The trees below rustled in the oncoming breeze, leaves shaking as the branches trembled. The grass below swaying and bending in the caress of the breeze. The warm sun framed a perfect azure sky above, not a cloud for miles. Its bright, golden rays shone down on the forest, illuminating the land and brightening the environment. The rays filtered through the timbre arms known as the tree's branches, the terrain speckled in spots of light and shadow.
The lone occupant sitting on the cliff edge closed their eyes to the natural scenery, listening to what could be heard. She listened as the birds called from above, communicating in a foreign tongue that was alien to her ears. Below, she could hear the trees stir. She listened as animals traversed within. Hunting, hiding, scavenging, traveling. The wild always moved, life never ceased. The natural wildlife assuring her that there were no Grimm to be found. Somewhere in the depths, a river flowed endlessly, the water trickling down the rock bed in a rush to nowhere. The river's ebb and flow constantly changing.
She breathed in, slow and deep. The fresh air cooling in her lungs, rich oxygen giving her vigor. It was refreshing. Coming out here to cool her thoughts had been a nice idea.
After a few moments, her nostrils were invaded with an unusual smell. Burned ashes and lilacs. Only one person she knew of carried that scent.
A voice called out to her. "Hey sis! What're doing all the way out here?"
Ruby opened her eyes. With a quick glance over her shoulder, she spotted her older sister Yang making her way over. A forlorn smile graced her lips. Yang always knew how to bring a smile to her face. Just being there was reason enough for her to grin, wonderful memories associated with the blonde's wild demeanor and childish grin. Turning back toward her aerial view, her expression sobered. Recalling her earlier thoughts, she tilted her head.
"Thinking. Thought that maybe the fresh air could help me out a little. You know, zen and what not." She idly swung her legs out over the cliff, the hundred foot drop into the forest below bothering her little.
Yang stopped next to the red cloaked girl, looking out over the currently calm woods. "Whatcha thinkin 'bout?"
"Just… things."
She heard some mutters and the sound of rustling cloth. Turning her head, she saw Yang rifling through her jacket pocket. Yang grinned as she found what she was looking for, offering her closed fist to Ruby. Ruby held her hand out, an eyebrow raised.
As she dropped a coin into her waiting grasp, Yang asked, "Lien for your thoughts?"
Mustering a small grin, Ruby gazed at the coin in her grasp. Only Yang. With a sigh, Ruby patted the ground next to her. Yang plopped down with no hesitation.
"I was just thinking about what's happened so far."
"At Beacon?"
Ruby nodded, her fingers playing with the coin. "Yeah. Since I came here, so much has happened." A genuine smile found its way on her lips. "I actually made new friends. Who would've thunk? Me, normal knees, leader of a team and making her way in the world." She tilted her head down, eyes trained on her kneecaps. "School's been great so far. My partner is pretty ideal. We get along okay now and our fighting styles work pretty nifty when we fight together. Blake's really nice. We got books to bond over. Who doesn't like a good story, right? Then there's team JNPR. Jaune being… Jaune. He's his usual self, joking, lovable and whatnot, and its been cool. His team following him without question and total confidence. They're all… great."
Ruby turned her head to Yang, wearing a smile that did not reach her eyes. "And I've got you with me. What's not to love?"
Yang had sat in silence, her hands splayed out behind her to support her body as she kicked her legs out over the side of the cliff, imitating Ruby. Her face was relaxed, her tone flat. "Ruby, what's really eating you?"
Ruby sighed. She never could hide anything from her sister. "I... I was thinking that… that I'm… scared." Her voice meekly dropped.
A warm arm found its over her shoulder, pulling her into an even warmer mass. "Is that all? You're allowed to feel scared Ruby, it's completely normal." A sense of relief washed over the blonde. Fears were something she could alleviate. Nightmares were her specialty, but fears were pretty similar. Yang glanced down to her sister, the red girl placing her head on her shoulder. "What are you scared of?"
Ruby's voice wavered, her hand beginning to clench the coin. She was a leader. Leaders do not cry.
"I'm scared of losing everyone."
Or maybe not. A nightmare was not real. Yang could convince Ruby of that. Fears though, fears were all too real.
"Losing everyone? How? Don't you believe in us?"
"I do! But Beacon… has become like a second home to me. With you here, and all my new friends, it's become home. But I know we're not here to play house, to have fun everyday and spend our time goofing around. We're here to fight, to learn to harness our power and help others. To make everyone else's lives better. Not ours. Our lives will constantly be thrown into chaos, constant fighting, maybe… even…" Ruby gulped, unwilling to finish that thought. "That's what being a Hunter or Huntress is about. It might not be in the job description, but it's what we signed up for. The possibility is always there..."
Yang pulled back. Bringing up her other hand, she grasped Ruby's chin and made the younger girl face her. Silver eyes were misty with unshed tears. The red girl refusing to cry. "Yeah, it is. It's a dangerous job and we all knew the risks when we signed on. But that's a train of thought that has no end sis. An endless road you will continue to walk down and rediscover." Violet eyes hardened as she spoke, voice lowering. "But you don't need to walk that road alone. I get it Ruby. I get that you're scared. The world is a scary place, and it's our job to make it better." Her voice lost its hardened edge. "And I'm scared too."
Ruby blinked, the tears brimming in her eyes threatening to fall. "You… you're scared?"
A small smile. Yang let go of Ruby's face. Choosing to smile down on her with her sunny grin. "Of course I am. Just because I'm awesome doesn't mean I don't feel fear." Ruby giggled through her tears, Yang's smile growing a little wider. "I'm afraid of losing what I have too. You're here where I can keep my eye on you, but I can't always do that. I know I have to let you go."
Her smile disappeared, replaced with a pensive look. "I have to believe that you'll make the right choices, have faith that you'll come back to me after every mission, after every fight. I know you're not alone out there, you'll most likely have Weiss by your side. Or maybe Blake. Or maybe me! Or maybe even someone else. But no matter where you are, whenever you call, even if you're far from home, I'll always answer." Yang leaned over, kissing the top of Ruby's red highlighted head softly. "You're my sister, and I'll always care for you. I'm scared to lose you. I'm scared to lose anyone I care about. But I'm determined to never let that happen. I'll beat down anything scary that comes your way."
Ruby giggled again, her tears receding.
"Heh. Thanks Yang. You know that if you ever feel like you're losing it all, I'll still be there to help you out. Always."
Yang nodded, leaning her head atop her sister's. "I know Ruby."
A comfortable quiet stretched between them. Both sister's looking out over the beautiful forest as the the duo leaned on each other, staying up solely on the other's support. The shifting shadows beneath the shade of the trees continued to hide its secrets.
Ruby broke their silence, her tone laced with curiosity. "What about the rest of our team? What do you think of them?"
Pausing, Yang collected her thoughts. "Well, I didn't ask to start caring for Weiss, but it kind of happened at some point. She's like the annoying cousin I can't get rid of. If she gets in trouble, I'll probably end up helping her however I can. As for Blake, she's the best friend I could ever have. We support each other, and I wouldn't trade that for anything. Then there's JNPR. They're not apart of our team, but I bet I can always go to them if I ever feel like I need someone."
Ruby smiled up to her sister, listening intently. "I guess I'm not the only one thinking of Beacon as a home."
"Oh shush you."
Ruby smiled, happy that Yang was with her. She glanced down to her kneecaps again, thinking. She nudged the taller blonde, speaking with a hesitant tone. "Hey Yang?"
"Yeah?"
"Can I ask you a personal question?"
"What we've been discussing hasn't been personal enough?"
Ruby gripped the coin in her hand tighter, feeling the small object press into her hand.
"This is… different."
Yang glanced down, eyeing her sister. "What is it?"
"This might sound a little weird but… do you… do you still believe in love?"
Yang stiffened, not expecting a question straight out of left field. "Love?"
"I was just wondering. Since, you know, you broke off your last relationship before coming here and you haven't shown interest in any one else and you're starting to worry me because I'm not sure if you're okay and..."
Yang interrupted her. "What kind of love?"
"Um… the loving kind?"
She sighed. She should have expected that. "Give me a second to think here."
Thinking back, she knew Ruby was right. Her last relationship ended abruptly with her acceptance into Beacon. The boy she had been with adamantly tried to talk her out of going, but she refused to listen. If he could not support her dream, then he was not worth her time.
On the way to her new home, she had never expected in her wildest dreams that her little sister would be attending Beacon with her. She had been so thrilled. However, she had tried to edge her sister out of the rock she was hiding under, encouraging her to make new friends. It bit into her own feelings to do so, she knew she had to make sure Ruby lived the next four years surrounded by people other than herself. People who could care for her when she couldn't.
Yang smiled as the memories rose up. Surprisingly, she still ended up in that circle of friends. With two new additions that added quite a dynamic. All four of them always had something to quarrel about, but Yang knew her teammates all had a blast together. With the admittance of team JNPR in their shenanigans every so often, life was always crazy and fun.
The blonde's expression became a grimace as she dived deeper into her thoughts. Love and friendship was a line that was best not crossed. However, that line could be hard to discern. As time went on, she grew closer and closer to a peculiar, shadowed, individual. But Yang remembered their silhouette running. Running from their dorm in confusion and fear, fear of being hated. Running from their friends. She remembered as she chose to stand there, only observing and choosing not to act. She remembered as she refused to chase after them, cowardly hiding her feelings. She remembered how she said next to nothing when they came back, playing impassive.
That day played vividly in her dreams many times over, reminding her of her failure as she questioned herself. Had it been the right choice? Should she have chased after them? Would it have made a difference if she had? Should she have made absolutely sure that they were okay? Were they even okay now? The queries refused to leave her alone, continually without answers.
Scrunching her eyes closed, Yang willed those thoughts from her mind. That was not what Ruby was asking. Looking down to her little sister, she managed a smile. Glad that Ruby could not see how hollow it was.
"Do I believe in love? Yeah, I think I still do."
"Really?"
Yang winced at the hopeful hint in her voice.
"Of course. Maybe romantic love isn't for me right now, but I got you. I got dad. I got Weiss. I got Blake. I even got Jaune, Pyrrha, Nora and Ren. Heck, we even got Ozpin, Goodwitch and the other teacher's if you wanna stretch it. Love's all around us."
It was not a lie, but it was not the whole truth. Yang did not want to upset her sister. Ruby smiled, nostalgia written across her features.
"Just like that song you used to sing me?"
Yang nodded, smiling herself.
"Yeah, just like the song." She sang the small verse, voice low and melodic. "Love's around you. In time you'll fly." Shifting her head, she buried her face in Ruby's hair, bringing the smaller girl closer in a tight hug. "But even if the sky comes falling down, there's nothing in this world I wouldn't do for you little sis. I support you, we all do, and we want you to fly without fear. You're a great leader, and it's okay to be scared. But you're not going to lose us, not if I can help it. Please remember that."
Ruby returned the hug, clutching her sister and burying her face in her shoulder and golden hair. The coin imprinting on her palm with the strength she gripped it in.
"I will sis. I love you."
"I love you too."
Inspired by the Hey Brother RWBY video made by pwnedbymegirl over on YouTube.
Songs used as reference: Hey Brother by Avicii feat. Dan Tyminski
Gold by Jeff Williams feat. Casey Lee Williams