Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot. The wonderful characters and settings of the RWBY universe belong to Monty Oum and RoosterTeeth.

Chasing Shadows

Chapter 6: While she sleeps

She couldn't be here. Not after all these years. It simply wasn't possible.

"Raven?" The question was pointless; he would know that face anywhere, regardless of the fifteen or so years that had passed since he last saw her. He had loved her once after all. Maybe a part of him still did. She never stayed long enough for him to find out.

She didn't speak a word as she stood. Her motion was slow and purposeful as she turned to face her one time lover, teammate and father of her first born. Her hand rested on her weapon, the large barrel of dust still clipped safely on her back, she wouldn't be needing it just yet.

"Raven?" He called again, still to shocked to move from where he had ground to a halt. Perhaps she had been wrong about his intentions, he seemed far more interested in staying away than in trying to retrieve there daughter. He was a coward like the rest of them. He wouldn't act unless forced to do so.

"What are you doing here?" He asked. "Did you do all this? Why Raven, after all this time?"

She reached to her back and grabbed her dust container, still not saying a word to the confused and angry man before her. She flicked the little switch that set the canister revolving, letting it spin a bit longer than necessary before finally stopping it on the red dust chamber.

She drew the hilt slowly so as to not disturb the dust as it formed into a solid blade. Finally she withdrew the magnificent red weapon and allowed it to stand in all its intimidating glory. She kept a cautious eye on Taiyang as she did so, but he was still too shocked to move from his spot, although she doubted that would be the case for much longer.

She swiped her blade through the air, feeling her mind and soul mould the dust into any shape she wanted. She had done this a thousand times before, and like the thousand times before a hellish red and black portal now floated several yards in front of her leading to somewhere only she knew.

She knelt down once again to pick up her still unconscious daughter.

That's when he finally moved.

"What are you doing?" He asked again, moving towards her now with a purpose and swagger she hadn't seen from him in a long time.

She finally spoke, "I'm taking her Tai. She needs to be trained"

"You're not taking her anywhere. I will not let you use her fragile state to manipulate her. She will not be like you Raven, I won't allow it" In his eyes was a fire that she had all but forgotten. She wasn't in the slightest bit worried, but it was almost pleasing for her to see something of the man she'd once called a teammate and lover.

"You can stop me Tai. You never could" Raven had drawn herself to full height now, sword and dust chamber still firmly behind her back. She wouldn't need them; Taiyang had no weapons on his person.

"I can try!" He screamed as he finally charged at the raven-haired woman. She stood calmly, waiting for the moment to strike. Taiyang wasn't as sloppy as his daughter, he made sure to cover his guard even if he charged with the same reckless abandon she did. If he'd been a better teacher, maybe Yang could have avoided all this.

Raven ducked away from the punch, leaning back to avoid the second and cartwheeling with the motion to avoid a spinning kick aimed where she had once stood. He came again, this time she blocked his first strike, planting her palm on the inside of his guard. She put her other hand to the flat of his forehead and felt his aura bleed into her. It was completed in a split second before he disengaged, but it was enough.

Taiyang was already dangerously close to losing his aura, and she hadn't drawn a weapon yet. This was her power; she was always designed to be a killer, of men or monsters. She could take the very power of their souls if she wanted. She never could kill with it, but then again that's why she carried the blood red blade she did.

He came at her again, and she had to admire his resilience. His punches were fast and brutal, but Raven had been in enough scraps with him over the years to avoid or block every one, he'd stagnated since Summer's death, she'd only gotten better. Again and again she turned his swings aside, she dared not attack again just yet, she knew of his semblance, he would be prepared this time. He would slow time for the split second he needed to counter her and put her on the defensive. She would not allow it.

She got in a few jabs with the motions of her blocking, hits not significant enough to waste his aura and semblance on. Finally the enraged father swung too wildly, allowing Raven to dodge to the side and use his own moment to trip him, sending him cluttering to the floor. Before he could recover she leaped upon him, placing her hands at the base of his neck and willing him into unconsciousness as she felt his aura bleed into her again.

When she was satisfied he was out cold, she stopped.

She withdrew her red blade again, and swung it to create another portal. She new it was a waste of precious dust, that she should feel nothing for the defeated man at her feet, but she did it still. She took his far to heavy body and threw it into the portal she had made, he would land somewhere in the living room if the house was anything like what she remembered from her brief visits to Yang's window over the years.

Next she turned to her daughter, who hadn't woken during the whole exchange. She placed her hand on the battered girls forehead, gently letting some of the excess power she had gained from Taiyang just seconds ago flow into her system before her aura removed it completely. Hopefully it would be enough to begin healing the burns and scratches even if it didn't wake her up.

Slowly Raven stood, hearing her knee's click as she grew used to the unaccustomed weight held in her hands. Slowly, with strides far too unbalanced for her liking she moved into the still floating portal she had made earlier. There was no other way to do this, her portals only allowed one travel through them. It had come in handy before when she had been escaping some of her earlier scraps but it also meant she couldn't just wait for Yang to wake up.

Raven stepped into the portal.

"Blake?"

She was there. Right there, within arms reach.

She had searched for so long to find this girl. The girl who had the answers to all of Yang's questions and was the guardian of a path Yang wanted to be on. All she had to do was reach out and touch her, prove it was real.

She raised her right arm and placed it in the black haired girls shoulder. She still didn't turn around, or even flinch to acknowledge her presence. Yang could still feel her there however, it was real! It had to be!

"Blake?" She asked again.

"Why have you come?"

Yang was shocked, didn't she know? Blake should have known Yang would come; she would always come no matter how much she didn't want to. Yang lov- cared about the girl in front of her, they both knew it. Yang's voice shivered as she answered the girl's question.

"Blake… I" she stumbled. Why had she come? For answers? To prove to herself Blake was still alive? For something else? "I… Why Blake?"

"Why what Yang?" her voice was dull and harsh, and she still refused to turn and look at the blonde stood behind her, even as Yang tried to shift her around to face her.

"Why did you leave us Blake? Ruby, Weiss… me? Why run again Blake?"

"I'd have thought it was obvious."

Yang wanted to scream; she had been searching for Blake for so long! She had torn through villages and white fang camps, slept ruff in ruined cities and through storms to find this girl and she wasn't getting more than a sentence at a time.

"Well obviously not kitty-cat! So why not enlighten me, tell me what I should already know!"

"It is not the answer you want it to be Yang" she replied, head still low and to the floor as she spoke.

Her eyes flashed red.

"Dammit Blake! You owe me these answers, don't I deserve it! You broke me Blake! Left me just like everyone else has. I trusted you Blake, we were partners, destined to roam the world saving the day and slaying Grimm. We could have been happy tog-"

"You've made me weak Yang."

That gave her pause. The fire in her eyes died, as if a bucket of icy water had been thrown on the flames that burned in her heart. "I…What?"

"You made me care. All of you did, but none more so than you Yang. I cannot care about one person if I am to stop the white fang. You would only distract me. I could've stabbed him you know, lopped his head right from his shoulders as he finished you off. I had the time to. Instead I have condemned the world to more suffering and hate at his hands because I cared about you. I had to save you. I see now it is a weakness."

Yang roared at the girl's claims, she was absolutely crazy! Couldn't she see that caring was what made people better than the Grimm, what made them human. She knew drastic measures would have to be taken. She gripped Blake firmer than ever before, throwing the smaller girl around to face her.

She kissed her.

It was like fire. Her brain felt nothing but the rough feel of the girls weathered and chapped lips upon her own. She could feel Blake move with the kiss, stepping into the blonde girls embrace as she relented her self exiled quest. Then Yang felt herself being pushed away.

"No."

Yang growled at the faunus' defiance. She wanted to come home, to stop and be with her teammates and friends again, Yang had felt it.

"Dammit Blake! Caring isn't a weakness, the only reason you're here is because I care enough about you that I jumped in to stop Adam killing you. I gave my right arm for you Blake, I-"

Wait

Her right arm? But… it was right there, resting on Blake's shoulder. She could feel the faunus' tense muscles beneath her fingers.

"This isn't real is it?"

She could remember now, the Grimm surrounding her, that Beowolf clamping down on her arm. Them all closing around her fast… far faster than she could do anything to save herself.

"Am I dead?" She asked Blake, who had finally looked her in the eye. Except there wasn't amber eyes there anymore, they were red… and she was speaking.

"Yang?"

What was going on?

"Blake?"

"Yang! Wake up"

"I don't understand… Blake?"

"Yang! Wake up!" the voice insisted… it was familiar.

She opened her eyes to find herself staring into eerily similar red one. If she hadn't seen the black hair she'd have thought a mirror had been placed in front of her face.

"Raven?"

A/N: Woo! That's all for a while I'm afraid, from now on i'll be starting to update once or twice a week maximum. I'd like to say a big THANK YOU too all those who have taken the time to read and review my work so far. Keep up the reviews and I'll keep up the writing!

As always, this chapter is unbeta'd. I might look into getting some kind person to do it, but for now I think i'll carry on with how I am.

Until next time...