( * * )

Ever since her father told her the truth, Yang thought constantly about what she would do if she finally – or ever – met her mother. Almost always, the answer was rage. Fury. Perhaps even hatred.

And yet, standing in Beacon's campus grounds in the dead of night, with the very woman in front of her, she doesn't feel any of that. Perhaps it was due to the fact that she'd had spent the past two days fighting Grimm, White Fang members, and a pint-sized psychopath, but all she can feel is calm. Embers instead of fire. Neutrality instead of hostility.

How anticlimactic.

"Well?" Yang said when she couldn't take the silence anymore, "What do we have to talk about?" Her voice is even, disinterested, bereft of any feeling or inflection.

Raven looked at her, the small smile disappearing at Yang's tone. Did she actually expect a happy reunion? For Yang to scream 'Mommy' excitedly at the top of her lungs and happily throw herself into her arms?

Guess I disappointed both of us, Yang thought.

"I suppose I should've expected that." Raven said.

Yang shrugged, "I was expecting to break your nose, but that's not happening either." Hearing her own voice, devoid of the usual cheer and energy, was surreal: it was almost as if someone else was talking.

Yang was glad she left Ruby sleeping in the dorm. She didn't want to see how her sister would react to her current demeanor.

To her surprise, Raven chuckled, "That too. I suppose there was a lot I should've expected."

A brief silence descended upon the two. "Well?" Yang asked.

Raven closed her eyes, taking in a deep breath. After a moment she opened her eyes, meeting Yang's gaze. "I'm sorry."

Now Yang felt the fire igniting, spreading, growing hot and burning bright. But before she could respond, Raven continued.

"I know that doesn't make up for leaving without a word or warning; for letting everyone drive themselves crazy wondering if I was dead or alive, and trying to decide which was better; for what I did to you, your father, Qrow, and…" she took a shaky breath, her voice slightly breaking, "And Summer."

Once again, Yang found herself calm and composed, the fire still burning, but not as hot.

"I almost got myself killed looking for you. And Ruby."

"I know."

Yang blinked, "You do?"

"... Your Uncle didn't find you two by luck."

Again the fire grew hot, but this time Yang forced it to cool down. "He knew? About you?"

"No. I had to direct him in a round-about way."

"Why didn't you do something?! You could've killed those Beowolves, saved me and Ruby!"

"Yes. But then I would've revealed that I was still around. That I still cared about you, and Ruby, and everyone else."

"How the hell is that bad?" The more Yang listened, the harder it was to contain the fire.

For a moment, Raven went silent, a thoughtful look on her face. "Have you ever heard of the Queen?"

Yang blinked, the fire cooled by confusion, "No?"

"That's not surprising. Most people don't know the story. Of course, that's because she doesn't want them to know."

Yang stayed silent, waiting for Raven to continue.

"You know about the war eighty years ago, right? The one where the kingdoms fought against the oppression of self-expression and art? The reason we celebrate the Vytal Festival?"

Yang raised an eyebrow, "Yes?"

"The Queen was the reason that war was fought, that it had to be fought."

"… I'm not sure I follow."

"She was the oppressor that the kingdoms fought against. Not many are aware, but for a short while, the kingdoms were united under one banner. Ruled by a ruthless, merciless tyrant."

Yang thought about this. "So this Queen was a bad guy who had to be put down."

"Except she wasn't. When the war ended, she disappeared without a trace."

Yang shook her head, "… I still don't get…"

"She's still alive Yang. I know she is. And because I know, I had to leave, to stay away."

"… What?"

Raven sighed, "Before I was pregnant with you, Ozpin sent us – me, your father, Qrow, and Summer – to investigate an archaeological dig that had gone quiet. When we got there, we found everyone was long dead."

Yang shrugged, "Okay, so they were probably killed by Grimm."

"There were Grimm there, but they didn't die from an attack. They were all burnt alive."

Yang's looked at her in shock. "Someone killed them?"

"And destroyed their equipment, whatever they dug up, even personal belongings. Whoever did it wanted to leave no trace except for bodies and ash."

"And you think it was the Queen?"

"I know it was. Whoever destroyed the camp had missed a small notebook, hidden under a rock. I only found it because I happened to trip over it." Raven flashed a rueful smile before continuing, "I read it on the way back, hoping to find some clue as to what happened. It detailed everything they found pertaining to the war and the Queen. When I gave it to Ozpin, he had me stay behind to talk in private. I won't tell you everything he said, but the important parts were that the Queen was still around and that she kills anyone she suspects knows her existence."

It wasn't hard for Yang to guess what happened next. "… How did she find out?"

"I don't know, but I didn't find out until a few weeks before you were born." Raven looked down, a pained expression on her face. "There was an incident. I don't want to go into detail, but I almost lost you. It was too convenient, too coincidental to be an accident. I knew the Queen was after me, and she wouldn't stop until I was a charred corpse."

"Well why didn't you tell dad? And Uncle Qrow, and mom? They would've protected you!" Yang found her voice had a desperate tone to it, but she wasn't sure why.

Raven visibly winced, but answered in a steady voice, "I know. And that's exactly why I didn't say anything: they would've jumped in front of the flames and ended up as charred corpses. I couldn't bare the thought of my family dying to protect me." Tears began rolling down Raven's cheeks, but she kept her voice level. "That was why I left, and why I left the way I did. I had to make it look like I didn't care about you, that I was a coward who ran away. It's why I stayed away, keeping an eye on you from a distance; why I wore this mask for seventeen years," She held up the bone-white Grimm mask, its black plumes dancing in the wind, "and why I modified my weapon so heavily." She patted the large, rectangular sheath hanging at her side.

"… It's a cool weapon." Yang commented offhandedly. She was still absorbing everything Raven had said.

Raven gave her a broad smile, "Thank you. It took me a couple of weeks to get the design down, a few months to perfect the locking and unlocking mechanism in the hilt and find a motor that was small enough and strong enough to spin the chamber, and at least two years to forge the dust into the blades. The handle houses an electronic selection system so all I have to do is press a few buttons and the chamber spins to the blade I want and…" Raven's voice petered off. She looked at the ground, a sheepish look on her face. "Sorry. I tend to get carried away with things like this."

"Uh... It's fine," Yang said, "Ruby goes off on her scythe all the time."

"Does she?" Raven looked downcast, "She and I are too similar."

Yang raised an eyebrow at that, but before she could respond, Raven looked back up, her expression serious. "Nevermind all that. My past and my reasons for leaving aren't the only things you need know."

"… Like what?"

"Yang, the Queen is targeting the Vytal Festival, and she's on her way to Beacon – or is already here."

Again, Yang felt shock shoot through her body. "What? Are you serious?"

Raven nodded, staying silent.

"Well what are you doing here? What are we doing here?! Let's find this lady and take her out!"

Raven shook her head, "That's the problem. The Queen has been… thorough, in covering her tracks. I've spent years doing research, looking for every little bit of information on the Queen. There's very little that even mentions her, and what's there doesn't describe her in any way. I – no one knows what she looks like or what her name is. Or if she even has a name."

"… There's really nothing on this lady, other than she's 'the Queen'?"

"That's correct."

Yang clenched her fists, the fire reduced to embers once again. There was a murderous psychopath in her school but she couldn't do anything about it.

"You don't need to worry about that." Yang looked at Raven, confused, "There are… others who know already looking into it. What you need to focus on looking after your team. But more than that, you need to look after Ruby and keep her safe."

Yang frowned, "I already do that."

"Yang, no, you don't understand. The Queen knows I'm still alive – I don't doubt it – and she might use Ruby to get to me."

Yang's frown deepened, "Why? What does Ruby have to do with this?"

Raven looked at Yang in surprise. "You mean you don't know?"

"Know what?" Yang said defensively. She felt the fire threatening to rekindle.

Raven stared silently, pensive. "Yang, have you wondered why Ruby looks so different from you and your father? Why your hair's blonde while hers is black with red tips?"

Yang shrugged, "She got it from mom – from Summer."

Raven shook her head, "Summer had red hair. Nothing but."

Yang peered at her, "So what? What are you saying?"

Raven took a deep breath before speaking, "Yang, you and Ruby are half-sisters not because you have the same father, but because you have the same mother."

Yang blinked, trying to process what Raven was saying. "… What?"

"Ruby doesn't have a biological father. She has two mothers: Summer Rose, and me."

Yang's jaw dropped. Did I hear that right?

"Summer was in love with me," Raven continued, "And I was in love with her and Taiyang. It was hard at first, but we made it work." She chuckled, "Your father always joked how he had two women in his bed – even though only one of us would 'do the frick-frack' with him."

She became somber again. "When I… disappeared, I left some eggs for Summer, in case she wanted one of her own. The medical procedure was mostly experimental back then, and was considered taboo for some stupid reason – still is, I suppose." She smiled, "Yet here we are, in a world with Ruby Rose in it."

"… I need to sit down." Yang walked to a nearby bench and sat down heavily, her head in her hands. This was inconceivable. This was more of a slap to the face than her mother reappearing after seventeen years. Summer, and Raven, and Ruby.

Raven strode over until she was standing in front of Yang, kneeling so she'd be eye-to-eye with her, "Yang, I know this is a lot to take in, especially on top of everything else, but I need you to focus."

Yang took a moment before looking at Raven, "I – this doesn't really explain why this Queen lady would go after Ruby. I mean, wouldn't she go after me too?"

"That's always a possibility, yes," Raven conceded, "But in all the years I… watched over you two, the closest attempt on your lives was when you and Ruby went to our old house in the woods."

"… We used to live there?"

"Yes, but that's not important right now. The point is the Queen either doesn't know you two are mine, or she's just biding her time, waiting for me to become complacent."

"But, if she doesn't know, why would she go after Ruby?"

Raven moved from her spot to sit on the bench next to Yang, "Look at me – I mean really look at me – and tell me who I remind you of."

Yang did, her lilac eyes scanning every curve and crevice on Raven's face. The longer she looked, the more similarities she could see. The cheek bones, the chin, the nose: all she needed to do was cut her hair, dye the tips red, and get silver contacts, and Raven would be an older Ruby.

"You think the Queen would put two and two together?"

"She knows what I look like. And she hasn't lived this long in hiding by being lucky."

"What about me?"

Raven smiled, "You take after your father. Besides his hair and eyes, you've got his nose and jaw line. It's a long shot, I know, but I'm hoping that will throw off the Queen. But Ruby? All that's needed is for someone to point it out. Of course, this is still assuming she doesn't already know."

"So what do I do? If we don't know anything about this woman, what am I supposed to do?"

"What you've always done. Look after Ruby, and your team. Keep an eye out for anyone who takes an interest in you, especially Ruby, but don't let on that you suspect anything."

Raven leaned back, looking up at the night sky, "We have other advantages too. Whatever the Queen's plans are, they revolve around the Vytal Festival, and with it so close, she'll pay less attention to loose ends and rogue elements. There's also the fact that Ozpin accepted Ruby early."

"You think he knows?"

"Probably. It's always hard to tell. The man loves to be enigmatic." Raven stood up, "I don't know what the Queen's plans are, but when she makes her move is when I make my move." She looked down at Yang, "And when that happens, get Ruby and your team as far away as possible. I don't want any of you caught up in whatever's coming."

Raven strode a short distance away, unsheathing her sword. Slashing the air with it, she opened a vortex in front of her, blacker than the darkest night.

If it weren't for all the information bouncing back and forth in her head, Yang would've been in awe.

"I need to go now. I know I have a lot to answer for, but that will have to wait until later." Sheathing her sword, Raven gave Yang an apologetic look. "I'm sorry for all that I put you through, and for adding to your burden. But I promise, when all of this is over I'll come back. Make up for everything I've done."

Yang said nothing as she watched Raven – her mother – put the Grimm mask back on and enter the vortex, the portal closing behind her, leaving no trace that she was even there.

/

Yang closed the door to Team RWBY's room a quietly as she could, then made her way to the dresser. Changing into her sleepwear, she stepped to her bed, ready to climb up and try to sleep, but stopped. Turning, she looked up at her sister's bunk.

The canopy was open. She could see Ruby, her pale skin made paler in the moonlight that shone through the window, lying on her side, sound asleep, her mouth slightly opened.

Yang stepped up to the bunk, reaching out to brush some hair from Ruby's face. The young leader mumbled something in her sleep, but otherwise didn't wake.

Yang stood there, leaning against the frame, just watching her sister sleep, trying not to see Raven in her features. All that the woman told her earlier, about the Queen, herself, and Ruby, came back. But Yang held onto one important thought.

Nothing's changed. You're still my sister, and I'll do whatever I have to do to keep you safe.

Whatever it takes.

( * * )

I fully expect everything here to get broken by episode two.

There's a lot here that rough, so I'll probably be editing this even after I post it, but I really wanted to share the ideas introduced here.