Disclaimer: I do not own any of the material appearing in this story. The OC's belong to their respective owners.

Moments after Summer left Raven

A lone figure walked through the forest, wearing nothing more than a hoodie and sweat pants, saw many creatures wandering around him. He would see Wigglers going about their day, Para-Biddybuds flying around, a Monty Mole digging through the ground like no one's business.

"These strange creatures… I've never seen anything like it." He said, then he spotted Summer walking away, grumbling to herself.

"The strong live and the weak die… that's frickin' bullshit coming from her…" Summer mumbled under her breath, paying no heed to the figure.

The strong live and the weak die? The figure thought to himself as he continued walking, where he would see Qrow walking by.

"Hmm?" Qrow glanced at the figure walking by him, but he simply shrugged and turned his head, resuming his walk after Summer.

The figure kept walking until he came across a camp. "Hmm? What's this…?"

"Raven… are you alright?" Vernal asked.

"No… I… I wish to be alone." Raven responded and walked off.

The figure kept his focus on Raven… he couldn't help but notice there was severe bags under her eyes. This curiously got his attention and decided to climb up the wall and ran the other way on top of the wall, ducking behind a few tents.

"Hmm?" Vernal wondered, turning her head right as the figure had landed on the ground. "Hmm… mmm." She shrugged and walked off, but she still looked a bit worried over Raven.

The figure snuck around until he came behind Raven's tent. It was there that he heard sniffling coming from inside the tent. He walked up to the tent and walked inside, seeing Raven having her head over her arms on her table.

"Hey, are you okay?" He asked, seeming to startle Raven as she looked up and saw him.

"Who are you? What are you doing here?"

"I snuck around, I guess you can say it's part of me being a Phan-"

In a brief second, Raven was right next to him, her sword nearly pressing against his neck. "Get out… or else I'll-"

"That woman… with the white cloak and red hair. She wouldn't have happened to be your friend, would it? Was she the one responsible for the bags under your eyes… or was it that man? Don't be afraid… I come in peace."

The woman loosened her grip on her sword. "So those two didn't send you…"

"No, I came by my own free will. Interesting how you jumped to that conclusion." He said, causing Raven to sigh.

"Forgive me… I haven't had much sleep for the past few weeks."

"Oh, that's unfortunate." He said as Raven sat down along the figure.

"You might as well take off that hood. I want to know who it is I'm taking to."

He let out a chuckle. "I go by many names… asshole, dick, bastard, pancake bastard… but…" He took off his hood. "I go by Goro Akechi, although you can call me Akechi, if you'd like."

"Very well…"

"So tell me, I don't mean to pry, but it seems as if you had a falling out with that woman, correct?"

"She was my team leader back in the day… and while we didn't see eye to eye on occasion, the two of us worked well as a team… even if her optimism was a bit annoying."

"Ah, blind optimism, I take it?"

"I guess you can say that. I can't really blame her though… Ozpin filled her head with all that optimism junk. Would it kill her to be a bit more cynical…" She let out a sigh. "Poor choice of words."

"Hmm?"

"You might not know this… but that woman, Summer? She's dead… but she's still walking around in Remnant, saying something about finishing what she started against this Dark Ruby."

"Hmm, interesting…" Akechi mused. "The dead walks among us in Remnant… fascinating. Sometimes I feel like I'm still dead, yet… here I am, having a second chance at life. The universe is truly a mysterious place… perhaps you ought to go apologize to Summer, maybe you said something that you'd regret?"

Raven let out a sigh. "No, I blew it… and you know what, she's right. I don't deserve help, especially since I have a target on my back regarding Salem."

"Salem?"

"…I don't know if I should trust this information with you."

Akechi let out a chuckle. "I've been known to hold plenty of secrets. What's a few more? After all… I am a Phantom Thief… well, ex-Phantom Thief is more like it. Besides, I work for no one."

Raven looked at Akechi before taking a deep breath. "I sense nothing but truth in your words. Fine, I'll let you know. There is a woman in Remnant that goes by Salem. She is an evil wicked woman who wants to destroy it all."

"Hmph, sounds like she wants Remnant to be under her boot. Definitely reminds me of someone I know…" He mumbled.

"She has her eyes set on the Maidens… for what purpose, I do not know, but I do know it means the maidens have targets on their backs. On top of that, Salem can't be killed… even if you manage to blow her up, she can just piece herself back together. She can't be defeated…"

"But perhaps you can subdue her, incapaciate her to where she can't do anything." Akechi said.

"It's not that simple."

"Perhaps, but it would be pretty anti-climactic if it was simple." He let out a chuckle. "How do you know so much about these maidens?"

"It's because… I am one." Raven said, with a red fire coming out of the corners of her eyes and before Akechi knew it, Raven rose up as the maiden powers swirled around her as Akechi could hear thunderclouds outside.

"Interesting… you maidens can control the elements!" Akechi said in awe as Raven lowered herself down.

"Indeed. I am the Spring Maiden."

"Spring Maiden? I'm assuming the others are Summer, Fall and Winter." He said as Raven nodded. "Most interesting." He mused. "How does one get these powers anyway?"

"Only women can wield such power. If a maiden dies, the last girl that was in her thoughts transfers her power to theirs. If a man is in the maiden's last thoughts, then it goes to a random individual."

"That's very good information to know." Akechi said, closing his eyes and thinking of Ann, Makoto, Futaba and Haru. Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter… well, we can definitely put summer into Ann because of her fire magic… winter is DEFINITELY Nijima's territory given how cold she can be… spring could go to Futaba, she was born anew after she became a Phantom Thief. Fall goes to Haru because of… what happened to her father. It's not a very good analysis, but it's the best I got.

"You seem to be deep in thought."

"Oh, well, I just thought of what would happen if some of my acquaintances got a hold of the Maiden powers." He said.

"Out worlders wielding the Maiden powers… hmm, seems unlikely but it wouldn't be impossible. The problem would be that they wouldn't have any aura, that would make them easier to kill."

"Heh, that gives them all the more reason to train and get themselves stronger… probably also giving them body armor, just in case."

Raven let out a chuckle. "I suppose you're right."

"So, given the interior of this tent and from what I've seen in this campsite… you're nothing more than bandits, are you not?"

"That's correct. We go by this motto: The strong live… the weak die. Those are the rules we go by."

"Hmm, I remember Summer saying something earlier." Akechi said. "Strong live… the weak die…"

"Summer called me out on that, saying that it's only feasible in the animal kingdom while it just gets messy if humans are involved."

"This definitely reminds me of a movie series that I never really liked. Honestly, I'm not even sure how it was greenlit in the first place. I think it was called… Purging or something? That sounds like something those boneheads in that series would say."

"I live this… and yet… the universe reset and… I've been having an existential crisis ever since."

"That explains the baggage." Akechi mused. "Perhaps it's time we throw away that old saying."

"What?"

"The strong live and the weak die? Come on now. What would happen if you had a disease like cancer and despite your best efforts of fighting it, you succumb to it? Would you be weak? Or if you died of old age… natural causes even! Would you be weak then?"

"Of course!"

"Wrong." Akechi pointed out. "Despite your best efforts, you succumb to the disease… but you gave it your all. Tried different medicines, chemotherapy, all of that stuff… that's no sign of weakness. That's a sign of strength that's willing to do anything. You are only weak if you give up."

Raven's eyes widened. "Wh-what…?"

"Now say for example you're in a tight spot, near death and you've got nowhere else to go and your assailant is right in front of you… but you decide to play the hero and go out swinging. Are you weak because you went out swinging… or were you strong enough to get your allies out of a pinch while you make the sacrifice? Personally, I say that's pretty strong."

"Where… where did this come from?"

"Because I lived it. I was in a dark place back then… I was underneath the shadow of a man named Shido. He had Japan underneath his boot and he had me do all the dirty work and yet… it was revealed right at the end when I learned his true colors from a doppleganger of mine. He was going to dispose of me right after he won the election in Japan. The man I once called my father… and he was going to be rid of me."

Akechi closed his eyes. "I was then given a choice… either die or kill my comrades to prove my usefulness. What did I do? I shot my doppelganger and closed the gates, telling my friends to escape. At that moment, I shot that doppelganger right when he shot me, it killed the both of us… and yet, I went down swinging. I was weak underneath Shido's boot, but when I crawled out and saw the light… I found strength. Strength to try and save them all."

Akechi smiled. "I thought that was the end…" He opened his eyes. "Until fate decided it wasn't my time. A whole universe was reset due to a freak accident… and I found myself on a floating island in the sky."

"Hey, what are you doing down there? There are other places than to sleep on the ground, ya know."

"Who was the first person I saw? Her name was none other than Palutena… and to my surprise, she was a goddess. More surprising was the fact that she told me that I was alive and well."

"You were given a second chance at life…"

"All of us was given a second chance." Akechi said. "And yet, at the same time… I don't have the courage to face the Phantom Thieves I briefly called comrades. I betrayed them… and I'm not sure if they are so willing to let me hang with them once again. So I decided to wander around Remnant, wondering what I would encounter… and little did I know… I would run into you."

"You know… I think I'm the same way. I want to go apologize to Summer, but… I don't think I have it in me. After all… I'm nothing more than a cold blooded killer."

"Oh? What makes you say-"

"Because the last Spring Maiden was murdered in cold blood… and you're looking at her killer. She was scared, she didn't know what to do, and on top of that, she wasn't pulling through on all of her training. I called it a mercy killing… but Summer thought different."

Akechi folded his arms. "That's dark… but… we all do things we're not proud of. Let me guess, you said something in your argument with Summer that was in the heat of the moment?"

"She asked me that if I would have killed my own daughter if she was the spring maiden… and in the heat of the moment… I screamed "Of course I would." It was that moment when she called me out on it… that I knew I made a mistake."

"Ooof…" Akechi grimaced. "Who is this daughter of yours?"

"Yang… and back then, I left her and my husband to be with this tribe. I only saved her twice… once was my rule and the second one was just by pure chance. I'm a coward…"

"Hmm…" Akechi closed his eyes. "No, that's not it. Earlier you've mentioned Salem… could it be that you were leaving them because you wanted to protect them from this evil hag?" He said as Raven's eyes widened when she heard that. "Judging by your surprised expression, that is indeed what you did. I am to believe that everyone believes differently that you abandoned them for selfish reasons… and well, I can also understand that… miscommunication is a hell of a bitch."

"How… were you able to deduce that?"

"Well, I am a detective after all." Akechi chuckled. "Alright, here's what I propose. We go to Summer and you apologize for what you've said and if Yang is there, then that's all the better. Communication is important… and I know this won't exactly be an easy patchwork, but like I said, it'd be anti-climactic if it were so easy. We'll go as soon as you are ready."

"…You… you sure know what to say." Raven let out a chuckle. "Thank you, Akechi."

"Anytime, Raven." He said as Raven tilted her head.

"How did you-"

"Oh, heard that girl saying your name as soon as I entered the camp."

Raven closed her eyes. Dammit Vernal… She thought. "Alright… when I'm ready, we'll go."

"That's the spirit."

The next day, at Patch…

A portal opened up within the trees as Raven and Akechi walked out. "We're here." Raven said as they looked at the Rose-Xiao Long household. "I never thought I'd see this again…"

Akechi whistled. "Nice house. Finely detailed exterior if I've ever seen one."

"Summer should be here… let's go." Raven said as they walked through the woods… but as they got closer…

"It's not like I'm still a little girl, twiddling my thumbs and asking my dad "When's mom coming home" or "when is mom coming back" or anything-"

"Huh?" Raven wondered as they got closer, where the two of them would see Summer and Yang.

"There they are." Akechi whispered. "Do you want to-"

"No, not yet…"

"Got through my first day without her, I learned how to ride a bike, learned how to control my semblance, learned how to fight without her…" Her hair started sizzling and her eyes turned red. "I had several good birthdays without her and she didn't even bother sending me a card once! So you know what?" Her hair caught on fire and turned around, her fist catching ablaze.

"TO HELL WITH HER!" She screamed, her voice breaking while Firaga Punching the punching bag hard enough to make it snap off its chains and sent it straight to a tree.

Raven and Akechi would witness the punching bag go flying past them. "Yang…" Raven whispered.

"…I didn't need her then and I don't need her now." Yang said as she walked past Summer, her hair still on fire.

"Look, Yang-"

"No, you know what, mom?" Yang turned to her. "I'm gonna get through Beacon without her, I'm gonna do more adventures with the Mario Bros without her, I'm gonna marry Claude later on and have a few kids with him… I'm gonna be a better mother than Raven would EVER be and I SURE AS HELL don't need Raven for that cause there's not a damn thing she could teach me about how to love my kids! Hell, I'm already doing a swell job with Apollo and I'm gonna continue being a loving mother to him WITHOUT HER!"

"Hah… hah…" Yang's hair sizzled out and her eyes changed back to violet and stood there panting, looking at Summer before tears started forming in her eyes before streaking down her cheeks. "How… how come she didn't want me…" She whispered. "Was it something I did when I was little? Was it something I said… was it something dad did? How come… how come she left all of us…"

"Oooh…" Akechi grimaced.

Yang… Raven thought, closing her eyes as a tear ran down her cheek. What have I done…

"Oh dear… we came at the wrong time, didn't we?" Akechi asked, still grimacing.

"Yeah… we have…"

"Thank you…" Yang whispered, sniffing as they parted from the hug. "Mom… you… you're a better mother than Raven would ever be…"

"Mmmph!" Akechi cringed. "Ouuuuch…" He whispered while the words struck through Raven's heart, causing her to tear up even more.

Summer gave her a soft sad smile. "Come on… let's go back in. Those cookies aren't going to eat themselves." She said, giving Yang a soft kiss on the forehead.

"Assuming Ruby didn't eat them all?"

"Hey… I'm right here." Ruby said, causing Summer to let out a soft giggle as they all walked back into the house… all of them unaware of Raven emerging from her hiding spot, though Akechi was still in cover. She watched them all go inside the house, closing her eyes as Yang's words echoed in her head.

"TO HELL WITH HER! I didn't need her then… and I don't need her now."

"Yang…" She quietly said, some tears shedding as she turned around and disappeared into the woods.

"Raven? Raven, wait up!" Akechi said as he chased after her as he watched her morph into a raven and flew off. "Raven!" He called out as he kept chasing after her.

About an hour later…

"Raven! Raven… I know you're here somewhere… Raven!" He called out as he heard quiet sobbing nearby as he followed the source of the voice where he would find her at the edge of a lake, on her knees as she was softly crying.

Akechi slowly approached her and knelt down next to her. "Hey…"

"You heard what she said… she doesn't even think of me as her mother anymore and-"

"Yeah, I've heard…" Akechi said, putting his hand on her shoulder. "That puts a damper on things, doesn't it?"

"Yeah…" Raven sniffed. "And I don't even know what to do now…"

"Well, we'll try again when you're good and ready."

"I… I don't think there will be a next time…"

"Now is that what a weak person would say? I know you're stronger than this… yes, it stung like hell, but-"

"I'm not weak… I'm strong… but…"

"Hey, even a strong person needs a shoulder to cry on every once in a while." Akechi said as Raven looked toward Akechi… and teared up even further and to his surprise, she embraced him as she sobbed into his shoulders. "There there…"

"I will try again… I promise you that! I… I just need to be stronger… stronger hearted!"

"That's my girl… deep breaths, let it all out." He said as Raven continued crying into his shoulder. If only I had the strength to face my comrades again… He thought, closing his eyes while he rubbed her back.

I was planning on doing this Gaiden for a while now, although the chapter was just gonna be a flashback to his demise and then waking up in Skyworld and have a conversation with Palutena and that'd be it.

Then I remember reading one of Topaz's reviews mentioning Akechi talking it out with Raven and I thought "Hey! This has more meat to it now!" So thank you for that idea, Topaz!