In a quiet forest leave silently sway in the wind, until two young voices are heard laughing in the distance. A bird perches on a nearby branch and chirps a few times, before it's suddenly blown to the ground by two red and orange blurs.

Swiftly moving through the forest there are two flying clouds of rose petals. Oneis normal red rose petals, and the other is a red and orange flaming rose petals. Both leave behind their respective petals on the ground as they fly.

Laughter is heard from the two clouds, one male and the other female.

"You'll never win, Asher!" Ruby Rose is heard from the red cloud.

"Ha! That's what you think!" Asher Rose is heard from the burning cloud.

The two keep bobbing and weaving through the forest. And Ruby slowly pulls ahead. Asher grunts and he suddenly crashes into a tree.

"Fu-!" Asher slowly falls to the ground.

Ruby laughs as she keeps flying ahead. "You'll never win now, Asher!" She laughs until something suddenly flies past her. "Huh?"

Asher, whose petals glow brighter now, laughs as he pulls ahead of Ruby.

"Eat my dust!" Asher yells.

"Oh that's so cheating!" Ruby shouts as she speeds up towards Asher.

"All is fair in Rose and War!"

Asher keeps weaving through trees as his younger twin tries to to catch up. The two come out of the forest and to a large cliff edge.

Ruby yells as she cancels out her semblance and flies towards Asher's cloud, and suddenly tackles him to the ground. He cancels his semblance as he and his twin roll along the ground.

The two yell as they roll around, until Ruby pins Asher to the ground.

"Oh, now I got you right where I want you!" Ruby smiles.

"Hey, just because you lost, doesn't mean you can be mad!" Asher tries to get Ruby off him. "It's not my fault my semblance is a mixture between yours and Yang's."

Ruby pouts before she starts to pull on Asher's cheeks. "Still it's not fair!"

"Wall's fwair in wose and war!" Asher shouts with his cheeks being pulls.

Ruby huffs and stops pulling on Asher's cheeks. "I'll get you next time!"

Asher rolls his eyes and scoffs. "You'll never win against the Asher Sarge Rose!" He pushes Ruby off him and the two just lay on their backs.

The two stare up at the cloud as they pass over head, with the sun setting beyond the cliff.

Ruby and Asher watch the sky with smiles on their faces. Asher adjusts the large white cloak around his shoulders.

"Asher?" Ruby calls out.

"Yeah?" Asher responds as he keeps looking up to the sky.

"Do you think we'll be together forever?"

"Pft, of course!" Asher holds the edges of his cloak. "Nothing will ever separate us, we the Rose twins. The most inseparable people on the planet!"

Ruby smiles. "Yeah, nothing will separate us."

The two lay in silence for a while as the sun slowly sets. A breeze softly blows as Ruby's smile suddenly falters a little.

"Hey, Asher?" Ruby calls out as she glances over to her brother.

"Yeah, Ruby?" Asher looks at Ruby.

"Are... Are you still gonna go to Beacon with me?"

Asher grows confused. "Where did this come from?"

"Asher, it's just... I know you want to become a pilot, but I really don't want this family to be apart. So can you still come to Beacon with me, in a couple years. I don't want to break up the Rose Dragon Gang."

Asher sighs and his silver eyes look up to the sky. "I guess I can go to Beacon for a couple of years, but if I don't like it. I'll leave and go back to becoming a pilot."

Ruby smiles. "I'll be fine with that. I'll make you like Beacon so much, that'll you will never want to leave."

Asher laughs. "We'll have to see, I do think Beacon will be a little fun. Four years will be interesting though."

"It'll be the best four years of our lives!" Ruby throws a fist into the air.

"Yeah!" Asher throws a fist into the air.

"To the best four years ever!" The twins say together.

The two laugh as they lower their hands. The sun barely is peeking over the horizon as it casts a orange glow over the sky.

Asher looks back to the forest, then back to his sister. "We should head back."

Ruby smirks. "Want to do another race?"

Asher smirks at his sister. "You're on!"

.

.

.

The sun shines down on the Xiao Long house.

Yang opens the sliding glass door at the back of the house and walks into the backyard, with Zwei following behind her.

Yang starts muttering to herself. "Ruby said he was working on his car, so he'll be in his shed." She looks down at Zwei. "Come on, Zwei, let's go find him." Zwei barks in response.

Yang then starts walking towards a large shed near the entrance to the forest. As she nears it the sound of a crank wrench echo from behind the shed's closed doors.

Yang hums. "Sounds like she was right." She walks up to the closed doors and opens them. "Hey, Asher."

Inside we see a large car with a large machine gun on the back. Around the walls of the shed are tools and blue prints to various things.

A head of black hair with golden tips pops out from behind the car. "Yes, Yang?" His silver eyes shine.

Yang takes a few steps in, kicking a few screws and bolts to the side. "I came to ask if you can take a look at Bumblebee?" She picks a wrench off the floor and looks at it. "She's been sounding a little weird."

Yang tosses the wrench to the side, and it lands with a loud clank. Asher gives her an annoyed look.

Asher walks over to Yang as he wipes a little grease off his cheek. "I can take a look as soon as I'm done. Just gotta put the finishing touches on the car, and it'll be finally done!" He bounces in excitement. "It's taken me years, but my beauty is ready to be shown off to the world. Lopez!"

Suddenly a brown armor being pops up from the side of the car.

"How's she looking down below?" Asher asks. Lopez gives Asher a thumbs up. "Good man, you're a good solider."

Lopez tilts his head in question.

Yang flips some hair behind her shoulder. "Thanks Asher. Also Ruby wanted to ask if you would go to the store with her tomorrow, after school. Apparently there's a new copy of a magazine she wants."

Asher picks a few tools off the ground and puts them back on the wall, or in his toolbox. "I guess I can. Hey, do you want to stay and see if she works."

Yang shrugs her shoulders. "Sure, why not. I ain't got nothing better to do. And why are you building this thing, you can't even drive yet."

Asher glances at his sister. "Don't question me." Zwei barks. "Hey! I said, don't question me."

.

.

Asher and Yang stand outside the shed as the car slowly is driven out by Lopez.

"Okay, that should be good!" Asher shouts and the car stops and Lopez hops out.

"Thanks Lopez." Asher says and Lopez nods and heads back into the shed.

Yang stars at the car in surprise. "Wow it runs. And to believe you built it from scratch."

"Do you have no faith in your dear little brother?" Asher asks with fake hurt.

"Weeelllll~ I mean it's you, and you're not exactly the most responsible."

"Hey, I built Lopez, I'd like to think I'm fairly responsible."

"You nearly burnt down a forest before."

Asher points at Yang. "That was on accident."

Yang chuckles as Asher rolls his eyes.

Asher then walks over to the radio. "I still need to see if the radio works." He turns it on and music starts to play.

Asher grows impressed with himself. "Looks like everything works."

Asher presses the power button on the radio, but it doesn't turn off. He hits the button again, but it still doesn't work.

"Everything okay over there?" Yang calls out.

Asher keeps pressing the power button. "Yes. Everything. Is. Fine! Ah screw this!" He turns off the car and turns to his sister. "See it works."

Yang raises an eye brow. "Okay then. Well, see ya later, Asher." She walks back towards the house.

Asher waves to her. "Yeah, see you later." He looks down to Zwei as Zwei stars up at him. "Don't give me that look." Zwei barks.

.

.

Ruby and Asher enter a store called from Dust Till Dawn. Asher's shotgun is resting on his back under his cloak. They wave to the old man behind the counter and he smiles and waves back.

Ruby then drags her brother over to the magazine section and they begin to look through them.

Asher puts on a pair of red headphones and plays some music.

Asher sorts through a few magazines, several about weapons and bullets, one about a car. Then his hands stops over one showing a aircraft on the front cover, the magazine calls it a Pelican.

Asher's eyes shine as he swiftly grabs the magazine and starts to read through it.

Suddenly a bell chimes at the entrance as a man with a red-lined white suit with long black pants and black shoes. His accessories included a small gray scarf, black gloves with buckled sleeves, and a black bowler hat with a small feather tucked into its red band.

Several men in black suits follow behind the man in the white suit.

"Do you have any idea how hard it is to find a Dust shop open this late?" The man in the white suit asks.

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11-25-2023

1655 words