RWBY: From Nerds to Nightwalkers

by A Gothic Writer

Ruby, Jaune, & Ren have a friendship few understand. Considered to be the outcasts of Beacon Academy, they didn't care so long as they had each other. Regardless of bullies, ridicule, or hate. However, after a terrifying encounter, will their friendship be enough to endure this nightmare that changes their lives forever? Or destroy it? AU, Modern Day Remnant, Rated M for Mature

4. A Typical Day: Part 4 (Finale)

Hello and welcome back to the fourth chapter of "From Nerds to Nightwalkers"! I just wanna say thanks to all those who gave this story a chance as well as a special thank you to the ones who offered their reviews and critiques. I have read and reread every single one of them.

You guys really hammered me with the criticism, and I'm not upset in the slightest. I was actually astonished by how much time some of you took to give me your feedback. I really appreciate that, and it really gives me new motivation to do my best and to not fuck up again.

I'm aware I may have created some confusion on the story's progress as well as some character's behavior and plot. And while I could spew out the easy rebuttal on how this is a fanfiction and not every character will act as they do in canon, I won't.

If I am being honest, I'm afraid I'm also a bit rusty in my writing. It's been so long since I actually started an ambitious story like this after such a long hiatus. So, I do apologize if some of the pacing and structure feels iffy. That's why I'm hoping to improve for the story's sake.

Well, that's about it for my rambling. If anyone has any comments they wish to make or constructive criticism they want to offer then please do not hesitate! I read all of your reviews and I would love to see what you all think!

So again, thank you and if you like this story please be sure to REVIEW, FAVORITE and FOLLOW! That's all I have to say for now! So, sit back, relax, and grab your favorite drink because it's time to continue the story!

PREPARE YOURSLEF THIS IS GONNA BE A LONG ONE!

Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY; all rights go to the Legendary Monty Oum and Rooster Teeth. I do not own any of the Music, Anime or Manga that will be referenced in this story as well, all rights go to their respected creators and studios.

Beta Reader: KittyKat-Belle

Opening Theme: We're Not Alone by Coldrain

CHAPTER 4: A Typical Day (Finale)

To Ruby, for whatever reason, the second half of school always seemed to go by faster after lunch, not that she was complaining.

It was all one massive blur of bells ringing, feet shuffling, and lectures proceeding. Pretty soon she found herself with only one class left, gym. She scowled at that. It wasn't like it took a genius to pass the class - just putting in minor effort would guarantee an "A". Especially with the professor they had.

The issue was, unless it was track, she was absolute garbage at any other physical activity. She was no star athlete like Pyrrha, or possessed the endurance like Yang, or even owned a fraction of the strength Nora did.

She sighed as she exited the locker room. 'Doesn't matter. Sports would just get in the way of my hobby anyway.' She smiled at that. 'Just gotta get through this then and I can go home to my lair! HA HA!' Ruby stopped, replayed what she thought, then slapped herself on the forehead. 'Gods damn it, I did it again! Ugh! What is wrong with me?! Why do I think 'HAHA!' instead of just laughing it?'

"Hey Ruby! Over here!"

Ruby turned and followed the voice. It was Nora, on the other side of the gym, standing and waving her arms around like a mad woman, with Jaune, Ren, and Velvet sitting below her on the bleachers.

Ruby grinned and jogged up to them, "Yo!" She cried.

"Hey yourself!" Jaune laughed, "About time you got here!"

Hearing that caused Ruby to pout as she skipped up the stairs. "Gimme a break!" she whined, sitting next to Ren. "You know my class is on the other side of campus! I had to sprint just to make it on time!"

"I find that quite impressive." Ren praised and turned to her. "You run a great distance every day just to get here and you have yet to arrive late. Your stamina is incredible."

"Yeah girl!" Nora gushed as she planted herself on Ren's shoulders, shoving him forward. "That means you've got legs for days!" She eyed the young girl up and down and wiggled her eyebrows. "Oh yeah, you definitely got it!"

Ruby bashfully jumped to her feet as she waved her hands in front of her. "N-No I don't Nora!" She cried, then slowly glanced down at her legs. "Do I?"

Nora hopped up as well and slapped the young girl's back, knocking the wind out of her. "Face Rubes, you totally do! But~ don't get too full of yourself there missy!" She raised a finger up towards her. "You may have legs but when it comes to thunder thighs, ain't no one beating momma!"

With a smug grin, Nora turned to her side and bent one of her hips outwards, literally in front of Jaune's face, to emphasize her 'assets'.

The boy's sat motionless as they stared dumbfoundedly at her hips. Nora noticed this and felt a mischievous idea pop into her head. She began to dance, or more so body roll her legs in one fluid motion like those dancers in a sexy music video.

That was enough to redden her male friend's cheeks as they quickly looked anywhere that wasn't Nora. She laughed and continued her performance when she saw Velvet quickly cover her eyes.

A new idea emerged.

"Come on Vel join me! I know you know how to shake it!"

The Faunus eeped and shook her head furiously when Nora grabbed her by the arms to pull her up. "NO! THAT'S INDECENT!" she squeaked.

"Oh, come on~ Faunus girls know how to get down with their bad self!" Nora argued, "Plus your part rabbit! That means you definitely do!"

"T-THAT'S NOT HOW IT WORKS!"

"Doesn't matter, just help momma seduce the boys!"

"NORA!"

Ruby laughed. She was enjoying this way too much. It amused her how Jaune and Ren kept trying to look away despite stealing small peeks at the girls every few seconds. It was funny watching Nora continue to dance while a red-faced Velvet desperately tried to escape her grasp.

It all made Ruby laugh harder.

'If only things could be like this forever.' She thought as she wiped her eyes. 'No drama, no bullies… no Cardin...'

At the thought of his name, Ruby's demeanor quickly darkened. She briefly glanced towards Nora. Seeing her hyperactive friend grinning and joking once more relieved her to no end. After that whole debacle at lunch earlier, the news spread like wildfire and quickly blew out of proportion.

She didn't know which was more stupid: either the weird little sister of "super babe extraordinaire", Yang Xiao Long, throwing a childish tangent in the dining hall.Or the fact that she was "verbally assaulting" the so-called "Beauties of Beacon".

The fact that her classmates were soaking this all up proved just how ridiculous it was. She could feel the stares everywhere she went which annoyed her to no end.

'No reason huh? Gods… where do they come up with these? It wasn't even them who started this shit. It was Cardin.' Her hands balled into fists. 'But of course, there's no mention of that. No one would dare bad mouth Cardin Winchester.' Her knuckles turned white. 'Look at me~ I'm Cardin Winchester, my daddy's on the Vale Council and CEO of Winchester Industries~ I can do no wrong when there's an audience in front of me! But behind the scenes I'm a giant, manipulative asshole!'

Ruby sighed and dropped her head. There were plenty of people who saw what was going on yet not a single person ever clarified. She supposed she couldn't blame them for that.

If you weren't with Cardin Winchester, you were against him. And if you were against him, then he would mark you as a target and make your life a living hell. He was powerful enough to do it… has done it. Only reason he wasn't doing worse to her friends was because she was Yang's sister.

Still, once Velvet and Nora approached them on the rumors, she told them what really happened. It took the combined efforts of her and Velvet along with Jaune and Ren to calm Nora's rage.

While Ruby agreed that Cardin deserved punishment, it would have been disastrous if they allowed Nora to go on a warpath towards him. She was already on thin ice and if she even so much as touched him, they knew he would be merciless.

Ruby shook her head at the thought. 'That won't happen.' She mentally told herself. 'So long as we stay away from him, we'll be ok. Speaking of which...'

She looked around but didn't see Cardin anywhere in the gym yet. Part of her felt relieved by that, thinking maybe he skipped class. But when she saw Sky, Russell, and Dove sitting together with the girls on the other side of the bleachers, she knew he would arrive at any moment.

She felt a knot twist itself in the pit of her stomach. Yang wasn't with them either which meant she must have been with Cardin. The thought of those two alone repulsed her. Ruby knew her sister could handle herself in a fight. But when it's a consensual agreement... she didn't want to think about it.

However, as if fate noted her plight, the doors to the gymnasium slammed open and in walked her sister with Cardin by her side. The two were laughing as they talked. Yang playfully shoved Cardin away as he tried to peck her cheek. Ruby resisted the urge to throw up. Even more so when Yang planted her own kiss on his cheek as she headed off towards the girls locker room.

Ruby sighed as she glanced back towards her friends. Things had calmed down now as Velvet and Nora sat once again. From the sound of it, the two were discussing a new anime with Jaune as Ren sat silently watching her. He scooted closer and whispered in her ear.

"Are you alright, Ruby?" Ren asked.

Ruby didn't respond right away, and even contemplated if she should tell him the truth. She rejected the idea. She hated lying in general and wasn't about to start now, especially to her friends. Plus, Ren was perceptive, and he'd be able to tell if she was.

"Is it that obvious?" She finally relented, followed by a dry chuckle. She didn't like how his curiosity turned to worry.

"Do you want to talk about it?" He invited.

Ruby bit her lower lip as she thought it over. She sighed and slowly leaned on his shoulder.

"I'm just feeling frustrated." She confessed and loosened her grips. "It's just, no matter what he does, Cardin has everyone wrapped around his finger. I swear with all the crap he posts about charity events, livestream donations, and progressive movements, you'd think he was some kind of saint." She scoffed, "Wonder how much he paid for some top Hollywood acting coach."

Ren chuckled "More Lien than you and I will ever see. I agree though, he is good at playing the nice guy. But you know not everyone sees him as such Ruby."

"I know!" She hissed, surprising Ren. She frowned and took a deep breath. "I know, I'm sorry it's just… that's the worst part. I mean… I know some people see through his bullshit. But they don't speak up about it which only adds to the problem."

She raised her hand up when Ren tried to speak. "And I'm not blaming them either." She quickly added. "Trust me, I can't. They have good reason to be bystanders; it's safer, out of the way, and they don't become targets themselves. But at the same time… they're letting the problem continue. They carry on their way, completely ignoring it - or not caring at all - because it has nothing to do with them. And meanwhile, there is someone who's affected by it; hoping it'll stop or for someone to save them. But they don't and… it's just not fair."

"Ruby…" Ren's voice was hoarse. He rubbed the back of his head and looked away for just a moment. He contemplated his words carefully as his friend waited patiently. When he was ready, he turned back and looked directly into her eyes. "I understand how you feel. Believe me, I do. There is no other way to describe what he does other than bullying. However," His tone softened, "that's precisely why we must not let his actions get to us."

Ruby didn't look pleased by that response. "Ren-"

"I'm serious." He interjected. "Listen, as cliche as it sounds, we gain very little by reacting to him while he gains everything. You witnessed that firsthand didn't you? How quickly the rumors made you out to be the villain? The moment you confronted him at lunch, he used your anger to goad you. And once your sister got involved, he merely had to sit back and let you do the rest."

Ruby's jaw tightened. She wanted so desperately to argue against that; to counter it with her own claim. Yet none came to mind.

"You're right…" She reluctantly confessed, "but Ren… the things he said to me… the disgusting suggestions he said about my own sister... I couldn't let that slide."

"And I don't blame you for that." He assured, "She's your family and you have every right to defend her honor. I would for any of you." He smiled sincerely and patted her on the head.

"But that's why it worked in his favor. He knows how much you dislike him and how much you love your sister. He was counting on it; and once he baited you with his remarks it was easy for himself to play the victim once your sister and her friends arrived. He redirected any accusation back at you and coursed Yang to intervene and confront you thus… causing that argument."

Ren turned away and took a puff of his inhaler, "As much as I hate to admit it, Cardin isn't simple minded. He's conniving but not an idiot. He understands mind games very well and knows how to utilize them to his advantage. That's what makes him so dangerous and why the best response is to ignore him. If he can't get a reaction from us, eventually he will give up and leave us be."

"But it's been more than a year and he hasn't stopped!" Ruby fretted, raising herself off his shoulder. "We're practically his favorite punching bags until graduation!"

"Only because we allow him to think as much." Ren countered and placed a hand on her shoulder. "People like him only have patience for easy prey. We are not to blame but I do understand why he may think of us as such. And although I do not like admitting it, we are relatively… easier targets compared to most of our classmates."

Ruby frowned, knowing he hit the nail on that giant understatement. "You can say it, Ren. We're the lowest of the low in the social ladder. Between my social awkwardness, your medical condition, Jaune's self-esteem, Velvet's stuttering and Nora… being Nora… we're like prime rib served on a platter for a bunch of lions."

Ren laughed. "Well, it makes me happy to see you're still able to joke at our expense."

Giggling, Ruby playfully shoved the oriental boy away as he ruffled her hair gently.

"Do not worry Ruby, in time Cardin will become irrelevant so long as we ignore him. It's our reaction he craves. We take that away; he will grow frustrated and try harder to provoke us. He is patient but not that patient as children who often grow up spoiled are used to getting what they want in a short amount of time. If we play to that advantage and continue holding strong, he will be left with only two options: either engage us forcefully and risk damaging his reputation or…"

"Or drop us entirely and find someone else." Ruby finished and smirked. "I had no idea I was friends with Sun freaking Tzu."

Ren shook his head and laughed. "If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles." he remarked, "My father always told me that. He loved studying the ways of ancient warrior cultures."

Ruby nodded. "Yeah, Mr. Ren is pretty cool if a little scary - no offense." Ren shrugged. "But say we do get Cardin off our butts; wouldn't we just be pushing the problem on someone else though. That wouldn't be right."

"On the contrary," Ren smirked. "You said it yourself. We are the "lowest of the low," correct?"

Ruby did a double take and stared at Ren as a grin slowly crept up her lips. "Look at you are using sarcasm! I'm so proud!"

"Well, I am aware that jokes aren't my specialty. Especially when I write them on paper." His lips shook a little as he composed himself. "They become tear-able."

"Ren!" Ruby slapped his shoulder. She covered her mouth, refusing to laugh at that. "Oh man if you'd said that to Yang she would have-". She stopped and her smile dropped. Just the mention of her name refueled the sorrow she had just gotten rid of.

She fell silent for a moment as Ren frowned and watched her carefully.

"You know…" Ruby suddenly muttered, "ever since they started dating, it feels like there's been a rift between my sister and me. We used to never fight, now it feels like a routine."

She sighed and rubbed her forehead gently. "We're just so different now. I mean... before we used to hang out all the time; now she's always out with her friends. But whenever I want to hang out with you guys she gets so upset that it always leads into a new fight."

Her vision started to blur. "I... I just don't get it. She was friends with you all until sixth grade. She even had a little crush on Jaune! But ever since she got popular at Signal, she's changed! And it hurts so much that she's. trying to get me away from you guys."

Ren quickly wrapped an arm around Ruby's shoulder. She didn't resist and in fact nuzzled further into his chest as her body trembled.

"Do you guys hate her?" She queried, her tone nearly a whisper. Her eyes watered heavily as she glanced up, awaiting his answer in silent fear. "F-For how she's acting? F-For being this way?"

"I don't." Ren quickly assured and rubbed her shoulder. He can feel her exhale a deep, relieved breath as he pulled his friend in closer. "While I can't really speak for the rest of our friends, I don't believe they do either. Hate is a strong word, and it would be wasted on her."

He gently pushed Ruby away to look at her better.

"While we may have our disagreements with her, I know she isn't a bad person. You're right, she was our friend once before; and given time, perhaps she can be again. For now, she's... I wouldn't say misguided, but rather... attempting to find her own path." He wiped her eyes gently. "At the end of the day, I truly believe she wants the best for you and just cares about you deeply. And while you may see it as antagonistic, I see it as misconstrued. And given time, all it takes is the right moment to push her in the right direction."

Ruby smiled as she wiped the last of her tears away. "You think so?"

Ren nodded. "I do."

"Thanks Ren... you always-"

Before she could finish, a loud whistle echoed throughout the walls of the gym. All eyes turned to see their professor exiting his office with a clipboard in hand. Not a second later Cardin emerged from the boys locker room next to his door and walked slightly behind the older man before moving towards the bleachers.

"Ha Ho! Hello there students!" The man cried happily.

"Hello Professor Port." The class replied in unison, their voices all synced together in a perfected careless monotone.

"Welcome, welcome! It is truly wonderful to see you all here for another week of stamina testing, physical inducing, and sweat breaking activities!"

"Yeah!" Nora cheered, jumping up with a fist in the air. Several students laughed as Jaune, and Velvet awkwardly pulled their friend back down.

Ruby smiled, thankful for the distraction as she turned back to the professor.

He looked like a jolly Santa Claus with a thick, gray dandy mustache instead of a beard. The fact that he wore a dashing maroon blazer with matching slacks and black shoes only encouraged the similarity.

"Ah Miss Valkyrie," The professor smiled, "you are truly a testament to enthusiasm and energy!"

Nora grinned and flexed her arms, "You know it teach!"

"Ha Ho quite so! Now then," he raised his clipboard, "Today we will be-"

*BAM*

"I'm just saying the options there, ya know?! I know you keep to yourself and all - and that's totally cool - but~ don't you get tired of sitting alone?"

From behind the professor, everyone turned to see Yang emerge from the girls locker room fully changed in a yellow tank top and black shorts that tightened around her thighs. While this choice of attire earned her the usual lustful gazes of her classmates, today that attention was focused behind her as Blake Belladonna also stepped out the door.

Confusion and whispers silently spewed among the class as the silent girl ignored Yang's question and headed towards the professor. Dressed in an all-black loose track jacket and pants, her wavy long hair was tied in a loose ponytail while still retaining the bow on her head.

Blake's stoic demeanor never faltered as she walked, even with Yang catching up and somewhat invading her personal space.

"I already told you," Said the quiet girl. She turned to the blonde with narrowed eyes as she spaced herself away, "I'm alright."

Yang didn't seem fazed, or didn't care, by her demeanor and merely grinned as she stepped closer, "Cool, cool! But~ did you know it's way more fun when you're surrounded by a group of friends?! Look, all I'm saying is you should try it sometime! And~ lucky for you I happen-"

"No."

The flat-out rejection nearly caused Yang to trip over herself. "W-Why though?"

"Because I don't want to."

"I… ok, fair enough but I mean you could just-"

"No."

"Wait, you didn't even let me-"

"Miss Xiao Long!"

Yang flinched and raised her hands up defensively. "I didn't do it!" She blurted, causing the class to laugh as Port approached her.

All eyes now watched with amused curiosity as Yang stood frozen, occasionally shifting her sight from side to side, while Blake stood silently next to her with a bored expression.

"Whilst it does my heart good to see the youths of our fine establishment engaging in sociability with one another, I am less pleased, by the fact, that you arrive late to my class."

"Huh?!" Yang's eyes widened, "Wait, that's not- I'm not- that's not fair!" She babbled and pointed towards Blake, "She's late too, why aren't you scolding her?!"

Blake gave her a dry look, "Spare me."

"Hey, if I'm going down you have to take some of the blame too! That's fair!" Yang stuck her tongue out.

Blake rolled her eyes. "You mean fault, which has nothing to do with me."

"Yes it does!"

"Actually, it does not." The Professor interjected, "You see, I expected Miss Belladonna's late arrival as she has just transferred into your class."

On que, Blake pulled a yellow slip from her pocket and handed it over to the professor. Port thanked her as she nodded and wordlessly walked off towards the bleachers a section away from class.

"Aw man." Yang whined, "Prof you gotta believe me, I did come on time!"

"It's true," Cardin called out, "She came in with me."

"Yeah!" Yang smiled towards her boyfriend. "I was just in the locker room a little longer trying to get to know her, ya know?"

Port eyed her carefully for a moment before sighing. "It is truly wonderful to see the buds of a new friendship blossom into something beautiful. Very well Miss Xiao Long, if you wish to avoid such a mistake again in the future, do be sure to socialize within the gymnasium next time so I am aware of your presence."

Yang nodded absentmindedly then blinked. "Does that mean…" her voice trailed off as she glanced up at the older man.

Port smiled and patted her on the shoulder. "I will let this go once. However, I ask you not to test my patience a second time, for I may not be so- oof!"

"Thanks prof!" Yang squeezed the portly man into a constricting bear hug. "You literally just saved me from a scolding from my dad! Thank you, thank you!"

"Y-Yes, quite so!" Port grunted as he attempted to pry the blonde girl off. "N-Now please unhand me and join the others!"

"You got it professor!" Yang released her grip and practically shimmied towards the bleachers. She relished in the cheering and laughter of her classmates as she walked up and sat next to Cardin.

"Ah Port, you ol dog," the professor said to himself, "Once again your benevolence has won the heart of yet another young damsel. To not only be cursed with such dashing good looks, now I must pry the ladies off with my bare hands. Oh, what a dilemma Lady Fate has bestowed upon me."

The class collectively groaned as Yang hid her face into Cardin's shoulders.

'Yeah… go with that, professor' Ruby chuckled dryly.

"Alright class, I believe we've wasted enough time!" Port cleared his throat and signaled for the students to quiet down. "Today, we will be playing a new sport of my own choosing!"

That caught some interest as he watched several students now eyeing him curiously. He smirked. "Badminton was a fine and dandy activity, BUT as I watched you play I said to myself: "Peter, you outstanding dapper you, these children deserve a real challenge to test their youthful potential." Why, I said as much to dear Glynda and, despite rejecting my request 28 times, it was the 29th attempt that finally won me the day!"

He rested an arm across his chest as he proudly held his head high. "Let that be a lesson to all you young spirits! Never give up for you will eventually wear her down- I mean… triumph!" He quickly corrected. "So therefore, I bring to you a more... appropriate sport! One that has tested the times of countless generations! A sport that has created and destroyed friendships time after time! A sport where only the strong survive as the weak falter to their knees! A sport that is so manly, it will test your fight or flight mentality and-"

"Professor, we only have 47 minutes!" someone cried.

Port flinched mid-sentence and coughed into his fist. "Right… My apologies." He muttered and composed himself, "Today, we will be playing dodgeball!"

Cheers erupted, mainly from the boys along with a few girls including Yang and Nora. Jaune felt the life drain from his face as Ren sighed.

"T-This isn't gonna end well." the blond gulped. Ren could only nod in agreement as he brought his inhaler up and took a puff.

/-/

After taking a hefty attendance of the 60+ students, Professor Port had done quick work with breaking down the large class into three separate games that all played simultaneously. With the help of two teachers' aides overseeing the other two matches, the Professor was able to divide the gym into three sections with the automatic curtains before properly setting up the third and final group before him.

The students had already aligned themselves on the back wall as he held up his clipboard and randomly selected the first two names his finger fell on.

"Yang Xiao Long! Ruby Rose! You are both selected to be team captains! Please step forward and come towards me!"

"Sweet! Now we're talking!" Yang beamed and slammed her fist into her palm.

That was before she glanced at her little sister; and her excitement immediately vanished as she shifted in place while Ruby awkwardly rubbed her arm.

"H-Hey Rubes!" Yang started, "Too bad we couldn't be on the same team together, huh?"

"Y-Yeah..." Ruby mumbled and looked away. "D-Do your best sis…"

Yang smiled a little, "Y-Yeah you-" then frowned as Ruby walked over to the teacher. "...too…". With nothing more to say she slowly, and sadly, followed behind.

As both girls took their positions, face to face with one another, the professor stood to their side and drew out a coin. He marked each girl to one of the two sides and flicked it high in the air before they watched it drop to the ground and indicate the first pick.

/-/

Weiss had been scowling the entire time during the selection process. They had been given a couple minutes to stretch and prepare before the match began and she wasted no time doing so. As she released her arm and focused on the other, she glanced over at her newly formed team.

There was Yang next to her, followed by Coco, the twins Melanie and Militia, Cardin and his three friends, Russell, Sky, and Dove and finally, that attractive looking blue-haired fellow who was picked last overall.

She sighed with frustration. "I can't believe you were chosen as team captain over me!" She fumed. Her icy blue eyes glared towards Yang. "I would have made a much better choice."

The blonde rolled her own lilac eyes as she sat down and stretched out her legs. "It's just the luck of the draw Weiss Cream." She jeered. "You snooze, you lose!"

The whited haired girl scoffed, "Well, you've already failed in your position as captain." She calmly stated.

"What?!" Yang rose up, genuinely offended. "How?! We didn't even start yet!"

Weiss crossed her arms, "Hmph, you failed in securing the best possible roster for our team's victory!"

Yang's mouth dropped. "What?!"

"You heard me!" Weiss replied, "You allowed the dunce over there to steal Pyrrha from us, despite your victory in the coin drop! How can you mess that up?!"

Yang's face was a mixture of emotions as she switched between bewilderment, disbelief, offense, and finally annoyance. "Well excuse~ me for making you my first choice!" Her voice dripped with sarcasm.

"You're forgiven." Weiss waved a hand dismissively, "It's only natural that I would be chosen first as you cannot hope to succeed without my intellect." Yang resisted the urge to wrap her hands around that pretty little pale neck. "However, as remarkable as I am, even I would have gladly allowed Pyrrha to be chosen before me!" Weiss countered.

Yang gritted her teeth. "Ok one, get over that ego of yours! And two, what's the big deal? So, we didn't get Pyrrha, big whoop! It's not the end of the world. Plus, that other guy doesn't look too shabby. He's good looking so at least he's a good fit for the team huh?!" She joked.

Weiss stared at Yang's grinning face with disbelief as she suddenly grabbed her friend by the bands of her tank top and shook it violently. "As if attraction matters at a time like this! Need I remind you that Pyrrha's a professional athlete?! She's extremely competitive in anything she does; even in something as barbaric and trivial as this! She will not hold back and that should hold enough reason for me to be vexed in this situation!"

Yang managed to pry the shorter girl's hands off and smirked. "So, in other words, you're just terrified of getting hit by P-Money? Is that it?!"

From the face Weiss was making, she hit the nail on the coffin and laughed, hard. Even more so when Weiss immediately recoiled and blushed, making her look nearly tomato faced.

"I-I am simply acknowledging that victory will not be easy now through your poor handling. That is all." She explained. "While our team is indeed solid in many factors, the fact that the other team possesses Pyrrha dramatically increases their chances while simultaneously decreasing ours. And, as much as I hate to admit it, that Valkyrie girl is also a force to be reckoned with."

Yang smirked and slapped her friend on the back. "Ok they got some muscle, so what? We're not pushovers either Ice Queen. Plus, I'm pretty sure I've taken the worst of Pyrrha's hits before, so it'll be fine!"

Weiss sighed and slapped her forehead. "That's not the point you-"

"Excuse me, ladies."

Both girls turned to see the blue-haired boy, Yang mentioned earlier, walk up to them. He stood before them with a graceful posture: relaxed shoulders, hands on his hips and a toothy white smirk as his aqua blue eyes squinted slightly.

Weiss had to admit, seeing him up close, his styled blue hair really contrasted well with his slightly tan skin. She almost couldn't look away upon seeing him.

"Couldn't help but overhear you girls talking, so I decided to come up and make nice!" His voice was soft, friendly, and smooth; something Weiss found herself appreciating. "I'm Neptune Vasilias, nice to meet you."

"S'up, I'm Yang! And right back at ya Casanova! Put it there!" Yang offered a handout and grabbed the boy's. His eyes widened for a split second as he looked ready to scream had he not bit his lip shut at the last second. "Looks like we have ourselves a gentleman here Weissy?"

"Huh?" Weiss shook her head, "Oh, yes I... suppose." She cleared her throat and offered her hand. "I am Weiss Schnee, student council president and captain of the fencing team, perhaps you've heard of me?. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

Yang wanted to slap her forehead.

Neptune merely smiled and gently shook her hand with a small squeeze. "Trust me, I know who you are. Your reputation is huge throughout the school, and you could say I'm sort of a huge fan of your talent." Weiss stood a little taller at that comment as Neptune glanced down at their hands." You have a really strong grip, yet your hand is so soft. There's no calluses at all despite fencing competitively. That's amazing."

Weiss felt her face grow slightly warm. "Y-Yes well… despite how physically demanding my craft is, I do take the necessary extra steps, ensuring my body does not subject to any unwanted consequences."

The blue haired boy nodded. "I can see that. You've really worked hard to look just like a snow angel."

"S-Snow angel?" Weiss repeated, thankful her hair was covering her reddening neck.

"Yeah." Neptune laughed and rubbed the back of his head. "Sorry it's just... your hair reminds me of how beautiful snow is and as for the angel well… I mean just look at you."

Weiss darted her eyes away from the boy and shut them tightly. She knew her cheeks were visibly pink as she desperately tried to compose herself. She brought a fist to her lips and coughed loudly before turning back to him. "W-Well I... can't say I don't appreciate such a compliment from someone as… charming… as you. So, thank you very much for your kind words."

Neptune breathed a sigh of relief and chuckled, "I'm glad you liked it. I really mean it, you are-"

'Oh, this is too good.' Yang grinned as she watched the two talk. Every compliment made Weiss' eye gleam more and more. If she were a dog Faunus her tail would be wagging hard right now.

They looked like they were in their own little world as Yang stood on the sidelines forgotten. She didn't mind that, not when she got a front row seat of this entertainment. It wasn't every day the Ice Queen would actually talk to a random boy and this Neptune guy was trying so hard Yang would have felt bad intervening.

She actually found it hilarious. Despite his looks, Neptune acted like a nervous little puppy. While that was a turn off for her as she preferred funny and confident, Weiss didn't notice - or care - as she nodded along to what he was saying.

'Who knew you could actually have an interest in something other than studying Weissy.' Yang turned away from the two with the biggest grin, 'I gotta call Coco over here! She'll-'

Yang's good mood faltered as she pursed her lips when she spotted Ruby. She was laughing a lot; and smiling so brightly that it was like nothing had upset her all day.

Seeing her sister like this filled Yang with both relief as well as sorrow. On one hand, she was glad to see her sister acting cheerful again. But on the other, she wasn't like this because of her.

After that argument, Yang practically pushed her sister into the arms of those guys, further drawing an ever-growing rift between them. She wished she could take it all back if only so that maybe, Ruby would grow closer to her once more.

Even though they talked before assembling their teams, Yang noted the hesitance in her sister's voice. Her fists clenched tightly. To see her still feeling nervous around her own sister while laughing comfortably around her former childhood friends made her heart ache and her blood boil.

They renewed her sister with such rejuvenation Yang felt both enraged and envious. The young girl looked happy, much happier than she ever did with Yang in a long time; and that hurt to no end.

She was Yang Xiao Long, the funniest, wildest, and coolest chick in all of Beacon, hell maybe all of Vale according to all her followers. She was a top tier beauty, an all-round badass, a pun master and the girl everyone wanted to be around.

'Except my own sister.' She thought glumly.

It was ironic. Here she was - the center of it all with adoring fans and popularity both in school and on social media, yet the one person she wished to share and bask in the greatness with, didn't want anything to do with her.

She sighed.

'What changed…' She thought somberly. 'Why can't I make my own baby sister smile like that… she used to always look up to me and now… I'm just a fucking bad guy in her eyes… What the hell happened?'

Then it hit her, the answer was, quite literally, right in front of her. 'Them…' She mentally growled, or more specifically: Jaune, Ren and Nora. Velvet was cool according to Coco. She didn't know the Faunus like her friend did so she respected her vouch. But even though she thought the same of the others, Yang rejected that one.

Coco didn't know them like she did. She grew up with those losers, she knew how they were and seeing how hostile Ruby got because of them only proved her point that they were becoming a bad influence on her sister. And as her blood and the only mother figure Ruby had left, she would do something about it.

'I tolerated you guys for too long. I backed off for Ruby, but you changed my sister. So now… I'm gonna make sure you back off once and for all…'

"Yang, focus you airhead!" Weiss demanded as she and Neptune - along with everyone else - took on a starter position. "The match is about to start!"

"Don't worry about me Weiss" Yang muttered as her eyes narrowed. She spoke with such an unusually serious tone that the heiress raised an eyebrow, "I'm fired up and ready."

"I-I see. Well then… ensure you don't hold back."

"Wasn't planning to." Yang scoffed as she cracked her knuckles and smirked, eyeing her opponents carefully. "Time to put some people in their place!"

/-/

The atmosphere was tense as Ruby glanced around her friends. Arm in arm, Jaune, Ren, and Nora, all huddled together in a circle around their leader as she looked at them with such seriousness it made Jaune gulp.

"My beloved outsiders… no, my fellow otaku... we continuously face defeat in a world where society rejects us under a tyranny of hierarchy! Thus, I ask you: Why is this? Is it because the headmaster doesn't care? Is it because we are considered the lowest rank on the social ladder? Is it because we lack ambition? Is it because we are powerless to avert our fate?"

She took in a breath and glanced around. No one responded.

"No!" She loudly cried, "For years we have stood against the tests of time! And even though the odds were stacked against us, we survived! Ask yourselves, why is it that the adult world is ruled by nerds? Is it because we've got a penchant for studying? We lack the muscle and physical brawn of the jocks! Did our proficiency in intelligence and introversion allow us to bring the workforce under our banner despite lacking the stamina? Most assuredly not!"

Ruby smirked, "We fought and prevailed… because we are weak!" Shock and gasps ranged across the faces of her fellow nerds. "In every age, and every world, the strong sharpen their fangs, while the weak polish their wits! But what has driven us into a corner now? It's the social hierarchy of high school taking tooth and claw from the strong, forcing them to rely on their wits as we always have! It is because the ingenuity and strategies - the power we alone used to survive - were bestowed upon the strong!"

Ruby lowered her head, "That was our undoing…" She whispered. All around pained expressions fell upon her friends. Ren closed his eyes; Nora gritted her teeth as Jaune stared at the ground. Ruby sighed and raised her head up. "My people, answer me this: Why do you hang your heads?" Eyes widened around her. "I repeat: Why do you hang your heads?" She asked louder. "We are the weak! Now and hereafter, as we have always been! Indeed, nothing has changed for us!"

Ren smirked; Nora grinned as her eyes narrowed while Jaune seemed to stand a little taller. "The strong may wield facsimiles of our weapons, but those pale to the originals! That is because our weapons draw power from cowardice born of pathetic weakness! It is becauseof our cowardice that we don't foolishly rely on brawn! It is because of our cowardice that we possess the wisdom and experience to predict even the future!"

Ruby 's eyes narrowed, "I repeat once more: We are weak! We are the proud weaklings who once tore out the throats of the strong as their overwhelming might drew them into complacency!"

Ruby raised a hand up, "I, Ruby Rose, proclaim as captain of this team that I will live as the weak, fight as the weak, and defeat the strong as only the weak can! The way our future generations of nerds, outcasts, and otaku once did and will continue to do!" She grinned, "Accept it! Accept that because we were born with nothing we can become anything!"

"Yeah!" Nora yelled as the merry band of nerds broke free of their little huddle. Ruby and Jaune fell into fits of laughter as Ren smiled.

"That was awesome Ruby!" Jaune praised.

"Truly." Ren added as he bowed before her with a folded arm over his chest. "I will gladly follow you into battle."

"Yeah! We're gonna crush them all!" Nora cried, mimicking a deep masculine voice as she slammed a fist into her palm.

"T-That was amazing!" Velvet gushed as she approached the group. She wasn't alone as behind her followed her two friends, Yatsuhashi and Fox - whom the group had briefly interacted with before - and the random boy that Ruby picked last for their team.

"I'll say! Dude, that was a hell of a motivator!" The newcomer said with a grin.

He was a lightly tanned boy with short blond hair spiked up with more gel than Ruby thought necessary. He was clearly a Faunus when she noticed the yellow tail swaying back and forth behind him. And as much as Ruby wished she didn't stare; Sun was certainly developed with more muscle than either of her two male friends. It only made her blush more when the boy didn't bother wearing a proper shirt thus allowing all to see his abs.

Ruby smiled weakly as she tried to shake the image out of her mind. "Thanks, uh…" She internally cringed.

Even though she had picked him for the team, Ruby wasn't familiar with his name. She felt incredibly guilty for that as it was between him or that blue haired boy she didn't know either, thus choosing randomly.

"I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say you don't know my name do ya?" He chuckled. When Ruby remained silent, the boy laughed even harder as he lazily waved a hand. "Ah don't worry about it, it's no biggie!" He extended a fist out towards her and smiled. "Sun Wukong's the name! Investigation and reporting is my game!"

"Heh sorry about that!" Ruby smiled and returned the brofist. "I'm Ruby Rose. It's nice to meet you too!"

"Like I said, no worries! Can't expect you to know everyone's businesses right? That's my job!" He joked.

Ruby laughed with him. He was alright in her books. However, she could have sworn she heard his name before. She was certain of that as it niggled in the back of her mind.

Sun already moved along to introduce himself to the others with his knuckles already out. Jaune's attempt was clumsy as he actually missed at the first time. Ren offered a polite handshake instead of a knuckle touch and bowed his head respectfully. Nora saw it as a challenge and actually jabbed Sun's fist with enough strength to make him jump and shake his hand in pain.

"Damn girl! And I thought I had muscle; you're definitely packing!" He laughed then turned to Velvet. "You weren't kidding Vel! She's strong!"

"How do you two know each other anyways?" Jaune asked, glancing between the two.

"H-He and I are in the same in the newspaper club together. H-He mostly writes articles and listings w-while I focus on photojournalism." Velvet confirmed.

"I remember now!" Ruby suddenly shouted. She pointed a finger towards Sun as his hands instinctively went up. "You're the guy who wrote that list?!"

"Uhh… most likely?!" Sun's eyes darted left and right, "You're gonna have to be more specific since I make lists all the time."

"The girl's hottie list!" Ruby clarified. "You ranked every girl in our class! How do you do it?! There's hundreds of us and you even write small excerpts for each one! Do you go by looks alone? Do you do this all by yourself? Or do you - mphff"

"R-Ruby, w-why are you so curious about this!" Velvet squealed and covered the girl's mouth.

"Oh that!" Sun exclaimed, ignoring the dry looks of Velvet. "Aw shucks I never thought I'd get a girl who's curious about the process! Usually, it's just a bunch of them threatening to castrate me for dropping their ranks!" He laughed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Man, times like those I'm glad I kept this body in shape! These abs ain't just for show ya know!"

"Yeah, yeah, castration's cool and all but what's my rank!" Nora barked.

"Nora!" Ren sighed as he slapped his face.

"What? I gotta know where I stand Renny!" The orange-haired girl whined, "I know I have to be near the top right! Thunder thighs remember! You can't deny these monkey boy!"

Sun glanced away as Nora once again tried to show off what she proudly possessed. "Hate to break it to ya but it's not really up to me per say. I have a lot of bots that create polls on my Discord. After it posted, anyone can vote once on who they like. And to answer your other question, no it's not just me! I have some friends who act as my mods and help me record them into an order generator called "ADD IT UP". After that, boom, it creates a list for us!"

"Whoa, you really take this stuff seriously." Ruby admitted.

"Sung chuckled as he nodded. "Yeah, a bit. But as a reporter it's my job to give the people what they want! And that's the juicy gossip of the school!"

"He would fit well with TMZ." muttered Yatsuhashi. Fox smirked.

Jaune chuckled slightly. "Well at least there's nothing like that for us guys right?"

Sun flinched as he awkwardly looked away. "Well…"

"No way…" Jaune muttered as his head dropped. "Great… and I already know where I'll be on that list."

Sun smiled sincerely as he placed a hand on his fellow blond's shoulder. "Hey if it makes you feel any better I don't make that list. One of my mods does. He's… let's just say very qualified for the job. And trust me, he takes his judgement very seriously."

The girls giggled as some of the boys shifted uncomfortably. They were not entirely keen on knowing someone among them was watching and judging their assets.

"You know if I'm honest, I'm pretty bummed with the last two results of our number one spot." Sun frowned as he crossed his arms. "Don't get me wrong, Pyrrha's definitely up there no questions asked! Redheads are always a plus and her personality is a gem! It's just… well personal preference." He grinned. "If it were all up to me that girl would be number one, hands down."

He pointed far to the right where they all turned and saw Blake leaning against the wall motionless with her eyes closed and her arms crossed.

"Blake Belladonna!" He whistled, "Now that's a woman! No offense to any of you ladies here but man! I mean just look at her! She has that whole dark and mysterious vibe going for her, that tough gothic look that's super enticing and not to mention that body and she's one of the smartest chicks in our class! As a man of culture, I approve!"

"Momma can't blame you monkey boy! That girl definitely has a badonkadonk!" Nora giggled as she leaned her arm on Sun's shoulder. Both rested a hand underneath their chins as they 'admired' the silent girl on the wall.

Ren sighed as he walked in front of them. "I believe you two have ogled enough. I think we should leave her be and prepare for the match."

Though reluctant, the two agreed as they shifted their attention back towards the group.

Ruby watched Blake for a moment longer. Much like Sun, she too had been another unexpected choice for the team as Ruby "technically" never really chose her. She simply walked onto their side without a word and stood there. The moment she was going to voice this, the look Blake had given her was enough to keep her mouth shut.

'Talk about scary…'

A loud whistle erupted from the side as Port approached the center floor with a large sack of dodgeballs. "Ha, Ho! The time for mercy has passed! Would both teams please place yourselves against your respected walls! Once I am done spreading these out I will sound the horns of battle!" He cheered. "Also known as my whistle." He muttered mostly to himself. "Now then take your positions!"

/-/

The air was tense.

No one spoke a word as Professor Port walked to the side lines with a look so serious it would have been considered uncharacteristic of him. He had just placed the last of the plethora of blue dodgeballs on the floor, creating a nearly perfect row that segregated the teams before him.

He turned to his left and gazed towards Yang. She gave a confident nod; her team was ready. He then turned to Ruby; she nodded timidly; her team was also ready.

Port nodded to the two sisters and slowly brought the whistle up to his lips.

Ruby inhaled slowly. She was as physically prepared as she could have been, all she could do now was mentally hype herself up for the coming chaos. She couldn't deny being a little nervous, it was her first-time playing dodgeball after all. She'd be lying if she didn't feel a little worried, though at least she wasn't sweating profusely like Jaune.

The poor guy, the match hasn't even started yet, and he already looked terrified. The confidence her speech instilled in him quickly faded from his mind when the game was set to begin. She didn't know what would happen and prayed he would do well or at least stay in as long as possible.

Velvet also looked a little nervous though nowhere near the level of their blond friend. She stood in between her two friends Yats and Fox as she timidly waved towards Coco. The fashionista smirked and waved back to them.

The rest of her team looked fine, at least for the most part. Yatsuhashi and Fox didn't seem worried in the slightest; there was even a faint smirk on the dark-skinned boy's lips as he waited for the whistle.

Nora and Sun were the only ones that were all sorts of excited. Nora was bouncing back and forth on her toes, anxious to get moving while Sun stood with a wide grin on his face. He even taunted the blue haired boy standing next to Weiss on the other team, claiming he was going to destroy him which made the other boy flinch just a little.

Out of all of them, Pyrrha looked the most revved up. She was silent, focused, even during her warmups. She practically stretched every part of her body as if she were going to partake in a triathlon instead of a high school dodgeball game. Ruby supposed it was unsurprising given her career as a professional athlete. Yang always did say the Amazonian was fiercely competitive.

Finally, she turned to Ren and frowned.

He looked as calm and collected as he's always been. However, Ruby knew underneath that mask of composure, a fire raged within him. His eyes were sharp and focused, there was a slight grimace to his lips, and an aura of determination - metaphorically speaking - wrapped around his body.

-Three Minutes Earlier -

"Lie, my boy, may I have a word with you for a quick moment? Ruby, you as well."

Ren queried an eyebrow as he glanced towards Ruby. She shrugged and the two approached the professor.

"Thank you both, this won't take long." He smiled, then turned towards Ren. "Before we begin, young Lie, do you wish to participate in this activity?"

Ruby and Ren glanced at one another.

"With all due respect sir," Ren started slowly, "why ask me this so suddenly?"

"Ah, well you see it has been brought to my attention by one of your peers that you were distressed in participating in this sport due to your medical condition. I am ashamed to say that I did not make note of that, and I deeply apologize for my carelessness."

Ren blinked. "Excuse me?"

"Who told you that?" Ruby asked, her eyes narrowed.

"Why, it was Mr. Winchester who brought this matter to me!" He answered honestly, unaware of their crestfallen faces. "He expressed great concern over your wellbeing and stated a game such as this would pose a risk to your health given the circumstances of your body."

Ren inhaled and exhaled slowly.

"Now, as your professor, should there be a possibility of risk to your health, it is my duty to ensure the right decision in regard to your safety."

"Understandable." Ren muttered; his hands tightened into fists.

He did not blame Port. He knew the professor wasn't trying to insult him, only consult and take this information seriously for his wellbeing. He couldn't fault him for that. But the mere fact that Cardin had used an oblivious Professor as a proxy for his amusement disgusted him.

"Quite so, and I had young Ruby here to attend so that she may be aware of your choice." He placed a hand on the boy's shoulder. "Now Lie, I do not want you to feel pressured into anything that may affect your health. Should you feel the need to sit out I understand, and you will not lose credit for today's class. That is my decision for you as a Professor to his student."

He smiled and patted his shoulder once. "However, I am also a fair man; and - from one man to another - should you still choose to participate I will respect your choice and allow it."

Ren smiled at that. And after glancing towards Ruby who was frowning at him, his sight went across the gym to the man who brought this all up.

Cardin was already watching them and even gave a little wave towards them as he smirked. Behind him, his friends were already giggling and whispering to each other, no doubt trading insults at his expense.

"With all due respect Professor, I wish to participate in the match. I will not allow myself to be a hindrance to my team nor do I wish to be limited by my own handicap.." Ren stated calmly and handed him his inhaler. The determination in his eyes made him stand taller with his head held high.

Port smiled as he clasped the boy on the shoulder again with more gusto. "Spoken like a true man! I commend your spirit young Lie and you have my undivided support! Go now and rejoin your team, I have my answer!"

Ren bowed to the large man while Ruby nodded as the two turned and walked back to their team. As they walked, Cardin was still smirking as he shook his head towards them.

-End of Flashback-

"Now that you understand the rules I want a nice, clean game!" Professor Port commanded, his voice thunder. "I will be standing vigilant throughout the entire match! If you are hit then you are out of the game! No exceptions, no complaints! Am I understood?!"

Everyone nodded.

Ruby gulped. 'Here we go…'

"Then without further ado… BEGIN!"

The second Port blew the whistle, the teens charged.

Within seconds, every ball was grabbed. Most had one, a few had two, while the rest had none as both teams immediately retreated back to their sides.

The attacks commenced, and it was Fox who threw the first strike.

He launched his ball, with all his might, directly towards Russel who just barely dodged as he swore under his breath. He made a mental note to get payback later as he proceeded to follow Cardin's instructions.

He sighted Jaune cowering in the far back of the team as his eyes wildly darted back and forth. Russel smirked and launched his ball towards him. Behind, Sky and Dove threw theirs a second later as three fast balls flew directly at the blond.

Jaune's eyes widened as he shrieked and jumped to the left - narrowly avoiding the first one - before diving to the right and missing the other two.

It wasn't long before both teams screamed and unleashed their fury upon one another.

Port smiled as watched. 'Ah the flames of youth! Truly a spectacle to witness!'

"AHH HELP ME!"

"AFTER HIM BOYS!"

"STAND STILL YOU LITTLE RUNT!"

"GET HIM! GET THAT SCRAGGLY DUNCE!"

"IS THAT ALL YOU GOT BOYS?! COME TO MOMMA!"

"DUDE, I'M SO GONNA KICK YOUR ASS!"

"NOT THE FACE SUN-AHH, I SAID NOT THE FACE!"

Port sighed happily as he rested his hands on his stomach. "A spectacle indeed.'

Pyrrha looked like she was the only one in her element. She did not scream or panic, simply twisted and spun as she grabbed and threw dodgeballs back-to-back while countering those sent by Yang, Coco, and Cardin.

She was so calm and focused as she moved like a cheetah with controlled speed and agility that Ruby was sure she'd break her ankles trying to imitate her. She would have likely kept watching her had she not had balls being thrown at her as well. Her sister and her friends were not holding back against Pyrrha and even though she was certain the amazon could take on the three by herself, Ruby was her teammate and rushed in to assist.

It wasn't long before eliminations began during the onslaught. The game was now in full swing as the ferocity and aggression grew intense as the walls echoed and the floors rumbled.

Yatsuhashi was the first to go.

After throwing a ball towards Yang, to get her off Pyrrha, he saw Velvet avoiding two strikes by Melanie and Militia. She had successfully dodged the two but failed to see the third one flying at her.

On instinct, the large boy pulled Velvet behind him as the ball impacted on his stomach. He grunted as he rubbed his bruised abdomen gently just as the Professor announced his elimination. After he had assured Velvet that he was alright he walked off towards the bleachers, glaring at Cardin the whole time as the brown-haired boy smirked.

However, the smirk quickly faltered as he quickly ducked his head - just barely missing an incoming hit by Fox. Cardin turned and growled when he saw him smirk and picked up a new ball before charging in.

Jaune had no idea how he was still in the game. It was a miracle in itself that he hasn't been hit yet. Russel, Sky, and Dove have been persistent, and Weiss supplying them with dodgeballs was not helping. Hell, Yang was even throwing fast ones at him from time to time. Yet still he remained. He had lost count of how many times he had to jump, dive, and roll out the way back-to-back. And even though he was practically hunted, he couldn't help but slightly smile.

'Maybe getting my ass kicked a lot finally heightened my senses!' His smile grew a little bigger as he picked up a ball. 'Maybe I can do this! Maybe I- ahh!' Ducking from another attack Jaune dropped the ball and scurried off as two more flew by him, 'Never mind! I can't do it! I can't do-ahh!'

As Jaune continued running, the ball he dropped rolled across the floor right into Nora's hand as she grabbed it and giggled.

Neptune was conflicted. On one hand he wanted to keep standing in front of Weiss to show how valiantly he was defending her like a man. But on the other hand, he really wanted to hide behind her.

Even though he hated being so exposed to the opposing team, his method was working as every time he blocked a ball with his own, she would mutter a quick 'thank you' with the tiniest tinge of pink on her cheeks.

He would have loved to work with that more; give her a compliment, fluff her up a little more then BAM, hit her with the mighty 'Casanova smirk' he dubbed. That is if it wasn't for freaking Sun and his freaking cock blocking.

'Dude, seriously! I help you with your fucking list and your trying to hit me in front of a cute girl?! I know we swore on the bro code and all but come on! Cute girl dude!'

'I see what you're trying dude and I'm not letting it happen!' Sun grunted as he threw another ball towards his friend. That one nearly hit Neptune causing him to yelp with a high-pitched voice.

Weiss glanced at him causing Neptune to stammer for a second before playing it off and throwing his ball towards Sun. The Faunus moved and tilted his head as it whooshed past. The wind pressure was strong from that velocity, and he can tell Neptune was pissed.

'Sorry buddy I love you like a brother and all but that's exactly why I refuse to let you score before me!'

And as the two glared at one another Neptune noticed from the corner of his eye an incoming ball, but it wasn't coming towards him. It was heading for- his eyes widened as he immediately ran back.

"Weiss look out!"

The white-haired girl was busy on her knees snatching up two dodgeballs when she turned towards him. Her eyes widened when she saw the incoming strike towards her face.

Neptune's world slowed in motion as he shouted 'NO' in his head.His ball wouldn't reach in time to deflect that, but he knew something else that could. He jumped and dived into the air with his arms spread out. He knew it was gonna hurt but he accepted that, in fact he saw this as a blessing in disguise.

The cool, brave, stud taking a hit for the defenseless, helpless cute girl. He'd fall and ask if she was ok like a badass leaving her so impressed that she couldn't help but fall for him. It looked so perfect in his head that a hit to the stomach would be totally worth it.

That was until he kept diving and the ball had yet to make impact. His boy was now in front of it as it neared his stomach. Neptune smiled like a mad man. 'This is it!'

However...

To his horror, his body kept moving, and instead of his stomach blocking the ball the trajectory of the large sphere now aimed towards his…

'OH NO!'

It was too late.

*WHAM*

"YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"

The squeal was so powerful it sounded inhuman as it echoed throughout the entire school and possibly all of Vale.

Port's eyes widened as his body flinched - instantly moving his hands down to cover his most prized possession like he was next. 'That… oh my… may the gods have mercy on his lineage for that one...'

For a brief moment, despite the differences, despite the rivalry, and desire to win, all stopped and turned to the fallen hero as his body lay groaning and twitching. Weiss rushed to his side and held his hand as she watched him with bewildered eyes.

Every man within that room, even those far and wide, felt that close to their hearts as they silently paid their respects.

"Damn, poor bastard." Muttered Coco as she took off her beret in respect.

"Yeah…" Yang nodded, then snorted and turned to her friend. "I guess you could say… he dropped the-"

Instantly, two hands slapped over her mouth as Melanie and Militia glared at the blonde. "Do. Not. Finish. That." They simultaneously threatened.

"God damn it, Yang." Coco sighed as she put her beret back on.

"Heh… bad time?" Yang joked quietly as the twins released their hands and walked away without a word with Coco close behind. "Yea… definitely a bad time." She muttered and halfheartedly laughed.

"D-Dude…" Sun stuttered, "This is why you don't simp…"

"Hehehe… my bad…" Nora coughed as she looked away. Even though she felt a little guilty it wasn't like she was aiming for the boy. It was kind of his fault for doing that anyway, so not her fault.

"C-Can someone please take Mr. Vasilias to my office!" Port cleared his throat. "There are some ice packs in my freezer that should… aid him."

"I will do it." Yatsuhashi accepted.

As he slowly, and gently, walked over and picked him up, he sighed and shook his head as he walked off. "If you can hear me, a valiant effort. But do not expect me to put any ice packs on your… injury."

Neptune groaned and the two entered the professor's office.

"Ok, resume the battle!" Port commanded and blew his whistle.

As the chaos continued with newfound vigor, Weiss was as red as a tomato as she dodged and weaved. This was the first time a boy has ever done something like that for her. It was like something out of those romance novels she secretly read in the confines of her room. A young, dashing knight selflessly putting himself in harm's way to keep the beautiful girl safe.

She yelped a little as her heart raced. 'By the gods… such a noble young man... not just blessed with charming features but a caring personality as well! I do hope he recovers quickly so that I may thank him properly! And I pray the gods are merciful… down there- oh gods no, that's disgusting!'

As she dodged another blow, she spotted a cackling Nora preparing to throw another ball towards her. Her eyes narrowed as she gripped her own ball as well. 'Have at thee barbarian! I shall avenge Neptune's honor!'

As the game raged on, time passed, and more eliminations occurred. The next was Fox. He was still looking towards the office where Yatsuhashi and Neptune entered when he was struck in the back of the head by Cardin. The dark-skinned boy dropped and immediately got back up with a growl as Cardin laughed.

"Hey now, don't hate the player, hate the game!" He heckled, "You should have kept your eye on the ball there pal!"

Through gritted teeth, Fox muttered something under his breath as he moved towards the bleachers.

Not long after, Melanie and Militia were back to engaging Velvet on the other side. Their attacks were ruthless as they didn't let up for a moment. After a little while, Velvet was starting to feel tired until she spotted an opening and quickly took it.

She threw her ball with all her might when Melanie took a misstep and nearly tripped over herself. It sped past Militia but unfortunately Melanie was able to recover in time to move out of the way.

'Damn it.' Velvet thought as Militia and Melanie both responded with their own strikes towards her arm and leg. She didn't even have time to move out of the way as they hit and made her fall to the floor. She grunted and slowly got up as Port announced her elimination.

Coco was already in Melanie's face demanding an explanation on why they had to hit her so hard. Melanie stepped back for space and explained it was a match and it was fair game, and she needed to chill. A small argument ensued between the two girls as Militia sighed and slapped her forehead. It was cut short by Port as he threatened them both with general detention if they did not cease now.

It worked and Velvet assured her she was alright. Coco nodded and was about to say something else until she ducked as a ball flew over her head, knocking off her beret. She furiously turned to see Sun taunting her as she grabbed a ball of her own and ran after him. Velvet giggled and walked off to the bleachers where Fox was waiting.

When cooler heads prevailed Militia felt elated that she actually got someone as Melanie rolled her eyes at her sister's excitement. She offered her a high five which went incomplete as Pyrrha emerged, a ball in each hand, and landed direct hits at each of the twin's stomachs.

"I'm sorry!" she cried as the twins both groaned while lying on their backs.

/-/

The only words that came to mind when describing Sun and Coco's banter back and forth would be passive aggressive flirting.

"You almost got me there babe! Guess I just can't keep the ladies off of me!" Sun teased as he threw a dodgeball.

Coco dodged and threw her own back. "Please! Don't get too ahead of yourself there, good looking!"

"Hey, at least you acknowledge my sexiness!" Sun chuckled and threw another ball.

The auburn-haired girl grunted and threw another one. "I can't deny a beef cake when I see one love! But you're definitely not the best fish on the market!"

"Oh? And you are?!" Sun counted.

Coco rolled her eyes and smirked, "Believe it love! Momma doesn't skip leg day!" To emphasize this after she turned and did a little shake which jiggled certain parts of her lower body.

It hypnotized Sun to a degree before snapping out as she quickly turned and threw another dodgeball at his head.

Sum dodged and laughed, "Ok nice try there! But don't go hating on me just yet sweetheart! You have no idea how hard it was to get these abs!"

Coco stopped and lowered her sunglasses as she leaned forward to get a better look. Sun grinned as he popped his shirt open just a little more to give her a better view. She smirked and leaned back up.

"Alright monkey man, I like what I see~." She licked her lips. "I wouldn't mind licking up those cheese graders." Her voice lowered into a sultry tone that made Sun's eyes widened.

"Wait what?"

"Oh yeah~ momma likes it indeed."

Coco lowered her ball and sashayed closer to the line separating the teams. She beckoned him over with her index finger and Sun actually walked over with a blush forming on his lips.

"I gotta admit that confidence is really~ doing something for me." She ran a finger down his chest as Sun's tail stiffened at attention from behind. "Nothing turns me on more than confidence~."

Sun grunted as she ran a nail down his abs. She smirked and sent him a wink as she lowered her sunglasses. "And if I'm honest, my weakness is a hot Faunus."

"R-Really?!" He grinned cheekily and mentally threw a fist in the air. 'Suck it Nep!'

"Oh yeah~," She breathed and slowly lowered Sun's head to hers, "When it comes to you Faunus boys I have a saying: I want a man on the street but a beast in the bed."

Sweat pooled down Sun's forehead as he felt his legs start to wobble and shake.

Coco caressed a hand on his cheek as her lips were mere centimeters away from his. "You ready, lover boy?"

Sun nodded vehemently and immediately all he could see was red as a dodgeball quickly slammed into his face, sliding him all the way across the floor. 'So… worth…. it…'

"That's for dropping momma's rank to fourth asshole!" She swept her hair and smiled as she turned back around. "Boys… so stupidly easy to control yet so delicious to look at." She rolled her eyes. "Hmm… maybe I can be an actress as a side gig if I- kya!"

She squealed when a sudden force thrusted her body forwards onto the floor. She barely had time to push her arms out in front of her as her body crashed down. Her forearms absorbed most of the impact as she swore under her breath from the sudden pain.

Her sunglasses and beret fell off her person making her grit her teeth as she felt the sheer soreness on her ass. She turned slowly and saw Blake and Nora standing before her with the former looking emotionless and the latter grinning wickedly.

"Sorry girl, but when it comes to junk in the trunk there's only room for one momma in this bitch and that's momma herself!" Nora cheered and pointed at herself.

Blake raised an eyebrow as Nora glanced back at her.

"Hey, don't be jealous! You got a lot down there too girl!" Nora wiggled her eyebrows.

Blake rolled her eyes as she dodged an incoming strike and jumped away. "Wait! Was it something I said?!" Nora cried, chasing after her as Coco grunted and crawled away towards the bleachers.

/-/

Ren was on the defensive. Since the start of the match there has not been a single ball that could penetrate his defenses. While Jaune was running for dear life, and Ruby awkwardly hid behind Pyrrha, Ren's plan for survival was simple: martial arts.

Even without engaging an opponent in close quarters, he was still able to use his training. With careful precision and arm movement, he was able to deflect and counter the momentum and speed of the dodgeballs to perform impressive redirections.

Every strike sent towards him he swiftly swiped away. Cardin, Yang, Russel, Sky, and Dove took it upon themselves to attack him continuously and mercilessly at every opportunity to truly test his stamina.

Well, he was still standing.

And while Cardin shifted his focus on Ren's stronger teammates, and his friends went after Jaune again, it was mostly Yang who kept at him. He can see the frustration in her eyes at every throw - and felt the intense wind pressure behind each one. However, it never lasted long as she moved on to attack Pyrrha whenever she had the chance. And whenever Cardin's friends grew tired of chasing Jaune, they would return their sights on him again and the process would begin anew.

With the teams now dwindled down to six on six, things were growing more intense. Russel, Sky and Dove dropped Jaune all together as they pressed their attack on Ren. He swiped, dodged, and moved repeatedly with very little effort in order to conserve his stamina. One wrong move and he would exert too much energy and lose his breath.

Jaune had attempted to help when the boys engaged him. However, he unfortunately had to deal with Weiss after his first attempt to throw a ball completely went off on its own and nearly hit Weiss from across the room. Her eyes went wild when she spotted him and screamed 'That does it!' as she brought to him a volley of dodgeballs. It was a valiant effort and even though the blond couldn't aid much, Ren was thankful and at least had Nora to help gradually get the three boys off his back.

Meanwhile Ruby and Pyrrha were going toe to toe against Yang and Cardin. The two were coordinated without so much as a word, surprisingly as whenever Pyrrha threw a ball, Ruby had another ready to toss over to her.

Cardin and Yang worked more individually as they dodged, threw, and repeated one by one. Ruby had thrown her fair share at them as well until she noted Jaune running from Weiss. The Ice Queen had not only thrown dodgeballs but also insults, with some cutting into Jaune as he flinched but kept moving.

Ruby felt enraged and focused her aim on the Heiress. She was distracted, allowing Ruby a clear shot as well as instant satisfaction to get even after the lunch incident. She prepared to fire but suddenly felt a sudden pain on the right side of her head as her body instantly flopped to the floor.

"Ruby Rose, out!" Port announced as Yang turned to her smirking boyfriend.

"Cardin, what the hell!" She screamed and gripped his shirt. "Why did you hit my sister!"

"Relax babe!" Cardin began and smiled, "She was just distracted and caught off guard. Plus, this is a match! You want to win, don't you?" The blonde didn't answer but slightly nodded. "Well, we need to eliminate them all for that! Including your sister."

Yang grimaced as she let go of his shirt. "You didn't have to hit her so hard!"

"It wasn't babe, I promise!" He gently took her hand. "I would never do that to you." He turned and pointed. "Look she's getting up now, see!"

It was true, Ruby was getting up slowly. However, she was holding the side of her head as she turned and glared at Cardin. The moment her eyes landed on their jointed hands; she felt a cold anger run down her spine as she stomped away.

"Ruby!" Yang called, "Are you-"

"I'm fine!" Ruby all but shouted through clenched teeth.

The blonde flinched. Ruby was definitely not fine as she kept walking towards the bleachers where Velvet waved her over. She frowned and rubbed her arm slightly as she trembled.

"She's fine love." Cardin assured, "She's just mad that she got caught off guard and lost because of that. Trust me, I get how it is and she's a kid so it's natural for her to throw a fit over that." He pointed ahead to where Ren, Nora, and Pyrrha engaged against Weiss and Cardin's friends. "Focus on them. Remember how you told me how much of a bad influence they were to your little sis? Well, here's your chance for some payback."

Yang looked unsure for a moment as she watched them fighting one another. She then turned to Ruby again who was hugging Velvet. Her eyes narrowed as she gripped a new ball. "I already planned that, let's go." She growled and rushed in with Cardin behind

With two joining the fray, Ruby's remaining teammates were now outnumbered by one. Blake had still not thrown a ball to anyone's knowledge and just kept dodging left and right. Jaune kept stammering apology after apology as he dived and ran from Weiss' barrage. Ren continued deflecting while Pyrrha and Nora were the only ones to fight back.

Ren could see from the corner of his eye that Jaune had managed to grab a ball and raise it up to his face just as Weiss' collided with it. The impact was enough to push him back as the back of his head hit the floor hard.

"Jaune!" Ren shouted as he turned to him but stopped as he noted three balls already flying towards his face. Russel, Sky, and Dove must have thrown them with everything they had as the balls moved fast, and he wasn't sure if he would be able to deflect them all.

"Renny!" Nora cried and pushed him out of the way. The oriental boy's eyes widened as he fell and watched as one of his childhood friends took three hits to the face.

"Nora Valkyrie, out!" Port announced as the orange haired girl fell to the floor.

"Ha!" Weiss cheered. "Neptune's honor is avenged!" She declared as the blue haired boy, now sitting with an ice pack in between his legs, glanced around with confusion.

"Ugh… I see stars…" Nora groaned.

"Nora!" Ren shouted and rushed to her side. However, he was topped when a new ball nearly hit his face had he taken a step further. He turned and saw Cardin high fiving Russel.

"R-Renny…" Nora muttered as she slowly rose up. Her eyes stared at him with worry. "A-Are you ok?!"

His fists tightened as his blood boiled.

"I'm fine Nora," he growled darkly. "Go sit with Ruby and Velvet, I will handle this."

She nodded and wobbly walked off, meeting Ruby halfway as she helped her up. Ren inhaled deeply and grabbed a ball as Jaune stood up as well. He was trembling with fear but kept his eyes narrowed as he stood next to Ren.

"I-I'm with you Ren," Jaune gulped.

"Aww, they think they're tough!" Russel shouted as Dove and Sky laughed. He handed his ball over to Dove and stepped up with his arms wide open. "Alright then tough boy! Show me what you-"

He didn't finish as his body suddenly flew back and slid several feet behind his friends while Ren's bounced off his face.

All eyes turned and stared in shock as Ren slowly brought his hand back towards Jaune.

"Jaune…" The blond jumped and turned to his friend. "Your ball please."

Jaune obliged and handed it to Ren and stepped back. He had only ever seen Ren angry once before and that was when they were children. He had a terrible feeling about this and wasn't sure what was going to happen.

Ruby had stars in her eyes as she had never seen Ren like this before. "GO REN!" she cheered as Velvet stared wide eyed.

"Well now…" Professor Port cleared his throat. "Russel Thrush, out!"

This snapped everyone back to reality as Dove and Sky turned to Ren with wild, angry eyes. Cardin growled as he gripped his ball tightly while Yang kept her eyes narrowed.

"You're gonna pay for hitting my boy like that bastard!" Dove shouted.

Ren narrowed his eyes and took a defensive stance. "Engage me then."

That was enough to make Dove charge in, along with Sky, Cardin, and Yang close behind. Ren did not hesitate for a second and charged back followed by Pyrrha and a reluctant Jaune. Blake did not move from her spot as she watched the whole scene play out in front of her - or more specifically, watched the oriental boy with curious eyes.

/-/

This fight was more intense than the last if that was even possible. Ren had been on the offense nonstop with his assaults. It was astonishing to witness for the spectators. Every time he threw a ball he jumped, twisted, and twirled in midair as he simultaneously dodged blow after blow from Cardin, Dove, and Sky while sending his own back towards them.

"This is so coooool!" Ruby squealed as she bounced in her seat.

"R-Ruby, please calm down." Velvet begged for what must have been the third time.

"How can I?!" cried the young girl. "Look at him go! He's like a real ninja! Why hasn't he done this before, I can't believe he was hiding this from us! I know he did martial arts, but dude look at how he-"

"Ruby!" Velvet repeated, "You know he can't do this often because of his asthma!"

Ruby flinched and stopped bouncing. "Right… I forgot… sorry."

Velvet sighed as turned back to the match. "This is bad Ruby. Very bad."

Ruby raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"Ren doesn't have much energy to begin with and this could be dangerous!"

"How?"

"He's pushing his body more than he should be! If he keeps it up he could have an asthma attack!"

Ruby paled at her friend as she finally understood. The fact that Velvet hadn't stuttered once on this only emphasized the seriousness. 'Oh shit, Ren!' She thought and turned back to the match.

"Dove Bronzewing, out!" Port cried as the boy's body slid and hit the back wall.

Dove gritted his teeth as he glared at Ren with one eye open. "That… fucker…" He wheezed and dropped his head.

Ren landed after his hit and immediately roll-dodged away from an incoming strike as he grabbed another ball in the process.

"Damn it!" Sky fumed and turned to Cardin. "What's with this guy man?! He's acting like he's in the fucking Matrix or something!"

"I don't know! Deal with him, I'm busy!" Cardin shouted back as he threw another ball towards Pyrrha.

While Jaune engaged with Weiss - though completely missing every time - Cardin and Yang agreed to strike Pyrrha, trying to knock her out as soon as possible.

"Ugh! Fine!" Sky grunted and charged in.

Ren was already back on his feet and waited. Sky roared as he neared the dividing line and threw his ball with all his might. The long-haired boy waited as the ball neared and just when it was within his needed range, he jumped, twirled, and kicked the ball back towards his opponent.

"Shit!" The boy cried and dove to the floor as the ball flew past his head and hit the wall. "HA!" He laughed as he jumped to his feet. "You missed bit-"

His body hit the floor the moment he stood fully back up. Ren had anticipated his dodge and already threw his own ball towards the Sky as he landed his kick.

"Sky Lark, out!" Port announced, and Ruby's team cheered. Mostly Nora as Ruby now watched with concern alongside Velvet.

"Whoa…" Jaune muttered as he stared at his friend. 'That was so cool…'

"Jaune, snap out of it!" Ruby cried as Weiss now aimed a ball right towards his head.

The blond boy was too slow to react as the Snow Queen threw the ball towards his head. Jaune panicked as he didn't have time to catch it and shut his eyes tightly, waiting for the pain.

It never arrived.

"What are you doing!"

That was Weiss' voice. She sounded genuinely upset as he slowly opened his eyes.

In front of him, stood Pyrrha Nikos holding the ball intended for his face just centimeters away with a little shy smile.

"I'm sorry Weiss!" She called and turned to him as she pulled the ball away. "But he is my teammate, and I will aid him if I can…"

Weiss looked dumbfounded. "What- I- you…"

"Weiss Schnee, out!"

Weiss stomped her foot and groaned in frustration "This is absolutely unacceptable!" She turned and pointed toward Pyrrha as she walked towards the bleachers. "We will be having a serious discussion about this later Pyrrha!"

Pyrrha awkwardly shrugged as she waved. "I'm sorry~!"

"W-Wow Pyrrha…" Jaune started and quickly looked away. "T-T-Thanks f-for y-y-you know… s-s-saving m-m-me." He mentally swore to himself as his stutter returned, he hated its arrival every time he was nervous and just wished it would have just kept away for this one time.

"It was no problem Jaune." She smiled as her cheeks turned the tiniest pink. "I must say I was very impressed with your performance. You truly lasted longer than I would have thought, and I commend that."

"R-Really? T-T-Thanks…" It was Jaune's turn to blush as he rubbed the back of his head. 'Holy shit… Pyrrha actually complimented me… she actually complimented me.. Maybe she doesn't hate me after all… maybe we can… actually mend our friend-'

"Ah!" Jaune cried as a ball hit directly into his head. The hit was so strong it practically threw him to the ground as he rolled onto his side with a painful groan.

"Jaune!" Pyrrha cried as she reached out to him. However, her reflexes kicked in at the last possible second as she spun around. She barely had time to block the second ball that impacted her forearms as her feet skidded a few inches back.

"Damn it." She whispered harshly as she rubbed her bruised arm.

"Jaune Arc, Pyrrha Nikos, out!" Port called.

"Sorry P-Money!" Yang called out with a smirk, "Looks like I'm up one!"

The Amazonian didn't respond, she didn't even seem to hear her as she wasted no time in checking on Jaune.

"Jaune?! Jaune?!" Pyrrha called, shaking his shoulder. "Are you alright?"

"Uh… hey Pyrrha… when did you have a twin sister?" the boy responded groggily.

The redhead couldn't help but laugh as she holstered him up. "Come on," She chuckled. "Let's get you an ice pack." She lifted his arm around her shoulder and felt incredibly warm when she noted how close they were to one another.

"Okay~." Jaune muttered and rested his head against the still blushing girl as they slowly walked towards the bleachers.

/-/

The game was now nearing its end as both teams came down to only two people on both sides. Ren and Blake vs. Yang and Cardin.

The air was tense just as it was in the beginning of the match as both remaining members faced off in silence.

In the bleachers everyone was watching intently, never taking their eyes off the field in risk of missing anything. Ruby clenched her hands so tightly together they began to turn white as her right leg shook.

'Ren…' He wasn't looking so good. Although he kept his composure steady, his chest was noticeably rising and falling heavier than the other three. The ring around his neck was coated in sweat as droplets continued to pool down his forehead. Cardin was smirking at the sight as he gripped two dodgeballs.

Ruby bit her lip. "This isn't good." She commented, "You're right Vel, he used up so much of his stamina…"

The rabbit Faunus nodded. "I-I know… I-I don't know what will happen next. I was really hoping that Pyrrha would have s-stayed in the game longer but…" her ears drooped. "To think those t-two actually eliminated her…"

Jaune frowned as he hung his head, "She would have been… if it wasn't for me."

"I-I'm not blaming you Jaune!" Velvet quickly assured. "I-It was just a turn of events that you couldn't predict."

"Yeah... because it happened I'm about to get my friend hurt because of me!" Jaune growled as tears threatened to fall. "Once again I was utterly useless!"

"Jaune-"

"Hold the waterworks Jauney!" Nora grinned, "Renny will be fine!"

"How can you say that Nora!" Jaune stood up, "He's exhausted, and I couldn't do anything to help!"

"Hey now, don't you watch anime?!" Nora asked as she winked at him. "This is the part where the hero pushes on through the power of friendship and sheer badassery to win the day!"

Jaune's mouth dropped as he fell back into his seat. Ruby slapped herself on the face as Velvet gave a weak chuckle.

"Nora… as much as I love those moments, this isn't like Fairy Tail, or My Hero… it's real life and-"

"Ah ah ah!" Nor planted a finger on Velvet's lips, silencing her. "Through the power of... friendship. and. Badassery!"

She smirked and watched as the two sides began their final engagement. "I believe in him." She muttered softly. "Ren doesn't give up without trying so I know he's gonna unleash the dragon on those two." Nora then laughed as a blush formed on her face. "Plus, he has a hot chick helping him out!"

Ruby, Jaune, and Velvet all rose up. "NORA!"

/-/

"I know we don't know each other, and you've been playing defensively." Ren muttered as he turned to Blake, "But I require your aid if we want to win."

Blake rolled her eyes and sighed. "Fine. But only because I'd rather see the blonde lose after not taking a hint earlier."

Ren smiled and bowed his head slightly before running. He ignored the pain in his chest as he rushed forward. It was like he was fighting to breathe, as he ignored the pain ever growing, and threw both of his dodgeballs towards Cardin.

The large boy dodged as he threw his own back. Ren rolled out of the way just as Yang jumped and threw her own ball towards him. Blake rushed in front and swiped it away with her own ball before immediately throwing hers at Yang.

The match went on like this for the next several minutes. And as every second went by Ren could feel himself getting slower and slower as breathing became harder and harder.

"You're slowing down." Blake commented as she threw a ball at Cardin. She hasn't even broken a sweat or looked the slightest bit tired. "And I can hear your panting. Disqualify yourself. I'll take care of the rest."

"I… apologize." Ren panted as he grabbed another ball. Half of his shirt was now soaked in sweat. "But I… must continue…" He grunted and swiped a ball away.

Blake scoffed as she dodged, "You're going to risk your health over a pointless game? You're either psychotic or idiotic."

Ren actually breathed out a small laugh. "Not the game… It's personal."

"Hmph, your choice."

Ren smiled as she ran forward, though internally he was frustrated. 'Damn it! Even with my training I'm already winded after 15 minutes…'

"What's the matter Ren?!" Yang called with a cheeky grin, "Not looking so hot after all that ninja shit you pulled! Where's that fire you had?!" She raised a ball over her shoulder and threw it.

Ren swiped the ball away, but the pressure caused him to stumble back a little. "I can... keep going."

"You sure about that?" Yang taunted. "Why not bow before me and call it quits already before you embarrass yourself dude! Just admit it, you got no chance!"

"You're right… however," Ren smirked as he entered a defensive stance. "You still haven't hit me yet."

Yang's smile dropped as she gripped her ball. "You're mistake nerd…" She let out an angry roar as she charged forward and launched the hardest throw she could muster at him. 'No one disses Yang Xiao Long!'

As the ball flew towards him, Ren readied himself to counter until…

"REN, YOUR INHALER FELL OUT YOUR POCKET!"

Ren's eyes widened with momentary panic as he instinctively reached down into his pockets to find it. His panic worsened when he didn't feel it and looked around the floor. However, it wasn't there which was worse for if he lost his inhaler, he would be without any sort or relief against an asthma attack. The fear of losing it was already quickening his breath and his exhaustion was not helping as he forgot the world around him and looked all around.

"REN DON'T LISTEN TO HIM, YOUR INHALERS WITH PORT!" Ruby screamed.

Realization came back to him as he remembered indeed leaving his inhaler with Port to prove he was committed. His eyes widened as he looked up and the coming ball was now mere inches from his face.

'Oh no…'

"YES!" Yang cheered! 'Hes' out! He's gonna be out! All that's left is-' She stopped as she felt her hair fly up from a strong gust of wind behind her. 'What the?' She glanced around and saw another ball flying towards Ren.

"Oh shit!" She whispered harshly.

*WHAM*

Yang's ball hit Ren directly in the chest. The impact was so loud it echoed across the walls as Ren cried out in pain. His body flew back onto the ground and slid all the way to the wall.

Everyone watched in stunned silence.

"REN!" Jaune and Ruby stood and suddenly cried.

Velvet clasped her hands over her mouth as tears fell down her cheeks.

"RENNY!" Nora screamed as she jumped over the bleachers.

Yang's eyes widened as a hand covered her mouth. The other ball was still flying towards him 'Oh shit oh shit oh shit' Dude!" She yelled, "Ren get out of-"

With surprising speed, Blake had already sprinted in front of Ren seconds before the ball collided with his head. She then grabbed the flying ball, using its momentum to twirl her body around as she threw it back in the opposite direction it came.

The ball flew past Yang so fast it caused more hair than the last to fly up from the sheer power. She turned and her mouth dropped when instead of watching it hit the wall, the ball struck Cardin directly in his forehead.

The large boy grunted in pain as the hit literally swept him off his feet, sending him directly into the other wall as he slid and fell on his butt, completely unconscious.

"Stop! The match is over!" Port shouted and blew his whistle.

Ruby, Jaune Nora and Velvet wasted no time in rushing over towards Ren. He was worse for wear as he gripped his chest and gasped for air.

"Renny! Please just hang in there!" Tears streamed down Nora's face as she lifted him up. Velvet aided from the other side.

"He needs his inhaler!" She shouted.

"Fear not! I am on the way!" Port rushed out onto the floor towards Ren. He ran with impressive speed as he fell to his knees and held the small green device out "Here you are Lie. Now, breathe in and hold for a few seconds."

Ren did and exhaled slowly.

"Another, breathe in and hold. Good."

As Ren slowly started to regain his breath, Ruby backed away and turned to glance at Yang. Her sister was already next to Cardin checking his head as Russel, Dove, and Sky kneeled by their leader's side like the good lap dogs they were.

As students rushed past Ruby to see what the commotion was all about, a small circle appeared around Ren as Sun, Yatsuhashi, and Fox attempted to keep the crowd at bay.

"Why Yang…" Ruby muttered, as she slowly walked towards her sister. "Why!"

Yang turned when she heard Ruby's voice and winced when she saw the tears streaming down her eyes. She rose and quickly walked up to her.

"R-Ruby? What do you mean why? I-It was a match! I was just-"

"WHY!"

Silence…

Everyone turned and watched without a word as Ruby stood face to face with Yang. The young girl was trembling as she gritted her teeth, looking up at her sister. Yang looked like she didn't know what to do as she bit her lip.

"W-W-Why do you d-do this to m-me!" Ruby asked through choked sobs. "W-Why!"

Yang took a step back. "R-Ruby I don't-"

"DON'T LIE TO ME!" Ruby screamed and gripped the straps of her sister's tank top. "FOR ONCE JUST TELL ME WHY!" She seethed as Yang's eyes twitched wildly. The fury behind her sister was worse here than it was in the cafeteria. Her legs began to wobble. "TELL ME WHY YOU DO ALL OF THIS! WHY DO YOU HATE MY FRIENDS! WHY DID YOU CHOOSE CARDIN! WHY DID YOU CHANGE!"

"R-Ruby enough!" Yang cried as anger swelled up within her. She pushed her sister away and glared down at Ruby's watery eyes "You wanna talk about change?! Look at yourself! You never acted like this before! You were always so sweet and innocent until those guys changed you for the worse! That's why I broke away from them and found real friends!"

Yang's heart was racing as adrenaline kicked into overdrive as her own fury began emerging. "You want to hear the damn truth so badly?! They're weirdos Ruby! Losers! Freaks! Nerds who can't understand fucking social norms! All they ever do is talk and act as those stupid cartoons! It's cringey! It's not normal! They may not care how people saw them, but I did! I was ridiculed the whole time I hung out with them! So, excuse me for wanting to change! To not be called a geek! To actually be liked!"

Yang's shaky hands balled into fists as Ruby stared at her with disbelief.

"You can hate me all you want Ruby but face the truth! The longer you hang out with them, the more likely your life will be a living hell and you'll only have yourself to blame!" Tears swelled in her eyes. "You think I want us to be like this!? Damn it Ruby, I love you more than anything in this world and you don't fucking realize it! I'm trying to protect you! All I want is the best for you! I don't like hearing the shit people say about you! It makes me angry! They don't know you like I do!"

She finished and began panting, her chest rose and fell hard. She said all that she bottled up for years. Now that bottle shattered into a million pieces as all that she held back spewed into the face of her sister. There was no going back, and the ball was in Ruby's court now.

Ruby's head fell. She stopped trembling long before Yang's rant ended. She sighed as she wiped her tears away and looked up, giving Yang the most heartbroken expression she had ever seen and uttered only one retort.

"Do you? Do you really know me?" Ruby frowned. Yang felt her heart stop for a second. "After all that you've said, can you really say that to me? Cause I don't think I know you anymore."

Yang bit her lip. "I'm not wrong." She answered carefully, "You've changed because of them. And until you break it off with them… then maybe I don't…"

"I'LL BREAK SOMETHING FROM YOU BITCH!" Nora suddenly yelled. The entire class jumped as the orange haired girl charged at Yang, completely shocking everyone including Ruby and Yang. People started yelling and backing away as Nora pushed and pulled people out of her way until Yatsuhashi, Sun, Fox and several others surrounded and pulled Nora to the ground as she literally tried to crawl her way towards the blonde. Words couldn't explain the anger on Nora's face as Yang stared at her. She was like a caged animal screaming to be free to get to her prey.

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" Port commanded and his voice was thunder. No one had ever heard the jolly old man scream before and that was terrifying. "I AM PUTTING AN END TO THIS NONSENSE ONCE AND FOR ALL!"

He rose and walked past several students desperately trying to back away from him. He stopped in the center between Yang and Ruby. He glanced to the right, "Miss Xiao Long, you aid Mr. Bronzewing, Mr. Lark, and Mr. Thrush in escorting Mr. Winchester to the infirmary."

He then turned to the left, "Mr. Ren, do you wish to go to the infirmary as well?"

"No," Ren responded, a little too quickly. "I'm fine now. Thank you."

Port nodded, "If that is what you wish." He then glanced down towards Nora and frowned. "Miss Valkyrie, I'm afraid I cannot ignore what you've just said and attempted. I am sorry but you will have to come with me to the Headmaster's office."

Several voices erupted in protest including Jaune, Velvet, Ren, and even Pyrrha. "Students, please do not argue with me on this!" He ordered.

The room fell silent once more as Port sighed, "Believe me this is difficult enough without hearing the loyalty of youth defending their own." He cleared his throat and turned to the class. "I hereby call for an early end to class today! If I had not called you otherwise, return to the locker rooms immediately! Shower, change, and when you are done, sit on the bleachers until the bell rings to relieve you! Do not try my patience, I will have my assistants watching. Dismissed."

Within seconds the class began to disperse to their designated locker rooms. As Port took Nora away to the Headmaster, Yang watched as the students walked and muttered to one another as they glanced at either her or her sister.

Yang felt like her guts were ripped from her insides when she watched Ruby walk away without a word. She didn't even look as she returned to her friends, the same ones she called losers, in front of not only them, but to the whole class. No doubt there would be more to the rumor mill tomorrow and Yang sighed when she realized she would have to deal with them.

Her friends were watching her the whole time, each holding varying degrees of shock and confusion. Though as much as she felt relieved to get her thoughts off her chest after years of withholding, she could have done without the disappointed looks of both Coco and Pyrrha as both wordlessly headed into the locker room.

Melanie merely shrugged at her as she shook her head while Militia frowned and waved Yang goodbye before following after her sister. Weiss seemed to be the only one who genuinely felt concerned and even voiced her support in her thoughts of Ruby's group. She confessed how relieved she was that another among their friends saw the truth for what it was.

After giving the blonde a pat on the back, she walked off after the others leaving Yang alone to watch the boys preparing to pick up her boyfriend. She frowned at him. "How did things get so wrong…"

"The answer could be right in front of you."

Yang jumped with a startled yelp as she turned around. There stood Blake, stoic as ever, as she appeared out of nowhere. 'How the hell did I not hear her? Between her and freaking Ren, is everyone in this school a damn ninja?!'

"What do you want?" Yang growled after snapping out of her surprise, "In case you didn't take the fucking hint I'm not in the mood to talk. Especially to the one who did that to my boyfriend." She pointed behind the boys.

Blake rolled her eyes. "Spare me. If I may quote you for a moment, it was "just a match" after all."

Yang gritted her teeth and took a step closer. "You better watch it or else I'll-"

"To put it bluntly, I came to give you advice."

Yang blinked. "...What?"

"It's none of my business. But it may help you, or it may not. Doesn't matter either way."

"Then why the hell even offer it?!"

"Because it'll make you think." Blake shrugged as Yang glared at her. "In the end, having it in mind could very well help you one day. Possibly even save you."

Yang raised an eyebrow. "What is it then?"

Blake narrowed her eyes and lowered her voice, "Be careful who you trust. Even sugar and salt could look the same."

The blonde's mouth dropped as she gave Blake a dry look, "That's it? You're gonna give me some lame ass quote that sounds worse than the ones I see on InstaSnap?!"

Blake shrugged as she turned away. "As I said, take it or leave it. From what I saw between you and your sister. You know my recommendation." With that the silent girl walked away as Yang watched her go.

She was about to turn herself until she saw Ruby, still crying, while in the arms of Velvet, as the two walked into the locker room together. And then it dawned on Yang. When was the last time the two even hugged? Years now most likely which caused Yang to frown as she turned and followed the boys out the door.

She felt her eyes get a little wet from something she must have caught and quickly wiped whatever it was away, hoping no one noticed.

'Whatever… I guess...'

/-/

It had been thirty minutes since school let out and the entire commotion in the gym. After having since parted ways with Velvet, Jaune, Ruby, and Ren were well on their way home with the twins and Orchid.

That is if they survived the whole ordeal before them.

"ARGH! THAT LITTLE SHIT!" Saphron screamed as she cut off yet another car.

*BEEP* *BEEP*

"S-Saph please!" Jaune cried as he clung to his seat for dear life. "Control your road rage!"

Despite it being an almost five-minute ride thanks to the rush, Saphron still drove like a madwoman.

He regretted ever telling his sister what happened. It wasn't like he had much choice in the matter; he was terrified of what she'd do to him if he didn't tell her. Not to mention their bruises weren't exactly hide able as they walked around stiffly and sore after their muscles relaxed.

Solana was mortified when she heard what happened, Luna and Orchid looked just about ready to hunt him down had Ren not eased their anger.

Saphron however...

"GODS, EVEN WHEN I'M NOT IN SCHOOL ANYMORE THE WINCHESTERS ARE STILL ASSHOLES!"

*BEEP* *BEEP*

"FUCK YOU ASSHOLE! LEARN TO DRIVE!"

Was more difficult...

"We're gonna die! We're gonna fucking die!" Luna cried as she held her twin sister tightly. Poor Solana was too afraid to even utter a word as tears threatened to fall.

"HE'S JUST LIKE HIS STUPID OLDER BROTHER! UGH! JUST REMEMBERING THAT FUCKER MAKES ME WANNA- UGH!"

*BEEP* *BEEP*

"Oh gods… I'm gonna puke… I'm gonna puke so much man…" Orchid clasped her hands over her mouth as she groaned when Saphron made a sharp turn.

"THAT LITTLE BRAT HAS NO IDEA WHAT HE'S IN FOR WHEN I GET MY HANDS ON HIM!"

*HONK HONK*

"Jaune! Make her pull over! Please~!" Ruby begged as she gripped Ren for dear life.

Although he looked much calmer than the others Ruby could hear his silent prayers for death to be swift and painless which didn't calm her down in the slightest.

"IF THAT MOTHER FUCKER LIKES TO PLAY WITH BALLS SO MUCH, THEN I'LL INTRODUCE HIM TO SOME FRIENDS OF MINE OVER AT RICKY'S SAUSAGE PARTY! THEY'LL SHOW HIM WHAT IT REALLY MEANS TO HANDLE BALLS!"

"She's not listening to me!"

*BEEP BEEP*

"SHUT UP! I HAVE A HORN TOO BUDDY!"

*HONK HONK*

As the van swerved and nearly hit the cars around them, Jaune could only pray that they'd made it home in one piece.

/-/

By some miracle, or perhaps fate's dark humor of letting them live to continue the torment, the group had arrived back at the Arc residence with minor damage.

At least for their car. Ruby deliberately chose to ignore the screams and horns she heard blaring all those blocks away. Better to live in blissful ignorance rather than a guilt tripped reality.

Once the trio finally entered Jaune's room all three collapsed on his bed from sheer exhaustion.

From the moment they stepped inside, Mrs. Arc was waiting and ready for them. The whole thing felt more like an interrogation instead of an examination as Jaune's mother asked almost 30 questions within the span of five minutes.

To avoid any further wrath, Jaune spared no detail from what happened to them. Jaune finally understood why his father was always so afraid of his mother despite being a soldier. When it came to her babies, Mamma Arc never played.

"What a day..." Ruby muttered as she shoved her head in Jaune's pillow.

"You can say that again." Jaune groaned as he walked up to the fridge in his room, "You guys want some soda?"

"Ice tea please." Ren smiled as he got up and sat himself on one of Jaune's beanbag chairs.

"You got it! What about you Ruby?" Jaune asked.

"..."

"Ruby?" Jaune repeated and closed the fridge.

He walked over to his young friend as Ren also got up and joined him. Ruby rolled to her side away from them.

"Ruby."

She shook her head.

"Ruby… is something wrong?" Ren queried.

"Is anything even right?" Ruby muttered as she sighed and lifted herself up. She sniffled slightly and quickly wiped her eyes. "I can't stop thinking about what happened today. We just went through so much for no reason…" She rose to her feet. "From the moment I woke up to the end of classes, things have gone from bad to total shit storm and I'm tired of it."

Ren and Jaune frowned as they glanced at one another.

Tears now formed in the corner of Ruby's eyes. "Things are so much worse than they've ever been before…" Ruby choked. "And I'm sick of it! I mean it all started with stupid Cardin!" She hissed. "Why can't he just leave us alone! Look at what he's doing to us!" The tears now started to fall. "The man is the most condescending, egotistical, narcissistic, asshole I've ever met in my life! Just cause he has daddy's money doesn't mean he can harass and abuse those weaker than him. All he ever does is lie, manipulate, and tarnish anything and everything he doesn't like!" She turned and spread her arms wide. "I mean look at us! He keeps harassing and bullying you both! He threatens and intimidates people to keep their mouth shut! He acts like a saint whenever he has to go live on any platform and is loved by millions who don't go to school with him!"

She gritted her teeth as her hands balled into fists. "And worst of all… he's manipulating my sister…" She sobbed and hugged herself. "He just dates her cause he knows he can… he doesn't love her… he uses her… like a piece of meat and… it hurts so much that he even turns her against me! It hurts when she defends him, it hurts when she denies anything against him, and protects him!"

Ruby dropped to her knees. Jaune and Ren scrambled to each of her side as she desperately held onto them.

"Gods, what if he keeps dating her? I-I'll have to deal with him as I go through college!" She choked back another sob.

"Ruby…" Ren whispered.

"T-That scares me guys! W-What if he never leaves my life? What if he integrates into my f-f-family?" She trembled. "What if that bastard even… m-marries my sister?! "Her eyes widened as a look of horror emerged. "I don't know what I would do and that terrifies me!

Jaune held her tighter. "Ruby-"

"I-I can't bear the thought anymore! And then there's you guys! You'll have to deal with him too if you keep being friends with me!" Both boys winced. "I don't want that! I already put you through enough! T-That's why it would be better if we went our separate ways after high school…"

Jaune and Ren staggered back as they stared at her "That's absurd! /What?!" They exclaimed in unison. Ruby dropped her head.

"I don't want to! B-But I'm tired of having to choose between my friends and sister! I can't handle it anymore!" Her body slumped forward, "I'm sick of being alone but what choice do I have?! I don't like the rift between my family! Since mom died, my dad's always working and Yang's never home!" More tears fell as she sniffled and hugged herself again, "And now I have to lose my best friends on top of my sister because of that bastard?!" Ruby's lips trembled as she stared up at the "It's worse because I only thought of one way to really put an end to this... and at this point I see very little reason to keep liv-"

"Ruby, enough!" Ren ordered, loudly. "Don't you dare finish that sentence! Do you understand me!"

Ruby stuttered but no words came.

"Do you have any idea how much you are hurting me! How much it breaks my heart to hear you even… think about doing that!"

"Ren's right Ruby!" Jaune added. "I know we had a terrible time for the past few years… and I can't even begin to think about what you must be going through but…" he sighed and sat down next to her.

"Look Ruby when my dad died… I won't lie… I had the same thoughts you did. I was so upset, and heartbroken I was so blindsided by the pain, and I truly thought there was nothing to keep me going." Jaune smiled sadly as he turned away, "my dad was the best. He always taught me so much about being a man and being confident. And when he was gone… I froze. You remember those times. How I stayed in my room all day, how I barely ate or slept and kept having nightmares. I was at my lowest… but you never gave up on me."

He leaned against Ruby, "Every day you and Ren called and texted, every day you came over to check on me… and every day you kept trying to get me to come out until I finally did and realized what I was missing out on in life - on who I still had left. You saved me Ruby, both of you did.

"And me as well." Ren interjected. "Throughout my entire life, I was outcasted by those of my old village because of my conditions. And even here I was not seen as approachable because of it. And yet you, Jaune and Nora did. Even back then when Yang was still a friend, you accepted me as one of you. Where I felt like I did not belong it was you who made me feel wanted. So, you see Ruby, no matter how dark the night gets the sun will always rise to shine a new light over the shadows."

Ruby said nothing as the tears flowed freely. She couldn't stop them even if she wanted to. She sniffled and spread her arms out. "Hug me…"

Ren smiled as Jaune laughed a little but both obliged.

"Thank you guys…" Ruby muttered into their arms. "I'm sorry for being stupid I just-"

"It's alright Ruby." Ren shushed and kissed her on the forehead.

"Yeah, we understand." said Jaune and patted her head.

"I feel really stupid now for even thinking that… "Ruby groaned. "Gods… maybe Yang was right… I am overdramatic…"

"Maybe." Both Jaune and Ren agreed.

Ruby snorted as she fell into a fit of giggles. "You were supposed to make me feel better!" She pushed them away and smiled. "Thanks guys."

"Of course." Ren bowed.

"Always!" Jaune beamed, "Besides… we can't have you depressed before the big day this Friday."

Ruby raised an eyebrow. 'Big day?' Her eyes widened when she remembered. "Oh yeah! My birthday!"

Jaune and Ren smiled.

"Well, we were thinking more along the lines of the holiday on your birthday." Ren admitted with a playful smirk.

"Yeah, sorry Rubes!" Jaune laughed, "But Halloween kinda takes priority over- ow hey- ow- stop that- ow!"

Ruby glared as she repeatedly slapped both of their arms.

"You guys are terrible!"

Wow… 20,341 words… 65 pages… I am sorry this took nearly a month to write. I actually would have gotten this done sooner but I had a lot of stuff to deal with. Nothing horrible but you get the idea.

Still… I feel very proud of myself for doing this. I never had to go this hard, but I wanted to. This was by far the most I've ever written for a chapter. Words can't explain the feeling of relief and happiness I have for completing this. This was all for you wonderful readers and for this story that will finally get the gears going to the juicy bits!

Big shoutout to Kitty-Kat Belle, she was with me every step of the way. Even as I type this I feel so tired, and the grammar mistakes are being fixed by her and this story wouldn't be as effective without her as my Beta Reader and editor so round of applause to her.

And thus, the fourth and final chapter/arc comes to an end! What did you guys think? Please be sure to share your thoughts and constructive criticisms in the reviews - whether good or bad it's all welcomed! And please be sure to share, favorite and follow!

Well, that's all I have to say! Please stay tuned and until then I will see you later!

Next Chapter: July 14th (hopefully!)