Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY. All rights go to respective owners.
A/N: I'm a bit (read: a lot) obsessed with this show right now. I binged watched the first five volumes in as many days. Volume 6 is so far away! *sad face* Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy this little oneshot. It was nagging at my brain since I watched this episode.
Major spoilers for Volume 3 and onwards. You have been warned.
On the Road to Destiny
"Now, all of you, have a choice."
Even after everything that she had seen and heard, there was something about hearing Professor Ozpin's voice coming out of the mouth of a scrawny fourteen-year-old boy that made Yang slightly uncomfortable. She pushed the discomfort down and tried to focus on what Oscar — or Professor Ozpin — was saying. It wasn't that she didn't want to deal with the overwhelming emotions; she just didn't want to deal with them at that moment.
And she had a funny feeling that what he was about to say was important.
"If anyone wishes to leave, now is the time. There is no shame or disgrace in abstaining."
This was it. She had been waiting for this moment ever since she had left home to find Ruby, and especially after her talk with her mother. If they were going to keep risky their lives, they needed to know what they were signing up for — and someone needed to say it. If they kept getting fed lies and half-truths, someone else was going to end up dead.
There was silence in the room, and Yang could see everyone glancing uncomfortably at each other. With her heart wildly pounding in her chest, she knew what they were feeling. She was about to stand up and speak her piece, when the most unlikely person beat her to the punch.
"I-I have something to say," Ruby said nervously.
"Ruby?" Jaune asked. "What are you doing?"
He wasn't the only one to appear shocked or hurt that Ruby appeared to want out, but Yang was closely watching her sister. This was the girl who had taken on the leader of a crime syndicate alone, and who led them into battle against Grimm without hesitation. She was relentless and courageous; annoyingly optimistic in one moment and wise the next. So, the real question was…
What strategy was she playing now?
Oscar waved his hand for quiet, before nodding for Ruby to continue. Her little sister took a deep breath and then launched into her speech.
"It's- well, it's just that we're huntresses and huntsmen," she said rather quickly. "I just feel that it's important—"
"Slow down there, kid," Qrow interjected from across the room. "You guys may be here and have a few tricks up your sleeves, but you still have a whole lot to learn. Let's remember who had your back all the way from your house to Mistral—"
"And we had your back in the mountain village!" Ruby snapped back.
Whoa, Yang thought. Did Ruby just get mad?
Qrow scowled and opened his mouth, only for Ozpin to interrupt.
"Let us hear what Ms. Rose has to say," he replied in his calm, steady voice. "Please, continue, Ms. Rose."
"We have a lot to learn," Ruby said, her voice now more her own, though still hesitant. "That is true, and I'd be the first to admit it. But … we stopped being children and students the moment war came to Beacon."
There was silence once again in the sitting room, and Yang swore she felt goosebumps as Ruby spoke.
"We … we lost Pyrrha," she continued, her voice shaking slightly. "We could have backed out when the Grimm and Cinder attacked the school, but we didn't. We stayed. We stayed because it was the right thing to do. And that's why none of us are backing down now. We keep moving forward."
Yang had never been more proud of her sister. There wasn't fear in her eyes — it was fire. And despite the sorrow and rage she had been lost in for so long, she could feel the spark of hope catching in her heart.
"So, yeah," Ruby said, looking around the room, "maybe we are young, but we have taken on the job and role of adults. All I'm asking is that we are treated as such."
"And that means telling us the truth."
Yang felt the room turn to look at her, as she finally addressed them. She stood slowly and nodded at her little sister, who, in a lot of ways, had grown up quite a bit.
"No more half-truths," she continued. "No more lies. If we are going to risk our lives, we need to know why and understand the reasons. I'm here because I'm not leaving my sister."
She shot a quick grin at Ruby before continuing.
"Besides, she always seems to know the right thing to do. Even," Yang whispered, rubbing her metal arm subconsciously, "when it is not the easy thing to do."
In the blink of an eye, Yang found Ruby wrapped around her in a tight hug with rose petals at their feet. Smiling, she returned the embrace. They stayed like that for a minute, before slowly parting.
After a brief glance at one another, Nora and Ren stood up.
"We're not going anywhere," Nora said with a mischievous smile. "Sure, all this stuff about maidens and magic and Ruby and Yang's uncle turning into a bird is weird — like, really weird. It's almost hard to believe."
Yang snorted at the last statement, as it had been said with dry sarcasm.
"I think what Nora is trying to say," Ren said softly, "is that we will not abandon this quest."
"Yeah!" Nora shouted. "We ain't goin' nowhere!"
Ruby nodded at the duo, and Weiss suddenly sighed dramatically from her spot near Yang. She stood up and gave them all a superior smile.
"Well, I suppose this means I am signed up for this risky adventure, as well," she said. "You guys would not survive your next Grimm encounter without me."
"Aw! Weiss," Ruby squealed, pulling their teammate into a quick hug, "we love you, too."
"Shut up," she snapped. "It's just the right thing to do." Despite her words, Yang could see the relieved smile on her face.
"Jaune?" Ren gently prompted. "What do you say?"
Yang turned to look at her friend. She wasn't surprised to see that his face was twisted in anger and sadness. Hearing the truth laid out before him must have brought up a lot of painful memories, especially because of Pyrrha.
"So much of this could have been avoided," he said through gritted teeth. His head snapped up and locked eyes with Ozpin. "This … this was all your fault!"
"Jaune—"
"No, Ruby," he said, snapping his attention onto her. "Just don't say it. I'm not a leader. I haven't unlocked my Semblance. I'm useless."
"That's not true!" Nora jumped in — literally. Yang watched as the energetic redhead jumped in front of Jaune and poked his shoulder. "You're our leader—"
"And I let her down!" Jaune shouted, breathing heavily. Nora quickly back stepped, holding her hands up in surrender. "I was supposed to protect her, but I failed."
Yang had heard enough. Before someone else could make the situation worse, she walked over and punched him in the shoulder with her metal arm.
"Ow!" he yelped, toppling back into the couch. "What was that for?"
"Get knocked down," Yang replied evenly. "Stand back up."
She tried to put everything she felt — the loss of her friend Pyrrha, the loneliness after losing her arm, and Blake leaving her — all into one look. For once, she allowed herself to feel every bit of the grief and regret that continued to plague her. Jaune looked into her eyes for one tense moment. Then he nodded and rose to his feet.
"I'm sorry," he muttered.
"Apology accepted," Ozpin replied.
"Not you!" Yang and Jaune responded simultaneously. Ruby snickered and tried to cover it with a cough.
"Apology accepted, oh great leader," Nora said, resting her hand on his shoulder. Ren nodded, and Yang felt the tension in the air disappear.
Everything was falling into place.
"Well, this was all warm and fuzzy," Qrow said. "What do you think, Oz?"
"I think," he said, resting his hands on his cane, "that it would be a mistake if we failed to not only give our huntsmen and huntresses the best training possible, but also the whole truth. After all, I do believe they have earned it."
Not quite the promise we were looking for, Yang thought.
She quirked an eyebrow at Ruby, who nodded slightly. On her other side, Weiss furrowed her brow slightly. It seemed that she wasn't the only one to have noticed Ozpin's vague wording.
It will have to do for now.
A/N 2: The first two quotes in this fic are directly taken from Ozpin's dialogue in Volume 5, Episode 7, "Rest and Resolutions." This is just more of how I wanted to see this scene play out, instead of just have most everyone sit quietly.