OST: Home from the Vol. 4 OST

A/N: And that's that. It only took over two years after its conception to properly write it, and I did realistically write over half of it within the last two days, but… hey, at least it's finally done. I hope you enjoyed it!

Leave a review and let me know what you think of this little project of mine!

Metal Hands, Patchwork Hearts

Traveling through the portal took longer than she would have thought.

It was an odd feeling, being encompassed by so much darkness, so much pure Aura. Yang kept her eyes closed for most of it, though- the writhing walls and the shifting floor and the red still made her sick to her stomach, heart racing in her ribcage painfully. The faster she escaped this place, the better.

But Ruby's almost with me.

Instead, during that time, she thought of a lot of things.

Raven hadn't been who she had dreamed her to be. While she had had no false images of her mother- talking to her father and uncle about what sort of woman Raven was had been enough to destroy any illusions of warmth she could have expected from her mother- it still hurt to see how callous and calculating the woman had been to her own daughter.

Vernal, though, had somehow managed to win Raven's affection. Yang didn't know how the other young woman had done it, but it had been clear- in every small movement, in the way Vernal always knew what Raven needed, and in how just a little gratitude from Raven spoke volumes to the younger- Vernal had found a mother in Raven, and no matter what Raven had promised, there had been no new start to be found with her. Vernal already occupied whatever space may have been there.

Was… was Qrow really able to turn into a bird, too? And had it really been Ozpin who had given them those powers? It seemed too fantastical to be real. Magic didn't exist, after all. Yet, she had watched her mother turn into a bird and back before her very eyes, so maybe… maybe Salem, the ruler of the Grimm, existed, too.

And if that was the case, then what were they all fighting for?

She shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. There were far too many questions in her mind, too many to ponder alone. There was no point suffering over it until she could get the truth from someone.

But the truth would have to come second. First, she needed Ruby, and she needed to keep her safe. And then, after whatever they had to do was done, they'd come home. That was her goal. The truth could come later.

Amidst all of these thoughts, the end of the portal came upon them unexpectedly. Bumblebee rumbled out of the portal, the red maw zipping shut behind the bike as they finally rolled out onto a cobblestone courtyard, the sun almost blinding in the twilight glow.

The look on Qrow's face upon seeing the girls was something marvelous, though.

And when her uncle saw the prosthetic on her arm, he reached up and cupped her cheek with one ringed hand, looking prouder than she had ever seen him. In his eyes was a sea of understanding and empathy, his gaze flicking back every once in a while to where the portal had been. He knew what she had done. He knew who she had visited.

And he knew her choice.

"You did good, kiddo."

She grinned. No matter how betrayed she had felt when he had left with Ruby, she couldn't deny it- it felt good to see him again. "And how about you?"

He shrugged. "Wanna see?"

Weiss bumped her shoulder into Yang's, smiling warmly. Yang tried to smile back, but the confusion from the jumbled thoughts in her heart lingered on. How could it not?

But when Qrow led them into a small house, the smell of a warm meal wafting through the air, the sounds of familiar laughter echoing from the kitchen… and when Ruby walked towards them, a tray of teacups in her hand and a smile on her face, all of that confusion disappeared.

This is where she was meant to be.

Her little sister's face crumbled as she saw Yang, though, and guilt rushed over Yang yet again, the memories of how their relationship had been strained over the first months after the Fall coating her tongue with bitterness and regret.

I have to say it.

Ruby gasped, stuttering and stumbling, tiny voice cracking in fear and heartbreak and shock as she cried, "Yang, I... I'm so sorry! I- I should've stayed, and I should've talked to you more! I'd- I just..." Tears began to pour unabashedly from her eyes, wide and silvery and naïve. In an absolutely heart-wrenching moment, Yang watched as her sister gathered up her skirt material in one hand, gripping onto the neck of her cloak in the other.

She's trying to hide the colour, Yang realized dimly.

In a tiny voice, Ruby added, "I wasn't sure if you wanted me around, and-"

That was enough.

I have to say it. If she didn't say it now, then everything she had worked so hard to rebuild would have been for naught.

With long strides, she crossed the room, tugging the younger girl into her arms. Holding her tight against her shoulder, Yang finally said the words she had wanted to say all those months ago, tears beginning to fall from her own eyes.

"I love you."

Ruby's sob tore through her soul, the shorter girl collapsing in her arms. "I love you too," she wept, clutching onto Yang with all the force she could muster.

Yang felt herself melt, the tears suddenly overtaking her, throat constricting. Ruby's grip tightened around her, and she returned the embrace with just as much strength- for if she let go, she, too, would collapse. In that one moment, all the tension, the anxiety, the isolation which had plagued her for months, was washed away.

I said it. She knows how much I love her. She knows I'll never let her go alone again.

That familiar warmth in her arms, the scent of cookies and roses, the love she could feel exuding from every pore- this was the safest place in the world for her. Yang didn't need to dream of a make-believe family with Raven anymore. And yes, while there were still far too many wounds to count that still needed to heal, and while she'd struggle to trust anyone for a long, long time, she knew that she'd be able to move forward, no matter what. After all, Ruby was here, and she had always been the home that Yang wanted to protect.

And this time, she'd be there to stand by Ruby's side.

I'll bring her home, Dad. Just you wait. We'll do what we need to do, together, and then we'll come back home to you.

Her eyes teared up as she clutched onto her younger sister. It barely felt real, having Ruby in her arms once again. And yet, as Ruby's tears soaked into her collar, and as they pulled Weiss into their arms as well, Yang knew that she finally wasn't alone again.

Through the fabric of her pants, she could trace the outline of the photo Tai had given her pressing against her hip. She could picture her father's face perfectly.

I'll bring us both home, she swore to that image. Back to you. Just wait for us.

She couldn't wait for the day he welcomed them home again.

And then, her father wouldn't have to be alone anymore- and as patchwork as it may be, their family would finally be whole again. If Yang had Tai and Ruby by her side, it would always be home.

-fin-