Alright, guess we're going with this one cause, as someone pointed out, Yang didn't exactly get a lot of screen time during this period compared to the others. Which I get, but let's see if we can play with this a bit. Plus there's the Yang ship I'm doing that I need to set a decent foundation for.

Darkness and Light, Into the Chaos!

Ilia's POV

I smiled as I heard a small bark behind me. "Hey Zwei." I greeted, petting the corgi at my feet. Zwei just barked again and panted happily.

"Aww, is the puppy more interesting than me?" Came the teasing voice of Yang, who had been training with me. Nothing big, she only got her Atlas prostetic yesterday, but we figured we should test the waters so to speak.

I laughed at my blonde friend's fake complaint before turning back to her. "Well, if you want attention that badly, I guess I can give it to you." I replied with a smirk, flicking Rainbow Fang into whip mode.

"Girls, lunch!" Tai called suddenly. Damn, and we were just about to start! I swear he times it that way! Well anyway, we all head to the porch, where Tai is grilling what smell like hotdogs and hamburgers with a "Kiss the Cook" apron around his neck. I rolled my eyes as Yang did as the apron asked before sitting on the railing. "So how's the new arm working?" Tai asked, gesturing to his daughter's silver limb. We'd have to fix that later.

"Not bad. I'll be armed and ready in no time. Assuming Ilia doesn't chameleon up with something a bit too much for me to handle." I hid my laugh behind my hand as Tai gave a proud smirk. If she was making puns that bad, Yang was getting back to normal fast. The next sign was when she stopped laughing at her own joke and looked into the trees. "You guys think Ruby is okay out there?"

"She'll be fine." I assured for the umpteenth time. "Not only does she have Juane, Ren, and Nora, she also has the Spring Maiden. Not to mention Allie's Keys are still fully functional, so if she does get seriously hurt, she'll just end up in Sanctuary."

Yang nodded before thinking a minute. "Hey wait, doesn't that mean that-" she began, only to be cut off by Zwei. I cocked my head slightly. What had she been about to...oh yeah. Oh YEAH! That was going to be a surprise. We ate our lunches, chatting and comparing notes about things needing done around the house. I noticed a sparking and sighed. "Yang, I think there's a problem with the connector." I sighed.

"Again? I just got this thing yesterday, there shouldn't be this many problems already!" Yang groaned, reaching to unhook her arm. Damn. I wish I had been faster. She wouldn't be hurt like this if I was paying attention to my surroundings. Tai went to get the toolbox while I gave the offending portion a once-over. I may not have known much about robotics, but being around Allie gave you at least a rudimentary idea. "I think I see the problem. Luckily, it's an easy fix." I sighed, thinking over what tools we would need.

"If you can hold it, I can get the job done." Yang volunteered, her father returning with the tool box. After a few minutes, we had handled the problem and went back to eating. "So Ilia, I was thinking of taking a walk around town after lunch. You wanna come?" the blonde brawler asked me.

"A-are you sure?" I asked, shock and slight embarrassment weaving their way into my tone.

Yang just gave me one of her easygoing smiles. "Yeah. Dad needs some stuff for dinner tonight, and I'm going insane staying here all the time." she replied.

"I'd love to go!" I smiled, eager to finish my meal.

...

"Been a while since I've walked through these woods." Yang muttered, eyeing the trees as we walked. "Did I ever tell you about the hand-to-hand training I used to have Ruby do out here with me?"

"I don't think you have." I replied curiously. She told me about how Ruby had complained about how she wasn't cut out for hand-to-hand, and there was always the option of Crescent Rose. I laughed as I pictured it. Then she told me about the ursa that ambushed them and the subsequent fight. I think she did a little worse than she was letting on, saying she punched it so hard she was surprised it didn't turn inside out, but I kept the thought to myself. "That's one hell of an experience." I commented when she had finished telling the story.

Yang smiled as we got into town. "Yeah, it was." she said, sounding almost sad as she rubbed her prosthetic.

I didn't like that look, so seeing the market, I grabbed her hand and pulled her over. "Come on, let's get the shopping done so we can look around a bit." I suggested. "I wanna see everything there is to see in Patch."

Yang chuckled, allowing me to pull her along. After buying what we needed, she showed me around. Yang took me to the bakery where Ruby always went to get cookies, the tavern where Qrow tended to spend time when he wasn't with the girls, an arcade where I guess Yang hung out a lot, and the café she and her friends always came to after school. As we headed back, I asked, "So, how were you in school? Any better than at Beacon?" I asked teasingly.

Yang scoffed in mock offense. "I'll have you know I hit the books plenty in school." she countered.

"Why do I have the nagging feeling you just made a pun?" I wondered before we both started laughing. Apparently we were loud, since a beowolf appeared from the brush and charged us. I snorted, flicking Rainbow Fang and switching it to whip mode as it wrapped around the grimm's neck and flipped the switch, activating the electric dust and watching it convulse.

BANG!

Guess Yang didn't want to be left out of the fun, seeing as she had shot her gauntlet to increase her power and put a hole in the beowolf's chest, killing it. "Well that was interesting." Yang joked, turning to walk down the path to her house. "Come on, Dad's probably getting worried." she called. I smiled and shook my head before following.

Yang's POV

I yawned as I headed to my room. Today was pretty fun, and Ilia seemed to like my hometown. I smiled as I opened the door, unhooking my arm and putting it on my nightstand. I looked out the window, curious if I'd see that crow that had been hovering outside my window. No bird, but the sun was setting. It would be dark soon. Wait, it was getting dark too fast. I heard the door creak open behind me and I turned to see what Ilia or Dad wanted.

Only it wasn't Ilia or Dad. Adam smirked at me, a hand on his sword. I stumbled back, reaching for my arm and missing, hearing it clatter to the floor. How had he gotten in here? How did he find me? I couldn't breathe. I was scared.

"YANG!" I heard. An arm wrapped around me, and for a moment I thought Adam had pulled me up to cut me down. Then I realized I knew this arm. I turned to see Ilia standing beside me, concern all over her face. "Yang, calm down. It's just us." she told me. What was she talking about? Adam was right there. If she didn't hurry, she would be killed too.

"R-run. You can't beat him." I gasped out. But she didn't run.

She held me tightly. She blocked my view. "Yang, it's just you and me. We're safe." she whispered. I could hear Adam chuckle. "He's not there. The only man in this house is your dad. Now try to breathe. I'm right here." I ignored my panic, trying to get control of my breathing. I couldn't fight Adam and protect Ilia and Dad if I was panicking. I needed to focus. In...out...in...out. "Better?" she asked after about the fifth time. I wondered why Adam hadn't attacked. Pushing Ilia away, I looked around.

But Adam wasn't there. It was just me and Ilia. I was alright. "Damn it. Another attack." I cursed. It happened every now and again, and they were so frustrating. I shouldn't be scared. Not of some psycho with a sword.

"You came out of it faster this time." Ilia said quietly, probably trying to encourage me.

"Yeah, thanks." I replied, colder than I should have as I grabbed my arm and put it back on the nightstand. "I just wish they would stop."

"Understandable." Ilia said, helping me move the piece of furniture back into place. "But you and I both know that will take time. Not even Allie's that immune to trauma." I chuckled at the attempt to lighten the mood. "I guess I should head to bed too." she muttered, turning toward the door.

My chest tightened. I reached for her arm, catching her wrist. She looked back at me, confusion on her face. "I-I don't want to be alone tonight." I stammered.

Ilia smiled and I felt my heart race for a different reason. "Give me five minutes." she replied. I nodded, letting her go. After she got back, changed and ready to pass out, we laid back-to-back on my bed. Slightly comforted by the fact I wasn't alone, I drifted off.

And done! Well, I guess I'm back for a bit. I've been having a shit-ton going on, so I don't guarantee anything consistent when it comes to updates. So...what do people think? Good? Bad? Somewhere in between? Leave a review and I'll see everyone next time!

PS. I'm thinking Neo and Blake next, but let me know if you'd rather see Tara and RNJR