"The Vytal Tournament is back?!" Ruby almost squealed in happiness.
"Well it will have been two years since it last took place, is it in Mistral this time?" Weiss forgot all about Ruby's cloak and leaned forward to check.
Blake noticed Yang's face tighten slightly, and she started to say "Yang..."
Weiss however, having seen it was indeed in Mistral, had checked the time on her scroll. "We're going to be late! We CANNOT be late on our first day back, come on!" She threw the door open and rushed out, Ruby hot on her heels. Yang sighed and followed them.
Blake put the flyer to one side and caught up to Yang. Blake slipped her hand into Yang's and gave it a quick squeeze, "We'll talk about it later ok? We don't have to enter."
Yang smiled at Blake and squeezed her hand back, before letting go and they hurried up to catch Ruby and Weiss.
Yang looked at Ruby and Weiss, wondering if they were still happy they'd rushed to get to class on time considering that over half had been spent listening to Professor Port regale them about the time he "Single-handedly fought an entire pack of Manticores, seven of the beasts, each trying to take his life!" Even Weiss' eyes had glazed over, and Yang wasn't too far behind. Like most of Professor Port's lessons, his stories never seemed to be close enough to what it was like actually dealing with the real thing, especially as they had dealt with a large pack on the train to Argus. Yang knew she wouldn't have been able to deal with the whole pack on her own, so added this story to the ever-increasing list of exaggerations by Professor Port.
Blake spotted a note Yang slid over to her, "Maybe if he actually focused more on teaching what they're like and how to fight them instead of boasting about his imaginary kills we'd actually learn something in his class"
Blake smirked and nodded to Yang; Professor Port's long tales were punctuated by occasional bits of knowledge that were actually useful. The problem was trying to stay awake whilst listening to the rest...
"...and, as the beast reared its head, red eyes glinting in the Winter sun..." The bell rang, cutting him off mid-stream, and nearly everyone jolted awake and started rummaging to leave. "Ah. Is class over already? Five pages on Manticore tactics and how your team would defeat a pack. On my desk by Friday!" The room seemed to nod as they headed for the door, "I'll need to shorten the story if I'm to fit it in next class, maybe cut down on the Grimm? No, that won't work..." Professor Port was muttering to himself as he walked back to his desk, but barely anyone paid his murmurings any notice, and even those who did knew he wouldn't change his stories, none of them had heard how a single one ended yet, and nobody expected that to change any time soon.
The other lessons were more useful, Dr Oobleck's history lesson, covered Mountain Glenn, an area team RWBY had visited with him in their first year, in more detail, albeit spoken at a speed only Weiss could make notes on out of the four of them. Professors Peach, Goodwitch, Mulberry, and Greene's lessons were also much more useful.
Professor Peach covered various herbs that could be used to help heal small wounds; Professor Goodwitch took them through some sparring exercises and practice fights, instructing them on how to improve; Professor Mulberry covered a brief reintroduction to weapon maintenance and upkeep, focusing on barrels in guns (making sure to let Ruby know he was thrilled she had returned - it was no secret to anyone that Ruby was Professor Mulberry's favourite student, considering the loving care she gave Crescent Rose); and Professor Greene worked them over with stealth, Blake earning praise from her for being able to creep up on Yang at every time of asking.
"Okay! Lessons are all done, can we now discuss how we're going to kick serious ass at the Vytal Tournament?" Ruby looked at Weiss for permission, knowing the white-haired girl was the most likely to object to not doing homework straight away.
Potentially surprising to Ruby was that beneath the calm front Weiss showed as she shrugged saying "You'll only keep getting distracted if we don't, so yes, fine," she was actually fired up and ready to enter, and ready to win.
Yang on the other hand, was the exact opposite, despite saying "Yes, let's do this!" and putting on an excited front, she was not up for it at all. Yang was feeling very conflicted about competing in the tournament, she could see Ruby was ecstatic about the chance to fight in the tournament again, and whilst Weiss kept up the cool attitude…ha!...if her attitude at the last tournament was anything to go by she was almost as excited as Ruby was. Yang however was not excited. She was, although she didn't want to admit it (even to herself), a bit scared. Last time she'd fought in the tournament some little…well someone had messed with her head and made her see and do something that she would NEVER do. She remembered the looks on the faces of the crowd as they judged her. In their eyes she was a monster. She couldn't be with their team in the tournament again and put the others through that, she just couldn't.
Blake's voice cut through Yang's thoughts as it always did, "I don't know about competing this time."
The reaction from the other three girls was immediate and identical: jaws dropped, eyes wide, words frozen on the ends of their tongues.
"WHAT?!" Weiss nearly screamed at Blake, and Blake's ears, already slightly low, flattened completely against her hair, and Yang immediately stepped forwards, fists balling slightly.
"Weiss!" Ruby had also not liked her partner's tone, and turning to see Ruby's face, with a surprisingly stern look on it, made Weiss immediately feel awkward, and Blake's defensive pose made it worse.
"I'm sorry for shouting. I overreacted." Weiss looked at Blake directly, and even Ruby seemed surprised by the quick change. Yang's surprise must have shown on her face because Weiss looked at her, "What? I'm trying to be better okay?" Blake's ears rose up at Weiss' apology, and behind Weiss Ruby beamed with happiness and a little pride. She was learning and getting better! First it was defending Blake in Argus, now apologising without being told or forced to! Weiss has grown so much since the rude and bossy heiress she had been back when we'd first met, and okay she was still bossy, but still! I am so proud we're BFFs.
"Why Blake? What's wrong?" Weiss sounded concerned.
"Well…"
Yang cut her off "It's for me, isn't it?"
Blake looked at Yang from the side of her eyes and nodded very slightly, her ears back to being flat again. She knew she might have overstepped, but Yang's face that morning had been hiding pain. They hadn't had time during the day to discuss it, but she knew what Yang was thinking, she remembered the looks on the faces in the crowd, Blake knew what it was like to be viewed as a monster. It was horrible.
Yang grabbed Blake in a hug and held her tightly, Blake's eyes went wide before closing and leaning into the hug, her arms around Yang. Her ears had shot up in surprise but lowered slightly in happiness.
"Thank you." Yang whispered to Blake before letting go, much too soon for both of them. Blake could still smell Yang's lavender shampoo, and she blushed slightly from how much she liked the smell, and Yang was doing the same.
"Blake was looking out for me. Because of what happened last time. You all saw how the crowd looked at me. Like I was…like I was a monster." Yang's voice cracked at the end, and Ruby immediately grabbed her sister in a tight hug.
"I hadn't realised! I'm so so SO sorry!"
"It's okay Rubes, it's been almost two years since it happened, and we've been kinda busy saving the world you know?" Yang ruffled her sister's hair affectionately.
"That doesn't matter, I should have realised!" Ruby felt awful and it showed, from the look on her face to the way she held herself.
"Ruby's right, we should have remembered and noticed. There's no way we're competing now." Weiss shook her head.
Blake chimed in, "I agree, we shouldn't compete."
"Guys..." Yang started to talk but Ruby cut her off.
"No, Weiss and Blake are right. I'm your sister and more importantly your team leader, so my decision is final. We are not competing in the tournament this year. I will not force you to try and go out in front of a crowd of people thinking you're a monster. You're not! You're Yang Xiao Long. You're my sister, my teammate, and I love you. I hate it when you're hurt, and I will not deliberately hurt you just so we can fight in some stupid tournament. Team RWBY will not compete!" Ruby ended her declaration with crossed arms and a nod of her head.
Yang smiled sadly and almost had to wipe a tear from the corner of her eye. Ruby has grown up so much, she was so proud of her little sister. "Ok then Rubes, I can't argue if you pull the team leader card."
Ruby smiled back, "Group hug?"
Everyone came together and hugged, it wasn't something they did very often, but at times like this it felt like the right thing to do.
The moment was ruined by a loud incessant knocking on their door. "Guys! Open up! It's important!"
They pulled apart and Ruby went to the door and opened it, "What's up Jaune?"
The tall blonde was at the door, wearing just his hoody and jeans, "Have you seen the news?" Everyone looked at each other and shook their heads, "Put it on someone's scroll now!"
Yang and Blake exchanged a look out the corner of their eyes, and Weiss agreed with the unspoken words, Jaune was being weird. He was never like this. Blake pulled her scroll out and switched it to the news, turning the volume up loud enough for them to hear, and put it on the bookcase so they could all see it.
"Now rewind five minutes to the start of the segment."
Blake rewound the live news five minutes and let it play.
"Now over to Lisa Lavender for this special report, and the following report does contain footage some viewers may find disturbing."
"Thank you, James. Tonight, the return of the Vytal Tournament was announced, over a year after the last one was held in Beacon and ended with a tragic loss of life and terrorist attack on Beacon Academy."
Blake looked up at Jaune, "Jaune..."
"Keep watching."
She looked back down to the scroll, it was playing the end of the fight between Pyrrha and Penny, with Lisa Lavender talking over it.
"It was also announced that at least two of the events that marred the previous tournament were the result of terrorist activity." The scroll showed a picture of Emerald and Mercury. "These two people have been identified as having been associated with the White Fang and Roman Torchwick. As viewers may remember, Mercury Black made it to the semi-finals against Yang Xiao Long, where it appeared that he suffered a terrible injury." The news footage cut to a recording of the fight towards the end. Blake looked at Yang, who was watching the news with a strained face, and she almost closed the scroll but for a small shake of Yang's head. "New evidence has come to light which brings a different take on the situation." The footage was now showing some CCTV footage from the fight between Pyrrha and Penny, with Ruby in a corridor, and Mercury walking. "Despite his apparent injuries in the fight before, Mercury Black can clearly be seen walking, and indeed fighting, in this footage. Something that should be impossible given the injuries he was supposed to have suffered previously. What authorities have released is some previously unknown knowledge that two of the people in that team were working with Roman Torchwick and the White Fang terrorists, and this woman, Emerald Sustrai, has an illusion semblance. This semblance was the key to creating several disturbing images for both the crowd and fighters to manipulate and trick them into committing violent and disturbing acts, all with the goal of causing a massive Grimm attack on Beacon Academy."
Yang dropped to her knees; she couldn't believe what she was hearing.
"Despite what people believe they saw at the time, it has come to light that Yang Xiao Long, far from being a perpetrator of a vicious, unwarranted attack, was in fact an innocent victim of the terrorist plot. As can be seen from the CCTV footage shown, the attack had no effect and was likely an illusion on Xiao Long that clearly had no lasting damage on Black, despite how serious the injury looked, and how he acted. It was another step in the terrorist's plot, with Xiao Long an unknowing victim. Another victim was the late Pyrrha Nikos, manipulated and tricked by illusions to overuse her semblance against Penny Polendina from Atlas Academy, causing the second tragedy, the reveal of the android and loss of Miss Polendina's life. What makes it even more tragic is that Miss Nikos then went on to lose her life fighting against the terrorists, a true hero to the end."
"The authorities announced their recent findings at an inquest regarding the Vytal Tournament coming back, and what greater security was in place to stop further tragedies happening. Both Emerald Sustrai and Mercury Black are still at large and considered armed and dangerous. They have had Huntsmen and Huntress training at some point, despite no records of graduation, and only having been at Haven Academy in Mistral for one year, with forged papers. The public is advised not to approach at all, and to call the police from a safe distance."
"Thank you, Lisa, now..." Blake closed her scroll. The room was silent, Jaune had stepped into the room from the doorway and was standing next to Ruby, Yang was still on her knees, silent tears rolling down her face. Innocent. They were telling the truth. What had happened to her was actually being told on the news.
"We thought it best to get back to normal as quickly as possible, and to announce what had actually happened to some degree." Everyone turned to find Professor Goodwitch standing in the open doorway, a soft look on her face for once. "Not everyone was on board with announcing the full details, and we kept Cinder and her real goal out of the news but thought it might be...helpful to some people to announce Miss Sustrai's illusion semblance. "
Yang could have hugged her, and the others felt the same way. "Professor..."
"Don't feel the need to hold back. Professor Ozpin thought you all had something special about you, the events in Atlas clearly back that up, and that includes you Mr Arc," Jaune's eyes widened in surprise, "So don't be held back by events outside of your control and what others may think of you, especially considering the events of the last tournament. Now that's dealt with, I need to speak with you and your team Mr Arc, concerning the upcoming Vytal Tournament."
"We've already decided not to compete." Jaune's statement surprised everyone, but not Professor Goodwitch.
"I thought not. However, I need to explain why your team will be remaining at Beacon for the duration of the tournament." She turned to team RWBY, "Welcome back to Beacon Academy." She nodded and then walked across the hall to team JNPR's room, Jaune following her and closing the door to team RWBY's dorm behind them.
There was silence in the room for a moment before laughter broke it. Yang was laughing. They looked at her quite confused. "Oh, that is ironic. We literally just finished agreeing NOT to compete, then get given a reason as to why that's completely wrong and get told by Professor Goodwitch that we actually SHOULD compete."
Weiss cracked a smile, "That is pretty ironic."
Ruby looked between them, "So what you're saying is..."
Yang looked up at Ruby with a grin on her face and stood up, "Oh we're competing now. I've been proven innocent, that bitch Emerald and Mercury have been shown to be evil, so I'm good to compete. And we're gonna win this thing."
"Wooo! Go team RWBY!" Ruby jumped in the air and high fived everyone, Yang returned it enthusiastically, Blake with a wry grin on her face, and Weiss reluctantly, but Ruby knew that was just because Weiss didn't like high fiving. "Can we now make plans on kicking ass?"
Author's note:
I saw somebody say online somewhere that they were surprised that nothing had ever come of how people viewed Yang at the end of the Vytal Tournament last time, and I did agree with them after seeing the post, so I thought I should bring it in and try to cover it. And yes, the Vytal Tournament is back! Gotta have a tournament arc in there somewhere right? I also got the names for the other teachers and what they teach from After The Fall. Someone also mentioned in a comment they were surprised at Ruby's reaction to the Vytal Tournament returning. I thought that Ruby's main issue with it would be that it was hijacked by Cinder and the White Fang – not really an issue anymore as far as they know – and even more so the fact that Penny died, which is also not an issue.