As the sun set on Vale's Central Park, a large crowd had formed around the stage. Citizens and tourists had gathered from all over the city, for a very special event was about to take place.

Pyrrha Nikos removed her jacket and gently placed it on the corner of the stage. Across from her, Natsu Schnee rolled up his pants until they reached his knees. He then started to stretch out his legs.

"If you had mentioned earlier that this was part of the day's activities, I would have dressed more appropriately."

"It wouldn't be as fun if you saw it coming."

"I suppose not."

Natsu looked around at the crowd. "Where did all of these people come from. It's kind of annoying."

Pyrrha chuckled. "Well it's not every day that they see two of the top combat students in Beacon have an exhibition match. Especially when the tournament is right around the corner. Are you ready?"

"Whenever you are."

The two reached into their lockers and grabbed their weapons.

"Ready…"

"Go!"

Pyrrha Nikos had been standing in front of the "From Dust Till Dawn" shop for the past thirty minutes, or maybe it was twenty. She'd lost count. The breeze whisking by gave the warrior maiden a shiver. It was surprisingly cooler than what was expected of an autumn morning, and according to the forecast it would only get colder.

She looked at her watch then sulked in disappointment. It was only 12:30. "I arrived too early."

After things settled down from the Grimm attack a few days prior, Natsu and Pyrrha were finally able to go over the details of their date. They agreed to meet at the shop Pyrrha was currently in front of at one o'clock, but the redhead was so nervous about her first ever date…that she arrived an hour early.

I should at least use this time to make sure I look presentable.

Pyrrha faced the shop window and looked over her outfit. Gone were her long boots, armored corset, tiara, and choker. They were replaced by a navy blue and white polka dot skirt, black ankle boots, black leggings, a cream colored shirt where the sleeves stopped just below her elbows, and a ruby necklace that hung around her neck. Even her hair had changed; her characteristic ponytail having been done away with for long wavy tresses that fluttered in the breeze.

Everything about Pyrrha Nikos screamed different. According to Nora – who had deemed herself Pyrrha's "personal stylist" for the occasion – this new look was guaranteed to make heads turn. While it had indeed done just that – she had been complimented and whistled at much more than she would have liked – Pyrrha still couldn't help but feel a little uncomfortable.

This entire scenario was completely alien to her. She had never really thought much of romance until she met Natsu, and even then she didn't completely know how to approach it. She knew she was confident enough to say that she had romantic interest in the pinkette, but anything further both embarrassed and confused her.

What does one exactly do on a date? She pondered. Eating at restaurants was common activity. They would be visiting the restaurant Natsu had been telling her about for past couple of months, but was that all they would do?

Some people – according to Nora – would see a movie afterwards, but what if Natsu didn't wanna do that? What if he hated the movies? Would they just stay at the restaurant until night fall? There was also the matter of their bet. She still had no idea what Natsu would tell her to do.

Will this outfit really be good enough? What if he doesn't like it?

The more Pyrrha thought about what was in store for her, the more nervous she got.

"Hey. You're early."

The redhead practically jumped out of her skin at the sound of Natsu's voice. She was so focused on herself she didn't notice his approach at all.

"You ok?" Natsu's voice illustarted his worry. "I wasn't trying to scare you."

"Y-yes. I'm fine." Pyrrha smiled to try and improve the mood. It only made her more nervous.

When Pyrrha turned to face her date she noticed that he looked different as well. While his trademark scarf was still around his neck, he traded in his vest for a red and white shirt that read "Straight Fire", jeans, and brown shoes. He also wore a black sports jacket. Pyrrha envied his foresight.

"You look good." Natsu complimented with a smile and a blush.

Pyrrha's face heated up as well. "T-thank you. As do you."

"We should head to the restaurant before the crowds gets too big."

"O-of course. Lead the way."

Natsu started down the street and Pyrrha followed. When he noticed her lagging behind, he slowed his pace so they could walk side by side. While hesitant at first, Pyrrha quickly adapted and started to relax. Natsu noticed her slightly shivering next to him.

"Cold?"

"No. I'm fine." Pyrrha reassured. She was much too embarrassed to admit she'd forgotten a jacket. "I just didn't expect it to be this cool so early in the autumn season." As she giggled at her own misfortune she felt a hefty piece of leather wrap around her body. When she looked to Natsu he was smiling, but his coat was gone. He had placed it on her.

"Don't you need this?" Pyrrha's question was sincere, but the slight tightening of her grip on the left sleeve of the jacket showed that part of her didn't want to let go of it just yet.

"Nah. I don't really get cold. You can have it." Natsu answered.

Pyrrha smiled softy. After properly putting on the jacket, she caught a whiff of it's scent. As expected it smelled just like Natsu.

"Thank you."

"Don't mention it."

As the pair walked further into downtown, seven individuals poked their heads out from a nearby alleyway:

"Smooth."

An impressed Jaune Arc.

"Yeah, I wasn't expecting him to give up the jacket."

A surprised Yang Xiao Long.

"Of course. Why do you think I gave it to him in the first place? It was the perfect plan. Now if he can keep this momentum going, everything will be fine."

A proud Weiss Schnee.

"Don't worry about it. I have a feeling this date will go off without a hitch!"

An excited Nora Valkyrie.

"Perhaps it's best we don't follow them around. Aren't dates supposed to be private affairs?"

An apprehensive Lie Ren.

"Yeah. We shouldn't be spying on them."

A slightly uncomfortable Blake Belladonna.

"I'm bored. Can we go do something else now?"

Lastly, a lethargic Ruby Rose rounded out the group. Zwei barked next to her.

"No." Weiss denied. "We have to make sure that this date goes exactly how it is supposed to. Now come on. If we don't hurry they'll get away."

The group closely followed after their friends.

Pyrrha had yet to touch her meal. She simply sat in awe as Natsu sat before her scarfing down the plates of food between them. It was quite the sight to behold, if a little unsettling. It was like watching a human vacuum cleaner at work.

The restaurant Natsu had taken her to was surprisingly extravagant despite being in one of the more dreary parts of town. The ceiling was clear enough for her to see herself while also being decorated with ornate chandeliers, the floors were smooth marble tile, the walls were made of a beautiful wood that shined in the light, and she could smell the sweet scents of apple and cinnamon lingering in the air. When Pyrrha looked up the spiral staircase near their table she saw people – much more elegantly dressed than she and Natsu – enjoying their meals.

Natsu looked up from his plate for the first time since he started eating. "You ok?"

"FineI was simply admiring how elegant the restaurant is. It sort of makes me feel self-conscious."

Natsu looked around briefly but didn't find himself as mesmerized as his date. "I guess it is pretty fancy."

"I don't mean to be rude, but how are you able to come to a place like this?"

Natsu smiled proudly and stuck out his chest. "I stopped a burglar stealing money and the owner was so grateful that he said I could eat here whenever I want at a discount. The foods practically free if I bring a friend."

"Oh…" Pyrrha felt a little uneasy. "So you only brought me here to get a discount."

"What? No that's not it. I brought you here because the food is good and I thought you'd like it." He smiled wide. "The discount is just a bonus."

Pyrrha smiled at his assurance. She then grabbed her fork. "Well then I certainly can't let this food go to waste."

Outside of the restaurant Teams RWBY and JNPR watched the two from the bushes.

"Man, just how much can that guy eat?" Yang wondered, watching Natsu finish what would be his twelfth plate of food.

"That's nothing." Weiss said. "He once cleaned out our entire kitchen in one day. The staff was furious."

"At least Pyrrha looks like she's having fun." Jaune pointed out.

The group watched the redhead smile and laugh as Natsu talked. Apparently he was telling some sort of story.

"What are they saying?" Weiss wondered. "I wish we could hear them."

"Oh I know!" Nora grabbed Ren and pulled him to the front of the group. "Ren's just the man for the job! He's great at reading lips!"

The dark-haired boy groaned. "Do I have to?"

"Don't be shy! Go on!" Nora pushed Ren further up. He sighed in irritation.

Might as well get this over with. He looked to the couple and stared, his eyes darting back and forth as he intently watched the movement of their lips.

"Well?" Weiss prompted. "What are they saying?"

"Natsu seems to be telling a story about the time you ran into his room during a thunderstorm when you were children."

Everyone looked to the heiress for confirmation.

"T-that happened a long time ago!" Weiss defended. "I was barely a pre-teen!"

"According to Natsu it was fairly recent."

Weiss' face flushed red.

"I was wondering where you ran off too that night." Yang remebered. "I thought you just had to use the bathroom."

"Don't worry, Weiss." Ruby reassured. "I get scared during thunderstorms too."

Blake nodded in agreement. "It's nothing to be ashamed of."

Zwei barked. Apparently he agreed with Blake and Ruby.

"This isn't about me!" the heiress shouted.

"They're leaving."

Everyone stopped harassing Weiss and looked out from the bushes. Just as Ren reported, Natsu and Pyrrha were exiting the restaurant.

"We have to hurry!"

Weiss was the first to bolt from the bushes, her friends quickly following behind.

Natsu and Pyrrha sat on a bench near the center of town, both of them enjoying the ice cream they had just gotten from a nearby stall.

"This is very good." Pyrrha smiled. She had gotten raspberry. "I'm sorry that you had to go out of your way to buy it."

"It's fine." Natsu waved off, he had gotten three scoops on his cone to Pyrrha's one: strawberry, chocolate, and vanilla. "It's not like it cost that much."

"I still feel the need to apologize. For this and you having to buy lunch as well."

"I said it was fine, didn't I? But if you feel that bad about it how about the next time we go out, you pay." Natsu suggested with a smile.

Pyrrha blushed. She didn't even think about the possibility of a second date. She smiled softly and nodded in confirmation.

"O-ok. I will."

The pair finished their impromptu dessert and started down the street again. After walking a couple of blocks, Pyrrha asked Natsu a question.

"Are they still following us?"

The pinkette looked over his shoulder as they walked, and momentarily saw their friends leap into an alleyway. He sighed.

"Yeah."

Pyrrha chuckled. "It's sort of amusing that they think we don't notice them."

"I wish they'd just give up already. I hate being followed."

Pyrrha thought to herself for a moment. While she did find her friend's antics slightly endearing, she had to agree with Natsu. It was a bit irritating – as well as embarrassing - for them to be following her and Natsu around for what supposed to be a one on one date. Thinking of a way to get some privacy, Pyrrha was struck with a bolt of inspiration. She suddenly grabbed Natsu by the wrist.

"I have an idea."

"Wait! Wha-"

Pyrrha yanked Natsu into the nearest alleyway, alarming their pursuers.

"The targets are getting away!" Nora shouted.

"After them!" Weiss ordered.

The group rushed into the alley Natsu and Pyrrha dove into, but upon arriving they saw their path blocked by a wall of trash cans.

"Where did this come from?" Yang asked.

"Pyrrha must have her semblance." Jaune surmised.

"I guess we lost them." Ruby shrugged. She was more than happy that this game of cats and mice was over.

Ren sighed. "I said from the beginning that we shouldn't have been following them around. I wouldn't be surprised if they knew we were following them the whole time."

"Impossible!" Weiss denied. "Our shadowing was perfect."

"Except for that time you yelled at Ruby for needing to use the bathroom." Yang reminded.

"Or when Nora sneezed and cracked that store window." Jaune added.

"Or when Jaune, Yang, and Ruby stopped to ice cream right after Natsu and Pyrrha." Ren finished.

"But it was so good." Ruby whined.

"Ok I get!" Weiss yelled. "Our surveillance skills leave a lot to be desired."

"I'm surprised they didn't spot us sooner." Blake said. "The sun's going down. We should head back to the school. I'm sure they'll tell us what happened tomorrow."

"Fine." Weiss huffed in disappointment. "Let's head back."

As the group's footsteps faded out of the alley, Natsu and Pyrrha stood on the other side of the wall. The former had his ear pressed against the trash cans so he could hear their conversation.

"Well?" Pyrrha prompted.

"They're gone." Natsu sighed with relief. "We finally lost them. That was pretty cool how you moved all those trash cans over here."

"It didn't take much maneuvering." Pyrrha smiled. "The hardest part was setting them up. Speaking of which, perhaps I should move them back."

"Nah. It'll be fine. Let's go do something else."

Pyrrha nodded. "Ok."

Natsu and Pyrrha sat down on the edge of the stage in central park. The spot they had chosen didn't have many buildings in the way, giving them both a perfect view of the sunset.

"I had fun today." Pyrrha smiled. "Thank you."

"Don't mention it." Natsu returned. "I had fun too. You know when I first met you I thought you were kind of stuck up and full of yourself."

The redhead looked to her date. "Why is that?"

"You had this reputation of being this really strong warrior. No one could beat you. Some of the strongest kids in Mistral fell at your feet, but you always looked bored afterwards. It was like you didn't really care about your opponents. That really pissed me off. So I thought to myself that if I ever met you I would challenge you to a fight and take you down a peg."

"So that is why said that you would 'kick my butt' on the day we met." Pyrrha joked, but inside she was slightly saddened. She had no idea Natsu had those kind of thoughts about her. It wasn't that she didn't care about her opponents, she just became a different person on the battlefield. She was told to show no mercy to anyone. That one wrong move could be her last. That kind of mentality along with how she carried herself distanced her from other people.

"Yeah, but during the Initiation I realized how wrong I was." Natsu rubbed the back of his head with a sheepish grin. "Now I feel like a jerk for thinking that stuff."

"It's alright." Pyrrha smiled softly. "You are not the first person to think those things about me. In a way it's my own fault. I've always wanted to appear more approachable to people, but my accolades and accomplishments made that hard. I guess you could say that no one felt 'good enough' for me. Friend or..." she blushed. "Otherwise. But thanks to the friends I've made here at Beacon I can express myself more freely. I don't feel like I'm on an island anymore."

Natsu smiled. "That's good. Honestly, before Beacon I didn't have many friends either. Most people stayed away from me either because of who my family was or because I was too destructive. I guess they were scared of me or something." Natsu smiled wryly.

"I don't think you're scary at all." Pyrrha said. When Natsu looked to her, she was smiling warmly. He couldn't look at her long. He turned his head after a few seconds.

"Thanks."

"You're welcome."

The two shared a brief moment of silence as the sun continued to set. After a little while Pyrrha spoke again.

"Are you ready for the tournament?"

"Yeah." Natsu said confidently. "I've been waiting for it all year. I get to show everyone what I've got. Plus there's a bunch of strong people in it that I want to fight."

"Oh? Like who?"

"Hmm…Sun is one guy I really wanna fight. Yang, Blake, pretty much anyone on Team CFVY, and Nora would be a pretty fun to fight. What about you? Anyone you itching to mix it up with?"

Pyrrha took a minute to think. "To be honest I never really thought much about it. I've always been a fighter, but I wouldn't say I enjoy it that much. It's just something that I've always done."

"Really? But you're really good at it. Seriously you're like one of the best fighters I've ever seen."

Pyrrha blushed at the compliment. "Thank you, but I feel that's all there is to me at times."

"What do you mean?"

"You remember during winter vacation when I told you I couldn't ice skate?" Natsu nodded. "That's not the only thing I have trouble with: I'm not a very good cook, I can be quite clumsy at times, and…" she started to fidget. "I'm not very good at expressing how I really feel. Honestly the only two things I feel I excel at are fighting and schoolwork."

"Nope." Natsu said plainly.

Pyrrha raised her brow in confusion. "Nope?"

"Yep. Nope. You're good at plenty of stuff. You're great at teaching, you go out of your way to help people, and you can stack a mean set of trash cans."

Pyrrha giggled. "I don't think that last one is much of a compliment, Natsu."

"I'm serious."

Pyrrha stopped laughing and looked to the pinkette. His gaze was now piercing, and his lips were in a tight line. It was like he was looking directly into her soul. The redhead's heart started to beat faster.

"You're really awesome, Pyrrha." Natsu said. "I mean it. "You're smart, you're kind to everybody you meet, you stick up for people when you see them in trouble, and…" he looked away.

"And?" Pyrrha was on the edge of her seat awaiting Natsu's final compliment. She leaned in, not realizing that her hand was on top of his.

"You're really pretty…"

Pyrrha smiled and clutched Natsu's hand tighter in hers. "Thank you."

"Yeah..." Natsu faced Pyrrha. The realization of how close they were to each other started to set in. The moment overtook them and without realizing it they slowly came closer, their lips parting and their breaths mixing in the air. Just as things started to take shape, the call of a bird in the tree broke the pair's immersion. Embarrassment setting in, they quickly separated.

"I'm so sorry!" Pyrrha apologized. "I don't know what came over me!" Her face matched her hair. I can't believe that I...that I almost kissed him! What am I thinking?! It's way too early for something like that! ...Isn't it?

"D-don't sweat it!" Natsu nervously waved off. "It's no big deal." His heart racing, Natsu looked to the sun to try and get his mind off of what just happened. Suddenly he got an idea. "Pyrrha.

"Yes?"

"Fight me."

The redhead was caught unaware by the spontaneous request. "I'm sorry?" She watched Natsu stand up.

"Fight me." He repeated, this time with more force.

"Ok, but why?"

"We had a bet remember? You have to do whatever I say, and I'm saying I want you to fight me."

"I understand that, but why now all of sudden?"

"You said fighting is the only thing you're good at, right?" Natsu pressed a button on his scroll and his rocket locker flew to their location. "I wanna see if that's really true."

Pyrrha looked into Natsu's eyes once more. Gone was the tentativeness and embarrassment they had each felt earlier. He was completely serious now. While she didn't quite understand his reasoning, Pyrrha agreed to his terms and grabbed her scroll.

"Very well."

The crowd roared as the students clashed on the stage. The sun had gone down some time ago, but no one looked eager to leave. Natsu and Pyrrha also showed no signs of slowing down.

Natsu's fist whizzed by Pyrrha's head. She drove her shield into her abdomen to push him back, then pursued him.

When Natsu stamped his foot into the ground, the stage rocked and Pyrrha lost her balance. Falling to her back she saw Natsu descending from the sky. She rolled away just before he landed, avoiding his kick, and just as quickly making it to her feet. She looked over her shield to her opponent and switched the grip on her sword. The metallic taste of blood repulsed her tongue, but she remained focused. She would not carelessly forfeit this fight.

Natsu accelerated towards her.

Teams RWBY and JNPR pushed to the front of the crowd. After they were ditched by Natsu and Pyrrha they returned to the dormitory, but news of the battle quickly spread, and they soon found themselves back in the city watching with the other spectators.

"What's going on?" Ruby asked.

"Pyrrha Nikos is fighting some guy on the stage." One of the bystanders answered.

"Who is she fighting?" Jaune inquired.

"Some kid with pink hair. He's been doing really good so far. I think he might actually beat her."

"Pink hair?"

The students looked at one another. After a few seconds they came to the same realization.

"Natsu!"

When they looked to the stage they saw the two battling with everything they had.

"Why are they fighting?!" Weiss shrieked. "They were supposed to be on a date!"

"Maybe Natsu made her mad or something." Yang speculated.

"Knowing him that wouldn't be too unlikely." Blake said. Everyone else nodded in agreement. Weiss was unamused.

"Natsu! Stop this meaningless fighting this instant!" She tried to get on the stage but was pulled back by Ruby. "What are you doing, Ruby?! Unhand me right now, you-"

"Look." Ruby pointed to the fight and smiled. "Can't you see? They're having fun."

"Fun?" Weiss looked back to the stage. Natsu and Pyrrha stood face to face with their weapons pushing for position. When she saw their expressions her eyes widened. "They're…smiling?"

"It seems this is the way they can truly understand each other." Ren spoke up. "Some people can only do that by testing each other's strength."

"I've never been in a fight like this before." Yang grinned. "Makes me kind of jealous."

"They really are going at it." Blake said.

"I don't think I've ever seen Pyrrha fight so hard." Jaune noted.

"Isn't love grand?" Nora swooned.

Ontop of a building not far from the battle, Cinder, Mercury, and Emerald watched with piqued interest.

Mercury whistled. "Look at them go. This is kinda awesome."

"What do you expect? Those two are supposed to be among the school's strongest. Surprised they couldn't wait until the tournament though."

While Mercury and Emerald were impressed with the display, Cinder was feeling a different emotion. While part of her acknowledged the strength of both Natsu and Pyrrha, she also felt something tugging in the pit of her stomach. A sort of angry feeling that she hadn't felt before that only increased the longer she watched them.

"Cinder?" Emerald called, noticing her slightly twisted features. "Is something wrong?"

"I'ts nothing." Cinder forcefully replied. She turned around and started to walk away. "We've wasted enough time here. We still have a lot to do to prepare."

Mercury and Emerald exchanged puzzled looks - Mercury adding in a confused shrug - before following after their leader.

High in the night skies an Atlesian vessel soared overhead, monitoring the city cameras for any disturbances.

"Commander, we have activity in sector D."

"Pull it up on screen."

The soldier typed on their keyboard and soon a feed showing the fight between Natsu and Pyrrha showed up on the screen in the ship's cabin.

"It appears two students are fighting in central park. Shall we intervene?"

The commander of the vessel looked at the screen closely. When she saw Natsu, she grinned.

"No. They aren't causing a disturbance. Leave them be for now. Continue monitoring the other sectors for suspicious activity."

"Yes, ma'am."

Natsu and Pyrrha walked just a few paces behind their friends when they exited the airship. After around three hours Pyrrha managed to point her javelin at Natsu's neck, but the pinkette's cannons were aimed directly at her face. Unable to use her semblance to move them without sacrificing her advantage, the two decided to end the fight with a draw. This disappointed some of the spectators, but others were satisfied. Thinking that they would see definite winner if the two were matched together in the upcoming tournament.

Pyrrha learned more about Natsu and herself during that fight than she thought she would. In truth it wasn't that she disliked fighting, it had just been a while since she truly enjoyed it. Every other fight she had been in was because she was thrust into it. Battle was expected of her, and while she initially fought Natsu because of their bet, she also did it because part of her really wanted to.

Since Natsu's desire to fight her was made clear, Pyrrha started to feel that as well. To her joy the fight was everything she imagined. Natsu was wild, powerful, and just unorthodox enough for her to second guess her actions. She had to be careful. She had to think. It had been a while since she had been in a fight so taxing, but she loved every second of it.

"That was an awesome fight."

Pyrrha looked to Natsu. As usual he was smiling and full of energy. It was like they just hadn't had such a brutal battle a few minutes prior.

"It was." She agreed. "Did you find out what you needed?"

"More or less." The two slowly closed the gap between them and Natsu reached for Pyrrha's hand. When she gave it to him, he intertwined his fingers with hers. "We should have a rematch sometime."

"We'll have to see if we're paired during the tournament."

"What if we're not?"

Pyrrha tightened her grip on Natsu's hand just a little. The warmth from Natsu's hand started to spread throughout her body. She rested her head on his shoulder, prompting them both to blush.

"Then I will fight you again. Whenever you want."

"It's a date." Natsu smiled.

New chapter! Didn't really know how to approach this one. i didn't want to make it an regular boring date, but in the end it seems it sort of went that route. Tried expand a bit more on Pyrrha's character with just a couple of headcanons. Hopefully that worked out.

Well next up is the official start of Vol. 3. So I'll see you there!

As always leave a comment/reveiw letting me know what you think. Thanks for reading! :)