RWBY: Moon Reflection

The group stood in stunned silence for a moment before Qrow recovered from his daze, his sharp eyes scanned the gathering crowd, he cleared his throat and coughed pointedly. The murmurs of onlookers were beginning to grow, and their curious gazes fixed on Crimson and the others. "Alright, that's enough gawking," Qrow said firmly. "Let's take this somewhere private. Back to the estate. We can talk there."

Crimson, despite his mounting curiosity, nodded at Qrow's suggestion. He couldn't make sense of the current situation, how come the group knew he died and went to the afterlife. 

Crimson and the group walked back to the estate. The two sisters sobbed quietly, clinging to him like he might vanish at any moment, though their distress seemed to ease slightly as they walked.

As they made their way through the streets, the rest of the group stole glances at Crimson, their faces a mixture of disbelief, relief, and lingering sadness. Pyrrha, walking close to him, offered him a faint, heartfelt smile. "I'm glad you are alive again," she said softly. "And safe."

Crimson returned the smile, albeit awkwardly. "Thanks... though I feel like I have missed something important. What happened while I was away?"

No one answered his question directly, and the silence that followed only deepened his unease.

When they arrived at the Nikos estate, Crimson immediately noticed the three figures waiting in the grand sitting room. His sharp eyes flicked over them, noting the tension in their expressions. Raven stood rigidly in the corner, her face pale and her red eyes wide with a mix of shock and something bordering on fear. Beside her stood a woman with unmistakable regal poise—clearly Pyrrha's mother. Next to her was an older man, likely Pyrrha's grandfather, Crimson could see the blood relation he had with Pyrrha.

All three stared at Crimson as if they were seeing a ghost.

Crimson exhaled, his patience wearing thin. "Alright, enough. Someone tell me what happened after I left—and why everyone seems to know I was dead?"

The room fell into an uneasy silence. Yang and Ruby immediately broke into fresh tears, their sobs echoing in the large space. Yang, unable to contain herself, stepped forward, her voice cracking as she cried, "It's my fault... all of it. I'm so sorry, Crimson."

Crimson blinked, stunned. "Your fault? What are you talking about?"

Yang struggled to speak between sobs, her words tumbling out in a rush. "Your demonic semblance... you're dying because of me. It's my fault. You followed me and Ruby when we were kids, and now you're—"

"Yang, stop," Crimson interrupted, his voice firm but kind. He placed his hands on her shoulders and looked her in the eye. "This has nothing to do with you or Ruby. I made my own choices. My semblance is a reflection of the worst part of me, it has nothing to do with anyone else. And for the record, I'm not dying anymore. That problem—and the demon—have both been dealt with."

Yang's sobs faltered as she stared at him, confused. Ruby, wiping her tears, looked up sharply. "What? How?"

Crimson hesitated for a moment before answering. "A benefactor," he said simply, his voice steady. "A great benefactor who helped me more than I can ever repay."

Ruby's expression darkened. "You mean that sadistic, evil god?"

Crimson frowned, genuinely surprised by her reaction. "Sadistic? Evil? Don't insult the God of Harmony. That god saved me. Without him, I would have never found my peace. He went above and beyond to help me." He paused, his tone softening. "But how do you know about any of this?"

Qrow stepped forward, rubbing the back of his neck. "Long story short, we've got a divine relic that answers any three questions every hundred years. We had one question left, so we used it to check on you after you left. It... showed us everything—up to your fight with your demon self and your death."

Crimson's expression shifted to one of stunned silence. He processed Qrow's words, his gaze dropping to the floor as realization dawned. "Everything?" he asked quietly. "Even the unpleasant parts in the Infinity Castle?"

Qrow let out a dry laugh, though there was no humor in it. "Unpleasant parts? That's putting it mildly. It was a horror show, Crimson, all of it. None of us were prepared for what we saw."

Crimson sighed heavily, his shoulders slumping. He looked at Ruby, Yang, and the others with a mix of pity and guilt. "That was too much for you," he said softly. "I'm sorry you had to see something so horrific."

Pyrrha stepped forward, her voice laced with anger. "It's that god's fault. None of this would've happened if not for him!"

Crimson shook his head, his expression resolute. "No. The God of Harmony did what he had to do because I was a stubborn idiot. He went to those lengths to get through to me. And it worked. Besides, he offered me the help he saw fit, and I accepted it.That's all on me"

He turned his gaze to the group, his tone now tinged with curiosity. "But tell me this: If that relic only works every hundred years, why waste it to stalk me? It was a needless waste—and it showed you things you shouldn't have seen."

Yang's voice broke the silence, her tone laced with anger and hurt. "Why didn't you tell us about Moon Breathing? About how it was killing you?"

Crimson met her gaze, his expression calm but firm. "Because there was no point. I made my choice, and that was the price. There was nothing you could do to change it. I didn't want you involved in something that had no solution. I did it to avoid... this." He gestured toward the group, their faces etched with sorrow and frustration.

Yang opened her mouth to argue, but Crimson cut her off. "I'm not sorry for what I did. And if I could go back in time, I'd do it all the same." His voice carried a finality that left no room for debate.

Ruby and Yang stared at him, anger flickering in their eyes, but the others couldn't help but smile faintly. Despite everything he had endured, Crimson was still the same person—unyielding, determined, and resolute in his care.

Crimson's crimson eyes moved from his sisters, Ruby and Yang, to the figure standing off in the corner—Raven. Her demeanor faltered the moment his gaze landed on her. She flinched, her red eyes wide with a mixture of fear and unease.

He stepped toward her slowly, his expression calm but unreadable. Raven's body tensed visibly, her shoulders stiff as though bracing for an attack. The silence was thick, the weight of unspoken words hanging between them.

When Crimson was close enough to stand just a few feet away, he stopped and bowed slightly. "I owe you an apology," he said quietly, his voice steady. "For trying to kill you."

The room froze. 

"You don't need to apologize to her!" Qrow barked. "That was all her doing! She brought it on herself."

Crimson shook his head slightly and straightened, his gaze still locked on Raven. "No, dad. You have a misunderstanding."

Qrow froze at the word 'dad', Raven's breath hitched, and she blinked in surprise.

"I didn't try to kill you because you joined Cinder and the White Fang," Crimson explained, his tone calm but firm. "I did it out of anger and hate. You were a reminder of things I didn't want to remember, and that's why I wanted you gone. There was no goodness or justice in my actions, I was simply being hateful and brutal for all the wrong reasons"

His words hung in the air. For a moment, Raven looked like she wanted to speak, but she remained silent, her gaze darting away from his.

Crimson sighed softly and took a step back. "You don't need to fear me anymore," he said, his voice softer now. "I won't come after you again. That part of me is gone." He paused, his expression softening as he added, "I just hope you'll be a proper mother to Yang from now on."

Raven's eyes widened in shock at his sincerity. She stared at him, struggling to process the unexpected apology and his words. Slowly, the tension in her shoulders eased, and her breathing steadied.

The others, who had been watching the exchange intently, couldn't help but smile. Yang, though her eyes were still red from crying, looked at her mother with cautious hope.

Crimson turned back to the group "Now," he began, his tone shifting to something more inquisitive. "This relic of yours—where did you get it from?"

Ruby took a deep breath and started to explain. "It's... a long story...."

____________________

After some time, Ruby finished the story and paused, glancing at Crimson to gauge his reaction. He nodded for her to continue.

"We were transporting the relic to Atlas," Ruby went on. "It's part of keeping it safe from Salem and her forces. That's when we used it... to find you."

Crimson frowned slightly, tilting his head. "And why did you think it was a good idea to use it for that?"

The group hesitated again, their unease palpable. Ruby looked at Yang, then at Qrow, before answering. "We were worried about you, especially after we began to understand your actions and words" she said quickly, her voice laced with emotion. "We thought... if we found you, it would be better than asking a different question."

"And what do you mean by my actions and words?" Crimson asked, he was puzzled on what was this about.

Ruby hesitated, she wasn't sure if she should bring out their conclusion about his promise to Summer, part of her was afraid that Crimson would disappear if they brought this unpleasant topic. Her eyes darted around the room, everyone had a shared silent understanding that they shouldn't bring up this topic.

As for Crimson, his sharp eyes studied Ruby carefully. she fidgeted under his gaze, avoiding direct eye contact. The others were not acting normal either.

Crimson finally smiled faintly. "If you don't want to tell me, you can just say so. I won't press. After all..." He pointed to himself with a slight chuckle. "I do hide few things from you, as you have witnessed by the relic."

Ruby let out a weak laugh.