ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM

If I were to die now, I wouldn't mind it. The last image I saw before everything turned black was that of the image of my beloved Yang. Death sounds wonderful right now, it's like a release from all the load I have hanging on my shoulder, a peaceful transition from a life full of worries to a world filled with absolutely nothing.

Unfortunately, peace such as the kind I yearn for is elusive. Life still has business to settle with me.

First it was my hearing, it was faint at first, but I was able to make out the murmurs of familiar voices. Ruby's, Weiss', Blake's, and of course, Yang's. Then came a gentle and soothing sensation coming from the top of my head. A wave of relaxation that stroke my hair back and forth, begging my eyes to open.

"Y-Yang..."

A whisper was all I could muster at first, so faint that I doubt they could hear. Once more I tried calling out her name, but my voice cracked and rattled.

"Yang."

Suddenly, the gentle strokes on top of my head began to tightly trace the shape of my face, and I can feel the warm air of Yang's breath running against my face.

"Ezra!? You're awake!"

Then my vision slowly came too.

"By the gods! Thank you!"

I tilt my head to side as Yang began to sob, her forehead touching mine. I see the image of Ruby knelt down on the side of my bed with her face buried on the mattress and her hand tightly clutching my arm. All I can hear from her were the sound of muffled cries. At the tip of my hands I can feel the warm grip of Weiss and Blake, they too were crying.

"Yay, I lived."

I said jokingly, trying to ease the tension around the room.

"Ezra, it's been two days! We were worried sick! Your aura barely regenerated and your body was cold as a corpse!"

Yang, with tears still rolling down her eyes, was furious.

"I'm sorry Yang."

I muster what strength I could to reach out, to no avail. Yang grabbed my hand and pressed it against her cheek, while she stared at me with relief.

"Did you overdid it with your semblance?"

Blake asks while she rubbed the tears off her face.

"I- ah... sorta. Can't remember just yet."

Blake nodded and accepted my halfhearted answer. Everyone gave each other a sigh of relief, and the tension around the room began to lighten. The team took turns nursing me for a couple of hours, practically force feeding me to the point where I was able to at least sit up by the time noon rolled along. Just so happens that everyone else was away during that time dealing with the festival, and it was Yang's turn to take care of me.

"So y'all practically didn't get any sleep huh?"

I ask, embarrassed.

"No, we did. We took shifts in the morning and the nurses took care of you at night. Jaune and Pyrrha stopped by too. Oh! Ren and Nora gave you flowers by the way."

Yang cheerfully recapped the last two days, as she closed the window curtains.

"Oh... that's nice."

Yang flicked her hair backwards and gave me a kiss, before settling down on the side of my bed.

"I probably won't be here very long though, I have a match today. Team voted me to represent the singles fight! Wish me luck?"

I may have lied to Blake. I remember clearly why I was on the brink of death. The story of the maiden's: Cinder's true goal... In all honesty, I didn't think I would make it outta there alive. I simply crawled my way to Yang to see her one last time before I died. Permanently. I guess she saved me.

"Helloooo. Ezra! Are you there?"

I must have been spacing out far too long for Yang to jokingly yell at me like that. I lift my head and gave her a soft smile.

"Come here real quick."

I wrap my hand around her neck and gently pulled her my way till our lips began to touch. This moment right now, is pure joy, so I kiss her as passionately as I could because the moment we pull away from each other, it'd be an argument.

"Yang, listen... about the match."

She smiled while she adorably tilted her head. I caress the back of her head the same way she did mine just this morning.

"What about it?"

I took a deep breath, preparing myself for the worst.

"I don't want you to go through with it."

Yang chuckled at first, then looked at me in shock with her smile still half frozen in her face.

"Wait... You're serious?"

I couldn't even muster the strength to look at her, to see what she thought about the whole thing, though there was really no need. Her strained and annoyed voice was more than enough to let me know she was absolutely fuming.

"Why?"

I could nothing but sigh.

"It's just... I can't explain it to you fully."

Yang stood up from my bed, her fists fully clenched.

"BZZT! Wrong answer. I'd ask what's going on, but we both know you're not gonna tell me anyways."

I lean in closer and grabbed her hand.

"Yang, I'm sorry okay? Can you please just trust me? Don't show up today at the tournament."

Yang pulled her hand away and shook her head.

"No, these past few days you've been acting like Blake when Torchwick was still a thing. At least we knew why she was upset back then, but you! You just kept your mouth shut and it's driving me insane Ezra!"

She began to pace back and forth, all the frustrations that she had on me started to pour out.

"You know I've been holding back lately cause I know this is just how you are, but I was really really hoping that at the very least, you would open up to me! Your girlfriend, I'm not asking for the whole picture Ez, just part of it, but you couldn't even do that! Still, I let it go, the you go ahead and pull this stunt! Suddenly appearing in front of my door half dead."

I tried my best to stay silent, but something inside me just snapped.

"You don't even know what I know Yang! The things I carry, things I wish I can tell you but couldn't!"

Yang dropped her shoulders and sat back down. She wrapped her hands around my shoulders and leaned in closer.

"Then tell me Ezra. Tell me, what's going on. Please."

Every inch of my body wants to, but I also know that the moment I do, I'll lose Yang. The cruel reality of it all is that I still need to tell my team everything I've done, but I wanna do it under my own terms- when I've corrected the sins I've committed. This... being backed into a corner, with things escalating the way they are. It's not it.

"Yang, please, I can't. Just... I'm begging you, don't go to the tournament."

Me and Yang stare at each other in silence, till the sudden ringing of the intercom swayed our attention away from each other.

[Will all the remaining participants make their way to Amity Coliseum.]

With a faint smile, Yang rubbed my cheek before she whispered under her breath.

"I love you, Ezra. We'll talk after this alright?"

I lean back against my bed, defeated.

"I love you too."

Yang kissed my forehead then left the infirmary without ever looking back. I sat there frustrated, unable to do anything to help Yang. Whatever Cinder has planned to capture the fall maiden's powers will probably be executed today. The matches held today will mark the conclusion of the Vytal Festival after all. My sole purpose the moment I opened my eyes from my earlier slumber were to make sure Yang wouldn't be involved, then I would have focused on Cinder next.

I clearly botched that.

So I scour my brain to solve the other half of the problem: Cinder. It was then that I realized that if I was able to hear the intercom from my room, then I must be in the infirmary room near the classrooms. And if I remember correctly, this infirmary ain't that far from the classroom Cinder had me implant a bug on the ceiling.

"That's my golden ticket."

Slowly but surely I made my way out my room. I managed to convince the nurse that I needed some fresh air and time alone, allowing me sneak out. My whole body was still pain, every step feels like my internals organs were being juggled inside out, but the fear of Yang getting hurt, is one hell of a motivator. I eventually made my way inside the old classroom, empty as expected.

"Right here."

Beneath the teacher's desk should be a plug in outlet that allows the faculty to upload their files for their classes. This hub should be in sync with the bug Cinder planted on the ceiling. I quickly plug my scroll in and opened up the files located in the bug, while simultaneously opening a livestream of the Vytal Festival match.

/data_link: 'burner'
/data_link: 'overwrite'
/data_link: 'master-control'

Wait. Did that just say master control?

/data_link: 'roulette'

Roulette?

"No, it can't be..."

This virus allows the total control of the festival's user interface, meaning Cinder has full control what the stage is going to look like, which teams fight, and... who fights who in this part of the tournament. My eyes snapped back to the livestream of Vytal Festival as the roulette over the contestants began to rapidly spin. My heart began to beat faster and faster till it momentarily stopped at the sight of Yang's name.

[Yang Xiao Long vs]

No please no.

[Mercury Black]

Seeing any of the names belonging to Cinder's crew ain't nothing but bad news, and it's especially terrible when they're placed right next to Yang's. Hearing their names together were enough to jolt my body into action, powering through the pain and exhaustion as I make my way to Amity Colosseum with my heart filled with nothing but anxiety and desperation.

Unfortunately, even the sense of urgency that's coursing through my veins can't force the airship to go any faster. By the time I got there, the match was already over with Yang as the victor, as she stood on top of Mercury with his leg broken.

I watch the replay over the big screen, and I gasp with the crowd while I watched Yang attacked a helpless and defeated Mercury. It looks bad, and all the evidence one would need to incriminate Yang is right there on the screen for all of Remnant to see. But I know better. Mercury ain't one to simply keel over and Yang ain't the type to just randomly attack beaten down opponents.

My instincts tell me that Yang was somehow tricked, and whatever it is that tricked her is probably be the same culprit that compromised the Nest and my grandparents. It could be a semblance, and the only one whose semblance I've yet to see it's Emerald's.

I have to make my move now, or else the Atlesian droids and police officers circling Yang would arrest her. I suck up whatever pain my body was feeling and quickly vaulted over the crowd, parkouring over them one row at a time till I was able to launch myself off the edge of the bleachers.

"Fifth Movement: Crescendo!"

I wave my katana horizontally, launching a thin streak of crescent shaped ice that gradually increased in size till it collided perfectly on the robots' necks, severing their heads.

"W-wha? Ezra!?"

I ignore the surprised Yang, rolling forward as soon as I land and twisting my body to roundhouse kick one of the police officer straight in the face. It was then that I saw the smirking faces of Emerald and Mercury that sent me into an uncontrollable fit of rage.

"I'm going to kill you!"

I run as fast as I can towards them, but my body was stopped by an incredibly painful jolt of electricity. If I had to guess, I was hit by a taser gun. By my sheer will and determination, I ignore the pain and marched on, all I can hear in the background was Yang begging and pleading.

"Ezra stop! Please don't hurt him!"

My mind was made up. I have every intention of ending Emerald and Mercury's crap right now, but a barrage of taser shot came down on me, knocking me down on the ground. With the last of my strength, I gather what mist I can to engulf Emerald and Mercury, but a blunt force striking the side of my head blurred my vision and halted any attempt I could manage to use my semblance.

With the last bit of my consciousness fading, the image that was burned in my mind last was that of the smiles of my enemies and the sound of Yang's cries.

Yang

Ironwood stood there in the middle of our room, menacingly staring out the window, while Ruby did her best to console me.

"I'm sorry, but you've left us with no choice."

When talking to another headmaster, let alone a general, courtesy is to be expected, but I'm still pissed off about my last match that I really don't much care right now.

"But he attacked me!"

The general began to pace back and forth in our room with a stoic look.

"Video footage and millions of viewers say otherwise."

Ruby and Weiss decided to voice their opinion out, but Ironwood ignored them all the same.

"You all seem like good students, and the staff here at Beacon are fully aware that you would never lash out the way you did... under normal circumstances. What I believe and hope this to be is nothing more than the result of stress and adrenaline. When you're out on the battlefield, your judgment can become clouded in an instant. Sometimes you see things that simply aren't there. Even after the fight is past..."

All sounds like a bunch of mumbo jumbo that still fails to see MY point.

"But I wasn't-"

It would seem Ironwood's patience has completely dropped.

"That's ENOUGH!"

The room fell silent, as his voice echoed loudly throughout our small room.

"The sad truth is, whether it was an accident or an assault, it doesn't matter. The world saw you attack an innocent student. Mr. Flyheight's actions also didn't help your case. The fact that he willingly attacked not only Atlas Military property, but my men too, is more than enough cause for me to detain all of you for questioning."

He paused for a second, allowing us to momentarily process the things we've said.

"Besides, the people of Remnant already drawn their own conclusions. And it's my job to inform you of two things, first: Ezra will be incarcerated till Ozpin can decide what to do with him, I wouldn't be surprised if he's expelled. Second: that you are disqualified from the tournament."

That last part stung a little, though not as much as the thought of Ezra possibly being expelled from Beacon. Ironwood simply gave us a blank look before walking away, leaving the four of us alone to ourselves. Honestly, even with all this space to think, I don't think I can process all of it. Ezra's actions especially. I can't say the same about how my team feels about all this however.

"You guys believe me, right?"

Ruby, of course, had my back.

"Duh!"

And so does Weiss.

"You're a hotheaded, but not ruthless."

Blake on the other hand doesn't even wanna look at me.

"I want to believe you..."

I wasn't expecting this, not the part about somebody not believing me, that I was expecting, but for that someone to be somebody from my own team... is heart wrenching.

"Blake?"

Tears began to flood my eyes, as Ruby and Weiss began to question her.

"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 stopped for a moment then looked me in the eye.

"This is all just... very familiar. 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."

So I try to resolve myself as best I could and answer her as honestly as I can.

"I saw him attack me, so I defended myself."

Satisfied, Blake smiled at me.

"Okay, thank you, Yang."

With that matter cleared up, Weiss brought up the other elephant in the room.

"So, about Ezra..."

Of course, talking about him would only be inevitable. I place the palm of my hand on my face, exasperated with my current relationship with my boyfriend.

"I-I don't know why he pulled that stunt he did today. He hasn't told me anything. Like, at all."

Ruby raised an eyebrow, obviously shocked.

"Really? I mean, Ezra's always been kind of protective to things he didn't want us to know..."

But Blake stepped in to reason with her.

"Yeah true, but he eventually tells us what's going on. I guess I'm just really surprised that he'd keep things from you. His secrecy only ever applied to us, not Yang."

"That's what I thought too..."

Weiss stood up with her arms crossed in front of her. Her face had neither the look of concern or sadness; it was curiosity at first, followed by clarity.

"Not necessarily, Ezra always tells everyone once he's got a handle on things. Remember where he came from, his past."

How could I forget? The slums, dead family, Mountain Glenn... his background is arguably the hardest out of all the first years.

"It's in his nature to handle everything on his own and bring up the problem once he's figured out a solution. He's the same age as us, but that attitude of his makes him more of an adult than a teenager like us. Irks me to no end, but that's just how Ezra is."

Yup, that sounds like Ezra alright. Ruby sighed and fell back on the bed.

"Which means whatever's bugging him must really got him in a pickle."

All this wondering will get us nowhere, and it's clear that everyone here are itching for answers. There's only one sure fire way to answer all the questions that we have. Well, all the questions I have at least. Ezra knew that something was gonna happen. That's why he begged me not to go. If that was something he wanted the team to know, then he would have brought it up with the team. Instead, he brought it up when we were alone.

It's obvious that Ezra wants to tell me something major. I just... can't shake this feeling I have in my gut right now. Maybe it's because of my match, or like Ruby said, it's probably related to what Ezra got himself into.

"I-uh need some time for myself. I'm gonna go for a walk..."

Weiss scoffed after hearing what I had to say.

"No need to lie Yang, we don't take it personal. Go! Go talk to your man."

I blush at what she just said, thankfully, Blake was kind enough to snatch my attention away from Weiss' teases.

"Just keep us updated, yeah?"

With that, I wave goodbye to my team and made my way towards Ezra's holding cell. I say cell, but it's really just an isolated room at the far end of a rarely used hallway from the old unrenovated building. The place was musty and dark, humid at times, the kind of place that breeds urban legends, so no one ever hangs out here. Which is all the better for me, cause that means I don't have to deal with anyone's judgmental looks as I walk down at my own campus.

"Room 314A"

I stare at the old wooden door that was on the verge of cracking away from the hinges. I double check the faded sign once more to make sure this was the room I was looking for. Sure enough, this is the room Ironwood told us Ezra was being held in, but there were no guards at all.

"Heh. Contained. Ezra, you there?"

I pay it no mind and knocked, only for the door to swing open as soon as my fist began to collide with it.

"Yang?"

I was greeted by the sight of Ezra with a halfhearted smile on his face. He looks exhausted and tired. The black jacket that he wears so often is covered in dirt all over, even the color on his scarlet sash was beginning to look washed. Looking down on his boots, one can barely tell that they were once white. He definitely got beaten up, yet he wore a smile all the same.

"By the gods, are you alright Ezra!?"

He simply replied with an awkward chuckle. He looked down on the floor, as he massaged his wrist where the handcuffs used to squeeze them.

"Yeah, I'm good. More importantly, are you?"

My eyes began to tear up once more, with the thought of him thinking about me despite his injuries. I rush to his side and gave him a hug, burying my face as deep as I can in his chest.

"Dummy. Where is everyone anyway? I heard they're thinking about expelling you?"

I felt the warmth of his cheek resting on top of my head. He gave me a kiss on the forehead before gently pushing me away.

"Yeah, those guards were a little difficult to bribe. I had to convince them to use me as a punching bag for wrecking Atlas tech and police officers, in exchange for leaving me alone. They didn't honor that of course, they left me cuffed to the table, but it's not something I haven't escaped from before. I think they're taking a smoke break somewhere... actually, I smelled alcohol on them so they probably won't be back for a while. Anyways, that and the expulsion are the least of my worries for now. I'm just glad you're okay, Yang."

Bribe? Offering up yourself to be a punching bag? That's insane.

"You're crazy Ez. I guess it's pointless to ask if you're okay."

"Ah, so long as you mean it, I appreciate the concern."

"Of course I mean it, I'm your girlfriend."

We looked at each other in silence, both of us wearing a soft smile on our faces, but the longer this silence pass the more we both realize the topic that we'll both eventually have to talk about.

"So, are you ready to talk about it?"

Ezra looked away.

"No."

Infuriating, but I try not to let it get to me.

"Okay. This morning at least. Can you tell me about that? About you begging me not to fight. You knew something was going to happen huh?"

I resolve myself for another denial, but after hesitating for a bit, Ezra did budge a little.

"Yeah. It's a long story, but it has something to do with the crimes happening here in Vale."

Crime's practically gone back down to zero, what's he talking about?

"What do you mean? Ever since we stopped Torchwick, there basically hasn't been any crime committed in Beacon or in Vale."

Ezra scratched the back of his head, his concerned face slowly morphed into an annoyed one.

"Sorry to burst your bubble, but Torchwick was only part of it. By the time we 'stopped' him, he was no longer needed. Sides' somebody else in charge of the White Fang and I have no idea what the hell is going on with them."

Wait what!?

"Somebody is else is wha- I thought the White Fang were the ones causing all this ruckus in town."

Without missing a beat, Ezra responded.

"Under a bigger mastermind."

I could barely utter any words, but my curiosity was far stronger than my confusion.

"How do you know all this?"

But this is where his openness ended.

"I-uh.. I- it's not time yet Yang, I can't tell you."

Hearing him say that made me blow my lid.

"AND WHY THE HELL NOT!?"

Ezra, however, was one to back down. He quickly turned around and yelled just as loudly as I did.

"BECAUSE I DON'T WANNA LOSE YOU!"

What he said was completely unexpected. What's got him so frightened that he thinks he's going to lose me?

"Ezra please, you're clearly in some stuff that you can't see a way out of. You won't lose me I promise. Just tell me what's going on, please."

Tears began to pour out of his eyes, and he slowly began to break down into a sob, but before his whole body fell down on the ground, he caught himself by the table. It took him a couple of seconds, but he resolved himself just enough to look me in the face with his sore eyes.

"I doubt it."

"Doubt what?"

He gently wrapped his hands around mine and sat me down on the cold concrete floor.

"Yang, there's... something that I need to tell you."