Strange Aeons: Shadows of the Past

by R. A. Howard

Chapter 2

There aren't many things that can pull a mother's attention away from her daughter. At least, not given what we'd both been going through. But having an ice-cold nose pressed against your ankle will distract just about anyone. Especially if you have no idea it's coming.

Now, I don't want to say I jumped exactly, but flinch? I'll admit I flinched. I'm sure Yang would beg to differ of course, but my daughter has always had an... interesting sense of humor. I mean, she likes my puns. It just goes to show she has good taste of course, and it's adorable watching her try to pun back even if Taiyang threatened me with a bar of soap. This is nothing like when he accidentally taught Yang how to curse. He was quite surprised at the headlock he found himself in.

The cold nose was associated with the biggest brown eyes I've seen in a while. An adorable brown-and-white corgi wagged its tail at me before it nudged my leg again, no doubt seeing if I'd... flinch again. Or maybe it was trying to get me to squeak. I know Yang was trying to hold down giggles but I very much doubt I did more than gasp in surprise.

My daughter is evil.

She bent down and tried to distract (or maybe reward?) the dog by scratching it around its ears, and after one last sniff of my ankle and the delightful scents it no doubt found there, it gave up on me and went on to pester Yang. She slid off of the sofa and said "Hey Zwei," as she started petting the dog, who continued to eye me, no doubt hoping I'd procure dog treats out of the hospital gown I was dressed in. The back of which was cold, mind you, even with the fire burning cheerfully before us. My side warned me that any attempts to get down on the floor (and get my back to that fire) would likely result in me not being able to get back up again, so I chose discretion over warmth.

"I see Ruby finally talked your dad into getting a dog. He's a cutie," I said and smiled at the corgi. Zwei wagged his stubby tail, though I wasn't sure if he was acknowledging the compliment or was glorifying in the affection Yang was bestowing on him as was any dog's right.

"Yeah. He got Zwei a couple years ago, back when Ruby was first starting classes at Signal Academy," Yang said, touching her forehead affectionately to the dog. "He actually shipped Zwei to Beacon with some food when he was off on some mission. Ruby was overjoyed to see him. She actually smuggled him with her on a mission out to Mountain Glenn. I was sure Profess- sorry, Doctor Oobleck would throw a fit when he found out, but he took a liking to Zwei as well. Only Blake-" Yang closed her eyes, and Zwei pushed his head under Yang's hand as she ceased patting him.

"Ruby?" I blinked, nonplussed. Why was Ruby- I tilted my head in thought and then glanced at Yang. "You said I was... um, gone for 12 years, right?"

Yang nodded quietly, her eyes suddenly haunted.

"She's only fifteen then! What was-"

"Professor Ozpin let her into Beacon two years early," Yang said, sounding as proud of Ruby as if she were her mother. "She got caught up in a Dust robbery and she nearly stopped it single-handed! He was very impressed!"

"Ruby?" I shook my head and let out a small sigh. "Like mother like daughter, I suppose. So, how's she doing? Are you on the same team?"

Yang's face brightened as she smiled. "Oh yeah, she really kicks ass! Um..." She glanced back at me nervously and I arched an eyebrow at her before I shook my head and smiled.

"You're a grown woman now, just about. I won't wash your mouth out with soap this time. Besides, your father's said far worse."

"Dad?" Yang's eyebrows were trying to hide in her bangs.

I smirked. I guess washing his mouth out with soap had worked after all!

"Yes, your father. He's just about blistered paint before, especially when he was building the extension for you and Ruby." I laughed and added "you started mimicking him and saying 'shit' all the time when you were barely a year old, so I had him in a headlock and the soap in the other hand. I'm glad the threat held. Anyway, go on."

"Huh. Well, she- she ended up on a team with me, Weiss Schnee, and... Blake," she said. I caught the slight pause before Blake's name, and Yang started talking more rapidly, no doubt hoping I'd not caught the slip. "Oh, Weiss is heiress of the Schnee Dust Company! I dunno if they were big when you... um, yeah, they kinda cornered the Dust market. She seemed like a snob at first and she and Ruby were at loggerheads, a real ice princess, but she finally thawed and became a good friend. She likes Zwei a lot." Yang looked down at the corgi, whose expression seemed to suggest it would be impossible not to like him. She started petting him again.

"And Blake?" Oh, Yang. Did you honestly think I was going to just let this lie? I love you dearly. If that means I'm going to be tracking down this girl because she hurt you in some way? I'll do it no matter how many times I have to climb out of my grave to do so.

Yang paused, closing her eyes for a moment, before she looked up at me with her best poker face and said "she's nice. Quiet. A Faunus. She's really into books." A moment passed and she rolled her eyes. "Dust. Not you too," she grumbled.

I blinked. Apparently I had to work on my poker face. "What?"

"Dad is all set to track down Blake because- because he's Dad and is sure something's wrong. I don't want you... gah! Why do parents always need to meddle?"

"Because we're parents," I said with my best droll tone. "It comes with the territory." I paused, and then shrugged and tried to smile. "Yang, you can tell me when you feel like it. I don't want to fight." She'd tell me. Part of her wants to. Still... "So, I take it Weiss was team leader? What name did Ozpin give your group?"

"Oh no, Ruby was in charge!" Yang said, words starting to tumble out as she grasped at the verbal lifeline I had tossed her. Yes, Yang. I do love you. "We had a test to assign team members and a bunch of us ran into a Death Stalker and a Giant Nevermore and Ruby came up with a plan to decapitate the Nevermore while the others fought the Death Stalker and it worked! We're Team RWBY! Best team in Beacon!"

What? I just stared at Yang for a moment before I could finally talk. "Wait. Ozpin named your team RWBY. And named your sister Ruby as team leader?"

"Yes?"

"I see Ozpin has been slipping whiskey into his coffee mug again," I muttered.

Yang tried to hold in a snicker while her eyebrows continued to hide in her bangs. "No, no! Ruby's an awesome team leader! Sure, she's my kid sister, but it was awesome having her with me! I miss her," she said, her shoulders drooping as she looked away.

"So, is she still at Beacon while you recover?" I asked. I had to blink back tears. I love Yang dearly and even if Raven had returned I'd still consider Yang my child... but Ruby was my baby. If this was a second chance, even a short one, I wanted to see both my girls.

My daughter avoided my gaze. "Yang? Where's Ruby?"

"Off saving the world I guess," she replied, still trying to avoid my gaze. "She- she left. With what's left of Team JNPR. They're our friends, the ones who killed the Death Stalker." Yang closed her eyes but I could still see tears threatening to leak out. Zwei nosed at her hand and Yang lifted it and started scratching him about the ears without looking at him. "Things aren't going so good, Mom. Bea- Beacon Academy fell."

"Fell?" I forced down a lump that was threatening to climb out of my throat, and could feel the skin around my eyes tense up as they widened in shock.

"Yeah. Some folk like that criminal Ruby chased off at the start of the year? They were working with terrorists called the White Fang. They released Grimm into Beacon and into the Amity Colosseum during the middle of the Vytal Festival. We were fighting them off when a huge Grimm broke out of Mountain Glenn. It's frozen on top of Beacon Tower."

I shook my head and took a deep breath as my vision blurred for a moment. "That's when you- lost your arm, isn't it?"

Tears filled Yang's eyes again and she scrubbed angrily at them. "Yeah. I was stupid. Rushed in to save Bl- to save someone, and this White Fang guy... he just... one cut. My Aura was nearly full and he just sliced my arm clean off!" Yang stopped to take a gasping breath and suppressed a sob. After a moment she continued in a softer tone. "I- I don't know what happened next. Never asked. When I woke up, Blake had run off, Weiss's dad came and took her away, and Ruby..."

"What about Ruby?" I asked. My stomach knotted up watching Yang tear herself apart and things were spinning. I tried taking another deep breath, but the air seemed to stick in my throat.

"I don't know. Dad said she did something to the Grimm on the tower. She froze it somehow but passed out. Uncle Qrow got her out. She woke up a couple days later... mom? Mom!"

The ceiling was spinning as I fell back into a dark tunnel. I could see Yang staring down at me from the top of the tunnel, her face scared. My voice echoed along the tunnel as everything went dark. "Yang."

There was a weight pressing down on my eyelids and forehead. I thought for a moment of the old stories in which a coin was placed on each eye of the dead when you buried them so they could pay the Doorman for passage through the Gate. When I raised my hand to touch it, my fingers came across damp fabric. Yang must have placed a towel across my forehead and eyes.

I pulled it up enough to look up and saw a familiar brown ceiling. I was home. On the sofa it seemed. And even better, the ceiling had stopped spinning. My stomach gave a grumble, reminding me that it had been a while since I'd last eaten... actually, more like twelve years. Do the dead eat?

There was a low voice in the background. I held the towel in place on my forehead as I turned my head until I caught a glimpse of Yang on her Scroll, talking to someone while keeping an eye on me. She raised a finger to her lips and I smiled and closed my eyes. When Yang was a toddler I'd do that when on the Scroll. It never worked; Yang would insist on talking at the top of her lungs so anyone on the other side could hear everything she said. I glanced down past my feet and saw the window reflecting the interior of the house. It had gotten dark out while I'd been passed out.

"No, things are quiet now," Yang said, pausing while a muffled voice asked a question. "Grimm? Yeah, a couple young ones. I kinda broke the axe killing them." She paused again and then responded, "No, I'm fine. Yes, I'm fine," she added in an exasperated tone. "Look, I promise I won't go outdoors unless someone's with me, okay? Yes, I love you too. Bye bye."

I opened my eyes as Yang placed her hand on my shoulder. "Do you need help sitting up? You should have something to drink," she said. She slid her arm under my shoulders and helped me sit upright. "I was going to warm some milk for you but..." I couldn't help but chuckle.

"Taiyang always insisted warm milk would cure all ails," I said as I smiled at Yang. "Were you talking to him just now?"

"Um... yeah. He's been working late at Signal for the last month, what with things at Beacon," she glanced away and her voice hardened. "Well, they've been doing double-duty now. Signal's expanding classes for Hunter and Huntress training."

"I'm surprised he didn't insist on coming right home," I said, taking a careful sip of the proffered glass of water. She took the glass back and carefully placed it on the coffee table, avoiding my gaze.

"Yang?" She continued to avoid my gaze and I blinked as my eyes threatened to tear up. Her silence was damning. "You didn't-"

"He doesn't know," Yang admitted grudgingly, her eyes troubled as she finally met my gaze. "I didn't tell him."

"Why? Why didn't you tell him I'm alive?" Tears tumbled down my cheek, one dripping onto the sofa and briefly darkening the fabric before it vanished into a puff of shadow. I pulled back, both from the shadows and from Yang's glare.

"Because of that!" Yang snapped, gesturing at the evaporating shadows. I scrubbed the tears from my face as she continued, her voice lower and sad. "After you died? He gave up. He only really went back to being his old self these last few years. He just... went through the paces. He made sure we had food, kept us fed, kept us safe... but it's like outside of his classes, and Ruby and me? Dust, at first? At first I had to feed Ruby and dress her. He tried but-"

"But he was useless," I whispered, nodding. I scrubbed my eyes again. "When Raven left he shut down at first. Except back then... he had me to kick his ass."

"Yeah. He had you. Mom, until we figure out what's going on and get it fixed so I'm not- so you don't vanish into thin air or something? I'm not telling him," she said. Yang stood and walked away from the sofa.

"He's my husband!" I called after her, and she spun back, her eyes flickering between red and lilac.

"And my father! So sorry if I'm running roughshod over you, but he's all I've got left right now!" Tears were streaming down Yang's cheeks as she hugged herself and turned away. I clenched my eyes shut and scrubbed the tears from my eyes, struggling to take a deep breath. It took three attempts before I could suppress sobs. Yang didn't need this. She doesn't need another wreck on her hands.

I gave my head a hard shake and winced at the stab of pain behind my eyes, reminding me that whatever else was going on, I was alive. I gazed at Yang, pulling myself off of the sofa and walked over to my daughter and wrapped my arms around her. "You're right. I'm sorry."

She let out a small sigh and for one moment relaxed in my grip before stiffening and turning, gripping my shoulder as she stared intently into my eyes. "Mom? What's the last thing you remember? No. Not last. The first thing you remember. Before I found you."

I blinked and then glanced up at the ceiling in thought. "Ask the tough questions why don't you? Um... okay. I was hurting. I could feel a root sticking in my back, and I was... cold. I was lying in the snow on my cloak. And- and I heard a growl. Grimm." I hugged myself with a shiver, despite the fire in the fireplace burning cheerfully a couple yards away.

"Dad told me someone called in Grimm in the area. Those Ursa I fought? They were young. I don't think I'd have killed them with an axe if they were older."

I tilted my head and stared at her. "Interesting... go on."

"Our neighbor called them in. I haven't met her. Dad said she's renting the house," she said, musing to herself. "I was bringing in some wood. I heard something. I don't know what I heard. I went to look and then heard the Grimm and saw you being attacked. Doesn't that seem odd to you? You show up. Baby Grimm pop up in the area. And our neighbor calls them in as well?"

"How far away is this neighbor?" I asked. At Yang's quizzical look I added "No one else lived here when Taiyang built the cabin." I smiled and added "I guess Raven liked the solitude. Not that I noticed any with you and Ruby running around everywhere!" Yang smiled back at that. "You know how long this new neighbor's been there?"

Yang shrugged. "No idea. Maybe we should pay them a visit, after we have a bite to eat. It's the only lead we've got."

"You should have some milk, mom. It won't take long to heat," Yang said as I nibbled on a piece of unbuttered toast. Zwei lay by our feet, calmly waiting for a piece of toast that I'd told him wasn't going to come. Those eyes are not my master. I will not succumb... but I will accidentally drop a piece of toast that he gobbled right up. No, it was not on purpose, pup. You're not getting more.

I rolled my eyes and shook my head. "You're definitely your father's daughter. He always insisted on milk to treat everything." I took another small bite of the toast before sipping some water to wash it down. "You know that man refused my homemade soup when he was suffering a bad cold? He insisted all he needed was milk and video games." I smiled at the memory, and Yang echoed the smile. "This was back at Beacon. I made my own chicken stock and everything. Then Qrow snuck in some really hot peppers without warning me. I'd finally convinced Taiyang to try some of my soup. Next thing I knew he was tearing up and begging for milk and I had no idea what was wrong! Though those peppers did clear him right up!"

"Uncle Qrow did what?" Yang asked laughing. Her eyes lost their sparkle and she looked guilty as she hesitantly asked "What did Raven..."

"Oh, she loved the soup. She said it needed more peppers though," I responded and stared lovingly at my daughter as I indulged her. "She was always complaining the food at Beacon was too bland." I leaned over and in a surreptitious tone "I ended up getting milk for both your dad and myself after I had some of the soup to see what was wrong. My lips burned for hours!"

"It sounds like you were quite the team," Yang said, her voice fading as she looked at her fingers.

"Yup. Team STRQ was the best team at Beacon," I said, deliberately mirroring Yang's description of Team RWBY. I sighed and added "I'm not sure if I was the best choice for team leader though. It seems Raven and I were always arguing. Tactics and other stuff. Sometimes it felt like we never agreed on anything."

Yang looked up from her hand, her eyes shining, as she whispered "you loved her and you hated her."

"What? Hate? No, I don't- it's-" I stammered, looking back at her wide-eyed.

"I might have... stumbled across a video you left for Raven," Yang admitted. I looked back at her nonplussed and she added "I thought it was a video of Raven! It was in Dad's scroll. I kinda copied it onto my Scroll." She blushed and looked away.

"Video?" I thought for a moment. What video was she... wait. That thing? Oh Dust! I could feel my face warm. "Oh! I- I'd forgotten about that! It was what, four years..." I sighed and shook my head. "Okay. Four for me at least. I'd just found out I was pregnant with Ruby." I stared down at my toast, which had gotten cold and wasn't looking too appetizing, and then glanced over at Yang. "No, I don't hate Raven."

"Oh," Yang responded quietly and stared in turn at my toast. "Um, are you sure you don't want some milk? It won't take more than a couple minutes to warm up?"

She sounded so plaintive I couldn't say no. I smiled and shrugged. "You win." Zwei could have the rest of my toast.

Yang bounced to her feet with a big smile and hurried to the refrigerator, pulling out a carton of milk, before heading to the stove. "You're going to love it!" she said, glancing back at me with a grin, and after pouring the milk into a saucepan she added a dash of vanilla extract. "Don't tell Dad about the vanilla, though. He insists it ruins the taste!"

It wasn't bad after all.

"I don't know, Mom. It's later than I thought. Maybe we'd be better off waiting until tomorrow and visit when it's light out," Yang called out from the attic. I could barely hear her mutter to herself about how her dad never throwing anything out, and something about drawings. Drawings? Oh, I'll have to see those! Later, Summer. Later.

I shouted back up the ladder "I don't blame him! If he'd died? I'd not have gotten rid of any of his stuff either!" I glanced out the window, which reflected my face back at me. I could barely make out shadowed trees through my reflection, giving my face a strange, mottled appearance. Yang was right, it was late. Yet the thought of waiting until morning to check on the neighbor? It filled me with dread. It could just be a case of the nerves of course, but I wasn't sure. I probably wouldn't sleep a wink in any case.

The sound of louder cursing told me Yang was approaching and she poked her head into the open, looking down from the attic ladder at me. "Yeah, but what if we come across more Grimm? You're still dizzy from that blow to your head, and as for me?" She glanced at her arm and then quickly away. "I'm not exactly that good in a fight anymore."

"Tell that to the two Ursa you smacked around the woods with a wood axe," I responded with a proud smile. Yes, Taiyang taught her how to fight. But she was my girl. "Let's see, did you check the chest with the summer clothes? There might be something in the bottom of there." I glanced at the ladder and put a hand on it. "You know, things aren't spinning anymore. I probably can handle the ladder..."

"No," Yang said bluntly. "I helped you up the stairs, remember? And there was a railing! I swear, you're as stubborn as-"

"You?" I asked sweetly.

Yang snorted and rolled her eyes. "I was going to say Ruby. But... yeah. Me too." She smiled at the admission and vanished back into the attic. I could hear her moving around and stumble over something. "Dust, I hate having just one arm!" I leaned against the wall and stared at the ladder. Maybe I could risk it. Yang wouldn't be too mad... "Found it!" Yang exclaimed, interrupting my thoughts, and then added "Well, some stuff at least!"

"Thank you, Yang. I didn't fancy riding Bumblebee wearing this thing," I said, looking down in distaste at the hospital gown. They weren't even effective at letting patients keep their modesty, let alone warm.

"Catch!" Yang said and I glanced up in time to see several articles of clothes tossed down in a bundle, a white blouse and a red-and-black plaid skirt tumbled away from the bundle after Yang's underarm toss. With a small laugh I quickly snagged the clothes out of the air and had them over one arm. The skirt landed on the floor by my feet and I picked it up, keeping it out at arm's length to look over.

"It's my old school uniform! I forgot I'd kept this when we graduated! I hope it still fits!" I felt my cheeks warm as I remembered why I'd kept it. Okay, so maybe I have a thing for school uniforms.

"Excuse me," Yang said as she started down the ladder and I stepped out of her way, folding the skirt over my arm and then reached out to steady her. She nodded in thanks and once at the bottom grabbed the bottom rung and wrestled the ladder back up into the ceiling. She glanced at the uniform and shook her head. "They haven't changed those in 20 years, have they? My class uniform was identical." She paused and let out a small sigh. "Mom, I've not ridden Bumblebee since I lost my arm. And you? Well, you're still recovering from the blow from your head. Maybe we should wait."

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. She was going to use that blow-to-the-head excuse for the next ten years if I let her. Better to just admit the truth to her. "No, Yang. I don't know if it's just nerves or what, but I really think we need to head out tonight. We can walk." I paused a moment and schooled my expression. "There's no need to be Yangxious, we'll be fine."

Yang gave me a blank look. "Did you just..."

I let a hint of a smile show.

My daughter raised an eyebrow. "I think you're losing your grip, Mom. That pun was weak."

Hand puns, hmm? I didn't expect that. "I'll give that a two. No, a one out of five" I said, smirking as I raised the index finger on my left hand. "But offhandedly, you caught me with my guard down."

I could see Yang tense up, a "Mom!" bubbling up behind closed lips. She always groaned at my puns, but it was adorable watching her join in until my puns left her giggling. "That was sad, Mom. I'm stumped as to why you're not doing better at this."

"It's because I'm giving you a disability. You were always shorthanded when trying to match wits with me."

She twitched and for one brief moment I wondered if I'd gone too far, but the effort she made to keep her lips from quirking upward showed she was still in the game. "Mom, I'll give that one a thumbs up. I'd give it two but..."

I was surprised when she blurred before me and I sniffed, rubbing at my eyes. Yang was smiling brightly now. "Man, I didn't think that one was bad enough to bring tears to your eyes."

Doesn't matter. I couldn't get words out. I let the clothes in my arms drop to the floor and stepped forward, holding my daughter close. She stiffened for a moment and then relaxed, hugging me back. The throbbing in my temples subsided as I rested my head on her shoulder. Funny. She was taller than me. I'd not noticed that before.

Her arm tightened around my back and I struggled to get my emotions under control. All those years, lost. And here she was. All grown up, matching me pun for pun... Dust, she was even punning about her arm. That was Taiyang's doing. He always laughed at his own pain. I took a deep breath, surprised at how it didn't catch this time, and said "I don't know how you do it, how you're coping... but I'm so proud of you."

Yang's breath got caught in her throat as she almost hiccuped, and her arm squeezed me closer. "I've not, though. Not really," she admitted, her voice small. "I freak out over stupid things. I've been moping around the house for months now. I suffer nightmares... sometimes with my eyes open. I even ignored Ruby..." I felt warm tears on my shoulder. After a moment she continued. "I never told her how much I love her before she left. Sometimes I wonder if I drove her off."

I pulled back, holding her shoulders in my hands, and looked up at her shining lilac eyes. "You didn't." I blinked, realizing I didn't know Ruby. What sort of girl was she now? "Well, I doubt you did. You're hurting, Yang. Ruby knows that. I don't know why she left, but it sure wasn't because of you."

"I hate being like this. I used to... I don't know. I'd joke around. I'd tell puns to make Ruby groan, I'd shoot down Weiss whenever she tried to pun back. Even Blake got into-" Yang sniffled and slumped down to rest her head against my shoulder. "I love you, Mom."

"I love you too, Yang. Never forget that," I said, and gave a little sigh. "I really want to talk more. Especially about Blake." I felt Yang stiffen and added, "But we really do need to head out before it gets too late."

"Okay," Yang whispered. She took a step back, her eyes gleaming. "But we can't ride Bumblebee anyway. I need to replace the spring."

I looked at her puzzled. "What's wrong with the spring?"

"Well, Summer, I'm worried I'll fall now that it's winter."

I couldn't help but smile. "Not bad for off-the-cuff. There's hope for you yet."