Chapter Text
Chapter 1
"Hold still, Ruby!" Yang laughed, pressing her hands firmly against her eight-year-old sister's shoulders.
With Taiyang and Qrow both away on long-term missions in Sanus, the house in Patch felt cavernous and quiet. Yang knew she wasn't supposed to do this yet—Dad had been very clear about waiting until Ruby was older but after seeing Ruby's wide, pleading eyes during training, she couldn't help herself.
"For it is in courage that we defy the shadow.
Through this, we become the spark that kindles the fire of hope.
Infinite in resolve and unbound by fear,
I release your soul, and by my hand, awaken thee. " Yang whispered the words she'd practiced, channeling her own warmth into her sister. Suddenly, a soft rose-petal glow erupted, shimmering around Ruby like a second skin. Her Aura was finally unlocked.
The next week was a blur of focus and discipline. Between making sure they both ate something other than cookies, Yang spent every afternoon teaching Ruby how to keep that glow from flickering out. "It’s like holding a breath without straining," Yang coached on day four. "If you let it leak, you're vulnerable. Keep it tight, keep it active." By the end of the week, Ruby could maintain the shimmer even while sprinting through the woods.
But Ruby wouldn't be Ruby without a project. While Yang practiced her punches, Ruby spent her nights in the garage, surrounded by blueprints and scrap metal. A week before taiyang is supposed to be back, she revealed her masterpiece
"Check it out, Yang!" Ruby shouted. She shows off a bulky, silver-and-black gauntlet that looks nowhere near safe. “Here I made it for you since you don’t have any weapons yet and will start at Signal in a couple years”
“uhm… gee thanks rubes, are… are you sure its safe?”
“Of course not i havent even tested it yet because I didnt make it for me” as you could expect this did not fill Yang with a lot of confidence especially that way too happy smile on her little sisters face which was also the reason she couldn’t refuse as she wouldn’t do anything to make her little sis sad.
With more than a little trepidation she takes the the gauntlet. “Ok sooo how does it work rubes do i just slide it on? And what does it do?” that was apparantly the right question to ask seeing ruby break out in a smile before she rushes yang and helps her put it on. Yang almost drops to the ground once ruby put it on and let go “yeez rubes its a bit heavy i can hardly walk with this on”
Ruby just smiles at her big sis “Look you flick this switch when you want to use it and the gravity dust will activate its supposed to be part of a suit im planning but I don’t have the money or the correct materials and machinery but for now it will do”
Yang threw a mock punch into the air. BOOM. A concentrated wave of gravitational force shrieked across the room, knocking over the table and everything on it and leaving a dent in the floor. The recoil sent Yang stumbling back.
Yang’s eyes went wide. "A Gravity gauntlet? Rubes, that's incredible... and also definitely going to get me grounded for a month when Dad sees the floor..."