-Your Pov-

You sat to yourself, and then sighed with content as you laid back down in the crater you had created. The bodies of those who had chosen to stand against you were scattered around, as was the debris that you had managed to kick up. Smoke rose from the blast marks you had left everywhere, and what had once been a castle was now scattered bricks and wood on the ground. Every so often, a survivor would run by, and either try to kill you or escape entirely. Either way, it was entertaining to watch them try it, and then of course it was entertaining to blast them to pieces for trying anything.

The truth was that you had no idea why you had decided to destroy this castle. There were so many possible reasons. Perhaps someone in it had wronged you somehow, or perhaps they had attacked you first because they had seen you, or they knew who you were and what it is you did. Maybe you had been passing around the area, and someone had angered you and so you did all of this to prove some point or another. Or, there was also the distinct possibility you had simply gotten bored and done all of this. You had certainly done worse things for less reasons. As you mused this to yourself, people began to swarm all around you, and you looked up at them to see yourself surrounded by bandits holding swords, as well as other weapons. Most interesting of all was that in the back of the tribe stood a woman with long black hair, red armor, a short black skirt and a Grimm mask on.

She was clearly the leader, you could tell that much right away. The woman radiated some sort of power, and you could tell each and every one of her tribe members was completely loyal to her, and would do anything she asked, even die for her. And of course if they attacked you, then you would give them a chance to do just that. Some of them trembled nervously when you let some of your power leak from you, but you could tell that each and every one of them would move on her command. This interested you. It took someone truly special to command such complete and utter loyalty in her followers, loyalty which seemed to be based on respect and not fear.

The woman gestured with her hands, and then the members began to circle around you, and you tilted your head with curiosity and looked at her, wondering what she was going to do next. Before you could ask her anything, the first wave of the men began to rush at you, and then you smirked and sent them flying with an aura flare. The rest of them began to mumble to themselves nervously, seeing how easy it had been for you to overpower their allies. Meanwhile, the masked woman simply placed a hand onto her katana, and made another hand signal, and more of her men began to rush at you. Sighing, you held up a finger and then bolts of red energy flew from you and then began to cut them down.

This went on for a little while, and then you lowered your finger, and turned to the lady in the mask. " I could do this all day, but if you're curious then I'll save you sometime. You're the only one here who has a chance at beating me," you tell her, and then she nods and then her men begin to step away from you, and then she reaches and pulls out her sword. She begins to increase the amount of aura she's using, and then you rise to your feet, already able to tell that she's gong to take all of your energy to deal with.

She flies for you, and then kicks you before you have a chance to defend yourself, and then you smash through several trees. Flipping back up you use your aura to levitate and then you fire a series of blasts at her, all of which she manages to deflect with her sword. It kicks up a smoke cloud which you use to fly behind her and then try to kick her. However, she spins around and blocks the attack with her hand. Your auras collide and then send out a shockwave which kicks up debris and rubble.

Landing on the ground, you look at her, and then the two of you begin to circle each other. She lunges for you suddenly, and you just barely manage to set a defense before her sword is lined with electricity and she sends you flying with it. As she comes to follow up, you summon two razor disks and then fire them for her, and she cuts through the both of them with her sword. When she gets close to you, you spin-kick her into the ground and float above her. As she rises, you see that her mask fell away and she looks up at you with red eyes, which like the rest of her are stunning. If you weren't in a fight with her right now, you'd totally stop to hit on her. As you think this, she flies back up at you and the two of you continue to fight.

The fight goes on for sometime, and the two of you stand in a crater, breathing heavily. She turns to see the rest of her tribe all starting to back away, and then she opens up red portals in front of them. " Go," she says. " I can't fight him all out and worry about you." They nod, and then step through the portals, and she closes them behind her.

" Time to get serious I suppose then," you tell her, and then you summon your purple aura. Using your Semblance, you push past the limits of your aura alone, and then the light from you becomes golden and clings to your skin like an armor. Her eyes widen when she sees this, but quickly regains her composure. Red lightning flies from her eyes and you can feel the increase of her aura as well.

You can't help but be impressed with her power, and then the two of you fly towards each other one more time, and then continue to fight. Eventually, she has you pinned to a wall with her katana at your throat, but you have the energy for a blast aimed at her head. The two of you look at each other, looking for a moment of weakness or hesitation in the other.

" We don't have to do this," she says. " A fight between the two of us will only end with one of us dead, which would be such a waste of power. Perhaps you can come join me and my tribe. Together, no one would be able to stop us."

" You would really let me in after I killed so many of your tribe," you ask, looking for signs that this is a trap, or a trick she can use to gain the upper hand on you.

" Of course. They were weak and you were strong," she explains to you. " I need people with power like yours to be in my tribe. The strong are the ones that rule this world, wouldn't you agree?"

" I would," you tell her, and then she nods, and asks again if you would like to join the tribe with her. " I'll come with you." You tell her this, and she nods and removes the blade from your neck when you put away the energy from your attack. She opens a portal, and then the two of you step through it, and you can't help but be impressed with her bandit tribe and the vast number of people who are here, and what they've built for themselves.

" Because of your power, you'll be my right hand man when it comes to working with the tribe," she says. " I'll make sure to have everyone know of you, and if they have any doubts, then you can prove to them how strong you are. My name is Raven Branwen, and you are?" You nod at her introduction and then hold out a hand, which she takes.

" (y/n) (l/n)," you tell her, and then she nods and the two of you go to set up somewhere for you to stay and live out of. She sets down some items for you to have in a large room, and then explains to you what your responsibilities will be in the tribe, and then she walks off, and you're left with a smile on your face at the thought of being a leader in the tribe, and being able to work with Raven.

-Raven Pov-

I sit with (y/n) as the two of us talk about where we should strike next, and how we can move our bandit tribe to avoid being noticed by huntsman, and then attacked. I watch his face as he looks over some charts and maps, and I smile slightly to myself when I see how focused he is, and how serious he gets when he works on things like this. Eventually, he and I finish this, and then the two of us sit and read, and then he looks up at me. " Hey Raven," he asks, and then I look up at him. " Are you okay? You've seemed out of it all day today."

Looking up at him, I notice genuine concern for me in his eyes, which surprises me. Most of the time, I hate it when people look at me with anything that could even be considered pity, and I work hard to avoid it. I do my best to always remain strong, and normally I would yell at someone for even saying this. But, I sigh and then look down. " I'm fine, it's just that tomorrow is my daughter's birthday," I tell him, feeling sad about having missed Yang grow up for so long, and really missing her. I don't have many regrets about being part of the bandit tribe, but having had to leave her is the biggest one of them all.

" Wait a minute, you have a daughter," he asks, and then I sigh. I can't talk about Yang without getting a little bit emotional from time to time, and so I never told him about her, or anything from my past life. Even though I trust (y/n) with my life, there are parts of my life that I still have doubts about letting him into see, and who I was before becoming the leader of the bandit tribe is one of those parts. However, I need to talk to someone about it, and avoid keeping it bottled up, and (y/n) really is the only one I trust.

" Initially, my brother and I went to Beacon to learn how to kill huntsman. However, there was a long stretch of time when they decided they didn't need us, and allowed us to have a normal life. And so, he and I made friends and the both of us fell in love. I fell in love with a man named Tai, and he and I have birth to a daughter named Yang. But, the tribe said it needed a leader, and so I came back," I tell him, and I look to see that (y/n) moved closer to me.

He opens his arms cautiously, and then I nod and allow him to hug me. " I'm sorry," he says. " I can't imagine what that must have been like." He holds onto me for a little bit, and then I hesitate before wrapping my arms around him as well, and then he pulls away after a few moments.

" Do you think I'll have a chance to be a mother again," I ask, allowing myself to be vulnerable around him. I wonder what he's going to say, and then he rubs the back of his head and begins to pace the room.

" Yeah, I do," he says. " I think it means a lot you want to be her mother, and be there for her, and I think she could understand why you're doing all of this, since the world is always at risk with Salem out there. When you and I can get the relic and make it so we aren't a target, than you can go see her again."

I thank him, and then the two of us stand around in silence, until he looks at me. " Hey, do you want to get her a gift," he asks. I think about it for a few moments, and then I nod and the two of us go out into the city, and the go around looking for something for her. Eventually, he and I buy a yellow scarf, and then he smiles at me, and I hesitate.

" Can you come with me," I ask him, not wanting to seem weak again. " I want to teleport in and leave this for her, but I can't risk being seen, and I don't know how I'll react. I need someone I can trust with me to make sure I don't freeze."

He nods, and then I open a red portal and he and I step through it, and appear in Yang's bedroom. She's fast asleep, and then I smile when I see her with pride, and then I set the scarf down on her nightstand, and then freeze for a moment before I kiss her on the forehead. She doesn't stir, and I look at her for a few moments, and then I turn to (y/n) and nod. I open another portal, and he and I step through it, and then go back to our chamber.

" Thank you for coming with me," I tell him, too emotional from having seen Yang to keep my composure. " It's just hard for me to have to leave behind everyone who loves me." He smiles sadly when I say this, and then he steps closer to me and pulls me into a hug.

" You didn't leave behind everyone who loves you," he says, and then he takes a series of deep breaths. " I love you Raven. In the time I've been with this tribe, I really have fallen in love with you. If you're going to get back with Tai when this is over, then I understand. But, I wanted to let you know that you will never be alone."

This makes me hesitate for a moment as everything seems to contradict. My need to be aloof with my desire to have bonds. My thinking power and strength trump everything, but being so vulnerable when I see Yang. And then finally, my need to not fall in love again, and the feelings I've grown for (y/n) in the time he and I have known each other.

" I'm not ready to say it back," I tell him, and he nods like he suspected it. " It isn't a 'no.' I think you and I could have something incredible, and I need time to think. But, you and I certainly have something, and I don't want to walk away from it." He smiles when I say this, and then he and I hold onto each other, and rock back and forth.

-Timeskip Your Pov-

You stand side by side with Raven as the two of you look at the enemies gathered into Haven Academy with you. Today is what it all comes down to. If the two of you can get the relic of the Spring Maiden, then the two of you can finally be safe, at least for a little bit against Salem. Everything the two of you have been working for comes to fruition today. The two of you exchange a look knowing this, and then the two of you begin to battle, Raven with her brother and you with several members of either Team RWBY and RNJR, as they rush you in teams trying to gain the upper hand. As Raven had asked, you make sure not to hurt Yang too badly, but you still manage to overpower all of them and send them flying.

The battle goes on for a little bit, and then you notice that Raven and Vernal are gone, as is Cinder. Knowing where the three of them are headed, you overpower your opponents and then go rushing down to where Raven is. When you get there, you see she's already engaged in a battle with Cinder, and that Vernal is on the ground, her eyes shut. Seeing this, you quickly summon the golden energy of your Semblance and then fly to join the fight. When Raven sees you, she doesn't say a word and the two of you simply begin to work side by side, easily managing to overpower Cinder. Raven then freezes her, and sends her falling into a pit as the two of you watch her fall. For good measure, you fire down an energy orb and then smile when you hear the explosion.

You turn to Raven, and see her paying her final respects to Vernal, before she picks her up, and then opens a portal. She steps through, and then you're about to follow, when she slams it shut in your face. This surprises you a little bit, but you simply begin to fly and then meet her at the tribe, and then she walks away from you quickly. You manage to catch up to her, and then walk in front of her. " I'm sorry Raven," you say, holding your arms for a hug. However, she glares at you.

" It's your fault Vernal died! If you had gotten there faster than we would have been able to get the relic, beat Cinder and save Vernal," she snaps at you, and then your head drops and your eyes fill with tears.

" I'm sorry," you tell her, to which she rolls her eyes and then begins to storm off. You're left to fly off as quickly as you can as tears stream down your eyes, thinking about how much Raven must hate you know. You were the one who cost her everything she had worked so hard for.

A few hours later, you sit in the cold night air and continue to sob. You feel warmth around you, and you look over to see Raven draping a blanket over you. " I'm sorry," she says simply as she takes a seat next to you. You try to answer her, and then she pulls you into a hug, which you return, and begin to sob. She holds onto you the entire time, and then only lets go when you stop sobbing.

" It's my fault we didn't get the relic," she admits to you. " I was scared when I realized Salem would only target us more if we had it. I was weak. I'm sorry I blamed you for it. It wasn't your fault."

" Thank you," you whisper to her, and then she sets your head down in her lap as she begins to run her fingers through your hair. " I love you."

" I love you too (y/n)," she says, and then pulls you in for a passionate kiss. After a few moments, the two of you go back to stargazing, a small smile on your face. Getting here has been painful and costly, but you know in the end, you and Raven can figure everything out, and the love you found with her is worth all of this.

( let me know what you thought)