Hey folks! Bad news..car got totalled today. Good news... I literally got out with a scratch. Might be some delays with the stories while dealing with insurance stuff. Meanwhile, here's the latest offering.

Vindictious

Chapter 11 : A Semblance To Die For

Team HART's only male member has a secret that he's hidden from everyone at Beacon.

Tan Tyrson's Semblance finally reveals itself, and it's out for blood. Can Pyrrha stop it without killing her friend?

Professor Goodwitch was amazed that the boy had lasted this long. A sparring match between Miss Nikos and Mister Tyrson should have ended almost as soon as it began, yet he'd managed to hold his own almost five minutes against the champion. The boy had courage and stamina, she admitted to herself, yet this seemed to be the end. With only one of his weapons in working order, defeat seemed inevitable.

Pyrrha's last maneuver had left Tan's body in a deep crater in the classroom floor, his Aura almost exhausted. As the dust began to settle, Pyrrha straightened from her crouch, expecting Goodwitch to call the match.

As Tan lay half-dazed in the rubble, unable to focus his thoughts for a moment his mind began to wander into territory that he'd been avoiding. ' Can't quit yet. Not gonna let anyone beat me this easy! Never give up. NEVER!' echoed in his mind. The ceiling was just coming into focus when the first cramp hit him.

' No! Please, no! ' He closed his eyes and cursed his heritage.

Glynda had just opened her mouth to announce the winner when the boy's arm appeared at the edge of the crater. She gaped at the sight as he rose upright, the glowing outline of an ancient helmet on his head, covering the face and leaving dark holes where two ice blue eyes blazed. Recovering her composure, she pointed her riding crop at the boy. " Mister Tyrson, you may wish to consider surrendering at this point!" The voice that replied seemed deeper and much older than the one she remembered.

" Never!"

In the stands, his partner clenched her fists as she recognized what was happening to him. Knowing there was no way to help, she ground her teeth in frustration.

Confused, Hart turned to Renee. " What the hell is going on?" she whispered. " Why doesn't he give up already? He can't have that much Aura left after all that!"

Renee had to clear her throat a couple of times before she could reply. " He can't! " she replied desperately. " He told me about it last week. His Semblance is called ' Berrserkir '. Once it's activated he can't retreat or surrender, he can only attack. It won't let him stop until he kills his attacker...or dies in the attempt! " Still watching her partner advance towards his opponent, she continued.

" He said that it runs in his family. His grandfather was a Hunter and he died fighting a horde of Grim because he couldn't retreat. It's why his parents didn't want him to become a Hunter. Once it's taken control, the only way to stop him is either knock him out completely...or kill him, and killing him would be the easy option!"

Akiko leaned past Hart. " The instructor should call the match then! " Renee smiled grimly at the girl. " She could, but he won't listen. He's not in complete control anymore. I hope she's read his history, because if she tries to stop him physically it'll just make him want to fight her too."

Goodwitch's face remained calm even as her mind raced. She had, indeed, read Tan's file and had hoped this moment would not come until she'd had a chance to talk with him privately whenever time could be found in her busy schedule. This particular Semblance was a rarity, and one that had never cropped up in the student body before, thank God. Every other Hunter afflicted with it had died in hopeless battles that they couldn't retreat from.

She ~could~ stop him, in theory at least. But her own abilities were better suited to killing rather than disabling. She might inadvertently kill the boy in the process of trying to overcome him by magic. Simply freezing him in place would certainly stop his attack, but he might die as the Semblance fought to free itself. Any attempt on her part would only make it want to kill her too.

For a moment the creature that Tan had become was distracted as he walked to retrieve his sole functioning weapon. She used the time to approach Pyrrha. " Miss Nikos. Do you think you can knock him unconscious without hurting him too much?"

Pyrrha's eyes widened at the request. " I...don't know! What's happening to him?"

Glynda's hand tightened on her riding crop in frustration. " Just answer the question! Can you do it?"

Watching the approaching figure, someone she'd barely met a month ago but thought of as a friend, Pyrrha considered saying no. Something in those mad blue eyes made her blood run cold. But, if not her, then who? Slipping her shield onto her back, she gripped the sword in both hands and nodded. " I'll try!"

" Try very hard, Miss Nikos. For if you fail, I can't guarantee that I can stop him without possibly killing him." Glynda said as she stepped away from the girl. " His life is in your hands. Good luck!"

Ruby slipped out of her seat and dashed over to where Tan's teammates were seated. Squatting between the two, she held onto Hart's arm while looking up at her childhood friend's worried face.

" Hart! What's going on? What happened to Tan?" A hurried explanation from the two faunas' only left her more deeply puzzled.

" But.. I beat him in our first match! Why didn't this happen then?"

Renee's eyes went back to her partner as she tried to explain. " Ruby, every time his name is called in here, he has to fight two battles at once. His opponent, and his Semblance. He's hidden his ability all the time he's been at Beacon. The one time he used it at his fighting school, he nearly killed a friend. He was so worried about hurting you that he paid more attention to suppressing ~that~..thing! " her finger pointed at the blazing eyes, " then he did to fighting you. Honey, he ~let~ you win rather than expose you to this!"

She gripped Hart's hand tightly. " Guy's, I'm scared that she might have to kill him! "

Pyrrha opted to use her spear for this encounter, hoping the longer weapon could give her some breathing room while she figured out how she was going to end this without seriously harming the boy. In the silent room , the scoreboard on the wall showed the last red bar of his Aura fading out. If she struck with her normal force, anything she did could possibly cripple him forever if it didn't kill him outright. But if the blow was too weak, then she would be in danger herself. This was going to take all the control she could muster.

His assault caught her off guard for a second, his Semblance driving him forward. The spinning weapon struck like a hammer on her spear, the rebound becoming another attack without pause. Even without the Aura to assist him, his Semblance driven speed was incredible. Blows from the Gunfa seemed to come from every direction, too fast to block them all. Her own Aura began to steadily drop, leaving her on the defensive until she leapt backwards to gain some room. In an attempt to knock the weapon from his hand she darted forward , feinting high, then changed the angle of her strike as he raised his arm to block. The sound of the forearm breaking as the spear's shaft connected with it could be heard around the room.

Jumping back, again on the defensive, she froze for a moment at the sight of the splintered bone protruding from his arm. Her blow had been a reflex, a response to his own attack, but far too strong for someone with no Aura. She'd killed plenty of Grim and participated in many tournaments, but she'd never intentionally damaged another student like this! Blood dripped from the twitching fingers of his right hand , pooling on the floor as he used the undamaged left to retrieve his weapon. The way he ignored the obvious pain of the wound and kept coming unnerved her enough to wish she'd made Goodwitch deal with the situation.

Many of the students had already run from the classroom, a few calling for medical help, fearing the worst. Blake, Weiss, and JNPR had moved to sit around Renee, offering what comfort they could to the crying faunas as Yang joined her sister with Hart. When Pyrrha's next attack ended with results similar to the first, Jaune had to look away, refusing to watch the woman he loved as she shed the blood of a friend.

Having two badly broken arms did nothing to stop his attack. The steel caps of his boots were as bad as the Gunfa had been, the force of his kicks began rapidly dropping her Aura further into the red zone. She finally resorted to breaking both of his lower legs, the bile rising in her throat as he crashed to the ground. Breathing shallowly, she almost fainted when he heaved himself up and began shuffling towards her on his knees the jagged stumps of his arm bones held out like knives.

Ruby was vomiting behind the bleachers higher up in the classroom, the stress having gotten the better of her. Yang and Hart sat near the trembling girl, each with a hand on her back. Yang had turned her head away from the continuing battle, but Hart felt she owed it to her teammate to see the ordeal through to the end. Silently, she prayed for his survival while sending thanks that it had not been her that had to face him.

Pyrrha's shivered as she dashed tears from her eyes. ' God!' thought the girl ' This is like a horror movie you can't turn off!' Holding the spear over her shoulder like a club, she screamed at him." Give up! Just give up!"

The helmet tilted up as those blazing eyes met hers. " Never!"

The Semblance flickered for a moment, the blue fire leaving the eyes. The boy's face lost the tight rictus as he fought for control. Tears of pains streaming down his face, he looked into her eyes.

" Do it! I can't stop it!" he gasped. " Ple..." The last word died on his lips as the fire returned. Bloody bone stabbed at her eyes . A lifetime of training made the defensive move an automatic response on her part.

She probably wouldn't ever forget the sound as the shaft as it connected with the side of his head, the force of it throwing him several yards to the side. Before his limp body hit the floor the ethereal helmet disappeared. Pyrrha stood trembling in shock as she stared at the broken boy, sure that she had killed him.

In their haste, the paramedics charging across the arena accidently knocked the girl to the floor. Feeling something sticky under her hand, she lifted it and stared at the blood coating the palm. Madly scrambling to her feet, she very nearly made it to the locker room before her stomach began to heave.

Tan woke slowly, bleary eyes staring up at the white ceiling.

" Whazzat? Whahap?" he muttered, trying to shake his head to clear it. Despite the tightening of his neck, the head refused to move, adding to the confusion. As panic began to set in two large hands clasped his cheeks.

" Easy now. It's alright. Don't struggle, or you'll hurt yourself."

The urge to thrash about subsided at Renee's soft words. Her face moved into view as she leaned over the bed.

" Welcome back partner! You had us all scared for a bit there. The doctors say you'll be fine in a week or so, but they put you in a neck brace just to be sure." She smiled weakly at him. " I told them that your head was too thick for there to be any damage." His shaky grin in return reassured her somewhat. " Here, let's get you situated a little better." Moving back slightly, she made the upper portion of the bed rise, letting him see the rest of the room.

His arms hurt a bit as the bed moved. The sight of the traction casts with their attached weights made him wince slightly. Under the blankets he could see the outline of casts on both legs.

The memory of those frightened green eyes as the girl screamed at him made him nauseous for a moment. " Is Pyrrha okay?"

Renee took a glass of water from bedside table and held the straw so he could drink. " She's fine..well, sort of. Yesterday, when she stopped by, she told me that from now on you automatically win if Goodwitch pairs you with her again." The faunas laid a hand on his shoulder. " You have a helluva rep around school at the moment. Nobody's willing to face you now!"

He closed his eyes. " Yeah, right! Nobody wants to die facing a monster!" Bitterness dripped from the words.

"Bullshit!" Her harsh tone made him look up at her again in surprise.

" Everybody we know has been in this room over the last two days, they're so worried over you! Hart and Ruby were planning on spending the night here, until I chased them out. So don't 'monster' me, mister! " Her finger pushed gently against the tip of his nose. " You are no more a monster than I am!"

His eyes dropped back to the outline of the casts under the light blanket. " Okay. But, how long have I been here?"

" Three days now. The doctors weren't sure when you would wake up, so I volunteered to stay with you. Hart and Akiko have been bringing class assignments here, so I kept up with that at least." Looking over at the books and papers piled on one of the chairs, she added " You have a lot of catch-up work to do, so don't plan any dates for the next month!"

" Oh no!" Tan's eyes widened at the sudden thought. " Did Ruby...?"

Renee decided that there was going to be no easy way to put it. " Yeah! She saw it all. Well...most of it. She lost her lunch about halfway through, but she knows why it happened." The faunas laid a hand tenderly on his upper arm. " That girl's a good one! She was right there with us when Hart, Akiko, and I tried to follow the medics as they carried you out. Soon as everyone knows you're awake, she'll be at the head of the line!"

A light tap at the door preceded the entrance of a nurse.

" Young man, there is a crowd of students outside who want to see you!" she stated in a disapproving tone. " Professor Ozpin left instructions that he should be contacted the moment you awoke. He may have intended for you to see everyone, but there are rules about this! You may have only two visitors at a time, and then only for five minutes each!" Finishing her speech, she stormed out the door, closing it firmly behind her.

Renee stuck out her tongue at the retreating back, before turning to the bed again. " You want me to start sending them in?" Accepting the inevitable, he nodded.

Ruby stood next to the bed, dithering about whether or not to try hugging him while Pyrrha waited with her back to the wall. When Renee had opened the door, she'd had to step aside quickly as the smaller girl dragged the other redhead past her.

Unable to find a spot to squeeze that wouldn't hurt him, Ruby settled for a quick kiss, much to his delight. When their lips separated she frowned down at him. " Don't you ever scare me again like that, you dope!"

He smiled up at her stern look. " Yes ma'am. How about dinner when I get out of here?"

The offer brought a wicked smile to the pixie face. " Sure. But only if it's a real restaurant this time! You, mister , are going to pay for making me worry like that!"

He marveled at his luck in finding this girl and managing to date her at all. " Anywhere you like. Heck, we'll bring the others along too. Make a party of it!"

Ruby stood abruptly and moved over to Pyrrha. Grabbing the taller girl's arm, she dragged her over to the bedside. " And Pyrrha and Jaune are coming too!"

Pyrrha flinched slightly as she looked at the boy. He looked so helpless that she wanted to cry for causing him so much pain.

" Hey Pyrrha! I guess I should thank you!"

His words confused her, she'd entered the room expecting to face his anger. " Thanks for what? For putting you in the hospital?"

His eyes met hers for a moment before she looked away. " It could have been worse!" he told her seriously. " It could be the morgue! I'm sorry that it happened to you, but I'm also kinda glad!" The look on her face made him continue quickly. " Pyrrha, I don't think anyone else could have handled it as well as you did. I may not have been in control, but I saw and heard everything that happened. You were the only one in that room that could stop what was happening without killing me, so I owe you my life for that."

His eyes moved to the smaller girl. " Ruby, would you give her a hug for me? I really want to, but...!" the weights moved slightly as he demonstrated the problem.

After the two had separated he had an idea. " Hey Ruby? Screw the rules, let's get everyone in here!"

She tweaked his nose gently. " You are a born troublemaker mister, you know that?"

As she headed for the door he looked over at Pyrrha, giving her a conspiratorial wink.

" Yep! And lucky to have friends to get me out of it too!"