A Long time ago
She was lost, hopelessly, absolutely undoubtedly lost, and had no idea what to do, as her big sister was nowhere to be seen.
She had been out with her big sis for the entire day, much to their matron's chagrin, as the older girl talked animatedly about all the good they would do when they became huntresses, about how they'd save damsels, rescue villages, defeat monsters, and become famous. She loved the older girl's stories, they always had happy endings, and helped to keep her motivated to become a huntress, because it sounded so romantic.
But now her big sis was missing, had wandered off when Ruby was distracted by a very pretty bed of roses, and now the six year old was standing alone in an unknown park, tears welling up in her eyes as she began to panic.
Trying desperately to keep the tears from falling, the girl reminded herself what her big sister always told her, "big girls don't cry, huntress don't cry, don't be a baby," but it was for naught, and the young girl sunk to the ground with quiet hopeless sobs, her body shuddering slightly as her sorrow wracked her.
Luckily there was someone else in the park, that heard the girl, and felt the need to help her.
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The eight year old had been out all afternoon, simply looking for a place to relax, away from all of the noises at the orphanage, where she could read her book quietly, and luckily had come across a beautiful park, with tall trees worth climbing, and a pretty lake she could only imagine would be good to visit with friends and family.
That brought a cold pang to her heart, and she dropped the topic entirely, returning her attention to her book, or at least trying to. When her silence was interrupted again in a moment, this time not from her own thoughts, but a soft cry, akin to that of a child, and it made her heart clench in a different kind of way.
Tucking her book safely away into her bag, she jumped from the tree gracefully, and began to look around the park she had discovered, finally noticing a small girl, looking to be no more than six or seven, kneeling before a rose bush, with unshed tears in her eyes as she wept.
Feeling her teeth clench at the uncomfortable sight, She was prepared to simply turn away, and ignore the girl that dared to disturb her peace, but something held her back, and caused her to take a second look at the minor, noticing just how distraught she really was.
She weighed her options for a few moments, trying to decide if approaching the girl was the correct choice, or if it might just end up causing more trouble for her, but finally her honour won out, and with mind made up, began to cautiously approach the girl.
Clearing her throat to try and get the younger girl's attention, she made a nervous attempt at conversation, not sure where to start exactly, "Err, hello there, are you...okay?" She stuttered out.
A Pair of the brightest watery silver eyes turned to face the girl, and she felt her body freeze up at the sight of them, unable to understand everything in them with a single glance. She could tell there was so much more to this girl than what she showed on the outside, but that wasn't important now, as it seemed her question spurred the girl into conversation.
"I...My big sister took me out today to play, but when we were on our way home she walked off without me...a...and now I'm lost," The young girl explained slowly, stuttering as her eyes filled with tears again, a new round of crying preparing to begin.
"H-hey, it's okay, I'm sure if your...sister cares for you enough, she'll probably be looking for you," she attempted in an effort to console the girl, but it didn't seem to do much more than quell her tears for another few moments.
The small girl, which she noted had very pretty long red hair, looked up at her with those watery eyes again, but it seemed she wasn't going to cry anymore, which made her senior breathe a sigh of relief.
"Listen, err, how about I sit with you, until your sister comes to get you?" She offered slowly, not sure where these words were coming from, but eager to not see the girl cry anymore, as it was nearly heartbreaking.
"You would do that...for a complete stranger?" The small redhead asked in confusion, seemingly surprised by this, far more so than she would have imagined, but the older girl nodded in confirmation, and approached the younger, offering her a hand up and a small smile.
"How about we go sit on that bench there, and try our best to get those tears cleaned up?" The older girl asked, and received another nod. taking the younger redheads dainty hand into her own, she gently lead her over, and helped her up onto the bench, her smile growing as she watched this girl, who moments before she had seen acting like a kid, now trying to be "adult," and climb onto the bench herself, but finally gave up and accepted her new friends help.
Taking a seat beside the younger girl, she reached into her bag, and slowly retrieved her book, wondering if maybe simply sitting with the girl would be enough, but this quickly turned into curiosity, as those sparkling silver eyes locked onto the title, and she seemed completely engrossed in it.
"What's it about?" The question came from seemingly nowhere, and stunned the older girl into a momentary lapse of forgetfulness, "Err, what?"
"Your book, what's it about?" The girl repeated, and her elder offered a small smile, and began to explain to her.
"It's a story of a dark knight, hated by the kingdom and seen as a harbringer of death, who protects everyone despite the cruel words they offer him, dedicating his life to keeping them safe," She explained, and this only seemed to further intrigue the girl, who was now staring at her in wide-eyed amazement.
"Could you...could you read it to me?" She asked shyly, making the older girl smile down at her once more in understanding, loving a good story herself when she could.
"I suppose, but no interrupting me, okay?" She told the girl strictly, but received only a bright smile and a nod from the girl.
"My lips are sealed."
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She had only been reading to the girl for what felt like 20 minutes, when out of nowhere a tall lanky blonde came barrelling into the park, hair flying out behind her like a wave of fire, wild lilac eyes searching the park frantically for something.
Looking down, she noticed that her little audience had nodded off in the middle of her story, and gently closed the book with a soft clap, before standing up, and waving the other girl over as best she could.
Seeing those lilac eyes light up, the girl tore over at speeds she didn't entirely think were possibly, and was quickly standing before the bench the two girls had previously occupied.
"Okay, you have ten seconds to tell me why you aren't a threat to my baby sister, before I knock your block off," The blonde threatened, though she didn't feel like she was in any danger, and the girl was just being the protective elder sibling you would expect.
"I found her out here crying because her older sister ran off, and I offered to sit with her until she came back," The black-haired girl explained coolly, "Judging by your attitude, I would imagine that you are the wayward older sister then?"
The blonde seemed almost proud of being recognized, and stood a bit straighter, pointing a thumb at herself and grinning widely, "You bet, the names Yang Xiao Long, future huntress, and the best older sister of all time."
"Well then, perhaps you could explain why the "best sister of all time" managed to lose her little sister in a park, and didn't even notice she was gone for twenty minutes." The black-haired girl replied a bit hotly, thinking this girl was full of hot air.
"Hey, I'll have you know I spent the last twenty minutes just running around this city looking for her, worried sick!" Yang snapped back, and the black-haired girl noticed with mild amusement how her eyes began to change from lilac to fire red before her very eyes.
"Well in that case here, she fell asleep when I started to read to her, and I didn't want to disturb her," She explained, sliding her arms underneath the girls knees and back, and lifted her up bridal style.
"Now that's no way for me to carry her home," Yang stated, and with a raised eyebrow the book-loving girl returned the sleeping six year old to the bench, "If you'll help out, I'd prefer to get her up onto my back, much easier for all of us."
"You think you can carry her?" The black haired girl asked incredulously, she knew the girl looked somewhat strong, and very sure of herself, but to lift a girl that was only two years younger than her?
"Don't worry, Ruby here is light as a feather, though her diet would make you think otherwise," Yang said, waving her hand carelessly, before she moved over to the bench and kneeled down, in order to give the black-haired girl a chance to slide the redhead onto her older sisters back.
wrapping the six year old's hands around her neck, and holding onto her tight, Yang got back to her feet, the lanky young girl not even stumbling at the added weight added onto her back, and grinned at her companion in an "I told you so" gesture.
"Well, make sure you keep her safe, and make sure not to lose her again," The black haired girl lectured, before she turned and prepared to leave the two sisters to their walk home.
"Hey wait, you never gave us your name blackie!" Yang shouted, and the girl turned to look at her again.
Just then, Ruby's eyes slowly fluttered open, but her body still felt heavy, and she was far too comfortable to wake up completely, so she drifted off back to sleep almost immediately.
"My name is..." and the world went black for the redhead once again.