Tranquility

Blue eyes stared sleepily at the room's dark ceiling. It had been a while since they remained that way, and Sapphire couldn't tell how long it had been since she'd been abruptly woken from her dreamless sleep. She'd tossed and turned earlier, trying to get a comfortable position and hoping it would help. Eventually her eyelids wouldn't stop opening on their own, and, in submission, she'd settled to lying flat on her back, staring upwards at nothing.

It was one of those nights again. Nights when she'd be woken suddenly and be unable to go back to sleep even though she wanted to. Before it was so frequent. She remembered that it began after she had that vision for that man from the Knighthood. She'd be woken in the middle of the night by the vision replaying within her dreams, which left her sleepless and worrying for her life almost every night. She feared the vision's fulfillment, for it somehow meant her death, as well. After her journey had ended, though--with she, her sister, and several others defeating what appeared to be the physical embodiment of the Seven Wonders's power--it didn't come back as much. Perhaps it was because their attempt to change the course of destiny had also changed the future's events… And it could also explain why she was alive now.

Tonight, however, she dreamt not of those things, nor did she think of them. For some reason, insomnia just had to come about at the worst time, breaking her away from her good night's rest after a long day of ceaseless fortunetelling. Her mind just felt empty and blank; she'd been tracing the barely visible lines and patterns in the ceiling for what felt like a long period of time. Hardly anything registered within her thought process, except that all she really wanted to do right then was sleep.

Doubting that she'd be able to sleep any time soon, she pulled off the covers and sat at the edge of the bed. Her feet found her slippers and she stood, making her way towards the door to head to the kitchen. She glanced at the clock that hung on the wall, readable thanks to the moonlight that came into her room from the window. It read two-thirty, and she was slightly annoyed at being woken at such an ungodly hour… And for no reason too. She sighed.

Maybe a little tea would calm her nerves, she thought. Anything to get her back to sleep would do.

As she approached the kitchen, she was surprised to see light coming from the room. She doubted that her sister left the light on before going to bed, and if she did, the flame should've extinguished hours ago. She hadn't bothered checking if the girl was asleep either, even though their rooms were just adjacent to one another.

She peered inside the kitchen, and sure enough, there was Ruby, sitting on a chair with a cup of warm tea in hand. The brunette seemed to be spacing out--staring at the flickering flame, perhaps, as she seemed lost in thought--for she didn't notice Sapphire walk past her to pour a cup of her own. Sapphire took a seat next to her, and quietly set the cup down on the wooden desk. The elder searched her sister's face for any sign that her presence had been acknowledged. But when she saw that she was still caught up in her self-imposed trance, she nudged her on the side, causing the perky girl to bolt upright and regain her grip on reality.

Ruby turned, immediately coming to eye contact with her sister's deep blue orbs. "S-Sis--"

Sapphire pressed a finger to Ruby's lips, silencing her immediately. Although they were the only two people in the house, Sapphire didn't exactly want the quiet atmosphere to be broken, especially at this time of night. Ruby looked away after a few seconds, a tad embarrassed at the way she'd reacted to the sudden distraction just now. The ashen-haired woman smiled in amusement at this, and proceeded to take a sip of her tea, letting the familiar herbal taste and aroma fill her senses.

"What're you doing up this late, Sis?" Ruby decided to ask after a moment, glancing at her slightly. Sapphire pulled her lips away slightly from her drink, but her gaze never left the clear liquid, illuminated orange by the nearby lamp.

"I was awoken from my rest suddenly," She replied. "Now… I can't sleep; I'm afraid I have insomnia once again." She sighed in dismay at the thought.

"You… Had that nightmare again, didn't you?" Ruby asked, an inquiring and slightly worried expression on her face. The younger had known about the dreams about Sapphire's death back when they were still traveling; the girls shared the same tent and Sapphire knew that Ruby frequently witnessed the older woman struggling to sleep whenever she'd been woken up by them. The adept fortuneteller looked away from her tea to look at her sister, comforted by her concern. She shook her head, a small smile forming on her lips. 

"No. I have not had those dreams ever since we have returned. I am well."

Despite her sister's reassuring, Ruby couldn't shake her worry. She blew on her drink before taking in more of it, hoping it would quell whatever she was feeling. It had been a habit of hers whenever she got uneasy about something, especially when they were at the table. Be it food or drinks, her consumption of either always seemed to speed up somewhat. It was as if she attempted to drown out the heavy feeling she got simply by eating so she wouldn't feel it anymore.

"However, I would like to ask the same thing from you," Sapphire began suddenly, putting her cup down on the table gently. "I find it quite unusual that you are awake, and at this hour. Are you alright?"

Ruby made a sheepish grin and rubbed the back of her neck. Figures she'd ask her that too. "I-I'm okay, Sis," She told her. "Just… I dunno." She shrugged, unable to find the words to help her explain further. "Just been thinking too much about stuff lately. Then I just couldn't sleep anymore, so I came to see if this tea of yours would help." Her eyes trailed down towards the porcelain cup. "Got insomnia like you, I guess…"

Sapphire's gaze followed Ruby's while she sipped the contents of her own cup. The girl's tea wasn't steaming anymore compared to hers, probably out of constant blowing or just cooling down on its own. Sapphire guessed that she must've been in here for a while, and wondered just what it was she was thinking about right now and how come it kept her awake. When she looked back up to her sister's face, however, she saw that Ruby was eyeing her with some disbelief for some reason, and she decided to ask what was wrong.

"W-Wow, Sis…" Ruby gulped a helpful of saliva. "Amazing how you drank that all at once… And it was piping hot, too."

Sapphire chuckled softly as she continued her drink. She wasn't surprised at Ruby's sudden admiration over something as small as that. Her sister always did look up to her, wanting to be just as good as she was at a lot of things, especially fortunetelling. Often, Sapphire would hear her talk about becoming a great fortuneteller one day and striving hard to achieve that goal. Sapphire has, and until today, given her some support as she threaded down that path, hoping just as much that Ruby would someday surpass her.

And, after foreseeing a future different from the grim one Sapphire had seen, and working hard to achieve its fruition, perhaps, Ruby already had.

Her eyes caught sight of the clock that was next to the cupboard, and she saw that it was nearly three in the morning. How time flew so fast, she didn't know, but she did know that right now, the two of them really needed to get to bed. "Ruby," Sapphire stated after she'd completely drained her cup of its contents, "Perhaps it would be best if we go back to sleep now. You know as well as I that we will have another busy day ahead of us."

"Yeah…" Ruby trailed off, sounding somewhat disappointed as she rested her elbow on the desk and leaned her head on her hand. But then her expression lightened a bit when she glanced towards the older woman, a thought coming to mind. "Hey, Sapphire."

"Yes?"

Looking down at her nearly empty cup, Ruby felt some warmness in her cheeks over what she was about to ask. "Do you mind if I…" She became a bit hesitant, before continuing, "Slept in your room for tonight?"

"W-What?" Sapphire could hardly conceal her amazement at the girl's sudden request. Now that was just unexpected. "Why, whatever for?" Of all the things to ask… Why that? She had her own room, didn't she?

"Well…" Ruby shrugged as she turned her body so that she'd be facing her sister. Thankfully, it wasn't that bright enough for Sapphire to see just how embarrassed she looked. And why wouldn't she be? She just asked if she could come stay the night in the older woman's room. And she was seventeen, for goodness' sake. "M-Maybe it'll… Help us get to sleep or something? C'mon, it'll be just like old times, Sis," She reasoned, remembering the time when they were still kids. "Please?"

Sapphire lowered her head slightly, her expression thoughtful as she pondered upon the younger's words, which had gone and sparked some old memories. Back then, Ruby had been too scared to sleep by herself, and she would always go to the elder's room, thinking that she'd feel a lot safer from the "scary things in the dark" her naïve little mind had conjured up. Sapphire didn't mind letting her stay, as she understood that Ruby was, really, just a child then. But now Ruby had completely grown out of that phase, so she doubted that the brunette's childhood fears returning to haunt her was the case…

Then again, having some company--especially her sister--wouldn't be so bad. And hey, if it helps her get back to sleep, then why not? 

She raised her head, only to see Ruby shyly avoiding her gaze. Sapphire smiled fondly. Others never saw such a sensitive side of Ruby, and the youth made sure that no one ever did. To many people she'd been seen as just a loud, energetic girl who was always up to all sorts of mischief. Sapphire was the fortunate type, though; she was the only one Ruby had opened up to in this way.

"Alright, then. I shall take you up on your offer."

Widened eyes and an eager grin were now on Ruby's face, who was gladdened that Sapphire had decided to let her come along. Sapphire stood and placed both cups in the sink, deciding to just wash them in the morning instead. "Like you, I too, wish for a few more hours of rest."

"Mmm." Ruby put out the light, before following Sapphire out of the kitchen. It was too dark to see much, but fortunately they managed to reach the elder's room without accidentally bumping into anything. Sapphire opened the door and closed it after the two let themselves inside. Sapphire went first, slipping under the covers and easing herself comfortably on the right side of the bed. Ruby came after, settling herself close enough to her sister before the dark-haired woman reached out and pulled up the sheets for her.

Ruby sighed contentedly at how soft and comfortable her sister's bed was. It had been such a long time since the two had done this, and to be doing it again gave her a small sense of nostalgia. Not that their rooms were all that different, but simply being in Sapphire's room--and even being around her--gave Ruby such a calming, relaxing feeling. She didn't know how, but perhaps it was just some kind of effect that lingered thanks in part to the kind of person the room's owner was--calm, collected, and mature; a striking contrast to Ruby's more hyperactive and quirky nature.

At the same time, the youth felt her drowsiness return. She yawned, only to be cut halfway through when she felt a pair of hands snaking around her waist and was suddenly pulled closer to her sister, much to her surprise. Locked in a secure hug against the elder, Ruby felt a rush of warmth, and most of it didn't come from the heat their bodies shared. She lowered herself into the sheets, hiding her blush so that the only things poking out were her chestnut hair and pale blue eyes. Sapphire chuckled, knowing all too well that Ruby wasn't used to this kind of contact, and shifted so that she was resting her head gently against her sister's.

Ruby felt her heart thumping in her ears as her body remained tense within her sister's arms. Eventually though, since she realized that she wouldn't be getting out of it any time soon, she relaxed and returned the gesture, reaching over and wrapping her arms around the blue-robed figure and settling down near the crook of her neck. Sapphire hummed in satisfaction, before snuggling closer. Ruby could only smile at her sibling's show of affection.

"Sapphire?"

The woman cracked an eye open. "Yes?"

"Thanks."

"You're welcome."

Ruby yawned again, comforted by how soft Sapphire's arms felt around her. After a while, she felt her tiredness overtake her, and she soon fell asleep. Sapphire remained awake for a little longer, reveling for a moment on how strange it felt to be sleeping like this with her sister again. It wasn't long before she drifted off to slumber as well, a peaceful smile on her lips.

She dreamt of nothing but whiteness for the rest of the night, and when Ruby came back a few nights later, she didn't mind it in the least.

…Even though her reason for returning involved a trip to the Sparkling Waterfall to look for treasure with Hiro earlier that day, where they had a run-in with a horde of several undead monsters that ended up chasing them until they escaped.

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An old Unlimited Saga fan fiction my mind conjured up a couple of years ago, focused on my two favorite characters.