Little Red Rodeo

A RWBY Roleplay
by Dragonxborne and Jessica X

Characters and settings are © Rooster Teeth / Monty Oum. Story/plot © me and my sis. All rights reserved.

NOTE: This is just a cute headcanon about what may have taken place between volumes 2 and 3. Obviously, whenever Ruby loses her weapon she becomes useless, so it makes sense to me that Yang would step in to correct that oversight...

The scrap of paper on which the directions were scrawled fluttered in the breeze as Ruby Rose traipsed through the Emerald Forest. She was only reasonably sure she was getting close to the area specified as her destination; the markings on the trees seemed to match, but she couldn't be sure if they had been left there on purpose, or were merely natural formations in the bark. She had been walking for hours, though, and for the first time in a long time, her legs were protesting from all the activity.

High up on a branch the golden assassin spotted her target. Crouched low on the branch, she tensed her legs, readying them for the burst of energy she'd need to leap that far that fast. When Ruby was in just the right spot, she leapt into the sky and superman punched the younger girl while shouting her battle cry.

"LESSON ONE!"

Once she stuck the landing she stood up tall and beamed. "Always be aware of your surroundings."

As Ruby picked herself out of the nearby bushes, she made a whining noise deep in her throat as she said, "Yaaaaang, come on, that was no fair! You didn't even tell me I'd be training out here! Don't you think I'd have Crescent Rose out if I knew?!"

Yang's brow rose and her hands settled on her hips. "You came out here, alone... and didn't bring any protection? Ruby, you know you can't throw a punch; Weiss hits better than you."

"I have this!" All she held up was her scroll, though she seemed quite proud of herself, the other hand on her hip. "I could have Crescent Rose here in seconds!"

"Congrats — so you're not a complete bonehead, just 98%?" Snickering, Yang closed the gap between them and shook her head. "You've got to learn how to rely on you, not just your weapon. I've seen you fight; any time Crescent Rose gets taken from you, it's like you have no idea what to do. All you can think is 'gotta get it back!' and that's not good. What if someone breaks it? I mean, look at me: I kick ass even without my gauntlets."

"Fine, then take them off," Ruby snapped irritably. She was grumpy from having been knocked into the bushes without so much as a "hello" beforehand. "If you really want to prove that to me, gimme a fair shot, sis!"

Yang was already in the process of taking Ember Celica off when Ruby got to the word "prove". She tossed them to the side and took a step back with one leg, getting into a fighting stance, resembling the martial art she learned from her father. "You gonna talk, or are you gonna fight?"

Now, Ruby was smiling back, having gotten over the initial annoyance of how their fight began and dropping back into... what only resembled a fighting stance. To the untrained eye, it might look remotely competent, but there were a dozen or more easy flaws in her form.

"Lesson TWO!" Yang moved lightning fast, kicking ruby's feet out from under her. "A proper stance is the groundwork for everything!" She didn't even hit the ground before Yang pulled Ruby up and over her head, tossing her to the hard earth. Quickly she crouched with her knee on her little sister's chest, and a fist poised at her throat, the other cocked back and ready.

"Lesson three: never underestimate your opponent. Pride should never drive you, only pure will." Her face was dead serious as it stared the younger girl down. After a moment passed, she stood up and grinned, offering her a hand up. "Got a lot to learn there, shorty."

And Ruby took it - but halfway through being helped to her feet, she shot into the sky, dragging Yang along behind her. She might not have had the same training, but she had innate strength, and was easily able to accomplish her task without Yang being braced against anything else.

"Well, look who came to play!" Needless to say, the elder sister was quite surprised. The fire was back in her eyes as she grabbed Ruby's wrist with her incredible grip. "Now... can you stay in the game?" she asked as she began to squeeze harder, inflicting pain with the intended end result being Ruby's release.

She did yelp, but did not let Yang go - she was made of slightly tougher stuff than that. Flipping upside-down, she wrapped her arms and legs around Yang's torso, pinning her arms to her sides as they began to fall back toward the earth. Yang-side down.

"Well, shit..." The blonde couldn't help the smile that tugged on her lips. This was the kind of stuff she wanted to drag out of her sister. However, Ruby's focus was on keeping Yang's arms pinned to her side, and nothing was stopping the knee that struck. Yang took the opportunity left by the split second of surprise from the hit, to break free from her sister's hold.

It was still half a second too late, and they both crashed to the ground. Yang quickly somersaulted back to her feet, and brushed off her outfit.

"Not bad, but you weren't paying attention. You were so focused on my upper body and holding it that you forgot I had legs, little sister."

"I know you have legs! Two of them!" Staggering from side to side, she managed to get back into her weak stance, but she was moving more this time, trying not to remain still for too long at a time. Hoping her sister wouldn't be able to hit a moving target - or at least, not as easily.

Yang didn't even bother with her stance, she instead rolled her eyes and slowly approached. "Ruby, stop. Move this foot out an inch, move that one back two, and keep your knees slightly bent," she instructed. "You remember when Dad had us carry all those heavy bags up and down the stairs? And stand on one leg on a rock in the lake?"

Rolling her silver eyes, Ruby tried to emulate the stance Yang was reminding her of. "Like I pay any attention to what Dad says. Mostly I just remember 'ow this hurts' and 'why am I doing this?'" But then she stuck out her tongue and bent her knees more. "Like this?"

Yang grinned widely. "Yeah! See the difference?" She pushed her sister's shoulder and this time her sister didn't fall over, she stayed pretty solid.

"Ooh..." Then she shrugged and looked up at her sister, brow creasing in worry. "But see, this stance wouldn't work with Crescent Rose; I can't fire off sniper rounds without bracing more sturdily or I'll get blown all the way to Vacuo! How am I supposed to switch back and forth?"

The elder sister waved off the concern. "You're a beast with Crescent in your hands, we get it — but this is for those times when she's not in them. Like I mentioned. Right now, anyone who's ever fought you knows you're useless without it. But when I'm done with you? The moment they think they have you will be the moment they lose the fight."

Nodding emphatically, Ruby dropped even harder into her "new" stance, knees bent and eyes narrowed. For good measure, she even let out a tiny, "Grrrrrr" under her breath.

Yang chuckled. "Alright tiger, now block this kick and see just how much easier it is to absorb the blow and counter strike. Give it your best shot, don't hold back." Violet eyes narrowed and a grin spread across her lips as she threw a roundhouse kick at her determined little sister.

"AH!" Only briefly stunned by the attack, she threw up her arm and spread her hand out, catching Yang's heel easily and bearing the brunt of the force with her forearm and upper. She'd been fearful that it would knock her onto her ass, but she remained perfectly upright. "...oh."

"See? The purpose of this stance is to reroute most of the attack back into the ground through your legs; it makes blocking easier and counter strikes more effective. Now this time, I want you to instantly block my kick and then use the power in your legs to fuel an upper cut."

Ruby nodded as she let Yang's boot go and dropped back into the stance again. She cracked her neck from side to side, hoping to loosen up and be even more useful. These were all things her father had tried teaching her, but she had been so focused on learning how to build her beloved weapon that most of the lessons were gone as quickly as they were implanted in her mind.

Yang got into stance and took a deep breath; she didn't warn her sister, she knew how fast Ruby could react when determined. She threw the kick, twice as hard as before, and twice as fast.

And twice as fast, Ruby drew her hand up, knocking Yang's leg up and over her head this time as she dropped nearly to the ground — before surging upward with her opposite fist, twisting it toward Yang's chin at a speed only she was capable of attaining.

The yellow dragon took the hit full force, activating her semblance just in time. The sheer force caused her to fly backwards. She managed to flip just in time and land on her feet, sliding across the earth, digging trenches into the ground as she slowed to a stop. Blood trickled down her chin and her red eyes met her sister's silver ones.

"Not... bad."

"O-oh no!" Ruby gasped, the same hand that had delivered the blow flying to her mouth in distress. "Y-you- Sis, you weren't supposed to take it that hard, I didn't mean to make you bleed! Come on, let's go see the nurse!" Without even waiting for an answer, she was walking forward to take her by the arm and steer them back toward Beacon.

A strong grip clasped over Ruby's shoulder and the other arm broke out of her grasp and slid up and under the arm that had held it. From there she put her sister in an arm lock without a word.

"Lesson four: never lower your eyes to an enemy. Even if that enemy is one who you think is a friend."

Caught completely off her guard, the girl was powerless; she found herself completely at Yang's mercy. "H-HEY! But you're bleeding, the fight should be over, right?!" She struggled slightly but got nowhere. "SIIIIIIIIIIS!"

"Hush. Think. How do you get out of this, Ruby? Use your head. You're not a helpless little kid. You're better than that, you've been taught this stuff and I know it's in there, now think!"

Ruby took a second to stop and breathe. Her muscles tensed, her bones locked. She had a dozen plans, but they all involved having her beloved scythe; without it, she only had one or two, and neither seemed very plausible. But she had to up her game; had to recall their lessons from back in their childhood.

"YAAAAH!" Ruby shouted as she drove her elbow backward into Yang's ribcage.

With a wince and a grunt Yang took the hit and released her sister. "Good!" One word in and she was already throwing punches, causing Ruby to have to block, duck and weave. She wouldn't let up, and the more she threw the more she almost seemed… frantic?

Not that Ruby noticed, at first; she was far too busy. She could tell Yang wasn't necessarily holding back, but neither was she at the top of her game. She started out assuming that must have been her way of keeping the fight fair, since she still wasn't landing another blow, no matter how many she threw at her sister's body.

Yang finally slowed down and, to anyone paying attention, it was clear she had tears in her eyes. The taller girl fell to her knees; all of her fight had left and been replaced by what seemed like fear.

Instantly, Ruby was on her back, arms wrapped up and around Yang's shoulders and clasped behind her head in a headlock. "Hah! I'm not falling for the same thing twice!"

This time the hand that reached up to grasp Ruby's arm was tender. "Good girl..."

Little by little, Ruby relaxed her grip; she wouldn't let go the way she did before, but she was starting to wonder what was up with her sister. Even if she was supposed to be her opponent right now.

"Hey, uh... sis? Aren't you supposed to like, get out of this hold so you can show me why my hold sucked?"

Yang gripped the meat of ruby's thumb and flipped her over her shoulder. "Tuck your hands... or they're easily disarmed."

And Ruby did a somersault and landed on her feet, turning in a low crouch to spring at Yang. But halfway through her pouncing, she stumbled to a very slow halt when she caught sight of Yang's face.

"You learn quickly, Ruby... Promise me you'll remember all of these lessons this time...?"

Her head tilted slightly to one side. "Um... why? What's wrong?"

Previous battles flashed through Yang's mind. Battles they almost lost, battles they barely one.. Battles Ruby almost died in.

"Every fight... you kick total ass, little sister, and I'm really glad to have you here at Beacon. But these battles we're fighting? They keep getting stronger... and you keep getting disarmed. There won't always be one of us around to help you — I may not always be there to back you up. So if anything ever happens to me... I want to know you're safe. I need to know that I don't have to worry about you if your weapon falls from your hands." Progressively, her eyes watered more and tears raced down her cheeks in increasing volume. "If anything ever happened to you, I… I don't know what I'd do..."

"Yang, I- I didn't..." Her voice grew quieter and quieter as she dropped to her knees in front of her sister, fists grinding into the grass. "I've been doing my best, but I thought... I thought you'd have my back, I guess, or..."

Yang's gaze shot up. "Of course I'll have your back, always! Any time I can… but if I can't? Ruby, if I can't protect you, I just need to know you can protect you... not Weiss, not Blake… not Cresent Rose. Just you."

Now tears were pricking Ruby's eyes, as well. All their training, making new friends and teammates, learning all they had learned... she had thought it was enough. But now her sister was telling her it wasn't even close, and that she had to step it up in a big way.

"Sis, I'm so sorry," she breathed as she crawled forward a few inches, raising her hand to the blonde's face. "I'll do better- I can do better! I didn't mean to worry you, I swear, it was just- please don't be sad!"

"Yeah." Yang pulled Ruby into a bear hug and held her tight. "I love you, sis... and you're a totally amazing fighter… but I worry, you know. Because, well... it's what family does, right?"

Shoving her face hard against Yang's neck, Ruby sniffled, wishing she found comfort in the warmth that she always generated. That wasn't entirely accurate; she did feel the comfort. Just not enough. Not the way she always had. Yang had made it abundantly clear that she was putting herself and her entire team in danger with her lackluster hand-to-hand skill. Especially the team member she cared about most.

"And I love you, too," she sobbed hard. "I didn't think I let you down, I c-can't- I can't let my sister down, it's not okay, it's not okay!"

Yang ran her fingers through her sister hair. "Ruby... until you give up, and refuse to try again... you haven't failed me. I showed you one adjustment — just one to your stance — and you made weeks of progress instantly! You're amazing... better than I ever was at your age, and you'll be better than me still, very soon. Just... please make an effort to round your skills, and not focus them all on one thing?"

Ruby's arms came up to wrap around Yang hard, finally beginning to wind down from the heights of her panic and sadness. This wasn't over. She hated that she had made such a serious lapse, hadn't met Yang's expectations... but she was showing her a way. If she really buckled down and gave it her best, day after day, she could improve and eventually hold her own.

The elder sister gave a soft chuckle and pulled back to look Ruby in the eyes, using one finger to tilt her face up. "Chin up, soldier... We're going to come out here to practice once a week from now on. You and me." She offered a wink. "And who knows, maybe there will be a surprise course on this, and you can tell every one… I gave you the upper hand."

But all Ruby had eyes for was the tear tracks running down Yang's cheeks, and her thumb came up to wipe one away. "You sh-should have told me... I was being so dumb, I w-would have tried harder, sooner!"

"Yeah, you're right. I guess we can both be airheads sometimes. Wrapped up in our own thing..."

"I'd never wanna put you, Weiss and Blake in danger! You're my bestest friends in the world, and the most awesome people I've ever known! I... if I ever got one of you hurt, I'd..." Her tears started up again, despite her previous efforts to dry them up.

"Hey." Both of Yang's hands cupped Ruby's round little face, her own growing serious again. "We're from the same family. You ever see Dad quit? Qrow? Me? No. We fight. We fall. We get back up, and we do it all over again 'til the only thing left when the dust settles is what we came to accomplish. You can do it, too. You will do it. I said we'd train, and we will. You'll be a beast at hand-to-hand too in no time, Ruby."

Nodding her head vigorously when Yang released it, she cleared her throat and swiped at her eyes with the back of her sleeve. "You're right. The Xiao Long-Rose-Branwen family doesn't accept defeat! Even if... we have too many last names!"

The taller girl let out a chuckle and shook her head. "You're a tough cookie. It's what I've always liked about you, Ruby. Now, speaking of cookies… what do you say we go get some and eat them on Weiss's bed?"

Against her will, a snort escaped Ruby's nose, but it quickly turned into another sob. The exercise had been very crucial, important... but she wasn't going to be able to shake off the panicked feeling of fear anytime soon.

"Okay," was all she finally said in a strained voice, trying her best not to start crying all over again. "C-can they be rainbow-chip cookies? Those are the b-best!"

"Sure! A whole plate of them. And we'll get chocolate milk, too," Yang added as she got to her feet. The blonde walked over to the discarded gauntlets and slipped them back on. "Ready?"

But while she was slipping them on, Ruby took a few quick steps and hopped up to sit on Yang's shoulders. For the first time in well over seven years, she whispered down at her sister, "Can... I have a ride, horsie?"

The sheer nostalgia that hit almost knocked her off her feet, but she — like her sister — was strong.

"Hold on tight, Little Red Rodeo!" Yang grinned, just before she took off towards Beacon. She knew Ruby would be alright. Sure, she worried sometimes, but in her heart was an unshakeable truth: nothing can beat that kid. Ruby was invincible, and by the time Yang was through training her? Everyone else would know it, too.

~ The End ~