Finally finished another thing! Enjoy.
It's been a long time since Ruby's been home.
The day she left for Haven with the rest of team RNJR feels like it happened an entire lifetime ago, to a completely different person. She's learned so much, met so many different people, and been so many places. So much has changed since she left. She's changed so much since she left.
They all have, she thinks, glancing at Yang standing next to her.
Despite how—unbelievable—the past couple of days have been, somehow it's the sight of her childhood home that Ruby has a harder time believing is real. She blinks several times in the bright sunlight, half expecting the cozy little house to disappear like the illusion it seems to be. Nope, still there.
For a long moment, the two of them just stand there on the path leading up to their house, frozen in place, staring in disbelief at the place they'd grown up. Ruby had never really dared to think about it, but at a few particularly disheartening moments along their journey she'd found herself doubting that she'd ever get to go home at all.
Their reverie is interrupted after a minute or two by Raven, who clears her throat loudly before shoving both of them towards the house. "Oh, quit standing around and get inside already! Tai has been worried sick about you, and he's been driving me up the wall."
Trance broken, the two of them stumble forwards until they reach the front door. Yang glances back at Raven, who hasn't followed them. "You're not going to come with us?"
Raven purses her lips. "I'll join you in a bit. Wouldn't want to interrupt the touching family reunion." She turns away, tossing her hair over her shoulder. "Besides, I still have a few things to check on." She doesn't bother to elaborate further, and with a swish of her cloak, she vanishes, soaring up towards the sun on black wings.
The two sisters exchange a glance, hesitating for a long moment on the doorstep as they gather up the courage to go inside. Ruby knocks lightly on the door. The gesture seems terribly loud in the tense silence.
Less than a second later, the door swings open. "Raven?" Ruby hears her father call before the door is even open all the way. His eyes go wide in a way that might have been funny if it hadn't been their first time seeing the two of them in over a year. "Girls!" he exclaims, before rushing forward and pulling them both into a tight hug. "Thank the gods. I've been so worried."
He looks—older than the last time Ruby saw him, the lines around his mouth and eyes more noticeable. It's suddenly hard to swallow around the lump in her throat. "Hi, dad," she manages to choke out, hugging him back as tightly as she can.
"Hey, dad," Yang echoes her, sounding similarly choked up. For a long moment, nothing matters besides the fact that the three of them are together again after so long. It almost feels like a miracle.
Eventually, he releases them, and Ruby and Yang try to catch their breath. (Yang came by her suffocating bear hugs honestly.) "How did you two get here? The broadcast that went out showed that you were in Atlas. That's a long way from here. Not that I'm not happy to see you but—what happened?" he asks in a rush.
It figures that Raven would leave them to make the explanations by themselves.
"Well, you see—we were—and then Raven—" Ruby manages to stutter out.
"Atlas was—and then we—and then mom showed up—" Yang isn't having any more success than Ruby is.
"It's kind of a long story," they finish in unison.
"I can see that," their father says, smiling tiredly. "Well, why don't we discuss it over some food? I imagine that it's been some time since you two last ate."
As if on cue, both of their stomachs grumble loudly. Their dad laughs. "Follow me to the kitchen. I'll see if I can rustle up something for the three of us."
Ruby has to think to try to recall the last time she had a proper meal. That's probably a not a good sign.
By the time she and Yang have gotten through most of the important details of what's been happening since they left—and most importantly, what was going on it Atlas before they left—the two of them have made their way through a truly impressive amount of food. Weiss would be properly horrified.
"I wish I could say that I would never have expected Ironwood to do something like that, but unfortunately I can't," their father says sadly, staring down at the table. "His intense focus was always a double-edged sword It could be incredibly useful, but it could also be incredibly dangerous, keeping him from seeing the whole picture." He sighs heavily, before glancing up at them and smiling. "I'm proud of you girls. It sounds like the two of you have done some extraordinary things on your journey. You've fought hard to protect Remnant."
Ruby is already shaking her head. "Not really. We still haven't come anywhere close to defeating Salem."
"We've barely managed to keep ourselves alive," Yang agrees. "We can't keep going like this."
"That's because the two of you, and your friends, have been fighting a battle that was never meant to only be fought by only a few people. Salem and her enemies are incredibly powerful, and the reason we've been struggling to fight against her for so long is because our forces have been so much more limited than hers. But that's going to change, and it's all thanks to you."
Ruby is startled when she realizes that he's looking right at her. "Me?" she squeaks, startled.
Her father nods. "Yes, you. I know that you had help getting that broadcast out, but that message changed everything. People know about Salem now. They know what we're fighting against. And although that might have been frightening for them to hear, it also means that they can help. You aren't fighting this battle on your own anymore."
She hadn't thought about it like that. "Really?" she asks quietly. "I was sure that I'd failed to accomplish anything with that broadcast, when no one came to help. You're saying that it helped?"
"It did," her father reassures her. "Although it took some time, people all over Vale have been rallying since the broadcast went out, getting ready to head to Atlas to help and join the fight. I expect that it's the same in the other nations as well. I was getting everything ready to leave here as well, but I sent Raven to go and check on you two, since I figured you'd be together. And I'm glad I did. It sounds like the situation there has deteriorated even further. They'll need all the help they can get."
"Well that's not going to do much good, now, since there's nobody in Atlas right now," Yang says with a sigh.
"What happened with that?" their father asks, looking concerned. "You hadn't mentioned that part yet."
The two of them exchange a glance before explaining the plan to save the people of Atlas and Mantle by evacuating them to Vacuo, and the details surrounding it. "Fascinating," their father muses. "So Raven found the two of you in Vacuo, then?"
Once again, Ruby finds herself glancing over at her sister. "Not exactly," she says hesitantly."
"We didn't make it to Vacuo," Yang chimes in. "We—fell, during the fight with Cinder, and we ended up on this weird island."
"Raven found us while we trying to find our way back," Ruby finishes for her sister.
For a moment, their father looks shocked and horrified, instead of merely concerned, but Ruby blinks and he once again looks worried and thoughtful. "Well, I'm very glad that she found you two when she did, and brought you back here safe."
"Me too."
Ruby wholeheartedly agrees, which makes what she has to say next even more difficult. "I am too. But we can't stay here. We have to go back and help the others. Our friends could be in danger."
"Ruby's right," Yang says reluctantly. She looks about as happy about it as Ruby feels—not at all. The idea of leaving safety when they've finally found it after so long seems cruel, but they have no choice. They can't sit around and relax when people need their help.
Their father opens his mouth to respond, but he's interrupted by another, unexpected voice. "You two really are Summer's girls."
All three of them jump slightly in their seats, whirling around to see none other than Raven Branwen standing in the doorway. "You've got to stop doing that," their father says, slumping back in his chair with a sigh. Raven simply smirks. "But you're right, Summer would be so proud of you two."
"So you'll take us back?" Ruby asks, glancing over at Raven.
This time, it's their father who interrupts Raven. "She will," he agrees. "But not now." He continues before they can protest. "You're both exhausted. You need to rest if you're going to be any good to help anyone. Stay the night here, that's all I'm asking. You two need to get some sleep, and I want just one more night with both my daughters safe, and under my roof. Please?"
"Fair enough," Ruby replies, gently stroking the head of a sleepy Zwei who's been sleeping in her lap for most of the discussion. "Will you be coming with us?" she asks her father.
"I will," he confirms, and Ruby grins at him.
"What about you?" Yang asks Raven, who gives her a slightly sour look.
"I might as well," she says with a heavy sigh. "After all, I'm your ride to get back there, and I suppose I'd never hear the end of it if I didn't stay and help."
"No, you wouldn't," Yang and Tai agree in unison.
So it's settled, then. They'll spend the night her in Vale, and then in the morning, Raven will create a portal to take them to join Qrow and the others in Vacuo.
"I hope that the others will be okay while we're gone," Ruby murmurs, staring up at the ceiling in the darkened room.
"Me too," Yang replies quietly. Without really discussing it, they'd both ended up sleeping in Yang's room, with Zwei curled up between them. Neither of them are used to sleeping on their own anymore. "But there isn't anything we can do about it now."
"I know." Ruby shuts her eyes and tries her best to clear her mind. The sooner she falls asleep, the sooner she'll be able to wake up and go to Vacuo and get back to the rest of her team. But despite now tired she is, her mind is still buzzing with thoughts.
Eventually she drifts off to the sound of her sister's quiet breathing.
The next morning dawns bright and clear. Both Ruby and Yang are up at an early hour, even without an alarm. They rush to get ready, joining their father in the kitchen for a hurried breakfast. Just as they're finishing up, Raven arrives, grumbling about the early hour. "You kids ready or what?"
Ruby glances around the house as they leave, doing her best to commit everything to memory. She has no idea when she'll be able to come home again.
The three of them—Ruby, Yang, and their father, plus Zwei—stand in a loose half circle while Raven draws her sword, her face creased with concentration. She swings it, and immediately a swirling black and red portal appears beside her. "Well? Go on then."
Out of habit, Ruby is the first one to step forward, followed by Yang and her father. Zwei jumps into her arms and she clutches him to her chest as she steps through. She glances back at her father and sister one last time before they vanish.
She takes a deep breath. Next stop, Vacuo.
Thank you for reading! Please leave a review if you liked it.
Might continue this AU eventually if I get the motivation.