A/N: Chapter 31 of REKT. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters or teams of RWBY, they belong to Rooster Teeth and Monty Oum. What I do own are the characters and teams of my OCs: REKT, GTSY, KACE and DAZE.

Special thanks to the reviewers and to the readers who Fav/Alert this story, I really appreciate it.


Chapter 31: The Past

12 years ago...

Linacre, a rural village located 20 miles from the sea, is the only known living civilization on the continent in the shaped of a dragon. With the sea to the south and a forest to the north, inhabitants were warned not to venture too far outside the walls. What lies beyond the forest was anyone's guess but those who did venture out returned with horrified stories, their eyes filled with distraught.

Dark, nonliving creatures that lurk across the barren lands some of the elders call them 'Grimm'. For now there seemed to be a mutual agreement between both the creatures and the humans and borders have not be crossed. Within Linacre there were a couple of small clans living in harmony within the village but largest one – the Raylan Clan – oversaw everything. The leader, known as the village elite, makes sure there aren't any disputes among the clans as well as making sure everyone has their fair share of resources.

There have been disputes between clans at one point in time but overtime the village elite allowed bygones be bygones and peace settled throughout the area. The years have been blessed with plentiful food from the sea and the fruits have been blooming on trees.

I was born in the following spring and there was a huge ceremony since being a child of the elite was a sign of good luck. Everyone in the village was exceptionally excited since a child belonging to the elite hasn't happened in a while so I was showered with gifts and blessings alike. At the time I never understood the ceremonies so I just played along like it was some kind of game. That was the start of many happy days of my childhood.


Inside the house...

"Honey, where did the little one go?!" A man, rugged and breathless, opened the door and peeked in cautiously. His hair was tied back and the uniform he wore could barely conceal his muscular pectorals. Standing 6 feet 5 inches he was a giant to many but the kindness in his heart was just as big. "I just saw her a second ago but now she disappeared! Man, how can a 5 year old run that fast?"

"You lost her again, I'm not really surprised." The woman, a young maiden with a pale complexion, chuckled as she took a small sip of her tea. Her strawberry blonde hair had been brushed multiple times giving the material a sleek appearance. Her fingers were delicate but if one looked closely enough they could tell that she has some combat experience. "I told you she's a speedy one when you aren't giving her your full attention."

"What am I gonna do with her...?" The male sighed, rubbing the back of his head and proceeded to search for me. "I swear I'd be growing a head full of white hair if she keeps this up. And I'm not ready to be called, 'Grandpa' just yet!"

"Rikter, you're not that old." His wife chastised him, giving him a stink eye before laughing. "Seriously, you still look good even if you aren't in your prime."

"Rhea, my beloved, when did you become such a tease?" He flirted, pulling his wife into his arms. "Have I ever told you 'I love you'?"

"Every single day and every time I wake up in the morning." She whispered playfully, tracing a finger over his lips. "You're lucky Reina isn't in here to see this. Otherwise we'd have to explain ourselves."

"Rhea, dear, are you home?" Another voice spoke beyond the door, reaching the couple's ears and stopping them mid-action. "The doors aren't gonna open themselves you know. Also I hope you two are decent, I come bearing a gift."

"Oh that's my sister. I almost forgot that she was coming over."

"When did you invite Raisa over?" Rikter asked, giving his wife a quick kiss on the lips. His eyebrows were knitted together with a frown. "I didn't hear you tell me about it. I thought I told you to tell me whenever someone comes over."

"Am I not allowed to invite family over?" was the playful response before returning his kiss and settling down in her usual place. "Come on, she's not that bad."

"I know she isn't bad but when you talk about certain topics...let's just say she's a monster." He rose to his feet and stretched loudly. "Well then I'll let you ladies chat, I got some business to attend to anyway. God forbid I have to sit through another one of your gossip or whatever you talk about."

"Make sure you come back home in time." Rhea replied, watching the door close before clearing her throat. "Sister, you may come in." Another set of doors opened and she looked up with a small smile as her sister walked in. "Sorry that our home is a complete mess Raisa."

"Not at all, not at all. I find it pleasurable when I come over. I even brought you a gift." She opened her arm and my mother laughed when I appeared to be clinging to the robe.

"Did she attempt to run pass you again?"

"Almost made it passed the gate but I was fast enough to catch her. Honestly I might as well run myself into the ground if she continues playing the game with me."

"Auntie was really quick today, Mommy." I chirped, detaching myself from my aunt and ran to my mother. She scooped me up into her arms, kissing my forehead. "Quicker than the other days!"

"Hey." Raisa growled, holding herself back from crushing the cup in her hand. She had poured herself a glass but paused when she heard my comment. "Don't act so high and mighty now that your mother's here to protect you."

"Is that so?" Rhea asked, shooting her sister a teasing look. "Don't tell me you're getting old."

"Shut it! You know very well I can catch that little pipsqueak if I wanted to. It's only because you put a restriction me that I have to fake losing!"

"Sometimes you'll just have to bite the bullet and be the sore loser." Rhea stated as a matter-of-fact, getting a death glare from her guest. She smiled regardless, knowing that her sister wasn't that mad and can take a few words to the face. "Besides, Reina's just a child and you really don't want to hurt her feelings now...do you?"

"...of course not..." The sulking woman muttered, mumbling something else under her breath. "She's lucky she's a child..."

"I've wondered about this for awhile now but...in your opinion which parts about Reina resembles me and which parts resemble Rikter?" Rhea asked as she watched me draw drawings on paper next to her. "Her father and I would go back and forth about it during the nights."

"Well to start off with she has her mother's facial features." Raisa acknowledged, setting her cup down against the wooden table. She watched me for a while before stating, "You and Rikter made a lovely child and I couldn't be any more happy for the both of you."

"That reminds me how's your relation with that guy you were telling me the other day?" My mother asked out of curiosity, giving her sister a knowing look. "Have you two sealed the deal yet or are you two still experimenting?"

"We sealed the deal naturally. Want the proof?" Raisa held out her hand to reveal a ring on the appropriate finger. "He got it for me two days ago before whisking us away on vacation which was why I took such a long time to respond to your letter."

"So that's what happened." Rhea nodded her head in understanding. Her sister was the Clan ambassador, acting as a mediator during disputes between clans or working with deals and making sure everything proceeds smoothly. There were even times where Raisa didn't return home as she would travel on business. "Of course I wouldn't want to hinder your work. It's thanks to you we have such good relations between the clans."

"Not at all, Rhea, you know I'll always cut out time for you." The younger of the two waved her hand dismissively. "There's nothing more important than family am I right? Don't feel bad about disrupting my work."

"Back to the topic of children...Someday you'll be able to have a child of your own." Rhea smiled, gazing down at me and missed seeing the pained expression on her sister's face. When she looked back up, the expression was replaced with a smiling one. "I can't wait to see the day you and him produce a child that will be able to play with Reina."

"Yes...of course." Raisa replied pleasantly. The two of them continued their conversations until it was time for the her to leave. "I should go now, got a lot to plan for tomorrow since I'll be making my rounds. You never know just what might happen."

"Let me at least walk you to the entrance." Rhea offered and stood up, placing her hands neatly in front of her. "Reina, give your aunt a hug."

"Mmmm!" I put down my pencil, walked around the table and gave her a hug. "Bye Aunty!"

"Aunty will come and visit when she can okay? I'll have to look at my schedule before finalizing anything." Raisa said, staring deep into my eyes as she says so. "Don't cause your mother too much trouble okay?"

"Okay...but only if you pinky promise that you'll come back to visit!" I held up my pinkie and puffed up my cheeks into a small pout. "No going back on your word okay?" She stared at me for a good minute before the corners of her lips curled up into a smirk.

"Yep. I promise." She wrapped her pinkie around mine. Standing up she gave my mother a nod and the two of them left, their voices becoming hush whispers till I could no longer hear them. Within our family, my mother Rhea was the oldest while my aunt Raisa was the younger. They rarely fought and even looked after each other for a long time. In my eyes they were the perfect siblings.


Four months later...

Raisa never broke her promise once, always making room to stop by and visit. She even brought me a couple of gifts from her travels and smiled when I happily played with her gifts. The day she broke her promise was the day everything changed and she no longer came to visit. I was too young to understand what had happened but I knew it upset my mother really bad.

"What?! She had a miscarriage?!" Rikter looked at his wife with horror, placing his chopsticks down. We were at the dinner table when my mother came back with the news, her eyes were all puffy from crying. "That was the fifth time they've been trying to make a child."

"I know and she's really devastated." Rhea replied sadly.

"Especially on a day such as today..." He mused, stroking his beard and looking out the window. The pale white moon hung in the sky, glowing radiantly under his gaze. "How unlucky."

"The village shaman agreed that having a miscarriage while the full moon is out is extremely unlucky." Rhea followed her husband's gaze and sighed. "She ran back to her room and refused to come out. I told my parents but I feel as though there has to be something else I can do."

"Dear..."

"She was hurting." My mother clenched her fingers tightly in her lap. "I can feel her pain as her sister...It hurts me knowing she might never..."

"Don't jump to conclusions so fast." Rikter offered gently, rubbing her back just the way she likes it. He felt bad and he would never wish a miscarriage on another couple. "They can try again."

"That's the thing...The village shaman said that she's beyond the age of bearing children." Rhea told him, looking like she was about to cry again. "She has no more chances...that was the last one."

"...I'm sorry..." He pulled her close, hugging her as she cried. He glanced my way, noticing that I wasn't eating because this was the first time seeing my mother cry. "Reina, honey, why don't you take your meal to the other room?"

"Okay." I took my bowl of food and listened to his words. As I sat in my room I could hear my parents hushed voices but it was rude to eavesdrop. Once I was sure they were done talking and I had finished eating I made my way to the kitchen and washed the dishes. I didn't see my parents for the rest of the night and assumed that they went to sleep.

It was probably pasted midnight when I felt the urge to use the restroom. Opening the door I shuffled out and with the help of the moon I made it to my destination. A flush later I trekked back to my room when something flashed past, catching my attention. Thinking that it was just some animal, curiosity got the best out of me and I went to investigate. Turning the corner I noticed that our gate was propped open which was unusual since I knew my father closes it ever time.

He must've forgot, tonight was a bad time for both of them. He had to console Mommy after all. I thought and pushed it shut, pulling the latch so that it stayed shut. I stepped back to admire my work. "Heh, I feel like a grown up all of a sudden."

"I'm surprised to see you...out here so late." A voice spoke and I turned to see a shadowy figure looming over me. "I'm also surprised, that you fell for it~" Her fingers were spread and looked like claws.

"Aaaahhh...Ahhh...WAAAAHH!" I screamed as the claws embedded themselves a little too close for comfort. Diving through the legs I attempted to run back to the safe space which was my room. My feet pounded against the wood floor and I saw that the door to my room was still open. Just as I reached it a heavy weight fell on top and I felt a claw like grip press against my shoulder to keep me in place. I struggled and attempted to throw my attacker off, but I was rewarded by pain as the claws raked themselves across my back.

"That wasn't very smart now was it?" The voice whispered in my ear as I stayed trembling underneath. "Stay absolutely still for me and don't yell." I glanced out of the corner of my eye to see a clawed hand raised, the nails pointed down. My heart was pounding against my chest and my breathing was all over the place. "This will only hurt a bit..."

"MOMMY!" I screamed, covering the top of my head with my arms.

"YOU DEVIL!" My mother's voice rang out and the weight lifted off my body immediately. I rose to see my mother fighting with the intruder, her eyes ablaze and her Aura engulfing both her fists. "How dare you...! How dare you!"

"Reina, are you okay?" Rikter asked, kneeling next to me with worry as my mother disappeared, no doubt in pursuit of the attacker. I wrapped my arms around him and let out whimpers, my clothes were skewed so he could see the claw marks going down my back. His eyebrows furrowed and he hugged me close, whispering words of comfort. "It's alright, it's alright, Daddy's here for you."

"Tch, escaped." Rhea snarled as she walked back with a disappointed scowl. "I didn't have a good look at the face..."

"Are you okay?" Rikter noticed a scratch on her cheek, the blood still flowing out. "You're hurt."

"I'm fine, don't worry about me." She smiled warmly at him. "Is Reina okay?"

"Just some bruises but other than that she's fine. There are some nasty scratches on her back though..." He replied, allowing my mother to hold me. "She'll be traumatized for awhile so..."

"I'll sleep with her for a few days." Rhea replied as she cooed into my ear, watching as my trembling ceased. "Whoever did it is unacceptable!"

"You don't think it's someone from another clan?" asked Rikter, his eyes narrowing with anger.

"No..." She responded as she prepared to tuck me into bed. "We rarely had other clans come over as guests so...whoever did it has to be within our own clan. We have to be extra careful from now on."


In other place...

"Kukukuku...how rude of you, Rhea." Raisa murmured as she nursed a nasty bruise on her cheek. She managed to return without her parents noticing and high-tailed it back to her room. Her clothes were all dirty and the scratches and bruises were starting to show. Snorting with displeasure, she stripped out and tended to her wounds.

"You dare to attack your own family...you must have thought of me as worthless." She winced, cleaning out a cut with a cotton ball. "I saw the way you looked at me when they said I couldn't give birth...I hated that look. I don't need your pity. Tonight was ruined when the little pipsqueak squealed but...I'll have other chances." Her fingers curled into trembling fists as she remembered the painful moment at the hospital where she was about to give birth. The result shattered her heart into pieces.

"What do you mean?! Give me back my baby!"

"I'm sorry Ma'am but he's already gone!" The village doctor attempted to calm her down but she violently struggled against him. Even the nurses didn't dare get involved but watched from the side in case they were needed. "We did everything in our power to save him!"

"Bullshit! Let me see my baby!" She screamed, reaching out in an attempt to reach the doctor who backed away from her. "You bastard! Don't keep him hidden from me!"

"Raisa! Calm down!" Rhea had been by her side throughout the entire ordeal and was now trying to hold her sister back from killing the doctor. She had tears streaming down her face but she had to keep her sister from hurting herself and others. "Breathe Sister! You need to breathe!"

"Don't tell me what to do! I just lost a child!" Raisa whirled on her sister, teeth bared and eyes filled with anger. "If you don't get out of my way...I'll kill you too!"

With the memory firmly stored at the front of her mind, Raisa rose to her feet and walked towards the window. She tilted her head up, looking at the moon with a thoughtful gaze. The corners of her mouth slowly stretched into a smirk. A laugh bubbled up her chest and she couldn't help but let it out, not bothering to keep the level down. Once it subsided she leaned against the window sill and breathed heavily.

"I'll make you feel exactly how I feel. You'll know what it feels like to lose a child right in front of your eyes. I can't wait to see the look of despair on your face."