The faint chime of bells filled the air as a cool breeze wafted over the grounds of Beacon Academy. Trees, with leaves as red as blood, lined the sidewalk and dabbled the emerald green grass. At the end of the walkway stood a great statue of heroes standing triumphantly over the monsters they had fought so hard to defeat, and just past that stood the prestigious school for future Huntsmen and Huntresses; its sharp edges and vast windows resembling more of a cathedral or old castle than an actual school.

Everything was tinted a shade darker as the night loomed over campus. Not a single student or professor could be seen. Well, there was one.

A girl, more a woman now, with long, wavy blonde hair and amethyst eyes walked confidently down the path leading to the heroic statue. She quickly scanned her surroundings with slight unease. Despite the wind, the only sound she could hear was the soft chimes of bells. Even the heavy footsteps of her knee high boots did not register as an audible noise.

She turned her attention back to the statue and felt her heart skip a beat in surprise. Another woman had appeared. Her long, black hair billowed behind her like ink black feathers fluttering in the wind. Her red and black attire clung to her body just enough to give her a very attractive definition, but her face was what got the girl's attention.

Simply, it got her attention because she could not see it. In place of an actual woman's face, a white Grimm mask sat prominently. Red markings clashed against the pearly material, and yet complimented each and every detail. But what did stand out from the mask, along with those markings, were the red eyes that peered at the girl through the slits just off the nose line.

The girl stopped and stared at this stranger curiously. She had seen her before. She had saved her on the train earlier that day. But there was one question that lingered in her mind…

"Who are you?"

The woman remained silent. Her only reply was the removal of her mask; revealing beautiful, porcelain white skin, and a heart shaped face that eerily resembled the girl's own. The blood red eyes that had been peering at her through the mask were now amplified in beauty now that the barrier was removed.

"Yang," the woman said in a soothing voice that sent chills down the younger woman's spine, "we have a lot to talk about."

Amethyst eyes turned red without as much as a spark of the girl's semblance being activated. "You didn't answer my question. We can start talking with that."

The woman's smile grew bigger. "Fiery, just as I knew you would be. The dragon's fire burns bright with you, doesn't it?"

Yang's eyes narrowed. "You obviously know me, but I still have no idea who you are. Answer my question, or else our little 'talk' is going to end pretty quickly."

The woman's smile faltered slightly before returning with full force. She took a few strides towards the blonde and raised her hand. "I will leave who I am up to your interpretation."

Yang watched the woman as she placed a hand on her cheek. "What are you-"

A whirlwind of raven feathers suddenly enshrouded her. Any light shining from the moon was extinguished, and soon even the woman's presence was gone. The familiar feeling of fear wormed its way into Yang's stomach like a parasite as she tried to see into the darkness.

"Where'd you go?" She shouted. The only reply was her echo yelling back at her.

"Hey!"

Still nothing.

Yang grit her teeth irritably and stomped her foot on what she assumed was ground. The darkness surrounding her made her feel as if she were floating in shadows. "For someone who said they wanted to talk, you sure as hell don't say much!"

She turned around to see if she couldn't make out anything in the vast darkness that enshrouded her. This woman was really starting to piss her off. Who says "We have a lot to talk about" and doesn't say anything?

A loud shriek shattered the silence of the darkness around her.

"Who's there?" She shouted. Adrenalin was pumping through her veins as a sense of unease swept through her. "Hello?"

Another yell, only this time it was followed by someone speaking.

"We're not going to make it!" A woman shouted.

A loud explosion filled the air and the shadows at Yang's feet shook violently. "Yes, we are! Just tell me where you are and we can get out of here together!"

What was she saying? She couldn't see anything in this black Hell. How was she supposed to find someone in here? Much less find a way out in the chance that she did find whoever was yelling.

"We're not," a second woman said in more of a hushed tone before exploding like a crack of thunder, "but you are!"

Yang froze. That voice sounded so familiar. Where had she heard it before?

Another crash, another shriek, a curse shouted to the heavens above, and the roar of beasts.

"NO!" The first woman yelled. "We need to get her out of there!" What sounded like rocks being moved grated against the silence of the abyss.

"Don't!" The second woman shouted back angrily. "This is the only exit they have! If you open it up to get me out, they'll destroy everything! You guys need to get out of here!"

"I'm not leaving you behind!"

A chorus of growls filled the air; drowning out any other dialogue being exchanged between the two women Yang could not see. Ice formed in her gut as recognition seeped into her mind: Grimm…and not just one or two, but the sound of hundreds circling around her. The only place she didn't hear the beast's bloodthirsty snarls was behind her.

She took a step back, but she didn't go far. The heel of her boot tapped against what felt like hard stone. Her hand immediately shot back and was greeted by the rough, cool texture of fallen rock.

She was trapped.

The hungry roars were getting closer, but she couldn't see the beasts coming towards her. Not even their burning red eyes penetrated the darkness. Panic bubbled in her chest as she raised her fists for battle against the unseen monsters.

Strange, her wrists felt unusually light.

She looked down at her fists and felt her blood run cold. Ember Celica, her trusty gauntlets, were gone. All she had covering her hands were the black, fingerless gloves that protected her skin from the shotgun fire that exploded through the air whenever she made contact with her enemy.

"Fuck…"

Yang's eyes widened. She hadn't said that, but it sounded like her. What's more, the voice had come from right in front of her.

She squinted into the darkness. "Hello?"

The only sound she heard were the snapping and snarling of the Grimm speeding towards her. They were close now. She could smell their hot, rancid breath as they panted. It was almost enough to completely overwhelm her.

And then she saw them. In the darkness a short distance away, thousands of red dots burned through the black abyss. The growls increased in ferocity as they singled out their prey.

Yang felt her legs turn to jelly as all hope drained from her body. This was it. This was how she was going to die. She was all alone in this God forsaken place, unarmed, and surrounded by hundreds, if not thousands, of Grimm. It would take a miracle to save her now.

"This is going to hurt like a bitch," the woman's voice in front of her said calmly.

A bittersweet smile spread across Yang's lips. Had she said that? The voice sounded a lot like her. Sure, maybe a little more mature, but it still sounded like her.

"That's for sure," she whispered into the darkness.

The shadows under Yang's feet shook violently as a dark silhouette manifested in front of her. Burning red eyes peered down at her as hot, rancid breath washed over her body. She could taste the familiar acidic taste of vomit creeping to the back of her tongue, but she fought it back. Puking didn't exactly feel like a good idea right now.

The monster leaned in closer, only to stop an arm's length away. A bright light suddenly exploded across Yang's vision as a loud roar filled her ears.

"What the hell?" Yang shouted as she squinted against the harshness of the light. She couldn't make out anything from inside, but she did hear that voice again; the voice that sounded like her.

"Aw, aren't you cute? You think you're scary."

Yang tried to focus on the light and felt her breath catch in her throat.

Long, blonde hair resembling that of molten sun was tied in a ponytail at the base of a woman's neck. The black, ripped up pants hanging off her cocked hips looked like they had seen their fair share of battles, blood, and dust; complementing the battered black, leather boots she wore. A sweat drenched, cropped black tank top clung to her hourglass body tightly; revealing well-toned muscles that nearly made Yang jealous. What little of her abdomen wasn't covered by her shirt was wrapped in a dark brown fabric that matched the wrapping on her shoulders and biceps. Half of a tattered, brown cape billowed behind her as the shadowy beast's rancid breath washed over the two women in front of it. Finally, black, fingerless gloves with a flame etched into the palms adorned her hands.

"Is that…me?" Yang thought to herself.

An explosion of light filled the air, blinding the blonde momentarily. There was a flash of gold, a splash of crimson, and the world faded to black. Suddenly the darkness beneath Yang's feet gave out, and she plummeted into the deep abyss below.

A soft hum filled the air and three things embedded themselves into Yang's mind as she fell:

A flash of gold.

The soft hum grew in strength until a familiar voice started to sing. "You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy when skies are gray."

She could see solid ground beginning to form below her as she plummeted towards the Earth.

A splash of crimson.

"You'll never know, dear, how much I love you."

She closed her eyes and relaxed as the ground raced up to greet her.

And the world faded to black.

"So please don't take my sunshine away."

Yang bolted upright in bed. Tremors rocked her body as a cold sweat rolled across her skin. Her breaths came in uneven pants and her eyes were frantically searching the room.

She was safe in her own bed in Team RWBY's shared dorm room at Beacon Academy. The moonlight pouring through the window reduced the darkness to a mere shadow compared to the pitch black abyss that still plagued her mind. Soft whistles, and one rugged snore, filled her ears, insinuating that her teammates were still asleep.

A deep sigh of relief blew past Yang's lips. A dream. It had all been a dream.

She stared down at her shaking hands and balled them into fists. "What the heck was that all about?" she whispered. "Was that woman…me?"

A flash of gold streaked across her mind as the woman from her dream attacked an army of Grimm with her bare hands.

"It definitely seemed like something I would do if I was ever trapped like that," she chuckled silently. "Even without my gauntlets, I'm sure I could take down at least a few Grimm on my own before they…."

A splash of crimson exploded across her mind's eye as the woman killed at least a hundred Grimm before finally collapsing in exhaustion. The burning red eyes of the beasts glinted with glee as they descended upon their prey. And yet, even as she disappeared beneath the black mass of snarling monsters, the golden haired woman still fought.

Yang swallowed hard. Her throat suddenly felt like sandpaper. "I need a drink of water."

She swung her legs over the side of her bed and dropped to the floor silently. After looking high and low to make sure that her teammates hadn't heard her, pride swelling in her chest knowing that she had succeeded in not arousing her cat Faunus partner, she tip-toed to the bathroom and poured herself a small cup of water from the faucet. The contents of the cup jiggled from her still shaking hand.

She stared at herself in the mirror. There were a lot of similarities between her and the blonde woman from her dream: the hair, the smoking hot body, the attitude, even some of the ways they fought. What if that woman was her?

Scenes from her dream replayed in her head like a bad TV sitcom re-run as she downed her third glass of water.

What if the black haired woman in her dream had showed her the future?

Yang shook her head violently. No way. That was crazy.

But…was it?

The blonde stared at her reflection in the mirror. She took a deep breath and slowly combed her hair into a ponytail with her fingers. A sharp gasp escaped her lips and she let the gold curtain fall across her shoulders.

"Practically the spitting image," she said shakily. She shook her head again exited the small, shared bathroom.

Whether it was from the sheer vividness of her dream, or because it was so early in the morning that her mind was going bonkers, she was unsure. But something about what she had felt, what she had seen, gave her an uneasy feeling deep in her gut. Something big was happening, but what? The White Fang was already disbanded thanks to them. What else could there be?

As soon as she climbed onto her bed, exhaustion immediately swept through Yang's body. A powerful yawn coveted her lips, and she snuggled deeper into her pillow. Whatever it was; it could wait until tomorrow.

Her eyes gently fluttered closed, and her world slowly faded to black.

Hello, everyone! I'm trying to get my writing drive back, so I'm hoping this will be a good way to get a jump start. I haven't written in a long...long time. I'm a little nervous to start writing again. Let me know if this was any good!