Delays, family drama, you're not here to hear me ramble on are you?
Disclaimer: RWBY belongs to Rooster Teeth otherwise the King of the Vytal Festival would be a real thing, Balor Moonlight is my creation, and any other person, organization, or character mentioned within belongs to their respective parent company.
He didn't know exactly when it happened, but by the time Bálor had exited the washroom Ruby was gone, having left only a note and a box of cookies in her place. The wolf would sigh slightly as he finished toweling off his hair, not needing to read the note to know what it said.
"So, my little Rose still intends to fight." He would move to his bed and open up the box of cookies, taking a chocolate chip cookie out and taking a bite with a bit of a smirk. "As much as I love to stay here and watch a riot, I need to get the hell out of here before somebody decides it's MY fault!" He would pull on his new checkerboard patterned boots and look out toward the balcony, deciding to take the road less traveled and running towards the balcony at full speed before leaping over the edge.
"WRESTLING SOUP, MUTHAFUCKERS!" He would shout this as he plummeted towards the ground fast, the people below him gasping in shock as the looked up at him as he tucked and rolled before hitting the ground with a thud.
"Fuck, that did not go as planned!" The silver haired Faunus would groan before slowly getting up to his feet with more than just a few scrapes, even as Pyrrha and Jaune were slowly helping him to his feet.
"Dude what the hell was that all about?!" The blonde haired Knight would look over at his injured friend like he had finally lost his mind. "You could've died, you SHOULD have died!"
"Jaune!" The red-haired spear maiden would sigh as she watched Bálor's wounds slowly mend themselves, taking a deep breath in relief as he looked over at her with a confident smile. "I honestly don't think our friend here meant to harm himself, although given the recent turn of events lately I am somewhat concerned about his mental state." The wolf Faunus would shake his head as he pulled away from the recently formed couple before walking toward the front gate, his amber eyes set and determined to get as far away from these kind hearted souls.
"I've caused enough chaos here guys, someone like me is the last thing Beacon Academy needs." He would stop in front of the gates and snarl before beginning to climb it with some difficulty, only to feel something pulling him back down to the ground. "Dammit Nikos, I'm a goddamned virus whose practically volunteering to leave!" But his descent to the ground continued unabated, he would whirl around with a fist ready to fly only to find himself flung against the gates by a less than happy Glynda Goodwitch.
"While I agree with your self-deprecating sentiments, students are NOT allowed to leave during class hours!" The older Huntress would glare daggers at the defiant wolf Faunus who only served to return her glare with one of his own, activating his Semblance he would attempt to disarm her of her unusual riding crop weapon and continue his escape once more.
"I don't take orders from you woman!" Bálor would growl out before being slammed against the gates more forcefully this time, groaning in agony before pushing back against her Semblance with his own. "No one owns ME!" His amber eyes would go bloodshot as the wolf Faunus pushed himself further and finally put down the older woman before slumping to his knees, even as Goodwitch simply stood up and brushed the dirt off of her blouse nonplussed.
"Are we about done with this little temper tantrum of yours?"
Weiss would groan in disgust as she watched from a distance as Goodwitch dragged an exhausted Bálor back into the academy even as others watched on quietly before going back to whatever it was they had previously been doing.
"This place has finally lost its collective mind, the bastard tries to fly the coop of his own free will and Goodwitch STOPS him from doing it!" The pale haired heiress would look over at the duo gathered before her: A black hooded pale skinned girl would be standing still while her partner, a tall woman with fox ears and flowing white hair would look down at the scroll in front of her with a slight frown.
"That young man is the target, he barely seems like any kind of a threat at all." She would continue to scroll through the images Weiss provided them while conferring with her comrade in hushed tones.
"Don't let his benign appearance fool you ladies, I assure you that this scum is very much a ticking time bomb." The furious heiress would take out her own scroll and play back the footage of Team CRDL being destroyed by a wild eyed Bálor, although she had made sure to conveniently edit out the bits where the wolf Faunus justified his beatdown of the racist young man and his teammates.
"Kill. Kill. Kill. Kill, Kill Kill Kill!" The black hooded girl would stare directly at the wolf Faunus as he finished beating down Cardin and slumping to his knees in exhaustion, she would look up at her partner and whisper something quietly.
"Ah yes, that is a fair point." The fox eared woman would look over at Weiss with a polite smile. "My partner wishes to know why the authorities haven't been called in if this man is as dangerous as your footage suggests, certainly they could just do away with him."
The heiress would rub her temples in frustration at missing such an obvious question before slamming her hands onto the wall she was watching from. "He's being shielded from consequence by the headmaster, that beating you just saw was the tip of the iceberg! In the four months Bálor's been here he's sewn unrest and discord between my friends, caused thousands of Lien in damage to the Academy AND the city of Vale, and he's just being a borderline pain in my ASS!" She would glare at the two women in front of her as they conversed between themselves once more, Weiss was quickly beginning to regret placing out the ad for a mercenary if these two bizarre individuals were the best she could get on short notice.
"Kill, Kill…" The hooded girl would nod in affirmation before looking at Weiss and giving yet another nod to the infuriated heiress.
"Allow me to translate." The fox-eared woman would say this with a tinge of regret in her voice even though she kept a polite smile on her face. "My partner agrees to your request, with the provision that we're granted immunity from any legal backlash or reprisal. After all, it would look rather shameful for someone of your social stature to be caught hiring a contract killer just to deal with a troublesome young man like this one." The heiress would stare coldly at the pair of individuals in front of her, sure the Schnee family was no stranger to backroom dealings that ensured their supremacy both as a corporation and a family of great social standing but Weiss had always considered herself above such dealings.
"We'll take your silence as a confirmation of our agreement Miss Schnee, rest assured your little wolf problem will be dealt with by sundown this evening." The mysterious women would disappear as the hallways began to fill with students heading toward their next class for the day, even as Weiss leaned against the wall with a mixture of shame, regret, and self loathing.
"After everything I've done to stay away from the shadows my family has cast, I really am no better then any of them after all."
Bálor would sigh as he once again found himself sitting in Ozpin's office for the fourth time in about as many months, he had thought Goodwitch would finally drag him aside and attempt to strangle the very life from him after this latest stunt.
"I heard about your little swan dive attempt this morning Bálor, I'm curious as to why you didn't just think to come here and ask for my permission to leave. I would have granted it without question." Ozpin would lean forward, watching his pet project and ignoring Goodwitch's clear glare of disgust at his words. "After all, I have given you plenty of leeway in your tenure with us at Beacon. Is it too much to ask for a modicum of trust in return?"
The wolf Faunus would sigh, keeping his gaze on the floor as he shook his head quietly before beginning to remove his boots.
"No, it's not too much to ask..but given the mess I've caused around here recently trust is one thing that definitely shouldn't be given to me anymore." He would rub his aching feet before continuing to talk, this time looking up at both of his teachers tiredly.
"I've got sisters about to come to blows all because they're buried knee deep in infatuation, an heiress who's clearly out to buy my loyalty after showing crystal clear hatred for me, not to mention the destruction, the violence, etcetera etcetera." He would lean back in his seat trying to keep from snapping as his mind swirled about, remembering Briscoe demanding him to "Man Up" before flashing back to his last encounters with Yang and Ruby respectively, he was trying to take control of his life back even as road blocks kept coming out of every direction.
"I'll admit that everything involving Team RWBY's public meltdown is very stressing but I assure that it's not-"
"Yes it is!" Goodwitch and Bálor would simultaneously cut Ozpin off before sharing a surprised glance at one another, the wolf Faunus would press forward even as the headmaster let out a small laugh. "Professor, I respect what you wanted to do with me by letting me out of the slammer. You wanted to reform me from a rabid, half-traumatized prisoner with a penchant for killing to some nice looking young man on the wrong end of some teen drama. I guarantee you that the latter has been accomplished since Ruby is clearly planning to fight her sister at some point, not because of some inner turmoil with the team…but because they both have a thing for me!"
Goodwitch would look at the exhausted Bálor with a questioning raise of her eyebrow, crossing her arms as she did. "You really believe that someone of your persuasion can really have two of our best students ready to tear one another to shreds? Someone like you, a walking bad boy cliché?" The older Huntress would burst out laughing as the two men in the room would look at her in silence, the sheer absurdity of Goodwitch's laughter finally caused something in Bálor to snap as he too began laughing, albeit much more quietly as he stood up and left the room while Ozpin was trying to calm down the older woman.
"I'm fucking done with this place, and since they won't LET me out..I'm going to give them plenty of reason to KICK ME OUT!"
He would grin gleefully as he passed by Coco in the hallway, who proceeded to roll his eyes at his most recent choice of apparel: A faded Bullet Club t-shirt along with a heavy leather brown jacket and ripped black jeans.
"Once again you make me ashamed of the male species as a whole if that's what you think passes as publicly acceptable around here." She would shake her head as she walked off only to have the disgruntled Faunus grab her by the wrist with a smirk.
"Ya know Coco, for all your talk of fashion and wearing what's socially acceptable, you really don't stand out to anyone here: You walk around like you're some bad bitch when in reality you're nothing but an appearance obsessed asshole who thinks that by preaching to others what looks good that maybe they'll find some acceptance in you as a person." The shocked woman would open her mouth to counter his words only for Bálor to get up in her face with a crazed sneer. "Well, I'm afraid I've got some BAD NEWS! All you are is a piss poor excuse for a walking macho female who has no business dictating what others wear, and that until you get your attitude checked you'll be nothing but a walking background character who means LESS THEN NOTHING TO ME!" He would pull back to take a deep breath before smiling serenely and walking off towards the cafeteria, leaving Coco at a loss for words at his erratic behavior.
"Hmm, that didn't feel nearly as good as I thought it would." Bálor would mutter this to himself as he made his way into the empty amphitheatre, walking slowly down towards the sparring area. "I mean, I vented to COCO of all people..I barely know the woman for crying out loud!" He would sigh and stand in the middle of the sparring floor, curling and uncurling his hand into fists as he imagined a roaring crowd filling the seats all around him. Cheers and boos passing through his mind as he paced around restlessly, unaware that he was no longer alone.
"All I ever wanted was to be left alone, but no..Yang and Ruby had to go sticking their noses in and drag me out into..whatever the hell this mess is!" Bálor would sigh as he started throwing fists, trying to keep himself from going insane as he bobbed and weaved from an imaginary opponent. "Owens…Briscoe..anyone who keeps getting in my way, all I want to do is FIGHT! I never asked to be someone's love interest!" He would throw one final right hook, not expecting a black hooded girl to suddenly appear in front of him and catch his fist without blinking.
"Kill…" She would quickly summon a spear and attempt to skewer the shocked Faunus, who would turn away from her at the last second, the spear still cutting into his arm.
"What the blue hell?!" Bálor would leap back, trying to ignore the searing pain in his arm as he stared down his opponent: pale-skinned with one piercing red eye as the other was hidden behind a sniper scope themed contact lens.
"Who are you?" The wolf would sniff the air cautiously, finding only the scent of his blood and a disgustingly stale scent of cleanliness as if she had bathed in disinfectant. "WHAT are you?!" The girl would grin before her weapon would disappear and reform beside her as a pale haired, fox eared woman.
"Hello, my name is Karin." She would gesture to the hooded girl beside her with a polite smile. "And this is my partner, Ethel" Bálor would blink incredulously at the introductions that were being made, as if the pair had done it countless times before and had expected his dumbstruck reaction.
"H-hello..I'm Bálor Moonlight..pleased to meet you?" The silver haired Hunter was truly at a loss with how to react to this pair of newcomers, he had seen all kinds of amazing things in his life but nothing as strange as the stoic young girl known as Ethel and her polite compatriot Karin.
"Kill, Kill kill." Ethel would watch his movements closely, her face nearly expressionless as she continued to mutter that one word.
Karin would smile, noticing his perplexed mannerisms and smile once again. "Allow me to translate, Ethel says she wishes to destroy you on behalf of our client..she bares no ill will toward you, but a job is a job after all."
The wolf Faunus would balk and continue to stare at the strange pair of assassins in front of him. "You got all that from the word "Kill"?"
The fox eared woman would giggle at his reaction before looking over at Ethel. "He is quite the unusual little thing isn't he?" Karin would lean over as her partner whispered something in her ear causing the taller woman to frown. "Now now Ethel, that's very rude. I don't think he's ever seen a fairy and fencer until this moment."
"Fairies? Fencers? Just what the hell is going on?!" The silver haired Hunter would start making his way toward the emergency exit slowly, only to watch as Karin disappeared and returned to Ethel's hands this time taking the form of a pistol.
"Kill! Kill kill, kill!" Ethel would fire a few shots at her escaping quarry, her eye never losing sight of the befuddled Bálor.
"Ethel says that you cannot escape, this place shall become your grave!"
Ruby would pace the RWBY dorm quietly as Blake sat at her desk with a contemplative look on her face as she watched the door in preparation for Yang's eventual return, she had already tried calling Weiss to make her way back and bear witness to what was about to go down but the heiress would refuse to answer any of them.
"Ruby, I'm begging you NOT to go through with this. It's one man, and you're intending to go up against someone like Yang." The feline Faunus would sigh as Ruby's pacing began to leave scuff marks on their floor, the latest of her pleas falling on the crimsonette's deaf ears as the pacing continued.
"I can understand if we were talking about Sun, Neptune..hell, I bet even Jaune would garner some attention. But we're talking about a very antisocial, somewhat unbalanced guy who has an unhealthy obsession with watching guys fighting in wrestling speedos"
Blake would sigh as her leader continued her steady pacing while looking at the door expectantly, she prayed to whoever was watching over them that the door would never open and that the younger Huntress would tire herself out with her pacing.
But that would not be the case as the door began to open and her favorite blonde brawler sauntered into the dorm room with a confident smile.
"I've finally done it, I've got the perfect name for my new weapon." Yang would stop and notice the determined look in Ruby's eyes while Blake smacked her forehead at the unfortunate event that only she knew was coming.
"Yang..can I have a word with you in private?" The crimsonette would grab her sister's arm and lead her outside despite not getting Yang's permission to do so, waiting until they were a good distance down the hall before turning to her older sister with a defiant look.
"Let me guess, this is about B isn't it?" The golden haired Huntress would smile as Ruby's face flushed in confirmation. "Rubes, I love you. You're my baby sister and I'd do anything for you, I've watched you come so far in all our days here: When we first came here together you were completely lost on what to do, content to spend time with either myself or fiddling around with Crescent Rose. But now you're a totally different girl from back then, you're a capable Huntress, you have friends who love and trust you enough to put their lives in your hands on the battlefield. Mom would be really proud of you if she could see you now." Ruby would be taken aback by her sister's kind words, she had expected a verbal back and forth with the two of them fighting to stake their claim on their silver haired Faunus.
"Y-yeah but I..love him." It was all she could say to try and cling to her earlier defiance, even as tears threatened to overwhelm her.
Yang would sigh and hold the younger girl close, gently patting her back as Ruby struggled to break free of the hug.
"Believe me sis, I know the feeling. That goofball certainly knows how to stir up a girl's emotions, but I bet that the two of us fighting would be the last thing he would want."
The brawler would sigh, remembering the wild eyed look he'd had on his face before dispelling the memory away. "I know I certainly don't want to have to fight you, no guy is worth coming to blows over, especially not with my sister."
The crimsonette would stop struggling as she pondered the meaning behind Yang's words, it almost sounded like she was giving up on him once again.
"Yang, you don't really mean that do you?" The younger Huntress would pull back to look at her older sibling, surprised to see her usually mischief-filled eyes brimming with tears. "No way, don't tell me you're writing him off for real this time!"
The blonde would wipe her tears away with a slight chuckle as she placed her hands on Ruby's shoulders. "Pretty sure I already did that after the Couples Dance remember?"
The silver eyed reaper would stare at her, confusion and shock crossing her features before stepping back. It never crossed her mind once that someone with Yang's boundless tenacity and confidence would give up any sort of a fight, whether it was a battle against the Grimm, a sparring match during a food fight, or this metaphorical battle of the heart that they had been embroiled in for some time now.
"Go get 'em Ruby, I'm sure he'll be happy to hear that this is over and that no fists had to be thrown." Yang would stand up slowly, taking a steady breath as she faced the door of their door. Ruby gulped quietly, looking up at her sister for a grin or a wink, any kind of sign to indicate that the blonde brawler was only joking around and that the feud was still on in earnest. But there was none to be found as Yang made her way inside their dorm room, quickly shutting the door behind her as if to urge the crimsonette forward.
"I can't believe she'd do that, after everything she's done to try and win him over." The younger Huntress was still in shock even as her feet spurred her onward to Bálor's dorm room.
"I don't understand why she would just stop now, all the time she's put in, the battles she's gone through, why would she give up?" The confusion was still very much running rampant through her mind as Ruby unlocked the door to Bálor's dorm to find it empty, the box of cookies she had left behind for him would be sitting on the bed, completely open to the elements as she shook her head sadly at the thought of the cookies having gone stale.
"Dammit, those cookies were a gift." She would pick up the folded piece of paper that was her note, telling him how she had planned to confront and yes, even fight Yang if that's what it took to get him to understand how deep her feelings ran. "It's like he didn't even bother to read it-" She would stop, noticing a second note cleverly folded beneath her own. The crimsonette took great care to separate the two, wincing as slight tears could be heard but it wouldn't be long until she freed his note and began reading it quietly
My little Rose,
I don't doubt that you're reading this letter right now because..let's face it, you're the only one who knows my sneaky way of hiding cheat sheets during exams. I doubt even Oobleck could catch it.
But that's not why I've written this letter, I know full well that you intend to fight Yang and although I can't stop you I can at least ask you not to forget the bonds of family. It's a deep and personal thing, strong enough to move Heaven and Earth yet gentle enough to ensure the safety of a child. It's a bond I've only come to know recently after having come here, and yet it's because of me that the bonds you've built with your sister and teammates is teetering on the verge of collapse.
That is something I simply cannot allow to happen, thus it is with a heavy heart that I have to say goodbye."
Ruby would shake her head in denial, blinking the tears from her eyes as she crumpled up the note in her hands.
"No, no I won't accept you running away again. Not after what we've been through together as a team, and especially not after what my sister and I have endured." The crimsonette would grab the box of stale cookies and head toward the door, knowing the wolf Faunus couldn't have just bailed. Goodwitch and Ozpin would have already stopped by to ask them where he would go and since that hadn't happened yet there were only a few select places he would use to avoid prying eyes.
"It's about time I stepped up and acted like the capable Huntress every says I am."
With a heart full of determination and some well placed agitation due to his latest actions, the cookie loving Huntress would set out to find her missing companion.
She would not let her sister's broken heart be in vain.
Meanwhile Yang and Blake would be looking over the finished video that would count towards Bálor's entry into the King of the Vytal tournament, the pair had cleverly managed to edit over the more brutal parts of his fights by splicing in some of the current champion's more famous matches and promos. All in all it came down to a matter of one's fan's respect versus the champion's contempt and ego, as well as a man versus beast vibe.
"You really didn't have to help me with Yang, I heard what went on between you and Ruby outside." Blake would sigh and place a comforting hand on her partner's shoulder, knowing that the brawler was suffering a great deal of heartache.
"If you heard all that then you understand why I'm doing this, I want to give the both of them happiness: Ruby gets to be with B, while he finally gets his dream." Yang would sigh, knowing that Blake had no clue what she was referring to and would have to spell it out for the feline.
"I don't know if you remember it or not but there was a point in time that Bálor had been put in coma, the docs explained that it was exhaustion due to overusing his Semblance or something. For the next three days I stayed by his bedside, watching him sleep and trying everything I could to coax him out of it..turns out my boy is a bit of a sleep talker and one name kept coming up: Kevin Owens, a.k.a. the King of the Vytal Festival."
Blake would nod, knowing where her story would end up going but letting her proceed nonetheless.
"He wants this guy Blake, maybe because of how brutal of a fighter he is, maybe it's so sort of a macho thing, but this is something that makes his blood boil even in his sleep." The blonde brawler would ball a fist, remembering how the sleeping Bálor would thrash about in a rage while screaming for Owens to fight him like a man.
Blake would notice the new weapons sitting around her partner's wrists, they looked identical to her Ember Celica but there was a brighter gleam to these wristlets. Almost as if they were reacting to her anger.
"So tell me Yang..what name did you come up with for your new weapon?"
The blonde brawler would chuckle sadly before looking down at her new gauntlets with a proud smile.
"What, these old things?" She would grin triumphantly raise a fist into the air. "They're my Howling Dragons!"
And the boos are raining down from the rafters (figuratively of course) honestly I had a doozy of a time getting this chapter out, because of everything I wanted to get settled in this chapter (it's not the end yet, but we're getting closer.
For those curious about Balor's "King of the Vytal Festival" vid and what that's like, take a stop over to Youtube and look for Delbusto103 and his wrestling edits (Kevin Owens vs. John Cena) and that'll give you a general feel for what I can't properly describe.
Review if you like, PM if you must, but do me a favor and enjoy your Hump Day (or whatever day you're reading this on)