98

Chapter 98: Mistakes Were Made

Vale Conference Stadium

Sparring with Raven was… strange.

Neither of them were taking the fight seriously to start, moving with a fraction of their true speed and force, getting a feel for how the other fought. Already Yang could tell that whatever style Raven employed was wholly her own, her movements hard to follow consistently. She caught flashes of styles Qrow and Blake used, even brief movements she'd seen Jaune attempt. Still, Raven flowed from one form to the next, along with numerous unknown styles in between, so seamlessly that it was near impossible to predict her next attack.

On the flip side, it was becoming obvious that Yang had molded herself too much after her father. Raven seemed to know every punch or jab the blonde threw before she even finished her wind-up. The older woman ducked and weaved around Yang's attacks with such little effort, Yang had to keep reminding herself that Raven had two decades more experience than her so as not to fall into frustration.

Though it was disconcerting that Raven could just stop her punches dead with the flat of her blade, a katana she called Omen.

Still, the two found a rhythm with each other rather quickly. The slow-paced back and forth- attack, defend, counterattack- steadily grew faster as the minutes ticked by. Thus far, the bout had remained at the center of the intersection, their grunts of exertion and the clang of metal on metal echoing throughout the empty arena. And as their steps grew quicker and their breathing grew harder, Yang started to find her words.

Yang Xiao-Long Aura: 92%

Raven Branwen Aura: 97%

"So… Branwen Private Defense."

Raven blinked, only just catching Yang's fist with the flat of her blade. "Yes? What about it?"

Yang leapt over Raven's retaliatory leg sweep, backing up a few steps. "What… exactly is me and Ruby's place in it? Like, you're clan leader, so… are we supposed to take over after you or something?"

Raven hummed in understanding. "I'm not going to drop that on you two." Her stance relaxed slightly when Yang made no move to reengage. "Don't get me wrong, I'd be thrilled if one of you wanted to. But that's a hell of an ask to throw at you right out of the blue." She smirked faintly. "Besides, from what I've seen, you two seem locked into a pretty set path."

Yang tilted her head, not sure if she should be insulted. "What does that mean?"

"Well, not only are you and Ruby set to be world-class Huntresses, which would already be a high-paying, life-long career for most people, but you've also made a long-term commitment to the future heads of both the SDC and Menagerie. As far as future endeavors are concerned, you two are spoiled for choice." Her expression fell back to neutrality, but her eyes stayed warm. "Clan Head's there if you want it, but I don't expect anything from you or Ruby as far as having to take it."

Yang's brow rose a bit, a little stunned. "And… what happens if we don't?"

Raven shrugged. "Unless someone challenges for the position, Clan Head passes to my second-in-command. That'd be Vernal, the way things are shaping up."

Yang frowned a little. "And… you're okay with that?"

"Vernal's got a good head on her shoulders. Takes no shit, stands her ground, but is willing to listen to the rest of the clan when they got something to say. She'll do right by them if something happens to me." Raven's eyes narrowed slightly when Yang still looked troubled. "What are you trying to ask, Yang?"

Yang hesitated, flexing her fingers. "Just… Vernal." At Raven's perplexed blink, she elaborated. "You've said a couple of times that being clan makes you family. So… if she's close enough to take over from you, I was just wondering what she is to you."

Raven's eyes stayed suspicious at Yang's awkward tone, even as she mulled over her answer. "If I had to slap a label on her, I'd say she's something of a little sister."

Yang blinked her brow shooting high. "Sister?"

Raven's suspicion turned to confusion at Yang's surprise. "Yes… why? What did you think she'd be?"

Yang's eyes widened briefly. "Nothing!" she said quickly. At Raven's flat look, she surged onward with, "So, does that mean I should start calling her 'Aunt Vernal?'"

The sudden shift startled Raven from her analyzing. A thought flitted through her mind, forcing a snort from her. "Honestly?" she said, smirking. "I want to say yes just to see the look on her face."

Yang mirrored her grin. "Got it." With little preamble she brought her fists up and charged, Raven deftly catching the blow on her arm guards.

Yang Xiao-Long Aura: 84%

Raven Branwen Aura: 90%

"Do we have a godmother?"

Raven ducked Yang's left jab, taking a half-hearted swipe with Omen to make Yang step back. "No, unfortunately. Summer and I didn't have any female family, or close friends that we trusted enough for that. So we settled for giving you girls a slew of godfathers."

Yang quirked a brow. "You mean other than Dad? Who?"

"Qrow and Roman."

An odd choking sound escaped Yang's mouth. "Wait, Roman? Qrow I get, but… Roman?"

Raven chuckled at her incredulousness. "This was pre-uber-criminal-Roman, remember? Back then he was just 'Summer's-bratty-little-brother'-Roman. He was last in line, only meant to step in if something happened to Tai and Qrow, but he would have stepped up if he'd had to."

Yang still looked dubious. "You're telling me that there was a chance me and Ruby would have been raised by Roman… post-uber-criminal?"

Raven snorted. "I'd have killed him for it, but, yeah, it was possible."

An odd look crossed Yang's face. Then she shook her head, a smirk crossing her face. "Wonder how we would have turned out like that."

Raven matched her smirk. "You've met Neo, right?"

Yang laughed loudly. "Oh, all the kingdoms would have burned down!"

"Heh… probably."

Yang Xiao-Long Aura: 81%

Raven Branwen Aura: 87%

"What's my last name?"

Raven's head shot up, breathing heavily. An attempted high kick from her had been stopped by Yang blocking with her crossed arms. The super-strength-fueled shove sent the ravenette flying upwards, back-flipping into a kneeling position on top of a parked semi-truck. Yang stared up at her, panting harshly as she waited for an answer.

After a moment, Raven let out a tired sigh. "Was wondering if you'd ask that. When did you realize?"

Yang took a slow breath to calm down. "A couple days after you told us about you and Summer, and I really started to think about everything. Dad may be my donor, but that doesn't seem enough for me to share his name if I wasn't his kid from the start." She crossed her arms, looking down. "I figure you all changed my name to distance me and you even more."

Raven let out a sad huff. "Got it in one. Qrow already drew trouble from having the same name as me. We figured changing yours would help sell me leaving from the few who knew beforehand, and stop anyone new from sniffing around."

Yang tensed, before wilting where she stood. "Then I did have your last name."

Raven frowned at Yang's lowering mood. "Yes… and no."

At that, Yang's head snapped up, baffled. "The hell does that mean?"

Raven sighed, sitting down on the edge of the trailer. "When Summer and I got together, we went round and round on who would take who's name. We eventually settled on-"

"W-Wait!" Yang stammered, throwing up a hand, stunned. "You and Summer were married?"

Raven's flat look returned. "No need to sound that shocked."

"But… but…" Yang struggled for a moment. "Ruby and I went through some of those albums you brought us… we didn't see a wedding picture!"

"Because we didn't have a ceremony," Raven stated bluntly. "The SDC was only accepting married couples for IVF, and we cared more about starting a family than gathering what few friends we had in a little white church. So we went to a courthouse, filled out some paperwork, and thanks to bureaucratic magic-" She snapped her fingers, rolling her eyes. "We were declared the Mrs. Rose-Branwen and finally allowed to have children."

Yang looked up at her with something of an awed look. "Then… then I… and Ruby, too, we…"

"Were born Yang Rose-Branwen and Ruby Rose-Branwen." Raven tsked under her breath. "When everything went down, Summer asked Ozpin to do some of his own bureaucratic magic. He buried our marriage certificate and changed all our names off the record." She frowned to herself. "Never did figure out how she got him to do that for her."

Yang just stared at her mother for a few moments, then looked down at nothing, "Yang Rose-Branwen…" Her lips twisted into an odd expression, like the words tasted strange on her tongue. "It's… not awful…"

"Yang…" Raven sighed, her tone softening. She slid off the trailer roof, her boots clicking on the pavement as she landed. "Don't try to force it. You've been Yang Xiao-Long for as long as you remember. I took your name away once. I'm not going to do it again."

Yang stared at the ground. Her shoulders rose as she breathed heavily. "Didn't stop you before," she muttered.

Raven's brow pinched slightly. She started to lift a hand towards the blonde. "Yang…"

Yang stepped back quickly out of reach. "Can… can we just start fighting again?" she asked quickly, already sinking into her stance.

"...okay."

Yang Xiao-Long Aura: 74%

Raven Branwen Aura: 82%

"Why didn't you take us with you?"

Raven paused midstep, aborting the beginning of her planned jumping slash. The fight had moved up the street, under the awning of a mock-up gas station (the out-of-date sign in front showing a price that made her wallet ache). Yang leaned against the hood of an old truck parked at one of the pumps, nursing her side after a high kick from Raven knocked her into it. The sudden ceasefire made Raven aware of how hard she was breathing, having to slow it down to respond. This gave her time to puzzle out what Yang was asking. "You mean… after the bomb? Why didn't I take you to the clan?"

Yang nodded, straightening up after getting her breath back. "Me, Ruby… Summer…" She shook her head slightly, clearing it. "Hell, all of us. If you thought we were in danger with you living in Patch, why not just pick up and move everyone to Mistral? Safety in numbers, and all that."

Raven stared at her… then started chuckling.

Yang's face darkened. "Something funny?"

Raven waved off her growing ire. "No, just… that's the exact same argument I tried to make with Summer."

Yang's anger fizzled, replaced with bafflement. "Excuse me?"

Raven shook her head lightly. "When I realized the cult was starting to target my family, my first thought was to move us all into the clan. My argument lasted all of ten seconds before my whole team shot me down hard."

"... even Summer?" Yang asked after a moment.

"Especially Summer." Raven snorted loudly. Seeing Yang's mounting confusion, she explained. "You have to remember, the clan today is not the same clan that it was back then. I've turned it into something respectable over the years, but back then it was nothing more than a bandit clan; a band of thugs that bled the land dry and razed villages for fun." She gave Yang a significant look. "And that thought the best way to discipline children was at the end of a switch."

"...oh," Yang slumped a bit, looking chagrined. "So… not the best place to raise kids."

Raven shook her head. "Not in the slightest. And Summer knew it. She'd heard how me and Qrow grew up, and she wasn't putting you and Ruby anywhere near that environment. Smacked me upside the head for even suggesting it. Hell, Qrow damn near shot me."

Yang pulled back in shock. "That doesn't sound like Summer."

A wry grin came over Raven's face. "Only because you and Ruby were her baby girls." She sighed wistfully. "Summer was just about the most passionate person you could know. It made her the world's biggest sweetheart on a good day… but one hell of a hot-head on a bad one." After a moment, the grin slipped from her face, the mirth in her eyes fading. "And that was a very bad day."

Yang took a moment to absorb this, frowning slightly. "Wait… Then if you knew the clan was that awful, why did you even consider taking us there?"

Raven just shrugged, a little helplessly. "I was panicking. Our home was… a haven for us. And someone just tried to kill my daughters in it, damn near succeded. I had no idea when they'd try again, or how, and that terrified me. Going to the clan was the first thing that popped into my head." She looked to the ground, anger sparking in her eyes. "And when you're afraid, truly afraid, sometimes you'll latch onto that first idea like a lifeline, because even if it's a truly stupid thing to do, at least you're doing something… even if that thing burns you in the end."

"...yeah, no kidding."

"..."

"..."

"...want to keep going?"

"...sure."

Yang Xiao-Long Aura: 61%

Raven Branwen Aura: 77%

"Why can't you just portal to Summer?"

Raven froze. Considering she and Yang were fighting in close quarters on the roof of the drugstore, this was a bad idea.

Yang's fist connected with Raven's temple, her mother's head snapping to the side with enough force to make her stagger. Yang's eyes blew wide. She'd been wracking her brain for something to ask other than The Question and the words had just tumbled from her mouth before she'd even realized she'd thought them.

After a moment, Raven slowly turned back to her, her eyes hidden by her bangs. Though Yang felt a flicker of remorse as a drop of blood trailed down the side of Raven's cheek, dripping down her chin to the concrete, it was pushed away in favor of frustration when Raven stayed silent.

"Well?" Yang asked acusingly, doubling down. "You said you'd answer anything, and that one's been burning at me and Ruby for weeks! In all this time, why haven't you just portaled right to her? Hell, as soon as she was missing, why didn't you-"

"To use my Semblance-"

Yang's mouth clicked shut so fast she almost bit her tongue. Raven's tone was hard, cold… and empty. Yang's righteous fury fizzled the more her mother spoke,

"-I have to tear a piece of my aura apart from the whole and implant it into someone else. It's a painful process, but once it's done, my aura fuses with theirs, and I can use that aura as an anchor. After that…" She lifts her head and taps a spot on her head, above her forehead and to the right. "I can feel them."

Yang's eyes blew wide. "'Feel'? Like…" Her hand slowly came up to her Mate's Mark.

But Raven shook her head. "Not like Faunus Mate's can. I can't feel anyone's emotions, but I can feel that that sliver of aura within them is out there somewhere. I'm always aware of it, of them, like a… a thread connecting us. And all I have to do is reach for one of those threads, and when I make a portal, the other end appears within thirty feet of them."

Yang nodded slowly, her eyes ever widening. "So… so you can still feel…?"

Raven nodded rapidly, lifting her head so Yang could finally see her eyes, wide and wild. "Yes! I can still feel every bond I've ever made. I can feel Qrow, Tai, Roman; I didn't even need to make a bond with you and Ruby, it was already there…" She paused to get her breath back, breathing rapidly until she visibly calmed down. To Yang's shock, there was dampness forming in Raven's eyes. "...and Summer," she breathed out, wonder in her voice. "I can still feel Summer." She tapped that same spot on the side of her head. "Right here."

The world ripped out from under Yang's feet, her heart thudding painfully against her chest. "Summer's alive?" she murmured, barely a breath. Her face screwed up, confusion, hope… and horror warring within her. " "But… but how could she… where did she… wh-why wouldn't she…"

Yang stopped. She snapped her mouth shut, her teeth grinding. She stamped down her thoughts, every thought that threatened to flood her mind, forcing herself to focus on her original question, the one that made even less sense now than ever. "If Summer's alive… if you know she's alive… why haven't you portaled to her all this time?"

Raven's smile froze on her face. A melancholy look spread over her, her lips pulling into a frown. "Because even though my bond with Summer is there, it's… weak." Her lips twisted into a light scowl, the words bitter on her tongue. "To go back to the thread analogy, it's… frayed. So, whenever I try to reach for her…" Raven trailed off, hesitating. She gave Yang a long, searching look, then gave a weary sigh, sheathing her blade. She lifted her hand to the right, and the scent of ozone filled the air.

Crimson, rumbling clouds appeared at Raven's fingertips. Despite herself, Yang felt a surge of desperate hope rush through her at the sight… which was dashed almost instantly. Seconds after forming, the rolling clouds started to swirl. The faint streaks of electricity that coursed through them became larger and more frequent, crackling flashes within creating twisted shadows on the ground. Yang's hair stood on end as the swirling and flashing increased. This was no formless mass of clouds. It was a vortex, a miniature hurricane, complete with a building wind that began to kick up dust from the stadium floor.

Raven stared into the thrashing storm with tired apprehension. Then her brow furrowed in determination, and she thrust her left arm into the portal.

Without warning, a bolt of black lightning shot from the depths of the portal, blowing Raven's arm back. Raven grasped her arm against her chest, a high shout torn out from her as the portal warbled. With a great howl, both of wind and something almost bestial in sound, the portal collapsed in on itself in a roll of thunder.

Yang breathed shallowly in the aftermath, staring at the scorch marks left in the portal's wake.

"Damn."

Yang's eyes were torn from the spot by Raven's quiet curse, sounding more tired than anything. She watched as Raven pulled her arm away from her chest, eyes widening at the smoke trailing from it. Raven seemed unsurprised, pulling off her bracer, undoing the black wrappings underneath-

Yang inhaled sharply.

Starting from Raven's palm and the back of her hand, pale spider web-like lines ran up her forearm. The scars ran over the top of each other, some faded with time, others standing out stark and fresh. They all shared the same wild, random pattern of streaking lightning.

Same as the shining scorched skin smoking on top of all the others.

Raven eyed the new burn, looking… disappointed. She reached into her back pocket, producing a small container of some type of ointment. "Something's keeping me from reaching her," she said as she applied a generous spread of the paste over the burn. "I don't know what, or why. But when I find out…" She trailed off, letting the dark implication settle as she rewrapped her arm.

Yang could only watch mutely, her mouth dry. That… certainly answered her question… but it raised a new one, one she desperately didn't want to ask… but she needed to know. "Can I ask a question?" she murmured.

Raven glanced up from her wrapping briefly. "Of course."

"Has anyone you've bonded to died before?"

Raven paused. Her jaw clenched tight, and she pointedly did not look at Yang. "No," she admitted tersely.

Yang swallowed down the lump in her throat. "Then… how do you know that weak feeling is Summer being blocked… and not your Semblence telling you she's… gone?"

A pregnant silence filled the air. Raven finally looked up and… Yang wasn't sure what to call the look in her eye. Desperate, maybe. Furious?

…heartbroken?

Whatever it was, Raven didn't answer. She looked back down at her arm, finishing her wrappings and slipping her bracer on. She said nothing.

She said everything.

Weight slammed down on Yang's shoulders. She bowed her head, eyes clenching painfully shut. Her hands balled tight, the leather of her gauntlets creaking as her fists shook. Her voice was barely a whisper as she said, "You don't know."

Raven stayed silent, securing the straps on her bracer.

"You… you don't…" Yang's breathing grew heavy, her frame started to tremble. "You… she's not… YOU CAN'T DO THAT!"

Raven jumped at Yang's sudden yell. Her head snapped up, only to flinch back at the wild red eyes blazing at her.

"You can't do that!" Yang repeated, pointing accusingly at Raven as her body shook. "You can't just waltz back into my life and tell me Summer's still alive, just to rip it away like that!"

Shock crossed Raven's face, quickly followed by concern. "That's not-"

"SHUT UP!" Yang cut her off, her hair bursting into flame. "You don't know! You've got no idea if she's alive! You've got a vague Feeling from a power you don't understand! She's gone and you don't want to admit it!"

"That's not true!" Raven fired back, her own eyes starting to glow faintly. "She's alive! I know it!"

"You don't know anything!" Yang snarled. "I accepted she was gone years ago! If she was alive, she'd have come home by now! You've got no right to barge back into my life and try to make me think differently after all this time!"

"She-"

"She's dead!" Yang shrieked. "She's gone! She has to be!"

"She- what?!" Raven spluttered, fighting to find words as her anger built. Her eyes bright, she yelled back, "What are you saying?! Do you want Summer to be dead?!"

"YES! Because at least if she died, she didn't abandon us like you did!"

Raven reared back like she'd been slapped, stricken as the glow in her eyes vanished. Yang's eyes shot wide, visibly stunned by her own words. Her jaw wobbled like she was trying to form words with no thought or breath behind them. Her expression finally collapsed as she buried her head in her hands, fingers digging painfully into her burning hair, shoulders shaking.

Time passed. Seconds, minutes, hours? Neither knew as silence filled the empty arena, broken only by the faint clicking of the stoplight flickering down the street.

Raven took a tentative breath, her whole body shuddering as she did. She swallowed, trying and failing to keep the distressed look off her face. "Yang," she started softly, lifting a hand towards Yang's. Her fingers just grazed the back of Yang's hand. "I-"

Quick as a viper, a petal-trailing fist slammed into Raven's cheek.

"DON'T TOUCH ME!"

The unexpected blow sent Raven sprawling across the pavement. Experience had her rolling with the motion, landing at a kneel with little thought at the edge of the building.

Above her, one of the large stadium monitors flashed red, the bar representing her aura dropping.

Raven Branwen's Aura: 73%

Raven blinked through the pain, looking up at her daughter. Yang stayed slightly hunched, eyes blazing as brightly as her flaming hair, heat wafting off her shoulders. When Yang's eyes fell on Raven, they held so much pain and vitriol that Raven went cold.

"Stop acting like you care!" Yang raged. She took a forceful step forward, and Raven found herself shrinking back. "It's been thirteen years! Thirteen years you were gone, and you expect me to think you care now?"

Raven's voice was shocked as she tried to rally. "Y-Yang, I-"

"Why didn't you come back?"

The sudden calmness in Yang's voice brought Raven up short, more so seeing the clear fury burning in the blonde's eyes. "Wha… what?" she asked stiltedly, her thoughts jumbled.

Yang didn't so much as twitch. "When Summer disappeared. When we were motherless. Why didn't you come back?"

Raven took a moment to collect herself. Her shoulders squared, her back straightening. She took a deep breath…

…and let it out as a defeated sigh. Her shoulders slumped, her head bowed. "I was out looking for her. The second I knew my portals couldn't reach her, I started darting around the kingdoms for any sign of her. I considered coming back, I really did, but…" Raven shrugged helplessly. "You didn't know about me, and were missing her terribly. Me showing up out of the blue… I didn't want to make things worse."

"And after?" Yang spat out, unrelenting. "When we'd accepted she was gone? All the years after? After I did know about you? What about then?"

Raven swallowed, keeping eye contact with Yang. "By then… you and Ruby were growing up so fast… you were happy. You were safe… It didn't look like you needed a mother anymore."

"...didn't need…" Yang's voice trailed off. Her eye twitched. "You thought…"

The sudden flare of Yang's hair was Raven's only warning. Panic had her hand flying toward her hip, drawing not just Omen but the whole scabbard to block the high-speed punch aimed at her head. The blow sent her skidding back, rolling off the drugstore roof to land roughly on the street, steam wafting from her scabbard as Yang screamed.

"YOU COULD HAVE FIXED EVERYTHING!"

Raven darted back as Yang jumped down after her, her fist smashing a small crater in the pavement. Yang charged after her, the girl's ferocity putting Raven on the backfoot as Yang rained down blows with every word.

"You thought we were happy?!" "That we were just fine after Summer left?! Are you blind?!"

Sweat started to appear on Raven's brow, both from exertion and the heat Yang put off as she was pushed further down the street. "You both-" she tried speaking in between blocks, with mixed success. "You always- seemed fine- when I saw you-"

Yang scoffed. "On a good day, maybe!" Wham! "From your damned birds-eye view!" Wham! "But you weren't there for the bad ones!" Wham! "For all those nights-" Wham! "-when the doubts rolled in!"

"Doubts? What-?" In her distracted state, Raven missed Yang's feigned right hook followed by a sudden uppercut.

Raven Branwen's Aura: 70%

Her scabbard was sent flying out of her hand, and Yang fired off her next haymaker with no hesitation. A portal appeared at Raven's feet, the Huntress falling away as Yang's fist screamed over her head. Raven reappeared just short of the stoplight, catching her sailing scabbard midair and landing in a crouch.

She watched Yang stumble from the overextension, looking around wildly for her missing target. Before Yang's eyes landed on her, Raven spoke up, standing. "What doubts, Yang?"

Yang whirled around, the sudden distance bringing her up short. She let out a wordless growl. "About you! About Summer!" She pounded her fists against her chest desperately. "About us!"

Raven's facade fell further, unable to keep the dread and confusion off her face. "Yang, I… I don't understand.."

A feral bark of humorous laughter burst from Yang's lips. "Of course, you don't! Well, let me lay out what's been stuck in our minds for the last twelve years. Bear in mind!" Yang threw up three fingers, concrete crunching underfoot as she took a step forward. "-three things! Neither me or Ruby remembered you-"

She took another step. More crunching concrete.

"Summer vanished out of the blue with no explanation-"

Step. Crunch.

"And not too long after, I found that damn picture of you and me, and outside of admitting that you were my mother and, y'know, existed, Dad and Qrow refused to tell us a damn thing about you."

Step. Crunch.

"So! Summer's gone, you exist, we have a million questions and zero answers. So… me and Rubes made our own."

Yang was only a few paces away from Raven now. The older woman could feel the heat pouring off Yang at this point. Not that she noticed.

Not with the storm of horror and dismay raining down on her.

Yang scowled at the growing distress on Raven's face. "Yeah. They weren't pretty. Ruby's not even two years younger than me. As far as we knew, Dad was with you, then suddenly with Summer and had an extra daughter. And no one would talk about you." She let out a breath that might have been a laugh, if not for the look on her face. "Doesn't leave a lot of options, does it?"

After a moment trying to deny it, Raven's eyes slid shut, brow pinching as she hung her head. "You thought Tai cheated on me with Summer… didn't you?"

Yang let out another not-laugh. "Makes a stupid amount of sense, doesn't it? You and Dad hook up, have me, then he hooks up with Summer. She gets pregnant, you get pissed and bail. And then…" She trailed off, swallowing a lump in her throat as her voice softened. "Then Summer gets sick of raising another woman's child and bails too."

Raven's head snapped up, horrified. "Summer would never-"

"WELL, I DIDN'T KNOW THAT, DID I!?"

With a roar, Yang flew forward. Raven drew her blade, catching the blow on the hilt, wincing from heat ghosting her knuckles.

"I didn't know you and Summer were together!"

Wham! "

"I didn't know you actually gave a damn!"

Wham!

"All I knew was what I put together myself!"

Wham!

"That Dad was a cheater!"

Wham!

"That Mom was a homewrecker!"

Wham!

"That you cared more about being pissed at them-"

Wham!

"Than caring for me!"

Wham!

"That Ruby was the reason you left!"

"...what?"

Raven's irises shrunk to pinpricks as she blocked Yang's next blow, her jaw hanging open, visibly aghast.

Seeing such naked horror on Raven's face brought Yang to a halt. When she realized what she'd just said, she looked chagrined, almost frightened… then her expression went blank. The corner of her gauntlet rested on the hilt of Raven's katana, and she lowered her head, bangs hiding her eyes.

They stood in the center of the road, the intermittent blinking of the stoplight flashing over them as they just… froze. Yang silent, Raven… waiting.

"...when I was eleven," Yang started, her voice rough and… just dead. "I blew up at Dad. I don't even remember what set me off, I just… started screaming. Dumping all this on him. You, Summer, just… everything. He didn't even deny anything, he just… took it.

"Then…" Yang's voice shook, a shudder shaking her frame. "Ruby came in, trying to calm me down… and I started screaming at her instead." Emotion returned to her voice, if only as a faint despondent rattle. "I told her to shut up. That it was all her fault to begin with. 'Why do you even care?'" she quoted tonelessly. "'You're the reason she left. You're…" Yang's voice broke as she forced herself to finish. "'You're not even my real sister.'"

By this point, Raven was shaking her head in denial, her mouth working soundlessly, uselessly trying to form a response as Yang went on.

"I regretted it the moment the words left my mouth. It took me days to get Ruby to talk to me. To convince her that I didn't mean it. That I still loved her. It was weeks before I could make her smile again." Yang took a shuddering breath. "She says she forgives me." A wet laugh bursts from her lips, dying quickly. "Knowing her, she probably means it."

Yang swallowed hard. "But I'm always going to have Ruby's face from that day burned into the back of my mind. I am never going to forget the look she gave me, when I looked my baby sister in the eye… the one person, the only person I knew I could count on… and said I wished she'd never been born."

Silence reigned. Raven, lost and reeling, searched Yang's face for something, any sort of sign for what to say. But with the blonde's hair hiding her eyes, she was at a loss. She finally tried to speak, barely forming a soft, "Yang-"

-only to catch a flaming fist to the gut for her troubles.

Raven Branwen's Aura: 69%

Raven gasped from the sucker-punch, her vision filled with the blazing fury in Yang's wet eyes as the blond raged.

"And you have the gall-"

Raven barely got her blade up to block the follow-up blow.

"To come back after thirteen years-"

Another gut punch, caught by her elbow-

"And say it was all for our safety?!"

"Yang-gah!" A blow lands right across her jaw.

Raven Branwen's Aura: 65%

"Like that makes it better?!"

A blow blocked on the katana's hilt, but caught Raven's fingers.

Aura: 63%

"Like that fixes anything?!"

Clang!

"Like I'm just supposed to forget all the crap I believed?!"

Aura: 57%

"What I thought about my parents?!"

53%

"How I treated my sister?!"

48%

"All the night's laying awake-"

42%

"Wondering what was wrong with me-"

36%

"To make both my mothers leave?!"

"Ya… Yang…"

"You think the truth-"

31%

"Makes it all better?!"

25%

"You think you know me?!"

19%

"You don't-"

14%

"Know me-"

9%

"AT ALL!"

Shrriiing!

Yang blinked. She was gasping for air, blood rushing in her ears. Golden rose petals swirled around her, slowly drifting and settling to the ground. A golden glow to her right drew her gaze.

From the base of her elbow, a yellow glyph spun wildly. From the glyph, the rest of her arm was encased in a limb of translucent golden light. The limb was bulky, twice as long as her normal arm and seemingly made of metal, pale violet light glowing from between the armored plates. Yang moved the limb as easily as her own, turning it over to see the palm of a thick-fingered hand. When she flexed her fingers, the metal digits moved in turn.

She took no notice of the blue snowflake of her Mark shining.

"What the-?"

As soon as the words left her mouth, the sound of shattering glass filled the air, and the golden arm splintered away into a thousand dissolving shards, taking the glyph with it. Yang stared in confusion at her arm, her hair and eyes fading back to normal as she struggled to understand what in the hell just-

… drip…

Yang froze.

… drip… drip… drip…

She felt something wet running down her fingertips. She watched as a small bead of red dripped from her pinky finger, joining a growing number of tiny dots at her feet. She turned her hand over, finding the knuckles of her gloves stained crimson.

Her gaze traveled to the other hand, it too having a splotchy collage of red already seeping between her fingers. A glint of light drew her eyes up slightly. Omen lay several feet away, teetering back and forth as it settled on the pavement, the stadium lights flickering across the blade.

Yang stared at the fallen blade uncomprehendingly. Then her eyes blew wide, her irises shrinking. Her head snapped up with a gasp.

Up the road, the semi-truck from earlier sat in ruin. Its front-end had completely caved in, the engine block forced under the cab. At the center of the crumpled grill lay Raven, slumped over to one side against the twisted metal. Blood flowed freely down her face, her nose swelled and lips busted. Crimson streaked through her hair like a mockery of Ruby's red tips, dripping onto Raven's battle attire, the armor and layered cloth shredded in some places, burned in others.

Yang watched as her mother… layed there.

Unmoving.

Unbreathing.

"No." Yang tipped forward, stumbling as her legs felt like jelly. Her knees crashed to the pavement as she forced herself up and forward, her boots scrabbling against the ground until they found purchase. Her vision wavered as she ran forward on wobbly legs, all the while babbling a constant stream of, "No, no, no, please, gods, no."

She collapsed just short of the bloodied woman. "Raven? Raven, wake up." She crawled forward on her knees, rambling as she reached for her mother. "Please wake up. I didn't mean it, I'm sorry, just, please, wake-"

The moment Yang's hand touched Raven's shoulder, her eyes flew open. The Huntress shot forward, gasping like a woman possessed. Yang jumped back in fright as Raven flailed wildly, falling to her other side, her chest convulsing as she caught herself with both hands. With a sickening squelch, she retched up a stream of blood and bile, with distressingly more of the former than the latter. She tried to suck in air, only to produce a wet gurgle followed by more crimson.

"Shit!" Yang exclaimed, panicking as Raven just kept throwing up more and more blood. "Oh, gods, what do I do, what do I do?" She could Feel her team at the back of her mind, their Worry and Concern starting to evolve into outright Fear as she spiraled. Feeling them did let an idea get through her panic-fueled haze, and she started frantically searching her pockets for her scroll.

"No!"

Just as she'd started to pull her scroll from her pocket, Yang nearly leaped out of her skin when Raven's clammy hand latched around her wrist. Startled lavender met pained crimson, Raven's eye peeking through blood-drenched bangs stopping Yang dead.

"B-But…" Yang stammered. "You-"

In answer, Raven released Yang's wrist and drew a trembling hand through the air in a sharp gesture. A surprisingly small portal appeared a few feet away from them. There was a sickening popping sound from within it, and Yang watched in morbid fascination as blood started raining from it, first in big blobs, then small rivulets.

The instant blood fell from the portal, Raven gasped in a desperate breath. A coughing fit wracked her body immediately after, her lips and chin covered in viscous red, but she soon found a rhythm of deep, relieved breaths. As Yang tore her gaze from the bloody portal, she noticed that with every breath out, small wisps of sparking red vapor drifted from Raven's mouth.

"D-Did… did you make a portal inside yourself?"

Raven gave a weak nod, propping herself up on one hand, and pressing the other against her chest as her breathing evened out.

"... that's… kind of badass," Yang numbly admitted.

Raven gave a pained huff that was almost a laugh, which dissolved into a coughing fit.

A red flashing above them startled Yang into looking up. On the working screens ringing the stadium, the headshots of her and her mother were grayed out, a banner cutting the screen in half saying: "MATCH ENDED. YANG XIAO-LONG DISQUALIFIED." Her aura had dropped to around 20%, while Raven was at 5%-

4%

Yang blinked.

3%

"Oh no." Her head snapped down to Raven, still on her hands and knees as she continued to cough up red spittle. Yang's panic started to flood back. "I… I got to get you to a hospital or-"

"Just… give me… a second…" Raven rasped out, eyes clenched as she focused. "Almost… done…"

"Done? Done with wha-?"

2%

Raven sucked in a deep clear breath. Then she took another, and another, until she let out a long, relieved sigh. She pushed herself up, falling back to sit properly as she held her side. The tiny, now-bloodless portal faded away. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, brushing the hair out of her face. "I hate doing that," she muttered under her breath.

Yang gaped at the deep bruises covering Raven's face, the gash across her forehead that was slowly closing, making her tilt her head to the side to keep the blood out of her eyes. "D-Doing what?" she asked faintly.

Raven looked over at her, hesitant and unsure. She took another slow breath, moving the hand on her ribs slightly. "Focusing my aura in one place to heal faster. Internal stuff takes more effort."

"W-Wha-" Yang stammered. "Wha-What did I… was it your stomach, or…?"

"Amongst other things," Raven admitted softly. She took in Yang's horrified stare, eyes drifting down her blood-stained knuckles. She closed her eyes, just breathing heavily. When she opened them, she gave Yang a despondent smile. "You really hate me… don't you?"

Yang sucked in a harsh breath. "No, I-" Her breath caught, staring at her mother's pale, bloodied face. She stared down at her trembling hands, looking utterly lost. "I-I didn't… I don't…" Her hands finally dropped, her whole body slumping in defeat. "I don't know."

Raven watched as Yang started to spiral. With a tired breath, she looked around for her katana. Omen sat several yards away, its metal scorched in some places. Raven waved her hand weakly, only producing a few wisps from her fingertips. With a frustrated grunt, she focused and tried again. The blade was enveloped in a small mass of clouds, its hilt dropping into her hand. "Well…" Raven said tiredly. "Give me a minute to get my breath back… and maybe you can figure it out."

Yang looked up sharply, eyes bulging when she saw the katana back in Raven's hand. "I… I'm not fighting you anymore! I almost-!" A lump formed in her throat, choking her up as a distant look overtook her. "I almost killed you," she muttered emptily.

Raven breathed out, too weak to scoff. "You weren't going to kill me."

Yang let out a disbelieving, self-deprecating laugh. "Are you joking? Look at yourself! How can you say-?"

"You're a good person, Yang," Raven assured, her tone firm. "No matter how pissed you got… you wouldn't kill." She grunted as she shifted, the corner of her lips lifting briefly. "Hurt, maybe…"

Yang shook her head, frowning deeply. "I… I don't want to hurt you, either."

"... then what do you want?"

Yang blinked. "What…?"

But Raven wasn't looking at her, staring blankly up at the black sky above, the shattered moon the only thing visible. "I thought I did the right thing," she said plainly. "I just wanted to keep you safe, the both of you. I thought that was enough." She barked a sad laugh. "Instead I… I just fucked everything up… didn't I?"

She turned to Yang, and the blonde was shocked to see wetness forming in the corner of Raven's eyes, a desperate gleam shining in them.

"So what do I do?" Raven swallowed. "How… how can I fix this? Just name it, and I'll do it. Whatever you want, just… how do I fix this?"

Yang stared. Her eyes darted back and forth, a million thoughts springing forth and shooting down just as fast. Her vision started to blur as she realized… as she accepted…

Tears threatened at the corner of her eyes as she bowed her head, wrapping her arms around herself. Her voice was low and soft as she admitted, "...I don't think you can."

Raven… crumbled. She blinked in disbelief, her mouth opening to speak… but nothing came out. She and Yang stared at each other, neither knowing what to say. Then… Yang's breath shuddered.

"Great…" she muttered, choking on a humorless laugh. "Just great. I spend my whole life wanting to meet you… just to kick the crap out of you and…" She cut off with another choked laugh, and tears started trailing down her face. "Why can't I get things right just once?"

Raven watched as Yang's breathing grew heavier, more tears falling. She looked down thoughtfully, worrying her bottom lip. She let Omen slip from her grasp, the blade gently clattering to the ground. Hesitantly, with what little strength she had, she pushed herself up.

Yang's tears kept falling, her hard breathing threatening to become full-on sobs. She could Feel the others reaching out to her, trying to ask what was wrong to cause her so much Sorrow and Defeat, but she couldn't bring herself to reach back, lost in her own head. Playing back her every action since showing up here, every rage-filled word she spouted, every-

Thin, trembling arms wrapped around her, pulling her into a tight embrace. Yang's mind short-circuited at having her face pressed into a dry shoulder, black hair filling her vision. "What…" she breathed, confused. "What are-"

"I'm sorry."

Yang's breath hitched.

Raven, feeling Yang freeze in her arms, held her closer. "You're right. I should have come back. I shouldn't have left in the first place, I… I don't know, I should have done anything other than leave." She struggled for words, forcing them out the moment they came to mind. "I never wanted to hurt you like this. That was the last thing… I thought I…"

Her breath caught, a blink sending tears sliding down her blood-stained cheeks. "I'm sorry, Yang. I know it doesn't fix a damn thing, but… I'm sorry." She buried her face in Yang's blonde hair, taking a rattling breath. "I'm so sorry."

Yang's eyes stayed wide, breathing heavily as she felt Raven's chest tremble, the tears landing in her hair. Her mind was strangely blank, only just aware that her mother was holding her so…

…

Her mother was holding her.

Her mother was…

She was…

She…

Yang hiccupped. One of her arms unwound from herself, going around Raven's back, her fingers clutching at the battle attire's cloth. Her breaths grew deeper, heavier, desperate. She buried her face in her mother's shoulder and cried.

Raven held her tightly. She listened to Yang's cries, felt every body-shaking sob. She looked up at the dark sky, letting her own tears fall, and let thirteen years of mistakes wash over her.

"I'm sorry."

Across the city, in a quiet corner of a moonlit park, three girls huddled together on an old bench overlooking a calm lake. Other people walked passed on an evening stroll, couples enjoying the peaceful ambience, a respite from the hustle and bustle of the city around them. But the three paid them no mind.

Weiss gave Blake a helpless look as she rubbed Ruby's back, not knowing what to do. Blake could only shake her head, holding Ruby's hand and purring softly in an attempt to help. Ruby herself just kept staring across the lake in silence, looking at nothing.

Tears streamed down the three's faces, through no choice of their own. All they could do was weather the storm that was Yang's emotions, Feeling her Sorrow, Anger, Regret…

Relief.

Betaed by Covert Weapon

A/n: Just what everyone wanted for Thanksgiving weekend! Family drama!

…

I swear I didn't plan this.

This one… hurt. Not, like, it was hard to write… well, it was hard to write. There was a lot of writing, pausing, taking a break when it got too much, repeat on this one. But storywise, this one just… I don't know, it just wanted to happen. And I'm proud of it.

It's probably a bit cliche and overemotional, but… I don't care. For all the emotional ups and downs in it, this was weirdly one of the more fun chapters to write. I had the scene from Yashahime where Inuyasha meets his daughter Moroha in the back of my head during some parts so that might have had something to do with it.

Don't worry, it's not all doom and gloom moving forward. It'll get better. Then it'll get worse… then better again! That's… just what you're stuck with when I'm the writer.

I hope everyone's doing okay out there. See ya at the next one!