Chapter 4

Heart of Gold and Eyes of Silver

Students of Beacon Academy shared nearly every waking moment together with their teammates, who despite differing beliefs and social statuses had all come to the most prestigious school on Remnant to be trained as protectors of light against an unrelenting darkness.

Even the most polar opposite of partners couldn't resist the powerful bond that had developed from brain numbing classwork, exhaustive combat training, and countless encounters with living nightmares where they seemingly took turns saving each other's lives by endangering their own, which they deemed far less valuable in comparison of their partner's.

At times combating Grimm was almost tame and refreshing compared to the petty arguments that were far too often resolved with over-the-top violence, but together they made the sleepless nights in their modest dorm rooms tolerable if not pleasant. And for certain teams with quirky leadership, sharing bunk beds felt as natural as breathing.

It didn't matter if their worldviews ranged from optimistic to pessimistic or from cynical to childlike. Their auras were just as contrary but over time began to overlap so closely it became impossible to distinguish fire from ice or whose shadow was dancing on the floor, who the sweet fragrance of roses was coming from.

When one heart was grieved the other three felt as though their were own was breaking, but even the lowest ditches of despair couldn't compare to the emotional highs of being enveloped in each other's happiness or the exhilarating rushes of sharing victories.

Getting lost in each other's souls became almost effortless as they were worn so freely and invitingly on their sleeves that teammates would often find themselves humming unfamiliar tunes just from another walking into the room, which often led to bemusement or disgust if had been learned from Signalites.

Sometimes it was too easy forgetting one's self however, and for that reason every student had a secret place hidden from or purposely ignored by their understanding teammates, and the many balconies atop the dormitory were favored places for those seeking seclusion and privacy while also searching for the best view the student campus had to offer.

Below the sheer cliffs and across the wide river that fell a thousand feet before forking was the magnificent City of Vale in all its glory. The dark haze that had hung above like a mourning veil while strangling its peaceful citizens had lifted, and now every light in the city shined brightly as if to combat the literal darkness at its doorstep. Even the yellow bricks that led to the academy seemed recently polished as they glowed in the fading sunlight.

For one peculiar girl sitting precariously on a ledge with her rose patterned socks dangling over a several story fall, her silver eyes were filled with mist as she could name every building that was missing from the familiar skyline she had marveled upon since she was a child.

One towered above them all however, and its cruel light shined from across the commercial district causing her to feel as though she were standing on searing needles just from glimpsing it out of the corner of her eye. She tried to look away but the CCT was like a brilliant flame and she a naive moth. Silver was replaced by gold as she reached for the radiance that seemed to draw further away like a will-o'-wisp, and her body slowly tipped over the edge. Before she could slide off completely she caught the mocking and counterfeit flame tightly in her fist and pushed herself to safety.

With deep breaths she turned away toward the only tower in Vale that could rival the Atlesian structure. The one she had gazed upon for hours until emerald lights were embedded in her eyes while she dreamed of one day being a fearless huntress like her mother. It stood as a declaration of her fulfilling a lifelong goal and acted as a nightly reminder of where she was. Even after so many months, training at Beacon was still so surreal that she feared waking every morning from her fairy tale, and perhaps that added to the many reasons why she had trouble sleeping at night.

Her eyes shifted toward the setting sun that had taunted her far too long from beyond the dirty hospital room window, and despite the November chill she felt warmer than she had in days even without her beloved hood.

Looking beyond the wounded city she could just make out the faintest silhouette of a large landmass off the coast, but using her imagination she could see so much more. While only months ago she had gone to sleep dreaming of the Emerald Tower and its surrounding campus, she now daydreamed of a combat school's humble tower she had climbed countless times in her youth, and the surrounding beaches with its parties her sister so often had to be dragged away from.

In her most cherished dreams there was also a snowy village tucked away in the mountains where a cozy cottage sat in the middle of a strawberry patch with the pleasant aroma of baking cookies and a woman's sing-song voice filling the air, but they were always preceded by her darkest nightmares...

Eventually when her gray eyes grew weary, they fell to the grand airship floating in the bay not far from the waterfalls. She had learned that the students of Atlas were now under lockdown after the breach, and that the other schools had temporarily withdrawn the majority of their students back to their respective kingdoms for their safety, but she couldn't help but feel everything they were doing was fundamentally wrong.

The Vytal Festival was about uniting the four kingdoms together through the selfless huntsmen who protected the world, and the young students who symbolized future generations of peace. The devastating attack on her home and the hundreds of victims should have been the catalyst to bringing them closer than ever, but it seemed to only distance them so that the pristine white uniforms of Polaris, the funeral-like garb of Haven, and the casual attire of Shade rarely walked the campus anymore.

Like the mocking whispers of the CCT however, she could feel a strange pull toward the Atlesian airship and if she closed her eyes she could picture herself walking its frigid halls and almost smell the gourmet dinner cooked by chefs who prepared every meal as if they were serving northern royalty just as their ancestors had in the past.

Just thinking about it made her empty stomach growl and gave her a single hiccup.

'Penny...'

'I'll find you, I promise...'

She began kicking her legs curiously counting how many stories were below. Soldiers in ivory armor were patrolling the campus as they had every evening since arriving, but tonight half a dozen had peeked her interest when she'd spied them carrying a swing set.

Short of breath, it had been after much grimacing and grunting that she'd lifted her heavy sniper rifle to confirm that the playground she and Nora had been campaigning for was seemingly on its way. However, as she'd dialed in her scope warmth spread throughout her chest seeing the rusted metal chains and the wooden seats that also caused phantom pains to tingle in her backside. She couldn't help but wonder if a particularly painful slide was next.

*bing*

She wiped her eyes hearing the expected elevator's arrival followed by the familiar stomps that had once confidently echoed throughout the halls of Signal, and caused heads to turn wherever they went. Her's however remained looking down.

The distinctive footsteps sounded heavier than usual, and listening closely she could hear a slight limp as they approached the balcony before coming to a halt. Without looking, Ruby waved a hand as if inviting the tired feet to rest beside her.

Moments later a warm body flopped down letting their longer and uncharacteristically covered legs hang over the edge. Calloused fingers drummed the concrete ledge and out of the corner of her eye, she saw her visitor spit and watch it land in the crater below.

Afterward, a rough hand wiped the girl's moist cheek and brushed her hair to the side despite the red tips no longer falling in her eyes.

"One day, Rubes," Yang sighed, "you're going to let me cut your hair before you butcher it with Crescent Rose."

Ruby cradled the rifle close to her chest as if it were a child. "I used scissors and a mirror this time," she murmured. "I can take care of myself, Yang..."

The warm guest scooted closer giving her good shoulder a playful nudge. "I know you can, but that isn't going to stop me from trying to do my job."

She felt an arm wrap around her and give a gentle squeeze as the sun sank deeper into the water, and the place they had once called home was gone until morning.

"You know, sis." Yang removed the deadly weapon from her sister's lap and pretended to study its chipped paint carefully. "Most people would've used the elevator to get up here."

Ruby nodded absently. "Most people don't have gashes in their feet, or a sniper rifle that can send them flying thirty feet in the air..." She rubbed her aching arms which had nearly been violently ripped from their sockets when she had pulled the trigger.

Blonde hair and lilac eyes turned causing her to look away.

"I was tired of laying in bed and wanted some fresh air," Ruby said defensively.

Yang clicked her tongue. "Considering the window was barely cracked I'm not surprised."

"I was just going to sit on the windowsill," she continued, "but-"

"-but you thought tricking your sister and friends into thinking you were taking a much needed bath would be more fun," Yang finished, though not unkindly.

"I heard about Weiss needing to go 'winky-tinky-woo-woo'," Ruby mumbled. "Sorry..."

"You could've left a note," she suggested offhandedly. "We would've understood and given you some space." Yang set the rifle down out of her sister's reach. "But that's not what you really want is it? Otherwise I wouldn't have found you in the first place I looked."

Ruby's head hung a little lower causing the blonde to flare her semblance with what little aura she had remaining.

Earlier that morning when her baby sister was laying in the hospital, Yang could only see the little girl who rarely ate and only spoke during her nightmares. Watching her limp out of bed as she had without even the slightest complaint had been one of the proudest moments of her life, but seeing Ruby with tears in her eyes with every step had caused her own to well up, as well as turn crimson, which was why she claimed to have 'school stuff' to take care of in the city before grabbing her gauntlets and taking off on Bumblebee as quickly as possible.

Now however, the little girl looked as though she'd aged several years and was replaced by a young woman Yang once knew who had the same weariness in her silver eyes and heavy-laden spirit.

"Don't worry about it, sis, we're not mad," she reassured. "And from your socks I know you crawled your way through the room, or else you'd have left a blood trail and Weiss would be puking right now." Her soft laughter was ended by the frail girl making a sound her big sister could've heard even over the roars of Grimm.

*sniffle*

"Why does horrible stuff like this keep happening?" Ruby choked. "Is all of this because of me? Did I do something wrong?"

She pointed at the missing buildings that her sister had also been fascinated with since she was young, then at the island hiding in the darkness.

Yang tightened their embrace as they sat for an eternity in silence, but finally with a deft hand she dug beneath the younger girl's collar to find the cold metal chain given to her shortly before coming to Beacon.

"Rubes," she breathed, "if I hadn't lost my mom, you and I wouldn't be sisters."

There was an uncomfortable stillness in the air that caused Ruby shift her position. Sometimes on particularly dark nights when sleep was distant, she couldn't help but wonder if she were a reminder to her family that things hadn't gone as planned.

Her sister's mother had been the first and probably only woman their father ever truly fell in love with, and when she died so did a part of him. And while Ruby never doubted that he loved her mother too as they'd been teammates and close friends since their time at Signal together, in all her life she had never seen him smile quite as brightly and painlessly as he did in the photographs of just him, his first wife, and their only daughter.

But while many others might have found self-pity or perhaps bitterness in her situation, the thoughts never even occurred to Ruby. She respected the beautiful woman that had come before her mother, who besides her mane being dark looked just like her powerful and dauntless daughter, and Ruby was incredibly sorry for what happened to her. She wished their father had never been broken in pieces by her death still waiting to be put back together, that her big sis had never lost the only woman she ever called 'Mom', and that their uncle had never become a so-called functioning alcoholic after his sister's death.

More than anything in her life, Ruby adored her family and wanted them all happy...

The embrace tightened and it felt as though a comforting candle had been lit.

"But don't you dare think for a second that I would ever trade you back, sis."

Ruby glanced up at the mind reader through her tearful eyes into her sister's own.

"A day with you is better than anything that could've been, you hear me?"

There a pain in her voice that Ruby wasn't used to that caused her to bury her face into her sister's shoulder.

"And if Summer..." The name caught on the back of her throat. "And if Summer hadn't left us, I'd be alone and you'd still be in Patchwork dreaming about being a huntress." She paused to find the words that she should have been said long ago. "Which is what you were born to be, Rubes. You've proven that time after time and everyone knows it. Summer knew it too..."

Her sister sobbed into her shoulder causing Yang to brush her hair.

"This is what I'm here for," she soothed.

Once nothing more could be shed Ruby wiped her face and Yang cleared her throat.

"Rubes," she breathed. "You know better than anyone that sometimes bad things happen even to the best of people. We're surrounded by darkness but look at us! You and I are on top of the world, and because of you millions of people are alive, and right now the City of Vale is brighter than ever."

Her eyes lit up as if seeing the city for the very first time and after a moment realized that off the coast among a myriad of other lights, was a familiar tower shining. Even the stars seemed to illuminate Mt. Glenn in the distance, as well as the Grimm filled forests encompassing the city.

She glanced down at her sister's closed fist as it slowly revealed the cross necklace she had received as an early graduation present.

"You were always better at waking up on Sundays than I was," Yang teased, "but you taught me a thing or two."

Ruby glanced up with a thin smile tugging her lips. "You were always awake, but-"

"-but I was usually sneaking into bed smelling like Saturday night," she confessed proudly unashamed.

Both girls giggled and laughed at the fond memories, and with the cross still in her sister's hand, Ruby grazed the warm metal with her fingertips which seemed to spread throughout her body.

"Yang," she said quietly, "I never thanked you for talking Dad into letting me come to Beacon with you." The blonde sighed but before she could open her mouth Ruby interrupted. "I was listening by the door while the two of you argued for over an hour when he refused to sign the papers. He didn't want to give up both of his girls on the same day, but you convinced him that it was the best thing for me."

Ruby swallowed and blinked several times to rid herself of the moistness. "And I heard you talking to Blake and Weiss..." she whispered. "Y-you changed your mind didn't you?"

Yang let out a deep breath and went back to playing with her sister's hair. "Rubes," she anguished. "I love you, and I honestly couldn't live with myself if anything ever happened to you, and you already know neither could Dad or Uncle Qrow." She paused so she could find her voice again. "Dad's one condition for you coming here was that I keep you safe, and I'm not sure how much longer I can do that, sis, especially with the bang up job I've been doing so far..."

"Yang, it's not your-"

"You've had five hospital visits, three this month alone, all of which I could've prevented. And I lost count back in September how many times you've nearly died in front of me. Rubes, I'm sorry but-"

"Don't be," Ruby shook her head, and glanced up at the shattered moon hanging above and finally let her tired body relax. "The first week in Professor Goodwitch's class was amazing," she gushed. "I got to show off everything you, Dad, and Uncle Qrow taught me against people who've had twice as much training as me, and I beat most of them in less than a minute.

"All of them," Yang corrected with a sly grin.

Ruby nodded reluctantly. "But then fights started lasting longer, opponents started landing a few hits, and sometimes I was happy with just getting a draw." Despite the sad admission her tone never faltered. "That's when I started to notice that everyone else could have their auras knocked down into the red but still be combat ready by the next day, but I'd have to sit on the sidelines with mine still in the yellow for the rest of the week."

Her sister nodded having seen it for herself. "You're still incredible, sis. You're fifteen and you've left everyone but me and Pyrrha flat on their backsides, and if it wasn't for us you'd be undefeated right now. You're combat rating is higher than most second years and-"

"Yang," she squeezed her arm, "it'll be until the end of the semester that I'm feeling a hundred percent again. My aura levels have barely risen since school began, and I'm still not any better at controlling it. I'm supposed to be y'all's leader but I have the slowest recharge speed in the school, I can barely keep up an aura shield while using my semblance, and now that Weiss' aura pool has practically skyrocketed, I'm sitting at the bottom of the team in every category except combat ratings, and Blake and Weiss aren't that far behind me."

"What are you saying?" The question hurt as Yang already knew the answer.

"What I'm saying is this," she answered with a crooked grin hanging on her face. "If you and dad want me to finish my final year at Signal, I won't be mad and I won't argue. I've already decided to sign up for spring and summer courses, and I'm going to finish my scythe and aura training with Uncle Qrow. By the start of the first semester next year I'll be sixteen, which hopefully means my aura starts developing as quickly as yours did even if I didn't inherited dad's."

Ruby licked her lips having given this much thought while laying in her hospital bed. "Sophomore students have to complete over two dozen missions that will make us going to the lost city look easy, and I don't think I could've taken another five days there even if my aura hadn't been messed up from the transfer. Y'all are amazing and just keeping getting stronger with every fight, but I can barely keep up.

"Yang, you're not just by far the strongest member of the team, you're the strongest in the entire class and can kill Alphas by yourself. Weiss, she just started using high level haste and telekinetic glyphs, but it won't be long until they're as simple for her as lower elementals. Blake, she's just now starting to use aura in her fights, and already has more control that I could ever dream of. And I refuse to hold any of you back from being the world's best huntresses."

"You're still incredible, sis," Yang repeated in the midst of wiping her eyes. "We couldn't have gotten here without you pushing us and constantly finding new ways to use our powers and weapons. You've done an amazing job leading us, you really have."

"Thanks," she smiled, "but I'll go along with whatever the two of you decide. All I want is to see the Vytal Festival, I don't care if I can't compete or not."

"Well your teammates do care if you compete."

"We're supposed to complete two more missions Yang," she exasperated. "and even if Professor Ozpin bends the rules like you keep saying he will-"

"He owes us," she stated matter-of-factly. "Big time."

"Even if he does I'm going to be cutting it really, really close."

Yang cracked her knuckles. "You'll make it. Just worry about healing up and leave the butt kicking to me. Blake and Weiss can help too if they want, so long as they don't get in my way."

Her sister beamed but something flickered in the back of the blonde's mind.

'Even if my aura hadn't been messed up from the transfer...'

She cleared her throat. "Ruby, I know sometimes we keep secrets to protect each other. You, Weiss, and Blake are probably better off if we keep pretending that I'm the oblivious one and that I don't know how you were able to keep fighting after we found you in the tunnels, or why you kept drooling."

"I never-"

Yang held up a hand and gave her sister a knowing look that was usually reserved for when she'd said something witty or was being particularly clever when finally it fell into something more caring.

"But if there's anything at all I can help you with please let me. I don't care what it is. You're keeping secrets from me, sis, and that scares me."

Ruby's body tensed up and her hand drifted toward her stomach. She opened her mouth to speak but whatever she was about to say she kept to herself and the hand drifted away.

"Just like how you keep going out for drinks? Or how you, Dad, and Uncle Qrow always seem to stop talking when I walk in the room? I'm not the only one keeping secrets..."

Despite the embrace never faltering there was an edge to her voice that caught Yang off guard, but at the same time didn't surprise her in the slightest. "Like I said, Rubes," she said bringing her baby sister closer. "Sometimes we keep secrets to protect each other..."

'And it's my job to keep you safe, whether you like it or not...'

They sat in silence watching the lights twinkle in the distance, and while a humming Ruby played with her necklace while bathing in the moonlight, Yang found herself shivering and wishing for the sun to return as she was now the one using her sister for warmth. Discreetly, she breathed into her hands and rubbed her forearms through the jacket and thick bandages.

The embers had long since faded and the seemingly endless supply of heat had gone cold, and Yang glanced at her pale skin frowning. She had never been sure if her respectable tan had come from the beaches of Patch or a result of her own radiant aura, but looking down she became suspect.

"You know, Rubes," she said trying keep her teeth from chattering. "Dad probably won't be back for a couple more weeks so we can talk about this later. But I want you to know that team RWBY wouldn't be the same without Ruby. And everything I've said, Blake and Weiss feel the exact same."

She blushed deeply and found she didn't have the words to express how thankful she was to have them as her teammates, or the girl sitting beside her as a sister.

"Now," Yang clapped her hands which had goosebumps. "You remember what we'd do whenever Dad left on business right?"

After a moment of confusion Ruby bobbed her head gleefully. "I'd eat chocolate while you emptied Uncle Qrow's fridge until we both puked!"

"Before we both went back for more!" Yang laughed and pulled her sister back down as she was about to stand up excitedly on her crimson feet.

Yang shook her head and winked. "Hey Blake! Weiss!"

Down below two heads poked out of a window with sheepish looking faces.

The blonde gave a sideways glance at her sister then at the ground. "Say Rubes..." She grinned devilishly. "Right now, if we fell from this high, do you think it'd kill us?"

Ruby bit her cheek looking thoughtful. "Me definitely, you probably."

Somehow her sister's wicked grin widened. "Then I guess our partners should probably catch us..."

"Yang?" Ruby whimpered, knowing the wild look in her eyes far too well.

Without warning, the blonde with her arms still embraced around her sister rolled off the edge. Screams of terror falling to the ground were replaced with roaring laughter as a pair of beaming smiles aimed for the high-pitched shrieking in the window down below.

Finally, all was right in the world...

(A/N: Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed. This was a very special chapter for me to write and I hope it comes across that way. I love writing for all of these characters but the sisters have always been especially dear to me. Team RWBY had rough childhoods and things didn't get easier as teenagers, and things aren't likely to change for them as adult huntresses, but they're happier now than they've ever been in their lives and it's because of each other. Ruby has been in a dark place as of late and Yang needed to be the one to carry her out of it. I also wanted to show her growth from being scared of going back to Signal to realizing that at this rate she might get herself or her team killed, but at the same time I wanted to emphasize that Ruby's the toughest fifteen year old on the planet and is a major force to be reckoned with despite her age working against her. Also, I guess we'll find out later if Blake and Weiss caught them, let them drop, or were also killed in the process. Personally I can think of no better send off for team RWBY than the sisters getting them all killed with half of them laughing and the other half screaming, but Weiss would probably find the inevitability a tad too predictable. Oh well, I guess we'll see them next chapter then. Once again thank you for reading and all of the kindness and support you have shown me. I hope this chapter has been a blessing as it has been for me. All credit goes to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ who has greatly blessed me and made this story possible. God bless)