I was genuinely surprised by the reaction I got from this concept.
...Didn't think it would go over so well...
So a first chapter is in order, I suppose.
Quick note here, do not worry about Ruby.
She will still exist in this timeline but she will not be Tai and Summer's child.
Just as another note, you don't want to know how much I had to research about pregnancy this chapter...
My FBI agent looking over my search history is going... WTF?
Now, let's get into the first chapter and let the dominos of change begin to fall.
It was a dark, stormy night.
A heavy rain pounded against the roof with ferocity. Perhaps some ice mixed within to create such distinct thuds.
Violent winds rattled the windows as a bright light illuminated the darkened room. A crash of thunder that reverberated through her chest followed.
Yet crimson eyes glimmered at the sight through the darkness. This was a test for her new home before it even had a chance to settle on its foundations. She didn't worry, however.
It was built strong. It would easily last such a ferocious storm. …Even if the power was knocked out during it.
Sitting in the darkness, watching the storm pelt her home, was calming for her. She needed a moment to settle as the swirling, stomach-churning vortex known as nausea kept her awake, and it would take some time before the medicine would calm the sensation.
Gently rubbing her slightly bulged stomach with an amused expression, crimson eyes sparkled. "Already giving me problems, are you? …You are a little firecracker. I'm already having nightmares about you crying all night. "
"But that's good…" She whispered to herself as she gazed outside the window and into the storm as another flash of lightning lit their property. "It shows you are healthy and strong."
As the world rumbled around her with another blast of thunder, her lips twitched as she watched the turbulent storm in silence. A faint shrill echoed and followed, causing her to wince and gently rub her stomach. Relax… Just a figment of your imagination…
"Raven?"
Glancing into the shadows of her home, crimson eyes shone as a figure trudged toward her through the darkness. But she felt more at peace hearing him, and a faint smile spread before she turned her attention back to the storm raging outside. "Didn't mean to worry you, Tai… Just the usual nausea. You can go back to sleep. I'll be there in a moment."
"I suspected as much." Raven felt her husband stand directly behind her, warmly wrapping her in his embrace, his hands laying on her stomach. "She's been giving more trouble lately."
"Just means she is strong. … And a troublemaker. " Raven leaned into his embrace and contently sighed before her face contorted, and she grimaced. "Doctors said I wouldn't feel her moving this early… Morons."
"So… She's definitely taking after you." Tai quipped, causing Raven to glower and glare at her husband.
"Not funny." Raven huffed before giving a distant stare outside their window. "Last thing we need is for her to be like me…"
"I don't know…" Tai mused, causing his wife to scowl in his grasp before smiling. "I think you sell yourself short. You may have some negative flaws… But would I have married you if the positives didn't outweigh the negatives?"
"You think too highly of me…" Raven muttered and tucked her chin down. "I'm—not ready for this… Don't you laugh at me?"
"I'm sorry… But that makes two of us." Tai chuckled before leaning back at the spiteful gaze Raven returned to him. "I mean, I just had a nightmare about a baby crying… It worried me enough to come to find you as I swore I can still hear it even after waking up!"
Raven scoffed at her husband's acknowledgment. She didn't need to hear that. She needed him to be her bastion of…
As lightning flashed and the thunder rolled again, Raven squinted as a shrill shriek followed. "You woke up because of the crying too?"
Feeling his grip stiffen, anxious crimson eyes gazed into flickering blues as a sense of dread filled her. She could still hear the crying…
And so could he.
It was getting louder.
A desperate sense of horror filled her as the storm pelted and drenched her. A bolt of lightning flashed, and panic coursed through her veins. Why was it getting louder? Why was there a child out here? Hardly anyone lived this far away from town!
The thunder roared once again, and the shriek resonated to her louder than the thunder could ever hope to match. She was close… Where was it?
"Raven!"
She heard her husband cry as she dashed through the pouring rain, seeking out the cries. Did he find something? But it didn't seem like the cry was coming from…
Crimson eyes shimmered after another flash of light brightened her vision, and the shrieking intensified. A young woman with vivid red hair lay curled into the grass and mud.
A scarlet elixir was seeping and staining the ground beneath her… Pouring from a gaping wound that seemed to pierce through the backside of her chest.
The thunder rumbled as she approached fearfully. The hollow cry that followed caused her to shiver as she knelt beside the stiff figure.
And huddled in her petrified grasp was a terrified newborn, desperately bawling.
A cold shiver ran down her spine, grimacing as she pressed her hand against the woman's cold throat. She didn't think she would feel a pulse, but if it was still warm…
It was not.
Wincing as she weakly reached toward the screaming child, Raven gently lifted the child from the rigid grasp of her mother. How did they not hear anything? This was so close to their home… And why was she out here so far away from civilization? Patch was miles away…
"The fuck!" Raven screamed as a tight grip latched onto her wrist, drawing her crimson gaze into nearly lifeless violets.
She was still alive? How?! With the amount of blood…
"Tai!" Raven desperately called out for her husband as she stared deeply into the woman's eyes. "We can get help… Just hang on…"
A sweeping chill ran through her as a content smile twitched on the woman's features. She knew she was already gone… But appreciated the sentiment nonetheless.
Instead, her misty eyes fell onto the baby boy Raven attempted to lift from her grasp. And with the last of her strength, she gently leaned forward to her child and planted a kiss on his forehead. "Ta—care… Naruto…"
With the last of her strength spent, her eyes dulled as she faintly faded into the grass below, leaving her child tucked into Raven's grasp.
Shivering as the rain drenched her figure, gently patting the terrified boy as she shrieked in her grasp, Raven was unable to break her sight from the woman lying in the mud before her. She held onto the very end… Just to make sure her child was safe…
"Raven! Oh fuck!"
The pelting rain wiped away tears as Raven stood as her husband rushed to her side, his panic evident at the sight before her feet. The same fear rushed through her, but her eyes fell onto the boy and then down to his mother.
She had held on as long as she could to ensure her child's safety. Protected him even as she lay on death's door… And she couldn't help but admire such strength…
"Naruto, huh?" Raven muttered, cradling the child into her bosom while attempting to shield him from the rain.
"Let's get you nice and warm."
His crying was deafening…
He was so cold when she first found him. Even after wiping him dry and wrapping a warm blanket, it was only a temporary fix. It took forever for him to warm up… Even now, he was still cool to the touch.
She had to use her body heat to help bring his temperature back up. His cries were so weak, and now…
His cry after only an hour echoed through her soul. It terrified her.
What did he need? What could she do? Could she do anything?! All these questions and more rampaged through her mind, and she cradled him to her bosom, gently rocking him. It didn't help he kept bumping his head into her chest, causing stinging pain throughout.
They were tender!
She groaned at his crying, which only grew and grew, palming her face desperately. She needed Tai in here… She knew he was out attempting to solve what happened with that woman with Qrow… But she needed him!
What was she going to do? She was expecting here in several months, and she wasn't ready for her! A child that suddenly showed up basically on her doorstep?!
She was ready for this!
"Ssh…" Raven softly whispered despite the panic welling within her. "There, there… Everything is going to be okay…"
"I'm here!" A voice echoed as the door clicked open, and a young woman her age with black hair and gradient red highlights rushed through with several bundles. "It was difficult to find a place open at this time, but I managed to grab a few things. Finding baby formula at this time was a nightmare."
"Thank you, Summer." A frazzled Raven turned to her friend as she set down packages in her hands, silver eyes wide at the bundle screaming within her friend's arms and grimaced. "Do you mind…"
"I'll get started on making a bottle!" Summer frantically pulled out a bottle and a large can of formula, fumbling it in her grasp as she bolted to the kitchen.
Raven feeble groaned and ducked her head, staring at the crying infant, his head pressed up against her breasts, his crying fading as she felt a tingling sensation in her chest. "That's not what I was going to ask… I need a break…"
"I knew I wasn't cut out from this…" Raven muttered before she almost jerked back, her eyes narrowing as Naruto's cries increased in volume. "Hey, hey! They aren't ready for that yet… Even if they have been tender… Will you cut it… Huh?"
Squinting at the young child as his head feebly flopped against her chest, and he began to attempt to latch onto her breasts once more, Raven sighed. She knew she had just started her second trimester, but she hadn't begun to produce…
So why was her blouse damp? She had changed after being caught in the rain… So any residual…
"Am I…" Raven carefully untucked her breasts to take a glance; her eyes shimmered in and out before glancing at the young babe attempting to feed on her. "You're kidding me, right? …The timing of this…"
"Is this some sort of universal karma or something?" Raven groaned, fully untucking herself from her blouse and wincing as she softly placed his head at her areola. "Will this shut you up?"
"Are you serious?" Raven blinked, watching the infant pull on her, seeing the sloppy remains dripping from his mouth. "Um, Summer?"
"Almost done! Whatever you are doing, you are doing great!" Summer echoed, walking out a few moments later with a bottle in her hand she was vigorously shaking. "I think… Are you… How?!"
"I just started, apparently!" Raven gritted her teeth yet felt a calm sensation wash over her at feeling the tug on her bosom.
Glancing down at the young baby's peaceful yet frantic face as he fed, she softly sighed and tiredly looked up at Summer. "When he's done… Could you take him for a bit?"
"This is too much too soon."
"If you say a word, Qrow…"
"It's a natural look for you." Qrow chirped, wiping the dampness from his face as he gazed upon his sister, holding the infant to her chest caringly. "Honestly, I expected you to dump him with Summer…"
"She tried." Summer blanched at the quick glare shot in her direction before softly smiling back at her partner. "Only a few minutes later, she returned him from me…"
"Ah, someone's motherly instincts are kicking in." Qrow grinned, somehow oblivious of the death glare his sister shot back at him and that Tai had abandoned his side. "It's just like Dad always said…"
"Summer…" Raven interrupted her brother with a snarl, and her lips gnarled as she gave her brother a death stare. "If you would so kindly…"
"Fuck, my ribs!" Qrow doubled over, holding his chest, a butt of a mechanical ax handle having struck him firmly in the solar plexus.
"Thank you." Raven glowered at her brother before giving Summer a thankful smile.
"You're welcome." Summer glared at Qrow indignantly, placing her hand on her hip and glancing in Tai's direction. "Did you discover any tracks? Traces of what happened? Anything?"
"Not a single thing." Tai grimaced, placing his hand on his temple before combing his hand through his hair. "It doesn't make sense. How did she get out here in her state? …She just gave birth…"
"And where is she from?" Qrow rose, clutching his chest before thoughtfully narrowing his gaze. "She had no identification on her. No scroll to search any contacts she may have… Police are running identification tagging on her, but so far, nothing is coming up, and they are running blood tests to see if they can find traces of familial ties."
"There are hardly any Grimm in the area." Tai scowled, crossing his arms. "Which means that even in her wounded state, she took care of it… Everything surrounding this circumstance and her is a mystery…"
"All we know is that she managed to save her child."
"What do you mean there is no record?"
Raven was livid. How could there be nothing?! No trace of the woman! No family history! Did she live in one of the villages outside the Kingdom's control? A bandit she was?
It made the circumstances around her even more mysterious!
"It's just what I said…" Qrow growled in frustration while shaking his head. "After the police and blood test came up with nothing, I went on my own search and found nothing. I'm telling you, no one recognizes this woman."
Exhaling as Raven glared daggers into her brother for failing in his objective, Tai glanced down at the young babe in her clutches. It had been a week, and she had hardly left his side… For someone who was doubting their capability for a mother…
She had been doing exceptionally well in caring for him. She was only letting him or Summer take him from her… She refused even to let officials take him from her until family was found…
He repressed the urge to smile at his wife. If this was what she was with a child that wasn't her own…
"So what you are saying is… The kid has no immediate family." Tai grimaced, looking down at the child resting peacefully in Raven's cradled arms. "Raven…"
"What?" Raven turned to her husband with her crimson gaze burning vividly. "He's not going to an orphanage. He'd be lost in the shuffle and turn out horribly…"
"And you are ready to take on the responsibility of another child? Mere months before we have our own?" Tai frowned.
He understood why she was acting as she was. But still… They needed to talk this out. This was not a responsibility to take lightly.
"I… That's not…" Raven flinched, glancing down at the sleeping form of Naruto, her bangs covering her face. "I don't know… I have this feeling…"
"He's strong." Raven held him tightly before gazing back into her husband's gaze. "He survived something no child should have to go through… Survived after being left out in the cold rain for Oum knows how long before we realized they were out there… Fought against a raging storm so he could be heard and found! …I can't… Not after showing such a vibrant will…"
"He would be heralded as a baby the tribe would be proud of… That's for sure." Qrow finished for his sister, understanding the turmoil she was going through. "And the kid seems quite attached to you already… Might not be best for him to separate him from you either."
"Qrow…" Tai glowered at his partner, causing him to cringe, before looking back toward his downtrodden wife. With a deep sigh, his eyes glistened as he wrapped his arm around her waist in a comforting manner. "If this is what you want… We can… But it's going to be much harder when Yang comes…"
"We will make do." Raven stared deeply into Tai's eyes. "This boy is strong… His mother… I can't tell you why… But I know she was, too. She gave everything to keep him alive and see he was safe… I can't… If someone else takes him… They may ruin his potential. I can't let that be squandered…"
"Besides…" A gentle cooing drew her attention as she felt shifting against her bosom, and a gentle glow radiated from her face as crimson eyes gazed into deep cerulean blues, the young babe giggling as he waved toward her face.
"I think he'd be a great big brother for Yang."
I do hope you enjoyed this opening chapter.
If you got a moment, let me know how you enjoyed it so far and what you come to expect.
And, and this is a very big AND...
Vote for the ship!
It will either be Naruto/Weiss and Blake/Yang or Naruto/Blake and Yang/Weiss.
I am torn between the two as they both work and while I kind of leaning the former and the chance of making Bmblby work in a way I feel is more satisfying...
As I said, they still work and I really like Naruto/Blake better...
So let me know what you think and I will see you soon, my friends.
Peace.