Yang was waiting on the footpath, leaning against her motorbike as Ruby and Taiyang turned the corner. A few seconds later blond met blond in a hearty impact, arms wrapping around each other. Yang and Taiyang embraced one another, Yang's face resting against his shoulder while his chin sat atop her head. Both were smiling softly, reunited after a month. Taiyang pulled back and ruffled Yang's hair to which she grimaced but accepted dutifully. They remained in a one armed embrace as Taiyang grinned at her pained face.

"Nice to see you again. You didn't do anything too outrageous did you?" The emphasis he put on 'too' let Yang know he wouldn't be surprised either way.

"Nope. Just travelled around with a few friends. You didn't miss me too much did you?" Yang returned the emphasis on 'too' with a impish grin of her own as she bumped her hip against his.

"Of course I missed my little dragon, but I know a certain someone who missed you more~" He dragged out the last word while a smile and a quick tilt of his head to the side made Yang shift her attention to the other member of her family. Ruby's timid look, downwards eyes flitting up every so often, an unsure look across her face and hands fiddling with her skirt made Yang pause in consideration for a second before a large smile came across her face. She let go of Taiyang and launched herself towards her younger sister. She collided with the smaller frame of Ruby and they both tilted precariously before Yang picked Ruby up in a tight hug.

"Aww, did little Rubaby miss me~?" Yang cooed out while swinging Ruby around. Taiyang was openly laughing at the duo, doing nothing to help his youngest who was flailing her arms about in a panic.

"D- Don't call me that, Yang!" Ruby's face was flustered but pleased, something that made their father laugh even harder.

"Nuh-uh, you'll always be my baby sister no matter how much milk you drink." Yang finally set her down, grinning at the frazzled state of Ruby who was trying to settle her hair back down into it's usual state. Her sister paused in her movements for a split second before continuing flattening her hair. Lilac eyes narrowed as she actually looked down onto Ruby's face.

"Hey, what's up with you, Rubes? Looking kind of pale. Paler than usual I mean." Yang leant in and rested her palms on Ruby's cheeks which were slightly puffed out of indignation. "I know you said you have a cough, but this seems more than that."

"You should tell her. Better now than later."

Yang looked over to their father who had his arms crossed and a light frown on his face. The sudden shift from laughter to seriousness sent a thrill of concern through her. Lilac eyes snapped back to Ruby, who was now openly fidgeting and looking anywhere but at Yang.

"It's nothing serious… I'll be fine soon." The rebellious mutter was picked up by the ears of both blondes, causing matching concerned frowns to appear.

"Ruby, what's wrong?" Yang questioned with a soft tone, not wanting to upset her. Palms still on her sister's cheeks. The youngest heaved a sigh before answering, looking into Yang's eyes with her own silver while reaching up to grab the hands resting on her face.

"I fought a criminal robbing a dust store, it was Roman Torchwick. Something went wrong with my aura during it, so now I'm sick for a while. Oh, I also got into Beacon. I'll be going with you this year." Ruby's voice was small, as if expecting harsh words.

Yang blinked. Hands falling from her sister's face, her mouth opened as if to answer but she paused and blinked again to process what she had just heard.

"You weren't joking before, were you?" It wasn't so much a question as it was a statement. Ruby really did shock her this time.

"We've talked to the headmaster, he will make allowances for her condition. Ruby will be fine in a few weeks unless she pushes herself to hard. I hope you'll be able to make sure she doesn't, Yang?" Their father broke in, moving close enough to put a hand on both their shoulders.

"Wait, her condition? That sounds like more than just a cough?" Yang shifted her eyes between her father who was unusually serious and her sister, who was unusually timid.

"What Ruby conveniently left out is that her aura and semblance are causing issues for her. She has issues breathing, feels like her chest is being is being constricted and has been coughing up blood." Taiyang gazed down at his eldest, whose face was horrified.

"Her aura is doing that? How is that even possible? Why are you letting her go to Beacon like this?" Yang turned to Ruby with wide eyes before looking back at her father, eyes gaining a red tinge.

"Relax, Dragon, relax. Ruby, Ozpin and I talked about it. She'll be fine, you know Ruby can handle a few Grimm. She's not too far behind you in that regard." He brought his hands up in a disarming motion. Taiyang ignored the question about how it was happening, that was a whole other topic. That neither girl needed to know right now.

"That's not the point! What if she gets hurt because she's sick? What if she gets bullied? What if she can't keep up? She's only fifteen!" Yang's eyes were fully red, her heated questions drawing attention from passersby even though she wasn't yelling.

"Well, you'll be there, right?" The simple response from Taiyang stopped her short. Her eyes flickered for a moment before returning to their normal lilac. Yang opened her mouth before another voice cut her off.

"I want to do this, Yang. I will do this. With or without your approval." Both blonds turned to face the youngest with varying degrees of surprise. The determination shown by her was nothing new, but the resolve to do something that Yang didn't approve of was quite new. Usually the two would support each other unless one decided the other was doing something that was just went too far, or was too dangerous. Their bond was just like that. For Ruby to take a serious stand against Yang, that was certainly unusual.

Taiyang wasn't too surprised, he knew what being a Hunter meant to Ruby. It was more that she was openly opposing Yang, vocally doing so. He would have expected Ruby to shy away from her sister, go to him for support over the matter. But no, she was standing up for herself. Maybe she really was maturing, with her dream finally being so close to fulfillment. Yang however, looked Ruby with wide eyes. Wasn't it just a bit over a month ago that Ruby had run to her asking about what food Zwei would want most? She needed approval of what a dog would like eating, and now she was standing her ground against her? It was extremely rare for Ruby to disagree with her when she got emotional, when her eyes shifted and her tone heated. Yang could only recall one time in fact, and that was when she brought up that maybe a cape wasn't the best thing to wear when fighting Grimm.

"Fine, fine, I know you won't stop. I'm just worried about you." Yang's stance softened and she gave out a tentative smile. Ruby gave a soft smile back. Taiyang wrapped his arms around both girls and dragged them into his sides.

"Right then, come on girls. Let's drop Yang's bags and bike off and go do some shopping. I know Ruby's looking for some new clothes."

Yang perked up at the mention of clothes. Maybe she could pick some out for her sister?

Yang was now sitting down on a wooden seat that was attached to a wall, waiting for Ruby to come out of the changing stall. The trip to the hotel and dropping off her luggage had let her cool down, making idle conversation with her father while Ruby was walking ahead of them. Currently they were in one of Vale's many shopping centres. Ruby had split from the duo, Yang decided to follow, and made her way into a clothing shop. Yang recognised the name as there was one in Patch too, but she'd never been in it before. The clothing in stock… Wasn't exactly her style. Dresses, skirts, corsets, stockings, things with frills and laces. Not exactly what Yang was into wearing. But it was perfect for Ruby. So when said little sister grabbed some clothing Yang didn't quite manage to see, she decided she'd wait for Ruby to come out. Clothing was an important part of life after all. While Ruby had a fairly good sense of fashion for someone who didn't particularly care, Yang had taken it upon herself to judge whether it was wearable or not.

When Ruby finally came out, Yang's face twisted.

The white cotton blouse, skirt and forearm guards weren't an issue. No, the issue was the belts. Lots and lots of belts. Around her arms and shoulders were brown belts with obvious silver buckles that stood out immensely. Then there was the red belt was around her chest.

A belt- strap- thing was around her fifteen year old little sister's chest.

Not only that, but there was also a entirely exposed region of her chest. Luckily it was a bit above where it would be considered indecent… But even so. The customary corset hadn't changed, but the laces had come up even further. All the way up to that damn belt around her chest. Yang's gaze drifted lower, and one of her lilac eyes twitched. Ruby's stockings now ended lower, lower than her skirt. Creamy, pale thighs were on display, filling the gap between stocking and skirt. The boots had changed too, no longer did they have red laces. No, now they had buckles. Multiple buckles, running all the way up and down the boots. Yang closed her eyes and took in a deep breath. She always knew Ruby had… Different tastes in clothing to her, but this was something else. Her sweet, innocent little girl, naive to all the world's darker ways… Looked like she came straight out of a fetish store. Yang quickly turned her head around to check. No, they still were still in a normal, perfectly family friendly store.

"Oh, Yang. I didn't know you wanted to buy clothes too." Ruby's voice broke through Yang's mental breakdown.

"Ruby… These are your new clothes?" Yang choked out a response, her right hand clenching the seat she was on to the point where her knuckles were white.

"Oh, right! You never saw this outfit. What do you think?" Ruby questioned with a subdued tone before doing a twirl for her sister. Yang's eye twitched again as the skirt rose up slightly from the movement, revealing even more thigh.

"It's… Lovely. But why all the belts?" Yang forced out through gritted teeth and an equally forced smile accompanying her question. Somehow Ruby bought it, as a bright smile and happy silver eyes were directed her way.

"Oh, they're just straps for a backpack. Why'd you ask?" Ruby tilted her head and Yang received the full blast of 'innocent Ruby; pose number three'. Yes, Yang had started naming and numbering them over the years. She could swear that Ruby deliberately practised the looks to see which ones worked best, because her younger sister used them to devastating effect. Each and every time.

"Just… Wondering." The blond responded with her gaze narrowed on the straps. She would be beating off anyone whose eyes drifted anywhere below Ruby's face. Maybe even Ember Celica would get involved. Ruby was still too young to be having any of that kind of attention… Even with how she was dressing. No, Ruby would stay innocent for as long as Yang had a say in it, and as her sister… Well, it would be Long indeed.

"Yang, why do you have a stupid grin on your face? Ugh, you made a pun in your head, didn't you?"

"Hey, my puns are great! Xiao Long as you have a sense of humour~"

Ruby was lying back on her bed in the hotel room, browsing through her personal scroll. It was missing quite a few things, namely photos, but she would make sure to replace them. Taiyang had gone down to get a few drinks, since room service wasn't currently available. Yang was in the bathroom, humming a tune to herself that Ruby easily recognised. A few moments later the blonde opened the door and strode out before stopping to strike a pose in front of her sister.

"Am I hot or what?" She grinned and flicked her hair out with a hand. Ruby looked up from her scroll and gave Yang a quick once over. She was in exactly what she wore during the first part of Beacon.

"You've always looked good, Yang. Are you going out?" Her silver eyes focussed back onto her scroll. Yang deflated at the lack of reaction, although she still held a slight smirk. She knew she looked good, and she knew that Ruby knew she knew. Yang shook her head slightly at that train of thought. Too many 'knews'.

"Yeah, just gonna go meet someone before we go back to Patch. I'll be back in a few hours so don't bother worrying about anything." She walked over to Ruby and ruffled her hair and smiled at the look Ruby gave her. After that she began making her way to exit the room. Ruby followed her movement with slightly narrowed eyes, trying to remember what Yang would have done in Vale. It came back to her and she called out to her elder sister.

"Try not to start a fight or anything, Yang. Beacon starts a week, we can't get in trouble now." Her voice held a large amount of concern, she remembered Yang bragging about fighting twins and a bunch of guards at a club. Sure, nothing bad happened last time, but what if the owner actually decided to press charges?

"Heh, is that what you think of me, Sis?" Yang let out a light chuckle as she stopped at the door, turning to face Ruby. The blonde paused at the actual concern shown on her sister's face.

"Yang…"

"Fine, fine. I won't start any fights. But if they swing at me, you know I'll hit back." Lilac eyes were rolled in amusement. Her sister really was such a worrier. "Anyway, I'll see you in an hour or two. You and Dad don't have to stay up. In fact, you go to sleep. You need your rest now, Ruby."

"Call me if you need any help." Ruby completely disregarded the last part of Yang's sentence.

Yang shook her head in fond exasperation before flipping a wave as she walked out the door.

"Well it's your lucky day, Junior. A cute little girl specifically asked me not to start any fights." Yang gave a cocky smirk to the large man. Here she was, a sole woman threatening him inside his own club and saying the only reason she wasn't following through was because of another, small girl. That would definitely hit his ego, and if his physical size was any indicator, he would have one hell of an ego.

"So what's stopping me from tossing you out, Blondie?" His eyes narrowed behind his glasses.

"Well, for one, I'm a Hunter. Going to Beacon actually. Those two twins look like they'll be the toughest, but I'm sure I could take 'em. You sure you want to try that route?" She took a sip of her drink and returned to smirking as the man's face paled slightly. Good, he knew she was serious. Pointing out his two strongest henchmen without even putting in any effort let him know she was for real.

Junior clicked his teeth in distaste. He didn't mess with Hunters for a reason. "What do you want to know? I'll tell you, but then you're out. Never bother coming back either."

Yang put down her drink and sat up straighter. Reaching into her jacket, she brought out a picture. Disturbingly red eyes glared up and into his sunglasses. "Everything you know about this woman."

The door opening jerkily alerted Ruby to her sister's return. Their father was sprawled out over his bed, having gone to sleep not long before. Ruby placed her scroll down on a bedside table and turned on the nearby lamp. Soft golden light enveloped the room, causing Taiyang to shift and turn his head the other way. As Ruby's gaze found her sister, silver eyes widened and then crinkled out of concern. Yang wasn't the happy person Ruby had been seeing since the morning. Now she reminded the younger girl of how she was while they were both recovering at home in Patch. The lost look, the silence, the pained eyes. Yang wasn't even looking at her, she was just staring at the sleeping form of their father.

"Oh, Yang…" The redhead trailed off in sadness. Lilac eyes jerked towards her before they widened.

"I- I thought I told you to sleep." Yang's eyes moved from her and back to their father. She stayed there for a moment before moving to sit on the foot of the bed Ruby was on. The younger sat up and moved to embrace her older sister, arms around her stomach and resting her head on the back of the blonde's shoulders.

"Do you want to talk?" Ruby questioned with a soft tone. The motion of Yang shaking her head gave her the answer. Slight shakes then began working their way through the blonde's body. Ruby frowned sadly. Seeing Yang like this again… It wasn't at all what she wanted. Her mind flashed to when she had seen Yang and Blake on the ground. Silver eyes clenched as she dispelled the images. They opened again and took in her sister's form.

"Come on Yang, you need some rest." Ruby gently began to pull her elder sister down onto the bed. She received no resistance and the blonde fell back onto her back beside Ruby, who was resting with her knees to one side. She smiled gently and brushed the fringe out of Yang's eyes.

"I won't make you say anything, but I'll listen to you if you do want to talk." The soft, caring voice and the gentle comfort of Ruby's presence calmed Yang down quicker than anything else would be able to.

"Nah, don't worry Ru. I just need some rest." Yang attempted to return to her normal bravado, but it didn't last as she gazed up into her sister's eyes. "Come on, I'm meant to be looking after you. You're the sick one." Yang huffed out the last part with an exaggerated pout. Ruby giggled slightly in response before pulling the bedding up and over Yang. She then made to get up and off the bed before an arm was wrapped around her waist, taking her back down onto the bed.

"Where do you think you're going? There's no other beds." The arm remained around Ruby's waist as the smaller girl twisted to look at Yang.

"I was going to sleep on the couch?" Silver eyes blinked confusedly.

"Nope, no couch sleeping. You're here with me, unless you want to share with Dad?" They both turned to look at their father who was now twitching in his sleep with various body parts sprawled out, covering his entire bed. Identical grimaces came across their faces at the sight.

"Are you sure? The couch looks fine."

"You're my sister. It's nothing we haven't done before, it'll be just like old times. My own cute, warm little teddybear~" Yang raised the covers to make room with a teasing smile. Ruby flushed, pale cheeks turning a colour to match her cape. Nonetheless, after turning the lamp off she slid in beside Yang with a content hum, lying flush with her sister's side.

"I… I've missed you, Yang." The darkness hid her vulnerable expression.

"I was only gone a month and we talked at least once a week, Ru." Yang tilted her head so it rested against Ruby's and closed her eyes. The younger didn't make to respond, simply keeping quiet.

"But… I guess I know what you mean." If Yang could see her sister's face, she would have been extremely alarmed by the mix of joy and pain that her statement brought.

The following morning the sisters awoke to a gushing Taiyang, scroll in hand and it's camera flashing at speeds never before seen.

Ruby gazed up at their home. Nothing had changed since she last saw it. Well, that was a lie. Some flowers hadn't grown yet, the trees weren't as large as she could remember. It was completely surreal, that she could remember the future. The future that was her past, and yet it was now her future as well? She shook her head, those kinds of thought would get her nowhere. All she needed to focus on was getting stronger. Strong enough to make a difference, strong enough to save the people she held dear. Her eyes shifted towards her sister. Yang, she was just so… Happy now. All smile and cheer, her emotions were showing as clearly as the sun shined. It was a far cry from the state Ruby had last seen her in. To deal with such a shift, to deal with the worry and concern and smiles and grins and hugs… It overwhelmed her. She was sure that her father and sister had noticed it, but she wasn't completely all there. She felt dazed, almost like she had just woken up from a long rest.

She wasn't so out of it that she noticed the argument that her sister and dad had, with various gestures and looks towards her. Had she done something wrong? Maybe Yang was still upset about her getting into Beacon. She hadn't made such a fuss last time round, maybe it was just worries over her aura. Which still pained her, she could admit. She wasn't any where near full strength, even walking around the shopping centre had caused a slight issue. Having to pause and lean on a nearby railing with Yang hovering over her shoulder, now that was embarrassing. A few people had even come up to them both and asked if they needed help.

At that point she could understand why Yang had been so worried, why she was so worried. If she couldn't even handle walking down a shopping centre, what would happen if she was caught by some Grimm? But luckily enough, she knew Ozpin would be watching her. She rather doubted that he would allow her to get severely injured during initiation. Uncle Qrow had said she was special and she knew Uncle Qrow and Ozpin worked together, with Ozpin being the leader. If Qrow had said she was special, then Ozpin would agree. But even despite her uncle's claims… She still didn't know what made her special. Apparently she froze the dragon Grimm, but she couldn't remember a single thing after the pure whiteness. Maybe she could ask Ozpin about it? Or maybe her Dad would know. But then again, her father had never spoken to her about it. Maybe he just didn't know? Ruby frowned in thought. It was already turning out to be more complicated than she'd thought. Approaching Ozpin seemed to be the best bet. If that failed, then wait until Uncle Qrow showed up. Or even try to contact him earlier. Things were already different that how she originally remembered. She just hoped that nothing major or bad would come of the differences.

"C'mon, Rubes. You can help me unpack. Then you're gonna do my hair. I've been roughing it out for a month, I deserve some pampering." An arm wrapped rather tightly around her shoulders and brought her flush with Yang's side. Snapped out of her thoughts, she turned her gaze to Yang's face. The blonde's held an unapologetic grin and dancing eyes.

Ruby let out a groan and brought her hands up to cover her face. Taking care of Yang's hair took up to nearly an hour when she wanted it done properly. Yang and Taiyang both let out nearly identical laughs. They both knew how much Ruby enjoyed "pampering" Yang. That is to say, she didn't, but she loved Yang enough to go through it.

"Don't worry kiddo, I'll be having her do your chores around the house until you're off to Beacon. Only seems fair given she missed a whole month of hers." Taiyang ruffled Ruby's hair before he unlocked the door and entered their house. Ruby made to follow, but Yang still had her arm around her. The blonde had a conflicted expression as Ruby turned her gaze. Slowly Yang shrugged and moved forward with Ruby in tow.

"Eh, you'll just be taking real good care of my hair, Sis."

"Now, where's my darling little Ice Cream?" Roman strode through the warehouse, making his way past various White Fang grunts who were milling about. Pausing, he gazed around the open area. No sign of any pink to be seen. He gave out a hum of thought before he spied someone.

"Perry, the man himself! Seen Neo around?" Roman swaggered up to the startled faunus and brought an arm around his shoulders.

"N- No… And my name isn't Perry…" The faunus mumbled out the last part but Roman had already moved on. The fashionable man muttering under his breath as he stalked onwards. Sometimes 'Perry' wondered who really took after animals. None of his fellow White Fang members could match the predatory movements of Roman and his little partner.

"Neo~ Oh Neo~" Roman sang out while walking around. A few moments later he stopped and stood against a large crate. Not long after, he heard a faint sound and looked up to the top of the crate, where the person he was looking for was sitting with one leg over the other, parasol in one hand and a smirk on her face.

"Just the person I was looking for. How have things been?" Roman looked up at her as he fished around for his lighter, cigar already in hand.

Neo tilted her head and shrugged, moving her free hand in a dismissive motion.

"Well, that's good, that's good. Nothing you feel like telling me about?" Roman moved his gaze off of the girl and onto his cigar, forcing Neo to jump down and land beside him. The multicoloured girl rose both eyebrows as their gaze met before shaking her head.

"Oho? You don't think making a little friend is worth mentioning? Especially when said friend is a Huntress?" The thief sarcastically bit out. Neo grimaced as the smoke hit her face but kept her gaze on Roman's. After a few moments she offered a shrug and a tilt of her head.

"You have no idea what I'm talking about, do you?" Roman sighed after he watched neo for any signs of deception. "Well, we have something interesting on our hands. A+ girl knows about you. How you fight, that we work together, what you look like and probably more knowing our luck."

Neo's eyebrows had risen up into her fringe, one eye turning white while the other remained brown.

"No, I don't know if it's a real threat right now. It only means you can't expect to remain unknown. Not that that's an issue for you though." Roman puffed out some smoke, causing Neo to wave a dainty hand in front of her nose.

"But we'll definitely have to take a look into her. Someone unknown knowing details about you… That's an issue." A smirk made it's way onto his features, while a menacing grin grew on Neo's.

AN: Well I did say update rates would be going down. Surprised I managed this tbh. Anyway, hope it was enjoyable-ish.