the interaction with a bit of amusement but had to press her advantage. "What do you know about Ozpin?"
That stunned the team a bit, not really expecting her to ask a question. But Weiss was first to speak. "Well… he was the youngest Headmaster that Beacon ever had."
"Because he arranged for that to happen." Raven adds.
"How could he do that? He can't be much older than you!" Weiss was incredulous as she points at the mother.
"He was old enough to graduate and be named Headmaster by the time I was your age." Raven narrowed her eyes as she didn't like her age being brought up, though it was mostly due to being compared to Ozpin that annoyed her.
"If I didn't know better, I'd say you look half your real age." Talon added some levity to the situation. That earned her a brief smile.
"But he saw something in Team STRQ while we were there. Not getting in trouble for fights, bending the rules as it suited him, paying special attention to our actions and skills…. Sound familiar?"
That made the younger girls reflect on their time at Beacon. The fight at the docks and through the streets of Vale against the Paladin had no real consequences for them. The investigation into the White Fang that they were sure had been noticed at times. How Ozpin was there to let them go to Mountain Glenn despite that the mission was reserved for older students.
"Ummm…."
"Exactly, he was treating you as he did my team when we were there. If that attack on Beacon hadn't happened, I'm sure that he would have been asking you to join him in his little crusade against Salem himself by now." Raven crosses her arms with a smug smile.
"You're missing something there; that didn't happen and they are still being drawn into the fight without Ozpin to influence them." Denko tells the woman flatly, removing her smile in the process.
"Don't think I don't know about you and your team, kid. Ozpin's little project to make a new team of loyalists to his cause."
"Wouldn't need us so much if someone hadn't run away to play bandit over helping to protect the world from a power hungry sociopath witch."
"And you know full well that merely fighting Grimm is part of fighting her. We know what we're up against but we'll still go out there every day to fight her, just like we did at Cloudspire." Talon states proudly.
"Then you are fools fighting a war that can't be won." Raven spat.
"Better to face the danger head on and try to find a way to beat it rather than run and hide, Mom." Yang lets her eyes turn red as she glares.
"Do you want to see what Ozpin did to my brother and I?" Raven asks as she rises, not acknowledging her daughter's words. A quick stride and she was out of the tent.
"Running away again?!" Yang calls out after her as the team follows the woman out.
Out in the sunlight, they found that the sun would be setting soon but Raven was nowhere to be seen. Aside from a few bandits nearby and Tater standing like a statue next to the tent, there was nothing but a large blackbird flying over the camp.
Yang and Weiss watched as the corvid swooped down and in a blink, transformed into Raven. The girls were speechless at the sight but the older group were unfazed.
"You know, after seeing Qrow change a few times, I was really hoping that Ozpin would let me change into a bird too!" Talon was the most excitable by far.
"But how?" Weiss finally found words.
"Magic." Was the simple response she got from DAT and Raven as one.
"Magic?"
"You'll get used to it." Denko shrugs.
But for Yang, the shape change brought back memories that seemed mundane but important in retrospect. How many times did a Raven seem to be watching her at home over the years, sometimes even following her. Even at Beacon she'd see the bird sitting outside a window or flying through the grounds.
And her father had explained what Raven's semblance is to her before she left. Called Kindred Link, Raven forms a special bond to someone and can then create a portal that can instantly transport anyone passing through it to the location of the bonded person. Taiyang had known that she had a link to her entire team, meaning himself, Qrow, and Summer. He suspected that there could be a link to Yang but had never seen a portal used for her and he wasn't sure if his link still existed.
"You've been watching me this whole time." The blonde says quietly but her words made everyone look at her. Yang locked eyes with Raven. "You watched me all this time! And you didn't say anything! To me! To dad! Anyone!"
"I didn't have anything to say, your father took care of you well enough without me." The woman breaks eye contact to look at the wall.
"But you weren't there when Mom died! You could have helped Dad when he fell apart! Uncle Qrow had to help us with everything!" Tears welled up in her red eyes as her fists clenched tight, small flickers of light danced from her hair.
Raven at least had the sense to look ashamed at the pain she caused her family, her daughter… how Yang referred to Summer as her mother.
Silence reigned as the mother and daughter stared at each other. "You were better off without me." Raven quietly says as she turns away.
"Maybe we are."
Those words cut deep into Raven. She had done her best to cut off her feelings, something that her own father had beaten into her and Qrow when they were young. Her own childhood and the harshness she had endured had made her strong but she had been afraid that she'd taken those 'lessons' to heart and would have done the same to Yang if she had stayed. Everything with Salem only made her fear being a mother that much more. And the possibility of continuing to work for Ozpin had simply the most convenient excuse to tip her hand.
She had tried being a mother years later after leaving her family… it didn't turn out much better than the first time.
"Hmph, are you here to make me send you home now? Or my brother?" Raven asks, drawing Omen from its sheath.
"Don't be so fast to get rid of us. You are coming with us." Denko tells the Maiden, earning him a glare.
"You are leaving. Now." Raven slashes the air and a black and red swirling portal appears in front of her. "That will take you to…" Her words faded as the portal warped and faltered and stretched to the side, the aura construct being drawn into Anya's open palm. And the portal was gone in moments.
"What did you do?" Raven asks the girl with her blade still in hand.
"What did it look like? I told you I absorb aura. Your semblance won't work with me around." Anya declares proudly but also filled with warning.
"What about this!" Raven's eyes suddenly burst into red flames and she floated off the ground, a fireball forming in her hand that was quickly thrown at the aura vampire.
None of DAT seemed to be surprised and Anya was unflinching as she lifted her hand and the flames fizzled out before they could reach her.
"Try that again and I'll drain you until you pass out and I'll keep you like that until we get to Mistral."
That confidence and what she said made Raven descend and the Maiden powers receded. "And why would I go to Mistral?"
"Because we might run into Ruby and the others while we're there we can use the Tower to get a clear call to Goodwitch to let her know the news. If needed we can get an airship to go back to Vale." Talon explains with her arms crossed.
Denko was a bit occupied dealing with Weiss and his girlfriend after seeing magic for the first time.
"But she made fire… without Dust."
"She can fly?"
"Yes she can and a whole lot more. We're just used to it after all of the times we trained with the Summer Maiden."
"But."
"We can explain later."
"Great, it's been so long since I've spoken to Glyndie. Ticking her off just might make the trip worth it." Raven grins.
"Wait, you're gonna come willingly?" Denko turns to the Maiden.
"Against my better judgment but I may be able to get a few things done that are needed while I'm with you." The woman tells him vaguely as she walks towards the group. "Would you like me to open a portal to Qrow then?"
Denko narrowed his eyes. "No."
"No?"
"No. We don't know where he is and it could be a bad time or place to go to him, especially bringing the Scarab and Bumblebee with us. You'll be coming with us."
Raven glances at the vehicles just outside the gate to see one of her men try to touch the jeep and receives a strong electric shock once his fingers drew close. "You'll be driving in that?"
"It was built for Huntsman missions like this." Denko tells her proudly.
"And you won't be leaving without me, will you?"
"Nope."
Raven turns to her tent and walks up onto the platform. "Fine, we can leave in the morning then."
"Works for us." The blonde shrugs.
"Very well. Dinner should be done soon so be ready or you'll go hungry for the night." She takes a quick glance at her daughter and the Schnee standing close to her. "And if you want to clean up, there's a spring that feeds into the stream a short walk northwest of here. Can't miss it." That said, she pushes aside her tent flaps and disappears, not giving Talon flexing her fingers any mind and Vernal follows her inside.
Inside, Raven was a mix of emotions as she sat heavily on her bed. With Vernal inside, she wasn't afraid to let her emotions out but kept them tightly controlled out of simple habit after a lifetime of doing so.
"Will you really be going with them?" The younger woman asks hesitantly.
"Vernal… it should be a quick trip. A drive in that thing should only take a few days to reach Mistral. I… probably should be done with them in a month." The last part sounded unsure.
"Is it because of her?" It didn't take a genius to know she was referring to Yang.
Raven closed her eyes tightly because she was called out correctly but it was her silence that truly spoke for her.
"And what do I do?"
"Vernal, after we leave I want you to take the tribe to one of the southern caves. I'll get back to you as soon as I'm done."
"I'll be in charge?"
"For a short time, so enjoy it while you can." Raven smirks as she pats her protege on the shoulder.
Back outside, Weiss spots her suitcase near Tater and cautiously walks up to the giant of a man. "Um, may I have my belongings back now?"
The man looked down at her and glanced back at his leader's tent. He had been there to see and hear everything about her freedom. Part of the reason he had the suitcase with him now. Silently, he steps back to leave it free for her to take.
"Thank you." Weiss quickly picks it up and opens the case to give the contents a brief look, finding everything as she left it including her scroll that she had thought lost. With her things in hand, she scrambled back to her friends.
"Got everything?" Anya asks as they walk towards their car.
"Best that I can tell. A Queen Lancer stabbed my supply of Dust before the crash. Made it blow up in her face for that."
Nice. Did you beat it?"
"Eventually, yes."
"Even better.
Denko walked close to Talon and whispered. "Did you get it on her?"
"Yep, no problem." The girl was pleased with her accomplishment.
"Good to have a backup plan."
It didn't take them long to figure out the sleeping arrangements with Denko and Yang getting the rear seat once it was laid back. Anya and Weiss were getting the front seats. That left Anya to sleep in the trunk with their gear. But food and cleaning up would come before sleep.
But the real surprise, mostly for the bandits, was what the Scarab did. The roll cage extended plates that kept arching out as more plates kept coming until they hit the ground and dug in slightly. The plates covered the entire vehicle in a shell of a thin carbon fiber and titanium plates so nothing but the outer edges of the roll cage could be seen from the outside. Even Bumblebee was contained within the dome.
It didn't help the bandits too much that the dome was now just outside of their gate and forcing them to go through the gap one at a time.
—-
Sun thought things were bad enough when he arrived on Menagerie with a very sore back after catching Blake. Now, he had a healing stab wound to his upper chest and he was forced to not to strain himself due to the electrocution that accompanied the stabbing had made his heart stop.
Unable to train and move his left arm without pain, the best he could really do is meditate… and try to convince Blake and Kali to not pamper him. The women insisted on helping as much as possible and while it was nice to know how much they loved him, it quickly grew tiresome. Surprisingly, Ghira was willing to provide him some cover, probably because he found it amusing that the boy was now trying to get away from his daughter.
It only took a week for the worst of the damage to heal, his aura helping to speed the process significantly, though it was leaving a scar with a few Lichtenberg scars around it. The damaged nerves didn't affect him much but there was less feeling in that area than before. Still had doctors orders to take things easy so Blake convinced him to come with her for a walk… with a large basket in hand.
That led them to their special spot on the mountain where they had their first date, and a few others while they helped with building the school. The sky is clear aside from the thick clouds on the horizon, birds in the air singing, and the view of Kuo Kuana and the sapphire ocean is breathtaking.
So many good memories and experiences from this location and it seemed that they were going to add another as Blake sat the basket down and took off the purple cloth to reveal a variety of fruits and snacks with bottles of water and spread the cloth on the grasses that covered the edge of the cliff.
Sitting down on the Belladonna emblem the pair quickly relaxed as they always did here, both of them removing their footwear and Blake took off the long jacket that she had come to the island in.
Few words needed to be said between them, especially here, as they simply enjoyed the company and peace as they ate.
"What would I do without you?" Blake asks as she strokes his hair because he was laying down and using her lap as a pillow. With her thick legs, she proved to be very comfortable as one.
"I dunno, not something I'd like to think about. I don't want to be without you either."
"Honest and cheesy."
"You want cheesy?"
"Please no, I heard enough of Yang's puns back at Beacon." They shared a laugh at their blonde friend. "Hey, Sun?"
"Hmm?"
"You've been doing a lot of meditating and I've never really got the hang of that. What do you think about when you meditate?"
Sun was silent for a few moments as he thought about the question. "One day back in Vacuo I had gotten up early and wandered away from the caravan for a bit. I came over a hill that day just as the sun was rising to see this enormous tree rising out of the desert sands. It was just… amazing to look at, the kind of thing that you could watch for hours without ever getting tired of doing." He gave her a look that made her blush, as if he were comparing her to that tree and finding them equal.
"The thing is, I ran back to the caravan and the old man who was taking care of me asked about what had me so excited. But when I told him about what I saw, he told me that there are no trees in the area. It didn't take long to see that he was right, no trees anywhere. Not even a cactus."
"What did you do?"
"Hmph! A kid in the desert that barely saw green plants? What do you think?" He smirks up to her. "I kept that sight embedded in my mind ever since then. And you know what? Ever since then, if i'm ever getting too worked up, I just remember that tree again to calm me down."
"Do you think you could show me that tree someday?"
"I'd love to, if I could ever find it again. For now, I'll just have to settle for meditating and seeing that tree again, with you there and happy."
"Aren't you a sweet talker?" Blake couldn't hide her reddening face but she did shroud her blush with her hair as she bent down to kiss him. Pulling back, she grinned at making his face just as red as hers and he was at a loss for words.
They watched the sunset together but the clouds that obscured the view were dark. As much as they wouldn't mind watching the stars from their perch, they also didn't want to be here when the rain came, so they made their way back to town. The basket that held only the blanket and empty bottles was another reason they didn't stay longer.
Unfortunately, they made it as far as the food stands in town when the rain came down in buckets and they ducked into the closest one for cover hoping that it would pass soon. But something smelled good and the couple looked to find they were in a ramen stand. The same one that Blake had gotten their dinner the night that they had gotten intimate.
"I guess it's ramen for dinner tonight." Sun laughs.
"I don't mind." Blake takes her coat off to drape it over a stool as Sun takes a seat.
"How about we start with two porks please." Sun orders for the two of them as Blake quietly slid a second stool over to sit comfortably on both.
Just as before, the food was excellent and aside from Sun tickling her back and finding that her pants had slid down a bit in the back, making her jump, and Sun found a particularly large quantity of long noodles that made her stare until he noticed her watching just in time for the end of the noodles and Blake couldn't help but to laugh.
—-
Ren hated being back in his old hometown, too many painful memories. He was just glad that he didn't see any bodies laying in the streets and he really hoped that they didn't come across his home… he didn't want to see his mothers grave. His father… he could take pride in that the man didn't go down easy and went down fighting for his son. The final gift from his father was always close by, currently resting in his pack.
From the woods, birds suddenly took to the skies in alarm, making the team pause. They could feel the impending sense of animosity coming their way.
"Get Uncle Qrow to a safe place." Ruby orders Ren and Nora, the pair quickly separating from the group in search of a defensible location nearby.
Ruby, Jaune, and Pyrrha drew their weapons as a pack of Beowolves burst out of the trees.
AN: As you can tell, we'll be back to RNNJR next chapter, Sun is being well cared for after being stabbed and electrocuted by Ilia, and Weiss and Yang have a lot of catching up to do, along with DAT providing them with information about Ozpin's particular abilities. Weiss is going to have her mind blown from the information overload... probably.
Art was made for Blake and Sun's date on the cliff and is on my Deviantart page. It is very lovely.
Reviews are always welcome and I'll see you all next time!
