Twelve years ago
Yang looks through the crack between the door and it frame. Sitting on the bed inside the bedroom, is an older blonde man, Taiyang. He is hunched over, weighed down from sorrow. Yang cannot blame her father for wanting to be alone. As of late Yang, and sometimes even Ruby, has wanted to be alone as well. It was only a short time ago when her mother, Summer, disappeared. She has yet to be seen or to be heard from. That is what her father and Uncle Qrow told Yang and her sister. They wanted to give the two girls some hope that they will see their mother. But yang knows better. She overheard one day that Summer did disappear, but turned up dead. Yang also heard something else that has been bugging her for the past few days. She has been wanting to ask her father about it, but with him locked in his room a lot, it has been hard.
Some strands of her golden hair tickle her nose. Yang tries to hold in a sneeze, but is unable to. Her father hears his daughter's sneeze and turns his head towards the door. Yang quickly hides behind the wall, hoping that her father did not see her. But she is wrong. The door slowly pushes open, Yang's father's head peeking out of it. His dark purple eyes meet with Yang's lighter purple ones.
"How long have you been standing there?" He asks.
"A little bit now. I didn't want to disturb you." Yang replies.
"Is something the matter? Do you want to come in and talk?"
Yang nods. She follows her father into his room. It looks like the same room as she has always known, but it is somehow different to the young blonde. The once lively room where she would spend nights sitting on her parents' bed with Ruby watching movies or being told a story, is now still—quiet. Just being in here starts to fill Yang with even more sadness over her mother.
Taiyang sits back down on his bed. He picks up his daughter, placing her on his lap. Yang rests her head on his chest, wrapping her small arms around him. Her father starts to gently rub the top of Yang hair before he speaks. "So, what's on your mind? Are you still thinking about mom?"
Yang nods. "I overheard you and Uncle Qrow say that she really is gone. Is that true?"
Her father takes a deep, long sigh. "You always seem to have a habit of knowing things that you shouldn't, don't you?" Yang gives a small chuckle. "You get that from your mother. What else did you hear?"
"I also heard you say 'Why did she leave me too?'" Yang shifts her gaze up at her father. "What do you mean by that? Was there someone else before mom who died, like when you were younger?"
"You really are her daughter. Yes, there was someone else before Summer, but I didn't lose her when I was young. I lost her five years ago."
This grabs the young child's attention. Yang gives her father a questioning look. She's is just five years old. He lost another love right around the time she was born? "Wha?"
Taiyang chuckles, seeing the extremely confused face on his young daughter. "Don't try and strain yourself trying to think. I didn't lose her like I lost Summer. She left me, shortly after you were born Yang." The confusion on Yang's face grows. "She was your mother Yang."
"I thought Summer was my mother."
"She was Yang. She was your mother. You know how one of your little classmates has a stepmom. His real mother died, but he still calls his stepmom mom. Summer loved you just liked she loved Ruby, which does make her your mother."
"Then…Why did my mother leave? Did she love me?"
"Of course she did Yang, of course." The blonde man wraps his arms around his small daughter. "There are many reasons why your mother left, some I probably don't understand myself. But she had her reasons. It's a long story honey. Now, no more questions Yang. It's time for bed." He places a kiss on Yang's forehead.
"Can we talk more in the morning?"
"We'll see Yang, okay?"
Yang sighs, knowing that that answer more than likely means they won't talk in the morning. She still nods at her father's answer and pulls away from him. She walks out of his room and head towards the room she shares with her younger sister. As she walks down the hall, she starts to think over what her father told her. The fact that her the person she thought was her mother, isn't really her mother. And that her real mother left her. She has now lost Summer twice, in her death and in the revelation that she wasn't her real mother. And now she has learned that her actual mother left her when she was only a baby, and is out there somewhere. She wants to lie down, she wants to sleep. Her head is spinning.
Yang pushes open the door, doing her best to make it creak as little as possible. The room is dark and quiet. Yang thinks that her sister is asleep. She usually is by now. Yang walks over to her bed, ready to just sleep. Right as she is about to pull back the covers, Ruby reveals herself from under Yang's bed, shouting 'boo' at her older sister. The blonde screams at the sudden appearance of her sister, and falls to the ground. Ruby starts to laugh.
"What the heck Ruby!" Yang snaps at her sister as she stands up.
Ruby jerks back. Her sister has never snapped at her before. "S-Sorry Yang."
Yang takes a deep breath, relaxing her tense body. "No Ruby. I'm sorry. It's…just been a long day. I'm sorry."
"Where you thinking about mommy again?" Ruby asks her sister as Yang sits down next to her.
"Yeah Ruby. I was, and I just want to sleep right now, okay?"
"O-okay. Do you wanna talk about it on the morning?"
"Nah Ruby. It's fine." Yang ruffles up Ruby's dark hair, smiling slightly. "Just sleep now, alright?"
Ruby listens to her sister, and crawls back into her own bed. Yang pulls the covers over her body. She tries to sleep, but it doesn't come right away. She stays awake, staring at the ceiling, thinking about Summer. Thinking about what her father said to her. Thinking about what her real mother looks like and where she can be. As sleep finally takes ahold of her, she starts to think about ways to somehow find her mother.
Months later
She waits, and waits, making sure that her father is truly out of the house. Once she is for sure, she starts to move as fast as she can. Her father had to leave suddenly because of something to do with work. Yang isn't quite sure what is was about, but she does know her Uncle Qrow will becoming very shortly. Once he comes, there is no way Yang can get out of the house to follow a clue that could lead her to her mother.
The young blonde pulls out a small red wagon. On the couch, Ruby is fast asleep. Yang doesn't want to leave Ruby here alone, in case she wakes before their Uncle comes. Making sure that she does not wake her sister, Yang places Ruby in the wagon, and starts to head out the door, into the woods behind her house.
It is nippy out. Winter is right around the corner. Many of the leaves from the tall trees have fallen off and lay on the ground, being crushed under Yang's feet and the wheels of the wagon. Every so often, Yang turns her head, to make sure Ruby is still sleeping. She is.
Her feet begin to hurt from the rocks digging into the soles of her shoes. Low lining branches cut her arms and face as she tries to get past them. Through the pain of being cut and sore, Yang doesn't stop moving. She found a clue in an old photograph that could lead her to her mother. For months now, all she can think of is finding her mother. Her father, and even her uncle, won't tell Yang anything else about her mother other than that she left all of a sudden. She wants to know why they won't tell her. There has to be a reason. She is determined to find out the secrets they are hiding, even if it pains her.
By the time she reaches the shed where she hopes to find answers, Yang is gasping for breath. Her arms, legs, cheeks, and neck all have cuts and nicks, some of which bleed. She is thirsty and hungry and so tired, she is ready to pass out. Yang is surprised that Ruby is still asleep. The younger girl must be really tried to sleep all the way here, or she must be having a really good dream that she doesn't want to wake from. But at least Yang and Ruby are here safetly. She has reached her goal.
There is a low rumble from the shed. Yang snaps her head up. There is another rumble. Three pairs of bright, burning reds eyes form inside the shed. Grimm. Yang's breath gets caught in her throat. She had been lucky enough not to run into a Grimm through her long hike in the woods. Now, right when she can taste the answers to many of her questions, these dark creatures appear.
Another louder growl comes from the shed before the three Grimm, a pack of Beowolves, jump out at her. Yang stands frozen in fear, her eyes locked on the dark creatures. As they get closer, Yang instinctively squeezes her lilac eyes shut, anticipating the attack. But it never comes. She hears the noise of something clicking and the cries of the Grimm. Sometime then tickles her face. Yang cracks one eye open to see some black feathers fall in front of her. Behind the falling feathers, in front of Yang, is her Uncle, his dark scythe hung over his shoulder. The three Beowolves lay by his feet, cut in two.
Her Uncle turns around to face his nieces. Yang looks up at him. His dark eyes are filled with both worry and anger. Before he can say anything to Yang, the blonde falls to her knees, shaking from weakness and the fear almost being killed. The world around her becomes blurry before returning back into focus, only to repeat the cycle. She hears the leaves in front of her rustle as her uncle kneels down to cradle his beaten down niece. Yang buries her face into her uncle's clothes as tears start to run down her face.
"Why did you come out here Yang?" Her uncle asks, rubbing her back.
"I'm sorry Uncle Qrow. I found something and I thought…I thought it would give me some answers to where my mom is. I'm sorry. You said no one has seen her since she left, and I thought I could find her. I just want to know what happened to her and why she left."
"I'm sorry I can't tell you more Yang, it's a complicated story. But you shouldn't run off like that. You're still really little. I know you want to find you mother, your father and I want to know where exactly she went also. But you can't just run off like that, especially with Ruby who is so much littler than you. You nearly gave me a heart attack."
Yang turns her head around to look at the wagon. She sees Ruby popping her head out of it, sleep still written all over her face as tries to find out where she is. In her fear, Yang completely forgot that she had brought along her little sister. She not only got herself killed in her hopes to find her mother, but Ruby as well.
"Hey, Yang." Qrow says.
Yang turns her gaze back up at her uncle. Her vison is still blurs in and out. She feels her eyelids getting heavier and heavier as she struggles to stay awake. "Yes?" She says weakly.
"You barely had a clue to your name and you ran off chasing after it. Please don't do that again. Wait till you have more to go on, and when you can take care of yourself. And also that you won't let trying to find your mother consume you. Okay? Next I might not be here to save you if you do something like this again."
"I promise, I promise." Yang repeats before finally slipping into darkness.
Present
The cold air nips at her as it blows across campus. Yang walks down a pathway of Beacon, towards the large statue in the center of the main courtyard. No one else is out but her, and the person who told her to come to the statue. She found a note in her room, addressed to her to come here, alone and not telling anyone. She was skeptical at first. But along with saying to come to the statue at the dead of night, it also said to come if she wanted to learn more about her mother. That caught her attention.
She continues to walk down the stone pathway, remembering what her Uncle said to her years ago about running off. Even though she had promised him never to run off on a simple clue, something about this one tells her to go. She is older now, no longer a defenseless girl who needs someone to save her. She can take care of herself if needed, just like her Uncle had also said.
Yang draws closer to the statue. She sees someone standing in front of it. A large Grimm mask covers her whole face. She is clothed in red and black colors. Yang remembers seeing the same colors and patterns as she awoke from her battle from Neo. How can she know anything about her mother?
The blonde stops feet away from the woman. She stares at her for a few moments before speaking. "Who are you?"
The woman reaches up and slowly pulls off her Grimm mask. Yang's eyes quickly turn from their soft lilac color, to a bright and angry red. She recognizes the woman's face from the few photos she has seen of her. The pitch black hair, and the same fire eyes Yang now bares. She knows now how the woman can possibly have knowledge of the long lost mother. That is because she is her mother.
"Yang—We have a lot to talk about." The woman says.
Yang's blood starts to boil. She has been looking for her mother for years now. She had always thought that when she finally met her mother, she would be overcome with joy and happiness. But fury and pain fill her instead. The woman that stands in front of her is the one that left her when she was only a newborn. This is the woman who made Yang so desperate to find her, that it nearly killed the blonde and her sister. This is the woman who left Yang sleepless some night, wondering if what her father said was true, that her mom did want her. That it was not a lie like with Summer disappearing. This is the woman who caused her so much pain and confusion in her childhood.
"You—" Yang growls. Clutching her hands into fist she actives Ember Celica and charges at the woman. "BASATRD!"
Yang tires to land a blow on the dark haired woman, but her mother quickly deflects it with her weapon, pushing her daughter back.
"Yang." Her mother says nonchalantly.
Yang response with another growl before running at her mother for a second time. She is not in the mood to her any of her excuses for leaving her. All she is seeing is red, with her mother being in the center of it.
Like before, Yang's mother stops her daughter's attack, and pushes her back, this time with more force. The blonde stumbles backwards, nearly falling to the ground.
"I don't want to hurt you Yang." The dark haired woman says.
"YOU DON'T WANT TO HURT ME?! WHAT ABOUT WHEN YOU LEFT ME! YOU DON'T THINK THAT DIDN'T CAUSE ME A LOT OF PAIN?!" Yang yells at her mother, her voice starting to shake. "HOW CAN YOU NOT WANT TO HURT ME WHEN YOU ALREADY HAVE?!"
Yang's mother sighs, her mouth turning into a small frown. "Yang, just ple—" She is cut off when her daughter comes at her for a third time. She blocks Yang's attack again. Before she pushes Yang away once more, she sees in her daughter's red eyes, tears. This time around, when she pushes her daughter back with her weapon with much more might than the last two times. Her daughter is push back and falls to the ground.
Yang starts to get to her hands and knees, trying to get back to her feet. Her mother kneels down in front of her. She reaches out to Yang, but her hand is quickly slapped away by the blonde girl. Her eyes are still burning a bright red. The tears that were in Yang's eyes have fallen and now run down her face.
"Don't. Touch. Me." Yang snaps, her voice cracking as she tries to hold back her sobs. Her fury has turned into emptiness.
The dark haired woman sighs as she watches her daughter's body tremble with anger and sadness. Try as she might, Yang can't prevent her mother from hearing her chocking sobs. Yang's mother reaches to touch her daughter again, but Yang jerks back, making the woman bring her hand back. "Yang. Please listen to me."
"Why? Just—Why?" Yang looks up at her mother. Her eyes have soften back to their normal color. "Why did you leave me?"
"I had to Yang."
"What do you mean 'you had to'? What was so important that you had to leave your infant daughter behind?!"
"It's a long and complicated story why I did."
"THAT'S ALL I HAVE EVER HEARD! 'It's a long story Yang'. 'It's complicated'. 'That's a story for another time'. Damn it!" Yang smack one of her fist on the ground in her anger. Her voice raises as she starts to yell at her mother. "No one has told me anything after all these years. Even after I nearly got myself and my sister killed trying to find you, no one told me anything!"
"If you calm down, I can tell you." Yang's mother sticks out her hand again for the third time. She slowly moves it towards her daugther, not knowing how Yang will react this time. Finally, she places her hand on her daughter's wet cheek, and starts to rub away some of the tears with her thumb. "Are you going to calm down long enough for me to tell you the story?"
Yang nods, unable to speak through her tears. Her mother puts her other arm up, welcoming Yang into a hug. The blonde is hesitates for a moment before she accepts the hug. She buries her face into her mother shoulder, tears still coming out of her eyes as she manages to speak in a shaky voice. "Tell me everything. Don't you dare leave anything out."
"Okay Yang, okay. I'll tell you everything I can. Now, where do I even begin?"