Happily...
Chapter 33 - Last Chances
Yang had had an incredible night. She had finally taken Blake to a sushi restaurant; a small, cheap one, but she had been able to afford it herself using her extra tips for the past week. And suffice it to say, she could actually get used to eating raw fish and seaweed. As long as Blake was there to help her hold her chopsticks and teach her the endless delight that was soy sauce and wasabi. Also, seeing Blake chew down on fish, her ears flickering with delight at the comforting food and those low rumbling moans she made whenever she ate a particularly succulent morsel, well, there was nothing better.
But after some time at the restaurant, which she paid for, the two went walking through the town of Patch which she called home, showing Blake the sights. They even stopped for a quick bite of ice cream, which Blake was kind enough to pay for. All the while, they walked hand in hand, or with her arm over her girlfriend's shoulders.
Yang had planned for the perfect end to their night. They would walk back to her house, kick Ruby back to her room, which she was pretty confident Ruby would go to willingly if she asked, and then spend the rest of the night cuddled together under an unreasonable amount of blankets, watching a romance movie. One they would have to put on low enough so Ruby couldn't hear it, because there was no way in hell that Yang would let her sister find out about and then proceed to tease her about her love of romance movies.
That entire late-night idea quickly ended at the first sight of her street. In front of her house were three police cars, red lights flashing in the darkness.
"Wonder what that's all about," Blake said as the two quickened their pace.
"Maybe Ruby set fire to something." Yang quipped, only slightly worried about what was going on.
"Think there was a break in?"
"Nah, Ruby knows to text or call me if anyone enters the house. We have a codeword and everything. If anything, Ruby… RUBY!" Yang shouted as she saw Ruby being dragged from the house by two police officers.
"Yang!" Ruby's voice was tearing up, cracking from the volume and force of her words. "I didn't do anything wrong! You have to believe me. Yang!"
Yang was in a rage, stomping over towards her house, only to be held back by two police officers.
"Get your dirty hands off me," Yang threatened, clenching her fists. "That's my sister you've got there!"
"Yang save me!" Ruby screamed, thrashing about in the officers' hold. "Please, I didn't do anything wrong. I'm being framed! It was, it was Cinder Fall! And the Schnees. They set me up!"
"Let her go!" Yang cried out, trying to break through the hold of the policemen.
"I'm sorry ma'am," came a calm, yet forceful reply. "She's been placed under arrest for stealing confidential information. Along with stealing valuables from her employer"
"Ruby? She'd never do anything like that. Officers, you've got to believe her. Believe me! Whatever she's been accused of has got to be wrong. She's too good and kind-hearted to do anything like that."
"I'm sorry ma'am. We need to take her in. We have proof enough, and the word from her employer and those she stole from."
"Her employer? Cinder," Yang growled.
"Yang! Please believe me! I didn't do anything wrong!" Ruby was crying painful tears, giving up her wild thrashing, in turn for a softer rolling of her shoulders. All her strength having left her at the sight of Yang being held back.
"I believe you!" Yang shouted, jumping over the officers' shoulders so Ruby could see her. "Trust me! I'll make sure you're safe! I love you."
"Pleas Yang, I-I didn't do anything wro-" Ruby's words were cut off as the door to the back of the police car shut.
Finally, the officers blocking Yang parted, letting her rush to the side of the police car, where Ruby was, placing her hand on the window. Ruby, handcuffed to the seat in front of her, did her best to reach for the same window. There were fierce tears in her eyes, as she shouted through the glass.
"It's Cinder and Weiss's parents! It's Cinder and Weiss's parents! Yang!"
The police car sped off, turning up the street until it was out of view.
"Miss Xiao Long?"
"Yes?"
"Here's the cease and desist letter as well as court summons presented to your sister prior to her arrest. The date for the summons is written down. We have read your sister her rights, but to keep you informed, as the guardian of the household, she has the right to an attorney, but if you cannot afford one, one shall be granted to her, by the city of Patch."
"Thank you," Yang said in a small voice. Her eyes were wide and flickering red with rage, but she felt so small, so hollow at that moment. She was still facing the street where Ruby in the back of a police car had been taken away.
She was very much still in shock.
Everything had been going so well. So well for her and more importantly, so well for Ruby. And then this. She should have known better than to believe their luck was going to change.
"Yang?" Yang flinched as Blake placed a soothing hand on her shoulder.
"Yang?" Blake tried again, speaking much slower this time to not scare her girlfriend.
"I-I, I can't lose her. I don't think I can survive losing her. Not after mom and dad. But R-Ruby too?" Yang's voice cracked. "I thought out luck was turning Blake. I thought things were supposed to get better. Why aren't things getting any better?"
They both knew that there was no correct answer. Blake wished that she could take on some of the pain that Yang was feeling. Even a drop in what appeared to be an overflowing bucket of bad or worse luck placed upon the shoulders of the Xiao Long-Rose sisters.
"What do we do?" Yang asked after a moment of silence.
Blake wrapped her arms around the tall blonde, holding her steadfast in a tight and lingering hug. Placing her chin on Yang's shoulder, she rubbed one hand soothingly up and down her spine. Anything to remove at least of the tension from the girl. She waited until Yang let out a shuddering sigh before speaking.
"First, we call Weiss. I'm sure Weiss will know what to do. She's your friend, my best friend and Ruby's girlfriend. If there's anyone who can put together an idea to beat her parents, it'll be her."
"Ya, Weiss… Let's call her." Yang looked to be going through the motions, rather than acting with any force of will.
That only meant it was up to Blake. Flicking open her scroll, she speed-dialed Weiss on speakerphone. Her best friend picked up after a single ring.
"Blake!" Weiss shouted, "what're you doing calling? I expected a call after your date not during it. Okay, give me all the details. And I do mean all of them."
"Weiss," Blake's response immediately sobered Weiss's excitement.
"What happened? Did something happen to you? To Yang?"
"It's Ruby."
Blake heard Weiss's suck in a gasp.
"What did my parents do?"
"She's going to jail forever," Yang replied despondently.
"Ruby will be fine," Blake urged, holding onto her girlfriend's arm tightly.
"My parents are sending Ruby to prison?! On what charges!" There was the fierce and commanding Weiss Blake had been waiting for. If there was one thing that Blake knew after years of friendship, was that getting Weiss angry over an important cause was the best way to win in the end.
It had worked to get her to even propose to her parents to hold that weapon smithing competition in the first place. And Blake sure as fire knew that it was going to work to save Ruby now. She quickly explained to Weiss what they had seen, as well as read through some of the court summons and other documentation that the police officers had provided them. With every knew bit of information, Weiss would huff or sigh. It was obvious to both Blake and Yang that Weiss was processing something in her mind not privy to them.
Once they had finished going over everything, they waited for Weiss's response with silent anticipation.
"Blake? Yang?" Weiss said.
"Ya?"
"Uh-huh?"
"My parents aren't going to win in the end. Not this time, not anymore."
Yang, finally having regained some of the hope in her eyes, grasped onto Blake's scroll with both hands. "You have an idea? A way to beat them?"
"I do. But it all comes down to how well Ruby knows her stuff. My parents are going to use every dirty trick they have, right down to the statistics of crime coming from broken families. All that we can do now is keep our wits about us and stay calm. My parents, and most assuredly Cinder Fall will be looking for anything else to blame Ruby with. So let's all be patient and sleep as best we can for the time being. And Yang? I'm going to need headmaster Ozpin's number. I have a call to make."
Now onto the final two chapter grande finale!
Nightcore25 - So close!
Guest - If only you had waited just a little while longer. We're coming to the end very soon!
Read and Stayed - Can't let Ruby and Weiss go to their happily ever after just yet, now could I?
Darknight2124 - With the power of love and cold, hard logic!
hirshja - When you combine a billionaire and a crazy landlady, who needs something as mundane as evidence? Also yes, it may be a little flimsy, but I couldn't just drop an entire plot thread without a last attempt.
Dragonqueen1993 - I know! Cinder be crazy.
timrocks99 - Just going to need to wait and see!
Alucard45 - Thanks. No into the penultimate chapter!