Ruby was already mesmerized by the Land of Departure before they even disembarked from the Gummiship. The tall, shining towers of the castle, tall spires of rock chained together with massive gold links, and the general pristine aesthetic were like nothing the young girl had ever seen. Taiyang was enraptured as well, his vanishing skepticism making way for wonderment. Kairi and Aqua were smiling at their guests excitement.
The only person who wasn't outright excited was the older sister. She could feel excitement in her heart, but it was suppressed by other things. She simply followed her father, her face blank, as they left the Gummiship and met with three other Keyblade wielders.
The first, a tall man with brown hair spiked upwards, wearing a hakama and armor down one arm introduced himself as Master Terra. Next, a man with silver hair and more casual appearing clothing introduced himself as Master Riku. Finally, the youngest wielder with spiked blond hair with a looser, more over designed outfit introduced himself as Ventus.
"Just Ventus?" Taiyang asked, "Not Master?"
"Not yet, but soon!" Ventus replied optimistically.
Taiyang smiled at the boy's energy. "So, this is where Ruby would train?"
Aqua stepped forward. "Why don't we show you around?" she suggested, "I'm sure we would be more comfortable discussing things inside."
Yang trudged up the back, sticking close to her father as she followed the group inside the massive doors to the castle. The inside wasn't any less opulent than the outside, prompting stares of wonder from Ruby and Taiyang.
"It's been so long since I first saw this place, I forgot how grand it really is," Aqua noted as they ascended one of the many staircases.
"And I would live here too?" Ruby asked.
"If all goes well, yes," Kairi answered.
The way she said this caught Taiyang's attention. Now that he believed them, he started thinking into the situation as a whole a little more closely. "So, are we heading to a conference room or something?"
"The library," Terra answered, "it should more than suit our needs."
The library, perhaps expectedly, was no less impressive than the rest of the building. More books than Ruby and Yang had ever seen. Taiyang thought it would even give Beacon a run for its money. And given they were on another world, they likely contained a variety of subjects the three of them had never heard of. There were plenty of reading tables, and the group seated itself around one of the larger ones.
"So," Aqua spoke first, "what do you think of our little world here?"
"It's beautiful," Taiyang told her, "Just how many Keyblade wielders have passed through this place?"
"I wouldn't know," Aqua admitted, "Eraqus never talked much about anything before Terra and My time here."
"Eraqus is your master?" Taiyang asked.
Aqua, Terra and Ventus suddenly shared this sad look. "He was our Master," Aqua corrected solemnly.
Taiyang caught on quickly. "Oh… I'm sorry."
"It's fine," Terra assured with a small smile. "He… was a great teacher. Till the very end."
A silence persisted. Taiyang eventually broke it, voicing his building concerns, "Is um… are the older Masters off with the other students somewhere? Like, on another world, or..."
Aqua sighed. She knew this would come up at some point, and wasn't looking forward to answering that question. "About that… there are other wielders off world, some on mission, others inactive as wielders. There's one other at master level, but the four of us here are the only official Masters currently."
"You see, there was a large threat not too long ago," Riku picked up, "Very large. It killed Master Eraqus, interrupted the cycle of Keyblade wielder training for over a decade, and nearly led to mass-scale destruction. Our 'Order', so to speak, was decimated. We're better off now than before, but still rebuilding."
"You may have noticed we seem a little eager to train Ruby," Kairi cut in. "She's actually the first prospect we've found since. Hopefully, by the time she's ready to start training, we'll have other students for her to train with."
Taiyang had begun to assume the situation was along those lines. "I do appreciate you being honest with me."
"It's important to us that you trust us," Terra admitted, "especially considering what we're asking."
The conversation continued on, and while Ruby hung on to every word, Yang began checking out. She eventually slipped out of her chair and began wandering the book shelves. It all was very incredible, she felt that. This morning she woke up in her normal bed in her normal house and had a normal routine. In the span of a few hours she was who knows how far away, on an entirely different world, learning about powerful warriors with mystical weapons.
But she also felt that this was all for Ruby's sake. She didn't know what she was doing here. They might as well have left her on Remnant with Uncle Qrow. Who apparently can't know about any of this. Also for Ruby's sake…
Yang idly grabbed a book of the shelf and flipped through a few pages. Something about an Age of Fairytales, a war over light, and the hearts of children, but she retained none of it. She was only going through the motions. She put that book back and took another down, still not really reading any of it. This cycle passed a few more times before being broken by Riku.
"There you are," the silver-haired Master caught her attention. "We noticed you had vanished. Is everything okay?"
Yang put her latest book back and responded, "I'm fine," in a very curt manner. She started walking away from Riku.
Riku quickly stepped around her front, getting on one knee to level his eye with hers. He had a little gold daimond in his hand. "Munny for your thoughts?"
Yang's curiosity got the better of her, and she picked up the little piece of metal. She turned it over in her hands. He called it 'money', but what shop accepts this?
"Well?" Riku asked, reminding Yang of the deal she just accidentally made.
Yang sighed, admitting defeat to herself. "I… don't know why I'm here."
Riku nodded. "Your wondering what makes your sister so special. Why don't you get a Keyblade, right?"
Yang looked away. She knew she shouldn't feel that way, that she should be happy for her sister. But Riku wasn't wrong.
Riku let himself shift backwards, sitting on the ground and resting his back against the bookshelf. "You know, I was jealous of my best friend once."
"But you have a Keyblade," Yang pointed out.
"It wasn't over the Keyblade," Riku countered. "This was way before that was in the picture. What I was jealous of was his heart."
"His heart?" Yang asked.
"Yeah. He was carefree, happy, and just… always seemed to know what was right," Riku explained. "I was stronger than him, faster than him. But somehow, I still never felt like I measured up. It led to a divide between us."
Yang sat next to Riku, still playing with the metal 'money' in her hand. "How did you get over it?"
"I didn't. I allowed that darkness fester in my heart," Riku answered, "and I made many mistakes. We ended up fighting, and after, I was lost in darkness. It was only after all of that, that I tried to atone. And that took over a year for me to do. Don't make my mistake."
Yang thought over Riku's words. She definitely didn't want to fight Ruby. She loved her sister. And being 'lost in darkness' was both vague and frightening. But still, "I don't understand why I don't get a Keyblade. Can't you give me one?"
"Even the Inheritance Ceremony doesn't guarantee someone a Keyblade," Riku informed her. "It's a living weapon made from one's own light."
"I should have plenty of light?" Yang pressed.
Riku frowned, but decided to try something. Getting back up on one knee, he placed a hand on Yang's shoulder, closed his eyes, and tried to probe the young girl's heart. He felt plenty of light, yes, as well as conflict, which was no surprise given their conversation. But there was just something missing. Riku opened his eyes.
Yang didn't have to ask, she just hung her head. "But why…?"
"Maybe because you have a different job to do?" Riku suggested.
"What job?" Yang asked.
"To be your sister's foundation," Riku explained.
"Her what?" Yang was confused.
"It's true that your sister is up for something amazing and powerful," Riku began, "but it's also a heavy and dangerous burden. There will be times when she doubts herself. When she falters. There may even be times where she risks losing herself to the darkness, like I did. If she does, it'll be your job to pull her back, get her on her feet, and push her forward. To remind her what she's trying to protect."
"So… She won't be all powerful," Yang understood, "and it's my job to be strong for her when she's weak."
"Exactly," Riku smiled, "and that's just as important as fighting on the front lines, wouldn't you say?"
Yang thought for a moment and smiled.
"Yang!" Ruby's voice came from behind Yang, "Dad, I found Yang!" Ruby ran up to her blonde sister. She stopped a little short. "Hey, are you okay?"
Yang's smile widened and she drew Ruby into a deep hug. "Your going to be a great Keyblade wielder. And I promise, I'll be there for you if you ever need me."
Ruby hugged her sister back. "Thank you, Yang."
Yang noticed their father appear with everyone else. "She is going to be a Keyblade wielder, right dad?" the blonde asked.
"That's up to Ruby," Taiyang told them.
"I wanna do it!" Ruby jumped in place.
"Ruby," Taiyang knelt down to Ruby's eye level, "you understand what this will mean right? If your Keyblade manifests, you'll be moving here, away from us. And Yang and I won't be able to just drop by and visit. You'll be training for something greater than yourself, but it's not without sacrifice."
"Huntsmen sacrifice too, right?" Ruby pointed out. "I want to protect people. And this way I'll protect more people! I wanna do it!"
Taiyang sighed. He didn't necessarily like her decision, but he still smiled at his daughter's bright spirit. Maybe that's the 'heart's light' these people seem to hold dear. "All right, Rubes. If this is what you want."
Yang watched while Ruby celebrated, this time with a smile. Feeling something in her hand, she looked down to see the 'money' Riku had given her. If Ruby forgets her job, it's my job to remind her. That means I can't afford to forget my job. Yang decided to mentally imprint this memory onto the small piece of metal. She closed her fist around it as she vowed to keep her promise.
A twelve year old Ruby landed hard on her back. A wooden practice sword fell from her grip as she caught her breath. After catching her breath, she continued to lie on the ground until a hand entered her vision. "C'mon, Rubes. How are you supposed to be an almighty space-cop if you can't stay on your feet?" Yang teased. Ruby groaned, taking her sister's hand hesitantly. Yang pulled the redhead to her feet.
The pair were in their backyard at home in Patch. Kairi had let Ruby borrow some beginner books from the Land of Departure. One of them was based on basic combat stances and techniques. After reading it, Ruby insisted Yang help her train. However, in recent months Yang could sense a hesitance from her sister whenever the blonde suggested they pick up the practice swords.
Yang idly fondled the munny she had put on a bracelet (she learned the proper spelling for the currency while helping Ruby through one of the books a few years ago), thinking about Ruby's current mental struggle. "Hey, let's take five, yeah?"
"Sure," Ruby grunted, stepping over the practice sword without a second thought toward it.
Yang picked it up for her. "You feelin' okay, Rubes?"
"Yeah," Ruby answered shortly, collapsing on one of the porch chairs by the back door.
"Ruby," Yang warned, "be honest."
Ruby sighed, hanging her head. "I just… is this all really worth it?"
"What do you mean?" Yang sat down next to her, "Everybody falls occasionally, don't let it get you down."
"It's not just that," Ruby told her.
"Then what?" Yang pressed. Ruby stayed quiet. "How am I supposed to be here for you if you don't talk? C'mon. C'moooooon." She grinned, "do I have to tickle it outta ya?"
Ruby's eyes widened. "Yang, no!"
"Yang, yes!" the blonde tackled her sister onto the ground and immediately targeted her sides. Ruby began laughing uncontrollably as Yang set to work. "C'mon, Ruby! C'mon! C'mon c'moc c'mon!"
"Hahahaha! Haha! Fine ha!" Ruby blurted out between fits of humor, "hahaha fine, fine, fine! Just let me goohohooohaaaa!"
Yang smirked in victory and backed off, leaving Ruby on the ground. She waited for her sister to regain her composure before pressing again. "So?"
Ruby sighed. "I just… why am I still doing all this? What if we're wrong?"
"Wrong about…?" Yang led on.
"The Keyblade!" Ruby finally vented. "What if we're all wrong!? What if I never really get one!? It's been seven years..."
"So I'm sure you're due any day now," Yang shrugged.
"I'm serrriousss!" Ruby whined.
"Alright, Ruby," Yang nodded. "Don't your books talk about the 'heart' all the time? The source of your light, where the Keyblade comes from, all that?"
"Yeahh…?" Ruby sat up.
"When's the last time you listened to your heart?" Yang asked. "Like, really listened? What does it say?"
"I don't know..." Ruby grumbled.
"Well, stop grumbling and listen to it!" Yang insisted.
She watched her sister think for a moment before closing her eyes and holding one hand over her chest. Yang could have sworn she saw a light underneath her sister's palm. Suddenly, Ruby stood and rushed inside the house.
Yang fondled the munny a bit more while she waited for Ruby to come back. And she knew Ruby was coming back. She had studied those books nearly as much as Ruby had, for any advantage she could use to help her sister. She still felt a pang of jealousy from time to time, knowing she would never experience any of what she read for herself. But she knew now there was no point in holding onto those feelings. She didn't care about being the savior of the world at large, as long as she was still important to her sister.
Ruby emerged from the house and opened one of the books onto the nearby patio table. "There's the position I'm trying to use… Okay, looking at this diagram, I think my stance isn't low enough. Maybe other, smaller things too." She picked up her practice sword, flourishing it with renewed energy. "Well, Yang? You ready to go? I won't be an almighty space-cop if I can't stay on my feet, right?"
"Too right, Ruby!" Yang smiled widely and picked up the other wooden blade. She may never get her own Keyblade, but she was beyond proud of the job she had.