Ruby Rose ran into the sunlit bedroom, her silver eyes wide in disbelief. She had just awakened from over a week of unconsciousness and she was still wearing her modest black, white-spotted pajamas, and her eyes fell onto her elder sister.
Yang was wearing a brown shirt, a pair of blue-jeans, and a pair of yellow sneakers. Her long hair was held in a ponytail by a purple scrunchy, and she held a book in her hands as she sat in a chair.
"... Yang?" She asked, calming down. The Blonde Brawler looked back, frowning as she saw her baby sister, then she gave a small smile as she set the book on the bedside table.
"Ruby... I'm glad that you're awake." She beamed, and Ruby gave a weak laugh of relief before running over and hugging her sister. Yang hugged back, closing her eyes, and after a long moment she pulled away.
"Dad just told me." Ruby looked around Yang and saw the figure lying on the bed. "Is she... Okay?"
"She still hasn't woken up." Yang sighed, closing her eyes and shaking her head. "So... We don't know."
On the bed was Rhea Branwen. She wore a loose yellow t-shirt and grey sweat-pants, under which her body was pretty much covered in bandages. The bandages wound around her arms, legs, stomach, and chest - making her look semi-mummified. Her black hair was neatly brushed, and what could be seen of her skin was mostly bruised and covered in small cuts. Her lips were parted, her chest weakly rising and falling.
"... I heard about Pyrrha." Ruby looked down, sighing. "And... I wanted to ask about Weiss, Blake, and anyone else you know about."
"Well... Weiss' father came and took her back to her home in Atlas. He thinks she'll be safe, there - since no one knows who to trust, right now." Yang began, and Ruby blinked. "As for Blake... She ran." Ruby's eyes widened. "Neptune told me that Sun got worried and went after her before he, Sage, and Scarlet went back to Mistral, so... There's that." Yang's lilac eyes narrowed slightly, then she sighed again. "Team JNPR's recovering at a facility in Vale. Ren and Nora were pretty beat-up, and Jaune's not in a good way, right now. I don't know about anyone else."
"But... Why would Blake-?"
"I don't know, and I don't care." Yang looked up, glaring. "She pretty much stuck around to interrogate Rhea, then ran off as soon as we hit Vale... She can do whatever she wants. Anyone can do whatever they want." Yang looked back at Rhea. "... I'm going to make things right, right here... Starting with getting to know my sister."
"Yang, I want to get to know Rhea, too. But Blake had to have a reason why-"
"No, she didn't." Yang's eyes tinted crimson. "Sometimes, bad things just happen, Ruby. A friend gets torn to shreds in the middle of an arena, another is reduced to ashes, another goes into a coma... And it is all pointless."
"Yang-"
"Just... Leave me alone for a little while, okay?" Yang asked, closing her eyes. Ruby blinked, then sighed and turned away. She took a few steps towards the door, then looked back.
"... I love you." She announced forlornly. Yang blinked, then sighed and looked up at her, managing a light grin.
"Love you too, sis."
/\/\/\/\
As Rhea Branwen came to, all she could feel was pain. Pain in her body, pain in her mind, pain in her heart.
'I failed...' Rhea opened her eyes, momentarily blinded by the light. 'Oh, gods... Am I dead?' Rhea blinked a few times, and her vision cleared up, revealing a somewhat-unfamiliar sight: a ceiling. A real, solid ceiling.
Rhea blinked, genuinely surprised, then winced as she forced herself to sit up, looking down at herself. These clothes, they weren't hers in make or color. And these bandages, they weren't like the fabric wraps she was used to - they were factory-made. This cot - bed, she corrected herself - in all of its softness and warmth definitely wasn't hers... But the blonde sleeping in a chair by her bedside, that was hers.
"Yang?" Rhea asked quietly, her eyes widening as she gazed at her elder twin. She slowly looked down, finding her left hand clasped by the blonde's right, and she remained like that, just staring at their held hands for a long moment.
Both of them had similar skin tones, likely due to days spent in the summer sun. Yang had likely done recreational things like going to beaches and playing sports, while Rhea had earned her sun-tanned skin through years of hunting and scouting.
Yang's hands were calloused, too. This was probably due to lifting weights, while Rhea's callouses came from carrying large burdens as she changed camps and from climbing trees for better vantage points.
Yang was very muscular, likely due to her training and fighting style, while Rhea was still muscled but more lean, as she had grown up trying to become faster than she was strong. Speed was one advantage that Rhea appeared to possess over her elder twin sister...
Yang also seemed younger than Rhea was. They were both children, yes - but there was something about Yang that Rhea didn't have, anymore. Something she had the day Raven first struck her, something she'd fought to cling onto but had lost the day she lost Adam. Perhaps it was innocence, but it also could have been cluelessness. Ignorance, even.
Rhea, the constant realist, often considered the three things one in the same. You were innocent until you realized just how dark and cruel the world truly was, and then you just... Weren't, anymore. Yang's innocence was fading, Rhea could tell that much. But she still possessed far more than Rhea did.
'Should I wake her?' Rhea wondered to herself. 'Or should I leave, before she wakes up?' Before she could choose, Yang's grip on her hand tightened, the blonde sitting up straight and opening her eyes. Lilac met blue, and all went silent.
"... Hey, sis." Yang greeted, giving a light grin. "Good to see you're awake." Rhea didn't respond, and Yang slowly frowned. "We found you in the forest."
"I didn't know where else to go."
"Did... Did Mom do this to you, Rhea? For breaking the rules of the Tribe?" Yang asked, and Rhea blinked. "Dad told me that he recognized the wounds. And Qrow told me more about the sort of person Mom is, where she is, what she's done... Did she do this?"
"... Yes." Rhea replied, looking away, her face set in a frown. "She did... I've been cast out. Raven controls the Tribe once more, and they will likely return to the old ways... I've failed."
"Rhea-"
"I have to warn Sienna Khan." It came out softly, and Yang's eyes widened. "Raven will start attacking the White Fang again. I have to make sure that they are ready."
"What?! Rhea, the White Fang-!"
"It was Adam Taurus' White Fang who attacked Beacon. I've dealt with Sienna - she wouldn't have approved of it in a million years... She and her followers in Mistral are innocent of what happened in Vale." Rhea looked up at Yang. "I'm afraid that one of the few things I didn't inherit from my mother was the ability to go against what is truly right... I have to, at the very least, warn Sienna of what's happened. She deserves the chance to protect her people."
"... It's nice to see you too, sis." Yang joked lightly, and Rhea rolled her eyes, drawing her scroll. She typed a quick message - Tribe lost to Raven. Not safe. - and sent it before looking back at her sister.
"It's a simple matter of priorities..." Rhea gave a weak smile. "And it really is good to see you, Yang." Slowly, Yang leaned over and wrapped her arms around Rhea, hugging her, and Rhea hesitated before stiffly hugging back. The dark-haired girl closed her eyes, frowning slightly, then sighed and deadpanned. "If you expect me to break down and cry over everything traumatic that's happened to me in the last several years and sob as I announce that I'm happy to be here or something-"
"Hey: no one's left who will think anything less of you for crying. Raven, she doesn't have to be anything to you anymore... You've just got family now, Rae."
"Rae?"
"Can't I have a cute nickname for my little sister?" Yang pulled away, beaming through tears. "I've got nearly eighteen years to make up for, don't I?" Rhea gazed at Yang for a moment, then gave a small smile.
"I suppose so."
"... Come on. Ruby and Dad are-"
"Dad?" Rhea's eyes widened. "Our... Our father is here?"
"Well, duh. This is our house."
"Yang, I... I don't know if I'm ready to meet him."
"Of course you're not ready. We've gotta get you in the shower, then you need to eat something."
"... Shower?" Rhea asked, raising an eyebrow. Yang blinked, surprised, then her eyes widened.
"Rae, where the Hell have you been living?!"
Rhea gazed into the bathroom mirror, frowning slightly as she brushed her long, wet hair out while Yang worked the hairdryer for her. She was wearing baggy blue jeans and a black t-shirt now, her feet and arms bare, and she felt strangely vulnerable. Yang had helped her re-apply her many, many bandages to her many, many wounds, and Rhea could safely say that she had never recieved such a beating before in her life.
"Your hair's real pretty." Yang finally spoke, looking into the mirror so that she could see Rhea's face. Rhea managed a weak smirk, looking up as well.
"Yeah, well... I'm very protective over it, so try not to-"
"You're protective over your hair?" Yang asked, surprised, then she grinned. "Me, too! I once trashed an entire nightclub because some sleezy guy touched it!"
"I blew up a warehouse." Rhea grinned, and the two actually started laughing. Yang looked up, still laughing.
"First time you ever punched a guy out-?!"
"He was a total whack-job! Definitely deserved it!"
"Ha!" The two continued laughing, not noticing a silver-eyed girl peering inside, looking shocked as she watched the two. "Damn, we're more alike than I thought!"
"Hmm." Rhea looked up at Yang, smiling lightly. "I suppose so. But, there are the differences in hair and eyes, and you're a bit taller."
"Yeah, but you're totally like me! Just a bit more edgy!"
"Edgy?" Rhea asked, deadpanning lightly as she crossed her arms. "Really?"
"Yeah." Yang replied simply, and Rhea rolled her eyes, giving a light grin. "And you probably don't make crappy jokes and puns."
"What?" Rhea raised a hand to her heart in mock disbelief, her eyes wide. "Sister, you insult my honor. I'll have you know that my jokes are pun-nomenal." Yang's jaw dropped, then she dropped the hairdryer, squealing in delight as she hugged her sister from behind.
"I looooooooove yoooooooou..!"
"Yang, t-that kinda hurts!"
"Sorry!" As Yang quickly let go and apologized to a pain-stricken but bemused Rhea, Ruby slowly smiled and closed the door, turning away and looking towards the kitchen. She blinked, then her smile grew as she ran down the hallway.
She had an idea.
Yang and Rhea made their way out of the bathroom, Yang hardly noticing as Rhea gripped her side and limped slightly, falling a bit behind.
"So, Dad and Qrow built this house before Ruby was born, and it sorta became a home for all of us." Yang began, Rhea looking up at her. "Qrow drops in whenever he's not on a job, and Dad and Zwei typically live her full-time."
"Z-Zwei?"
"Our dog. You saw him at Beacon, remember? The corgi."
"Oh."
"Yeah. It's actually decent-sized, but there ain't much of a tour. Just bedrooms, the kitchen, a few decks, and the TV room. If my teammate, Weiss, saw it - she'd probably call it a hovel."
"It's... It's hardly that, t-to me." Rhea managed, briefly pausing and leaning against one of the hallway walls, looking up at her sister. "I think this is the longest time I've spent in a shelter that wasn't a tent or cave."
Yang blinked, surprised, then turned and went to reply, smiling, only to blink and frown as she saw the condition that her sister was in. A moment passed, then Yang slowly frowned, walking over to her.
"Rae, you can ask for help-"
"I-I'm fine!" Rhea protested, standing up from the wall and frowning, her eyes lightly narrowed. "I can-" Rhea went to step forward, but she stumbled and fell forward, Yang quickly reaching out to catch her.
"Hey, hey." Yang chided, wrapping one of Rhea's arms around her shoulders. "Careful... Baby-steps, okay?" Rhea looked over at Yang, frowning, then sighed and accepted the help, the two continuing to make their way down the hall.
Yang helped Rhea down the stairs, which took them at least a minute or two, and Yang showed Rhea the TV-room before helping her move towards the kitchen. Yang led her sister inside, and they both blinked, surprised, to see a little cook working on something with the oven.
"... Rhea!" Ruby beamed as she noticed them, turning and holding the tray out. "I made cookies! Wanna try one?!" Rhea blinked, surprised, then raised an eyebrow.
"Cookies?" She asked, confused. Ruby and Yang blinked, then Yang suddenly forced Rhea to sit down in a chair, the blonde leaning over to look her in the eyes.
"Pizza."
"What's a-?"
"Tacos."
"Yang, what-?"
"Marshmallows."
"The Hell are-?"
"Spaghetti."
"Gesundheit."
"That's it!" Yang announced, standing up straight and looking over at Ruby, whose silver eyes narrowed as she nodded. Yang looked back at her younger twin, glaring. "Rhea, today is the day you learn how to live!"
"What are you talking about?"
"I'm talking about the fact that my little sister's never had REAL food!"
"I've had real food! I've had game-animals and birds, fruits, nuts, roots-"
"Have you ever even had bacon?!"
"What the Hell is bacon?"
"SHE MUST BE TAUGHT!" Yang announced, looking back at Ruby. "Chefs, to battle-stations!" Ruby saluted, her eyes narrowed as she raised a frying-pan.
"Aye-aye, Captain Yang!"
"Uh..." Rhea raised an eyebrow. "What the actual f-?" Yang shoved a cookie in Rhea's mouth, the black-haired girl blinking before chewing and swallowing. She blinked again, then her eyes widened. "What the-?!"
"QUICKLY, RUBY! THE BACON!"
Ruby, Yang, and Rhea sat around the kitchen table, Yang and Ruby laughing as Rhea reacted to the various foods that they made her try. Rhea wasn't a fan of cheese or squash, but she took to the baked goods, other vegetables, fruits, and meats like she hadn't eaten in years. Underneath the table, out of the sight of her sisters, she was scratching the head of a chubby black, white, and brown corgi with a red collar.
It was funny, Rhea thought as she gave a small smile, how much she was starting to like the little creature after only a short amount of time. She was a dog person, she decided, and she gave a small snicker as she imagined setting the little corgi on Adam and seeing how he'd react. Corgis were herding dogs, after all.
...
A chibi-Adam stood on a bench in a park, his eyes wide as a chibi-Zwei placed his front paws on the bench and barked at him, his tail wagging, and a chibi-Rhea pointed and laughed.
"You should see your face, because you look ridiculous!" She announced, and Adam looked up at her. "Good boy, Zwei!"
"Rhea..!"
...
Rhea chuckled, then she shook out of the fantasy, blinking in surprise. Just what kind of pain-meds had her family put her on?
"... What the heck is this?" Rhea suddenly asked, stunned as she gazed at a pink drink. "It's fantastic." Yang went to reply.
"Strawberry Sun-"
"Non-alcoholic strawberry lemonade." Ruby rolled her eyes. "It's Yang's favorite, and Yang always refers to everything by what it's called in a bar."
"You drink?" Rhea asked, surprised, looking over at Yang. Yang shook her head, crossing her arms and rolling her eyes.
"I wish... Do-?"
"No." Rhea shook her head, frowning. "While I've likely inherited the Branwen tolerance, I've made it a personal goal to never touch the stuff."
"Yeah, and... I'm not sure if the Branwen tolerance is intact."
"What do you mean?"
"It's likely been countered by the Xiao-Long intolerance." Yang replied, and Rhea raised an eyebrow. "One beer, and Dad passes out."
"... You're kidding, right?"
"Nope." Ruby shook her head, giggling. "Uncle Qrow used to put a drop of whiskey in his coffee whenever he wanted to take Yang and I to do something dangerous."
"But-" Yang butt in. "If Dad drinks exactly three-fourths of a bottle, Drunk-Dad comes out. He's an extremely happy and mischievous drunk, and because of the antics we've filmed, Ruby and I have three-thousand subscribers on Dust-Tube!" Ruby and Yang laughed, high-fiving, and Rhea blinked before giving a small smile. "And, speaking of Dad..." Yang's eyes went to the back door before going back to Rhea. "He's cutting wood, outside. Whether you go to him or he comes to you, you're going to talk to him, soon... And I know it would mean the world to him if you approached first."
"I..." Rhea's eyes widened, her hand leaving Zwei's head, then she looked down. "Could you-?"
"Nope." Yang shook her head, crossing her arms. "You need to go to him." Rhea blinked, then she closed her eyes.
"I wouldn't know what to say-"
"Introduce yourself." Ruby suggested, smiling kindly. "And just, I don't know... Talk."
"... Alright." Rhea managed to nod. She stood up, and Yang moved to help her, but the black-haired girl raised her hand, telling her to stay put. "I'll... I'll go and talk to him."
Rhea turned and limped over to the door, then she paused. She looked over, noticing a bottle of water on the counter, and she reached out and took it before opening the door, stepping outside, and closing the door behind her.
Ruby and Yang exchanged glances, Zwei tilting his head to the side as he watched his new friend leave. Then, Yang sighed, giving a small grin as she nodded in affirmation.
"She's got this."
Taiyang Xiao-Long swung an axe, bringing to down and splitting a piece of wood. He took a moment, wiping the sweat from his brow with his arm, thankful for the cool fall air, then he placed another piece of wood on the old tree-stump, lifting his axe and getting ready to split it. But then, a hand entered his vision, holding out a bottle of water.
"You... Look like you could use this." A voice announced quietly. Taiyang blinked, then sighed, shaking his head and grinning as he set his axe down and took the bottle, turning towards the voice.
"Thanks, Y-" Taiyang paused, his eyes widening as he looked down at the girl who stood before him. The bottle fell to the ground with a soft thud. "... Rhea?"
"I..." Rhea looked up at him, her eyes wide and her whole body tense. Then, slowly, she took a deep breath. "H-hello. I-I'm Rhea Yin Branwen, and I..." Why couldn't she speak? Why were her lips betraying her, her tongue unable to make proper sounds? "I... I-I..."
"I want to get to know them. I want to meet them, at least. If I could speak to them, even just once... I think it would be enough for me."
"... I'm sorry, for all of the trouble that I've caused." Rhea looked down, frowning. "I've been declared a traitor by my tribe. The longer I'm here, the more danger you'll be in. I should go." Taiyang blinked, surprised.
"Rhea, do you know who I-?"
"Yes." Rhea looked up at him, doing her damndest to keep her expression calm but serious. "I know that... I know that you're my f-father." Rhea looked around the yard, crossing her arms and hugging herself. "I-I know that this... This was the life - the home, the family - that Raven took from me, all those years ago... But that's the past." Rhea bowed her head, closing her eyes, trying to fight back the shockwaves of emotion rushing through her system and losing. "I-I may be your daughter by blood, but I don't expect anything from you. I-I mean, we're s-strangers." Rhea gave a weak laugh, glad that her hair hid her eyes as tears began to race down her face. "N-not that I'm telling you anything you d-don't already know. The one thing R-Raven ever told me about you was that b-blood meant n-nothing to you, when it came to f-family. Knowing and l-loving people made them f-family..."
"Rhea-"
"But, before I g-go, I just want to say this j-just one time..." Rhea managed, then she looked up, giving a bright smile even as the tears kept falling. "I-I'm glad that I m-met you, F-Father. I-I really-"
"Rhea." A hand rested on each of her shoulders, and Rhea blinked, surprised, as she realized that her father was crying, too... And smiling. That smile, his eyes - there was kindness in them like Rhea had never seen. Her tear-filled blue eyes widened as she realized that the blue was the exact same color as her own, and she became mildly perplexed, wondering how once could make blue seem so warm... "Raven really did twist your head around, kiddo... Blood means nothing to me because my friends are family to me just as much as people I'm related to are. Hell, how do you think I got stuck with Qrow?" Rhea blinked, surprised. "Kiddo... I always knew you'd turn out more like your mother than me, just like she knew that Yang would turn out more like me than her. But you know what?"
"W-what?"
"I'm your dad... And I've loved you from the moment you were born." Taiyang spoke quietly, and Rhea's eyes widened as he suddenly pulled her into a hug. Her whole body tensed, then slowly relaxed, the girl genuinely confused.
This hug, it wasn't like Raven's rare cold, stiff hugs or the comforting embrace that Adam would sometimes give out when they were children. It wasn't Yang's hug, which conveyed a sense of belonging - of having someone there who was at least a little bit like her -, or a hug from Ruby that made Rhea feel a strong urge to protect. This hug was warm and safe, and Rhea slowly closed her eyes as she hugged back, tears continuing to race down her face.
"D-Dad, I-"
"You're not going anywhere, kiddo... You're home, now. You're with your family. You're safe here, and you always will be... I'll fight Raven and that entire Tribe alone if I have to, and you know what? I'll win." Taiyang placed a hand on the back of her head, closing his eyes. "I'm never losing you, again."
...
There's a quiet place
In my embrace,
A haven of safety where
I'll dry your tears.
Shelter here,
In my care...
...
Well... Damn. XD
I threw some comedy in to help out with the angst of Rhea and Taiyang's first interaction and Rhea's injuries. That explains the whole "Ruby and Yang discover that Rhea's never had 'real' food" scene and Rhea's somewhat drug-induced daydream of chibis.
Now, I've opened up opportunity for Rhea to interact with her family for the first time. At least, before Ruby (and Qrow) bail and head for Haven.
Before I go, I'd just like to give a shout-out to Ninja Blake Belladonna, a friend of mine on RWBY Amino (join and follow me XD ). They're a fan of "A Tale of Twin Dragons", and offered me a lot of advice and feedback for this story, so I wanted to recognize that.
And give them some embarrassing, unwanted attention. I'm sorry!
... No, I'm not. I regret nothing! XD
I only own my OC. Please read, review, check out my other stories, JOIN RWBY AMINO FOR A REAL FUN TIME WITH CRAZY FANDOM-NERDS LIKE YOURSELVES ( XD ), etc. Thanks!