I wrote this and posted it on tumblr a while back. I created an OC that was (in my mind) the perfect match for Yang. Enjoy...
Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY
Yin
Chapter I
The air was cool today, but the exposed sun still felt warm. The gentle breeze made the moment feel perfect; not too hot, not too cold. The grass underneath Yang was soft and the plants around her gave off a pleasant smell. She loved being outside, whether it was a hot sunny day or a dark rainy one, she always enjoyed herself. However, if she had to choose, the days would always be like this one; perfectly balanced. She had been lying there for around a half hour and not a single sound had interrupted her moment of peace. That was, until now.
The gardens of Beacon were the perfect place to get away while at school, they were small and many of them were scattered around the school's grounds. That Saturday morning, Yang had sought their quiet enclosure, wanting to be alone. She was wearing her usual outfit, when not in class, and was taking in the sun, dozing on and off. She had gone there in a bad mood, hoping for a small break.
What was the source of her frustration? For almost two hours, she had listened to her sister and her partner bicker about their homework; all the while her usual bubbly personality had taken a severe beating. Yang had hoped that her own partner and friend, Blake, would have provided a means of escape. In the end, she had been no help at all; having already finished her work, she had gone off to read in the library. "Typical!" Yang had thought.
Having always been the life and soul of the party, she didn't usually get upset, especially with Ruby. When she, however, did it was best to be alone so she could cool off, literally. It was common knowledge that, when frustrated, Yang's fiery aura would begin to smolder. Usually that meant she would either beat-up who or whatever was pissing her off, or that she needed to be alone so she could chill. This was her plan, and it was going so great, until she heard some footsteps off to her left.
Feeling somewhat irked that anyone dare bother her, she lifted her head slightly and looked over. A boy had walked into the garden and sidled to the opposite end as to where Yang was. The boy had short, somewhat spiky, black hair. He wore blue jeans, a dark green button up shirt and a black leather jacket that he removed and dropped on the ground a good ten yards from Yang. His hands were wrapped like those of a boxer's, and he had a two foot long black pole hanging from his waist. Without looking at her, he sat in the grass, next to his jacket, and laid down, feet facing her. She couldn't believe it, the nerve this guy had was outrageous.
Yang sat up and looked at the boy, her temper getting the better of her. "Hey!" She called, "This place is taken, go find somewhere else to be annoying." She knew she was being rude, but at the moment this boy infuriated her. The gardens were too small to be shared between two people, especially if one of the two was an angry Yang, which it was.
"I don't see your name on any of these plants, and last I checked the school grounds were free reign." The reply from the boy caught Yang off guard. She was used to people, especially boys, doing exactly what she wanted. But this defiance was unsettling.
Outraged, Yang said the first thing that came to mind. "I was here first!" She felt somewhat childish in hindsight.
"I know," was the only response that she got. The boy just laid there, knees bent and hands under his head. He showed no sign of moving.
Furious, Yang defiantly lay back down and put her hands over her eyes. She wasn't going to leave just because some guy had interrupted her tranquility. Breathing in and out slowly she cleared her head, trying to forget everything. There was only the grass, the breeze and the sun. Complete peace surrounded her.
"So, what is your name?" The voice pierced through her mental barrier and her serenity was lost. The boy hadn't moved, he merely continued to lay there; eyes closed and hands behind his head.
Yang flung her arms to the ground on either side of her. "You're kidding right?" She couldn't believe that this guy was serious. "After how rude you've been you think I'm going to tell you my name?"
"Yang…!" The voice of her sister, calling for her, echoed down the stone hallway that ran passed the garden. Yang closed her eyes and groaned in disbelief. Ruby came into sight a second later. "Yang, there you are! Weiss and I are done arguing, and Blake was looking for you. We have something you need to see." Yang sat up, resting her arms on her knees, knowing that her sister had just, inadvertently, answered the boy's question.
Standing up, she slowly walked to her sister. "Let's go," She mumbled halfheartedly.
As the two of them left for their dorm room Yang clearly heard the boy, who had a small smile now, say, "See ya 'round, Yang."
Feeling a slight blush creep onto her face, Yang grabbed her sister's upper arm and led her off at a faster pace. "Who was that?" Ruby asked her.
"That was no one, just some guy." Yang replied, hoping against hope, that she never saw the infuriating boy again.
Chapter II
Back at the RWBY dorm room, Ruby and Yang found Weiss and Blake pouring over a purple flier. They were sitting on the bottom bunk of one of their precariously crafted bunk beds. "What's that?" Yang asked, closing the door behind her.
"The reason I went to find you." Ruby answered, walking up to the other two girls. Yang followed, curiosity showing on her face. The walk back to the dorm had brought her back down to a calm demeanor. She felt bad about the way she had treated the boy in the garden. However, still not bad enough to admit she was in the wrong.
"It's an announcement from Goodwitch," began Weiss. "Apparently there's going to be a grade level fighting tournament, one on one combat!" She stood, crossing her arms as she explained. "It'll start on Monday after our classes end. We're all obviously in the freshman tourney."
"Is it for a grade?" Yang asked with a grin, feeling the slight tingle of excitement that only an impending fight could bring about.
"No," said Blake, speaking up. "It's entirely voluntary as well, but there will be a reward for the victors." She stood up and offered Yang the flier. Taking it, she quickly scanned the words on the front. It said that the winners would receive 100 Lien upon their victory and would be allowed to skip one end of term exams.
"That's a lot of money!" Yang said, raising her eyebrows in surprise.
"Yeah it is," said Ruby with a big smile on her face. "The rules are on the back!" With that she reached up and tapped the back of the thick paper.
Yang flipped it and read under her breath, "Guidelines for the tournament; One, all weapons must be modified for safety during fights. All blades will have guards placed on them, and all live rounds will be replaced with non-lethal rounds. Two, all participants must be in fit physical condition at the start of the tournament in order to compete. Three, in the unlikely event of a fatality, the student, or students, involved will be suspended pending an investigation as to whether the death in question had been accidental or intentional. Fight well!"
"So?" Ruby asked, "Are you in?" It was clear she was excited at the prospect of the competition.
"Heck yeah, I'm in!" Yang replied, giving her sister a high-five. "What about you two?"
Blake smiled and nodded quietly while Weiss put her hands on her hips and said, "Of course," in her usual proud tone.
"We should get some practice in before Monday!" Ruby exclaimed, practically bouncing. "We could get an hour or two in today, maybe more tomorrow."
"That would be the logical course of action." Blake said.
"I'm all for it!" Weiss added.
"Hold on to your butts!" Yang shouted, glad that her happy mood was back in place. However, even with the prospect of the fights soon to come, Yang's thoughts occasionally returned to the boy from the garden, only some of which involved how frustrating he was.
Chapter III
The four girls spent rest of the day out on the practice field, training against each other and by themselves. They were all exceptional fighters within their own style of combat, but it became quickly apparent that not all styles were as effective when applied to another human being. They had all trained hard to fight monsters that ranged from two to one hundred times their own size, and that had resulted in doing things that would be impractical in a one on one fight between humans. In order to prepare for the tournament, most of them had to develop slightly new techniques; not Yang though. Her style of mixed martial arts was perfect for fighting either the gigantic creatures of Grimm or another person. This resulted in Yang's victory in their first one on one practice bout.
"Hey!" Ruby had exclaimed after having Crescent Rose knocked out of her hands and falling to the ground on her butt. "How did you beat me so fast?"
"Your attack was obvious," Yang replied, "It may have been fast, but I saw it coming from a mile away." Ruby stood up and retrieved her scythe with a slight frown.
"How can I become less…? Obvious?" Ruby asked her sister, worry on her face.
"I think I can give you some pointers." Yang said, smiling. They then spent the next half hour working on Ruby's ability to feint and distract someone during a fight.
While they worked, Weiss, who had just finished practicing with her glyphs, began to spar with Blake. The two of them were evenly matched, both losing as often as they won. When Ruby had finally mastered all the techniques that Yang taught her, and could actually hold her own against her sister (occasionally overpowering her), the four girls swapped partners. Weiss and Ruby faced off against each other while Blake and Yang went head to head.
It became quickly apparent to Yang, as they fought, that Blake was a very offensive fighter. Her weapon, Gambol Shroud, was just as easily used as a long-range weapon as it was for close contact, and Blake liked to switch between both regularly. Realizing this, Yang went on the defensive, attacking just enough to keep from losing. All she needed was to wait for the right time, and then it would be over. Blake was just coming in for a close up strike and Yang, who had recognized her partner's movements, acted. Suddenly appearing in front of the blonde, Blake made to sweep Yang's legs out from under her, when out of nowhere the latter deflected Gambol Shroud and roundhouse kicked the former in the stomach.
Surprise was etched onto Blake's face. "How did you do that? I had you on the defensive the whole time." Yang extended a hand to the raven haired girl and helped her to her feet.
"I just did," Yang replied with a shrug. "Sorry about hitting you in the gut." She gave a slight grimace as she apologized. Yang had become good friends with Blake and she felt bad at having hurt both the other girl's pride and her physical self.
"Don't worry about it," Blake said, "I would have done the same to you." To that they both laughed and continued to practice. After a few more rounds, wherein Yang almost always over powered Blake, the two of them went to sit in a set of small bleachers, waiting for Ruby and Weiss to finish sparring.
As they sat, Yang looked out over the practice field to see who else she recognized. Not far off she saw team JNPR doing a two-on-two fight; it was Pyrrah and Jaune against Nora and Ren. Both sets of partners were perfect for each other, working in coordination with the other's movements. Jaune had become a better fighter in the last couple weeks, but he was still taken out fairly aggressively by Nora. Seeing her partner fall, Pyrrah quickly disarmed her two opponents and knocked them to the ground; Nora on top of Ren. Instead of savoring her victory, the red-haired girl ran to help up Jaune. After reassuring her that he was alright and giving her a kiss on the lips to quiet her worry, the two of them looked back at their teammates, who had begun to make out ferociously.
Yang thought that the two couples were adorable, and laughed when she saw the look of surprise on Ren's face as he looked up to see Jaune and Pyrrah chuckling at the other two. However, Yang also felt something she didn't expect; jealousy. Putting the unexpected and annoying feeling aside, she continued to look out over the field, taking note of people she knew. Just when she was about to go back to watching Ruby and Weiss, who had finished their round and were walking towards their teammates, she saw the boy from that morning. He was wearing his black jacket and was walking off the field, talking with another guy she assumed was his partner. The boy had been laughing at something his friend had said, but as though he could feel her staring at him, he turned his head and made eye contact with Yang. He smiled and waved before walking out of her line of sight. Yang felt an intense blush fill her cheeks and her insides seemed to hum. The sensation was so unexpected and unwarranted that she stood up began to leave the practice field.
"See you guys back at the dorm." She said, hastily as she swept past her sister.
"What's with her?" Weiss asked Blake, sitting down with Ruby to rest.
"Not sure," Blake answered the heiress. However, Blake had seen the boy wave and, putting two and two together, she decided that she and her partner needed to talk. "I'll go find out what's wrong." She leapt off the bleachers and ran after Yang, a slight smile on her lips.
Chapter IV
Back at their dorm, Blake had attempted to ask Yang about the boy, and promised that she wouldn't tell Ruby or Weiss anything. Yang, however, had denied knowing what Blake was talking about. Unconvinced, the dark-haired ninja resolved to uncover this mystery, eventually.
Yang had tried to force herself to forget about the boy. After all, he was stupid and obnoxious and incredibly bothersome and kind of… Yang didn't finish the thought, she refused to. The effect that this boy had on her was something she had never really experienced. It unnerved her, made her question herself.
That night, Yang found it difficult to get to sleep. Thoughts of the boy infiltrated her mind, causing her to toss and turn until she gave up and quietly climbed out of bed to leave the room. Yang walked the hallways, pounding her head trying to come to some sort of resolution in her mind. Hoping that some fresh air would help to calm her down, Yang walked out onto a small balcony. She leaned against the railing, and closed her eyes. Yang found that she really wanted to hear the boy's voice again and she despised the thought. She was independent, and didn't need anyone other than her friends to be happy, Let alone some dumb boy and his stupid voice.
"Nice night don't you think?" The boy's voice rang in her head. Great, now her desperate mind had gone too far! It was one thing to fantasize about somebody, but if her brain though that it was going schizo on her; it was in the wrong head!
Yang growled in frustration, placing her palms on her temples, "Go away!" She rubbed her head aggressively.
"If that's what you want." The voice, she noticed, sounded a little hurt, and more surprisingly, it was coming from off to her right, not inside her head. Yang turned to see somebody on the balcony next to the one she was on, walking towards the glass door. It was the boy from the garden.
Before she could stop herself, she raised a hand and shouted, "Wait!" The boy stopped and turned to face her. What are you doing? She thought wildly. "Um... Sorry! I, uh, wasn't telling you to go away; I was just, you know... talking... to myself." Lame, you are sooooo lame Yang!
"Right..." The boy replied, cocking an eyebrow, but giving a slight smile all the same. He walked to the bit of railing that faced Yang and leaned against it. "So, it's a nice night right?" He looked up at the dark, clear sky.
"Um, yeah, it's great!" Yang responded, not sure what to say. She decided to ask one of the simpler, less embarrassing questions that had popped into her mind when realizing who had spoken. "So, how come you're out here? Like right there I mean. On the balcony right next to the one I'm on." She felt stupid, and was sure that the boy thought the same way about her.
"This is my dorm." He jerked his thumb towards the door he had almost walked through. That made sense; he had used his own balcony, instead of wandering the school like some clutter-brained idiot.
"Why are you up so late?" Yang continued to question, trying to establish order amongst her many thoughts.
The boy paused before answering, "Oh you know, brain just won't shut up." He gave a slight laugh. Yang, who found herself distracted by the boy's laugh, had completely missed the slight reddening of his ears when asked the question. "What about you?"
"Oh, um… the same." She looked away as she felt a blush coming on. There was no way she would admit that the reason she couldn't sleep was because of the very person she was talking to. There was a short pause while Yang thought of something to say that wouldn't embarrass her. Eventually she thought of a question so obvious she was surprised that she had only just thought of it. "So what's your name? You know my name, so it's only right that I know yours..." Yang attempted a bit of her usual in control self when she said this, but was drawn up short when, in answer, the boy stood on the railing and easily leapt across the gap to stand right next to her. Standing that close, Yang was able to make out his eyes. They were the color of amber, very similar to Blake's eyes, only his had noticeable flecks of white that stretched from his pupil and went outward. Yang felt entranced by them, but also a little shocked at his strait forwardness.
The boy seemed slightly surprised by his own daring as well, but recovered quickly. He offered her a hand and said, "My names Chris, Chris Yin."
Still taken aback, Yang shook his callused hand, which wasn't wrapped like it had been during the day. She noticed that his hand was ice cold, but in the two seconds that their skin touched it had balanced out to a normal temperature. "Yang Xiao Long," Yang said, letting go and taking a half step back. Chris seemed slightly shocked by their handshake, I wonder if he felt that too... Instead of commenting on it, he merely turned and walked up to the edge and leaned against the railing. "So what team are you on?" Yang asked, standing a foot away, looking over the edge.
"Team CPTL," (Capital) Chris said with a slight amount of pride. "And you?"
"I'm on team RWBY," Yang said also with a bit of pride in her voice. Curious, she said, "Tell me about CPTL." Yang's initial shock had somewhat subsided, but she still didn't trust herself to speak too much, fearing embarrassment. Rather, she resolved to listen.
They spent a good half hour discussing Chris's teammates; Paul, Terry and Lidia. Paul was his partner, and the two of them had actually been friendly before coming to Beacon. Terry was a practical joker, and fun to hang out with. Lidia was the only girl on a team of boys. Upon realizing the rooming situation, she had had a wall constructed, blocking off an entire quarter of the dorm. This, she designated as 'her room' and deemed entry without permission punishable by a severe ass whooping. And over this motley group, Chris was the leader.
Yang listened and occasionally commented overcoming her earlier trepidation quickly. Once everything about team CPTL had been discussed, they began taking about team RWBY; all of Yang's teammates, their altered dorm room, and her dorky little sister, who was now her leader. This took them another half hour into the night, and even when that topic had been exhausted they continued to talk about other more trivial things. All the while, their conversation seemed to flow, it felt natural and easy and Yang enjoyed it.
Early in their conversation they had sunk to the ground across from each other, and over an hour later there they sat; having talked and laughed their way into silence. After a couple minutes of quiet, Chris spoke up, "It's late, what kind of leader would I be if I spent all of tomorrow asleep?"
"You'd be a very tired one." Yang replied with a smile. Chris laughed but stood anyway, Yang stood as well.
"I had fun talking to you, Yang." Chris said offering his hand once more. Yang shook it, experiencing that strange moment of cold to normal temperature as their hands touched. She watched as he jumped back over to his balcony. They waved as they both walked through their door and out of the others line of sight.
Walking back to her dorm, Yang had made a decision. Friends, that's all we are, we're just friends. That's why I was thinking about him so much today. I think of Chris as a friend and nothing more! By the time she'd gotten back to her room she had convinced herself this was true and climbed into bed feeling confident. However, even with this reassuring thought, Yang still felt dizzy when she imagined Chris's voice. Starting to fall asleep, she closed her eyes, only to drift off thinking of his whitish-amber ones staring back at her from the memories of earlier tonight that she would never ever forget.
Chapter V
The next day, Yang woke feeling very well rested. She showered, got dressed and began getting ready what she'd need for a hard day of practice; as was Ruby's plan. Ruby and Weiss got ready faster than Blake and Yang and left for breakfast earlier. When it was only the latter two left in the room, Blake went to Yang, who was sitting on one of the bottom bunks, and sat on across from her. Yang ignored her and continued to put on her boots.
Blake smiled as she asked, "So, how did it go with Chris last night?" Yang nearly hit her head on the top bunk from sitting up so fast. Blake laughed at the look of surprise on her face.
"H-…! When-…?! How do you know about that?" Yang's flustered and demanding tone was a verbal sign of her quickly rising temper.
"Last night, when you got up and left, I thought you were upset about something, so I followed you. I was about to go out onto the balcony you were on when Chris spoke up. Once I caught his name and saw that you weren't alone, I went back to bed." Blake explained all this with a soothing tone that calmed Yang down and by the time she was done Yang merely felt shocked.
"So you didn't listen in on our conversation?" Yang asked for clarification.
"Not at all, but if you're willing to share…" Blake sounded slightly hopeful, and Yang considered telling her.
"You still can't tell Ruby or Weiss!" Blake nodded in agreement, so Yang told her everything that had transpired between her and Chris the night before. Reliving the memory sent chills up Yang's spine, making her already confused emotions churn. Blake hadn't said much about what Yang told her but simply smiled.
"What?" Yang demanded, glaring at Blake. Blake only shrugged and gave her an innocent stare, still smiling. "Then get that stupid grin off your face!" Yang threw a pillow at her and began to walk to breakfast, her partner directly behind.
While she ate Yang decided that she was still missing something when it came to Chris; 'just friends' didn't quite fit. She examined her feelings toward him, trying to decide what wasn't right. She thought of how angry she had been at him yesterday morning, how flustered she had felt when he smiled at her on the practice field, how happy she was during their talk the previous night and the whirring she felt in her stomach when she thought of his voice. All things considered, Yang came to a conclusion, the very conclusion she assumed Blake had arrived at; Yang liked Chris. This, however meant nothing, because when it came to boys, or people in general, Yang had a test; one test that no boy she'd ever dated had passed. This test determined, for her, the caliber of the person in question; any who passed were automatically adored by Yang and that number was very few indeed. While she may like Chris, there was no way he would qualify, and coming to that conclusion Yang finished her breakfast in peace.
Out on the training grounds, team RWBY worked hard to prepare for the tournament. Ruby had improved immensely; beating Weiss and Blake in almost every round and she lost to Yang only as often as she won. Ruby had become proficient at tricking somebody to look one way and appear in the opposite direction. Once in the clear she pounced on her opponent, and she almost always met with success.
Yang was sitting next to Blake again, taking a short break, and watched as Ruby hooked Weiss behind her legs and fired her weapon, using the recoil to make her partner fall to the ground; a technique that she used constantly. Weiss stood, grumbling at her loss, and muttered, "Again!" Ruby smiled and took up the ready position.
Yang started to feel bored watching Weiss lose constantly and began to survey the fighters all over the large field. She spotted Chris almost immediately, standing next to his partner; Paul. Paul was on the ground, retying his boots while Chris stood next to him holding a mace that looked awkward in his hands. That must be Paul's weapon, Yang decided. Like the previous day, it was as though Chris could feel Yang looking at him, and he turned his head to make eye contact with her. He smiled and Yang's breathe caught in her chest. She gave a weak smile back. Chris hefted Paul's mace and feigned knocking him over the head with it while he worked on his shoes. Yang laughed as Paul looked around and stared at Chris from the ground, as if knowing that his life had just been the source of their entertainment.
Blake, who was still sitting next to Yang, followed her eyes to Chris. A huge smirk broke out on her face as she looked back to Yang, who blushed and rolled her eyes, returning her attention to her sister and teammate. The latter two continued to spar, Weiss doing a better job of defending herself. Just then Ruby, who was constantly trying to show off, attempted something reckless. She'd jumped off the bleachers and began to sail over Weiss, obviously trying to get behind her to attack. Had Weiss been a brute with a pitiful IQ, the tactic might have worked; the truth being the complete opposite however, Weiss countered this brash move. Myrtenaster flew through the air and collided with Crescent Rose, knocking Ruby's focus off and causing her to land wrong.
"Ah!" Ruby exclaimed as she fell to the ground after landing on her ankle. Weiss sheathed her rapier and ran to her partner. Yang and Blake, hearing Ruby's cry of pain, ran to her as well. Ruby was sitting up, with one knee bent and the other leg, the one she'd landed on, stretched out flat.
"What's wrong?" Yang said, worried. As she did, she went to touch Ruby's ankle; to check if it was all right.
"Don't…!" Ruby said, but too late; Yang had lifted her foot an inch off the ground and Ruby nearly screamed in pain.
"She needs to get to the Med Bay." Blake said, concerned.
"Ruby, I am so sorry! I didn't mean for you to get hurt!" Weiss's apology was clearly heart-felt, and the worry she had for her partner was apparent.
As Yang scooped up her sister, Ruby said, in a weak voice, "You dunce." She gave Weiss a smile that swiftly turned into a grimace as her sister's movements clearly caused her pain. Grinning, because her partner was not mad at her, Weiss picked up Crescent Rose, which had lain forgotten behind them, and followed Yang as she ran off to the school, Blake following suit.
Chapter VI
"Well Miss Rose, you did take a nasty fall, didn't you?" The doctor that worked in the Beacon Med Bay stood in front of the four teammates as he stared down at a clip board. He had a reedy voice that Yang found annoying. It only made matters worse when he gave them the bad news, "I am sure that your leg will heal up just fine; no problems at all. Your aura, as you can tell is already hard at work mending it." He gestured to her wrapped ankle, which had a faint red glow around it. "However, with such an injury, I cannot allow you to compete in the upcoming school tournament. I do apologize, Miss Rose, but sometimes it is my unfortunate job to be the bearer of bad news. Good day to you all." He walked away then, clip board under his arm.
"Well, this… totally… blows!" Yang said as she threw herself into a chair by the bed Ruby sat on.
"I really am sorry Ruby!" Weiss said, sitting next to her partner on the bed, looking concerned.
"Don't worry about it, there's always next year! But you all better prepare to get your butts handed to you then because I will not be messing around." Ruby said this last part with a smile that lifted everyone's spirits. "If one of you doesn't win this thing for me, though, I might just cry." Jokingly, she widened her eye's, making her look really sad and adorable. Weiss however must not have realized she was kidding because, on seeing Ruby's sad eyes, she threw her arms around her and began to ball into her shoulder.
"I'm sorry!" She gasped out through sobs. Surprised, Ruby hugged her back, clearly happy that her partner was being so nice all of a sudden. Yang was just as surprised, Weiss never really came across as the emotional type. She caught Blake's eye, who appeared likewise confused, and the two of them began to laugh.
Ruby stayed in the Med Bay that night and during classes the next day, but was allowed to come down to watch the tournament in the evening. Everyone sat in the stands that faced the large stage used for practice competitions. Yang was just about so scoot past a bunch of people to get to her team when someone called her from behind. She turned to face Chris, who had just run up to her. "Hey I heard what happened to your sister; that totally blows!"
Slightly surprised, Yang responded, "Oh yeah, it really does. It's nice of you to worry though." He had seemed honestly concerned, and to Yang, that made him all the more attractive.
Just then Professor Goodwitch made an announcement over the speakers. "Will the first two contestants please come forward."
Chris grinned then, saying, "That's me!" He then ran off to the stage. Taken slightly aback by his sudden departure, Yang slid past a handful of people to sit between Blake and her sister.
"Who is that again?" Ruby whispered is Yang's ear, smiling.
"Shut up!"
"Welcome everyone to the annual Beacon Combat Tournament!" Goodwitch's voice rang through the huge room. "Our first two contestants will be Russell Thrush of team CRDL and Chris Yin of team CPTL." The two of them walked out to scattered applause, and took up positions on either side of the stage. "You may begin when the alarm sounds."
The two students stood still, waiting for the sound that would initiate their fight. Russell was standing with slightly bent knees, obviously ready to charge at Chris. Chris however stood with his hands by his sides looking down at the ground, absolute calm on his face. The two foot long pole Yang had seen the other day was in his right hand, grasped at the bottom, pointing at his opponent.
The bell rang and Russell charged, raising his weapon to attack. Chris remained where he was, not even looking up. "What's he thinking?" Ruby said, voicing Yang's own thoughts. When Russell was a good 7 feet from his target, the pole in Chris's hand changed; it expanded into a long staff. The end of it flew towards Russell and collided with his face, breaking his nose on impact. The combined force of both the pole's and Russell's momentum knocked him out cold, and just like that, the fight was over. There was a pause as Chris raised his head and turned to face the crowd with his staff collapsed and hanging at his side again. Then, the entire room erupted into applause. No one could believe what had just happened, but it amazed them.
"That was…" Yang was at a loss for words, and slowly clapped out of astonishment.
"Incredible?" Blake offered, clapping along with everyone else.
Yang didn't respond to her. 'Incredible' just about summed up what she had seen.
The tournament progressed then; Weiss, Blake and Yang all fought and won their respective matches with ease. More students were eliminated, singling out those who would go on to fight the next day. On Tuesday, Yang couldn't wait to see Chris in another fight; there was no way he could get away with doing the same move as yesterday, and he was bound to reveal more of his style. When the fight came around, it was between him and another student Yang hadn't known. While Chris may have fought with a staff, his style was far more complex and involved a lot of hand to hand combat thrown into the mix. When it came right down to it, he fought a lot like Yang, minus the staff of course. The fight was exciting to watch, Chris's opponent was well-trained. It even appeared as if the unknown student might prevail at one point, but then something incredible happened.
He had managed to land a well-placed blow on Chris that sent him to his knees on the other end of the stage. It seemed like he was about to lose when he stood up with a smile and looked at his rival, his body turned so his shoulder faced the student. The white flecks in his eyes glowed and expanded until both spheres were devoid of color. A dark blue light shimmered around his frame as he raised his hand. Ice shot out from where he stood and spread along the floor of the stage. The ice formed around the feet and ankles of Chris's opponent, preventing him from moving. Chris lowered his hand and walked slowly towards the trapped student, his staff put away. He swiftly deflected the attacks thrown at him from the stationary fighter, and he then disarmed him. "Sorry about this…" Chris said, right before punching the other boy square in the face, knocking him out flat.
All Yang could do was stare. She was dumbfounded and a little intrigued by Chris's abilities. His aura was fascinating, and as Yang thought more about it she realized that it was the exact opposite of her own; fire and ice.
The rest of Tuesday passed quickly, the three competing members of RWBY all moving on to the next round. However on Wednesday, Weiss was unlucky. Three of the four finalists were already known, Yang, Blake and Chris. The final slot was either going to be Weiss or Pyrrah. She fought her hardest, but in the end, Pyrrah was the victor.
Weiss was upset at her loss but did not dwell on it. However she did approach Yang and told her, "I know Pyrrah is nice and all but you better not let her win. You're fighting her tomorrow so you take her out for me, for us!" Yang had said that she would, surprised by the ferocity in her teammate. She wasn't too concerned about Pyrrah, she was sure she could beat her, and that would put Yang in the final two. She was, however, worried that if Blake were to lose to Chris then that would mean Yang would be fighting him on Friday. She was confident in her ability to win, but wasn't sure if their opposite auras would play a part in the fight, and if they did what would happen.
The next day Blake fought Chris, and it was intense. Chris, like Yang, immediately noticed the ability Blake had to change from close up to long distance combat at a moment's notice. He too used a defensive strategy, deflecting Gambol Shroud with his staff. The fight went on for a long while, blows were exchanged but the winner still was not clear. Then out of nowhere it was over; Chris had caught Gambol Shroud with his staff that he then spun, pulling Blake closer to him and her weapon out of her hands. He swept her legs out from under her and pointed the guarded blade of her own weapon at her throat. Blake was embarrassed, but had some of her pride restored when Chris helped her up, returned her weapon and raised her hand with his as if to call her 'a worthy opponent'.
Yang then fought Pyrrah, a slightly shorter fight. The two were very skilled in their own way, and dealt severe blows to the other. Yang was finally able to get Pyrrah's spear away from her by blasting her with a wall of flame, red eyes glowing. Yang ran at the other girl, fists raised, when all of a sudden her gauntlets froze in midair, making her stop. Ember Celica had a dark sheen to them, and Yang wondered what had happened, but she didn't pause to consider it for long. Twisting her wrists, Yang slipped out of her weapons, ducked under them and continued to charge Pyrrah. She spun and knocked the upraised shield away from the red head's torso, leaving her exposed. Jumping up, Yang kicked her in the stomach with both feet, sending Pyrrah flying to the floor. Ember Celica fell to the ground then, rolling to the lip of the stage.
Yang replaced her now collapsed gauntlets back on her wrists, and then went to help up Pyrrah. Cheers and a few groans filled the large room at her victory and elation at having got so far in the tournament filled Yang. She had won and was now one of the final two. However, this meant that she would have to fight Chris the next day. She was excited to be so close to winning, but the prospect of the impending fight gave her a feeling of trepidation. How would their different yet similar fighting styles affect the fight? How would their auras react when pitted against each other? And how would the outcome of the fight change how she felt about him and vice versa. All these thoughts rushed through her mind as the students clapped for her, but then she saw Chris in the crowd. He gave her a slight smile and then a sarcastic look that clearly said, 'bring it on'.
Chapter VII
Team RWBY had celebrated every night that week, and Thursday night was no different. While Blake and Weiss were out of the running they were still happy that one of their teammates had a chance to win the tournament. Yang felt happy but still a little nervous about fighting Chris, and she eventually went out onto their dorm's balcony to be away from all the revelry. She had been alone for almost two minutes when Blake came out to stand next to her partner. "What's the matter with you?" Blake asked, concerned. "You don't seem very happy about being in the final two."
Yang stood quietly for a moment, trying to decide how best to answer. Finally she said, "I am happy, I'm just…" She wasn't sure how to say that she didn't want to fight Chris. She recognized, now, the feelings she had for him, feelings that had only intensified by watching him fight. But if she were to lose, she wasn't sure how well she'd handle the loss. If she won, there was a chance Chris would never want to speak to her again and whatever chance there might have been between them would be gone. There hadn't even been enough time for him to attempt to pass her 'special test'. This is hopeless!
As though Blake had read her mind she asked, "Is it Chris?" Yang looked at her questioningly, surprised at her accuracy. "It is, isn't it?" Yang frowned and nodded, looking away. "What exactly are you worried about? Be honest!"
Yang contemplated her partner's straightforwardness, decided that she meant well and answered, "I'm worried about what might happen after the fight. No matter who wins, there might be some problems that come because of it."
"You mean you're afraid that Chris might not like getting his ass kicked, even if it's by a girl that he likes."
Yang looked at her then, "What do you mean, 'a girl that he likes'? How can you know that?" She had thought there was a chance he liked her, but wasn't one hundred percent sure. Blake had said it as though it was a well-known fact.
"How is that not obvious? I've seen the way he looks at you, the way his ears go red when you smile back at him, not to mention all the attention he's given you; he clearly likes you!" She smiled as she told Yang this. "Listen, if Chris stops liking you because he lost a fight, then he's not worth the trouble anyway. And if you won't feel the same if you lose, then it wouldn't have lasted between you two in any case. So all you can do is fight your best tomorrow and let the chips fall where they may."
Yang absorbed her advice, contemplating it and coming to the conclusion that Blake was very wise when it came to boys. "You know, you're good!"
"I read a lot of romance novels," Blake said with a shrug. "Not that you should base your relationship with Chris on fictional characters, they just help to offer some perspective."
"But what relationship though? Even if we both like each other, we're not together right now, and the possibility of that happening in the future is very slim." Yang felt upset, even if Chris still liked her after they fought, he still had to pass her test, an unlikely possibility. It was a strange requirement but to Yang, it was practically religion.
"Why wouldn't you two get together in the future? You both like each other, what's the hold up?" Blake was honestly confused, but Yang wasn't sure if she should tell her about her 'test'. She finally decided that Blake wouldn't go blabbing this secret around, no matter how strange.
"Don't laugh, but when it comes to boys I have a test. It's kind of stupid… but…" Yang paused before telling her, hoping she wouldn't laugh. "I'll only be in a steady relationship with someone if they like making puns!" She said this last part really fast, as if she wouldn't be able to finish if she stopped.
Blake's face was straight as she asked, "Why does that matter?"
"I don't know!" Yang said, desperately. "It's just like there's a part of me deep down that won't function otherwise. I can't explain it; it's just the way I am." She was glad that Blake hadn't laughed.
"Well, let's hope that he passes this test of yours, and that your fight tomorrow doesn't ruin anything." Blake sighed then and looked through the glass door that opened into their dorm. "We should probably get back to the other two. Not sure if the room will remain in one piece for long."
Somewhat consoled, Yang followed her partner into their room, feeling that odd combination of both nervousness and excitement rush through her body.
-Ruby-
Ruby couldn't wait to watch her sister fight that day. Her opponent, Chris Yin, seemed really good, but she knew that Yang would be fine. Ruby had also noticed something between the two of them over the last few days; the way they looked at each other in the hallway between classes was a dead giveaway that something was up. She hoped that they wouldn't have to wait long before they got a clue and got together. But before that could happen, there was the final fight.
The rest of teams RWBY and CPTL sat in the front row in the large room, ready to support their contending teammate. After a short while, Goodwitch made an announcement and introduced the two fighters that would square off for the reward. "I give you Chris Yin of team CPTL and Yang Xiao Long of team RWBY!" Applause broke out then as the two of them walked out, Chris looking handsome in his leather jacket and Yang looking just as beautiful as always. "You may begin when the alarm sounds."
The two of them prepared to fight, Ember Celica expanding into their deadly form while Chris's staff extended in a single hand. Ruby's pulse quickened as the alarm sounded. Yang shot herself at Chris, attempting to hit him in the face. Chris deflected her strike with his staff and spun away making to hit her in the stomach. Yang dodged and then threw a flurry of blows at Chris, each one he either dodged or blocked. He then attacked in kind, dealing unrelenting strikes that were all deflected by Yang. The two of them displayed a mixture of martial arts technique that was so similar neither could gain an advantage over the other. They fought for a good ten minutes, exchanging blows and either dodging or deflecting each and every one. It finally came to a point when the two got locked together, faces inches from each other, merely pushing back and forth.
Chris then said something to Yang that was inaudible from where Ruby sat. Breaking away from her, Chris made his staff collapse and he rolled it to the edge of the stage. He removed his leather jacket and stretched, then lifted his wrapped hands, ready to continue fighting. Yang had also backed up; she disarmed Ember Celica then rolled her shoulders and got ready to fight once more. This was crazy; they were both fighting without weapons. Ruby couldn't believe it as they closed in on each other and began to throw kicks and punches. Their styles were so similar and both were so skilled that instead of looking like a fight, it began to look like a very violent dance; beautiful and terrible at the same time. One of them would begin a move by attacking, and the other would complete it by blocking or dodging it. Their hands and legs moved so fast that it was hard to believe that it wasn't coordinated. Chris began to laugh as he realized that they were perfectly matched, and Yang had a smile on her face, she was clearly enjoying the contest.
They fought for almost twenty minutes; dancing all over the stage and attempting some of the most outstanding bits of combat Ruby had ever seen. Their bodies were slick with sweat, and they were both running out of stamina, they seemed to tire at the same rate. Eventually, something different happened; they both stopped fighting and began to back away from each other. They seemed to have some sort of mental understanding between them. When they had a good ten yards between them they both stopped and began to glow. Yang's hair burned because of the brightness of her aura and Chris's blue haze seemed to freeze the air around him. Red eyes faced pure white ones, and then, it happened. Chris sent a wall of ice towards Yang as she threw a torrent of flames toward him. The crowd of students and teachers gasped as the manifestations of their auras collided with the roar of fire and the crash of ice; and then cold droplets of water fell to the ground, spraying the first few rows. The freezing ice had extinguished the fire whereas the fire had completely melted the ice.
"Whoa!" Ruby said as she watched all this happen. These two fighters were so evenly matched that even their auras counteracted each other. It was incredible to see, but they weren't done. The two of them had shown a momentary sign of shock at what had happened but quickly recovered and closed in on each other once more. Both of their auras were still active and the bit of stage directly behind Yang was beginning to crisp whereas behind Chris the stage was completely frozen over. The ground where they stood fighting, however, was absolutely fine. Whatever was going on was beginning to give Ruby a headache the more she contemplated it.
Finally the two warriors seemed to lose all the fight left in them; Yang had gone for one final attack but lost her balance and the two of them fell, Yang on top of Chris. For a moment they simply lay there, one on top of the other, gasping for breath. Then Yang must have realized where she was because she pushed herself off of Chris, only to lay next to him on the ground.
Goodwitch's voice then rang out through the large room. "Ladies and gentlemen, it would appear that these two students have fought to a standstill. Neither was able to gain advantage over the other and neither is in the proper condition to continue fighting. Therefore I am announcing that the outcome of this contest is in fact, a draw." The crowd murmured slightly, wondering if that had ever happened before. Yang sat up slowly then, as did Chris, and they both stood on wobbly legs. They wrapped arms around the other's shoulder for support as they stood in front of the entire school. Then, as if from nowhere, the applause began and it filled the entire stadium, echoing throughout the grounds of Beacon. The two of them smiled and raise the hands that weren't wrapped around the other, waving in their shared victory.
Ruby was dumfounded, she couldn't understand how they had both fought so perfectly. She shared shocked expressions with her two other teammates, who were both just as stunned by the outcome of the fight. But as they sat there, clapping and grinning, they could all agree on one thing; that the most upbeat member of their team had never looked happier as she stood there, almost passed out from exhaustion, with her arm around the boy to her right.
Chapter VIII
-Chris-
After the fight, Chris hadn't had much time to talk to Yang. They had only just received their split reward of 50 Lien each before they were clapped on the back by a ton if people and told how amazing their performance had been. After that they had both gone to their dorm room; Chris wasn't sure what Yang had done, but he had gone straight to sleep. As he slept, Chris's dreams were full of Yang; her long hair, her slightly tan skin, her lilac eyes and her red ones. Everything about her entranced him.
The next day Chris slept in, but when he awoke his partner, Paul, was there to greet him. He told him about how there was supposed to be a huge party in town that night and asked if he wanted to go. Chris said that he did, feeling eager at the prospect of going into town.
Later that night, Chris and his team entered a club that had been bought out for the students of Beacon for the night. The music was up-beat and loud, and there were a lot of people dancing. The four teammates all separated, going to dance, get drinks, or find a place to sit. Chris searched through the people in the club; looking for her. Finally he found her, dancing with her younger sister on the main floor. She looked amazing and super happy as she and her sister jumped up and down to the beat of the music. Chris waited for the song to end before approaching. When it was over he walked up behind Yang and said, "You dance really well!" As soon as he said it he felt like a creeper, he might as well have said 'I was watching you!'
Yang turned around and smiled when she saw who it was. "Well let's see if you can claim as much!" Just as the next song started, she grabbed his wrist and pulled him to an opening in the crowd of dancing people. They both danced to the excitable song and Chris was happy that Yang had been the one to invite him to dance; it was always awkward the other way around.
Eventually the song ended, and a slow one started up. For a moment they stood there, but Chris didn't want to wait and let things get uncomfortable. "May I have this dance?" Chris said with a smirk and an outstretched hand. Yang smiled and took it, walking up close to him. They danced then, formally at first, but as the song progressed they got closer and closer until they were practically holding each other. Chris had felt the strange sensation again of hot to normal temperature when their skin touched and figured it had to do with their opposite auras.
The song ended and they broke apart. "Wanna get out of here?" Chris asked Yang, hoping she'd say yes. She did, holding his hand as they walked out of the club. As they walked up to Chris's car he asked her, "Do you want to go for a ride?" He made the car chirp and its lights came on. The muscle car was huge and black and looked undoubtedly fast. Chris's family was rich…
Yang looked shocked, "This is yours?!"
"Yep," Chris said with a grin.
"I see this car every time I go to get my bike from the Beacon Garage and I've always wondered who's it was!" Yang seemed surprised and excited.
"So do you wanna go?" Chris asked again.
"Is it really fast?" Yang asked. Chris nodded with a smile. "Then let's go!" She ran to the passenger side and climbed in as Chris got in on the driver's side. The whole car vibrated as the roar of the engine filled their ears; a mechanical beast coming to life.
Yang grinned at Chris, who said, "Let me show you what this baby can do!" He floored it down the street and onto the highway, taking the long way back to Beacon. Chris shifted through the gears easily and was soaring past other cars by the time he reached the sixth and top gear. Yang had seemed caught off guard at first by the sudden speed, but now she was laughing; the thrill of the high velocity making her giddy. Chris, hearing her mirth, began to laugh as well.
They made it back to school in no time, and they walked up to the large building both laughing at what had just happened. They began to walk the school's grounds, talking about a lot of things, not really paying attention to where they went. After a while of walking and talking they found themselves at the place where they had first met one week ago; the small garden.
They stood there, staring at the small enclosure of grass and plants, until they finally went and sat down on a small, stone bench. They were quiet for a while, and then they started talking about their fight the day before. Both of them agreed that what they had done was incredible, and then Yang fell silent once more. Just then Chris thought of something he considered funny and he laughed lightly to himself at his stupid joke.
"What's so funny?" Yang asked with a smile.
"Oh it's nothing, just something I thought of." When Yang continued to look at him questioningly, Chris relented and told her. "You remember when Goodwitch said that the two of us had fought to a 'stand-still' right?" Yang nodded. "I was thinking of where we were when she said that; lying on the ground. So more accurately, we fought to a 'lie-still'!" He looked at her then, a stupid grin on his face because of the dumb pun. But Yang's smile had vanished; a look of shock was there instead. Surprised, Chris tried to amend himself. "Oh, sorry… Not everyone likes puns very much, I know! Paul hates it when I say 'em but I can't stop. That one was kind of stupid, but…" His words were lost as Yang lunged forward, grabbed the edges of his jacket, and pulled him into the best kiss of Chris's life. His arms had been out to either side as he had tried to explain himself, but as they kissed he wrapped them around her; one on her back the other on the back of her head. Her lips had felt warm to Chris at first but they soon decreased to a normal temperature.
It lasted for what felt like years to Chris, but what could only have been seconds. When they broke apart Yang looked slightly apologetic, "Sorry I attacked you like that, but I love puns!" Her lilac eyes seemed to sparkle as she stared at him.
"That's okay…" Chris wasn't sure what to say, he still felt shocked at the sudden passion that had flared between them. "Whenever you want to kiss me like that again just go for it!" He grinned as he said that.
"If you say so…" Yang said, somewhat seductively. She leaned forward again and they resumed making out. They were so distracted that they somehow lost their balance on the bench and fell off onto the ground. They laughed then, Yang still in Chris's arms. Then they sat there, heads pressed together, as they stared up at the starry sky; not saying anything, just enjoying that they had been brought together and not doubting that it would last.
If one week ago, Chris had to guess where the incredibly beautiful girl he had barged in on would be right then, he would not guess that it would be in the same spot, only lying with him this time. But there they lay, she, wrapped in his arms with her head resting next to his; him, staring at the most incredible sight of his life, Yang Xiao Long. These two halves of a whole, united at last; Yin and Yang!
The End
Well, I hope you liked it, it's something different from most RWBY fanfics. If you could review that would be great. Thanks for reading!