Hello, hello! Welcome to another fic. Check out how many chappys it is on my profile. This is a fic based on the songs "This Game" & "Asphyxia" by Amalee. These are songs from the anime "No Game No Life" & "Tokyo Ghoul." It's an interesting combo so it was a ton of fun to write. If you are curious about how the story will go, maybe those songs will give you some hints ;)

I started outlining this fic in 2016 then scrapped it after a few chapters. I came back to it in 2020 with this result, hope you like it. Also wanted to say how thankful I am for you all. Especially the dandelions that have been reviewing/reading all my stories. Thank you.

~Hope you enjoy the show~

"You're a failure. A nuisance."

"You can't do anything right."

"You shouldn't exist."

"... an abomination."

The negative cloud of thoughts swirled in her mind, creating chaos. Despite that, she strode through the glistening hallway with a destination in mind. What snapped her out of it was the stern tone of an irritated man.

"Where do you think you're going, young lady?"

From his voice, Weiss halted in her tracks. She took a deep breath and gripped her suitcase like it was her lifeline. She turned around to address her angry father.

"Back to Beacon. We discussed this."

Perplexed, Jacques' eyebrows rose. He didn't recall allowing her to return. Last semester, his daughter performed poorly. At least in his eyes. She didn't even make the spot as a team leader. It was pathetic.

"You almost got caught last semester," Jacques reminded, frowning under his mustache. "If anyone finds out about your-"

"No one will find out," Weiss stated with assurance as she gripped the handle on her suitcase. For once, her icy glare was colder than his own. "Nothing bad happened and I even made some friends. It's my problem to worry about. Now, if you'll excuse me, they're awaiting my arrival."

Her secret was always on the verge of being exposed. It appeared Jacques spent more time worrying about it than Weiss. The family's reputation was on the line. And all for what? So she could have fun? So she could make friends?

As Weiss turned to leave, Jacques yelled from behind her. "You will tarnish this family's name!"

Scoffing, Weiss spared a glance over her shoulder. "By becoming a huntress? I don't think so."

"This isn't a game!" Jacques screeched, voice bellowing. "I will not have a stain on my legacy!"

"It's a little too late for that," Weiss retorted boldly, picking up the pace to jet outside.

She did not want to hear any more of his screaming. After that, she opened the front door. When it shut, she didn't look back. His yells were finally muffled. He was probably coming after her. Not that he could actually catch her.

He's always tried to cut me down. I made it a whole semester with no one even batting an eye, Weiss thought, proud of herself. I can attend another semester with no issues.

Determined, Weiss approached the edge of Atlas. After grabbing her suitcase and jumping, she performed the perfect landing strategy. A few people nearby gasped from what looked like a suicide attempt but were relieved as a few glyphs appeared to slow her descent.

This was another leap of faith she had to take. There was no way she could spend another second being cooped up in Atlas. By this point, it was getting hard to breathe. It was suffocating. She needed some air. And she was finally going to get it.

My whole life has been like a game of chess to him, Weiss thought as she felt the refreshing wind kiss her cheeks. I'm not playing by his rules. If changing the rules means that I can see my team, then I will.

From the thought of her team at Beacon, she smiled as she perfectly flipped and landed on the ground.

Although they hadn't been a team for long, it was hard not to like them. There was her goofball leader, the brooding chick who keeps to herself, and the extrovert who couldn't stop smiling. It made for an… interesting dynamic.

The team wasn't initially part of her plan. She was supposed to attend Beacon while keeping a low profile, but they all quickly became friends. She couldn't give up the chance for friends. They were part of a twist in her life. They were a reason for her to really exist.

For her whole life, Weiss needed somewhere to return to. A place that was full of comfort, potential, and friends. It had never been her home. It had always been Beacon. Weiss finally felt like she had people- friends- to depend on.

She only looked forward to seeing them. Even if they could be a handful.

One thing's for certain: she needed to be careful. She couldn't let her guard down. Even though they are her friends, there will always be one thing they couldn't know about her.

The one thing she couldn't afford to trust anyone with.

"Jeez, Weiss. How much stuff did you haul here?!"

At last, Ruby dropped the heavy box by her partner's bunk bed. It was so heavy that her arms almost fell off. And Ruby wields a scythe. That says something.

"It's enough," Weiss replied after dropping the final box in the dorm room. "Thanks for helping me, Ruby," she turned to the rest of her team and scowled. "Unlike them."

"We just moved in, too!" Yang defended as she sprawled across her bed in leisure. "Don't give me crap. I'm tired."

Quietly, Blake had been reading her book. It was about to be a really good part. She couldn't tear her eyes away.

Confidently, Ruby placed her hands on her hips as she gazed knowingly at her partner. "Ahem."

After sighing, Weiss reached into her pockets. "Right, how could I forget?"

Casually, Weiss pulled out a bag of small chocolate chip cookies and tossed it to her leader. Ruby caught it with glee and was already drooling as she pried open the bag.

"Yes!"

So no one could take her prized possession, Ruby turned away from her team as she inhaled the cookies like a vacuum.

With a sigh, Yang shook her head. "No one wants your cookies, Rubes," she turned to her scowling teammate. "Why'd you bring so much stuff?"

Even though Blake was reading a great part of the book, curiosity got the best of her. By then she had opened a nearby box. "What's in here any...way…."

The faunus drifted into silence when she noticed everything in that box was a different kind of shoe and various colors of the rainbow. All she could do was blink.

Since her reaction was priceless, Yang peered inside. She paused, sighed, and addressed her teammate. "Seriously?"

"I like my shoes," Weiss defended without missing a beat. "It's akin to Blake and all her books, Ruby and her weapons magazines, and you with all your stupid tools!"

"Did you just call my babies stupid?" Yang asked, feigning offense.

Weiss threw her hands in the air and scoffed. "You know what I mean."

Yang lightly chuckled. "Riiiiight. I'm not gonna throw hands with you now since it's our first day back, but look forward to the rest of the semester, princess."

"Whatever."

After a pregnant pause, everyone was finally sitting on their own assigned beds. At last, there was time for everyone to sit down and talk.

"How were everyone's breaks?" Blake asked." I finally got to see my parents in Menagerie, so that was nice."

From thinking about it, Ruby shot up. "Our break was awesome! Yang and me finally upgraded our weapons."

From the revelation, Blake perked a brow. Upgrades to any weapons would always improve teamwork when sent out on missions. She was excited to think about the possible improved team combinations.

"Oh?" Blake asked, egging her on. "What did you do?"

Yang smirked and winked at her. "You'll find out soon enough, kitten."

"Such a tease," Blake shrugged off, looking forward to what she had in mind. "I also hung out with my friend Illya. Sometimes we were so bored, we invited my parents to be with us."

From the mention of Kali, Yang broadly grinned. "Hey, your mom is a party. She's the real reason I visited you over break."

Knowing her mom was awesome, Blake lightly laughed. "I don't blame you at all."

"Mrs. Belladonna," Weiss mused, thinking she'd met her over video once. "How is she?"

"Good, as usual," Blake replied. "She's strangely into opera now."

"Hm," Yang hummed, thinking her partner's family was unique. "What's your dad into?"

"My mom."

Dramatically, Yang put a hand over her hand. "Oh my god, that's the cutest thing I've ever heard."

Blake only shrugged.

While they bantered, Ruby went over to her partner's bed and sat next to her. "How'd you spend your break, Weiss? Was it fun?"

"I trained," Weiss said, the bland reply earned a few eye rolls. "What? There's not much else to do."

Yang shook her head. "You live in basically a castle. There's bound to be more to do!"

"I strolled through the garden every now and then, does that satisfy you?" Weiss retorted.

"Nah, not good enough," Yang smugly grinned, egging her on.

"You have a garden?" Blake asked somewhat eagerly, which earned a nod. "How big is it?"

Weiss held her chin in thought. "About a football field, perhaps? Any larger and we wouldn't be able to properly take care of it."

Blake wasn't much of an expressive person, but her ears did a lot of the talking. It was easy to tell her mood by looking at those furry ears. She was excited, maybe even interested in plants. From the pleasing sight, Weiss smiled and tugged down her sleeves.

"You're a failure. A nuisance."

Even while conversing with her teammates, his irritating voice still invaded her mind.

"- think that would be okay?"

"Uh, Weiss?" Yang waved a hand in front of her face.

Unintentionally, Weiss had a vacant expression. Like she was somewhere far away and beyond the walls in their room.

"I was listening!" Weiss smacked the hand away, then sighed in defeat. "Would what be okay?"

"If I can go to the garden one day," Blake repeated simply. "Are you okay? You're a little spaced out."

"That could be fine," Weiss mentioned, not entirely confident. "We could all go, maybe. One day."

Only if he isn't there.

There was a flicker of hope that maybe her friends could get a glimpse into her private life.

Then again, some things can't change.

Hmmm, what's lil Weiss' secret? I gave hints. Hopefully not enough to give it away! You'll know soon enough.

Lyrics from This Game: "This is the time to break through, so I'll rewrite the story and finally change all the rules." "Now suddenly there's a new twist. A reason to really exist." - Team gives her a purpose in life.

Lyrics from Asphyxia: "Some things just can't change. Sinking deeper, into the setting sun. This is my reality."

Stay dandy,

~Toto