Chapter 5: Shadows

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Pyrrha Nikos, four-time Mistral Champion had finally arrived at Beacon, however, there was one problem that made itself clear as soon as she got off the airship.

The stares of the people.

She hated the constant stares that people gave her because it felt like she was constantly being watched, feeling like she could never have a moment of privacy to herself.

She truly hated dealing with the flash mobs, the stares, the special treatment, she hated it all, it seemed great at first, feeling people's attention and feeling proud of her skills, but she felt horrible because people treated her differently, she wanted to stop being treated so differently than other people her age, but it was already too late... She was no longer a person to the eyes of people around her, she was an object, but what was worst than being a simple object, an object the seemed flawless.

No longer could she make mistakes, slip up in interviews, say anything terrible that the media might misinterpret or twist to their benefit, no longer could she be seen with other people who seemed to be bad for the public eye or were in the middle of a scandal, however, the thing she hated was that she could no longer make actual connections with people. People would use her to gain or to use her to advertise a product or gain followers on some form of social media. Not once, during her 4 years of fame, did she ever make a true friend or any friends for that matter.

Unfortunately, Pyrrha was not looking where she was going and she had tripped on a pebble and with a yelp, she fell backward right on her butt.

Pyrrha let out a sigh, "stupid heels" she muttered under her breath

"Are you alright?" Came a calm and Feminine voice

Pyrrha looked up to her right and saw a teen girl standing over her. The Teen girl had long black hair, her eyes were a bright amber, she also had two earrings hanging from her ears with a small glass diamond hanging from a short string. Pyrrha could tell that she wore a black shirt underneath a dark red swallowtail coat (A/N: the closet thing I could find to what I wanted her to wear was a steampunk swallowtail coat), and she wore a pair of black tight leather pants, with a pair of dark red heeled boots, they were more of the walking type that the "out on a date" type of heels. Pyrrha also noticed she had two sheathed Scimitar blades behind her back.

Pyrrha was a bit taken aback by her stunning looks but she shook these thoughts away and she nodded at the girl, "Y-Yes, I'm quite alright" Pyrrha told the girl

The girl held out her hand for Pyrrha to take and Pyrrha accepted the gesture and the girl helped the Champion back to her feet.

"Thank you," Pyrrha told her

The girl just smiled at her with the kindest smile Pyrrha had ever seen on a person before. "It's no problem," she told Pyrrha

Pyrrha blushed a bit out of embarrassment and tried to regain her composure, "P-Pyrrha Nikos" Pyrrha said awkwardly as she held out her hand for a shake

The girl kept smiling back at her and took Pyrrha's hand and shook it, "Nice to meet you Pyrrha, My name is Cinder Fall" replied the girl, now known as Cinder Fall.

Pyrrha noticed that Cinder didn't seem to recognize her, which struck her as odd, but also sort of gave her a sense of relief. "Do you know who I am?" Pyrrha asked

Cinder looked at her with a raised brow in confusion, "Should I?" Cinder asked "I don't mean to sound rude but have we met before?"

Pyrrha saw the genuine confusion on Cinder's face about her identity. Pyrrha celebrated a bit inside but kept a calm and happy expression on the outside. "No," Pyrrha said with a soft smile "Not at all"

Cinder nodded, "Alright then," Cinder said

Before they could talk more, a small explosion went off in the distance, Cinder turned around quickly and ran off in that direction and Pyrrha just watched as she ran off. Pyrrha watched as the small cloud of smoke dissipated and saw that it was a young girl who had caused it and saw Cinder was still heading her way. Pyrrha sighed with a smile on her face and continued walking to the front doors.

'it was nice not to be known for once' Pyrrha said calmly and walked away, wondering if she would see Cinder again during her time at Beacon

"I can't do this!" She said in distress

Currently, Pyrrha sat on her bed, and across from her were Nora and Ren both looking at her as she was trying to practice her confession do none other than her own leader.

Nora smiled, "Oh come on Pyr-Pyr! You can do it!" Nora Cheered for her

"No, I can't!" Pyrrha cried "I'm just so nervous!" she said

"You can," Ren said "And it's ok to be nervous, Pyrrha"

"Yeah!" Nora said "Besides it's not like Cinder will say no"

"But what if she does!?" Pyrrha asked "We're partners! What if I ask her out and she doesn't feel the same and things become awkward!?" Pyrrha asked

Ren said "Cinder does like you, I know she doesn't show it, but I'm quite certain she does," Ren told the Champion

"But-"

"Ah! Ah! Ah! No buts missy!" Nora said, "Listen to us, Cinder does like you back!"

"But you can't really know that!" Pyrrha said

"Pyrrha" Ren called "You like her right?"

Well, yes, but... Th-That's not important!" Pyrrha called out in response,

"It is," Ren told her "It's the only thing that's important, Pyrrha, how much do you love her?" Ren asked

Pyrrha thought about it, she thought about how much she had loved Cinder. "I love her... I really love her, with all of my heart" Pyrrha told them

"And why do you love her?" Ren asked

"I love her because... Because she made me feel Normal" Pyrrha said "She makes me feel like I don't have to put on a mask to hide who I really am

"And what do you mean by that?" Ren asked her with a bit of a smile,

Pyrrha knew the answer to that all too well, "Well, You see, for the longest time, I had only ever been seen by people as an object, as being an easy ride to fame, an easier way to make money, I wasn't seen as a person... but Cinder, she... she didn't see me like that" Pyrrha said "She didn't see me as Pyrrha Nikos the Invisible Girl, she saw me as a person who was indeed very skilled but still needed help to grow"

Ren nodded, "Go on," He said

"Every time we trained, and when she won, she told me how she won and why I lost, she pointed it out and didn't hide my faults just so I could feel better," Pyrrha said "She wasn't a suck-up in a sense" Pyrrha finished with a giggle

"You mean like Weiss was?" Nora asked with a smile

While it was rude, it was true, and Pyrrha nodded, "Yes" Pyrrha replied, "And that's why I love her,"

"And what do you like about her?" Ren asked her

"Because she's truthful with me, she treats me like a person, like an equal," Pyrrha said "She's kind to me not because of who I am but because she is just kind, She cares for me and for us all because she cares for us all... and most of all Cinder, in all of her strict and seemingly cold nature, which she was far from, is the person who was the most honest person I have ever known, she holds nothing back during training, didn't hold the truth about how she felt about people or anything, she doesn't care what people think about her... which is another reason I like her... she is the person I wished was"

And Pyrrha was right, Ren knew it, Nora, Knew it, and everyone on team RWBY knew it. Cinder was strict and seemed cold, but in her own way, was amazing, kind, thoughtful, and truthful, both through her action and words.

She was strict when training and fighting, yet with relaxing, she was kind, funny, and very social when around her team and team RWBY. She was caring as she helped everyone who needed it, helped Ruby with her work, and with helping her be a better leader, and helped her gain more confidence. She was truthful with her words and actions, telling Weiss how she was spoiled and how she acted like she deserved everything, but told her that this wasn't her home anymore and people were not going to give a crap about who she was yet still making sure she got along with everyone and tried to tone done her "posh nature".

How could she not fall in love with the first person who was truthful to her?

"I see," Ren said "But... Pyrrha, I will ask you, in case of the worst-case scenario, what if she does say no?"

Nora looked at the boy, "Ren, why would Cinder say no?" Nora asked

"Because while Cinder may be honest with everything Pyrrh just said... she is still hiding who she really is," Ren said

"What do you mean?" Nora asked with a bit of concern

Ren sighed, "We don't know a lot about her, all we really know was that she is from Mistral, and she came from a not-so-pleasant background and that she has some issues with her past..." Ren said "A person like that may be hard to love as they close everything off and try to hide their feelings... making it hard to be in a relationship with them," Ren said

"I know that"

Ren looked at Pyrrha with a bit of surprise

"I know that and I have thought about it, but I still want to be with her because that's where I can relate to her," Pyrrha told them "I have hidden how I felt before, I had who I really was before I came here, but because of her honestly to me, and because I have you and Nora who will not judge me for who I really am... I have learned to be more open with how I feel... which is why I want to be with her and hopefully be the one she can open up to with all the emotions and thoughts she is holding in"

"Even if it takes a long time?" Ren asked

Pyrrha nodded, "I will wait forever if I have to... because that is how much I love her" Pyrrha said

Ren smiled as did Nora, "Pyrrha, I will tell you, I really do think that Cinder will accept your feelings" Ren told her

"Really?" Pyrrha asked, "You truly believe that?"

Ren nodded, "I do," He told her "you know why?" Ren asked

"Why?" Pyrrha asked

"Because your love for her is genuine," Ren said "You love and see her faults and still accept them, even willing to help her try to be more open and be herself no matter how long it takes,"

"Yeah! And you two just belong together!" Nora said "Pyrrha, you and Cinder are right for each other because you both have something the other needs and I think that... the two of you can help the other, even if she does say no... I still think that the two of you will be the best thing for each other..." Nora finished

Pyrrha smiled as she heard Ren and Nora's words, "Thank you Ren, and you too Nora" She told them, "That means a lot to me, and I want you both to know how grateful I am to have you both in my life... you two are the greatest friend a person like me can ask for"

"Aw!" Nora said with a bit of a sniffle, "Your gonna make me cry"

Ren chuckled a little, "I will admit, even I feel a bit choked up" Ren said

the three of them laughed and continued talking, this time changing the subject to what they were going to do for the Vytal Ball and what they were planning on wearing.

What the three didn't know, however, was that door was ajar and that Cinder herself had heard the entire conversation, and while a smile graced her face, a tear rolled down her face as she held herself, trying not to cry.

'Thank you, Pyrrha...' Cinder thought 'For loving a person like me... who doesn't deserve it'

Cinder just walked away to clear her mind and recompose herself before returning to her dorm and to her team.

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Meanwhile, on the other side of the school, Jaune was in his team's dorm room and he was currently on the scroll with a very certain person, who would help him take Beacon down.

[The Virus should be sent to you soon, Jaune] Came a voice on the other end of Jaune's scroll

Jaune smiled "Thank you very much for the help Watts," Jaune said "I'm grateful for the help, after all, I still don't think I am all that good at this stuff despite your teachings Watts," Jaune told him.

The person he was talking to was Dr. Arthur Watts. Watts was a Valuable asset to his mother and a worthy member of her council. He was a disgraced former scientist from Atlas but when Salem reached put her hand to him, he had faked his own death in a Paladin Incident and joined up with them.

Watts was formal and sophisticated, He spoke in a refined and calm manner, yet Jaune knew he could be arrogant and condescending, even to his fellow circle members. But Jaune would agree that he was humble enough to not take credit for things he didn't achieve by himself, which sort of made him great to work with.

He also had a tendency to become interested in new topics of study. When he had arrived in the Grimmlands and saw Salem use her magic, he had shown immense interest in Magic and the creation of new Grimm, however, what Jaune hated about the habit was that because of this habit, he showed no interest at all in unlocking his own Semblance, believing that the time needed would be better used for his research, making him a bit of a liability in a fight.

Watts scoffed on the other end, [Oh please, I know for a fact you can do something like this, but I am glad you still asked me to do this, Jaune] Watts said on the other end

"it's not problem, I'm just glad you agreed to this" Jaune said

[Are you kidding?] Watts asked [I would have done this no matter what, given that Ironwood is there with his pompous attitude and his foolish beliefs! What I wouldn't give to see his face when he realizes what I have done to his precious little security system!] Watts finished

"Still, thank you very much," Jaune said "What are the others doing?"

[Your mother is resting for now, as for Tyrian he's is still looking for Spring and Summer Maiden] Watts replied

"And Hazel?"

[He is looking for more members to join us and our little circle] Watts said [Thankfully He and I can agree on some very interesting people]

Jaune chuckled, "I look forward to meeting our new members should they agree to join," Jaune said

[Indeed] He heard Watts chuckle [Well, I shall let you go, my dear boy, and I will let you know before I go that your mother eagerly awaits your return]

Jaune smiled softly at hearing that, "And I hope to come home soon as well" Jaune said

With that, the call had ended and Jaune set his scroll on the desk and began to plan out the rest of his operation in order to bring Beacon down, however, he still didn't know where the Fall Maiden was, so he needed to find out soon... or else he end goal was going to fail. And he could not fail.

Which is why he called Watts.

Watts had sent him a virus that would Hack the CCT tower and Ironwoods security system so he could have access to their files as well as hack the system.

However, he needed to get it in the CCT tower to do so, but he couldn't do it in broad daylight. This is why he had a plan, and it involved the Vytal Ball.

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So how did you all like this chapter?

I can't wait to show you guys what I have in store for the next two chapters! And let me tell you, it's going to be great!

But what do you think will happen for the characters? Will Pyrrha confess her feelings soon? Will Cinder accept them or will she choose not? What more does Jaune have planned? Will Jaune and Cinder finally truly meet again!?

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Ok, I know the answer to those questions but I won't tell you~! Anyway! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and I hope you can stick around to see what happens next!

Thank you all!