Alright readers! Saintdane is back with another story. Before I begin I would like to point out that this story will contain MASSIVE SPOILERS for the Episode 6 of RWBY vol 3. Say again:
****SPOILER ALERT****
Ahem, anyway I got this idea after I watched the episode and saw some discussion about how permanent the impact on Yang is going to be. Forgive me if this comes across as mopey or depressing, but put yourself in her boots.
The song for the song is Hollywood Undead's Save Me. Here is the link: watch?v=SilQh1F029A
Mercury was escorted out of the field by medical personel and Emrald, the kickboxer limping away in real pain…even if the tape was fake. I still stand there not sure whether to be shocked, angry, ashamed or anything else. There are so many emotions I cant keep track of them, merories flash in her mind.
She turned away from him and walked toward the exit, confident in her victory. "Maybe next time".
"There isnt going to be a next time blondie."
I turned just in time to see him flying toward me with his leg extended, so I reacted…all I saw was Ember Cecilia and heard a sickening crunch.
One of the troopers broke me from my flashback. I almost didn't even notice him.
"Take it easy Miss Xiao Long. We are going to escort you out of the ring."
I understood his words, I was still confused and angry but nonetheless my legs just moved along as the guards did as they said. The walk seemed way longer than it should have, the world seemed darker too. I could hear the booing, I could see all the mouths being concealed by hands; some were shocked at what they saw, others seemed to whisper terrible things. I couldn't see my team though. Once we got out of the ring we went down a corridor leading to the fighter's commons and the locker rooms.
Oddly enough, the huge vault like room of the fighter's commons were empty. No doubt it was because the soldiers were keeping people in their seats, or at least keeping them out of the commons. Keeping them away from…me. But…I wasn't at fault…I didn't, did I? No, my memory isnt that bad.
A guard grunted behind me, signalling to keep walking. But once we reached the middle of the commons his scroll went off. He pulled out of a pouch on his vest and read the message. He looked from the screen to me and back to the screen. He then showed his screen to a few other soldiers who grunted in what seemed to be agreement. Maybe derision, disbelief? I didn't really care.
The guard stepped forward gingerly, clutching his rifle wearily. "Yang Xiao Long, you are to return to your dormatroy at Beacon. You are not to leave the premisies and armed guards will be stationed there. Do you understand?"
I only nodded and began to walk. I cant even feel when my boots hit the ground as I walk forward. I find myself heading toward the locker room. Again I am interrupted, some guard asking for Ember Cecilia…I want to pull away and tell them to shove it. But I think at this point, there isnt much point…not much point for anything really. So I take them off my wrist and hand them to a guard randomly.
I push the door to the locker room open and get halfway through the door when I somehow manage to notice two guards behind me step up too. As if they were going to enter the locker room with me. I whip around making both of them jump, "Um, girls locker room, boys." They steal themselves and tell me that Im so dangerous that I will be escorted everywhere.
What!? I didn't even do anything! That was all just an illusion, it had to be! I was there! Besides all I did was break his leg anyway, they treat me like I killed someone! This is ridiculous, I break someone's leg and now I have to be followed into the locker room like some sort of a child?! No. No…no no no nonononono, NO!
At this point I can feel my semblance growing, my eyes must be red and I feel steam rising off of me but I didn't care at this point. I refuse to be treated like this. I have had ENOUGH. I throw my hands down to my side and it makes fire dance across my skin.
The guards all jump back and raise their rifles at me all ready to shoot.
"Forget the locker room, Im going to my dorm!" And with that I turn and storm down a hallway I know leads to the sky hanger. Full strides down all the hallways. Im passing fathers glaring daggers at me, mothers snatching their children out of my way, and children that retreat away from my like I was a grimm. I don't even feel like there are guards behind me. Theres a popcorn stand ahead of me that looks abandoned. The vendor is ducking behind it. But his kernals are popping anyway as I walk past.
After a solid five minutes of storming through hallways and forums I reach the sky hanger. Ruby, Weiss and Blake are there.
Great…just the people I wanted to see. I think sarcastically.
Weiss speaks first in a shrill voice like she always does,
"Yang, what was that!? I thought you were better than that! How could you!? Are you even listening to me?! Yang!" I blow past her entirely beelining straight for the skybus at the edge of the hanger.
Ruby chases after me trying to get my attention, I try to tell her to go away but she is too busy just talking to even notice.
"Yang, Yang, Yang, I don't…Yang why? Yang, that wasn't even as bad as Uncle Qrow's battle with Winter! Yang I don't understand, Ya-" She tries to grab my arm but my skin is blistering right now. She recoils, pulling her hand back in horror as her stride stutters and she trips on her cape falling on the hard concrete.
"Yang…you…you burned me. You've…you've never done that" I can tell that her silver eyes are starting to fill with tears. I don't even stop striding to the skybus. From behind me I can hear her begin to actually sob. As I reach the skybus I turn and look back and she is sitting on the ground with her cape wrapped around her, holding her burnt hand. It had steam still rising and it looked almost as red as her cape. Tears were definitely flowing from her eyes. The tears of my dearest sister, because of me. Weiss ran over and comforted Ruby, wrapping an arm around her while kneeling down to her level. Weiss glared some daggers at me.
As the doors closed in front of me, I finally noticed Blake. She stood there, hands at her sides but it wasn't what she said that hurt. Her face. Her eyes. Her pools of amber filled with so much sadness, so much pain, so much…betrayal. She still seemed to recognize me, but I could tell she wasn't thinking exactly about me. No tears, no anger, just wells of confusion and pain.
She didn't break eye contact with me until the skybus cleared the platform and began to fly back to Beacon.
Damn it Blake, you don't even have to say anything to hurt me the most! I can feel my anger subsiding…unfortunately now all I can feel is the sadness, the confusion. Everything starts swirling in my brain. The fight, the win, the words Mercury said to me, that sickening sound…that damn snapping sound, the look on his face, the film. The swirling intensified. I saw the guards, their rifles, their jumps and the faces of all the people I passed. The skybus cabin is getting very, very cramped. The skybus, Weiss's screaming, Blakes eyes, Ruby's hand, Ruby's tears…oh no, Ruby's tears.
"Rubles…I'm so sorry." I mumble before I collapse on the ground and lost the will to get up.
About 5 minutes later however I feel the skybus pulling into port at Beacon. I still don't want to get up. Everything hurts. I have no energy. The world is so cold, its not fair. But the doors open, waiting for the non existant passengers to exit. I struggle to get to my feet, but I manage to get enough balance to get out of the skybus. The cold cobblestone of Beacon's foyer lay before me, but what used to be warm and welcoming now seems cold and threatening. I really didn't want to be here. I really don't want to be here. I really don't want to be here. I REALLY don't want to be HERE. I REALLY DON'T WANT TO BE HERE!
I bolt. I found all the energy I lost on the skybus and it hit me like a ton of bricks. I sprinted, I ran so hard, like a horde of grimm were at my feet right for the parking lot where bumblebee was parked. I passed the courtyard, the once beautiful flowers flew by unnoticed. I jumped over curbs, vaulted handrails, and kept on moving.
Finally I reached the parking lot, the yellow and black motorcycle sat parked just like it had been since the last time I parked it there a few days ago. It shone faintly in the dying sunlight of sunset over Beacon. I threw my leg over the seat and got situated. I didn't even bother with my helmet, I just want out of here. I hit the ignition and cranked the throttle, launching forward onto the road leading into Vale. I don't even know where I want to go…
I guess Ill go where I usually do when Im troubled.
After about fifteen minutes of what would be a half hour drive I pull up in front of the familiar plain brown building with a bright neon "open" sign sitting next to the old rotten door. The windows still shown with some light and there were two or so cars in the parking lot. My hands started jittering at the prospect of seeing more people that may have been watching the fight. But needless to say, I had no where left to go. People hated me, people feared me, I hurt my best friends, and I hurt Ruby.
Off the bike I went and I made my way to the old door. Normally I would slam it open, threatening to launch it off the hinges like the old man always said she would eventually. But today I paused, I ran my hands over the rough looking wood door. It was close to falling apart, but it still blocked out the elements, it was strangely stalwart even though its appearance was indicitive of anything but. I feel like how this door looks.
I sigh, and push the door open as quietly as I can, but my hands are still shaking and I can feel my body jittering out of control.
Inside the gym sat the old man's front desk like always. But today there were lights all over the gym. This was prime workout time after all, I remembered the last few workouts I had here. They were happier times. The memory hurt me deeply, it was after we had a great mission and the team had gone out and decided to splurge some money so they all dressed up in their best clothes and went to the fanciest resteraunt Weiss could find.
I must have looked twice as good as I felt though because the old man immediately stood up, interrupting the tall man talking to him from across the counter. I just sat in the doorway trying to gauge how everyone was looking at me. The old man had a his eyebrows raised but his jaw was slack, he seemed concerned…or panicked that I just showed up. The tall man on the other hand was genuinely surprised that this young woman with long blonde hair just opened the door.
But then he recognized me.
He sneered at me and dropped his bag. He started walking towards me cracking his knuckles "You think you can show your face in this gym? You're not a fighter, you aint nothing but a brute. This gym is for real fighters, not monsters like you, Xiao Long."
His words hurt, but at this point I'm not even sure what happened back in the stadium so maybe I am am monster. Maybe I don't deserve to be here. But before anything could happen the old man raised his voice, "Hanry! That is enough, first of all there aint no unsanctioned fights in the gym, second of all, shut up you pompous brute. You broke Ulra's hand the last time you and him decided to bare knuckle box in the ring. And finally, aint you a gentleman? This young lady is here to workout and get some stuff off her chest and here you are being nasty. Why don't you go ahead and leave the gym?"
Hanry was taken aback, his jaw hung slack with his tounge barely being held in by his teeth. He looked back from me to the old man. He looked like he was about to protest but before he could utter anything, the old man pointed at the door and glared at him. He snorted and turned to pick up his bag.
"Alright, but all I know is that I aint ever gonna spar with you again Xiao Long. Hope you don't get not early morning training, I don't mind settling it when no one's looking." He said as he made his way out the door. On that last word he spit at my feet. A huge loogie landed right on my boot. And on any other day I would be furious, semblance roaring and I would wreck this man in the doorway. But today was different.
The old man huffed and sat back down in his chair still looking at me. His expression softened after Hanry left, he almost reminded me of a kind grandpa I never really had. This old man had seen me at my best and my worst, in some ways he even taught me how to fight so well. How to control my semblance and work out mixing emotion with power and tuning that power with control to become a volitile brawler. Again I flash back:
"Again." The old man stood behind Yang as she hammered away at a punching bag.
She hit the bag, barely a thump.
"Again. Too light."
She threw another left. It missed the center mass.
"You missed. Hit it again."
She got angry and threw a savage right punch. It looked like it wasn't going to hit but the old man reached out and grabbed her arm and guided it on target.
"Power aint nothing without control. Savagry aint nothing without temperment. Ya got to learn to make it useful for you. It don't matter how hard you hit if you cant hit. Try it again."
She took a deep breath and looked at the target that taunted her a few feet away from her. She started throwing punches. Yang was still angry at being told she was wrong, THUMP , she was angry at needing help, THUMP. she was angry that her mom left her…her mom! Yang reared back with both hands and threw both into the target making it swing back and forth. She stood there panting staring at the bag.
"Good. Grab some water, drills start in five."
I stepped inside the gym letting the door swing shut behind me, I glance longingly at the ring. There would be no more matches there Im sure. No one would dare sign up to fight her for fun or for pride anymore. I look to the punching bags, normally they would look enticing, letting my semblance just go for a while and pound it out but I had no fuel left. I couldn't even muster any anger anymore. Everything just made me sad.
I was one of the best fighters in Beacon, in this gym but now its all gone. In my first year I made it to the singles in the Vytal Festival but I blew it. I ruined the festival for everyone. No one will want to fight me, Im probably going to be expelled, Im going to lose my friends, my sister is going to hate me. Everything has just fallen apart! I feel the stinging behind my lilac eyes. Its intense but I'm trying to hold it in. Just for the matter of saving face. I am a big girl now, and I can handle myself especially when things go bad.
"So had a bad day I guess?" The old man said bringing out a chair
Nope. I couldn't hold it anymore. Tears just start flowing out before I know what hit me and before I knew it I was holding my head in my hands. I sat in the swivel chair that the old man brought for me and he sat down across from me, waiting for me to control myself. But I cant, it all just came out. Soft sniffles became full blown crying as I thought about everything that happened. From the fight itself and the guards. That crying turned into turbulant sobs as I reached the memory of my sister and Blake.
I try to choke out what happened, to explain what happened but its coming out choppy and sometimes unintelligable. The old man scooted closer and wrapped his arm around me to comfort me. But this only made the sorrow grow and the tears continue to flow. The old man didn't say anything he just sat their holding me with that one arm.
After a solid fifteen minutes of sobbing, I had managed to calm down in order to think clearly. But now I was tired. Like crushingly tired. I felt almost as if I was about to black out right here in the chair. Before I could get too comfly though the arm removed itself from me and the old man was just looking at me.
"That is a bad day." He said nonchelantly.
I chuckled, "Understatement of the year."
He chuckled back and started to turn back toward his computer but I catch his arm causing him to return his attention to me.
"Didn't you…see the fight?"
He shrugged "Do you see any TV's in this gym?"
It was true, there hadnt been any television's installed. There weren't any treadmills so theoretically there wouldn't need to be any extra entertainment.
"I guess not…say do you think I could ask you a favor?" I probe with a cautioning voice.
He only raised an eyebrow in response.
"Could I maybe stay the night here?"
In the flattest voice possible from an old geezer of his caliber he said "nope".
"What?! Why?" I was flabberghasted. How could this old man that kept a jerk away from me and let me cry on his shoulder for a quarter of an hour not let me stay the night where it would be safe?
"Listen blondie, you said you hurt your friends, and your sister. You cant run away from them. Besides think of this like a fight. Except youre in a brawl with the world itself. The world is winning right now, what you gonna do bout it? You just gonna run out the ring and let it win? You gonna let the news answer the questions for you? You gonna let your friends come to their own conclusions?" His voice raises steadily as he spoke until he reached his highest point now "Yang, you burned your own sister and made her bawl her eyes out in public. Yang you messed up, now are you gonna let your sister cry alone tonight and let the world win or are you gonna do what grown women do and stand up, buck up, and sock the world clean in the gosh darn face?!" He pulled me to my feet as he stood. Our eyes met, and there was no question what I wanted to do. "That's the spirit, girly, now go. You've floated, now its time to sting."
I reached out and hugged the old man, he groaned under the strength of my hug. "Thanks old man." He waved me off as I made my way to the door. It squeaked and groaned but made way. I still didn't want to go but as I hopped back on bumblebee I guess I didn't really have any other option. The soldiers were going to be looking for me anyway. As the door closed I could hear through the door the return music for the Vytal Festival come to life from what I presumed was his scroll. My heart and stomach sank at the same time. I cranked the throttle again heading back to the Acadamy. It took the full half hour to reach the campus. The knot of apprehension just grew as I came closer and closer to Beacon. I became very focused on every bumb or crack in the road. Anything to really take my mind off of what Im about to do. Becaue I honestly have no idea what to say, how to begin. I don't even have an idea how to shut Weiss up so I can talk.
Crap. Im already in the parking lot. I take the nearest motorcycle slot I can. And make my way to the dorms. Surely enough there are two armed guards standing outside my dorm room. They are just making small talk with each other. I couldn't hear about what, even then I really didn't even care. I just walked up to them as they snapped back to reality. Their hands coming to rest over their rifles, "Xiao Long!"
I threw my hands up, "Listen guys Im sorry about before, I just want to get into my dorm and go to bed." They looked back at each other, nodding and then stood out of the way. But their hands didn't move away from their rifles in the slightest.
I guess here it is. My day has been utterly ruined and possibly my whole life with it. I doubt that my reputation will ever recover. In the eyes of Remnant I was the one that snapped some poor boy's leg without any provocation. There were really no words for them either. Weiss and Blake surely had nothing to really defend her with and Im sure no one would even ask Ruby. Even if I graduate Ill never be a hero, Ill never really be a viable brawler anymore, I sure as hell wont be known for my lovable puns. Even though that's one of my best talents.
It sucks but Ill just have to settle for just being the best friend I can be. Or being the best daughter I can be. Most of all Ill just have to settle for being a good sister. But Im off to a terrible start. I burned my sister when she was just trying to understand what she saw. I never even answered her. Pangs of pain beat in my heart just thinking about it.
Maybe Ozpin will let me drop out and let the rest of the team either stay together with a new plus one or be reformed into another team, because my actions may have just destroyed our enire team reputation…
That's enough moping for me. Even with the sense of dread welled up in my gut I take a deep breath and turn the knob and push the door to the dorm open.
I only hope they'll forgive me.
Alright guys! That's it for this chapter! Hope I didn't spoil too much for yall. Please tell me what you think, I love writing when I can and would love to hear what you want to read about!