Got this idea in my head after watching the RTX clip and it wouldn't leave me alone until I wrote it down. Obviously, spoilers ahead if you haven't seen it yet. This is slightly AU from the canonical series of events. Enjoy!
When they find Ruby on the beach, sprawled lifelessly in the sand, Yang's heart nearly stops.
Her sister looks—dead. Her skin is ghostly pale, standing out starkly against the damp sand. She doesn't respond as they approach her, not even twitching at the sound of their hurried footsteps, her body limp and motionless.
Not to mention the dark, handprint-shaped bruises on her neck, contrasting sharply with her deathly pallor. Yang feels a burning rage bubbling up inside her at the sight.
Someone had tried to strangle Ruby.
She collapses to her knees next to her sister, barely hearing Blake's startled gasp or Weiss frantically calling Ruby's name. She's too busy checking her sister for any signs of life.
Relief washes over her in a tidal wave as she notices the slight movement of Ruby's chest as she breathes in and out, subtle but steady. Her sister's pulse is quick and thready but there.
She's alive. Yang thanks whoever is listening for what feels like a minor miracle.
"Is she—" Blake asks hesitantly, cutting herself off as she kneels next to Yang in the sand, as if she too can't bear the thought of the alternative.
"Yeah," Yang assures her, the tension in her shoulders easing a bit as she sighs. "She's alive, just unconscious."
"Thank goodness," Weiss murmurs, trying and failing to find an elegant way to join them in crouching next to Ruby in the damp sand. With a huff, she relents, wrinkling her nose as she takes a seat next to her partner.
It's the second-most disheveled she's ever seen the ex-heiress.
But none of that matters right now, as Yang leans over her sister, gently tapping her face to try wake her up. It takes a few attempts, but eventually, one of Ruby's hands twitches slightly, her face scrunching up as her eyelids flutter.
"That's it. C'mon, Rubes, wake up," she says, a fond smile spreading across her face.
She's expecting Ruby to be a bit confused and out of it as she wakes up. However, she isn't expecting the look of absolute terror that spreads across her sister's face as she notices Yang hovering over her, or the fearful look in her eyes as she flinches away from her.
"Ruby, hey, it's okay, it's just me!" she says, hastily trying to reassure the younger girl.
Ruby doesn't seem to hear her, batting weakly at Yang's hands and attempting to shove her sister away from her, letting out a terrified shriek as she tries to get away.
Or, she attempts to, anyway. It comes out as more of a hoarse squeak that immediately sends her into a fit of coughing. Ruby jerks away, attempting to muffle it into her shoulder. Yang places a hand on her shoulder to steady her, but immediately snatches it back when Ruby flinches again, shuddering at her touch. "Ruby?" she asks, sounding confused and more than a little hurt.
"Ruby," Blake says, keeping her voice soft and her tone gentle. When Ruby's gaze abruptly shifts to her, her eyes going wide, she continues. "It's okay, Ruby. It's just us."
"We're your team." Weiss smiles at her. "You're safe with us."
"Please, Ruby," Yang practically begs her. "You're okay now." She squeezes Ruby's hand, and this time, her sister doesn't pull away from the contact.
Ruby blinks up at the three of them, looking dazed. "Guys?" she mumbles. Her voice is weak and rough. It makes Yang's throat hurt just listening to her. "'re really here?"
"We're really here," Blake tells her, her smile as gentle as Yang has ever seen it.
Ruby's eyes well up with tears, but she's smiling slightly now, the terror fading from her expression. "'kay. 'm glad."
Now that her sister isn't panicking anymore, Yang is desperate to know what happened to her. She'd jumped in front of that blow earlier to protect her sister, and somehow Ruby had still ended up down here, looking half-dead. She needs to know who did this to her sister so she can give them a beatdown. "Who did this to you?" she demands.
Ruby jolts slightly at her sharp tone. Yang winces, opening her mouth to apologize. But Ruby responds first. "N-neo," she manages to stutter out, before her voice cracks and she trails off coughing once more.
Fury blooms in Yang's chest at the name. Blake looks equally outraged, but she manages to keep her anger out of her voice as she says "You probably shouldn't talk right now. Give your throat a chance to heal."
Ruby nods tiredly. Some of the color has come back into her face, but she still looks exhausted and pale, her face pinched with pain.
"We should get out of here," Weiss announces. "Ruby, do you think you can walk?"
As it turns out, Ruby can't walk. She almost falls over after the first few steps, shaky and weak with exhaustion and leaning heavily against Yang as she walks beside her. "You okay?"
"'m fine," Ruby insists even as she sways on her feet, barely able to keep her eyes open.
"Sure you are," Yang snorts. At least her sister's stubbornness is fully intact. "C'mon, up you get," she tells her sister as she helps her up onto her back. "You good?"
"Mhm," Ruby murmurs, her breath warm against Yang's neck as she slumps heavily against her sister.
"Good. Now let's catch up to the others."
Neo is going to pay the next time Yang sees her. No one hurts her sister and gets away with it.
Thank you for reading! Please leave a review if you liked it.