STRQ: Tales of the Old Huntsmen

AN: Alas, the last chapter of STRQ. And it was almost from the perspective of Raven, then I realized that would make three chapters in a row like that. So I actually made it from Summer's perspective.

Chapter 24: Nevermore

Summer had been waiting in the front room all night, a cup of coffee in her hand. It had been three days since Yang had been born. Raven was supposed to be sleeping in her room, but Summer knew better. She knew what was coming. She knew it was pointless to stop her. She just refused to let Raven go without saying goodbye.

She wondered how much Qrow knew. Qrow was good with secrets. He had also not seemed at all troubled by Raven's attitude these last few months. Well, not any more troubled as he was with the quarter life crisis he was going through courtesy of all the stuff that happened during the revolution.

Summer shook the thoughts from her head. She refused to think about it. No amount of sugar coating could make that smell any less foul. It had been the worse day of her life. It was the first time she ever questioned whether she was making any kind of difference. But she couldn't let her existential dread take her. She had to be strong, for Qrow, for Tai, for Yang and for Raven.

"If you wanted to make sure I didn't leave in the dead of night, the rooftop would have been better." Raven said as she walked into the room.

"You're really leaving…aren't you?" Summer asked, taking another sip of coffee.

"Yes." Raven said coldly.

"Can I ask why?"

"You already have."

"You've never given me a straight answer."

"Summer…you may understand but there's…there's no way Tai could." Raven looked away.

"Is that why you haven't told him anything? Is that why you're here with me now?" Summer stood up.

"Summer, this…there's too many unanswered questions. Draco wasn't working on his own accord. The Black Knights are still out there. Ozpin's knows all this and is still hiding the truth and…Summer what you did on that roof wasn't dust…was it?"

"No." Summer recalled what she did, how all she saw was a blinding light and it was as if she had created an entire fortress forest. It happened again against Draco. "I don't know what it was."

"Ozpin knows…he's even told Qrow a little bit. But I'm not waiting around for answers. This is too important to be so laxed."

"Then stay HERE. With your family. We can find these answers together."

"That's not how this works. I never wanted a family. I never wanted to spend the rest of my life with you, or Tai."

"What about Qrow?"

"What about him?"

"He's your brother!" Summer said in a harsh whisper. They were keeping their voices down but it was getting increasingly hard.

"He understands. We've spent our entire life together. It's time to grow up. It's time for all of us to grow up Summer."

"I am grown up." Summer's eyes flashed a silvery light. She was furious. "You're the one who is dodging responsibility like a child."

"I. Am. Not. I had a choice. One responsibility or the other. To unravel the mysteries of the world or stay here and be a mother. I chose to go with my dream, to see the world and continue getting stronger and smarter. Draco, Necros, Ozpin, you, me, it all ties back together and this is the only way to deal with it. The fact that I had absolutely no desire to raise a child only made the decision THAT much easier."

Summer's cheek burned as Summer smacked her across the face. There was a tear in the smaller huntress's eye.

"Are all the years we spent together really that meaningless to you?"

"Summer." Raven choked back the pain welling in her chest. "I'm twenty-four-years old. I have spent seven of those years by your side. That's over a quarter of my life. I have followed you. I have listened to you. I have admired you. But this is my choice. This is my chance to finally find out who I am."

"You're my best friend. You are Qrow's sister. You are Tai's girlfriend. You are Yang's mom. You are a huntress. THAT is who you are."

"I. Don't. Want. That. I thought you of all people would understand. Tai's in love with me, his stubbornness is warranted and Yang can't even form words to protest. But you of all people should understand how suffocating it's been for me these last nine months."

"What makes you say that."

"Because I know you've felt the same way for seven years."

"What are you talking about?"

"You know damn well what I'm talking about."

"Then say it."

"I know it was tearing you apart to see Tai and I together." Raven focused her gaze as Summer's features softened.

"That…that doesn't matter."

"It does to you. You can deny it all you want. All you've ever wanted to do is play hero and fight monsters. But at Beacon you wanted to add to that and you couldn't. I got in your way. I was selfish and played with both yours and his feelings."

"Don't…don't act like the reason your leaving is because it'll make me happy because it won't."

"Consider it the cherry on top. You can finally get with…"

"It'll destroy him. Then, no matter what I do, it'll just be a copy of you."

"That remains to be seen." Raven closed the distance between them. "I had that thought a long time ago. I thought about dumping him and moving out to give you a chance but I was selfish. I couldn't turn him down. That's not the reason I'm leaving." She put a hand on Summer's shoulder. "But it makes it easier knowing that it is impossible to find someone I'd rather leave Tai and Yang with. I know you'll love them like you do everyone else. You'll love them so much more than I'm physically and emotionally capable of."

"But I shouldn't have to."

"Well you do." Raven leaned in. "Thank you. I know if you really thought it would help you'd physically stop me and there isn't anything I could do to get through you."

"You were always stronger than me Raven."

"Not anymore. The things you can do, on and off the battlefield, I'll never be able to compete with. You're better than me at just about everything."

"You're selling yourself short."

"Thank you. For one more thing. I never loved anybody…not really. Tai was an infatuation. Yang never got a chance. Qrow doesn't count because we're two eyepieces in the same set of glasses. But you…I think you're the closest person I've ever came to loving."

Raven kissed her on the cheek and disappeared. Summer could have stopped her. She could have dashed forward, caught her bird form and broke every bone in Raven's body. But she didn't. She just stood there staring at the ground while her best friend flew out the door into God knows where.

She had a long day tomorrow. She'd likely have to break Tai's legs to keep him from going after her. Which means she'd be the only one up to watching after Yang. She needed to make sure the fridge and pantry were stocked with food. She'd have to make sure Yang had diapers.

She couldn't let herself fall apart now. Not when so many important people needed her to be strong. She had to be there for all of them. She wouldn't let this family she's made get ripped to shreds because of Raven. If Raven didn't care than that was twice as many cares that Summer had to have.

She wondered if Qrow was up, wherever he was on his mission from Ozpin. She wondered if she should call him, let him know Raven was gone. But the thought escaped when she heard Yang crying in her crib. So she quickly went to the room and started seeing what was wrong.

Yang looked so much like Raven, but with white hair. Her eyes also turned a lilac hue when she was happy. Summer picked her up out of the crib and started rocking her.

"It's okay Yang. I'm here. There's no need to cry. I'll chase all the nightmares away. I'll love you, forever and always."

AN: STRQ: Tales of the Old Huntsmen is finished. I like some parts of it. Maybe in a few years I'll do a bigger and longer version. Maybe I won't. But all the plot threads in this story continue in RWBY, the actual series and my story RWBYond Vale. Individual plot threads continue in Fall of Mountain Glenn (for the Old Huntsmen stuff) and RWBYond Hope (for the STRQ stuff). But starting tomorrow I have RWBYond Happily Ever After, the epilogue story for RWBYond Vale. Be sure to review, favorite, check out my profile, check back every day for a new chapter of something and stay classy.