Yeah this is kind of a mess but whatever. Set right after Weiss and Yang join the others in Haven. Enjoy!


This wasn't the end of the discussion, Yang was sure of it.

After all, in all her years growing up with Ruby, Yang could count on one hand the number of times that her sister had given up on getting to the bottom of something she was truly concerned about. Ruby just can't let things go when it comes to helping the people that she cares about. It's a trait that makes her a great teammate and team leader, and a very caring friend. It's an integral part of her personality.

It can also be exasperating.

So Yang braces herself for more discussion of Blake, about how she must have had a good reason for leaving like she did. For more talking about Yang's feelings on the whole thing. For Ruby to refuse to drop the subject even when she's snapped at multiple times to leave it alone. As much as Yang knows that it's just her sister trying to help, she doesn't want to talk about it right now. Blake leaving her was an unhealed wound, still raw and sensitive. She doesn't want to rip it open again.

But, to her surprise, Ruby doesn't do any of that. She doesn't bring up Blake again, doesn't try to defend her actions, doesn't talk about how nice it would be to have all of team RWBY together again. There's no attempt to get Yang to talk to her about how she's feeling.

If anything, Ruby seems to be avoiding her and Weiss.

It's subtle, not outright, but definitely noticeable if you're paying enough attention. Ruby's quick to pair off with Jaune or Ren or Nora or even Oscar before Weiss or Yang when they practice sparring in the dojo. She gravitates towards sitting with the members of team JNPR at mealtimes. Even in their downtime, she seems to prefer handing out with the others over the members of her own team, chatting with Jaune or Nora or reading quietly with Ren.

Sure, she'll still talk to them or sit with them if Yang or Weiss initiates it, but other than that, Ruby seems much happier away from her teammates than with them. And as nice as it is to see how much Ruby has grown up since they started at Beacon, it still hurts to see. It hurts to have her sister shy away from her after being apart for so long.

They need to have a talk, as much as she hates to do that sort of thing. Something's clearly up with Ruby, and Yang still feels a little better for snapping at her the other day. She'll apologize, Ruby can get whatever it is off her chest, and things can go back to normal. A straightforward plan.

The last straw comes when she and Weiss wake up a few days after their arrival in Haven to a deserted house. They exchange a panicked look before rushing downstairs, trying to find any clues to where the others might have gone—only to find Oscar seated casually at the kitchen table, sipping his coffee like nothing is out of the ordinary.

"Where is everyone?" Yang demands, still feeling a bit frazzled by this unexpected turn of events. She's painfully aware of how messy her bedhead must be right now.

Oscar regards them both curiously, unruffled. "They left for a mission early this morning just outside of Haven, to take out a few Grimm that have been getting closer to the city. There's a shortage of hunters at the moment, so Qrow and team RJNR figured they would pitch in to help." He takes a sip of his coffee. "They should be back soon. I doubt that it'll take them too long."

The unfamiliar team name gives Yang pause. "Team RJNR?"

"Ruby, Jaune, Nora, and Ren, I'm guessing," Weiss answers for Oscar, a small frown on her face. "How come no one mentioned anything to us? It would have been nice to have a heads up before we woke up in an empty house. Well, almost empty, anyway," she amends.

"I guess they figured that Ruby would tell you guys before they left," Oscar replies with a shrug. "It must have slipped her mind."

Weiss and Yang exchange a look. That doesn't sound like their Ruby at all.

There's the sound of the front door swinging open, and then Ruby, Ren, Jaune, and Nora pile into the living room, followed by Qrow. Ruby is talking excitedly with Jaune, gesturing wildly with her hands as she describes something with her usual enthusiasm.

Nora is the first one to notice the three of them in the kitchen. "Oh, hey guys!" she exclaims happily. "Wow, you're up early!"

"Well, we were a bit freaked out when we woke up and no one was here," Yang replies testily.

"Oh, yeah, sorry about that," Nora laughs. "Whoops! We should have told you we were heading out this morning."

"Yeah, about that," Weiss says. "We could've helped you on the mission if you'd told us about it."

"Yeah, but we signed up for it last week before we knew you guys were going to be here," Ruby says, finally extricating herself from her conversation with Jaune—and looking decidedly less cheerful. "Plus, you guys just got here a few days ago and we had it covered, so we figured that we'd let you sleep in."

It sounds very logical and reasonable. Yang doesn't believe it for a second.

But Ruby has already turned to Ren. "Hey, you promised us pancakes when we got back, and I'm starving," she says brightly. "C'mon, please?"

"You do realize I did just as much fighting as the rest of you?" Ren teases, ruffling her hair.

Ruby just laughs. "Do you want me to offer to help?" she asks, a mischievous gleam in her eyes.

"Absolutely not," he replies, shooing her away from the kitchen as he heads towards the stove. Still laughing, Ruby turns to Nora and starts chattering away eagerly again.

"Ruby, hang on a second," Yang interrupts her sister before she can really get going again. She wants to get to the bottom of this, now. "We need to talk."


Thank you for reading! Please leave a review if you liked it.

Can you tell that I'm still salty about Yang pushing Ruby away right after they'd reunited lol?