RWBY: Am I Your Teacher or Mother

Chapter 14: Parenting Sucks…sort of.

A large mountainous region is in view, a couple waterfalls and forests with large oak trees cover its landscape, At a clearing within this Mistral forest, Qrow sat on a fallen tree log, sporting a fresh cut courtesy of Harbringer when he slashed it down, not like there weren't hundreds more around them. He took a swig of his flask, letting the sharp liquid burn his throat as he felt the pressure on his back sooth.

The reason for his newfound tension was because he had discovered something crucial and off-putting during his week-long venture through this region, and it was practically screaming in excitement right before him.

The challenge of raising a mentally-challenged Ruby Rose.

Said girl was enjoying the hell out of the wide-open grast space the clearing gave them. For the last 2 days Qrow had to practically hold her cloak like a dog leash to keep her contained so she wouldn't get lost in the thick forest running around.

"Squirt always got tons of energy to burn. No wonder she never gets fat eating sweets all day." Qrow thought with a slight smile on his face before yawning.

But it wasn't just his yawn or his 5 0'clock shadow that showed his exhaustion, the dark rings under his eyes showed how challenging caring for Ruby had been for the old huntsman.

Now, training Ruby to fight with her scythe growing up wasn't a problem. Ruby was garbage as a beginner, sure, as the art of scythe is a very complex fighting style to master. But Ruby was dutiful, absorbing all information patiently and applying it day in and day out.

But Qrow realized throughout his adventure he had spent the majority of his time with his niece either training her or just spending some fun time playing video games and watching movies like the "cool uncle" he was.

Spending the WHOLE day and night with his niece raising her was a different matter entirely. While Yang and Tai, the latter he instantly killed with fire in his mind with a burning hatred the moment he came to be, had handled raising Ruby while he worked, he had no such experience or knowledge at first for Ruby's needs.

First, mornings were a waking nightmare. Most of the night he'd spent waking up periodically to keep watch for Grimm so as not to be ambushed, so when Ruby, being younger and filled with more energy naturally, woke up she practically sang with excitement her plans to play with her Uncle. Being jostled in his sleep and being startled was not a pleasant way to wake up for an alcoholic. Migraines throbbed his head as is, he didn't need screaming in his ear, but he got it. For the last 7 days.

Breakfest was always easy. Years in the wilderness helped Qrow easily pick out non-poisonous fruit for Ruby to east. While it sucked hearing her whine for pancakes, Qrow only had to bide his time for her rumbling stomach to due the work for him.

It was truly a laugh riot for him seeing her pout with a blush on her chubby cheeks when she mumbled "stupid tummy, making me eat just fruit."

Lunch and Dinner, that was another thing and much more complicated. Qrow couldn't go into towns to buy groceries for easy meals for the time being, the heat on him for kidnapping his niece-

"Nah ugh. Getting her back to her real family. Glynda the one pretending not me." He defiantly thought.

Still, Qrow wasn't delusional. He knew others wouldn't see it that way. He'd rather not pick any fights with authorities in towns looking for him, still feeling a pit in his stomach from knocking out Ruby's babysitter. He had to keep her from calling the cops or huntsmen for a bit to get a head start to the Patch Airfields with Ruby to board a bullhead to hide out here in Mistral, but it still felt bad hurting an innocent woman.

Qrow just shook his head fervently his gaze scowling "Last one, that's the last girl who gets hurt under my watch. I promise Summer." He whispered as he saw a tornado of rose petals fly through the field, Ruby throwing up and down a ball Qrow had swiped from the house for her to play with.

That just opened up one of many problems more for him to consider. Lunch and Dinner was hard to come by, not wanting Ruby out of his sight for long to hunt deer or monkeys for camp roasting. But he soon realized he should have grabbed more than a bagful of Ruby's belongings before taking her.

Toothbrush: Check

Toothpaste: Check

Clothes and Toys… X

Ruby only had her blouse and a spare t-shirt and pants to work with.

That lead to the issue of bath time. A kid Ruby he discovered hated baths, despite needing it frequently due to the sweat she was working up everyday running around or from the heat. Ruby being physically a teenager also meant when she kicked and screamed as her Uncle struggled to bathe her in rivers, those had much harder impact he even needed his aura to block.

"I don't wanna bath!" She whined.

"Kiddo you need one! You stink!"

"You stink meanie! Dolt Qrow!" She screamed.

"It just be 5 minutes Ruby, you gotta wipe that deer juice off your cheek!" He had yelled.

"AGH! It's…c-c-cold!" She screamed as she shivered in the cold lake water. Qrow just sighed heavily.

After a quick wrestle getting his niece to comply as he held her in place, ready to apply a soap bar, he wasn't at all prepared for her next words.

"Uncle Qrow, I want to ask you something." She had said.

"What's up squirt?"

"Yang said I'd be as big as mom someday, but why are my boobies big?"

His face tinted at her words.

"Ugh…well you see kiddo…eh" He stammered.

And with that, the thought of seeing her exposed finally came to mind. Even if just to clean her since she showed an unwillingness to do so herself, Qrow suddenly had found his gut knotting with unease.

Never mind the hassle of keeping her wet arms and legs from slipping out his grasp, it was just plain unnerving. His niece had a teenage body, complete with bosom and fine curved legs. He would never hurt her like that, but hurt him more was how even when not doing that, Ruby had always seemed to shiver or get a bit scared by his touch whenever he bathed her since then, before she gradually took big soothing breaths and regained her composure as if it never happened.

Qrow knew she was subtly beginning to remember her assault, and it only brought another insecurity to Qrow.

How was he to get her to recover fully?

After all, she was scarred for life. No one could endure what she went through and come out unchanged. Forget losing her mind, she lost so much time they spent together, having forgotten all the life and hunting lessons he had taught her over the years after she had turned 7.

Her excitement meant she was difficult to keep under control and quite, which made hunting difficult. She lacked the patience for fishing so it was difficult to do that and keep her in his sights. And with so few resources available for 2 people, Qrow would likely have to knock Ruby out and hide her soon and fly to a nearby town to buy or steal some provisions, all of which ran the risk of huntsmen tracking him back to her. He didn't want to fight them while protecting his niece, that'd be an image she'd never forget, her beloved uncle….killing the good guys.

"Fucking Damn it bird brain. You sure screw yourself up a lot don't ya?" He thought to himself. She'd likely repress that and even more years if she was forced to watch that dark scenario he'd dread to consider. He had no idea how to counsel Ruby and protect her from her own shrinking mind. This was becoming more exhausting and nerve-wrecking than training or fighting Grimm.

Speaking of Grimm, Qrow wasn't sure how many he practically drew like a magnet these last few days due to his anxiety with Ruby around.

With Ruby's mind regressed to her toddler years, she lost all the training to fight she had absorbed from him over the years. She had no means to defend herself beside running away with her semblance. Much like how she first awakened it, Qrow had her remember how to use it by running from a Grimm, which wasn't difficult considering they kept attacking them every day.

Qrow had to basically hang her over his shoulders when Ursa's and Beowolf Grimm swarmed their camps, forcing him to rely less on his recoil fighting style and act as if he were one handed. This lowered the full weight of his swings, which made it difficult to kill the Ursa's quickly. The hounds were less durable, but because he wasn't able to use complex maneuvers he and Ruby, forcing him to take some attacks and absorb them with his aura in an effort to shield Ruby from them.

Killing the Grimm exhausted him each day, as did raising this girl. And worst, he was running low on booze to ease the discomfort.

Still…..Qrow wasn't going to trade any of this for the world. Ruby was his world now.

He smiled wide whenever he saw her do the same. The anxiety, the frustrations, the migraines, they could all go to hell.

Qrow felt his heart rumble whenever he gave Ruby a piggyback ride, despite his back getting sore faster from her increased height and weight being a teenager physically.

Her screams of excitement seeing his use his Scythe to kill Grimm never ceased to amuse him. It showed him the old Ruby was still in there and gave him a bit of hope he could help her recover at least partially.

But most of all, he loved story time with her at bedtime. As she would snuggle into his sleeping bag as he laid beside her on a thicket of leaves, his whisky keeping him warm at night as he slept. Qrow just loved telling her all about Summer, how she fought.

"So your mama took her axe Sunder Rose and curved it around the Goliath's tusk, then just before she shot her dust round she took a vile of oil and threw it at the elephants feet so that the fire dust just-

"WHOOOSH!" Ruby expressed with a gleeful squeal as she blew air into his face and threw her arms up.

"Yup Kiddo….whoosh. Fire erupted on the Grimm's foot, staggering it so Summer could use the momentum to swing into the air."

"Mamma Flew!?" Ruby cried out with awe. Qrow nodded.

"That's right. That's when your….." His face slummed a bit.

"What's wrong Uncle Qrow?" Ruby asked, concerned.

Qrow decided not to mention her dad, not wanting bad memories of Taiyang at least to come back. That was one thing he was grateful for her amnesia. He could never forgive Tai for laying a hand on her, even if he was delusional.

"Nothing, just old man forgetting crud. Now then, my sister and I used wires held by our blades to keep its tusks mounted to the ground. That way, your mom could aim for the weakspot in the back of the neck." Qrow said as he pointed to the back of his own for emphasis.

"Then what?"

"Then she whooshed! Flew down and slashed straight threw that neck like she were cutting a grilled cheese in half for you and cut that Grimm's head clean off!" Qrow exclaimed.

Ruby was just elated to hear her mom's prowess in such detail her face just beaming.

"That's…so…COOOL!" She squealed, her yell echoing through the mountain, some birds rustling in trees and flying away at that, not the Qrow could blame them.

"When can mommy teach me to do that?" Ruby asked innocently.

Qrow frowned as he felt his heartstrings tug, remembering she lost Summer a year after turning 5. She hadn't remembered her mother's death.

But Qrow wasn't ready to mention it, not again. The pain of doing so

"Eh, what you need mom to teach you? You got your cool Uncle to teach ya. I got this idea for a scythe like mine for you to try too." He said as he puffed his chest and patted it, hoping a weapon would distract her.

It worked to his relief, Ruby was bouncing in her sleeping bag like a bean bag race at the notion.

"YES! I'm getting a scythe!" Ruby squealed, before suddenly giving out a yawn.

"Ready for bed now squirt?" He asked her expectantly with a smirk.

"Awwww, can't I hear one more story pwease? She whined, but Qrow saw her eyelids growing heavy, flickering up and down.

"Tomorrow sweetie, I promise, just like last night." He said.

Despite opening her mouth to protest, Ruby felt the soft fabric of Qrow's sleeping bag becoming more soothing, her eyes and head growing heavy as all she could do was mutter as she fell to her side.

She was so exhausted now, she couldn't even register a pair of soft warm lips on her temple and the ruffling of her hair.

"Goodnight Ruby." Qrow said warmly, before he laid beside her, Harbringer at the ready for guard as we smiled and dozed off himself content.

A few hours later, Qrow's instincts stabbed into his heart with a burning fury as he shot up from his resting position. He knew something was coming for them.

"Oh crap! Grimm again!?" He thought to himself, but he saw nothing in the dark thicket of the forest, no red eyes, no rustling. What he was feeling right now was more sinister, yet familiar. It made him pale.

"No…wait….is this?"

Ruby was startled awake, afraid Grimm might have come again.

"Uncle Qrow?" She asked, but he ignored her, merely shaking his head. To her, that meant he wanted her to be silent, so not to draw attention, but it actually meant something else.

"No…no way. Not now Ray, you can't honestly want something now of all times." He grumbled. He didn't need Raven annoying him, but if she was coming now of all times, it meant one thing. She wanted a bounty on him for Ruby.

But Qrow's small plead was denied as he saw a red portal emerge a yard away from him, his forehead sweating.

He knew his sister was his equal in power…trouble was she knew it too. She wouldn't come alone, and likely would have her goons grab Ruby while he fought her off and make a break for it.

Qrow couldn't let that happen, but before he could turn to yell at Ruby to run and hide so he could handle this, the words died in his throat as he saw someone familiar, but not Raven emerge from the portal.

It was Yang, accompanied by Weiss, Glynda, and Blake. All looking shocked and a bit displeased as they emerged and saw him.

But no one was anticipating the broken voice soon echoing with the wind behind him.

"U-Uncle Qrow?" He turned around, seeing a wide-eyed Ruby shivering as she locked eyes, not on him, but on Yang and Weiss both.

"Why…..why are there 2 Yangs?" She whispered in fright.

Qrow wasn't sure how to answer, he never once thought this scenario could happen. He had been told of Ruby's delusions, but never thought Raven would send Yang and Weiss after him.

Glynda slowly walked up, her hand shivering as she extended it.

"Ruby…sweetie? Are you okay?" Glynda asked warily.

Ruby just bit her lip as she heard that, the voice and look was Summer Rose, her mom, at least for a bit. She kept flickering her image from Summer to some blond woman with glasses and green eyes, not the silver ones like her she cherished.

Ruby screamed as her head began to hurt.

Qrow got in between the two as he brandish Harbringer into Scythe form, not wanting this to go on for long. He was getting Ruby out of here, even if he'd have to beat Glynda, his niece (that thought saddened him immensely despite the inevitably) and her friends into bloody pulps.

"STAY AWAY FROM MY NIECE!" He hollered, rage filling his bloodshot eyes.