(a/n- Trying something a bit different in this one... it should become apparent what that is rather quickly.)

Take a snapshot of the day.

You see the familiar city of Vale, you see people walking around as they always are. A woman pushing a baby here, a faunus birdwatching there, a man in a suit with a briefcase next to them. Countless people doing everyday things, going about their lives. That's how a civilian would look at it, anyway. A huntsman would see people that need to be protected, civilians in danger from the grimm that lurk just outside the kingdom's walls. Change the filter, don't look like a civilian.

Take another look, this time as an Apex.

You see countless people, and you analyze the threat. You see the faunus birdwatcher as scanning their surroundings, eyes quick and alert. You see the man in the suit walking calmly, with purpose, you see his finger moving towards the case, can sense the gun hidden within, meant to fire at a target inconspicuously. You see the woman pushing the stroller as nervous, alert, see the gun tucked away in her bra, the end of the barrel melding almost perfectly with her hair. You see the baby is realistic, but it's still distinguishable as a doll. You can see the faint white powder on the baby's ear, just behind it. A smuggler. Yet not a single one of them can see you. There's nothing on you that gives you away, you look completely normal.

And that's exactly what makes the Apex so terrifying.

…

"Yang, I need you to listen to me."

A young, brown-haired girl fell to the ground. She slowly stood, her bare body half-covered in mud. She looked back, seeing the white wall of the old building right behind her. She ducked down as she saw a man walking along the watchtower, eyes gazing bored both inside and out. The girl rolled over, rolling around in the mud to disguise her pale skin in the darkness. She started crawling forward, biting back her rage at her hair getting so messy. She crawled through the mud, stopping at the nearby fence.

"Mommy!? What's going on!? Where are you going!?"

She turned, starting to crawl along the perimeter until she found it. It was a small hole beneath the fence, one dug by years of the earth beneath it eroding away (with a little help from her of course). She pulled back, her body like a snake as she crawled beneath, the wire scratching at her exposed shoulders. She pulled herself beneath, arms clawing at the loose dirt above her and pulling her out. She laid her head down, that instinctive feeling that someone was watching her hitting her. She heard the footsteps above her, felt the guard's eyes move off her back as she started slowly crawling towards the treeline again.

"There's no time, just listen. You're going to be taken from me. They'll do bad things to you, you're going to be hurt, you're going to be changed, but you'll survive. You'll get out. When you do, there's an old road leading north. Follow it until it ends. Look for the silver eyed woman."

The second the girl cleared the treeline, she stood and ran. Her heart pounded, her legs carrying her over the brambles, past the roots, and over a small creek. By the time one of the guards had noticed the clothing tied together to make a rope thrown out the window, she was already on the old road her mother had mentioned. The girl ran fast, faster than she ever had before. Her feet pounded along the dirt, her mind filled with premonitions of her getting caught, taken back into that horrible place.

"Mommy where are you going! Mommy, let me out! MOMMY!"

"It's okay Yang… I promise, one day you'll understand."

…

"GAH!"

Yang shouted, shooting up from her bed. Her breathing was staggering and heavy, her heart racing as she looked around. She saw the same old messy bedroom she always did. Same posters of boy bands, same huntress magazines, same everything. Nothing had changed since she'd gone to sleep. She looked down, patting down her shirt. It was hers alright. It was no strange patient gown, it was simply her orange pajama shirt, the same one she always wore.

"Yang? Are you okay?" Yang looked up, smiling as she saw the familiar white cloak. Beneath it she saw the bright silver eyes gazing down at her, a pale hand resting on her shoulder. She nodded, "I'm fine mom. Just a nightmare." it was true. At least, as far as she knew. Just another nightmare… just another nightmare. Summer didn't look convinced but nodded regardless. She knew that Yang didn't particularly like disguising her nightmares. Especially ones that made her get up and scream. "Well, when you're ready come down for breakfast. It's your favorite~" she immediately shut the door, disappearing down the stairs in a flash of white petals.

Yang, in the meantime, slowly stood, running her hands through her hair. She smiled as she pulled it back into a ponytail, grabbing a band from nearby. At least that felt normal. Something that had practically never changed. She stepped outside, making her way down the stairs as she always did. "YAAAAAANG!" she staggered forward, catching herself on the railing as she felt the pressure hit her back. She turned her head, glaring at the younger girl. Though, that glare was rather offset by the small smile on her face. She reached back, tugging the girl's hood down to her chin. "Don't startle me like that Rubes! You could've knocked us both down the stairs." she said, only half-joking.

Ruby pulled the hood up, pouting at Yang as she guided them down the stairs. Ruby jumped off, the shorter girl disappearing in a blur of red petals into the kitchen. For Summer, it was like a magic trick. One second there was no one behind her. She turned around to continue making breakfast, turned back around to grab a plate, and suddenly both her daughters were sitting there, utensils in hand. She sighed, "Give me a minute girls, it's almost readyYYYYY!" she shouted, suddenly lifted off the ground.

She turned, giggling slightly as she saw none other than Qrow Branwen hoisting her up off the ground. She felt him turn her around, carrying her over his shoulder as she pounded his back. "Qrooow! Let go of me hehehee… n-no! DON'T YOU DARE!" she shouted, feeling Qrow's other hand lightly brushing against her belly. Yang and Ruby had to hide their laughter. They knew well enough their mother was very, very ticklish. Qrow knew it too. He smirked, "Why shouldn't I eh short stack?" he asked, brushing her belly again. Summer's lips quivered in a sort of half-smile. She was trying very hard not to laugh.

"Tickle me, and I can't fix breakfast. For anyone." she said, giving a faint smirk towards her daughters. Both of their eyes widened, Qrow turning around. He set Summer down, the woman staggering over to the oven. Meanwhile, Qrow sat down, smiling at the two. "Hey, Dad." Ruby and Yang said, smiling at the older huntsman. Qrow leaned back, ruffling Ruby's hair as a wider smile graced his lips. "How're my favorite girls in the world doing huh?" of course, the second he said that Summer immediately turned, pouting at him in a way that explained quite a bit about her daughter. Qrow looked over, smirking at her, "What? Think I was just talking about them?" he gestured to the two. Ruby leaned forward, lightly biting his finger to get him to pull back. Yang, on the other hand, simply shoved his hand aside.

Then, it happened.

Yang's eyes widened, everything suddenly clearer. She could smell the slight burn of pancake batter against the stove burner. She could feel Ruby's phone vibrating through her bare feet on the floor, hear her mother's feet sliding against it as she moved. She felt a whisper of air flowing over her face, the hairs on her arms picking up the current her mother was making with the heat. She could hear the feet stepping on the concrete… she recognized them. "Uncle Tai's here, and you're getting a phone call Ruby." she said, her face and voice both blank. She could hear the twisting of muscles as Ruby and Qrow turned, looking at each other for a few seconds. She had to avoid not flinching as her ears rattled, the lightly knocking on the door pounding inside her skull.

Just like that, it was over.

Yang stood, her senses reverting to normal as she walked towards the door. Ruby, meanwhile, dashed past her, knowing to trust her sister's strange intuition about everything. She pulled open the door, raising an eyebrow as she saw no one there. She knew she heard Tai knocking, and could've sworn that it was the sound of his footsteps. She stepped out, "Uncle -MMPH!" Yang was pulled into a headlock, two strong arms pulled around her. She looked up, lilac eyes meeting ones of the same color as she glared. Taiyang smirked at her, hoisting her up off her feet. Yang smirked right back beneath his arm.

"OW!" Tai let go as Yang kicked his legs nearly out from under him, setting her feet on the ground before reaching back. She used Tai's momentum against him, slamming him onto the nearby couch. He looked up, a small smile on his face as Yang smirked down at him. "Guess the Sunny Little Dragon isn't a dragon for nothing huh?" Yang slowly shook her head, walking around him and back towards the kitchen. Qrow and Summer walked in, smiling as they saw Tai standing. He was clad in civilian clothes for a change (which was really just his normal outfit minus the glove and metal shoulder piece), wearing his cargo shorts and vest.

"UNCLE TAAAAIII!" he sighed as he heard the high voice and -having just stood up- was knocked down again by a blur of red rose petals. He looked up, seeing Ruby wrapping her arms around him. She sat up, "Where have you been!? Did you come for breakfast!? What have you been doing!? Did you miss me!? Did you miss me!?" Ruby's questions came a mile a minute, but thankfully literally everyone there was used to it by now. Tai just chuckled, slowly standing up as Ruby migrated to hanging off his arm, still smiling at him. "How couldn't I miss our adorable little strawberry?" he said, ruffling her hair with his other hand.

Ruby rubbed against his hand, smiling at the feeling. She always did enjoy that, the same way her mother did. Yang, meanwhile, walked towards the door, leaning to the ground. "Zwei, I know you're there. Come on in!" she said, holding out her arms. Of course, the second she said that she heard the barking, the little corgi dashing up the steps and into the waiting Yang's arms. She stood, shutting the door back before turning, the adorable girl seemingly magnetized to the adorable dog. Yang let Ruby take him, walking back to the living room and sitting in the chair across from the couch, Tai taking the other while Qrow took the couch itself.

"How've you been ya dusty old Qrow?" Tai asked, smirking at Qrow's sigh, Yang unable to stop herself from giggling. He really hated that nickname, she knew for a fact. It was a good way for her to get put in time out when she was little. "See you ain't changed a bit… doing fine. Should be home a couple more days at least." he said. Yang smiled more genuinely at that one. Qrow had been a good dad to her and Ruby, there was no denying that. Of course, he was a good dad when he was there, which was seemingly limited to a week every month if they were lucky. Taiyang nodded a few times, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a lighter and a cigarette. "Taiii? Are you smoking in my house?" Summer's voice was hard to mistake for anything else.

"Uh… no!" Tai immediately snuffed the lighter, putting the cigarette away in his pockets. Qrow and Yang both smirked at him. If there was one thing Summer had no tolerance for (because she had a very high tolerance for a lot of things) it was smoking. Especially if it was in her house. The first time Tai'd walked in with one she'd chased him out with a rifle in hand… granted, it was Ruby's toy rifle from when she was six but, he didn't have to know that. Qrow looked like he was about to say something when Ruby suddenly shot over the side of the couch, rolling over the side, over the coffee table, and right to Yang's feet, Zwei in her arms the whole time.

Yang smirked, wrapping her hands around Ruby's ankles and hoisting her up. Ruby let out an adorable yelp, "Ya-Yaaaaang! Put me down!" she said, swinging back and forth a bit, her head grazing against the floor. She clung to Zwei for dear life as Yang stepped on the chair, holding her up higher. "Yang…" Summer walked in, a spoon in one hand with the other on her hip, her face set in a frown. Yang froze, Ruby, Tai, and Qrow all turning to look at the woman. She strode across to her daughters, looking up and down for a moment. A small smile formed on her face as she set the spoon on the counter, pushing Ruby's shirt down a bit. Ruby's face paled as she realized what her mother was doing. Her plea had just reached her lips when her mother blew a raspberry into her belly.

"BAHAAHAHA! N-NO! STAHAHAHAAP! STHAA- AHAAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" anyone that ever tormented Ruby knew her greatest weakness: her highly ticklish belly. Given that her mother had the same weakness, it wasn't surprising that she knew how to exploit said weakness as well. Summer blew a few more before leaning back, lightly rubbing off her daughter's belly before leaning down, planting a kiss on her red face. Yang slowly set her down, letting Ruby flop around like a fish for a second, turning around and ensuring her belly was nowhere near ANYONE. The three adults and yang shared a laugh at her expense… until Summer looked down. "Umm… Qrow? Where's my-"

CLANG! CLA-CLAN-CLANG! CLANG! EVEN MORE CLANGING -IF IT WEREN'T OBVIOUS A LOT OF STUFF IS FALLING!

The four that weren't recovering from a laugh attack froze, looking at each other for a moment… then, as one, they bolted into the kitchen. Tai, Qrow, Summer, and Yang all leaned in, each over top of one another as they gazed at the source of the noise. There was Zwei, biting on the tip of the spoon Summer had laid down a few moments ago. He was covered in a thick layer of white flour, the pancake batter spilled out in a ring around him, the frying pan laying just in front of him. He let out a few cute barks, the four all gazing in disbelief. Summer looked down at Tai and Qrow, "Maybe we should just go out…"

Zwei seemed to like this idea, dashing towards them before leaping at Tai. Given he was Tai's dog, he instinctively reached up to catch him, only for this to knock him off balance… along with the other three piled on top of him. The four rolled back into the living room, Tai, Qrow, Summer, then at last Yang landing in a heap next to Ruby, Zwei sitting on top of Yang's back, triumphant. All four trained warriors looked up at the little corgi that now stood atop them. "I'm fine with going out." Yang, Qrow, and Tai all said in unison.

Ruby, having finally recovered from the fit Summer and Yang had brought on, merely stood, giggling at Zwei as she picked him up. She leaped up, Yang grunting as Ruby landed on her back, crossing her legs as she set Zwei in her lap. Ruby lightly pat Yang's behind, flour flying up as she did so. She glared at her, "You are so-ooh!" the tower shook as Tai stood, activating his semblance as he lifted Summer and Qrow onto either shoulder, Yang's stomach just over his head. Ruby reached up a hand, giggling as she drug a finger across the ceiling. "Wow… so that's what it feels like." of course, none of them could avoid smiling at Ruby's comment.

Tai leaned down, letting Ruby and Zwei slide off onto the couch with a puff, Yang bouncing onto it just after them. Of course, for Qrow and Summer, he simply put them down, letting them get up themselves. Yang stood after a second, "Okay… guess we're going out then?" at least, that's what she figured was going on. Summer looked between her children, her husband, and Tai… then looked back at the destroyed wreck that was the kitchen. She sighed, "That's going to be a lot of cleaning later. Yes, Yang, we're going out for breakfast." Yang nodded, grabbing Ruby's arm and dragging her up the stairs.

She pulled them into her room, glaring at the younger girl. Ruby's face paled, "Ummm… Yang? What're- NO! YANG PLEASE NO! PLEASE!" she shouted, knowing that smirk on her sister's face. Ruby scrambled up the wall, feet pressing against the walls, arms against the ceiling as she stood, just barely out of Yang's reach. Yang smirked, "What's wrong? Scared of your big sis?" Ruby nodded furiously. Of course she was terrified of Yang, or more specifically what she could do. She knew that evil smirk on her face, and she had no desire to go through whatever insane prank Yang was thinking of (granted, it would more than likely just be a neck-lock or something, but it never hurt to be careful).

Yang walked over to the door, locking it and pushing the chair beneath the handle. "Ruby… come down. Seriously, we need to get ready." she said, feeling her own annoyance at her sister fading a bit. Ruby shook her head, leaping on top of Yang's dresser with the grace of a cat. She pulled herself down, moving over to the side before staring down at her sister. "ACHOO! Uh… it's dusty up here." Ruby said, sniffing a few times. Yang smiled, looking at her sister for a few more seconds… then she sighed. She walked to the dresser, Ruby quivering slightly, ready to leap away at the first sign of Yang trying to climb it. Though, instead, she just grabbed out her outfit for the day, walking over and grabbing a shirt from her closet before laying them out on the bed.

"Ruby, if you don't come down I'm taking a shower-" "-NO!" Ruby dashed down, wrapping her arms around her sister. She knew for a fact her sister would use all the hot water if her father hadn't already. Yang smirked. Worked like a charm. She turned, wrapping an arm around Ruby and keeping her pressed against her, shoving the chair out of the way and opening the door with her other arm. She walked towards the bathroom, opening the door and shutting it, Ruby with her eyes squeezed shut the entire time. Yang slowly peeled Ruby off, sitting her on the toilet. Ruby opened her eyes, raising an eyebrow as she saw Yang step back towards the door. "Come on, get ready."

Ruby watched as Yang walked out, the girl leaning back against the door the way she was accustomed to. Ruby stared a few seconds longer before turning away, locking the door (like that could stop her sister) before disrobing, turning on the shower. Meanwhile, Yang just leaned her head back, taking a few breaths as she stared at the ceiling. She felt her eyes widen again, her heart in her ears, pupils dilating as everything grew clearer. She heard the torrent of water through the door, heard her sister humming the tune of her favorite song. She heard the water going through the pipes next to her, felt the air running over her face, tickling her bare back from the vent. She heard the movement from downstairs, a clear picture of her family walking around.

"AAAH!" Yang shouted, covering her face as she fell to the ground. Her legs twitched out of her control, her body shifting and writhing in ways she knew weren't right. Her head was pounding, her heart was pounding, everything was pounding. As if someone were playing her body like a bass drum. She heard something moving up the stairs, she felt being pulled back as the door opened. She squeezed her eyes shut, pressing her hands tighter and tighter against her temples, as if hoping to crush her head. She felt a gentle pressure beneath her, her heart slowing a bit as a gentle hand glided over her side. She could hear voices, she could hear footsteps, she could feel the panic in the air. Yet it was a familiar panic, something that had happened before.

She slowly opened her eyes, seeing two silver eyed girls gazing down at her. She slowly looked up, finding that she'd curled up into a tight fetal position during her episode. She let herself unfurl, her muscles relaxing as Summer's hands gently pulled back her hair, Ruby's at the sides of her head, gently pulling her hands back from her head. She staggered up, gazing at the two girls. Summer frowned, Ruby's face concerned in a way that made their relationship clear. "Are you okay?" the two asked in unison. Yang nodded a few times, pulling herself back to sit against the door. She looked over, seeing the shower still running, Ruby clad in a towel, hair dripping wet still.

She smiled at Ruby, "You missed a spot." she said, reaching over and rubbing at some shampoo still in Ruby's hair. Her face resembled her name as she stood, walking over to the shower. Summer gently pulled the weakened Yang back, shutting the door behind her. She leaned down next to her, wrapping an arm around her. Yang leaned back, nuzzling her head against Summer's shoulder as she hugged her. "Have you taken your medicine today?" Summer asked, frowning as her eyes traversed Yang's body. From the tight muscles to the white lines of pressure still there from a moment ago. Yang shook her head, frowning at the ground. "Sorry… it just, it makes my head so fuzzy…" Yang despised the medicine. It stopped the attacks sure, but it also killed her senses.

Summer wrapped her tighter, "I know sweetie, I know. Take all the time you need, we'll wait." she planted a kiss on Yang's forehead before standing, walking back down the stairs. Yang watched after her, feeling her head start spinning again. Something felt wrong. Something felt off. Of course, that was the way she normally was after an attack but, this was worse than usual. She just sat back, taking a few breaths and trying to calm down, waiting for her sister to finish her shower.

…

"Is Yang okay!?"

Summer gently pat Ruby's shoulder, sitting down on her bed. "Yang is perfectly fine dear… she just hasn't taken her medicine today, that's all." she said. Ruby nodded a few times, her face still the mask of worry as she leaned on her mother's shoulder. As much as she and Yang annoyed each other, there was no denying the two of them were close. The fact that there was even a chance Yang could suddenly collapse into violent tremors and headaches? That worried her to no end. "Why does Yang have the attacks, mom?" she asked. Summer froze, pulling her daughter closer to hide the expression on her face.

"I don't know, sweetie. I really don't." she wasn't going to explain it to Ruby. Even if she was, she'd tell Yang first. Ruby just sighed, smiling as her mother started petting her head, distracting her the way Summer's mother would always distract her, and so on back through their family. "She doesn't have to know Summer… no one has to know…" she thought, slowly standing, walking back out. Qrow was waiting, looking over at her from the stairs. His eyes begged the familiar question. Summer shook her head in response. She hadn't said a word. He walked over, wrapping his arms around his wife. "When do you plan on telling her?" he whispered. Summer sighed,

"I don't… she shouldn't suffer that burden. No one should."