thuskindlyiscatterâ.
   being a sibling, whether older or younger, always instills some sort of an instinct in a person the moment a connection is made. whether close in age or separated by years, siblings share a feeling of familiarity & comfort unrivaled by any other relationship in the world. ruby & yang were bonded through love found within a hardship. she was the person ruby had been able to count on while growing up with a dysfunctional family, something that singled her out amongst other kids her age. that connection alone makes all the fear of not knowing where yang was overflow from her heart just by meeting her sisterâs gaze.
   she hadnât realized just how much she worried until she was confronted by it.
     â i ⌠i do, â she murmurs, exhaling a shaky breath. itâs not a surprise to know yang was wishing just as she was. though their individual drives pushed them towards similar yet divergent goals, yang & ruby had always shared the desire to protect what was most important. that drive was the only thing that kept both of them sane when they had to learn to grow up sooner than anticipated.
   her body involuntarily shivers as the gust of wind blows past & up the back of her cloak, seeping into her clothes through folds & stitching until she felt as if she would freeze in place. she burrows her head further into the curve of yangâs neck, seeking out her warmth as she moved them out of the elements.
   even as they find themselves situated on the couch inside, ruby doesnât release her hold on yang, fearing she may just disappear in a puff of smoke the moment her arms released her. ruby instead keeps herself situated atop yangâs lap.
     â just by three or four months, i think, â she chuckles, sniffling as her face pulls away from yangâs neck. ruby bumps her forehead gently against yangâs as she attempts to make eye contact. â i know, i know. i just ⌠i really missed you. â
   her body shifts slightly, almost squirming as an uncomfortable thought slithers & coils through her mind. â i didnât know if i would ever see you again. i mean, uncle qrow said you might be here since i was here & weiss is here, & blake, & even ozpin ââ & i swear i looked around, but i couldnât find you.
     â i thought you mightâve gotten hurt, or â or lost, or something bad happened that made you not come with us. sometimes i thought ⌠i thought you might not wanna be around again. i-iâm sorry. â she makes an attempt to wipe at the excess wetness flowing from her eyes, heel of her hand rubbing skin near-raw. â i love you, yang. â
   three months. this hits yang hard. the mere thought of her getting by in a place where loneliness & nostalgia seem to walk hand in hand grips at the dragonâs heart, & suddenly itâs almost too much to bear. few are the times in which her resolve falters, yearning for a more tender, vulnerable display of her self... however, allowing herself to be faulty after such period of nothing but absence is a luxury yang cannot afford.
   itâs a miracle how she manages to draw breath through the tightening knot in her throat. panic can be stealthy & itâs there right underneath your skin before you can do anything about it. her grip moves to rubyâs shoulders, grabbing onto them, her eyes filled with nothing but desperation as she tugs at the knot in her throat.
     â iâm sorry ! ! â filled to the brim with guilt, the cup finally spills,  â . . .if i knew you were waitingâ if i knew you needed me here, iââ â a pause. a grip on her own soul as she realizes just how absurd she sounds.
   to fall back into that type of mindset after treading the long & straining path of recovery feels like smudging a painting youâve worked to restore. self - sabotaging at its best. yang grimaces, an expression that lasts only but a second before fading away. a deep & well needed breath is drawn as she gets a hold of her emotions, freeing the poor girlâs shoulders in the process.
     â itâs alright. â resting her forehead on rubyâs shoulder felt like a solace for the turbulent mind coming from a high.  â iâm really sorry you had to go through this without me. it mustâve been scary. â her voice is soft. it holds nothing but concern, ridden of any and all intent of prodding at the otherâs fears, it is here solely to convey love. â but iâm fine. weâre fine. iâm here now. â
   making up for the words ruby didnât get that day will be a lifetime thing, yang is well aware of that. to not feel wanted, thatâs something yang can relate to an uncomfortable level, which makes it all more painful to be the one responsible for what ruby experienced. well, one day at a time. the damage canât be undone, but yang will make sure to never let that happen again for as long as she draws yet another breath.
     â i missed you so much. â she laughs into her shoulder.  â itâs silly. i was just there with you on the ship, butââ i guess i can feel it through you. weird. guess itâs a sister thing. â she pulls back a little. and albeit dim, her smile is sincere. then, with her own sleeve, she proceeds to wipe her sisterâs tears away; those never matched her, anyway.
     â i love you, ruby. â and she really does. â i always will. â donât doubt it. not even for a second.

















