Sorry this one took so long, not even gonna bother blaming personal issues. This is just me dragging my feet
Disclaimer: RWBY belongs to Rooster Teeth, Bálor belongs to me, and anything/anyone else mentioned belongs to their respective parent company
"Shit!" Bálor would leap for cover behind a row of seats in an attempt to dodge the assassin Ethel's assault from her ever-changing weapon which also doubled as her partner Karin.
"Ya know, I remember back when my worst problem was trying to avoid Goodwitch getting me kicked outta this place, now I'm trying to fight off a one word spewing murderess!" The wolf Faunus would roll his eyes as he kept moving through the remaining seats in the nearly destroyed amphitheatre as the hooded assassin laid in with a barrage of light arrows this time, Bálor knew that the longer this fight dragged on that he had less and less of a chance for victory against this girl, at least as long as he kept his killer instinct at bay.
"Who fucking sent you, and just why do they want me dead?" He would pause in his evasion long enough to face down the black hooded girl whose weapon had now shifted to a pair of gauntlets, in his response the wolf Faunus would lift up a few of the remaining seats and some debris to act as a makeshift shield.
"Kill..Kill kill, kill." Ethel would respond in the same manner she had been, as was usually the case it was left to Karin to translate for him.
"Like I've so kindly stated, we ourselves bear no grudge towards you. We're just acting on behalf of someone who does." Ethel would grin menacingly, undercutting her partner's kind words before letting loose a barrage of fists that would decimate his barrier faster then a fat kid scarfing down Dorito's.
"Yeah, no grudges..that's the vibe I'm getting from this." The silver haired Hunter would leap back and try to reassess his options, which were already pretty bleak to begin with. "Really starting to wish I hadn't destroyed Jack's weapons now, those Eight Blades saw me through some pretty hellish times." Ethel would waste no time in shifting Karin to Spear mode and attempting to skewer him again, grinning as she forced him further and further up the stairs.
"Okay, I am really getting fed up with this transforming arsenal of yours woman!" Bálor would snarl and grab her spear and start to throw it and Ethel aside, only for the black hooded phenom to deliver a high knee to his nose and send him flying back against the door of the upper entrance.
"Ugh, such a terrible idea..of course she's got mad combat abilities too." He would struggle to stand even as a familiar pair of expensive white boots entered his line of sight, as the wounded young man looked up to see who they belonged to, his face would contort into a look of pure disgust.
"I didn't wanna believe it was you, I was hoping there was some good in you!"
Ruby would sigh as she left Team JNPR's dorm, her face sullen with worry as they hadn't seen hide nor hair of her silver-haired beloved that entire day, she had been busy going from dorm to dorm inquiring for any sort of info on Bálor. Even her own teammates were at a loss for where he would be.
"I've checked the courtyard, the cafeteria, the library..where else could he go?" The red-hooded Huntress would sit down, shaking her head at his sudden disappearance. "Where are you Bálor, why do you continue to run from the people who love you?"
"Talking to yourself are we Ruby?" The crimsonette would look up to see Professor Ozpin standing over her with a contemplative look on his face, she would smile sadly in response before looking down at the shoddily doodled Bullet Club logo on her hand, or at least her own interpretation of it: The Skull having been replaced by a red rose and the bullets with little wolves chasing cookies, it was her way of honoring his adoration for the group of wrestling renegades, the young man who'd stolen her heart, and the treat they often shared during their time as dorm mates.
"That's quite the unusual symbol you have there, no doubt he would find it humorous." Ozpin would smirk as he admired the symbol on Ruby's hand before beginning to walk away at a leisurely pace, it didn't take the cookie loving reaper long to fall in step beside him even as he continued in silence. It was clear to him that the younger woman had questions, and while he had the answers she needed it behooved the man to let his student take the initiative.
"Professor Ozpin, I don't understand..why does Bálor not trust any of us? We've done nothing to make him feel threatened or unwanted." Ruby would conveniently leave out the hostilities between the wolf and her partner Weiss, she figured that was a mess that she would have to handle on her own time.
The wizened Hunter would hide a smirk at the fact she had selected the most obvious question first, but it would fade as he prepared to answer her regardless.
"Ruby, you have to understand that Bálor isn't like most of the applicants who enter this academy. They've spent their lives training at various other institutions honing their skills as Hunters and people, while he was forced into a life of forced servitude to the military of Vacuo. While others like you and your sister grew up knowing the warmth of family and friends, he spent his childhood stuck behind bars at a deep ground prison for war criminals where he no doubt witnessed some of the most unspeakable things no adult could stomach safely, let alone an eight year old child who had been ripped away from his recently widowed mother."
Ruby would gulp as she listened to Ozpin explain Bálor's sad tale to her; and while the silver haired Faunus had let her in on some of his hatred for his father and other miscellaneous details, she wasn't exacted prepared for something that belonged at the beginning of a bad television drama.
"At the age of 13 he had killed for the first time in his life, as the records state it: Bálor had simply been standing in line for the designated lunch hour when a group of older prisoners accused him of line cutting, normally it would have ended without bloodshed except that one of the men had decided to take a sharpened toothbrush with him into the mess hall..I take it you know how such things like that can end?"
The crimsonette would shake her head quickly, not only out of her lack of knowledge but because the professor's long diatribes seemed to be focused on trying to keep her away from the things she desperately needed to know.
"Professor, I get that Bálor's been through some kind of nightmare and that he believes he's some kind of monster who doesn't belong, but for Dust's sake Yang and I and sooo many others have tried to get him to let go of the nightmares!" Ruby was fuming as she spoke, she had been keeping these thoughts pent up for a good long while now despite plenty of opportunities she had had during their tumultuous relationship to bring said gripes to bear. "I mean, what more do I have to do to get his attention: buy a fancy dress like Yang and just waltz into his room like some model? Be hostile and combative like Blake has and push him to fight back? Tell me, Professor what IS the answer here?!" The red hooded Huntress would finally exhale as she let her tirade hang in the air between them, Ozpin would simply wait for the young woman to compose herself before speaking his piece.
"Honestly Ruby, I don't quite the answer to that question myself." He would hold up his hand to silence any further outbursts from the young Huntress, mostly to keep her from losing her cool any more then she already had. "The best I find myself being is a substandard paternal figure, my "son" is wild, unashamed to run his mouth and flout the rules of this very academy, but like any good parent I look out for my child in the same way I look out for all of you. The best advice I can offer you is that you have to find your own way to reach out to Bálor, whether it's through little doodles like the one on your hand or by showing him just how deep the well of your for him runs through a mighty gesture." With those final words, Ozpin would leave the cookie loving reaper to ponder her own thoughts.
"Find my own way…" Ruby would mumble this to herself as she stared down at the doodle on her hand, the gears turning in her head as a plan started to form and a grin formed on her face as she sped off toward the amphitheater unaware of what kind of war zone she was about to step into.
Bálor would groan in agony as Ethel beat him down mercilessly with her fists, it wouldn't have been so painful if the girl had been using her own fists to lay into him, but she was steadfast in using Karin's "Knuckle" Mode. The wolf Faunus would desperately try to remain on his feet even as his legs were about at their limit, his aura was doing what it could to mend the bruises but anytime a wound would be repaired the black hooded girl would damage it anew.
And standing by the door, watching the endless volley of fists meeting the unwilling human punching bag was a smugly satisfied Weiss Schnee.
"You should've just been a good dog and accepted the treats I so generously offered you, maybe then I wouldn't have to have my associate pound your face into ground meat!" The heiress would nod approvingly as her hired gun sent the besieged wolf Faunus skyward with a brutal uppercut before leaping after her and sending him back down with a crushing spin kick to the chest.
"Ugh..y-you're telling me that you hired someone to kill me..because I turned away your obvious attempts at buying me off?" The silver-haired Faunus would struggle to even lift his head to face the obviously deranged heiress. "First you hate me..then you want me..now you hate me again, can you just please..make up your mind Schnee?"
Weiss would grit her teeth and wave Ethel off as she made her over to the badly beaten Bálor, planting the heel of her boot into his chest and reveling in his cries of anguish. "Idiot! You actually think someone like me would have any sort of interest in a prison mutt like you!" The heiress would grind her boot down on him further as she looked down at the poor soul beneath her, a sick grin on her face as she unsheathed her precious Myrtenaster and pointed its tip at his throat. "I was hoping that maybe you would get the hint and clean up your act, maybe if I replaced that grime you call a wardrobe then Ruby would lose all interest in you!" There would be a rather terrifying gleam in the heiress's pale blue eyes as she began to talk about the crimsonette reaper, the wolf would immediately recognize it as the same kind of gleam he got whenever he would go on a rant about the Bullet Club.
"Oh sweet Dust she's in love with Ruby." The silver haired Faunus would let out a pained laugh as certain things finally began making sense to the young man. "Normally this would be a major turn-on for me..but I'm in horrible pain!" Weiss would recoil in disgust at his comment before switching the dust chamber on her rapier with a sneer, the blade becoming covered in a red glossy coating that burned to the touch.
"I'll make sure those words will be put on your grave Bálor, give my grandfather my regards when you see him in Hell!" She would ready herself to deliver the final blow when the doors of the amphitheater opened with a loud creak, surprising the three individuals involved as Ruby made her way in, flanked by Yang and Blake.
"Woah, what the heck happened here?" Ruby would look around in shock at the destroyed area in front of them, she was about to investigate further when a black hooded girl appeared before them, a scythe at the ready.
"Kill!" The three Huntresses would split up to dodge Ethel's sudden attack, Ruby instinctively readied Crescent Rose for a fight, figuring that the best way was to go for a "fight fire with fire" approach.
"I don't know who you are, but you can't just go around trashing other people's property!" The crimsonette would twirl her scythe in grand fashion before continuing with her heroic speech. "Now evildoer, prepare to pay for your crimes as Team RWBY prepares to lay the smackdown upon thee!" Blake would facepalm before removing Gambol Shroud from its sheath, even Yang would shake her head as she readied her Howling Dragons for their maiden voyage into combat. "There's a time and a place for that kinda thing Rubes, and this ain't it!" The crimsonette would whimper as her team laid down the law on her introduction, however she would ready herself for battle, until she noticed that something was very off about the scene in front of her. Chairs had been thrown about some had been bifurcated completely, as her eyes followed the chaos around her they eventually fell onto the main dais where her partner lay poised to deliver a lethal strike to a badly injured Bálor.
"No, no no nononononono." Time itself seemed to slow to a crawl as her mind flashed back to her many encounters with him: Gazing at him from afar from inside the cafeteria, to the Cookie World stunt that saw the two of them loading a forklift full of cookies to take home for her to enjoy, to her confession of love for him even as her sister was doing the same, to their first kiss and their subsequent first night as roommates.
"NOOOOOO!" Ruby would feel the lone word leave her throat before her Semblance sent her rocketing down towards the dais with such speed that she temporarily saw nothing but white.
He was sure he had finally succumbed to shock.
That was the only way Bálor could comprehend what he was now seeing as a crimson blur screamed towards Weiss, leaving the heiress little time to even yelp in surprise before it slammed her through the marble pillar above his head and begin to send it tumbling towards his prone body.
"Fuck, what is it with me and heavy falling objects?" He would think to himself as he squeezed his eyes shut and prepared for the inevitable crushing.
Yang barely had time to question her sister's outburst before watching her tear down to the ruined dais like a crimson bullet, her eyes had failed to keep sight of the crimsonette but they did fall onto a familiar silver-haired Faunus about to meet his end via giant marble pillar.
"B!" The golden haired brawler's mane would burn with fury upon seeing him prone and defenseless for the umpteenth time, and while she had technically given up her claim on Bálor relationship-wise that didn't mean she was about to let the man she loved die in front of her.
Not as long as there was still a chance to make things right between them.
With a quick glance to check on Blake, who was bravely fighting off the mysterious girl who had ambushed them minutes ago Yang would let loose her own primal roar and unload round after round of Dust bullets from her Howling Dragons, snarling as the pillar was reduced to mere rubble before whirling around to clash with their mysterious assailant who was now wielding a pair of gauntlets.
"I don't know who the hell you are, but you picked the WORST day to come here and screw with me!" She would let out a roar of blind fury before letting loose with a barrage of fists, her opponent would growl before matching her blow for blow and eventually even began pushing the brawler back.
"Guess I don't have a choice, time to let my babies REALLY howl!" Yang would let out another angered battle cry as her gauntlets began to glow a pale gold and increase her punching speed to the point that to the naked eye she looked like an angered battle Goddess throwing ten fists for every one jab, something that her opponent Ethel was clearly unprepared for as she was being bombarded with fists.
"E-Ethel, I'm sorry..it's too much!" The brawler refused to let up her relentless assault even as her opponent's weapon disappeared into thin air and left the poor girl defenseless as the blonde continued to pummel away at her.
"Yang! Yang STOP!" Blake, who had been standing aside when her partner had finally snapped, would be forced to tackle the frenzied Huntress to the ground before a simple beating became wholesale murder. As the two of them looked at one another they both would be at a loss words at what had just transpired.
Ruby would find herself face to face with a very angry and bruised Weiss, and even though she was livid after seeing her closest friend (aside from Yang, Blake, Jaune, and even Penny.) about to kill someone truly precious to her, deep in her heart she still felt a great sorrow for the heiress.
"Weiss, I don't understand why you had to take things this far..I don't understand why you have to keep trying to hurt the man I love!"
Her partner would only scream in anguish before making a speed glyph appear beneath her feet as she rocketed towards the startled scythe wielder, tackling her to the ground and glaring into those silver eyes she had admired in silence.
"Because I love you, you stupid dolt!" The pale haired Huntress would place her hands on either side of Ruby's face and pull her in close for the kiss she felt she richly deserved.
"N-no this isn't-" But the crimsonette's protests would be cut off as Weiss's lips crashed against hers in a desperate struggle for dominance, Ruby would struggle even as the heiress brought the full weight of her body to bear against her cutting off the supply of air she needed to live.
"This is wrong…" The silver eyed Huntress would force her mind to leave her body as Weiss's hands began roving down her body, she was helpless and trapped against the surprisingly strong frame of a now former ally.
"It wasn't supposed to be like this..not like this. Yang..Bálor..Mom..someone help me!"
Tears began to trickle down Ruby's cheeks, much to Weiss's shock as she looked down at the person she adored more than anyone in Remnant. She could feel the younger girl's body quaking with fear, even after pouring all her love into that kiss all she had received in turn was fear.
It was as if she had been slapped in the face a thousand times over, she had graciously conceded that Ruby was the better leader and had resolved herself to becoming a better person, a better teammate, all in the hope that Ruby would recognize her efforts the same way Weiss herself had recognized had recognized her partner's efforts towards becoming a great Huntress. For the last two years the four of them had gone from being four individuals who had next to nothing in common to being a well oiled machine on the battlefield, and a tight knit family who occasionally fought over trivial stuff off of it.
"It's all his fault, if that stupid bastard hadn't sauntered in here with his "too sweet's" and annoying bravado then everything would've stayed the way it was: Absolutely perfect." The heiress would mumble quietly to herself as she heard the familiar groans of someone she thought she had left for dead.
"WHY? Why couldn't you have just stayed in that shithole Ozpin found you in, then Ruby would've been Mine! The team would be whole, and things wouldn't be so WRONG!?" Weiss would get up from the strangely comfortable position she had on top of Ruby and start running towards the object of her hatred with what little energy she could muster by herself.
The silver haired Faunus would take one glance at the raging heiress before letting loose with a strangled cry of anger, slamming into her shoulder first and sending them both tumbling to the grass.
"Stop blaming ME, it's your fault for not being able to man up and tell Ruby what you were feeling you disgusting little psychopath!" The heiress could feel her eyes widen as a nauseating wave of fear washed over her body at his words. "That's right you spoiled little cretin, I heard every word you had to say as I made my way over here..and while I'd love to give you a proper demonstration of how we'd deal with worms like you behind bars, not only are you not worth the wasted energy but it would tear Ruby apart to know that I had even entertained the thought" His amber eyes burned into her like a raging inferno, enough so that Weiss would trash underneath him before he delivered a stinging slap to her cheek.
"ENOUGH! I am tired of you always assuming that others are to blame for your own weakness, and while I'm no better in that perspective at least I know enough to realize when I'm being foolish." She would glare up at the amber eyed Faunus as her hands searched desperately for a rock to smash into his skull, however he would stand up slowly letting the heiress free as he made his way over to the still frightened crimsonette.
"It's okay Ruby, I'm..gonna get us all some help." She would pause as Ruby leaned in close, whispering something only he could hear. "No honey, Weiss is fine..little banged up but still with us." He would look back at the stunned Heiress, as if to confirm his own statement before leaning down to listen to her partner once more.
"How is she still worried about me, after everything I put her through?" Weiss could feel the tears before she saw them hit the ground, trying to fight back a sob as the wolf Faunus helped Ruby to her feet slowly before beginning a very slow walk over to Weiss herself.
"I..I don't deserve someone as wonderful as you in my life." The heiress would pull herself to a kneeling position just in time to catch her partner into a full on hug, even as the man she despised began to walk back inside, presumably to check in on the rest of the team.
"We're going to have a lot to talk about while we're getting patched up aren't we?" Ruby would whisper hoarsely, trying her best to keep from crying even as the heiress began to bawl uncontrollably.
Bálor would slowly make his way back into the decimated amphitheatre with a tired smile on his face, in the distance he could hear Ruby and Weiss tiredly trying to explain their actions towards one another.
"Those two..are definitely not your average partners, they got a long and rocky road ahead of them. Feelings that need to be expressed, even a little heartache coming down the way..but they'll be okay."
He would pause to lean against the ruined tunnel way that Ruby's insanely fast charge had created to hack up some blood, he could feel the taste of metal dripping from his lips as he started his trek anew.
"I honestly don't know if I can ethically pursue a romantic entanglement with Ruby, now that I know just how deep Weiss's feelings go. I suppose that maybe I should just do the smart thing and bow out of that one." The wolf Faunus would sigh as he looked back at the path behind him, then to the path in front of him. Both were dark, terrifying, and seemingly endless.
"Wonder if it would matter if I just let myself go..I've caused enough pain to last the next twenty lifetimes paying back the bad karma I've built up in this life." As if in agreement his body would collapse towards the ruined path of dirt and various building debris, only to feel a familiar pair of arms close around him, slowly easing him down into a more gentle embrace.
"How..? Every time I'm about to fall, you're always there to catch me…" He opened his eyes to see Yang looking down at him with a gentle smile on her face as she lifted him up into her arms and began the long walk back.
"Who can say, I just..felt like you were about to leave me behind. And we both know how I hate being left alone." The blonde brawler would laugh quietly, even as tears flowed down her lovely face. The wolf Faunus would look up at her, not knowing how to comfort her and lacking the strength to lift his arms and wipe away her tears. But perhaps this time it was for the best that he let her feelings for him show, Yang had always been a bright light that cast away the darkened memories of his prison days, the burning hammer that had shattered his bubble of noisy podcasts and dragged him out into the wonderfully terrifying Beacon Academy. It was her never-ending enthusiasm and bottomless appetite for life and adventure that had encouraged him to cut loose and share his goofiness with the world, in the end she had been the one to free him from the iron bars of solitude he'd created as a child and helped him walk the rocky road of uncertainty that greeted most who had lived as prisoners.
He finally understood the thing that he had spent the last few months running from, hiding behind the Bullet Club laden bravado, the endless fights, and unabated anger there stood one concrete fact.
Yang Xiao Long loved him with her very heart and soul.
Alright, before you start screaming "cop out", please hear me out on this one ladies and germs.
From Chapter 2 onward Yang and Bálor have always been dancing around the prospect of a relationship (mostly with Yang in confident pursuit while Bálor dodged it without outright shutting her down) It's been at the heart of the main conflict of the story (sorry about the lack of humor by the way) and while there have been some tender moments between Bálor and Ruby can you as a reader honestly see a BálorXRuby ending floating by while a giant percentage of the fic has been BálorXYang?
For those of you that do, I genuinely salute your opinion and would be happy to hear your reasonings in either a review or PM
Yes, last chapter Yang willingly conceded her chance with Bálor so that Ruby might have her day in the sun, like a good older sibling might do. Sometimes it's best to let your younger sibling have the spotlight even if it means you get burned.
I honestly don't know what an IC (In character) Yang would do if it came down to both of them wanting the same guy, the only people that might are Monty Oum and perhaps Yang's VA Barbara Dunkelman. Sadly, Monty has left us and I don't feel brave enough to venture a hypothetical to Miss Dunkelman (those of you who do, feel free to do so) but as this fic started OOC (Out of Character) I've done my best to try and navigate the waters that the cast resides in, and while plenty have bashed Bálor has the consummate "Mary-Sue" archetype I honestly believe that it takes all kinds to make fan fiction work.
As the saying goes: One man's trash-fic is another's treasured story. (I know I know, not the exact saying but you get the picture)
For those willing to stick it out to the last chapter, I thank you for riding my crazy train to its fullest, for those of you who feel this is your breaking point. I bear you no ill-will and thank you for all the time you spent reading Conversations, you all (and of course Monty) are responsible for giving me the courage necessary to write once again after a decade of not doing so, I honestly wish I could thank each and every reader who gave this (and anything else I've written) in person. I've put you all through a lot and it's the least I feel I can do.
Stay tuned for the exciting conclusion next chapter.