Chapter Text
A rose, admired or hated it may have been, will always wilt away eventually.
Those who have only gazed upon its petals for their outward beauty, or those who have scoffed at its imperfections, to them it shall be lost forever.
But those who have watched it grow with love, and stood by its side even as it decayed… they shall witness it within every blooming flower.
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Patch, Valean Territory, 83 After Great War (AGW)
"Yang! Rubes! Dinner's ready!"
The bright voice of the man that had called them to that same table a million times echoed through the house in Patch - a house that very same man, and his friends, had built for themselves.
A House for four, now with only three inhabitants - only one of which had been there when it was built. On that day, that fourth chair at the table, that fourth empty room, that fourth plate of food that would forever lie unused, stung particularly painfully. None of the family members had yet forced upon any of the others the grim responsibility of putting into words why the atmosphere had become so sullen.
The eldest of the two sisters arrived first, her bright yellow hair tied in a ponytail as it usually was. She was, as usual, her wonderfully bright and cheerful self - down to the way she moved as she took a seat for herself. Before her lied a banquet of delicacies she knew for a fact were her father's handiwork - he had outdone himself, something exceptional to say the least: the old man was about as strict as they came when it came to eating, with him allowing Yang and Ruby very few exception to - as he put it- "stuff their faces".
"What’s with all the food, pa? Finally threw the whole 'Huntsmen must be careful in battle and in diet' shtick out the window like we told you to?" She said, her smile a shimmering star. Taiyang couldn't help but laugh at her words - Yang had taken after him, and he always loved to be reminded of both the resemblance, and his younger, faaaar more immature self.
"I'm not one to eat my words so easily, young lady!" He said, drawing an exasperated chuckle from Yang; "but since I'll have to remind you of your old man's wisdom whenever you'll return home in the future, I figured I'd make an exception today!"
Of course, both of them knew what he meant. The letter of admission had arrived two weeks before, notifying Yang that her dreams had come true. Beacon Academy's doors were open to her, and she would soon leave Patch behind to become a Huntsman, just like everyone she admired in her family. Taiyang had taken to the news spectacularly.
The same could not be said about Ruby, whose form appeared from the stairs far, far slower than both her father and older sister were used to when good food was involved, her long red cloak appearing as she descended to the ground floor. The rose-haired girl adjusted her glasses as she finally sat on the free spot of the table, facing her father and sitting right next to the one seat none of them dared to touch. Her face was... not the best attempt at maintaining a neutral expression, judging from the clear frown she was trying to straighten up and the reddened eyes she was sporting.
Neither Xiao Long addressed her emotional distress directly. No need to confront the young girl when they both knew exactly what made this day agony for her.
It was the tenth anniversary of the worst day of their lives. When Tai had to tell Yang and Ruby that their mother would never be coming home again. Yang would've already left two days before, but at her insistence, Tai had pulled some strings to allow another student to take her place on that day's transport and let his daughter take the next one instead. To her, Beacon was important - but never would she have left so close to this time.
It was the last time she would be certain she could be there for Ruby, and she would not let anything stand in the way of that.
"...Smile, Rubes." Tai said, his lips curving upward in a smile of his own; "I... know it's difficult. But today should be a day to celebrate. I'm..."
He stopped himself when Ruby looked up at him with eyes that could only be described as hurt. She loved Taiyang, he was her father and an example, in her mind, of the perfect parent. But... it hadn't always been that way.
Tai had taken Summer's death just as badly as she and Yang, and he showed his anger and depression through... less than healthy means. He refused to look at her for a month, and when he did, those looks stretched on endlessly. It was as if he was hoping to see anything at all in Ruby's face that made that would allow him to look past his own traits and focus only on his wife's, as if he was trying to see her in the body of her child. Most of the time, that ended with Tai muttering "I'm sorry" and darting off, leaving the seven year old Yang to make sure a five-year old Ruby could eat that day, as Tai shut himself away in his wife's room and refused to leave for hours on end.
It was then that she started to wear glasses at Yang's insistence, thinking that if she did not look like Summer, her father would snap out of it. A hypermetropia diagnosis later made them a necessity, but she always associated them with that time rather than her eye troubles.
And while she understood, that always came with the unspoken condition that Taiyang had no say in how either she or Yang grieved.
"...Yeah. Real good day this is." Ruby responded, her voice barely above a whisper.
"I know. She... I miss her too, Rubes. But-" Her father, clearly about to enter one of his philosophical speeches, found himself interrupted.
"It's not about her!"
Tai and Yang alike were somewhat surprised by the answer. Ruby had always treated that sad, horrifying anniversary with almost religious respect. To hear her speak like that was a surprise neither of them really saw coming.
After a moment, Tai opened his mouth. "The-"
"Hey, let's just eat, ok? The food's gonna go cold at this rate!" Yang spoke, the look on her face pleading him to not bring it up. Her father nodded, and the family - after spending a second each independently looking at the empty chair - began to eat.
Yang seemed to have triple her usual appetite as she ate Taiyang's homemade, lovingly crafted meal. Her father ate with the rigorous discipline she had grown so used to seeing as he meditated, tended to his plants, and - as in this case - ate, though she did take notice of the fact he was, much to her shock, taking slightly larger portions compared to the strict, calculated amount he had for himself at all other times. She looked to Ruby, hoping to find her own plate filled with nothing but little scraps of food.
She was right. Though not in the way she hoped. Ruby had barely gotten anything at all. Whereas Taiyang's breaking of his habits at the table was surprising, this was worrying. Ruby, the only kid in all of Patch who could rival Yang in terms of appetite, and outright surpassed her when sweets (cookies, namely) were involved, eating so little it would've made their father jealous. Even on other anniversaries, Ruby ate a sizable portion - less than usual, but still enough to make it clear she had her appetite. But now...
"...Yang?" She spoke, interrupting her sister and father's trains of thought.
"Yes, Rubes?"
"...D-do you... a-are you really going to Beacon...?"
Oh.
Oh.
Of course it wasn't about Summer.
This was about her.
"I... am." She confirmed, a smile on her face. No point in hiding it - it would just hurt more later when she had to rip off the bandaid. "Why do you-"
Interrupting each other seemed awfully common that evening in the Xiao Long-Rose household.
"So it's true. Y-you're... you're leaving me alone."
Yang could feel her heart crack into a million pieces at that.
"Ruby! Of course not! I could never leave you, and you know it, but-"
"Ruby!" Taiyang shouted in worry as his daughter pulled up the hood of her red cloak, and before he could stand up...
Gone.
A flurry of rose petals all that was left in her wake as an indicator of where she was going.
"Damn it all! He cursed, looking out the window. He didn't need to follow the rose petals to know where she was going.
"...Grimm are out tonight. We should-" He said, talking to Yang, only to find she was gone too.
When he looked back at the window, he saw his other daughter running towards the same destination - Yang barely having deigned to put on Ember Celia as she ran.
He sighed. He could say nothing else. He merely moved to the living room, patting his thighs to signal to a certain fluffy friend to sit there and help him out.
The little corgi that had casually leapt into his embrace yipped, his little face one of worry.
"They'll be back, Zwei..." Taiyang said, his hand caressing the beloved dog he had rescued as a puppy; "She just... needs some time."
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"...Hey, mom."
Courtesy of her Semblance, Ruby had arrived at Summer's grave tremendously fast. She walked towards the plaque, engraved with the very symbol she had decided to take as her own, and... sat down on the cold earth.
Even now, she could barely manage to look upon the full name that sat below the emblem. She forced herself to read it anyway.
Summer Rose
31-73
Thus Kindly I Scatter
"Sorry for... not showing up for a while. I was... thinking about stuff. Yeah."
She justified herself... and then chuckled. The chuckle of a child who just received their umpteenth "Is that so?" from their parents.
"I... Yang is leaving soon. Going to Beacon. I know it makes you happy, but... she's..."
She swallowed. As usual, she was being selfish. What a disappointment to her talented, selfless, hero of a mother.
"I'm happy for her too. But she's... She’s always been at my side. Always helped me out when I needed to, always told me what I should do and what I should not. She… She’s what I wish I was. What dad wishes I was too, I’m sure. And… Now I’ll have to try and find my way around without her help."
No sound left the grave, nor the trees nearby. Ruby heard it loud and clear anyway.
"And why is that?"
"She's the one everyone likes! Better-looking, stronger-looking, nice, extroverted, not a massive weapon nerd…! It’s… it's like crossing the street blind. I know dad is there too, and I love him for it! I… I really do. But sometimes… I can’t help but feel he is prouder of Yang than he is of me. Maybe because I’m the younger one. Or maybe because I remind him of you."
Silence once again... and then...
"…Why does everyone I love leave me…?"
"...Hey sis."
Two nigh-simultaneous statement. Ruby, her face a mixture of shame and embarassment, turned around to look at her sister. Yang was there, a bead of sweat on her face after she had run all the way to the coastline where Summer's grave was located.
"Yang...? Did you-"
"Heard nothing." She lied. Ruby didn't seem to notice. Saying nothing, the blonde sat next to her sister without a second's hesitation.
"What did mom tell you this time?" She asked, her tone revealing genuine interest. Ruby didn't say anything, and so Yang insisted.
"...Was it about me leaving?"
Ruby nodded. Yang nodded back in acknowledgement, and spoke...
"Rubes... I know you don’t want me to go to Beacon. I know you want me to stick by you - but I have to go. I must chase my own dreams."
"Yeah…" the redhead reacted, trying her best to not sound spiteful or hateful; "Now I'm left trying to figure everything out myself with everyone else outside the house hating me…"
Yang leapt to her feet. They had had this talk a million times, but damn it all, if Ruby needed to hear it one more time, then so be it. For her part, Ruby did not speak about how much she needed her sister's words in that moment.
"Ruby, if you are even half as good as I think you are, you will not need to give a damn about what people think. You're better than everyone else at Signal, for Dust's sake! Every bit as good as me!"
"But you're not the one they treat like... like trash!"
Ruby could see Yang was taken aback. Not by what she had said, but by how. Fortunately, Ruby's bullying in Signal hadn't gone under the radar, and she knew no day went by without her sister wanting to give the ones that spoke ill of her a lesson they'd never forget. But that just made it sting more.
"How can I be as good as you, Yang? You're the prodigy! You got into Beacon! And meanwhile I'm just 'daddy's girl', the weird one that talks to weapons! I'm... I'm nothing like y-"
Yang placed a finger on her mouth. Of course she did.
"Nope." She said. This was her 'big sis' voice - the one she had when she wanted Ruby to slow down and listen.
"Rubes. I've seen you practice swinging that scythe of yours so long dad had to carry you back home himself. Dad had to call in Uncle Qrow to get you to improve because the other teachers at Signal couldn't teach you shit. Look me dead in the eyes and tell me that makes you a 'daddy's girl'."
Ruby could see the surprise in her sister's eyes when she promptly answered.
"It doesn't matter! They still talk about me like I am! No matter how hard I train, I'll always be the kid that got in with a letter of recommendation, and you'll always be the big, strong, awesome example of everything everyone wants to be. And now I don't even get to talk to you about it! This is the last time you'll be here for me, and they'll just get worse, and I'll be alone, and I'll-"
The warm feeling of a signature Xiao Long bearhug interrupted her just as she was spiraling.
"Ruby... remember what dad told us, when Mom died?"
Ruby's eyes went wide. Yang hated talking about that blasted funeral as much as she did... some part of her wanted to apologize for forcing her to relive that day, but she knew she could not quite speak yet.
"He told us she'd gone out doing what she loved. Being a Huntress." The tiniest, most imperceptible sob rocked her body. Anyone but Ruby would not have noticed it.
"And then you tugged at his shirt and asked him what that meant. And... Gods, I remember it like it was yesterday."
Once again, that temptation to butt in, to apologize, to leave and stop Yang from hurting because of her.
When she decided to stay, Ruby couldn't quite tell if she was being brave, or a coward.
"He told us being a Huntress" her sister continued; "was not about renown or a good payday. It was about... standing up for the little guy. Defending the people who couldn't defend themselves, even if they won't know your name or even what you did. And... I could see something sparkle in your eyes when he said that."
Like mother, like daughters, the old adage went.
"Do you want to be a Huntress, Ruby? Like mom?"
The sudden question took her aback. But after a few short, and yet interminable seconds, Ruby responded.
"...More than anything."
"Then" Yang finished; "you need to move forward. Even when envious assholes try to pull you down, you have to be strong and continue. Because it's what you do that matters. I'm sure mom would think itthe same way."
Silence reigned on that clear coastline where Summer Rose had been laid to rest. There were only two sisters, one hugging the other, and the silent witness that was their mother's grave.
Yang felt Ruby hug her back with all her non-insignificant strength. This was the same girl that swung around a scythe bigger than she was, after all.
"...I'll miss you." The red-haired younger sister said. Yang could feel tears that were not her own hitting her shoulder.
"Hey, it's not time for goodbyes just yet, ain't it?" Her blonde elder answered. She was right. "And besides, I won't be gone forever. You'll see me for the holidays! Hell, maybe I'll even convince the old man to pay the big city a visit!"
A shared chuckle. Taiyang had stated multiple times just how distasteful living in a Metropolis like Vale's capital felt to him, but the two sisters could hope, no?
"Speaking of." Yang smiled, standing up with her sister; "We should probably be on our way back. Dad will start to worry soon, and we both know how he gets when that happens..."
"...Yeah. We shou-" A feral growl interrupted Ruby's response, followed by a glint of scarlet.
"Really?! Now, of all times?!" She screamed.
"Dunno about you, sis..." Yang muttered, loading up her fists and entering a boxer's stance. As she did, the golden bracelets around her wrists extended into full gauntlets. Ember Celica - her own weapon. "...But I'm pretty damn happy to have some stress relief!"
The blonde glanced at her sister. Before she could even ask, she was met with the complex sounds of moving parts extending and locking into place. Ruby, a good head shorter than her, was now wielding a massive scythe that was stood at over double her own size.
Of course Ruby had brought Crescent Rose along. She would've slept with it as if it was a plushy if she didn't risk damaging herself, or - Dust forbid - the furniture.
Yang locked onto the look of anger Ruby was sporting.
"Angry they interrupted our moment?"
"Oh, shut up, you!" Her younger sister answered as she loaded her weapon.
A smirk appeared on both of their lips. Yang was eager to fight, looking forward to open combat. Ruby, by comparison, was almost cruel: she had been looking for a way to let her frustrations out, and if these Grimm were so eager to give her one such way, who was she to refuse?
The dark beasts roared and charged forward. They were met with nothing as the sisters charged them back.
That night, Patch would have the sound of laughter and expended ammunition as its background orchestra, as - for what both perceived would be the last time in a while - two sisters fought side by side, doing what they loved.
Of course, neither of them knew fate had other plans...