Chapter 7:
The next day, the events of the previous evening seemed like a passing dream. Only the charred ruin of the town hall, and the broken ground around it, served as a reminder of what had occurred. The townsfolk had already cleaned up the broken pieces of the Jaegers. Advised by Weiss, they relocated the pile of wrecked androids by Farran's now abandoned ship to be reclaimed by the Atlesian forces when they came to check up on their missing Specialist. The girls could only hope that it would be someone who wouldn't ask too many questions and take the inhabitants' statements at face value.
On the final day, Kyo took them to the park again. Even by the standards of the festival, it was much more crowded than usual. Still, Kyo's favorite spot, beneath the big tree in the center, was open, as always, so Kyo and the girls were able to get prime seats.
"Is it really so amazing?" asked Weiss, looking around at all the families gathered, many of them already enjoying food and beverages.
"I guarantee you've never seen anything like it," said Kyo cheerfully.
"I hope you stand by that," said Yang, bumping Kyo with her shoulder. "I'll hold you accountable if the scene doesn't live up to the hype."
She shuddered at the contact, even though she had been the one to initiate it. Kyo had killed someone yesterday, with almost contemptuous ease. Yet he still seemed unfazed by it. The only mitigating factor was that, so far as Yang was concerned, Farran deserved it. There were people Yang thought deserved death, Cinder and Adam for one. She had even killed people herself during the conflict with Salem.
In particular, Yang remembered the final fight she had with Mercury, which had ended up with the silver-haired assassin lying on the ground, this time seriously injured for real. She remembered standing over him, prepared to deliver the final blow. She had changed her mind and turned to walk away. But Mercury wasn't prepared to allow her to leave that easily. He had gotten up and launched a last-ditch attack on her. Yang had turned and struck him down. This time, it hadn't been one of Emerald's hallucinations. This time, Mercury's attack was real and, this time, Yang had killed him. She hadn't been proud about it, but she'd done what she needed to.
"Well, it may not even happen today," admitted Kyo. "But the cherry blossoms don't last long and this is pretty much average for them."
"So some years, they stay in bloom longer?" asked Ruby.
Kyo nodded. "And, in other years, they bloom for a shorter period of time. It depends on a variety of factors, the weather, how healthy the trees are, that sort of thing. But I think we'll get lucky in our timing this year."
"Look!" said Blake, pointing up at a tree a short distance away. Everyone's eyes followed her pointing finger, and they saw that the petals were indeed starting to fall.
It stared out slowly. A few petals at a time detached themselves from the trees and began to dance in the air as they made their descent towards the ground. Then more followed them. Then, gradually, the other trees across the park began to lose their petals as well. Soon, the air was filled with scattering petals of pink, drifting on the wind.
Yang smiled as she watched them. It reminded her of the petals that danced in Ruby's wake when she used her Semblance.
"It is beautiful," said Weiss with a soft sigh. "But I still don't see why so many people would drop everything and head to this settlement just to see it...including you." She looked at Kyo as she spoke.
"It's an ancient tradition," said Kyo. "Cherry blossoms are symbolic."
"Symbolic of what?" asked Yang.
"Death," replied Kyo simply.
The girls froze in place before snapping their eyes to Kyo.
"What?" asked Yang.
"The cherry blossoms bloom but briefly," said Kyo. "But they bloom brilliantly. Then, just as quickly, they scatter upon the wind and are lost. So they came to symbolize the brevity of life, the ideal of living brilliantly, to the fullest extent of one's potential before one's death. It is in life's end that life obtains its true value. Because it is so brief, so fragile, so easily ended, it holds more value and beauty than anything else. Even these blossoms pale in comparison to a life fully-lived, even as they symbolize it."
"Is that why you come back every year?" asked Yang, her voice filled with wonder.
"It reminds me of how small, fragile, and infinitely beautiful life can be," said Kyo, "even the life of someone like that man I killed yesterday. It helps me commit to my resolve, to hold no life as worthless, even those lives I take."
Yang smiled slightly at that. She couldn't fully understand how Kyo could take a life so easily, even if he valued lives so much. But...it made it clear to her that he wasn't a callous murderer, who slaughtered others for fun, even if he found enjoyment in the heat of battle, dancing on the line between life and death.
An errant gust of wind, stronger than the light breezes teasing them earlier, swept through the park. As it did, Yang looked up, using her left hand to brush the hair out of her face, and gasped in awe. The wind knocked off most of the cherry blossom petals off in a single go, filling the air with dancing swirls of pink. The petals rained all around them in a sight that was too beautiful for Yang to put to words.
She was jolted out of her reverie as she heard a familiar laugh. Looking over, Yang's eyes widened as she saw Ruby, standing out in the midst of the storm of falling petals, laughing and dancing as she spun in place, trying to take in the sight as much as possible. Yang smiled and sniffed, wiping a tear from her eye.
"I'm glad we stayed," said Blake softly.
"Me too," added Weiss. Like Yang, they were both watching as Ruby laughed, absorbed in the beauty of the falling petals.
It looked as though this vacation was exactly what they needed. Ruby looked more like the Ruby Yang had known since childhood than she had in months, as though a massive weight had been lifted from her shoulders.
"You were right," said Yang, glancing at Kyo. "This really was worth it."
"I'm glad to hear you say that," said Kyo with a happy smile.
"I guess you deserve a reward," said Yang.
"I don't really need o-" Kyo's voice was cut off as Yang leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. Kyo froze, his mouth hanging open, and his cheeks flushing brilliantly.
Yang couldn't help but giggle, then laugh at Kyo's completely flabbergasted expression. "Well well," she teased. "It looks like I finally caught you off-guard, Mr. Invincible Swordsman."
Kyo raised a hand up to his cheek, gently rubbing at the spot Yang had kissed. "I guess you did," he said, before laughing himself.
Sadly, thanks to the gust that had stripped the majority of the petals off the trees, the rain of blossoms ended sooner than they had anticipated. Yang supposed that it fit within the symbolism that Kyo had described. The spectacular nature of the show had occurred at the cost of the time it lasted. Still, she was glad she'd gotten the chance, if only to see Ruby so happy at the end of it all.
That evening, they gathered in the inn's common room, enjoying the last little bit of time they had before RWBY would be required to return to Beacon. They would be leaving on the repaired bullhead, first thing in the morning.
They were saying their good nights when Ruby came up to Kyo. Kyo flinched sharply as Ruby abruptly hugged him. "I'm sorry," she said, after pulling away. "I was wrong about you."
"It's all right," said Kyo, gently brushing back a bit of her hair. "I'm glad everything worked out so well for you. You should smile more freely. You're much prettier that way."
Ruby blushed a little, but did smile at him. "Thanks," she said. "That's what Jaune says too. I wanted to talk to you about something else."
"What is it?" asked Kyo, noticing that both Blake and Weiss were suddenly listening intently.
"Well, we told Professor Ozpin, that's Beacon's Headmaster, about you. He said that he wanted us to invite you to Beacon," explained Ruby.
"As a student?" asked Kyo, raising an eyebrow.
"As a guest...I think," said Weiss. "He wants to talk to you."
Kyo canted his head to the side. "Well...I wasn't expecting that."
"Me neither," said Yang.
"Did he say why?" asked Kyo.
"He says that he's hoping you can help him establish contact with the Mibu Clan," said Blake.
Kyo blinked. "That's...odd to say the least."
"Why is that?" asked Ruby.
Kyo rubbed his hand through his hair. "Hmmm...that particular story goes back a ways. Remember how I told you that the Kingdoms that laid claim to the continent where my clan resides tried to enforce their claim?"
The girls nodded.
"It was during my grandfather's time," said Kyo. "A combined force from Vale and Atlas appeared on the edges of our territory. There was a member of Vale's Council with them, declaring that the territory where we lived had officially been declared the property of Vale. The Mibu were told that the military force had come to enforce Vale's claim to the area. My grandfather disputed the matter. He explained how the Mibu had been settled in that land for millennia, and that the four Kingdoms had not bothered to see if anyone lived on this continent before arbitrarily dividing it up between themselves.
"Unfortunately, the Councilman from Vale was unconvinced, or, rather, he thought he could force his way anyway. He declared that the Mibu would submit to Vale or they would be punished. The Mibu Clan would have to pay taxes that were 'owed' to Vale, and organize the segregation of the faunus that lived there."
"You have faunus in the Mibu?" asked Blake, astonished.
"Yes," said Kyo, blinking in surprise. "Is that unusual?"
"No...not at all," said Blake, frowning. "I just figured that, since your clan is so isolationist..."
"For the most part, the faunus have been living there as part of the Mibu Clan for as long as anyone can remember," said Kyo with a shrug. "Back then, there were quite a few faunus in important positions throughout the Clan, including our Elders. Vale's Councilman ordered that they be stripped of their positions, and be segregated in preparation for their emigration to Menagerie."
"This must have been not all that long before the Revolution," said Blake.
Kyo nodded. "When my grandfather refused, the forces from Atlas and Vale tried to force their way." He smiled smugly. "They apparently fared about as well as Ironwood's brigade did against me."
"Ouch," said Yang with a wince.
"My grandfather took the Councilman and the commander of the Atlesian forces as hostages," continued Kyo. "From there, he used them to negotiate with the four Kingdoms, and made arrangements that would ensure that the Mibu Clan would not be disturbed. The four Kingdoms agreed to keep out of the continent, but the Mibu Clan was not to interfere in the Kingdoms' affairs. In the meantime, the Kingdoms eliminated any mention of the Mibu Clan, and basically erased us from their history...not that we were in it all that much to begin with. They never gave an official reason, but kept settlers from trying to move into our continent to keep them from discovering us...or out of fear of provoking a reprisal."
"That's awful," said Ruby. "So they basically denied your existence."
"I wouldn't say it was awful," said Kyo with a shrug, "especially not for my grandfather's generation. From their perspective, they got everything they wanted out of the deal for practically nothing. Remember, the Mibu Clan has always tried to keep out of history, so it was to their advantage that the Kingdoms erased as much knowledge of their existence as they could."
"In any case," he continued, "that makes it rather odd that anyone from one of the four Kingdoms would try to establish contact with the Mibu Clan."
"Well...I wouldn't say that Professor Ozpin really counts like that," said Weiss. "He's quite often at odds with Vale's Council. Furthermore, the Academies are, to a certain extent, self-governing entities."
"I see," said Kyo, massaging his chin. "I have to admit that the offer is...interesting."
"Will you come back with us?" asked Yang, not quite able to keep the eagerness out of her voice.
"I...need to think about this," said Kyo. "I'll tell you in the morning."
"We'll be leaving at ten," said Ruby.
"I promise not to oversleep," said Kyo cheerfully.
By nine-thirty, the girls of RWBY were already packed and waiting at the landing pad. The bullhead rested there, the pilot going through his final checks before taking them back to Beacon. Yang sat on the edge of the pad, letting her legs dangle as she took in one last view of the settlement. All around them, people were going about their business. She noticed that the walls sported a few more figures pacing back and forth than there had been while the festival was going on.
It looks like everyone is getting ready for business as usual, thought Yang. Whether he came with them or left on his own, Kyo would be, once again, leaving the town to fend for itself against the Grimm, much as it had before he'd arrived. The people had taken full advantage for the brief respite he had granted them. But, now that his reason for staying was over, Kyo would be moving on to somewhere else.
Yang kept her eyes focused in the direction of the inn, looking for any sign of Kyo's black kimono. She hadn't spotted anything yet.
"It's almost time, Sis," said Ruby, resting a hand on Yang's shoulder.
Checking her scroll, Yang saw that they were about ten minutes from liftoff. With a sigh, she stood up and followed Ruby back to the bullhead. "I guess he's not interested," said Yang, trying to keep the disappointment out of her voice.
"I guess," said Ruby, before smiling. "But, at the very least, we'll know where he'll be a year from now. I wouldn't mind coming to see the cherry blossoms again."
Yang smiled back. "Me neither."
"I'm bringing Jaune with me next time though," said Ruby. "I really want him to see this for himself. I took some pictures with my scroll, but they don't really do it justice."
"No...I guess they don't," said Yang remembering the sight of the petals scattering. It was burned vividly into her memory.
"Well...I'm glad that you'd come to see them again."
Yang and Ruby halted. Yang let out a small gasp and whirled around to see Kyo standing behind them, sheathed sword casually resting over his shoulder as he hefted a small haversack over the other.
Yang threw herself at Kyo and hugged him tightly. "You came," she said.
"Well...I've been wandering fairly aimlessly," said Kyo, smiling at Yang. "I figured I was overdue to give my life some sort of direction. I thought that coming with you would make a good start."
"Your cooperation is greatly appreciated," said Weiss, giving Kyo a slight curtsy.
"Please, there's no need to be so formal," said Kyo with a small laugh.
"Well, since everyone's here, we should head out," said Ruby decisively.
As they got aboard, Yang noticed Kyo smiling widely and eagerly. "What are you so excited about."
"Well, ever since coming to the outside world, I've seen so many airships, but this is the first time I'll have actually flown in one," declared Kyo actually bouncing eagerly as he settled into his seat.
"You mean, all these years you've been wandering around, you've never flown, even once?" asked Blake incredulously.
"Nope," said Kyo cheerfully.
Yang couldn't quite hold in her amused snort as she watched Kyo's face. He's just like an excited little kid. I hope he doesn't get motion sickness, like Jaune used to.
Fortunately for them, Kyo showed no signs of motion sickness or discomfort on the flight back to Beacon. Indeed, even though he couldn't see the outside with the bay doors closed, Kyo seemed to delight in the prospect of flying.
Their flight back to Beacon was uneventful and, several hours later, their bullhead settled down onto the landing pad at Beacon's docks. As the doors opened, the girls of RWBY disembarked, Kyo stepping off the transport behind them. They were surprised to see none other than Professor Ozpin and Professor Goodwitch waiting for them.
"Welcome back," said Ozpin, giving them a small smile. "I am glad to see that you were able to convince our guest to return with you."
"Well, they made it sound so interesting," said Kyo, stepping forward.
"A pleasure to meet you," said Ozpin, coming to a halt a few steps away from Kyo. "I am Ozpin, Headmaster of Beacon Academy."
"The pleasure is mine," said Kyo, bowing slightly to him. "Forgive me if I am mistaken, but I believe you wanted to talk to me about contacting the Mibu Clan."
"That is correct," said Ozpin.
Kyo raised an eyebrow. "And yet, it seems to me that you have been in contact with the Mibu Clan before."
Kyo's observation triggered several surprised gasps from the girls, while, behind Ozpin, Glynda tensed noticeably.
"I figured you would notice that," said Ozpin. "I was in the Mibu Clan's care for a time. I learned a great deal from them, but I could not abide their isolationist stance, and so, took my leave."
"So I see," said Kyo. "I have to wonder when that was."
"Quite some time ago," said Ozpin. "We have never met before."
Kyo nodded. "I see...So then, that being the case, what is your reason for calling me here?"
"Let us adjourn to my office for the time being," said Ozpin. "We can discuss things in more detail there."
"As you wish," said Kyo, bowing his head.
"Excellent work, girls," said Glynda, coming up in front of Ozpin and addressing Team RWBY. "We are grateful for your help. You are dismissed now."
"Uh..." Yang's eyes went to Kyo.
"I'm sure that I'll be able to meet you later," said Kyo. "I doubt this matter will take all that long."
"Of course," said Ozpin. "I will provide Kyo with lodging at our guest dormitory."
Ozpin and Glynda led Kyo away. Yang and the others watched them go for a moment before Ruby turned to the rest of the group. "Well, I guess it's time for us to head home," she said.
They filed back into the transport for the flight into Vale.
"Truly, you people in the outside have accomplished some incredible feats," observed Kyo as he stared out the window at the Academy grounds below. "You have ships that can fly through the air. This tower allows you to communicate with people on the other side of the world. The Mibu have nothing like this."
"That's a refreshing viewpoint to hear," said Ozpin, pouring a mug of coffee for his visitor. "Such innovations have become such an integral part of our daily lives that it is easy to forget how truly amazing they can be, and how difficult things would be without them. We were reminded of that quite starkly when our tower fell."
Kyo took the mug and sipped from it. Glynda caught sight of the faintest wince passing across Kyo's face as he set the mug back down on the desk. She supposed he wasn't much of a coffee person.
"I thought as much too," said Kyo. "Back during that time, people seemed so much more worried."
"But a great many of them have you to thank for surviving that trial," said Ozpin.
"I didn't do anything particularly special," said Kyo.
"And yet, it was more than enough," said Ozpin. "During that period, you traveled at a much faster pace than you usually do." He smiled a bit more warmly. "You tried to cover as much ground as you could, using the fact that the Grimm abhor your presence to provide respite to the communities stricken with fear and panic over the loss of the CCT. Without your intervention, a great many of those settlements would have fallen to the Grimm."
"All the same, I didn't do very much," said Kyo with a sigh. "I am but one person after all. I can only be at one place at any one time."
"You did all that you could," said Ozpin. "That burden does not fall on you alone. The fact remains that there are a great many people who are alive today who would not have been, had you not done what you did."
"You are very kind to say so," said Kyo. His smile faded. "So now...to business. What is it that you truly want from me? Was using me as a messenger really your intention?"
"Not that solely," said Ozpin. "What I was hoping for was the chance to get your impressions of the world outside your clan and then seeing how you figure they might adapt to the clan."
"Your sense of timing is quite fortuitous," said Kyo. "I was planning on returning home, not too long from now, another couple months at most. There is an important holiday being celebrated by the Clan."
"That is quite convenient," admitted Ozpin.
"Although, that isn't what is so fortuitous about your timing," said Kyo, settling into the chair in front of Ozpin's desk. "As it so happens, I have noticed the winds of change blowing for the Mibu. I last visited a little less than a year ago to drop something off. During that time, I noticed that attitudes have begun to shift."
"Have they now?" asked Ozpin.
Kyo nodded. "There have been more voices calling for an end to our isolation. They are saying that the era of setting ourselves apart from the world needs to come to an end."
"And what do you think about your clan's isolationist stance?" asked Ozpin.
Kyo sighed. "I can say that it has neither helped nor hindered us. The things that the outside world has to offer are not strictly necessary for our prosperity, which is perfectly fine as things stand. Even with the faunus refugees coming in, we still have plenty for all, and will even if our population swells to several times its current size. I would say that we are better than self-sufficient. But...at the same time..."
"But what?" pressed Ozpin.
Kyo smiled distantly, once again directing his gaze out the window behind Ozpin's desk. "I flew in an airship for the first time today. It wasn't some spectacularly earth-shattering experience, but it was a new one for me. We don't have anything like that in the Mibu Clan. I can't say for sure when we will have such vessels of our own, to say nothing of your developments in communication. Even though I say that we have more than enough on our own, we would stand to enrich our lives even further by taking the opportunity to learn from the outside world."
"I see," said Ozpin with a smile.
Kyo laughed his awkward laugh and scratched the back of his head. "Well, when I put it like that, it sounds rather selfish, doesn't it? We have so much already, and yet, here I am saying that we should have even more."
"Perhaps," said Ozpin, taking a sip from his own coffee. "However, I can't condemn that particular brand of selfishness. To say that you desire to better the lives of your people even further is not the kind of selfishness that can be looked down upon. Besides, I think that you of the Mibu have much to offer us, do you not?"
Kyo's smile vanished, and he stared down at his lap. "That would not be incorrect," he said. "To be honest, it is a secret shame of mine. For all that the Mibu lack the marvels of your modern technology, we have advanced in many ways that the outside world lacks. Our mastery over our Auras aside-something that you took from the Clan yourself, I can see-we have advanced in other ways that would greatly benefit the world, were we to share those advancements. I have seen people suffering from ailments that Mibu regard as naught more than minor nuisances. There are diseases out here that the Mibu have all but eradicated in their territory. There are plenty of other examples besides.
"All that should be shared with the world so that everyone can benefit from it, yet the Mibu keep it to themselves. It shames me somewhat. It makes me wonder, even if the Mibu can benefit the world and benefit from the world, whether or not our shame at our negligence would allow us to face the world."
"Though this would not be the first time the Mibu Clan has remained stationary when they could have done a great deal," said Ozpin.
Kyo sighed and rested his elbow on the arm of his chair so that he could lean his cheek against his hand. "Yes, so I have heard. When the Great War raged, the Mibu kept their swords sheathed. When the faunus rose up for their rights, the Mibu sat by and offered nothing, save a sanctuary for those fleeing the conflict. Even during this latest affair, the Mibu stood by and watched as your Kingdoms came within a hair's breadth of total collapse."
Ozpin rested his elbows on his desk interlocking his fingers together in front of his face as he stared over them. "Yes. That is true. But, in the end, I think that was the best decision."
"What?" gasped Glynda, speaking for the first time.
"Having been with the Mibu, I know their power quite well," said Ozpin. "In fact, it would probably be safe to assume that their power has even grown since the time I spent with them."
Kyo nodded.
"Such power is not to be trifled with," said Ozpin. "During the Great War, had the Mibu chosen to move, their power could have brought an end to the conflict in a matter of days, if not hours. The same is true of the Revolution and even this most recent conflict. The power of the Mibu Clan is great...great and terrible."
Kyo nodded. "Perhaps they might have saved a great many lives that perished otherwise, but such an intervention would probably seem almost...godlike."
Ozpin nodded. "It would inspire a great deal of fear in the Kingdoms. After all, if the Mibu could bring such a terrible war to such a swift and decisive end, then they could just as easily subjugate some, or even all, of the Kingdoms on a mere whim. Such power, unleashed so visibly, would inspire fear, envy, even hatred."
"What I think our ancestors feared was the effect such an intervention would have on the Mibu," said Kyo. "They worried that such a decisive exercise of the Clan's power would invite arrogance."
"Yes," said Ozpin, "I can see how that would be an issue for them."
Kyo nodded. "Which is why I feel the desire to bring the Mibu into the world proper. Even if we do nothing. If we continue to set ourselves apart, we shall end up becoming the very same thing we feared that we would have, had we acted during all those conflicts." He grinned. "It helps that my mother is the one leading the faction calling for the end of our isolation. She's been very vocal about her arguments to me."
"That comforts me," said Ozpin.
"I'm not sure how to go about this," said Kyo. "However, it may come to pass that I need do nothing at all. My mother's faction was gaining influence when I left. The balance could have very well tipped by now."
"If so, then what?" asked Ozpin.
"Then they will likely come to you," said Kyo. "But, that is merely speculation on my part, so I will do what I can to help until we have confirmation."
"That is all I can hope for," said Ozpin.
"Ugh!" groaned Yang as she and the other girls waited for the elevator to reach their floor. "I'm so glad we don't have to fly on that bullhead anymore. Ozpin needs to retire that deathtrap before it falls apart, in midair, with someone inside."
"I agree," said Weiss.
"Aww, it wasn't that bad," said Ruby.
"It certainly wasn't vibrating as badly on the flight back, so the repairs must have gone well," said Blake.
"That's only speaking relatively," said Weiss. "You know that it won't be long before something else breaks in that thing. At this point, the money spent repairing it would probably exceed the cost of just buying a new one."
"Whatever," said Yang. "After a trip like that, I'm ready to just go to bed and pass out."
"What are you so tired over?" asked Weiss. "You had the most fun out of all of us on that vacation."
Yang laughed and blushed, idly toying with a strand of her blonde hair. "I guess..." she admitted. "That doesn't change the fact that the trip to and from was a pain."
The elevator door opened, and they headed down the hall to the door of the large apartment suite that they shared with their friends from Team JNPR...or JNNR as it was officially designated now. It was a fairly large apartment, with plenty of room for all eight of them, which made it surprising that it was so affordable. It helped that third and fourth-year Beacon students got all sorts of discounts and preferential treatment when it came to housing. Fortunately, with the missions the two teams were taking, they managed to afford the rent rather easily.
As Yang swept her scroll over the lock and opened the door, her nose was bombarded by the savory scent of meat, gravy, and mashed potatoes. The smell made Yang's stomach growl loudly and she heard her friends' stomaches joining hers in a demanding chorus.
"Wow...that smells so delicious," said Ruby, already drifting towards the kitchen.
Ruby rounded the corner and her face melted into a blissful smile as she saw a young man with messy, blonde hair standing at the stove, stirring a pot full of gravy. He looked up and grinned as his blue eyes met Ruby's silver ones.
"Hey girls," said Jaune Arc. "Welcome back."
Ruby said nothing, instead rushing into the kitchen and throwing herself at him. Jaune barely had time to set his whisk down before catching Ruby and hugging her tightly as Ruby pressed her head into Jaune's shoulder.
"Everything okay?" asked Jaune, gently combing his fingers through Ruby's hair.
"Well...things got kinda weird," said Yang, moving over to the pot and using a spoon to taste the gravy. "Mmmm! Mushroom and beef. You and Ren are going all out tonight. What's the occasion?"
"Ozpin told us you might want something nice after this mission," said Jaune. "So Ren and I decided to break out our best recipes for tonight." He checked the oven. "We've still got a little while until the roast is done. So if you girls wanna get cleaned up and changed, you've got time."
"Thanks, we'll do that," said Yang, already heading towards her bedroom.
"You want to talk?" asked Jaune, turning his gaze back to Ruby.
"Not yet," said Ruby, lifting her face away from his shoulder so she could look at him. "I'll tell you tonight."
"Okay," said Jaune, leaning in and kissing her lips. They held the kiss for a moment before finally letting go of each other. "Go and get cleaned up," he said.
Yang entered her room, and sighed in relief as she stripped off her jacket, setting it aside to be washed later. Her hands moved to take off her top next, but she stopped as a pair of arms wrapped around her shoulders, and a light weight, even lighter than Ruby, settled against her back. Yang turned her head to look over her shoulder, and found herself staring into a pair of mismatched brown and pink eyes. Their owner blinked and the colors switched.
"Hey, Neo," said Yang. "You hold down the fort while we were gone?"
Neopolitan Capello smiled brightly at Yang, and tightened her grip on Yang's shoulders in a silent affirmative. Yang smiled back and nodded, reaching up with her left hand to give Neo's arm a gentle squeeze.
For a little while, Yang had been disconcerted at the idea of living with the girl who had almost killed her at one point. Neo had been a close ally of the criminal, Roman Torchwick, who had been working for Cinder in her plans to orchestrate Beacon's Fall and nearly destroy Vale. It had been Neo who had taken over the Atlesian airship so that Roman could turn its guns on the other ships Ironwood had brought to the Vytal Festival, thus allowing the Grimm and the White Fang to run wild, as well as wrench away Ironwood's control over his android forces. After that, she and Roman had nearly succeeded in killing Ruby, before Neo had been knocked off the ship by Ruby.
After Roman's death, Neo had continued to fight alongside Cinder, Mercury, and Emerald, until she had learned from Ruby that it was a Grimm that had killed Roman. Because of their affiliation with Salem, the members of Cinder's group had been granted protection from, and even a certain degree of control over, the Grimm. Learning that that privilege had not been extended to Roman, in spite of everything he had done to make their plan possible, had been the final straw for Neo. She turned on Cinder's group and joined RWBY and JNPR in their fight.
Afterwards, Neo was pardoned for her crimes by Ozpin, despite Ironwood's protests, and had been allowed to enter Beacon, having been inducted in as the new fourth member of JNPR; or JNNR, as it was now known. Upon entering their third year, the two teams had pitched together to get an apartment large enough to house all of them, with Yang and Neo becoming roommates.
Initially, there had been hard feelings towards Neo and all that she had done to them. However, after the time they spent fighting together, Yang and the others had come to trust Neo as one of their own. Ultimately, they were able to fully forgive her for her role in everything as they learned her history. Roman Torchwick had taken her in off the streets, even rescuing her from some human traffickers in the process, essentially adopting her as his own. From there, he had molded her into a skilled criminal operative, to the point that she was a more dangerous combatant than Roman himself. Roman had been everything to her. Yang and the others were no strangers to losing loved ones, so that shared sense of loss had served as common ground for them.
So Yang no longer felt any discomfort at having the diminutive girl hanging off her back. Instead, she smiled and gently pried Neo's arms off. "All right, Neo. Let go. I need to go get a shower."
Neo nodded and left Yang to finish stripping off her clothes and get into the shower. Yang finished stripping off her clothes and removed her prosthetic arm before stepping into the bathroom and turning on the water. The past week hadn't exactly been bad, given that they hadn't had to exert themselves aside from the night of Farran's attack. They'd enjoyed quite a bit of luxury. However, prolonged periods stuck in the passenger bay of a bullhead always left Yang feeling a little grimy, so it felt good to let the hot water do its job and wash away her stress.
As she scrubbed herself down, Yang turned her thoughts towards Kyo and wondered how he was doing.
The meal was delicious. Besides the roast beef and gravy, there were mashed potatoes and Brussel sprouts sautéed with pecans and cranberries. It was a rich, filling meal that left them all feeling sleepy, yet satisfied.
During the meal, the girls of RWBY related their mission-or rather, their vacation-to Cherry Grove, relating nearly everything right up to the end.
"Wow," said Nora Valkyrie, her green eyes wide as she stared across the table at Yang. "That sounds totally awesome!" She threw her arms up in excitement, nearly knocking her dishes off the table in her enthusiasm. "I'm so upset!" she declared, though she hardly sounded it. "You went and had such an awesome adventure without us?"
"I wouldn't quite say it was an adventure," said Yang. "It basically amounted to us watching while Kyo took care of the bad guy."
Jaune, who'd been watching Ruby with concern, twitched at the mention of Kyo's name. "And he came back with you?" he asked.
"Yeah," said Blake. "He's staying up at Beacon."
Jaune threw Ruby another worried glance. She gave him a small smile in return. It didn't exactly comfort him. However, she shook her head, silently warning him off any uncomfortable questions until they were alone together.
For the time being, they decided to limit their conversation to what the girls saw and did during the festival. Jaune promised Ruby that they would go see it together next year, with everyone else promising to tag along. They continued to talk as Jaune and Ren took the dishes for cleaning, then chatting on until late into the night before finally adjourning to their rooms.
"Have you lost your mind, Ozpin?" snapped Ironwood, his holographic gaze glaring at Ozpin over his desk as Ironwood's hologram stood in the center of Ozpin's office. One of the advancements that had been installed, when Beacon Tower had been rebuilt, was a holographic communication system, linked directly to the CCT, that connected all the Headmasters' offices with one another, so that they could speak without even needing to go to the call center. It was a truly marvelous creation, but, at times like this, Ozpin felt that the presence of a screen would serve as a welcome buffer.
"I do not believe I have," said Ozpin, in answer to Ironwood's question. "Kyo has been quite cooperative actually."
"You cannot trust him!" declared Ironwood. "He is the worst kind of criminal, one who kills without hesitation or remorse."
"Truly, the same could be said of you and your soldiers," said Ozpin. "Soldiers are trained not to hesitate on the battlefield, nor feel remorse for fallen enemies. That Kyo does so at his own discretion, rather than orders from above, means there is not as much difference between him and you as you would probably like to think."
"Ridiculous!" snapped Ironwood. "A killer who slaughters purely for his own amusement is nothing like me or my soldiers."
Ozpin shook his head slowly. "Regardless of semantics, Kyo is here and he will be staying with us for the time being."
"Well, at least we know where he is," said Ironwood. "I shall make the required arrangements immediately. I will assemble the fleet and proceed to Vale so that we can take Kyo into custody."
"No," said Ozpin.
"What?" asked Ironwood flatly.
"I said 'no,' James," said Ozpin. "Your fleet and your armies will stay where they are. You will not be bringing them down to Beacon to arrest our guest. I will not allow it."
"You're protecting him?" demanded Ironwood.
"I am protecting my school and my students," replied Ozpin cooly. "The last thing I need is for you to start a war with Kyo on our doorstep."
"You're going too far, Ozpin," said Ironwood accusingly. "This is direct interference in the execution of justice."
"I wouldn't say direct interference," said Ozpin. "I propose a compromise instead."
"And what is that?" asked Ironwood.
"You are not permitted to bring your fleet and your armies down here in an effort to capture Kyo," said Ozpin. "However, that extends to your military as a whole. Should any of your Specialists, or any other hunters you so choose, decide to come down and hunt Kyo themselves, they will be permitted to attempt to arrest or kill him as they see fit, so long as they do not pose a threat to my students when they make their attempt."
"I wonder just what Kyo would think about this arrangement," said Ironwood. "I think he would hardly consider you a good host if you are allowing him to be hunted like this, while he is supposed to be under your protection."
"There is no need to wonder," said Ozpin, directing a smile out of the hologram's range of vision. "What do you think about this, Kyo?"
Mibu Kyo stepped into Ironwood's field of vision, coming to stand next to Ozpin's seat. "I think it sounds like a wonderful way to pass the time," said Kyo, beaming at Ironwood. "I'll happily take on all comers, General...I would even welcome the opportunity for another match with you, should you have the courage to come yourself."
Ironwood growled audibly. "Ozpin! You traitor!"
"There is no betrayal here, James, save what you imagine yourself," said Ozpin, resting his chin on his fingers. "Your actions of late have been highly questionable and I can't help but wonder if Kyo's status as a criminal has more to do with a personal conflict than it does the scale of the crimes he has committed."
"You're planning on courting the Mibu Clan, aren't you?" asked Ironwood. "That's why you're protecting one of their own."
"If my treatment of Kyo had anything to do with whether or not I gained the Mibu Clan's favor, I suspect your treatment of him would have brought their wrath down upon you already," said Ozpin. "I do not deny that I am hoping to use Kyo as a means of establishing a point of contact with the Clan though. It is past time for them to emerge from the shadows."
"The world isn't ready for a revelation like this," said Ironwood. "The Mibu Clan has no place in this world."
"That is not something that is solely up to your decision," said Ozpin. "If the Mibu choose to end their isolation, the only choice the four Kingodms will have is how they choose to engage with this new world power. Nothing good will come from denying their existence any longer. I would much rather hope that we can use them to enrich the world, rather than waste resources trying to keep them cordoned off."
Ironwood bared his teeth, glaring at Ozpin and Kyo before finally snorting. "Fine! It's on your head then. Mark my words, Ozpin. This will not end well." His hologram flickered and vanished, the connection with Atlas being cut.
"Well..." said Kyo after a moment of silence, "...that went well."
"From your perspective, I suppose it did," said Ozpin rubbing his face tiredly.
And Best Girl makes her entrance. Yes, this story features Neo as one of the heroes. I suspect that people will probably like that, if nothing else. Capello, among other things, can mean "trick," which makes it a name for a trickster, which I thought was perfect for Neo.
