Pieces out of Line

Original Concept: RWBY/Fate/Stay Night

Chapter 4

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Created by: Rooster Teeth Productions/Type-Moon

written by: wrathie

Author's Notes: This chapter deviates largely from canon, so it's AU time. It'll be a hit or miss, hopefully a hit, but who knows?

Inspiration for this came mostly from the Yellow Trailer, and Yang is scorching there, really. I'm asian, so calling her Xiao Long isn't wrong, calling her Yang is odd though so that's partly why I made this back story for her. Oh, and before I forget - here's to you, Kisdota-The Freak Gamer, if not for your constant updates with RWBY, I wouldn't be here sharing this story in the first place. Thank you guys for your support, and I really loved your guy's reviews, both positive and criticisms that makes me rethink my work. Keep them coming! If it isn't obvious, bowpurity is my beta + my co-author for this.

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bowpurity's notes: What's with this ridiculous ball bouncing dual screen fighting system of World ends with you?
Comments on this chapter? let's see..Yang, Yang. More Yang. She kinda reminds me of Elsword's Rena Windsneaker, don't you think?
Enjoy.

Yang Xiao Long was a confident person, that much, anyone could attest to as the spitfire blonde was full of spunk and sass all packed in a great body. She was vindicated on that last point at least for she had even seen women stare at her at the changing room at Signal Academy.

All of that combined together made people believe that it would be impossible or at least insufferable to work with her. That was totally not true, Xiao Long knew how to work in a team. Sometimes she just preferred to do things off the well trodden path.

In truth, the blonde was just someone who is very easily bored and difficult to entertain. She wasn't a perfectionist, but she always hated doing things the conventional way as it was so boring.

She was a being of chaos, a troublemaker and she prided herself on being called a mischievous prankster when she was of a younger age – using tricks and acts of mischief that sent the teachers up to a frenzy at the sheer audacity of her acts.

Still, age and maturity did catch up with Yang in the end and the blonde found herself having to do so partly due to her young sister, Ruby.

The more havoc and trouble she caused, the more scrutiny and pressure fell on her younger sister to perform better than her and they did apply a lot of pressure and expectations on Ruby that was uncalled for in her eye.

Xiao Long was the older sister after all and by not acting her age and status in the family, she was making it difficult for her younger sister. Her mother was from the East and as their main care taker, meant that the culture they were brought up in was very different from what the typical family would live in in Vale.

Seeing her sister being put under such scrutiny was not what Xiao Long wanted as she loves her sister very much and would do anything for her. So she had 'grown up' and acted her age for once when she was enrolled into Signal Academy to take the pressure off Ruby.

She had excelled there, learning the style of her mother's side as well as incorporating the technical genius and know-how of her father to create Ember Celica, which she still considered her best work so far.

However Xiao Long's mischievous and brazen nature hadn't been completed stamped out during her time in Signal Academy, she had hit puberty then and was taking great joy in pride at her growth from a scrawny tomboyish girl to a fully fledged woman.

It hadn't happened overnight but long hours slaving at the workshop in large unattractive overalls, masks and gloves while handling machinery had hidden her growth spurt till she had finished Ember Celica.

Xiao Long had very much enjoyed the attention that everyone had given her the moment she had stepped out of the workshop and was in her casual clothes. They clothes were... a little tighter than she remembered...

Then again, she had nearly slept and lived in the workshop for a period of three months to perfect Ember Celica and everyone was staring at her like they had never seen her before.

Xiao Long admitted that perhaps the sweat and the grime from all the machinery, not to mention how covered she had been, would have not made her look attractive. But it had been borderline insulting when some of the workshop masters that had helped her in those few months had the cheek to declare that they didn't think she was a woman at all. Xiao Long was mad, but refrained herself as she had hardly been the best role model of a girl, and certainly didn't act the part when she had taken her studies seriously in Signal Academy. She had taken her studies seriously. She had a younger sister to influence and as the role model in her life, she had to suppress the side of her that was screaming at her to stop following the expectations of her family to be a Huntress and do somethingelse with her life. Yes, Yang Xiao Long's dream had never been to be a Huntress, her family expected her to and she had to follow the expectations to not disappoint her family just a little bit more. It was even worse when Ruby looked up to her and was dying to be a Huntress herself.

As a side note, Ruby had spent around the same time in the same old workshop to finish Crescent Rose and she hadn't came up with the wonder chest that Xiao Long's friends had teased and were jealous about. Perhaps it was the genes, she did take after her father's side more while Ruby resembled her mother much more.

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Surprisingly, spending long hours working machinery in a hot and sweaty environment was enough to give her a lean figure, complete with muscles on her arms and legs. At the same time, her figure grew to what she looked like now. So working in a workshop for long hours and for an extended period could make one come out hotter than ever, go figure!

The moment the unflattering clothes and the harsh working conditions were removed from the equation and Xiao Long was able to be herself again after topping the top of her classes in Signal for the first two years. All bets were off and the true Yang Xiao Long was revealed to the unprepared world.

However, no matter one's figure and looks, it was still a person's personality that pays a huge part on the impression one had on others. Xiao Long was able to flaunt her looks easily due to how she was like before and soon after discovering that her looks was enough to drive most, if not all the male population crazy, she went to wage war on all fronts.

First she took a very close look at the dressing requirements of Signal Academy and went to town with it, tossing her less than flattering jeans and loose T-shirts to the thrash and starting on a whole new image for herself. It was Xiao Long's first foray into the world of woman cosmetics, beauty products and every single bit of apparel than you could think of.

It took her the better half of two weeks, before she re-emerged with the now provocative outfit that had almost caused her to be kicked out of Signal. Only be calmly and methodically explaining how every single piece of clothing she wore were within regulations at the school council saved her. Thereafter she rubbed her hands together, cackled madly in glee and sashayed out of the room with a devil-like grin.

The discipline mistress was left spluttering in outrage and in horror at unleashing that girl who had brains, looks and was developing the wiles to exploit her advantage in every single possible way into the world.

She wasn't sure if she should be horrified or proud at Yang Xiao Long for having the mentality and maturity to start developing the art of seduction at such a young age. On one hand, seduction was ultimately inefficient way in a world where the Grimm were the biggest threat but on the other, she was witnessing a Huntress in training bloom in front of her in Signal Academy

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Now Xiao Long was not about to claim that she has no interest in guys, nor was she disinterested in the possibility of having a true, genuine relationship with someone who both respected her as a person and for her strength. She knew however that most individuals who approached her of the male variety were interested in her body and she took great pleasure to string them up before mercilessly showing that she wasn't some blonde bimbo who was trolling for trouble.

She was proud of herself, of her body and her own ability. She was not going to bow down to some jerk who thought that she would be an easy pick up due to her dress.

To tell the truth, Xiao Long had that exact thought in mind when she decided on her new outfit, complete with her own personal symbol showed predominantly on her chest. She chose those threads for the woman that she wanted to become and not the girl that she now was. It was time to change but she knew that there were plenty of individuals who would never treat her like an equal due to her body and she was loathe to hide it because of them.

So instead of hiding it, Xiao Long decided to flaunt it. If she had it, she might as well use it, right?

Her fiery personality was something she was proud of too and soon Xiao Long had built up a reputation to warrant a 'see but no touch' approach in Signal Academy. It was something that she was both satisfied and worried about simply because her reputation would often precede her and made it harder for her to live up or to dismiss the expectations that others had of her.

On the other hand though, Xiao Long was also able to identify the intent of individuals who tried to befriend her quite easily.

It was a double edged sword that she was resigned to carry by the end of her time in Signal.

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However it wasn't all sunshine and roses, nor did she magically get gifted with all the strength, speed, confidence and respect that carried with her now in Beacon. No, it took all she had to give during her time in Signal to earn that. The interactions, history and people there gave Xiao Long little time to grow up and to fit the role and image of the woman she wanted to be. She would later look back and laugh at how naive she was than to embark on such an ambitious plan, sometimes toying with others till the big boys started taking notice of her. She had to be prepared to give everything she had then to not be played like how she had played others. It was a dangerous game of cat and mouse, politics, intrigue and outright competition and rivalry in Signals and she found herself thankful that Ruby was shielded from this darker scene in the academy.

Xiao Long should have expected that – she had been playing with toy poodles when the big dogs were just around the corner and she had fought harder than ever to earn her place in the deep dark underground world that she was sure that no ordinary student had to deal with.

Looking back however, Yang found that her time in Signal was still the best time she ever had. She had always gone against the norm before and being placed in a sink or swim situation was living a dream that she might never experience again. She was innocent then… and like all responsible people, she had quickly lost the last shred of innocence that she possessed.

Incidentally it was also the time when she made Ruby call her Yang instead of Xiao Long. She did not wish for her sister to be caught up with the Drake of Signal (Being called the Little Dragon was lame) when her fame and reputation was growing.

Yang was truly in her element in the last year of Signal, her reputation only grew together with the growth of her skills and she was ready to take on another challenge, this time as part of Beacon Academy.

She had also made sure that her sister would be properly looked after in Signals and thus was both horrified to find out that her baby sister had taken on that notorious criminal Roman Torchwick and was accepted into Beacon the same time she was.

A part of her wanted to shelter Ruby from what would no doubt happen in Beacon. The world was harsh and difficult after all and she wanted her sister to enjoy her childhood a little longer. It wasn't the Grimm that was the problem, it was everything else associated with being a Huntress that made it difficult. Yang truly did not wish to be a Huntress, but if she could prove her credentials to be one of the best, any other route she wanted to take would be open to her. But now that Ruby was enrolling with her, Yang wanted to protect her the best she could. Even the normally rebellious other part of her was also telling herself that if Ruby had her there as a guide, it might be better than having to grope around the darkness like she did.

Ruby... she loved her baby sister so much and she had not failed to notice how her sister had gotten mellower after her drastic change in Signal, she had failed in her task to relieve some of the pressure from Ruby despite being an exceptional candidate in Signal. They just couldn't accept how Yang was so flamboyant, a devil-may-care attitude that was far away from the traditional demure and supportive role a woman has to play in an Eastern family.

By going to Beacon with Ruby, Yang could help guide Ruby and help her in making social contact with others. She was socially awkward, unlike her and it was going to cause problems,especially since she wasn't ready for Beacon and the potential dangers both inside and outside of the school. The last thing she wanted was for her sister to be taken advantage of.

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So Yang had came to Beacon expecting something going on below or between the scenes of Beacon Academy. She had been ready to kick ass, take names and subsequently, to carve another legend after riding on the success of her stint in Signal. She had been woefully over-prepared as no one had approached her, no one had even recognized her as none of her closest friends who had been in the know had been accepted into Beacon.

Even if that was the case, Yang was sure that someone would approach her eventually to pull her into the dark side of a school that dealt with life and death situations on a daily basis.

The first day was met with deafening silence. Yang had even tried to stir up some trouble by staying awake and bothering the hell out of the Schnee Heiress. She had been so sure that the Schnee Group had some dealings with the shady underworld that operated behind the scenes of combat schools like Signal.

After all hasn't she seen her share of underground matches that often resulted in severe injuries or even death? Yang had seen a lot for someone her age and besides the usual norm of underground betting betting circles, exchange of drugs and handling of weapons, Yang had also seen some traces of human trafficking that made her sick to the bone.

However Yang could do nothing about it as she wasn't as influential or powerful as she liked. She was good, she was respected but only if she minded her own business. If she interfered, she would have to deal with the consequences and she knew that she would be unable to protect Ruby and herself if that truly happened.

The Schnee Group, or the Schnee Dust Company was one of the wealthiest groups in the world and to have achieved that without some kind of illicit trading was just laughable. Still, it looked like that heiress was not brought up to the full truth of her organisation.
It was kind of disappointing in a way, Yang had seen more with her pair of eyes than that privileged girl had ever seen and she was suggesting that she was better than everyone else? That was laughable by itself and Yang would love to tell that to her face if she could.

The other girl, Blake Belladonna had been more interesting and Yang could tell that the girl was overly cautious to a fault despite her attempts to portray herself as calm and cool as ice. Yang was an old eye at reading the subtle movements of people and was sharp enough to spot how Blake's ribbon twitched ever so slightly when she couldn't hold her emotions in check.

That girl had a secret that she was withholding from everyone and Yang found herself liking that girl as she might have the same experiences she did.

What made her day however was the boy who had befriended her sister, Emiya Shirou. Yang had been prepared to give the wannabe smooth talker a piece of her mind, or an imprint of Ember Celica in his face. Instead Yang found herself respecting the boy who had impressed her as well with the absolute control he had with his emotions. His emotions were all fake as Shirou was just a little too perfect with his responses for her liking. It might be that she was over thinking things, but the distance that Shirou gave all of them whether socially or physically was enough for her to forestall the big sister talk she was dying to give one of Ruby's guy friends.

That and Shirou's eyes had not even wandered anywhere below eye level when they spoke and the boy did not even size her up. He had simply acknowledged and introduced himself without any additional interest in knowing a friend's sister. Or perhaps he was trying to hide the fact that he knew about her and was not going to be caught showing that. Either way, he was an intriguing figure that Yang would need to pay attention to.

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The second day was when things got interesting and that was not counting how she ended up being partners with the Schnee Heiress by sheer luck. She would never allowed Ruby to be partners with her, the chance that her partner would get caught up in her trouble when her reputation caught up with her was too high for her liking. Getting the Schnee heiress as her partner must be some kind of sick joke that made Yang want to laugh until it hurts. It would either lead her to the dirty secrets of the Schnee Group or she would get the first glimpse as Weiss Schnee is caught up in the darkness of her own corporate group that she was going to take over.

Wait, why was she so excited to go back to living life in the 'law be damned underworld again'? With one of the biggest corporation in the world no less, she must have a death wish! It must be in her blood or something, or she just loved riding her bike, Bumblebee, and living life on the edge where she could feel alive.

Blake Belladonna however would be a good partner to be with as she was more sure than ever that the black haired hottie, yes Blake was hot, had more than just her lineage to hide. Yang wasn't a hundred percent sure, but she was pretty sure that Blake didn't sleep for the first night and was constantly monitoring the entire room cautiously as if she was expecting an attack to come at any quarter. Yang herself wasn't fully asleep herself and would have approached Blake to know her better if not for the fear that she might scare her off seeing how jumpy Blake was already.

Then came the fight with the Nevermore and the Deathstalker. Yang had to hold back her more devastating attacks to avoid getting her friends and allies caught in the crossfire, but they were still tougher than any other Grimm she had faced before. She was pretty confident that she could still take them out though but it was the actions of Emiya Shirou that caught her eye – the look he had in his eye as he called formation, the surety of his stances and the way his entire demeanor changed when he spotted someone was in danger. Yang had heard Weiss and Ruby call Shirou a 'knight' before and she thought that they had done it as a joke or as a way to poke fun at how stiff the boy was.

That changed as now, she honestly believed that Shirou could be one as he was overly concerned and cautious when it came to his comrades being in danger and not himself. He simply did not care for his well being and it showed when he had pushed Blake away from a particularly punishing peck from the Nevermore. Yang was sure that Shirou would be killed then, but his shield came up just in time to deflect the blow but knocked him down as a result. If it wasn't for Ruby, Shirou would no doubt be unable to block the next attack.

Lastly, Yang was surprised when Shirou actually did something offensive, lopping off the Nevermore's head to end the fight when it became a little too dangerous even for her. She wasn't certain if he had slipped up in hiding his strength, but nonetheless, she appreciated the gesture. She knew there and then that Shirou was hiding something from the others but understood that decisiveness. Still, if it came back to endanger her or her sister, all bets were off.

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However she did not expect that Emiya Shirou would do that in the first official day of class. Saving a damsel in distress like something out of a cheesy b-flick and placing a douchebag's entire Huntsman career on the line...

It was, freaking brilliant! She totally have to reward him strictly due to the the balls that he had to have to do all of that in public ad she waved excitedly at the team of SNPR together with the Faunus girl as they were looking for a seat.

Most of their fellow classmates were either trying desperately to avoid looking at them, scowling in discontent or just looking shell shocked.

Yang did not comment on how Blake had a small blush and a very slight but unmistakable smile on her face as she had more or less knew what secret the black-haired girl was thinking about. Her sister however was just as excited as she was, looking proud and happy and was urging them to join their group. The last member of RWBY, Weiss Schnee looked torn as she was rubbing a hand against her forehead in exasperation. It was so easy to rile up the heiress that it was almost a crime, but when Shirou and his team did take seats with them, Weiss did give Shirou a smile and a nod of acknowledgment that Yang was sure took all of her willpower to give.

Now isn't that sad?

'So what's your name?'

Nora asked the Faunus girl eagerly while Pyrrha simply looked on proudly at Shirou who had went back to fetch some food for her.

'M-My name is Velvet... I-I'm sorry for causing all of you trouble.'

The rabbit Faunus squeaked nervously, eyes doe like in panic and fear, and perhaps a little hopeful as everyone smiled back at her.

'It's no trouble at all, I think I would have done it myself...but I didn't have the courage that Shirou had. I'm sorry.'

Pyrrha declared solemnly but sincerely and it made Velvet shake her head desperately while telling Pyrrha that was not the case.

'I'm... It's not your fault... no one... would blame you for not helping... i-if it had happened to someone else, I... I wouldn't too...'

Velvet ended lamely but Blake spoke up firmly after that to try and curtail the spiral of depression that might overtake Velvet's confidence.

'But it is not your fault. It was Winchester's fault.'

Blake stressed it to Velvet with venom seeped deep inside her voice and it made everyone a little taken aback at how aggressive Blake was. She was really invested in this issue and none of them with the exception of Yang knew what was going on. The blonde gave Blake a calculating look that didn't suit her usual cheerful smile, something that Blake missed as she was too focused on Velvet to care.

'Got it all in one, Blake. So you better listen, Velvet dear.'

Yang added on with a motherly smile at the shivering Faunus girl which caused Blake to look at Yang in surprise. The blonde gave Blake a quick wink before getting up, walking over and hugging the poor shivering girl with one arm. Pressing her against her more than ample bosoms, Yang stroked the girl's head and grinned when Nora jumped over the table, literally so to join in the hug.

Blake was not amused to see that although Yang was being sincere in trying to calm her down, Nora probably did so to touch the girl's ears. Then again, Velvet might need the help to get used to more human contact as the poor girl looked terrified to death till Pyrrha walked over to rub her back as well. All of the support given to a Faunus girl was certainly garnering them considerable attention but none of the two teams minded at all.

'Remember, it's not your fault. Don't ever think that! If you think you're a victim, then you're definitely one.'

Yang continued with a motherly tone of voice that made Ruby gave a wistful and happy smile. It was the 'big sister' voice that Yang only used when the two of them were together in private. The two sisters were very close and although there was a period when Yang was too busy to spend time with Ruby due to making Ember Celica at Signal, it had returned to normal after Yang finished perfecting her beloved weapon.

As suffocating was Yang was with her sisterly love, Ruby was also happy and proud of the way Yang had slowly given her the room and space to grow up and develop her skills and abilities. She owed many thanks to her uncle as well, whom had taught her the abilities she now knew and whom was the person that helped her with the design of Crescent Rose and her fighting skills. Yang loved her very much, but was still more than happy and willing to acknowledge her as another individual in her own right. So much so that it has been a long time since Yang had used that tone when speaking with her, except on that particular day of the year.

'…'

Velvet was unable to say anything as she had started sobbing quietly while the rest of the girls looked on sympathetically.

'It must be tough to be a Faunus.'

Yang remarked but before more could be added on, Shirou cleared his throat and looked at the gaggle of girls with a raised eyebrow.

'Ahem... I think you might want to give her some space and privacy.'

'With you I presume? And there I thought Mr. Hero was a knight, ohhh, I know, you could volunteer to escort her to her room later on and then when you're actually in the room you can st-'

'Yang!'

Ruby interrupted the teasing of her older sister before apologizing to Velvet that she was just trying to be friendly.

'That wouldn't be a bad idea, Ms Yang, seeing that her team mates were not with her or defending her, it might be best for her to have an escort in the event of any... repercussions.'

Shirou's eyes narrowed while stating the facts and the rest of the girls looked at each other before nodding their heads.

'We should all go. You're okay with that, right?'

Ruby declared but she looked disappointed when Weiss cleared her throat and said that she would not be going on such a frivolous task.

'I would be heading back to the room after dinner... If you wish to be with Miss Velvet, that is your choice – but do remember the assignments that we would have to do for tomorrow's classes.'

Everyone simply looked disappointed at what Weiss had said but the Schnee heiress simply shrugged it off before continuing to speak.

'That said, if you require... additional assistance with your school work for today... I'm sure that we would welcome you to join us to finish the assignments together...?'

Weiss had a small blush on her face as she turned away from Velvet who was looking at her with disbelief, no one could resist the big wide pleading eyes that Velvet had. The other girls who caught on to what Weiss had said gave the heiress knowing looks but refrained from teasing her, she had protected her image while at the same offered assistance to the Faunus girl as well.

..

'Well who isn't the ice bitch now'

Yang muttered to herself cheerfully and was quickly reprimanded with a pinch at her back by Pyrrha who had overheard her. After scowling at Yang for a second or two, Pyrrha whispered back, saying that Weiss was also a girl after all.

'And we girls should stick together. We're all in Beacon, that means we are the best out of all those our age.'

Pyrrha gave a confident smile to all of them who nodded, with only Ruby looking a little sheepish as Weiss narrowed her eyes at her before looking away again.

'You just have to believe in yourself... if you don't, then no one will too.'

Ren commented tiredly while Yang gave a grin and slapped the tired boy on his back energetically.

'Took it right out of my mouth, Ren!'