Another chapter of Volume 3 coming right up! Enjoy!
Disclaimer: RWBY is owned by Monty Oum (RIP) along with Rooster Teeth.
"I'm afraid I can't leave just yet. I believe Miss Xiao Long is innocent and I wish to defend her rights." The Soldier responded to the General. The General, Yang and Ozpin himself seemed to be a bit taken back by the Soldiers remarks to the General of the Military he worked under. The only one who didn't share their reaction was Winter.
The Soldier then realized that they didn't know he was Aodh. "Winter didn't tell you did she. And you call me incompetent." The Solider sighed as he revealed his face by removing his helmet.
"Aodh... You're..." Yang started to break down as she seen the face of her older Cousin alive and well.
Aodh did not waste time and tightly hugged Yang as she began to cry. "I'm sorry for doing this to you Yang. I'm sorry to do this to you and Ruby... I promise I'll make this up to you. I swear on it."
In that tender reunion of family what Aodh didn't expect next was a heavy right hook to his stomach knocking the wind out of his lungs. He then seen Yang's burning reds eyes as she stared right back at him. "You're damn right you're gonna explain what you done."
Volume 3: Chapter 8: A very long talk.
"So... Just so I got this clear... You faked your death to hide from a group that who you can't tell me actually are... A this group is planning on attacking something that you also can't name?" Yang asked Aodh.
"Yes... To both of your questions." Aodh calmly answered. But Yang wasn't happy with the answer she got.
"Bullshit! If that really is the case then why are you showing yourself to me now!" Yang shouted out as her semblance activated. Ozpin, Winter and Ironwood continue'd to watch from the sidelines nervously. "Do you have any idea what you have put me and Ruby through!"
"Listen here you little shit!" Aodh also shouted back showing his anger. "I wasn't happy that I had to fake my death in the first place but when they have targeted you! You bet your ass I fucking stepped in!"
Aodh and Yang both calmed down as Aodh tightly hugged his cousin. "I hated not being able to talk to you two. And when I had to watch you both cry over my death... I..."
"Thank you..." Yang cut off Aodh as she whispered to her cousin.
"As glad as I am to see you back with a member of your family Aodh I hate to bring up the subject but I'm afraid we will need to discuss what we will need to do next." Professor Ozpin stated to everyone in the room.
"So I really was targeted then." Yang softly stated in disbelief.
"Yes but not exactly." Winter informed Yang.
"What do you mean?" A confused Yang asked.
"Well, when you attacked Mercury." Winter started but she was cut off by Yang.
"I didn't, he attacked me." Yang stated leaving no doubt in her voice but everyone in the room didn't have the same amount of confidence in her. With the exception of Aodh.
"I know you didn't Yang but alot of people won't believe you. The match was recorded and played around Remnant." Aodh informed Yang as Winter showed her a video clip of her fight with Mercury.
In the video Yang could clearly see Mercury lying on the ground as she walked over to him and punched his leg breaking it in half. "That's not what happened."
"If you and Aodh are sure then I will stand by you Yang but as Aodh said... Alot of people watched this and It has gotten some attention from the Grimm." Winter stated back to Yang.
"When this happened there was an increase of Grimm activity outside of Vale. now it's nothing to be concerned about but this group made you a target for everyone's hatred." General Ironwood explained.
"If it wasn't for Aodh quick intervention of taking you out of the public's eye it possibly could've been worse." Professor Ozpin nodded towards Aodh, congratulating him on his work.
"But right now we don't know if you were the target all along if if they are planning on something else. So we will have to keep you out of the public's eye for the remainder of the tournament." General Ironwood stated to the room before he looked at his capital ship as it passed by Ozpin's office.
"I hope you are not talking about a cell, General..." Aodh lowly growled at the General.
"I'm sure the General was thinking more along the lines of a possible house arrest in her room or relocation to her home in Patch." Professor Ozpin quickly intervened on the General's behalf.
"Either way her team have to be informed of what will happen as well." Aodh stated to Ozpin and General Ironwood.
"Would also include Ruby knowing of you being alive and well as well." Professor Ozpin asked Aodh.
"No." Aodh quickly responded to Ozpin's question prompting Yang and Winter to both give him questionable looks.
"Wait, why?" Yang asked desperate to know why only she could know between the two sisters.
"Aodh think about this. This is a chance to get out of hiding." Winter advised Aodh as well after Yang.
"Yang, the only reason I showed you I was alive was because my hand was forced to. And Winter i'm still undercover. This isn;t going to end until the festival is over. Once the festival is finished then I'll tell Ruby... I'm sorry but right now isn't the right time." Aodh stated.
Winter and Yang both knew he was right so they could not argue back. General Ironwood then stepped forward. I think it would be best if I escorted Miss Xiao Long to her teammates. I would guess they are quite worried over her well being."
Yang agreed and before she left in the elevator with General Ironwood she quickly turned back around and rushed once more towards Aodh. "Just making sure you are real..." Yang softly said.
"I know firecracker. Contact Ozpin if you need to speak to me about anything okay."
"I will... See you later Aodh." Yang smiled as she waved goodbye.
Later that same day General Ironwood was forced to inform Team RWBY that they were ejected from the festival. At first they argued with him stating it was unfair but he stated he could not chance this decision before he abruptly left them alone in there room. They remained silent for a few awkward moments before Yang softly spoke up.
"You guys believe me, right?"
"Duh!" Ruby quickly responded in her sister's defense.
"You're hotheaded, but not ruthless." Weiss agreed with Ruby's statement but in her own way.
"Blake?" Yang softly asked her partner when she realized Blake had yet to speak
Blake at first didn't respond. Instead she turned her gaze away, earning a shocked look between Ruby and Weiss. She then sounded unsure as she answered. "I want to believe you..."
"Huh!?" Ruby didn't know how to respond to Blake's answer.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Weiss tried to ask with out anger in her voice.
With a tear forming in her eyes Yang asked once more. "Blake?"
Holding back her anger Weiss looks between Yang and Blake before she calmed down to softly speak. "How can you say something like that? Yang would never lie to us!"
"I had someone very dear to me change. It wasn't in an instant, it was gradual. Little choices that began to pile up. He told me not to worry. At first they were accidents, then it was self-defense. Before long, even I began to think he was right." Blake paused for a moment. It was clear to Team RWBY that this person who she was speaking about was once very close to her.
"This is all just... very familiar." As Blake continue'd Yang could hold back a tear falling down her cheek. "But you're not him. And you've never done anything like this before. So... I want to trust you. I will trust you. But first, I need you to look me in the eyes and tell me that he attacked you. I need you to promise me that you regret having to do what you did."
Wiping the tear away from her eye Yang looked calmly at Blake "I saw him attack me, so I attacked back."
Happy with Yang's answer Blake let out a deep breath before she smiled at Yang. "Okay. Thank you."
Yang then looked down. She had one more bit of information she had to give out to Team RWBY that General Ironwood never mentioned. "The General never mentioned this as well but he and professor Ozpin said that i'm going to be under house arrest in our room until the end of the Tournament. So I think I'm gonna rest up."
"We'll get out of your hair." Blake said to Yang as Weiss left along with Blake.
"I'll see you later sis." Ruby hugged Yang before she left with Blake and Weiss.
The next day Ruby was walking towards the air station. Her mind was racing over the events of yesterday with Yang and her Team's reaction but she put those thought aside as she prepared to watch the day's events. As she walked up to the end of the line waiting to get in the transport up to the arena she seen Velvet taking photos of everyone in line.
Ruby stepped out of line and approached Velvet from behind as she continues taking pictures with her camera until she notices who's behind her.
"Ruby, how you going?"
"Hi, Velvet! What're you up to?"
"Oh, you know. Just working on my photography. Do you wanna see?" Velvet offered Ruby a view of the photos she had taken. Ruby immediately noticed that Velvet didn't even get all of Sun in her picture, cutting out his head and feet.
"That's... better." (steps away as she grins in forced approval)
"I'm... sorry about your sister. Is she doing okay?" Velvet said with concern towards Yang
"Yeah, she's fine, heh. Thanks." Ruby nervously answered.
"I think it's just awful what people are saying about her. Yang's such a nice person."
"Well, I'm glad someone thinks so." ruby rubbed the back of her head as she responded.
"Most people don't know what it's like on the battlefield. I mean, even experienced fighters can get scared and start seeing things. If it happened to Coco, it can happen to anyone."
Ruby was confused as to what Velvet meant. "Coco?"
"Yeah. She swore she saw Yatsu with her in the forest during the fight with Emerald and Mercury, but he never even made it out of the geyser fields. Stress-induced hallucinations, apparently."
"Yeah..." Ruby looked onwards in thought but a sudden flash of light startled her.
"Oh! Sorry."
Back in the Colosseum Aodh was hiding once more in the Atlas Solider gimmick but this time he held his Gladius along with his own personal weapons Scath and Solas. He looked around the crowd in order to find anyone who would be close to cinder but was not able to locate anyone.
Meanwhile Ruby had just entered the Colosseum. Despite everything that's happened in the last 24 hours she was still excited to watch the festival as she smiled. She looked around the large crowd until she spots someone who shouldn't be there.
"Emerald's... here?"
And Cut!
So that's all for another chapter. I'm gonna guess ahead of time and say that there is roughly 4 or 5 chapters left in volume 3 so hopefully we'll be finished soon. Anyway I got my ticket yesterday to RTX London so i'm really looking forward to doing what I have planned. I have two things on my wish list. Dress up as a Griffin Grimm and chase every cosplayer dressed as Roman Torchwick.
My second plan involves a selfie stick I bought for halloween. It's a selfie stick that looks like a severed arm. So once i get my hands up Ember Celica I'm gonna ask Barbara for a selfie photo... Then Burnie.
No Q&A for this chapter so hopefully it'll be back for the next chapter.
So that's all for this chapter folks. If you have a question do feel free to post a review or PM myself. If I don't answer your question on next chapter's Q&A I will try to reply via PM. Thank you for reading this chapter. I hope you've all enjoyed it. Till next time