Phew, this one took a while. After a minor case of writer's block, I've managed to finally work out how to write this. Chapter 5 is a ways away yet, so don't ask for it. I try with updates, but I'm not at my computer 24/7. I need sleep and time to myself too, you know.
Chapter 4: Saying Goodbye
The buxom blonde brawler slipped her yellow helmet off, shaking her head and letting her voluminous locks fall freely from her scalp, where they had been bunched up. Her lavender eyes squinted, not quite used to the harsh sunlight overhead. Scanning the area, she saw several students saying goodbye to their parents, friends, and other assorted loved ones.
Her name was Yang Xiao Long, recent graduate of Signal Academy.
She smiled at the scene before her: the docked airship being prepped for departure, with new students saying goodbye to their parents, while their luggage was loaded onboard. Her father and her younger sister had seen her off back home. Her dad had given her her bags, along with a hug, telling her how proud he was, and she said goodbye to her beloved sister. Though while she was hugging the young girl (and crushing her lungs in the process), she could have sworn that a knowing smile had crossed across her face.
"Yang? You ready to go?"
Yang spun around to find a familiar face: Professor Qrow Branwen, her favorite teacher, and maternal uncle. He was one of her old teachers back at Signal Academy, and the second of two scythe-wielders Yang knew, the other being her sister, Ruby. Qrow had taken Ruby as his personal apprentice, helping with her combat skills, assisting her with managing her weapon, and acting as a second father. A cold wind was blowing over the dock, causing Qrow's tattered maroon cloak and his spiky greying hair to flap in the wind.
"Hi, Uncle Qrow! What are you doing here? I thought you were meant to be teaching at Signal today!" Yang wrapped her arms around Qrow's midsection, squeezing him in a tight hug, and grimacing at the scent of alcohol. A gasp elicited from Qrow's lips as the life was crushed out of him. When he managed to get some oxygen into his lungs, he stroked Yang's hair, the stench of whiskey still strong in her nose.
"I just wanted to see you off, Yang. I won't see you for a while, and I was worried I'd miss you. Besides, I have the day off, and your father had a surprise for you." Qrow explained, prying himself free of the death grip Yang was inflicting on her. Yang looked up at him quizzically, and folded her arms across her chest, a sly smirk on her face.
'What do you mean, Uncle Qrow?' Yang asked innocently. Knowing Uncle Qrow, he'd probably have a weapon mod, or some special Dust packets, or even a book of puns. Qrow always teased her about her lame jokes, saying that some things truly ran in the Xiao Long blood. But before Qrow could answer, she felt a tap on her shoulder. Turning around, she was shocked to see...
"RUBY?!"
"Hey, sis! You thought you could ditch me, huh?" her younger sister smiled. Yang was flabbergasted: Ruby had another two years at Signal to go before she could apply for Beacon Academy! How in the name of Grimm did she get accepted to Beacon 2 years early?
"Yeah, you're probably wondering what I'm doing here. Well, turns out..." She took a deep breath, and launched into a fast paced spiel about the attempted robber y at the Dust shop, how she single handedly foiled Roman's plans, and how Professor Goodwitch had stepped in to help out, followed up with Professor Ozpin, the Headmaster of Beacon, offering her a place in the academy.
"Jeez, sis. One, get some oxygen before you pass out. Two, THAT'S AMAZING!" Yang shouted, while pulling Ruby into one of her patented crushing hugs. As Ruby grunted in pain, Qrow smiled. He always loved how the two sisters showed so much love for each other. Whenever Ruby was in trouble, Yang was always there to bail her out. And when Yang was in over her head, Ruby would be right behind her to save her from the mess.
The airship emitted a low noise: the 5-minute warning before the transport left for Beacon Academy. Yang let go of Ruby, and dashed to her motorcycle, mounting it, and softly wheeling it into the cargo bay. Ruby scratched her head, following her.
"You're not bringing Bumblebee, are you?" she asked nervously. Yang laughed.
"Well, why not?"
"Because I remember the last time I rode on that thing! You ever heard of a thing called a 'handbrake'?"
Yang gasped melodramatically, and caressed her two-wheeled beauty with both hands.
"Don't wisten to a ting the cwazy wed girl says, sweetheart. She didn't mean it." Yang whispered, as if she would be soothing a 3 month old baby. Ruby sighed irritably. Ever since Yang had built her customized Voidmaw Oppress motorbike, with a Dust powered supercharger, neon backlit panels, and high-end gear ratio, she had been a little... obsessed with it. Almost to the point that teetered between obsessiveness and insanity. Once, someone left a barely noticeable scratch in the right panel. The guilty party was found in a bloodied heap, bones broken, burns on 65% of his body, and several other injuries.
The cargo ramp slowly raised up, leaving a small gap between the ship and the dock. At this point, Yang noticed Ruby had forgotten something.
"Uh, sis? Did you remember your weapon?" Yang asked. Ruby felt where Crescent Rose was normally placed, and her eyes grew as wide as dinner plates.
"Aw man! I must have left it with Uncle Qrow!" she cried. And before Yang could blink, Ruby had disappeared in a cloud of rose petals, moving like the wind to the closing cargo ramp. Leaping off of the edge, she dashed to Uncle Qrow, who was holding her beloved weapon in his hands.
"My sweetheart! Don't ever leave my side again!" Ruby sighed lovingly as she cuddled the rifle. Qrow cleared his throat, and Ruby looked up. Suddenly remembering where she was supposed to be, she turned around and ran for the departing airship, sliding her weapon onto the small of her back. By now, the gap was a yawning chasm, and even though Ruby had her speed, it was unlikely she could make the jump. Nevertheless, she leapt, screaming her lungs out. She began to fall, just short of the ramp.
"YAAAAANNNNNGGGG!" Ruby screamed in terror. Yang dashed to the edge of the ramp and reached for her sister's flailing arm, her hair billowing in the wind, a look of worry frozen on her face.
"Do you sense that?"
"Sense what?"
"The changing of the guard. Our promised warrior is to arrive."
"Legends. You are merely grasping at fairy tales and stories. Ancient manuscripts that have no weight in an argument."
"Yet, I feel their presence. They enter our world anew."
"Such anomalies will not slip by unnoticed."
"You and I knew this would be a consequence. What other choice do we have?"
For some strange and incomprehensible reason, the wind seemed to change direction. But not something as subtle as from north to south. Rather, an incredibly strong updraft, whirling from the chasm beneath. Ruby soared up, using her cape as a makeshift parachute, catching the drift, and rising into Yang's arms. Straining, she pulled her sister up the ramp, just as it snapped closed. The two tumbled down back to the ground, landing in a heap.
Ruby laughed, as did Yang after a few moments. Neither could believe what had just happened. Still laughing, they untangled themselves and skipped up to the cabin. Given what the two sisters had just went through, anything else that Fate dared to throw at them would be child's play.
Back on the docks, Qrow looked to the sky, as if searching for something. He had felt the disturbance in the wind. He pulled his hood up, and walked back to his car. Upon entering it, he pulled out his scroll, and began typing incessantly. Ozpin needed to know what had just happened. If what the manuscripts said was true, then the events that would come in the next few months would herald Remnant's salvation... or it's destruction.
Not my best work, but this was done in the space of about two hours. And yes, there will be more non-canon chapters of RWBY. I only put this in to establish the sisterly dynamic between Ruby and Yang. Also, Uncle Qrow! That's got to be worth something, right?