1 Starting anew

Raven Branwen was said to be a selfish woman. She couldn't refute that. She had a philosophy built up from her life in the tribe of bandits. She took what she wanted, when she wanted.

She did change a bit for the better in Beacon. But after learning the secrets of the war in the shadows, that Salem was immortal and they were fighting a losing battle, she left her team. Summer, Taiyang and her brother, Qrow. She had left them all to fight in that pointless war.

She briefly got together with Taiyang but she never truly fell for him. Knowing she'd leave, she debated on whether to bring her baby, Yang with her. Something in her mind urged her not to. A life of Banditry was not a life a child should lead. So she went back to her Tribe and lead them.

Currently she was looking at the dying body of the Maiden she had just killed. She was weak, too scared of it all. She would be killed and the power would be used by Salem. She could not allow Salem to get what she wanted. So she killed her while looking her in the eyes.

The power had begun to flow into her, when the magic touched upon her soul. It unlocked something. Memories. A lifetime of memories.

Lawrence Flyn was many things.

Served in the army during WW2, he took place in many battles. He wasn't particularly strong or even incredibly skilled with guns. For the longest time he didn't know why he lived, when so many friends of his died.

At the Omaha Beach, he saw so many of his fellow soldiers cut down by enemy fire and explosions.

During his time out of the army, many of his fellow soldiers had died from their debilitating injuries.

He found out though. He survived, not due to his skills or strength, but because of his unstoppable will and madness.

He hadn't cared for his life since he was a young boy. Father leaving him with a sick Mother. He took any job a child could do but in the end, his Mother still died. Trying to move on with his life, he fell in love eventually. But she too was killed during their trip to Hawaii when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. He joined the army, not out of patriotism, but hate. His spite for the world grew like a fire from that day on. Hoping for himself to die in the war, he never got his wish.

The years went on but still, his spite never left him. It wasn't until the year 2010 at the tender age of 95 that he finally saw his foolishness. All that bitterness and hate he carried made him miserable. Life was unfair, but one should never give up on the smallest chance to be happy.

In his retirement home he began to make friends with the other residents. Finding hobbies and talking with them.

Eventually, he got into anime. It was introduced by one of his friend's Grandsons when he visited. He used the time he had left to indulge in the shows made by the Country he loathed until just recently.

He spent the rest of his days comfortably, waiting to be reunited with his Lover once again when he finally passed on in 2018.

That was what Raven Branwen remembered right after killing the Maiden to acquire her powers. She fell to her knees and shivered with tears in her magically blazing eyes.

"Wh..What have I.. done..?"

"No.. No.. I.. why!?" Raven clutched her arms tightly as the memories flooded her mind.

"Am I.. him? Her? Both..? Raven you idiot.. You goddamned idiot!! You threw away your happiness for what!? Fear? Haha.." Raven's yelling attracted the men of the Tribe to her.

"Chief!? What's going on?" One of the burlier ones asked.

"Just realizing a mistake I made.." Raven cut open a portal using her semblance and walked in without uttering another word.

-Patch-

Taiyang and Summer were both at home and had just finished getting the kids bathed. They were about to get them ready for bed but they heard a familiar sound downstairs.

"Tai.. get them to bed. I'll go" Summer rubbed her husband's shaky arm with a smile.

"Thank you.. just.. see what she wants, okay?" Tai kissed her forehead and took Ruby and Yang to their rooms.

Summer began to walk down the stairs and saw her old teammate in her living room. She scoffed, ready to go off on her, then she saw Raven drop her Nevermore mask with tears in her eyes, coupled with a pained expression. Running over in alarm, she grabbed Raven's shoulders and sat her shaking body on the couch. She had never seen her teammate cry once during all their years together.

"R..Raven? What's wrong?" Summer asked with a serious expression.

"S-S-Summer.. I don't know who I am.. I saw.. so many.. so very many horrible things.. I.. help me.." Raven's eyes rolled up and she passed out right there into her confused teammate's arms.

"Raven... what happened to you..?" Summer rubbed Raven's back with an unsettled expression.

-The dream-

Raven fell into a deep sleep. In her sleep, she fell back to where she absolutely never wanted to revisit. Omaha beach. Everything was frozen in time. The bodies flying. The shrapnel impaling soldiers. The seemingly endless amounts of blood. It was if she was back there as Lawrence during the war. Except she could see herself, or himself in this case. Lawrence was using a corpse as a meat shield and advancing forward like an angry, vengeful ghost. The sight sickened her.

"The looks I received after that day.." Raven shook her head.

"No.. wait.. is this real? Am.. I..?" Raven fell to her knees before hearing the soft crunching of sand.

She looked up and saw a man in a white coat. He was dressed all in white and wore a casual smile. If she were to compare the outfit to anything, she'd say she was reminded of Kimblee from Full Metal Alchemist, a show Lawrence grew enamored with during his peaceful years.

"Oh yes, I did like his fashion sense so I borrowed the look. Nice, right?" He even twirled a little.

"Who are you..? Why are we here!? What's happening to me?" Raven felt her pulse quicken in fear.

"This. This is where we made our deal so very long ago. You died here once. But your will and drive.. You were too fascinating to simply die there pointlessly. I offered you the chance to continue living on, to quell your hatred by killing your enemies. You accepted and charged the enemy like a revenant.. Back from the dead to kill who made you suffer in life. Your story was the last source of entertainment I had in that world before I left for another. Your price for coming back was that I would have you work for me after your death. You lived a long time. The hate I saw was extinguished by a remorseful and happier old man. But that WILL! Hahahaha.. I still see it there.. smoldering" He paced around her.

"You were reborn without your memories in the world of RWBY. Remember that show? Of the talented young man who died too young? You wept for him for a day and prayed he would find a nice Afterlife. You, are Raven Branwen. But you knew that.. didn't you? You are also Lawrence. Your memory was sealed, locked away. But I set magic as the key. So when you murdered that poor girl and the power seeped into you..? Well, you can guess what happened, right?" He flicked the cowlick on top of her head.

"Th.. The memories are so.. I was such a fool.." Raven clutched the top of her hair in her hands, hard.

"I'm not one for counciling but.. The you of back then? Different individual. The more experienced personality and all of their memories are settling in. You're melding into the same being now. You'll be a new person. Not the previous Raven or Lawrence. You'll wake up.. and you will be a fusion of the two. Of course, Lawrence's wisdom will be put to good use I believe?" He hummed thoughtfully.

"I- All those terrible things.. I have the power to change them. To atone. I won't waste it.. I won't fail" Raven got up shakily.

"Good! Things are bound to change. Now, for your work! I want you to summon the Brother Gods and kill them both" He casually told her, which almost made her fall on her butt.

"What..? How on Earth can I do that!?" Raven's eyes twitched.

"I won't leave you totally screwed. That's only your first job! I'll be sending you places.. Places in which you can acquire power for these jobs. Oh and feel free to change whatever fates here you want, I don't care! I'll ship you off to.. Hmm.. Yes! Akame ga Kill in about a year! Steal as many Teigu as you want. Oh what fun that sounds.." He sounded giddy and clapped his hands once.

"So unreasonable.." Raven sighed defeatedly.

"Indeed I am. But it's either you do it.. or I make you listen to Baby Shark on 'Earrape' level volume for five thousand years?" He seemed equally as amused at the threat as Raven paled.

"Oh no.. I hated that song when those Mothers brought their children to the Retirement home! Okay, I'll do it!" Raven placated with her hands up.

"Good! Now wakey wakey!" The man grabbed her nose and Raven jumped awake.

-Patch, Rose-Xiaolong house-

Yang eagerly woke up today. She heard a strange noise last night before bed and thought her Uncle Qrow had come over. She saw her Mom walk downstairs to go talk to them, so she figured it had to be her Uncle.

She was surprised though, to see a Black-haired woman sleeping on the couch with an uneasy expression. The six year old looked at her curiously. She quickly sniffed her and discovered she didn't smell like the weird smell her Uncle sometimes smelt like. She started shaking her shoulder to try and wake her up.

"Heeey.. lady?" Yang shook her shoulders, though she just groaned in response.

"Nngh.." Raven's face paled so Yang did what her Dad usually did to her Uncle when he overslept.

She quickly climbed on top of the woman and grabbed her nose.

"Wakey wakey!" She excitedly chanted as Raven sprung up, taking a shocked breath and finding a little blonde girl on her lap.

"Hey, you're finally awake! Were you having a nightmare? You got all white like a ghost! Or Grimm faces! Though not as scary!" She rambled on in excitement.

For Raven, her maternal instincts and memories of Yang's birth, spending time with her until she was two years old, coupled with the fact that as Lawrence, he always wanted kids with the love of his life. It brought her to tears, which greatly alarmed Yang.

"Hey.. why're you crying!? It's okay! You're totally not scary! You got that look Mom does when she tucks us in and-" Though she started to ramble on, she was embraced by Raven in a sorrowful but loving hug as the tears kept falling from her face.

"I'm sorry.. I'm sorry, Yang" She whispered on repeat as she stroked Yang's blonde locks.

Yang had no idea how to react but she did feel a certain warmth inside and reciprocated her hug.

"Raven.." They were interrupted by Summer and Tai, who stumbled upon the scene of Raven embracing her child.

"Summer.. Tai" Raven wiped her eyes and let go of Yang before composing herself. Though she seemed very different to them.

She looked the same. But she had such an aura of peace and sorrow about her that they almost couldn't believe it was her. Tai grabbed Yang and hoisted her up in his arms.

"Come on, Little Dragon. You haven't brushed your teeth yet, have you?" He tickled her belly and took Yang upstairs while Summer stared at Raven's face.

"Come with me. To the porch, now" Her tone left no room for negotiations as Raven nodded and followed her outside.

"You.. Why? Why did you come here!? You made it so clear that you didn't need us.. You abandoned Tai and Yang! How dare you just.." Summer clenched her fists and shook.

"Summer. The person I was before today is gone.. I.. I can't take back the pain I caused. But I can try my hardest to make things right. You.. know how Ozpin reincarnate" Raven asked softly.

"What does Ozpin have to do with this? He may not be perfect but he's not as bad as you claim he is!" Summer defended the old man.

"No.. I know that now. I mean.. I just found out I'm the same. I got memories.. lifetime experiences.. I used to be someone else, Summer. Before I was born. The person I was.. Helped me realize who I used to be, is not the person I want to be, going forward" Raven lowered her head and looked at her hands.

Summer was silently processing what she said. She knew in her heart that Raven doesn't say things she doesn't mean. Was she truly a changed person? She wanted her friend back. Her team reunited once more. She wanted her in Yang's life. Tai was hurt by her but if it was for Yang, he would put up with her. She filled the hole in his heart that Raven left, so it wasn't as bad over five years ago.

"Is what you're saying absolutely true? Promise me! Promise you won't just.. abandon us for some bandits again. Pinkie swear!" Summer put her pinkie up. She knew Raven hated this childish tradition of hers but when she made a promise, she kept it.

Raven didn't stall for even a second and locked pinkies with her team leader.

"I swear. Going forward.. I will be better. No one will separate our team again" Raven nodded as Summer smiled in joy.

"Good! Good! I'll have to talk to Tai but you can stay with us! You should have a relationship with Yang. Ah! Maybe even my little Rose too!" Summer almost squealed.

"I'd like that, Summer.." Raven smiled at her friend's excitement.

~You will not die this time, Summer.. I won't let it happen..~ Raven's will shone through her eyes as she accompanied her friend back inside.