It was warm that morning, which put a smile on Roman's face as he ate his normal morning breakfast. Neo joined him at the table, she planted a chaste kiss on his temple as she took a seat across from him – the two had a very eventful evening. He gave her that signature wink of his which caused a small smile to grow on Neo's face.
Then came his morning bath in the fine marble pool waters, which Neo also joined him for.
Then came going through any new reports in his study on the second floor.
Then entertaining any guests for the day while he oversaw his slaves training.
He absolutely loved the look on Red's face, it was the epitome of what he liked to see in all his rowdy slaves.
Broken.
The slave trained day in and day out, throwing herself into every match, scolding at every prospect for every little mistake.
It was absolutely fantastic.
Everything about Roman's life right now was perfect.
Yang panted heavily as she dropped the wooden sword to the ground, it was much warmer than anyone anticipated. She had spent a good chunk of the morning sparring in Weiss' courtyard, they had a small audience of Blake, Klein, and the Ice Princess herself watching over.
"Your sword play is phenomenal." Pyrrha was impressed.
"A little bit smaller than I'm used to, but it was still pretty good." Yang reached for the cup of water that Blake held out for her, "Thanks gorgeous." She said with a playful wink.
Blake rolled her eyes at the comment, but Weiss didn't miss the faint grin.
"I find it hard to believe you can fight with slab of metal." Pyrrha gushed, she laughed when she saw the weapon that was still wrapped up and stowed away in Yang's room while she stayed in the Villa.
"Just a whole lot of practice." Yang stretched out, "So I've been meaning to ask,"
"Yes?" Weiss looked up at the blond.
"Do you guys ever go to the Coliseum?" She was starting to get a hankering to go, but didn't really want to sit by herself, "I wanna go, but I also want someone there to explain to me what's going on – I've never been."
Weiss' expression turned hard, Yang didn't miss it.
"Do you… not like going?" The Huntress frowned a bit "I'm sorry I brought it up, I can go on my own."
"No, it's just… I rather not go to the Coliseum." Weiss trailed off.
"I'll go with you, the view from the Box is the best in the whole Arena." Pyrrha quickly offered.
"Yeah, I would appreciate that a lot." Yang decided not to press Weiss further. "So are you going to fight? I've been meaning to say that I've heard a story about you all the way in Menagerie."
"Really now?" Pyrrha was impressed, "All the way down south?"
"Yeah, there were some guys in port bragging about you and this big bad Reaper you fought." Yang talked excitedly, she noticed Weiss slightly flinch.
"I need to go work on some paperwork for the headquarters with Velvet today." Weiss excused herself.
Yang shot Pyrrha a look that said she definitely had questions for later.
"Klein, do you mind if we get in the bath?" Pyrrha asked.
Klein shook his head, "Of course not, I usually bathe in the evenings – I'll go get the coals running for you so that it's nice and warm."
"You too Blake, come bathe with us and we'll all chat for a bit." Yang invited.
A bright blush developed on Blake's face, "I-I also bathe in the evenings, but thank you." She looked away.
Pyrrha rolled her eyes, as soon as the two were in the bath she shot Yang a look.
"What?"
"Stop antagonizing the poor thing." Pyrrha chided.
"Weiss? She likes it." Yang brushed it off.
"I meant Blake." Pyrrha removed her tunic and breeches, she had brought her usual flowing robes to change into for later.
"I'm not antagonizing her." Yang also undressed and slipped into the marble pool first, "I'm flirting with her."
"You're terrible." Pyrrha laughed, her expression turned a bit serious, "It doesn't bother you that she's – "
"A slave? No, why should it?" Yang shrugged, "She's really great, just a little shy and is just in a tough situation." She remembered waking up the morning after sleeping underneath the stars around the hearth. Yang managed to snake her arms around the Faunus completely while they slept. Blake woke up in a slight panic that degraded to bashfulness once the Huntress started laughing at her reaction.
"I'm really glad you came here." Pyrrha admired her fellow swordsman, "The world could use more people like you."
"Not sure about that, might not be enough pubs left standing." Yang smiled cheekily. "So what's the deal with Weiss? I've been leaving it alone because I don't want to antagonize her, but I definitely felt like I was walking on egg shells when I was talking about the Arena."
Pyrrha sighed, "It's a really personal matter for her."
"Does it involve the Reaper?" The Mistrali noted that Yang was extremely attentive.
She sighed, "Yes. But please, stop asking questions about it and please don't bring up Weiss and the Reaper while we're at the Coliseum."
"Forbidden lovers?" Yang tried again.
Pyrrha couldn't school her features in time, a big grin broke out on the Huntress' face. "Yang. Please." She sank down into the water, fearful for whatever else her companion could get out of her.
"Okay, I'll stop." She was still curious as to what exactly was going on, but Pyrrha was begging for her to stop and she didn't want to completely set off a Commander in the Mistral Army. "But please, tell me about your match with the Reaper."
A sigh of relief escaped Pyrrha's lips, finally something she could talk freely about without feeling guilty for selling out her friend.
"You don't have to work today Bo." Reese let out as she saw the Gladiator walk out from the back carry a box.
"I need a distraction, and I doubt Ruby and Sun have the luxury to sit still right now." There were some bags under his blood shot eyes. It had been two weeks since that match. Henry and the others in the neighborhood were still gushing about how good of a fight it was.
Reese wrapped her arms around his waist, "Please don't beat yourself up over this, they're not mad at you for being here"
Bolin sighed, his shoulders feeling heavier than usual, "I… I just." Tears threatened to spill.
"Talk to me." Reese coaxed, she forced the man to turn in her arms and look at him, "You have to."
"I know." Bolin bit his cheek, when had Reese gotten so good at coaxing him out of his shell? "At the Villa, they all used to look up to me during hard times. Just looking for answers or just some kind of… light I guess. But the point is that they would look to me." Something hot fell down his cheek, "And I would have to stay strong, for all of them – and it was just so easy there, but here it's just… so hard."
A pair of lips pressed against his cheek, Reese was kissing away the lone tear, "Bo, you don't have to stay strong here, not around me."
"Okay."
For what felt like the hundredth time since Nadir's death, Bolin cried into Reese's shoulder.
And it just felt so good.
He felt lighter as the day progressed, his mother even took note as she made a comment that Bolin didn't seem as dreary that day.
Mei insisted on having lunch outside on the roadside so that the could people watch and enjoy the good weather. Bolin agreed that it was an excellent idea.
"Look! A flower shop!" A hyper voice was heard down the road.
"Slow down already, and stop wandering off, I think we're already lost." Bolin assumed it to be her companion.
"I'm sure someone can point us back – Oh look!" The voices and foot steps got closer, so Bolin decided to stand greet the potential customers while his favorite girls continued eating.
"Thank you." Reese smiled, she planted a quick kiss on Bolin's cheek.
"It's a flower shop Renny!" Bolin got a good look at the orange haired girl and her dark haired friend – no wait, boyfriend – that was close in tow.
"Good day!" Bolin greeted, "See something you like?"
"We're just looking around, but Renny loves to garden back home." The orange haired woman motioned to 'Renny'.
"Renny," Bolin smiled at the name, "I'm Bolin." He extended his hand.
"Ren is just fine." He shook his hand before turning his attention to the woman, "Introduce yourself Nora."
"I'm Nora!" Her blue eyes sparkled in mirth as she shook Bolin's hand, "Ohhhh, you have sword callouses. Are you a soldier? Because we are too."
"Nora…" Ren warned, "Remember what Jaune said, things are still delicate here."
"It's no problem, I'm not a soldier… I was a Gladiator." Bolin answered, "I'm assuming you're not from here then?"
Nora shook her head, "Nope."
"We're visiting from Vale, a vacation of the sorts." Ren added.
"Wait," Nora paused, "Did you say you were a Gladiator? Like those fearsome fighters we heard about?" She was excited as she looked the man over, "You guys are like legendary, we don't have anything like you guys in Vale."
"Yeah!" A much smaller girl joined the group, she latched on to Bolin's side, "Big Brother is really strong! Reese used to tell me stories about Bo slaying monsters and enemies and other big scary things."
Bolin chuckled, "Not so much anymore, that part of my life is behind me." He ruffled his sister's hair, Mei glared at him for it, "You said you're from Vale, so did you guys fight in the war?"
"Yeah…" Nora trailed off, "If it's uncomfortable, we can go." She wanted to be mindful.
"It doesn't bother me any, it's just," A sad look on his face, "I have a friend who was a part of the Vale army."
"Did they pass during the war?" Ren had a solemn look.
"Oh no, they became a gladiator and we fought along side each other for almost two years, that's how I met her." Bolin explained.
"Wait," Nora's eyes narrowed, "Who was your slave master?" The gears in her head were turning.
"Why?" Bolin thought it was a strange question.
"Because… we're here to get our friend. Jaune told us that she's stuck as a gladiator here." She tested.
Bolin's eyes went wide.
"You're looking for Ruby."
Lilac eyes looked excitedly about, she could barely contain her excitement and the fact that she could even drink wine while she sat here made it even more incredible. Then there was the crowd in here, the sheer volume of people and when ever they roared she could feel it deep in her bones. The first few matches were fun, but Yang really wanted to be a part of the crowd and not with these stuffy nobles.
"Not that these seats aren't awesome, but…" Yang motioned to the crowd in the box and then the rest of the Arena.
Pyrrha laughed, "I should've known to sit outside the box." She stood and motioned for Yang to follow.
They were making their way down the steps to the general seating, when Yang nearly turned the corner into another noble.
"E-Excuse me." Yang let out with a sheepish smile, "Totally didn't see you there."
A look flashed across his green eyes, but it dissipated once he caught sight of who was behind her.
"Lady Nikos!" He greeted, "Don't worry about it, it was a blind corner." He waved it off.
"Roman." Pyrrha greeted, there was a small smile on her face, but Yang noted it was a bit forced. "So you have some of your Gladiators fighting today?"
"Of course!" The Roman guy was good-natured, but something about him made Yang's Grimm fighting instincts stand on edge. "It'll be the best and finest of House Torchwick today."
"You mean the Reaper?" Pyrrha's eyes were surprised, "So she's finally back in form?"
"She's been in form for a few weeks now, her first match was actually against Nadir – ended tragically, I was going to judge my old fighter favorably no matter the outcome." He looked down casted at the memory.
"What do you mean?" Pyrrha was aware that Nadir was sold to the Fall family, but she didn't realize that the Reaper already fought against him.
"It was a brilliant fight that took place two weeks ago, the Reaper vs the Wilding – the audience loved it and it's so rare to see Torchwick gladiators fight against each other." He shook his head, "In the heat of the battle the Wilding lost his sword and after some intense fighting the Reaper impaled him – it was a quick death."
"I see." Pyrrha processed the information – Nadir died by Ruby's hand. 'How could he do that? They were comrades.' The Commander buried the thought, "Very unfortunate, but Nadir died a glorious death here in the sands."
"That he did." Roman looked at the blond, "Whose your friend?"
"She's a huntress visiting the Kingdom." Pyrrha motioned to her friend.
Yang took the cue, "Yang Xiao Long, pleased to make your acquaintance."
"Roman Torchwick, charmed." He extended his hand and Yang shook it firmly.
"Well, let's go before the next match starts." Pyrrha motioned.
"Where are you guys going? The best seats in the house are up here." Roman motioned.
"It's my first time here, and I wanted to check out what it would be like to see a match in the crowd." Yang explained.
Roman looked over Pyrrha and then at Yang, "How about I do you one better? Feel free to bring Miss Xiao Long over tomorrow, Lady Nikos. I'll have my gladiators give a bit of a demonstration for you."
"That would be wonderful Roman." Pyrrha stated, "We will definitely be there."
Once the two departed and melted into the crowd, Yang leaned over to her companion, "It did not sound like you were all that excited to hang out with your buddy tomorrow?"
"I have someone I want to check on tomorrow." Pyrrha narrowed her eyes, 'I need to see how Ruby is doing.'
"The Forbidden Lover thing?" Yang wagged her eyebrows.
"Yang!" Pyrrha hissed.
"I'll be on my best behavior tomorrow, promise." She crossed her heart for emphasis.
Yang sat back and enjoyed the next few fights – nothing too gory (according to Pyrrha's comments), but what she really wanted to see was what seemed to be the main event. She watched from below as that Roman guy stood up and gave some flowery speech about his family name.
"Does he do this all the time?" Yang asked.
Pyrrha giggled, "Yes, he's well-known throughout Mistral for his legendary gladiators."
"Gotcha," Yang looked back down.
The Huntress hooted and hollered with the rest of the crowd, the stands shook from the sheer volume. Yang loved it, her blood was going and adrenaline was rushing on along side with everyone. She began chanting the name 'Reaper' with the rest of the crowd.
"You haven't even seen the Reaper yet!" Pyrrha joked.
"But it's just so much fun to be with the crowd!" Yang yelled back over the chants.
Pyrrha broke out into a grin and decided to chant along side her friend.
If it were even possible, Yang felt the audience explode even louder entering stage right was the legendary fighter.
"She's pretty tiny." Yang commented while she looked her over, "Hard to believe that she's such a ruthless killer."
The mop of short dark hair came into view.
Yang did a double-take, 'Are… Are the tips of her hair red?' She thought to herself.
Messy unkempt bed-head that were tipped in red that stuck in every direction.
The memory flashed before the Huntress' eyes.
But what was most striking was her eyes, 'They're silver.'
Silver eyes that watched a butterfly float around intently, net in her hand, ready to try and catch it.
And then she raised her sword to the slave master – the sword in her left hand.
Mom's fresh baked cookies and those tiny hands standing on her tiptoes trying to reach for one with her out stretched left hand.
"Pyrrha." Yang simply stated. "What's the Reaper's real name?'
"What?" The Mistrali couldn't quite hear.
Yang leaned in closer, "What's the Reaper's real name?"
"Why?" Pyrrha's brows scrunched together.
"Pyrrha." Yang's eyes flashed, there was something brewing underneath, "What. Is. Her. Real. Name."
Pyrrha looked down at the Gladiator and then back up at the Huntress.
"Ruby Rose."
"Oh Dust, it's really her Ren." Tears formed in Nora's eyes, she grabbed on a little bit tighter to his arm.
Bolin nodded as he looked at his dear friend fighting in the middle of it all. Her opponent was some burly gladiator easily twice her size, but Bolin had more than enough confidence that she could dismantle the man in 3 minutes.
"She… She's different." Ren remarked, "Ruby always had a cheerful demeanor but this, if it wasn't for her hair and eyes I would barely recognize her."
"A lot happened." Bolin simply put."
"Like what?" Nora snapped her head over, "What happened to her?"
Bolin bit his cheek, he hated thinking about – how vulnerable Ruby was to him. What he did to her – physically and mentally. How he tore her down over and over and over again. Oum, he could barely think of the things Roman had ordered his men and that fucking slaver to do to him in order to break his spirit.
His green eyes narrowed as he looked up at the dark haired gladiator, "The same thing goes for that green hair whore you thought I didn't know about – I believe her name was Reese Chloris, right Bolin?"
Roman Torchwick's words made his spine shiver and his skin grow cold – he never gave empty threats.
"If it's too hard to talk about – " Ren started.
"Another time." Bolin cut off, he didn't want to think about it right now, because if he did he couldn't guarantee that he had the restraint to stop himself from marching into that damned marble box and lay waste on the slave master himself.
"Ruby! Ruby it's me!" All three perked up at the yell, "Ru-"
Nora's trained scout eyes quickly scanned the crowd, not too far off from where they sat was a woman with red head trying to wrestle down the blond.
Yang Xiao-Long's eyes flashed red as Pyrrha Nikos attempted to restrain her in the stands, the immediate surrounding people stopped and watch in confusion as the Huntress' fist shot out like a blur and landed a solid hit on Pyrrha's jaw. The Mistral Commander was none too happy, but she quickly took note of the forming crowd.
With strong arms, she wrangled Yang's head down to her waist, Pyrrha bent over and whispered in her ear.
"Yang, you absolutely can not cause a scene."
"That's… Ruby…" Yang's voice strangled against the tight hold, "I… know… her…" Her face turned red.
"If you care about Ruby, then I need you to calm down. For Ruby's sake." Pyrrha tried again.
Yang nodded, her vision quickly turning black.
"You know them Bolin?" Nora pointed the pair out, Pyrrha had just released Yang and the blond was glaring menacingly at her friend.
"I know the red head, that's Commander Pyrrha Nikos." He was a bit perplexed, "Though I'm not too sure why she isn't sitting with the rest of the nobles."
Ren looked down at Nora, "Isn't that who the Commander was going to go off to get?"
"Imagine the look on his face when he see's that we beat him to the punch." Nora giggled as she stood up from her seat.
"Well, we are scouts. Part of the job to go out and find things." Ren chuckled as he followed her through the stands. The crowd around the two had dispersed since the match started, Bolin easily maneuvered through the crowd to approach Pyrrha and Yang.
Bolin approached the pair, "Commander Nikos." He wasn't too sure how to approach her outside of being opponents and fellow gladiators.
"Bo-Bolin." Pyrrha looked up in surprise.
Yang took a deep breath to steady her nerves as she stared intently down at the silver-eyed fighter. It was obvious she was going to win because her opponent had just lost his arm.
"Forgive me if it's a bit rude, but these are-" The roar of the crowd cut him off.
Pyrrha looked down at Yang who was still simmering and then at the two new faces that were with him, "Let's go some place else quieter."
But that proved to be entirely too difficult because everywhere they went in the heart of the Kingdom, everyone recognized Bolin and Pyrrha together. Too many fans would come up and interrupt every time they tried to get into a serious conversation. Eventually Pyrrha just gave up and told everyone they were invited to come talk in her Villa.
Which is how a still brooding Yang and company found them selves in a carriage.
"I'm Sergeant Nora Valkyrie, Scout," Nora greeted, she wasn't sure to salute the Commander or shake her hand.
Pyrrha reached across, "No need to stand on ceremony." They shook hands.
"Staff Sergeant Lie Ren, also a scout." Ren shook hands with the Commander.
"Pyrrha is just fine." The Mistrali smiled, "So you mentioned that you're with Jaune?"
Nora nodded, "Jaune personally visited our unit looking for a friend of ours, she was actually the one who made mince meat out of that poor soul earlier."
"You guys know Ruby?" Yang perked up for the first time since leaving the Coliseum.
"Yeah, she's a scout in our unit. Jaune was looking around to see if she was there, but we filled him in on what happened to her. And then he told us what he knew about her and her situation here." Nora sighed.
"That was nice of Jaune to bring you guys along." Pyrrha mentioned.
"Well actually, he sort of didn't" Ren had a sheepish look on his face, "Nora was set on coming here even though the Commander said no."
"So we do what we scouts are good at and did some reconnaissance and got on the same boat as him when he finally left to come back here!" Nora exclaimed.
Ren groaned, "You know that he could have us court-marshaled for a 'Failure to Obey'."
"I don't care Renny, this is Ruby." Nora had a defiant look.
"If it means anything, I'll talk to Jaune about your situation." Pyrrha admired the scout's resolve. "How come you're not with him right now?"
"Well, the Commander said that he had to try to find you first, so we agreed to hang out around the Inn until he came back." Ren said, "And then we explored the town a bit and ran into Bolin."
"You should have seen my face when they said they were looking for Ruby." Bolin chuckled, "I heard she had a match going today, so I figured I would bring them there to see for themselves if it was truly her."
"So… you all know Ruby." Yang was in disbelief, "And she's a scout from Vale – as in she's from Vale." She looked over the two scouts.
"Y-Yeah – she's an orphan like me and Ren." Nora was confused.
"So do you know Ruby?" Ren asked tentatively.
"Every instinct in me tells me that I do," Yang sighed, "I think – no – I know that she's my sister."
A pregnant pause.
Pyrrha's eyes went wide.
Bolin looked the blond up and down for any sort of resemblance to his friend.
"Wait…" Nora racked her brain, Ruby told them the story a few times about what she could remember of her family, "You're Yang. The sister she was separated from in the fire."
"She – she talks about me?" Her eyes began to water.
"She doesn't remember much, unfortunately, " Ren filled in, "She suffered a head injury during the fire, she's got a scar on the back of her head from it so she was unable to remember her parents name."
"Summer Rose and Tai-Yang Xiao Long." Yang recited easily, "This is-" It was too much to process.
Her sister was here.
"I – I thought she died…" Yang wanted to cry, her sister was in Vale all along, "But we checked every orphanage and no one had her."
Ren looked down at Nora, "It's a bit more complicated than that." He took a deep breath, "Ruby only told the story to us once, but I think it might be better to hear it from her."
"What happened?" Yang was dying to know, "I made Qrow look all over for a whole month."
Nora sighed, she opened her mouth to answer, but Ren placed a hand on her shoulder, "I believe that's a story you should hear from Ruby."
Yang Xiao Long was at a loss for words.
"We're here." Pyrrha announced as soon as the carriage stopped in front of her Villa, from the courtyard outside they saw the look of a very shocked Jaune Arc as they group stepped out of the carriage.
Her gait was still unsteady. Her eyes flicked over to the new occupants of the slave's private quarters. Neptune, Sage, and Scarlet sat around in one of the rooms relaxing for the rest of the evening.
She approached the last room on the right, a mop of blond hair sat down on the bed – but the room wasn't his.
It was Nadir's old room.
"I'm sorry." Ruby muttered.
It had become a ritual after that fateful day was done for the past two weeks.
Sun making it back here, Ruby coming in and muttering an apology, and the two would sit in silence until they both fell asleep. Neither said a word to each other since Ruby told him. Neither had even grieved because of how surreal this was.
Ruby took a seat on the ground, staring at the same spot she had for the past two weeks.
"It's not your fault." His voice was vulnerable.
She remained quiet.
"Rubes, come here." Sun offered a spot on Nadir's bed. Silently, she complied. He wrapped his tail around her waist and Ruby leaned onto shaking shoulders. His hands were in tight fists.
Together they both wept.
"When does this stop?"
Sun looked down at her with tears still in his eyes.
"I don't know, Ruby."
It was warm (again) that morning, which put a smile on Roman's face as he ate his normal morning breakfast.
Neo joined him (again) at the table, she planted a chaste kiss on his temple as she took a seat across from him – the two had yet another eventful evening
Then came (again) his morning bath in the fine marble pool waters, which Neo (again) joined him for.
Then came going through any new reports in his study on the second floor.
Then he had to get ready to entertain more guests today, Pyrrha Nikos and her Huntress friend.
Roman looked out at the courtyard and watched the slaves train.
He absolutely loved the look on Red's face, it was the epitome of what he liked to see in all his rowdy slaves.
Broken.
The slave trained day in and day out, throwing herself into every match, scolding at every prospect for every little mistake.
It was absolutely fantastic.
Everything about Roman's life right now was – an abrupt scuffling was heard at the entrance of his Villa.
"What in Oum's name is going on?" He was irritated, "Junior, whose here?"
"Lord Torchwick," There was a look of panic on his face as he looked at the intruders.
"Roman." Pyrrha stood with an air of authority, her Huntress friend was right at her side, "I hope you don't mind if we showed up a little early."
The slave master was confused, "Of course not."
"Do you know what these are?" Pyrrha held out the papers, the air turned tense.
Roman Torchwick's heart dropped at the sight.
They were Ruby Rose's Valesian identification papers.
"I assure you that I am just as confused as you are." Roman hid his anxiety, "I thought Red was just a wanderer who-"
"Who murdered one of our citizens and is sentenced for a lifetime of slavery." Pyrrha finished, "I'm aware of the story you told."
"Everyone is aware." Jaune Arc stepped into the room, a stern look on his face.
Roman was also painfully aware that nearly everyone was armed.
"You've been hoarding a POW." Pyrrha stepped forward.
"It was an honest mistake, I didn't know she was from Vale." Roman fibbed, but he knew he should be fine – he burned all the paper work he had and the paperwork Cinder stole from the Office of Official Records that implicated Ruby Rose as a Valesian soldier.
Pyrrha narrowed her eyes, "So you had no idea at all that she was a prisoner?"
"Honestly, no – " Roman raised his hands in defense, "When I purchased her I wasn't given any identification papers or made aware of any status she might have carried other than that she was sentenced for life."
Yang's fist was tight – she wanted to destroy the snake. Bolin Hori had told all of them the story of what happened in the dungeon. How he burned Ruby's proof in front of her eyes and abused her friends so that she would maintain her silence. And then Bolin begged them not to tell anyone that they knew – not for what was at stake. It physically pained her to see Bolin do that.
"How did you figure out that the Reaper was from Vale?" If it was that Hori kid he was going to have them taken care of.
Jaune looked at Pyrrha, "During the match, she used a Valesian salute." They all agreed on the story before approaching Roman, which is why Bolin wasn't present, "During my investigation of some of the missing POW I came across the entry that read 'Scout R.R.'."
"I remember meeting Ruby Rose after I came home from the war." Pyrrha, "You remember, right Roman? That was the day you disciplined your fighters in the courtyard."
"Ah, right, I do remember that day." He looked everyone over, the gears in his head turning as he wanted to tread as cautiously as possible, "Though if it's just a prisoner release, then why all the swords?" He motioned to their weapons, his gaze not failing to rest on the huge great sword that rested on Yang's back.
"Some slave owners have been hostile in our approach to free some of the prisoners, which is understandable if their slave has been valuable." Pyrrha explained.
Roman didn't fail to catch the true meaning behind it, "So then take Red and we'll move on with our lives." He waved for Junior to go fetch her. "And grab her key for me."
"Before I forget, this is from Weiss." Pyrrha handed him a document that was written in Weiss' neat handwriting. The letter was drawn up earlier that morning before their trip to Villa Torchwick, "She wants to terminate any and all agreements she has with you."
"What? She can't do that, we're under contract" Roman seethed as he looked her over. "She doesn't have the nerve to cut me off – "
"She can and she did." Yang's voice was dangerous.
"I'll send word to her about – "
"You are not to talk to my friend ever again." Yang cut him off, "Not after the way you've treated her."
"What would you know about my personal affairs?" The slave master shot a venomous look to the Huntress, "You're just an outsider."
Yang seethed, her rage was just barely contained. But Pyrrha's words echoed in her ears "Please don't do anything rash, Torchwick is ruthless."
"I must also inform you that you owe a 600 gold lien fine." Pyrrha explained.
"I refuse," Roman shook his head, "I had no idea she was a prisoner upon purchase, do you have any records available indicating that she was? Anything at all in the Mistrali Records that are so well kept by Oobleck that would implicate me hoarding a POW?" The corner of Torchwick's mouth twitched, he caught the disgruntled flash across Jaune's face.
"Unfortunately no, that is what delayed Ruby's release." Jaune answered, he quelled his anger.
"Then I suppose we'll let bygones be bygones at this point, it was just a harmless mistake." Roman waved his hand.
'Harmless mistake?' Yang seethed internally, she took a half step forward towards the slave master, but Pyrrha grabbed on to her arm to hold her back.
"Lord Torchwick." Junior stated.
Cold. That was how Yang would describe the slave that walked in.
Her tunic and breeches were dirtied, sweat coated her face and her gaze just seemed so far off. She barely paid any attention to the people in the room as her attention went automatically to her slave master. Her very being was like that of a caged and dangerous animal, ready to lash out at the whim of her master.
"Ruby." Yang said under her breath.
"Red, it's come to my attention that you're a prisoner of war." Roman looked the slave over, "I would just like to formally apologize for any grievances you may have experienced, if I had known you were a prisoner, you know I would have let you go." A toothy smile.
Ruby's eyes flashed at the comment, her fist was clenched tightly to the point where her nails were digging into her palms, causing blood to draw. She wanted it, she wanted to slug her fist across his smug face. Yang didn't miss her sister's body language, which only further caused her temper to boil.
"What's wrong Red, got something you want me to pass to your friends before you leave?" Roman put his hand out for the contraption to release the collar, "Should I tell Wukong you'll miss him?"
Sun, the man who had done his best to be there for her, the man who bled with her, tried his best to protect, one of her closest and dearest friends. Ruby released her grip, she wouldn't do that to him… They've been through too much.
"It's your lucky day Red," Roman grabbed the earth Dust crystal key, "You're a free woman now." He stood behind the slave, this caused Ruby to visibly tense, "I just hope you don't forget all the great times we had together."
"Yes… Master Torchwick." Ruby sputtered out, more than aware of the threat. She barely registered the collar coming off.
Yang's fist went flying.
And Roman's head snapped back as his body crashed to the floor.
"You damned whore!" Junior called out as he lunged at the Hunter, Yang made quick work of the man who was easily twice her size. Soon Roman's body guard found himself facedown on the floor, his stomach doing flips and his lip busted open from the lethal combination Yang unleashed on him.
"You damned snake!" Yang seethed as she grabbed Roman by the collar, "What did you do to her?!"
"Unhand me this instance!" Roman seethed back, both of his hands at Yang's powerful grip, "That bitch is my property and I so gracefully allowed her to fucking leave!"
"Yang! Stop!" Pyrrha called out as she grabbed at her arms.
"She is not your property." Yang held the Roman closer to her face, "She's a free woman and you have no fucking right to take that from her." Her eyes burned as she violently shook his body.
Roman smiled, "Why is this so personal to you, Blondie?" His green eyes gleamed with something calculating. "You don't know who you're messing with kid."
"Yang, let him go." Pyrrha tried once more, "He's not worth your time."
The Huntress took a deep breath and loosened her grip on him, "I've skewered men like you for a lot less." The sword on her back gleamed.
"Yang…" Pyrrha tried again.
"If you know what's good for you, then you'll listen to your friend there." Roman eyed the great sword, a deep seated fear began to grow – not only did she handle Junior like a rag doll, but even the famed Mistrali Champion had a hard time reigning the blond under control.
This was not someone Roman could control.
Yang narrowed her eyes, she let go and watched indifferently as Roman fell to a heap.
Ruby stood as she looked on utterly confused as to what was going on.
But Ruby Rose smiled ever so slightly as she watched the one called Yang bury her foot into her former Master's side.
The carriage ride back was eerily quiet.
Yang simply stared at the former slave; the expression on her face was unreadable.
"You really let Mas- Torchwick have it… Thank you" She looked at the Huntress. "This just all feels like a dream."
Yang looked at her younger sister, unsure if she should speak up and tell her the great news.
"We're here!" The carriage driver called out.
Jaune looked outside, "This isn't your Villa."
Pyrrha shook her head, "I think we've let Weiss wait long enough,"
Ruby perked up at the mention of Weiss, she jumped out of the carriage, eager to walk in.
"Do you guys mind if you head in first?" Yang asked, "I wanna talk to Ruby real quick."
"Of course," Pyrrha obliged, "Take your time, we're not going any where."
They both watched as their four companions headed inside the Schnee Villa.
"So, what is it you want to talk about?" Ruby looked the woman over, a mane of blonde hair and lilac eyes.
Blond hair and lilac eyes.
That dream she would have.
That dream that would always haunt her.
That dream that always seemed to have alluded her.
That dream of her older sister with lilac eyes filled with mirth and a wild mane of blonde hair that would bounce in time with her running through the woods on Patch.
And then it clicked, Pyrrha called this blond Yang.
"Y-You… Are… You-" Ruby couldn't find the words, right in front of her was a woman who looked exactly like the child who haunted her sleep.
Yang bit her cheek, the dawn of realization clear on her younger sister's face, "Do you still like strawberries?"
Ruby let out a small laugh, "It's been years since I've had a strawberry."
"So, no?"
"I love them."
Both siblings shared a laugh.
"You're Ruby Rose… my little sister." Yang reached out her hand to touch her baby sister, but stopped, afraid she might scare her off.
Cautiously, like Yang was made of glass, Ruby grabbed her hand in hers "Yang…" The name was foreign on her lips, but it felt so much like home, "You're Yang, my sister." Ruby bursted out into a smile, "You're alive."
"I am." A tear rolled down her cheek, "I thought you died in the fire." Yang choked out.
"Patch?" Ruby asked, her tone with a hint of excitement.
"Yes, on Patch." Yang confirmed.
"I'm Ruby Rose, you're little sister!" She let out the words that she had only imagined saying in her various day dreams of freedom – of a better life.
"I know you are."
"You're my sister…" Ruby tried the word. "You're my sister, Yang."
"Yes, I am your older sister." Yang confirmed, a bright smile on her face.
Without warning, Ruby jumped into the taller woman's arms, tears streaming down her face, "You're my older sister." She whispered into Yang's coat.
For the first time in a very long time Ruby's heart felt full.
For once the world was going with her because despite all the immeasurable odds, Yang was right here. Her big sister was right here with her in her arms. And Ruby would be damned if anything should tear her apart from her sister again.
Never again.
"Thank Oum I found you." Yang muttered, her embrace tight.
"Thank Oum…" Ruby repeated back. "Are you sure I didn't just die and this is heaven?"
"No, this is not heaven." Yang joked, both sisters laughed non-stop. They laughed so hard until tears came out of their eyes. And when their laughter died, they simply stood there crying.
Crying until all that was left were the sobs that racked both of their bodies.
"I'm never letting you out of my sight, ever." Yang choked out.
"I think I could live with that." Ruby's voice was shaky.
"They're sisters?" Weiss asked from the Villa's entrance, a small smile on her face as she watched the scene.
Pyrrha nodded, "Yeah, she almost jumped into the Arena yesterday to find out."
"I'm not surprised."
Yang looked up at Weiss and Pyrrha standing in the doorway, Pyrrha smiled and then ushered Weiss back into the Villa. The Huntress didn't miss her friend's lingering gaze at her sister.
"Hey." Yang let out, she wiped her tears against her sleeves, "There's someone else that wants to see you."
"Hm?" Ruby looked up at her sister, then it dawned on her – they're outside of Weiss Villa.
"She's been pretty down for a while."
Ruby stepped back, suddenly aware of the dirty tunic and breeches she wore, they were in the middle of training when Junior unexpectedly pulled her from the rest and then this emotional ride started.
"Come on, I doubt she really cares about how you look." Yang laughed as she watched the younger girl fret over her clothes.
"You think?" Ruby snapped out of it and figured she looked ridiculous for even trying, "This is just… It's not even mid day and my life has spun around completely." She looked up at the sky, absent-mindedly her hand reached for her neck.
And for the first time in what seemed to be forever, there was nothing there.
"How does it feel?"
"It feels… weird." Ruby confessed, "I've gotten so used to thing that it just felt natural at one point."
Yang nodded, "You ready? Your friend is waiting for you." She teased.
Ruby couldn't contain the grin working it's way on her face, "As I'll ever be." She took one more look at her older sister, "Yang."
"Yeah?"
"Can – Can we talk? Later on though… and for a long time." Ruby had so many questions.
"We've got all the time in the world, Rubes."
Ruby smiled as she heard the nickname, just the way Yang said it was just perfect.
Together the two walked down the path to Villa's front door.
Ruby Rose couldn't even take a step inside without Weiss Schnee launching herself into her arms.
A/N:
Not dead, not until I bring this story the proper closure it deserves.
There comes a time in life where I just need to stop second guessing and just let story take it's course, will it ever be perfect? Probably not, but nothing is ever perfect.
I can't begin to tell you how many revisions I went through before just finally telling myself that I just need to shut up and just do it. I think what the final tipping point for me was when I went back and re-read all of the reviews for this story, kind of gave me that little push I needed to find the grit to finish writing this.
I will say that writing this chapter was a breathe of fresh air to me... because Ruby's finally free.
Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter - and sorry for the long wait, like I said, free time doesn't come by easily for me.
Til next time.
Cheers,
DevilRed