Yoruichi's POV

Well... That was a shitshow. Yang goes crazy on international TV, is about to be arrested, and then Ichigo steps in to defend her? It's not out of character for him, especially with how protective he is of the people he cares about, but he could have handled it better. Telling one of the most powerful men on the planet to fuck off is not something most people would do. Then again, Ironwood's done nothing to show Ichigo that he should be respected, so that was inevitable.

Yoruichi (cat form): "Still could bite us in the ass, though."

She lays on Yang's bunk while in cat form, positioned in a way that most people shouldn't be able to see her from below. Ichigo, Team RWBY, and Ironwood are on their way here now. Truth be told, Yoruichi hasn't interacted much with Ironwood in person. The only other time she did was when she and the others were explaining their fake story to him and Ozpin, so most impressions of him have been heard secondhand. She's curious about how he'll approach this situation.

Yoruichi (cat form): "There they are."

Ichigo's POV

Yang's looking pretty nervous. Even with him there escorting her so that Ironwood's robots don't, she's incredibly anxious about what happened. The airship ride over didn't help, nor has really anyone said a word. Ironwood met them outside the dorm, somehow getting there before them.

Ironwood: "Please, it'd be better if we talk inside."

Without saying a word, Ichigo sneers at him, barely keeping his emotions in check. He, Yang, Ironwood, and two robotic soldiers walk towards the dorm. Looks like the rest of Team RWBY arrived before them as well, as they're waiting outside the door. However, unlike Ironwood, Ichigo sent them a message telling them that they were going to the dorms to get some privacy and told them to be there so they can be with Yang. When they all get to the dorm, Ichigo stops.

Ichigo: "Leave the robots outside." he says without even looking at Ironwood.

Ironwood: "Their primary function is-"

Ichigo: "These rooms are small and they don't belong."

A few moments pass as Ironwood takes in Ichigo's heavy-handed demands. Ironwood audibly inhales and then sighs.

Ironwood: "Fine. Have it your way." He turns to the guards. "Stand guard out here."

They salute him as Ruby opens the door, the others funneling inside, with Yang and Ironwood being separated by Ichigo standing between them. Yang takes her place on Ruby's bed, with Ruby sitting on one side of her and Ichigo standing on the other. Blake and Weiss sit opposite, on Blake's bed. Ichigo can sense Yoruichi in here, but he doesn't comment on it. Nobody says anything at first, but then Ironwood closes the door behind him.

Ironwood: "I know what happened was tragic, but I need to tell you all that-"

Ichigo: "'Tragic'? Your fucking robots tried arresting a girl on international television!" he nearly shouts.

Ironwood: "Which they could have done had you not interfered. Did you think you were doing yourself or her a favor by showing the world how Beacon's teachers don't care about its students maiming others!? Or did that not cross your mind considering you yourself assaulted one Cardin Winchester not too long ago!?"

Ichigo: "I am getting real sick of your-"

Blake: "Ichigo." she shakes her head. "Getting angry won't change what happened. We need to focus on Yang right now."

She's right. He let his emotions get the better of him even though this isn't about him.

Ichigo: "...you're right. Sorry."

Ironwood: "Apology-"

Ichigo: "I wasn't apologizing to you."

Standing up straight once again, Ironwood gets on his guard.

Ironwood: "...in any case, Miss Xiao Long, you've left us with no choice."

Yang: "But he attacked me!"

Ironwood: "Video footage and millions of viewers say otherwise."

Ichigo: "If she says she saw someone attack her, then someone attacked her. Whether or not it was a physical attack is irrelevant."

The General raises an eyebrow at him, as if that's not something he even considered. Of fucking course.

Ironwood: "And just what do you mean by that?"

Ichigo: "Someone did something to mess with Yang's head. I don't know what yet, but the same thing happened with Coco."

Yang looks up at Ichigo, small tears forming in her eyes. She quickly clutches his leg, but then immediately lets go of his clothing, as if it were an accident.

Weiss: "What do you mean?"

Ichigo: "During her match, she started seeing something that wasn't there. She heard Yatsuhashi's voice and even saw him from the corner of her eye. However, he was still in the geyser fields, fighting Mercury."

Ironwood: "A stress-induced hallucination." he replies. "She was separated from her teammate. It happens."

Ichigo: "So conveniently?" he questions. "A hallucination happening right when her guard is up the most, when her opponent was stalking her in the trees? And Yang just happened to have a similar experience after she had won?"

Ironwood: "When you're out on the battlefield, your judgement can become clouded in an instant. Sometimes, you see things that simply aren't there. Even after the fight has passed."

Yang: "But I wasn't-"

Ironwood: "That's !" he yells at her.

Ichigo's spiritual pressure raises, directed towards Ironwood's raised voice to Yang. He calms down after a moment, seeing that he's affecting the others as well as the now kneeling Ironwood.

Ironwood: "Hrgh... You really don't know how to control your emotions or whatever strange power that is, do you, Mr. Kurosaki?" he grunts out condemningly.

Ichigo: "Believe me, if I didn't know how to control my power, you'd be a flat puddle." he threatens.

The General stands, his legs still a little shaky. He takes a deep breath and stands back up straight, giving himself a moment to answer.

Ironwood: "You're powerful, but not that powerful. Regardless, getting angry at me won't solve anything. It doesn't matter. The sad truth is that whether it was an accident or an assault, the world saw you attack an innocent student. They've already drawn their own conclusions, and it's my job to inform them that... you're disqualified."

Yang's expression breaks completely. Her eyes widen, the tears in her eyes become larger, her hands ball up, and her body language becomes closed off as she tenses up.

Ironwood: "Even though you think it's suspicious, and I have to admit, it's possible someone poisoned or otherwise made Yang have a hallucination, but it doesn't matter. I must keep the peace, for the sake of the world. If something is trying to upend our peace, I will find them. Trust me on that."

He walks out of the dorm, leaving Ichigo with the girls. They've all recovered from Ichigo's outburst, though Ruby's now sitting on the floor, having chosen not to get up when Ichigo's sudden spike of spiritual pressure knocked her off her balance and floored her, not that she seemed mad about it. Really, she, as well as Weiss and Blake, look just concerned for their sister and teammate. There's just silence there for a moment. Ironwood's a dick, basically telling Yang that her innocence doesn't matter.

Ruby: "...Ichigo?" she's the first to speak.

Ichigo just looks at Yang, her expression unchanging.

Ichigo: "Yeah?" he answers without taking his eyes off Yang.

Ruby: "What can we do to help?"

What? Yang's going through this and the first thing Ruby asks is how they can help? She's not shutting down, she's not feeling sorry for Yang. She's looking for a way to improve the situation for Yang's sake. Ichigo thought he knew her, but she's even stronger than he thought. Guess that's why Ozpin assigned her to be her team's leader, because she knows how to push past hardship for the sake of others.

Ichigo: "Honestly, I'm not sure." he tells her. "I'm going to let you girls in on a little secret. I can sense other people's Auras."

Weiss: "What!? B-But that's impossible! Aura sampling technology requires-"

Ichigo: "Direct contact because it samples a person's Aura. Glynda and Ironwood told me the same thing when I told them. But trust me, I don't need that. I can tell sense other people's Auras and distinguish between them."

Blake: "So how does that help us?"

Ichigo: "If someone's using their Semblance, their Aura... feels different while they're using it. It still feels like them, but... It's hard to explain. Once they stop using their Semblance, the feeling of their Aura returns to normal, but they have less of it."

Ruby: "So if someone's using their Semblance to make people hallucinate, then you'll be able to tell?"

Ichigo: "That's the hard part. See, in the arena, there are so many people packed so close together that it's hard to separate one person from another. Then, you have people who have unlocked their Auras and those who haven't. In addition, you have the rare people who are constantly using their Semblances or have their Aura shields up. In short-"

Yang: "It's impossible." she finally speaks.

The others look at her, reminded that Yang hasn't said a word since Ironwood left. Ichigo thought that giving them, especially her, his theory would help, but...

Yang: "You heard General Ironwood. It doesn't matter. People have already drawn their conclusions."

Weiss: "And so have we!" she declares. "You're hot-headed, not ruthless."

Blake: "Besides that, it makes sense. We don't know why, but there could be someone with a Semblance that makes others hallucinate. The fact that something similar happened to Coco makes it more believable."

Yang: "But Ichigo, like you said, only you can sense whoever it's behind it, right? I know you're crazy powerful and all, but are you saying that you're able to search for whoever's doing it in a crowd full of people when you don't even know what a hallucination-caused Semblance feels like?"

When she puts it that way, it's definitely a daunting task. Ichigo knows that his sensing skills aren't that strong, but he's not alone. They don't know that, but keeping the others' abilities close to their chests is necessary because he doesn't want others asking questions. Since he's revealed his own ability to sense Aura, saying that the others can because of the human experimentation done on them wouldn't make sense. He needs them, especially Yang, to know that it's going to be his ability that's going to help her.

He kneels down, putting his hand on her shoulder. She flinches slightly at his touch, but she reluctantly accepts.

Ichigo: "Yang, listen to me: it'll be tough, but I promise you that I will find whoever did this to you. I don't give a shit what the rest of the world thinks, and neither should you. I know you saw what you saw, that you didn't attack him unprovoked. Ruby, Weiss, and Blake do too. Who gives a shit if anyone thinks differently?"

She looks up at him, her eyes slowly coming back to life. She sighs, not smiling, but clearly more relaxed than she was before.

Yang: "...thanks, Ichigo. And everyone, thank you." she says to the others.

Ruby: "Yeah!"

Weiss: "About time you finally got it."

Blake: "Of course. I know that people can change for the worse, but you're not one of them. You've never done anything like this before and I trust you." She looks at Ichigo. "So what's the plan?"

Ichigo: "For now, we wait. I'll keep an eye out for anyone using their Semblance when they shouldn't be. You guys can keep a lookout for any suspicious behavior. You do that, you contact me, okay? Not Port, not Oobleck, not even Glynda or Ozpin. I'll take care of it and then alert them, got it?"

Ruby: "Yes, sir!" she salutes him. "Team RWBY is on the case!"

Ichigo: "Good."

Yang: "Unfortunately, I'm still on house arrest, so you'll have to do so without me." she laments slightly. "Speaking of, I think I'm gonna lay down, clear my head a little. Even though you guys believe me, everything's still... intense."

Blake: "We'll get out of your hair."

Ichigo: "We'd better, considering you're so protective of it."

Ruby chuckles slightly, Weiss groans, and Blake sits there silently. Yang, however, grins at Ichigo's obvious joke, the first positive facial expression she's displayed since it happened. Of course, that was Ichigo's goal with his joke, since he knows that Yang is a big fan of puns.

Yang: "Just go." she playfully tells them. "Any more of that and I won't be able to keep sulking."

Ichigo: "As you wish." he sarcastically replies.

Ichigo, Ruby, Weiss, and Blake walk out of the dorm room. The mood's significantly lighter than when they first went in, something that Ichigo hoped for. The situation's bad, but not so bad that it's unsalvageable.

Weiss: "This is a mess." she comments a few moments after the door closes.

Ichigo: "It really is..."

The door directly in front of them opens, revealing Jaune and his messy blonde hair.

Jaune: "Hey. She doing okay?"

Ichigo sighs.

Ichigo: "Well... She'll be fine, though it might take some time. She's strong."

Smiling, Jaune takes a step back and opens his door some more. His teammates are standing around the room, looking at the open door and their guests on the other side of it.

Ruby: "I heard Mercury and his team rushed back to Haven to be with his family, so until they land, nobody can question him about what happened."

Ren: "If there's anything we can do, please don't hesitate to ask."

Ruby: "Alright then, if that's the case... Pyrrha?"

The Spartan walks over and sits on her bed.

Pyrrha: "Hmm?"

Ruby: "You be sure you win one for Beacon, okay?"

Weiss: "It's what Yang would want." she says with a genuine smile.

Ichigo: "Hey, what about my teams?"

Blake: "We know they're likely going to win their matches, even without our encouragement."

Nora: "HUH!?" she bolts out towards the open door. "Are you suggesting that Pyrrha, OUR Pyrrha, could lose!?"

Blake: "That's not-"

Pyrrha: "I'll... do my best!" she... assures?

Ruby: "I'll be sure to watch tonight in case you're picked!"

Blake: "Sorry, I think I've had enough fighting for one year." she declines.

Weiss: "Ditto." she agrees. "Coffee?" she asks her teammate.

Blake: "Tea. See you guys later."

Ichigo: "See you." He turns back to Jaune as Ruby, Blake, and Weiss leave. "And Pyrrha?"

Pyrrha: "Yes?"

Ichigo: "...you be careful out there. I'll be watching in case... Never mind. Just be careful. Even if you're on the precipice of defeat, you stand up, be strong."

Pyrrha: "I'll be sure to do that. Thank you."

She gives him a smile, one he's not entirely convinced is genuine. On the plus side, she at least seems thankful for his advice. He leaves, hearing Jaune's door shut behind him.

Jaune's POV

With Ichigo and RWBY gone, now it's just Jaune and the team. Is-

Nora: "You heard the man!" she interrupts his train of thought. "No more moping around!"

Now she's somehow changed into her gym clothes even though she had her normal outfit on half a second prior. Is that some sort of lightning-fast changing technique?

Nora: "We gotta get your butt in shape for the biiig fight!" She starts doing various exercises. "It could be today. It could be tomorrow! It could be the most important fight OF YOUR ENTIRE LIFE!"

She lifts a barbell that also wasn't in here before. Where- No, never mind. This is Nora we're talking about. How or why she does things is a mystery. It's like she's a cartoon character or something.

Pyrrha: "Umm..."

Ren: "Nora's right." he says while wearing a pink apron. "You can't let your concern for Yang hold you back. You need to focus. You'll be defending the honor of Beacon Academy."

Pyrrha: "Of course." she replies. "I-"

Ren: "This blend of herbs and vegetables is filled with nutrients vital to your body's well-being."

He holds out a mysterious green liquid in front of her face.

Pyrrha: "O-Oh! That's-"

Ren: "Please. There's no need to thank me."

Nora: "'Thank' you!? UGH! That looks like SLIME from a lake bed!"

Ren: "Algae contains numerous spectacular properties." he defends his 'drink'. "See for yourself."

He holds the cup up to Nora's mouth and she drinks some. Her face goes immediately green when she swallows, followed by her running towards the trash can to violently puke. Pyrrha chuckles at her teammates' antics. When Nora's done puking, she pulls her head out of the trashcan that Jaune will likely have to take out later.

Nora: "What is WRONG with you!?"

Ren: "Me? You're the one who wasted perfectly good juice."

Nora: "We're supposed to HELP Pyrrha, not POISON her! Urgh..."

Ren: "There is absolutely nothing wrong with this drink."

Nora: "If it looks the same coming up as it does going down, then there's something WRONG!"

Jaune: "Hey." he puts his hands on the bickering siblings' shoulders. "Why don't we get some fresh air?" he suggests.

Pyrrha: "An excellent suggestion." she agrees.

Jaune: "You heard the lady. Move out!"

Pyrrha's nervous about the fight. That's to be expected. She's not only representing herself this time like she has in the past. She's representing all of them as well as Beacon. It's up to Jaune as team leader to make sure she's as prepared as possible.

Yang's POV

Sitting here won't do anything, but Yang can't pull herself to do anything else. She's just thinking about what happened, what people think of her. The others say that they believe her while Ichigo says that he thinks someone caused her to see what she did, but... Are they telling the truth?

Yang: "Do they really believe me? If I were them, I wouldn't believe me. I barely believe it myself... I mean, he attacked me. I know that. It's just- Why me? Why make me hallucinate? Is it something they have against me? If so, who? Maybe... Maybe Ichigo's just saying that to make me feel-" She stops herself. "...no, Ichigo wouldn't do that. He wouldn't lie to make me feel better, not with something like this."

She hears some shuffling from her bunk ahead of her. The bed moves slightly, though its 'safety features' prevent it from moving too much. All of a sudden, she sees a black cat standing on top of her bed. Where did it come from?

Said black cat jumps down off the bed and onto the floor, sitting down in front of Yang's legs, staring at her face. What does it want?

Yang: "Where'd you come from, kitty? You know, you're lucky Zwei's not around. He likes chasing cats to play with them."

The cat doesn't say anything, instead just staring at her.

Yang: "Okaaaayyyy... This is super weird."

Cat: "Ichigo's right, you know. You'll be just fine."

Yeah... She'll be- Wait. What?

Yang: "Did you just-"

The cat vanishes before her very eyes. She blinks a few times and looks around the room. No cat anywhere to be seen. That cat just talked. Cats don't talk. Cats also don't just disappear like that either. But more importantly, CATS DON'T TALK! The fuck?

Yang: "What the-Where- I HAVE SO MANY QUESTIONS!" she yells to herself.

Maaaaybe she's hallucinating after all...

Ichigo's POV