Author's notes:

A disclaimer:
- If you're bothered by same-gender relationships, I ask that you kindly refrain from voicing such thoughts.
- I don't own RWBY or any of it's related content with the exception of the intellectual property of this story.

Edit 01/26/2018: I rearranged the original order of the first few chapters and eliminated unnecessary time hopping. Now featuring: One long Prologue.

Prologue.

Yang sat on the floor of Haven Academy's Great Hall, the cold stone warming up where her tired, sweaty body touched it. The heat she felt was getting worse as the three other members of team RWBY embraced her for a few seconds too long. Uncomfortable, she shrugged off the group hug and got back up, not allowing herself to relax just yet, lest she shut down completely before assessing their situation.
"So? What now?" the blonde girl asked, directing her gaze towards an exhausted Qrow who was giving support to an even worse-looking Oscar. "We got the relic. But what does it do? Where are we going to keep it?"
Every person present in the room turned their eyes to the middle-aged huntsman expectantly. He sighed tiredly and closed his eyes for a couple seconds, before looking at each of them. "I don't know, alright? We rest, get our strength back and as soon as Oz' wakes up he'll tell us the next step." Qrow looked down at the small frame of the boy currently sharing a soul with Beacon's former headmaster before continuing, "He did mention we need to head to Atlas as soon as possible, but we'll need more information from him before setting off. So I say we go back to our rooms and focus on resting for now. I know I need a drink."

Yang nodded half-heartedly, deciding she was much too tired to inquire further right now. She turned her head to look at her companions, lingering for a few seconds on amber eyes which were still trained carefully on her own, as if expecting something. A flash of anger passed through her face then, for but a fraction of a second, but long enough for her partner to catch on that maybe things weren't quite as simple as they seemed to be a minute earlier. Tearing herself away from the pained expression starting to form on Blake's face, she looked at Ruby, who was starting to finally get back on her feet pulling Weiss with her. Giving her a single nod, Yang prodded her younger sister to take the reins and get everyone moving.
"Alright guys, let's go then." Ruby said looking at her teammates. Flicking her eyes between her black-haired friend and her family, who were now talking to some policemen outside, she continued. "Blake? You can stay with us at our place and we can bring you up to speed! If- if your parents are okay with that, of course..." She added a bit sheepishly, still a bit unsure of how to approach someone they hadn't talked to or seen in months.

Blake's cat ears perked up slightly at that and she cracked a bright smile. Glad to be so readily brought back into the fold she nodded enthusiastically and gestured for Sun and Ilia, who were watching the scene from a distance, to approach the group. "I will, we have a lot to talk about I imagine." She said, looking pointedly towards Qrow and Oscar.
Sun promptly came over sporting a wide grin, waving his tail and bringing a wary Ilia along with him. "'Sup! That was a crazy fight, glad to see you are all okay!"
"Sun! Hi~" Greeted Ruby, already back to her usual cheery demeanour. "It's been so long, we missed you!"
"Eh, some more than others." Yang added, cheekily. After a moment, she dropped her smirk and a more serious tone laced her words. "Thanks Sun. For, ya know, keeping an eye on Blake and helping us out today."
The boy gave her a warm smile and nodded meaningfully. "You bet." As if he had suddenly remembered something, he turned to where Ilia was standing by his side, awkwardly waiting for someone to acknowledge her. He pushed her by the shoulder slightly so she would get in front of the girls and announced, in a rather overly dramatic gesture "And this..." He gestured towards her with both arms while she simply rolled her eyes. "...is Ilia. Former White Fang, bomb defuser extraordinaire and Blake's good old… pal." He finished the sentence with a wink that made Blake recoil and prompted the chameleon to hit him on the side with her elbow.

Weiss, who had been watching everything amused up until that moment, raised an eyebrow and narrowed her eyes slightly at the new girl. "Oh? And you trust her, Blake?"
"I do." Blake answered nonchalantly. "She made a choice and helped protect my family. She's on our side." She smiled proudly at Ilia.
A bitter, humourless snort sounded behind them, and Jaune decided to make his presence known. "Yeah, right." he murmured. Seeing as he succeeded in taking everyone's attention, he proceeded with his rant. "A killer will always be a killer. And that's what the White Fang are. Killers. I'll never trust someone who once chose to be a part of that." He raised an accusatory finger and pointed it at Ilia, who looked like she wanted to turn away and run from this before something happened.

Yang was starting to feel the control over her temper slip, as memories of the recent fight started to play very clearly in her mind. She half turned her head towards the boy and looked at him from the corners of her eyes, hiding her anger. "Good thing nobody asked for your opinion." She said, in a deadpan manner.
"What!?" He started yelling, now focusing his ire on her. "I have just as much right to state my opinion as everyone else! The White Fang were part of Pyrrha's murder, I will never trust them and I won't let my friends make that mistake!"
"Oh shut up, Jaune." Yang now shifted her full body and attention towards him yet tried to keep herself calm as best as she could while her friends did nothing but stare wide-eyed at their sudden hostility. "Are you sure you want to lecture us about mistakes when you almost got us killed with your recklessness today? You put my sister in danger, and Weiss got- Weiss got hurt, badly." Her voice cracked then and tears started to prickle her eyes. "All for what? Because you wanted to go on a one-man rampage against Cinder? Because you wanted to be some hero and failed?"
"No!" He screamed, now losing his control completely and grasping the hilt of his sword. "Because of Pyrrha! She deserves to be avenged and-"
"Shut up!" Yang interrupted him, her eyes now turned into a deep red colour and her Aura shone menacingly while she yelled. "You don't own her memory alone! You're not the only one who lost something that day!" She blinked and her eyes were back to their regular shade of lilac as she started to sob bitterly. "Pyrrha was my friend too. And theirs." She pointed to Ren and Nora who had been watching, baffled, their teammate being yelled at. "But stop using her as an excuse. You're hurting the people around you."

A deafening silence fell on the hall, Jaune stood there with his mouth agape and his sword forgotten, hate and grief burning behind his irises. Weiss approached Yang slowly from behind and rested a hand on her shoulder. No one dared to say a word until she stopped crying, calmed herself and turned back towards her teammates. She looked at Blake and then Ilia and stated calmly "I trust you. If Blake and Sun say you're with us, that's enough for me."
Weiss nodded and added her support. "Me too. We will need all the help we can get." A few hums of agreement were heard around them, as Ruby, Ren and Nora also decided on moving forward in trust.

Ilia simply stared at Yang, who had just went through the whole emotional spectrum in a matter of seconds right in front of her. She nodded dumbly in acknowledgement, still a bit too shell-shocked to say anything. At that, Yang decided they were all already too tired and emotional to do much of anything else and started towards the door that led to fresh air and distance from the smell of smoke and rubble. "Come on, I need some sleep." She bent down and picked up her prosthetic from the ground, where it was left forgotten after the fight, before resuming her sluggish walk outside without glancing at the others, knowing they would soon follow. "And more importantly, I need to make sure that prick didn't ruin my arm after I left it with him." she mumbled to herself.

The group of tired and downcast fighters walked the empty streets of Mistral, the broken moon illuminating their path, as they headed towards the house they were renting for the past few days. Yang was a few steps ahead of the rest, a multitude of confusing thoughts running through her mind at the speed of light as the smell of the dirty streets assaulted her senses. She heard someone walking faster and closer to her, trying to catch up, and she braced herself for a conversation she was dreading but expecting.

Qrow approached her right flank and fell in step by her side, deciding to stay silent for a few seconds before taking a deep breath and speaking sternly. "Why did you blow up on Jaune like that?".
She cringed and felt anger forming at the pit of her stomach, pain already starting to grip her entrails. Forcing her eyes closed she tried to calm down before responding. "He had no right to say those things."
"He's a hurt boy who lost someone, you can't blame him." Qrow said, trying his best to sound calm and sympathetic.
"Can't I?" Yang sighed and turned her head to look her uncle in the eyes. "He acts like he is the only one who has the right to grieve for Pyrrha. And he uses her memory to justify his petty… bullshit. I don't care how much he hurts, it's no excuse for putting those I care about in danger!"
"Language! What would Tai say?" He gave the girl a disapproving glare. "And besides, it doesn't matter what you think kid, you need to control your outbursts. You lose any right to being heard when you act like you did back there."
Yang looked at him indignantly. "What? How does that even-"
"Listen." Qrow cut her off before she could finish her sentence. "They've been working together for a long time while you were away, they can deal with it. You need to take a step back, calm down and stop being so impulsive. Or… you'll end up like Raven."
Yang was becoming livid. "What does my mom even have to do with any of this? I'm just-" She stopped herself this time. "Ugh! Whatever, this isn't going anywhere."
"Yang..." Her uncle tried to start again, but was ignored.
She started walking briskly and building more distance between her and everyone else, just wanting to get to her bed as fast as possible to forget about everything for at least a few hours.

As soon as the group arrived at the house, Yang made a beeline for the room she shared with Ruby, averting eye contact with everyone to dodge another unpleasant conversation, but to her dismay was held back at the corridor that led to the bedrooms by a hand on her wrist. She looked back and her eyes met Blake's, the girl immediately dropping her grip. The faunus glanced at Yang's right arm, which was noticeably missing since she hadn't bothered to re-attach the mechanical substitute back yet, and then awkwardly turned her gaze back down to the ground.
As Yang stared at her expectantly, waiting for her to say something, Blake finally brought her eyes back up. Smiling and a bit hesitant, she said in a small voice "It's good to see you again."
"It's good to see you too." The blonde replied with a smile of her own.
"I was hoping we could talk for a bit? I… I wanted to say I'm sorr-"
Yang raised her hand slowly to stop the other girl from talking. "Listen Blake, I really want to catch up but can we do this tomorrow? I'm really tired and I'm not exactly in a great mood right now and… Let's just talk later, alright?" She looked to the side as a knot started to form on her throat and a jumble of emotions began to twist inside her.
"You really are mad at me, aren't you?" Blake looked dejected and desperate, on the verge of crying. "Please, let me just-"
"Blake!" Yang cut her off, raising her voice slightly. "I can't do this right now. I'm not mad at you, I'm just tired. Everything is alright, okay? We're alright. I'm alright." She forced herself to give the best smile she could muster, and before the other girl could say anything else she turned towards her room and walked away, closing the door behind her. She dropped on top of the bed instantly, not even changing out of her battle clothes and at last getting her much needed rest.

Not even an hour had passed after she closed her eyes, and Yang woke with a start. The house was completely silent, and the lights were turned off. Ruby slept peacefully on the bed opposite of hers. She suddenly realized what it was that yanked her away from peaceful sleep, the urge to use the bathroom had her tiptoeing as fast as she could through the dark corridor in an instant. Relieved of her biological needs, she started making her way back to bed, the thought of going back to sleep more appealing than ever.

As she passed in front of the door that led to the small kitchen, the ominous sound of Raven's portal cutting through reality startled her. She turned towards the small room and saw the now familiar figure of her mother standing in the poorly lit interior, her usual black and red attire giving her an eerie aura. Yang stood at the doorway, completely frozen for a few seconds, as her brain tried to catch up with reality and fully wake up. "Mom? What- Why are you here?" As her instincts finally kicked in, she became acutely aware of the fact she didn't have her right arm or any weapon to defend herself with. She glanced at the counter to her left side, a vegetable knife rested on top of it.
Raven followed her gaze, and with some haste, talked. "Calm down Yang, I'm not here to fight." She took her hand off the hilt of her blade and brought both palms up in a non-threatening gesture. "But I'd appreciate it if you could close the door, we don't want to wake up anyone else. And we need to talk."
Narrowing her eyes at her mother for a moment, Yang decided she wasn't an immediate threat. She closed the door gently, avoiding any noise, and turned the kitchen lights on. Having a clearer view of her now, it was visible that Raven had been crying recently. Her eyes were reddened and there was a tiny dark trail left by a dirty hand that came up to brush away tears.

"You look horrible." Yang said, her expression softening slightly as she watched the woman instinctively bringing up the Grimm mask she always carried to her face but stopping herself mid-way through the action, apparently thinking better of it and choosing to avert her eyes instead.
"That's not why I'm here." Raven declared, a bite behind her words.
"Then why are you here? I thought we said all we needed to say to each other earlier tonight." Yang shot back, placing her left hand on her hip in a challenging pose.
"There was a new… development. After I left the Vault I-" Raven gritted her teeth, as if it were painful for her to say the words. "Stuck around. I saw someone tailing your people, someone… interesting." She looked at her daughter, attempting to gauge her reaction. "So I captured them. And took them back to my camp."
"Who?" Yang asked simply, hiding her curiosity behind passiveness.
"Not yet." Raven answered, now adopting her business-like monotone. "First, we talk. I have a proposal for you that I'd like you to consider."
Yang smirked and rolled her eyes in an exaggerated display of contempt. "Family." She waved her hand in the air in a dismissive manner. "Only coming around when they need something."
Raven sighed in annoyance and muttered under her breath. "I deserved that one." She gave Yang a serious look and tried again. "You and your friends are moving out of Mistral soon I take it? Where are you going next?"
The girl took some time to mull over the question, narrowing her eyes ever so slightly as she looked the woman in the eyes. "Atlas." She answered in a dry tone. "We think. It's kinda up in the air right now."
Raven smiled bitterly. "Waiting for Ozpin to give you some real information, are you?" She shook her head before continuing. "That is quite a long way to go. It will surely take at least a few weeks for you to get there, especially with all the chaos out in the border."
Becoming visibly impatient, Yang prodded. "And? What's your point?"
"My point is, you have plenty of time to run a little… errand, while the others travel the long road. And then, I can take you straight back to them." The woman smirked, like she had won the argument already.
"An errand?!" Yang said, louder. "How delusional are you? I just got to Ruby, why would I want to leave her side? And why would I want to help you with anything?"
"Because you won't be helping me. You'll be helping yourself. And your friends." Raven said.
"Then why would you want to help me after today? I gave you a free pass. You can just go run and hide, like you always do." Yang almost growled the words, her frustration turning into anger at an alarming pace.
Raven bit back a threatening remark, forcing herself to calm down. "I stand by my words. I'm not getting involved in Ozpin and Salem's personal feud." She took a deep breath, and pinched the bridge of her nose. "But. If an opportunity falls on my lap like this one did, I can't sit by and watch knowing I have something that might just keep you alive. I'm not helping you on your self-righteous crusade and I'm certainly not following that old snake, I am simply giving you an opportunity to do so for yourself." She finished with a shrug, making it clear she wouldn't insist on this any more.
"Right. Let's talk about that then. Who is this person you said you captured? Why do you think they can help us with… whatever?" Yang inquired.
"Sorry Yang, I play my cards close to the chest. I won't tell you who it is until you come with me back to my camp." Realizing she had to give the girl something, Raven continued with a slight eye roll. "Suffice it to say, this person is neck-deep in this whole mess of yours, and I believe they might be able to point you in the direction of some important players. After that, it's up to you."
"Alright." the blonde said.
"That's it? Just 'alright'?" Raven asked, suspicious.
"Yeah. If there's something I can do to help my friends, I will. This doesn't have to be personal for either of us." Yang concluded emotionless. "But first, I need to-"

At that moment, Ilia opened the kitchen door and took a step inside, looking at both of them defiantly and crossing her arms over her chest. "I'm coming with you." Raven instantly reached for her weapon, readying a new blade and prepared to unsheathe it, prompting Yang to reach for the knife on the counter top on instinct. "Whoa, calm down. Jumpy much?" the newcomer said, taken back by the aggressive reaction.
Recognizing neither Raven nor Ilia were attacking each other, the blonde dropped the knife back with a clattering sound and looked pointedly between her mother and the hand she still kept hovering over her left side, close to the hilt.
Taking the hint, Raven dropped her hands back down and narrowed her eyes menacingly at the girl standing by the door. "Listen… whoever you are. Go back to bed. This doesn't concern you."
"Oh, but it does." Ilia insisted, "I admit, I was listening in on your conversation… old habits die hard I guess." she shrugged. "I won't be much help following the others around like a lost puppy, but if I go with you I can do something useful for Blake." Her eyes focused on Yang then, "And I'll also help watch your back, something you'll need considering the company you'll be on." she finished, with a nod towards the older woman.
Yang looked confused at Ilia. "I said I would trust you earlier, and I will, but now you're pushing it. We literally just met and you want to accompany me on a trip to the lion's den? Away from Blake and Sun, the only ones who can vouch for you?" She knitted her eyebrows, clearly suspicious of the sudden interest.
"If you don't believe in my good intentions, then believe in this: I want payback for what Adam did to the White Fang. I will kill him. And I think you will lead me to him eventually." Ilia wore a cold expression, but the anger in her words was clear for both to hear.
"Good enough for me." Raven declared simply, accompanied of a shrug. "Get your stuff you two, we need to leave before someone else wakes up and decides to tag along."
"Fine." Yang conceded. "Come on Ilia."
In only a couple of minutes they were both back inside the kitchen, carrying their weapons and some clothes on two small bags. Receiving a nod from them, Raven unsheathed her blade and in one swift, fluid motion cut a portal open for the three of them. She waited by it expectantly, one hand motioned towards the portal inviting them to walk through. Ilia flicked the lights off, took a deep breath and stepped through, Yang and Raven on her heels.
The portal disappeared with a crack and the house went back to the darkness and silence of night. In her room, Ruby stirred but didn't wake up, completely immersed in her dreams and too tired to wake up for at least a few more hours. On top of the bed placed at the other side of the room a short note, hastily written, waited for her.

Ruby,
Something happened and I had to leave
I have a plan that might help
Don't worry about me and don't come looking
I'll meet you guys in Atlas

Be careful sis
I love you

Yang

A/N.: Don't hate me just yet. I promise everything has a reason to be in this story.
It should be noted that this Prologue is in the chronological past, in reference to the real starting point of this fic which is the official first chapter.