Sooo, I actually had this chapter written on Sunday, cuz my power was out. And y'know, what better time to write than when there aren't any other distractions? Anywho, didn't get power back until Tuesday night, and only just got internet back today, so yayyy! Without further ado, Chapter 10!

Chapter 10: A Weight Off Her Shoulders

When Raven's story was done, Summer was overcome by a wave of emotions. Some were her own, but other's were from her partner's memories. She was crying into the sheets of the infirmary bed, shoulders shaking.

"Summer? Are you okay?" Raven felt guilt tug at her heart. She hadn't considered what effect her sad past may have had on Summer's semblance. To her relief, the crimson-haired girl lifted her head and managed a soft smile.

"I-it's okay… it was just a lot at once," Summer hiccuped and tried to catch her breath. "I'm so sorry about what happened."

"Yeah… me too," Raven clenched her hands in the sheets. "But that was six years ago now; it's not like anything will change it."

Summer nodded her understanding, wishing more than anything that she could take away these painful memories from her partner. Instead, she would just have to settle with being there for her. She reached out for her ink-haired partner's hand, and surprisingly, Raven did not resist. She took Summer's hand in her own and gave a gentle squeeze. A small smile spread across her face.

"Thank you, Summer… really. I know I can be a little… difficult, at times, but you haven't gotten upset with me once. I hope I can keep counting on you."

Summer suddenly felt uncomfortably warm and she couldn't find words, instead simply nodding quickly. Raven released a deep sigh, years of tension seeming to leave her body.

"I think I might try and get some sleep…" she looked down at her partner.

"Y-yeah, of course! I'll go so you can rest!" Summer got up a bit too urgently, causing Raven to grip her wrist and pull her back.

"I'm not upset… just tired. I'll have the nurse call you here as soon as I wake up, okay?" The Branwen Huntress looked over Summer's face with her burning crimson eyes, seeing relief.

"Yeah, okay! I'll be sure to come right back! Do you… um, would you like me to bring some food?"

"That would be great," Raven smiled and released her partner. The smaller girl walked across the room, stopping at the door to look over her shoulder. "Go on!"

"Okay!" Summer quickly left, closing the door behind her. She leaned her back against the flat surface and let out a long sigh.

"So she told you, huh?"

Summer almost screamed at the sudden voice next to her. She flailed her fists only for her arms to be caught. Once she actually recognized the person she nearly clocked, her fear and shock turned to annoyance.

"Qrow! Don't do that!" The Rose girl pulled her arms back and crossed them over her chest. The dark-haired boy chuckled and patted her head.

"Sorry, Sum, didn't mean to scare ya. I just came to see how you two were doing, what with your injuries and all."

"Well thanks…" Summer softened at his concern. "My leg is fine. Raven's arm got pretty messed up, but she'll be better in a day or two. What about you and Tai? Any cuts and bruises?"

"Tai is in brilliant shape, although I think I bruised a rib or two trying to catch the idiot…" Qrow gingerly touched his side, hissing in pain.

"Wait… 'catch'?" Summer's confusion was evident.

"The damn fool thought he could use the recoil from his guns to sort of 'fly' from tree to tree… or something. I dunno, it wasn't my stupid idea. Long story short, he made it a couple dozen feet before nosediving. Lucky for him I can actually fly."

"Oh… oh! Did he see?"

"Yeah, he saw. But it's alright, Tai's a good guy. Not like you didn't already know, anyway," Qrow nudged the girl's arm and leaned against the wall.

"Yeah, Raven's already saved me twice with that little secret. Lucky her getting stuck with the team klutz!" Summer matched her teammate's action on the other side of the door, slumping against the wall in shame.

"Eh, don't be too hard on yourself; I think Ray has a weakness for pretty girls," The Branwen brother looked over at Summer out the corner of his eye. The smug smile he wore set her off.

"Qrow! You brute!" Her face red, the petite girl punched him feebly. "It's not like that! I don't think…"

"All joking aside…" Qrow reached into his pocket to pull out his father's flask, unscrewing the cap and taking a swig of something Summer really hoped wasn't alcohol. "Raven really does like you, y'know. And not just in the 'she hates you slightly less than most' kind of way. Not to put any silly thoughts in your head, but I think you kinda remind her of…"

"Setsuna?" Summer whispered the name, as if in reverance of what it meant to her partner. Qrow only nodded. He returned his flask to its home in his pocket. Seeing the old, worn object struck a chord.

"You said that was a keepsake from your father… so what happened to him?"

"Ah, so she didn't get that far…" Qrow crossed his arms with a frown.

"Well… just hearing about that night almost made me hysterical with tears, so I guess she thought I'd had enough."

Her dark-haired teammate nodded and closed his eyes, head leaning back against the wall. When he opened his eyes, he looked over at Summer with a sort of amused smirk.

"You're too caring for your own good, y'know that?"

"So I've heard…" Summer returned the smirk and moved to sit on the floor beside Qrow. He slid down the wall to join her.

"Well, you already know what happened that night… what Jackdaw made Raven do. It didn't go over well with the rest of the clan."

Summer nodded, urging him to continue.

"Our clan holds one rule above all others; we never kill our own. No matter how bad the offense or how troublesome the individual, if they were one of us, they stayed alive. Sure, people got banished or put to hard labor a lot, but never once did we execute them. Even if they were forced to leave with no rations, our warriors were all more than prepared to fend for themselves. I hate to say it, but maybe Jackdaw's decision was some sort of bitter mercy. Setsuna never would have survived on her own… maybe letting her go by the hand of the girl she loved was better after all…"

He paused for a long time, his breath uneven. After a while, he seemed to calm himself and he looked Summer in the eyes.

"But that's not what matters, you wanted to hear about our parents. Like I said, the rest of the clan was not happy with what happened, our parents included. They may not have approved of Raven and Setsuna's relationship, hell, neither did I at first."

Summer was openly surprised at his admission. Qrow showed her a guilty, sad smile.

"It might seem cruel of me, but remember, it was normal for us to hate her. She was a curse, or so we were to believe. I realized that was wrong, though. As much as I wanted to be on the side of the clan, I couldn't lie to myself. Seeing how happy Raven was with Setsuna… it made me happy. I couldn't bare to see that taken away from her."

"So after that night, me and my parents stood up for Raven. We approached Jackdaw and told him what he did was wrong. He said that if we wanted to defend the Outcast that we could die like her, as well. A fight broke out and everything went crazy. At first it was just the three of them. I could only watch. But soon, the rest of the clan started taking sides, and it was a full on civil war, right there in the camp."

Qrow took a deep breath, and Summer could tell the hard part was coming up. She took his hand gently, much as she had for Raven before.

"Raven and I… our parents wanted to get us out. They knew the clan was falling apart and they wanted us to survive. So we packed as much as we could grab, right in the middle of the fighting. My father gave me his flask and told me to hold onto it until I could return it to him. I think he knew I'd never get the chance."

The boy's eyes shimmered and he barely held in his tears. He looked at the floor as he spoke next.

"Summer, I… that day I watched my mother die at the hands of the man who was supposed to lead us, protect us. You can imagine how hard it is to trust anyone after that. For a long time, me and Ray, we only had each other."

"But now you have me, and Tai. The four of us can look out for ourselves, right?" Summer leaned over and hugged Qrow, suprising him. "We'll promise not to leave each other behind."

Qrow nodded stiffly, slowly putting his arms around her back and holding her for a while. After a few minutes, Summer was forced to let go.

"I can't feel my legs…" She giggled as she squirmed out of their uncomfortable position. Qrow stood and helped her up.

"Thanks… for listening, to me and to Raven. We aren't exactly the type to open up much."

"I understand. It's okay, we'll get through all the hurt and the bad stuff together!" Summer nodded confidently and peaked through the door to the infirmary. "She's out cold, let's go get something for when she wakes up!"

"Yeah, sure," Qrow couldn't help but be infected by her positivity as he followed her down the hall.

When Raven woke, she realized a few hours must have passed, because it was dark outside the window. With a yawn, she pushed herself into a sitting position, favoring her still-healing arm. Something flopped on her stomach as she moved, and Raven saw a small, somewhat familiar object resting atop the sheets.

Eins, Summer's beloved stuffed wolf. A small smile broke out on her face when she realized her partner must have left it there after she fell asleep. A faint scent drew her attention to the bedside table, where a covered plate sat with a note attached to the top. Reaching over, Raven plucked off the tape and brought the note in front of her face.

"Sorry if it's cold when you wake up! Qrow says you sleep like a log! I've never heard you snore before, it's cute! ~Summer"

Raven almost crumpled the note out of embarrassment and annoyance at her brother, but she stopped herself.

"It's just a stupid note…" the girl whispered aloud. But something kept her from destroying the small, kind gesture from her partner. In the darkness, Raven's Faunus eyes made out a small, rose-red heart scribbled in the corner of the note. Her eyes glistened and she smiled softly.

"What a dork."

And that, my friends, wraps up the super feelsy backstory of the Branwen twins, at least for now. Next few chapters will be a little more cutesy and happy! So yeah! If everything goes well, I think I'm gonna try updating more often then, y'know, once a month or something. See you next time!

Wolfram, out!