Yang Xiao-Long tossed back another Strawberry Sunrise, savoring the strong, sweet taste before sending it to join the rest of the sweet beverages she had downed that night. Pulling the now empty glass away from her lips, she let out a loud sigh of satisfaction. Spending time out in a club, tossing back a few. Maybe it was the influence of her Uncle Qrow talking, but for Yang, it was a perfect way to end the day.

End of the day was right, it turned out, as when she pulled out her scroll to take a quick glance at the time, it showed to be nearly midnight.

Yikes.

She'd intended to enjoy herself with a night on the town, but she hadn't quite meant to stay out this late. She had no doubt that the seedier citizens of Vale were probably making their way out of whatever hole they called home right about now, causing all manner of mischief that would likely end up on the back pages of the next few days worth of newspapers.

Not that Yang felt bothered or threatened by the possibility of some no-name low lives; after she had trashed Hei Xiong Jr's bar a few months back, Yang's next few excursions out in Vale had revealed that she'd gained a bit of a notorious reputation among the underworld of crooks and villains. Couple that with her most recent involvement in the take-down of the notorious thief, Roman Torchwick, along with the terrorist group, the White Fang? Yang felt pretty confident that any mook walking the streets at this hour would look at her once, and promptly turn the opposite direction.

Yang smiled to herself, as the recent memories of Team RWBY's first mission replayed in her head. There had been a few close calls, not the least of which counted her embarrassing loss to a tri-colored midget, but they had done it. They'd successfully completed their first mission as Huntresses, and more importantly, they had saved Vale and locked up Torchwick.

Those accomplishments alone were what brought Yang to Jr's place tonight, for in the immortal words of her Uncle Qrow; "What better way to celebrate success than with a stiff drink?" Course, the rest of her team hadn't been as keen on Yang's idea of a celebration. Weiss, the prissy girl, insisted that any celebration be more formal in nature, preferably in a sit-down restaurant.

Lame.

Blake's celebration was the simple knowledge that the White Fang wouldn't be up to any more mischief (coupled with a night of binge-reading her smutty romance novels), and Ruby? Well... Ruby's way of celebrating was to simply cherish the fact that they had beaten the bad guys, and done something good.

Yang couldn't say she disapproved of Ruby's more simplistic method of celebration, but she always made sure to at least leave the door open for Ruby to come with her on nights like these. Sure, dad might not approve, but Yang would much rather have Ruby go out to a club with her, than without her. She knew about Ruby's preference when it came to drinking alcohol, and she also knew that if anyone could take care of herself, it was Ruby. But, still... a part of her always worried for her baby sister. She supposed that, as a big sister, a part of her always would.

So, Yang had come to Junior's Club alone, and had enjoyed a good amount of Strawberry Sunrises. Though the taste of victory was sweet, much like her drinks, she had been sure to add a couple of the bad tasting drinks, as well.

To anyone watching, it would have seemed an odd combination, binge drinking the fruity taste of Strawberry Sunrises, then suddenly adding a single, foul tasting Three Wisemen. It was certainly a change in her usual drinking habits, but there was a specific reason she had chosen to change her routine tonight.

Because even with the sweet taste of overall success, came the bitter taste of the failures on the side. In this case, it was not Yang's defeat on the train that momentarily deflated her victory celebration, but rather the recent knowledge that despite all of their best efforts, some of the invading Grimm had gotten past them before any reinforcements arrived, and several defenseless civilians had been killed as a result.

Even now, thinking back on it left a terrible taste in her mouth. Ruby had taken it especially hard, and it had taken the combined efforts of not only herself, Weiss, and Blake, but also a private word with Professor Ozpin himself, to finally convince Ruby to focus on the good she had done, rather than the bad.

As for Yang, she mourned for the loss in her own way. The terrible Three Wisemen was an intentional reminder of her small failure, and a warning for her not to repeat the same mistake again, lest she experience this foul moment once more. She'd been sure to send a heartfelt toast to the deceased before downing it.

Tilting her head back, Yang shook out what little leftover drops of her favored drink there were, trying to wash away the negative thoughts with that sweet liquid. Satisfied that she had shaken loose all that was left, Yang pulled herself to her feet, ready to head out. As she made to move forward however, the world suddenly tilted, and Yang found herself stumbling to regain her balance.

"Whoops, there we go," Yang hiccuped, grabbing onto the chair she had just stood up from to steady herself.

Well... crap. She was drunk. She usually handled her Sunrises better, but she suspected that the unusual addition of the bitter Three Wisemen had pushed her just over the edge.

She stood there for a moment, debating about whether or not to risk riding Bumblebee back to Beacon. She was still relatively coherent, and she wasn't totally smashed, either... just a little tipsy.

It's also not the first time I've driven drunk, Yang thought to herself with a giggle, recalling the time her father had found out after the fact and exploded at her in anger.

Still, as good a driver as she was, even while not-sober, there was still an amount of risk involved. While she was certain her aura could withstand any crash she got into, she was less certain about anyone else surviving any collision with her. Ruby would have a cow if Yang needlessly risked innocent civilian lives doing such a reckless thing, and she didn't doubt that her dad would soon hear about it and freak out, too.

Yang shuddered as she imagined her furious father storming all the way to Beacon, then berating her in front of her teammates and fellow students. Her popularity would plummet!

So, a walk would have to do. But first, she needed to make sure her precious Bumblebee was secure for the night. With that thought in mind, Yang swaggered over to the bar, where Junior quickly caught sight of her, eyeing her with suspicion and wariness.

"Hey, hey you," Yang slurred, pointing slightly to the left of Junior.

Junior winced as the strawberry-scented waft of Yang's breath reached his nose, causing him to recoil slightly and wave the air away.

"Jeez, Blondie. You smell like you ate an entire strawberry patch, stems and all," Junior groused.

"And they were delicious," Yang retorted with a hiccup, before remembering why she came to talk. "Hey, you know my bike out there, right? You know- you know my bike? The yellow and black one, right? You know-"

"Yes, yes, I know about your damn bike! What about it? It's right outside where you left it!"

"Yeah, and it better stay that way until tomorrow," Yang warned, narrowing her eyes dangerously. "I'm walk-" Yang hiccuped. "I'm walking home tonight, so I'm leaving my bike here. And if it's not here when I come for it tomorrow, I'm popping your balls."

Junior blinked once, twice, before looking over to his left, where Yang's glare was currently focused.

"Uh, Blondie? I'm over here."

Now it was Yang's turn to blink, as she shifted her gaze to the left with a confused look, before narrowing her eyes again.

"I'll pop your balls too, mister. All three of ya."

"Fine," Junior conceded with a heavy sigh. "Your bike will still be here tomorrow, I'll personally make sure of that. It won't get a scratch."

Yang's drunken eyes sobered up for a moment, gleaming with a danger that gave Junior flashbacks of the last time the Blonde Bombshell had gone on a rampage in his bar. It sent shivers up his spine.

"Not. One. Scratch."

"I already said it wouldn't get a scratch, so it won't! Now would you please leave? You're cut off for the night!"

Yang turned and began stumbling her way to the door, though not before mumbling that she was leaving because she wanted to.

Stepping outside the bar, Yang paused for a moment to enjoy the feel of the cool night air on her skin. Focusing on the sensation, Yang felt a little more coherent. A quick glance around confirmed her earlier suspicions, Vale had indeed begun to fill with the riff-raff.

Using her experience from past drunken escapades, Yang focused herself as best as she could on walking straight and not giving any indication of her drunken state. She didn't want any of those night-goons thinking she was easy prey just because she was tipsy. While more than capable of handling such problems, even while drunk, she didn't feel like ending this particular night with a brawl.

So, she set off into the night, thinking back on all the times she had been forced to learn how to adapt to a drunken state. Most of them had been with Qrow, naturally. She remembered the first time she ever went to a bar with him; some drunken idiot had actually walked right up to her and groped both her breasts in plain view of Qrow. To this day, she'd never seen her uncle move so quickly- she hadn't even had her own fist cocked all the way back before Qrow was on the man, wailing on him. Of course the idiot had friends, as almost all drunken idiots seem to, and by the end of the night she and Qrow had trashed the entire bar, and by morning they'd been banned for life.

Yang smiled to herself. That was a good night.

With the general direction of the route she normally took towards Beacon on the few days she came into Vale without her precious bike, Yang set out into the night. The long and very boring walk was made more amusing as Yang recalled further memories of her bar escapades with Qrow. Trusting her feet to carry her down the correct path, Yang lost herself to her past exploits, a goofy and drunken grin spread across her face as the more amusing moments came back to her.

The time Qrow had thrown up on the bar waitress he had been trying all night to woo, the time she and Ruby had found Qrow passed on in the back alley of the local bar in Patch, when they then proceeded to put the most girlish of makeup on him after dragging him home...

Her drunken walk down memory lane had her so distracted, that Yang's normally impeccable Huntress sense's became dull and unfocused. Her eyes stared blankly ahead of her, not even acknowledging the person walking opposite her. It wasn't until their shoulders suddenly collided that Yang was even aware there was a person in front of her at all.

Yang spun on her feet, nearly losing her balance from the unexpected collision.

"Whoa, steady feet, steady feet," Yang said to herself, stumbling slightly to catch her balance. Once she was satisfied that she wasn't about to fall, she glanced up at the person she had run into. "Sorry about that, wasn't paying attention to where I was go-"

Yang's words cut off sharply, lilac eyes widening in shock as she got her first real look at the person she'd bumped into. The physical appearance was one she had seared so deeply into her mind that even in her drunken state, she easily recognized it.

Red armor. Long black hair. White mask. Dust katana.

Raven Branwen. Her mother. The mother who had abandoned her and her father. The mother who, even now, had not even so much as glanced at her, even after literally walking right into her.

Had Yang been in a more lucid state of mind, she might have questioned the near impossible chances of casually running into the woman she had spent the better part of life searching for. But in her drunken state, all she felt was a strange sense of accomplishment, quickly followed by the familiar burning sensation of anger, brought on by the dull ache she felt every time she thought of her biological mother.

All memories of bar hopping and drunkenness now gone, Yang whirled on her foot to face the woman that was her mother.

"Hey!" Yang bellowed. "Wait!"

Instead of heeding Yang's command, Raven turned into an alleyway, disappearing around the corner. Yang wasted no time in sprinting ahead, quickly covering the short distance and emerging through the entrance to the alleyway. When she didn't immediately catch sight of her mother, she rapidly jerked her head from one direction to another, before eventually catching a glimpse of what appeared to be the tail end of Raven's black hair rounding yet another corner.

"Stop!"

Yang moved forward, determined not to let her mother escape. As soon as she rounded the next corner, she momentarily froze in her tracks.

This section of the alleyway was a dead end, but it was not the end of the chase, it seemed. At the end of the alley was a manhole, and partially submerged into the opening of the manhole was Raven herself.

It was this sight that gave Yang pause. Most of Raven's body was already obscured from view by the manhole, but the upper part of her torso and head were still somewhat visible. What kept Yang from getting a full view of her mothers mask was the round manhole cover, which Raven currently held over her head, angled in such a way that the light was blocked off from her features, obscuring her white mask in darkness.

All but her eyes. Her eyes, a deep, burning red that Yang understood resembled her own when she was on a tantrum, stared directly into her own lilac eyes. It wasn't the fact that this was probably the first time she and her mother had ever had eye contact that made her freeze, but rather what Yang saw in those red eyes.

Hunger. Desire.

Raven stared at Yang in a way that no parent should ever look at their child, ostracized or not. It sent chills up Yang's spine, and caused her a brief moment of hesitation as her mind began to catch up with the sudden run-in with her mother.

Why was Raven retreating into a manhole? Both Qrow and Yang's father had informed her of Raven's ability to teleport, so why hadn't she done so the moment she'd gotten out of Yang's sight? Moreover, why had Raven so casually bumped into her to begin with? There was no way Raven had bumped into her by accident, especially if the look in her eyes was any indication. Come to me. Chase me. Those eyes seemed to scream that at her, not just inviting her, but daring her to follow.

Yang was snapped out of these thoughts when she noticed movement from Raven. Slowly, tauntingly, Raven descended further into the manhole, it's large iron cover retreating with her to seal her away, leaving Yang abandoned once more. As Raven's form slowly disappeared, Yang felt all coherent thought leave her again, as she was suddenly urged onward by a nagging sensation at the back of her head.

Why did Raven get to appear in front of her, and then leave just like that? Who did she think she was, taunting her own daughter like this?

These words were like a whisper in her ear, egging her on. Were she in a more lucid state, Yang might have noticed that these thoughts seemed separate from her own, and she might have even paused to consider them. As she was now however, the subtle suggestions did its job. With a low growl, Yang moved forward once again, lilac eyes flashing red. The woman who had abandoned her would not get the option to just leave again, just like that.

You don't walk away from me, Raven, Yang thought to herself. I walk away from you.

The lid of the manhole sealed shut for only a fraction of a second before it was violently ripped off, flung carelessly into a nearby building with a loud clatter. The moment Yang had grabbed onto the manhole cover, her free hand had raised up, ready to dive down and drag her mother back up to the surface world by the roots of her hair.

Said hand froze, however, when instead of being greeted by the sight of a retreating Raven, she saw only the darkness contained by the manhole. Yang blinked in astonishment, staring at the empty hole, before shaking her head at the impossibility of it.

No way. There's no way she moved that fast.

Even if she had chosen to drop down into the sewers below or teleport, Yang had removed the manhole cover at almost the same moment it had closed. Yang should have been able to catch at least a small glimpse of her mother before she disappeared again. Hell, even Ruby wasn't that fast.

Yang continued to stand there, staring into the hole in bewilderment, when the alien and yet somehow familiar voice of her mother rang out.

"What's the matter, Yang? Is that all the effort you're prepared to give? How disappointing... I expected more from you. Perhaps I was right to leave you behind."

Those words... the mocking tone, the deliberate mention of Raven's abandoning her, delivered with the same casual care that someone would use to discuss the weather... It had all the insult of a spit in the face.

Growling, Yang stomped at the edge of the manhole, bellowing at the top of her lungs.

"What kind of sick, stupid game are you playing?! You think you can just show up out of the blue and talk to me like that?! You ran out on dad! You ran out on me! You owe us both answers! Now quit hiding in the sewers like a damn coward, and face me!" Yang furiously roared.

Finished with her tirade, Yang awaited her mother's answer. Her breasts rose and fell as she panted in anger, her bright red eyes glowing in the night atmosphere. Silence greeted her, and after several moments had passed, Yang suspected that Raven had indeed fled once again. She had just clenched her fists and prepared to let out a frustrated scream, when Raven's voice echoed through the opening of the manhole once again.

"If you want answers, Yang... come and get them." With that, Yang heard the distinct sound of running feet splashing through water, growing dimmer with each step.

For yet another moment, coherent thought seemed to return to Yang. Jumping into the sewers? Yeah, no. Never mind just stepping into the piss and shit of the entire city of Vale, what if it got onto her precious hair? Even without the threat to her personal hygiene, she knew that the sewers were a veritable maze that she had no chance of navigating. She'd be lost in less than thirty minutes. Even with the idea of getting the answers she had waited so long to receive, the risk just didn't seem worth it.

As these thoughts ran through her head though, another thought suddenly popped up.

What if this is your only chance?

Yang blinked, her lilac eyes still staring into the empty space of the manhole.

Think about it. After all this time, you finally have a chance to get your answers. What if this is the only time?

But... no. That was a stupid idea, there wasn't even a full guarantee she would catch her mother if she went in there. It wasn't...

Think of all the time you've spent searching for her. Think of all the failed leads you followed up on.

Yang bit her lip. All her search efforts had always ended in complete failure... she'd never gotten even a step closer since her search had first begun, all those years ago... When she had been just a child. When her impetuous decision making had almost killed both herself, and her sister. The reminder of that moment once again caused Yang to consider just turning away. She wouldn't let her search control her.

But Ruby isn't here.

Yang hesitated. It was true, Ruby wasn't there... but still, it was too risky.

You may never get this chance again. All these years, you've waited for this moment to be here, and now it's here. What guarantee do you have that you'll ever be given this moment again? What if you spend the rest of your life searching, but never finding? Always wondering, but never knowing? With every second wasted, the answers drift further and further away. Is this the extent of your will? Do you really want the answers you've sought for so long?

Yang sat there, torn. What if this really was her only chance? She hadn't found Raven herself, Raven had just chosen to willingly expose herself to Yang, and for what? For fun? Because she could? To mock her? To test her strength, just as her uncle and father had always warned her, she would?

Are you going to let her abandon you again?

Yang's drunken mind was finally swayed, the pent up anger she held for the woman who should have been her mother pushing all other rational thoughts aside, and clouding her better judgement.

With a snarl, Yang leaped into the manhole, determined not to let Raven get away from her. The city lights of Vale and the natural light of the shattered moon were snuffed out like a candle, embracing Yang in a thick blanket of darkness.

Upon landing in the tunnel of Vale's sewers, the slick floor, coupled with its round surface and the lack of sight, caused Yang to nearly slip and fall into the sewage. She managed to steady herself by slamming a hand against a wall, though she immediately recoiled with a disgusted sound when she felt the damp, wet texture of the mildew riddled concrete on her fingers. With her free hand, she quickly fished through her pockets for her scroll, bringing it out and activating its built in flashlight feature.

Yang shuddered in disgust as she got her first good look at the sewers that ran beneath Vale. The curved walls, once a bright, concrete grey, were now colored a dark brown and covered in mold and mildew, and from the round ceiling hung what looked like stalactites of- Nope. Yang didn't want to know what they actually were. What disgusted her most of all, however, was the sewage running through the tunnel, that Yang now stood ankle deep in. She shuddered and gagged when she felt a soft, solid object bump against her leg, and pointedly refused to look down to see what it was.

The entire place was rank with the disgusting smell of sewage and damp air, with a hint of mildew. What struck Yang the most however was how cold it was down here, she was surprised she couldn't see her own breath. Jumping into the darkness had felt like jumping into a frozen lake, the moment her skin had made contact with it, she had felt the heat get sucked from her, and the chill had bit into her skin like thousands of tiny ice needles.

It was as if she had stepped into a completely different world.

Wiping her sullied hand on her shorts, Yang moved her flashlight about, searching for any signs of her mother. Her effort proved pointless, however, as her mother made herself known all on her own.

"Come on, Yang!" Raven's voice echoed through the tunnel behind her. "Come and get your answers!"

Spinning around, Yang glared in the direction her mother's voice was coming from. She couldn't see her down the tunnel, so Yang guessed that Raven had once again managed to speed a good distance away from her. Yang refused to let that stop her, however. With a low growl, Yang sprinted down the tunnel, chasing the voice of her mother.

She ducked the dripping brown spikes hanging on the ceiling as best she could, though she swore she felt some of it come into contact with her hair. That alone ensured a brutal beating when she finally got a hold of her bitch of a mother. Making her own daughter run through the sewers just to get answers as to why she had abandoned her own family... it made her sick.

She held her hand up to block the occasional water that poured in from the sides and occasionally the ceiling of the tunnel, desperately hoping that it was just additional water from someone brushing their teeth or something, and not the recently discarded water from somebody's toilet.

Yang moved through the sewer tunnels as quickly as she could, spurred on by her mother's words as they continued to echo ahead of her, the woman herself remaining just out of sight. The often repeated phrases of 'I thought you wanted answers' and 'You'll have to do better than that' frequently echoed through the tunnel and into Yang's ears, along with the constant sound of running water and the splash of Yang's feet as she continuously moved forward.

Yang paused for a moment as she noticed a large opening to her right, and briefly debated which direction to go in, as the tunnel she had started in continued to go forward. The answer was given to her when Raven's voice once again echoed ahead of her, through the tunnel to her right.

"Hurry up, Yang! I don't have all night!" Raven taunted.

"Then stop running from me, you coward!" Yang howled back, sprinting into the tunnel the voice had come from.

Despite moving as fast as she could, Yang was aware that her mother's voice was becoming more and more faint the deeper she went into the sewer tunnels. The idea of losing the answers she had been seeking for most of her life, especially when they were right in front of her for the first time, was enough to draw a deep, bitter frustration within Yang, the kind that made you so angry that you worried you were about to cry.

Coupled with the cold, damp, disgusting smell of the sewers surrounding her and even covering parts of her, and Yang's infamous temper began to flare. She began to yell loud obscenities after her mother, and in her furious haste, she no longer waited to hear the direction of her mother's voice when she encountered a sudden split in the tunnels, instead using rash judgement to pick a tunnel and sprint into it, full speed.

All the while, her mother's voice grew further and further away, quieter with each word, until finally, Yang could hear her no more. Yang's furious sprint eventually slowed to a jog, which then slowed to a trot, then a mere walk, before stopping altogether. Yang held her head low, teeth and fists clenched, and her eyes scrunched shut. Frustrated tears stung the corners of her eyes, as she realized at last that she would not be having the reunion with her mother that she had waited so long for.

Instead, she was stuck in the piss and shit of all of Vale's residents, cold, stinky, and worst of all- still partially drunk. A quick look around her did further to sour her mood... She didn't remember all the twists and turns she had taken in her fruitless effort to catch her mother.

She was lost in the sewers.

"Oh, that's just perfect," Yang muttered to herself in a shaky voice. Her bottom lip began to tremble as her frustration began to spill over. "That's just fucking perfect...!" Throwing her head back, Yang let loose an ear-splitting wail that echoed far throughout the tunnels she was now lost in, and the tears that had been teasing her eyelids earlier finally spilled over. The normally proud Yang didn't care in the slightest, letting the tears fall freely down her face. Who was down here to judge her?

With a loud sniffle, Yang began to slowly trudge back the way she came, hoping to stumble across a set of steel rings that led up to another manhole, so she could get out of these Oum-forsaken tunnels and get back to Beacon, where she planned on having a long shower rinse, followed by an equally long bubble bath.

It wasn't long before she found the moldy and rusted built in ladder she was looking for, and with a small sniffle, she put her scroll away and began to make her way up. The manhole cover above her head was large and heavy, and probably required a crowbar to remove for an average person. Luckily for her, being a Huntress made you above average.

Placing her hand on the underside of the cover, she pushed it open, and peeked her head out to see where she was. Hey eyes widened as two bright lights came rushing towards her, accompanied by the familiar sound of a loud horn honking.

Yang hurriedly pulled herself back into the manhole, dropping the large lid and stumbling back down the iron steps. In her haste, her foot slipped on the slick surface of one of the rings, and with a surprised cry, Yang fell down into the tunnels, landing on her back with a loud splash.

The cold, disgusting sewage soaked into her clothes and onto her skin, her long, flowing hair catching bits of Oum knew what as the sewer water freely ran through it. Yang hurriedly leapt to her feet, but the damage had already been done. She could feel the sewage all over her, and with a burning, loud cry, Yang's eyes burned red and her hair ignited, filling the sewers with bright light.

With a furious roar, Yang slammed her fist into the wall near her, followed by the other, then the other, again and again. Her rage served to somewhat dry both her hair and her clothes, but it did little for the smell. Instead of smelling like damp sewage, the air now smelled like burnt sewage, and that somehow managed to smell even worse.

Yang continued to slam her fists into the solid concrete wall, venting her nights frustration on it, before a small cloud of dust and pebbles suddenly dropped onto her from above. With a quick glance, Yang saw that her furious tantrum had created a noticeable crack in the wall, and that it had spread into the ceiling. With a reluctant growl, Yang ceased her angry outburst, and her hair and eyes began to dim back to their original colors. Her night had already been going badly, she didn't need to make the streets of Vale collapse right on top of her, too.

Taking deep breaths to calm herself down, Yang glanced around the tunnels again, trying to reassess her situation. She could check every manhole she came across and just pray she didn't end up taking a vehicle to the face... No. Aura or no aura, she could very well end up losing her head that way, or at the very least, snap her neck. Neither option was particularly appealing to her.

What option was there, then? She could come across the very manhole she came down in, and not even recognize it as the one she descended a while ago. She crossed her arms, thinking. Her eye twitched at the constant sound of dripping and running water, the consistency of it was annoying. If she could find a somewhat quiet place to think, maybe she could come up with-

Wait. Running water. That meant it was flowing in one direction... towards an exit. Yang fished out her scroll again, praying that it hadn't gotten as wet as the rest of her had. Feeling that the device was a little damp, but otherwise untouched, Yang let out a sigh of relief, and switched her flashlight back on. For the first time since entering these tunnels, Yang looked down at the running water at her feet. She shuddered once at the disgusting grey color of it, and quickly glanced away, looking towards the direction it was flowing.

With a resolved sigh, Yang moved forward. With her feelings of frustration and anger gone (or temporarily shelved, at any rate), Yang took a moment to reflect on her rash decision making that led her down here.

She'd gotten too damn emotional. Whether Raven had been sincere in her apparent 'testing' of Yang, or just pulling her sick idea of a joke on her, Yang shouldn't have let her emotions drag her down here so easily. Were she in her right mind, she would never have even considered going near the sewers. She could hear the disappointed sighs of her dad and Qrow already, not that she could blame them. How could she have been so stupid?

It was the drinks, Yang decided, nodding to herself. That could be the only explanation. She had let her personal celebration get a little too out of hand, and as a result, she now found herself wandering the under-city of Vale.

Under-city was the right term, too, Yang thought as she followed the flowing water past another turn and into a large, concrete room. The area was much more spacious than the tight tunnels, which had barely reached a foot over her head. To her relief, she even spotted a series of stone steps which led out of the sewage and onto a large concrete platform.

Once Yang found herself on something dry (or as dry as anything could be in this damp atmosphere), she quickly shook off her boots, doing her best to rid herself of anything and everything that had clung onto her since she had jumped down into the sewers. She glanced around the large open space, seeing various pipes alongside the wall and along the ceiling. At the edge of the platform she now stood on was a concrete barricade with an iron railing. The metal bars were covered in a filthy fabric that Yang vaguely recognized as baby wipes from the barely visible floral patterns across its surface. Heh, so much for being biodegradable. Behind the barricade, she could hear the moderate roar of running water.

Walking over and peeking over the edge of the barricade, Yang could see that she had found the exit she was looking for. A large hole sucked all the water that gathered there into a steep drop, likely leading the water back into the ocean near the Vale docks. It looked large enough for her to squeeze into, but... Yang shook her head. No way in hell was she going down there. Forget about getting even more of that disgusting grey water all over her, she did not need that stuff getting in her eyes or mouth, or running up her nose. She'd just as soon risk decapitation by vehicle, thank you very much.

Glancing around the room once more, Yang sighed in relief when she saw a built in ladder leading up to yet another manhole. This room was large and spacious, clearly intended for some workers to come down in so they could do... whatever sewer workers do. Meaning that beyond that manhole, there must have been a safe place to enter and exit. At least, that was Yang's hope. Regardless, it was time for her to get out of this place, and not a moment too soon.

She had just crossed the room and grabbed onto the first foothold, when a loud, shrill sound echoed throughout the room and pierced her ears. Jumping in surprise at the sudden and unexpected sound, Yang whirled around, moving her flashlight around the room in an effort to locate the noise.

Her flashlight settled on the opening of the tunnel she had used to get into the room, and Yang realized that whatever was making this sound lay somewhere beyond there, back in the tunnels she had just escaped from.

Yang stood there, bewildered as to what to do, when the initial piercing impact of the sound began to lessen, and she could make out what it was.

A scream. Somebody, somewhere in these tunnels, was screaming. It was a scream filled with terror and pain, as though someone was lying crippled on the floor with their soon-to-be killer stalking up to them. With the knowledge of the sound, came the sudden recognition that hit Yang with the force of a freight train, knocking the wind out of her and draining the color from her face.

Few things kept Yang Xiao-Long up at night. Where other children stayed up late wondering what was in their closet or under their bed, Yang had simply dismissed such fantasies as potential punching bags should they ever prove true. Where other children screamed in terror when watching a horror movie, Yang simply giggled at the cheesy dialogue and cheap effects, enjoying a full bowl of popcorn.

But the one thing that kept her up at night, the one thing she had nightmares about to this day, the greatest thing she had ever feared, was the possibility of losing her beloved younger sister in the same way they had lost their mother. The thought of Ruby hurt or dying was something Yang had never been able to shake, and the mere thought of it sent chills up her spine even to this day. With her heart clenching painfully in her chest and her blood running so cold her skin broke out in goose-flesh, Yang felt her single greatest fear come to life.

"RUBY!" Yang shrieked, bolting from the room and leaping back into the tunnel she had come out of.

"Yang!" came Ruby's distinctive, frightened voice, from deeper in the tunnels. "Help me Yang! Help me!"

"Hold on! I'm coming!" Yang sprinted towards the direction Ruby's cries were coming from, moving at full speed. Unlike when she had been chasing Raven earlier, Yang moved without hesitation or pause, her thoughts of where she was and what she was running through no longer even a thought in her mind. The only thing pushing her now was finding her sister, and saving her from whatever had befallen her.

Raven, Yang thought to herself furiously. It was the only possible explanation. The bitch had lured her here for this purpose, to butcher her own sister right in front of her. She didn't know why, nor did she care. All she did know was that there would be no more talk, no more questions, no more answers. Raven Branwen would die for hurting Ruby.

Just as Ruby's echoing screams grew close enough that Yang knew she would quickly be upon her, they were suddenly cut off, replaced by the distinctive sound of ripping flesh, followed by a low gurgle.

"NO! LEAVE HER ALONE YOU FUCKING BITCH!" Yang screamed, pushing her legs to move even faster, to the point where they burned in protest.

Hurriedly ducking into the next opening to her left, Yang's eyes finally fell upon the broken form of Ruby Rose. She lay there, slumped against the curved wall, her legs partially submerged in sewage. Her face was pale, and her red cloak lay pooled around her, along with a significant portion of her own blood, spilling from her mouth and the large gash she had across her throat.

At that moment, all of Yang's memories of Ruby began to play in her head. Images and sounds of the petite, fun loving girl who had a possible addiction to cookies, fawned over weapons the same way a child fawned over Santa Claus, and who constantly touted how she was going to be a hero who fought for justice just like mother, all served to conflict with the image Yang now laid her eyes upon. Who was this girl, broken, pale and unmoving at her feet? How could this be the energetic, high spirited sister she had come to know and love? How?

Yang was snapped out of her shock when Ruby weakly raised a hand towards her, moving her mouth to speak, but losing the words in her own blood and gargling instead. Yang rushed to her sisters side, clutching her outstretched hand tightly. She was still alive. But, Oum, the blood. So much blood. And they were stranded in the sewers. Her mind whirled at a thousand thoughts per second, trying to come up with something, anything, to preserve Ruby's life. She could feel her heart pounding in her chest, threatening to break straight through her sternum and spill across the sewer floors, just like Ruby's blood.

Calm down, Yang mentally ordered herself. Panicking won't save her. You need to calm down.

"It's okay Ruby," Yang hurriedly said. "I-I mean, it's going to be okay. You're going to be okay."

She was alive, that was a start. But that knowledge did little to lessen the desperation that now clutched her very being. Ruby had lost so much blood, and she was losing so much more. Yang tried to shove away the frightful thought dancing around in her head, but it persisted, pressing on and repeating itself over and over.

She may die tonight.

The possibility, though not welcome, was very much real. In the moment Yang acknowledged that, her fear reached its peak.

Cover her throat. Got to stop the bleeding.

Yang shifted forward, moving her hand towards Ruby's neck to grab her hood and pile it around the deep cut. Yang shifted her lilac eyes to Ruby's silver ones, and tried to show as much support and bravery as she could, even as she felt her body begin to tremble and vision begin to swim.

"Don't worry, Ruby. You're going to be okay. Everything's going to be fi-"

It happened quickly. So quickly, Yang didn't even have a moment to acknowledge it, until it was too late. So lost was she in her panic and terror, that she failed to summon even a single thought when Ruby's silver eyes suddenly turned an ominous colored amber. Even when Ruby's once weak and limp hands shot up with lightning speed to grab the arm that had reached for her cloak in a vice-like grip, Yang remained entranced in her fear. Even when Ruby's small lips suddenly peeled back, splitting her face wide open and revealing a thick set of gums lined with multiple rows of razor sharp teeth, which then lurched forward with the speed of a King Taijitu, and clamped onto her trapped arm, Yang still seemed to be frozen in time.

It was only when she felt the pain- the sharp, stinging, intense pain, that Yang seemed to comprehend what was happening. Dimly, Yang's first thought was not to fight off her sudden attacker, but rather the simple observation of that's not Ruby. Any relief she might have held at the sudden revelation that her sister was in fact not on death's door, was lost as Yang realized with sickening clarity that the impossible had happened.

Her Aura had been pierced.

Not only that, but it had been pierced at almost the exact moment those crooked needle teeth had clamped onto her arm, drawing blood in the same way a snake bite drew blood from an average human being. How? How had that happened? How? Even when she had been bitten with the full force of an Ursa during her training with Ruby one day, her Aura had held strong. What kind of monster could bite clean through it with such minimal effort?

These thoughts, and a hundred more, raced through Yang's head as the felt the sharp stinging sensation of a multitude of teeth piercing into her skin. Pain erupted on various different parts of her body as nerves were damaged or outright severed, snapping Yang's focus back into place and prompting her to release a pained cry.

No sooner had her mind snapped back to the sudden deadly predicament she found herself in, when the thing that was not Ruby begin viciously tossing its head from side to side, using those powerful jaws and sharp teeth to methodically and cruelly saw through Yang's arm. More flashes of pain erupted throughout her nervous system as her entire body was jerked back and forth by the powerful force of the thing that was not Ruby's intense thrashing.

Yang lashed out with her free hand, slamming a closed fist into the monsters face. The thing didn't even slow. Crying with pain and now desperation, Yang pulled back her fist and struck again, before repeating the process and repeatedly inflicting hammer blows on the monsters terrible looking face.

The punches, at first thrown out of sheer desperation, soon developed into the powerful, focused blows that Yang had grown accustomed to using, and eventually began to have an effect as the creature pulled back on Yang's arm slightly, the tattered flesh slipping through the gaps in its teeth.

The creature seemed to realize its prey was close to escaping its firm grasp, and it compensated for this by ceasing its rapid head thrashing motions and clamping down with further force, putting intense pressure on Yang's arm until she felt an firm snap reverberate through her body.

Yang screamed in agony as a fresh wave of pain soared through her arm, and with the intense pain came a firmer determination to escape the hellish creature she was held captive by. Regaining her footing, Yang braced her feet and threw as powerful a blow as she could, simultaneously pulling her right arm backwards in an effort to free herself.

The plan worked. Yang's strike stunned the creature enough that it's jaws slackened for just a moment- which was long enough for Yang to rip her tattered arm out of the things mouth. Stumbling backwards, Yang's back impacted the wall behind her, and in a panicked frenzy, Yang's eyes darted back towards the not Ruby. It, like her, had fallen against the wall. Its body was faintly illuminated by the light of Yang's scroll, which had fallen to the floor in the struggle and now lay just beyond Its feet.

It still had that large, bleeding gash across Its throat, and blood seeped from that tooth filled grin that had bits of pink flesh stuck in between them, dangling past Its smiling lips.

"Come play with me Yang," It said in Ruby's voice, laced with a vile venomous emotion that Yang had never associated with Ruby before. "We'll never grow up down here. We can stay and play and be sisters forever. We'll float down here. We all float down here." With that, not Ruby tilted her head back and let out a cartoonish laugh that echoed throughout the tunnels and sent chills up Yang's spine, before sprinting towards her with arms outstretched, those once tiny hands morphing and stretching into long, pointed claws, and her lips once again peeling away to reveal those horrible looking teeth, ready to once again clamp down and tear through Yang's flesh, a horrible, predatory shriek escaping that open maw.

More out of startled fright than anything else, Yang pulled back her good hand, and with a loud cry of her own flung her tightened fist straight into the things gut, sending both it and herself backwards from the desperate ferocity of it. Not waiting to see what damage it may or may not have done to her attacker, Yang quickly leapt to her feet and sprinted down the opposite end of the tunnel, running as if her very life depended on it.

She could feel her heartbeat echoing through her ears, and the natural cold temperatures of the sewers suddenly felt a thousand degrees cooler. Ever since she had come down to these lower tunnels, Yang had felt she had almost entered an entirely new world. Now, her mind was convinced that she had done just that.

This is Hell. I didn't jump into any sewers, I jumped straight into the pits of Hell.

It was the only explanation, because no creature in Vale could have possibly cut through her Aura like that. No creature could withstand her harshest blows and show no noticeable damage. Oum-Almighty, why oh why had she come down here?

Yang didn't slow for even a moment. She sprinted as though that thing was right on her heels, as if she heard Its footsteps closing in on her, felt Its hot breath on the back of her neck as those terrible teeth opened wide, ready to bite through her neck and tear her head clean off.

So she kept running. Even when her lungs burned with the stink of the damp sewer air, her legs screamed in protest, and she grew light-headed from the effort, she ran. The further she went, the more her initial panic began to subside and rational thought began to return. Soon, she risked a glance back, only to absurdly realize that the entire time she had been running, she hadn't been able to see a damn thing. She'd left her scroll behind in her haste to escape.

Yang suddenly felt foolish. Here she was, a Huntress in training, running for her life like some scared little girl. That freakish whatever-it-was had gotten her by surprise, and managed to break her arm. Her own father had once accidentally broken her hand during a sparring session, and she'd been able to continue the fight, so why hadn't she this time?

Leaping off her feet and whirling in the air to face her attacker, Yang activated her semblance with a loud war cry, her hair flaring brilliantly and illuminating the tunnel behind her to reveal... Nothing. Absolutely nothing.

The thing which had disguised itself as an injured Ruby was nowhere to be seen, and when Yang strained her eyes to listen to the tunnel ahead of her, she could her no footsteps rushing to catch her. Whatever that thing was, It was gone.

Yang let out a heavy sigh of relief, feeling a huge burden lifting off her shoulders, then once again felt foolish. She shouldn't be relieved, she should be pissed. That damn thing had wounded her, and she'd panicked and fled. She should have stayed and broken all four of Its limbs in revenge.

Either way, there was nothing to do for it now. She had gotten away from It, for now. Having a free moment to herself, she glanced down at her wounded arm, hoping to get an idea of how bad the damage was. As soon as her eyes landed on her injury, Yang recoiled with a horrified expression, and an uncharacteristic squeal escaped her lips.

Her arm, what was left of it, had been torn to complete shreds. What had once been a perfect compact of skin, tendons, and muscle, was now a shredded piece of meat that looked like it belonged on the set of one of those cheap horror movies she had so loved. It turned out that those effects she had dismissed as cheap were more realistic than she thought. Her arm resembled a jumbled mess of pink hamburger meat, with a clear view of various veins and tendons protruding from the pink mass. Beneath this mess of torn apart flesh, Yang saw the white color of bone exposed. The broken bone beneath it all left her arm dangling only by the last bit of intact flesh there was, leaving it limp and unresponsive. Out of all this damage, a substantial amount of blood seeped, dripping down her still intact hand and falling into the sewage beneath her.

Her blood. Her flesh. Torn to literal pieces.

Yang felt her stomach lurch, and her free hand clamped over her mouth as she bent over, feeling sicker than she had ever felt in her life. Tears pricked the corners of her eyes once more as her earlier drinks returned with a vengeance, vomiting out of her mouth and filling her taste buds with the disgusting sour and burning taste of partially digested Strawberry Sunrises. Oddly, Yang thought to herself how she would never be able to enjoy her favorite alcoholic beverage again because of the foul taste.

Yang's earlier panic returned with a vengeance, as she realized just how badly that creature had hurt her. Her right arm was all but useless; she was lucky she had kept it at all. Yang's panic was compounded when she realized that she hadn't run back towards the exit she had found, but rather she had ran the opposite direction. Now, the thing that had torn her arm apart stood between her and the only possibility of escape she knew of.

Her mind balked at the very idea of going back towards that threat. Her arm had nearly been bit off, and that was with full Aura. She had no idea how much Aura she had left, and without her scroll she had no way of checking it, either.

For the first time in her life, Yang found herself pondering that her life may end that night. The thought of it brought out a pathetic whimper from her, and tears began to fall down her face.

This couldn't be the end... it just couldn't. Not down here, not in a place like this, not in such a horrible, painful way. Yang felt her knees knocking together as they began to shake in fright, and she soon found them buckling beneath her and sending her tumbling to the sewer floor. With her free hand, she clutched her head tightly, no longer caring off all the filth that covered her. Her shoulders hitched as she began to sob, wondering how things had taken such a drastic turn so quickly.

This wasn't the way it was supposed to be. She was a hero- she and her team had just saved all of Vale. Heroes weren't supposed to die this way, covered in shit and lost in an underworld with nobody to see her or even know she was there. Tonight was supposed to be a celebration, just a night of fun. Not a desperate fight that resulted in the near loss of her arm.

"Yaaaaang..."

Yang's head snapped back up so fast that she felt a brief flash of pain in her neck. It had been quiet, barely a whisper, so dull and low that she had almost missed it. For a moment, she hopefully thought that she had just imagined it, until the small whisper repeated, a little louder this time.

"Yaaaaang..."

Yang leapt to her feet, trying to still the relentless shivering of her body, and forcing her body into a combat stance that made her look more confident than she felt. She could feel her rapid heartbeat throughout her entire body, from the inside of her ears to the bottom of her toes. To her, the restless noise was so loud, it echoed through the tunnels.

It was coming from in front of her. It had finally caught up to her, perhaps moving at an easy pace because it knew she would exhaust herself. And exhaust herself, she did. Her whole body ached, suffering from the extreme punishment she had taken in just those few moments.

"Yaaaaang..."

Yang whirled around, fist pulled back and ready to deal a strike. It was behind her. Somehow, some way, the thing had circled around her. How? Was there a turn she had missed? How had It gotten behind her so quickly?

"Yaaaaang..."

She gasped, whirling her head to look behind her as the whisper once again came from the direction opposite which she was facing. Her dirty, matted, long blonde hair whipped back and forth behind her as Yang struggled to look both directions of the tunnel at once. She nearly jumped out of her skin as the whisper sounded again, this time from both sides of the tunnel at once.

"Yaaaaang..."

Yang hurriedly pushed her back against the wall, her heart skipping a beat each time she exposed her back to the threat that was now actively hunting her. The whispers had grown louder now, and were beginning to close in on her.

"Yaaaaang..."

"S-stay away from me," Yang stammered, her teeth clicking together rapidly as her jaw trembled in fear. "I-I'll k-kill you, I-I s-s-swear I will! I'll f-f-f-f-fucking kill you!"

"You found us, Yang..."

"I-I m-mean it! S-s-stay away!"

"Here we are, Yang..."

"Stay back! G-get away f-f-from me!"

"We all float down here, Yang..."

Yang stopped trying to talk, and instead braced her muscles, preparing to spring forward at any moment.

"And when you're down here with us..."

The voices were so close now. They had multiplied, too. She couldn't tell how many there were; she'd lost count at around five. Five of those monsters... Oum, please don't let this be happening. Please, let this just be a bad dream. She's asleep in her bed, warm and safe, her teammates around her. Or, she was still at the bar. Yes, that's it. She passed out at the bar, and she's just sleeping it off. This wasn't real, none of it, no sir it wasn't. Nothing could hurt her this bad, nothing could scare her like this, nothing could-

"YOU'LL FLOAT TOO!"

The sudden hoarse scream of the numerous forces startled Yang into springing off the wall and falling into a combat stance. With a loud cry of fear, Yang's Aura flared, illuminating the tunnel further and pushing back the shadows to expose her enemies.

It was in that immediate moment that Yang realized she completely surrounded- and hopelessly outnumbered. There were at least a half a dozen of them, maybe more, and they weren't shaped like Ruby. Instead, they were rotting corpses, small in size. They looked like young children, some of them near her age, but most of them much younger than that. They were partially decomposed, and dressed in what looked like funeral suits, which hung from their near skeletal frames in worn, moldy tatters. Their grey-green skin stuck to their skeletons like tight leather, neatly defining the skeletal structure beneath, and their teeth looked to be a mixture of black and yellow, rotted to the core. Each of them seemed to be missing bits and pieces of their bodies, a couple missing an entire arm each, one missing just a hand, a few more missing several fingers of each hand, while each of them had at least one distinct feature on at least one part of their bodies- an enormous looking bite mark that had torn a good chunk of them away.

They were all missing their eyes, and to her horror, Yang could distinctly see something crawling around in those dark pits. That something soon gushed out from not only their empty black sockets, but also from their mouths, nostrils, and ears as well. Maggots, large, writhing, disgusting maggots spewed through their bodies like blood from a wound. Yang recoiled in disgust, and her sudden movement triggered the undead children to sprint forward with horrible shrieks.

The nearest one, a young girl in a soiled pink dress, launched herself at Yang. With a loud cry, Yang backhanded the girl, sending her sprawling into the group of freaks to her left and toppling them to the floor. With the momentary freedom to focus on the other group, Yang turned just in time to catch a larger boy in what was once a fancy suit bearing down on her, his mouth open wide to reveal those horrible, rotten teeth.

Yang slammed her fist into that disgusting mouth, knocking the teeth loose and flinging him into the wall opposite her. She sucked in a terrified breath when two more of the undead freaks were on her. Acting quickly, Yang lashed out with her right leg, planting a foot firmly into the gut of the one on her right. The other one lunged forward simultaneously, ready to plant its teeth right into her face. Yang used the momentum of her kick to push herself back, just out of reach of the things hideous teeth, which clamped shut with a loud click, and momentarily brought her face-to-face with the hellish creatures hideous, leather-like, skullish features. Looking into those black pits it had for eyes for what felt like an eternity but was really only a brief second, Yang thrust her head forward and slammed it into the creatures face, knocking it back.

As the damnable thing fell backwards, Yang noticed, too late, the third one that had circled behind her. It reached out, grabbing onto her good arm, and sunk its rotten teeth into her flesh.

Once again, Yang felt her Aura flare, then falter, as the things teeth broke right through and punctured into her flesh. She screamed in agony as she felt the flesh of her arm bend and break under the powerful force of the undead's jaws, but before it could even begin to thrash around and ruin her arm like it had her other one, Yang lifted her left foot and planted it firmly into the gut of the freak, ripping it free of her arm and sending it down to the floor. Yang's had no chance to feel even a hint of relief, however, as the undead girl she had flung aside earlier suddenly leapt from the right, wrapping her limbs around Yang's extended leg and biting through her boot and into her shin. Yang's exclamation of pain came only in a sharp wheezing sound, her breath still gone from her previous cry.

Leaping with her other foot, Yang's body spun in the air, her free boot connecting solidly with the little girl and flinging her off. Yang landed solidly on her good hand and knees, holding herself up as best she could and struggling to right herself, when it hit her.

The little girl had been the first one she had knocked aside, and if she was back in action, then that meant to group of undead she had toppled over were back, too.

And she had just exposed her back to them.

Yang felt a sudden weight on her back, accompanied by the feeling of that rotten, leathery flesh wrapping around her neck, squeezing her tightly and cutting off her breath. Shortly following this was a feeling of pain erupting from her right shoulder, as one of the things once again sank its teeth into her. Even through the stranglehold, Yang managed to cry out, but no sooner had the first one bite into her flesh had the second one latched onto her good arm, gripping her wrist tightly and biting into her bicep. Yang tugged her arm desperately, trying to rip it free of the horrible things teeth, when she felt yet another set latch onto her right calve.

Yang screamed, writhing in agony even as the three monsters began to viciously tug their heads, determined to crush her flesh and strip it free of her bones. She noticed with mounting horror, that the other undead's she had knocked aside were slowly beginning to rise. Her right arm was useless, and if she kicked with her left leg, she would lose balance and fall over, and they would pile on her and then... she would die.

Gritting her teeth so tightly that her gums began to bleed, Yang moved purely out of desperation. Yanking back her head, she slammed it into the monster latched onto her arm, but it didn't break free. Rearing her head back again, Yang repeated her attack, doing so two more times at a rapid pace before the thing's teeth finally tore free and it fell to the ground. With her left arm now free, she swung her fist over her shoulder, connecting with the thing biting into that area with a punch so strong, she felt a firm crack beneath the flesh. One hit was all it had taken to remove this one. Finally, Yang twisted her body and reached behind her, grabbing the third and final beast and ripping it from her leg with a powerful tug, before hurling it over the crowd of the undead that had just regained their footing and had begun to advance on her.

The undead charged her simultaneously, releasing loud shrieks that spurred Yang's desperation further and cause her to lash out without thought. Swinging yet another backhand into the one closest to her, Yang stepped forward to deliver a powerful right to the next one- only to realize with sickening horror that in her desperation she had made a horrible mistake.

Her right arm, still clinging to her by only a few muscles and tendons, flung uselessly towards the nearest creature. Like a shark smelling blood in the water, the thing pounced, biting into her useless arm. Before Yang could even try curl her fingers into a fist to cave the things skull, the rest were suddenly on her, each latching onto a different part of her arm, biting deeply and chewing loudly.

Yang cried as she felt what little pain she still could in her mangled arm as the things tore into it, devastating it further. As she tried desperately to pull away, the rest of the undead she had knocked aside lumbered in, latching onto her arm as well, until the lot of them were all upon it in a feeding frenzy.

Yang planted her feet and pulled back with all her might, determined to escape the things and keep up the fight. Veins popping on her forehead, Yang pulled and pulled, her entire body tensing from the painful effort, until with a loud snap, Yang tumbled backwards, finally free.

Using her backwards momentum to roll onto her back and flip back onto her feet, Yang roared at the freaks before her, ready to resume her desperate fight for survival. To her surprise, however, they were not focused on her. Instead they remained in their huddle, fighting each other over-

Yang's chest clenched so tightly it was a wonder she didn't suffer a heart attack right then and there. Slowly, oh so slowly, Yang turned her trembling head to look down at her right arm. In its place was a mangled, bloody stump, with a piece of white bone protruding from it.

Yang's throat clenched, and her mouth opened and closed in horror, as she slowly turned back to the creatures, and received a full view of just what they were doing.

Back and forth, each of the creatures tugged and thrashed their heads on the piece of flesh that was her arm, the same way she had always seen dogs do to a piece of tug-a-war rope. She could see the pieces of muscle tearing from the bone and being devoured by the things' various mouths, some of it hanging from their rotten teeth in large chunks, and little bits of it falling into the sewer water, to be washed away like the rest of Vale's waste. She could see a bright red tendon stuck between the teeth of two of those freaks, stretching between the two of them like a piece of dental floss.

They were eating it. That was her arm, a part of her, her own flesh and blood, and they were eating it.

The sickening knowledge dislodged the clamped confines of Yang's throat, and she found her voice again in the form of a hoarse scream. As if signaled by the sound, each of the freaks stopped tearing at her arm, and simultaneously looked up at her, staring in an eerie silence. Then, one of them held up the remains of her arm, which by now looked mostly like a bare skeleton hand with some bits of flesh still hanging from it.

"We all float down here, Yang. Come with us, and you'll float too," the things said in perfect sync. The one with her arm began waving it back and forth, the skeletal fingers clacking together from the back and forth motion.

Yang felt bile rise in the back of her throat, and filled with more fear than she could ever remember feeling in her life, Yang turned around and fled. She couldn't even tell if the things had started chasing after her, her ears were filled only with the words they had so ominously spoken.

You'll float too. You'll float too. You'll float too.

The words echoed in her ears, growing louder and louder and louder until it reached a dull roar. It was as though the few undead she had faced had multiplied into thousands, and were now singing into her ears with all the force and volume of a full choir. Yang felt as though she could hear the words echoing inside her own head.

She paid no heed to where she was going, only knowing that she had to get out of here, had to get away from that horrible thing that had- that had eaten her. She vaguely felt tears being ripped from her eyes and pulling back on her cheeks, left behind in her extreme haste to outrun the monster. Her head felt light, throbbing painfully, though whether it was from blood loss, fatigue, or simple pain, she did not know.

Yang lost her footing with a yelp when the tunnel she was sprinting down suddenly took a downward curve, and Yang slid down the long tunnel, screaming in terror the whole way down, her already beaten and bloody body slamming into the sides of the tunnel repeatedly, until it finally spat her out into a level tunnel again, where she rolled around in disorientation before sprawling against a wall.

She curled in on herself, holding her still attached hand out to ward off the creatures she was certain were right behind her, but when no pain lanced through her form and no terrifying shriek sounded, Yang chanced a glance, only to see nothing before her as she realized that her hair had dimmed, once again shrouding her in darkness.

Yang did not fire up her Semblance, however. She didn't want to see those things again, with their empty black eyes and their horrible, rotten teeth. She didn't want to be here any more, not in this hell. She wanted to go home, wanted to be back in her bed. Her dad was at home, a guardian light in all manners of darkness. He would never let the monsters in. He would always protect them. She wanted him. She wanted him to be here, to protect her, so badly. Her shoulders shook with loud sobs, as she prayed for some form of salvation, some sort of escape.

"Help me..." Yang whispered to herself, her entire form trembling uncontrollably. "Daddy... help me... please... I-I-I d-d-d-don't want to be here any-muh-muh-more..."

Her thoughts drifted also to her elusive Uncle Qrow, the cool adult that would let her break all the rules that her dad would not. Her cool uncle, who would take her out bar hopping, let her spread her wings, left her get rough, who always defended her from the perverts that stared just a little too long at her chest.

"D-d-d-daddy... Kuh-kuh-Qrow..."

Feeling her entire body trembling uncontrollably, Yang Xiao-Long finally broke.

"DADDY! QROW! HELP ME! PLEASE!" Yang wailed, her loud cries echoing far through the tunnels, but not reaching the ones she so desperately called out to. "DADDY! QROW! RUB-"

The sudden memory of Ruby slammed into her, and pulled her, just for a moment, outside of the nightmarish situation she was in. She remembered that little toddler, following her around after Summer had died, constantly asking her where's momma? She remembered those nights when Ruby had cried herself to sleep, wondering why her mommy wasn't in here, reading her bedtime stories anymore. She remembered the day when Ruby finally realized that their mom was never going to come back, that she was gone forever. She remembered seeing that with their moms death, a small part of Ruby died, too.

That's how her last memory of you will be, too.

Yang's eyes widened as the thought broke the surface of her fear, filling her head with how the scene would play out. Just like Summer, Yang had gone out. And just like Summer, with no warning at all, she would never return. They wouldn't even find her body, not in a place like this. She would simply be gone, just like Summer.

She could see Ruby, as if she were standing right in front of her, as she looked for her. Not seriously, not at first. At first it would be annoyance, maybe with a sprinkling of disappointment as she figured that her older sister had gotten drunk and passed out somewhere. But there would be that small little bit of worry, that little part of doubt in her mind that at first, she could ignore.

Until the next day, when Yang still wasn't there. And the day after that, and the day after that. When her father and Qrow came in, the doubt in Ruby's eyes would no longer be so little. And as the days turned into weeks, and the weeks turned into months, Ruby would know, deep down, that she had lost her sister, the same way she had lost her mother.

And Yang would be gone. No longer there to support and guide her sister, no longer there to keep watch over her and make sure she didn't get in over her head, no longer there to protect Ruby when she needed it most.

Ruby would be alone.

Yang's hand clenched tight as the image of an unprotected Ruby flashed through her mind, as well as all the possible things that could happen to her if she was not there. With that image came a sudden clarity... Yang wasn't going to die here. She couldn't die here. Not if it meant leaving Ruby alone, of putting her through the same misery she had already been through once in her life.

If Yang's greatest fear was something bad happening to Ruby, then her greatest strength was in summoning every ounce of willpower she possessed in ensuring that such a thing never happened.

Glancing down at her body, Yang growled as she noticed she was still trembling. Clenching all of her body's muscles tightly, she forced her body to be still. Once that was done, Yang slowly forced herself back up on her feet. Her entire body protested the motion, screaming in agony and fatigue. Good. Yang focused on that feeling, letting the pain force away any feelings of shock or fear, bringing her attention back to the here-and-now.

Letting it fuel her like a burning fire.

Her lilac eyes flashed a deadly red, and with her knees crouched and her fist up, Yang let the damage her body had taken power her like furnace. Her hair illuminated brighter than ever, filling the tunnels with a light than shone far down either end. A quick glance in either direction confirmed what Yang had already suspected; she was alone. For now. There was no doubt in her mind that the thing that was hunting her knew where she was. She wasn't sure how It knew, but even without It being in her immediate presence, she somehow felt Its eyes upon her.

Yang lowered her fist. If It wanted to play games for now, let It. The reprieve gave her much needed time to look over the damage she had taken. She only glanced at the bite marks she had received, the only noticeable damage there were the deep teeth marks that had formed into her skin, with a large amount of discoloration that promised to turn into nasty bruises by morning.

Yang took a good long look at the worst damage she had taken tonight- her bloodied stump of an arm. The mere look of it was still enough to send shivers up her spine, but she forced the unease she felt away. Her Aura had done a well enough job to slow the bleeding substantially, but it was still enough to have her worry. Any blood lost was too much, and if was to survive this night, then she needed to assist her Aura in any way she could.

Yang reached down up to her neck and grabbed the orange scarf she always wore. Pulling it down, she looped it around the base of her stump, and did her best to tie it into a knot. Once she was satisfied with the tie she had made, she grabbed one end of the scarf in her hand, and bit down on the other. The taste of it was foul, given that it had soaked in sewage multiple times during the course of this night, but if she was to survive, she would tolerate it. Pulling on both ends, Yang tightened her scarf until she felt a small pain from the pinch of it. Taking the excess ends, Yang repeated this process several more times, securing her stump tight and covering it in a makeshift bandage. It stung like hell, and definitely wasn't sanitary, but at least she would live to face any infection she would go through.

With one last glance at either end of the tunnels, Yang was moderately satisfied that her attacker was not about to strike. Not yet, at any rate. Taking advantage of her freedom, Yang once again looked down at the stream of water at her feet, and looked towards the direction it was flowing. With a firm look and a silent prayer, Yang marched forward, determined to escape with her life intact.

Yang didn't bother keeping track of how long she had been walking, nor did she make any attempts to hasten her movements. She kept her senses aware all the time, even as she walked, preparing for a sudden attack to break out at any moment. She kept her walk brisk, but steady. Her body was already exhausted enough as is, and she would need all the energy she could spare when and if the thing came back to finish her off.

Her walk through the tunnels went without incident however, and after an unknown amount of time had passed, Yang heard the familiar dull roar of running water. Coming up to her right, she saw an opening- the same opening to the spacious concrete room she had found earlier. It looked as though she had done a full circle around it, and had come upon it from the other side.

Yang felt her instincts flare, as the knowledge that she had reached the exit of the sewers came with another fact: If that thing was hell bent on devouring her, then It would strike now, before she had a chance to escape. Moving to the opening of the large room, Yang pressed her back against the wall opposite it, and flared her Semblance up once again, illuminating the tunnels on either end of her. She refused to take her eyes off either end of the tunnel, and so had to rely on her peripheral vision to pick up any trace of movement. There was none. That meant one of two things; either It was lying just beyond the reach of the light, ready to sprint at her at full speed, while she exposed her back to go into the room... or It was in the room already. Either way, Yang knew she had to move, and move now.

Pushing herself from the wall, Yang sprinted into the room as fast as she could, leaping out of the water once she entered the room, and jumping onto the platform, where her view of the room was complete and she could see anything that moved. Crouching low to the ground, ready to spring up and move out of the way if she had do, Yang rapidly moved her head back and forth across the room, her red eyes scanning for any source of movement. After a quick scan, Yang discovered none, but remained still for a moment longer all the same.

When a few moments passed and nothing happened, Yang slowly rose to her feet, still expecting a quick attack. There was none.

Too easy, Yang thought to herself. That was too damn easy.

Casting one last wary eye around the room, Yang turned towards the built-in ladder that led to the outside world, to her salvation. She would be easy pickings there, if she started to climb. Her one good arm occupied, consumed by the hope of release... she could be snared there easily. Yang huffed to herself. Only one way to find out.

As soon as she took her first step, she heard the sound of feet rapid splashing through the water behind her, closing in quickly. She whirled around, fist held high, hair burning bright, red eyes challenging and teeth bared.

There was nothing.

Yang felt her eyes twitch when she heard heavy breathing coming from behind her. She slowly turned, glancing over her shoulder to see what monster she would encounter now. It was... a clown. Dressed in a white outfit with bright orange puffy buttons running up the torso, and frilly lace around the wrist, ankle, and neck area, a clown stared at her. It had bright orange hair that had receded far past the forehead, ending in the middle of the scalp, and on its painted white face was a red tipped nose and a long, painted smile with tips that ran up its cheeks and past its bright, dancing blue eyes. In its right hand was a blood red balloon. The clown smiled at her, revealing cartoonishly large buck teeth.

"Where ya goin' Yang?" the clown asked in a playful voice. "Not leaving us so soon, are ya? Stay with us for a while, we've got all sorts of fun surprises down here! And balloons! Don'tcha wanna balloon, Yang? They float!"

"You can take that balloon and shove it, asshole," Yang growled. "Who the hell are you? What the hell are you?!"

"Me?" The clown asked theatrically. "Why, I'm Pennywise the Dancing Clown!" Pennywise introduced himself with a flashy front flip, followed by a short bow.

Yang stepped back, wary of the sudden movement. Pennywise's smile widened.

"Are you afraid, Yang? It's okay to be afraid. Be afraid. You all taste so much better when you're afraid!" Pennywise's high pitched, jovial voice slowly lost its pitch, developing into a lower, more sinister voice.

"If you get out of my way right now, I won't have to kill you," Yang warned.

Pennywise burst out laughing, bending backwards with the flexibility of a gymnast, his- It's- back hovering parallel to the ground. When the laughing ceased, It jerked Its body back forward, staring at Yang with eyes that now glowed a terrible amber.

"You cannot kill me, child," Pennywise growled in a demonic, deep voice. "I am eternal."

Yang bent her knees slightly, curling her fingers into a fist. She could feel the tension in the air, and knew it was about to snap.

"I'm not afraid of you."

Pennywise's smirk vanished, and leaning Its head forward, It sniffed the air, before recoiling with an angry scowl.

"You will be."

Releasing Its hold on the balloon, Pennywise bolted forward, shrieking terribly and peeling Its lips back to reveal those needle sharp teeth that had bitten into her arm earlier. Yang sprinted forward to meet It, crying out with a determined shriek of her own.

Leaping into the air, Yang pulled back her fist and slammed it down onto the clowns face, using the downward momentum of her falling body to add extra weight to the impact.

Pennywise showed no visible sign of damage or pain, immediately responding with a backhand that sent Yang sailing across the room, slamming into the pipes running along the wall, denting them. Yang glanced upwards just in time to see a clawed hand coming for her head, and ducked below the pipes to avoid it.

With a loud screeching sound of ripping metal, the claw of Pennywise tore through the pipes, unleashing a torrent of hot steam that blew into the clowns face. Seeing that It was temporarily blinded, Yang lashed out with one foot, kicking Its feet out from under It and sending It crashing towards her. With her other foot, Yang kicked out, slamming it into the chin of Pennywise as It came rushing towards her, and sending It sprawling onto Its back. The effect was short lived, as Pennywise pulled Its legs back to launch Itself back up and onto Its feet.

Rolling over and away, Yang leapt to her feet and sprinted for the ladder. Pennywise acrobatically somersaulted in her way, cutting off her access to the ladder with a high-pitched cackle. It swung with Its right claw, aiming to slash down her torso, which Yang bent over sideways to avoid. With Its second claw, It made to slice for her neck, Yang ducking downwards to avoid. Using her bent over position, Yang kicked up and over her back with her left foot, striking Pennywise in the face and making It stumble backwards. Using the opportunity, Yang sprang upwards, flipping her body backwards and landing a solid kick onto Pennywise's chin.

The impact sent the clown sailing into the ceiling, which It latched onto, glaring at Yang and baring its teeth with a loud growl. Yang glared at It, daring It to come closer. Pennywise's left hand suddenly shot outwards, stretching towards Yang with an outstretched claw. Yang leapt to her right to avoid it, but felt the wind get knocked out of her when Pennywise's second hand launched forward and into her stomach, knocking her off balance and into the concrete floor. With a mad howl of laughter, Pennywise lifted Yang off the floor and slammed her into the ceiling, before dropping her to the floor again and then flinging her into the wall, dragging her body across the concrete and creating large cracks with each impact. With a final slam into the floor, Pennywise grinned triumphantly, those dark amber eyes glinting with malice.

The smirk disappeared into a furious frown however, when It felt a fierce grip on Its wrist. Glancing up with a triumphant smirk of her own, Yang used the damage she had just gained to power herself, and with a fierce tug, yanked Pennywise from the ceiling and towards her. With a loud roar, Yang threw herself forward, slamming her shoulder into Its chest and sending It flying into the small concrete barricade separating the platform from the sewer drain.

Yang sprinted forward as Pennywise glanced up, slamming It with a powerful haymaker that sent It into the ground. Yang fell upon It, all the night-filled terrors and pain and emotion It had forced upon her erupting in a furious storm. She pulled back her fist and sent it crashing back into Its face over and over again, screaming at the top of her lungs in fury. Her fist ached from the amount of impacts it received, but Yang did not slow. She would pound this bastards face into the concrete until all that was left was a wet puddle mixed with bits of bone.

As Yang pulled back for another devastating punch, the frilly lace around Pennywise's neck morphed suddenly, turning into thick, dirty strands of fabric that laced around Yang's neck and wrist. Yang tried to pull back too late, and felt the strips of fabric tighten painfully around her arm and throat, choking the life out of her. Directly in her view was Pennywise's smiling, sharp tooth filled grin. That evil smile began snapping at her wildly, lunging forward and trying to find purchase around Yang's flesh. Yang planted her feet against Its chest and pressed forward, trying to push It away and pry herself free.

And it was working. Bit by bit, Yang was slowly inching away from the snapping jaws of Pennywise, and she could hear the sound of the fabric beginning to tear. Pennywise must have heard it to, for in an instant It leapt up to Its feet and spun around, before pinning Yang's back against the concrete wall. Stretching Its arms to clench around the metal railings, Pennywise began to pull. At once, Yang felt her earlier progress begin to decline, and Pennywise's grinning face began to grow closer. Yang pushed forward with all her might, her fierce determination to live spurring her on, the damage that had been inflicted upon her this night empowering her, but still it was not enough. Worse, the lack of oxygen was beginning to get to her, and spots were starting to dance across her vision.

Her Aura had not failed her yet, despite all the damage she had taken, but she had a feeling it was disastrously low. An idea formed in her head, but it was risky, and all but guaranteed to ensure her death if it didn't work.

Well... not like the alternative was any better. Pulling her fist back as far as she could against the bindings, Yang threw it back, directly into her own face. The blow, though lacking her usual power, was stinging, and Yang pulled back to deliver another punch. She repeated this process, slamming her own fist into her face over and over again, and felt herself becoming empowered as the damage added to her strength. Her red eyes and golden hair flared brilliantly, and Yang felt her legs beginning to push Pennywise back once again. She continued her self-inflicted assault, adding more and more power to herself with every damaging blow she landed.

Behind her, Yang heard the wall creak. It was damaged, cracked by the force with which she had sent Pennywise flying into it. And against the combined force of the two fighters vicious tug-a-war, it's structure was beginning to falter.

Yang felt her heart soar as the odds of success seemed right within her reach. Punching herself another time, she prayed that her Aura would hold, so that her Semblance would give her the strength she needed to break free. With a final cry, Yang plunged her fist into her face, drawing blood from her nose and igniting her hair so brightly, the entire room looked as though daylight had shone in. The intense heat burned through the binding fabric, severing it, and the wall behind Yang finally crumbled beneath the stress. Pushing Pennywise away, Yang launched herself backwards, feeling the intense current take her, and suck her away from Pennywise and towards the drain.

The last thing she heard as she was pulled into the small hole was Its fierce cries of anger.

After that, all sound but running water was cut off. Yang struggled to hold her breath as she was violently sucked through the thin tunnel, her already damaged body being tossed against the unforgiving pipe over and over again. Against her will, disgusting sewage rushed up her nose and into her mouth, choking and gagging her at the same time. Through it all, Yang felt what little was left of her Aura finally slip away, and the pains of her body began to feel all the worse as a result. Just as she thought she was about to pass out from all the terrible abuse, Yang felt fresh air hit her face, before she was once again plunged into cold water.

Thrashing wildly in the body of water, Yang fought her way to the surface, coughing, sputtering, and spitting the disgusting taste of sewer water out of her mouth. Her lungs burned from exhaustion, brief oxygen deprivation, and the small amount of grey water that had forced itself into them, now forced back up with fierce hacks and coughs. After a brief moment of disorientation, Yang saw a flash of light out of the corner of her eye.

Light.

Turning her head towards the source, Yang could see the Vale docks just ahead, a short swim away. An enormous weight lifted off her chest. It was over. By Oum, it was finally, thankfully over. She didn't know whether to laugh or to cry. When she felt how fatigued her body was though, she settled for figuring that out later. For now, she needed to get to dry land before she passed out from exhaustion and blood loss.

And pass out, did she ever want to. She didn't think she remembered even a single time she had felt this worn out, or this badly hurt. As she weakly flailed her one good arm, Yang let the emotional toll of her loss hit her. Things were going to be rough from this point on. Her team would be horrified... Oum, Ruby. She would throw the worst fit imaginable. Then there was her dad and Uncle Qrow... what a story she would have to tell them. At the very least, Yang took some solace in knowing that there was no way in hell Qrow would stand for that monster in the sewers living even a moment longer. That things days were numbered for su-

Yang's thoughts were shattered as she heard the sound of a solid object strike the water behind her. Twisting her body back, Yang felt the earlier warmth of victory drain from her. Directly ahead of her, just beyond the waterfall of sewage that had spat her out, the was a large ripple. A ripple caused by something hitting the water.

No. Please, Oum, no.

Holding her breath, Yang ducked beneath the water. She had to see. She had to know.

Oum, please let this nightmare be over. I want it to be over.

Her prayers went unanswered. Ahead of her, about fifty feet or so away, was the smiling form of Ruby. No... not Ruby. The face of her little sister smiled at her pleasantly, even offered a little wave. Her blood red cloak flowed around her like water, and abruptly, not Ruby began to spin. Her cloak wrapped around her, the same way it often did when she utilized her Semblance to its max potential, and disappeared in a red blur.

This time, however, the result was something different. Her cloak wrapped around her, morphing her body into a thin, slithering red shape. At the tip of this shape, was still not Ruby's smiling face, which quickly peeled away to reveal those terrible gums holding those ominous, horrible teeth. With a quick jolt of its slithery body, It began to swim towards her.

Yang kicked wildly, thrashing her way back to the surface, using what very little strength she had left to to throw her head back and cry out.

"HELP! SOMEBODY PLEASE, HELP ME!"

This was it. All the fight in her was gone. Her Aura was depleted, her body wounded and spent, and even had she been in her prime with both arms intact, the water was not her area of combat. As she was now, she could do nothing but scream for help.

"PLEASE! ANYBODY! HELP ME!"

Yang struggled to swim forward as fast as she could, but her limbs felt like they each weighed a ton. They moved so sluggish, and fell so quickly. Dammit, she had lost too much blood, her body was too tired, too injured, too weak.

Yang shrieked in agony as she felt a sharp pain erupt in the back of her left thigh, but this cry was abruptly silenced as she was tugged back down into the water. Her throat gurgled and burned with the salty water of the sea, and the blue image of it was quickly replaced by red. Her eyes stung as her own blood seeped into them, and as she was pulled down further, Yang's body finally stopped fighting.

I'm so sorry, Ruby... I tried. I really, really tried... But it wasn't enough. Please... please be safe.

Yang saw blackness creeping into her vision, and her eyes began to close. This was the end...

Through the haze and darkness, Yang felt something. It was small, so small she almost missed it, but as she focused on the sensation, she began to realize what it was.

A hand. Somebody was above her, somebody had grabbed her. Feeling one last surge of hope, Yang summoned as much strength as she could, and clamped onto the hand that had her. With a quick tug, Yang was pulled out of the jaws of death and out of the ocean, before being dropped onto the deck of what she guessed was a boat of some kind. She could vaguely make out the shadowy figures of a group of men hovering over her, and tried to make out what they were saying as best she could.

"By Oum's name! Call a damn ambulance, tell them to have fucking blood ready! Tell them we have a double amputee!"

Yang's heart froze. Double...?

With the last of her strength, Yang lifted her head up, and looked down. Through the narrowing tunnel of darkness filling her vision, she could see it. Her left leg was gone. Severed at the upper thigh, it was completely gone.

Yang screamed. Even as the darkness rushed in to take her, she screamed.

A/N: So... my first story. To be honest, I never expected it to be a horror story, featuring one of my favorite characters from a show I follow being mutilated/eaten alive. But, what can I say? It's October 1st, and I'm in the spirit of the season. This story had originally been written and posted almost a year ago, intended only to be only a brief one shot for a select group of acquaintances. However, it was so well received that I decided to edit it over the course of the past few months, and post it here on as my first story.

I'd like to offer my thanks to those people who supported me and encouraged me to bring this story to total fruition (you all know who you are), and I'd also like to give a personal thanks to Frosty the Pyro, for helping me come up with the title for this story.

So... Thoughts, criticisms, reviews? I would very much like honest, unbiased feedback on this story, as I hope to begin posting here more frequently, now that I have finally managed to type up and put a story out. Thanks so much for reading, and look forward to a second chapter.