Gah, I'm so late to upload this one I'm not even gonna bother with the excuses!
Disclaimer: RWBY belongs to Rooster Teeth, if I had my way it wouldn't be leaving Netflix at the end of this month! :( Bálor Moonlight belongs to me so direct your hate mail appropriately. Any other characters, companies, or corporations belong to their respective Parent Company.
Announcements to follow at the end of Chapter.
Ruby Rose would find herself once again standing silently over the grave of her mother, however instead of it being a dreary and lonely affair she had her father, Signal instructor Taiyang Xiao Long and her faithful canine companion Zwei waiting further back as the crimsonette stood quietly before removing her hood and giving as strong a smile as she could muster. "Hey Mom." She would say this in a chipper fashion, as if Summer where just standing at the stove preparing breakfast instead of resting peacefully beneath her feet. "Sorry I haven't come by in a while, things have been…well things have been pretty busy." 'Busy' was putting it gently, as the last week prior to this day had been spent trying to breeze through the last few assignments prior to the festival, fine tuning Crescent Rose to even further heights of excellence, and trying to swing the vote to where she would be one of the two going on to the Doubles Round.
Only that last objective went un-achieved.
"Dad's still..dad, he's still teaching at Signal but he says he's going to be heading out on some missions soon. I think he misses adventuring with you" Ruby would look down at the rose symbol upon Summer's grave with a slight frown. "I miss you too…" For a moment there, sadness would creep into her heart as memories of growing up without a motherly voice to guide her. And try as hard as she might there were just some things that her older sister couldn't cover, not that things were exactly one hundred for Yang at the moment either. "Haven't gotten kicked out of Beacon yet, so that's cool." She would start speaking lightheartedly once more, knowing that changing the subject was probably the best thing for the both of them at this point. "I think being on a team with Yang helps, I keep her in line." The red hood would stay quiet for a brief moment before remembering that her audience was eternally silent. "That was a joke."
"And a rightfully bad one at that, little Rose" She would frown for a second, hearing a familiar voice ring out in her head before dismissing it and continuing on. Making sure to mention about her teammates, the confusing team name that came with it, and various other happenings.
"Ya know, I still wonder why Ozpin let me into Beacon early, but I guess he'll tell me one day." Ruby would furrow her brow as she felt the wind pick up a little. "Ya know, the more I get to know him, the more he starts sounding like Uncle Qrow." As much as the crimsonette-haired girl wanted to reflect further on their eccentricities, but the sound of her furry friend's bark would bring that to a quick end to such oddball thoughts. "Oh! Looks like Dad's back, he promised to drop me off at the tournament before his next mission, wish me luck!" Ruby would quickly lift up her hood and turn to go meet up with her father and favorite four legged pal, but she would spare one last glance back at Summer's grave as she did. "It was good to talk." The silver-eyed Huntress would start jogging back to what remained of her family, and while it was fun to see and spend time with her father outside of phone calls due to their busy schedules there was still one very important question that had been gnawing at her before they had made it to the gravesite.
"Dad, where did you find Zwei..?" Daughter would end up looking at her father curiously, remembering the last time she had seen the Corgi and remembering a particular spiky-haired young man she had encountered in a rare moment of doubt.
"We-well umm..ya see honey." Taiyang would be visibly flustered at her question, uncertain of how to answer her query without revealing too much. "The thing is…" The blonde-haired man would run off quickly, leaving the red hooded young woman perplexed as to why. Instead she would kneel down to pat her faithful friend's head and receiving a few friendly licks to the face for her efforts before looking into his deep brown eyes. "Just tell me one thing boy: Was he doing okay before Dad took you back?" The Corgi would bark once, his tail wagging happily as he remembered his adventures with the spiky-headed boy. "Thank Goodness, I'm glad that at least one of my non-Academy friends are doing okay." Ruby would sigh in relief as she stood and gestured for Zwei to come along, after all it wouldn't do for her to miss the first battle in the tournament after all.
Bálor would groan tiredly as he stumbled out of the shower, the night before was a nightmare thanks to his constant restlessness and worry for his friends who would be participating that day. (Meaning Ruby and Yang) But he did promise Ozpin and Goodwitch that he'd be a good boy and play support, so he had to make it over to the Amity Arena as fast as possible in order to root, root, root for the home teams as it were.
"I really wish they'd hold these things at a more feasible hour." The wolf Faunus would smack his cheeks as he inspected his reflection as best he could in his still shattered mirror, wondering just how many punches it took the blonde to cause such damage. "Unbelievable, why do I still chase that temperamental hothead anyway?" He would sigh and start pulling on a black button-up dress shirt along with jeans and a pair of black steel toed boots while his sneakers sat on the shelf forlornly, he would hesitate for a moment as he remembered Ozpin's final question during his little psych evaluation and perhaps more importantly how he had answered it.
"I wear that rose with extreme pride for the person that designed it, it's because of her and those close to her that I've become the person I am today."
The amber-eyed Huntsman would stare at the boots he had taken out to wear for the day, they were meant to complete the new ensemble alongside his Shadow Waltz. "I was hoping to cut it all off and make a fresh start, but she keeps calling back to me." Bálor hated that even as he was trying to change from being the annoying hanger-on of Beacon Academy, it was one of the more annoying aspects of his time with Team RWBY: Weiss had more than enough reason to despise him thanks to the threat of blackmail that she had rightfully brought onto herself when she'd tried to have him killed months ago.
"I'm surprised I never cashed in that favor, although knowing her and her skewed mindset she'd probably think I'd try and sleep with her or something." Thoughts of the two of them getting hot and sweaty in-between the sheets would dance through his mind momentarily, although this would stop once his stomach clenched in agitation. "No..dear God no, I'd rather take an open mouth kiss from Jaune, WITH tongue! After he's eaten a few cloves of garlic to boot!"
Bálor would look himself over in the mirror and sigh at the stereotypical bad guy apparel he found himself wearing and hang his head in shame. "Okay, no..there's always a better way to signify a change in attitude then dark and broody wardrobe, I feel like I should slap myself for even getting this far into the get up." The wolf Faunus would quickly strip out of the dark colored clothing and grab the standard Beacon uniform and put it on, promptly doing the same with the rose emblem sneakers and breathing a sigh of relief at the feeling of comfort in it all.
At least until a familiar thunking at his door killed the mood outright.
"Hurry up already will ya B, we're gonna be late to the arena dammit?!" Yang's voice would boom through the door, at least before it managed to fall off of its hinges outright.
The silver-haired young man would smack his forehead, as she walked in with a rather perky smile on her face as she held out a cup of coffee for him.
"I knew you'd just be sitting here on your butt like this, and I don't blame you either." Her grin would grow wider as he took the coffee from her and took a merciful swig and looking at her curiously. "What, it's three sugars no cream…right?" The brawler would take a seat on the edge of his air mattress and look around at the room quietly, frowning as she recalled the rage-fueled frenzy she had caused while he was away.
"Yeah..it's the right order, I just don't get why you'd remember it..we haven't exactly been on the best of terms lately ya know?" He would finish the coffee and toss the cup in the trash can, he would quickly take the sheathed Shadow Waltz off of the wall and sling it over his shoulder. "I still don't get why I'm traveling with you guys anyhow, it's a Team flight and technically I'm just a spectator here." Bálor would step over the door without blinking and head out into the hallway, picking up his pace as he heard her footsteps behind him.
"Because my sister insisted that you get to the arena on time and awake enough to wear you can watch our fight without any problems, I seriously don't get why she insists on coddling you this way. You survived prison for crying out loud." The brawler would growl and pick up her own pace to match his, glancing at the sword he was now carrying or to be more precise: the design on the sheath. "You really can't let me go can you?"
"…Fuck off, that design was just the first thing that popped into my mind while I was making it. You made it plenty clear that we have no relationship when you trashed my living space and called me a backstabbing mutt." The wolf Faunus had just about all he could stand of her odd two-faced behavior, in one instance she would be prancing around with Mercury and finding some sort of joy in the Haven student's snide attitude but in another she would go back to teasing him and looking after his well-being as if they were still a couple.
"Let it be perfectly clear that while I still have loving feelings toward you, the fact that you were so boneheaded as to dump me without so much as ATTEMPTING to get the facts as to what was going on while I was away might as well have been the same as being shanked in the chow line like a chump!" His hand gripped the hilt of Shadow Waltz tightly, no longer seeing the lovely visage of someone he once held dear. "I trusted you with the one thing that I held onto tightly, tighter then death! And you just went ahead and shattered it like a cheap wine glass!" Bálor would go to unsheathe his weapon only to feel someone restrain him from doing so, he would whirl around to find himself eye to eye with a certain raven-haired cat Faunus.
"Do we have a problem here, because the pilot's really itching to leave..right now." Blake would admire the craftsmanship of the sword that he was threatening to use on her partner before pulling the obsidian blade out of its sheathe and point it at the wolf. "A bit heavy on the hilt, you really need to rebalance this thing before you try actually using it against someone. I can help you with that..if you want." The two of them would stare at one another without saying a word for a full minute before she returned Shadow Waltz to its sheathe.
Yang would watch the exchange quietly, noticing the wolf Faunus staring away from her Faunus friend before mumbling something and then stepping around her to proceed with their walk to the landing strip. "Holy crap, it's been a while since I've seen him run away without saying something snarky." The blonde would start walking alongside Blake at a casual pace before noticing the slight smile on her face, causing her to raise an eyebrow curiously. "You've got something over his head don't'cha kitten?"
The feline would blush slightly before giving her friend a lopsided smile. "Let's just say that your favorite mutt really sucks at poetry."
Amity Arena wasn't the kind of place a person could visit all year round, as a mobile floating structure there was only ever one time it would settle and let others wander its halls: The Vytal Festival; a once a year event where Huntsman and Huntresses in training came together and clashed against one another in order to prove their supremacy, for Ruby Rose it meant a chance for her and her sweetheart Crescent Rose to do some serious talking.
"C'mon, C'mon land already!" The red-hooded crimsonette would look out the window of their Bullhead, hoping to find her friends and teammates waiting for her on the platform waiting for her even as her father laid a hand upon her shoulder in support.
"Patience my Little Rose, we're almost there." Taiyang would smirk as the pilot began final landing procedures, Zwei resting patiently in the older man's lap as he looked over at his youngest daughter. "You look so much more like your mother everyday, you know that?" His voice would soften as he spoke, remembering the way Summer looked on their wedding day: a true angel in white. "I'm sure she would have loved to be here, watching you and your sister making us proud." Ruby would blush slightly even as she gently wiped away a tear that had fallen down Taiyang's face, doing her best to try and smile even as she saw her father's heart breaking anew. "She is watching over us Dad, somewhere up there I know Mom's smiling down on us proudly." The silver-eyed young woman would gently hug her father, trying to be careful enough not to disturb the still sleeping Corgi on his lap.
Although the bumpy landing would soon change that as Zwei opened his eyes and looked around curiously, barking happily once he saw the rest of Team RWBY waiting on the platform as he ran up to the window.
"It seems like your friends were able to get here ahead of us, then again it's not exactly a long flight from Beacon to Amity." Taiyang would watch on proudly as she quickly unbuckled her safety belt and grabbed Crescent Rose from the overhead bin as she rushed out to meet her sister and team, as a father he couldn't be more proud of his girls as they had excelled in their physical abilities greatly. (even though Yang could use a bit more motivation when it came to her studies)
"C'mon Dad, I want you to meet everyone!" Ruby would look back at her father, hoping that he would join her in seeing her off on what was especially one of the big days in her life only to see the ghost of a frown on his face. "I know you have a mission Dad, but please..we could use some good luck in our first match, and I'm sure Yang would like to see you too."
Taiyang would sigh and undo his safety restraints even as Ruby began to pout. "Alright, but only for a little bit. I don't think the Grimm will be as patient as you are." He would chuckle and gently ruffle his youngest daughter's hair as they disembarked from the ship, Zwei following quickly behind the pair before running up to Weiss of all people.
"Oooh there he is! There's my cute little Zwei." The heiress would scoop the Corgi up in her arms and continue to whisper sweet nothings to the canine, leaving a familiar wolf Faunus in a state of shock and disbelief choosing to lean over to a noticeably less stunned Blake for answers. "What's the deal with Princess Schnee, I've never seen her act so..chipper."
The feline would shake her head in astonishment as she whispered back to him. "He's a cute and adorable ball of fluff, unlike present company Zwei's earned his spot in our hearts. You just sort of weaseled your way in because you were Yang's bitch."
To say this left him hurt was something of an understatement as Ruby and Yang chatted excitedly with their father as the crimsonette was bouncing about and gesturing wildly as she introduced the remainder of the team, unaware that he was beginning to back away from the bright, shining light that was their sphere of happiness.
"I don't belong here..I'm not wanted, this..this isn't my family!" With that lone solitary thought and the echo of Blake's words flowing through his heart, Bálor would begin to walk away from it all. "This is their day after all, I might as well go find my proper place in the stands and cheer like a good little puppet." He would be set to leave when he felt a hand on his shoulder, a gentle but firm grip holding him in place as he stared out at the crowds of people hustling to either get to their seats or grab some last minute snacks.
"You know it's impolite to turn your back on a guest." He would tense up, not immediately recognizing the decidedly male voice that was coming from behind him. "Judging by the way your body just tensed up I'm guessing you're the young man that's causing my girls' hearts to go aflutter."
Bálor would gulp audibly as he turned to look into the stern face of a stereotypical overprotective father, and while Taiyang Xiao Long certainly wasn't a mountain of a man by physical standards but that in no way undercut the threatening gaze that the silver-haired Faunus felt blanket him at the very moment.
"A-Aye sir, that would be my unfortunate role in all of this." The wolf would try his best to pull off a joking smile, one which would wilt under the weight of the fair-haired Huntsman's gaze. This wasn't just a father meeting a prospective boyfriend situation that the amber-eyed swordsman found himself standing in, this was one man testing another, to see if he was just some harmless schoolgirl crush or someone that he should be concerned with.
"Fine, if that's how he wants to play this then who am I to back down? Besides, I'm not just some stupid little worm that weaseled my way into this place!" Feeling braver than he had any right to be at that particular moment, the usually cocky Faunus would stare into the eyes of the man who no doubt taught Yang everything there was to know about hand to hand combat and extended his own hand. "Bálor Birugderc Moonlight sir, it's an honor to meet you." Silence would be heard in that exact moment as four Huntresses and one dog awaited the next move to be made, however rather then perceive it as some kind of a tense stand off the older pugilist would begin to laugh heartily.
"Relax kid, it's not like I was planning on breaking your neck or anything! I just wanted to meet this "great guy" that my Little Rose kept talking about the whole plane-ride over." Everyone would breathe a sigh of relief as an impending beat down was thankfully averted by the older man's jovial laughter, even as the two of them shook hands Taiyang's eyes seemed to share in his mirth as a gleam of happiness appeared. "I must admit you are quite the plucky little guy for someone so skinny, gotta admit, I like a kid with your moxy!" Ruby and Yang would be giggling and laughing respectively as Weiss and Blake simply watched on in a slack-jawed stupor as the hulking papa bear facade pretty much died before their eyes.
"Oh my God it's like shaking hands with a real-life Simon Gotch, only without the bitchin' moustache! This also explains why she was so eager to go with the freaking gimmick." Convinced that he was well and clear of any danger, the young man would smile as he looked over at the foursome and winked. "I gotta say sir, this has been a surprisingly pleasant experience. I thought for sure you were gonna lift me up over your head and shatter my back over your knee or something." Taiyang would laugh again before leaning in dangerously close to Bálor's ear. "Believe me kid under normal circumstances you wouldn't even be breathing right now, you just thank your lucky stars that my oldest is so forgiving and that my little angel is so over the moon for you otherwise I'd be turning your freaking spine into a pretzel!" The older man would tighten his grip quickly but painfully before leaning back and letting loose another round of laughter to drown out the whimpers of pain.
"Well my dears unfortunately it's time for me to get going, the people of Vale need me and the creatures of Grimm need to be reminded of my twin fists of terror so come and give dear 'ol Dad a hug before he leaves." Taiyang would kneel and hug his daughters tight even as the pilot of the Bullhead motioned for him to wrap it up and get going already. "I'll be rooting for you all in the tournament, I know you'll make me proud."
Yang would sigh and pat her father on the back, grinning as she did so. "No need to worry Dad, you taught me everything I know when it comes to fighting so we'll breeze through this thing no problemo!" Ruby would blush and echo her sister's sentiments while hugging the blonde pugilist as tightly as she could. "Stay safe out there Dad, I promise that by the time you come back home you'll be the proud father of two champions."
With some final parting words for his daughters, Taiyang would quickly jog back to the Bullhead with an excitable Zwei following behind him leaving Weiss pouting in his wake.
"Don't worry Weiss, he'll be back soon enough. Besides, I think it's about time we get over and prepare for our first round match." She would look over at the wolf Faunus who had been standing off to the side in silence, frowning as she noticed the crestfallen look on his face and mistaking it as sadness for his lost opportunity to compete. "Well, at least most of us will be giving it our all out there."
This was an absolute bitch to write, and it wasn't because I was trying to dance around Canon either, if I went too far along the path then this would be a novelization of Volume 3 with my OC disappearing *pauses to revel in the cheers of my detractors* however if I were to go too far from Canonical events then it would just be another fic, as you can no doubt tell I'm still trying to find a happy medium. Thus I'm breaking Round One into two parts.
And because I'm fucking exhausted.
Furthermore, as no doubt NONE of you have probably noticed, my canonical timeline of events has shifted, meaning that my unusually popular suicidal fic "One Bad Day", its shitty follow-up "Ghosts in Us" and the no doubt surefire flop that was going to be "Gift of the Lunar Rose" have been exorcised like demons from a haunted home. Not sure if I wanna count them as discontinued or just on the back-burner but those fics came from an Author who hadn't been thoroughly beaten down by the unwritten rules of Fanfiction but unless people demand otherwise, consider those fics the baby that got thrown out with the bathwater.
This is MardukWritInd, signing off.