Her golden locks were drenched. The young girl soldiered on against the misery of the night, tugging a worn-out cart that carried a sleeping bundle named Ruby Rose. In her eagerness to get out of the house, Yang didn't think to bring a coat for herself. When it rained on Patch Island, it poured oceans. But Ruby was okay, snuggling in a thick cloak. That was more important. Yang brushed the bangs out of her weary lilac eyes, marching forward, following the winded path.
Yang's features pinched as she shut her eyes, and then sneezed. Great. Now she was sick too, along with being tired and confused. She'd set out on this journey to get answers. Questions swirled around inside her head like an overwhelming tornado. Why did her mother leave? Was she... an unexpected occurrence? Her real mother, who Yang never met, had vanished shortly after Yang had been born. The event broke her father's heart, and after her step-mother's death, the gulf widened even more. Being near him these days was like having an electrified coil of barbed wire pricking her flesh.
Ruby, of course, didn't understand what her older sister was going through. To Yang, Ruby was a shallow murky pool of distress and confusion. Yang endeavored to replace that with something else. Not only since it caused her pain, but also because she genuinely adored Ruby, who deserved none of the cruelty Remnant had in store for its inhabitants. She was the big sister that told bad jokes, that baked cookies for her like Summer did, and she was the one that gave reassuring smiles whenever things got bad at home.
Yang was different. She perceived things that others could not. Her mind was open to the world, and thoughts, feelings, and sensations trickled in steadily, bit by bit. Hence why she wasn't much of an outdoors person. Locking herself in her bedroom had once seemed to be the solution, and even that didn't work anymore. Sometimes she got flashes.
Of danger.
Of Grimm.
These happened to be quite accurate, as well. Yang wasn't sure why she could do these things. Was she like this because of her mother? She had to know. After pestering her for so long, Yang had caved in and allowed Ruby to come along.
Which may have been a terrible decision, in hindsight.
Their molten eyes were unmistakable. There were three of them, and they circled Yang and the slumbering Ruby at a leisurely pace, growling and snapping their maws.
Beowolves. Panic shot through Yang, and she felt her chest constrict. Blood pounded in her ears. She backed up towards Ruby, her protective instincts breaking through the wave of terror. Yang spread her arms out, bumping into the wagon after a couple more steps.
Her mind raced. She could snatch Ruby up and make a run for it, but since when could a small kid outrun a Grimm? Yang gulped. Sweat pooled in the palms of her hands. She groped blindly behind her for purchase, hand landing on something soft.
Ruby, who'd just woken up. "Yang?" whispered Ruby fearfully. "What's going on...?"
"It's gonna be okay, Rubes. We're gonna be okay," Yang promised, without glancing at her. She couldn't bear to witness the horror unfolding across Ruby's face. She probably knew that Yang was lying.
The Beowolves tensed up, and charged at their prey. Both girls let out a shriek, embracing each other desperately.
The blow never came. Yang heard a snap-hiss, and something buzzed before her. She looked to see an azure beam hum in the darkness. A male figure, profile illuminated by the plasma blade, stood with his back to Ruby and Yang. The latter unpeeled herself from the former and peeked around the hooded man.
All three Beowolves were hovering in mid-air, thrashing wildly. The stranger reeled his arm in, and then thrust his palm forward, precisely. The Grimm went flying. One slammed into the body of a tree. A sickening crunch announced the impact, which was followed by a dull thud. It began dissolving in a whirl of soot.
The remaining beasts regained their footing and rushed towards the armed human.
He leaped up and corkscrewed over the malicious creatures in a blur. Brilliant blue arced towards them, cleaving each in two. The man landed gracefully on his feet, his robes smoothening out. He turned to the sisters.
Was it Yang's imagination, or were there tendrils seeping from the weapon? Maybe it was just the rain producing that effect. "Wow..." breathed Ruby, gaping in wonder. Relief flooded Yang as she sagged.
Their saviour extinguished the blade and clipped the cylinder to his belt. "Are you two alright?" His voice sounded crisp, somewhat refined. He was an orb of light, warm and soothing.
"F-fine," stammered Yang, finding her voice again. "Thank you so much for saving us."
"Don't mention it. Come, let's get you out of this terrible downpour."
"He's got a laser sword, Yang. A freakin' laser sword!" Ruby gushed. "How cool is that?"
"Yeah. I saw it too." Who was he, a Huntsman? Had to be. No one else was that good at killing Grimm.
They joined the man under a criss-cross of bushy branches. He was sitting on one of the thick roots sprouting from beneath the earth, displaying no discomfort at his seating arrangement.
"In the wilderness during nighttime - what are you doing out here?" Yang felt the air stir around this man. Getting a closer look at him, she saw a neatly trimmed beard and a kind gaze.
"Oh, we were just going to find out what happened to Yang's mo - "
Yang elbowed her sister sharply. She addressed the stranger with an apologetic mien. "We got lost, that's all."
A ginger eyebrow was raised at that. "Well, I could help you find your way home. The forest is hardly safe for younglings like yourself." The siblings shared a look. 'Younglings'? Where was this guy from?
"You talk funny," giggled Ruby innocently.
Rather than get offended, the man took the jab in good spirit. "I've been told that by some." He straightened and shrugged off his cloak. Yang watched him approach. "You look like you need it more than I do," he explained drily, placing it over the girl's shoulders.
Discreetly Yang reached out to access his mind. She'd discovered the ability very recently, and each attempt had garnered varying outcomes of success. Except on this occasion, she butted into a mental barrier. Yang frowned. That never happened before. She probed the surface of the structure, invisible fingers brushing against it lightly.
The man gasped. "You know, where I come from it's rude to probe other minds." Yang shrank in on herself, immediately withdrawing. What would Ruby think of her now? One glance indicated that she was asleep, thus having missed the conversation.
Yang fondly regarded her for moment, before facing the stranger once more. He stroked his beard pensively. She asked, "You're... not mad?"
"On the contrary, I'm quite surprised." Yang sensed a gentle pressure on her mind, foreign and unpleasant, causing the blonde to shake and grasp at her head. The pressure lifted, and she was left reeling from the experience.
"I must say, your shields are very weak," the stranger observed. "I could teach you how to draw up your own."
"Wait, so you know what this is? Are you... like me?"
"You're capable of things many others are not, young one. The proper term would be 'Force-sensitive'."
She repeated the word. It sounded right. "I think I'd like to know how to - how'd you say...?"
"Form your own shields?" The bearded warrior went to crouch in front of her. "Of course. My name is Ben. What's yours?"
"Yang."
"Well, Yang, what I'm about to teach you is a simple barrier technique. It'll be enough to stop you projecting your thoughts." Yang's ears burned with embarrassment. Ben took her head in his hands, and she felt his presence interweave with her own.
This is really weird, she mused.
It is at first, admittedly, Ben agreed. Yang did the mental equivalent of a startled jump. Are you inside my head?!
Not so loud, please, and yes, I am. Don't worry. I'm not going to read your thoughts or do anything like that. Just listen to what I say and you should get the hang of this pretty quickly.
She had no idea how it long it took, but by the end of the lesson she was frazzled. Still, at least she could raise her own shields. Doing so halted the cascade of unfamiliar sensations. She wouldn't be absorbing emotions or stray thoughts anymore. She surveyed the scene, yet there was no sign of Ben. The only proof that he'd been here was his brown cloak that was wrapped around Yang.
When Uncle Qrow located them later, Yang felt more at peace than she had her entire life so far. She wanted more of that light. She promised herself that she'd search for Ben.
It couldn't have been coincidence that they met tonight. Something had guided them to this point, she was sure of it.