A/N: Just a quick 10-minute attempt at something a bit more serious, and testing out a bit of head-canon for Raven's personality.

Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY, Rooster Teeth do.

The courtyard was different.

That was the first thought running through Yang Xiao Long's mind as she paced cautiously along what should have been a familiar pathway, yet somehow felt as though she had never tread upon it in her life.

She walked toward the fountain. The figure she had seen through blurry eyes on the train was all too clear now; standing in front of the fountain, looking every bit as grim and foreboding as the statues did heroic.

She watched the red-clad woman for a moment. "Who are you?" She finally asked.

In response, the woman pulled off the Grimm-esque mask covering her face - a face Yang had seen before. In the most important photograph she had ever laid eyes upon.

"Yang," the woman began, "We have a lot to talk about."

Yang stared in shock. "You..."

"Really," her mother chided, "Is that any way to speak to your parent? Taiyang obviously failed to teach you manners. A fact that does not surprise me."

"At least he was there," Yang snapped, before her mind caught up with what she was saying.

"From what I hear," Raven Branwen replied calmly, "That is somewhat debatable."

Yang clenched her fist. "Is this really it? Are you really going to show up after all these years and start ragging on Dad for a mess you put him in?"

"No," Raven shook her head, "That is not why I am here."

"Why? Why now? Why here?" Yang's voice rose steadily, "Why did you leave!?"

"I expected that to be the first thing you would ask," her mother said evenly, "The answer lies in the two, inescapable truths of this world."

"And those are?"

Raven sighed, the long-suffering sigh of someone who had to explain something that was as obvious as the sky being blue.

"Strength is born from hardship," Raven's tone was colder than Weiss' favoured element, "And strength is the only guarantee of survival."

Yang's brow furrowed. "What?"

"I did not stutter." Raven said blandly, "My leaving was the best thing that could have happened to you."

Yang gaped.

"You simply coast along, without direction, without purpose," Raven criticised, "The only time you truly show the drive that can make you so much more is when you have been focused on finding me. If I had stayed, what would you have been? Aimless. Shallow. Weak." Raven listed off clinically.

"Th-that's not true," Yang denied feebly.

"Lie to yourself all you want," Raven responded simply, "You are not proficient enough at it to fool me."

Yang bit her lip, thinking back on her life. "It was all some kind of trial? Me, and Ruby, we almost died because I went looking for you!"

"And in doing so, you realised at a young age just how terrifying this world can be," Raven rejoined, "You saw the darkness that lurks outside our walls, waiting to clamp its jaws upon Humanity, and it drove you to improve as a fighter, to become a Huntress."

Her mother began to pace. "Think back to the girl who defeated you so easily. Do you think she was coddled, by a loving family and friends? Or do you think she learned how to survive, how to thrive, how to fight, in the harsh reality of the real world? When I was your age, I still would not have been defeated by that girl. Neither would my brother... and certainly not Summer Rose."

Yang bit her lip at the mention of her pseudo-mother. "Summer always told us that kindness and compassion were the gifts of the strong."

Raven barked a laugh. "Summer Rose lined her silk with a steel you sorely lack. Kindness and compassion are the gifts of the strong because only the strong can afford to have them! And you?" She looked at Yang, "You are no Summer. Nor would I expect you to be. You are my flesh and blood, not hers," Yang flinched at the rather vicious reminder.

"Why are you telling me this?" the blonde demanded after a moment.

"Because there is still hope for you yet," Raven said simply, "I am here to give you an offer."

"What?" Yang asked warily.

"This world is on the brink of war. Chaos and destruction will soon engulf this city, and those who make it their duty to care are not prepared to stop it. Only strength will see you through," Raven paused, "I am offering to take you with me. Leave this place. Leave your sister. Leave your friends, and come with me."

She turned to face Beacon Academy. "You have two choices in front of you," she continued, "You can stay here. You will learn, slowly, but your growth will be hampered. You will have your friends, but you will be too weak to protect them when the darkness comes for you. You will have your kindness, your compassion, but you will lack the power to do anything with it but sit helplessly as the world falls apart around you."

"Or," she continued, "You can come with me, and I will make you stronger than you will ever dream of being. Come with me, and none will ever leave you helpless again. Come with me, and you will gain the power not just to fight the darkness, but to thrive against it!"

She turned back to Yang. "So, daughter," she finished calmly, "What do you say?"

Yang clenched her fist.

"I say screw you."

Raven blinked.

"I say I'm going to prove you wrong."

Yang pointed at her, eyes flashing bright red.

"I'll stay here, I'll stay with my friends, with Ruby, and I'll still become strong, strong enough to keep them all safe. And when I've done that? I'm going to find you, and kick your ass to show you just how wrong you are. Then I'm going to drag you home to Dad and you're going to apologise to him for all the crap you put him through!"

Raven stared at her for a moment. "A pity. So you choose the fool's path. You are truly your Father's daughter," her eyes narrowed, "He said a similar thing to me, once. It almost convinced me. But when reality occurred, and life showed him just how cruel it could be, he broke, and all of his promises broke with him."

"Then I'll be better than both of you," Yang growled back.

"Reality will catch up with you, too, soon enough," Raven turned around, "While I am somewhat disappointed, I am not surprised. Still, for the sake of my flesh and blood, I had to try, at least once," with a flash, her sword slid from her sheath, and a red-and-black pulsing portal appeared in front of her, "You will not remember this conversation. Goodbye, Yang."

Yang stepped forward to stop her, to demand that she stay, but the portal grew bigger, and bigger, and bigger, until blackness engulfed everything...

"Yang!"

She jolted awake as the pillow hit her head.

"What are you doing!" Ruby frowned angrily, "We're supposed to be getting a flight home to see Dad today and you're trying to sleep the whole day away!"

Yang blinked. "Uh... what time is it?"

"It's LATE O'CLOCK! Now get up you lazy good-for-nothing!" Ruby stamped her foot for added emphasis.

"Right, right, keep your hair on..." Yang sat up, "I felt like I had a weird dream last night."

"Eh?" Ruby's anger turned to curiosity, "What about?"

"That's the thing," Yang mused, "I really can't remember," she shrugged, "Ah well. Must have been nothing."

As one sister got out of bed, harassed constantly by the other, a pitch-black raven with red eyes watched through the window.

'We will see where your misguided stubbornness takes you. But now, I have more pressing matters to deal with. Everything will come to a head during the tournament. I need to be ready.'

With that parting thought, the bird left the tree, and flew off into the distance.