RWBY: MRRN

Volume 4, Chapter 13: Hurting Choice

Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY. All rights go to Rooster Teeth.

Author's Note: I decided that I will continue the MRRN series. Seeing the support I've gained from so many people on Fanfiction really tugged on my heartstrings and I'm deeply appreciative of all you said in response to my announcement. I don't know how much longer I'll be on Fanfiction because I don't plan on staying forever since I'm writing my own novel, but until I do leave for good, I'll keep writing this series so many of you have come to enjoy. Thank you all for your support!

Edit: MRRN Volume 1 has 100 Favorites!

Pyrrha breathed heavily as she paced the room she had been sleeping in. The decision she had made to go to Haven weighed heavily on her ever since she had decided on it. She needed to tell Mathdon about this, regardless of the outcome.

She didn't expect him to be happy about it, not after everything they had been through together. They were deeply in love with each other and wanted a future together, Pyrrha especially. She remembered her thoughts before she had faced off against Cinder.

She wanted to be with Math, to be his wife. She wanted to spend her life with the young man she had fallen in love with. She wanted to have his children, knowing he'd make a good father and a good husband. It was those thoughts that helped her find the shard of her weapon that she used to slash Cinder's face.

On the other hand, she had wanted to be a Huntress her entire life. She wanted to be one just like her mother and father were before her. She wanted to be a warrior who protected the innocent, sought justice and harmony, and defeated those who wished harm upon others. She wanted to serve as a role model for future generations of Huntsmen and Huntresses.

Was it worth it? Was it worth it to sacrifice her relationship with Mathdon so she could go to Haven? Then again, would they accept her after what happened at Beacon?

Though she hadn't seen them much, from what she had heard, many people were calling her a murderer for Penny's death. They blamed her for jumpstarting the Fall of Beacon, especially by Humanity First. Some had even delivered threats to her if she didn't turn herself in.

Pyrrha knew that she wasn't responsible for the Fall of Beacon, but she undeniably harbored some guilt for Penny's death and failing to stop Cinder atop Beacon Tower. She felt responsible for not having done what she felt she could that night.

Her mother had told her through a letter that the people of Mistral weren't being quick to blame Pyrrha for what happened, to which she was grateful. Perhaps she did have a chance at going to Haven.

But again, was it worth sacrificing her love for Math? With the CCT still down, they'd have very limited ways of communicating with each other. What if he got tired of waiting for Pyrrha to return and decided to end their relationship? What if he decided to go with someone who could be with him?

For a full minute, Pyrrha almost reconsidered her decision. She couldn't bear the thought of any other woman being with Math. She didn't want to see him with another woman. She didn't want another woman to take their chance of having a future together.

Did she really have any right to object to that when she was willing to leave him to continue becoming a Huntress? Perhaps not, but it still pained her.

After making up her mind, Pyrrha left her room and looked around for her beloved. He wasn't in his room, so she checked the backyard since he'd often practice there with Moralltach. She found him sitting on a chair on the back porch with Siocled lying down at his feet, sleeping peacefully. With great hesitation and reluctance, Pyrrha slowly opened the door and closed it.

"Hey, Pyrrha," Math greeted with a smile, to which she reciprocated. "How're you doing?"

"I'm doing well," she replied before her warm smile died down. "Math, darling…I need to talk to you."

"What's wrong?" Math asked. The Amazon sat down in the chair next to him and took several breaths.

During that moment, Pyrrha was truly doubting if she could go through with this decision. She loved Math dearly and she knew this decision could break his heart, but she didn't want to abandon her chance of becoming a Huntress. She had to force herself to say what was on her mind.

"I'm going back to Argus, Math," she informed him.

"Pyrrha, that's great," Math replied. "You'll see your family again. I know they really want to see you." He gave Pyrrha a big smile. It was a very bittersweet sight for Pyrrha because she knew as soon as she told him of her decision, he'd quickly lose that smile.

"When do you think you'll be back?" he asked. Pyrrha shook her head.

"Math…I'm not coming back to Vale," she answered. As she suspected, Math's smile quickly died.

"Math, I'm going to enroll in Haven Academy and complete my training as a Huntress. I…" She shook her head mournfully. "I may not see you again."

Total silence followed. Math's expression was one of confusion, hurt and anger at his beloved. He wasn't sure how to react to this news.

Did he hear correctly? Was Pyrrha ending their relationship? Was she sacrificing something that she had said earlier was irreplaceable? The silence lasted for an uncomfortably long while, leaving Pyrrha unsure of how Math was feeling or going to react. She eventually got her answer.

"You cannot be serious," Math spoke. "After everything we've been through together, you're just…you're just going to throw it away? I thought what we had was special."

"It was special, Math," Pyrrha answered. "It still is. But I have a chance to become a Huntress again. This is my dream; it's been so for a very long time."

"But ending what we have? Pyrrha, I don't have proper transcripts. I cannot enroll in Haven. I only got into Beacon because Ozpin let me in. Where…where is this coming from?"

"It's coming from the fact that I want to pursue my future as a Huntress," Pyrrha answered. "I trained many years for this. I thought I'd have to give it up because my heel was crippled. But now that I can-"

"You're going to throw our relationship away," Math interrupted. "What happened to all that you said? How many times did we say to each other 'I love you'? What happened to you saying you wanted us to get married? What happened to all that? Is everything we had worth nothing to you?"

"Math, this isn't about our relationship, this is about my future as a Huntress," Pyrrha claimed. "I know you don't want to hear this. I cherish everything we had, but this is my dream to become a Huntress. Perhaps we could send letters to each other-"

"For three years?" Math questioned, his voice rising. "I don't want to spend three years not seeing you and wandering if you'll come back alive or if you'll come back at all. I don't want that, Pyrrha; I want you."

"I already said that this isn't about us, Math," Pyrrha stated. "This is about my future. I have a chance to be a Huntress again and you want me not to do so? Don't you think that's selfish of you?"

"Selfish?" Math questioned. "Did you not say that our relationship was irreplaceable? Did you not choose to refuse becoming the Fall Maiden because of our relationship? Because you said you love me too much to go through with it? Our relationship was what kept you from accepting the Maiden's powers for something Ozpin didn't have the decency to tell us before he died and you want to-"

"Math, I know you don't like this, but this is my decision, not yours," Pyrrha interrupted, frowning at him. "This is my future that we're talking about and you're putting yourself ahead of that."

"You weren't thinking of your future when you went to fight Cinder all alone!" Math shot back. "You almost threw your life away and for what? You almost died, Pyrrha. What were you trying to accomplish?"

"I was trying to stop Cinder from taking more lives," Pyrrha shot back, her tone becoming angry as well. "I had to try."

"Alone?!" Math asked. "You had your team with you and yet you just sent them away like they were nothing!"

"I was trying to protect them!" Pyrrha snarled. Math shook his head.

"Did you go up there, thinking that you could defeat Cinder all by yourself? You only acted like that because Ozpin put the delusion in your mind that you were some kind of 'Chosen One' when all he needed was someone he considered expendable! You're NOT special, Pyrrha, and you're NOT a savior!"

Again, silence followed what Math said. Pyrrha's face was hurt and disgust at what Math had just told her while Math's was one of shock and regret. It suddenly struck him that what he just said had crapped on everything Pyrrha believed in. She wanted to protect people and he had just said she wasn't capable of being one.

Pyrrha's eyes started to water as she covered her mouth. Math slowly reached out to touch, but she backed away from him.

"Pyrrha, I'm sorry," he apologized. "Pyrrha, I didn't mean-"

"Mathdon…don't touch me," Pyrrha demanded before she ran back inside. Math followed after her as she ran to the front door.

"Pyrrha-"

"Leave me alone," she cried before running out and closing the door behind her. All Math could do was stand there, mentally shouting at himself for what he said.

"Way to go, Math, you…you…" he quietly spoke before saying remorsefully. "Retard."

-0-

In the Anima wilderness, Team RNJR, along with Qrow, FRS and Oscar, who had been revealed to everyone to be Ozpin's new 'incarnation' sat around a campfire. The veteran Huntsmen had informed the students of what they were truly up against…and the evil Grimm Queen named Salem.

"Is that it?" Qrow asked almost in disbelief after a long silence. "No questions?"

"Of course we have questions," Jaune replied sharply. "This…this is just a lot to take in."

"I understand that this a lot to take in," Ozpin replied. Oscar had given him temporary control of the farmhand's body so he could communicate with everyone around.

"So, you're in Oscar's body now?"Ren questioned.

"Technically, I'm merged with his soul and Aura," Ozpin clarified. "This is part of my curse that was bestowed on me by the Gods."

"And I suppose that justifies what you did to Pyrrha," Jaune replied in a hostile tone. "You forced those powers on her."

"We didn't force anything," Qrow claimed. "We explained the situation and gave them a choice."

"No, you told them as vaguely as possible and demanded everything from them without telling them the whole truth," Forest corrected. The two Huntsmen frowned at each other, contempt and anger in each other's gaze.

"I know what we saw," Nora stated firmly. "We saw Ozpin knock Pyrrha unconscious and force her into that machine."

"What?" Forest snarled, turning his gaze to Ozpin. Qrow held up his hands and shook his head defiantly.

"Now just hold on. Yes, we asked a very big thing of Pyrrha, but we didn't force anything on her."

"Qrow," Ozpin addressed solemnly. "They're telling the truth." A grim silence immediately followed Ozpin's confession. He just admitted that he had knocked Pyrrha unconscious and tried to force the Maiden powers onto her. Almost everyone, excluding Qrow and Ruby, gazed at Ozpin with immense scorn and anger.

"So you not only lied to them, but you tried to force Pyrrha to become your pawn?" Forest questioned, crossing his arms.

"On the night Beacon was attacked, Ms. Nikos…ultimately refused to become the Fall Maiden," Ozpin explained. "I tried to convince her otherwise, but she wouldn't do so. I feared that if she didn't take Amber's powers, the rest would go to her assailant, Cinder Fall."

"Assailant?" Ruby asked.

"Months ago, Amber, the previous Fall Maiden, was attacked," Qrow explained. "Cinder was the one who attacked her along with Mercury and Emerald. I don't know how, but she managed to steal half of her power. After Cinder infiltrated the CCT Tower during the night of the dance-"

"That was Cinder?" Ruby interrupted.

On the night of the dance, Ruby and Robin planned on going back to their dorms since it was getting boring for them. On their way out, they saw Cinder running across the rooftops and making her way to the CCT Tower. They confronted her, but apparently failed to stop her from putting a virus in the system.

"Yes," Qrow confirmed. "Anyway, when we found out that Amber's assailant was nearby, we were forced to act. So we approached Pyrrha for help and asked Math to guard her until a decision was made. Needless to say, Math wasn't all that cooperative."

"Maybe he would've if you had told them the whole truth instead of being selective," Forest snarked. Qrow shook his head and scoffed.

"You don't get it, do you, Forest? We were desperate. You've seen what's happened out there-"

"No, you don't get it, Qrow. You demanded that she sacrifice everything for your cause without even telling her what she was sacrificing herself for. What right do you have to demand people sacrifice everything for you and yet not tell them what they're dying for?"

"Forest, Qrow, that's enough," Sterling reprimanded them both. "We still have much to explain to the others here." The two bird-themed Huntsmen glared at each other before reluctantly stopping their argument.

"Back at Patch, you didn't tell me any of this," Ruby brought up to her uncle. "Why didn't you tell me about Salem or the Relics or any of this?"

"Look, Ruby," Qrow replied. "Things were complicated. If I told you about all this before you left Patch and Tai found out, he never would've let you leave. But Salem would've come after you after what happened at Beacon when you used your powers to petrify that Grimm wyvern. If you had stayed there, Yang and Tai would've been in danger too, so I convinced to go to Haven where I could keep an eye on you."

"But why not just travel with us?" Ruby asked. "That would've made things easier."

"He was using you as bait," Jaune answered. Ruby's understanding scowl changed to stern and questioning towards her uncle.

"Uncle Qrow, tell me what Jaune said isn't true. Did you use me as bait to lure out Salem's forces?"

"Look, it's…it's complicated," Qrow claimed. "I mean, I knew Salem's forces would come after you, but it was inevitable after what happened at Beacon."

As much as Forest disliked that Qrow had used Ruby as a form of bait, he understood his reasoning. If Salem had come for Ruby on Patch, Yang and Tai would've been in grave danger. Tai could handle himself, but he'd be no match for the combined might of Valkoin Viisaus and the Scorpion Faunus who helped him.

"Everyone, please," Ozpin spoke. "Now is not the time to be at each other's throats, not when we can possibly attract Grimm."

"You really think we'll listen to you after what you did to Pyrrha?" Nora questioned. "Why should we-?"

"Nora," Ren spoke, putting his hand on her shoulder. "I hold contempt for what Ozpin did just as much as you, but now is not the time to be aggressive. We don't want to attract Grimm right now, so please remain calm. When we get to Mistral, you can be as angry as you want." Nora frowned at Ozpin and sat back down on the log as Ren urged her.

"Okay, Ozpin, why don't you do us a favor and explain everything we need to know," Jaune demanded. "And don't lie to us."

"As you wish," Ozpin replied.

"There are many Gods in the world, but four of them existed. They were brothers: the Red Brother of Creation, the Black Brother of Destruction, the Emerald Brother of Choice and the Blue Brother of Knowledge. No one knows where they came from or why they came to our world, but they created the world we now live in."

"Four Gods?" Ruby asked before wondering to herself if that's where Ozpin got the idea for four people on a team each.

"Yes. During their first years here, the Red and Black Brothers were in a feud. The Red Brother loved to create life, such as plants, animals and nature while the Black Brother loved creating destruction in the forms of famine, fire and disease. Their feud went on for centuries until the Emerald Brother intervened and demanded that their feud stop. He suggested that they create one creation that shares all they love: the power of creation, the power of destruction, the power to learn from the world around them, and the power to choose which path to take. That creation…was humanity."

"What happened to the Gods?" Ruby asked. "Why aren't they here now?" Ozpin sighed heavily.

"A terrible event called the Cataclysm of Remnant led to the destruction of a large portion of humanity, fueled by their pride and arrogance. This unfortunately led to the creation of the Grimm, created by the Relic of Destruction's power. Because of this, they abandoned Remnant, but not before making me their champion here."

"Champion?" Ren questioned. "What do you mean by that?"

"The Cataclysm created Salem, who gained power over most, if not all Grimm. I was chosen to defeat her before she could destroy Remnant. Her mission is to get the Maidens and the Relics."

"Why are the Maidens so important?" Nora asked.

"The Relics are locked in chambers that can only be opened by a specific Maiden," Forest informed. "Winter unlocks the Relic of Creation, Summer unlocks Destruction, Fall unlocks Choice and Spring unlocks Knowledge."

As soon as Forest finished, a feeling of dread came over Team RNJR. Cinder Fall possessed the Fall Maiden's powers, which meant that she could access the Relic of Choice if she wanted to. Seeing the uncertainty and fear in the four young students, Ozpin decided to speak up.

"Cinder doesn't have everything needed to access the Relic of Choice," he assured them. He presented to everyone his cane, the Long Memory, which Qrow had given back to him after they had reunited.

"The Maidens are the keys to the Relics themselves, yes, but the entrances to those Vaults can only be accessed by keys in the Headmasters' possessions. Without both the key and the Maiden, getting the Relics are impossible."

"So your cane unlocks one of the Relics?" Ruby asked. "Hold on. Forest said they were locked in chambers. Where are the chambers?"

"In the Academies, of course. I built the Academies around each other of the Relic Chambers so that they'd be under constant guard from Salem and her forces, but…right now, that's not the case at Beacon from what I've heard."

"What exactly are the Relics capable of?" Ren asked. "How powerful are they? Why is Salem after them?"

"Well, Mr. Ren, they're important because they were created by the Gods when they inhabited Remnant," Ozpin answered. "When they were here, the Relics were extremely powerful; one alone made you feel as if you had the power of a God yourself. Unfortunately, after the Gods abandoned Remnant, the Relics were severely depowered."

"Depowered?" Forest questioned.

"Yes. If you wish an example, the Relic of Knowledge was able to be asked any question and it'd provide an answer at any time, by any person, on any day. Now, the Relic has major drawbacks: it cannot tell you of events yet to happen and it will only answer three questions every 100 years."

"As for why Salem desires them, the answer is simple: she wishes to destroy humanity. The Relics now are depowered, but if they're brought together…well, I'm not entirely sure, but I don't want to know what Salem would be capable of if she got her hands on all four Relics. But so far, her goal right now is to divide humanity, keep us fighting amongst ourselves. For eighty years, I did what I could to keep peace in Remnant through the Huntsmen Academies, but Salem still found a weakness. We must stop her now."

"Then we should get to Mistral as soon as possible," Ren replied. "Once we get to Furukonai, it's a straight shot to Mistral."

"Furukonai?" Ozpin asked. "If that's the destination, then we'll need to reconsider the path we take. I don't know all the details, but the main road leading to Furukonai is being scouted by Iron Knights, killing anyone who comes near. Plus, with Valkoin and that Scorpion Faunus after us, they'd undoubtedly follow us on the main road."

"Then how do we get to Furukonai?" Qrow asked. "That's our quickest way to Mistral."

"There is a way; it's longer than the main road, but it'll reduce our chances of running into Salem's forces or the Iron Knights. There's a road that leads to an abandoned city called Kuroyuri-"

"We can't go there," Ren interrupted. "It'll take us too long to get to Furukonai if we take that path. I'd say we should take our chances and go by the main road."

"Didn't you hear what Ozpin said?" Qrow asked. "The main road is too dangerous to travel if the Iron Knights are watching it. Not to mention, Valkoin and Tyrian may come back and they'd expect us to take the main road."

"Speaking of the Iron Knights," Forest brought up. "Before I found you, I learned some disturbing news: someone in Mistral is helping the Iron Knights."

"Helping them?" Ruby gasped. "You mean…someone's helping to kill Mistral's Huntsmen?"

"By leading them straight into ambushes," Ruadh explained. "We encountered several Huntsmen who were killed by the Iron Knight bastards."

As Forest and his allies explained the situation, Ozpin became silent. If someone in Mistral was helping the Iron Knights kill Huntsmen, then it could only be a member of the Mistral Council. Only the Council has access to information on every known Huntsman and Huntress from their Kingdom and had direct command over them during times of crisis. However, most of their orders would only come from one person: the Academy Headmaster.

Leonardo Lionheart hadn't contacted Ozpin in ages, so the former Beacon Headmaster wondered what was going on with him. If Mistral was in crisis still from the Fall of Beacon, then Leo would be the one giving most of the orders to the Huntsmen. It was a heartwrenching thought, but one that couldn't be shoved aside.

"Oz?" Qrow asked, noticing how quiet his friend was.

"I'm fine," Ozpin assured. "It's getting late. Perhaps it'd be wise to get some sleep and make our decisions in the morning."

Everyone was tired from their travels and they were definitely open to rest while they could. However, Team RNJR was still very distrustful towards Ozpin and Qrow after the truths they had revealed today.

Ozpin admitted that out of desperation and Pyrrha refusing to accept the Maiden's powers, he forced her into the machine as a means to secure the Maiden powers. What made Team RNJR angrier at Ozpin was the fact that he and Qrow had only told Math and Pyrrha half the truth of what they needed to know.

Could they trust Ozpin and Qrow after what they did? Manipulating Mathdon and Pyrrha into their war, Qrow using Ruby as bait to lure out Salem's forces…it was hard for the students to trust them after what they did. Some of them even doubted that Ozpin had told them everything they needed to know.

As for Ruby, while she was mad at her uncle for using her, she could see his reasoning behind it. If Salem had come for her on Patch, her dad and sister would've been in grave danger, especially if she had sent Valkoin and Tyrian to kidnap her.

But why were the Silver Eyes so important? Why did they petrify the Grimm wyvern atop Beacon Tower? Why would Salem want her? Hopefully, she'd get the answers soon enough. For now, they needed to rest and recover their strength for the journey to Furukonai.

-0-

Robin walked through the streets of Vale, looking for Glynda Goodwitch. It had been months since he had seen Coco Adel and he hoped to patch things up with her now that he had gotten past his depression.

They had ended things badly months ago when she had come to check on him and he hadn't heard from her since. Perhaps she was just keeping her distance from him out of anger for how he reacted. He wouldn't be surprised, but he still wanted to mend the ties between the two of them and Glynda Goodwitch would know where she is.

From what his dad told him, Glynda often spent time either at a café or at her home to blow off steam from everything that was going on. Beacon Academy was destroyed and had become a Grimm breeding ground, Humanity First was terrorizing Vale, and her friend, Ozpin, was dead.

"Mr. Kendrick," Glynda suddenly greeted.

"Oh, Professor," he replied. "I'm glad you're here. I was looking for you."

"What for?" she asked.

"I was hoping if you could help me find Coco Adel," Robin brought up. "She and I…well, I screwed up with her and she hasn't spoken to me in months. I was hoping you'd know where she is so I could patch things up with her." He couldn't see it, but Glynda's expression was a sad and solemn one.

"I'm afraid she's gone," she informed. "About two months after the Fall of Beacon, she and her remaining team transferred to Shade Academy. I'm sorry, Mr. Kendrick."

Robin shouted at himself mentally for what he did, for screwing up his relationship with Coco Adel. Had he not allow himself to act so bitterly and angrily towards her, then they could've still been on good terms and in a relationship. But because he allowed himself to act the way he did, she was gone and he was unable to mend things with her.

"Did she say anything about me before she left?" Robin asked.

"If she did, she didn't say anything to me," Glynda informed. "Again, I'm very sorry."

"Thanks," Robin responded. As he walked away, he was left to contemplate what had led to this.

After he lost his eyes during the Fall of Beacon, he was left in a state of depression until he had developed echolocation. He had allowed himself to become bitter, angry and cynical, which contrasted heavily to his usual cocky and rather relaxed self. Had he not reacted the way he did, Coco would've probably said goodbye to him instead of leaving without a word.

This showed how much he had hurt her the day he ended their relationship. It made him feel terrible knowing what he had done. Now he had to deal with it. Now he had to deal with knowing that he and Coco were officially over.

"No," Robin told himself. "I'm not repeating that. I…I can't repeat that."

He couldn't let himself act the same way again, not after driving Coco away from him. He may been without her now, but he wouldn't allow himself to fall back into that pit. He planned on to keep going.