Bruises adorned Ruby's small frame, blood oozing from the small cuts she had received and tears from the pain she was experiencing. Sometimes she couldn't tell if it was her sobbing or her sister's. Ruby didn't care anymore.
She hated living.
She hated her dad, loathed him.
She loves her sister but, she was far to weak to do anything to help her. It was almost as if Ruby was the older one here. Taking care of Yang and what not.
"Ruby?" Came the meekly voice of Yang.
Silence is what she got for an answer.
"Ruby, please, are you ok?" Her voice now laced with concern and fear.
"I'm fine." Ruby croaked, her voice still hoarse from her crying.
"No, you're not." She stated the obvious like always.
"Yes, I am, now leave me alone, Yang." The young rose said through gritted teeth.
Oh how cruel was the world towards the child of innocence. Her mother was stripped away only 2 years ago and her father only begun his rein of terror only a year ago. How saddening was the life of the last Rose.
"Please, let me help you, Rubes." Yang pleaded with her small hands cupping into a ball, kneeling on the floor sobbing once again.
"The birdy was right, you are weak." Ruby curled into a ball, tighter then she was before. She should have left with the black birdy. It was the only nice thing to her.
Yang was caught off guard, she never thought that something Ruby would say would hurt this much. Her heart pounded in her chest, her face reddening in anger, something that felt foreign to her child body.
"Take that back," She said in an eerily calm voice, "now."
Ruby gulped, Yang looked so much like dad, it terrified her, but she wasn't going to back down. "No."
"Ruby." She hung on to the end of Ruby's name longer then what Ruby felt comfortable with.
"No." Ruby stated once again.
"Arrrrgh!" Yang charged at her sister at full speed, her hair up in flames. She looked like a demon too. "TAKE. IT. BACK. NOW!" Yang pushed Ruby from the ball she was formed in.
"NO!" Ruby screeched, recoiling from Yang's shove.
Yang was engulfed in anger, she didn't know why but she felt powerful. More than she has ever been. She took that to an advantage and stepped in front Ruby, blocking her way out. Her fist reached far back and slammed it down upon Ruby, again and again until Ruby bled.
"Y-yang, please s-stop." Ruby's weak answer was enough to pull Yang out of her rage and she quickly regretted everything thing.
"RUBY!" Yang dropped to her knees and tried to comfort her little sister, who immediately flinched away from her.
"R-Ruby, I didn't mean to!" Yang tried justifying herself but, lead only to her own dead end.
Ruby was in pain, not only physically but emotionally as well. Her thought occupied by, how could her dear older sister do this to her. She trusted her.
"Shut up! You're just like dad!" Ruby cried.
Yang's eyes widened and her mouth flapped trying to say something but, nothing came out. Was she really? She had just hurt her sister herself. She was a monster. Ruby was right.
"I'm sorry.." The sadness in her voice made Ruby regret what she said but, she had to stand her ground for her own pride.
Ruby got up from Yang's room, groaning and limping to her own room, which was the other side of Yang's room on the ground.
Ruby couldn't sleep, it pained her too much and Yang's sobbing kept her up.
That was until Yang cried herself to sleep.
Peck, peck
"Huh?" Ruby quickly got up from the ground and wobbled her way to the window.
"Birdy!" Ruby chirped, "Huh?"
The bird seemed to be nodding towards outside.
Does it want me to follow it? Ruby thought.
"Okay birdy." Ruby nodded in determination. She propped herself on top of a counter and opened the window which lead to the top of the roof. She had done this a few times to watch the stars but, she always got back in before her dad noticed.
Once outside, the bird perched itself on the edge of the roof, once again nodding to go somewhere and that place was to the ground.
"Um, I don't think it would be good to jump from here birdy." Ruby's mind was now filling with doubt. "Maybe I'm just gonna go back in." She thought out loud.
Whoosh
"I'll carry you down, child." Said a beautifully soft voice, yet it still held the edge of sternness.
"W-Who are you?" Ruby timidly asked. She had never seen another person other then her dad or sister, much less a bird that can turn into a pretty woman.
"My name doesn't matter, child, what matters is your chance of leaving this place now." The mysterious woman said cryptically.
"B-But I can't leave, my daddy said I can't." The poor child was confused as to why a stranger would want to whisk her away. Even if the bird was the one saying things to her like how her sister was weak. She had thought it was her imagination of the bird talking but, this woman proved her wrong.
"You can leave, if you come with me." She stated more firmly than before.
"Why?" Why was the only question Ruby had swimming around her little head.
"Because Summer made me promise I'd take you in," The woman sighed, combing her hair with her fingers, "I was supposed to do this years ago but, my tribe didn't have a leader at the time so I couldn't come get you, and I thought Taiyang would take care of you but, I was wrong, very, very terribly wrong-" Raven rambled on and on about what had made her set back but, before she could go any further, Ruby interrupted.
"Do you always talk a lot?" It wasn't a rude question, it was more innocent and forgiving.
"I-I.." Raven sighed once more, "No."
"Hehe, I like you." Ruby childishly giggled into her hand.
Raven smirked at this child's response to her rambles, but her smirk quickly vanished upon laying her eyes on Ruby's body.
"What happened?" Raven asked, kneeling to level herself to Ruby, inspecting her wounds.
"Oh, these are from Yang, and these are from dad." Ruby said nonchalantly.
If possible, Raven's frown became deeper.
Even Yang subsidized these actions?
"Ouch!" Ruby flinched as Raven accidentally touched on of her bruises.
"I apologize, I didn't mean to do that." Raven said with an apologetic smile.
"Please come with me, Ruby, I want to get you out of this hell." She took ahold of Ruby's tiny hands and held them tightly but not tight enough to hurt her.
"Are you my mommy too?" Ruby tilted her head, wanting to understand who this woman was to her.
"No, my little cardinal, I'm more of an aunt." Raven corrected the child.
"Oh! Aunty birdy!" Ruby exclaimed in excitement.
"Yes, now are you willing to come with me?" Raven asked again.
She was answered with an energetic bobbing of the girl's head. Raven smiled widely, propping the girl in her arms.
"Alright then, hold on tight to me."
"Mhm!" Ruby hummed in acknowledgement.
"Can I call you mommy anyways, aunty?"
"Heh, sure kid, whatever you want."
A/N: how's is it going so far? Plot going on nicely? Did I do better?
