A/N: So hey, I'm actually writing some things again (a miracle, I know), and RWBY's been hitting me hard! I really want my girls to have a reunion, so I wrote this out. Hoping to do one with Yang and the other members of the team, too. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY, it is the property of Rooster Teeth productions.

By the time Yang reached Mistral her left palm was slippery with sweat. She continued to nervously readjust her grip on the handlebars of Bumblebee as she pulled to a stop at a nearby inn, intent on asking for directions. She strode inside with her heart in her throat, past the customers and the stumbling, slack-jawed fellows that frequented the bar in the back, and up to the counter.

If one were to take a look at Yang Xiao Long, they would see golden hair and accented clothes, dark pilot shades and cocky grins, hips and snazz. But one look was rarely sufficient, and oftentimes any who looked close enough might notice the weary bags under her eyes, the sweat trickling down her neck, the strained quality to her smile, or the fact the the fingers on her right hand were a bright yellow. That was almost easy to miss with a once-over, the color seemed so right on her, that you could almost forget it wasn't natural. The man at the counter didn't grant her close scrutiny, though. The sheer variety of people in all their strangeness was monumental in the outskirts of Mistral.

"Can I help you?" He grunted, beard bristling.

"Uh, yeah, do you know where Haven Academy might put up visiting students?" Yang asked, biting her lip. She left the inn with an address and a growing pit of fear in her stomach. For all her courage, for all her backbone and guts, she couldn't for the life of her understand why she was so damn scared to see her little sister.

Except she did know. She knew that the months of being apart had taken their toll. That she was different, that they both were different now. She knew in the way that her arm still ached, and how the last time they'd talked, she couldn't bring herself to tell Ruby that she loved her. She knew in the guilt that plagued her, of how she hadn't gone after Ruby - what if she'd been killed? - hadn't gone with her when she left. Hadn't been there to keep her safe. And most of all, she knew in the little ball of anger, the feeling of betrayal gnawing away in some dark corner of her mind, because her sister had left her when she needed her the most. Everyone had.

Then there was the relief that she'd be able to confirm with her own eyes that her sister was fine, and the worry that maybe she wasn't. Maybe Yang had missed something, maybe the body of Ruby Rose was lying somewhere in the vast sprawling wilderness of Anima, left for the carrion and Grimm, and all alone… Or maybe - and this thought was almost worse - maybe she wouldn't recognize her anymore. Maybe the person that used to be her sister was gone, replaced by someone entirely new, someone cold-hearted and unfamiliar.

Yang gulped and grabbed at her stomach, which was twisting into knots. This was stupid. She was being stupid. This was Ruby Rose, nothing could keep that girl from a smile. Yang sighed and swung a leg over her bike, starting up the engine. She was overthinking everything. She glanced at the address one more time, squinting at the directions the innkeeper had scrawled out, before speeding off, utterly in dread.

...

Ruby cautiously rapped her knuckles on the door to the room where Jaune, Ren and Nora were staying. It had been nearly a week since they had arrived in Mistral. Qrow was nowhere to be found (presumably at the bar), and she was feeling, for the first time since they'd arrived, lost and uncertain. She had finished her letter to Yang, found an envelope for it, and delivered it to a nearby post-office, feeling weighted by an immense amount of sadness and guilt that had seemed to come from nowhere. She desperately needed company. Desperately missed that of her big sister. She found her companions sitting in a pile on the floor, comforting each other with hands on shoulders. Jaune looked up at her with too-bright eyes, and gave her a watery smile.

"Heya, Ruby."

"Hey, Jaune." Ruby's lips curled upwards at the corners ever-so-slightly, and she took a seat next to what was left of team JNPR.

"Soooo, I guess I wasn't the only one who just got really sad, huh?" Ruby chuckled, turning to look at her companions.

"Nope," Nora answered, wiping at her eyes, "Guess now that we've finally stopped moving, everything caught up with us." It was the truth. When the four of them had still been traveling, the only time they'd had to reflect on the events from the Fall of Beacon was at night. They were all plagued by nightmares, and they all knew it. It just never seemed to be a topic open for discussion. But now that they had reached their goal, nobody knew how to move forward, how to keep distancing themselves from those thoughts. Ruby let out a shuddering sigh.

"I sent a letter to Yang… to let her know, y'know, that we made it." Ruby shrugged, "And now…"

"Now what?" Ren asked.

"I... I really don't know. Uncle Qrow said Mistral was where that… Salem person was going to strike next, but… I don't know what we're supposed to do now. And he hasn't been around to answer any of my questions," Ruby sighed and looked at her hands folded neatly in her lap, "... I miss my team." Her friends exchanged a glance. Of course they'd experienced loss, they had lost a member of their team. One of their best friends. And for one of them… maybe more than that. But at least they'd had each other for the last half-year. Ruby was utterly alone. And they knew they couldn't replace her team, her partner, her sister, and one of her best friends in the whole world, no matter how much they tried or cared.

"Yeah… life's been pretty rough on all of us." Jaune tilted his head back to stare at the ceiling.

"Has Yang ever… replied? I mean, I know you've been sending her letters every time we get to a town…" Nora asked tentatively.

"No," Ruby shrugged, "I mean, it's not like we've ever stayed in one place long enough for a reply to get to me. And who even knows if she's been getting my letters? We all know how crappy the postal system is… heh. And… well, I'd imagine it's kinda hard for her to... w-write letters right now." She sniffed deeply. Ren and Nora stared at the ground.

"I hope her recovery is going smoothly." Ren said at length. Ruby nodded, a lump in her throat.

"I think I'm going to go for a walk. Does anyone wanna come with…?" Ruby said, standing up and dusting her cloak off.

"Might do us all some good." Jaune replied, getting to his feet as well, "Ren, Nora?"

"I think we'll pass. We'd like a minute to talk, just the two of us." Ren gave a tight-lipped smile, and Jaune nodded. Ruby and Jaune left the room, and strolled to the lobby where Ruby stopped by the water fountain to get a drink. As she bent down to take a sip from the fountain, she found herself marveling at the beauty of even this simple boarding house on the outskirts of Mistral. Shafts of sunlight fell lazily through the windows, illuminating stunning paintings and carved wooden sculptures that Ruby could only presume were made by the housekeeper herself. She'd only seen a fraction of Mistral, and already it was the most beautiful place she'd ever been. Even the thrumming of airship engines and the squeal of tires on gravel outside felt natural. She was truly in the creative heart of Remnant.

"Finished?" Asked Jaune, and Ruby nodded, stepping towards the main door.

...

Yang pulled to a stop outside the long, low wooden building. She put down Bumblebee's kickstand, grateful for her shades with the glare of the midafternoon sun in her eyes. She was sweating profusely, now, a mix of heat from the unseasonably warm spring, and anxiety. She wiped her palm on her pants, and took a step toward the door. Before she could walk any further, the door to the house seung open, and two people stepped out. It took her a second to recognize Jaune, and her little sister Ruby who caught sight of her and froze stock-still. Yang's stomach plummeted, throat constricting, and fingers clenching. Ruby was staring at her with wide eyes that were quickly filling with tears. Yang took a deep breath.

"Ruby Rose, do you have any idea how worried I've-" She began, but couldn't get anything else out after that, because Ruby was crashing into her, and sobbing into her shoulder and all of a sudden she was glad she was wearing shades, because tears had sprung to her eyes, too.

"Y-Y-Yang! Wh-what're you… How..." Ruby choked, not daring to pull away or let go of her sister. Yang was holding onto her just as tightly, wrapping her arms around Ruby's slight frame with no intention of letting go, because she was okay. She was alive and whole and still herself. It had been so long since she'd been able to hug anyone with two arms, and she savored the sensation.

"I'm sorry... I haven't been here for you. But I'm here now… just took me a while to catch up." Yang whispered into her ear. Ruby pulled away indignantly.

"No, it's me who should be sorry, Yang!" She sniffed, and looked directly into Yang's eyes, reaching up to pull Yang's shades away, "I was the one who left in the first place. You've always been there for me… been there for everyone. But then when you needed people to be there for you.. I-I… ran off on some stupid, dangerous, reckless mission, and I'm so selfish, I'm sorry I was only thinking of myself…" She sunk back into Yang's chest with a strangled sob, and Yang reached up to run her left hand through Ruby's hair, with a long sigh.

"It's alright, Rubes. I forgive you. Y'know… I'm really proud of you. Yeah, maybe I missed you at home, and yeah, I regretted not being out here with you, but… You made it here on your own. All the way to Mistral. I'm so, so proud." Ruby hugged Yang even harder, sniffling deeply.

"And since we're both here together, can we just say to hell with it, and call it square?" Yang asked. Ruby was silent for a minute, before giving a hesitant nod, and pulled away again to stare into her sister's face.

"I guess… But still-"

"Later," Yang said, "we're still healing, Ruby. In more ways than one." At that, Ruby gasped loudly.

"Wai- your arm!" She turned to look at Yang's right arm, eyes as wide as saucers. Yang held it up, and the light glinted off the scuffed, yellow metal.

"Whoooooooaat is that!? How'd you get it!?" She exclaimed, running her hand over it in wonderment.

"A gift from the General. It's brand-spanking new! … Or at least it was, I've been training with it for the past month," Yang said sheepishly, flexing her fingers, "It's pretty incredible. Works really well, and it's not even heavy!"

"Did the General have it painted yellow? It matches Ember Celica!" Ruby said, practically vibrating in excitement.

"Nah, I did that myself. Bit hard to do it with my left hand, but it's not too shabby!" Yang grinned. A cough from behind her had her glancing over to Jaune, who'd been patiently waiting for the sisters to finish their reunion.

"Jaune!" Yang smiled wider, "How's it going? Are you keeping my sister safe?"

"Heh, as if I can do a better job at that than she does." He replied, giving her a small wave, "I'm glad to see you're okay."

"Are Ren and Nora here, too?" Yang asked, glancing around.

"Yeah! They're just inside, c'mon! Nora's gonna be so happy to see you, and I bet she'll freak over your arm, too!" Ruby squeaked. Jaune turned and walked through the door, and Ruby grabbed her sister's metal hand in her own, turning to follow him. Yang decided not to tell Ruby that she could barely feel her.

"Yang?" Ruby said in a quieter voice.

"Yeah, Rubes?"

"I'm really glad to have you back."

"There's nowhere else I'd rather be."

A/N: Felt kinda rushed, I'm sorry, but here's how I think (hope) it'll play out! Reviews are always appreciated!