The Other Daughter

Chapter 11

Yang descended the stairs and greeted the staff, who were hard at work on serving breakfast and helping guests, as always. She'd made up her mind. She needed to leave town, but first, she wanted to thank the woman who offered her food and a place to rest her head.

A quick sweep of the room reassured her that he wasn't around. Ozpin was the last person she felt like seeing right now. Relieved, she turned away from the buffet line and approached the kind woman in the apron who was always waiting with a smile. For once, the apron was completely spotless.

"Good morning, there," the woman said as she turned away from speaking with one of the cooks. "How are ya feeling, miss?"

"Good, thanks. I'm heading out. I left the clothes you lent me hanging up." Yang looked at the sign above the woman's head that listed prices, and dropped two nights' worth of lien on the counter.

"Oh, is that so?" The lady pouted. "Shame to see someone as helpful to this town as you go, but I wish you the best!"

"Thanks. I'm really glad I decided to stay here."

Letting out a heavy sigh, Yang turned and strode out of the inn, hoisting both straps of her bag up onto her shoulders. She didn't know exactly where her next destination would be, but it didn't matter.

Anywhere but Patch.

She started on the long walk out of town with heavy steps, weighed down by a flood of thoughts about the last two days. Whether right or wrong, she'd visited her father, only to chicken out when he did nothing but try to be nice to her. That wasn't her. Even so, when she really thought about it, she was doing them both a favor. Her father, and even...

Even Ruby. Her sister, who hadn't ever gotten the chance to truly talk with her. To learn who she was and decide how she felt about that information. No matter. Ruby would never see her again, so it was useless to dwell on. She'd go on and have a life of her own. Hopefully, a good one.

Yang grimaced as, against her wishes, she reflected on the conversation with Ozpin. Why had he bothered to approach her? He seemed surprised to hear that she knew the truth about him, so maybe he thought he could spin a tale and do to her what tried to do years ago with her mother.

Fat chance of that.

Even so, Ruby didn't deserve to be a pawn in his plans. At the very least, she needed to know the truth. But to barge into her peaceful life with Taiyang and ruin it would be no better than visiting him unexpectedly had been. Seeing the lack of energy, but abundance of love, in his eyes when Taiyang spoke about both of his daughters told her that if Ruby didn't know the truth now, breaking it to her might be too much. The conversation was tough for Yang when Raven told her the truth, so she could only imagine how it might affect her kind and gentle younger sister, who had her whole life ahead of her.

Yang's feet crunching over twigs and leaves was the only sound she heard apart from the faded echoes of laughing, innocent children near the entrance to Patch. She couldn't stand this. The weight of knowing their laughs were built on lies. That Ruby's smile was, as well.

Ruby needed protection from Oz, whether she knew it or not. Even more so because she was ignorant of everything. She didn't have that same look of knowing in her eyes that Raven, Vernal, or Taiyang had. The look that said without words how hopeless life felt. No matter what, the underlying sense of doom lingered, dampening even the happiest of moments. Yang perfectly understood why Taiyang would not have told Ruby yet, granted he probably should have. Everyone deserved to know the whole truth and make their own decisions.

While Ruby may not have been her responsibility, Yang was the only one in a position to help. She'd already decided to leave behind her days of letting others suffer while she stood by, doing nothing. So how could she leave Ruby at the mercy of Ozpin and his secrets? There was only one choice. A choice that would derail her goal of independently seeking adventure and freedom. One that would shackle her to a fate she might not be able to escape. But it would be worth it, if she could save even the smallest soul in the process.