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

A/N: Here we are! This is my first fanfiction so constructive criticism is always appreciated. I hope you enjoy reading this fic as much as I enjoy writing it. I will try and update at least once a week.

Chasing Shadows

Chapter One: A Bird Calls.

Winter came far too quickly for Yang. The season itself never bothered her, the biting winds and the lasting ice was of no discomfort to a girl who regularly set herself on fire. It was what winter symbolised that got to Yang. It was as if she was watching her struggles personified by the season outside. The usually bright trees were dead, the snow outside blackened with soot from the log fire that burned in her living room. Winter was usually so pristine and beautiful, the perfect time for her and Ruby to play and laugh outside. Now it all seemed so bleak.

Yang wiggled her stump, flexing the non-existent fingers of her right arm. It brought some relief, as if she had stretched an actual limb, but of course she knew it to all be in her head. There was nothing there, her daily reminder of the true cost of her failure.

She had failed. Yang knew this to be true. No one blamed her of course, on the outside at least. If she'd been given a lien for every time she heard "this wasn't your fault" or "there was nothing you could've done" she'd have more than enough to afford a half decent mechanical replacement. Still, she knew she had failed. If she had stopped Adam she could've taken more out Grimm, saved more lives. Weiss might still be with them, instead of back home in her fathers iron grasp. If the four of them had been together, maybe Pyrrha would still be here, they might have gotten to her in time… maybe Blake…

No.

She wouldn't blame herself for Blake running. There was no one to blame but her for that. Yang had believed in this girl, she had poured her heart and soul into protecting her from the evils of the world. She had kept her secret and trusted her with her own. She had loved her.

She had not received the same kindness.

She had been abandoned again. It was a recurring theme around her, something she probably should have expected by now. Her mum, Summer and Blake had all left, right when she needed them the most. Her father had abandoned her for many years, maybe not the same physical abandonment as the other, but it stung just the same. People earned her trust, dug beneath the self-protecting smile to sit somewhere in her heart and then abandoned ship. At least that's what it felt like right now.

Ruby was the latest one to abandon her.

She wasn't stupid. Yang still checked on Ruby when she wasn't looking, glancing in her room at night as she wondered the house to check the nightmares hadn't come back for her too. She had heard Qrow talking to her, explaining how she was special. She had heard him plant the breadcrumbs for her to follow, he wasn't stupid either, he knew Ruby would head to Haven the moment he mentioned it. She had seen Jaune arrive outside, Nora and Ren strolling close behind. If they were trying to be inconspicuous, they had failed. Yang had been partnered with a true ninja; she had thought she had learned to see through even her shadows. She had been wrong. Nevertheless even Ren's stealth capabilities were a pale comparison to hers.

Even as her father came tearing from Ruby's room, the sound of smashing dishes still ringing around the house she knew it was too late. There was no way for him to catch them at this point. It was the first time she had seen genuine concern and actions from her father for a long time; the fact that is was for ruby and not her no longer mattered, she had accepted herself to be second best long ago. She had been okay with that; her job was to protect Ruby, and that was what she would do. Now however Ruby was gone like the rest, Yang had done her best and was no longer needed, Ruby would make her own way in the world just fine, especially with Qrow watching out for her.

It was only a single tear that dropped at this revelation. She was no longer needed. She glanced at her stump; she was no longer of use even if she was needed. There was no place for her anymore. Not even here, the place she called home. She watched her father run up the snowy path with mild curiosity, wondering if he would run as fast if it had been her who had run away.

"I'm glad you took your fathers name" came a voice from her doorway.

Yang was shocked. She jumped in the sheets and immediately flicked both her wrists to load Ember Celica, only to remember she was not wearing the one gauntlet she had left. She knew who the voice belonged to, but she still couldn't believe it. She had to see it with her own eyes.

There she was, in her doorway.

Her mother.

The white Grimm mask was gone, leaving only the oddly familiar face she knew so well and yet knew so little of. It was the first time she had ever seen her mothers face in person, yet it seemed as if she had seen it a thousand times before. She had in fact, thinking back to the days when the picture of team STRQ took pride of place in the room she shared with Ruby. She had seen the face a thousand times in her dreams.

She didn't know how to feel in that split second, her mother was as much a mystery to her as anything. She could have no idea as to why she was here after all these years.

"Why do you care?" She asked, finally finding her voice again. Even to her own ears it sounded hollow, a stark contrast to the burning anger she always had when they conversed in her dreams.

"You're pathetic Yang. If I hadn't given birth to you myself I'd question if you were really my daughter. I'm still questioning it despite that fact." Her voice was hard and cold, quite the opposite of how a mother should speak.

She didn't have the strength to argue right now. It was too much, she was already broken and all her mother could do now was stamp on the pieces. "Yep, that's me. If you'd been around maybe you would have noticed thats who I am now. A pathetic little girl."

"Is that how you want it to be?"

She hadn't been prepared for a response like that. She didn't really know what she had been prepared for.

"I don't really have a choice. You might not have noticed but the universe seems have painted a big 'aim here' sign over my head. I've lost my team. Two of my friends are dead, my partners disappeared and my sister's gone off to save the world without me because I've only got half a fucking arm!" She had found the energy to scream from somewhere, but it added little to her voice, she still sounded as hollow and lifeless as ever.

"For all your faults, you've never backed down from a fight. You have power Yang, you have rage. Use it, let it drive you like it once did."

Yang scoffed. "Look where that got me" she said, gesturing half-heartedly to the stump that was her right arm.

"Because you are wild and uncontrolled. Even now you refuse to listen and learn. Let it drive you Yang, not control you."

Yang could do little more than scoff again. "What's the point? Ruby's the special one; she's the one with the power and the heart to save the world. I'm not needed anymore. It's been made clear to me now that I'm disposable, a stepping stone for people with bigger and better destinies."

Raven remained as neutral faced as always, but Yang had seen the quiver of her lips, the slight snarl that appeared when she spoke of her uselessness. "You truly are a fool, just like your father and my brother, just like Ozpin. You think Ruby is the only one who is special? You think of all Remnants myths and legends, only two are true? You are special Yang. More special than even the maidens or the silver eyed warriors. You are unique."

"You'll forgive me if I don't believe a word you say"

"What reason would I have to lie to you Yang? I do this because you have a far larger place in the coming battle than even I know. Ozpin, Qrow, your father have all allowed their vision to become focussed, closed to the outside world and other possibilities. They have found their saviour and need not consider any other option!"

"Oh of course you're doing this for totally unselfish reasons. In fact, I think I've got a worlds best mum mug I've been meaning to give you since I was five lying around here somewhere, seems like you deserve it now."

"You are stubborn Yang. You get that from me. You are strong willed, you get that from me too. But you're stupid, and arrogant, hot-headed and rash. You get those from your father. Right now you're nothing but a coward; to afraid to pick herself of the floor and dust herself off… you get that from your father as well."

Yang wanted to argue, but she couldn't find fault with her mother's words. There was no lie to be found and she did not have the strength to deny the truth, no matter how ugly it may be.

"If you are ready to be powerful. To never let that (she pointed to Yang's stump) happen again. To take vengeance on your enemies and the enemies of this world… call for me. I have saved you once, now I offer you this chance; there will not be a third time."

From her side she drew her sword, slowly and purposefully. Yang watched as the red dust solidified to make a sword of daunting length, the same sword than had driven Neo to flee without a fight. She watched, mesmerised as her mother swung it through the air, opening a swirling mass of red and black into which she prepared to walk.

Yang couldn't stop herself, the words left before she even knew she was speaking. "Do you regret it?"

Raven stopped, her beaded necklace clicking ever so slightly as she turned her gaze back towards Yang, silently telling her to be more specific. Yang turned her gaze to the bed sheets; she could not bare to meet her mothers red eyes.

"Saving me, I mean?"

It seemed the question truly gave the older woman pause. Her eyes lost the malicious red tint they seemed to always have and became more inquisitive, as if she was visually searching her own mind for the answer. Eventually she spoke.

"That remains to be seen. I do not enjoy wasting time that could be better spent on my mission. I hope you will not prove to be such a waste Yang, I truly do"

Downstairs her father barged back in the front door; a whoosh of cold air filled the small wooden house as the wind fought its way inside behind him. He called up to her, but she did not answer. She turned back to her mother to find only empty space where she once stood.

"Yang! Honey! Are you okay?" His voice carried up the stairs, it was warm and caring unlike her mothers, but still seemed distant to her all the same.

"I'm fine. Did you find Ruby?" She knew the answer even as she asked the question, but it was better to play the fool lest he discover she knew Ruby was leaving and did nothing to stop her.

"No. Qrow contacted me, he's watching over her so we'll just have to trust him."

Yang was scornful in her mind. She was seething that once again her father refused to take responsibility for his own kids, choosing instead to pawn them off on the nearest responsible adult. He had trusted Qrow with there safety before and Yang had lost an arm under his care. Ruby had been unharmed, so she took comfort in knowing at least Qrow cared enough to see her safe. She had always known where his priorities lie when it came to the two of them and it wasn't with her.

Her father entered the room, a warm cup of steaming tea held in his hands, a cup which he gently placed on her bedside table. The soothing aroma of her special blend of spices, too hot for normal mouths was a welcome relief to the dreary, stale smell of wintery snow coming through the tiny gap in her window.

"Do you know where she's gone?" He asked as he sat on the edge of her bed, just far away enough so that he did not invade her personal space.

"No."

"Have you been up today?"

She knew he wasn't being literal, he was really asking if she'd been outside, if she left her room for anything other than food and drink or to use the loo. He was asking if she was close to feeling like the old Yang. She was honest with him.

"No."

He patted her on the knee as he stood, the same as every night these past three weeks. He looked back at her as he left, trying his best to gaze at her and not her arm. It was useless however, his eyes still flickered to where her right hand should be, a glint of pain flashed across his pupils before he smiled a sad smile at her and left her to her thoughts.

Sleep came no easier than night than any night before.

Tomorrow morning would be different, her heart was still cold but her mother's words had sparked fury in her stomach. She still dreamed of red hair and red swords, invincible girls and their graves. She dreamed of her mothers red eyes. She almost dreamed of amber eyes, a voice that would both sooth the flames and make them burn brighter still. She would not allow herself to dream of amber eyes.

A/N: Woo that was a wild ride into Angsty! Yang wasn't it? Hopefully! Check back soon for chapter two.