Ruby simply could not wait to get launch day started. She woke up bright and early, rolling out of her sleeping bag right as the first light of dawn started to seep in through the windows. As she did so she bumped into Pyrrha who had laid down facing the other way from her. Ruby was ready for an earful when the Redhead awoke but instead found her smile echoed. They shared a grin, holding back their laughter.
As quietly as they could they ran to the lockers, hopping over the still-slumbering bodies of their cohort, mock shushing each other as they went. Ruby could almost feel herself glowing, seeing her excitement being mirrored in the other girl. They barely made it through the doors of the locker room before they devolved into giggles.
The two of them felt like they were flying high, and it was a bit of a wonder. Ruby hadn't felt this at ease in a long time, years in fact. It was bizarre thinking that coming to Beacon would make her feel like this, and for Pyrrha it was much the same. They were both feeling a bit high on life, and that might have something to do with the fact they had been whispering to each other in the wee hours of the night.
They chatted about this and that as they pulled their clothes on, not worried about anyone walking in this early in the morning, when Pyrrha mentioned the word 'sponsored'.
"'Sponsored'?" Ruby repeated, her brows furrowed as she regarded Pyrrha with a measuring look. "Like a soccer player sponsored?" Ruby pulled a pose, her right foot forward, heel raised, hand on hip, the other in a pistol shape pointed towards the roof. "It's a straight shot", Ruby pointed her 'gun' at Pyrrha and mimed firing a round "to Ener-Max Sports Drink. The only green drink you need on the pitch." Ruby's face scrunched up. "I might have forgotten the last bit."
Pyrrha shrugged, "I've never even heard of Ener-Max? Maybe it's a Vale thing." She pulled her hair into a ponytail before putting on her tiara. "But yeah, I'm sponsored by a breakfast cereal." She smiled. "I've never tried it personally since it's Pumpkin flavoured. And chock full of sugar"
Ruby shivered at the thought. "Pumpkin flavoured breakfast." She considered it for a moment as she threw on her poncho. "I wonder if they have any at the Cafeteria."
It was Pyrrha's chance to shiver, "I think that it'd be embarrassing if that was the case." She rolled her neck before stepping out into the hall. "But if you want to find out I'm more than willing to get an early run at the dining hall?"
Ruby recognized the tone as one offering an invite, but she shook her head. "As much as I'd love to, I have a sister to re-unite with." Her tone was a bit hesitant as she spoke, and she ran her fingers through her hair to pull it away from her eyes. "I don't think this is going to be a quick conversation, I don't want you waiting up for me when I might wind up skipping breakfast."
Pyrrha's shoulders sagged a touch, but her smile remained genuine. "Try to grab something to eat, even if it's just some fruit." She gently placed a hand on Ruby's shoulder, hesitating partway through the motion. "You'll need your strength for the exam later."
Ruby laughed as she stepped forward to follow Pyrrha, brushing the hand off gently before showing a wide grin. "Why I appreciate the thought," she accented the words with a faux curtsy, "I'll be sure to grab some sustenance in the form of an apple or a couple grapes when I get back." She gave Pyrrha a short wave then disappeared in a gust of wind.
Yang was still trying to wake up when she found herself seated upright somewhere... Outside. Not one to panic, she lifted her arms out of her sleeping bag and stretched, letting out a long yawn. When she opened her eyes she saw the sunrise sweeping over the sky, magenta dominating the dark blue of dusk. Just a few feet in front of her, leaning against the fence that kept people from tumbling down the cliffside, stood a ghost.
Said ghost, whose hair was being gently shifted by the breeze, was regarding her with a look of uncertainty.
"This dream again, eh?" Yang sighed, pulling her legs from the sleeping bag and crossing them under her. "I thought that you'd disappeared after five years without you popping up again." She rubbed her eyes for a moment before a scowl set in. "I thought I moved on."
"Well I'd be pretty upset if you moved on, I've only been gone for nine years Yang." Ruby replied, her head tilted slightly. "It took me a long time to get here but-"
A half-snarl cut her off as Yang looked away, her shoulders hunched over. She couldn't stand to look at her. "How many times are we gonna have this conversation? When I was a kid you'd scream for me to run away, when I was training at Signal you'd scream for me to save you, then I get to Beacon and what, you want to talk?" Yang's eyes were filled with tears as she leveled a glare at Ruby. "I've moved on! I've been moved on! I've got friends now and I worked hard and I'm not scared!"
The ghost, whose expression fell to worry, took a step forward, only to pause when Yang recoiled from the advance, curling into herself.
"Yang, I don't know what you've been through since I've been gone." Ruby's voice was quiet, sincere as she knelt onto her knees and kept her eyes on her sister. "I've been so far away from here and I'm sorry, alright?" Yang didn't even deign her with a glance, so she continued. "I disappeared after a very... very stupid idea went really bad. I left you alone and I feel really, really terrible about it."
Yang sniffed, her eyes closed. This conversation was meaningless. Just another terrible dream.
"But really how can you be pissed at me for being a nightmare when I'm literally flesh and blood." Ruby sighed, crossing her arms as she leveled an offended look at her sister. "Like, this is the real world. You're not sleeping and if I was supposed to be a specter of your longstanding feelings of abandonment I'd be a zombie or something."
Ruby stood up, hands on her hips as she regarded Yang, whose eyes seemed to widen in recognition as she truly gave the ghost a real once-over.
"Tell me lil sis," the winds started to blow as Ruby spoke, swirling around the siblings, "when you dreamed, did I have a semblance?" The winds grew in intensity, whipping Yang's hair about as rose petals began forming in the air, dancing around their feet, brushing against her face. "Because I assure you, I'm the real deal." The winds reached a fever pitch, the petals swirling into a cyclone that blew up into the sky. Ruby reached her hand out towards Yang, her face wearing a crooked smile.
Yang's eyes teared up as she looked through the winds and the mild scent of roses. She'd had many dreams, but this... This was...
Yang held a shaky hand out towards Ruby, her fingers grasping towards what she'd lost years ago.
And then they were gone. Yang's eyes couldn't make sense of their surroundings as vertigo took over. Her eyes screwed shut as a peculiar sensation of falling set in her stomach. Just as she thought they might fall she felt a firm grip on her hand, squeezing reassuringly. Forcing her eyes open she looked up to see Ruby grinning down at her.
The pair were soaring (though an honest observer would say 'falling with a great degree of lateral velocity') over the Beacon campus. Yang's head whipped down as she watched the buildings below zip by. She could see people starting to exit the library and shuffle towards the cafeteria, though they looked pretty small from this height. The wind in her hair, the ground so far below... This was more like a fucking dream than what she'd seen in her sleep before.
Her vision was obscured again and a sudden tug of inertia signaled their change of direction. A half-moment later she found herself being carried by Ruby as they landed on the side of a tower, pigeons scattering and hooting as they saw the sisters incoming.
Yang found herself summarily dropped against the shingles of the roof, but her reactions caught up just in time to catch herself with her arm and set herself down gently. Ruby sat beside her, knees pulled up to her chest as she stared out at the distant rooftops of Vale. Yang's tongue tied itself in knots as she tried to think of what to say.
"So, am I real?" Ruby asked, a teasing edge to her voice. Her expression was soft as she smiled.
Yang held it together until her older sister gave her a wink. She threw herself at Ruby, wrapping her arms around her older sister's middle while sobbing into her coat. Yang tried to force the words out, but just found herself crying. It was too much. Ruby understood that however, and merely pat her sister on the back as they rocked back in forth.
Just below them, in Ozpin's office, a very different reunion was playing out. Qrow and Taiyang were eyeing each other with some apprehension, not used to being in the same room without there being a point of contention between the two of them. They'd exchanged curt greetings but were both waiting for Ozpin to make his arrival.
Qrow turned to look out one of the windows, taking in the morning with a deep breath. It was unlike Oz to summon him like this, usually he'd be given leave to roam the countryside on missions without any real interference.
He didn't even have time to reach for his flask when the elevator dinged. Both he and Taiyang watched as Oz, followed by Glynda walked into the room. The former offered them both a nod as greeting before taking a seat behind his desk and placing a scroll on the table.
"I know it's rather unusual for me to invite the two of you to Beacon like this, however this is something you should be told in person." Ozpin sighed as he regarded the two with a serious look. "To cut to the point as it were, Ruby Rose is alive."
"Bullshit." The word was out of Qrow's mouth before he could stop himself. His face contorted into a scowl. "Don't fuck with me Oz."
Ozpin tapped a button on his desk and a recording of Ruby's sparring match with Blake began to play. Both Taiyang and Qrow rushed to the desk to get a closer look, their eyes staring at the fight playing out between the two Huntsman hopefuls. They watched in silence for the duration of the bout, both unwilling to say anything too hopefuly.
The girl, this 'Ruby' was the spitting image of Summer, and she fought with all the same playfulness that Qrow did. The former was the only thing that really meant anything but it was enough. Silver eyes didn't lie.
"Where is she?" Tai stammered out, looking up at Oz, his eyes wide. "It's really her?"
Ozpin nodded, and Glynda cut in, "She confirmed it herself, her age fits and she knew who Qrow was. As difficult as it is to believe it's true. Ruby Rose indeed lives."
"But the matter at hand unfortunately isn't whether she's alive, it's that she's back." Ozpin continued, regarding the two men with an understanding look. "She specifically opted not to talk about what led her here." He bridged his fingers and closed her eyes. "She tested into Beacon through the combat exam you just watched. She had no credentials, she had no history, just a name, a weapon, and a semblance."
"There's time for questions later, where is she?" Qrow pressed, inching closer to Ozpin with his composure barely maintained.
"She's still in Beacon, probably getting ready for Breakfast as we speak." The headmaster relented, nodding towards the elevators. He gave up on continuing the conversation when both sprinted for the doors.
Jaune felt like he was making some headway on Weiss. He'd say something suave, throw in a bit of charm, and she'd get all embarrassed and say 'Oh shut up' or 'Can you leave me alone to talk to Pyrrha', or whatever. All those comics he'd read told him that girls played the hardest to get when they were feeling flustered, so he had to be doing something right. He did however cease his advances when she took a rather sharp knife and drove it into the table right beside his hand.
"Hey guys!" Came a familiar voice over the drone of the cafeteria. Jaune and company looked up to see Ruby and the Blonde from yesterday standing with their trays of food. "This is my sister Yang," the blonde smiled and waved, "Yang this ragtag bunch are a few of my friends; Jaune Arc, Pyrhha Nikos, and Weiss Schnee."
"I protest being called your 'friend'." Weiss huffed, crossing her arms and sidling closer to Pyrrha.
"Hey!" Yang said, smiling at the group and ignoring the Schnee. "D'you mind if my sister and I join you?"
"Not at all!" Pyrrha said with a grin, standing and waving for them to sit. She moved to the other side of Weiss, putting herself next to Ruby. "I was worried you wouldn't make it, you're cutting it a little close."
"There was an announcement a little while ago telling us to get ready for team selection." Jaune put a finger to his chin while he thought. "Something about meeting at a cliffside?"
"Just enough time to chow down." Yang laughed before tucking into her bacon and ham. "I've heard rumours about it, I don't wanna be spending six hours in the forest on an empty stomach."
"Just think of it as extra motivation to get you home." Ruby said through the apple she was crunching on.
"Don't eat with your mouth full." Pyrrha chided, leaning back in her seat on the bench. "We should take it seriously. It's likely that there will be Grimm to deal with and you can't be too safe."
"Oh I assure you I'm taking this seriously." Ruby laughed as she picked up a bowl on her tray and held it aloft for all to see. "I even grabbed some pumpkin cereal to keep me energized!"
The brunette nearly paid for her joke when she found herself grabbed around the midriff. She let out an 'eep' as she was hefted up by her waist off the bench and into the air, her feet kicking and nearly knocking her water over as she struggled against the hold.
"I'm gonna cut your nose off you-" Ruby's voice was cut off as she was turned around, and Jaune watched her get pressed against some guy's chest. The man, whose blonde hair reminded Jaune a lot of Yang's, looked pretty shell-shocked as he held on to the girl. Said girl was still swearing as she pushed herself away until she was standing on the bench, one foot balanced against the side of the table to keep her upright. "Who just grabs someone like that," she spluttered, brushing her face off before pointing a finger at the newcomer. Surprisingly, her words seemed to die right there.
There was a long pause before Ruby threw herself at the man, nearly bowling him over in the process. In fact, he had to take a step back, and nearly collided with the raven-haired man behind him who was watching carefully.
"Dad?" Yang asked, obviously surprised, as she stood up. "Uncle Qrow?"
"Hey kid." Said the raven-haired man. Ruby's dad maybe? He offered Yang a small wave as he stepped around the blonde to get a better look at Ruby. The blonde-haired man was starting to look a little red, and his breath was a little strained. "Whoa kid, Tai needs those lungs to breathe with."
Ruby's arms relaxed and Tai took a deep breath, chuckling a bit. "Damn. You grew up to be pretty strong." He stepped back a bit from Ruby, who stood up straight. She was just about as tall as he was, and with the thickness of her soles and their heel she was actually a smidge taller. "And pretty tall."
"Well, uh," Ruby was embarrassed at the comments, and let out a strained chuckle, "yeah I guess you could say that." Turning to Qrow she held up a fist, and Jaune could almost see a smile flicker on the man's face.
"What you're trying to get out of a hug with a fist bump?" Qrow scoffed, opening his arms wide. "You're missing out on a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for a hug from your Uncle Qrow."
"Psst, Jaune?" The blonde looked over to see Pyrrha motioning for him to get up. "We should probably go."
"Oh, uh, yeah." Jaune stammered, standing up and grabbing his tray. He cast another glance at the reunion happening at the other end of the table, then followed Pyrrha and Weiss to drop off their plates.
"Look, I know you two don't have much time before you guys have to get going." Taiyang said, doing well to keep his emotions at bay. Qrow watched him fumble for words and felt sympathy, he himself was lucky that he knew what questions he had and wasn't exactly the sentimental type. That didn't mean he didn't give his nieces their hugs in one of the most over-emotional displays he'd done in years.
"We have to go right now dad." Ruby sighed, she was looking around the room and Qrow could see all the students had filed out. "I'd love to talk but... well..."
"There'll be time for that later Kiddo." Qrow ruffled Ruby's hair a bit before stepping back himself to give the two girls room. "We'll see you after you're back, we can talk then." He put a hand on Taiyang's shoulder and gently pulled him back, and the father followed suit. "Be sure to stay safe out there."
"Of course." Yang grinned as she gave Ruby a faux punch on the shoulder. "I'll be keeping her out of trouble this time."
"Yeah, yeah." Ruby rolled her eyes before giving the two men a wide smile. Wind started to grow in the room, which surprised Qrow as the door wasn't open, but when rose petals started to fall he understood. "We'll be seeing you guys later."
With a peace sign and a wink, Ruby and Yang disappeared in a flash of red, the gust of petals rocketing out the door and outside, leaving the pair alone.
"It's her." Tai sighed, his void shakey. "It's definitely, absolutely, actually her."
"Summer Rose with a haircut and some serious upper body strength." Qrow agreed, chuckling. "I thought she was going to save you a visit to the chiropractor for a moment there."
Tai couldn't help the snort of laughter that escaped him and nodded. "She's grown to be... Different." He looked around the room and let out another sigh before looking at Qrow once more. "How do you feel?"
Qrow felt taken aback for a moment, feeling sheepish for a moment. He didn't like talking about his failures in the past, but it wasn't like he'd be able to run from this one anytime soon. "I feel like I want to apologize to her."
AN: Weekly update delivered on time, even while working on stuff for the HatM remake. So if you read that and for some reason were interested in it (say five years ago) know that I am planning on revisiting it. I have many plans, check my profile for a link to a pastebin about it.
I might edit this chapter a bit once I think about it, so when chapter five goes up you might wanna give this one a scan to see if its longer. Anywho, see y'all next week.