Author's Notes: Chapter edited and corrected by Vongrak.
Yang POV.
I bit my lip as my leg bounced constantly against the floor. I sat staring at the Scroll in front of me. I was nervous, completely nervous, as I waited for Ruby's call.
Ruby's boyfriend's kidnapping quickly made headlines around the world, and as soon as we heard about it, we contacted her immediately. Ruby tried to stay in touch and check in regularly, but it was more than obvious that she had been inconsolable in the first few hours after the kidnapping.
Until that changed, Ruby's last message had been about 20 minutes ago to the whole family, saying she was going to participate in a raid on the villains' base to rescue Miyamura. It was supposed to be a quick operation.
"Yang, I know it's pointless to say this, but... try not to worry too much. Your sister said she was with the teachers, even All Might, so you shouldn't take any risks." Weiss said, cautiously approaching.
I took a deep breath and bit my lip. I know I shouldn't, but part of me still blames myself for Ruby deciding to go to Japan to study instead of coming to Beacon. I know it was stupid, and I know we'd already cleared things up, but still, I just…
I shouldn't have called Ruby a nuisance, even if it was just to please Weiss and calm her down, even if I thought Ruby would never hear it, I shouldn't have said it.
Yes, at that time my relationship with Weiss was new, and it was the first real relationship for both of us, so there were certain needs and expectations to meet, but telling Ruby that was a monumental mistake.
And now she was in Japan, where I couldn't protect her, where my role as her older sister didn't matter. Oh, on one hand, I felt incredibly proud; Ruby was doing what she'd always wanted to be: a hero.
Vale and the surrounding kingdoms had no heroes, only hunters. The threat of the Grimms was so constant that everyone needed hunter training to fight them effectively. Vale didn't have a professional hero career, and although those responsibilities fell under the umbrella of what a hunter would do, it wasn't the same.
So Ruby was really happy to be in Japan, at one of the best hero universities. Especially with a boyfriend.
"I know, I know, but I can't help worrying." I groaned in frustration. Weiss sat down next to me. I was about to open my mouth when our bedroom gate suddenly opened, making us jump.
"YANG!!" Blake shouted in a panic as he burst in, looking frantic. "The news! It's Ruby!" Blake said quickly as he entered, followed by Ilia. My body froze completely.
Luckily, Weiss didn't, and she opened her scroll and immediately tuned in to the news feed. I grabbed the scroll right away, and the girls crowded around me as we started watching.
Was that… a live broadcast from Japan? Why… because there's a huge crater?
"W-what's going on?" I asked awkwardly. Blake shook her head quickly.
"I have no idea. Everyone was watching the news. We glanced around, and apparently what was supposed to be a rescue mission turned into a full-scale fight with the appearance of a villain. I... I don't have any more information," Blake said tensely.
"It's All Might!!" Ilia squealed, staring at the scroll, and we all turned back to the broadcast. Just as Ilia had said, All Might, one of the world's greatest heroes, appeared before a villain—a villain I didn't recognize. Who the heck was she?
I might not have known who she was, but I didn't need to know to know she was a villain. Even through the transmission, the aura and feeling she gave off was chilling. And she was strong, truly strong, as she began to fight All Might head-on as if it were nothing.
And then Ryuma appeared. Sword God Shimotsuki Ryuma. Kamish Slayer. Two national ranks. I could feel my stomach drop with worry.
"Oh goddess, Lord Ryuma has a grandson!?" Weiss squealed in disbelief as we listened to Ryuma's revelation.
"That... that seems to be the case." Blake said, sounding almost dizzy. Blake was a fan of Ryuma, so if even she didn't know that information, then it was a national secret, I—uh?
"Is that Ryuma's grandson?" Ilia asked, looking at the screen. The camera had focused on Ryuma's supposed grandson. And I recognized him immediately.
"Girls..." I said, my voice trembling, as I pointed at the screen. They all looked at me immediately. "That... That's Ruby's boyfriend." I said shakily, and they all froze instantly.
"I-it's not the time to joke around, Yang," Weiss said nervously.
"I'm not kidding! Ruby keeps uploading pictures with him constantly! There's no way I'm wrong!" I said frantically while staring at the screen.
Ruby… Ruby was dating the grandson of a rank national?! That… that was—I didn't even have a word to describe it!
I mean, I'm dating Weiss Schnee and Blake Belladonna, the former being the daughter of one of the most important women in the business world, while the latter was the daughter of the woman in charge of Menagerie, or whatever Ghira is.
But still… being the son or grandson of a Rank National felt… very different. I couldn't understand how Ruby was dating someone like that. Did Ruby even know? And didn't say anything?
"O-okay, there's nothing to-" "The transmission!" Ilia's squeal interrupted Blake and we all looked at the transmission once more and immediately paled.
"Oh goddess... that's a Wyvern Grimm?" I asked, horrified. "How... how did it get to Japan?" I asked tremblingly. A monster dozens of meters long and then... it started raining Grimms. I went completely pale.
Before any of us could speak, someone shot out of the ground and headed toward the Wyvern. A heroine with a truly powerful fire quirk fired what looked like a heat ray, attempting to vaporize the Wyvern.
"It won't work," Blake murmured in horror. And just as Blake said, the Wyvern withstood the blow and roared again. And to our surprise, a second person lunged at the Wyvern.
"It's Ryuma's grandson!" Ilia exclaimed, gripping the scroll tightly in my hands. Then my eyes widened as the Wyvern was completely decapitated by Ryuma's grandson.
"That... wow." Weiss said, speechless, and she couldn't blame her, that was amazing, when—
"No," I murmured, almost panicking, as the Wyvern exploded and thousands of Grimms began raining down on the Japanese city. And before we could react any further, Ryuma's grandson appeared once more. This time, engulfed in flames and thunder.
He moved fast, faster than anyone I'd ever seen, so fast the camera couldn't even track his movements. All we could see was the trail of fire and thunder that formed a kind of dragon as Grimms died by the hundreds every second.
Strong. It was ridiculously strong!
"Yang... Ruby told you what rank her... her boyfriend was? Ryuma's grandson?" Blake asked, his eyes sparkling.
"Rank S," I said without hesitation. And now I could believe it. When Ruby said it, I thought she was exaggerating or something, or more like… a provisional measurement, just in aura quantity, without training, but this… this was another level, a level that only a few people in the world could enter.
Now the villain faced All Might, Ryuma, and his grandson. And then the villain revealed another trick up her sleeve. A gate had just broken down on top of them.
"How... how did she do that?" Weiss asked, horrified. I stared in disbelief too. That villainess... was she able to force open a gate? It was already a shock that she'd managed to bring a Wyvern Grimm to Japan, but that? It was awful.
"Is that... Ruby?!" I asked in a panic as the cameras focused on the other heroes around me, concentrating on cleaning up the broken dungeon. I could see the familiar red flash and the petals of Ruby's quirk. I went completely pale.
She was there. Ruby was there. At the center of it all. Facing a villain who was capable of taking on two national ranks.
She… she had improved. Her speed was on another level, her movements with her scythe were much more fluid, much more polished. She had become much stronger, capable of defeating A-rank monsters with ease.
She had grown stronger when I wasn't looking. A bittersweet feeling formed in my stomach. A sense of pride at seeing Ruby so strong while simultaneously feeling utterly lost for not being there when Ruby grew stronger.
We nervously watched the entire ensuing fight. We saw the whole group of heroes and hunters take down the regular monsters, and then witness the colossal battle between All Might, Ryuma, and Miyamura.
Finally, the fight ended. The dungeon boss was defeated, and so was the villain. Without hesitation, I grabbed my scroll and started sending messages to Ruby. None of them seemed to reach her, so I started calling her.
"Come on, pick up!" I muttered as the Scroll kept dialing Ruby's number before the call dropped. I groaned in frustration. Just then, the Scroll rang again, my eyes widened, and I answered the call immediately. "Ruby?!" I called out.
"Yang! It's me, Summer! I don't have much time, Ruby's fine! She just texted me, she's back at university with her professors, she's completely fine, but she'll be busy for a few hours!" I heard aunt Summer's voice speak quickly and let out a loud sigh of relief.
"Understood, Aunt Summer." I said with relief.
"Okay, I have things to take care of, I still need to call the others, see you in a couple of hours!" The call immediately cut short, but I sighed in relief nonetheless.
"Ruby is okay." I sighed in relief as I collapsed onto the nearest bed.
"I'm glad," Blake said with a small smile.
"Try to rest, Yang, Ruby will surely contact you within a few hours," Ilia said. I just nodded while sighing wearily.
----------------
A couple of hours had passed, and she obviously hadn't been able to rest. And for one simple reason: everyone in Beacon had found out that she was Ruby's sister and that Ruby was engaged to Ryuma's grandson.
So we started getting a flood of calls from people trying to get information about Ruby. We practically had to barricade ourselves in our room, ignoring the calls from dozens of people.
"Team Weiss is needed in Headmistress Salem's office, please. I repeat, Team Weiss is needed in Headmistress Salem's office."
The four of us froze as we listened to the statement.
"W-We'd better go," Weiss said, trying to remain composed.
"Do you think it's about Ruby?" I asked nervously.
"It's very likely," Blake said with a sigh. I bit my lip nervously.
"Alright, let's go." I grunted slightly as I opened the gate only to see several people waiting. "Either you move, or I'll move you." I grunted irritably as I let my quirk activate slightly.
Everyone took a step back as they paled slightly; in a few seconds the hallway was completely clear.
"We should have started with that," Ilia said playfully. I just sighed.
"Come on, we can't keep Headmistress Salem waiting," Weiss said eagerly. We all nodded and started walking quickly. We had a short walk to the tower where the headmistress's office was, but we finally arrived.
The elevator gates opened and Headmistress Salem was sitting behind her desk with Professor Glynda behind them. They both looked at us immediately, so we had no choice but to approach them.
"Thank you for coming, girls," said Headmistress Salem as we approached her.
"Is everything alright? Is Ruby okay?" I asked immediately without even being able to stop myself. Headmistress Salem paused for a few moments before nodding slightly.
"I'm sorry to tell you, Miss Xiao Long, but I haven't had direct contact with her. However, Summer just confirmed to me that she's perfectly fine, just... very busy." Headmistress Salem said gently, and I sighed with relief.
"Oh, thank goodness." I sighed with relief, though I almost wanted to groan. It was the same thing Aunt Summer had told me; I wanted more information about Ruby, not just "she's okay." But I guess it was the best I was going to get until Ruby got in touch.
"Unfortunately, we have things to discuss that have no relation to Miss Rose's health," Headmistress Salem said with a sigh. "And that is, how you will approach your relationship with her," Headmistress Salem said seriously.
"Our... relationship with Yang's sister?" Blake asked, frowning. "Excuse me, Headmistress, but we... we don't have a relationship with Ruby. We've met her a few times when we've visited Yang, but that's the extent of our relationship with her," Blake added, confused.
Headmistress Salem nodded.
"And that may be true, but other people won't care how thin his relationship with Miss Rose is, they'll just see that a relationship 'exists' and try to take advantage of it, all to get to Mr. Miyamura, the grandson of Sword God Ryuma." Headmistress Salem said solemnly.
"Wait, I understand the importance of Sword God Ryuma, and I definitely know his grandson will be a hot topic around the world, but... could it even affect us? I mean, I can understand Yang to a certain extent, since she's the sister of one of Lord Ryuma's grandson's fiancées." Weiss said, frowning. Headmistress Salem sighed.
"I really want to tell you no, but the truth is, everyone will want a piece of the pie called Izumi Miyamura," Headmistress Salem said solemnly. "You may not fully understand, but an S-rank is a very important thing for any nation."
"It may seem normal since they are talked about a lot, especially where they are somewhat numerous, such as in the United States or Japan, where there are at least a dozen of them in each country. But the truth is that they are really rare despite appearances."
"An S-rank is a considerable leap in strength. I'm sure you all witnessed the Kamino incident, just like the rest of the world. Do you really think you could stand up to what Mr. Miyamura was able to achieve?"
"Even if the four of you went together as a team, would you be able to defeat him?" Headmistress Salem asked seriously. I opened my mouth almost immediately, but then slammed it shut.
I… I couldn't see how it was possible. Everything I'd seen during that fight was way beyond us. I'm sure Miyamura could wipe the floor with us without even showing his full strength like he did in the fight against that villain.
"We-" Weiss tried to say awkwardly.
"Not to insult you, not at all, you girls are one of the best teams to have ever come through Beacon. From freshman year you've proven yourselves to be exceptional, have no doubt about that," Headmistress Salem said confidently, and the four of us straightened up slightly.
"But... but an S-Rank is something else entirely. They play at a different level, and there's no shame in admitting when they're outmatched. And that's precisely why S-Ranks are so important. Only an S-Rank can take on another S-Rank. They're weapons of mass destruction used as a deterrent."
"And young Miyamura is a special case. He's still two years younger than you all, so he has a lot of room for improvement," Headmistress Salem said solemnly. Our eyes widened. Right… he's the same age as Ruby.
"Mr. Miyamura is already ridiculously strong, and he's only just begun his studies at UA University in Japan. He's a descendant of Ryuma, a National Rank. People and all countries will truly believe he has the potential to become as strong as his grandfather, and perhaps he will."
"B-but if he becomes that strong, it wouldn't make any sense; National Rankers can't leave their country," Weiss said awkwardly. Headmistress Salem nodded.
"They wouldn't normally do that, but young Miyamura isn't a national rank yet," Headmistress Salem said with a frown. I could feel myself paling. "The International Guild Conference is where they discuss whether any S-rank member is eligible to be promoted to national rank, and I'm certain that at the next conference, Mr. Miyamura will be the topic of discussion without a doubt."
"He's still too young to be made a National Rank, no one will vote for it, but within the next few years it's safe to assume that two groups will form, the first, those who will vote against it, will do everything possible to keep Miyamura as an S rank for as long as possible, just so they continue to have a chance of attracting them to their respective countries."
"Despite the very, very gray area that exists when stealing hunters from another nation, many countries will continue to try; that's how tempting an S-rank is. Especially when that S-rank is a man, Japan will obviously try to completely prohibit it, but there are still certain cases that countries can exploit to smuggle him out of Japan if they can convince Mr. Miyamura."
"And then there's the second group, those who will want to immediately elevate it to national status, to prevent other countries with a greater chance of attracting it from seizing it. With national status, its entire status becomes special, and special laws will apply to Miyamura."
"It's really going to be a riot," Headmistress Salem said with a sigh.
"But... why is Miyamura getting such special treatment? I mean, wouldn't all S-Rank heroes go through the same thing? I'm sure every country wants its own S-Rank heroes to become National Heroes. And there was All Might's son, too. Why... is Miyamura getting this special treatment?" Weiss asked, frowning.
"Simply because he was there and demonstrated his power at a young age. UA is special because they publicly showcase a portion of their students' strength. But most countries keep that information hidden until they are older."
"So they have time to... make sure they stay in their country. I don't know if you're aware, but this happened with the revelation of Korea's tenth S-rank hunter. Hunter Sung Jin-Woo is the son of National Hunter Sung Il-Hwan, but Hunter Sung is around 25 years old, 7 years older than young Miyamura."
"And that's precisely why the revelation of Hunter Jin-Woo doesn't have the same effect; most people have already given him up for lost and impossible to get out of Korea. I suppose they don't want the same thing to happen as with S-rank Hunter Hwang, whom the United States stole from them a few years ago," the headmistress said calmly.
I blinked slightly; I was having trouble following the conversation. I knew Sung Il-Hwan—everyone knew the names of the National ranks; they were practically celebrities. But all the other names just flashed over my head.
I could see that the only one who was following the entire conversation was, surprisingly, Blake.
"Everything is very... interesting, Headmistress Salem, but is there something more besides Yang's relationship with her sister's... fiancé?" Weiss asked, frowning.
"In fact, there is." My eyes widened and I spun around immediately. I saw Aunt Summer walk through Mom's portal followed by Dad, Uncle Qrow, and Mom.
What?