"First practice one on one of the year and it should be a good one!" Ilia exclaimed as she took her seat in the stands and Neela sat beside her. Cobalt, Tawney, and Bái sat in the row above them, trying to make themselves comfortable as more of the student body began to pour in to watch the bout. The first years were more or less there against their will, recommended by teachers that they attend the spars of the upperclassmen and take notes that might benefit them in the future. Anyone in the classes above NITE was there to see how the new prospects looked, and a match between the current second and third best students of the second years was nothing to yawn at. Neela had begged and pleaded to be allowed to participate, but Ren couldn't permit her to do so. Neela was having fewer nightmares, but they were almost growing more extreme in strength, and she often woke up exhausted with very little aura remaining intact. Whether or not this was going to cause health issues long term was yet to be determined.

Ilia's misplaced enthusiasm brought Neela as much comfort as it did nausea. Eliana had always been overly excited about every battle that they spectated, whether it was cheering too loudly from the stands relentlessly for Neela to win, or fangirling over cool semblances and weapons when Neela was beside her. Neela did her best to shake it off, she didn't want Ilia to worry any more than she had been, Titus had told her that Ilia had been having trouble eating and was feeling off seeing Neela in such a state and Neela put on her best smile for the girl. Team NITE was her family as much as Shadow and her mothers and she would never want them to have to worry about her that excessively.

"Agreed," Neela offered as she looked down at the two of them. Lykos had become more confident and pushed himself harder every day, purely for the sake of being a better person and being as strong as he could to defend Bái from any danger that might present itself to her. On the flip side, there was Titus who desired to be the very best and had his sights on moving into second place before making a move on Neela. He'd begun mastering his semblance since the battle at the end of last year, but it still drained his aura faster than he liked and decided not to use it in a real fight except for last-ditch efforts until he had a better handle on it. "Should be a good one."

"Heard about Eliana…" Rowan whispered to Cobalt from another row back. "If Neela needs a shoulder to cry on or a bed to fall into…"

"How about you buzz off before I punch you in the nuts?" Tawney replied as she glared at him. Rowan looked at her for a long moment before folding his arms and leaning back.

"Bunch of prudes," Rowan groaned. Ivory rubbed her forehead.

"You really think now is the best time?" Ivory questioned. Vin walked past their row and sat on the opposite side of Ilia who smiled at him as she slowly offered her hand for him to take.

"Where's Yvonne?" Cobalt asked. Rowan chuckled.

"Beginning of the new school year with all of this new blood? Where do you think she is?" Rowan offered. Cobalt nodded his head and sighed.

"You don't have to see her exclusively you know," Tawney reminded him. "We're at the Academy. Go enjoy what life has to offer." Cobalt looked at her for a moment as she stared intently ahead as Pyrrha took the floor. He wanted to ask her why she was being personable to him for once but decided it was better not to ask.

"Students, please settle down," Pyrrha announced, reaching the middle of the arena and looking to both of the fighters with a nod. "I'd like to present both Lykos and Titus as the first official fight of the year. Both students are in their second year at Beacon, though they're among the best of you in ranking overall. If Titus wins this bout he'll claim second place. Once I have left the designated boundaries I'll give the word for the two of you to begin."

"Pleasure fighting you," Lykos called out.

"You won't be saying that after I beat you!" Titus laughed. Lykos crouched slightly, prepared to sprint straight for Titus.

"Is that so?" Lykos asked with a smirk.

"He smiles?" Ilia asked.

"That's unnerving," Neela added. Bái chuckled.

"We're working on that," Bái insisted.

"Ready?" Pyrrha asked as she floated up into the bleachers. The two men stared each other down, waiting for Pyrrha's word. "Go!"

Lykos took off in a sprint as Titus slammed his kopides into the ground, the earth splitting as pikes formed and moved out from Titus in a line directly for Lykos who dove out of the way, rolling to a stop as he threw his shuriken. Titus sliced the air, knocking them off course with a wave of gravity Dust as he moved towards Lykos with astonishing speed. The shurikens beat Titus to Lykos and he formed them into his second weapon, managing to toss one of Titus's blades away after wrapping it with his whip. Titus reached for it out of instinct, the other sword greeted with a similar tactic. Titus smirked as lightning Dust surged through the kopis and disrupted the stars, blasting the weapons away from them as Titus took a step forward and gripped Lykos, tossing him away and using another blast of gravity Dust to further the gap. The shurikens danced past Titus back to Lykos, glancing off of the militant's arms.

Titus slammed his weapons into the ground once more, another line of pikes raced across the ground towards Lykos again who dove out of the way easily enough before a surge of gravity Dust raced through the first attack, shattering the pikes in a wave as it threw Lykos off balance once more. Titus raced for his opponent, leaving one kopide in the ground behind him.

"This is new…" Neela said leaning forward in her seat. Titus met Lykos once more who formed his whip, instead gripping Titus arm this time and tossing him away, Titus coating his blade in earth Dust and stopping on a dime, racing back in and dodging another swing, trapping Lykos in place with a blast of the Dust to his legs. Titus leapt back as his second blade activated a few moments later, Dust surging through the ground beneath them before trapping Lykos in an earthen dome. Titus smirked and chuckled to himself.

Based on the principle of Neela's delayed arrows, only my attack uses the signal and location of the first to know where the second needs to be. Titus glanced up at his teammates, slamming his kopis into the ground one final time to finish Lykos off. Without warning a blast from inside of the dome erupted, shattering it as a swarm of Baby Deathstalker's poured out. Titus tried to look past the illusion, but it was clear that Lykos was getting better, either blending himself in or making himself invisible. The lightning meant for Lykos blasted out anyway, sending shuriken flying towards Titus faster than he could block. Several of them met his skin and tore away at his aura before scattering once more and falling to the floor.

Titus lifted his sword, using gravity Dust to pull the other towards him but as it approached Lykos appeared holding the handle, his feet planting into Titus' chest as he arrived and the momentum of the Dust's pull allowing them to continue on for several feet. Lykos landed as Titus stumbled back, barely setting himself in time to block his own blade wielded by Lykos. Lykos smirked again as he pulled the trigger, earth Dust coating Titus's legs this time.

"I used your blade during that blast of lightning to pull my shuriken into me, hence why that attack didn't work as well the second time," Lykos explained as he pulled his stars back to him. "Your move."

Titus sheathed the tip of his blade in the floor again, creating an explosion using fire Dust that knocked Lykos off-balance, allowing him enough time to free his legs as he unleashed another explosion upon impact with his other blade. It flew from Lykos's hands, Titus gripped his arm and swung him over his head as just his arm coated itself in stone.

"He's trying to finish it quickly," Ilia noted. Lykos hit the floor with a crash, the audible thud drawing gasps from the crowd. Lykos chuckled, unnerving Titus who glanced quickly at the board to see that he had only chipped away a quarter of Lykos's aura.

"He's been working on strengthening his aura since his Semblance doesn't benefit him the most in these kinds of battles," Bái explained.

"That hurt," Lykos grunted. His shuriken came back to him, moving in and out at will as Titus tried his best to avoid and deflect them with one blade and his petrified arm, his choice to use his semblance burning his aura faster than the actual attack, and Lykos leapt to his feet. "I have to say, on anyone else that would have worked."

"I should have paced myself," Titus seethed as Lykos removed a small satchel of Dust from his pelt and rubbed it on his hand, slamming his open palm into Titus's chest. The gravity Dust erupted and threw Titus back to his sword as his aura shattered.

"Lykos is the winner!" Pyrrha announced.

"That was short," Cobalt noted.

"Would've been a lot shorter if it had been you down there," Tawney said as she stood up and left. Cobalt watched her for a long moment before nodding.

"There's the Tawney we know and love," Cobalt said.

"You sure you don't want to ask her if she needs a little bit of love to get through the week?" Rowan asked. Ilia and Neela were talking to each other about Titus as he approached the wall with a look of defeat in his body language.

"I guess it depends on how quickly you want an arrow, two kopides, and two-bladed, tonfa, SMGs through your chest," Cobalt replied. "Lay off, would you? Besides, not really sure that she's into guys at all."

"Put in a good word for me then!" Ivory pled.

"I thought you had the hots for Ilia," Rowan reminded her.

"I have to keep my options open," Ivory said, folding her arms as she stood. "A lot of cute girls at this school after all."

"I guess we agree on one thing," Rowan laughed as he followed her out of the arena. Cobalt watched for a moment as Glynda approached Pyrrha and whispered something to her. He rubbed his face and motioned for Bái to follow him.

"Let's go meet up with Lykos," Cobalt told her.

"Is today the day?" Bái asked. Cobalt nodded. "You don't want to stick around and meet them?"

"I'm going to guess that today will be the worst day for that," Cobalt offered as he began heading out with Bái behind him.

"You did great!" Ilia told him. Titus glared at her for a long moment before exhaling and shaking his head.

"I could have done better," he explained as he turned around and spotted Glynda. "I'll be right back." He walked across the floor and approached her.

"Are the three of you ready?" Glynda asked him with a smile.

"No, I don't think that we are," Titus clarified. "Are you absolutely sure that we can't wait any longer? I think if we gave Neela another week that she might be a little more accepting of this guy…"

"While I respect your concern for your teammate, Mr. Prasinos, we must keep moving forward," Glynda explained.

"And we can just give us a week! I only want what's best for my team, Ms. Goodwitch," Titus declared.

"And what would you have me do with him now that he's here and waiting?" Glynda inquired.

"A week of study hall? Let him hang out around town and throw some lien at him for a place to stay?" Titus offered. "Just a few more days, that's all."

"He joins NITE today, and that's final," Glynda informed him as she sauntered past him towards Ilia and Neela and beckoned them down with a single finger. Titus balled his fists as he followed after her. He was unsure as to why Glynda felt such a rush to get a new student in Eliana's place, it wasn't as if there would be any freak attacks like Athena anytime soon, and Eliana could still come back for all they knew. Titus was usually the rational one… but for once he hoped that Eliana would come back. He understood that filling the spot and training with a replacement was better than assuming, but he refused to accept it. "Attention, ladies!"

"Is it already that time?" Neela whispered to Ilia.

"What's up?"Ilia asked, leaping over the railing with Neela close behind.

"Your new teammate is starting today," Glynda informed them.

"Where are they?" Titus questioned as he looked around the room.

"Coco was looking for a school uniform that would fit him but then she was supposed to send him right over," Glynda explained. "Since the three of you neglected to choose anyone I chose Eren Prince from Mistral."

"Wasn't he the sketchy looking one?" Titus asked, trying to recall the photos he skimmed over.

"We do not judge people based on their appearance, Mr. Prasinos," Glynda scolded. "Besides, once he's in a school uniform he'll look just as clean as anyone else."

"Sorry to burst your bubble, Teach, but I wouldn't be caught dead in those rags," the new student exclaimed as he burst through the doors with Coco on his heels. The light shining in from outside made it hard to make him out right away, though his shadow loomed large and Titus figured Eren was probably as tall as he was. The teacher shut the door behind him, allowing them a better look at their soon to be teammate as he made his way towards the middle of the floor. He had a movement about his walk, confidence with a bit of a flaunt as he drew closer with a smirk, making Ilia a little uneasy. "Shade's agrees with me."

"For the last time, my name is Mrs. Adel, and as much as I hate the school uniform's I think it would have been wise to wear it to this introduction to your new teammates," Coco clarified. Eren waved her off with his hand and shook his head, walking right up to Neela and stopping a few inches from her. She looked him over, his short white hair accented by black highlights, solidifying his pseudo-emo status within her mind. He wore a black trench coat that just barely didn't reach his knees, throwing it back as he reached her so they could all observe his weapon, a comically large pistol that Neela assumed was a hand cannon. He wore no undershirt, his jeans were more tattered than actual denim, and his look was completed with a pair of boots that had thick mud caked on. His red eyes read her own, a scar at an angle through his left eyebrow drew her attention, but not as much as the light brown, thick, pointed scales that covered his right arm. He was a Faunus.

"I'm going to have to ask that you put a shirt on, Mr. Prince," Glynda informed him as he turned back to her. A thin scrap of metal attached to a worn strip of leather reflected light as he turned to face her.

"Then maybe someone should tell that to the kid with the Grimm pelt on," Eren debated. Glynda glanced at Coco.

"Lykos doesn't wear a shirt?" Glynda asked Coco. Coco sighed.

"He never has," Coco noted. Eren winked at the two of them before turning to Neela once more.

"You must be Neela," he guessed with a smile. "Hawk eyes. Guess we'll have no issues getting along then."

"That's yet to be seen," She replied with her arms folded. He chuckled and nodded.

"I like her," Eren admitted. "Maybe we can get to know each other better this evening…"

"Not a chance," Ilia said, pushing herself in between the two of them.

"I'd hate to have to hurt you already," Titus noted, gripping his shoulder. Eren looked back at Titus and sized him up before taking a step back away from the women. He shrugged Titus off and rotated his shoulder, chuckling with a hand over his face.

"I'll be leading this team in no time," he scoffed.

"Is that so?" Neela asked, stepping around from around Ilia.

"Neela…" Ilia tried to stop her.

"No, let him speak his mind," Neela insisted.

"Enough!" Coco interjected. "I suggest that you all try to get along, tomorrow you all have training together early in the AM, and later this week you'll be meeting the third years that are going to help you this year."

"I already know I've got more skill than you, Little Hawk," he barked. Coco shot a look at Neela, followed by Titus and Ilia a second later. The color drained from Neela's face before being replaced with a red hot unbridled rage. She removed her scroll and punched something in.

"Neela," Titus tried to stop her as he took a step towards the girl.

"Headmistress, I'd like to fight Eren, officially, right now," Neela requested.

"Permission granted," Glynda agreed as she began walking away.

"Glynda!" Coco exclaimed, chasing her down. "This is a bad idea!"

"I think you're mistaken," Glynda replied.

"Neela's not ready for a fight, and this kid is pretty skilled," Coco noted. "You might be thinking this is a great way to wake Neela up and show her she needs to move on, but if he wins he'll be painted as the bad guy and they're going to have an even worse time getting along."

"Assuming she loses," Glynda corrected. Neela's locker crashed through the ceiling, opening and presenting her with her bow and arrows as she closed it and sent it back to its dock, Ilia grabbing Neela by the arm and pulling her to the side for a second.

"Get out of the way, this will be short," Eren jested.

"Neela, he didn't know about that name, you don't need to do this," Ilia begged her.

"I'll be fine," Neela insisted. "This asshole needs to be taught his place."

"Titus!" Ilia called to him.

"I'm with Neela for once," Titus answered as he moved towards Coco and Glynda.

"You don't even know what my semblance is, but I know all about you," Eren insisted. "You've been in the public eye for a long time, and after watching you fight during the tournament, I've got a pretty good idea of what I'm in for." He stretched and reached down to touch his toes.

"You're right, I didn't give you a second glance when they gave me a list of possible new students because you looked underwhelming," Neela told him. "You went to Anzen Academy, and even though you had the option to transfer to Haven you waited until your second year to try and transfer, but why?"

"Less talking," Eren demanded.

"On my mark," Coco yelled out sheepishly, still in disagreement with the decision.

"Concentrate on the fight," Titus shouted.

"Get set!" Coco continued.

"You can do this!" Ilia encouraged.

"Go!" Coco shouted. Eren took off in a sprint from a three-point stance, a kinetic blast from his starting panel threw him forward as he reached Neela much sooner than she expected, batting down a long dagger that he revealed from his left side, slamming the barrel of his hand cannon into her ribs and blasting her away with a shot that had extra kick behind it. Little Hawk. The words echoed and she looked up at Eren, her eyes lighting up as her semblance took over. Why did you leave me?! I wouldn't be doing this if you were still here! Eren's next two attacks were blocked flawlessly, drawing a feeling of ire as he made a desperate attempt to blast her back again. She split the bullet with her arrow, nailing him in the chest as it erupted and threw him away. As he tumbled from her she grappled him in as she kicked her leg up, bringing it back down and planting him in the ground as she flipped her bow into its sword form and struck the ground next to his head.

"Yes, I do think I've beaten you," Neela spoke before he could ask her. His body trembled as he attempted to move back. She reached down and gripped the collar of his jacket before suddenly feeling light-headed.

"Is her nose bleeding?" Coco asked. Titus took off without warning.

"Ilia!" He shouted. Neela collapsed on top of Eren, leaving him clueless beneath her as he looked up at the upside-down students coming to retrieve her. "Not again, Neela!"

"Someone get Jaune and Ren!" Ilia yelled. Coco ran for the doors as Glynda stared on and shook her head with a sigh.

"It seems I was mistaken," she told herself. Titus carried Neela out as Eren picked himself up and brushed off his clothes.

"Guess we'll have to finish that later," Eren grunted, clearing his throat. He looked his hand cannon over and placed it back in the band of his pants, sheathing the dagger before cracking his neck. "She single?"

"She's not into dicks," Ilia notified him as she began leaving.

"That stings, really," he noted.

"I meant she's a lesbian," Ilia clarified leaving the building. Eren frowned and rubbed the back of his neck.

"The cute ones always are," he groaned. "Hey, Teach! Want to show me to the dorms!?"

"You will refer to me as Headmistress and that is final," she corrected. He shrugged and nodded.

"That's fair," he responded as he followed her out.

Eren seems like a great addition, right? Next week, Chapter 7: Nero.

A big thank you to AG_Nonsuch, Helihi, Cadhla182, Carlomontie, Nliast, Y8ay8a, Sa-Dui, Diyaru4500, Demize00Zero, TheCipherNine, SketchHungry, Ookaminoki, Lightning-in-my-Hand, and Dishwasher1910. The artwork can be found at Deviantart, you can search Silent-Celica and under my favorites tab, I have a collection for NITE.

Until next week, stay safe, stay healthy, and stay classy!