Greetings again! Well, I TRIED to finish this story before the end of the month but, as with many things, I failed. But, I at least got one more chapter out before February happened, so there is that. Thanks to all of you who reviewed and read the last chapter. I actually found how to look at the "traffic" for my story and was pretty happy with everything regarding my overall views. I hope to see you all stick around as we approach the beginning of the end. Please feel free to read, review, follow, and favorite if you find this story is meeting your expectations.

AzraelSaint – Yeah, I'm glad you liked it. I really wanted to make that a special "Oh fuck" moment for this story back many chapters ago. Glad to see it paid off.

Xealchim – Hey, give him some credit! He might not be dead just yet...

Boi – Nah, they'll remember plenty. You don't go through all this shit and not remember anything. Though that would make for a good story alone, wouldn't it? Just something to consider, I guess.

343 – Don't cry for him, things might work out okay for him!... Yeah, I won't hold my breath. As for Pyrrha, she has been my favorite character to write and I don't want her not getting her dues! I made it a priority for every character to get their special moments in this story.

Dragon lord Syed 101 – Things have been hairy since about chapter 6-7. But yes, things just got a little bit worse than they were recently.

Okayname the name – Yeah, we'll see how things work out. TBH, the boys are the ones that caused the problem rather than let them have their fun, so they might just deserve it.

0804wolf – I wish I was that creative to even think of how to write a fight like that. It's a grand idea, but something I just can't do at my level. But you'll see where this is going very shortly.

Please review guidelines for the ratings system. As always, this story is rated M for MY ZA! (You'll understand later) Enjoy this next installment and be sure to give me your feedback if possible. Thanks again!

Italicized – Inner Thoughts

BOLD - Speaker

GodRealm

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Chapter 15 – Pursuit

Jaune was the happiest he'd been in the last twenty-four hours. He had a big drink, fresh pizza, and not a care in the world right now. He stood in the corner pizza parlor of downtown Vale as he paid for the food. He smiled as the cute cashier took his money and gave his change. She offered a smile and playful wink at him as he gathered everything.

He exited the store with the same smile. The streets were still lit up and even in the late hours, people were still making their way around the city on the late Friday evening. Jaune knew once he graduated this is where he wanted to be and would try to get an apartment soon after finding work as a licensed Huntsman.

As he walked through the cool summer air, he could smell his hot pizza in the box he was holding. The warmth from the box spread to his hands and his anticipation grew. I am so going to eat this whole thing. He thought.

"I can't wait for Neptune to see this baby." He spoke aloud.

He wished he could share it with Ren and Sun, but maybe he'd be generous and save them each a slice after he retrieved them shortly. Then again, maybe he wouldn't. He'd have to see exactly how delicious this pie was.

Yes, for as crazy as the night had been and with everything that had happened, he never thought he'd find himself here and now. Fate sure had a sense of humor. He went from being licked to about to be doing the licking... on this pizza. Finally, things were starting to look up and-

"LEAVE ME ALONE! I JUST WANT TO BE FREEEEEEE!"

Jaune stopped in his tracks at that voice. He remained stoically calm, almost as if what he was hearing wasn't real. His smile was still present, but the voice had startled him. He peered off to his left and confirmed his suspicions. Across the road was Pyrrha drunkenly staggering and attempting to run from something behind her.

"Get back here!" Another voice yelled.

This voice made Jaune's smile drop immediately. He knew that voice as well. It was something he was not prepared for. He watched as both Ruby and Yang chased the girl down the street. He continued to remain still as he watched this, almost as if he was just trying to blend in with the background. He watched as Ruby used her semblance to speed up and tackle Pyrrha to the ground and hold her in place.

"LET ME GO! YOU FOOLISH MORTALS!" She continued yelling.

"Pyrrha, for Oum's sake we're in a public place." Yang Spoke, looking around at the gazing eyes.

She continued her struggles and screams as Jaune watched from afar. His body still paralyzed in disbelief and fear of what he was seeing. At first, he thought it coincidence that they were here in Vale when they should be getting ready to meet with him shortly on the docks, but he had a disturbing feeling down in his gut that wasn't just hunger.

Without making a scene, he tiptoed backwards into an alley adjacent from where they were. He placed his food down on an air-conditioning unit that was next to him and reached into his pocket for his scroll. That's when he noticed something else was present. He felt the object in his hand and pulled it out.

"Is that the camera-car?" He asked himself. "How did that get in my pocket?"

He stared for a few seconds before placing it back into his pocket. He was curious how it got there but he had an important call to make first. He pulled his scroll out and found Neptune in his contacts. He dialed the number and waited for him to pick up.

But it just kept ringing. He hung up and tried again. Nothing. His worries were becoming greater now. Maybe it was just his paranoia, but were they also looking for them? There's no way Neptune could have been caught unless Ren or Sun spoke, which they would never do.

Jaune peeked out from around the corner of the alleyway to watch Yang and Ruby still trying to subdue a wild Pyrrha. He opened his box of pizza and decided to take a slice as he didn't want his food to get too cold waiting for them to move from where they were. He needed to get back to the apartment without being seen though, that was for sure.

He chewed his food as he continued to watch. Pyrrha was openly crying in the middle of the street at midnight on a Friday evening as her two friends tried to "rescue" her from herself and her destructive ways. What the hell is in that bottle? He thought as he enjoyed the cheesy goodness of his pizza. How he wished he could truly enjoy his food, but the looming threat across the street prevented that.

"Enough already woman! Just relax and let us take you home." Yang yelled even more annoyed at her friend.

"You're not my mother." Pyrrha replied.

"Yeah, Thank Oum because I'd beat your ass."

"Yeah, Thank Oum because I'd beat your ass." Pyrrha replied.

"Are... Are you copying me?" Yang asked.

"Are... Are you copying me?"

"What are you five?"

"What are you five?"

"I think I'm going to kill her..." Yang muttered low enough for Ruby to hear.

Ruby stood up while still having a decent grip on Pyrrha. She tried her best to keep her hands away from Pyrrha's mouth because she was trying everything else to get free. The redhead was nearly foaming at the mouth like a rabid animal that had been caged.

Jaune thought the scene to be a little humorous, especially from where he stood. He'd have preferred to never have seen it at all, but at least he was at a nice, safe dist-

Why is Pyrrha staring at me? He thought. She's drunk, there's no way she actually...

Stare. Stare. Stare.

"Hey Jaune!" Pyrrha yelled from across the street at the far end of the corner. It was as if her whole personality changed, and she forgot everything that was going on.

He stood there completely dumbfounded at how she could even see from that distance. Actually, annoyed might have been a better word. He watched as Yang and Ruby turned their heads and squinted in his direction to see where she was looking. That's when they spotted him too.

Stare. Stare. Stare.

Jaune was first to react. He slowly pulled himself back into the alleyway before grabbing his pizza. He then stood still for a few seconds and dashed down the alleyway.

"Yang! Don't let him get away!" Ruby yelled. "He might alert Neptune before Weiss gets to the room!"

Yang nodded at her sister and dashed off in Jaune's direction. Ruby stood there once again trying to maintain her death grip of Pyrrha as she struggled to get free, returning to the wild animal form from only moments earlier.

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Jaune ran awkwardly with his food down the alleyway before hanging a right onto a side street. From behind him, he noticed yellow hair which was more than enough to confirm his suspicions. They were here looking for us. He thought.

"I've got to shake them. I can't allow them to follow me back to Neptune's apartment." He stated.

He made his way down the empty side street with the sound of someone running behind him becoming more evident. Juggling food while attempting to run was turning out to be a huge problem, but he wasn't about to give up his dinner. Jaune kept at a steady pace as he tried to get distance. In a battle of stamina, he knew he had Yang beat, but being able to shake her off long enough to get away may prove difficult.

He moved with a determined pace as he looked over his shoulder. Yang had him in her sights and she was focused on detaining him. He could not risk a brawl with her here. It would only end with his inevitable demise or capture. Running was the only way. He looked back at her again as he continued his running.

"I guess a pizza bribe is out of the question?" He asked her.

"Not on your life, Jaune."

"I'd assume you of all people would have understood what we did and seen it as funny, Yang. There's no need for all this violence."

"You're right. Why don't you stop running and we hug it out?"

"Sorry, but I don't have intention of being caught now. As you can see, I have a dinner date, and you're preventing me from enjoying it."

Jaune turned the corner again, attempting to break away down another alley. As he made his way through the dark alley, he noticed a fire escape. If he could not escape her from keeping on him, maybe he would have to improvise a plan of his own.

"Your night is over!" Yang yelled as she turned the corner.

She saw him toss his pizza stories high, landing on the roof above. He then made a break for the fire escape and began climbing the first ladder. Yang smiled at his desperation. Oh, please. She thought. She made a running jump, catching the bottom rung of the ladder. She looked up to see Jaune making his way up to the next story.

She climbed quickly, making sure to keep at a pace with him. The metal structure squeaked with their weight and shook with each movement. It was obvious that it wasn't used often and had been poorly maintained. That being said, Jaune and Yang continued their climb, paying no attention to the structure and its movements.

Jaune scaled the final set of stairs to the rooftop, checking to see where Yang was. She was close now, as close as she had come yet. He cleared the hurdle onto the roof. Scanning the area, he grabbed his pizza box and opened it. He grimaced as he looked at his dinner. Hope this works. He thought.

Moments later Yang approached the top of the of the fire escape and looked over the concrete barrier to the roof. She stared in disbelief as he chewed on a slice of pizza and waited for her to meet him. He had no emotion on his face as he chewed slowly while she stood there.

"What are you..."

"I give up."

Yang couldn't believe what she was hearing now. "I'm sorry, you... what?"

Jaune swallowed his food prior to speaking. "I said I give up. I'm tired of running and I want to enjoy my food."

He took a seat as she continued to be motionless. He' seriously not going to fight me, isn't he? She thought to herself. He reached into the box again as she began to vault the wall slowly. That's when she noticed a smile on his face as she put one leg up on the wall.

"Why are you smiling like th-"

She never finished the statement as she slipped backwards onto the fire escape, losing her footing. She landed on her rear end against the railing of the fire escape as it shook with a mighty force. As she looked up from her seated position, she could see that Jaune was standing on the other side of the wall now and still smiling.

"Pizza grease sure is slippery, isn't it?"

Her eyes went wide as Jaune lifted his leg and kicked the fire escape with all his strength. The result was the fire escape becoming unhinged from the building and begin to tilt. Before she could react, Yang and the entirety of the structure faltered and began to collapse to the ground. Yang was defeated by cheesy, delicious pizza grease.

"Damn you, Jaune!" Yang yelled as she continued her descent to the ground.

The metal clanked loudly against the ground and shattered. An aura was something Yang could be thankful for, as she was protected against any major harm. Of course, a fall from that height was not going to feel necessarily good either. She braced herself as the structure continued to fall after hitting the ground. The noise echoed loudly across the neighborhood, causing many people to turn their lights on and watch the scenery.

Once the dust settled, Yang stood up and dusted herself of before looking up where Jaune once stood. She knew it before she hit the ground, what her eyes had now confirmed. Jaune had escaped her.

She walked slowly out of the alley, back the way she had come. She began to head back towards where she had left Ruby and Pyrrha. She knew that she would not catch him now, and with any hope, Weiss was able to at the very least, get inside Neptune's apartment. She pulled her scroll out from her pocket and looked through her contacts for Weiss's name before dialing the number.

It rang. And rang. And rang. But there was no answer.

Yang sighed to herself. This could be a very bad sign. How could this night get any worse? She thought to herself.

"Uh, Yang?" A voice asked her.

Yang looked up to see her sister Ruby. More than that, she looked at her sister Ruby and noticed one BIG problem.

"Ruby," Yang asked, with a very annoyed look on his face. "Where's Pyrrha?"

Ruby rubbed the back of her head and laughed lowly to herself. Without looking her in the eye and opting to stare at the ground as she was sweating slightly. "She... got away."

Yang collapsed to her knees as her sister gave her a worried look. As Yang knelt there in utter defeat, she stared blankly up at the night's sky and spoke to herself.

"Someone fucking kill me."

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Jaune landed on both feet as he jumped from a wall, still keeping his dinner secured and upright. He moved from the garden area he had landed in and made his way onto a main street where some people still lingered. Escape complete. He thought.

Even so, he knew staying on the streets was not a good idea. He scanned the area around him and noticed an all-night restaurant and bar at the corner of the block. He made his way there and opened the door. Jaune noticed the 'Please seat yourself' sign and moved towards a table at the far end of the restaurant.

Once he was at a table he liked, he dropped his food on the table and collapsed in a seat. He sighed heavily as he relaxed in his seat.

"Why is this happening?" He spoke to himself.

He sighed once more and reached into his pocket again. He pulled out his scroll from his pocket once more and looked for Neptune's contact information. Again, he dialed the number with hopes of an answer, but the only thing he got was more ringing.

"Damn it, Neptune. What is going on?" Jaune spoke.

Apart from his now cold dinner, Jaune was alone. This fight was his alone for now.

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Neptune couldn't breathe. It's at a time like this where he could recall all the good times when he took breathing for granted. He compared it to when you get a cold and your nose was stuffy. Some things were just so precious.

His face was surrounded by cool water. His fear of water only grew as he was submerged longer and longer. His attempts to struggle were met with only delving deeper into the cold water. He could feel himself drifting and losing his will to fight, only to be dragged out by his hair by strong and delicate fingers.

His head was removed from his watery prison as he gasped for air.

"AHHHHHH!" He yelled, coughing as he panted and attempted to breathe. "You're a psychopath!"

Neptune's words were directed at the person holding his head. The hand belonged to that of Weiss Schnee who continued to have a strong grip on Neptune's blue, now messy, hair. He continued to cough as she stared at him with a pleased smile.

"That's no way to beg for forgiveness, you know." She stated matter-of-factly.

"You're insa-"

He never finished that statement as he was plunged once again into the water below him.

Soon after Weiss had entered the apartment, she submitted Neptune with a bit of Ice dust, creating restraints and then beginning her own interrogation. She knew Neptune was not going to give up his friend so easily and she would have to use... forceful measures. No, she wasn't using syrup, or bondage like her previous friends had. She wanted the fear of Oum to strike into Neptune's heart.

After restraining him, she made sure to investigate his apartment. She even found his crudely drawn plans on the countertop that he had left in his kitchen that he neglected to throw out. She examined it and its title, 'Operation: Attack RWBY'. What a terrible name. She thought as she discovered it earlier. She could tell by the writing that it was Neptune's. The true mastermind of their childish prank.

Confirming what she had thought, she made her way down the hallway of his apartment and noticed his bathroom. She stared for a moment before a smile crept on her face. Entering the room, she immediately turned on the water to his tub and plugged the drain. After a few minutes, she turned the water off, having reached the desired amount.

Once that was done, she returned to the living room to find her captive still detained on the couch, but still struggling. With some prodding, she got him to stand and begin walking down the hallway she just came from and enter the bathroom. Once there, he stared inquisitively at the water in his tub before looking back at Weiss. She knelt him down and began asking him questions. Questions he refused to answer.

And that's how they had reached this point. For every time he refused to answer he was going to take a dip. His fear of water only fed her desire to keep plunging him into the water. If Blake was a sadist, then Weiss was something much worse.

She removed his head again and cleared her throat before speaking.

"Now then, where's the camera car?" She spoke softly, almost acting innocent from what she was doing.

He coughed several times again after she removed him. "You're a monster!"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"YOU'RE FUCKING WATERBOARDING ME! WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU?!"

"Right... time to swim."

"No, wait! Please I-"

And submerged he went again. She sighed at his inability to accept his current situation. She couldn't help herself but giggle though. After all he had said and done tonight, the look on his face when he realized she had found him in his apartment was something special.

Yang was right about that. She thought.

She shook herself from thought as he began to struggle under the water again, reminding her to pull him out before he passed out. This time she dropped him to the floor as he continued to cough. She looked down at him and sighed once more before walking out of the room.

"You stay right there. I'll be right back." She commanded.

She walked out of the room and back to the living room. She canned the room and noticed what she was looking for. She picked it up and smiled as she walked back towards the bathroom, listening to Neptune cough the entire way back. She walked back to him and knelt next to his laying body. He gazed up at her as she smiled. It was a smile that while seemingly innocent, hid a foreboding evil behind it.

She raised his scroll up above him, revealing what she went to retrieve earlier.

"If you don't have the 'camera-car' like you say, then there is only one other person who could have it... right?" She asked.

Damn it. He thought. He knew exactly what she was getting at.

"Sorry, but I won't let that happen." Neptune spoke calmly.

"How predictable. Your guy code is quite annoying." Weiss responded.

"Well, we have long night ahead of us then, don't we?" She asked mischievously.

Neptune made his best attempt to crawl away without the use of his hands. He looked like a worm to her as she laughed. She allowed him to get as far as the doorway before she placed a foot down on him. He struggled against her weight but was having no luck. He knew this situation was not going to change. He stared up at her with defiant eyes as she smirked again.

She knelt beside him again as he cringed in despair. "Bath time." She spoke.

"No! No! No! You've undone years of therapy already, no more!" He pleaded.

She dangled his scroll once more in front of him as he looked at it.

"Then make the call."

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Jaune sat at the table and kept pondering what to do next. He had almost no pizza left and even less ideas. With Neptune MIA he was left to only himself. His fears were that Neptune had been captured and with the possession of the camera-car, he was still going to be a target for the women.

He sighed as he was stuck between a rock and hard place. It was almost as if this night would never end. Even when it did, what would tomorrow hold? Would he be running forever? He had a whole city to hide in, but how long could that last?

He reached into his pocket and pulled out the camera-car before examining it. If he was going to stand any chance, he needed to make the video file and use it for protection. If not only for himself, then for the lives of his friends.

"What's that?" A voice beside him asked.

"Well, you see- Pyrrha?!" Jaune exclaimed.

Sitting next to him at the booth, now consuming the rest of his pizza was the red head that had been disappearing and re-appearing at random throughout the night. And now, somehow, she had found herself at his booth in a random restaurant without him even realizing it. And not just that, she was eating his food.

"My ZA!" He exclaimed.

"Your whatty?" She asked with a mouth full of food.

"My pizza!"

"Yeah, it's pretty good. You want some?" She asked.

Jaune could take one look at her and notice she was still three sheets to the wind AKA hammered, AKA drunk, AKA fucked up. He sighed again as he relaxed in his seat while she continued eating.

"How did you even find me?" He asked her.

"I saw you walk down the street and figured Jaune isn't going to tackle me and eat my cereal so I should go play with him!" She beamed happily.

"Well, as long as you're not going to attack me or lick me," He cringed slightly "then you're welcome to be here and enjoy some Za."

"Why would I lick you?" She asked, still eating of course.

"I don't want to-"

Before he could finish his statement, he noticed his scroll vibrating on the table between himself and Pyrrha. He picked it up and brought it closer to himself.

Incoming call. He thought.

"From Neptune?!" He exclaimed, nearly jumping out of his seat.

Finally, maybe now they could make some progress. At least I know he's safe and sound.

He was not "safe and sound."

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This concludes Chapter 15. I can say that we are now entering the final phase of the story ladies and gentlemen. I can summarize, that at maximum there are 2-3 chapters remaining for this story (Again, based on content size). I actually wanted to include more in this part, but I felt that where this was is a perfect stopping point for what will come next. Thanks again for taking the time to read this chapter and this story as a whole. Your loyalty as well as reviews make it all worth it. See ya!

Next time: Chapter 16 – Looming Threat

GodRealm