A/N: I'M BACK BABY. Standard disclaimers apply.

A Power Like No Other

She had been training for two long weeks now, and she was still nothing but a shadow of her former self. Whatever power her mother claimed she possessed, it was staying well and truly hidden.

Except it wasn't.

Ever since that explosion there had this voice. It wasn't a voice she recognised, but it was intimately familiar to her all the same, as if she had heard every day for years. It was just there, lingering in the back of her mind. It didn't say much, locked away as it was for the most part. But when it did come out, when it did speak…

She listened.

She was sparring again with her mother, trying to learn to channel this anger that burned inside her. With every near miss of her mothers blade she felt the flames burn under her skin just that little bit brighter, she heard that voice in her head just a little louder. It didn't say much, but what it did say was making a lot of sense.

Kill.

Her mother's blade burned against her aura, chipping away the final vestiges of her protective barrier, leaving her bare and exposed to the world. Her skin burned, the flames begging to rush to her aid.

Yang managed to avoid the next few attacks, rolling and skirting around on the tips of her feet as her mothers blade crashed through the air with all the swiftness and precision of a lightning bolt. It was impossible to get through Raven's guard, every deliberate opening lasted only long enough to tease her slow and lethargic form before it snapped shut and she was on the defensive again.

The next attack sliced across her guard. The blade's edge scrapped off the remaining gauntlet of Ember Celica and raked down her unshielded skin, drawing a line of crimson. The drawing of blood was usually what drew a round of sparing to an end.

Not this time however. No, this time was different. Her mother wasn't stopping. Her sword flashed down again, poised to strike at her neck. Had she not seen the blood? Did she not know Yang's aura was entirely depleted? Or did she just not care?

Let me help you.

There was the voice again.

You want to win don't you? To beat her?

Of course that's what she wanted. She had spent every waking minute being tossed around by her mother. She was bruised and battered beyond belief, and she had accumulated more scars in the past two weeks than during her entire time at Signal Academy, maybe even Beacon too.

Let me help you.

She didn't have time to argue, her mothers blade was still bearing in on her throat, intent on removing her head from her shoulders. It was far too close to stop now, already well within her guard. She closed her eyes; she hadn't the will to fight the deadly blow.

Except her eyes were forced open. She could feel them burn; she felt her entire body burn as the flames burst forth from her skin. Her eyes glowed gold as the power inside her was finally unleashed. From her body flew a blast of flames, shaped like a bird with its wings outstretched. It crashed into Raven before the older woman could even complete her swing, throwing her across the room and crashing her into the wall.

Yang paused, shocked by her own actions. To her credit, Raven recovered with all the skill and grace expected of her. In a flash she was back on the offensive, moving forward to reengage Yang, the faintest hint of… a smile? Surely not, she must have taken to many blows to the head

Yang saw two more streams of flame burst from her skin, headed straight towards her mother. The dark-haired swordsman ducked under one and leaped over the other, closing the distance with deadly elegance and ease. Yang was ready this time however; she regained her senses enough to unleash a shot from her gauntlet, aimed at her mother's feet. At the same time she launched herself in the air to where she knew her mother would end up, and, true to form her mother leaped the explosive round, only to find herself staring down the fury of her daughter.

Yang brought her fist down towards her mother, engulfed in white-hot flame. Through the air it burned, building power beyond anything Yang had ever felt. She could have sworn she saw the blood red eyes of her mother widen ever so slightly as it steamed its way towards her.

Then, she was on the ground. Her body smashed against the cold floor and all her energy left her. She hadn't even seen Raven redirect her strike. Yet again she was left beaten and broken on the floor. Yet again she had failed.

Her eyes closed, and she knew no more.

When she next opened her eyes, she was still on the cold floor of the sparring room. Raven was standing over her, eyes staring down at Yang. There was a glint in them that Yang couldn't identify… was that… no, it couldn't be.

Was it pride?

"Did you feel it?"

Yang knew exactly what she was referring to. She had felt it. It was intoxicating; she was already craving the rush again. She had felt more powerful than ever before, she could have levelled an entire city with the power inside her.

"Yes."

"Good." There was that flash of… something… again, in her eyes. "Then perhaps you will be ready in time, or ready enough at least."

"Ready enough for what?"

Raven gave pause, as if she was considering whether or not to answer her daughter. It seems the side that Yang was rooting for won, as she opened her mouth once again to speak.

"You have three days to learn to control this power. The flames Yang, you can shape them to your every want, your every need. One day you'll be able to feel them as an extension of yourself. For now, all I need from you is to form yourself an arm Yang. You'll need both of them if you are to succeed in this mission."

Her mother's words served only to confuse her further. "Three days? I don't… an arm… of fire? I can't even, it was the… I… what mission?"

"The White Fang has found one of your friends."

If you're wondering where i've been, I broke my arm playing sport and got some pretty severe nerve damage as a result. I couldn't type or do anything for nearly two months! Physio's going well though, so all's good.