Bab 737: 80
Chapter 80:
Day Three:
For someone staring down the barrels of well over a dozen rifles, Kyo's reaction was shockingly...blithe.
"I decline," he said, in answer to Ironwood's call for his surrender.
Immediately, the tension ratcheted up several levels, RYNB and CPPR forgetting to breathe as they watched the confrontation unfold. After seeing the aftermath of what Kyo had wrought with the White Fang, they were horrified by the possibility of him inflicting the same kind of carnage upon the Atlesian forces.
Ironwood, his soldiers, and Knights, all kept their guns leveled at the young man, their barrels unwavering. A closer look, however, could see the beads of sweat forming on the General's brow as Kyo met his gaze. Kyo's expression was cheerfully pleasant, and his entire reaction indicated that he was completely unbothered by the situation...not feeling even remotely threatened by the firepower pointed his way.
Finally, Ironwood let out a slow breath, then lowered his revolver. "Stand down," he ordered. His soldiers and androids immediately followed suit, lowering the barrels of their guns, before standing aside. Ironwood returned his gun to its holster, and stepped forward. "Well...I had to at least make a token call," he said. "But, protocol aside, I refuse to send my men to be butchered to no end."
"I appreciate your candor, Ironwood-dono," said Kyo, bowing his head politely. "Considering that you appear to be an ally of my new friends, I would have rather not started a fight with you."
"Wait! When did we become your friends?" asked Yang, glaring at Kyo's back.
He turned his head, beaming at her. There was something about his gaze; those eerie, luminous eyes of his; that unsettled her, something she found strangely familiar about it.
"Well, you all are Ruby-chan's friends," he said. "So I thought we would be friends as well."
"I'm not interested in being friends with someone who slaughters faunus wholesale," said Blake, glaring at him.
"Wholesale slaughter would imply that they were helpless," said Kyo. "As I told you, they tried to kill me first."
"Considering what you're capable of, those White Fang soldiers were as good as helpless," commented Qrow. "Still, I can't exactly fault ya for not standing by and doing nothing when they came at you."
"He's a murderer!" protested Blake.
"So are we," said Ren softly, drawing a shocked gasp from her and Yang, while Nora nodded in agreement with him, her expression surprisingly grave.
"What are you talking about?" asked Blake, whipping her head around to stare at Ren.
Ren gave her a level look. "How many soldiers do you think were on that train?" he asked.
Blake's eyes went wide.
Ren pressed on. "It's true that Penny was the one who brought the tunnel down. But we were all part and parcel to this plan, so the responsibility is shared between us for the weight of those lives. Like it or not, we killed people today as well."
"Th-that was different," protested Blake. "We didn't have any other choice-"
"Of course we did," declared Piper, glaring at Blake. "We had a choice. We could have chosen not to destroy the tunnel. We could have just let the train go on its way, and hit Vale. Or we could've torn up the tracks instead, and derailed it. I'm not sure the casualties would have been much better if we'd done that."
"We would have had to fight more Paladins though," Rain pointed out helpfully.
"So...yeah, flat out calling him a murderer, and acting like we're not, after what we just did, is kind of hypocritical," said Piper, glowering at Blake, who quailed away.
"Well, the situation ain't exactly equivocal," said Qrow, weighing in. He traced his fingers along his arm, shuddering. "I know from experience that this kid is more than capable of bringing people down without killing them, and pretty easily at that. Even though he has that kind of skill, he still chose to kill them."
"That much is true, I admit," said Kyo, his expression sobering. "That said, when someone comes at me with intent to kill, I generally find it appropriate to respond in kind." His expression hardened further. "Those who seek to kill, yet are not prepared to be killed themselves...are especially deserving of death, to my mind. These people were those sorts, the sorts who looked forward to inflicting death on a massive scale, upon those who had no means or will to fight back. Yet, the moment they found themselves on the verge of death, they all acted as though they were subjected to some manner of terrible injustice."
"So you believe you were being just?" asked Penny, eyeing Kyo warily.
"Hardly," said Kyo, his smile returning, while he scratched the back of his head. "That's my personal inclination. I don't hold any pretense towards being just."
"'Least he's honest about it," muttered Qrow. He looked over at Ironwood, who'd been watching the whole conversation with a neutral expression. "So...what's next, James?"
"To be honest, I'm not sure," admitted Ironwood with a tired sigh. "I'm afraid that will depend on what choices Kyo makes."
"Ah well...I'm not sure what choices I have," said Kyo sheepishly. "When I came here, it was because I had sensed people in the vicinity, and hoped that they might know of a discrete way for me to enter Vale."
"What business do you have in Vale?" growled Ironwood. "I know well enough that you don't enter the Kingdoms themselves. Instead, you move amongst the settlements."
"Well, I generally don't care for the Kingdoms themselves," said Kyo. "I find them rather noisy and crowded. However, I was hoping to visit my sister at Beacon. I figured Ruby-chan wouldn't care for it, if I caused too much of a commotion."
"Ruby Rose is your sister?" Ironwood's eyes widened. He looked to Qrow for confirmation.
"Adopted," said Qrow, tiredly rubbing his forehead, "but...yeah."
Ironwood's frown deepened.
"Well, if it's any consolation, we, that is Sasame and I, never adopted Ruby-chan with the intention of raising her to be like us, or even loyal to the Mibu Clan. From before the moment we met her, her overriding ambition has always been to be a Huntress. We merely did our best to aid her in fulfilling that goal." Kyo turned his smile back to RYNB and CPPR, Blake in particular. "Part and parcel to that was making sure she did not take the killing of others so casually. In that sense, you might say I set myself up as an example of what not to aspire to."
"That's an interesting way to put it," said Qrow, a faint smile appearing on his face. He looked to Ironwood. "If that's the case, James, why don't we just bring him to Beacon."
"WHAT?!" everyone on RYNB and CPPR, along with Ironwood, blurted out.
Qrow sighed. "Whatever else, I know for a fact he's actually a pretty decent guy," he explained. "All the people he's killed were the sort like this lot." He gestured to what remained of the White Fang soldiers occupying the encampment. "He's killed bandits, terrorists, other criminals...but he's never turned his blade on civilians. If anything, he's probably done more to protect people than any Huntsman or Huntress out there."
"You're referring to his purported ability to repel the Grimm?" asked Ironwood skeptically.
"You encounter any on your way in?" asked Qrow.
Ironwood was silent for a long moment. "...No."
"Yeah, that was him," said Qrow. "It's been that way since yesterday. Now you can see it for yourself."
Ironwood had no response for that.
"This way, we can bypass Vale, and any chance that he might run afoul of the law," said Qrow. "Granted, it ain't as though his mug is known to every lawman in the Kingdom, the way Torchwick's was, but it's better we don't cause a ruckus."
"I don't understand why we should do anything to help him," growled Ironwood.
"'Cause, either way, this guy's gonna find his way in," said Qrow. "If that's the case, and he stirs up trouble with the cops, then that'll mean headaches aplenty for everybody." Especially Ruby, he added silently. "If we take him to Beacon ourselves, then we can avoid stirring up trouble, and we'll be able to keep an eye on him, while he's there." He turned his gaze towards the wrecked Paladins. "Besides, I think we owe him one."
Despite himself, Ironwood nodded. Considering what they had learned about the White Fang's encampment, he had prepared his forces for a prolonged and messy conflict with the stolen Paladins, with a high probability of casualties. Kyo's intervention had ensured that no Atlesian lives had been sacrificed this day.
"I suppose there's no helping it then," he said.
"Wow...this is weird," commented Piper.
"It certainly is unconventional," said Ciel. "Though, unconventional situations appear to be something of a trend, as of late."
Blake frowned sourly, not liking the idea of having someone like Kyo at Beacon. The idea of him killing people so casually, even if they were terrorists plotting an attack against the Kingdom, reminded her too much of Adam. She couldn't even begin to understand how Ruby could claim someone like this as her brother.
Yang stared at Kyo, unable to figure out what to think of him. He was everything that Ruby had described him as. Yet there was more to him than what Ruby had said. Those other things disturbed her. And he's Ruby's brother, she thought warily.
"That being the case, I shall arrange for a transport back to Beacon," said Ironwood, looking to the two teams of students. "I know that the situation has become...unusual...but I still need to express my gratitude for all that you've done out here. Well done, all of you."
"General," interjected Ciel, surprising everyone. "Were any of the White Fang taken alive?"
"Some were captured, yes," said Ironwood. "Apparently, they were fleeing Kyo. However, that simply meant they ran right into our cordon."
"Was there a girl with tan skin, brown hair, and grey eyes among them?" asked Ciel.
"There was no such individual amongst them," said Ironwood, his frown deepening. "From what I gather, this would be Ilia Amitola, your informant."
They nodded.
"No, we did not capture her," said Ironwood. "Nor have we found any trace of her remains amongst the casualties here."
"Thank goodness," breathed Blake, her shoulders slumping. Sure, it seemed that Kyo wouldn't have any reason to lie about whether or not he killed Ilia, but it was a relief to get confirmation of her survival and escape.
"This Amitola girl might well have helped us to avert a severe catastrophe today," said Ironwood, his harsh gaze resting on Blake in particular. "But the fact of the matter remains that she is still an active member of the White Fang. So do not think that we will hesitate to arrest her, should we get the opportunity."
"I...understand," said Blake reluctantly.
"With that handled, it's time to send you all back," said Ironwood, pulling out his scroll. "Your mission is officially completed. With that, you are free to spend your time as you see fit, until classes resume."
"Awesome!" exclaimed Yang, the macabre situation temporarily leaving her mind, an eager grin blossoming on her face.
The period for the first-years' first official missions was two weeks in length. Given the nature of the missions themselves, and their staggered start and end dates, it essentially meant that, if they completed their mission before the end of that period, they had several days of vacation to look forward to. Even if RYNB and CPPR had been expecting to finish their mission before the end of the week, they hadn't expected to wrap things up on their third day.
However, Yang quickly found herself wincing as Blake punched her shoulder and glared at her. Rubbing her shoulder, Yang grinned sheepishly, realizing that such an outburst was probably in poor taste, considering their surroundings, and what had just happened.
"My men will direct you to the surface," said Ironwood. "A bullhead will be waiting there to take you back to Beacon." He glared at Kyo. "I expect you to behave yourself."
"I shall be on my best behavior, I promise," said Kyo cheerfully, brushing off the hostility behind Ironwood's expression.
Ilia groaned, her eyes slowly sliding open. Her head ached, a knot of pain having formed at the base her skull. That had been where she'd been hit, so she wasn't all that surprised. "Wha-what happened? Where...where am I?"
The last thing she remembered was watching as the first of their troops charged the fool who'd walked so foolishly, if blithely, into their encampment. Ilia remembered seeing his sword fly free of its sheath, the blade accelerating to such an extent that her eyes had only caught flashes of light glancing off its surface...before the first of the man's opponents had fallen to the ground...in pieces.
Ilia had made to join the attack. Even if they were misguided and overcome with homicidal zeal, at the end of they day, the White Fang soldiers there were her comrades, and she couldn't allow them to be butchered. However, even as she'd taken her first step towards the man, she'd felt something slam into the back of her head...and everything had gone dark.
Becoming conscious of her surroundings, Ilia felt herself lying down on something hard, bare ground, probably. However, her head was lying on something a bit softer. It wasn't some fluffy cushion though. It took Ilia a second to place the sensation. Her head was resting on a pair of legs, consisting of toned and taut musculature. Her head was resting on someone's lap.
Her vision swimming back into focus, Ilia stared upward, her grey eyes meeting a mismatched pair of pink and brown. The owner of those eyes blinked and, when those eyes opened again, the colors had switched. The girl's pale skin seemed almost illuminated by the faint light, her expression slightly worried. However, upon seeing Ilia regaining consciousness, her lips turned upwards in a small, but relieved, smile.
"Y-you're..." Ilia struggled a moment. Part of it was that her brain was swimming upstream against the flow of the unconsciousness she'd just awakened from. The other was that she just hadn't taken all that much notice of Torchwick's little minion, even though she'd helped Ilia and Adam escape from serious scrapes, multiple times now. "...Neo...right?"
Neo nodded, beaming happily down at Ilia.
"W-why did you...interfere?" asked Ilia, struggling to find the right word for what Neo had done.
Neo frowned now. Fishing around in her white jacket, she pulled out a scroll, then began to tap the screen for a moment. Then she turned and showed what she'd written to Ilia.
"I saved you," the message said.
"What?" grunted Ilia.
Neo tapped on her scroll again. "You would have died. Everyone else did."
"What?!" Now Ilia's voice was a shocked gasp, her eyes going wide, before she grunted, eyes scrunching shut again as the sudden exhalation jolted the still-fading knot of pain at the back of her head. "Th-they're all dead! But-!"
Neo shook her head, resting a hand on Ilia's forehead to keep her from sitting up. In her current state, Ilia didn't have the wherewithal to fight back, so she was kept resting on Neo's legs. Seeing that Ilia wasn't about to try getting up again, Neo removed her hand, gently trailing her fingers across Ilia's forehead, teasing the small lock that refused to be tied back with the rest of Ilia's hair, before tapping out another response on her scroll.
"I checked. Atlas arrived, just in time to clean up the mess."
Ilia swallowed, a nauseating feeling rising in her stomach. "H-how? It was just one person."
Neo shook her head slowly. "You had no chance." her scroll said.
"Who was he?" asked Ilia.
Instead of writing a response on her scroll, Neo instead brought up a dossier, and showed it to Ilia.
"Demon Eyes...Kyo?" Ilia read the name, confused. Seeing the image of the young man on the screen beneath that name brought back the memory of that face...and those eyes. Thinking about it, Ilia could see how someone might call them "demon eyes." Neo used her finger to scroll through the dossier, allowing Ilia to read the information that the underworld had gathered about the man.
Said information was...troubling...to say the least. He had a reputation in the Kingdoms, particularly the settlements. Apparently, he had gotten on the wrong side of several criminal organizations. Any such organization that had attempted go after him had subsequently found themselves being wiped out, Kyo leaving piles of corpses in his wake.
Of course, a propensity for creating dead bodies had gotten the interest of the lawful authorities of the Kingdoms, in a bad way. On top of that, some of the organizations that Kyo had obliterated had had legitimate connections, some of them even serving as extensions of wealthy and powerful people's influence in the underworld. Because of that, Kyo was considered a criminal as well.
In any case, the one thing that was made abundantly clear was that he was someone not to be trifled with. More importantly, Ilia could understand how someone like that might have been more than a match for a small army of White Fang soldiers. But even then... We had Paladins too. He took them down too?
Neo seemed to understand Ilia's question, without Ilia speaking it. "The Paladins were useless," her scroll said. "He cut through them like paper."
"So...there was no chance?" asked Ilia.
Neo shook her head, something about her expression telling Ilia that the White Fang had sealed their fates the moment they'd attacked him. Then Ilia's eyes widened and she jolted, sending another bolt of pain through her head, though she didn't care. "Wait! If we were going to be wiped out, then...?"
Neo began tapping her scroll again. "Meinrad sent the train out. But your friends stopped it from reaching Vale."
Ilia let out a sigh of relief at the realization that RYNB and CPPR had successfully derailed the attack. Then she froze, her gaze snapping back to Neo once more, her eyes going wide and a chill running down on her spine. "You said...my...friends...?"
Neo's smile took on a sly quality now. She began to tap on her scroll again, before showing Ilia the words. "I've been watching you. I saw what you did. I know what you've been doing."
Bile rose afresh in Ilia's throat, and it took all her willpower to keep from vomiting. Her skin turned a uniform, dull-yellow color.
Neo quickly typed out another message. "I know about the messages you've sent to Sienna Khan. I've been watching you for a while."
The unspoken message was clear. If Neo had wanted, she could have gone straight to Adam, anytime in those days before he had been stolen away by the mysterious Jester. Had she, Ilia had no doubt that her corpse would have been strung up over the encampment as a reminder to the rest of his soldiers about what happened to those who betrayed the White Fang, or him rather. Neo had known...but she hadn't told. She'd kept Ilia's secrets. "Why?" Her skin returned to its normal hue.
"I wanted to stop the attack too," said Neo.
Seeing the look on Ilia's face, Neo let out a small, nearly soundless, sigh, then showed the screen of her scroll once more. "Don't think too highly of me." she said. "I don't really care about the White Fang, or faunus-rights and all that. I didn't want the plan to succeed, because it was Hers."
Illia didn't need to ask who "She" was. Cinder Fall, the mysterious woman who had subordinated the White Fang, who had made them a means to her ends... True, she had seen them armed and empowered beyond anything they had ever imagined possible. But, at the same time, they were nothing more than cogs in her machine, pawns in whatever game she was playing.
Adam had been able to look past that, seeing the promise of all the destruction he could inflict on Vale. But Ilia hadn't. What Cinder wanted them to do, the attack she'd helped orchestrate, was completely beyond the pale. But Cinder didn't care about that, didn't care about the position that would leave the White Fang in. Heck, Ilia wouldn't have been surprised if Cinder's intention had been to make the White Fang the scapegoat for whatever atrocity she had planned, and then leave them holding the bag.
From what little Ilia knew about Neo and, by extension, Roman Torchwick, she figured they must have been in similar straits, working together with the White Fang under duress, with Cinder providing the pressure. So Ilia could definitely see Neo wanting to undermine Cinder's plans, if only to spite her.
The nausea of fear subsided as Neo's words sank in for Ilia. Neo had seen what Ilia had been up to, realized that Ilia had been working against Adam and Cinder, and hadn't told anyone. In a sense, Neo had been protecting her. On top of that, when the rest of the White Fang in the encampment had thrown themselves into what had been, apparently, a hopeless battle against Demon Eyes Kyo, Neo had gone through the trouble of getting Ilia out, before she could suffer the same fate.
But that didn't make sense. From what Ilia could tell, she had served her purpose, from Neo's point of view. There had been no need for Neo to go out of her way like that. By all rights, Neo should have been free to simply leave Ilia to her fate, to suffer the consequences of the collective foolishness that had led them to charge the most dangerous man in all four Kingdoms, without even bothering to confirm who he was, and what he could do. So then... "Why did you save me?"
To Ilia's shock, Neo's smile adopted a tender quality. "I don't care about the White Fang," she said over her scroll. "But I do care about you." Two spots of pink appeared on Neo's cheeks.
Sucking in a surprised breath, Ilia felt her own cheeks heat up. "Um...uh..." She had no idea how to respond. The last thing she'd been expecting was for Torchwick's minion to develop a crush on her.
Ilia was no stranger to such feelings herself. She'd nursed a serious infatuation with Blake for the longest time, looking on with pained feelings as Blake had fallen for Adam instead. Truth be told, Ilia had never confirmed Blake's orientation, had always been afraid to find out that it would be pretty much impossible for Blake to harbor those feelings for her. Seeing Blake with that blonde monkey-faunus at the docks and the warehouse had been another emotional punch to the gut for her.
Given the fact that they were now on opposite sides of this conflict, Ilia should have probably given up on those feelings. But she couldn't simply make them go away so easily. Instead, she'd been troubled by resentment, knowing that Blake had no idea how she felt, even if that wasn't really fair to Blake, considering that Ilia had kept her feelings hidden as much as possible.
To realize that she was now subject to similar feelings, from someone she barely knew, was jarring. Considering it, Ilia found she wasn't immediately repulsed by the notion. Sure, Neo was a human. Ilia harbored a strong resentment against humans in general. But she didn't hate them completely.
She hated the girls who'd laughed, upon hearing about the death of a bunch of faunus in a mining accident, a bunch of faunus that happened to include Ilia's parents. She hated the humans who had harassed and oppressed them, who had ignored the White Fang's peaceful overtures, and even fought back against them, the ones who had forced them to fight in the more literal sense. She hated the humans who acted so high and mighty, while standing by and doing nothing as the faunus struggled for their rights, the Councils and Academies, who were more concerned with preserving the status quo than doing what was right. Yes, Ilia hated particular humans and particular types of humans. But she had never hated all of them.
Unlike Adam, she had no desire to see humans subjugated or exterminated. She just wanted the humans to stop trying to hurt the faunus all the time. And she certainly wasn't disgusted or revolted by humans on a visceral level, the way some of the members of the Vale Branch were.
Because of that, Ilia was more than able to admit that Neo was an attractive girl, her size and unique coloration giving her an almost exotic quality that Ilia could admire. It helped that, despite her small stature, Neo's physique was more than a little appealing, and Ilia could appreciate that ivory skin, those mismatched eyes, not to mention that pleasant swell of cleavage that she also envied...
Once again, Neo appeared to be privy to Ilia's thoughts, without Ilia needing to say anything. She let out a small, almost inaudible, giggle. She produced another response on her scroll. "I want to protect Roman. He comes before everything else. But I'd like to protect you too."
Now it wasn't just Ilia's cheeks that had turned pink. The color washed across her skin, her freckles turning a dark, rose-red, along with her hair and eyes. The sight of Ilia's color changing made Neo smile wider, another almost-silent giggle escaping her. The small sound made Ilia realize what she had been doing, and the training that had allowed her to hide her faunus-status for a healthy chunk of her life kicked in, and she forced her skin to return to its normal hues.
Still smiling, Neo shook her head. "You don't have to hide that." she said. "I think it's cute."
...And there went Ilia's self-control again, pink washing across her body even more quickly than before, the sudden change making Neo's entire body quake with silent laughter. After a moment, she recovered. Her expression sobered, and she began to tap on her scroll once more.
"Once you're rested, we'll head back," she said. "It's going to be a tough trip."
Ilia nodded, her own expression grave, her colors returning to normal. Regardless of Kyo, it was likely that the marshaling of the small flotilla of Ironwood's warships had been noticed by the people in the Kingdom, including those White Fang still in Vale proper. They would realize what happened and, rightly, assume that everyone in Mountain Glenn had either been killed or captured. There would be no bullheads sent out and, right now, Ilia and Neo were out of range of scroll contact, the signal booster they'd used at the encampment being amongst the things Ironwood's forces would have undoubtedly confiscated.
That meant that Ilia and Neo had no choice but to make their way back to Vale the hard way, by traversing the forests between Mountain Glenn and the Kingdom walls on foot. The distance was nearly twenty miles, but that was as the crow flew. Those miles were miles of uneven, mountainous terrain, with plenty of ups and downs and necessary detours that would stretch that journey out to an uncomfortable degree, with no trails to ensure easy routes to follow. A journey that was mere minutes by bullhead would constitute at least two days, or more, by foot.
Worse still, they would have no supplies. The rations the White Fang had brought with them to Mountain Glenn were amongst the things that were, even now, being seized by the Atlesian forces. Ilia had survival training, a necessity, considering that the White Fang often set up encampments in the depths of the wilderness to hide from the authorities, when they weren't operating from within the Kingdoms themselves. But having to forage for food and water for both her and Neo would only draw out the journey even more, and food would still be scant.
And all that was without factoring in the Grimm. Ilia had no idea what, but something had been keeping the Grimm away from the White Fang's base in Mountain Glenn, even before they had up and vanished from the area entirely. But Ilia knew from experience that that protection, whatever it was, extended only to the encampment, having had to evade or fight Grimm during her scouting expeditions to the surface. They were still curiously absent, but Ilia knew better than to take that absence for granted on their journey back to Vale.
All in all, it was shaping up to be a long and arduous journey. Ilia sighed tiredly. If only they had access to at least some of the food from the encampment, or if they could get to the signal booster and summon a ride back. If only the Atlesians hadn't taken it all...Wait! The Atlesians!
Ilia's eyes widened, attracting Neo's attention. "Neo..." she said, "...what's your Semblance?" Even though she didn't know the specifics, Ilia realized that Neo must have had some kind of stealth-type Semblance, if she'd been able to watch what Ilia had been doing all this time, without Ilia even realizing it.
Neo took a moment to type her response. "I can control light," she said. "I can use it for illusions, or to hide myself."
"Can you hide other people too?" asked Ilia, her heartbeat speeding up.
Neo's own eyes widened slightly, as she realized what Ilia was getting at. However, the excitement faded from her face, and she pouted as she gave her answer. "I can only control visible light. If you're thinking of hitching a ride with the Atlesians, it won't work. I can't hide from their androids' infrared and radar."
Now it was Ilia's turn to smile slyly. "You can leave that to me," she said. "Guess what my Semblance is."
Neo canted her head, looking confused, a look that Ilia found quite cute, honestly. "Changing colors?" she guessed.
Ilia scowled up at her. "That's my faunus-trait," she said. "I'm a chameleon."
Now Neo smiled teasingly at Ilia, telling her that Neo had already known that, and had just been pushing her buttons.
Ilia rolled her eyes, smiling in spite of herself. "My Semblance, might be able to help with the other things, if you can keep us hidden from sight."
Neo nodded, and leaned in to listen more.
The flight back to Beacon was mercifully brief. Through it all, Yang couldn't help but stare at Kyo. This is Ruby's brother... Raven's words drifted to the front of her mind. "You have no idea of the kind of monsters she associates with..." Given what she'd seen of the aftermath of what he'd done with the White Fang, Yang could understand thinking of Kyo as a monster. Despite that, he had a strangely pleasant demeanor, one that stood at odds with the person who'd just slaughtered dozens of White Fang soldiers.
But the more she looked at him, the more she couldn't shake the feeling that there was something about Kyo...something familiar. It was on the tip of Yang's tongue, just beyond her ability to put into words.
Then Kyo appeared to notice her staring, and turned to look at her, their eyes meeting. Seeing those crimson orbs of his, looking directly into hers, finally tipped Yang off to that realization that was just out of reach, a soft gasp escaping her. They're the same as Raven's...the same as mine...
Indeed, Kyo's eyes were that same luminous crimson color that Yang had seen in Raven's eyes, when they'd met for the first time in Yang's life. They were also the same eyes that Yang herself sported, when her Semblance was kicking into high gear or her anger was getting the better of her. It was disconcerting to see that color in the eyes of a person that she, to her knowledge, had no relation to. Kyo was Ruby's adopted brother, which meant that he shared no blood with Ruby or Yang. What does that mean?
Kyo merely smiled warmly at her, acknowledging her staring, but not calling her out on it. Instead, he turned his attention elsewhere, content to leave her still looking at him.
A few minutes later, their airship settled onto one of the landing pads at Beacon's air-dock. The passenger bay doors opened, allowing the group to disembark, Qrow in the lead. Ozpin was there, waiting for them, with Oobleck and Glynda waiting alongside him.
"Welcome back," he said, "and congratulations on your success. We're quite glad to hear that the White Fang's planned attack was successfully stopped."
"The kids handled themselves like pros," said Qrow, smirking over his shoulder at them. "We also brought back a stray. If I promise to look after him, can we keep him?"
"Very funny, Branwen-san," said Kyo, who was chuckling himself.
"Ah, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance," said Ozpin, stepping forward and stopping directly in front of Kyo. "After I finish debriefing Rainbow and Copper, I would very much like to speak with you."
"I would be happy to do so," said Kyo. "Has my sister returned from her mission? The entire point of this in the first place was to visit her, after all."
"I am afraid she is not due back for another five days at least," said Ozpin. "Still, we will be happy to accommodate you, while you wait."
"I'm grateful to hear that," said Kyo, bowing politely to Ozpin.
"Now then, let us adjourn to my office, so that we may conduct your debriefing," said Ozpin, turning back to the students.
The debriefing was a little protracted, the students needing to explain how their plans had changed, after they'd discovered the White Fang's operation. Blake had also admitted that she'd been shown the operation by Ilia, who had lost faith in Adam's leadership and was rebelling against the extreme militant stance of the Vale branch.
The implications of that information alone were substantial. Ilia's actions and intentions revealed deep divisions amongst the White Fang, which brought to light new possibilities for combating them...or even making peace with them, if possible. From what Ilia had told Blake and the others, it seemed that Sienna Khan was far more reasonable than Adam Taurus. If there was a way to make contact with her, then, perhaps, a dialogue could be established, maybe even an end to the conflict brokered.
Of course, those were considerations for a later time.
It was Blake who brought forth the most troubling piece of information, which Ilia had told her, about Cinder, who was apparently the one behind this whole affair, using the White Fang as her pawns. Strangely, she noticed that none of the adults in the room betrayed any surprise at the revelation, unlike her fellow students.
"Wait! So those guys have been a part of this the whole time?" exclaimed Nora, hugging herself, shivering.
"Dammit! And I thought Em was pretty cool," growled Yang, smacking the palm of her right hand with her left fist.
"We should move to take them into custody immediately," said Ciel, her expression hardening as her teammates nodded in agreement.
Ozpin held up a hand. "As for that...we are aware of Cinder Fall's disposition."
"Huh?" grunted Nora, the students all staring in shock at Ozpin.
"We learned about her from...another source," said Ozpin, a wry smile flickering across his face. "As such, we are taking measures to keep them under surveillance, in preparation for taking them into custody. However, as you might guess, going about that with someone dangerous enough to force the most militant and racist faction of the White Fang to work alongside the most notorious human criminal in the Kingdom, one who has a reputation for racism himself, is no small undertaking, and we must be extremely careful in how we handle this."
"So...what does this mean for us?" asked Ren.
"For the time being, I advise you to avoid Team Crimson as much as possible," said Ozpin. "Of course, it wouldn't do for you to look as though you're going out of your way to avoid them, but keep contact to a minimum. I know this will be difficult, but you must act as though you suspect nothing of them."
"We'll try our best, Sir," said Ciel, Ren nodding beside her.
"That is all I can ask at this juncture," said Ozpin. "Now...let us wrap up your debriefing."
Ozpin listened to the story of how the mission had concluded, before dismissing RYNB and CPPR, informing them that the remaining time of the mission period would serve as a vacation for them. On top of that, in reward for the successful resolution of their mission, they were paid bounties, something that would normally not be made available until they started their second-year missions.
So the students left, their hearts lighter, and their pockets heavier. Kyo, who'd stood at the back of the room and waited his turn throughout the debriefing, now stood in Ozpin's office. Qrow and Glynda both waited in the wings, watching and listening. Their expressions were wary. Kyo still carried his sword, and no one had dared suggest he relinquish it. If he wanted to start a fight, here and now, there would be no way to stop him...and even less of a way for any of them to win.
"So...we finally meet Ms. Rose's infamous brother," said Ozpin, smiling at Kyo.
"I would hardly go so far as to call myself infamous," said Kyo.
"Then you gravely underestimate yourself," replied Ozpin. "Between your...criminal record...and your reputation amongst the settlements, you have quite the substantial reputation, for both good and for ill."
"Ah well, it is what it is," said Kyo with a shrug. "All I did was brush off the sparks that fell on me. Somehow, I wound up making quite a few enemies, which I actually relish. Since the Grimm steer clear of me, nowadays, it's good to have someone to cross blades with."
"I'll bet," grumbled Qrow, remembering his own run-in with Kyo all too well.
"And how has Ruby-chan been doing here?" asked Kyo.
"She has been thriving, by all measures," said Ozpin, his smile widening. "She has proven herself one of the top students in her year, in the combat rankings. Academically, she is near the top of her class, though she did struggle at first. However, she works diligently to overcome her limitations."
"That's the Ruby-chan I know," said Kyo, laughing. "She's always wanted to be a Huntress, more than anything. Even when she lived with us, it was harder to convince her to take it easier on herself than it was to get her to work harder."
"Sounds like my Rosebud, all right," said Qrow, smiling a little.
Kyo paused, his eyes rolling upward slightly. "However, one thing that concerns me is the question of the family she left behind," he said. "I know she has been on good terms with Branwen-san-we helped with that a little-but I am also aware that she left other family behind, when she ran away. Has she reconnected with them at all?"
"She has," said Ozpin. "In fact, Qrow aside, you've already met one of the people she initially left behind." He tapped the interface on his desk, bringing up the image of Yang.
"Oh! Her," said Kyo, his eyes widening. "I had thought she'd been watching me closely on the ride back. So that's why."
"Well...it may not be the only reason," said Ozpin. "There is something else you should see."
He brought up another image, this one showing Yang in one of her sparring matches, with the full power of her Semblance unleashed. His eyes widened, taking the sight of the Yang's own eyes, which had turned the same brilliant crimson color as his own, instead of their normal lilac shade. "Well now! That is a surprise." He paused and frowned. "Though...now that I look at her like that...there's something familiar about her."
"Perhaps this," said Ozpin bringing up a picture of another person, prompting a gasp from Kyo. The image was of a woman, the contours of her face a near-perfect match for Yang's, albeit looking older, and with black hair, instead of blonde.
"Branwen...san..." Kyo slowly turned to look at Qrow. "Wait a minute...are you relatives?"
"Took ya long enough," groused Qrow. "Raven's my twin-sister. And, from what I've heard, you've crossed her path before."
"That I have," said Kyo. "We were abroad on a training excursion for Ruby-chan, traveling through Anima. We parted ways, since Ruby-chan couldn't exactly test her skills against the Grimm, if I was around. She and Sasame traveled around the northern edge of Lake Matsu, while I took the southern route, and we met up on the other side.
"During that time, a group of bandits calling themselves the Branwen Tribe attacked the settlement I was visiting. Apparently, since they were throwing a festival to celebrate my arrival, the bandits thought that the place would be easy pickings. Of course, since I was there, I disabused them of the notion. I wound up killing most of them, before they had the sense to retreat.
"When I met up with Ruby-chan and Sasame, I learned that the tribe had actually split to attack multiple targets, Ruby-chan and Sasame seeing off an attack by another group of them. Because the settlement I was at was the larger target, I wound up getting the bulk of them though."
"Explains why Raven would have a grudge against you and Ruby," said Qrow.
"I suppose," said Kyo, scratching his chin, while staring at Raven's picture. "I remember her well enough. She attacked me first. However, after our initial exchange, she backed off almost immediately, and allowed her subordinates to fight instead."
"So she threw their lives away," growled Qrow. "'The strong survive', my ass! Of course she'd spout that, then split the moment things get tougher than she's expecting."
"Considering her nature, I suspect it's because she considers it a strength to be willing to sacrifice members of her tribe," said Kyo. "There are many in the world who would consider the ability to make 'difficult decisions' like that a strength."
"It's just an excuse though," grumbled Qrow.
"I don't dispute that," replied Kyo.
"Perhaps though, you could shed some light on the nature of these eyes you, Raven, and Ms. Xiao Long possess," said Ozpin.
"Ah...well...they are an atavistic trait," said Kyo. "Truth be told, they are of little relevance in this day and age, especially in my generation."
"Is that so?" asked Ozpin, frowning.
"It's nothing you need be concerned about," said Kyo. "In the case of Xiao Long-san, they are a potent asset, yes. But the fact that they can manifest at all indicates that she is already tapping into their potential, so there is little for me to add on that front."
"I suppose I shall have to take you at your word," said Ozpin. "Though I would like to know more about them all the same."
"Well...there is only so much I can tell," said Kyo. "Suffice to say that they should not complicate things for Xiao Long-san. Were she a member of the Mibu, that would be a different case. But that trait holds no cultural relevance outside the Mibu Clan."
"If you say so," said Qrow, sounding skeptical.
"If I have anything else to say on the matter, it will be to Xiao Long-san herself," said Kyo. "It's a personal subject after all." He tilted his head as he regarded Ozpin. "Is that all you wished to speak of?"
"Hardly," said Ozpin. "Seeing as you are the second of two visitors from the Mibu Clan that we have had, not counting Ms. Rose herself, I find myself wondering if the Mibu have finally begun to take an interest in matters beyond their own borders."
"That might be stretching it," said Kyo. "The Taishiro have always monitored affairs outside the clan to a certain extent. But the majority remain rather insular in their bent. My interest here is purely personal, as it pertains to my sister, and her wellbeing.
"Sasame, on the other hand...might be another matter entirely. However, you would be best put putting that question to her directly."
"I have already," said Ozpin. "I was hoping that, as another person of note with the clan, perhaps you could facilitate more interaction and dialogue."
Ozpin's remark drew a sharp, shocked look from both Qrow and Glynda, their jaws dropping slightly.
Kyo merely laughed, rubbing the back of his head. "Well...in my case, I'm no real help. My rank within the clan is pretty much defined by its lack of authority. Sasame holds far more political influence than I do, I assure you."
"I see," said Ozpin.
"Was there anything else you wished to ask about?" inquired Kyo.
"Not at this time," said Ozpin. "Glynda will see you to your quarters for the duration of your stay. Please make yourself at home."
"I am grateful for your hospitality," said Kyo, bowing to Ozpin once again.
It was nearly midnight when the Atlesian manta touched down in Vale. Even though Ironwood's forces were largely contained within the three warships he'd brought with him, he maintained regular contact with his contemporaries in the Valean military, as well as Vale's Council. While Ironwood was quick to lay claim to the remains of the Atlesian Paladins that the White Fang had stolen, he was just as quick to relinquish the stolen Dust that had been recovered back to Vale.
This manta was making one such delivery, touching down near the edge of one of the military compounds that lined Vale's perimeter. Even as the Atlesian soldiers, assisted by a quartet of Knights, began to offload the crates of Dust that had been shipped in, a pair of extra passengers made their way off the ramp, skirting the soldiers and androids, quickly locating the entrance to the base and slipping through it, with no one being the wiser.
A few minutes later, they finally dropped their cover, the air around them shattering like glass to reveal Neo and Ilia, the pair holding hands, triumphant smiles on their faces.
"See...I told you it would work," said Ilia, not bothering to try and keep from sounding a trifle smug.
Neo beamed and nodded.
While Ilia's faunus-trait allowed her to change the color of her skin, her Semblance allowed her to blend into her surroundings in a different way. She could control both her body temperature and her radar return, making her nearly invisible to many of the advanced sensors employed by Atlas. It was the reason she was one of the White Fang's top infiltrators. Combining that with her ability to change her color, and she could infiltrate many locations normally deemed impenetrable to those without special technology. It had served her and her comrades well on any number of dangerous missions. And now, it had allowed her and Neo, with the aid of Neo's own Semblance, to successfully make their way back to Vale much more quickly than they had initially worried.
Despite being finished with their escape, Ilia couldn't help but notice that Neo continued to hold her hand. Once again, Ilia's skin was tinged a pink color, which drew another giggle from the diminutive girl.
"Oh hush," grumbled Ilia, schooling her skin back to its normal hue. In the caverns below Mountain Glenn, well away from the search areas of the Atlesian forces, it wasn't such a big deal if she let go of her restraint, concerning her skin. But here, in the midst of Vale, where news about her faunus trait might have been spread to the authorities, it was much more important to keep a low profile.
"So...now what?" asked Ilia.
Neo canted her head slightly, before fishing out her scroll once more. "We have our priorities," she typed. "You need to see to the White Fang, here. I need to check on Roman, and...figure out a way to bring Cinder down."
"Can we?" asked Ilia.
Neo nodded. "You might already have a way," she said. "You've already set your friends at Beacon on her trail."
"They aren't my friends," Ilia protested weakly, unable to put much conviction into her words.
Neo simply shrugged. "In any case, if I can manage this right, we might be able to take out Cinder, and I can arrange amnesty for Roman. I guess you'll have to decide what the White Fang needs to do."
"I'll see what I can do," said Ilia with a sigh. She met Neo's gaze once more. "I guess we're going our separate ways for now."
Neo nodded, not bothering to type out another response. Ilia took a step back from her, a prelude to turning away and going on her way. However, she paused when a smirk appeared on Neo's face.
Before Ilia could react, Neo had surged forward, jumping up to throw her arms around Ilia's shoulders, so that she could bring her face in close...and press her lips to Ilia's. Before Ilia could even think to react, her own arms had circled Neo's waist, pulling the diminutive girl closer. Neo worked her lips against Ilia's, gently prying them apart, then slipping her tongue in. On reflex, Ilia found herself responding in kind. Before she could assert control over her reactions, a low moan emerged from her throat, and her skin blazed bright-pink and dark-red.
Then Neo pulled away, slipping out of Ilia's arms like an eel, a thin strand of saliva connecting their mouths briefly, before snapping. Neo danced back, a triumphant grin on her face as, starting with her cheeks, the dark-red of Ilia's spots spread out to encompass her skin entirely, turning her as red as a tomato.
Neo stuck out her tongue for a second, then winked cheekily, before vanishing in a strobing flash, leaving a blushing Ilia alone. Ilia didn't need Neo's scroll to understand what she had just "said". Whatever else she might be at the moment, Neo was a thief, above all else...and now she'd just "stolen" a kiss from the girl she fancied. Strangely, Ilia didn't find herself minding too much.
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone