A/N: Happy Holidays!
EDIT: Shoo, flames! This is a time for good cheer, not death threats!
First! This is the Christmas surprise I promised. Second! I'm not cucking Jaune. He'll have a wonderful relationship with another girl in this story. It just won't be Pyrrha. Third! This will be a relatively small pairing. Pyrrha and POSSIBLY one other girl. I've had a bunch of folks after me for this ever since I started writing RWBY stories. Apparently Little!Pyrrha in Just a Bit of Bread and Daughter!Pyrrha in Everybody Loves Cookies doesn't count. Noooooo, they wanted a story with some romance in it.
So here we are, a story revolving primarily around Pyrrha. To quote her? This is going to be grand.
As ever I own no references, quotes, themes or memes. Aaaaaaaaand with that said, I proudly present One Helluva Team. Title may seem a little odd, but that's intentional on my part. Had to be careful with it or risk having it taken down...
For only the second time, we're going with the "Embers" rule here. I want to see what folks think of this before I commit to it fully.
If they don't like it? Poof! Into the void it goes with the others.
Once more, if folks don't like this, it WILL be deleted and I'll move on. I can promise you that.
"You will win, Pyrrha."
"Yes, Father."
"You will crush your opponents."
"Yes, Father.
"Do what must be done. Do not hesitate. Show no mercy. You are a Nikos. Nothing else. And a Nikos does not fail."
...Yes...Father."
~Not So Invincible.
One Helluva Team
Pyrrha didn't like this.
She disliked the bright stadium lights bearing down on her back. She hated the roar of the crowd in her ears. She loathed the weight of everyone's expectations pressing down on her like a physical force. They didn't care how she felt, what she thought of this, any of it. They just wanted their Invincible Girl and the sweet spectacle she provided them. It wrung the joy right out of her. Their attention was a yoke on her back, a noose around her neck; a constant and pervasive weight dragging her down with each passing moment.
She didn't want to be here. Of course she didn't. No child in their right mind would enjoy this. She was only thirteen after all.
But she couldn't stop. To do so would bring dishonor to the Nikos name. Father would never allow it. Worse, he would strike her if she dared to bring "dishonor" upon them. A small, surly part of her snarled at it, but it was a part of herself that she never dared give voice to. Not yet.
So here she was, committing herself to another pointless match, preparing to break another promising contender.
Green eyes squinted against the light as she stepped into the ring, weapons in hand. Tonight's arena was much as any other, round and circular, ringed by chalk with a protective field to protect the crowd from stay projectiles. There really wasn't all that much to speak off. It would A bought like any other, just another round in another nameless tourney whose name Pyrrha long since forgotten. Defending her title, yet again. And when she grew older she would be expected to compete in still larger tournaments. To win those as well.
It was never going to end, was it?
The thought stirred something in her soul. How she longed for a proper fight.
Unbidden, she recalled the stricken visage of her last opponent. The poor girl had come all the way from Vacuo to face her in the preliminaries. She was happy. Eager even. Pyrrha had beaten her badly. She hadn't meant to humiliate her of course, but it didn't change the outcome. Her foe all but threw down her weapon by the end. Spirit broken, eyes burning with tears, she had sworn never to fight again. Because of her. No doubt this would be more of the same. Tonight was another such bought.
Steeling herself, she forced herself to focus. The announcer had been speaking for some time now and she'd all but tuned him out. No longer.
"In this corner, we have ourselves something of a dark horse tonight!" the announcer's voice boomed, stirring up the crowd. "Hailing from the kingdom of Vale, no one knows his identity! His stage name is...wait, am I reading this right? Flash? That's it?" a note of incredulity threaded its way into the booth. "Well! Alright then! His name might not be the best, but his skills are top notch! He's torn his way through the rankings to stand here before us! Lets give him a big round of applause!"
Lights seared on across the arena, revealing her opponent. The adulation he received was polite at best, lukewarm at worst.
Pyrrha took the chance to inspect him as he strode out into the ring. If he was a dark horse, that meant he was an unknown here, someone who had deliberately chosen to conceal his identity in what should have been a private tournament. No one knew his name. Tournaments always had a few of those. She'd not bothered to watch any the fights involving him, and for the first time she found she rather regretted it.
Who was he? How did he fight? Why had he come this far to face her?
Clad in a battered blue jacket bearing a golden trim with matching boots and trousers alongside a pale orange vest, he looked remarkably...normal. Indeed, he appeared to have eschewed armor entirely, save for an odd ebony helmet. It was a hideous curved contraption of dark metal that turned his every breath into a rasp. Pyrrha frowned at it as much as its owner. Curious. Why bother entering at all if you were just going to hide your face? Was it for the money? Two million lien was a lot, even by the standards of her family, after all. More than enough for some to try their luck.
She pushed such thoughts aside, turning her attention to his weapon.
A strange golden gauntlet sheathed his right arm nearly to his shoulder, bearing a strange series of what Pyrrha could only assume to be dust crystals of some sort. Red. Orange. Gold. Jade. Azure. Violet. Four atop the knuckles with one on the joint where the thumb must be, and still another resting in the middle. She squinted at each of crystals, trying to ascertain their purpose, and failed miserably. The sight of them left a pit in her stomach. There was something off about that weapon. Not menacing, just...different.
"And in the main corner!"
Pyrrha wanted to curl up into a ball and die.
Oh gods, now they were going to introduce her. More pomp and circumstance. Lovely.
"Mistral's champion!" there could be no mistaking the note of pride that came from the booth. "Undefeated for two years running in the junior-tournament scene! The one! The only! Pyrrha Nikos! THE INVINCIBLE GIRL!"
The crowd went wild; they always did. Pyrrha ignored them, waved once, and focused on her foe.
"Its a pleasure to meet you." she sketched a bow, as was proper. "May you fight well in the battle to come."
The dark helmet tilted toward her.
"Eh?" a boy's muffled voice emanated form within. "What's that?"
Pyrrha blinked at him, a rare note of discord overtaking her thoughts. "Excuse me...?"
"Damnit, I'm tired of wearing this getup! Can't hear a freakin' thing! That does it!" An ungloved hand reached up and undid a clasp just below his chin. "Off it goes!"
With an irritated growl he pulled his helmet off and tossed it over his shoulder with nary a care in the world. Gasps arose from the crowd. Revealed were tan whiskered cheeks, framed by bright blue eyes and a messy mop of golden hair. He looked...young. Maybe a few months older than her, nothing more, nothing less.
"Ah! Much better!" he wiped a bead of sweat from his brow. "You have no idea how heavy that thing was."
Pyrrha felt the ghost of a smile pluck at her face. "I believe I have an inkling. But why wear a helmet, only to remove it now?"
"Eh, my old man made me wear it." he grinned and feigned a shrug as he began bouncing on his heels. "Wasn't allowed to take it off until the finals. So?" He settled down, eyes flashing. Ready to go?"
So happy. So chipper. Soon enough, that smile would be gone. She didn't want to fight him.
"Sorry, but I don't intend to lose here." His grin grew now, a wide boyish smile that bellied his age as he took his stance. "Dad and I need the money."
His parents were in the stands?
A seed of jealousy took root in Pyrrha's heart. She gazed past him toward the teeming masses in the stands. Keen eyes picked out a man with a similar hairstyle and gentle blue eyes. Said man pumped a fist into the air and shouted. It wasn't for her. He looked happy to be here. Sounded happy, too. So did his son. What she wouldn't give to regain that feeling. She was expected to win here. Nothing more. Nothing less. A Nikos did her duty. She was a slave to duty. Shackled to it. Nothing would break those chains. She wasn't sure why that thought made her so miserable. She shoved it away. Fighting was her strong suit. Not words.
With a forlorn sigh, she schooled her face into a serene mask and raised her shield. "Fight well."
The boy grinned. "Same to you!"
Above them, a bell rang.
In hindsight, Pyrrha wasn't certain who took the initiative first. She shifted her right foot forward, bringing her left arm to bear against an attack as she'd been taught. The boy mirrored her motion, blue eyes burning bright. That strange smile never left his face. His right hand pushed against the floor of the ring, fingers splayed. Pyrrha edged another step forward. The crowd fell silent. The world held its breath, waiting to see which would break the standoff.
Then.
Quite suddenly.
Her opponent vanished.
One moment he was a stone's throw away from her; in the next, clenched knuckles swelled before Pyrrha's vision. It was a very good punch all things considered. Speed. Poise. Power. That swing had it all. She got a very good look at that fist before it smashed into her face and knocked her right on her arse. She hit the ground and bounced backward twice, relatively unharmed, but the same could not be said of her Aura. A single glance to screen high above alarmed her more than words; she'd nearly lost half her aura to that punch alone. Her mind balked at it.
How can someone have that much power?!
With a groan, she scraped herself off the floor and stood on wobbly knees.
"I'm sorry!" her opponent sounded genuinely alarmed. "I didn't mean to hit you that hard." his unarmored arm scratched the back of his head. "Guess I got a little too excited."
Pyrrha's heart skipped a beat and not for the reason one might expect.
"No, its fine." the faintest hint of a grin plucked at the corner of her mouth. "I was unprepared. Please don't hold back on my account."
Blue eyes narrowed. "If you say so...!"
Akoúo̱ came around to take the next punch head on. Mistakes were made. Pyrrha winced as he rang her trusty shield -and her arm with it!- like an ancient Mistralian gong. The impact sent her skidding backward, Aura burning as her boots dug deep furrows in the floor. The crowd ate it up, of course. They loved a good spectacle more than anything else. They had cheered for the last champion, too. Until she'd bested her. They would cheer for her here, so long as she entertained them.
Until she fell.
Miló whirred and clicked to meet him, unfolding from a short-sword into a spear. The sight of it gave him pause and a quick swipe at his eyes bought her some much needed distance. He hesitated and she took the chance to hop back. When she landed, she dared to risk a glance at her shield. A fist-shaped indent stared back at her from the metal. Speed and power, then. A rare combination at their age. And yet her arm still ached from his attack. Frowning, she glanced at her limb. It was trembling. She forced her fingers into a first, but still, the tremors didn't abate.
"C'mon now, don't go spacin' out on me!" her opponent called. "Its no fun if you don't try!"
He closed the distance and they collided again. A boot scythed at her head and Pyrrha swayed under it to snap a heel into his ribs. Undaunted, the boy took the strike head on, uncaring as golden aura crackled across his body. The reason soon became apparent as he trapped leg against his side with a forearm. The other locked around her ankle and swung her away. She twirled once in the air and landed in a graceful pirouette opposite him. All around them, the crowd howled their glee.
"Nice moves!" Her adversary laughed and rubbed at the welt she'd left under his coat. "Lets see if you can do that again."
Talking during a fight was improper, but Pyrrha felt herself smiling all the same.
She fought hard, and he fought harder still.
Her heart began to warm to the fight as they traded blows. Here. This was the battle she had sought. Feint. Parry. Shield bash. They didn't fight. They danced. Cut down at his legs. Block a kick with one of her own. Keep him on the defensive. She didn't dare change Miló to a rifle; because that meant a break from the combat. Unacceptable! Two quick blows to her ribs. Pain. Gasping for air. She barely evaded a sweep at her legs by slicing down with her blade, forcing it between herself an her opponent. Roll and retreat. Rinse and repeat. Don't let him change the tempo. She never wanted this to end.
"You're pretty good!"
So was he. He was very, very good. Better than her, even.
They raged across the arena like a storm, front to back and back to front. Whirling, hacking, slashing and striking, never resting for a moment. It was glorious. Was this what she had been waiting for? A true challenge? An actual battle against an equal? Not someone weaker than she, not simply a strong trainer, but something more. She grasped for the word as his armored first struck her blade, forcing her to brave it with both hands just to keep hold of it. His strength alone forced her to back away almost immediately or risk being crushed. Green eyes widened as a word came to her.
Rival.
A person or thing competing with another for the same objective or for superiority in the same field of activity. Her mind rattled off the definition numbly as they fought. This was what it felt like to have a rival. Surely it must be. A strange, heady feeling coursed through her. Ahhh. She'd never had one of those before.
How...grand.
Another spinning kick clipped her chin and sent her skidding to the floor. Pyrrha dug her heels into the mat and raced back in with a cry. He met her with an elbow to the gut; she folded around it, grabbed him by the arm and hacked into his aura with her blade before he could shove her away. Yet again, she pursued. More. This wasn't enough. She needed to fight Harder. Better. Faster. Stronger. Someone laughed, a light lilting sound that wafted through the arena air like a morning mist.
Its me. Realization ripped through Pyrrha like an Ursa's fangs. I'm the one laughing. Am I really enjoying this fight that much?
Yes! A small girl cried in the depths of her soul! This was what a bought should be! A contest of pure skill between two warriors. No tricks, no traps, no one intimidated by her father into throwing a match. None of it! This was her fight, and hers alone. Hers to win or lose at her leisure. And for the first time since she'd begun her tournament career...she wasn't sure she would win.
The thought excited her.
Parrying another onslaught, Pyrrha changed her weapon again and drove the hilt of her sword into the blond's face. He grunted in surprise and missed a combo, allowing her to chamber a frantic double kick to his chest, then shove off him entirely, using her momentum to launch him away. Like her, he dug his heels in, planted his feet and charged back in with a laugh.
"This is fun!"
It was, wasn't it? She never wanted it to end.
When he caught her blade in his armored fist, he could've snapped it. He didn't and used it as a chance to drag her into a struggle. Her forehead touched his as she grit her teeth. They strained against one another. Her shield swatted at his face and he blocked it with his unarmed arm to hold her at bay. That cheeky grin flashed out at her again. But rather than resort to dirty tactics, the whiskered warrior leaned closer.
His lips brushed the outer lobe of her right ear.
"Looks like dad was right." came the whisper. "You really can fight."
"Because I'm the Invincible Girl...?" Her heart fell. He was just like the rest, then. He only cared about her fame.
"Nah." that sunny smile shone brighter still as pulled back. "Never paid attention to all that stuff. Its your skills that matter, yeah?"
Fall? Who said anything about falling?! Scratch that! Pyrrha's heart sprouted wings and soared into the very heavens themselves! She swallowed once, her throat gone strangely dry.
"I...thank you." she whispered back. "I feel the same."
"Then lets give 'em a show, eh?" blue eyes twinkled as he released her blade. "Also, duck!"
Tanking a powerful punch on the surface of her shield, she charged forward with a piercing cry and cut down at his chest in a brutal crosscut. The blond didn't dodge. Sparks skittered off his gauntlet as he thrust it in her face, fingers splayed. Bright light flashed before her eyes, blinding her to the jab that followed. Aura squealed in protest but Pyrrha couldn't bring herself to care. She ignored the blow and grabbed at where she hoped his shoulders were in the haze. Her gloves found purchase and she reared back.
Aha! Got you!
She heard him curse. "Oh, hell-
Pyrrha's vision returned a heartbeat before her forehead crashed against his. Her world went white again.
Headbutting an enemy was considered a boorish tactic by most. It required an exceptionally thick skull, and if you didn't have one, you risked being stunned with your opponent. It was crude. Brutish. Not graceful at all. It would earn her a beating at Father's hand. Once, such a thought would have had her quaking in her boots. Now?
She. Did not. Care.
Laughter tumbled from her lips again. Soon enough, he joined her. But though they laughed, their bout didn't end.
Pyrrha ducked as his fist shot over her head in a wild jab, bringing with it a rush of fire. She felt it sear a black line against her Aura, but she ducked away before it had a chance to do anything more. Ah. So that's what he kept the dust crystals for. One was clearly light, the other fire. What were the rest? Ice? Lightning? Gravity? Wind, perhaps? She didn't think that was it, but there certainly something about it-OW!
Her vision rushed back just in time to feel a hammer-fist slam into the back of her neck. Pain rocketed down her spine and she fell to one knee, dazed.
Her foe swept in, ready to bring her down once and for all. Too close. A unfamiliar feeling pricked at her heart. He had her.
One chance. One opportunity. Now!
Panicking, she flared her semblance and yanked at his armored arm with it; not much, just a little. Enough to throw off his aim, turn what would have been a decisive blow into a harmless swipe. She could see it now in her mind's eye; he would miss, and she would sweep in to finish this match. She would remained undefeated...invincible...untouchable...alone. The thought filled her with sorrow. But her body wouldn't allow her to lose. Her instincts, raw skill ingrained over a lifetime of training, simply would not accept defeat.
Nothing happened. He kept coming. She balked. "What?!"
Oh. His gauntlet wasn't steel at all. She'd made a mistake. It was gold.
Pyrrha realized her mistake too late; by then he was inside her guard. A gust of wind heralded his arrival, blowing her hair back from her face, sending her ponytail swaying behind her back. But rather than finish her, he came crashing to a halt. Blue eyes met green. She blinked, startled as those gentle azure orbs spooled into a soft shade of serene shimmering scarlet. His fist shot forward like a pulley, going for a knockout blow.
Those eyes! Semblance! Her mind bleated in a rare moment of panic. Has to be! Danger! Too close! Get away!
Pyrrha jerked back with a rare yelp; trying to bring Akoúo̱ around in time to block. Too slow.
Metal met flesh and the former yielded as the boy snagged her shield with his unarmored arm, stopping it cold. Clawed fingers squeezed, buckling the metal in his grasp. He kept squeezing, turning her shield to scrap. A knee slammed into her torso, winding her and leaving her retching over his knee. As she folded around it he took the opportunity to tear Akoúo̱ from her grasp and flung it up over the shields and out of the arena. She'd not be able to retrieve it without revealing her semblance. Pyrrha tensed, knowing what would happen next.
But the finishing blow never come.
Rather than attack he allowed her to catch her breath, to straighten and stand once more.
"I'm sorry." when next he spoke, his voice was just a little rougher than it had been before. "You fought well. Really, you did. But I needs this money for dad's medical bills."
He gave her a light shove and Pyrrha unwittingly rode it, stumbling backwards in a desperate attempt to gain some much-needed distance. Again, he could have pursued her. She was versatile enough without her shield, but he'd seen its spear and sword forms already. Unveiling her ranged from would only open her up to a bruising counter. She knew it. So did he.
Her foe settled into a new stance. "I wish we could keep fighting. But I'm at my limit. This has gone on long enough. "
Foolish. She could hear father's voice reprimanding her even now. The Nikos family knows no fear! Attack!
"I had fun, Pyrrha. Really, I did. Maybe we can do this again sometime."
Fear left her faltering, braving her sword in a two-handed grip. She couldn't face that smile. What right did she have to win here? Fame? Glory? Her family had no need of money. He was fighting for his. To help them, and in doing so keep them healthy. Her resolve, already fractured, began to break. Because at the end of the day, Pyrrha Nikos did not love her Father.
"I guess what I'm saying here his...
Her opponent surged forward and caught her by the neck with an outstretched arm, hooking the inside of an elbow against her chin with frightful speed. Pyrrha choked. Green eyes bulged, recognizing the maneuver. He'd just clotheslined her. The impact alone stunned poor Pyrrha and all but ripped her from her feet. Shock tore through her and she nearly bit her tongue on the way as down as her jaw clamped shut against her will. Too late she realized what he intended. Oh, dear. This was going to hurt.
...I absolutely cannot...
His gauntlet burned white hot, blinding her.
...afford to lose...
Thrusters flared.
...TO YOU!"
Ground.
Pyrrha had been right about one thing. There was pain. Lots of it. Breath burst from her lungs in an explosive spray as the boy reared up and slammed her back into the floor. Her word went black for a moment before it snapped back. The ring didn't buckle beneath her; nor did it crater. It absolutely splintered. Shards of molten rock sprayed upward in every direction, some shooting into the stands, others peppering her face. Pyrrha bit out a hiss and squeezed her eyes shut against them, trusting in her aura to hold. It didn't. She felt it plunge, falter, then break entirely.
In the silence that followed, one could have heard a pin drop.
Her loss came not with a whisper, but a bang. She needn't look up at the screen to know the final results; doing so only confirmed her suspicions. Her aura wasn't simply in the red; it was gone. She'd burned through it all. By contrasts her opponent's lay firmly in the green. It was by all accounts, a humiliating outcome. And so it was, at thirteen years of age, that Pyrrha Nikos suffered her first defeat. In that moment, the Invincible Girl died. Someone else was born.
Someone...new.
Around them, the shields crashed down and the crowd howled for their new champion.
"AND WE HAVE A WINNER!" the announcer's voice rang. "In a spectacular upset, "Flash" has claimed victory! Amazing, ladies and gentlemen! Simply amazing! Lets hear it for him!
Pyrrha lay there, sprawled in the dirt, and smiled. She'd never felt more alive.
So. This was what it felt like. Defeat. It felt...good. She wanted to kick her legs into the air and giggle; throw her head back and laugh. Because it was done. It was over. Because, you see, she was free. No matter when or where she competed after this, she wouldn't be known as the Invincible Girl anymore. Not after a loss like that. There could be no denying her defeat. All of Remnant would've seen. She'd lost fair and square. Oh, how father would rant. How he would rage. How he would seethe! He'd almost certainly try to strike her for it.
Good! A rare spark of defiance snarled through her thoughts. Let him. This was my fight. Mine!
For the first time in forever, she had something to call her own. Gods damnit, she was going to cling to it.
A hand came down for her, fingers splayed. Jade orbs flicked towards it. Her opponent awaited, looming over here.
As she looked on aghast, those scarlet eyes slowly shimmered back into blue. His visible hand became human once more, human fingernails overtaking his clawed digits. His whiskered cheeks became less prominent, the beast receding back into its cage once more. And still he held out his palm to her.
"That was a good match." as he spoke voice regained its usual timber. "You really made me work for that win."
She reached up and clasped his palm, then yelped when her right leg faltered. In response, the boy took her by the hips and hoisted her upright entirely on his own power. Heat flooded her cheeks as he set her back down again and she was sure if she looked at herself in a mirror she would find her her pale skin burning ruby red.
"I...thank you." she looked away, face gone rosy. "You fight good."
His blond brow furrowed in mild confusion. "Eh?"
She turned incandescent. "I mean...!
Noooo! A thousand tiny Pyrrhas facepalmed in the back of her head. She hadn't meant to say that at all! Bad brain! Her mind was still fuzzy from her bad landing.
Yes! That was it! Had to be! Nothing else!
"Naw, its fine. I get it. Winning's all well and good, but you can't win every fight." He must've mistook her silence for as something else; because he gave her shoulder a brisk pat. "Life doesn't work that way. We all fail, sooner or later. That's alright. Nothing wrong with a little failure. Because we learn from failure. We adapt. Failure makes us strong." a cheeky smile flashed out at her. "I used to lose all the time, you know?" the tiniest of pauses pushed its way between them. "Say, ever thought of going to Beacon?"
Where did that come from?! Pyrrha's mind blanked beneath the weight of that innocent inquiry.
"Bwuh?" she managed-less-than-eloquently.
Her? A huntress? She'd not given the matter much thought. She was trained to do battle of course, but most of her skills -even her Semblance!- translated well into fighting people, not Grimm. She hadn't fought one of those blighted creatures before. A very small part of her hoped she would never see one in person.
And yet. Did his idea not have merit?
"Well, I'm only thirteen, but dad's been training me since I was little." the boy preened proudly, jerking a thumb at his chest. "I'm gonna take the entrance exam four years from now."
Pyrrha chewed her lip anxiously, unable to answer.
"Whaddya say?" undaunted, he grabbed her hands in his own. "We'd make one helluva team."
The more she thought of it, the more the idea appealed to her. Mistral was too cloying. Everyone knew here here. They'd certainly know the "shame" of her loss in a few hours. By that very measure Atlas was too stifling with its militaristic outlook and frigid temperatures. Vacuo...nobody wanted to go to Vacuo. With skin like hers, she'd suffer sunburn every day of her life. But Vale? She'd never been to Vale before. And the life of a hunter was a far cry from the spectacle of a tournament champion. Which she wasn't anymore. No one could possibly complain if she sought a different career.
Father would. He'd never stand for it. But did she have to listen to him?
Her eyes flitted to their interlocked hands.
Her lips parted. "I-
A stampede of paparazzi burst down from the stands and slammed the two of them together before she could answer. A dozen flashes went off in her face at once, blinding poor Pyrrha to everything. Everyone wanted to talk to her. Everyone wanted to know how the Invincible girl -invincible no longer!- felt about her first lost. Her family would be furious.
"Miss Nikos!"
"Such a close match!"
"How do you feel about your defeat?!"
The blurry shape of what might have been a microphone shoved itself in her face. "Is this the start of a whirlwind romance?!"
Her opponent squawked. "Romance?!"
"I...what?! No!" half-blind and cheeks gone red from indignation, Pyrrha sputtered in the direction she thought the voice had come from. "Certainly not! We're only thirteen! Shame on you!"
"But you were holding hands just now! I ship it!"
Thankfully, someone cracked the fool on the back of the head before she could. It might've been the boy. She wasn't sure.
In the corner of her eye, she glimpsed her opponent -rival!- all but squished against her right side. A wise man would have run for the hills. Thrown her to the media dogs and bolted. But he didn't. He looked just as uncomfortable as she felt, but he stood his ground in the face of their onslaught and fielded off verbal attacks of his own. It won him no small amount of favor in her eyes. When the organizers tried to force the two of them apart, she resisted with all her might. Something told her that if they allowed themselves separated now, they would never see one another again.
Defiance sparked to life, burning away the last cinders of her old self. Green eyes flashed with determination.
"No." Pyrrha cried out like a child forgotten at Christmas and clung onto his arm. "He's with me!"
The boy balked at her. "I am?"
Of course he was! Rival, partner, friend, or perhaps some myriad blend of the three. It didn't matter. She'd finally found someone who understood her. That he could fight on her level and beyond it was simply icing on the cake. She might be young, but even she knew better than to let someone like that get away. She was a Nikos, after all. Her father could squawk all he liked about dishonor and shame. He had already taken so much from her and Mother. But this moment? This tiny shred of happiness? This she would keep.
"Yes. You are." she surprised herself with a giggle, pulling him closer. "I didn't get your name."
"My name?" a blue eye twinkled over his shoulder as he laughed with her. "Sure. Its...
She strained to catch it over their noise. This time she succeeded.
"Naruto." he said at last. "My name is Naruto Uzumaki."
Unbidden, his words came back to her.
"We'd make one helluva team."
"Pyrrha." she mumbled over the white nose. "I'm Pyrrha."
They both knew her name, of course. Everyone did. But it was the only thing response her frazzled mind could conjure in this moment. Naruto could have insulted her for it; could've called her an idiot, a twit or a fool and demanded that she let him go at once. He would've been well within his rights to do so. She would've been embarrassed on national television, her career torn down to tatters.
But yet again, he surprised her.
"Hey there, Pyrrha." Naruto beamed back at her as though seeing her for the first time. "Nice ta meetcha."
He wasn't saying hello to the Invincible Girl. He was greeting her. Pyrrha. Simple, normal Pyrrha. Nothing special about her. No bees-knees here. Just normal knees. Heat rushed to her face and she squeezed his arm just a little tighter as the paparazzi continued to babble at the two of them. And then he pushed her over the edge.
"Sooo...how long do you think they're gonna keep asking us all these questions?"
Just like that, the dam burst. She couldn't hold it in anymore. Didn't want to.
Her mind clamped down hard. Too good. Too pure. Must protect!
Laughter tumbled out of her as she doubled over, dragging his arm with her. She had no way of knowing how much her life would change from this moment; how could she? She was just a child after all. In her eyes she had found a rival, if not a partner. Someone who offered her a way out of the hell she'd been trapped in. A boy who broke her shackles. Together, the two of them -alongside two other lost souls- would go on to forge one of the most powerful teams Remnant had ever seen. Their names would go down in history, whispered with reverence and fear alike. But for now none of that mattered. There was only his arm in hers.
Pyrrha held on tight.
A/N: And there we have it!
Already got four chapters nearly written for this bad boy, just polishing them up while I wait to see what folks think.
Once again, we're going with the "Embers" rule here. I want to see what folks think of this before I commit to it fully. If they don't like it? Poof! Into the void it goes. Naturally, the title itself is more than a one off; its a strong hint to what will happen later in the story. Trust me, its going to be grand.
Pairing is of course, NarutoxPyrrha, but may well include a second
Once again, Jaune will have his own happy ending.
Read the previews before you review, please. They're going to blow your socks off...assuming folks like this story enough for a second chapter.
So In the Immortal Words of Atlas...
...Review, Would You Kindly?
And enjoy the preview.
SUR~PRI~SE~!
(Preview)
"It was my loss. I'm not sorry."
A stern hand cracked across her face. "Never say that again! A Nikos never loses!"
"But I have." the words escaped her in a rush. "You can't change that."
Father bristled as, she lifted her chin silent defiance.
His arm swung at her again. "You DARE-
"What's going on here?!" An older voice boomed.
"Nobody can beat my dad!"
"Be good to my son, won't you?" Minato laughed and tousled her hair like the proud father he was. "Unlike me, he was newborn when we first came to this world. He doesn't know how to control himself. He's still learning. I think you're the first friend he's made since we came here."
Pyrrha tilted her head. "This world? I'm sorry, sir. I don't understand."
Blue eyes twinkled with mischief.
"You will. Someday."
Yup. I did that. Woe to ye Salem, the Yellow Flash is in Remnant. AND HE BROUGHT FRIENDS.
R&R~!
